Ketchup

Okay I have not been staying on top of this whole blogging thing recently, so right now I'm going to catch-up.
This past weekend my Grandma and Grandpa came to Barcelona! They are here for a Mediterranean cruise all of this week, with the starting and ending point here in the city. I only got a short time with them on this end, but when they get back, they will stay for three more nights, and i'll really have time to show them around.
It was so exciting to see them, I met them at the airport, and after anxiously waiting to see them come around the corner to where I was allowed to stand before the security, I was so ecstatic to see such familiar faces! I gave them both giant hugs, and after getting all of the luggage situated, we grabbed a taxi to their hotel. I will post pictures after next weekend, of their entire stay, but you all have to see this crazy hotel. It's called Hotel Cram, and is advertised by it's chic modern style. Well, cool and modern in design is one thing, but it's quite another when all of the doors blend into the walls, the bathrooms are marked by triangles and other obscure shapes, the light switches look like vending machine buttons, the size of the rooms resemble a walk-in closet, and chairs that are about as welcoming for a tired body as a stool-shaped cactus. Okay, it's not that bad. But probably not the first pick for the grandparents. At least they have a sense of humor about it. However I hereby forfeit any future responsibility to book my visitors hotels, and for some reason I doubt there'll be much protest...
After they had settled in for a bit, I took them to my apartment, and then to the University to show them around. Then, we went to a nearby restaurant for some dinner. Unfortunately, being that I am a college student without a bulging wallet, I have not tried a single restaurant in Barcelona for anything more than lunch, and had no idea what restaurants served a decent meal. (I am aware that this is not helping myself sound any better as a tour guide...) So, we tried the first one that served something recognizable (and with goat cheese, an instant decider for Grandma!). The food was good enough, although my Grandpa ordered a "salad" with peppers and onions and eggplant that turned out to be a plate with three separate scoops of cold, pickled peppers, onions, and eggplant. There was bread on the table, and I informed my guests that if they do not touch said bread, they will not be charged, but if so, the cost is about 1 euro per slice, which is hefty given that an entire loaf costs 35 cents at the grocery. We all abstained from eating the bread, and it was taken away along with our used dishes. However, when the bill came, there it was, a charge of 3.80 for the bread that we didn't so much as breathe on. I waved over the waiter, determined to amend the situation properly, only to be told that as a "right to dine inside his restaurant, we must always pay for bread, even if it isn't eaten", so guess what I said? "Well fine, then bring me back the bread!"...and I proceeded to stuff it into my purse as soon as he turned around. I bring class to a whole new level, I know.
Well, that's all for now, folks. I was about to say this week has rushed by so quickly, but I realize it is only Monday, and the week is going by at proper speed. So.....
Until next time!

Viehla

Viehla is the most beautiful place on Earth. 

This weekend really changed something for me. I have never seen such vast, undisturbed natural beauty in my life, and after spending time in the Catalan Pyrenees this weekend, all I want to do is explore the world to find the most unique and unaltered nature. 

We arrive in Viehla around noon on Friday. Rachel, Catherine, Tamar, Alyssa, Joanna and I were immediately in awe of our surroundings. The drive alone gave the Yosemite Valley drive a run for its money. Here are a few pictures that I took from the bus:

The town is situated in a pocket within the Aran Valley, surrounded by towering, snow-capped mountains. The  colors were stunning, autumn is supposedly the best time to be there, although I can imagine every season would be beautiful. The leaves of the trees covering the mountains were of reds, yellows, and darkened greens, while the tops of the mountains were covered in ice and snow, all against the stunningly bright blue sky. When we got off of the bus, we wandered for a bit and then checked into the adorable hotel that I had found online, which was right in the center of the town. Here is were we stayed, at the Aparthotel Refugi D'aran:

We checked in, and marveled at the cute little kitchenette and living room and huge bathroom and bedroom that we all got for so cheap! Once we put our things down, we walked around town for a bit before settling down at an outdoor cafe and getting some coffee while we looked and maps and hiking trails. Here are some photos to give you an idea of the town, on our fist day of exploring:

We immediately fell in love with Viehla. Hard. Meaning, already planning out retirement--hard.

We were pretty tired from waking up at 5am to catch the bus, and wanted to be well rested for a full day of hiking, so after we checked out local shops and visited the tourism office and got oriented, we went to the grocery to buy stuff for dinner. We bought pasta, bread, salad fixings, stuff to make sangria, and sandwich fixings and came back to the hotel to make use of our kitchenette. We all hung out and helped cook while toasting our sangria and then spent the next several hours sitting around the table talking and laughing. It was a great ending to a great day. That night we packed up all of our things for the next day and on Saturday morning we set out for our hike. We took a bus 20 minutes to Salardú, a nearby town, to be picked up by a taxi van and driven up the old and rocky road to the trailhead. The taxi man was very friendly and explained to us along the way, the history of the Aranese language, and the people of the region. Once we were dropped off, he told us he would be back at 5pm if he didn't hear from us sooner, and then gave us the number for the emergency helicopter, and drove off. We really had no concept of how long the hike would be, or where it would take us, but we were all invigorated and ready for a day of new sights. The hike ended up being more or less 10 miles and took about 8 hours, weaving in and out of valleys and plains, lakes and streams. We made it to the base of a mountain covered in snow at the farthest point, and were surrounded by large hunks of snow at then too. We passed a total of 17 lakes, each one more beautiful and breathtaking than the last. The terrain started off as iced-over creaks and grassy paths, then changed to endless grassy plains dotted with boulders and smaller lakes, to literally rock-climbing, hand over foot up mountain faces. It was the most beautiful hike I have ever been on in my life, with the most incredible views that no painting or photograph could even compare to. It made me believe in heaven on Earth, and filled me with the strongest high anyone could experience. Here are photos that I took on the trail, but no picture could capture even a hint of the natural beauty that flooded every inch of these mountains:

Once we got to the bottom, just as the sun was going down, we were freezing cold, exhausted, and scraped up a bit, but all in the best mood in the world, and in complete awe of everything we had just done and seen.

We got back to Viehla and went to a pizzeria in town for hot pizza and a warm place to rest. After we were all filled and warmed up, we went back to the hotel to toast champagne and eat chocolate and relax. We had a great evening of hanging out, and simply enjoying everyones company in such an amazing place.

The next morning we had considered walking to all of the nearby towns, but the weather had a different agenda, so we sought shelter in a small local cafe in the town center. We sat there for a couple of hours drinking cafe americanos, cafe con leche, and hot chocolates while we watched the rain pour down outside. Once we were ready to move on, we found an adorable pastry shop and sat in the booths for another few hours while we tried their hand-made treats and told stories and laughed about everything and about nothing.

Then we noticed that the sun had come out, so we stretched our legs out for the last hour before our bus, and got a few more pictures of Viehla while wandering through the windy small streets:

Moral of the story is that Viehla was a testament to all of the beauty that lies just outside of the city waiting to be explored. It has filled me with such a desire to find places like this that no one else has heard of becuase they are undisturbed and authentically preserved in a way that invites the traveler and not the tourist, and stirs an enthusiasm and invigoration in everyone who stops and explores for a while.

Girona

This past weekend Claire, Rachel and I went to Girona for the day. Girona is just outside of Barcelona about an hour and a half inland by train. We got there at about 10am, and without having brought a tour book or map, we decided simply to wander. The layout of Girona looks similar to that of Barcelona, except about one third the size. The town is situated throughout rolling hills, and apart from the town center, the homes are gently scattered into the greenery. When we were there, the weather was gloomy, and rained most of the day. Also, we went on a Sunday, so nothing was open but places to eat. We first found a plaza in the center, surrounded by an open corridor lined with cafes. We chose the most inviting one and sat down for some cafe con leche while we people watched and waited for more stores to open at about 11. Then we continued walking throughout narrow ancient streets, jumping from overhang to overhang to stay somewhat dry, and window shopping into the delectable patisserie displays. Here are some pictures to give you an idea of the streets:

Then, as we continued walking we found a cute little book fair with old American classics translated to Spanish and Catalan.

On the other side of the plaza here, there is a bridge that leads over to the even older part of the city, where you find the cathedral, and the castle behind. Here is a view from the bridge, across the very low water level to the painted houses.

The first tourist sight that we saw was the Arab baths, which we paid our 2 euro each to go see. It was literally a room with one bath thing, and that was it. But, then we could walk onto the roof, where we got a cool view over the buildings.

Then this building marked the beginning of the castle, which was simple stunning (an the cute alleyways on either side).

I really don't think a ton of money is put into the tourist industry here, because although there are regularly a lot of visitors, none of the landmarks or historical buildings are really marked or explained at all. I will say it was nice to be able to show myself around this incredible castle without being rubbing elbows with 100 other tourists, it would have been nice to know a little bit about what I was looking at, and who's house I was climbing all over. We explored the castle for a while, which was really overgrown with plants, and completely unrestored, but stunning because of that, and provided amazing views from the top over the entire town. Here are some photos:

Then, we walked back down into the city, walked by the cathedral, which was in high mass at the time, and back down to another cafe.

We went back to the same cafe that we were at before to hit up the Menu del Dia which was a sandwich an a soda and coffee. Then we headed towards a dense patch a trees we saw on the edge of the town. There was a carnival in town, and a line of kids and their parents stood in line waiting for it open. We continued into the line of trees, which towered up above.

Girona was small and quaint and provided for a great day of wandering and exploring. The views were spectacular, and the fall colors were beautiful. In keeping with the small town theme, I have organized a trip for this weekend, that I am going on with 5 other girls. I was looking in my tour book and found a really tiny town called Veihla up in the Pyrenees. There is a river that runs right through the town, and is surrounded by mountains. The town is the capital of the d'Aran valley, and they even have their own language, Aranese. We are taking a 5 hour bus ride there at the crack of dawn on Friday, and coming home on Sunday night. We are staying in a little hotel with a room for 6 people equipped with a full kitchen and dining room. I am so excited to be in an extremely small, geographically isolated town surrounded by nature, and good company. The town is mostly known for a place to stay to go to the surrounding ski resorts, but now, a month or so before the snow, it is the best time to enjoy the huge variety of hiking trails, which we intend to do. I will blog next when I get home from the trip, assuredly with great pictures and stories!