July 19^th, 2012

Day 61: Barcelona, Spain

After a late night, we took the liberty of sleeping in as long as we could- which was only until about 10:30/11ish because our terrace doors/windows were open to allow for a breeze and the city was hustling and bustling by that time! We each got ready, packed Stephen’s bag for the day and were off!

We wanted to visit some of the most famous things Barcelona has to offer and our first stop was Las Ramblas. Las Ramblas is a shopping street with a large mall in the center where there are vendors, souvenir shops, food, drinks, street performers and more. We had fun walking down the center and taking it all in. Off to one of the sides we saw the entrance to a food market that we couldn’t resist going into. Little did we know it would turn into an hour long affair of us getting lost, eating, getting lost some more and then eating again!

Plaza before Las Ramblas

Baby chicks for sale on Las Ramblas!

Our first stop, the typical Americans that we are, was ‘Dunkin Coffee’- aka Dunkin D’s. I’m not sure why it wasn’t called Dunkin Donuts like the ones in Berlin were; maybe some kind of franchise rule in Spain. Regardless, I got an iced coffee and Stephen got a Coolata before we started our trek into the labrynth that awaited us.

We entered the market and were immediately greeted by several differnet things: every color under the rainbow in fruit stands, fresh selections of nuts, candied fruits and sweets, large fish on beds of ice staring blankly ahead with their mouths (full of teeth, I might add) gaping, and the wonderful smells of fresh crepes, falafel, omelettes and more. This was heaven. We spent some time just getting lost inside of the market, deciding what we wanted to grab for some lunch (a very difficult task).

We ended up buying a paper cone full of fresh chorizo to snack on while we wandered. And what a good idea it was- my arteries may disagree, but my taste buds and stomach were definitely happy. Cuando en Espana! Each of us finally  made a decision on what we wanted- Stephen got a plate of fresh battered cod and chips and I settled on a falafel from a kosher stand. We tried to stand in line for the falafel several times, but surrounded by people yelling in Catalan and intimidated by the uncertainty of how to pronounce ‘tomato’ properly when I was about to order, we did a few circles to come back to the stand when the rush had died down. I also grabbed a cup of fresh mango juice- literally just pure, fresh mango puree- it was heavenly. It reminded me of the mangos I eat whenever I’m down in Ft. Lauderdale visiting my Uncle!

We sat in a shady spot on Las Ramblas to finish up our lunch and then waddled our way to the beach (wayyyy too much food in our stomachs). On our way, we saw some seriously impressive street performers. By performers I mean the ones that paint themselves and dress up like statues to take photos with tourists. Let me tell you though, these guys were serious about their costumes and I would give them first place out of any of the other guys we’ve seen cross Europe.

We got to the beach and stayed for about 2 hours or so, again, making sure to apply and reapply sunscreen regularly. The water was gorgeous, yet again, and since this was our second visit, even the guys walking along the beach selling drinks (with constant calls of “mojito, mojito, mojitooooo” with a Steven Tyler-esque inflection at the end and ‘beer, cerveza, water, Coca Cola, friaaaaaa”) weren’t annoying anymore.

After we left the beach we made our way to the metro to head to the train station. We needed to grab our tickets for Madrid tomorrow! The trains run fairly often between the two cities so we weren’t worried, but getting to the train station and taking a number that was 150 people away from the current one being served was certainly dishearteneing. About halfway through our wait though, some strangers gave us a number about 40 less than our original, which was very nice of them!  Booking our tickets took no time at all and soon we were back on the metro an en route to Park Guell.

Park Guell is a must see in Barcelona if anyone reading this is planning to go. When I say it was incredible, I mean that it is incredible to the point of there not being a word that means incredibly incredible in the English language to describe it. I don’t know much about Gaudi’s work, but this park seems to sum up his attitude and approach to artistic expression. It is set high on a hill in Barcelona, offering stunning views of the city out to the ocean. There are mosaics everywhere- in the signs that say ‘Park Guell,’ in the large lizard statues that serve as decorative fountains, in the steps leading up to the Alice in Wonderland-type houses and towers, on the benches, in the railings- everywhere. Absolutely everywhere.  And the mosaics are exploding with colors, patterns and designs that catch your eye and seem to take on a new shape every time you look at them. I was inspired to try to do my own mosaic projects when I get home, for sure!

We spent some time in the park, admiring the views, experiencing the wildlife (cats in the woods, salamanders stalking their dinner, rainbow colored parrots procreating in the palm trees), and just relaxing and appreciating where we were and how lucky we were to be there.

On the way back from Park Guell, we stopped in a grocery store to get some water and found boxes (1 liter) of Sangria for 89 cents. So, as is typical for this pair, we bought 4. We got back to our hostel, opened a box of sangria, got a few things in order and then prepared to head back out to go to La Sagrada Familia, another one of Gaudi’s masterpieces!

We got there a bit before 12 and spent about 20 minutes just standing and staring at the building. Gaudi designed it and only saw a small portion of it completed before he died in the early 1900's. Its a church dedicated to the holy family and will probably be under construction until 2026. It was huge, assymetrial, so incredibly detailed and absolutely baffling all together. There was so much detail in every person that was carved in the building. So much though that went into the design of the ‘steeples’ and their significance. It was absolutely breathtaking to see the design that Gaudi had masterminded.

The lights on the building went out as the clock struck midnight, coincidentally, as Stephen’s finger tapped the camera logo to take  a photo of me. Attempt at a photo in front of Sagrada Familia fail. But funny, nonetheless.

Too little, too late!

On our way home we stopped for some pizza, realizing that we hadn’t eaten dinner yet and probably should before we went to sleep. We got a Hawaiian pizza to go with our sangria and started to head home! We tried to get directions from the people at the pizza shop but their directions included taking the metro, which was closed. After talking to few people on the street, we figured out how to get home by bus and were on our way!

Pizzaaaa

We got back a bit before 2 and went to sleep so we’d be ready to travel!

Favorite part of the day: I really enjoyed Las Ramblas/the market this morning. I would love to have that market as my main shopping spot if I lived in Barcelona! I also really enjoyed speaking in Spanish with a bunch of the locals today. Whether it was ordering food, asking for directions or just saying hello, it’s fun to speak in Spanish and I enjoy practicing. Time to find someway to do that when I get home!

July 18^th, 2012

Day 60: Barcelona, Spain

After a great night of sleep, we woke up and packed our things to set out to find our next place to stay. We made our way there pretty easily and were soon settling in and getting our stuff ready for the day!

We’re staying at a place called ‘Mr. Bruc’s Bed and Coffee.’ Essentially, the people who runt his place are geniuses. It’s a flat in the center of Barcelona that has been converted to a hostel- there are a few guest rooms with max. 20 or 21 bed spaces (I think), even some that are twin beds for a couple to share. There’s a lounge area and an open air patio as well, with 2 bathrooms and a kitchen to boot. It’s a pretty nice place, and definitely a great way to make money (even though it was really cheap!). The people who run it are so nice and were so willing to give us tips on the surrounding area as well as things to do.

Anyway, after we got settled in, we set out for the beach! We took only our towels and a bit of money with us for fear of getting pick pocketed at or on our way to the beach. It seemed like a great plan until we realized that we had no map, no familiarity with the area  or the city, and no clue where the beach was. Using Stephen’s logic, we headed in the direction that looked like development stopped after a certain point… i.e. where the land hit the ocean. I think we took the roundabout way, but we eventually found it and decided to grab something to eat at a little café by the water!

After lunch, we made our way onto the sand and scoped out a nice location. For the next 6 hours (accidentally), we were on the beach, in and out of the water, and applying and reapplying sunscreen so we didn’t have a repeat of Monte Carlo sunburns. I say accidentally because neither of us wear a watch and we had no cellphones so we lost all track of time. A blessing, really.

The water was gorgeous- not too cold but certainly refreshing and incredibly clear! It made me really excited to go home and have beach days on the regular J Granted, it wont be the Mediterranean beaches that I’m now used to, but Narragansett is right up there in beauty and comfort!

After we found our way home from the beach, we got changed and then headed out for some paella! This is literally what I’ve been looking forward to since we decided to go to Spain. I LOVE paella and after having it at Tina’s in Ireland, I was really looking forward to having some more in the place where it originated!

I looked up a restaurant that had great reviews on yelp, we mapped it out and set off. As fate would have it, it was closed (whomp whomp). We did find another restaurant pretty close to the area though that had decently priced seafood & chicken paella and settled on that! We ordered a pitcher of sangria as well and tucked in for a delicious meal.

The paella was incredible- the rice was perfect and the combination of mussels, shrimp, clams and chicken was delicious. I was very happy with our selection, overall! I can’t wait to have it again, and may be reaching out to Tina soon to get her recipe so I can cook it at home (Tina, keep an eye on your email!)! The restaurant also gave us a free glass of champagne after our meal, which was an unexpected but wonderful surprise!

One the way home we stopped at a supermarket and picked up some wine to have before we went out! As suggested by a friend, we planned to go to Razzmatazz, a 5 room warehouse club that is a must when you visit Barcelona. The club didn’t disappoint, and even though all of the various rooms weren’t open, Stephen and I had a great time dancing to the eclectic mix of music they were playing- 80’s, rock, house and top 40.

We got home around 5:30 or so and hit the hay!

Favorite part of the day: Paella! One of my favorite things about the countries we’ve visited on this trip is how much food is part of their culture. At home it seems like food is just food, but here- to eat a traditional dish is to really experience a pat of the culture that you’re a part of. The paella was delicious and I’m happy that we were able to get some local flavor while in Barcelona J

July 17^th, 2012

Day 59: Nice & Montpellier, France & Figueras & Barcelona, Spain

Today was our longest travel day yet. That’s essentially going to be the message of this post. That, and always always always check under your seat before you get off of a train.

We had a 7:55 train from Nice to Montpellier this morning. We arrived in Montpellier a little after 1. Stephen and I got off the train and went across the street to a McDonald’s to get free wifi, and maybe lunch. Waiting in line to buy something, I realized my wallet was missing. Stephen and I pieced together the morning- I had my wallet when we left because I put my license back into it, I had my wallet when we paid for breakfast next to the train station before we got on the train and now I don’t have my wallet. That was the timeline of events, so our options were a) it was stolen/lost somewhere in transit from the shop to the first train, it was stolen/lost on the train, or it was stolen/lost in transit from the station to McDonald’s. I remembered that I had put my purse underneath my seat on the train to Montpellier, so I ran back to the train station to see if our train was still there (it had a short stopover and I wasn’t sure how long that would last). Unfortunately, the train had already left and was on its way to Bordeaux, Toulouse to be specific.

At this point, I was crying. Upset that it was lost/stolen and that I had no money, no license and no cards. I tried to keep it together enough to ask for help at an information booth and was told to go to the information station, which was downstairs. My fingers were crossed that it was still on the train and they could do something to help find it. I walked in holding back tears and politely asked for help (in English, since I don’t know a word of French). Maybe my first question should have been if the customer service agent spoke English because apparently I set him off by just beginning to speak. He immediately got very angry and started yelling in French about how he didn’t speak English (I think), shaking his head back and forth, getting out of his seat and throwing his hands up. I tried to ask if there was anyone else I could speak with that could help me, and I think the gist of what he was saying was “no, no one here speaks English and no one can help.” Comforting words (regardless of the chosen language) to hear for an American traveller who just lost all of her money, access to money, and personally identifiable information.

The man then stormed away from his computer, went into the room behind the booth and slammed the door shut.

That was going nowhere fast. I walked back outside to the main station and tried to find someone who spoke English. Luckily, I found a man who understood me a little bit and explained my situation to him. He then went into the station I had just left, went behind the desk, and called the lead conductor on the train that I had been on. He asked the conductor to have his staff look for my wallet in the seat I was sitting in and asked that I stay in the area so that he could find me when the conductor called back. I was beyond grateful that this man was willing to help me and sat down in the information station to wait. Slightly awkward, since at times it was just me and the guy who originally flipped out in the room surrounded by a tense silence. I stared him down most of the time, angry that he was so quick to dismiss me and smug that I found someone to help and he just sat there looking like an asshole.

Long story short, I waited and about a half hour later was told that my wallet was found and was on the train. And then was told that the only way I could get it was to go to Toulouse. Well, since Toulouse was in the dead center of the country, that wasn’t going to happen during my 5 hour layover on the way to Barcelona. I reached out to a few people to try to see if there was any way that it could be sent to me, picked up by any locals, sent to someone in France, etc. I even roped in my roommate from Ireland, Riona, to do my bidding and call to speak to customer service/lost luggage at the Toulouse station. No dice.

Regardless of the status of my wallet, I was all set with money since Stephen and I both have Bank of America and I could just transfer him money to take out on my behalf. So, I can make it until I come home next week!

After the wallet drama, we just chilled in McDonalds until our next train, taking advantage of the AC, comfortable seats and free wifi. And occasional French fries.

The only cool thing about Montpellier.. decorative trams

Our train left Montpellier at 5 or so and arrived in Barcelona at about half ten. Judging by the nature of the day so far, I thought things couldn’t get much worse, but joke’s on you, Jill! We made our way to what (we thought) was our hostel for the next three nights only to find out that I messed up the booking and booked 3 nights for next week. Oops! After some quick searches online, we booked a room at a hotel for 1 night, booked 2 more at a pseudo hostel for the remaining 2 we had in Barcelona and set out to get some rest.

Our hotel was decent, but I wasn’t complaining with a hot shower and a bed to sleep in. After settling in and finally relaxing for the day, it was time to sleep J

*special appearance of a ‘lesson of the day’ instead of ‘favorite part’

Lesson of the day: Take things as they come and adapt to them. There’s no point in worrying about something that’s happened and wishing it didn’t- you can’t do anything about it after the fact. I lost my wallet, it sucked. I booked the wrong dates for our hostel, it sucked. It was stressful and definitely something I could have done without, but you know what? I’m all set for money, we’re all set for hostels, and we’re in a beautiful city that I can’t wait to explore. Bring on the trials and tribulations, world. I’m gonna take them in stride and continue having the time of my life.

July 16^th, 2012

Day 58: Monte Carlo, Monaco

After a rude awakening by some drunkards yelling and screaming in the train station (aka, our hotel for the night), we waited for our train to Monte Carlo at 5:14. It’s silly that a 20 minute train ride essentially took us 4.5 hours, but we finally made it to Monte Carlo around quarter to 6!

We made ourselves presentable in the train station bathroom at Monte Carlo (surrounded by sterling silver taps, wooden floors and a general air of opulence) and changed into our bathing suits. There was no way we were doing anything buy laying/sleeping on the beach all day. We spent a bit of time in the train station with a cappuccino waiting for the ticket booth to open up and finally, at around 7a, our wishes were granted. We got a train to Barcelona. Now, I’m not quite sure how or why no other country seemed to be able to see that there was clearly space on one of the connections to Barcelona that we’d been asking about (for the past week), but the wonderful man in Monaco saved our lives. Feeling quite relieved that we’d make it to Spain and forego any  more nights on the floors of train or bus stations, we gathered up our stuff and headed to the beach!

As soon as we walked out of the train station and down to the main road, our jaws dropped. Not only was the weather perfect, city clean and air fresh- there were harbors as far as the eye could see with nothing but multi-million dollar yachts and sailboats. Like the kinds you see in movies.. usually owned by drug lords. But hundreds of them. We walked along the marina following the signs to the beach continuously asking ourselves “where the f$*! are we” and “is this real life.” The water was crystal clear and stunningly blue (like my favorite crayon as a kid, Cerulean). The cars were all BMW, Mercedes and the occasional Rolls Royce. The marina walls were marble. You might get the picture now.

Anyway, we continued our walk along the water until we found the beach. The beach was covered in pebbles instead of sand, probably because rich people don’t want to get sandy. That, or to stop corrosion… I’m not really sure which. We spread our towels and tucked in for long day of nothing but relaxation.

Some additional notes about the beach: There were buoys marking how far you could go. Of course, you could swim past them to reach any one of the several floating docks that were out there, but what you couldn’t see unless you went all the way out there, was that under the buoys was a net. A net that extended down the bottom, keeping out any fish, floating debris and scary sharks. That’s an insurance policy for sure- Monte Carlo probably wouldn’t be so popular if they had any shark attacks. Additionally, at a few points during the day, Stephen and I saw a man on a jet ski driving slowly through the water past the buoys. There were two skimming nets sticking out of either side of the jet ski to collect any seaweed, dirt, floating wood, etc. from the ocean. From the ocean. It’s the ocean, people, not a pool.

Regardless, Stephen and I had a fantastic day soaking up the sun in Monaco. A perfect way to follow up a sleepless night on a  cold tile floor. At around 4 or so, we made our way back to the train station to find our way to Nice. The train was a short ride and only a few euro, and once in Nice, we navigated our way to the hostel we had booked.

This hostel was on the list of Europe’s Best Hostels and it definitely deserved that honor! It was absolutely gorgeous- with gardens, patios, a huge dining area, organized trips to go scuba diving, canyoning, on tours, etc. They made fresh meals that you could purchase every night for dinner, had a great selection at the bar, and the rooms were quite comfortable. The view from our room was incredible and we had trouble avoiding the question “is this a joke” when we thought about where we were.

It was a shame that we were only here for one night; I would have loved to spend some more time at the hostel and in the city! We relaxed at the hostel for the night, nursing our sunburns and relaxing. We’ve got an early train tomorrow to Montpellier with a connection to Barcelona!

Favorite part of the day: Monte Carlo beach. Breathtakingly gorgeous place and a great way to relax after non-stop travel.

July 15^th, 2012

Day 57: Venice, Italy

After a late night, we were woken up by Nico saying that he needed to get the room ready for his next guests so we speed packed our things away and got ready as quickly as possible! Breakfast was included with the stay and they had set us out some coffee, cereals, croissants and the likes. We ate quickly and then made our way outside and to the main train station to ride the boat bus!

It’s funny that boat is the most popular and most practical way to get around in Venice. There’s a boat taxi that takes you from the very top of the Grand Canal to the very bottom, so we bought tickets for that and got on. Nico had suggested we just ride the boat through the canal to see all of the palaces/buildings along the waterfront. Also, how often do you get to ride in a boat bus?!

We disembarked the boat at St. Marco’s Square and hung out there for a bit and then did exactly what we were told to- got lost. We wandered through the labyrinth of alleyways, over countless bridges and into various souvenir shops for most of the early afternoon.

We headed back to Nico and Matilde’s place around 3 or so, and got caught in a huge thunder/rain storm that came out of nowhere! We were pretty close to the their apartment when it started so we avoided the brunt of it, but it got pretty bad! Nico assured us it would only last a few minutes so we waited it out on the porch, watching the clouds pass in about 20 minutes.

After we said our goodbyes to our hosts, we made our way back to the train station to attempt to get a ticket to Barcelona (again), grab some food, and wait for our train to Milan. At the train station, we met the same woman we talked to yesterday and got the same answer- that she had no info/ability to book the tickets nor did she have the timetable. She had sent us to customer service yesterday but since we were trying to leave from Nice, they said they had no info other than timetables from Spain. We decided to give up and wing it for now, sitting with our fingers crossed that when we got to France it’d all work out.

Our train left Venice at 6p or so, and we were in Milan by 8:30. We grabbed a quick dinner at the train station and then hopped onto our connection, a train that took us to the border town of Ventimiglia where we arrived at around 1:00am. I guess the train system has something against overnight trains from Italy to France; the earliest train we could take to Monte Carlo (which was only 20 minutes away) didn’t leave until 5:14am. So, sleeping in the train station it was!

At first I thought we’d look like helpless kids sleeping in a corner overnight, but when we arrived into the main station in Ventimiglia, we found that it was spread with pseudo-camp sites for the night, with about 50 or so other travelers who were doing the same exact thing. Stephen and I staked out a comfortable section of tile, spread our beach towels, and passed out for a few hours!

Favorite part of the day: Wandering with no final destination. It’s always great to have an agenda or list of things to do/see, but wandering and just being happy to find the things you stumble upon truly is a great way to experience a city.

July 14^th, 2012

Day 56: Florence & Venice, Italy

This morning, we got up pretty early to get up and out of our hotel to catch our train to Venice! Our train left Florence at 8:25 and we were in Venice around 10:30! After getting our bearings and walking out of the train station, we quickly found that a map was utterly useless in this city.

There aren’t really streets, just alleyways and bridges over canals. Only about 50% of all of the streets are labeled on the map anyway, so we set out blindly to try to find the location of the apartment we’d be staying in! This time, we’d used airbnb.com to book a space- most of the hostels in Venice aren’t on the main island and are overpriced, so for less money and more convenience, we rented out the spare room of a young couple’s apartment. It worked out perfectly! After about an hour of aimless wandering, Stephen found wireless and was able to get us a bit closer to their apartment location (apparently the whole block we were circling was their address- each apartment had the same number with only letters to distinguish them apart from each other. We didn’t have the letter, haha). Eventually, after going back and forth down the same street a few times, an older man stopped us and tried to ask us who we were looking for. He did’t speak a word of English and we don’t know a lick of Italian, so we relied on technology (a.k.a. Stephen showing the guy his email with the couples’ names) to help us out. Luckily, it worked and the man pointed to one of the entrances and to the ‘quattro piano,’ the fourth floor.

view from the window of our room!

He was right and soon we were in Nico and Matilde’s apartment, exchanging pleasantries and being shown to our room. They were absolutely fantastic, giving us a brief rundown of the area and things that were happening, and circling all of the hot spots on our map. Nico’s best advice?: get lost. Get lost and try to find your way out- that’s the best way to experience Venice. We were also informed that at night, we’d be witness to one of Venice’s biggest parties- the Festival de Rendatore. It’s an annual celebration marking the end of the black plague back in the 16^th century, celebrated by an endless night of parties and an incredible fireworks display. A great coincidence, if I do say so myself!

After we got settled in an headed out, our first stop was back to the train station to try to figure out how we were going to get to Barcelona. Unfortunatley, we had no luck with the schedulers there, but we continued on and did exactly what Nico told us- got lost. We found a place to eat lunch and I enjoyed a heaping plate of spaghetti carbonara while Stephen had veal and chips! After lunch, we continued to just wander the streets, stumbling upon some of Venice’s biggest sights like St. Marco’s square and the Rialto bridge.

After stopping into a shop to pick up some water, we also scooped up some wine coolers and found a seat along the Grand Canal to relax and enjoy them! It was another gorgeous day out, and we really enjoyed sitting with our feet in the water looking out at the canal with a drink in our hand.

After a while along the canal, we headed back to the apartment to try to do some planning for both Monaco/Nice and Barcelona. We were successful with hostels and thought we had the trains down, so ended up joining Nico and Matilde for a little bit with 2 of their friends in the kitchen. They were having a small dinner party but we had some appetizers and prosecco with them before they sat down to eat! Their guests were lovely, and we chatted about the States and our travels a bit.

When we finally made our way out of the apartment, we went into the nearby Santa Margarita’s square, only to find that the party had already apparently started at 8pm! There were people everywhere in the square, drinking in public, sitting on blankets to claim their spot for the fireworks, and even a boy who had been coated in head to toe with eggs and what looked like whipped cream. There was no explanation to be had. We tried to find a wine shop that Nico had mentioned but failed, instead stumbling upon a store that Stephen had seen earlier in the night where they put house wine into 1.5 liter bottles for only 5 euro. What a steal! After we got some wine, we made our way down to the Grand Canal and across the temporary bridge that was set up there. The bridge is set up for only 2 days for this celebration and connects the main island with an island just off the coast, where the festival’s namesake church sits. There were tens of thousands of people there, going back and forth over the bridge, floating alongside the bridge on their boats partying up a storm, and even some groups who had tied several boats together to make a pseudo-dock. Crazy! It was an incredible sight to witness.

Stephen and I wandered down as far as you could go on the island to try to find seats and ended up having to turn back when hotel staff had shut down the very end for their clients. No bother though, we made our way back down the island and found a place along the canal.

We sat for a while just chatting until the fireworks display started at around 11:30. And what a show it was! The fireworks were incredible and lasted a good 45 minutes. It was a great night overall and we were really lucky that we happened to choose this day to be there to enjoy such a great party!

Favorite part of the day: The fireworks/general atmosphere in celebration of the Festival of XXX. I felt like I was really a part it and was excited that we got to witness such a lively and fun atmosphere even if we were only here for one night!