From Siberia to Madrid

Hello everyone! I finally left my extremely busy educational and cultural program with constant visits to museums and other things and I can share with you some interesting situations and emotions I have had recently.

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), my blog is far behind from my adventures that’s happening right now, so I’m kind of forced to leave Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong (even though I really like to tell you about this lovely trio!) But today my story is about hot Spanish Madrid also full of wonders and mysteries.

In Madrid, I stayed for only 4 days and 6 nights (apparently, I love sleeping in other countries, and not to enjoying hikes and walks around the city considering the numbers of nights I spent there in comparison with the days). So I’ll try to open the door to the mysterious world of Madrid. As it was there.

My flight was a bit difficult for me and very tiring, involving a journey by three different planes and staying for a while at the airports, which in total took about 18 hours of me getting from point A to B. But it was certainly worth it.

(c) skydiving cats commercials made by a Swedish company Folksam.

Accommodation .

As I booked a room in advance for my staying in Madrid through the Internet, I printed out the map, roughly knew how to get to the place. Actually, I want to make a point here that it is better to be well prepared at home, all searched and printed, consider the route and everythig  because, obviously, it will save your  time and nerve, as well. What could be better than to feel confident and relaxed in a foreign country which is new for you? Well, even a well-prepared, myself, I was very tense and worried.

When I reached the destination, I realized that I did not understand anything . By saying this I mean that the numbering system and the location of apartments in Spain is very different from the one we use in Russia. My address was this: street Х, the house number 64 and then escalera 2 1º -2» (see the photo below)

Therefore the situation was the following:  10pm , I am on the street, with a huge luggage and 2 bags, it’s dark outside, there are no people who understand English (not even mentioning Russian), and my Spanish vocabulary consist of about 5 words I believe. That means no matter which button I will press on the intercom, I wouldn’t be able to express myself and the situation I am in. Fortunately, there was a girl passing me and I showed her the address I had on my printed paper, pointed to the number of the apartment with the degrees and gestured to the intercom. She understood me (body/sign language is the most useful, probably) and she pressed the right button for me. God, bless her! That’s not all! I managed to get lost in the building, while was going to the apartment! Probably the fact that I was a 7 months-born baby is a reason of my life being full of funny adventures that accompany me all the time. So, my dears, in Spain they have “escalera 1” (the stairs number 1), “escalera 2” and so on . I needed a second one, but I went to the first stairs I saw, of course (in Russia everything is easier. Enter the building and there is one way only, well at least in the buildings I use). Anyway, I knocked at a stranger’s door, who was (of course) speaking only in Spanish, and it was at 10 pm! To sum up this story, Madrid already knew Natasha from Russia came here)))

My flatmates who I stayed with for 6 nights, were stunning and adorable. It was such a friendly Spanish girl (the  landlady), with whome, alas, I almost did not communicate because of the language barrier.

(c) photo was taken from a Russian site of Dragunkin.

But, more importantly, she had two cats and a dog Ariel (The name of the Little Mermaid already made me feel comfortable with the dog). The pet was too welcoming, jumped on me, tried to hug me, and she was waiting for me in the evenings to come home which was so sweet of her! I kind of liked it as therfore I did not feel lonely in a foreign country, somebody waited for me at HOME!

The internet

Could not resist of sharing this funny story. The thing is that when I just arrived to Madrid, to the apartment already, I needed the internet, at least for a very little while but I was desperate for the connection. My landlady showed me everything in her flat and left me a paper with a written password to wi-fi on it, then she went out (it’s absolutely understandable as it was late evening, Friday). I had an awful time while was entering the password, each time changing the letters. The code contained a large number of letters and numbers and I had doubts about some of them – is it a letter g? Or maybe j? (it finally turned out to be f). I love people with interesting handwriting)). That evening/night I could not use the Internet  but was kind of obstinate so spent about an hour and some of my nerves. The Conclusion is: ladies and gentlemen, if you are given a password for the wi-fi and you know you really in need of the internet, straight away check if it’s working, do not put on. In other words, do not wait for using the internet tomorrow that can be used today) )

A wrong  way of setting up a meeting

On my very first day in Madrid (it was a beautiful sunny Saturday), I agreed to meet with my Madridian friend. I would not mention this meeting (even though it was absolutely lovely and enjoyable) if again I didn’t have an interesting situation happened to me. It happens that I was in the city without any connections except the social network (and why should I name it and make an advert for such a successful company with hundreds of millions of users on my blog with 3 readers, ahaha) ) ) . Ok, without jokes, when I left the house on the day, I was already without the connection so I wrote to my friend that as we are meeting in the Puerta del Sol (one of the biggest and popular square in the city) it’s better to make it more precisely and clear where we are going to meet. I proposed him to meet near something remarkable there, when said: “if this is the square with the famous the bear and the strawberry tree (symbol of the city), then we shall meet nearby. And if there is a man on a horseback in the square then we are meeting beside him.  To be honest, I have read a lot of different  articles, looked at websites, blogs on the internet about Madrid and its sightseeing, which all were mixed in my head. How much surprised I was when I arrived to the area and discovered that there were the bear and the horse too! On top of that the square  was filled with tourists of different nations and ages, it was “lived, sang and danced”. And knowing my abnormal punctuality… for approximately 20 minutes that I came before the actual meeting time, I was following a defined route:  from the bear to the horse and back, and again… Dears, be cleverer than I am! Be precise in your words, actions and findings. Although, I do not regret anything, or as inimitable Edith Piaf sang «Non, je ne regrette rien”.

At the restaurant

When I was with my Spanish friend (Nacho), everything was excellent. He helped with the translation of a menu; helped with the selection of dishes and even taught me how to eat bread as I was doing it in a wrong way. The bread which was fresh and crisp was given to us with a soup on a small plate. I think Siberian people don’t hesitate biting a loaf (or rather it was a bun. But my “guide” told me that in Spain people broke a small piece from the whole and ate it gently. So I experienced the Spanish culture of eating bread (although, I think, in all restaurants it is considered to be the norm – break off a small piece of bread). Well, it’s never too late to learn how to behave yourself)))

Also, having learned a few words in a foreign language (Spanish I mean), I was able to amuse and surprise the waiter. Even saying, “por favor” and something else you will make staff serving you a bit happier which is always a nice thing to do. Most importantly, don’t be afraid, my friends! It will break  the ice and blurs the boundaries of misunderstanding. Try it and you’ll feel it! I am sure.

So, I felt pretty comfortbale being with the friend who was Spanish but, once, in a cafe, while being alone… I remember deciding to have a breakfast and t must’ve been something Spanish (I wanted so), traditional food, so I could put a tick in the “1000000000000000 things that I have to do before I die.” Thus, I chose a small cafe where noone heard of English language existence)). I looked at the menu and saw the word “espagnol” or something like this (think it was a Spanish tortilla) and I decided that it was what I needed! You should’ve seen my face-expression when I was given a huge loaf with the omelet. Well, I know that the traditional Spanish omelet is cooked with onions and potatoes, but a huge loaf for breakfast? That was something I’d remember for sure! It was such a delicious and not heavy breakfast, hahah

El Rastro Market

Even before arriving to Madrid, I have already decided that I’ll visit “flea market” – El Rastro market, which is opened only on the Sundays and holidays from 9 am to 3 pm. I was lucky staying in the city center and it was just a 5 minute walk for me to the market, which is located in the district of La Latina (convenient to walk from the metro station Tirso de Molina). I was curious to feel the atmosphere of this place and understand why it is a famous attraction for the tourists. In truth, few things on the market  really attracted me, though I cannot show them as I didn’t buy them and didn’t take any photos of them too.

It put a smile on my face when noticed there was such a mannequin lower body. Maybe I just wasn’t paying attention before, but I found it interesting – the dimension of a rear dummy. I regard this as an example of glocalisation. Of course, not all of the Spanish women have such impressive curly forms, but I think most of them do.

Interesting mannequins for the hats too –  skulls))

Several times I saw the police going through and checking the merchants’ documents. Probably they need a special permition for selling the stuff there, at the market… so I had to leave my shop with the Russian dolls (matreshkas), bottles of vodka and buckets of caviar))

Unusual case in the underground

I was in the underground, listening to my MP3-player when realized that one of the standing women there (although it is possible she was the only one who stood at the time) talked something out loud (probably about politics, as I understood) and then another stood up (an ordinary passenger) and answered aggressively to the first one, all in a raised voice. I don’t exactly know what it was, but these girls were like on fire. The first lady that appeared in the carriage with the speech, passed between the sits, while trying to get some money for her speech or something else (I don’t know), and as she was leaving the tube, a man entered it with a guitar and began to demonstrate his  talent,  when singing very loudly and not very nice to be honest. All passengers were smiling,  some laughing. This story illustrated that the underground in Madrid is like a stage full of presentations and entertainments, and sometimes your trip can turn into something more than just the use of transport.

A street in Madrid. It’s not Omsk (Siberia), is it?

Walk of Fame in Madrid

When I just discovered that Madrid has its own Walk of Fame, such as the American Hollywood, I immediately knew “I must go there! I want! I’ll find it! I am coming!». However, it was some kind of a challenge to find the place even with a map. Some people I met on the way were trying their best to help me while exchanging only with gestures and body language. Maybe I had some troubles of finding it because I imagined it to be a pompous, impressive and remarkable place. But in fact, it turned out that the asphalt with the “stars” was just as the normal Spanish asphalt, nothing extraordinary really, well except the stars. Perhaps it is my personal opinion, but when I saw Antonio Banderas’ star: dirty, surrounded by the cigarette butts… How can it possibly be this way?

And Penelope Cruz too

Although, there was a car with a hose and some soap, washing the “stars” at the time I was there. After the washing, the road looked better and cleaner, but still I expected more, and, in truth, I was shocked by the way famous actors’ “footprints” were treating there.

The world of football

In addition to all the adventures I had in this incredible city, I was also lucky enough to see the football stadium «Estadio Santiago Bernabeu” (just in front of me), which is the home ground of the club “Real Madrid”. The stadium has the fourth highest category League and it has a current capacity of over 80 000 spectators.

To be honest, I wasn’t planning to go there but went there by a chance, an accident. I looked at it outside and was very glad about such an opportunity. In fact, I was really impressed by the building and the atmosphere that reigned around. I even wished I was inside, because of the match that was held there at the time.

Fell in love with the park!

There are various guides, websites, programs, travel agencies that advising to visit the Retiro Park to any tourists being in Madrid, and it is understandable. I really enjoyed it because the park is nice, clean, lovely, there is some kind of entertaining going on and, in general, it’s a good place to spend some time. But for me personally, the park del Oeste was something really great! I don’t think it is that well known as the Retiro park. Well, it is my opinion because there is less information about it on the Internet and I also did not hear about it in the travel tv-programs. Actually I went there accidently while wandering around the city. I liked it for its open space, it is kind of huge and full of different species of plants that simply immerse you in another wonderful world, you immediately forget about your daily problems and any worries you may have. I’ve got the impression of the park being endless, it is like the infinite, created by nature. There are people having picnics, walking with their dogs, playing with the kids, getting some tan, etc. And even with a large number of visitors there, you feel pretty good and comfortable, as the park itself is huge and, for sure, on any day and time you can find a secluded place and be with yourself, all alone, separate from the real world. It is absolutely magical!

The Prado Museum

Being an artist, I could not miss the Prado Museum and, of course, I visited it and managed to spent 4 hours there while coming to Madrid for only 4 days. What can I say about this museum? Of course, it is huge and very interesting. The collection of the works includes the world-famous, such as those made by Titian, Goya, Rubens and others.

There was a double entertainment waiting for me at the museum on the day of my visit. I don’t know why, but on the very same day there were several artists, copying the paintings by the great masters. It was different from an unusual visit to a museum. Partly, it was because of the actual fact of the artist being in a quiet museum’s hall/room, the air was filled with the smell of oil or acrylic… it also brought an atmosphere of creativity and unusual fusion of past centuries’ art and the present’s one … and it was also interesting to see how people (apparently, just like you –people from our century) copies the world-famous paintings that were made by genius of previous years. I suppose it might have been forbidden  to take a photograph of what was happening there, but it was the only photo I took in the museum and it’s for the blog so I hope they will forgive me.

A very talented artist copying “Coronation of the Virgin” which was originally made by Diego Velazquez

Museo Nacional Centro De Arte Reina Sofia

As soon as I entered the Museum of Sofia, it immediately impressed me with such a spacious space, even a lounge included the only art object, which straight away attracted the attention of a foreign camera and flash.

I was lucky enough to get my ticket just a minute before there was a crowd of students, thirsty to discover the world of art (although they may simply followed the instructions of teachers and their school program).

A painting by Juan Miro, which illustrates a head and a spider. “Surprisingly” the name of the painting  was “Head and Spider” )) Kind of logical I suppose.

Pablo Picasso and his world-famous work “Guernica” which could hardly be seen through the crowd of “art lovers”.

And some photos of the city

Interesting, but a fact.

I believe that Madrid was ready for my arrival, long time before … the thing is that I accidentally discovered  the hospital called “October  12th” on a map. It’s the day of my birthday, when I saw the light and screamed out loud for my very first time)). It was nice that the hospital had this date in its title. But still, I was glad that it was the only common thing I had with the building and also didn’t have to spend my already priceless minutes in Madrid there.

AZCA area.

One of the places I planned to visit in Madrid was the area AZCA, which are famous for its skyscrapers (or at least tall buildings), offices, and I would say it is a modern part of Madrid, which is different from its historical center. I mean I was interested to see different areas of the city. In addition to that, the above-mentioned area had a so-called “Gateway to Europe” – two inclined to each other building. I am not going to share the origin of this name and history of the buildings, as I was confused myself. What I read on the internet, and that interested me was refuted by a native Madridian person and he (who is my friend) thought it was funny to spend time watching this “attraction/sightseeing” as in his opinion, it wasn’t that much of interest. But I suppose that anything can be interesting for a Siberian person, well except the snow and cold)))

ATOCHA STATION

I was also impressed by a Railway Station in Madrid, which I was travelling from to Paris. There was a little botanical garden at the station which was kind of extraordinary. When you walk loaded with the bags (luggage), not really knowing where to go as you don’t speak Spanish, everything is unfamiliar and incomprehensible for you, the presence of plants and the surrounding atmosphere is really improving your mood and distract from the urgent problems.

Cable car ride

I think I really love the height. Therefore it was impossible to resist taking a cable car and see the city from a different angle. I accidentally saw an advert of something called Teleferico Madrid and voila… I was there in the cable car. I cannot describe it that well, it’s much better to try it yourself then than to read it on my blog.  However, it was an amazing experience! I “flew” over Madrid in the afternoon time, so there was almost noone as it was a week-day also, and I was also alone in the cable car (even though there were 6 sits I think) so I was there by myself with the special radio that spoke to me in English (you can chose the language before to ride the cable car)! I asked them to put English for me since there wan’t Russian language. During my short voyage it was telling me some interesting facts about the city, the countryside, the park and the plants that we were passing.  At some point I began to talk to the radio too, feeling that I have got a new Spanish friend))) In general , it was interesting. If I had more time I would have walked in the area which I was “taken to”, but being in a harry I managed to walk there for just about 30 minutes, which was considered insufficient for such a beautiful place.

Dear readers (especially those who managed to read till this part. I know it was a big challenge)) it was  probably the biggest article during the time my blog exists. But it’s only because I gained so many emotions, adventures, fun, while being in magical Spain!

I hope that while reading the article you could smell the paella, hear the sound of  castanets, roaring bulls, glimpses of red capes and just a hot Spanish air filled with different flavors of the abroad.

See you soon, dear friends! Love you lots!