Cheap cervezas, tapas, museos, lunarun, Gaudi AND MORE: My Vacation en Espagne

So, I just returned today from a week in Spain! It was a somewhat last minute plan, that worked out perfectly. If you recall my Blog about my Kiwi friend (Belinda) coming to Paris, you will likely find the lead up to this trip interesting (I do at least :)). Belinda messaged me a few weeks ago saying she was interested in returning to Paris again (I must admit it is an absolutely lovely place to visit - and for curiosity's sake, it is the most visited city in the world!). She suggested October 19-25. A few days later I asked my host mom if I had to work during the vacation or if they were going away and I was free to do my own thing. She told me I was free from October 25-November 2nd! My friend Abbey (another au pair and also Canadian, if you recall my blog on Bordeaux you will remember her), had suggested we use the vacation to go to Spain if our time off overlapped. So putting two and two together, I decided that Belinda would be in Paris, and Belinda is currently living in Madrid, Spain, so I could host her here (show her the sights and plan some events) and then fly back with her to Madrid! It could not have worked out better, that it still seems as if it was too good to be true.

So Belinda spent about 5 days in Paris, and we jam-packed a lot in! We went to a Maori (a group of Kiwi people) exhibit I found at the Quai Branly museum, went out to a 90s Dance party at a club in the Moulin Rouge area, went to 'Le Salon du chocolat' - the biggest event in the world dedicate to chocolate, including a chocolate fashion show, went on an evening cruise on the Seine, watched the World cup of France vs. New Zealand at the bar that's "home of the All Blacks supporters - the New Zealand team", wandered Les Champs Elysee, had famous macaroons from Laduree (apparently they've even been featured on Gossip Girl), wandering past the Opera Garnier, had a picnic with champagne, pain au chocolat, baguette, and cheese, walked along the Seine and through the Latin Quarter, and ate at 'Le Petit Dejeuner' beside Notre Dame. It was a busy few days (I was also working and attending my french classes), but it was extremely nice to do some extra Parisian exploring and spend time with Belinda again!

At the Maori exhibit!

At the 90s dance party!

The 'Home of the All Blacks'!

Watching the All Blacks win against France! I believe we may have even ended up on Kiwi television.

Belinda popping champagne at our picnic :)

One of the chocolate dresses actually modeled during the fashion show at Le Salon du Chocolat!

On Tuesday night we headed to the airport, and after an interesting journey to airport Beauvais (an hour out of Paris) where we almost missed our flight due to a traffic jam, we were in Madrid by the late evening. I had my first tapas, which are basically like a mini appetizer that come in many different types and at many bars come free with beer, and some amazingly cheap beer (you can get a beer for 1-2 euros in Spain, versus the average 7 euros plus in Paris) before we called it a night after our crazy trip to Spain.

My first tapas in Spain!

The first two days in Madrid, Belinda and I did a lot of walking around the city, as well as eating tapas and drinking cheap beer! The vibe of Madrid is much different than Paris, although I find it difficult to describe. The buildings are more orange than the average pale colours of the buildings in Paris. I think not being able to understand a word of the language also had an impact. I tried to order a coffee the first day while Belinda was at a Spanish lesson and of course, the lady at the cash didn't speak or understand a word of English. I was lucky the man behind me was bilingual in both and literally acted as my translator!

More tapas and my first Spanish omlette! It's made of eggs (obviously) and potatoes. It seems so simple, but is so delicious, and I definitely don't think I could replicate the Spanish omlette here (purchased at the Sao Miguel Market in Madrid - delicious!).

While wandering outside the park of the Palais Real (Royal Palace) we walked into an elaborate ceremony of what we believe was the changing of the guard. It involved marching and even trained horses. I will put up a video on facebook sometime soon if anyone is interested!

Some of my favourite paintings at the Architectural Paintings exhibit at Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in poster form. Belinda decided to try getting an audio guide for the first time (for me too), and I thought it would be a waste of money, but ended up really enjoying the explanations of the paintings. I have discovered I often enjoy the explanations as much as the actual works of art. The thought and planning put into many works of art are amazingly fascinating. The attention to detail in many of the paintings was amazing!

The famous Metropolis building in Madrid.

One of my favourite pictures from this Graffiti exhibition we found in a building across the street from the Metropolis building.

What we considered the Spanish version of a Pain au Chocolat (delicious) and Cola Cao - a Spanish version of Nesquick (also delicious). We were eating these at a famous sweets cafe in Madrid with a Spanish friend of Belinda. She is trying to be an english teacher in Madrid, so wants to practise her English. I learned that apparently the unemployment rate in Madrid is around 21%; not good!

Abbey arrived at the sweet shop and we headed for a little stroll around Madrid to show her. We went inside the Almudena Cathedral (which you see in this picture) that is across from the Royal Palace of Madrid.

I just liked this little shop :) and I am sure you can tell why. Also, I only packed one pair of pants for Spain! We were expecting warmer weather than we got (until Barcelona that is). That's why I am wearing tights under my shorts, although lots of people do it here and I actually kind of like it (although I don't believe I have ever done it in Canada).

 After Abbey's first day where Belinda showed us around the city a bit, Belinda and I went to a 'Lunarun'. Belinda joined a Nike running group in Madrid, and the run we went to happened to be a special Halloween run that was a scavenger hunt around the city. It was absolutely amazing! We had a clue sheet and had to find the places described, but it was in Spanish, so Belinda and I just followed the other Nike group runners. It was a nice way to see a lot of Madrid at night, and it was like a huge celebration just for a fun run! They even had confetti and champagne and i got a free "I RUN MADRID" shirt AND a beer and powerade. I would go all the time if there were runs like this in Canada!

Joining the celebrations before the Lunarun. There was even a big group stretch session and more cameras than I've seen in one place. It was almost like being a celebrity.

The group after the Lunar Run. I am in the grey sweater near the right side and Belinda is to my left!

We went out for drinks near Belinda's house after cleaning up following the Lunar Run.

Abbey and I have discovered a love for mojitos here. They are just always so fresh and delicious. And we found 4 euro mojitos in a cute little bar on one of the main bar strips in Madrid. The walls were very entertaining, as you can see here. The whole bar was decorated like this! And to give you an idea of the atmosphere, they were playing music such as Bob Marley - very chill. Also, I must point out that I am rocking what Abbey and I call the "Parisian bun". It is very useful during traveling.

This is the Royal Palace of Madrid that Abbey and I visited. I was not able to take many interior pictures because in most of the palace it was prohibited. The castle was much different than Versailles, found outside of Paris. It had less of a classy feel; there were carpets and some rooms smelled as if they even smoked in it. There was also a room with a pool table, and one decorated in Chinese art all over the walls. It seemed as if it was more of a relaxed form of a castle, however, all the guards looked at us as if we shouldn't be there, so that was strange. We went when it opened at 10 am, and for some reason we didn't see anyone really during our walk through the castle until the end. Also, the descriptions of the rooms in the castle described how they were originally, but it was redecorated in, I believe, the 19th century. So it would say it was the King's bedroom, but then there would be no bed. It was slightly confusing. However, don't get me wrong, it was a magnificent building!

A picture from the foyer area, I believe before it was prohibited to take pictures, but then again who knows.

View of the church mentioned earlier from inside the gates of the Palace. My friend's friend who is Spanish and from Madrid, told her that he thinks it is the ugliest church in all of Spain. However, I quite like it (except the colour in person was a little bland). Apparently many people who live in Madrid don't like it because it is "too modern". It was started earlier in history (I believe maybe the 19th or 20th century, however on that I am not 100%), but was finished in the last decade or so.

The day Abbey and I visited the Royal Palace, we also visted a famous museum in Madrid called "Museo del Prado", however pictures weren't allowed to be taken. I really liked some of the paintings in the museum (although some parts of our visit were rushed because there were over 100 rooms, so we focused on the 19th century art we both preferred).  I found some new artisits I hadn't heard of that I fully enjoyed including: Patinir,Bosch, Degrain, and Carlos de Haes if any of you are interested in art!

We visited a second museum called 'Reina Sofia' which is a modern art museum. Some of the works were a little too out there for me, but then there we some that I really enjoyed, as my pictures show below.

I clearly loved this simply due to my past as a piano player. I have used one of these (although many times smaller) many times in my life! And now that I am helping Louis (the little boy in my host family) with his piano practise it is re-sparking my love for piano! I have my grade 8 book here and take a whirl at my old festival pieces.

This describes my favourite piece in the whole museum. I couldn't take a picture of it because it was essentially just darkness. It was a room that was pitch black except for the light coming in from the open doorway. Then when you walked in you hit this big bench-like piece in the middle of the room. When you looked into the room, you couldn't tell how large it was. I watched a few people in the room for a while, trying to figure out what the point of it was, but everyone just walked in and then out. Abbey and I figured out you were supposed to walk into the pitch black by following the tough of the large item in the middle of the room. It ended up being a much larger room than I would have imagined and it was extremely neat walking into complete darkness and not knowing what was there. I also think the description of the art added to the piece. I am not sure if my description here gives the work any justice, but it really woke me up (this was the last site we visited during the day after the palace and Museo del Prado and we were getting slightly tired).

These maps were my second favourite pieces in the museum. They were awesome! There isn't really much to say about them other than the obvious that all the countries were represented by their flags, but they were also all embroidered I beliee. And there had to have been over 10 of them in different colours and sizes (you can see 4 more to the right of the picture).

 One our last day in Madrid, we agreed in a more calm day and decided to visit the botanical gardens and the famous Retiro Park! The botanical gardens were beautiful and very calm and relaxing, however I believe they would be even more gorgeous during the full summer season when the flowers would be in bloom. The first picture below was taken in the Botanical gardens and the second and third are from the park, where we even rented a boat!

Me in the Botanical gardens of Madrid in a tree-covered tunnel.

Abbey, Belinda, and I sitting in Retiro Park. Abbey and I are again sporting the Parisian buns, and Belinda liked to say she was with "Team Scarves". By the way, I purchased my scarf for 2 euros in a little market in Madrid!

Abbey and I in the row boat being princesses.

Belinda rowing us around! She was on cloud 9 being on the water and rowing (she rowed competitvely for along time). And I can't lie, Abbey and I didn't mind the "row" down memory lane ;)

We took an overnight train to Barcelona, leaving around 11 pm and getting in at 8ish am. Abbey and I were in little rooms with three-high bunk beds. The beds were a little tiny, but it was nice to just be able to lie down the whole trip and at least try to sleep. We got right to sightseeing after breakfast, since we only had to full days, beginning with checking out the big Christopher Columbus statue (in which he is apparently he is supposed to be pointing towards the USA, but is really pointing to China). We then continued to the Picasso museum, but we weren't allowed to take pictures there. The line was very large when we got there, but we waited it out and managed to get in in just over 30 minutes. The museum was well designed and was laid-out in order from his younger years (he has some amazing pieces from as young as the age of 14) to his later years (when he seemed to go from more scenery and portrait paintings to more strange and colourful abstract art). I definitely discovered that Picasso is much more diverse than I had believed.

Me at the Christopher Columbus statue, pointing in the general direction of where the USA truly is (the opposite of where Columbus was pointing essentially).

We of course needed a break for Sangria (when in Rome, right?) and Paella which is a sort of Spanish rice that often consists of vegetables, seafood and chicken.

My Paella.

Our delicious Sangria!

After our break, we continued to Casa Battlo, which is a house that was designed by and the construction overseen by Gaudi. After going into this house and hearing about how much detail is put into every single thing in the house from the lighting to the ceilings, to the handrails and door knobs, to the gardens, and so forth, I fell in love with Gaudi's work. Everything in Barcelona I saw that was designed and/or created by him was absolutely phenominal.

Me outside Casa Batllo.

The full view of Casa Batllo from the street. I could add so many pictures of this place and so many descriptions, but due to the amount of information I could put in this blog I will keep it short and sweet. But if you are interested in more information you should check out this site: http://www.casabatllo.es/.  Casa Battlo is privately run, so the cost to get in was rather high (14 euros for a student, like me), but it goes to the constant upkeep, and it is well-kept. The inside is amazingly lit, and consists of many cool ceilings (some that are thought to be meant to look like fish vertebrae, as it is believed that this house was designed by Gaudi to be like an underwater creature, and you see other clues by parts that look like waves and blue tiling) and even an outdoor courtyard and a large balcony on the roof with amazing views.

 Since we couldn't get enough of Gaudi already, we headed to Park Guell, a park designed by Gaudi. It was amazing, despite being so jam-packed of tourists. However, as we walked further from the entrance, the volume of tourists did decrease.

View of Park Guell entrance from the inside.

Belinda and I inside the park.

Abbey, Belinda, and I further up the hill of Park Guell. The views from in the park overlooking the city were amazing.

Had to do one of my classic jump pictures.

After a little break, we headed back out for some night views of Barcelona suggested by one of the guys who worked at the hostel (they were very helpful). It was a beautiful night and the views were astonishing.

One of my favourite night views of all time yet. It was breathtaking.

I think Belinda caught my jumping addiction.

 We then walked down, past the pillars, and to an old Bull-fighting rink that has been turned into a mall. For a euro, you could take the elevator onto the top of the rough and have a 360 panoramic view of the city at night. It was also breathtaking.

The old bull-fighting rink that is now a mall.

I loved the night-view of this major roundabout.

Our second day in Barcelona, started with an early trip to the beach to see the sun rise (we didn't sleep much while we were in Barcelona, if you didn't pick that one up!).

Me in the Mediterranean sea at sunrise.

Watching the sun rise on the beach!

 Later in the morning, we continued up le funiculaire (like a metro up a mountain or hill) and up further via a gondola to Castell de Monjuic which was like an old army fort. It also had beautiful views of the city, including the sea!

The entrance to the fort at Castell de Montjuic.

Me on the roof (the viewing area) of the fort.

Some of the great views you can see from the fort (and me, of course).

After the fort, we decided to pay a visit to the all-famous Sagrada Familia, a church that was designed by Gaudi and has been in construction since the late 1800s (and to this day is only 60% done). It is still being worked on, using the plans and ideas of Gaudi. They have been using computers to analyze the geometric patterns used by Gaudi in his early work on the church (it fascinates me that his brain could do the designs back then without computers, and he was often known just to make a plaster mold and some drawings before beginning a building). Gaudi died unexpectedly in 1926 when he was run over by a tram! It put a wrench in the plans of the church, but it is still being fulfilled to what is believed to have been his original wishes (although many of his sketches and plasters were burned in a fire during the Civil War). This church is hands down the most magnificent church, and most likely even building, I have ever seen.

An example of one of the sides of the outside of the church. There are three entrances like this, each called a facade. The three facades are: nativity,  passion, and glory. The detail on the church is stunning, and it is currently being worked on being restored, after which is will be a much lighter colour. I could put SO many pictures of this, but I am going to keep it short and sweet again. But if you are interested in it, you should google the church and see even more (and likely better) images!

One shot of the AMAZING interior. It was designed so as to look like a forest, which is why you see the branches in the pillars and the leaf-like images on the ceiling. When you walk into this church, you are immediately stunned; I can't even describe how amazing I found it, and the pictures definitely don't even do it justice.

Me outside the Sagrada Familia!

For the rest of our last day, we just did little things around the city, including a trip up to the Pavellons de la Finca Guell, which was Gaudi's first work in Barcelona. It consists of a famous dragon gate that I found similar to the type of metal work my brother does (which is actually quite amazing). Then we wandered briefly around the Palau Reial which was next door to the pavellons, enjoying the sun (it was about 23 degrees celcius in Barcelona the two days we were there) and the beautiful gardens. We finished by wandering La Rambla, a famous street with little stores and markets, including a big outdoor food market called 'St Josep La Boqueria' which I loved. There were fresh and cheap fruit, meat, vegetables, nuts (though these weren't so cheap, but we had to try a small mix as they looked amazing), and more. I even found a stand with emu eggs which reminded me of when my dad had a small emu farm going on (a nice little blast from the past). We took a nap after La Rambla, before going out for a Halloween beer. I was interested to see how Barcelona celebrated halloween, and found that it is not as big of a deal there as in North America. It also seemed that they are more focused on the "scary" aspect of halloween (some people actually jump out at you and try to spook you, which definitely caught us off guard once or twice). The majority of the costumes are vampires and zombies (or so it seemed). It was pretty buzzing for a Monday night however, so they did celebrate it more than France seemed to (they don't trick or treat here and halloween parties don't even seem all that common. Louis had a little party the last afternoon before their holidays started and that was all I believe the kids do!).

Abbey and I just killing ourselves laughing as usual. Abbey woke up this morning (at 4 am mind you, so we could catch our 6:25 flight) with sore abdominal muscles and we couldn't figure out why. We ended up concluding it was due to our many laughing fits this week. Can't complain when that happens :)

Belinda and I being "scary"? Maybe?

Our waiter. Yes, all the waiters at this bar were dressed like this, and fully acting (and seeming to quite enjoy) the part.

And thus concludes my rather long explanation of my trip to Spain! The sad part is, I feel like I cut out so much! For those of you who are missing my "chatterbox" ways, I think you should get more than you bargained for here! Hope you enjoyed it, and stay tuned for my next adventure (HOPEFULLY Amsterdam in 2 weeks time).

Ciao amigos (I should point out ciao is actually Italian for the Spanish speakers so I don't look silly - I've already made this mistake - but they say it a fair bit in Spain, and I struggled with their actual correct way of saying bye). Si, gracious.

A