Spain with Soph

Budget flights with airlines such as Ryan Air might seem like a good option for cheap backpackers like ourselves... that is until you discover the real reason why they are so much less expensive than other carriers. For example: our flight to "Barcelona" was in reality a flight to Girona... which is 110km away from where we actually wanted to be!



Tim practicing for his wedding photos


No Molestar?????? - "Do not disturb" sign


A highlight of Barcelona was a tour of the citys weird and wonderful Gaudi architecture. He was commissioned to develop Park Guell which was to be a small community of a very different kind. The park featured a number of creative constructions but unfortunatley was unfinished due to the financer dying shortly after the project commenced. One of the most memorable moments of our park visit was our trip to the fully automated toilet - you had to be there I guess!



Gaudi creation in Park Guell, Barcelona


Outdoor mosaiced markets for summer


Indoor mosaiced markets for winter


Park Guell, Barcelona


Soph & Tim in "wave" walkway in Park Guell





La Rambla, leading down to the port held all sorts of bizarre sights. Most strange was the incredible number of human statues lined up busking along the length of the street. At the end of the street was the "Colon" monument which we climbed for a view of the city (or in Tim's words, performed a "Colon-oscopy"). There are references to "Colons" all over Spain as this is the Spanish equivalent for what we know as "Colombus" (Christopher). However, Tim did not realise this until the end of the trip so instead thought that the Spanish had an unhealthy obsession with their bowels.


"Colon" monument on La Rambla




Spanish people are very proud of their historical role in the discovery of the Americas... but we soon became aware that their enthusiasm is not limited to Colombus alone. You could easily be led to believe that Spain has the most magnificent, beautiful, incredible natural sights and monuments in the entire world. They sing the praises of some things that are truly quite dull and manage to present even the most uninspiring sights as being breathtaking. We resorted to playing a game of 'spotto' with gross generalisations and exaggerations that were present in one of the audiotours that we took (such as 'everyones pulse will quicken upon witnessing this...' The entertainment this provided was much more interesting than the actual tour itself.

Accomodation was incredibly difficult to find in Barcelona partially due to an international electronic music festival and a national holiday for Corpus Christi celebrations. To avoid paying for a ridiculously expensive hotel room we caught an overnight bus to Valencia so as to have somewhere to sleep. Our room in Valencia was unique to say the least. Inside the four bed room there was a bidet out in the open (but no toilet??) and a shower without anything to provide privacy!




The tour of Valencia featured the catholic cathedral which was overrun with visitors waiting excitedly for the Corpus Christi parade scheduled for that evening. Strangely, one of the most sought after attractions inside the church was the withered arm of a saint. When we questioned the means by which the arm had been obtained, we were told it was simply a miracle! Rivalling the petrified arm was a room dedicated to the display of a cup claimed to be the holy grail. I guess they haven't read Dan Browns book yet!



Ou com balla (Dancing egg fountains) - traditionally displayed for the Corpus Christi celebrations


Giant people used in traditional Corpus Christi parades

From Valencia we flew to Seville, which we discovered is the port from which Christopher Colombus embarked on his journey of discovery as well as where the first circumnavigation of the world commenced and finished (with only 18 of the original 200+ sailors). Seville was also the site of a revelation for Renee, discovering that bull fights actually result in the bull being tortured and dying!! She was no longer so keen to watch a matador in action. We found it hard to believe that so many people still go along to see an animal be killed.


How did those cows get into the bullfight ring??


The tourist bureau was helpful... as long as you only wanted to look at monuments. To keep them happy we dutifully wandered around the town admiring the buildings of significance. The most prominent was the catholic cathedral which had originally been built as a mosque during the muslim period. To one side of the cathedral was a high tower which was climbed on horse back five times everyday for the call to prayer to be made from the very top. The townsfolk who lived close to the tower resented the invasion of their privacy that inevitably came from someone being at such a vantage point. So as to avoid people peering into the neighbours homes, the job of climbing the tower was only given to persons who were blind!

From Seville we flew back to London. It seems impossible that we left Seville at 6.30 and arrived at my sisters house in London 10 hours later (3.30am) despite it being only a 2 hour flight... yet again the price you pay for travelling with budget airline companies!!!