I've done it! My first solo-trip! I mean, I had been to Aranjuez for all of two hours a few weeks back, and the taste of that made me realize not only that I could handle it, but also that it would be a nearly-ideal way to travel. So, during the long May holiday break (The first is Worker's Day and the second is some Madrid-only holiday), after sticking around for a rock-cover-band concert with a teacher on Friday and a family dinner with Juliet's visiting parents on Saturday, I took off alone for the north.
I had planned little, just knowing that I wanted to start in Soria. I arrived there in the early afternoon on Sunday and ate a snack I had packed. I wandered the town, realizing I liked it, but that I wasn't inspired by a place to stay, so I plopped down in a cafe, had my first lone-cafe experience, and journaled a bit about the solitary experience.
I headed back to the bus station to go to Logroño, about an hour north through the beautiful La Rioja countryside (my new favorite province).
Logroño was great, if a little bit telling about my ideal travel style: I think I would love to travel with someone to a place, see the sights alone, and meet up for meals and to share a room. Why? Rooms could be cheap in nicer hotels if you shared (I spent 50 in one that would have been 70 for two people). Having a glass of wine alone is just not as fun as having one with great companions. Seeing sights alone is much much better. I am QUICK and don't like to hold other people back or be held back. Any takers on traveling with me?
After a night of enjoying moderately the Logroño nightlife (Basically me talking to a couple bartenders to not feel so awkward and going to bed by 11:00), I had a good Spanish coffee-pastry breakfast and headed for the little town of Ezcaray, at the dead-end of a street, near the mountains. Great for wandering, a nice hotel (I wanted to stay in an even better one, the one with the reading nook pictures here, but it was full), great tapa dinner at the bar of a Michelin-Star restaurant, Echaurren, and onto the next thing.
I took off early in the morning, realizing it was a holiday and getting a ride from the hotel receptionist when he got off his shift at 9:00 to get a ride to the bus station in a neighboring town. Ended up meeting some hikers from the Camino de Santiago, all over the age of 50 and all taking the bus with me (I think we call that "cheating"...), and decided I wanted to do the Camino this summer. More to come on that. We took the bus to Burgos together and parted ways so I could be harassed by and old man and see the really cool Human Evolution Museum. Quickly wandered the city, enjoy my first 3-course Spanish lunch alone, and decided to get a bus back to Madrid because I was coming down with something (a something that turned out to be something very similar to strep or actually strep, only to be killed by some strong Spanish antibiotic treatment).
Thanks for reading this far! Next up: Madrid Open Tennis.
I had planned little, just knowing that I wanted to start in Soria. I arrived there in the early afternoon on Sunday and ate a snack I had packed. I wandered the town, realizing I liked it, but that I wasn't inspired by a place to stay, so I plopped down in a cafe, had my first lone-cafe experience, and journaled a bit about the solitary experience.
I headed back to the bus station to go to Logroño, about an hour north through the beautiful La Rioja countryside (my new favorite province).
Logroño was great, if a little bit telling about my ideal travel style: I think I would love to travel with someone to a place, see the sights alone, and meet up for meals and to share a room. Why? Rooms could be cheap in nicer hotels if you shared (I spent 50 in one that would have been 70 for two people). Having a glass of wine alone is just not as fun as having one with great companions. Seeing sights alone is much much better. I am QUICK and don't like to hold other people back or be held back. Any takers on traveling with me?
After a night of enjoying moderately the Logroño nightlife (Basically me talking to a couple bartenders to not feel so awkward and going to bed by 11:00), I had a good Spanish coffee-pastry breakfast and headed for the little town of Ezcaray, at the dead-end of a street, near the mountains. Great for wandering, a nice hotel (I wanted to stay in an even better one, the one with the reading nook pictures here, but it was full), great tapa dinner at the bar of a Michelin-Star restaurant, Echaurren, and onto the next thing.
I took off early in the morning, realizing it was a holiday and getting a ride from the hotel receptionist when he got off his shift at 9:00 to get a ride to the bus station in a neighboring town. Ended up meeting some hikers from the Camino de Santiago, all over the age of 50 and all taking the bus with me (I think we call that "cheating"...), and decided I wanted to do the Camino this summer. More to come on that. We took the bus to Burgos together and parted ways so I could be harassed by and old man and see the really cool Human Evolution Museum. Quickly wandered the city, enjoy my first 3-course Spanish lunch alone, and decided to get a bus back to Madrid because I was coming down with something (a something that turned out to be something very similar to strep or actually strep, only to be killed by some strong Spanish antibiotic treatment).
Thanks for reading this far! Next up: Madrid Open Tennis.
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