July 2015: Trip to Madrid!

Hallo! Today I offer you another AroundtheWorld post. This time I went to Madrid with my parents and sister Erin, a couple of weeks ago. Enjoy!

As I’ve previously said, I’ve been to Madrid a couple of times before. Mostly because to get out of Tenerife and go somewhere else you usually have to go to Madrid first, but we’ve also been there on holidays of course. This time we went for five days and stayed at a super cool and spacious flat in Chueca. Honestly, it was awesome: the flat itself, the location, the AC. The AC though, completely needed because of the heat wave. What is the matter with Spanish weather this summer?

Anyway, we woke up at half past four on Monday the 6^th and got ready to go to the airport. We left the car with a new parking service for civil servants which is a lot cheaper than the airport’s parking, and that was a plus! We took the 7am flight to Barajas, and I slept and read most of the way. Once in Madrid, we took the metro to Chueca and found the house without a problem. While my parents went to get some shopping done, my sister and I just rested for a bit. And then we all took a massive nap after lunch, because the early start had left us knackered! In the late afternoon/evening, we went out for a walk, although it was still pretty hot. We walked down Fuencarral to Gran Vía and then got to the Temple of Debod, which I had never seen before. The views were pretty cool too. We then returned via Plaza de España and Sol, and stopped for a merendola involving pancakes at El Corte Inglés. Once back home, we just had an early night to regain strength for the next few days.

On Tuesday we got up late and sang Happy Birthday to my uncle Pablo, with some technical difficulties included but we finally managed. We then took the metro to the Reina Sofía Museum where there is currently an exhibition with pieces lent by the Kunstmuseum from Basel in Switzerland. These included works by Picasso, Munch, Warhol, Van Gogh, Gaughin and many other greats. However, it so happens that the Reina Sofía is closed on Tuesdays, so we ended up having to come up with an impromptu plan instead: we went to the Caixa Forum and visited two exhibitions, one about animals in Ancient Egypt and another about Pre-Columbine cultures. And we also visited the shop which is one of the best museum shops I’ve been to; there were so many cool things! I have to get my hands on a couple of books and a French magnet poetry set I saw there… We then had a late lunch at Los Rotos, a restaurant you will remember from my previous post about Seville. Then we headed to the National Archaeology Museum that had been closed for ages but is now reopen and renovated. It was funny because there we met a Norwegian family we’d seen in the metro that same morning. All the tourists go to the same places! The museum was also good, but after a while I just get bored because the amount of things starts to be overwhelming. We saw the Dama de Elche and many other treasures. And there was info on the Cordoba Mosque, how about that? Nothing in Cordoba, but there is in Madrid. We then came back home and just chilled. I attempted to read more on the driving manual, but it is taking forever.

On Wednesday we got up and this time did go to the Reina Sofía Museum. It is great because we don’t pay entry to the museums because we are either students, retired or civil servants. Perfect. The exhibition was split into two: White Fire, which was my favourite, with a limited but very important collection of artworks; and another collection about war. We also visited the rest of the museum, including the Guernica and another exhibition by Ree Morton. It got a little bit too much at one point, even though we stopped and went out for lunch (the parents had squid sandwiches, which are very typical of Madrid), so at the end Erin and I were literally just skimming through the rooms, as much as it embarrasses me to admit that. In the evening, Erin and I went shopping and I found some sandals and a gorgeous new eyeshadow, both things I had been looking for. That night we watched Cara Delevigne on El Hormiguero, she is such a funny and beautiful human being!

On Thursday we took the metro to Pinar de Chamartín to visit Oli and Gabi. Erin met Tula (she is still really cute, but getting bigger) and we literally spent the day playing Monopoly. I swear, I had never got so far in a Monopoly game! Erin got bankrupt and Olivia, by some occult means, ruled the game and got multimillionaire and won won won. I request a rematch! 

At around six we just had to wrap the game and we came back to our flat to get ready because that night we went to watch the Lion King Musical! It was awesome! I have never really liked the Lion King but the puppets, lighting and makeup were breath-taking! I really enjoyed watching that and if I were home for it, my Carnival costume would be sorted! Definitely recommend going if any of you have the chance. On the way back, we bought some really pretty watercolour illustrations from a man selling in the street. Mine will be hanging from my bedroom wall at some point.

On Friday Erin and I slept in while Dad and Mum went to a couple more museums. We went out instead and continued with our shopping and found a couple more bits and bobs. We all had Chinese takeaway for lunch and then Erin and I went out again to the few shops we had left. We tried some Wowble Bubble Tea, mine was mojito flavoured and omg it tasted so goooooooood! We then went back to the flat to leave the things we had bought and walked to Puerta de Alcalá where we met with our parents to go to Carmen and Alfonso’s house. We had tea there and then came back, picked some really yummy Italian pizza takeaway and packed our bags to leave them ready for the next day. That night I finished the book I was reading, The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss. It was a very strange and unique book and I still haven’t figured out if I liked it or not…

On Saturday we came back. Erin and I slept in but my parents went to a market. Apparently it had vintage pieces so I regret not going, but it sounds a bit more like there were only charity-shop-style pieces, so it’s not that bad… This time, no flights got delayed and all went fine. Erin and I were sat together next to two Israeli brothers who were so weird. I mean, the guy next to me barely spoke English but asked for a headset three times to three different airhostesses, even though they all said none were on sale on that flight, and then pulled out some binoculars and started looking about in the plane, and then started playing with some plastic glasses. Erin and I had to restrain from laughing! We both watched a couple of TV shows on my tablet after our failed attempt at watching The Voices because the film hadn’t downloaded properly. The plane was so full the suitcases took forever to get dropped off but we finally got our hands on all three of ours and headed home. I hadn’t eaten since eleven in the morning and so by seven I was starving but I waited until after going to the supermarket and then enjoyed my feast of nachos and beer at home while watching Lost in Translation. It was good.

Hope you’ve liked this new post. My family from Switzerland arrived that same night and have been staying in Tenerife since then on holidays. I don’t plan on blogging about that but I still have to write my Freshers’ Advice post, so keep tuned for that one!

June 2015: Trip to Madrid, Seville and Córdoba!

Hey guys! I know I’ve left this blog a bit lonely for some time… I apologize. But the good news is… I’m starting a new section! As I’ve been travelling quite a lot this year and have blogged about the trips, I am going to create a new tag under which you can find my travel blog posts: AroundtheWorld. So, here is a brand new addition to it.

I hadn’t been to Seville since I was a kid, so it was time I paid my family there a visit. Dad wanted to visit an exhibition in Madrid about Art Déco, so what better opportunity? We’d go to Madrid for a couple of days in our way to Seville and also spend one of the days in Córdoba, because I really wanted to visit the Mosque.

On Monday the 22^nd we got up insanely early and Mum drove us both to Los Rodeos. We hopped on the first flight to Madrid at eight o’clock. I’ve literally travelled so much this year that taking a plane has become something normal for me now, I mean, I have to take one every time I come home! The flight was relaxed, I slept most of the time but also watched Orphan Black. Once in Madrid, Jose picked us up and took us to their house. Oli, one of my friends from Madrid, was unaware that I was coming, so it was an absolute surprise when she knocked on the door and it was me who opened! She was flabbergasted! I then accompanied her to her school because she wanted to speak with some teachers and pick up her marks from her entry to Uni exam. There I met a couple of her friends, with whom we went to Vips to have lunch. After lunch, Oli’s family picked us up and we drove to the dogs’ home, to adopt a new dog. After a lot of thinking, they adopted a new black and brown puppy that will grow up to be a medium-sized dog apparently. She is so sweet and cute! But as a baby, it has to be trained! The poor thing had to wait a whole day before her owners settled on a name: Tula! That night we just stayed in because I was really tired. We played (and I ruled) some Scrabble before having dinner and going to bed.

On Tuesday we went to the Juan March foundation with Jose to see the exhibition: El gusto moderno. Art déco en París, 1910-1935. It was a fairly small but really diverse exhibition; I really enjoyed it, especially the designs for ballet costumes and the dresses. I did some doodling since photos were not allowed, the invigilator stared at me like saying “I really want to tell you off, but I can’t!” Yeah, eat that! I can draw! We then walked around Sol and went to the FNAC, where they spent ages on the disc section… I really wanted to try out some discs, but all the machines were broken -.- We had lunch at Los Rotos, after wandering through various streets searching for the place. It was good, we had huevos rotos which are chips, mixed with stirred fried egg and another ingredient of your choosing, I chose fish. After lunch Oli joined us so we both went window shopping for a bit and then I met with Begoña. It was good to see her again, we went for a walk under the killing sun (we saw the Royal Palace, the Quijote statue, the Gran Vía…) and then sat and had a coke together in one of the back streets of Sol. It was very strange to meet her in Madrid though, so out of context! I took the metro back to Oli’s house, barely avoiding the Summer storm and lighting before getting safely home.

On Wednesday we were to take the AVE (Spanish high-speed train) from Atocha to Santa Justa, in Seville. Jose drove us to the station and we took the 10am train. It was good to see the Spanish landscape for once, which is the only thing I don’t like about planes. Road trips and trains allow you to glimpse what is in between your destination and point of departure, and sometimes it is worth investing more time in the journey than getting there earlier and not experiencing what is in the middle. We saw tons of orchards and factories and small villages. Typical Spanish ones. It was cute. I also slept for a bit and read my driving manual (it’s taking me aaaaages!). Once in Seville, we took a taxi to Mary Francis’ house, where we stayed. She lives in Avenida República Argentina, which is amazingly centric. The heat was unbearable though. We arrived in the middle of a heat wave, meaning that temperatures were constantly over 35ºC, reaching even 43 during the hotter hours of the day. We spent most of the time inside with the AC, what was a bit disappointing and frustrating. I slept a lot during that time spent inside, but I got frustrated because I was in a new place with no possibility of exploring it unless it was very early in the morning or very late at night… But the heat was too dangerous so I could not do anything about it… Anyway, once we got to the house, we had lunch (salmorejo, salmorejo, and more salmorejo all week) and took a nap. That evening Dad and I went out for a little walk around Triana and also bought a couple of presents for the little cousins. We had dinner with the older cousins before going to sleep. We were so tired!

On Thursday we lazily got up early and went to the Reales Alcázares aka the Water Gardens of Dorne. Yup, the place where they filmed part of the fifth season of Game of Thrones. It was so cool to see the places in real life, the camera can do wonders! We had no trouble getting in and avoided the queue (those student discounts are glorious), and wandered around for a couple of hours. The Islamic art is utterly beautiful and so detailed! 

After that we walked towards the city centre: the Cathedral, the Town Hall, Sierpes… We had the tastiest ice-cream ever at Helados de la Abuela and then went back home for lunch. After a short nap I flicked through all the leaflets about the city that I had, so I could figure out what I wanted to visit, and then in the afternoon I went as a solo tourist around the city. I walked soooo much, and it was still pretty hot, but I love to go out and about on my own, it allows me to go at my own pace! I visited tons of places: the Hospital de la Caridad, Plaza de Toros, Tetuán and Sierpes – the shopping streets where I also encountered a thief prosecution and got a nice bubble iced tea-, the outside of the Alcázar and the Cathedral again, a hotel I apparently confused with the University, the Guadalquivir, the Parque de María Luisa in which I visited the Plaza de España – including climbing the buildings to get a really awesome view of the square- and the statue in memory of Bécquer. That night we had another family dinner, this time from a freiduría – a place specialized in fried fish. The South of Spain is known for them, apart from flamenco and sangría. And myself, a fish-lover, couldn’t put any objections to the choice of food… it was amazing!

On Friday we went to Córdoba. We got the Avant train and then a taxi to the Mosque. It was bloody hot. Like, over 40ºC. I was really excited about seeing the Mosque in person for the first time, as I had to study the building for Art History class. However, it let me down. Not the building itself, but what the Church has done to it. I’ve ranted so much about this already… First, the entrance to the Mosque – now not called the Mosque of Córdoba, but the Cathedral- is over eight euros, no reduction for anyone. The building can be closed for catholic events whenever they want and they have sabotaged the Moorish heritage of the building: covering up the minaret, closing up the maqsura and mihrab with a fence, changing the ceiling and, worst of all, creating a fricking Renaissance cathedral inside the Mosque. I just can’t deal with the destruction… And the worst part is that there is no acknowledgement whatsoever of the Muslim heritage. For them, it has always been a bloody Cathedral. Great. Denying the origins, now that is an intelligent idea. 

Anyway, after that disaster, we crossed the bridge under the blazing sun to reach the Torre de Calahorra only to find out it was closed. And the lady at the tourism office had said “oh, yes yes, there is a very nice museum inside”. Top information, miss, you didn’t even know it was being reformed! 

We then went back and walked around the Judería. We visited the oldest Synagogue left in Spain, which is a teeny tiny one, and then the House of Sefarat Museum about the life of Sephardic Jews in Spain at the time, really interesting. The heat – la caló – was unbearable. We stopped to have lunch at Casa Salinas: salmorejo and flamenquín for Dad, and the most amazing fried aubergines with honey for me, and also some puntillitas. It was the best thing of the day I think, because then we attempted to walk a bit more but the heat was such that we just decided to leave. You know, only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun. We changed our train tickets and returned to Seville.

On Saturday morning I slept in. I really deserved it, I was so tired! Dad and I then ventured into the melting heat and headed to the Cathedral. We went inside and walked all of the massive building. It was gigantic! And even had some random hidden chapels of different styles, which were my favourite. After lunch we relaxed for a bit: caught up on YouTube, read, slept,… At eight in the evening Dad and I went to Parque de María Luisa again, but this time to see the Pavilions because I hadn’t had time to go there during my solo touristy trip. They were so pretty! I loved the park. We also saw the pigeons I used to feed when I was a little kid, and had some ice-cream. That night we had another family dinner and packed our suitcases because we were leaving the next day.

As I said, Sunday was our last day in Seville. We got everything ready, loaded the car, and drove to the house in Valencina, in the countryside. It has a pool so it was perfect.  Ricardo and his family joined us there so we basically spent the day in the pool or sleeping and chilling inside the house. They then drove us to the airport and said good-bye. Our flight got delayed for over an hour, which was really annoying, but it eventually took off. I watched Penny Dreadful during the flight, quite an eerie TV show… Once home, we took a shower, unpacked and went to bed.

I hope you have enjoyed this post and the pictures with it. Seville is a beautiful city and, despite the heat, I really do think it is one of the prettiest cities in Spain xx