Orly airport was quite far from where we stayed (Jaurez). We had to change 2 metro lines and take a 40-minute bus ride to reach the airport. The train bit was fine, but when we got to Porte de Choisy, we were a bit confused as to where to take the bus because everything was in French!
But worry not, a (cute) Frenchy metro-counter guy came to our rescue and pointed us in the right direction.
Ok fine. He didn’t literally come to us, we had to go to him. Still. He had the cutest smile I’ve seen in the last couple of days.
So there, we were ready to bid Paris adieu.
I have no doubts I will be back to this lovely city in the future.
Next time, with more cash and a man.
:)
2nd Stop: Barcelona
We got into the Catalanion capital past 2 in the afternoon.
I made a mental note to change my habitual “Excusez moi, parlez vous anglais” to “Hola, habla Ingles?”, but when I came face to face with the locals, I got so tongue tied it took me a lot of “erm”s to get back on track. And I tell people I actually speak 3 languages. How useless.
Good thing Barcelona wasn’t a freezer. It has exactly the kind of weather you expect Spain to have. Palm trees, warm breeze, lots of sun.
After checking into our hostel, we headed off to the Picasso museum and the Barri Gothic Cathedral (which was under construction so basically we saw nothing). The next morning we went to witness Gaudi’s brilliant architecture at La Sagrada Familia and a visit to Nou Camp!
I was the only one excited about this as none of the girls were interested in football. But before you get excited yourself, let me just say we merely hovered outside and did not go in for any tours as time was pressing. So don’t ask me if I saw Ronaldinho or Messi :)
We went from there to Montjuic, home to Barcelona’s 1992 Olympic village. The trek uphill was worth it as we got to go inside the stadium and around the area.
Having walked so much in the last 4 days, my legs were ready to cave in. I think J’s ones were in similar state too. We were thinking of whether to walk up to the Castell or take a cab ride up.
The other Adeline, the semangat one, didn’t have to ask us really. The answer was obvious.
And it was a good thing we didn’t pretend to be brave and say “oh don’t worry we’ll be fine” because we would have died on the way up! It was quite a steep ascend to the top, and given our state at that point in time, we would have been stuck in a rut if we had chosen to walk!
You should have seen how we ooh-ed and ahh-ed, and how the cam-frenzy came alive. It was a view to remember. Absolutely beautiful, especially since we were there around sunset.
We got back to town and did a bit of shopping.
Yeah I heard you, a trip to Spain wouldn't be complete without a visit to ZARA! Luckily for me I was on a (very kiamsiap) budget, so I had no problem not splashing.
The plan was to go to the waterfront in the evening, but an untoward incident occurred (theft). It definitely tarnished the favourable impression I had of Barcelona. And the police! They could have a) referred us to the right place and b) be more sympathetic! We spent the entire night making a police report. Over what, a stolen bag? Have some efficiency!
If there is one thing about me that I've learnt while on this trip, it is that I could actually survive on 2 hours of sleep and still be up the next morning.
Yeah, loads of people can too, but you don’t understand. My body is not accustomed to staying up late and waking up early, which means this is a surprising revelation for me!
Having spent so much time at the policia the night before, we retreated back to our hostel for 10 winks before leaving for the airport at 5am in the morning to catch a plane to Granada, our next stop.
I must apologise to the girls for not speaking much to them the night before (after making the police report) as I was really tired. And when I’m tired I’m grouchy. As it’s not nice to have a grouchy travel mate, I kept my mouth shut the whole time after the incident. J and A, if you’re reading this, it’s nothing to do with you guys or anything. It’s me alright.
And as if my need for a quick pick-me-up was obvious to serendipity, a curly haired, smiley, hostel assistant was on duty that night. You don’t know what kind of wonders that did to my moods!
Argh, why did we have to leave so early in the morning? I didn’t even get to ask for his name....
Not that I know how to in Spanish anyway…
No wait, he spoke very good English!!!
Sob sob…
3rd stop: Granada
Granada had better be good, I thought to myself, after all that in Barca.
And it was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
As I wrote to my parents on the postcard I sent them, Granada has to be my fav spot on Earth at the mo. Well, home too (before they get offended haha).
What can I say? It’s simply beautiful beyond words!
Before I left for this trip, I asked my Gibraltarian friend about Andalucia (the southern region of Spain), a place she claimed is where I can see the “proper” Spain. The moment I mentioned I was going to Granada, her eyes lit up. She said she hasn’t been there before but that I made a fine choice by deciding to go.
Er, truth be told Tanya, I didn’t plan this trip. Joyce and Adeline did, so girls, good choice.
Granada is a smaller town/city compared to Barca, so there are less shops and buzz around town, but despite that, I loved it. That coming from a city girl means it means more!
If I thought 9 Euros for the Louvre in Paris was expensive, than 10 Euros for the Alhambra must be throat-slitting. It was, I wouldn’t deny that, but it was worth every cent. The palace within the Alhambra was so majestic I almost wished I could pack my bags and start settling down there!
I’ve done a fair bit of palace-hopping on my last European trip and this, but I’ve seen nothing like the one in Granada, which is a shining beacon of Moorish architecture. If I already went goo-goo-ga-ga over this palace, then I can’t imagine how I’d feel when I visit the Taj Mahal in the future. (I’d probably be so breathless I need an oxygen mask haha).
The next day we went outside of Granada, to a place called La Alpujarra, which is a conglomerate of little villages at the foothills of Sierra Nevada.
We took the bus up to Pampaneira, and then walked UPHILL, for 1.5km to Bubion, the second highest village. UPHILL hokay! 1.5km leh! Rocky, steep footpath some more. Don’t play play man!
This has got to be my personal best so far!
And I almost died when I reached Bubion. How to climb Mount Kinabalu I ask you? *head shaking*
Picture paints a thousand words. So here you go. Enough said.
And one more thing.
I WANT MY CRYSTAL FLOWER!!!!
Advice of the day: if you see something you like, then by ALL MEANS buy it. Don’t be like me and think the whole day. At a store in Pampaneira, I saw this crystal ornament I really liked and I thought to myself, "you know what, let's go eat first, and then come back and browse to my heart's content". I went back to the shop after lunch, but it was closed coz it was siesta time and I ended up not buying the one thing I fell in love with at first sight!
See? I'm still regretting to this today!
Muaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!
To be continued...
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