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Tomatina!!
Thursday, September 30th, 2010 /

Tomatina!!

According to legend the worlds biggest annual food fight got its start as a joke among friends.  To celebrate the end of the week long festival held every year in Bunol, a small group of amigos randomly started throwing  tomatoes at one another.  Add a few years, 150,000 tomatoes and 40,000 people, pack them into a rural Catalon town in Bunol, and presto….La Tomatina is born!

Since the early stages of planning for our trip Chels and I have held La Tomatina top on our list of festivals to visit.  So when our good friends from Santorini, Drew, Hannah and Racheal decided they were going to come with us, we were more than thrilled to have targets when the tomatoes started to fly!

Our Crew!


Fun!

We left the night before the festivities and took with us a crew of about 8,including Chels and I.  We cruised threw ground zero and noticed people preparing their houses with tarps and plywood.  (We heard stories about people breaking down doors and coating the insides of houses with tomatoes.)  We found some tables, settled in, caught up with our Santorini crew and played some card games till we were ready to go to bed. I made sure to give out plenty of carrots to everyone to provide SOME nutrition for the night!  Now the only problem was to find a spot to sleep.

The next hour was spent exploring the areas around Bunol for a nice pitch for our tents.  There was this nice secluded area with a night club nearby which provided us with some nice lullaby music!

The Boys!

Awoken by roosters and murmurs of people LEAVING the club, we were ready to get the day started (although a tad bit slow from a night of drinking). It was only 8am when we armed ourselves with massive cups of sangria and goggles before we found our way to the massive crowd of people just waiting for the festivities to get started. First was the Greasy Pole contest, where (drunk) guys attempt to climb to the top of a greased pole to reach the ham…..a great way to get people rowdy and excited. Then at exactly 11am, a loud firework cracks!

 

The Girls!

TOMATO-THROWING TIME!!!! All the locals that were hanging out on their rooftops spectating….were now the locals pelting everyone with tomatoes. They had CRATEFULS after cratefuls of semi-soft tomatoes….it was never-ending. Those that weren’t throwing tomatoes were unloading gallons and gallons of water onto the crowd. It was really fun but nothing compared to what was next with the dump trucks.

 

Dumptruck!!

 

Getting pelted!

About 30 minutes after the fireworks, the first dumptruck of 5 rolled through FILLED with tomatoes. Everyone starts screaming and yelling and throwing anything they can get their hands on (usually either tomato remains or soaking wet shirts). There was a constant stream of hoses to try to keep the tomatoes from staining everything red in this town, but it made for a fun time. The people up high were the best targets, and at one point i got on Brad’s shoulders for a couple minutes before being absolutely pelted with tomatoes! It was incredible! Fun, crazy, an indescribable experience. I’ve always always wanted to have massive food fight at school, and here we are at the WORLDS BIGGEST FOODFIGHT!!!

 

Olay Olay!

When the official “end of Tomatina” firework went off, we were sad to realize it was over so quickly. Everyone started dispersing and following the dumptruck down the street….a couple guys ran and jumped in the trucks and just started flinging tomato juice everywhere!! It was great…the cops didn’t do anything about it either! It was hilarious to see everyone just covered in red and dirty clothes, ripped clothes walking around! We found a nice shady spot to hang around in and watch as everyone slowly rolled back to Valencia. I think we were under the impression there would be parties all night in Bunol, but by 4pm it was not only a ghost town, but it was SPOTLESS!! The clean up crew is incredibly efficient!

 

Best Part!

So there we were, the Santorini crew…the only young people left in the town…chilling and reminiscing on what we just experienced and enjoying each others company for the rest of the night! It was an unforgettable experience…and even better that it was with friends :)

 

Tomatina!!!

Category: Camping, Festivals, Spain, Tomatina, Western Europe  Tags: , , , ,  2 Comments
Ibiza!!
Monday, September 27th, 2010 /

” 0oo We’re going to Ibiza! Back to the island! We’re gonna have a party…in the Mediterranean Sea! ” I have LOVED that Vengaboys song since i was 12 but never knew in 10 years Brad and I would actually be going to party there! We lucked out and found a ferry getting in for half price if we leave on Friday instead of Thursday! It’s incredibly expensive to get there….and once you get there…just as expensive! We boarded with just our day pack…one outfit and our bathing suits, with no real plans to sleep!

Cool fountain!

We arrived around 9:30 and it was hopping in Ibiza town! The streets were packed with little markets and the clubs had merchandise stores EVERYWHERE! Brad and i were on a mission to find the only luggage storage place on the island, but nobody made it easy for us!! AHHH by the time we found it, payed 8 euros to check our tiny backpack,found the random bus stop and got to Sant Antoni.. the other side of the island, it was 11pm or so!

Hangover!

We went to the first supermarket we saw to grab some water when i saw these guys dressed in Hawaiian skirts with paint all over them…snapped a pic and we were on our way. It wasn’t long before I realized that those guys seemed normal compared to the freak-show we saw 5 minutes later in “the west end”! People dressed up and painted in alllll sorts of stuff! Some girls AND GUYS half naked, some dressed as cows (literally)! We were a little late in the game, and it was too late to buy Alky in the shops, but we did find a place with a 4 drinks for 6 euros special! But after splitting those and deciding to go check out somewhere else… we were feeling broke and tired! It was 3am and luckily we found a private accommodation for cheap….not quite what we had in mind when we thought Ibiza, but oh well…tomorrow is another day!!!

Having some drinks!

Enjoying life!

The next day we hit up a beach on the west side of the island, called Calla Varella! It was not in such a main area and we thought it would be cool to check out another part of the island! It was tucked away in this little bay, the water flat and as clear as anything! We relaxed for a few hours, swam some laps, and showered (with soap) in the beach showers haha before taking off to San Antoni to figure out the club of choice for the night.


Gorgeous view!

Back in Sant Antoni, we decided to search for the ever-famous Cafe Del Mar to watch the sunset! Couldn’t find it :( I wanted to go because Dave, my boss from Atlas in Santorini, always played there music in the restaurant and they are just famous for the chilled-out vibes! BOO!

Amazing sunset!

BUT we did find a really laid-back place the offered a perfect view of the sunset with beds and cushions and all that nice stuff!  We  took the opportunity to use their bathroom to change and get ready for the night! We were on our way to buy tickets to Eden, only 25 euros instead of the usual 40 each, some clubs even costing 60! Although i’m sure they were a blast, not really in our price range! We happened to walk past some reps and heard something about free entry to Eden, immediately turned around to see what that was all about, and scored ourselves some wrist bands!! WOOO hooo just saved ourselves 50 bucks!

Ibiza Rocks!

So now in a GREAT mood, we hit up a pre-party bar right on the beach called Ibiza Rocks that was fully open-aired! There was a DJ playing with a girl playing saxaphone …walking throughout the crowd on the dancefloor …over his tunes which sounded AMAZING! And all these attractive girls in Vegas-style outfits dancing around with the drunkedness that had already began! Really really cool place to kick off the night! At around 1:30am we decided it was time to experience Eden!

The club was INCREDIBLE! It was a Mondo Loco party which means something like Crazy World i think! And it was! As soon as we walked in, they were offering Face Paintings…so naturally i got one :)

Loved him!

Then we saw the craziness of lights and people and dancers. Everything from men on stilts to cirque de solei sheet wrappers to crazy tall crossdressers to s&m bondage girls spanking each other! Even the stilt-men were in bondage. The DJ was good but nothing special… played really typical house music that sounded super repetitive! It was just background noise to the bizarre things going on around us really! At one point they brought out this massive cake and out popped a girl with a huge snaked wrapped around her….being all glamarous and exotic! A couple hours later, Brad and I were standing where they were setting up to use the snakes again and i got to touch them!!! Forgot how weird they feel!

Lasers!

Laser man!!

I dont know if any of you have seen the Akon and David Guetta video..”Sexy Bitch” but when they get to the club scene, it’s in Ibiza and there is this crazy laser guy with glow sticks all over him and Brad and I were so hoping we could see something like that!  And we did!!! We saw him covered in green glow sticks sneaking through the crowd with crazy lasers coming out of each of his fingers! It was sooooo cool and i was SOOOoo excited! Then later he came out again in bright white lights and a bicyce…got lifted up above us and started spinning and doing crazy tricks in the air!
SO this was basically non-stop  all night with laser shows and new surprises every few minutes! Brad and I danced the night away for HOURS….so proud of us :) Haha! It was the DJ’s birthday, so usually when the club closes at 6am…he kept going until 7:30 or so! When Brad and I walked out….It was light outside! We walked along the beach, got ourselves a cheap 1 euro water (14 euros in the club for a SMALL one)  and some brekkie, hopped on the ferry and left Ibiza with fond party memories fresh in our minds :) As SOON as our bums hit the seat in the ferry, we were out for 5 hours until we woke up in Valencia!

Leaving the club!


Category: Beaches, Ibiza, Islands, Spain, Western Europe  Tags: , , ,  One Comment
Valencia!
Monday, September 27th, 2010 /

Hostel painting

Valencia, oh the town of Paella and Oranges….we’re happy to be here! Unfortunately we arrived at 4:30am, but luckily the cafe at the bus station was open! Brad got a coffee and played Tetris i think while i passed out with my head on the table like you do in highschool! I felt rested when i woke up at 7 or so and we walked around to find ourselves a hostel. We found the Red nest Hostel, which is the sister hostel of the Purple Nest where the Busabout takes people, so we knew it was a good one! Brad….the wonderful boyfriend that he is, left me to sleep while he picked up bagfuls of nutrients for me! Fresh juice with antioxidants, oranges, yogurt, nectarines and a salad for dinner with carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes! Everytime i ate, i felt immediately better from the vitamins (mental…i dont know??) So that sums up our next 3 days in Valencia haha! It was me trying to get better before Ibiza! And i did!

Pretty architecture!

Playing pool!

We DID however meet up with Drew, our friend from Santorini, who we’re going to Tomatina with and is staying at the Purple Nest! The internet is way better there so we would go hang out in the common room, do some research, eat nutrients and Brad had a few beers with Drew! That was probably our most exciting moment of Valencia! We knew we were coming back after Valencia though and were saving our sightseeing until then!

So…. here we are….2 days later, after a crazy time in Ibiza…ready to see the sights! But first…some sleep! Well when we tried to walk around and see some sights, we realized…there isn’t actually a whole lot to see here. It’s a beautiful town to walk around it..nice sidewalks, nice buildings…not much to do!

Category: Cities, Hostels, Spain, Valencia, Western Europe  Tags: , , ,  Leave a Comment
Cabo de Gata!
Saturday, September 25th, 2010 /

We arrived in Almeria, only to hop straight onto another bus to Cabo De Gata, where the beautiful untouched beaches on Spains southern coast are! Or so we were told!

Beautiful water!

When we got to the beach, it was suprisingly quite full of people! Um what?! We thought these were untouched beaches! BUT the water was Beautiful!! It was crystal clear, and almost felt like fresh water! So Brad and I enjoyed our meal on the sand with a beautiful sunset, and it wasn’t long before the beach was cleared out! We were pretty exhausted so set up our tent right there on the beach behind some fishing boats when it got dark and went to sleep! The fireworks were still going off all night until the good show of real fireworks! Then this little family restaurant that was dead at 9pm started blasting club music until 6 in the morning!! WHAT?! Where did that come from?? But we slept through it and i guess felt kind of safe being not completely isolated.

Clearing out at night!

The next morning i woke up officially sick. :( I felt it coming on! The past few days not only were we eating lots of junk and crap, but we also hadn’t gotten much sleep…so it was bound to happen! THe sun was BLAZING hot by 10am and there was not an ounce of shade. Every single person that came to the beach brought an umbrella and Brad and I were super envious. We tried to build our own shade using the tent poles and the blanket, but after 45 minutes of messing around…FAIL! It wasn’t happening.  Brad was laying in his boxers instead of his boardies and the tops of his legs fried! By mid-afternoon we said screw it….we had been through tons of water, and i went through tons of tissues before deciding we couldn’t spend another night on the beach like this. Even though it was really relaxing and we felt super safe, i needed to get better! We sadly didn’t make it to the Isolated beached in Cabo De Gata which apparently no bus goes to. You need to rent a car. But if you google it, they are beautiful and we would highly recommend trying to go! Thanks for the nice water to swim in though! :)

Category: Beaches, Camping, Spain, Western Europe  Tags: , , ,  One Comment
Malaga
Saturday, September 25th, 2010 /

Malaga is a town on the Southern coast of Spain that we had no intention of going to until we heard from Ouali that there was this awesome FREE festival down there! Being a short bus ride from Sevilla, we decided in was a must in our trip!

Feria!

We arrived with no plans, so accommodation, and no idea what we were doing. Luckily the bus and train station were super spiffy, had a great information desk with maps and everything we needed to know about Feria, the festival! AND it has huge lockers for only 4.50 euros for 24 hours! We locked up everything important, except for our passports and my camera, brought a mat and our blanket with us, and set out to find the festivities.

Beautiful cathedral!

Once we got out of the crappy part of town that usually surrounds the train station, we found the old town, small windy streets of Malaga! There were heaps of massive cathedrals and some huge pedestrian streets that were setting up for the next day! Already though, there were tons of street vendors selling local nuts and flowers! Brad and I stopped at the market for some water when we spotted a bottle of Tequila and made a rash decision about the rest of our night! Haha so we found a nice square with a big statue in the middle (big surprise for Europe) and played games with each other and people watched while we enjoyed the lovely taste of Tequila! Then we followed the masses to the beach around 11pm where we found craziness for the pre-festival opening party!!!

Crazy packed beach!

The looonnngg stretch of beach was PACKED with people, young, old, families, anyone! We listened to some live music before the MUSICAL fireworks show! The soundtrack included Dirty Dancings “She’s like the wind”, Shakiras “Waka Waka” song, and Lady Gaga’s “Alexandrjo”!

Fireworks!!

Late night DJ

The families cleared out, but the beach was still packed with young people ALLLLL night! There was a DJ set with some crazy visuals, and tons of drunk kids running around and swimming in the water! It started raining so Brad and I went to explore the boardwalk a bit! Around 4am we were back on the beach and ready to sleep! We laid out our blanket and slept in the bright lights with a group of guys playing the bongo drums and chanting Spanish songs until 6am! The beach was TRASHED…i mean COVERED in trash! People were out with metal detectors and trash bags picking up lost belongings. Brad and I did wake up with 2 guys sitting practically on top of us…probably trying to get in our bag! We had nothing on us though and the camera was wrapped around my wrist and tucked in my clothes so we shooed them off and went back to sleep! Then we were woken around 8 or 9 by a masssive truck cleaning off the sand that probably would have run right over us ha, so we moved up to the grass and went back to sleep! Not much fazed us and there were tons of other people sleeping on the beach too!

Clean Beach!

Next time we woke up, the beach was spotless and actually really pretty! The water was still a bit dirty, but still swimable! We eventually got up and found ourselves some somewhat covered showers, washed off with soap and all, brushed our teeth and hair, and were on our way feeling refreshed and good as ever!

Flamenco dresses!

We knew today was the official first day of the festivities, and by the time we got to the old town, it was already a drunk fest by 4pm! It was unreal and unlike anything we have really seen! First of all, the streets were just FULL and tons of women and children were dressed up in Flamenco outfits! There were random break outs in Flamenco dancing in the streets and alleyways and everyone had flowers in their hair. The teenagers all made matching colorful outfits with names and sayings on their shirts! Then all the plazas were packed with food and drink vendors….drink really! The ground was SO sticky from spilled drinks that i had to cling onto my flip flops and lift my leg up off the ground to get unstuck! Trash everywhere! And a crowd you could barely breathe in! We were not on the same level so walked down the street to find another plaza….same story! More drunk people than i have ever seen! We watched a mom puke on the side of the street! At least she was dressed classy! ha!

Finally Drinking!

I looked at Brad and said….Shizen…we just need to get a drink and get on their level. So we bought ourselves the famous Vino de Tinto which is basically Sangria in a big platic cup! You can buy all your drinks by the litre and for only a couple euros (hence the drunkeness)! We found a corner to post up on and watched the nuttiness! Eventually we explored our way to the beach to grab some grub and enjoy the sunset!

Sunset on the Beach!

The beach was quiet and tranquil with everybody on the other side of town for the festival, but we did notice an abundance of backpackers hanging around! As soon as it was dark, everyone started setting up tents and mats and all sorts of goodness. I think we all congregated together for safety and it was a much better sleep the second night!

With so many hours on the beach, we had done some reading in the Lonely Planet book and found out about the Almeria Coast which apparently has beautiful beaches. So off we were the next afternoon. Goodbye Malaga…you showed us how crazy Spaniards can be!

Category: Beaches, Camping, Festivals, Malaga, Spain, Western Europe  Tags: , , , ,  Leave a Comment
Seville!
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010 /

Night Shot!

For those of us who have traveled around Spain, Seville has probably been somewhere high on the list of cities to see. It’s located in the beautiful southeastern region of Andalucia, which encompasses Granada and the touristy cities of the Costa del Sol. Despite it landlocked location and unbearably hot summers Seville is a gorgeous city that deserves the aforementioned title of a must see Spanish city with its stunning architecture and cultural capital.

We arrived with no plans, no couchsurfers lined up, and no accommodation booked….and it was HOT!! We walked around with our massive backpacks on for a while checking out multiple hostels trying to find the cheapest! We ended up finding a private one right next to the famous gothic cathedral in the center of town…for cheap! After immediately showering (it had been 3 days since our last), we took a stroll around town with our eyes to the sky as we gazed at the beautiful architecture! Seville is gorgeous!

Cathedral!

Inside the Alcazar!

Usually we opt out of paying for palaces and museums, but we lucked out with free student entry at the Royal Alcazar in Sevilla! The palace has huge Moroccan and Arab influences in its architecture…lots of tiles and arches! And an incredible garden that Brad and I roamed around in for hours! A definite must…even if you have to pay :)

The Gardens!

We continued exploring the city and ran into Plaza de Espana! A MASSIVE building which we have NO idea what its used for…along with a massive garden! It was fun to explore for a while and a great way to escape the summer heat!

　

Plaza de Espana!

 

Seville is a Must-see!! Its beautiful…but beware of the heat!

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Madrid!
Monday, August 23rd, 2010 /

 

Mad Hostel!

After over 10 hours on Busabout and my new-found stomach bug (i think from drinking tap water everyday in Barcelona!) that caused a bit of vomit here and there…we arrived in beautiful Madrid! We didn’t have the energy to find the cheapest accommodation so stayed at the hostel Busabout drops us at…. Mad Hostel! It had a huge common room with pool and internet, although the wifi wasn’t working :( Of course the first night i wasn’t up for much, so we walked around, checked out Puerto del Sol, one of the massive plazas in Madrid and grabbed some grub for Brad, but came back early to our hostel early to watch Toy Story in our bunk!

The next day i was much better though and we went to do some sightseeing! We heard the museums were free and it has been a WHILE since we went to a museum so considered checking them out! It wasn’t until 5pm though so we went to the Palacio Real or…the Royal Palace instead! Luckily the line was short because it was really hot outside AND there was a guy playing the violin….some of his songs included “The Graduation Song” and “Ave Maria”! We tried our student id’s and they worked so it was only 4 euros yippeee!

Cartwheel in front of Palacio Real

 

The Throne Room!

This thing was MASSSIVE! But the King and Queen don’t even live in it anymore! It is just used for state ceremonies and stuff like that! So there are basically over 2,000 unused rooms! It WAS very fancy and fun to walk through though! We weren’t allowed to take photos and i was so dying to snap some of the throne room! But security was intense so i took a photo of the photo in the book hahah! We were only allowed to see about 12 rooms….out of 2,000+ booo!! BUT we did get to go into the armory which was really cool! I loved all the horses armor…it was so decorative!

Horse Armor!

On our walk home we found some indoor markets called Mercado de San Miguel! The outer edges had legs of ham and fruit and so forth, and the middle was filled with tables where you could eat tapas and drink wine! It was pretty packed and hectic in there though…you have to be a real vulture to get a spot!

We had to partake in the famous siestas! Everyone in Madrid does seriously close up shop between 1pm-6pm or longer if they feel like it! I think its just too hot!~ But come dinner time everything is bustling again, and Brad and I found our way to the Museo de Jamon!  

   

Old Slabs!

We had heard about these places from our Nice CouchSurfing hosts when chatting about cheap eats in Spain.  There is one every few blocks and the prices are around the same for each.  You have the option to get a plain old plate of jamon, which gets more points in the taste category than presentation, OR a variety of combination meals all involving ham.  Depending on when and which one you go to the scene is alive.  Locals pack in and enjoy their ham and beer standing up at the bar or along the walls (you also have an option to sit down which is more expensive and not as fun). And unless you plan on just admiring the atmosphere of the place, make sure to get the attention of the hamtender, since they are usually very busy with orders. A direct translation would be: Museum of Ham, and I guess there are a few slabs of meat hanging around old enough to be in a museum, but the one that we ate tasted so good we didn’t care which decade it came from. We ordered the simple plate of jamon (1.50 euro) and one of the combo dishes (about 5 euros) good portion sizes and both delicious.  Two thumbs up for the Museo de Jamon in Madrid!

 

Plate of Jamon!

 

The Bear!

We spent the rest of our night posted up in Puerta del Sol on a fountain people watching! The street performers were completely whack compared to the ones we saw in Barcelona! There was a Bart Simpson and a Donald Duck both nights we went there, but they were just awful! Then we noticed the random bear climbing up a tree statue! Well…it was random to us, BUT it’s on all the shot glasses and postcards, and tons of people were snapping pics with it! So i got a pic but still have no idea what it’s for…if you know..please comment and enlighten us! :)

Broccoli

Broccoli trees!!

The next day we sought out El Retiro, the massive park known to the locals as the “lungs of the city.”  We found these interesting trees that resembled broccoli and snapped some photos. After browsing a little longer we came to the pond where people paddle boat around on the weekends.  We opted for the shaddy grass instead and caught up on some r&r (reading and relaxation).

We didn’t spend a whole lot of time sight seeing in Madrid, mostly due to the heat, but of the stuff we did see, we enjoyed.  And although it may not be as exciting and uptempo as Barcelona (to us) it makes up for it by being a beautiful and clean city!

Pretty arches!

Category: Cities, Hostels, Madrid, Spain, Western Europe  Tags: , , ,  One Comment
Barcelona
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010 /


View of Barcelona!

FINALLY we make it to Spain! And better yet…to Barcelona! A city we have been excited for! The first thing we see as we arrive on the bus…a butt ass naked dude walking around in the middle of town! That’s when we heard about the legendary “Elephant Man” who lives in Barcelona! 0o0o what a great first impression! We arrive on a Saturday stupidly without booking accommodation! Busabout always tries to book for you if they can…but the hostels they have connections with are all booked out! I overheard 2 other girls saying they were stuck too…so we buddied up and tried to find something together! We decide to try out a hotel figuring it might be cheap to share a room! The front desk guy immediately says GOODLUCK! EVERYWHERE is booked this weekend…its the “European Championships” …oooo GREAT! So we call about 5 different places who are all booked and it’s looking like we’re going to be pulling an all-nighter! The guy calls a couple places for us and finds us a hostel thats 30 euros a night each! WE’ll take it!! We get private rooms  And its as cheap as we were going to get in a dorm room at the other hostel anyway! So newly excited…and showered…we get ready for a big night out on the town…the town known for its clubs!

Dancing at the club!

We actually have no idea where we’re going…but end up in a bustling plaza with what looks like lots of bars and clubs. We end up being persuaded into going to Razzmatazz with some promoter guy, which is apparently one of the best clubs in Barcelona! It was pretty massive with each floor acting as a different club…playing different music and emitting different vibes. It was packed, and the bottom floor was definitely the best! We danced the night away before deciding to head home around 5:00am! WOAH! late night for Brad and me! Can’t believe we lasted that long!

Beach!!

We hit the beach the next day! Massive beachfront, SAND sand and more SAND!! Yay finally…we can run into the ocean and not have cut up
feet or worry about diving into a rock! The only thing that sucked was we heard about pickpockets being notorious in barcelona..so we didn’t swim together…so someone could always be with the bag!

 

Gemma's Spanish Omelet!

Next it was off to our CouchSurfers place in Castedefelldes…a cute town just outside of Barcelona! We stayed with Gemma and her cute black cat Leo! She was super nice and cooked us Paella AND a Spanish Omelet! We basically just chilled out and had lots of great convo with her! While we were there, we got a message from Alan, who we worked with at LansDowne telling us that his younger sister was in Barcelona and we should hook up! We friended each other and immediately made plans to meet for a movie in the park! So off we went into Barcelona again!

Sangria in front of Sagrada Familia!


The Sagrada Familia was our first touristy landmark and it was beautiful!! Huge and really gothic looking…but STILL being built! It is projected to be finished in 2025 but nobody in Spain seems to believe that! We decided we MUST try some local Spanish Sangria while enjoying a view of this beautiful cathedral! One litre for only 6 euros! Woo hoo!

Shannon was easy to spot…an outgoing pretty blonde bubbly American! and Hilarious! The movie was at a park outside of a huge fortress! We all packed dinner and wine, had a picnic and listened to a live Spanish band before the movie started! The movie…haha was a Japanese film with Spanish subtitles! Whoops…sucks for us! It was about a Cello player who got fired from the symphony orchestra and got a new job as a make-up artist for dead people. BUT weirdly…i understood almost the whole movie and even got emotional! It was a really nice night though, and one of the best parts was during the walk down… we found slides that took you from one level to the other! YAY!!

 

Movie on the Lawn!

Guell building!

Shannon amazingly found us a place to crash for the next 4 days!! Thank god! We really hadn’t seen everything we wanted to in Barcelona but had to leave Gemma’s the next day! Ouali’s (pronounced Wally) place was right in the center of town and we crashed on the futon! Then Shannon walked us around town and we checked out the Gaudi buildings! Super super cool! He must have been on crazy drugs because his designs are all over the place! The line was outrageous to get in so we decided to take a stroll down Las ramblas….the craziest gypsie-loving pickpocketing central street in Spain! But…SO so fun to walk down! The most AMAZING street performers ever and just an overwhelming sensation to all your senses!

Shannon took us through the famous markets, the St. Joseph La Boqueria! It had everything from fruit, to fish, to ham legs to candy and delicious fruit juices…which we all treated ourselves to!

 

Fresh Fruit Juice!

That worked up our appetite, so we walked to this tiny little place along the water that sells Bocadillos FILLED with anything you want for 3 euros! Best deal and biggest sandwich we have seen in a while! THANKS Shannon! We went back the next day too! We parted ways at that point and that was when it happened! I go… OH…MY…GOOOODDD! And Brad thinks i have just witnessed a murder when he looks over and sees it too…. the ELEPHANT MAN!!! He has a tattoo of a speedo on him…but really he is walking around completely naked with this massive…elephant trunk…flopping around between his legs! It must have been gravity but i’ve never seen anything like it in my life! SO…that was that! hahaha

 

Craziness n cava!

The next few days we spent roaming around, spending time at the beach and checking out the sites! We heard about this famous hole-in-the-wall restaurant where you get cava (sparkling wine) for 1 or 2 euros! We were walking around forever when we finally found it down a dark alley and when we stepped in…BAM it was PACKED!! We could barely even make our way to the bar and when we got there…had NO IDEA what to order! I asked someone next to me what they were eating and thats what we ordered! It was delicious, cheap, dirty and fun!

 

Park Guell!

One of the last places we saw and LOVED was Guell park! Same Gaudi dude…crazy art! It was amazing…Brad and I always love the parks and natural stuff over museums…but this was art in a park! You could hike to the top where this massive cross was that overlooked the entire city! It was kind of scary because this massive storm was coming, and here we were at the highest point around us!  While we were walking around i got this strange feeling like i was in a scene from Jurassic Park! I started to bring it up to Brad and he said the exact same thing before i even opened my mouth! WEIRD…!

Jurassic Park Scene!

And so we wrapped up our time in Spain at a friends barbeque with Shannon! It was cool to see how the locals do it before we hit up Las Ramblas to see the craziness at night! We love love LOVED Barcelona! It was beautiful, crazy, fun!


Category: Barcelona, Beaches, Cities, CouchSurfing, Spain, Western Europe  Tags: , , ,  3 Comments