I woke up this morning and took the train to Granada where I checked into White Nest Hostel. It's a funky little hostel painted in bright colors and crazy designs. My room was hot pink. You have to take a cab from the train station but it was only 8 Euro which isn't too bad. I had assumed my friend would be there waiting for me but she was nowhere to be found so I took a shower and settled in. We had a private room with a shared bathroom which was fine but the staff is a little slow.
About twenty minutes later in walks my friend looking a little disheveled. Turns out she thought we were meeting in Malaga and had flown there instead. When she thought to read my email she realized that she was in the wrong city. Luckily Malaga is only an hour or so bus ride from Granada so she'd managed to make it here in time. That's a good start for our trip haha!
We had lunch at a great little Spanish restaurant called Tabernas Salinas on Calle Elvira and then attempted to hookah but it tasted terrible. As I've mentioned before when I'm not sure what to do I just pick a street and go up as high as I can. We tried this and were rewarded with a beautiful view of the Alhambra. The Alhambra is a massive city-fortress-palace that sits above Granada and is the primary reason tourists come to Granada. You need to book your tickets in advance or walk up at 7am the day of and hope that you get on. I'd booked our tour for tomorrow through Viator.com. Hopefully this tour goes better than Sintra.
We drank a beer at a restaurant that overlooks Alhambra called El Huerto de Juan Ranas, returned to the hostel for siesta and then join in on the free tapa tour that the hostel puts on. It's pretty cool because if you buy a beer at a tapas place they will give you free food. We met Kendra, Josh and Noah from Arizona who turned out to be seventeen. Man I feel old! We also met Amy from England, a short, spunky girl whose little brother is traveling through America. I told her his accent was going to get him into lots of trouble with the ladies. Around 1am(?) we left because we were pretty bored and went home to sleep.
August 2, 2011
We woke up at 8:30am for our Alhambra tour. We stopped for coffee in the square and then took the bus up to the monument where we were divided into groups and given headsets so we could hear our tour guide. The audio on the headsets was terrible and our guide had a very thick accent so I spent the tour fighting to understand or cringing from the static. The bus was late getting there and so he rushed us through a lot of the fortress which pissed me off. So far viator.com tours are TERRIBLE! I'm extremely worried about my Neushwanstein tour in Germany at this point.
Luckily the Alhambra itself made up for the terrible tour. It is magnificent! It doesn't have the romantic fairytale feeling of Sintra but instead feels like a formidable, imposing structure of stone, carvings and history. You feel like you've been swallowed up by a giant of stone. Basically it is divided into a couple areas - the towers/fortress, the palaces, and the gardens and summer palace. The fortresses afford awesome views of Granada, the palaces are filled with gorgeous carvings and mosaic work and the gardens are lush, well kept and enormous.
The whole place is enormous. You have to be careful though because they divide up the day into tickets. You either have a morning ticket that ends at 2:30pm or an afternoon ticket. Also you can only see the palaces at a certain time and if you miss it you don't get to see them which would be awful. Thus, it might make more sense to do a tour to make sure you see everything but I recommend finding a different one from the one I went on.
Here are some quick facts on Alhambra that I learned:
1) It means "White Castle" in Arabic
2) Granada was the last city held by the Arabs before it too was taken over by the Christians
3) There are over 2, 000 meters of walls
4) Twenty-two sultans have continued to build out the Alhambra over 250 years
5) The walls are made of brick
6) The gates don't have roofs so that they could pour hot liquid on the top of intruders
7) The hand seen on many of the walls and entrances represents the five pillars of Islam
8) There is a quote written in Arabic on many of the walls that translates to "Only God is victorious"
9) The key symbol also seen throughout represents both protection over the people and royalty
10) The oldest part is from the 11th century
11) In Islam you are forbidden to paint people only motifs and calligraphy
12) The lions that guard the famous fountain are made from marble that was chosen specifically for each lion so that their individual characteristics would be heightened
13) During the Middle Ages the throne room in the palace was the biggest in the world
After Alhambra we returned to the square for lunch and wine and siesta. We woke up after dark and wandered until we found this random fondue restaurant called El Agua (casa de vinos) with a view of the Alhambra. The fondue tasted like pizza in a hotpot; I really liked it! We enjoyed a bottle of wine and then returned to the square on the lookout for something to do. There was NO ONE out! Maybe Granada just doesn't have a nightlife?
August 3, 2011
We woke up late today and wandered downstairs for the hostel's two hour free walking tour because we were too lazy to figure out what to see on our own. We made friends with three Australians on the tour - Tom, Tom, and Sara. One Tom was blonde and the other was a brunette so I will be referring to them as Blonde Tom and Brown Tom. Our guide's name was Eliza and she was a short, fiery Italian who knew ALOT of Spanish history. She knew so much random stuff about Granada including the fact that the Sultan (back when there was one) would collect all his concubines into a room and then throw a pomegranate and the one that got hit in the head by the fruit would be his lover for the night. Nice.
Here are more tidbits from our tour:
1) Flamenco originated with the gypsies
2) There are two kinds of gypsies - one set traveled through western Europe and the other went through northern Africa into southern Spain - they are completely different
3) Granada was a Muslim city until the 8th century
4) It remained Muslim for three centuries longer than the rest of Andalusia because they kept paying the Christians to leave them alone. They could afford it because as the last Muslim city all the rich Muslims had moved there.
5) Granada is very impregnable because it is surrounded by flat lands that can easily be overcome by Alhambra and the Sierra Nevada mountain range behind keeps enemies off its back.
6) The taking of Granada by the Christians happened over night and was completely bloodless. The sultan fled the city rather than fight in order to save the people. That is why Granada is the best kept Muslim city because it was never truly conquered.
7) Flamenco music is hard to dance to and sing to because it is 12 beats
8) When the Arabs first came to Granada they thought it was Atlantis because they'd never seen so much water
9) Alhambra was built in 1238
10) Queen Isabella of Spain was so happy when she came to Granada that she gave Christopher Columbus the money he had asked for. Imagine if the sultan hadn't fled Christopher might never have sailed to the New World!
11) The size of one's garden shows how wealthy you are. If you have bamboo in your garden you are VERY wealthy.
12) The streets are narrow and crooked to create shade because it gets extremely hot in the summer.
The tour ended at the same church my friend and I had found on our first day so we invited the Toms and Sara to our favorite restaurant for a view and a couple glasses of sangria. Next to us was a man, his wife and daughter, Emily, from England who we chatted with for a bit. Turns out he was a huge travel writer back in the day. So jealous! Unfortunately I was sitting the farthest from him and they left after a little while so I didn't get a chance to ask him about it. After the restaurant we wandered outside the city walls for tapas and wine. Two Dutch boys joined us for a while. I love how when you travel you just randomly meet people.
The only people in Granada left to meet were the gypsies that live up in the hills of Sacromonte above the city. Apparently back in the day two groups of gypsies left the east. Some headed through western Europe while the others went through northern Africa into southern Spain. They are apparently completely different gypsies and Flamenco originated with the ones that settled in Spain (with some Arab influence of course).
They all live up in the hills in caves that they've carved out of the rock. Apparently whenever they want another room they just consult with their neighbor to make sure they don't accidentally tunnel into each other's houses. One of them let us tour his cave house which was awesome even though I don't think he was a "real" gypsy but just a hippy who was enjoying the free rent.
Back down in the square we got falafel from one of the Moroccan restaurants and then took a quick siesta before drinking wine downstairs with the Aussies. We then started our excursion of the bars including a short detour back to the falafel place for another doner. So good. As soon as I showed up in Granada and saw the Middle Eastern influences I knew I would find falafel sooner or later!
At another bar we found the Dutch boys again and met another Australian named Alanna that was friends with the Toms. She accompanied us to the Flamenco show that the Toms and Sara wanted to see. I was too drunk at this point to really care - I think Flamenco is pretty boring honestly.
We got bored of the Flamenco pretty quickly and went wandering for something else to do. Earlier in the night I'd seen a poster with some hot chick on the front for a club called G10 and told the Toms that the girl in the picture would be there (sarcasm). We arrived, had our free drink which was terrible and spent the rest of the night dancing at the club.
Upon arrival at the club who should come up to talk to me but Ahmed! I originally met him in Portugal with my other friend, then ran into him in Seville and now here he is again! NUTS!
My friend spent the remainder of the night trying to teach the boys how to salsa and I talked with Blonde Tom about all the places he's traveled to - I was pretty jealous of the massive list.
Next thing we knew it was 6:30am and we had missed the bus to the airport so we had to take a cab which was 25 Euro (damnit!). Somehow we managed to get on our plane to Barcelona, grab another cab, and arrive at our hotel without mishap.
August 4, 2011
I will now transition to the next day since it technically is (we haven't slept yet). Our hotel, Rafaeleshotel by Casanova, at Casanova and Gran Via may be listed as a three star but it looked like a five star to me!
The bed was sooo comfortable, we had towels, toiletries, blackout blinds, etc. We ended up accidentally sleeping from 12pm to 10pm and then got room service for dinner because we were too lazy to go out. My friend's pizza looked awful so we split my grilled chicken with vegetables which was a little salty but otherwise really good. I was SOOOO sick at this point with a sore throat that I wanted to die. We didn't even venture out but went right back to bed. Literally 24 hours of straight sleeping to compete with our 24 hours of straight non-sleeping. And yeah that's pretty much all that happened today. Oh and one annoying thing is that they charge for internet so I couldn't post my Granada blog when I arrived. Grrr.
August 5, 2011
Today we woke up early (mostly because I literally couldn't sleep anymore) and spent the day with Gaudi. To start the day off we had breakfast at Escriba which is a funky little pastry shop. I had an amazing quiche Lorraine there. We started at Casa Batllo because I swore to myself the last time I was in Barcelona and missed it that I would one day return. It was 18 Euro to get in which is a little ridiculous but the money goes towards keeping up the monument so I guess that's a good reason. I tried to use my student card but they would't take it because there wasn't an expiration on it.
Casa Batlló was built in 1877 but was renovated primarily by Antoni Gaudi in 1904. The building is also referred to as the House of Bones because of the skeleton-like balconies on the front facade. The whole place is a study in modernism because there isn't a single straight line in the entire place. The coolest part are the crazy mosaics Gaudi is probably best known for. The interior feels like an underwater menagerie and the roof is designed like the spine of a dragon. It is a must see in Barcelona for sure.
Next we walked down the street to La Pederara or Casa Mila (14 Euro entry). La Pederara is an apartment complex that Gaudi designed that is now part tourist attraction, part museum and part office buildings. The complex was completed in 1912 for Pere Mila who was known throughout Barcelona as a man who loved money. Gaudi, a devoted Catholic, designed the details of the building to echo religious elements. There are four floors you can visit: the roof, the attic, the apartment and the lobby.
The roof is a crazy, curvy construction of walkways, statues, and holes that look down into the lobby. There is a pretty good view of the Sagrada de Familia from there as well.
Next we toured the attic which has been turned into a Gaudi museum where you can learn everything there is to know about where he got his inspiration (nature) and how he designed his buildings.
The next floor, the apartment, is a walking tour through an apartment that still resembles a family home from the early 1900s. It was really cool to walk through I thought.
The lobby was just a lobby except for the giant iron doors and wall painting that are near the entrance which are also pretty cool. Overall worth the 14 Euro I guess but barely.
Our last Gaudi stop was Sagrada de Familia which was 15 Euro (includes the lift to the tower). I last saw the basilica in 2007 and so much has changed since (to learn more read my blog from then - http://travel-addict.com/Trips/Spain/barcelona.aspx)! It's like a really building now! For those of you who don't know or haven't read my previous journal on the Sagrada it was one of Gaudi's last buildings and he died before he could finish it. With donations and ticket sales Barcelona contains to complete it in his name but they are certainly taking their time. I was still really impressed with the progress and stunned by how amazing it is to wander through the basilica. It remains one of the coolest structures I have ever visited.
At this point we were absolutely starving so we took the metro to the beach and walked the boardwalk for almost an hour because I desperately wanted to find the restaurant, CDLC, from my last trip to Barcelona (2007). We finally found it and the ravioli was just as good as I remember!
We ended the day with a quickest shopping trip to H&M and a walk up Las Ramblas back to the hotel. Our feet were killing us at this point but hey it's Friday we gotta go out right? We made a valiant effort, making it out after midnight down to Las Ramblas. Neither of us really wanted to go out but FOMO was eating away at us ("Fear Of Missing Out"). We figured we would go in baby steps. First we'd find street food, then made a bar, then maybe a club and if at any point we were over it we would just go home.
Strike One was two awkward Canadian kids (probably like 17) who zeroed in on us and followed us to Maoz (an awesome international vegetarian fast food train if you haven't tried it) where we listened to them drone on about skateboarding. Take the hint and GO WAY!
Strike Two was when we attempted to go to the hostel my friend stayed at last time she was in Barcelona in hopes of finding fun and were subjected to a pitch by two promoters one of whom was definitely on drugs. They were selling tickets to a castle nightclub which sounded let a god option until we heard you need to take a bus to get there. Too much work. I was entertained by this test written on a stall door in the hostel bathroom - Try to say Irish wristwatch three times fast. Impossible I swear it!
Strike Three was when we wandered to the marina looking for Poquito Vaso which was the shooter bar my friend had gone to. We found it but that wasn't the actual name and the only people there were two strangely creepy German kids who approached us. They were super shady and didn't have all their teeth. That was the last straw so we went back to the hotel and passed out. I think we are both too excited about Ibiza to bother.
August 6, 2011
We had Starbucks for breakfast and then took the metro to our final Gaudi spot - Parc Guell. I didn't get the memo that you need to walk up a giant hill to get there! It was a really cool place to walk around but it was sooo crowded that I felt claustrophobic and it is OUTDOORS!
On our way back to the hotel we stopped and bought a suitcase and filled it with alcohol because everyone had told us that Ibiza is mad expensive and then we grabbed our bags and headed to the airport for our 5:50pm flight to Ibiza. Along the way we stopped for a much needed lunch at Organic Market at Ronda Universitat. My friend had egg noodles with a bunch of vegetables that not only was well presented but very flavorful and filling. My ravioli was okay. This place totally reminded me of a New York cafe. We took the Aerobus from Plaza Catalunya which is 5 Euros each so if you have three people you should just take a taxi to the airport since you won't be saving any money.
Our flight was almost an hour late and we felt disgusting from wandering around all day. I got on the plane first thing because I just wanted to pass out in my seat. Luck was not with me. Onto the plane came seven rowdy boys from L.A. There was Doc (Brian), Coltran (Cole), Scott, Junior (Todd), Brock, McLovin' (Brian) and Abel. Next thing I know I'm taking tequila shots on the plane and they are insisting we go out with them directly from the airport. Any other day and I would've done it but I was in desperate need of a shower and food so we told them we would meet up with them later.
We hurried to the hotel, La Marina, and showered as fast as possible. It was a lot nicer rooms than I was anticipating (the website makes it look less nice) and a more social downstairs (like a hostel) then I was expecting. I was afraid it'd be hard to make friends to party with but that doesn't look like it's going to be an issue!
The guys were staying at Pacha so we got ready (no point in showering since it is sooo hot and humid here) and walked to Pacha. Of course right around this time my phone runs out of credit and we can't text the guys so we just hoped they were still there. It was about a 15 minute walk along the harbor and when we arrived I used the hotel phone to call their number. They had somehow managed to end up at a house party and were going to text me the address. Of course they never did which I figured would happen so instead we ended at the hotel bar. Turns out that Bob Sinclair is spinning at Pacha nightclub across the street. A little bit of a backstory - his song Love Generation was like the theme song of Australia for my friend and I back when we were roomies going to uni in Brisbane. We clearly had to go. Turns out it was better we didn't meet up with those guys or we never would've seen Bob!
The bartender was a super cool girl who told us that she works half the year here and half the year in London - rough life! We see three guys hanging out down the way so my friend boldly goes and sits next to them. Their names were Simon, Oliver, and Jordan from Liverpool. They seemed pretty cool and invited us to dinner at Madrigal in Marina Botafoch so we decided to come along.
I mentioned that Ibiza is expensive? Dinner cost 241 Euro! I split a plate of ham (29 Euro) and a bottle of wine (22 Euro) and it was still ridiculously expensive. We returned to the hotel so the guys could change and I was able to check out the hotel room. Pacha is definitely a nicer place than ours! The room was HUGE and had awesome decorations. I would definitely stay there if it was cheaper...
We bought our tickets to Bob (46 Euro ticket per person) and went to Pasha. Along the way a random guy was trying to sell discounted tickets for 50 Euro (he said it was 60 Euro at the door) - haha sucka ours were cheaper!! I also learned at this point that you don't buy from the random guys you buy tickets to clubs from little ticket booths. Sometimes the booths have promoters but they will always bring you to the booth to buy the ticket so don't ever pay a guy on the street for one.
We arrived at Pacha around 2am and danced upstairs in the Funky room for the first two hours. For some reason I was feeling AWFUL to the point that I really wanted to go home but my friend was hitting it off with one of the guys and I'd just spent 46 Euro to get in!
I spent close to an hour nursing waters like it was a hobby of mine while sitting on the couch. A water is TEN EURO. JESUS. That is extortion!
It is really nice that you can sit on the couches without having to buy a table. L.A. could learn a thing or two from this place! Around 3:30am Bob Sinclair went on so we made our way down to the main dance floor. As soon as he started playing I got my second wind and danced my heart out until he wrapped up at 5:30am with Love Generation. It was so worth it to stay!
The club was absolutely crazy and packed with people just like you would expect Ibiza to be. It's like if Vegas and Mexico had a baby together.
My friend's feet were killing her at this point so we took a cab back to the hotel which was only 7 Euro - not bad! I am thoroughly impressed by our first experience in Ibiza!
August 7, 2011
We woke up late and my friend was dying from yesterday. We could barely make it down the street to order some falafel for breakfast (yes in Spain and eating my fourth falafel). As I waited for my sandwich, I sat absentmindedly eating the french fries on the tray. It wasn't until they put a different sandwich on the tray that I realized it was the tray of the guy in front of me and he had been staring at me eating his food for the last few minutes. Awkward!
I'd been quite a few days without internet and I was starting to freak out about how much money was left in my bank account. My friend's debit card was blocked by the bank and my phone had run out of credit soooo we wandered until we found an internet cafe and I managed to transfer money into my account which only had $400 remaining in it. Yikes!
From there we asked directions to the bus to go to Bora Bora beach which we heard was the party beach. One person said it's near a fountain and another said go straight and right. Worst directions ever! We finally found it just by walking in circles and got on Bus 14 to the beach. It's pretty clear which stop it is because everyone with towels gets off but even if you miss it or get off too early you are still in the beach town area so it doesn't really matter. P.S. It takes about 10 minutes to get there.
On the bus my friend had the outside seat near the aisle and some strung out lady with hairy armpits got on the bus and spent the ride with her nasty pits in my friend's face. She was clearly on coke as she rapidly chewed gum and snorted every few seconds. We hung out at the beach for a few hours until my friend had to get out of the sun. Definitely wear sunscreen here even if you are really tan; the sun is REALLY hot.
Back waiting at the bus we were approached by a guy giving out wristbands to Amnesia tonight for a massive foam party. The wristbands get you in before 1:30am for 25 Euro and after 1:30am for 35 Euro (regular entrance is 60 Euro). He was giving them out for free so works for me! He then offered us drugs and when we refused that he offered to sleep with us. Wow friendly people here!
We were headed back to Ibiza Town and the hotel when we got a text from the L.A. guys saying to come to the Blue Marlin. We had no idea what or where that was but the taxi we jumped in did. Turns out the Blue Marlin is on the west side of the island and is an indoor/outdoor club. You can just go around the building to the right to get into the beach area but to get into the indoor area you either need to wait in line, know someone or go around back and attempt to sneak in. Lucky for us the guys knew someone and we passed right through the line - sweet!
The inside area had a stage set up with a bunch of artists and for how many people there were it was pretty easy to get a drink. This was largely unnecessary for us because the boys had conned the waitress outside into bringing us a tub of beer even though we didn't have a cabana. By the time we were halfway through the beers she just gave us a cabana because she was tired of us being in the walkway.
We spent the next few hours getting wasted, talking to the guys, meeting some kid from (you guessed it - Australia!) who told us the best places to go on which nights and finally a guy dealing marijuana who was actually really entertaining to talk to even though I didn't buy any product.
Before long all the guys we were with were making out with random girls all over the place which was hilarious to watch. For a girl with a BF and a friend who just isn't having it our time to leave came soon. These guys are going to make a killing because the entire club was gay guys. In fact this entire island is gay it seems like!
We came outside to the taxi line where some random dude was extorting people for taxis. We told him to screw off and shared a taxi back with a couple who gave us money once we reached their place. Back at the hotel we had every intention of going out to the club (it was around 1am) but I'd had one too many Heineken and accidentally passed out.
August 8, 2011
Woke up at 11am since I'd gone to bed so early the night before and we went straight to the beach. Bora Bora has a ton of promoters who wander the beach trying to get you to buy different packages from nightclub tickets to booze cruises to all-you-can-drink parties. Other just hand out wristbands for free with deals for the different clubs. One such promoter named Nick approached us today about a booze cruise. After 20 minutes of hard selling he convinced us to go on the booze cruise the next day. We paid 60 euro upfront which was half the cost and then we were supposed to pay the second half before getting on the boat.
We then tried to find an ATM to pay the rest and the lines were crazy because it was a saint's day in Ibiza today so all the banks were closed. The ATMs quickly ran out of money. Finally we gave up and went back to the hotel to get ready to go out.
For dinner we decided to have a real meal for once so we wandered randomly until we found this adorable restaurant that is hideously decorated with pink and doilies and plastic flowers. It's run by two out of breath older gay guys that were SO cute. I had the queso de cabra frito and it was so good I had to keep myself from picking it up like a hamburger and hoovering it with both hands. I WISH I could tell you the name of it but I forgot to ask. It is on Calle del Mar and opens at 8:30pm so try to find it if you can because the food is worth it!
My friend had ordered the tuna tataki and when it came out the Spanish guy sitting next to us explained that the sauce was soy sauce in snotty English. Then when I asked for the check in Spanish his girlfriend laughed and clearly started making fun of me with her boyfriend and the other guy at the table. And you wonder why people are afraid to try and learn a language??
By the time we got back to the hotel my friend was failing because it was close to 2am and she had sort of lost momentum. I had to do everything in my power to convince her to go out and eventually she rallied.
Finally around 3:30am we were in a cab to Privilege where they were playing Tiesto all night. When we arrived we gulped down drinks and then hit the dance floor. It was 50 Euro each to get in with the wristbands we'd gotten from the beach which was the most expensive yet. As a note when you are at the beach just collect as many as you can so that you can decide where you are going later.
Inside the club we talked to two Brazilian guys, one of whom showed me pictures of this gorgeous beach they went to earlier in the day called Jordal. The water was sooo blue and dotted with little sailboats. Too bad we are going on the booze cruise tomorrow or I'd go there instead!
We danced some more and my friend found a tall kid to dance with who had a shirt that said "It's T-Shirt time" which I thought was amazing. I want.
My friend soon tired of him and found a different English boy to dance with while I avoided the flood of midget men who kept trying to dance with me. Woe is Ibiza for single girls - it is a sea of short creepy straight guys, gorgeous gay guys, and other girls. We danced until the club closed, walked outside and were greeted by daylight (it was 7am). We took a cab back to the hotel, took some pictures with the SUNRISE and then passed out.
August 9, 2011
We woke up to the sound of my alarm going off reminding us that we needed to get to the beach for the booze cruise. We hurriedly dressed and then jumped on the bus. Note that the cafe right next to the bus stop has pretty good ham sandwiches you can get to go so we grabbed those for the cruise. Also note that during the week to get on the bus you need to buy a ticket in advance (there is a window right there) versus the last couple days where you could just buy the ticket on the bus. It wasn't a huge inconvenience just something to be aware of.
We arrived at the location of the booze cruise boat (near the Hotel Algarb bus stop) and sat eating our sandwiches debating on whether or not we wanted to go. Yes, we are fickle. Basically the guy had sold it to us as a booze cruise to Formentera island, then you hang out on the island for most of the day (sans free alcohol) and then take the booze cruise back. So really it's a glorified ferry to an island you can get to anyway with free booze only while you are on the boat. Did I mention that you also get a 5 minute jet ski ride included?? WOW so fun!
Realistically I couldn't stomach handing over another 40 Euro after seeing how many people they had crammed on the boat. The people looked awful, the boat looked like they had just pulled it up from a nap on the bottom of the sea floor, and there was WAY too many people for a boat that size. We watched them all get on and multiple people couldn't sit and had to stand smashed against the railing. And they weren't even drunk yet! No way.
Instead we wandered down the beach and completely passed out for about three hours when I was awoken by my stomach growling. We had lunch on the water which was nothing special and then took the bus back into town.
We tried to go to the internet cafe but the lady working there was YELLING so loudly it gave us a headache so we left. Now I know why they say you should never piss off a Spanish chick!
After spending 30 minutes sitting near the harbor watching the boats go in and out we wandered around to find dinner. We ended up at a funky little italian restaurant where I ordered ravioli that was pretty good.
We slept until 1am and then went to Space. The Spanish girl in line for the taxi was RUDE and as the cab pulled up tried to squeeze in front of us. I turned to her and so "Please take the taxi. We wouldn't want you to be late!" She glared at me and got in. It's like what's your hurry there are SEVEN taxis.
We'd gotten a card on the beach that day so it was only 40 Euro entry and we spent the next hour drinking and chatting with the bartender. As I was waiting in line to get in the bouncer asked me how old I was and when I said I was 26 he said "You're aging well." Um...thanks? My recommendation is to go to these clubs at 3am because yes you have to pay more but you don't wait in a line, it is a little less crowded because the lightweights have already gone home, and the club doesn't close until like 7am anyway and three hours is plenty of dancing time.
The bartender had lived in Santa Monica for awhile and was super fun to talk to. We also spoke with two French guys and this time my French was much better. Apparently the longer I am in Spain the better my French gets - go figure?
We danced with a random group of Aussies for awhile when one of them offered us Ectasy. We politely declined. Later one of them offered us water but we were already suspicious. Can't even accept water from strangers these days...what is the world coming to?
My friend wasn't feeling well at this point so we left early and went home - I think we are a little partied out.
August 10, 2011
I woke up with a horrible hangover even though I didn't drink much last night. I think my body is crashing and no surprise! We packed up all of our stuff and went to the Estrella cafe down the street for breakfast. I ordered a ham and cheese sandwich which turned out to be delicious! It came out grilled like a panini. Yum! My friend ordered the rocket salad with goat cheese and it too was surprisingly good. I was not expecting the cafe (which looks really touristy) to be so good!
We spent the remainder of the afternoon shopping for souvenirs. There was this one shirt that I really wanted but it was a guy's shirt and the smallest was a large. I kept looking in all the shops to see if anyone had anything smaller but had no luck. Suck! We stopped at the internet cafe to check our flight and I wrote down directions to our next hostel in Munich. While there I chatted with two guys, Yaniv and Allen, who it turns out are from Beverly Hills! Yaniv went to USC and both of them were headed to Berlin. They offered to have me meet up with them if I wanted to. Maybe I will!? I love how you can just meet people in Europe and meet up with them. Love the traveler lifestyle!
Our flight was on time and easy, we had a short stopover in Palma de Mallorca and then arrived in Munich at 10:30pm. We took the S-Bahn (train/metro) to Hauptbahnhof train station which is the main train station. Look for the Bayerstrasse exit and then walk across the street to Senefelder Strasse. The hostel, Wombat City, is the second door on the left. The hostel was hopping with music and people. So far it is the most populated and social hostel I've been to so far. We were exhausted though and my friend was getting a sore throat (whoops didn't mean to give that to her) so she went to sleep and I spent the next few hours doing laundry and updating my blog.
In the time it took for my laundry to finish I managed to accidentally walk in on two people having sex, listened to two Irish drunk guys getting into it about who lost the room key, and talked to a random guy who pitied me for my lack of clean clothes. Finally at 2am the laundry was done and I was able to pass out.
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