Spain

We are back in Barcelona again on our way home after 6 months on the road. It has been quite a time. We have experienced every emotion from amazing and inspiring to annoying and frustrating. It hasn’t been easy all the way – arriving in a new place takes a lot of work and research to get a basis of information – town map, transport map, where to buy tickets, exchange rate, accommodation and not be ripped off, internet, ATM, food, opening and closing times and usually all the information you can find is in a foreign language. But it has been worth it.
Coming back to Barcelona was like getting home – we knew most of the information already and had the language too. We visited some old haunts – bars, restaurants, internet cafés and plazas.
True to form, Barcelona turned on its major 3 day festival of the year just as we arrived. That meant that there was a lot to do and events to see but also that all the shops and markets were shut for the whole time.
Part of the festival was the Giant Parade. Lots of different characters – dragons, kings, queens, jester etc dance around the street to pipe or drum bands. They are like enormous puppets, with a person walking inside them. They only come out once a year so we were lucky to catch them.
The best thing we saw was the ‘Casteller’ competition (human castles). It was fantastic to watch as about a hundred people all dressed in white pants, wide black sash belts and coloured shirts, work together to build a massive tower of people at least 7 levels high. They are well practiced and quick so the poor people on the bottom don’t have to hold everyone up longer than necessary. As the tower grows in height, the climbers get younger and smaller and the very top 2 people are just kids about 5 or 6 years old, climbing with crash helmets on. As they pull themselves up to the top, the crowd is focused on those little bodies climbing up so high. No one makes a sound, then as they reach the top a unified cheer of relief goes up from the crowd and the bands start to play. Everyone is happy and pleased for their success. Coming down also has to be done carefully and in strict order but they seem to just slide down everone’s backs. We saw 3 ‘castellers’ and each time was just as exciting and tense as the first.

There are certainly some advantages to living in Europe – lots of nearby countries to visit and cheap flights. This is a whole new way to spending the weekend quite foreign to Australians.

Everything is so close – 2 hour from Spain to Britain, 2 hours from Germany to Italy. But the real surprise is the price. There are a few airlines that really take price wars to the maximum. We thought we were very lucky to find some tickets from Barcelona for 30 euros each and then from Granada to London for 15 euros each one way. We even bought a seat for the guitar because it was cheaper than paying excess luggage for it. Lily bought a ticket a week later with the same airline and paid 1 cent!! It seemed incredible. Unfortunately they don't fly to every airport and if it is not a popular travel time the prices are higher.

In some towns they use outlying airports if the runways or late night flights cost less, and there are airport taxes of course. Big penalities apply for changing flights etc. They cover a few costs by charging 6 euros for each item of luggage and manage to get a bit more back by lowering the luggage allowance. From Australia the allowance is 20 kgs/person but if you fly with Ryan Air - one of the main cheap airlines - it is only 15 kgs. And they charge 8 euros for every kilo overweight. This of course means everyone carries a lot more in their hand luggage and wears all their heaviest clothes

We saw them weigh some people’s hand luggage but luckily they didn’t weigh ours. (They would have made a fair bit of money).

The other price saving strategies they use are that the flight a strictly No Frills – that includes no food or drink provided - we saw quite a few passengers bring out their own packed lunch and cans of beer or soft drink. There are no seat allocations so you can sit wherever you like, the seats don't recline and they sell raffles tickets during the flight to win free travel!

All this still seems amazing that they are able to operate an airline with full staff and to safety regulations, where only a small percentage of the seats are sold at full price and the other tickets are sold progressively cheaper and cheaper.

It doesn’t stop with the airfares - some agencies can arrange package tours where the flight may only cost a few euros or pounds and hotels accommodation for a couple of pounds each per night. We have yet to explore this option. I have heard of a buck’s party going to Latvia for the weekend from Britain.

Air travel is a much harder, longer and more expensive option for Australians.

To give you a bit of background - the Alhambra has had a colourful and eventful past which is reflected in its architecture and gardens. It started out as a Moorish fortress in 9th century and converted into a palace in 13th century. Granada was the last Moorish stronghold until the Spanish regained control in the 15th century. The large sections that remain of the Moorish buildings and gardens are what make Alhambra the magical place that it is.

A lot has been written about the Alhambra in Granada and you wonder if such beautiful descriptions could be true – they are. A few words that come to mind are: beautifully proportioned, ornately decorated, intricately moulded, beautiful tiled, delicately carved ceilings, Arabic inscriptions – you get the idea. Even the bathouses have star-studded roofs. Each room, each garden, each view, each angle is picture perfect. The cameras were non-stop from the other 1000 or more visitors today (except mine which ran out of batteries!) It is such a big complex it is hard to take it all in and we were all suffering from ´Gallery Foot´ and over dosed on arches and carved wall patterns by the end of the morning.

One of the most pleasing aspects to the Alhamabra is the use of water – water is an art form. Water is the link between patios and gardens – it can be either seen or heard everywhere creating a soothing, cooling effect although it must be 38 degrees outside. There are pools in every courtyard, aqueducts transporting water beside or below the streets, fountains, ponds, trickling and splashing, even hand rails carrying water.

The Alhambra is really an amazing place where every aspect has been considered and beautifully constructed to reflect the Islamic beliefs of God, the earth and beauty.

We have just arrived in Granada and it is totally different t o Barcelona -climate, language, accommodation, people, city, landscape, bars, style and.

 It is hot (37 degrees yesterday) but a dry heat – much more like Australia.
 In Andalucia where Granada is they only speak Castellano – the official language so it is much easier to understand – in Barcelona they spoke the regional language first – Catalan – which we don’t know much of.
 Granada itself is very traditional style where we have been – terraced houses with geraniums in the flower boxes, narrow, steep winding laneways, whitewashed walls, cobblestones paths and streets, fountains and cool shaded parks. It isn't as busy or big either which is a nice change. They seem to have permanent lighting over the streets like Christmas lighting, featuring some of the traditional Arabic designs.
 The people we have met so far are friendly and helpful
 The landscape is and hot dry. Flying into Granada all you could see were hills covered in rows of olive trees.
 The hostel is an old style family run business directly in front of the Alahambra and views of the mountains. It is roomy, half the price of Barcelona and has a rooftop pool! It is like a mountain retreat.
 The bars themselves are the same but the difference is that with each drink you purchase here, you are given a free tapa of food –all very nice. Menu del dia was they way to eat in Barcelona but it seems to be less common here.
 There is much more of a Turkish or Arabic influence here with a lot of kebab shops, teahouses, Turkish style clothes, slippers, ceramics, cakes, tiles and glassware. There are still a couple of Turkish bath-houses operating too.

As well as this being our last week in Barcelona and all the usual winding up things that have to be done, cleaning, packing and people to say goodbye to, we have had 3 visitors from Australia via Sweden. The Agzarians from Wagga dropped in for 4 days. Our little apartment was stretched to accommodate 7 people, but it all worked out OK and it was fun to have people here to share our life with. The program was busy, but in true Spanish fashion, we found enough time for siestas and late starts in the morning, and late nights.
Barcelona in 4 days
Day 1: Arrive in the evening, go for Spanish tapas at a nearby bar. Max’s language skills were put to the test as Jeff and I were out at our last tango class and dinner. They made instant friends with the waiter and sounds like got very special attention.
Day 2: Flea market to search through the piles of junk, clothes, old photos, jewellery, old books, toys and find the occasional treasure.
Home-cooked fish lunch thanks to Michael, and siesta.
Walk to Las Ramblas to check out the shops and buskers, and visit our favourite Plaza Reial and bar followed by a Flamenco show at Tarantos. This is a very good find – every night, 30 minutes of stamping, clapping and wailing flamenco music. Bocadillo dinner - an easy meal of bread roll and various meat or cheese fillings and sauces from a tiny Frankfurt shop in Plaza Jaume. Metro or bike home.
Day 3: Park Guell – always worth a visit. On the way home Menu del Dia in a Palestinian restaurant in Gracia. Very good, authentic, cheap (8.50 euro) and far more than any of us could eat. In the afternoon more shopping or resting and then the Magic Fountain near Plaza Espanya. It runs every 30 minutes and is a very well choreographed display of lights, and water to classical music. Hundreds of people of course but it is so big you can easily see. Home for an omelette dinner.
Day 4: Check out Barcelona beaches – clear water and warm weather, then an afternoon visit to Sagrada Familia – the one place you have to put on your Barcelona itinerary.
In the evening we attended and opening of an Urban Dance Festival where local and international artists did their stuff. It runs for 4 days. The dances were a mixed lot but free and worth a look. Home at midnight but awake until 3.00am as there was a local fiesta happening in the lane beside our flat and the band and P.A were pumping on full volume until then. (This festival ended up going for the next 3 nights 11.00 to 2 am – only in Spain!)
Day 5: Early flight to Paris.

That is one way to see Barcelona – it was busy and fun, some new things and some things worth doing again for us. Not expensive, lots of walking and bike riding and talking, good food and good company.