La Almunia farewell, Real Madrid and Helsinki

22/7 - It was tough to say good-bye in La Almunia, especially for the men of the family. Alex looked sad the whole morning, and when we parted ways at the pool, his face crumpled into something that makes tears. However, I was surprised to see a smile on Nuria's face, and she wanted a kiss on both cheeks. For Felix, he had trouble getting out "you have a friend in Spain" due to emotion.

I am so lucky to have been able to live in Spain for a month. Despite some lows but some definite highs, the trip was a success. Check off another box during this crazy summer. 

The train from Zaragoza to Madrid is really beautiful, especially near Calatayud where the villages blend into the reddish orange rocky cliffs and hillsides. At one point there was a village perched over the train tracks. Traveling by train is my favorite way to travel. 

I was in Madrid for exactly one day. For a city as big as that, I was only able to see a small number of things. But though my visit was short, there is now an excellent story attached to it as I Couchsurfed with Dave, a gay nudist whose apartment is decked with books, movies, CDs, paintings on the walls and several hammocks hanging from the ceiling. Though the place had lots of personality, I would categorize this stay as my first negative CS experience, though we didn't have a problem with each other. I have no issue with him being gay or a nudist. Dave  is simply socially awkward. He wants people to respect his apartment, his rules and the spirit of CS, and most importantly to not treat his place like a hostel. It doesn't seem like he gets a lot of respect in his daily life, so he demands it in his own house.

The problem is that he books multiple people on one night to stay - in my case there were four others. He treats his own house like a hostel. And when someone turns up later than the agreed upon time, he gets very moody and refuses them entry. Dave uses CS as a way to meet people, but I think he should change his approach so as to reduce his stress levels. 

Anyway, Madrid is a cool city, and it's even better because of the fact I can speak Spanish. I absolutely love communicating in a different language, being understood and understanding what someone else says to you. My confidence rises. And in Madrid, I noticed my language skills have improved; I can understand more when someone speaks quickly and I know more words. However, there are still times when I have no idea what's being said. 

I was in Madrid for a day, and I saw 3 things: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu (home of Real Madrid, the biggest football club in the world), the Queen Sofia art museum (where I saw original art from Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali) and Parque De Retiro, where I took my shirt off and lounged in the grass while listening to a violinist before heading to the airport. Perfect day in Madrid.

About Real Madrid, the club has been known to spend enormous amounts of money to buy players from other clubs. RMFC holds the world record for most expensive transfer, as it spent more than $120 million to bring Gareth Bale to Madrid from England. Oh, and another player by the name of Cristiano Ronaldo calls this club home, and he's considered one of the two best players in the world. After taking the stadium tour, Real Madrid prides itself on being the best club of the 20th century, and that fact is plastered everywhere. I was also surprised they let people touch the grass. Other clubs have a fit when people do that.

23/7 - I find myself about 10 kilometers from Helsinki, Finland. Anna picked me up from the airport. Like in Spain, I had to buy some clothes to help me adapt to the weather; this time it was a hoody because it's so much cooler here, about 17C. The languages here are Finnish, Swedish and English, and twilight still exists around midnight because Finland is much more north than the UK. That really messes with your body clock and is quite a strange feeling. 

We are staying at Anna's parents' house, and they're very nice. Her father owns a gun store which is run out of the house, and he's a conservative person. To buy a gun in Finland, you have to prove you are part of a club or need it for a purpose, and pass mental stability tests. It would be great to see if we can shoot some guns before I leave; I just have to be careful not to upset her father! 

Anna and I spent the day in Helsinki, bar hopping and at one point riding a wooden roller coaster whose cars could only brake with the help of a human employee standing on the back of the train, manually engaging the brakes. It was fantastic to spend the day with Anna and learn about Finland and Finnish people. It feels like a very random place to visit, though. However, the tap water tastes like water and the weather makes me so content now that I'm not sitting and sleeping in my own sweat. 

Helsinki is very clean. In convenience stores you can bring plastic bottles to recycle, and in return you get store credit. I do miss Spanish though. This is another place where I start thinking in Spanish because of the language, but it is no help to me. 

24/7 - Today is about working on my dissertation, and fighting with my computer. It's very easy to work on this assignment while traveling...if my computer turns on. 

I saw today Dave, the guy I Couchsurfed with in Madrid, no longer has a CS account, and I completely understand why. His home was a zoo!