Well the week in Spain turned out to be an interesting part of the trip. With the low point being the massive amounts of train travel and unbearable heat the high point was Sunday night in Madrid, bullfights and typical Spanish fare...
After two days in Barcelona - one of which was spent climbing a mountain multiple times until I found the correct route - I took the night train to Bilbao and then immediately got on the next train to A Coruna. But by 22:00 I was just plain tired of trains - so I got off. I ended up in Santiago de Compostela, the most beautiful city in Spain. The town was packed with pilgrims and tourists but I managed to get the very last bed in a hostel and I spent two days in town exploring and photographing the old city.
Once again the train schedule screwed me over and I spent another 12 hours during the day on a train to get to Madrid. On the upside I used this time to read 8 books, catch up in my journal and I also started writing poetry. (Which I've always thought I'd hate, but it was on my To do list from Dara and I seem to have kept a lot of poetry in my head that needed the be written down and Spain was definitely an inspirational place.) From the capital I intended to do a number of day trips, but after a rather unsuccessful one to Sevilla, the unbearable heat this far south and my diminished bank account I ended up spending three days in Madrid.
Sevilla was beautiful - I got lost in the old city and wandered the deserted narrow alleyways. By the time I found the touristy area it was 40 degrees and I had to stop for lunch just to take advantage of the air conditioning. The tourist area was not quite the same as the back alleys so I walked along the river and through the shopping streets back to the train station - a 3km walk in 40 degree weather. Needless to say, watching Alvin and the Chipmunks in Spanish on the air conditioned train was a highpoint...
I had had to upgrade to first class in order to get back to Madrid and that combined with booking the 50 euro ticket to Switzerland for Tuesday was my funds for the week and so I spent my time in Madrid on strict budget. I went to the art museum, explored the city, saw the major plazas and sites, found a used book store, and even went to the movies to get out of the sun one afternoon - Sexo en Neuva York...
Sunday night I went to Las Ventas to see the Bullfight. Three matadors fought 2 bulls each while the crowd whistled and booed and chose a final winner of each round. The third matador -who was only 17!! - was definitely the best and won the first round. In the second round the bull flipped him over his head and knocked him out - he had to be carried away and the first matador finished the fight. (another man was trampled and the other matadors both had their own embarrassing moments as well).
After the fight I met up with two American guys I had met at the hostel and we went to see the major sights by night and then found a little bar near the hostel for a very late dinner. Ordering a variety of Tapas - small portions of food - are a typical Spanish meal, and the guys ordered a lot. We had calamari, deep fried shrimp, coquettas, stuffed peppers, olives, spicy potatoes and a pitcher of Sangria. We stayed until the bar closed and then I fell asleep exhausted while they waited for their taxi to take them to the airport.
Next update will be of Switzerland and my journey home... I can't believe it's almost over and yet I'm counting down the days!
July 17, 2008
How to sweep a a girl off her feet
France again was definitely a good decision. I almost skipped out on visiting an old friend, thinking I’d be saving time by getting to Spain and possibly avoiding some awkwardness. But, as it turned out things worked out great. Immediately we hit it off after ending things quite oddly four years ago. We have both changed in drastic and not all that differently of ways. We spent hours talking and then three days exploring Bordeaux and the nearby beach town of Arcachon. Once kind of dating – ‘getting to know one another better’ back in our super pious days we were now picking out attractive guys together – ok so he has changed more than I have.
We were staying with a French friend of his and her mother in their apartment in the outer part of the city. Besides spending lazy days wandering the city we also spent lots of time lazing around her place, I finally got to shower! And sleep in a bed again! This time I felt I was truly experiencing France – the long drawn out meals which each included Rose, bread and cheeses and chocolates for desert whether it was our picnic on the beach or a huge dinner of leftovers from a work party of goose pate and cold meats and cheeses with raspberry cake for desert.
For the first time ever I also had someone to see me off at a train station. We took photos in the photomaton and they waved as the train departed. It was while here that I also decided it was time to come home and changed my plane ticket. However I still have two weeks to go. Since leaving things have been much less pleasant. With lots of trains, getting stuck in odd places, cancelations and rude people. Being on my own again doesn’t seem as ideal now that I spent time with such wonderful people in France and it doesn’t help that my newly learned French seems to have replaced all the Spanish vocabulary in my memory. As I write this I am on a train in Spain that I had no intention of being on but the man at the train station was really rude and I got so frustrated I left Bilbao without seeing a thing. Meaning, I’ve now been on a train (or series thereof) for the past 22 hours… and counting. Hopefully when I finally get off I’ll be able to find a place to sleep for the night and don’t end up on a night train for the mere convenience of it…
We were staying with a French friend of his and her mother in their apartment in the outer part of the city. Besides spending lazy days wandering the city we also spent lots of time lazing around her place, I finally got to shower! And sleep in a bed again! This time I felt I was truly experiencing France – the long drawn out meals which each included Rose, bread and cheeses and chocolates for desert whether it was our picnic on the beach or a huge dinner of leftovers from a work party of goose pate and cold meats and cheeses with raspberry cake for desert.
For the first time ever I also had someone to see me off at a train station. We took photos in the photomaton and they waved as the train departed. It was while here that I also decided it was time to come home and changed my plane ticket. However I still have two weeks to go. Since leaving things have been much less pleasant. With lots of trains, getting stuck in odd places, cancelations and rude people. Being on my own again doesn’t seem as ideal now that I spent time with such wonderful people in France and it doesn’t help that my newly learned French seems to have replaced all the Spanish vocabulary in my memory. As I write this I am on a train in Spain that I had no intention of being on but the man at the train station was really rude and I got so frustrated I left Bilbao without seeing a thing. Meaning, I’ve now been on a train (or series thereof) for the past 22 hours… and counting. Hopefully when I finally get off I’ll be able to find a place to sleep for the night and don’t end up on a night train for the mere convenience of it…
Love is an exploding cigar we willingly smoke (anon)
Roskilde Festival... The most wonderful musical week. We arrived Sunday afternoon and set up our tent – the first few nights were freezing and the last few were too hot to sleep-in in the mornings.
From Sunday to Wednesday were the ‘warm up’ where it was all about the ‘more than music’ part of the festival. Every camping area had a theme and activities at the agora. "When thousands of festive festival guests move into their tents in a matter of days outside of Roskilde, an intoxicated confusion of crashed festival colours, bright banners and pavilions ready to drop is created - a unique patchwork of tent pegs, heads-on approaches and miles of duct tape."
We were staying in “Quiet and Clean” although really – maybe that was just in comparison to the other Agoras… Things to keep one entertained at the other agora’s were a plastic skating rink (really! It actually works – you can ice skate on plastic), a lake (it was freezing but it kept me clean), a cinema (where we saw I’m not there and then also saw the Rocky Horror Picture Show – everyone was dressed up and dancing in the aisles and they gave us survival kits complete with stuff to throw at the screen). At other places were a skate park, video games, fishing lake, and more. Everywhere was lots of food stalls and people lounging around, drinking and partying. A small part of the festival ground was also open and on the smallest stage they showed up and coming Scandinavian bands. Of the three I saw – two were good.
Thursday to Sunday was the music festival with dozens of awesome bands. With 6 stages there was almost always more than one band playing at a time.
Cat power, radiohead, duffy, kate nash, jose gonzalez, neil young, girltalk, black mountain, black seeds, band of horses, chemical brothers, solomon burke, goldfrapp, judas priest, babylove and the van dangoes, juan formell y los van van, tokyo police club, lupe fiasco, the raveonettes, cadence weapon, nicole atkins and the sea, Digitalism, swollen members, holy fuck, when saints go machine, Jay-z, the streets, tina dico, Hot Chip,
and a couple dozen more...
Duffy was the first on Thursday afternoon. I fell in love during the Radiohead concert Thursday night - a miraculous performance. And the next three days were exhausting - dancing to every type of music, walking through the festival grounds going from one concert to another. Sometimes I'd wait and be there front and center when they started sometimes I'd be laying on the grass outside the tents listening and enjoying the music. (the grass which by Sunday was just dusty packed dirt).
Saturday I discovered the wonders of dance music - teh Ting Tings and Girltalk were both amazingly fun. I also supported all the Canadian Bands present then and even met Josh Hook - the guitarist of Tokyo Police Club - after their performance.
Sunday night was Hot Chip - where I was right up front dancing my heart out, trying to avoid the naked guy about two people away... Afterwards it was pouring out - the first time in 8 days. Just in time for Jay-z. The only concert when there was nothing else going on simultaneously, he didn't really fit with the rest of the music and it was the first time that the field in front of the main stage wasn't full. But not to miss an opportunity I was determined to dance - if anything the mud just made it slippery and more fun. Soaked in my new hoodie i left half way through and waited for Digitalism to end the weekend off properly.
In all it was an amazing week of hyperactivity, music, dancing, highstrung nerves, dancing, dust, music, tents, and tall danish people. It was absolutely wonderful!
From Sunday to Wednesday were the ‘warm up’ where it was all about the ‘more than music’ part of the festival. Every camping area had a theme and activities at the agora. "When thousands of festive festival guests move into their tents in a matter of days outside of Roskilde, an intoxicated confusion of crashed festival colours, bright banners and pavilions ready to drop is created - a unique patchwork of tent pegs, heads-on approaches and miles of duct tape."
We were staying in “Quiet and Clean” although really – maybe that was just in comparison to the other Agoras… Things to keep one entertained at the other agora’s were a plastic skating rink (really! It actually works – you can ice skate on plastic), a lake (it was freezing but it kept me clean), a cinema (where we saw I’m not there and then also saw the Rocky Horror Picture Show – everyone was dressed up and dancing in the aisles and they gave us survival kits complete with stuff to throw at the screen). At other places were a skate park, video games, fishing lake, and more. Everywhere was lots of food stalls and people lounging around, drinking and partying. A small part of the festival ground was also open and on the smallest stage they showed up and coming Scandinavian bands. Of the three I saw – two were good.
Thursday to Sunday was the music festival with dozens of awesome bands. With 6 stages there was almost always more than one band playing at a time.
Cat power, radiohead, duffy, kate nash, jose gonzalez, neil young, girltalk, black mountain, black seeds, band of horses, chemical brothers, solomon burke, goldfrapp, judas priest, babylove and the van dangoes, juan formell y los van van, tokyo police club, lupe fiasco, the raveonettes, cadence weapon, nicole atkins and the sea, Digitalism, swollen members, holy fuck, when saints go machine, Jay-z, the streets, tina dico, Hot Chip,
and a couple dozen more...
Duffy was the first on Thursday afternoon. I fell in love during the Radiohead concert Thursday night - a miraculous performance. And the next three days were exhausting - dancing to every type of music, walking through the festival grounds going from one concert to another. Sometimes I'd wait and be there front and center when they started sometimes I'd be laying on the grass outside the tents listening and enjoying the music. (the grass which by Sunday was just dusty packed dirt).
Saturday I discovered the wonders of dance music - teh Ting Tings and Girltalk were both amazingly fun. I also supported all the Canadian Bands present then and even met Josh Hook - the guitarist of Tokyo Police Club - after their performance.
Sunday night was Hot Chip - where I was right up front dancing my heart out, trying to avoid the naked guy about two people away... Afterwards it was pouring out - the first time in 8 days. Just in time for Jay-z. The only concert when there was nothing else going on simultaneously, he didn't really fit with the rest of the music and it was the first time that the field in front of the main stage wasn't full. But not to miss an opportunity I was determined to dance - if anything the mud just made it slippery and more fun. Soaked in my new hoodie i left half way through and waited for Digitalism to end the weekend off properly.
In all it was an amazing week of hyperactivity, music, dancing, highstrung nerves, dancing, dust, music, tents, and tall danish people. It was absolutely wonderful!
July 04, 2008
I don't want to harm ya, i am not your armour, i am your friend
Scandinavia...
To get from Germany to Denmark the train enters a ferry and while we cross it is required that all passengers disembark – as if we mind! The ferry ride wasn’t long and I ate as I sat at the very front of the boat and watched the far shore approach. And only a few more hours to Kobenhavn…
Yet again I spent one afternoon in a capital city and seem to have exhausted things to do here. Granted I didn’t make it far enough along the coast to see the royal families palaces and gardens, and I didn’t go to any museums or galleries – so I’m sure I could enjoy the city if I cam back but I had no qualms with going to be at about 8. Don’t get me wrong – the city was great, lots of pedestrian streets and people walking about and the river and canals just lined with ships and colourful sails.
But off again and we were in Sweden by the end of the next day!
Stockholm was one of my favourite cities. Full stop. It had the atmosphere of the kind of city you could live in, the vibrancy and beauty of a city both steeped in history and a very up and coming place.
Immediately decided to stay longer and I spent the next three days exploring. The city is actually on a bunch of islands all connected by huge bridges. First explored was the old city on Gamla Stan for its photographic opportunities. South of there was a more bohemian neighborhood which I still didn’t even manage to pass the border of (I guess I’ll need to come back!) To the north of gamla stan was the city centre where we explored and bought a tent for the Roskilde Music fest. To the north east was the un-identifiable area where I stayed. To the west was a little island with the Modern Art Museum (amazing!) and the architecture museum (not so amazing…) Further west still was the huge island of – all parkland where we set up our tent – just to practice. Mostly I walked around the city with my camera photographing people, old buildings and alleyways. The art museum was up there with the Guggenheim in Venice and the Louvre and L’Orangerie as my favourite museums yet.
We decided to skip Helsinki and stopped in Gothenburg on the way back towards Denmark. We got there late afternoon and explored the park outside the hostel where there was a blues festival starting up. We headed back early to do laundry but stopped first for sushi. Although it was vegetarian sushi it was the first sushi I’d ever had – and it was partially good, partially I could do withoutish.
And continuing on in Scandinavia we returned to Denmark to go to the music festival at Roskilde… (also, Roskilde is a very nice old town. A medieval Viking town with the old ships in the river and very busy along the main street with the festival goers)!
To get from Germany to Denmark the train enters a ferry and while we cross it is required that all passengers disembark – as if we mind! The ferry ride wasn’t long and I ate as I sat at the very front of the boat and watched the far shore approach. And only a few more hours to Kobenhavn…
Yet again I spent one afternoon in a capital city and seem to have exhausted things to do here. Granted I didn’t make it far enough along the coast to see the royal families palaces and gardens, and I didn’t go to any museums or galleries – so I’m sure I could enjoy the city if I cam back but I had no qualms with going to be at about 8. Don’t get me wrong – the city was great, lots of pedestrian streets and people walking about and the river and canals just lined with ships and colourful sails.
But off again and we were in Sweden by the end of the next day!
Stockholm was one of my favourite cities. Full stop. It had the atmosphere of the kind of city you could live in, the vibrancy and beauty of a city both steeped in history and a very up and coming place.
Immediately decided to stay longer and I spent the next three days exploring. The city is actually on a bunch of islands all connected by huge bridges. First explored was the old city on Gamla Stan for its photographic opportunities. South of there was a more bohemian neighborhood which I still didn’t even manage to pass the border of (I guess I’ll need to come back!) To the north of gamla stan was the city centre where we explored and bought a tent for the Roskilde Music fest. To the north east was the un-identifiable area where I stayed. To the west was a little island with the Modern Art Museum (amazing!) and the architecture museum (not so amazing…) Further west still was the huge island of – all parkland where we set up our tent – just to practice. Mostly I walked around the city with my camera photographing people, old buildings and alleyways. The art museum was up there with the Guggenheim in Venice and the Louvre and L’Orangerie as my favourite museums yet.
We decided to skip Helsinki and stopped in Gothenburg on the way back towards Denmark. We got there late afternoon and explored the park outside the hostel where there was a blues festival starting up. We headed back early to do laundry but stopped first for sushi. Although it was vegetarian sushi it was the first sushi I’d ever had – and it was partially good, partially I could do withoutish.
And continuing on in Scandinavia we returned to Denmark to go to the music festival at Roskilde… (also, Roskilde is a very nice old town. A medieval Viking town with the old ships in the river and very busy along the main street with the festival goers)!
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