Mom: That’s not the traditional way to make it.

Sina: Yah but it tastes better.

 
 
Alternate Title: “My approach to life in just 5 words”

This post is for my own future reference.
 

Sina: If I get one of those plastic trombones, can you promise we’ll jam together?

George: Ummmm, yes.

Sina: Let’s do it.

I started my trip in Barcelona, so I decided I should end here with a quick stop as a gesture of completing the loop.

· I spent 8 days here in May, so coming back felt a lot like coming home.

· The couple I stayed with were great. One is a musician, so I went to listen at a bar. It was wonderful.

· I didn’t go inside the Sagrada Familia last time, but I did this time — and wow, I was blown away. I’ve seen a lot of churches on this trip and this one was easily the best — I’m glad it was the last.

· I spent my one full day quickly re-visiting all the places I had already been to — my favourite buildings, monuments, cafes.

· Including making sure that I dipped my feet into the Mediterranean one last time.

· Looking out onto the sea, it was fun to imagine that in each direction across the water was a place I had visited.

· The last moments of my last night were spent at the Magic Fountain, staring over Barcelona and contemplating the universe, just like so many nights back in May.

· It was all a great way to end the trip.

 
Thank you for sharing my trip with me. It is time to go home.

Valencia is a very liveable city. Clean, little traffic and there are bike paths everywhere. The city-centre is surrounded by a strip of park that is filled with paths, fields, playgrounds, fountains, etc. It’s just a great place to live.

Of course, the paella is very good. I also took my last swim in the Mediterranean.

There is not much to see in Madrid, which I enjoyed. I spent most of my time sitting in cafes, drinking coffee/beer, reading, eating tapas, and writing postcards.

· Lisbon is everything you would expect from a once-wealthy powerful port city. All the monuments somehow incorporate the ocean.

· I was surprised at how diverse the city is. I have never seen so many inter-racial families, both young and old.

· Portuguese is interesting. When you see it written, it looks like Spanish. But when you hear it spoken, it mostly sounds like Russian/east European, sometimes French and occasionally Spanish. But it shouldn’t be! It is a Latin derivative just like Spanish, French, Italian. I can’t get my head around it.

· One thing I’ve learned is that certain places are much more interesting from afar than exploring them directly on site, which can be rather boring — an example are 19th century palaces.

Ishy Tutty found my cache, logged her visit and, noticing the word horcrux in the cache name, asked (question emphasized):

Ishy Tutty — August 15, 2013

As I neared the immediate vicinity I turned on my GPS only to realize I did not have the co-ords, but I thought, I’m a smart girl (but not smart enough to download the waypoint) I can find this based on what I read on-line, and I did not disappoint. But my task was not made easy, as I neared my intended target 3 other people with the same intention began racing me from the other direction, luckily I was one step ahead. I brought my lunch with me and blended in with the crowd and no-one was any wiser.

Just curious, is your soul linked to this tree?

My public response:

ssiinnaa — August 15, 2013

Yes, my soul *is* linked to the tree via fading memories, forgotten love and what could have been.

I view the cache as a modern love letter.

A love letter, Sina-stylez.