A first and a last - LA TriEvents 2

TriEvents marked one of the 'firsts' of the year -  a race!  In other ways, it also began what will probably be a long litany of lasts as we prepare to move to Colorado and say our good-byes to people, places and experiences.  So, TriEvents was my last "hometown", Southern CA race, which made the experience rather bittersweet.

As for this race...  I usually don't go on and on about my pre-race days for a smaller local event, but I think that I followed a good list of what NOT to do.  First of all, I've felt somewhat unmotivated training-wise.  Also, we have kept up an unusually busy social calendar as we're trying to get together with friends as much as possible (which may impact the first point).  So, not only did I eat some really rich Mexican food Friday night at Rocio's Mole de los Dioses (yes, that is the "Mole of the Gods" restaurant - if you like mole, which not everyone does, this place is for you!), but we spent part of Saturday at a toddler's birthday party, at which I ate several cookies and 2 pieces of cake, and then we had Middle Eastern Saturday night.  To top it all off, Gus, our dog, has been getting up in the middle of the night - at least once, but sometimes twice - to go outside.  On Saturday night, he got up, and subsequently woke us up, at 12:00 and then again at 3:00.  So, not very auspicious circumstances for the race.

However, I reminded myself when I woke up at 5:00 am (after not sleeping much between 3-5) that this was NOT my "A" race but more of the 'ripping-the-bandaid-off' type of a race.  With St. George very much on the horizon (next Saturday!), it was nice to locate all of my shit, some of which I hadn't seen since last summer.  I was about 100% sure that I would forget an essential item, but I somehow managed to make it to Bonelli with all the necessities.  That was the first surprise and relief, but it still didn't exactly calm my nerves which were a bit on edge.

Arriving at the park early Sunday am, I was initially excited to see all of the athletes and take in the energy.  Yay, a triathlon!  But once I checked in and started to REALLY prepare for the race, I just wanted to leave.  Part of this was nerves, plain and simple, but it also stemmed from the fact that Michael had opted to stay in bed after a rough night's sleep.  As much as I wanted him to be at the race as my sherpa and photographer, I also understood his choice.  Plus, he'll be there at St. George and Boulder, which are far more important to me.  But I still missed him, as weird/dependent as that sounds.  The other aspect of the race that made me nervous, strangely, was the fact that I knew so many people racing, spectating and volunteering.  Signing up, this was one of the bonuses, but as I started to get ready to race, I just wanted to be alone, to zone out and be with my thoughts.  Also, I felt a weird pressure because I knew so many people and, thanks to my awesome self-confidence, I was sure that they would give me the side-eye as a "triathlete".

Thanks to Harrison Shao of CalTri who took this photo - I somehow wiped my race number on my face, that is not a beard!

Despite my nerves, it was fun to see so many people I knew.  With that in mind, I tried to breath (just breath!), focus on my race and enjoy the experience, no matter the outcome and repeated to myself, time and again, that this was NOT my A-race.  Lining up for the swim, I felt okay - the water temperature was a great and it was a nice morning, despite haze from a nearby fire.  It was so exciting to see the first waves start, and then it was the pinked-capped ladies' turn!  My first thought starting out was "Holy crap, this is so much harder than I expected!".  There was a lot of contact initially, but then we spread out and I felt more comfortable.  The swim ended up being slower than I had hoped/expected - I exited at 20:56 for 1000 meters, for a 2:05 pace.  Coming out of the water, I grimaced at someone who was cheering for me.  Such good sportsmanship!

The ladies, lining up for the swim.  Photo courtesy of TriEvents.

Beth's only advice to me for the day was "Go as HARD as you can on the bike :)" - she included a smiley face on that 'suggestion'!  Not really what I wanted to hear, but after a quick-for-me transition (sub 4:00!!!), I was on the bike course, trying to pass slower people and also leave room for the faster people to pass me and attempting to push myself on the bike.  I've raced this course once - 3 years ago, although that was a full Olympic distance (today's race was just a bit short), and while it isn't Wildflower hard, it isn't easy.  Lots of hills, some tricky turns and some portions of crappy road.  Plus, it's a 3-loop course, and I get bored by that third lap.  Anyway, I tried to push hard and was happy with the split on the first lap, less excited about the 2nd lap split, and a bit disheartened by the third, but what could I do?  I finished the 33km course in 1:12:33 for 17.4 mph ride.  While it wasn't the ride I wanted, I looked back at my 2012 race, and my time definitely improved!  So, progress is progress.

After a quick transition (would have been faster than 1:24 except that I stopped to talk to a student from work in transition - he actually won the sprint division!), it was time for the run.  Recently, I've felt great running off the bike, so I was hoping for a strong run, but you never know.  I did try something different this time.  I usually switch from the Garmin Edge on the bike to the Garmin 110 to track my run.  Yesterday, I opted to stick with the Edge which gives me overall pace rather than specific mile splits, so I ended up running very much by feel.  

My one complaint - my race bib kept riding high which made me feel like I was wearing high-waist pants or something.

The run-by-feel strategy is one that I might implement in future races because, holy crap, I ran a fast 8km (for me!), holding a 7:30 pace.  I wonder if I would have backed off had I seen the pace, and, at the same time, I wonder if I had something left in the tank at the end?  

At any rate, I crossed the finish line a very happy camper - relieved that the race had gone better than expected, despite a rough swim and slightly disappointing bike, and I remembered why I keep pushing along.  These experiences challenge me time and again, and while I often question myself and my enthusiasm wanes at times, there are those moments when things click.  My strong run probably helped my attitude, but even with my less-than-great performance on the swim and the bike, I remembered to cheer on other people and felt energized by the support that was out there on the course and it was just fun to be out there!

Finally, the second "first" (a true first for me!) - a podium!  Before my training/attitude/eating went to total shit, I had harbored a secret hope to place at this race as a nice way to end my triathlon experience here in Southern CA.  As I headed into the race, I lowered any and all expectations, so it was a very pleasant surprise when I ended up 3rd in my AG!  I understand that it's a small local race, so it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but I was excited enough to wait around for the awards ceremony.  Triathlon has been a challenging road for me - the swim and bike do not come easily, and I know that I didn't execute a perfect pre-race or race plan, but the accumulation of years of somewhat hard work is beginning to reap benefits.  While I have zero photos (at this point) of my podium, it was fun to get a cheer from the crazy CalTri folks as pictured below:

It's definitely a motley crew and I'm not the most dedicated member, but triathlon has become a somewhat significant part of my life, and, in one way or another, I've shared that with many of these people.  

So, the final take-aways from the race?  Transitions matter (for the first time ever, I tried to hurry and it might have made the difference between a podium spot or 4th place); I'm still a better runner than swimmer/biker, but I can improve, slowly!  And, the most important note - the camaraderie and energy on the course make the race experience.  Keeping that last point in mind, I finally feel excitement about St. George, rather than dread, and I can't believe that it's next week!  As I said in my last post, racing season is upon us!

Signs of summer

June, graduation, final meetings - all of these signal that it's summertime!  Plus, almost right on schedule, June gloom arrived in the Southern CA area.  It wasn't quite June 1st, but when I went out for a long run Sunday morning, the day was still quite gray and gloomy - ideal!  May seemed like a warmer-than-usual-month, with fires already breaking out in different parts, and I was skeptical that June would bring about the usual weather 'system', but it did, and I'm not complaining about the cooler mornings.

I have tried to already take advantage of the change of pace - Michael and I took Monday afternoon to go to LACMA and enjoy our membership there.  We saw lots of German Expressionism which could have been quite depressing, but we mixed in some late 19th/early 20th Century American painting and a Matisse cut-out exhibit.  By the time we returned  to the east side, it was the afternoon, but not yet evening, so we hit up The York, for a small but potent margarita.  Drinks on a Monday?  Yes, please!

Food-wise, we're enjoying a somewhat different menu with summer fruit and veggies, and I've already enjoyed being at home for lunch.  After less-than-responsible eating in April and May, both nutritionally and financially, I'm making a push to cook more.  This week has so far been quite the success with a white, veggie lasagna on Monday and a fresh corn salad with a cilantro lime dressing (recipe for the dressing is here - we cut down on the oil; we'll definitely be making this again!) last night, and some peach and blueberry scones today.  Not so successful is the plan to drink less beer/wine and eat less ice cream.  It is summer, after all!

After a few months of pretty lame entertainment, of both the reading and viewing variety, I'd like to be more deliberate in my choices over the summer.  It's sheer laziness that I haven't pushed myself to read or watch interesting books or movies lately.  Thanks to Michael's insistence that we watch Chinatown (again), I read a few commentaries about the last line of the movie ("Forget it, Jake; it's Chinatown").  Apparently, some people think that it connects to the death of Polanski's wife, so I started reading about that, which then led me to pick up Helter Skelter, which I'm currently reading (okay, not a great intellectual oeuvre but it's fascinating to learn about LA in the 60's and who doesn't enjoy reading about cults).  And all of this prompted us to watch Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired last night, which was an interesting documentary, to say the least.

Other plans for the summer include a trip to the Hollywood Bowl, finally, and plenty of hiking and biking, road tripping, reading, beach walking, hitting up a few more museums, cooking, napping, and training.  Not necessarily in that order.

Summer 2013, I'm ready for you!

Bittersweet - Back in sunny CA

It comforted me yet made me a bit sad when I woke up in my own bed this morning, surrounded by familiar details (such as dogs sniffing up at me when they sensed movement in bed rather than the usual sleep rhythm - how do they know it?!).  After two fairly long days in the car, Michael and I both welcomed the familiar sites along I-5, such as the lovely town of Grapevine, almost rejoicing when we merged onto the 210 Freeway, and we would have been ecstatic if we hadn't been so tired when we finally opened the door to our humble abode.  Milo and Gus did not make the trip with us, so their wagging tails were at attention as they greeted us with a mix of joy and suspicion.  For the rest of our short evening, they seemed to alternate between excitement and distrust, glad to see us yet nervous that we'd leave them again.  They were, however, quite happy to join us in our bedroom when we finally called it a day, so I think that they have forgiven us for this momentary abandonment.

Regarding the trip - more to come on that, photos and all.  It is hard to summarize and to not gush ad nauseum, but it was a fantastic trip - one of our 'best', if I could rank them.  Heading south on Wednesday felt like someone was yanking a part of me out, I hated to leave that part of the world that much, as we took our leave of good friends with whom we had reconnected and to whom we had to say our good-byes.  That was the bittersweet aspect of the trip, because it made me so happy to see these people and so sad to leave them.  Throughout the trip we saw different people, but on Wednesday, we had made our final "visit", so that was the hardest good-bye.  Our route on this trip was a bit circuitous - we made different stops along the way as we drove north to Oregon, then snaked our way to the Oregon coast where we disconnected from the world before heading north to Seattle, then on to Bellingham, then crossing the border to Vancouver.  Our final stop before the long drive south was east to Leavenworth, WA.  The return was, without a doubt, the most difficult part of the trip, as the excitement that pushed us on had transformed into anxiety and impatience to return home.  The long summer days suddenly shortened, and we knew that we were closer to home.

That is a summary of our route, but says little about the WHAT - the experiences and the activities.  It is hard, for me, to quickly summarize all of that, but I will say that we walked along half a dozen beaches, if not more; ate more than our fair share of excellent, local (when we could get it) seafood, lost count of the totem poles that we came across, consumed pounds and pounds of cherries (I kid you not); perused many a farmers market; fell in love with Oregon and Washington beers - IPAs in particular; stopped to take in one view or another and pinched ourselves when we couldn't really believe it; honed our local pie expertise; drank numerous cups of coffee (and only went to Starbucks once!); enjoyed the bounty of our friends' gardens at dinnertime; and stayed up far later than I am used to on most evenings as we gabbed and gabbed with friends.  I would also consider this to be one of our more active trips as we walked, hiked, biked or ran in every single locale that we visited.

Now that we are home, it is easy to return to a pat routine, to get lost in the day-to-day minutiae, to worry about next month or next year, or to focus too much on small details that, in the bigger scheme, don't really matter that much.  While this was no Kerouacian experience that involved hitchhiking, the elements and a few survival skills, it did allow us to step outside of the usual rhythm of our lives and to reconnect with several people that we know from different moments of our lives.  Being home has its own advantages, as we connect with friends here and spend time with the dogs (and I train for some race), and hunkering down a bit will energize us for our next trip - which will be coming up soon!

What happens in Vegas...

...doesn't always stay in Vegas!
I'm definitely 'lifting' an ad for STD (sexually transmitted disease, for those "not in the know") testing, billboards that I've seen around town.
It is, however, an accurate description of our trip to Vegas, Saturday to Sunday.  A quick trip, but it has had a somewhat lasting impact.  Maybe not long-term damages or major regrets, but I've felt completely "off" this week.  It doesn't help that we've been dealing with the car and I had a doctor's appointment that included a cortisone shot straight into my knee which knocked me on my ass.
But, back to Vegas, which was awesome but exhausting!  It's been five years since we've been to Vegas, so the quick trip over the weekend was, I suppose, overdue.  We arrived in time for lunch and ended up at China Poblano, a relatively new restaurant that is the creation of José Andres, a Spanish chef who trained at elBulli, that mecca of molecular gastronomy (now closed?).
As for China Poblana - we had a GREAT experience!  And it didn't seem like a very "Vegas" experience (whatever that it).  The idea is small plates, emphasizing, obviously, the cuisine of Mexico and China.  Some of the plates involved the fusion ethos, but others were pretty traditional.  We started out with some drinks that I could have sucked on all day long:

My drink has the corn husk as 'garnish' - it was awesome.  I don't know what it was, but it tasted great. Michael's margarita was served with salt foam, and it was a fantastic margarita.  The food was also damn good - we had a variety of Chinese and Mexican food:  a tamal wrapped in swiss chard rather than a corn husk or banana leaf; a yummy shrimp dish; a duck tongue taco and a beef tendon taco.  We definitely went out an a limb on the tacos, and while I can't say that I was necessarily crazy about the tacos, the flavors were interesting, to say the least.

We waddled out of the restaurant, back down the Strip, quite content with lunch.  And that was only meal number 1.

Dinner was pretty fantastic too...  Lots of courses, probably the best black cod dish I've ever had, an amazing cheese course, and a fantastic Sauternes that accompanied the cheese and chocolate at the end of the meal.  It was great to share the experience with my brother and his wife.  Also, Vegas on a Saturday night brings out an interesting array of people!

After a too-short night of sleep, Michael and I woke up early, determined to leave by 10:00 am.  With that in mind, we showed up bright and early as they were opening the doors to Bouchon, Thomas Keller's bistro in Vegas (yes, they have one in NYC and now in BH).  The server asked us about drinks and I went for a traditional cup of strong coffee - no breakfast cocktail for me.  As for the food at Bouchon - it more than lived up to my expectation of a great breakfast.  I honestly think that I had the best waffles that I've every had in my life - sourdough, light but dense...  And I ordered a side of bacon, and they brought something like an entire of PLATE of the stuff!  Someone else enjoyed his meal as well!

After stuffing ourselves again, we left Las Vegas around 10:30 and booked it back to LA.  However, we did bring a few things back from Vegas.  The extra pounds that we must have brought back!  And ta-da:

Extra goods from Bouchon!  A blueberry muffin that was pretty damn good, some bread pudding thing, and a pain au raisin.  I'd give two thumbs up, except for the pain au raisin, which needed more butter.  

Overall, no complaints about the weekend, although it is funny - as we packed up to leave, a wish to stay a bit longer fleeted through my mind.  Once we got in the car, however, I felt nothing but relief about leaving.  I also felt exhausted - not that we had a crazy, wild time, but the constant stimulation of noise, crowds, people drinking, shouting, celebrating, gambling, shopping is a lot for me to take.  Also, as we left, I realized that I had felt a bit like a lab rat - while we certainly stepped outside to walk down the Strip, it doesn't feel like you are "outside".  The crowds contribute to a constant sense of claustrophobia on my part.
So, all-in-all a success.  No gambling, so we didn't win or lose, which is fine by me, and we controlled any other impulse that the bright lights might have brought on!

Student presentations + Running = Not a great idea

After taking a few days off to rest the calf and the knee, I was determined that today would be the day:  run, run, run!  The weather cooperated for an afternoon run, so I tried to head out as soon as possible.  The calf felt pretty good, ditto for the knee, but there was another major issue that I hadn't foreseen:  my stomach.  Now, I have a very high tolerance for food, and I trust my stomach to digest without too many issues. Well, apparently, it (my stomach) has its limits, and I learned what some of those limits were today.
In fact, they seem to come in the form of multiple taquitos/flautas, tacos de carne asada, cake and also a sketchy churro (just one) con chocolate.  Now, this assortment of foods is not a part of my regular diet, but in recent days, I've definitely been eating more random 'stuff' than usual (yesterday, for instance, I ate empanadas, carne asada, tacos de pollo, tacos de pescado and sancocho, a stew thing).
Why would I do this to myself?
Definitely a sacrifice - the whole 'taking it for the team' concept.  In this case, the 'team' would be a class project, the ubiquitous "food as cultural expression" experience.
While I felt a bit like the calf, fattened up for slaughter, I also thought that I had waited long enough between my last bite of a churro and that I could fly through a nice, easy run.
Ha!  I did finish up the run, but not without having to stop a few times so that I wouldn't throw up while running uphill or down as multiple food stuffs sloshed around in my stomach and threatened, time and again, to do more than just "slosh".
I survived the run without puking on my shoes, so I'll count it as a successful venture on the trails!

Summer's end

I really should be working on my course descriptions, the syllabus for one of the classes, and general planning for the 2011-2012 academic year.  Gearing up, in other words, for next week when the proverbial "rubber hits the road", and I am back in the classroom!  See, this will be my experience:

Source

Okay, so my students are a bit older and don't look at me with such adoration.  Other than that, my teaching experience exactly mirrors this photo!

(This isn't helping me at all....)

Obviously my summer has pretty much ended, so I need to get OVER IT.  The greatest challenge as I transition from summer break to school has nothing to do with the idea of work.  Surprisingly, there is that little rush that comes with being back on campus, returning to the classroom, and seeing students and colleagues again.  It is quite comforting, in fact, to find that my brain cells still whirl along and enjoy a bit of stimulation.

The hardest part, for me, about returning to work is dressing the part.  After 3 languorous months in which I lived, for the most part, in flipflops, Patagonia capris, Patagonia t-shirts and Patagonia dresses (slight obsession, I know!), I now have to return to the adult world, at least in terms of personal appearance.  We had meetings last week, and I tried to cut a somewhat professional profile, but on Tuesday, it's D-day:  Wake up early, shower at the beginning of the day, try to 'do' my hair and even leave the house with make-up scattered on my face.  I seem to have slacked off on these sorts of habits over the summer, wallowing in dirt and sweat on a regular basis.

However, since I don't want to mourn summer's passing before that has even happened, I AM enjoying my weekend, damnit!  We had totally blown whatever budget we thought that we had this summer, and we've continued that trend this weekend, eating out on Friday night, Saturday night and brunch today.  Shameful, I know!  I also just cut up a watermelon, which I plan to finish off by this evening, while indulging in my last "Law and Order" marathon viewing session (the whole DVR thing is terrible!).  We should also eat the rest of the Haagen-Dazs Dulce de Leche that is going to be the last ice cream that we buy for the next several months!

Yep, that, in a nutshell is my summer:  lots of eating out, lots of eating ice cream in, not showering, sweating plenty, and wearing flipflops.  

Next week just might kill me!

2010 Trip Report I: Spain

So, the 'big' trip! We had a bit of a crazy schedule for a few days, driving to Colorado, flying out of Denver to Heathrow and then to Paris, arriving June 20th. We spent the night in Paris, only to leave at a ridiculously early hour for Madrid. Before leaving Denver, I decided that I needed to have one final taste of Mexican food - chips and salsa!

And now, all about Spain, España, or "la Madre Patría" for true patriots! I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the Spanish culture and people, which feels like a dirty confession, seeing that I teach Spanish language and Hispanic literature classes. Still and all, I do enjoy visiting and traveling through the Spanish-speaking world, and see it as a must in terms of personal and professional development. Also, Spain is a country that I've had the good fortune to visit every few years or so. Mexico used to be on that list of "places to visit on a regular basis", but it's now just a wee bit too dangerous, so Michael and I stick to day-trips when we are visiting my parents in South Texas and want to restock our tequila supply.But I digress... Back to España.

Zamora

Here we are in León, which means "lion" in Spanish, but I learned that it actually comes from the Latin word for "Legionaire". Impressive, no?!

I can't say that I know ALL of Spain well, but I have had the good fortune to travel through some of the different regions. The south, Andalucía, provides the visitor with the stereotypical vision or experience: bullfighting, flamenco, the Moorish influence, olive trees, white-washed pueblos, the Alhambra... In recent years, I've avoided the south and the heat of the south, seeing that I mainly come in the summer, and have traveled more in the northern part. I may have to return to the South soon, however, now that I think about it.

The ubiquitous "jamón serrano", hanging from the ceiling in a bar/café/restaurant. I remember the first time I went to Spain, I was in high school, and the idea of eating it did not appeal to me at all. How times and my tastes have changed! It's always on my list of "What am I looking forward to" when I go to Spain now.

This time around, Michael and I left the planning primarily in the very capable hands of his brother and sister-and-law who live in Spain. Why not depend on experts? This meant that other than the ticket to Madrid, two nights in San Sebastián and the rental car, I had to do almost nothing for our entire Spanish interlude! It was great! I'm almost ready to sign-up for an all-inclusive package to the Caribbean after this experience. Okay, just kidding on that. But it was great because Mónica could tell us about the history of different places and her own experiences and impressions. It was like having a private tour guide!

One more digression: This is/was quite the 'banner year' for Spain in terms of the sporting world. Despite it's shaky economic situation (it's part of the "PIGS" - Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain, the weak links in the EU), the country was riding high on it's recent successes. I read about the "triple crown": Nadal´s triumph in Wimbledon, obviously the World Cup victory, and, while we were there, Contador's third Tour de France win. We did not partake in any celebrations, but there was certainly a bit of pride on display, depending on the part of country where one was.

Back to our trip - after picking up our car, finding our way to Michael's brother's apartment in Madrid where we crashed for a few hours (totally jetlagged), we ate lunch and then headed north to the town of Zamora in the region of Castilla-León. Little did we know it, but we had embarked on our "stone tour" - visiting one medieval cathedral after another! From Zamora, we traveled north to León, the capital of the region, obviously! Again, more plazas, winding streets, Roman walls, an impressive cathedral and excellent cheap wine!

From the northern part of Castilla-León, we drove further north, over the mountains and found ourselves in the green wonderland of Asturias, one of the regions that is part of the "Costa Verde" (the Green Coast), all along the Cantabrian Sea. I had visited the north before, so I was aware of the stark contrast it provided with the South. The food, language, landscape and people all differ. Michael kept repeating, "We are NOT in Spain!". No doubt the Basque separatists would agree with him! In Asturias, we poked around small fishing villages, visited more cathedrals and churches, ate some amazing "pulpo a la gallega" (Octopus prepared in olive oil and dashed with paprika - I'm sure that it was not "Paul the Octopus", known in Spain as "Pablo el Pulpo", which has some nice alliteration). We also took in a bit of a Celtic festival, bagpipes and dancing and all, but have no pictures to show for that. And I did not join in the dancing, by the way.

Pics from the Costa Verde:

And then, San Sebastián, in the Basque Country, a city that I'd wanted to visit for AGES! I spent some time in Bilbao a few years ago and loved it, but I failed to make it further east to San Sebastián. At any rate, I finally experienced the elegant, sophisticated beauty of San Sebastián. The Lonely Planet (my go-to guidebook when traveling) describes San Sebastián thus: "This is no Grande Dame either, more a cool, svelt, diva who has seen them all, from belle epoque blue bloods to 21st century international rock stars.

I'm not sure that I had quite the "cool" experience, but we did enjoy San Sebastián and the País Vasco. It definitely felt like a different country! While Castellano (more commonly known as "Spanish") is taught and spoken, all of the signs are in "Euskara" or Basque, which throws k's, t's, and x's all together! While in San Sebastián, we visited the Museo Chillida in the town of Hernani, which, for fun, we pronounced "Her-Nanny" when we were out of ear-shot of anyone who might find it offensive. From there, we drove to Pamplona, walked the route that the bulls run for the festival of San Fermín. Fortunately we missed the festival and the whole "running of the bulls" thing. That is an experience that I never want to have! Not because of the danger, but I cannot imagine the crowds of drunken idiots. We also visited some quaint, random villages in the Basque country.

San Sebastián:

Museo Chillida:

A quaint Basque village:

Finally, on the way back to Madrid, we stopped in Burgos which has the bragging-rights to one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Spain. It WAS quite a site - suddenly open and full of light, at least in comparison to the darker, more Romanesque cathedrals that we had visited in Zamora and León. Apparently "El Cid", Spain's epic hero, is buried there, and we did see a stone in the cathedral marking his grave, but I'm skeptical. If you haven't seen the movie "El Cid", I highly recommend it for a bit of a laugh. Sophie Lauren and Charlton Heston (of course!) star. Finally, back to Madrid after eating our final Spanish lunch - it consisted of chorizo, jamón serrano and queso. Pork and cheese - very fitting!

All in all, an excellent trip! We were excited to head to our next destination: Paris, France!

Hola and Adiós from Burgos! Don't I look like a tourist with my Lonely Planet 2005 guide?!