AS I WALK ©

Adios Madrid (SPAIN) and Hello Malaysia...:)

2012-01-28T18:23:00.003+08:00

We took the AVE train to Madrid. I could not remember much of the journey (joking). The camera was tucked away inside the luggage for 'very safe keeping' by hero. I sat quietly and enjoyed the train ride.

I loved the pillow--neat!

We stayed a night with Bruno and Patricia. When we arrived, they had friends so both hero and I, we rested. Both of us went out for our dinner at 7pm. It was a safe place where we stayed so walking out at 7pm was okay. I spent the remaining time organizing our bags for our departure the next day.

It was an easy feat going to the airport. All we did was dragged our bags and walked to the bus stop. Bus fare to the airport from Alcobendas cost €1.80. We had the assistance from a woman who was with us at the bus stop. She advised us to board the bus from the back door. That was a good gesture as it saved a lot of hassle moving along the narrow aisle to the back from the front door. The buses have a proper area for luggage bags.

The bus took us right up to the terminal. There are four terminals in Barajas Airport (Madrid). We were fortunate as Bruno pointed that out to us the night before. We were to leave from Terminal 2.

Adios Madrid. Adios Toledo. Adios Valencia. Adios Barcelona. Adios....SPAIN! :o)

Leaving Barcelona...

2012-01-28T17:18:00.009+08:00

We are leaving Barcelona. The past few days and nights were agonising for me. I had to return to the apartment the minute the sky got dark. It being winter, daylight hours were shorter. That meant we had to spend more time in the apartment than outside. I took a last look around the apartment. Would I yearn to come back? The answer was 'No'. It was not the same feeling I had when we were in Valencia where I had wished there was one extra day to enjoy. Barcelona is a nice city but…it was not that safe a place to travel with just the two of us.

We had talked about going on ‘an adventure’ but I (we) did not expect an adventure that was ‘action packed’...the wrong kind that is. Our meaning of ‘adventure’ was travelling on our own and doing everything from booking of flights, accommodation, staying with the locals, food, sightseeing, travelling and going around speaking no/little Spanish. We did not anticipate a robbery. Losing a backpack was bad enough. Then mugged and robbed at knifepoint! To both of us, that only happened in movies. We were not supposed to be the stars. We talked incessantly about the incident the next few nights. We laughed (glad we were still able to) and hubby said, "It was worth every Euro lost". We get to experience fear for real and a valuable lesson learnt. That was not be too complacent no matter how safe a place may seem. Oh, that would be something we do not recommend trying. LOL. Would I go back to Barcelona? I do not think so. The local authorities need to beef up the city's safety and security. :o(

Barcelona...The last few days

2012-01-28T16:50:00.006+08:00

We were back to the apartment (the day before) by 6pm. I made the decision as every sight of a black man gave me chicken flesh. With two more days left to roam the city, I thought that was a day too many. I wanted to leave Barcelona immediately. I had written to our host in Valencia about the robbery. She replied almost immediately asking us to return to her place. They are such a nice couple. We worked things out and due to the cost and time; it would not be feasible. Reluctantly, I followed my hero and walked out of the apartment.

I can't recall the name of this building

We were going to look for the restaurant that we skipped after the robbery. I spent most of my time looking out for 'suspicious characters'. It was agonizing walking the streets but I had to suppress that feeling inside lest hubby got irritated.

I could not recall how far we walked but I was very happy when hero announced...'We are here' after so many stops to ask for directions. We had a real good lunch and time La Paradeta. Suddenly, I liked the noise and people around me. LOL. I think the meal was heavenly for both of us. Maybe...we learnt to treasure the moment.

Sant Pau del Camp

We walked back to La Rambla and visited La Boqueria. La Boqueria is the public market we visited almost daily. There were no pictures taken as hero had cautioned me right from the day I lost the backpack. Despite the safety reason, I still feel that it would be a place 'not to be missed'. From La Boqueria, hero decided that we should walk to La Raval, the other historical neighbourhood that borders La Rambla. I did not feel comfortable as we walke. There were gypsies, beggars, a lot of blacks and the street looked dirty. In addition, there were many blacks not that I am discriminating but after what had happened. I stood beside hero as he studied the map. The sky was getting dark even though it was not even evening.

A group of blacks was walking and talking loudly behind me. I had bumped into them as they came out of a mosque (explained by hero later) and I panicked. I started walking like a 'chicken that has lost its head'. I walked past the church (above picture taken by hero) until he caught up with me. He was very upset. I did not want to linger around the La Rambla area. I reasoned with hero that the street we have to walk to get back to the apartment usually looked deserted. It gets very dark even around 7 pm. The sight of those blacks sent shivers down my spine. That was another evening...we had food wrapped as take-away for dinner...eaten in the apartment!

The next day, we decided (husband's idea) to take a walk to Port Vell. We were supposed to go there by cable car the day we were robbed. Port Vell starts at the end of La Rambla from the Columbus Monument (a major city landmark).

Rambla de Mar

We walked on Rambla De Mar, a splendid wooden walkway from Portal de la Pau to Moll d'Espanya (Spain Dock).

Black man (with hood)

On our way, we witnessed a 'crime scene'. A group of blacks who were plying their wares on the bridge suddenly ran helter-skelter. There was quite a commotion. We saw a few of them chased by police in mufti. It was very noisy with the black shouting. When it quietened down, hero decided to take some pictures with camera hidden beneath his coat. It was frightening when I watched how the black man became violent and resisting arrest.

Officer holding the white bag...inside are the merchandise

Buoy in the sea-Port Vell

Maremagnum shopping centre

We did some serious walking on our last day. That would be how I described the way hero made me walk...walk.

La Rambla

Marina

Palau De Mar

We walked to Can Mano for lunch. It was quite a distance from Port Vell. The lunch at Can Mano was superb. From there we walked to Barceloneta beach. It was not crowded. We had no particular agenda, as it was our last day. We just walked on the beach and just savour the feeling of 'being there'. The scenery, the people and the sound of the seagulls and sea. I noticed that the people in Barcelona are not so friendly.

Hotel Vela (background)

Barceloneta Beach (in Winter)

Monument by Rebecca Horn

Gotcha!

Slacklining

From where I stood, I saw something shimmering and it looked like a fish. We decided to walk towards it to get a closer look.

Peix d'O

It turned out to be the famous statue of La Barceloneta, the Peix d'O (golden fish) which I had read about before my trip. Frank Gehry designed the fish. We saw a group of blacks walking towards us and decided to keep the camera. We headed back to our apartment. :o)

Montjuic-Barcelona...robbed at knife point

2012-01-27T02:35:00.011+08:00

I had seen a man walked up the stairs that I thought lead nowhere. I decided to take a walk up and found out that it was the rooftop. Something I had only seen in movies and never stepped foot. It was the roof top. I took a few pictures of a school and the rooftops of an apartment next to 'ours'.

School Children playing

Some sort of garden/playground for the school children

What I saw on the roof top

The view fascinated me

Inside view-funicular of Montjuic

The Montjuïc (Mountain of the Jews) is a hill located near the centre of Barcelona. We were going there. We took the funicular from the Metro Paral-lel station (It is free). The funicular went right up to the level where it meets the Teleferico (cable car to Montjuïc Castle). We did not use the Teleferico as hubby said walking was the best way to enjoy a place.

Telefèric de Montjuïc

We took a slow walk and initially it was enjoyable. Then it became tiring as the hill has steep slopes. I would say we were lucky (actually it was I who was) as the weather was very cooling. It was foggy. We walked past a park and I told hubby it would not be a good idea to look for a toilet. Hubby told me to wait for him whilst he went inside and looked around. I stood waiting for roughly 15 minutes. Geez, it was quite scary as there was not a soul in sight. The whole place was deserted. Finally, hubby appeared and said we would have to trek up the hill first. Then, look for a toilet up there. If I am not wrong, it took us about thirty minutes to reach Castell Montjuic.

Jardins de Mossèn Cinto Verdaguer

Picture taken when we stopped for a rest...almost there!

It took us about thirty minutes of slow walk to reach Castell de Montjuïc. The feeling of having reached the top was wonderful. The view was spectacular and it was worth every bit of muscle ache suffered.

One 'cool' seagull

The same seagull--it stood long enough for six pictures

Side View of Castell de Montjuïc

View of the port from the Castle

A well

A bale of Hay

The toilets (both sexes) are located near the courtyard. Whilst waiting for hubby I fed the pigeons and the sparrows. It was also a time to take a rest.

I had the sparrow circled, as it was the only brave one. It came and stood next to the pigeon. When food (in the form of chips) were scattered, it took some and 'passed' it to its friends waiting and chirping nearby. It went on for quite some time and that was when I decided to take a picture.

Sparrows waiting for food.

Entrance & exit--Castell de Montjuïc

One of the Artillery

Sardana Monument

The Catalonia community join hands and dance in a circle in sync with the drum taps. The dance is known as the Sardana Dance. The monument depicts dancers dressed in their traditional gear performing the dance. It was the last picture we took of our visit to Montjuic.

We walked down heading towards the red port cable car station. The cable car would that would take us from Montjuic hill station (in front of the Miramar Hotel ) across the port to the San Sebastia beach near Barceloneta. Hubby went and asked for directions and a man who was at the cable car station directed him (pointed in the direction) where we had to go. That would be where we had to take the red port cable car. We walked to an area where there was a restaurant (I cannot recall the name) and a waiter told us the cable car ‘is closed’. What puzzled us was why the man hubby asked at the station made no mention of 'the closed cable car'. Another couple with us had wanted to take the cable car as well. We had to walk downhill as there was no other way to get down. Unless, as hubby told me, we walked back up and check for other means of transport. I was reluctant to walk back as it was windy with sand, leaves and all else blowing. The other couple had proceeded to walk down using the asphalt road. They spoke Spanish (could be locals). Hubby looked over a wall and shouted that he could see a road below (through some kind of park). We decided to use that way. It looked like a shorter way.

As we walked down the steps, a black man suddenly appeared and asked ‘What’s the time’ in English. I thought he spoke pretty well in English. Hubby replied ‘2 pm’ and the man asked again. Then hubby said louder ‘2 o clock’. We continued walking down the steps. I commented to hubby that it was weird asking for the time in a park. Somehow, I had a gut feeling that something was not quite right. I turned to look at the man. He had followed us and stopped when I turned to look at him. I noticed that he had something wrapped up in paper. I told hubby that I do not feel good about the man and mentioned that he was following us. I quickened my step and was quite many steps ahead/below of hubby. He remarked that I was paranoia after losing the backpack. I turned to look upwards...Everything happened very fast. In a split second, the black man had jumped down in front of hubby. He had a knife pointed at hubby’s neck and the other grasping hubby's shirt. He kept saying ‘Give me all money’ or I stab you’. The first thing I did was to ask hubby to release the bag he was carrying over his shoulder. I thought that would be my best protection as the bag was made of thick vinyl. In addition, I was not willing to give up the camera that was inside the bag. The black man was struggling with hubby. In the midst of the scuffle, hubby lost his balance. He fell against a small hill behind and he stood reclined at 45 degrees. Both of us remained calm. We were angrier than anything else was. I was prepared to swing the bag at the robber should he even cut hubby a little bit. ‘Give me all your money now’ he said repeatedly. Hubby replied ‘how to take money for you if you do not let me up’. I shouted ‘let my husband up and he take money for you’. He released one of hubby’s hands. Hubby was not going to give him the money just like that. His quick thinking saved us from further harm. He decided to throw the money and let it fly with the wind. The robber looked at hubby and hubby asked him ‘you want money or me?’ The robber thought for a while and then went for the money. It was then that we ran quickly down the steps. We reached a busy area and sat at the bus stop by the side of the road. It was then that I realised my heart was beating very hard. I said this to hubby, ‘Do you know my heart stopped just now?’ It was that scary as the knife was about six-inches (blade alone) long. :o(

[I am not from Spain so the location is not quite clear. However, when I look at the pictures we took, I remembered I saw a monument of Columbus when we were sitting at the bus stop after we ran away from the black man. It had to be the steps leading down to the area quite near Placa Espanya. Do not use this route (through a park) as it is really deserted and there is no one around. It could be due to the winter season.]

Barcelona...another day of walking and sight seeing.

2012-01-26T17:30:00.005+08:00

As usual, we had our breakfast in the apartment we stayed. Hubby told me that he was going to take me to view another piece of Antoni Gaudi's work. According to him, not everyone who visited Barcelona would leave without viewing at least apiece.

Casa Batlló

It was not far from where we stayed (or was it), I could not remember. I had gotten so used to walking all over and in winter, walking was fun. When we arrived at Casa Batlló there were a few tourist buses parked. There was a long queue outside the building and another next to where we stood. Antoni Gaudi did not build Casa Batlló. He was commissioned by a rich industrialist Josep Battló i Casanovas to tear down the old building. Antoni Gaudi convinced the industrialist to remodel it instead.

Entrance into Casa Batlló

Hubby did not want to wait in line for the purchase of tickets. I would have preferred that he waited, as I wanted to view the inside.

Street Demonstration

The Palace of the Generalitat (the government of the Autonomous Community of Catalunya)

We walked to the Barcelona Barri Gotic area. It is also known as the Gothic Quarter. The old town of Barcelona is situated in an area. Narrow cobbled streets with tall buildings that are old generally characterize this area.

It was only the third day of our stay in Barcelona. According to hubby, we would have plenty of time to 'see' the place. Therefore, we spent the time mingling with the crowd and soaking in the atmosphere.

Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulalia

We walked to the center of the Barri Gòtic (Gothic district), the heart of Barcelona. We saw the city's gothic cathedral, The Catedral La Seu (the commonly used name). The church named after Barcelona's patron saint Eulalia has an official name, the Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulalia (in Catalan) Translated it is Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia. Restoration work was going on. We did not venture inside.

Arch above the door

In front of the cathedral, there is a wide pedestrian walk The Avinguda de la Catedral. There was a Christmas craft fair. According to information I obtained, this place hosts an antique market every Thursday.

We walked to Av Portal de L'Angel where one can find many shops selling designer stuff. Window-shopping was what we did. Everything was in Euros! (Laughters) We sat on one of the bench and watched the world go by. That was another day in Barcelona.:o)

Barcelona...Antoni Gaudi's Work

2012-01-26T02:13:00.012+08:00

Our itinerary for the day was a visit to Park Guell. We had to take the subway from Las Ramblas. After what happened on our arrival day, I did not like the idea of staying six days Barcelona.

The first thing I noticed about the train when we got into one was...it looked old. This is Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona is 'old'.

Heaven sent...An escalator

We had to walk quite a distance to reach the starting point to Park Guell. I wondered if hubby got the right directions. I could not stop asking hubby if we are on the right route. 'Are there no buses plying this route'? I asked for the umpteenth time and I did not stop until I saw an escalator. Phew...The distance we walked. (picture below) It was later that I found out that the way we used (up the slope) was one of the more beautiful ways to the park. The slope was known as “Baixada de la Gloria” – “The glory slope". Entrance to Park Guell is FREE.

A choice, the stairs or the escalator

Anytime, I would take the escalator after the workout walking up the hill.

We finally reached the hill of El Carmel. The view from the top was spectacular. The weather was very cooperative. It was clear and cooling.

The way (we walked) was the “servants entrance” located in the back part of the park. We actually did our tour from back towards the front area of the park. The circled area (picture above) would be where Antoni Gaudi's famous work is located.

condition of the road

Another entrance

Birds nest built by Gaudi in the wall

Park Guell (Parc Guell) is one of several gardens planned by the architect Antoni Gaudi. This is the most famous park in Barcelona. Park Guell was commissioned by Eusebi Güell who wanted to create a stylish park for Barcelona aristocracy.

Retaining Wall and the colonnaded pathway ( "La Ola")

The Roadways resembles the pine trees in the park

Tile Mosaic on the Ceiling by Antoni Gaudi

Famous Gaudi Dragon

The Pavillion

A school next to Park Guell

The Main Entrance

After the visit to Park Guell we were famished. We decided to stop for lunch. Lunch for us was buffet style. We went to a restaurant which was run by Indonesians. It was 'eat all you can' for €20/pax. That included coffee and desserts.

The Sagrada Família

From the restaurant where we had lunch, we could see The Sagrada Família. The Sagrada Familia is a large Roman Catholic Church in Barcelona, Spain. The church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, even though it is still incomplete (commenced since 1882). It is another of Antoni Gaudi's work.

Christmas market opposite The Sagrada Familia

The next stop we made was Casa Milà better known as La Pedrera. The name Pedrera means The Quarry and it is because of the stone like appearance. La Pedrera is a museum and it opened from 9:00 am. The closing time depended on the season. I think it cost us €20/pax. There would be a twenty percent discount if we had a Barcelona card. We did not have that.

Casa Mila/La Pedrera at sunset

This building was designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi. The building was constructed to house apartments and offices but the owner had difficulty renting it out. It is now a museum.

Ventilation Towers

Sunset at the Roof of La Pedrera

Looking down into the Atrium of La Pedrera

Roof Architecture at La Pedrera. Chimneys are known as witch scarers (espanta bruixes)

View from the Rooftop of La Pedrera

Rooftop Architecture of La Pedrera

Catenary arches under the terrace in La Pedrera

Scale model of La Pedrera/Casa Mila

Below are pictures of Antoni Gaudi's Apartment

Master Bathroom

The Living Room

The Study

The Oven

Original Balcony-Detail

Mime-Give him a dime and he starts to cycle!

In the act of cycling...

We stayed in the vicinity of Las Ramblas (La Rambla) in Barcelona. La Rambla is a street in central Barcelona. It stretches between Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter) and El Raval connecting Plaza de Catalunya in the centre. We have to walk through La Rambla to get back to our apartment or vice versa. It is the most vibrant and lively place in Barcelona. Tourists loved this place. We were told that things at La Rambla are more expensive. The food sold may seemed cheap but the drinks that are served later would cost an 'arm and a leg'. We avoided having our meals there.

Make a donation...he goes into action.

Another night walking along La Rambla...:o)
**My apologies...this post (& the following ones) should have been up earlier. I took time off to prepare for Chinese New Year. Enjoy reading.

Valencia to Barcelona...Be careful!!

2012-01-19T01:06:00.012+08:00

As we walked to the bus stand (only 10 minutes walk) with Paco helping me with my luggage, I felt a sense of regret. I should have decided to stay more days when we booked the place. Three days and three nights were not enough to enjoy with Paco and Paula. We had so much fun, there was still so much to learn from both of them. Paula even wrote me a little note teaching me how to order different kinds of pan (bread). I laughed when she handed me the note and said’ Now, you will not go hungry in Spain. We had wonderful hosts. We said our goodbyes, 'two kisses' and then the bus arrived.

I took a last picture of the street of Valencia...with fond memories in my heart.

We arrived at the AVE train station. It was only a short ride in the bus. I sat and waited whilst hubby went to the ticketing counter to ensure that we are at the right station.

Hubby took the picture. He was watching us.

Never ending helpfulness...The man (in the picture above) was showing me how to drip eye-drops into my eye. (Laughters). It all started when I was trying to drip some eye drops into one of my eye reddened by some foreign particles embedded inside. The drops kept rolling off my cheek and not into my eye. The man patted me on my shoulder and spoke in Spanish. I apologised and shook my head...I do not understand Spanish. How kind, he gestured that I should look at him. He showed me how to do it. I followed and finally the eye drop went into my eye. We sat 'speaking' to one another even though we could not understand a word but managed to reply. He was also going to Barcelona and he is from Valencia. I told him I am from Malaysia and going to Barcelona. Amazing as it may sound, we understood each other even though we do not speak each other's language.

When it was time to board the train (an announcement came on the PA system), kind man asked to look at our tickets. He boarded the No. 3 coach and we boarded the No. 7 coach. He walked with us to the No. 7 coach; made sure we got up onto the coach. Thank you; Muchas Gracias...no words would be enough. The train started to move. The journey from Valencia to Barcelona took 3 hours and 4 minutes. (If the train ticket were booked ahead, there would be a discount given. The amount varies according to the clerk at the counter.) The cost of the journey per person was € 44.50 per person.

The scenery outside the window of my seat...they looked almost similar to my journey from Madrid until...

I spot a castle in the distance...

I thought the houses in this area looked like the houses in Malaysia

...we approached Barcelona; I saw the sea on one side of the train. There were many yachts...it must be a marina.

We arrived in Barcelona (3 hours 04 minutes). As like so many times before, hubby would go off to the ticketing counter for tickets.

It would be a last purchase for AVE train tickets. From Barcelona, we would return to Madrid before flying back home.

There are many exits at the train station in Barcelona. Please make sure you get out the right one!

We exited (actually it was me) the wrong exit. Our host was waiting for us elsewhere. Since we exited the wrong one, hubby had to walk quite a distance to look for the road map. Hubby left me standing 'smack' in the middle of the sidewalk with our luggage, hubby's backpack, my own handbag and a bag of polvorones (sweets eaten during Christmas in Spain). I stood there and waited. Suddenly there was a very strong gush of wind. One luggage toppled over and then the next one followed suit. In the midst of picking up the luggage, my own bag fell and I heard a loud 'thud'. Geez...that was the camera. I arranged everything and with one leg guarding the backpack, I took out the camera to check. In a split second, the backpack was gone! How could anything happen so fast? By the time hubby walked back, all he saw was... me jumping. No, it was not because I was happy to see the sun in Barcelona. Someone took our backpack! I turned to look at the stall behind me. The black man was nowhere around. I told hubby there was a black man who stood watching me with his back leaning against the stall. There were no comfort words from hubby. Our host (he said nothing) and was upset that we made him walk to where we were.

Spot where my backpack was STOLEN.

I was upset. I was angry. Hubby was angry as he thought I had walked away. I did not walk away to take any pictures. I only took one picture (above) to test the camera. Now, the one thing I noticed as we walked out from the train...there were many blacks. We were warned about how Gypsies conned unsuspecting tourists and how a group would work together to pick pockets. It never occurred to both of us that we would lose our belonging in such a way.

The apartment did not attract me...I wanted to return to Valencia

Hubby looked guilty when he walked into the room after our host briefed him. (Unbelievably, the host just left without even finding out more about our lost.) I was crying. It was not totally my fault. Even if I had seen the man take the backpack, I could not run after him. I had the other bags to watch over. Anyway, I was not crying because hubby scolded me. I cried because I had a whole backpack filled with my souvenirs. All my porcelain pieces...Big and small pieces, all gone in the blink of an eye! Darn. Later as we talked over the incident, we thought we were lucky in a way. It was a blessing in disguise as we had let out guards down. We had become complacent after our pleasant stay in Madrid and then Valencia. It did not occur to either one of us that, we could lose something. When we related to the young girl (staying opposite our room), we found that her uncle had his wallet picked even before he got down from the train. On a happier note, we could have lost any one of the luggage and it would mean the end of our adventure. Things that are more valuable were inside. Goodness! I could not help wondering...what is in store in Barcelona? Even though we were in a new city, our evening was dull. I was not in the mood to enjoy except buy some dinner and return to the apartment. :o)

Adios...if only the hours could be longer

2012-01-14T02:17:00.018+08:00

All I wanted to do when I woke up was to go out and mingle with the people here...in Valencia. Hubby suggested that we take a bus down to the city centre. The Mercado (market) was the place I had listed that I wanted to visit in Valencia.

Mom, Dad & Children

Bus rides had been fun rides right from the first time we took one. I enjoyed watching the people on the bus.

The streets in Valencia as with that in Madrid are pretty narrow. Despite that, the bus drivers are able to manoeuvre the bus round bends and 'squeezing' through parked cars (by the side) with ease. They are amazing drivers.

Mother with baby in a pram in a bus. (not common in Malaysia)

Elderly with shopping cart

I saw an elderly woman with shopping carts in many parts of the city. I could not help thinking that they are very healthy and independent. The woman in the picture above, we bumped into her again when we walked to Plaza de la Reina.

Mercado Central

We walked to Mercado Central from the bus stop. The first thing I noticed was the ceramic tiles. The building plastered with ceramic tiles looked beautiful. Valencia is well-known for beautiful ceramic. I only have one picture of the market from the outside. Obviously, I was not the one with the camera at that time. Hubby held it (as always) for safety reasons. There were many people shopping at the stalls outside the market.

Cleanliness prevail

This Mercado (market) is unlike the one we visited in Madrid, Mercado San Miguel. It is not so 'tourist orientated' and there are less people. The things are cheaper. I walked around and enjoyed the environment of this clean Market. It is a wet and dry market just like what we have in Malaysia. There was a difference, the din and smell was a whole lot less. In addition, it is neater and cleaner.

Cerdo (pig) & oreja (ears)

Rabbit (Conejo)

Yellow Mail Box (In Malaysia it is Red)

I would not believe it had hubby not taken a picture to show me. Hubby saw the ceramic painting hung on a wall on the way to the men's toilet!

Beautiful...As I see it

The tourist spots in Valencia are located quite near one another. From Mercado Central we just had to walk around to visit the Cathedral, Plaza and many others. We do not have any on our list to visit so hubby said we would take a walk and enjoy the surrounding area.

Puerta Barroca (The Iron Gate/Baroque)
of Valencia Cathedral

El Miguelete Bell Tower at Plaza La Reina

Iglesia de Santa Catalina

Popular place for a glass of Horchata

Porta dels Apòstols (Apostles Door)

Porta dels Apòstols

The Turia Fountain (remember to sit and listen to the flowing water)

Plaza de la Virgen (Virgin)

Spotted..Dog following owner

Basilica of Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados (back view)
(Basilica of Our Lady of the Helpless People)

We must have walked in a circle as we returned to where we started, the Mercado. I spotted a stall with the name Horchata. Horchata is a popular soft drink made from chufas (tiger nuts), water and sugar. I had it on my list of things to eat/drink. I could not find it in Madrid and Toledo. We ordered the Horchata and a plate of churros to go with the drink. I decided to nip into the market to look for food.

I loved the taste of the Horchata. It tasted like a cereal drink with milk. Something like Horlicks (not exactly though). I think a dash of cinnamon was in the drink too. However, the Horchata was too milky for hubby's taste.

I saw a stall selling many different types of Paella (pah-eh-yah). I already had Paella Valencia and stood there wondering what the rest were. I told the young woman at the stall that I wanted Paella. She replied "Si". I said Paella. I was to find out that I have to state what kind. There are so many different kinds. I bought one portion of Paella Mixta and one portion of Fideuà (fi-de-wah).

I found out from the young woman at the stall that I have to state what kind of Paella I wanted. If only the word Paella is used, no one would understand me. They would give me the pan as that is also known as Paella. My host Paula gave me a list of names of rice dishes namely; Arros a banda, Arros al Jorn, Arros amb bacalao (I know this has fish in it.), Paella mixta (obviously mix), Paella de pollo and Paella de marisco. I know the last one as it always appeared in pictures with large prawns. I took pictures of four kinds but I only know two of them.

Arroz Negre (Squid Ink Rice)

Paella Valencia

Fideuà

Fideuà is a dish typical to the Valencian community and quite similar to Paella. Instead of rice, thin noodles or pasta is used. The Fideuà tasted something like our 'mee goreng'.

The snacks we had!

From the market, we walked to the center of the city. The City of Arts and Sciences was our next stop. We had to go there by bus, as it was too far a distance to walk. Bus services are prompt in Spain so travelling around was easy and not expensive (€1.30). In addition, Paula's house is strategically located.

L'Hemisfèric

We decided we would go to Oceanografic.

At the entrance to The Oceanografic, we discovered that we needed 2 hour and a half to complete the tour. That meant there would not be enough time to visit the Arts Centre. The Oceanografic closes at 6:00 pm

There are different marine eco-systems such as the tropics, the Antarctic and the Arctic inside the Oceanografic. We started with the tropics.

The Aviary

Watch out for bird droppings!

Mola (SunFish)-the world's largest bony fish

Dolphin Show- It is Free

A Beluga (white whale) swam pass us.

Beluga or White Whale

I do not know why I agreed to visit the Oceanografic. I never liked to see anything in captivity. The Beluga that swam pass us swam back to where we stood. It stopped and just looked at us. I accidentally dropped the backpack over the railing and it looked down. Then I raised my hand and it looked up. I tried waving and it looked left and right. We figured it could see us. The Beluga stayed where it was for quite a while. Sadness overwhelmed me as I stood there and stared back. I wished I could wave a magic wand and make it go back to the sea. That I felt is where it belonged. I could not imagine any creature held captive and swimming in the same environment repeatedly...forever. I did not want to watch her/him anymore. A few yards away there was a pair of walruses. One was swimming in circle repeatedly. Are they under stress? I could not help wondering. Hubby would not allow any pictures taken after the shots of the Beluga. He said I got myself too affected. I did affect me and I still am...

She captured my heart

It would be more worthwhile to visit two places. We only managed to visit the Ocenografic as that alone took us 2 hour and a half. We arrived too late. **It is quite a distance to walk from one place to the other so allow some extra time if you intend to visit.
General Ticket:
22.80 euros --- Oceanografic + Science Museum: 25.00 --- Oceanografic + Hemisferic: 25.00
Reduced Ticket:
17.20 euros --- Oceanografic + Science Museum: 19.00 --- Oceanografic + Hemisferic: 19.00
School Group Ticket:
10.90 euros --- Oceanografic + Science Museum: 12.30 --- Oceanografic + Hemisferic: 12.30
Adult Group Ticket:
16.00 euros --- Oceanografic + Science Museum: 17.60 --- Oceanografic + Hemisferic: 17.60

L'Hemisfèric (evening view)

It is a unique and spectacular building. The ball in the center represents the pupil of the eye. The whole structure represents a large human eye, the eye of wisdom. This building houses a large sphere that forms the largest film auditorium in Spain.

Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia (The Valencia Opera House)

El Museu de les Ciencies Principe Felipe (Prince Felipe Museum Of Science)

There was a break in communication on our last night. We could not understand what Paula wanted and she did not know what we meant. As such, both of us went out for dinner and both of them waited at home for us, for dinner! Malaysians have their dinner at around 7 – 7:30 pm we later explained. According to Paula, Spanish people have their dinner around 9 pm. We joined Paula and Paco for their dinner (Spanish style). For both of us, it was supper. It was our last night with them and I was happy that both of them invited us to join them.

Both of them made sure we eat as much and as many kinds of Spanish food before we leave Valencia. They bought Chorizos and Spanish cheese (I could not remember the name.), nuts, etc. We spent wonderful time getting to know more about one another. They showed us their new hobby--building miniature villages. I finally understood the idea of the houses, barns and little dolls. Both Paula and Paco are down to earth and unassuming. The room we stayed in were reasonably charged and all extras added without our request. Paco even gave hubby two copies of CD as a gift. We could not have felt more comfortable with our stay. If you are planning to travel B & B style to Valencia, try them out. We spent three days and three nights, I wished it had been more.

Loving and Wonderful Couple

:o)

Buenos días...breakfast served!

2012-01-12T23:00:00.008+08:00

Buenos Dias (Good morning)...Paco greeted me. He had laid out our breakfast for us. He led us to the garden. The garden...Yes, we had our breakfast there.

I thought it was so Spanish. It was winter and we had breakfast outdoors. Brrr....Nevertheless, we enjoyed the feeling.

Cool...Paula & Paco's Christmas Tree

Paco deciding on the wine

First...the Chicken

As agreed the day before, we would be having Paella for lunch. Before lunch, both hubby and I went out for a walk, to sight see.

A bench on the street

Poo-bag inside (circled)

The dog in the picture has a small plastic bone stuck to its collar. Inside the collar are poo-bags. Some dog owners picked up after their dogs but some do not.

Graffiti on the wall

Spanish girls don't walk- they rollerblade

I asked Paco about the oranges on the trees. Why they were not collected for consumption? The reason was no one wanted them. They are sour and not edible.

Arrow points into the parking area

'Honk', I paid no heed as I had passed the exit. That was when I was in Madrid. That day, I heard a 'honk' as I walked on that street and I stopped. A car came out of the 'empty space' sandwiched between two shops. I took a peek down and found out that it was a car park inside. The door will slowly drop down after the car exit. It is common to find underground parking below a row of shops/apartments.

I enjoyed my walk around Valencia that day. It was nice to just walk, walk and not have to rush around. Along the way, I saw a cockroach. Yes, a Valencia cockroach and...it looked the same as a Malaysian one. (Laughters)

A bird

Walking the dog is so common

Oak Tree & Acorn (circled)

I picked a seed from the ground and then I looked up. I took a picture and took the seed home to show our hosts. Paco told me that it is a bellota (acorn) from the roble (oak) tree. They feed the pigs with it. I asked if it is acorn. Yes, it was an acorn. I told him that acorn in Spain are different from that found in United States. A good friend had sent me two acorns from USA. I have pictures of the two for comparison (below). From google, I found out that there are different species of oak trees.

Acorns from the United States of America

Acorns I picked in Valencia

Bicycles for rent

We walked to the new City of Valencia. We did not know that there was a 'new' and 'old' city until our hosts told us.

City of Arts and Science

The people of Valencia are very friendly. I could not recall how many "Hola" I heard (said to us) as we walked around. I read that life in Valencia is slower pace than in Madrid. It was around 11 am and already there were people sitting on the sidewalk and some were drinking beer. It was still morning.

I walked past this couple (in the picture) and the dog caught my attention. I took and a picture and the man smiled (said something to the woman I think). The woman turned around and looked at me, smiled and said 'Hola'. I said 'Hola' and 'Thank you' signing that I took a picture. Spaniards are wonderful people; I could not help saying it again to hubby.

We continued with our walk and then there was this dog. He tailed hubby and we started laughing. It must have mistaken hubby for someone else. I took a picture and then squatted down. It came running to me and that was when its owner appeared and scooped the dog up.

The owner of the dog was friendly and cheerful. He kept muttering something in Spanish and it was only when the dog extended its paw then I realised. The man asked the dog to shake paw (I think it was that). LOL...I asked if I could take a picture and he happily agreed. I could not resist doing it twice...two pictures taken.

One wonderful Owner and his Dog

Dog outside a shop waiting

We do Everything Together

A female and a male dog

We came across this park in the new city of Valencia. On first look, it was just a normal park. It was only when we decided to walk into the park that we found it to be different.

I could not help saying with excitement, "Look, the dogs here have a park of their own!" I was so intrigued by all the barking, yelping in the big park; I ran to the pool. There were dogs playing in the water and some were playing on land.

Now I say 'Fetch' and Oh..!

The man (in the picture above) was trying to teach his dog the Alsatian to 'fetch'. His dog was not able to as the other dog which does not belong to him kept bringing the ball back. It was hilarious watching the man reprimand his dog. He had to keep retrieving the ball from the mouth of the other dog. In the end, he leashed his dog and walked off.

Paella Valencia

We decided to go 'home' as it was near lunchtime. We walked into a house filled with an aroma of something cooking. The Paella was ready. It was 'chow time'.

Counter with ceramics top

A typical kitchen with ceramics and paellera hanging on the wall

A huge paellera (pan for the rice dish)

polvorón in its traditional wrapper

We did not have just Paella Valencia prepared by Paco. We had many other things to eat. We learnt a little about each other's culture. Paula and Paco made sure we learn more about Spain besides enjoying our stay in their house. Paco would Google any words we do not understand in Spanish. Paula on the other hand introduced the polvorón, a kind of shortbread eaten around Christmas, ali o li with hard bread and pastelitos, which is pastry with filling.

pastelitos

Up above--The Balcony

Rosemary plant

Paco & Paula

We spent a whole afternoon with both of them.

We took a walk to the city again in the evening. Hubby wanted to get some wine. We saw this wine shop and walked in. We learnt something as customers in Spain. They treat you with respect. Hubby did not mention anything about buying any bottles of wine. He just asked about the wine and the man who attended to us was very helpful. We were served a glass of wine each and also given slices of Jamón serrano (dry cured Spanish ham) to taste. That was one great hospitality shown. We found out that this wine shop is about (I think) 100 years old. We left with two bottles of wine and some Jamón.

That old wine shop

Plaza de Toros (Bullring)

The sky gets dark early in winter. It was only around 6:00pm but it looked like nighttime.

I took a picture. I asked for one.

She nodded. Took one and sprayed...salt. Look at the amount!

2 euros and I have one. I did what the Spaniards do. Walk with the corn on the cob and...eat.

Statue of Manolo Montoliv (Plaza de Toros)

See..the cheeky girl!

Street view in Old City

Plaza de la Virgen

Candy shops are for real here

Aubergine fried with capsicum

vegetable salad with crabstick

What you see inside a cafe

We decided to drop by a small restaurant for a meal before proceeding 'home'. We had the usual Tapas. One can find Tapas in almost all eateries and with a wide range of toppings. They are not expensive. We had a nice meal with a little for the small dog. The dog belonged to the owner of the eatery. Another wonderful day with beautiful weather...:o)

Valencia-what lies therein?

2012-01-12T00:17:00.007+08:00

We did a mistake by having too much fun the night before the journey to Valencia. We had fun-time with our hosts and arrived at the Atocha train station with about 10 minutes to the renfe train station. Oh, how we ran and ran...

We finally made it into the train when an announcement came on the PA system. It was in Spanish and I think it was to announce the train departing from the station. A while later, the train moved. Phew, we almost miss the train!

Inside the train

The journey from Atocha to Valencia took three hours. The train was similar to the one we took to Toledo.

Clean and comfortable

Toilet..that of an airplane standard

Map of Spain - Valencia

Valencia situated along the coast of Spain is the third largest city after Madrid and Barcelona. The view I had from the window of my seat was beautiful and serene. I could not give up the sights to catch up on my sleep having slept at 3 am the night before.

Out of a tunnel...

And...into another

renfe station in Valencia

After three hours, we finally arrived in Valencia. We had a pleasant ride and with the clean toilet, there was nothing to complain. The journey cost € 48.25 per person. Travelling without following a tour has its disadvantages too. We had to walk for almost an hour from the train station to where we were to stay. We had to walk through an underground (tunnel) and boy; the tunnel had an awful stench of urine! Some Valencian do not pee in the toilet.

We found that travelling on our own gave us more freedom. We could have our food anytime and anywhere. We decided to stop by a side-walk cafe and have some snacks. Tapas was what we had. The cafe we stopped by had a Nigerian who spoke to us in English. It was a pleasant surprise. We ordered what he recommended. **Tapas are small bites of food served with every glass of wine or beer. Some say tapas are, all about gathering socially with friends to enjoy a drink or two and have a bite to eat. It can be served as small pieces of food or food eaten with pieces of baguette. It is usually served cold.

Spaniards and their favourite time.

Gypsies

I have always wanted to eat at a sidewalk cafe. I never had the opportunity as we had always travelled in Group Tour and with a guide. Our food arrived after a while. We had potato salad, eggs fried with onions and chorizos (Spanish sausage). The eggs tasted like how I prepared them at home. The food was edible and nothing spectacular. It was the time spent watching the people walked by and the cool winter air blowing.

potato salad, fried eggs with onions, bread and chorizos (clockwise)

Man in picture getting ready the chairs and tables for business

We proceeded with our walk to our host's place.

I noticed that Valencia was dirtier than Madrid. I got a little bit worried as we made our way towards Paula's (our host) place. [click on link-Paula to read more]

This is it!

"We are here", hubby announced. "What?" I was puzzled. Where is the garden? I asked myself. (Actually, many thoughts ran through my mind at that moment.) It was mentioned a house in her site. Once inside, I could not look more surprised. It was what I wanted, to be inside a Spanish home. Paula & Paco showed us to our room.

Balcony just outside our room

Rocking chair which hubby enjoyed daily

opposite of Plaza Ayuntamiento

We had a short rest (mostly our feet) and then decided to take a stroll down to the city. Paula's home is situated quite near the city. She briefed us on the bus routes and location of the bus stand. Hubby decided that we should walk, as that was the best way to see the city.

Plaza Ayuntamiento

North Train station in Valencia (estacion de norte)

We walked from the city back to Calle de Pranas. Hubby decided to drop by a restaurant recommended by Paula, Bar La Pergola. The young man who attended to us speaks totally 'No English'. The Bar was packed with patrons watching a football match on TV. We signed; spoke some Spanish words like Bravas, food and Sangria. We sat and waited with lots of hope. It was fun waiting without knowing the kind of food coming out of the kitchen.

Seafood-Deepfried

Bravas with shredded pieces of pork (el cerdo)

The plate of aromatic deep fried anchovies, calamari and prawns arrived. The deep fried seafood was delicious and it was nothing like what we had eaten in Malaysia. The batter was light, crispy and tasty. This time the Bravas came served differently with sliced grilled pork. We loved the sangria. The sangria served was stronger (with more alcohol) than the one we drank in Madrid. It came served in a traditional pitcher!

I could not resist buying a fruit on our way to the restaurant. Our host in Madrid had made some jam with it. We had the young Spanish man cut it up for us. It looked like a pear and I gave it a bite. Eew...It tasted sour and full of sap. Hubby followed suit and he too had sap stuck to his teeth.

We walked 'home' with sap from the membrillo stuck to our teeth. Once back 'home' we googled and found out that the English name is Quince. We do not have Quince in Malaysia but we do have pears. I told hubby, we would 'stick to pears'. That was our first day in Valencia. It was a good day with wonderful weather. :o) ** Address of Bar La Pergola-C.I.F: B-96.558.812. C/ Cadiz 96 - 46006 Valencia. Telef: 963 342 750

Of armours, swords and cobble stone...Toledo,Spain

2012-01-05T06:16:00.013+08:00

We took the train to the renfe train ticketing office in Atocha (done 2 days earlier) to purchase tickets to Toledo. We used a 10-trip train ticket for our daily commute. We saved about 4 Euros for the 10-trip train ticket (the normal train) with no expiry date.

The train that would be used was the AVE (Alta Velocidad Española) train. The name translated literally as Spanish High Speed. Our hosts gave us the instructions. What hubby found out at the renfe train counter was once you confirmed the time for the tickets (back and forth-confirmed time), you get a certain amount of discount. Hurray, hubby armed with only a few spoken Spanish words (mostly numerals), ability to make some hand gestures, got us some cheap tickets to Toledo. Of course, some credit to be given to the Spanish man for he knew some English words.

The people standing in a queue

There were a lot of people queuing for tickets not just to Toledo but to other parts of Spain. Hubby had to get a number and and waited for his turn. (Note: Do arrive early for purchase of tickets.) I went for a walk around the train station.

Atocha train station

renfe train station

AVE train

The train leaves on the dot (time as stated in the ticket). Luckily, we arrived early and waited. We reached Toledo even before 'our seats were warmed'. The journey took slightly more than 30 minutes. The distance between Toledo and Atocha--about 71 km. It was a quick and pleasant ride.

Hubby told me that we were in Toledo only to enjoy the city and not so much as visiting tourist sites. We did not have much time, as it was a day-trip. I did not mind. My hosts told me to wear a pair of comfortable walking shoes.

A different kind of city

From the bus station outside the railway station, we waited for a bus (anyone of this Nos. 5, 61, 62) that took us to Plaza Zocodover. That is the drop off point (I think) as I saw many buses stopped there and commuters alighted from the bus. We did too. The weather in Toledo on the day of our visit was colder than in Madrid. It was foggy and for both of us especially me, sheer joy. I am from Malaysia, where the weather is hot and humid almost all the year round.

Noticed the warm clothings worn.

We walked from Plaza Zocodover and the first stop we made was for food. Hubby wanted to study the map of the city. We made a random stop, as we did not have any leads to any good restaurant/eateries.

I mentioned in my earlier posts that Spaniards are friendly people. We met one that was not so the day we were in Toledo. The waiter at the eatery was not so friendly and helpful. We almost could not order any food as he did not bothered to even try to understand what we wanted. However, we were lucky as there was a Spanish family dining there and the man (of the family) helped us. He helped us with our order and we had cordero (lamb), we had chorizo (Spanish sausage) and croquettas (Spanish croquette).

Chorizo served in a typical Spanish bowl

The only name for this dish that I know...Cordero

Croqueta

It was our first introduction to Tapas. Tapas are eaten as appetisers or snacks. They are small pieces of bread with a topping. I wished I were more knowledgeable then. We ate the chorizos and cordero without any pieces of bread. The waiter (he could be the owner) did not serve them with any slices of bread. Oh, that man is a cheat! LOL. The lamb and sausages were very salty. If only the croquetas had arrived with the lamb and chorizos. We had chomped down the Croquetas as it was the first to arrive and very tasty. Croquetas in Spain are not made of potatoes as found anywhere else outside of Spain. In Spain, the outside layer is made of flour and that made it different and a 'must-try'.

Catedral Primada

Almost every street we turned into has a shop selling swords and armour suits.

We walked around the city. Entered one street after another and the buildings, the cobblestone road had me had me awed. The walls of the buildings and roads looked ancient. It was like being transported back in time.

Cobblestone road

The reason my host told me to wear a comfortable pair of walking shoes was the road.

Geraniums made the window look beautiful.

I could get lost in Toledo. The streets looked almost the same with most shops selling quite similar things. We walked past a restaurant and I went wide-eyed. The restaurant had a sign outside with a word that I knew-Cosido. Cosido madrileño is a traditional soup in Spain. It is recommended that one try it when in Spain. We failed to find it in Madrid. We did not want to miss the opportunity therefore; we walked straight into the restaurant. We had to be gluttons of sorts as we just had a meal of tapas (without the bread though).

All we said to the waiter was Cosido with eye-brows raised. He replied "Si, Si". It was that simple. We sat and waited. A plate of olives was served as appetiser.

Ceramic painting on the wall, checkered tablecloth, wooden furniture. It was one typical Spanish restaurant.

A bowl of soup arrived with a piece of bread. Both of us shared the bowl of soup. The consistency of the soup was between soup and stew. It was thicker than soup but lighter than the gravy of a stew. I loved the pasta in the soup. It reminded me of Chinese vermicelli. Cosido are served in two parts.

The second part was a plate of chickpeas (garbanzo bean), pieces of chicken, potato, bacon, chorizo, pork and if I am not wrong, some pieces of beef. Those served on the plate, they were ingredients used to prepare the soup. We do not take beef but it was too late, as we had swallowed the soup. The soup was something both of us have not tasted and it was delicious to the last drop. (I did not dare comment that it could be the piece of beef added!) Hubby is a strictly no-beef person.

The waiter asked if we wanted dessert. He said something in Spanish with one word dessert. We just nodded our heads and I said Uno. Another word added to my miserable command of Spanish. It was egg caramel. I have to say the caramel egg custard was not smooth enough. I still liked what we have back home, in Malaysia.

Just look at the walls...so ancient and original

We walked around the city. Entered one street after another and the buildings, the cobbled stone road had me dreamy eyed. It was like walking into a storybook city in my dreams. The low-lying clouds made it even more so.

We stopped at a cafe for coffee and cakes. We had about 40 minutes left to take a bus back to the train station. Hubby bought a few pieces of marzipan. The marzipan in Toledo tasted very different from the marzipan I have tasted. The ones in Malaysia found mostly as the outer layer of wedding cakes tasted very sweet and nothing more. Those in Toledo, they are fragrant and not too sweet. The ones hubby bought came in the form of sweets. I forgot about taking pictures. I was too engrossed with the eating.

Train station-Toledo (front view)

I have no pictures on almost all of the sites we visited. I could not complain as he took many other beautiful pictures of Toledo.

It was time to say adios to Toledo. We had a short but wonderful time in beautiful Toledo. It would be nice to stay for a few nights. With the lights up, Toledo would definitely look more enchanting. Maybe...maybe I will return one day.

Another area of the train station

We took the 6:35pm AVE train back to Atocha train station. Then we had to use another kind of train to Valdelasfuentas station near Alcobendas.

It was around 7:30-8:00 pm when we walked the street that lead back to our apartment. It is winter, the sky gets dark earlier and the streets are deserted. We live in an area, which is quite safe. We have not seen any gypsies or blacks.

Donna kebabs are what we would normally buy 'home' for extra bites. It is costs about 3.50 Euros for one. However, that night it was for dinner as both of us were too lazy to go elsewhere for food. It would be our last night in Madrid for this first leg of our travel. We had a memorable time (so far), with beautiful weather, wonderful and helpful Madrileños. :o)

Madrid and....I say Hola

2011-12-31T17:16:00.016+08:00

Hola...that was my greeting to a Spaniard who passed by me. By then, I was comfortable greeting strangers. The weather had been cooperative and our days had been beautiful. This (Valdelasfuentes) was the starting point of our daily adventure. Travelling in Madrid is simple and easy as there is a good transport system. One can opt to use the train or the bus services. For both of us, it was the train and our own two feet. Armed with a good road map and train service map, getting around was quite easy. When it happened the first time, we were surprised. Being asked if we needed any help by a total stranger. Spanish people are happy people and not just that, they are also very helpful.

Inside the train. A convenient way to travel. Cheap and clean!

The Parque del Buen Retiro was the first place we arrived at for a tour. This is the most popular park in Madrid. On the day we visited despite the cold winds, there were many people and families. Everyone had something to do at the park. Some were cycling, some were rollerblading, reading or just standing. I have always loved parks. Wherever I go, I am always in my element when I am in the park. On that day, I had the camera with me. Most of the time, hubby would be the one holding it (for safety purposes). It was a nice walk with all the time and no hurry. There are many sights to note in the park. We saw a few that the map showed. The park is huge. It was not possible for us to cover all in a day and in winter. The sky gets dark earlier than usual. Therefore, I walked, admired the beauty, sat for a while on the benches (something I loved to do) enjoyed the peace around and allowed the wonderful feeling to soak in. It was a beautiful park.

Two girls; one rollerblading, the other walking.

My favourite

Maple tree with seeds

Seed from the Maple tree

Woman reading

These two cats were seemed to be doing some loud talking.

Beauty and Peace

Something trees are not ordinary but not out of this world

Paseo de la Argentina

one blow the leaves...

...Another scoop them into bins

The first worker blew the leaves to a spot and another came and scoop them into bins. It was something I do not see in Malaysia. It was definitely the blowing of the leaves I meant (that I do not see). LOL

Monument of Alfonso XII

The Lake

It is so common to see man pushing a pram with wife/woman walking alongside. Father with a child perched on his shoulder and mother pushing the pram. I observed and found the Spanish people are very family orientated. It is so common to see family complete with grandma and grandpa spending time together at the park, in the restaurants or shopping.

A very common sight

A magic show

Puerta de Alcalá (view taken from Park Retiro)

In the marked rectangle- a long line of people waiting to buy the lottery

'Panhandling'-they were playing Jingle Bells

We stumbled upon the restaurant El Duero, as we needed to rest our feet. In addition, we were looking for a few items on our ‘food to eat’ list. Most of the time the scenario would be ‘The person speak no English and we speak no Spanish’. The same when we were here. A waiter showed us a table and we seated ourselves. I asked if they have oreja (pig’s ear) and bravas. I was elated when the waiter said ‘Si Si’ to my questions. I went “Ah, you understood”. My elated look put a wide smile on the waiter’s face. The waiter also recommended salad and lamb.

The Patatas Bravas-alioli was not out of this world. It was potato wedges deep-fried with some sauce dribbled on top. To me, the sauce tasted like chilli with tomato sauce all mixed. There could be some kind of herbs and pepper added too.

The oreja was some experience. Hubby said it was too oily. I thought it was an acquired taste and bite. There is a pungent smell of pork and the bite was slightly hard with the ligaments. If I were back in Malaysia, I would have asked if they bathed the pig before slaughter. (Laughters) It was a new eating experience for both of us eating the oreja. I would describe it as quite tasty but not exactly heavenly. We were in Spain and it was what they enjoy, we try to.

We could not finish our food and the last plate, which was the lamb, had to be packed for take-away. Signs made, hand gestures shown; the waiter understood that we wanted the plate of lamb wrapped up. I did not know how to ask but it seemed take-away is not a common practise in Spain. It was the second time we requested for our food wrapped. The first time was two pieces of cake. Napkins were used to cover the cakes, and then placed on a paper plate and given to us. We had to request for a plastic bag. Only this time, the waiter used tin foil. Whatever it was, we were happy. At least, it was wrapped.

In almost every street-Christmas decorations (lights) and people

Waiting in line to buy sandwiches

Deli shops that sell cold cuts like Jamón (ham) and other kinds of meat are prevalent in Spain. I loved the sight of the cured meat hanging and in different colours. I found out from our hosts that the coloured wrap around the ham is the trademark of the producer. Chorizos (Spanish sausages) are sold at the deli too.

Plaza Santa Ana

There are many plazas (city square) in Madrid.

We were fortunate on that night as there was a ‘light show’ held in front of Congreso De Los Diputados (The Congress of Deputies) building. There were a huge crowd seated and staring at the building. There was something going on but what? Out of curiosity, I (hubby joined too. He had no other choice) decided to sit with them. Asking for information was impossible. Then a beam of light shone on the building. Slowly it lighted. The light show was lighting up the steps in lines with a projector. It took a while to find out where the lights came from. It came from a box opposite the building and mechanically controlled.

Woman selling roasted chestnuts, corn and sweet potato

We walked to Puerta del Sol after that. We had no plans. We just wanted to join in the lively and merry Christmas spirit. There were many people. Spanish people loved walking. (I told myself.) The shops were not full of people but the streets were. Puerta Del Sol is one of the best-known places in Madrid, Spain. It is also the busiest. As the clock ticked by and with the sun setting, the crowd grew larger. By sunset, it was near impossible to walk. As tourists, I have this fear of getting lost (separated from my husband). There was no Christmas market here but everyone there was just happy doing something or nothing (just standing).

mime artists

The glee (look)

Children loved the mime artists at the plaza. There were many queuing for their turn. I was able to capture these pictures. The camera was put away after that for safety reasons, as there were gypsies around. That was our worries for that moment. We stood around and after a while, decided to head for the train station. The croowd was getting too large. :o)

Hola....Madrid

2011-12-30T03:43:00.016+08:00

'Guided Tours' put us off after our last experience. This time around, we decided to try travelling on our own to see and taste the Spanish people's way of life. We do not think speaking 'no Spanish' would pose a problem to both of us. However, friends did not give much encouragement and some were worried. Good or bad, we were adamant to embark on our journey. A journey of adventure (as we call it). We will be staying with the locals as our hosts, no guide to show us around and we do not even speak or understand the language. A day before we embarked, a good friend sent me an email with a footage of how gypsies conned and robbed tourists of their wallets, money, etc. It was a good thing as that made the two of us aware and we prepared ourselves.

Our hosts were nowhere to be seen when we arrived and exited Barajas Airport in Madrid. Our cell phones could not dial Patricia's number so hubby went to seek help at the information counter. The woman at the counter allowed hubby to use her phone. Patricia arrived shortly (with Bruno waiting outside). We have wonderful hosts. They met us at the airport for only €15. Alcobendas, the place we stayed is away from the city.

Chirimoya

Since it was our first day, we decided to just roam the area around Alcobendas where we were staying. I saw this fruit (picture above) in a shop where we bought our fruits. At first glance, I thought it was a custard apple (aka Nona in Malaysia) with all the 'bumps' cut off. I bought one and took it back to show our hosts. Patricia told me that it is Chirimoya (or Cherimoya). This fruit taste just like our nona with similar looking seeds. It is quite popular in Spain and is a seasonal fruit. Chirimoya and Nona, they are relatives.

Beautiful road-sign

The next day after breakfast, we headed for the train station. It was roughly a 15 minutes walk. We commuted by train from where we stayed (in Alcobendas) to the city daily. Madrid is a beautiful city and Spanish people, they are very friendly. It was odd for me to hear 'Hola' from strangers (initially). With a camera in my hand, I started clicking whatever I found interesting. I/We never had the chance to walk at our own pace, in our own time savouring little details.

Both of us have a few foods we must try in Spain. Paella was one of them on the list. Bruno gave hubby the name of the restaurant to visit for the paella. Cosido and Oreja de Cerdo were added onto our list of foods to eat. Patricia told us Cosido is a traditional soup and the latter are pig's ears. Armed with a map, hubby told me this, "Follow me; I will take you to the restaurant". The restaurant was located near Plaza Mayor. Since Plaza Mayor was our first sight to see in Madrid, we decided we would have lunch in that area.

Restaurante Riazor

The place was packed. According to hubby if we see many locals (they looked like Spanish people) then the place must be good. We were seated by a waiter and then the interesting part. The waiter handed us a menu and both of us signed that we do not read Spanish. The waiter does not speak English. Of all things to forget, both (yes!) of us could not remember the word for beef in Spanish. We do not eat beef. I did some gestures like putting my hands with fingers pointing to indicate horns and said 'No'. The waiter said 'Si Si'. He understood that we do not want beef. That was a relief. We asked for Paella. He said something in Spanish and the word paella was in it. We settled for what he recommended and happily waited for our paella.

appetiser-a big plate of seafood

The first plate of food arrived. Wow, that is a lot of seafood. The waiter past by us and I just had to ask him about the amount. He said it was for 'dos' (two). I thought I told him I do not take seafood. Did my sign showed, I wanted them?! We have a problem, as I am not a seafood person. Hubby had to enjoy all the prawns and crayfish as I could only take the bamboo mussels. The plate of seafood was very fresh. It was lightly steamed and with the lemon juice and olive oil sprinkled, the taste was finger licking good. I enjoyed the mussels but hubby said he had too many prawns to stomach.

The paella was next. We thought it was paella at that moment. I was disappointed as it was full of prawns and calamari. I began to think that my hand gesture showing a fish swimming must have prompted the waiter to think that we wanted seafood paella. It was a huge bowl for one person. Since there were prawns in the dish, hubby had to eat it on his own. We double-checked with the waiter and it was one order. There was another order on the way. I think Spanish people are big eaters. I had to taste a spoonful of the Paella. I am in Spain I told hubby. A big disappointment when we got back to the apartment. We found out that the bowl of rice was not Paella. It was just arroz con bogavante (rice with prawns and seafood). Never mind, that is a typical Spanish dish too.

bacalao al horno con gulas (baked cod with baby eels).

The next plate of food had fish as the main ingredient. The fish was fresh and I think it was baked. At that moment, I do not even know the name of the dish. I particularly enjoyed the little strips, which I tasted, and thought them to be abalone mushroom. I even exclaimed that these mushrooms are so well sliced and cooked. I loved the bite. I wish I had not done it, asked the waiter are the strips abalone mushrooms. The word mushrooms (I think) made him shake his head. He said something that sounded like 'gula' to me. I raised my eyebrows and he drew me a picture on the paper he held. I thought it looked like eel. I said eel? 'Si Si', he smiled. This is Spanish cuisine. I have never had my fish dish served with baby eels before. The amount of gulas was a lot as a topping. The fish was tasty but a tad too salty. Hubby could not finish his rice. The portion served was just too much for one person.

The desserts were lovely and that included the coffee.

Sangria-a must try drink

The above picture showed a glass of Sangria. It is a punch with wine, chopped fruits and brandy so we were told. This drink is typical of Spain. We had our first glass of Sangria and thought that it was too fruity. There were no chopped fruits and I think fruit cordial was used. We found out from our hosts the next day that Restaurante Riazor is very popular with the Spanish people. It is highly listed. However, the restaurant was not the one recommended by our hosts. Ahem, I did not remind hubby that 'he will take me there!' I would say not bad we did some fine and good dining.

After lunch, we walked to Plaza Mayor, a tourist ‘must visit’ place. This is the central square (plaza) in Madrid. There was a Christmas fair held there. There are many restaurants and bars located around the plaza (square). However, the prices charged here is ‘tourist fare’ as our host told us.

Plaza Mayor after sunset

From Plaza Mayor, we walked to Mercado San Miguel. Incidentally, Mercado is market in English. The sight of the market awed me. The things found inside and the number of people was intriguing. You can find almost anything here. It is something like our wet markets in Malaysia but the Mercado is clean and neat. I was to find out after that this Mercado caters more for the tourists.

Fresh seafood

Pickles

Paella (what non Spaniards call it)

It was still early for dinner so we bought some snacks and ate it whilst walking to another tourist spot.

Santa María la Real de La Almudena (Almudena Cathedral) was our next stop. It was quite a distance to walk from the Mercado. I enjoyed the walk, as it was cold enough with no winds blowing.

Both hubby and I are not very into cathedral so a few pictures were what we took. We went in for a quick peak. The interior was beautiful.

Catedral Santa María la Real de La Almudena is adjacent to Palacio Real de Madrid. We took a walk over. I was disappointed as we were too late. Entry was denied, as we do not have enough time to tour the palace. Closing time was 6:00 pm. We had only about 45 minutes left and it was too short. This is the official residence of the King of Spain (Juan Carlos) and his family but they do not reside here. We took a few pictures and decided to walk to the back of the palace where the Jardines de Sabatini (Sabatini Gardens) is located.

Sabatini Gardens (inside)

View of Palacio Real de Madrid from Sabatini Gardens

To return to the city of Madrid, we had to walk back the way we came from. We had to pass the Palace and the Cathedral. We need to head for Puerta Del Sol for a Flamenco show.

Cathedral Almudena in the evening

Puerta Del Sol

There were throngs of people around Puerta Del Sol. I do not think I have seen so many people at a place. We were there to look for a place to watch the Flamenco. I do not remember how many times we walked by the square. The Spanish people hubby asked for help were friendly and helpful. The thing that went wrong was each one gave a different direction. There are bars and restaurants having a Flamenco performer there. These were not the places we wanted. We finally located the place. Teatro Reina Victoria situated in Carrera de San Jeronimo. This is a theatre and the dancers are all professional dancers.

inside Teatro Reina Victoria

show starting

Once the show started, an announcement came on that no photography allowed. The dancers were spectacular. I have never watched a flamenco dance live. The way they danced, moved, the tapping of the feet and the sound the castanuelas (castanets) clicking had me awed. The dancers were so energetic and by the end of each dance, sweat dripped from their faces. Their performances were spectacular and the audience could not stop clapping with yours truly included.

In the middle of a dance, we saw some flashes of light. Someone was taking pictures! Therefore, hubby followed albeit secretly without flash used.

The show lasted for two hours. By the time the show finished it was 11:00pm. We took the last train back to Alcobendas. The streets were deserted but we already knew that Alcobendas is a safe area. We decided to go to Open Cor a supermarket to get some desserts for supper. :o)...to be continued.

Hi and Bye...Host

2011-12-29T00:27:00.002+08:00

Bedroom with view of the bathroom

Washer and Dryer

Kitchen & Dining area

We had almost five-star rated amenities in Barcelona. It would have been five stars had the heater not make me feel like I was still in the airplane. It makes the sound of an airplane taking off each time we had it switched on. It lasted quite a while. The other complaint both of us had were the flight of steps we had to climb. The apartment we were booked into in Barcelona was located on the third floor.

The third Floor is unlike our apartments in Malaysia. This one is located high up with very steep steps leading to the third Floor. We had information that the apartment is located on the third level. We thought it would be all right. Oh, the shock we had when we saw the steepness of the steps leading up. I was okay as I only had a light bag to carry (one was 'lost' as soon as we stepped out into the sunlight of Barcelona). My poor husband was the one panting and sweating lugging the two luggage bags up the steep flight of steps.

Our host met us outside the train station with his assistant. Together with his assistant, he walked us to the apartment. His assistant briefed hubby on the rules. He then answered some questions hubby asked; left a contact number and that was all. We never saw him (or assistant) again. It was a 'Hi and Bye' dealing. One consolation was this was the cheapest rooms and among the three with Madrid being the most expensive. :o)

Awfully wonderful hosts...

2011-12-27T18:17:00.045+08:00

‘There has got to be a mistake’. That was the thought that ran through my head as we walked down the street. I saw graffiti on a wall just as we turned into the street. Graffiti to me is a sign of unruliness. (We had arrived in Valencia.) Where is the garden? Then my husband said, “Ah, I think we are here. That must be Paula”. “Hola”, was the first word said by the woman standing at the door. She must have waited for us (I thought). Pleasantries exchanged and introductions made; we went inside. Paula is a soft-spoken woman. Paco (also introduced) insisted on helping me with my bag. We were shown our room. Oh my, I loved the place. The street view was deceiving! I liked the balcony, the little lounge (outside our room), the bathroom (a big one) and our bedroom which was spacious! So, this is the House with garden in the city/WIFI (Paula R's tagline)

Heater

I love the place. I could not help telling my husband. It was an old Spanish house and being able to be inside and stay in it (even for only a few days) was amazing. Paula asked if we wanted to try Paella after we had settled in. I was elated as Paella was a 'must eat' in Valencia. We decided (with Paula) that we would have it for lunch the next day as dinner was too soon.

The 'Maestro' at work

The next day I saw Paco in the kitchen cooking Paella. I took some pictures only of his back as he told me that his face is ‘copyright’. (Laughter) Then Paco informed us that the Paella would only be ready in about two hours or so. I wanted to stay and watch him cook but his face looked a bit stern so I decided not to. Both hubby and I then went out for a little sightseeing. Who would have known that he would be so friendly and cheerful later on? Are looks not deceiving sometimes?

Garrofo (bean) and Bajoqueta (vegetable) both used in Paella Valencia

Paella Valencia cooking

When we returned, Paula told us that we would be having some light snacks. It is common practise for Spanish people to have something light before the actual meal. In our case it was lunch. It amazes me how the ‘light sense’ was to be. Our hosts had prepared prawns, some hard bread and spread (Allioli), pastries, sweets and others. Husband had explained to both of them our purpose of airbnb. I could not imagine the lengths both of them went to make our stay worthwhile and enjoyable.

We had all our meals here..breakfast, etc.

Getting ready...first the wine glasses

Paula introducing all i oli to both of us.

Paella Valencia-ready for consumption.

Everyone was supposed to eat straight from the paella with a wooden spoon. That was what Paco told us and I thought….how family orientated. We ate straight from the paella with a metal spoon. Paco had no wooden spoon. All four of us spent the whole afternoon not just eating the paella Valencia but also getting to know each other's culture.

Coffee and some sweet wine after lunch

Honey Murcott

Even champagne (champán) was added!

We spent 3 wonderful days and nights with them. Check out my blog for further read...
** Day Two :o)

Our hosts...Patricia and Bruno

2011-12-14T07:16:00.004+08:00

How do I begin to write a review about my (our) hosts? Being first timers staying with hosts, we had our doubts, fears, scepticisms…etc. Friends did not give much encouragement and that made matters worse. Against all worries, my hubby decided to go ahead. Through the many emails hubby had with Patricia (and Bruno) we became less apprehensive over the choice made. We finally arrived in Madrid airport and Patricia was there to meet us. Bruno (her husband) was looking for a place to park the car.

The first impression of her (their) apartment was good. The apartment is neat, room, bathroom were clean and with a heater. We were free to use the kitchen and lounge. We had a wide spread for breakfast. Biscuits, bread, cereal with butter and believe it…homemade jam! There were even cartons of milk and fruit juice left in the fridge for both of us.

Patricia gave us a folder with rules, a map of Madrid and briefed us on the bus routes, train stations and all else. Both of them were very helpful for the entire duration of our stay.

(Bruno making the Spanish omelette)

One night when we returned to the apartment early, both Bruno and Patricia invited us to join them for dinner. Bruno even showed me how to make the Spanish omelette (a traditional Spanish fare).

(All ready....The Spanish omelette)

(Dinner the Spanish way)

We did not just learn about Spanish omelette. We learnt a lot more than we already know about Spain and Spaniards. Had they not given us the information on Toledo, we would have missed this beautiful town.

On the last night, before we were to depart for Valencia Bruno even bought a good bottle of wine for hubby to top up to the two bottles we bought up earlier. Drinking and eating session lasted until 3 am. Well, did we enjoy our stay with Patricia and Bruno? Need I say more? Yes and it was wonderful.

[Patricia and Bruno, if you are reading this, I think you would like this piece of news. We almost missed the train. When we reached Atocha, we had only 8 minutes to catch the AVE train! Oh the hell we ran…ran and phew…just made it to the train. I think a minute later we would be back to your apartment to enjoy more wine and your wonderful hospitality! LOL.] :o)

Thought you might like to know...Jin Ji Du Li

2011-10-29T23:14:00.007+08:00

SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE EXERCISE

The essence of the exercise is that your "Eyes Must be Closed" when you are doing this exercise. You must practise the "Jin Ji Du Li" exercise with the eyes closed.

Here is the exercise:

Stand on one leg while your eyes are closed. That is all. Just try it right now, stop reading and stand up, close your eyes and try standing on one foot.

If you are not able to stand for less than 10 seconds, it means that your body has degenerated to 60 to 70 years old level in other words, you may be only 40 years old, but your body has aged a lot faster.

I tried this exercise myself when I read the mail. I thought “oh, big deal, I’m sure I can do this easily” I was fooling myself, I’m glad I tried it because I discovered much to my surprise that while I could stand easily on one foot with my eyes open, trying the same thing with my eyes closed was another story! I just could not keep my balance for more than two to three seconds before I started wobbling and hopping around.

You do not need to lift your leg high, if your internal organs are out of synch, even lifting your leg this bit will make you wobble.

Now this was quite scary because it told me that my body was almost 60 years old and here was me, barely into my forties! These Chinese are really very advanced in their knowledge of the human body. It was very heartening to know that frequent and regular practice can help you recover your sense of balance. In fact Chinese specialists suggest daily practice of Jin Ji Du Li for 1 minute, this helps prevent dementia.

You can try slightly closing both eyes while practicing Jin Ji Du Li, instead of completely closing them; in fact this is what the health specialist Zhong Li Ba Ren recommends.

Daily practice of Jin Ji Du Li, can help in healing many illnesses or diseases like

Hypertension,
High Blood Sugar or diabetes,
Neck and Spinal diseases,
it can also prevent you from getting dementia.

Zhong Li Ba Ren has written a book titled "Self Help is Better than Seeking Doctors' Help", which is a bestselling book that has been the best seller health book in China since it was first published last year. Its success can be measured by the fact that it has been reprinted 12 times within 6 months, with more than 1 million copies sold. The book is a hot seller because is it teaches many simple practical health tips.

It is said that according to the understanding of Chinese physicians, diseases appear in the body because the coordination between the various internal organs encounter problems and that causes the body to lose its balance. Jin Ji Du Li can readjust this inter-relationship of the organs and how they function with each other. Zhong Li Ba Ren stated that many people can't stand on one foot with their eyes closed for even 5 seconds, but later on as they practice it daily, are able to stand for more than 2 minutes.

As you gain ability to stand for longer time, the feeling of "head heavy, light feet” disappears. As benefits or practising Jin Ji Du Li, you will experience that the quality of sleep improves, the mind clears up and memory improves significantly. Most importantly if you can practice Jin Ji Du Li with your eyes closed for 1 minute every day, you will not get dementia. (I think it this also means the brain will remain healthy).

Zhong Li Ba Ren explained that there are 6 important meridians passing through our legs. When you stand on a single leg, the weak meridian will feel sore while getting the necessary exercise, and as this happens, the corresponding organs of these meridians and their path-ways, start getting the necessary tuning. This method can focus or concentrate the awareness, and channel the body's qi to the foot. The beneficial effects of practising Jin Ji Du Li on various illnesses associated with hypertension, diabetes, neck and spinal diseases are quick to be seen and felt. Jin Ji Du Li can also prevent gout.

Jin Ji Du Li helps to strengthen body Immunity rapidly

Jin Ji Du Li it is suitable for everyone generally. It is the basic cure for "Cold Feet Disease” and it can also strengthen the body’s immunity. You do not have to wait until you have any illness to start practising Jin Ji Du Li. It is especially beneficial for young people, when they practice it daily while they are healthy, so that their chances of contracting the various illness associated with aging is comparative lower.

Please note that it is not suitable for people over 70 years old, or those old people whose legs are not strong and cannot stand steadily.

:o)**Article copied from email forwarded.

Induction cooker...do you know?

2011-09-11T22:56:00.009+08:00

"BB, I got you an induction cooker", I said excitedly to him over the phone. He asked what it was. I blabbered many things but nothing very significant to the new type of cooker. I thought I would let BB check out the cooker when he got home. It remained in the box until he came home. Actually, it was 'forgotten' after I made the phone call.

A few days after BB got home, I thought I would show him the cooker. I was going to cook using the induction cooker. The induction cooker came with a large cooking pot. I filled the pot with water and followed the instructions stated in the manual. Good, the water boiled. The confusion began only when I wanted to use the new grill pan I bought.

Was I in for a surprise? The pan did not heat up. The buzzer on the cooker did not buzz. In fact, it did not work at all. I thought maybe the grill pan was made of some kind of steel that were too thick. Maybe, the coating was of bad material. Next, I took out my frying pan. Again it did not work. The buzzer did not buzz. To be honest, I did not know what induction cooking was all about. All I knew was it uses electricity. It is clean and it is safer with this cooker. There is a time control button. The safety of it was all that I bothered to ask the shop owner. "BB, the cooker is faulty", I hollered when he walked into the kitchen. I showed BB what was happening. How when I placed the pans and pots from the kitchen, the buzzer 'went on strike'. Geez, even the smart aleck of the house did not know what was happening. However he did mentioned something about the bottom of the pot being magnetic. I decided to find out more about induction cooking. An induction cooker is faster and more energy-efficient than a traditional electric hob. It allows instant control of cooking energy similar to gas burners. Induction cooker only works with cooking vessels made of magnetic materials. With induction cooking, energy is supplied directly to the cooking vessel by the magnetic field. Thus, almost all of the source energy is transferred to that vessel. Therefore it is faster and more energy efficient than a traditional electric hob. It allows instant control of cooking energy similar to gas burners. When compared to gas or other forms of electrically powered cooking, induction make for a much cooler kitchen. Because induction heats the cooking vessel itself, the possibility of burn injury is significantly less than with other methods. Heat is found only directly under the cooking vessel. No one will be so silly as to place his or her palm underneath the pot!

BB told me that I should keep the cooker with me at home.

He thought it would be too cumbersome and absurd cooking (for himself) with such a big cooking pot. He uses a small one for his noodles (mee) and eggs. There were no pots or pans meant for induction cooking in the house. BB did not like the big cooking pot. I could not find any smaller ones for use with the cooker. Next time, I will make sure I check out in detail (whatever new things I find) before I get overly excited for nothing. It was to be a surprise for BB but turned out otherwise. I was not prepared to make an investment on new pots or pans. Otherwise, this would be an excellent choice of cooker. For now, it will go back into the box. o)

Shopping at Tesco...

2011-08-28T01:50:00.014+08:00

I shop quite often at Tesco. I am sure many do but how many of you have had these experiences. The discounts/sales offered at Tesco. The discount incident happened to me at the beginning of the month.

There were '15% off' cards stuck on the chilled food racks. Happily, I took extra pieces of cheese, extra few cartons of milk, cartons of cream and others. The rack (as shown in the picture above) was where I took my pieces of cheese. I paid for the groceries. I checked my bill and it showed the cheese charged at the usual price (without the 15% off). I asked the cashier. She did not know anything about the 15% discount. I had to go and check with the customer-service. Oh, the 15% off was only applicable for all items marked with the red-yellow price tag stuck on the tray. I mentioned that there was no such information on the display card. I was not the only person who had complained. Apparently, there were others who got 'bought into the 15% off' sales. I could not get any money back. The reason was the cheese I bought; was on the side with the normal coloured price tag. Honestly, placed in such a way; many would not have noticed the difference in the tags!

The above picture showed a sign that said--Prices shown are after discount. Frozen goods and Tesco Value range plus promotional items are not included. Notice that the sign did not state that the 15% off are only for items marked with red-yellow price tags!

This '15% off' was not the first bad experience I had with Tesco. As such, I felt compelled to put it here. The last time (a few months back), it was a sale on Nestlé creamer. The sale item was creamer packets with ‘6 cups plus 60 cups’ printed on the packet. I was unaware there were packets without the ‘6 cups plus 60 cups’ placed together. I accidentally took two packets without the ‘extras’. I paid for my groceries and left the premises. My groceries were not unpacked immediately as they were all dried stuff. A few days later, I unpacked and noticed the blunder. I went back to Tesco. After some explanations, I was asked to go and look for the offer ones inside the store. I could not find any more of those with the '6 cups plus 60 cups' packets. She requested that I go back the next day when they had their stock replenished. I told the supervisor that for me to drive all the way to Tesco would have cost me more. The reply was, 'we cannot refund you the money'. I pointed out to the supervisor that the bar codes are different for the two packets of creamer. Why did the cashier not spot the mistake and inform the customer? She kept quiet. Come on Tesco give me better service! :o(

Speeding...you are still being watched.

2011-07-21T03:35:00.005+08:00

Please note these types of speed-trap camera are installed by JPJ along North South Highway and some other highways in the Klang Valley. So watch your speed when you next drive along North-South Highway and many of the highways in the Klang Valley. These newly installed speed trap cameras were the reason behind police's announcement that they would stop their operation of having their traffic police hiding in trenches behind the bushes or along the overhead bridge or overhead highway. Now the police officer just issue the offender with 'saman' backed up by the picture.

**Gosh..Omigosh, I have been driving way past the speed limit up and down the highway!! After the announcement that is. How darn ignorant can anyone be! Hopefully, 'kena no saman!' (no speeding tickets) :o(

Your urine stinks...It is Good!

2011-07-16T21:17:00.008+08:00

Source from Wikipidia -Parkia speciosa (petai, bitter bean, Thai: sataw (สะตอ), twisted cluster bean, yongchaa, yongchaak or kampai, zawngtah or stink bean) is a plant of the genus Parkia in the family Fabaceae. It bears long, flat edible beans with bright green seeds the size and shape of plump almonds which have a rather peculiar smell, characterised by some as being similar to methane gas.
ADVICE FROM UKM MEDICAL DOCTOR Petai contains three natural sugars -sucrose, fructose and glucose. Combined with fiber, petai gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proved that just two servings of petai provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout.. No wonder petai is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way petai can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.
Depression
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND among people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating petai. This is because petai contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.
PMS (premenstrual syndrome)
Forget the pills - eat petai. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
Anaemia
High in iron, petai can stimulate the production of haemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anaemia.
Blood Pressure
This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the petai industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
Brain Power
200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating petai at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
Understand that bananas contain lot of potassium too so eat more banana... Just look at those monkeys, they are really active, alert, smart and cunning too!
Constipation High in fiber, including petai in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
Hangovers
One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a petai milkshake, sweetened with honey. The petai calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
Heartburn
Petai has a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating petai for soothing relief.
Morning Sickness
Snacking on petai between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.
Mosquito bites
Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of the petai skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
Nerves
Petai is high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
Overweight
Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.
Ulcers
Petai is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
Temperature control
Many other cultures see petai as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Holland , for example, pregnant women eat petai to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
Seasonal Affecti ve Disorder (SAD)
Petai can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer, tryptophan.
Smoking
Petai can also help people trying to give up smoking.. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
Stress
Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium petai snack.
Strokes
According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine" eating petai as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%".
Warts
Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of petai and place it on the wart.. Carefully hold the petai in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, as you can see, petai really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals... It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A Petai a day keeps the doctor away".

The Dried Meat you EAT!

2011-07-06T13:59:00.005+08:00

I received these pictures through email this morning. Oh my goodness, then tears welled up. I hope these pictures are superimposed ones. In simple words, I pray they are not true. Apologies if these pictures are too graphic. I wanted to puke when I think back. I have visited China many times and I have eaten almost anything served on the table without any questions. It had never crossed my mind (then) to ask except this question. Is it beef? Now I am asking myself "What meat have I consumed?" Look at how the man (in the picture) killed the puppy. It is so brutal. Ewee...yuks...urghhh!

A friend told me that dog meat is known as 'fragrant meat' in mainland China. I do not think I will touch meat (any kind) when I next visit China.

:o(

Hypocrisy...like but loathe?

2011-06-19T18:17:00.017+08:00

I stood next to you. I looked but I did not want to see. Was it you...or was it me? I tried to avoid but I failed each time. I fell back into the trap. Pretending to believe that everything and all that is so untrue to be true. Hypocrisy how we dwell in it to survive and to be...Above everyone else.

Every man alone is sincere. At the entrance of a second person, hypocrisy begins. We parry and fend the approach of our fellow-man by compliments, by gossip, by amusements, by affairs. We cover up our thought from him under a hundred folds. ~Ralph Waldo

Many of us believe that wrongs aren't wrong if it's done by nice people like ourselves. ~Author Unknown

The most melancholy thing about human nature, is, that a man may guide others into the path of salvation, without walking in it himself; that he may be a pilot, and yet a castaway. ~Augustus William Hare and Julius Charles Hare

A bready good day...

2011-06-12T03:26:00.016+08:00

I recently paid Rm8.99 for a round loaf of rye bread. I thought it was rather pricey for 400gm of bread. The loaf was light and there was not much rye in it. I think less than one quarter of the bread was made from rye flour. Oh, I felt so cheated. I decided I would make my own. I made my rye bread yesterday and it was 'a piece of cake.' Ahem...I cheated. I used a bread-making machine. Ta da...ready and proofing. I did not sweat a bit. The machine did all the kneading needed. Hmm...The loaves looked a bit burnt. A note of caution, never trust the recipe. The time given in the recipe I used was wrong. With still 15 minutes left, the bread had started to smell burnt. I had to take it out from the oven. Luckily, it was cooked. The bread did not look as 'beautiful' as the one I bought. It is still a loaf of bread. It was aromatic with the caraway seeds. We can control the amount of gluten used in homemade bread. It is better bread with no preservative used. I will stop here as I am drooling thinking of the bread inside the container.:o)**rm3.50 for 500gms rye flour. rm3.40 for 1000gms rye flour.