Spring Break 2024-Andalusia, Spain (Lisbon), March 28/29

Picture of a canal from my layover in Amsterdam

 This year I am going to, I think, the last two European countries that I have not been to.  
Spain and Portugal.  Only one full day in Portugal, however.  Spring break is only 10 days long.  I typically prefer to visit one city and do day trips, but this trip I will be staying for two nights in several cities:  Lisbon, Seville, Malaga, Granada, and then one night in Madrid.  I had originally thought of Morroco, since the only African country I've been to is Egypt and that always seems less Africa and more Middle East.  But there were wildfires.  Then I thought of Greece (oops, one more European country), but they had entire islands flood, so that was out.

So anyway, I left school right after my students did to go home, drop off my things, wash my breakfast and lunch dishes, and feed the birds before grabbing my already packed bags and heading to the airport.  City bus and light rail.  My international flight was at 7:25 pm and three hours early is 4:25 pm.  And it takes 1/2 an hour to get there.  A colleague at school told me as I was leaving that he has just brought his bags to school before and left from school.  The light rail station is nearby and you can arrive two hours early for a 5:30 domestic flight.  I'll keep that in mind.

I got to the airport and my online boarding pass on the Delta app said that my seat would be assigned.  So at the airport I waited in the line for checking in and was told that I should just go to the gate; they would assign my seat there.  So I went through security (only one problem--rookie mistake of leaving my phone in my back pocket which meant a pat down) and there was no agent at the gate.  When there was finally one there, I met her at the desk asking for my seat.  She said that she would get to it and would make an announcement for people that needed one.  Well, they finally called my name to come up after boarding had started.  I did run into a colleague from last year at my old school in the waiting area, so it was fun to catch up with her.  The seat they assigned me was 41H.  That was only over the wing--huge plane!  Luckily it was an aisle seat and it was convenient to the bathrooms and was the last row in that section, so I could recline as I wished and not feel guilty.  The downsides were the light from the bathroom shining every time someone opened the door when the rest of the plane was dark, the people crowding the aisle next to me while waiting for the bathroom, and the noise of the engines on the wings.  Overall, a pretty good seat and the legroom was more than I've had on some other planes.  I introduced myself to the person I was sitting next to and asked if she was the type of person that likes to talk or who prefers to be left alone (I figured that I would just find out right away instead of guessing).  She answered that she was an introvert, so she doesn't really like talking.  We did end up talking a few times--she was enroute to visit her boyfriend, who she originally met online, in Africa where he lives.  They've been toghether for 2 years and she is hoping that he will come to the US to live with her because she wants to go to culinary school in Texas, not live in Africa.  

I typically can't sleep in planes because I can only fall asleep laying down. But I was able to drift a bit during the night.  Not a full sleep, but better than nothing.  I also watched two movies--The Holdovers and Anatomy of a Fall. Both were interesting.  We were served two meals--dinner and breakfast.  The pilot said that if we needed a snack to go to the kitchen area at the rear of the plane.  The flight attendants also walked around several times with trays full of glasses of water if you wanted some.  I had a super long layover in Amsterdam--7 hours--so I was planning to be brave and go into the city to walk around.  I didn't want to sit in the airport for that long!    So I did!  When I went through immigration, they asked me where I was staying and I said that I had a long layover and was going into the city for a few hours.  He smiled and told me to enjoy myself.  I took the train into the city from the airport and wandered aimlessly.  At one point, I saw a large store full of vibrators and another store full of condoms, so I realized that I was in the red light district.  I walked until I was clear then found a cafe with seating along the canal and sat there.  One Dutch food are pancakes, or pannekoekens--sweet pancakes. so I had an apple cinnamon  one (they're huge).  And I had a beautiful view of the canal while I ate.  

leading to the Red Light district-unknown to me!

my lunch view!

where I ate

my pannakoeken lunch

cute shops

a pituresque church

the train station in Amsterdam

After that I wended my way back to the train station and took the train back to the airport.  After going through security again (only 15 minutes--this time it was the portable charger power bank from my suitcase that I put in my backpack--which is what you're supposed to do), I had to walk half an hour to my gate!  Then it was closed and a sign said to wait.  When I checked the sign later, they had changed the gate.  

We waited in the new gate; they began boarding on time, then said that there was a delay, then another, then another.  We finally took off just after 8:30 (instead of 4:55).  There were evidently two problems with the fuel part of the engine.  Anyway, we landed really late in Lisbon.  I still didn't have an address or good directions to where i was staying.  I asked the hostel hosts for directions using public transit and they gave me very vague and incomplete directions.  So I used Google Maps which got me to the right street.  I messaged the hosts with a flurry of Help Mes!  As I'm walking down the street around midnight with weird people out and a guy that seemed like he was following me.   Finally, turns out that they messaged the address with picture directions to get in the building and self check-in to my room, but the weak airport wifi didn't download it .  I found it when I was messaging them (on the Booking.com app), that there were pics to check in as well as the address and the code to get in the door.  Well, I found my room, mostly unpacked, brushed my teeth, double-checked tomorrow's tickets and wondered where to pick up my Lisboa pass.  Good night! 

Spring Break, Day 8, Lima Peru

 April 7, 2023

After breakfast, I repacked my bags and went down for the taxi the desk had arranged.  

These are pictures of my hotel room in Cusco.

Shower

this is the view to the courtyard from my window.  A few
nights I wrote my blog out there to be among other people.

I was whisked to the airport.  Then whisked to Lima.  My accommodation have arranged for a driver to pick me up at the airport and take me to the bed and breakfast in Miraflores.  The neighborhoods are very important in Lima.  Sometimes a street name will be the same in two different neighborhoods, then you have to be very specific about which neighborhood.  I checked in and had to carry my bags through their house, through the courtyard and up a steep spiral staircase to my room--the proprietress helped me up half of it.  The door can't open all the way because of the bedside table.  It is a very small room with a twin bed, bedside table and bookcase for your things, then a desk in an alcove and a tiny bathroom.  The rooms inside the house share a bathroom.  No air conditioning, just a weak fan on the bookcase that I could plug in.  Lima is HOT and HUMID!  So after getting situated, I went in and asked the woman (a couple own the B&B--an extension of their home) how to get to the historic center.  Looking through the travel book, there's not a lot to do in Lima.  I decided to do the walking tour of historic Lima that they recommended.  So I asked her how to get there by bus and she wasn't sure.  She suggested that I take a taxi.  I walked to a commercial area of Miraflores (the B&B is in a residential area) and got cash (the taxi had been more than I expected) and then bottled water.  Most of the markets in Cusco and Lima were little hole in the wall, corner markets with a few sets of shelves.  Across from the bank where I used the ATM was an actual supermarket with real food!  I got water and a croissant sandwich and some oatmeal/quinoa bars.  I went across the street to a walking path with benches and found one in the shade to eat my sandwich.  Then I decided to hail a taxi--I've never done that before, so that was a new experience! He took me where I needed to go and I took my walking tour.  Being a holiday weekend, the historic area was packed with tons of people!!  But I walked around, trying to find shade where I could and spent time sitting in shade and people watching, trying to stay cool, drinking tons of water and reapplying sunscreen.  One of the stops was a park along the river.  It was slightly cooler there, so I found a bench to people watch.  I eventually got up and re-walked the streets of the area, deciding that the park was the coolest.  When I stopped in a plaza, a tourism worker talked to me and I asked him to explain the buses.  He did, but recommended Ubers because the bus system is very confusing to use and Ubers are cheaper than taxis.  

This is the Plaza San Martin where the walking tour
in the guide book starts

Gran Hotel Bolivar--the city's first fine hotel across the
street from the plaza

Iglesia San Merced--a church originally built
in 1541.  It held the first mass in Lima

This is the Jíron de la Unión--an pedestrian street that
was once the center of the aristocratic life in Lima.  Now
it's filled with cinemas and bargain shoe stores.  And a lot of
people this holiday weekend!

Plaza de Armas

This is the Catedral de Lima, built in 1535 on land
secured by Pizzaro (a famous explorer for those
who have forgotten 5th grade social studies)

Moorish architecture

Palacio de Gobierno--the Presidential Palace

the Catedral

Creepy church people in black hoods

I believe these are the remains of the original city wall

More city wall

Parque de la Muralla--on the edge of the Rio Rimac (a river)

A balloon seller

Selling more of the palm things--these are in cones with sprigs
of plants and a crucifix

Both the tourism worker and the guide book recommended an evening light show over by the stadium.  I was walking in sandals all day (without my feet building up the correct calluses for sandals), so I could feel blisters on the bottoms of my feet.  But I decided to walk to the stadium--it was only supposed to be a 45 minute walk across town.  Well, the way was through some dodgy neighborhoods and it was getting later and darker.  So I tried to stay near other people walking in my direction.  They probably thought I was some type of creep!  Eventually I arrived at the park.  It is filled with fountains and at night they were lit up with colored lights.  I found a place in the grass (like other people) and waited for the show to start at 7:30.   There were so many people there!  7:30 came and no music or flashing lights, but it's Peru and Peru has its own time.  Finally, I got up and walked around, finding a line of fountains that were starting to flash.  There was supposed to be music and lasers.  Saw lasers a few times, but overall it was quite disappointing.  A few times I could faintly hear some music, so I wonder if it was a better show on the other side of the area (there was a fenced off area around the fountains about the size of a soccer field or larger).  It was very slow though and eventually I left.  

There had been a bunch of restaurants with pop-up cafes outside the entrance to the park, so I went out there and had some dinner.  Then I called an Uber to pick me up.  We got a little mixed up about the pick-up, but eventually I found them but it took forever to get out with all of the cars leaving at the same time. Got back to my lodging and left a nice tip via the Uber app (the charge for the ride home was only a few dollars).  Plugged in the fan and fell asleep.  

 

Spring Break 2023, Day 7, Cusco Peru

April 6, 2023

My last day in Cusco!  Sad to go, it's such a nice city with so many things to do and places to explore.   An interesting thing is that in Peru, you can pay for and tip in US dollars.  Probably just in tourist areas, but it helps, especially when you are straight off the airplane or are running out of Peruvian Soles.  My tour friend, Melinda, and I decided to tip our tour guide, Saul, together.  We both had more US Dollars that Sol, but my US money was back in my hotel, so she paid the tip and we met today at a coffee shop that she wanted to show me for me to pay her back for my half.  The coffee shop is near, but not on, the Plaza de Armas and has beautiful maps on the walls that are also for sale.  She had coffee and I had tea while we talked some more and I paid her back.  She told me that she had planned to go to the Inca museum that I had told her about (her plane leaves in the afternoon) before we met up, but she got there and it was closed for the holiday (Maundy Thursday).  The whole week (holy week) has been a big celebration, but government offices and other places are closed Thursday and Friday.  My main plan had been to hike to Saqsaywaman, Inca ruins on the mountain above Cusco.  I was a little worried that it may be closed after hearing that the museum was closed.  I didn't want to hike all the way up to the top of the mountain, only to find that it was closed! So I went back to my hotel first, to ask the front desk if they knew anything (picking up more bottled water on the way).  I looked it up online, but it only said that hours may be affected by the holiday.  Brian at the front desk checked online, finding the same information that I did, but then he texted a friend of his that is a tour guide.  I went up to my room to drop off my purchases, saying that I would check in with him on my way out.  And if we didn't hear back it would be a good hike anyway.  Well, he called my room when I was there saying that he heard back from his friend and Saqsaywaman was open.  So I filled my water bottle and slathered on the sunscreen, then headed out.  

Melinda's latte--see the kitty face?

A cute balcony across the street from the coffee shop

The street leading out started out with only a gradual incline but then the incline became steeper.  Wow, it became a pretty strenuous hike, even though it was through the city.  The entrance to the "national park" was just outside the outskirts of the city and included even more stairs up to the building where you pay (quite a ways into the park).  To get into the park, you have to buy a combo tourist ticket that gives you access to some other sites as well.  Well, I'm leaving tomorrow and hadn't planned on going to any of those sites.  So, I was able to buy a "partial" ticket that gives access to three other sites, but only for two days.  Works for me, less money.  Speaking of money, Peru used the Peruvian Sol (pronounced with a long o.  Plural is usually pronounced s-oh-lays.  A quick conversion is to divide the number of Sols by 4 and that's a close estimate.  Or use my free units converter app for a more official conversion!).  In prices, it will look like "S/ "and will list how many.  But as I mentioned above, US dollars also work in a pinch, you just need a conversion app.  A mnemonic that many English speakers use to remember the name of the Saqsaywaman ruins is "sexy woman", though it is actually closer to sock-say-woh-man.  And the locals cringe when people say "sexy woman".  I had several tell me that it is NOT "sexy woman," even though I pronounce it correctly.   I reapplied sunscreen several times during my hike, but still got a sunburn (like almost every other day in Peru!).  When I bought my ticket I had several tour guides try to explain to me that I would not learn anything without a guide to show and explain to me.  I just wanted to wander and look.  I learned a lot during my tour with our guide.  I didn't learn as much as I would have with a guide, but I got to spend more time with the ruins and that's okay. 

straight up this hill

Made it!  Looking down on Cusco

oops, more steps!

a drainage ditch from 400 years ago

Saqsaywaman--and remember, they did not have metal tools!

I love the rounded corners

and doorways

a road maybe?

drainage

They love their wall niches to display silver and gold objects

Both of these are carved for water runoff

When the Spaniards invaded, they tried to destroy everything Inca. 
They pushed over walls, sometimes down a hill which is why you see
piles of the rocks.

In the ruins on this side (more complete), there are barriers to keep you
from getting too close.  Across the field on the other hill, there are no barriers--you can wander wherever you want!

Christ the redeemer statue.  As I was walking back down in Cusco,
two young men asked me if I had been to visit the statue--nope!

And alter perhaps?

I think these are some of the wild orchids

wildflowers

Another part of the settlement

I'm not sure why the rocks on the hill look like this

A cave

This woman is how many of the older native women dress--skirt to the knees, leggings or tights, a hat, and a woven cloth tied around them to carry things such as food or babies

back down the hill into Cusco

Inca or Colonial?

After my hike, I was exhausted so I went to the Plaza de Armas to people watch.  The bells began to ring and people streamed into the cathedral, so it must have been for the Maundy Thursday service.  I saw a man up in the top of the bell tower pulling. several ropes to make the bells ring in a certain pattern.  I hope he had special headphones or he will lose his hearing!  For dinner, I walked around behind my hotel and found a restaurant next to a residential area.  And a better indicator of being  a local restaurant was that the menu is not translated into English.  I had anticuchos de Corazón.  They are basically skewers of meat. I asked if they came with barbecue sauce (because the picture looks like it).  He said no, but that he could give me some.  The meal comes with dipping sauces (though the barbecue sauce tasted the best!).  Then I mostly packed up and fell sound asleep! 

The Cathedral with people lining up for the service

See the man pulling several ropes to ring the bells?