NAVACERRADA - visiting Madrid's snowy mountains

TERVETULOA ESPANJAAN. Pakatkaa sandaalit mukaan ja pitäkää huoli, ettei viinilasi pääse tyhjenemään. Ei kun, hetkinen...

WELCOME TO SPAIN. So, ladies and gentlemen, pack your sandals with you and make sure your wine glass doesn't get empty. Wait, what? 

Mäpä kerron teille hauskan jutun: näiden kuvien oton jälkeen, pari viikkoa eteenpäin, +26 lämpö iski Madridiin. Heh, kivat kontrastit. Okei, ja ehkä kerron sellaisenkin jutun, että korkeuseroa on sellainen kilometri verrattuna kaupunkiin, sillä vuorien korkein huippu kohoaa yli kahden kilometrin korkeuteen ja Madridin kaupunki itse on yli 600 metrissä. Ehkä sekin selittää jotain. Joka tapauksessa oli kiva päästä näkemään lunta pitkästä aikaa sekä todistaa muutamien latinojen ilonkiljahduksia ja -kyyneleitä bussissa, kun he näkivät ekan kerran elämässään lunta :D

Let me tell you a fun fact: there were only three weeks in between taking these photos and experiencing a +26C warmth. To be fair, the altitude isn't the same as the mountains soar up to one kilometre higher than the city, which is around 600 metres above sea level. (Could have something to do with the cold...) Anyway, it was nice to see snow again after a long time and witness some latinos' squeals and tears of joy when they saw this white substance for the first time in their lives. :D

Olihan se pulkka pakko vuokrata, vaikka en uskaltautunut kenenkään kanssa istuutumaan siihen.(musta tollaiset "koholla" olevat pulkat ja stiigat on niin pelottavia!) Venezuelalainen kaveri innostu niin paljon, että taisi vedellä muovipussilla mäkeä alas silloin, kun pulkka oli käytössä. Pari pientä lumiukkoa ja lumikuvaussessiot ja eväät - siinäpä meidän luminen päivä!

Of course, we had to rent a sleigh - I just wasn't brave enough to ride it with anyone else but by myself. (I find this kind of sleighs that have an upper part extremely frightening!) My Venezuelan friend was so intrigued by the snow that he kept going up and down with a plastic bag when the sleigh was occupied. A few small snowmen, snow photo shoot and snacks - that's what our snowy day was like!

Tuonne vuorille pääsee tosiaan helposti bussilla numero 691 Moncloasta (pysäkin nimi Puerto de Navacerrada) Mä tulin eilen meidän pikareissulta Toulousista, joten siitä lisää pian sitten. Hyvää viikonloppua kaikille <3 (torstaina ei ole yhtään liian aikaista toivottaa sitä;))

You can reach the mountains by the bus number 691 which leaves from Moncloa (the stop is called Puerto de Navacerrada) Yesterday, I came back from our weekend trip to Toulouse, so you'll get to hear about that very soon. Have a super nice weekend everybody <3 (it's not at all too early to wish it on a Thursday;))

On a Mountain at Gran Canaria

So this was our little trip to a small, nearby mountain. Because the temperature would rise between 10 and 11 AM and it would be HOT, we were forced to head out hiking early so that we won't be exhausted. Still I don't regret a second of it even though I felt tired. In fact, I would have been ready to go on a longer, more difficult route. Since this mountain was close to our apartment, we just tried it without thinking of other options. The view was fascinating; I could have spent the whole day hiking and taking photos but sunbathing sounded too tempting!

I liked that the route was marked with red letters, which made it much easier to navigate in the area. Below is an obligatory selfie I took just before the peak!

And finally there! Somehow I manage to find this small, curious girl inside of me when I hit the road. I have always got to try something I have never done before. And that's one of the best things about travelling - you get to do things you wouldn't have done home. Even if they are small things, you just might notice that you got yourself some unforgettable memories.