Bangkok - Tues., Nov 18

Well, it was going to be a full day in Bangkok before heading to Phuket to meet our liveaboard, but that pesky International Date Line got the better of us. 

We had until 1pm to do our brisk tour of Bangkok. The jetlag helped - we were up before 7 without issue and had our free, minimalist breakfast before an inaugural tuktuk ride to Wat Pho. 

The "trouble" with tuktuks (besides holding your life in their three-wheeled hands) is that there are no meters. But, the price he gave was less than we were planning to offer anyway, so it was an easy conversation. The tuktuk was a thrilling way to get around, and our driver dropped us right by the entrance, right as it opened at 8. 

It was very peaceful as we wandered the grounds. Wat Pho has the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand at over 300. The Rama kings (at least the first four) each have an intricate temple-like building commemorating them, with Rama IV buried in the middle compound. 

Every room containing a Buddha is sacred and we had to take our shoes off, but hardly any of them are connected, so it was off and on many times before we got to the most well-known Buddha - the largest reclining Buddha statue. By that point, the crowds had filled in behind us, we were accidentally photo-bombing pictures left and right. 

The big guy was pretty awe-striking. The temple surrounding him didn't give him much room to breathe, so that might have added to his perception of greatness. Even with his giant presence, I liked a tucked away garden with a foundation and an island better. 

The lushness was beautiful. There was a bird that sounded like the same note on a wooden xylophone being hit over and over - we assumed it was a car alarm until we traced it to a colorful singer on top of a flagpole. 

There were also these Chinese-looking statues guarding the doors called "Yak Wat Pho." Where Buddha always looks serene and it is disrespectful to include yourself in pictures of his statues, these guys looked like they had a trick up their sleeve and were willing to get posed with. 

We walked along the giant fence surrounding Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace to the entrance on the far side. The compound had a religious area in one quadrant, but every single giant tour group was right by the main temple with the Emerald Buddha. We knew we had to dress conservative, but apparently our scarves weren't trusted to cover our shoulders, so we got pastel collared shirts to don as well. 

We got swept along with the crowds (or perhaps more like shoved along; with so many people, manners aren't rewarded, but persistence is.) The Emerald Buddha was dwarfed by his massive, multi-level platform and the pushy crowd around us. He did look nice in his gold robes. Apparently they are seasonal (hot, cool, and rainy being the "seasons") and switched by the king himself. 

As we wandered the rest of the grounds, we escaped the crushing crowds but just for bustling crowds. There was a group of at least a hundred school children that we intersected with a few times. 

The Grand Palace only had a couple buildings to explore, so we checked out the welcoming hall, the facade of the British-built coronation building, and the building where the do viewings when important people die. 

On our way out, dropping off our now beautiful and beautiful-smelling shirts, we grabbed a mulberry smoothie that we sucked on while walking back toward our hostel to pick up our bags. The Sanam Luang - a giant grassy area that doesn't really seem to serve a purpose - was our guiding 

A general travel tip from the day: if you have wifi, you can pre-load Google Maps images of the areas you'll be in. When you aren't connected to wifi, the GPS signal still works, and you can follow your location along the cached maps. This was pretty helpful for the odd circling streets between Sanam Luang and Th Khao San, the market road where we browsed and had lunch.

Lunch! Our first real Thai food! The restaurant was recommended by our out-dated (but free! - thanks Kelly) guidebook, so it has probably moved away from the authenticity. It was only foreigners while we were eating.

But still. It was delicious Thai food - curries, noodles, rice, spring rolls with peanut sauce. And I got the pumpkin hummus - it doesn't feel like fall at all in the 90 degree shade, but in my heart I know it is. 

Taxi was easy, though because there are two airports, we had to trust we communicated enough to get to the right one. 

And since we are here, we must have figured it out. Though he asked where we were from, then said Rottweiler a couple times. His favorite English word? We'll never know...

It's off to Phuket to get picked up by Khaolak Scuba Adventures for three full days of diving! We have our seasick patches on, and our nerves are starting to kick in - time to test that scuba training in the ocean!

Flying to Bangkok - Nov. 16-17

We were asked to do a survey for ANA, which might chance the language I'm using. Top choice - the movie selection. 

So I watched all the hits that I missed: Boyhood, Jersey Boys, What If, Begin Again, and Guardians of the Galaxy. And a bit of House of Cards. 

We also figured out that we didn't account for the day we lost in transit, so we booked a hotel for the night we spent in the air. Our Bangkok itinerary is a little compact now. 

In Tokyk now, with our Bangkok flight boarding. My eyes are pretty heavy after 18+ hours of travel. 

I'll try to include more pictures next time.

Chicago Layover - Nov. 15-16, 2014

We booked tickets to Thailand through Japan-based ANA for two reasons - they were second cheapest, and we get to spend 18 hours in Japan on the way back. On the way from DC to Bangkok, however, we got a 24-hour layover in Chicago. Average expected temperatures for the rest of the trip: 70-80 degrees. Chicago? 20-30 degrees. 

Alisa and I packed checked bags for perhaps one of the first times we've traveled together. Our scuba fins and equipment were too big for carry-on luggage, so we had plenty of room, though slightly less for our weight allowance. There was lots of bargaining ("I can wear this over three other layers in Chicago, and it'll be cute in the tropics!"). 

After three missteps on my part that sent me back to my apartment to get the stuff I left (which were driving Alisa to hysteria), we made it on to my grandparents' house, then our flight the next morning.

So, starting off with the shortest flight of the trip. Got that under our belt and were ready to hit up the Windy City. First off, deep dish. We got the recommendation for Lou Malnoti's. It wasn't the incredibly buttery pastry crust, but it was certainly appealing. 

As for discovering things, nothing outside sounded appealing, so walking the Miracle Mile, or along the lake, or to the Bean were all off the list. Instead, we looked up shows. The afternoon was spent at the Adler Planetarium. Dark matter. Astrolabes. The  metaphors for the size of the universe. A show that introduced us to the stars. And, a heated building where we could eat freeze-dried ice cream. 

We then went to "Late Nite Catechism." Quite a bit went over our little Lutheran heads, but this is where the show started. 

Our dinner was at another quite established joint: Portillos. With a Chicago-style hot dog, and Italian beef sandwich, and a chocolate cake shake. The area was very flashy. 

Our final show was a ComedySportz in yet another awesome area. The better team won. 

It was not that early of a wake-up, all considering, but being awake for two long planes rides is going to be something else. 

Greg and Lesley's Wedding: Bahamas, April 9-13, 2014

This is the first time in years that I have gone abroad and not written a post every single day. Maybe it was that this trip was so short, or that the Bahamas seemed less and less like a foreign country the closer we got to them (though there was plenty of Spanish on the ship and in Miami).

So, I will do a retrospective post instead. Sitting in the airport, spending five hours waiting for a flight after doing just enough Miami exploration to call it a day.

TL;DR: Went on a four-night cruise to the Bahamas for my friends' (Greg and Lesley's) wedding with my travel buddy Nyk. Met their friends and family and re-met college buddies. Played board games, karaoke, and a scavenger hunt. Sat in the sun, in hot tubs, and in attendance at a beautiful wedding. 

Day 1: DC to Miami to Royal Carribbean's "Adventure of the Seas"

We got up at the crack of dawn to catch our flight straight to Miami. Ellie had gotten picked up by Renee the night before, so my dog was taken care of already that morning. 

I was doing the typical last minute tango of adding and subtracting items into my bag, but it was an easy flight, an easy transfer, an easy purchase of two bottles of wine and a big bottle of sunscreen (the non-carry-on-able things), and an easy arrival at the port. 

One of the major themes of the trip was lines. It wasn't even "hurry up and wait", it was just plain "wait." We ran into Teddy (the first of a couple of CMU acquaintances I got to know better in the last five days), and began the first line. Then the line to the line. Then we got to sit in a line. After about twenty minutes, and some debate on whether we were in a stack or a queue, my friend and travel partner Nyk made a hilarious computer science joke - "it's like we're in a heap and they've lost all reference to us." 

But they didn't lose us, and we made it on to the ship two hours later. We booked it to the dining hall, ate, then our rooms were supposed to be ready. Which, in our head, meant a nap. Or was it first exploring and then a nap? Either way, we mapped out the ship and caught up on those wee morning hours of sleep that were missed. And got our first of many fruity drinks in the sun. And the dedication to take a selfie a day. 

Dinner was at six, and - besides the glimpses of others passing us in the terminal - it was our first chance to solidify and meet up with others along for the cruise. 

Nyk and I got to meet Lesley's coworkers (and former coworkers) that are out in California during that first dinner, which I appreciated. We had great conversation and then scurried up to the welcome reception. After a party game, so more connections and names, the lounge we were in turned into karaoke... So we joined in! I "convinced" a fellow CMUer Frank and a new friend Carmen and another guest to sing Billy Joel's "For the Longest Time." It is actually in a great range for karaoke, if you are ever thinking about it. 

We arrived back to our room to find the first of what was going to be our growing family of towel animals - a dog! And he was wearing my sunglasses!

Day 2: Day at Sea

Today was loaded with things to do, but the first was to do a couple laps on the track on deck! I kept my eyes peeled for whales and dolphins, but (spoiler alert) didn't see any this trip. However, without Internet, it was discussed but impossible to know just how many elephants big is a blue whale, so the threat of one attacking the cruise ship was uncertain. (Someone at dinner mentioned their fear of whales, and it spiraled.)

After that, it was time for sun. 11am and the pool was already crowded. I put on my bathing suit and layers of sunscreen and started my relaxation time. 

It was good I got the hour there to relax, because it was right after lunch that the next adventure began. Greg and Lesley organized a scavenger hunt for us! Not just a wedding, but a wedding with competition! Nyk and I were at an advantage after exploring the ship the day before, but my team was no match for his in competition. We saluted the captain, "rowed" a lifeboat, got a styled mohawk (not me, actually), collected pictures of miscellaneous items (including a golfball, a red hat, a diaper, a tote bag, and a book), and spied on the other teams. However, the group was a stickler for rules, and we had quite a few dubiously disqualified. (That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!)

We made it back in time to dress up for dinner and sit with a different group. It was fancy night! Briana (Lesley's cousin) and Rob were fun to interact with. He got quizzed on his yacht chartering business - the only non-programmer at a table, and he had it coming. 

Sadly, dinner was not one of the better ones. There was food that didn't take good, miscommunications, and awkwardness.

Regardless, we made plans to meet for board games, popped in on "The Newlywed Game"... And I found a French bartender that poured a mean glass of wine. Oh, Cristian!

Day 3: Coco Cay

After looking it up before the trip, I was sad to find that the cruise called it Coco Kay, instead of Coco Key. I had studied that pronouncation, and it was taken from me!

Regardless, we grabbed some food and hopped on the shuttle boat that would take us from the cruise ship into the cove of the private island. Cruise lines made this into a tourist island haven - there was a nature trail to jog along with lizards (and chickens), as well as a mile or two of sandy beach. 

Nyk and I took an hour to run around the island before changing. We attempted to eat lunch, but ended up with a couple hotdogs and some curious meat after massive lines and people made it hard to get more. It was definitely the worst meal. But, laying on the beach - that part was quite fine. 

We found yet another line to wait in to take the shuttle back, but we found amusement playing the card game War. I made a comeback with just three cards left (won a War and kept going), but we never completed the game, so only God (and the fact that the game is completely deterministic) knows who would have won. 

It was lobster night, but after that disappointing lunch, it was most definitely snack time. We enjoyed it at the very stern of the ship. Water everywhere!

A few lobster tails later, and it was yet again a night of board games, (casino, if you were Nyk), and some early-to-bed. We had a wedding to get to the next morning!

Day 4: Nassau, "The Poop Deck" at Sandyport, and a wedding!

We got our breakfast and made it off the ship at 9am, just as we were supposed to. The next couple hours happened on Island Time. Eventually the buses to take us to the location and restaurant showed up. Eventually they figured out we were there for the wedding and not just to hang out at the beach. Eventually the restaurant opened up. Eventually we were seated. And soon there after... The ceremony! 

The waves crashing in the background made it tough to hear, but we all just leaned in and made it an intimate ceremony. It was a Jew-ish wedding, so I got to learn about the chuppah (a canopy representing a house held by friends and family) and Greg got to break a glass to symbolize how completely this marriage changes their lives - as impossible to go back as to put together that glass again. 

And then, that was that! It was time for food, a first dance, a father-daughter, a son-mother, and some extremely heartfelt speeches. If waiting in line was the theme of the cruise, crashing with Lesley and Greg was the theme of the reception. Everyone talked about a time that Greg and Lesley came to the rescue and housed them. Or they were roommates , so it didn't count. 

There were a couple fun surprises thrown in. Lesley's sister sang. The cake exchange was almost civil. And "The Shoe Game" (Greg and Lesley blindly picking which of the pair of them had certain trait - like cleanliness - or were better at something - like programming) was highly amusing. 

It was with regret that we all headed back to the ship (to stand in line, again, though this time I won at Dots, so much more successful than War).

Dinner was with a smaller group, since others had decided to go to Johnny Rockets for burgers. (I just had sliders in the fancy dining room.) I was ready for some chillaxing time before hot tub at 9, so I watched Iron Chef in the room while Nyk whiled away his time at the poker table. I finally got some time to catch up with Lesley (and her sister) while we semi-watched "Some Like It Hot" in the hot tub. (I just now see how appropriate that movie title is...)

It was yet again another night of board games with wine. There was a group that was playing D&D, and those of us observing decided on a meta-drinking game, where keywords turned into sips of said wine. We got bored and played a real game (which we won - again. Pandemic is easy now that I actually set up the board properly instead of shuffling the cards back in immediately) before a final turn-in. 

Day 5: Miami to DC

We awoke to finish our packing and say goodbye to our blossoming family. The swan and the elephant had joined the menangrie. 

It was a disappointing 9:05am when we were told the dining room was closed for breakfast. We scrounged up some pastries and spent the next forty-five minutes hungrily clinging to our phones that now fed us with Internet and texts. 

There was another purpose to this Internet. Nyk and I were planning on dropping our bags somewhere and then being a little bit of tourists in Miami. We (well, maybe just me) chose Vizcaya, a villa on the bay with art, architecture, and gardens.

We sprung for the tour, and, as we headed inside, who did we see but two of the other guests from the cruise! JJ and Jeff wandered through the tour with us. Our guide was knowledgable, but didn't pause for a second. It was a breathless tour. 

We ate, wandered the gardens, then finished with a classic "prospector" pose - one of the scavenger hunt clues asked for that and it became a pervasive trend on JJ's team. 

They volunteered to drop us off back at the airport. (This seemed more tempting than waiting for the Miami Metrorail to meander through.) We arrived five hours early, with hopes to jump on an earlier flight. 

Since there was a change fee, we found Teddy one final time (started and ended this trip with that boy) and napped or read (or blogged) until his boarding time. 

And now, it is just an hour until our boarding time. One more country, one more travel partner, and one beautiful beachside wedding that is now going to be the yardstick for all the others I go to. 

Congratulations, Greg and Lesley!

Introducing Eleanor!

I've had Eleanor for about two months now, but have yet to share what I know about her history and how I got her.

I heard of Eleanor at the very beginning of October - I had been traveling to different adoption events, and this particular Sunday, my friend Alisa was on hand to drive me to one in Fairfax with the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue. While there, I met a couple dogs, but none that met my criteria:

• Less than 20lbs, so I could carry on a plane or bus
• Older, so I wouldn't have to worry about not giving it enough attention while I'm working
• Not yappy or annoying
• Furry

However, I met Barb, who told me she was fostering a dog who was weaning her puppies and needed a vet check, then would be ready for adoption. She showed me a video of her dancing in a circle, and I fell in love.

Barb would probably say I was annoying for the next week. I checked in multiple times to see if she cleared a vet check, then wanted to know which adoption event she would be at so I could get there and see her first.

I had planned on having people over on Friday, but Friday evening was the night "Sugar Momma" (her foster name, because her puppies were Ben and Jerry) was ready for adoption. So, I gave my friend Matt a key to the apartment to let people in while Mat (my roommate) and Kelly (his girlfriend) drove out to Fairfax.

Poor Eleanor was a bedraggled, wet, shivering, and shy little thing when we showed up on the dark and stormy night. We spent over an hour with her - walking her, petting her, and, eventually, she crawled into Mat's lap and sealed the deal.

We brought her home, and she got quite the welcoming. My friends started coming over, and she was passed around, happy to be held by everyone and anyone. The storm picked up and our power went out, but she was a trooper until the end.

A few days later, I settled on the name Eleanor, after Eleanor Roosevelt. She's got this cute old lady face (with a bit of a beard), and human names for dogs are just funny.

Her history is a bit of a mystery. After having her for a month, she needed one correction then was perfectly potty-trained. She walks on a leash just fine, except for when her cataracts cause her to step off or bump into curbs. (She's familiar with the area now, so that hasn't happened for a while.)

She was put into foster care after she was rescued by the Humane Society in Arkansas at an animal hoarder's property with over 90 other cats and dogs. These two videos tell it best:

• "More Than 90 Animals Rescued from Arkansas": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr7RK-yNu_w
• "Rescued Arkansas Dogs Start New Lives": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jpZeVREr5M

I'm so excited to have her now though! We are off to Washington State to visit my family. Here she is helping me pack:

Finishing up in Madrid: Sun., Sept. 1, 2013

I definitely sleep much better when we go to bed at 5am than when we go to bed at midnight. Still, 9am is much more bearable after 9 hours of sleep. 

Our flight wasn't until 5:30pm, and our AirBnB host didn't have guests after us, so we packed our stuff up (including all the bottles of wine left) and left it for the morning. 

Of course, chocolate con churros. That was a given for our last day in Madrid. 

Sunday is market day, and cute old men have their stamps, coins, and bottle caps in Plaza Mayor. If you continue down the road, you start running into stalls and crowds (and pickpockets - something we managed to thoroughly avoid in Spain!) We wandered through for a few blocks, using up some of our last euros and picking up some of the final souvenirs. 

The major attraction of Madrid we hadn't seen yet (beside the gardens behind the Prado - next visit) was the Palacio Real. I finally understood was "Real Madrid" stood for the other day when I realized "real" is Spanish for royal.

Ranked third (by Rick) for fancy palaces after Versailles and the Schönbrunn in Vienna, we definitely got a taste of the sumptuousness.

We asked a couple to take our photo, starting in Spanish, like we always do ("Un foto, por favor?") then lapsing into English to find that they are English-speaking tourists too.

The palace has 2,800 rooms. Crazy! We only saw 24 or so, starting was a regal, slow (because of the shallow steps) walk up the Grand Staircase. A tour group was hot on our heels (half in English, half in Spanish), but we started by sneaking past them to some rooms where important things happened, like Middle East treaties and joining the European Union. 

And frescos. Giambattista Tiepolo and his two sons worked for four years on the frescoed ceilings of the palace. The wooden fort that was originally here had burnt down in the 1600s, making this ripe for the Baroque and Rococo styles of massive ornamentation and curlicues. The king at that time, Philip V, was actually born in Versailles, so he knew what he was up against. His son, Charles III, grew up in Italy and added that style. 

The inside was ornate and marvelous. The king's dressing room (for the public affair that it was, back in the day) was floor-to-ceiling designed with carpets, furniture, wallpaper, curtains, and a frescoed ceiling to match. 

The current king and queen (Juan Carlos and Sofia) have their throne room, and their own thrones (new royalty get new chairs). They don't live in the palace (instead in a mansion a few miles away), but still host functions there. 

Also, the Spanish royal family collects clocks! Some were more accurate than others - apparently they all get wound and set once a week.

So, when the big clock in the courtyard said 12:45, we knew we had time for a early tapas lunch crawl. 

We were definitely early, with all of the bars deserted when we started. First was just some cheese - great, but not quite what we needed for lunch before a long plane ride. Next was more appropriate, suggesting a hake sandwich (we finally tried it! It was a fried white fish) and a cheese and meat (probably some loin of something) sandwich. We ordered chorizo, since we hadn't explicitly had it, but it was pretty salami-like, so I'm not sure I could tell the different between that and salmonchico.

And salmonchico (salami) is exactly what we had at the next bar. It was definitely starting to get livelier, but we weren't tempted by anything except the free and deliciously warm nuts of an unidentified variety.

I didn't want to end there (and who ever really wants to end a tapas crawl), so we went to one, final, bustling place and Rosie found me some gulas (those yummy fake baby eels) on bread. Done. The perfect end to Madrid.

Of course, there was the whole adventure of actually leaving Madrid. We metroed to the Atocha train station, where there was supposedly a bus. There is also a commuter train, which ended up taking.

That train lands you in Terminal 4, the furthest flung of the terminals. We confirmed our flight wasn't out of there (I was kind of assuming) then hopped a bus, asking the driver for which terminal he thought we should be at. He said Terminal 2.

So out we get at Terminal 2, and can't find our flight on the board. We backtrack to the info desk, where they tell us Terminal 1. We finally check-in (we still had 90 minutes before the flight!) and are off to gate area A, the farthest flung of the gates. 

Right before we get into the roped-off area on what is now the entirely opposite side of the airport from where we started, we get pulled aside for a random security check. It was a fun ten minutes of looking through all the pockets of our bags before getting in line to board the plane. We were efficient - didn't even have to find a place to sit before our seats on the plane!

Sadly, the sound on our entertainment systems was faulty and we got halfway through Iron Man 3 before it cut out for good. So, it was books, blogging, and chatting with our fun young seatmates to while the time away until we land in New York. Nueva York, I'm so ready for 3G and telephone and pizza and unpacking my bags at home!

I have a 3pm bus back to DC tomorrow, so really I have one more night away from home. But - America. 

Pleasantries in Madrid: Aug. 31, 2013

Churros con chocolate. I read the passage Rick Steves wrote about them at the very beginning of this trip, not realizing just how tough they would be to get a hold of. 

That all changed when we got to Madrid. Chocolatería San Ginés, open 24-7 (or practically) was steps down a pedestrian street right by our apartment. So clearly the breakfast choice (at noon) was obvious. Our eyes were a bit bigger than our stomaches, however, when we had two orders of the hot chocolate (a bit thicker, though less chocolate-y than we expected) with six churros apiece.

And with that, the day started on a very sugar-y note. The Centro de Arte Reina Sofía was free after 2:30. I'm a big advocate for free art, so of course I would go support that! It was the same walk to the Prado, then just a bit south along the Paseo de Prado to get to the hulking concrete building. 

I found out later that I'm pretty sure I went in the wrong way, but no one ever asked for a ticket, and I knew it was free anyway, so in I went.

Rick had a guided tour that took art starting with WWI and continuing through the end of WWII. Sadly, all of the Dalí had been taken out as part of a temporary exhibit that 1) you had to pay for and 2) all the tickets were sold out.

So it was cubism next - Picasso at all stages was all over this museum, with other Spanish artists such as Braque, Léger, and Gris about. I don't really know what I'm talking about, but I have heard of and seen prints of "Guernica," Picasso's anti-war piece, before. But the story - Picasso in Paris, Franco authorizing the bombing, the painting (and artist) in exile until the end of the dictator - wasn't something I was familiar with. It still baffles me that Spain was under a dictator in recent history.

I wrapped up my tour of the museum to meet back up with Rosie (and having a Brie and ham sandwich from Pans and Company, the Subway of Spain) and have a bit of a siesta. We arose again at 6, and I was starving. So it was off for a bite - which really just turned into a banana and some froyo. When we realized the Reina Sofía was open until 9pm, we headed back that way. 

My art style is modern, geometric, installation, using typography, found objects, math - pretty much the antithesis of the Prado and not really done until after the 50s. So while Rosie was off exploring the Picasso's I had seen in the afternoon, I was on to the Nouvel Wing, with a permanent exhibit on the '60s to the '80s and an awesome temporary exhibit on "concrete art in South America and its influences", or something of the sort. 

All I know is I was perfectly happy wandering through there for an hour and a half. There were psychedelic shimmering cubes, tricks with walls and mirrors and paint, installations of minimalism and escapism (at least, that's what I'll call the room that had parrots and a sand floor in it). 

I miss my Mattress Factory back in Pittsburgh, and I need to visit the East Wing of the National Museum of Art again. And maybe I need to invest in a piece of modern art of my own. 

As the last night in Spain, it was clearly tapas time. We headed to Calle Jésus for some Yelp (and Rick) suggestions. 

First was a hole-in-the-wall tavern down a side street with the best free tapa we've gotten - fried yucca . Then it was ribs (beef this time, with a yummy broth we soaked up with bread) and "cochocellas" - snails! Their were only five of us in the bar, including a woman from Florida and a kid with a yo-yo. But it was superb. 

Next was a "dive bar" - super friendly, English-speaking proprietor who told us to sit, gave us some salami a crunchy crackers which could be called "breadsticks" and then we got "pisto" (green peppers in a tomato sauce) to finish up there.

Cheery bartenders met us at our next stop, where we had our typical glasses of red and our typical tapa, something on bread.

At the Galacian Taberna Maciera, we were told "no Rioja - Gallacian wines only!" We got a delicious little dish of octopus with some chickpeas but moved on because it was more of a restaurant and we were getting full. 

100 Montaditos - with another location we saw nearer to us later - was our place to finish up the night. Sitting on the terrace, beer with límon in hand, watching the beautifully dressed people emerging from the hotel in front of us, we were actually getting a bit chilly. That, and the uphill in front of us, were reason enough to take the cab the mile and a half home. 

As we got in the cab, I mentioned that a con of taking a taxi was not being able to wonder past an ice cream shop. Well, the cab couldn't go on the pedestrianized final block to our place, and their just so happened to be a gelateria on that block, so me and my chocolate and my strachetelli powered me up those six flights of stairs.