Tyler and I made our way to the Atocha Train Station in Madrid. There, we met my Area Management Officer (AMO) and her husband. As part of her trip to the Madrid embassy, we needed to visit the consulate in Barcelona, therefore the train trip.
Tyler at the Atocha Train Station in Madrid.View of the Atocha Train Station from the overlook near security.
The high-speed train from Madrid to Barcelona was wonderful as always. This day the train was non-stop, so we got there in about two and one-half hours. That sure beats the times I have driven there with my friend Ron. Those trips are usually six or six and one-half hours one way.
We arrived in Barcelona at about 17:30. At the hotel, Tyler said this is his favorite city, even though we had not yet been there two hours!
Tyler thought the Le Meridien is the best hotel in which he has ever stayed. He thought it was amazing that there were a television and a telephone in the bathroom!
My AMO, Angela, and her husband enjoying an afternoon coffee.Chillin’ in the room.
For dinner, the four of us decided to go to a restaurant that overlooks the marina, La Gavina (The Seagull). Supposedly they are known for their paella. We shared two different types of paella. I am not a real fan of paella; however, the paella there was very good.
On our way to and from the restaurant, we walked by the Joan Miro sculpture by the marina. I think it is a fascinating piece of art.
Joan Miro sculpture near the marina.An arch near the marina and La Gavina.Many pedestrians passing between the restaurant and the marina.The La Gavina Restaurant was very busy.After a wonderful dinner at La Gavina.Some of those sitting on the wall are selling the items on the fabric.A larger boat docked at the marina.People sitting on the wall by the marina, across from La Gavina.Detail of the Miro sculpture.The bicycles seem to go on forever.A couple walking past rental bicycles. The Miro sculpture is in the background.Another sculpture near the Miro.A statue on La Rambla.Oh, the sights one sees after the sun goes down!A window display at a store near our hotel.
On the first full day in Barcelona, Angela and I had work to do at the consulate. While I was on the grounds of the consulate, I could not help but admire the water fountain and some 1920s-era murals.
For lunch, we took out one of the Locally Employed Staff, Josefina. She suggested Moncho’s on Travessera de Gracia. The three of us shared three different dishes; croquetas, calamari, and a salad. It was a delicious meal.
Detail of the water fountain at the U.S. Consulate.Detail of another mural on the U.S. Consulate in Barcelona.Detail of a mural on the U. S. Consulate in Barcelona.The bar at Moncho’s. The jamon serrano seems to go on and on…
When I returned to the hotel late that afternoon, Tyler and I decided to walk around the area near the hotel.
Initially, we walked north on La Rambla to Plaza Catalunya. It so happened that there were many protesters occupying the plaza. There were tents, tarps, and ramshackle living areas. We were both surprised that many of the protesters had staked out camping spots in the trees. I am not exactly sure what the protests were for, but there did not seem to be anything happening when we walked through the plaza.
The other thing that was odd that afternoon were the pigeons. There were hundreds of them in the plaza. Many others had noticed that, so there were a lot of people in the plaza taking photos of the pigeons.
A mirror at the base of a sculpture in our hotel.Some of the volumes on the shelves.Inside a music store on La Rambla.The pigeons seemed to be everywhere in Plaza Catalunya that day. Some of the tents in the background were for the protesters.A sculpture in the water fountain at Plaza Catalunya.A small boy running through some of the pigeons.A multitude of pigeons in Plaza Catalunya.A woman posing with the pigeons.The blue tarp is a makeshift sleeping area too. A pigeon flew through the frame just as the shutter opened.Detail of the treehouse.A house in the tree for some of the protesters at Plaza Catalunya.Some people on the benches in and among the signs. The meaning is unclear, but this sign reads something about, “the police don’t let artists work that sand sculptures to thieves.”One of the protest signs in Plaza Catalunya.A memorial in Plaza Catalunya.An El Corte Ingles store across the street from Plaza Catalunya.The start of La Rambla, looking south from Plaza Catalunya.Shopping on La Rambla.A typical pastry store on one of the sidestreets.More concert posters in the music store. The caption on the television reads, “because you need something to keep it fun.”A Pink Floyd poster in the music store.Inside a music store.The Beatles or KISS??A bicyclist on a sidestreet.A small market on one of the sidestreets. Please note a banana costs 1.75€ (US$2.14) and one orange costs 0.75€ (US$0.92)!A fairytale?Stockings and leggings for sale.A musical instrument store.Sign for a second-hand clothing store.Stickers on a mirror-finish window on a sidestreet.A small guitar Tyler bought for his sister.
Tyler returned to the hotel and I continued on to a nearby church, the Parrish of the Mother of God of Bethlehem. There were some beautiful sights in the church.
A side aisle in the Parrish of the Mother of God of Bethlehem.A statue of Mary and Jesus.A statue of Jesus.Detail of the Holy Family on display in the Parrish of the Mother of God of Bethlehem.Detail of the ceiling.Several of the prayer candles.The tabernacle is below the painting of the last supper. The Latin above reads, “Let us adore forever the most Holy Sacrament.”A woman contemplating the crucifix.The front of the Parrish of the Mother of God of Bethlehem.Prayer candles below a crucifix. The Latin reads, “For God so loved the world.”
For dinner that night, the four of us went to El Asador de Aranda. It is in a unique building. Its architecture sort of has a Moorish influence. The restaurant specializes in lamb; however, both Tyler and I had steak instead. It was good. I would go back.
Lighted globes in the lobby of our hotel.A home across the street from the restaurant.A view of the restaurant when we arrived.View of the restaurant as we departed.The lamb emblem of the restaurant, Asador de Aranda.More of the taxi light show.The view from our taxi from dinner to the hotel.
The following day, Angela and I went with consulate personnel to view a newly leased apartment. While we were out, I spotted a very ornately decorated but abandoned building, the Rotonda Hotel. I had to take a few photographs.
The ornate but abandoned Rotonda Hotel.The ornate dome.The abandoned Rotonda Hotel.
We had some time to kill after we checked out of the hotel. We walked a couple of blocks south on La Rambla to get a coffee. On the way, we saw the St. Joseph Market. We went through there and looked around a bit too. After the coffee, it was back to the train station and on to Madrid.
Another fruit and vegetable stand.A woman making a purchase at a fruit and vegetable stand.Tyler looking at the fresh fish stand in the market.Another fishmonger.One of the fishmongers at the St. Joseph Market.A seafood-stand in the market.One of the entrances to St. Joseph Market.A meat stall at the market. One can see the price of some of the hams is 139€ (US$170).The beautifully decorated storefront dates from 1820.An advertisement for ice cream on one of the outdoor tables.The old pharmacy building is now a sweets shop.A statue of Mary in an old pharmacy building.
My good friend, Ron, and I drove to Barcelona to do some “shopping” for work. The required item was only in Barcelona, so we drove there from Madrid. We arrived late on the 12th, bought the items we needed on the 13th, and returned to Madrid late that same night. During the drive to Barcelona, one sees dozens and dozens of wind turbines. My understanding is that Spain has one of the biggest markets in the world for wind turbines. As one drives by the wind turbines it is amazing to see the size. Each blade is about the size of a tractor-trailer rig, huge!
Some of the dozens and dozens of wind turbines along the road.Construction on the road to Barcelona narrowed the highway down to one lane.
The other frequent sight along virtually any Spanish highway is the black bull billboard. It is the symbol for the Osborne Bodega, a winery. The bull is omnipresent in all sorts of advertising and tourist gifts throughout Spain.
One of the Osborne Bodega bull billboards.
While we were driving toward Barcelona, we overtook a truck carrying horses for the Spanish National Police Mounted Unit. A little farther on we passed another police truck. That was the first time I had seen this. I have never actually seen a National police officer on a horse. I am not sure where they were going.
A mounted police transport truck.
As we neared Zaragoza, we decided it was time for lunch. We stopped at a McDonald’s. In Spain, McDonald’s is a frequent sight. However, what is not frequent is to see a drive-through McDonald’s. Those are very unusual. After taking a photo of the sign, a security guard stopped to question us about what we were doing. I found that a little odd, but nothing came of the incident.
A very colorful pedestrian bridge.The sign for a McDonald’s drive-through.
When we arrived in Barcelona, we checked into our hotel. After putting our things in our rooms, we went out to explore life on la Rambla, the preeminent tourist street in town. That street is always full of fascinating things and characters. We ended the evening with a late Spanish dinner at the Attic restaurant, which happens to be across the street from our hotel.
We made it to Catalunya!How ’bout them gas prices?! The prices are Euros per liter. For premium, one will spend about US$5.57 per gallon.More wind turbines on the ridge.Speed limit 110!! That is about 68 mph.One of the hallways in the hotel le Méridien.I sculpture in one of the stairs in the hotel.Detail of a building across from my hotel room.The neverending stream of pedestrians on la Rambla.One of the entrances to the St. Joseph Market.A fellow photographer passes by our sidewalk café table.The scene in front of the Liceu Theater.Our drinks of choice.Passersby stop in front of a street performer near the Liceu Theater.Three floors of KFC heaven!A kiosk on la Rambla with a lot of Barcelona Futbol Club paraphernalia.The artist area of la Rambla.A large memorial along la Rambla.Another portion of the artist area of la Rambla.An obelisk honoring Christopher Columbus.The entrance to the wax museum off la Rambla.An eating utensil mobile over the stairs at the Attic Restaurant.The Attic Restaurant before prime time.Looking down onto la Rambla from the terrace of the Attic Restaurant.A highly decorated blouse in a store display window.Diners in a dim sum restaurant.Two worlds.People walking past some parked motos.
The next day, we had some work to do at the consulate before we went to buy our items. The work took longer than we anticipated, so we got a late start on our return.
Driving back to Madrid we decided to not use the toll road. That ended up being an error in judgment. The non-toll road is a two-lane highway that winds through small villages. Because of that, one cannot maintain a constant speed. An additional obstacle was the never-ending trucks on the road. With only two lanes, it is nearly impossible to pass. Finally, near Zaragoza, we were able to get back on the freeway and took that all the way back to Madrid.
While riding, I took advantage of the road lights to take photographs. Some of the night shots I got from the car were fun. We made it back to Madrid close to 00:30.
Walking past some parked motos.One of two men looks toward the sculpture near a sidewalk café.A bit of a traffic jam.Careful, speed is controlled by radar!Driving into the sunset.A truckers’ highway.Another of the Osborne Bodega bull billboards at sunset.More truckers on the road.With any luck, we will be back in Madrid by 00:25!Painting with light while riding along.Painting with light while riding along II.Painting with light while riding along III.Painting with light while riding along IV.Painting with light while riding along V.Painting with light while riding along VI.Painting with light while riding along VII.Painting with light while riding along VIII.Painting with light while riding along IX.Painting with light while riding along X.Painting with light while riding along XI.Painting with light while riding along XII.Painting with light while riding along XIII.Painting with light while riding along XIV.
This is another of my regularly scheduled trips to Barcelona. I am due to return to Madrid in two days, this Friday, at about 16:00. That will put me back in enough time to help my good friend, Ron, get his van out of the repair shop and get it home.
At one point in the journey, as the Renfe train was traveling along, it had to slow down from 300 k/hour (186 mph) to 150 k/hour (93 mph) because there was a stretch of several miles in which it had snowed. The temperature dropped to 4C (39F). It appeared there was up to two inches of snow. It was quite beautiful and quite unexpected. Regardless, at 150 k/hour, it was almost like crawling through the area.
The train arrived in Barcelona at about 15:30. Walking into the station from the train platform, I noticed there was a McDonald’s. My last meal that day was breakfast, so I decided to stop. It has been a very long time since I have eaten there. I must say, it really hit the spot. When I finished my meal, I stopped by an information booth and picked up a map of the city. Then I walked out of the train station and hailed a cab.
On the way to my hotel, the cab driver told me the economy in Barcelona is still very bad. He thought the unemployment rate is right around 21 percent. That is a big number. He also mentioned there are increased robberies happening. Most of those are drug-related. Regardless, he said there are still many tourists that come to Barcelona. He said Barcelona is the number five spot in the world for tourism. He got me to my hotel very quickly and he was very nice, so I gave him a 2€ tip (US$2.44). That seemed to have made his day. I was proud of myself that I understood all of what he was telling me since he was speaking entirely in Spanish. My command of Spanish gets a little better each day. As I have noted before, I am still not fluent, but I understand a lot of what I hear. I think it is just a matter of time before I really pick up the language. I cannot wait! That is something I have wanted to do for years and years.
I am staying at the Hotel Claris again, at Pau Claris, 150. It is overcast today with some intermittent sprinkles. Since I had such a late lunch, I do not think I will eat dinner. I will probably just walk around with my camera.
I ended up at a little street-side café called La Bodegueta, enjoying a café Americano. That is simply a Spanish espresso with some additional hot water added to increase the volume of liquid. I just sat there watching the world go by and taking photos. The tables and chairs for the café are in the median of the street. It is essentially at the corner of Rambla de Catalunya and Calle Provenca.
Tabletop at the café on Rambla de Catalunya.At times it rained quite hard on Rambla de Catalunya.Pedestrians on Rambla de Catalunya.Walking past Panama Jack.A quaint shop on Carrer de Provenca.
On my way to La Bodegueta, I stopped and took some photos of the apartment building that the renowned architect Gaudi designed, Casa Mila “la Pedrera.”
The Gaudi apartment building, Casa Mila.
From Gaudi’s building, I walked to Passeig de Gràcia. It is by far the largest, busiest street in the area. It is also a very exclusive shopping street with stores such as Louis Vuitton and Channel. Somewhere along my path, I saw what looked like a good Italian restaurant. I will try to find that for dinner tomorrow night. For “dinner” that first night, I had a banana, an apple, and some Edam cheese. Those were just a few items I picked up at a little market just around the corner from the hotel. I just was not very hungry.
Casa Mila at dusk.Some people window shopping at Louis Vuitton.An ornate light post on Passeig de Gràcia.The Chanel building at dusk.People passing by Chanel in a light rain.One of the window displays.A full moon over Barcelona.A motorcycle shop near my hotel.Another nearby motorcycle shop.A wine shop appears very colorful at night.A one-of-a-kind window display.
In the hotel on my first morning in Barcelona, I picked up a copy of the Wall Street Journal. I found the article “Spain Ramps up Job Efforts” very interesting if for no other reason than the statistics. It listed Spain’s unemployment rate at 20.4 percent. A quote read, “at more than 20% and rising, Spain’s unemployment rate is far and away the highest in the developed world.” That certainly confirmed what my taxi driver said on the way from the train station to the hotel.
When I returned to the hotel after work, I changed my shoes and slacks and went out for a walk. I ended up at the Cathedral de Barcelona. It is only about 10 blocks south of my hotel. It was a very large cathedral and there were some very beautiful parts. However, I still think my favorite cathedral is the one in Toledo. I think it is larger. Additionally, more of the cathedral in Toledo is open to the public.
For dinner, I went to the Restaurante Pomarada. It was particularly marginal. I had the Four Cheese Pizza. it was a thin crust pizza. I think I may have had a different opinion if I had gotten a pizza with meat. The good news is I was able to take some nice photos.
The façade of the Lluís Domènech i Montaner designed Palau de la Música Catalana (Palace of Catalan Music). It is difficult to capture the exterior of the building because of how narrow the street is in this area of Barcelona.Mopeds everywhere!A building with some odd ornamentation.The cathedral undergoing renovations.The renovations of the cathedral did not deter hundreds of people to walk through.Detail of the ceiling.One of several coffins hanging on the wall. The inscription is difficult to read; however, the date at the bottom is unmistakeable, MLXXVI or 1076.The artwork at a side chapel.A crucifix in the cathedral.The scale of the interior space is stunning.An altar at a side chapel.One of the smaller stained glass windows.A statue of Jesus above the doors to the cathedral.There were several people on the steps of the cathedral listening to this man play guitar.This vendor sold all sorts of porcelain and ceramic items near the cathedral.Yes, those are Picasso sketches on the façade of the School of Architecture.A National Police car parked across from the H3 restaurant.Many of the late 19th century buildings have some spectacular detailing.People walking past a hat shop catering to men and women.The view from the rooftop bar at my hotel.A window display touting the 2011 collection.Artwork in a dining area of Restaurante Pamarada.An elevator at the building housing the Restaurante Pamarada.
This visit to Fuengirola was a business trip to check on the Consular Agency. Fuengirola is a beautiful, small town just south and west of Malaga. The AVE or bullet train was very fast transport from Madrid earlier that morning.
Attendants on the AVE, served breakfast. It included a plain omelet with ratatouille, bacon, Edam cheese, a roll, butter, honey, chocolate, coffee, and yogurt. Not bad and quite tasty! Just like when I travel to Barcelona on the AVE, it moves fast; as much as 300 km/hour (186 mph). On the way this morning, the train stopped at the following towns: Ciudad Real, Puertollano, and Cordoba to allow passengers on and off. Each stop lasts only about five minutes, so people must get on and off quickly.
The Preferente Lounge at the Atocha train Station in Madrid, Spain.Coach 2, at 09:58, is traveling at 271 km/h (168 mph) in 6C (43F) weather.The view at 271 km/h!
I am staying at the Confortel, a four-star hotel located at Paseo Maritimo Rey de Espana, 87. My room is on the 14th floor in a junior suite, room 1415. My hotel room has a spectacular view of the seashore from both terraces.
Before I left home this morning, Leslie told me how lucky I was to be able to travel to places like this. Boy was she ever right about that! This really is a beautiful location.
It took me a while to get out of my room and begin exploring my surroundings because my camera battery is charging. Once the battery finally charged, and I left the hotel. It was around 16:30. I wanted to go to the 10th century Castillo Sohail (Sohail Castle), but no one could tell me if it was even open, so I decided to walk around instead. I walked along the beach quite far.
On the beach, I ended up talking to two Spanish anglers. They had a total of four rods in use. I asked them, in Spanish, if they had caught any fish. They had not. The poles they were using were very large. That prompted me to ask how they knew if there was a fish on the line. They told me the pole would bend significantly. If they fish at night, which they often do, they attach a small light to the tip of the pole so they can see when a fish is on. I left them to their fishing. They were nice men and they seemed to like the fact that I stopped and engaged them in conversation.
The view from my balcony at the Confortel Hotel.The view toward the northeast with a calm Mediterranian Sea.Palm trees.A volleyball game on the beach.Fishing and checking his poles.This woman was casting into the sea.Castillejo Hill in the distance.
After I left the anglers, I just wandered around the town, taking photos. I ended up at a sidewalk café on Avenida de los Boliches. It was about 100 meters east of Calle Lopez de Vega. I sat there, had some red wine, and photographed the world going by.
A man walking past The Blue Anchor bar.A police car drives by my table at a sidewalk café.My afternoon snack, complete with grape juice!Many types of model cars for sale.
When I finished, I decided it was time for dinner. Walking around aimlessly, I found El Restaurante El Entrecote. Roughly translated, it is the Steak Restaurant. It is at the corner of Avenida de los Boliches and Calle Lopez de Vega. To start, they served a warm roll with butter (it is very unusual in Spain for butter to be served without asking). That came with some fresh cut carrot spears and some pitted olives (also very unusual for Spain). I was able to order my steak medium. This is the first steak I have had in Spain that was cooked to my standards. The steak came with some potatoes with bacon, carrots, and zucchini. It was all very good. With dinner, I had a half-bottle of red wine (375 ml). I did not like the wine all that much. For dessert, I had a small strawberry ice cream with some white cream.
In Spain, if one has dinner before 20:00, one sits alone…Trying to lure one in for a meal.
On the way back to the hotel I took several night photos. That is when I really like my camera. In low-light situations, I can play with several settings on the camera that allow me to take a reasonably good photo, even though there is very little light available.
Remember, do not drink and scoot!A couple walking a dog along the beach.Many small boats on the beach, no doubt waiting for warmer weather.Mr. Google says this is a tourist monument.The monument to the peseta.The Confortel Hotel at night.A mosaic pattern on many of the sidewalks near the hotel.A fountain near the hotel.A Chinese restaurant.A part of the beach at night.
When I got back to my room, I sat there with one of the sliding terrace doors open. Hearing the surf lightly crash on the beach in the distance is very, very relaxing. Before dinner, I was able to buy a new refrigerator magnet from here for Leslie’s collection. On my next trip down here, if there is a trip, I want to bring Leslie and Tyler so they can experience it too.
On the next morning, the day I was to leave, my alarm went off at 05:00; however, since my train is not due to leave until about 14:00, I continued to doze until 07:00. At 07:00 I got up and got ready. By about 07:30 I was down in the hotel restaurant for my free breakfast. It was a fairly good breakfast. I had a couple of eggs over medium, some bacon, coffee, and orange juice.
Following breakfast, I went back to my room to watch the sunrise. It was not very much to see. There were too many clouds. Regardless, it was enjoyable to be on the terrace overlooking the sea. At one point I counted 16 fishing boats plying their trade just offshore.
Pre-dawn in Fuengirola.A cloudy horizon in the morning.Just prior to sunrise.Many fishing boats out early.
I packed my bag and went downstairs to check out. I left my bags at the front desk so I could go out and walk around. My outfit for the day was a coat and tie. I made the mistake of leaving my raincoat and umbrella with my bags. I got about a kilometer (0.6 miles) away from the hotel and it began to rain lightly. I was on the sidewalk by the beach. I waited under an awning for quite a while, hoping I would see a taxi. I did not. So, finally, I began the trek back. I got a little wet, but not bad. I made it back to the hotel and retrieved my raincoat and umbrella.
Now with the proper attire, I continued to walk around in the rain, taking photos. After a while, I gave up and took a taxi to the Estacion de Cercania (train station). That is sort of a light-rail operated by Renfe. The train runs near the coast most of the way, so it was a scenic ride. It took about 45-minutes to get to the AVE train station, Malaga-Maria Zambrano.
My terrace near the top on the right, as seen from the street below.I love Spain!The tourist monument in the morning.A lone jogger early in the morning.A statue of Mary and Jesus near the beach.The sunrise, such as it was that morning.The Parroquia Virgen del Carmen y Santa Fe.A depiction of Mary and Jesus inside the church.The view toward the altar.Statues of Mary and Jesus.Detail of the water fountain in front of the church.
Once at the AVE station, I sat at La Tinos for a cup of coffee. The station is very large. While waiting for my train, I ended up on the second floor in the Preferente Lounge. That provides a commanding view of all the platforms.
At the appointed time, I boarded my train for the journey back to Madrid.
Bullet trains at the AVE station in Malaga, Spain.The view of the train platforms from the Preferente Lounge in Malaga.Two workers leaving the trains behind.
