T minus 2 days

Things are getting pretty serious. I have laid out and neatly folded (most) all of the clothes I want to bring with me, I got the luggage case out, and got four months worth of contacts. What's more, I've made two significant purchases today.

My new guide to Spain, apparently. Blame my
indecisiveness, my frugality, my practicality, or whatever, but it was very hard choosing a travel guide! So many options, all having their own pros and cons. One is too heavy, the other too many pictures, one with great hotel recommendations but horrible taste in restaurants, the other with great practical tips, but outdated information...etc. And then, to make matters more difficult, the books are divided by country, region, city, the whole continent! Ay Dios mio. If I had an unlimited budget, and an unlimited weight restriction for my bags, then I would have bought at least 5 of them.

Despite the dilemma (what a luxurious dilemma, eh?), I just went with the Frommer's guide. Seemed pretty organized, and people around me seem to recommend it so, there you go.

I sure hope I'll get my money's worth out of this book.

My second purchase of the day is the notorious money belt. While I was at Barnes and Noble thumbing through the travel guide books, Rick Steve's guide to Europe was going on and on about how to avoid theft, getting pick-pocketed, mugged, ripped off, falling for a scam, losing essentials, etc., and he mentioned how he ALWAYS travels with a money belt and feels really uncomfortable traveling without it. And naturally I was convinced that I needed one as well. I hear how common petty theft is in Europe (Spain), and I thought, well, although slightly uncomfortable and unfashionable, it's better to be safe than sorry. Right? Right, so I drove over to Target, and bought myself a nice, ugly, plastic-y money belth. But now that I am home, thinking about it, I'm not 100% sure I'll be using this contraption. Should I return it??!

Am I being super paranoid? I mean, once I can pull off "I know what I am doing, and where I am going" look perfectly in Madrid, I probably won't use it, but during my weekend trips, doesn't a money belt sound like an insurance of sorts?

But it really is happening. Really is happening. Really. Is. Happening.