The Spanish Bit ;)

May 21st 2003

Our travel day started out with an early start from Toulouse. In a way, we were releived to be leaving, as we had been almost stranded there for the duration of our stay there. Rushing through the countryside, our train headed south, to La Tour de Carol via the Pyranees. This was to be our last stop before Spain. Catching our next train to Barcelona Sants from here, we were immediately amazed with the scenery around us... there was no chance of us getting bored! Upon arrival in Tarragona after a busy connection from Barcelona-Sants, we struggled up the hill with our cases rolling behind us, and eventually found Hotel Lauria. The hotel room was cavernous, with a balcony and ensuite -- much better than we were used to, and it was such great timing with my birthday being only a couple of days away :) with only a few hours of the day left, we scouted round the city before heading back to base, exhausted from the day's travel. Day 2, we headed into Barcelona for our day of exploration. Nothing really could have prepared us for the scale of the place... it was truly awesome! We bought our metro tickets, and made our way round a carefully thought out route. First off, we headed for La Rambla, the main street there (if such a thing existed!) then off to Barri Gothic the quirky and oldest part of town, where we also visited the massive cathedral (picture). From here, we jumped back on the metro, and off to a huge park (Parc de la Ciutadella) where we happily got lost in the afternoon sun for a good hour or so. Then we shot off to the recently transformed harbour, Port Vell. An incredible contrast between old, new and futuristic architecture, coupled with some elegant use of natural materials meant that Port Vell was easily one of the highlights of our day trip. An amazing hinged bridge dissected the harbour, and beyond there was an enormous, glass-fronted shopping centre and cinema complex on a raised area above the sea. We were tempted, and gave in, to a Catermaran trip out to sea for an hour and a half, and was truly sensational. Upon our return, we decided to complete our "panoramic tour of Barcelona" by scaling Montjuic by a combination (and rather hairy at times) of train, cable-car and funicular railway. The views were stunning. As the sun set over Barcelona, we realised our day in this wonderful city was all used up. We wished we had more time in Barcelona, and hopefully one day we will. HAPPY BIRTHDAY....ME! Yes, it's that time of year folks... Rich's birthday! (Thanks for all your cards and electronic messages as well :) ) Well the day started off early, as I excitedly woke up and then opened a few suprise gifts (you know who you are, much appreciated !!) From there, we headed down to the train station to catch a train for... wait for it.... PORT AVENTURA (a.k.a. Universal Studios Mediterranea). This amazing theme park was everything a 19 year old (eugh... 19!) could have hoped for... adreneline, fun and a whole lotta sun! The food was also amazing - really great Spanish Omlette baguettes. We went on all the rides. If I was to drop names... DRAGON KAHN (3 times) TUTUKI SPLASH (4 times) Stampeda (2 times) etc etc... the list is too long. The park itself is divided into 4 hyper-realistic lands: Polynesia, the Far West, Mexico and China. If was an excellent birthday treat - suffice it to say, I had a wonderful time :) The next day in Tarragona (our last day) we headed up to Monserrat. Before catching a train out to Monserrat, we wanted to reserve a seat for the following day's mammoth journey. We queued for around 2 hours in Barcelona, hopping between informaiton desks and ticket booths before finally getting our prescious seat numbers! Unfortunately, only smoking places were left. Our lengthy journey of around 2 hours to Monserrat by all means of travel including cable car, train, metro etc, left us feeling slightly disappointed by this extremely touristy trap. The views were incredible, but they were spoilt by recently constructed railings, covered walk-ways, and road systems... all necessary to keep it alive with tourists, but it was a shame. For the second time, we were faced with an even bigger travel day right accross Spain from east to north-west coasts. This was due to being nearly 10 hours travel by two trains from 11 am until 9:15pm. It flew by however, as we got buried in the books we had hand-picked from the unispiring collection of the few english books at the station (including the much sort after 'unofficial biography of Salman Rushdy'...) Arriving in San Sebastian, it was still light, and we made our way to our Pension. Pension Amauir, situated in the old town, was as pretty as a picture and absolutely stunning. The building was amongst the oldest in the area, and was right next door to a cathedral (literally connected to it). Up some rickety old stairs, we were warmly welcomed by an English speaking woman and given a brief tour and history of this fascinating place. We chose our room our of a selection, opting for a comfy cheapy for the outstanding price of 30 Euros per night! With this we also had access to a shared bathroom, and a kitchen as well... a novelty for us (hot food!) - toast?!?!!! Today, we spent our time walking around the delightful town of San Sebastian, and generally winding down after the hectic four days. The town itself is lovely: 2 beaches, either side of a river in cresent-shaped coves, with a labiryth of streets in the old town, funky modern architecture and a whole host of great things to do. We would definately want to spend more time here at some point; and would recommend it to all of you! Tomorrow is our last day here, and we plan to do pretty much the same as today. Perhaps, we will climb the hill behind the old town, and, go to the aquarium here. Humm... decisions :) There are also lots of lovely public gardens pretty much around every corner, so it's a good couple of days worth of exploring for us! Hope you are all well, and enjoy the pictures too. Love from Rich

Listed by : Rich

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