Happy Anniversary

I arrived in Madrid two years ago today. Since then I have lived in 4 apartments in 3 Madrid barrios, visited 22 city/towns in 4 countries, given 1200 hours of English classes, eaten all sorts of tapas, drunk many vasos of beer, wine and brandy, learnt a little Spanish, spent hours on metros, had my wallet stolen by a gypsy girl, made a few friends, survived the horribles, welcomed my beloved back into my arms, and made many of my childhood dreams come true. The journey has been rich, varied and unpredictable. I have laughed a lot and cried a lot and dreamed a lot. I have seen many many beautiful and disgusting sights. In fact, I have become used to things I couldn't have imagined. And the adventure is not over yet...

“Great stirrings of the mind have frequently followed great ages of travel. Throughout history by going to far places and seeing strange sights men have prodded their imagination. They have found amazement and delight and have reflected that life back home need not always remain what it has been. They have learned that there is more than one way to skin a cat, that there are more things in heaven and earth than was dreamt of in their philosophy, that the possibilities of life are not exhausted on Main Street...The discovery of new worlds has always renewed men's minds. Travel has been the universal catalyst. It has made men think faster, imagine larger, want more passionately."

Daniel Boorstin, The Image (1961)