In the past 19 days, I’ve traveled more than 6,704 miles (10,789km, for those of you who aren’t in the U.S. or Liberia), some by car, bus, plane, and even Volkswagon van. On October 1st, my parents and I set out from Paonia, CO heading to Richmond, IN for my cousin’s wedding. After celebrating the wedding and seeing the family, I took the bus from Richmond to Chicago (7 hours!), where I got on a plane for Barcelona, via London (less than 7 hours).
But first, I had several hours in Chicago, so I went for a tourist walk.
Even though London was just a layover, I actually gained a U.K. passport stamp. I didn’t know that budget airlines, which amazingly now fly between the U.S. and Europe, don’t check your bags through to the final destination. Generally this wouldn’t be a huge deal, except internationally it means that you have to go through passport control on your layover just to get your bag at the carousel, then re-check it at the gate and go through security all over again.
That second security trip is how I lost the majority of my toiletries, because the U.K. has stricter regulations than the U.S. does on what you can carry with you. Fun times. Of course, my carry-on bag was also overweight when I checked in in Chicago, and the gate agent said that it wasn’t an issue because he “didn’t want to stress me out,” so, good stories and bad stories.
The one thing that finally hit home on this trip is that you can never predict what is going to be an issue when traveling. For instance, it never occurred to me that my carry-on toiletries, which had previously gone through dozens of security checks around the world, would have to get tossed. But, what I had extensively prepared for was the conversation with passport control on entering Spain.
I’d meticulously prepared and printed every document I might need, based on my previous experience entering Ireland for an extended period of time (but a legal amount of time allowed by a tourist via, I’d like to point out). As you may remember, I got GRILLED going into Ireland. So, this time, I had: proof of health insurance/travel insurance, bank statements, signed contract with my au pair family, and a flight out of the Schengen Area (most European countries are part of the Schengen Area, which is an agreement that allows them to have open borders. It also, unfortunately, means that tourists are allowed to spend 90 days in the whole of Europe, rather than 90 days in each country, because there’s no passport checks between Schengen countries). I bought a $17 Ryanair flight to Stansted, U.K., because it was the cheapest I could find, with no intention of actually using it. Border control agents sometimes get suspicious if you don’t have a return flight.
Just to clarify, I am not going to overstay my visa (though I do plan to explore creative and lesser-known options to get around it). But, I don’t know where I’m going to go next, and I had to have some answer prepared.
So what actually happened at border control in Spain? “Hello! Are you here for some sport? Oh, no? With your backpack you look like you do sport. Enjoy Spain!” *stamp*. Not a single question.
I was then set free in Barcelona.
The hostel I stayed in was right at the top of La Rambla, the main tourist/walking street, and with that in mind, I set off the next morning on a free walking tour, my favorite thing to do in any new city.
I would like to add, for any free walking tour operators who happen to be reading this, free walking tours are getting too long. Years ago, when they were a newer phenomenon, they were about 1.5-2 hours. Now they’re all easily 2.5 hours, and I’ve even been on one or two that has extended to 3. I know your city is incredible and you’re passionate about showing travelers as much of it as you can, but there’s only so much our feet and minds can handle. Keep it under 2 hours.
Thanks, I’ll get off my soapbox now. This tour stayed in the Gothic Quarter, which in my mind is easily the most beautiful part of Barcelona. Tall, narrow winding streets with wrought iron balconies draped with flowers and Catalonia independence flags opening onto cathedral squares and markets. It’s easy to get lost, and you think, “how terribly romantic, to get lost in this lovely corner of Barcelona, finding historic nooks and breathtaking architecture, and maybe a small café where I can stop and have a cappuccino.”
Until you actually do get lost, and end up on the same street 5 times trying to wind your way out of the maze to La Catedral. Less romantic in practice, but still an incredible area that I was happy to wander in.
In the picture above, you can see several Catalonia flags and Catalonia independence flags (the ones with the blue triangle). The independence movement is very visible, and just a few weeks ago there were protests to recognize the anniversary of Catalonia’s vote for independence, which Spain promptly and controversially quashed, as well as to call for the release of political prisoners held by the Spanish government.
Back to lighter topics, my favorite fact about La Catedral is that there’s an image of Darth Vader on the facade. The cathedral is also home to 13 geese, in honor of the patron saint of the cathedral, Saint Eulalia, who was a goose herder.
The next day I went back to the cathedral, as our guide told us that admission is free before noon on weekdays. It was beautiful inside, of course, but the best part was that they allow access to the roof, so I got a bird’s eye view of Barcelona.
I also went to the beach (made in 1992 from imported, Egyptian sand), Parc de la Ciutadella, and of course La Sagrada Familia. The latter was sold out ahead of time for all three days that I was there, so while I got to see the outside, which is still wild and beautiful, I wasn’t able to go inside. I also stopped by Casa Batlló, another famous Gaudí creation and La Boqueria, the big, covered market right off La Rambla.
On Tuesday, I flew from Barcelona to Palma, Mallorca. It’s scheduled as an hour flight, but in reality it’s only half an hour. The family was waiting for me at the airport, and we drove the 30 minutes from Palma to Manacor.
Everyone I talked to ahead of time said that while Mallorca is incredible, Manacor itself is “nothing special.” It may not be stunningly beautiful, but I still think the city is very cute with all of its cream and pink buildings and tiled roofs. I’m constantly reminded by my new family, however, that it is nothing compared to some of the beautiful towns in other parts of the island!
I immediately jumped into my au pair position and have been taking care of the sweet toddler about 4 hours a day. I’ve also joined the family at their daily lunches at the grandparents’ houses, which has given me a change to try out out my rusty, high school Spanish! English is not common on Manacor, and even Spanish is not a sure thing; Catalan is the main language, but luckily Catalan and Spanish have some linguistic overlap!
In the next couple of weeks I’ll be planning day trips for myself, exploring Manacor, and taking a few small trips with the family. It feels so good to be traveling again!
P.S. The title for this post takes its name from Ed Sheeran’s song “Barcelona,” which I may have listened to on repeat in the weeks leading up to my trip…
Going Out Your Door 