i gotta go! throwback: arriving in bath

taken four years ago at a pretty little cafe across the bath spa train station. a welcome respite after the morning we just had: faulty trains breaking down, hurriedly trying to figure out how to get to bath using a different route, kate finding out her things were soaking wet because of a bottle of water in her bag.

all those issues magically disappeared when we stepped inside this cheerful little place serving warm soup. shame i can no longer remember what its name is. it set the mood for our wonderful day in bath.

the singapore airlines experience

i have been in london now for a good six hours, but haven't gone out for a romp yet. so while i'm relaxing, i'll share my first-ever flight with singapore airlines.

everyone keeps saying that singapore air is one of the best, and while i never really doubted it, i didn't realize what the difference really was until i got the SQ treatment. it wasn't anything mind-blowing, but i sure felt that i was taken care of. very thoughtful service characterized by touches of hospitality.

boarding from NAIA terminal 1 was surprising orderly; no people rushing to the front of the line or trying to board even though their row numbers haven't been called yet. boarding procedure was the same in changi. i've been on other carriers before, and while boarding wasn't chaotic, there was still a sense of being rushed that i didn't feel this time with singapore airlines.

the overhead bins also didn't get filled. i remember worrying about not having space to stow my carry-on luggage, because i've seen happen before. with SQ, it looks like i didn't have to worry about that. i initially thought it was just because the MNL-SIN flight wasn't full, but our SIN-LHR leg was, and the bins still weren't jam-packed.

passengers are given warm towels while waiting for take-off, and before meals. so far, the meals i've had were great, but my friend kate hasn't been so lucky. i do like that they give a lot of meal options as well as an extensive drinks list (that i didn't take advantage of).

in-flight entertainment quality was good, though i was disappointed about the absence of "community," when the SQ website indicated there was going to be at least one episode. nonetheless, i spent a good part of the flight being entertained by the pritchetts of modern family and leslie knope & co. of parks & rec.

all seats were equipped with a socket where you can charge your electronics, and the entertainment system even allows you to connect your PC or a USB flash drive to the screen so you can view your photos or files.

pillows and blankets were provided to all passengers as well, and both made the flight very comfortable. passengers were also given a small comfort kit with socks, a toothbrush, and toothpaste. this may not come as a surprise for some, but i didn't get this when i flew economy with KLM and air france.

the airbus a380 for the SIN-LHR leg had a pretty spacious lavatory, and in there, they provided mouthwash, dental kits (in case you lost yours from the kit they provided), shaving kits, and even sanitary napkins. that's a lot for an airplane lavatory.

since we only paid for standard seats, we got the usual legroom and comfort. for the MNL-SIN flight, we got seats that had one inch more pitch than the most standard seats on the flight, but for the SIN-LHR leg, it was just ordinary.

the staff was always very efficient and accommodating, and even when there was a bawling child in the cabin with us, they didn't lose their cool, and even assisted the mother in setting up a baby cot. a lot of the passengers also requested seat changes, and they were all handled quietly and effciently. even last-minute meal requests were handled well. no fuss at all.

so will i fly singapore airlines again? oh, you bet! but only if i can get it for the same price that i did for this trip. kate and i were very lucky to have gotten our fares for just USD 1130, and if i'm ever this lucky again, i'd go for SQ in a heartbeat. another plus for SQ is that flight connections usually take place in changi, a very well-planned, efficient airport.

next time you have a long-haul flight tp book, try checking out SQ fares, you never know when they're having some sort of promo.

europe, once more

i'm hitting the road again tomorrow, and i'm hoping it will give me the push i need to breathe new life into this blog.

i've been in a very dark kind of funk the whole year--i snap and get stressed so easily, and i've discovered a baul-ful of things that frustrate me. it drove me into a cave, and i have to admit, while i was unproductive, i did enjoy staying indoors whenever i could.

but travel has always helped me gain perspective and balance, and i hope that they come to me now, when i need them most.

of course, aside from such a serious, soul-searching purpose, i know i will have fun on this trip. and i'm crossing my fingers that i can share that part of the trip with you while i'm on the road.

so if you still haven't grown weary of my empty promises to fill this blog with stories of my supposed adventures, then please, check back and stay tuned. :)

our best meal so far

susie and i are now in santander, in northern spain. we arrived by train this afternoon and spent a good part of the day walking by the sardinero, one of the popular beaches here.

lunchtime had passed us by, and we were desperate to sit down and have a bite. most establishments in santander close after lunch and don't open until 5 or 6, so it was tough finding a place to eat in.

we chanced upon dias desur, and soon found that it was a blessing. the waiter was cheerful and pleasant, and the food fantastic.

sus and i each had a plate of this, their fish of the day. it's lubina cooked on a grill, served with vegetables and fried potatoes. maravilloso.

it was not a cheap meal at 12,50 euros, but it came with a primer plato, a drink, and dessert. you'd be hard-pressed to find such a deal in other european cities (save for cities in spain).

lunch at colette

so there we were, exhausted and dying of starvation after the louvre experience. luckily, i had looked up colette, and found that it was close by, on rue saint honore.

colette is a shop that sells beautiful things. :) it also has a cafe, so when we arrived, all we could think about was food, so we made a beeline for the cafe downstairs and had this:

fancy heineken.
could have given us a plain ol' bottle, but that wouldn't be very colette.

oh, and of course, this:

risotto in paris.
a delicious, creamy risotto with an equally delicious salad

and that's why we left colette with big smiles on our faces.

taking on the louvre

visiting the louvre is a must, and is probably on every traveler's list. while i certainly did not want to pass up the opportunity to see a fraction of the 35,000 things in its collection, i have to admit that i actually was not completely looking forward to my visit.

for one thing, the musee du louvre is HUGE. it occupies over 60,000 square meters of space. because of this, i took the advice of the well-traveled and told myself that i should not even attempt to take in all the masterpieces in its walls. another thing was that i have read very little about this museum (being too caught up with the orsay), so i didn't know what to expect, or who to expect (save for the mona lisa and venus de milo).

no line had formed yet when we arrived by metro. as it turns out, there's an exit in the metro that takes you to the carrousel du louvre, a shopping space under the museum's famous pyramid. here, another entrance to the museum can be found, with much less people than by the main entrance.

since the museum was not opening its doors until 10am (that's later than usual because there was an event they had to take care of), susie and i decided to explore the area right outside the museum. we ended up walking to the jardin de tuileries, where we were able to sit by the fountain and watch the other people in the park. the weather, however, decided to turn chilly, so we headed back to the carrousel du louvre entrance.

under the pyramids.
another entrance to the museum by the carrousel du louvre

i was shocked to find that an incredibly long line had already materialized in the few minutes that we were gone. so we quickly fell in line, and after a few minutes, the "gates" opened. this line was just to enter the cour carrée, a square that contains information booths, ticket booths, and the cloak room. good thing we already had our museum pass, so we didn't need to line up again for tickets. we decided to pass on the audio guides, so we just got a map of the museum, and dove headfirst into the throng of masterpieces.

we saw venus de milo, ramses II, winged victory. then came the paintings. i saw the card sharper by georges de la tour, a self-portrait of albrecht durer, une odalisque (la grande odalisque) by jean-auguste-dominique ingres, who became an instant favorite. my head was starting to spin with all the colors, the figures, the symbols. i may sound like an ingrate to you, but i didn't want any of these paintings to be forgotten, to be erased in my head. they were all beautiful, all important, and i wanted to allot precious brain GBs in my head for them. but thank god photography was allowed, and i can look at them so i can keep remembering.

in the middle of our visit, an alarm started to go off. "haha, somebody must have touched a painting or something," susie said. then the alarm was followed by an announcement in french, spanish, and then english, of which we only caught "please leave the premises immediately." i looked around and saw that nobody was following these instructions, so i thought i should do the same. susie insisted we go out and see what happened, since there were terror threats at the time.

i was very resistant and reluctant to do that, because we had come so far into the museum, and i really didn't want to go back to the cour carrée, then pick up where we left off if things were fine. it's idiotic, i know, but that's how enormous this museum was. i was tired and hungry, and i wanted to just cover the other things we wanted to see and leave. but susie kept insisting, and it was the logical and safe thing to do, so we looked for the exit.

tired.
where can i get a massage around here?

when we finally reached the exit, the museum guards were just hanging out and talking like nothing happened, while the alarm was still going off inside. we asked them what the matter was. the response? something along the lines of "oh, nothing. false alarm. if we want you out, we'll get you out." i counted to ten, and walked back into the labyrinth.

after that, all the other things in the museum became a blur. all i was after was to see the mona lisa. we had entered one of the galleries, and saw a line of people trying to muscle their way into another gallery. and that's when i knew that i was only seconds away from meeting her. my exhaustion melted, my hunger vanished. i went straight for the crowd and used the singit skills that i've acquired through years of taking the MRT. in no time, i was near the front, elbowing my way to a wall covered with glass, to protect the precious little frame inside it.

my right hand lowered the camera. all around me, people were scrambling to get the perfect photo, but i couldn't take a snapshot--i was just staring. some people told me that when they saw her, they said, "that's it?!" because she was so tiny. but the words in my heard were, "THIS. IS. IT." it sounds too dramatic, but i nearly cried. for a friggin' painting. but being face to face with something so important was so incredibly overwhelming that i froze. i managed to get ahold of myself, and eventually snapped a photo, but i think that moment will stay with me for a while.

the superstar of the louvre.
the crowd trying to get closer to la gioconda

before that moment, i was being so cranky, i was being an ungrateful bruha because the louvre was exhausting the hell out of me. but when i got to that moment, and looking back at what i've seen, i would do it again, but next time, i will slap myself silly if i ever feel like complaining. because the things you see in the louvre are worth all the effin' trouble. the expensive admission fee, the long wait in the even longer line, the crowds, the indecipherable french descriptions, the starvation--they all seem so inconsequential when you think about what you take away from the louvre.

more photos of my visit to the louvre here.

museum information
musee du louvre
address: 75001 paris, france
opening hours: 9am-6pm (monday, thursday, saturday, sunday), 9am-10pm (wednesday & friday), closed on tuesdays
admission fee: EUR 10
metro: palais royal-musee du louvre
buses: 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81, 95, or the paris tourist bus
batobus: louvre stop

lighting up at the arc de triomphe

thanks to my friend des for lending me her glow sticks. :)
this is the start of my "lighting up europe" series. :)

centre pompidou

jetlag got the better of us after our trip to the musee d'orsay, so we decided to go back to the hotel and rest. we woke up at about 6pm. the only sights we could visit then was the centre pompidou, paris's museum of modern art, and the arc de triomphe, as they both stay open until late.

we got off our asses and took the metro to rambuteau, and were awed when we were faced with the mighty structure of the centre georges pompidou. the entire building have 7 "superstructure" levels, and occupies a land area of 2 hectares. it's mostly made of steel and glass, which makes it look modern despite the fact that it's been around since february 1977. i was intimidated from the sight of it alone.

we were there an hour and a half before closing time, so we didn't get to see everything on display. we did get to check out elles@centrepompidou, which is an exhibition of and about different kinds of art pieces by women. my favorite part of the museum is the fifth level, where i got to see modern works by picasso, matisse, miro, modigliani, gris, among others. it was a pleasant surprise, as i wasn't able to do a lot of research for this particular museum.

aside from the artworks, the 6th level also gives you a darned good view of paris. there's a cafe and restaurant there, but we decided to have dinner somewhere else.

check out the things i saw at the centre pompidou.

museum information
centre pompidou
metro stops: rambuteau, hôtel de ville, châtelet
RER stop: Châtelet - Les Halles
bus: 21, 29, 38, 47, 58, 69, 70, 72, 74, 75, 76, 81, 85, 96
notes: closed on tuesdays and may 1st
admission: EUR 12, EUR 3 for panorama ticket (access to the panoramic view at 6th floor only, no entry to museums and exhibitions)

first paris museum stop: the musee d'orsay

after paying our respects to sartre and de beauvoir, we walked along boulevard raspail to the musee d'orsay. being a big fan of the impressionist movement, i just HAD to see it. in fact, the musee d'orsay was the main reason i included paris in our itinerary in the first place. i had been ready to abandon the louvre, but nobody would have been able to convince me to skip the orsay.

it took us 45 minutes to walk from our hotel to the orsay. along the way, we chanced upon a small street market selling fresh produce, as well as cheese, sandwiches, and quiches. we each bought a quiche and had that for breakfast while walking to the seine.

the museum is on the left bank of the seine; the louvre faces it from the right bank. the orsay's impressive collection is housed in the beaux-arts structure of what was known as gare d'orsay, an old rail station where trains to southwestern france would depart from. however, the gare d'orsay's short platforms could not conform to the longer trains that were starting to be used, so in 1939, it had to be closed. it then became a mailing center during the second world war. in 1977, the french government decided to turn it into a museum, and started conversion works that spanned six years (1980 to 1986). the museum opened in 1 december 1986, under the government of president francois mitterand.

when we reached the museum, there was a line snaking from its revolving doors. it didn't take long for it to move, though, and before long, we were by the ticket counters. susie and i had agreed earlier to get the two-day museum pass. it's EUR32 for two days, and gives you access to a number of museums and sights in the french capital. it also lets you skip the long lines at the ticket booths, which is the reason we went for it. in paris, you not only line up just to enter, but the line at the ticket booths can take up a lot of your time. if you're staying for four days or more, you can also avail of the four-day paris museum pass. this is actually a lot better than the two-day one, since you can spread out your museum visits in four days, and have time to see the rest of the city. before you do get one, though, make a list of the museums that you want to visit, tally the admission costs, and see if you can get your money's worth. the museum pass is available in the establishments that it grants free access to, as well as airports and tourist centers.

after paying for our tickets, we made our way to the gate that leads to the main hall. i paused by the entrance for a bit to take it all in. this is it, i told myself. i'm in the orsay. i'm in paris. there were plenty of people milling around, but it wasn't noisy at all. the museum was undergoing repairs, so there were new signs to lead visitors to the different halls. i look to my right and saw IMPRESSIONISM and POST-IMPRESSIONISM, and made a beeline for them, with susie trailing behind. here, i saw works by degas, manet, renoir, toulouse-lautrec, pissarro, and other greats.

i had to request for a break once we were done with the halls on the right side of the museum. it's surprising how walking from one gallery to another, and looking at paintings, can be tiring. luckily, there was a cafe at the ground level of the orsay, so susie and i bought drinks and shared a ham and cheese sandwich to tide us over. after that, we tackled the halls on the left side of the museum. here, i saw works by honore daumier (sadly, "rue transnonain," the only daumier work that i'm familiar with, is not in the orsay), and paul gauguin's tahiti paintings. there was also a sala dedicated to van gogh, where i saw "the church at auvers" and "le docteur paul gachet" both painted the year he died.

after that, i scoured the rest of the museum for edgar degas's "young dancer." we went upstairs and sped through the art nouveau furniture collection, but took our time with the rodin sculptures. when i couldn't find degas, i decided to go to the information counter to ask. there was a man asking for the specific locations of every painting he wanted to see. he asked for "bal du moulin de la galette" by renoir, another painting i was looking for, i strained to hear the response: "sorry, that painting is on loan." when it was my turn at the counter, i asked about "young dancer," and received the same reply.

i felt disappointed, since i wanted to go to paris to go to the orsay, and wanted to go to the orsay to see those two things. but of course, when i look back on the paintings that i saw that day, i can't really say that the trip was a disappointment. the orsay wasn't just about those two works. i got to see an amazing collection of artworks in one of my favorite periods in art history. i actually stood in front of a picture that renoir painted many, many years ago. it's not every day that i get to meet these images, and i am very, very thankful for the opportunity to see all these masterpieces. as for "moulin de la galette" and "young dancer," they shall be the next excuse for me to visit paris again.

view more photos of the musee d'orsay.

more information
musee d'orsay
address: 62, rue de lille, 75343 paris
metro: solferino (line 12)
buses: 24, 63, 68, 69, 73, 83, 84, 94

paris museum pass
2 days for EUR 32
4 days for EUR 48
6 days for EUR 64

grave sightings in paris

on our first full day in paris, i decided to drag susie over to the montparnasse cemetery, which was a two-minute walk from our hotel. a lot of famous people are interred at various cemeteries all over paris, and montparnasse's most famous residents may probably be the people i went to see that day: the philosopher jean paul sartre and his lover, simone de beauvoir.

it was a nice sunny day in paris. the place was quiet, but not grim. right by the gate is a map that shows you the way to the graves of the cemetery's memorable residents. among them are writer samuel beckett, sculptor constantin brancusi, andré citroën (of the automobile brand), gustave coriolis (of the coriolis effect), the artist henri latour, author guy de maupassant (whose story, "the necklace," i read in high school), historian edgar quinet, and writer susan sontag.

sartre and de beauvoir's graves were just a few steps from the gate. from the map, all we needed to do was turn around and take a couple of steps, and there they were. the stone was adorned with kisses, the gravestone was also laden with gifts, such as a small, golden replica of the eiffel, plenty of roses, and even a lighter.

after that, susie and i walked around for a little bit, not looking for anyone in particular, but just looking at the stones and the graves, checking how long some had been staying there. we were pretty impressed at the variety and artistry in the tombstones. art in paris definitely permeates even its cemeteries.

some people would have said that starting the day by seeing the dead is a sad way to start any day, but i beg to differ. visiting one of the most influential personalities the world has ever known is one of the best ways to start any day for me. and it definitely fits what would become of our trip to paris--we ended up chasing personalities, both real and fictional, all over the french capital.

but that's getting ahead of the story. :)

list of cemeteries in paris:
montparnasse cemetery (Cimetière du Montparnasse)
3, boulevard Edouard Quinet 75014 Paris
Tel.: +33(0)1 44 10 86 50
Metro: Edgar Quinet or Raspail
Buses: 28 or 68

père-lachaise cemetery (Cimetière du Père-Lachaise)
16, rue du Repos
75020 Paris
Tel.: +33(0)1 55 25 82 10
Metro: Père Lachaise or Philippe Auguste
Buses: 61 or 69

montmartre cemetery (Cimetière Montmartre)
20, avenue Rachel
75018 Paris
Tel.: +33(0)1 53 42 36 30
Metro: Blanche or Place de Clichy
Buses: 95, 80, 74, 54 or 30

admission to these cemeteries is free.

view more photos of i gotta go's trip to cimetière du montparnasse

bienvenue a paris, i gotta go!

our flight to paris was delayed by an hour, and in hindsight, i should have taken that as a sign that our time in paris would be... funny.

our air france flight went rather well--the food was great, the choice of films were pretty entertaining. the length of the flight was just right, so i didn't feel restless (like i did when i took KLM to amsterdam from manila).

air france lunch: glazed duck with fresh salad, beef bourguignon, cheese, fresh fruit, cherry tart, and tea

we landed at 630pm, an hour and 20 minutes later than we were supposed to, but since we did have a flight delay, we actually did good time.

charles de gaulle airport was not what i expected it to be--it was huge, but quiet and empty. i wasn't sure if we had just caught it at a time when there's very little traffic, but it seemed a tad hollow to me.

we went to the RER station to get our tickets to the city center. it was a good thing susie was listening to the PA system, or i would have gone ahead and bought tickets to a train line that was being fixed at the moment.

after some confusion, it was established that we were still to buy our tickets in the CDG station, so we had to search for a machine that gave change, or a machine that's solely made to change bills into coins.

the station's information center had printed out little guides in english and french on where we're supposed to go to catch the other train from mitry claye, which connects to the RER as well (the line that takes you from CDG to paris city center). the airport had provided a bus to shuttle people from the airport to far-flung mitry claye, and the ride was looooong.

when we arrived at mitry claye, i was shocked to find a rather small and starting-to-get-run-down station. we were made to carry our bulky suitcases down and up flights of concrete stairs before we reached the dirty train. paris airport authorities didn't come up with a solution to make this convenient for passengers, especially the elderly ones.

we shuffled into the filthy train and found our place, then heard another announcement, in french, over the PA system. next thing i knew, everybody was hurrying out of the train, one parisian shouted expletives at the speaker on the train, and there was a huge commotion as everyone struggled with their suitcases again down another flight of stairs so we could transfer to the next train. as it turns out, the first train that they ushered us into was broken.

so finally, we were on our way to the city. this was around 830pm, i think. we changed metro lines to reach raspail, which is where our hotel was. i was not prepared for the fact that the paris metro is not at all suited to travelers. there were no lifts or escalators, only stairs that seemed to stretch forever. poor susie had to lug two heavy suitcases up and down flights of stairs. thankfully, one guy with a beautiful pair of white leather shoes helped me carry my suitcase down to the platform. and, as i will find out later, the french are actually quite a helpful lot.

we were finally able to check into the hotel at 930pm, tired, but happy and relieved to finally be where we're supposed to be. our receptionist, maia, was the nicest. he let us get settled in first, and gave us helpful tips when we decided to check out the neighborhood after we had everything in order.

so that was how we reached paris. more bloopers came after that, but the city endeared itself to me. :)

hotels.com offers half-price rooms!

hotels.com is having a 48-hour sale, offering rooms for half the price! so if you're planning to go to europe from now until june 9, you may want to check hotels.com and grab a great hotel deal. :)

for more details, read hotels.com launches 48-hour sale with half-price rooms, which i stumbled upon at etravel.org.

you can also go to hotels.com's 48-hour sale.

the honeymoon

a week to go before i officially get hitched, and to set the theme for the coming week, i thought i'd write about the fun part of getting married: the honeymoon!

the honeymoon should be more fun if we followed deuteronomy 24:5, though (yep, i'm quoting a biblical passage), which says:

“When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him. He shall be exempt for one year for the sake of his family, to bring joy to the wife he has married."

but unfortunately, time and money rank high in our priorities, and a year on vacation is just not an option (because i believe going on a year-long vacation is a fantastic way to bring joy to any wife, or even husband). since we're planning to go to spain in october to visit susie's relatives, we thought we'd just opt for something simpler for the after-wedding vacation.

we've booked tickets to boracay--a place that's perfect for a whatever-goes getaway. we've paid for our rooms at true home hotel as well. the place looks cozy and quaint, and i'm pretty excited to write about it. i also vowed to be at the beach as much as i can this year, and this boracay honeymoon-ish trip is just the thing to get it all started.

before we decided on boracay, though, there were a few other destinations that we wanted to check out, since a honeymoon is the perfect time to splurge and explore a new place. here are some of the places on our list:

batanes
susie loves lighthouses, and i love the countryside. batanes is exotic and cool, and i've always wanted to see the place, especially after seeing these photos by my good friend owee salva:

basco lighthouse

breakwater jackstones :p

fantastic, right? :) and should i ever find myself in that part of the philippines, i would want to stay in fundacion pacita batanes. i think it just adds to the experience (even though the prices are pretty steep).

sumilon island, cebu
we saw this island along the southeastern cebu trail when we went to see the churches along the coast, and it's been on susie's list of places to go ever since. i haven't done much research on the place, but from what i've seen, the place is secluded and peaceful. i think sumilon blue water island resort is the only accommodation available on the island.


hangzhou, china
i came across hangzhou when i was looking for a good place to study mandarin in, and i swore to myself that i will one day visit this place. the west lake alone drew me in, and susie was just as enthusiastic when i told him about it. it's just a couple of hours away from shanghai by train, and to me, hangzhou has that feel of eternal autumn, which i find very scenic and serene, perfect for that honeymoon ambience people are always talking about. (photo by andrew goudie)

macau, china
true, we've all been to macau at one point in our lives, but susie and i have never seen macau since the boom of the big hotels, and we've never explored the place together yet. we thought of going all-out and booking a stay at the venetian, as a honeymoon splurge, but we thought twice after seeing that the love connection package was priced at HKD 3,388 for just a night's stay. maybe next time. :)


siem reap, cambodia
we've both been there, and we both want to go back. there are still some sights, especially temples, that we didn't get to see. i also wanted to visit the artisans area, and a stay in the villa is always a good enough reason to go back to siem reap again. plus, i heard the roads from poipet are now fixed, so the camry drive from the thai border shouldn't take so long now. worth checking out again, definitely.




belfast, northern ireland
a far jump from the rest of the places here, i know. the giant's causeway is on my list of things to see before i die, and 'sus is just as interested to go around the place. we both thought of doing a self-drive tour in the republic for our honeymoon, but there was just too much to see and do that we couldn't think of a way to cram everything in a week's time. since the causeway was in northern ireland, i thought just visiting that one first would be a good start. if this pushed through, i would have booked us in the old rectory guest house. nummy breakfast. :">


florence and bologna, italy
most people would automatically opt for venice or rome when honeymooning in italy, but sus and i have often steered clear of places that are packed with people. while florence is also a tourist-y place, it's not as populated as rome, and i want to check out the uffizi with 'sus telling me all about the masterpieces in it. bologna came as a suggestion to me, because there are ryanair flights to bologna from madrid, and after some research, i found out that bologna is the culinary capital of italy. great food always makes for unforgettable travel experiences!

there are definitely a lot of other destinations to cover, but these are some of the places we've discussed when we were talking about the honeymoon. we're not quite sure how a honeymoon is different from any old regular trip--we try to enjoy all our trips anyway, whether we're alone or with other people.

but like i said, a honeymoon is a good excuse to splurge and travel, and even to write a new blog, hence this post. :) i just wanted to get my ideas out, and get yours as well. where would/did you go for your honeymoon?

remembering madrid

memories of my trip to spain have been buried in piles of work emails, appointments, and manila annoyances. this weekend, however, i was able to get some time on my hands, and i happened to check back on my europe files. i found this:




this was the moment when the reality of being in europe hit me--pigeons and tourists everywhere, i was sitting on cobblestones, and accordion music can be heard in the distance. i shot this in madrid's plaza mayor, and the view that i lingered on is the casa de la panaderia.

i wanna go back. *nostalgic smile*

ikea mondays

mondays in madrid are the worst for tourists. most museums and other places of interest are closed, and to make up for this, susie and i would go to ikea over at san sebastian de los reyes.

to do this, we had to go to the plaza de castilla metro stop, which is just a short ride from cuzco or tetuán. plaza de castilla is a huge intercambiador, or transportation interchange, where one can take a bus or train to other parts of spain.

bus 156, which goes to san sebastian de los reyes in 30 minutes, is in dársena 23. buses usually leave every 15 minutes, and the fare is €1,65 one way. you pay this when you get on the bus. it's always best to have exact change (avoid paying in bills or the driver will not be happy).

san sebastian de los reyes is warehouse city. there are plenty of industrial stores, such as media markt for gadgets, leroy merlin for your hardware needs, and of course, IKEA! for some reason, my trips to ikea from singapore has made me equate the place with good food rather than good furniture. that's because i never miss out on their delicious swedish meatballs whenever i go there, no matter what part of the world i'm in.

on my first visit to ikea in s.s. de los reyes, i got so attracted to all the food, that i got myself a dish of meatballs, or albóndigas, (10 pieces) with mashed potatoes and lingonberry sauce (€4,50), and a plate of salmon (€5,50). that's two huge plates for €10,00, which was the usual price i would pay for a menu del dia in the city center. not bad, eh?

on our second trip, i knew better. i had read that ikea had a promo from 5pm until closing--10 pieces of meatballs, with potatoes and lingonberry sauce, is sold at just €1,00! being the cheapskate that i am, i timed our visit the following monday to coincide with the special offer, and we ended up having such filling el cheapo meals!

it's okay to be such gluttons in ikea, because after eating, you still have the rest of the store to walk through. i enjoyed looking at their sample houses in the premises, which had a lot of good interior design suggestions. there were so many things there that i wanted to buy, and i swore that the next time i'm going to madrid, i have to take an empty suitcase and fill it with ikea stuff.

uploading photos, little by little

i've managed to upload until week 2 of the great spanish trip, and if you want to see what happened, you can check out these multiply albums:

hola, madrid
my first full day in the spanish capital. started with a short walk around cuzco, followed by a meal at VIPS, and ended with an awe-inspiring performance of "carmen" by sara baras at teatro lope de vega on gran via.

reina sofia, atocha, and museo del jamon
featuring my first madrid museum, my first glimpse of the train station that would be the starting point of my journeys to toledo, barcelona, and granada. topped off the day with a meal at local joint museo del jamon.

madrid sightseeing extravaganza
a whole-day affair that started at puerta de alcala and ended with a delicious meal at las cuevas de luis candelas near plaza mayor.

plaza de espana
i ventured out alone, armed with only a smattering of spanish phrases. well, as it turns out, you learn to order lunch when your stomach is asking to be fed. i ended up ordering surtido de pates (i found out that "surtido" meant assorted, so my first plate consisted of a variety of pates that had me feeling so full when my second plate arrived), grilled chicken with potatoes, and cana.

andéncero
one of the places that i really enjoyed--a former metro station turned into a museum to tell of the history of the metro. it was half eerie and 150% fun.

museo sorolla
i've mentioned this place already, and the memory of my visit is still fresh in my mind. i actually went back a few days before i flew home, to buy myself a print of my favorite sorolla painting. now i'm all sorolla crazy.

el parque del buen retiro
too bad i only went there twice, but my first visit was enjoyable enough! i got to see a lot of the park while hunting down the palacio de cristal. i heart parks, and this one is no exception. people were taking in the sun, eating, rowing boats, some were even performing their breakdancing moves! it really is a pleasant retreat, as its name says.

toledo
the city of steel and religious tolerance (there's some irony in there somewhere) gave me my first taste of renfe, the spanish rail system. next time i go, i'm bringing home a replica of sting!

ikea mondays
foreigners will never get it, but we pinoys just have a soft spot for ikea, no matter where we are. susie and i spent two consecutive mondays eating swedish meatballs with lingonberry at the san sebastian de los reyes branch, since most tourist spots were closed on that day.

museo del prado
the album is an irony in itself. the location of some of the world's most famous paintings, and i only have three images of it on my camera. what was i to do, no photo-taking allowed inside the galleries. i was happy to see some works of bosch and velazquez, and will go back again for a second look.

madrid nights a la javi
an album dedicated to susie's brother, javier, who was our official nightlife guide in madrid. we never did get to join him until the early morning hours, but we always had fun wherever we went. every place he took us to had damned good food and drinks. check out his photos of spain at javierpernas.multiply.com.

scenes from segovia
one of my favorite daytrips! about a couple of hours away from madrid, segovia is known for its aqueducts, but will be remembered for its cochinillo. :D this album is just an introductory page for other segovia photos to come.

it's been seven days

it's been one week since i arrived, and i'm still hung up over my trip.

i'm sorry i haven't written. everything was so overwhelming, and most of the experience is still swimming in my head, unwilling to be pinned down and be committed to words.

but in my 30 days there, most of it spent in madrid, i learned a lot about the way i want to travel. i discovered that i can actually do without the sights and the must-sees. i'd love to go to a couple of museums, and okay, visit some of the recommended places, but what's more important to me is to live like the locals do--eat where they eat, ride public transportation, walk, observe, hang out in a park, talk to the people, and eat some more. somehow, i just find that more enriching and a more worthwhile experience than chasing after the visiting hours of a monastery.

i highlighted eating, and that's because that's what i enjoyed the most during my stay. it's the most fun a traveler, especially a budget traveler, could have. you can't always shop yourself to death, especially in a city like madrid, where everything is expensive, and the euro is times 65 of each peso that i earn. so i just went crazy with the meals, since i had to eat to survive anyway.

i don't think i refused any meal invitation when i was there. nor did i refuse a dish that was served to me. i ate morcilla, chistorra, potatoes, boquerones, anchoas, croquetas, ternera, pulpo a la gallega, cordero, hamburguesas, chuleton, and a bunch of desserts. i had fish and seafood in sevilla, tajin in granada, cochinillo in segovia, and steak in barcelona. for drinks, i would often order a cana, or at times, take some wine, but beer was the preferred drink, and it was one of the best places to have a pint or two.

but more than the meals, i miss the streets. even in our smoggy city, i would walk a lot, and over there, i made the most out of the efficient pedestrian crossing lights and sidewalks. every day, i would always take a walk to either cuzco or tetuan metro stations, which will bring me to wherever i had to be.

their public transportation system is pretty efficient, but it has its kinks. for one thing, waiting for the metro can take up to seven minutes, depending on the day of the week or the time of the day. the walk to interchanging stations can take a while, too, and i actually got lost inside nuevos ministerios, one of the largest intercambiadors there. the signs in that station were so confusing, that i got mixed up and ended in the renfe station (train station) connection, and i had no choice but to go back and pay for entrance again just to get to the exit. it took me fifteen minutes to get out of the station and find my way towards el corte ingles.

the rest of their public transport system is topnotch, though, especially the rail system. i took advantage of the renfe every chance i got, and i used it to get to toledo, aranjuez, barcelona, granada, and sevilla. trains would leave on time, and without the hassle of long check-in lines. the train rides offered pretty good scenery, which i never got to see much of, since i would fall asleep the minute the train pushed off. but i still got to check out the cafeteria car, where i would order a can of olives and a beer.

and as if the comfortable seats and clean restrooms weren't enough, spanish train stations are a sight for sore eyes, and serve as a wonderful welcome after chugging along the rails. atocha, the main station in madrid, has sculptures and tropical plants, while the toledo station boasts mudejar architecture with stained glass windows.

it's so refreshing to be in a city that values beauty for a change. from their awesome train stations, to the flowers in the color of the spanish flag that line the main avenues, it's clear that these folks love to live in a city that looks pretty. the buildings of old have remained to this very day, giving the whole city a charming feel. i could have walked there forever. crossing was not a problem, my feet didn't get dirty, and i could sit anywhere when i got tired.

it's a city that will always have a place in my heart, not only because it was my first european city, but because it was a city that treated me well. the people are not all-out friendly and smiley, like we are, but when they do talk to you, they are sincere and nice. i felt immediately comfortable wherever i went, i never felt judged even though i was clearly an outsider. they don't mock you for the way you dress, they don't care if you're bobbing your head to the music from your mp3 player. they just go through their lives and let you live your own. and that, for me, is the loveliest thing of all.

first week in madrid

time flies so fast here in madrid, and it would take forever to tell you every little thing i've gone through, so here are some snippets:

museo nacional centro de arte reina sofia
repository of modern and contemporary art, where i got to see picasso's famed guernica. the museum used to be a hospital, and if you're thinking visiting, try to allot three to five hours if you want to go through everything. we got pretty tired exploring, and we only saw two floors!

a part of the permanent collection was closed, though, but it was just as well. call me an uncultured swine, but i really can't handle that much modern art in one day.

if you need a break from all the swirling colors, there are quaint bars and restaurants right across the museum, where you get to enjoy authentic spanish food, and enjoy live entertainment too! that day, i saw jugglers, and listened to a man play the spanish guitar while finishing my merluza.






estacion de atocha

madrid's oldest railway station, inaugurated in february of 1851, is still teeming with life and activity to this very day. inside the station, you will find tall, tropical plants that lend a sense of warmth to the otherwise fast pace of the people inside.

this was also where i took the train to toledo, a province in the south of madrid.

the trains are now pretty modern (most of them, anyway), and i had so much fun during my first visit, and when i was there to leave for toledo. trains are lovely, lovely things.

for train routes and fares, check out renfe.





plaza mayor
just one of the many must-see sights in madrid, along with puerta de alcala, fuente de cibeles, and palacio de la comunicacion.

i remember that i was hit by the reality that i was in europe when i was strolling in this plaza: an accordion was playing in the distance, there were pigeons at my feet, and tables filled with coffee-ing people were everywhere.

*sigh*




andencero
platform zero, or the old metro chamberi station, no longer functions as a metro stop, but as a museum that tells of the history of the madrid metro.

the station has been restored, retaining the tiles that used to cover its walls. the ads of old are also still intact, and a wall of the platform has been used to project old school ads to give you a feel of how busy chamberi was back then.

the concept is just genius--the old ticket booths are still there, and they even play a video of the metro's history. the attendants are very friendly, and they accommodated the kindergarten group that visited with us on the same day.

and best of all, entrance is free!





museo sorolla
this is one of the places i really enjoyed. it's the former home of artist joaquin sorolla.

it's filled with his paintings (the photo is entitled nadadores), and has preserved his studio just the way it was when he painted there. from the way his house looks, he seems like a guy i could have gotten along with.

the three gardens are also open to the public. you only pay a fee if you're going inside the museum. ain't that cool?



el parque del buen retiro
a sprawling park close to the golden triangle of museums, the park's name, when literally translated, is "the park of pleasant retreat," and it really does live up to that name.

you see an entertaining mix of every little thing that can give you pleasure--lush grassy areas where i saw people taking in the sun, a large estanque that had a boating area, there are art installations here and there, and even some breakdancing and live music performances. there are small kiosks to get refreshments from, and even a rosaleda for the flora lovers.

the photo on the left is my, and probably everyone's, favorite part of the park--the palacio de cristal. it's located in the heart of retiro, and just so pleasing to the eye that i took around 8 photos of it.






toledo

the photo is of the cathedral of saint mary of toledo, just one of the many outstanding sights you will find in this city. toledo is just 30 minutes away from madrid via the renfe AVE, and i highly recommend it for people who have a few days to kill in madrid.

i was bowled over by the train station alone, but toledo holds many more surprises. another thing that amazed me is the synagogue of santa maria blanca, which has moorish, jewish, and catholic elements in one place of worship.

the place is also known for its swords, and i was salivating when i saw LOTR swords there. i badly wanted to take home a sting replica, but it was too expensive, and probably would make me pay for excess baggage when i get home.





so that was my first week in the spanish capital (and toledo). more on food, and the other places i've visited, when i find the time and energy. :D

"carmen" by sara baras

i'm a very lucky girl. my first full day in madrid, i got invited to watch a sara baras performance of carmen.

it featured modern flamenco dance, and the first sequence alone had me gripped--men and women in black tapping their feet with red shoes on, dancing with flair.

each act featured raw, emotional dancing--every stretch of the arm, the contraction of every muscle conveyed pain and despair. i couldn't help but get carried away, especially when it was sara or the matador on stage. i was also impressed with the precision and control of the tapping. even more enthralling was the play with cloth, the manton. the shawl was swinging in waves, seducing the audience, even snapping me out of my jetlag. the skirts are hitched up, teasing you, then all of a sudden, they explode into a beautiful canopy.

the men dance just as enchantingly, seducing carmen (and eventually succeeding). carmen, in turn, responds with passion, baiting her men with fancy tapping and drawing them in with her heartfelt movements.

such a shame that i couldn't snap a photo--the entire performance was just beautiful. it lasted almost 2 hours, but i still wanted more. my trip to spain couldn't have been better. :)

the flight to europe

europe welcomed me with open arms by shocking my senses. after a grueling 14-hour flight from manila to amsterdam, i landed, thankfully in one piece, at amsterdam schiphol airport, where the sun was shining brightly at 7 in the evening.

now i know why people who've been to europe appreciate it so, especially those who come from the philippines. the long-haul trip is no joke, and even i, someone who actually enjoys plane rides, felt like breaking down 10 hours into the trip.

it's not that the flight was uncomfortable. in fact, KLM provided everything for a comfy and entertaining flight: games, movies, tv shows (the big bang theory!), pillows, blankets, and food every few hours. i never went hungry, and the food was really good. the bathroom on board was clean, and they even had ginger and basil hand soap.

the torture was in having to sit in one place for 14 straight hours. after a while, the beauty of having so many movies and tv shows and games in the palm of my hand lost its novelty, and i found myself checking the flight tracking screen every minute.

but hey, i passed the first test, and i'm expecting europe to treat me nice. landing in madrid, i was greeted by weather that contrasted that of scorching manila. so far, i've only seen snippets of the city that would be my home for 30 days, but i'll take in a little of it every day. :)

now for some breakfast.