Adeus Lisboa!

So, its my last hour in Lisboa. In a short while I will be leaving back for home. I leave with mixed emotions; sad that my holiday has come to an end but also happy to go back home refreshed after a fantastic holiday.

This trip has been memorable one as I after a while I have traveled alone  and once again it was a fantastic experience. I've never felt as confident of independent travel as I did this time around. Indeed, there are many advantages of traveling alone which I will go through in  separate post.

This trip gave me an opportunity to revisit a country I love traveling to, meet old friends, make new ones as well as discover new places. I go back happy, confident and refreshed.

Where will I go to next? Stay tuned!

A strange occurrence

So yesterday I went to Fatima as a visit there was long overdue. I didn't go with much expectations as I heard the place was very commercial. However I'm glad I did go, as contrary to what I had heard, I had a lovely time there. It was was so peaceful!

Well, soon I was back at the bus station waiting for my bus and suddenly there were these 3 Indian men who came walking towards me. One of them was trying to say something but I ignored them. However, the guy then came up to me and said " Sir, sir! You are from Goa no? Portuguese Consulate no?" I looked at them shocked and  nodded my head not knowing what to say but finally I did say "yes". The guy then said "Sir, you attended to me at the consulate twice. I remember your face very well". I was so amused by now and started laughing. They introduced themselves and said they were from Daman and we there on holiday. The chat ended with them inviting me to visit Daman when I got back.

Now what are the odds of that?

Marky in Barcelona

I took an early morning flight from Madrid to Barcelona. Leaving Madrid wasn't easy and a couple of my new  flatmates were up early to say goodbye to me. A huge thank you to Jose and Carole and Carole's flatmates for making me feel so comfortable while I stayed in Madrid.

The flight to Barcelona wasn't long. It was hardly a one hour flight. I had already booked a three night stay at Kabul hostel, recommended by many of the travelers I had consulted online. Off the airport bus and a walk down the La Rambla, I was at Plaza Real, an old quarter in a charming  part of town. Kabul hostel was perfectly located. I checked into a 20 bedded dormitory and there were already signs that Barcelona was a place with a crazy nightlife. All around me, slumped on their beds were young travelers, who had definitely had a long night. It was 1:30pm and they were out cold.

Kabul hostel is a perfect Backpackers hostel with plenty of facilities, games, a bar, a lounge area with funky furniture and full of backpackers all with one mission, "party till you drop". Making friends was easy and fun. Nights out with these fun youngsters from all over the world was a great experience. The couple of nights that I did go out, were unforgettable. Barcelona has a buzzing nightlife, great pubs and clubs all over the place. A night out at Opium, one of Europe's most famous clubs was a highlight of my visit to Barcelona. I have to admit, I let the sightseeing take a back seat and rather spent my time making friends, have fun conversations and sampling a variety of foods.

Even though I didn't go sightseeing much, I did walk around town and the old quarters and honestly, Barcelona has the most breathtaking architecture I've seen till date. Owing to the sunny weather I was able to spend an afternoon at the beach which was absolutely packed with tourists. When on the streets of Barcelona, you hear so many different languages, see so much street art and musicians and fancy restaurants serving mouth watering food. This is truly a cosmopolitan town with a strong Catalan flavour to it.

I will miss Barcelona.