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Published: September 24th 2005
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Barcelona
The view that was all well worth it at the top of Montserrat! ......and continue to do so for several nights as this city knows how to party!
With Barcelona's La Rambla coming alive from 11pm, there are many travellers earning a quick buck dishing out drink and entry vouchers for the plethera of pubs and clubs!.... which means.. great deals for us other travellers that are a little short of Euros that don't have the time to work, but rather party a little bit instead! There are living statues sprayed silver and blue, covered in glitter with wings or in smart tuxedo even hiding in boxes just to startle the unassuming passers by, bouncing gymnasts & stilt walkers performing all sorts of acts in front of the alfresco diners as well as the tunes, both spanish and alternative, supplied by budding musicians.. both young and old. It is very eclectic and having a night indoors you feel as though you are missing out!.....
After a couple of days not doing much apart from recovering from the night before, a day trip up Montserrat was in order.... So off we went on our day of adventure (myself with the crazy company of 'Canadia' and 'Gero'.... to keep their identities anonymous) to take
A real live mountain goat!
We just wanted to know if he got lost on his way up there... or if he knows the way back down! in the fresh air and the sights of Barcelona from above..... and adventure it was! Leaving at about 1pm (the recommended time is 8am!), going the wrong direction on trains, taking wrong exits and getting off the train too early therefore missing our finicular but rather paying again for the cable car.. we made it to the top of Montserrat!... The wind was howling and it started pouring with rain.. (much to the amusement of this old guy, I was wearing my white skirt!) and all we could see was fog and the incoming grey clouds.... Miraculously though, there was a break in the weather for just long enough and the view overlooking Barcelona was all worth the trek! As well as checking out all the boulder/rocks on the other peaks that had names like 'the elephant' and the 'old man' and seeing if they did indeed represent what they were called, and finding a stall that sold travelling cheese... (cheese that can be kept out of the fridge for 3 months!.. and as hard as a rock!) ...we saw a real life billy (mountain) goat on one of the peaks!.... - does not seem like such a highlight now..
La Rambla @ night
A few young guys (dressed in the yellow shits) that were great musicians ... very few others are able to make the passers by get up and boogy!.. but it was on the day! good news also came with the fact that we had made the last finicular in plenty of time! and back into Barcelona we sailed.
The next day again was rainy so instead of heading to the beach, we (me and the irish girls in my dorm) checked out Gaudi's Familiar and his other Museum.... pretty amazing architecture and a no wonder that people either love it or see it as an eyesore!.. i think it is pretty cool!.. with smooth gothic like curves that look like they were built for a halloween party he also quite often used colourful metallic tiles in mosaics that look amazing, adding a further dimension to the buildings.
When the sun was shining - the beach was calling! and this is every boys dream!.. not because of the warm water or the almost-white sand but because the spanish girls wear just about nothing and they get away with it!... some tourists try to blend in, but they stick out a mile away as the sun tans are not quite consistent all over!..
After hearing that there was a music fiesta in a small town called Olot
A bit of Culture
The facade of the Gaudi museum.. 2 hours out of Barcelona and a friend to meet us, we headed there for a couple of days and were met with a sleepy town that had narrow streets lined with cute spanish style houses, a huge church in the middle, a few cobble stone squares and a couple of bakeries. At night it was a different story, where most of the towns population both young and old converged on the main squares where 4-5 stages were set up displaying music from various genres to suit the ages from African/drumming (where they taught the audience how to dance like the African), R&B, dance and a couple of other stages that had alternative/jazz to heavy metal over the couple of nights we were there. I met many other awesome travellers who had made this trip to Olot either for the fiesta or to catch up with friends and before heading back into Barcelona, where were convinced to head out into the 'real country-side' with them. This is where we wandered the 'magical forest'.. (it is called this, because many mushrooms - all different types - abound) and enjoyed the sounds of rain dropping on the trees overhead, the moo-ing cows
colourful markets
The main markets were located right off La Rambla with foods of all sorts.. including many types of nuts, cheeses, meats and fruit.. Was fantastic to see fruit that i recognised! .. the best nectarines in town! and their cowbells as they strolled through the pastures and the chopping sounds of the sheep mowing the lawns of their backyards.... Just a tip however... the electric fences that run through the fields are actually electrofied... and you will fall backwards with a shock!.. much to the amusement of everyone else!
I was actually feeling very depressed heading back into Barcelona as I knew that the real first stage of my 'holidays' were coming to an end with a flight to London the next day. And for the next 5 months in London (other than freezing my butt off!) I am to work and earn the pound so I can enjoy the 4 months after that the best that I can in South America and so that my little trip to Prague - which I have postponed - may turn into a couple of weeks and take in the sights of Copenhagen to see friends I met in Cambodia!.. will have to see how it goes.. but for now.. the next stop is London.
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Lucy
non-member comment
hi glad to see your having a good time and running a muck and keeping hte chaffer name going strong. i cant wait to hear more espically from the UK where i hear your one lucky girl and get to spend tiem with your fantastic cousins. all the best keep partying hard