Salsa Dancing in Europe

One of my goals during my travel to Europe was to experience salsa dancing through the various countries. I was a little concerned that their style would be ON2, aka NY style. The dance steps start on a different beat; although the dance patterns and moves are the same, they occur on a different count. I only know how to dance ON1, aka LA style.

The first city that I was able to go out dancing was Sevilla. After not having danced in almost two weeks (I'm usually out dancing 3-4 nights a week back in San Diego), I was more than ready to go. Walking into the club felt so familiar and comfortable, especially after two weeks in a country where I felt so out of my comfort zone. My Spanish isn't all that great, so I've missed out on interacting with other people.

I went dancing on a Wednesday night, which must have been a quiet night. There were some good dancers and they all danced ON1, so I had a good time. I even made a couple of acquaintances while I was there. The following night was the night where all the great dancers showed up. Amazing moves! The club was crowded with some of the best salsa dancers I've ever seen; I thought that LA and SD dancers were great, but the Spanish make us look like beginners. Plus, the Spanish women were absolutely gorgeous! Most of them looked like they stepped out of a glamour magazine, so just being able to watch the dancing was enough entertainment. They've got a style of bachata that is so much more sensual than the way I've seen it danced before; lots of body rolls, and the women have this way of flipping their long hair to one side that makes your jaw drop. I tried to take some video, but it was too dark in the club.

I wasn't sure what kind of clothing to wear to the European salsa clubs, so I brought the usual - casual tee shirt and jeans.  Observing the Spanish style of dress on streets, I thought that I'd be underdressed. No problem; the guys over here wear the same thing while out dancing.

I missed out on the dancing in Madrid and Barcelona, since I had visited in the middle of week. My next opportunity to dance was in Lyon, France. There were a couple of clubs that offered dancing, so I set out for them. The first one that I walked into doubled as a restaurant. They were playing some great salsa music when I walked in, so I got a little excited about. Then, I noticed that there was no dancing going on. I asked the bartender about it, and he said that they no longer offered dancing. Bummed.

I walked a few blocks to the Cubana Cafe, hoping for the best. I walked in, and there were three people on the dance floor; one couple and one guy dancing by himself, doing some kind of zumba moves. I watched this for an hour, mainly because I had nothing else going on. The DJ wasn't playing anything that you could dance to, at least nothing with a salsa beat. I made it an early night and went home.

I went back the following night, only because my hosts were having a little soiree (being French, that's what they called it) and I didn't want to intrude. The music was better, thanks to a new DJ. I hung out, watching to see who knew how to dance. The night before, I tried to chat up the bouncer in English and Spanish, but he didn't speak either. This night, he came walking up to me where I was sitting, with a really attractive girl in tow (I swear she could pass for Penelope Cruz's sister). He introduced me to her in French, knowing that I was looking for someone to dance with. It turned out that she was Spanish, and in town for a conference. Finally, someone that knew how to dance!

My last night out was in London. I was hoping that the Brits had more to offer than the French, and I wasn't disappointed. The Wine Tun in London had some decent dancers with a similar style to San Diego's dancers. I stayed until I was danced out; I had been fighting a cold for past several days, so my stamina was a little low. Unfortunately, I stayed late enough to miss the last train back to the hostel, but that's another adventure.

My next stop is Amsterdam, where I've been told they've got some great salsa clubs. Looking forward to it!

Seville

After a few days in Rota, I decided to start heading north. I figured that I´d head towards a city that had a train station so that I could start using my Eurail pass. Seville is about an hour from Rota, so I took a bus ride up ($15). I checked into a hostel right in the middle of Seville, close to restaurants and some sights worth seeing. I´ve decided to stay for a week, mainly because there´s supposed to be an active salsa dancing scene here. I´ve been told that they dance on-1, (LA style, as opposed to on-2, NY style), so I should have a good time here.

The jet lag is catching up with me, so I went to bed early my first night in the hostel. After ten hours of sleep, I was ready for a good workout. The hostel has a partnership with a local gym, so I was able to take a yoga class in the morning. Even though my Spanish is barely acceptable, I was able to follow instructions fairly well. Afterwards, the hostel offered a free Spanish style breakfast, which is usually toast and a marmalade of some type or toast with ham and cheese.

A quick shower, and I went out for some sightseeing. I took a walk around the Plaza de Espana, which houses many government offices. The architecture here is beautiful!

After sightseeing, I had a tapas lunch of mixed salad and what the waiter told me were empanadas. I expected a pastry filled with meat, but he brought out setas empanadas, which turned out to be huge, fried mushroom caps with a side of tartar sauce. Not what I expected, but still delicious.

After a siesta (I´m getting used to that idea), I went to find some salsa dancing. After walking for a half hour I found the place that I was looking for, only to find that tonight was lessons only; no social dancing. I was told to come back on Wednesday. I guess I´ll have to wait to get my salsa fix until then.

Tech issues

Before I left the US, I had contacted T-Mobile about my phone service. I was thinking that I'd have to purchase a SIM card to use here in Europe. T-Mobile's Global Service is pretty good, and it includes unlimited texting and web service. Although I usually kept data roaming off while in the US, I had to enable it once I got over here. It's really convenient to be able to keep in touch with the family back home.

I've been keeping in touch with the family via text and Skype, along with Facebook updates. However, during my downtime in my room I wanted to catch up on my Netflix and Hulu shows, as well as listen to Pandora. Since those services won't work outside of the US, I had to find a work around. Fortunately, both my phone and my tablet have VPN capabilities. I purchased an account with www.hidemyass.com, which gave me a US based VPN IP address so that Netflix and other media services would think that I'm located in the continental US. Success!

T-Mobile's Global service only applied to my phone, however. Although my tablet (Nexus 7) has it's own SIM card, it's not covered under a "Simple Plan" which provides global service. So I'm able to use it on a WiFi network only. Out of range of a WiFi signal, I've had to enable the Hotspot on my phone and connect my tablet to it.

Rota, Spain

I've finally arrived in Rota, Spain. I managed to catch a C17 out of Norfolk after two days of waiting. It was an early morning showtime for the flight - 0200. Since I had checked out of my room on base at 1000, I wandered around base and hung out until showtime. By the time we took off around 0500, I was wiped out. Sitting in a jump seat isn't conducive to taking a nap, but somehow I managed to squeeze in a couple of hours of sleep during the 7.5 hour flight.

We landed around 6 p.m. After walking to the base main gate, I was informed by the Spanish Marines there that I needed to get a base pass if I wanted to return on base. While getting the pass, I was told that I also had to get my passport stamped at the police station the next day. There's a 90 day limit without a visa; I initially thought that it was 90 days per country, but it's actually a 90 day limit within the European Union. And that's 90 days within a 180 period, so I'll have to spend time in a non-EU country (England, Croatia, etc) if I plan to stay over here past 90 days. The timer will reset at the 180 day mark.

I ended up at a hostel in Old Rota, Hostal Sixto. It was more like a hotel than a hostel, and priced like one. Private room and bath cost me $58/night. I decided to stay for three nights so that I could catch up with some family here and recover from my jet lag.

I took a walk around town to grab a bite to eat and get re-familiarized; I had been out here with the family in 2004 to visit. I love the plazas and the narrow streets around here! Went to a tapas bar for a sandwich and beer, and attempted to brush up on my limited Spanish. I noticed that food and drinks are inexpensive compared to the States; although the beers are smaller (around 8 oz), they were only 1.20 euros ($1.60).

I headed back to the hostel and chatted with the owner, who is Italian. She doesn't speak much English, but her Spanish is excellent. Her parents live in the hostel too, and her mom had baked some panna de nonna, which she explained is "grandmother's cake". Delicious with coffee!

Space A Travel preparations

Being a retired military member, I'm eligible to fly on a space available, no charge basis on military aircraft flying out of most military bases in the U.S. and Overseas. Since retirees fall low on priority list, planning and patience are key to flying space available (Space-A).

I started planning my trip a couple of months in advance by submitting my desired destinations to the air bases that I thought would have flights going to the east coast, and eventually to Europe. I used the website www.takeahop.net to submit my requests, and eventually downloaded their MilSpaceA app so that I could submit requests on the go. The earlier signup dates take priority over later signup dates, so it helped that I sent my information and destinations over a month in advance.

Flying Space A is a challenge, since a traveler's presence is required two hours before departure time and seats are not guaranteed. It helps to pack lightly, especially since there are weight restrictions on luggage and you often have a long walk from the terminal to base lodging.

I initially thought about taking a camping backpack to Europe, but decided that I'd look too much like a tourist. I opted for a mid-sized luggage case with wheels, and packed the following:

-Two extra pair of underwear and socks, not including the ones I'm wearing.
-A Northface waterproof, windproof jacket with zipout liner.
-Two pairs of Columbia hiking pants (wearing one pair) and one pair of nice jeans. I like the hiking pants because they're lightweight and dry quickly when wet.
-In addition to the Asolo hiking boots that I prefer to wear when sightseeing, I packed one pair of casual shoes and one pair of running shoes.
-One lightweight sports jacket.
-One buttondown shirt and 4 casual wear tee shirts in different colors (I prefer V-neck Calvin Kleins).
-One lightweight V-neck pullover sweater.
-Microfiber travel towel.
-One baselayer shirt and pants (I'm expecting cold weather, otherwise I wouldn't have packed these).
-One pair of pajamas (I stay in hostels most of the time, and many dorms are coed).
-One pair of shower shoes.
-One pair of running shorts and lightweight workout shirt.
-One large and one medium Eagle Creek compression bags (helps to compress all of my clothes).
-One molly bag (for store/grocery runs, misc shopping).
-One voltage converter (220v/110v) with adapters.
-A Garmin Trex 30 GPS
-Galaxy S4 with charger
-Nexus 7 tablet
-One pair Yurbuds earphones
-Several packets of Starbucks Via.
-Steripen traveler (just in case bottled water isn't available).
-Various travel-sized toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, two Tide laundry travel packets, floss, soap, shampoo, deodorant, Q-tips, mouthwash, several pocket sized Kleenex packets, Febreze, hand sanitizer).
-Padlock with key.
-Nikon Coolpix L620 camera.
-Messenger bag.

It seems like a lot, but I do plan on traveling for an extended period (>1 month). I placed my electronics into the messenger bag along with my travel documents (passport, Eurail pass, train timetables, etc) and a few toiletries, and the bag weighed in at seven pounds. My luggage with everything else weighed in at 39 pounds, just under the 40 lb limit for one of the flights that I took. Since box lunches are no longer available for purchase, I'll pack some jerky or protein bars into my jacket as a mini meal.

I hope that this list will help you decide to pack for your future trips.

Starting Over....

I retired last year, December 2012. I had hoped to hike the California Coastal Trail, beginning in February 2013. Unfortunately, life had some twists for me, and I was only able to hike from the Mexico border up to Camp Pendleton. For six months, I went on road trips and spent my time between San Diego and Murrieta, CA. I had a great time during those six months, especially while salsa dancing in San Antonio, Dallas, Chicago, Albuquerque, and Phoenix. But I really wanted to go on the road full time.

On a brief visit home, I found out that my previous employer needed some help, so I offered to temporarily take my old job back. After six months, my contract is up and I'm ready to go!

I'll be heading for an extended visit to Europe, taking a military Space Available hop out of a nearby military base. Since this will be an open ended visit (stay until I'm homesick/tired), I've had to do some thinking about my preparations:

Passport:

I went to the State Department's website (http://travel.state.gov/passport/renew/renew_833.html) and downloaded Form DS-82. I decided against paying an additional $60 for expedited service, since I had a full month before I planned on travelling. Although the website states that your passport would be renewed within 4-6 weeks via regular service, I received mine in 3 weeks. BTW, the Application Status link at http://travel.state.gov/passport/status/status_2567.html wasn't providing the status of my application after a week, so I called the office to see what was going on with my renewal. I was told that the link hadn't been working in awhile! BTW, I had my passport photos (2 needed) taken at FedEx Office for $16. AAA will take the same photos for $8.

International Driver's permit:

Although I probably won't need it, I decided to get an International Driver's Permit from AAA (http://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.html). I've rented a car in Germany before without it, but I plan on visiting quite a few countries, and may decide to rent somewhere out of the way. Just in case.

Eurail Global Flex pass

I've decided to do most of my travel via rail. Since I really have no idea about where I'll be starting my trip (it all depends on where the military flight will drop me off), I'll take trains wherever I decide to go. I decided on a Global Flex pass, since it covers 23 countries throughout Europe. I purchased a 10-day pass, good for two months. The pass came in today, along with a Eurail map and a timetable book. Between the map and timetable book, I shouldn't have any problems planning my trip when I get there.

Car storage

I already have my personal belongings in storage, and decided to store my car in the same location. Once I move the car into storage, I'll file a Planned Non-Operate (PNO) certificate with the DMV. I'll provide a copy to my car insurance; they'll remove the liability insurance from my insurance bill until I take my car out of storage again. 

On my next post, I'll cover what I'll be taking along with me.

Catching up

I last left off on my visit to the East coast. Since then, I've continued my hike up the California coast, but it's been slow going. I spent several days hiking from Downtown San Diego to Camp Pendleton, covering around 50 miles. It was a pretty easy hike, usually along residential streets. The view of the homes while walking through the neighborhoods in La Jolla and Del Mar was amazing! I'm pretty sure that if I won the lottery, I'd find a home in one of those neighborhoods. My next leg of my trip will be a 20 mile hike across Camp Pendleton. Hoping to start that leg soon.

I've made a weeklong trip up to the San Francisco area since then, visiting some family members. I'm almost out of the limbo that was keeping me close to the San Diego area, and am looking at recommencing my travels. I was starting to get discouraged about having to couch-surf for the past several months, and started looking at purchasing a condo in the San Diego area. Not having a permanent place to call your own can be unsettling. My parents have been so kind in letting me stay with them while I'm in the Temecula area, and my daughter's friends let me stay at their home when I'm in San Diego. But I'm not one to hang around the house during the day, so I'm usually wandering around town with my belongings in the back seat of my truck. My days have been filled with workouts, Starbucks visits in downtown San Diego, and salsa dancing at night. Still loving the retired life!

Currently, I'm in Texas. My cousin Joe passed away unexpectedly last Monday, and I was honored to be able to carry him to his resting place. We were the same age, only 2 weeks apart. We grew up together, and he and I would hangout whenever I would visit Beeville, Tx. I can remember the many times during our childhood, teenage years, and adulthood that we spent together. Playing hide & seek as kids, shooting pool with my brothers and cousins as young teenagers during the summer, talking about girls, cars, and our futures as older teenagers. He was like my own brother, and I'll miss him.

Joe Carrizales was a well respected police officer in Beeville, Texas. He worked as a process server, and was well known in town. High school football is big in Texas, and Joe and his brother both played all four years. It seemed as though everyone in town knew Joe; everytime we'd go somewhere, he'd introduce me to another one of his friends and acquaintances.

His reputation was solid. Always seen with a smile, everyone knew him as a nice guy who was ready to help. His memorial and funeral services were standing room only. I don't think that I'd ever seen such a large gathering of police, sheriffs, active duty and retired military personnel in one place. Most of the officers and deputies were in uniform, and there were even several Texas Rangers in attendance. The procession to the cemetery was a mile long, with firetrucks, police and sheriffs vehicles, and the Patriot Honor Guard as part of the escort.

I stayed for a couple of days after Joe's funeral and spent it with his family. I pray for their peace during their healing process.

I'm back on the road now and spending a couple of days in Corpus Christi, enjoying the weather here and looking for some good BBQ. I'm planning on trekking through Texas for a little while; I've heard things about the Austin music and food scene, and I need to find a salsa dance club in San Antonio before I go through salsa withdrawals.

Will keep in touch.