Day 16 in Europe (Madrid)

I thought it was a good idea to sleep with the fan off for a night as it wasn't very hot. Unfortunately I didn't realize that the soft droning sound of the fan masked a viciously snoring person in the room adjacent to mine. In any case I woke up feeling drained and thinking oh no it's 'one of those days'.

Actually the day started off with a small win. I managed to have desayuno (breakfast) without saying a word of English. Granted there wasn't exactly a conversation but still...

Today was meant to be museum day. I was gonna do three art galleries. The first was Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza and just wow. If you ever need a high quality crash-course through the history of European and Euro-American art then this is it. From a beautiful 15th century diptych by Jan van Eyck to 17th century Dutch realism to Monet to Van Gogh to Picasso, there was something nice in every room. My favourite being this piece by Gustave Courbet. The only downside was not being allowed to take any photos at all so other than telling stories here I have nothing to show for it.

A little hiccup during the visit was when there was a super cute Spanish museum-staff guy distracting me from the art in one of the rooms. My conscience kept pestering me with 'grrrrrrr concentrate on this art dammit'. I caught him looking at me many times while I was checking him out but didn't end up finding out what that was all about. Story may be worthy of /sadface but who knows.

By the time I was done with the Thyssen it was almost 16h00, perfect timing for lunch in Spain! At this point I was really feeling the lack of sleep so I gave up on the other two museums and headed home. On the way I stopped by for some jamon and huevos fritos and tinto de verano. Ok a couple of tips for future travelers; 1, jamon is theoretically delicious but if like me you don't like meat, then don't try it; and 2, many glasses of tinto de verano can be pretty lethal when it's a hot summer day and you're dehydrated!

So by the time I went for my siesta I was quite happy. :) :)

Have to cut this short, way too long already! In the evening I was on the internet, sitting under the air conditioner at my hotel lounge when I started chatting to a nice fella and we hooked up (yeah yeah too much info, but this is my trip diary too). At night 22h00 I went out for a dinner of paella and a copa of cuerveza.

I'm glad I dragged myself out of bed because I had one of the best days of my trip so far. Maybe not THE best but it would be close! (Dammit museum guy you ruined my perfect day!)

Day 15 in Europe (Madrid)

What better way to feel better than doing a bit of retail therapy. I'm not a shopper but with all the 'rebajas' signs around I can't really help it can I?

Wandered aimlessly for a while. Outside of the very centre of Madrid the city isn't catered towards tourists,  and there are thousands of streets to wander. I went up to the heart of Malasaña barrio and then back down to Chueca in my search for something to buy.

I eventually walked past a store I liked the look of, and bought five items of clothing. The number is relevant because I think I bought five items of clothing in the whole of last year haha.

Had a delicious sushi dinner at a restaurant with waitstaff that were Chinese. Had a half-decent conversation in Cantonese with one of the waitresses where she exclaimed that I had a very thick accent (obviously I know this already!).

Dinner was followed by another totally random incident where a Chinese kid asked me for directions, and after a lot of effort we discovered that he only speaks Mandarin and Spanish only, whereas I only speak Cantonese and English. Awkward. I showed him my map and he nodded and thanked me before walking off. I have no idea if I was of any use but it sure was funny.

Day 14 in Europe (Madrid)

It's 25 July and I'm halfway through my trip. It's been one hell of a ride and there's still two weeks to go!

Met up with another friend today from good old Club Mac (-quarie University). Despite having to pack for his own trip the next day, he was kind enough to take me on a tour around central Madrid.

My mate was really awesome at playing tour guide so I really got to enjoy myself for the afternoon, no worrying about where to go and what to say. We had some nice pintchos with a caña for lunch, walked everywhere, then relaxed with a tinto de verano. Two types of alcohol and it wasn't even 16h - the Spanish sure know how to have a great time!

After we parted ways I had a siesta, then I went down to the Temple de Debod where there was a great view of the Palacio Real in the dusk. I couldn't get the best pictures so I walked all the way downhill to Príncipe Pío station, but many trees do not a great picture make. By this time it was 22h30 so I stopped by Maccas on the way home.

Just a comment here - it's always so damn embarrassing when you can't even order a Filet-o-Fish meal properly. I can get my words out fine, but as soon as they ask me a question it turns to shit. I have no idea if they're asking what size meal, or if I'm eating in or taking out, and so I just nod like some idiot hoping that it works out well. The serving chick realizes quickly that it's hopeless to say anything further and just proceeds with the order, and I grab my food and run back to my hotel room in tears.

Ok not in tears but I did download a Spanish training audio track and listened to it for an hour or so. On the one hand I really did have an awesome day but on the other my confidence has been crushed beyond repair...

Day 13 in Europe (London to Madrid)

A lot of work this morning for a 2 hr flight; the whole trip took 8 hrs with added time from London tube and Madrid metro, Gatwick express, and most of all a massive take-off delay. Apparently budget airlines in Europe suffer from the same problems as those in Australia!

Anyway I took a nap then went wandering round town. Madrid is amazing! Not nearly as rich and pretentious as Paris or London, but there's a lot of shopping and nightlife is  great. It's a huge pity I don't know enough Spanish to hold a conversation or even say, pick up a guy, because if there was a place to let go of yourself it'd be here. :)

Had dinner for €13 which included three courses and a carafe of wine. My choice for the three courses were goat's cheese salad (delicious) mushroom and potatoes with scrambled eggs, and ice-cream/frozen yoghurt, all with vino tinto.

What a way to end the day! (Actually apparently this is when the Madrileños start going out but I need to catch up on sleep after waking up so early!

Day 12 in Europe (London)

Ok short one today, as I spent most of the morning online then sleeping and most of the afternoon sleeping then packing.

I visited the National Gallery today, and their collection is very impressive! Particularly liked their Cézanne pieces, though there's a good number of big names there too, like Van Gogh, Seurat, Pissarro, and Corot. I'm really not a fan of art nor a student of art history but I think everyone should learn a little and at least be able to appreciate art.

The evening was capped off by Avenue Q, whic I had previously seen but enjoyed so much that I was very happy to see it again. The videos were different as was the set but otherwise the essence of the show as the same as the Sydney production, and the show still wasn't terribly well balanced between the first and second halves (first is way better). Nevertheless this is one show all adults should see. Loved it!

Day 11 in Europe (London)

I suppose London does have a few sights and things to offer. I went to look at some old buildings today, including the Natural History Museum, the Royal Albert Hall, Buckingham Palace, and the National Gallery. Didn't go inside any of them but instead was outside admiring the architecture.

The best of those was probably the Royal Albert Hall. It really caught my breath when I entered into the vicinity, as it and its surrounding buildings were all erected out of vividly red bricks, something really nice to see when all the other buildings seem to be grey. From another perspective it was also the most important to me due to its status as the flagship concert hall for British (or maybe even Anglophone) classical music. The proms are currently on, but I don't have the time to see any of it.

Hyde Park was also nice to walk through, though the grass was more yellow than green at this time of year, not sure if it's meant to be like that.

In the evening I went out by myself, and it was a bit lonely until by pure luck I found some cool people to hang out with. The rest of the night went easy and was much fun, and at least I managed to get out to a bar and a club in London's rather famous nightlife!

My take on...

Labor's Climate Change Policy

Apparently I'm not the only one worked up over this, but really was it necessary to even announce a policy that does nothing?

Clearly the ALP has given up on their left-leaning voters. Julia Gillard is one smart politician and she knows that as long as the ALP's policies remain equal to or better than the Coalitions, then it won't matter if people want to vote Greens first, the preferences will still trickle back to Labor. Logically this makes sense, because the Greens aren't going to become a major party and govern on their own any time soon.

Yet despite this, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Effectively we have seen a commitment today to take no action from climate change, whoever wins the election.