Erin's Travel Blog

Flew to Barcelona yesterday morning. Just in time for Día de Sant Jordi (St. Geroge Day), which is the Spanish version of Valentine's Day. There are roses being sold EVERYWHERE, in any color you could ask for, even rainbow. It is also el día de los libros (book day), so there are tents set up in all the plazas selling books. Several of them also have authors signing throughout the day. I had a book called Fantasias animadas by Berta Marse inscribed. I came to Barcelona this weekend to visit my friend from high school spanish class, John Neff. So I was calling him throughout the morning trying to meet up. However, he has a spanish girlfriend, so he was spending the day with her. I decided to get myself away from all the cuddly couples and roses on the street by having some retail therapy. I spent a lot of time in Desigual because I really want to get something from there, but I couldn't find anything I really liked enough to pay those prices. Their swim suits are adorable...

Stage 1.2 La Crema We woke up around noon on Friday. We immediately got into the car to drive into the city and see the last show of noise fireworks. They're set off at 2 pm every day for about two weeks before the Crema of the fallas . And they're supposed to have a certain rhythm to them. The plaza is always packed for the fireworks show, and especially for the last show, so we wanted to get there early. We worked our way through the crowd and squeezed into a small bar to get a breakfast of patatas bravas and calamari. Then headed back outside to see/hear the show . After the fireworks, everyone disappears from the streets and into the bars to drink until the crema begins. We walked a few blocks away from the middle of the city to try to find someplace where we could have a sufficient meal. Cote said he was going to buy us lunch because it was his saint's day. Saint's days are more important than birthdays here in Spain. I'm actually surprised he didn't h...

Semana Santa - Stage 1.1 Las Fallas of Valencia My vacations for Semana Santa began on 18 March. Steph, Darlene and I had plans to go down to Valencia to see what Las Fallas are all about. Darlene's host brother, Cote, offered to drive us down there and let us stay in his apartment for the fiesta. Free transportation and a place to stay cannot be passed up, so of course we said yes. We drove down on Thursday afternoon to avoid the traffic on Friday, though I was still recovering from a stomach flu that hit me Wednesday. I had forgotten how much fun road trips are with your friends. We put in the mix that Liz had made and kept our eyes open for any Toros on the side of the road. When we arrived in Valencia the traffic was already crazy. There were roads blocked off everywhere. Cote drove to his apartment, but then told us that we wouldn't actually be staying there. I guess it is an apartment belonging to his work, so all of his co-workers were staying there as well. ...

Ryanair sucks. They seem fenomenal when you're booking your flight and it costs a mere 25 € roundtrip. But then you get to the airport. Actually flying with Ryanair is a horrible experience. Unless you buy your ticket at the counter, and, come on, who does that anymore? you must check-in online and print your boarding pass. They say it's no problem if you have printer issues or no printer. But what they really mean is that it will cost you 40€ for them to print it for you at the airport. This is "because there are no printers" at the airport. If by some luck you did print your boarding pass or you had enough cash to buy a new one, you then get to go through the super-fun process of checking your bags or trying to fit your normally-acceptable carry-on into the shockingly small testing cage. Don't forget that you're only allowed ONE (1) piece of hand luggage. No, you can't also carry a purse or computer. Those things must fit into your carry-on, whic...

On the third day we ate breakfast for the last time with our families. Of course, we had fresh bread and cookies to go with our tea. Steph, Nora and I made sure to take pictures with all the family before we left. On our way out of the city to drive to the Rif mountains , we made a quick stop at the Mausoleum of King Mohammed V . It is an unfinished mosque, which would have been the largest mosque if it had been completed. I took plenty of pictures of the beautiful patterned devised by islamic artists. I think it's so amazing how creative they can be without depicting anything living. After our quick walk through what would have been the mosque, we piled into the van and drove to the Riff Mountains, where we had a personal visit with a family living there. We picked up a guide along the way – a man who was born in the village and left to go study in England. He led us on a quick walk through the countryside around the village before taking us to his sister's husband...