Bye Bye Barcelona
First off…sorry for the lag. Internet access has been sparse and there seem to have been some server problems. Let me know if you can´t post messages here…
Also…STILL…pictures forthcoming…have to figure out some way to either A)Get Wifi connections more reguallary B)some other method to upload pics (USB doesn´t work because my camera requires software to be installed) 😛
-more-
Finally headed out of BCN. My last few days were fun…full of parties. Usual Friday night mayhem…then Saturday Flo cooked dinner for a few of us. (Actually he cooked enough for an army, oops.) Sunday I organized one more picnic in the park for my last day, and afterwards watched the Barça game. I can´t believe it…I´ve become a bonafide football fan! (No Avri…not that kind of football!)
On Monday morning I caught a train to Valencia. Spain´s 3rd largest city…and my least favorite so far (considering past excursions to Spain too.) Not sure why but I just never got the feel for the city. There´s not a heck of a lot to do, but it was more then that….can´t put my finger on it. I just never got the vibe for it.
On Tuesday…or was it Wednesday?…I went to the new Ciutat Ciéncies an amazing complex with a performing arts space, IMAX theatre/Planetarium, a hands on science museum and HUGE Aquarium. The buildings are absolutely remarkable, desinged by Santiago Calatrava, a well-known Spanish architect. The IMAX theatre was designed to look like a human eye. The Science museum…defies description…something like a bee´s honeycomb fractalized. You can check some pics here. The aquarium is actually a huge marine park and it houses the world´s 3rd largest tank. Lots of weird fish and sharks, along with dolphins and beluga whales…pretty interesting. It was a fun visit, but unbelievably expensive! (It´s around $30 to see the whole complex…crazy.)
Thursday I started trying to ge the heck out of dodge…couldn´t take anymore Valencia. I was close to tears when I was told at the train station that the next 4 trains to Granada (2 days worth) were fully booked. Okay then…bus it is. Got a ticket for an overnight bus and instantly felt better.
I spent the last day in Valencia wandering the city´s greenspace…of which there is quite a lot. The city center is circled by an old river bed. Now that the river is dried up the city has made this land into parks. There´s a roughly 2-3 block wide park snaking around the city…as well as the Royal Gardens and the Botanical Gardens. Let´s just say I walked an awful lot yesterday.
The parks are gorgeous though…I´m starting to realize NYC needs more green. Sure we´ve got Central Park, but it´s all concentrated in one spot. Many of our parks are little more then concrete with some trees.
So, rode the bus last night…pretty crappy ride. Lots of stops…and at each one the driver gets on a microphone, announces where we are, how long we´ll be there and turns on all the lights. Got about 35 minutes sleep in 8 hours.
Still, when I got to Granada I felt instantly happy. I love this city already! There´s arabic art everwhere, of which I´m a fan, and lots of parks, plazas and trees. Also, everyone I´ve encountered thus far has been incredibly nice…seriously, EVERYONE. Saw an adorable, little-old man walking down the street, swinging his cane, singing to himself -and he had a really spectacular voice…it pretty much made my day.
I´m off to really start exploring now. Friday night in a new city…
Cheers all!
*Liz
Tags: Spain
LizG