Europe by Rail: Week 2 - Spain
May 02 '00
This is the third part in a series of articles I am writing while travelling around Europe for two months
The journey from Toulouse to Barcelona turned out to be more difficult than I had bargained for. The first challenge was to get up on time for a 7 a.m. departure, after a late night out. The next hurdle came at Narbonne - normally there is a train from Narbonne to Port-Bou in Spain, and from there a train to Barcelona. But on this day, for some unknown reason there was no train. Instead, we were to take a bus to Figueres in Spain, from where we would be able to get a train to Barcelona. This turned out to be quite an interesting little detour, as the highway we took was quite scenic. Until the border, on the right (looking west) one could see vineyards with the snow-capped Pyrenees in the background. On the left, the Mediterranean sea was visible. After the border, it was hilly and we passed several hill forts and castles, before reaching the train station at Figueres. I finally made it to Barcelona six hours after leaving Toulouse, one hour later than planned.
You won't be a loner in Barcelona
It is strange how I keep coming back to Barcelona, and always at the same time of year. My first visit was in April 1996. My ticket allowed me to travel to an additional European city for free, and having heard good things about Barcelona, I chose to go there thinking that I would not have the opportunity to do so in the future. It was a short 2 day trip, and I arrived on Dia de Sant Jordi (St. George's day - St. George is the patron Saint of Barcelona), in the middle of a massive street party. It was warm and sunny, there was life and activity everywhere, and I was instantly hooked. By day, I walked the entire city, covering the main places of interest such as the Sagrada Familia and several of Gaudi's other monuments, Parc Guell, the Montjuic area, Tibidabo and of course La Rambla and the Barri Gothic. By night I sat in Tapas bars and watched the world go by. When I think back, I am amazed at how much I managed to accomplish in 2 days.
One year later, I returned to Barcelona, this time for work. And work I did, putting in 16 hour days for 2 weeks, weekends included. But as a "guest" of Price Waterhouse in Barcelona, I got a taste of some of the best food the Catalans have to offer. There's an amazing variety of seafood, but I could live on Pan Tomat (Crispy bread with olive oil and tomato)! Again, the sun shone throughout the 2 weeks I was there, but I was cooped up in the office the entire time except for the final weekend. On that final weekend, I revisited most of the places I had been to the previous time, but using the open topped "Bus Turistic" this time. I made sure to touch the lizard sculpture in Parc Guell, which meant that I would return to Barcelona.
And so here I am, in late April, 2000. The sun is shining as usual, the Sagrada Familia is familiarly still under construction, and the streets are as always full of life. I am here to show the sights to a friend of mine from Madrid who has never been to Barcelona before. For the first time visitor to Barcelona, I really recommend the Bus Turistic pass, which you can buy directly on the bus. Get the 2 day pass. There are two circuits, north and south. Give yourself a day for each circuit, and if you are in Barcelona for more than two days, you'll know which places you want to spend more time at. Together with the bus pass, you get a book of coupons, which you can use to get discounts at various attractions and shops. Once you've seen all the "must see" places, you can relax and really experience Barcelona. What does that mean? To me, it means lazing in a park all day. It means strolling around La Rambla or the Barri Gothic, stopping for coffee or tapas whenever you feel like it. It means taking a day trip to the beach at Sitges and watching the yuppies cruise by in their shiny convertibles. Above all, it means being outdoors at all hours.
This time around, there was an added bonus to being in Barcelona - it was Good Friday, and by coincidence, we went to the Barri Gothic at sunset. And we stumbled upon a Prozessione! That's a ceremony where people of all ages display their faith by carrying heavy floats with figures of Jesus and Mary through the streets. This ceremony can be witnessed in most Catholic areas - especially in southern Spain and in Latin America. It is a feat that cannot be performed by brute force alone, the strength comes from faith and lots of practice. It is an amazing sight to see men of 70 years and above carrying a float which would cripple strong men half their age.
The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain
While Barcelona was sunny as usual, it had been raining for the whole month in Madrid. As a result, Madrid was uncharacteristically green. Arriving on the overnight train from Barcelona, the first thing that hit me on exiting the train was a blast of frigid air. Madrid, on the 23rd April, was the coldest capital city in Europe, with a maximum of 12 degrees Celsius (54 Fahrenheit). Moscow had 20 degrees, much of central Europe had 25 degrees, and even London was 3 degrees warmer than Madrid.
Although Madrid is the capital of Spain, and much larger than Barcelona, it is less cosmopolitan. The tourism industry is not as developed in Madrid as in Barcelona, and you will find it more difficult to get around without at least some basic Spanish. However, that does not mean that Madrid is less worthy of a visit than Barcelona. In fact, Madrid boasts some of the best museums in the world, which even I, a cultural philistine, appreciated and enjoyed. A short walk starting from "Kilometer Zero" (the center of Spain, from which all distances were measured) at Puerto de Sol will cover several famous Madrid sights such as the Plaza Mayor, Palacio Real and the Opera. I wouldn't recommend eating at the sidewalk cafes in Plaza Mayor though - walk 3 minutes in any direction outside Plaza Mayor and you'll get a better meal at half or even one third the price.
Talking about food, something I find absolutely wonderful about Spain is that people eat lunch between 2 and 4 in the afternoon, and dinner after 10 p.m. This corresponds exactly with my body clock while travelling! But for those who want to eat at "normal" times, not to worry - you'll always get a meal in between the main mealtimes. And many tapas places are open 24 hours. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to travel in, say northern Europe and have to eat at McDonalds or not at all if you were not hungry between 12-2 p.m. or 6-10 p.m.
Madrid is a great city, but my personal preference has to be Barcelona. Apart from the cosmopolitan nature of the place and the relative ease of getting around, Barcelona also has a more moderate climate. In Madrid, not only is there a freezing winter and very hot summer, but the temperature range within a day in spring and autumn is very high. If you are out sightseeing, this means you start your day wearing a parka over several layers of clothes and take off a layer every couple of hours, until mid afternoon when you have T-shirt and shorts weather for a couple of hours. Then you start adding layers again in the evening!
Originally, I had intended to travel to the south of Spain, to see some famous places like Granada, Cordoba and Seville. Unfortunately this was not possible for several reasons, and so, my next destination was a 24 hour journey in the opposite direction, to the Netherlands.
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Member: Dominic Lim
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