4
Barthelona and another city in Spain
As you will have read in our recent posts, we've been traveling now more than ever. And needless to say, have exposed ourselves to the pains and pleasures of public transportation. We have taken planes, trains, buses, ships, cars, boats, gondolas, tractors, taxis, bikes, scooters, metros, and of course... a piedi for what feels like a thousand miles. Sometimes it's a breeze, both literally and metaphorically; other times, painfully unpredictable. But regardless of the circumstance, we have always managed to find our way... arriving with more self-confidence than the day before.
From London, we booked a flight on RyanAir to Barcelona. We didn't however arrive in Barcelona. We landed in what RyanAir considers Barcelona; Girona, a small town 50 miles north. From there we took a bus, which had us on Las Ramblas by midnight. Tired, yes. Cranky, yes. Hungry, probably.
Our room was perfect, and in my opinion, the best value we've seen yet. Private room, private bath, AC, shared/modern kitchen, internet, and the location was in the heart of Las Ramblas, the main thoroughfare in Barcelona, all for 45 euros a night. Deals like this will mend a weary traveler, believe me. Then we went to bed with no intentions of waking up before noon.
At noon, we awoke to a downpour that would make south Florida blush. The skies were grey and gave no sign of relenting. We were too hungry to wait, so we skipped out in the storm with our tiny umbrella and took shelter in the first restaurant we could find. This would be our first meal among many other disappointing ones in Spain. Protected from the rain, we ordered what we assumed would be good anywhere, Paella. Not true. Unsalted, overcooked, flavorless bowl of rice it was. La cuenta por favor. Back in the rain.
I wish I could say that this was the worst of our meals, but it just aint true. The tapas tasted like it was being degraded for the tourist season. The sauces were mild and the sandwiches... boring. I'm not sure what caused it, but my acid reflux came back... probably the taller, watered-down cups of coffee.
The saving grace for our Barcelona was the Boqueria Market. It's a daily food market, one of the best in Europe apparently. We took plenty of pictures, so I'll let those that story. We also visited La Sagrada Familia, which was the most impressive cathedral we have seen in Europe thus far. It as well as many other sites there were designed by Gaudi. Plenty of pics to see. We walked around, explored, got lost, admired some of Picasso's stuff, had a picnic, bought a chipmunk from a street vendor and released it into the wild... ya know normal touristy stuff. That was Barcelona for us.
Then we went to Pamplona for the San Fermin (Running of the Bulls) festival. If I had to describe Pamplona in July I would only need three words. Urine, vomit, and drunk people.. okay four. Of course, most people there might've used more flattering words like party woo!!! or running of the bulls!!! yeah!! Or up all night man! yeah! Either way, you catch my drift. All we wanted to see was the bulls, and what all the fuss was about. And for me, the fuss wasn't worth it. The idea is exciting, but the reality... to me... was cruel. We didn't see an actual bull fight though, because our bus was leaving.
All in all, our experience in Spain wasn't what we hoped it would be. However, we DID spend our time in the most touristy spots and during the peak season. We will give it a second shot... someday.
Lunch at Boqueria Market
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From London, we booked a flight on RyanAir to Barcelona. We didn't however arrive in Barcelona. We landed in what RyanAir considers Barcelona; Girona, a small town 50 miles north. From there we took a bus, which had us on Las Ramblas by midnight. Tired, yes. Cranky, yes. Hungry, probably.
Our room was perfect, and in my opinion, the best value we've seen yet. Private room, private bath, AC, shared/modern kitchen, internet, and the location was in the heart of Las Ramblas, the main thoroughfare in Barcelona, all for 45 euros a night. Deals like this will mend a weary traveler, believe me. Then we went to bed with no intentions of waking up before noon.
At noon, we awoke to a downpour that would make south Florida blush. The skies were grey and gave no sign of relenting. We were too hungry to wait, so we skipped out in the storm with our tiny umbrella and took shelter in the first restaurant we could find. This would be our first meal among many other disappointing ones in Spain. Protected from the rain, we ordered what we assumed would be good anywhere, Paella. Not true. Unsalted, overcooked, flavorless bowl of rice it was. La cuenta por favor. Back in the rain.
I wish I could say that this was the worst of our meals, but it just aint true. The tapas tasted like it was being degraded for the tourist season. The sauces were mild and the sandwiches... boring. I'm not sure what caused it, but my acid reflux came back... probably the taller, watered-down cups of coffee.
The saving grace for our Barcelona was the Boqueria Market. It's a daily food market, one of the best in Europe apparently. We took plenty of pictures, so I'll let those that story. We also visited La Sagrada Familia, which was the most impressive cathedral we have seen in Europe thus far. It as well as many other sites there were designed by Gaudi. Plenty of pics to see. We walked around, explored, got lost, admired some of Picasso's stuff, had a picnic, bought a chipmunk from a street vendor and released it into the wild... ya know normal touristy stuff. That was Barcelona for us.
Then we went to Pamplona for the San Fermin (Running of the Bulls) festival. If I had to describe Pamplona in July I would only need three words. Urine, vomit, and drunk people.. okay four. Of course, most people there might've used more flattering words like party woo!!! or running of the bulls!!! yeah!! Or up all night man! yeah! Either way, you catch my drift. All we wanted to see was the bulls, and what all the fuss was about. And for me, the fuss wasn't worth it. The idea is exciting, but the reality... to me... was cruel. We didn't see an actual bull fight though, because our bus was leaving.
All in all, our experience in Spain wasn't what we hoped it would be. However, we DID spend our time in the most touristy spots and during the peak season. We will give it a second shot... someday.
Lunch at Boqueria Market
La Sagrada Familia
Tiny Elevator
Tiny Elevator
Bull gore
Chipmunk Liberation
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