Travel and Living!

Did not sleep much on the plane. Instead, I watched 3+ movies on our personal monitor - 'Miss Potter', 'Happy Feet' and 'The Holiday'. Attempted to add 'DreamGirls' to the list but my eyes were just too tired! There were other movies like Babel and the Departed but was just not in the mood for such genre.

We arrived in Singapore 1515 hr.

Things I wish I have brought:
1) Sling bag for walking tour
2) Strong moisturiser for dry/cold weather
3) Warmer pants/ longer length socks
4) Poncho for rain
5) Tweezers
6) Extra day of clothes

Lesson learnt: Any temperature below 15 degrees is considered cold and should dress 'winter'. There's always the wind chill!

Labels: Pre and Post

Had our breakfast in the room. Visited the Sunday Flee Market at El Rastro. Big scale!

Checked out of Palace Hotel around noon. Took a taxi to the Madrid Airport. Had our lunch and bid farewell to SGaw who took a 1500 hr flight to NYC via Paris. After walking around the airport aimlessly, we boarded KLM flight at 1700 hr.

We stopped-over at Schipol Amsterdam Airport and did some shopping. Bought 6 boxes of Caramel filled wafers (Gouda's Gilde Siroopwafelen) and 4 big Baby Gouda (Henri Willig) in assorted flavors. :) Our flight home departed Schipol Airport at 2125hr

Labels: Madrid, Spain

Had a nice breakfast at La Rotonda Restaurant located under the Hotel spectacular glass dome :) After breakfast, we dispersed so we could concentrate on what we wanted to see on our last full day in Madrid/Spain.

Madrid is known as a centre for fine arts. Indeed when we walked towards Museo del Prado, the queue was extremely long! The art museum houses one of the world’s greatest collections of paintings, especially Spanish ones. We decided we are not that keen in Spanish paintings anyway and headed for Retiro Park instead.

Parque del Buen Retiro (Retiro Park) - We took a stroll in the beautiful and huge park towards the lake. At one end of the park is a half-moon colonnade with a statue of Alfonso XII riding on a column in the middle. In front of it is a lovely lake where you can rent rowboats. The park is a perfect place to relax on a beautiful Saturday morning. There are a number of musicians busking all around enhancing the already romantic ambience. To the south of the lake is Palacio de Cristal (Crystal Palace) made of iron and glass, a forum for receptions and art displays.

Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Reina Sofía Museum) - We arrived just in time as the museum opened its door for Free entry after 2.30 pm (Savings!). Some notable works in this museum of 20th century art are by Picasso, Miró and Dalí. The highlight of the museum is the 'Guernica', Picasso's famous depiction of the horrors of Civil War. Personally I like the ‘Girl at the Window’ by Salvador Dalí.

After about 2 hours at the museum, we went for yummy churros (fried batter sticks) and hot chocolate at a Churro Mania cafe just outside the museum. Did I mention that Hot Chocolate is to the Spanish what Tea is to the English? :)

Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza - next we visited another famous Art Museum (Entrance Fee: €6 each). It is situated next to Palace Hotel where we stayed. This museum is based on collection assembled by Barons of the T-B family, and is regarded as the most important privately assembled art collection in the world. The paintings cover the history of European Art from 13th century to the present. They are displayed chronologically according to the different century, Romanticism to Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism etc. I was particularly pleased to see some of Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh's paintings. Some interesting pieces are the 'Hotel Room' by Edward Hopper and 'Swaying Dancer' by Edgar Degas. Paul Gauguin and Alfred Sisley's artwork are very unique and colorful.

After spending some 2 hours in the museum (i.e. till closing time), we went to do some last minute shopping in the vicinity. Sam bought some stuff from Zara which was enough for a VAT refund :) And the prices are half of what it would cost in Singapore.

Met the Gaws at the hotel for dinner. We went to another nice Taberna (Tavern) and ordered lots of delicious Tapas accompanied by a few glasses of Sherry for our last dinner together. We had a great time!

Labels: Madrid, Spain

Woke up 5+am. Drove to Sevilla to catch 8.30 am train to the Capital of Spain. Arrived at Santa Justa train station just in time, avoiding the Good Friday morning Semana Santa crowd. Returned the car at Hertz Car Rental at the train station.

Took the AVE train and arrived at Estacion de Atocha, Madrid's Central Train Station at 11 am. Walked to Westin Hotel Palace and after we have checked in, went for lunch at Museo de Jambon. Terrible lunch and service, but reasonably priced.

Walked around old Madrid and discovered that Madrid has lovely fountains almost wherever you turn. The street signs hung on buildings are made of ceramic tiles and hand-painted with pictures that represent the street name.

Itinerary for the day, walking distance:

Plaza Mayor - visited Plaza Mayor a huge cobbled square built in the 17th century

Catedral de la Almudena - a relatively new Cathedral completed in 1993 after a century

Palacio Real - a Royal Palace next to the Cathedral.

It began to pour and we had to take cover for some time in the surrounding buildings!

Plaza de Orient - a monument

Monasterio de las descalzas Reales - a convent

Gran Via - main artery of the city

After walking around Old Madrid, it was back to our hotel to meet the Gaws for dinner.

Had delicious tapas and sangría at one of the tabernas (taverns) near Puerta del Sol. Sangría is a blend of red wine and lemonade with pieces of freshly chopped fruit, a popular cocktail in Spain. Dinner was cheap and good in a Alhambra theme taberna. Madrid offers the best eating in Spain and a tapa-crawler's paradise. It is also the most vibrant city for nightlife.

Labels: Madrid, Spain

Labels: Algarve, Portugal

Labels: Sevilla, Spain

Labels: Andalucia, Ronda, Spain

We drove to Tarifar, the southernmost point of Spain. Bought ferry tickets to Tangier, Morocco at €52 each for a return trip. We had our lunch at Tarifar while waiting for the ferry

It was an hour ferry ride across the Straits of Gilbratar, and -2 hours time difference. The ferry is huge enough to contain a number of vehicles. The interesting bit is to find the custom on board the ferry. We had to queue inside the ferry to get our stamp on the passport for our entry to Morocco.

When we arrived in Tangier (or Tanger), we were approached by touts wanting to be our tourguide/drivers for a fee. Thanks to early warnings from our Guidebooks, we warded them off. Instead, we walked towards the town nearest to the ferry terminal and found ourselves in a unique and different world.

Language was a problem as everything was in Arabic. Anyhow, we managed to navigate our way around through the street corners to Grand Socco (The Big Souk), where the Medina begins. We walked around the Medina of Tangier and absorbed the interesting sites and sound. The Medina is a dense maze of houses, shops and narrow, steep streets and is centered on the Petit Socco.

We landed ourselves in Kasbah on a hilltop overlooking the town, the coast and the Atlantic Ocean. The Kasbah, constructed on the highest point of the medina, was fortified in Roman days and was the traditional residence of sultans.

As we were short on time, we quickly descended from Kasbah but found ourselves in a maze of houses again. There was so much to see and absorbed. There were little kids running around, wanting to make friends, or to direct us around for a fee. We managed to find our way back to 'civilisation', near the ferry terminal.

We had to stop for mint tea (popular local drink) at one of the cafes. We paid in € as we did not change our money into their local currency. After drinking, we rushed back to the ferry terminal only to find a long queue at the custom. We missed our 5 pm ferry and had to wait for the next ferry which the officers assumed was at 7 pm. Nobody seems to know anything. While waiting, we had snacks at the ferry terminal.

While at the lounge, we were mistakenly told that the last ferry was leaving and we sped towards it. I tripped and fell, only to be told that our ferry would be leaving much later. Had a big bruise on my left knee and limped my way to the ferry!

Due to the 2 hours time difference, we arrived at Tarifar at 10 pm. While walking back to the car, we heard some commotion and realised that the town was having the Holy Week Semana Santa procession. It was an eye-opening experience.

After an hour drive from Tarifar, we arrived back at the hotel at Benahavis at 1 am.

Labels: Morocco, Tangier, Tarifar

Today, we visited The Alhambra (the Red Castle) in Granada, a UNESCO World Heritage built on top of a rocky hill. Originally designed as a military area, the Alhambra became the residence of Moorish royalty and of the court of Granada in the middle of the 13th century. The place is huge and we spent almost the whole day here.

El Generalife - a leisure villa of the sultans of Granada, surrounded by orchards and garden.

Palacio Nazaries - the Palaces are the main attraction in Alhambra. Nasrid Palace is a complex of 3 Palaces and was the resident of Kings of Granada. The time of entry to each area is strictly controlled. Fortunately we did not have to buy tickets in advance as it is not peak season.

Palacio Carlos V - Palace of Charles V is built in a Renaissance style, and represents the introduction of Italian classicism in Spanish civil architecture with its huge round courtyard.

Alcazaba - a military fortress, we could see spectacular views of Granada cities.

Granada has the imprint of Arab conquest and civilisation as the Moors were here longer than anywhere else in Spain. After Alhambra, we visited the town in Granada.

Had our dinner at Málaga town. Ordered tapas dishes and a big plate of seafood platter (fritura de pescado), a typical dish in Málaga. We were so tired at the end of the day but had a great time exploring Alhambra.

Labels: Alhambra, Granada, Spain

Labels: Gibraltar, Marbella, Spain, UK

Freezing cold at 0130 hr! The train finally arrived.

We boarded the train and I was expecting the comfortable seats we had on our ride from Barcelona. But lo and behold, the train corridor was so narrow, we could bearly push our luggages through. The ticket warden who could not speak English pointed at a door indicating to me to go in there and then guided Sam to another place. I was shocked as I did not expect that we were going to be apart.

My attempt to open the metal door failed as it was latched from the inside. Fortunately Sam came back to check on me and found me locked out. When he tried to get the attention of the ticket warden, an old lady unlatched the door and turned on the lights. And I was surprised to find 2 bunk beds in the tiny room and 3 ladies fast asleep. Apparently, I have interrupted their sleep!

Very quickly, I pushed my luggage into the tiny space in between the 2 bunk beds, climbed up the ladder onto an empty bed, placed my haversack on a ledge, took off my spring jacket and sweater, tucked myself in bed wearing my jeans and switched off the lights. While in bed, I was wondering "what if I missed my stop, where was I heading, where do I look for Sam"? The Schindler’s List movie was also playing in my mind!

I needed to go to the loo, so after 10 mins or so of contemplating, I decided to turn on the lights, climbed down the ladder and headed for the washroom outside. I quickly returned to the cabin as I was afraid that they would lock me out again. Fortunately we had set our phone alarm while waiting at the train station this morning. So I took out my mobile phone and held it tightly to sleep.

Had about 3-4 hours of interrupted sleep as I could feel the train coming to a halt or sound of luggages banging against the door. At about 0630 hr, the ticket warden came knocking on our door. He called out ‘Cordoba’ and uttered something in Spanish . I opened my tired eyes and acknowledged that I was going there. He mumbled something about arriving in half an hour...so what was I going to do in that half an hour? I just lied in bed and waited …

Few mins later, Sam came knocking on the door and I was delighted to see him! He came to wake me up as we would be arriving at our destination soon. So I turned on the lights, put on my clothes, checked that I have everything, climbed down the ladder and lug my luggages out of the room while my roomies were still fast asleep. We waited along the corridor for the train to stop and finally arrived at Córdoba at 0700 hr.

It was still cold in Córdoba. We went to the washroom at the train station to freshen up. Went to Hertz Counter to pick up our Ford and loaded our luggages into the car boot. We had our breakfast at the train station, and love the freshly squeezed and sweet orange juice.

After breakfast we drove to Mezquita, but not before driving aimlessly in the city trying to get used to the road signs in Spanish and dealing with the narrow streets and corners!

The Mezquita (Spanish for "mosque", from the Arabic "Masjid"), was at one time the second largest mosque in the world and is now a Roman Catholic cathedral. The mosque underwent numerous changes. The city in which it was built was subject to frequent invasion, and each conquering wave added their own mark to the architecture. It was a marvellous sight.

After the visit, we drove around looking for lavendaria (laudromat) not realising that it was siesta time (most were closed 2-5 pm). We waited for one to open and were so glad to finally get some clean clothes!

We picked the Gaws up from the airport at 6 pm. The weather by then was so warm that we were in our t-shirts, without the layers!

After dinner at Málaga, we drove to Benahavis and checked into Westin La Quinta at around 10 pm.

Labels: Córdoba, Spain

Labels: Spain, Valencia

Labels: Spain, Valencia

After breakfast, we checked out of Expo Hotel and left our luggages with the concierge for storage. Collected our Rail tickets from the train station, and then took the Metro to Les Corts.

Visited FC Barcelona Stadium (Entrance: €9.90 each). It is the largest soccer stadium in Europe and 3rd largest in the world. It has a capacity for 110,000 people. We toured the dressing room, press conference area, chapel, grounds, pitch area and football museum.

After the tour, we walked around the stadium area and checked out El Corte Ingles (a departmental store). Had our lunch at a Submarine Café - Pizza, Chicken and Rice.

Back at the hotel area, we saw the sculpture at Parc Joan Miro by the avant-garde artist. After collecting our luggages, we headed back to Sants Estacio station to take the ‘Renfe Euromed’ to Valencia (Alicante station) at 6 pm. Along the train ride, we saw the outskirts of Barcelona and the coast.

We arrived at Valencia at 9 pm. Took the Metro to another Expo Hotel at Turia Station. This time it is a 3-star hotel, though a little small but pretty decent .

After we have checked in, Sam went out to get dinner at the shopping mall behind the hotel. It was drizzling and the weather's quite gloomy. Had McDonald’s for dinner and washed clothes as we only brought 5 days change of clothes!

Labels: Barcelona, Spain, Valencia

Labels: Barcelona, Spain

Labels: Barcelona, Spain

We boarded our KLM B777 flight 838 to Amsterdam departing 2245hr on Friday night. We occupied 2 seats in the front middle section of the plane, with no neighbours on our left (aisle) or right (wall - possibly a pantry on the other side).

The food served on board was pretty good, the best I have tasted so far on a plane. The yoghurt with oat was tasty. The service was much better than NW flights, comparable with SQ though I sense some discrimination from some of the cabin crew. We slept most of the way other then meal times. Fortunately I was able to sleep despite the back pain. I had to sit up at a certain position most of the time.

We arrived at Schipol International Airport at 0545 hr for an hour transition before heading for Barcelona Airport. Amsterdam is indeed a land of milk and cheese given the amount of cheese they sell at the airport.

At Schipol Airport custom, we had to remove our liquids in our handcarry and place them in a clear zip blog bag provided by the custom staff. Fortunately we were able to fit in all the gels and creams into the bag or they would have to be discarded.

We then boarded a smaller KLM flight bound for Barcelona and arrived at our final destination at around 0915 hr. Barcelona, in the Catalunya region, is Spain’s 2nd largest metropolis next to Madrid.

After collecting our luggage from the baggage claim, we went to the Tourist Information Counter, bought a 4-day tourist pass for €33 each. The pass is valid for train and bus rides, as well as discounts for entrance tickets to places of interest.

We took the train from the airport to Estacío de Sants, and checked into Expo Hotel which is a 5-10 mins walk from the train station. Fortunately the hotel could check us in early. We refreshed ourselves, had a sandwich and started our holiday in Spain!

Here’s our itinerary for the day:

Hospital Saint Pau - a hospital built in 1900s

La Sagrata Familia - an awe-inspiring unfinished cathedral by Anthoni Gaudí. (Discounted fee: €7 each)

La Pedrera Espai Gaudí - another Gaudí masterpiece, built between 1905 and 1910 as a combined apartment and office block. Better know as 'the quarry' because of its uneven grey stone facade that ripples around a street corner - it creates a wave effect that's further emphasized by elaborate wrought-iron balconies.

La Rambla - a tree-lined pedestrian boulevard packed with flower stalls, newstands, cafes, buskers, bird market, etc.

Had our dinner at a cafe at La Rambla and our first taste of tapas (small portion of food). Then it was to the hotel for a good night rest. What a LONG day!

Labels: Barcelona, Spain

Sam met me at the Health Club and we headed for home right after the Chiropractic session. After a shower, we scrambled to finalise our packing for the trip, checked to ensure all power supplies were switched off and windows closed, loaded our luggages (1 big, 2 hand carry) into our car, and headed for J and JN’s place. Picked them up and drove to Toa Payoh for Claypot Rice at one of the Hawker Centre along Lor 6.

After a sumptuous dinner, we headed for the airport and left our car (and plants) in their care. We checked in our luggage and were glad to have already done Internet check-in previous night, securing pretty good seats I must say :)

Labels: Pre and Post