Search
Ingrid's world adventure - Spain
Staff member: Ingrid // Trip date: Aug 2011
Ingrid's world adventure - Spain
After leaving Thailand at the beginning of August we flew to Madrid, Spain with Emirates. I have flown Emirates before and found the flight to be very comfortable. Seats were wider than they are on Thai Airways and we also had more legroom. Food was fantastic and there was always plenty to eat. Our transit in Dubai was only 3 hours so again a nice, smooth trip.
On arrival in Madrid we were going to take the metro into the city as we were staying just next to the main train station, Atocha, so we assumed train would be easiest. However when we went to the ticket counter at the airport they advised us that to get to Atocha required two changes on the metro from the airport so it would be much easier for us to take the express bus directly from the airport to Atocha station. It took only 45 minutes and cost just 2 Euros per person. Well worth it after a long flight from Thailand.
Once settled in to our guesthouse we made our way to the station to get our Eurail passes validated and to reserve seats for our train to Barcelona the following day.
Atocha station is very well signposted and there was an information desk where people spoke English and could direct us where to get our reservations which is simply from the ticket office. However this is where we soon discovered, as if I wasn't already aware, why you need to reserve prior to arrival! The queues in the ticket office where ridiculously long. We had to wait almost an hour to be served so it is definitely not something you would want to be doing just before your train departs. Also when we finally had our number called out and went to the counter we were served by a woman who clearly refused to speak any English even though we could see she understood what we were saying and it made it very difficult to try and explain to her what we wanted. However of course all it takes is a little patience and perserverance and we got our tickets with no issues. Whilst reservation fees in Spain were slightly cheaper than what you would pay in Australia I think I would still rather pay that small difference in cost to avoid the hassle of waiting at the station for so long and battling with a language barrier. Particularly as we'd just got off a long flight.
We took the AVE train, which is the name of the major high speed trains which travel across Spain, to Barcelona. The train travelled at 300km/h for much of the journey and if you speak Spanish then you can even enjoy a free movie which they show on board. We were travelling in 1st class with our Eurail Global Passes.
The carriages were very nice with two seats on each side of the train. There was a bar car on board which served drinks, coffee and some food such as sandwiches, chips & chocolate. The journey was just under 3 hours and very comfortable.
When we arrived into Barcelona it was at Barcelona Sants station, which is the main station in Barcelona. It is on the outskirts of the city centre and is easily accessible by metro to all major city centre areas. We took a direct metro line to our hostel which was just off the main street of La Ramblas in the centre of Barcelona. La Ramblas itself is packed with tourists, street performers, souvenir shops & overpriced cafes and restaurants. Great to walk along and explore once but I wouldn't be buying anything on the street as you will find much better and cheaper coffee and Spanish food only a 2 minute walk from the street.
We have visited Barcelona before but it was during the winter months so we wanted to experience Barcelona in the summertime. I have to say, it was well worth it. The difference in atmosphere due to the sheer number of tourists is just incredible.
Some things I can recommend experiencing in Barcelona would be;
Sagrada Familia Cathedral - I think most people have heard of this world famous cathedral originally designed and started by renowned architect Antonio Gaudi and still being completed today. They have been working on this cathedral for more than 130 years and it is said to still have another 30-40 years before completion. We saw the cathedral during our last visit so it was great to actually see the progress over the last 8 years. The interior roof was just finished at the end of last year so in particular that was fantastic to be able to see.
The Magic Fountain - a great free activity, this beautiful fountain is programmed to a sound and lighting show 5 evenings a week during summer. You can see the show every half an hour from Thursday to Sunday beginning at 9:30. I think it stops at midnight.
Park Guell - Again designed by Gaudi, its a great free afternoon out and enjoy a picnic lunch in the grounds perhaps.
If you enjoy art there are museums for both Picasso & Dali in Barcelona.
If you can manage to work your trip around the 1st Sunday of the month pretty much all museums in the city are free of charge! Be prepared though for huge queues during the summer months. Each Sunday certain museums are free during specified hours so if you are going to be there on a Sunday perhaps look up the website and check to see if it provides free entry.
I can also recommend the free walking tours which are offered by various companies around the city. In fact this is a common thing throughout Europe so keep your eyes peeled for them. They provide a great introduction to the city. They are run by other international travellers who are currently living in that city and to make a little money they volunteer to run these tours in exchange for any tips you feel they may deserve at the end of your two hour walk. We did a tour around the Gothic quarter of Barcelona and our Kiwi guide had been living in Barcelona for 12 months and was a brilliant source of information. We even enjoyed a beer with him afterwards and he gave us a heap of tips about different bars and restaurants around the city. Well worth the time.
So our week in Spain soon came to an end and it was time to depart to Austria...
More staff stories
