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Published: August 7th 2007
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espana
final fun destination before home Ever since Liz made the first Guest appearance in India i have been wondering on a regular basis how likely it was that i could get into this blog. By the time Anne-Marie showed up in Argentina i was running out of ideas and Catherine and Patrick were running out of countries. Luckily their flight was changed meaning a stopover in Madrid was a likely possibility and seeing as it was a lot more affordable to get to Madrid from Granada than to Brazil i thought to myself BINGO...
So on the 11th of April i arranged to meet our two favourite world travellers in Madrid Bus Station on their definitely last stop before home. As the arranged time approached everyone in the bus station started to take on Cat or Pat appearances (bald patricks, fat catherines, bearded patricks, etc.) until eventually two familiar heads emerged from the escalator looking fresh as daisies even after their 10hour flight from Brazil. YIPPEEEEE....
And so, off to Lavapies in the centre of Madrid where my friends Harmony and Jorge had gifted us some beds for a few nights. We all tried to talk at once all the way there and
palacio real
elina and cat i don't think any of us heard anything. Very EXCITED...
I thought the weary wanderers might at this stage be over it all, and just want to sleep but wonders never cease at Transcentral and while we got the kettle on, the two produced a list of sights and highlights of Madrid procured from the airline magazine on the flight over. No time wasted i tell you, so after a massive lunch, out with the maps and off we went for a lazy wander around Madrid to absorb the atmosphere/coffee/beer/etc. on offer.
In between the sips of various liquids i began my Interview, which was to last for the most part of the next 48 hours. Bombarding Catherine and Patrick with questions about more or less everything they had done/learned/eaten/seen/drank/felt/regretted/remembered/loved/ hated we slowly but surely covered ground and i began to have an idea of what had been going on over the last year...the best bits, the funny bits, the weird bits and the worst bits. All i can say is WOW...
Luckily there are no Dams to be seen in and around Madrid and so in the next couple of days we trotted around the main
markets
nearly lunchtime sights: the slightly garish Palacio Real (Royal Palace) of the Spanish Monarchy; the main square of Madrid - Plaza Mayor; the Picasso's and Dali's at the world famous Reina Sofia modern art museum; some art performances at the Casa Encendida; and in between it all cooking up some wonderful food taking advantage of the great food markets of Madrid, and of course Nonstoptalking.
So thanks to Catherine and Patrick for their blog and photos over the last year. You brought us all i am sure equal amounts of envy and inspiration. You did a great job. I always personally liked to guess who was writing. Mentioning cups of tea was always a giveaway!
Unlike the other Guests, i will not use this opportunity as a cheap publicity stunt to whisk off readers to my own blog and instead will close with some bits and pieces that stuck in my head from our brief but intense few days. These aren't the highlights - just a starter. Now not in any particular order i bring you some answers...
Q.Thing you wanted to bring home most but couldn't...Baby Panda.
Q.Nicest beach...Australia or the islands off Brazil.
Q.A bit scared...friend falling in
pat cocktails
You can take the man out of Brazil... the apparently "frozen" lake in Siberia.
Q.Culture Shock...Mumbai to Sydney (in that direction).
Q.Science fiction...Japanese toilet cubicles that play music as you tinkle to avoid embarrassing sounds being heard.
Q.Coolest city...Hong Kong.
Q.Best looking men...Brazil.
Q.Runners Up...Mongolians.
Q.And women...Brazil (where else).
Q.Animal experience...Snake in Cambodia.
Q.Most homesick...Christmas in Chile.
Q.Overwhelming...Sunrise on Easter Island.
Q.World is a small place...meeting school friend from Malahide in guesthouse in Japan.
Q.Would have got on plane to Dublin if offered...December in New Zealand.
Q.Girlstuff...waxing procedures round the world!
Q.Bummer...mugging in Brazil.
Q.Biggest communication barrier...China.
Q.Stereotype fullfilled...Russia.
Q.Hectic...Mumbai.
Q.Would go back in the morning...Japan.
Q.Toilet story...Chinese Star Ratings for public toilets (don't go 2 or below).
Q.Sigh of relief...Leaving Vietnam.
Q.Friendliest faces...Laos.
Q.High tech...using mobile phone to buy from vending machines in Tokyo...............
Love you and leave you here.
x elina
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Tamsin
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Farewell
It's been a wonderful journey, even vicariously. Will miss your adventures...