Sevilla.

The most commercial and touristy place on our week long trip.
I won’t say I didn’t like it. I did like it.
But, too commercial for me.
Of course, it is that commercial because there are so many things to see, and so many things to do, but this city, at least the central part where everything is, is full of Starbucks and Burger Kings. Not that I have anything against these establishments, but that little restaurant in the corner where we ate a full meal for 11 euros is Sevilla, not McDonalds.
We spent two days in Sevilla at different places, the first one a dirty hostel near the centre of the city, while the other one was an apartment 20 minutes from the centre. I don’t mind travelling to the centre because the apartment was really something. When you have a nice place to come back to after a whole day of visiting new places in the rain, it makes your day.



So, Sevilla has one of the biggest cathedrals in the world, which is truly overwhelming. It is so big and encompassing that you feel tiny in front of it. Then you go up the tower, from where you can see all of Sevilla. The coloured houses stand out in the foggy mist making it a sight that you will never forget!
How do we get to the centre of the city? By a tram. Yes, a tram. There’s a little train that takes you everywhere worth going. This city was made for the tourists!
One of the places that I loved was Plaza de España, 5 minutes from the centre, but very, very beautiful. I am attaching a picture to elaborate. Because even though I consider my writing skills to be above average, I cannot describe this place.



So, that was the last of my road trip. A week of travelling tires you out, but it was all so worth it.

Cordoba.

Cordoba, our first stop in the road trip.
I didn’t know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. We saw the whole city/town within a day and the next day we were able to find our way without a map. Yes, it’s that tiny.
But, oh, so lovely.
Cordoba is one of those little towns that you dream of living in. There are a lot of places to visit. Cordoba’s history is very interesting and different but it doesn’t overwhelm you, in fact it invites you in. La Mezquita, which means little mosque in Spanish is actually a cathedral. Inside this monument of Islamic design lays a huge cross. It's something so unique that I can’t really describe it. One should visit it, not for how beautiful (and it is very pretty) it is but just to see how different it is.
When I spoke to the owner of a souvenirs shop, he told me that most of their tourists are Spanish, and they usually visit when it’s warmer. (We went there in December.) Even though most foreign tourists don’t know about this place, it really is a place one should go to.
No, I don’t want it to become like Sevilla, crowded and commercialised. But for those who really wish to see a place because of its history and culture, not because it’s a cool thing to do, should really visit Cordoba, on their way to Sevilla. Because once you go there and feel the warmth and quietness, you won’t really like Sevilla.

Cadiz.

This post must be divided into 3. Because well, each place I visited has its own feel. And because things must not always be in order, this isn't in order of when I visited these places.

Again, being close to the sea does it for me and Cadiz, being the last leg of our trip seemed like a good way to end it. And it was, this town may not be the busiest, or may not boast of the best beaches, but it does have something special about it.
It's easy to get around it and everyone knows where everything is, it's that small. Their little plazas are decorated with Christmas lights (which is the case everywhere in Spain, something I am not used to)and people 'hang out' a lot. My best memory of Cadiz, is us sitting outside a restaurant treating ourselves to a cheap (11 euros) but gastronomically fulfilling meal (which was first for me on this trip) for almost 2 hours, as band of street musicians played some music.
I don't think Cadiz is the prettiest place I've been to in Spain, but it's the most livable place for me, so far, which is saying a lot.
I think it has a little of everything in perfect doses. Places to visit (there's a very pretty cathedral), the sea (they have just one beach, but there's a nice walk you can take along the coast), food (For a vegetarian, yes, I was surprised too), nice weather (it was 20 degrees in December, for Europe that's good!) and well, nice people, of course, this is Spain.

Xpress again.

I've been in Madrid for almost 3 months now and it seems so less. What have I done in these three months, you might ask me?
Other than learning to live with someone I hardly knew and in a new country, I've travelled a lot.
I went to Toledo, a little town that boasts of 3 different cultures and has been the hub for painters like El Greco. Along with that I also went to EL Escorial, which is home to a monastry/old residence of Spanish monarchy. Members of the Spanish royal family are buried here now. And it's a little scary to walk around all those beautifully carved marble tombstones.
Along with that, I left the peninsula and went to one of the Balearic islands, Mallorca for the weekend. Of course, the Spanish had more holidays and we had almost a week off, so we road tripped from Cordoba, to Sevilla and then Cadiz. I never thought I would say this, but it was 22 degrees in Sevilla and that’s the warmest I've been in 2 months!
I've learnt from all these places that even though they are major tourist spots, those little cafes in the secluded corners of the tiny lanes are the best bet. I am a vegetarian and they don't really cater to my taste, so I have to do with chips and salad from Burger King but otherwise, they are the best places you can go to.
With all that travelling, I came back home, yes, I finally called Madrid home, to work on my first presentation in Spain. I am glad to say, all those presentations in front of a 100 people back at Xavier’s helped a ton. It was quite easy and for the first time, there wasn’t a weird feeling in my stomach. So far, I’ve done well but there’s always more to learn, and I am looking forward to that in the next 6 months.

Mallorca.

When I am going to a place, I look online for things that define it. With El Escorial, it was the monastery, with Toledo, for me, it was El Greco and of course, the 3 cultures intervening.
So, what defines Mallorca for me? To be honest, I didn't really care. It was where Rafael Nadal is from and that's all that mattered. But it turned out to be so much more than that.
High walls hid beautiful courtyards from us as we walked through the tiny streets of Palma, but it wasn't enough. Sometimes we did get a glimpse of what was inside and it was another world. Bright flowers and enough foliage to compensate for it's dependence on tourism, I must say that the Mallorcans are proud people who actually come alive when it's not tourist season.
I must admit, I always thought Mallorca would be this tourist place for the summer without any culture of its own, bowing down to capitalism. But it's not so. The artists (Chopin, Miro) that have sought refuge in the hills of Mallorca speak for the rich culture of the island. And let me tell you, once you are done with the beaches, take a car or a scooter and travel around the island, it isn't all that big and a week should be more than enough to enjoy everything perfectly. I couldn't, but I am going to as soon as I get the opportunity.
For me, beaches are an exquisite experience, I am another person on the beach and the fact that I was able to look beyond that and admire it, is a big thing.

Redefinition.

When we were kids we were taught to draw straight lines and make a square, to colour within these lines and stick to the colour palate. We are told that whatever we draw should look pretty. Pretty, as in, appeasing to the eye and what makes us feel good about ourselves.
So, once those boundaries are set for us, we are then asked to let our creativity flow. But, we still draw the same circle and the same square and the same triangle. It has to be perfect of course, otherwise it's not good. And with that we continue to draw and expect to draw perfect little minions of ourselves.
Then, when we go into a museum, say the Reina Sofia, (Yes, I am obsessed with it)and see something absolutely convoluted being called the Woman and the Dog, we try to look for that dog. And say, Oh pfft, it looks like a kid did it. Or say, anyone can do it.
Of course anyone can do it but they don't.
And yes, a kid did it, that kid whose creativity still exists and that kid who doesn't colour within the lines.
So, why is modern art so? Because it can be so.
I am not going to say I understand modern art, because I don't. I am not there, yet. But I will be.
And I believe I can say that for most of us, because after centuries of trying to make things perfect, we've come to the point where we don't really care and everyone's not ready to accept it, yet.
But we'll get there. I hope we do.
Once we do, the journey will be worth it.

Hala Madrid!

Standing in the cold for 2 hours, alone (we are all slaves to companionship, don't deny it) for these tickets was now going to be worth it.
So, there we are running a little late, but it's fine, we're getting to the Bernabeu. Legends played here. A club that has so much history, Chelsea, Man City and the others have nothing compared to it. Of course, in recent times it hasn't been as cultured as it was, but we'll forgive them for that.
People to look out for were:
1) Cristiano Ronaldo. Yes, we just love to hate him but love him even more all along.
2) Jose Mourinho. I never thought I'd fall in love with this guy. But now that's he's not with Chelsea, it's fine. It's allowed, permitted, whatever.
3) Xavi Alonso. Even though we don't like the scousers, one must say Alonso is amazing and he's not one anymore so he's not vermin anymore.
4) Iker Casillas. Why not, you know? He is very hot. And was the goalkeeper of the winning team in the World Cup.
5) Karim Benzema. Now, now, he's never played for an English club so we have nothing to compare him too, but nevertheless, he's one to watch out for, eh?

So, what happens in the match?
3 of the above score.
1 of them gets sent off by the stupid referee and has to coach from the stands. Fun for the spectators sitting there though.
And the other has to face a penalti which he lets through. Yes, I am going to spell penalti like that because it's so Spanish.

So what makes the stadium experience better than tv other than the fact that it's actually being there?
You know the crowd noises that seem to annoy old people when you are watching the match, you are one of them, yes, one of the screaming fanatics. And it's alright because everyone's yelling or booing or cheering. It might all seem the same on tv but not in there. In there, you know what they are saying and trust me it's not PG 13.
And yes, Real Madrid won 5-1. So it was an interesting, lively game. All for 10 euros.
All in all, it was a hell of a night.