It's Official. . .

We're Ohio residents!!

Last week, we spent a very productive 2 hours at the BMV (or DMV dependent on where you grew up) and became official Ohio residents.  This is the first time in 3 years that Steve and I both hold driver's licenses from the same state.  

We knew in advance that we would have to take a written test in order to get our new licenses.  We spent the night before studying the handbook and quizzing each other.  The next, I met Steve at the BMV during his lunch break.  We got there just a little after 11, but sadly, they weren't doing written tests until 12:30.  We were going to call it a bust and try again the next day, but we decided to see about switching our car titles to OH and getting new plates (especially since one of our car plates was about to expire!).

We had to go to the main branch downtown to take the test, but it worked out that the registrar (where you get your license), the testing center, and the title office were all in the same building!  We first went to the registrar to get our cars "inspected".  According to the manual that we so diligently studied, someone was going to inspect the car's steering column, lights, brakes, etc.  However, all the person did was right down the serial numbers, car make, and current license plate numbers.  Once that was completed, we headed to the Title office where they switched over the titles to Ohio.  

With new titles in hand, we had to head back to the registrar to get the plates.  The lady was really friendly and asking all about us, why we had moved to Ohio, how long we've been married (people find it hard to believe when we answer almost three years!), etc.  Once we got the plates, it was just a little after noon.  Steve's lunch hour was pretty much over, but he decided that whether he came back the same day or just took an extended lunch would be the same amount of time away from work.  So we waited until the doors to the testing center were opened (quite a line was forming, luckily, we were 4th in line!).  The tests were done on a computer.  You only had to get 30 out of 40 questions right.  Once you got 30 right (regardless of what question you were on), you got a congratulations screen.  

After completing the tests, we headed back to the registrar (where we were very well known by this point).  Another lady helped us out and asked us all the same questions the first lady had (she too couldn't believe 3 years of marriage).  We filled out the paper work, got our pictures taken (which are actually 2 of the best pictures of us!) and got our new licenses!!  As the lady handed them over, she made a big announcement to the room congratulating us on being official residents.  It was comical after being there for 2 hours.  

In other news, blogspot (where my blog is posted) has undergone some updates and shows me different stats about the blog.  According to the stats, I've had almost 10,000 views since starting the blog in 2010.  1,000 of those views were from this month alone (I'll thank Europe for that).  It also breaks down where the views come from -- largely the US, with 5 hits in Germany, 4 in Russia, 1 in Poland (dad???), and 1 in Turkey.  It's crazy to think that people besides just family reads this.  If you are a faithful reader I'd love to get to know you via comments!!  

Spring Cleaning -- Outside!

Since we just moved into our house (I think it still counts after 5 months to say you still just moved), the inside of our house doesn't need any spring cleaning (except for those areas that haven't been cleaned yet from moving. . . ); however, our yard and exterior of the house are in dire need of some attention.  Steve and I have both been busy working on various outside projects.

Steve has a few outside projects that will probably be an all-summer deal.  First off, he has been intently researching via books and internet about slate roofs.  He found a place in Columbus, OH that carries slate tile that we will be visiting in the next few weeks in order to buy some tile to repair the garage.  He has purchased several slate tools and is anxiously awaiting the new tile in order to fix the roof.  I am not a fan of this whole idea.  I'm okay with him fixing the garage since it isn't that tall; however, there are some tiles on the house (3 stories up!) that need to be fixed that Steve wants to do.  by himself.  on a ladder.  I am not a fan.

Since that's not something he can do until he gets the tile, he has switched gears to his 2nd project, which involves repairing some of the downspouts, creating correct draining grade around the foundation, and fixing some gutters.  We went to Menards (Steve's new-found favorite place) and bought some new downspouts that will be used throughout his project.  Most of the spouts just need some added joints at the bottoms, and of course angling spouts for proper drainage.  The most intense part of the project involves wrapping a downspout around a window in order to make the water flow away from the foundation (which we know is a big issue buy the condition of the basement walls and water that we find on the floor).  I don't understand most of this endeavor (like the "how" it will be executed.  Talk to Steve for more information).

(A lot of the gutters are in bad shape.  Steve hopes to be able to bend it back himself and not have to replace the gutters.)

(In the backyard, there is some sort of clay tile drainage system.  We have no idea of the system is clear and working properly or if it's all clogged and causing more trouble.  We are just leaving that as is; although, Steve is going to fix the downspouts to connect to the system properly.)

(In one corner of the house, the connection between the gutter and downspout is nonexistent.  That piece just sways in the wind.  Steve tried to reconnect it once, but it wouldn't stay.  He has purchased a new joint and will properly connect it.)

Originally, there were downspout pieces buried underneath the landscaping in one corner of the house, but the downspouts weren't connected.  Steve dug those up and has come up with a new plan.  He is going to shorten the downspout (pictured) and will create an angle with a joint connector and lay another downspout off of the angle which will take the water away from the house and put into the yard.  We'll do before and after pictures of this process when that project gets executed.)

(Another thing that needs to be done, besides fix the gutter, is to clean all the gutters.  Especially now that all the helicopter seeds -which I detest and will talk about later -- have fallen.)

His 3rd project involves parching up the mortar in between all the bricks. Awhile back, he had bought some mortar and tools and was going to do it the old fashioned way, but on a whim (and again a trip to Menards) he found mortar in a tub that goes on easier.  He did a little area, but the color doesn't match at all.  The mortar in the tube (and from the bag) are grey tones, whereas our house has a beige mortar.  After some quick research, he has discovered that houses pre-WWII were made with a lime-sand-cement mix; whereas post WWII, they dropped the lime & sand.  So, now he's back to square one on that project and has to decide the next course of action.

Lastly, Steve now has a lifelong project of yard work.  He is definitely missing the yard work from TN (we mowed maybe 1x per month in summer because the grass was bizarre and mostly weeds).  Our yard is the saddest yard on the block.  It is full of dandelions and has obviously not been taken care of.  Steve has had several people stop and ask if he needs help (for $$ of course).  Steve hasn't decided yet that that is the necessary route.  After some research (have I mentioned how great Steve is at researching stuff before executing?), he decided to buy some weed killer/lawn fertilizer pellets and a lawn spreader.  He has done one application so far and we are awaiting the results in the next week or so.  His mowing record for this year is already up to 2.

(Our dandelion graveyard or our front yard)

My work has been focused on the landscaping and plants.  Last week, I spent 2 exhausting days outside weeding in the main area of the landscaping.  I filled up 3 lawn bags full with all the weeds I pulled.  I can't believe how many weeds there were, it was very deceiving how the landscaping looked and what was thrown away.  I also moved a flowering bush to a different location ( I think I may have killed it in the process, but the verdict is still out on it), planted the azalea tree Steve's parents bought us, and replanted the window boxes.  I still have a couple more sections in the front landscaping and the entire back to do, but I'm waiting on the wind to die down and the temperature to go back up to continue in that endeavor.

Landscaping Before Weeding:

(Those are rose bushes surrounding some sort of tree that starts the path from the driveway to the front door.)

(Here you can see the weeds on the left, the right side has been weeded (which is why you can see dirt under the bushes).  I think that was bag #1 on the right.)

After the weeding:

(Yay!!  Weeds are gone! )

(Here is a closeup of that tree and rosebushes from the "before" picture.  You will have to disregard all the *expletive* helicopter seeds everywhere.  We will eventually cover the dirt with landscaping fabric (already purchased) and then cover with mulch.  We are waiting on all the stupid helicopter seeds to fall before completing the landscaping.)

(Yay for clean landscaping!!  I still have to do all the weeding on the right side of the sidewalk.)

(I was afraid the flower box would look so puny-- which it does -- compared to the window.  However, once those little flowers start growing, some are supposed to be between 2 - 3 ft tall!  Ha ha, we'll see how they hold up in window boxes.)

(We have 2 window boxes, one on the big fancy glass window in the front and the other under the kitchen window on the side.  Steve and I are not flower experts (although I pretend to be) we didn't know what species of plants would grow well together or hold up well in the flower box.  All I knew was to get plants according to the sunlight specifications.  We'll see how we did in a few months. . .)

(Closeup of the flowers.  I have already forgotten the flower names.  I'm horrible at flowers.  I think the blue one on the left is either a peony or pansy (it was one of those).  The purple ones I know are snap dragons.  There is also a green one all the way to the left that was a mixed variety and we have no idea what color it will be (it may also have been a snapdragon).  I really don't know.  We just chose what looked neat according to the sunlight specifications.  

(So, as a kid I LOVED the helicopter seeds.  I would toss them in the air and run around as they fell.  They brought so much joy in my life.  Now as an adult, I HATE them with a PASSION.  These STUPID seeds are everywhere!!  We have 3 big trees on our property that are dropping them.  They drop on our roof, in our backyard, in our front yard, all over the driveway -- everywhere!  They manage to fly in when you walk in or out of the house, they stick on our shoes and go throughout the house.  I found one on my bedside table (which I was convinced Steve had placed there, but he said no) and one under a candle in our x-fireplace in our bedroom.  I HATE them.  I can't wait for them to finish falling!  I tried to sweep some up, but they stick to the pathway pavers and just flutter around from the wind.  Ugh.  I have a date with our leaf blower as soon as the last one falls.  Then someone has a date with cleaning them out of our gutters but I think we're gonna hire someone for that.)

(No that is not a random branch stuck in our yard, it's a tree!!  Steve volunteered through work to help prepare some trees to be donated and planted around Lima.  Because of helping with the project, he was given one.  We are the new owners of a tulip poplar tree (because we need another tree in our yard).  It'll be interesting to see how fast it grows.)

(Close up of our baby tree.)

Half Bath

I wasn't planning on tackling the half bath on the main floor, but Steve asked me to make it a priority.  He was done with it's gloomy (and bad) paint job.  Plus, the bathroom also had an old, musty smell that I hoped a fresh coat of paint would fix (air fresheners helped, too).

Before:

(Before the color was an orange, but had a bronze overlay. I liked that it was orange because it went with the living room color; however, the bronze overlay was streaky and inconsistent.)

(Here is a closeup at the overlay, crooked lightswitch, and the trim.  The trim was multicolored -- they had tried to spot paint but used a lighter color.  It also had some dents and scratches.)

(Another shot of the bronze overlay.)

During:

(I wasn't sure what color I was going to paint it, but knew it needed to be primed because of the previous paint job.  I went with a mildew resistant primer (which we found in the basement-- brand new!) since it is a bathroom and had a musty smell.)

After: 

(I was going to do it a yellow color, but Steve threw out the idea of the color blue.  I didn't want it to be too dark because of the other colors downstairs.  When I started to paint the blue I had chosen, I was afraid it was too light; however, once it was all done, I really like it!)

(I also got a new towel, rug, candle holder and Kleenex box to tie in the color.  The painting is an old print I bought back in college.)

(Look at that crisp edge between the trim & wall!  Painting all the trim in the house is really daunting, but I love how clean it looks after it's done.)

(The door had lots of scratches and crayon marks.  Not anymore! I even took off the knob, lock, and doorjamb hardware to clean them all up (they had paint on them).  After I got the door all painted, dried, and hardware back on. . . the door won't close!  I dunno if it's from a fresh layer of paint on the door, on the doorjamb, or that I repainted the hinges, but you have to force it closed, and then it pops back open.  Even the look won't hold the door closed.  I decided to start chipping the paint off the hinges (both what I did and the previous years of paint) to see if that helps, but it's not a priority right now.)

Back to Normal

It's hard to believe that it has been 3 weeks since we returned from Europe.  Part of me feels only a few days has passed; whereas, the other part of me feels like it was a lifetime ago.  Since returning from our trip, we've been trying to adjust back to our normal schedules, to realize that there never really was a normal.

Two days after returning, I ended up with a pretty severe sinus infection.  It left me feeling miserable and on the couch for several days.  After a doctor's trip, antibiotics, and a week to recuperate, I'm back to my normal self.  Steve has been suffering with sinus issues, but he refused to go to the med clinic where he had taken me.  Lucky for him, I made us appointments with a new doctor for this week.  

Besides returning to work, Steve has been busy with projects around the house.  He has already mowed the yard 2 times, and has begun his battle with weeds.  Our yard is full of dandelions and other various weeds which will require a lot of attention this summer.  He has done his research and "Kill Weeds - phase 1" will start this week.  He also had to do some work on our red Honda.  A couple of weeks before our trip, his car suddenly died.  Luckily, the issue started as he pulled into our neighborhood after work one day, and he made it into the garage, but he couldn't get it to restart.  After research, tinkering around, and ordering a new part Steve was able to replace the ignition switch & fixed the problem!  We are now back to 2 functioning cars again. 

Steve has also started lining up some more projects to be done both outside and inside the house.  He got a book about slate roofs (which he read in 2 days) and has ordered some tools for dealing with slate.  He is planning a trip to pick up some new slate tiles in Columbus in hopes of fixing the damage on the garage.  He also ordered some door bell chimes (which are huge) to be hung in our foyer.  A few months back with the help of my dad, he was able to get the original doorbell working, but there were no chimes.  They are laying on the floor now, awaiting to be hung up on the wall (after it's painted of course!).

That leads to what I've been up to -- I have gotten back into working on the house.  This past week, I took on the task of painting the downstairs half bath.  I'll have some pictures and a post about that later ;-).  I also spent a couple of days deep cleaning the sunroom.  There was a nice layer of grime on the blinds for each of the 8 windows.  I also took out each of the window sections (4 per window) and gave them a good cleaning too.  It was pretty intense work (I don't think that stuff had been cleaned in years).  Now I am trying to mentally prepare myself for the task of painting all the trim, walls, and stairs in the main entryway.  

Over Easter weekend, Steve and I headed to my parents' house for the long weekend.  We went there from Thursday to Sunday and got in a lot of family time (Steve also got to help my dad and brother-in-law save the world several times -- playing Starcraft).  This past weekend, I returned back to my parents' house alone for the weekend.  I was able to surprise Mrs. B (I subbed for her in Oct last year) by visiting her class for the afternoon.  I was able to share with her about our trip and help her plan for her June trip to Italy.  I also got to go with my sister and nieces to Purdue's Spring Fest, visit another niece's 1st birthday party, and go to a baby shower for an old friend.  I am truly blessed that Steve is so willing to share me with others for the weekend :-).  

Here are some pictures from Spring Fest (note -- everything we did was free!):

(Our first stop was at the Bugbowl!  The girls all got to hold a tobacco worm, Madagascar Hissing Cockroach (pictured), pet a millipede & pet a tarantula.  Gabbie (the youngest) was terrified of the man in the bee costume because she thought she'd get stung, but held and pet all the bugs.)

(Amber had to help Gabbie pet the tarantula because she was afraid Gabbie would panic last second.)

(Emily enjoying the honey tasting portion of the bug building.)

(Allie getting her face painted.)

(Gabbie showing off her butterfly.)

(There was a craft and face painting room in the Bugbowl building that the girls couldn't get enough of.  They made butterflies, lady bugs, catepillars, and bug bookmarks.  They all got their faces and an arm painted between doing the crafts.  We visited this room in the morning and returned in the afternoon to get all the things accomplished.)

(After the Bugbowl building, we headed to another building where the girls got to hold sea urchins, hermit crabs (Gabbie panicked as the crab was put into her hand and she gracefully dropped it back into the water), and a horseshoe crab (pictured).  The horseshoe crab is dated back from the dinosaurs and the girls thought it was pretty cool.  They each got to feel the hard shell on the top, identify the eyes, and even hold the crab.)

(While in the Bugbowl building, it began to rain pretty heavy and the rain didn't stop the rest of the day.  At times it would be lighter, but we tried to stay in buildings during the heavy rain.  Amber had packed us all lunchables and we ate them in a sitting area in a bathroom.  Emily (the oldest) was afraid we'd get in trouble for eating in there, but it worked out perfectly -- a nice quiet, dry spot!)

(After lunch, we headed to another building where the girls got to do all sorts of science activities.  They made UV bracelets, snow, "lava lamps", and played with polymer worms.  They also got to watch a demonstration on how to make elephant toothpaste (a scientist poured different ingredients in a tube and a huge cloud of puff came out).)

(Gabbie holding her "lava lam" -- the girls filled the tubes with oil and food coloring.  Then they dropped an alka-seltzer tablet in it to make the bubbles move.  They got to keep the tubes (with a lid) and can remake the bubbles anytime by dropping alka-seltzer in it.)

(Next, we had to walk through the rain to a little economics tent.  The girls had to go to different stations and would get tickets by completing the activities.  They were matching cereal brands to their mascots, weigh purchasing options, figuring out the difference between human, capital, and natural resources, and using different tools to mine materials -- there were beads mixed up in a box and you had to use different tools for certain colors.  After you got all the tickets, you cashed them in to color your own t-shirts!  Some of the activities were too advanced for the kids, but Amber and I were able to complete the activities and earn the tickets for the girls.)

(After the economics tent, we trekked through the rain to the "petting zoo".  The girls got to pet a horse, goat, alpacas, pigs, bunnies, and hold baby chicks & ducks.  Amber had to help Gabbie hold the chick.)

(Emily & Allie both holding baby ducks.  Each girl got to hold a baby chick & a baby duck.  They had been looking forward to this all day!)

(After the petting zoo, we headed back up to the main area where the girls got to make their own root beer.  It was located in a tent -- they had a container of soda water & a container of syrup.  You got to make your own mix and enjoy it for free!)

March 26 -- Return to Ohio

Last night when we went to bed, Steve's "allergies" were bothering him.  During the night, they were in full force. He had to get up a couple times in the night to blow his nose.  We woke up around 8:30, got ready, & packed.  We headed to the metro for our long trek to the airport.  Luckily, the metro would deliver us right to our terminal.  However, it would take us 3 different trams to get there.  We also had to purchase a special airport metro ticket.  1.5 euro got us to the airport stop & another 1 euro allowed us to enter the airport.  We knew about the special ticket & had purchased it ("airport combo") before entering the metro in the morning.  It took us about an hour to get from the apartment to the airport terminal.

(Metro!)

Once we got to the terminal, we continued down the long hallway until we found the correct service desk for our flight.  We had attempted to check-in online the night before, but our tablet was having some issues; plus, we couldn't print the tickets since we didn't have a printer.  We waited in the check-in line for about 15+ minutes.  They took our bags, gave us our tickets, and sent us on our way.  

Next, we had to go through security.  We went to the far one which was nearly dead.  It's funny how different European security i -- you don't have to take your shoes or light jackets off.  After we got through security, we had to go through a quick passport control, where we got a stamp for Madrid.  We were hungry when we got to the gate, but there weren't any food places (well there was one, but it wasn't up and running).  So instead, we bought a bunch of junk (potato chips, chocolate, Haribo gummy bears, and cookie wafers) at a duty free shop ("I like to stop at the Duty Free Shop. . . "  bonus points if you know where that came from.)

We boarded our plane & departed Madrid at 12:30 pm (or 6:30 am eastern standard time).  The first part of the flight went fine.  We were served lunch & drinks soon after take off (we both chose chicken & rice with broccoli).  Steve watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes while I started Black Swan, but then I switched to "New Years Eve" (Black Swan wasn't an eat & watch kind of movie -- ha!).  

After the movies, the flight for Steve turned south.  His Dayquil was wearing off (I only had Nyquil left but he refused).  He also got really nauseous (but I think it had to do with his sinuses being stopped up and he was bending over his screen trying to play a game).  After laying back & drinking some water, his tummy calmed down.  He was still feeling pretty crummy, though.  He kind of dozed and zoned on and off while snuggled under 2 blankets because he had chills.  I just kept watching movies (The Big Year & Water for Elephants).  Some little snacks and drinks were served which Steve nibbled on.

When it was time to descend, Steve was pretty uncomfortable due to his sinuses.  I made him take some Tylenol & I rubbed behind his ears -- to get the fluid to move -- which helped some of the pressure.  We had a bumpy end to our flight (we literally bounced a couple times as we landed).  We pulled up to the gate at 2:45 pm (local time).

After getting off the plane, we had to go through customs which took forever!  Then we had to claim our luggage & carry it to a new belt to be loaded to the next plane.  Last, we had to go through security (American style -- shoes & jackets off!) which again took longer than it should (thanks to multiple people who didn't understand the liquids rule).

We headed towards our new gate at 4pm, but first we stopped at the food court.  What better way to welcome ourselves to American, than with Chik-Fil-A?!  Our order ended up wrong (even though we both spoke English) & we got a free sandwich & fries.  Oh well :)

We mosied to our new gate, but first stopped at a shop to get Steve some sinus medicine. I had a little time to quickly chat with my mom, but not long.  We boarded flight #2 at 5:30pm.  

Our flight was supposed to take off at 5:44, but instead, it took off at 6:10.  I assume the delay had to do with the wind.  Steve had taken new sinus meds before we boarded & he could tell a differences on the ascent.  His ears popped a lot, but there wasn't much pain.  Our flight was quick & uneventful.  I journaled and read while Steve played his Tower Defense game.

The descent was a little rougher on Steve's ears.  He again asked me to rub behind them which helped.  I, too, had issues on the descent but mine was with motion sickness.  The plane was rocking a lot from the wind.  This flight was like the last in that it ended with a bounce.  

We got off the plane (where Steve literally ran into a woman because she stopped in front of him) & we got our bags without a problem.  We followed the sings & found our shuttle to get to the car (we were the only ones on the bus).  Our car was right were we left it.  We loaded Penny up & set off for home.

The 2 hour car ride home was rough -- we were tired & losing it.  We listened to a podcast of Car Talk to stay awake.  We got home just before 10pm & noticed that all the flowers and tress in our neighborhood and front yard were blooming.  Our yard was in dire need of mowing & the landscaping was becoming over run with weeds.  As we pulled into the driveway, we had the overwhelming sense that our vacation was officially over :-(.  

Madrid Housing Accomodations

Our apartment in Madrid was our absolute favorite.  Enrique, our host, spoke very poor English (he admitted it to us), but his apartment made up for that!  It was decked out in Ikea products (of course).  It had a very open layout and was very clean.  We felt most at home in his apartment.  He had a nice heating/cooling system that was in multiple rooms, a big water heater (hot water was never an issue), electric stove, internet and television (although it was all in Spanish).  It's location was pretty good too-- about a block away from a metro stop.

(Dining area)

(View from the dining area into the living room.  That black wall at the far end of the living room was a chalkboard wall!  He left us a message explaining that Sunday was Europe's daylight savings jump -- they jump a couple of weeks after the US does theirs.)

(View of the living room from the entrance.  If you were to turn right at this point, you would enter the kitchen.)

(The kitchen was very open.  It had an electric stove/oven, dishwasher, and a laundry machine.)

(Enrique is trying to collect magnets from all his guests.  He had asked us to bring a magnet from our hometown.  It was hard to find a magnet, but we found an Ohio State keychain that I glued a magnet piece behind.  It's the last magnet on the freezer.  He had magnets from NY, Stanford University, and some from Germany.  If you continued through the kitchen, you'd get to the bedroom.)

 (The bed wasn't the best, but it was high off the ground-- the beds in Rome & Madrid were 6" off the ground.  It was also more worn in the middle, so Steve and I kept falling into the middle towards each other.)

(Bathroom)

As nice as Enrique's apartment was, we were very excited to know that the next bed we would sleep in would be our own :-D!!

***Note:  We found all our accommodations from airbnb.com.  We had the apartments to ourselves, we assume our hosts either have a 2nd apartment or stayed with a friend.

March 25 -- Last Day in Madrid

Today, we slept in until 9:30.  After getting ready, we headed to the plaza right outside our apartment.  It was busy with a street market.  We walked by some of the booths and noticed lots of clothes and shoes for sale.  We headed up Calle Toledo towards Plaza Mayor & turned right towards Plaza del Sol.  We were headed to a ticket location to redeem our vouchers for tonight's bull fight.

(View of the street market form our balcony)

Before heading to the ticket place, we detoured to look for churros con choclate (well known in Madrid).  We found the recommended location, but it was hopping and we weren't in the mood.  We found the ticket area a few blocks away.

After redeeming our vouchers we continued our walk towards Parque Retiro.  Along the way, we witnessed an older man peeing into a tree in a sidewalk.  He didn't even have the care to turn his back to the busy street.  The park had a lake in the middle that was filled with rowboats.  There was a walkway all the way around the lake that was full of street entertainment.  We glanced at some puppet shows, a dancer, and magician as we walked around.  We went to the opposite side of the park to see the "crystal palace".  Inside was some weird art exhibit and we didn't understand it.  So we headed back to the busier area.

(There were several of these little puppet shows set up.)

(View across the lake towards the busy street entertainment)

(We walked completely around the lake and stopped on the opposite side of the entertainment.  There was some monument that we sat in front of for awhile and people watched.)

(A view of some of the gardens.)

On our last pass by the entertainment, we saw a guy with large dummies on his back.  He would bend over & make the dummies dance (his legs were the male dummy's and his arms were the female dummy's legs).  He was pretty good and we tossed some coins into his container.

(We have a video of the guy dancing, but I couldn't get it to upload.  You will just have to settle for an action shot.)

(Here you can see the guy poking out from under the dummies preparing for the next dance.)

We backtracked out of the park towards Plaza Mayor.  Along the way, we witnessed some protest in Plaza del Sol. A big group of people were chanting and had signs.  They were all wearing yellow shirts that had pictures of cutout people.  We think it had something to do with college but really had no idea.  We continued on our way and got lunch at Pans & Co again.  After lunch, we waded through the crowds (it was so busy due to the street markets and it being a Sunday) and headed back to our apartment.  We ducked into a little store and bought some pasta and sauce for tonight's dinner.  We noticed that most of the market was up & bustling while others were packing up.

We hung out in our apartment for the afternoon.  I finished reading my second book of the trip (I read Girl with the Dragon Tattoo at the beginning, and then The Help) while Steve goofed off & napped.  At 5, we headed to the metro to get to the Bull fight.  The metro (same line the whole way) dropped us off right at the front gate.  We got to bypass the ticket line since we picked them up this morning.  Once inside, Steve suggested taking the 1st staircase up a level to figure out how to find our seats.  Funny enough -- the stairs dropped us off right in front of our section entrance.  A seating host took us to our seats.  The seats were cold stone, but we had a great view of the arena.  Before the trip, I had forgotten what happens in a bull fight.  I had dreaded how tonight would be watching a bull (well several) die.  Steve had done research this afternoon finding out 6 would die (there were 3 matadors, 2 bulls per matador, fought in 6 15 minute founds).  We stayed for 2 rounds (in which 2 different matadors fought 2 bulls).  We got the gist & the cultural experience but did not want to sit through anymore.  We still don't understand why it's such an event or when it's appropriate to clap.

(Bull Fight Arena)

(Bull fight Arena)

(This is the advertisement for tonight's bull fight.  The lead matador is from Segovia!)

(Our view of the arena.  About 5 minutes before the show was to start, the arena was almost half full. It was not a full crowd.)

(All the matadors, men on horses, and others involved in the fight paraded around at the beginning)

(There was a little band in the stands that would play throughout the show.  We think some of their playings would signify changes in the show.  We really don't know, ha.)

(In each 15 minute round, there would be 5 minutes of taunting and assessing the bull, 5 minutes of spearing the bull (men on horses would pierce the vein inbetween it's shoulders, then other men would trough spikes into the muscle to weaken the neck), then 5 minutes of 1 matador weakening/assessing the bull before stabbing it with a sword.)

(This is the first matador from Segovia.  He was the best (they put the best first) -- here the bull has already been pierced and spiked.  The matador lets the bull do several passes before piercing its heart with the sword.  Good matadors only need to pierce the heart 1x with a sword.)

 (Here you can see how closely the bull grazes the matador.  I don't understand the need for this section of the show other than letting the bull suffer in agony.  I also don't get the artsy moves the matador was doing, but to each their own.)

(After the bull keels over, it is attached to a horse processional that quickly takes it out of the arena (that is, after they cut off the ear and give it to the matador).  Then, little workers go crazy cleaning up the blood in the sand and prepare for the next bull's arrival.)

(Here is the 2nd matador.  He wasn't as good as the first.  He also had to use 2 different swords because the first one did not go through the heart.)

(Sorry for the grotesque picture, but thought I'd show how the matador sets the sword to enter the bull.)

After our hour at the bull fight, we hopped on the metro & headed to our apartment.  Once there, I made the pasta & Bolonesa sauce we had bought earlier.  Steve's allergies have been acting up since the afternoon's park outing.  He finished his evening off with video games (which sounds like a great way for him to finish his vacation) while I started the packing process for the last time!