Watching Madrid up from above the skies lit up like every building had a Diwali celebration over its rooftop was the last piece of relaxed breathe I had since two days. You see and imagine that when you take a trip to an exotic place ( Whatever that means!) for a vacation or education purposes, it would be a certain way, you would smile a certain way, flounder a certain way for that matter fumble or go wrong certain way. None of it happens.
What you get in fact is the most unthought of, physically tiring and mentally draining experience which breaks you in and out the next day. The only hope you could tease yourself with could be a better tomorrow. While I failed to understand the math behind why I was charged 2 Euros when I already had the ticket ( a more expensive one) and followed by another billing of 2 Euros for taking a train believed to have been free of charge, I broke. Yes such a small thing as this broke me for I could see the further days of paying in this denomination will not go well with me.
Once I managed to get to the right station, I was counting on the only thing most tourists and foreigners count on, the art of seeking help and information. It didn't go well for it there was no one in sight on the station were I was dropped. The ones that got down in the station with me hurried their way past without taking a moment to catch a breathe. I cursed myself with two heavy suitcases and it showed. Tumbling them down the dirty stairs in extreme cold is a memory engraved. My hands are sour now and I am only glad its over.
Upon spotting a person, a person whose occupation is to help people with information, I walked up to her to ask for directions, she took 30 seconds to say her part and then vanished behind the wall. What's spooky was that she watched me from behind only to see me standing there confused. 15 seconds later she came and shouted on me saying "Take the bloody exit and move" and disappeared the wall again only to observe me. There I was still standing confused with no clue. She appeared again 15 seconds later for one last shout at me, literally shooing me away as she would do to a dog. This is my first experience of bitterness on the land. How I got into the right train from Madrid to Salamanca is a chapter in itself. I observed there is not one face you could spot in a train station or train who you could comfortably ask for a piece of information. (However, at this point I must really be thankful to the person who helped me get my suitcases on board.)
Skipping right to the wait for my host ( this is funniest thing that could happen)- I was squatting on the floor waiting for my host. I saw her from afar approaching the station with her husband. I was elated to see a car ( for my luggage) than to see her. She kissed her husband goodbye and her husband disappeared. I believed he would turn around to take us home only to be left disappointed that we were taking the bus instead as he had to leave for work. Waiting at the bus stop my brain was processing the cost of the ticket when somebody standing next to us (me and my host) announced that the bus would arrive in 2 hours. I , mind you , I volunteered to walk to her place in exhaustion to get it over with once she told me it was just a 20 min walk. Well, it was a 40 min walk with two heavy suitcases to be dragged along. We managed to communicated during the walk, I wasn't sure what is more tiring, trying to speak in Spanish or dragging the two suitcases along.
The best was yet to come ( I had no clue), there was no lift. We had to drag the suitcases up to the third floor. At this point my brain decided not to process further out of exhaustion.
My host family was warm and kind enough to tell me they weren't expecting me to drop in early on the 2nd and anticipated my arrival around the 7th after their festival. Keeping up with the warmth they prepared an elaborate dinner only for me to pass as they cooked fish. I was served a hot soup of boiled potatoes ( boy! it tasted like the best thing ever or was it just me happy that something warm was finally going down my throat.) She ( host, Rosa) was kind enough to arrange for wifi and adapter within few hours of my settling.
The cold here makes one non-functional in every sense, No, I was overconfident enough to not anticipate this cold. The morning light blesses this land only after 9:00 AM and until then you are forced to wait.
With my fingers imploring me to stop typing and requesting me to keep them warm, I end this post abruptly.
What you get in fact is the most unthought of, physically tiring and mentally draining experience which breaks you in and out the next day. The only hope you could tease yourself with could be a better tomorrow. While I failed to understand the math behind why I was charged 2 Euros when I already had the ticket ( a more expensive one) and followed by another billing of 2 Euros for taking a train believed to have been free of charge, I broke. Yes such a small thing as this broke me for I could see the further days of paying in this denomination will not go well with me.
Once I managed to get to the right station, I was counting on the only thing most tourists and foreigners count on, the art of seeking help and information. It didn't go well for it there was no one in sight on the station were I was dropped. The ones that got down in the station with me hurried their way past without taking a moment to catch a breathe. I cursed myself with two heavy suitcases and it showed. Tumbling them down the dirty stairs in extreme cold is a memory engraved. My hands are sour now and I am only glad its over.
Upon spotting a person, a person whose occupation is to help people with information, I walked up to her to ask for directions, she took 30 seconds to say her part and then vanished behind the wall. What's spooky was that she watched me from behind only to see me standing there confused. 15 seconds later she came and shouted on me saying "Take the bloody exit and move" and disappeared the wall again only to observe me. There I was still standing confused with no clue. She appeared again 15 seconds later for one last shout at me, literally shooing me away as she would do to a dog. This is my first experience of bitterness on the land. How I got into the right train from Madrid to Salamanca is a chapter in itself. I observed there is not one face you could spot in a train station or train who you could comfortably ask for a piece of information. (However, at this point I must really be thankful to the person who helped me get my suitcases on board.)
Skipping right to the wait for my host ( this is funniest thing that could happen)- I was squatting on the floor waiting for my host. I saw her from afar approaching the station with her husband. I was elated to see a car ( for my luggage) than to see her. She kissed her husband goodbye and her husband disappeared. I believed he would turn around to take us home only to be left disappointed that we were taking the bus instead as he had to leave for work. Waiting at the bus stop my brain was processing the cost of the ticket when somebody standing next to us (me and my host) announced that the bus would arrive in 2 hours. I , mind you , I volunteered to walk to her place in exhaustion to get it over with once she told me it was just a 20 min walk. Well, it was a 40 min walk with two heavy suitcases to be dragged along. We managed to communicated during the walk, I wasn't sure what is more tiring, trying to speak in Spanish or dragging the two suitcases along.
The best was yet to come ( I had no clue), there was no lift. We had to drag the suitcases up to the third floor. At this point my brain decided not to process further out of exhaustion.
My host family was warm and kind enough to tell me they weren't expecting me to drop in early on the 2nd and anticipated my arrival around the 7th after their festival. Keeping up with the warmth they prepared an elaborate dinner only for me to pass as they cooked fish. I was served a hot soup of boiled potatoes ( boy! it tasted like the best thing ever or was it just me happy that something warm was finally going down my throat.) She ( host, Rosa) was kind enough to arrange for wifi and adapter within few hours of my settling.
The cold here makes one non-functional in every sense, No, I was overconfident enough to not anticipate this cold. The morning light blesses this land only after 9:00 AM and until then you are forced to wait.
With my fingers imploring me to stop typing and requesting me to keep them warm, I end this post abruptly.
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