Spanien

---

A few weeks ago I got email from an Australian girl I met in Vienna about her travels in Spain, and it was entitled: Spain- Oh Boy!. I think that pretty much somes it up. Spain is the place and the place is Spain. I stayed in Barcelona and that place is hot. When people talk about the Sun beating down, that saying is definitely true in Barcelona, the Sun and the heat is unrelenting. No cool changes, no cloudy days, just heat and this is why that Spain is so legendary for it late nights because some days are hard to do much with.

I left Tübingen on Wednesday via the 4:38am train from the station. Cheap flights are early flights, and early flights mean even earlier trains. So when I finally arrived at my hostel 8 hours later, the first thing I did was go to sleep in the (air-conditioned) room. I woke up mid-afternoon and spent the rest of the days walking along the main street of Las Ramblas and around the beautiful Gothic Quarter. I was still quite tired so actually by Spain standards had an early night.

The next day began with 2 missions, find the beach and swim in it, and eat Paella by the beach. I suppose most people who know me might know that I do have quite an appetite, and I was definitely looking forward to tucking into all the great food in Spain. However, it was so hot that I never really felt like eating. I did find the beach though and did eat Paella there and good damn it was good, so good. The beach was fantastic, clear blue meditteranean water, and clean beaches. That night I went on the Pub Crawl organised through our Hostel with about 150 other people. A very long and crazy night. The funny thing about these Pub Crawls is that you go to heaps of different bars, snaking through the city and then end up a at nightclub somewhere, problem is you have no idea where and usually you are quite drunk. So its always a mission to get home.

The next day's mission was to find Gaudi's Masterpiece La Sagrada Familia. Now, they say that people in Queensland work slower than people in Tasmania due to the heat, this builsing might just prove that statement. It was started in 1882 and is still not completed. 124 years ago! And its predicted to take another 30 years. Its an amazing building and it is no doubt the intricate sculpting that goes into it that is the real reason it has taken so long. The lonely planet describes it as a "once before you die, kind of experience", I agree with this, its amazing.

That night I went to the Flamenco and Tapas night run throught the hostel but before I went there I got talking to a girl, Skye, in my room who was also from Melbourne. We started talking about bands and she asked if I liked The Dirty Three, yep I replied. She said cool, cause Mick Turner is my Uncle! Most people are probably thinking, who the hell is Mick Turner, but those who know will realise this was a pretty chance meeting. I went to the Flamenco and Tapas night which was fantastic. The food and the dancing were excellent, its pretty amazing how they do Falmenco, I am sure that it must take a long time to learn. After the Flamenco, the Tapas, and the Sangria bar I met up with Skye and we spent the rest of the night talking about the Dirty Three and other great bands. I good night in my books.

The next day was again really really hot, and due to the late night slept in for quite a while before heading out for food and then later in the night with some people from the hostel. One of the people was a guy from Dingley! "A few quiet drinks" ending being another huge night with me crawling into bed at 6am. My last day in Spain was by far the hottest, so I headed for the beach. That night I headed out with some more people from the hostel, a big group consisting of Australians, Americans, English, Norwegians, Polish and Frenchies. We started in a small bar before heading to the bar and club district next to the beach. Competition here is fierce so the bars give you free drinks to come in so we just went from bar to bar. I had to be at the Airport at 7am, so I decided it was no real use going to bed, it would be better just to go straight to the airport. It was still like 30 degrees or something at 4am, and we had a great time at the bars. On the way back to the hostel we all decided to go from a swim. So it was 5am, it was hot, and I was in Barcelona, in the Mediterranean swimming, and I thought, "Life does't get much better than this". However while I was thinking that thought I was also simultaneously breaking the 2 Golden Rules of Barcelona:

1) Don't bring anything with you that you don't want stolen, and

2) Don't leave your things unattended.

Phone, Wallet, Camera, gone. All of us had our stuff stolen. Thank-God I didnt have my credit cards in there, it seems I'm not that stupid. So it was a tragic end to such a fantastic trip. I had to borrow money off someone at the hostel in order to get to the airport. At the time I was very angry, but more at myself. Fortunately its not the end of the world but it means I have no photos from Spain and I am a few Euro down, the really important things were however safely locked at the hostel, that being Passport, Credit Cards, Tickets and iPod. It is testament to the place that even that experience can't dampen my overall love for the time I spent in Barcelona. What a great city this is, I definitely recommend it as an absolute must for any visit to Europe!

I am now back home in Germany, where it is slightly cooler. Kristian gets back in around 10 days, and I will meet him at Frankfurt Airport before going to Sweden and Thailand.

Hope all are well!

John

---

Comments

[Ria Jane]

Mick Turner!!
Ha ha thats so funny, your quest to find someone close to Mick Turner has taken you all the way to Barcelona!! I still remember those crap msgs you sent me just saying two words, "Mick Turner" Anyway sounds like you are having an awesome time, you may or may not know that i have moved back home to the land of the pines, all in the greater good of saving money for a house...stay safe boys and look forward to seeing the both of you, love always riajane xx

[Erika]

Spain!!!!!!!!!!
Hello!!!! I will be heading off to Spain on 19 August and Barcelona is my last stop in Spain. But everyone has warned me that I should only take a couple of euros with me when going out. Whatever you do, don't think of the phone, wallet and camera, think of your swim in the ocean and who you were with. Everyone (well may be everyone) has done a swim at 4am in the morning and that's at home. Those materialistic things, well that's what it is, things. Anyway, take care and if you come to London before 18 August, give me a call. Erika