It all began with our dream to visit La Alhambra...
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| Alhambra, Granada, Spain.... |
Warning: This is a throwback story. I realized we have been traveling to so many places yet haven't really got a chance to write the stories on the blog. So, bear with me as I spill some beans from trips back in 2008 - 2011, while we were living in Geneve , Switzerland and making trips to around 20 countries and countless cities. Most of the information are still up to date but feel free to correct me.
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| To be able to visit this amazing place is one of the highlights of our live! |
Spending some times in Europe made us pretty well exposed to the typical European cultures, including their heritage buildings, cultures and vibes. It's incredible of course. But after quite an intensive period of time visiting various cities in Western and Central Europe, we crave for something else,
No wonder, Rudi and I were intrigued to explore another exotic face of Europe.
And Spain was on top of the agenda.
So, after browsing here and there, calculating this and that, asking people we finally decided, in 9 days, to start the trip from Barcelona, heading to Zaragosa et Madrid, top for a while before hitting the road again to Toledo, Cordoba et Granada. Another stop was added et we continued to Valencia, before going back to GE from Barcelona..
Ambitious, huh :D.
Indeed it was.
And we made it!
Preparing 8-day roadtrip for three, involving a 3.5-year-boy (at that time Obi was not born yet), was not easy. You know the fun and drama traveling with toddlers. Meticulously, I managed to contact the hotels (many stopovers, many hotels indeed) through online booking, browse the highlights of the cities plus their hidden 'treasures', book our car (free upgrade and we got the latest smart Peugoet, yaaay), and this and that.
Senangnya traveling jaman sekarang adalah banyaknya kemudahan yang diperoleh lewat internet. Semua perjalanan di Spanyol saya siapkan dari hasil browsing sana-sini. Berhubung kita akan berhenti di sekitar 8 kota, ada 6 hotel yang saya book di Barcelona, Madrid, Granada, dan Valencia.
Untuk mobil, pilihan kita saat itu adalah Alamo rent-a-car yang diambil di bandara Barcelona. Untuk trip 9 hari, kita membayar kurang lebih 300 Euro, cukup murah untuk hitungan mobil sewa. But that was back in 2010 dan kami melakukan perjalanan di awal tahun alias bulan Januari yang notabene adalah low season. Jadi, japan ke mana'mana pas dan ramah di kantong, plus perfect weather karena tidak terlalu panas or dingin.
And we did make a great choice.
SPAIN IS AWESOME.
Yet it was a very pleasant trip, except for the final twist at the end thanks to never-ending pouring snow in Geneva at that time. Well, that made us have to stay longer (yaaay...we didn't mind at all) in Barcelona while waiting until we could fly back to Geneva.
It was 3 extra days all paid by EasyJet. No complaint, just enjoy it!
So, where to start now.
For sure, no need to introduce Barcelona I suppose.
This colorful and vibrant city has so much to offer!
Great architectures, wonderful food, colorful night scene, lovely cultures and friendly people! Almost everything we ask for while traveling.
We read though that Barcelona was a bit high in terms of street crime so we tried to be extremely vigilant and cautious during our trip. And I have to say, we almost had the incident when to pickpockets came near us on one of the subway stations! Good thing my hubby saw that and warned me before the two young men tried to open my backpack while I was busy with Bo and his stroller, and snatch something. When they saw that we fully realized what they were trying to do, they fled. So, just be careful when you happened to be around the city.
Anyway, let us start by enjoying some of the colorful records of our time down there.
As we arrived in Aeroport de Barcelona - El Prat, we took the bus to the city.
It was very convenient to take the Aerobus, the bus from airport to the city center, for only 6 Euro per person. And the ride took less than an hour.
We walked from Plaça de Catalunya our hotel in La Rambla. It was not that far and as we only traveled with one big bag and backpacks, it was very manageable even with Bo and his stroller. We chose this place because it is one of the landmarks of Barcelona filled with so many attractions, including museums, Antoni Gaudi`s works, good restaurants, and more. We also walked around to see the beautiful Baelaric Sea near the promenade.
So, once we settled our stuff at the hotel, we walked back to the middle of the city and enjoy Plaça de Catalunya.
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| Plaça Catalunya, Barcelona... |
We took some photos and walked around, as the surroundings were lovely as well.
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| Another side of Plaça Catalunya... |
Plaça de Catalunya is the big square in the city center of Barcelona, surrounded by shopping malls, restaurants including Hard Rock Cafe, boutique, tourist informations and more.
We stopped at El Corte Ingles, the big shopping mall here. Just doing some window shoppings. Good thing we came in January, so that we had a lot of sale. Lucky me!
For sure we took a lot of photos.
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| Bo et maman happy posing for bapak...tho' it was quite freezing :D... |
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| lovely architecture, in one of the busiest corner of Barcelona :D... |
In La Rambla, we strolled around this long street and really enjoying the view.
What strike me most are those elegant apartments along the way.
And yummy seafood Paella we ate here.
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| Don't you just love it! |
As the day was already long after our flight from Geneva, we called it a day after our early dinner.
Again, be careful when you are enjoying La Rambla.
The pickpockets here are quite famous.
Alhamdulillah we didn't have any issues besides the one I share up there.
Well, next on our agenda is Parc Guell, designed and built by one and only Antoni Gaudi.
Ring a bell? will talk more about him and his fantastic works on the next post.
Stick around!
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