Beat it, Jet Lag!

I'm back! I am really stinkin' tired, but I am back! I thought all day about how to start the blog, and my mind is mush so I'll just post pictures, and try to explain what they are-
We had the BEST TIME. If you ever need a cool travel partner, Lisa is your chick. She's the best. We had some really great conversation, a LOT of laughs (til it hurt in the gut), and we really enjoyed Madrid and all it had to offer.

We enjoyed a nice stroll in the Botanical Gardens.... and met Don the Squirrel. Isn't he cute??

He really liked having his picture taken. Lisa and I spent a lot of time watching him- there wasn't much blooming in the gardens.

 We enjoyed a trip to the Prado Museum of Art, the permanent collection was great, but my favorite was the Renoir exhibit. I also picked up a really cool book (all in Spanish ;)  unfortunately)  The Birds of the Prado- Lots of paintings feature birds and owls- lots of inspiration!

Plaza Mayor was a cool place to hang out with lots of shops and restaurants. The weather was beautiful the whole week!
Everything went well with work as well. Nice and smooth with no issues except for a bit of a language barrier but I got through it!

We got a bit of shopping in- a few bead and button shops there. These cool wooden spools spun and were FILLED with buttons of every shape size and color.

Had a bit more of this jamon than I was expecting and was quite sick of it by weeks end.  They served it on the plane as well. and in every restaurant. I did enjoy this French Fry, Jamon, with fried egg on top- nothing beat it the whole week.


The Paella however- delish!! I shared this with Lisa, but probably could have conquered it myself.

 And the Chocolate and Churros- best thing on the planet. Seriously! Was like going to heaven,
in a cup full of chocolate.

Got a little Face Down Tuesday fun in while we were there. Took this pic in front of some palace, and got another at Rialto park but the pic is on Lisa's camera.

I was lucky enough to get together with blog reader Bea, for some bead shopping. She showed us the town and was the best hostess. A real sweetie, and a beading fanatic as much as I am- if that is EVEN possible!!

I found a few treasures on this trek- mostly the bead shops offered strands of stones- I was able to find a few unique things!


The look on my face in this pic says it all. We accidentally stumbled on the best button shop in Madrid- La Nueva Parisien.  I was LOVING it!! Here are the buttons I brought home.

Tried not to go nuts, but it was so hard. I was tempted to get so many more than this- but kept it under control. Didn't want Lisa to know what kind of NUT I am when it comes to shopping for this kind of thing.
 We had a nice stroll through Retiro park and enjoyed some beautiful scenery. There was this man playing these really cool drums- I have a flip video of it but until I can figure out how to make the 47 day download turn into a quicker download, I will have to wait on sharing it. Damn thing- I'll figure it out eventually. 
Took these pics with my iphone! The hipstamatic app is the best.



okay that's it for now.  i am so tired.  But I promise- More videos later, and if you want to see more of my pics, you can hop on over to my picasa web album.




Comments

  1. Anonymous2/13/2011

    Looks like you are having a ton of fun! I would be gaga over those button shops. So many treasures!

    And I like "Don", the squirrel. :)

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  2. oh how those sqirrels make me smile they are just so darn cute with those funny little ears & the beads are awesome thanks for sharing :p

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  3. Looks like an awesome trip. I enjoyed looking at the photos and reading about your journey!!! THanks.

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  4. Looks like you had a wonderful time. I love all you pictures.

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  5. Oh! all of those buttons! I'm completely jealous! I would eat pb and j for a week to justify buying everything! budget? what budget? it's buttons for cryin' out loud! :O) I have absolutely no self control when in the presence of buttons. Looks like a fantastic trip.

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  6. Wow ... is that a Spanish squirrel?! He is huge! Glad you had such a good time. Cannot wait to see what you make with those buttons. Thanks for sharing.

    Cheers,
    Stacy
    www.sissyandjacks.com
    www.sissyandjacks.blogspot.com

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  7. cool, cool, cool ... and (if I was hungry) yum! thanks so much for sharing & welcome back!

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  8. Awesome trip! Some kinda trip to put Spring in anyones step! Have a lovely day Lorelei!

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  9. Makes me long for spring

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  10. Thanks for the tour! I'm not (probably) going to be tripping to Spain in this lifetime, so I'm really glad to have a look through your eyes.

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  11. It looks like you had a remarkable trip! I was relaxed just looking at all of the wonderful places you went, the great food you ate and the wonderful people you got to spend time with!

    Thanks for sharing!

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  12. I love the picture with the columns and the horse and rider sculpture, that is exquisite! I miss Europe and the Mediterranean for all the lovely architecture.

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  13. what an awesome adventure! thanks for sharing!

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  14. LOVE the photos, sounds like you had the best time!

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  15. So glad you had a fab time, i am drooling over those buttons :)

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  16. Studied in Spain 30 years ago. Your pics brought back so many memories. Bead shopping and spanish cuisine sound like an awesome combination.

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