Alright, must write about last night. First, yesterday, we went to the Prado. It was one of the last days you could take pictures - starting in October, no pictures allowed, whatsoever. So we took lots of pictures, imitated statues - all that. On Wednesday, when I went on my own, there was a painting by Velazquez that for some reason really captivated me and almost brought tears to my eyes. The painting, El bufon de Calabacillar, was loaded with a subtle sadness ...

So this is the overview of the week so far: Monday lunch - first for real awkward moment with the familia. So my senora had not too long ago found out that we eat grapefruit with a spoon. So when I asked for an orange, she gave it to me on a plate with a knife and fork. So, not really knowing exactly what I was supposed to do, I started cutting it in wedges, like you would a water melon. When I finally realized that this plan was not going to work, I manned up ...

UPDATE: Check out new journal entries for Madrid, Valencia, and Cuenca. I also updated pictures. I will get captions on there soon, I promise!

24 Today we went to Cuenca - Casas Colgadas. Cuerca is a city at the junction of two rivers. All these houses are built into the cliffs - and to provide space, they build off the walls of the house - balconies and other rooms. It is really cool. It was a gorgeous pueblo - probably one of my favorite places in Spain so far. I would not mind buying a vacation home there. That way if it falls off the cliff I likely won't be there when it happens. About 1...

Today was the lovely ride to Valencia. We saw the train station, Cathedral and. . .big news. . .my friend Nicole and I got married yay felicidades! Okay so in this Cathedral, legend has it is THE holy grail. But I got to thinking about this. This grail, as all legend describes it, is described as pretty gaudy and jewel-bedecked, right? Let's stop a minute to consider. First of all - Jesus was a carpenter. Not much money for a cup made of diamonds, right? T...