23 March 2008: We arrived to Barcelona, Spain, on Wednesday and got a new keyboard to attach to my laptop. Boy, this will be fun to carry around! But, we’re back in business! Yea! Now, I have to get used to typing on a Spanish language keyboard where many keys are different. Anyway, let me try to catch up since when the keyboard stopped working.
Tuesday night, we were still in Oto, in the middle of the Pyranees mountains. I thought we were just going to get some free Wifi, tapas and drinks at their restaurant. Sean wanted to see what else they had to eat and all the sudden we had the whole family coming out with a full-on home-cooked dinner! Though not fully sick, I think I had one baguette too many in San Sebastian. I don’t do wheat very well, but there’s fresh hot baked bread around every corner, so it’s hard to avoid. I felt like the universe delivered what I needed when this nutrient-dense and stomach soothing bowl of chicken soup sat in front of me. Next, some type of meat and potato stew. We didn’t know it was until everyone started giving the universal sound “Baaaaah”. Yep, it was sheep. And, it was pretty good for having sheep for the first time. Actually, I first thought it was oxtail, as it tasted just like what my mom used to make. After dinner, Muriella-Marta, cook, mother and the lady who seems to run everything, sat at our table for some conversation. She didn’t speak English and we barely speak Spanish, so we all struggled with language issues. Still, it was great to connect with this wonderful soul anyway!
Wednesday, we were on a mission to get back to civilization, to Barcelona. We blew all the cash we had on dinner the night before, except for a few coins. The ATM wasn’t working for us AND we read that, if pulled over, the police can demand bail on the spot. If you don’t have enough, they can impound your vehicle and take you away. It ended up being approximately 420 kilometers, but we made it. We went from being in the middle of the mountains (passing by many cars with skis/snowboards on their cars, wishing we were one of them!) back to flat land real quick! It’s interesting how those Pyranees seem to shoot up from nowhere. From flat land, the landscape then turned dessert-like. We think this part of the land was undersea at one time. Yeah! We were getting near the Mediterranean!
We arrived at Vilanova Park, a large luxury mega campground 40 minutes outside Barcelona. They had an indoor pool, carwash, petting zoo, etc. And yes, they took credit cards. But, their ATM machine STILL wouldn’t give us cash! We would have loved to stay, but we were only allowed for one night, so we never really got to see what they had to offer. They were fully booked after that because of the upcoming Easter weekend. Oops! I guess we should have planned better, but at least we had a place to stay that night.
Thursday morning, we were back to finding a campground for the weekend. We got lucky at El Masnou, 20 minutes on the other side of Barcelona, where they didn’t have a problem with us staying for the weekend. Definitely, there’s a different vibe at this place, more like a sleepy Mexico-like campground. But, it’s across the street from a sandy beach and the train that takes you into town in 20 minutes and we’ve got the best spot in the house – up on the terrace overlooking the beach.
Our next mission was to test out the train, get into town and stock up for Caitlin’s arrival since we figured everything would be closed for Easter Sunday. We made it into town, but everything was closed that day too. It look us a day to figure out why, but they were closed on Friday for Good Friday, open on Saturday and then closed again for Easter Sunday and the Monday after (which is also a national holiday). I should have known, since Caitlin was born on a Good Friday! At least, we were entertained with a walk down La Rambla, their huge main pedestrian street with not only the “standard” all-gold painted street performers but lots of other freaks in every size, shape, color and gimmick. This street was sooooo packed with people, it was crazy! I don’t know if it’s like that all the time, or if more crowded with the Easter holiday. But, if you ever go there, hold on to your valuables and loved ones TIGHT!!! San Francisco is so mellow compared to Barcelona!
Saturday, we went back into town while stores are open again. After the computer store for a keyboard, we went to La Boqueria, which is the largest market in Spain. It’s like a Farmer’s Market in California, except huge, under a roof and on steroids. SO HUGE, so crowded, but SUCH fresh, yummy-looking food! We got strawberries, veggies, fresh-pressed juice, a rotisserie chicken (“Best ever!” according to Sean), more olives, some of the best fresh-baked bread so far (yes, more…), jambon (ham), etc. We opted for lunch at a restaurant in the back called La Gardunya. It felt like we waited forever, but I think that’s their standard pace. Anyway, it was definitely worth the wait! Sean had Paella Valencia and I had this sopa de fruita del mar (seafood soup) and THE freshest salad I’ve had so far. I’m sure they get all their ingredients right there. Last, we followed up with a trip to El Corte Ingles, a large department store in the center of the city, not for shopping, but they have a Supermercado (grocery store) in the basement for some organic wine, olive oil and other essentials.
Then our next mission, to get to the airport! It was pretty strange getting on an airport shuttle with groceries instead of luggage. But, we got there at least an hour before Caitlin’s flight. After waiting almost an hour, her plane should have been landing. But for some reason, something didn’t seem right, don’t ask me why. I stopped by an information booth and found out we were in the WRONG terminal! I could just imagine my poor daughter in a strange country for the first time alone, sitting there wondering where we were and neither of us had phones that work in Spain! Fortunately for us, her plane was delayed for almost an hour. So, we picked her up, he had her first Spanish train ride “home”, ate dinner, talked her ear off all night (Sean and I have really only talked to ourselves for over a month!) and showed her some of our pictures. It’s going to be a tight fit in the camper now, but I think we’ll live.
Tuesday night, we were still in Oto, in the middle of the Pyranees mountains. I thought we were just going to get some free Wifi, tapas and drinks at their restaurant. Sean wanted to see what else they had to eat and all the sudden we had the whole family coming out with a full-on home-cooked dinner! Though not fully sick, I think I had one baguette too many in San Sebastian. I don’t do wheat very well, but there’s fresh hot baked bread around every corner, so it’s hard to avoid. I felt like the universe delivered what I needed when this nutrient-dense and stomach soothing bowl of chicken soup sat in front of me. Next, some type of meat and potato stew. We didn’t know it was until everyone started giving the universal sound “Baaaaah”. Yep, it was sheep. And, it was pretty good for having sheep for the first time. Actually, I first thought it was oxtail, as it tasted just like what my mom used to make. After dinner, Muriella-Marta, cook, mother and the lady who seems to run everything, sat at our table for some conversation. She didn’t speak English and we barely speak Spanish, so we all struggled with language issues. Still, it was great to connect with this wonderful soul anyway!
Wednesday, we were on a mission to get back to civilization, to Barcelona. We blew all the cash we had on dinner the night before, except for a few coins. The ATM wasn’t working for us AND we read that, if pulled over, the police can demand bail on the spot. If you don’t have enough, they can impound your vehicle and take you away. It ended up being approximately 420 kilometers, but we made it. We went from being in the middle of the mountains (passing by many cars with skis/snowboards on their cars, wishing we were one of them!) back to flat land real quick! It’s interesting how those Pyranees seem to shoot up from nowhere. From flat land, the landscape then turned dessert-like. We think this part of the land was undersea at one time. Yeah! We were getting near the Mediterranean!
We arrived at Vilanova Park, a large luxury mega campground 40 minutes outside Barcelona. They had an indoor pool, carwash, petting zoo, etc. And yes, they took credit cards. But, their ATM machine STILL wouldn’t give us cash! We would have loved to stay, but we were only allowed for one night, so we never really got to see what they had to offer. They were fully booked after that because of the upcoming Easter weekend. Oops! I guess we should have planned better, but at least we had a place to stay that night.
Thursday morning, we were back to finding a campground for the weekend. We got lucky at El Masnou, 20 minutes on the other side of Barcelona, where they didn’t have a problem with us staying for the weekend. Definitely, there’s a different vibe at this place, more like a sleepy Mexico-like campground. But, it’s across the street from a sandy beach and the train that takes you into town in 20 minutes and we’ve got the best spot in the house – up on the terrace overlooking the beach.
Our next mission was to test out the train, get into town and stock up for Caitlin’s arrival since we figured everything would be closed for Easter Sunday. We made it into town, but everything was closed that day too. It look us a day to figure out why, but they were closed on Friday for Good Friday, open on Saturday and then closed again for Easter Sunday and the Monday after (which is also a national holiday). I should have known, since Caitlin was born on a Good Friday! At least, we were entertained with a walk down La Rambla, their huge main pedestrian street with not only the “standard” all-gold painted street performers but lots of other freaks in every size, shape, color and gimmick. This street was sooooo packed with people, it was crazy! I don’t know if it’s like that all the time, or if more crowded with the Easter holiday. But, if you ever go there, hold on to your valuables and loved ones TIGHT!!! San Francisco is so mellow compared to Barcelona!
Saturday, we went back into town while stores are open again. After the computer store for a keyboard, we went to La Boqueria, which is the largest market in Spain. It’s like a Farmer’s Market in California, except huge, under a roof and on steroids. SO HUGE, so crowded, but SUCH fresh, yummy-looking food! We got strawberries, veggies, fresh-pressed juice, a rotisserie chicken (“Best ever!” according to Sean), more olives, some of the best fresh-baked bread so far (yes, more…), jambon (ham), etc. We opted for lunch at a restaurant in the back called La Gardunya. It felt like we waited forever, but I think that’s their standard pace. Anyway, it was definitely worth the wait! Sean had Paella Valencia and I had this sopa de fruita del mar (seafood soup) and THE freshest salad I’ve had so far. I’m sure they get all their ingredients right there. Last, we followed up with a trip to El Corte Ingles, a large department store in the center of the city, not for shopping, but they have a Supermercado (grocery store) in the basement for some organic wine, olive oil and other essentials.
Then our next mission, to get to the airport! It was pretty strange getting on an airport shuttle with groceries instead of luggage. But, we got there at least an hour before Caitlin’s flight. After waiting almost an hour, her plane should have been landing. But for some reason, something didn’t seem right, don’t ask me why. I stopped by an information booth and found out we were in the WRONG terminal! I could just imagine my poor daughter in a strange country for the first time alone, sitting there wondering where we were and neither of us had phones that work in Spain! Fortunately for us, her plane was delayed for almost an hour. So, we picked her up, he had her first Spanish train ride “home”, ate dinner, talked her ear off all night (Sean and I have really only talked to ourselves for over a month!) and showed her some of our pictures. It’s going to be a tight fit in the camper now, but I think we’ll live.
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