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Published: December 27th 2006
Hel at Park Güell
Barcelona, Espana
Havana to Madrid We really must find a better way of picking our accommodation, the one with the oddest name isn’t always a sure fire bet… but while it is difficult to find Hostal Chocolate is well located and squeaky single metal beds aside has the required beer nook where we get to dry out socks and orient ourselves to Madrid.
We arrived groggy and tired after a long flight, made even longer by Scott’s instance that we go out to the airport 10 hours early. Honestly! I think he was concerned that the airport was a fair distance out of Havana, it isn’t, but we did end up with a very educational tour of at least three different airports… first off the taxi driver dropped us at a small busy blue building that fair hummed with activity… I thought it was pretty small for an international airport and went off to check out why all the planes looked like 10 to 20 seaters, as I am sure we needed something bigger to get us to Spain. I eventually discovered that we were in Havana’s secret airport, the one that has direct flights to Miami
for the US service people and flunkies. Hmm… learn something every day… another interesting taxi ride and we are dumped at another local airport, no, no, still not right, around the patch - no not the military airport, the international airport, yup that is it, closed. We 6 to 8 hours before any scheduled flights what would you expect… we checked out the edifice built for the pan-American games - and nap on the wire seats. Eventually things come to life, slowly, and we get to hum to the band and find something to eat, luke warm canned tomatoes soup … I can’t fathom it, they could grow anything in Cuba, but the food really does need work, some fresh spices would definitely not go amiss, after a month of beans and rice I am really ready for some spicy Spanish tapas.
The flight over was uneventful, however we did learn that the flights are all routed through Barcelona (which is not that surprising) and I was tempted to get of the flight here and check out Gaudi architecture, but still we were looking forward to going down to southern Moorish Spain so we stay on to our scheduled
Scott's Future
Mezquita, Cordoba, Espana stop, Madrid. Tired, and not up to navigating the metro we grab a coffee and then decide to grab a taxi - bad move I know and I am sure we could have sorted out the metro easy enough as it is a very good system, still we went overland, negotiating a rate before we start and at least this way we won’t have to grid search for the Hostel. We dose in the cab and watch monotonous concrete tower block housing stretch put before us, not an auspicious start to Spain, and oddly similar to the deserted soviet style housing blocks we had seen in Cuba. Still the taxi driver did track down the hostel which is located in one of these blocks in the city centre. We unpack and settle in before going out in the evening to join the locals at the cafes people watching in the square.
True Madrid is boring and squat, but it’s also a real city and not a tourist mecca so it is nice to be just another bod.
Overt the next few days we mooch out a bit further then our tower block base and check out the Real
Plaza del Toro in Sevilla
The guys in the chef's outfits deal with the remains of the Bull Jardin Motanico (cabbage trees and flax remind me of home) with its big nosed King Carlos III, and the Museo del Prado, ahh Prado, we have to take several days to work our way through its collections. My favourites a the Goya’s, starting with his pastel pretty pics on the ceiling in the top floor, working through his revolutionary phase (The Executions of the Third of May 1808 is so large, it makes you feel like you are standing hiding around the corner watching the firing-squad) and then his black paintings, weird witches floating over the landscape. My favourite is the
perro watching for his master dominated by the golden sky, Scott prefers
saturn eating his children, hmm yes well.
30 May 2000
Cordoba, Espana We stay at the Hostal Alcazar, and check out the old town including the old synagogue, the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos and the Mezquita with its oddly converted sections now forming the Catedral de Cordoba. We cross over the Rio Gudalquivir on the Puente Romano and look out at the old roman footings and remains of the roman mill house.
The Mezquita is amazing, striped candy cane arches and all.
Are they looking for a gardener?
Palacio de Generalife, Granada, Espana Pity those damn Christians had to ruin it. On the outside the fortune teller informs Scott to expect to hear from his mother, well that will be a surprise as she has been dead for quiet some time…
31 May 2000
Cordoba to Sevilla, Andalucía Off on the Renfe again, heading to Servile this time. The Catedral is closed but we check out the exterior and bronze doors which are impressive before heading off to the Real Alcazar.
On Sunday afternoon we went to the bull fight at the Plaza del Toro in Sevilla and make the bad call of getting tickets in the Sol, so burn in the full glare of the afternoon sun while the locals all chill out in the shade (Sombra). It was great, the first bull came rushing out caught the matador, threw him up in the air and gave him a real stomping, and I cheered like mad. Even Hel (the vegetarian) loved it... The fights don’t start until seven at night when it starts to cool down a bit and you sit in a big amphitheatre like the colosseum along with thousands of people in the sun shine and
Close shave in Morroco
In the Kasbah, Tangers drink beer and watch the fights. great!!!
6 June 2000
Granada, Espana We book into the charming Hotel Venecia, by the Puerta Real. Before heading up the hill to the Alhambra and General Life. The Alhambra lives up to its reputation and is truly amazing, even with the oddity of the jelly meat marbled edifice the palace of Charles V stuck up in the middle of it. The Moorish architecture is a special and romantic mix of slender columnar arcades, fountains, and courtyard, the Patio de los Leones (Lion Court) and Palacio de Generalife (Summer palace) are especially beautiful. And it really is worth making the hike up the hill to take in the view of the Alhambra in the evening from the Mirador St Nicolas in the Albaycin.
We still haven’t booked our tickets but we are working on around the 2nd of July. After a couple of days here the plant is to catch the ferry to Tangiers for a few days.
8 June 2000
Algeciras to Tanger We arrived fresh off the boat and had a local tout show us the ropes before booking into the Mamoza Hotel in
Guggenheim
Bilbao, Espana the old city. Mental note while minaret’s may look picturesque out the window you won’t feel the same at 5am when the old guy starts coughing out his lounges and calling the faithful to prayer - even less romantic when he forgets to turn off the microphone and you have a couple of hours endless dialogue broadcast across the Kasbah. Still a great couple of days spend mooching around , even if we did end up with an unexpected carpet - the less said the better…
And what can one say about sailing through the Pillars of Hercules…
From: fran the man
To: Hel & Scott
Subject: glad I saved myself the trouble
Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2000
i was just off to call the people at air nz when i thought - hang on what exactly did she want me to find out from them ,quick go read that email again . so and did and i read the ones you just sent so you saved me the troble - why can’t i spell that word!!! anyway yeah
Toke for the holidays how exhilarating ! NOT! not to worry i might drag sandy along honestly that girls got more problems then statistics nz , if she’s not careful she probably will end up a statistic herself. So then toke will have to deal with the two of us and we'll have to deal with toke - the battle begins who will win? Sorry ive just come from drama and in a bit of a melodramatic mood. no comment on the lawns couldn’t get the mower on sat as someone was to busy running around looking at houses to get the mower and then it pissed down with rain on sun so...... might have to wait a while longer. licence hahahah your just lucky that i have a job , so no not enough time or money to get that one , if it isn’t one then its the other , honestly.
Off to ATC tonite sort out what’s going on with the bunnies - im thinking of taking i lot of my fake fur down with me to scare the cadets .Ahhhh the evils of being an NCO. love it . fire pois rock! two finger problems have been over come so they now rock! elegant falling whilst bouldering rocks and is also entertaing!
Palau Musica
Now thats what I call tiling. got your photos and the che shirt - i understand now, i thought maybe that you had written check shirt but left some letters out wish i could go to oonst3 - butno missed out on nick warren Oh!!!! don’t no if ive said this already but....they had bladerunner the directors cut playing at the civic and i couldn’t go !!!! Heartbroken. well its 5 and ive got some homework to do
love fran
13 June 2000
Madrid to Bilbao We’ve been shopping, after months on the road with nothing but a couple of school bags (weighting in at less the 2.5kg on the airport scales each - talk about travelling light) we have decided that we should get a few bits and bobs before we come home. I have brought Scott some new underwear - really 6 months with the one pair is enough! And I have splashed out on a new camera as I am sick of Scott sticking his finger over the damn lens in the cheapo replacement one we have. Scott has bought some new shoes, pretty flash even if I say so, and is thin and trim and looking more of
Look mom, no hands
Sagrada Família, Barcelona a babe then ever... he is almost unbearably smug about it all!!!
We are on the night train to Bilbao today and then on to Barcelona. We are in the process of booking our tickets and will let you know as soon as it’s finalised. Looks like the week of the 25th June.
14 June 2000
Bilbao to Barcelona We pulled into the train station and garwped at the huge stained glass window while having coffee and getting ourselves sorted at the train station. As it was still early I had a quick haircut as we checked out if we should walk or take the metro to the Guggenheim. We opted to walk and were rewarded by the site of the giant titanium edifice sticking out down the street like an oddity among the staid old brick buildings. As it was still before opening time we had another coffee, in what turned out to be the museum’s workmen’s café, their hard hats were hung around the ceiling, and I half expected to see some drop in off the construction site. But no, it was all finished, and although it looked a bit like a giant silver turd
View of Sagrada Família
From the roof top of Casa Milà (La Pedrera)Barcelona behind of Jeff Koons Puppy, the place was amazing. We lucked out with an exhibition of motor bikes (including a Britton) which was oddly appropriate, but Scott did get told off for tapping the Degas bronzes.
June 2000
Barcelona, Espana On our way down a side street from La Rambla' to George Orwell Square we fell for Los Caracoles (The Snails)on Calle Escudellers, with its enticing grilling chickens on the corner. We thought we would go in and have a drink at the old bar (with four different bottles of absinth on offer) but before I pulled out the stool we were whisked through a fully functioning flaming kitchen, past the old dining room and up into the bowels of one of Barcelona’s most famous restaurants. Founded in 1835 by the Bofarull family, the restaurant offers traditional Catalonian meals, and its old dinning room is still in use but most of the diners are seated at tables crowded by signed photos of famous people from all over the world. Scott was torn by all the meaty selections but had to stick to the succulent chicken that first tempted him. I over did things by attempting to polish
Still under construction
Sagrada Família, Barcelona of the pyjama desert which includes sweet Spanish nougat. But is was a great meal.
Off on the other side of the Ramblers we check out the Guell Palace before beginning our pilgrimage to the architect collimating at his Gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece, Sagrada Família. On our way we tracked down the Casa Calvet and Casa Batlló ,wondered through the Casa Milà (La Pedrera), visited the Park Güell in El Carmel, but we couldn’t find the Moorish Casa Vincens and didn’t realise how close the Dragon Gate was.
16 June 2000
Barcelona, Espana Well what a day it has been, we both have blisters from all the running around!!! Thanks to Diana and Wal we have flights back to New Zealand, Air NZ have been absolutely hopeless. We spent over a week trying to get hold of them in London, Frankfurt and Spain (also spent a small fortune in calling cards which where wasted while we held on in priority queues... if I ever find out who invented voice phone systems he better watch out - I’m sure it was a man).
Air NZs web site stated there where flights available when we wanted, but when Wal
Barcelona Streets
Now where is that chicken on a spit? and we checked we got different answers and the flights were not available, and we could use our air points anyway. I have more grey hairs and considerable less hair now (thanks in part to a Spanish hairdresser who has sheared off over 8 inches of my locks) Scott of course has no hair to loose (thanks to the close shave he got in Tangiers). Anyway enough ranting, Duck and Wal have done a sterling job, but we now have a very strange itinerary.
We leave tomorrow on the overnight train to Paris, then Scott will proceed to London on the bullet train in time to pick up his tickets and fly home on the 20th... Wal if it isn’t too much trouble Scott will be delighted to take possession of my truck and Bully (he will have the carpet with him). Kate and Matt, your dad would love to see you at the airport, he is really looking forward to it, he will be pretty tired and groggy after several days on trains and planes so I know you will look after him for me. Fran the lawns had better be mowed and if the house next door
Los Caracoles
Barcelona, Espana is free air it and make up the beds for Scott and co.
I will travel on to Frankfurt and catch my flight there, I will, of course expect flowers and a full brass band on my arrival... just kidding a hot bath will do me fine (Fran get the bath salts out). Well after sorting out all the travel arrangements we went on to visit Guell Park, it is a bit like an overdone Wellington town belt, hilly and full of pine trees. But wow what iron work and tiles. Scott and I now have blisters on our blisters after slogging our way around. Tomorrow we have a few more Gaudi sites to fit in before we catch the train.
Scott is crestfallen that we won’t be going to the bull fights on Sunday night, but he’d rather see the smiling faces of his darlings... Kate you had better not be taller then him and Matt he is sure you have grown another foot at least (personally I think you would look pretty strange with three feet). In case neither of you recognise him, he’ll be the babe carrying a carpet, with a shiny brown head, white
All the comforts of home
On the Train to Barcelona to Paris legs and baggy trousers (he has lost nearly 10kg).
Well I had better go, Barcelona night life beckons and I’m sure it’s got a damn sight more to offer then Tokoroa!!!
17 June 2000
Barcelona to Paris Tickets in one hand, bottle of Champaign in the other we board the overnight train to Paris, we have splashed out €170 for a cabin to ourselves, are luxury, supping cheap Champaign out of plastic cups while eating grapes and cheese.
From: Scott Wilson
To: Katie Pie
Subject: Bad news for computer dorks
Date: Sat, 17 Jun 2000
Katie, the bad news is that your mom and Tolly are right, all the emails have been sent from cyber cafes. In Mexico and Central America the phones are all hard wired in, also they don’t have a phone system that will handle computers from hotels.
In Cuba there is virtually no internet access, except from some of the big hotels. Here in Europe they have the system but we have been using the cafes. In all the countries we have been in regardless of the phone system it is much, much cheaper to use internet cafes than plug in my computer (even if I can)and pay the toll charges to NZ.
I have got my computer and we use it for keeping our diaries of the trip and our addresses and accounts of how much money we have spent etc. It also has a world clock that tells us the time where ever we are, and the time back in NZ, so has been really handy.
We are in Spain and still arranging our tickets and don’t have a firm date as yet, but will let you know as soon as we have.
Have a ball at the ball, I’m sure you will look gorgeous, look forward to the photos, no drinking behind the gym either.
Love Dad
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