In Barcelona, I took one of those bus tours that is the hop on/hop off double decker things so I as able to get out and see the sights that I was supposed to see! And it took us up the Olympic mountain to the Olympic stadium and supposedly some of the best views of the city from the gardens in the area. On the way up the hill, the little voice in my ear told about the dive pool complex and how it was open for swimming to the public. My ears perked at that little tid-bit! When the tour was over, I asked one of the red vested helpers about it, and she basically gave me a blank stare. So I asked at my hotel, and the guy at the front desk said that any pools in Barcelona would be memberships that would be extremely expensive. I wasn´t going to accept that, so I got on the internet to search it out. Seems that the polo pool is in fact open to the public for only 5€...awesome! So the next morning I got suited up and headed to the top of the hill. Yup, 5€ and I was in...had to climb all the way down to the changing rooms, then up the stairs at the back of the pool to enter the complex. Oh my goodness, amazing! I felt like Greg Louganis, well, except that he wasn´t in the '92 Olympics...And there were only a handful of other people there, imagine this awesome resource and no one in the city even used it!
But swimming in that pool with the gorgeous view out over the entire city was absolutely the highlight of my trip. Heck with all the beautiful architecture and cathedrals, I liked the pool!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Barca
Just about the time I figure a city out, I head to the next one. Such is the case with Barcelona. I really like the city...it is much more like a city as defined at home then the other places I've visited. Although las cocinas do stay open much later than at home! Today I did one of the hop on/hop off bus tours. It was a great way to see many things that I otherwise would have probably skipped, but it also stays on the major roads so the little hidden gems are still hidden to me. Guess those will be for my next trip :). I did get out to the futball stadium. Holy crap it is big. And not a football upright to be seem! I'm noticing that a lot...many soccer nets on random fields/parks. And I've also noticed that groups of boys (I have yet to see a group of girls) always have a soccer ball as the equipment of choice. Guess that is how you get good...always have your feet on a ball. I think my soccer coach said that in high school. Unfortunately it was too late for me. Anyway, the furbal stadium where FCBarcelona (Barca) plays...it is a fair distance from the city center so if I hadn't been on the tour bus I probably would have missed it. Granted, it cost 22€ to get in for the tour and such (do they think I'm made of money?!) but I at least got to walk around a bit and go to the official store. The non-player specific jerseys were 80€, and the good players were fetching over 100€ for a jersey. Seems they are on par with football and baseball stars back home (which, by the way, if anyone wants to get me an Ellsbury jersey I won't complain...did you see what an awesome night he had last night?!). I did get myself some soccer socks though...official FCB colors that they wear at home. They look just like Nike socks I can get at home, but I'll know the difference :).
Friday, August 5, 2011
Leaving Gran Canaria
Unfortunately I had my flight out already booked, or I would have tried to leave earlier. I must say, being in a tropical paradise just isn't the same by yourself. The hotel was fairly far from the downtown area, and not really lit well so I was a bit nervous to head to town after dark. Plus, it didn't really look like there was too much going on from what I could see from my balcony. Ah well, guess I'm learning all sorts of things on this trip.
The same guy that checked me in was working the desk this morning. And he reminded me I was there alone when he gave me a quizzical look and asked if the room was now empty. Oh, right, you're the one that was here alone.
I must say, it was quite amusing at the airport though....first off, Ryanair is "The low fares airline" which meant I had to print off my boarding pass before getting to the airport (luckily there was an Internet cafe in town cause the hotel couldn't handle it) or risk a 40Euro charge. Imagine charging $60 for a boarding pass?! Anyway, at the bag drop, everyone was weighing their bags because apparently they are sticklers for weight or they charge you another hefty fee. Luckily I had bought a 20 kg checked bag when I bought my ticket so it wasn't a problem.
Fast forward to boarding. Think southwest only without organization. Or maybe there was and I didn't catch it since I don't know what they say on the PA system. This airline actually uses the little baggage check thing to make sure bags will fit. And if you have more than one, they make you consolidate. And make you take stuff out of your bag till it fits in the little thing! It was very funny to watch these harried travelers fighting with their bags and the airline rep trying to get their bags to fit. I actually laughed out loud at what people were doing to stuff their bags in the little checker.
Then, open seating....and since I was near the end of the line, I thought I would be relegated to a center seat, but there was a lovely couple in the 8th row that had an empty window seat! Now I'm watching Africa/Morocco go by out my window. Only an hour and a half till Barcelona and civilization!
The same guy that checked me in was working the desk this morning. And he reminded me I was there alone when he gave me a quizzical look and asked if the room was now empty. Oh, right, you're the one that was here alone.
I must say, it was quite amusing at the airport though....first off, Ryanair is "The low fares airline" which meant I had to print off my boarding pass before getting to the airport (luckily there was an Internet cafe in town cause the hotel couldn't handle it) or risk a 40Euro charge. Imagine charging $60 for a boarding pass?! Anyway, at the bag drop, everyone was weighing their bags because apparently they are sticklers for weight or they charge you another hefty fee. Luckily I had bought a 20 kg checked bag when I bought my ticket so it wasn't a problem.
Fast forward to boarding. Think southwest only without organization. Or maybe there was and I didn't catch it since I don't know what they say on the PA system. This airline actually uses the little baggage check thing to make sure bags will fit. And if you have more than one, they make you consolidate. And make you take stuff out of your bag till it fits in the little thing! It was very funny to watch these harried travelers fighting with their bags and the airline rep trying to get their bags to fit. I actually laughed out loud at what people were doing to stuff their bags in the little checker.
Then, open seating....and since I was near the end of the line, I thought I would be relegated to a center seat, but there was a lovely couple in the 8th row that had an empty window seat! Now I'm watching Africa/Morocco go by out my window. Only an hour and a half till Barcelona and civilization!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Art
People that know me know I support the arts...being a member of the ballet, the pops, the ICA, etc...but I'm realizing that I am much more into the performing arts then still art. I guess I've always known I'm not a big art museum kinda person, but now I'm realizing I'm not a big art tour kinda person as well.
In Malaga, the tourist info counter had some maps of random things throughout the city, for instance, picasso's Malaga that took you to many landmarks relating to picasso's life there. I decided to try out the "Contemporary Malaga" tour...looked interesting. I wound my way through the city to find the beginning point, the contemporary art museum. Knowing I wasn't a big museum person, I skipped that and went on to stop #2...a statue/sculpture thing. A bit weird. And stop #3 was another sculpture nearby. Interesting, but by this point I realized that I enjoy accidentally coming across random sculptures in life, but I don't really enjoy the map of where to go to find each one.
I think this trip is making my box smaller, and defining more things I don't like, rather than expanding my horizons and making me realize there is so much out there left to discover. Or maybe I need an attitude adjustment and I need to learn to appreciate things for what they are and not try to look for a greater meaning.
In Malaga, the tourist info counter had some maps of random things throughout the city, for instance, picasso's Malaga that took you to many landmarks relating to picasso's life there. I decided to try out the "Contemporary Malaga" tour...looked interesting. I wound my way through the city to find the beginning point, the contemporary art museum. Knowing I wasn't a big museum person, I skipped that and went on to stop #2...a statue/sculpture thing. A bit weird. And stop #3 was another sculpture nearby. Interesting, but by this point I realized that I enjoy accidentally coming across random sculptures in life, but I don't really enjoy the map of where to go to find each one.
I think this trip is making my box smaller, and defining more things I don't like, rather than expanding my horizons and making me realize there is so much out there left to discover. Or maybe I need an attitude adjustment and I need to learn to appreciate things for what they are and not try to look for a greater meaning.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Gran Canaria
My first impression of Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands is that it sucks. Other then the delightful woman at the tourist info booth at the airport, everyone has been quite upsetting and just not nice. After getting my bag I went outside to find the bus to Puerto Rico (no, not the island, the city). After looking for a few minutes I realized that when someone says something is on the first floor, they really mean the second level...ground level is floor 0. So, I went upstairs to catch the bus.
Finally the correct bus came and when I asked the driver which stop I needed his only answer was "puerto rico". Yeah, great, but there are two stops listed! Ah well, I'll figure it out. I kinda did on the map, but not in real life...as we were pulling away from the stop I should have gotten off at I asked the driver if there was a bus that went the other way (cause damn it was a big hill we just went down). His answer was "Puerto Rico". Nice. Thanks for the help, buddy. Plan B. I found the taxi stand very close to the main bus stop and hailed a cab to get to the resort. I had to wait for a cab to come as the one that was sitting at the stand was driverless. I had a woman driver...I think that is the first time ever! She was fine, although she had to wait before loading my bag...still don't know why...I think it may have had something to do with the abandoned cab at the stand, cause I think she called dispatch to tell them...but I don't understand much yet.
I arrived at the resort and was greeted by a nice set of stairs to get to the reception area. Ugh, 40 pounds up the stairs...then I was checking in and the guy at the front desk gave me funny looks when he asked for "the other passport" and I told him I was here alone. Guess he doesn't get that much. Then he asked for my paper reservation slip. Um, hello, I made the reservation about 36 hours before I flew out of the country. I didn't get it! I had the email confirmation and he tried to tell me I needed to print it out. On what, my hand?! He improvised eventually, after sighing loudly a few times. Really?! I'm the only person that has ever shown up without that stupid slip of paper? You want to conserve resources, stop making me print crap!
Anyway, I made it to the room. Honestly the only good thing is I have a private balcony overlooking a marina. Or if you squint you can see a beach. The rooms are old and outdated. The couch is entirely not comfortable. The kitchen looks like it is older than I am. And there is one a/c vent...in the bedroom...and supposedly the temperature is set automatically. Needless to say, it is pretty hot in here.
And there is no Internet. That is just going to suck. I should have gotten the iPad with 3G. Wonder if it would work here...
I think I need to go find a bottle of wine...it is going to be a long 6 days...
Finally the correct bus came and when I asked the driver which stop I needed his only answer was "puerto rico". Yeah, great, but there are two stops listed! Ah well, I'll figure it out. I kinda did on the map, but not in real life...as we were pulling away from the stop I should have gotten off at I asked the driver if there was a bus that went the other way (cause damn it was a big hill we just went down). His answer was "Puerto Rico". Nice. Thanks for the help, buddy. Plan B. I found the taxi stand very close to the main bus stop and hailed a cab to get to the resort. I had to wait for a cab to come as the one that was sitting at the stand was driverless. I had a woman driver...I think that is the first time ever! She was fine, although she had to wait before loading my bag...still don't know why...I think it may have had something to do with the abandoned cab at the stand, cause I think she called dispatch to tell them...but I don't understand much yet.
I arrived at the resort and was greeted by a nice set of stairs to get to the reception area. Ugh, 40 pounds up the stairs...then I was checking in and the guy at the front desk gave me funny looks when he asked for "the other passport" and I told him I was here alone. Guess he doesn't get that much. Then he asked for my paper reservation slip. Um, hello, I made the reservation about 36 hours before I flew out of the country. I didn't get it! I had the email confirmation and he tried to tell me I needed to print it out. On what, my hand?! He improvised eventually, after sighing loudly a few times. Really?! I'm the only person that has ever shown up without that stupid slip of paper? You want to conserve resources, stop making me print crap!
Anyway, I made it to the room. Honestly the only good thing is I have a private balcony overlooking a marina. Or if you squint you can see a beach. The rooms are old and outdated. The couch is entirely not comfortable. The kitchen looks like it is older than I am. And there is one a/c vent...in the bedroom...and supposedly the temperature is set automatically. Needless to say, it is pretty hot in here.
And there is no Internet. That is just going to suck. I should have gotten the iPad with 3G. Wonder if it would work here...
I think I need to go find a bottle of wine...it is going to be a long 6 days...
Africa!
I had a tip to take a day trip to Morocco while I was here since it is so close. I was also told not to go alone. Well, turns out the waiter is a Moroccan citizen and he had a day off this week and needed to get his mother a visa so she is able to come visit him in August. Perfecto! We took the 6:45am bus from Malaga to Algeciras where there was a ferry. Jose had to stop at the Moroccan Consulate to finalize the visa paperwork, so we started there. I wasn't even allowed in the office, I had to wait in the hall. But eventually he came back and we headed to the ferry ticket office. We had just missed the bus, but still managed to get a ticket on the 11am ferry and then shared a cab with two random guys who were also a little late but still getting on the 11 o'clock ferry. The town where the ferry was is actually about 15-20 minutes away from the ticket office. So we made it with plenty of time and had to wait for el barco to arrive and empty before boarding. And we had to go through passport control on the way out of Spain...I now have a boat stamp in my passport! Sometime around 11:20 or so they finally let us start boarding. And when we got on we had to wait in another queue for Moroccan passport control (I've got a stamp in Hindi, too!). So, basically the whole trip was waiting in lines. But we finally docked in Morocco.
Immediately upon getting off the boat, we were approached by men in robes asking if we wanted a taxi. I quickly knew it was good I didn't go alone! We made it out of the area and started searching for Jose's brother so we could deliver the visa documents. And we exchanged a bit of money...Moroccan money looks like euros but it is worth less than 10% of it.
His brother spent the day with us too. We first walked through a shopping district...I think that is all tourists do! Then his brother wanted to go to a place for lunch that overlooked the water....the hunt was on for a taxi that would go that far outside of the city center....we finally found one, that we had to share with two other people. I was a bit scared...the Mercedes had a horribly spider-webbed windshield, the back window had a sunshade Jerry-rigged to it and the speedometer was broken. Apparently you just agree on a price with the cab driver...no meter was to be found. But we made it. The place we went had a cave with a beautiful opening to the ocean and some random tourist trap souvenirs. But the restaurant had the best location! It was gorgeous! The food was pretty good, too. They had pans of fish with potatoes and carrots that they cooked on a bbq grill. Of course the fish still had heads...I'm not sure I really like my food looking at me! The guys also got an order of anchovies. Yes, full fish on a plate. I couldn't quite bring myself to eat them after my experience with anchovies last year in Italy. But it was a great lunch. And there were camels in the parking lot so I got a picture and pet a baby.
Then it was time to head back into town...we needed a cab. Phew, found one that has just dropped people off and he was willing to take us back. Of course along the way we stopped and picked up two more people. This was not a huge car...but I think they would have squeezed a couple more people in to get the fare. We made it back without incident. We also passed the King's house. Apparently he has one in every city of the country and he spends time at all of them.
We wandered around the city center for a bit and stopped at a nice cafe for coffee. I had Moroccan tea. It was herbal tea with something and mint. I don't remember what it was. But it was pretty good. Then we went back to the shopping area and Jose got a couple of fake Polo shirts for 10Euros. Now it was getting late and we said goodbye to Jose's brother and headed to the ferry. We got there in plenty of time for the 6pm ferry, but apparently so had the rest of the world and they wouldn't let us on, saying it was full and we had to wait for the 8pm boat. That boat finally showed up a little after 8 and after waiting for all the cars to clear out we were allowed to board. But we also had to wait for cars to load. My god, I think the entire country was trying to leave. The entire double decker car port was full, and it took over 2 hours for them to load everything. Ugh. We were extremely tired and cold by that point...sweating all day then sitting in cold a/c with no jacket...I used Jose's shirts as a blanket! We finally got underway and returned to Spain around 11:30. Then we had to take the bus back to Algeciras. Well, the bus station had since closed and there was now no way to get back to Malaga...so we found a hotel and called it a night.
The next morning, I woke with the rock of Gibraltar out my window! The room faced Algeciras port which looks right over the harbor to Gilbralter. Very cool. Although I didn't go climb on it, I at least got to see it!
So we headed to the bus station to catch the 9am train back to Malaga...and wouldn't you know it, sold out! And that was the direct bus. The next one at 11am was a route bus which meant it took forever because it stopped in every town along the way. And trying to get a train ticket was useless as apparently the train doesn't go that way. So 11 o'clock route bus it was...we finally got back to Malaga after 2. Then I got a 6:20 train back to Sevilla. Ugh. It was nice to not be on public transportation for a few hours...but Saturday morning I started all over again with the next leg of my journey...
Immediately upon getting off the boat, we were approached by men in robes asking if we wanted a taxi. I quickly knew it was good I didn't go alone! We made it out of the area and started searching for Jose's brother so we could deliver the visa documents. And we exchanged a bit of money...Moroccan money looks like euros but it is worth less than 10% of it.
His brother spent the day with us too. We first walked through a shopping district...I think that is all tourists do! Then his brother wanted to go to a place for lunch that overlooked the water....the hunt was on for a taxi that would go that far outside of the city center....we finally found one, that we had to share with two other people. I was a bit scared...the Mercedes had a horribly spider-webbed windshield, the back window had a sunshade Jerry-rigged to it and the speedometer was broken. Apparently you just agree on a price with the cab driver...no meter was to be found. But we made it. The place we went had a cave with a beautiful opening to the ocean and some random tourist trap souvenirs. But the restaurant had the best location! It was gorgeous! The food was pretty good, too. They had pans of fish with potatoes and carrots that they cooked on a bbq grill. Of course the fish still had heads...I'm not sure I really like my food looking at me! The guys also got an order of anchovies. Yes, full fish on a plate. I couldn't quite bring myself to eat them after my experience with anchovies last year in Italy. But it was a great lunch. And there were camels in the parking lot so I got a picture and pet a baby.
Then it was time to head back into town...we needed a cab. Phew, found one that has just dropped people off and he was willing to take us back. Of course along the way we stopped and picked up two more people. This was not a huge car...but I think they would have squeezed a couple more people in to get the fare. We made it back without incident. We also passed the King's house. Apparently he has one in every city of the country and he spends time at all of them.
We wandered around the city center for a bit and stopped at a nice cafe for coffee. I had Moroccan tea. It was herbal tea with something and mint. I don't remember what it was. But it was pretty good. Then we went back to the shopping area and Jose got a couple of fake Polo shirts for 10Euros. Now it was getting late and we said goodbye to Jose's brother and headed to the ferry. We got there in plenty of time for the 6pm ferry, but apparently so had the rest of the world and they wouldn't let us on, saying it was full and we had to wait for the 8pm boat. That boat finally showed up a little after 8 and after waiting for all the cars to clear out we were allowed to board. But we also had to wait for cars to load. My god, I think the entire country was trying to leave. The entire double decker car port was full, and it took over 2 hours for them to load everything. Ugh. We were extremely tired and cold by that point...sweating all day then sitting in cold a/c with no jacket...I used Jose's shirts as a blanket! We finally got underway and returned to Spain around 11:30. Then we had to take the bus back to Algeciras. Well, the bus station had since closed and there was now no way to get back to Malaga...so we found a hotel and called it a night.
The next morning, I woke with the rock of Gibraltar out my window! The room faced Algeciras port which looks right over the harbor to Gilbralter. Very cool. Although I didn't go climb on it, I at least got to see it!
So we headed to the bus station to catch the 9am train back to Malaga...and wouldn't you know it, sold out! And that was the direct bus. The next one at 11am was a route bus which meant it took forever because it stopped in every town along the way. And trying to get a train ticket was useless as apparently the train doesn't go that way. So 11 o'clock route bus it was...we finally got back to Malaga after 2. Then I got a 6:20 train back to Sevilla. Ugh. It was nice to not be on public transportation for a few hours...but Saturday morning I started all over again with the next leg of my journey...
Sevilla esta muy calor
I love hot weather. Anyone that knows me knows that I hate winter and I would much prefer having temps in the 80's and 90's. Well, Sevilla called my bluff. Holy crap was it hot. I actually used the a/c in my apartment. Wednesday morning I went out at about 9am to walk along the river (think esplanade) and it was 30 deg C when I started. By the time I made it back to the apartment around 11 it was up to 34. And the heat of the day hadn't even set in yet! By the time I got on the train at 8pm to head to Malaga before going to Morocco, it was 37. At 8 o'clock at night! Needless to say, I really didn't see much of Sevilla. I walked around a little on Tuesday when I got there but after about an hour I was spent. Luckily the bus has a circular route that goes around the city...my compromise was to take the loop so I was at least able to see stuff.
I even tried to go out on the roof deck at one point, but the heat was just over-whelming. I went to a flamenco show on Tuesday night and upon walking into the small performance room that fit about 75 people, they handed out paper fans. You know it is bad when they basically tell you you're going to be hot...
I'm a bit glad my trip to Morocco lasted longer than it was supposed to, just so I didn't have so much time in Sevilla.
I think I might have enjoyed the city, but I would much rather go when it is just slightly cooler. At least I learned how much heat is too much...
I even tried to go out on the roof deck at one point, but the heat was just over-whelming. I went to a flamenco show on Tuesday night and upon walking into the small performance room that fit about 75 people, they handed out paper fans. You know it is bad when they basically tell you you're going to be hot...
I'm a bit glad my trip to Morocco lasted longer than it was supposed to, just so I didn't have so much time in Sevilla.
I think I might have enjoyed the city, but I would much rather go when it is just slightly cooler. At least I learned how much heat is too much...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)