GASTRONOMIC HALLUCINATIONS. It´s midnight. Just finished up my dinner, which was hearty and plenty. Here food is good. Even going to buy the food is always an experience. Even in supermarkets you find things you´ve never. Well, maybe it wouldn´t be an experience for all. It´s hard to believe but there are people who are not interested in food. They just eat it. Well I just went to El Corte Ingles (equivalent to Stockmann in Finland) food department. It was a long journey. I walk there and look things laughing and talking to myself every now and then. Especially the meat section was really interesting. Of birds you see usually only chicken but here that´s not the case. There is duck whole, breast, legs (I myself took one of those cuties:) and small or big greasy livers. and some smaller birds i didn´t even recognize. Also pieces of rabbit are nicely packed in plastic. For more experiencing people there are for example lamb brains - whuu, it was hard to resist! Just imagine, steamed lamb brains with fresh salad and a glass of wine. Or whatta heck, what would be a better way to start a day than lamb brains fried with eggs and onions and put on the toast softened with melting butter. Accompanied with fresh orange juice! Or for those into sports, just put two eggs, one raw lamb brain, banana and milk to your blender, give it a few good rounds (less if you like it crounchy, more if you prefer smooth). And voulá, what you have there is a healthy and tasty breakfast! Rich in proteins, just like you sport addicts want it.

TO WICKED WONDERLAND. at wednesday night i decided to go to railway station to check if there are vacancy in a night train to barcelona. With the necessities in a small backpack I headed to station, late as always. Luckily (or not) there were no waiting with metros and i got to the station 10 minutes before train would depart. And there were free places. So I thought a half minute and decided to go! Soon I found myself in a crowded old train moving slowly but without hesitation towards my old hometown. Old trains are always an experience! at least when you sleep in a 4 square meter room with 5 other persons. There are some things you just can´t do without a little help of alcohol. So, I went for bar and bought a small bottle of wine. Sipping the wine and looking how the image in the window turned from night time city view to reflection of a boy sitting still and drinking wine. When the bottle was empty, I felt i could sleep anywhere. Just the effect i was looking for!

In the cabin I started to chat with a spanish guy who turned out to be a dj in some clubs in madrid. Detailed and very interesting description of Madrid lightlife followed. In the morning I woke up when conductor came to tell that we would soon arrive to barcelona. I went to hang around in the toilet. You know. Getting fresh and charging the mobile and other things you do in train bathroom. It´s very underestimated place.

Okay, let´s move to some more interesting things... yeah, soon I was in those old metro cabins listening catalan announcements concerning the properties of next stop. Proxim estació! (woman´s voice), Plaza Catalunya (man voice renouncing the important fact), currespondencia con linea cinc (Hahaa, give me a break!). And a bit later i found myself wondering in La Rambla, the main avenue of the city! It was around eight o clock and still free of big turist masses that time. Such a beautiful moment! Headed to Boqueria to buy fresh bread, ham and quality spanish cheese and some fruits. In the bench of a nearby public garden hidden inside the big walls and small gates, i enjoyed my big handmade sandwich. After the breakfast I followed the example of others and layed down in the bench for a small nap. Well, I think for those others it wasn´t just a nice nap but more like everyday routine, if you know what i mean. All was perfect until those BCNeta bastards came terrorizing the peace with the cleaning car and shooting water everywhere! It's imposible not to meet those pricks if you visit the city! I bet BCNeta is the biggest employer of the whole fuckin city!

Yeah what! I visited some old institutions of mines and met some old friends! Tiny bar Trece near plaza real seemed to miss something. The drinks weren´t like they were before and the prices had gone up. Friendly oasis in a narrow old street, Cafe Bliss, was great as always! Always so delicicous and temptating cakes and quiches are hard to resist when seen behing the glass. My old classic, Pai Mu Tan white tee was still there and delicate and perfect as it was those first times I got to know this finest of tees in this very place. Lazy music and comfortable armchairs. Perfect escape from hectic city life. Many of my favourites were closed for august but at least Pla Dels Angels next to MACBA was open for great diner with friends. Duck confit is a secure tongue taker (finnish saying...) always! And it´s not expensive. Bar Marsella was also open. Absinth is still the speciality. I thought my body had already forgotten my last winter crazy absinth session, but I was wrong.. I just couldn´t drink it all. Some scars won´t go away.

LOS AMIGOS. Friends having it easy surrounded by mexican psychedelia in one bar last Friday.

REWIND. Rewind. What happened before these peaceful days hangin out in Lavapies, eating ice-cream and listening to sweet and lazy brazilian music? The man disappeared without traces from his hometown up North. Here´s what happened.

It was early morning when I woke up at my dear friends house and headed to airport. Of course on that particular day all the computers in the check-ins were down. And result was some terrifying long queues. Flight was late. And I had to change in Norway. There was some 30 minutes time before the flight would leave to Madrid when we landed. I ran. And I made it!
Unfortunately my luggage didn´t.

But, whatta heck!
I got to Madrid! Thought it would be 40 degrees or something. But to my surprise the weather was on some days last week even colder than in Finland! I didn´t mind. So, I headed right to the hostel MuchoMadrid where I had reservated a bed via internet. It was okay although pricey for. And awful loud! Even for me it was hard to sleep when below is one of the biggest streets of Madrid. My Taiwanese roommates didn´t seem to mind...

It was good that the next night was full and I went for Los Amigos hostel ( www.losamigoshostel.com ). It was really nice place with friendly staff. In my room there were 4 French lads. I had beer in my hand before I noticed anything. And after a while we were heading for Tupperware, a nice bar in Malasaña barrio. Rock n Roll! I remember these guys with warm feelings!

There were also other nice persons in the hostel. Marta and Susana from Lisboa and Adriana from Buenos Aires. Wonderful girls! So, with this great group we howered bars at night, and of course I was walking around and checking out some rooms on rent at daytime. During one of my long walks through the city I found a small chinese restaurant. It didn´t seem any special at all, but the long menu seemed interesting and different from all the semi-chinese-restaurants. I went in and ate well! And from that day on, I was there everyday. Delicious big noodlesoup costs 3 euros. Fried noodles 3,5 euros. Fantastic! The place is just around the corner from Gran via, near Plaza Callao, behind McDonalds (for those who are in madrid). Have to pay a visit there tomorrow so that they don´t think I´ve gone away :)

And finally, I released the stress and decided to rent a room from Malasaña hoods. But since it was free from the start of September, I didn´t know where to stay 2 weeks. But luckily, I found straight away this place to stay in those 2 weeks.

So, that´s about it till this point.

PHOTOS. Streets of Lavapies, Madrid

HERE I AM. typing the machine. My house mate is making herself a dinner and I can hear the tv shouting some, propably, more than stupid news or other things that´s no use for you to hear. But you listen to it anyway. Thats the way it is. But I like this place. It´s a nice apartment, big rooms with high ceilings, all stone. Old windows, with shaped black iron barriers there to keep out those punks going on the streets and wanting to steal my powerbook lying on the table just under the window. So near, but still so far. Hahaha. No, no no, just making it a bit more dramatic. Actually there are lovely kids of all colours playing a ball on the street just outside. When I look out of window, minding you that it´s a street level apartment, they stop for a while and look at the white boy in an open window and after a while one of them says - Hola. Can´t do nothing but smile and say likewise. They are so cute... Until they draw out those 9mm semi-automatics.

This is Lavapies, most multicultural of the barrios of Madrid. Nice place what i´ve seen in a couple of days. People are hanging out on those narrow streets and pleasant plazas, taking a cup of coffee or like me, eating a homemade italian ice-cream. Fuck, it´s just the best ice-cream I´ve ever eaten! What can i do? Nothing less than eat it at least two times a day, I tell you.

Up there you have some photos I took earlier this evening as walking around this barrio. Feel free to comment! But if you say something negative, I´m happy to anounce that Blogger nowadays host a service that shows the ip-adresses of people who write comments, so I will talk to the big brothers of those lovely kids playing outside and they will make a nighttime visit at your home. :D