25th of July
Anne-Laure and Eric, her boyfriend, are working so I’ve got all day to myself.
My grandmother got a computer a couplfe of weeks ago and is now just as badly addicted to internet as I am.
I start talking to my mother on Skype but she can’t hear me so she talks and I write. Meanwhile my granny goes online and starts chatting with me. So I decide to introduce them to the Skype conference.
That of course gets a little chaotic cause my mum is still talking to me over the phone so my granny doesn’t understand why I’m answering on non-asked questions.
And even though she’s doing really well with the  computer and even got a webcam she still doesn’t write very fast. So it’s mainly my mum and I writing and every now and then there is a sentence from my grandmother referring to something we said 5 minutes ago.
It gets really out of order when I hear my mums mobile ringing (remember, I’m still on Skype “phon” with her) and it’s my aunt calling. So we try to get her to join the conference but for some reason it’s not possible to invite her. The confusion hit its peak when my granny gets thrown out of the conversation and can’t find her way back, my aunt doesn’t know what the hell her privacy is (which she needs to change to join us) and my mum doesn’t know is she’s supposed to type or talk.
We decide to give it a new try another time and go offline.

After that I get myself ready and go for a walk. I rather just walk through cities instead of visiting museums because that way you get to know the life-style of people.
After two hours or so I finally find the Eiffel tower. (which is really just around the corner) I take a couple of pictures then the camera runs out of battery and I go back home.
Anne-Laure and Eric arrive as well and shortly after that two of their friends. We order pizza and play poker. As we are, for once, not playing for money I of course decide to win. Second round Eric beats me which is obviously pure luck. Haha.
The friends leave and we go to bad.

26th of July
One of Anne-Laures friends is staying in Paris for the weekend so we explore the city together. We manage to basicaly see every attraction.
The Notre Dame, the Louvre, Champs-Elysee, the opera and much more. After a nice lunch we go for a boat tour. At first I wanted to do one of those open bus tours but as they are about 30€ per day we decide to take the 10€ tourist boat. We spend 1 hour and 10 minutes on La Seine and see pretty much all you need to see in Paris.
It’s a wonderful city and the boat trip was definitely worth the money.
After that we go and meet Guillaume, Anne-Laure the second, Lili and Claire. It’s so good to see them again and it really doesn’t seem like they have left Sweden seven months ago.
We buy some alcohol and sit down on the gras in front of the Eiffel tower. On our way there Braki and one of his friends joined us. It’s just so great to be back in “the old group”.
Time passes by and everyone is starting to get a wee bit tipsy. Two guys pass by, one of them is getting married in a couple of days so they are both wasted and the “groom” is dressed like a weirdo.
He wants to get as many kisses from girls as possible but when he reaches us he has to cope with Braki first.
Braki makes him take off pretty much all his clothes plus wig and puts them on himself. Good old Braki. How much I missed his silliness.
As it starts raining later on and we start running out of alcohol we go back to Anne-Laures place and have some chit-chats there. At 1am everyone is so tired (and drunk) that they leave. Not before they wake up Lili who passed out in Anne-Laures and Erics bed.
It takes us ages to finally get Eric and Guillaume away from the playstation but we manage round 2am and pass out.

Thank you so much guys! I had a great time and will miss you so much!

 

 

 

                 

I’ve got proper internet access again and will try to update you guys.
I also managed to finally upload pictures and put them at the end of each article.
I’ll be leaving Derby soon though and am not sure how often I’ll be able to write after that as I will have to use internet cafés mainly.
Enjoy!

21st of July
In the morning Guillem and I go to the station where I take the bus to Andorra to meet James.
The three hours ride goes by fast as I’m sleeping nearly all the way through. I really try to stay awake cause it’s just beautiful outside but my eyes just won’t stay open so I finally give in.
James picks me up with the car and it turns out that Andorra really isn’t that nice. Just like everyone told me before.
So we go to Pas de la casa instead where James has to buy some stuff. From Andorra to Pas de la casa it only takes you about 20 to 25 minutes and it is pretty much on the same height but for some reason the temperature changes from about 25°C to 10°C. And I am in my shorts and flip flops.
Fortunately we don’t stay for very long and drive to James place in Gaillac which takes us about 2,5 hours.
Gaillac is pretty much on the countryside. James closest neighbours are quite a bit away and the place is just gorgeous. With the view over the fields and a swimming pool outside.
I’m very happy to finally get out of those big cities and to have some relaxed days in front of me.
After dinner we drive to the “main” centre of the city where they have big fire works and a, what we would call it, village party that night.
The fire works are actually really nice and after that we meet some of James friends and go for a drink.
They speak some English but not to me that night, so I have to wait till the next day.

22nd of July
After breakfast James and I take the motorbike to meet his friends. This time it is a real motorbike but it is also James…. so I’m slightly scared. He tells me he will be careful and won’t drive too fast so I calm myself down and give it a try.
Well…. let’s just say he doesn’t drive as slow as he promised before but there is pretty much no one on the streets and as it is the countryside and not the city I am not scared. -Well, apart from the few times I jump up in the air because of the holes in the street. -
We meet his friends and I get the possibility to change into a car but I’m quite liking it by then so I stay on the deathbike.
Off that thing I have to face another fear of mine because we are all going canoeing. Once in the canoe it turns out to be great fun and we are having an awesome time.
Five canoes – the three boys take one each, James and I are in one two man canoe and Mathilde and her cousin (?) who is eight are in another one. The weather is great, the water is really nice and the three hours pass by way too fast.
We take the bike back home and at the end of the evening we are both exhausted and sunburned.

23rd of July
James and his father are both working so I’ve got the house to myself.
I talk to some people on Skype and get things organised for the rest of my trip. James comes home for lunch but leaves again after half an hour. I take a swim in the pool and sunbath for a while. Not very long though as my legs look really bad from the day before.
Funny how I spent such a long time in Italy and Spain but then get tanned and sunburned in France.
James and his dad come home some time around 7pm and we have really spicy – really sweet chicken and Kaiserschmarrn for dinner.
Second one is obviously made by Nina even though I have to tell the men to leave the kitchen (a couple of times) because they just don’t trust my cooking.
In the end they of course like it and I am pleased.

24th of July
James and I get up early and drive to the bank he works at.
There we have breakfast and then drive to the train station. I have to get the train to Toulouse and then to Paris. It’s all organised. The train leaves at 10.37 and arrives in Toulouse at 11.04 and the train to Paris leaves at 11.24. All I need to do is buy the ticket.
Because the first one is a regional train I only need to buy the ticket to Paris. But when we arrive at the station (20 minutes earlier) the guy there doesn’t know how to reserve a seat for me.
23 minutes later I still don’t have a ticket and the train is already waiting for me. I get on the train in time but need to buy my ticket in Toulouse. The train is late so I know it’s going to be really stressful. The guys at the station told be before that there is an English speaking person at one of the desks wo that’s where I have to go.
But when I finally find that person he tells me I have to queue at the normal desk cause he’s only in charge for short distance trains. By that point there are about 30 people queuing and my train is leaving in two minutes. So of course I miss it.
When I finally get to the desks and find someone that speaks English the next train is booked out and I have to wait 4 1/2 hours in Toulouse.
Slightly annoyed I leave my stuff at the statino and wander around the city. I get myself something to eat and drink and make my way back to the station. Finally on the train I’m exhausted and immidiatly fall asleep.
Time seems to pass by more or less quickly untill we get stuck in Bordeaux.
There is a fire on the train tracks and we spend at least half an hour there. That of course I only find out because I find a lovely English speaking lady on the train cause the announcements are only in French.
The train ride continues, we get stuck again but then somehow get to Paris. An hour later than planned.
Instead of 5 1/2 hours it took me 13 (!) from Gaillac to Paris.

I meet Anne-Laure at the subway station. She is having dinner with some friends at that point and we decide to go home to one of them to have a drink.
After that straight home and to bed.

 

I wont have internet access until the 10th of August.
Sorry but you will have to live without my interesting life for a while.

17th of July
Marta and I leave Mostoles early in the morning to go to Madrid where I take the train to Barcelona.
Time to say goodbye again.
I’m starting to get used to it but really am hoping to see as many of you guys again!! My casa is your casa, so please come any time!

I arrive in Barcelona at 1pm where Guillem picks me up.
We go back to his families place where we spend the whole day lookin up places and hostels somewhere on the beach as I’ve seen most of Barcelona and after more then two weeks travelling in the south still havent been to the beach.
Everything seems to be either booked out or way too expensive until we find a place called Calella, only one hour away from Barcelona.
We are exhausted from all the searching (it took us about 9 hours!!) and have to get out of the house.
We take the moped to find a place to have dinner and end up at the same place as the first time. The food is still good and after eating meat every single day my stomach is happy to get some pasta.
We take a short walk and then drive back home to get some beauty sleep.

18th of July
We manage to get up early but for some reason it takes us ages to get out of the house and to the train station. The train is delayed and even though it runs every ten minutes it is so packed with people that you are not able to move.
I keep saying it would only be a matter of time until the first person faints and only realise about five minutes later that it might be me.
Feeling sick and dizzy I somehow make it through this ride and am more than happy to finally get off.
We walk from the station to the hotel which is neither bad nor good and drop of our stuff.
We then take a walk through the town which turns out to be full of Germans. I could probably count the times I hear a Spanish person talking.
We have a nice time but to be honest I wouldn’t really recommend this place.
After a really bad dinner we take a walk on the beach which is just lovely. I’m very happy to finally spend some time on the seaside even though the sand on my bare feet for some reason makes me want to pee. Haha.
We decide not to hit the exciting nightlife of Calella and go to bed instead.

19th of July
We get up around 11am. There is not much to do in this place so that is exactly what we do.
We wander around, eat at McDonalds (at least you know what to expect there), buy some fruits and chocolate and finish the day in front of the TV. (MTV never fails!) – By the way, out of the 20 programmes only two are in Spanish.-
The first night it seems like no one was in the room next to ours but in the second one a couple moves in. And not just do they have really loud sex but the guy snores so loud that it is impossible for us to fall asleep. It feels like he is lying right next to me.
I don’t know if it is my hammering against the wall or something else but he finally stops.

20th of July
We have to check out at 10am, buy some water and hit the beach.
I decide I finally need to get tanned but feel so hot after half an hour that we need to get a parasol for 4€ underneath which I spend the rest of the day. Snow White stays snow white.
We by the way only rent the parasol and not the two deck chairs as they cost another 4€ each. 12€ for a couple of hours – what a rip-off!
After a great relaxing day at the beach we take the train back to Barcelona. This time we even get a seat.
Back at “home” we get ourselves chinese food and end te day with my best friends Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler and Ross.

 

                           

15th of July
Marta and I get up really late (12.45) even though we set the alarm at 10.30.
We have lunch at her place where her dad cooked a really nice three course menu. (Mixed vegetables; fish and filled eggs; and for dessert a melon ring filled with joghurt and biscuits with a cherry-red wine sauce)
 After lunch we take the train to Madrid where we are meeting Edu and Ricci. They live out the Spanish attitude and are not there when we arrive.
We are waiting for them on a big square filled with people and policemen. I’ve never seen so many policemen in one place withouth anything special happening. I know they are there for your safety but if anything they make you feel unsafe.
After half an hour waiting Marta decides that she needs to withdraw money and we go to the closest bank. While queuing a policeman comes over and explains Marta in Spanish that there is a group of people running around that are robbing people and that they were quite aggressive. They tend to be close to the bank we are standing at and if they come we shouldn’t hesitate to hit them.
“Action – Reaction” he keeps saying and looks very serious.
He also adds that if we come to the police station with their teeth in our hands we would get a price.

Marta noices that I’m on my way to freaking out so she tries to calm me down by saying this has never happened to her before, Madrid is not that dangerous and that she’s only been attacked about three times before. The last time was a week ago, actually not very far from where we are right now. Well, that helped…
The rest of the time we spend next to a policecar because I refuse to go anywhere else.
When the boys finally arrive (over an hour late) I feel stong enough to leave our blue friends and we wander around the city.
Ricci wants to make me feel better by telling me how much more dangerous his city, Mexico City, is. He tells me lots of stories about kidnapping and other stuff and when he finally finishes I say “Thanks for those lovely stories Ricci but all you managed to do is make me never want to go to Mexico City.”

Edu is trying to do his best to make me like the city. He is showing us around, pointing out all the good stuff. But I’m just not feeling it. It seems too big and confusing to me. And all the policecars are just making me nervous. Seems like I am the countrygirl I never wanted to be.

We then have to meet Riccis friends who are in Madrid for a couple of days. To get to the meeting point we have to take the subway.
I have to mention here that on our way from Martas place to the square we realised that one of the metros was cut. Of course not before we got off one subway and didn’t have another to change in.
Knowing that we decide to take a different one to meet Riccis friends but once we arrive at the subway station we realise that this one is cut too.
So we get to the meeting point half an hour too late and Riccis friends have already left.
It takes us a while until we find them and a nice place to have tapas. The place was nice but the the waitress is rude and the sangria is bad. At least the food is good and even though the whole day was a bit stressful we have a great time. … Until everyone decides to speak Spanish through the whole dinner.
Now at this point I have to mention that all five of them speak perfect English. I am trying to understand how a whole group of lovely and nice people can not notice that one person is not understanding a word they’re saying and is bored to death. But it seems to me, and I’ve been in those kind of situations before, that as soon as a Spanish group reaches the size of four people it is impossible to get them to speak English.
Anyway, even though the dinner wasn’t the most exciting one I was very happy to see the boys again! I will miss them a lot and really hope they will come and visit me soon!! -only three at a time though! -

We say goodbye to Riccis friends and Edu offers to take us with his car to a subway station closer to Martas place. From there it’s only three or fours stops to the south of Madrid and then a couple more with another one to Mostoles.
We have to hurry because it is close to midnight and that’s when the first subway stops running. We arrive there in time but it wouldn’t be the perfect ending of the day if everything would word out fine. So of course this line is cut too. (And that after Edu told me how amazing the subways in Madrid are.)
As this is the one and only subway that goes to the south we don’t know what to do. But we are not alone. About 60 other people have the same problem.
We get told that there is a bus which of course doesn’t come for ages but then finally gets us home around 2am.
We laugh about this strange day and fall into deep sleep.

16th of July
We get up late again, have another nice lunch made by Martas dad and then go back to Madrid. Adventurous you might think but this time everything works out fine. Well most of it as we were supposed to meet the boys again but they realise the same morning that they are leaving to Brussels the next day but thought they would leave on the friday. So they have to get organised and have no time to see us.
Marta qnd I visit the gay and alternative part of the city which is really nice and makes me feel a lot more comfortable.
We have a drink there, see an amazing street performer and head back home.
This time we don’t take the risk and take the bus instead of the subway.
We go straight to bed as I have to catch an early train back to Barcelona.

Martas father says goodbye to me with the words “You are welcome to come back any time. This is your country – this is your home – this is your family.”
Here I want to thank all the Spanish families again. If they know one thing than how to welcome people in their homes, in their lives. I always felt very comfortable and welcome in all the different places and I really appreciate that.
Thank you for having me there!!

 

 

 

12th of July
Carmen wants to take the moped to show me around the city so she calls her father for a second helmet.
When he arrives we go downstairs to get the moped but there we realise that now the battery is missing too.
So even with the second helmet we can’t go.
Instead Carmens dad takes us with him in the car and joins us on our walk through the city.
There we see the mosque which is really impressive and the nice little streets of Cordoba.
We go home to eat and get changed for the Andalusian horse show which I really wanted to see.
Unfortunately it is a really bad one.
After the show Carmen and I want to meet some of her friends who are having a bbq.
Carmens mum takes us with her and drops us off about 10 minutes away from the place we are supposed to go to. Thanks to Carmens orientation we arrived there an hour later. Haha.
As Carmen is more or less the only one out of her friends that speaks English I’m not too excited about meeting a bunch of people I can’t talk to. But it turns out to be quite nice as one of the girls there grew up in Germany and two or three others speak English. The rest just talks Spanish to me and surprisingly I understand most of what they are trying to tell me.
At 4.30am I finally get Carmen to leave and we make our way back home and to bed.

13th of July
We have a very lazy sunday and spend most of the day at home.
In the late afternoon we go for a walk, then meet Carmens mother, father, sister and brother for dinner and ice cream.
I’m very exhausted from not doing anything and fall asleep before Carmen even turns out the light.

14th of July
Against everyones warnings about the heat (approx. 40°C) in Cordoba we wake up with thunder and lightning. Carmens only words during the first half an hour are “I can’t believe it”.
According to her she has never seen rain in July before.
When the rain stops we go shopping and then for lunch to a chinese restaurant where we pour sugar in the soya sauce because they were so unfriendly.
After that we have to go back home, get my stuff and leave to the train station.
It’s another goodbye….

At 9.15pm I arrive in Madrid.
Marta. despite the bad Spanish reputation. is on time and already waiting for me with one of her friends. Alex.
We take the train to Mostoles which is about 30 minutes away from Madrid city. We drop off our stuff at her parents place and go out for dinner and then for a drink.
After that we head back home and to bed.

 

 

9th of July
I get the best travel guides one can wish for! After a nice breakfast Alicia shows me around Zaragoza. She and her sister know everything about their city and tell me more than any book could have done. We meet Irene at the university where the two of them have a meeting with one of their teachers while I’m sitting outside, enjoying the sun.
After that we walk back home to have a nice Spanish meal made by their grandmother. We have a short siesta and then go back to town to see the castle, the cathedral and everything else. I didn’t expect much from Zaragoza but have to say I really liked it. But then again the girls made it really easy for me. The whole family is absolutely lovely! It is impossible not to like Zaragoza if you stay with them.
We are really exhausted when we get back home and just watch an episode of Gossip Girl before we go to bed.

10th of July
Alicia and I go to the train station to buy my ticket to Cordoba, then meet Irene and Carolina at the university because they have to talk to their coordinator. Afterwards Alicia and I make our way to the Expo which takes place in Zaragoza this year.
It’s supposed to be one of the hottest days so not too many people are there. Still, for some of the pavilions you have to queue for a really long time. Like the German one that had a waiting time of 1 1/2 hours even though it’s not supposed to be that good.
So we skip those pavilions.
Southamerica presents a great band from Kuba. They are called Karamba and I immediately fall in love with their music and buy one of their cds.
Austria is a bit of a disappointment. There is a giant snow globe with real people dancing inside, wearing traditional Austrian clothes. Later on people from the audience are allowed to change into those clothes and dance.
The idea is great and everyone seems to love it but that is pretty much all the pavilion has to offer and that’s a shame.
We also go to the Swedish pavilion where I’m mostly excited about talking Swedish to the people working inside. The pavilion itself is nice but not very exciting.
After spending 9 hours at the Expo we’re exhausted and ready to meet Carolina and Irene for some cold beers.
Right next to the Expo area is a lovely new place to chill out. It’s a bar-restaurant with a beach area. You sit outside in the sand and it really feels like the sea is only a couple of meters away. You can easily ignore the fact that Zaragoza is situated in the desert. The one thing that is important to know though is where the entrance is. Otherwise you might wander around the building for half an hour like Alicia and I did.
After a great night out we go back home and straight to bed.

11th of July:
Third day in Zaragoza and third time at the university.
While Alicia and Irene try to fix their grades I try to get in touch with my bank after not getting any money out of the cash machine the day before.
15 minutes and about 10€ phone bill later my account is okay again, thanks to my lovely friend Anna who works at the bank and saved my money situation a couple of times before.
We walk through town one more time, meet Carolina to say goodbye and go back home to have lunch.
After that Irene has to go to work and Alicia and I go to the train station where we have to say goodbye.
Once again, thank you so much for the wonderful time!!

From Zaragoza to Cordoba I have to take AVE which is the fastest (and most expensive) train in Spain.
The trains in general are really nice here. They are on time, the seats are comfortable, the toilets are clean, you can watch movies (!) – most of te time even in English and you even get sweets!
My train ride is really comfortable and only 4 hours later I’m in Cordoba where Carmen picks me up.
We arrive at her place round 11.20pm where I meet her mother.
Carmen picked me up with the car but wants to take the motorbike (once again – moped!) to show me the city. Slightly exhausted I agree, take the helmet and go to the garage with her. There she realises that someone broke into her moped and stole her helmet. She checks if the rest of the bike is okay and fortunately it is.
Not very impressed and with only one helmet we decide to take the car.
After a short ride where she shows me the main monuments we go and meet some of her friends in a bar.
There people are singing and playing the guitar.
I’m liking the Spanish flair but am too tired to stay for very long so we go home to sleep.

 

                  

 

7th of July/8th of July
We have to get up at quarter to six in the morning to catch the train to Zaragoza. There we meet Alicia, Irene, Carolina, Sale, Edu, Antony and Ricci. We take the train to Pamplona to see the Running of the Bulls. It feels like we never said goodbye as if we would still be in Sweden just a wee bit hotter.
We arrive in Pamplona and spend the day just sitting on the streets, drinking and talking. Everyone is dressed in white and red as this is the tradition.
It’s a great sunny day and we all enjoy being together!

- Originally I was supposed to go there on my own to meet some of my American friends. They rented an apartment with a balcony, which is really expensive cause it is the only way to be completely safe from the bulls and you have an amazing view over the whole event. A couple of weeks later everyone else decided to go too so it was a good opportunity to see my friends again.
In the very last minute Jared, one of the Americans, calls me to let me know that something with the reservation of the apartment went wrong and that we don’t have a place to stay. -

So I decide to sleep on the streets like everyone else in the group. The time passes by and we are enjoying the sun, the music and the people dancing. But then the night comes and suddenly everything gets really uncomfortable. People are wasted, throwing sangria over each other and it gets really really cold. At 11pm we’re so cold that we have to go to a club to warm us up and at 2am it feels like we will never make it through the night. Sleeping outside seems impossible for us so Antony, Guillem and I just wander around the city. Everyone else stays in the club. We try to find a place to sleep as we are tired as hell but every time we sit down somewhere we all start shivering and leave after a couple of minutes. We meet Sale and Ricci on the street, go to another bar where they start dancing, Guillem and Antony fall asleep on the table and I am left alone with my freezing self.
By this time Guillem already had strong cramps in the stomach but we figured that would just go away. We change bars one more time when the boys wake up but am still freezing and really tired. At 6am the bus station opens -where we have all our stuff- and we need to go there because Guillem can hardly sit or stand anymore. There Antony decides that he will regret it for the rest of his life if he doesn’t run with the bulls and takes off. Sale and Ricci disappear, Guillem falls asleep and I have to queue for an hour to get our luggage.
Finally Antony comes back, really excited and without any horns in his body which makes me really happy!
We were supposed to stay another night but everyone is so exhausted from this one that we all decide to go home. One by one everyone takes off.
Alicia, Irene and Carolina already had a ticket for the bus to Zaragoza. Guillem and I had to go to the train station to get him a ticket to Barcelona and me one to Zaragoza. The two hours train ride seemed like a life-time and I tried to keep my eyes open so we wouldn’t miss the stop. Guillem took the train from Zaragoza to Barcelona and I took a taxi to the twins house where I took a shower and fell asleep.
Alicia was working when I arrived but Irene was there to babysit me.
We took it easy that night and watched the first hour of Amadeus, then went to bed because we couldn’t keep our eyes open.

 

 

5th of July
Vanessa, the Brazilian girl, and I wake up really late. We get change and she is wearing a lovely orange skirt. With body language and a few Spanish words I’m telling her that the skirt looks really nice on her. She takes it off and says I can have it. I’m trying to tell her that I can’t take it and she keeps asking me “you like it, right? you like it? so take it!”. she says it’s a present and something to remind me of her. So now I have this gorgeous Brazilian skirt. What a lovely person!
After that we go for lunch, have a great time and arrive in Barcelona a lot later then we are supposed to.
There Guillem picks me up and we walk to his place.
As I have been in Barcelona twice before, I have seen most of the important sights and we just take a walk through the city.

6th of July
Guillem takes me with his motorbike -we would rather call it a moped- around town and up a hill to a castle. From there you can see the whole city which is just beautiful!
We stay up there for quite a while and then go back to his place. There I meet his parents and brother who have been away the day before. It’s a warming welcome even though his mother doesn’t understand any English.
At night we take the mopedbike and go out for dinner. We find a lovely little place which would be great for vegetarians as they serve hardly any meat.
After a walk we drive back home and go to bed.