2005-11-11

International Relations Escalate.

So, looks like I am stuck.

Yep. Stuck. I'm never coming home. Just so all you guys know.

Remember how I said the Spainish rail system kinda sucked? Dude, I was so right.

Today I had planned to go to Granada, but did you know that to take a train to anywhere from Alicante, you must go four hours to Madrid, anyways? And THEN go to your destination? Dude, it would have taken me 8 hours by train.

So my other option was a bus. I missed the bus. It takes four hours itself. Crap! Crap, I tell you!

So I decided I might as well stay another night and head tomorrow to San Sebastian direct.

I went to the train station. I waited in line for 40 minutes. The direct train? Only runs on Sundays. Guess who is going to have to go to Madrid? Nikki.

So, long story not very short, I booked a train for Barcelona, and I'm just winging this next week. Seriously. I have no idea how to get to Rennes, no idea how to get to San Sebastian, and no idea where I want to go between there. Wish me luck, kids!

The funny part of all this is I'm not worried at all. Infact, I'm really relaxed and... enjoying it. Even in the rain! I busted out my rainjacket today and took it for a walk around town even. I think I'm getting the hang of all this.

In other news!

This is the important stuff, I tell you. So I forgot to write about the German Lady. I must, I must!

When I was in Valencia, I went through the security gates on my platform and came out the other side to have a woman ask me a question. She was old, like 80, and had a suitcase and an umbrella and her purse. She had been talking to the ticket guy, but obviously she couldn't understand him and was SUPER confused. She only speaks German and English and she needed help finding her platform and her car, seat, and the like.

Turns out this woman is 80 years old and decided to hop on a train from Germany and travel around Spain on her own. Dude, she is just hopping on trains every morning to whatever destination she feels like! Completely random! She was so great, I couldn't believe she was doing it. She's like 4 feet tall and just so full of life. She was my old german woman kindred spirit! Who would have thought!

And, also, I thought that by helping her somehow through karma osmosis, I have repayed and properly thanked the german woman who had a steady supply of gauze and glasses of water in Bute.

AND THEN!

Today, I ran out of Conditioner and really needed tissues, so on my raincoat adventure I stopped at a farmacia/Shoppers Drug Mart type place. I'm looking in the isle for shampoo and the like and one of the guys approaches me. I tell him that I don't speak Spanish, only English and Italian (it's gotten to the point where I can totally get by with Italian. Impressed?? I've even been studying!) and so he felt his way around the English language. He was BRILLIANT. If I wasn't so positive that he was gay, I would have asked him to travel with me for the rest of my trip as my own personal sidekick/goodlooking45yearoldmanmakeoutpartner.

We started talking, and, I'm not even joking, he said to me in a Spanish-lisp accent, 'Oh Girl, You Funny!' and flicked his wrist.

I LOVE HIM.

Secretly I was hoping that at night he underwent a radical transformation into a glorious drag queen. I watched a show about that, in spanish, last night. I hope he watched it last night, too, and if he isn't a drag queen, he found inspiration through Rafael, the Elaborate Spanish Drag Queen.

And then as I was leaving (having bought the conditioner and shampoo he suggested for my hair type...) he came over and snuck me free things, including hand cream, travel sized lip balms, and a whole bottle of l'oreal eye make up remover! I am so happy I needed conditioner, he, honestly, made my day.

So thats the story as of right now, I'm here, I'm loving gay Spanish people, my German reparations are complete and I'm stuck on the coast of Spain.

Life, my friends, is good. And, aside from the world's most plugged up sinuses today, I'm beginning to get some energy and feel better.

Mom, Dad, you would be so proud of me. Today I blew my nose and it sounded like a blow horn. I thought I was going to break blood vessles I blew so hard. PROUD?

By the way, I'm not even going to bother explaining that. Although, I have a feeling there will be comments on the little comment board and I will have to anyways. We'll wait until that time comes. Lovies!

love, nicole 1:19 p.m.

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