Archive for May, 2008

tropical storm Kaitlyn

Saturday, May 10th, 2008

I wish I could understand Spanish or Catalan or whatever they speak on tv here so I could know what they’re saying about the weather. The wind is so strong the tops of the palm trees are perpendicular to the trunk. The rain is coming down in buckets. It’s got to be like being in a tropical storm.

That didn’t stop us from going to the beach this morning. Oh, no, quite the contrary. Kaitlyn couldn’t fathom weather bad enough to keep one off the sand and out of the water. So we went to show her that, yes, sometimes the weather is that bad. Instead she showed us how stubborn she is.

The wind blew so hard, I could barely walk. I don’t know how Kaitlyn wasn’t blown right over. She and Bill walked ahead of me. When I caught up they were tucked into a corner by the stairs leading to the sand. Even back there the wind was shipping. Kaitlyn didn’t seem to notice as she played in a big hole someone else had so thoughtfully left there.

I walked out toward the water to see what it was like. I was very quickly very sorry. Sand pelted my legs; it stung. A lot. I had to turn my back to the wind because it was impossible to face into it. Back at the hotel, I had a heck of a time getting the sand out of my ears and hair. Bill kept complaining about the sand in his mouth. Very gross.

Guess who had a good time? Kaitlyn. Although she didn’t go into the ocean. And even she didn’t last long in the hurricane-simulator.

like a lighthouse in a storm…

Friday, May 9th, 2008

We’d seen a Starbucks across from the tourist bus stop outside Sagrada Familia and just couldn’t leave the city without going there. Especially since we were sopping wet… a hot drink sounded pretty appealing.

Now, you have to understand: Kaitlyn can turn any experience into a retail experience. We hadn’t even deciphered the Spanish on the menu when she started handing us pink travel mugs and begging for them. I refuse to buy anything else that won’t go in the dishwasher. Besides, where is she traveling that she needs a hot cup of coffee?

Instead of the not-needed travel mug, I convinced her to get a special drink. Since she doesn’t drink coffee or chocolate, this took some quick thinking. I ordered her a cold milk (impossible to find in Europe) with whipped cream on top. (so it would look like the pictures in the store) Gross? Maybe. But she was thrilled.

I got a chai tea latte. Bill got a cafe latte. And we topped it off with cheesecake, a blueberry muffin (no, not the “skinny” one, please) and two packages of caramel cookies.

Silly homesick Americans.

Gaudi tour

Friday, May 9th, 2008

After nearly two hours on the stupid tourist bus, we got off and walked half a block through the rain to Casa Mila… an apartment building built by Gaudi.

There were signs indicating how long the wait is from certain points. The line was around the 30 minute mark… out of the rain and a heck of a lot better than that stupid bus. While we were waiting, an employee came out to warn everyone that the terrace was closed because of the rain. Would we rather come back tomorrow? We’re here… I’m not leaving.

The line conveniently winds past the big windows of the gift shop. Kaitlyn and I went in to pass some time while Bill enjoyed some quiet in the line. Kaitlyn picked out a small foam lizard made to look like a famous Gaudi statue in Barcelona. We haven’t seen the statue yet but she likes the lizard and that’s good enough for me. I bought it.

Once we got inside, we could see this Gaudi fellow had a serious problem with straight lines and right angles. We took an elevator up to the apartment you can walk through… after the elevator operator gave us one last chance not to use our tickets and come back tomorrow because the terrace is closed. I was beginning to think this terrace must be damn spectacular.

In the apartment, Kaitlyn dashed from room to room. She thought the sample of the bathroom was quite funny because the tank for the toilet was way up high. Otherwise, she didn’t stop to look at much for very long. I hope Bill took lots of pictures.

What I think was supposed to be the highlight of the tour was the attic. The audio guide was trying to explain to me what made it so special, but Kaitlyn wasn’t interested in standing still or even walking slow enough for the guide to make sense. “you’re now looking at the blah blah blah” which I’d passed 5 minutes ago. At least the audio guide was included in the ticket price.

Down the street there is an apartment that Gaudi renovated. It’s roof is supposed to look like a dragon. We used that to lure Kaitlyn to that building. We hadn’t planned on going in but there was no line, so in we went. Both Bill and I thought it was far more interesting than Casa Mila. The audio guide told me at one point that I was standing in the most magnificent room I’d ever seen. Quite a bold statement. I mean, that audio guide had never even met me before today. Oh, and we were allowed on the terrace of this building. I’m not sure why the other one was closed. But at least now I know it wouldn’t have been the most magnificent thing I’d ever seen.

long way to go five minutes away

Friday, May 9th, 2008

I had made notes on some guide book recommended restaurants near some of the stops on our route today. Of course, none for near Sagrada Familia. There was no shortage of places to eat…. just a shortage of suggestions. So we chose pretty much at random. I figured wherever we chose had to be better than the McDonalds just out of Kaitlyn’s sight on the other side of the church.

I talked Bill into ordering some tapas to share. I mean, how can you go to Spain and not eat tapas? We got some fried shrimp, crab, chicken and beef. I don’t think Bill liked any of it. He seemed to eat a lot of Kaitlyn’s chicken nuggets. Well, at least we tried it.

From the restaurant, we walked through the pouring rain to the stop for the tourist bus. As we stood there getting soaked, we considered scrapping the bus and just taking the metro to the next Gaudi building we wanted to see. Normally it would have been an obvious decision. But in an effort to save time today, yesterday I stopped at a tourist office booth on Las Ramblas and bought the bus tickets. It was hard to just throw away 53 Euros. While we were debating the value of not standing in the rain, the bus arrived. We didn’t get on that one, too full. But moments later, two more buses pulled up… empty. Someone apparently realized the miserable rain necessitated extra buses. The dry ride put an end to any debate.

The bus was, indeed, dry. It was also packed, hot, stuffy, and had fogged up windows so you couldn’t see out very easily. It’s also a double-decker open top bus… allowing for great viewing in good weather if you sit up top. No one sat up top. No good viewing happened.

The bus was, also, going away from where we wanted to go. The stop we wanted was the last stop before where we got on. That meant we got to ride the entire two hour circuit to get to our destination… probably two stops away on the Metro. Ah, the best laid plans….

Tourist Site that’s a work in progress

Friday, May 9th, 2008

Bill has given up on taking the train into Barcelona. I’m already regretting not just staying there. This morning we drove from Sitges into the city. Thanks to the GPS, Bill found a parking deck right by Sagrada Familia. From there, we could take the touristic bus, avoid the train, and see the Gaudi sights.

The parking garage was just a couple of blocks away from the church. We spotted the church right away; it is too huge to miss. But we had more trouble figuring out where to go in. I had the description of the entrance for people arriving from the Metro or the tourist bus. It took me a couple of minutes to figure out we were on the back side of the building. I should have just looked for the line; that was a give-away. It wasn’t too bad a wait in the drizzle. I’d decided to drag along my guide books to help me get the most out of the sights. It did help me point out small details to Kaitlyn to try to keep her interested.

Inside, you can take an elevator to a platform between two spires. The line was about 2 hours long (so said the sign). The sign also said the trip isn’t recommended for anyone who is afraid of heights. I don’t really know why I even considered riding in the elevator. The long line spared me from that.

The church is a work-in-progress. That means it is a construction site. They would never let people walk right by a hard-hat area with welding going on in the U.S. Here, it’s just part of the appeal. I guess.

gotta PEEEEEE!!!!

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

OK, so the trains were still running when we got to the train station to go back to Sitges and our hotel. All anyone would tell us was “platform 9. free.” Bill finally figured out that there was just a guy standing at the turnstile handing out tickets to people who walked up and said “Sitges.”

We went to this magical platform 9 and waited. A train came and we got on it. I asked Bill if it was a train to Sitges. He admitted he didn’t know. He hadn’t noticed the monitors on the platform telling what train was coming in next. Great. So we rode for a few minutes before we figured out that no, this was not the train to Sitges. It was the train to the airport. End of the line. So we just stayed on the train to wait to go back. Instead of returning to the main station, Bill figured out a closer station where we could make the connection to Sitges. So we got off there. It was a small station… not much more than a platform. Bill found a timetable (so one does exist) and figured out which train we’d need to take… and when the last train to Sitges would be. (So there IS a last train!) Pretty soon, Kaitlyn started dancing around. She had to go to the potty. We dashed up the escalator. The guard told us there’s no toilet in the train station. On the train. We went back to the platform where Kaitlyn’s dance got more and more intense. Even if the train that shows up (it was now late) does have a toilet, since it’s late there’s no way of knowing when it will arrive… or knowing until it shows up if there’s really a toilet.

Finally out of desperation, Bill took Kaitlyn down the platform away from the waiting crowd and behind a big pillar so she could pee like a bum. (You do what you have to do.) She came running back and I saw Bill following far behind, holding something in his hand. I asked Kaitlyn what he was holding and she pulled up her dress to expose her naked self to everyone waiting for the train and announced loudly like only a little kid can do “my underwear!”

The train arrived a couple of minutes later. It did have a toilet.

Las Ramblas

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

After our eating fiasco in Lisbon, we gave ourselves permission to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe wherever we go. There is no shame in missing something familiar. When looking up the address on line the other day, I discovered that you can sign up for a reservation on the Internet. Naturally, I did. When we got to the restaurant (which is right by the Metro stop, very convenient) they had our name on their little list and we went right to our table.

Kaitlyn was excited to have macaroni and cheese. I was excited to have everyone speak to me in clear, precise English. They knew what they wanted to say and how to say it. How refreshing.

Once we were sufficiently stuffed, we took a stroll down Las Ramblas. Rick Steves describes it as a “must.” The first challenge was convincing Kaitlyn that every one of the souvenir stands had the same junk and that there’s no reason to stop and examine everything for sale at each and every one. Next we came across the street performers. She wanted to watch but was a little scared. So I was the one who had to go put coins in the buckets of the women dressed like fairies… who then waved their wands over my head as if that were magical. Kaitlyn liked it.

Then we came to the florists and pet shops. Immediately, Kaitlyn informed us (again) that she wants a pet. We reminded her that there will not be a pet in our home until we move back to the United States. Fine. She accepted that pretty easily. But convincing her not to buy a plant was frustratingly difficult. Finally, Bill acquiesced and bought her this, uh, thing. It’s kinda like a Chia Pet. It’s a head you put in water then after you wait an unspecified amount of time, grass sprouts out of its head. The box showed the grass tied up in bows. Kaitlyn is now convinced she’ll be able to style this thing’s hair like a princess. Oh, I cannot wait!

easy question made impossible

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

We arrived at one of the biggest train stations in Barcelona, if not the biggest. As we were walking through to the metro side, I wondered to myself “When is the last train back to Sitges?” I didn’t see anything remotely helpful… not even the word Sitges… on any of the reader boards we passed. So I posed my question aloud. All I got then was a brief lecture on planning. I walked away from that and marched up to a desk touting in English that it was the place for “brief questions.” The answer to my first brief question “Do you speak English?” was “not really.” Not a promising start. So I plowed ahead and asked when the last train is to Sitges. “Platform 9.” What time? “platform 9. is free.” Is not helpful. I was beyond mad. I pointed angrily at my wrist “WHAT TIME?” “platform 9.”

I gave up on the information desk and walked over to an automated ticket machine. I figured I’d just try to buy the last ticket to Sitges. It didn’t have Sitges in as a destination. Some woman who’s part of a force of “helpers” tried to offer assistance. All she offered was more frustration; she had no clue what we were trying to accomplish.

Finally we just left the train station and figured that we were too tired to be out late enough for the trains to have stopped running anyway.

What a fine welcome to Barcelona.

to the city!

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

After a lunch that was really just a big snack (I ate pretzels and cream cheese), we were ready to catch the train to Barcelona for our dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. Friends who recommended this hotel said that it is what they had done with no trouble. I had tried looking up the train schedule on the internet, but couldn’t make much sense of it, other than to figure out there’s a train to Barcelona a couple of times an hour all day long. So I didn’t worry about it.

Our friends said they had gotten to the train station by taxi. Which was our plan too. But when we left the hotel, we just sorta started walking down the promenade. I guess I thought it wouldn’t be too far to an area where we could find a taxi. We never found one. Not until we got to the train station… nearly an hour later.

After the long walk (including a stop for a hot dog and another stop for an ice cream)… we had to wait for the train. But the tickets were free. I don’t know why. I just was glad to finally be on the way to Barcelona.

to the beach

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

I chose our hotel because it is across a promenade to the beach. What none of the others who’d stayed here and recommended the hotel bothered to mention: the beach next to the hotel is a pebble beach. The rest of the resort is sand. From here, it’s a pretty good walk.

We found this out this morning after breakfast. Kaitlyn wore her bathing suit to breakfast to make sure the beach wouldn’t be far behind. And even though she said she didn’t want to sit outside to eat because it was “too cold,” she insisted it would be fine at the beach.

I went back to our room with a bag of groceries from the convenience store in the hotel while Bill and Kaitlyn took her new shovel and pail to the beach to play. When I went back out to find them I found that the trek to the sand is far enough to eliminate the convenience of the hotel being “on” the beach. We could have stayed somewhere blocks off the beach and had the same walk.

When I finally met up with them, Bill told me to put my feet in the water. It was freezing! And there was Kaitlyn: running, splashing, sitting in the ice water having a grand time. She’d get herself all wet then run back to the beach and rub sand all over herself then run back into the ocean to “wash” it off and start all over. I guess the rock beach would have at least been cleaner.

After a while her teeth actually started chattering and we told her we had to go back to the hotel. She managed to convince us that it would be a good idea to go to the hotel’s hot tub.

While I changed into my bathing suit, Bill put Kaitlyn in the bathtub to rinse a gallon of sand off her and her suit.

We found the hot tub… and found it to be just as icy as the ocean. So was the pool. But that didn’t stop Kaitlyn. She zipped on her swimming vest and got in. I was ok sitting in the sun on a lounge chair, but Bill realized Kaitlyn was actually shivering in the pool. We dragged her out and went inside.

Maybe May is premature for time in the Mediterranean.