Diversion into Canadian life

Yes I know, this blog is about my adventures in Spain, but as a side no

te, I can't resist putting up photos of wonderful Canada!!

After lots of beachtime, festivals, food and drink in the Spanish style summer, we headed back to Vancouver for a 3 week visit with friends, family and the loveliness of Canadian outdoors.

We left Spain the beginning of September and after hitting Portugal and the US (with lots of hassle of course....), we made it into Seattle where my parents picked us up. At various points along the way, we thought we would miss the connection, since we had to rush around trying to figure out where to get boarding passes, and now when you arrive in the US, you have to transfer your own baggage to another belt that's about 75m away from the place you picked up your bags. Go figure. =P

The first few days were all about adjusting, relaxing and spending time with my family. We went to lots of different places to show Ruben the fantastic variety of eats there are in Vancouver, and he was blown away!! He was adventurous and by the end of it all, he had tried a large amount of strange and yummy things (including feet of various sorts--brave boy!). :)

A sampling of eats through the trip (you all knew I was going to put food photos on here, come on now!!):

Chinese~

Barbecued meats and jellyfish!!

Noodles and dumplings Shanghai style

Dim sum--baskets of yumminess

Hotpot, AKA Chinese fondue involves a variety of ingredients

Japanese~

Sushi isn't just about maki rolls!

The tiger eye is watching you....

Japanese tapas, AKA izakaya, is more popular than sushi these days!

Canadian??

This year's abundance of Sockeye salmon was met with applause from all!

Countries hit on this culinary whirlwind tour include: Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Switzerland and that's just skimming the surface of Vancouver's endless offerings! We just didn't have time to get to Malaysia, Greece, France, Italy, Ukraine, Singapore, India, Afghanistan, Korea, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Lebanon.............................. ;)

Besides eating, we of course did the usual sightseeing things (it had been a while since I had been to various places):

Grouse Mountain~

"The Peak of Vancouver"

We went up the hard way though--via the infamous "Grouse Grind"--a steep, 2km hike that takes you from the bottom to the top of the mountain, an elevation gain of about 870km. It looks like a walk in the park, but trust me, it's tougher than it looks!!

Average completion time 1.5 hours, and we made it in under that, despite various breaks! It is a cause for celebration for sure!!

Of course we had to pay a visit to the resident Grizzlies up top--they weren't super amused to see us all, and just went about their own business...

All he wanted to do was have a look in the mirror and a wash, but he was followed along every step....

The views from the top are amazing and worth the sweat and suffering... ;)

There are fun lumberjack shows on top as well.....

Downtown Vancouver~

One day, we took the Skytrain out into Vancouver (our metro is elevated, hence the "sky" part) and of course, we had to "drive" ourselves there, since there is no driver on board!! (Everything is automated from the control centre and the trains aren't wheeled on regular tracks, but light rail--in fact, it's the longest automated light rail system in the world, according to the authorities.)

Checked out the public art through town

Historic Hotel Vancouver reflected in the glass, near the Olympic clock in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery--site of protests and demonstrations of all sorts

The central library of Vancouver, built in the style of the Roman Coliseum

A walk along the water to check out the new convention centre (green roof and all) and just relax while enjoying a stroll along the seawall

Watching the seaplanes take off and land

The Inukshuk at English Bay--a symbol of guidance of the Inuit people of Nunavut, in the north of Canada

English Bay beach is a bit bare today, despite the sunshine

A popular stop in Stanley Park, the third largest urban park in North America, and the "jewel of the city" :)

Totem poles are distinctive for each First Nations group--which animals, how they are grouped and the colours used (except here) tell a different story

It'd be cool to live in a little colourful house on the pier....maybe for a short while only

The Lions Gate bridge links downtown Vancouver and the North Shore, with the lovely local mountains in the backdrop

Kitsilano beach~

We also went for a nice stroll in Kitsilano (where health food and yoga rule) and relaxed beside the beach

Granville Island~

Granville Bridge, one of the three that connect downtown Vancouver to the rest of the city. Underneath is Granville Island, home to workshops and galleries of artisans of all sorts

People live in some cool little places along Granville Island--complete with private dock for their luxury watercraft...ooh la la....

Chinatown~

One of the entrances to Chinatown

World's most-narrow building with its glass sidewalk

Steveston~

Fisherman's wharf at Steveston, an area in southwest Richmond

People were snatching up the cheap and delicious sockeye salmon

Fresh, big and great however you want to cook it!

Ice-hockey time~

Traffic in front of the hockey arena (see my explanation of the Skytrain above)

Partied with the super fans at an NHL game--nothing like the atmosphere of it all to get your adrenaline flowing!

It was a pre-season game that night between the Calgary Flames and our Vancouver Canucks (Canuck=Canadian). Not many big names were out playing, since they were resting up and giving a chance to the young guys to show what they got.

Unfortunately, they didn't have much to show and we lost to the Flames..... (we're in blue)

During TV time-outs, a group of superskaters (sponsored by Mike's Hard Lemonade....not sure why...) came out to clean the ice quickly and efficiently.

Of course, with a truly-in-the-know-local leading the way, we also did some not-so-typical sightseeing things:

Buddhist temple~

Visiting the Buddhist temple in Richmond

Offering some incense to the gods

Quite a lot of visitors, despite the renovations in the main building

Additional zone of tranquility in the already peaceful temple

Harvest time~

Mmmm....sweet and cheap corn!!

Impressive array of colours

It's meditative and rewarding to pick your own blueberries! We managed to get only a small amount since it was the end of the season, and so the nice man gave it to us for free. No point charging us a few cents for them--they were small but super sweet!

The Tri-Cities~

Rocky Point is a popular area to visit in Port Moody, but for the locals mostly. We stood admiring the calmness and soaking in the silence of the early morning, as some sailboats were coming in...

Asian customs~

Asian supermarkets, malls, restaurants, shops etc are everywhere in Richmond. Here we stood amazed at the speed that this guy was "dancing"....Watch this video so you can see the sweat and intensity for yourselves....

Besides eating and sightseeing, we also made discoveries, learned a few things.....

International relations

Salmon isn't just salmon--you have to specify which species you are referring to! And we all know Pacific ones are better than Atlantic... ;)

Shall I say that this was a discovery or something we learned? We didn't discover or learn anything besides that this exists downtown

...and caught up with some friends along the way....

Semi-complete group reunion, after a few years now! Guess how many countries are represented here??

Grandma is really happy with her fish dinner! :)

Well, when the resources are limited, you gotta improvise...

We missed the first party, but the boys are still eager to celebrate with good eats and balloons!

Some friends are of the non-homo sapiens variety....

It's hard to eat seafood without getting your fingers into it....

This little guy was working furiously--shoving cones into his mouth, racing into the forest (probably hiding his stash somewhere) and then scrambling back out to repeat this several times. It was like he was in a race or something...and the fact that he climbed out onto the limb of one tree, swaying madly in the wind, to break off branches (which came hurtling down towards us) first, made us appreciate his diligence even more. He knew exactly what to do to release the cones for gathering in the next step of harvest. Smart!!

Aha, another Spanish connection!

We took one week to hit the Canadian Rockies, which span across the border of British Columbia and the next province to the east, Alberta. Here we explored thoroughly two of the National Parks, Banff and Jasper, and all that they had to offer (it was a lot!).

First though, we went through the Okanagan, an area in BC known for its fruit and wines:

The famous Okanagan Lake is huge, and stretches 135km from Vernon down to Penticton, with many more important cities along the way, such as Kelowna, Westbank, Summerland, and Peachland, which is where we were in this photo.

The calm waters and mountains in the backdrop make for a peaceful setting

We rented a condo to stay in Penticton, and it was beautiful and a great deal! The place had big beds, well-equipped kitchen, great bathrooms, a bbq and lots of CDs, books etc. Highly recommended if anyone is interested in a getaway out that way.

Of course we had to go see the estate of Mission Hill, but we didn't go on a tour there. Just a look around at the land was enough....

...because we went further along and enjoyed the views and ambience at the smaller, cuter, and cozier (personal opinion here) Quail's Gate Winery. They've expanded since I was last there a few years back, but the views are still spectacular and peaceful!

After an informative tour (I learned lots about the winemaking process since I knew very little before!), our guide led us through a tasting of various wines, including tips and tricks to really pick up the smells and flavours.

Reflection of the tour group in my glass

One night, we bought lots of fruits and vegetables and cooked up a feast. We ended the night with a lovely, juicy blueberry pie--much to everyone's delight! :)

From there, we drove eastward and after quite a few hours, crossed over into the next province of Canada, Alberta, where we started off in Banff National Park. We explored it thoroughly and then split off from Tanja and Janine, who rented a car to spend more time in the wilderness and take in a canoe trip up in northern BC, in Prince George. Ruben and I continued northbound to Lake Louise, then Jasper National Park and breathed in the cool mountain air (quite cold at times, actually!), smelled the trees (and animals), gasped at the views and relaxed in some of the most breathtaking places Mother Nature has to offer in Canada. The Rockies are by far one of the most incredible things that Canadians have to be proud of!!

Main themes in the Rockies:

Lakes~

Moraine Lake, Ruben's choice from all that we saw, in various shapes and sizes. Here is the typical shot with the brightly-coloured canoes. Unfortunately it was all hazy and the views weren't as spectacular, and the water wasn't as picture-perfect as in the brochures. :)

The famous Lake Louise

We went back the next morning and it was clearer, hence the "crowd" compared to yesterday...still not the best day for the perfect photo, but hey, nature does what it wants, when it wants! :)

My favourite lake, Peyto Lake, a glacier-fed gem hidden away, just a short trek up from the parking area. The colour is actually that brilliant turquoise colour!! It was amazing! Thanks to Janine for the tip, or we may not have stopped...though lots of tourists knew about it....

Near the town of Jasper, we went to see the Valley of the Five Lakes, a short hike around to see five lakes that supposedly were all different in colour. This one is quite a darker green...

...and this one is more turquoise, but distinguishing amongst all five was difficult...

Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park was large and lovely as well. Our last attempt at renting a canoe to explore a lake was foiled, as we arrived in the afternoon and they had closed up, since it wasn't high season for tourism anymore. We tried unsuccessfully at Moraine Lake in Banff as well! :(

We did enjoy the tranquility of the lake though, and it was quite deserted since the boat tours were finished for the day. Here you see two of the ones that take you down the other end of the lake on a cruise (1.5hrs) to Spirit Island. We thought $55 was a bit much for a cruise to see an island, despite how cute it looks....

Mountains~

Within the town of Banff

A picturesque lookout point

Yes there was snow!! I said it was cold, even though it was September!!

Pyramid Mountain--obvious why, right?

Making new friends~

What a friendly Canuck!

Surprise! Nibbling lunch right beside us on the sidewalk in Banff

People have been pulling too hard...

A Spanish koala in Canada?!?!

Can you see someone in there?

Just going for a leisurely walk near Maligne Lake

This easy-going Mountie was all too happy to pose for photos

Driving along in Jasper, we came across a "traffic jam"--people had stopped to run down to the middle of the river to watch the wildlife....

Shhhh...the family is resting!

At first, we weren't sure if they were elk or caribou or whatever, but we did some research and found out how to distinguish them. They are elk (unless someone says I'm horribly mistaken....) lounging and enjoying the peace and quiet.

One of the young ones went wandering around, trekked out towards the water, and starting doing its business.....now that's nature un-edited!

The male watches over the group

Driving along further, we encountered another mini-traffic jam. In the mountains, this is usually an indicator of wildlife. We smelled them before we saw them--stinky mountain goats!!

Which way do we go?

Showing us their white bottoms

The story of the silly squirrels:

We saw many of them along the way and of course they are such a common sight that I didn't think anything of it. But that wasn't the case with Ruben--"Look, a squirrel!!" They are cute, though they are everywhere, but they made it onto the new friends list because we saw some of the funniest, most-hardworking bunch ever! This one for example, was sitting on a rail furiously scarfing down bits of this cone. You can see the progress from full cone to partially-bare. A lady walked by and it freaked out a bit and scurried onto the tree behind, but then came right back to the same spot and kept munching away as soon as she was a metre away.

The before picture

Almost there!!

The after picture--remnants of the cone and various bits--see how clean the stalk is! (Or maybe it's called a stem or something completely different....)

Later on in Whistler we saw another one racing in and out from the walking path, gathering seeds to store somewhere. When there were none left on the ground, it scurried up a tree, out on a precariously swaying branch, and starting breaking off bits of it and dropping them to the ground. Then it raced back down, stuffed a cone in between its teeth (still with needles attached to the branch) and ran to put it away. It was unbelievably methodical and hilarious to watch!

Other impressive water-related sights~

Athabasca Glacier

Lots of warning signs to be careful of fragile areas and not go out-of-bounds!

Deep, thundering canyons galore

We're not sure what this crazy was doing on the other side of the fence....

The water isn't THAT cold in Canada!

On the return from the Rockies, we looped around and powered through Kamloops and arrived in Whistler late the same night...lots of driving but we figured it was better to spend a night closer to there than wander around with nothing to do in Kamloops all night. The curves and darkness of the section between Lillooet and Pemberton had me worried, especially with the wildlife running around, and the rain.... Such is the story of this trip--rain during the most treacherous drives and the hazards of animals surprising you on the road!

It was a beautiful day the next day and we walked around to explore how things had changed since the Olympics. Whistler was pretty much the same, though with some construction and bits of Olympic remains such as the 5 rings:

The self-timer only gave us 10 seconds to get ready....

A quiet time in the centre of the village

Throughout the Rockies trip, we saw lots of people from various places. Of course many US tourists, and others from out-of-country, but we also spotted many Canadians from around the country. So many, in fact, that we started taking photos of the different licence plates. We didn't manage to find one from every province and territory, but we got close--only 5 remaining and they are far away! Here is the selection, in order from west to east (starting north with the Yukon):

After a week in the Okanagan, Rockies and Whistler, we spent the last week of the trip catching up with family and friends, and did more exploring in Vancouver. The last day of the trip before flying back to Europe, we took the bus down to Seattle. (Word of advice: the Amtrak bus is much cheaper and faster than the Quick Shuttle. The trains were sold out and I don't know how much they were, but the Amtrak bus left the same bus station as the Quick Shuttle and made fewer stops.) The border crossing was amazingly fast--20 mins for a bus full of people and we didn't get asked anything! We arrived to relatively good weather, wandered around the city, saw the port, the football stadium (there seemed to be good ambience in there with a game going on), Pike Place Market, the downtown and the old town.

Seattle Seahawks stadium

Going crazy for giant ice cream!!

The first ever Starbucks coffee shop

Famous Pike Place Market--no fish-throwing today because we got there late and they were closing down already...

Then we grabbed our bags, took the light rail train towards the airport and called the hotel for pickup. They have a good system there, with phones connecting you to the hotels and bays for waiting for shuttle service outside the airport. We stayed at the Days Inn near the airport and it was great--a big comfy room, jacuzzi (!), free breakfast buffet (with lots of variety and make-your-own waffles too!) and free 24hrs airport shuttle.

In total, we were away for just over 3 weeks and it flew by....but it was lovely and fun, even for the local, who hadn't seen certain places for a long time! :)

On hiatus for vacation purposes...

Well the summer is "over" as they say, since it's September and the days of sunshine and life in the streets have now passed. I'm not so sure about that, since there is still good weather lingering around, but there are fewer people around that's for sure.

That also includes us as Friday, we are headed back over the oceans for a visit of just over 3 weeks in the great Canadian homeland. It should be great, and I'm looking forward to it! I'm also going to be acting as guide to a few visitors, so I hope they have fun, and I know I will! It's been a while and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone, and all the changes since the Olympics (which I'm still sad I missed....), and exploring around the Rockies and the island. Lots of new things to see and do even for this Canadian!

Probably no photo updates till we return at the end of the month--yes I have taken the leap to commit to another year over here. So the foray into Spanish life continues again in October!!

The music and food never ends...

The summer is the BEST time in Santander, the locals have been telling me for months. I can see why--there has been tons of festivals, music, street entertainment, food, and overall huge difference in the ambience in the streets. What a change from the rainy winter days when there wasn't a soul, let alone concerts and artsy displays of this that and the other.

From July 23-Aug 1 was "La Semana Grande" in Santander, and that featured music, music and more music, plus food, food and more food! Two of my favourite things! ;D There were little "casetas" (wooden huts) set up in the streets from restaurants and cafes all around town, and they were selling pintxos (tapas--snacks of various shapes and sizes) and drinks. It was great to go around trying the different offerings and I was taking mental notes of cool things to try and make at home, hehehe...

The grand opening fireworks--traffic was at a standstill and we all abandoned our vehicles to watch from the streets, rather than sitting idling... ;)

In the Magdalena park (on the peninsula) they set up huge stages for two nights of concerts by various indie groups. I had heard of some names but that's it. Some were good, some were horrid (Belgian punk by a group called "Vive la fête" is definitely on my list of not-to-see-ever-again...I highly advise against you looking them up....)

Belle and Sebastian were good and mellow and used a good variety of instruments. Quite easy on the ear, and one of the more well-known acts of Friday night

On Saturday, Sidonie (Catalans) were the stars of the night, as they really knew how to work the crowd and had all the people jumping. At one point, they got us all to kneel/sit down on the grass and the lead singer came down and sat on the edge of the stage, singing and "storytelling"--creative! :)

Hoards of people waiting, eating and drinking in front of some casetas on the alameda

Good music by the band from Santoña as people munched away in front of the town hall

Preparing pintxos in the back of a caseta

Estereotypo--a local rock/electronic band that played in front of a supportive home crowd

They tossed out giant inflatable balloon things into the crowd--I wanted to take one home but none came my way...

Preparing loads of octopus (pulpo)...mmmm......

In my opinion, would be much better if Spain was known for octopuses (octopi?) instead of for bulls....I'm not sure it'd be necessarily safer to have octopus fights, but it'd sure be interesting to see the human disadvantage underwater!!

An multicultural fair just opened up last Sunday and everyone calls it the Fair of the Nations. It's basically a bunch of tents and huts for various countries (mostly European, though there is a general all-encompassing "Asian" stall--arrgggghhhhhh) serving food, with a big stage for performances. We've only been once so far, but it was good, despite serving overpriced eats (of course).

Lots of people showed up for the opening day

We saw some Brazilian dancing and drumming and ate Argentinean and Greek

Summer of food...

A belated post of Spanish summer life....you'd think it's all about eating based on these photos!! ;) That's partly true, I suppose...it's all about barbecues and beachtime, as far as I have discovered...

BBQ weekend--both days of experimentation with a seafood bbq rather than the traditional and common meat-lovers rendition. As a lover of all things not meat, it was fantastic and everyone enjoyed the different take on things.

A little nap before the guests show up

A little bit of meat for those who aren't so adventurous

A monkfish engulfed in the flames...it turned out very yummy despite the suffering it seems to be enduring at this moment!

Monkfish number two took ages because the flames had died and we were trying to get all we could out of the last burning embers

Crazy acrobatics in the dark :)

Cuttlefish with lemon and parsley..yum!!

Medieval market and street performers were out for a few days near the beach, so we went to check it out. I have made it my mission to be aware of all events in town, and even the Spaniards have taken to asking me what's on... ;)

Some of the little ones were scared by the giant bug-like things parading around and talking

Giant toasts with ham (centre on tray)--instead of a slice of bread, it seems to be like half of a loaf!!

We were wishing that we had this bbq the other day while trying to wrangle the fish and seafood on the little ones (see above)--look at all this meat!!

Belen and Oscard drinking white wine served in little bowls

After the meat and octopus feast at the medieval market, we went down to gorge on big ice cream sundaes....mmmmmm.........

The weekend after the seafood bbq, we hosted an Ibiza party (dress code=summery whites typical of the infamous party island) and tons of people showed up. Eduardo was the organiser and he arranged for all the food, music, equipment, utensils, tent (very nice touch), chairs etc etc. It started around 8pm and lasted till about 4 or 5am when people left, or settled into tents that they had brought and set up off to the side.

Everyone is already huddled around the food

Getting ready for a group photo

Sitting around and chatting into the night

Red and Yellow Champions!!

July 11, 2010. World Cup Final Spain--Netherlands. Where were you during this historic moment?

A few of us got together at a local bar with a giant screen and projector, to watch the final game featuring the home country (of most people with the exception of a few of us). :) We came dressed in red and yellow, and some people brought paints to decorate faces, arms or whatever!

There was singing, dancing, cheering and general psyching-up before the game, as people were nervous, and I don't mean the players.

Warming up the voices pre-game

The game was filled with people yelling at the referee, as he was judged to be unfair for not giving the Netherlands more penalties or ejecting people for playing dirty. I don't know anything about football, but even these kicks and direct contact was obvious enough.

Anyhow, despite it all, the red and yellow (playing in blue, go figure) fought hard and came up with the one, game-winning goal. The bar erupted in celebrations and so the night began......

Champagne (or cava?) is brought out right after the goal is scored!

Singing and merriment in red and yellow

You would think this display of nationalism means they are true Spaniards, but these two are not at all!! Guess which country they are from (another trivia contest)! :)

Well one of us ain't Spanish either, but what the heck--when in Rome, right?

After the game, we headed into the centre of town, to the popular plaza where everyone gathers at night, and man, were people gathered around there that night! The square was filled with people singing, dancing, chanting, hugging, kissing etc etc. All you could see was a mass of red and yellow clothes and flags, and then firecrackers were set off later on.

What excitement in the streets!!

Sergio is an example of joyful merriment here, after being a nervous-wreck through the game, and having to escape outside during tense moments! ;)

Crazy people scale the lampposts to dance

Look, it's Pulpo Paul, the all-knowing 8-legged predictor of football destinies!

The skies are lit up as the festivities continue late into the night

A while later, things started to get crazy as footballs were dug out from somewhere, and people were throwing and kicking them around. This resulted in innocent party-goers being smacked on the head, or kicked in the back with them. Some stupid drunks were breaking windows of the flats around the square and that was not cool, so we left when the atmosphere was still happy and positive.

Still after a week and a bit, people are still talking and the game is still on the news!! This historic event will not be forgotten anytime soon--yesterday on the news we watched a report about how some fanatics were getting World Cup 2010 champ tattoos.....now that's one way to never forget!

Mad, mad weekend in Madrid

We had thought about going down to Madrid with some friends, and couldn't really settle on a weekend. However, the offer of a free place to stay came up and combined with crazy festivities of Gay Pride weekend, we made the decision to go.

Friday, after a few delays of errands, we set off a bit later than expected, and a little over 4 hours later, arrived in Madrid. I had already been there a few times, but it was much better having good guides to point out the sights and tell me little bits of info (which I'm horrible at remembering....).

We drove through the main part of town to get to the friend's flat we were staying at, and dropped off our stuff. By then it was already past 11pm, and we were hungry, but unsure if we had missed the good eats. Well, it was Gay Pride weekend so we figured there'd be festivities still on, and decided to try our luck anyhow.

I had been told billions of times about this fantastic place called "El Tigre" that was supposed to give you gigantic portions of tapas when you buy a drink, and so of course we headed there immediately, though we thought perhaps food wasn't served anymore. Ha, we were mistaken. The streets were packed with people for the weekend celebrations and dinner was still going strong, despite it being well near midnight, I think. Anyhow, we ordered some drinks and they gave us two heaping plates of toasts with various meats, and some potatoes and such.

Chowing down on free food from "El Tigre"

After scarfing down the free stuff, we bought some pizzas at another place, to finish off our drinks with, and give a bit of a healthier balance (there were veggies on the pizza--I made sure of that!). Then we wandered further into Chueca, the area of town where all the festivities were taking place, and came upon insanity in one of the squares:

We tried to get on camera, but weren't sure if we were successful

Apparently there were about 2 million people partying it up that night--we were amongst the insanity! The streets were absolutely disgusting with drinks, food, garbage, pee etc and we thanked the lords that we had settled on changing into shoes at the last minute...if we had stayed in flipflops, we may well now have fungus-covered toes...yuck!!

The next day, after sleeping in to recover from the long night of dancing, eating and drinking, we set out into the city centre to take in the ambience of Madrid on a special weekend. It was busy--more than usual, and sweltering hot--same as usual. The latter meant that we couldn't walk around too long without frying and we stopped frequently to quench our thirst.

Lunchtime rolled around (we had missed breakfast) and we went to a place in Plaza Mayor recommended by a friend for decent, non-touristy prices and good eats. It was called Le Pan Cotidien (yes it's French--Belgian, actually) and served yummy food, though it was still a bit pricey. At least it was healthy though, with organic produce, whole-grains, homemade bread, fair-trade coffees etc, and they had ethnic, non-greasy items on the menu. :)

Drinks warmed up quickly in the heat.....so did salads.....

Mmmm...non-white bread!!! :D

Saturday night was supposed to feature a parade all along Gran Via, the famous cinema and theatre area that celebrated its 100 year anniversary this year. We headed down after wandering around a bit, and braved the heat in the middle of the road.

Yes, I REALLY meant the middle of the road.

They had blocked off the entire street, but neglected to put up barriers so people just spilled into every little space possible and when the parade came through, the police and organisers had joined hands to help push people back. It was nuts--jammed packed and boiling hot.

The lucky people who lived on the street watched calmly from their balconies as we "commonfolk" battled it out with our elbows, to try and keep our little bubble free and catch a glimpse of parade action over the heads of others. The fortunate ones above watched us with pity and danced to entertain us, and poured buckets of water down on the crowds to calm the masses. Okay, maybe not so much calm, as frighten the passersby who were unaware of litres of water crashing down at high speeds.

The older man on the left was a star as he danced and teased the crowds--later on he gave a solo performance.....it was....weird....

We had wanted to see the floats, but when we asked someone, they said that it takes forever, and by the time it got down to where we were, it could well be close to midnight. It was about 8pm when we asked this person. Anyhow, we had dinner reservations at a restaurant in Lavapies (I love the name of this area, hahahahaha--"wash (your) feet".....we were speculating on the historical origins but aren't sure. Anyone know?) so we made our way over there.

Saturday night was Spain versus Paraguay in the World Cup, and we walked around town, watching bits and pieces of it after leaving the parade area. Near the restaurant, we joined a crowd gathered around a large tv and cheered and groaned with everyone. It was exciting to watch, even for a non-football fan like me. I liked the atmosphere and was caught up in the tension too! :D

We made our way over to Gaudeamus, another recommendation, on a lovely terrace overlooking a quiet area. The temperature was finally tolerable, and we had some yummy food while relaxing and resting our feet after lots of walking.

The beautiful terrace of Gaudeamus at night

Lots of people enjoying a nice dinner or drinks (in the other half of the terrace)--it was beyond 11:30pm and finally at a decent temperature to be out!

After dinner, we wandered around town with some more people and ended up back in Chueca, in another square filled with people drinking and dancing. We pushed our way in and out of there a bit, then tried to get down to Plaza España to see Kylie Minogue in concert. She was performing post-parade, but we missed it all by the time we made our way through the crowds. We relaxed a bit and watched people go by on Gran Via, then made our way home slowly (man the walk seemed to take forever) as we were exhausted after a long day.

Sunday was another lazy day in, as we got up late, and then met up with Oscar's cousin for some lunch in La Latina. It's a trendy area to go for tapas and drinks on a Sunday afternoon, as people go there and stay till about 6pm. We were there at various spots eating, keeping cool with iced-drinks and chilling out in the shade. By the time we got our stuff to leave Madrid, it was late and getting dark....after a bit of panic (not on my part, since I don't know the way, and don't drive here) about which highway and which exit to follow (there's more than one way to get back to Santander--a newer and faster highway that involves confusing detours, or the older route through certain towns that takes longer but is more straightforward), we made it back home to crash after an insane, fun, but exhausting few days.