Ross Alexander 12/21/16 Ross Alexander 12/21/16

Ross & Kara's Catalan Adventure - Days 7, 8 & 9 : Celebrating a Year Together

A somewhat abridged version of what Kara and I got up to during our last few days in Catalonia. We visit an impressive pair of Cathedrals, eat some good food (and some not-so-good) and I recap on our second trip abroad together.

Tuesday 1st November, 2016 - Girona

It's been a hell of a year for Kara and me, with a wedding that was quickly followed by us getting back to work, then Kara's career really coming into its own, followed by my career hitting a major bump in the road, along with the end of the plan to move to the USA. To add to it all, just before we went on holiday. I was able to find a good QA job that paid well and allows me to continue learning new skills, but unfortunately it meant moving away from my home and the woman I love. It's been a tough time so far, but I feel like I may be starting to settle into a routine. With all of these factors at play, it meant that little bit more to wake up in a warm country with Kara next to me. The old adage of absence making the heart grow fonder may be true, as I miss Kara every day, to the point where I feel like I text her as frequently as I used to when we first started dating.

With the setting of our nice comfortable flat, Kara and I spent almost all the daylight hours just lazing around the place for the most part. We got some laundry done, but we mostly relaxed and ate food. While I did step out of the house to get supplies, we didn't properly leave until around 4pm.

Girona's streets were packed (and I mean packed) with trestle tables covered in art, sculptures, hand-crafted good such as wooden spoons and even little whittled characters. We couldn't even get out of our front door quickly, as a sculptor had set up his pottery wheel just beside it. Kara and I wandered the streets, expecting the stalls to eventually end, but the entire district seemed to be given over to this market, where local artists and creators came together to sell their works of art. It was really beautiful, as there was such a variety of work on display, with the crowds stopping to look over work while the artists chatted amongst themselves. I immediately thought of my mum, who is an artist and would likely appreciate to be in an environment where artists can meet and relax in a warm and beautiful urban space, with the chance of selling some art or maybe picking up a commission.

As we wandered, lost in the city's winding narrow streets, made narrower by all of the stalls, we realised that it was getting dark. After a bit of a climb, we came to the courtyard at the bottom of the stairs that lead to Girona's Cathedral. It was quite a beautiful space, and although Kara couldn't find a good way to get a picture of the Cathedral on our old-fashioned polaroid style camera (which is meant to be our anniversary tradition) we did get a few nice shots of it at night. We made a mental note to come back the next day, where we could visit and get some better light.

We Both Loved Girona's Narrow Old Streets

By this point in the trip, I think we both felt a little guilty that we'd come to a new country and eaten burgers & pizza. We decided to go to Girona's premier (possibly Girona's sole) Indian restaurant; Taj. I think we've probably been spoiled by the quality of the Indian food we get in Britain, but Taj was certainly passable. We enjoyed our curries in a pretty quiet atmosphere, across the narrow restaurant from another couple. Kara and I have celebrated previous auspicious dates with Indian or Chinese takeaway before, so it almost seemed appropriate to spend our first anniversary dinner eating Indian food. Afterwards, we had a nice relaxing walk back to the flat, as the stalls were being packed away into vans and taken out of the streets.

As I fell asleep that night, I was once again warmed with the reassuring feeling that I'd married the right girl.

Wednesday 2nd November, 2016 - Girona

We started the next day by making good on our plan to visit the Cathedral. We wandered up the old cobbled streets to the foot of the stairs, where fans of the TV show "Game Of Thrones" may recognise elements from the show in the architecture. Of course, there's a lot of set dressing and CG that goes into making Girona into King's Landing, but it was very cool to be able to spot the landmarks.

An old villa at the opposite end of the courtyard has been converted into a museum, where there was a showcase of the many movies and TV shows that have filmed in and around Girona. It seems to be a bit of a favourite, due to its narrow, old gothic design; with winding streets and faint air of mystery. The courtyard on the bottom floor was displaying numerous canvas depictions of scenes from Game of Thrones that were shot in Girona. They included some pretty hefty spoilers, so I won't post any pictures. It was very cool to wander around a pretty old building, admiring the lengths they'd gone to in making a varied and interesting document of Girona's cinematic contributions over the years. They even had some cool (in a pretty naff way) props and replicas, including a sickly "White Walker" from GoT, which are already supposed to look pretty emaciated.

We ascended the enormous staircase to reach the Cathedral and went inside. While the streets were full of tourists, we had a pretty relaxing and quiet time inside. The building itself is impressive in its own right, with the second widest nave of any Church (22m). Construction originally began in the 11th century, and due to its geographical location, it's swapped hands between Catholics and Muslims over the last thousand years or so. The courtyards tell the stories of genesis through carvings in the stone pillars that mark the boundary of the cloister. There are a range of heraldic seals that are etched into the stone floors, and the whole building has a real feeling of "history", much like one would expect from a church that's so old.

On the way back down into town, we had a little stop-off at the post office to mail our postcards and visited "La Bombonera" in Independence Plaza. We walked slowly back to our side of town, via Pont Ferro; a bridge that was designed by Gustave Eiffel, eating our ice cream and taking in the beautiful old city. We wandered into a record shop called "Moby Disc", where the records are sold alongside an impressive array of nerdy statues, collectibles, clothing & games. It was much the same experience as visiting Forbidden Planet over here in the UK; mostly it made me feel sad and only served to remind me that I needed to start considering christmas presents for others upon my return.

It was our last evening in Girona, so we decided to follow our hearts when it came to dinner. Of course, this led us to a pizzeria on the old town's main street. "L'arcada" made me a great pizza, which I would heartily recommend to anyone. The restaurant was quiet as we visited quite early. I got the feeling that they keep the place open for tourists and the locals don't show up until later on. Suffice it to say, we enjoyed our dinner!

When we got back to the apartment and finished packing up everything we wouldn't need the next day, I had a feeling of melancholy. I had enjoyed Girona immensely, mainly for the rest and relaxation that we got while we were there. We're not "beach" people, and sitting around for too long tends to make me feel really bored, but with the beautiful surroundings and perfect company, I knew that I'd remember Girona fondly.

Thursday 3rd November, 2016 - Girona to Barcelona

Our return to Barcelona was a much more peaceful affair, with the two of us leaving with an hour to catch our train. By the time we wheeled our clicking, rumbling luggage across town, we still had half an hour to wait before we boarded. Kara pinched my 3DS again and I was satisfied with reading my book and glancing out the window at the Catalonian countryside as the train shot towards Barcelona. We arrived into the city and stowed our luggage before grabbing the Metro towards our last proper stop on the holiday: The Sagrada Familia.

It's with the utmost shame that I admit that it was my influence that pushed us to eat at a KFC that sat at one of the corners of the square that the church dominates. I had come to the realisation that due to the region's propensity for making all of their food from beef or pork, I hadn't had chicken in over a week. This meant that I hankered after chicken more than anything else, so we ordered at the busy counter and went to eat up the stairs. My already "hangry" wife didn't account for the weight of the tray that she was carrying and proceeded to soak a massive part of the upstairs restaurant with orange juice. My concerns faded away as I ate and looked out of the window at the imposing cathedral across the road. The only worry I had was the massive throng of people that wandered around the outside.

I don't think I'll ever forget approaching the Sagrada Familia, walking purposefully across the road to join the queue of people waiting to get in, craning my neck to look upwards at the most impressive cathedral facade I've ever laid eyes on. During the trip, I'd become quite enamored with Gaudi's works, with his unique aesthetic vision and the ergonomics that blended seamlessly with it. The other works of his that we'd visited are unique and beautiful in their own way, but the Sagrada Familia is grand in a manner that defied my own expectations of catholic architecture.

In short, I feel like Gaudi has made no compromises in his design and construction. The building itself is a masterpiece of modern architecture and engineering, with choices that seem utterly at odds with the stuffy, sometimes creepy or macabre nature of catholic adornment. While I've always felt that christian places of worship have a tendency to only celebrate the life of their venerated saints; Sagrada Familia seems to me like a celebration of the concept of life. This is despite some very traditional stories that are told through the sculptures that tell the story of "La Sagrada Familia" or "The Sacred Family".

The first thing that the guides tell you about the building is that it's been under construction for over 130 years, and it's still got a few years to go. Estimates place the completion at around 2026, with more towers and adornment to be added to the outside, further symbolising aspects of Jesus and his life. Despite its status as "work in progress", the building is stunning from the base of its heavy metal doors, adorned with leaves and insects, cast in bronze, to the tips of its 170m tall towers. This height is capped by Gaudi's belief that no work of man should exceed the works of God. I think I just internally rolled my eyes at that when I heard it.

Kara was as impressed as I while we took in the impressive sculptures and marveled at the worksmanship on display. The bronze doors were designed by Etsuro Sotoo, and were only added in the last year or so, but they fit so well into the building's aesthetic that they didn't seem out of place at all, despite the anachronistic nature of building a cathedral over 140 years. It wasn't until we stepped inside that Kara became truly enthralled. The audioguide directed us to consider the supporting columns, designed to look like trees in a forest, giving the impression of being amidst nature, and at one with God. It's not my thing, but moreso than any other place I've visited, this seems like a place worthy of pilgrimage.

We arrived at the Sagrada Familia just as the sun was beginning to dip, hanging low in the sky. This caused the most incredible cascade of multi-coloured light to fill the nave of the church, bathing the sandy coloured stone and everyone inside in a kaleidoscope of colours. Kara's pictures are impressive, but I don't know if anything can do it justice. The glass in the windows is sublime, with incredible clarity and definition that is largely due to its age, but the choice and variation of colour leads to the most amazing patterns that make the place seem truly magical. Kara and I just sat at one of the many benches lining the nave and stared up at the windows while the sun traced lazily downwards.

The rest of the tour is a bit of a blur, really. We saw a glimpse of the crypt underneath the main floor of the cathedral, and I personally enjoyed the modern angular designs of the sculptures on the opposite side of the building, but the light show had really been dazzling. I stood there and recalled it while Kara wandered around the gift shop, picking gifts for folks back home. My reverie was broken quite often by pushy tourists and my own inability to find a peaceful place to stand. Kara seemed upset that I didn't buy anything for myself on the trip, so I got myself a nice magnetic bookmark of one of the cool sculptures outside.

We departed Barcelona's city centre with night falling upon us. We got the train out to the airport and after a little bit of a scare and a couple of phone-calls to the hotel, we boarded the shuttle to our hotel for the night. After accidentally wandering into the gourmet restaurant, dressed like typical tourists, we fled to the "cafeteria" and had a somewhat disappointing dinner, tormented by some persistent flies. It was the most stark installation of a class system I'd seen outside of the UK and it added to the melancholy that we were flying out in the morning. Fortunately, we had a nice evening after pushing our two single beds together to watch "Silver Lining's Playbook" on my little tablet and eat snacks in bed.

We flew out early the next morning, so we wandered around the terminal for only a short while, spent the last of our euros on our travel card by buying an industrial sized box of Lindt and Kinder chocolate. It was a satisfying end to the trip, and although it was grey and cold when we touched back down in Edinburgh, the thought of going back to work or not being on holiday any more wasn't the thought weighing most heavily on my heart. I just wanted to spend another week with Kara, as although absence makes the heart grow fonder, I find that spending time with Kara only serves to reinforce how she is the one person I want to spend (almost) all of my time with.

Ross Alexander 11/20/16 Ross Alexander 11/20/16

Ross & Kara's Catalan Adventure - Day 4: Multidisciplinary Nerd-dom

I get an early start to go look at comic books and games (surprising, I know) before we have a day of wandering around Barcelona's amazing Gaudi exhibits.

Saturday 29th October, 2016 - Barcelona's Old Town

So it's our last night in the center of Barcelona, and we've been celebrating with burgers, as has been our tradition so far. We called in an order to La Central once again, so I got to skip the queue and ran home to enjoy my "Iberico". Kara was not as impressed with her "El Tona" burger, made with mozzarella, pesto and sun-dried tomatoes. We have both sat down to let our creative juices flow while "The Dark Knight Rises" plays on my new tablet. It's been very nice to set up our little home away from home, with a little TV and a table to sit and eat our meals.

The two of us started at a different pace this morning, with Kara hanging out in the flat while I took a couple of hours to do some exploring on my own, knowing that we wouldn't get a chance to go otherwise. The plan was to visit the "Nerd Triangle" near to the Arc de Triomph, where I quickly found that "Norma Comics" and its many nearby comic shops don't open until at least 10:30am. It was yet another example of the strange cultural asynchronicity that exists on the continent. Getting up early doesn't really mean that you'll be able to do more, it just means that you will be waiting outside, staring in at awesome collectors items and books you can't read as they're in Espanyol! I used my extra time to visit the Triumphal Arch, which was certainly impressive, but there was a distinct lack of information to let me know why it was built, or by whom. It had some very cool bat gargoyles, but not much else going on.

When I finally got back to Norma Comics, I spent about ten minutes just gazing at the expensive collectibles in the entryway. They had some very impressive stuff, but ultimately, I felt quite depressed about not being able to afford the cost or suitcase required. I did make a mental note to look up "3rd Edition" when I get home. These guys make books about famous games and their development process, and they're working on translating some of their books on FF7, Zelda & Dark Souls. They're lovely looking hardbacks, so they'll be nice collector's items.

After a little bit of browsing, but not spending any money, I made it back to the flat with some bread and croissants. We enjoyed some lunch before we set out to enjoy some more culture. We started with "La Pedrera" or "The Quarry"; the block-sized apartment building designed by Antoni Gaudi. We had deliberated over the idea of pre-booking a slot to visit, as all of the online reviews had recommended that we do so. We were worried that by booking timeslots, we'd have no flexibility to our daily plan. We got pretty lucky, only having to wait for about half an hour or so to get in, but I read anecdotes about two-hour long waits. Maybe visiting in October was a really good plan!

One of Kara's panoramic shots from the roof of La Pedrera

Some of the impressive chimneys on La Pedrera's roof

The attic museum was cozy, but full of interesting displays about the building.

La Pedrera was great, with ornate styles that are such integral parts of the building, it seems that the building would be unique, even without the vibrant colours that cover so much of Gaudi's work. His design is so multi-faceted, it's amazing. From how light is distributed to the hand-sculpted door handles and incredibly stained-glass windows, he had an aesthetic and practical reason for everything he did. Of course, this trip wouldn't be complete without a trip to an old-fashioned museum, and I was lucky enough to visit the museum of Egyptology. It was a little odd to discover that one of the best collections of Egyptian artifacts are housed in a Spanish museum, but we were pleasantly surprised by a relatively cheap, quiet and peaceful museum with a myriad of wonderful and truly ancient artifacts, including mummies, 4,000 year old stone tablet and even some mummified animals, such as crocodiles and cats. I didn't discover anything new, but it was all still super-cool!

From there, we wandered over to "Casa Batllo", where I expected to have some time before we got to the front of the line. This expectation led me to order a hot sandwich with two pork chops, bacon and cheese. I returned to the line to find us almost at the front of the queue, forcing me to inhalte a hot sandwich in about 4 minutes, right in front of a bunch of people. I must have looked like some kind of pig/man hybrid.

Even the stained glass is designed to balance light, depending on time of day.

The tiles of the lightwells are darker at the top and brighter at the bottom, balancing the light as it gets dimmer further down.

Ceramic mosaic is another theme that Gaudi uses extensively throughout his work.

We left to see the building lit up. The balconies remind me of eye sockets on skulls. That may be Kara's influence, though.

The Casa Batllo is similar in a lot of ways to La Pedrera, with Gaudi's distinctive elements of natural influences and amazing practical and ergonomic embellishments. The unique design comes more from the way each building feels like an entire entity, with the design being consistent across every floor.

This was a good day. It felt a bit strange leaving the house in the morning without Kara, but it was also nice to spend some time wandering the Borne district's narrow streets with very few people out and about, given that it was very early by Spanish reckoning. Kara got a bit frustrated with me on this holiday, as I was stressing over the fact that we weren't squeezing the most out of our time there, trying to see everything we could, waking up really early and being productive. I know that's something that a lot of people want from their holiday, but I also knew that we should be relaxing and that I should stop trying to control how our days went. I think that part of it was that I'd become quite tired of our no-oven, top of a building, mattress on the floor apartment, and I just wanted to be out and about. By the time we got settled in Girona, I certainly felt a lot better about just lazing around like a proper holiday.

Norma Comics is really very impressive, much like the big flagship Forbidden Planet stores over here in the UK. There were lots of cool collectibles in the cabinet, including Metal Gear Solid V statues and some very cool feudal Japanese/Star Wars cross-overs, but by this point, we'd blasted through so much money, just in the course of seeing all the cool stuff, so I was hesitant to spend any more on myself. The comic books were just a tease, though. Some very cool stuff that I couldn't read and I just took notes of so I could look them up back home. One thing I noticed is that the comic book shops in Barcelona all share a deep love of TinTin. I was always more of an Asterix & Obelix fan, growing up, but there were some really nice (and expensive) TinTin models in pretty much every nerdy shop I entered.

The two Gaudi museums we visited were incredible, and I am not one to gush over architecture, especially when it's from the last century, but his work is out of this world. The first thing I noticed was that for every visually striking feature that you see (such as the strangely shaped windows, doors or chimneys), there's always a practical reason to compliment the beautiful design. The second thing I noticed is that the buildings contain a consistency that never breaks you out of the reverie that you feel as you admire the futuristic designs that feel as ingenious today as any modern piece of architecture. I guess Gaudi's idea of starting with the designs found in nature and extrapolating them out into architecture makes sense, when you consider that so much of natural evolution is based on efficiently performing essential tasks. Even the door handles were incredibly ergonomic, looking like half-finished sculptures, easily cradling the thumb and fingers as you open the doors.

The Museum of Egyptology was a real treat for me, as this day had been spent surrounded by tourists in warm buildings, trying to read a sign over the shoulders of people who were stood in front of you. The museum was quiet and cool, with a few people roaming around, and a very small cover charge at the door. While it wasn't the reason to come to Barcelona, I'm a fan of learning about ancient cultures, and the chance to be inches away from a real mummy that's thousands of years old is an enticing prospect.

This entry into the journal ends a little abruptly, but I think it was because I was starting to mentally prepare for leaving Barcelona behind. Much like Rome in 2014, I enjoyed my time in Barcelona, enjoying the sights, seeing unique and enchanting works of art and sculpture, but I am a person who like seclusion and privacy, making the crowds and constant noise a bit of a frustration for me. Combine it with my own awareness that it was silly to be frustrated about crowds in a major city, and I was ready to head off to somewhere more "peaceful". Girona beckoned.

Ross Alexander 11/17/16 Ross Alexander 11/17/16

Ross & Kara's Catalan Adventure - Day 2: On The Buses

We get out and see Barcelona from the top deck of a bus. A reconnaissance mission, you could say!

Getting Our Bearings

Thursday 27th October, 2016 - 21:00 - Barcelona's Old Town

So today felt a bit more like a "holiday". We started the day at a respectable hour, waking up at 9 or so and getting some food before our first proper day of "adventure". I tried my best to have what I recalled was a "proper European breakfast". This basically means "bread, cheese, sausage and something with chocolate in it." Upon trying to warm up my pain au chocolat, I discovered that our oven doesn't bloody work! This somewhat diminishes the good feelings I had about our "home-base". It feels like this place with its 6 flights of stairs, bed on a stack of wooden pallets, broken oven and the smallest shower I've ever turned off with my back, may be a bit of a disappointment. That being said, it has air-con and wifi, so it's swings and roundabouts!

A curious pigeon, and the narrow streets criss-crossing the old town.

We started today with a trip to a small bakery, so that Kara could eat a little "Tarte Poma" before we boarded the bus. We perched on a bench in Placa de Catalunya so that Kara could eat in comfort. I took in the open square with its many statues and pillars. Barcelona's open spaces often seem to be saturated with beautiful embellishments that make the most of the space and exist in a widely diverse range of styles. When we got to the bus stop to board the "Bus Turistic", we realised just how popular the service was going to be. It took us about 30 minutes to get to the front of the line, but once we were aboard, it was a very pleasant experience, as we cruised down Passeig de Gracia, the audioguide speaking about the incredible "Modernisme" inspired buildings, as well as the marvellous lamp-posts, which were designed by Antoni Gaudi. Gaudi's influence is undoubtedly prominent throughout the whole city. Our first bus trip took us along a street with many Gaudi-designed buildings and features, past his magnum opus; La Sagrada Familia, which is the biggest church I have ever seen. I am very much looking forward to seeing it in more detail, but I'm not sure what day that'll be.

A strange and upsetting tradition of throwing your tour headphone away.

Gaudi's Lamp-posts lining the Passeig de Gracia.

We finally stepped off the bus and ascended the hill to "Park Guell", originally designed by Gaudi as a residential area set amidst a British styled garden complex, the park is quite a striking feat. It's a maze of criss-crossing stone paths, set amidst palm trees, cacti and numerous other exotic plants. We didn't end up going into the Gaudi museum there, as we had started quite late and wanted to get as much done as possible while we had the bus ticket.

Gaudi's designs seem natural and unnatural at the same time.

Park Guell is as surreal in its design as any other Gaudi creation.

On the way down the hill, we stopped to get an ice-lolly. There are small stalls and cafes that sell these fantastic lollies, made from 100% fresh fruit juice. I had a multi-coloured lolly, made with kiwi and mango. The kiwi segment still had the black pips in it! Fresh fruit and veg seems to be a prominent part of the cuisine in Spain, with markets and stalls all over. I have read that the supermarkets are seen as an expensive alternative to eating fresh produce. This is something I'd love to see making it across to the UK.

We rejoined the bus tour after a short wander around Park Guell and continued on to "Monestir Pedralbes", but unfortunately it was closed for the afternoon. After a quick tour of the 14th century facade, we rejoined the bus tour and finished up at the bottom of the Barri Gothic, where we left to go and seek our dinner. We are most definitely still getting used to the schedule that Spanish shops and restaurants keep, especially when it comes to feeding time. Since we'd eaten out at a burger place yesterday, we had set out to eat at a place in the Barri Gothic. The place is somewhat ominously called "Sports Bar". Our timing was off by at least 2 hours, it seems, as we arrived at 5.30 and found the staff cleaning up in preparation for the late shift. We decided to take a wander around the old town for a while, and I was disappointed to find that it's often the same copy and paste design, with places selling tacky souvenirs, overpriced hippy clothing, shoes, belts and handbags.

After a somewhat disappointing ramble, we decided to stop at a bakery that had been calling to us for a while, called "Macxipa". According to the paper bag that the food came in, the company has been baking since 1903, and our experience suggested that they've put the time to good use. The food was very cheap compared to the other bakeries that we'd seen, and it's super tasty. I brought a chocolate croissant style pastry called a "Caracola" home for breakfast, and it's tough to resist it. I feel like it will become a frequent stop as it's virtually on our doorstep.

Kara's burger from "Little Bacoa". Her favourite burger of all time.

Kara didn't feel like walking to Sports Bar, so we decided to go to "Bacoa"; a burger bar that I had read loads of reviews for, and I was quite happy for a chance to compare it to La Central. We bought it and brought it back up to enjoy. We are 2 for 2 when it comes to tasty burgers! I can definitely recommend anywhere that makes a burger that Kara will finish without ketchup.

Tomorrow will possibly involve a trip to the Aquarium and one or more of the museums in the Barri Gothic. With any luck and a bit of planning, we'll have another exciting day and lots of great food.

Yes, yes. I know I talk about food a lot, but as someone who doesn't really drink, I find myself enjoying the simple things, instead of local wines and beers. The food in Barcelona is great, especially the burgers we had. It wasn't all good eatin' on this trip, but the first two times we went out for food were great. It really is a big deal for Kara to eat an entire burger sans ketchup, so we'd both really recommend Little Bacoa. La Central was still my top-pick from Barcelona, but that's enough talking about burgers for now.

The bus might be a stereotypically touristy thing to do, but Barcelona is a big city, spread out over a large area. The bus helped us realise where major streets meet, and how we were placed in relation to a lot of the places we'd planned to visit anyway. At 28 Euros for a ticket, it's not cheap, but if you're smarter than we were and get up early enough to make the most of your day ticket, you can take in a lot of sights without worrying about the time slipping away. I was quite sad to have missed out on seeing the Monestir Pedralbes, but the outer building was still gorgeous, and it was nice to have a little bit of peace and quiet at the edge of the city before we boarded the bus back in.

I'm glad we had the respite, because on our bus that took us around the hills, we had to share a confined space with a little English kid who was yelling questions back to his parents who were sat three rows behind us. At first it was kind of endearing, but it quickly became so irritating that I just wanted to get off the bus and wait for the next one!

This day was also our first experience of Gaudi's work, with a drive-by of Casa Batllo, La Pedrera, La Sagrada Familia and a trip to Park Guell. I was impressed by the surrealist visions that jumped out of his work, but this was just a taster of what was to come, later in the trip.