Homeland

Click here for London pictures! (Spain ones coming this weekend).

So I arrived back in Austin on Monday, where it's hot and sunny. Two weeks of cool weather in the same couple of pairs of pants does a lot to make me appreciate Texas heat and the comforts of home.

I also have Amber back with me, water in the fridge any time I want it, a couch, access to my clothes, and (very important) my own bathroom. I'm glad to be home. Especially since this week I am mostly not working, and have nothing to do but relax near water and catch up with my friends. Oh yeah, and go see Star Wars.

But let's talk about the rest of my trip.

Madrid was, in short, OK. It was my least favorite place in Spain. It was dirty, loud and not very charming. I am rarely a tourist in such large cities and found it exhausting. Plus I was mildly sick, which left me unmotivated to go out. There were definite highlights - Prado, Reina Sophia, and the Arab baths being my favorites.

I loved San Sebastian, Sevilla and Salamanca. Salamanca's architecture was breathtaking. Sevilla was full of energy. San Sebastian is nestled between the mountains and an ocean, and had amazing food to boot.

And then there was London. Madrid's lackluster appeal made me think that I am no longer interested in large cities. But 5 minutes in London made me realize that it was just Madrid that didn't appeal to me.

I had the best Indian food I've ever had. A quick perusal through Time Out showed me that every band I have ever liked is playing in London sometime in the next 2 months, and that isn't including the extensive European festival schedule. A trip to a fabulous Farmer's Market made me ask Kristen if I could pretend to be her and take over the job she is quitting to go back to school (a job I am wholly unqualified for). I had hummus that, literally, melted in my mouth. I didn't think hummus was a food that could do that.

And then there was the Eurovision party. Which is a very popular song contest that seems to be a cross between Miss America and American Idol. And every year, Kristen's friend hosts a Eurovision watching party, a common event for gay men across England. It's like the MTV Music Awards with a healthy dose of camp.

Each European country, and some European-like participants like Russia and Israel, hold a contest to nominate the best talent to represent them in Eurovision. As far as I could tell, "best" was determined by tacky outfits, dance troupes harking back to Paula Abdul's days, and songs that sounded almost-but-not-quite like old American 80s pop songs. Speaking of, Abba sprouted to fame after a Eurovision and Celine Dion won for Sweden, I think, one year. Yep, that Canadian woman we all want to kill.

The contest was replete with pop bands. There was one slightly aggressive industrial goth type band. Unsurprisingly they were from Germany. We could barely hear the songs, though I doubt there was much talent. There was, however, much to discuss when it came to outfits and dance routines.

The scoring system is totally obtuse and involves lots of like-minded countries giving all their points to their buddies. Greece gave Cypress 12 points. The Baltic countries were all over each other. There was a big political upset, maybe Israel gave anti-Semitic France 12 points, but I don't remember. English beer is strong.

Greece won. Latvia's modern day Nelson twins came in second. UK was somewhere very close to the bottom. In a contest of bad talent they were your tone deaf Mom trying to do Eminem.

The Eurovision Experience alone was worth the flight to London. Going with my best friend I've known since I was 12 and getting all the fabulous food was icing on the cake. It was a great way to wrap up a Europe trip.