Day 22- Travel day, Zaragoza to Huesca to Sabiñanigo to Torla via bus. We finally made it to Torla, a tiny little gateway town (pop. 371) into Parque Nacional Ordesa in the Spanish Pyranees. Got ourselves settled into the place, traversed it fully about five times, celebrated David´s birthday with a solid three course meal. mm mm, Torla. Found our refugio, a cool little variation on a hostel with more beds and less facilities. Rested up for what was to come.
Day 23- The humble, unsuspecting Day 23 transformed into arguably the craziest day of the trip. Enter, the Hike from Hell, and also the coolest, most death defying hike ever--Faja de Las Flores. It all started at 10 am, when David and Ian took the shuttle into the park. The two searched for the trailhead with gps, a vaguely marked sign at the foot of scottish-like highlands. We got lost about two times before starting the trail, but the views were spectacular. Saw all the wildlife that the mountains could dish out, a snake, lots of marmots, mountain goats, and ravens of the genus bamf that divebombed off cliffs to catch principe cookies (the best snack that Europe has to offer). The trail began. We wound our way up switchbacks that gave way to straight rock climbing up metal pitons drilled into the rockface. Fun, this time around. The clouds billowed overhead, giving way to rain. We sheltered under a scenic cliff face and gorged ourselves on sealed pasta and cookies. A good meal, vital energy. Its a good thing that we reenergized, as nature would be trying to kill us the rest of the hike. Before this, however, more amazing views. Fajas are girdles carved by time into the mountains, and offer unforgettable vistas of the mountain range, from snow-capped peaks tilted toward France to the green, rocky slopes nearer Torla. Photos do not do the trail justice. If I was randomly placed there, I would think I was in New Zealand, in The Lord of the Rings, or something not Spain. But I digress...nature decided to reinstate the assassination, this time on a more dangerous, narrow trail. David got his soaking poncho out, and Ian prayed for his dry fit clothes to work. The heavens answered with more rain, but alas, more spectacular views. We had rounded the side of the mountain by now, deep into what appeared to be the Scottish High Lands. Soon we descended into a mountain valley, shrouded on all sides by snow caps or sheer cliffs, a legit dreamscape. Unfortunately, hikers of long ago had left misleading rockpiles on the trail. We were misled away from the Fajas trail into the valley of echos, the most echoey place I have been, a rockland full of crevasses and other assorted beautiful death traps. Play turned to franticness as we lost the trail, and spent about an hour retracing it...by now we could tell that we might not make it out of the park by the 10 pm deadline. Night was falling, temperature dropping, spirits plummeting. Speaking of plummeting, we began a hard downhill descent in an extremely rock slidy area. And yep, more rain, since hail and cliffs hadn´t killed us nature decided to try out some rockslides. We made it to the bottom of cliff face 1 (the top of cliff face 2) with only minor scratches, beginning to feel the eery tingle of adrenaline which starts when you are fighting for survival . No one around for miles, the roar of a water fall ahead echoed eerily up the rockscape. We entered more downhill switchbacks, and then a shock. The trail seemingly gave out, diving off a 500 ft cliff face into wet, jagged oblivion. Soaked to the core, we began to become very worried. And to our horror, we spotted the trail. Iron pilons traversubg a sheer cliff face, the most infamous section of the trail. This section was made even more dangerous by our circumstances--we were going downhill rather than up amidst rain, wind, and nightfall....the rain made the pylons very slick, and we were tired from the 10 mile hike before hand. We had two options, go back up, try to find shelter in the remote valley and risk hypothermia, or traverse the cliff face to the trail below, despite the impending danger. After tense deliberation, we went with the latter, and thankfully made it down. Scariest hike ever, to say the least. By now we were fighting the clock, hoping to not be trapped in the park overnight without equipment. We rushed down the remaining switchbacks and ran through the forest for what seemed like miles (and was...) to the empty, lightninging dropoff area. And there it was, 9:59, the last bus out of the park. We made it in a dead sprint, and the bus driver let us on, curiously and a bit humorously. Bus ride in the lightning back the refugio, and by God, we made it out alive. The most dangerous, fun, and scenic hike, all in one day near that crazy little place called Torla.
Day 24- Travel day to Huesca, stayed in a hotel, recovered. A nice lil chinese meal and a quaint untouristy city. A prosperous piece of the Aragonese region, Spain in its everyday life.
Day 25/26- Could the trip get crazier? Nature had failed to kill us. But could the city? The urban chaos known as Pamplona?...almost. Enter Day 25, the San Fermines Festival. We arrived in the train station in Pamplona shelterless, and would remain that way for quite some time. After bussing to the, well, bus station, we knew we had left Huesca when we saw every person (literally every one) wearing the traditional red and white colors, a great number of whom were pink from wine stains. Naturally, we suited up, buying our outfits in a thrifty store...locked and loaded. We then rested in the park before nightfall, and ventured into the insanely crowded streets, witnessing mayhem of every kind. The San Fermines Festival is the craziest party in Europe, and we happened to be there on the first, busiest, most insane day. Just our luck. Resting in a trash strewn park, we eventually ended up at a great firework show, and attempted to wild camp in another park, only to be kicked awake by some drunks. Hardcore street wandering ensued, 2 am, 3 am, 6 am, the party never stopped. Until...8 am, the famed Running of the Bulls. Going into Pamplona, we expected the run to be in a well cleaned, well organized cobblestone street. While the security is very intense, the streets are wet with grime, making the run more dangerous than you would expect (besides the already dangerous premise of bulls with 2 ft horns chasing you). We were able to get a spot in the bull ring to watch the running, and watch we did...several people were gored, you know, the usual... it was a bit daunting to see them bloodied on the streets being treated by paramedics, but a lot of other people ran without ever seeing a bull. One crazy festival...celebrating life by cheating death, so it would seem. In the packed bull ring, someone stole David´s phone, putting a damper on the celebration. But on we went, returning to the bus station to catch our ride to San Sebastian. A bus of sleep, and then a long wandering in San Sebastian to find lodging. International Hostal, bingo.
Day 27- Relaxation in San Sebastian, a very nice city, in my opinion the nicest in Spain. Pleasant beaches, live music, locals out and about, ocean fishing, beach front markets, pintxos (the Basque equivalent of tapas, expensive but good!). And Doner Kebaps, better on the cheap. A great place.
Day 28- Supermarket run in San Sebastian, climbing around the rocks on the beach, 7 hour commuter train to Madrid, and that about sums it up.
Day 29- Every good journey ends where it begins, and this was no exception. We traveled back to the park in Madrid, went for a nice meal, and saw David off to the Czech Republic. The other two wearied travelers will depart tomorrow in the morn, after meeting some Australian chaps for tapas. An incredible trip, learned a lot. And even though I could write an exhaustive conclusion, I think the blog speaks for itself.
29 days in Europe out. Its been a pleasure.
your host,
IC
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Monday, July 2, 2012
Days 14-21
We have been doing much traveling of late. Times are hard, we have been off the grid for a full week. What has happened??
Day 14- travel from Lyon to Annecy, a mid-sized lake city in the foothills of the Alps. International youth hostel number deux, good facilities, lots of ppl from Germany, the entire facility situated on a large hill. Played some table tennis and tossed the frisbee around. Nice and scenic, a triathlon was about to be held in the city. Dinner in a touristy lakeside castle area
Day 15- Hiked up Mont Vernier, David and Ian found a supermarket afterward to gorge themselves (this will become a trend). Ate at a European pasta chain, closing out the day. Nice view of the city and lake from the mount, hiked through some clouds. Went on the straight up trail rather than the switch backy one, a nice exerting day.
Day 16: Swam in the famed Annecy Lake. A bit chilly, but doable. By sheer coincidence ran into a French kid our age who had given us directions two days earlier. This time he had some ribbons that we could use for a 2.50 euro movie at the local theater. All the movies were in French, but it was fun wandering the cinema area.
Day 17: Somehow ended up in Le Puy En Velay, a little city in the Massif Central region of France, the wildest and least explored region of the country. Chance so had it that our hostel was on another large hill, above the valley, this time in an eerily silent convent shrouded by narrow cobblestone streets. Quite the contrast from the bustling Paris and Lyon, a good contrast. Ate at Le Croco, which served huge salads and equally excellent desserts, fit for a crocodile, do it would seem.
Day 18: Did a one day rundown of Le Puy, visited Notre Dame on the hill ( the third Notre Dame!), as well as St. Michal's, a church built atop a volcanic pillar. The Massif Central area at large has quite a few volcanos, making it an interesting region geologically.
Just noticed this--day 18 of the trip happened to be my (Ian's) eighteenth birthday. We celebrated by going to a restaurant approved by some sort of tire company. Lentils and Sausage, very filling, good stuff.
Day 19: Took 1 bus and 3 trains to Toulouse. Long travel day. Ended up in a sketchy area of Toulouse, but found a decent hotel, complete with AC. Woohoo.
Day 20: Escaped Toulouse, took one of EuRail's scenic train routes through the Pyranees to Latour De Carol, a border town between Spain and France, girdled on all sides by the Pyranees. It's a small place really, best known for it's train station. We had a three hour layover. In search of food, Ian wandered several kilometers, likely across the border...found pizza. Jacket weather. Took another train from Latour De Carol to Barcelona, and another to Zaragoza. Ended up on the streets of Zaragoza around 22:00. Chance so had it that we arrived the night that Spain defeated Italy to claim the Euro Cup. Parties everywhere as we walked about 2 miles to our hostel. A celebratory arrival, to say the least.
Day 21: Here we are, Zaragoza, day 21, a city known for its confluence of Roman, Islamic, and Christian culture. Our hostel is centrally located in the historic district, so we were able to see another giant basilica, and more unusually the Palace of Aljaferia, an important government facility in ancient and modern times, complete with a moat. Middle eastern meat market, delectables like horse meat. More appetizing, a super cheap super market. Dinner will be a 3 euro feast, and alas, the day is young.
Until next time,
Adios
Day 14- travel from Lyon to Annecy, a mid-sized lake city in the foothills of the Alps. International youth hostel number deux, good facilities, lots of ppl from Germany, the entire facility situated on a large hill. Played some table tennis and tossed the frisbee around. Nice and scenic, a triathlon was about to be held in the city. Dinner in a touristy lakeside castle area
Day 15- Hiked up Mont Vernier, David and Ian found a supermarket afterward to gorge themselves (this will become a trend). Ate at a European pasta chain, closing out the day. Nice view of the city and lake from the mount, hiked through some clouds. Went on the straight up trail rather than the switch backy one, a nice exerting day.
Day 16: Swam in the famed Annecy Lake. A bit chilly, but doable. By sheer coincidence ran into a French kid our age who had given us directions two days earlier. This time he had some ribbons that we could use for a 2.50 euro movie at the local theater. All the movies were in French, but it was fun wandering the cinema area.
Day 17: Somehow ended up in Le Puy En Velay, a little city in the Massif Central region of France, the wildest and least explored region of the country. Chance so had it that our hostel was on another large hill, above the valley, this time in an eerily silent convent shrouded by narrow cobblestone streets. Quite the contrast from the bustling Paris and Lyon, a good contrast. Ate at Le Croco, which served huge salads and equally excellent desserts, fit for a crocodile, do it would seem.
Day 18: Did a one day rundown of Le Puy, visited Notre Dame on the hill ( the third Notre Dame!), as well as St. Michal's, a church built atop a volcanic pillar. The Massif Central area at large has quite a few volcanos, making it an interesting region geologically.
Just noticed this--day 18 of the trip happened to be my (Ian's) eighteenth birthday. We celebrated by going to a restaurant approved by some sort of tire company. Lentils and Sausage, very filling, good stuff.
Day 19: Took 1 bus and 3 trains to Toulouse. Long travel day. Ended up in a sketchy area of Toulouse, but found a decent hotel, complete with AC. Woohoo.
Day 20: Escaped Toulouse, took one of EuRail's scenic train routes through the Pyranees to Latour De Carol, a border town between Spain and France, girdled on all sides by the Pyranees. It's a small place really, best known for it's train station. We had a three hour layover. In search of food, Ian wandered several kilometers, likely across the border...found pizza. Jacket weather. Took another train from Latour De Carol to Barcelona, and another to Zaragoza. Ended up on the streets of Zaragoza around 22:00. Chance so had it that we arrived the night that Spain defeated Italy to claim the Euro Cup. Parties everywhere as we walked about 2 miles to our hostel. A celebratory arrival, to say the least.
Day 21: Here we are, Zaragoza, day 21, a city known for its confluence of Roman, Islamic, and Christian culture. Our hostel is centrally located in the historic district, so we were able to see another giant basilica, and more unusually the Palace of Aljaferia, an important government facility in ancient and modern times, complete with a moat. Middle eastern meat market, delectables like horse meat. More appetizing, a super cheap super market. Dinner will be a 3 euro feast, and alas, the day is young.
Until next time,
Adios
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Days 7-13
Day 7: Still in Barcelona, we took the metro to the more offbeat beaches of the city, which were near several small skate parks and an urban mall/plaza known as the Forum. Explored the more rocky area of the beach, found some deft street art. Traveled back to Sant Jordi to check out, and began the night train to Paris.
On the train, David and Ian were separated from Lauren. One traveler got an adequate amount of sleep, two did not.
David and Ian practiced their Spanish and played cards with three girls traveling to Amsterdam. Que guay.
Day 8:
We were coughed onto the streets of Paris, shelterless and in a new language. We eventually found a cheap hotel near the train station, close to a great Indian place at which we ate thrice. Got oriented in Paris, wandered by the opera and eventually to the Arc De Triumph. Had the world's best macaroons at Ladurèe.
Day 9: Tried to walk around Louvre, succeeded. Had to find a specific bank for some dough. After that, Hiked up the Eiffel tower, then lounged around the park below...went crawling for some Thai.
Day 10: Summer Solstice. The longest day of the year, a perfect day to be entombed. We visited the catacombs, very cool, in more than one way. Trained over to the island containing Notre Dame, and embarked on a night of live music--a free concert near the catacombs, among other spectacles. David and Ian wandered out for more around midnight and observed a sparkling Eiffel tower, also quite cool.
Day 11: travel day to Lyon, train was a commuter train (oops) and took us on a 6 hour crawl. So that was pretty much the day, we had our only meal and perhaps our best meal down the hill from our hostel. Three courses, a giant ham salad, sausage or fish, and then expertly crafted crepes.
Day 12: Awe inspiring hillside views in Lyon, some beau church mosaics. Smaller French cities seem to enjoy imitating Paris, with mini Eiffel towers and alternate Notre Dames. The food in Lyon definitely lives up to the city's reputation as gastronomic capital. More traditional French cuisine. Unfortunately we lost Lauren midday, she could be just about anywhere right now. Chance so had it that a dorm mate was a grad student at MIT. Big soccer commotion in the hostel. Found Lauren.
Day 13: No lyonnaise malaise, the city is pretty relaxing, even though the town center is lower in elevation and hotter than our hillside hostel. Today is mainly just a day to regroup and plan the rest of our trip.
Where will we go next? The Alps, the Pyranees, Italy?
what miracles or disasters shall befall us? Will we survive?
Find out next time,
Au revoir
On the train, David and Ian were separated from Lauren. One traveler got an adequate amount of sleep, two did not.
David and Ian practiced their Spanish and played cards with three girls traveling to Amsterdam. Que guay.
Day 8:
We were coughed onto the streets of Paris, shelterless and in a new language. We eventually found a cheap hotel near the train station, close to a great Indian place at which we ate thrice. Got oriented in Paris, wandered by the opera and eventually to the Arc De Triumph. Had the world's best macaroons at Ladurèe.
Day 9: Tried to walk around Louvre, succeeded. Had to find a specific bank for some dough. After that, Hiked up the Eiffel tower, then lounged around the park below...went crawling for some Thai.
Day 10: Summer Solstice. The longest day of the year, a perfect day to be entombed. We visited the catacombs, very cool, in more than one way. Trained over to the island containing Notre Dame, and embarked on a night of live music--a free concert near the catacombs, among other spectacles. David and Ian wandered out for more around midnight and observed a sparkling Eiffel tower, also quite cool.
Day 11: travel day to Lyon, train was a commuter train (oops) and took us on a 6 hour crawl. So that was pretty much the day, we had our only meal and perhaps our best meal down the hill from our hostel. Three courses, a giant ham salad, sausage or fish, and then expertly crafted crepes.
Day 12: Awe inspiring hillside views in Lyon, some beau church mosaics. Smaller French cities seem to enjoy imitating Paris, with mini Eiffel towers and alternate Notre Dames. The food in Lyon definitely lives up to the city's reputation as gastronomic capital. More traditional French cuisine. Unfortunately we lost Lauren midday, she could be just about anywhere right now. Chance so had it that a dorm mate was a grad student at MIT. Big soccer commotion in the hostel. Found Lauren.
Day 13: No lyonnaise malaise, the city is pretty relaxing, even though the town center is lower in elevation and hotter than our hillside hostel. Today is mainly just a day to regroup and plan the rest of our trip.
Where will we go next? The Alps, the Pyranees, Italy?
what miracles or disasters shall befall us? Will we survive?
Find out next time,
Au revoir
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Days 2 - 6
Many of you are wondering what has happened.
Why no updates, you ask?
The simple truth is that we have been on the streets for five days.
Five long days, full of trauma. Here´s what happened:
DAY 2: Woke up in our Madrid Hostel, snacked on some churros. Four possible directions from our hostel, wandered in all four. Eventually ended up at the botanical gardens of Retiro Park, where we took a siesta on the benches. From there we went to the Museo del Prado and tried to look at every piece of art. That took about a day.
Excellent dinner...and a fight.
DAY 3: Travel via train to Barcelona. Pretty fun train ride, we met a grad student from Hong Kong who was named Kai-Shek, or something like that. Played Vietnamese cards. Found the hostel in a bohemian district, nice facilities, interesting area. Later in the evening, went on a backstreet tour of the plazas, ate some delicatessed pizza
DAY 4: Hit the streets again, visited the famed Sagrada Familia, among other Gaudi architecture. Scrounged for a cheap lunch, somehow found our way back through some other landmarks to the hostel. Siesta-ed in a childrens school party, walked Las Ramblas, the best known shopping area.
DAY 5: Hiked uphill to Parc Guell, another Gaudi. A beachy day overall. Lots of water, swam in the Mediterannean, walked the coast, found a cool rock park by the water, came back to the hostel and talked to some interesting folk. Also, saw a neato light and water show at the Magic Fountains.
DAY 6: Turns out we hadn´t seen Kai-Shek for the last time. We met her for an incredible seafood lunch on the coast, complete with mussels and baby squid. Dawful. Then we took a funicular up to Montjuic where we saw the olympic stadium. And that brings us to the present. We just made and ate Tapas, with a loci (see picture below).
So far, we have done much and seen little. The trip is out of its infancy, and a vast new country awaits. Spain has been an incredible place to meet interesting people and do interesting things. Adjusted to the late night culture, beginning to feel the local spirit.
Adios
Why no updates, you ask?
The simple truth is that we have been on the streets for five days.
Five long days, full of trauma. Here´s what happened:
DAY 2: Woke up in our Madrid Hostel, snacked on some churros. Four possible directions from our hostel, wandered in all four. Eventually ended up at the botanical gardens of Retiro Park, where we took a siesta on the benches. From there we went to the Museo del Prado and tried to look at every piece of art. That took about a day.
Excellent dinner...and a fight.
DAY 3: Travel via train to Barcelona. Pretty fun train ride, we met a grad student from Hong Kong who was named Kai-Shek, or something like that. Played Vietnamese cards. Found the hostel in a bohemian district, nice facilities, interesting area. Later in the evening, went on a backstreet tour of the plazas, ate some delicatessed pizza
DAY 4: Hit the streets again, visited the famed Sagrada Familia, among other Gaudi architecture. Scrounged for a cheap lunch, somehow found our way back through some other landmarks to the hostel. Siesta-ed in a childrens school party, walked Las Ramblas, the best known shopping area.
DAY 5: Hiked uphill to Parc Guell, another Gaudi. A beachy day overall. Lots of water, swam in the Mediterannean, walked the coast, found a cool rock park by the water, came back to the hostel and talked to some interesting folk. Also, saw a neato light and water show at the Magic Fountains.
DAY 6: Turns out we hadn´t seen Kai-Shek for the last time. We met her for an incredible seafood lunch on the coast, complete with mussels and baby squid. Dawful. Then we took a funicular up to Montjuic where we saw the olympic stadium. And that brings us to the present. We just made and ate Tapas, with a loci (see picture below).
So far, we have done much and seen little. The trip is out of its infancy, and a vast new country awaits. Spain has been an incredible place to meet interesting people and do interesting things. Adjusted to the late night culture, beginning to feel the local spirit.
Adios
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Almost
Now into the heartland of the old world. We almost missed our first flight because of childhood companion B Lan, aka Brennan Lanier, who was updating us on his life story. All went smoothly, until the airport almost lost David's bag. Almost, he got it back. From the port we sailed to our hostel via an intricate subway system, walked around for a few hours before check in, and then checked in. And here we are, day 1 
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