Sick, snowed and stuck in Spain

Trip Start Dec 23, 2009
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20
Trip End Mar 15, 2010


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Flag of Spain  , Catalonia,
Monday, March 8, 2010

Mar 8th- well not the way I expected to end my foreign part of the trip....but its snowing in Barcelona....yes snowing...like dumping and sticking! It hasn't snowed here like this in about 20 years according to some. With my one light fleece and a paper thin rain jacket as my only warm clothing the thought of going anywhere is not too enticing. So I finally catch up on my blogs and other computer crap. I meet with Matt for a bit and then late lunch and just chill at the hotel. Doing anything that requires going out into this mess just doesn't sound like fun regardless that its me last day. So I enjoy the day "off"....not really the way I wanted to spend my day but oh well....what can you do. I head to dinner around 11:00 which is right at the dinner rush. I have an "OK" last dinner and hit a local bar for a few drinks. I was going to meet up with Matt and his friends but between me not having phone service and him not having email on his phone we don't connect. I was thinking with a 5:30am departure time that may have been a good thing as Barcelona parties late.....really really late
Barcelona Snow
Barcelona Snow
! I still manage to clock some hours at a small bar that I have hit up a few of the past nights. I chat with the bar tender about jazz as he is a musician. Back at the hotel around 3:00 I pack up and lay down for a quick nap....turns out this nap is a very expensive nap.....make that a very very expensive nap!

Mar 9th - wake up at 7:30 on the nose....which just happens to be the exact time my flight departs. F---!!!!!!!!!!! I have not had to use an alarm except to maybe wake up from a nap...so I've been using my ipod alarm as its a nice "soothing" sound to wake up to. So to make sure I was up at 5:00 I set my phone as it is very loud. Well turns out the speaker no longer works. Expensive way to find out. British airways wants $2400 to fly me back the following day and will not credit any amount due to a "no show". Well I find a less expensive but still costly route home which requires 2 long layovers...but better than $2400. They say bad luck comes in 3's and unfortunately Barcelona held them all for me. Sick, snow and stuck for one extra very costly night. Man o man....this trip has gone off without any hangups so I guess something had to go wrong at some point...right? After taking care of all that BS I head out as it went from snowing to warm and sunny....almost like it would in Texas...."If you don't like the weather then wait a minute." I head down to the beach as I have not explored this area
Barcelona Snow
Barcelona Snow
. Turns out that storm that brought the snow brought the waves too. It was 4 to 6ft with off shore winds....but mostly closing out. There was the occasional wave that would peel throw a nice solid barrel. For some reason the police were not letting the surfers in the water...and they were pissed. It was not that big or gnarly for that matter so I am not sure why they were doing this. Arguments ensued all over the beach as guys attempted to go for a surf. Man that sucks as this area does not get surf that often. After a late lunch I head back out to walk the streets for a few hours. I head to one more of Gaudis monuments of architecture, La Pedrera. This was apartment complex was created when Gaudi was at his halucinatory best. The roof top terrace swirls and flows from one end to the other and offers stunning views of Barcelona in every direction . This was a good place to chill as the sun set over city on my 2nd "last night". I continue on making a stop at the outside of Casa Batllo another one of Gaudis gems. This building almost looks like a living beast as the design has a very "boney" element to it.  I am too late to explore the inside...and at 18 euros thats probably a good thing. Then its time to eat one last dinner in Barcelona. Tonight I am going tapas style as I make a stop a 3 different tapas bars for one plate and a glass of wine. All were good...but nothing that blew my mind. After I head to the bar I have been to several nights now and have one last drink on this somber evening...and quiet ending to the foreign leg of my trip.

Next up....Vail...
Greg
Barcelona hotels Slideshow

Comments

Dad on Mar 21, 2010 at 08:33PM

Snow in Barcelona??? Global warming really sucks!

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