Barcelona & Andorra

BCN  AND' ORRA

Two amazing destinations and only a short drive between each other. One is obviously a much larger metropolitan centre, full of bars, cafes, tourism sites, and beaches, while the other is a much less frequented destination, boasting tiny streets winding up mountainsides, cozy little villa getaways, and amazingly cheap tax-free shopping for the shopaholics.

Barcelona

This is another place I have been before, and will be going again (actually in about 10 days), but is always an overload for the senses, with an endless array of tiny streets to lose yourself in. The old part of town that we stayed in called El Born, was one of the oldest areas and was host to beautiful shops, bars, and restaurants, scattered among winding streets inaccessible to autos, reserving the right for pedestrians to meander at their own leisure.

The picture is the view out of our apartment in the Born district. It was at the top of a building accessible  by stairs only :) The 6th floor or so, but this was well needed exercise to break of the pastries and beers. The area was also close enough to Barceloneta, the old fishing village built on the waterfront, now amalgamated into the city. This neighborhood backs right onto the beaches of Barcelona, where one can soak in the Mediterranean, eat some fresh paella one of the many restaurants, or simply lie on the beach and fend off vendors of Estrella Damm, not always as cold as they insist it is, always feel for yourself before you finalize the purchase!


 
Of course Barcelona goes beyond the beach though, in fact, I  wouldnt even recommend this beach compared to the ones on the north of Spain; stick to the urban sites, for this city boasts an amazing array of activities and sites off of the water as well. The facades created by Antonio Gaudi are simply marvelous, and the way the city has incorporated this entire abstract and intriguing style into the everyday way of life just adds to the magic of the city. One site I never got to see my first times there was the Park Guell, quite something and an amazing view of the city from the very back and atop a hill (facing the sea).

Although la Rambla is a very exciting and happening place to see while in Barcelona, this time around we did not spend much time directly on the street, for we had limited time and wanted to see a few other things. After a couple days of scrambling around the old town, and eating/drinking as many different things as we could, it was time to find the rental agency and get driving to Andorra. This marked the beginning of quite a hectic and fast-paced 5/6 days on the road.




















Andorra

Andorra was magnificent. It remains a fairly hidden gem when it comes to tourist haunts, as there is no easy entry via airports or major land transit terminals. I'm sure that there are options to arrive with public transit, but for the small size and claim to only one "semi-urban" locale, it does not draw in a lot of overseas tourists, and is more a locals getaway for the affluent Spanish and French citizens to the north and south borders. The economy of Andorra is really based on tourism, as the visible activities during our 20 hours staying within the borders revealed breathtaking scenery, for either hiking, skiing, or mountain biking. When we finally did manage to locate ourselves in the small town of Andorra La Vella (translated as the old Andorra), we were quite satisfied with the view that we had from our living room window.

We lucked out with a cozy little getaway on the top floor of an apartment building, although the place seemed more like a high-class tree house overlooking the rooftops of Andorra. The short time that we did have there was consumed with.. well... consumption (more so the females of the group :p). Thats not to say we didnt spend some time exploring and hiking around our newly discovered surroundings, taking in the scenery and peering into the lives of local Andorrans.

Shopping!

And I did NOT buy this giant bottle of... whatever liquor it is.

Needless to say, the time in Andorra was also way to short and it will require a return visit one day.

Budapest

The short, two day stopover in Budapest was about as cloudy and drenched as the previous two days in Copenhagen. Travelling these two cities was quite refreshing in terms of experiencing their unique respective cultures, although it was the beginning of a cough that I am still fighting to this day (almost 2 weeks later) due to the lack of sleep leading up to them and their cooler temperatures matched with constant rain.

Budapest! It was technically my second time in the city, but I still did not give it the respect and time that it deserved, as I still feel I have yet to really scratch the surface. Budapest, along with Riga ;) are two cities that I will visit again and I am sure of this. The difference between the two is the obvious girth of the latter. Even though the commuter area is closer to 3 million, the city proper is now closer to 1.5 million (having shrunk from the 1980s when it was over 2 million). The history of the city is complex and war torn like many European cities, but the direction of this trendy city is a burgeoning travel destination, and unlike Paris and London, still holds a plethora of potential in the upcoming years of tourism growth.

 One of the first splendors of the city is its metro system. The extensive underground network is one of the oldest in the world, with only a couple lines in the UK dating a few years before it. The system carries you from the suburbs, to the centre, and to all of the wonderful bath houses where you can soak in the thermal waters, and all of this on a system of rickety and noisy train cars that sometimes make you a little edgy as their sides are seemingly scratching the sides of the caverns that they are rocketing through.

 Aside from the history and the ornate bath houses that are an obvious must while in Budapest, the cuisine and the beverage culture are another highlight. I say beverage because it was here that I saw endless tiny streets lined with the scattering cafe tables at all hours of the day (although I admit this is much of Europe). The multi-purposed patio design is set to serve either espressos and cake, or beer and goulash. Depending on the time of day and your particular mood, you can enjoy your caffeine fix or the happy hour Pecsi pint. Either of these events is at such an affordable price you find yourself doing so most of the day, every day, alternating between the two if you can manage :)

The pastries are amazing as well, as the shops hold endless viewing galleries where you can marvel at the variations and different creations from behind the glass. Most of these masterpieces are somewhere around 120 HUF (225 HUF to the CAD dollar). I purchased an amazing rice pudding/caramel/whipped cream/pastry one day and was handed the item next to the one I was interested in. After communicating it was the other one, I was showered with apologetic manners and was given 3 of the one I had actually wanted for the price of one.... It took me the rest of my time in Budapest to finish them as it was quite a lot of sweet, but to this day on my travels they were still my favourite of the lot :)











Budapest was incredible, and I will need to go back one day and spend a good 5-7 days more. I still did not manage to find the little old lady in the plaza that my cousin spoke of, who apparently offers an amazing cottage cheese flavoured ice cream.

All of you planning your next big trip to Europe, put the Buda on your list, you won't regret it!

Friezin beyond Reason (Jurmala)

September 9, 2012 - Jurmala, Latvia



Jurmala is a must if you ever find yourself in the Riga area. Just a short ride out of the city center on an old Soviet-style train brings you to an eerily removed beach town with old couples and families walking along the main street, laden with cafes and restaurants, or strolling the white sand beaches covering kilometers of the Baltic coast.
 

The ride up was a real experience because it was so minimalistic and fairly empty; we also had no idea what the recording was saying each stop and needed to somewhat guess at our stop based on the surroundings and fellow travelers seeking their beach escape in September.

The train station coming back was also something unique, as there really was barely anything there, along with the freedom to walk and sit along the tracks. It was the warmest it had been since we arrived in Latvia, and this was important because I decided to submerge myself in the Baltic that day and take a refreshing bath to cleanse the body and the soul :) 

 I must say it was a little chilly, but in comparison to Vancouver island it wasn't really that cold. I mean we are Canadian right? We can't be phased by a little cold temperatures :)

We were even lucky enough to spot a very nice Uzbeki restaurant that we deemed worthy of a visit. We had never been to an Uzkebi-styled resto, so why not check it out. The food was quite nice, as we wanted to try some new tastes. We ordered veal tongue with horseradish, olives, fresh Uzbeki bread, and eggplant stuffed with 'cheese-mousse'. All together it was a nice little snack to tie us over until our return to Riga.

 All in all a very worthy day trip from Riga, as it was approximately only 3 dollars each round trip. A few more photos of our day and what the surrounding scenery held.

 

Riga, Latvia

This place is amazingly quaint, cute, undiscovered, human-scaled, affordable, and simply... charming! Upon landing and finding our way out of the mini arrivals terminal, we were funneled out past a sniffing dog (I made it through, phew!), and then found ourselves in front of a number of seemingly random bus stops. The first one we walked up to had two fellow backpacker-type chaps, both inquiring as to where this bus would take them. Although we had just landed in Riga, Latvia, the bus was scheduled for a couple destinations, and both were international.... One destination being Lithuania; my question being: why fly into Riga and then take a bus out front the terminal right out of the country? Oh well, my sister and I almost did for kicks :p but I'm glad we didn't because this city rocks!

The next event was our arrival at the hostel. After our half-hour shuttle that we jumped onto from the airport off of a hunch (it read Riga Centre, how could you go wrong??), we found ourselves "downtown", and only needed to ask directions once before we ended up at our waterfront view from our hostel bar :) We were instantly offered welcome drinks so we opted for champagne of course, from the finest Latvian champagne company: 'Rigas' I believe lol. So informative and helpful staff told us about everything as we settled into our new home for the next 3 days.

After our little settle-in, we decided to continue on to explore a wee-bit and were immediately welcomed to the streets of Riga with rain :) this was quite nice though, as we had been in hot Turkish sun for a while now and we had packed our umbrella just in case. We strolled around a while until we came to a little frozen yogurt shop called .... ummm... Yo Yo ( I had to good Latvian Frozen Yogurt there) and decided on some espressos and fro-yos to lift our rainy spirits :)

So after the excellent boost of frozen yogurt and espressos, we continued on to a local Rigan Mall where we purchased some groceries and  beverages (excellent selection might I add ;) If it wasnt for one stray boy (must have been no more than 17; asked me for a little favour.... I hesitated, then proceeded) he was thirsty too, and his girlfriend was accompanying him ;)     After this sketchy encounter we finished our purchases and I felt the need for a washroom. This part was a little funny to me, maybe no big deal but still a little novel just because; When I arrived at the entrance door to the washroom another young lad let me in with a mumble in Latvian language, something while he held the door open ( I noticed that the doorknob needed some sort of local currency insert under normal circmumstances), Anywho, this young lad insisted I proceed on his order without this coinage, as I did my business and exited politely with the customary nod :) He returned the nod and I jotted this kind jester in my blog book lol. I guess this guy stands there and... lets people in because they never removed the paying mechanism... Or I was supposed to tip..... :S Somehow it seemed he was just chillin and happened to be there to shed his knowledge on the matter... Just old washroom infrastructure... Iunno :s

 

Moving on... A beautiful city!

 

These shots occured on our way back from the mall where I assisted the young lad and encountered the interesting bathroom incident. It is truely an enchanting old town with a variety of cafes and eateries to explore.

This is our first day. Maybe there will be more photos soon ;)

Turkish Airlines

I do not do this often, but why not make a brief post of my recently demolished airline luncheon. I have to hand it to Turkish Airlines, I think they are fairly high up on my list for good air-cuisine experiences.

While the initial boarding of the aircraft was somewhat comical (due to random self-seat-re-allocations), I finally found the lonely seat abandoned by the first seat switcher and took my place. After a short snooze and a quick read, we were served a surprisingly tasty ensemble of smoked salmon, yogurt/bean salad, cream cheese, fresh rolls (well not too fresh), beef/eggplant roast with seasoned rice, a selection of wines, beers, and liquors, and a finale of a vanilla pannacotta dessert.

I must say that for a reasonably priced airline (the cheapest flight available from Istanbul to Riga)  this complimentary surprise was quite refreshing :)

Istanbul

Istanbul is a refreshing new experience for me, with the gateway between Asia and Europe failry evident. As I by no means consider myself a scholar on the historical foundations and transformations that have helped to mold and influence what is today known as Istanbul, I still will comment from my past few days here. There are defining points noticeable at this crossroads of continents, with the Islamic call to prayers throughout the day, ringing through streetside cafes and patio bars with European tourists sipping pints of Effes, the local pilsener.

So the first three nights were spent in Beyoglu.... I believe this is right, and it has an amazing view of the city, located atop a breathtaking hill - literally breathtaking. There is a tower called Galata tower that used to be the tallest in Europe, nearly right out front our doorstep that offered spectacular views of the city.

The daily trek to and from the "points of interest" from our landing pad atop the hill regularly involved a trip across the Galata bridge, which brought you to the Sultanhamet area - home to the famous Blue Mosque! Although this mosque is quite a site, if its your first time in Istanbul you will have a difficult time determining which one is exactly the "Blue" one.

 So beautiful no? Yet, this is not the Blue Mosque that thousands flock to see, although beautiful none-the-less. You pass a good two or three of these splendours as you walk from our first flat to the Blue Mosque.

Another day we managed to visit some popular islands south-east of the city called the Prince Islands. We unloaded ourselves at the Heybeliada island and spent the afternoon meandering around the tranquil hillsides and rocky beaches. We even commandeered a little beach hut and dock to pass some relaxed moments while we soaked in the Turkish sun and splashed around in the Marmara sea.

A couple notes of common sightings in Istanbul: the inevitable cats; they have a fair amount of cats, and Im not sure how they keep them so tame and.. well.. 'unmangey'. Cute little things, and they often climb up on you while your sucking back on your Nargile pipe.

Another thought, what is it with the price of cold beer in this crazy place! I know that not everywhere has cheap suds lke those found on the streets of Hanoi, Vietnam, but I still was not expecting comparable prices to that of the LCBO in Ontario, especially when purchasing from the local markets here in Istanbul. This relatively pricey beer has its pros as well, it moderates your consumption even considering the heat :)

Some of the most common street foods found in vendor carts throughout every corner include: Corn (which I unfortunately had a terrible experiece with and could have sworn I was chewing on an old rubbermaid handweight); These little bagel-like bread rolls, basically cold, dense, sesame bagels; and burnt chestnuts were another popular snack, among copious amounts of turkish delight flooding the tourist areas. One particularly tasty treat was the Turkish ice cream stands, where it is more of a show than a product. The performer serving the ice cream is somewhat of an artist in how he swirls the sticky ice cream around a stir stick and then teases you with a sort of cup and ball'ish manner, pretending to give it to you and then pulling it back away, sometimes upwards of 7 or 8 times; eventually could get annoying, but nevertheless entertaining.

I plan to add a few more pictures and stories once I find a laptop with all of the keys and a way to load my other photos from my camera.