Portugal day 1-Porto-9 June 08

I have uploaded the photos. The contents have been edited here and there but why not just read through it again? Refresh your memory of this beautiful city....

I have decided on a new way to blog. Instead of blogging together with the pictures at one shot way after my trip, I've decided to blog as I go along. My first stop for my 21-day trip is Madrid thus the first post should have been about Madrid. However, I haven't been able to get internet connection for FREE until I arrive in Porto, Portugal.

Trust me people, Portugal is BEAUTIFUL!! I thought I remember reading somewhere that Portugal has the lowest capita per income in Europe ahead of Greece but I wasn't sure. My mentality was that, 'How can it be Portugal?' Now that I am here, I can understand.

Porto Airport Runway.Hangar

Of course, Porto is not the capital of Portugal so I can't really use it as a benchmark for comparison with Greece. Wait till I get to Lisbon tomorrow and we will come to a conclusion. Anyway, though the region is not rich, the people are amazing!

Let's talk about what has been going on for the past 12 hours of my time in Porto. When I arrived at the airport, I was simply amazed! The airport is small but of first-class standard, not anywhere lousier than Singapore's Changi Airport. I took the metro to the city and I met this Parisan guy at the Metro Station. Perhaps it's due to my experience of traveling alone for the past 2 cities, Athens & Madrid, I have kind of gotten used to it and actually started to appreciate traveling by myself. The guy didn't arrange for any accommodation in Porto yet so he needed a bed somewhere. Thus, he followed me to the hostel where I'd already booked beforehand to try his luck. Along the journey, he helped me with the directions and he suggested that we can have lunch after we leave our luggage at the hostels.

Lovely Portuguese Boys at the airport :)

I wasn't that willing to travel together with him, not because i think he has some ulterior motive or whatsoever but I kind of have everything planned out and I wasn't sure if he like it. The thing about traveling alone is you are flexible and have lots of freedom. But I still let him come along with me. (That sounds so weird but I can't find a better way to describe it.) Unfortunately, there wasn't any bed available at the hostel so he had to find accommodation elsewhere instead. So we parted ways but I still gave him my number and email so if he wants, he can just call me and we can have lunch. :)

Back to my own schedule. I checked into the hostel, prepare my stuff and set off to get my bus tickets to Lisbon. Apparently, train should have been the easier way out but apparently, there's a strike going on so the frequency isn't that good. :( That's the thing about Europe. There's always some kind of strike somewhere.

Mr Postman! So Creative! :)

Aliados Square with the City Hall in the faraway background-the DAY

The NIGHT..
I just like the way the building is decorated by the flags. The Portuguese are honestly very Patriotic people. It is their national day the day after actually. :)

One of the many churches in Portugal.. haha...

Porto is built on a highland I must say. I had a difficult time locating the bus company and had to seek help a few times. First, it's due to the poor map that I had with me. It was bad, really bad. Most small roads are not named on the map and to make things worst, there are lots of small roads and alleys in Porto!! Second, I was damn ass hungry and my mind was malfunctioning. I couldn't navigate well. Still, I found it and got my bus tickets to Lisbon.

After settling for the bus tickets, time to get food! I tried looking for the restaurant that was recommended by Lonely Planet but goodness, I actually walked one big round to find myself back at the same spot!! WTH? I gave up and decided to do the walking tour and grab myself anything I find along the streets.

Paranomic view I caught sight of randomly while I was lost...

Kids cycling uphill! Trust me! It's extremely steep and tedious but they are good honestly! :)

That's how the most embarrassing thing happened to me. I went into this pastry shop that sells the FAMOUS PORTUGUESE EGGTART and ordered one of it and another pastry which I can't name it. Satisfied with what I ordered, I went to the cashier. The bill was 1,40 EUR and GOSH, I didn't have enough! I only had 1,23 EUR with me after paying for the bus tickets and I totally forget about it. The boss was nice enough to just sell the pastries to me at 1,20 EUR instead. Damn, it was damn embarrassing. But this only shows one thing, Portuguese are nice people. :)

For the next 20 minutes, I couldn't buy anything that I fancied on the walking route because I was PENNILESS! Now, I have given a new definition for bankrupt once again. The first time was when I was in Copenhagen and I'd gone -ve. Ended up, Kim borrowed me some Danish Kroners. Now, with only Qingli.Ginnelle.Me & Myself, there wasn't anyone around to lend me some EUROS so the new definition of being bankrupt will mean 'Having the shop-owner giving you a discount because he realise you didn't have enough to pay.' *Applaud myself.*

Clerigos Tower and the Church.. In the DAY!

Clerigo tower from the other direction.

At nightfall....

After filling my stomach and getting cash from the machine, *POM* off I went to explore the city. The thing about Spain, Portugal is that people can't speak English that fluently. Madrid is slightly better since it's a capital city so most people can still understand you or speak very basic English but not for Porto definitely! Most of the time, i was like some idiot asking someone to take a photo for me and 90% of the time, they think I want a photo of them and they refuse me. :( Even asking for directions is a chore. They will answer me in Portuguese and I will stare blankly at the map about what they are talking about.

Anyway, I just racky everything on my own and take whatever comes along. i still managed to get really good views, the Riberia district, the City Hall (Municipal), the Sao Bento train station, Torre de Clerigos, the Ponte de Dom Luis Bridge, Palacio da Bolsa, the Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto wine tasting, Euro 08 football match, the elevator etc.

Sao Bento Interior walls..

Sao Bento At Night - Exterior

Along the way, there were lots of jokes that came along and I shall tell you one by one.. The first was when I was sitting outside the Palacio da Bolsa on a patch of grass. The moment I sat down, MILLIONS of ANTS climbed all over me! Gosh, I'd to jump all around trying to get rid of those ants. Even though I think I most probably killed half of them by my JUMPING ALL ABOUT, I just keep thinking some of the are still lingering underneath my shirt. Shucks!

Where I was fed to those BIG RED ANTS!

Comments about the guys. HEY PEOPLE, PORTUGUESE GUYS ARE DAMN CUTE! The young teenagers look really suave and smart and the older ones are what I call charismatic. :) They have eyes that are set deep and probably 70% of them have dimples! The only thing is, they can't speak English! I passed by this grocery stall and there were this 4 boys sitting outside playing around with a football. One of them is damn cute and we just kept staring at each other. But we couldn't make out any conversation. :(

Random Cute School KIDS...

Riberia District. I like this quite a bit. Douro River separating Riberia and Vila Nova de Gaia.

Any other comments? Yes, the streets are not that clean but the people are really friendly!! Whenever I asked for directions, though people can't speak English, they were extremely helpful and one butcher assistant I'd call him, to an extent, actually bring me right to where I wanted to go since it was just 5 minutes away from where his workplace. However, note this: *They are really bad with Cameras.* Most of them didn't know how to use the camera and there was this lady whom I approached to take a photo for me actually made me taught her how to use it. The situation was like this. She tried to take a photo for me but after at least 4 tries, she still didn't manage to get a photo. So I'd to demonstrate to her and after another 2 tries,she finally got it and she started to say 'thank you' instead to me? hahahaha...

Vila Nova de Gaia in the opposite bank..

Even boats have flags?

A series on the Ponte de Dom Luis Bridge. Apparently, this guy is a student of Gustav Eiffel if I remember it correctly. That explains the resemblance of the bridge to the Eiffel...



There's actually a story behind the 4 photos that will follow.. There was this bunch of kids on the Ponte de Dom Luis Bridge. I think they have just learnt how to swim and were actually practising diving into the water. So all of them took turns to jump into the river but there was this boy who was reluctant and fearful of jumping. Haha.. He took a long while to pluck up his courage to do the dive. People were crowding around, staring at him, cheering him on etc. Sometimes when I look at their way of life, I ponder upon myself. I realise I am a much more risk adverse person compared to those Europeans. Almost every single European friend are risk-takers. They are always there to try new stuff and take on new challenges. At least what that little boy did is something I will never ever dare to try. haha..

See them on the Bridge? I know it's small. Maybe you can double click to magnify it. haha.

When he was left stranded on the bridge alone since all his friends had jumped.

That deciding moment when he decided to take the leap.

In the waters successfully.

Wine tasting was excellent. :) The guy thought I was Japanese (what's new?) and started to speak some Japanese like 'Konichiwa' and 'Arigato' so I told him I was Chinese and he heard it wrongly. He thought I said Japanese and he was so proud that he made a correct guess. I decided to just let things stay as it is so I didn't bother to clarify. hahaha..

Where wine tasting takes place.... :)

The difference in colour is the result of the number of years of brewing...

I wish I can bring all these barrels of wine back to Singapore. It'd be lovely. We can have a wine party everyday!! hahaha

Around evening, I wanted to go the dinner at one of the eateries Lonely Planet recommended as usual and when I got there, guess what? The restaurant had CLOSED DOWN already!! WTH? So instead, I went next door where there was football and food and stayed there for 3 hours, watching the last 20 mins of the game between France & Romania and the Italy game. Gosh, Italy played really badly...

Come to think about it, I've watched soccer matches in quite a few different languages already. Swedish, Espanyol, Portuguese, some day it will be in FRENCH!! hilarious.. I badly miss my friends in Stockholm & Singapore who watch football with me. While I was there, no one understood my comments and I didn't understand their comments either. All I can say is they are passionate about the game. :)

No Photoshop! Raw photo from my Exilim Camera. At the bank of Vila Nova de Gaia looking across to Riberia District. I'd crossed the bridge. :)

I love this photo in particular. Simply Amazing!! :)

Last but not least, safety in Portugal. Trust me, it's not that dangerous. I was hanging around the streets at around 10.20p.m till 11.00p.m and everything was perfectly fine. :) As long as you don't do some stunts, you should be fine! I arrive at the square near my hostel and there were lots of people gathering there, adults singing and dancing and kids playing football.... :) Some of them are really good!! I am impressed.. Tired as I was, headed back to the hostel and that's how I ended up blogging. I shall update the photos soon some other day after I am done with my trip and back to Singapore?

The military building right at the top of the hill. You can only get there if you have a car. Otherwise, get a taxi. :)

Clerigos from afar! Spooky yet lovely.. :)

Riberia from across... :)

At the bottom of the bridge...

To Iatfai: THAT'S HOW BEAUTIFUL "YOUR MOTHERLAND". You must VISIT some day!!!

Looking forward to Lisbon! :)

The lift up to the top. :)


At night, on my way back to the hostel, I pass by this square behind the Clerigo Tower. It is akin to our padang where people gather for major events. I see families gathering there, Dads and Moms dancing, practising their traditional folk dance in preparation for their Summer Festival which is round the corner. While their parents are busy dancing, the boys are busy dancing and the daughters are busy gossiping and dating. I couldn't take much photos because those kids didn't want to pose and in fact, they were not too receptive about having their photos taken.

What I observe was that these kids are really lovely. I was an alien to them because I was yellow skin.I spoke English.I had a camera on my hands.etc. But they still smiled at me, and the smiles and laughter they shared with me was something that will be engraved in my memory forever... Sometimes I can't help but wonder why is it that Singapore does not have such a culture. If life entails what you see in the videos that follow, would that be consider happiness in a ordinary way?

Madrid Day 2-8th June 2008

I managed to tune myself to wake up early at 8.30 a.m for breakfast and headed out to explore the city. The first item on my itinerary is the Sunday FLEA market. It is one of my favourite places in Madrid honestly. What else but shopping for GIRLS right? There were all sorts of items on sale from shawls, bags, clothes etc

Plaza mayor on the way...

My Summer outfit @ Plaza Mayor

Where all the artists gather... @ Plaza mayor

The Flea Market...

People are friendly, smiling and saying “Hola” to you whenever you pass by. However, the weather wasn’t that friendly. It started to get gloomy and I was so afraid that the tears of the sky would start flowing… Initially I was in my t-shirt and shorts but after I finished the flea market, I headed back to the hostel to change into jeans and coat… What an irony.. Wearing the same outfit that I had on during winter when Summer is knocking on the door… ? hahahaha.. Anyway, back to the flea market… It was huge and I actually spent about 2 hours whizzing my way through the crowd… Have you ever heard the song by Jolin Tsai “马德里不思议”? If you remember the scene where she skipped past the flea market lined up with blooming flowers, road-side stalls etc, YES that’s the one! It’s AWESOME!

Music by the streets...


More Music..
Nice Hooks on sale.... Compared to those S-Hooks sold in Singapore! :(

After changing into my “winter-outfit”, I headed to the MADRID PALACE! I guess my luck is just taking a toll on me… My hostel is just a 10-minute walk from the Madrid Palace and when I was halfway through, there was the SUN… OUT AND BRIGHT! However, it was still a bit windy so my scarf and coat was put to good use… I love the well-decorated gardens just outside the Palace. There were people sitting around, just relaxing, admiring the sceneries etc…

The Beautiful Flowers....

I hesitated as to whether I should enter the Palace but eventually, I still went in. I wanted to take a good look of it inside. ‘Regret’ is not the word I’d use to describe my post-visit state of emotion..Instead, I would think DISAPPOINTMENT fits better. It is just like any other Palaces that I've visited but the only thing that sets it apart is its white walls which made it looked astonishing..

The only picture of the interior of the Madrid Palace

Knight outfits for CHILDREN

Unlike in my past travels, I practically skipped all museums because they are time-consuming and I don't get much out of them when I don't understand their language. No Prado Museum for me. :) Instead, I headed to the world's 2nd richest soccer club's homeground, the SANTIAGO BERNABEU - Home to Real Madrid FC. It's not as well-furnished as Old Trafford or Emirates Stadium, I'd say it's the equivalent of Stamford Bridge on a larger scale. I was hesitant about paying to go inside the stadium so I just took a walk outside the Stadium and visited the mega store. Football clubs in UK have their Mega Store catered to only their own merchandises but that's not the case with Spain. For e.g. Real Madrid is sponsored by Adidas so you can actually find other merchandise of FC sponsored by Adidas like Spain National Team, Chelsea FC, Liverpool FC etc. It's so hilarious. Who would go to Real Madrid and buy a Chelsea jersey?!?! Likewise, it was the same case when I went to Barcelona FC @ Camp Nou. They had Arsenal and ManU jerseys and some other merchandises on sale.

Metro Stop attributed to the Stadium..

Only Raul has the privilege of having his name printed on a ball.... WHY?! Prince of Madrid..

Beckham used to be on the poster I bet. :)

Think back to the time when Barcelona played ManU during the Champions League Semi-finals and ManU fans going over to Barcelona's Mega Store to buy ManU products?!

After the visit, I got a bit tired and decide to head to my next destination-La Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas del Espíritu Santo.



You must be wondering where on earth is this place?! Well, it's where BULLFIGHTING takes place!! Before I tell you more about Bullfighting, let your imagination run at this moment and give yourself a picture and idea of what you think bullfighting is about? I can tell you I had one of the biggest shock of my life when I catch my virgin bullfight show in Madrid.

The bullfighting ground...

Basically, what happened was that a really handsome young Spanish guy walked past me at the moment when I was preparing to take this shot. That explains this Candid shot. :)

Now we shall begin~~Bullfighting is as popular as Soccer in Spain. Large crowds gather to watch the game and each game lasts about 2 hours or so. However, there's a winning probability of 0.5 for each team in a soccer game whereas in a bullfight, the BULL never WINS. It always loses and ends up DEAD. It's extremely Cruel!

I didn't know the rules of the game at all and this Spanish lady who sat beside me was actually very nice and started to explain to me how Bullfighting works. There's are 3 steps that lead to the death of the poor BULL...

Before the cruelty begins....

First, they will attempt to arouse the bull with a pink cloth to test the bull's courage, strength and general ability to fight. The crowd and president serve as the judge. Waving a white cloth indicates that they recognise the bull's fighting ability while a green ones signals the replacement of the bull. The Picadores, fighters on horseback will come next to challenge the bull and stab its neck. The whole idea is to weaken the bull's neck muscles to weaken his fighting ability. The second challengers, the Banderilleros will have to stab brightly coloured barbed sticks into the bull's back and there are 3 sets of those sticks. By then, the bull will be bleeding quite a bit and it gets more aggressive somehow.

The final challenger is named as the Matadore in English but I remember vividly, the lady naming it the Toledo (most probably the Spanish coined term). He's the one that ends the bull's time on earth with a Knife. He waves the red cape (cloth) and has to make the bull pass his body as close as possible. The manner and fashion going about it is 4 turns in one direction and the 5th turn in the opposite. Occasionally, the bull doesn't die with one stab by the Toledo. Then, the other bullfighters will come in and stab the bull till he drops to the ground and lowers its head. How cruel that can be right?!

Each bullfighting session witnesses the death of at least 6 bulls. What can be done to stop this form of animal abuse? Bullfighting is their culture. Is the preservation of human's culture more important or is it the protection of the animals that should come first? I heard from some locals that in Portugal where bullfighting is also a form of entertainment, the bulls do not die. Maybe that is a better balance between preservation of culture and the humane treatment of animals? I do not know. What about you?! What do you think?!

By the time the show ended, I was a bit exhausted but I headed for some local snacks and more shopping on the night streets of Madrid... Not to forget, headed to HRC for some merchandise stocking once again. Come to my place and you'll see what I've collected from HRC.Beautiful shot-glasses and shirts. I should have bought more shot-glasses!! hahaha.....

Puerta del Sol @ night...