So long Spain. Or so I thought – June 26

Sunday morning I awoke with no real plan for the day except to catch my 8pm flight to Venice. I made it to breakfast with little time to spare then returned to my room to pack since check out was at noon. Elsa met me and asked what my plans were for the day. She made some suggestions for spots nearby she thought I’d enjoy.

This first group is of the Palau de la Música Catalana. I’d really love to go back some day and see the inside, maybe catch a show.

I checked out of my room and had the front desk store my bags so I could do some more wandering. I went to see the buildings Elsa had recommended and stopped for some lunch in between. Feeling sufficiently sunned I returned to the hotel where I found Elsa in the bar. We sat and visited until it was time for me to head off to the airport.

During my earlier wandering I’d found the bus to the airport. I made it to the stop in time to hop a nearly full bus. I was feeling pretty good about things as I rolled into the airport and was pointed toward a general gate where my flight should be departing.

As the time for the flight neared the departures screen updated with a gate. I made my way there only to see a message that the plane was delayed an hour. My airbnb host had offered to pick me up at the airport so I contact him right away to let him know of the delay. These things happen.

The new departure time neared and people were lining up at the gate expecting to board. I heard a bunch of chatter and looked toward the gate agents and they were surrounded by angry Italians. I had met Susan and her family during the dreamtrip over the weekend. They were kind enough to let me know what was going on. Our flight was canceled. No explanation. No apology. No direction. Just canceled. So the mob of angry passengers flooded the information booth who directed us to the Vueling Customer Service desks. The line was enormous and slow moving. We literally spent hours in line awaiting our fate. By the time I got to the desk there were no flights to Venice available the next day. More angry Italians and excellent translators keeping me informed. Susan’s family had opted to fly into Florence where Vueling would provide a bus to Venice so I did the same.

We had to go stand in another slightly less horrify line to get our boarding passes and food/hotel vouchers. Papers collected a group of us made our way down to the café for a quick bite to eat before headed out to where a shuttle was supposed to be waiting to take us to a hotel. We spent another couple hours (no dramatization needed) waiting for the shuttle. By the time we got to the hotel it was 1:30am. The flight to Florence was at 7am. The shuttle from the hotel would be collecting us at 5am. It was a shame I only got a quick nap in the luxurious 5 star hotel they put us in. That kind of added insult to injury.

Wine and Tarragona – June 25

Saturday our group set out for a day of touring. First stop, the Torres Winery. I was expecting a typical tasting like I’ve done in Seattle but it was so much more. Unlike Seattle, Torres grows its own grapes and owns the process start to finish. During the tour you learn a bit about the family history and the different awards, you take a little train ride through the site, and finish off with a wine tasting and shopping opportunity. It was very interesting. The vineyard is organic and their plant focuses on sustainable processes. They are even researching what varietals will grow at higher elevations preparing for the reality of climate change. I’m glad to know someone is thinking ahead. If its going to get more uncomfortable outside it will be nice to know we can still get drunk and try to ignore it.

I had come to the conclusing purchasing a bottle didn’t make sense considering the incredibly limited amount of space in my luggage. Elsa was kind enough to point out our dinner later in the evening would not include any drinks so it may be wise to buy a bottle to drink. I love a girl who thinks ahead!

We left the winery and stopped at a restaurant on our way to Tarragona. Traditional Catalonian food and it was fantastic. They brought out some bread, pointed out the garlic and tomatoes on the table, then proceeded to show us how to season our bread. It was delicious. Like bruchetta without the mess. Salad, entree, dessert and more wine. I think that makes 5 glasses and its barely after noon.

We carried on to Tarragona with a brief picture stop at the Pont del Diable. Roman aqueduct #2. I wonder if I can find one in every country I visit?

Off the bus and back into the heat as we walked across the street and courtyard to the Tarragona museum. We only had 40 minutes or so to check out the museum and wander around the city. Being ever aware of my poor navigational skills I opted to keep it close to our departure point. I did wander back across the street for a marvelous view of the Mediterranean.

Back to the bus for the ride hope. I got in a quick nap along the way. We arrived back to the hotel with less than an hour before our farewell dinner that evening.

The group was a bit sparse at dinner but it gave me a nice opportunity to talk with the different people and foster new friendships. It seemed like most of us were enjoying Barcelona as part of bigger trips. It was fun to hear about where they had been or where they were going next.

 

Hopping on/off in Barcelona – June 24

I was happy to have a morning to sleep in and get breakfast at my own pace. I ventured down to the restaurant from the breakfast buffet. It was nice to have food available with so limited effort.

I left the hotel with the tourist bus voucher in hand. There were 2 places on my must-see list and I’d already figured out which line I needed to be on. Now I just needed to find my way to the bus stop. It didn’t take me long, and I found the Casa Batlló (designed by Gaudi) and Casa Amatller (designed by Cadafalch) along the way. Loved getting a little Modernisme (Catalan Art Nouveau) in before even getting on the bus!

Within a few stops I found myself in front of the La Sagrada Familia. It is immense and intricate, as amazing as I thought it would be. Since it was later in the morning the lines were crazy and I didn’t pre-pay for a ticket I knew my chances of getting in were slim. I wasn’t willing to fritter away my entire day waiting in line.

On to my 2nd must-do, Parc Guell.

I hopped off the bus and headed up the street. It was at that point I had no idea how to get to the park from the stop. Fortunately there was a sign. Unfortunately, there was a second sign pointing a different direction. Oh Spain, WHY!? Why is it so damned difficult to provide decent signage!?

I joined a heard of folks I assume were also going to the park. We got there but did some unnecessary uphill blocks. Got to the ticket area and found all the time slots were filled until 5pm. Ugh, I didn’t even think about getting tickets in advance for this place. I really need to check everything going forward.

I purchased a ticket for 5pm and decided I’d kill some time riding the rest of the tour bus route to see if there was anything else I should check out. Barcelona is a sprawling city and I question the timing the bus company provides as time between stops. I hopped off one line and onto the other. Based on the 2 hour round trip of the bus I assumed I’d have plenty of time to do the line and get back to the park. Not so.

 

It was 4pm and I was far enough from the park I wasn’t going to be able to walk and the tour bus wouldn’t going to get me there in time, so I hopped off in search of a taxi. I’d seen a lot of them so I assumed I’d be able to catch one to the park. Full taxi after full taxi passed me by. I started to think I had wasted 8 euro on a ticket I’d not get to use. I walked in the opposite direction of the crowd in hopes it would help, and after about 30 minutes it did. A driver stopped and told me he was going home to eat and could take me to La Sagrada Familia. While it wasn’t the park it was a lot closer to the park than I currently was so I jumped in.

We talked a little along the way and he told me there are only half the usual number of taxis because it was a holiday. That makes sense. Having only been around certain streets once I wasn’t too familiar with things but I recognized things along the way. He was taking me to the park after all! I thanked him whole heartedly for him going to extra effort to get me to my destination.

For me, Park Guell was breathtakingly beautiful. Gaudi must have been a fascinating man. His love for nature and the way he incorporates it into his architecture (or the other way around) fascinates me. So I’ve got an inordinate amount of photos from the park. I usually do a fair amount of filtering what gets posted so I don’t overwhelm you, but I don’t want you to miss anything either.

After my stroll through the park I made my way back to the bus and eventually to the hotel. By then it was nearing 8pm and I remembered seeing a post from our host with a recommendation for Flamenco dancing. That was one of the things on my list for Spain that hadn’t been checked off. I got online and made my reservation, took a quick shower, then walked down the narrow streets of the Gothic quarter to Palau Dalmases. It was fantastic. The space was small and intimate with only a dozen or so in attendance. I was blown away. I was totally entranced with the guitar player. The music was incredible. The dancing was so dramatic and mysterious. It was a great evening out. Most of the photos were a blur but I did catch a few videos.

First class doesn’t suck – June 23

I headed to Barcelona to enjoy my first ever Dreamtrip with World Ventures. I’ve been looking forward to this for months!

I was up early to get the bus to the train station where I’m taking the AVE train to Barcelona. With speeds somewhere around 300 km/hr we made the trip in little over 5 hours. Paying a little extra for the First Class ticket was money well spent. Big, cushy seat with plenty of leg room as well as a hot breakfast. I was a little disappointed to find there were no power plugs in the single seats, but there are in the doubles. Not a big deal since I planned to snooze anyway, but its something I’ll make a note of for future long-distance reservations.

Today also happens to be Saint Joans day which is celebrated with bonfires and parties on the beach and fireworks. I gather is something of a solstice celebration for the Catalonians. Tomorrow is apparently a holiday which should make getting around interesting.
Oddly enough I’m looking forward to the first hotel stay of my trip. I think it will be nice to be able to have a space all to myself for a little while.

The train arrived in Barcelona and I opted to take a taxi to the hotel. I checked in with the Dreamtrips host, Elsa, and was informed our itinerary had changed a bit due to the holiday. I had taken Friday off work expected a full day of tours but was just a happy to spend the day doing the hop on/hop off bus.

I had some sangria as I waited for my room to be ready. It was good, but I really prefer the Spanish mojitos. Very refreshing!

My room was ready so I headed up and got online to start work. Around 7pm we had a welcome reception and I got a chance to meet many of my travel companions for the next couple of days. Doru and Maria from Romania did not speak a lot of English but we had fun trying to communicate. There were also folks representing the Sweden, Canada, China, Italy, Ireland, the Czech Republic, and the U.S. It was a quite the diverse group.

I think many of them headed to the beach to check out the fireworks for Saint Joans but I returned to my room to work. I did venture out a bit later for dinner, but decided the random fireworks blasts were more causing me some odd anxiety so I didn’t venture far.

Seville – my Spanish sweet spot – June 22

It may be a bit premature to say since I’m sure Barcelona is going to be incredible, but I think Seville is my favorite city in Spain. It is so beautiful, very easy to get around, and has plenty to do. Last week was unseasonably cool (which should be read as comfortable!) but the heat had returned. With temperatures hovering around 100 both days the smart thing would have been to get up and out early.

I had a couple places on my agenda for the day, the Plaza de España and the inside of the cathedral. My eating habits have been terrible and my blood sugar all over the place. I’m sure it has contributed to several of my issues so I decided I’d start the day with a real breakfast. I let google find me a well rated coffee shop and I made the walk to check it out. It was a great Confiteria (Confitería La Campana), I guess the Spanish equivalent of a bakery. I had an Irish coffee (why?) and a ham and cheese croissant. That should stave off the hangries!

I decided I would stop by a supermarket on my way back and see if I could figure out something to make for dinner. Kevin has graciously provided dinner for me several times so I felt I should return the favor. He was already doing so much letting me stay for free.

I knew he had some pasta sauce so I picked up the rest of the fixings to make lasagna. Not sure what kind of cheese or meat I was purchasing I knew dinner would be an adventure.

I stopped by the apartment, dropped off my goods, then made the walk down to the Plaza de España. It was beautiful. Tons of mosaic tiles, interesting water features, fun pedestrian bridges, and an amazing building. I enjoyed that each region of Spain had their own little representation and they were all very different.

By the time I finished up it was getting unbearably hot. I recalled seeing a Starbucks nearby so I headed there for an iced mocha and a little lunch. I decided at that point I wasn’t going to have time to do the cathedral tour justice. It was still fairly early in the afternoon but I had a couple earlier than usual meetings for work.

I returned to the apartment, hand washed the laundry and hung it out, got a shower, and started to prepare lasagna. Another full morning where I didn’t feel like I’d accomplished much. Relieved to report the lasagna was edible.

 

Granada to Seville – June 21

I had planned to move on to Madrid and spend a few days before heading to Barcelona but I returned to Seville instead. I headed out the door toward where I recalled seeing taxis. My host had suggested the bus but I was concerned I’d take the wrong one or miss my stop. I think the truth was I just wanted something simple even if it meant spending more money.

The taxi got me to the train station where we were loaded onto the bus (see yesterdays post if this doesn’t make sense). The bus got us to Antequerra where we loaded onto the train for Seville. No train changes were needed so I felt like I could relax a bit. I rolled my eyes a bit and the train passed through the Marchena station. Apparently I was still a little bitter from the ordeal Sunday.

Finally a smooth train trip in Spain! As I exited the train I thought I should take the opportunity to reserve my spot on the Seville to Barcelona train on Thursday. All the signs were in Spanish and of course I chose the wrong line. The guy directed me to take a number and get into a different line. I hit the button for a ticket and nothing. Pressed it a few more time for good measure, same result. I thought maybe I was doing it wrong until a Spanish woman had the same result. She promptly told the clerks the machine wasn’t working and we all formed an orderly line. More than an hour later it was my turn. Making the reservation was easy enough and I was glad I’d decided to take care of that now rather than later.

Took another taxi into the city center where I got some food and a mojito. Kevin got home from work and I got settled in and started my work day. Keeping my Seattle hours really puts a dent in the night life. Another thrilling day of transit, but I got a few pictures of the Spanish countryside that might be decent.

 

 

Alhambra – June 20

For the life of me I cannot get my phone alarm set right when I’m not in Seattle. I like keeping my settings on Pacific time when I travel so I’m not late for work meetings, but it complicates the alarm setting process. So the alarm failed to go off at the scheduled time. Fortunately the internal alarm got me up with a sufficient amount of time. A helpful hint I got from Rick Steves is a lot of tourist hot spots let you buy or reserve tickets online allowing you to avoid the lines. Apparently people without tickets will start to line up around 6:30am in hopes of being able to get in without suffering in too long of a line. I was pretty stoked about having my space reserved.

I wandered around the block in search of a taxi. I wasn’t having much luck but I did happen across a hotel. I popped in and asked the man at the front desk if he could call me a taxi. I feel like its cheating since I’m not a guest at the hotel, but I’ll take the help wherever I can get it at this point.

I hop out of the taxi and head for the line. I happened to fall in line right behind an Australian couple who had also reserved a ticket. The wife went out to see if we were in the right line and she came back with a faster alternative, the nearly unknown kiosks at the end of the vistors center. As we claimed our tickets we struck up a conversation and new friends were made. Angie and Alan were kind enough to let me play third wheel as we navigated the immense. Again, I was enjoying having people to talk to and share the experience. Angie was a fantastic “scout”, always going ahead to make sure we were in the right line or location.

Angie had been in Europe for about 3 months, and Alan had joined her last month. They were walking the Camino trail. I know they crossed paths with the pilgrims, but it wasn’t clear to me if they were part of the pilgrimage. Fascinating couple and I was thankful they allowed me to be the 3rd wheel.

I don’t have words that sufficiently describe Alhambra. The complex has more than 60 points of interest, at least 12 that they list as “do not miss…”. I was disappointed I didn’t take advantage of the audio tour as I’m sure the history involving the complex is fascinating. The Nasrid Palaces are the highlight. Its another great example of rulers and religions trying to one-up each other. I tried to imagine what it was like when the first court was created in 1237. I wonder how simple it was in the beginning compared to how elaborate and decadent it is now. It is amazing for sure.

They suggest at least 3 hours to tour the complex and we stayed until the end of our time slot, all told about 5 hours. You have to reserve a time slot for The Nasrid Palaces portion of the complex, and they limit your time to an hour. I don’t know if its typical, but it was probably 10 past the hour before we were allowed into the Palace. I feel for the people at the end of the line, not sure how much time they actually got in the Palaces.

We wrapped up the tour and I said goodbye to Angie and Alan. I very much enjoyed my morning but it was time for me to return to the flat and think about getting my work day started.

What fresh hell is this?! – June 19

Packed up my things and headed toward the Cadiz train station. Or at least that is where I thought I was. After a confusing attempt at conversing with the woman at the information counter I decided I should probably get some food and coffee. I knew a Burger King was close. I had promised myself I would make the best attempt at a local experience but I just needed some food.

With my blood sugar nearing normal levels I headed back to the station. As I approached I realized what I had earlier thought was the train station was actually the bus station. That explains a lot! Fortunately they are next door to each other. Made my way to the information counter and got my ticket for Granada. Success!

I boarded the train and watched carefully for the stop where I needed to change trains. I was feeling pretty good about my day as I boarded the 2nd train. As we headed toward Granada the ticket checker came around and was telling everyone something in Spanish. He was carrying a piece of paper with the English message and he showed it to me. There is work being done farther down the line and I would have to get off the train and take the bus to Granada. I swear the message said to exit the train at the next station so with a bit of anxiety I gathered my things and walked off the train and through the station expecting a bus on the other side. Nothing. Sigh!

I returned to the station looking and got the attention of the guy in the office. He spoke enough English I was able to tell him I was told to exit and this station and take the bus. He looked at my like I was an idiot and proceeded to tell me it was the wrong station. I should have exited the train with everyone else at Antequera. The next train to get me where I need to be wasn’t coming for 2 hours. I know, it could have been way worse, but that didn’t make me feel any better. I started thinking maybe I’d just return to Seville as my host there had offered a place to stay anytime I needed it. That was going to be 2 hours as well. The guy at the station offered to let me keep my things in his office. I thought it was a nice, but odd, gesture until he walked me out of the station. Guess hanging out there wasn’t an option. The town is so small the train station closes between trains.

As we walked out I asked if there was somewhere I could get some food or something to drink. I only had the sparsest amount of water left in my bottle. “Sorry, it is Sunday and this is a very small town. Everything is closed.” He pointed me toward the center of town and told me “go look around, it is a beautiful place.” Those of you that know me can imagine the look I had on my face. With a heavy sigh and a “fuck me!” I walked in the direction he pointed me.

It was 36 Celsius, which I think translates to about 95, and here I am stuck outside for a couple hours. My poor skin was already pretty angry from my misadventure on Friday. Even with the long sleeved, UV protectant shirt I was feeling the burn. I did my best to stay in the shade and not look too odd. I can’t imagine they get many redheads from the U.S. in Marchena.

I didn’t want to venture too far for fear of not finding my way back in time. That and the heat is just so exhausting. I did make my way to the town center and he was right, it was a cute little town. There was a little park that had some nice flowers, trees, and shade. I hid out there for awhile then eventually made my way back to the station.

As I collected my things the guy reminded me to get off the train with everyone else (not by myself). “Thanks” I say rolling my eyes. I hate when people make me feel stupid.

Off to Granada. The train then bus get me to the station and I’m happy to find a taxi waiting to take me to my host. I’ve been good about walking most places but I just didn’t have it in me.

I arrived at my host, Joan, flat to find he wasn’t home. There was a café there and I had hardly eaten anything all day so I grabbed some food and messaged him to find out what was going on. He had stepped out for an errand and was on his way back. Timing worked out well.

I spent a few hours visiting with Joan (from Barcelona), his flat-mate (Venezuela), and the flat-mates girlfriend (from the US). Its funny how much you miss talking when there aren’t many people that speak your language. I crawled off to bed knowing I needed to be up at a reasonable hour for my tour of the Alhambra.

Cadiz – June 18

I decided I needed some time to catch up and relax. Yesterdays extravaganza left me burned…literally. Probably one of the worst sunburns I’ve had. I wasn’t expecting to be out in the sun so hadn’t properly protected myself. The breeze made the sun feel so nice it didn’t dawn on me I was being scorched.

I’ve spent some time today sorting through pictures and updating the blog so people know what I’ve been up to. Around 2pm I did finally venture into central Cadiz to find food and see what there was to see. I was sporting my long sleeved shirt with built in UV protection. Yes, people looked at me like I was crazy. No, I don’t care. They would have looked at me funny regardless. I wandered the streets, frequently from shadow to shadow. A few hours of meandering and I was feeling worn out. I walked back to the apartment along the water front hoping for a breeze and looking for shade. It was so hard to not just jump into some of these fountains. The heat was simply too much for me (looks like we hit a high of just 91).

I saw some neat stuff and I’m not feeling bad about staying comfortable indoors. I’ve got another week in Spain so I need to let my poor skin heal.

Tomorrow I’m off to Granada!

 

Heading to the coast – June 17

I was awake way earlier than expected and not feeling too bad all things considered. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t 100%, but I wasn’t totally hating myself. Whew! The other couchsurfers were up and we all visited for awhile. They headed out to see Seville but I wasn’t feeling a compelling need to go anywhere. Kevin and I hung out for a bit and he offered to give me a ride to my next destination, Cadiz. He was going to meet up with a friend in Rota and thought it wouldn’t be too far out of his way.

The drive south was nice. Lots of fields of sunflowers, some divided by flowering bushes. He stop by the Rota Naval Base to take care of a few things then we checked google for directions to my airbnb in Cadiz. Turns out it was going to be another 40 minutes drive, more like 80 for him since his destination for the evening was Rota. Not wanting to inconvenience him I told him I could take a ferry or bus to Cadiz instead. With some additional support from google I found there was a ferry that should get me there quite efficiently. He dropped me off at the port and I assured him I’d be able to figure out where I needed to be. That was dumb!

I wandered around the buildings right there by the parking lot, nothing. I wandered over to the next building over, there was something. A sign in Spanish that said something about hours ending at 14:00. Well shit, of course it was after 2! So I started trying to figure out how I was going to get to Cadiz. I looked for buses but their website was confusing. I considered a taxi but it was going to be expensive. I walked over to the beach to sit and think for a minute. Wandered back to the port thinking maybe I’d missed something. This time I noticed a shack that would normally have someone selling tickets. It was all closed up which I thought confirmed I was screwed as far as the ferry went. Did some more pacing and pondering. I was mad at myself for not just taking the train and avoiding this mess.

Finally I decided to go over to a nearby hotel to see if they could help me contact a taxi. I attempted to call them myself but there was a communication issue. I walked in and was warmly greeted by the woman at the front desk. I told her my dilemma and she said they typically run a shuttle if the ferry is canceled so she offered to call the company. She finished the conversation and told me the ferries were running as scheduled. I was confused but relieved to hear this whole ordeal was just another “learning opportunity”.

I gave her a perplexed look and asked for more specific instructions on how to find the ferry. Turns out I was incredibly close but just not far enough down the dock to find the ferry. I had looked down the dock earlier and all I’d seen was a marine gas station. I didn’t realize there was another building tucked in there. How about you put up a sign, people!!! I guess they must not get too many lost tourists around there. She gave me a map, I expressed my endless gratitude for her assistance, and rushed off to catch the next ferry.

Made it to Cadiz! My airbnb host would be at work until 8:30 so I wandered off the ferry and into central Cadiz to get connected and start my work day. I found what I believed to be a quiet corner restaurant to work from. Of course the one meeting I had for the day apparently was the exact time everyone in Cadiz starts to wander the streets. I’m definitely going to have to be more aware of my plans and surrounding when it comes to accepting future meetings. In this case it wasn’t a big deal, thankfully.