Day 16 Back to Madrid

This morning we had our final train trip for this adventure. I can't believe how fast it all has come to the end.

We left Algeciras early in the morning, this time have a direct train back to Madrid.  It is clear that we are becoming tired and just about ready to be home again in Latvia.

During this train trip I finished the book "House Rules"  by Jodie Picoult.  Even though its the summer I sill find my self reading books based on children.  This one was about a child who has asbergers who had connections to a murder that had happened in the story.  In the end a really great book, a simple read but good.  I tend to like simple books for the summer because of all the intense reading that I do over the school year.

Upon arriving in Madrid we had figured out about where our hostel was and started to head in that direction.  Based on the address that we were sent in the confirmation e mail we had found on the map the area and which metro stop to get out at.  Well after wandering around the area, we realized that it was not the right address and decided to head to a Mc Donald's to get something to eat and to use their internet.  After re-energizing ourselves and seeing that their address is different on their website, we once again headed out to find where the hostel really is located.  I am not even going to tell you how this place is called because its not worth the stay.  The people there aren't the most friendliest, plus their english was non existent.  But the location was good and the room was fine for the one night we were going to stay in Madrid.

After getting settled we decided to head out to do a little shopping.  Spain has this really cool colorful clothing line called "Desigual".  Not sure if I have told you about them but the clothes are amazing, expensive, but fun.  They were having these pretty amazing sales so it was hard to hold back and not get something.  After that we continued to look for our small tourist items that we collect.

Way back at the beginning of the trip we had found a bar that we liked, so we decided to return there for dinner, because they also had the beloved paella that we wanted to have.  After being stuffed to the gills we decided to walk off all the food for just a bit more.  We wandered through one area that was clearly the area you might go to pick up a hooker.  Quickly leaving that area we found a nice pedestrian zone to walk along.  We found a few places to return to tomorrow.

Tomorrow is our final day here in Madrid and in Spain.  How time really does fly when your having fun.

Day 15: Algeciras y Gibraltar

Today we planned to go to Gibraltar.  I honestly didn't know much about it other than that there were monkeys and it was a really big rock.  We first had to take a public bus to La Linea from where we could walk into Gibraltar.  The 30 minute bus ride was nice because we got to see the local area.  Still not much there which makes me think what do people do here?  There are a lot of apartment buildings but it's can't be that they are all shop owner or having something to with tourism. Then I remembered this is a port area so many of them must work there, either loading or unloading or anything else related to port work. We had to go through past port control to get into Gibraltar.  It was neat being able to walk into a country.  Once we got into Gibraltar we stopped to check out a map of where to go first and try to decided what we would do.  There we met a man who offered us a tour of pretty much everything for a good price.  Seeing all the great distances between the different points of interest, I knew that we would not be able to get to them all on foot.  So we signed up for the tour which worked out nice because it was the three of us and a family of 4 and that was it. He was great he drove us around in a 8 passenger van and gave us some fun facts about the country.  Our first stop was a look out point at the Pillars of Hercules.  It was a clear day so we could seed all the way across to Africa.  Next he led us farther up to caves where there were stalactites and stalagmites.  This was really cool to see because I had never been in a cave like this, also this cave had an area for concerts which I thought was really cool and would be a fun place to see a play or listen to a concert of some sort.  Out side of the caves there were monkeys just wandering around and trying to get you to feed them.  Wile Kaija and I were taking pictures of this one monkey he decided to crawl up the fence and then he jumped onto her shoulders.  He just hung out on her should as if it was something he did every day.  He also did the standard monkey move of picking through her hair.  After capturing a few good pictures we coaxed him to get off. Our next stop was on top of the rock were there were even more monkeys.  Here our guide coaxed a monkey into getting onto our shoulders for nice a nice photo opportunity.  After hanging out with the monkeys for a bit we were ready for our next stop which were the army caves.  In these caves is where the military. Was stationed and from where they shot their canons.  This was also pretty neat to see how it was organized and how well it had preserved itself. From there we returned back to the town to the main pedestrian street and the tour was over.  I thought it was a great tour, the guide was funny and interesting and gave us enough time to see everything.  We continued to explore the city on our own.  We found some lunch and then just warned along the pedestrian street to find our touristy souvenirs.  As we were getting tired the city too was closing down for the mid day siesta.  So at this point we decided to head back to outside of the port to our hostel to relax. In the evening we went out to wander around just to see a little more about Algeciras.  We found some place to eat dinner, found some breakfast and eventually made our way once again back to the hostel to play cards and drink some wine.  A cute small town.  But for all the people who do go there to get to Morocco or Gibraltar they don't seem to do well with tourists.  Aside from our hostel owner, he was quite nice.  Tomorrow we return to Madrid for our final days in Spain.  

Day 14: Algeciras

Another early start to the day.  Today we are heading a little north only to go back down south to Algeciras.  We leave the hostel just before 7 to get to the train station.  Unsure of how long it will take to get there and what time the bus would come, it was better to head out earlier than later.  We arrived at the train station with lots of time to spare which is fine.  It's about 2 hours till our first transfer point, Cordoba.  At that point we transferred trains to get on a 3 hour train ride to Algeciras. On travel days we end up not doing a lot because the trip to begin with is long usually.  Upon arriving in Algeciras we make around the small town to find our hostel.  They have sent us directions but the English isn't that great and some of the directions are a bit hard to read but we made it there with out getting too lost.  Thankfully the town has posted maps in strategic places which were very helpful.  None of the apps that I have about Spain say much about this town.  We are just using it as a place to stay so that we can see Gibraltar.  So with that in mind the town is cute but very empty. After we dropped of our things we decided to go out and wander around a bit. Forgetting that it was mid afternoon, we quickly noticed that mostly everything was closed, so we spotted where the food store was and were potential restaurants for dinner are and headed back to the hostel to relax. After catching up on much needed zzz's. We once again head out to the food store first to get some snacks and some drinks.  Then we wandered around until we found a tapas place that the hostel recommended.  We weren't very hungry so we first had something to drink.  A nice refreshing drink called "tinto verano". It's pretty much. Spritzer with wine.  Very low alcohol content but very tasty.  Later on we flagged down the waitress and tried to order something to eat.  We chose off of their chalk board menus what we thought we might like and in the end did. We finished off the evening by once again hanging out on the roof top terrace drinking wine and snacking on a few things.  Tomorrow we are head to Gibraltar.

Day 13: Sevilla

Today is our final day in Sevilla.  I had read about a palace that was apparently according to the app I have a "must see".  So convincing Kaija and Pecis we all made that our point of interest for this mornings walk. The Real Alcazar was once also a fortress also.  Here you could see beautifully tiled ceilings and walls along with very pretty gardens.  We spent once again quite a while just wandering from room to room.  Some parts of this palace are still used when Spanish royals come to visit. Next it was time to buckle down and find the few touristy things that we wanted to purchase.  For as long as I can remember I have always collected these little spoons.  They end up being nice souvenirs and last Christmas my father gifted me a case so that I could display all of them.  Since moving to Latvia and through all the trips I have been on since then, I have also begun to collect magnets.  These I bring with me and make a great decoration and reminder of all the places I have been.  I have. Scratch off world map that shows me just how little of the world I have been but these magnets make me feel as if I have actually seen quite a bit.  Magnets are easy to find, they are pretty standard for every tourist shop.  While the spoons you can also find in most tourist shops, finding a nice and not so tacky one some times proves to be difficult.  After all I don't just want a spoon, I want a spoon that is pretty and I want to look back on.  With a magnet found I decided to leave finding a spoon for later as we wander around in the evening. We decided to return to our found restaurant and see if we could at least have lunch there.  To our luck that is just how it worked out.  On Thierry menu we had read that for a nice price of 5.95euro you could get a basket of bread, something to drink, a first course and then a second course.  The first course was great, a nice and small burrito with. Few fries.  Hoping the the second course would be of similar size we were excited about our restaurant choice.  though before finishing off our small burritos the second course was upon us and it as a full one!  I had ordered a chicken burger and it was HUGE.  It for sure turned out to be a great price for all the food that we got. And because it was so cheap I didn't feel too bad about not finishing the entire burger. Stuffed to the gills we headed back to our room to rest and relax again.  Sevilla doesn't have that much to see and we had felt that we had seen pretty much all that there was to see.  Until we started to write post cards and realized that we all had a post card of a place that we had not seen.  With time on our side we still had the evening to find this place and according to the map it wasn't that far away.  As we walked in the direction of Our destination we found ourselves among a rally.  One that we could only tell had to do with the economic crisis and the lowering of wages.  We observed for a little and then decided to just continue on our way (by now I had also found my spoon).  We our way into the Parque de Maria Luisa to the Plaza de Espana. This semi circle buidling was built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929.  Now it is a place you can wander around for free.  We wandered around here for a bit and then decided since we were still quite full from lunch that we would just pick up a few snacks from the food store and sit once again on the roof enjoying the slightly cooler air and each others company.  Tomorrow we are off to Algeciras to see the Rock of Gibraltar and to continue seeing more of the southern parts of Spain.

Day 12: Sevilla

After a good nights sleep and some breakfast we were ready for a day of exploring.  Pecis wasn't feeling too well so we left him in the room to sleep and Kaija and I headed out to check out the city. We wandered around the small twisting streets looking at what the city had to offer.  We didn't have a destination in mind which made wandering easy.  It's fun to walk around a city just as everything is opening up and stores are starting their days. We wandered into a few stores to look at clothes knowing that Pecis would have no interest in them.  Around noon we headed back to check on him and realized that he was also ready to come and explore the city.  Armed with cough drops and a big bottle of water we began to wander around and made our way to the biggest cathedral in Sevilla.  Since Christopher Columbus can be found there we decided to go in and check it out. A truly huge cathedral.  We spent quite some time just wandering around and eventually climbed up into the tower that if I remember correctly is the highest point in Sevilla.  The tower gave us great views over the entire city and beyond. The day was getting quite hot (40 degrees celsius) so we decided to grab some sandwiches and head back to our room to rest and relax out of the heat.  Many stores are closer form 3 till 6 so this fact also gave us reason to hang out in the room. During the day we had spotted what looked like a good place for dinner, with good prices and something that we all could eat, so we headed back to it.  We first decided to go to the food store to get a few snacks for the room and a bottle of wine.  We dropped it off in the room and then proceeded to find the restaurant we had spotted earlier.  Sadly we found it very dark and only to find that in not understanding the sign that it was probably not going to be open in the evening.  We continued to wander in hope of finding a different place that would suit all of our dining needs (cheap and sangria).  This didn't take long because we found an area that was filled with different restaurants all with good prices and sangria.  Maybe tomorrow we will luck out in being able to eat at the other restaurant.

Day 11: leaving Barcelona

Today we are continuing our journey through Spain.  With only a few hours left in Barcelona we decided to first drop off our bags at the station from where we would be leaving.  We then headed back into the center to wander around.  Our first stop was the Arc del Triomf.  Unlike the one that is found in Paris this one was built for the entrance to a Universal Exhibition in 1888.  On the far end there is a nice park that we also decided to wander through.  All around us flew birds that were both green and blue in color and it made you feel as if you were in a tropical location.  After strolling through the park, we went to find some lunch and to also wander through H&M and Desigual, which is a local brand that has clothing that is filled with color and very eccentric.  I love their clothes but they are quite expensive so I always wait for good sales.  Back in New Jersey we have an outlet store that has good prices. With our departure time quickly approaching we decided to end our wandering and to just head to the train station.  We were off to Sevilla and it was a long train trip.  A great chance to catch up on some reading, thinking, and sleeping. We arrived in Sevilla just after 9 and ma our way to our hostel.  A very cute looking place that was open in the middle with rooms all around.  After getting checked in and unloading our bags we went out to find something to eat.  It was a very quiet city with very little open at this time.  I hope that tomorrow will bring a more lively city. Kaija and I finished the night by sitting on the terrace on the roof. In the distance the very quiet hum of the city could be heard and even a band playing somewhere far off.  

Day 10: Barcelona

Day 2 of being in Barcelona we were a bit better about getting up with our alarm clocks.  This time my clock was set to the right time zone and I seem to usually be the one who starts the day first.  After another egg breakfast we headed out the door in search of the Gaudi architecture that can be found along the main road.  I had been in side one of them on the previous trip and this time we decided to not go in because of the high. Entrance fee.  In my opinion it's worth going inside at least one of them but since I had already done that I followed what my travel companions wanted to do. Our next stop what the Parc Guell.  Here you can find a lot of Gaudi statues.  It's named after Guell because he helped pay for Gaudi's work.  In this work you can find the house where Gaudi himself lived for 20 years along with statues and benches designed by him.. His house is now the Gaudi museum.  We were more interested in getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city than seeing the museum so we climbed the hill to get a view of the city.  The park is usually crawling with people and take takes away from the park but is still a great place to visit, well worth going the distance to hang out there for a while. After the park we made our way back to our room for a mid day siesta and lunch. With so much sun exposure and walking, these siestas continue to be a great day to keep spirits high. After our siesta we went out to once again wander around the old town piping into cute little shops filled with artistic little things along with the standard tourist things also.  Yesterday we had spotted some skirts in a market style booth but she had limited supplies there so today we decided to find her store and there we made it big.  She was having a deal:  one skirt for 30euro or two for 45 euro.  We looked at each other and found the skirts we wanted.  An amazing buy.  I like supporting independent people like that because you know that no one else you know will have something like that.  Well now Kaija and I have them. Yesterday when we visited a church they were having mass so we decided to come back at another time.  We had headed out with this spot in mind so we once again went into the Santa Maria del Pi.  I tend to like to sit down to get the feel of a church. Sometimes I like to walk around and e the church but most often I like to just sit and take it all in.  It's nice when the other visitors are milling around quietly but this crowed was the opposite but yesterday we had the chance to sit and hear what a mass would be like in a huge church as this one.  There is also a courtyard area that has these pretty white ducks wandering around or swimming in a gated area. Eventually we made our way down to the beach, because how can you visit Barcelona without going to the beach?!  It felt night to walk in the decently warm waters of the Mediterranean and to once again get away from the city even if only for a bit.  Once again our stomachs began to ask for food so we made our way to a few places that were ranked as budget restaurants.  Right up our ally.  Since we had already had tapas and paella it didn't really matter to us what we ate so we settled for some good pizza and beer/sangria ( no not mixed together, Kaija and Pecis had beer while I stuck to having sangria).  Since we ate early, well earlier than other nights we visited the food store to pick up a few snacks for the evening.  We finished off the day with a bottle of wine and a few games of gin rummy.  Tomorrow afternoon we leave Barcelona to go to Sevilla.