8 AM-ish: I get up, creeping around in the dark to avoid waking up all the other people in my hostel room. I put in my contacts, change my clothes, and pack up before grabbing some included breakfast (if there is any). Normally crappy toast or magdalenas (Spanish muffins) and hot chocolate. Not the world's greatest. If no breakfast, well there are always supermarket oranges or I've discovered the joy of corn nuts. Seriously, those things are good. Out the door with my huge backpack to walk to the bus/train station to catch the 9:30 out of town. Get to the next town around 10:30/11, and instantly direct myself towards one place: the tourist office. There, I get a city map, schedule of museums and monuments, and ask where the hostel is that I've prebooked. Walk to my hostel, stash my stuff for the day, and PLAN. That's the most fun ;) Call me the overzealous American, but I don't like to stop for siesta. So, I plan my day based on what monuments are close to each other, what is open during that annoying yet wonderful 2 hour daily break, and what is open the latest. Ready, break! Museums, cathedrals, castles, lesser churches, parks, plazas, beaches, etc.
Around 2-4ish I find a grocery store, where I buy the standard Tim lunch: a baguette, package of salami or shaved turkey, a few bananas, an orange, and a liter and a half bottle of carbonated water (each region has it's cheap brand - never more than 60 cents!!). If I'm lucky a package of Principe cookies or some other treat :) The whole thing costs less than 3€, and I'm on my way to a typical park or plaza to eat and enjoy watching the Spanish people go about their lives. Lots of families out for Holy Week, which was really cool. More museums/monuments, until they start to close. Normally finish seeing things at about 9. At that time I go get real food: the menú del día, or menu of the day (insert Dumb and Dumber joke here). Spain has lots of great little local restaurants (no chains), and most have 8-10€ specials on a HUGE meal of first and second courses, desert, bread, and drink. Not a bad deal considering you don't tip in Spain either. Typical food of pasta with sausage and tomato sauce, pork loin, anything with fried eggs, potatoes fried in olive oil, good mushroom dishes (I'm branching out!), lots of seafood (especially in the north, but seafood's really not my favorite), veal cutlets (one of my favorite), and things like that. For dessert, I always try each restaurant's homemade flan: the traditional Spanish custard with caramel sauce. It's totally my favorite ever. All is very delicious, and usually leaves me pretty satisfied. After eating well, I head back to the hostel.
I always stay in the cheapest place possible - between 14 and 19€ during Holy Week. You share rooms with other people (bunk bed style), but there are always lockers to put your stuff in. Never once did I feel in danger either from the city or from other travelers. Hostels are full of people just like you who want their stuff respected, a decent place to stay, to meet new people, and just enjoy seeing Europe. Good places for solo travelers! There I take off my boots (oh the relief), unpack, and ready myself for the next day, shower, write in my journal (or not - still 3 days behind on that...), talk to random people in the hostels (nice people from all over the world), and finally hit the sack at about 1 AM. 1 AM to 8 AM is early to bed and early to rise in Spain, so to abuse Ben Franklin just once more, after this trip I'm feeling pretty healthy, wealthy, and wise (ok, not so wealthy after traveling Spain, but maybe the other two). A great daily routine, allowed me to see a lot in each city, left me very tired but totally loving it. Spain's got a lot to offer, and traveling like this, I could see it all!
Around 2-4ish I find a grocery store, where I buy the standard Tim lunch: a baguette, package of salami or shaved turkey, a few bananas, an orange, and a liter and a half bottle of carbonated water (each region has it's cheap brand - never more than 60 cents!!). If I'm lucky a package of Principe cookies or some other treat :) The whole thing costs less than 3€, and I'm on my way to a typical park or plaza to eat and enjoy watching the Spanish people go about their lives. Lots of families out for Holy Week, which was really cool. More museums/monuments, until they start to close. Normally finish seeing things at about 9. At that time I go get real food: the menú del día, or menu of the day (insert Dumb and Dumber joke here). Spain has lots of great little local restaurants (no chains), and most have 8-10€ specials on a HUGE meal of first and second courses, desert, bread, and drink. Not a bad deal considering you don't tip in Spain either. Typical food of pasta with sausage and tomato sauce, pork loin, anything with fried eggs, potatoes fried in olive oil, good mushroom dishes (I'm branching out!), lots of seafood (especially in the north, but seafood's really not my favorite), veal cutlets (one of my favorite), and things like that. For dessert, I always try each restaurant's homemade flan: the traditional Spanish custard with caramel sauce. It's totally my favorite ever. All is very delicious, and usually leaves me pretty satisfied. After eating well, I head back to the hostel.
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