Ready

The last two days have been filled with running errands, last minute-shopping, booking hotels and tour tickets and a rental car, researching train/ferry schedules, and packing.  Many of these events took longer than necessary because I managed to get incredibly off-course almost every time I drove somewhere.  I was using my iPhone's GPS, of course, but I actually managed to overheat it.  Mid-drive it suddenly shut down, telling me angrily when I booted it back up that it had to cool down before it would be useable.  While it was cooling down I was attempting to drive from Alexandria to Potomac Yard.  A bad idea sans-map, since suddenly the surrounding buildings looked familiar.  Too familiar.  Yup, there in front of me was the IHOP that's next to Jason's apartment building.  I had managed to drive myself home instead of waaay over there (points to the right) where I was trying to go.

This all bodes well for navigating a car across coastal Spain, doesn't it?  Regardless of my lack of navigation-skills, I am now officially certified to drive in Spain (and a whole lot of other countries too):

We did take advantage of the pseudo-weekend last night by going out to dinner, but since neither of us brought our phones you will just have to take our word for it.  We wanted Cafe Rio, but they were still closed due to lack of power so we settled for this hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese place nearby.  Jason had taken me there last summer as well, and it was just as tasty as before, if a bit hot inside with the lack of air conditioning.

After a quick run to the grocery store (and a futile search for ice cream), it was back to the apartment to finish packing.  My bibliophilia lost to my packing frugalities and I did this:

in order to reduce the guidebooks to this:

(the packet on the left is what goes)

I'm still probably taking more than I need to, and I'm sure I will regret not bringing at least one item. But everything fits into my suitcase, backpack, and purse with enough room to squeeze in a spare duffle bag just in case I buy a rug.  Or a lantern.  Or a poof or three.  Or other practical goods like that.

Spain, here I come!