My whole trip I have been looking forward to Spain. I have always said, that I have always been more excited about seeing Spain then possibly all other countries on my trip. I can not fully nail down the reason I feel this way but it is how it is.
Possibly because I have met several people from Spain over the past couple years and was always impressed with them as solid people that I enjoy. Possibly because I respect their work in my industry (I am visiting El Pais Friday).
Regardless, yesterday I got up and prepared for my travels from Venice to Barcelona, Spain. I was ready to leave Italy, and especially Venice.
My flight did not leave until 6:15 but I had to check out of my hotel by 11am. So I left my bag at the hotel and wondered the streets of Venice, determined not to spend another dime in the expensive city. Eventually around 1pm I headed towards the bus depot to catch the 45 minute bus ride to my far away airport. I waited for 2.5 hours in very cold conditions before the bus arrived. Unfortunately, the listed hours for the bus on a nearby sign were very hard to figure out for someone who does not speak italian. I was not the only one sitting in the cold.
I must admit, at this point I was tired and grumpy. I even found myself being somewhat rude. I was just having a bad day and it was about to get much more complicated.
Once at the airport, I checked my bag and sat and waited for them to announce that my flight was boarding. As time went on I kept hearing something about the incoming flights being diverted for some reason. This started to concern me.
After the sun set, an intense fog settled over the airport. And as the clock got closer to my flight, they kept diverting flights to a nearby airport... and of course, when it finally came time for my flight, they came over the speakers and announced something in Italian that caused everyone in my line to sigh and start speaking quickly. Of course, I was clueless and was asking around like crazy to anyone who would listen. Finally two guys answered and told me that our flight had been diverted to another airport two hours away. They were going to have us take a bus to that airport.
Turns out, these two guys were Slovenians heading on a weeks vacation in the Canary Islands. They didn't speak Italian either but had heard from someone else. They only spoke Slovenian and English. As the whole group headed out towards the buses (which took about an hour to arrive as everyone stood outside in the cold) I got to know these two guys a bit. They were engineering students in college, basically on winter break.
As I stood outside chatting with them a bus finally arrived and I decided to go up closer and see if it was the one we wanted. The Slovenians stayed back with the bags. When I got up closer to the bus and saw that it quickly filled I was approached by a girl asking if I knew if other buses were coming. I told her I was not sure but suspected that more were on their way. She told me she was Slovenian and didn't speak a word of Italian and was more lost then I was. I quickly introduced her to my Slovenian winter breakers and so our little travel group was born. :)
They were Simon and hmmm, i cant remember the 2nd guys name. The girl was Irena. They were all three from Slovenia which is just 2 hours east of the airport on the eastern border of Italy. The country itself is only 2 million people and the airport we were being diverted to was only 15 minutes from the border.
We all did our introductions and finally managed to get onto one of the buses. We barely managed to find a seat on this second bus and that was at the very back. Simon's friend actually didn't get a seat so he sat on the floor in the back resting up against our legs.
The bus ride to the new airport was about 2 hours away. So we all started chatting and questioning each other about each other's countries. They spoke about the Euro and how it has affected their country since they adopted it some two years ago. Basically, it sounds like it raised the prices of everything, but people's salaries did not increase, so the costs of living have increased dramatically for them. Though, Simon was quick to say it has it's advantages as well (without going into detail).
They asked me about the US. About our president and Iraq. About American music (which they listen too), etc. Simon and friend were flying for the first times in their lives and were excited to be leaving their country. Irene was meeting her sister in Barcelona for a week long vacation.
By the time we reached the airport, we had all learned a lot about each other and our countries. Slovenia sounds absolutely charming... mostly countryside with forests and mountains. They also argued about which of the two Slovenian beers were the best. :)
It was a real joy speaking with them along the way.
At the new airport, we exited, recheched our bags and did security again and then the flight quickly took off. I sat next to Irene and we talked more about her country. I also sat next to a women from Holland who had just moved to Venice. She informed me that Venice restaurants charge about 300 percent more for tourists then locals. This jaded me even more towards my feelings about Venice. Again, I felt happy to leave.
During the flight (and keep in mind this was Simon and friends first flight ever) we hit some of the worst turbulence I have ever experienced. We had just flown over the northwestern part of the Mediterranean and had just reached Spain when we hit it. It was certainly enough to scare the bu-jeezus out of all of us. Of course, Simon loved it and thought it was all normal. I told him it probably wont be like that again for a long time. He was disappointed. When we landed, people clapped.
Our destination was Ginova, Spain, about an hour north of Barcelona. Irena was also heading towards Barcelona city center and so we decided to travel together for the remainder of the night. She had intended on catching a bus in Barcelona to meet her sister, but all those buses had long finished for the day. Our plan was to bus it to Barcelona and when we would arrive (around 2am) we would find an open bar and drink until the morning. I had not made any hotel reservations yet so it worked with my plan. We said our goodbyes to our dear new friends (Simon and pal who were going to sleep in the airport and catch a flight the next morning at 6am to the Canary Islands) and took a bus to Barcelona. From there we shared a taxi with the women from Holland and before we knew it Irena and I was walking the streets of Barcelona at 2am with all our bags. Turns out, on a Tuesday night, not much is open that late (Spain has a reputation of its bars staying open all night, but apparently that is on the weekends only). We did manage to find an Irish bar that was open until 3:30 and we managed to quickly drink two large Guinness beers before they kicked us out. So we luckily found a cheap hotel that was pretty nice. We got a double and crashed.
This morning we got up around 8:30 and started exploring Barcelona. We got breakfast and ate tons of food and drank coffee and lots of freshly squeezed orange juice. I expected the bill to be 30 Euros but was only 9 Euros. SPAIN IS CHEAPER! :)
Its a charming lively city that lives up to all my expectations. I love it!
I found a new hotel nearby in a great location that has wifi and booked my room for tonight. Irena finally had to head out for the bus to meet her sister. We said our goodbyes and she left in a taxi. I must admit, I was sad. I really enjoyed all of the Slovenians and thought that all three were quality people. I was once again alone (at least for another day)
So, instead of sulking in my room, I started walking. There is apparently some major soccer event going on in the city as all these Germans are here drinking and chanting loudly. Its exciting.
Come to find out, there is a major soccer match going on tonight. The German Stuttgart team vs Barcelona's team. Apparently Barcelona is the favorite. So, tonight I intend to try to find the arena and find a ticket and go experience European soccer first hand. Sounds very exciting! :)
That being said, I should probably go!
Almost forgot, last night while surfing the channels in my hotel room I was surprised to see that they had a hardcore porno channel. Just playing. No warning. Quite a surprise when you don't expect it. I wasn't offended but had I brought children along I would have been upset.
Thats about it! :)
Tomorrow, Madrid and free lodgings with Emily and Miguel!
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