Spain
We’re back from a week of holiday in Spain and what a trip it was. Right out of Zurich our flight was overbooked so we got bumped. It’s perhaps because I booked these tickets last November when I saw a round trip Zurich-Barcelona was selling for 98 CHF (or about $80, so how could I resist?). We still got to Barcelona that Saturday night, but were first rerouted through Frankfurt. Ever wonder how much your time is worth? Apparently to Swiss Air, it’s 100 CHF an hour per person. So…4 hour delay equals 800 CHF to us or about $640. Minus the 98 CHF for our flights, and we were actually paid $485 by Swiss Air to go to Barcelona. Why doesn’t this happen to me more often?
First thing Sunday morning we left by rental car for Madrid to catch a bullfight. We had read about bullfighting and the Plaza De Toros in advance so the culture of the event made it feel not so brutal to me. We only watched three matadors before we had enough though…
Our next stop was to Valencia for some much desired beach time. We also got a chance to see the amazing City of the Arts and Science complex and visit the aquarium there. While it was a choking 22 Euros to enter, we did get a chance to see an entertaining dolphin show.
We also spent a half day in the nearby town of Bunyol for the annual tomato throwing festival called La Tomatina. This event draws in a great mix of about 30,000 locals and tourists – many of which were youth groups. An unfortunate highway pile up prevented us to arrive in time to get a good view/spot for the fight. However, we did crush in with the crowds and definitely got the flavor for the one hour of over 100-tons of tomatoes being tossed at each other.
Our final stop was back to Barcelona where we made a spectacular meet up with 2 friends and U.S. coworkers, Andrea and Brent. Due to a lack of cell phone availability for our traveling buddies, we kept missing messages to each other on how to meet up while they are on their European extravaganza. Miraculously, as Matt and I worked out our directions through the network of metros in the city, Andrea somehow recognized as they passed by to connect to a platform. We expected it would take a couple of hours for us to actually get in contact with each other and meet up while in the bustling city of Barcelona. The odds of us meeting by chance stunned us all.
The next stop for us was dinner and a pub in which your table has it’s own personal draft. You can pull the spicket to pour your own beer while the LCD scoreboard in the corner records how many liters your table has drank. We were ranked first until a group of 9 guys sat down, didn’t take long for them to overtake us!
We also visited the Picasso Museum which proved quite interesting. The 3,000 piece collection covers all stages of his career. In addition, we saw some great representations of Spain’s famous architect Gaudi. In particular was the Sagrada Familia. This cathedral (in the making as it's only partially completed) represents his well known style of a Dr. Seuss curved lines and tile mosaics to amplify designs inspired from nature.
Last night we finished off our trip with Andrea and Brent by drinking wine at the steps of the national art museum while watching a colorful light and water show at the fountains. It was one of the best parts of the trip for me.
Today we’re back. Our friend (and another coworker) Christine arrives any minute for a quick visit. A weekend break for her while on a new rotation assignment to Geneva.
Tomorrow bright and early I’m off to Paris for a week to dog sit the adorable Loki. Cheers!
The bullfigher in Madrid attempts to demonstrate his skill by turning his back to the bull
An Old Town square in Valencia
The dolphin show at the CAC aquarium in Valencia
La Tomatina comes to an end - check out the guy in the suit with his son on his shoulders!
A view over Barcelona before the water fountain show began
The facade of the Sagrada Familia
Brent and Andrea enjoying their beers at the beer house in Barcelona where you can pour your own beer at the convenient tap located at your table
Scenery from the city park where we took a picnic
The outside of one of Gaudi's famous designs
The water fountain show accompanied by music and changing lights was magical
First thing Sunday morning we left by rental car for Madrid to catch a bullfight. We had read about bullfighting and the Plaza De Toros in advance so the culture of the event made it feel not so brutal to me. We only watched three matadors before we had enough though…
Our next stop was to Valencia for some much desired beach time. We also got a chance to see the amazing City of the Arts and Science complex and visit the aquarium there. While it was a choking 22 Euros to enter, we did get a chance to see an entertaining dolphin show.
We also spent a half day in the nearby town of Bunyol for the annual tomato throwing festival called La Tomatina. This event draws in a great mix of about 30,000 locals and tourists – many of which were youth groups. An unfortunate highway pile up prevented us to arrive in time to get a good view/spot for the fight. However, we did crush in with the crowds and definitely got the flavor for the one hour of over 100-tons of tomatoes being tossed at each other.
Our final stop was back to Barcelona where we made a spectacular meet up with 2 friends and U.S. coworkers, Andrea and Brent. Due to a lack of cell phone availability for our traveling buddies, we kept missing messages to each other on how to meet up while they are on their European extravaganza. Miraculously, as Matt and I worked out our directions through the network of metros in the city, Andrea somehow recognized as they passed by to connect to a platform. We expected it would take a couple of hours for us to actually get in contact with each other and meet up while in the bustling city of Barcelona. The odds of us meeting by chance stunned us all.
The next stop for us was dinner and a pub in which your table has it’s own personal draft. You can pull the spicket to pour your own beer while the LCD scoreboard in the corner records how many liters your table has drank. We were ranked first until a group of 9 guys sat down, didn’t take long for them to overtake us!
We also visited the Picasso Museum which proved quite interesting. The 3,000 piece collection covers all stages of his career. In addition, we saw some great representations of Spain’s famous architect Gaudi. In particular was the Sagrada Familia. This cathedral (in the making as it's only partially completed) represents his well known style of a Dr. Seuss curved lines and tile mosaics to amplify designs inspired from nature.
Last night we finished off our trip with Andrea and Brent by drinking wine at the steps of the national art museum while watching a colorful light and water show at the fountains. It was one of the best parts of the trip for me.
Today we’re back. Our friend (and another coworker) Christine arrives any minute for a quick visit. A weekend break for her while on a new rotation assignment to Geneva.
Tomorrow bright and early I’m off to Paris for a week to dog sit the adorable Loki. Cheers!
The bullfigher in Madrid attempts to demonstrate his skill by turning his back to the bull
An Old Town square in Valencia
The dolphin show at the CAC aquarium in Valencia
La Tomatina comes to an end - check out the guy in the suit with his son on his shoulders!
A view over Barcelona before the water fountain show began
The facade of the Sagrada Familia
Brent and Andrea enjoying their beers at the beer house in Barcelona where you can pour your own beer at the convenient tap located at your table
Scenery from the city park where we took a picnic
The outside of one of Gaudi's famous designs
The water fountain show accompanied by music and changing lights was magical
posted by Jill Nachtman at 9:59 PM
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