Spain - My favourite country

This one is going to be a lengthy blog post as a lot happened while in Spain. so strap in for a ride.

We arrived to Barcelona 30th June around 4pm. Caroline had now swapped her suitcase for a backpack she had bought in Sweden, so no more troubles with going up and down stairs. Which was good because there were HEAPS of stairs we had to go up and down for the future of this trip.

We caught a train from the airport to L'Antiga Esquerra de l'Eixample, which is a 30 minute walk above the Gothic Quarter.

Our accommodation for the first night was a hostel because we made a mistake and skipped over the fact we needed somewhere to stay on our first day arriving. We found it easily enough and grabbed some dinner and dessert. I managed to order the best hot chocolate I've had in my life from a local cafe which I've forgotten the name of, sorry.

We got back to the hostel, had a shower which had no lock or space to hang a towel without it getting wet. And went to our room which was more like a sauna with no air-con, to call it a night.

In the morning, we had the free breakfast and sat out in the enclosed courtyard to eat. It was a cute little area out the back of the hostel, with vines making their way up the brick walls that surrounded the building.

We headed off up the street to our next accommodation which was only a 15 minute walk. Only problem was we couldn't find the building. And even if we did, we couldn't get in because we had to go to the office first to get the key, and we didn't have the address for the office. And no internet connection either. So, we decided to sit down for a while and grab a bite and something to drink. It was 34 degrees and we had all our bags with us. We were stuffed. I went for a walk to see if I could find the building number further up the street, which I didn't. I got back to where we started and it was the right building we were at, but we didn't know that still because it had no number or street name on it. We finally got internet connection and went to the office, which was another 15 minute walk away from the accommodation. The lady there took us back to where we were sitting and opened the door to the building. We had rented a room in an apartment called Casa De Ana for 4 nights. There were another 3 rooms in the apartment that were booked out, and a kitchen that we shared with the others who were staying here.

Our room was pretty basic, but a good size. Only problem with it was it had no air-con inside the room, so the only way to cool it down was by leaving the door open and try and wave the cool air in from the air-con in the hallway. We had a small square fan which we did a botch job of setting it up so it was aimed at the bed. So the next 4 nights were warm ones.

The area we were staying in was super nice! Walking out of the building you would enter onto a large walking street with stores down one side and a large church on the other. Trees hanging over head above the street so it was all shaded. Right next door to our building was a gelato shop which was very popular. There would be a large line in the afternoon that went around the corner of the street. And across from that, there was a bakery that had that fresh bread smell every morning.

The first night we ate out and grabbed a few drinks in the area, and the next morning we got up at a reasonable time so we could head out and walk around the Gothic quarter all the way down to the beach.

It was another great day with the weather, and we headed on our way around 10am. The Gothic Quarter was amazing! The architecture of the buildings, the small streets and food shops, and history was just so awesome to see and be in. We walked around the area for an hour or so before heading to Barcelona Beach, checking out all the little streets, food markets, and buildings in the area. I didn't realise how much of a tourist destination the area was, there were lots of people trying to sell stuff and get money. I had some large guy come up to me all dressed in white with his face painted wanting a picture. So I took one with him and of course he asked for money and I said no. He said no words the whole time, instead he just squeaked at me with a toy in his mouth.

We reached the beach and set up our little spot for the day. It was super busy as expected, since it was such a lovely day. Street merchants were selling alcohol and towels to beach goers. They were everywhere in this area. On the way here they had claimed the whole side of a road that stretched for 100m or more. It was crazy. This was the first of many beach days to be had on this trip, so we were pumped to get in the water. Coming from Australia where it's not so common, a lot of people here were nude or semi-nude, which isn't a problem, just a bit of a culture shock. We respected it, as it was the norm here. We got in the water and to tell you the truth, I don't think I've been in such clean, warm and overall amazing water before. There was hardly any movement, and you could see the ocean floor so easily. The water temperature had to be almost 30 degrees, it was incredible. We stayed here for about 2 hours, going in and out of the water, soaking up the sun. It was late lunch time by the time we left, so we went on the hunt for some food and came across a paella place which we couldn't say no to. Paella is a traditional Spanish dish originating from Valencia. A rice dish with Chicken, seafood and vegetables mixed through.

We ordered lunch here between the beach and the docks, with some Sangria just to kick it up a notch on the all out Spanish lunch. This was the first proper Paella I've had and it was also one of the best.

We headed back to the accommodation and chilled before going to the market to buy some ingredients for dinner, and of course some snacks for our movie nights.

The next day we did a Hop on, Hop off bus tour to visit most of the hot spots of Barcelona. We boarded just before 12pm and went to Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, Gothic Quarters, and La Ramblas to name a few. It was yet another hot day and we spent most of our time on the bus with no air-con. We got off to see Sagrada Familia up close and also jumped off at Park Guell which was a bad idea because the stop we got off at was a 30 minute walk away from Park Guell, all of it uphill. When we got there it was paid entry for the main area so we only did the free stuff, which was a lot of walking up hill too. It was a nice place but man, we were so tired and sweaty by the end of it. We got back on the bus and called it a day.

The next few days were spent going to the beach and eating our weight in Paella.

It was now the 5th July and we were moving locations to Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls. A 4 hour train ride later and we were in Pamplona! Our accommodation was similar to that of Barcelona's. We had to collect a key from their office first and they walked us to the apartment, showed us in and how to work everything. The place had no kitchen this time so we had to eat out. We usually always try and get a kitchen as it saves a lot of money in the long run. Being able to make 10 Euro last for 3 days is easier than it sounds when you're on a budget. But our 4 nights here were very expensive. Running of the Bulls is one of the largest celebrations that Spain has. Pamplona's population sits at 200 thousand. And on the week of this celebration it reaches over 1 million. So everything is booked out and the prices on everything triples. Just to put things in perspective, our accommodation for the 4 nights was just over 1 thousand dollars. That's around $250 a night and most places we booked on this trip were $80 a night. So buying food on top of that each day made it an expensive trip, but one I am glad we did.

We had Wok to Walk which I lived off of at one stage while in London. Nothing tops the London Wok To Walk, just saying. The next morning was the Opening Ceremony of San Fermin, which is something to witness for sure! This is the first day where everyone is dressed in white clothing with red bandannas. We made your way down the narrow streets toward Plaza Del Castillo, where everyone gathers for the Ceremony. Before 12pm all the bandannas are tied around the wrist and when 12pm hits, you remove it and tie it around your neck. At this stage, all your white clothes are now drenched in sangria as everyone is throwing it around in the air. We make our way down the narrow streets again, to be drenched by people throwing water off of their balconies onto crowds of people below chanting. There is such a mixture of age and gender, that everyone is just super amped to be out in the sun and drinking. The energy levels are like no other, it's on its own level. This carries on all through the night till the next day when the first Bull run is held for the week.

The run starts at 8am but you have to be there by 7am to get in to the street as it becomes so crowded and they lock off the street by 8am. Some people have done all-nighters or are still drinking, and others are passed out on the grass or on street corners. Caroline and I got to the starting point which is Plaza Consistorial by 6:30am. Grabbing a coffee and pastry at one of the bakeries on the way there. Here is where you enter to run. Each morning for the duration of the celebration, they have a team of people who firstly go up and down the bull run route with a street cleaner, picking up all the rubbish, glass and any other things that would effect the runners and the bulls. They spray it down with a pressure washer and then put up the large wooden barricades that separates the bulls and runners from the observers. The running route is roughly 800m long, going from the enclosure the bulls are in, to the arena where the bull fights are hosted. From the enclosure, it is on a slight incline that makes its way to the square you start at. There, is the first corner, turning left into the square. It then makes a right turn, leading onto the long straight stretch up the narrow shopping street toward the arena where another slight left turn is made, ending through the gates to the arena. All of this track is on cobblestone that is still wet from being cleaned so it becomes another thing to be cautious about when running.

I did not run the first day as I had no idea what they actually do for it, so I watched instead which is recommended for first timers.

It all happens so fast once everything has been set up. All the people who are running have to huddle together behind a police barrier. This is so they don't have too many people in the run otherwise it gets too crowded. A cannon is fired at 8am, announcing that the bulls have been released from the enclosure and are now running toward everyone. There are 12 bulls that are in the race. 6 fighting bulls, and 6 tamed oxen bulls that lead them down the narrow streets.

As soon as the cannon goes off, people start running everywhere and it looks like absolute chaos. Even with the restriction of people, there are still so many in the race. The biggest hazard while running are the people. Everyone is looking back while moving forward to see if the bulls are there, and that's when people just trip over each other, causing pile ups and blocking each other from moving out the way of the bulls.

The run is completed within 3 minutes or less. Once the bulls reach the arena, another cannon is fired to let everyone know another group of cows are being released to pick up any cows that have left the pack and guide them toward the arena. Once they reach the arena the gates are closed and if you made it in time, you would be in there, which I'll get into later.

Once the run was done, Caroline and I went and got some drinks and breakfast. A tradition they have here is to go to a local bar and get a Lagumba, which is Vanilla or chocolate milk with Cognac. We ordered one from Bar Txoko and they load you up with about 60mls of Cognac. It was really delicious!

The rest of the day we just walked around the streets enjoying the energy and some beverages with everyone that was out and about.

The next morning 8th July I decided to run with the bulls. Another early start, we got to the square at 6:30 with some coffee and pastries in hand. I tried to get Caroline to run with me but she decided not to. So it was just me and everyone else lined up, adrenaline pumping. The wait for 8am felt extremely long this time around, now that I was actually running, that by the time the cannon went off I felt tired. I waited and waited until I could see the bulls in the distance. Everyone was running away but I stood there with a few others. Once they came into site, I bolted. I made it to the first corner and by then they were right next to me. I stayed to the side of them, no way was I going to run directly in front of them, and good thing I didn't because I have a video of me and the guy that was running in front of the bulls got gored. Once they passed, I kept up and made it to the arena in time before the gates closed. I didn't realise how much running sucks, but I made it. Seeing bulls running at 25km an hour up close is f*cking scary and such a rush. They are absolute beasts, man. And being with so many other people in the same area and doing the same thing was so surreal. The arena stage was upon me now and I did not know about this part. I only knew about the running so when this happened I was absolute shook. I'm standing around with hundreds of others in an arena that is packed to the brim with guests looking down on us. Taking it in, everyone cheering and chanting, and then out of nowhere a MASSIVE cow is released into the arena. I was looking into the crowd when the massive brown cow brushed passed me. Now everyone was running around again, dodging the charging cow. And then another one was released. This goes on for about 5-10 minutes, then they get them out of the arena, and release another cow! this time a smaller but faster one. Just before they release one, everyone is stacking on top of each other in front of the gate so when they open the gate, the cow jumps over you. All the cows that are let into the arena have their horns cupped with a ball so no one gets gored. But it's still crazy seeing people get slammed to the ground by a cow. We were in the arena dodging cows left, right and centre for about 30 minutes. This was the most amazing experience I've had, being in that arena with everyone. They had traditional Spanish music playing over the speaker and 2 people commentating the whole ordeal. Once it finished I met with Caroline outside the arena and we went and got food and cleaned ourselves up before going back to the arena for the bullfight we had booked at 6pm.

When we left the apartment, it of course started to rain, and continued to rain for the rest of the night. We got absolutely drenched, and I had my camera with me wrapped in plastic in my bag. We went out in shorts and a shirt so we grabbed some random plastic wrap we found and turned it into rain poncho. Once in the arena we just waited around for the event to start. Everyone had piled in and was now completely full. They announced it was slightly delayed because of the weather. We waited some more, a few Mexican waves later and they said it has been cancelled due to the weather. It was bucketing down and was not going to stop so it was fair enough but damn, the only time we could see a traditional bull fight in Spain and it is cancelled on the only day we are free to. So we stood in line out in the rain for about another 30 minutes to receive our refund for the tickets and spent that money on some booze at the bars and clubs down the street.

The next morning we went to the station to go to San Sebastian. Our train was cancelled due to the weather last night, so a bus was coming to get us instead. The ride there was about 2.5 hours long but went by alright.

We got to San Sebastian and the walk to our accommodation was pretty simple. This was the first Airbnb we were staying at for this trip and the lady who was our host was super lovely. She had a small Maltese Cross dog who loved humping my leg.

Our room was cosy with a nice view of the centre of the building park. The way Spain sets their streets and buildings up is in squares or blocks. If you look at any photo of Spain from above, you can see that it's all laid out in large housing blocks. Our host spoke no English but was very understanding and helpful. She had maps and information on the local area. We had a kitchen again so we bought food to cook back here instead of eating out to save some money. The beach was a 5 minute walk down the road which was AMAZING. We were staying here for 3 nights and went to the beach everyday. The water here was again, warm and clear but had a bit of swell this time, so I hired a surf board for a day to enjoy it as the rest of the beaches we went to were too calm to surf.

I could honestly see myself coming back to San Sebastian and living here for 6 months or so. The area is just so nice and relaxing. The weather is perfect. The beach at your front door and the community was a great mix of morning and night life culture, with a bit of a beach vibe which I love. 3 nights was definitely not enough time. Even though it wasn't a tourist hot spot, just a lot of locals getting out and enjoying the weather, it still had a lot to offer. We didn't go around looking for things to do. We stayed in the area we were situated and just enjoyed what it had on offer. Nice cafes, small bars, a good food scene, and an amazing beach with great sunsets to witness.

One night while cooking potato, Caroline managed to pour the hot water on herself and burnt her stomach pretty badly. Blisters popped up immediately but luckily our host helped out and gave us a pharmacy location to get some ointment and bandages. She put natural vinegar on some cotton wool and placed it over the burns which relieved the pain and swelling straight away. A little life hack to remember.

It was the 12th July now and our time was up in San Sebastian. We caught a train to the border of France in Hendaye, changed trains, and went all the way to Bordeaux for one night.

The next post will be about our time in France for the celebration of Bastille day and the next leg of our journey through Europe.

Catch you next time!