In Madrid

Can't believe I'm here!

After my 24 hours of flight, I was surprisingly not tired at all. But I did sleep quite well on the plane. On the way to Korea, I had a wailing baby behind and beside me so I was really cranky when I arrived in Seoul. But I went to the hotel, ate their buffet breakfast, had a shower and nap and felt better. And then on the way to Madrid from Seoul, the plane was practically empty so I put up the arm rests and had five seats to myself.

Ruben met me at the airport and helped me carry my 22 kg baggage up all the stairs at the metro station (I'd forgotten how they don't have escalators). He has a friend, Alberto, living in Madrid who said we could camp out at his place, so we turned up but he wasn't at home and wasn't answering his phone. After ringing the doorbell for about ten minutes, we dragged my luggage back down the stairs and had some dinner (JAMON! JAMON!).

Luckily Alberto called and said he and his flatmate Caroline had got stuck in the traffic on the way home from Ikea. It was La Noche Blanco yesterday, the purpose of which I still have no idea but they closed down heaps of the streets and kept the metro open till 3 am.

So we went back, lugged my baggage back up the stairs (Ruben must have very strong arms by now) and dumped the stuff. At midnight, we headed out and drank. And drank some more. Got home at 5 am and crashed.

Woke up at 11 am this morning, thirsty, disorientated but relatively awake. No one else was up, so I waited and watched The Family Guy till 2 pm, when Caroline got up and showed me where the food was. Then Ruben and Alberto got up and after showering, we went out and hunted for food (and I had jamon again).

It gets dark at about 8:30 or 9 pm here so it's very confusing because I always think it's earlier than it is. And I'd forgotten how late people eat here too.

5 things I'm looking forward to in Spain

1. Seeing my friends again. Ruben is meeting me in Madrid (yay!) and Alexis is letting me stay with him until I find somewhere.
2. Tapas in Calle Laurel.
3. Jamon and more jamon.
4. The last bit of European Summer.
5. Seeing my friends again. Yes, I'm doubly excited about that.

The Harbour Bridge is my friend

I walked across the Harbour Bridge at sunset last week. My friend came from one side, I came from another and we met in the middle like long-lost lovers.

Then she went to meet her friend for dinner and I went to a seminar. As I walked along, I realised it's the one definitively Sydney thing that I'll miss. Despite the busy traffic, the blustery wind, the ugly grey fences they put up to stop you from jumping over and killing yourself, I love walking across the Harbour Bridge.

I've only ever had good memories of walking the Harbour Bridge (in a car or train is a different story). Once you step on, you can only go forward - or backwards I guess, if you decide you want to get across a different way. For someone who always gets lost and has the sense of direction of a blind chicken, it's nice to know it's virtually impossible to get lost (although when I arranged to meet my friend, we didn't discuss which side we'd meet on so I ended up going onto the wrong side and having to backtrack for 20 minutes).

Blisters

I know I told one of my friends I wouldn't post disgusting photos any more but these blisters are really quite attractive.

About two weekends ago, I did a 56 km walk of the trail on Saturday and then ran the City 2 Surf (14 km) the next day. It was when I was doing the City 2 Surf that my blisters surfaced. I put plasters on them and they deflated after a few days but last weekend, I did another 27.5 km of the trail and when I took my socks off my blisters has somehow re-inflated without my knowing. They didn't hurt, although they did look slightly painful. I decided to pop them and cut off the spare skin so they wouldn't re-inflate, the bastards.

Reminded me of the scene in Run Fat Boy Run. Simon Pegg is my hero.

Am I hairy and homeless?

My sister believes my inability to be content in one place is a result of being shuttled around from country to country when I was younger.

Whatever. She has crazy theories. Such as that cats are evil. Again, whatever.

Oxfam Chatz Champz

We have exactly 35 days, or 5 weeks, before the big 100 km walk. We did a 30 km walk last Saturday as a team, and it was great, except Frieda got massive blisters and shoe problems.

And then I requested that we stop off at a fish and chips shop afterwards and gorge on grease and salt and replenish all those lost calories.

I had a fight with Tim over who could be Kermit (that's a team photo there, by the way). I think we agreed on him being Miss Piggy, and I'm Kermit and Alex is the Dickensian Gonzo. Or maybe I agreed to be the hairy red dude with the sticks, whose name I don't know and in fact I don't even know if he's from The Muppets. He looks like a red Oscar the Grouch.

Hiding behind a fertility doll

(photo: hiding behind a fertility doll, with bald head)

Looks like I'm going back to Spain.

It's been a tough year. On the 1st January, I was on a plane to attend my grandmother's funeral. Two of my best friends moved overseas with no return date, one has moved interstate, again with no return date. A friend from Spain passed away, I've been struggling with the thought of going back to Spain or going to South America or North America.

I've been incapable of committing to any decision. Bah, humbug.

My hair has grown in the 2 1/2 months since I shaved. To the point that I look like I have a mullet. At least I won't stand out if I go back to Spain.