ESPANA
Here is the link to the photo album from my trip!! Check it out!
http://community.webshots.com/album/557067052AMRZFU
Overall, it was a fantastic week in Spain. Spain was even better than I expected and it was a great chance to use the Spanish I had studied in school for a good deal of time.
On Wednesday January 3rd, I flew from Nottingham to Madrid. I got into the airport and took a transit bus to the new terminal, built apart from the existing three terminals to ask the company that I would be flying with to Barcelona a question. I was walking into the terminal, which is absolutely gorgeous, and I could not understand why they were replacing windows on a building that was seemingly brand new. However, upon exiting the terminal, I soon understood.
Only 4 days before, the ETA, a Basque terrorist group, had attacked the parking garage opposite of the main entrance to the terminal, completely leveling a parking garage the size of a basketball coliseum. I was absolutely speechless as I had only briefly heard of this happening and had not paid any attention to it when I did hear about it. I never saw the fallout in NYC, but this brought on alot of flashbacks. After photographing and observing the bombsite for a bit, I finally took the subway into Madrid. I took the subway into the city, aggravating a number of people with my backpack on, and got off at Plaza del Sol, the center of the city. This is similar to the times square in NYC. A bustling intersection with boatloads of tourists. No sooner was I out in the sunlight, opening my map to get my bearings, this Spanish guy came up to me and asked if I was American. First thinking this was some sort of thieving ploy, I was careful, but most of all I was frustrated that I was having to start conversing in Spanish immediately upon my arrival. I had in the airport but not conversationally. Peter, the Spaniard, and I ended up getting lunch together and talking for a good hour and half. I never felt completely as though I was not being taken advantage, but we parted ways and I still had all my stuff.
I stayed in a centrally located hostel and spent my first evening walking around the city, seeing the main Plaza's and just getting my bearings. I walked all around and to my surprise, so did the rest of the city's residents. At 7pm, the streets became absolutely flooded with all sorts of people; young kids, tourists, business people, and most interesting loads of elderly couples. The streets stay completely rammed until 1am. The whole of Madrid is on a shifted time schedule and they window shop and step into bars and restaurants throughout the evening, every night of the week.
I realize I go into a great deal of detail so I will pick up the pace. I visited some amazing museums in Madrid, which is considered the art center of Spain. My favorite was Museo de la Reina Sofia, or Museum of Queen Sofia where I was able to view extensive collections of Picasso and Dali. They were incredible. I took a day trip to Toledo, a medieval town that was very picturesque. The town has a wall surrounding it, a river that acts like a moat, and a castle. The streets were my first experience with narrow European cobblestone roads that cars somehow manage to drive down. I just walked around all day, enjoying the architecture and the warmth of the sun, a feeling I had nearly forgotten in England.
On the fourth day of my journey, I spent the night in the airport to wait for my 6am flight to Barcelona. This tactic was not just a cheap Alan trick but was also necessary since public transport did not run at that time. Keeping complete character, I nearly missed my flight regardless of the fact that I slept 50 yards from the check in desk. I woke up an hour before and the line was nearly an hour long. I got on the plane with about 4 minutes to spare. Phew!
I arrived in Barcelona early on my birthday. I got my bearings by walking around for a bit and seeing some of the city's parks and gothic neighborhoods. I checked into my hostel around 10am and headed to the train station where I met my friend Celeste who had just spent the last few days in Valencia, Spain. She had been battling a cold for the last week and had not gotten over it, which proved to hamper the pair of us throughout our three days in Barcelona. We spent the day walking Las Ramblas, a famous pedestrian thoroughfare full of street performers and vendors, and the port. That night, we enjoyed a cocktail and a nice dinner of sea bass on the port.
Upon the suggestion of these Dutch gals in my hostel, we got a two-day ticket with the city tour bus that drove us around to all the major sights. We spent our first full day in Barcelona visiting La Sagrada Familia and Park Guel, two of the famous architect Antoni Gaudi's amazing works. La Sagrada Familia, one of the most well known attractions in Barcelona is a cathedral that is over 150 years in the making, and should not be finished until 2030. This magnificent cathedral is so purposefully designed, everything has a meaning and the inside is huge. The tour bus also took us to the top of Mont Juic, which overlooked the whole city, giving us amazing views of this huge city.
Overall, Spain was amazing! Great food, great people, and beautiful sights. I expect to return someday for further traveling and enjoying the Spanish lifestyle.
posted by Alan Perry @ 2:16 PM
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