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The next morning, we woke up and it hit us that V & I were on our own now. It’s always a sad feeling when your friends leave, even if you are middle of Spain on a vacation. Over coffee and croissant that morning V & I relived all the fun we had with Payal and Kapil… and then realized that we still have a few more days in Spain to look forward to and we don't have to be all mopey. However, we had a nasty money situation to take care of. Apparently there was a block placed on V’s Capital One Debit Card in Spain. Our sponsor K left us with some “pocket money” that was soon depleting. We really were desperate for getting money. Our call to Capital One gave us no hope. They said we’d have to wait another day before the block is lifted. I was getting worried then, but later as I started playing out worst case scenarios in my mind, it didn’t seem that bad. We’d become gypsies in Spain and travel the country… do odd jobs... may be we could even hop on a boat to Morocco if we get bored! Oh well, everything worked out fine and by 3 that evening we had cash!
Equipped with cash, we set out to explore Granada. We walked the streets in to local markets selling interesting artifacts. It came as no surprise to see most of these “interesting” artifacts were coming from India. I felt like I was walking through General Bazaar in Secunderabad. Some where close to dusk we went up to San Nicholas Square and watched the Alhambra lit up at night. It was really beautiful. We concluded the night by going for what was supposed to be a relaxing Arab bath… and Vicky had a massage included. The Arab bath was definitely an interesting experience… It’s a good “done that” activity and I don’t think I would want to do that again.
Here are some pictures from the land of gypsies...
Alhambra, Beer of Granada :-)
Plaza Nueva
Check out the wall hanging - Ganpati - in this guy's shop. It's not for sale, I believe the picture brought him good luck! And yes, he is Muslim.
Vicky inside a Teteria - Small tea shops
I lifted this off the net, as our camera didnt do justice. This comes close to how the Alhambra looked at night from San Nicholas Square
Early next morning we were on board our flight to Barcelona. Only after we reached the airport did we realize that we were actually in the Girona airport. It was a 100 km ride to Barcelona. We finally reached our hostel late that afternoon. We stayed at Plaza Catalunya, right at the starting point of Las Ramblas. It was LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION!!!! ;)
With no specific plan of action, we walked around aimlessly, actually mostly on the Ramblas and streets flanking the Ramblas. Barcelona is a big city and we did what we do in big cities, we hopped on to a local bus. We met a very sweet and patient gentleman who was kind enough to give us a guided tour. We got off at the La Sagradia Familia bus stop. I wasn’t keen on taking a tour inside then, but in hindsight I regretted my decision of not having seen any of the Gaudi buildings from inside. On our way back we stopped at Passeig De Gracia, which housed some more of Gaudi’s buildings. Finally V’s search for good tapas ended at a restaurant called Tapa Tapa. After couple of good beers and food I was ready to hit the sack.
With no specific plan of action, we walked around aimlessly, actually mostly on the Ramblas and streets flanking the Ramblas. Barcelona is a big city and we did what we do in big cities, we hopped on to a local bus. We met a very sweet and patient gentleman who was kind enough to give us a guided tour. We got off at the La Sagradia Familia bus stop. I wasn’t keen on taking a tour inside then, but in hindsight I regretted my decision of not having seen any of the Gaudi buildings from inside. On our way back we stopped at Passeig De Gracia, which housed some more of Gaudi’s buildings. Finally V’s search for good tapas ended at a restaurant called Tapa Tapa. After couple of good beers and food I was ready to hit the sack.
Columbus on Las Ramblas
Casa Batllo
Casa Mila
The man who volunteered to be our very patient guide! Mr. Rimbau
Incomplete work of Gaudi - La Sagrada Familia
Happy man with his tapas...
and the bloody Sardines.
Next morning, we enjoyed a fantastic café con leche with chocolate filled croissants… Park Guell was our priority for that day. Once again it was really a hot day and we had a lot to walk quite a bit inside the park…. Later that evening, V wanted to check a neighborhood restaurant mentioned in Rick Steve’s book. Only when I entered I realized how many people read Rick Steves, there were hardly any locals and the place was extremely crowded and it was really a rip off. I know I can't make a judgement based on one data point, but for now I am a little wary of his suggestions.
What’s a visit to Barcelona without a visit to one of the topless beaches? So we set out early next morning to experience just that… When we reached there it was teeming with people! Even though we brought our bathing suits, I wasn’t very keen on changing and getting on the sand. Somehow the crowds and the lack of an inch of space on the sand turned me off. I was happy instead to stay fully clothed and get myself a good beer and some munchies and enjoy the fantastic breeze. As I sat there looking at the clear blue sea… it hit me that my vacation was soon coming to an end. We had a wonderful time, enjoying a bit of Madrid, the old town of Toledo, the Moorish influenced culture of Cordoba, the chilled out Seville, the grandeur of Alhambra and finally the vibrancy of Barcelona! It was time for me to say Adios Espana!
Now the last set of pictures from Park Guell! Sorry, none from the topless beaches ;-)
