Tuesday, January 18, 2011

January 18, 2011 Photo Booth

So in Spain, instead of having people line up at the post office and pay way too much for passport photos or forcing them to wait for hours in a crowded DMV, there are photo booths. Just like the ones that couples use to take cheesy photos together in the United States - except that the photos the machine prints can be used for almost an document you apply for. 


I needed an Abono de Transporte - a special pass that allows me to buy a monthly metro pass for much less than I would spend buying 10 at a time for 9.30 euros. You can apply for them in the Estancos (tobacco stores... for some reason, I think that is such a fitting name since cigarettes smell so aweful and "estanco" makes me think of "stank"), but you need to turn in a photo to make the Abono more theft proof. I don't need to show it to anyone on every trip, but they do random checks, and I assume I would get in trouble if I were caught with an Abono that had someone else's picture on it. These random checks usually end up costing those who bought only 1 trip passes or just used the last of a 10 trip pass. If they're doing a check and you can't produce your ticket when you leave the metro, they fine you 20 some euros, which is a cheap trick since most people unfamiliar with the system would never think to hold onto their 1 or 10 trip pass after using up the last of the credit on it.


But anyway, here are my photos! Isn't that so cool!? It cost me 4 euros and took less than five minutes. There are photo booths in almost every metro and in malls as well, so I didn't have to go out of my way either. I think they might even be passport grade. 





After my super successful photo booth adventure, I went home and made dinner...





Toasted whole wheat bread with stir fry leftovers and the least expensive cheese I could find. (I was brave because I figured I couldn't find anything as bad as American Cheese outside the United States, and I was right... but it still left something to be desired. Will have to look into other alternatives.)





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