Book Review: Spain

Buy on Amazon

I know it's doesn't look cool, I know the best way to experience a place is to just go, walk around, explore, but sometimes you just need a guide book. When it comes to an entire country like Spain I recommend one travel book and that is the Eyewitness Series from DK. I have heard people criticize this series, because it is relatively picture happy, but I think in this case it is a good thing. In order to get a complete overview of one of the largest countries in Europe it is hard to read page after page of text and grasp the places you would like to visit. I mentioned in my previous post about Barcelona that I first went to Spain for one simple reason. I saw a picture of the Sagrada Familia and I knew that I had to see that place. Eyewitness has amazing snapshots of some of the best places in the country, whether they are famous buildings, landscapes, local dishes or people. The descriptions of each place are relatively short, but this also cuts out personal opinion and allows you to shape your own ideas through experience. This book is simply a jumping off point, something that you can look over before you leave, place a few stickies in and take with you.

There are a few other features I like about this book. It gives fairly good hotel and restaurant recommendations in the back along with a money guide to inform you how expensive a place is. There is nothing worse than spending months planning for a trip only to get to your hotel and find that your room is too small, too big, to dirty, too smokey and you just cannot bare to stay there. It is so nice to have at least some sort of option (this book includes address and telephone numbers of hotels). I have followed the recommendations once or twice and though a lot are very touristy the majority of them are good. Within the book, in a specific city or town there are also the editors favorite hotels and restaurants and these are highlighted in a bit more detail.

If packing space allows I would also recommend taking a pocket guide of each of the major cities you will be visiting, particularly Madrid and Barcelona, because there is so much to see and chances are you will be referencing the book quite a bit. A smaller book is easier to tote around for the whole day and easier to whip out quickly.

Also feel free to pay an insane amount of money on a laminated city map from your overpriced travel store, but I wouldn't. Granted these maps do last and are waterproof, but they are generally small and are broken up awkwardly and I find a bit hard to follow. The best place to get a map is either at your hotel, hostel or tourism office. You will most likely find one at the airport, train station or metro station as well. Receptionists, tour guides and information desk workers are trained to help you, and please don't be afraid to ask them to mark where you are and where you would like to go, it will save you time and some guess work. I would grab a few maps, because they tend to get pretty warn out and you never know when you will lose something.

Day Trip: Sitges

A quick day escape for the party and beach lover. This small beach side town is touristy along the water, but the old town center and the blue sea make it a great place to get some rays. Only a 30 minute ride by commuter train from Barcelona (tickets cost less than 5 euros). Sip sangria, lick an ice cream cone or just mingle with the various locals and the multitude of european part-time residents.

Day Trip: Girona and Figueres

An inevitable trip for art lovers. Caraques and Figuerres are the homes of the Dali house and museum. It is a surreal wonderland that will leave you wanting more of this infamous artist. Girona is just a train or bus stop away, but it seems like a different world. This is traditional Cataluna. The city is old, the restaurants are great and it was the one time home of world famous cyclist Lance Armstrong while he prepared for the Tour de France.

Day and Night Trip: Granada

Anytime of year is a good time to visit Granada. It is old Spain at its finest. You have the Alhambra, the Cathedral, the mountains, the culture, just to name some of the highlights, but if there is one time of year that I would recommend going it is Easter week (Holy week). I went during this time out of convenience and was surprised to find the city so alive and teaming with people. As soon as it was dark people lined the man street to the cathedral and watched as float after gilded float were carried by on the backs of towns people. The week before Easter catholic Spain turns out all the stops with spectacular parades. The floats are the stages of the cross sculpted out in life size statues (usually made of wood) and adorned with candles and flowers. The floats are preceded by the notorious hooded processors. No matter what you believes it is local culture to the extreme and is a worth while experience.

Day Trip: El Escorial

After my second trip to Madrid I wanted to do something a little different for the day. I took the train with some friend some 30 minutes outside the city to the San Lorenzo de El Escorial which is home to a gargantuan 16th century complex that was once a royal palace, a school, a monastery and a museum. It is still a monastery and museum and deserves a visit. The town itself is charming and quiet, while the Monastery is historical perfection. There are perfectly pruned gardens, a magnificent library and miles of passages ways and paths to walk all day long.

Day Trip: Montserrat

Besides the Pyrenees the mountains of Montserrat are definitive to the region. The bulbous mountains are home to a most serene monastery. The monks here make everything from pottery to soap and other goods. It is also home to an amazing children's choir that you just may be lucky enough to hear if you are there during one of their rehearsals.

.

Spain Month: Barcelona Part 2

5) La Boqueria: This one of a kind market is located off of the biggest tourist trap in the city, Las Ramblas. At times it is unavoidable to walk down this massive street, especially as a tourist, but the overpriced restaurants, pick pockets and vendors selling generally unappealing things make it a must miss. However about halfway down Las Ramblas on the right is the cities largest market La Boqueria. It is a sight to behold. The entrance resembles something to be found in Paris not Barcelona but the inside is a feast for the senses. If I have one word of advice about this market it is look don't buy, in the very front that is. The tourists traps are in the very front of the market, but of course everything there looks the best. There is outrageously expensive candy, tropical fruit for a small fortune, but if you make it past the crowds and can get to the back that is where the good stuff is. It is where the few locals that visit La Boqueria go. There are fish stalls and meat markets with half butchered pigs, carts weighed down with aged sausage and smelly cheese, chefs cooking up the freshest produce of the day, nuts and dried fruits and fresh bread! If you are worried about spending too much with the language gap try asking for a specific amount of something: "I'll have 3 euros worth of almonds" (of course try to say it in spanish if you can.

4) Gracia: It took me too long to visit Gracia. I had a friend who was living in the area and I finally ventured up to meet her one day. Gracia is where the cool kids hang out, but not the pretentious never want to hang out with them cool kids, but the kids you want to be around, the kids you want to be. There is bar after bar, cafe after cafe, gelato shop after gelato shop not to mention music venues, galleries, boutiques, art house cinemas, thrift stores and locals!

3) Tibidabo: High above the city, in the outer limits of Barcelona and directly opposite Montjuic lies the heavenly mountain of Tibidabo. There is of course the amusement park perched on the edge of the mountain and featured in the sensational film Vicky Christina Barcelona and there is the ominous church of the Sagrat Cor (sacred heart), but the best part of Tibidabo is the the trip up the mountain. You can take the metro to the base, but then you have to climb the rest of the way by funicular. The first time I went was the week before Easter and I watch as little old ladies wearing their Sunday best climbed aboard with bunches of laurel leafs in their hands. Once you step of the car you are transported out of the city and back in time. You can take a bus the rest of the way up to the church or you can walk the many trails and roads that take you there and I recommend you walk. There are paths that lead through luscious forests brimming with birds and roads that go by white washed villages and yellow colored storefronts, monks and nuns, school children and just generally happy people.

2) Parque Guell: Yes, more Guadi, you cannot escape him in this city and why would you want to? It is almost always over crowded, can be very dusty and takes a little while to get up there, but it doesn't matter. Parque Guell is more colorful than your most vivid dream. It is a playground of tiles and palm tree, hibiscus flours and parrots. If you are lucky enough to go on a day where there are not too many people, then find a seat on the infamous bench, read a book (yes a whole book) smear your face with sunscreen and just stew in the feeling of having spent an entire day in one of the craziest and beautiful parks on earth.

1) The Sagrada Familia: It is most people's number one, but it truly is one of the most magnificent things I have ever seen. When I was 14 years old I saw a picture of it in a text book and from that moment on I dreamed of the strange church dripping like wax and falling like a sand castle. There are more things to look at than there are minutes in a day, but if you do not go inside (it's ok if you don't, remember this building is perpetually under construction) then just walk around it, look at the doors, decipher the stories within the sculptures, marvel at the sheer scope of the project and then walk to a nearby cafe order a coffee and look at it some more.

Essentials:

Sunglasses

Sunscreen

a secure bag

comfortable but fashionable walking shoes

journal

Best Time to go: Any time of year except December and January (it can get a little cold and grey) October is perfect for missing the tourist season, but you still have hot weather.

Length of Stay: You could go for just a weekend, but I would recommend at least 4-5 days to pack it all in and still feel relaxed.

Book: Divisidero by Michael Ondaatje, his poetic prose will calm your soul.

Soundtrack: MGMT Time to Pretend

Spain Month: Barcelona Part 1

It is the color blue, bluer than anything you have ever seen in your life "have you ever seen a sky like that?" my roommate said to me. I just shook my head and leaned back against the Liechtenstein at the end of Via Laietana near Barceloneta in Barcelona, Spain. Blue is the color of Barcelona. There is nothing better than seeing excitement through someone else eyes. It is an instant moment of pleasure to see a person sublimely happy. It is an experience that can only be outdone by feeling this same supreme elation yourself.

I measure the places I have traveled in my life in two periods, before and after Barcelona. Before I moved there I was a dreamy child and after I was an aspiring adult, but while I was there I was in a different world, where nothing else existed except for the Mediterranean sun, that blue sky, the Catalan language and Guadi. It is a singular city, steeped in tradition and wonderfully stubborn, but modern in it's art and laid back approach to life. I'd chose it over Madrid any day and for one simple reason, the sea. I have lived in many a landlocked place and nothing compares to living your life on the edge, being in a city that is cradled by mountains and vast open water. When you travel outside of these limits you are gone, you are in the real world, but inside of them you are in a place as surreal as any painting or monument.

I could write post as long as a summer day is long, but I will stick to a few places that can and can't be missed.

Top 10 Barcelona

10) Barceloneta: You cannot come to Barcelona and not see the Mediterranean. It is hard to believe, but it is not the most beautiful thing in Barcelona. There is a man made beach and far too many bootleggers lining the pier, but the palm trees, the wind, the luxurious boats and the outdoor cafes are enough to make anyone swoon. Every person that came to visit me during my year in Spain was promptly taken down to the beach and we would drink a beer, take off our shoes and lean into the wind.

9) Montjuic and the Magic Fountain: Ok, ok it is very touristy, but who cares and I guarantee you will find locals there as well. Go on a warm evening an hour or so before the sun goes down. You can climb the steps of the National Museum and look out over the entire city. "So this is what a city of 4 million looks like" exclaimed my mother as we looked over Barcelona. You can explore the spectacular walkways and Gardens surrounding the museum as well as stroll through Olympic park situated just behind. For lovers of modern art go straight down the hill from MNAC to Caixa Forum. After you've had your fill of art and sun find a seat somewhere in the vicinity, wait for the sun to set and enjoy the deliciously cheesy light, music and water show of the Magic fountain.

8) The Gaudi Houses: Everything Gaudi has created is worth a visit, but you can take a quick tour of the outside or inside of Gaudi's three popular houses in Barcelona. Casa Vicens cannot be seen from the inside because some lucky residents get to call this masterpiece home. La Pedrera (Casa Mila) named for it's similarity to rock quarry should be seen from every angle. There are no straight lines in this structure, everything is curved which makes a trip inside dizzyingly romantic. Casa Batllo or Casa dels ossos (House of Bones) is a monstrous structure in the heart of the city. It's outside looks like the skeleton of a prehistoric being, while the inside is cool, calm and commercial (some offices still exists here) as water. After you are done with the house you do not need to go far to see more Gaudi. The lamp posts, sidewalk tiles and manhole covers are designed or influenced by the artist as well.

7) Barri Gotic: It is the oldest part of the city complete with fortified walls. It is also home to the Cathedral. Pay the money to climb to the roof of the cathedral. The views are not the best in the city, but they are different. You are just above roof level and therefore you get a more intimate look at the residence of Barcelona, like who sunbaths naked, what clothes are hung out to dry and who is the best rooftop gardener in the city.

6) Arc de Triomf and Parc de la Ciutadella: This was my neighborhood, so I am a little biased, but I guarantee that there is no better place in the city to take a walk, read a book, write in your journal or just people watch. Parc de la Ciutadella is a lush sanctuary in the middle of the city. It is a fragrant oasis filled with orange trees, bay laurel, and hidden benches. The walkway ending at the Arc de Triomf is a wide open promenade, a perfect spot to eat your lunch and watch the locals take the air.

Bubion: A few more pictures

Want to stay in Bubion a little longer? How about renting this lovely hillside farmhouse!

Could you dream up a better spot than this?

Bubion through the clouds on a morning hike.

Sierra Nevadas: Time for a drink

Spain Month: Bubion

The trip from Granada, Spain to our next destination, the little mountain village of Bubion, was supposed to be a relatively quick drive. We passed from city to country and then crept into the thick base towns and tourists traps surrounding the Sierra Nevadas. After a quick study of the map we began our ascension through abandoned hillside farms and forgotten olive groves.

The road that twisted up the side of the rocky mountains was no wider than the width of our little Passat and at every corner we honked the horn, held our breath and pushed the gas towards terror. It was April, but the weather was warm, even for the south and the snow melted and dripped down the coarse rocks lining the road. My father drove the little car with complete confidence, while my mother prayed to Saint

Luggage with her head between her knees in the backseat. I sat in the passenger seat and leaned

my head over the edge of the cliff to smell the wild r

osemary and to catch a glimpse at the world below.

When we had traveled for quite sometime up this perilou

s path we all craned our necks out the front window to try and see our destination, but there were no houses, no people and no animals to be seen, only an occasional hawk gliding up above. Finally we passed around one long curve and on the other side stood a solitary glass bus stop and a small girl around the age of ten. My father slowed the car and sided up next to the little girl. I smiled in her direction and politely asked "Donde esta Bubion?" in my best accent. She looked at me sideways and then with her hand planted firmly on her hip she pointed the other into the clouds and stated "todo arriba." I thanked her and she continued to wait, and as we pulled away I told my father "all the way up" to which he did not reply, but instead turned to my mother and then back to me and we laughed a little and then nervously proceeded.

My mother chose the town of Bubion, because she saw it was in the general direction we were going. It was a new experience for me, to go someplace I had never heard of, never dreamed of so as we climbed the Sierra Nevadas toward this illusive village I didn't have the slightest idea of what to expect...then finally an apparition appeared before us in the form of a whitewashed

haven.

Bubion is a town of around 100 people all of whom live in connected whitewashed stone dwellings adorned with thousands of dried, red chili peppers and potted flowers. It was a moment of pure love, a feeling I have never forgotten.

Our hotel was the Villa Touristica a three star establishment that blended seamlessly into the town. Our room consisted of a kitchen, a living room with a futon, a large bedroom and very clean bathroom and all for the amazing price of $80 a night (for all three of us) including an a delicious all you can eat breakfast. But on top of the spacious rooms, the cozy decor and the perfect costumer service, the room had it's own front yard, surrounded by hedges and looking out onto the entire length of our previous journey, down the hill and over the valley and at the far end of sight lay the tallest mountain in Spain and to the right of that mountain you could see the Mediterranean and they say on a clear day your eyes might spy Africa. I could never have dreamed of a place where I could sleep soundly in the mountain air, awake

and look out across the end of one continent and on to another.

For me Bubion was a dream, a place lost in time and cradled in tranquility. But be warned! If you do not like wide open space, hiking trails, goats, strictly observed siestas and still going to bed early, then this place might not be for you. Upon arrival we unpacked and took a look around the village to find something to eat. It was around 5:00pm and like everywhere around the Mediterranean it is hard to find a place that serves dinner before 10:00pm.

We passed "cerrado" sign after "cerrado" sign until finally we walked into a small little bar with a woman and her husband sitting and watching the latest soccer game. The greeted us kindly, but then quickly informed us that the kitchen was closed and we could only order cold tapas. We agreed to the restricted menu and the followed her outside. Behind this little bar with an unimposing facade and sparse interior lay a patio drenched in sunlight, beyond clean and with that same view of distant lands. If you haven't already guessed I was the only participant of this trip who spoke Spanish and I tried my best to order a nice early dinner for the three of us. I chose tortilla espanola, chorizo, three tomato salads and of course three beers. We were each on our second beer when out came the couple with what looked like their teenage son all carrying hand-painted full of fresh food. The tomato salad was a work of art covered in garlic and olive oil. The chorizo stained your fingers red from the amount of fragrant dried peppers (probably from a neighboring house) and the tortilla was better than any I had had since arriving in Spain almost year prior. We ate and we drank and all three of us got sun burns on our faces and it is still til this day the single best meal I have ever had in my life.

The next two days we spent hiking and exploring the local farms, sampling the local wine, trying to give the local handy-crafters business and soaking in the sights, sounds and smells of this truly wonderful hidden Spanish wonderland. It is the place that I would like to retire, the place that my mind returns over and over again and the place that with just the mere mention of its name, puts a smile on my face.

Essentials: Backpack
Sneakers or hiking boots
sunglasses
binoculars
cash (not many of the stores or restaurants in these little villages except credit cards)
camera

Best time to go: Spring and summer (late march through October, even though it is in the south it is the highest mountain range in Spain and there can be snow).

Length of stay: weekend/long weekend. If you want to get away from civilization for longer, then by all means stay longer, but Bubion is the perfect weekend getaway from the city.

Book choice: Jeffrey Lent "A peculiar Grace" This story will make you appreciate and understand the beauty of living in a secluded place.

Soundtrack: Band of Horses: Everything All the Time

The Ultimate List of Travel Essentials

"Damn!" you scream, or maybe something far worse, because you have just lost the middle button on your shirt or you've realized that the book you just bought will not fit into your purse, pocket or bag and you have to carry it around in your hand all day. Or maybe you are cursing and screaming because you are in a country where you can not readily buy aspirin and the pharmacist does not understand your crazy hand gestures as you hit your head over and over again trying to mime that you have a headache. There are so many things we would like to take with us while we are out exploring a new place for the day, but we don't want to be tied down with pounds of luggage or fifty items hanging off of our bodies. Granted necessities vary from place to place, but here is my list for the most universally needed and forgotten things.

Chapstick (or which ever brand you prefer) If you are out in the sun or if you have just finished a nice salty basket of English fish and chips then there is nothing you are going to want more than chapstick. There is nothing worse than repeatedly licking your lips all day in hope of hydration.

A sewing kit: I know what you're thinking.."how can I carry around an entire sewing kit with me wherever I go", but believe me you can and you want to. You can buy sewing kits at the grocery store, drug store, craft store and they come the size of a business card. I bought a small plastic sewing kit when the strap on my backpack broke in Mallorca and I refuse to travel without it.

Safety pins: if your sewing kit does not include safety pins, then put some in. There is nothing worse than putting on a dress only to realize you are showing entirely too much cleavage or going to the bathroom and breaking the fly on your pants.

Aspirin: or Tylenol, Advil or whichever brand floats your boat. A headache can come from anywhere. You may have pondered a detailed Archimboldo for too long or studied a subway map too hard, or been up all night listening to barking dogs rummaging through the dumpsters, but nothing can derail a perfectly pleasant day quite like a headache.

Bandaids: I would like to hear of one person on this earth that has gone on vacation and not had some form of cut or blister. Usually they are on our feet and I have had many days in my life where I have let a blister get the better of me. Buy a good brand of bandages or even splurge and get the overly priced heel pads, mole skin or Doctor scholl's products.

A pen/pencil and paper: I'm sure you have been to a bookstore and been tempted to drop some change on a miniature travel journal by some monopolizing brand, but you really only need a 2 X 3 steno pad or even better Mead makes a little notebook with a plastic cover and a spiral binding, perfect for storing your pencil and the plastic cover protects against spills. You never know when you'll want to write something down, like the name of a painting or a place you cannot pronounce which you can politely show to a local with an inquisitive look and wait for them to point a finger in the right direction.

A cork screw: You've just spent 20 euros on a bottle of the best wine Italy has to offer and now you are stuck in your hotel room contemplating how big of a mess you might make if you decide to just push the cork in.

Hand sanitizer, Airborne, Vitamin C pills: You do not want to get sick on vacation.

A pocket sized dictionary: I know that most everyone reading this probably has a smart phone and can translate words in two seconds flat, but if you have no such phone or no reception then please bring a dictionary or at least write down words in phrase in your notebook before you leave. Try to speak the language. It doesn't matter what your accent sounds like or how bad you botch every word, the point is that you try.

A Point on the Globe

You know the game where you take a globe, usually one that is dusty and rusty and welded to the far corner of your bookshelf, and you give it a good hard spin, close your eyes and plunge your finger down to stop the rotation. When you open your eyes you've most likely landed on some vacant part of the Atlantic Ocean, but occasionally your finger picks a point that makes your lips instinctively curl and your heart flutter at the excitement of going to such a place as Finland, Tasmania or even Kansas. Have you ever been to Kansas?

The title for this site comes from the third chapter of Paul Bowles novel The Sheltering Sky. Reading this book gave a perpetual itch to the bottom of my feet, one that has kept me moving and traveling ever since. If every guide book, brochure and travel website read like Bowles' description of the North African desert then the travel industry would certainly be a more lush, heart-breaking and wide open sort of place. The reason why I travel is to see, taste, touch, smell, hear and absorb the real things that are in books, the real images in magazines and the real dreams that are in my head.

I'll admit that it's hard to get excited about going on a trip when your imagination and longing cannot get past the enormous road blocks known as packing, pricing, airports, documentation, vaccinations, and an overall lack of customer service. But through this site I hope to not only give advice starting with picking a location, buying tickets, choosing the best luggage, walking shoes, deodorant and accommodations, but I hope to restart the childhood ambition that we all had when it came to exploring distant lands. A good trip should be more informative than school, more thrilling than love and frightening to the point of being completely exhilarating.