Woke up early on 31st morning. ken took a train back to glasgow while i set off from the Drummer street coach stop in cambridge for London stansted airport. arrived there on time and waited for about an hour before vicky arrived from nottingham by train. we checked in and boarded the ryanair plane to barcelona. Ryanair's a budget airline which sells single/double digit fare tickets, excluding airport tax. no food is served but snacks can be bought onboard the aircraft.
It was a smooth flight and we arrived before schedule. we had to take the airport transfer (barcelona bus) from Girona Airport, which is located outside barcelona to the barcelona bus station in the city. we then walked to the nearest metro station and took the metro to Liceu, a metro stop situated on Las Ramblas, the city centre. Had a few problems trying to find the Ideal Youth Hostel since we weren't very good at directions and i had forgotten the address (partly due to some mix-up by hostelworld.com) but we managed to find it within half an hour.
Since it was already evening, we decided to stay within the vicinity. We dropped by the tourist information centre to pick up more maps and transport info of barcelona. After this, we did some window shopping and had our first meal in spain along the ramblas.
Back at the hostel, i was really pleased to meet our roommates Bianca and Genevieve from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, greeting us "ola!" the minute we stepped into the 8-bed mixed dorm (4 double decks with a bathroom). they were very friendly people and had invited vicky and i to a salsa performance just a few metro stops away from where we were but we politely declined. Bianca's studying Spanish in toronto and Genevieve's doing Hispanic studies in Valencia. they were taking a few days off during the easter vacation to meet up and travel together. Shortly after that, another one of our room mates returned - Laura, from the USA who is currently doing an exchange in Kingston Universtity, England. She's doing a nursing degree. i found her extremely amiable, amusing and charismatic. she then warned us that the asian guy (~40 yrs old) who takes her bottom bunk comes back in the wee hours of the morning smelling of smoke, snores horrendously at night and takes an hour to shower in the morning. she was really annoyed with him - and so was i the next morning. he had worn my slippers without my permission and left them in the middle of the room instead of where i had placed them under the bed! i thought that was so discourteous! argh.. disgusting!
These are some pictures of the places we visited during our stay. we were happy to visit the gaudi gardens with bianca and genevieve. my original plan of meeting up with the hongkongers from my uni were foiled due to some telephone network problems (found out when i got back to lancaster).
Rambla Del Mar - Floating gangway, one of Port Vell's most emblematic works. Port Vell is Barcelona's largest leisure, recreational and commercial area (55hectares of land). The area boasts pubs, restaurants, cinemas, public walkways, offices, commercial premises, immense aquariams, museums and a myriad of sailing and sports areas.
Built by the famous architect Antoni Gaudi, the Sagrada Familia (meaning Sacred Family) is a true cathedral. It is there to show future generations the presence of the Christian Faith, living and functioning at the very roots of the Catalan people. The temple grows like a majestic tree and will never be finished because like all true poetry, it is a portent of eternity.
Built for the 1992 Summer Olympics as a housing and recreational area for atheletes.
All in all, Barcelona was fantastic! So much to see, so little time! it is countries like these that make singapore look like crap. immense space, culture, flavour, tradition, brilliant beyond brilliant tourist attractions. in my opinion, even the whole resort island of sentosa cannot compare to port vell (one of the many places of attraction). when you're there u feel the richness of and enthusiasm for life. people give there give off positive vibes; people in singapore TRY to give off positive vibes and fail miserably simply because it isn't from the heart! (so much is being done to promote graciousness and courtesy etc in singapore but people do sense it if it's not genuine. e.g. the fake smile sales assistants give u in stores, just because their told to do so. customers wouldn't feel the least bit welcome. Exception: if u look pretty rich and well-off that's another story. nvm.. another story for another time.)
Loved the gothic architecture and the la sagrada familia especially. there is so much detail in the designs, gaudi trying to incorporate almost every aspect of life as carvings on the walls of the cathedral (fruits, crop, animals etc). each face (facing the 4 cardinal points) of the temple has a different theme, the glory, the passion, the nativity and the last has yet to be completed.
The people speak a different language and it was a challenge trying to get around initially but u kind of pick up bits and pieces along the way. plus, there are always picture signs to help - universal language, just like the calculator. going around on the metro was really easy, u just have to take note of the direction of the trains. navigation using a map was pretty tough at the start because most of the street signs are on the buildings and not propped up like those in singapore. one Bad point to note: spanish drivers are pretty reckless so to anyone who intends to visit spain, be attentive. Other than that, everything was perfect and i thank God for keeping us safe!! (:
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