Three Backpackers in Barcelona

Days were ticking away on our Spanish adventure and Lauren, Chad and I still had the entire city of Barcelona to see. We needed to do a bit of prioritizing, and what better way to maximize our time than by taking a free walking tour. "Free" of course meaning "tips appreciated at end." I had never taken a walking tour before and luckily the travel gods granted us a fabulous guide named Chris from the company TravelBound. Originally from Australia, Chris had been living for several years in Barcelona after completing his Masters on the city's urban development. Needless to say he knew a lot about the city and I'll do my best to remember and share the highlights.

Generally the tour painted a great picture of the history, heritage and vibrancy of Barcelona. The city appears artistic and modern despite having a very long history under Roman, Visigoth, Moor and Frank rule. The modern version of Barcelona was heavily influenced by the famous artists and architects of the last 150 years, mainly Antoni Gaudi, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. The 1992 Olympics transformed the city into a Mediterranean paradise as exotic palm trees were imported from Hawaii and city beaches were built from Egyptian sand.

Our first major stop along the tour was the Barcelona Cathedral, where we learned of legendary Wilfred the Hairy who is considered the founder of Barcelona and Cataluña's independence. He is famously known for slaying dragons, rescuing virgins and having hair on parts of his body where no one should...There is also the tale that the flag of Cataluña is stained with Wilfred the Hairy's blood. After he was wounded once in battle, the King of the Franks dug his fingers into the wound and drew four bloody lines on yellow fabric in his honour.

 Above, a photo of the Barcelona Cathedral, and below, a sculpture of Wilfred the Hairy along one side of the Cathedral exterior.

 

Our next stop was at the former Royal Palace of the Catholic Monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand. The palace interior has now been converted to a City Museum, but much of the outside maintains its original façade. Hebrew inscriptions are still visible on the stone bricks of one building as it was originally built from dismantled Jewish gravestones during the Spanish Inquisition. The poor Jewish people were discriminated against in Spain like in many other countries and their stolen valuables were used to fund the expansion of the Spanish Empire, specifically Christopher Columbus's accidental discovery of South America in 1492. In our tour we saw the suspected steps where Columbus first presented his New World treasures to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.

 

Look closely at the middle block in the third row from the bottom. Can you see the Hebrew inscription?



 Once upon a time, Columbus stood at the foot of these steps presenting gold, coffee, spices and Indian slaves to the Spanish monarchy.

 

Perhaps the saddest location on our walking tour was the quiet, secluded Plaza San Felipe Neri. This square houses a romantic fountain, café and children's daycare, but its history is far from peaceful. During the Spanish Civil War (1936-39, though Spain remained in dictatorship till 1975), Dictator Francisco Franco requested the assistance of Mussolini and Hitler to overcome the resistance his military faced in Cataluña. German and Italian planes bombed Barcelona into submission. Plaza Neri did not escape unscathed; of the 42 people who died in the attack, 39 were children. Later the Plaza was again used as an execution ground for resistance leaders. It is not known how many individuals were shot against its walls. The reminder of these horrific events remain visible on the walls of the square. The scars of the bombing replaced only by the pattern of machine gun fire.

 

 The lovely fountain in the center of Neri, and the scars of battle along one wall.

 

On a lighter note, I'll share some of the happier stops which ended our tour. First we stopped along Carrer d'Avinyo, the street where Pablo Picasso attended art school beginning at age 13. D'Avinyo used to be the "red light district" of Barcelona and Picasso's frequent interactions with prostitutes reportedly made him into quite the ladies' man later in life. It is rumoured that he lost his virginity in one of the overlooking apartments.

 

Picasso's art school.

 

The second funny tidbit was the opportunity to practice our flamenco dancing, the traditional sexy dance routine of Spain. Our guide Chris explained it with such easy instructions that I just have to share his wisdom:

Reach up and pluck an apple from the tree,

Twist the apple in your hand and draw it to your mouth,

Take a bite, but upon seeing a worm spit it out!

Twist your arm away and throw the apple,

Stomp on the worm with your foot,

and clean your hands by clapping twice!

 

Once we finished our tour, we next went to complete my one goal in Barcelona: see the famous Sagrada Familia. This basilica was started in 1882 by Antoni Gaudi and scheduled for completion in 2026 (144 years later). Since the basilica is only 60% complete, construction crews were busy working during our visit. The scale of the project is massive not only from its lengthy duration, but also because of the multiple artists and architects involved in its design. I read that the project budget for 2009 alone was 18 million dollars. Not to mention its massive physical proportions. There are 18 spires reaching 170 metres in height and its interior choir loft seats 1000 people.

 

 The real thing under construction, and a model showcasing what it will look like.

 



Sagrada Familia is unlike anything I have seen before. The exterior is almost humorous in its extravagance and abundance, yet the interior is completely breathtaking. The inside is flooded with rainbow light from strategically placed stained-glass windows and tall arching columns branch out above like trees into an imitation forest canopy. I don't even remember what the floor looked like because I was too preoccupied staring at the ceiling.

 

The coloured stained glass melding into white light is a good example of what remains to be finished in the basilica.

I have seen a lot of churches/cathedrals/basilicas this year and I remember sadly wondering why our society no longer put in the effort to achieve pure beauty and elaborate detail in our architecture. As I wandered around Sagrada Familia I realized that remarkable structures are still being built today which uniquely reflect modern values. It was a pleasing thought, though also somewhat disappointing to realize these buildings mostly serve tourism purposes. Regardless I highly recommend visiting Sagrada Familia as my photographs do its ingenuity and artistry no justice. You must experience its magnificence in person.

After a jam-packed day, Chad, Lauren and I had all worked up healthy appetites. Lauren and I volunteered to make supper and headed to the popular La Boqueria market to scope out groceries. Displays full of fruit, eggs, vegetables, meat and fresh seafood were tantalizing for our tastebuds and we soon realized we could not make any purchase decisions. So we abandoned the market and went to the nearby grocery store to buy ingredients for spaghetti. Haha! A bit anti-climactic, but spaghetti is a backpacker staple and with some fresh basil tossed in tasted delicious! Plus we spoiled ourselves with a bottle of Cava, a bubbly white wine made fresh this spring in Cataluña.

Lauren is not a seafood fan and thus hated the fish vendors, but I on the other hand loved this yummy spread of sea creatures.

 

My goal at the start of this blog was to finish telling the tales of our Spanish adventure. However, I realize now that I cannot fit it all in this one post. I still need to share pictures from our final beach visit, kayaking and snorkelling. Therefore until next time...

 

Adios,

 

Shannon





The Perks and Peaks of the Pyrenees

If I were to redo my Spanish trip I would fix two things: spending so much time on a bus and missing the famous Running of the Bulls. Yes that is right, we did not realize that Pamplona's daredevil festival was underway until we were on a bus driving through the city. The streets were filled with people wearing white outfits and red scarves, and judging by the photograph on the front page of my seat-buddy's newspaper the actual run (for your life) had been the day before. I was tempted to jump off the bus, but I fought the urge because I knew I had my own adventures waiting for me. Lauren, Chad and I were spending about 13.5 hours on a bus to get from San Sebastian, via Barcelona, to a little town called Llavorsi nestled in the Pyrenees mountains.

The upside of the bus-ride was that I got to witness the change in landscape as we headed from the Northern coast into the interior and then towards the Eastern coast. There are rolling hills along the Northern coast covered in lush forest, but as you move inland the landscape flattens, becomes sandier and slowly hotter. I watched the temperature rise from 30 to 34 degrees on the bus's screen. The heat makes Spain far ahead of Canada's growing season. Farmer's already have crops harvested and straw bales resting on fields. Lauren said that if the passing gravelly mounds had been more red in colour than it would have been exactly like Arizona. I was very interested to see several windmill farms along our route, maybe they use the power for air-conditioning! As the bus moved closer to Barcelona and the coast, we once again entered rolling hills and forest. Of course when we headed to the mountains the hills only got bigger with denser trees and more exposed rock.

Lots of windmills!

We were granted some amazing elevated views as we headed into the Pyrenees mountains.

 

The three of us all immediately fell in love with Llavorsi as we got off the bus. It is a very small town which appears to have been erected exclusively at one time by one company, judging by the uniformity in its resort-like façade. We were staying along the riverside in the charming Hotel de Rei, a paradise compared to our regular backpacker's lodgings (though also at a higher price). People in the town spoke mostly Catalan, but as we were so near the border of France we were also able to rely on the expertise of Chad who speaks French. 

 

 Our cheery yellow hotel above, and a stunning view of Llavorsi taken on our mountain hike (which I will get to in a bit).

 

We were in Llavorsi on very serious business; two fun-packed days of outdoor adventuring booked through RocRoi/Yeti/Paddle in Spain (we never really figured out which business name was correct). One unexpected event occurred while in Llavorsi. We were stopped in traffic by a herd of horses. Now I've seen a lot of livestock on the road in my life, usually it's cattle back home and sheep here in Ireland, but it was a first for me to see that many horses. They were trail-riding horses being moved to their mountainous pastures for summer. A very unique sight!

 

 

Our first afternoon started with canyoning, an activity where you rappel, slide and swim your way down a mountain canyon. Over time the canyon had been eroded by a stream flowing down the mountain, creating natural waterfalls and smooth waterslides. Some of the canyon's pools were deep enough for us to be completely submerged as we came off a slide. We wore wetsuits to combat the cold water and helmets and harnesses for safety. Our guide Gerard was extremely fun with an infectious laugh. When you were rappelling down a wall he liked to block the stream with this body so that when he stood again you would be completely drenched by a flood of water. I think we were all sad when it was over and would definitely try a longer, more challenging excursion in the future.

 

The three of us with Gerard above, and our harness "diapers" which Lauren and I found fascinating!



 

Now for the first time ever I will attempt to add some videos to my blog. Cross your fingers that they work! The first video is me rappelling down a wall!

 

Second, me slipping down a waterslide!

 

Third, Lauren tackling a waterfall!

 

And saving the best for last, a prime example of how Gerard sent an massive flood of water over poor Chad.

 

The next day was devoted to white-water rafting and puenting. Never heard of puenting? Neither had we; we thought we were going bungee jumping, but puenting is a bit different. It was invented as a way for rock-climbers to overcome their fear of falling. Basically you put on a rock-climbing harness around your middle and jump off a bridge. Instead of being caught by cushy bungee ropes you are shockingly sent swinging by tension ropes. Our bridge was only 25 metres high, and although a great adrenaline rush, it was also a super awkward way to fall. The interior button on my shorts dug into my stomach leaving a deep scrape and Lauren had her back jarred. It was still a neat experience, but I probably wouldn't do it again. However, by far the worse part of the jump was that the picture CD we bought was half corrupt! Sadly we only received professional photos of Chad's jump and about three photos of me before the files would not open. Lauren has a video of my jump on her phone, so look for it to be posted on my Facebook page in the future.  

 

Chad happily swinging away. 

Here I am, anxiously awaiting the "go-ahead."

And my big jump!

White-water rafting was a bit more satisfying than puenting because it lasted about a million times longer. Once again we had a fabulous guide with a taste for tricks. His name was Albert and he liked to send us into 360s as we entered rapids. Once he purposely crashed us into a rock wall and another time when no one was looking he slapped his paddle on the water and let out a long hissing noise to make us think the raft had popped. It was a bit of a wild ride down the river. Luckily our group was fairly stable, while others seemed to be losing an uncomfortable amount of people and paddles (don't worry all were returned safely to their rafts). Our team did get into the water a couple times though by choice as we had the opportunity to swim. Again I was really glad I had a wetsuit on as my exposed hands turned to ice quickly in that cold water. Fortune was on our side this time as the professional photos of our boating adventure were not corrupt, so I have some great shots to share!

 

 

After two days filled with adrenaline we were all sleeping well at night. Despite our tiredness we needed to find one more adventure for our last day since our bus did not arrive till 2pm. How about climbing a mountain? Great idea! ... At least we thought so until we were half an hour into hiking up a 500 metre ascent. Still as I think about 500m in elevation it does not seem really that high to me, but let me tell you in real life that path weaved and weaved in a strikingly steep manner! Plus going up we had to battle with loose rocks and coming down it was rolling conveyor belts of pinecones. We had to resort to alphabet games and singing to keep our minds off the building lactic acid.

 

To illustrate the steepness, try to find Chad and I in the picture below.

 

Despite all my complaining, the positive aspects of the hike remain much more memorable than the physical exertion. When the trail did finally level out near the top we were able to wander through a gorgeous mossy pine forest, very much like the Canadian Shield back home. The best present of all awaited us at the very top where we were greeted by five horses. Four friendly mares came for a visit while the black stallion could not be bothered by sweaty humans. There was also the best look-out of the entire trek. Even bigger mountains stretched out before us and in the distance you could see snow still resting in their peaks. In the end I was very glad we completed the hike, especially in the recommended 2.5 hours. We needed the exercise before our 5 hour bus ride back to Barcelona, but I'll admit my legs were extremely thankful to be back on flat land.

 

 

I'm back to the city in my next blog with tales of Barcelona!

Adios,

Shannon



 

Hola España!

For the past nine days I have been lucky enough to be joined by two close Canadian friends, Lauren Marshall and Chad Desrosiers, as we explored cities, mountains and beaches in northeastern Spain. This adventure had been planned for awhile, but still seemed to sneak up on me as I was kept busy writing essays and attending Glastonbury. Before I knew it I was on a 6:45am bus to Dublin to catch a flight to Bilbao, Spain.

We arrived in Bilbao in later afternoon after a successful, but slightly delayed flight. The weather was warm, humid and hazy, but a pleasantly manageable temperature. We had purposely chosen northern Spain in the hopes of avoiding the sweltering southern heat. On the bus ride into the city we discussed what the famous Guggenheim museum might look like, as we were supposed to get off the bus near the world-renowned art museum. As we drove onto a bridge, smooth glistening metal wound into coils and jutting out in waves drew our eyes to the riverside. There was no doubt in any of our minds that we were looking at the Guggenheim. An ultra-modern building to reflect the contemporary art it housed. Since its opening in 1997, the museum has been an urban landmark for Bilbao and the main tourist draw to the city.

We spent the rest of the evening wandering and resting before starting again fresh in the morning. We headed back to the Guggenheim to devote it more deserved attention. Even walking around the structure is an exhibit in itself. Guarding the main entrance is a tall statue of a seated puppy covered entirely by living flowers. Judging by the number of photos being taken, the canine is a favourite with visitors, including myself.

Inside the museum photos were not allowed though I did sneak a picture of these elliptical steel structures titled The Matter of Time by Richard Serra. It is one of the few permanent exhibits located on the main floor of the museum.

The rest of the museum were dedicated to temporary exhibits. The second floor exhibited The Art of War showcasing art in France during World War II and the third floor displayed Riotous Baroque, a comparison between the vitality, extravagance and desire of Baroque and modern art. Some of the modern works on the third floor really stood out to me including a large blue painting of a horse head by Glenn Brown, a replica woman suspended in a crate by Maurizio Cattelan, a photo of a baby playing in silver paint by Marilyn Minter and a video called Into the Wild depicting artist Cristina Lucas being willingly tarred, feathered and exiled. I do not always understand modern art, but I still enjoy looking at it!

After the museum I picked up my first of many ice cream cones and headed with Lauren and Chad to a nearby tram which would take us up a mountain for panoramic views. The views did not disappoint though the was a slight haze over the city. We spied a nice park on a far right towards the hostel and old town. Feeling adventurous, we decided to walk down the mountain in search of this park.

We headed down a street branching in the right direction and shortly came across a trail leading downhill. It seemed a perfect trail, even if the gate was a bit graffitied. We headed downhill and shortly passed some Spanish people resting on picnic tables. We continued on even as the trail got steeper and narrower, not the best conditions for me to tackle in a sundress and sandals. Eventually we ended up in an apparent grassy dead-end. Just before we were ready to turn around we found yet another small trail further up hill which took us the rest of the way down the mountain to a road. We were nowhere near our intended destination. As we sat together on a shaded bench for a much-needed rest, I looked down to realize that the three clasps at the front of my had become unthreaded and my undergarments were on display through a gaping V-neck. Though Chad jovially offered me his sweaty t-shirt, I feared my only option was to put on my sweater even though it was so HOT! I thought Lauren was joking at first when she offered me a band-aid, but after some persistence I agreed to try. I synched the dress back together and taped in closed on the inside. Much to my surprise it held... all the way back to the hotel! Just another travel tip I can store for the future. Who knew a first aid kit could be used beyond health concerns to fix a wardrobe malfunction?

 Lauren and I hiking our way down the mountain (dress still intact) and below Chad looks back from one of the narrower parts of the trail.

After touring around Bilbao, our next stop was along the coast to the touristy town of San Sebastian. Located around a deep bay, San Sebastian is a cozy little city which attracts backpackers, families, surfers, etc. All three if us immediately fell in love with this town, and were sad that we were only staying one night. We spent the afternoon basking on the beach and soaking in the ocean, then went out in the evening to try the Basque tradition of pintxos (called tapas in the rest of Spain). Pintxos is a light supper composed of hors d'oeuvres and drinks. The idea is to enjoy a few items at one bar before moving to another, then another, etc. Since we were on the coast, I found the seafood of the pintxos delicious, plus the sangria and txakoli (fresh white wine made this spring in Spain) was pretty great as well.

That evening we also celebrated the day by watching the sunset from a pristine walkway along the coastline. The red glow of the sun silhouetted the men fishing along the break-wall. They were pulling up small silver fish with their long fishing poles and if I had spoke Spanish I might have asked for a turn.

The next morning our team split up to accomplish as much as possible before we needed to spend the rest of the day on a bus to Barcelona. Chad went on a search for beach sandals, while Lauren and I set our sights on the highest point of San Sebastian: the large overlooking statue of Jesus atop Monte Urgull. I believe we under-anticipated the challenge we were facing. By the time we reached the top we were both sweating profusely. We took a quick look around the old fortress and snapped some shots of Jesus before quickly headed down to trek back to the bus station.

I was already really enjoying Spanish culture and the places I was seeing, plus I was soaking up every minute of sunshine I could manage. However, we were all looking forward to the next stage of our trip, two days of outdoor adventures in the Pyrenees Mountains including white-water rafting, canyoning and jumping from a bridge. Those tales to come in the next blog.

Adios,
Shannon

Canada Day - UK Style

If partying at Glastonbury was not enough, my friends and I conveniently timed our trip to be in London on July 1st, the national holiday of Canada. A full-day event was taking place in Trafalgar Square directly in front of the Canadian Consulate and I had heard rumours of a musical line-up to rival Canada's own celebrations. We had had a very early start in order to leave Glastonbury; a 4am rise to catch a 5:30am bus. With only a few hours of sleep I needed to get in the festive mood, so I donned the only red I had in my pack - a surprisingly suitable hippie bandana with moose print.

We arrived at Trafalgar in later afternoon in time to catch the finals of the street hockey tournament. In friendly Canadian fashion we had made plans to meet up with some of Deanna's relatives and three of my friends: Gillian, Geordie and Christine. We quickly settled in by picking up some traditional Canadian grub, pancakes for me and bison burgers for Jake and Deanna. Big surprise I immediately managed to spill maple syrup down my front; it's not like it was my only clean set of clothes after Glastonbury... I thought I'd remedy the situation by sipping a cold Canadian beer. I headed for the beer stand excitedly anticipating choosing from brands I haven't seen in 11 months like Keith's or Rickard's, only to find one option of Molson Canadian. Come on! Molson Canadian is one of the few Canadian beers I can buy in Ireland! I decided it was my national duty to drink one anyway. The sun was shining and Canadians were out, not much could dampen my mood.

Canadians in London do not mess around when celebrating their nationality. Everyone was decked in red and white and sported stick-on tattoos. Organizers even released giant red/white beach balls that were bounced above the crowd, somewhat treacherously if you were not paying attention. We were also celebrating with some of Canada's favourite personalities and performers. For instance George Stroumboulopoulos (had to look that spelling up) was busy schmoozing the crowd, and Canadian artists The Arkells, Jann Arden, The Sheepdogs and The Tragically Hip were gracing the stage.

 Hello Strombo! Seriously, as soon as he appeared the women flocked with cameras... but not me of course...

 The Arkells from Hamilton, Ontario

 Jann Arden from Calgary, Alberta.

 The Sheepdogs from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

The Tragically Hip, from Kingston Ontario, playing to a packed crowd.

 

The following day we spent some quality tourist time around London before we had to part ways on the 3rd. First we went around the iconic, and rather expensive, London Eye. With the help of interactive guides we were able to see some of London's most important landmarks from a birds-eye view. We had a good laugh when Deanna was the only person besides a small East Indian girl to enthusiastically prepare for the automatic picture being taken when our pod completed the full circle.

 

 

 Parliament and Big Ben!

Next we took a walk around the city centre, passed Buckingham Palace and then through Piccadilly Circus and Convent Garden. We snapped pictures of the Queen's Guard and picked up necessary souvenirs. We ended at the British Museum and were actively completing their one-hour must-see list when security personnel told us the museum was closing. At only 5:30?? We looked at each other, turned around and booked it to the Rosetta Stone as fast as we could. We arrived at the room in just enough time to sneak a glimpse of it before the exhibit door was closed. I'd say a job well done, if not well planned!

We may not have seen a lot of things at the museum, but we did get a good look at this Easter Island statue called "Hoa Hakananai'a." It originated in the South Pacific around 1400.

 

A lot of effort went into planning this Glastonbury/London trip. Everything began last October when after an hour and a half of website refreshing I shockingly found I had made it through to the festival booking page. And now the entire event is over and I am back in Ireland exhausted but happy. All the preparation is worth it when you can spend the time with two best friends. Many thanks to Jake and Deanna for putting in all the effort to get here, and best of luck to Jake who is continuing on his own backpacking adventure across Europe.

 

Hope everyone is enjoying summer,

Shannon