Reminiscence #1: Christmas in Barcelona 2018
Having only started this blog last year, I still have a few trips and adventures that I have not written down. The purpose of my blog is so I can look back years later at my adventures and be able to reminiscence. Having a written account of events can help spark memories, so I decided to write a sequence of past trips from the memories I have at present before I forget any more details! As this is me reminiscing two years later, this will not be the most organized post. I am just rambling off of what I can remember. The first story will be a more recent trip my family and I ventured off to Spain...
Late in the year my dad pulled his achilles tendon. We were unsure if the trip would still be possible. We were disheartened. All of us had been so excited for this family trip. Luckily the orthopedic physician gave my dad the okay to travel via plane. He would unfortunately have to bring crutches along, but we decided we would make the best of it!
Dec 18, 2018
To start our adventure off we took three flights to get to Barcelona. Seems overdone, but you always get stuck with the most tedious of flight schedules when you want to save on money. After leaving Halifax, Nova Scotia in the early morning, we then flew to London, Frankfurt, and finally Barcelona at around 1500 on the same day. The layovers were quick (which I despise) so it was not a very pleasant airport experience. My dad having a walking boot with crutches did not ease our journey. Though we were met with airport staff to aid in our navigation to the next terminal and sometimes we were lucky to have a little airport buggy to drive us. We thought to call ahead and alert them to the fact my dad was not the most mobile in his current state. We also had decided on trying only to carry-on. Which turned out to not be the brightest idea when one of our party members was unable to carry their own weight. My mom, brother, and I took turns lugging around the extra baggage. We also learned the hard way that airports have very different policies when it comes to liquids. We had made it through Canada with no issue but when we arrived in London we had to place our liquids in baggies. Which required us to hunt through all of our carry-on’s and dig them all out. Not what we wanted to be doing in a short layover in a very busy London airport. Lesson learned! Yes, definitely not my fondest airport memories. But alas, we did make it to our final destination in one piece, though perhaps a bit more fatigued then we would have liked. Once I saw a glimpse of Spain out the airplane window I did feel a bit more rejuvenated. That same excitement that I had back in the Halifax airport just that morning had returned. Through all the ups and downs the airports threw at us, we had made it!
After taking the airport shuttle to the Barri Gotic, we made our way to our lodgings. My parents had found a place to stay called the Amister Apartments. They were really nice and a great location just outside the Barri Gotic. Off of Carrer de Pelai we spotted the door where we could punch in the code. The inside was a high celined lobby with a twisting staircase that looked like marble. To go up to our apartment there was a tiny old looking elevator that had a perforated metal sliding door. With all our luggage we had to take turns. After settling in and resting for a little while we decided to venture out into the Barcelona streets for the first time. Despite being winter, the air was a nice cool temperature. Much nicer compared to the bone chilling winds we left back at home in Nova Scotia. We walked around the Placa de Catalunya while enjoying the Christmas lights. The big shopping centre: Corte Ingles had its entire front coated in white lights and a line of snowflakes along the bottom. They had a giant water fountain that had flashing lights in a bright red. A very fine end to a very busy day!
Dec 19
Okay, so onto our official day one. I had planned out our week. I had crafted a map and had the locations all marked out and colour coordinated. I even ensured that it was usable without wifi or internet. Did anyone look at it? No, of course not. Anywho it was not a strict recipe for our trip or anything. Just a guide to give us ideas of what to do. Already on day one we were ad libbing. We did do some of what I had mapped out but we also passed some of the sites planned for other days while walking around. As a result I do not exactly remember everything we did on this day. I find myself looking at my past photos dated for this day and trying to remember where exactly in Barcelona we were! From what I can recall, we started early morning walking casually through the Barri Gotic. Our first goal was to find someplace to eat for breakfast. The Barri Gotic was amazing to walk through. Every road and every alleyway looked picturesque. And in the early hours of the morning there were not many people out yet. The pathways were all cobblestone and the buildings were gothic architecture riddled with unique textures and groves. I had never seen anything like it before in Canada. A lot of the stores were closed but we could see the metal pull doors painted with many designs. One that sticks out in my mind was one painted like a cat's eye. The contrast between modern paintings and gothic architecture was quite striking, in a good way! Down one of the many alleyways we spotted a little cafe like place. I remember ordering a hot chocolate and when it arrived it appeared to be literally melted chocolate. Not exactly what I was expecting but it was good nonetheless. More of a treat than breakfast drink.
Our first notable stop was in the Placa Reial. The Placa Reial is a courtyard just off Las Ramblas (the popular tourist street with shops). The courtyard had a water fountain in the middle with women carved into the stone. Along the outside were palm trees (or at least that's what they looked like to me).
We then found our way to the Palau de la Generalitat, a medieval looking government building. In the center of another courtyard type of area there was a circle of artistic looking chairs. One had donkey-like ears, and another had angel wings. I can not recall the others. I believe they were there for the holidays but the reason is lost to me now. In the corner they had a giant christmas tree with ornaments and lights about half the size of the buildings surrounding it.
Just a few minutes from there we ventured into the Temple d’August which are remains of Roman columns from over 2000 years ago. As a huge Greek/ Roman mythology nerd, I was especially enraptured by this site. The remains themselves were located inside a more modern building (I suspect to protect them from the weather). All that remained was four columns but it was still fascinating to see something that old!
At the Catedral de Barcelona we were enamoured by the beauty of the architecture. Outside the cathedral there was a large Caga tio (Christmas log with a cartoon face and blanket over the body) that had a lineup of children waiting their turn to hit it with a stick and sing the accompanied song. It was like they were waiting for Santa Claus. Before our trip we had looked up catalonian christmas traditions and found that the Caga tio was one of them. Families would often have their own smaller versions of the caga tio and hide treats under the blanket for the children while they sang the song. For the giant Caga tio outside of the cathedral, the children were gifted with candy canes after smacking the log with the stick.
Dec 20
Today was a day we were all very much anticipating. Our tour of Camp Nou! We had booked one of the more extensive tours that included going down to the field itself (not on the grass though!). On the tour itself we were accompanied by about six or eight others. We got to see the press room where they would welcome new Barca players and even got our photos taken with a jersey as if we were joining the team.
The contrast between the away teams locker room and Barca’s room was quite comical. The away team locker room looked like you would expect; gray walls, rectangular, benches running along the walls with plain white lockers. The Barca locker however was painted in the colours of FCB; blues, reds, and golds. Every locker had a players name on it and we could even spot some of the players shoes and other belongings left out in the open. We were instructed not to take any photos in the Barca locker rooms as it is seen as a private area for the players. They had their own exercise room with turf, and other equipment and a bath area that included a hot tub. A big step up from the away team.
Making our way onto the field itself we walked through the tunnel that the players would on game day. Walking up the steps was such an amazing experience that not everyone gets to do. The anticipation of walking up the field was exhilarating and there was not even a game going on!
Now at the field itself we were allowed to sit in the players chairs but were told not to go on the grass. Stil, being at ground level was incredible.
At the end of the tour we were gifted with a FCB backpack which we thought was really cool, as we were not expecting anything. The tour ended in the museum area where we could browse all the past trophies and awards that the team had won and other relics such as balls signed by players, old jerseys, and Messi’s golden boots.
Later that day we had booked a time to visit Park Guell, the one of many infamous Anotoni Gaudi architectural locations. Gaudi is an Catalan architect famous for many popular tourist attractions across Barcelona.
Despite booking a time, the park itself was still extremely busy. Tourists everywhere, us included. Just getting to the park involved walking up a fairly steep hill. With my dad on crutches he was a bit tired out. Luckily the staff had wheelchairs we could use. Park Guell was a joy to walk through. The architecture was colourful and unique. Every turn in the park brought us something new. Not one area of the park looked the same. It almost had an Alice walking through Wonderland sort of aura. I really enjoyed the blue and green and white mosaic tiled gecko type creature they had leading up the stairs to the pillars that reminded me of Greek and Roman parthenon. Speaking of those pillars, that is where my brother zoomed through and around them with my dad in the wheelchair like he was in real life mario kart (my brothers reference not mine!). Though with the uniqueness of the park there were some small pathways or some with stairs that were impassable with a wheelchair. The incline and declines also did not make it any easier. We rotated who drove my dad around the park. So, would I say Park Guell is wheelchair friendly… yes and no. You definitely get a better experience if you are mobile, but like in all things on this trip, we made the best of it and had a great time.
Speaking of the “rich people street” or I mean: la Passeig de Gracia. It was lined with very expensive stores. One of which was Tiffany’s. My mom had received some Christmas money before we left and was told to get herself something nice as she normally does not. So I went in with her to Tiffany’s to see if we could find something within our price range. Well, that in itself was an experience. The doors were opened to us by security and when got inside nothing had price tags. I guess when Tiffany’s is normal for you, you do not even need to look at the price tag. We looked at a few nice necklaces and earrings with diamonds… yeah not our price range. When we told them the range they led us downstairs to another room with some more “affordable” selections (yeah, not that much more affordable). My mom did leave with a gift for herself! A nice pair of silver infinity earrings and the blue box of course.
Later that night my mom and I went out again at night to try and find the Picasso museum. It was to be free admission that night. Unfortunately we were not aware there was a cap, and thus did not show up in time to gain admittance. We did enjoy the walk through the Barri Gotic again as the road to the Picasso museum led us down some new streets. We even found a Disney store which I thought was neat (I’m a big Disney fan). Seeing the christmas lights lit up at night always makes nighttime walks worth it!
Dec 21
Once again I woke up to the question of “what are we doing today?”. “It’s in the itinerary I sent you” I would continue to reply.
We started with a walk along the beach on the Barceloneta. The water was colder than I expected for the mediterranean but obviously much warmer than the Atlantic ocean I am used to back home. As we walked we noticed something sparkly and green, it was sea glass! I had never seen sea glass before despite there supposedly being some back home. We spent probably the next 30 to 40 minutes searching for sea glass and pocketing it. We had planned on making a picture out of the glass or trying to make a frame for a photo… After two years we have yet to put this idea into motion.
Near the end of the Barceloneta we took the gondola up to Montjuic. This I have to say was not my mom’s favourite part of the trip. She really hates heights and had her head towards the center of the gondola the entire trip up. She was a trooper for going along with it. I do wish the heights did not bother her so much as the view from above was lovely. We could see the top of all the buildings in the city.
Though, the gondola did not take us all the way to the top. From where we got off we needed to take a bus the rest of the way. At this time my mom was beginning to get quite hungry. I looked at google maps and it looked as if there was a cafe at the castle Montjuic. So for the moment my mom was satisfied. Our bus arrived and we were on our way to the top… or at least we thought so. After we passed the Olympic stadium we started to get a bit confused, then the bus stopped at the bottom. We got off and my dad asked if the bus went to Montjuic. The driver told us it did as that is where it had just come from. We had gotten on the wrong bus. The driver did allow us to get back on and we were finally on our way to our desired destination.
When we found the cafe listed on the map to our dismay it turned out to be only a vending machine and none of us had any cash to use in it. This did not make my mom very happy, in fact she was now quite hangry. So while the rest of my family sat in the courtyard in the middle of Montjuic castle, I went upstairs to explore. I knew something like this was bound to happen and had told my parents before we left that they should bring protein bars from home in the chance someone got hungry and there was no place to eat, but did anyone listen to me? No. Anyways, I had a fun time exploring the old military base. It reminded me of our own old military base at home: Citadel hill. Of course this one is much older. The view from up top overlooking Barcelona was also quite stunning.
We then headed back to the apartment after passing the Olympic stadium for the third time that day. I had wanted to go to see it up close but everyone else was “hangry” so we had to get some food. Yep, fun times travelling with the family. Well, at least it left us with some amusing memories, from getting on the wrong bus to, our high hopes finding a cafe and ending up as a vending machine.
After resting up we did go back out at night time to enjoy the christmas lights again and to revisit some of the vendors in the Placa de Catalunya. While walking by the banco de Espana I noted that it reminded me a lot of Gringotts from the Harry Potter films.
We also revisited the Christmas market outside the Cathedral. It was kind of amusing that despite there being a fair number of Christmas markets they all sold the same things; Caga tios, nativity scenes, add ons to nativity scenes, caganers (which is literally a little figure of a man squatting with his pants down taking a dump...and with a little poop on the figure) which are also for nativity scenes, and we did find a vendor selling leather. My parents bought a classic caganer as it seemed to be a classic Catalonian Christmas tradition. I myself also bought a caganer, but not the classic version in the red hat, white shirt, black pants. Some of the vendors sold pop culture caganers or celebrities. There were cartoon characters, movie/ television characters, royalty such as the Queen of England, and even Barack Obama. Me, being the huge Tolkien fan I am, bought myself a lovely Gollum one. Oh, and my dad also got himself a Darth Vader one. Caganers make for such wonderful souvenir/ Christmas presents for friends and family back home. My brother did not join the caganer club, instead he got himself a new leather belt (not as exciting as the pooping nativity figure).
Dec 22
A big day was planned for today. La Sagrada Familia and our FC Barcelona game.
La Sagrada Familia was absolutely sublime. There truly are no words for it. You simply need to see it for yourself. I feel like you could look at it every day and notice something new. The amount of detail that has been put into this church is astounding and they are still building it today! There is not one area that is bare and no detail is repeated. The inside is just as amazing. The windows are stained glass in all colours of the rainbow so when the sun shines through, the sides of the church glow like a rainbow. My words honestly do it no justice and the pictures to not capture its beauty. Just go see it… when travel is safe again.
The funny story for the Sagrada familia is the fact that again the staff seeing my dad with a walking boot and crutches were kind enough to offer us a wheelchair and show us the elevator, but the moment they said wheelchair my mom replied with “no, we are good”. Ah, fond memories. A wheelchair would most likely have been a lot better here than at the Park but I think Park Guell tainted our opinions of them. It was just amusing that my mom did not even let my dad answer!
Outside of the Sagrada we noticed another Christmas market. My dad and brother stayed behind as my mom and I ventured through the vendors. To our luck we had spotted a Caga Tio with no bark on it. We had been looking in vain for one without bark so we could bring it back to Canada with us. We were enthused and bought it immediately.
Now for game time. We arrived early to Camp Nou, so as to not miss any part of the game day experience. Which turned out to be a very good idea. We noticed other people standing near a road that led underground. It was where the players drove in! We got to see Messi driving with Suarez and Jordi Alba and a few others we did not see enough to recognize. Already game night was off to a great start.
Inside the stadium they had a photo spot that advertised “Messi, not from this planet”.
FCB played Celta Vigo. The end score was 2-1 for Barcelona. The atmosphere in the stadium was unreal. The chanting was just so cool to hear in person and when Messi scored the entire stadium went absolutely nuts. Truly an incredible experience and I feel so lucky that we were able to see Messi score.
The journey back was not so fun. The subway was jam packed and took about three or four trains before we could even board and we were jammed in like sardines. My dad was lucky enough to be granted a seat. A kind lady noticed he had crutches and was quick to offer the seat. The rest of us spent the 20 minutes or so up close and personal with a bunch of strangers.
Dec 23
For the next part of our trip, we ventured outside of the city. Before we had left when I was exploring some neat things to do close by, I noticed a Game of Thrones tour in a nearby Catalonian city called Girona. The tour through a company was a bit expensive for four people so I did some researching and crafted my own tour through google maps. I had the filming locations I could find labelled on the map with the corresponding scene. Yes, this took a lot of time and effort! I went to street view a couple times trying to find the precise location. In the end it paid off!
To get to Girona we took the high speed train, which was glorious. Even my mom loved it. I wish we had trains like that in Canada. I would love to travel across the country like that even if it takes longer than a plane.
Once in Girona we started a bit rocky. I accidentally led us in the wrong direction for about 10 minutes. Whoops! Not a big deal normally, but my dad was not too thrilled. After all the walking we had been doing thus far his shoulders were getting sore and hands were starting to blister, so unnecessary walking was not welcomed.
To our benefit Girona was much smaller than it appeared on google maps. The filming locations turned out to be quite close to each other so once we reached the main city we did not need to walk too far.
The first location we found was near Cafe le Bistro. Up the stairs there is a light blue door. Arya jumps from the right side and falls down the stairs while running from the waif.
At the Carrer de Sant Llorenc is a tiny alleyway where Arya is also filmed running from the waif.
Probably the most famous shooting location in Girona belongs to the Cathedral of Girona where the infamous walk of shame begins. Turn the photos sepia and they do almost look exactly like in the show.
Behind the Cathedral on a street called Bisbe Josep Cartana is a smaller staircase where Arya was filmed while bagging for coins in Braavos. I of course got a photo of myself in a similar pose. From around that area looking up at the cathedral you can also spot the stone witch jutting out from the building.
Placa dels Jurats is where one of the episodes portrayed an outdoor theatre scene. Then just south of there we came across the Banys Arabs which is again where another Braavos chase scene was filmed with Arya. If you have not noticed, they filmed a lot of Braavos here. The baths did have a little fee to it for admission.
The last part of our little self driven Game of Thrones tour was to the ice cream shop: Rocambolesc. Inside the shop in Girona they have the original shield and swords of house Lannister. I had read that they sold popsicles of Sir Jamie Lannisters “Golden Hand'' so I knew even before arriving I had to try it! While walking back to the train station the golden covering coated my mouth in gold. It looked like I was wearing lipstick for the whole walk back which gave us all a little laugh. My dad had bought a Darth Vader popsicle as well.
Another funny memory we have of Girona is that when we stopped at a cafe for breakfast my dad had ordered a sandwich thinking it was chicken but in actuality it was tuna! He ended up giving it to my brother. Both he and I had tried to learn some Spanish before arriving though I was also trying to study for my NCLEX and could not give it my full effort. I think my dad should have at least known the word for chicken in Spanish. To our benefit now it is another addition to our collection of funny memories.
Girona also had a market set up (these seem to be very popular). At one stall, we came across bracelets and my mom bought my brother and I one. After talking to the shop lady for a while she told us she had a good feeling about us and explained that every year they pick one person/family that they felt a connection to, to receive a handmade chain of elephants as a gift. We thanked the woman very kindly and still have the elephants hanging up at my parents house.
Girona, while we went for Game of Thrones, I really enjoyed the medieval city for the beauty it had itself. It was such a neat little city. Some of the alleyways were so small and narrow and then a car would drive down that I didn’t even know was a road. From high above the city walls we could see the mountains of Andorra which gave the view a very Middle Earth like feel. In the city they also have a lioness hugging a pole known as: La Lleona. They say if you kiss its butt you will one day return to Girona… I would not mind returning to this beautiful medieval city. All in all, I really loved this side adventure. It was a lot less crowded than Barcelona, but the sites were equal in amazement (in my opinion).
The ironic part of this day was later when we were back in Barcelona my mom and I went back out to walk along Las Ramblas. We came across a mall that I can not for the life of me remember the name or location. Inside however had pop culture shops such as; Harry Potter and Game of Thrones. There was even a replica of Harry’s under the staircase bed and a replica of the Iron Throne. How I left those shops without an armful of purchases, I to this day have no idea. I guess it helps that I had not begun to work yet!
Dec 24
Christmas Eve we planned another trip outside the city. This time to a monastery up in the mountains known as: Montserrat. This day turned out to be a personal favourite for all of us. After taking a cable train up the mountain, we were rewarded with an absolutely stunning view. It felt like being on top of the world. We were above the clouds. Down below had been cold and cloudy. Then once we reached the top it was sunny and warm. We could see other mountain tops in all directions. Looking back at the photos it kind of looks like an air temple from Avatar: the Last Airbender, though I do not recall thinking that while there. I was probably just too in awe to even come up with a nerdy reference. It was just such a peaceful spot and every view was majestic in nature. Up along the cliffs we saw some people rock climbing. I didn't even know you could do that there but it would have been a lot of fun!
There were also a few hiking/walking trails. My mom, brother, and I hiked up about 30 minutes to some more view points before they returned to my dad (we felt bad leaving him by himself). I ventured up even further for about another 30 minutes before I headed back down myself. In different circumstances we may have hiked the whole loop or at least a bit farther but alas I saw some amazing views with the parts I did hike. To rush my return to the rest of my family I jogged down the hill and for the first time this trip I felt so warm I had to take my sweater off. I had told my parents that a Barcelona winter would feel like spring to us and that I could go around with just a t-shirt. I was quickly proved wrong once arriving and was glad I did have a couple of sweaters. I got to wear a t-shirt once at least! I have to admit going around in a t-shirt in the streets of Barcelona in winter would not be the brightest idea. It just screams tourist. In the long run it was not such a bad thing I underestimated my Canadian acclimatization to the cold.
Dec 25
We did not do too much on Christmas day. A lot was closed and it was our last full day in Barcelona. We just took it easy and walked around a few new places. We visited the Arc de Triomf. I was not aware Barcelona had one of these. I thought it was a France thing, but it was neat regardless. Then just a short walk from there we visited the Parc de la Ciutadella. I really enjoyed this park as a lot of the sculptures looked Roman inspired. I do believe I read somewhere that there is a sculpture of Venus somewhere in the park (I could be wrong). And one man appears to be holding a trident, so I presume; Neptune? Nevertheless, it was a beautiful day for a walk and the park was beautiful.
Later that evening we had booked a Christmas dinner at Flaherty's; an Irish pub. So yes, us Canadians had Christmas dinner in Barcelona in an Irish pub. While I did enjoy it I did miss the homemade turkey dinners that my grandparent would cook. They were also extremely busy (not unexpected) so we were jam packed in the seats. My dad thought the gravy tasted like KFC which was a bit amusing. Overall the meal was tasty though quite different from normal years.
The trip had its ups and downs but usually that's the way it goes with all travel, and in the end the ups always outweigh the downs. Christamas 2018 will always be one that we remember as we made a lot of great memories in Barcelona, Girona, and Montserrat. I remember when we left we had planned to be adventurous with our eating but in the end we ate at a lot of North American restaurants such as; McDonalds, Burger King, Subway, and even a American pub style restaurant. In our defense food was quite expensive here. Even more amusing was the fact that just outside our apartment there was a Tim Hortons! We did stop there a few times though the menu was a bit different from back home. We did also eat at an Italian restaurant a few times and they had amazing pasta. One time while eating inside we even found a “hidden Mickey”. A Mickey Mouse balloon had floated to the top of the restaurant. Regardless, I can not speak for my parents, but food is not the most important aspect of travel for me. So the fact we ate at a lot of American fast food places did not ruin the overall experience for me.
While I would love to one day return to Barcelona and Girona, I do not think I would ever plan a trip with those cities as the main focus. Perhaps if I ever return to Spain I will do a quick day or two stop by. I know my mom and I would one day love to do the famous Camino de Santiago. Well, only time will tell.
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