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Published: January 10th 2012
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My next travel chapter was a bit of a bonus. The original plan was to catch a flight from Switzerland to the Netherlands, spend a week or so there and head back to England (and figure out the rest when I got there).
Alex (my dad’s cousin) suggested instead of coming straight to the Netherlands, we meet in Switzerland and make the journey together, taking the scenic route through France, via Spain and Belgium. How could I say no? Let the road trip with my relative begin!
A bit about Alex first; I first met him when I was about 4 years old, again when I was about 13 and most recently about 3 years ago, all of which when he was travelling in Australia. I didn’t know him too well, however having a close enough contact in the motherland was a great start to my next travel chapter.
In the comfort of Alex’s car (a change from the bus), we left Lauterbrunnen on Sunday 30
th October. We made a short stop in Bern where we met a big brown bear and explored the small yet beautiful old town, before proceeding to Geneva. Lunch at the Four Seasons
Soaking up some sun
Lake Geneva, Switzerland hotel was absolutely superb – the best intake of iron I had in a long time! A walk along the picturesque Lake Geneva to stretch our legs from the few hours on the road and soak up some sunshine before we piled back into the car to clock up a few more hours behind the wheel. On route to Spain, we had an overnight stop in the south east of France and with an early start the next morning, we arrived in Barcelona, Spain the following afternoon.
Spain was on the Busabout map, however because I started the Europe trip quite late in the bus season, I ran out of time to see it. So thanks to Alex, I was able to get a taste of Spain and have the added benefit of being with a repeat visitor. With only 3 days in such a big city, the best way to visit the main sights was with the help of my tour guide cousin and a hop-on hop-off bus. This didn’t mean there was a shortage of walking and the late summer sun was still hanging around so there was plenty of opportunity to escape the wheels of the
Sagrada Familia
Barcelona, Spain bus going round and round.
Many of Europe’s old churches, museums and historic buildings are under construction, and the
Sagrada Familia is no exception. In fact it’s never been completed since its humble beginnings in 1882. As you probably know I have seen a lot of churches/ cathedrals during my travels, but this one is in a league of its own. Well known Spanish artist
Antoni Gaudi was the artistic director behind this incredible work depicting numerous Biblical stories, inspiration from nature and art nouveau forms. Although he has passed, the original designs are still being used. There is too much to say how incredible the church is, so go on and Google it for yourself!
Barcelona is big so here is a summary of some of the sites we covered on-board the Touristic bus;
Park Guell (another sample of Gaudi’s spectacular art inspired by nature),
Tibidabo (viewpoint with amusement park and cathedral),
Palau Nacional (National Palace),
Montjuic Hill and enjoyed park, city and ocean views from the cable car, passed the site of the 1992 Olympic Games, dined at
Port Vell (Barcelona Harbour) and walked the popular (and very crowded) tree-lined pedestrian mall,
La Rambla. Misty me at Montserrat
(apparently its a great view, if there was no mist!) Barcelona was great; we saw a lot, learnt a lot, and walked a lot. But how could I leave without trying some local cuisine; sangria and paella of course?
An hour out of Barcelona, we stopped at Montserrat Mountain. A train ride to the top of the mountain to enjoy some great views resulted in us seeing absolutely nothing from the top due to the heavy mist. However, I did experience the feeling of not being able to see what was 3 metres in front of me in broad daylight (there’s always a first for everything!). We took a look inside the Benedictine Abbey and returned to the car to clock up some more miles, before reaching our second last stop at Brussels, Belgium.
A second visit to the luscious liquid brown capital of the world was a welcome opportunity, however this time I was well behaved! Each city has its attractions that make you think twice why they are so popular, and a statue of a boy peeing in Brussels was a prime example. Thanks to my trusty travel companion that insisted I had a photo with him, I would have never even known about it –pants
Mannekin Piss
translation; Little man pee. A famous landmark in Brussels, who would have thought! down! A chance to explore an Atom was also on my list of unusual things, but a visit to a Royal Palace just felt like the norm.
With over 2000 km’s travelled by car and 22 hours playing passenger, it was time to use my brain and learn something. Some describe it as a beautiful language; others say it is dirty and difficult. If my veins are filled with Dutch blood, then I should at least give it a prick and see how smoothly it flows. Alex taught me to say the days of the week, months of the year and count to ten. It’s a start at least and if he said I am doing well, it's a positive!
Last leg of the road trip with my relative.. the motherland was calling.
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Opa
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Luxery travel
Supprise toget another blog.Good to travel by car,with private tour guide.Good to see you on so many pics.Will perceveer to get your blogs in a folder.Hank v.Dyk might have to help me.Love,Oma,Opa.