Michelle's Journey to USA, Middle East & Europe

September 30: Woke mid morning, and decided to walk up Passe de Gracia (street) to Casa Batllo. A house designed by Gaudi which has interesting architecture, both inside and out including the roof!
Not one single part of this house is straight. The floors curve, windows are smooth and rounded; and the styles of architecture Gaudi uses are so diverse it´s amazing. He also focuses a lot on nature, water needs, the use of light and ventilation. The walls all have grates to monitor ventilation and the light either comes in front windows, a tiled courtyard with a sunroof or other means.
Above the five-storey house is a stunning roof full of ventilation chimneys and other scultpures. Hard to describe but a worthwhile visit.

So too, La Pedrera (also known as Casa Mila), an apartment building Gaudi designed which is a short walk up the road from Casa Batllo. This building is identified greatly by its iron ´railing´ balconies and series of interestingly designed chimneys on the roof. From the top, you also get great views of Barcelona city - and being a nice sunny day today, it was great.
Inside, you learn about Gaudi´s mathematical-based architectural designs for many of his buildings round Barcelona, including La Pedrera, Casa Batllo and Segrada Familia, and see how an apartment from the early 20th century looked - furniture and all. (Note: Gaudi designed interior of buildings including walls, windows and ceilings; furniture; exteriors of buildings, rooftops and everything in between. Quite extraordinary!)

I feel a little Gaudi´d out but it has definitely been worthwhile visit his sites.

Met up with a person from the hostel for lunch... before heading down to Placa de Catalunya and La Rambla to see what they´re like in the daytime.

La Rambla was full of street performers (people in costume and spray paint, posing for people to have photos with them), flower stalls, pet stalls (including the sale of budgies, pigeons and other birds, iguanas, turtles and more), massage, tarot cards, massage, souvenir stalls, charicatures, and chinese name writing ... some of which remains there at night. Further down the street, there was also a market selling mostly jewellery and handbags, similar to suburban markets back home.

Headed up the lift at Mirador de Colon (Columbus monument) to get a view of the city and port, before taking a really nice cruise on the water, including the Mediterranean Sea! (Got it for free as part of my ¨Barcelona discount card¨.)
We went around the port, Montjuic park, industrial areas, World Trade Centre building, various cruise liners in dock, Olympic Port, the Forum, and some of Barcelona´s beaches too.
More magnificent were the Spanish roulettes (I think)... maybe the air force even... who for about half an hour were practising spectacular stunts above us. Getting photos of it was hard, but watching was amazing!

Decided to see what a Spanish syngagogue service was like (especially with New Year next week), so headed to one of the very few shules in town for the Shabbat service.

Headed back to the hostel for an early night, after having a meal at a cafe nearby.

Still enjoying Barcelona but will be ready to leave once I cover the Gothic quarter and Picasso museum tomorrow...

September 29: Unfortunately today´s weather was very awful - windy, overcast and the threat of a thunderstorm all day. Thankfully it only drizzled a little in the evening and that was it.

Today, I decided to do a hop on/ hop off tourist bus... three routes in all. Saw lots of Gaudi architecture along the way at buildings such as Casa Batllo, La Pedrera and Segrada Familia, before hopping off at Park Guell. There I saw the magnificent architecture of the porter´s house and lodge, staircase with fountains along the way, including a mosaic tiled dragon with water shooting out of its mouth (very famous), a platform with an underneath roof made of mosaics and above, great views of the city but from afar. Lots of viaduct architecture to take note of, as well as the house where Gaudi once lived which now includes a museum of his work, and furniture from his era.
By bus, I went passed the hip suburb of Gracia, the stop to get off and visit Tibidabo (the mountain with views of the city), the Saria area, Palau Real and Pavellons Guell, University of Barcelona, home stadium of Barcelona Football Club (it seats 100,000).
Swapped routes and saw the main train station nicely designed (Estacio de Sans), Avenue Diagonal, Place d´Espanya with buildings from fairs in the early 20th century and the national palace used in the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympic Games. Also went passed the national museum of Catalunya, the tall needle-like structure (Torre de Calatrava) which sometimes have light shows from it, and made a stop at the Olympic site nearby, viewing the swimming complex and main stadium from the outside.
Funnily enough, they´re actually having a UEFA Cup soccer match in the stadium later tonight: Spain vs Turkey.
Made another stop of Fundacio Joan Miro, an art gallery of Miro´s works including a famous tapestry made particularly for one wall of the museum. There´s also sculptures in the surrounding gardens.
Drove passed various gardens including Montjuic Park (the city´s main recreation park) and got a great view of the industrial port and various cruise ships as we returned to the main part of town, via the miliary museum, Columbus monument and Port Vell.
At the Olympic Port (used for sailing at the Olympics), I swapped bus routes and saw the waterfront, some of Barcelona´s beaches, the former Olympic village which is now residential housing (similar to Newington in Sydney), Parc Diagonal Mar, and the Forum area which hosted a huge 140 da international conference last year (2004) and is now being redeveloped into something big... shopping, entertainment etc.
Passed the zoo, Ciutadella Park and the Gothic area of town before returning to Placa de Catalunya.
Long day... but did lots of sightseeing as planned.

In the evening, headed back to the hostel to meet up with one of the other people there, Brian. Decided to grab dinner in the Gothic area and to find a bar with Brazillian music. Unfortunately the one we were hoping to go to had finished its music, but we ended up at the Harlem Jazz Club (coincidentally it´s recommended in the Lonely Planet guide), where we heard funky jazz mixed with a bit of everything including Brazillian style which made Brian happy.

Great day, looking forward to tomorrow. Hopefully the sun will come back out too!

September 28: Was meant to catch a train in the mid morning from Madrid (Atocha station) to Barcelona (Sants station), but missed it due to a mix up.
Consequently, I sat at the station for almost two hours and caught the next one.
Turned out not to be so bad. Being in the best class, I was given free drinks and food throughout the journey including alcohol, a small snack and lunch. The trip was just over 5 hours, and I ended up having two seats, as the one next to me was vacant so I could spread out!

Made my way to my hostel, which is very reasonable, nice people and only about a 10 minute walk to Placa Catalunya and Las Ramblas, which is great!

Decided to see the famous Gaudi (unfinished) cathedral, Segrada Familia, before dark - including the museum underneath, before catching the train to Paral.lel station and walking along the waterfront, down near the Columbus monument. Hope to return here sometime when it´s light.

FYI - Bought the Barcelona card today to help with discounts for the sightseeing places.

Had dinner (pallela) at a really yummy place, Micky´s (funnily enough for those Sydney people!) on Las Ramblas... and met a cool couple from England too. Then headed up the main street to see people giving massages, doing acrobatics, selling beer by the can, doing chinese name drawings, spray painting vinyl records and more.

Went via Place Real and Placa Catalunya before returning to the hostel.

Looking forward to a big day of sightseeing tomorrow. Great experience so far, love the vibe here... feel like Barcelona is going to be one of my highlights!

September 27: Decided to do a hop on/hop off bus tour today. Saw various buildings, plazas, fountains and points to note along the way, including Real Madrid Football Club´s home stadium, Royal Palace and Puerto del Sol.
Made a stop at Templo De Debod (Egyptian temple) but it was closed for maintenance. Also had a nice walk through the Botanical Gardens (more educational and scientific than relaxing... like Sydney), and spent a few hours at the Museo Thysse-Bornemisza art gallery, which had a huge range of art from different periods, and nationalities. Worthwhile... even though I´ll be going to lots more museums in Barcelona!
Once again, it was a nice sunny day in Madrid.
Had a relaxing evening not doing very much.

PS. Today was World Tourism Day... to celebrate people were handing out bunches of daisies to streetgoers, as well as on the tourist bus I was on today. Nice gesture. Wonder what else was done around the world to mark this day?!

September 26: Left Sutton Coldfield (outer suburb of Birmingham) - Luke´s place - very early this morning to catch a bus down to London´s Heathrow airport. Took three hours, but managed to get a little sleep.

Met a guy at the airport to sort out a bag of unaccompanied luggage - decided it could go home, and I had no need for it the next 2 weeks.

Caught an earlier flight to Madrid and again, slept along the way. Very tired currently...

Had a nap at my hostel in Madrid, then decided to go walking... went to Parque del Retiro and saw the huge Monument to Alfonso XII. Was going to visit the Botanic Gardens but they closed at sunset. Instead made my way back to Gran Via, ran some errands and had dinner at a really cool diner-like place.

Hot weather here - mid 30s (C).

September 25: Both Luke and me decided it was time for a sleep-in, so neither of us moved for most of the morning.
Mind you, I then spent the next 2 hours re-packing my belongings.

We then decided, after my eagerness wore off onto Luke, that we should go to Stratford-upon-Avon, the home of William Shakespeare.

The drive was under an hour but unfortunately it rained on and off most of the afternoon.

We saw four out of the five Shakespeare houses, including the house on Henley Street where he grew up until he moved to London, Nash´s House (which belonged to Shakespeare´s granddaughter adnd husband - it included a museum with history on Stratford and artefacts dating back to Roman, Tudor and Norman times) and New Place which is the house where Shakespere lived until he died... but this house no longer exists, it´s now a garden attached to Nash´s House.
We also went to Hall´s Croft, the house which once belonged to Shakespeare´s daughter and husband, John Hall. Hall was a doctor with highly regarded patients. Part of this house is dedicated to early medicine studies and Hall´s observations and records of his patients which was converted into a book.
The fourth house was a little out of town. Anne Hathaway´s cottage is beautiful. Anne Hathaway lived in this house, and was proposed to by Shakespeare here, before going off later to become his wife.
There are gardens out the back with trees and shrubs mentioned in Shakespeare´s plays, sculptures and even a garden maze.
The fifth house is Mary Arden´s , which is where Shakepeare´s mother grew up... but again it was out of town and we were running out of time.
Just before the evening mass, Luke and I managed to visit Holy Trinity Church. This is where William Shakespeare, along with other members of his family are buried. There´s also a small monument there, near the altar, in his memory.

Stratford is a very cute town, set on the River Avon. Royal Shakespeare Theatre is down by the bank, so too lots of canal boats, swans and ducks.
Lots of references to the Swan (Shakespeare´s nickname), Shakespeare, his plays and other family members throughout the town... its cafes, shops, pubs etc. They really are proud of his achievements... and everything about him, so it seems.
Had a great afternoon. Very happy I went!

Returned back to Birmingham for a relaxing night. Had a home-cooked dinner and watched ¨Snow Falling on Cedars¨ movie on cable TV.

September 24 - Saturday - AFL Grand Final Day:
Wish I was in Melbourne just for today, but unfortunately I am not.
Writing this in advance so not sure who won the match...?

Will be seeing changing of the guard and the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace today... will also try to see Westminster Abbey beforehand if I have time.

Then catching a train north to Birmingham to see Luke, and stay with him for the weekend.

-----
Now what I actually did.
Didn´t sleep well as was totally nervous about the match - and was delighted to hear that the SYDNEY SWANS won the premiership (after a 72 year drought) and won by a small 4 points. Still, they won!

Went and saw Westminster Abbey in the morning, including graves of various kings and queens, a monument to William Shakepeare and other famous Englishmen, the coronation chair, various chapels and the tomb of the unknown WWI soldier.

Then headed to Buckingham Palace (glorious sunny day) to see the ´changing of the guard´. Too many people to see it actually happen but heard the marching band music and got a great view of them on their way out.

Did a self-guided tour of the State Rooms inside the palace afterwards. They´re only open in summer so it was very ´exclusive´... so they say. Very pretty inside. Grand staircase, tapestries, paintings, sculptures, marble hall, drawing rooms, ballrooms, exhibition on the White Wardrobe (from the royal visit to Paris in 1938), displays of various medals the Queen awards eg Victoria Cross and Commonwealth ones too, including the Order of Australia.
The state dining rooms were amazing, so too, the gardens and duck ponds leading up to the castle. Magical experience, happy I went. Could talk for ages about this and I´m not even a huge fan of the royal family!

Rushed back to the Luksenbergs afterwards to collect my belongings and catch a ´Virgin´ train from Euston Station north to Birmingham. Easy 90 minute journey.

Great seeing Luke at the other end... and walking through the Bullring shopping centre and Selfridges were fun outings themselves.

Had a lazy night, watched ¨The Machinist¨ DVD.

September 23: Awful weather today, but made the most of it, after sleeping in till mid morning.
Already anxious about the AFL Grand Final tomorrow - fingers crossed my Swannies come through, but I'm afraid to say they are the underdogs!
Decided to play tourist today even though I'd been to some of the sites previously: Went to St Paul's Cathedral (including the crypt) - very beautiful. Saw Sir Christopher Wren and Duke of Wellington's graves.
Decided that in the pouring rain I would then head to Westminster Abbey but missed the last entry time, so took photos of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament before heading to Buckingham Palace and seeing the Royal Mews. This is where the Queen keeps all her horses and carriages/coaches for royal duties. It also had the very famous gold stagecoach used in the Silver Jubilee in 1977 and other big occasions including coronations and weddings.
By the time I came out the weather was sunny again, so I decided to walk to the London Eye. Managed to do the 'experience' - ie ferris wheel - just before the sun went down... the view was magnificent and the sunset topped it off. Very expensive but happy the weather cleared and that I was able to say 'I've done it!'
Then took a lazy walk around Piccadilly Circus (stopped at Hamley's toy store), Oxford Circus and Oxford Street before heading home.

More to come...

September 22: Slept in, very sunny day.
Saw the matinee performance of the new musical, "Mary Poppins" which was magical and worth every cent! It had singing, dancing, visual effects, audience sing-along and more. There were even new songs and scenes - similar to the movie (childhood favourite of mine), but also new interpretations of the book too. Would definitely see it again and recommend it to anyone who is a closet fan of the movie!

Then walked south to Charing Cross and Trafalgar Square (and Nelson´s Column), around the Horse Guard Museum, and through the glorious St James Park, Buckingham Palace and Gardens and Hyde Park. Saw a man walking his ferret, and even got up close with a squirrel and some ducks. Also walked down to Wellington Arch, Marble Arch and Oxford Circus.

Caught up with some family friends in the evening and had a nice dinner at Covent Garden (near the old flower market) at a French restaurant for a change.

Another warm, sunny day - nice to see!

September 21: Woke up early to take an all-day guided tour to Stonehenge, Bath and Salisbury.
First, drove along the outskirts of London, including passed the 'home of rugby' - Twickenham Stadium - and some exclusive suburbs such as Richmond, before arriving at Stonehenge mid morning. Sunny was shining so the stones looked wonderful.

Stonehenge is over 5,000 years old, is a World Heritage listed site and is known for its series of stones, designed in a way that reflect one of the earliest sites of human civilisation. It is believed a temple to the moon and stars once stood here, but unfortuntaely some stones were stolen over the years, so now the building is incomplete.

The grass mounds around Stonehenge contain human bones dating back over 5,000 years as well.

We then drove to Salisbury... passed an exclusive boys school where the juniors are trained to sing in the choir at the cathedral. Did a tour of Salisbury Cathedral and the Magna Carta chapter. Very nice inside but I think I'm a little over cathedrals!

Had lunch in a little cottage/pub but unfortunately didn't get to see much else of the town.

Then headed to Bath... very pretty town. The river, canal boats, bridges and more importantly the Abbey and Roman Baths.
The Roman Baths were very interesting... smell of sulphur, similar to a lot of other Roman baths around the world, but this is one of the oldest. A temple and community house once stood on this site too. The Abbey was very pretty, nicer that the one in Salisbury (on the inside anyway).

Drove passed Bristol from afar before making our way back to London.

Got there in good time, so decided to head to Leceister Square and saw the famous play (in its 53rd year) - "The Mousetrap" - for a mere £10.
Headed home afterwards.

September 20: Spent the day flying from New York (JFK) to London (Heathrow).
The British Airways catering dispute is now supposedly over, so we got fed. Wasn't a full flight so I managed to find some seats down the back to spread out on and sleep. I ended up getting three hours sleep last night, and this flight left at 9am... so with 7 hours to kill, I slept about half the time, watched the Adam Sandler movie, "The Longest Yard" and ate the remainder of the time.
Arrived in London late in the evening. Made my way by minicab to Belsize Park (family friends) where I'll be staying the next few days.
Had a chat with them, Mr and Mrs Luksenberg - Mrs Luksenberg went to school with my maternal grandfather in Poland together, and was good friends with him after the War as well. Their daughter Suzannah was also over to greet me. Late night, but nice catching up.
Time for bed - long day!

September 19: My last full day in New York - I love this place, but I think it's time for me to start making my way back home.
Feeling a little tired today. Sent a box back to Australia at the Post Office then met up with a friend, Kris, for lunch, before heading down to Penn Station to catch the train back to Long Island.
Went to my cousins' house briefly in Cedarhurst before heading out to a really yummy Italian restaurant at Rockville Centre with some other relatives for dinner.
Did a few things on the 'net before heading to bed at a very early hour of the morning!

Farewell New York!

September 18: Wow! It's my last full day in New York, it's gone so quickly!

Met up with Melanie Brazil, a family friend whose grandma was very close to my grandfather (Melb) when he lived in Poland a long time ago. Had the traditional 'Sunday brunch' then walked through the street fair happening on Lexington Street (all day today - really cool).
Went passed the 92 St Y too.

Heard the Swans are playing the Eagles in the Grand Final next week... will try to find a pub in my area of London at 5am, to see the match!

Then caught up with another friend (who went on the Spain Contiki tour with me) who works at ESPN Zone in Times Square. Spent about an hour with her and her friends at the pub, before heading back uptown to pack my bags, and another box for sea mail to Australia.

Also watched the Emmy Awards (and red carpet) live on TV and said farewell to Adam - he arrived back from London tonight.

September 17: Slept in a little, then headed to Lincoln Square synagogue on the Upper East Side to see Rachel. She wanted me to see how they conduct beginner outreach services - very interesting, a rabbi actually explains things in English and you learn why Jews do certain things, simply by reading the weekly portion, discussing it and understanding it because that part of the service is all done in English!
The kiddush was also for Rachel due to her departure to Chicago tomorrow.

Then headed Downtown to meet up with a friend (Lisa)from my New Zealand Contiki tour, who lives here but was until recently working on exchange in Melbourne. Had lunch at a cute cafe, Danal, on 10th Street.

Headed back home to get some rest, before meeting up with Rachel in the evening.
Briefly popped into another friend (Katrina) who works at ESPN Zone in Times Square - she did the Spain/Portugal Contiki tour with me, before having dinner at the Merchants Bar (62nd/1st). Rachel's friends also came to meet us at the cigar bar downstairs for a few drinks. Great night.

September 16: Spent the morning rushing around, including picking up a new suitcase to replace the one British Airways damaged.
Then did a TV & Movie Location (bus) Tour. For three hours, we drove around Manhattan seeing the sights of various movie scene locations, as well as buildings where famous TV shows were set. We saw the soup kitchen from Seinfeld, went passed famous places like Central Park, Plaza Hotel, other hotels, Tiffanys, various shops and restaurants in Soho, Tribeca and the village, saw the restaurant used in Big Daddy where Adam Sandler and the boy decide to take a leak, and saw the residentail buildings used for Friends, the Cosby Show and more. Coincidentally, we also saw David Schwimmer (who plays Ross on Friends) walking down the street in Soho... major celebrity sighting!

Did a little more window shopping in the afternoon, and then saw "The Lion King" musical in the evening. Even though I'd seen it before, I was able to get a $40 ticket and thought it would be nice to see it again.

PS. Saw that the Sydney Swans won the preliminary final and are now into the AFL Grand Final next week - Yippee!!!! Well done to them, and to all my fellow Swans suppoters, please cheer them onto victory on behalf of me, as well as you. Thank you. (I will be in England next week, so hopefully I will be able to find an Aussie pub somewhere that will be broadcasting it!)

September 15: The day started quite overcast but turned out to be really nice.
Was hoping to see a friend today but didn't manage to arrange it in time. Instead, I finally saw "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" at the movies and did some shopping.
Called some people to arrange my trip to London next week too.

In the evening, I decided to see the muscial "Rent". Even though I've seen it before, I had never seen it in New York where it's set, and I love the show, so why not! Plus I managed to get a really cheap ticket.

Saw a friend after the show, then crashed to bed.

September 14: Relaxed in the morning, then spent most of the day with a friend... chilling out.
Weather was unfortunately overcast and rainy, but hopefully it won't last too long.
Saw the movie, "The Man", with Eugene Levy and Samuel L Jackson in the evening as my other plans were cancelled.

Think I've given up on seeking job opportunities for April now... most people seem to be hiring for now and it's very hard getting through to people and not automated telephone services to discuss sponsorship etc.

It's been great having time out in New York, despite my agenda changing a little.

September 13: Had a slow morning, then headed north to Bronx Zoo. Relaxing day, saw lots of animals, but must say that Sydney's Taronga Zoo is a million times better!

If I wasn't to compare however... I got to see big grizzly bears, polar bears, tigers, zebras, rhinos, elephants, deer, monkeys, baboons, apes, penguins, sea lions, eagles, frogs, you name it...

Not very busy at all, most likely because school has gone back and it's a weekday.

Weather has been sunny every day, with temps in the 70s and 80s (farenheit).

Caught up with a friend briefly, before heading into the theatre district to see the musical, Avenue Q. Very good! They use hand puppets (and do a good job of it) and the lyrics are hilarious. Later, bumped into Jacqui Greenfield (from Sydney) on the street, had a quick chat.

Lots of traffic and security round town at present... huge UN convention going on at the moment, and George Bush as well as other world leaders are staying in town. For example, Bush is staying at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Consequently all surrounding streets are closed off and there's secret service people for at least 3 blocks in all directions, if not more. A sight to see... and that's just for him... what about the others staying in town too... just imagine!

Had a realisation today: by this time next month I will be back in Sydney. Can't believe I've been travelling for over 4 1/2 months, it feels like three weeks...
scary thought... not sure if I'm ready to come home, but I am definitely making the most of my time and continuing to enjoy every minute of it!

Love to all those back home... most of whom are starting to admit they're missing me :-)

September 12: Had a very relaxing morning, beautiful sunshine... caught up with the Aussie media friend from last night for lunch, then went shopping in the afternoon.
Also caught up with some friends in the afternoon and evening.
Very laid back day...

Saw that the English won the Ashes (cricket test series against the Aussies)... bummer dude!

PS. The photo is from yesterday - the trophy ceremony for the men's singles championship at the US Open.

September 11: Woke up this morning to 9/11 memorial coverage on TV.
Then caught the subway out to Flushing, Queens to watch the US Open tennis. Managed to buy the tickets on the internet when I was in the Greeks Islands, all of places!

Today is the final day... Andre Agassi is playing Roger Federer in the men's singles final - very excited!!!
Will also get to see the women's doubles final, which includes Samantha Stosur who is Australian. Go the Aussie!

The atmosphere here is great and the weather is gorgeous. Ended up going with Rachel, a new friend of mine.

Okay, so Sam Stosur (the Aussie) and Lisa Raymond (USA) won the women's doubles final in three sets, which was great to see.
In between the matches, I checked out the promotions stalls, the rest of the Tennis Centre and bought some souvenirs too.
Then got to see the induction of Ivan Lendl into the 'Court of Champions' and a small ceremony to remember those who died in 9/11 in 2001.

The Agassi v Federer match was brilliant, but unfortunately when Agassi lost the third set tie break, it was like he gave up as he legs didn't move at all in the fourth set... consequently, Roger Federer won. Mind you, he is the current world number 1!

Lots of celebrities attended today including Dustin Hoffman, Richard Branson, Robin Williams and more. Hear others attended last night's women's final including Nicole Kidman and Courtenay Cox. Here is definitely a place to be 'seen'.

Bumped into an Aussie media friend at the match, whom I'd met at the tennis tournaments in Australian in January this year... we caught up for a drink later in the evening.

Turns out this year's tournament reached a new record attendance. Great to know I was a part of it!

Great day - huge highlight of my trip.

September 10: Another relaxing morning, then met up with Beth and her friend, Lisa. Lisa was in town for her brother-in-law's financee's bridal shower, but she also needed to go shopping to find a dress for that wedding in October. After shopping at all the exclusive places - including Sake 5th Ave, Bloomingdales and Bergdorf Goodman, her mission was a success!
Beth and I had a fun day... shopping on 5th Ave (saw a Labour Day parade too) and 34th Street. Spent hours in Victoria Secret too!
We then headed back uptown to meet up with Lisa, and then rest for a little while.

I returned to my (friend's) apartment to watch the women's final (tennis) on TV. Kim Clijsters played against Mary Pierce and won in two sets... her first grand slam title - very happy for her!
In the evening, caught up with Beth and Lisa for dinner. Ate in. Was then meant to meet up with Morris, but we got our wires crossed. I ended up meeting some strangers off the street, including two gorgeous models who were friends of friends. Four of us ended up dancing the night away. We went to the Hudson Hotel (58th/9th Ave - recommended by a friend of mine), Cellar Bar (near Bryant Park) and Vento (near Hudson/14th Sts).

Late night, but loads of fun! Finally... I got to see what the nightlife is all about.

September 9: Not too sure what my day has in store for me today... but it's beautiful sunshine outside and I'm in a city I love.
Hoping to do some exploring about job opportunities next year, take my damaged suitcase in to get repaired, see some friends, catch a music concert in Central Park in the late afternoon, and at some stage see Beth, my wonderful friend from DC/Maryland who has come up for the weekend to visit me!
Hope everyone is well.
Love Michelle

Okay, here's what I actually did today...
Had a very lazy morning, did some grocery shopping as I'll be at Adam's for the next 10 days, then did some research into jobs for next year. Didn't really get anywhere, and looks like arranging any interviews with contacts for next week will be a hard ask, still I'm perservering.

Then headed downtown to drop off my suitcase for repair. Looks like they are going to try and replace it instead... see what happens.
Was hoping to have time to see Beth this afternoon, but ran out of time.
Met up with Rachel at her work, to then watch her fiance's brother play at Central Park, under the Trefoil Arch - literally. He plays the saxophone and was playing in a trio. Nice music and very relaxing. Good size audience, right near the row boats and lake.
We also passed Jack Nicholson (!!!) as we were walking in Central Park.

Later, Rachel and I went for a walk around the neighbourhood and went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. Very chilled night, beautiful weather too.

September 8: Had a relaxing morning, packed up my belongings and headed into Manhattan city - will be staying at my friend's (Adam's) place for the next week, in the upper east side, while he is away in London visiting family.

Then headed off to Queens, to Flushing actually, to see Lleyton Hewitt win his quarter-final match against Niminen, an unseeded player at the US Open. Great match, five sets... and my friend, Kris, managed to get me the ticket for free!

Then headed back into the city to have a relaxing dinner with Rachel, at a French restaurant.

Ah, New York, New York!

September 7: Still having a great time in sunny New York.
Had a very relaxing morning, then headed into Manhattan.
Wanted to see a matinee musical performance, but missed the train to get me in on time... was hoping to buy tickets to the award-winning 'Spamalot', when a lady come out saying she couldn't stay any longer and did I want to go in to watch the second half.
The musical was so good, I lined up in the cancellations line, so I could see all of it.
Managed to get a ticket for the 8pm show. Spamalot is a Monty Python musical and is very funny!

In between the two shows, I walked around Central Park, met up with a friend, and just chilled.

Got news today that I've been offered a paid position to work at the Australian Open (tennis tournament) in Melbourne in January 2006. Got interviewed for the media roles about a month ago (over the phone). Delighted to hear I got in!

PS. The attached photo is from yesterday, but I wanted to include it... plus I had a 'tennis moment' today with the news, so it's still relevant, at least I say so!

September 6: Had the best day today!
Woke a little early... went to Flushing to get tickets to the US Open (Grand Slam Tennis tournament).
Got to see a number of men's quarter-final doubles matches, plus two great centre court (round 4) matches at Arthur Ashe Stadium:
Lleyton Hewitt (Australian) defeated Dominic Hrbarty (Slovakia) in three sets,
while Roger Federer (Switzerland) defeated Nikolas Kiefer (I think he's German) in four sets... but it was a great match, and the first time Federer has lost a set the whole tournament!

The atmoshere there was amazing... loads of giveaways and promotions (eg AOL, Lexus, Olympus), very friendly people, and more.

Will be returning there on Sunday for the men's singles final and women's doubles final, if not before.

Headed into Manhattan in the evening. Saw the movie "40 year old virgin" - funny, but not recommended for people my parents' age... before catching the train back to Long Island.

September 5:
Relaxed most of the day, got a sightseeing tour of the Five Towns neighbourhood with my cousin, then headed into Manhattan to catch up with Rachel, a new friend of mine that lives in New York... but is moving to Chicago next week.

Meeting loads of great people all over NYC - the shops, the train, everywhere. I love this place!

September 4: Hey dad, Happy Father's Day!

Ended up sleeping in, doing my laundry and catching up with the family.
Headed into Manhattan to see a friend, Adam, relaxed in Central Park, and caught up with his Aussie relatives staying at his place, over dinner at a yummy Italian restaurant.

Caught the train back to Long Island in the late evening.

Great to see Lleyton Hewitt won his match against Taylor Dent in the US Open earlier today too.

It's great being back in the Big Apple! I love it.

September 3: Got up very early this morning to catch a flight from Madrid airport to London Heathrow airport, then onto New York´s JFK airport.
Problems still with British Airways food (catering company contract dispute), but did at least get something small.

Caught a taxi to some relatives in Long Island and spent a few hours sleeping on their front lawn and observing the aeroplanes flying overhead, before heading inside to meet the family.
The mother is second cousins with my mum - and the mother of the person I stayed with in Chicago. Nice to finally meet them!

Spent the remainder of the afternoon relaxing and chatting. Had an early night, New York is six hours behind Spain... very tired, long day.

Will be in New York for two and a half weeks, should be lots of fun... especially being there during end of US Open and the summer!

September 2: Up early to conquer Madrid today. First we did a group tour of the Royal Palace (Palacio Real). It's only used for receptions and ceremonies nowadays, but was previously lived in by the royal family.
We were guided through the main entrance, various offices, the Chinese Room, Throne Room, main dining hall, music rooms and more. We got to see Stravarius' violins locked in cabinets, gifts from other countries, decoration ornaments used on the main dining table, marble tables and floors, tapestries, porcelain walls, gold wall designs, frescoes as well.
Also had a peek at the royal armoury room before heading off.

Those not doing the optional excursion then left us, while we travelled about half and hour out of town to the Valley of the Fallen. It was built as a monument to those who died in the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s. It consists of a huge basillica built into the side of a huge mountainous rock, with a large cross on top of it. Hard to describe...

The basillica is very long, with tapestries on its walls, various statues, tombs of Franco and Jose Antonio (who led each side of the battle), a dome made of mosaic and a large statue of Jesus on a cross in the centre. Magnificent example of modern architecture... building a basillica inside a rock!

Outside on top of the church, stands a huge cross which can be seen from miles away, with statues at its base.
Didn't realise how much everything in Spain is related to religion, but this was another example of this point.

Later in the afternoon, I went to the Prado Museum. Saw a large number of paintings, including Goya, El Bosch (really liked his work), El Greco and more. Did the audioguide here too.

Was going to walk through the beautiful gardens nearby, but due to exhaustion and the heat, I decided to leave this till next time I come to Madrid, next month.

Instead I walked back through the main shopping area of Puerto del Sol and to Plaza Mayor to get a bus back to the hotel.

Had a yummy meal in town with the group as our 'farewell dinner'. Tried vegetable payella for a first time too. Afterwards, we headed to a salsa club mixing with the locals, before heading to a nightclub which was far more American and to our group's liking.

Tried staying awake, but decided to get some sleep, despite needing to get up at 4am to leave for the airport.

Had a great few weeks, time to conquer the US again!

September 1: So we´re into the final leg of our tour.
Salamanca is beautiful, very historic, nice people... the whole package. Slept in, then had a look into the old buildings of the University. Saw old classrooms, the library, chapel, statues, you name it. Very interesting.

Had a relaxing morning, before boarding the bus and heading back to Madrid.

Lunch was at a petrol station on the side of the road, near to Avila... a town known for its saints, and even more so, its city walls. Great view of the walls from where we stopped. Interesting to see how the whole town was contained within these walls.

Arrived in Madrid in the mid afternoon. Had just enough time to head into the main square and walk down to the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia (Reina Sofia Museum). Really enjoyed walking around looking at famous paintings and sculptures from various artists including Salvador Dali, Joan Miro and Pablo Picasso, among others. Also got to see the famous "Guernica" painting, relating to Picasso's protest of the German bombing of the Basque town during the Spanish Civil Was in 1937. Hired an audioguide so I could understand the major works around the gallery - very useful.

Had a very nice dinner back at the hotel, before heading into town with everyone to an Irish pub, Moore's - just off Plaza Mayor. We also went into "The Bull's Revenge" eatery to see the photos on the wall, where matadors were injured and bulls won the fight... proving they don't always get killed.
In the main square, we also saw the 'toilet paper tunnels' made each night by the homeless people. Hard to describe, but they make them over the grills where the exhaust from the train lines come through so that you get the 'Marilyn Monroe' effect. People then go through the 'tunnel' and pay them money for it.

Our tour manager also celebrated her birthday today...