Toro, Spain - December 2015

Hilltop picnics in Toro

Continuing our attempt at seeing all the small towns in our area we ventured to Toro for an afternoon of nature walks and Patatas Bravas (fried potatos in a spicy sauce).  We had heard of Toro before and even made a quick stop at the bus station a couple times when travelling to Zamora but we had yet to actually explore the town itself.  So as it had been recommended to us by a couple of our trusted friends we made it our mission to explore last weekend.

Toro is an ancient town in a famous wine producing region on the Duero River.  The wine here is said to be incredibly full bodied.  Christopher Columbus (Cristobal Colon) took nothing but Toro wines with him on his journey to the Americas.

We were able to get a bus to and from Valladolid for 15 Euros each.  The ride was about an hour through a less than thrilling countryside.  I sometimes find myself quite car sick on long trips so I was just itching to get off the bus so when Ross said this is our stop I practically ran off the bus.  Once standing outside however I knew something wasn’t right (I am pretty sure we were in a ghost town – but not a fun and exciting one) and Ross felt the same. He ran back to the bus and asked the driver if this was the only stop in Toro.  Turns out we were not even there yet.  It was still another 10 km or so up the road.  In this part of Spain the parts in between cities are flat and dry so that would have been a long and boring walk.

Main street 

Toro itself is a cute town although quite small so it took us only an hour to really see the whole city.  The main strip had lots of interesting local wine shops and bars.  It always amazes me when we travel to different cities how similar they all are though.  Tapas bars with all the same menus and no people out during the afternoon.  How can you have a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon and nobody outside?  I love to explore and see the Cathedrals of course but I have eaten more Patatas Bravas and seen more closed up shops then I could ever have imagined in my life.

Main street 

The one thing I found very beautiful about the town was the surrounding countryside.   Was surprised at how amazing it was considering the flatness of the drive there.  Gorgeous hills and a picturesque river flowing behind the city.  We spent most of our afternoon wandering around this area.  We sat on top of one of the hills and had a bit of bread and hummus while just soaking in the sunshine.  It was the perfect place for a late fall photo shoot!

 Countryside 

 Attempting to raise a zombie army...Never works

My handsome man

Spain ...

The river is quite wide at this juncture so we got to walk across a long ancient bridge which was peaceful and very pretty.  We stood and looked over the side for a long while and watched the herons, hawks and storks gliding over the water and searching for food.  Yes we are old we like to bird watch and we are not ashamed of it!  Being in nature is good for the soul and honestly just watching a bird glide so smoothly over the water gives me a sense of calm I do not get anywhere else.

 Duero River 

River path

Duero River 

After exploring the river and small bit of foresty area we wandered back up the hill into town.  I should mention if you ever do find yourself here the “hill” I am talking about feels more like a mountain when the sun is beating down on you in the middle of the day.  So be prepared to break out in a wee bit of a sweat. 

Hill is much taller than it appears

We went to a Tapas bar and had some Patatas and Ross tried some of the local wine.  He ended up being quite enamoured by it and decided to splurge and get a good bottle from one of the shops.  It is funny because buying an expensive bottle of wine here means spending 7 euros instead of the 1 or 2 you might normally spend at the grocery shops!  

Last look at the main street 

It was a nice little adventure and worth the trip just for the beautiful scenery behind the town.  I think it is a worth while place to check out for an afternoon.

Hiking in San Sebastian/Donostia, Spain – November 2015

It is no secret that Ross and I love to spend our free time in nature and hiking is one of our favourite ways to do that.  Moving here to Valladolid makes that hobby a lot more challenging to partake in, and so when the opportunity arises we cannot pass it up.  We had heard there were some great trails up in San Sebastian so when we could finally find a good deal on train tickets we were game for an adventure.  Despite having to wake up at 515 am to be on our 630 train we were keen for the day.

 

The weather forecast was not in our favour but we figured a little rain wouldn’t hurt us.  I mean we are from Vancouver we have spent many years soaking wet in the woods.  Well it turns out when they said rain throughout the day what they really meant was all the rain in about five minutes.  We literally got off the train and after a couple minutes of walking through town the sky opened up and we were drenched in less than thirty seconds. It was insane.  I did not think clouds could hold that much water!  We just laughed it off though and continued to our trail. 

We started at the beach and the path lead us up some crazy steep stairs and towards the coastal trail.  It was gorgeous from the very beginning!  Once up the stairs you can turn and look back and see San Sebastian from above and if you remember from my last blog about this city it is spectacular!  Because of the ridiculous wind storm that was raging around us the waves in the ocean were intense and mesmerizing.  We were lucky to have the rain hold off for most of the hike but the wind never let up for a moment.

We wandered down the trail and through some lovely fields full of donkeys and roosters.  I just love donkeys.  I really never give them much thought but whenever I see them I feel this connection with them.  I am sure my dad would say it’s because I am a smart ass (his term of endearment for me) I just think they seem like such peaceful animals.  Ross patiently stood by as I made friends with every single one of them.

The trail is right along the coast for the majority of the 7 km so the views are stunning.  The vast ocean stretched out in front of us and a trail along the cliffs makes for great photos.  It felt so good to be in nature again.  It is the thing I miss most about Canada.  Just being in the woods, smelling the ocean air and feeling the earth beneath my feet.  Walking in the city does not compare to walking in nature.  If I could I would live in the forest.

We were watching the storm out over the ocean and knew we would be lucky to get through the hike without being rained on again, and that just made the hike more exciting!  As it turns out we were not lucky.  At one point about ¾ through we found a picnic table and thought it might be a good time for a snack but about 3 minutes into our bread and hummus the hail came.  Hail!  I cant even remember the last time I saw hail.  Yes it was cold and a little scary but I love being in the middle of such a powerful force. It is exhilarating!  Hail turned to rain and we were again soaked.

Once we got near the end of the trail we had to descend some stairs almost down to sea level and we stood there for quite some time listening to the waves crashing against the walls of the staircase.  We both miss living near the ocean so being able to feel so close for even a few minutes is bliss.

The trail then turned into a walking path along the water and lead into a fishing village.  It was much calmer here and the rain had completely stopped.  From here we grabbed a bus back into the main center of San Sebastian and were starved so we grabbed Lunch at Green Break.

Green Break is a vegan restaurant and it is delicious!  We had eaten there the last time we were up visiting the city so I was excited to have lunch there again. Burritos, burgers, potatos and Raw Spaghetti.  Amazing.  I wish Valladolid had more options for vegan food, even more vegetarian options would be awesome.  Alas it is what it is so I appreciate the vegan food when it is available.

We had a few hours before our train home so we wandered by the beaches and through the city center drinking tea and coffee and warming up when possible.  On our walk back to the train station we were talking about how we didn’t think we would dry off before getting the train and of course as luck would have it the sky opened up just long enough to completely soak us again. So we spent the entire 4 hours back to Valladolid shivering in our seats. 

It was a great day and a gorgeous hike. I am so happy we made it back up to the coast again and were able to see such beautiful things.  As our time comes to and end here in Spain we are going to attempt to see and do all we can so hopefully some more great adventures are on the way!

La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona Spain - November 2015

La Sagrada Familia 

Barcelona is a city I have dreamed of visiting for the better part of my adult life.  The first time I laid eyes upon its bustling streets and felt the warm breeze off the Mediterranean I felt such content.  I made it to a place I had imagined being for so long.  It has been 15 months since my first visit and I have now been fortunate enough to make my way there 3 additional times.  I never could have expected my life to bring me here and I am so grateful for it each day.

Placa Reial (Royal Plaza)

This last trip was brought about because a friend of ours from Vancouver, Ash, was in the neighbourhood (of Europe) and decided to pop down to Spain for a quick visit before heading back to Canada.  I was so excited to not only be going back to a city I adore but to be spending a couple days with someone I adore from home!  There are not many who have made the journey here to visit us these past 19 months so we appreciate those who have immensely.  It is great having visitors from home it makes us feel less disconnected.  We also got to ring up Heather (our friend who moved from Valladolid to Barcelona) so this trip was a real reunion!  Tons of drinks, laughs and great stories. I feel so lucky to have made such great friends in my life.  

Ash and I enjoying drinks 

Occasionally a great deal in airfare emerges and we were lucky enough to find flights from Valladolid for 17 euros each.  This made the trip even more exciting!  The airport in Valladolid is the smallest I have ever seen.  I am sure there are smaller in the world but for me this one is like a ghost town.  We arrived 2 hours before the flight thanks to a bus system that does not match up well with the flights and there was literally nobody there other than us and a couple staff members.  It is crazy to me that a city can have an airport so underutilized.  However it got us where we wanted to go this time so thanks Ryanair for stopping in our small town!

I could of course go on and on about Barcelona and how amazing and beautiful the city is, the architecture, the cool cafes/bars, the ambiance in the streets and the killer food selection but I have talked about that all before.....  

 Barcelona Cathedral 

Seriously though so much good food to eat!  In the two days we were there we had Indian, Mexican, Chinese, and Subway as well as Starbucks and Costa Coffee (who have the best chai latte of life – sorry Starbucks but they have you beat in that department) Every time I leave Valladolid I am just so happy to have all the food I want to eat at my fingertips!

Mercat de la Boqueria

 Barri Gotic (The Gothic quarter)

Interesting cafe in the Gothic quarter

The thing I was most excited about on this trip, besides seeing Ash, was going to La Sagrada Familia (Gaudi’s Church).  This church has become a symbol of Barcelona and is estimated to draw over 2.5 million visitors a year.  Each time we have been in the city it has been something we have wanted to do but we just never made it.  So this time I planned ahead and bought our tickets online.

Never an outdoor shot without cranes and scaffolding

The late Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926) is the Catalan architect who designed the Church.  The Basilica, which had already been under construction since 1882, was taken over by Gaudi in 1883 and he basically completely redesigned the entire structure. His vision was to create a building that connected Heaven and Earth. When Gaudi died in 1926 it was only a quarter of the way completed.  Whenever he was asked about the length of time it would take to complete the church he always remarked that “His client was not in a hurry”.  After Gaudi passed his close friend and collaborator began overseeing the construction.  He claimed to adhere to Gaudis original designs but unfortunately during the Spanish Civil War the Basilica was all but burned down and all the original drawings were lost.  There is a constant dialogue questioning whether or not the church does indeed resemble the original designs.

This Basilica is like nothing I have ever seen before.  It was like a dream world where anything was possible.  I honestly do not even understand how the architecture was possible.  The dripping ceilings and stained glass casting rainbows throughout the building made me feel like I was on drugs (In a totally responsible and respectable way)  It didn’t feel like real life is what I am getting at.  It was like being inside a Dali painting.  Gaudi was a creative genius.  I would love to be able to crawl inside of his brain and understand where his ideas came from.  We did wonder, as do many,  what he would think if he saw the building today.  Would he be saying “No no no this is not what I envisioned?! And where did these elevators come from?”

In October of 2015 it was reported that the church was 70 percent completed and was expected to be finished by 2030, give or take.  It is a truly magnificent structure that I highly recommend you take a visit to if you ever find yourself in Barcelona.

Oh and a fun fact about the Basilica is that it is not a Cathedral as many people call it.  A cathedral is only that when it is intended for a bishops seat. A Basilica is a church given special privileges by the Pope.  This special privilege is attained because of antiquity, historical importance or because they are a significantly central place of worship.

The Sagrada Familia Magic Square - In squares of order 4 where the numbers run sequentially from 1-16 the magic constant (the sum of a single line, row or diagonal) is 34, but Subirachs' square does not contain the numbers 12 or 16 (see image, above). Instead, 10 and 14 are included twice, making a magic constant of 33, the age of Jesus Christ at the crucifixion 

Now my only complaint with the church really isn’t about the church at all but with the website.  Because it is such a huge tourist attraction when you book the tickets you must also book the time you would like to visit and if you would like to go up the towers you must book those times as well.  I bought our tickets and decided to pay the extra 5 euros each to go up a tower.  I later learned that the tickets are specific to each tower so purchasing one means you cannot go up the other.  This would not normally be a big deal however what they failed to mention on the website was that for the date we planned to attend the tower I booked and paid for was closed for some nativity scene they were setting up.  This would have been helpful to mention online so that I would not book that particular tower but the other one.  Our money was refunded but that isn’t really the point.  Seriously Spain when will you learn to utilize the internet effectively.

Anyhow we attempted to go up the other tower but the security thwarted our advances to the elevator.  We sadly walked out without going up which I am sure would have been just incredible.  However we did get to enjoy this unbelievable church so no regrets!  There is also a museum under the church where you can learn the complete history of its construction.  As well when you explore the city there are elements of Gaudi everywhere.  From buildings he designed to Guell Park and all the touristy shops selling a little piece of Barcelonas pride.

I do not know if we will ever return to Barcelona, with only 5 months left in Spain it is not looking like it, but I am so glad we were able to make this trip.  I do know however that a little piece of Barcelona is coming here tomorrow when Heather comes for a visit!