Saturday, March 25, 1989

With 3 pesetas in my pocket ...

Woke at 10.30 a.m. and showered before packing our things to check out of the room. They wouldn't accept Vivienne's check, so we had to go out and find a bank. None were open (again with the Easter weekend, in hindsight probably not the best weekend to visit a very Catholic city), so we had to go to an automatic teller and use my Access card to get the money we needed.

We went back to Pension Pintor, paid our bill, and then left our luggage there so that we could take in a bit of last-minute sightseeing. Again, we walked through Gotica and Ramblas, eating sandwiches at a little shop near our room (the only way to eat on a vacation to Spain!) (Pictured is one of the buildings located in he Gothic Quarter.) Next we took the Metro to the Arc de Triomphe, and it was an absolutely clear day. I took a few more photos and relaxed in the park before we returned to our room, picked up our luggage, and returned again to the Arc de Triomphe, this time to wait for the bus.

At 3.30 p.m., our bus left for the return journey to Madrid. Along the way, we were treated to listening to the American Top 40 countdown on the radio while getting another look at exactly the same beautiful scenery we saw when we first came to Barcelona.

Unfortunately, we had Mario Andretti as our bus driver, who insisted upon driving excessively fast along some very narrow and winding roads that would be tricky for a regular car, let alone a large motorcoach. We weren't the only ones who thought he was going a bit too fast. Eventually, he was pulled over by the police and ticketed for speeding, which was actually quite humorous to me. Of course, it did little to deter him, and it wasn't long before he was speeding along the Spanish countryside once more. (Pictured is some of that Spanish countryside, zipping along.)

Well, after passing through the cities of Zaragoza and Guadalajara, as well as making two pit stops - one where I bought a Barcelona '92 Olympics key chain and a can of beer (since it was 60 pesetas cheaper than buying a Coke), we finally arrived at Madrid's bus station, poor and tired, at midnight.

Further revelations occurred at this late hour:

1. Being Easter Sunday now, the Metro was closed.
2. This meant we would have to take a taxi back to the Residencia.
3. The clocks here were moved ahead an hour, making it even later than midnight.
4. We had very little cash on hand.
   

Well, we dished out all of our money to the taxi driver (including 100 pesetas extra for night service.) So with a secure 3 pesetas in my pocket, we carried our luggage from the taxi back into the Residencia. We said our hellos to everyone who was present, and even The Old Man gave us some food - a delicious hot ham sandwich.

After unpacking and a game of checkers, Viv and I hit the hay for some sleep. After all, it was 3 a.m.

Friday, March 24, 1989

A Very Good Friday ...

In the interest of saving money, today was to be a beach day. Actually, since it was Good Friday, nearly everything was closed. Well, not everything, but the banks were closed, and that meant we couldn't withdraw any money, which left our options limited. We walked through Parc De La Ciutadella, where they have a nice zoo, Zoologico De Barcelona. We had difficulty finding the beach at first, but eventually we found it... though it wasn't much of a beach.

First, we ate lunch at a little cafe, then we went out on the beach to sunbathe for awhile. It was a little cool for the beach, but OK, especially considering it was March. Hey, I think I managed to get a little tan.

It was also a beach where many people went topless. Interesting. Viv didn't partake. I did, though.

Well, at a little after 4, it got a little too cold for us, so we left to clean ourselves up and do some more sightseeing. We walked through the Gothic Quarter (Barri Gotic) towards the Ramblas, which was absolutely jam packed with people this afternoon. It turned out to be a Easter (Semana Santa) procession that we couldn't quite make out, but from our vantage point we managed to capture glimpses of a drum corps, a hugh float-type thing, some guys on horses, and little guys wearing what looked to me a bit like KKK-ish outfits (though quite obviously, this was for a much different purpose.)

We ate dinner at Burger King, and afterwards did some night sightseeing. Took some photos in the central area with lit-up fountains, and then walked down a road to what was supposed to be another Gaudi building. Unfortunately, it turned out that most of it was covered up for renovations, so no photo there.

Following that we caught the Metro at about 10 p.m. and retired to our room quite exhausted, concluding our last full day in Barcelona.

Pictured is the Museo de Arte de Cataluna (top), and the view from the front of the museum (bottom).

Thursday, March 23, 1989

Rambling About Barcelona ...

Woke up at around 11 a.m., showered, then hit the city. The first thing Viv and I did was walk through the Gothic Quarter, which was a beautiful area. Very narrow streets were lined with ancient buildings, and filled with little shops and restaurants. It soon led us to the Ramblas, which was a rather touristy area, but nice anyway. We bought a few postcards, and I bought an ALF comic book and a T-shirt commemorating the upcoming 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona.

We walked around more Gothic buildings and shops (Viv bought sunglasses as well) until we returned to our room to drop things off and make our way via Metro to the Temple de La Segrada Familia. It is a century-old gothicy cathedral designed by Gaudi that is noted by its continuous construction. Gaudi started building it in 1882, and it has yet to be completed. (Pictured top is me at the temple. To the left is my admission ticket.) Since it is unfinished, there was a lot of construction going on while we were there, but it was still opened to the public. We climbed some steps to get to the top, but only made it part way.

After a look in the museum at the temple, we left to check out the site where the 1992 Olympiad is being constructed. To get there we had quite a climb up to the top of a hill where a Ceramic Museum sat. It gave us an incredible view of the city. We walked around here awhile before we came upon our destination. Though not impressive in and of itself, what made it worthwhile was knowing what was going to be there in a few years. We saw the shells of several large structures being built for the Olympic Games at the construction sites. (Third image above is of Viv outside one of the Olympic construction sites; fourth is of another construction site.) Hope they get this project finished faster than the one over at the Gaudi temple!

Next we walked on past the Miro building (closed) to the tram, which we rode and got another skyline view of Barcelona. The tram took us to the Castilla, and though it was rather cold it was definitely worth the trip. Here I got what could be an incredible photo of a sunset over Barcelona. (Picture #4, above, is me at the Castilla, with the tram in the background. Sorry, no photo of the sunset, actually. More about that fiasco later.)

After looking at all this castle had to offer, we walked down the road to the bottom and gradually made our way back to the room. After a short rest we left for dinner, and decided on a place that was way over our budget, but very nice and worth the extra expense. It was at Cosmos on the Ramblas that I (finally) had a steak, and Viv had Hake, all with soup, the trimmings, dessert, and a fine bottle of wine. Our bill came to 5,600 pesetas (£23 or $38) Wow!

We came back to our room a bit tipsy, broke, and very pleased to be spending the night in a city as beautiful as Barcelona.

Wednesday, March 22, 1989

Madrid to Barcelona ...

Today marked my 6th month living in Europe. I woke up quite early today - 7 a.m. - to eat breakfast and then leave with Viv for the bus station. With our bags in tow we set off and arrived with 15 minutes to spare. However, we very nearly missed our bus when we waited in the wrong area. Fortunately, we caught the error in time and just made it on the bus.

The trip was quite long... nine hours, to be exact, including an hour in stops along the way. But it was fascinating because of the amazing scenery we enjoyed along the way. We saw towering snow-peaked mountains, sleepy little Spanish towns that almost seemed deserted, and everything from farmland to desert.

Viv and I sat in the back of the bus relaxing during the journey. While she rested, I read some more of "The Satanic Verses" and took a few photos. They showed the movie "Splash" on the TV in the bus along the way. But of course, it was dubbed in Spanish, so I couldn't understand it.

We finally arrived in Barcelona at 6 p.m., and after a bit of disorientation, I bought a map and decided which way we should head. We hopped on the Metro and headed from Arc de Triomf to Jaume I, on the fringe of the Gothic Quarter. After a short walk we finally arrived at our destination, Pension Pintor, a recommended hotel in my cheap Europe guide, nestled deep in the very old buildings of this section of Barcelona. We got a room for 1,800 pesetas a night, and after we unpacked we took a walk towards the beach. It was windy, so when we found it we didn't stay very long.

We returned to the room and made sandwiches with the luncheon meat we had. We were exhausted after our long journey, so soon afterwards we went to sleep.

Tuesday, March 21, 1989

And the Winner Is ...

Well, I woke up very late today. I led another game of Up the River, Down the River with the gang at the Residencia, and let's just say I am never playing it with Gin and Lemonade again. Ever. (Editor's note: It was actually a few years before I could even drink gin again.)

Viv and I went back to the bus station to purchase our tickets (billettes) to ... drum roll ... Barcelona! It beat out Andorra only because it is more difficult to get in there thanks to the damn French government.

Anyway, after we bought our tickets, we returned to the Residencia and did close to nothing of any importance other than eat, pack, watch bits of a dubbed "Roxanne," and get a lecture from The Old Man and Woman, which I, of course, didn't understand. After faceless nondescript endless games of cards, we went to bed.

Monday, March 20, 1989

Andorra or Barcelona? ...

We had a lie-in today and I woke up after 11 and began to finish writing my postcards before Viv got herself up. We had missed breakfast by this time, and since were to look at the apartment at 1.30 p.m., we asked if we could have our lunch at 3.

We went to the place and waited for Kurt and Angie to show up, but while we were waiting, the guy who was showing us the flat came out and said that we had to come back tomorrow because the place was being cleaned.

We then saw Angie and Kurt approaching and went to McD's for a little food. Viv and I then went through Sol to the American Express building to cash in my travelers checks before catching the Metro back to the Residencia for lunch.

Following that, Viv and I set off once again, this time to the bus station to do some research on possible trips to take, since she is now on spring break. I brought up Casablanca, Morocco as a possibility (it's actually not too far away, and yes, I know that Rick's Place isn't actually located there), but we quickly realized that would be expensive and problematic getting in. So we narrowed down our possibilities to Barcelona or Andorra (the tiny country nestled in the mountains between Spain and France.) (Pictured is Andorra bus trip brochure.)

After finding out what we could about both destinations, we came across difficulties with Andorra. The French Visa restrictions on Americans such as myself apparently apply to entering Andorra as well. At least, we think that is the case. We'll find out for sure tomorrow. Basically, if we can go to Andorra, we will. If not, then it's Barcelona.

We returned to the Residencia to sort things out, eat some dinner, and partake in other social activities of little importance with the rest of the gang. (Pictured at the Residencia doing things of little importance are Raquel, Viv and Liz.) Should find out more about our upcoming trip tomorrow. (Wow, a trip, within a trip, within a trip for me!)