Hey, folks.

This seemed to work nicely last time so I'm trying it again.

As many of you know, and the rest of you should surely have figured out by now, I'll be visiting Spain. More precisely, I'll be taking a two-month tour around various beauty spots in Spain and Portugal leaving August 23 and returning on October 18. Check back here for various travelogue/drollery/drama-queeniness as I see fit.

As for my itinerary, basically I took everything I've been dreaming about seeing for the last three years and jamming it all in. I'll be arriving in Madrid, and speeding off northeast to León and Astorga, thence to Santiago and A Coruña. Then south through Porto and Lisbon (metroyay!). Back into Spain for Roman ruins at Mérida, then through Andalucía - Cádiz, Sevilla, Córdoba for some serious mosque action, and Granada to follow the velvet ropes through the Alhambra. Carom back to Madrid to gank the AVE to Lleida, then Tarragona (more Roman ruins) and Barcelona. I'll spend a week and a half or so in Barna, no doubt to recover, and also taking in the Mercè festival and day trips to Sitges and Girona. Then to Valencia for more metroing and an annular solar eclipse on Oct 3. Thence to Cuenca for the Hanging Houses, Logroño, a few days in Bilbao making up for the pitiful four hours I spent there in 2002, and then to Zaragoza for the Virgen del Pilar. Last, six days in Madrid.

I cheerfully acknowledge that this is completely insane, but a) I might as well do it while I'm 23, b) I can always cut back when I'm there, and c) all the train and bus riding will give me a chance to work on my translation of Yo también lo sé.

Preparation to date: I've booked my plane tickets and insurance, made sure my passport is up to date, extended the limit on my credit card, reserved my first night's hostal stay in Madrid, and bought some travel guides and two pairs of travelling pants (no, I will not be sharing these with my four best girlfriends, thank you).

Updates as they come. ¡Salud!