Travelogue (PAST DUE)

Back on August 1st, I wrote that I'd be back soon with some details from my European odyssey. It is now September 17th and I really hope no one out there was holding their breath. As my mother so astutely pointed out the other night, writing this blog served an important purpose in the early phases of getting settled into a new life here. Once that happened and as I found more things to occupy my time (like watching eight or nine movies a week), I didn't need this as much to stay connected. That being said, I do need to stop being so lethargic when it comes to mental activity. So now, after much anticipation (and much more delay), I will take you, the ever-dwindling legion of NTD readers, through a travelogue of my adventures across the Old Country during the month of July. In lieu of writing a long-winded account on the journey as a whole, I will present a blitzkrieg-type synopsis of each locale. I feel this will be more refreshing on both author and reader alike. Here goes:

LONDON: June 30 - July 04

I flew from Aarhus (about a half-hour outside Aarhus) to London-Stansted (about an hour outside London); I really think airport executives should consider renaming their establishments to more accurately reflect how far they are from each destination. I took a bus into the city and got to my hostel in the Swiss Cottage district. It was a pretty nice place, except for the very large group of German teenagers staying there as part of some class trip; they were noisy and not very consider and had terrible taste in fashion. Since this was my first time vacationing on my own, I didn't know how to plan my stay really. However, I soon figured out where I wanted to go and then just played it by ear. Over my four days in Jolly 'Ol, I took two walking tours that covered almost the entire city, allowing me to see all the necessary sights. I also took advantage of the fact the majority of the museums there do not charge admission. I went to the Natural History Museum, the Tate Modern Gallery and the Imperial War Museum; all three were fantastic. I really limited my intake of pub grub because I wanted to make sure I did it right and I am glad I did. I got a platter of bangers 'n mash from a hole-in-the-wall pub called 'The Hole in the Wall' and a basket of fish 'n chips from a joint overlooking the Thames and they were both outstanding. Each one was accompanied by an authentic hand-pulled cask ale, served just below room temperature, which were also as good as advertised. Anticipating a rainy stay, I brought a windbreaker, which I believe effectively warded off all lousy weather and allowed me to walk everywhere until I broke down and bought a metro pass, partly because I wanted to try the tube. I was happy to find that was everything it was cracked up to be. Great stay in the UK, onward to España.









SPAIN
Madrid: July 04 - 08
Barcelona: July 08 - 12
Alicante: July 12 - 14

MADRID: Spain was one of the locations I really wanted to visit while living in Europe. During both high school and college, I studied the language and the culture at great length and I was eager to see the country and the lifestyle in person. Having said this, you could imagine I was less than enthused to hear how poorly some schmuck Canadian kid spoke of Madrid at the hostel in London. He described it as grey and dismal, a real dump. He said four days was too long to spend there and that I should basically prepare for a miserable time. I felt compelled to remind him where he came from, but realized he was probably delirious from maple syrup withdrawal. In reality, Madrid was an AWESOME time. It was regularly in the triple digits there and that sun sure did not quit. I resisted the urge to siesta though, thanks to several other really cool people from my hostel (including a much more positive Canadian chap). We spent the hot afternoons in the shade of sidewalk restaurants, enjoying our share of San Miguels, Mahous and tapas. In addition to another walking tour of the city, I took in a bullfight, which was pretty gruesome and totally unfair, but part of the experience nonetheless -- I wanted the Matador to go one-on-one and see how tough he really was. I also went the Prado during its free admission hours one night, though it closed just before getting to the Goya exhibit, the one I really wanted to see. The definitive moment of my time in Madrid though had to be when Spain took on Germany in World Cup semifinal play. There was a public viewing held outside Real Madrid's stadium; I will let the video posted below do all the talking on that front. Take that, Canada.

BARCELONA: I had some lofty expectations for Barcelona. It seems to be one of those places that people always hold in high regard for many reasons: diversity, architecture, culture, proximity to fantastic beaches, etc. Upon my stay there, I can see why. However, if you are looking for an experience that screams 'Spain,' you best look elsewhere. This is something that is often lost in my most people's vision of Gaudi's city. Part of the ''autonomous community of Catalonia," Barcelona is every bit of such a complex monniker. Most people there would be quite content if they drifted just a bit further out into the Mediterranean. This rang out loud and clear during a Catalonian Independence rally held the night I got there, with several hundred thousand people marching through the streets saying they don't want to be a part of Spain (that is of course, until they captured the World Cup crown during my stay). Not exactly a very welcoming sight and for this reason, I didn't enjoy my time there as much as I would have liked. This is not to say though, that I didn't enjoy myself with many of the neat things the unique city has to offer. In addition to much of what I alluded to earlier, I got to check out two of the famous fountain shows, Gaudi's Parc Guell, a nice stroll around the Olympic Park and of course, spend many hours on the beach.








ALICANTE: Truth be told, Alicante doesn't offer much besides a castle overlooking its beaches and well, the beaches themselves. I didn't spend much time away from either. A small, primarily tourist-oriented city in the far Southeast of Spain, I planned a short stay here because its airport has departures that fly directly back to Aarhus. My time here was pretty uneventful, besides the brutal hike to get up to the castle, the opportunity to spend more time on the beach and the hostel I stayed in, which was run by Ukranians who only spoke broken Spanish. Coupled with my broken Spanish, we were able to communicate just fine. The place was pretty sketchy though, so I chose not spend my second night there, opting instead to catch a few hours of sleep at the airport before an early flight. The Ukranian fellow at the desk (complete with his assortment of weird figurines) couldn't undersand why.





After Alicante, I flew back to Aarhus to regroup for a few days before heading out again. For now though, I've already invested way longer in this project than I planned on. I'm going to step away for a few hours. I will be back later to finish up the trip and also preview tomorrow's last game of the season. See you soon.