Mobile Diary – Europe 2009
My computer at work has decided to give up after a couple of years of faithful but not always reliable service. While backing up everything I found some files which turned out to be a diary I kept on my mobile while traveling. The trip in question was a month long journey to England, Paris, Portugal and Spain but I only started writing on the last week and a bit before the trip was over. Obviously a little tired and cranky given some of the comments. So here I present my writings, along with some photos and commentary. The commentary is there because two years worth of reflection helps mellow the mind.
Sintra – 18th September 2009
Sintra is what I imagine Campos Do Jordao is like in Brazil from the descriptions Priscilla’s family have given me. However, Sintra is the most expensive tourist trap ever – €4.50 for a return bus ticket up a hill. To enter the palace we are going to is €11. I brought 40 with me and thought we’d never spend it…
The place is beautiful though, like the jenolan caves but with palaces and gardens everywhere. I can understand why it attracted the rich and powerful for thousands of years.
Unfortunately I suffer from the same affliction many Australians do and that is I believe that every country should be cheaper than Australia. Much, much cheaper. It doesn’t matter where you are and sometimes even how much things cost. Quite silly really considering overall Portugal was a lot cheaper than back home.
Madrid
Went to prado and its free after 6pm on sat. saw goya’s 2nd and 3rd of may paintings. plus so many “famouso” paintings it wasn’t funny.
I appreciate pris’ innocence when it comes to art and almost feel ashamed of my idolatry. I was running around saying which was famous and she was just appreciating what she liked. She simply asked why or who decides a painting Is famous. I answered “the critics of the day and it helps if the artist knows the right people”. A man at the ticket queue before we went in put it quite succinctly … “picasso was sitting at a cafe and a man asked him for some money picasso merely signed a napkin and said something like here’s $ 1000 “.
They sell bread without crust here. Weird. Supermarket was open until 2am. €17 for some bread, cheese, cereal etc. Seems that nowhere in spain or portugal can u get fresh milk. No wonder they are all so short.
Madrid – day 2
Slept in until 11am and ate our supermarket breakfast.
Went to Sophia Reina museum of modern art. Free on Sundays.
So much Picasso and so much proof he was nuts. Look up some of his contemporaries. They look interesting.
the royal palace is another one of a line of royal palaces starting with Versailles that just sicken me…. Especially with the influence of reading the Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Roark was right. The rooms in these palaces served no reason. They were simply filled with as much expensive crap as possible. One room in the palace real in Madrid was so bad it had beautiful Chinese tiles on the walls but the ceiling had a renaissance style sky with angels. Pris once again had a beautifully simple answer to it “they probably weren’t into minimalism”. I just felt they were like the neuvo riche of today. No idea what to do with their money. also symbolized in their armour. Rooms full of ceremonial and jousting armour never to be used for a practical purpose. Most made well after the gun. Its a pity no photos were allowed.
Went to plaza Espana and saw Edificio de Espana and saw Torres de Madrid. Look these up as they looked quite old but were very tall for Europe… 20 stories plus.
Ate the biggest plate of calamari ever. €9 – must remember to say “Media Ratione” in future.
More to follow when I have the time to put up more.
Related posts:
