Reidy writes

Thursday 7 July 2011

Espanol

Woooooo Whoooooooo !


How bloody good is Barcelona ? This place is off the hook !


After a long slow drive drive to Gatwick airport we were on our way, Easy Jet flight to Barcelona, Spain ! It wasn't very long at all between when the flight attendant was doing the safety demonstration and the captain tell us to buckle in for landing. As we came in I looked out the window to see the coast line and I started to get goose bumps. The beaches looked packed and the atmosphere electric ! Once on the ground we had to find our way from the airport to our hotel. Not so easy when the only Spanish word you know is "Hola" After some help from a lovely little Spanish lady we were heading in the right direction. On our very first train we had our very first encounter with pick pocketers. They were all over Maxi like flies to sh*t and wanted his wallet. Now I don't know if its because we are lifeguards and we're paid to be observant or this particular gang were just really bad at it but either way they stuck out like dogs *you know whats*. The whole carriage was onto them and they didn't get anything. Although we were also quietly thanking all the people that had warned us about them over the past few weeks ! After a lot of walking around we finally found our hotel, she's a little ripper. It's in a little side street of La Rambla with a pretty cool little bar next door that has live bands. Once checked in we dumped all our gear and jumped on bus 59 and headed straight to the beach !


The beach blew me away. Bondi gets pretty busy but this place was semi out of control. If they had waves here I reckon it would be mayhem ! We chatted to the lifeguards but it was only briefly. They take their job very seriously and didn't take their eyes off the water the whole conversation. They seem like an awesome crew and they offered us a little tour of their facilities on another day when it wasn't so busy. Looking forward to that ! We then went and got some food and an ice cold Stubbo at one of the places at the back of the beach. It was delicious, I was impressed.

Pretty sure in that 30mins we were at the beach I got sun stroke, (don't say that, its been a while since I've been in really hot weather :)) So we went back to the hotel to have a Siesta before some Fiesta. ("When in Rome right") It was around 4pm but i think the last few days had gotten the better of us and we just crashed and burned. I didn't wake up till 3:30am with Maxi not far behind me at 4:30am the next day !

After that massive sleep session we awoke, primed and ready to take on anything, well anything except something that weights between 2000-2800 pounds, has 2 very big "sharp and pokey" horns and likes to step on, or stab drunken Australians covered in blood red sangria !

We were headed to Pamplona, minus a Sat Nav. I trusted in Maxi's ability to read maps !



Maxi's map reading Ability = Us getting lost for well over an hour, 10 minutes in to the journey.

Our 4.5 hour journey went to 6 really quick. We gave up in the end and used the google maps app on our Travel SIM phones. It got us out of a very big mess. The highways in Spain are amazing. The speed limit is 120kph (although the locals seem to sit on about 200kph) and the scenery is beautiful although they do come at a cost. We paid about 35 euros in tolls. That's a lot of money I think for a 4.5 hour / 500+km journey. 

Once we arrived in Pamplona I was just blown away. The place, and its not very small, was just packed with people. They were EVERYWHERE ! It was actually a little scary at times. We stopped right outside a vendor selling the red and white clobber everyone else was getting around in and got changed. Then we drove halfway back out of town, parked the car and got straight in some very big beers and Sangria. Now I'm so sorry but I only have 1 picture for you all. My excuses are: I didn't really have safe pockets in my pants, the car was parked so far away and i had every intention of getting, well, pretty cactus ! I really wish I could have taken my camera as there were so many amazing photo opportunities.


Blah, Blah, Blah, we got blind drunk and had a ball with some really funny Aussie dudes from Melbourne and I don't remember much after about 6pm. There is a little twist though. When I woke up this morning at 3:30am I was sitting in the back of our hire car with Maxi and a random at the wheel, driving through the middle of Barcelona. Turns out the random was an old friend of Maxi's that needed to get back to Barcelona that night and in our drunken happy mood we offered our car but told him we we're to drunk to drive and he said "Its fine, I'm sober as a Judge, I'm a non-drinker". I am a little bummed we didn't get to watch people getting trampled and horned by bulls but on the other hand I'm happy I didn't have to do the long drive back hung over, much later the next day. If you really want to experience some Spanish culture then going to Running of the Bulls is something I highly recommend. Although I highly recommend you take a few spare T-shirts. This is what was left of ours !


Anyways its nearly 8am and we are off to see the sights of Barcelona. Were gonna try and hire a couple of scooters and head up the coast a little look see. We hear there are some beautiful, less crowded beaches a little further north. Very good chance we'll get lost again but that's all part of the adventure, right ? If anyone has any cool ideas for things we can do, feel free to drop them in the comments box below. Thank you all very much in advance !

In other excellent news from the team at Owl Marketing, HOPPO is coming to Dublin with us ! 

Hope everyone is having a good day/night. 

Cheers for stopping by :)

Reidy...


23 comments:

  1. When you coming London? X

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  2. Oh hell yeah, that means Hoppo is coming to Anglesey too - woohoo ;)

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  3. CHARLOTTE PENNEY7 July 2011 at 2:18 am

    im going to Barcelona tomorrow ! :D

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  4. you guys fly by amsterdam?

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  5. Best blog so far!!!!!!!!!!! Hope you're having a great day xxx

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  6. Top things to do in Barcelona -
    1. Walk down Les Rambles and cut into the old city (Barri Gòtic). Visit the cathedral and surrounding areas.
    2. Visit Parc Güell and take in all the Gaudí monuments in the park.
    3. Visit Picasso Museum
    4. Walk up and down Passeig de Gràcia - specially around 7pm when everyone is out for a stroll. Just take in the wonderful architecture
    5. Visit Casa Milà (also known as "La Pedrera" ), Casa Batlló and Sagrada Familia . These are Gaudí's masterpieces. They are incredible buildings. Do climb the towers of Sagrada Familia.
    6. Take the Bus Turistic for a day - it is around 20 bucks per person per day but it is worth it. You can get on and off as many times as you want and visit all the key sites.
    7. Take both the old tram ( Tramvia Blau) and Funicular up to the Tibidabo. Tibidabo is a hill overlooking Barcelona with amazing views. There is an amusement park, a Catholic Church, and a Comunications Tower ( Torre de Collserola) by Norman Foster which provides the highest viewpoint over the city.
    8. Pay a visit to Port Olympic late an night - really late at night. The bars are hopping.
    9. Day trip to Montserrat by train..not by car but by train. You will have to take a cable car (Montserrat Aeri) from Montserrat-Aeri station or a rack railway (Cremallera de Montserrat) from Monistrol de Montserrat to the actual monastery. You can easily spend a whole day there.
    10. Take a sail boat trip on the sea and take the view of the city from the sea. The best place to find boad will be at the end of Las Ramblas off of Colon monument, these boats are known as Las Golondrinas.
    11. Barcelona FC football match . Whilst in Barcelona, why not go and see one of the best teams in the world in at Camp Nou Stadium (one of the biggest stadiums in the world). You can buy your tickets in avance online (check out www.footballticketsbarcelona.com or http://www.spanishfootballtickets.com...) or at the stadium on the day of the match.
    12. Take a stroll around the up and coming 'El Born' district. The thin, winding sidestreets are home to some of the trendiest shops and coolest bars in the city. Dont be afraid to scratch at the surface and head into the warren of allyways - the chances are you'll be rewarded by stumbling across a true hidden gem. An area with a great atmosphere and fantastic character.

    Not sure you will fit them all in but some ideas! ;) ENJOY!

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  7. hey reidy,your blog is really good,informative,well presented/written and some great pics....its good to see you and maxi are making the most of your trip.....and having lots of fun.its good to follow you and see what your getting up to and i hope to catch up with you boys in north devon when you get here....do u know anymore about where your staying etc, i can take you if you have any spare time to a few different hotspots,beaches/activities/bars etc....hit me back if you want to see the best of north devon! x

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  8. Hey guys!
    Lovin your blog so far and it´s so exciting to have you all here in Barca.
    One bar you have to visit while you´re here is.. "Zahara" in Barceloneta. It´s at the end of the main road that takes you to the beach (Passeo Joan de Borbon, number 69) They do really great cocktails and food plus the chicks that work there are HOT ;P Tell them "Vicki (the australian)" sent you and for sure you´ll get a few cocktails on the house plus numerous rounds of shots!!! They´ll love you guys and I´m sure you´ll all have a great time!
    Don´t forget, keep your eyes peeled for those pick pocketers and have a blast!
    Much Love
    Vicki

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  9. Find somewhere authentic to eat Paella - it is insanely good x

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  10. You two are priceless that blog was GOLD Rob and I had a great belly laugh, Glad you are having a great time lol.Stay safe.XXXX

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  11. Ooh yes Paella - a great place to eat that is at "L´Arros" (Passeig de Joan de Borbó, 12). It´s on the same road as "Zahara" but a few restaurants up (away from the beach). I fully recommend it...Delicious!
    Much Love
    Vicki

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  12. Amazing...love the blog and you are both really getting into the cultures!!
    COOLIO xx

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  13. Alright guys when you going to head to rabbie burns land in scotland, you'll love the accent and the drink lol

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  14. Music festival on the beach next weekend just 4 hours from Barcelona. Also come to Ireland and I will show you the beach where I work or go to Galway for a real Irish night out!

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  15. You guys wouldnt be heading to andulucia in the next few days would you? It's lovely down here, the only desert in europe!!!

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  16. Hey Reidy,
    driving on the right side of the road is very normal in most parts of the world. Those British started it and passed it on to you guys...
    Love the blog though.

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  17. when r u coming to london??!! xx

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  18. Loving reading this blog. Excited to hear about your up and coming adventures!! xx

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  19. i love reading your blog soooo much -- it really cheers me up and makes me laugh (alot) (because its been raining alot in england) - its only 2 weeks to the summer holidays here, and im hoping to come and see you guys,:) hope you have as much fun as you can :) xxxxxxx

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  20. ur 1 funny chap reidy,a night drinking pints with you would be a riot

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  21. Hey,
    Will u be in Scotland at all? The Edinburgh fringe festival begins on the fourth with lots of free comedy shows x

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  22. love to read this great blog!!!
    enjoy you're trip ( but i believe you really do!!!)

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  23. If you have enough time, I recommed you visit Mundaka,Sopelana...There are located in the Vasc country and surfers around the world enjoy with their waves. YOu can fly from Barcelona to Bilbao or hire a car to Bilbao.
    Much better than San Fermines!!!!!
    Besos desde La Rioja! Pilar.

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