Cara is in Madrid!

Hi everyone!
So I made it to Madrid safe and sound. I took a bus from Valencia becasue in Spain it seems that the trains are way more expensive then the buses so for half the price of the train I took a bus through the beautiful countryside of Spain! It was gorgeous! I mean absolutely beautiful. The earthy colours were amazing and the landscape was very different to France and other countries tht I hve visited. Covered in soft looking grass, the very definition of green and dotted with flowering trees, rocks and exposed red earth. I was wirting some post cards at the time so if you get an ´I love Spain´ type of inftuated post card thats probably when it was written. I can see myself returing here and maybe living here for sometime.

So I got to Madrid and I was at the bus station in the middle of nowhere (with 2 friends from the previous hostel). I had to ask the bus driver and then 2 people on the street just to find the metro station. Then I followed some little old lady around because she was going the same way as I. Meanwhile I was wihtout a map or guide book.
I made it to Plaza del Carmen, my meeting point with Ryan nd found he was not there. After waiting for about an hour I decided action was required. We had arranged to meet there in a smaller plaza then Barcelona which was clever and showed that we learned from previous mistakes however at this point I relised many stupid things: 1-that Ryan had the addresses of hostels which I wrote down including phone numbers etc, 2- we had no back up plan if one of us did not show up and Ryan could have missed the train or the train may have been full or one of a hundred other problems could have arisen meaning that I would wait in the plaza forever, 3- becasue it was approaching 9pm stores to buy phone cards, food, maps etc would be closing.

So as i was planning my next move without any information a pair of Americans (Robert and Katie) walked past as which point I shouted out and we talked. It turned out Robert was staying at the Cat´s hostel one which seems to be the talk of the town at the meoment becasue it is new and everyone says how nice it is. So I proceeded to get directions from him to the hostel, a map from a hotel (who didn´t look impressed that I had a massive backpack...suck it up people) and took the metro back the way I´d come to the hostel station. Its all abotu who you meet, who you talk to and how much you throw yourself out there. After getting off the train I saw a guy I decreeded as looking American (sad but true you can start to tell these things). So I asked him if he was going to Cat´s and its a good thing to otherwise I would have NEVER found my way! I checked in so overjoyed to haver arrived and was given a watch as a key. It´s a little plastic blue watch which you scan to get into the hostel and your room and your locker. It´s pretty cool technology but at the same time I think it´s fuuny that everyone likes Cats for their little blue watches (I´m wearing mine right now!). It is also becasue the foyer is decorated like the Thaji Mahal with a nice fountain and mosaics.

So I met Stephanie from the USA in my room who is absolutely adorble and convinced her to come to a Jazz bar back near plaza del Carmen as Robert and Katie had invited me there. I love other peoples stories. Stephanie had booked her ticket in June last year to meet a friend on exchange but the friend decided to change and exchnge this summer instead. So now she is here in Spain for a week, having never travelled to Europe before or having stayed in hostels. So we wnt to this somky little jazz bar down in a basement that you would only know if you were a locl or an exchange student hunting for cool dark corners (Katie). The jazz was good too.

When I got home a note from Ryan was waitig saying that he has checked into Cat´s too...what a coinsidence (would have been a great back up plan)! So its the next day and I´ve had breakfast (provided by the hostel) and am going to head out today with Stephanie to explore...she seems big into eating pastry here (one of her favourite things) so I guess I will just have to grit and bear it! Bye for now! xoxox

P.S. It is definite that my Dad flys into Rome on March 22nd. I booked a flight from Barcelona to Rome that day so I slide into Rome and skid to a halt just before him to greet him at the gate!

P.P.S. Rhiannon is planning to accompany me in Thailand. YAY!