Now that I have my tickets and all but two lodgings confirmed I have added a cool Countdown clock to my blog! It is an idea I got from Girasoli's blog (along with my Spain Time clock). Anne another ST Solo Traveler has her awesome countdown clock to the very beautiful city of Florence up on her blog too! I think it's pretty cool to know how many days we have left before take off! There are several more of us making our way to Europe in the Fall and Winter months. Very exciting!
And to celebrate the occassion . . . here's a cool video of Madrid . . .
Thank you so much to everyone for the support and help in planning for this trip. Slow Travelers are truly a very special group of people! And to my family and friends, thanks so much for your encouragement! And try not to worry!
How exciting to see in your blog the countdown clock and the Spain Time Clock. Cool! That was a very interesting video of Madrid and I enjoyed the song.
ReplyDeleteI’m glad that you found useful the link to Maribel’s Guides. She has so much information and it's all free.
I haven’t done much planning on our trip because I was lacking inspiration and energy. I’ll find it eventually; maybe later in the week.
We’ll be in touch as I get back on track with my trip.
114 days! That's so exciting. And you do such a great job with your blog; I'm impressed with all your tech skills. I've still got a lot to learn!
ReplyDeleteHi Maria, thanks for your comments. The video was shot during the month of November 2006 and sort of gave me a little glimpse of what the City may look like when I get there. Plus I liked the music. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of the countdown clock. At first I thought it would stress me out, but I find myself looking forward to the numbers changing each day or at least when I log on. And I don't know why, but knowing what time it is in Spain is very exciting too.
From what I have reviewed so far, the Maribel guides has quite a lot of information and links that is be very helpful. I'm making mental notes for now as I read through them and will write notes on them soon to take with me. I hope she finishes Toledo before my trip though! :)
I find that I am usually highly motivated and engergized when I am inspired, so I totally agree with you about waiting for your inspiration to get back on track.
Take care.
Hi Annie, thanks for your comments. And it's now 113 days . . . he, he! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm learning as I go along too, especially from other bloggers! Now if I can only write well . . . But I'm learning how to do that better from you bloggers too! :)
Have a good one!
How exciting! I am thrilled for you!! I'm glad you liked my trip counter and clock. I do have to say that as my trip got closer, the trip counter did stress me out a little. I almost deleted it but kept it for everyone else and now miss it.
ReplyDeleteI love the video, especially the song, even though I have no idea what it is about.
I am looking forward to your trip and learning more about Spain. It's funny that when I was little, I wanted to go to Spain so badly. I even took 4 years of Spanish but since I discovered Italy, well...
Hopefully your trip and María's trip will inspire me a little.
Hi Girasoli, welcome back! Thanks for your comments. I love that video too! :)
ReplyDeleteMy interest in Spain goes back a few years and so this year I just finally decided that it was time! Maria's story of returning to Spain since her last visit in 1981 is just a very special story and I'm so happy for her and her husband. I think their trip will be awesome too!
I'm enjoying my research and I am learning so many wonderful things at the same time.
I enjoyed your blog so much while you were gone. And I really admire the amount of detail that you can remember ... that is my weak point. But I'm determined to improve! :)
Thanks again for your comments and have a great time organizing your photos . . . can't wait to see them!
I only remembered all the details because I wrote everything down (usually during dinner while waiting for my meal to arrive) or sometimes before bed. I did better this year than in past years.
ReplyDeleteMy computer is giving me major difficulties...I really need a new one, so getting photos up may be a challenge. I am hoping today's disk warrior/disk utility adventure will keep it running for a while longer until they come out with a new Mac I like.
Hi Girasoli, thanks for sharing with me how you manage to keep track of your information. I think it must be me then? I can't seem to get myself to take the time to write things down in my journal. I finally purchased this recorder device (very small and takes up hardly any space) for my iPod which will allow me to record just like a tape recorder only better since I can record quite lengthy entries with a 60 gig iPod. I may do that each night to recap the days. Hope this will help me on this next trip.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your computer difficulties. I hope that it will last you longer until you can find your new Macbook that you like.
I've been enjoying looking at your photos that you've been posting so far on your blog! Looking forward to seeing more of them. Thanks again!
What a wonderful video, and I love the song! The images of Madrid remind me of a Pedro Almodovar film. I love his work -- are you a fan? I think Volver is one my favourite movies of all times; it was shot in Madrid and Mancha, which I think is in Castilla.
ReplyDeleteAnd your trip counter is great -- I'm itching to put one up myself. They're fun to watch -- your trip is coming up fast! I also love knowing what time it is in Europe (it makes me feel more connected, I guess!)
Hi Sandra, I have not heard of Pedro Almodovar until now. I looked him up out of curiosity and was impressed with his work. And after reading the summary of Volver I can understand why you really like it. And now I really want to see it too. Not only because it won so many notable awards but for his great story line. He seems like a very passionate and talented director and screenwriter.
ReplyDeleteI loved this video because I found out that it was filmed by someone visiting Madrid one weekend in November which is when I'll be visiting Madrid. And somehow the combination of the images and beautiful song made it very interesting to me.
I thought the countdown clock was pretty cool on Girasoli's blog so I had to add one too. It really is cool to watch the counddown to my trip and also to know what time it is in Spain. And it is exactly like you said. I sort of feel connected, like my journey is already starting . . .
Glad you liked the video. Thanks again for your comments and have a great week!
Yay! Countdown! It was fun watching girasoli's counter click down to zero, so glad we get to do the same with your trip!
ReplyDeleteHi Anne! Double Yay . . . I see that you have 73 days to go for your big trip to Florence! Maybe Sandra will add her's too.
ReplyDeleteLook out Italy and Spain, here we come!
Thanks for your comments Anne. Have a great week!
Kathy,
ReplyDeleteI've been busy lately with visiting relatives but I've been meaning to make a list of movies by Spanish filmmakers. Sandra already mentioned Volver which is an excellent film. Two that I like and would not hesitate to see again are Mar Adentro (The Sea Inside) and another Almodóvar film, Hable con ella (Talk to Her). Both are available in Netflix. I'll think of a few more.
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ReplyDeleteHi Maria, cool! Thanks for the two recommendations of Mar Adentro and Hable con ella. They sound really interesting too. After Sandra's comments, I looked up Castilla-La Mancha in my travel guides and discovered that Toledo is in this part of Spain. Cool!
ReplyDeleteIt will be really great to watch several Spanish Movies before my trip in addition to reading my books. It will definitely add to my overall experience.
I have never used Netflix before, but I don't know if I'm going to find them at Blockbusters. I'll find out how to sign up for netflix and order these films. I'm looking foward to watching all three movies.
Thanks so much Maria! You are all so awesome with your recommendations and insights.
Take care.
You should be able to find Mar Adentro at Blockbusters since the film won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film about 2 years ago. Hable con ella was also nominated for an Oscar so it could also be there. Subscribing to Netflix is very easy and there’s no contract. I put my subscription on hold when I'm on vacation or when I know I won't have time to watch movies.
ReplyDeleteHi Maria, great! I'll check it out over the weekend. I have a Blockbuster near my house, so I'll check it out this weekend. I hope they have at least one of these movies available for me. I spoke to my co-workers today and one of them uses Netflix and likes it a lot. So that will work for me too.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the tips Maria! Can't wait . . .