Playing with the sun

Well, another day outside in the warming sun of Madrid awaited my sunblock oiled skin. Starting with the visit of Palacio Real, which is very grand and luxurious and very original (there was an armory section with all sorts of armour details etc), we enjoyed the Jardines de Sabatini next to the palace after a numbing trip to the car bodyshop (the repairman said it'll cost circa 3000eiros to do all the stuff that needed to be done!).



We also climbed so many stairs in and out of the metro that when we got to Parque del Oeste, I was probably high and stoned. The Temple of Debod was so calm and peaceful that sound seemed to bouce off the area. And the fountain behind it just had the same effect.


From the highs of the park, we got down to Plaza the espana to see Don Quixote and Sancho Panza immortalized and bothered by hords of tourists...

We barely had time to rush off into the metro, the train and the bus, and we are home again, dead tired and craving food (not a surprise there) despite the ice cream (choco cognac and tiramisu), the sandwiches at Rodilla (am such a fan of that)...so Zab is cooking fajitas (her specialty)...hmmmmm

Excursion a Madrid

After a stressful start trying to find a workshop to book the car for a repair and routine check, we finally managed to get picked up by the bus to Mostoles where we jumped into a regional train into Madrid. The day was windy, the sun was out, and I was quite excited to be a tourist again.

To start with, a light lunch at Callao station, at Rodilla, a chain of toast sandwiches, very yummy (ate 5 of them, all with strange fillings). Then a nice walk to el Parque del Retiro, passing by the Bank of Spain and a nice post office.
The park is probably like Hyde Park or Central Park. Full of shaded alleys and little cafes and populated by fantastic creatures.

Shrek was there also but I completely forgot to snap a picture at him. In the meantime we managed to get to the statue of the fallen angel, which is apparently the only statue in the world, representing the devil.

Also managed to get a rainbow in my picturebox!


Tired of walking in the park, we took off to Puerta del Sol where the symbol of Madrid (El Oso y El Madroño)is witness to lines of tourists trying to steal a picture home. I went in a shop for abanicos (fans) and came out with 3 of them...hehehehe...(my superpower is shopping).

Not far from there was Plaza Mayor, with its al fresco cafes and restaurants. But we went down further into the old Madrid for cheaper food.

Then to digest all the patatas bravas, calamares and bocadillo de tortilla and sandwich de jamon serrano, we walked up and down the hills to finally get to Palacio Real and the Cathedral across from it. It is difficult not to notice that Spain is very catholic.


As the pink evening sky started to lower the temperature, we went to Atocha train station to catch our regional train, and also to look at the indoor garden. Then we just chilled, exhausted, happy (despite loosing my almost 3 month old phone) and very very full of tapas.

Adventures in Castilla-la-Mancha

It's only on the way back that Zab mentioned that the area we travelled all day was the setting of Don Quixote's adventures. Though I saw no windmills, we visited the Palacio Real in Aranjuez, which was used to be the spring residentce of all sorts of King Felipe and one Carloss III, and now on the World Heritage list of UNESCO.

We briefly visited the interiors, mainly the Queen's quarters, and also a part were they showcased various cribs, uniforms and even velvet covered weight machines (photos courtesy of Zab to come eventually). I was delighted by the curtains, assorted with the different colours of each room.


There was also a room full of porcelain figurines as wallpaer, and even the hanging light was of porcelain...the overall effect was most crowded and creepy.

Outside, the sun was burning on a canals, gardens and our poor heads. I forgot my hats at home, and I still haven't bought a spanish fan.



After all that, we wanted to go to an aquapark to get some fresh water, but after much turning around all over the place for almost half an hour, we discovered upon asking for the 2nd time in a 4 star hotel that the place has been closed for the past 3 years...and on our way back in Aranjuez to sample local food, the car broke down and started to emit black smoke on the right front!
Luckily, the really nice policeman that Zab hailed was very helpful, as well as my nice mini dictionary helped us thourgh getting in touch with the insurance, and get us a cab back home without paying a penny...now the only concern is to send the car to the garage and get it repaired...

'Concierto de Aranjuez'

Narciso Yepes performing the piece by Rodrigo.
I am not sure our adventure in the area match his musical interpretation, as we managed to visit...

'I had a farm in Africa'

Out of Africa, Karen Blixen


Except out here, it's a barn, and we're in Spain, around Madrid. I did not expect the place to be so arid, vast yellowish land stretching to the horizon, sparsely greened by pine like trees. Almost remindin me of the Wadi in Yemen. The airport was really modern and an ode to glass structures and ceiling ventilation. I will have to take some pictures when I leave because there are a lot of geometric shapes and lines that trick my eyes and play with the lights.

We drove on highways around Madrid to pass Mostoles University where Zab works, then took a dirt road off the main road to safaria cross dunes of plants and get to the barn she calls home in Spain. It is her 'domaine', complete with a barn house, where the chicken hide from the mighty dog of the house -Ouessant - and a neighbourhood vineyard (where she'll get her free supply of grapes), and a hill from which to enjoy the sunset on the yellow grassland.

(I then didnt resist the temptation of going to the nearby Xanadu mall to explore the local 'ropas y vestidos' and have a peek at the artificial ski lanes...)

The end of a job

So it has come to an end. I am now officially unemployed till september, and it feels like a deserved holiday. As a matter of fact I am headed for few days to Madrid, to sample the warm and hopefully dry weather.
Today I am recovering from the excesses of last night (3 rhum n coke, champagne, white wine, mojito), and trying to ward off the sniffles..weather was crap over here lately.

It's hard to turn the page, but change is good and exciting even if it is stressfull. I seem to be in good hands, as the new job already sent me a whole welcome package with directions to the office, restaurants, shopping mall, etc...pretty cool...all i need now is the energy to tune my brain into the new set of skills to be learned ot master the new job...

Cousin Kim's visit

In Camden market

At the new City Hall

LIVE! From Studio 1

SO here is how a studio looks like during rehearsal from the observation room. We ended up being part of the audience, which was ok apart from the time wasted while waiting for prerecorded stuff to go on air as well..but we did go live to '20million spectators', watching a dance competition where the competitors were convinced they could dance...hahahahaha
We got a kitkat bar and water...now, when you know the food element, I say they have a free audience who claps on queue.

Talk to me...

Of course it is better if you use this before attempting to come with me to Madagascar...found in a bookshop in central London...

Laisse tomber les filles

France Gall sings Serge Gainsbourg

Summer in London, at last!

Escape from .... London

Destination: Bournemouth.


Of course, the slouched old lady doesn't look very inviting at all after the 2h train from Waterloo. But the train was full of beachgoers so I thought this must be THE place. Without knowing where to go upon arrival, all I had to do was follow the crowd (almost) dressed in white/fuschia/yellow carrying all sorts of inflatable objects(my favourite) and towels. Some people even had tents...Hopped on the yellow bus, and got dropped at the seafront to be assaulted by the cries and screams of children..I forgot it was the holidays. So much for avoiding the crowd by going on a weekday!

And those were not your well behaved kids that you would want to have around. Those were hyperactive, running all over the place, sand skidding, sand throwing kind. And their parents weren't better...It was 11:00 and those s** of **** were wasting my day. But I had my magazine, my book, my umbrella, my lambahoany and my SPF30 sunscreen, so I was happy to lie around like there were no worries in the world...felt really nice, despite the sand in the hair, nostril, and eventually eyes...There was a nice breeze so I didn't feel the heat until my shoulders actually burnt, despite all the sunscreen.

I have done people watch on the beach when tired of reading the N*ew S*cientist, and decided that people go to the beach for weird different reasons:
- to tan, even if they are very dark and brown like me
- to let the kids get dirty in sand and sea and yell at them (especially for the ninjas that came and kept scolding the kids, who were also in ninja)
- to smoke
- to watch people (yeup, me too)
- to show off their hot bodies (ugh, haven't seen a single one,...sob)
- to show off their tatoos (every single adult I saw seemed to have one at least)
- to dig up a big hole in the sand (kids' favourite activity)
- to hide in a tent (not sure why on the beach though)
- to watch the planes make a heart shaped cloud out of their rears

I came to empty my head, and I couldn't quite get to that stage where I was relieved of stress and tranquil..I missed the deserted beach and the crystal clear ocean.

'as nutty as a squirel's poo'

quote from the last Harry Potter book by JK Rowling.
And yes, i have finished reading the book...I originally didn't plan to read it soon, waiting for a nice holiday to read it nicely, but Wednesday afternoon was a gorgeous sunny day so I took it to the park with me. I nearly burnt my back as I devoured the first 200 pages and forgot to turn around. By Thursday evening, I was done.

Now I can ruminate the plot and twists..and then will read the whole series as soon as I get enough money to get them all.