Me and Chloe in the Asturianu
Jerad and Kate
And a random one form uni...!!! :p
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Getting Back on Track...!
Treated myself to a new, pretty, BLUE, 8GB i-pod the day after getting back from Madrid (well I can't survive without it!!), AND I got my first ever haircut in Spain the next day lol!! Man made a good job of it, but I was petrified when he used a cut-throat razor on me!! :s Felt a strange sense of accomplishment, getting a haircut, the washing done, and the shopping lol! :p Quiz night in the Asturianu too, so back to normality!!! :)
And a random one form uni...!!! :p
And a random one form uni...!!! :p
Homeward Bound!!!
Sunday, 23rd March
Up early to leave this hell-hole!!
Went to the Descalzas Reales again (last chance to get in!), but after standing in a queue outside for God-knows-how-long, I thought, 'Screw this!', and I just went to the Estación Sur to get my bus back to Oviedo--normal, civilized, perfect Oviedo!! :p
Set off at around 2:05, and cheerio to f**k Madrid; I won't miss you!!! I'm quite willing to say it was just a bad experience, but even so, WHAT an experience!! I had NEVER had the SLIGHTEST problem travelling before until I went 'there,' so that doesn't say much for the place! Not ONCE did I feel comfortable in the place, and I've never been happier to get out of a place IN MY LIFE!!! So I settled down for the homeward journey...
Well, JUST when I thought things were on the up, we hit TRAFFIC in the mountains in Asturias!!! F**king HORRENDOUS!!! Going at a SNAIL'S PACE, CRAWLING behind this HUGE CAVALCADE of cars, ultimately getting NOWHERE!! I could have DIED, and I despaired of EVER getting home!! :'( Moaned to the Spanish woman next to me (hey! I can moan in about four different languages! :p), and we FINALLY got off that BLOODY BUS at about 9:25 in OVIEDO: 7 hours it took us from f**king Madrid!! Bloody ridiculous!! Could've knelt down and KISSED the ground!! Was convinced someone would've stolen my bag from the hold while we were waiting to leave Madrid, but--luckily--it was still there, and off I went home!! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :p
Up early to leave this hell-hole!!
Went to the Descalzas Reales again (last chance to get in!), but after standing in a queue outside for God-knows-how-long, I thought, 'Screw this!', and I just went to the Estación Sur to get my bus back to Oviedo--normal, civilized, perfect Oviedo!! :p
Last glimpses of Madrid...THANK F**K!!!
Well, JUST when I thought things were on the up, we hit TRAFFIC in the mountains in Asturias!!! F**king HORRENDOUS!!! Going at a SNAIL'S PACE, CRAWLING behind this HUGE CAVALCADE of cars, ultimately getting NOWHERE!! I could have DIED, and I despaired of EVER getting home!! :'( Moaned to the Spanish woman next to me (hey! I can moan in about four different languages! :p), and we FINALLY got off that BLOODY BUS at about 9:25 in OVIEDO: 7 hours it took us from f**king Madrid!! Bloody ridiculous!! Could've knelt down and KISSED the ground!! Was convinced someone would've stolen my bag from the hold while we were waiting to leave Madrid, but--luckily--it was still there, and off I went home!! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :p
Friday, May 30, 2008
Last Full Day in Madrid...THANK GOD!!! :p
Saturday, 22nd March
Made my way to the Palacio Real de El Pardo to the north of Madrid, which was GORGEOUS!!! :D
Bit of info: Covering an area of 15,821 hectares, the Real Sitio de El Pardo was mentioned in documents as early as the 14th Century, but it was King Enrique III who, in 1405, had a small pavilion built on the site, which was later developed into a Royal Palace by Charles V. It was half-destroyed by fire in 1604, but thereafter enlarged by successive Monarchs, notably Charles III (1716-1788). It also served as the official residence of Franco until his death, after which--in 1976--it was opened to the public.
Couldn't take any pictures inside the Palace (tut!) or even of the façade 'cos it was covered in scaffolding, but it really is an impressive place, from the inner courtyard where we gathered for the guided tour, to the Queen's Gallery (with its tiles, tapestries, and Baroque ceiling paintaings), the Royal Chapel, and the little Theatre, which was SUCH a surprise but an absolute delight!!! :D). It also has a HUGE collection of tapestries (which I'm not normally impressed by, but which were magnificent--each and every one! :p), so well worth a visit! :)
I then made my way back into Madrid, and I had INTENDED to go to the Buen Retiro Park, but when the pissing rain came on, bang went that idea!!
So I went and treated myself to something else from the Corte Inglés (a DVD: Sissi: el beso del emperador [God! Place is an addiction!]), and then I made for the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales (had that joint ticket), but lo and behold! It was shut for bloody Semana Santa--tut! So, I treated myself (again!) to a fan with Las meninas on it, and I bought another (red) fan as a gift for Esther, the Spanish woman I was living with, and then I went to the little-known but well-worth-it Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, a collection of 700-odd paintings accumulated by father-and-son German-Hungarian magnates, and put on show by the late Baron's fifth wife, Carmen Cervera, a former Miss Spain!! It includes works by European Old Masters (such as van Eyck, Holbein, Raphael, and Titian), as well as examples of Impressionism and Expressionism i.e. 'Modern Art'!!! Pieces I was particularly pleased to see were :
Made my way to the Palacio Real de El Pardo to the north of Madrid, which was GORGEOUS!!! :D
Bit of info: Covering an area of 15,821 hectares, the Real Sitio de El Pardo was mentioned in documents as early as the 14th Century, but it was King Enrique III who, in 1405, had a small pavilion built on the site, which was later developed into a Royal Palace by Charles V. It was half-destroyed by fire in 1604, but thereafter enlarged by successive Monarchs, notably Charles III (1716-1788). It also served as the official residence of Franco until his death, after which--in 1976--it was opened to the public.
Palacio Real de El Pardo
Grounds of the Palace
Grounds of the Palace
Couldn't take any pictures inside the Palace (tut!) or even of the façade 'cos it was covered in scaffolding, but it really is an impressive place, from the inner courtyard where we gathered for the guided tour, to the Queen's Gallery (with its tiles, tapestries, and Baroque ceiling paintaings), the Royal Chapel, and the little Theatre, which was SUCH a surprise but an absolute delight!!! :D). It also has a HUGE collection of tapestries (which I'm not normally impressed by, but which were magnificent--each and every one! :p), so well worth a visit! :)
I then made my way back into Madrid, and I had INTENDED to go to the Buen Retiro Park, but when the pissing rain came on, bang went that idea!!
Getting ready for Semana Santa!!!
Inside Atocha station
Inside Atocha station
So I went and treated myself to something else from the Corte Inglés (a DVD: Sissi: el beso del emperador [God! Place is an addiction!]), and then I made for the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales (had that joint ticket), but lo and behold! It was shut for bloody Semana Santa--tut! So, I treated myself (again!) to a fan with Las meninas on it, and I bought another (red) fan as a gift for Esther, the Spanish woman I was living with, and then I went to the little-known but well-worth-it Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, a collection of 700-odd paintings accumulated by father-and-son German-Hungarian magnates, and put on show by the late Baron's fifth wife, Carmen Cervera, a former Miss Spain!! It includes works by European Old Masters (such as van Eyck, Holbein, Raphael, and Titian), as well as examples of Impressionism and Expressionism i.e. 'Modern Art'!!! Pieces I was particularly pleased to see were :
Portrait of King Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Younger (a painting I'd seen sooo many times before and was DYING to see this time!!! :D)
Retrato de una Infanta. Catalina de Aragón (?) by Juan de Flandes. A portrait presumed to be Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII, and daughter of los Reyes Católicos. (Again, I'd seen it many times before, and was DELIGHTED to see it!! :D)
Orquídea y colibrí cerca de una cascada de montaña by Martin Johnson Heade (absolutely GORGEOUS!!! :D)
Tough Customers by John George Brown, which was charming!!! :)
Retrato de una Infanta. Catalina de Aragón (?) by Juan de Flandes. A portrait presumed to be Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII, and daughter of los Reyes Católicos. (Again, I'd seen it many times before, and was DELIGHTED to see it!! :D)
Orquídea y colibrí cerca de una cascada de montaña by Martin Johnson Heade (absolutely GORGEOUS!!! :D)
Tough Customers by John George Brown, which was charming!!! :)
*No photos allowed in the Museum, so I didn't take the above, but wanted to show you them! :p
So I bought myself the poster of Retrato de una Infanta, and 2 postcards: the one of Henry VIII, and Orquídea y colibrí cerca de una cascada de montaña. Back to the hostel after that to get ready to go back to Oviedo!!! :D
Wee blue bus! :)
So I bought myself the poster of Retrato de una Infanta, and 2 postcards: the one of Henry VIII, and Orquídea y colibrí cerca de una cascada de montaña. Back to the hostel after that to get ready to go back to Oviedo!!! :D
Metropolis building on Gran Vía surmounted by winged Victory
Wee blue bus! :)
Disillusionment sets in!!!
Friday, 21st March
Had THE WORST sleep OF MY LIFE! Waking up every half-hour, sweating, tossing, turning until I just had to get the hell up! Bleurgh!! :p So I dragged myself up, left Los Amigos (all right for a night!), and then I headed to my new hostel: Metropol, on nearby Calle de la Montera...passing the BIGGEST number of prostitutes I've EVER seen!! :O I didn't even know they came out that early; I thought they were like vampires (only sucking things at night!! :p)!! Don't have anything against them (world's oldest profession after all!), but it's just not the nicest of things to see...!!!
So, anyway, sat in my dingy room (kind of like being in jail!)--which slept 5, but no one else was there--until I left and headed to Atocha to get the train to Toledo! Had to put my bag through security before I even got into the RENFE waiting area (and I made sure I held on to my f**king stuff this time! :p), had a Cola Cao, and then it was on to the cool, flashy, modern, QUICK train I got! Only 25 minutes to get to Toledo--which makes a change from wasting HOURS on a bus!! So I hopped on a bus to the Historic Centre, and then I set about wandering!
Bit about Toledo: located 70km south of Madrid, historic Toledo was known to the Romans as Toletum, and served as the Visigothic Capital until it was captured by the Moors in 712, under whose rule Tulaytulah (Arabic rendering of Toledo) enjoyed a golden age (La Convivencia) until captured by King Alfonso VI of Castilla in 1085. It served as Christian Capital until Felipe II moved it to Madrid (in 1561), when it went into a slow decline. It is, however, famous for its production of iron (especially swords, and for its Historic Centre, as well as its depictions in the paintings of El Greco (1541-1614), who spent the latter part of his life there.
The City is undoubtedly an impressive place (kind of reminded me of Carcassonne, France), but I could not MOVE for tourists!! So I came across the Alcázar (which didn't impress me that much and was shut anyway!), and then I wandered along the PACKED, narrow little streets until I came to the Cathedral!
Looking out over Toledo
The Alcázar. Site of a fortress for centuries, but it's been bombed and blasted so many times that almost nothing remains of the original building constructed by Charles V. Most recently held out for two months during a siege by Republicans of the Nationalist-held building.
Castillo San Salvando (now a parador)
Toledo Cathedral. Built between 1227 and 1493 in the Gothic style, Toledo Cathedral has a rich quantity of internal decoration from the Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque periods.
The spire of Toledo Cathedral
Inside Cathedral
Detail of Transparente
Headed out again, everywhere I went getting banged about by tourists, and when my nose started bleeding again, I just thought 'F**k this! I' leaving!' Made my way back through the City...
Isabel 'la Católica,' Queen of Castile (1451-1504)
View over the Río Tajo
Emperor Charles V
View of Toledo and the Alcázar from the bus!
Went back to the station (even though my train wasn't for like another hour and a half!), where I sat reading, having 2 Cola Caos, and an orange juice (vitamin C hit!! :p) until I got on the 5:0o train! My mood was not helped by texts from my mum AND aunt in Scotland, saying that they'd seen ETA had starting BOMBING Madrid again!! :o I never actually heard if they did, but I thought, 'Good God! I'm never gonna get out of this place alive!!' Was glad to get off at Atocha, but NOT when I was on the Metro and the train just STOPS in the middle of a tunnel for like 5 MINUTES!!! Thought, 'We're dead!!', but it did eventually start moving again...then stopped again...and THEN got moving again!! NEVER have I been SO GLAD to get off of a f**king train!!!
Not bad for a toilet building!
Get to my hostel, asked for room key at reception, and I was told someone had already taken it to the room. So up I went, knocking on the door...thumping it...and then KICKING it, but no one would open it!! :O So down I went to reception and got a second key (should just have given us a key each anyway!), tried it in the door, and it wouldn't fit 'cos SOMEONE had left the key in the other side!! Arrggghhhh!!!! So I kicked and thumped and SCREAMED until some vacant looking dumb-f**k of a girl opens the door: 'Oh perdón...'!!!! Silly cow!!! So I got myself sorted in the hostel, and then I went out a bit later on and treated myself and treated myself to some Ben 'n' Jerry's (Caramel Chew Chew!!! :p) from the nearby shop!! Most WELCOME sight YET in Madrid!!! Spoke to some nice Portuguese guy in my room, and then bed...BLEURGH!!! :p
Had THE WORST sleep OF MY LIFE! Waking up every half-hour, sweating, tossing, turning until I just had to get the hell up! Bleurgh!! :p So I dragged myself up, left Los Amigos (all right for a night!), and then I headed to my new hostel: Metropol, on nearby Calle de la Montera...passing the BIGGEST number of prostitutes I've EVER seen!! :O I didn't even know they came out that early; I thought they were like vampires (only sucking things at night!! :p)!! Don't have anything against them (world's oldest profession after all!), but it's just not the nicest of things to see...!!!
So, anyway, sat in my dingy room (kind of like being in jail!)--which slept 5, but no one else was there--until I left and headed to Atocha to get the train to Toledo! Had to put my bag through security before I even got into the RENFE waiting area (and I made sure I held on to my f**king stuff this time! :p), had a Cola Cao, and then it was on to the cool, flashy, modern, QUICK train I got! Only 25 minutes to get to Toledo--which makes a change from wasting HOURS on a bus!! So I hopped on a bus to the Historic Centre, and then I set about wandering!
Bit about Toledo: located 70km south of Madrid, historic Toledo was known to the Romans as Toletum, and served as the Visigothic Capital until it was captured by the Moors in 712, under whose rule Tulaytulah (Arabic rendering of Toledo) enjoyed a golden age (La Convivencia) until captured by King Alfonso VI of Castilla in 1085. It served as Christian Capital until Felipe II moved it to Madrid (in 1561), when it went into a slow decline. It is, however, famous for its production of iron (especially swords, and for its Historic Centre, as well as its depictions in the paintings of El Greco (1541-1614), who spent the latter part of his life there.
The City is undoubtedly an impressive place (kind of reminded me of Carcassonne, France), but I could not MOVE for tourists!! So I came across the Alcázar (which didn't impress me that much and was shut anyway!), and then I wandered along the PACKED, narrow little streets until I came to the Cathedral!
Toledo
Looking out over Toledo
The Alcázar. Site of a fortress for centuries, but it's been bombed and blasted so many times that almost nothing remains of the original building constructed by Charles V. Most recently held out for two months during a siege by Republicans of the Nationalist-held building.
Castillo San Salvando (now a parador)
Cathedral was as busy as hell (blaspheme! :p)!! Paid 7€ to get into the place, but I wasn't even that interested! The Baroque Transparente was BEAUTIFUL, but there was a (big!) queue to get into the museum, and I was NOT doing queues today! So I sat on a set of steps inside the Cathedral, head bursting, eyes popping out, and feeling SHIT!!
Toledo Cathedral. Built between 1227 and 1493 in the Gothic style, Toledo Cathedral has a rich quantity of internal decoration from the Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque periods.
The spire of Toledo Cathedral
Inside Cathedral
Detail of Transparente
Headed out again, everywhere I went getting banged about by tourists, and when my nose started bleeding again, I just thought 'F**k this! I' leaving!' Made my way back through the City...
Around Toledo
Isabel 'la Católica,' Queen of Castile (1451-1504)
View over the Río Tajo
Emperor Charles V
View of Toledo and the Alcázar from the bus!
Went back to the station (even though my train wasn't for like another hour and a half!), where I sat reading, having 2 Cola Caos, and an orange juice (vitamin C hit!! :p) until I got on the 5:0o train! My mood was not helped by texts from my mum AND aunt in Scotland, saying that they'd seen ETA had starting BOMBING Madrid again!! :o I never actually heard if they did, but I thought, 'Good God! I'm never gonna get out of this place alive!!' Was glad to get off at Atocha, but NOT when I was on the Metro and the train just STOPS in the middle of a tunnel for like 5 MINUTES!!! Thought, 'We're dead!!', but it did eventually start moving again...then stopped again...and THEN got moving again!! NEVER have I been SO GLAD to get off of a f**king train!!!
Toledo train station, in Mudejar style
Not bad for a toilet building!
Get to my hostel, asked for room key at reception, and I was told someone had already taken it to the room. So up I went, knocking on the door...thumping it...and then KICKING it, but no one would open it!! :O So down I went to reception and got a second key (should just have given us a key each anyway!), tried it in the door, and it wouldn't fit 'cos SOMEONE had left the key in the other side!! Arrggghhhh!!!! So I kicked and thumped and SCREAMED until some vacant looking dumb-f**k of a girl opens the door: 'Oh perdón...'!!!! Silly cow!!! So I got myself sorted in the hostel, and then I went out a bit later on and treated myself and treated myself to some Ben 'n' Jerry's (Caramel Chew Chew!!! :p) from the nearby shop!! Most WELCOME sight YET in Madrid!!! Spoke to some nice Portuguese guy in my room, and then bed...BLEURGH!!! :p
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Pleasure and Pain!!!
El Palacio Real de Aranjuez
Thursday, 20th March
Had a nosebleed to start the day!! Had been feeling rough since I got to Madrid, with a sore throat and blocked nose (think it was the stuffy room!), so THAT's the result! Anyway, said goodbye to Hostal Puerta del Sol (had a pleasant enough stay), and off I went to Los Amigos on nearby Calle Campomanes--just next to the Teatro Real--where I was gonna be spending the night. Dumped my bag, and then I headed to Atocha train station to get a ticket to Toledo!!! :) Well THAT was a f**king rigmarole! Stood in about three f**king queues before I found out that you couldn't even buy a ticket to Toledo there, and so off I went to some other ticket office, which has the most RIDICULOUS queuing system IMAGINABLE!! You take a ticket, and then you wait...and wait...and WAIT, and there's only like one f**king person on the ticket desk!!! Was nowhere NEAR my number, so I thought 'F**k it! I'm off to Aranjuez instead!' Grrrrrrr!!! HAD planned to go there tomorrow (to see the Royal Palace), but the best laid plans...!!! So off I went to Estación Sur, and hopped on the 11:30 bus to Aranjuez! :)
GLAD to get off the f**king thing! I felt ROUGH, and REALLY needed fresh air!! Then off to the Palace I went...!!!
Bit of info:
The Palacio Real de Aranjuez was commissioned by Felipe II (1527-1598), and designed by Juan Bautista de Toledo and Juan de Herrera (of El Escorial fame!!), and completed during the reign of Fernando VI (1713-1759). It's known for its ornamental fantasies (the Sala de Porcelana, for example) and its large gardens, and also contains the Museo de la Vida en Palacio (which contains lots and lots of lovely fans!!! :D).
Joined the tour at 1:00, and we pretty much raced around the place with the female guide giving very brief, not-too-in-depth descriptions of each room, but 1) I guess any more info would've been dull and 2) wow!!!!!! I LOVED the place!! Sooooo sumptuous!!! Soooo impressive, and sooo beautiful!! Can certainly rival the Palacio Real (and at least I didn't get robbed here! :p).
What you laughing at?!
Yet more of the statuary laughing at me...!!!
El Jardín del Rey
Felipe II
Mural to Charles V
Mural to Isabella of Portugal
Came across this in one of the Royal bathrooms! :p
Bought yet another book from the gift store (Las joyas de las reinas de España), and then I had a wander round the Jardín de la Isla, which was an absolute DELIGHT!!! :D The sun had come out, it was sooo peaceful...and I saw a squirrel lol!! :p Lovely place...
Jardín de la Isla
Dedicated to wine lovers everywhere!!! :p Old Bacchus!
Can you see the rainbow?!
So, after sitting in the sun and having a look at my new (-est) book, I went and treated myself to another of Aranjuez's delights: strawberries and cream!!!!!!!! Magic!!!!!!! :p
Un fresón de fresas y crema!!! :)
I then hopped on the 4:30 bus back to Madrid, and headed BACK to Atocha to get my ticket for tomorrow to Toledo!! Took f**king ages!! Ate a whole tortilla baguette...and could've devoured about three more in the time it took!! Suffer on...!!!
Randomness on the streets of Madrid!!!
Headed back to my hostel, chatted to a girl from New Zealand (!) who was sharing my 6-bedder room, and then I went to bed early 'cos I felt ROUGH!!!
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