ESPANA - ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING


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Europe » Spain
September 26th 2012
Published: September 27th 2012
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They say every journey has a beginning, a middle and an end. So once more a beginning in a country I think of as my other home.

The journey here has been long in time, but not uncomfortable. This time I bought two seats for the plane journey and found it worth the extra cost, especially on the long haul flight! We left Singapore at 12.40am after a 3 hour stopover. At 1.30am we were served a full meal! Having been awfully sick on one flight from a meat meal past it´s ´use by date´, I never eat anything but vegan meals on planes and these they always serve first. By 2-30am, cabin lights were turned out, window covers lowered and passengers trying to get some sleep. After 8 hours of sleep and 2 seats to unfold into, my watch said 10.30am (still on Singapore time, but way past my coffee time)! So it was a strange feeling to peer out onto a black sky with a distant line of glowing red on the horizon - we had crossed a time zone and it was still only very early morning where we were headed.

Without my usual one night stopover to break the journey, I was very tired on arrival. Anyone who has read my previous blogs knows that my map-reading skills are almost non existant. So it was almost comforting to find myself walking around in circles carrying my little suitcase. Even armed with a reasonable level of Spanish, there were lots of revisiting the same corners and crossing over the vaguely familiar streets! Twenty minutes of this and I sat in a bus stop, pulled out the shoulder straps and wore my case as a backpack for the first time in its life. A kind young mother walked me to the next block and showed me where I should have been. The Spanish people always help if they are able.

The hostel is nice, clean and quiet-no partying allowed! BCN seems unchanged and quite familiar by now. I have bought my AVE highspeed train ticket up to Madrid for next Monday. Suits me to do this early after arrival anywhere and then there are no nasty surprises; like no seats left, as happened to me once before.

Have become re-acquainted with El Barri Gotic (the Gothic Quarter) and see that the gypsy folk are still plying their trade in the quaint narrow streets. Some things never change. This part of Barcelona is very old. If you haven´t visited it before, in certain parts it´s possible to see layers of different civilisations tiered one on top of the other like wedding cake tiers of antiquity. These tiers go back to the Visigoths and even further in some areas.

Have been exploring (becoming lost) every day and still finding buildings or sights not seen before. This morning I left the hostel at 6.30am because it was 1/2 an hour after coffee time and I can´t lay abed after this hour. Hostels don´t open their kitchens until 8am! I wandered along the street-lit paths until I found a small local cafe where early-abroad workers were enjoying their comforting breakfast ritual and joined them.

Later this morning, am meeting the son of my cousin who now lives here and we are going tapas-crawling. Living here now, I figure he´ll be able to initiate me into the correct procedures of this ceremony. Have never seemed to get the hang of it before, but love this type of food.

To my loving family who encourage me to wander - thank you! To my lovely friends - I do find time to think of you in these wanderings!

PS: Mel - I think I have managed to buy another ebook for my phone!!!! Not an easy thing in a foreign country and language intricacies. Kobo tells me it is there, so with luck I may be able to locate it inside the maze of techno-speak of this new fangled gadget.

Love you all

Your wandering Ibu

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28th September 2012

Those left behind and living vacariously
I saw Jill today and she said you were suffering from a full blown cold?? Your adventurous spirit and confidence never ceases to amaze and my admiration is boundless. You are ever in our thoughts and prayers and I loved your strory so far. Please have some tapas for me . They are superb eating. Met a lady today who is creating a visual story of different cultures coming to Aussie. She has and will be taking more photos of our people. So we will be in the annuls of history isn't that great. Last school day today so on holiday we are. Love to you and take good care. Love Angela
29th September 2012

Kylie here, at Grams having just read your latest blog.
Hi mum, Grams and I have just found your latest blog, you really should become a writer, you really do it well. Grams says: She's really enjoying hearing about your adventures in Spain, (I'll come over and get her into the right page when you have a new entry until Grams has got the hang of it :o} ) She'll be heading off herself tomorrow to Bunbury So I'll txt through any updates from you until she gets back next Friday. Well until your next exciting post, we both send you our love wishing you safe and interesting travel tales... Your Baby bear and your mum. xxxxx

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