Start of a New European Adventure

I recently transplanted myself from one side of the world to the other. I would admit that the decision to move wasn’t very easy as I was quite aware of the advantages of staying where I was. I would be comfortable staying where I was but maybe I was getting too comfortable. Sure I will still make more money here than the new place but was that all there is too it? Before I sound too dramatic, I took up the offer. Part of the reason for accepting the offer was that I have always wanted to visit Europe, which I deemed to be too far away for me. It would be much easier for me to take a short trip every now and then than to spend almost an entire day to fly to where I want to. Anyway, I was suddenly in a situation what I needed to clear some of my leaves. I wasn’t intending to go on leave that soon, but since it was required I might as well made the most of it. My boss was very flexible with my schedule and I was grateful that I got the schedule that I wanted despite my issues with the European visa.

Unfortunately, the airlines don’t really cooperate with me. My entry point into Europe will be Madrid in Spain, but I will be getting there almost eight in the evening. Not exactly good when you are starting out a trip since you still need to get your bearings right and all. I held my breath as I breezed through immigration and soon I was at the train station. The airport metro station was quite large and thus it was quite confusing to me. Maybe I have lived in a small town for too long that I was not used to such large structures anymore. It took me a while to get used to the metro as well as getting lost in the interchanges. I managed to find myself locked out of the line I intended to change to but the staff at the metro were very accommodating. I have heard so much about Madrid and Spain for that matter ever since I was a kid. It boggles my mind to know that I am actually here. The trains in the subway system were obviously very different from each other. Some lines were old and they had very old train, others have much more modern ones like the ones I have seen in Asia. These trains do have something in common though, you need to press a button to get the doors open. I learned this the hard way in Dublin when I missed my stop because I didn’t press the button to open the door. I guess it is a European thing.

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