As our time here is winding to a close, we have taken great pains to maximize our our remaining weeks to ensure that we get to see as much of the ridiculously and intriguingly varied Iberian peninsula as is possible under our time and budget constraints (I say again: Damn exchange rate!!). We’ve already covered the greatest hits of the central plains, including Madrid, Segovia, Toledo, and El Escorial. We hit the north side (San Sebastián) and the central east coast (Valencia). That leaves the south, the west coast and Barcelona, all of which we’ve made plans (as in booked trains and hotels) to visit.

Just so our mommies can keep track of us, here’s the remainder of the weekend plans:
A horde of our inordinately large (as in height, not necessarily weight) friends are coming this weekend, and we’re taking the night train (sans James Brown) to Lisbon, Portugal, for 3 days, which checks the west coast off our list, and after that we’re going to Sevilla, then Barcelona and wrapping up our final weekend in Granada / Cordoba before returning to Madrid and flying back to Chi-town. Should be a good time. Those four destinations pretty much ensure that we’ve seen all that Spain has to offer (at least in a cursory sense), with the exception of the north west, which we’ll just have to hit on a return trip.

The Lisbon trip promises to be fun, though I’m interested in how Spain and Portugal are going to react to a group of seven 6-foot-plus whiter-than-white kids roving their narrow streets (we’ll probably have to walk single-file and sideways to avoid getting wedged…). They’ll probably think we’re Dutch.

Here’s to not getting deported.

-bdmc

P.S.: Anyone know any useful Portuguese? Like, “I’m sorry I just offended everything you stand for. I didn’t mean it. America does rule, though…you know that, right?”