European Vacation

Madrid the last days: Retiro, Museo de America, Chueca, a ghost from the past

2007-06-06T09:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 2nd June 2007
Up at 0930 after 4-5 hours sleep. Rich and Madelyn have been kind enough to lend me their spare room for my last three nights in Madrid. They cook me a great breakfast that whose name escapes me but it consists of dense doughy potato,bread with scrambled eggs, cheese and tabasco sauce(Madelyn - could you leave me a comment in the blog with the name?).

In the afternoon we have lunch in La Latina and head to Retiro for a row on the lake. Then we meet Ben Curtis and catch up on things. It will be nice to catch up with him again if he is in England or when I make it back to Madrid. Finish up with souvenir shopping in El Corte Ingles, then back at the apartment we have tapas and polish off two of the bottles of Rioja that I bought in La Rioja.

Sunday, 3rd June 2007
I get up at 9 to try and internet-shop for a last-minute Glastonbury ticket (no luck). Then off to do some last-minute sightseeing. I start off at the Faro de Madrid which is an imposing tower in the west of the city which is supposed to have great views from the top. Unfortunately it is closed for maintenance, but next door is the excellent Museo de America. It contains great collections from countries in Central and South America colonised by Spain, including mummies and shrunken heads and lots of pilfered gold.

After this I do a farewell lap of Madrid - from Moncloa I head down the Calle Princesa to Plaza de Espana, up the Gran Via and down the notorious Montera, where the prostitutes tout for business. A menu del dia and then to the Cine Dore for coffee. Along the way I shop for souvenirs and bump into Henry and Constantine at Cervezeria 100 Montaditos.

My last night in Madrid (for now). Madelyn, Rich and I join Henry and Constantine outside the school and head for dinner in Chueca. Along the way the strangest thing happens. On the Gran Via I see my old landlady, the one I escaped from weeks ago. She either does not notice me or ignores me. It gives me a chill that she happens to be here on my very last night in the city. We find a great Italian restaurant and have a relaxed evening, although the fact that I am leaving tomorrow plays on my mind a bit. We all exchange contact details and say our goodbyes.

Monday, 4th June 2007
Up at 5am on my birthday for the flight back. Last minute packing and I drag my 27kg suitcase down the three flights from Madelyn and Rich's apartment. A taxi ride through Madrid as dawn is breaking. An uneventful flight back and I meet my Dad at Gatwick.

Oddly it does not feel odd to be back in the UK. In a way I feel that I have been away much longer than three months, more like six. But the old town looks the same and familiar. Maybe I need to go away again...

Madrid week 13: San Sebastian, Bilbao, Guggenheim, Logroño

2007-06-06T07:25:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 26th May 2007
I get up late and catch the Cannes Film Festival news on CNN. Borrow an umbrella off my landlord for the drizzly journey into town. The bus drops me off in the old part of town and I grab a coffee & diplomatico before having a wander around. San Sebastian has been recommended to me but I must say that it's charms are lost on me. It could be the rainy weather affecting my mood or it could be my innate dislike of seaside towns.
I have a menu del dia just before 2pm - bad timing as the whole town shuts down 2pm-4pm. Nothing is open aprt from the local FNAC music department store. I catch an exhibition of video installations at the CCIC contemporary culture centre. This place used to be a tobacco/cigarette factory and is a very atmospheric environment. The pieces vary between high pretension and mildly diverting. Then it's the San Telmo museum which documents the history of Basque culture. A bocadillo and wine at the local pub and back home.

Sunday, 27th May 2007
Waking up I see that the sun has emerged, which is very welcome after the blanket of cloud and rain of yesterday. Take the bus into town and walk along the seafront.

The clouds reappear as I make my way up Monte Urgull, which offers great views of the town. On the way to the top I come across a curious sight. The Cementerio de Los Ingleses (English Cemetary) holds the graves of English soldiers from the mid 1800s who fought with the Spanish in the Carlist Wars (against who? I don't know - must find out). The cemetary is built into the side of the mountain and is very run down, so is somewhat hard to traverse. At the top of the mountain is a church and an imposing statue of Christ overlooking the town.

A great value menu del dia in town - 12 euros for 3 courses and a whole bottle of wine. I feel duty bound to drink the lot. This leaves me a little weary and then the rains come again, so there is no more tourism today.

Monday, 28th May 2007
Coffee and napolitana at the nearby hospital cafe, then I brave it into town for some more challenging sightseeing. The weather continues to be terrible as I dodge and weave in and out of the rain. Another great value menu del dia, which again includes a whole bottle of wine.

Then it's off to Monte Igeldo, the other and higher mountain in San Sebastian, which I am determined to see the top of no matter what the weather does. I make my way on foot to the base of the mountain and take the Funicular tram car to the top. Great views of the town but a very sorry-looking amusement park which is unsurprisingly shut. I feel like I've given San Sebastian my best shot, but it's a pity the weather was so atrocious.

Tuesday, 29th May 2007
A bus at 1030 from San Sebastian to Bilbao. The journey takes just over an hour winding round the rocky mountains. The bus drops me in the new town area of Bilbao which is drab and a bit rundown. I catch the tram over to the old town (Casco Viejo) where my hostel is located. A lovely old building with wooden floors and bannisters.

My room is on the 4th floor with no elevator. I drop my stuff off and catch a menu del dia which again includes a whole bottle of wine. The waitresses here are much more pleasant than the Madrid grouches - here they are all smiles and pats on the back. A quick siesta and then I explore the old town. I notice that the buses are called "Bilbobuses" and after consuming a bottle of wine this seems like the funniest thing ever. I walk along by the river which seems to have undergone a lot of development. I catch a glimpse of the Guggenheim Museum which I am going to hit tomorrow.

Wednesday, 30th May 2007
An early start to beat the crowds for the Guggenheim. The building is very impressive - a massive, tin-like structure by the river, wholly encased in steel tiles. There are some playful exhibits outside including a giant spider and Jeff Koons' Puppy - a giant dog made of plants and flowers.

By contrast the exhibits inside are a great disappointment. The museum is only displaying works by two artists and I have not heard of either of them. The Guggenheim has a massive collection of the best and famous modern art, so why isn't it on display? All we get for 12.50 euros is lots of drab and obscure work. The saving grace is Richard Serra's The Matter of Time in the Fish Gallery. There are giant steel structures you can walk in and around which play games with your sense of perspective.

So I leave the Guggenheim not a little disappointed. Much better is the Museo de Bella Artes just up the road - a rich variety of art from many different perods. There are works by El Greco, Goya, Francis Bacon and David Hockney. Puts the Guggenheim in the shade but sadly not as well-attended.

The last stop is the Funicular, just the same as the one in San Sebastian, a tram that pulls you up into the mountains for great views of the city. A brief stop on the way home to buy my ticket for Logroño and a glass of rioja at a great bar called Casco Viejo.

Thursday, 31st May 2007
1005 train from Bilbao's Abando station gets me into Logroño at 1245. This is the capital of the La Rioja region. My Pension, or hostel, is dead central in the old town. The room is the best value yet - 25 euros including a shower and loo.

It is disappointing that the Museo de la Rioja is shut, but there is a great replacement exhibition. Tierra Abierta (Open Ground) about the town's history and culture is taking place in five locations in the town, including a couple of churches and a local market. Everyone I meet is very polite and helpful and proud of their town. It would be great to tour the wine regions of Spain in the future. I spend some quality time in the wine shop in my street. The owner does me a good deal and insists on taking a picture of me with one of the bottles I have purchased.

Friday, 1st June 2007
The 0800 train from Logroño to Madrid. I had a nice feel for the place and it would be good to come back again soon. Some minor joy in the railway station when I spot a Star Wars pinball machine dating back to the Empire Strikes Back era, so it is at least 25 years old. On the train I have a nice space in which to stretch my legs for the three-and-a-half journey. Beautiful mountainous countryside again, which I never tire of looking at.

I meet Madelyn at 1pm at the Eureka school. I see lots of my old teachers so it feels like saying goodbye all over again. I drop my stuff at her apartment and we go back into town. I post some things back to the UK which will not fit in my suitcase on the flight back, and collect some exercise books from the school. I say goodbye to Angel, the owner, again. I make arrangements to meet Ben Curtis tomorrow and book my flight back to the UK. Ben informs me that the podcast that we recorded has just gone live and it is weird to hear my own voice. If you are interested, the podcast can be downloaded from Ben's website http://www.notesfromspain.com/794/

In the evening we go for a meal at the Mini Lounge, the first in a possible chain of restaurants based around the Mini car. It's a bit snooty and the design isn't great, but the food is good. I have the Italian Job tiramisu for desert (I could have had a desert called Una Noche en Oxford - A Night in Oxford). Joining us for dinner is Shauna, the young girl from Ireland who was in our class. She is going back tomorrow, and we go with her to an Irish bar in town to meet some of her friends. But it turns out they have hit the sauce a bit too much and we have to chaperone them to a taxi.

It's weird being back in Madrid and knowing that I am returning to the UK in a few days. I have mixed feelings about going - I will miss the place but I feel that I have seen and done most of the things that you can do here. And I have lots to see when I get back - my friends and family, including my new nephew.

Madrid week 12: Haircut, Valencia, Barcelona, San Sebastian

2007-06-06T03:38:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 19th May 2007

My alarm wakes me up at 930 after 4 hours sleep as I have a hair appointment at 1030. Before the appointment I have my last "English breakfast" at the VIPS restaurant (I've really gone native, haven't I?). The haircut is what I want but is best described as drastic.

Afterwards I start packing up my stuff, most of which I am storing at Madelyn and Rich's while I travel light around Spain. I drag my Samsonite across town to their new apartment in La Latina. It's a nice barrio (district) and a very nice apartment - spacious, bright, well furnished and with state-of-the-art facilities. I check emails and book my passage to Valencia tomorrow. The plan is to do 2-3 nights in Valencia (on the east coast), travel north to Barcelona for 3 nights , over to San Sebastian and Bilbao, then back to Madrid, perhaps via Logroño, a big wine town recommended to me by Ben Curtis. the evening we go to the Ideal Cineplex to see Spiderman 3. The film is a bit episodic and inconsistent in tone, with one-too-many baddies. Then we go for some churros and I head back home for my last night in the apartment.

Sunday, 20th May 2007

A funny old day. I rise at 7, finish packing and check the room to see that I've not left anything (over and over and again). Say goodbye to my landlady who seems quite tearful that I am leaving (either that or she has something in her eye). Say goodbye to the apartment and head back to Madelyn and Rich's as I have yet more stuff to leave at their apartment. I am travelling really light - just a couple of small rucksacks. Head to Atocha for my train to Valencia. The train is very comfortable - DVD movies, headsets and a choice of music. The journey takes just three-and-a-half hours to cover the 400 kms to Valencia.

The first thing that strikes me about Valencia is how drastically quiet it is compared to Madrid. It is Spain's 3rd largest city, and is located on the east coast. I have fun and games trying to locate my hostel - the unhelpful tourist info person at the station circles a place on my map about 2kms in circumference where he thinks the place is. I walk in what I think is the right direction and stop in at a restaurant to ask for better directions. The three people I talk to try to help but are clueless. I find out later that the hostel is located directly behind the restaurant.

The hostel is OK as these places go. I am paying for a double room because they had no singles. But the staff are friendly and they have a roof terrace. I head out to find the Museo de Bella Artes and go completely the wrong way. When I do find it I find it nicely turned out as with most Spanish museums, but it feels neglected and is a bit smelly. Tapas for tea and an early night.

Monday, 21st May 2007

Get up about 0930 after a very peaceful night. I can't get over how much quieter Valencia is compared to Madrid. I'm in quite a vibrant area just off the old town but there was little noise and I slept soundly with my window open all night. Using the hostel's PC I book my room in Barcelona for tomorrow night. The choice is limited given that I want a cheap private room in a central location. I choose a new hostel in a central area and hope it is OK - I'll find out tomorrow.

The plan today is to check out the America's Cup, which is on in town until July. On the advice of the hostel management I take the metrobus (tram) to the port area. I take a brief stroll along the beach - plenty of female topless sunbathers with few inhibitions. Get to America's Cup port area and end up spending a good few hours there, even though I'm no boat racing fan. The entire port consists of a massive exhibition/sponsorship area which is all totally free. You can take ferry rides around the port and a little mini-train to transport you here and there. There is no racing today (there was yesterday) but it is still a fun few hours. I even get my picture taken with the America's Cup itself.

Next it's over to the Cuidad de Las Artes y Ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences), a vast area in the south of the city given over to the most bizarre architecture I have seen in a while. There is an IMAX film theatre, an Oceanographic Centre and a Museum of Sciences, each housed in strange, nautical-themed buildings. The only thing I can equate it to is the sci-fi film Logan's Run, or maybe Milton Keynes the way it was meant to be. I take numerous photos, but I don't think any of them will do justice to the jaw-dropping oddness of it all.

Go to the station to book my train for tomorrow. Thoughts on Valencia? Mixed. It has little to recommend it, in my opinion. The "historic centre" consits of lots of badly neglected churches and municipal buildings. But the ruined nature of it all lends it a certain charm. Good tapas at a restaurant called Pilar.

Tuesday, 22nd May 2007

The 10am train from Valencia gets me into Barcelona (BCN) at 1340. Not as nice a train and it stops every 20 minutes. The hostel is easy to locate but it is unmanned - I have to wait 45 minutes to meet Frank who has the keys. There is a couple from Birmingham who are also waiting to get in. But the room is clean (a top bunk, which reminds me of my first room in Madrid) and central, close to Plaza St. Jaune.

A quick shower then straight to the Museu d'Historia de la Cuitat (Museum of the City). It is built on the foundations of some Roman ruins, which the museum features in a well displayed underground area. It feels weird to be back in BCN when I wasn't here so long ago (January). Back then I didn't think much of the place, but I want to give it another try. This time it feels different, crammed with early summer tourists. Some tapas in Tapas Gaudi and then home.

Wednesday, 23rd May 2007

A jam-packed day. It begins at 10 with a visit to the Picasso Museum, not far from my lodgings. The museum is very comprehensive and informative, although it doesn't have any of his landmark works. It's interesting to see Picasso's transition from a fairly conventional portrait artist through his Pink, Rose and Blue Periods and all that Cubism (still not sure what the latter is).

Next is the Frederic Mares Museum which my 3-year-old Rough Guide recommends. The museum features a personal collection of sculptures donated by Sr. Mares including Roman and ancient Spanish church art. He was a celebrated sculptor in his own right and a collector of all kinds of stuff - cigarette cards, pipes, clocks, theatre tickets, children's games - which are all on display. A delightful museum.

Over to the other side of La Rambla, the main street that is basically the spine of the city. A menu del dia lunch, then onto the Contemporary Art Museum. It is godawful - everything I dislike about modern art - poefaced, up-it's arse, navel-gazing, pointless video art. Much better is the nearby CCCB cultural centre which by contrast has an exhibition that is about something - refugees and immigration. There is a great piece on Miami and Cuba - panoramic photos of each city's coatline facing each other over a carpet of sea.

The last stop today is a metro ride to the Parc Güell, designed by Antonio Gaudi. Awesome views of BCN and mad, fairytale-like buildings and structures.

Thursday, 24th May 2007
Last night's visit to Parc Güell puts me in the mood for more Gaudi. Yesterday in the queue for Picasso I met a kindly old Brit whose must-see in BCN is the Gaudi apartment. So today I head there. A typical Gaudi edifice, the elevator takes me to the attic area which houses models and videos detailing Gaudi's life, times and inspirations. His aim seems to have been to make spaces that mimic and are at one with nature. The terrace above is a work of art too and has great views of BCN. You can see Gaudi's architecture and influence all over the city, but I'm not sold on it. It is undoubtedly striking and distinctive, but can also be nightmarish and garish.

A stop for lunch for another menu del dia in the same place as

yesterday. 8.50 euros for three course and a quarter bottle of wine. A brief visit to another pointless art space and a brief visit to the station to book my ticket for tomorrow.

Back at La Rambla I walk to the port area and pass by the Columbus tower that I visited in January. Supper at Nemrut, the great bar near to my room that I ate in last night. I watch a young Aussie seduce two even younger impressionable Americans.

Friday, 25th May 2007

1230 train to San Sebastian from Barcelona Sants, the city's ugly and yucky main station. This is an eight-and-a-half hour journey which I initially think is direct but halfway throught the journey I find out at the last minute that I have to change trains. I quickly grab my stuff and hop to the other train. At least there is some beautiful countryside to look at as the rickety old train pulls itself up through the mountains and into San Sebastian.

I ring an hour ahead to confirm my room but they tell me they are full and cannot accommodate me. I make a fuss and get a room at the owner's guest house which is further out of town. The room is great - a double, with modern fittings and a TV, all for 25 euros per night. My landlord, Skippy, is an Aussie, and a little odd. He is very nervy, but very welcoming - he even feeds me some paella he has cooked up for his family. I have to surrender my passport to him, which I find strange.

Madrid week 11: Friends from home, El Rastro, San Isidro

2007-05-16T07:49:00.002-07:00

Sunday, 13th May 2007
This morning I tick off another Madrid must-do: the El Rastro. This is a flea market that takes place each Sunday from 8 til 2 and snakes around the streets of the La Latina district. My guidebook tells me to get there early to avoid the crowds. When I arrive at 9.30 the crowds are slim and stallholders are still setting up. Everything you can imagine is on sale here - clothes, shoes, jewellery, CDs and gas masks. El Rastro is notorious for pickpockets, and a friendly policeman tells me to wear my rucksack on my front, not my back, to avoid any trouble.

The market is massive, stretching the length of the Ribero de Cortidores (a street about half a mile long). It also spills into the numerous sidestreets, where the vendors offer wares similar to a carboot sale - all the old tat from decades past that no one wants any more - old phones, radios, and other obselete technology. One particularly stomach churning stall offers you old pornographic magazines. The police keep strict control of the proceedings and I observe several stallholders being questioned and moved on. When I try to take a picture of an item that amuses me (an old crash helmet clock from Champion spark plugs, my Dad used to have one) the stallholder is not happy. I end up buying a couple of movie posters - Jaws and All About My Mother.

Then it's a 45 minute metro journey to the airport to meet my friends Kieran and Clare from back home. Their flight gets in around 2pm at T1, one of the shabbier terminals, not the gleaming new one that I arrived at. They check in to the Hotel Plaza Mayor and we take beer in Plaza Santa Ana. I take them on a tour of some landmarks - Plaza Mayor, Gran Via, Plaza de España and the Temple of Debod. We eat in the Malasaña district and walk through Retiro, a little too late for the San Isidro celebrations that took place there tonight. Undeterred we carry on drinking and get a cab back to their hotel where I crash. Lucky for me they have a third bed in the room...

Monday, 14th May 2007

I wake with a bastard of a headache. Drag myself to school with the raging hangover (a schoolboy error - mixing red wine and beer). I feel quite ill throughout the lessons but my spirits are lifted by the return of Madelyn. She brings chocs from the US but I can't even look at them. I am also pleased that we have one of the best teachers in the school for our conversation class, Montse. She gets us talking about the best and worst aspects of our respective countries. We are also joined by a new classmate, Chris, a soldier from Liverpool.

In the afternoon I meet Kieran and Clare, but decide that I need a siesta to try and kick the DTs while they carry on sightseeing. A two-hour kip in their room at the Hotel Plaza Mayor does me the world of good. In the evening we take a walk through the La Latina district, barhopping and eating tapas, mainly seafood (including baby eels - they look disgusting but taste great). The best eats are in El Tempranillo on Calle Cava Baja. We easily get a table at 830 and by 930 the place is packed with Madrilenos. This is my second visit to this bar and by my reckoning theirs is the best tapas in town. They do wonderful things with asparagus.

Tuesday, 15th May 2007

I wake at 9 in Kieran and Clare's hotel room and make my way back to my digs to collect some belongings for them to take back to the UK. I arrived in Madrid with a full suitcase, and since then I have amassed some stuff, so I am grateful for their help in lightening the load for my return. I meet them around 12 and we go for another walk around Madrid. Today there are festivities all over the city because it is the day of San Isidro, Madrid's own saint. Men, women and children are dressed in what looks like traditional Spanish clothing.

We walk down the Paseo del Prado and take a look at the great art shop at the Museo Thyssen Bornemisa. After a beer in La Latina we walk to meet Madelyn and Rich in the Parque de San Isidro. It takes us a while to find the place but it is worth it. The park is not all that big, and it is overrun with Madrilenos sporting their traditional dress and, for some reason, loud hailers. Many people queue to get into the chapel at the entrance of the park, presumably to pay their respects to San Isidro. At the top end of the park we come across a stage area where they are soundchecking for a concert tonight. There are many food stalls with a rich variety of delicacies includng paella, octopus, and, of course, ham. We walk back to Clare and Kieran's hotel and I see them off for their flight back to the UK. It has been fun to have them here and to show them the city, and they have really enjoyed their time in Madrid.

Wednesday, 16th May 2007

In the morning I take the metro to school with my new housemate, Andy, another German. He is spending two weeks here before moving to Salamanca to continue his studies. Unlike most of the Germans I have met his English is quite poor, so we talk mostly in Spanish.

In the grammar class we continue work in the 3 main types of past tense - Preterito Imperfecto, Preterito Perfecto and Preterito Indefinido. It is a bit of a minefield for me working out which tense to use in which context. We have Montse again for conversation, and we continue talking about the best and worst of our countries. My "best" is the English sense of humour, and we talk in Spanish about the merits of Benny Hill, Mr Bean and Monty Python. The other English guy in the class, Chris, has to choose what he thinks is the worst of England. He chooses immigrants. All of them. Legal or illegal. He seems to have a chip on his shoulder about the issue. I think differently to him on the issue but hold my tongue during the discussions.

I am due to move out of my lodgings this Saturday. I arrange with the school to have an additional night, then I am out of Madrid for two weeks.

Thursday, 17th May 2007

In class we move on from Book 1 to Book 2, which in essence means we have moved from beginners to intermediate Spanish. We have a new teacher for conversation class, Carlos, who I think is new to the school as I have not seen him before. He talks in a rapid, gutteral accent which is hard to understand. In the afternoon we have a school excursion to the Spanish Senate, a government body of elected representatives, but I'm not sure what the difference is between this and the Congreso. We get a good guided tour in Spanish - the guide talks slowly and clearly so is not too hard to understand.

In the evening I pay a final visit to the Cine Dore to see the Billy Wilder film The Apartment. I think this is my favourite place in Madrid. It has a great bookshop and a bar/cafe in the foyer where I have one last beer and a slice of tortilla. The film is introduced by three serious looking middle-aged women who I assume are film historians of a sort. One of them speaks in French and another translates her words into Spanish. The film is a classic from 1960 - one of the few Oscar winners that deserves the accolade. At heart it is a black comedy of social mores but at times it is very moving.

Friday, 18th May 2007

My last day of school and quite an emotional one. My grammar teacher Patricia gives me some tips on how to continue the Spanish when I get back home. And squaddie Chris is surprisingly helpful as well. Mito brings in chocolate cake, cheese and biscuits. He can be a bit much at times but I will miss him along with the other students in the class, the teachers and the staff.

I spend the afternoon booking up some accommodation for my trip round Spain. I am planning to travel to the east and north of the country by train, before returning to Madrid for a few days and then flying home. I book the rooms by phone, trying to get by in Spanish but eventually falling back to English. I book hostels in Valencia, Zaragoza and San Sebastian. Later I have a bit of a to-do with my landlady as she has not done my washing and I am leaving in two days. All in all, quite an emotionally draining day.

My second to last night in Madrid before the trip, and probably the best night yet that I have spent in the city. I meet Madelyn and Rich along with some other students - Charlie, a Brit who is shortly moving to Switzerland for a job with the UN, Michael, an Austrian who has been in my class for two weeks and is returning tomorrow, and Chris, a German who is studying at Eureka for the next six months. We have tapas in a place called Vinotech off the Plza Santa Ana, and then drinks at the top of the new Midnight Hotel (great views of the city but snooty staff who take ages to even acknowledge our presence, let alone answer our requests for drinks). It's then on to the Teatro Alfi to see the British comedian Richard Herring. We wait outside for ages before going in, but there is a good atmosphere in the Anglo-Spanish crowd. The gig is very good, although Rich is looking a bit worse-for-wear. After the gig he invites us to a bar for a drink with his manager and the club owners. I try not to be too much of a fanboy but it is fun discussing comedy with him. Despite appearances, he was very happy to have his picture taken with me.

A long walk home at 5am. There is a saying by Ernest Hemingway along the lines of "No one goes to bed in Madrid until they have killed the night." I think I had a good go tonight.

Madrid week 10: Chinchon, Spanish cookery lessons, Guernica, Europe Day

2007-05-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 5th May 2007
A day trip to Chinchon, 50 minutes south of Madrid. My new digs are ideally located for these excursions - the Atocha Renfe (main railway station) is nearby, as is the bus stop for Chinchon, on the Plaza Conde de Casal. Getting out of Madrid isn´t a problem, but getting to Chinchon is. Not knowing where my stop is, I get off the bus at the first sign that says "Chinchon." But this isn´t Chinchon. It´s 5km from Chinchon, or so the garage mechanic at the bus stop tells me. There´s nothing for it but to walk. Lucky for me that the weather is agreeable, sunny but with a cool breeze. And the countryside is beautiful as I walk along the side of the road, up through the mountains. There is no footpath to speak of. During my two hour walk delirium I fantasize that I am in a Sergio Leone movie (The Man With No Clue?).

When I reach Chinchon I find it to be very pretty. Very small but what there is is worth seeing. A justly celebrated Plaza Mayor lined with shuttered buildings. Today most of them are covered up with netting for restoration work, unfortunately. My first stop is a restaurant, but not to eat. The Meson Cuevas del Vino has a network of caves where they store wine. For 1.90 euros you get a guided tour of the caves and a glass of wine. I also visit the Museo Etnologico and a great ruin of a castle with great views of the town.

Sunday, 6th May 2007
Late breakfast at VIPS, a walk through Retiro Park to Gran Via. It is a beautiful day and fingers crossed the bad weather has left us. Retiro Park is so called because it was constructed for the royals to retire to after they were done royalling. Today it gets filled on the weekends with Madrilenos skating, cycling, having their fortune told or having their portrait done by the appallingly bad "artists" who line the paths.

Monday, 7th May 2007
Another walk through Retiro, early morning this time on my way to school. My commute takes in many of Madrid´s landmarks, including Retiro, the Museo del Prado and the Congreso de los Deputados (Parliament). Madelyn is away from class this week, and Xin-Hui has left us to join another class. We are joined by two new students - Michael from Austria and Shauna from Ireland. The class feels very different.

After school I take an impromptu tour of the independent record shops of Madrid. Most seem dedicated to 1960s and 1970s psychedelia and progressive rock. Most are filled with vinyl, not CDs. In Toni Martin Discos (est. 1976) I find a CD that has me almost bent double with laughter. A collection of U2 songs redone as lullabies, entitled Rockabye Baby (a play on Achtung Baby, a U2 album). U2 songs reinterpreted using glockenspiels, mellotrons and vibraphones. And the first song on the CD to send your little ones to sleep with is, no kidding, Sunday Bloody Sunday...

Tuesday, 8th May 2007
This afternoon we get some extra lessons... in Spanish cooking. I go along as I want to make Spanish dishes when I get back home. We don aprons and gather round while Angel makes a vat of Sangria and then a gazpacho andaluz. The class is packed so we don´t get much of a hands-on experience, unfortunately. Nonetheless it is fun, chopping up fruit and vegetables with Henry and Constantine. This is my very first taste of gazpacho, I think, and I like it very much. The lesson is marred by some young female Irish students who cannot keep their mouths shut.

It is election time in Madrid and there are political posters all over. One of the main parties, the PP, has a podium constructed in the Puerta del Sol with a politician giving forth. From what I can make out the PP is one of the more progressive parties, as the speech I listen to seems to centre on the benefits of immigration.

Alcohol update: After 2 months of drinking beer I have the taste for wine again. Last night I had a glass of stale red in a crummy neighbourhood bar, so tonight I buy myself a bottle of my favourite red, Torres´ Sangre de Toro. Get mildly pissed (drinking on top of this afternoon´s sangria) and listen to 1970s disco music on my iPod. It happens every time...

Wednesday, 9th May 2007
Today is Europe Day. I don´t know how this is being celebrated in the UK but I´m sure it is nothing like the Spanish way. In the Puerta del Sol there is a big exhibition space where each country in the EU has a stall. People clamour for information at the booths (although not, it has to be said, at the poorer Eastern Bloc countries). I pick up several brochures written in Spanish and designed as educational tools for kids, showing them what each country is known for (the UK is Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter, Oxford and Cambridge). I can´t imagine such enthusiasm for the EU in the UK. By comparison we seem almost ashamed to be members - we don´t learn other languages, we don´t share the same currency.

For the third time I lunch at the bar that Ben and Marina took me to the other week. I again order the "menu del dia" - which many bars do for the lunchtime crowd. It is a 3-course lunch plus bread and a drink, all for around 10 euros. I order gazpacho for the first course, and for the second course I take a shot in the dark. All I know is that it is some kind of fish. When it arrives it scares me. It is an entire fish, including the head and the tail, curled up and the mouth is biting the tail (see picture). Like it´s daring me to eat it. I do, and it is very nice.

Thursday, 10th May 2007
For some reason I don´t enjoy lessons today. It could be that I´m missing Madelyn, Constantine and Henry. Madelyn has returned to the US for a conference in Denver, and the two Germans are in Miami. Or it could be that I´ve had enough of studying - it´s been almost two months, we have covered a lot of ground, and I think I need a break. Also, one of the recent additions to the class misbehaves a lot - dominates the discussions, gets bored easily and lets everyone know it, arrives late and leaves early. And we have The Worst Teacher At The School for conversation classes again.

On the plus side we have a really good excursion today to the Centre de Arte Reine Sofia, to see Picasso´s Guernica and to hear Angel tell us all about it. Angel is full of interesting information - the paintings only colours are grey, black and white because Picasso only learnt about the bombing of Guernica from reading newspapers. And the bull in the painting represents the forces of the nationalists, while the horse is the republicans. Once again the Irish students play up and I wonder what they´re doing here if not to learn.

This is my second visit to the Reine Sofia, and it should be on everyone´s list of places to see in Madrid. It is a massive place, and must be the largest museum of modern art in Spain. Even walking at a brisk pace it takes me a good two hours to cover every room. The focus is on Spanish modern art - Picasso, Dali, Miro. There is also a small but interesting section of photographs from the Spanish Civil War. It is strange to see pictures of streets that I have come to know, such as Gran Via, wartorn and pockmarked with bullet holes.

Friday, 11th May 2007
This afternoon we have another lesson in Spanish cooking. Today it is paella. It´s a dish that takes a while to prepare, plus Angel has to explain to us in slow Spanish what he is doing, plus he is a perfectionist. So it is about two hours before we get to sample the food. Still, we get to drink a few bottles of good Spanish red while we wait, and I help to prepare the food, chopping up some calamari. I also get to meet some of the other students at the school who are not in my regular language class, including a guy from the Netherlands and a middle-aged French couple. The latter are for some reason fascinated by my Pan Am t-shirt. How come I have a t-shirt from a company that is long dead?

I say goodbye to Angel - next week is my last week of lessons and he is not here. So I may not see him again, unless I return to the school. He is a great bloke, and has helped me out during my sometimes troubled times here. He takes a personal interest in the wellbeing of his students, and is not trying to fleece money from wide-eyed language students, as I think some of the other schools do. His school is not the cheapest, nor is it that well known, but I would be hard pressed to find a better one.

In the street outside the school, Arenal, I witness a comic scene. All over Madrid there are street vendors selling counterfeit DVDs, fake D&G sunglasses, Louis Vuitton handbags, and so on. They lay out their wares on blankets, so the swag can be easily scooped up and they can scarper should the police arrive. And today that happens - the police swarm up on their motorbikes and the vendors run past me with their bags of swag, hiding behind cars and running down side streets.

Madrid week 9: Cuenca, Podcast, Goya

2007-05-06T08:10:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 28th April 2007
A day trip to Cuenca, south east of Madrid towards Valencia. Normally I do these excursions on my own, but today Madelyn and Rich come with me. I am grateful for the company as it is a two and a half hour train journey. Cuenca is famed for its "hanging houses" but in reality they are a bit of a disappointment. There are only two or three such houses, and they are built in to the side of a cliff. Quite a sight, but by no means unique. More interesting is a nearby bridge across two cliffs with a 200ft drop. Makes me feel somewhat queasy as I am 6ft tall and the rail separating me from the drop is less than 3ft high.

We visit two places in town dedicated to modern art; the Museo de Arte Abstracto and the Fundacion Antonio Perez. The latter is huge, with at least 5 floors. Most of the artists it features I am not familiar with, but curiously it has some works by Francis Bacon and Picasso hidden away in the basement. We take a brief rest perilously close to the cliff edges, then return to Madrid for supper in the Paseo del Prado.

Sunday, 29th April 2007
I sleep in late, and say goodbye to Vera, who is off back to Germany. I take a walk to see the nearby Planetarium and IMAX cinema. On the way I grab a coffee and witness the Latino temperament close up - a waitress and a couple get into an argument and it all gets very heated. First the boyfriend has a go, then the girlfriend. They seem to be placated by some free coffee. I am a bit taken aback at how quickly the argument flared up over what seemed to be nothing important.

The IMAX cinema and Planetarium are in neighbouring buildings in an unsalubrious part of town, near the railway track. I go first to the IMAX and see Tiburones - 3D, all about sharks and other things that live in the sea. For kids, really. Some bloody action wouldn´t have gone amiss. The rest of the afternoon is a bit of a disappointment - the Planetarium is shut, the Reine Sofia museum is also shut, and the internet PCs at the tourist office have caught a virus and don´t work. I meet Madelyn and Rich in the evening to see The Good Shepherd at the Ideal cinema. Directed by Robert de Niro and starring Matt Damon, it concerns the formation and early history of the CIA. Overall it´s a good movie with a lot to chew on, but for me it doesn´t fire on all cylinders, especially given the two and a half hour running time. You need a very good reason to keep me in a cinema for that long.

Monday, 30th April
I spend most of the day studying. In the afternoon I take a stroll through Retiro Park (for those who know it I am about 20 mins from the Crystal Palace). Finally pluck up the courage to get my hair cut in a Spanish salon. Beforehand I have an unwelcome encounter in a bar with a drunk Spanish woman. She accuses me of being unfriendly and I try to explain this away by pleading Englishness, but she feels she has to bother me some more ("Change your brain" she says, over and over). Eventually she staggers to the loo and I make my escape. Despite this incident, I do now feel as though I´m living here, as opposed to passing through as a tourist. I know I have much more to learn about the language and culture, but when I see tourists arriving on a Friday I feel different from them.

My landlady stands about four feet high and has zero English. None. But she is friendly, has my room cleaned today, and does my washing (which I reluctantly let her do). Today it continues to rain a lot. In the English papers I read that temperatures in the UK are higher than in the Costa Brava...

Tuesday, 1st May
More homework duties and a little back and forth with the landlady over my washing. And she seems concerned with the amount of water I am using - I am allowed no more than one shower per day. I take a walk through Retiro and up to Gran Via to update the blog and check emails. I am very pleased to see some more pictures of my new nephew, Edward. In the evening I take a wander along the Paseo de Ricoletos, a very long street which at the moment is lined with booksellers from all over Spain for the Ferio del Libro. Most of the stalls have books on art, history, theatre, the cinema and Spanish history. Lot of Agatha Christies as well - she seems very popular over here (my landlady has a set of her books).

Wednesday, 2nd May 2007
Back to school after the break. However most other places are still shut because it is a public holiday in Spain. It feels odd to be studying whilst most of the city is still on a break. Incidentally, at the moment I am reading a really good book - Cutter and Bone by Newton Thornburg. Murder and intrigue in post-Vietnam California. It was made into a film in 1981 with Jeff Bridges, Cutter´s Way. Both book and film are worth seeking out. The book especially is evocative, gripping and very well-written. Oddly enough, the main character is a bloke who used to be a marketing manager (as I was), then dropped out (as I did), and then eeks out a living as a gigolo (I´m not quite there yet).

Thursday, 3rd May 2007
Lessons resume with a new student joining the class - Aline from Brazil. She has been at the school for a few weeks already but has been put (back?) to our class. However she seems to be streets ahead of the rest of us. It takes a while to assimilate her in to the dynamics of our class.

After school I meet up with Ben Curtis and his wife Marina. They run a website called http://www.notesfromspain.com/ and publish podcasts about life in Madrid. I have been listening to their podcasts avidly since discovering them in January. Ben is from England and came to Spain 9 years ago with few plans except to escape the UK. He did some English teaching, met and married a local girl, Marina, and is now a full time writer, publisher, blogger and podcaster. I found out yesterday that he was born and raised in Radley, Oxfordshire, only a few miles from where I live in Abingdon. And he attended Abingdon school. The coincidences continue today when I find out that we were at Leeds University at the same time, both have dads with a passion for motorbikes, and, er, have both had salmonella food poisoning. We all take a menu del dia and then have coffee at a cafe close to the Palacio Real. Ben and Marina want to do a podcast interview with me about my experiences in Madrid, which I happily agree to. Despite some initial jitters on my part this turns out to be a lot of fun as we discuss my language teaching, the ups and downs with my host family, and my thoughts on Madrid. A really positive experience - I am very pleased to have met them both.

Late in the afternoon I catch a showing of Vertigo at the Cine Dore. This film is Hitchcock at his weirdest - obsession, mental breakdown, fantasies, phobias and blondes. Don´t want to sound too anoraky but it is good to see Saul Bass´s credit sequence on the big screen and to hear Bernard Hermann´s woozy music.

Friday, 4th May 2007
Round off the week with after-school dinner with Madelyn, Henry and Constantine. The two Germans recommend a tapas place called Los Gatos. We walk in and the place is filled with old junk of all kinds - soldiers´ helmets, toredors outfits, old radios and TVs. I love it. Don´t love it so much when I see the bill for dinner - we get royally screwed and could have eaten just as well elsewhere for much less. Oh well.

In the afternoon I try to find a movie poster gallery called Casablanca´s, but end up in the Ermita de San Antonia de la Florida. It is also known as the Panteon de Goya as this is where the artist is buried. His work saturates the walls and domed ceiling. A nice bit of tranquility in the middle of the city.

Madrid week 8: Move to new place, back to school, Brazil, Museo de la Cuidad

2007-04-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 21st April 2007
I wake up with a hangover at 0645 but the task in hand sobers me up. Pack up the rest of my belongings, leave a note for the family and drop my keys in their postbox. I am out of the house by 0715 without incident - just the way I wanted it. I meet Nick at the Pacifico metro stop, near my new place. She is from Chicago, and is off to Seville tomorrow for a week. She wants to work in International Marketing (which is what I used to do). I drop my stuff off at the new place and briefly meet the landlady, a petit lady in her 60s. I also see Stephen, the Brit who is vacating the room today so that I can move in.

Nicky and I leave to meet Helen in the Puerta del Sol. It is their last day in Madrid so they want to do the tourist thing. We take the Madrid open-top tourbus wearing headsets that explain sights of interest in awful American English (Die-nasty instead of Dynasty, etc). We stop off at the Temple of Debod, and also take in the Palacio Real and the Jardines de Sabatini. I feel like their unofficial tour guide. Then off to Retiro Park, the Crystal Palace, and dinner in Plaza Santa Ana. Heated political discussions and several beers later, Nicky and I leave Helen to catch her 4am flight back to the UK.

Sunday, 22nd April 2007
9-10 hours sleep (I needed it), and I see Nicky off for her week in Seville. I take a stroll around my new neighbourhood. I am now in the south of the city (south-east of the Atocha station for those familiar with Madrid). The area could not be more different to where I was before. There are lots of old people around, it is very quiet and there is no gay porn on the news stands. In contrast, Gran Via, where I was before, was teeming with the young, was very vibrant and porn of all varieties was freely available. My new room is bigger than the last one, and allows in more daylight, which I am grateful for. Not quite The Ritz, but I would be hard pushed to find anything else this comfortable and cheap at such short notice.

In the afternoon I catch up on the three days of classes that I missed, using Madelyn´s notes. In the evening I take a wander into the centre through Retiro Park, which borders my neighbourhood. I also catch Sunshine at the Princesa cinema, a very good UK sci-fi film with minimal CGI and quite a gripping story. "Proudly made in the East End of London" it says over the end credits.

Monday, 23rd April 2007
Back to school after my enforced absence. Take the rush-hour Metro with the new student lodging in the apartment, Vera, from Hamburg. She studied Spanish in Buenos Aires and lived there for a while. She recommends it as a good place to visit.

It is a struggle getting back into the swing of things at school, especially as in our Conversation class we have possibly the worst teacher at the school. She is not very creative in her teaching style, does not correct us when we say things wrong, and cannot maintain discipline in the class. At least her lack of skill shows how good all the other teachers are. After homework I head to the Salamanca district to collect my suitcase from Madelyn´s apartment. I struggle on the Metro with my things, but I´m glad to get to the new place with all my stuff intact.

After taking a mini-siesta Vera invites me to join her and some other German students for beers in Plaza Santa Ana, one of the most vibrant plazas in Madrid. I get the impression that language teaching is strongly enforced in German schools - every German I meet can drop in and out of several languages at will. Tonight is La Noche de Los Libros (Night of the Books). The city is overrun with PA systems, book readings and music.

Tuesday, 24th April 2007
Sightseeing is on hold again as I concentrate on my Spanish. We are having an exam this week on all the verbs and tenses we have learned to date (150 verbs x 4 tenses. You do the maths). Last night´s meeting with the Germans has opened my eyes to how lazy the English are when it comes to learning other languages. Germans seem to have it instilled in them from birth that it is important to know other languages.

Notes: Hugh Laurie is very big in Spain, as is his TV series, House. No idea why. So are wigs for women. There are wig shops all over. Raquel Welch does a line that are very popular (does she have a problem with her hair?).

Wednesday, 25th April 2007
A power failure on the Metro means Vera and I have to walk to school from the Atocha station to school and so are late for class. Apparently these power failures are common in Madrid. Tomorrow, we are told, is the date of our exam, so I spend the afternoon revising. Studying is interrupted by a visit to the Museo de la Cuidad (Museum of the City). Angel guides us round with a history of Spain from the year dot. The museum is very interesting in a "how this works" kind of way - lots of exhibits about the water system, transportation, etc. It´s a pity the museum is so far out of the centre and thus is not very well attended by tourists. Or maybe that´s a good thing...

In the evening I return to the Cine Dore cinema to see Brazil, a British film from 1985 directed by Terry Gilliam. It´s a sort of 1984 with slapstick jokes, and the themes of government response to terrorism, invasion of privacy, information control and bureaucracy seem remarkably prescient. If you haven´t seen it, do.

Thursday, 26th April 2007
Today we have the exam. It lasts about an hour and in the way of these things is by turns tortuous and useful. For our conversation class we have Andres, who is to my knowledge the only male teacher at the school. He is also one of the best teachers here; he does not rely on props, is very animated and enthusiastic, and manages to get everyone in class talking. A small victory later at the Optica Roma opticians. After some back and forth I negotiate a good price on some contact lenses.

Note: it is somewhat surprising to see otherwise "credible" Hollywod actors hawking products over here. Clive Owen is the face of some aftershave or other, Adrien Brody (remember him as the dull and worthy Oscar-winner for The Piano) sells us Schweppes tonic water, and Brad Pit is Mr Tag watches. Whatever happened to the anti-consumerist who was in Fight Club, Brad?

Friday, 27th April 2007
It feels like the last day of term as we have next Monday and Tuesday off school because of public holidays. Mito brings in some biscuits, a massive chunk of Swiss cheese, and some pastries. We have Andres again for conversation classes which is a good way to round off the week. During our lessons there is a demonstration in the street outside by one of the unions, arguing for better working conditions after the death of one of their own. Madrilenos love to take to the streets.

After lunch with my classmates, I head to an exhibition of propaganda and publicity under Franco. Under his reign there seems to have been a big emphasis on the duties of mothers, staying healthy, and the cult of Franco´s personality. The exhibition is in the Sala Picasso, inside the Circulo de Bella Artes just off Gran Via. This is a massive building which houses numerous exhibition halls. I am again impressd by the wealth of funding for the arts in Spain.

Madrid week 7: Avila, McEnroe, A change of plan...

2007-04-20T06:18:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 14th April 2007
I sleep in after last night´s late one, do my homework and have lunch with the family. At 5pm I meet Kerrie and Philippe in the Puerta del Solto go to the Master Senior tennis tournament at the Palacio de Deportes. We meet up with two more friends of Kerrie´s, Rachel and Aaron, an English couple who have been teaching in Madrid for a few years. First up in the tennis is Goran Ivanisevic and local hero Albert Coste. Goran has a big serve but little else and does not put up much of a fight against the Spaniard. Then comes the main event, Mats Wilander against John McEnroe. Wilander puts up a good fight to begin with, but McEnroe has an uncanny ability to place each shot exactly where he wants it - he seems to get into "the zone" and cannot be beaten. He is entertaining too, throwing some cursory tantrums including chucking a tennis ball at the umpire and goading the linespeople.

Sunday, 15th April
Catch a late morning train to Avila from Madrid´s Chamartin station. Avila is 90km to the Northwest, yet another medieval fortress town surrounded by high stone walls. The difference with Avila is that you can walk atop the battlements, or a large portion of them (1km). The views of the town and surrounding countryside are quite something. I make my way across all of the 1km which takes forever, peering out from the top of each turret. There is the inevitable cathedral, quite gothic in style. There is also a museum dedicated to Santa Teresa, who was a big mover and shaker in the Catholic Church in Spain in the 16th century. A relic room has pieces of her clothing and footwear. It also has, ghoulishly, her ring finger, preserved with ring intact. I take a second walk along the fortress walls and then have a meal of steak, with scrambled eggs, beans and prawns. A bit different but it works.

Monday, 16th April 2007
It´s good to have Madelyn, our American classmate, back at school. I am enjoying the classes a lot more than in the beginning as I understand so much more now and am slowly gaining confidence in speaking Spanish. The school has a very homely feel and you feel really taken care of by the two directors, Juan Ramon and Angel. I will be sorry to leave in a few weeks´ time.

Tuesday, 17th April 2007
I start making plans to move out of the house as the atmosphere can best be described as toxic (catalogue of incidents available on request). I need to be careful and choose my moment. Today I see pictures of my new nephew and start to get a bit homesick. Lots of mixed emotions - I want to stay in Madrid to continue the Spanish lessons but I also wish I was home at the moment to see my family.

Wednesday, 18th April 2007
I am taking a few days off from class to sort my affairs. However, this morning I squeeze in somemore tourist-y things. First up is the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) which is free to enter for EU citizens on Wednesdays. I get there at opening time and eavesdrop on an English-language guided tour. The Palace is very ornate and luxurious, but the current royals do not reside here - they live about 12 kms away. As you would expect the rooms are very ornate, but looking round these places the Guardian reader in me sometimes wonders how the ordinary people suffered so that the kings and queens could enjoy such luxury. Strangely, there is an oriental flavour to many of the rooms. A stand out is the smoking room. I also get to see the Royal Pharmacy and the Royal Armoury. The latter is more interesting than I expected, containing armour for children and even dogs.

From here it is a short run to catch up with the school trip to the Spanish Parliament, the Congreso de Los Deputados. We join an English school on a Spanish-language guided tour. Standing in the Parliament I recall some TV pictures of a uniformed man waving a pistol around in here (mid 1970s I think, just after Franco died and the army were trying to retain control).

Thursday, 19th April 2007
I sleep in and start preparing for the off. At 1pm I meet my fellow classmates for lunch at the Cervezaria 100 Montaditos. Afterwards I walk with Madelyn to her apartment in Salamanca - I am using her place as a halfway house for my belongings before I move into the new lodgings on Saturday. Then there is another school excursion to look around some of Madrid´s more modern architecture. The other students on the trip are awed by the Gran Via, which I am pretty much used to now as it has been my home for the last seven weeks.

In the evening I pack some clothes to the sound of the mother shouting at Alberto for getting his maths homework wrong.

Friday, 20th April
A day of subterfuge. After the family leave the house at 0830 I sneak my suitcase out of the house to Madelyn´s apartment. Fun and games negotiating the rush hour Metro traffic. After dropping my stuff of and chatting with Rick, Madelyn´s husband, I return to the house to collect my school things. A brief encounter with the housekeeper, Victoria, who has no English and no sense of humour. Lunch with fellow English student Helen, who is returning to the UK tomorrow. She leaves me drunk and in no fit state to do my homework.

Getting back to the house it feels stange knowing this is my last night. Payel gives me one of her drawings and signs it for me. Go for dinner with Helen, Xin-Hui, her boyfriend, and Nicky, who is staying in the same apartment where my new room is. She offers to meet me at the Pacifico metro stop tomorrow morning, close to my new digs, to show me the place. We dine in Chueca, the gay district. The restaurant and area is, no pun intended, a bit up its own arse.

Madrid week 6: Aranjuez, M.C. Escher, Tapas, Karaoke

2007-04-10T07:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 7th April 2007
Scupper plans to go on an excursion to Avila. I think it´s quite a church-y town (Saint Teresa came from there, an important figure in the Catholic church here) and my guess is that it will be packed at Easter. Stay in the house most of the day and some friends of the family call in for lunch. In the evening I go to see the film 300. The best that can be said about this film is that it could have been worse.

Sunday, 8th April 2007
Feel a need to get out of the house so take a day trip to Aranjuez, 50km south of Madrid. Like El Escorial, this has one of Felipe II´s palaces. But whereas that was more of a working palace, this place feels like a summer retreat with plentiful gardens. I again choose the guided tour in Spanish, although I´m pleased to say that today´s guide talks more slowly and clearly than the last one. I choose the "Especial" tour which includes a look at the private rooms of the kings and queens. We even get a glimpse of the bath that Isabel used.

After the palace I go to the Jardin de Principe, a massive set of gardens , housing the Casa de Labrador, yet another palacial retreat that you need an appointment to look round (I don´t have one). Last stop is the interesting Museo de Faluas, which contains centuries-old royal river boats.

Monday, 9th April 2007
Finally get to see the M.C. Escher exhibition at the Canal Isabel II exhibition hall. The queues are still long as it is the last few days of the exhibition, but I tough it out in the rainy queue for half an hour waiting to get in. I didn´t know much about this man before, only his name was familiar. A Dutch artist who travelled a lot in Italy and Spain. Lots of lithographs with forced perspective , and running themes of insects, fish, birds, mechanisation, change and circularity (I think).

The exhibition hall is as interesting as the work on display - low lighting, lots of mirrors, all in black and white, like the mirror room from The Man with the Golden Gun or something out of The Prisoner. It gives the effect of being inside one of Escher´s headache-inducing pictures.

Tuesday, 10th April 2007
Today I get my hair cut by a gay Vietnamese food sculptor. A first for me, I think.

Wednesday, 11th April 2007
Meet up with a friend from back home, Kerrie. She is here until Sunday and for two years until last August was a resident of Madrid teaching English. We grab a bite to eat, catch up, and make plans to meet again later in the week.

At 4pm there is a school excursion to the Panteon de Goya, where the artist is buried. We take the long way round with a stroll past the Palacio Real and the Temple of Debod, and through the Casa de Campo. We walk very slowly and our guide Angel talks very slowly. Before we even get to the Panteon I have to rush back home to teach the kids.

Thursday, 12th April 2007
Having lived here for a month now has given me an insight to the Spanish character. On the plus side Spain is a nation of art lovers, the people are very proud of their history and heritage, they are creative, fashionable, and love good food and going out. On the minus side they are at times gruff, unhelpful, queue-jumpers, and make no effort to get out your way when walking in the street.

My short time here has also made me appreciative of some traits that the English have - on the whole we are polite and courteous, and I think there is a lot to be said "the English reserve." But then I read a gossip mag with pictures of Kate Moss with what appear to be cigarette stubs on her hand, going out somewhere with Pete Doherty (Kate y su animal is the headline). Maybe we´re not so great.

In the evening I meet up with Kerrie and her friend Philippe. He has been a teacher in Madrid for 3 years but is leaving in a few months for a more lucrative contract in Dubai. We stuff ourselves with tapas at the restaurant La Chata. It pours with rain on the way back home. The Spanish have a saying - "En abril, agua mil" - which roughly translates as "In April it rains a lot."

Friday, 13th April 2007
Finally get to do the Madrid thing - going out late and staying out really late. I meet the other students in my class at 9.30pm to go to a tapas bar recommended by our teacher, Patricia. El Tempranillo is located on the same street as the restaurant last night, Cava Bava, but I still have trouble locating it (I have no sense of direction). We are joined by several German girls whose last night this is in Madrid.

We find the restaurant bar packed, but thankfully they have a downstairs/basement area where all ten of us can fit. After eating we are joined by Patricia and make our way to a karaoke bar. Henry, one of the German students in my class, makes plans with me to sing Blame it on the Boogie by the Jackson 5. However there is a queue of about 25-30 in front of us so we miss our chance to perform. Most of the songs that are sung tonight are Spanish pop, but there is the occasional We Will Rock You. I get home around 4am to find a text from my dad. At 18.57 tonight my sister Nick gave birth to a baby boy, Edward. This makes me very happy.

Madrid week 5: El Escorial, Museo el Prado, bullfights, Cansei de ser Sexy

2007-04-02T04:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 31st March 2007
Today´s excursion is to El Escorial, but my first stop is the Filmotec Española in Madrid to catch the last day of an exhibition by a Spanish film poster artist, Macario Gomez (or "Mac"). This is right up my street, I love film posters and this guy worked on domestic and international films from the early 1950s to the late 1970s. Glad I caught this exhibition before it ended.

El Escorial is about 60kms Northwest of Madrid. The train drops me at the bottom of the hill up to the monastery/royal palace (San Lorenzo de el Escorial) which is the centrepiece of the town and the reason most tourists come here. I choose to take the guided tour in Spanish in order to help with my learning the language. The tour takes us through the Palacio de Felippe II, his private rooms and down into the eery but ornate Panteon de los Reyes (Crypt of Kings), decked out in black and gold. I don´t understand much of what the guide says, though, as he talks too fast for me. After the tour I look around the monastery´s basilica (cathedral), library, Museum of Architecture and Museum of Painting (Felippe was quite the collector).

After the monastery there is not much to see in the town apart from an exhibition by local artists at the Casa de Culture. I catch another Madrid sunset over the mountains on the train home.

Sunday, 1st April 2007
I try to pack a lot in today. First I go to the Museo del Prado at 1015, and the queues are already sizeable. The Prado is one of the main reasons most tourists come to Madrid and today it is free to get in. Coachloads of people swell the queue behind me. The main draw at the moment is an exhibition of the work of Tintoretto, an Italian painter working in Venice in the 16th century. More religious pictures (sigh). Of more interest to me are works in the permanent collection, including Rubens, Goya and particularly Bosch. The Prado is home to the latters´ Garden of Earthly Delights which imagines what it would be like if Eve hadn´t taken the apple in the Garden of Eden and Man was not punished for his transgressions. The kind of painting it is hard to take your eyes away from. Hot-foot it to the Museo de Arte Contemperaneo for a quick look before it shuts. Will have to come back here as the entire area seems to be home to creative arts of all kinds.

I meet Madelyn and her husband Rich 1730 at the Plaza de Toros Monumental de Madrid (bullring) to catch the bullfights. The vendors outside remind me of the motocross meetings I was taken to as a kid. The action inside reminds me a lot of cricket - 3 hours of mostly dullness interspersed with a few moments of action. The ring is only at two-thirds capacity and by all accounts this was not a classic day for fighting. It is extraordinary to see how the matadors get so close to the bull and how they almost seem to dance together. But I´m not rushing back. Nice costumes, though.

Monday, 2nd April
We are joined by another new student in our Spanish class, Helen, from Coventry. She is studying for a degree in Spanish and is here for a few weeks to brush up on her conversational Spanish. We have a new teacher for our conversation class, she talks way too fast and does not have a very imaginative teaching style, relying too much on exercises from our study books.
The family is away tonight in Valencia and the house is very quiet. Nice to have some time to myself and relax.

Tuesday, 3rd April
An after-school excursion to look around some noteworthy landmarks of Madrid, the Puerta del Sol, the Plaza Mayor and the Palacio Real. Our guide is the "nice" co-owner of the school, Anguel. He talks VERY slowly in Spanish as he is explaining things and I pride myself that I understand nearly all of what he says.
The family return tonight at 11ish after one night in Valencia, an 800km round trip. Seems a bit odd to me that for such a long trip they did not stay longer.

Wednesday 4th April
Take a walk to locate the club I am going to tomorrow night, Sala Caracol (Snail Room). It is located in the Embajadores district in the south of Madrid, which is reminiscent of Latin America. Kind of what I imagine Cuba to be like.
Note: the Spanish are very big on Cuba. Cuban politics features prominently on the news.

Thursday, 5th April
It is the Spanish equivalent of a bank holiday today and tomorrow. There is no school and most of the shops are shut. I head to the Plaza de Castilla for an exhibition of the work of the cartoonist m.c. Echer. I also want to tick off the Torre Kio on this trip, twin office block towers jutting towards each other at an angle. By coincidence I find the Torre Kio at the very same metro stop for the exhibition I am going to, right above me as I exit the metro stop. I take pictures of the towers but skip the exhibition as the queue to get in is long. So I go to another exhibition on my list, Picasso y son Lobros, at the Conde Duque. Not that special, but some evocative illustrations of bullfights. At lunch there is a visitor to the house, Miguel. I assume he is Jose´s brother as their voices and demeanour are similar.

Tonight is my first gig in Spain, and I couldn´t have chosen a better one. Cansei de ser Sexy are a Brazilian band, and their name means "Tired of being sexy", a remark attributed to Beyonce Knowles. The sounds and smells are pretty similar to a UK gig, and the venue, Sala Caracol, is quite intimate. The band´s songs are pretty filthy and the lead singer of the band wears an all-in-one lycra bodysuit which she doesn´t quite have the figure to carry off. I´m glad this is my first gig in Spain as the band´s music has pretty much been my soundtrack in Madrid.

Friday, 6th April
Today is a good day to catch up on my Spanish homework, as most shops and visitor attractions are either shut or closing early. And it´s raining. I have lunch and dinner with the family and Payel has drawn a picture for me, which is nice.

Madrid week 4: Segovia, Casa de America, Cine Dore

2007-03-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 24th March
A day trip to Segovia, 90kms north of Madrid. I decide to take the train as it is more comfy than the buses, and does not cost much more (EUR 10). The 2 hour journey takes me into some pretty barren countryside. Spot some mountains in the distance topped in snow. Arrive at Segovia 10am and follow the other tourists/backpackers to the old part of the town. Trek first to Segovia´s focal point, its Roman aqueduct. This is huge - 849 ft long and 28m high according to my Lonely Planet guide. Extraordinary how it stays together with no mortar. I walk the entire length and back again, stopping for an hour to take pictures.

I then head into the old town, following the route laid out by the Lonely Planet. Go to the Museo el Arte Contemeperaneo which contains many amusing and playful pieces; not stuck-up as some of these places can be. Walk back to the Plaza San Martin which is filled with an audience watching street performers. Head next to an exhibition all about Antonio Marchado, who was apparently a big mover and shaker in Spanish society in the 1800s. A brief stop at the Natural Cafe then on to the cathedral, which is very much like all the others I have seen (when will I learn?). In addition to the entrance fee they charge 1EUR to light up an efigy the stricken Christ, which is a bit stingy and somewhat tasteless, I feel.

Next to last stop is the Alcazar, which has great views of the town and is rumoured to be the model for Walt Disney´s castle in Sleeping Beauty (it´s the castle you see on Disney´s logo at the start of all their films). Last stop is the Museo de Segovia. Like all the museums I have visited so far the place looks like it was built yesterday - pristine, modern and free to get into. Last look at the aqueduct and get the train home at sundown.

Note: if you ever come to Segovia, DO NOT go to the Cafe Mercoles. After 15 minutes of dirty looks from me they finally take my order, a decaf coffee. It comes to my table in the form of a cup of hot milk and a sachet of instant coffee on the side. Yeuch.

Sunday, 25th March 2007
I start the day doing some homework in my room before being interrupted by a visit from one of the neighbours. Enrique is an actor and a sculptor. I am invited by the family to watch a film made by Jose, the host family´s father, all about a project he worked on with his students in Valencia last year. They made a tapestry of old clothes from migrants to Spain, then hung the finished work in a church in Casablanca. All of Jose´s work seems to have "the immigrant experience" as its theme. Very interesting.

Monday, 26th March 2007
Two new students join us for the second week - Constantine and Henry from Germany. We´re now up to six in the class. We also have a new teacher for conversation classes, Montse. She starts off all smiles but by the end is cracking the whip and making us compose conversations more rapidly. A good technique.

Tuesday, 27th March
Yet another new teacher for conversation classes, Carolina. She reminds me strongly of a former work colleague, Carole, both in appearance (groovy specs, slightly boho dress sense) and manner (bubbly and enthused). I´m not sure if it´s school policy to sit us in front of new teachers or if this is just how the cookie crumbles. Anyway, it gets us introducing ourselves a lot to new people in Spanish, which is a good thing.

After class I stumble across another delight. The Casa de America showcases modern art from the Americas (Cuba, Latin and South. NOT the North). At the moment they have an exhibition called Monstruous Devadores de Energie (Monsters that Devour Energy). This features 50 old fridges made over by 50 Cuban artists. Some of them are quite lewd. I try not to be offended and take a picture of the rudest one I can find.

Wednesday, 28th March 2007
Slow news day. More irregular verbs (we´re up to Grupo 3 and there are more to come) and conversation lessons on food. I pass on the school outing to the Temple ofDebod having seen it already. Drop an email to my sister Nick as it is her birthday today. She is heavy with child, due in a few weeks, and I hope to see them both when I return home briefly in April.

Thursday, 29th March 2007
After class I go to the El Retrato portrait exhibition at the Fundacion Caja Madrid. Lots of works by Lucien Freud, Francis Bacon and Picasso. Free to get in. After a 3 hour marathon teaching session with Alberto I get an unexpected surprise. Olvido, the family´s mother, informs me that I do not have to teach again until 9th April. The children are on holiday for Easter and have no homework. 10 days in Madrid with the evenings free. I jump for joy (inside).

Friday, 30th March 2007
In class today we learn the Spanish for Star Wars (La Guerra de los Galaxies), Knight Rider (El Coche Fantistico) and, my favourite, Baywatch (Los Vigilantes de la Playa). After lessons Madelyn and I go for lunch at Cerveceria Alemagne. We make tentative plans to see a bullfight on Sunday. We´re all somewhat hesitant about doing this but feel it has to be done.

In the evening I head to the Cine Dore cinema, a fantastic old cinema I mentioned a few posts ago. It shows films from the Filmotec Española (national film library). A wonderfully decorated auditorium with rich blue ceiling and walls, ornate and immaculate.Tonight´s film is The Boston Strangler, a US film with Spanish subtitles. The film is an overlooked gem from the 1960s with Henry Fonda and George Kennedy, based on a true story. Part police procedural, part psychological thriller and part exploitation. Features a career-best performance by Tony Curtis. A curio film in curio surroundings.

Madrid week 3: Toledo, Spanish lessons, Monasterio de las Delcalzas Reales

2007-03-26T06:02:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 17th March 2007
An early start at 0730 to catch the bus for my day trip to Toledo - 75kms south of Madrid. The journey takes less than an hour, mercifully, as the bus is full. Initial impressions of Toledo are that it is very much a fortress town, completely enveloped by high stone walls. It reminds me of other towns and cities I have seen on my travels that are built into the side of a mountain - Lichtenstein, San Marino and Monaco. Try to find the El Greco museum and stumble across a Jewish museum by mistake (the city has a Jewish quarter). As you may know, El Greco was a Greek painter but he lived and did most of his famous work in Toledo.

Wandering around aimlessly I take lots of photos of interesting looking buildings, and then I come across a showstopper of an exhibition. In the Espacio Contemporaneo Archivo de Toledo there is a installation with video footage of mass graves being excavated all over Spain. I had no idea that Franco had murdered tens of thousands of citizens during his 50 year reign in "extra judicial executions." A map in the exhibition displays the locations of the graves, mainly in rural areas. The black spots show where at least 1000 bodies have been found. In Valencia alone there is a grave thought to have at least 26,000 bodies. Earth from the graves is laid out on the floor of the exhibition in the shape of a map of Spain. Very moving. I also visit the Museo de Santa Cruz, which details the history of the various peoples who invaded and occupied the area, including the Visigoths and the Romans.

Coming back to Madrid I hit the Puerta del Sol, a busy area at the best of times and tonight packed with St. Patrick´s Day revellers. A stark contrast to the remoteness of Toledo.

Sunday, 18th March
A slow news day. After breakfast I do some journal-polishing and head off for the Casa de Campo. This park in the south of the city houses the Parc de Attraciones (rollercoasters, etc) and the city zoo. Getting back to the apartment I meet two of Jose´s friends who are just back from a visit to China.

Monday, 19th March 2007
First day of Spanish lessons. So far I have got by with the Spanish for "I don´t understand" and "Do you speak English?" Lessons start with two hours of grammar. Our teacher is Patricia. There are only two other students in the class. The first is Mito, a Vietnamese now living in the US and working for the Marriott chain of hotels as some sort of food artist (he does cheese sculptures, mainly). His lessons are being paid for by the hotel (6 months worth) because many of the staff he works with are Hispanic. The other student is Xin Hui, a Chinese girl living here with her Spanish boyfriend. She has no English, so the only way to converse with her is in Spanish. After the break we have 90 minutes of conversational Spanish with a different teacher, Eva. We also get homework. After lessons I have lunch with Mito. He was in NYC until September 11th 2001 and since then has been in Los Angeles.

Tuesday, 20th March 2007
Lessons continue with verbs and common questions. We are joined by another student, Madelyn from Minneapolis. I´m starting to wonder if I´m in the right class - the others seem to be far from absolute beginners like me and are very comfortable in conversational Spanish. I do feel like the slow one of the group. Madelyn has already studied some Spanish and her husband speaks it. They live in the posh Salamanca district of Madrid and are here for 2 years.

Wednesday, 21st March 2007
More verbs, and some substantives. I feel that I need to practice my conversational Spanish more. Lessons today are followed today by a school outing to the nearby Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales. We queue outside for an hour before going in - no joke as Madrid has been cold and windy this week. It is not much warmer when we get inside. The monastery is saturated in religious sculptures and paintings, but I have to confess (no pun intended) that the effect is mostly lost on a non-believer like me. These are impressive places and I feel privileged to see them, but I really don´t feel a desperate need to see another Madonna and Child painting.
Note: I find it odd that many of the representations of Christ seem to use as their model the actor Robert Powell from the 1970s series Jesus of Nazareth.

Thursday, 22nd March
At some point, somewhere in Madrid, the road is being dug up. In fact at most points, in most places, the road is being dug up. Apparently this is because local politicians like to use new roads, new buildings, new metro stations, etc as leverage to get re-elected. The street outside my school (Calle de Arenal) is being repaved and everything reverberates to the sound of heavy machinery.

Today we are being taught by Juan Ramon, one of the owners of the school, because our regular teacher, Patricia, is absent. I´m not sure he is a qualified teacher; he has very little English, talks very fast, and succeeds in making me feel like the dunce of the group.
Back at the apartment, mother has a bad day and lets me know it.

Friday, 23rd March
After lessons today I go to a nearby Italian restaurant with Mito, Madelyn and her husband, Rich. Xin Hui can´t make it - today she´s marrying her boyfriend in order to get a visa. Rich is an American born and raised in Venezuela and is fluent in Spanish. It´s nice to meet some worldly Americans who are curious about the world, in contrast to the ones I met on the Europe coach trip. After homework I visit Petra´s International Bookshop, full of second hand German, English and Spanish books. The place is named after the owner´s cat and has a nice vibe to it.

After their English lessons the children insist on hanging out in my room, which I find a bit uncomfortable. They are curious about my iPod and speakers, and Payel sings along to the Beatles´song I Should Have Known Better in Spanish, which I find quite funny.

Madrid week 2: Centre de Arte Sofia, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Alcala de Henares, Temple of Debod

2007-03-19T07:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 10th March 2007
A nice full day. Get up late-ish (10am) and the family are just finishing breakfast. They head off for lunch with friends in the country. I head off to check out an arthouse cinema recommended by the Lonely Planet guide, the Cine Dore. This seems like a really chilled and quirky place. It is located in an interesting area, reminiscent of urban areas of Latin American countries. Lots of elegantly wasted buildings.

Going for a walk I stumble across the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, the main modern art museum in Spain. The building is a work of art in itself, with a red lacquered front and a transparent elevator jutting out (like the Towering Inferno elevator, but more modern). The museum contains loads of work by Miro and Kandinsky, but the centrepiece is Picasso´s Guernica.

I finish off the day with a Roy Lichtenstein exhibition at the Fundacion Juan March. Like the Sofia museum thisplace is free to get into. I am impressed that the arts in Spain are so well-funded and accessible. This is a great exhibition explaining Lichtenstein´s work from conception to completion.

Sunday, 11th March 2007
Go to check emails at the Vitamin A cafe but it is shut. Head instead to Retiro Park and the Crystal Palace there. Then go to the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza - lots of Renaissance art again (yawn) but also a whole bunch of Picassos, Dalis, Kandinskys and Freuds. An interesting portraiture exhibition. Bad experience in the restaurant (ask me later).

On the opposite side of the street is the Museo de Prado, but as it is free on Sunday the queues are massive so I go instead to the Royal Botannical Gardens - an oasis of peace in the bustle of the city.

End the day with the cinema again. Blood Diamond (Diamente de Sangre), one of those great political films that the US occasionally makes, in the tradition of Under Fire and Salvador.

Monday, 12th March 2007
Begin the day updating my blog with the first week´s events, then head to the Eureka school to arrange payment for my Spanish language lessons next week. Head from there to the nearby Royal Palace and the adjacent Jardines de Sabatini. These are very beautiful, in stark contrast to the place I go to next - the very grey Puerto de Toledo area. Take a very long walk over an expansive spaghetti junction-type area (Marquis de Vedillo? Piramides?) undergoing some serious construction.

Get back home to discover that the parents have gone to Seville leaving Seli and Anouk at the house minding the children. The teaching doesn´t go too well - the kids try to get out of doing any work due to the lack of parental control.

Tuesday, 13th March 2007
Hang around the house for much of the day - the sightseeing is put on hold while I get a grip on the teaching. Re-read the notes from my teaching research. I also contact another language assistant, Andrew, who turns out to be Peter from Preston. I receive a phone call from another language assistant, Michael. I arrange to meet both later in the week.

The teaching goes better tonight, but it is a little trying because on the new timetable we start so late (2030).

Wednesday, 14th March 2007
Go to the Atoche Renfe railway station to meet the language assistant Michael. I think we are only meeting for coffee, but his plans are to go out of town to Alcala de Henares, about 45km from Madrid. I feel a bit apprehensive accompanying a complete stranger on an excursion, but he seems OK. A 22 year-old from Los Angeles, taking time out from pharmacy studies. We share our experiences of teaching English and I feel better about my approach (his is similar, just helping the kids with homework).

Arrive at Alcala de Henares after a 40-minute train ride. Lots of sandstone buildings, dominated by a university (of some renown, apparently). It is also the birthplace of Cervantes (author of Don Quixote). We visit the house where he was born, and also the Museo Arquelogico Regional. And a photographic exhibition about the civil war. All the places we visit are free.

A positive night of teaching followed by a night out with Seli, Anouk and Alfonso.

Thursday, 15th March 2007
Start the day with some blog-polishing on the family PC. It´s heartening to read some positive feedback from friends about the blog. I am also touched to receive a voicemail from Murielle, the tenant in my house. She has read the blog and offers to help me out with relations with the family (being French she is, as she says, close to the Latin temperament).

Read up on some Spanish history from my Lonely Planet guide, triggered by the civil war photo exhibition from yesterday. Also meet the language assistant Peter, an English guy from Preston. He has been here since last October, and as well as teaching his family´s kids in the evening he teaches English during the day. We have a beer and share experiences, and he shows me some new areas of the city, including another V.O. (version originale) cinema.

Friday, 16th March 2007
Head to Plaza de Espana to check some film times, and stumble across another Madrid landmark. The Temple of Debod is a real Egyptian temple that was transported here block by block in the 1960s. It was deconstructed in Egypt to make way for the Aswan Dam, and given to Spain as a thank you gift for archaelogical work undertaken by Spaniards in Egypt. The adjoining park has great views of Greater Madrid and the Royal Palace. I stop for a while to take photos.

After tonight´s teaching I show Alberto some photos of my Dad on his motorbike. He seems over the moon at this and prints off a photo for his room. Relations with the family are improving.

Madrid week 1: Retiro Park, Museo Municipal, Palacio Real

2007-03-12T02:54:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 3rd March 2007
I catch the 0930 coach Oxford to Gatwick. Have been feeling quite apprehensive for the last few days - worried about the host parents not being able to speak English, me not speaking much Spanish (despite listening to some audio language guides), and whether or not I will be able to teach English effectively. Get to Gatwick very early for my flight so I check in my bags and have something to eat. By the time I get to the departure gate the queue has ballooned - it snakes all the way around the North terminal! Have time for a quick coffee and board the 737 to Madrid.

Spend ages waiting for my bags and meet the family at the arrivals gate over an hour after landing. They are very welcoming - the son (Alberto, 8) is very chatty but the daughter (Payel, 11) is a bit more reserved. We get a taxi to central Madrid, so I assume they don´t have their own car. The family´s apartment is located slap bang in the city centre. I struggle with my 25kg suitcase up the stairs to the 2nd floor apartment. It is a spacious place with a strange layout - seemingly just one block partitioned off into corridors and rooms. The hall is lined floor to ceiling with files and books - this really is an academic family (the father, Jose, is an artist and also teaches art). Have coffee and pizza, and stilted conversations.

Sunday, 4th March 2007
Get up late after a very good night´s sleep, considering I am in a very small room and I am on the top bunk and it is a single bed. After a full breakfast of bacon, cereal and coffee we head out into Madrid. Just before we leave the apartment I get a glimpse of Sr. Fernandez´s studio. He is a really talented artist, working mainly on large canvases, and the studio is as you would expect it - pots of paint everywhere and the floors spattered in different colours.

We head down into the street and it hits me again that we are in dead central Madrid, yards away from the Gran Via (main street?). We make our way to Retiro Park passing landmarks such as the Bank of Spain and the Institute Cervantes on the way. Retiro Park must be one of the most relaxed and chilled city centre parks I have been to, despite being over-run with families, rollerbladers, cyclists, street puppeteers and tarot card readers. I play football with Jose and Alberto (the first time I have kicked a football in years, I think). We get the bus back home and have a fantastic dinner of prawns and paella. Then it´s time for siesta (yes you really do feel like having one).

Finish the day by taking an evening walk with the mother, Olvida, Alberto and his bike to orientate me with the journey to school (I am to pick up the children from school each day. More on this later). I am surprised to find such a child-friendly atmosphere as late as 2030-2100 in a major European capital city.

Note: my hosts have the 1970s sitcom George and Mildred (Les Ropers) on DVD, 5th series.

Monday, 5th March 2007
Have a late breakfast with the family after another heavy night´s sleep. I decide to head out early on my own to explore Madrid. I telephone Seli (the family´s previous language assistant) and arrange to meet her in the afternoon. I go first to have a look at the language shool I will start attending in two weeks. Pass by the Puerta del Sol, the Plaza Mayor and the Royal Palace (the latter two being very touristy).

I get back to the apartment to meet Seli and also meet the family´s cleaner, Victoria. Seli and I go for lunch and chat about her experiences wit the family. Seli is German, and speaks fluent Spanish and English. She was with the family five months and is now looking for a paying job in Madrid. We arrange to meet later in the week to give me my first taste of Madrid´s nightlife.

Get to the school gates at 4pm and Jose meets me with the kids. I feel a bit awkward trying to strike up conversations in English, and the children are not very talkative after a full day of school. At about 1715 I begin the "lessons," first with Alberto (the children are to be taught separately). We listen to a story on audio tape read in annoying American English and follow the words in an accompanying book. I then read the story to Alberto. We then read a piece of text about the Thames and answer questions. Alberto is easily distracted and even feigns sleep. Payel turns out to be more fun and inquisitive, despite her initial shyness.

Note: there are two sex shops on my street, one of which is called "California USA." There is also a red light area two blocks away, right on my route to school. Ladies of the night seem to hang around there all hours of the day.

Tuesday, 6th March 2007
Payel is sick today and so does not go to school. I can´t help thinking this is because she ate loads last night just before going to bed. The evening meals are taken quite late, around 2100, something I need to get used to. Make my way to the Vitamin A bar and internet cafe where I check my emails (1 euro for 50 minutes which passes by very quickly). I then go to the offices of the company that arranged my stay here, RCI. This involves taking my first ride on the Metro (underground) system. I am amazed to see that the trains and stations are spotlessly clean, in stark contrast to the graffiti-strewn streets above (every wall up to about 8 feet is covered in it). It strikes me that this is the exact opposite to London, where the streets are relatively clean and the Underground trains are plastered in graffiti. I wonder why the Spanish can´t/don´t want to keep their streets as grafitti-free as the Metro trains?

Meet my contact, Paloma, at the RCI offices. I voice my concerns about the task I have been given of collecting the kids from school each day, and also taking them to/from after school activities. This is quite a hefty responsibility and one I was not told about before I got here. Paloma is unaware of this as well; she is very supportive and promises to back me up if and when I take a stand with the family on the issue.

I then take the Metro to the Salamanca district, which on paper looks like an interesting historical area but turns out to be the main business district. I wonder momentarily if this is where I came during my previous visit to Madrid - a business trip in December 2001. After some deep-fried fast food I head off to collect Alberto. It rains. I also have to take him to his theatre class. I am increasingly feeling that this is wrong and that I should not have such a responsibility.

Wednesday, 7th March 2007
Start the day checking out Spanish TV and catching up with the BBC World News. I take some photos of the apartment because the way things are I don´t know how much longer I will be here! Today I am going to check out some Spanish language schools. After checking my email I head first to the Eureka school, the one that has been recommended to me. I am pleased with what I see; the owner is a nice guy and the facilities are good. I am less impressed with the other schools I visit - one seems to be over-run by students, the other seems to be closed.

At dinner tonight Seli arrives with a friend, Anouk. After dinner we head to the Cafe Madrid to meet another friend of hers, Alfonso, who is learning English. We exchange words and phrases in our respective languages. It seems to me that this is the best way to pick up the language, over a drink or two.

Thursday, 8th March 2007
Head off to the offices of RCI to sort out the situation with the family. Paloma, my contact there, has several heated phone conversations with the mother, Olvida, and a comprimise timetable is arranged. I no longer have to collect the kids from school, just do my allotted 3 hours teaching each night. Hurrah!

Walk back to the Gran Via via Plaza de Espana. Go to the Museo Municipal which is a stones-throw from my apartment. My first visit to a museum in Madrid and it gives me a good flavour of the history, politics and architecture of the city. The museum is over-run with ushers - one every five yards. After much window-shopping I buy a mobile phone to use while I am here (a must, apparently). Now I need to work out how to use it; the instructions and on-screen commands are all in Spanish, naturally.

Get back to the apartment not knowing how I will be received after the events of earlier today. The atmosphere is odd, but nothing is said about the new arrangements. Have a productive lesson with the children and I´m at last getting more confidence with the teaching. The atmosphere gets weirder - no food is prepared for me tonight - so I head out to check out the cinemas in Plaza de Espana. Find the Princesa cinema which has plenty of V.O. (version original) films on show.

Friday, 9th March 2007
A frustrating day. Starts well with a visit to Ocho Y Medio, a film bookshop recommended by the Lonely Planet. They have loads of old English film books, many on horror movies, and I spend more than an hour browsing around. I can see myself spending a lot more time here. After stopping for coffee at the Starbucks in Plaza de Espana I try to get an Abnono Transportes card, which is apparently the most cost-effective way of using public transport. This is where the fun begins. The tourist office cannot help me, and tell me to try a tobacconist on the Gran Via. Tobacconists are the only places that sell these cards (why not the Metro stations?). The tobacconist on the Gran Via doesn´t exist. I give up.

The children are not in a studying mood tonight which makes the teaching difficult. After dinner I go to the Princesa and see The Queen - in English with Spanish subtitles. A very small auditorium. The audience seem to understand all the nuances and references in the story.

The next stage

2007-03-01T08:26:00.000-08:00

So that's the first part of my travels taken care of. The next stage begins on 3rd March 2007 when I fly out to Madrid for three and a half months. During that time I will be staying with a Spanish family and teaching English to their two children. I will be located in central Madrid so hopefully I will be able to see all that the city has to offer. Stand by for further posts!

Amsterdam to London

2007-02-21T02:28:00.000-08:00

Day 24: Amsterdam to London, Monday 12th February
We say goodbye to some of our group this morning. Claire and Andrew are heading back to Paris for another week. Rheanna is spending another week in Amsterdam before going to Switzerland. We drop off Ellie and Katherine at the airport for their flight back to the US.

For the drive back to London I make a playlist with Piriye. Unconsciously I choose a mainly black/soul/funk, probably in reaction to all the Green Day awfulness we have had to sit through recently. It relaxes me to hear my own music on the coach.

We board the ferry from Calais to Dover at 1345. I find it strange to see so many British people around after spending such a long time around people with non-UK languages and accents. I'm starting to see the British as just another racial group. It also feels strange to be using English money again. This doesn't feel like coming home, it just feels like the next stop on our tour.

Get to London around 1745. I agree to meet those staying at the royal National for a drink. I'm really going to miss some of them. Say some awkward goodbyes after hamburger and chips and five white wine spritzers. Feeling kind of numb as I board the tube to Notting Hill to catch the bus home. Meet my Dad 2230 in Gloucester Green, Oxford and crash when I get home.

Amsterdam Sightseeing

2007-02-21T02:05:00.000-08:00

Day 23: Amsterdam Sightseeing, Sunday 11th February
I can't say that I'm looking forward to today after last night's disaster. Tour Manager Dave recommends starting off at Anne Frank's house so we all head over there from the bus. I found this to be the most moving exhibition/museum of the whole tour. Especially moving was the film footage of Anne Frank's father describing how he found out about the death of his daughter and the discovery of her diaries.

Next up I head to Rembrandt's house/museum. glad I found this even though it's not in Tour Manager Dave's recommendations. As with the Anne Frank house, they have recreated the rooms and furnished them as they would have looked in his day. Explore more of Amsterdam and find it growing on me, in contrast to last night's ugliness. Take a final walk through the coffee shop area and head back to the hotel 1600.

The last night of our tout turns out better than expected. The restaurant we go to in Vollendam is the best yet, great service and great fish. We then do a canal cruise in central Amsterdam on a party boat. We end up having drinks back at the bar and hatch a plan to take over the coach music for the journey home.

Hamburg to Amsterdam

2007-02-19T07:26:00.000-08:00

Day 22: Hamburg to Amsterdam

We leave Hamburg 0815 and I can't say I'll miss the place or return to it anytime soon. 1015 Tour Manager Dave breaks out the Vegemite (I'm not kidding) and the Aussies rush to the front to get their share. I choose to pass, having seen the bad reaction of the only Aussie to have a taste, Melissa. I'm getting increasingly tired of all the Green Day/Nu punk music being played on the coach iPod. I may try and start a revolution soon...

1430-1500 we get to the final tourist trap - a cheese and clogs place near Amsterdam. We learn how cheese is made and how clogs are made. Over to the hotel at 1630 where the Contiki group we have christened "Team Boring" have joined us.

We have the worst evening of the tour yet, and it's not a nice way to end the tour. A few days ago an additional optional excursion was announced - a live sex show in Amsterdam. Most people sign up but I don't, and I question the ethics of a tour operator helping to fund the sex industry. Three of us are not going to the show, and we are left to or own devices while the others do the show.

The Red Light district seems surprisingly safe, and not as in-your-face as I had been led to believe. But it starts to rain as we wait for the others outside the show. We wait and wait and wait but eventually give up and make our way to the coach. A final drink in the hotel bar. I hope tomorrow is better than this.

Berlin to Hamburg

2007-02-19T07:14:00.000-08:00

Day 21: Berlin to Hamburg, Friday 9th February
The roads are covered in snow as we take the relatively short (350km) drive to Hamburg. And it is still snowing.

We arrive in Hamburg 1445. Tour Manager Dave seems a bit lost and we take ages to find the drop-off point. Spend 2 hours shopping with Piriye. Find a disturbingly-named brand of men's clothes called Omen. Listen to the Jackson 5 on the journey to the hotel. Our hotel is located in the suburbs 30 minutes outside the centre of the city so there is little chance of visiting the Reeperbahn tonight. Feeling more perky as the day progresses, though.

Arrive at the hotel 1745 and the feeling among our party is that everyone is going to have an early night tonight, which makes a change. conversely i feel like staying up and drinking for a while but everyone around me crashes and burns.

The hotel meal is the best "included" one we have had yet. Also we have a good crowd at dinner. We retire to the bar for more drinks and I buy expensive DIY spritzers. And they're wrong spritzers as well - tonic water instead of soda water. Yeuch!

Berlin Sightseeing

2007-02-19T05:22:00.000-08:00

Day 20: Berlin Sightseeing, Thursday 8th February
The day begins with a coach drive to the longest surviving section of the Berlin Wall. There are striking murals shouting for freedom. The wall is tall and thin. We meet our guide for a 3-hour walking tour of Third Reich landmarks. It snowed last night and feels really cold this morning. Interesting to see so many monuments in East Berlin left over from the Cold War - monuments to workers, Marx and Engels. The Old Museum on museum Island reminds me of the Pantheon in Rome in that it is very old and wears its wrinkles proudly. The book burning monument is one of the best modern monuments I have seen - an underground completely in white lined with empty bookcases. The monument is encased underground with a viewing window set in the ground.

We visit the site of Hitler's bunker, which is now a parking lot. Also see the Jewish monument which I saw last night (not lit up at all, very eerie). It is interesting to hear about the controversy over this monument - is it a monument or is it a piece of art? It is also interesting to hear how the Soviets reused many former Nazi buildings. We visit the Wall again and Checkpoint Charlie. After the tour I visit the Topography of Terror exhibition with roommate Dave. It seems appropriate that this exhibition is outside, close to the recent Nazi history that it depicts. Get my picture taken at Checkpoint Charlie, then visit the Deutsche History Museum - a massive place depicting German history from the year dot up to the present day. Some great propaganda posters, but I do not have time to see the museum in full.

Return by U2 to Potsdamer Platz to take in more of the Berlinale and to visit the Film Museum. The museum depicts the history of German cinema, including exhibits on Marlene Dietrich, Fritz Lang and Metropolis and Ernst Lubitsch. I am surprised by the lack of material on Billy Wilder, surely the greatest and most famous German film maker.

There is an evening dinner followed by a nightlife tour, taking in three bars and a nightclub in East Berlin. We are taken round by a Scandinavian girl, Nina, who moved here 7 months ago. I am particularly taken by the last bar we visit, the White Bar, which has a chilled atmosphere and plays vintage soul music.

Rhine Valley to Berlin

2007-02-19T03:15:00.000-08:00

Day 19: Rhine Valley to Berlin, Wednesday 7th February
Early to bed and early to rise. I wake and shower before 0630 and take a walk along the Rhine waterfront at St. Goar. Watch the car ferry arrive and depart - this is the only way to cross the river as there are no bridges for miles around in either direction.

0900 Stuck in a traffic jam with a coach full of coughers. It's going to be a long day. Rheanna has taken my place at the front of the coach for the last 2 days. I don't mind missing the view as it has been all autobahns and drizzle recently. stop for fuel 1100 and some of our party think it's a good idea to smoke cigarettes! I'm glad we're all still here.

Yesterday Tour Manager Dave gave us a potted history of WW1. Today it's WW2 and the Cold War in preparation for our arrival in Berlin. He plays excerpts of speeches by Churchill, Hitler, JFK and Reagan... and David Hasslehoff's Looking for Freedom. I'm still not feeling 100% but I'm really psyched up for Berlin as Tour Manager Dave goes through the highlights and we start seeing signs for Berlin Zentrum.

1715 we hit Berlin and I am immediately transfixed. Historic building piled on historic building, followed by opulent department stores (Bulgari, etc) followed by the neon craziness of the Zoo area.

2000 -After checking in to the hotel I head out on my own to explore Berlin. Take the train to Potsdamer Platz, via the U2 underground train. Potsdamer Platz is the Times Square/Picadilly Circus of Berlin. Head over to the Sony Center which is spectacular, full of cinemas and restaurants. Walk from Potsdamer down to the Jewish memorial, the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate, which is stunningly lit up at night. Then it starts snowing. Catch the signs for the Berlin Film Festival, the Berlinale, which starts tomorrow. I bookmark areas of interest to see tomorrow and head by train to Zoo Station, immortalised in the U2 song of the same name. Manage to upset a U2 train driver - I pull the alarm cord in panic when the empty train stops briefly in a tunnel. Get back at midnight frozen but excited about tomorrow.

Lucerne to Rhine Valley

2007-02-19T02:59:00.000-08:00

Day 18: Lucerne to Rhine Valley, Tuesday 6th February
Wake up early to catch the sunrise but it is to no avail. The hotel has been transformed into a snowscape by heavy snowfall overnight. And it is still snowing; a fine drizzle that settles surprisingly quickly. I don't get many snaps because the visibility is so poor. This is the first time that many people on the tour have seen snowfall and they are very pleased.

0900 - After breakfast we catch the cable car down to Lucerne. It feels strange to be moving down the mountain but not able to see anything because of the snowfall. But by the time we get to the gondolas visibility is good and the snowfall has lessened. It's then back on the coach to head for the Swiss-German border which we cross 1115. Lots of people ask if I feel better which is touching.

Make it to St. Goar 1630. More contractual obligation tourist trap stuff at a beerstein shop. Briefly check emails; the two families in Madrid sound so different - one a wealthy family based outside of Madrid, the other a more artsy family based in the centre. Talk movies with Andrew and Claire over dinner.

Then we go to wine tasting. I have been looking forward to this, but cannot smell or taste anything so it's a bit of a waste. In a weird way it reminds me of The Shining. Previous Contiki parties have carved their names in the tables here (in desperation? Are they trapped here?). You can never leave. You've always been here...

Lucerne Sightseeing

2007-02-19T02:31:00.000-08:00

Day 17: Lucerne Sightseeing, Monday 5th February
Actually I don't see any of Lucerne today. I decide to stay up the mountain because I am still suffering from coach flu and can't face the cable car ride into the town and back. Lucerne doesn't seem to have all that much to offer anyway, at least nothing that is unmissable. Could do worse than another day up the mountain - I still can't get over the fact that we are this far up and that it is so beautiful.

I don't think I missed much at the Swissco Disco (no, really) last night that took place in the adjacent hotel. Our group walked out in protest when someone urinated on the bar. Rumour has it that it was the hotel chef. Maybe they should rename it Swissco Pissco Disco...

Spend the morning exploring the sister hotel, the Pilatus Klum, and writing postcards home. CNN has stories of a major bird flu outbreak in the UK - do I really want to go back home? Quote from my roommate Dave "You feeling any better? You look like s**t." Cheers Dave. Spend the afternoon in bed and watching more CNN. Find their coverage remarkably unquestioning. Their headline says "US Army says troop build up in Iraq will be something that has not been seen before." What, exactly? They don't say. And they don't ask anybody.

1630 telephone call from the UK that perks me up. The company arranging my stay in Madrid next month has found me two potential host families who want me as a language assistant. I look forward to reading the details tomorrow in my email.

Tonight's movie is Eurotrip, which tries so hard to be offensive that it ends up being inoffensive. Less of a movie, more like a machine for extracting money from US teenagers. London scenes are CG'd into the film - couldn't they afford to come here? Not good, then, but it does go down well with the crowd. Get to see some of my pics on Tour Manager Dave's laptop. The camera is good but the photographer needs more practise.

Munich to Lucerne

2007-02-16T08:14:00.000-08:00

Day 16: Munich to Lucerne, Sunday 4th February
We pass through 4 countries today - Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. An out of season theme park, Skyline Park, is on our right -it looks strange to see rollercoasters and ferris wheels in such a bleak, snowy setting. We get our passports checked by guards at the Austrian-Liechtenstein border. Spend one hour sightseeing around Liechtenstein and buy some Swiss francs for our stay in Switzerland. Liechtenstein reminds me a lot of San Marino, not just because it is a principality, but because it is cut into the side of a mountain with stunning views of the surrounding summits. The man in the burger shop greets us with the refrain "Contiki! Contiki! Kee-bab! Kee-bab!" which lowers my mood a bit. I sometimes wish that I wasn't with such an easily identifiable tourist party. We are soon joined by another Contiki group...

We cross the Rhine river into Switzerland and see yet further stunning backdrops; sheer cliff faces that seem more like slumbering beasts than pieces of rock. Pass by Mount Tobler, named after Toblerone chocolate (or is it the other way around?).

OK I wasn't expecting this. After a brief stop to look at the Lion monument in Lucerne (look it up) we catch TWO cable cars to our hotel, the Bellevue. The first cable car is a small, 4 seater gondola that takes us 25 minutes up to a cable car station. We then take a second car (which holds about 30 people) to the top of Mount Pilatus and our hotel, 2132 metres (7000 feet!) above sea level. We are very high up, you can feel the altitude. We check in and I immediately take to my bed to recover some sleep/well being.

Meet Piriye at 1700 to explore the tunnels in the mountains, full of stories about dragons told as if they actually existed. Then I make my own way to the viewing point at the top of the mountain and capture some great shots of the sunset. The air is so clean and it is so quiet up here. This has been an unexpected and welcome surprise and I plan to make the most of it.

Note: lots of people suffering from the coach flu. I hope I can shake mine before Berlin.

Vienna to Munich

2007-02-16T06:47:00.000-08:00

Day 15: Vienna to Munich, Saturday 3rd February
We start out at 0700 and have to chase up the hotel staff to get us breakfast. A 2 hour drive to Mauthausen, a former Nazi concentration camp. Naturally enough this is a very humbling experience and the weather is suitably overcast and windy for such a bleak setting. We walk through monuments for those who died here. The site is under wraps due to rain damage, and there seems to be no one else around apart from our party. However it is hard to think that such a place could have a peak season. We walk through soldiers' barracks and prisoners' quarters before walking straight into a gas chamber. It's a shock to see close up the actual mechanism that was used in the Holocaust. Finish up with a 40-minute film history of the camp. Everyone seems to be suitably humbled by the experience.

One hour down the road we stop at Mondsee services which is madly busy and we fight to get a table. The next rest stop is Salzburg, at the church that was use in the film The Sound of Music. Early into Munich at 1615, we stop for an hour at the hotel and head for the Hofbrahaus beerkeller, which is already attracting a sizable Saturday night crowd. I choose to eat the house special sausage with sauerkraut and join the others in drinking a litre of beer. Leave the others here in order to take in a few of the sights of Munich, taking coffee at the San Francisco Coffee House. Get the bus back at 1015 along with the beerkeller casualties.

Vienna Sightseeing

2007-02-16T06:18:00.000-08:00

Day 14: Vienna Sightseeing, Friday 2nd February
We start the day with a coach tour around central Vienna, then a walking tour around some of the main historical buildings. I am not feeling 100% today, probably as a result of exhaustion and maybe from being on a coachful of people for too long. As a result I do not take in much of what Tour Manager Dave tells us of Austrian history. Vienna has some stunning architecture and no doubt an interesting history, but I am suffering from sightseer's fatigue. One notable sight, though, is the anti-fascist memorial.

After a brief stop for coffee we head off for Stephandom, a great gothic cathedral incongruously located in the main shopping area of Vienna. We make our way up the belltower for panoramic views of the city. Then it's over to the fine art museum with Kyle, full of Holbeins, Vermeers and so on. I soon head to the Museum Quarter on my own and take a look at the Museum of Modern Art and the Rathaus (where the politicians reside, naturally). I also take a look at the Albertina Museum where they have a Warhol exhibition, Popstars.

I take coffee in a bar at the ares-end of Johannesgasse waiting for the Third Man walking tour to begin. This is good fun as our guide takes us to key locations from the film including the sewer entrance, Hotel Sacher, Cafe Mozart and the famous doorway where Harry Lime first makes his entrance. She outlines the plot of the film, in English and German, and provides us with a vivid picture of post-war Vienna. I then rush over to dinner at the Rathauskeller with the rest of my party (good food) followed by a Mozart concert.

Venice to Vienna

2007-02-16T06:01:00.000-08:00

Day 13: Venice to Vienna, Thursday 1st February
The weather is misty as we set out at 0900 for Austria, but it soon clears as we cross the border. We pass through numerous tunnels cut into the Alps and pass by many mountainside communities. Everyone seems re-energised by the sight of snow. We stop at a restaurant and people seem over the moon at the choice of food on offer and the fact that the toilets are cleaner than some of the places we have been. Snowball fights begin. There is a crack in the coach windscreen that appears to be growing and I wouldn't be surprised if it gives way soon. In the afternoon we play a game. To cut a long story short it ends up that I have to dry hump the coach mascot, a soft toy. Oh well , everyone else has to do a dare and at least mine is over with.

We arrive at the hotel around 1645 and we have the evening to ourselves. I have plans to check out Vienna but feel quite weary so join the others at the shopping mall across from the hotel for a Mexican meal. The hotel is another out-of-town business class anono-dome. It's pleasant enough, but you could be anywhere in the world. The clientele and decor remind me of the hotels I used to stay in with my old job. Their slogan is "Your smile is our job."

Venice Sightseeing

2007-02-16T05:23:00.000-08:00

Day 12: Venice Sightseeing, Wednesday 31st January
We take a coach to catch a boat to St Mark's Square. A fun experience with everyone sitting up top and singing along to the boatman's bizarre choice of music - a Grease megamix followed by Rick Astley. Our approach to Venice reminds me of the Swedish archipelago, with islands dotted around on all sides. Some people in our party felt let down by Rome but Venice disappoints no-one. It feels like being in a movie and looks exactly like all the movies you have seen set in Venice.

First stop from the boat is St Mark's square, overrun by pidgeons and tourists, and stupid tourists encouraging pidgeons to flock to them. St Mark's Basilica has the ornate Catholic look that we have now become familiar with - gold-plated ceilings, passages from the Bible animated on the walls like a cartoon strip. The difference here is that the architecture has a more Turkish feel about it. also get to see St Mark's Treasury which contains bizarre artefacts such as preserved skulls and bones. I didn't know the Catholic church went in for that kind of thing.

A glass-blowing demonstration follows, and we are encouraged to buy glass ornaments. No thanks. I skip the lace-making demonstration to get lost in Venice. It takes me 2 hours to find a postcard and post it, but it is fun nonetheless. I make it back to St Mark's to get the lift to the top of the Campanile. Next up is a gondola ride at 1415. We get to see Venice from the water and see how abandoned much of the city is.

It's then a slow long trek to the Peggy Guggenheim museum, but it's well worth it as this turns out to be the surprise highlight of the day. An amazing collection of modern art in relaxed and funky surroundings. Get to see several Pollocks, Picassos and Magrittes. By the time we leave Peggy a thick mist has descended over the entire city. We finish the day with a pleasant meal in a Venetian restaurant.

Rome to Venice

2007-02-16T04:07:00.000-08:00

Day 11: Rome to Venice, Tuesday 30th January
Tour Manager Dave plays Sandi Thom on the coach so I have to turn to my iPod for comfort. Last night the boys played poker and the girls had a ladies night which apparently got quite loud and was broken up by Dave. Perhaps our tour operator Contiki needs to find more party-friendly hotels or pick hotels that are nearer to decent bars. The hotel in Rome was a bit of a way out from anywhere.

Pass by some dramatic mountain ranges the Apennines.
0945 we have an accident with a truck. two lanes merging into one and the road is not big enough for both vehicles. Mike the driver brakes and we are clipped on our right side by the back of the truck. The truck drives on! We lose a wing mirror and the front passenger door glass is shattered. Stop for 45 minutes to repair the damage, then on to San Marino passing by the Adriatic coast. We are blessed again with excellent weather.

A one-hour stop in San Marino for lunch. 750metres above sea level, we climb, climb and climb again. San Marino is a republic separate from Italy. Before each stop Tour Manager Dave hands out maps and highlight sheets and explains the history of the region.

It is a long slog to Venice. We arrive at our hotel around 1930 and head straight to dinner which turns out to be the same as we had last night - pasta followed by chicken. Finish the evening with some drinks in the hotel bar. Our hotel (Motel Air) is on the very outskirts of Venice in the industrial area. Today we crossed the halfway mark of our tour, having done 4,000km with another 4,000km to go. Today alone we covered 700km.

Rome Sightseeing

2007-02-16T03:41:00.000-08:00

Day 10: Rome Sightseeing, Monday 29th January
Rome is a crazy city and I soon learn to love it. The people are toned, tanned, happy and dressed stylishly. Our first point of negotiation is the Metro, where we are warned not to be too polite and to push our way to a seat if necessary. The Metro trains are plastered in garish graffiti as are many of the streets surrounding the centre. This bothers some of our party more than others (me).

Stepping out of the Metro (Colosseum stop) we are met by our guide Pedro who is to take us on a 90 minute walking tour of some of the key sights. This actually turns into 2 hours and is fascinating. We start at the Colosseum and hear how it was constructed and what the games there were like. We walk through further ruins and I am amazed that great slabs of ancient Rome are just lying around in the street. We get a potted history of the Empire and get to see Caesar's final resting place and the Senate.

After the walking tour we head to the Vatican Museum, a vast collection of paintings and artefacts including Egyptian mummies and more Renaissance art. We also see the Raphael Rooms and the centrepiece, the Sistine Chapel. Despite my lack of religion I find the latter to be humbling and, yes, awe-inspiring. I also get annoyed at the crowd of noisy and disrespectful tourists who don't seem to appreciate what a sacred place they are in.

A brief stop for pizza and gelato (ice cream), then on to St Peter's Basilica and the tombs of Popes gone by. The Catholic Church really goes in for ornateness and opulence and obviously has deep pockets. A Metro ride to the Spanish Steps (somewhat disappointing, just a set of steps) and finish off with a look inside the Pantheon. This is my favourite of all the sights in Rome, a tough old bird of a building which is proud of its' age lines and wrinkles.

Florence to Rome

2007-02-16T02:33:00.000-08:00

Day 9: Florence to Rome, Sunday 28th January

The worst hotel yet. Wake up to a gully of water streaming from the bathroom to the bedroom. The electrics are f****d and there is no window. We are also miles from Florence (the hotel is not listed on our map of the area).

The first stop in Florence is a leather shop where we learn how leather is made, how to spot fake leather, and of course to be sold some leather goods. Head to the Ulfizzi Museum which houses one of the most important collections of Renaissance art in the world, including originals by Canaletto, da Vinci, Caravaggio and Botacelli. A massive collection, although I feel that, not being particularly religious, their effect is somewhat lost on me. If I see one more painting of the Madonna and Child... Next up is a walking tour taking in the Piazza Della Signoria and the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge that was left unbombed by Hitler in WW2 because he liked it so much. Our tour guide Giovanni gives us a fascinating insight into the area.
Note 1: I think I'm beginning to suffer from "awe fatigue." I'm seeing so many awesome sights. Must come back to Florence soon.
Note 2: Italian TV guides contain pornography.

We arrive in Rome at 1800 and head straight into the city centre. We get our first glimpse of the Colosseum, the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica. Tour Manager Dave takes us on a walking tour taking in the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. I toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain. I am awestruck by the Pantheon - it looks as though it has been here since time began and will be around for a long time to come. Grab some dinner at a local eaterie with Rheanna, Tara and Piriye. Early to bed to prepare for the big sightseeing in Rome tomorrow.

French Riviera to Florence

2007-02-15T08:42:00.000-08:00

Day 8: French Riviera to Florence, Saturday 27th January
There's another Contiki coach party staying at our hotel and they are all in the dining room when we come down for breakfast. They seem like our evil twin somehow and we choose not to like them for no apparent reason. We set off for Italy 0745 and soon stop off at another tourist trap, this time a perfumery. I elect not to buy anything.

Our last view of France as we enter Italy 1015. The weather is still beautiful as we traverse round the Med on our right and sheer cliff faces on our left. See the sun is bouncing off the water and homes clinging to the rocks below us. We stop for 30 minutes because of a road accident. Passing by we see that the truck cab has been destroyed and there is blood on the metal. Our first taste of Italian life comes at the Autogrill services. Not so much organised chaos as chaotic chaos. We have caught up with the other Contiki group and the mutual trust between our two parties pervades. Get my first taste of pizza in Italy. It is good.

Pisa is a pit but they do have the Leaning Tower. We stop off to take pics and to be sold fake Leaning Tower memorabilia, fake Louis Vuitton bags and Iron Maiden t-shirts.

Our hotel in Florence is right on the edge of town. Dinner tonight is at a Tuscan restaurant and it is the best night so far. You haven't lived until you've heard "Take me home, country roads" sung by an Italian piano crooner. There is also a female soloist who stops everyone dead in their tracks by singing without a mike and unaccompanied.

Note: Another great weather day. It seemed as if the sun was setting wherever we went.

French Riviera at Leisure

2007-02-15T07:42:00.000-08:00

Day 7: French Riviera at Leisure, Friday 26th January
I start the day early in order to take in Cannes and Monaco, as well as Nice. The first stop is Cannes. I catch the 0830 train from Nice. The trains are nice, clean and on time. And they're doubledeckers! Arrive in Cannes 0900 and hit the Croisette. Walk up to the Palais de Festivals et des Congres where the Cannes Film Festival premiers are held. Pass by swanky hotels along the way including the Miramar, the Carlton and the Hotel de Ville. The Palais de Festivals is carpeted with handprints from stars who have visited the Film Festival over the years including Gregory Peck, John Huston, and, er, Chuck Norris.

I catch the 1140 Cannes to Monaco train. It is enjoyable to be travelling around on my own for the day as I can get around quickly. It is a beautiful journey to Monaco. The train runs right alongside the Mediterranean Sea, through numerous tunnels that open out into glorious sunshine. Lovely blue oceans, piercing sunlight and clear skies.

And there the fun ends for the day. The following is a direct transcription from my journal:
"Oh dear. Just spent 2.5 hours wandering aimlessly round Monaco. I didn't take to the place at all. Maybe it was the conspicuous consumption. Maybe it was the fact that the only road signs are for hotels and casinos. How are you supposed to find the heritage sights? Aren't the Monacans proud of their monuments? Or do they want to keep them secret from the tourists? Very angry."

Return to Nice in disappointment to check my emails, a quick shower, and then get the coach with everyone else for dinner in... Monaco. Dinner is at a not bad restaurant, then we pile into the Grand Casino where we pay 10EUR to watch the rich and lazy lose their money. Some of my party gamble away but I find it entertaining enough just to people-watch. It is a surprisingly calm atmosphere in the casino, like a hallowed shrine where the rich come to play with and worship their money.

Barcelona to French Riviera

2007-02-15T07:21:00.000-08:00

Day 6: Barcelona to French Riviera, Thursday 25th January

Another driving day. We set off from Barcelona at 0745 heading back into France. I have mixed feelings about Barcelona - wish I had learnt more of the Spanish language before coming here and I wish I could have seen more of the city. Note to self: must visit the bullfight museum and a real bullfight the next time I am here.

I spend time on the coach listening to more Notes From Spain and music including The Beatles Love. I must get some more Beatles stuff when I get back. The weather seems to be flip-flopping as we move out of Spain back into France at 1100. It starts off very cold and windy but gets more sunny as we move further into France. We drive through the vineyards of Provence. I wish we could stop and try some of the local produce. Tour Manager Dave organises some games to pass the time, including passing various items to the front and back of the coach. I guess you had to be there.

We arrive in Nice around 1800, passing by Cannes along the way. Hotel Busby is a great contrast from our business-class hotel in Barcelona - older, shabbier, I like it. Marble floors, and even a terrace from the hotel room.

Dinner is at a nearby restaurant in Nice, and then we go for drinks in another Irish pub. Tour Manager Dave always seems to drag us to these anonymous Irish bars in each city rather than any authentic drinking places - not sure why. Tomorrow is Australia Day but the Aussies celebrate tonight because given the time difference it is actually Australia Day today in Australia. On the way back to the hotel we stop for tequila shots at a Scottish bar at Jess's insistence. I'm no fan of tequila but this stuff tastes quite nice.

Barcelona Sightseeing

2007-02-15T05:33:00.000-08:00

Day 5: Barcelona Sightseeing, Wednesday 24 January

Mike, our driver, has the day off so we have a Spanish stand-in taking us into town. The first stop is Sagrada Familia, an outrageously gothic building designed by Gaudi. Departing the coach we are immediately approached by gypsies trying to scam us. This does not bode well for the day ahead but thankfully we do not see any more scamsters for the rest of the day.

We then go for a bizarre visit to a shop in the centre selling leather goods, porcelain and jewellery. This feels like a contractual obligation stop; my roommate Dave and I do not hang around to buy anything. We wander off to explore Barcelona and miss Tour Manager Dave's walking tour of the Gothic Quarter. Eventually catch up with the group at the cathedral.

Note to self: will need to really practise my Spanish for the Madrid trip. At the moment I'm all at sea.

We spend the rest of the day going up and down Las Ramblas, the main shopping street, with street performers and traders selling rare (and possibly illegally trafficked) birds, turtles, tortoises, rats and hamsters. We also take a look at the outside of the Gaudi House, and take the lift to the top of the Columbus Tower. Great views of the port area. Then on to the food market, stuffed with lobsters (live), prawns, calamari, chicken heads and sheep brains. Last call of the day is to the Dali Museum, small but funky. As in Paris we are blessed with great weather and mild temperatures.

Tonight's excursion is a flamenco and dinner affair at El Patro Andaluz. So-so food and service but great flameno. Really enjoyed it and end up dancing on stage myself.

Lyon to Barcelona

2007-02-15T04:48:00.000-08:00

Day 4: Lyon to Barcelona, Tuesday 23rd January

An early start from Lyon at 0745, it is still dark when we leave. Most people seem quite relieved to leave the place, but I thought it was a nice contrast from Paris, full of cobbled streets with restaurants and cafes on every corner.

I spend the morning listening to "Notes from Spain," podcasts made by a Brit who moved to Madrid for a month and has been there seven years. The podcasts are about what it is like to live and work in Spain, and they reassure me about my own forthcoming stay in Madrid.

A note on the coach music: it is mainly noughties rawk stuff. It would be nice if Tour Manager Dave mixed it up a bit. We all like to rock but some of us also like to roll...

We stop for pictures at a Roman aqueduct, the Pont de Guard.

1515 - A nice moment when the Spanish language podcasts I have been using are played on the coach. It's funny to hear the entire coach listening and repeating Spanish phrases. Good fun.

1530 - Pass from France into Spain.

1700 -Stop at a service station in Spain. See Torres wine everywhere (my favourite) and feel right at home. I take advantage of the 2EUR massage chair, much needed after the long drive, and encourage my fellow passengers to do the same.

1800 - We drive into Barcelona. Some of the Aussies are shocked to see slum areas on the outskirts of town. Dave gives us a good history of Spain, 2000 years in 30 minutes.

2130 - After dinner at the hotel we are taken to a number of bars in the Port Olympico. This strikes me as a really dodgy area, full of docker-types, and we are warned that pickpockets operate in the area. I don't feel that safe, have two drinks and return to the hotel early.

Note: the following was written in my journal after a few drinks back at the hotel and I reproduce it here unabridged:

"NOT THE BEST WAY TO INTRODUCE US TO SPAIN/BARCELONA. SLEAZY, SLEAZY, SLEAZY! PORTSIDE BARS, SWARTHY TYPES NO! NO! NO!"

Paris to Lyon

2007-02-15T04:34:00.000-08:00

Day 3: Paris to Lyon, Monday 22 January
Last night most people stayed on after the Moulin Rouge to go to O'Sullivans, an Irish bar. The novelty of being in an Irish pub in Paris was lost on me, so I retired early and got the coach back. There were a few sore heads at breakfast this morning. Savvy people secrete rolls and cheese in their belongings for the long haul to Lyon. An uneventful journey, the only highlight being that each person on the coach had to go up front to introduce themselves, say what they were looking forward to on the trip, give their porn star name and name their favourite superhero. For the record my answers were Berlin, Shandy Winsmore and James Bond.

Arrive at Lyon 1615. The hotel here is a bit less classy than our Paris accommodation, but we are only here for the one night. In the evening we walk from the hotel to the Old Town area for dinner. A pity it is raining so much here after the great weather we had in Paris yesterday. We get approached by some dubious characters but think nothing of it. We find out later that some of our party were accosted after dinner by the same people. This scares us a little and we get taxis back to our hotel.

Paris Sightseeing

2007-02-15T03:16:00.000-08:00

Day 2: Paris Sightseeing, Sunday 21st January
An 0830 departure time from the hotel gives us a chance to beat the queues at the major attractions. Armed with Tour Manager Dave's city maps and tip sheets we head first to the Louvre. This is a big museum, I mean really big, and would take a full day if not a whole week to look round in full. But we have only a day to do the whole of Paris so there's really only time to catch two of the most notable works, the Monna Lisa and the Venus de Milo. Speed-walking our way through the building I try to take as much in as I can. The Louvre is an awe-inspiring building in itself, aside from the amazing artefacts that it houses, full of ornate ceilings and fantastic architecture. When we reach the Venus I find it sad to see lots of tourists jostling to get their picture taken with the statue, but none of them seem interested in the adjacent panel which explains its' extraordinary story http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_de_Milo

The Monna Lisa is somewhat of an anti-climax. The painting itself is smaller than I expected, and Michaelangelo has a habit of not using very much light, making it difficult to work out any detail. Added to this the painting is housed in a roped off area and encased in glass which reflects all the light in the room. So I'm not sure I can really say I've seen the Monna Lisa, but I've been in the same room... Try out some of my ropey French on a museum attendant when trying to look for the Sphinx.

Today I'm sightseeing with Laura, Sarah and Belinda. Next up is Notre Dame cathedral, which we reach via a walk alongside the Seine. This is a finely detailed building and as it is Sunday we get a chance to see the 11.30 mass. Lots of tourists taking pics of the mass which, though I am not religious, I thought disrespectful. We then go up to the Champs-Elysees, the main shopping street, stopping by the Place de la Concorde and the Grand Palais (which I only get to see from the outside but make a mental note to come back to next time I'm in Paris). Pass by the Peugeot dealership on the Champs-Elysees and see a car with embroidered bodywork and dining chairs for car seats (don't ask).

It's then on to the Arc de Triomphe where we get tickets to walk to the top. Beautiful views of Paris from here and a chance to see how the traffic system works (unlike most roundabouts, traffic that is entering from a junction has right of way, and traffic that is already on the roundabout has to stop to let them on).

Our final stop of the day is to the top of the Grande Arche at La Defense, which we get to via a Metro train. A cube-shaped building, meaning it is as wide as it is tall as it is deep (110 metres). It's the only piece of modern architecture we see all day, and therefore comes as a breath of fresh air.

In the evening we rush to dinner at the Moulin Rouge to experience some of the decadence of Paris, or at least the decadence that Parisians want to show tourists. A very entertaining show with dancing girls, acrobats, visual comedy, and a lady wrestling giant pythons in a water tank.

London to Paris

2007-02-14T06:43:00.000-08:00

Day 2: London to Paris, Saturday 20th January
Our tour guide Dave unnerves me a little on our journey out of London. He seems to point out all the most pessimistic sightseeing spots ("To your right is Blackheath, where they buried victims from The Plague"). Our coach driver Mike also unsettles me somewhat - before the coach sets off he starts to give us a safety talk, but seems to lose his train of thought halfway through and gives up. One of the girls I met last night, Jess, does not make it on to the coach before we depart. I wonder where and when she is going to join us.
The crossing from Dover to Calais is a little choppy. I find it bearable but many people spend the 90 minute journey with their heads in their hands. My fellow travellers are quite a cosmopolitan bunch, mainly from Australia but also including Koreans, Canadians, Americans, one South African and one fellow Englander. The coach is about two thirds full - 32 people on a 45 seater coach, so we have room to stretch out. On our way to Paris we pass some landmarks from World War 1 - the Canadian War Memorial, the Somme Valley.

We arrive in Paris around 4.30pm at our hotel, which is located in the La Defense business district. Jess meets us at the hotel having taken the Eurostar from London. We have dinner before setting off for a night tour of Paris. I am soon bowled over by the city centre and am amazed by the the stunning architecture and the sheer number of impressive historical buildings. In much the same way as visitors to London have a preconceived notion of foggy streets and doubledecker buses, in my mind's eye I saw Paris as a cramped, overcrowded place, full of dilapidated apartment blocks with shutters on all the windows. But it's not like that at all - it's expansive and open. And then we reach the chaotic traffic around the Arc de Triomphe and the cliches about Paris kick in again.

At 9pm we take the lift to the top of the Eiffel Tower. This is an amazing "F*** You" of a building and looks stunning at night. It also gives off an extraordinary light show every hour. On the way down from the top I stop off at the 2nd floor and take the steps the rest of the way (I think there are about 1000 steps in all). On the 1st floor I come across an incongruous sight. It is a children's mini-maze which contains a grotto and a washing line. Hanging from the washing line are some sardine tins and fish. Real fish. I touched them. They smelled as if they had been there for days, if not weeks. I wonder what the idea is behind putting rotting fish in a children's play area...

Oxford to London

2007-02-14T05:17:00.000-08:00

Oh well, I had romantic notions of writing daily posts from whichever European city I was in, but the timetable we were on was pretty hectic and I hardly had time to check emails whilst away. Anyway I am back now and the new plan is to provide you with retrospective updates (if that's not a contradiction in terms). So here goes with the first post:

Day 0: Oxford to London, Friday 19 January
The coach departs early in the morning tomorrow and there is a briefing tonight near the departure point, so I decide to spend the night in London. Get dropped off in Gloucester Green about 12.30 for me to catch the Oxford Tube to London. Pop in to Fopp to find some holiday reading and I am pleased to find that they have "The Last King of Scotland."
Hopes for a peaceful journey from Oxford to London are dashed by an irritable coach driver who goes out of his way to misunderstand the students and foreigners who dare to board his coach. As well as driving the coach and getting irritated, he is having to train a rookie driver, which means his concentration is all over the place. I think of the accident that happened near Heathrow a few weeks back and start to shudder.

Arrive in London at around 4pm and head to my hostel for the night, The Generator. I am a bit taken aback by how basic the accommodation is and wonder if maybe I'm too old to be backpacking, or maybe I've been spoilt by years of business-class hotel accommodation. I have a private room but the washing facilities are shared. I take my valuables into the shower with me, just in case.
The orientation takes place at the Royal National hotel, not far from where I am staying. It lasts for about 15 minutes and afterwards I get the opportunity to meet some of the people I will be travelling with. They are all very chatty and sociable, mainly Australian girls in their early 20s. We go for a few drinks at the nearby London Pub, which seems to be a magnet for backpackers from all over the world.
Later I meet my friend Kieran and his girlfriend Ellie for a drink in the West End. It's nice to see some faces from home just before the off.

Not long now...

2007-01-15T05:49:00.000-08:00

As you may know I'm taking time out from the world of work to do some travelling in Europe. The first leg is a 24-day guided tour beginning on 20th January. These are the highlights:

Paris: Evening Tour of Illuminations, See the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, the Champs-Elysées & Nôtre Dame Cathedral
Lyon: Visit the Old Town district
Barcelona: Walk through the Gothic Quarter and Las Ramblas; See Gaudi's Art Nouveau Cathedral & the 1992 Olympic Games Complex
French Riviera: Visit a French perfumery; Scenic drive along the Riviera coast; Visit Monaco & see the Royal Palace; Visit a Monte Carlo Casino; Visit Nice
Pisa: See the Leaning Tower
Florence: Walking tour with a local guide, see the Duomo, Basilica Santa Croce, Giotto's Bell Tower, the Baptistry &Piazza della Signoria; Florentine leather craft demonstration
Rome: See Piazza Venezia, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Colosseum & Roman Forum
Vatican City: See St Peter's Basilica
Venice: Private motorboat to the historic centre, see Piazza San Marco, Bridge of Sighs, the Doges' Palace& St Mark's Square; Murano glass-blowing & Burano lace-making demonstrations
Vienna: See Schönbrunn Palace, St Stephen's Cathedral & the State Opera House, scenic drive along the historic Ring Road
Munich: See the Glockenspiel & Marienplatz; Visit a Beerhall
Liechtenstein: Visit Vaduz, the capital
Lucerne: See the Chapel Bridge; Cable car or cog railway ride up Mount Pilatus (subject to weather conditions)
Rhine Valley: Visit a beer stein centre
Berlin: See the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate and the remains of the Berlin Wall
Hamburg: See the historic port area
Amsterdam: See the canals, gable houses and city by night; Visit a cheese farm & clog maker's house, visit a diamond centre

The plan is to post regular updates, including photos (if I can work out how to use my camera). Please do leave comments for me. It will be nice to hear from you.