spain: canary islands: gran canaria: puerto de las nievas and agaete

I arrived in Puerto de las Nievas on Gran Canaria after a 90 minute ferry ride from Santa Cruz, on Tenerife. The ferry ride was okay, though the weather wasn't great so I ended up slightly seasick. It didn't help that the boat arrived to rain and wind, which I hate.

Puerto de las Nievas is a tiny town on the coast, with a twin town of Agaete slightly up the hill. I'd booked a place in Agaete, so I had to make the walk in the rain. The walk was pretty, as both towns are quite cute. The buildings are mostly painted white, and there were a number of flowers blooming.

I'd booked my accomodation relatively last minute, so it was the most expensive place I stayed during my entire trip. I thought I'd booked a double room for 40 euro, but it ended up being a small flat with a kitchen, small living room, and a bedroom with bed space for 4!! If only I'd been traveling with someone.

I relaxed for a few hours, then went for a walk. The weather had cleared up, it was now mostly sunny, yahooooo!! It took me just a few minutes to walk back through the center of Agaete, to the church in the center of town.

Unfortuntaely the church wasn't open, so I was only able to see the outside. I couldn't find a sign anywhere with open hours listed, I wasn't sure if it would be open while I was there.

More walking took me back down the hill to Puerto de las Nievas. I headed to a different area from where the ferry arrived, as I'd seen a listing of natural pools. To get there I had to walk down a dirt road, which made me wonder if I was going the right way, but it worked out well, as I ended up where I wanted to be.

The pools weren't completely natural, but they weren't completely man made as well. Volcanic rock had been carved out in areas by the constant movement of water over time, creating areas for the water to fill in, like pools. Someone had put stairs into a couple of them, and I saw kids in the water even though it seemed a bit chilly to me. The rock into which the pools had been carved was volcanic, so it wasn't at all smooth, and I was glad I was wearing shoes with thicker soles, not just jandals.

I loved watching the waves crash into the area, over and over again. I could've stayed there for hours, if I'd been planning to stay in the area for more than just one night.

After a while I kept walking along the coast, heading back toward the ferry port. A boardwalk has been built, with extra rocks built up to protect the area from storms and the resulting crazy waters. I walked along the entire length of the boardwalk, then doubled back a little to get to one of the streets of Puerto de las Nievas. (I hope there is a shortened version of the town name, it's annoying to say the whole thing every time.)

The buildings facing the port are all restaurants/cafes or hotels. The next street back had a very small church, but was otherwise full of more hotels, cafes, and souvenir shops. The town is small enough that the number of buildings isn't big at all, though I wondered where everyone lives.

I walked to a tiny beach, and it was finally warm enough that I would've spent time in the sun if I'd worn a bikini during this walk. The view from the beach was gorgeous, I could see a cliff that probably had amazing hiking.

I was in the area long enough to see sunset, which was beautiful. I loved the colours of the sky as background to the beautiful landscape of cliffs and water. After the sun went down I got cold, and was more than ready to head back to my room to sleep.

Before going to sleep I used the stairs in my flat to get to the roof for a view of the town at night. Quiet, and pretty. 

The next morning was the end of my stay in Agaete. I had to walk just six minutes to get to the bus stop, which was awesome.

I would definitely come back to the town if I had time to do some hiking. It's a small area, but I bet the hiking is fantastic. And the small town aspect was quite nice. 

spain: canary islands: tenerife: santa cruz and la laguna

I arrived in Santa Cruz after four glorious days in Puerto de la Cruz. The bus ride was easy, and short, only about an hour. The bus ride took me through fog and rain, arriving in more rain. I was not thrilled, to say the least.

I walked to my hotel, and was able to check in. It was a simple room, but good enough for me. I took a nap, since rainy weather is perfect for that. I also hoped that when I woke up the rain would be gone.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen. It was still raining when I woke up. For the most part, the rain didn't go away until late evening. Argh. I didn't let that stop me from going out, but it was rather miserable.

The day was 6 January, a Saturday. Spain is Catholic, which means 6 January is the 12^th day of Christmas, also known as Epiphany. This basically means nothing is open on the day. A few corner stores with convenience food, McDonalds, and very little else.

Walking around in the rain, when nothing was open wasn't much fun. At all. I wanted to buy ferry tickets to go back to Gran Canaria, but the offices at the marina/port weren't open. Argh. Several times during my walk the rain came down really strongly, I was not a happy camper.

The next morning the weather was slightly better, thank goodness. It was still very cloudy and windy, but it wasn't raining. Eventually I got going, my first stop was the port, for another attempt at buying a ferry ticket.

I ended up buying a ticket for a different company than the one that had brought me to Tenerife. It was a bit more expensive, but the ride would be less than half the time, and took me directly to where I wanted to go on Gran Canaria.

From there I walked to a giant mall, hoping to find a supermarket. It had occurred to me that I should get real food, since I hadn't had a proper meal in over a day. I ended up buying snacks, which weren't quite enough, but were good enough for the time being.

The bus station wasn't too far away from the mall. When I got to the station I waited in a queue to buy a ticket, only to be told that the ticket I wanted could be bought on the bus. Fortunately, the next bus to San Cristobal de la Laguna (usually called just La Laguna,) left less than ten minutes later.

The bus ride wasn't long, and took me to the main bus station of La Laguna. It was just off the highway, nowhere near the city center. I'm glad I had checked ahead of time where I wanted to go, and how to get there from the bus station. The street on which I walked was really quiet, there weren't any other people out, and very few cars.

The city center of La Laguna is Unesco designated, and is very cute. The entire city center is a pedestrian zone, which was perfect for my day visit. There weren't too many other visitors out in the city center either, probably for a couple reasons. One, it wasn't raining, but it was still rather dark, with strong winds. Two, it was a Sunday, and a Sunday right after a big Catholic holiday.

The first proper sight I saw was the Catedral de La Laguna. A pretty big church, in a rather small town. It was a surprisingly (to me) plain church. The part I liked best was the ceiling ribbing behind the altar, there really wasn't much other decor throughout the church. Part of the sanctuary was roped off, which made it easy to take a photo of the whole thing without anyone else in the way.

I found another church, but it looked ruined, and there was no open entry that I could see. Darnit. In one area of town I found a giant Christmas tree, I wonder who did the decorating.

I also found a third church, this one wasn't open either. It seems most of the churches I saw during this holiday trip were only open certain hours, not all the time. Booo. The bell tower of this church was beautiful, though it didn't match the church at all.

One of the sights listed on trip advisor was the Palacio de Pena, but it wasn't open. A bit of investigating informed me that it was almost never open to the public. Argh. The front facade was very grand, and photogenic, even if I had no idea what the building was supposed to be.

There wasn't much else to see in town, so I started walking back toward the bus station. Along the street I saw a couple buildings with huge murals on the walls. Even though I'd been out for several hours, I still wasn't seeing very many people out on the streets.

I didn't have to wait long for a bus back to Santa Cruz. When I got back I went back to my room for a few hours, until I remembered that I had seen a fertility clinic named after me on the map. I wanted to take a photo of the place, so I went for a walk. The clinic wasn't open at that hour, but I was still happy to take my photo.

The next morning I was up early to walk to the ferry port.

I don't feel the need to come back to Santa Cruz again, but it is a center of transport in this area of Tenerife, so I can't say I'll never be back.

spain: madrid

when i booked my flights to and from the states, i got lucky. On the way back to Kyiv, I had a 15 hour layover, during the day, in madrid. Yahoo! I had two bags with me, I was able to check one of them, so I had just a carryon and purse during my day. (The carryon was not light though, I really felt it by the end of the day.)
My morning started with an easy train ride into the city.  Since I didn't have a guidebook, I had only a triposo app, I wasn't exactly sure where to go in the city. I chose a center platz called the puerta del sol. Three metro lines cross there, and it's central.

It was only 0900 or so when my train arrived, and I came above ground. There weren't many people around, since it was early, but I liked that. There is a fountain in the middle of the platz, which isn't any shape in particular.
I walked from this platz down a fairly small, mostly pedestrian street. I think it's mostly touristy, as i could see hotels and small cafes and not much else. It was very pretty. This street brought me to another open area, in front of a theatre. I would've taken a photo, but it wasn't at all picturesque. Next to the theatre, another street kept me walking in the same direction as before.

Eventually I got to the end of the street. On the corner was a small monastery/convent. Beautiful exterior, but I chose not to go inside, I don't remember why. Next time I will.
I turned directions just a bit, and followed the street to a park. This park was on one side of the royal palace. There were several paths, each lined with statues of famous people in spanish history. I should learn more Spanish history.
Queued up in front of the ticket office for the royal palace were 20 or more people. I saw the sign listing entry prices, and adult entry was 10 euro.

If I'd had more days in the city, I would've taken the time to tour the palace, but with only one day, I had to choose. Walking through the palace is another place on the 'to see' list for when I return to the city.
Across the platz from the front side of the palace is the Catedral de la Almudena. It's big. The front makes you want to take a photo. The entry I found was to a museum, and I thought that was the only way to enter. I decided to pay the 6 euro entry fee, which I thought was a bit ridiculous at the time. The museum didn't allow any photos inside, I followed the rules. There were treasures of the church on display, they were beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

At the end of the route through the museum you have the oppotunity to climb stairs. A lot of them. The stairs take you to the cupola, and lead to a door going outside. On a blue sky day, I stepped outside, and loved my view. I got to walk all the way around the cupola, looking at the city in all directions. Beautiful. You know those times when you see something and think: 'wow'. This was one of those times. One of the views from the cupola was over the front of the church, looking to the royal palace. Awesome. A photo definitely doesn't capture the beauty.

Eventually I went back down all the stairs, into the sanctuary of the cathedral. Tall, pretty, colourful. The ceiling was unique, like nothing else I've ever seen. To the side there was another altar with an icon to which people pray. Despite the heat outside, the interior of the church was cool.
After exiting through another door entirely, (I think it was a actually a side door, but used as a main entrance,) I found a place selling postcards and other church related souvenirs. From there I crossed the street, and walked down another street, back in the general direction of where I'd started my morning.

This was another touristy street, filled with more cafes, and more shops with souvenirs.
The reason most people walk this street is because it leads to a couple well known platzes. One of them is an enclosed platz, you enter through a small gateway of sorts. By this point it was noon-ish, so there were a heap more people out and about. It was also the time I started to feel the heat and sun. In the middle of the platz was a statue of a guy on a horse. The exteriors of some of the buildings were being worked on, so they were covered with I don't know what. I had more fun watching everyone taking photos than taking photos myself.

At that point I was hungry, and thirsty. Really hungry and thirsty. I could feel the heat and sun, and knew I needed to cool down and hydrate. I walked out another exit of this platz, and followed a street toward my next sight. I figured I would find a cafe along the way, and I was right.
As in many other cities in Europe, small cafes and restaurants offer a daily menu with several courses for a good price. I found one of those cafes, offering an 8 euro menu. I was the only person when I first walked in, but there were at least ten people by the time I left.

I had vichysoise (that cold, tomato-y soup, it was a pretty big bowl,) followed by fried fish and salad. I also had a drink (water,) a basket of bread, and fruit for dessert. A lot of food for 8 euro! There fish wasn't particularly notable, but the rest of the food was good. Simple, just the way I like it.
I felt a lot better after eating and drinking, thank goodness. It was still hot and sunny outside, so I knew that wouldn't be the end of it. I walked back to the puerta del sol, where I'd started in the morning. This time I exited the platz on the other side. Not a pedestrian street, but still a popular street.

The street I was walking took me to a well known traffic circle. Yup, a traffic circle. It's called the plaza de cibeles. There is a statue in the middle, of a racing chariot. It's nifty. But it's still a traffic circle!
I continued to walk, which eventually took me to where I wanted to go. A really big gate, in the middle of another traffic circle. Is this a Madrid thing? A Spanish thing? I walked up the street and found another platz with memorials. Really big memorials. In the middle was the very tall Christopher Columbus tower. After walking around the platz, I turned around and went back to the last traffic circle I mentioned.
On one side of the traffic circle is one entry to the parque de retiro. I'm not sure, but I would call it the main park of the city. It's big, with lots of paths to walk, with several differently landscaped areas. In the middle of the park is a pond big enough for people to use paddle boats.

There are benches around the pond, it's nice to watch people enjoying themselves and relaxing. (I was also dehydrated again, and hot, and really needed the chance to sit down for a few minutes.)
Another thing worth seeing in the park is the Palacio de Cristal. It isn't really a palace, more like the size of a big greenhouse. It's all glass, with an exhibit of some kind inside. Colorful. I felt even more humidity and heat when I walked in, so I didn't stay long. In front of the 'palace' was a small pond, with an even smaller fountain in the middle. Peaceful.

Walking back toward the original Puerta del Sol, I found a vendor selling water at a reasonable price, I drank a liter and a half in a short time. It felt so good. Sitting down for another few minutes, in the shade, also felt good.
Eventually I started walking again. I found a cafe listed on one of the travel apps, but it was closed when I got there. Argh. The reason I'd wanted to go to this particular place is that it was supposed to have good desserts. If you've read any of my other posts, you know I have a thing for sugar.

Fortunately, on my way to the closed cafe, I'd passed another that looked pretty good. It was. I had chocolate mousse in a chocolate square. YUM.
After the cafe I walked back up the street toward the Puerta del Sol, glancing at the Gran Via on my way. It didn't seem very impressive. At all. Maybe because the big building at the start of the street was covered by netting. Argh.
Along this street I found a few souvenir shops, one of which sold postcards at a good price. So I bought plenty.

Back in the Puerta del Sol I couldn't help myself, I took a photo of the bear statue. Too funny not to.
I took trains back to the airport, and waited for hours to check in. I was the first to check in, yay! Though not for lack of Ukrainians try to jump in front of me in queue.
I arrived back in Kyiv just before 0600.

spain: barcelona

for the first time in i don't know how long, i had an actual holiday...
i flew to a budget airport about an hour outside barcelona, then took a shuttle bus into barcelona...i checked in late, then went straight to sleep...
i spent a total of 10 days in the area, only leaving for a couple days to go to andorra...i did a couple day trips, but basically spent more time relaxing...i went to the beach, i saw the sights, i ate good food...i was able to have dinner three nights in a row with a garmisch friend who happened to be in the city at the same time...sooooo good to catch up with her...

i have always been impressed by the work of famous artist Gaudi, though it isn't really my style...if you want to see all the Gaudi sights in barcelona you'll need a lot of time, and a fair amount of money...the sights are all quite busy, most of them offer online booking that allows you to choose a specific time for your ticket, so you have it ahead of time and don't have to wait in line...
the busiest sight is definitely the sagrada familia...no matter how you buy your entrance ticket, (in person or online) there is a time printed on the ticket, a 15 minute period during which you have to enter the cathedral or you don't get to enter...

even though getting a ticket was kindof a pain, i'm glad they keep the number of people in the cathedral at any point under control...it was crowded, but it could've been a whole lot more crowded if there were no ticket times...
one morning i got up to walk to parc guell...it was neat to see, both for what it is (originally intended as a living neighborhood) but also as a place with nice views over the city...
barcelona is the capital of the spanish area of catalan, most locals speak catalonian...

i recognized some words, others sounded completely foreign...it took me a few days, but eventually i was able to speak in spanish (only a bit, not anywhere close to fluently) when i was in a restaurant or a store...
lots of people go shopping in barcelona, i did some of that as well...sometimes it was just so i could get out of the heat (35C or warmer each day!) and sometimes just because i wanted to wander...

when you visit one of the cathedrals they won't let you in at all if you are not dressed appropriately...and by appropriately i mean more in the way women dress...at least short sleeves (no tank tops) and skirt to close to the knees (no short shorts or skirts)...i'm guessing men aren't supposed to wear tank tops either...
i had fun listening to the different languages spoken on the beach...so many...the beaches were crowded, but i'm good at tuning everyone out, and just relaxing...

barcelona is a foodie city...food of all different types is available, so good...i figured out which tapas i like best, i indulged in indian food, as i had great seafood...there is so much good food in the city, you have to be careful not to eat EVERYTHING in sight...
there are parks all over the city, i spent time in quite a few...it's nice to sit on a bench and read for a while, or watch people...
i got lost a couple times walking through the old city...like any old city most of the streets aren't in quadrants, so it's easy to go the wrong way...oh well :)

i didn't visit any of the famous museums of the city, maybe during another visit...long lines for those too...
barcelona is awesome, as is the surrounding area...i would gladly go back :)

spain: montserrat

the next day i woke up and decided to go for another day trip...i made sure i was up early enough to walk to the train station and catch the earliest train to montserrat...it's a popular enough place to visit for tourists that the ticket machines offer a special combined (train and cable car) ticket...very convenient, yay!!
the train took me to a stop called montserrat, then i crossed the tracks and got in the queue for the cable car...the cable car took everyone halfway up the mountain...from there you can hop on a funicular to go higher up, or you can hike higher up without taking the funicular...

people go to montserrat because it's a beautiful location, and because it offers two things: culture and nature...montserrat is a monastery halfway up a mountrain...the outside of each building is rather bland, but the insides are very nice looking...the basilica is beautiful, and big...on the back wall, a little over halfway up the wall is a display case showing the black virgin...
there is a separate queue to go up close to the black virgin, i joined the line...when i jumped in, it was 'only' a 45 minute line, walking through several chapels along the way...

the guidebook says the queue is more than 2 hrs long later in the day...wow! there is someone standing close to the black virgin who keeps the line moving, you only get a few second by yourself in front of the black virgin...
by the time i got out of that line, the basilica was closed until 1200 for a worship service...to fill time, i started walking...i ended up going all the way up to where the funicular takes people...i had great views the whole time, looking out over the area...awesome...i was hot, and hoping the heat rash and heat exhaustion from the day before didn't get worse...two russian guys also hiking took off their shirts when they got hot...

as i returned to the basilica, i arrived not too long before another service started, this one open to visitors...the priest started by welcoming everyone in spanish, english, french, italian, and german...the first prayer was the Lord's Prayer, i loved hearing it spoken in all the languages of the visitors...
to get back to barcelona i did everything in reverse...cable car down the mountain, train back to the city...
if i had the chance, i'd go back to montserrat for more hiking!