2011-10-07 » Spain!

Spain Flag

I just recently got back from Spain. It’s hard to summarize our whole epic 6-day trip in a blog post, but it was also exciting enough that I want to write something about it. I’m sure I’ve already forgotten places (just going from memory and Google searches, not bothering to look elsewhere) we went and I’m not going to spend too much time describing everything. I might update this post from time to time as I remember stuff. My wife and I went there for Pedro’s wedding. Before the wedding, we traveled through the 3 largest cities in Spain in descending order by population. We went first to Madrid.

Madrid

Madrid is a pretty big place. We took the Aeropuerto Express to Atocha which went pretty smoothly and was quite a bit cheaper than a cab ride would have been. When we got to Atocha however we had a bit of trouble finding our way to the hotel. We had a couple maps, but unfortunately it turned out the Google Map was wrong. It also took us quite a while to get used to the fact that street names can change from one block to the next. Because of that, it’s not always easy to figure out how to get somewhere when you just have the name of the street you’re going to. The good thing about getting lost though is that we saw lots of interesting buildings and stuff on the way that we probably wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

After we finally got to our hotel and checked in, we went out and walked around to a bunch of places in Madrid. We went to:

We also went to some place that had a bunch of drinks and tapas type food after walking around all over the place and had a bunch of tasty stuff. This is where I first tried the acorn fed Iberian ham.

Overall Madrid felt like a big city, but in Spain, with lots of people around speaking Spanish. It was relatively clean and there’s lots of interesting stuff to see.

Barcelona

Barcelona was about 3 hours by train from Madrid. After we got there, we were able to take the local metro system all over Barcelona. We rode the metro most of the places (except the bus we got on which was the wrong one) we went in Barcelona and it was cheap and pretty efficient. I’d definitely recommend it.

In Barcelona we saw:

While Barcelona was nice, it felt kind of touristy to me. I think I’d go back because the Sagrada Familia was so impressive, but Barcelona was not #1 on my list.

Valencia

The train to Valencia from Barcelona took about 3 hours and was pretty nice as we got to see the ocean, some small port towns and some countryside. When we got to Valencia we checked in to the hotel and then walked around to:

I really liked Valencia. It seemed to have a really nice atmosphere and I’d like to go back. Like everywhere else there’s lots of old stuff, but there is also a really big park that used to be a river that I’d like to spend more time exploring next time. Valencia seems like a really good place to go for a walk.

Murcia

In Murcia we saw:

  • Pedro! (and several other fellow “Joyeurs” and spouses)
  • Pedro’s wedding! (It was pretty nice ceremony)
  • The reception after Pedro’s wedding! (Also great, tasty food + drinks, lots of Pedro’s family)
  • The Cathedral (Which I was told by Pedro’s brother-in-law is the only thing worth seeing in Murcia)

I think I’d like to go back to Murcia again despite the fact that I was told there’s not much to see. Just seeing the old buildings and stuff was pretty cool and the area around the Cathedral was pretty nice. We had a really good time at the wedding and reception and enjoyed the experience.

Thanks for inviting us Pedro!

We went back to Madrid the day after the wedding and got in late to Madrid. We walked around Atocha a bit and saw the garden but then went to our hotel near the airport. In the morning we had to get up early to go to the airport to come home. It was great being in Spain, but I also missed my kids! So it was nice to get home and see them again. Hopefully someday we’ll be able to all go to Spain together!

General Observations

  • I never really thought about how much of a desert Spain is. It’s really bare all the places we saw away from the coast.
  • Spanish kings (and knights) used to be really small dudes.
  • The national sport seems to be smoking, and people are always practicing.
  • There are not really any houses anywhere near city as far as I can tell. Everything is apartments.
  • Food + drinks were much cheaper than I expected.
  • Portion sizes at cafe’s and restaurants were also bigger than I expected.
  • Iberian ham seems to be the most popular food in Spain. (and it’s really tasty)
  • Canada customs also loves Iberian ham. They stole ours after wasting our time. I bet they enjoyed it!
  • Several places, beer was cheaper than water.
  • Remember to carry 50 Euro-cent coins for the toilet.
  • The metro system in Barcelona is a great way to get around.
  • It’s hard to find WiFi in Spain, except at McDonalds. (which also sells beer!)
  • If you’re used to having the Internet in your pocket, you’ll miss it when you don’t.
  • Lots of cathedrals.
  • Muslims and Christians repeatedly took over different parts of Spain and burned each others stuff down, replacing it with their own.
  • All traffic signs, signals and markings are optional in Spain.
  • If the line for X-raying your bag is taking too long, it’s ok to give up and walk around it and just get on the train.
  • Entering Europe is way less painful than entering Canada. Even for Canadians.
  • Don’t choose seats in row 1 or 2 on a Renfe train unless you know the people in the other. 1a and 2a face each other for example.
  • Gaudi was pretty cool.
  • I’m not much of a fan of Picasso’s paintings.
  • A backpack is the best way to carry your stuff, if you have to carry stuff.
  • It’s important to blow stuff up and shoot rockets at a Spanish wedding.
  • If you’re on a train in Spain you should talk loudly and constantly on your phone.
  • Everything’s made of dirt, rocks or some combination: concrete, clay tiles, bricks, etc.
  • It seems like it’s pretty normal to be out late on weekdays, and pretty quiet out before ~10am.
  • If you’re not a fan of shopping, being in Spain doesn’t make it much better.

Conclusion

We really enjoyed our trip to Spain and this trip has encouraged us to want to go back to see more of Europe as well. Especially more hams and cheeses.