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Spain and London, July 2014- UPDATE- DAY 3 and 4 UP

So it all started back a few months ago when I was trip planning for an all inclusive, relaxing vacation to the Dominican with my boyfriend. Unfortunately, as you all probably know, I was dumped. So I had like, a week to plan a backup vacation because I wasn't wasting it alone in a tropical placed bored out of my skull. I decided, YOLO, I'm gonna go to Spain and visit my friends in London. The annoying part was, I ended up losing my job over it due to retarded management, but that's a whole different story. It meant the trip would be a bit crammed, which annoyed me because I could have gone for much longer had I known beforehand that I would have to quit my job.

The first day was going to be a whole day of annoying commute. Since I booked the trip so last minute, flights out of Detroit were too expensive which meant making the commute to Toronto. I woke up just after seven to get ready and wait for my shuttle to Toronto at the local Holiday Inn. Because I'm a procrastinator, I had two hours to get ready, pack, and make a trip to Wal-Mart to buy an adaptor.

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Somehow I ended up doing all this with like, forty minutes to spare before my shuttle. The shuttle was pretty uneventful other than some man talking my ear off the entire time. It took just over four hours to get to the airport. It took about forty minutes to get through check in and then another half an hour to get through security, but I still had about three hours to kill before my flight boarded. That meant I had to drink and eat, obviously. I had some overpriced macaroni, but it was so good.

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Toronto doesn't have the greatest airport in the world, but once my phone died I took advantage of their Ipad cafes, which basically means there's an Ipad free to use at any of the food locations in the airport for however long you want, for free. I had about four double whiskey and cokes, a manhattan, and a pint. Unfortunately this ran me nearly a hundred dollars, and by the time we were boarding, I was feeling a bit queasy.

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Me not loving my manhattan:

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My aircraft <3

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I didn't have a window seat which was rather annoying, but the aircrafts are pretty nice and modern.

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I had an in-flight drink.

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Once I got to Gatwick about seven hours later, the burdenous bit of the journey began. I snapped this shot first because I liked the way all the different liveries looked.

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Customs was very busy. The line for non-EU members was a lot shorter, but they only had a few people running it so each line moved just as slowly as the other.

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I was feeling really ill, so much so that I almost got out of line for customs so I could go get a drink of water, but I sucked it up and waited and then drank two massive bottles of water once I got through. I went to the washrooms and brushed my teeth and primped myself up, then headed to the Easyjet terminal where I had like, a six hour wait. Had to get British chocolate while I waited <3

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The Easyjet line took AGES to get through, and then I finally made it to the desk and she told me I was too early and would have to come back later. I was maddddddd. So I went and slept on the chairs for a while until it was time to check in.

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Our flight was about half an hour late leaving, which wasn't surprising. Look at the ratchet state of the chairs!

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Not only did I not have a window seat, I was in the very back which meant no window at all </3 It was also a really turbulent flight.

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Finally, at 7PM local time, I arrived in Spain. I then realized I had no idea how to get to my apartment, so I got off at Plaza Catalunya in the centre of Barcelona and kind of winged it. After taking some selfies and looking at some underground maps, I kind of had a general idea of where I was going.

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I finally made it to the apartment, when I realized I didn't know which apartment number it was. So, I slyly had to try the key in every door on the forth floor.

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I had a pretty nice view from the balcony!

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Sadly, it was getting pretty late, but I didn't want to waste the night completely so I thought I'd take a walk to the beach. It was literally a straight shot from the apartment to the beach, but it ended up being longer of a walk than I expected and I thought I'd better not go all the way to the beach because it was getting really dark and sketchy.

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I stopped for a snack of breaded calamari and a lemon beer, which was AMAZING.

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After my meal I headed back to my apartment, and this is where the fun began. I SOMEHOW made a wrong turn somewhere, which is next to impossible considering it's a straight road. I ended up in SKETCHVILLE where there were clearly dead prostitutes next to garbage dumpsters...

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I got really nervous because about an hour had gone by and I was still wandering around. I checked the map and I had gone so far that I was almost off the map. The worst thing was, there was nobody around. I finally stumbled upon some sort of plaza with a monument and spotted some people who pointed me where I was suppose to go.

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Even after being given directions, I still had NO clue where I was going, so after about three hours my journey ended when I finally swallowed my pride and got a cab. Couldn't believe the amount of bats that were flying around either! Ten euros later and I was at the apartment <3

Thus concludes day 1!
 

Smithy

Strata Poster
Re: Spain and London, July 2014- DAY 1 UP

Your first experience of Barcelona is precisely what puts me off of spending a holiday there, the place is an absolute maze.

Hopefully the rest of the trip went better.
 
Re: Spain and London, July 2014- DAY 1 UP

^ It did, haha. I don't even really consider getting lost a bad experience necessarily. I'm a poor navigator and it wasn't the final time I got lost while I was there, but it sort of forced me to map read. I didn't get killed so ultimately it turned out okay! I definitely won't forget it :p at least the second time I got lost it was during the day!
 

tomahawk

Strata Poster
Re: Spain and London, July 2014- DAY 1 UP

Barcelona is one of the top places I want to visit in the world.
 

Jordanovichy

Credit Whore 2016
Re: Spain and London, July 2014- DAY 1 UP

One day I dream of being as masterful at selfies as you are. A selfie whilst brushing teeth is the perfect selfie.

Looking forward to hearing more of your trips around Europe :D
 
Re: Spain and London, July 2014- DAY 1 UP

^ Haha this time I just did Spain and England, but a few years ago I did the backpacking thing which was fab. I just need northern Europe now! I feel like I mastered the selfies by the end of the trip, I had to get the landmarks in the background of my pics which proved difficult!

Tom, Barcelona was nice and I'm glad I went because it was on my list of must see cities, but I don't think it ranks as one of the top places for me though. It's certainly different... A bit difficult to navigate, an amusement park up on a hill which I just could not get to, some seedy areas, and some beautiful ones, plus a beach. Quite a bit of modern architecture thrown in with the old stuff as well.
 

Jordanovichy

Credit Whore 2016
Re: Spain and London, July 2014- DAY 1 UP

^Yeah, I'm in Florida at the moment and getting selfies with the castle at Magic Kingdom and at Epcot was proving hard. Here are my efforts :p

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But more of that when I get round to doing my trip report ;)
 

tomahawk

Strata Poster
Re: Spain and London, July 2014- DAY 1 UP

LiveForTheLaunch said:
Tom, Barcelona was nice and I'm glad I went because it was on my list of must see cities, but I don't think it ranks as one of the top places for me though. It's certainly different... A bit difficult to navigate, an amusement park up on a hill which I just could not get to, some seedy areas, and some beautiful ones, plus a beach. Quite a bit of modern architecture thrown in with the old stuff as well.

We were supposed to go for our honeymoon, but me flying for 10 hours with my back would've been in impossible to recover from quickly. There are a lot of places I want to go before there, but I would jump at the opportunity.
 
Re: Spain and London, July 2014- DAY 1 UP

Not a bad effort, Jordan!

And yeah, Tom, I can imagine. Even my tailbone and lower back was hurting after the commute, mostly because it wasn't just the flight, it was five hours in a van, seven in a plane, then another six at the airport, and another three on another flight/bus </3

Day 2

Day 2 started off a bit rough. I woke up and popped in the shower, to the awful realization that the apartment didn't have warm water. This is an exclusive fresh out of the shower photo sans makeup photo of my unimpressed face.

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I got ready and took my obligatory morning selfie.

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My plan for the day was to walk to the Sagrada Familia, which was just up the street, and then hit the beach as well as all the touristy spots and landmarks in that area. I wanted to do as much as I could by foot, which proved a LOT of walking, but it really got me to map read and it gave me a good feel of the area.

This monument thing was just adjacent from my apartment:

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On the way to the Sagrada, I noticed this odd apartment building, which was half a facade.

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As it has been for the past few years, the Sagrada was just full of construction and cranes, which is a shame because it is one of the most beautiful architectural pieces in my opinion.

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I had trouble getting selfies on this day, because in order to get the entire church, I had to use my BAD ANGLE </3

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I hadn't had breakfast, so after taking about sixty unsuccessful selfies (no worries though, I went back the next day for more), I had to choose between McDonalds and a cafe. I chose the cafe, where I got a delicious Nutella crepe. I had never tried a crepe before and I was impressed.

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I realized I was feeling a bit sick by this point, and I knew it was my allergies acting up because of how dusty the apartment is. Since the apartment is so close to the Sagrada, I went back for a quick nap because these usually have me feeling loads better. My unimpressed sick face:

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By the time I got up again, it was still only noon so I had plenty of time to sightsee and I was feeling much better. I decided to do the lengthy walk to the beach.

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The beach area is very modern, with lots of restaurants, nude people, and modern buildings. I found it a bit busy for my taste, but I still walked almost the entire length.

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Since I walked barefoot and nearly burned my feet in the hot sand, my saving grace was the little showers they had on the beach. I absolutely hate the feeling of sandy feet, so I was very happy that these were there.

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The next closest landmark was the Parc Cituadella or whatever it's called. I had a hard time finding the entrance, because you can't just enter from any side of the park.

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Once I got in the park, I realized how beautiful it was!

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I love big parks in the middle of the city because people just do their own thing and there are so many random things to watch that are going on. I seen a guy tight rope walking between trees and trying to teach a kid how to do it, people blowing bubbles, people learning how to dance, people having birthday parties etc. It was a great place to just walk around and people watch! I really want to learn a dance, but sadly I would have had no partner:

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After walking through the park for a while, I exited around the area where the Spanish triumphal arc is.

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I noticed people in Spain don't really care where they are, they'll just makeout and feel each other up wherever they see fit!

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I then continued my walk, seeing other sights along the way and just taking in the city.

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There was certainly not a shortage of things to see!

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There were a few shops selling ham cones, which I found odd.

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I ended my walk at La Rambla and the Plaza Catalunya because I started feeling under the weather again. By this time it was about 6PM, so I thought I'd go back to the apartment for a bit and then go back out for dinner. I had seen about 10 or 12 landmarks and had walked a large portion of the lower part of the city, so I was pretty happy with what I had done at that point!

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I rested for a bit and once again, felt a bit better. I felt so dumb for leaving my allergy pills at home! I also felt stupid when my hair extension fell out...

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I wanted to do a glam dinner at La Rambla outside on a patio, so I did, and it proved a very expensive dinner!

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I had seafood paella and a big schooner of beer. 15 and 11 Euros respectively </3 Then I ordered a water, forgetting to specify tap water, which was another 3 Euros </3

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Being the lady that I am, I downed the entire paella when other people were sharing it between two people. A guy also dropped a rose off at my table and then ran off, which I found adorable.

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I sat and enjoyed my beer for a while, and by the time I was finished it was getting on about 10 anyway, so I called it a night so I could have an early morning the next day.
 

gavin

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Social Media Team
Re: Spain and London, July 2014- DAY 1 UP

That "monument thing" is the bull fighting arena. You're a terrible person for being there.

Actual LOL about the Sagrada Familia crane comment. You'll have to go back when it's finished xx

I love Barcelona. Such a fab place.
 
Re: Spain and London, July 2014- DAY 1 UP

^ I seen Museo and thought museum, and nobody was really paying attention to it so I didn't think much of it, but I'll understand now if a mob of angry PETA members show up at my door.
 

BBH

Giga Poster
Re: Spain and London, July 2014- DAY 1 UP

Classic Spanish architecture, love it. Barcelona looks amazing.

Crepes with Nutella are absolutely fabulous with bananas and strawberries. They're actually popular in smaller restaurants Stateside.
 
Re: Spain and London, July 2014- DAY 1 UP

^ the architecture in Europe is one of the reasons I love it so much. North America has very little architectural fabulousness :(

I wanted more toppings, but it was already super expensive to begin with! I cant wait to go to the Caesar's buffet again because they have a make your own crepe dessert bar. Gonna squeeze that into my schedule in the next few weeks :p
 
Re: Spain and London, July 2014- DAY 1 UP

Yay finally I have a computer again so I can update.

The next day I started off by going back to the Sagrada, hoping to get better pictures of it and better selfies in front of it! But first, an obligatory morning selfie.

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After my trip back to the Sagrada, I decided I would hit the other touristy areas of the city that I had missed the previous day.

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This place offered some of the best views of the city!

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Thank goodness for escalators because ain't nobody got time for stairs.

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There was a park area around the back so I kind of explored that for a while.

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It was ridiculously hot and I was actually getting some exercise so I stopped for a water.

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I'll pass...

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These bubble people were awesome!

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The magic fountain that wasn't even working and is also a drowning and electrocution hazard. I have a weird thing for warning signs!

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Then, I was off to find Tibidabo. I ended up in this area.

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After ages of looking at the map and not being able to find where I was, but able to see Tibidabo on the mountain, I got too frustrated and just quit. I walked far enough to where I was right near Park Guell, so I just went there instead. It was about to rain anyway, shame I missed two creds, but oh well.

On the way, I seen this slap in the face! Reminded me of the job I lost before leaving for my trip, haha.

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Walking up this was absolute DEATH. I must have taken the long way, because there was a much easier way to get into the park as I later realized.

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More fantastic views of the city.

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Had so much trouble with the stairs in the park! Stairs and me don't mix well thanks to my crappy hips. #gettingold

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The park was big and pretty nice.

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The house.

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This is what I came here for. Slightly underwhelmed </3

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An interesting street person. I don't get how these work...

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A very big vending machine!

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Well, Le Pedrara or whatever it's called was a dud considering it was covered in construction.

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I liked this one though.

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I went back to the apartment to freshen up.

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I was getting hungry but I refused to pay the price that I had paid the previous night for food, so I found somewhere near my apartment. This place turned out to be much better and way cheaper than the place in La Rambla.

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I had a beer, CAPRESE SALAD (OM NOM NOM NOM OM NOM), and mushroom risotto (fairly nom but rather bland)

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I had an early night since I had to be up for about five the next morning for PORT AVENTURA!

NEXT- PORT AVENTURAAAA
 

PeskyTrimBrake

Hyper Poster
Barcelona was a ok for me but thats probably because I was there for only 3 days. But it is a beautiful city. Great report so far!

The levitaing people trick is a simple steel frame that goes down their leg and that red plate on the picture is the base.
 
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