Wednesday 27th July – Australia v Sri Lanka Day 2 First Cricket Test
Well the weather is okay today so it is off to the cricket for day 2 of the test match. My driver was running a little late because he grabbed a last minute fare down into town. Nevertheless I wasn’t too late in picking up Shane and Rhoda from Perth who have been gracious enough to share the day and the tuk tuk with me. We arrived at the stadium at 9:55 and to our chagrin the game had started at 9:45 and Steve Smith was dismissed just before we took our seats. It was a good morning for Sri Lanka as they took a couple of early wickets before Marsh and Voges consolidated the innings with a 50 plus partnership.
After lunch the fall of wickets continued and we were all out for 202. Nathan Lyon added a few timely runs to nudge us over this psychological barrier. There was 30 minutes before the tea break which meant our fast bowlers could really have a go at them. Hazlewood claimed the first wicket to have Sri Lanka at 1 for 6. That was all she wrote as the rain started to fall immediately after the wicket fell. Shane and I ordered a couple of beers in an effort to wait out the rain. It was to no avail as the days play was abandoned at around 3:45. I had preempted the state of play and our driver showed up at 4:05 and took us back to Kandy. It looks like I will get to use my day 3 ticket after all. Shane and Rhoda are moving on tomorrow but we may catch up on day 1 in Galle.
Tonight I have invited my driver out for dinner and the location of course is the Garden Café. It was another decent meal which set me back the astronomical sum of Rs 660 ($6).
Thursday 28th July – Australia v Sri Lanka Day 3 First Cricket Test
Well I still can’t believe the irony that the cost of the entrance fee to the cricket is eight times cheaper than my tuk tuk ride which got me to the game on time to watch the first over of today’s play. Australia soon had an early wicket and Sri Lanka was reeling at 2 for 6. We were looking the goods when Mathews departed with the score now 4 for 86. The sun was shining and the pitch was drying out which made it a little easier for the batsmen. Mendis was riding his luck and playing a gem of an innings.
Lunch game and I spent Rs 150 on a chicken burger and Rs 100 on a chocolate cornetto. At this rate I will be able to stay in Sri Lanka for another six months, only joking Alice. Play started again and it was all Sri Lanka with Mendis scoring his maiden test century. Our bowlers were looking fatigued but finally Marsh achieved a breakthrough just before tea to have the opposition at 5 for 203.
After tea Mendis carried on and passed 150 in what was arguably his finest innings. At only 21 years of age he maybe the next star for a team that had seen so many star players recently retire. I thought we would see a full day’s play today but just before 4:00pm the oval was shrouded in darkness due to thick grey rain clouds. We did manage another wicket in this session before play was halted at 4:00pm. It was Sri Lanka’s day with the score at 6 for 282 and Mendis not out on 169. There was nothing left for me to do other than to call my driver and return to the hotel.
Friday 29th July – Australia v Sri Lanka Day 4 First Cricket Test
At this stage I am not sure if I will go to the game today. It has been raining this morning but at the moment although overcast it is not raining. The weather report is predicting thunderstorms after lunch so even if they do start on time which is fifteen minutes away it may not be worth the effort to attend. I will keep an eye on the Cricinfo live summary as well as the weather to determine what happens today.
The rain did come down again but play eventually got underway around 11:00 only to be interrupted by another shower. They took an early lunch and managed to get a session of play in. Australia eventually removed the Sri Lanka tail enders and ended up with a score of 353 with an overall lead of 267. Australia started shakily losing Warner cheaply and at stumps when bad light stopped play at 2:59 we were not in a good position at 3 for 83. If Australia is to win this match then one of the team has to score a big hundred.
My decision not to go to the game today seems to have been justified as there were less than 40 overs bowled for the day. Instead I decided to get some exercise by walking to and from the centre of town. It was a pleasant walk as I found a path that led to a road that led to the lake. There is a decent walking path beside the lake and from that point it was only a ten minute walk. After checking out a few places I stopped for some lunch and a juice. With lunch over I wandered around for a bit and found the vegetable market which seemed to be located on the roof of a parking lot. The veggies looked good but the rubbish and filth that was laying about left a lot to be desired. Nearby I found a shopping mall with brand name stores and cool air conditioning. I didn’t buy anything but both tourists and local were trying a few things out. The fifth floor is a work in progress but I don’t think it will be long before the food court is open
It was getting dark and it appeared that a storm was imminent. I fast tracked it back to the lake and the steep climb back to the hotel. On the last section of the path I saw something on the edge slither amongst the long grass and rubbish. I tentatively walked over and on closer inspection saw it was a 1.5m Cobra (I think). There was never any doubt that I would give this customer a wide berth. A few minutes later I was safe on my patio and enjoying a cold beer.
Saturday 30th July – Australia v Sri Lanka Day 5 First Cricket Test
It was raining when I woke up early this morning but after breakfast it started to clear up. There appears to be enough sunshine out there to ensure we get a result. My faithful tuk tuk driver delivered me to the ground just before 10:00am. I didn’t have to hurry to my seat as the covers were still on. At 10:45 play started and we were soon in trouble when Voges knocked one back to the bowler. Smith and Marsh were playing okay and while they were at the crease we looked like we could chase the total down before tea. My thoughts of victory were short lived as Marsh, Smith and Starc were all back in the pavilion just before lunch. Smith was the only Australian player to score more than 50 and ironically this was the second top score of the match.
After lunch Lyon quickly departed and then O’Keefe struggled to the wicket nursing his torn hamstring. It was only 1:15pm and although it is dark, rain does not look imminent. Can anything save the Aussies. Ironically the partnership between Neville and O’Keefe where they only scored 4 runs in 29.4 overs, itself a record of a different sort nearly saved the match. They made it to 3:00pm but unlike the other days the rain stayed away. With their dismissals Sri Lanka went 1 up in the series and thoroughly deserved their victory. The Aussies will have to improve their technique against spin bowling if they are to be any chance of winning.
Back in Kandy it was a change of venue for dinner as I could not do another curry tonight. It is a bit sad but I had a burger, chips and a beer. Now that is what I call a healthy dinner.
Sunday 31st July – Slow Train to Ella
I was up nice and early this morning as I have to be at the Kandy Railway Station at 8:00am to try and purchase a ticket to Ella. My first priority was to have a decent breakfast as I have no idea on how appetizing the food on board will be. It was another good breakfast at the Sandamadala Inn with a truck load of fruit. I squirreled away the bananas so I could snack on them later. I enjoyed my stay here and would recommend this place for a Kandy stay. My bill came in at Rs 35,413 ($315) for six nights, a beer and a load of washing.
My favourite tuk tuk driver had me down at the station just before 8:00. There was already a good sized queue so I knew there was no chance of a second class ticket. The line was moving reasonably quick and when my turn came I understood why. The only tickets available were third class standing and cost Rs 240 ($2.15). I said goodbye to my driver and found a pot to pass the time while I waited for the train which was due to depart at 8:47. As the time got closer I could see that standing would mean standing for the majority of ticket holders like myself. The train pulled into the station bout ten minutes late and as the passengers were alighting I seized the moment and jumped on board. Using my big backpack as a mini battering ram I was able to secure a seat next to three Sri Lankans. There was room on the overhead racks for both my bags. Sometimes it pays to be like the Chinese and elbow your way into a seat.
The train departed about 15 minutes late but that is not a big issue as the trip is scheduled to take around 6.20 hours. We were not long into the journey when the first of the hawkers came through the carriage with his basket of cold fried savoury goods. It did not take me long to purchase a deep fried concoction that was a little dry for my taste buds. A couple of hours into the journey and we had lost a few of our Sri Lankan brothers which meant that most of the standees now had a seat. That lasted for about thirty minutes as we had an influx of passengers at a stop in the middle of nowhere. My space has been invaded by a Hindu family of five.
At least I can see the magnificent scenery through the window which is why you undertake this 130 km journey. The trip takes you through the hill country of Sri Lanka and it is dotted with small villages and tea plantations. There are also plenty of small waterfalls, pine and second growth forests. After all the recent rain and there has been more today the landscape is very green. As we approached the high point of the journey the clouds ended up below us nd blotted out the landscape.
When we reached the highest elevation of the trip I was surprised by the number of Chinese who boarded the train for a short tourist trip. They looked disappointed when they realized that they would be standing for the remainder of the trip. The train was now full and the Chinese who had jumped on full of smiles now looked tired and irritable. The reason was that for the past hour the train has been stationary at the station. It is only a one track line and we had to wait for a train coming up to pull into a siding so we could pass on the way down. There was a big cheer when we finally got underway again. We pulled into Ella around 4:30pm which meant that we were about 1 hour 10 minutes late. I was amazed at the number of tourists who disembarked as I remember there were only a small number when Alice and I did this journey in 2012. Exiting the station was a bit of a nightmare as there was a diligent station master and assistant collecting tickets. The only problem was that they were funneling this mass of people into a small choke point. It was made worse by the fact that they had closed half the gate so you had to leave singly. My verdict of the journey is that it is a great trip but don’t go on a weekend and only go if you have reserve seating in any class.
I had a rough idea where my hotel was and knew that I could not walk there carrying my large backpack. I also knew the tuk tuk fare was Rs 200 but surprised when the driver quoted 400. With a laugh that implied I know that you are fleecing me I accepted the price and jumped into the speedy three wheeler and headed off to my accommodation. My budget hotel has the quaint name of Lucky Star Ella and sits on a ridge overlooking Ella Rock and The Gap. The king size bed looks very comfortable and with the curtains open I can gaze out over the valley. There is also a small patio where I can stretch out and just relax. I decided to stay at the hotel for dinner and enjoyed roasted chicken (I ate it) with vegetable noodles and a small desert. That was washed down with a cold “Tiger Black” beer that they had put into their refrigerator for me. After such a long day on the slow train I was ready for bed nice and early.
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Monday, August 1, 2016
Sri Lankan Vacation - Diving, Culture and Cricket
Saturday 16th July – Dubai to Colombo
One good thing about the upgrade is that the stopover in Dubai is more pleasant as I can make use of the business lounge for a couple of hours. The shuttle train whisked me over to terminal B where I entered the biggest lounge area that I have ever seen. I didn’t know that many people flew business class. After a light breakfast and a couple of coffees I needed to take care of another kind of business. It was unbelievable there was a queue of men lined up to use the toilet. For the time it was taking I thought that some of them must be giving birth. The shower however was a different matter and I was soon luxuriating under a steady stream of hot water. I felt a lot better and more equipped to handle the next 4.5 hour leg to Colombo.
Nothing really to report except that it was a relaxing flight that landed on time. I had pre-booked my visa on line and made a bee-line for the immigration counter. My only problem was that I had not filled in the arrival form. After grabbing one I rejoined the queue at the end of the line. Fortunately it wasn’t long and I was at the baggage carousel soon after. My bag was one of the first off and in no time I was in a taxi heading for my accommodation in Negombo.
My room at the Alexandra Family Villa is very reasonable considering the price. After settling in I adjourned to the courtyard and struck up a conversation with an Australian couple who are around my age. I did find out that they would be attending the cricket in Galle and I have been invited to join their group if we spot each other. The weather is very muggy and you don’t have to be out for long to work up a layer of sweat. Before dinner I went for a walk and hired a tuk tuk driver to get me to an ATM and the bottle shop. There are not many around of either and the bottle shop has more security than the ATM. I was a little tired from lack of sleep on the flights so I had an early dinner at one of the many restaurants on Beach Road. The two beers and grilled calamari were both good and reasonably priced at $11. A nice shower to remove the beads of sweat and grime from my person was the perfect end to a big couple of days.
Sunday 17th July – The Overnight Rattler
I’m in no hurry again this morning as I have nothing planned. The Sri Lankan breakfast provided by the manager’s mother was great. It consisted of string hoppers, roti, dahl and a pot of black tea. My room has been booked so I am unable to use it after midday. As a courtesy I vacated around 10:00 and stored my gear in the living room. Jude the manager will arrange the use of a shower for me later this evening.
To kill some time I decided to treat myself to a 75 minute massage. The premises were very up market and made you feel like that you were in a day spa. The male masseuse was excellent and nearly put me to sleep. Alice would be proud as my skin drank up lots of essential oils. I had more oil in and on me than my old FB Holden “The Rocket”. The cost for the massage was 2100RP ($20). After a refreshing cup of peppery herbal tea it was off to the beach. I did not stay long as the beach was not very appealing. It is monsoon season for the west coast which means that conditions are very ordinary. At Negombo this meant that the first 20metres of water was full of silt. You would have to be keen to swim in this. Also the beach was littered with plastic most likely washed up with the big tides.
After a couple of hours at the hotel catching up on the diary I returned to yesterday’s restaurant for a dozen barbeque prawns. As I was finishing up a mature woman asked if she could join me. Turned out she was from Mullumbimby and was just finishing her vacation. I excused myself as Jude will be driving me (4000rp) to Colombo Fort railway station at 7:45pm. After the promised shower we were off and travelling down the new tollway into Colombo. Prior to arrival I had booked a ticket through a British agency to travel overnight from Colombo to Trincomalee on the east coast. I was a little concerned about this arrangement as I had to show my passport and quote a booking reference at the ticket office. There were no problems and at 9:00pm the train pulled into platform 3 ready to depart at 9:30pm. I had no trouble locating my sleeperet seat and there was plenty of room for my luggage. I had visions of my seat reclining to a position where I could stretch out. Nope, the total recline was about 150mm which basically meant that I was sitting up. To make matters worse there was absolutely no wiggle room. I could have killed for a Spanish train. The only good news was that there were plenty of vacant seats which meant no one was seated next to me. Once we were underway none of this mattered as we lurched, squealed and rattled along the track towards Trincomalee. There is definitely a reason why they are called ‘rattlers”. After trying countless possible sleeping positions of which none worked I resorted to using my backpack as a pillow, laid down with my back on two seats and my legs hanging over the edge on the floor. Contortionist I am not but I did manage a couple of hours sleep.
Monday 18th July – What About a Dive
The train pulled into Trincomalee station a little after 6:00am. It was an hour late, thank goodness as I did not want to get to my hotel too early. In no time a tuk tuk driver had attached himself to me and 400rp we sped off to the Angel Inn Beach Hotel. It was only 6:30am so I banged on the reception door and woke up one of the staff who was asleep on a floor mattress. My check-in time is not until 11:00 so it looks like I will have to wait until one becomes available. I have put my spare time to good use by having breakfast, booking a scuba dive and checking out the beach. My room was ready about 10:00 so I showered and rested before heading off for my dive.
The crew was waiting for me and they soon had me set up with a full kit of gear. Some of the gear especially my fins are looking a little tired but they are functional. We headed out to Butterfly Reef which is virtually straight out from the beach. It is a shallow dive of about 12m and had plenty of tropical reef fish and soft coral. Also saw nudibranch, stonefish and a small moray eel. The visibility was not great at around 12m so only a two star rating for this 5000rp dive.
In the late afternoon I went for a long walk towards Trincomalee. It was typical Sri Lanka with all sorts of shops straddling each side of the main road. Horns were blaring with tuk tuks, buses, motorbikes, bicycles, cows and pedestrians all vying for space anywhere along the road. I found a supermarket and bought some water and snacks. On the way back I purchased some Rambutans (50rp) from a roadside vendor which were fresh and juicy. My candlelit dinner tonight was down on the beach in front of the hotel. A plate of grilled calamari with some rice and salad which was washed down with a bottle of water. It was more expensive than what I have become used to and set me back 1320rp. I have noticed that there is a 10% service charge on all food and drinks so there is no tipping required from this old fella.
Tuesday 19th July – Double Dive and a Triple Dose of Bad Luck
I arranged breakfast for 7::00 this morning as I am booked for a double dive just after 7:30. When 8:00 rolled by the dive master informed me that he had changed the time to 8:30 to accommodate some more bookings. He sincerely apologized and arranged a cup of tea for me. This is the first dose of bad luck because 9:00 came and went just as quickly. Lucky for me that it is a good view overlooking the beach. I was then informed that they were waiting for a Chinese group who were going snorkeling with us. We were eventually on our way at 9:45 and I was suitably unimpressed. More than two hours wasted just sitting around doing nothing.
Luckily for me I managed to stay calm so that I could enjoy my dive. When I hit the water at Swarmi Reef I could feel all the tension in me dissolve. This dive site gets its name as Hindu temple , Koneswaram sits on a cliff above the dive site. To the Hindus it is a sacred site and the ocean floor is littered with statues that have been cast down from the temple. There were plenty of fish and a decent swim through which made the dive more interesting. I also saw Lion Fish, two very large spotted moray eels, spotted Stingray and a very fine Pipe Eel. The dive time was around 45minutes with visibility around 15metres. My rating for this dive is three stars.
Our next dive was literally around the corner and is known as Geek Reef. This was a relaxing dive at about 12m and with around 12m of visibility. The dive took around 40 minutes with plenty of reef fish, a swim through and a large spotted Moray Eel. This dive gets another three stars. When we were finished we had to go back to the first dive site as our Sri Lankan diver had dropped his new underwater Go Pro and had not realized it until later. Boy, do I know that feeling. Fortunately one of the crew did a search and managed to retrieve it for him from the not so murky depths.
We arrived back at the dive shop just after 2:00 and you would not believe it bad luck 2 had occurred. Some slimy so and so had decided that my expensive pair of Soul thongs would suit The guy who was in charge of the shop while we were diving offered me his own thongs. Of course I took them, not as I did not have the heart to deprive him of his footwear. Lucky for me that we had an afternoon shower which meant the soles of my feet would not be burnt on the normally hot sand.
After a brief rest it is back to the main road in search of water and a new pair of thongs. I managed to find a pair that set me back 180rp ($1.60). They look good enough to last the remainder of the trip. I decided that I would like some king coconut juice and would you believe it bad luck number 3 occurred. As soon as he knocked the top off the coconut I was covered in juice. It went into my hair, face and shirt but all I could do was laugh. Maybe I should not go out for dinner tonight.
I did go out for dinner and chose the cheaper main road option. My meal was a nice piece of grilled tuna and a litre of water. It was sweet dreams tonight.
Wednesday 20th July – We Are Sailing
Prior to leaving home I had come across a trip on a large catamaran that operated out of Trimcomalee. Yesterday afternoon I managed to secure a spot on their giant loop excursion which departs at 6:30am. It is a seven hour trip and costs 7,500rp (approx$70). I awoke at 5:30 and just after six headed down to the main road to hire a tuk tuk to take me down to Koneswaram Bay. The first guy I hailed gave me a price of 100rp which is very cheap. I suspect that he did not really understand me. In fact he did not as he was taking me away from the beach. In the end we worked out and we arrived with time to spare. The crew sent in the zodiac which ferried myself and eight from the Netherlands nation to the “Pearl” which would be our home for the next seven hours. One word can describe this excursion and it is fantastic.
We were no sooner on our way when breakfast was served. It was a decent cup of coffee and a vegetable frittata. As we headed out into the murky depths I could see all the dolphin and whale watching boats cruising around. They are basically runabouts with a big motor which race all around trying to find these elusive denizens of the deep. It looked very uncomfortable as they bulldozed their way over the ocean. Meanwhile our crew knew what they were doing and we were soon treated to a spectacular show from the bottlenose dolphins who were porpoising at the bow of the catamaran. We also were lucky enough to see big pods of spinner dolphins and a lone Bryde’s Whale which was missing a dorsal fin. We had some spare time so we headed out into deeper water in search of more whales. Unfortunately that came to an end when the boat inadvertently became entangled in a fishing net. I thought that the fishermen would be angry however they were quite amicable. The skipper donned his snorkeling gear and had to cut away the net that was tangled around the propeller. After that incident we headed back to the shelter of the bay below the temple where we anchored up for the next 2.5 hours.
This gave the chance for the Inala boy to emerge and I was soon diving off the top deck into the crystal clear water. Some of the guests went snorkeling but I was more interested in the stand up paddle board. I had some good fun for 30 minutes and only managed to fall off once. It doesn’t really matter when the water is 28 degrees. There is also a kayak for those who have plenty of energy to burn. For me it was time to relax over a cold beer while I waited for lunch to be served. It was a grilled whole fish that had been purchased from the market this morning and it was delicious even accounting for those pesky bones. Desert followed and so did our return to Koneswaram Bay. It was a great day out and a fantastic way to see the dolphins and solitary whale.
www.sail-lanka-charter.com
Back on land I headed over to Fort Frederick which is currently a base for the Sri Lankan army. In olden days it was one of the biggest walled forts in Asia. It was built by the Portuguese in 1623. The famous Koneswaram temple is located inside this fort. This Hindu temple was earlier known as the temple of thousand Pillars. According to historical information the Portuguese had demolished the old Koneswaram temple and they built the fort with this. It is a decent uphill walk to the temple but there are plenty of vendors who will try and tempt you. The temple itself is very colourful with plenty of Hindu gods overlooking everything. The views from here are to say the least panoramic.
My day finished with the hiring of a tuk tuk driver and a search for an ATM that would dispense some rupees for me. Dinner tonight was back on the main road where I took a safe option of wood fired pizza.
Thursday 21st July – Moving On
My room was neat and tidy with wi-fi, cold water but funky shower, air conditioning which is a must here and a nice patio area. On the downside they could use some storage space for bags and there was an issue with small house ants. I could not complain about the price as it was 14,000rp for three nights. It is a beachfront property and about 800m from the main group of beach bungalows at Uppuveli. My taxi to Anuradhapura showed up early but for a change I was ready to go. It is about 115km journey and the fare is 8100rp which is about $73.
The drive was quite pleasant and the highway was in good condition. The landscape is so different from Spain with all the coconut trees, forest and roadside stalls. We stopped at one and my driver, Champ bought me a freshly cooked cob of sweet baby corn which they cool down in a basin of salty water. There were no holdups on our journey and it wasn’t difficult to find Secret Sanctuary, The Resort where I will spend the next two nights. The hotel is in a quiet location and my room is very pleasant. The manager also arranged for a driver to come around so I can organize my plans for the next four days. Thirty minutes later there was a knock on my door and in no time we had mapped out a rough itinerary which would start this afternoon. Basically I will have a driver and a new car to explore all the key sites in the region, two nights accommodation and a drop off at my hotel in Kandy. I have to pay for my meals and entrance fees. I did not haggle on the cost as Rs 35,000 ($315) seemed reasonable to me.
Abbi my portly Sri Lankan driver picked me up at 4:30pm and we went off to explore Mihintale (Rs 500). It involves a steep climb, so my driver recommended me to visit it at this time of the afternoon to avoid the midday heat. The Stairway is a series of flights, 1843 ancient granite slab steps lead majestically up the hillside. On the second landing I took on the services of a guide (Rs 1000), it is also where the monks’ refectory is located with huge stone troughs that the lay followers kept filled with rice for the monks. Nearby, at a place identified as the monastery’s relic house, are two inscribed stone slabs erected during the reign of King Mahinda IV. The final steep stairway, lined with frangipani trees, leads to the place where Mahinda and the king met. The Ambasthale Dagoba is built over the spot where Mahinda stood. The bodhi tree to the left of the base of the steps is said to be one of the oldest surviving ones. From here there is a fantastic view over the lakes and trees to Anuradhapura, a horizon studded with the domes and spikes of all the massive dagobas. The guide did prove valuable as he had to race back up the steps to retrieve my camera that I had left on a bench whilst putting my sandals back on. There were also plenty of resident Macquae Monkeys, Langur Monkeys and a lone giant squirrel.
There is not much nightlife close to the hotel so I decided to take a chance on their restaurant and ordered a vegetable curry for dinner. Abbi the manager even went out and purchased two beers for me. I enjoyed one of them sitting out on the hotel patio in the pleasant coolness of the early evening. When I received the call for dinner I could not believe it. There were six different bowls of curry and a mountain of red rice. I managed to eat about half of the food and I would have to say that it was the best meal I have had in Sri Lanka
Friday 22nd July – Go Buddha, Anuradhapura
I have a new driver today whose name is Sumith and he is Abbi’s brother in law. It was 8:00am and we were on our way to avoid the crowds as well as the heat. Our first stop was at the sacred temple of Maha Viharaya (admission Rs 200) which also has a Bohdi tree and a small rock temple. There is also a small museum with some great carvings especially one known simply as “The Lovers”.
There is so much to see here in Anuradhapura that it would drive me bonkers trying to describe all of it so I will try to keep it brief. The next site is supposed to be the most important temple to the Sri Lankan Buddhists and is called Sri Maha Bodhi. It is home of the sacred Bodhi tree which is central to Anuradhapura in both a spiritual and physical sense. It was grown from a cutting brought from Bodhgaya in India and is said to be the oldest historically authenticated tree in the world. Mahavihara is the heart of ancient Anuradhapura and is often the scene of religious ceremonies, which draw masses of people dressed in their finest. Tomorrow is supposed to be a big day. Relics here date from the 3rd century BC to the 11th century AD.
For the sheer delight of exploring an ancient city, much of it still enveloped in tropical forest, the 2000-year-old Abhayagiri Monastery area can’t be beat. A ruined 9th-century school for monks northwest of the Abhayagiri Dagoba is notable for having the finest carved moonstone in Sri Lanka and it is also where I took a break and had a thirst quenching king coconut. A couple of more stupas, a palace and a museum and we were done for the day. It was only 12:30 so we had a quick lunch before returning to the hotel. I spent the rest of the day catching up on washing and other mundane tasks. Another superb dinner at the hotel, a chat to a Dutch couple who were cycling part of the way around Sri Lanka and I was off to bed.
Saturday 23rd July – Stone Buddha, Rock Caves and the Gathering
My account at the Secret Sanctuary came to Rs 10,037 ($90) which included breakfast, dinner and lodging for two nights as well as four large ones. The manager was great and I would definitely recommend this hotel. Sumith picked me up at 8:00 wearing a big toothy grin and soon had us on our way towards Aukana. He was right about the big festival today because as we were heading away from Anuradhapura there was bus after bus going there. Apparently the people are coming from all over the island. After a 90 minute drive we reached our destination.
According to legend, the magnificent 12m-high standing Aukana Buddha (admission Rs 750) was sculpted during the reign of Dhatusena in the 5th century, though some sources date it to the 12th or 13th century. Aukana means ‘sun-eating’, and dawn. The statue is still narrowly joined at the back to the rock face it is cut from, the lotus plinth on which it stands is a separate piece. The Buddha’s pose, ashiva mudra, signifies blessings, while the burst of fire above his head represents the power of total enlightenment. You don’t need much time for the visit but the sheer scale of the statue is worth the time and effort to get there.
Our next destination is the beautiful Royal Rock Temple complex sits about 160m above the road in the southern part of Dambulla. Sumith pointed me in the right direction but he decided to have a rest in the car rather than tackle the heights of this impressive complex. Five separate caves contain about 150 absolutely stunning Buddha statues and paintings, some of Sri Lanka’s most important and evocative religious art. Buddha images were first created here over 2000 years ago, and over the centuries subsequent kings added to and embellished the cave art. From the caves there are superb views over the surrounding countryside. Cave number two was my pick. It measures 52m from east to west and 23m from the entrance to the back wall; the highest point of the ceiling is 7m. This cave is named after the two statues of kings it contains Maharaja and Viharaya.
A spot of lunch and we were off to our rendezvous with our jeep driver so we could tour Minneriya National Park. The cost for the jeep whether it is one or four people is Rs 5000 but the real sting is in the park fees especially for foreigners. Sri Lankans pay Rs 60 whilst we outsiders have to pay Rs 2133.75 per person, plus some local taxes. Total cost of park fees was Rs 4042.34. One of Asia’s great wildlife spectacles occurs at Minneriya National Park between July and September. Known as ‘the Gathering’, 200 or more elephants gather for several weeks in one concentrated spot. On our trip we headed down to the large lake which loses a significant amount of water at this time of year. There were water buffalo, a small crocodile that looked stuffed, eagles, kingfishers, wading birds, monkeys and spotted deer. The main attraction of course is the elephants. We saw three groups which would have totaled around 150. The big surprise for me was the large number of baby elephants not more than a few weeks old. The trip was a little over two hours but was worth the cost to see so many of these magnificent pachyderms in the wild.
After the safari it was full steam ahead towards Polonnaruva and the Ariya Rest House (Rs 4000). My room was basic with a just functioning air conditioner. The downside was that the promised hot shower was only a trickle. There are also a heap of mosquitoes in the room. Dinner was thankfully excellent and once again I did not come close to finishing it.
Sunday 24th July – Happy Birthday Brother Ed
We do not have far to drive this morning so we did not hit the road until 8:30. Our first stop was the excellent museum which comprises of several rooms, each dedicated to a particular theme: the citadel, the outer city, the monastery area and Hindu monuments. The latter room contains a wonderful selection of bronzes, including some outstanding Shiva statues. It is also where you purchase your admission ticket for a very cheap Rs 3550.
With the museum visit over and my ticket in hand it was off to visit the ancient ruins of Polonnaruva. The ruins, which can be conveniently divided into five groups: the Royal Palace group; the Quadrangle; the Northern Group (spread over a wide area) and a latter two which I did not visit. It is an amazing site and I spent about four hours exploring the ruins. The highlights were:
· The Gal Pota (Stone Book) is a colossal stone representation of an ola book. It is nearly 9m long by 1.5m wide, and 40cm to 66cm thick
· Lankatilaka temple, built by Parakramabahu and later restored by Vijayabahu IV. This huge gedige has 17m-high walls, although the roof has collapsed. The cathedral-like aisle leads to a huge standing (headless) Buddha
· Gal Vihara is a group of beautiful Buddha images that probably marks the high point of Sinhalese rock carving. They are part of Parakramabahu’s northern monastery. The Gal Vihara consists of four separate images, all cut from one long slab of granite
With my visit over it was off for yet another three course buffet lunch prior to heading off to the next hotel at Sigiriya. My room (Rs 4000) at the Grand Regent Holiday Resort and Spa is twice as good as the previous night. It has a half decent hot shower, cable television and a large comfortable bedroom with coffee table and chairs. II had a good couple of hours rest before we headed off.
I think that Sigiriya is the jewel in the crown of the ancient cities and the Rs 4260 admission price reflects this. Sumith and I arrived just before 4:30pm so that we could avoid the heat. There was plenty of cloud cover which helped with the heat but it also means no visible sunset at the summit. The museum closes at 5:30 so we paid a visit prior to heading over to the gardens. There were a couple of good exhibits which make it worthwhile to take a short visit. The lowest section inside the Sigiriya complex is a beautifully landscaped area dotted with water gardens, then as you approach the rock its foothills contain boulder gardens (home to numerous Buddhist shrines) and terraced gardens. The base of Sigiriya has been landscaped to produce the terraced gardens.
Halfway up the rock there’s an open-air spiral stairway leading up from the main route to a long, sheltered gallery in the sheer rock face. There is a ticket checkpoint here and this is where I lost Sumith. Apparently he could not accompany me, a foreigner, up the rock as he is not a licensed guide. I suspect that he was secretly relieved because I did notice that his hip was playing up. In this gallery there is a series of paintings of buxom, wasp-waisted women, popularly believed to represent either apsaras (celestial nymphs) or King Kassapa’s concubines. To reach the summit you walk through the Lion’s Paws and ascend a series of steep steps. The spectacular terraced summit of the rock covers 1.6 hectares and the view over the plains is spectacular. I spent a good half hour clambering over the terraces of the old palace which was built by King Kassapa (AD 477–495).
The walk down was much quicker and towards the end I took the path which led to the foreigner’s car park. This route also takes you past the Cobra Hood Cave. When I arrived at the car park there was no sign of Sumith so I assumed he must be waiting at the original car park which is over a kilometre away. It was 6:30pm and the place was starting to empty out. Fortunately the car was there but Sumith was not. I decided to take a quick stroll to see if he was in the immediate vicinity. Just as I was about to give up I saw his beaming smile coming towards me. He had spotted me on the way down but with his bad hip he could not catch me.
Back at the hotel I freshened up before dinner. To my amazement Graham and Jill whom I had met in Negombo are also staying here. We caught up on our misadventures and they introduced me to a young Australian couple who were also going to the cricket in Kandy.
Monday 25th July – Sigiriya to Kandy
We only have a couple of small sites to visit on the way to Kandy so we did not depart until 9:00. There is not much to see on the way to Kandy apart from a couple of Hindu temples and one of the many spice gardens that are dotted along the road. I gave the gardens a miss but did stop at Nalanda Gedige which is a small South Indian Hindu temple and enjoys a wonderfully peaceful location next to a tank (artificial lake) with prolific local birdlife. The next temple was in the town of Matale and has the wonderful name of Sri Muthumariamman Thevasthanam (admission Rs 250). It is an interesting Hindu temple with colorful gods that fill every niche of this cavernous building.
As we approached Kandy the traffic was thicker and it eventually came to a standstill as two lanes merged into one. There are no rules here for this maneuver and it is every driver for themselves. We arrived at Sandamadala Inn which I have booked for six nights just after midday. I am very happy with my room as it looks fresh and modern with a large bathroom. There is a small balcony with a table and chairs that has views of the lake and mountains.
After settling in I went down to the railway station to book a ticket from Kandy to Ella next Sunday. I was surprised when I was informed that all the advance tickets had been sold. Tickets would be available for sale from 8:00am on Sunday which does not give me much time as the train departs at 8:47. I’ll just have to cross that track when I get to it. I spent the rest of the afternoon buying supplies and trolling the market.
Prior to dinner at the Garden Café I enjoyed a couple of beers on the balcony. I was going to walk down the hill to the café but a light shower of rain changed my mind. A Rs100 tuk tuk ride soon had me at the café where Alice and I dined out on our previous visit in 2012. It seems the word is out as there were plenty of tourists inside enjoying a cheap but decent meal.
Tuesday 26th July – Australia v Sri Lanka Day 1 First Cricket Test
The tuk tuk driver was downstairs waiting for me and we took off for the ground at 9:15. The stadium is at Pallekele about 18km out of Kandy and took about 35 minutes to get there. My driver will return at 5:00 to take me back to the hotel. There was a bit of a slow moving queue at the ticket office which meant that I would miss the first couple of overs. I could not believe that they had the audacity to charge Rs 200 ($1.80) for a seat in the grandstand so I bought my tickets for the first three days. At home that may get you a glass of water if you are lucky. I ended up taking my seat part way through the third over.
The ground looks a real treat with a beautiful green outfield which should be to Australia’s liking. I must have had perfect timing as Sri Lanka lost their first wicket in the fourth over. From then on it was a procession of wickets with them being five down at lunch. After lunch Lyon took three wickets in his first to overs to have the opposition reeling. From memory I think they were all out shortly after for a paltry 117.
Australia started badly with Sri Lanka dismissing both openers with only seven runs on the board. Khawaja and Smith consolidated the innings and Australia was 2 for 66 at tea. I was looking forward to a good last session but it never got under way as we received an afternoon shower. It wasn’t torrential rain but it was enough to end proceedings for the day. I gave the tuk tuk driver a call and he said that he would be there at 4:00. He eventually arrived in a different vehicle sporting greasy hands and apolgised for being late. I had met a young couple from Perth whilst in Sigiriya and saw them at the match. They are staying in the same area as me so we shared the tuk tuk back to Kandy. They are going again tomorrow so I will pick them up on the way.
Dinner tonight was once again at the ever reliable Garden Cafe.
One good thing about the upgrade is that the stopover in Dubai is more pleasant as I can make use of the business lounge for a couple of hours. The shuttle train whisked me over to terminal B where I entered the biggest lounge area that I have ever seen. I didn’t know that many people flew business class. After a light breakfast and a couple of coffees I needed to take care of another kind of business. It was unbelievable there was a queue of men lined up to use the toilet. For the time it was taking I thought that some of them must be giving birth. The shower however was a different matter and I was soon luxuriating under a steady stream of hot water. I felt a lot better and more equipped to handle the next 4.5 hour leg to Colombo.
Nothing really to report except that it was a relaxing flight that landed on time. I had pre-booked my visa on line and made a bee-line for the immigration counter. My only problem was that I had not filled in the arrival form. After grabbing one I rejoined the queue at the end of the line. Fortunately it wasn’t long and I was at the baggage carousel soon after. My bag was one of the first off and in no time I was in a taxi heading for my accommodation in Negombo.
My room at the Alexandra Family Villa is very reasonable considering the price. After settling in I adjourned to the courtyard and struck up a conversation with an Australian couple who are around my age. I did find out that they would be attending the cricket in Galle and I have been invited to join their group if we spot each other. The weather is very muggy and you don’t have to be out for long to work up a layer of sweat. Before dinner I went for a walk and hired a tuk tuk driver to get me to an ATM and the bottle shop. There are not many around of either and the bottle shop has more security than the ATM. I was a little tired from lack of sleep on the flights so I had an early dinner at one of the many restaurants on Beach Road. The two beers and grilled calamari were both good and reasonably priced at $11. A nice shower to remove the beads of sweat and grime from my person was the perfect end to a big couple of days.
Sunday 17th July – The Overnight Rattler
I’m in no hurry again this morning as I have nothing planned. The Sri Lankan breakfast provided by the manager’s mother was great. It consisted of string hoppers, roti, dahl and a pot of black tea. My room has been booked so I am unable to use it after midday. As a courtesy I vacated around 10:00 and stored my gear in the living room. Jude the manager will arrange the use of a shower for me later this evening.
To kill some time I decided to treat myself to a 75 minute massage. The premises were very up market and made you feel like that you were in a day spa. The male masseuse was excellent and nearly put me to sleep. Alice would be proud as my skin drank up lots of essential oils. I had more oil in and on me than my old FB Holden “The Rocket”. The cost for the massage was 2100RP ($20). After a refreshing cup of peppery herbal tea it was off to the beach. I did not stay long as the beach was not very appealing. It is monsoon season for the west coast which means that conditions are very ordinary. At Negombo this meant that the first 20metres of water was full of silt. You would have to be keen to swim in this. Also the beach was littered with plastic most likely washed up with the big tides.
After a couple of hours at the hotel catching up on the diary I returned to yesterday’s restaurant for a dozen barbeque prawns. As I was finishing up a mature woman asked if she could join me. Turned out she was from Mullumbimby and was just finishing her vacation. I excused myself as Jude will be driving me (4000rp) to Colombo Fort railway station at 7:45pm. After the promised shower we were off and travelling down the new tollway into Colombo. Prior to arrival I had booked a ticket through a British agency to travel overnight from Colombo to Trincomalee on the east coast. I was a little concerned about this arrangement as I had to show my passport and quote a booking reference at the ticket office. There were no problems and at 9:00pm the train pulled into platform 3 ready to depart at 9:30pm. I had no trouble locating my sleeperet seat and there was plenty of room for my luggage. I had visions of my seat reclining to a position where I could stretch out. Nope, the total recline was about 150mm which basically meant that I was sitting up. To make matters worse there was absolutely no wiggle room. I could have killed for a Spanish train. The only good news was that there were plenty of vacant seats which meant no one was seated next to me. Once we were underway none of this mattered as we lurched, squealed and rattled along the track towards Trincomalee. There is definitely a reason why they are called ‘rattlers”. After trying countless possible sleeping positions of which none worked I resorted to using my backpack as a pillow, laid down with my back on two seats and my legs hanging over the edge on the floor. Contortionist I am not but I did manage a couple of hours sleep.
Monday 18th July – What About a Dive
The train pulled into Trincomalee station a little after 6:00am. It was an hour late, thank goodness as I did not want to get to my hotel too early. In no time a tuk tuk driver had attached himself to me and 400rp we sped off to the Angel Inn Beach Hotel. It was only 6:30am so I banged on the reception door and woke up one of the staff who was asleep on a floor mattress. My check-in time is not until 11:00 so it looks like I will have to wait until one becomes available. I have put my spare time to good use by having breakfast, booking a scuba dive and checking out the beach. My room was ready about 10:00 so I showered and rested before heading off for my dive.
The crew was waiting for me and they soon had me set up with a full kit of gear. Some of the gear especially my fins are looking a little tired but they are functional. We headed out to Butterfly Reef which is virtually straight out from the beach. It is a shallow dive of about 12m and had plenty of tropical reef fish and soft coral. Also saw nudibranch, stonefish and a small moray eel. The visibility was not great at around 12m so only a two star rating for this 5000rp dive.
In the late afternoon I went for a long walk towards Trincomalee. It was typical Sri Lanka with all sorts of shops straddling each side of the main road. Horns were blaring with tuk tuks, buses, motorbikes, bicycles, cows and pedestrians all vying for space anywhere along the road. I found a supermarket and bought some water and snacks. On the way back I purchased some Rambutans (50rp) from a roadside vendor which were fresh and juicy. My candlelit dinner tonight was down on the beach in front of the hotel. A plate of grilled calamari with some rice and salad which was washed down with a bottle of water. It was more expensive than what I have become used to and set me back 1320rp. I have noticed that there is a 10% service charge on all food and drinks so there is no tipping required from this old fella.
Tuesday 19th July – Double Dive and a Triple Dose of Bad Luck
I arranged breakfast for 7::00 this morning as I am booked for a double dive just after 7:30. When 8:00 rolled by the dive master informed me that he had changed the time to 8:30 to accommodate some more bookings. He sincerely apologized and arranged a cup of tea for me. This is the first dose of bad luck because 9:00 came and went just as quickly. Lucky for me that it is a good view overlooking the beach. I was then informed that they were waiting for a Chinese group who were going snorkeling with us. We were eventually on our way at 9:45 and I was suitably unimpressed. More than two hours wasted just sitting around doing nothing.
Luckily for me I managed to stay calm so that I could enjoy my dive. When I hit the water at Swarmi Reef I could feel all the tension in me dissolve. This dive site gets its name as Hindu temple , Koneswaram sits on a cliff above the dive site. To the Hindus it is a sacred site and the ocean floor is littered with statues that have been cast down from the temple. There were plenty of fish and a decent swim through which made the dive more interesting. I also saw Lion Fish, two very large spotted moray eels, spotted Stingray and a very fine Pipe Eel. The dive time was around 45minutes with visibility around 15metres. My rating for this dive is three stars.
Our next dive was literally around the corner and is known as Geek Reef. This was a relaxing dive at about 12m and with around 12m of visibility. The dive took around 40 minutes with plenty of reef fish, a swim through and a large spotted Moray Eel. This dive gets another three stars. When we were finished we had to go back to the first dive site as our Sri Lankan diver had dropped his new underwater Go Pro and had not realized it until later. Boy, do I know that feeling. Fortunately one of the crew did a search and managed to retrieve it for him from the not so murky depths.
We arrived back at the dive shop just after 2:00 and you would not believe it bad luck 2 had occurred. Some slimy so and so had decided that my expensive pair of Soul thongs would suit The guy who was in charge of the shop while we were diving offered me his own thongs. Of course I took them, not as I did not have the heart to deprive him of his footwear. Lucky for me that we had an afternoon shower which meant the soles of my feet would not be burnt on the normally hot sand.
After a brief rest it is back to the main road in search of water and a new pair of thongs. I managed to find a pair that set me back 180rp ($1.60). They look good enough to last the remainder of the trip. I decided that I would like some king coconut juice and would you believe it bad luck number 3 occurred. As soon as he knocked the top off the coconut I was covered in juice. It went into my hair, face and shirt but all I could do was laugh. Maybe I should not go out for dinner tonight.
I did go out for dinner and chose the cheaper main road option. My meal was a nice piece of grilled tuna and a litre of water. It was sweet dreams tonight.
Wednesday 20th July – We Are Sailing
Prior to leaving home I had come across a trip on a large catamaran that operated out of Trimcomalee. Yesterday afternoon I managed to secure a spot on their giant loop excursion which departs at 6:30am. It is a seven hour trip and costs 7,500rp (approx$70). I awoke at 5:30 and just after six headed down to the main road to hire a tuk tuk to take me down to Koneswaram Bay. The first guy I hailed gave me a price of 100rp which is very cheap. I suspect that he did not really understand me. In fact he did not as he was taking me away from the beach. In the end we worked out and we arrived with time to spare. The crew sent in the zodiac which ferried myself and eight from the Netherlands nation to the “Pearl” which would be our home for the next seven hours. One word can describe this excursion and it is fantastic.
We were no sooner on our way when breakfast was served. It was a decent cup of coffee and a vegetable frittata. As we headed out into the murky depths I could see all the dolphin and whale watching boats cruising around. They are basically runabouts with a big motor which race all around trying to find these elusive denizens of the deep. It looked very uncomfortable as they bulldozed their way over the ocean. Meanwhile our crew knew what they were doing and we were soon treated to a spectacular show from the bottlenose dolphins who were porpoising at the bow of the catamaran. We also were lucky enough to see big pods of spinner dolphins and a lone Bryde’s Whale which was missing a dorsal fin. We had some spare time so we headed out into deeper water in search of more whales. Unfortunately that came to an end when the boat inadvertently became entangled in a fishing net. I thought that the fishermen would be angry however they were quite amicable. The skipper donned his snorkeling gear and had to cut away the net that was tangled around the propeller. After that incident we headed back to the shelter of the bay below the temple where we anchored up for the next 2.5 hours.
This gave the chance for the Inala boy to emerge and I was soon diving off the top deck into the crystal clear water. Some of the guests went snorkeling but I was more interested in the stand up paddle board. I had some good fun for 30 minutes and only managed to fall off once. It doesn’t really matter when the water is 28 degrees. There is also a kayak for those who have plenty of energy to burn. For me it was time to relax over a cold beer while I waited for lunch to be served. It was a grilled whole fish that had been purchased from the market this morning and it was delicious even accounting for those pesky bones. Desert followed and so did our return to Koneswaram Bay. It was a great day out and a fantastic way to see the dolphins and solitary whale.
www.sail-lanka-charter.com
Back on land I headed over to Fort Frederick which is currently a base for the Sri Lankan army. In olden days it was one of the biggest walled forts in Asia. It was built by the Portuguese in 1623. The famous Koneswaram temple is located inside this fort. This Hindu temple was earlier known as the temple of thousand Pillars. According to historical information the Portuguese had demolished the old Koneswaram temple and they built the fort with this. It is a decent uphill walk to the temple but there are plenty of vendors who will try and tempt you. The temple itself is very colourful with plenty of Hindu gods overlooking everything. The views from here are to say the least panoramic.
My day finished with the hiring of a tuk tuk driver and a search for an ATM that would dispense some rupees for me. Dinner tonight was back on the main road where I took a safe option of wood fired pizza.
Thursday 21st July – Moving On
My room was neat and tidy with wi-fi, cold water but funky shower, air conditioning which is a must here and a nice patio area. On the downside they could use some storage space for bags and there was an issue with small house ants. I could not complain about the price as it was 14,000rp for three nights. It is a beachfront property and about 800m from the main group of beach bungalows at Uppuveli. My taxi to Anuradhapura showed up early but for a change I was ready to go. It is about 115km journey and the fare is 8100rp which is about $73.
The drive was quite pleasant and the highway was in good condition. The landscape is so different from Spain with all the coconut trees, forest and roadside stalls. We stopped at one and my driver, Champ bought me a freshly cooked cob of sweet baby corn which they cool down in a basin of salty water. There were no holdups on our journey and it wasn’t difficult to find Secret Sanctuary, The Resort where I will spend the next two nights. The hotel is in a quiet location and my room is very pleasant. The manager also arranged for a driver to come around so I can organize my plans for the next four days. Thirty minutes later there was a knock on my door and in no time we had mapped out a rough itinerary which would start this afternoon. Basically I will have a driver and a new car to explore all the key sites in the region, two nights accommodation and a drop off at my hotel in Kandy. I have to pay for my meals and entrance fees. I did not haggle on the cost as Rs 35,000 ($315) seemed reasonable to me.
Abbi my portly Sri Lankan driver picked me up at 4:30pm and we went off to explore Mihintale (Rs 500). It involves a steep climb, so my driver recommended me to visit it at this time of the afternoon to avoid the midday heat. The Stairway is a series of flights, 1843 ancient granite slab steps lead majestically up the hillside. On the second landing I took on the services of a guide (Rs 1000), it is also where the monks’ refectory is located with huge stone troughs that the lay followers kept filled with rice for the monks. Nearby, at a place identified as the monastery’s relic house, are two inscribed stone slabs erected during the reign of King Mahinda IV. The final steep stairway, lined with frangipani trees, leads to the place where Mahinda and the king met. The Ambasthale Dagoba is built over the spot where Mahinda stood. The bodhi tree to the left of the base of the steps is said to be one of the oldest surviving ones. From here there is a fantastic view over the lakes and trees to Anuradhapura, a horizon studded with the domes and spikes of all the massive dagobas. The guide did prove valuable as he had to race back up the steps to retrieve my camera that I had left on a bench whilst putting my sandals back on. There were also plenty of resident Macquae Monkeys, Langur Monkeys and a lone giant squirrel.
There is not much nightlife close to the hotel so I decided to take a chance on their restaurant and ordered a vegetable curry for dinner. Abbi the manager even went out and purchased two beers for me. I enjoyed one of them sitting out on the hotel patio in the pleasant coolness of the early evening. When I received the call for dinner I could not believe it. There were six different bowls of curry and a mountain of red rice. I managed to eat about half of the food and I would have to say that it was the best meal I have had in Sri Lanka
Friday 22nd July – Go Buddha, Anuradhapura
I have a new driver today whose name is Sumith and he is Abbi’s brother in law. It was 8:00am and we were on our way to avoid the crowds as well as the heat. Our first stop was at the sacred temple of Maha Viharaya (admission Rs 200) which also has a Bohdi tree and a small rock temple. There is also a small museum with some great carvings especially one known simply as “The Lovers”.
There is so much to see here in Anuradhapura that it would drive me bonkers trying to describe all of it so I will try to keep it brief. The next site is supposed to be the most important temple to the Sri Lankan Buddhists and is called Sri Maha Bodhi. It is home of the sacred Bodhi tree which is central to Anuradhapura in both a spiritual and physical sense. It was grown from a cutting brought from Bodhgaya in India and is said to be the oldest historically authenticated tree in the world. Mahavihara is the heart of ancient Anuradhapura and is often the scene of religious ceremonies, which draw masses of people dressed in their finest. Tomorrow is supposed to be a big day. Relics here date from the 3rd century BC to the 11th century AD.
For the sheer delight of exploring an ancient city, much of it still enveloped in tropical forest, the 2000-year-old Abhayagiri Monastery area can’t be beat. A ruined 9th-century school for monks northwest of the Abhayagiri Dagoba is notable for having the finest carved moonstone in Sri Lanka and it is also where I took a break and had a thirst quenching king coconut. A couple of more stupas, a palace and a museum and we were done for the day. It was only 12:30 so we had a quick lunch before returning to the hotel. I spent the rest of the day catching up on washing and other mundane tasks. Another superb dinner at the hotel, a chat to a Dutch couple who were cycling part of the way around Sri Lanka and I was off to bed.
Saturday 23rd July – Stone Buddha, Rock Caves and the Gathering
My account at the Secret Sanctuary came to Rs 10,037 ($90) which included breakfast, dinner and lodging for two nights as well as four large ones. The manager was great and I would definitely recommend this hotel. Sumith picked me up at 8:00 wearing a big toothy grin and soon had us on our way towards Aukana. He was right about the big festival today because as we were heading away from Anuradhapura there was bus after bus going there. Apparently the people are coming from all over the island. After a 90 minute drive we reached our destination.
According to legend, the magnificent 12m-high standing Aukana Buddha (admission Rs 750) was sculpted during the reign of Dhatusena in the 5th century, though some sources date it to the 12th or 13th century. Aukana means ‘sun-eating’, and dawn. The statue is still narrowly joined at the back to the rock face it is cut from, the lotus plinth on which it stands is a separate piece. The Buddha’s pose, ashiva mudra, signifies blessings, while the burst of fire above his head represents the power of total enlightenment. You don’t need much time for the visit but the sheer scale of the statue is worth the time and effort to get there.
Our next destination is the beautiful Royal Rock Temple complex sits about 160m above the road in the southern part of Dambulla. Sumith pointed me in the right direction but he decided to have a rest in the car rather than tackle the heights of this impressive complex. Five separate caves contain about 150 absolutely stunning Buddha statues and paintings, some of Sri Lanka’s most important and evocative religious art. Buddha images were first created here over 2000 years ago, and over the centuries subsequent kings added to and embellished the cave art. From the caves there are superb views over the surrounding countryside. Cave number two was my pick. It measures 52m from east to west and 23m from the entrance to the back wall; the highest point of the ceiling is 7m. This cave is named after the two statues of kings it contains Maharaja and Viharaya.
A spot of lunch and we were off to our rendezvous with our jeep driver so we could tour Minneriya National Park. The cost for the jeep whether it is one or four people is Rs 5000 but the real sting is in the park fees especially for foreigners. Sri Lankans pay Rs 60 whilst we outsiders have to pay Rs 2133.75 per person, plus some local taxes. Total cost of park fees was Rs 4042.34. One of Asia’s great wildlife spectacles occurs at Minneriya National Park between July and September. Known as ‘the Gathering’, 200 or more elephants gather for several weeks in one concentrated spot. On our trip we headed down to the large lake which loses a significant amount of water at this time of year. There were water buffalo, a small crocodile that looked stuffed, eagles, kingfishers, wading birds, monkeys and spotted deer. The main attraction of course is the elephants. We saw three groups which would have totaled around 150. The big surprise for me was the large number of baby elephants not more than a few weeks old. The trip was a little over two hours but was worth the cost to see so many of these magnificent pachyderms in the wild.
After the safari it was full steam ahead towards Polonnaruva and the Ariya Rest House (Rs 4000). My room was basic with a just functioning air conditioner. The downside was that the promised hot shower was only a trickle. There are also a heap of mosquitoes in the room. Dinner was thankfully excellent and once again I did not come close to finishing it.
Sunday 24th July – Happy Birthday Brother Ed
We do not have far to drive this morning so we did not hit the road until 8:30. Our first stop was the excellent museum which comprises of several rooms, each dedicated to a particular theme: the citadel, the outer city, the monastery area and Hindu monuments. The latter room contains a wonderful selection of bronzes, including some outstanding Shiva statues. It is also where you purchase your admission ticket for a very cheap Rs 3550.
With the museum visit over and my ticket in hand it was off to visit the ancient ruins of Polonnaruva. The ruins, which can be conveniently divided into five groups: the Royal Palace group; the Quadrangle; the Northern Group (spread over a wide area) and a latter two which I did not visit. It is an amazing site and I spent about four hours exploring the ruins. The highlights were:
· The Gal Pota (Stone Book) is a colossal stone representation of an ola book. It is nearly 9m long by 1.5m wide, and 40cm to 66cm thick
· Lankatilaka temple, built by Parakramabahu and later restored by Vijayabahu IV. This huge gedige has 17m-high walls, although the roof has collapsed. The cathedral-like aisle leads to a huge standing (headless) Buddha
· Gal Vihara is a group of beautiful Buddha images that probably marks the high point of Sinhalese rock carving. They are part of Parakramabahu’s northern monastery. The Gal Vihara consists of four separate images, all cut from one long slab of granite
With my visit over it was off for yet another three course buffet lunch prior to heading off to the next hotel at Sigiriya. My room (Rs 4000) at the Grand Regent Holiday Resort and Spa is twice as good as the previous night. It has a half decent hot shower, cable television and a large comfortable bedroom with coffee table and chairs. II had a good couple of hours rest before we headed off.
I think that Sigiriya is the jewel in the crown of the ancient cities and the Rs 4260 admission price reflects this. Sumith and I arrived just before 4:30pm so that we could avoid the heat. There was plenty of cloud cover which helped with the heat but it also means no visible sunset at the summit. The museum closes at 5:30 so we paid a visit prior to heading over to the gardens. There were a couple of good exhibits which make it worthwhile to take a short visit. The lowest section inside the Sigiriya complex is a beautifully landscaped area dotted with water gardens, then as you approach the rock its foothills contain boulder gardens (home to numerous Buddhist shrines) and terraced gardens. The base of Sigiriya has been landscaped to produce the terraced gardens.
Halfway up the rock there’s an open-air spiral stairway leading up from the main route to a long, sheltered gallery in the sheer rock face. There is a ticket checkpoint here and this is where I lost Sumith. Apparently he could not accompany me, a foreigner, up the rock as he is not a licensed guide. I suspect that he was secretly relieved because I did notice that his hip was playing up. In this gallery there is a series of paintings of buxom, wasp-waisted women, popularly believed to represent either apsaras (celestial nymphs) or King Kassapa’s concubines. To reach the summit you walk through the Lion’s Paws and ascend a series of steep steps. The spectacular terraced summit of the rock covers 1.6 hectares and the view over the plains is spectacular. I spent a good half hour clambering over the terraces of the old palace which was built by King Kassapa (AD 477–495).
The walk down was much quicker and towards the end I took the path which led to the foreigner’s car park. This route also takes you past the Cobra Hood Cave. When I arrived at the car park there was no sign of Sumith so I assumed he must be waiting at the original car park which is over a kilometre away. It was 6:30pm and the place was starting to empty out. Fortunately the car was there but Sumith was not. I decided to take a quick stroll to see if he was in the immediate vicinity. Just as I was about to give up I saw his beaming smile coming towards me. He had spotted me on the way down but with his bad hip he could not catch me.
Back at the hotel I freshened up before dinner. To my amazement Graham and Jill whom I had met in Negombo are also staying here. We caught up on our misadventures and they introduced me to a young Australian couple who were also going to the cricket in Kandy.
Monday 25th July – Sigiriya to Kandy
We only have a couple of small sites to visit on the way to Kandy so we did not depart until 9:00. There is not much to see on the way to Kandy apart from a couple of Hindu temples and one of the many spice gardens that are dotted along the road. I gave the gardens a miss but did stop at Nalanda Gedige which is a small South Indian Hindu temple and enjoys a wonderfully peaceful location next to a tank (artificial lake) with prolific local birdlife. The next temple was in the town of Matale and has the wonderful name of Sri Muthumariamman Thevasthanam (admission Rs 250). It is an interesting Hindu temple with colorful gods that fill every niche of this cavernous building.
As we approached Kandy the traffic was thicker and it eventually came to a standstill as two lanes merged into one. There are no rules here for this maneuver and it is every driver for themselves. We arrived at Sandamadala Inn which I have booked for six nights just after midday. I am very happy with my room as it looks fresh and modern with a large bathroom. There is a small balcony with a table and chairs that has views of the lake and mountains.
After settling in I went down to the railway station to book a ticket from Kandy to Ella next Sunday. I was surprised when I was informed that all the advance tickets had been sold. Tickets would be available for sale from 8:00am on Sunday which does not give me much time as the train departs at 8:47. I’ll just have to cross that track when I get to it. I spent the rest of the afternoon buying supplies and trolling the market.
Prior to dinner at the Garden Café I enjoyed a couple of beers on the balcony. I was going to walk down the hill to the café but a light shower of rain changed my mind. A Rs100 tuk tuk ride soon had me at the café where Alice and I dined out on our previous visit in 2012. It seems the word is out as there were plenty of tourists inside enjoying a cheap but decent meal.
Tuesday 26th July – Australia v Sri Lanka Day 1 First Cricket Test
The tuk tuk driver was downstairs waiting for me and we took off for the ground at 9:15. The stadium is at Pallekele about 18km out of Kandy and took about 35 minutes to get there. My driver will return at 5:00 to take me back to the hotel. There was a bit of a slow moving queue at the ticket office which meant that I would miss the first couple of overs. I could not believe that they had the audacity to charge Rs 200 ($1.80) for a seat in the grandstand so I bought my tickets for the first three days. At home that may get you a glass of water if you are lucky. I ended up taking my seat part way through the third over.
The ground looks a real treat with a beautiful green outfield which should be to Australia’s liking. I must have had perfect timing as Sri Lanka lost their first wicket in the fourth over. From then on it was a procession of wickets with them being five down at lunch. After lunch Lyon took three wickets in his first to overs to have the opposition reeling. From memory I think they were all out shortly after for a paltry 117.
Australia started badly with Sri Lanka dismissing both openers with only seven runs on the board. Khawaja and Smith consolidated the innings and Australia was 2 for 66 at tea. I was looking forward to a good last session but it never got under way as we received an afternoon shower. It wasn’t torrential rain but it was enough to end proceedings for the day. I gave the tuk tuk driver a call and he said that he would be there at 4:00. He eventually arrived in a different vehicle sporting greasy hands and apolgised for being late. I had met a young couple from Perth whilst in Sigiriya and saw them at the match. They are staying in the same area as me so we shared the tuk tuk back to Kandy. They are going again tomorrow so I will pick them up on the way.
Dinner tonight was once again at the ever reliable Garden Cafe.
Friday, July 22, 2016
The end of the European Vacation but it is not over yet
Monday 11th July – Train to Madrid
Up early this morning t 6:00am as I have to catch the 7:35am train to Madrid. After a quick wash I was on my way at 6:30am. From my research I estimated that it was only a 20 minute walk. I did have an incident as I was passing the bus station. A seedy looking young guy approached me and asked for money. After my refusal he kept following and badgering me and would not leave me alone. He was attempting to intimidate me without actually threatening me. It was quite invasive. I noticed a police car and waved them down. My friend could see no further use from me and calmly asked the police for directions back to the bus station. I thanked the police who understood the situation and then proceeded to walk the last three minutes to the train station. The station itself is a modern complex and I had no trouble determining which platform my train was departing from. There was even time for a freshly squeezed OJ, coffee and pastry. The trip time from here to Madrid is scheduled for 3hrs 15mins and is a little over 300km. I had booked the ticket in advance on the RENFE website and it was a very reasonable 17.65euro which is cheaper than most of the tolls I paid in France and Italy. The route is mostly through the Spanish countryside with panoramic views of farmland, rivers and mountains. Like the saying goes, the only stops we make are the stations.
I have chosen my hotel in Madrid, Sleep ’n’ Atocha as it is supposed to be close to the main station aptly named Atocha. At 40euro a night in a capital city I do not have high expectations for my three night stay. The train pulled in ten minutes late at 11:00 and it was then that I realized that I did not know the directions to the hotel. I knew the address but did not have a map or internet direction to find my way. I started walking in the general direction of where I thought the hotel was when I spotted a map on a bus shelter. After a quick consultation and a few minutes later I was at the door of the hotel.
I checked-in and stored my bag as the room would not be ready until 3:00pm. No problem, the Reina Sofia museum is only 50 metres away so I went and purchased a three museum ticket (28.80euro). The ticket includes the Prado Museum which is the first stop on my museum tour and only 600m away. It was a good decision to pre-purchase the ticket as the queue was very long and there was no respite from the sun. The Prado houses a huge collection of Medieval and Renaissance paintings. On the main floor there are paintings by El Greco, Ribera, Murillo, Velazquez and other Spanish masters from their Golden Age. The Goya collection of over 100 paintings is spread over all floors. My favourites were from his black period especially Saturn devouring his child, quite disturbing. http://www.wga.hu/html_m/g/goya/9/
Other renown artist such as Rubens, Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Botticelli, Rembrandt and Raphel are well represented. The Cardinal by Raphel was one of my favourites. After three hours I was exhausted and headed back to the hotel. Along the way I stopped at the Museum of Jamon and had a 90c cleansing ale which came with a small plate of chorizo.
"Black Paintings" in the Quinta del Sordo (1820-1823) www.wga.hu The 14 'Black Paintings' paintings (now in the Museo del Prado), so called because of the dark tones and predominance of black, originally decorated the Quinta del ...
It was already 4:30pm, my room was definitely available and I was ready for a shower. The room which is not huge is excellent. Good air-con, comfortable double bed, flat screen TV and a reasonably large bathroom with a rain head shower. This hotel is like an up market version of the Fragrance Hotels in Singapore. After relaxing for a couple of hours it was time to extend myself at visit the Reina Sofia museum which is open until 9:00pm. I wandered over at 6:15pm and headed for the first floor which had an exhibition of Cuban born artist Wilfred Lam. I liked his work but like Surrealism I did not get it.
The four floors are broken up into themes and supported by old film footage.
1. From Revolt to Post Modernity (1962-1982)
2. The Eruption of the 20th Century: Utopias and Conflicts (1900-1945)
- Picasso’s Guernica
- Salvador Dali and Oscar Dominguez, Surrealism and Revolution
3. Temporary Exhibitions
4. Is the War Over? Art in a Divided World (1945-1968)
I had just finished admiring a Jean Miro painting when the room attendants started herding everyone off the floor. It was nearly 9:00pm so it was time for Lord Kawaku to leave the building. Food beckoned, so I headed around the corner for a cheap feed at the Museum of Jamon. The meal itself was a little greasy and just edible. At least the 90cent beers diluted the effects of the grease.
Tuesday 12th July – Not Another Museum
A little after 10:00 I headed up the road for 10 minutes to visit the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. This museum completes the trifecta and compliments its more serious neighbours. It is a little smaller but the three floors still took 2.5 hours to visit. If you are not into art museums but want a broad taste then this is the one to visit. It contains one of the world’s most distinguished private art collections and covers seven centuries. Starting on level 2 it has good examples of Renaissance and Baroque Art. Level 1 displays work from the Dutch School, North American Art, Impressionism, Post Impressionism and German Impressionism. Level 0 is reserved for the 20th century and contains Cubism, Abstract Art, Surrealism and Pop Art. The artists include Miro, Picasso, Dali, Kadinsky, Raphael, Monet, Gaugin, Van Gogh and many others. It is definitely worth a visit.
After I caught my breath I walked up Paseo del Prado to take a picture of the Cybele fountain which is located in the middle of a large roundabout at Plaza de Cibeles. As an extra bonus I discovered that for 2E I could visit the viewing platform of the Palace adjacent to the plaza. The 360 degree views over Madrid were fantastic and it is certainly worth a visit. One block further to the right at Puetra De Alcala is Madrid’s Victory Gate, the Alcalá Gate of Madrid.
It was just on 2:00pm so I decided to take a break and treated myself to a fine lunch at the Mallorca restaurant situated on Calle de Serrano. Soup, smoked salmon and two glasses of a fine red should be enough to keep me going. After a long break it was back into the sun and another block to another monument, the plinth of Christopher Columbus. It is situated at another roundabout at Plaza de Colon. The plaza has an impressive huge modern concrete sculpture which is dedicated to the discovery of America. On one side it is bounded by the equally impressive facades of the Archeological Museum and the National Library. The heat was too much so I headed back to Atocha .
At 6:15 I donned my walking boots. My goal was to walk to Puerta Sol which is about 20 minutes away and then follow Rick Steves walking tour to the Royal Palace. There is plenty to see on this route including The Bear and Madrono Tree statue, Plaza Myor, Cathedral of Almudena and the Royal Palace. From here it is worth continuing on to Plaza Espana where there is a great statue of Cervantes, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Continue up the hill and you arrive at the Temple De Debod. It was donated by the Egyptian government as a thank you for Spain’s help relocating temples when the Aswan dam was built. I wanted to watch the sunset and take in the great views along with hundreds of others. It did not look like setting until 9:45pm and I had yet to eat. It was a bit of a walk back to Puerta Sol so I took a gamble on the metro. Eventually I worked out how to purchase a ticket (1.5euro) and soon back to Sol.
Dinner tonight was Patatas Bravas (fried potatoes in a spicy red sauce) washed down with some red wine. Casa Toni has a helpful English menu and several classic dishes but after the patas there was no room left. Toni even threw in a couple of extras which rounded off an enjoyable evening. With my belly full I waddled my way back to the hotel and a blissful sleep.
Wednesday 13th July – Hop On, Hop Off
I’m in no rush this morning as I have ticked off everything that I wanted to see locally. A tour to Sergovia would have been okay but I was too lazy to arrange anything. Instead I went for a walk to the railway station to familiarize myself for tomorrow’s journey to Barcelona. With a few hours to kill I opted for a trip on the Madrid City Tour. I ended up being able to purchase a seniors ticket for 10euro and two days would have been 13euro. Route 1 which I caught has a stop just around the corner from my hotel. The route covers most of the city sights that I had walked to yesterday. It was good however to relax and listen to the commentary on the 90 minute round trip. I did manage to glean a few facts from the commentary.
At Puerta del Sol I alighted and took a break for lunch at another of the Museum of Jamon stores. Over a beer and a ham and cheese croissant I had a good sports chat with two Indian guys from London. They loved their cricket and rugby and were off to Seville in the morning. With lunch over it was back on the red bus for a trip on route 2 which takes approximately 60 minutes.
This route is less popular than the other and I had a seat to myself under the shade canopy. The bus travels some of the more affluent areas of Madrid. It passes some high end stores, palaces and embassies. The highlight for football fans is a stop at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, the home of Real Madrid. I think even Alice knows that they are recognized as one of the world’s premier sporting teams. With the tour over I returned to my hotel. I have kept my ticket as I will probably use it when I go out for a late dinner.
No such luck as there was a decided reduction in service after 7:00pm. In the end I gave up waiting and walked up to St Anna Plaza where I had a couple of Natural beers. Naturally, they were quite expensive compared to the 90 cent special from the Museum of Ham. I think the cheap beer even tasted better. The entertainment was the barman playing up with four older women who were slightly sloshed. When I looked around the room 70 percent of the patrons were glued to their mobiles. Whatever happened to the art of conversation and a good topic to fire up the consonants and the vowels. At 8:15 I moved digs to Casa del Abuelo which is supposed to a good job on Gamba (prawns). I selected barbeque prawns which were very tasty but in hindsight I should have chosen the garlic or chili prawns which looked delicious. It was slightly expensive, 11.75E for eight medium sized prawns. From here I went to Casa Toni for my last dish of the night, mushrooms grilled on the hotplate. It was a huge dish which tasted great but could have done with a little less oil. Business was humming but Toni still found time to give me a small complimentary plate of lightly fried anchovies. A couple of wines later and it was back to the hotel.
Thursday 14th July – Barcelona
Have thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the Sleep ‘n ‘ Atocha and would recommend this budget hotel.
· Short walk from Madrid Atocha train station. Airport buses stop here and trains link most of the Spanish cities
· Easy walk to three major museums
· Hop on Hop off bus stop less than 100 metres
· Atocha metro station 100 metres (line currently under repair)
· Twenty minute walk to Plaza Mayor
I have booked the very fast train which departs Madrid at 10:30am. The 621km journey is due to arrive in Barcelona at 1:15 pm. This is a far better option than flying as it is quicker when you take into consideration the time spent travelling to and from the airport, security and check-in. There are travel options that cost between 30E and 40E but the travel time is around six hours.
I arrived at the station around 10:05 and went straight to the departure platforms on level 1. The security line moved quickly and I was soon seated in my comfortable seat which has a lot more leg room than economy class on any airline. We departed on time and were soon in the countryside humming along at over 200kmph. I kept an eye on the train’s velocity gauge which eventually hit a high of 301kmph. Even at that speed the ride was smooth and I was able to enjoy a small bottle of red and a ham and cheese croissant that I had brought along for the ride. It was great to look out the window and watch the very parched landscaped rolling by. Time to play an old song by Peter Starsted, “Frozen Orange juice. As the train approached Barcelona I spotted Alice’s favourite cava winery, Freixnet. The train arrived 5 minutes early and within ten minutes I was on the metro heading for Hostal Abrevadero.
Check-in was smooth and I was soon in a comfortable room with reasonable space for two. The room is a little tired but I cannot complain about the rate. I then went and retrieved my luggage that I had stored two weeks earlier. Everything was in order and I now have the luxury of more clothes and the old just functioning netbook. I basically hung around the hotel for the day catching up on administrative tasks. In the evening I treated myself to prawns and chewy octopus.
Friday 15th July – Barcelona Flight Time
Breakfast at the Abrevadero which cost 3.50euro was a substantial affair. It was a small buffet but had plenty to fill you. The customers are mostly African and Muslim and I suspect at 36euro a night it is a good bargain for them as well as me. This is definitely a good hotel if you are on a budget. It is in the Montjuic area with two metro lines, funicular and about a ten minute walk to the Ramblas.
Check out time is at midday and I was at a loss at what I could see or do prior to being picked up for the airport at 6:30pm. I stored my luggage in the hotel lockers (2euro) and decide to walk to the Ramblas. I passed a bicycle store that offered tours in English at 11:00am but alas it was already 11:20am. I then saw a store offering Segway tours so I went in to see what was on offer. For 55euro I could take a two hour tour at 1:00pm. With no money down they booked me on the tour. I still had over an hour to kill so I continued onto the Ramblas and sauntered up the magic mile. The stomach was rumbling so I ducked into the famous La Boqueria Market. After a bit of thought I ended up purchasing 300g of fresh large cooked prawns and some cold gazpacho soup to wash it down. There is an open concrete park area at the rear of the complex which was the perfect place to sit and savor the succulent crustaceans.
Back at the Segway store our group of eight was given some operating instructions and after some practice we were on our way. It didn’t take long to master the intricacies of these mobile machines and the whole group was pretty confident going forward. Our route took us over towards the Ramblas and then headed along the waterfront to the nearby beach. We took a couple of breaks and our guides explained some of the history of the area. The tour ended up being close to 2.5 hours and I know Alice would have enjoyed it as much as I did.
It was only 3:30pm so I decided to take the 12euro tour of Parc Guell which was designed by Antoni Gaudi early in his career. The audio guide which is included in the price gave an excellent explanation of what Gaudi and the master craftsmen tried to accomplish with this site. Another glad I did it experience.
Back at the hotel and I have another hour before I am picked up. What to do? I can’t believe that I did not notice this place last night. Right next door to my hotel is the A Birra Derro which has around 40 craft beers on tap. I started with a Double IPA, Black IPA and finished with an Imperial Stout. They all tasted great but the verdict went to a very bitter creamy Imperial Stout. My Emirates chauffer limousine arrived dead on time to transport me in style to terminal 1 at the International Airport. I was surprised by the number of passengers checking in as it was still 3.75 hours until departure. Even the business class line had a queue which was me. I did ask if an upgrade was possible between Dubai and Colombo and with a little help from the Emirates team leader I may have succeeded. I won’t know for sure until I get to the gate around 10:00pm. Meanwhile it didn’t take long to clear security and immigration and then find the Sala Miro lounge where I enjoyed a few wines. It was okay but nowhere near the opulence of the Emirates lounges.
When I arrived at the gate my upgrade was waiting for me.The flight was typical Emirates, plenty of good quality everything to enhance your flight experience. I think that I even managed two hours sleep and a movie before we touched down in Dubai.
Up early this morning t 6:00am as I have to catch the 7:35am train to Madrid. After a quick wash I was on my way at 6:30am. From my research I estimated that it was only a 20 minute walk. I did have an incident as I was passing the bus station. A seedy looking young guy approached me and asked for money. After my refusal he kept following and badgering me and would not leave me alone. He was attempting to intimidate me without actually threatening me. It was quite invasive. I noticed a police car and waved them down. My friend could see no further use from me and calmly asked the police for directions back to the bus station. I thanked the police who understood the situation and then proceeded to walk the last three minutes to the train station. The station itself is a modern complex and I had no trouble determining which platform my train was departing from. There was even time for a freshly squeezed OJ, coffee and pastry. The trip time from here to Madrid is scheduled for 3hrs 15mins and is a little over 300km. I had booked the ticket in advance on the RENFE website and it was a very reasonable 17.65euro which is cheaper than most of the tolls I paid in France and Italy. The route is mostly through the Spanish countryside with panoramic views of farmland, rivers and mountains. Like the saying goes, the only stops we make are the stations.
I have chosen my hotel in Madrid, Sleep ’n’ Atocha as it is supposed to be close to the main station aptly named Atocha. At 40euro a night in a capital city I do not have high expectations for my three night stay. The train pulled in ten minutes late at 11:00 and it was then that I realized that I did not know the directions to the hotel. I knew the address but did not have a map or internet direction to find my way. I started walking in the general direction of where I thought the hotel was when I spotted a map on a bus shelter. After a quick consultation and a few minutes later I was at the door of the hotel.
I checked-in and stored my bag as the room would not be ready until 3:00pm. No problem, the Reina Sofia museum is only 50 metres away so I went and purchased a three museum ticket (28.80euro). The ticket includes the Prado Museum which is the first stop on my museum tour and only 600m away. It was a good decision to pre-purchase the ticket as the queue was very long and there was no respite from the sun. The Prado houses a huge collection of Medieval and Renaissance paintings. On the main floor there are paintings by El Greco, Ribera, Murillo, Velazquez and other Spanish masters from their Golden Age. The Goya collection of over 100 paintings is spread over all floors. My favourites were from his black period especially Saturn devouring his child, quite disturbing. http://www.wga.hu/html_m/g/goya/9/
Other renown artist such as Rubens, Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Botticelli, Rembrandt and Raphel are well represented. The Cardinal by Raphel was one of my favourites. After three hours I was exhausted and headed back to the hotel. Along the way I stopped at the Museum of Jamon and had a 90c cleansing ale which came with a small plate of chorizo.
"Black Paintings" in the Quinta del Sordo (1820-1823) www.wga.hu The 14 'Black Paintings' paintings (now in the Museo del Prado), so called because of the dark tones and predominance of black, originally decorated the Quinta del ...
It was already 4:30pm, my room was definitely available and I was ready for a shower. The room which is not huge is excellent. Good air-con, comfortable double bed, flat screen TV and a reasonably large bathroom with a rain head shower. This hotel is like an up market version of the Fragrance Hotels in Singapore. After relaxing for a couple of hours it was time to extend myself at visit the Reina Sofia museum which is open until 9:00pm. I wandered over at 6:15pm and headed for the first floor which had an exhibition of Cuban born artist Wilfred Lam. I liked his work but like Surrealism I did not get it.
The four floors are broken up into themes and supported by old film footage.
1. From Revolt to Post Modernity (1962-1982)
2. The Eruption of the 20th Century: Utopias and Conflicts (1900-1945)
- Picasso’s Guernica
- Salvador Dali and Oscar Dominguez, Surrealism and Revolution
3. Temporary Exhibitions
4. Is the War Over? Art in a Divided World (1945-1968)
I had just finished admiring a Jean Miro painting when the room attendants started herding everyone off the floor. It was nearly 9:00pm so it was time for Lord Kawaku to leave the building. Food beckoned, so I headed around the corner for a cheap feed at the Museum of Jamon. The meal itself was a little greasy and just edible. At least the 90cent beers diluted the effects of the grease.
Tuesday 12th July – Not Another Museum
A little after 10:00 I headed up the road for 10 minutes to visit the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. This museum completes the trifecta and compliments its more serious neighbours. It is a little smaller but the three floors still took 2.5 hours to visit. If you are not into art museums but want a broad taste then this is the one to visit. It contains one of the world’s most distinguished private art collections and covers seven centuries. Starting on level 2 it has good examples of Renaissance and Baroque Art. Level 1 displays work from the Dutch School, North American Art, Impressionism, Post Impressionism and German Impressionism. Level 0 is reserved for the 20th century and contains Cubism, Abstract Art, Surrealism and Pop Art. The artists include Miro, Picasso, Dali, Kadinsky, Raphael, Monet, Gaugin, Van Gogh and many others. It is definitely worth a visit.
After I caught my breath I walked up Paseo del Prado to take a picture of the Cybele fountain which is located in the middle of a large roundabout at Plaza de Cibeles. As an extra bonus I discovered that for 2E I could visit the viewing platform of the Palace adjacent to the plaza. The 360 degree views over Madrid were fantastic and it is certainly worth a visit. One block further to the right at Puetra De Alcala is Madrid’s Victory Gate, the Alcalá Gate of Madrid.
It was just on 2:00pm so I decided to take a break and treated myself to a fine lunch at the Mallorca restaurant situated on Calle de Serrano. Soup, smoked salmon and two glasses of a fine red should be enough to keep me going. After a long break it was back into the sun and another block to another monument, the plinth of Christopher Columbus. It is situated at another roundabout at Plaza de Colon. The plaza has an impressive huge modern concrete sculpture which is dedicated to the discovery of America. On one side it is bounded by the equally impressive facades of the Archeological Museum and the National Library. The heat was too much so I headed back to Atocha .
At 6:15 I donned my walking boots. My goal was to walk to Puerta Sol which is about 20 minutes away and then follow Rick Steves walking tour to the Royal Palace. There is plenty to see on this route including The Bear and Madrono Tree statue, Plaza Myor, Cathedral of Almudena and the Royal Palace. From here it is worth continuing on to Plaza Espana where there is a great statue of Cervantes, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Continue up the hill and you arrive at the Temple De Debod. It was donated by the Egyptian government as a thank you for Spain’s help relocating temples when the Aswan dam was built. I wanted to watch the sunset and take in the great views along with hundreds of others. It did not look like setting until 9:45pm and I had yet to eat. It was a bit of a walk back to Puerta Sol so I took a gamble on the metro. Eventually I worked out how to purchase a ticket (1.5euro) and soon back to Sol.
Dinner tonight was Patatas Bravas (fried potatoes in a spicy red sauce) washed down with some red wine. Casa Toni has a helpful English menu and several classic dishes but after the patas there was no room left. Toni even threw in a couple of extras which rounded off an enjoyable evening. With my belly full I waddled my way back to the hotel and a blissful sleep.
Wednesday 13th July – Hop On, Hop Off
I’m in no rush this morning as I have ticked off everything that I wanted to see locally. A tour to Sergovia would have been okay but I was too lazy to arrange anything. Instead I went for a walk to the railway station to familiarize myself for tomorrow’s journey to Barcelona. With a few hours to kill I opted for a trip on the Madrid City Tour. I ended up being able to purchase a seniors ticket for 10euro and two days would have been 13euro. Route 1 which I caught has a stop just around the corner from my hotel. The route covers most of the city sights that I had walked to yesterday. It was good however to relax and listen to the commentary on the 90 minute round trip. I did manage to glean a few facts from the commentary.
At Puerta del Sol I alighted and took a break for lunch at another of the Museum of Jamon stores. Over a beer and a ham and cheese croissant I had a good sports chat with two Indian guys from London. They loved their cricket and rugby and were off to Seville in the morning. With lunch over it was back on the red bus for a trip on route 2 which takes approximately 60 minutes.
This route is less popular than the other and I had a seat to myself under the shade canopy. The bus travels some of the more affluent areas of Madrid. It passes some high end stores, palaces and embassies. The highlight for football fans is a stop at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, the home of Real Madrid. I think even Alice knows that they are recognized as one of the world’s premier sporting teams. With the tour over I returned to my hotel. I have kept my ticket as I will probably use it when I go out for a late dinner.
No such luck as there was a decided reduction in service after 7:00pm. In the end I gave up waiting and walked up to St Anna Plaza where I had a couple of Natural beers. Naturally, they were quite expensive compared to the 90 cent special from the Museum of Ham. I think the cheap beer even tasted better. The entertainment was the barman playing up with four older women who were slightly sloshed. When I looked around the room 70 percent of the patrons were glued to their mobiles. Whatever happened to the art of conversation and a good topic to fire up the consonants and the vowels. At 8:15 I moved digs to Casa del Abuelo which is supposed to a good job on Gamba (prawns). I selected barbeque prawns which were very tasty but in hindsight I should have chosen the garlic or chili prawns which looked delicious. It was slightly expensive, 11.75E for eight medium sized prawns. From here I went to Casa Toni for my last dish of the night, mushrooms grilled on the hotplate. It was a huge dish which tasted great but could have done with a little less oil. Business was humming but Toni still found time to give me a small complimentary plate of lightly fried anchovies. A couple of wines later and it was back to the hotel.
Thursday 14th July – Barcelona
Have thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the Sleep ‘n ‘ Atocha and would recommend this budget hotel.
· Short walk from Madrid Atocha train station. Airport buses stop here and trains link most of the Spanish cities
· Easy walk to three major museums
· Hop on Hop off bus stop less than 100 metres
· Atocha metro station 100 metres (line currently under repair)
· Twenty minute walk to Plaza Mayor
I have booked the very fast train which departs Madrid at 10:30am. The 621km journey is due to arrive in Barcelona at 1:15 pm. This is a far better option than flying as it is quicker when you take into consideration the time spent travelling to and from the airport, security and check-in. There are travel options that cost between 30E and 40E but the travel time is around six hours.
I arrived at the station around 10:05 and went straight to the departure platforms on level 1. The security line moved quickly and I was soon seated in my comfortable seat which has a lot more leg room than economy class on any airline. We departed on time and were soon in the countryside humming along at over 200kmph. I kept an eye on the train’s velocity gauge which eventually hit a high of 301kmph. Even at that speed the ride was smooth and I was able to enjoy a small bottle of red and a ham and cheese croissant that I had brought along for the ride. It was great to look out the window and watch the very parched landscaped rolling by. Time to play an old song by Peter Starsted, “Frozen Orange juice. As the train approached Barcelona I spotted Alice’s favourite cava winery, Freixnet. The train arrived 5 minutes early and within ten minutes I was on the metro heading for Hostal Abrevadero.
Check-in was smooth and I was soon in a comfortable room with reasonable space for two. The room is a little tired but I cannot complain about the rate. I then went and retrieved my luggage that I had stored two weeks earlier. Everything was in order and I now have the luxury of more clothes and the old just functioning netbook. I basically hung around the hotel for the day catching up on administrative tasks. In the evening I treated myself to prawns and chewy octopus.
Friday 15th July – Barcelona Flight Time
Breakfast at the Abrevadero which cost 3.50euro was a substantial affair. It was a small buffet but had plenty to fill you. The customers are mostly African and Muslim and I suspect at 36euro a night it is a good bargain for them as well as me. This is definitely a good hotel if you are on a budget. It is in the Montjuic area with two metro lines, funicular and about a ten minute walk to the Ramblas.
Check out time is at midday and I was at a loss at what I could see or do prior to being picked up for the airport at 6:30pm. I stored my luggage in the hotel lockers (2euro) and decide to walk to the Ramblas. I passed a bicycle store that offered tours in English at 11:00am but alas it was already 11:20am. I then saw a store offering Segway tours so I went in to see what was on offer. For 55euro I could take a two hour tour at 1:00pm. With no money down they booked me on the tour. I still had over an hour to kill so I continued onto the Ramblas and sauntered up the magic mile. The stomach was rumbling so I ducked into the famous La Boqueria Market. After a bit of thought I ended up purchasing 300g of fresh large cooked prawns and some cold gazpacho soup to wash it down. There is an open concrete park area at the rear of the complex which was the perfect place to sit and savor the succulent crustaceans.
Back at the Segway store our group of eight was given some operating instructions and after some practice we were on our way. It didn’t take long to master the intricacies of these mobile machines and the whole group was pretty confident going forward. Our route took us over towards the Ramblas and then headed along the waterfront to the nearby beach. We took a couple of breaks and our guides explained some of the history of the area. The tour ended up being close to 2.5 hours and I know Alice would have enjoyed it as much as I did.
It was only 3:30pm so I decided to take the 12euro tour of Parc Guell which was designed by Antoni Gaudi early in his career. The audio guide which is included in the price gave an excellent explanation of what Gaudi and the master craftsmen tried to accomplish with this site. Another glad I did it experience.
Back at the hotel and I have another hour before I am picked up. What to do? I can’t believe that I did not notice this place last night. Right next door to my hotel is the A Birra Derro which has around 40 craft beers on tap. I started with a Double IPA, Black IPA and finished with an Imperial Stout. They all tasted great but the verdict went to a very bitter creamy Imperial Stout. My Emirates chauffer limousine arrived dead on time to transport me in style to terminal 1 at the International Airport. I was surprised by the number of passengers checking in as it was still 3.75 hours until departure. Even the business class line had a queue which was me. I did ask if an upgrade was possible between Dubai and Colombo and with a little help from the Emirates team leader I may have succeeded. I won’t know for sure until I get to the gate around 10:00pm. Meanwhile it didn’t take long to clear security and immigration and then find the Sala Miro lounge where I enjoyed a few wines. It was okay but nowhere near the opulence of the Emirates lounges.
When I arrived at the gate my upgrade was waiting for me.The flight was typical Emirates, plenty of good quality everything to enhance your flight experience. I think that I even managed two hours sleep and a movie before we touched down in Dubai.
European Vacation - The Camino de Santiago
Thursday 30th June – Goodbye My Darlin’
Well we spent most of this morning catching up with administrative details and packing my bag in readiness for my early check-out tomorrow morning. I have packed only the bare essentials for the next 12 days and the rest of my gear will end up in a storage locker at my next hotel in Barcelona. Around midday I deposited my bag at the very cheap rate of 2euro a day and then took the opportunity with Alice for a final stroll around the city centre and the Barri Gotti area. It is a good walk and there are number of interesting sites that you can see or visit. I used Rick Steves walking trail and if anyone is travelling to Barcelona then contact me and I will email you the information. If I get an email then I know you have been reading this.
Back at our lodging Alice did her final preparation for her return flight to Brisbane. I managed to secrete a few unwanted items into her luggage. Her limousine arrived on time and I went out to the airport with her to see if we could up grade her ticket between Dubai and Brisbane. Unfortunately as I was not travelling with her we were unable to arrange it even though seats were available. We said our goodbyes and I know that I will miss her dreadfully over the next six weeks. I ended up catching the airport bus which is excellent value if you are staying in the heart of Barcelona. I alighted at the Espanya stop and took a short walk to watch the Magic Fountain show. There were plenty of tourists with the same idea but I gave up the wait at 9:15pm and caught the metro back to our area. I ended up at the Beer Brew where I had a light snack and a couple of craft beers.
Friday 1st July – Barcelona to St. Jean Pied de Port
I woke up early this morning as I have to catch a train from Barcelona to Pamplona at 7:30am. The journey time is 3.75hours and is due in at 11:17am. The trip was quite relaxing but I must admit I was a little nervous about alighting at the correct stop. In the end the train was about 10 minutes late which through my plan about walking the 2 km to the bus station. I ended up catching the L16 bus (1.35E) but had no idea where I was to get off. Fortunately, the old guy who was standing next to me came to my rescue. I ended up catching my Coanda bus (27.10E) to St. Jean with 10 minutes to spare. The bus was only one third full and departed on time at midday. After clearing the suburbs of Pamplona we were soon travelling some beautiful country and over the Pyrnees. I found my accommodation in St.Pied at 2:00pm only to find that they were closed until 3:00pm. Stuff happens!
I took the opportunity to look around this beautiful French town which happens to have a campervan area on the banks of a beautiful stream that cuts the old town down the middle. The view from the Citadel which was an old fort is quite impressive. The passport office for the Camino is opposite my lodging so I dropped in just before 3:00pm to get my passport for the Camino de Santiago. The office is manned by volunteers who are all enthusiastic about the walk. For 2euro I left with my passport and was armed with a lot of useful information including places to stay along the walk. They also had a set of scales and my little backpack came in at 8kg. I ended up checking-in (Gite Azkorria 32E) at 3:15pm and was assigned my room which I will share with three others. The hostel is close to the Porte St. Jacques which is the gate for the start of the Camino. After looking around town I could have picked up similar accommodation for 20euro. An early dinner and it was off to bed.
Saturday 2nd July – THE WAY, St. Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles (6.25hrs – 25.1km)
I could have used a sleeping tablet and ear plugs last night as the Belgians that shared the room with me did a great job of vibrating the walls. At 5:30am I got up, did my ablutions and gave Alice a call at home. After a very nice breakfast I hit the trail at 7:00am. The weather was cool and ideal for walking. The Belgians are waiting an extra day as the forecast is promising rain. This first section of the Camino is supposed to be the hardest and I soon found out why. It is quite steep but the reward is the great views and lush countryside. Eight kilometres and two hours later I stopped for a five minute break at Orisson. There is an alberque here and in hindsight I should have booked my accommodation here and did the first 8km in the afternoon as there is plenty of light until 9:00pm.
The rest had to be five minutes as I had to delve into my backpack and retrieve my poncho as the promised light rain has arrived. As we continued upwards the cloudy mist engulfed us and the people in front looked like ghostly silhouettes. I was maintaining a good steady pace and after three hours I was about halfway. The rain was getting heavier which wiped out the view but that is the way it goes. At the 15km mark there was an entrenueper selling coffee and other necessities to keep your body fuelled. I ended up purchasing a boiled egg which will keep me going.
After our lowest point of 170m in St. Jean I have been forever going up and at last reached the high point of 1450 metres at Col le Lepoeder. It was a little clearer in the beech forest but the track was slippery and muddy in places. At long last I reached the point where it was all downhill to Roncesvalles. The passport office advised us to take the bitumen road down to the village as the track through the forest was dangerous. Of course I ignored that good advice and plunged down a very steep descent. I have to say that it was particularly hard on the knees and toes but after about a kilometre it became easier. I arrived at the alberque at 1:15pm which was pretty good going. After booking my bed for 12euro and the pilgrim meal (10euro) I headed over to one of the two restaurants and had a beer and a couple of small rolls. At 2:00pm we were allowed into our allotted areas which hold about 80 beds on each floor. The room is quite new and the beds, lockers and bathroom facilities are clean and well maintained. It is quite cool here in the Pyrenees and the one mistake I made is that I don’t have a sleeping bag or blanket. In the end I went to bed with 3 t-shirts, socks and a skimpy towel to stay warm.
My goals for this walk are not only the physical challenge but also the spiritual elements of the Camino. I am finding as I walk that I think of family and friends. It is important to remind myself of what everyone means to me and how you all enrich my life. A few silent prayers are said along The Way. Tonight I attended the pilgrims mass and although it was all in Spanish the meaning was clear. There was also a visiting choir whose voices were so clear in the cloister. You cannot have a pilgrims mass without a pilgrim meal so it was off to the restaurant. The meal consisted of soup, pasta, pork, chips, yogurt and of course a bottle of wine. I could get used to this.
Sunday 3rd July – Call Me Crazy, Roncesvalles to Zabaldika (9.25hours – 35km)
It is a huge complex and with all the snoring, farting, super flush toilets that could carry away children and the banging of bathroom doors that started from 4:00am meant that I just could not lie there. In the end I hopped out of bed at 4:00am, did the usual business and hit the Camino at 5:45am. There was just enough early morning light to make my way along the path that was sometimes obscured by overhanging branches. With the wind whipping off the Pyrnees it was a bit chilly and I did not begin to warm up until after breakfast which I took at Viskarret. It was a little after 8:00 and I had already clocked up over 11km. I think my speed is good as the terrain so far has been reasonably flat.
There was good woodlands, shade and plenty of drinking water. At a couple of points the path crosses the N-135 which was the road the bus used on the way up. At the last crossing there is a mobile café, Kiosco where I rested for five minutes over a cup of coffee. The path then descended over a steep rock outcrop to Zubri which was the recommended stopping place for day two. It was only11:00 and I was feeling strong so I decided to kick on to Larrasonna as there are plenty of alberques here. To reach the town you have to cross over the stone bridge (The Puente XIV) that spans the Rio Arga. I think this bridge was used in the scene from the movie “The Way” where Martin Sheen’s backpack fell off and into the fast flowing waters of the Arga. This is where the craziness begins, instead of stopping I decided to kick on for another 3.8km to a 4 bed alberque on the banks of the river at Zuriain. I should have known better as they were already booked out. It has been stinking hot so I took a rest, aired my feet and had some OJ and spinach pie for a late lunch.
The next village was Zabaldika and my destination was the parish building PAGE 63. Just before the village the path followed a beautiful section of the Rio Arga. There were heaps of families enjoying a refreshing dip in the cool waters. How I wished that I could join them as it reminded me of summer outings with Dad to Colleges Crossing when we were kids. I virtually crawled up the last 300m of the steep path that led to the monastery where I was welcomed by the RSCJ sisters (Society of the Sacred Heart). I was in luck as I was the fourth person to register for a bed. They have eighteen beds in total and you cannot register in advance. It is a single bed with a blanket, I also had my clothes washed (I had to hang them up) and receive dinner and breakfast. There is no charge but there is a box where you can leave a donation. After a hearty dinner with wine it was over to the church for prayers and a chance to climb the bell tower and ring the oldest bell in the Navarra region. It was a wonderful evening and perhaps there was some divine intervention that led me here?
Monday 4th July – Where Are the Bulls? – Zabaidika to Pamplona (2 hours – 9km)
There is no rush this morning as it is only a short walk into Pamplona. I enjoyed some coffee and toast with the Sisters and three other trekkers. After a nice hug I set off at 7:30 and immediately I felt the tightness in my calves. Nevertheless my pace was still reasonable and I was on the outskirts of Pamplona at 8:30. My guidebook gave the tip of following the river into the heart of town. It is a little longer but you avoid walking on a lot of the city pavement. There were plenty of locals out on the river path jogging, riding bikes and walking dogs. After crossing the Puente de Magdalen it was a short uphill walk to the Cathedral of Santa Maria. It was only 9:30 so I took the time to admire this austere Gothic structure with a neo-classical façade. The cloisters with their fine filigree stonework are a beautiful sight.
I have a room booked at the Hotel Eslava and check-in time is 1:00. I dropped in at 10:00 in the hope that I could leave my bag and go off exploring. To my surprise the room was ready which suited me perfectly as I needed to freshen up. The Running of the Bulls starts on the 6th July so I went out to walk the route starting at the Bull Corral. The bulls are released from here each morning at 8:00.They first run up Cuesta de Santo Domingo and all you have to do is follow the signs labeled El Encierro. Halfway up the street there is a small shrine embedded in the wall on your right containing an image of San Fermin. The first stretch is uphill which allows the bulls to use their strong hind legs to pick up some serious momentum. Next they turn down Mercaderes Street for a short distance and then turn right onto La Estafeta Street. At this turn the bulls are going downhill and begin to lose their balance often sliding into the barricade. Once the bulls regain their footing they charge up the middle of La Estafeta. This street is narrow with no room for barricades and no escape for the mozos (male runners). La Estafeta eventually leads into Pamplona’s bullring and at the end of the run the bulls charge down the ramp through the red door. It is not a long walk but it is something that gives you a feel for the run especially at this time of year.
Next to the bullring is a large bust of Ernest Hemingway who wrote of this event in his bullfighting classic “The Sun Also Rises”. A short distance away is the Running of the Bulls monument which shows six bulls, two steers and ten runners in action. Another short stroll brings you to Pamplona’s cozy square the Plaza del Castillo. It is dominated by the Navarre Government Building and several Hemingway sites. The sun was beating down so I took shelter in the Bar Cerveceria in La Estafeta and sampled some of their fine cuisine.
An afternoon rest was in order before heading out for some evening tapas. After a relaxing walk along the wall overlooking the Rio Arga I headed off to Plaza de Castillo in search of a Rick Steves recommendation, Café Roch. No, not Cockroach! It was only 7:15 so the place was nearly empty. I ordered a deep fried spinach, cheese and pine nut croquette tapas that set me back 3.4euro. It was enjoyable so I ordered another tapas which was olives and anchovies. The bar stool out on the street had my name on it so with my glass of chardonnay in hand I took up my people observation position. The Bruce Springsteen song “Girls in their Summer Clothes” sprung to mind as there were plenty of them strolling by in their finest outfits. There were old couples holding hands, young children and parents licking ice-creams and of course the young brigade with their mobiles entrenched into their ears not seeing anything at all.
My next tapas bar was just around the corner and was doing a roaring trade. The La Mandarra de la Ramos had a good bar and I managed to squeeze myself into a comfortable position. Above the bar there is a multitude of cured legs of Jamon dangling enticingly over your head. I hammed it up by ordering a 2012 Tempranillo with a ham and prawn tapas. It was a little more expensive and cost 10.40euro of with the wine accounting for 40% of the cost. A great evening but I wished that I had brought along the camera to capture some of the moments.
Tuesday 5th July – Pamplona to Puente La Reina (6.75hours – 27km)
Had a great breakfast and hit the city pavements at 7:15. The first 5km is mostly on city pavement and suburban roads which are hard on the feet. Beyond Cizur Menor the pathways are through farmland and scrub. In the distance you can see the wind turbines standing on the hill. After the village of Zariquiegui it was a steep climb to Alto del Perdon (790m). As I ascended there were panoramic views back over Pamplona to the south and Monreal is clearly visible. At the summit the view westward over the Arga valley opens up with the villages that I will pass through now visible ahead. The wind was howling up here so I did not bother with a coffee and instead plunged into the steep descent over loose boulders. I was really motoring in this section as I am fairly confident on a loose surface when I have my hiking poles. I did pass quite a few people on the way down.
My feet were starting to burn so at 10:30 and 17km later I took a rest next to a fountain in the village of Uterga. While resting I feasted on cake and kiwi fruit that I had purloined from breakfast this morning. With my energy restored and glutes burning I soldiered onto Muruzabal. At this point I left the main Camino and detoured 3km to visit Eunate. It is a beautiful X11th century Romanesque Church of Santa Maria de Eunate and is one of the jewels of the Camino. The church has been linked to the Knights Templar who long ago defended the pilgrim on the route to Santiago. The sun is really beating down so I took a 30 minute break in the picnic area next to the church. After getting my Camino passport stamped I headed off again. Fortunately I am not dehydrated as there are plenty of fountains to refill my 500ml plastic water bottle.
After trudging through Obanos I headed downhill and crossed the highway. From here it was only another 2km to the end point for today’s journey Puente La Reina. After taking a few pictures in town I crossed the old bridge which the town is named after and headed uphill to the Santiago Apostal where I will spend the night. I have secured a bunk (10E) and a three course meal (10E) and could not be happier. There is washing facilities, wi-fi and a swimming pool which I did take advantage of. This is Livin’!
Wednesday 6th July – Scorcher of a Day, Puente la Reina to Estella (6hours – 23km)
The meal last night was simple but excellent. My glass of red wine was served in a large beer mug that could have held a half litre. Needless to say I had a great night’s sleep with the added bonus of no-one sharing my cubicle. Breakfast (3.50E)was a basic OJ, bread with marmalade and a freshly brewed coffee. I tried to call Alice but she missed my call so I headed off down the Camino at 7:10.
This stage is a rather quiet one with gently rolling farmland, vineyards and a few trees for shelter. The first section has steep climbs to the three hilltop villages of Maneru (5.2km,1hr), Cirauqui (2.6km,45mins) and Lorca (5.7km, 1.25hrs). Between Cirauqui and Lorca there are some fine examples of old Roman roadways. Every village has a beautiful church and thankfully a fountain where you can refill your water bottle. My feet needed a rest so I stopped at Lorca to partake of a coffee and vegetable pie. Time was marching on and it was 11:15 before I reached Villatuerta. A long the way I had a bit of a chat to a young guy from South Korea who was struggling a bit with his feet. I sat in the shade for five minutes and said hello to the kiwi girl whom I had met on the first night. The sun was nearly at its zenith so it was time to once again walk uphill. The heat was starting to get to me and when I came across a water fountain on the outskirts of Estella, I could not resist the urge to dunk my head under the fountain. I arrived Estella at 12:15 and took a few pictures.
Estella is big enough to provide reasonable facilities and yet sufficiently compact to easily explore its historic buildings, museums and interesting churches. I continued on through the narrow alley that runs beside the Rio Ega until I reached the suburb of Ayegui. I spotted a large supermarket that was simply called “Simply”. I needed to purchase a USB power point and cable as like an idiot I had discovered that I had left mine in the hotel at Pamplona. It is difficult to survive without access to your electronic devices. Just 500m up the road I found my lodging that I had selected, San Cipriano de Ayegui. It has 80 beds and is part of the Ayegui Sports Hall. At 8euro for a bed and 9euro for a meal it is good value. As I was writing this account there were only 4 other people staying, including a lady that was at Zabaldika.
After settling in I gave Alice a lengthy phone call on my recharged mobile. I needed some beers so I set off down the hill to Simply and purchased my supplies including breakfast and snacks for tomorrow. The heat is absolutely stifling so I will be staying inside for the remainder of the day.
Thursday 7th July – A Walk In the Woods, Estella to Torres del Rio (6.75hours – 28km)
Dinner last night was a simple affair with a tuna salad, pork medallions with chips, ice cream and a half bottle of local red wine. After waking up at 5:30 I had a simple breakfast of OJ, sweet pastry and yogurt. Eating the yogurt was a challenge as I did not have a spoon. I must have looked a sight as I was using my tongue as cutlery which although a little messy did the trick. I hit the road at 6:15 and was soon in a good rhythm. Just out of town is the Bodegas Irache with its famous wine fountain where pilgrims can fortify themselves for the journey ahead at the generosity of the Bodegas. Stupidly, I did not go over for a taste, so is it water or wine that it dispenses. According to Dr Google and another pilgrim it is wine. Now that hurts! http://www.irache.com/en/enoturismo/fuente-del-vino.htm
Today I’m taking the road less travelled which skirts away from the main Camino for 9km and hits the lower slopes of Monte Jurra. The path wound its way through woodland, pine forests, high pastures and fields of lavender. I topped up my water bottle in Luquin which is a typical hill village with winding streets radiating out from the Basilica. A couple of kilometres later the route rejoined the main Camino and continued along remote farm tracks.
Around 10:30 I took a 30 minute break in the main square of Los Across. It is a pretty village with narrow streets and is a popular place for pilgrims to stay. I want an easier day tomorrow so I needed to tackle the last 7.5km to Torres del Rio. The sun was getting stronger and beginning to sap my energy. The gravel path is wide and has very little shade as most of the land is taken up by arable farming. The last couple of kilometres was on a quiet country road that had a bitumen finish. Of course it was uphill as all the villages seem to gravitate to any hill. At 1:00 I strode into Torres del Rio and chose the first hostel in town. It was the swimming pool that got me in but the fact that the Hostal San Andreas was modern and new did not go astray. Once again it is 10euro for a bed and 12 euro for a meal. After doing my washing and having a refreshing swim I went for a walk around the village. All of the hostals look good and one of them also had a pool. The church Iglesia de Santo Sepulcro is linked to the Knights Templar and based on the octagonal church of the Holy Sepulchure in Jerusalem. The simple interior is very similar to the one in Eunate.
Friday 8th July – The End of the Way For Me, Torres del Rio to Logrono (4.75hours – 21km)
It was a sensational dinner last night and similar in many ways to previous ones. The real difference was the Iberian Surprise which were like grilled pieces of pork belly. After all that food or possibly the bottle of wine that I almost finished made me sleep like a baby until 6:00. I was going to take breakfast at the hostal but decided to get moving so I could avoid the heat. Unlike yesterday there is not a cloud in the sky so it will be hot. The majority of this stage is on natural paths through open farmland. I am thankful that I have my cap and sunscreen to protect me. I made good time and stopped at Viana around 9:15 which gave me a chance to cool the feet down and have a small bite to eat.
The trail from here was relatively easy and I made good time to the outskirts of Logrono. I stopped and had my passport stamped by two Catholic monks who had a table setup in the shade. We spoke about the work they were doing with the community in Logrono and finished with a prayer in Spanish. I was moved by the prayer and the holding of hands. I arrived at my end point in Logrono about 30 minutes later. My next task is to find a taxi to take me to the Meson Pepa where I have booked a room for the next two nights. There are times when you know that you have made a bad choice with a booking and this was one of them. The hotel is in the middle of nowhere in an industrial strip on the outskirts of town. It reminds me of being in the American mid-west where there is one hotel on the crossroads of a dying town. Checking-in was also fun as none of the staff could speak or read English. Consequently, booking.com has me down as a no show. It looks like sign language for the next two days. After a shower I ventured down to the restaurant which was doing a roaring trade. Another three course dinner for 10euro with real coffee and a bottle of Tempranillo put me in a better frame of mind. The other good news is that the air conditioning for my room is non-existent. I ended up staying in my room for the evening and watching American movies in Spanish, highly entertaining.
Saturday 9th July – Broken Sleep at Meson Pepa
I ended up having a very poor night and only managed a few hours sleep. At 7:30 I went down for my breakfast which you take at the bar. The poor guy who was trying to serve me had no idea what I was asking for and I had no idea what I could have. Frustrating for all parties but I ended up with a croissant and two cups of good coffee. At 8:00 I watched today’s running of the bulls in Pamplona. There were no serious injuries today and the run was a little longer than normal at 3.5 minutes. Looking at the size of the crowd and the associated madness it is now an event that will be removed from my bucket list.
Back in my room and the air-con is still not working. The house maid tried to help but to no avail. The only good news was that I was able to catch up with Jemma on Skype. It was just what I needed before I venture out into the wide unknown. In between phone calls and getting ready the house maid realized that the air-con was never going to work adequately. She ended up arranging for me to be moved to another room, bless her. The new room certainly appears to be cooler.
At around midday I set out along bleak road and dropped into Bodega Ontanon and arranged a premium wine tasting for tomorrow at 11:00. I continued down the road for another 10 minutes and came across a bus stop. After consulting the map for a few minutes I worked out that I could catch line 2 into the City and it would drop me at the start of their Queen Street Mall. Five minutes later the bus arrived and after paying 72 cents I was on my way. It worked a charm and I may use it to return to the hotel later tonight. After traversing the mall I went into the tourist office and picked up a brochure which is all about Laurel that is the plethora of tapas bars in the Calle Laurel precinct. I chose four of them and had an enjoyable tapas crawl sampling different specialties. The wines were about 1euro a glass and the pinchos (tapas) ranged from 1.40euro to 3.00euro. It was hard to pick a favourite but I could go back again for the grilled langoustine (prawn) and pineapple skewer. With my culinary needs sated I took a short stroll around the historic sites before taking a rest opposite the taxi rank.
I am here because I have booked a tour that starts at 4:30 in a town called Funemayor where I will hopefully learn something about wine production in this area. It is about 12km away and I have a rough address and GPS coordinates for the taxi driver. My driver was a cheerful chap and not just because of the hefty fare he was about to receive. He got me there for 22euro and with time to spare. As a bonus he rang my guide and confirmed that we were in the correct location. Diego the guide arrived around 4:20 and an Australian couple from Melbourne arrived soon after. Three Aussies on a La Rioja wine region education tour.
We took a short drive up into the hills and Diego pointed out the natural barriers such as mountains and climate that make this a great wine region. He also gave us a history lesson on the area right up to when they lost 90% of their grapes in the early 1900’s to phylloxera. To solve this problem they grafted European vines onto American roots which are resistant to the disease. When the field trip was over we had a simple picnic lunch in the shade under the spreading branches of an old walnut tree. Our next stop was the old winery owned by the tour company. The other Aussies have opted out on this part of the tour so it was only Diego and I that descended down the stone steps. The old cellar is a musty 500 years old and is a consistent cool 13 degrees. Diego gave me a lesson on how they pressed the grapes and the process it takes to turn the juice into wine. The cellar is no longer used for wine production as the company sells the grapes to other producers. They do however keep enough so they have at least a cask of wine from each vintage. There were two barrels in the cellar one a 2014 in American Oak and a 2015 in French Oak. Diego took a sample from each barrel and then gave me some tips on how to taste and pick the different characteristics that the wine displayed. I enjoyed the 2014 wine and then had the pleasure of bottling, corking an labeling my own bottle to take home.
With the tour over Diego was kind enough to give me a lift into Logrono. I did not have long to wait and the dependable line 2 whisked me away to the centre of town. I was glad that I was not walking because at 7:45pm it was still 37 degrees. My destination was Calle Laurel and a couple of more pinchos and wine. I did not stay long and was soon on the bus back to the hotel. After alighting it was still a 15 minute walk down a deserted road. I started singing to myself “Up ahead in the distance I saw a shimmering light, Welcome to the Hotel Meson Pepa”. Such a strange man!
Sunday 10th July – What No Breakfast
I had a much more comfortable sleep as at last the air-con was functioning properly. The day started perfectly as I had a long conversation with Alice. I was a bit peckish so Downstairs I went for my complimentary breakfast only to find the place locked up tighter than Fort Knox. Back to my room I skulked and had to make do with watching the running of the bulls. Prior to leaving I attempted to contact Pension Laurel where I will be staying tonight. I had to advise them my approximate time of arrival so that someone would be there to greet me. Well it did turn out to be an exercise in futility as neither of us could speak each other’s language. After five minutes of Manuel style dialogue I gave up. To their credit they did contact booking.com who tried to contact me but they got Alice instead on our home phone in Australia. I finished packing my bag and went downstairs just before 11:00 . I could not believe my eyes as they were serving breakfast which must have started about 10:00. Farewell Meson Pepa, I will not be back.
Meanwhile I had bigger fish to fry as my premium wine tasting appointment at Bodega Ontanon is at 11:00. I was five minutes early but the entrance gate was closed. It was already extremely hot so I crossed the road and sat on the footpath of a car lot that was in the shade. In the distance the church bells tolled the coming of the hour and as if the lord had heard the gates opened automatically. Taking no chances I dashed through the gate and into the opulent surroundings of the winery. I have already seen enough wineries on this trip so I was only interested in the tasting. The young woman who was looking after me lined up five glasses and five wine bottles. There was also some cheese and bread to enhance the tasting. There was also a spittoon but I knew that it would not see any action. The first wine was a white made from the Viura grape which is the main white variety in the area. The next three were all reds and tasted great. There was a 2011, 2005 Reservia aged in oak for 2 years and a 2005 Grand Reservia aged in oak for 3 years. The last wine was a family desert wine made from late harvest Moscato grapes. It wasn’t overly sweet and would have paired well with some blue cheese. I was tempted to lash out and purchase a couple of bottles of the 2005’s as the prices were quite reasonable for such a quality aged wine. Common sense did prevail as logistically they would have been difficult to transport. I did however resolve my Pension Laurel dilemma by getting the young wine tasting lady to call and advise them of my approximate arrival time.
http://ontanon.es/es/
I knew where I had to go as I did some reconnaissance when I was in the city yesterday. Unfortunately my ETA was a little out as being Sunday I had to wait 30 minutes for a bus. That was still better than walking in the heat. Anyway I made it to the pension which was only 50 metres from the bus stop. It has a locked gate and is part of an apartment block. Luck was finally with me and a kindly gentleman let me in and the rang the pension on my behalf to advise them that Lord Kawaku was in the building. The mucking around was worth it as my room is excellent and includes a bar fridge, large television and is only 500m from Calle Laurel. The only downside is the shared bathroom which should not be an issue as there are only a few people staying here tonight.
One piece of good news is that Marina who owns the Riojatrek tour company has retrieved my precious Milton cap from the depths of the wine cellar where I left it yesterday. She sent me an email and delivered it to me at the Pension around 8:00pm. I did thank her profusely for her kindness. I finally ventured out into Laurel Land for some wine and pinchos and was surprised that it was not overcrowded. I thought it would be more packed as the European Cup final was starting at 9:00pm. In the end I tried a couple of bars that had the game on and enjoyed a few wines and some delicious pinchos. I was back in my room by 10:00 and finished watching the game. The result after extra time was Portugal 1 and France 0.
Well we spent most of this morning catching up with administrative details and packing my bag in readiness for my early check-out tomorrow morning. I have packed only the bare essentials for the next 12 days and the rest of my gear will end up in a storage locker at my next hotel in Barcelona. Around midday I deposited my bag at the very cheap rate of 2euro a day and then took the opportunity with Alice for a final stroll around the city centre and the Barri Gotti area. It is a good walk and there are number of interesting sites that you can see or visit. I used Rick Steves walking trail and if anyone is travelling to Barcelona then contact me and I will email you the information. If I get an email then I know you have been reading this.
Back at our lodging Alice did her final preparation for her return flight to Brisbane. I managed to secrete a few unwanted items into her luggage. Her limousine arrived on time and I went out to the airport with her to see if we could up grade her ticket between Dubai and Brisbane. Unfortunately as I was not travelling with her we were unable to arrange it even though seats were available. We said our goodbyes and I know that I will miss her dreadfully over the next six weeks. I ended up catching the airport bus which is excellent value if you are staying in the heart of Barcelona. I alighted at the Espanya stop and took a short walk to watch the Magic Fountain show. There were plenty of tourists with the same idea but I gave up the wait at 9:15pm and caught the metro back to our area. I ended up at the Beer Brew where I had a light snack and a couple of craft beers.
Friday 1st July – Barcelona to St. Jean Pied de Port
I woke up early this morning as I have to catch a train from Barcelona to Pamplona at 7:30am. The journey time is 3.75hours and is due in at 11:17am. The trip was quite relaxing but I must admit I was a little nervous about alighting at the correct stop. In the end the train was about 10 minutes late which through my plan about walking the 2 km to the bus station. I ended up catching the L16 bus (1.35E) but had no idea where I was to get off. Fortunately, the old guy who was standing next to me came to my rescue. I ended up catching my Coanda bus (27.10E) to St. Jean with 10 minutes to spare. The bus was only one third full and departed on time at midday. After clearing the suburbs of Pamplona we were soon travelling some beautiful country and over the Pyrnees. I found my accommodation in St.Pied at 2:00pm only to find that they were closed until 3:00pm. Stuff happens!
I took the opportunity to look around this beautiful French town which happens to have a campervan area on the banks of a beautiful stream that cuts the old town down the middle. The view from the Citadel which was an old fort is quite impressive. The passport office for the Camino is opposite my lodging so I dropped in just before 3:00pm to get my passport for the Camino de Santiago. The office is manned by volunteers who are all enthusiastic about the walk. For 2euro I left with my passport and was armed with a lot of useful information including places to stay along the walk. They also had a set of scales and my little backpack came in at 8kg. I ended up checking-in (Gite Azkorria 32E) at 3:15pm and was assigned my room which I will share with three others. The hostel is close to the Porte St. Jacques which is the gate for the start of the Camino. After looking around town I could have picked up similar accommodation for 20euro. An early dinner and it was off to bed.
Saturday 2nd July – THE WAY, St. Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles (6.25hrs – 25.1km)
I could have used a sleeping tablet and ear plugs last night as the Belgians that shared the room with me did a great job of vibrating the walls. At 5:30am I got up, did my ablutions and gave Alice a call at home. After a very nice breakfast I hit the trail at 7:00am. The weather was cool and ideal for walking. The Belgians are waiting an extra day as the forecast is promising rain. This first section of the Camino is supposed to be the hardest and I soon found out why. It is quite steep but the reward is the great views and lush countryside. Eight kilometres and two hours later I stopped for a five minute break at Orisson. There is an alberque here and in hindsight I should have booked my accommodation here and did the first 8km in the afternoon as there is plenty of light until 9:00pm.
The rest had to be five minutes as I had to delve into my backpack and retrieve my poncho as the promised light rain has arrived. As we continued upwards the cloudy mist engulfed us and the people in front looked like ghostly silhouettes. I was maintaining a good steady pace and after three hours I was about halfway. The rain was getting heavier which wiped out the view but that is the way it goes. At the 15km mark there was an entrenueper selling coffee and other necessities to keep your body fuelled. I ended up purchasing a boiled egg which will keep me going.
After our lowest point of 170m in St. Jean I have been forever going up and at last reached the high point of 1450 metres at Col le Lepoeder. It was a little clearer in the beech forest but the track was slippery and muddy in places. At long last I reached the point where it was all downhill to Roncesvalles. The passport office advised us to take the bitumen road down to the village as the track through the forest was dangerous. Of course I ignored that good advice and plunged down a very steep descent. I have to say that it was particularly hard on the knees and toes but after about a kilometre it became easier. I arrived at the alberque at 1:15pm which was pretty good going. After booking my bed for 12euro and the pilgrim meal (10euro) I headed over to one of the two restaurants and had a beer and a couple of small rolls. At 2:00pm we were allowed into our allotted areas which hold about 80 beds on each floor. The room is quite new and the beds, lockers and bathroom facilities are clean and well maintained. It is quite cool here in the Pyrenees and the one mistake I made is that I don’t have a sleeping bag or blanket. In the end I went to bed with 3 t-shirts, socks and a skimpy towel to stay warm.
My goals for this walk are not only the physical challenge but also the spiritual elements of the Camino. I am finding as I walk that I think of family and friends. It is important to remind myself of what everyone means to me and how you all enrich my life. A few silent prayers are said along The Way. Tonight I attended the pilgrims mass and although it was all in Spanish the meaning was clear. There was also a visiting choir whose voices were so clear in the cloister. You cannot have a pilgrims mass without a pilgrim meal so it was off to the restaurant. The meal consisted of soup, pasta, pork, chips, yogurt and of course a bottle of wine. I could get used to this.
Sunday 3rd July – Call Me Crazy, Roncesvalles to Zabaldika (9.25hours – 35km)
It is a huge complex and with all the snoring, farting, super flush toilets that could carry away children and the banging of bathroom doors that started from 4:00am meant that I just could not lie there. In the end I hopped out of bed at 4:00am, did the usual business and hit the Camino at 5:45am. There was just enough early morning light to make my way along the path that was sometimes obscured by overhanging branches. With the wind whipping off the Pyrnees it was a bit chilly and I did not begin to warm up until after breakfast which I took at Viskarret. It was a little after 8:00 and I had already clocked up over 11km. I think my speed is good as the terrain so far has been reasonably flat.
There was good woodlands, shade and plenty of drinking water. At a couple of points the path crosses the N-135 which was the road the bus used on the way up. At the last crossing there is a mobile café, Kiosco where I rested for five minutes over a cup of coffee. The path then descended over a steep rock outcrop to Zubri which was the recommended stopping place for day two. It was only11:00 and I was feeling strong so I decided to kick on to Larrasonna as there are plenty of alberques here. To reach the town you have to cross over the stone bridge (The Puente XIV) that spans the Rio Arga. I think this bridge was used in the scene from the movie “The Way” where Martin Sheen’s backpack fell off and into the fast flowing waters of the Arga. This is where the craziness begins, instead of stopping I decided to kick on for another 3.8km to a 4 bed alberque on the banks of the river at Zuriain. I should have known better as they were already booked out. It has been stinking hot so I took a rest, aired my feet and had some OJ and spinach pie for a late lunch.
The next village was Zabaldika and my destination was the parish building PAGE 63. Just before the village the path followed a beautiful section of the Rio Arga. There were heaps of families enjoying a refreshing dip in the cool waters. How I wished that I could join them as it reminded me of summer outings with Dad to Colleges Crossing when we were kids. I virtually crawled up the last 300m of the steep path that led to the monastery where I was welcomed by the RSCJ sisters (Society of the Sacred Heart). I was in luck as I was the fourth person to register for a bed. They have eighteen beds in total and you cannot register in advance. It is a single bed with a blanket, I also had my clothes washed (I had to hang them up) and receive dinner and breakfast. There is no charge but there is a box where you can leave a donation. After a hearty dinner with wine it was over to the church for prayers and a chance to climb the bell tower and ring the oldest bell in the Navarra region. It was a wonderful evening and perhaps there was some divine intervention that led me here?
Monday 4th July – Where Are the Bulls? – Zabaidika to Pamplona (2 hours – 9km)
There is no rush this morning as it is only a short walk into Pamplona. I enjoyed some coffee and toast with the Sisters and three other trekkers. After a nice hug I set off at 7:30 and immediately I felt the tightness in my calves. Nevertheless my pace was still reasonable and I was on the outskirts of Pamplona at 8:30. My guidebook gave the tip of following the river into the heart of town. It is a little longer but you avoid walking on a lot of the city pavement. There were plenty of locals out on the river path jogging, riding bikes and walking dogs. After crossing the Puente de Magdalen it was a short uphill walk to the Cathedral of Santa Maria. It was only 9:30 so I took the time to admire this austere Gothic structure with a neo-classical façade. The cloisters with their fine filigree stonework are a beautiful sight.
I have a room booked at the Hotel Eslava and check-in time is 1:00. I dropped in at 10:00 in the hope that I could leave my bag and go off exploring. To my surprise the room was ready which suited me perfectly as I needed to freshen up. The Running of the Bulls starts on the 6th July so I went out to walk the route starting at the Bull Corral. The bulls are released from here each morning at 8:00.They first run up Cuesta de Santo Domingo and all you have to do is follow the signs labeled El Encierro. Halfway up the street there is a small shrine embedded in the wall on your right containing an image of San Fermin. The first stretch is uphill which allows the bulls to use their strong hind legs to pick up some serious momentum. Next they turn down Mercaderes Street for a short distance and then turn right onto La Estafeta Street. At this turn the bulls are going downhill and begin to lose their balance often sliding into the barricade. Once the bulls regain their footing they charge up the middle of La Estafeta. This street is narrow with no room for barricades and no escape for the mozos (male runners). La Estafeta eventually leads into Pamplona’s bullring and at the end of the run the bulls charge down the ramp through the red door. It is not a long walk but it is something that gives you a feel for the run especially at this time of year.
Next to the bullring is a large bust of Ernest Hemingway who wrote of this event in his bullfighting classic “The Sun Also Rises”. A short distance away is the Running of the Bulls monument which shows six bulls, two steers and ten runners in action. Another short stroll brings you to Pamplona’s cozy square the Plaza del Castillo. It is dominated by the Navarre Government Building and several Hemingway sites. The sun was beating down so I took shelter in the Bar Cerveceria in La Estafeta and sampled some of their fine cuisine.
An afternoon rest was in order before heading out for some evening tapas. After a relaxing walk along the wall overlooking the Rio Arga I headed off to Plaza de Castillo in search of a Rick Steves recommendation, Café Roch. No, not Cockroach! It was only 7:15 so the place was nearly empty. I ordered a deep fried spinach, cheese and pine nut croquette tapas that set me back 3.4euro. It was enjoyable so I ordered another tapas which was olives and anchovies. The bar stool out on the street had my name on it so with my glass of chardonnay in hand I took up my people observation position. The Bruce Springsteen song “Girls in their Summer Clothes” sprung to mind as there were plenty of them strolling by in their finest outfits. There were old couples holding hands, young children and parents licking ice-creams and of course the young brigade with their mobiles entrenched into their ears not seeing anything at all.
My next tapas bar was just around the corner and was doing a roaring trade. The La Mandarra de la Ramos had a good bar and I managed to squeeze myself into a comfortable position. Above the bar there is a multitude of cured legs of Jamon dangling enticingly over your head. I hammed it up by ordering a 2012 Tempranillo with a ham and prawn tapas. It was a little more expensive and cost 10.40euro of with the wine accounting for 40% of the cost. A great evening but I wished that I had brought along the camera to capture some of the moments.
Tuesday 5th July – Pamplona to Puente La Reina (6.75hours – 27km)
Had a great breakfast and hit the city pavements at 7:15. The first 5km is mostly on city pavement and suburban roads which are hard on the feet. Beyond Cizur Menor the pathways are through farmland and scrub. In the distance you can see the wind turbines standing on the hill. After the village of Zariquiegui it was a steep climb to Alto del Perdon (790m). As I ascended there were panoramic views back over Pamplona to the south and Monreal is clearly visible. At the summit the view westward over the Arga valley opens up with the villages that I will pass through now visible ahead. The wind was howling up here so I did not bother with a coffee and instead plunged into the steep descent over loose boulders. I was really motoring in this section as I am fairly confident on a loose surface when I have my hiking poles. I did pass quite a few people on the way down.
My feet were starting to burn so at 10:30 and 17km later I took a rest next to a fountain in the village of Uterga. While resting I feasted on cake and kiwi fruit that I had purloined from breakfast this morning. With my energy restored and glutes burning I soldiered onto Muruzabal. At this point I left the main Camino and detoured 3km to visit Eunate. It is a beautiful X11th century Romanesque Church of Santa Maria de Eunate and is one of the jewels of the Camino. The church has been linked to the Knights Templar who long ago defended the pilgrim on the route to Santiago. The sun is really beating down so I took a 30 minute break in the picnic area next to the church. After getting my Camino passport stamped I headed off again. Fortunately I am not dehydrated as there are plenty of fountains to refill my 500ml plastic water bottle.
After trudging through Obanos I headed downhill and crossed the highway. From here it was only another 2km to the end point for today’s journey Puente La Reina. After taking a few pictures in town I crossed the old bridge which the town is named after and headed uphill to the Santiago Apostal where I will spend the night. I have secured a bunk (10E) and a three course meal (10E) and could not be happier. There is washing facilities, wi-fi and a swimming pool which I did take advantage of. This is Livin’!
Wednesday 6th July – Scorcher of a Day, Puente la Reina to Estella (6hours – 23km)
The meal last night was simple but excellent. My glass of red wine was served in a large beer mug that could have held a half litre. Needless to say I had a great night’s sleep with the added bonus of no-one sharing my cubicle. Breakfast (3.50E)was a basic OJ, bread with marmalade and a freshly brewed coffee. I tried to call Alice but she missed my call so I headed off down the Camino at 7:10.
This stage is a rather quiet one with gently rolling farmland, vineyards and a few trees for shelter. The first section has steep climbs to the three hilltop villages of Maneru (5.2km,1hr), Cirauqui (2.6km,45mins) and Lorca (5.7km, 1.25hrs). Between Cirauqui and Lorca there are some fine examples of old Roman roadways. Every village has a beautiful church and thankfully a fountain where you can refill your water bottle. My feet needed a rest so I stopped at Lorca to partake of a coffee and vegetable pie. Time was marching on and it was 11:15 before I reached Villatuerta. A long the way I had a bit of a chat to a young guy from South Korea who was struggling a bit with his feet. I sat in the shade for five minutes and said hello to the kiwi girl whom I had met on the first night. The sun was nearly at its zenith so it was time to once again walk uphill. The heat was starting to get to me and when I came across a water fountain on the outskirts of Estella, I could not resist the urge to dunk my head under the fountain. I arrived Estella at 12:15 and took a few pictures.
Estella is big enough to provide reasonable facilities and yet sufficiently compact to easily explore its historic buildings, museums and interesting churches. I continued on through the narrow alley that runs beside the Rio Ega until I reached the suburb of Ayegui. I spotted a large supermarket that was simply called “Simply”. I needed to purchase a USB power point and cable as like an idiot I had discovered that I had left mine in the hotel at Pamplona. It is difficult to survive without access to your electronic devices. Just 500m up the road I found my lodging that I had selected, San Cipriano de Ayegui. It has 80 beds and is part of the Ayegui Sports Hall. At 8euro for a bed and 9euro for a meal it is good value. As I was writing this account there were only 4 other people staying, including a lady that was at Zabaldika.
After settling in I gave Alice a lengthy phone call on my recharged mobile. I needed some beers so I set off down the hill to Simply and purchased my supplies including breakfast and snacks for tomorrow. The heat is absolutely stifling so I will be staying inside for the remainder of the day.
Thursday 7th July – A Walk In the Woods, Estella to Torres del Rio (6.75hours – 28km)
Dinner last night was a simple affair with a tuna salad, pork medallions with chips, ice cream and a half bottle of local red wine. After waking up at 5:30 I had a simple breakfast of OJ, sweet pastry and yogurt. Eating the yogurt was a challenge as I did not have a spoon. I must have looked a sight as I was using my tongue as cutlery which although a little messy did the trick. I hit the road at 6:15 and was soon in a good rhythm. Just out of town is the Bodegas Irache with its famous wine fountain where pilgrims can fortify themselves for the journey ahead at the generosity of the Bodegas. Stupidly, I did not go over for a taste, so is it water or wine that it dispenses. According to Dr Google and another pilgrim it is wine. Now that hurts! http://www.irache.com/en/enoturismo/fuente-del-vino.htm
Today I’m taking the road less travelled which skirts away from the main Camino for 9km and hits the lower slopes of Monte Jurra. The path wound its way through woodland, pine forests, high pastures and fields of lavender. I topped up my water bottle in Luquin which is a typical hill village with winding streets radiating out from the Basilica. A couple of kilometres later the route rejoined the main Camino and continued along remote farm tracks.
Around 10:30 I took a 30 minute break in the main square of Los Across. It is a pretty village with narrow streets and is a popular place for pilgrims to stay. I want an easier day tomorrow so I needed to tackle the last 7.5km to Torres del Rio. The sun was getting stronger and beginning to sap my energy. The gravel path is wide and has very little shade as most of the land is taken up by arable farming. The last couple of kilometres was on a quiet country road that had a bitumen finish. Of course it was uphill as all the villages seem to gravitate to any hill. At 1:00 I strode into Torres del Rio and chose the first hostel in town. It was the swimming pool that got me in but the fact that the Hostal San Andreas was modern and new did not go astray. Once again it is 10euro for a bed and 12 euro for a meal. After doing my washing and having a refreshing swim I went for a walk around the village. All of the hostals look good and one of them also had a pool. The church Iglesia de Santo Sepulcro is linked to the Knights Templar and based on the octagonal church of the Holy Sepulchure in Jerusalem. The simple interior is very similar to the one in Eunate.
Friday 8th July – The End of the Way For Me, Torres del Rio to Logrono (4.75hours – 21km)
It was a sensational dinner last night and similar in many ways to previous ones. The real difference was the Iberian Surprise which were like grilled pieces of pork belly. After all that food or possibly the bottle of wine that I almost finished made me sleep like a baby until 6:00. I was going to take breakfast at the hostal but decided to get moving so I could avoid the heat. Unlike yesterday there is not a cloud in the sky so it will be hot. The majority of this stage is on natural paths through open farmland. I am thankful that I have my cap and sunscreen to protect me. I made good time and stopped at Viana around 9:15 which gave me a chance to cool the feet down and have a small bite to eat.
The trail from here was relatively easy and I made good time to the outskirts of Logrono. I stopped and had my passport stamped by two Catholic monks who had a table setup in the shade. We spoke about the work they were doing with the community in Logrono and finished with a prayer in Spanish. I was moved by the prayer and the holding of hands. I arrived at my end point in Logrono about 30 minutes later. My next task is to find a taxi to take me to the Meson Pepa where I have booked a room for the next two nights. There are times when you know that you have made a bad choice with a booking and this was one of them. The hotel is in the middle of nowhere in an industrial strip on the outskirts of town. It reminds me of being in the American mid-west where there is one hotel on the crossroads of a dying town. Checking-in was also fun as none of the staff could speak or read English. Consequently, booking.com has me down as a no show. It looks like sign language for the next two days. After a shower I ventured down to the restaurant which was doing a roaring trade. Another three course dinner for 10euro with real coffee and a bottle of Tempranillo put me in a better frame of mind. The other good news is that the air conditioning for my room is non-existent. I ended up staying in my room for the evening and watching American movies in Spanish, highly entertaining.
Saturday 9th July – Broken Sleep at Meson Pepa
I ended up having a very poor night and only managed a few hours sleep. At 7:30 I went down for my breakfast which you take at the bar. The poor guy who was trying to serve me had no idea what I was asking for and I had no idea what I could have. Frustrating for all parties but I ended up with a croissant and two cups of good coffee. At 8:00 I watched today’s running of the bulls in Pamplona. There were no serious injuries today and the run was a little longer than normal at 3.5 minutes. Looking at the size of the crowd and the associated madness it is now an event that will be removed from my bucket list.
Back in my room and the air-con is still not working. The house maid tried to help but to no avail. The only good news was that I was able to catch up with Jemma on Skype. It was just what I needed before I venture out into the wide unknown. In between phone calls and getting ready the house maid realized that the air-con was never going to work adequately. She ended up arranging for me to be moved to another room, bless her. The new room certainly appears to be cooler.
At around midday I set out along bleak road and dropped into Bodega Ontanon and arranged a premium wine tasting for tomorrow at 11:00. I continued down the road for another 10 minutes and came across a bus stop. After consulting the map for a few minutes I worked out that I could catch line 2 into the City and it would drop me at the start of their Queen Street Mall. Five minutes later the bus arrived and after paying 72 cents I was on my way. It worked a charm and I may use it to return to the hotel later tonight. After traversing the mall I went into the tourist office and picked up a brochure which is all about Laurel that is the plethora of tapas bars in the Calle Laurel precinct. I chose four of them and had an enjoyable tapas crawl sampling different specialties. The wines were about 1euro a glass and the pinchos (tapas) ranged from 1.40euro to 3.00euro. It was hard to pick a favourite but I could go back again for the grilled langoustine (prawn) and pineapple skewer. With my culinary needs sated I took a short stroll around the historic sites before taking a rest opposite the taxi rank.
I am here because I have booked a tour that starts at 4:30 in a town called Funemayor where I will hopefully learn something about wine production in this area. It is about 12km away and I have a rough address and GPS coordinates for the taxi driver. My driver was a cheerful chap and not just because of the hefty fare he was about to receive. He got me there for 22euro and with time to spare. As a bonus he rang my guide and confirmed that we were in the correct location. Diego the guide arrived around 4:20 and an Australian couple from Melbourne arrived soon after. Three Aussies on a La Rioja wine region education tour.
We took a short drive up into the hills and Diego pointed out the natural barriers such as mountains and climate that make this a great wine region. He also gave us a history lesson on the area right up to when they lost 90% of their grapes in the early 1900’s to phylloxera. To solve this problem they grafted European vines onto American roots which are resistant to the disease. When the field trip was over we had a simple picnic lunch in the shade under the spreading branches of an old walnut tree. Our next stop was the old winery owned by the tour company. The other Aussies have opted out on this part of the tour so it was only Diego and I that descended down the stone steps. The old cellar is a musty 500 years old and is a consistent cool 13 degrees. Diego gave me a lesson on how they pressed the grapes and the process it takes to turn the juice into wine. The cellar is no longer used for wine production as the company sells the grapes to other producers. They do however keep enough so they have at least a cask of wine from each vintage. There were two barrels in the cellar one a 2014 in American Oak and a 2015 in French Oak. Diego took a sample from each barrel and then gave me some tips on how to taste and pick the different characteristics that the wine displayed. I enjoyed the 2014 wine and then had the pleasure of bottling, corking an labeling my own bottle to take home.
With the tour over Diego was kind enough to give me a lift into Logrono. I did not have long to wait and the dependable line 2 whisked me away to the centre of town. I was glad that I was not walking because at 7:45pm it was still 37 degrees. My destination was Calle Laurel and a couple of more pinchos and wine. I did not stay long and was soon on the bus back to the hotel. After alighting it was still a 15 minute walk down a deserted road. I started singing to myself “Up ahead in the distance I saw a shimmering light, Welcome to the Hotel Meson Pepa”. Such a strange man!
Sunday 10th July – What No Breakfast
I had a much more comfortable sleep as at last the air-con was functioning properly. The day started perfectly as I had a long conversation with Alice. I was a bit peckish so Downstairs I went for my complimentary breakfast only to find the place locked up tighter than Fort Knox. Back to my room I skulked and had to make do with watching the running of the bulls. Prior to leaving I attempted to contact Pension Laurel where I will be staying tonight. I had to advise them my approximate time of arrival so that someone would be there to greet me. Well it did turn out to be an exercise in futility as neither of us could speak each other’s language. After five minutes of Manuel style dialogue I gave up. To their credit they did contact booking.com who tried to contact me but they got Alice instead on our home phone in Australia. I finished packing my bag and went downstairs just before 11:00 . I could not believe my eyes as they were serving breakfast which must have started about 10:00. Farewell Meson Pepa, I will not be back.
Meanwhile I had bigger fish to fry as my premium wine tasting appointment at Bodega Ontanon is at 11:00. I was five minutes early but the entrance gate was closed. It was already extremely hot so I crossed the road and sat on the footpath of a car lot that was in the shade. In the distance the church bells tolled the coming of the hour and as if the lord had heard the gates opened automatically. Taking no chances I dashed through the gate and into the opulent surroundings of the winery. I have already seen enough wineries on this trip so I was only interested in the tasting. The young woman who was looking after me lined up five glasses and five wine bottles. There was also some cheese and bread to enhance the tasting. There was also a spittoon but I knew that it would not see any action. The first wine was a white made from the Viura grape which is the main white variety in the area. The next three were all reds and tasted great. There was a 2011, 2005 Reservia aged in oak for 2 years and a 2005 Grand Reservia aged in oak for 3 years. The last wine was a family desert wine made from late harvest Moscato grapes. It wasn’t overly sweet and would have paired well with some blue cheese. I was tempted to lash out and purchase a couple of bottles of the 2005’s as the prices were quite reasonable for such a quality aged wine. Common sense did prevail as logistically they would have been difficult to transport. I did however resolve my Pension Laurel dilemma by getting the young wine tasting lady to call and advise them of my approximate arrival time.
http://ontanon.es/es/
I knew where I had to go as I did some reconnaissance when I was in the city yesterday. Unfortunately my ETA was a little out as being Sunday I had to wait 30 minutes for a bus. That was still better than walking in the heat. Anyway I made it to the pension which was only 50 metres from the bus stop. It has a locked gate and is part of an apartment block. Luck was finally with me and a kindly gentleman let me in and the rang the pension on my behalf to advise them that Lord Kawaku was in the building. The mucking around was worth it as my room is excellent and includes a bar fridge, large television and is only 500m from Calle Laurel. The only downside is the shared bathroom which should not be an issue as there are only a few people staying here tonight.
One piece of good news is that Marina who owns the Riojatrek tour company has retrieved my precious Milton cap from the depths of the wine cellar where I left it yesterday. She sent me an email and delivered it to me at the Pension around 8:00pm. I did thank her profusely for her kindness. I finally ventured out into Laurel Land for some wine and pinchos and was surprised that it was not overcrowded. I thought it would be more packed as the European Cup final was starting at 9:00pm. In the end I tried a couple of bars that had the game on and enjoyed a few wines and some delicious pinchos. I was back in my room by 10:00 and finished watching the game. The result after extra time was Portugal 1 and France 0.
Saturday, July 2, 2016
On to Spain
Wednesday 22nd June – Relaxing in Ordrup
This morning we have some light rain so it is likely that we will delay our trip into Copenhagen until tomorrow. It was good to relax and just sit back with a cup of coffee. Fish is on the menu tonight so just before lunch Jens took us for a drive to the north west of Zeeland. There is a small harbor and village in this area which is reputed to sell the best fresh fish. Judging by the number of vehicles in the car park the claim is well founded. We ended up with a kilo of cod fillets, pickled herring and some mussels.
One thing good about taking a drive with Jens is that he will take the road less travelled. On this trip we passed by farms that hugged the coastline and were growing black currants. After driving through a naval base that is responsible for testing new weapons we ended up in a small parking lot at the very end of the peninsula. Alice and I took a short walk along a narrow path that finishes on the rocky shoreline. A couple of guys dressed in waders and carrying fishing rods were making their way back. By the looks on their faces I imagine that the creels were empty. A sun shower came over which sent us scampering back to the car.
Back in Ordrup we took a short walk to explore the new mini-golf course. It is fairly basic but the holes look challenging. It is strawberry and potato season and there are plenty of self-service opportunities to purchase fresh produce. Alice ended up with a half kilo of strawberries which will make a great after dinner desert. Jytte is in charge of dinner and she did a great job of baking the cod in a cream sauce with potato, asparagus and a hint of horseradish.
Thursday 23rd June – Copenhagen
The weather today is excellent so Jens is driving us 100km to Copenhagen. Our first stop was the Astoria Hotel which is adjacent to Copenhagen’s historical Central Railway Station. The hotel building is an early example of Functionalist architecture in Denmark. The building was designed as a station hotel for the Danish State Railways by Ole Falkentorp who had started his career in the State Railways' design office before forming his own practice. The hotel was built from 1934 to 1935 as the first luxury hotel in Copenhagen. The revolving doors, the first in Denmark, are still present at the main entrance, and one of the luxury rooms has been maintained exactly as it was in 1935. The building is intended to resemble a steam locomotive with its connotations of travel and movement encapsulating the essence of the site, and as an expression of the fascination with progress and technology which was typical of the time. It consists of an expressive constellation of cubist volumes, culminating in the narrow facade looking out over Vesterbrogade which is topped by a "hood ornament" in the shape of a winged wheel bearing a crown, a sculptural representation of the old logo of the Danish State Railways.
You may wonder why Alice and I were keen to visit an old hotel in downtown Copenhagen? Well if it was not for this hotel there may not have been an Alice or her sisters to grace our lives. Her parents Bent and Kirsten met each other when they were working here in the late 1940’s. We both wanted a look inside so we went through the original revolving doors into the reception area. The receptionist asked if she could help so I asked if we could take some photographs and explained the connection to the hotel. She was very gracious and allowed us onto the third floor which gave us access to the balcony. We had a peek into a few of the rooms but they all had modern decor. The lifts were also from the 1930’s and could only accommodate the two of us. With our visit over we rejoined Jens and headed across the city to visit the Denmark Design Museum.
The museum has both permanent collections as well as exhibitions. It is a simple layout which starts with an exhibition on the influences of Japanese art as an inspiration for Danish art and industrial design. The exhibition has a good collection of Japanese ceramics and prints as well as Danish handicrafts, designs and posters. The next section was devoted to Fashion and Fabric which provides a perspective into fashion and textile design history. It wasn’t exactly my cup of tea but for those who like the look of an old fashioned corset this is the place. There is also a small room upstairs that contains a porcelain collection which covers most of the early European manufacturers.
The next display recognized Marie Gudme Leth who was the pioneer of textile prints in Denmark. She lived to 102 but in the 1930’s she revived textile printing as an artisanal craft in Denmark. She won many awards for her prints of which many are on display here. It was the next area that excited Alice as it contained designs and crafts of the 20th century and current Danish design. Quite a few of the designs contained the primary colours of red, blue and yellow which is a theme that we both admire. You cannot help to admire the quirky Scandinavian chairs made from timber. There was also an old “Nimbus” motorcycle in mint condition as well as a bicycle with a bamboo frame. At 100DKK ($20) for a visit it is reasonable value by Danish standards.
Our chauffer Jens was only a few minutes away and given the time of day it was time to depart Copenhagen to ensure we were not caught in the afternoon gridlock. The outside temperature was a balmy 26-29 degrees which did catch us a little off guard. It was with relief when we arrived back in Ordrup and could partake in the consumption of an icy cold Tuborg. Alice and I have decided to earn our keep by preparing dinner to celebrate St Hans Day. The Danes take this day seriously and the tradition goes back hundreds of years. All over Denmark they celebrate by lighting giant bonfires. On top of the fire there is an effigy of a witch and when it burns the spirit is sent back to Bloksbjerg in Germany. I celebrated by falling asleep on the lounge.
Friday 24th June – Danish Lunch
Despite the non-stop media coverage on Danish television the big news of the day wasn’t the United Kingdom’s decision to withdraw from the EEU, it was Alice and David’s plunge into the icy water of Victory Bay. The wind was blowing and the water temperature is supposed to be a numbing 17 degrees so it was with some trepidation when I dipped my big toe into the brine. I thought this isn’t too bad so in I went and in my best freestyle impersonation stroked purposely out to sea for about 10 metres. That was enough to warm me up and to convince Alice to join me. Seriously, it was quite refreshing and we spent about 10 minutes splashing around.
Back at the house Jytte had been slaving away preparing a Danish lunch of open sandwiches with pickled, spicy and smoked herring accompanied by onion, capers, dill and soft boiled egg. The sandwich with the smoked herring had the exotic name of “Sol over Gudhjem” which translates roughly to Sun over God’s House. The sun in the sandwich is represented by a raw egg yolk. There was also some deep fried pork and potatoes which we washed down with a little bit of Schnapps and beer.
Saturday 25th June – Beer and Culture
Today Alice and I are traveling by public transport into Copenhagen. This will mean a short drive down to the local railway station at Faarevejle where we will take the local train to Holbaek and then transfer to the regional express train. The only problem is that we left it until the last minute to purchase our tickets on line and as a result the return fare is 250DKK ($50) per person. In the end I thought it might have been cheaper to buy them at the station however the ticket machine was not working and there was no time at Holbaek. I was able to convince the female conductors on both trains that I was an ignorant tourist who could not work out how to buy a ticket. They were both kind enough to let us travel for free and even wished us a happy holiday. At Copenhagen I did spend 250DKK for a ticket that would get us both home. The journey time was a about 70 minutes for the 100km journey.
The culture for us today is a visit to the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek with its beautiful sub-tropical Winter Garden and extensive collections of sculptures and paintings surrounded by a museum building created in the fine art of classicism and inaugurated in 1897. The Danish brewer Carl Jacobsen and owner of Carlsberg brewery was the founder of the Glyptotek - who created one of the largest private collections of Danish and French paintings and sculptures of his time together with a gallery of antiquities from Egypt and the Mediterranean area. The highlights for us was the large of sculptures by Rodin and The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer by Edgar Degas. It is an 1881 sculpture of a young student of the Paris Opera Ballet dance school, a Belgian named Marie van Goethem.
The sculpture is two-thirds life size and was originally sculpted in wax, an unusual choice of medium for the time. It is dressed in a real bodice, tutu and ballet slippers and has a wig of real hair. All but a hair ribbon and the tutu are covered in wax. The 28 repetitions that appear in museums and galleries around the world today were cast after Degas' death. The tutus worn by the bronzes vary from museum to museum. The Egyptian collection was also excellent and contained works from 2500BC and a couple of Mummies.
I had a bit of a plan and had drawn a map to lead us to the Mikkeller Bar which was recommended by Brisbane’s number one zythologist, The Beer Tragic – Jon Black. We had no trouble locating the bar which operates in a similar manner to the Scratch Bar at Milton. There were a range of beers on the blackboard but we decided to stick to the Mikkeller brews. Alice started with a wheat beer and I had a refreshing Pilsner. Next on the list was a double IPA which was about 7.5% and was a perfect example of how an IPA should taste. The last one I tried was simply called The Black, not the Jon, which was obviously a stout with a whopping alcohol content of 21%. The stout was rich and creamy and finished with a peppery taste. We took lunch at their restaurant which was next door to the bar. We indulged ourselves with very expensive open sandwiches of prawn and smoked salmon and of course a couple of more of their beers.
After lunch we took a short walk towards Central Station where we were able to catch the free bus to Carlsberg Brewery for a self-guided tour and a couple of beers to taste. The tour takes you from 1847 to the present day. They also have the world’s largest collection of unopened beer bottles that have been sourced from all over the world. There are also vintage delivery vans and their beautiful four legged ambassadors, the draught horse. We tried a couple of beers including a Carlsberg IPA and a Jacobsen Brown beer. Nice for a mass produced beer but not in the same league as the Mikkeller.
We caught the last free shuttle back to the railway station but had missed our return train by about 10 minutes. Not to be deterred we decided to have another beer and a bite to eat at the Astoria Hotel. The service was just about non-existent so we went next door to an all you can eat pizza parlour which was operated by some hard working staff from the middle east. The food was great and killed the time until our departure time of 18:47. The Roskilde Festival is due to start next week but the young ones can start arriving to set up camp from today. There were plenty of boys wheeling trolleys laden with beer, Tuborg was prominent and tents seemed to be an afterthought. When we arrived at Faarevejle the ever reliable Jens was there to transport us back to Ordrup.
Sunday 26th June – Packing Day
Tomorrow we are heading to Barcelona on the Spanish budget airline Vueling. This means we cannot afford to be 100 grams over our maximum limit or otherwise we will have to remortgage our home loan to pay for the excess. After a bit of trial and error we think that we have the weight right. We also have a backup plan in place just in case we get it wrong. Watch this space!
This afternoon Alice and I had a mini-golf challenge on the newly renovated local course. It was a tight affair but eventually I triumphed and regained my number one ranking. Back at the house we are having a couple of tipples prior to going out for a farewell dinner at the local Thai restaurant. Dinner was around 7:00pm and we all decided to feast on the different food groups of beef, pork, chicken and seafood. The food wasn’t too spicy and tasted great. There was only one issue for the evening and that was when it came time to settle our account. Jens and I had commenced our dead slow walk back to the house and left Alice and Jytte to pay. The only problem was that they would not accept our foreign credit card so they had to return and get Jytte’s card. All is well that end well.
Monday 27th June – Onwards to Barcelona
Well it is time to say goodbye to Jytte as Jens is preparing to take us on the 100km plus trip to Kastrup airport so we can catch our flight to Barcelona. We have had a relaxing time in Denmark with family who showed us around at the beginning and end of our trip. There is still a couple of places left for us to visit which virtually means that we’ll be back. The trip down the highway was quite quick as it is the start of the school holiday period which means less traffic on the road. We arrived around 10:45 and reluctantly said goodbye to Jens who has been our travelling companion for nearly three months.
The Vueling counter had only just opened and we were allowed to jump to the front of the line as somehow I had already checked-in online. Our bag weights were just under the 23kg limit which meant that no extra payments were required. This sped up the process so upstairs we went for the compulsory security check. The line was quite long but the Danes have a system that works efficiently and fairly. Unlike the USA the Danes have at least 20 security lines to speed up the process and I estimate that it only took us about eight minutes to clear security. This suited me to a tee as I had a pass to the Aviator Lounge where we could sit in comfort until our flight was called. After a couple of open sandwiches and the odd glass of wine we were ready to begin our 2 hour and 50 minute flight to Barcelona. Budget airlines do not have much legroom but seeing it was a relatively short flight I wasn’t concerned that I would end up with DVT. That was of course until the woman in front reclined her seat early in the flight. A couple of knees into the back of the seat was my signal of discontent. It was all to no avail and I spent the flight in a good impersonation of knees up Mother Brown. Alice of course did not have to suffer the same indignity. We landed pretty well on time and were off the plane in record time. Our bags also hit the carousel in quick time and we were soon outside sitting in a taxi to our accommodation in Poble Sec. I think from the time the plane landed it took us less than one hour to be outside our apartment. The only trouble was that the manager was running late with another customer so we ended up waiting on the footpath for 45 minutes.
It is a small apartment, Barcelona In Apartments Poble Sec at Calle Murillo 6 is within easy walking distance of the Metro and has cooking facilities, fold out table, lounge, Spanish television, great shower and a comfortable bed. Given the location I think it is reasonably priced at 70.50 euro per night. After settling in we went around the corner to the local supermarket and picked up some supplies for breakfast and dinner tonight. While the beer was cooling down I took a walk to the metro station and purchased 2 ten trip tickets. At $9.90 a ticket it is a very cheap option for getting around to visit the sights.
Tuesday 28th June – Sagrada Familia
Early on in our trip I decided to purchase our tickets online for a visit to the Sagrada Familia. It is such a popular tourist attraction that without a pre-purchased ticket you have to inevitably wait in a line for extended periods. I bought the deluxe package for 29euro which included the audio guide and access to the tower on the Nativity Façade. With our tickets in hand we headed out the door to catch the line 2 metro service from the Paral-lel stop which is about a 10 minute walk away. Seven stops and 15 minutes later we alighted at the Sagrada Familia stop and joined the short queue for our 10:00am entry. I could wax lyrical about this marvelous construction and Gaudi’s vision but I think you should look it up for yourself at www.sagradafamilia.org/en/
Gaudí made great use of light to endow his architecture with expressivity and grandeur. Sunlight glistens on the pinnacles of the towers and windows. The rising sun lights up the portals of the Nativity facade, accentuating the joy for life that is the birth of Jesus. On the Passion facade the interplay of light and shadow produced by the setting sun heightens the sparse and severe character of the facade’s theme, while the Glory facade receives the mid-day sun that will shine on the 16 lanterns of the monumental porch and light up the main entrance to the basilica.
If you ever visit Sagrada ensure that you take a trip up one of the two towers. From the Nativity tower we had great views of Barcelona but more importantly you get a better perspective of the towers and the symbols that adorn them. You can spend plenty of time here and it is a highlight of any visit to Barcelona.
On our last trip we did not visit the Arc De Triomf which was built for the Barcelona Exposition of 1888. To get there it was a transfer trip on the metro which all up took about 15 minutes. The arch is built of reddish bricks in the Neo-Mudejar style (whatever that is). It leads to a wide promenade which connects the monument with the Park of the Ciutadella. It is a wide open space but you have to watch out for the lycra louts that use this as a main thoroughfare. One of the more interesting things that you notice in Barcelona is the Dragons. Whilst walking through its streets and especially this promenade you will find ornamental dragons in many public places and buildings.
This was a quick visit and we were soon back on the metro to Catalunya so we could take a walk down the Ramblas. For over a century, this walk down Barcelona’s main boulevard has drawn visitors and locals alike. It’s former elegance has been tackified somewhat by tourist shops and fast-food joints, this is still the best place to see the city in action. We started at the top where I took a sip from the Fountain of Canaletes which legend says that a drink from the fountain ensures that you will return to Barcelona one day. It must be true as I took a drink here on our last visit in 2012.
Further down the mall you come to a colourful block lined with flower stands. On the right hand side we detoured into the La Boqueria produce market which is an explosion of chicken legs, fish, fruit and vegetables. Alice and I bought a couple of fruit juices and some coconut to keep our strength up and to avoid becoming dehydrated. One of the more interesting sights is the Africans selling knock-off handbags and sunglasses. They are not allowed to be on the Ramblas and as a result they are always ready to pack up their stock and move on at the first sign of the police. We witnessed them being moved on a couple of times. They try and outsmart the police by doubling back through the Metro system that runs beneath the Ramblas. A good diversion further down is via Calle Colon (that has got to hurt) to Placa Reial. Dotted with palm trees, surrounded by an arcade, and ringed with yellow buildings with white Neoclassical trim, this elegant square has a colonial ambience. Completing the picture are Gaudi’s first public works, two colourful helmeted lampposts. At the end of the walk is the 200 foot column that marks the spot where Christopher Columbus debarked after returning from America. Oh, we must be tired by now so it was back on the metro and the apartment.
After resting up we decided to venture to the Plaza Sortior which is about 150 metres away and try some local Catalan tapas. We opted for a restaurant called Jon-Mai which was recommended by the manager of the apartments. The menu was extensive so we tried a combination of seven tapas dishes for 24euro. I would have to say that overall we were disappointed with our choice. The spicy pork was tough and the cockles and mussels tasted like they had just come out of a bottle. The whitefish, olives and Tempranillo wine were the best of a bad lot.
Wednesday 29th June – Horchata, Botero Cat and Montjuic
We have no tours booked for today so after a leisurely breakfast of bacon, mushrooms, fried tomato and scrambled eggs it was time to climb aboard Shanks’ Pony and head of in search of Horchateria Sirvent. This establishment is supposed to make the best homemade Horchata in Barcelona. Horchata is a cold drink made from tiger nuts, water and sugar and yes it was yummy. The Sirvent itself reminds me of an old fashioned milk bar and was so clean that you could have eaten off the floor. Our next port of call was in the Raval neighbourhood where we were searching for the Botero Cat. We found this giant chubby cat which is made out of bronze at the end of Rambla de Raval where he has been in residence since 2003. I know that the cat is a he by the two large bonze bits at the back.
We started heading back towards Paral-lel and came across an old monastery. The stone structure surrounded by palm and olive trees looked like it belonged in Northern Africa. We could not resist the temptation to visit the Monastery of Sant Pau del Camp and happily paid the 3euro admission. It was founded in 897 and was restored in the 13th century. With our visit over we caught the funicular tram up to Montjuic.
It was only a short walk from the station to the Joan Miro Foundation where we would get our daily dose of culture. Miro lived from 1893 to 1983 and was a prolific artist in all forms such as painting, sculpture, printing techniques, ceramics, theatre and tapestry. The collection houses work from his whole career and in most cases is fairly abstract. To be honest I don’t understand the symbolism in his work and without the assistance of the audio guide I would not appreciated it as much. Look up some of his work on the internet and judge for yourself. www.fmirobcn.org/col-leccio/en_colleccio-joan-miro/
We took a late lunch at the museum and then headed back down the road to the station. There is a chairlift next door and for 12euro return it will take you to the top of Montjuic where you can visit the castle. We opted to enjoy the panoramic view of the harbor on one side and the City on the other. The dominant landmarks were of course the Sagrada Familia and the Torre Agbar a 38 storey bullet shaped skyscraper. It was getting late in the afternoon so we headed back for some well needed rest before heading out for the evening.
Our choice for this evening is the Celler Cal Marino. As soon as we walked in we felt that we were going to enjoy ourselves. The ambience of the bar was fantastic with shelves of wine bottles all waiting to be enjoyed by happy customers. Even though it was already 8:00pm we were the first customers so we had ample time to figure out what we would drink and eat. We started with Cava and Tempranillo and accompanied that with two delicious plates of Tapas. It was only our first selection and we were already knew that this was far better than the previous evening. A couple of more rounds of wine and food and a pleasant conversation with Eduard the manager who apparently has Brisbane on his hit list of places to visit and we were ready to leave. I ended up having another round of tapas which was accompanied by a glass of Vermouth. Apparently drinking Vermut is a social tradition in Barcelona and who am I to argue with tradition.
This morning we have some light rain so it is likely that we will delay our trip into Copenhagen until tomorrow. It was good to relax and just sit back with a cup of coffee. Fish is on the menu tonight so just before lunch Jens took us for a drive to the north west of Zeeland. There is a small harbor and village in this area which is reputed to sell the best fresh fish. Judging by the number of vehicles in the car park the claim is well founded. We ended up with a kilo of cod fillets, pickled herring and some mussels.
One thing good about taking a drive with Jens is that he will take the road less travelled. On this trip we passed by farms that hugged the coastline and were growing black currants. After driving through a naval base that is responsible for testing new weapons we ended up in a small parking lot at the very end of the peninsula. Alice and I took a short walk along a narrow path that finishes on the rocky shoreline. A couple of guys dressed in waders and carrying fishing rods were making their way back. By the looks on their faces I imagine that the creels were empty. A sun shower came over which sent us scampering back to the car.
Back in Ordrup we took a short walk to explore the new mini-golf course. It is fairly basic but the holes look challenging. It is strawberry and potato season and there are plenty of self-service opportunities to purchase fresh produce. Alice ended up with a half kilo of strawberries which will make a great after dinner desert. Jytte is in charge of dinner and she did a great job of baking the cod in a cream sauce with potato, asparagus and a hint of horseradish.
Thursday 23rd June – Copenhagen
The weather today is excellent so Jens is driving us 100km to Copenhagen. Our first stop was the Astoria Hotel which is adjacent to Copenhagen’s historical Central Railway Station. The hotel building is an early example of Functionalist architecture in Denmark. The building was designed as a station hotel for the Danish State Railways by Ole Falkentorp who had started his career in the State Railways' design office before forming his own practice. The hotel was built from 1934 to 1935 as the first luxury hotel in Copenhagen. The revolving doors, the first in Denmark, are still present at the main entrance, and one of the luxury rooms has been maintained exactly as it was in 1935. The building is intended to resemble a steam locomotive with its connotations of travel and movement encapsulating the essence of the site, and as an expression of the fascination with progress and technology which was typical of the time. It consists of an expressive constellation of cubist volumes, culminating in the narrow facade looking out over Vesterbrogade which is topped by a "hood ornament" in the shape of a winged wheel bearing a crown, a sculptural representation of the old logo of the Danish State Railways.
You may wonder why Alice and I were keen to visit an old hotel in downtown Copenhagen? Well if it was not for this hotel there may not have been an Alice or her sisters to grace our lives. Her parents Bent and Kirsten met each other when they were working here in the late 1940’s. We both wanted a look inside so we went through the original revolving doors into the reception area. The receptionist asked if she could help so I asked if we could take some photographs and explained the connection to the hotel. She was very gracious and allowed us onto the third floor which gave us access to the balcony. We had a peek into a few of the rooms but they all had modern decor. The lifts were also from the 1930’s and could only accommodate the two of us. With our visit over we rejoined Jens and headed across the city to visit the Denmark Design Museum.
The museum has both permanent collections as well as exhibitions. It is a simple layout which starts with an exhibition on the influences of Japanese art as an inspiration for Danish art and industrial design. The exhibition has a good collection of Japanese ceramics and prints as well as Danish handicrafts, designs and posters. The next section was devoted to Fashion and Fabric which provides a perspective into fashion and textile design history. It wasn’t exactly my cup of tea but for those who like the look of an old fashioned corset this is the place. There is also a small room upstairs that contains a porcelain collection which covers most of the early European manufacturers.
The next display recognized Marie Gudme Leth who was the pioneer of textile prints in Denmark. She lived to 102 but in the 1930’s she revived textile printing as an artisanal craft in Denmark. She won many awards for her prints of which many are on display here. It was the next area that excited Alice as it contained designs and crafts of the 20th century and current Danish design. Quite a few of the designs contained the primary colours of red, blue and yellow which is a theme that we both admire. You cannot help to admire the quirky Scandinavian chairs made from timber. There was also an old “Nimbus” motorcycle in mint condition as well as a bicycle with a bamboo frame. At 100DKK ($20) for a visit it is reasonable value by Danish standards.
Our chauffer Jens was only a few minutes away and given the time of day it was time to depart Copenhagen to ensure we were not caught in the afternoon gridlock. The outside temperature was a balmy 26-29 degrees which did catch us a little off guard. It was with relief when we arrived back in Ordrup and could partake in the consumption of an icy cold Tuborg. Alice and I have decided to earn our keep by preparing dinner to celebrate St Hans Day. The Danes take this day seriously and the tradition goes back hundreds of years. All over Denmark they celebrate by lighting giant bonfires. On top of the fire there is an effigy of a witch and when it burns the spirit is sent back to Bloksbjerg in Germany. I celebrated by falling asleep on the lounge.
Friday 24th June – Danish Lunch
Despite the non-stop media coverage on Danish television the big news of the day wasn’t the United Kingdom’s decision to withdraw from the EEU, it was Alice and David’s plunge into the icy water of Victory Bay. The wind was blowing and the water temperature is supposed to be a numbing 17 degrees so it was with some trepidation when I dipped my big toe into the brine. I thought this isn’t too bad so in I went and in my best freestyle impersonation stroked purposely out to sea for about 10 metres. That was enough to warm me up and to convince Alice to join me. Seriously, it was quite refreshing and we spent about 10 minutes splashing around.
Back at the house Jytte had been slaving away preparing a Danish lunch of open sandwiches with pickled, spicy and smoked herring accompanied by onion, capers, dill and soft boiled egg. The sandwich with the smoked herring had the exotic name of “Sol over Gudhjem” which translates roughly to Sun over God’s House. The sun in the sandwich is represented by a raw egg yolk. There was also some deep fried pork and potatoes which we washed down with a little bit of Schnapps and beer.
Saturday 25th June – Beer and Culture
Today Alice and I are traveling by public transport into Copenhagen. This will mean a short drive down to the local railway station at Faarevejle where we will take the local train to Holbaek and then transfer to the regional express train. The only problem is that we left it until the last minute to purchase our tickets on line and as a result the return fare is 250DKK ($50) per person. In the end I thought it might have been cheaper to buy them at the station however the ticket machine was not working and there was no time at Holbaek. I was able to convince the female conductors on both trains that I was an ignorant tourist who could not work out how to buy a ticket. They were both kind enough to let us travel for free and even wished us a happy holiday. At Copenhagen I did spend 250DKK for a ticket that would get us both home. The journey time was a about 70 minutes for the 100km journey.
The culture for us today is a visit to the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek with its beautiful sub-tropical Winter Garden and extensive collections of sculptures and paintings surrounded by a museum building created in the fine art of classicism and inaugurated in 1897. The Danish brewer Carl Jacobsen and owner of Carlsberg brewery was the founder of the Glyptotek - who created one of the largest private collections of Danish and French paintings and sculptures of his time together with a gallery of antiquities from Egypt and the Mediterranean area. The highlights for us was the large of sculptures by Rodin and The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer by Edgar Degas. It is an 1881 sculpture of a young student of the Paris Opera Ballet dance school, a Belgian named Marie van Goethem.
The sculpture is two-thirds life size and was originally sculpted in wax, an unusual choice of medium for the time. It is dressed in a real bodice, tutu and ballet slippers and has a wig of real hair. All but a hair ribbon and the tutu are covered in wax. The 28 repetitions that appear in museums and galleries around the world today were cast after Degas' death. The tutus worn by the bronzes vary from museum to museum. The Egyptian collection was also excellent and contained works from 2500BC and a couple of Mummies.
I had a bit of a plan and had drawn a map to lead us to the Mikkeller Bar which was recommended by Brisbane’s number one zythologist, The Beer Tragic – Jon Black. We had no trouble locating the bar which operates in a similar manner to the Scratch Bar at Milton. There were a range of beers on the blackboard but we decided to stick to the Mikkeller brews. Alice started with a wheat beer and I had a refreshing Pilsner. Next on the list was a double IPA which was about 7.5% and was a perfect example of how an IPA should taste. The last one I tried was simply called The Black, not the Jon, which was obviously a stout with a whopping alcohol content of 21%. The stout was rich and creamy and finished with a peppery taste. We took lunch at their restaurant which was next door to the bar. We indulged ourselves with very expensive open sandwiches of prawn and smoked salmon and of course a couple of more of their beers.
After lunch we took a short walk towards Central Station where we were able to catch the free bus to Carlsberg Brewery for a self-guided tour and a couple of beers to taste. The tour takes you from 1847 to the present day. They also have the world’s largest collection of unopened beer bottles that have been sourced from all over the world. There are also vintage delivery vans and their beautiful four legged ambassadors, the draught horse. We tried a couple of beers including a Carlsberg IPA and a Jacobsen Brown beer. Nice for a mass produced beer but not in the same league as the Mikkeller.
We caught the last free shuttle back to the railway station but had missed our return train by about 10 minutes. Not to be deterred we decided to have another beer and a bite to eat at the Astoria Hotel. The service was just about non-existent so we went next door to an all you can eat pizza parlour which was operated by some hard working staff from the middle east. The food was great and killed the time until our departure time of 18:47. The Roskilde Festival is due to start next week but the young ones can start arriving to set up camp from today. There were plenty of boys wheeling trolleys laden with beer, Tuborg was prominent and tents seemed to be an afterthought. When we arrived at Faarevejle the ever reliable Jens was there to transport us back to Ordrup.
Sunday 26th June – Packing Day
Tomorrow we are heading to Barcelona on the Spanish budget airline Vueling. This means we cannot afford to be 100 grams over our maximum limit or otherwise we will have to remortgage our home loan to pay for the excess. After a bit of trial and error we think that we have the weight right. We also have a backup plan in place just in case we get it wrong. Watch this space!
This afternoon Alice and I had a mini-golf challenge on the newly renovated local course. It was a tight affair but eventually I triumphed and regained my number one ranking. Back at the house we are having a couple of tipples prior to going out for a farewell dinner at the local Thai restaurant. Dinner was around 7:00pm and we all decided to feast on the different food groups of beef, pork, chicken and seafood. The food wasn’t too spicy and tasted great. There was only one issue for the evening and that was when it came time to settle our account. Jens and I had commenced our dead slow walk back to the house and left Alice and Jytte to pay. The only problem was that they would not accept our foreign credit card so they had to return and get Jytte’s card. All is well that end well.
Monday 27th June – Onwards to Barcelona
Well it is time to say goodbye to Jytte as Jens is preparing to take us on the 100km plus trip to Kastrup airport so we can catch our flight to Barcelona. We have had a relaxing time in Denmark with family who showed us around at the beginning and end of our trip. There is still a couple of places left for us to visit which virtually means that we’ll be back. The trip down the highway was quite quick as it is the start of the school holiday period which means less traffic on the road. We arrived around 10:45 and reluctantly said goodbye to Jens who has been our travelling companion for nearly three months.
The Vueling counter had only just opened and we were allowed to jump to the front of the line as somehow I had already checked-in online. Our bag weights were just under the 23kg limit which meant that no extra payments were required. This sped up the process so upstairs we went for the compulsory security check. The line was quite long but the Danes have a system that works efficiently and fairly. Unlike the USA the Danes have at least 20 security lines to speed up the process and I estimate that it only took us about eight minutes to clear security. This suited me to a tee as I had a pass to the Aviator Lounge where we could sit in comfort until our flight was called. After a couple of open sandwiches and the odd glass of wine we were ready to begin our 2 hour and 50 minute flight to Barcelona. Budget airlines do not have much legroom but seeing it was a relatively short flight I wasn’t concerned that I would end up with DVT. That was of course until the woman in front reclined her seat early in the flight. A couple of knees into the back of the seat was my signal of discontent. It was all to no avail and I spent the flight in a good impersonation of knees up Mother Brown. Alice of course did not have to suffer the same indignity. We landed pretty well on time and were off the plane in record time. Our bags also hit the carousel in quick time and we were soon outside sitting in a taxi to our accommodation in Poble Sec. I think from the time the plane landed it took us less than one hour to be outside our apartment. The only trouble was that the manager was running late with another customer so we ended up waiting on the footpath for 45 minutes.
It is a small apartment, Barcelona In Apartments Poble Sec at Calle Murillo 6 is within easy walking distance of the Metro and has cooking facilities, fold out table, lounge, Spanish television, great shower and a comfortable bed. Given the location I think it is reasonably priced at 70.50 euro per night. After settling in we went around the corner to the local supermarket and picked up some supplies for breakfast and dinner tonight. While the beer was cooling down I took a walk to the metro station and purchased 2 ten trip tickets. At $9.90 a ticket it is a very cheap option for getting around to visit the sights.
Tuesday 28th June – Sagrada Familia
Early on in our trip I decided to purchase our tickets online for a visit to the Sagrada Familia. It is such a popular tourist attraction that without a pre-purchased ticket you have to inevitably wait in a line for extended periods. I bought the deluxe package for 29euro which included the audio guide and access to the tower on the Nativity Façade. With our tickets in hand we headed out the door to catch the line 2 metro service from the Paral-lel stop which is about a 10 minute walk away. Seven stops and 15 minutes later we alighted at the Sagrada Familia stop and joined the short queue for our 10:00am entry. I could wax lyrical about this marvelous construction and Gaudi’s vision but I think you should look it up for yourself at www.sagradafamilia.org/en/
Gaudí made great use of light to endow his architecture with expressivity and grandeur. Sunlight glistens on the pinnacles of the towers and windows. The rising sun lights up the portals of the Nativity facade, accentuating the joy for life that is the birth of Jesus. On the Passion facade the interplay of light and shadow produced by the setting sun heightens the sparse and severe character of the facade’s theme, while the Glory facade receives the mid-day sun that will shine on the 16 lanterns of the monumental porch and light up the main entrance to the basilica.
If you ever visit Sagrada ensure that you take a trip up one of the two towers. From the Nativity tower we had great views of Barcelona but more importantly you get a better perspective of the towers and the symbols that adorn them. You can spend plenty of time here and it is a highlight of any visit to Barcelona.
On our last trip we did not visit the Arc De Triomf which was built for the Barcelona Exposition of 1888. To get there it was a transfer trip on the metro which all up took about 15 minutes. The arch is built of reddish bricks in the Neo-Mudejar style (whatever that is). It leads to a wide promenade which connects the monument with the Park of the Ciutadella. It is a wide open space but you have to watch out for the lycra louts that use this as a main thoroughfare. One of the more interesting things that you notice in Barcelona is the Dragons. Whilst walking through its streets and especially this promenade you will find ornamental dragons in many public places and buildings.
This was a quick visit and we were soon back on the metro to Catalunya so we could take a walk down the Ramblas. For over a century, this walk down Barcelona’s main boulevard has drawn visitors and locals alike. It’s former elegance has been tackified somewhat by tourist shops and fast-food joints, this is still the best place to see the city in action. We started at the top where I took a sip from the Fountain of Canaletes which legend says that a drink from the fountain ensures that you will return to Barcelona one day. It must be true as I took a drink here on our last visit in 2012.
Further down the mall you come to a colourful block lined with flower stands. On the right hand side we detoured into the La Boqueria produce market which is an explosion of chicken legs, fish, fruit and vegetables. Alice and I bought a couple of fruit juices and some coconut to keep our strength up and to avoid becoming dehydrated. One of the more interesting sights is the Africans selling knock-off handbags and sunglasses. They are not allowed to be on the Ramblas and as a result they are always ready to pack up their stock and move on at the first sign of the police. We witnessed them being moved on a couple of times. They try and outsmart the police by doubling back through the Metro system that runs beneath the Ramblas. A good diversion further down is via Calle Colon (that has got to hurt) to Placa Reial. Dotted with palm trees, surrounded by an arcade, and ringed with yellow buildings with white Neoclassical trim, this elegant square has a colonial ambience. Completing the picture are Gaudi’s first public works, two colourful helmeted lampposts. At the end of the walk is the 200 foot column that marks the spot where Christopher Columbus debarked after returning from America. Oh, we must be tired by now so it was back on the metro and the apartment.
After resting up we decided to venture to the Plaza Sortior which is about 150 metres away and try some local Catalan tapas. We opted for a restaurant called Jon-Mai which was recommended by the manager of the apartments. The menu was extensive so we tried a combination of seven tapas dishes for 24euro. I would have to say that overall we were disappointed with our choice. The spicy pork was tough and the cockles and mussels tasted like they had just come out of a bottle. The whitefish, olives and Tempranillo wine were the best of a bad lot.
Wednesday 29th June – Horchata, Botero Cat and Montjuic
We have no tours booked for today so after a leisurely breakfast of bacon, mushrooms, fried tomato and scrambled eggs it was time to climb aboard Shanks’ Pony and head of in search of Horchateria Sirvent. This establishment is supposed to make the best homemade Horchata in Barcelona. Horchata is a cold drink made from tiger nuts, water and sugar and yes it was yummy. The Sirvent itself reminds me of an old fashioned milk bar and was so clean that you could have eaten off the floor. Our next port of call was in the Raval neighbourhood where we were searching for the Botero Cat. We found this giant chubby cat which is made out of bronze at the end of Rambla de Raval where he has been in residence since 2003. I know that the cat is a he by the two large bonze bits at the back.
We started heading back towards Paral-lel and came across an old monastery. The stone structure surrounded by palm and olive trees looked like it belonged in Northern Africa. We could not resist the temptation to visit the Monastery of Sant Pau del Camp and happily paid the 3euro admission. It was founded in 897 and was restored in the 13th century. With our visit over we caught the funicular tram up to Montjuic.
It was only a short walk from the station to the Joan Miro Foundation where we would get our daily dose of culture. Miro lived from 1893 to 1983 and was a prolific artist in all forms such as painting, sculpture, printing techniques, ceramics, theatre and tapestry. The collection houses work from his whole career and in most cases is fairly abstract. To be honest I don’t understand the symbolism in his work and without the assistance of the audio guide I would not appreciated it as much. Look up some of his work on the internet and judge for yourself. www.fmirobcn.org/col-leccio/en_colleccio-joan-miro/
We took a late lunch at the museum and then headed back down the road to the station. There is a chairlift next door and for 12euro return it will take you to the top of Montjuic where you can visit the castle. We opted to enjoy the panoramic view of the harbor on one side and the City on the other. The dominant landmarks were of course the Sagrada Familia and the Torre Agbar a 38 storey bullet shaped skyscraper. It was getting late in the afternoon so we headed back for some well needed rest before heading out for the evening.
Our choice for this evening is the Celler Cal Marino. As soon as we walked in we felt that we were going to enjoy ourselves. The ambience of the bar was fantastic with shelves of wine bottles all waiting to be enjoyed by happy customers. Even though it was already 8:00pm we were the first customers so we had ample time to figure out what we would drink and eat. We started with Cava and Tempranillo and accompanied that with two delicious plates of Tapas. It was only our first selection and we were already knew that this was far better than the previous evening. A couple of more rounds of wine and food and a pleasant conversation with Eduard the manager who apparently has Brisbane on his hit list of places to visit and we were ready to leave. I ended up having another round of tapas which was accompanied by a glass of Vermouth. Apparently drinking Vermut is a social tradition in Barcelona and who am I to argue with tradition.
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