Madrid, the ´Kings Cross´of Spain. Okay it´s much more than that, but there are some interesting people there.

I realise today, that tomorrow I head to Helsinki! Which means that I am making my way back to Australia.

I will appreciate being home, though at the same time I feel a bit nervous about going home, as the last 2 months have been so incredibly different, eye opening and life changing. No matter how much you travel, I feel that your perspectives and your experiences will broaden more each time.

I'm really looking forward to the time that I have my own room, can have a bath and can know where I am going! Speaking english again full time will be relxing at first, as speaking in other languages is more work for the brain, but it is much more fun and interesting than speaking your native tounge.

And of course, most importantly,  I can't wait to see my family and friends back home again.

I really love my job and my life and country back home. I am appreciative of this, because many people traveling, and living abroad,  do not share these same feelings or privileged circumstances.

Madrid has been a funny place for me to stay in. The best part of Madrid for me, has been spending more time with the American girls that I met in Seville, they are very special people.

Madrid definately has that big city feel. I love visiting big cities, but I dont think that I want to live in one. I have come across some very odd people at the hostel and in the city.One of the guys working at the hostel, who I gave my phone to charge, said that as a thank you, I should invite him to have dinner with him.

I spent alot of my first day in Madrid, trying to avoid and show my disinterest in an older Columbian traveller who would not leave me alone. During the walking tour, I could feel him staring at me, and he would start whispering things about how the colour of my eyes was perfect.  He also asked me what dorm number I was in. By the end of the walking tour, I was pretty fed up. The walking group, including the Columbian man, went to one cafe, and I quickly darted off in to a protest so that I knew he couldn't follow me.

This is the second protest I jave come across in Spain. The first protest was to do with abortion,  in Barcelona. The protest in Madrid was about the increase in student fees for universities. I ended up getting quite amongst the crowd trying to get some photos and look at the signs, and ended up having to sprint back with a big crowd when police got involved.

My friend Annie, one of the American girls, invited me to join her English class on one of the days, but we got home from dinner at 'Botin' the oldest restaraunt in the world at 1230pm, and we would have to gett up at 6am, and I would have to navigate myself around to get an hour and a half of transport.  I would have loved to have joined in Annies class, but I think at this stage, I am just losing too much sleep and have re aqquired a travellers cough. We have dinner at 930 or 10pm each night in Spain, and I am the first person to refurn home at 130am. Spain time is crazy and my body is not used to it!

Me and the American gals went out again yesterday but the plan that their friend had organised later in the night, was to take exctacy and go to a dance party after. I really felt my age here, as I explained to the girls that I have taken a lot of risks when I was younger, but that I am too educated (particularly in mental health) to want to take those same risks again now, in particular, with drugs.

So I ended up walking home and the entire time, had people approaching me, asking me to come party and to buy their stuff. I asked one woman in a group for directions, and her older male friend kept trying to persuade me to go out. He offered me a joint and I said no gracias, then he put his arm around me and shoved the joint in my mouth on the space of 2 seconds. I didn't ask for directions after that.  Another guy from India from a massage parlour asked where I was going to party.  I told him that I was going back to my hostel to rest. He walked with me all the way, telling me that if I had a massage,  I would feel good to party again. He then went to try and rub my shoulder and head and I flinched. I think as a female, solo traveller, you are certainly a target for these wierd encounters.

Madrid certainly feels like the place where people are 'trying to make it big' with business and money,  and of course, not everyone can. On the way home, I walked through a street famously full of prostitutes. I felt really sorry for them. It feels strange to me that prostitution is legal here.

I had a nice day today and got hassled by no one, eating lunch in the sun and reading my book (I am determined to finish Anna Karenina by the end of this trip)!

I also had a nice time strolling through the shops. I love the way that they gift wrap everything in the store when you say it is a present for someone. It's so lovely.

Tonight I might have dinner with a different Columbian guy (who is not creepy like the other one) as he thought we could practice Spanish and English together. He saw me reading my lecture notes on Epidemiology. We talked about how tough that area is but he has offered to help me however he can as he has also studied the same course as me.

I thought of lining up to see if I can get cheap tickets for the theatre, but as I am exhausted and have another flight to get tomorrow early, a book in bed feels like the best way to spend my night tonight. :)

Hasta pronto,

Xo
Rasa

A nice rest in Cordoba.

I spent a night in Cordoba,  and it was a lovely way to relax. I think I got my 1st proper nights sleep last night, as my 'dorm room' was a 2 room with it's own bathroom, and I shared it with a sweet, 19 year old German traveler.

Cordoba is a lovely city, it is fairly quiet, and filled with castles and mosks.

I'm finding a lot of the time, that I am the oldest traveler amongst the other travelers that I meet. So I have fallen in to the mother hen role, making sure that my youngens are looked after!

I had a lovely time in Cordoba, walking in the sun, seeing the sites and the markets and  eating ice cream while watching buskers play guitar.

 I spent the afternoon in the traditional architecture of an arabic bath and also had a massage, it was bliss. Before I knew it, I was in there for 2 hours!

    

I think it would be hard travelling through Spain not speaking any Spanish, as I am finding that in many places here, people speak no English at all. I love it!

In the evening I had dinner at a restaurant nearby the hostel (as I could not be bothered navigating through the windy streets)!  And got stuck in my book.

As I no longer have a computer or phone charger, I am reliant on the few computers in the hostel that are either occupied or not working, I will post blogs and photos when I can.

For now, I am off to Madrid on the train (el tren being one of my favourite parts if traveling in Spain).

Keep well and happy and hasta pronto.

Xo

Rasa

Mi encanta Grenada!

Grenada has revived me!

Grenada has to be my favourite place I have visited in Spain so far.

The minute I stepped off the train (leaving my computer behind accidentaly) I decided to re embrace all of my vulnerabilties and exhaustion.

Instantly,  I fell in love with Grenada. I really love Barcelona,  but Grenada is quieter, less of a party place and just so special and interesting.

I wandered up to my hostel along a cobble upward path through a middle eastern district full of inscence, arabic food and markets. Through a tight maze of cobble paths, hidden away, was my hostel, with a happy cat there to greet me in the sun. The man down the street told me proudly that it was his cat when he saw me giving it a cuddle.

The arabic restaraunts and stalls in the street of our hostel.

I wandered in to the hostel and had a gorgeous Finnish woman greet me. The hostel was so homely and quiet and within 5 minutes, I made friends with some beautiful travellers and we all signed up to go to the hot springs that night.

For my first time travelling this trip in shared accomodation,  I had a dorm where no one snored, we all connected immidiately and all went to bed at the same time each night.

For some reason men seem to snore and be a bit more grotty as travellers I have found. Sorry for the gross gender generalisation!

The hot springs in Greniville, a town about half an hour away from Grenada were amazing. We were taken in by this fantastic Spanish guy called Victor, who is a true hippy. Victor again told us how bad the job situation is in Spain, and that the government is not aware of the tours that he is running.

Victor took us in van on a very bumpy journey through the bush. Everyone was telling Victor that his van perhaps will not wether well on these wild roads, but Victor said that he has been doing these trips for 6 years in these kinds of vans.

 

The hot springs were about 30 degrees, we could not see anything but mist, the stars, the outline of trees and a rave over the hill that had been going for 3 days. Victor said ' I smoke bongs, but not when I am working' and so we drank wine instead. Victor is studying archeology, he says that he will probably not get much money from this, but it makes him happy. Victor told us about his alternative theories about the world and physics.

The next day, we went on the most amazing hike in the Albazyn, all day through the mountains, waterfalls and by the river. It was the greatest.  I really know now, that it is being outside, amongst the natural beauties of the world, that is where my heart is traveling. I have really tried to be more cultured and learn more about the history of a place, as I know it is important and I do not want to be ignorant, and I usually take a few interesting facts away. But being amongst nature and amongst people is where I want to be.

On our hike, we had some local pet doggies come and join us from nearby farms, and they walked with us over suspension bridges and the entire hike for 12km which made me so happy. Apparently on Trip Advisor, many travellers wrote about the one dog, that took part in every hike, religiously, twice a week for 2 and a half years. The dog would wait at the meeting point for every hike. Our guide, a Polish guy who has been living in Spain for 5 years, names the dogs as he chooses.

The views were amazing and the hike was fantasticly challenging. We all paid 15 Euros and signed no paperwork. We ended up rockclimbing around rivers and crawling through tight spaces full of thistles.

We all got a bit sunburnt as it was so sunny. It has been a while since I have had to think about wearing sunscreen! We ate lunch together and our guide 'Mihau' passed around a joint while others drank beer.

We came across some beautiful cows and I gave some mountain goats a cuddle.

It was the perfect day. And as always, along the way, I learned the stories of so many interesting people, and learned again that my worries, my journey and experiences, are in sync with many other people. As travellers, we all help each other to gain new perspectives, to empathise with each other in hardship, learn new things and celebrate the joy in each others lives, through stories or experiences right there and then, like on the hike.

We giggled about being smelly travellers, about how we are scared and excited to where life is taking us, about how it is fulfiling but hard to sleep in dorm rooms, and about tricky relationships at home.

I told an Englishman, Cameron, about my computer being left on the train. I told him that it was a heavy object though,  and was not working very well anyway, so maybe it was better to have been left on the train. Cam told me that after the 3rd time being robbed in Buenos Aires, he was like 'ah well'.

My friend Koralina from Austria, came with me to the police station to make a report about my computer, and the whole experience was so funny and fulfing. Each policeman told us that we needed to do something different to make a report (very Spanish). We managed to make the report in Spanish! The policeman who was helping us was in bit of a bad mood. A little like the bus drivers in Lithuania, he said 'I have to work, so things are bad.' But with  having 2 blonde foreigners constantly smiling, giggling, asking him hoe he was, expressing sincere thanks and shaking his hand, by the end of the conversation, he could not be cranky anymore.

On my way to the police station, admiring the view of the Alahamra fotress and palace.

That evening we all had tapas together and had a falafel at a nearby shop. The woman preparing the falafel was using her bare hands to prepare all of the food, but I am not sick now and it was a great experience.  The woman cooking our foood looked very happy to have us in our shop too.

Amazingly, there was a Lithuanian girl 'Sofija' working at the hostel kitchen (the breakfast is amazing). Sofija told me that there is another Lithuanian guy working on reception, I could not believe it. The Lithuanian guy 'Vytas' (kaip mano brolis) was even more surprised,  when at 7am, I approach him and start talking to him in Lithuanian. Vytas said that he had never heard an Austalian speak Lithuanian before. I could not believe that I was sitting in a kitchen in Grenada, listening to two Lithuanians talk about the best way to make eggs for breakfast.

We all exchanged details and talked about how hard it is to meet such amazing people and then have to part ways again. But as always, I say, until we meet again, not goodbye.

I am deliriously tired but delierously in love with life, as I am looking at the countryside outside my train window, with the sun shining on my pink tinted face.

Hastaluego Grenada y Hola Cordoba.

Xo,

Rasa

Feeling a bit tired in Seville.

Hola!

I am currently writing my blog entry off my phone as I am still having problems with my computer. The problems with my computer battery is annoying, but can wait to be fixed in Australia. However, I have some sort of error message coming up that is stopping me from opening any files or the internet. Hopefully I can get that sorted soon, as my Masters course online starts tomorrow.

I am on my way from Seville to Valencia on the train.

I think at the moment, I am pretty exhausted and not feeling the travel vibes. I feel guilty saying that, as I'm sure if I was at home, I would be wishing that I was traveling!

I spent the last 2 days in Seville. I paid for a pub crawl on the first night but felt too tired and went to bed early, then spent the night vomiting, trying to make my way in the dark from the bunk bed, through the overheated room to the bathroom without waking my 11 other room mates. It's in times like this, that I wish I was in the comfort of my own home, with someone to feel sorry for me!

View from the hostel in Seville.

I know I am overtired now because everything is starting to annoy me. For instance, the loud music in the hostel, and the eccentric older French traveller in my dorm who keeps bragging about everything that he knows and everything he has done in his life, when I really have tried to show that I want time to myself. He told me how he can sleep anywhere.  Well good for him, because he snores and then noone else can sleep!

He also went on to tell me about his 'art' collection; a collection of coins worth a fortune. He even brought a coin with him on hos travels to show everyone.  Who brings a coin with them travelling if it is worth $1000 Euro?

I feel dirty, old and daggy, and am a little tired now of trying to find my way everywhere, and people getting inpatient when your Spanish is not fluent. I'd really like a good nights rest, a haircut, my computer to work, some time to myself, a new pair of clothes, an opportunity not to pack, unpack or carry a havasack, a bath and a familiar place.

I think that I have also worked out that I don't enjoy being a tourist as much as other people. By that, I mean, that I would prefer to be working,  volunteering or studying in a place. I feel that it makes you feel more connected to a country.

How is that for a gigantic whinge!

Perhaps when I arrive in Grenada I will upgrade and stay in my own room for 2 nights.

I spoke to my sister Anna on the phone this morning (until it got cut out in the train station) and will hopefully speak with Anna again and my cousin Dana tonight. This, combined with some rest, I feel might help recharge my emotional and physical batteries.

Anyway, enough complaining about my 1st world problems!

Aside from the vomiting, which thankfully only lasted the night, I found Seville to be a very cool city, even though it is not by the beach (my favourite place to be). 

I wanted to go on a cycling tour but I was the only person enquiring as it was not peak season.

I met some lovely American girls (22-24 years of age) and again very mature but with a lot more energy than me.

Luckily, I wasnt vomiting until later in the night, and so I still got to see my 1st Flamenco show. Seville is where Flamenco originates from. I had no idea what to expect from the show, and it was incredible.  It was like nothing I had seen before. Amazing energy with guitar, singing and dancing.  The whole trio were so talented,  but I think it is hard to take your eyes off the beautiful dancer.

I wasnt sure if I could take photos and I didnt want to be distracting, so I have pulled one off the web instead, sorry photographer!

We even got to have a Flamenco workshop afterwards, it is unlike any other Spanush dance I have done before. Flamenco involves making music through 'palming' and 'clapping' with your hands and stamping your feet. I loved it, as you can feel the rhythm of the dance penetrate in to your soul.

The American girls returned from the pub crawl at 6am and then joined me for siteseeing at 1130am the next day. We headed to the look out point at the Plaza Major look out point, which was beautiful.

The 4 Euro ticket, also entitled us to a free drink, yippee. :)

It turns out that Carnaval runs over two weekends, so we got to watch the parade, which was incredible!

We also headed to a lovely cafe in the sun and ate some more paella. I can't believe that in winter in Spain, I can wander around in a singlet top, amazing.

To finish the day, we enjoyed some gelato, yum yum. A true sign that tummy is better from the night before.

I will hopefully be meeting these girls again in Grenada or Madrid which will be great.

On the way to the train station in Seville, I stumbled across a marathon in action too.

Anyway, the train will be stopping soon, and I'll need to figure out where I am going!

So at 1800 I think I have left my computer on the train. Oh well!

Hasta pronto,

Xo

Rasa

A great time in Valencia--the Spanish version of Canberra, with a beach.

I’ve just found out on my train today from Valencia to Seville, that there are phone and computer etc chargers available, which is brilliant, as I can now write on the train. I’m not sure if these chargers were always on the train and I never saw them, or if it just this train. Probably option 1. My computer dies as soon as I unplug it from the charger, but best I try and figure that one out when I’m back home.

I really love getting the trains around Spain.  I was used to getting cramped buses without toilets in Lithuania. The train, in contrast, is really quite a luxury. I don’t even mind when the train rides are 7 hours long. I have lots of space, a toilet and even a café! I often watch some of the Spanish movies that are on, then nod off, then wake up to an amazing view outside of a city, or the sea, the mountains or farm land.

I had a really nice time in Valencia. Valencia reminds me a bit of a Spanish version of Canberra (although Valencia still has 700,000 people).  It was nice for a change to be in a smaller city.

Antiguo Cauce del Rio Turia park.

I went for my first run in a long time, which was a little difficult through the streets but well appreciated by the Spanish men. When I overtook a teenage boy,  I noticed that his pace then picked up dramatically, from a slow jog to sprinting so that he could overtake me again. :P

I made friends with the hostel staff at the Red Nest Hostel in Valencia, they were very kind. I also hung out with another German girl ‘Leonie’ who is an ‘Erasmus’ program  exchange student who has been studying in Grenada for 5 months, then travelling and making her way back to Germany. I’m really impressed by how many wise, independent and mature young female travelers that I have met year between ages 20-22 who are traveling on their own. I cannot remember being that mature at that age.

In our first night in Valencia, Leonie and I went out for dinner at a local café and watched the European football league. I ordered Paella, as it originates from Valencia. I actually found that the Paella in Barcelona was more tasty. However, it might have been the restaurant that we went to that did not serve amazing Paella. Or it may have been he fact that food that originates from a particular place usually tastes very different to where it is sold in other cities of countries. For instance, I love Mexican food that is sold in Australia, and I love authentic Mexican food from Mexico, but they are two completely different things. Leonie and I watched an episode of ‘Californication’ on my laptop together after dinner, squished in her single dorm bed which was fun. It was a bit of a luxury that night, I paid for a 12 bed dorm but as it was quiet, I was upgraded to a 6 bed dorm and that first night. Leonie and I were the only people there, and Leonie doesn’t snore, wins all round.

The next day in Valencia, Leonie and I rented some bikes, rode through the Antiguo Cauce del Rio Turia park (number one attraction in Valencia) and headed to the Science Museum in the Ciudad de Las Artes y Las Ciencias. This might be the only time that I say something like this in a travel blog, but I actually felt that the contents of ‘Questacon’ in Canberra were better than this museum. The building, however, was architecturally beautiful. My favourite exhibition was seeing the baby chick and eggs in an incubator. One chick was slowly making his way out of the egg. It is a long, difficult and painful process for the chicks,when they finally make their way out of the shell, you can see blood in the shell, as evidence of their tiny soft bodies pushing through the hard shell. I have never seen this before, and it was mesmerizing.

In contrast, and with no great segue to go from talking about the miracle of life with cute little chickens;Leonie was an exhibit of taxidermy animals that when alive, were born mutated. I am sad I missed this exhibit!

Leonie and I did not think to make a back up plan in case if we lost each other in the Museum, and we lost each other quickly. We both spent a lot of time searching for each other and ended up waiting for each other at two separate places for about an hour and a half (I was at the bikes and Leonie at the entrance of the museum, both places being about 200 metres from each other). 

The Science Museum in the Ciudad de las Artes y Las Ciencias.

We then rode to the Miguelete Cathedral. My legs turned to jelly as I made my way up the steep and never ending 207 step spiral staircase to the top of the Cathedral.  The view was spectatcular. Of course I felt a bit of vertigo as I was leaning over the edge of the barricade taking photos, but that is half the excitement. 

Miguelete Cathedral

Miguelete Cathedral

207 steps later up Miguelete Cathedral.

Leonie, the European, who knows how to dress appropriately, asked me at the start of the day, if I wanted to bring more clothes. I however was so happy just to see sun in Spain after Lithuania, that I didn’t wear much and came back from our day out as a bit of an icicle.

That evening, Leonie and I had tappas in one more, headed to another café to have second dinner then headed to ‘Radio City’ , the only club around in a very quiet, shady looking alley way. I thought if I was to get mugged at all when traveling, then this would be the time, but all was good and well.

Radio City had a very popular conversation group where people can practice their English and Spanish (and any other languages). I felt that more people are keen in practicing their English with me, as I am a native English speaker, and  I am happy to be a practice partner. And of course, again I met some great people from all over the world, with very different stories.

I’ve actually found that my best practice in Spanish here, is speaking with people who speak no English, no suprises there. :P

After the conversation group, they had open mic night, where I saw an older Spanish guy singing the most fantastic songs with his guitar. Spanish night life, literally starts at midnight (or even 3am in clubs) . I would have loved to stay all night at Radio City but I had to be up at 6am for my train, and my body clock is definitely not programmed like a Spanish person! I feel tired even now, coming home at 1230 last night. I don’t know how these guys do it.

Thank you Valencia for a great time, and here comes Seville.

Hasta pronto,

Xo

Rasa

Spending time in Bilbao and Barcelona, Spain.

I have not had any time to write anything since I left Lithuania, as I have been busy walking all around Spain.

I arrived in Bilbao two days ago and am now in Barcelona.

When I arrived in Blibao, I had a bit of a horrendous time finding a hostel. As it wasn't peak season, I didn't bother booking anything in advance. I decided to take a taxi in to the town, as I thought it would be cheap, it was 30 Euros for a short ride to the town Centre and the taxi driver didn't know of any hostels, so I will now avoid taxis!

Bilbao, as it turns out, is known for raining all the time. I didn't have any we weather gear, and after trudging all my stuff, exhausted from my early flight, through the rain, I finally found a hostel that had no availability. It turns out, it was winter break for European students, and Valentines day, and it was a Saturday, oops.

So I got advised to follow the river to a nearby hostel. I followed the river till the end and found nothing, so I walked all the way back to the other hostel to tell them that. The guy at the first hostel, called the other place, and they didn't even have anything available. I think the guy at the first hostel felt a bit sorry for me, and said that something had became available in his hostel. I asked if someone had made a cancellation, and he said 'something like that.'

Bilbao, Spain.

I will now always book my hostels in advance!

It  has been an adjustment going back in to a shared dormitory, smacking my head on the 3 person bunk bed and getting woken up by drunkies all the time. But saying that, I think staying in hostels is way better in being able to meet people as a solo traveller.

In Bilbao, I was sitting in the hostel open area, by myself, exhausted and a bit fed up, and then two Italian guys approached me and asked if I wanted to go out.

I am so happy that we did, as I only found out after that it was Carnaval, and it was amazing. Unfortunately I took a heap of photos, without realising that I had no SD card in there, so I have  been cheeky and ripped some photos off the internet of Bilbao.

The street was full of people dancng, singing, and celebrating in every kind of costume that you can imagine: men dressed as naughty nurses, characters from Mary Poppins, zombies and giant strawberries. I had a man dressed in drag, pouring me a rum and coke in the street, and a waitress dressed as Charlie Chaplin, pouring us cider. I cannot describe the energy that I felt in the street, I was just in awe of it all.

Carnaval in Bilbao.

The next day I headed to The Guggenhein Museum of Contemporary Art. The building itself is amazing, and I ended up spending hours in their with Christian, my Italian friend. One or two of the art exhibitions were so damn arty and perhaps pretentious that I couldn't help but smile, but such is the way with art.

The Guggenhein Museum, Bilbao.

I was finding the Spanish in Bilbao hard to understand, and was finding my Spanish to not always be well understood. It was a relief when I spoke with Christian and Eduardo, my Italian friends, and they told me that in Bilbao, they speak Basque, not Spanish. They showed me a Basque sign at a nearby shop, and the language is nothing like Spanish!

I hopped on the train yesterday from Bilbao  and seven hours later I had arrived in Barcelona.

All of the people I know who have been to Barcelona, have raved about how much they love the place. And just like a movie, that a person has raved on about, you almost wonder if it can meet your high expectations.

I have fallen in love with Barcelona. I love the architecture, the people, the way of life, the food, the night life, the beach, the parks; everything.

Out of everything in my life, I can boast that I am very good at drinking Porron in the traditional way!

I have been on a tappas tour, and two walking tours of the city.I have made some more friends (French Canadian girls) at the hostel, and we have spent time at the beach together, and also went to the Juan Miro art exhibition near the Olympic park.

When the boys decided to buy us flowers #underpressure #Barcelona #greatmoment — with Rasa Kabaila and James Forward at La Rambla, Barcelone.

Being away traveling, has given me a lot of time to reflect on things back home. I've realised that at home, a lot of things have not gone to plan in how I thought they would, which has left me feeling a bit lost about where things are going in my life. But is has been really great for me to meet so many other people who are also sharing their life journeys and perspectives with me. It makes me realise that I am not alone. I have also decided that I will not make any predictions now, about how I will feel when I return home, so that I can stay in the moment.

I'm off to dinner shortly with some friends and tomorrow I head to Valencia.

Hasta pronto,

Xo

Rasa