Shrine Watch: Lisbon

 

Santiago take note- it's made out of cardboard and tinsel and it's still 3000000x better than yours.

Claire's reviews of things that are cultural take 2

Lisbon graffiti tour: 6/10

Street art is a huge deal here in Lisbon, so I decided to go on the street art/graffiti tour before I head to Madrid (this Saturday!). Obviously the street art was good, but there is ALWAYS some moron on a tour that will not stop asking questions about EVERY THING. GOOGLE IT AFTERWARDS AND PUT US OUT OF OUR MISERY. So that dropped 3 points. The other -1 point is for when the tour guide told me Dumbledore is a famous capitalist figure in Lisbon (see graffiti below). I don't think she realises she is in the 0.1% of the world who knows nothing about Harry Potter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bom dia from Lisboa!

Hola!

I've been avoiding posting an entry as my camera has decided to go travelling without me and now I cannot take the lazy option and just caption pictures.  Luckily one is on it's way to me courtesy of my Mum (BIG LOVE) so soon I can return to lazy blogging!

I safely reached Lisbon last week, after a 10 hour bus journey- mainly because the driver stopped every hour for a ridiculously long break and siesta. I just can't think why Spain's economy is in crisis.

Lisbon is a really cool and chilled out city, but I'm really missing my hostel in Santiago, the rest of the staff and all of the amazing people I met (shout out to all my wws!).

Santiago hostel crew plus honorary member Reed & Kevin looking a bit unwell.

 

 

After reading other traveller's blogs, who have taken a really intellectual,  philosophical approach and written vast paragraphs about how places have come across to them etc.  I've decided I'll start doing the same. Here is a quote from Jean Paul Satre on existentialism...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JOKES. Here are some photos that I've stolen off of other people to illustrate the past month in Spain.

 

 

We took a day trip to the nearest beach, A Coruna, which as you can see was freezing. Somehow we managed to get lost on the ten minute walk from the bus stop to the seafront so were only able to spend about 15 minutes on the beach.

A high light of getting lost was stumbling across this mental window display..

 

je ne sais pas?!

Carlton from the Fresh Prince found a new day job 

Our journey to the beach was so long we were forced to stop for a Sangria break

 

We got lost on the way back too but there are no exciting images from that.

 

A few days later we held a Eurovision song contest party! The boys got a bit too into it...

 

And finally, I gave up my quest to learn Spanish as nothing makes any sense to me

It's not looking great

So that was some of the highlights of Santiago. I will put up an update on Lisbon tomorrow morning for you all to enjoy, including my new added feature 'Shrine Watch'

Ciao amigos xxx

 

 

Actualizar el número 4

Good morning!

First off, muchas gracias for all my blog views! I was about to give a shout out to my followers in Spain but then I realised it's just BlogSpot counting me viewing my own blog. So sad.

Anyway this week so far..


I had a sad start to my week as Georgie, another hostel worker and fellow lover of Sangria has left to continue her travels, she has also taken the nice weather with her (thanks Georgie...). At the same time our snow eating French Canadian friends left and then the rest of the hostel workers! Luckily I wasn't alone for too long as two new hostel workers have arrived.

Isaac passed his initiation ceremony

 

 

I have been forced to give up my diet of chocolate fondue and quesadillas as our new hostel worker, Ozlem has filled our fridge with salad and now I feel woefully inadequate.



nooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 

There is not too much to update you all on as I haven't had much spare time this week because I've been showing the newbies how to do their jobs, so unfortunately there will be no 'Claire's reviews of things that are cultural' in this post, however, I can enlighten you with a statue of Santiago's answer to Gandhi...

Meet Gandhi, the white supremacist

 

I realise in my last update I mentioned  a post on the funfair we were going to but for some reason we didn't end up there on Sunday night so no funfair update for you!

 

And finally, I've added a cheeky month in Lisbon to my trip, I'll be heading there on June the 1st- hopefully the weather won't be so absolutely mental as it is here!

 

Adios xxxxxxx

 

The past few days, lost to Sangria and Cava

I will illustrate my past few days in pictures because I'm being lazy.

Lunch Spanish style

 

Washing down the lunch

 

We went to a Spanish Spring festival yesterday, this was a park on the walk there. The festival consisted of handmade stalls, music, and of course

 

 

 

Sangria!

We're going to the local funfair tonight so there will be an update on that in a couple of days. Missing you all! X









Buenos días

Hello! So updating my blog has not gone as well as I had originally intended but it's Spain! Why do it today when you can do it tomorrow!|

I will begin with my new blog feature 'Claire's reviews of things that are cultural'. Enjoy this because it may never happen again.

Review one : The cathedral

Now I was excited for this cathedral, as you all know I love a good shrine, and this place had so much potential for kitschness. However, kitsch this was not. For this reason I will give it 4/10. To illustrate my point I will do a shrine comparison..


Tasteful but colourful

Mexico knows how to do a shrine

Jesus would approve 

And Santiago's shrine..
 

CALL THIS A SHRINE?!!

I eventually overcame the disappointment and hope there are better cultural times ahead.



HOLA

Wales?

So I have arrived safely in Santiago De Compostela, looking, post flight, like a cross between a bacon frazzle and Monica from Friends in the humidity episode. As you can see from the photo it's lovely and sunny...
Intelligently I have learnt how to ask for directions in Spanish but did not follow through with learning how to actually understand directions, so spent a good hour wandering around lost with Spanish people shouting which way to go at me and gesticulating a lot.
On the plus side the hostel is lovely and I have spent my afternoon drinking tea and napping. I will update you all soon xxx