We departed from Eindhoven, NL early Wednesday morning. The hotel we chose was conveniently on the bus line to the airport. It wasn't the greatest hotel, but we felt fortunate that we did not need to call a cab. I had learned from previous experiences that taking a cab in Europe is very expensive, so we were almost happy to be dragging our suitcases down the street to the bus stop despite the fact that we could see every breath hang in the frigid air.
Eric's first experience with Ryanair
While I tend to equate the Ryanair Experience to a bus in the sky, Eric's first impression was that it was mass chaos. Slightly different opinions maybe... Eric purchased our tickets from the website before he left. At that time we indicated that we would not check any luggage. It made sense as we planned to be traveling light and of course it saved us a few Euros. So we arrived at the airport and stood in line to get our tickets. Unfortunately, since we had underestimated the amount of space 3 weeks worth of travel items would take we had an extra piece of luggage that we were forced to check we found ourselves standing in another line to pay for our one piece of checked luggage and then another line to get through security. After we made it through to the gates, we had just a few minutes to look up our directions to our hotel in Barcelona before we got into another line (for boarding). Eric couldn't believe that we were standing in line to board a good hour and fifteen minutes before our flight was to leave, but there we were. I was determined to ensure that we would find seats next to one another. Finally we boarded and what Eric like to call mass chaos broke out. The doors opened and the people started pushing and running toward the plane. We climbed the stairs to the doors and we could already hear the flight attendants calling out "please take the first available seat." We found to seats toward the back of the plane, right by one of the doors so that we could make a quick exit and (hopefully) be some of the first people to make it through customs. The flight was good. It was not too turbulent, but we were treated to the typical Ryanair rough landing as we came down with quite a thud.
What No Customs?
That's right, when flying from The Netherlands to Spain a passenger is not required to pass through customs. Eric was really bummed because he was looking forward to his first stamp in his passport. But no such luck... In fact he had no such luck throughout our entire vacation because we didn't get a stamp until we left for home.
Bus Ride to Barcelona
The thing about Ryanair is that we rarely fly into major airports. This is the case in Barcelona Girona. Girona is about a 50 minute bus ride from the airport to the bus station in the city and the cost is about 40 Euros per person round trip. But when you only paid about $20.00 total for your airplane tickets, an extra 80 Euros to get you to the city doesn't seem like too bad a deal. The bus ride was fairly relaxing and the scenery was beautiful. While Eric napped, I peered out the window at the remnants of castles sitting at the tops of the hills.
The Ibis Experience
The Ibis Hotel is somewhat like a Days Inn. It's a chain hotel that's nothing fancy but it's a place to sleep and they provide a decent breakfast in the morning. Our hotel was situated near one of the main metro stations so it was a convenient place to start and end our exploration of the city each day.
The City from Park Guell
This now beautiful city park was once designed by Antoni Gaudi to be an early gated community. The garden reminded me a bit of Alice in Wonderland with its gingerbread houses and mosaic designs.
From the high point in the park, you can see the whole city spanning out before you, all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. It's a beautiful sight.
Sagrada Familia
The Sagrada Familia is perhaps Gaudi's most famous and beautiful design. This church is a work in progress, as Gaudi's work began in 1884 and they expect that if work continues at the same rate they may finish in about 50 years. Since work has been ongoing for such a long time, it has had many architects but most try to remain true to Gaudi's original design ideas. We walked around the outside taking in the intricate designs before purchasing our tickets and heading indoors. The construction continues, even as the tourists walk through and observe their work. I was most impressed by the design of the pillars surrounding the nave. The pillars look like trees towering overhead with a shimmering canopy at the very top. We hope to have the opportunity to visit once more when it's finished, but we'll be in our 80"s so we'll see.
The Marina
We enjoyed the marina and the beach. The water is so clear and blue that we could see sparkling schools of fish swimming around under the surface of the water.
The Beach
Esglesia de Santa Maria del Mar
One of our other favorite sights in Barcelona was the Esglesia de Santa Maria del Mar. This beautiful "People's Church" is filled with stained glass windows. The church once suffered from fire and the blackened ceiling still remains.
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