I flew to Barcelona by EasyJet from London Gatwick , an easy seamless experience. I then walked the wrong way for miles lugging my case before realizing my mistake on Google maps and turning around and finding my hotel.
On my first day in Barcelona, I walked 16K to the Gothic Quarter and back, wonderful narrow alleyways and then the Picasso Museum, mainly his early work. Barcelona Cathedral is majestic; Impressions of Barcelona are good; there is some wonderful architecture. Youngsters zoom about
on electric scooters, bike lanes on major roads. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of traffic jams, probably due to the good public transport.
I spent the day with Janet, an English teacher who has been living in Barcelona for some time. We walked up to Montjuic , a hill overlooking the city with wonderful views. The Olympic stadiums and diving centers are up here. Janet told me Spain is a beau acratic nightmare. She has a good life in Barcelona; a nice flat that she shares; lots to do, she likes partying despite her age, friends, the Montjuic on her doorstep to exercise in.
The hours here are completely different. Work starts at 09.00, followed by a big lunch at 2.00.and then back to work at 4.00pm followed by dinner at 9pm.
Everybody picks me out as an Englishman before I speak a word.
I found a South African bar; the lady serving is Norwegian married to a South African.
I visited the Sagrada Familia, a huge soaring unfinished cathedral built by Gaudi. It’s a remarkable building but I can’t help thinking that it has some trashy features on the exterior but the interior is amazing.
I had trouble with the metro ticket so walked home and a bird proceeded to shit all over me from a dizzy height. A kindly fellow helped me clean up.
So, the next day I moved on by high-speed train to Madrid and arrived in pouring rain with another detour courtesy of Google maps. I probably didn’t type in the name of the hotel correctly or didn’t differentiate between driving and walking.
Madrid must be one of the world’s most wonderful cities, a vibrant, moving, elegant place. It has huge museums, wide boulevards, palaces, splendid architecture with squares and lots of bars and restaurants. And a lot of walking.
I met Olie my grandson and Natalia in the Park Returo , he’s a lovely boy and I feel quite sad that he can’t be a part of our lives on an ongoing basis.
I visited the Royal Palace, walked the streets and squares. The police are everywhere; people demonstrating and police watching them carefully. Cycling, as you would expect is big and people zooming around on electric scooters. I bought a book at a book stall and came across old guys with stamps and coins in the square. On Sundays the people congregate in the center of the city and eat a meal or drink a beer.
So on to Toledo with a short 30-minute train ride. The old city sits on the top of a hill. It has two large cathedrals, lots of smaller churches and narrow alleyways linking them up. So I spent my time wandering around slowly, recuperating from the stresses of Madrid and Barca. I’m not so impressed with Spanish food, lots of bread, ham and cheese but the architecture takes your breath away.
I climbed the tower of one of the cathedrals despite warnings to people with cardio problems vertigo, senior citizens etc. Toledo is just wonderful, it has such a mish mash of architectural styles and all encompassed in narrow alleyways.
From there on to Segovia by train via Madrid. The train left from a different station which meant catching a taxi from one station to another. There are thousands of taxis in Barcelona and Madrid but on arrival to Segovia there were none. A bus was stood there with Centro on it so I hopped on and then walked up the hill to my guest house. The place is down a narrow alleyway and dark inside with no one around. I rang the number and a lady appeared who checked me in. (sort of). The next issue is laundry and I traipsed around town until I found one which was staffed and friendly.
Segovia is cold with snow on the hills but again a really lovely place. I went to the Alkazar de Segovia, the Royal castle built on an outcrop high above the valley. I climbed the tower and huffed and puffed a bit. I walked the old town and generally sorted myself out with future bookings and transport.
From there another train ride to Salamanca, past hills covered with snow; this time I’m staying in a cupboard next to a main road. Once again, these Spanish cities never cease to amaze with their architecture, soaring pillars, stain glass windows, tombs, paintings. When I entered the cathedral a lady told me that this was the new cathedral which was built from the 16th to the 18th century . So I asked her “when was the old cathedral built?” Mattter of factly she told me “ in the 10th century”. The Plaza Major is a huge square teeming with people eating and drinking. But there are quiet gardens next to the cathedral to sit and ponder. But it’s cold to linger or sit outside. Many restaurants don’t even open in the evening until 8.30 pm
There’s a strong similarity between Salamanca, Toledo and Segovia; all are built on hills and their cathedrals forts and monasteries dominate the countryside. The centers are all pedestrian ways with narrow alleyways leading to squares, some like Plaza Major in Salamanca are huge with masses of people sitting outside enjoying a drink.
I walked to the bus station early on Sunday morning with the temperature -3C and caught the bus with one change to Porto.
Spain is much more than crowded beaches and summer vacations. There are still more fascinating cities and villages to visit in the future.
