Hola, Barcelona! My feet hurts.

Getting up at 4am on Wednesday was a struggle, especially if you kept waking up in the middle of then night thinking you missed the alarm. But I made it and had breakfast prepared by the late night desk host before the airport transport picked me up and dropped me off at the airport. I was feeling thankful that this time I had a direct flight, from Mykonos to Barcelona.

I got into Barcelona just before 9am. I took the airport bus to Plaça de Catalunya. I was debating if I wanted to get a taxi but worried I might not have enough remaining euros leftover from Mykonos. I wasn't sure about the metro system yet so I didn't want to risk it.

It was a nice day and I was getting excited to be back in a city! Baracelona was huge and diverse and crowded (but not so crowded that it was cramped) and noisy - it felt good. 

So I walked instead. It took me 35 minutes to get to the hostel - "Barcelona & You". At first, it felt far removed from anything but I come to later learn the use of metro and how close things can really be. Having the Sagrada Familia around the corner is awesome! The hostel manager was nice enough to let me check in, put my luggage in my room and use the locker, even though it was not yet 2pm for official check in time nor was my bed ready. It was only 11am! I was glad not to have to pull my luggage anymore.

Once I was armed with a map of the city and the metro, I went out to explore and get familiarized woth the area. I was exhausted so I wasn't anticipating doing a lot for my first day.

Aside from walking around aimlessly with my face stuck in the map, I also walked to the Arc de Triomf (the Spanish version, ha). I took a few breaks and hung  out at my hostel and read my book. Got to know aome British guy that was working remotely for his company (some UK tech company that does property listings but for offices instead of houses).

For lunch, I found 100 Montaditos - a tapas place recommended by my roommate. It was cheap and fast! I got two sandwiches and some fries for €5!

I took a quick peek at Sagrada Familia - hard not to since my hostel is nearby. I'll be doing a full experience on Saturday with a tower visit!

Dinner. Tapas was meant to be shared but yanno, I'll eat it aaaall myself! I finally reached page 300 in my book at this point. Just 500 more to go!

I turned in for bed early since I was exhausted. I woke up the next morning for breakfast at 8am. The breakfast spread was much better compared to the hostel in Dubrovnik.

Today was supposed to rain, particularly in the afternoon. So in order to make the most of it before it rains, I went out early. I got familiar with the metro and took a train and transferred to a stop that took me close to Bari Gotic / the Gothic Quarters.

Lots of cool street art in the old streets of the gothic quarter.

Sadly I forgot to take phone pictures here while wandering throgh the streets. Oops! Tons of camera photos though. Anyway, I ended up looking for, and finding, the Barcelona Cathedral after seeing it on a map and it was nearby. 

I lucked out and came during the time frame where there was free entrance. I got in and viewed the various auxiliary altars. The architecure was pretty and I enjoyed the lighting on the ceiling.

Crypt of the patron saint of Barcelona, Eulydia. She was apparently 13 when she died in matyrdom during the Roman era.

I ended up spontaneously finding the entrance to the top of the cathedral. Just had to pay €3 for entrance. I went up a really rickety elevator and found out the top of the cathedral meant literally the roof!

See the railings? Thats the walking area situated right on the roof of the cathedral!

There's not much area to walk around on, especially since they're doing renovations, but you can see a lot of Barcelona from here. 

I walked back down and toured the area inside the exterior walls of the cathedral before setting off to find lunch. I went to a cheap hole in the wall sandwich cafe and got an eggplant sandwich that was really good. When I sat down, I saw a poster signed by Guy Fieri from Diners Drive-Ins and Dives. Of all places I could have gone, I go to one that Guy Fieri went to. (Sidenote, I think I've now visted two or three restaraunts visited by Guy Fieri!) 

It was still sunny/cloudy at this point so I decided to walk around some more. I ended up finding La Rambla (a thruway in between streets for vendor shopping)! It was bustlying and you can find artists selling their work and creating art from abstract artto caricature portraits. 

I walked all the way down from La Rambla to the port so I could aee the water. Just before the port there was a huge monument. I wasn't sure who it was for besides "Monument a Colom", so I looked it up on Wikipedia. Then it made sense, especially with the plaque mentioning "the Americas" - it was dedicated to Christopher Columbus. 

It is so huge that I can't get a proper photo of it! Here is the base. 

Ugh, I'm gonna get real PC here - I actually really dislike that guy because he did more things wrong than right in history. That's putting it mildly.

Anyway, walking past the monument, I could see the port. I saw some tour boats launching off. In a spur of the moment, I decided to do a quick tour on a boat that was just launching off for €7,50 for 40 minutes. It wasn't a lot to see in my opinion since the port is heavily commercialiazed but it was interesting to see gigantic ships and teal blue waters and seeing Barcelona from a different point of view.

After 40 minutes or so, I was back on land. I lost my marked map I got from my hostel I had to get a new one. After adjusting the a new map with a different layout, I went to find the funiculare to go up Montjuïc, where there was a castle/fort.

Once you take the funiculare (part of the metro system on the L2/L3 line so you can transfer easily without paying again), you're up on the base of Montjuïc. From here, I took the cable car to the top of the hill, which you had to pay for. 

Barcelona has this weird thing where if you're under 29 years old, you're eligble for a discount for some places. I haven't yet found out why but I'm not complaining!

I got a ticket for the castle and set off exploring every corner and learning about the rich history of the fort. 

A feminist art display in the fort's central area. Really interesting!

I probably spent two hours in this fort. They had walls you can walk on, watch a public archery range from atop of one of the walls, rooms inside the fort you visit to learn about the politically charged history full of revolts and massacre. I'm glad the weather stayed good so I could go!

I headed back down both the cable car and funiculare, switched to L2 subway to the nearest stop near my hostel and walked back. I made good timing since the clouds darkened as I made it back. I was so sweaty because I was wearing pants and thought it would rain - and ready for a shower.

I watched an episode of Star Trek Voyager in the common area before I went back out for dinner, book in tow of course. The hotel manager recommended me finding a place to eat along the Avenue de Gaudí. Similar to La Rambla, you can eat in the middle of the thruway which is sandwiched between two streets. 

Got some yummy shrimp and potato tortilla (its different in spanish and not really a tortilla?) It did get a bit dark by the time I finished but luckily it was pretty straight forward getting back.

Thank gosh for Barcelona's grid-like buildings and streets, the latter which is divided by cars, buses/taxis/bikes/pedestrians. Like that. So organized!!! I wish every city did this. 

Writing this entry took longer than I hoped because I'm so tired! Making up for all that relaxing I did in Mykonos. Tomorrow will be even more walking. It is definitely supposed to rain (I guess? Weather can change after all) so I've decided to museum hop! I'm not sure yet what museums I'll visit but I will likely visit 3-4 depending on how much they are!

And Saturday I will be touring more areas of the city and then I will do a tour of the Sagrada Familia and one of its towers! :) I'm very excited. 

And then my trip will be over - I'll be on my way home Sunday! My roommate has offered to pick me up from the airport and I've accepted since I'll be so tired. I'm sad my vacation is coming to an end soon, but I'm so happy I was able to do this.

I promise to share more photos tomorrow! :)

A Study in Relaxation (Mykonos, Part 2)

Tuesday was an exciting day. I got up early for a quick breakfast and headed to the dock by 9am to get tickets. Where to next, you wonder? A visit to Delos Island!

A great building I stumbled upon on my way to the port.

A guided ticket package that included both the boat ride, Delos entrance and guided tour was €50. A round trip boat ride alone was €20 with the Delos Island entrance being €12 making it €32 without the guided tour. Me being me, I wouldn't get anything out of the tour because I knew I won't understand anything by being too focused on trying to understand what a tour guide was saying and not pay attention the environment. So I did it my way, which is more adventurous and cheaper to boot!

I waited around for a half hour before they let us get on the boat early. There was still 30 minutes to go and many people still haven't gotten tickets or arrived yet, so I nabbed a prime seat at the top of of boat!

First Delos boat of the day, 10am launch and we were off! It took about 20mims? Maybe 30? I certainly lost track of time admiring the clear blue waters and ancient islands with churches peppering the hilltops.  We got to the island and had to go through the ticketing building to get to the ancient site.

I felt I was back in Pompeii or Ostia Anticia in Italy. I used the map to guide me through a path and identify what some ancient remains were. I was blown away with just how old everything was. How it got burnt down by their enemies, how they had to rebuild, and eventually moved away due to declining commerce.  You can identity which were commons houses, which were mansions and see how they did their floor plans depending on that. If they were rich, the roads were more narrow and irregular since people built the, so they get the most square inch of the plot they owned (same can be said for more modern cities!) People walked these old roads thousands of years ago! 

There were also tons of cats and by noon I had a second water bottle I got from the museum cafe and used the cap to let the cats have water. I was tempted to take several back with me but I'm sure they're having the best time of their life on an island with hardly anyone on it except for tourists. They looked healthy anyway! 

Posing in front of the Lions of the Naxians, featuring my new Greek tunic 👌

There were only two times the boat would be departing from Delos and I was determined to make the first one at 1:30. Two hours is more than enough to go through most of the ancient site. I made it back to the boat and caught a ride back to Mykonos town.

I decided to explore a bit of the port area and went back and forth in the streets. I stumbled upon a really nice shop called "Scandali", that makes custom Greek sandals! I highly recommend stopping by here if you are on Mykonos - the shop owner was so nice and attentive. You can decorate your own sandals and have it ready within 30 minutes. It's not super cheap but you are paying for quality and labor. My sandals were €65. 

I got a free tshirt too 😁 The tshirt is printed localled and branded for the shopowner's sister's store. 

After that, I was already getting worn out so I headed back to my hotel for an afternoon on the pool deck. 

Wednesday morning came and I still had no clue what I wanted to do. I had the island map with me at breakfast as I figured it out. I decided to go to the beach. Can't really experience Mykonos from the pool deck. So I wanted to go to Elia Beach which is quite far and hard to get to but it would mean less people and more calmer seas. 

I walked 20 minutes to Ornos / Ornos Beach to see if I can catch a water taxi to Elia. Luckily there were sidewalks or lined roads with enough space to walk. 

I got to the beach and went to the water taxi stand to get information. 

Yes, the taxi is accessible - you get on right from the beach in front of us.

Yes, it is €10 round trip. 

Yes, it is several stops and it would take about an hour to get to Elia. 

Today? No, the winds are blowing inland so there will be no water taxis today.

Noooo! 

Ornos is packed with expensive sunbeds and umbrellas and very little space to actually put your towel down. Even though I was there pretty early and there were hardly anyone there, it was eventually going to be packed. I spent a good few minutes debating if it was worth it to go back all the way to Mykonos Town and catch two buses to get to Elia.

Ultimately, I decided I just wanted to lay down and read my book. I can turn my hearing aid off if the people get too noises. So I parked my bag and towel on a spot where there wasn't too many people within a couple feet.

I read my book, napped and swam in the water. I returned from my water and went to my towel only to realize a topless old lady had put down her towel mere inches from mine. Look lady, you do you, but you need to back away several feet from my towel thank you very much. I tried to read my book a little longer but decided I disliked how close everyone was and packed up. Not a huge fan of close proximity with tons of people (and screaming kids). Three hours of beach time is decent anyway. 

Hotel pool deck it is! I headed back to my hotel and took a rinse in the pool shower and promptly fell asleep on my sunbed, in total silence except the winds and waves and the only people were two other couples on the other side of the deck and my favorite waiter who consistently supplies me with water bottles without me asking.

Much better.

I spent most of the afternoon napping and reading. Not much to report there. By 5pm, went back into my room for a shower and to pack. I had one last dinner in my hotel's restaurant and had Greek beer (Mythos) and Greek souvlaki. 

I stayed there to watch one more quiet sunset. 

I'm sad to leave Mykonos - I really enjoyed my time here. I definitely want to come back and I would definitely come back to this hotel. They have gone above and beyond my expectations (though the bar was set low anyway because I did not even expect that much!). I will be back. One day! Hotel pictures below as promised.

view from my porch. unfortunately, two giant cruise ships pulled in today.

I checked out ahead of time after dinner since I am leaving early tomorrow morning. My airport transport will pick me up at 5am and the evening desk host has offered to arrange coffee and a small breakfast before I go (!!!) at 4:30am, which means I have to get up at 4am. 

Ugh. Wish me luck. And you'll hear from me once I'm in Barcelona! ✈️

A Study in Relaxation (Mykonos, Part 1)

Wow. That's what I can say about Mykonos.

When I left Dubrovnik on Saturday, it was pouring. I was lugging my suitcase through Old Town and reached the taxi stand (and luckily caught the only taxi standing there), shuttled to the airport, dried off, switched from sneakers to sandals, flew through Dubrovnik to Athens to Mykonos.

I walked off my plane at Mykonos, walked directly to the building where that baggage area was and got my bag.  I was a little concerned that the hotel driver wasn't going to wait but it was going to be all right. I got to the arrivals area and found a man holding a sign with my name on it. That was a thrill!!! 

He put my luggage on a fancy van, gave me water and told me to relax. I felt like a meerkat looking back and forth between windows, gawking at the beautiful white buildings and blue skies since I came from a dreary morning. The van drove up a hill and up another one through the sign pronouncing "Tharroe of Mykonos".

I arrived at my hotel, went through all the check in. They kept telling me to leave my luggage. Not even when they showed me to my room. They got it. I was so used to being in hostels that my brain didn't catch up with me; that it is most definitely not a hostel anymore. Hello, this is a 5-star LUXE hotel!!!! omg what am I doing here?! I was given a set of keys and had a room right up the first floor. 

My room, you guys.

There is a huge bed, a tall standing mirror, and a confusing shower (you know it's fancy when you need a minute to figure out the shower). A stocked fridge full of complimentary water and soda. And a killer seaview and view of the Mykonos town right from my porch. I will share pictures tomorrow.  But then I went back out of my room to get some information, apparently they were not done showing me around. 

The desk host took me through a set of doors, where there were some beautiful statues that looked like it belonged in a museum. 

disclaimer: i just took these tonight (9/11/17)!

Then he took me through another seat of doors to show a long dining table where breakfast would be served, some dining seats, more outdoor dining seats, then I saw the pool, and the shore, and the sea, and the sun. I heard the host leaving me and I stood blown away. A waiter came over and handed me a glass of prosecco on the house and I could only mumble thank you with only a glance. Though I gave him a more heartfelt thank you before heading back into my room, he had to excuse me for the moment!

Once I got over the shock, I headed back to my room and unpacked quickly. I wanted to head to the Mykonos a Town before it got dark so I could explore some. I asked the host at the front desk for directions, and got them. Its about a 15-minute walk to the main town. I quickly realized there are no sidewalks and dim streetlights so I did not want to be caught walking in the dark. 

From where I was based, I had to enter the town through Fabrika, I suppose a gate/bus stop where there are several buses to take you to the surrounding beaches. Exploring made me realize how hard it is to navigate the streets here. There are hardly any street signs and you know what you are looking for. Google maps came in handy here but I was determined to learn my way with the town map I got. 

I found my way to the shore and watched the boats for a bit. I headed back before the lights faded too much. I took a shower in the fancy shower and fell asleep in the biggest and fluffiest bed ever.

Sunday morning, I woke up early and headed to the dining area right when it starts at 8am. It was a heck of a spread - especially coming from simply cereal at a hostel.

After an amazing breakfast, I wanted to do something so I went to see the windmills and explore more of the town. So I did just that! 

I went through Fabrika but walked along the outside street until I reached the windmills. 

I headed down the stairs until I reached the port and explored more areas! I was getting familiar with the streets more and could recognize if I made a wrong turn. I also found the boat shuttle to Delos Island and decided that is what I'll do Monday morning. By early afternoon,  I felt I explored most of the town and headed back to my hotel. If Mykonos was meant to be my relaxing stop, then it meant I had to force myself to relax.

Back at the hotel in no time, I hopped onto one of the sunbeds.

Except to a different sunbed, that is! Sitting in the sun for hours was great. But it was hard not to move. I felt the need to do something - reading a book wasn't helping, not even watching some Star Trek Voyagers on Netflix. It was a struggle. Sometimes, moments like these make me think that I still have ADHD? 

Regardless, I've dubbed part two of my vacation a "study in relaxation". It's okay not to do anything. You can get up early to feel like you're not wasting a day but you don't need to do much of "doing" or force yourself to go do it. It is okay to relax - that is something to do, right? Sitting by a pool that is overlooking the Aegean Sea with white buildings dotting the shore - that's "doing". 

And so is actually watching a proper sunset either for the first time in a long time, or ever. From when the sun is in the sky to when it disappears into the horizon. 

So is watching a Mykononian sunset while drinking Mykonian red wine.

That's something to do.