Blog

These three buddies are good blokes, and they're all staying here at Cat's to celebrate the New Year, madrileño-style. Dan and Matt are both Aussie boys, who are of Italian heritage, and who have been living and working in Italy for the past few months. They also both have Spanish girlfriends, who they've come over here to visit. Kenny's a friend of Dan and Matt, who hasn't got a Spanish girlfriend, and who isn't an Italian Aussie — actually, he's a Brit of Spanish heritage. Complicated little groups they've got themselves into around here, don't you think? Anyway, we all had a blast this evening for el Año Nuevo ("the New Year").

For my second-ever taste of tapas (after yesterday's patatas bravas), today I tried a little dish called boquerones en vinagre (lit: "anchovies in vinegar"). Very tasty: a plateful of the teeny fish are soaked in vinegar juice, and served to you fresh and cold. Spain is well-known for its good seafood, and I was quite impressed by this little introduction to the world thereof. More fish awaits!

The Zaragoza wogs are a funny group of three, all of whom are here in Madrid, and staying in my room at Cat's: a German guy; his Ukrainian girlfriend; and the girlfriend's friend, another girl from Latvia. The two girls have been living in Zaragoza for several months, where they're studying on exchange; the boyfriend is just here on vacation for the New Year. The three of them have a complicated language arrangement: the couple prefer to talk to each other in German; the two girls converse privately in Russian (or in their half-decent Spanish); and all three can understand each other in English. This evening, I went out with the wogs for a late kebab dinner, where they serve excellent baklava.

Patatas bravas is a simple dish of boiled potatoes, chopped into pieces and covered in a hot chili sauce called salsa brava. This evening, patatas bravas became the first tapas dish that I've ever tried in my life — it may be one of the more common and ordinary of tapas, but boy do them potatoes taste good! I tried the dish at a place in central Madrid called Las Bravas, which is a crazy tapas bar that's crowded to the hilt, and where the only way to order is to push your way to the front, and to scream the name of your dish out over the cacophony. Highly recommended as an introduction to Spain.

Today is the first day of my life that I've ever been in Spain. But it sure doesn't feel that way. After 7 months in Latin America this year, the streets of Madrid seem refreshingly, wonderfully familiar to me. It's very similar to what I felt when I first reached England: England is in many ways so similar to Australia — my home — that it was hard to believe I'd never been there before. Likewise, Spain is in many ways so similar to South America — my second home — that arriving here was more of a nostalgic than a culture-shock sensation. Dios mio — ¡es muy bueno estar aquí!

Cat's is by far the most architecturally beautiful hostel I've ever stayed in: the enclosed central courtyard of the building is not only a chilled meeting and relaxation point; it's also a gorgeous work of painted Spanish arches and columns, exquisite marble flooring, and an ornate stained-glass ceiling. As well as the building, the hostel itself is also a great place: it has a lively bar with cheap drinks (including sangria); a great mix of fellow guests; and many conveniences nearby. My only complaint is with some of the staff. Other than that, this is quite likely the best hostel to be found in Madrid.

Collin is a Scotsman who's been living in Spain for the past 3 years, where he works as a high-school English teacher. I met Collin on my flight to Madrid this morning, while sitting in the departure lounge during the delay. Collin says that he flies with Ryanair all the time, but he admits: "I hate them, they're absolute bastards... I just can't stop booking flights with them, 'cause they're so damn cheap!" Good to have some company, amidst the never-ending delays and the chaotic scene that was this morning's flight.

This morning was my first-ever experience with Ryanair, Europe's favourite and most dodgy discount airline. I thought the easyJet flight was basic; but it was nothing compared to this. Flying with Ryanair is a joke, end of story. They're cheap, they're no-frills, and they get you there. It's best not to think about the rest.

I didn't have long to spend in Frankfurt — just tonight — and I made it a quiet one. I did a little bit of shopping in the area around Frankfurt Hbf (central station): it's a seedy and unattractive red-light area; but it's also packed with numerous indistinguishable cheap variety stores, where I was able to finish off some of the things that I still hadn't replaced since losing them (e.g. new headlamp, new combination padlocks). The free pasta dinner at Stay and Learn was good: and I met an interesting Brazilian guy over dinner, as well as a big group of Italian students (mainly girls), with whom I had a nice shmooze. Other than that, it was just a bit of online time — I met a random Peruvian girl at the cafe down the road — and then off to bed, in preparation for tomorrow's early start.

Hostels really don't get much more conveniently located than Stay and Learn: it's across the road from the train station! It seems that the owners of this hostel are prepared to admit the truth: Frankfurt's a big boring city, and most people only come here in order to make some kind of transport connection (generally a flight). I guess that, due to its name, many people also stay in Frankfurt in order to learn some German — because there's nothing else to do here :P. Considering that it's in big commercial Frankfurt, I found Stay and Learn to be surprisingly fun and colourful, for the one night that I was here. The common room upstairs is very friendly, and the free all-you-can-eat dinner (on some nights) is not to be missed.