Monday, June 06, 2005

These boots are made for walking

We walked so much today. My feet are killing me. And this is the first time in Spain that we're eating dinner at a correct time. Our lunches are always normal, but because the food is so cheap here, we're always snacking along the way. A bag of jellybeans here, a donut there, a small sandwich, a tortilla- and we're stuffed! So we always end up having dinner at 11pm. I'm putting my foot down and demanding for a normally-timed dinner tonight. I can feel all the fats sloshing around in my tummy :(

It's another all-you-can-eat buffet tonight. This one's at a place called Fres Co. It's very well-known here, and featured in many backpackers´ bibles. Bless my wobbly stomach.

I realize I'm always digressing from what I mean to say. So yes, we walked so much today. It was crazy! Went to the Olympic site in the morning after hauling our baggage to another hotel (we had to move out cos we extended our stay in Barcelona by one more night). That was where the 1992 Olympics were held. It was quite an experience to be there. I remember all the times we went Olympic-crazy in sec 3. And the 1992 Olympics were the first Olympic games I remember watching. Was just a wee 7 year old then. The Galleria Olimpia was quite cool. There were displays of memorabilia, video screenings, mascots, reproductions of the atheletes´ village, and of course the medals and the Barcelona'92 official torch. That was the first torch to be lit by a burning arrow shot out by an archer in a couple of thousand years.

And then we walkedddd and walkkkeddd to the Barcelona Sants train station to try to make a reservation for tomorrow morning's train to Valencia. Only to realize that it was a wasted trip cos Meng left the Eurail passes back at the hotel! Then we went to the Sagrada Familia. That's one of Antonio Gaudi's creations. To the Spanish in Barcelona, Gaudi is like the father of their city's infrastructure. He was a very famous architect and responsible for many of the works here. Like the cheapskates that we are, we didn't want to pay to go in for a look. So we did the next best thing! We slipped into the giftshop and read the English edition of the history book on sale. Haha :) Gaudi was in charge of the Third Cathedral wing of the Sagrada Familia, which actually is a cathedral site built in the 1800s for the holy Sagrada family. He dedicated himself to the construction, and the interior is a signature Gaudi site. Full of colours, mosaics and patterns. But this is also called ´Gaudi's Unfinished Dream´ because he was killed by an oncoming tram at age 43 when he was walking out of the worksite. What is sad about this place is that they are trying to construct a middle tower and side wing, which Gaudi never got to complete. I think they should just leave it alone. Gaudi's Unfinished Dream should just stand as he left it.

We walkeedddd again after that back to the Las Ramblas stretch. I was fibbed that it was a one hour walk, but no... It took double the time. Double! Can you imagine? And all after 4 to 5 hours of walking earlier on... I have only the buffet to look forward to! To replenish all the calories lost today.. Wheeee!!!!!!!


Laid bare at 6:23 pm
|