Rush. Rush. Rush. Hurry, hurry! I still needed to print out my boarding pass and needed to be at the airport in two hours and it takes an hour to get there. I got to the airport five minutes prior to boarding, then we sat. Sat and waited. I watched 20 airplanes land and take off before we took off, such a hurry for nothing! I fell asleep on the plane :) such a nice little nap until the loudest czech people I’ve ever heard were in the row behind me. They were yelling and laughing the entire three hours plane ride! I thought I was going to die from the headache I had.
Looking out the window of the plane I saw nothing but fog, thick fog. So thick it appeared as though the plane was not moving. The weather was so bad we couldn’t land so we circled for about 45 minutes before landing. Rain in Spain? Say whaaat? The first view I got of Madrid I thought, wow this looks like a rural prague, but really green! And everyone has swimming pools in their yards hahah. After disembarking from the plane, I unsuccessfully navigated the airport to the salida or “way out.” I finally see some bus signs and see a ticket booth outside. The ticket seller spoke only spanish and all my spanish knowledge has been replaced with czech, desperately trying to get the right ticket and trying to be understood I manage to squeak out a prosim before realizing the correct word would be por favor, grab my ticket and go find my bus. After finding the right bus and the right number, I just had to make sure I got off at the right stop.
My stop was a huge bus station where the local and the national busses convened, armed with directions from my friend to “find an ALSA bus,” I stepped off the airport bus and saw how lucky I was that there was plenty of ALSA busses (insert sarcasm here.)
My stop was a huge bus station where the local and the national busses convened, armed with directions from my friend to “find an ALSA bus,” I stepped off the airport bus and saw how lucky I was that there was plenty of ALSA busses (insert sarcasm here.)
(I am so late for my 8 pm bus to Bilbao!! It is 8:07…) I wander the station up and down a few times and have definitely missed the only bus until 10 pm, so I take my time inspecting each bus stop to see if it will be going to Bilbao, (of course I have no idea,) and begin asking hablas ingles? One woman replied, “no speaky english, only speaky espanol.” Another tried to help by yelling HABLAS INGLES a few times around the bus station. No one. Just my luck.
I finally asked a group of bus drivers “Bilbao?” they point to the left an up, I wander over in the direction they pointed and see some stairs, and at the top, Hallelujah! An information desk!! Trying my new method I ask “Bilbao?” the woman points. I go in the direction and see an ALSA ticket booth and by using my tried and true method, “Bilbao?” I now have a one way ticket to Bilbao in about an hr and a half….
I finally asked a group of bus drivers “Bilbao?” they point to the left an up, I wander over in the direction they pointed and see some stairs, and at the top, Hallelujah! An information desk!! Trying my new method I ask “Bilbao?” the woman points. I go in the direction and see an ALSA ticket booth and by using my tried and true method, “Bilbao?” I now have a one way ticket to Bilbao in about an hr and a half….
So I wander the bus station, up and down, up and down. A couple clothes shops, a souvenir shop and a candy shop. I find a pay phone and try to call my friend to tell her I’ll be late, unfortunately all the directions are in spanish and I manage to waste a few euros. I then wander to find my bus to Bilbao, just so I know where to find it when the time comes. I find bus number 1 to Bilbao in station 32. Easy peasy. Now to wait.
After getting fed up waiting I decide to venture over to the intercafe bar, hoping to find cheap beer and wifi. There is neither, however I do find some sort of sandwich on a small round rholik type bead with tons of mayo, (sort of like the crocodile sandwiches,) some tuna, tomato lettuce and what I believe to be egg.. Yum? A canned san miguel (cervesa!) which only adds to my headache rather than relieving it as I had hoped. I wonder how long the bus ride to Bilbao will be and if they sell drinks on the bus…
After boarding and getting settled I figure out that there are assigned seats so I ask someone (who of course doesn’t speak english.) I show them my ticket and gesture in a sitting motion. I have to sit in seat number 2. I thank him and he replies with “de nada hombre” I find my seat and the bus takes off. It is a long ride. LONG. A few hours in we make a half hr pit stop and a couple hours after we are in Bilbao! Finally! I find a pay phone and call my friend. She must be sleeping. I wander till I find the metro.
Closed till 6 am...
3+ hours to wait.. More waiting. I find a taxi and ask how much to her place: as much as it cost to get halfway across Spain just to get across the city. I decide napping and waiting at the bus station till 6 am isn’t that bad after all.
Closed till 6 am...
3+ hours to wait.. More waiting. I find a taxi and ask how much to her place: as much as it cost to get halfway across Spain just to get across the city. I decide napping and waiting at the bus station till 6 am isn’t that bad after all.
The view from Natalie's flat
Pig legs in every store
Life's a beach :) I'm just playin in the sand
There were many cool machines like this, it was like a park!
The Guggenheim
Evening view from Natalie's flat
Carnival, yay
The aftermath of carnival
We hung out here for a bit and watched the waves crash lightly on both sides
Climbed this, yay adventures
Scaled that, whhhooooooppp
MADRID:
Retiro Park
The Royal Palace
Spain is one of my favorite places in Europe so far :)
