Lots of good music this week as I haven't update my music Monday's in a while!
Monday 29 September 2014
Thursday 25 September 2014
Madrid day 5
I have completely muddled up the days and don't know when or what we did anymore…
I have completely forgotten what day we had beer in las Huertas, and when we went to del Prado… Anyway, we did squeeze those things in our tight schedule.
Wednesday morning I woke up with the rest of them and we had breakfast. I packed my bag and got ready during the time Helen was washing up, getting ready and bossing the kids around. I said goodbye to Helen and the kids. It was pretty emotional, as it always is. I don't know when I'm going to see Helen next, but I hope it's soon as I miss that girl whenever I'm not with her!
I headed over to the metro station to go to the airport. I got there in about half an hour of traveling, and had to walk about 1.5km to get to the actual check-in desk… Ridiculous amount of walking in my opinion.
I checked in, went through security and headed over to my gate. I popped into the bathroom to change into my jeans as I was preparing for the long and chilly flight ahead. After that I headed over to a café to purchase I panino and a bottle of water. For 7 bloody euros… I hate airports. They're outrageously expensive!
Our flight was delayed by about half an hour, no surprise there. I finally landed in Stockholm at seven or so, and briskly headed over to the bus which would take me directly to Fridhemsplan on Kungsholmen. I walked the short distance home and stopped by 7/11 to get a few snacks for myself as I wouldn't be able to get into the flat as nobody was home and I didn't have the keys with me…
Thankfully though, my mum arrived only after about half an hour of waiting and I actually managed to connect to our WiFi out in the hallway!
Madrid day 4
Somehow, I managed to drag myself out of bed in the morning when I was called for breakfast. After breakfast, homework, getting ready and general faffing about, we headed out to the park around noon. This time Laura from next door came along with us. It was nice to meet her as I know Helen and the kids hang out with her quite often. We only dat in the park for about 15 minutes before we headed over to an American candy shop across the street. We were all just window shopping but it must have looked quite funny to the public as we were literally staring at all of the sweet for about 15 minutes. We then headed to a flower shop on the corner to check out the pretty flowers. We then headed back home as we wanted to bake cookies.
Helen, Angel and Esther were in the kitchen making cookies while I was in the living room on the computer. I couldn't be anywhere near the kitchen as it was absolutely boiling in there. not only was it hot from the sun, but the oven was on and I felt like I was going to melt every time I went in there.
In the afternoon we headed over to Gran Via for some shopping. We went in a few stores such as Bershka, Pull & Bear, Zara and Stradivarius. Everytime we came out of the air-conditioned shops we were hit by the tremendous heat outside. It hit us like a slap in the face along with the sun blazing into our eyes, it was pretty horrible. After our wee shopping-spree we wanted to rent city bikes, but we couldn't as the only way you could do it was by buying an annual pass… Literally the dumbest idea I have ever heard of in my life. I mean I thought the whole point of having accessible city bikes around cities was so that people could get them whenever they wanted, plus it's great for tourists or lazy people like Helen and I. We were properly gutted that we couldn't go for a cycle ride, so instead we headed over to a little street adjacent to Plaza Mayor. My memory is really blurry, but I think this is what we did. Anyway, when Helen had been down that little street she had seen a shop that sold handmade leather satchels. We popped in and I found a small one that I liked. I paid for it and they kindly altered the strap for me.
We then headed around the neighborhood we were in, slowly making our way to la Reina Sofia. We walked around for a good long while before we finally got there.
After our look around in the museum we headed home for some dinner with the family. I think we went to bed fairly early that night as we were both exhausted from the late nights and miles of walking.
Helen, Angel and Esther were in the kitchen making cookies while I was in the living room on the computer. I couldn't be anywhere near the kitchen as it was absolutely boiling in there. not only was it hot from the sun, but the oven was on and I felt like I was going to melt every time I went in there.
In the afternoon we headed over to Gran Via for some shopping. We went in a few stores such as Bershka, Pull & Bear, Zara and Stradivarius. Everytime we came out of the air-conditioned shops we were hit by the tremendous heat outside. It hit us like a slap in the face along with the sun blazing into our eyes, it was pretty horrible. After our wee shopping-spree we wanted to rent city bikes, but we couldn't as the only way you could do it was by buying an annual pass… Literally the dumbest idea I have ever heard of in my life. I mean I thought the whole point of having accessible city bikes around cities was so that people could get them whenever they wanted, plus it's great for tourists or lazy people like Helen and I. We were properly gutted that we couldn't go for a cycle ride, so instead we headed over to a little street adjacent to Plaza Mayor. My memory is really blurry, but I think this is what we did. Anyway, when Helen had been down that little street she had seen a shop that sold handmade leather satchels. We popped in and I found a small one that I liked. I paid for it and they kindly altered the strap for me.
We then headed around the neighborhood we were in, slowly making our way to la Reina Sofia. We walked around for a good long while before we finally got there.
After our look around in the museum we headed home for some dinner with the family. I think we went to bed fairly early that night as we were both exhausted from the late nights and miles of walking.
Monday 15 September 2014
Madrid day 3
At 9 o'clock on Monday morning I was woken up by Angel knocking on my door, telling me breakfast was ready. I headed out into the kitchen where Helen and Ester were waiting for me. Helen and I finished our breakfasts quite quickly, but as Helen has told me previously, the kids took quite a while to finish their minuscule breakfasts. After breakfast I helped clear up a bit and then I got ready for the day, which for some reason took about 2 hours.. I was faffing about with so many different things. Meanwhile the kids were doing their homework and playing 2048, while Helen was nagging them about finishing their homework before we headed to the park.
At 12 o'clock or so we were ready to head out to the park. It was quite hot today and within about 2 minutes I was already sweltering.. After half an hour at the park I decided to head to the pharmacy at the corner as I needed to get Compeed bandaids as I was feeling blisters coming. We didn't stay at the park for long after that. Once we got home we let the kids watch some TV while Helen and I prepared lunch. Which was absolutely delicious, but the kids took a long while to finish it, and they needed Helen's help. Shortly after we finished lunch Angel (dad) came back form work. This is when Helen and I decided to pop out for the day.
We headed to the underground which would take us to Parque del buen Retiro. This park reminded me so much of Giardini Estensi in Varese. We walked around for a bit before we decided to sit down in a café by the lake to have a Calippo. We then headed down towards the Crystal Palace which was absolutely incredible! This is by far my favourite building in the world. It was so incredibly beautiful and I was in awe the whole time we were there.
After a long rest of our legs, we headed towards the exit and headed up to Salamanca. One of Helen's favourite parts of Madrid. We wanted to get tapas at a tapas bar however, the one we finally ended up going into had really bad service. This is why we decided to just head back to Santiago Bernabeu and have tapas at a tapas bar right next to the stadium. One which we had discussed eating at one night.
The service was pretty bad again, but at least we finally got some food in us. We got back at about half eleven and decided to have a bit more to eat. We then went to bed and a brief hang-out in my room, before we went to bed at about one in the morning.
Saturday 6 September 2014
Madrid day 2
After quite an uncomfortable and sweaty night, I finally got up at
8.30 to get ready, pack my bag and get some breakfast. After my
breakfast I headed out on a short walk around the neighbourhood,
soaking up the beauty of the quiet streets of Madrid on the Sunday morning.
As Helen and I had decided to meet up by the Alonso Martinez metro station, I headed over to the plaza. After a short wait we were reunited again. Helen wanted to head over to Bilbao so we walked down Calle de Sagasta for about a 15 minute walk. We found a Starbucks and sat down with a coffee and decided what we would do that day. As were on the West side of the city, we decided that we would do the more touristy things.
Firstly though, Helen wanted to check out the sports section in the nearest Corte Ingles, so we headed over there. Helen has been wanting to get a Real Madrid football-shirt for a long time, and the shirts in the kid's section were 64.99euros. This is cheap compared to the 85euros one has to pay to get ''the real deal.''
We then headed out of Corte Ingles to go to the nearest metro station, Arguellas. We headed to Opera, to visit the Palacio Real. After a quick look on the map, we found our way over there. It was magnificent! Even though the shutters of the palace were closed, and the facade looked the same everywhere, it was pretty amazing. We then turned left and headed to the Cathedral which is right next to the Palace. We arrived just as mass was starting and we felt a bit awkward to be in there during mass, so after a brief look-see, I lit a candle and then we headed out.
We decided to go to Mercado de San Miguel for some food and a drink. On the way we saw quite a few interesting people and buildings. We passed by Plaza de Villa for example. Upon arrival at the Mercado, I was mesmerized by the atmosphere, it's just like nay other crammed market with people everywhere and food in masses! We found a place we liked, just by the entrance and decided to get a beer. This is where everything started going wrong. Helen and I were standing next to each other, and Helen ordered her cerveza. But the man didn't take my order, for some reason. He asked the next person, who arrived after us, and served him. This went on for about 10 minutes, he absolutely didn't give a rat's ass about serving me. I got fed up and asked Helen if she could order for me. At this point, a new person was working at the counter. Helen finally got served and bought a cerveza and salad for me (not what I had wanted, but we shared the salad anyhow...) After the quick lunch we headed to Plaza Mayor. Right in the middle of the square we encountered a 30-something man on a Segway He came up to us and started advertising his company, and what kind of tours they do on the Segways. After a quick chat, he asked us if we wanted to try riding the Segway. Helen was skeptical at first as she thinks they look dorky, but in the end she went on it. I filmed a bit of her ride on it. It was then my turn to go on it and i really enjoyed it! this is now another thing I can tick off my bucket-list! Also, I decided to name the dude Cedrick.
As Helen and I had decided to meet up by the Alonso Martinez metro station, I headed over to the plaza. After a short wait we were reunited again. Helen wanted to head over to Bilbao so we walked down Calle de Sagasta for about a 15 minute walk. We found a Starbucks and sat down with a coffee and decided what we would do that day. As were on the West side of the city, we decided that we would do the more touristy things.
Firstly though, Helen wanted to check out the sports section in the nearest Corte Ingles, so we headed over there. Helen has been wanting to get a Real Madrid football-shirt for a long time, and the shirts in the kid's section were 64.99euros. This is cheap compared to the 85euros one has to pay to get ''the real deal.''
We then headed out of Corte Ingles to go to the nearest metro station, Arguellas. We headed to Opera, to visit the Palacio Real. After a quick look on the map, we found our way over there. It was magnificent! Even though the shutters of the palace were closed, and the facade looked the same everywhere, it was pretty amazing. We then turned left and headed to the Cathedral which is right next to the Palace. We arrived just as mass was starting and we felt a bit awkward to be in there during mass, so after a brief look-see, I lit a candle and then we headed out.
We decided to go to Mercado de San Miguel for some food and a drink. On the way we saw quite a few interesting people and buildings. We passed by Plaza de Villa for example. Upon arrival at the Mercado, I was mesmerized by the atmosphere, it's just like nay other crammed market with people everywhere and food in masses! We found a place we liked, just by the entrance and decided to get a beer. This is where everything started going wrong. Helen and I were standing next to each other, and Helen ordered her cerveza. But the man didn't take my order, for some reason. He asked the next person, who arrived after us, and served him. This went on for about 10 minutes, he absolutely didn't give a rat's ass about serving me. I got fed up and asked Helen if she could order for me. At this point, a new person was working at the counter. Helen finally got served and bought a cerveza and salad for me (not what I had wanted, but we shared the salad anyhow...) After the quick lunch we headed to Plaza Mayor. Right in the middle of the square we encountered a 30-something man on a Segway He came up to us and started advertising his company, and what kind of tours they do on the Segways. After a quick chat, he asked us if we wanted to try riding the Segway. Helen was skeptical at first as she thinks they look dorky, but in the end she went on it. I filmed a bit of her ride on it. It was then my turn to go on it and i really enjoyed it! this is now another thing I can tick off my bucket-list! Also, I decided to name the dude Cedrick.
On our way from Plaza Mayor we passed by Plaza del Puerta del Sol, or simply just called Sol. on the plaza we bumped into a few
people dressed up as cartoon characters, there was Spongebob (whom
we took a photo with), Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Bart Simpson and
other goofy characters. They must have been sweltering in those
thick costumes as it was bloody boiling. We finally ended up on
Gran Via after a long walk where we got lost amongst the many
streets and tall buildings, but proceeded down towards Plaza de la
Cibeles. This is where we decided to finally sit down on a bench as
our legs were hurting so much!!
At this point we decided that the best thing to do was go home, where we would grab something to eat, have a quick nap and
finally be able to put down my heavy backpack which we had been carrying around Madrid for the whole day...
At about four we headed back out again to go and visit the Real Madrid stadium, Santiago Bernabeu. We finally go to the bar where we got a drink voucher. We sat down by the window with our cervezas, overlooking the football pitch. I thought that the outside of the stadium was quite boring, I mean it was huge, but I feel like it could have been more extravagant. Helen was in heaven though, she says that the Santiago Bernabeu area is her favourite part of Madrid, along with Salamanca.
We finished our beers and headed out again. We walked around the stadium and headed over to the metro station. At this point my mind is a little fuzzy, you have to understand, it felt like this day went on forever. It's been a good long while since I have done so much in one day. And so much walking!
We got on the metro and headed over to a rooftop bar near Plaza de Cibeles. After a bit of searching, we finally found the place, payed the entrance fee of 3euros and headed up in the lift. Once we stepped out of the lift, we were greeted by a large group of people and a lovely view of Madrid. We decided to get our drinks and look at the sunset. Helen ordered two sangrias for us, but we ended up getting two Gin and Tonics instead... this was the second time our order was screwed up! Anyhow, after a quick photo-session we walked around the place looking for a place to sit, but the only free seats were reserved, which was a pest for us as our legs and feet were hurting after having walked several km's during the long and hot day. I think the rooftop bar was one of my favourite things about my trip to Madrid, it was just such a nice atmosphere and the view was impeccable.
At this point we decided that the best thing to do was go home, where we would grab something to eat, have a quick nap and
finally be able to put down my heavy backpack which we had been carrying around Madrid for the whole day...
At about four we headed back out again to go and visit the Real Madrid stadium, Santiago Bernabeu. We finally go to the bar where we got a drink voucher. We sat down by the window with our cervezas, overlooking the football pitch. I thought that the outside of the stadium was quite boring, I mean it was huge, but I feel like it could have been more extravagant. Helen was in heaven though, she says that the Santiago Bernabeu area is her favourite part of Madrid, along with Salamanca.
We finished our beers and headed out again. We walked around the stadium and headed over to the metro station. At this point my mind is a little fuzzy, you have to understand, it felt like this day went on forever. It's been a good long while since I have done so much in one day. And so much walking!
We got on the metro and headed over to a rooftop bar near Plaza de Cibeles. After a bit of searching, we finally found the place, payed the entrance fee of 3euros and headed up in the lift. Once we stepped out of the lift, we were greeted by a large group of people and a lovely view of Madrid. We decided to get our drinks and look at the sunset. Helen ordered two sangrias for us, but we ended up getting two Gin and Tonics instead... this was the second time our order was screwed up! Anyhow, after a quick photo-session we walked around the place looking for a place to sit, but the only free seats were reserved, which was a pest for us as our legs and feet were hurting after having walked several km's during the long and hot day. I think the rooftop bar was one of my favourite things about my trip to Madrid, it was just such a nice atmosphere and the view was impeccable.
We stayed there for about an hour and a half before we needed to head back home to have dinner with the family. It took a while for us to get down though as the lift was quite small and a lot of people were leaving at the same time as us.
Once we got back to the apartment the family was waiting for us at the table. We said hello and we sat down to eat. It was very good! On my bed there was something that looked like a note. On the front of the envelope, it said To Sofia, From Angel. I opened it to find a nicely drawn picture of a house, a tall building and a tree. Angel had been so thoughtful that he drew a beautiful drawing to me. My heart melted. After dinner we helped clear up and then Helen and I skyped Jen in my room. We stayed up quite late, and after such a long day I passed out almost immediately after my cold shower!
Friday 5 September 2014
Madrid day 1
Barcelona Ariport
My backpack. It looks tiny but it's very spacious
As a frequent flyer, one is used to the many queues, mishaps, delays and hours spent at airports staring into thin air. You just get on with it. All I could do was say goodbye to mother and head on over to security. After a 15-minute wait I was trough and headed over to my gate. I made use of the free wifi that Arlanda offer (Yes Arlanda!), and when my time expired I started reading my Madrid-guidebook, soaking up information about the city I was about to explore. After a long wait we finally got to board our tiny plane, which would take us to Barcelona. I felt sorry for all the tall Swedes for the tiny legroom on the plane. It resembles any Ryanair flight but with better service (Thank the Lord). Even I, measuring at 1.66m felt claustrophobic in that tiny space, crammed between two people, and the seat in front of me.
Upon arrival in Barcelona, after an very uncomfortable flight, we stepped out of the plane onto the tarmac, greeted by a comfortable 23 degrees Celcius. As per usual in southern Europe (at least in my opinion), the transit busses took us to the termial. I quickly headed on over to the information kiosk to ask for information, racing several other passengers on my plane. They guided me over to the Iberia desk, where I would get help to rebook my flight. After a quick explanation of my situation and a short 5-minute wait I was presented with a new boarding ticket and a dinner- voucher (one of the perks of the day).
After a quick look-see in some of the many shops Barcelona airport offers, I made my way over to the canteen to eat some food. God it was good. Any other day I wouldn't have eaten that crap, but that day I didn't care; it tasted like heaven!
After a couple of hours wait in the airport, it was time to head
off to Madrid, at last. After a short flight, and a long day, we
finally landed. I quickly headed on over to the salida, where upon
I headed for the metro, which would take me into the centre of
Madrid. Line 8 took me to Nuevos Ministerios, where Helen kindly
met up with me. We then hopped on the dark blue line (line 10) to
Alonso Martinez. I was happily surprised that it was quite easy to
find my way around the deserted metro stations. As well as the way
to the hostel, where I checked in, received my key, and was
to shown to my 2people dorm.
Day two of my Madrid adventure will be up tomorrow!!
Day two of my Madrid adventure will be up tomorrow!!
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