I ? Spain

Wednesday 4th May, 2011

Our wake up called failed to wake up us (Thanks Mr Lim) but we also set up our mobile phone alarms so it was all good. We got up at 5.30am and started getting our things ready for today we are flying to Madrid!!!

Our limousine taxi was already waiting for us by the time we went downstairs and as we said goodbye to our hotel for a week, we got into the passengers seats and snuggled in for the 40 minutes drive to Gimhae Airport.

The drive was a smooth one and the taxi driver was really nice and more importantly- a good driver. No constant breaking. We check in, past customs and went to the JAL Business Lounge to get some breakfast and wait for our flight to board.

Entertaining myself at the JAL Business Lounge lol

Entertaining myself at the JAL Business Lounge lol

Our first stop was for a two hour transit in Narita Airport, Japan. I am a big fan of this airport. It has all the lovely shops a girl could love- Tiffany & Co, Burberry, The perfume and makeup stands and they have cute little Japanese designer stores too. I also rate the Business Class Lounge. I absolutely love it. It has everything. A great view of the planes, great food/snacks and a variety of drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. They also have a massage and shower area where you can get free 10 minutes massages or use their massage chairs. If you haven't noticed, I love massages. I figured I'd try the chairs out on this visit and next time I'll go for the 10 minutes massages. Just as I was getting into a relaxed zone, Daniel had found me and told me we had to go to the gate. So as I (unfortunately) pressed the stop button, I grabbed my bags and raced Daniel to the gate. We were off to Spain!!!

The flight path was one I'd never gone on before. From Tokyo, we would fly over the Stanovoy Mountains in Russia. It was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. The snow cover mountains and icy terrain gave you a feeling of such isolation and it was so hard to look away. It was truly breathtaking. I know the photo qaulity wouldn't be the best, but I couldn't help but being an ultra tourist and take afew photos on my iphone.
Stanovoy Mountain Range

Stanovoy Mountain Range

Stanovoy Mountains Russia- so beautiful

Stanovoy Mountains Russia- so beautiful

We arrived in Frankfurt, Germany in just over 11.5 hours. The flight was pretty good as we both managed to get some snooze time. We would only be in Frankfurt for around an hour before boarding our 2 hour flight to Madrid, Spain. I was so excited as we were almost there. It was also my first time in Europe and it was such a nice change being surrounded by different languages (other than the asian variety) and food and...culture and..... EVERYTHING!!!
Daniel taking a snooze

Daniel taking a snooze

My plane lunch

My plane lunch

All snuggled up and eating my meal

All snuggled up and eating my meal

The Business Lounge in the Frankfurt International Airport, wasn't anything too exciting. It was small and just some snack food, so I just killed some time checking my facebook and emails. The time went really quick and soon enough, our flight was boarding to our final destination- Madrid. I pinched Daniel a few times as we sat on the plane. I was having one of those 'is this really happening' moments :)
The view of Frankfurt, Germany from the plane

The view of Frankfurt, Germany from the plane

We landing in Madrid at 10.06pm the same day. It was late and we've spent the whole day travelling. It had really taken it out of us and all we wanted to do was go to our hotel, shower and sleep. I rang our hotel in Madrid- Suite 33 to let them know we've just arrived and would soon be there. They were very nice and confirmed that they would be waiting for us and have everything ready for us for when we arrive. We choose to stay at Suite 33 because we read great reviews about it on Traveladvisor. com. It is centrally located in Leganitos, Madrid and is in close proximity to all the main sights- Gran Via, Plaza De España and Plaza Del Sol, just to name afew. It also has many tapas bars, cafes and restaurants and other entertainment within walking distance.

Suite 33 turned out to be quite a nice boutique style hotel, and our room was very generous in size. We had a kitchenette, although it has no toaster, kettle or cutlery???? lol. But this would be perfect for our stay in Madrid. After a quick shower and change, we headed out at around midnight to find somewhere to eat. The reception staff at the hotel suggested we take a walk to La Plaza Del Sol, where we would find many cafes, especially since we were only looking for something small to eat. As always, we went off track and found a little Cuban Bar Restaurant called 'Cuando sali de Cuba' which means, when I left Cuba, situated in a small lane way and went inside to check it out. We sat by the bar and ordered a couple of beers and two Cuban sandwiches. The food was great and just what we needed before we retreated back to our room for some much needed sleep. Tomorrow we will go and explore more food and Madrid!
x

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