“It was a holiday. H-O-L-I-D-A-Y. We’ve all been on them. Just because your trip was longer than two weeks and you rode on an elephant doesn’t mean your life has to change.”
traveling broadens one’s mind
1155hrs, London Gatwick
i woke up on time this morning but was somewhat delayed by e-mails and the morning shower with only 15 minutes to spare before the cab arrived to take me to the station. almost a recipe for disaster. however, due to a problem near beeston, i missed my connection at luton. no harm done, here i am in gatwick – still way ahead of time. typical me, not really a last-minute person when it comes to travelling. with it being a friday in the summer, gatwick is packed with families and noisy / pissed secretary-types donning pink stetsons going away on hen weekends. never liked crowds. i had always travelled at non-peak times. got myself a short history of tractors in ukrainian to help pass the time.
2205hrs, Plaza de Santa Ana, Madrid
hot just doesn’t describe this place. think jalan tuanku abdul rahman at noon – as in waiting for the intrakota in the sun in front of globe silk store. anuar and ninie picked me up from barajas and we took a cab to huertas with no aircon. dang. after a quick cold shower, we nipped around the corner from anuar’s apartment for some tapas. calamares, gambas al ajillo, tortilla española and loads of pepsi con hielo (by the way that was sotong goreng, udang in garlic, telur dadar and pepsi ais). plaza de santa ana is also known as the literature district (barrio de las letras) with its theatres and bustling cervecerias (bars).
day (half of) one of playing tourist is pretty fun. we stopped at kilometre zero (the centre of spain itself) in puerta del sol. for good luck, one should leap on the spot itself (well-demonstrated by our host). this part of madrid is stuffed with people. reminds me of piccadilly circus – with a lot of melayu-looking central and south americans!
it actually rained when we were passing through plaza mayor. typical spanish rain is pretty light and lasts for like 15 minutes. i was only too happy to walk in it! after a short stop for photos at plaze de la villa (a spot where napoleon’s brother chopped a few heads off), we headed to our first cathedral of this trip, catedral de nuestra señora de la almudena. apart from admiring its neoclassical interior, i just needed some shade and a rest on the pew. the choir was rehearsing when we were there. the side of the cathedral facing the plaza de la armeria was pockmarked with plaster which covered the bullet holes from spain’s civil war in the last century.
the sun was setting and we savoured some outdoor orchestral music at the plaza de oriente in front of the palacio real before heading back for huertas. this afternoon was simply non-inspirational, photography-wise. i guess as qisti told me before i left that i shouldn’t be too obsessed with the shots. just enjoy the experience.
now i’m back for the second refreshing shower of the day, ready to go out. again.
trying to be like a madrileño, i guess.
I really like the 1st picture but the buildings on the right look slanted macam nak tumbang. Mmg camtu ke? And where are pics of the Spaniard ladies? Don’t keep to yourself ah, kawan2 pun nak juga hehe. Also, what essential attire would you recommend if one were to go to Madrid this time of year for gratuitous camera-whoring? Last but not least, how many times did you have tapas? Can’t wait to read/see the rest of your trip.
err… the slant thingy. that’s what we call perspective. tak belajar art ke? 😛
as for the perempuan pics… susah la. nak mampos? hahaha. for you, i’ll put up what i managed to take. but it’ll be peppered in between the eight entries i’m putting up in the next few days.
the more i look at the jumping picture, the more i feel like superman coming in for a landing? perasan tak?
ijun: the perempuan pics tu dia amik kaver kaver. malu konon.
Oooo perspective? Belajar but I guess dah lupa, it was years ago. But honestly, the 1st picture looks like the buildings are closing in on you.
anuarF: ya sebijik macam superman cuma seluar dalam tak nampak hehe.
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[…] the trip may have not changed my life, but it was definitely one of my best vacations i have ever had. i have to say had i done this in my student days (i go back to malaysia all the time), it would have meant doing it on a shoestring budget. nothing wrong with that, but when you have a lil’ bit more, you get to see / do / eat more. then again, that goes without saying. […]