So its been a week… and no blog, which means this is gunna be a big one!
I finished off France in a small town called Carcassonne. It was an adventure just to get there… my train didn’t get into the station till after 10.30pm, and I’d forgotten to look up the directions. So I figured that I’d just walk towards the town and work it out from there. I found a map on the way, so I was trying to find the street when I felt someone coming up behind me, shit! I turned around to keep walking and it turned out that it was this cool English chick that had just got off the train too and was planning to sleep under a tree because she didn’t know of any hostels. We managed to find a nice hotel that gave us a map and directions, and we were off.
It was an interesting walk and I was kinda glad I didn’t do it myself, there wasn’t many people in the street by this time, but the ones that were either wanted to tell us how beautiful we were or let us know that “I’ll show you the real Carcassonne” (no thanks!) we’re pretty sure we saw a few prostitutes on a street corner too. Eventually though we met an amazing sight – the Old City lit up in all its glory. The hostel was right in the middle of the town’s old fort – which only has a population of 120! I think they are the hotel/restaurant/tourist shop owners because it is a purely tourist area.
The next day over breakfast I met this great American chick called Leah who was planning on doing a walking tour from her guide book, so I joined her and had a great time getting lost within the walls of the fort. We had a go discovering the new part of town down the hill, but it was dead, even the markets were pretty disappointing. It was really odd, where was everyone? It was a pretty decent sized town so why wasn’t it open? Haha.
We ended up back up the hill and did a walk into the castle and around the turrets, which we somehow managed to do for free! We only paid a few euro and got an audio guide that was narrated by Eugene Viollet-le-Du who was a famous architect and historian that restored the fort and prevented it becoming ruins. It was pretty funny, it had fantastic French arrogance to it, and we learnt the difference between Arrow Slits and Murder Holes and other such important facts.
After working up an appetite, we had an amazing long lunch in town for 14euro that included three glasses of wine, a fantastic warm goat cheese salad, steak and chips (it was my first steak since I’ve left) and really nice French dessert.
It was a huge wine day - last night in France though, it had to be done! We bought a bottle to share for the afternoon, trying to chill out in the courtyard – but the masses of school kids staying there killed the mood.
When the sun set, we walked out to see the fort lit up, and got some great photos, and on our way back in, we stumbled upon a great bar that was full of locals and ordered another bottle of wine. We had a great time there, checking out the French guys and generally talking shit (a day of drinking wine does that to you). Towards the end of the night, this French guy came up to us (thank god Leah is fluent in French) and basically told us that he had a little restaurant around the corner and we should come for a free drink. We decided that was probably not a good idea and that we had successfully liquored ourselves up enough, so headed home instead.
The next day was an exciting seven hour train ride to Barcelona. Half way through the trip though I met this cool Canadian guy from Quebec and we killed the time swapping travel stories and teaching me some basic Spanish. Jean was a great teacher and I got a few things down-pat which was great. That night, I met some more Canadian girls at the hostel and we hung out, and Australia and Magpies came up. Turns out Tina had seen some videos on YouTube of people getting swooped by Magpies and thought it was the most hilarious thing she’d ever seen, so she ended up getting one of the guys to look it up online, and everyone was laughing – except this other Aussie guy and myself, who were cringing, remembering childhood memories of such incidents… they definitely weren’t funny when they happened! Haha.
Welcome to Barcelona… the first place I’ve started wearing my money belt, and where a guy in my room got coffee “accidently” spilt on him on the metro and his bag stolen!
The next day I caught the metro into town and walked down Las Ramblas checking out the hilarious street performers in ridiculous costumes and the masses of tourists and football supporters (there was a big game on that night). There was a big produce market off to the side too, which was over-priced, but it was cool to check out. Apparently I missed the best bit of it though – whole sheep’s heads for sale right up the back – gross. It was a huge walk, but eventually I got to the beach, and I was a bit disappointed. I guess coming from Marseilles and Nice I was spoilt, so the over-crowded, windy, dirty beach of Barcelona didn’t impress me. There were hundreds of people selling everything from “Cola, Agua, Beer, Fanta” to guys with 30 hats on his head, asian massage and apparently there was even a guy balancing a huge tray of donuts on his head!
I bought a bottle of wine – cheapest one yet 1.50euro – and joined a great crew up on the hostel’s terrace for the afternoon. I wanted to check out the Barcelona nightlife, so two Canadian girls and I went back into town and into Las Ramblas. There was a pretty crazy vibe going on at night – guys selling beer from a six-pack in their hand every ten meters and ladies handing out flyers for their 10euro cover charge clubs. As we tried to find a bar, we passed a pack of black prostitutes clinging to this (obviously) American man – he had his hands out like doing breast-stroke, trying to get away from them and then one of them got hold of his passport. They just looked at the picture, laughed and waved it in his face, “you want your passport back” trying to show how clever they were and gave it back to him. As soon as we’d seen that, Tina (one of the Canadian girls) got a breast grope from one of them! Another said to her “it means she likes you”… she was horrified! It was so funny, but then mum suggested she was probably checking if Tina had her money hidden in her bra – which is probably a fair point.
The next day the Canadian girls and I met up with Jean (from the train) and headed out to Parc Gruel – a garden designed by Gaudi, Barcelona’s famous architect - it was amazing! Full of wacky bridges, fantastic views, beautiful mosaic artwork, cool street performers and vendors selling things on sheets on the ground, ready at a moments notice to run at first sight of the police. We spent a good part of the day there, had a picnic under the trees and eventually wound ourselves out to the giant lizard which is the feature of the park. We also managed to stumble apon one of Gaudi’s most famous buildings, La Pedrera - Casa Mila, it was amazing the curve and the iron work.
That night, I had a food disaster! The night before I’d bought a frozen lasagna and salad and had half in the fridge for the second night… and it was gone! Who steals a crappy half lasagna from the fridge? This was Sunday night too, so nothing was open… my only chance was one convience store left – it has two sparse shelves, so I had to get creative. I managed to make a semi-edible tomato pasta, with a bottle of wine to wash it down, I was quite impressed with myself.
Everyone was off to the huge beach party that was on that night – it was for the end of the Sonar music festival that had been running all weekend. So a group from the hostel of at least 30, headed out on the metro and then 40min bus to this beach in the middle of nowhere to find this crazy beach with people everywhere and this techno music pumping from the DJs on stage. We had a great time dancing to the music, going a bit crazy – sand dancing really kills your legs! Before we knew it, it was 5.30am and the music stopped… time to find our way home. We went out to the main street, and stood around, like the hundreds of other people, thinking “now what”? I think we were there for almost an hour before the first bus came. We bolted after it and ended up trying to fight our way through the swirling mass that was in front of the door, trying to get on. Somehow, we managed to get on (I still don’t know how) and from the original 30, only six were on that bus! I don’t know what most people did, but I know a few people caught taxi’s that cost them 40euro! By the time we got back, the sun was well up, and everyone slept till at least midday… trying to sleep it off! ☺
I eventually managed a bit of sightseeing, including the Gaudi cathedral Sagrada Familia, the Hospital de Sant Pau which is still a running hospital and now a world heritage site and in the Barri Gòtic (old town) which still had Roman walls remaining and the La Seu Barcelona Cathedral. The cathedral was a let down – they are doing restoration work, so they have scaffolding covering the whole front of the building with a poster of the façade covering it all – I didn’t really go there to see a picture of it! That was about all I could manage… I ended up back at the hostel, and planned my Spain itinerary on the terrace.
I hung out with these Aussie girls that night – I’d met them in Nice and had a great time with them, and then we randomly met up again at the hostel… it was fantastic!
The next day Tegan (one of the Aussie girls) and I went on an adventure to find the Salvador Dali museum in Figueres, about two hours by train away. It was in a great little town, in a building that was originally designed by Dali. They had a heap of stuff in there, a lot of his studies and early works and some fantastic instillation art, but I was so disappointed that none of his famous works were there! No melting clocks, no elongated animals with drawers coming out of their bodies, and the one painting I did recognize was on a poster saying “currently on loan to a gallery… in MELBOURNE, Australia”!!! I couldn’t believe it. We had a great day though, and made it back home by 5pm, just in time to get ready for the biggest Barcelona beach party of the year!
Wednesday (the next day) was Saint John day – a public holiday, so they have this fantastic party every year. There were fireworks going off all afternoon, some sounded like we were in a war zone! Darren (and Aussie who I’d met in Paris) joined us at the hostel, and at about midnight, we made our way out to Barceloneta avenue – there were people everywhere!
Music playing, fireworks going off, drinks… unfortunately though I’d lots all the girls, and so I was with a different group from the hostel, and all we did was sit on the beach… by about 3am, I was falling asleep on the beach, so I decided to go home – alone because no-one would come with me! It wasn’t a problem though, I just walked fast, head down, “fuck-off face” on… all good. ☺
The next day, I found out one of the young Aussie guys staying in my room got nicked by a scalpel from this Spanish guy on the metro home. It sounded like he wanted a fight and stirred the guys up until they were yelling at each other and then he pulled out the scalpel – luckily he only got nicked on his arm, but that morning he was finding a nearby hospital to get a blood test to make sure he didn’t get anything from it. Pretty scary.
That morning was a struggle… hungover from the night before, and finding that my sore throat was getting worse - making the trip to the train station, I felt like death. Luckily I did it with the Aussie crew, so that made it easier to handle.
I arrived in Valencia that evening and found that one of the guys I met in Barcelona was in my dorm room – so much for not knowing anyone when you travel overseas! Haha.
I hardly slept that night, but fortunately in the few hours I did sleep I missed the show that happened in our room. Two of the people from our dorm room got really drunk and got back about 4am, and had really loud sex in the dorm room… a room with 12 people in it! It was pretty hilarious, Eric (the guy from Barcelona) told me he’d seen the whole thing and that everyone was awake sniggering and watching the show! I’m really glad I missed it, because from my angle, it wouldn’t have been pretty!
Thursday, and I was still struggling… turns out I’ve got tonsillitis!!! So frustrating, but luckily I can diagnose myself these days, so the antibiotics have started. I spent the morning checking out the Conjunto Catedralicio which is the huge church in town, and bearer of the only “Holy Grail” that the church accepts is the true one. It was a very ornate and elaborate church filled with gold and paintings, except the gothic main walls were bare, it was an interesting contrast. I also had a look at the local market – Mercado Central before I had a Spanish siesta… which was amazing. The siesta is inconvenient if you want to get things done, but if you can join the locals for a nap, it’s the best – especially when your hostel has air-conditioning!
That afternoon, Eric and I checked out the beach. It’s a good 20min bus ride out of town, but really nice. Not very crowded, water was beautiful, the sand was a little dirty, but Eric said it was because they had a similar beach party on Tuesday night here too. That evening I joined a few people from the hostel and had Paella (pronounced Payeya here) in this great little family restaurant around the corner. It was only 10euro each and we got two different ones to try – Paella Valencia (chicken and rabbit) and one with squid and prawns in it. It was delicious! I’d been waiting to get to Valencia to try Paella because it is the birthplace of the dish… and with two dishes and four people, we couldn’t get though it all. The owner was a crackup too… (I think) he was trying to tell us this story about how in Valencia they use rabbit – demonstrating by making rabbit ears on his head, but other places they use rat or something… the story got shady by that point! None of us speak Spanish, so we just smiled and nodded and laughed at the right spots.
So now, its Friday lunchtime, and I’m on a train that was heading for Granada. A journey which was already going to be an incredible 8hour train ride… will now be at least 10 hours (if not more) because our train has broken down, and we’re waiting for another train to come by to pick us up so we can keep going. This means I’m not gunna get into Granada till at least 10pm tonight… sucky Spainish trains!!!
xoxo
Carcassonne photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020933&id=219300161&l=4fa11ee761
Barcelona/Valencia photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020959&id=219300161&l=ac059026bd
