GARGANTUAN steps
Saturday, April 14, 2007
the spanish inquisition
plus ultra
'further yet'
- motto of Spain
A very happy and blessed Easter to everyone! I came back from Spain just two nights ago and having done all my miscellenous stuff, I am back to blogging and putting up pictures of my latest trip, which was an enjoyable break from the hustle and bustle of school.
For all, if not so more myself, a brief history of my time spent in supposedly sunny Spain (but not literally brief).
Day 1 - Barcelona: La Sagrada Familia and Casa Batllo
My trip with Mike and Fon began the night before, where we met Kevin for dinner around my area, and then after bidding Kevin off, they both stayed over, waking up at the unearthly hour of 2 a.m. to catch a night bus to Victoria Coach Station so that we could catch our bus to Gatwick Airport for our flight out at 7 a.m.! That's the main gripe of budget travelling, you get really odd timings for cheap flights, but I'm not complaining! I'm happy enough to even have this opportunity to travel.
We landed in Barcelona just past 10 a.m. and made our way to the heart of the city to check in. For our three nights in Barcelona and also for three nights in Seville, we booked a double bed room but were planning to squeeze three of us in. This was successful for five nights, but failed on our last night in Spain. More of that later in the entry!
We were expecting nice, sunny weather in Spain, but the weather was predicted to rain in Barcelona and we spent our first day soaked in the rain and being cheated by ridiculously priced puny sandwiches. We then made our way on foot to Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia, which is also known in English as the Temple of the Holy Family, begun more than a century ago but is yet uncompleted! Definitely one of my favourites sights of the trip, with the amount of detail and intricacies involved in building this church. It was really astounding and you can truly only enjoy it with binoculars, and in the sun (which we couldn't look up cause of the rain). The rain also ruined our opportunity to climb up one of the towers.
Most of the blueprints were done by Antoni Gaudi (whom I am exceptionally in awe of), what with pillars looking like tree trunks and how he used hanging weights to determine the amount of stress that could be supported by the pillars. You'll have to see his many works of art in Barcelona first hand to appreciate his genius. Hopefully these photos can do him justice.
Me and the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia
The Nativity Facade
(the Passion Facade too is completed, but not the Glory Facade)
Casa Batllo
The second day in Barcelona was not too wet a day, but it was still pretty chilly - especially since we decided to go to the beach! So no shorts or berms for any of us. The morning was spent strolling along La Rambla, which is the most famous street in Barcelona, where we veered off occasionally to see the Barcelona Cathedral, Le Seu (which was under major renovation) and also to the Picasso Museum.
Mike and the Cascada in Parc de la Ciutadella
Horn's Wounded Star at La Barceloneta
We started the next day in the direction towards Nou Camp, which is the largest football stadium in Europe, and also the home of Barcelona FC. After touring the stadium and museum, we were on our way to the a 16th century monastry where we caught a crowd surrounding a fence where the Barcelona team was training. Managed to see Ronaldinho in action! But only from afar.
Fon, me and Mike in Camp Nou
Ronaldinho in blue
(sorry it's quite a blur, but it was difficult getting in front of the crowd)
Mike and the lizard in Parc Guell
We were meant to catch a morning train into Valencia, but all the tickets were sold on the first day we arrived in Barcelona, meaning that we had to catch a later and more expensive train ride into Valencia, which changed our plans for the day instead.
We strolled down La Rambla again towards Port Vell and I managed to have KFC for lunch too!
Day 5 - Holy Saturday and Valencia: The Holy Grail and a proper beach
We went back to the Cathedral the next morning in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the Holy Grail which was apparently kept there in the Capilla del Santo Caliz. The chapel was only to be opened at 11 a.m, so we climbed the Miguelete bell tower first before adjourning to the market to buy our favourite food, baguette with cheese and ham before heading back again to the church.
Day 6 - Easter Sunday and Seville: Domingo de Pascua de la resurrección del Señor at Seville Cathedral, Semana Santa processions and La Alcazar
Reaching Seville in early in the morning, the sun had yet to rise, which was quite surprising seeing that the rest of Europe have their sunrise way before seven in the morning. On our way to our hostel, we heard a band playing and we immediately rushed with our luggages to where the music came from, which was their Easter Sunday procession! The city of Seville celebrate Holy Week or Semana Santa by carrying floats depicting various scenes in the bible, and they have the Brotherhoods (in Ku Klux Klan fashion with pointed hats and covered faces) leading the procession!
Whilst planning the trip for Granada late in the planning phase, I was unable to secure tickets into the the Alhambra (because they only allow a limited number of people in a day and it was apparently extremely packed during Easter). The next best way for me to force my way in was by buying a Granada City Pass, or Bono Turistico, which gave me entry into a few places in Granada, 10 bus rides and a day's ride on the Tourist Bus! Though it was quite expensive, it was quite worth it in the end.
The next morning, we went to the market to get some last minute goods for friends back in London before making our way to the airport in Seville to catch our flight back to Barcelona, where we were to catch our flight back into London.
'further yet'
- motto of Spain
A very happy and blessed Easter to everyone! I came back from Spain just two nights ago and having done all my miscellenous stuff, I am back to blogging and putting up pictures of my latest trip, which was an enjoyable break from the hustle and bustle of school.
For all, if not so more myself, a brief history of my time spent in supposedly sunny Spain (but not literally brief).
Day 1 - Barcelona: La Sagrada Familia and Casa Batllo
My trip with Mike and Fon began the night before, where we met Kevin for dinner around my area, and then after bidding Kevin off, they both stayed over, waking up at the unearthly hour of 2 a.m. to catch a night bus to Victoria Coach Station so that we could catch our bus to Gatwick Airport for our flight out at 7 a.m.! That's the main gripe of budget travelling, you get really odd timings for cheap flights, but I'm not complaining! I'm happy enough to even have this opportunity to travel.
We landed in Barcelona just past 10 a.m. and made our way to the heart of the city to check in. For our three nights in Barcelona and also for three nights in Seville, we booked a double bed room but were planning to squeeze three of us in. This was successful for five nights, but failed on our last night in Spain. More of that later in the entry!
We were expecting nice, sunny weather in Spain, but the weather was predicted to rain in Barcelona and we spent our first day soaked in the rain and being cheated by ridiculously priced puny sandwiches. We then made our way on foot to Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia, which is also known in English as the Temple of the Holy Family, begun more than a century ago but is yet uncompleted! Definitely one of my favourites sights of the trip, with the amount of detail and intricacies involved in building this church. It was really astounding and you can truly only enjoy it with binoculars, and in the sun (which we couldn't look up cause of the rain). The rain also ruined our opportunity to climb up one of the towers.
Most of the blueprints were done by Antoni Gaudi (whom I am exceptionally in awe of), what with pillars looking like tree trunks and how he used hanging weights to determine the amount of stress that could be supported by the pillars. You'll have to see his many works of art in Barcelona first hand to appreciate his genius. Hopefully these photos can do him justice.
Me and the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia
The Nativity Facade
(the Passion Facade too is completed, but not the Glory Facade)
We then proceded to enter Casa Batllo, another work of art by Gaudi, but Mike didn't enter due to the high entry fees. This building is really a work of art, and close to being a living creature! The roof is suppose to be a dragon, to be reminded of St George who is the patron saint of Barcelona.
Casa Batllo
Day 2 - Barcelona: La Rambla, Parc de la Ciutadella and La Barceloneta
The second day in Barcelona was not too wet a day, but it was still pretty chilly - especially since we decided to go to the beach! So no shorts or berms for any of us. The morning was spent strolling along La Rambla, which is the most famous street in Barcelona, where we veered off occasionally to see the Barcelona Cathedral, Le Seu (which was under major renovation) and also to the Picasso Museum.
Mike and Fon on La Rambla
We then went to Parc de la Ciutedella where they too had their Arc de Triomf located north of it. The Cascada within it was quite a spectacle too!
Mike and the Cascada in Parc de la Ciutadella
Horn's Wounded Star at La Barceloneta
We then went to the beach (which was extremely chilly) and also in the hopes of finding some nice dinner which had been recommended, but it seemed more touristy and a lack of authencity and a good price was the major turn off.
Day 3 - Barcelona: Camp Nou, Parc Guell and Montjuic
We started the next day in the direction towards Nou Camp, which is the largest football stadium in Europe, and also the home of Barcelona FC. After touring the stadium and museum, we were on our way to the a 16th century monastry where we caught a crowd surrounding a fence where the Barcelona team was training. Managed to see Ronaldinho in action! But only from afar.
Fon, me and Mike in Camp Nou
Ronaldinho in blue
(sorry it's quite a blur, but it was difficult getting in front of the crowd)
Mike and the lizard in Parc Guell
Parc Guell was another architecture feast by Gaudi, where his work seemed more natural than the surrounding park itself!
We then made our way to Montjuic, which was the site of the 1992 Olympics. We scaled to the top where the castle was located before heading down to see the Olympic Village, which was seriously quite disappointing, looking at how run down the place was. Such a waste of resources and money.
We then made our way to Montjuic, which was the site of the 1992 Olympics. We scaled to the top where the castle was located before heading down to see the Olympic Village, which was seriously quite disappointing, looking at how run down the place was. Such a waste of resources and money.
Me, Mike and Fon at Montjuic Castle overlooking Barcelona
Day 4 - Good Friday, Barcelona: Port Vell and Valencia: Celebración de la Pasión del Señor
We were meant to catch a morning train into Valencia, but all the tickets were sold on the first day we arrived in Barcelona, meaning that we had to catch a later and more expensive train ride into Valencia, which changed our plans for the day instead.
We strolled down La Rambla again towards Port Vell and I managed to have KFC for lunch too!
The Mirador a Colom
(A monument for Christopher Columbus)
(A monument for Christopher Columbus)
Good Friday mass at Valencia Cathedral
Our train touched base in Valencia half an hour to mass and we dragged our luggage half across the city to get to mass which we half couldn't understood, but thanks to Mike bringing the Gospel of John, we were able to follow the long gospel in our own terms!
We went back to the Cathedral the next morning in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the Holy Grail which was apparently kept there in the Capilla del Santo Caliz. The chapel was only to be opened at 11 a.m, so we climbed the Miguelete bell tower first before adjourning to the market to buy our favourite food, baguette with cheese and ham before heading back again to the church.
The Holy Grail
Mike and me under the bell
Mike with a handbag and Valencia City in the background
We made our way to the beach on a tram after lunch and we were not disappointed by the amount of sun, sand and sea! It was really quite a reminder of home and we enjoyed ourselves tremendously (of course it was still slightly cold to go in beach wear. I think it needs to be scorching hot for a beach to serve its purpose!)
Mike and me staring into the horizon
After that, we went to catch a glimpse of the outside of the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, which is a museum which apparently attracts tonnes of visitors. They also have their own version of the Singapore's Underwater World. We then went in search for our elusive Valenciano Paella, but one again, we had a rather expensive but perhaps not so authentic version of it.
Meanwhile, we had an overnight bus to catch to Seville just to be in time for Easter Sunday! A hefty nine hours journey from the east of Spain to the south-west of Spain.
Reaching Seville in early in the morning, the sun had yet to rise, which was quite surprising seeing that the rest of Europe have their sunrise way before seven in the morning. On our way to our hostel, we heard a band playing and we immediately rushed with our luggages to where the music came from, which was their Easter Sunday procession! The city of Seville celebrate Holy Week or Semana Santa by carrying floats depicting various scenes in the bible, and they have the Brotherhoods (in Ku Klux Klan fashion with pointed hats and covered faces) leading the procession!
Jesus Christ is Risen Today!
Hermandad de "El Resucitado"
Brotherhood of The Resurrected One
Brotherhood of The Resurrected One
Easter Procession
La Cathedral de Sevilla
The largest church in terms of volume
We then went for Easter Sunday mass at the Seville Cathedral and we totally had no inkling what was happening, with the priests walking in and out and the mass starting a good one and a half hours from when it was suppose to begin. The church apparently contains the remains of Christopher Columbus, but that has been disproved. It however has the largest altarpiece in the world, but trapped behind a cage which made a frontal picture quite a difficult capture. I like this diagonal profile though.
The Pierre Dancart Altarpiece
Mike, Fon and me in La Alcazar
Following that, we made our way to the Alcazar, which was formally an Islamic fort and castle, and though it is a pale comparison of La Alhambra in Granada, it was still architecturely astounding and gave us a taste of what was in store for us in Granada!
We wanted to watch a bullfight in Seville but the tickets were rather expensive online and they were all sold out by the time we got into the city, so it was quite unfortunate. There were some touts looking to make a quick buck but we didn't buy the tickets from them in the end. Was really looking forward to such an experience, but we did go on a tour in bullring the following day.
Day 7 - Seville: Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza, Plaza de Espana and the mighty buffet lunch
Day 7 - Seville: Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza, Plaza de Espana and the mighty buffet lunch
Matador Mike and Bullish Fon at the Bullring La Real Maestranza
We spent the morning on a tour of the bullring in Seville and got to learn some interesting facts about bullfighting in general. Basically, either the bull or matador dies, but there's been only three cases of the latter in the history of bullfighting, and they kill the cow which mothered the killer-bull (sounds like a bad Chinese ancient plot). Only one bull has been allowed to live to breed.
With nothing much better to do (there really isn't much to do, and thankfully, we didn't spend three whole days in Seville as originally intended), we headed to Plaza Espana which had tiles and pictures of all the cities of Spain in a semi-circle! Photogenic, if nothing else though, this place was.
Mike with a handbag at Plaza Espana
We headed for our 8 Euros buffet lunch to have a proper filling meal, and Mike ate non-stop from 2-4pm, and Fon wasn't too far off from that. I think they (the restaurant owners) now know the real meaning of buffet, seeing how Mike really ate his money's worth. After that, we were all so full, we went to a nearby plaza and Mike and Fon decided to immerse themselves in the Spanish culture by taking an afternoon siesta in the sunshine, whilst I looked at the world go by.
Day 8 - Granada: Bono Turistico, Bus Top Ride and La Alhambra
Whilst planning the trip for Granada late in the planning phase, I was unable to secure tickets into the the Alhambra (because they only allow a limited number of people in a day and it was apparently extremely packed during Easter). The next best way for me to force my way in was by buying a Granada City Pass, or Bono Turistico, which gave me entry into a few places in Granada, 10 bus rides and a day's ride on the Tourist Bus! Though it was quite expensive, it was quite worth it in the end.
Reaching Granada by bus, we went to visit the Capilla Real (Royal Chapel) and the Cathedral, which we had seen enough of in Europe. We then sat on an open-top bus to La Alhambra, which was really an exhilarating experience. I will consider taking them for future visits in other countries!
Mike and Fon on the open-top bus
La Alhambra (The Red - because there used to be nothing but sand in that area instead of the greenery now) is on the vote to be one of the new Seven Wonders of the World (they are having a re-election) and that got me even much more anxious to have a look as to what made it so spectacular. I had to persuade Fon and Mike to part with their money to come here, but looking back, they don't have any qualms with the money spent. This place was another architecture spectacle and its beauty and use of water was really astounding. It really is a must see if you ever do travel to Spain. Remember to book in advance to gain entry into the Palacio Nazaries (Nasrid Palace).
The Albayzin from the Alhambra
Patio de Comares
Patio de la Acequia
in the Generalife (Architect's Garden)
in the Generalife (Architect's Garden)
Fon, Mike and me in the Alhambra
We then went back to Seville after that and this began our 24 hours of extremely bad luck. We were unable to smuggle an extra one of us back into the hostel because we were back late, and we had to go around in the middle of the night finding a hostel with an extra bed and room so that Mike could have a place to sleep at night. It was extremely annoying, but there were worst things to come the next day.
Day 9 - Seville, Barcelona and London: Utter Delay and Utterly Forgettable Day
The next morning, we went to the market to get some last minute goods for friends back in London before making our way to the airport in Seville to catch our flight back to Barcelona, where we were to catch our flight back into London.
Our flight was delayed by a dismal two hours and we were compensated with a sandwich and a drink from the airport cafeteria. Our plans to head back into the Barcelona city centre thus had to be pbecause a lack of time.
We thought our luck had changed when we were allowed to catch an earlier flight back to London (if we weren't delayed by the flight back to Barcelona, and also the baggage delay, we would have been able to catch a 6.20 p.m. flight instead of a 10 p.m. flight back to London). However, much to our dismay, this flight too was delayed by 1.5 hours! It was really a "xui" (the Hokkien word "chui" to mean pathetic, but spelt with an "x" because of the Spanish spelling). Even the motor vehicle which was suppose to push the aeroplane away from the terminal broke down and it was a really horrendous feeling. The extremely long queue and incompetent staff at Stansted Airport did not help much either. They had only one counter opened for International travellers as compared to six counters for the EU members, and they were only required to look at faces instead of stamping their passport. How utterly ridiculous!
All in all, Spain was quite an adventure and eye-opener. I won't be going back there anytime soon though, but I hope one day to see the Sagrada Familia in its completed state! And of course, hopefully attend mass there! It has been fun travelling with Mike and Fon, especially with the "xui"-ness of everything, eating baguettes every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and 3D-rice (three delicacies fried rice or more fondly known to Mike as "San Xian Chao Fan")
Now, back to studying for my exams right after the holidays (this arrangement really puts me in a foul mood).
Labels: Alhambra, Architecture, Art, Barcelona, Church, Europe, Friends, Granada, Seven Wonders of the World, Seville, Spain, Travel, Valencia
