With Phil at dinner
Last night was the perfect finale to my time in Barcelona. After a mellow day, chilling out on the beach (I hadn’t spent any time on the beach in BCN, yet), I returned to my hotel and showered, planning to head over to Gràcia for one more night of revelry. I had tried to text my new friend Phil from England earlier at the beach, but my stupid phone plan wasn’t working. When I arrived at the hotel, lo and behold! Phil texted me! It was perfect. I called him back and we made plans to meet at his house in Gràcia.
When I got down to Gràcia, it was utter chaos (just like the other night). There were masses of humanity everywhere in the streets and the noise level was outrageous. I headed towards his house, in the direction of what seemed to be an entire percussion section playing for all they were worth. They sounded great though, so of course that was the direction that most of the other people in the street had chosen to go as well, which only added to the insanity.
Dani and Phil in Gràcia
Luckily, I located his place and managed to meet up with Phil and his friend Dani, who is from Spain and works doing translation for the police. He’s super nice and I really enjoyed hanging out with him too. We had a bottle of wine at Phil’s house and then went out for a dinner of delicious tapas in a bar on one of the squares. We had wonderful conversation and the food was fabulous, the kind where you can look at all the tapas and then make your selections. We all chose a bunch and shared them, which is the best way to go because you can sample a little of everything. My favorite may have been the pimientos rellenos (red peppers filled with (goat?) cheese, or maybe the eggplant lasagna. However, the papas bravas were some of the best I’d had in Spain, with a little spicy sauce on the top.
Zombie Attack!
Whoooo Are You????
After dinner and drinks, we decided to wander about and check out some of the neighborhood displays. We had a great time, and some fun pics were had. We stopped and listened to a couple of bands and DJs and danced in a couple of the squares. Around 3am, the guys walked me to a taxi stand and I went back to my hotel. What a fun way to end up my time in Barcelona! I am really glad I stayed in town to see the Festa de Gràcia, and I’m so glad that I met Phil. He’s extremely fun and made for great Festa company!
Actually leaving Barcelona itself was a bit of a different story, which is rather unfortunate since I’d ended my time there on such a high note otherwise. I’ve made plans to leave the country via Málaga. So far, I’ve managed to see most of Northern, Eastern, and Central Spain. I even hit up a little of the West, but I didn’t make it down to the South. So I thought I’d fly out of Andalusia, and spend 3 days there before I leave. I found a cheap flight out of Málaga, but the problem came when I tried to find a train from BCN to Málaga. I guess with everyone leaving town after the first weekend of the Festa and the Circuit (another festival this past week), all of the trains are booked. I tried to book a ticket online yesterday, but when it came time to put in the credit card info, and I had to refresh the page, I must’ve missed out on the last available ticket. Málaga
Angel of Death over my shoulder…
I thought they might have a couple of tickets left in person, and there are several trains a day, so I went to the station, figuring there would be something I could find. Otherwise, I’d get a bus or something. I didn’t get the earliest start (surprise!) to try the first train, but I arrived well in advance of the afternoon trains. However, I couldn’t even book at the ticket machine for the latest train out. The train station was a zoo: people everywhere, all trying to get tickets or get somewhere! I went to the window and the guy said I could go via Madrid, but it was more than twice the cost! Sucky.
I catch Phil and Dani in an “Indescret” Moment!
I went to the bus station and arrived in time for the lady at the window to yell at me that she was closed. Yay, even the ticket booth takes siesta here. I waited over an hour for them to reopen for the afternoon. Then I found out that, while there was a ticket to Málaga that evening, it wouldn’t get me there until 11 the next morning and that it cost as much as the original train ticket would’ve cost. I figured since I already booked a hotel for tonight in Málaga, I might as well go tonight and not spend the entire night on a crappy bus. I went back and booked the train ticket. Luckily, there was one still available.
Since I’m arriving so late tonight, the guesthouse I’m staying at is leaving the key in a lockbox outside for me to get into the building and get to my room. I’ll get breakfast in the morning, though, and if I’m lucky, my room will have a balcony…. I like those. Fingers crossed!