Adventures in Madrid Travel Log: Day 2

The temperature this morning is 5 degrees celsius. It is supposed to go up to 9 degrees celsius.

I’m cold.

We enjoy a lazy morning around the apartment. We all sleep late to recuperate from our traveling yesterday. We planned to leave the apartment at noon and we make it out the door before 1pm.

We head to the Puerta del Sol which is a main square at the heart of the city. The plaza is incredibly busy. We see many people wearing crazy hats and wigs. There are buskers scattered around the area and various kid's mascots like Mickey, Sponge Bob, and Hello Kitty. We wonder if there is a festival going on.



Our first stop is Starbucks. I must admit that I have been dreaming of Starbucks since we booked our tickets in November. I enjoy my usual; a grande caramel macchiato. It is as good as always, but especially satisfying in Madrid after a five-month fast.


On our way back to the center of the square we stop at a famous pastry shop. It is so crowded that Megan and I wait outside while Kari and Amy fight their way through the crowd. I thoroughly enjoyed my Neopolitana Chocolate, a yummy chocolate croissant-like treat.





We spend the day wandering around Puerta del Sol and its surrounding shopping area. I will be honest, I spend some money. My justification: I am on vacation!


We enjoy a late lunch at a restaurant just off the square. I have a popular tapas: patatas y aioli; a garlic sauce potato salad. It is delicious. I’m fighting garlic breath.


We visit a store that sells fans, canes, and umbrellas which is popular in the city and we continue to explore.

The square has a huge Christmas Tree structure formed by lights for the holidays. It is beautifully lit in green and red at night and creates an amazing optical illusion when you are inside looking up.


We come back to the apartment for a simple supper of pasta in red sauce and spend some time planning our next few days to ensure that we take full advantage of our time here.

Adventures in Madrid Travel Log: Day 1

Boxing Day evening, 10:38pm, we head to the airport.

We get through security quickly and wait for 2 hours and 27 minutes before boarding our flight to Casablanca.

We are happy to be on vacation.

We are sad that we are still recovering from Christmas food poisoning due to frequent and extended power cuts.

A lady next to us asks us to watch her bag. We comply, we are friendly people.

She is gone a verrrrrrrrry long time.

Kari asks me if I think it might be a bomb. I look around to make sure she was not overheard by airport security, there is only a handsome young man. He is unconcerned. I tell her she shouldn't say that word in the airport.

The lady eventually comes back.

Our first flight is relatively short. At 3:30am the flight crew turns all the lights on and serves a hot breakfast. It is the logical thing to do at 3:30am.

Kari eats a mystery meat, even though her stomach is still settling after food poisoning. It's an adventure. This adventure reaps no negative consequences.

Our layover in Casablanca is 2 hours and 47 minutes. It is a much more pleasant stay than my last visit on my way to Dakar in August. Being here reminds me of my Kindle tragedy. Being here also affords me the opportunity to read my new Kindle.

Kari restrains me from buying a beautiful winter coat in Zahara...it is already cold in Morocco and we are Northbound.

Our second flight is even shorter. We arrive in Spain at 11:39am local time. We can see our breath.

After getting our luggage our first stop is McDonalds. Yum! I have the McPollo (aka McChicken) and even attempt to order in Spanish, much to the servers entertainment.

We settle in to wait for Amy and Megan’s flight to arrive from Frankfurt. After a few hours their flight has still not appeared on the arrivals board.

Kari panicks.

In the meantime there is a fight at an Air Iberia ticket counter. It almost comes to blows. The client's boyfriend has to restrain her from pouncing on the airline representative.

Security is called.

I eventually tear myself away from the excitement and ask about the Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt. We are in the wrong terminal.

We find the shuttle easily and arrive at the correct terminal to await the girls’ flight.

We wait another 2 hours and 26 minutes.

Once the girls arrive we figure out transportation to the apartment we are staying at.

We explore the apartment. It is very comfortable and modern.

We explore the neighbourhood. It is also 'comfortable' but not so modern.

We have tapas for supper at a little restaurant and Kari watches tennis. I eat the fish because no one else really likes it and I'll eat pretty much anything. Next time we will order tapas with no fish.


The server at the restaurant does not speak English but we understand everything he says. He even directs us to a nearby grocery store to pick up a few breakfast items.

We give him a generous tip for his help.

Back at the apartment I get ready for bed. The bed itself is not particularly comfortable, but the duvet and pillows are like a dream. Under the duvet has been the only time since arriving in Spain that I have been 100% warm.

I retire at at 11:14pm. I fall asleep quickly.

My Senegal Journey in Review: Gates of N'Gor

Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord Almighty
he is the King of glory.

I can't explain my affinity for gates and doorways, but so it is. This is my attempt at artistic expression through the art of photography.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

My Senegal Journey in Review: N'Gor Island

Tab*ski: November 17, 2010
While the Senegalese celebrated a religious holiday, my friends and I enjoyed a day at the beach. It is a brief boat ride across to the island. We toured around the island before finding a spot by the water.



The island is inhabited but does not have roads or any motorized vehicles. It boasts beautiful architecture, ocean views, and plant life.



My friend and neighbour, Cori. She's a fellow Canadian.





"It is certain that difficulty goes with us, but we will overcome it from one day to the next in goodwill for salvation and general well-being."







Kari attempts a barbed wire obstacle course.





Danielle, Kari and Cori.








The view from our spot on the beach.



My view from my beach mat.



A quaint little Italian restaurant where we enjoyed lunch.









After our day at the beach we came home to the Sandcastle. Danielle taught me how to make pie crust and we made a key lime pie and an apple pie. We spent the evening watching Pushing Daisies which happens to feature a pie maker and his shop. A delicious end to a lovely day.

My Senegal Journey in Review: Sightseeing in Dakar

This post is long overdue. These views are from a newcomers sightseeing tour back in September when I was still feeling brand new to Dakar.

This is the African Renaissance statue commissioned by the Senegalese president. It is very controversial for many reasons. The exorbitant cost should be invested into the well-being of the country and its people. The statue itself was built by North Koreans and is said to be larger than the Statue of Liberty.




The view from the base of the statue.



A message from the president. It reads: Young people of Africa and of the dispersion, if one day your steps bring you to the foot of this monument, think of those who sacrificed their freedom or their lives for the renaissance (rebirth) of Africa.



Kari and I at the base of the monument with the lighthouse and the ocean in the background.


The lighthouse and the statue rest on the peaks of twin hills, Les Mamelles which means breasts.



It's a narrow, winding road to the top of the hill. We had a brief tour and saw the old bulbs that were twice the size of a bowling ball. The new bulbs are halogen and about the size of a toonie. The light is reflected with magnifying lenses that have to be covered during the day to avoid catching fire. At night we can clearly see the light from our roof.



One of the views from the lighthouse.



We enjoyed crepes by the ocean at Les Almadies, the western most part of Africa.



A lunch guest.




A breath-taking ocean view.