Madrid - life in transit

So, by the time this is posted I won´t actually be in Madrid anymore, but in the arms of my wonderful Frenchman as we begin our Christmas season. But, I felt I needed to start this post now, to show you that I was vaguely athinking of my blog throughout my (fairly hectic) travels, and to start talking about this immense whirlwind of progress I am in right now, it's going to take a fair few posts to come up to speed with.

The view from my work on my last day. Sorry for the window glare, I wasn't allowed to open the window.

Friday the 17th of December was my last day at work. It was alright, I spent the morning packing, got my (full) deposit back (by some miracle) and toddled off to work at about midday. Before this though, I had an interesting moment at the Post Office: See, my two 35kg boxes had been taken away for shipping on Tuesday the 14th of December, and I was in desperate, desperate need of some extra space. So, I cleverly packed my remaining 3kg or so very tightly into a box to send off to Australia, get to the post office only to be told that sending 3kg in a small boxwas going to cost me £60. Err? I have posted 1.2kg before only for it to cost me £12. The answer? Turns out once a parcel sent from the UK passes a 2kg threshold it practically trebles in price. So, I went home, divided it into two and ended up paying less than half of £60 for it. So, fellow antipodeans and anyone else thinking of spending some time in the United Kingdom - keep your parcels to no more than 2kg.

Anyway at 4am on the 18th of December I left my house, and, with immense amounts of luggage in tow, skidded over ice to the bus stop to catch the bus to Stansted. This was one of the most heartbreaking trips of my life. The bus went past old clubs and pubs I used to haunt with my friends, past Brick Lane, past my home, past the turn off to some of my friends, a life I now only have access to in memory.

The arrival at the airport was smooth enough. I was early, so had a cup of tea at the 24 hour Costas and began plotting ideas for my post. Then came time for check-in, then came a crazy wait at the boarding gate. At the time we were meant to take off Ryanair finally let us on board, but first (due to stingy hand luggage regulations) made me force my bag into a cage to check the measurements were right, this killed my poor little computer. And, naturally, once we were all in the plane, the attendants told us that Spain wouldn't let us take off for another two hours. Ugh, I tell you, this was not a pleasant experience.

In the end I wound up in Madrid safe and sound, only 2 hours late to meet my friend Jose, who I was staying with. Spain is wonderful, I can't believe I had spent so long without getting there. My biggest issue though was that I was sick, and the Spanish are fans of smoking and 2am is an early bedtime. Needless to say, my cough suffered, but large amounts of empanadas helped to fix this.

Some Spanish friends at a tapas bar in central Madrid.

Spain consisted of a lot of sightseeing, but in my favourite way, find a local, and have them take you wherever they like. This way you don't feel like too much of a tourist, you integrate better and you have your own personal translator. Highly recommended.

I arrived, sleep deprived but fulfilled in Toulouse (again, 2 hours late) on the 21st of December (greeted with beautiful yellow tulips and my boyfriend,  might I add). And since then, the cold has weakened and I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment in France. I feel fine about leaving London for the most part, maybe because I am still experiencing a wonderful European festive period, but every now and then, I see a photo of my old room, or my wonderful, wonderful, friends in London, and it does hurt. But in such a situation there is no point in trying to change the way your life is unfolding. Change is best when embraced, so, I guess I will.

Writing my own goodbye from my bedroom window.

So, that's where I am. I suppose from now, to prevent my posts from becoming too much like a diary, I will dwell on memories and continue my posts on London so I can give you as much information as possible. If you have any pressing questions, feel free to get in contact. I hope you had a pleasant Christmas and wish you all a Happy New Year.

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P.S: I would also like to add tihat the two boxes I had sent back to Australia by sea has so far cost me £170, and will most likely go up upon entry into the sunburnt country. I will keep you posted.