fact: writing on a blog is more fun than packing a bag.

Well this is my last day in Spain and it's been quite mundane, but very enjoyable. I'm in Valencia which is a very nice city which does in fact have very good orange juice and is the home of paella. Aside from being famous for oranges and paella Valencia is home to 'The city of Arts and Sciences' a big museum complex with very swanky, modern architecture.

The 'city of arts and sciences' also has a big aquarium and in the aquarium they have a couple of Beluga whales. Weirdest looking things I've ever seen. Very lumpy. Kind of like big lumpy white dugongs. But seeing them was cool. They probably think that I'm weird looking.

I think out of the places I've been in Spain, Barcelona has to be my favourite. It's got a really cool vibe to it and the old city is really beautiful. I went on a walking tour on my first day there and heard lots of really interesting stuff about the city. Lots of fights and destruction mostly during the Spanish Civil War but at other times as well. The Catalan cultural stuff is quite interesting and there are a lot of people there who still want Cataluna to be its own country. I didn't find that anyone was at all hostile when I spoke to them in Spanish and the main annoyance was that all the menus come in Catalan - and it's different enough that they're really difficult to read.

The hostel is stayed in in Barcelona I think has to be the best one I've ever stayed in. (I'm thinking, thinking and still sticking with that statement.) So, if you ever go to Barcelona go and stay at Barcelona Central Garden Hostel. It was so nice and peaceful and with really friendly and super helpful staff. I met some really nice people while I was staying there - including an Argentinian social worker who spoke nice, clear, slow Spanish to me all day while we looked at Gaudi and two girls (one Aussie, one American) who are also moving to London. The other Aussie has already given me some names of good coffee places.

Tomorrow at 6:30 in the morning I'm taking a bus to Madrid to then fly to London. Now I have to try and fit everything into my bag.

The Barcelona school of Architecture. Mmm hmm. 

"Hairy Willy" the Catalan champion. No I'm not kidding about his name. 

Balcony in Parque Guell.

'La Sagrada Familia' still under construction. 

Inside 'La Sagrada Familia.' Maria and I both wondered what Gaudi was smoking. 

At the top of La Sagrada Familia. 

international flatmates, siesta, leaving Salamanca and fried potatoes

So I'm currently sitting in Madrid, and remembering that the times I tend to blog are when I'm waiting for transport somewhere. Tonight I'm going to Barcelona, which is very exciting. My last two weeks in Salamanca were really great - so great I thought about staying and actually got offered a job. But, I'm not anyway for a few reasons that aren't very interesting. I have really enjoyed Spain and am getting used to it's funny little tendencies. Kind of the reverse to Sydney, (and London, I think) is that random people on the street are super, super friendly whereas (a lot of) waiters and people who work in shops are pretty much jerks. (In Salamanca anyway, it's better in Madrid.) When you order something, it's like they're angry at you or something. The other strange thing is that they don't seem to be interested in taking your money. Paying for something is quite hard work. You'll finally get someone to serve you, and when you're finished be looking around for quite a while, and then often wait quite a while longer before they bring you the bill.
It's pretty much the complete opposite of Germany. No structure. But people are very relaxed. When you talk to people as well (non-waiter-people), I couldn't believe how patient they were and how happy to talk to you, and considerate, speaking slower etc. After I badmouthed the siesta in my last blog, in Salamanca I kind of embraced it and found myself having daily naps to let my poor brain recover from being bombarded by verb conjugations.

After my English flatmates Emily and Cora left two new ones moved in. Fillipo, an Italian who is in Salamanca to study Pharmacy for a year and Victor, a Brazilian who is studying at the same language school that I was. Victor is a psychologist and in the first conversation I had with him, after assuring me he wasn't an annoying psychologist (no offence to my many psychologist friends) asked me if I was 'escaping from something' in Australia. Fillipo, who didn't know any Spanish when he arrived and only knew a little bit of English would speak a few Spanish words here and there but just speak Italian to us, using lots of hand gestures. Victor did good impersonations of Filippo using lots of hand gestures. Very humorous communication. Occasionally resorting to google translate. Trying to use strange kitchen appliances and explain how to use said appliances across three languages. Filippo also made carbonara and I realised that I should try and find a non-english speaking Italian housemate in London to make life more fun.

Leaving Salamanca was a bit sad because I was really enjoying the friends I made there. A good thing about the plan to live in London is that many of the people I've met will visit!

So now I'm at the end of the two days I've been in Madrid and it's been really fun. Hanging out with Nat was really nice and it's nice because I'm going to see her in London in two weeks as well. Yesterday we had some churros, I spent a bit of time in the Museo del Prado which was amazing, but typical to those huge art galleries quite overwhelming,

Two nights in a row we went to a tapas bar that someone recommended to Nat called 'El Tigre' in Chueca (it doesn't mean 'lion' by the way.) We went because apparently the free tapas that come with the drinks are very generous. The first night we went there last and buying two rather large Caiparinhas, we were given a big plate of fried potatoes, croquetes, ham and chicken wings. When we went back the second night, we decided it would be better to begin the night there. After pushing my way to the bar through the din of people and ordering drinks, I passed the huge plate of food to Nat who was barging her way into some bench space. I was a little confused when while I was waiting to pay (uh huh!) the waiter put a second plate of food on top of the cups. I was assured that it was ours too. And then we got a third. I've never seen so many, let alone eaten so many carbs in my life. There's a theme to food in Spain. Pig, cheese, potato and fried. Mmmm.

(My computer and my camera had a little argument and they decided to delete about a week and a bit's worth of photos so I have no photos of this stuff :-(   )