One week in Spain

Daniel and I recently undertook a one-week trip to Spain.  Owing t0 some unanticipated and expensive home repairs, this will be our only major trip this year.  We spent several days in Barcelona, with a trip via high-speed rail to Madrid for the remainder of our time there. 

Based on scheduling and layovers, it made more sense to use different airlines for our departing and return flights.  We took United Airlines to Barcelona, connecting in Newark.  As the overnight flight is seven hours long, I booked United’s Premiere Plus seats so we would have enough room to sleep.  All was not as expected.  Along with several other travelers, our in-seat monitors wouldn’t play any entertainment despite the crew rebooting the whole system.  We could only view the flight map.  Fortunately, the plane’s Wi-Fi worked, and I watched “Saturday Night” on my phone.  When the time came for our meal, they only had one chicken dinner left, so I let Danny have it while I had the vegetarian meal - a cauliflower dish that was quite good.  This proved to be fortuitous for me as I ate a lot of meat during the following week. 

View from our in-flight monitor...

Our flight landed in Barcelona on time.  Border control at BCN is very efficient and professional.  The airport is clean, modern, and well laid out.  Wanting to avoid the expense of a taxi, we took the Aerobus to Plaça de Catalunya, which was just a few short blocks from our hotel.  We had no agenda for that day.  So, after dropping off our luggage at the hotel, we decided to wander freely. 

Barcelona is mostly laid out on a grid pattern and very walkable.  Although we did purchase passes for the local Metro, we only used them a few times.  On that first day, our wanderings took us to the Banksy museum; his work runs the gamut from amusing, to witty, to thought-provoking.

At the Banksy museum...

Later that afternoon, we returned to Hotel Indigo and were delighted to learn that our room had been upgraded to a larger space with a patio.  Our Spain trip marks the third and fourth times I’ve stayed at Indigo properties and I have never been less than pleased. 

Appropriately for a Sunday, our morning trip took us to Sagrada Familia, architect Antoni Gaudi’s crowning masterpiece – finally nearing completion some 142 years after ground was broken and a century after the architect’s death.  Words simply fail me in describing this structure, so I will let the photos below speak for themselves.

That afternoon we traveled to Park Guell via bus where we chatted with some American students before walking through the park. 

Monday we saw two more of Gaudi’s well-known works: Casa Batlló, and La pedrera (Casa Milà).  The former of these was a single-family home, the other an apartment building.

On Tuesday we did more free association as we walked La Rambla all the way through the Gothic Quarter to the waterfront and back, stopping into various shops along the way.  That evening, we attended a flamenco show which was a highlight of the trip.  The intoxicating melodies, sensuous harmonies, and bracing rhythms left me mesmerized and inspired.  I’ve spent the week since our return noodling Spanish flavored melodies at the piano.

At the Rambla's southern point...

In both Barcelona and Madrid, we enjoyed numerous and varied culinary delights.  Tapas is the thing in Spain and none of our selections were less than very good.  Even fast-food staples like McDonald’s and Burger King were on a higher level than in the US.

McDonald's in Spain is superior to its American 

counterpart, but no match for Tapas.

Wednesday morning, we took a short Metro ride to Barcelona Sants railway station for the high-speed rail trip to Madrid on IRYO.  This was our first experience with high-speed rail – although I used the commuter rail when living near Boston.  Rail in Europe is the superior alternative to air travel when travelling moderate distances – say, under 500 miles.  Think of it this way: if you’re in a city and want to fly somewhere, you need to go to the airport – which is usually in the outskirts of town; then there’s security which can take an hour; you board the plane about a ½ hour before departure; then you fly and land in your destination, get your luggage, and commute to your destination city.  But with our trip via rail, the train stations were right in the middle of town, security was quick, we were on the train and off in a flash – plus the seating options are far more affordable and comfortable than when flying.  We look forward to more inter-Europe travel via rail.    

Our high speed meal on IRYO.

 

Barcelona and Madrid have similarities but many differences as well.  In both cities, we saw same-sex couples holding hands or walking arm in arm without being harassed or even particularly noticed.  Both cities are dog friendly – although people in Barcelona are more diligent about picking up after their dogs than in Madrid.  While both cities are highly walkable, Barcelona is more easily navigable due to the grid pattern layout as opposed to Madrid’s winding alleys.  Madrid, being Spain’s political capitol and financial center, has a busier atmosphere and the kind of bustling city crowds one associates with New York. 

Both cities have airports that put their American counterparts to shame.  Border control at Barcelona airport was efficient and the border personnel were friendly.  Madrid’s airport is beautifully designed, with many restaurants and duty-free shops. 

Terminal 4 at Madrid's gorgeous airport

As with our flight to Barcelona, our return on American Airlines was in that carrier’s Premium Economy section.  The experience was comparable and our in-seat monitors worked this time. 

Arriving in Charlotte after our eight-hour flight was an exercise in exasperation:  It took over 45 minutes to retrieve our luggage because the conveyor that carries baggage from the plane to the truck was broken.  By the time we had it, we undertook a mad rush to recheck it, go through security, and get to our gate.  By the time we landed in Cleveland, we were exhausted and more than ready for bed.