so, i have still yet to receive any updates from the most of you. i am going to assume that you people are too busy having a great time to update me. but i will still make the effort to update you people anyway ..
madrid
Monday 7th January - Friday 11th January 2008
day 116 - 120
(madrid: the sale. the queue !)
spent the day traveling back to madrid. decided to head to segovia for a day trip ...
segovia
Tuesday 8th January - Thursday 10th January 2008
day 117-119
(segovia: approaching the city center)
jesus once told me to go down to segovia because when he went there, and when he saw the pillar of arches (the aqueduct), he stood there in awe. didnt have time to go there the last time i was in madrid, so i decided to go there for a day trip to see what all the fuss was about. i basically went there, saw the pillar of arches and stood there in awe. fucking amazing. this is probably the most amazing thing i have ever saw in this trip. imagine having that in the middle of your city. how awesome is that !!!
(segovia: the pillar of arches ...the aqueduct)
this is way too amazing. so i had to go back to madrid, pack, came back the next day and stayed here for a night. it was 2 hours train ride each way btw.
(segovia: the city square)
(segovia: old city random shots)
this is a fucking amazing city. the fortified walls goes around the old city, just like carcassone except the walls here are more integrated with the city. i followed the walls and its fucking amazing that some houses have the walls as part of their backyard !!! right is that. i mean i cant believe anyone could get so right with the city. i have to say this is the most inspiring old city i have seen this trip.
(segovia: more old city random shots)
(segovia: the cathedral and old city random shots)
also the post christmas sale is on. the sale starts on the 7th of jan because in spain, the 5th is when they exchange presents. when i was in madrid. there were like a queue of hundreds outside the shops before they open. here in segovia, the queue is in the 10s. it was so easy to shop and the sale was cheaper than in madrid. i managed to do all my last minute shopping for my family and got myself a really cool pair of spanish shoes. yay !
(segovia: the walls and view beyond)
(segovia: random shots)
this is also the place i got my haircut. yes ! i never learned. 3 days into an english speaking country and i got me haircut. this time i was smart. i practiced my spanish phrases over and over before going into the hair salon. i went in, the hair dresser asked me what i wanted and i turned to her and spoke with my perfect accented spanish, telling her exactly what i wanted ... and this time, i am happy with what she gave me ;) i had the feeling that she was more nerve wrecked than me. i suspect she has never had a non spanish, let alone, asian customer before. i could tell she was all stressed out, making sure i am ok with the hair every 3 minutes or so. and when she was all done, i gave here the thumbs up, she was more overjoyed than i am. gawd, that was gold !
the sad news is that here is where i left my multi country adapter in the hotel. only realized it when i reached madrid. sigh !
love segovia ...
headed back to madrid and spent my last day of spain there. its a sad day because i had a great time in spain. all good things must eventually come to an end BUT it's the start of something absolutely amazing. i met this really good looking guy and later found out that he is from mexico and he is a veejay on mtv mexico. was super excited to have finally met a celebrity. he was equally impressed to have met an extremely prolific filmmaker from sydney, australia ! so we are going to tell our friends, all about it. he is so going to promote my future music video clips in mexico ! how cool is that ! like i said ... the start of something extremely exciting ....
(madrid: grey sky... crying for me!)
my summary to date and of spain ...
the valuables:
lost : susanne's rainbow umbrella, my cap, my beanie, one white t-shirt (dont even ask me where it went), a sock (not a pair but one), multi country adapter, clutch pencil, towel, gloves
damaged: my sunnies, the straps on my day pack
bought: a pair of gloves, a new cap, the science of sleep DVD, new pair of jeans, 2 new pair of shoes, loads of music cds
the past:
left sydney: 128
in europe: 120
the lows
coughing days: 40
chest aching days: 5
rainny days: 57
snorers: 2
top 5 top spanish list
1. the food. the spanish love to feast. especially love my churros (aka yau zhar guai). the menu of the day is usually awesome and the tapas !
2. segovia
3. santiago de compostela
4. the great hospitality by the locals but only after you get to know them !
5. the shoes !
bottom 5 bottom spanish list
1. the public transport system. it is so difficult to get to anywhere by train and the buses take fucking forever to get to anywhere.
2. tourist. i am sure this whole country is infested with tourist. i have never came across so many americans outside of america - fat and ugly and loud american tourists !
3. the rain. no one told me it rains so much here in spain !
4. bruges
5. cadiz
spainsh shopping guide.
its really easy to shop here in spain. unlike anywhere else in the world, you can just go in to one shop and buy what you want without having to worry you are being ripped off. the price for the same item in fucking every store in every city is exactly the same. not even 5 cents cheaper. they have obviously have a mutual understanding with each other and have never heard of competition. call it a good thing or a bad thing. call it what you will.
xxx. j.
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