One week, two cities

Where have the days gone?

We left Fuerteventura, leaving the safe haven of our surrogate spanish family on a beautiful island into the big bad world. Yes we flew to Madrid last Wednesday, intending to spend a couple of days there when we got pick pocketed in the Metro on the way to the cit centre from the airport. Some champions league football game was just over and the metro was spilling with people. Shitty thing was that we just withdrew money from the airport so we literally lost the spending money we took out for the few days. So shitty we felt, honestly. We just felt like a couple of country bumpkins first time in a big city or something. We were not on our guard like we should be. Saavvy travellers we thought we were... NOT.

But we got to our hostel in Sol ... and the people there were really friendly, staff and fellow travellers. We settled into the noisy Madrid craziness really quickly and got stuffed with lotsa jamon bocadillos, tapas, gambas, tortillas, vino tintos and cervezas. It's easy to forget ones troubles in the flurry of good food, good drink and street buskers. Madrid was a little too mad for me. I think we're starting to discover really how the city life thing just always doesnt work out as well for us.

Anyway, after 2 museums, 1 palace, 5 tapas place and lotsa walking around, we left madrid for valencia to the east. The temperature rised a little, it was about 12 degrees in madrid and 16 degrees here in Valencia. Our room in Home Hostel was quiet, cosy and the beds are sooo comfortable. As a traveller, you just never know what kind of bed you are going to end up in when you go to someplace new. And here, its soooo nice and soft and the duvet is soft and cosy, and the sheets feel expensive.

We've had paella 5 times in the 2.5 days we;ve been here. Yes hardcore I know, but we freaking love paella - chinese people la, like to eat rice, what to do?. The food here is super. After being in northern europe - specifically the British Isles for so long, I've forgotten what its like to be in a country where food is a big thing to people. Its what I've grown up with in Singapore, eating to live. Its a given. 95% of people I know i Singapore are foodies (shout out to the 5%... I dont know how you guys can live with people talking about food all the friggin time if you guys are not into food!). There's a real connection when you meet people who love food too. At the cafes we've been, tapas bars,... when you bite into something, they wait for you to react to it. Coz they care what the food they serve tastes like. Its pride. Good food. My tummy is happy in Spain.

Tomorrow we're going to take 2 coaches to Balaguer, 150 km west of Barcelona to stay with Jordi Pedro and we're going to help him harvest olives in his orchard near by. No idea what to expect. One thing's for sure... they hardly speak English in Valencia. I think I speak more Spanish than they do English sometimes (scary). So in Balaguer, town of 15000 people, itwill certainly be more challenging. We'll see... the final section of journey part uno begins manana.