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| This is map shows approximately the route we took from Portbou to Algeciras along the Mediterranean coast of Spain |
We arrived at Girona (Gerona) late and got to the youth hostel which was a school around 9:30 PM. The lady host took pity on us and let us stay out until 10:30 PM. We found a bar and had hamburgers, hot thick chocolate and a cake for only 140 Pts which is pretty good after the prices in France.
The next morning we had a look around Girona but it was really quiet, so we got the mid day train to Barcelona, travelling past the Costa Brava where Dali lives, and where English tourists go for holidays. On the train we met an underwear manufacturer who spoke English and French, and had a good talk about this area, transport in Spain, etc. We just realised I left my parka on the train, maybe forever. Oh well. |
| Map of Barcelona |
We wandered around a bit more and saw the brothels of Barcelona, pretty sleazy, and then went back to the hostel for a while and rest.
Later we went again later to see a fair on the hill. Well, we walked all the way up the hill just to find out that it was closing and we weren't allowed in. So we walked back during which time we had the first really cold beer since Australia with xuxos, a delicious pastry filled with custard.
It's really good to have our own room and a bed but hot water would've been really welcome. The cold wash this morning wasn't a lot of fun! This morning we went to find out about my parka and buy train tickets. No parka, but we might get tickets for 2,000 km each to travel in Spain as it seems the cheapest way. We had lunch in the same cheap restaurant which we decided offered the most food for the least of money we have ever seen. It looks like we might miss some sites in Barcelona, due to my slothfulness and eagerness to get south to the coast and beaches, and hopefully sunshine and warmth. We've decided that we've definitely developed a taste for wine on our travels and it would be a bit of a shock to find out how much this habit is going to cost us back home!
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| Temple Sagrada Familia Postcard |
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| Temple Sagrada Familia detail - Postcard |
First we caught a bus to the Sagrada Family Temple, designed by Antoni Gaudi for the Sagrada family and quite impressive in real life, only it was been cleaned at the time, a pity.
Gaudi was an enigmatic person, but dedicated his life to the projects on which he worked.
Then a short cheap Metro ride to park Guell also designed by Gaudi and also his home for a while. Suffice to say that it's the only park like it in the world.
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We then caught a late train to Tarragona and got a room in a pensione for 250 Pts but at least we had hot showers each.We had a look around Tarragona the next morning. Great view of the ocean, and also the ruins of a series of underground Roman tunnels, and then we headed for the station.
A bit here about Spanish trains. They're quite fast when they go, but as they tend to stop a lot the average speed is quite low, so it takes quite a while to get anywhere, and also the ticket offices are only open when there is a train coming, not before which can be a bit of a hassle. However our Kilometric ticket is quite good as we don't have to worry about money, just get a stamp for each journey. Speaking of money we found that we only had 340 Pts for the whole day.
Anyway we arrived at Sagunto where we found a cheap pensione at 100 Pts which left us with 140 Pts for dinner. The lady in the pensione directed us to a cheap bar/restaurant for dinner but they didn't start serving until 9 PM which meant two very hungry hours until food.We managed to last the couple of hours, and then got stuck into soup, eggs and chips with beer which only came to 115Pts.. The room was a bit damp so and there was a bit of condensation on the sleeping bags in the morning. We also had our first taste of freshly made crisps which were just like Smith's chips.
The next day we left our packs in the pensione until 1 PM and walked around Sagunto in the morning. There was a bustling market in the town, and up above a Roman amphitheatre and fortress where we spent most of the morning. I had my first taste of cactus fruit there, a bit like gooseberries but very spiky on the outside. Then we caught the train to Valencia where we put the packs into lockers and had a look around. The Plaza Del Toros, some very old churches and shops but we decided to leave for Gandia. |
| Restaurant/Bar at Gardia. |
Well, we arrived in Gandia after travelling through flooded irrigation field is, in the middle of nowhere.There was a bus there though to take people into town, about 2 km, and luckily the place is a reasonable size. We booked into a hostel, 160 Pts, and had a look around until dinner time which was the usual 9 PM!
The food was very similar to Sagunto and fairly cheap at the cafe although we had so much trouble ordering, Danielle didn't get a second course! Then I ordered cacaolats (hot chocolate), and she didn't know what it was, Talk about a hick town - although it could have been my Spanish pronunciation! So we finished with coffee and then went back to the hostel for a good nights sleep.
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| Olive groves |
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| Yes, we were carrying our houses on our backs - Valencia |
Then is was back on the trains and off to Alicante.
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| Alicante - Internet Postcard |
We found overnight that they had really shitty showers which they wanted to charge extra again for but we only paid what we agreed on. We found a lavandaria (laundry) to give our clothes a much needed wash but had to wait until 5 PM to pick them up. Luckily they let us leave our at the lavandaria so we saved some money on a baggage depot.
We walked up to the really impressive castle for lunch, and a good look around. Then we walked down to the beach which had real sand, but it didn't squeak like Australian sand, and sat in the sun for awhile.
We picked up our gear around 5:30 PM and had to wait until 7:30 PM for a train to Cartagena.
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| Cartagena - Internet Postcard |
It was Sunday the 10th of January, a week after we crossed into Spain. The bar/cafe opened at 6:20 AM so we went for a morning pick me up coffee of course, before we headed out into the cold morning darkness to find our bed for the night.
The next morning, after coffee, we went to a ferreteria (blacksmith) to buy some bolts for the packs and the guy was really helpful, enlarging in the holes in the frame and bolting on the wheels. Afterwards, we had a good look around Cartagena. There was practically no information about the history of the city, so we went up to the castle in the centre, had lunch and a good rest.
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| Murcia - Internet Postcard |
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| Murcia - Internet Postcard |
Also we spent some time in a cheap cafe served by two 13-15 year-old boys, emulating adult waiter mannerisms. They were unbelievably officious, taking their responsibilities really seriously, and also I think, relishing the opportunity to push some adults around.
We woke up early for the 8 AM train, then found there was a power blackout and the train didn't leave until 9:30! Inconvenient after bumbling around in the dark to be on time!
