Whew! 2011 was a year of extremes, mostly good and mostly a reminder of what an exciting life I live.
The year started out quietly enough; we were in bed before the ball even dropped to toll in the New Year. January 1st dawned bright and chilly, but warm enough to continue to melt the remnants of the snowstorm which had fallen the day after Christmas in 2010. Fourteen inches of snow fell in Norfolk, an exciting amount for this city.
London came to visit for a few days that first week of the year, and we had a nice time before she had to go back home to Lexington, KY. As I recall, she spent a few days with me and then a few days with her mother. Too short a time, especially as we did not get together again this year. In fact, she arrives next week, almost a year to the day since she landed at the Richmond airport in 2011. We have bigger plans with her in 2012, namely her graduation and wedding, so hopefully this year-long absence from one another was just one of those extremes I mentioned.
London and Leo at Crackers
The next few months were quiet. Leo and I worked, payed bills and played. My time at Shula's 347 was relatively uneventful. At one point I waited on Pepa, one-half of the 80's band Salt-n-Pepa...and on another exciting evening I had the pleasure of serving Spike Lee. I like to believe that I worked hard while I was there, but I also used the time before my shift to practice climbing the stairs. I don't quite remember why it was so important, but I know I was elated when I finally climbed to the top of the 24 story building, almost 400 steps. So happy that I did it several times. Woohoo! (Someone explain that one to me.)
I left Shula's at the end of April for several reasons, which I will keep to myself. But this was when my year got really crazy... because Leo and I were off to Spain! Two weeks of excitement in Madrid, Avila, Segovia, Toledo and Barcelona. I would experience many VLEs while in Spain. What is a VLE, you might ask? Why it is a Virgin Life-Experience, as coined by my friend Laurie. Here is an example of one:
The Stance
No, I did not pull this picture off the internet! Leo and I were at this bullfight, and Leo took this picture. We saw a bullfight in the world's oldest and most famous arena, Las Ventas. Earlier in the day we had cached in some amazing areas in the historic area, and then stumbled upon a rally for the Socialist Party (another VLE). With all the stress I was unable to calm down for the spectacle/slaughter, so we left after only two bulls had been killed. For me it was enough, but I am sad I pulled Leo away, especially as the next day we spoke to a couple from Australia who told us just how intense the action became. I think Leo would have liked to have seen the whole thing. I won't post here a picture of the dying bulls, but I will tell you that we watched a bullfighter almost get trampled! It was close. Leo used his camera to show just how close:
A Horn in Your Butt?
Later in Segovia, we would enter our first real castle, Alcazar! (VLE)
And then just a few days later, Leo and I would stand in awe in the beautifully preserved city of Toledo, our favorite place in Spain (so far). One interesting sidenote about Toledo is that it is also the first time Leo and I would just get on a train and go to a city without any hotel reservations. It was interesting climbing the hill with our luggage, having no idea where we might stay that night. After we left here, we went back to Madrid, and stayed the night in a hostel, the first time we had done that, but definitely not to be our last. It was cheap and convenient, and a hostel in Spain is usually much nicer than a hostal in the rest of Europe.
The last leg of our journey was Barcelona, which held many surprises, including getting pick-pocketed on the Metro. We got the wallet back, nothing stolen, but it was definitely a wake-up call for us not to go tooling around on the subway after a few bottles of wine!
I cried in the Sagrada Familia. I had never been in a cathedral so beautiful. St. Peter's in Rome may be opulent, but this church echoed of Heaven:
The day before we left Barcelona, Leo talked me into riding the teleferic over the bay. I am afraid of heights and cable cars, but I am glad I did it.
Of course we did so much more than I am able to relate here. I can only hit a few of the highlights. I look forward to the day we can return, especially to see areas south, such as Sevilla. The day we flew away from Spain, the southern portions of the country experienced a mild earthquake. Two weeks later and much of the northern portion of the country was paralyzed by strikes and civil unrest. Many of the sites we had visited were closed to foreigners, including the Sagrada Familia. Our timing was amazing!
When we arrived home, the summer festival season was beginning, and Leo and I love the festivals! I remember watching the Commodores during Harborfest when a friend pointed out the approaching thunderstorm. We packed our belongings and went into Waterside while we watched the approach on both our smartphones and in the sky. I was having a libation when the clouds burst on the tens of thousands of spectators on the field. I watch as a mother pushed a stroller and as an older couple hurried, arm in arm, while the wind holwed around them. I remember being so angry that Festevents didn't bother to stop the show when the radar showed no other outcome. Luckily there were no deaths, which did happen at the Indiana State Fair later in the year.
During these summer months, I should have been looking for a job, but I was just goofing around and enjoying the breeze. I wanted to fly out to see London in Kentucky, but I felt guilty for not working, so I just bummed my way through until July...when I went to Ecuador! YAY! The year was only half-over, but I was just beginning to rev-up my VLEs!
The year started out quietly enough; we were in bed before the ball even dropped to toll in the New Year. January 1st dawned bright and chilly, but warm enough to continue to melt the remnants of the snowstorm which had fallen the day after Christmas in 2010. Fourteen inches of snow fell in Norfolk, an exciting amount for this city.
London came to visit for a few days that first week of the year, and we had a nice time before she had to go back home to Lexington, KY. As I recall, she spent a few days with me and then a few days with her mother. Too short a time, especially as we did not get together again this year. In fact, she arrives next week, almost a year to the day since she landed at the Richmond airport in 2011. We have bigger plans with her in 2012, namely her graduation and wedding, so hopefully this year-long absence from one another was just one of those extremes I mentioned.
The next few months were quiet. Leo and I worked, payed bills and played. My time at Shula's 347 was relatively uneventful. At one point I waited on Pepa, one-half of the 80's band Salt-n-Pepa...and on another exciting evening I had the pleasure of serving Spike Lee. I like to believe that I worked hard while I was there, but I also used the time before my shift to practice climbing the stairs. I don't quite remember why it was so important, but I know I was elated when I finally climbed to the top of the 24 story building, almost 400 steps. So happy that I did it several times. Woohoo! (Someone explain that one to me.)
I left Shula's at the end of April for several reasons, which I will keep to myself. But this was when my year got really crazy... because Leo and I were off to Spain! Two weeks of excitement in Madrid, Avila, Segovia, Toledo and Barcelona. I would experience many VLEs while in Spain. What is a VLE, you might ask? Why it is a Virgin Life-Experience, as coined by my friend Laurie. Here is an example of one:
No, I did not pull this picture off the internet! Leo and I were at this bullfight, and Leo took this picture. We saw a bullfight in the world's oldest and most famous arena, Las Ventas. Earlier in the day we had cached in some amazing areas in the historic area, and then stumbled upon a rally for the Socialist Party (another VLE). With all the stress I was unable to calm down for the spectacle/slaughter, so we left after only two bulls had been killed. For me it was enough, but I am sad I pulled Leo away, especially as the next day we spoke to a couple from Australia who told us just how intense the action became. I think Leo would have liked to have seen the whole thing. I won't post here a picture of the dying bulls, but I will tell you that we watched a bullfighter almost get trampled! It was close. Leo used his camera to show just how close:
Later in Segovia, we would enter our first real castle, Alcazar! (VLE)
And then just a few days later, Leo and I would stand in awe in the beautifully preserved city of Toledo, our favorite place in Spain (so far). One interesting sidenote about Toledo is that it is also the first time Leo and I would just get on a train and go to a city without any hotel reservations. It was interesting climbing the hill with our luggage, having no idea where we might stay that night. After we left here, we went back to Madrid, and stayed the night in a hostel, the first time we had done that, but definitely not to be our last. It was cheap and convenient, and a hostel in Spain is usually much nicer than a hostal in the rest of Europe.
The last leg of our journey was Barcelona, which held many surprises, including getting pick-pocketed on the Metro. We got the wallet back, nothing stolen, but it was definitely a wake-up call for us not to go tooling around on the subway after a few bottles of wine!
I cried in the Sagrada Familia. I had never been in a cathedral so beautiful. St. Peter's in Rome may be opulent, but this church echoed of Heaven:
The day before we left Barcelona, Leo talked me into riding the teleferic over the bay. I am afraid of heights and cable cars, but I am glad I did it.
Of course we did so much more than I am able to relate here. I can only hit a few of the highlights. I look forward to the day we can return, especially to see areas south, such as Sevilla. The day we flew away from Spain, the southern portions of the country experienced a mild earthquake. Two weeks later and much of the northern portion of the country was paralyzed by strikes and civil unrest. Many of the sites we had visited were closed to foreigners, including the Sagrada Familia. Our timing was amazing!
When we arrived home, the summer festival season was beginning, and Leo and I love the festivals! I remember watching the Commodores during Harborfest when a friend pointed out the approaching thunderstorm. We packed our belongings and went into Waterside while we watched the approach on both our smartphones and in the sky. I was having a libation when the clouds burst on the tens of thousands of spectators on the field. I watch as a mother pushed a stroller and as an older couple hurried, arm in arm, while the wind holwed around them. I remember being so angry that Festevents didn't bother to stop the show when the radar showed no other outcome. Luckily there were no deaths, which did happen at the Indiana State Fair later in the year.
During these summer months, I should have been looking for a job, but I was just goofing around and enjoying the breeze. I wanted to fly out to see London in Kentucky, but I felt guilty for not working, so I just bummed my way through until July...when I went to Ecuador! YAY! The year was only half-over, but I was just beginning to rev-up my VLEs!
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