My Travels – Barcelona, Spain

I have been to traveled to many places around Spain: Madrid, Toledo, Costa del Sol, Seville, Granada, and Torremolinos. This Spring I was back in Europe to experience more travel while studying abroad and decided a trip to Barcelona was in order.

After a bus to Stansted Airport outside of London, we got on a Ryan Air flight to Girona, Spain (a province North of Catalunya Barcelona area). After an hour bus ride to the city bus terminal, we headed to the hostel which was the Saint Jordi on Calle de Roger. After a long check-in, we walked around the streets and especially down Gran Cortes and Placa de Gracia where we passed the famous Gaudi houses. Antoni Gaudiwas born outside of Barcelona and fell in love with the city in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s as he created some of the world’s most interesting architectural landmarks and where the phrase ‘gawdy’ comes from for its unique and out of place style. We walked to the famous street called LAS RAMBLAS where stores, bars, and markets line the street and at the top of Las Ramblas (right) there is a high number of pick pocketers (fortunately this time around I was not robbed like I was in Leicester Square). We fed pigeons at the square which was interesting and then bought Sangria to bring down to the port and beach. The weather was around 60 degrees and the clouds had dispersed which was good news. The sun was still out around 5 and we relaxed at the port and then walked to the beach to watch the sun coming down onto the Mediterranean Sea. The Sangria had hit me very hard and I was feeling pretty good at that point. After getting back to the hotel to rest up and head out, we went to a Tapas restaurant where I ordered 6 tapas of various seafood, meat, and vegetables that were amazing and were washed down by an Estrella Spanish beer. After the Tapas place, we went to El Gato Negro which was a bar that served over 500 different shots and it was one of the most unique bars I had ever been to. The next day we went to Gaudi’s most famous work, The Sagrada Familia (left), a cathedral which means the Sacred Family. It was started over 100 years ago and will still not be fully completed until 2025. The view from the top was amazing as I have never seen architecture outside and inside a cathedral like that. The detail was immense. I guess you can call it hideously beautiful. He must have been under the influence of something or very disoriented because a few days of his architecture made me dizzy. It was art on steroids. Afterwards, we headed to a Paella place called Happy Bar Hour where I enjoyed nice seafood and meat mix paella which was the best I had ever had. We then met up with another group at the Burger King Lounge. After a short rest there, we walked to the Black Sheep off of Las Ramblas which I was told had table races with mini kegs attached. I was wrong and instead we had pitchers of Sangria and San Miguel and enjoyed some laughs with some Barcelona residents.

The next morning we decided to do some more sightseeing. Barcelona has the best Metro system I have ever been on. After getting breakfast, we headed to Vallcarca to see Gaudi’s famous park called the Parque Gual. At the top of the mountain we had a hazy and cloudy view of the whole city but I thinking about people I held close to me and how lucky I was to be alive in that part of the world in that moment in time. Everything was very calm up there. After stopping at a restaurant that served herbal tea and moussaka, we headed back to the hostel to pick up our bags and disembark from Barcelona and head back to London town. Overall, Barcelona is maybe the top city I have visited for its laid back style, good weather, good food, late night life, and warm people.

My Travels – Glasgow, Scotland

Renton: It’s SHITE being Scottish! We’re the lowest of the low. The scum of the fucking Earth! The most wretched miserable servile pathetic trash that was ever shat on civilization. Some people hate the English. I don’t. They’re just wankers. We, on the other hand, are colonized by wankers. Can’t even find a decent culture to get colonized by. We’re ruled by effete assholes. It’s a shite state of affairs to be in, Tommy, and all the fresh air in the world won’t make any fucking difference! – Trainspotting 

Personally, Glasgow is not a place I would want to live for a long period of time. On my first day, I walked through the oldest house of Scotland (which is not as old as my family castle in Greece) and crawled through 10 pubs. The pubs were much more exciting than those of London since they are more clustered along the same streets that limit the amount of walking or travel in general. I really did enjoy Glasgow for its people, music, and energy. For living in such a gloomy city, the people are always willing to help you with directions, say hello, or even buy you a pint.

The second day we got up early and took the 45 minute train to Edinburgh from Queen Station. Edinburgh was a great city that included the famous Edinburgh Castle that sat atop Castle Rock, the good food, the warm people, and the Scotland Whiskey Experience which broadened my knowledge on the ‘juice’. We got back to Glasgow around 6 p.m. and enjoyed a few drinks to wrap up our short weekend. I thoroughly recommend a nice weekend trip to either Glasgow, Edinburgh, and/or St. Andrew’s to escape from the circus of London.

My Travels – Stonehenge and Bath, England

I woke up hung-over as hell on an early morning to catch a bus headed for Stonehenge. When we arrived, the sky was clear blue and Stonehenge appeared in the distance. It is not so towering as you would expect it to be but you wonder how men could carry 40 foot tall rocks a large distance that weigh tons thousands of years ago. Was it the aliens? Was it the neighboring nomads? Why do the rocks line up with the solstices? Why are the rocks deep into the ground and why are there mounds where people were buried? All these questions remain unanswered which makes Stonehenge a great mystery and a great place to visit. The government owns the vast lands around it which are lush and green. Personally, I would have Gary Player design a Stonehenge Country Club equipped with a giant clubhouse and player shop. Also, a nearby hotel would be constructed exclusively for the guests of the course. That is baller. But I wouldn’t have any of this cross the path of this monstrous mystery called Stonehenge. Still hung-over as hell, we made our way to Bath which reminds me of an old European city and is very un-English in architecture. Although Victorian architecture exists, the city is very Gothic with a main square, the Bath Abbey, the Roman Baths which are intriguing to say the least, and countless shops which provide the most delicious desserts known to man. The fudge was good. Street performers entertained the masses and tiny boutiques lined the streets. After strolling the streets, watching a rugby game from afar, and taking in the sweet air, we rolled back to London which took only about two and half hours. If you are ever in or around London, a half day trip to Stonehenge and Bath is highly recommended.