sburns
Well-known member
This is why Spain is so nice.
Usually on my last day over there on the way to the airport I snap 1 final photo of something and the sky. Never disappoints.
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Speed cameras in Spain
- Thread starter bigpoppa
- Start date
Usually on my last day over there on the way to the airport I snap 1 final photo of something and the sky. Never disappoints.
You are in Catalonia, a region which has a historical independence movement, and its own language, Catalan.
Catalan is an official language of Catalonia, Valencia, and the Balearic Islands.
bigpoppa
Well-known member
Day 4
Barcelona
It's a long train ride to Barcelona,
I fell asleep on the train, at some point the beautiful coastline and Oceanview turned into graffiti.
I hear multiple languages around me, both on the train and on the street, a lady speaking Portuguese, a guy speaking French behind me, another girl I'm pretty sure speaking Ukrainian/Russian, a bunch of german speakers as well, a lot more tourists in Barcelona than places away from the city.
It's a very busy big city.
To truly explore it we'll have to spend several days traversing around.
We spend the day at the maritime museum(awesome)
And the aquarium(kid likes them)
We also managed to see a giant moument to Christopher Columbus, pointing directly towards America.
I see lots of scooters and bikes( as usual) but none bigger than middleweights. Have seen 0 big bikes of any kind, and no cruisers either. Lots of mt07s.
Saw a euro only street going tenere 7.
The choice for food here seems to be between seafood and seafood, your boy had to find some real food, so naturally we ended up at a good Mexican restaurant
Enchiladas con salsa verde were very good.
North America feels sanitized by comparison. I want to live in a place with character, if I can't detect the smell of cigarettes or donkeys on the street I don't want to live there
Barcelona
It's a long train ride to Barcelona,
I fell asleep on the train, at some point the beautiful coastline and Oceanview turned into graffiti.
I hear multiple languages around me, both on the train and on the street, a lady speaking Portuguese, a guy speaking French behind me, another girl I'm pretty sure speaking Ukrainian/Russian, a bunch of german speakers as well, a lot more tourists in Barcelona than places away from the city.
It's a very busy big city.
To truly explore it we'll have to spend several days traversing around.
We spend the day at the maritime museum(awesome)
And the aquarium(kid likes them)
We also managed to see a giant moument to Christopher Columbus, pointing directly towards America.
I see lots of scooters and bikes( as usual) but none bigger than middleweights. Have seen 0 big bikes of any kind, and no cruisers either. Lots of mt07s.
Saw a euro only street going tenere 7.
The choice for food here seems to be between seafood and seafood, your boy had to find some real food, so naturally we ended up at a good Mexican restaurant
Enchiladas con salsa verde were very good.
North America feels sanitized by comparison. I want to live in a place with character, if I can't detect the smell of cigarettes or donkeys on the street I don't want to live there
Barcelona, was at the little farmers market across from the statue? They have a great hop on hop off that picks you up in front of the marine museum.
bigpoppa
Well-known member
Day 5
Barcelona
Saw a guy on a new multistrada, decked out head to toe in gear, must be a tourist.
Went to citadel park In Barcelona today,
It's like a much better version of central park with ancient stone art work and cool palm trees
Getting some serious elderscroll/game of thrones house Martell vibes here.
Inside the park is apparently a parliament! (And a zoo!)
Coincidence I think not.
Also Noticing a distinct lack of fat women anywhere. The overweight ones are usually not from here.
Saw what looks like African migrants camped out in the park, pawning their trinkets.
It's October and it's registering at 30 degrees, gets hot quick, so I take regular breaks and hydrate often.
Interesting to note alot of the stores here dont keep drinks in the fridge, they're only for stuff that will go bad.(meat poultry dairy etc) so good luck finding cold water or Gatorade.
Spent a bunch of time doing my favorite activity, which is wandering around aimlessly and getting lost, found a bunch of cool back allies, there are little hidden shops, cafes and musuems here, where the old buildings are so close , the neighbors in different buildings can shake hands.
The wider backstreets are 1 car wide, but many are too small for any car.
Also went to a cool small local church, I ask the nice guy in my bad spanish if I can take pictures here? He says a few, but not too many, so I don't push my luck.
Been obsessing since I got here, the level of pizza is definitely higher, the close proximity to the motherland might have something to do with it.
Walk into a shop in South BC, the guy is speaking Italian, lots of hand gestures and you see a picture of saint valentine himself, so naturally i have to try.
Needless to say I discover a love of Calabria chillies
Barcelona
Saw a guy on a new multistrada, decked out head to toe in gear, must be a tourist.
Went to citadel park In Barcelona today,
It's like a much better version of central park with ancient stone art work and cool palm trees
Getting some serious elderscroll/game of thrones house Martell vibes here.
Inside the park is apparently a parliament! (And a zoo!)
Coincidence I think not.
Also Noticing a distinct lack of fat women anywhere. The overweight ones are usually not from here.
Saw what looks like African migrants camped out in the park, pawning their trinkets.
It's October and it's registering at 30 degrees, gets hot quick, so I take regular breaks and hydrate often.
Interesting to note alot of the stores here dont keep drinks in the fridge, they're only for stuff that will go bad.(meat poultry dairy etc) so good luck finding cold water or Gatorade.
Spent a bunch of time doing my favorite activity, which is wandering around aimlessly and getting lost, found a bunch of cool back allies, there are little hidden shops, cafes and musuems here, where the old buildings are so close , the neighbors in different buildings can shake hands.
The wider backstreets are 1 car wide, but many are too small for any car.
Also went to a cool small local church, I ask the nice guy in my bad spanish if I can take pictures here? He says a few, but not too many, so I don't push my luck.
Been obsessing since I got here, the level of pizza is definitely higher, the close proximity to the motherland might have something to do with it.
Walk into a shop in South BC, the guy is speaking Italian, lots of hand gestures and you see a picture of saint valentine himself, so naturally i have to try.
Needless to say I discover a love of Calabria chillies
Love this city. Walking + public transit is the best way to get around. (You do not want to drive)
You noticed that people in southern Europe are generally in better shape than in North America. Walking has a lot to do with it. Most North American cities with the possible exception of a few downtown areas are designed so that you can't live without a car. These European cities have been around since before cars existed ... they had to be walkable, and they still are.
bigpoppa
Well-known member
Like Shakira, my taste buds don't lie, the neapolitan here is quite good
I find the food is much better over there. I think they have laws in place for free range chickens and stuff like that for a long time. And the food or ingredients are not stuffed with corn starch/syrup like over here. Or it could just be vacation mode
bigpoppa
Well-known member
Day 6
Barcelona
Going on a ride on a lift above Barcelona
There's a big mountain in the city, above it there's a park, above which there is a fort, the fort is layered like a cake, layer 3 at the bottom, 1 at the top.
The views are spectacular, both on the tram and the fort, the wind is also significant, so I have to hold on to my hat.
The guns point towards the bay.
Pretty sure the blisters I saw on my foot yesterday have popped.
On the way down we walked down the giant mountain, downhill into the city, I can feel my calves shaking. We find a nice build your own pasta restaurant called macchina pasta, it's really good.
Coming to Spain has really endeared me to good Italian food.
Barcelona
Going on a ride on a lift above Barcelona
There's a big mountain in the city, above it there's a park, above which there is a fort, the fort is layered like a cake, layer 3 at the bottom, 1 at the top.
The views are spectacular, both on the tram and the fort, the wind is also significant, so I have to hold on to my hat.
The guns point towards the bay.
Pretty sure the blisters I saw on my foot yesterday have popped.
On the way down we walked down the giant mountain, downhill into the city, I can feel my calves shaking. We find a nice build your own pasta restaurant called macchina pasta, it's really good.
Coming to Spain has really endeared me to good Italian food.
bigpoppa
Well-known member
Day 7
Calafell
Stayed in tonight, we've been traveling non stop, walking, taking trains and flights for a bit, and was feeling a bit burnt out, spend the day laying around, found a nice gym close by, so put a good workout in.
I usually avoid indian food, but decided to have some lamb vindalo, it was good enough to get the nostrils going
Wife had fish pakoras, I never like seafood but they were really good as well.
Calafell
Stayed in tonight, we've been traveling non stop, walking, taking trains and flights for a bit, and was feeling a bit burnt out, spend the day laying around, found a nice gym close by, so put a good workout in.
I usually avoid indian food, but decided to have some lamb vindalo, it was good enough to get the nostrils going
Wife had fish pakoras, I never like seafood but they were really good as well.
bigpoppa
Well-known member
Day 8:
Barcelona
We went to see the sacred family church, probably the biggest attraction in Barcelona, it is very impressive, larger than the CN tower, and handbuild by master craftsman and artists.
We also went and did more sightseeing, which included a visit to the triumph arc, as well as a cool chocolate musuem.
Turns out mexico invented chocolate, they had a cool musuem and a fancy artisan chocolate shop, the kid and wife enjoyed, but I can't indulge in sugar.
I'm finally getting familiar with the transit system in Barcelona, and after the commuters head home, we wander around through the streets at night
Barcelona
We went to see the sacred family church, probably the biggest attraction in Barcelona, it is very impressive, larger than the CN tower, and handbuild by master craftsman and artists.
We also went and did more sightseeing, which included a visit to the triumph arc, as well as a cool chocolate musuem.
Turns out mexico invented chocolate, they had a cool musuem and a fancy artisan chocolate shop, the kid and wife enjoyed, but I can't indulge in sugar.
I'm finally getting familiar with the transit system in Barcelona, and after the commuters head home, we wander around through the streets at night
bigpoppa
Well-known member
Day 9
Calafell
Since the trek into BC involves a fair bit of traveling, we've discovered it's best to have off days, today also happens to be our last day in the region. Tomorrow we take the train to Madrid.
I spend the day catching up on some work, and laying around. In the evening I had some food and went for a little exploration walk around town, you definitely can tell which parts of town are newer and which are older.
The newer parts of town are build horizontal, and designed for cars, whereas the older parts are all build vertically.
I discovered the local 'suburbs' a rich part of town with villas, big hedges, and walls, more palm trees and hills, like a local Beverly hills, several kilometers away from the center.
Calafell
Since the trek into BC involves a fair bit of traveling, we've discovered it's best to have off days, today also happens to be our last day in the region. Tomorrow we take the train to Madrid.
I spend the day catching up on some work, and laying around. In the evening I had some food and went for a little exploration walk around town, you definitely can tell which parts of town are newer and which are older.
The newer parts of town are build horizontal, and designed for cars, whereas the older parts are all build vertically.
I discovered the local 'suburbs' a rich part of town with villas, big hedges, and walls, more palm trees and hills, like a local Beverly hills, several kilometers away from the center.
Attachments
bigpoppa
Well-known member
Day 10
Madrid
We say goodbye to calafell, and hit the road.
We take the long train to bc and an even longer train to Madrid, this one is better equipped for longer travel, with comfy seats and a snack bar.
I spend time admiring the landscape and reminiscing/meditating...this trip has reinforced some of my life choices and beliefs, but also got me questioning others.
I also notice as we head into the heartland the signs are switched, no longer in catalan, they are now primarily in castellano (yay)
We arrive in the Madrid train station, and it's a **** show. After a 4 hour train ride I was hoping to visit the bathroom, but for some reason they require you to pay to use the bathroom at the big connecting station. Odd. So I reach for the wallet, but I don't have the right denomination, so I reach for the card, but like 50% of the machines in Spain, this one doesn't accept Canadian cards. Great.
There are also no signs with regards to connecting trains, so the locals are confused too, what to speak of big poppa.
Instead of well placed signs they have a few employees in the middle of the room, who get bombarded with questions by everyone it seems.
Eventually we find the right train, and are on our way again.
The only saving grace of the day is a delicious burger I get near our hotel. A simple cheeseburger that somehow has the perfect combination of salt, butter and crunch.
Madrid
We say goodbye to calafell, and hit the road.
We take the long train to bc and an even longer train to Madrid, this one is better equipped for longer travel, with comfy seats and a snack bar.
I spend time admiring the landscape and reminiscing/meditating...this trip has reinforced some of my life choices and beliefs, but also got me questioning others.
I also notice as we head into the heartland the signs are switched, no longer in catalan, they are now primarily in castellano (yay)
We arrive in the Madrid train station, and it's a **** show. After a 4 hour train ride I was hoping to visit the bathroom, but for some reason they require you to pay to use the bathroom at the big connecting station. Odd. So I reach for the wallet, but I don't have the right denomination, so I reach for the card, but like 50% of the machines in Spain, this one doesn't accept Canadian cards. Great.
There are also no signs with regards to connecting trains, so the locals are confused too, what to speak of big poppa.
Instead of well placed signs they have a few employees in the middle of the room, who get bombarded with questions by everyone it seems.
Eventually we find the right train, and are on our way again.
The only saving grace of the day is a delicious burger I get near our hotel. A simple cheeseburger that somehow has the perfect combination of salt, butter and crunch.
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sburns
Well-known member
For the trains just look at the monitors with all the train info. It will tell you which platform etc. Not really much different then taking the Go train from Union Station.
I guess you didn't take the fast AVE train, 2hrs to Madrid, very comfortable!
Madrid is nice in it's own way, I prefer BCN a bit more.
I'm sure you will see all the usual stuff.
Temple of Debod - is pretty nice, especially in the evening when it's lit up.
Plaza Mayor - you might see a Spiderman character there.
Retiro Park - just amazing
Also if you look hard enough you'll find a Tim Hortons, near Callao metro
Enjoy!
I guess you didn't take the fast AVE train, 2hrs to Madrid, very comfortable!
Madrid is nice in it's own way, I prefer BCN a bit more.
I'm sure you will see all the usual stuff.
Temple of Debod - is pretty nice, especially in the evening when it's lit up.
Plaza Mayor - you might see a Spiderman character there.
Retiro Park - just amazing
Also if you look hard enough you'll find a Tim Hortons, near Callao metro
Enjoy!
bigpoppa
Well-known member
Day 11
Madrid
Really not impressed with the transit system here in Madrid. There are several zones all of which are in silos, and need different cards to work. There is no one pass to rule them all. (Despite what I was told) It's far more efficient, faster and easier to just take uber to and from.
Met some nice tourists who were having the same sort of difficulties as me. Turns out they were Canadians! They lived in Montreal for several years, before moving to Germany for work opportunities, we shared our tales and went our separate way after a while.
Spend a lot of time wandering around aimlessly and found a cool park, it has a giant lake in the middle, also found a funky trumpet player.
I went to a cool market today called Mercado de San Miguel. Think st Lawrence Market on steroids.
Tons of great food in one spot
Met a nice uber driver from Paraguay, I ask him why he moved to Spain, he said he arrived 18 years ago, to escape the corruption, the dangerous situation in his country etc. I ask him what problems spain has, he says overall it's a good country, but they have some problems with illegal immigrants, primarily from Venezuela, morroco etc.
Also wandered into an African ghetto in the middle of Madrid.
Noticing Madrid is alot more hilly than Barcelona. I spend a lot of time climbing uphill. Overall it seems more like a normal regular city, compared to Barcelona, where it feels like your walking somewhere special, like a musuem or through history.
Madrid
Really not impressed with the transit system here in Madrid. There are several zones all of which are in silos, and need different cards to work. There is no one pass to rule them all. (Despite what I was told) It's far more efficient, faster and easier to just take uber to and from.
Met some nice tourists who were having the same sort of difficulties as me. Turns out they were Canadians! They lived in Montreal for several years, before moving to Germany for work opportunities, we shared our tales and went our separate way after a while.
Spend a lot of time wandering around aimlessly and found a cool park, it has a giant lake in the middle, also found a funky trumpet player.
I went to a cool market today called Mercado de San Miguel. Think st Lawrence Market on steroids.
Tons of great food in one spot
Met a nice uber driver from Paraguay, I ask him why he moved to Spain, he said he arrived 18 years ago, to escape the corruption, the dangerous situation in his country etc. I ask him what problems spain has, he says overall it's a good country, but they have some problems with illegal immigrants, primarily from Venezuela, morroco etc.
Also wandered into an African ghetto in the middle of Madrid.
Noticing Madrid is alot more hilly than Barcelona. I spend a lot of time climbing uphill. Overall it seems more like a normal regular city, compared to Barcelona, where it feels like your walking somewhere special, like a musuem or through history.
Great pics.
Maybe got out of Barcelona just in time
www.theguardian.com
Maybe got out of Barcelona just in time
Mass protest in Barcelona against possible amnesty for Catalan separatists
Tens of thousands demonstrate in Spanish region’s capital as Pedro Sánchez weighs move in attempt to form government
www.theguardian.com
bigpoppa
Well-known member
Day 12
Madrid
Got to try out the hotel breakfast for once, way better than my experience in America, they serve real breakfast that taste decent.
Noticing there are bigger larger displacement bikes in Madrid, as opposed to Bc. More riders wearing gear as well.
Still no cruisers anywhere.
We went and saw the archeological musuem, full of history of the Iberian peninsula, from Neanderthal days, through the Roman era, the Islamic era, the reconquista and the present day.
After we went to a fancy Cafe, that's almost as old as Canada. They have a lot of dessert.
We ended the day by walking in a huge park in Madrid, it had several lakes, and wild life!
Madrid
Got to try out the hotel breakfast for once, way better than my experience in America, they serve real breakfast that taste decent.
Noticing there are bigger larger displacement bikes in Madrid, as opposed to Bc. More riders wearing gear as well.
Still no cruisers anywhere.
We went and saw the archeological musuem, full of history of the Iberian peninsula, from Neanderthal days, through the Roman era, the Islamic era, the reconquista and the present day.
After we went to a fancy Cafe, that's almost as old as Canada. They have a lot of dessert.
We ended the day by walking in a huge park in Madrid, it had several lakes, and wild life!
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