We´re off to see a bullfight tonight, since the Spaniards love to do things late at night. It begins at 10:00pm and goes through past midnight apparently. It seems the best bullfighters are in Madrid, so with a bit of luck, we´ll get a real amateur out there in the ring with an angry hunk of meat on hooves who manages to get one of those nasty injuries they show on “Real Life Caught On Camera” shows…*sadistic grin*

We are staying in a “pension” which is Spanish for “incredibly high priced dump”. For those who have been through Europe, perhaps the concept of paying $50AUD per night for a room with a double mattress with springs poking out of it, people screaming in the street until 2am, and bathrooms where the shower does not work and there is poo on the toilet seat does not seem so odd. For us, it´s odd. Can´t say we really like the idea of paying so much for such low quality establishments, but hey, it´s summer in Europe and everywhere is full, and they can charge what they like…

We´re off to Rome in a few days, and kicking around the idea of checking out the waterpark tomorrow, though we´re not sure whether the idea of lying around and sweating sounds more appealing since it is in the shade.

Travel tips we´ve learned in Spain :

1. Don´t bother calling a hostal or pension on the phone. They just say to call back, giving no indication if they are full or not. You ring back. They are full.

2. Spanish is just like English. Only not. Perhaps we should have learned it before coming to Spain…

3. When in Valencia, do not stay at the Pension Terminus. Shower floods. No hot water. Beds with springs poking out of them. Light that comes on and off as it feels like. No breeze through tiny window. 5,000Ptas ($50AUD) per night.

4. When in Barcelona, do not stay at the Pension Tamashira. Noisy street. Dirty bathrooms. Shower does not work. Springs poking out of beds. 4,500Ptas ($45AUD) per night.

5. You can get a long way with miming. Run around waving your arms and yelling “choo choo” and you will get directions to the train station.

Overall, still having fun, though probably learning a bit more of the language would not have been a stupid thing…

Categories: Travel, Odyssey 2001