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| The return of the Ranga (right) and me!... in front of the Cathedral of Barcelona |
As was with our previous expedition together in a bipartisan effort to maintain editorial balance, we both recorded accounts of our adventures during this trip. Like last time, my sister's form of speak-like expression translated to words, can sometimes be challenging for those unaccustomed to it, but I'm sure you'll get the gist.
My words are simple though, so I'll kick it off.
Day 1: An Unexpected Start
Woke up to a beautiful morning in London, and with all my best summer Ts packed, was roaring and ready to go. I was in need of a break. I had been without one since the start of the year (an eternity in Greenwich meantime) and had just gone 7 days without booze due to 5 separate dental procedures to get a root canal fixed. What better remedy than 10 days of R&R in a region so great, for so many reasons.
Arrived in Barcelona to pouring rain. Pouring doesn't quite do it justice actually. It was tossing it down. At first I thought it was a trick. Like I'd hopped on a plane that had flown a loop, and landed back in London on a bad day. But I had left London on a good day. A good day to come to this! Unbelievable.
I got out my umbrella I knew I hadn't brought because I don't own an umbrella, and went to find my sister who had arrived 30 minutes earlier. Managed to do so and shared expressions of disgust about the weather before catching the shuttle towards the city.
Nao - This wat i dont get Rangas for real. Amstdam, weres i flew from, supose to be fark bad place for wether, but it was a sunny. Then I turn up for a Barcalona which is supose be fark bess place for wether an it like a rain cats an piss... I come here for a sun, not for a fark cats an piss... i pretty fark annoy, but i decide to keep a ma cool coz i know it prob jus passin... i good at tell these things like with a predictations.
The shuttle service took us straight to Plaza Catalunya, which was handy as that was apparently only 10 minutes away from our hotel. Unfortunately the rain hadn't let up one bit, which meant any time spent outside, was time spent wet. Also didn't help with trying to locate the place as we got a little lost, eventually finding it some 20 minutes later. The hotel itself was peculiar to say the least. My understanding was that the architecture in Barcelona was supposed to be largely Gaudi inspired, but this place seemed more influenced by Charlie Chaplin. Our bedroom featured an en-suite with an open top shower, and the shared bathroom had a sink basin behind the toilet, placing one in a rather precarious position when washing up. It was clean though, which is the main check box with accommodation abroad.
Nao - Usually, my brotha wait at least a day befor he fark somethin on a trip like a this, but i hav to hand it him coz he sets a new fark record with this. Not only did hes not bring a ubrella (he said he dont hav one which be first fark ranga who lives in london an not hav ubrella), but he then took us in the complete wrong directation for a 10 mins... a 10 mins in the wrong way in the rain piss! I near smash him right then an ther. We turn around and head back. These beggar rangas keep tryin to sell us ubrella on street when i is already drench. I dunt know how to say piss away in spainish so i jus say farks in english and they go. We finaly get to hotel, coated with wet. The hotel guy keep sayin to us how it never rain in Barcalona. I say so what that shit fallin from the sky marfark!.. drops of sunshines?... I never had to do so many smashes in so shorts time in my life.
By the time we had settled and dried it was time for dinner. The chap at reception recommended us a local place for Tapas called Elizabeta's just off the famous La Rambla stretch. The rain had not let up one bit, so in desperation we purchased a €5 umbrella off a street dealer. It was pretty shoddy but better than nothing. Elizabeta's was good in that it wasn't a tourist trap, but the food we ordered seemed to be all deep fried. They didn't have an English equivalent menu so our choices were a result of Catalan best guesses. It did the job however, and Nao was just happy to have a 'fark beer' before bed. Rest was needed. We had big days ahead.
I've been in awe of the Sagrada Familia ever since I read about it in TIME Magazine. Now that I had finally made it to Barcelona, I made sure I pre-booked tickets for my sister and I to take a tour. If you are thinking about going, pre-booking your tickets is a must, as is often the case in any of these types of visits. Last trip out, my sister and I had the unfortunate pleasure of waiting 2 hours in line for entry into the Vatican, which somewhat spoiled the experience. In this instance, we walked straight past the long queue, right to the front gate and were let in. The rain hadn't stopped falling from the previous day either, so it was a good thing not to have to wait around in it.
You have to accept that this is a work in process, but even with all the scaffolding in place, the exterior is still impressive. The tour guide gave a detailed history of its developments, describing the meaning behind the facades etc. I didn't realise until the tour, just how much of the Sagrada Familia is still under a state of construction. At present there are 8 towers that have been finished with another 10 still to come, including a central tower that will reach 171m into the sky. What is close to finished however, is the interior, and it is quite a sight indeed. This may be where Gaudi's true genius is most greatly appreciated by those who visit. Haven't watched enough episodes of Grand Designs to truly articulate its magnificence but it is the structural elegance, the use of space and light, the stained glass that adorn and combine that really make it a great visual spectacle. We were taken through a museum as well, and was informed the project was due for completion around 2026, the 100 year anniversary of Gaudi's death (he was run over by a tram in 1926, age 74). I'm not sure if my sister got quite the same feeling of amazement from it, but it was something that absolutely exceeded my expectations.
Nao - When my brotha first told me he was bookin tickets for the Sarada Familia I was like hard out for real, coz I have a new Mazda Familia back a home which i drive an its a best wheels ever. I didnt realise that Barcalona has its own kind so was keen to checks it out an maybe give it a spin. I thought it was a bit strange when we got to its coz the building was like a shape of a church or somethin an i thought this fark weird factory ever, but i was jus happy coz we skip a past a lines coz it was a rain. Then we get the tour guide at the start who talk about a god and stuff, like a blessin I thought, but she went on for ages. This when i start get a frustrate coz we hadn't even seen a nothing yet. Finally we go inside and I was like bout fark time... but it was a just more church. This when i actually get a mad. I start yelling at a guide. Hey Rangas, wheres the zoom zoom?... I wanna see a Familia! Then my brotha said I was a confuse and that a Familia was name of a church and that was it. It wasn't even a zoom zoom, just a church. I was like wat da fark?!?... I pay a 20 euro just see a church?.. I don't even belief in a fark harry potter! It was a unbelievitable. I told brotha if he expect a money back for that he fark joke and dreamin.
Nao - After my brotha fark up the ubrella, directations and Familia situations I decide to take a matter in my own hands with the organisations and download a app so we can at least eat a good. It was a fark genius idea as all my choice were fark awsome. We met Jarad who a brothas Ranga mate I know, and a Rachael who i dint know who was there too. I like Rachael. She my frend. We went to lots place and had a nice tapas and a drinks. Jarad doesn't eat shelfish. Fark needs to hard up. Was pretty good until later on. I was tired an enjoying my sleep, when all sudden my fark brotha wake up making loud noise to go an vomit in bathroom. Fark, useless can't handle his drink marfark. It piss me off so much, that I get up to yell at him. He fark say some shit like it food poison but fark bullshit so I kick him. I kick him when he makin a spew. I dont care. Useless marfark wake a me deserve it!
Day 3: Of Pickpockets and Rain
Waking up to the sound of torrential rain for what was now Day 3, was beginning to get tiring. I couldn't believe the levels of precipitation we were starting to experience. It was like God had tipped the world upside down, and the waters of the Earth were falling onto Barcelona. Weather like this anywhere, restricts options for how you can spend your time. We made the decision that museums were probably the best bet so chose the Museum of Contemporary Art to kill a few hours. I'm no art critic, but I actually didn't mind it. I find the exploration of abstract ideas which is often on display in this stuff, quite unique. People come up with some unusual concepts in this type of art. It wasn't all just avant-garde though, as there was also a Palestine photo exhibition on the Bedouins which was interesting. Above it all, it kept us dry.
Nao - I don't know why i list to my brotha sometimes. I mus just not think. He made me go to this museum for a €9, just afta i waste €20 in the Familia, and this was even worser. If i want go to see some cut out words on a paper with a drawin in a felt tip pen, then i go to a fark kindagarten. I don't pay a €9 to see it in Barcalona. Fark ridiculos. The only thing good was it was not a rain inside. That woulda been a fark too much.
After that brief visit, we decided to head to the famous La Boqueria Food markets to have a feed. Just as we arrived however, the trip took a turn for the worse... that's right, the worse, as Nao discovered her handbag had been opened, with her purse missing. A purse containing her license, credit card and €300 cash, just withdrawn. The pickpockets must have been fairly swift as she had it inside the Museum, and the markets were only 5 minutes away. Regardless, it was gone so we immediately went back to the hotel where my sister made some frantic phone calls before going to the police station for a few hours wait to file a report. She took it pretty well all things considered, and afterwards we met up again Jared and Rach for dinner and drinks who shared in commiserations. So far, you could say, things had not gone according to plan.
Nao - I don't wanna go into too much a detail about the fark pickapockets. What I will say is this. I glad i din't catch them... Thats right, I glad... coz if I had a caught them, I would have break every one of ther fark fingers, one by a one. And not just the fingers. The bones in the fingers. And the bones between the bones in the fingers. I even told that to the police at the station. To ther faces. I break them! What? You think i care about a jail? I don't fark care about jail. I still do it. And then when I come out, i find them, and break a fingers again... The police look at me a little strange like, then invite me to a party.
Day 4: La Liga!!!
At this stage, we had to accept that it was going to be raining for the entirety of the trip, such was the way it was heading, but today at least it didn't matter, for I had booked us tickets to a La Liga match featuring RCD Espanyol vs. Granada. Awesome. Originally the idea had been of course to try and see Barcelona play at Nou Camp, but they were playing away during our stay, so Espanyol being the other Barcelona team in the La Liga was the obvious alternative. RCD Espanyol used to play at home in the Olympic stadium till a few years back, but moved to a new stadium about 25 mins away by train from the centre of the city. It is quite a modern facility, and is part powered by the solar panels in place on the roof. Pretty cool stuff.
The game itself was fascinating for me. I've watched a lot of Premier League stuff since I've been here, and the difference in style between the leagues was apparent. These were 2 mid-table teams, yet they demonstrated play that was just so fluid. The distribution of the ball was so cohesive and silky, and so natural to them. If you were watching a mid-table Premier League match, there would likely be a lot of running at players, crosses and route one football. Espanyol were the better team and had a player Verdu who was class, but Granada ended up winning through a nicely executed bit of skill on the dead ball over the wall. The rain meant it was only half capacity at 20,000 but the atmosphere was still there, and we definitely got the feel of a local match which always adds to the occasion.
Nao - It was my idea to go to the socca, which turned out to be fark genius again. It was cool. I used to play bak in the day, as a defencer. I use to do this technik wer you tackle da ball but keep goin with the foot so you farks them up too. I was awsom. I like a blue team in this game, but they had this one player, number 28 or 38 or somethin that was a fark useless. He was fat an slow an could fark hard kick the ball. He piss me off so i yell at him. They crowd yell at him to and say Ariba Ariba! which I think mean fark lose some weight or something. Also i keep yellin at them to bring a Messy on coz he the fark best in world, but they dint and lost coz of it. Fark stupid aye.
Later that evening, my sister and I were lucky enough to be invited for dinner at Theresa's place, just off Plaza Espanya. Theresa is the partner of a colleague of mine at work (James, Chelsea supporter), and is originally from Venezuela but completing her PhD in Barcelona whilst James earns hard graft in London. She prepared a traditional dish from her home country, as well as a lovely Catalan dish which was grilled Spring Onion with dipping sauce. We got to meet a number of her friends and flatmates who were from all over the world including France, Russia, Portugal and Canada. It was a very nice experience for us to have, and made a pleasant break from the nights of having to go out and dine.
Nao - This night we had a dinna at a Teresas. I like Teresa. Shes my frend. She cooked us some nice dishes includin this one weres you have to grab a sprin onion and put it in a dip sauce an then hold it up above your mouth and eat it like a that. She was like i hope you dont mind coz it is like a ruthless but i was hard out all over it. I gonna try make it at a home and maybe start my own restarant.
Day 5, 6 & 7: Escaping to the Costa Brava
We also took time in the 3 days to visit Girona, which was an hours bus ride inland from Tossa. Girona is another old Fort town, with a river running through. Again, was quite nice for walks and a good way to break up the time when the weather wasn't beachworthy in Tossa. These 3 days were layabout days really with not too much to report. Took some nice photos though.
Nao - We went to Tossa, suppose for the bech, but it was still fark rain when we got ther. I thought, you know coz of that sayin, the rain in spain fall manly in the plane. That never actuly made any sense to me but i know ther wasn't no plane on the bech but it fark rain heaps. It clears the next day thoguh which was good coz i got to works on my tan. Brotha just got burnt coz he fark too yelow white to get a tan. Had some nice meals and some fark disgust meals coz my brotha couldn't afford nice meals all time he said. I said fark you can go eat by yourself then but then he like a cry so i had to go eat cheap fark too. I did find some new snacks though which is was my favourite. They like a twisties but mor cheese, like a Cheesey Poofs and eat a whole pack by myself in a room.
Went to Jirona too which is good coz it has a lots of shops ther. That is the best thing about it. My brotha complain coz he said i spent too much time there and that we should a go look at the parks and churches, but i said those things not goin no where, and sales don't last forever.
Last day we just relax and take a photos. I had to take some with ma brotha for a mum and dad. He fark imposs to take a photo with. He has a face like a egg. My face is a round like a normal person, but next to his it look like a fark pumkin or oversize fark bech ball. We hav to take photo over an over again and the only way i mak it work in end is if i cut half ma face off. He needs to eat some fark pies and have a shave.
Last Few Days: Basking in Barca
It was so nice to come back to Barcelona in glorious weather, as it was always meant to be. This was Nao's last afternoon and evening as she was flying out the next day, myself a day later. We decided to visit one of Gaudi's apartments on our return and chose Casa Batllo. Casa Mila had also been recommended to us, but Theresa's friends whom we had met had just been to Batllo and spoke highly of it.
Again, much like the Sagrada Familia, it was superb. Even without context, the style on show is incredible. How he conceived these ideas, nearly a hundred years ago shows just how far ahead of his time he was.
That evening we had dinner at a burger place called Makamaka just off the marina in the city. Really tasty burgers and would recommend it to those looking for a nice easy bite whilst there.
Nao - When we got bak to barcalona my brotha said we had to go see a Gadi's apartment. At first I though he try trick me coz i said i know that marfark from india not from a spain coz i read books. Then he said that i confuse and this anotha Gadi who make a the Sarada Familia we went to. I was like fark you crazy think i pay more extra money to see more some that stuff again but he said he put it on his card so we go. It wasn't bad but at the end of the days it was just a house and what can be so good about that i dunno. Everyone else there was like a amaze but i was like a so what? 4 walls, a roof, i can build that easy. The other thing i thought was this guy looks like he jus copy every thing out of the Lords Rings. It exact like the place the hobs hobs go to. I know coz i see it on a blueray DVD.
My last meal was anotha place I pick out with burgers. It was real good. I got the hottest burger they had coz i like a hot. They also had a quiz and i answa question out loud about cards in a deck sayin hundred but my brotha said i wrong bulssht an not to answa any more coz he embarrass... Marfark... nearly smash him for that... think he so smart but he really a ranga.
I flyed home the next day. Even though it a rain, and i got robbed, and had to put up with a fark brotha ranga, i still like barcalona. It has lots of things goin for it like a shops and I like a shops.
I decided to get some walking in around the city on my last day by myself. My sister isn't one for "fark a walk". Two places I visited were Park Guell (another of Gaudi's creations) and the Olympic village. Easier for me to showcase a few snaps than to add to this all ready too epic journal.
That was pretty much the trip. The only other thing of note that happened was that a beautiful young waitress at Milk Bar (highly recommended) approached and hugged me from behind, claiming that she thought I was someone else (I know what she was up too)... harmless fun though, which after all that had taken place, was a fairly good way to end the trip.
