Barcelona: I'm Back Again!

Hola Stranger,

Before I get on with unloading everything I can remember about my time in Barcelona, let me first get something off my chest. I am done my final exams!!! (That is, if I didn't fail anything). Finals in Italy work on a completely different system. Instead of a normal written exam, every course has a mandatory oral exam and sometimes an additional written one as well. Each course has 3 different exam periods, one a week after classes finish (right now), one in the middle/end of June, and once in late July. If you fail your exam the first time in May, you can do it again in June, and then again in July. Still didn't pass? Don't worry, you have more chances next term. I'm sorry Italy but this is perhaps the worst system I've ever seen. Students are less motivated to study the first time around because they know they can retake the exam a month later. This has created a phenomenon where Italian students become grade obsessed, taking exams over and over again in hopes of getting a better mark. And what is this oral exam I speak of? Essentially you sit in a room with all of your classmates, and the professor calls you up one by one. The professor could ask you one or a few questions, and grades you on your answer.

Roomie Paolo's story: 

He gets perfect on the written exam and goes in for the oral feeling confident. The professor asks a question.

Paolo "I'm sorry, I really don't know this one, could you ask me something else? Anything else."

Professor "Nope, see you next month"

Another example: My Erasmus friend Selman waited 6 hours in the classroom for his oral exam. From 3-9 pm, he sat there impatiently waiting for his turn and when his name was called, the janitor came in and kicked everyone out because the school was closing. He had to go back the next week to do it. Tell me I'm not the only one who thinks this is messed up. At least I'm done and didn't have to suffer like the rest of them. *phew*

April 19, Saturday

Aside from Abriel, the rest of us had already been to Barcelona but were all just as anxious to revisit the city. The first time I had been there, it was during the cruise and one day was simply not enough. With the bus guided tour, I had a general idea of the city layout which made navigation just slightly easier. Thanks to GoogleMaps, asking random strangers and walking around in circles, we found the airbnb apartment at the predetermined time. The owner wasn't there to greet us; apparently he thought we were arriving at 2 am. The heck?! We had to wait 2 hours for him to clean the apartment. Right then, so we killed time at a nearby restaurant, mainly to steal their internet. It was run by a Chinese family so we showed our support by ordering some food as well. 5 euros and you get a massive plate full of greasy goodness. The Chinese know how it's done. Carl was travelling by himself in Barcelona and met up with us while we waited for the airbnb owner to clean the apartment. Reunited for the 3rd time in Europe. Not bad at all :)

After getting a ton of groceries, the 5 of us came back to the apartment so that chef Sean can do his thing. He made his signature short rib tomato soup. There was no ladle so we used a mug to scoop the soup. What a group of talented and high class individuals. Don't judge.

Everyone always tells me about the phenomenal night life in Barcelona so I obviously couldn't pass out the chance to go and experience it for myself. Between the five of us, we bought five bottles of wine. And in case you have difficulty doing the math, that's a bottle each. Yeah, it was bound to be a good night from there on. Since the Singaporeans were also in Barcelona, we all meet up at Razzmatazz, a local favourite with its massive dance floors. It used to be a warehouse but now they've converted the three floors into a maze of a club with a terrace on the top and numerous smaller hidden rooms with different music selections. Nothing bad to say about the place aside from their 17 euro entrance fee. 

April 20, Sunday

I was dead the next morning. But realizing that we had to make the most of our time in Barcelona, we buckled down and went to the center in search of the afternoon walking tour. I don't have too many pictures from that tour because I don't remember much of it. My head was still spinning and I did not pay attention to anything the guide was saying. As far as I was aware of, she was talking complete gibberish. Possibly the only thing I learned was that this sketch was drawn by Picasso on a napkin. The why and where I can't tell you because I don't remember...I was proud of myself for managing to follow the crowd.

After the tour the 9 of us went out to a restaurant for some small tapas. The waiter was a complete jerk who just wanted to take advantage of some tourists and rip us off along the way. He messed up our order countless times. Sean's octopus dish was an outrageous 40 euros on its own. He has absolute no luck in ordering food; I think he may be cursed. The food was mediocre, definitely doesn't add up to its exuberant price tag.

What's better than a stroll in the park after eating an expensive meal? We headed to the Parc de la Ciutadella, which was a 5 min walk from the restaurant. The place was packed with friends, children and couples hanging out on the grass, benches, boats and strolling around. Too cute, too cute. Perfect way to spend a weekend afternoon.

Parks get guaranteed positive points if they have water fountains. I don't know what it is about them, but it just adds so much elegance to the environment. This scene right here reminds me of something out of Tivoli, the city near Rome which I absolutely adore. There's even a zoo inside the park but even without paying a penny, you'll find different species of birds waddling around acting like they own the place.

Sean was thinking about cooking dinner again but we were exhausted from a day of walking so we just went to our new favourite restaurant; the Chinese place down the street from our apartment. The fish tastes exactly the same as Mama Qi's: I approve.

While Kenneth was out for a run, he discovered the Castle of Montjuic, currently an art exhibition house that has a great view on top of a hill. Down a series of steps you'll find the Magic Fountain, a glorious water fountain that performs along with the music. He was astounded and ran back to get all of us. I have to say, it was the best water fountain show I've ever seen in my life. I'm not descriptive enough to explain how it went but really, if you're ever in Barcelona, go watch it. You get a free show and an amazing night view. Michelle date approved.

 April 21, Monday

Because we loved the fountain show and the castle so much, we went there again during the daytime. A completely different vibe but just as good. I can't believe we lived a 7 minute walk away from this place. The last time I was in Barcelona, we were on the tour bus and I remember we didn't get off at this stop in time and I had told myself "next time, I must come here". Mission accomplished. Look at the picture, how can you not want to go there?

With no concrete plans for the day, we decided to head to La Ramba and walk around a bit. Most of the shops were closed since it was a holiday so it was just a sea of tourists, strolling in circles not knowing where to go. The guys found a 12 euro buffet for lunch. What attracted them? The rows of meat spinning on the racks. Buffets aren't my cup of tea but when you're travelling with 3 guys, you become one of them. The boys seemed to have fully enjoyed themselves with the endless plates of meat so I guess it's money well spent.

With our bellies full, it was time to get some exercise and we proceeded to walk to La Sagrada Familia, my all time favourite church in Europe so far (yes, more than the countless ones I've been to in Rome). I don't know if it's the breathtaking height or its unique structural design but I can't seem to stop staring at it with awe. On the backside there's a dinky little cafe stand outside and we sat there for a bit, enjoying the view. One day I'll go and admire you from the inside as well. Just you wait.

I think we may have walked all over Barcelona this day, and that's no easy task. Not wanting to take the metro, we headed to the beach. No joke, after that day, I wore out my shoes. Exhausted from a whole day of walking, we found a bar right on the board walk and enjoyed ourselves with some tea and biscuit. How British of us. Since it was our last night together, we took it easy by drinking some wine and playing more games. Thank goodness for Abriel, you really have no dull moment with him around. Best story teller ever.

April 22, Tuesday

After almost two weeks of travelling, it was finally time for me to head home. Abriel and Kenneth left early in the morning as they continued onto their next destination. Sean wanted to see the inside of Sagrada Familia while I just wanted to relax and do some last minute shopping. While I was dragging my luggage into the 3rd Zara of the day, I ran into the Singaporeans who were also shopping; what are the chances! We all went for lunch together and little did I know they were all a bunch of passionate foodies. We went to a French infused Spanish tapas restaurant, it's very festive inside with helpful servers that will cater to your endless questions.

The food may look simple but aye carumba was it delicious! Savouring every bite really applies in this case. You know the food is top notch when you start drooling looking back at the pictures. Take me back!!! Grilled brie on toast with jam, nomnomnom!!! One of the best dishes I've had in Europe so far and you don't get a hefty bill either. I paid 5 euros and tried numerous dishes. You simply can't beat it. A great way to end my time in Barcelona.

I didn't get home until 1 am because I may or may not have gone to the police station in Rome. Long boring story which I won't get into but do not worry, I did not get hurt. Exhausted from travelling, I crawled into my cozy bed and slept like a baby, ready to go to school the next day.

Lisbon Part 2: Sweet and Salty

Ola Stranger,

I think I've come to accept the fact that I will never be able to catch up with this blog anymore. I am simply far too behind. Instead of studying for my last final right now, I'm writing about what happened during my trip a month ago. Horrendous. Absolutely unacceptable. At least give me a golf clap for trying?

April 17, Thursday

If you're a devoted follower of mine, then you'll already know how I started my day: walking tour!!! I'm trying to remember what else I can write about the tour but I'm drawing a blank. Perhaps its the one month overlap or it could just be that Lisbon wasn't all that interesting... At the centre of the city, there's a viewpoint at the top of a man-made tower. Orange tiled roofs, reminds me a little of Prague, with less spires and greenery.

The Rossio Square, with museums and monuments surrounding its perimeter. Lisbon is famous for its tile works, usually blue and placed on buildings but you can't stop to appreciate the ones on the ground as well. The squiggly wavy effect really adds a nice touch to the otherwise plain plaza. Always pay attention to the details, because the other guys didn't even realize we were walking on a such a peculiar piece of artwork.

I know I already posted a picture of a tram but...that one was yellow and I didn't ride on it. Plus this is really the highlight of the city so why not add in another one? After the tour, we went to a restaurant recommended by the tour guide just on the corner of where this picture was taken. Not knowing where to go in the afternoon, we decided to make our way to the famous pastry shop in Belem to try the original egg tarts. This tram may look charming with its old fashioned exterior, but boy was it anything but pleasant inside. We almost turned into dried prunes inside that thing. No air conditioning + stuffed with sweating people = you do the math.

Pasteis de Belem with its permanent line up. There's pastry shops all along the street but you know you've found the right one when you see all the people standing outside. A trick to not waiting in line? You can go in and find seats on your own, if you're fast enough to snatch them from the vulture like customers.

The night before, while sitting around the hostel chatting, the topic of birthdays came up. 

Me: "You know they're your real friends when they know your birthday by heart, without the help of Facebook."

Abriel: "Yeah, very true. Like Kenneth's birthday. It's......oh shit......I forgot. But it's around finals season, which is around now?"

Kenneth: "It's actually my birthday tomorrow."

Everyone: "UH WHAT?!"

What horrible friends we are. In order to make amends, we had a mini birthday celebration at the pastry shop. The egg tarts here were much better than the ones we had the day before: not as sweet but just as crispy on the outside and fresh out of the oven. Note the blue tiles on the wall. They're exactly what I was talking about before; what Lisbon is famous for.

A few steps away, there was an open park with an impressive water fountain in the center. So Lisbon wasn't so bad after all, we were just walking around the wrong parts of town before. We hung around the fountain for a bit, appreciating the water droplets gliding across our dry skin and taking photographs nonstop because the water created a natural rainbow effect. *snap snap snap*

Wow, when did I get so artistic? Look at that candid shot. Anyone want to hire a professional photograph just holla at me. Not a bad way to spend a sunny afternoon, lying by the water fountain getting a tan. Life's gooooood. Or as my Italian room mates would say, "bella vita".

Thanks to Kenneth's tripadvisor app, we were able to walk around Belem seeing all the touristy places. We tried to find a restaurant for dinner that way as well but failed to find the place and ended up at this joint with live performance. After we sat inside, we looked at the reviews and realized it wasn't rated very high at all. Too tired to leave and find another restaurant, we just went along with it and listened to the vocalist sing Portuguese songs. With the dimmed light and live singing, it really made the atmosphere quite romantic.

My dinner; grilled squid and shrimp with a side of salad. Fresh and simple. I loved the fact that it wasn't plastered in sauce and you could taste the naturalness of each ingredient. Once again, Sean ordered the wrong dish. With Portugal being the city of cod fish, he ordered it thinking it would be the safest choice. Oh boy was he wrong. It tasted like it had been dried outside for a week, and had a rubber like consistency to it. It was nasty, someone would have to pay me to eat it. Bleh. Sean bought a sandwich from a cafe later to fulfil his hunger and we headed back to the hostel and played this "liar" game all night long. Abriel came up with this game. Pretty much it's a simpler version of mafia; there is no day/night routine of people being killed each round. Everyone gets a card, with one person being the killer, determined through the "killer" card. Then you talk. You just talk amongst each other until everyone votes on one person who they believe is the killer. Simple right? We played this game for hours, arguing, staring, and accusing each other game after game. What did I learn from this? I will never trust any of the guys ever again.

April 18, Friday

Kenneth had to do some work and decided to stay in for the day, so I took this opportunity to go out on my own and do some shopping (finally). I had brought 3 shirts with me and was desperately needing some new clothing attires. I knew Zara was cheaper in Spain and Portugal so I had planned ahead by not bringing too much clothes. After a good shopping session in the morning, Abriel Sean and I went to Alfama, the area with the highest viewpoint and the "real" Lisbon since the rest of the city had mostly been demolished after the great earthquake of 1755. As you can see, the view of the city really brought out the best of me; I'm not sure if I was laughing or crying in pain, either way I love it. This was taken right outside the Cathedral of Lisbon. Unfortunately we couldn't go inside because it was Good Friday and they had some enclosed ceremony going on.

On our way to the Castel of Sao Jorge, where we ended up not going because the line up was too long and we felt too cheap to pay and wait. Why did I take a picture of the boys chatting on the side of the road? Well, let's not focus on the two handsome chaps in the back there and look at the yellow stump in the middle of the street. Call me weird but I thought this was brilliant. This metal traffic barricade is set up to prevent drivers from speeding downhill in such a highly pedestrian populated area. Once you stop in front of the light, the barricade will automatically drop down allowing the vehicle to pass through. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

After wandering around the Alfama area for a few hours, we made it back to the centre and ran into this street performer. He's a Guinness World Record holder for standing on his cane for the longest time (or something of that sort). This is definitely a step up from the classic guys dressed in orange who seems to be floating while sitting crossed legged ordeal. This guy managed to get a huge crowd around him, taking pictures and videos of him...standing/floating there.

At night we went back to the same restaurant we had lunch at the day before because the guys simply had to have the burger Abriel had the day before. I suppose Sean was sick of picking the wrong dish at every restaurant. I didn't want a burger so I made the bold decision to go with the cod fish with cream. It was scrumptious. Very rich, very flavourful, and very satisfying.

 

Because it was Good Friday, the plaza had a spectacular light show to celebrate the occasion. I've never seen anything quite like it before, they made the building covered in snow, leaves, drawings, and kids running around. The effects were simply perfect. I'm so thankful we decided to eat there that night and was able to see it from beginning to end. Even though my fingers were frozen, my tummy was full from a delightful dinner and my mind at peace after the cutest light show I've ever seen. I can't think of a better way to end my trip in Lisbon :)

Lisbon Part 1: Oh Shit!

Ola Stranger,

April 16, Wednesday

Sore and cranky, the four of us got to Lisbon at 7 am, when it was still dark outside. Surprisingly, I managed to sleep through most of the ride. It involved a lot of twists and turning every 10 minutes because my muscles would tense up and start throbbing in pain. Who knew sleeping on a bus could be so difficult? Regardless, we got to Lisbon with 40 euros so I guess it was worth it. This may be my favourite metro station I've seen in Europe yet. Everything was new and modern and when the train arrives, it even glows on the bottom! Good start.

Hold on a second there...what just happened? Where am I again?! The metro was so contemporary, what the heck is this decaying mess? This cannot be the capital city of Portugal...Our hostel is actually right around the corner, and about a 10 minute walk to the downtown area.

Since we got there way too early, we weren't able to check in quite yet. It took the employees three times to kick us out because the guys kept falling asleep sitting on the couches. Out to town we went, ready to take on the adventures! And what did we find? Broken down buildings with boarded up windows and dog shit everywhere on the streets. I don't see any dogs running around, so why are there massive piles of dog poo every 10 steps I take?! You couldn't even take your eyes off the ground because you'll end up stepping on it. It's like a dynamite field; walk at your own risk. I think it was a combination of the poo, the groggy weather, the lack of sleep and walking towards the wrong side of town made our first impression of the Lisbon...very shitty.

If you're Asian, chances are you've had egg tarts before. And where did these delicious little treats come from? Why Portugal of course! Impatient, we attacked a bakery shop and stuffed our faces with them. Verdict? Too sweet. The outer part is made of layered crispy phyllo, so you can hear the crunch with every bite while the inside filling tasted like a sugar and butter combination. All the guys indicated that the egg tarts sold at the Chinese KFCs are much better (I've never tried them myself so I have no say). But I much rather prefer the ones in Vancouver, or even the ones my mommy makes.

Lisbon reminds me of San Francisco, with its rolly hills and electric trams, except it was stuck in time from 300 years ago. It's street after street of antique looking buildings with the paint rubbing off and turning slightly yellow. There's not one bit of modernism touch to the city. The yellow tram, a symbol of Lisbon. (No San Francisco, your trams aren't original, they were actually shipped from Lisbon)

Not knowing where to go for lunch, we asked some locals for recommendations and was directed to what was described to us as "awesome real Portugese food with massive portions". The enthusiastic guy was jumping up and down smacking his lips while writing down his favourite dishes for us. Needless to say, we went in with high expectations thinking the food will come in bulk sizes but instead, we were served the below. Thinly sliced beef with bacon pieces (meh), REAL peri peri chicken (I thought it was pretty good but Abriel, the Nando's addict thought the complete opposite) and seafood rice stew (highly recommend that one, because it tastes like something you could get at a Canto restaurant).

Completely drained from exhaustion, we made it back to the hostel and finally checked in. A look at the kitchen/common area. Definitely not one of my favourite spots with its worn out furnitures but since I only had to go there to get my slice of bread in the morning, it was fine. Did not look the way they had described it on Hostelworld, but it was 14 euros a night so I can't complain.

  

My bed on the top left, right above Abriel, who snores like a train whistle. I swear the bed was shaking during the night. I've never heard of anyone/anything with such a monstrous snoring ability. Mad skills. Good thing you are absolutely hilarious and bring tears to my eyes from laughing too much, otherwise I may have strangled you in your sleep already. 

After the boys had a short nap, we went out to test our luck with the city again. Apparently Lisbon isn't only well known for cooking Cod fish but also canning them as well. This shop was dedicated to "freshly" canned fishes and being the hungry protein obsessed guys, they all bought one and devoured it at the entrance. What a great advertising technique; I believe we brought in a few customers that way.

Is that...the Golden Gate Bridge? Did San Francisco just copy the layout of this city or what? But alas, after a day of searching for a decent area, we finally found it at the main plaza by the original city port. It still doesn't deserve a "wow" factor but it's a huge step from earlier on in the day where we've encountered more dog shit than human beings.

Not knowing where to go for dinner, we randomly picked a restaurant in the centre, also known as "tourist trap" restaurants. Each piece of bread costs money as well as the dips that goes with the bread. Aside from unnecessary additional costs, the food happened to be extremely salty. My veggie soup was decent but Sean's octopus strew probably had a box of salt in there. Sean took a bite, put down his fork and said "I'm done". Poor guy had to buy more food at a cafe later on in the evening. Lesson be learned, never eat at places where they have people standing outside pointing to a menu with 5 different languages. It's most likely overpriced and anything but authentic.

Madrid: Rest Up

Hola Stranger,

April 13: Sunday

At 9 in the morning, Ricardo drove Sean and I to the train station. I will surely miss living with Ricardo, offering fresh orange juice in the morning, driving us everywhere, and drinking his gin and tonic watching TV series. But three days in Seville has been more than enough time for us to walk all over town. If we had stayed another day, I wouldn't even know what more to see, so it was perfect timing for us to head off to our next destination: Madrid, the capital city of Spain. Only two short hours and a long nap later, we had arrived. Because we had not booked out train ticket to Lisbon yet, Sean and I tried to buy it at the train station. We took a number and waited an hour...10 people had gone up by then and we were still 100 numbers away. When we tried to machines outside, it claimed that all the tickets were sold out already. Feeling helpless and rushed since we were awfully late meeting our Airbnb host, we decided to just leave and figure out the issues later. 

After getting lost in the metro system and asking for free WiFi at restaurants to find the apartment, we finally got to our place... hours after the set time. Our host only spoke Spanish, and with my broken Espanol, we were able to communicate (barely) and checked into our white and black themed flat. The apartment was kept in such a clean/organized/modern style that you would think you're living in a hotel.

A picture of the bedroom I stayed in. This lady loved pillows because there were at least 6 pillows in every room; I ain't complaining! Living with numerous fluffy pillows is a girl's dream, if anything, the more the merrier!

Since Abriel and Kenneth were supposed to arrive around the same time as Sean and I, we decided to wait at the apartment for them. By 5 pm there was still no response from the duo so Sean and I went out to get some groceries for the day. Sean cooked a simple pasta and pork dinner with a side of celery. By 8 pm I was getting thoroughly worried. The two guys had not sent any messages or phone calls to me and I thought they may have been kidnapped or hurt. As it reached 10 pm, I started panicking and was leaving worried messages on their FB and WeChat. What happened to them? Why aren't they responding back?!?! I felt like a nerve-racking psychopathic mother, freaking out that her kids had disappeared. A bit past 10, Kenneth finally went online. They're alive! And guess what? They weren't even in Madrid because they had messed up the date and thought we were arriving the next day. I KILL YOU!!! ROAR!!! *throat strangles* Feeling relieved, Sean and I spent the night watching movies.

April 14: Monday

Oddly enough, I woke up feeling quite nauseous and not in the best shape. Maybe it was from the late night movies or the travelling; either way, I laid in bed half the morning and waited for the troublemakers to finally get to Madrid. Once they arrived, we walked around the neighbourhood, and picked up some groceries again. Afterwards the boys went out into the town to explore a bit while I stayed home and rested. Sometimes, all it takes is a nap. Since we still had not decided how we were getting to Lisbon or where to stay at, we buckled down that night and booked the overnight bus as well as a hostel. Last minute planning: check.

April 15: Tuesday

We had to check out of the flat by 3pm, so I only had a few hours to see Madrid. What's the fastest way to see as many things as you can? Hello free walking tour! I'm back again! Crash session of Madrid in 3 hours? Yes please! This is the oldest restaurant in the world, Sobrino de Botin, dating back to 803. A miniature layout of what the interior looks like. Apparently the reviews are pretty good. Pity I didn't have enough time to try it.

The city itself is completely different from Seville. It's much more metropolis like, where the buildings look less historical, most likely due to the fact that Madrid only became the capital city in 1561 under the control of King Felipe II, simply because location wise, Madrid is in the dead centre of the country. Therefore, most of the structures were built after that time. Unlike most of the other downtown areas, Madrid didn't have as many sights to see. A huge portion of our tour was spent learning the history of Spain and who ran the country. I have to say, it was incredibly insightful and I probably learned more in an hour than I did in all of my socials 11 class.

And here, I have a picture of...a door. Now now, bare with me; there's a story to be told here. What you see is the door to a convent, where priests and nuns live. There are three doorbells, the first one is for God, so if you're feeling spiritual maybe you can ring it and someone will let you through. The second if you actually have something to do inside. And the last one, is only for one purpose: cookies. You see the nuns inside this convent makes delicious cookies. If you ring the last doorbell, a nun will answer "Hola?" and you simply have to say the magic word "biscotti" and you'll be buzzed in. Once you're inside, you head down this hallway and at the end you'll see a menu full of a variety of cookies, you make your order and your cookies will appear in a closed window on the side. The whole process, you will not encounter a single person so you feel like you're dealing with something illegal when really, they're just cookies. I cannot promise the above story's authenticity since I did not go in myself...once again...lack of time. But I trust the tour guide and if I end up in Madrid again one day, you can bet on it that I'm going back here to ring doorbell number 1 & 3!

The matching blue crew in front of the Royal Palace of Madrid, the official residency of the royal Spanish family, although they don't actually live there and only come for meetings. It tried to imitate the Palace of Versailles (but in my eyes, it is no where as grande).

Across the Palace is the Aludema Cathedral, a church with inconsistent architectural designs because it took hundreds of years to finish. We didn't go inside so I can't tell you too much about the place. Actually, we didn't go inside any of the buildings but nothing looked extraordinary so no loss there. I just wish I got the chance to try more of the food in Madrid. By the time the tour ended, we were running tight on time so we rushed back to the apartment.

Sean made some pasta with bacon and shrimp, the non-Italian way (meaning the pasta was extremely soft). I guess being in Rome for so long, my preference for pasta have now become very local as well. Nonetheless, it was yummy. Also, a shout out to the box of biscuits you see in the middle of the table. Those babies were my life on this trip. They're just slightly sweet and has a healthy crunch to it (I don't know why) and you can literally keep eating them nonstop. We had to buy a box a day because we ate them so fast. I wish they had them here in Rome...best biscuits I've ever had.

The owner showed up at 3 pm sharp and off we went, searching for a place to chill for the next 8 hours since our bus didn't leave until 11 pm. We went to the centre in hopes of finding a movie theatre to kill some time. Mission failed: the only movie theatre we found played two movies, both in Spanish. As much as I don't want to see Rio 2, now it's going to be in Spanish too? I'll pass, thanks. Four tourists looking for a place to chill...

Hola Dunkin Donuts! Thank goodness Sean brought cards because we played Big 2 for five hours there. I have to say, it wasn't too shabby. Time flies when you're playing cards. Donuts, coffee, sandwiches, biscuits and laughter was shared. All in all, I may not have seen a whole lot in Madrid, but it was enjoyable all the same. The thing that stood out the most to me in Madrid was its friendly people. Whenever you ask for directions, they will help you, and if they don't know it, they will ask for someone else for help for you. They'll lead you to the way you need to go and come back and check up on you to make sure everything is okay. This happened multiple times when I was there. Unlike other capital cities in Europe like Paris, Rome, and London where travellers are told that the locals may not appear amiable to tourists, Madrid is quite the opposite. They almost seem ecstatic that they're being asked for help, which makes the city that much more appealing.

Before seeing the bus, I was hoping that perhaps the seats would be slightly bigger and leans back more than the normal coach buses, making the journey endurable. But the second I saw our ride, my dream was crushed. This was your most stereotypical coach bus packed to its fullest with no extra seat to spare. Most uncomfortable 9 hour bus ride of my life? I think so. But not matter how unbearable I felt, I pitied the other three guys, especially Abriel, who sat right beside me and was the biggest built in the group. We forgot to bring water on the bus and in front of Abriel's seat, as if by magic, there was an unopened bottle. He debated whether or not to drink it but I told him to just take it if it's new. A minute after he took a sip, the quiet Indian man behind Abriel patted him on the shoulder and asked for his water back. We had completely forgotten that we had asked the man to switch seats with us and that he must have forgotten his bottle of water along the way. I don't think he saw Abriel drinking it because according to Kenneth, the water bottle owner unscrewed the bottle, was surprised at how easy it came off, intensely studied the cap and then drank from it. Hahahahahaha....awwwwkward.