Gets two thumbs up for using linux (Ubuntu) on their public computers. Printing boarding passes at the moment. Lots of stuff to come when I can connect my computer.
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Saturday, August 1, 2009
Feet are clean, yes, that toe is purple...
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Chance meetings
Just when starting my hike, I passed a gentleman and his son, also walking a bit, just starting from Deia. We chatted for a few minutes and then I took a photo for them, and left to continue my excursion.
I arrived in soller from porto del soller via the mini train, and thus learned I missed my bus :-(
You can imagine my surprise however to hear while reading a menu, "the hiker!". I chatted with Alex and Raul (I met Raul on the hike) for a bit, they introduced me to their children and we discovered we are all from NY! Actually, they even have a house on Shelter Island, which is right by East Hampton!
At the other end of my hike, I started chatting with two girls after one took a picture with the backdrop of porto de soller. They were from Germany, and were impressed with my german (I guess they weren't expecting much of anything if I was able to meet any language expectations after a month of spanish invasion on my German.
<Pause to change tables>
I am on the train up from the port of soller to soller, and who should come and sit next to me but my two friends from earlier! We chat a bit more before I get off in search of the bus station.
It does have a small town feel. They are here for two weeks, which shocked me. How often can you go to the beach and what else is there to do here?
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I arrived in soller from porto del soller via the mini train, and thus learned I missed my bus :-(
You can imagine my surprise however to hear while reading a menu, "the hiker!". I chatted with Alex and Raul (I met Raul on the hike) for a bit, they introduced me to their children and we discovered we are all from NY! Actually, they even have a house on Shelter Island, which is right by East Hampton!
At the other end of my hike, I started chatting with two girls after one took a picture with the backdrop of porto de soller. They were from Germany, and were impressed with my german (I guess they weren't expecting much of anything if I was able to meet any language expectations after a month of spanish invasion on my German.
<Pause to change tables>
I am on the train up from the port of soller to soller, and who should come and sit next to me but my two friends from earlier! We chat a bit more before I get off in search of the bus station.
It does have a small town feel. They are here for two weeks, which shocked me. How often can you go to the beach and what else is there to do here?
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Jellyfish
A Jellyfish under the water, pulsing by, is perhaps the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in nature. I am at the beach, in a small cove, where the water is so blue and clear, you can see forever. I asked a group of Spaniards to borrow a mask, and swam with the fishes. It was peaceful and tranquil under the water, the fishes didn't fear me, and their beautiful colors were bright against the dark rocks lining the ocean floor.
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Friday, July 31, 2009
Tapas in Deia
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Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
There is something very wrong when there are 77 steps to the second floor!
Breakfast + new Address
Another essentially sleepless night at Hostal Mar BE. I am sure that it is a nice place, if you don't mind sharing a room with lots of people. Or you could take British Emma y cinco amigas approach, rent a room with only your friends. We met most of them at breakfast this morning, it was kind of like returning to CTY (our breakfast companions were a group of friends who are soon to start Uni (college) traveling through Spain together).
We arrived at our new home for the next few days, a wonderful little apartment with exposed beams, high ceilings, and a laundry machine! Oh, the wonders and glory!
The woman who owns it so far has been quite nice. The girl staying in the second room (we haven't met yet) seems to have not checked out yet, but she assured me that a room would be free for me by tonight (Shiva went back to sleep, after what turned out to be an interesting night that ended only a few hours ago.)
I am booked for a flight this friday to the island of Mallorca (Ballearic Islands), where I will be spending a night or two in Deia. Then I am meeting up again with Shiva, in Ibiza. I think I am crashing on his friends hotel room floor. My stuff will be here in Barcelona at the airport. I fly from Ibiza back to Mallorca, and then straight on to Barcelona where I collect my stuff. From there I have a morning flight to Venice. No set accomodations at the moment for Venice, but I am hoping to find a private apartment like this in Venice.
If things work out, I will travel back through Milan, pick up a friend or two and some stuff that was shipped to Milan for me, and hit up Italy. I am not sure what's after that.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Tapas Delight
I finished my walk of Gaudi with a few small tapas, and a glass of tinto (red wine). Then, I headed back to the Hostel to meet up with Shiva. We decided to go to this place I had read about for Tapas before showering and going out.
It was amazing. Quimet and Quimet is about 8 feet by 10 feet, with a high ceiling. The walls are covered in wine bottles with the prices scratched in chalk underneath. The bar however has no menu, no prices, just tons and tons of amazing tapas. In fact, one can hardly call them tapas. We started with Smoked salmon which was out of this world. I think the secret was the honey. I also had a glass of the store beer, which was an excellent dark beer. We chatted with some travelers from Australia, and a consultant from Pfizer. Besides them, and us, everyone else spoke spanish.
You just waited to order until the bartended made eye contact. With three of them, and at least 50 of us, it couldn't work any other way (or that way for that matter, we waited a good fifteen minutes within arms reach of the bar before I was able to order our first round.
I had Pate for my second plate, Shiva got an assorted cheese plate, which had some lovely strong cheeses on it.
All in all, one of my favorite experiences thus far on this trip. Right there with Hotel ME, L'Umbracle, and finally having Paella.
We showered, and went out, only to discover the place Shiva was hoping to share with me, Champagneria, was closed. We tried a club, but ended up on the wrong side of the water. On the way home, Shiva set off to go out some more, and I headed back.
Only one more night of this shared room torture.
Pete and meghan
We just met pete meaghan.
Pete and megan have plans to move to europe next year.
Pete and megan met two nights ago.
Pete's been on top for the last two days.
Pete and megan have plans to move to europe next year.
Pete and megan met two nights ago.
Pete's been on top for the last two days.
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Monday, July 27, 2009
I teach you french and you teach me spanish. And let's have some good time!
Ending Valencia, Beginning Barcelona
Paella was pretty darn good. We spoke with the hotel staff and were recommended to three different restaurants on the water. I had Paella Marisco (seafood), but there was also some delicious Conejo (rabbit) y Pollo (chicken) that I tried. As per tradition, it was served to us in two large dishes (we did have seven people, after all!) I paired it with Cava (Spanish champagne), but the waiter took forever so that by the time it arrived, most of us had finished our Paella. I was not impressed with the service at all. As we were paying the check there was a giant explosion outside of the restaurant. We peered out and there were hundreds of people. Then another explosion followed by bright light.
The fireworks were very cool. I have a sneaking sensation that there was a war motif, I had 1812 overture playing in my head. There were rapid fire fireworks that shot off side to side, and ones that sounded a bit much like bombs exploding overhead.
After dinner, and the show, some of us went to l’umbracle (spelling???) which is the most amazing and awesome club I have been to. It was in a beautiful architectural piece in the Ciudad de los Artes (City of Arts and Sciences) in Valencia. The open air club was a long corridor with a skeleton white roof. It was very relaxed at one end, but if you wanted to dance, you could walk down no more than 50 meters, and there were dancers, and music. Underneath that was a whole other club in case you wanted the whole bumping and grinding with other sweaty bodies experience that some seem to like (not really my type of thing). We hung out on a couchette (I think that is what you call it) and talked, it was just Emily, Kevin, Shiva and me. We finally found all the beautiful people in spain.
The nice part about Valencia is that there weren’t many tourists. Maybe with the oranges out of season, no one bothers, but for whatever reason, we didn’t see many people at all, let alone, American tourists. Nice change from Madrid.
The days are running together, but we did have quite a show in the Plaza del Virgen(s). It appeared from where we were sitting that one roaming beer capitalist encroached on another’s territory. Thus began the fight, which had many actors – including a guy who was either tripping on something, or absolutely nuts. Even the police arrived at one point after one chased the other around the square with a broken glass bottle. We think it was a staged diversion so that pickpockets could have easier access to people’s stuff. Unfortunately, no one went in the fountain which seemed to be the climatic ending that the events were heading towards given the proper amount of time.
On Sunday, we went to the sea, where I got burned on my back. I saw many beautiful women the night before at the club, who were clothes that didn’t leave much to imagine. This was the type of beach it seemed where I was able to fill in any of the holes in my imagination should I desire with concrete evidence.
The water was incredible. It was warm and once you got to the sand bar, there was nothing floating in the water (seaweed, jellyfish, etc.). We spent most of the day at the beach, and afterwards had a drink in a café in the cute town near El Sale, before catching the mysterious Amarillo (Yellow) bus back to our hotel. We arrived at the hotel, and I wanted to get off, but others insisted it would turn and get closer. They didn’t want to walk an extra 1 minute across the bridge. Nope. It went straight, and the next stop wasn’t for at least a kilometer. Last night Maureen, Emily, and Diogo left to return to Madrid. This morning, Jenn and Kevin set out for Madrid.
Shiva and I got up late. We packed, and eventually made it out in order to catch the 1:08 train to Barcelona. If I go to Majorca, it will be from Barcelona, and then from there to Marseille, most likely. The first train was full, and so we went for first class on the 2PM train. We used the hour to go find some food, at El Corte Ingles!
I actually wanted to pick up another linen shirt or two. They are amazing, I wear them, wash them on me (basically in the shower), hang them to dry over night, and they are as good as new. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any in my size. I am hoping that there are some remaining in Barcelona, which is what the computer said. If not, I can try a different brand, but I have been so happy with the ones I already have.
While I ran up to the men’s floor, Shiva grabbed some food for the train. We met back just in time to get on our train. Currently, we are on the way to Barcelona. Rachael will be there soon I think, and I need to talk to Kristin since my plans have changed. If I go to Majorca, it will be en route to Marseille, if I am flying. Otherwise, I am not sure. I recall my last train adventure from Bordeaux to Nice took quite a while, and a pretty penny.
I’ll post this upon arrival, and have another update hopefully later tonight.
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