seen it all...

not at all..

esta noche fue mi anoche en españa. i can't believe i was here. i can't believe it is time to go. each moment was too quick. well, maybe not the business meetings, especially with a major hangover. otherwise all was so fun. meeting new colleagues from around europe. some are damn funny too. there have been some interesting moments for certain...like last nights dinner menu. quail eggs? partridge? mushrooms and not so good for this senorita, hence the profound effect of los bebidos.

last nights bar, classic. the crowd, hysterical. the drinks, never empty. went to bed with a head full of cheer.

but this evening, tonight, by far my favorite night. i spent some time chatting with the gentleman at the front desk, (love them!) they told me how to get to the historic part of town, i grabbed a cab and was off. i had nearly 2 more hours of daylight. i snapped photos pretty much from the moment my feet hit the pavement. with each section of town i was more swept away. it was so good to be alone, i found i was quite good company. my feet just went, my heart just followed. with each new block there was more to take in, some to photograph, some not.

i captured some sounds tonight. a guitar singer in the winding alley, singing blowin' in the wind. teenage boys talking mas rapido. pero mi favorite, la nina, maybe 5 in the plaza. long dark curly hair, tights and a skirt. walking her dog on the leash with her mama. as she walked by i heard her sweet voice say hola. then to her dog she said, ven aca, ven aca, corre! giggling as he followed. and then he barked...wow wow. i laughed out loud, thinking of mi amiga seattlemamacita teaching me that los perros dice wow wow en espanol. huh i thought, they really do say wow wow.

i experienced some smells and tastes as well. some herb wafting down from a window. fresh cafe from the styley coffee shop near an incredible church. unbelievable beauty in the heart of the town. the chewy, warm pizza y vino tinto i consumed for dinner. finally something good to eat. i couldn't ask for a better dining spot. even though the waiter says, "do you speak english, speak to me in english then, i need to practice". i must've sat there for more than hour, hard to say because for some reason my clock was reading 12:24 pm August 2006. weird! so i sat, laughing to myself, many sights, la policia, babies, strollers, hot pink pants, dogs, funky hair, elderly, lovers arm in arm. i sat, just watching people, exchanging a few words here and there with the different people who came and went. so many people.

it was just magical really.

my mind is full of so many things. this trip has given me more than i could've anticipated. a stronger mind, a richer heart, a new connection to myself, a disconnection from the unnecessary, a love for españa, a need for the language to gel in my brain and easily flow.

just one week and a transformation is under way. my soul is telling me something i haven't heard before, or maybe i just wasn't listening...i hear you now and i'm all ears.