August in Salou, Spain: Home Exchange #61
August 6, 2015:
After the flight delay in Paris, AlteCocker finally arrived in Barcelona. In the airport she was met by home exchanger Victor Palacio. If you have been reading, you know she has had no end of difficulty with email in Paris. It is repeating itself in Spain. Victor never informed her that there was no wifi in his beach apartment in Salou. A couple of weeks before the exchange was the first time she heard about it. Obviously, with a blog to do she needs a good connection. Victor tried to fix it with a modem thing that plugs into a USB port. However, when she tried it in her computer at the airport, it did not work. There is no time for a grand fix as Victor will soon be at her place in the US with wifi. Never count on equality when you do a home exchange.
After giving Victor the key to her place--and receiving a bunch of keys in return, it was time to drive the car to Victor's beach place on the Costa Daurada (Catalan spelling; Spanish "Dorada") south of Barcelona in Salou. Victor said it would take about 55 minutes. It took AlteCocker closer to 2 hours with a GPS. For some reason, by the way, the GPS kept directing AlteCocker off the autopista (autoroute). She knew enough to stay on the autoroute until Tarragona. She remains a bit mystified about how she found the correct road but it was a combination of her European GPS and Victor's directions. Finding the house and parking was a mess. First she had to find the house, double park in the midst of the cars of August at the beach parking all over and unload. After figuring out that, she had to find the parking for the car. Getting it into its place--and she has no excuse for this except for the fact that it was late and she was exhausted, there was a "shit" moment when the right side of the car scraped a pillar. Looks as if she will owe Victor money for her shit moment, but that is the way it goes. Unless he reads the blog, he won't know until he returns August 24th as there is no point at giving him premature aggravation. When he returns, AlteCocker will have 5 more days in a hotel in Barcelona to go. Victor can have the car estimated for an exact price or AlteCocker and Victor can just guestimate a sum. The shit of a home exchange vacation.
The apartment is nice with air conditioning in the living room and fans in the bedrooms. It was so hot when AlteCocker walked in that she immediately placed the a/c on and, after taking a shower, fell asleep on the couch in the living room. When she woke up in the middle of the night she decamped for the bedroom and the large fan. The large fan really makes it just fine.
After giving Victor the key to her place--and receiving a bunch of keys in return, it was time to drive the car to Victor's beach place on the Costa Daurada (Catalan spelling; Spanish "Dorada") south of Barcelona in Salou. Victor said it would take about 55 minutes. It took AlteCocker closer to 2 hours with a GPS. For some reason, by the way, the GPS kept directing AlteCocker off the autopista (autoroute). She knew enough to stay on the autoroute until Tarragona. She remains a bit mystified about how she found the correct road but it was a combination of her European GPS and Victor's directions. Finding the house and parking was a mess. First she had to find the house, double park in the midst of the cars of August at the beach parking all over and unload. After figuring out that, she had to find the parking for the car. Getting it into its place--and she has no excuse for this except for the fact that it was late and she was exhausted, there was a "shit" moment when the right side of the car scraped a pillar. Looks as if she will owe Victor money for her shit moment, but that is the way it goes. Unless he reads the blog, he won't know until he returns August 24th as there is no point at giving him premature aggravation. When he returns, AlteCocker will have 5 more days in a hotel in Barcelona to go. Victor can have the car estimated for an exact price or AlteCocker and Victor can just guestimate a sum. The shit of a home exchange vacation.
The apartment is nice with air conditioning in the living room and fans in the bedrooms. It was so hot when AlteCocker walked in that she immediately placed the a/c on and, after taking a shower, fell asleep on the couch in the living room. When she woke up in the middle of the night she decamped for the bedroom and the large fan. The large fan really makes it just fine.
August 7, 2015: An Adjustment Day
After the exhaustion of arrival day, AlteCocker had sometime to peruse a tourist brochure. She will have to tackle how to use the washer later. Then she went over the H10 Hotel locally famous for its good--and free--internet in the reception area. Since it was lunch time she ate at the hotel buffet. The special dessert--some sort of chocolate thing similar to a brownie but with a liquid center with ice cream--was delicious. The buffet was, well, another buffet. AlteCocker has to say that her gazpacho was a lot better than the one on the buffet. The H10 Hotel also has a bar where you can get sandwiches and the like. No doubt AlteCocker will eat there another time. They also, ahem, have what looks like a gelato bar.
The apartment in addition to being nice, has a pool. There are beach chairs in the apartment and you bring your own chair to the pool. She has been tipped off the the beach is absolutely chock full and not so nice. Some time at the pool no doubt will result. She has also looked at some tourist brochures about day trips. There is one day trip she will not do and that is to the nearby amusement park called Port Aventura. No kids in tow. No need to go there. There seem to be a number of nice drives you can do for the day if AlteCocker manages to get herself up early enough.
After indulging in the hotel gelato or ice cream bar, AlteCocker walked down to the beach. It was, as per usual on these beaches, chock full of Europeans laying side by side on rented beach chairs--not very inviting if one favors beach peace and quiet. It's much nicer at the apartment pool. On the way down AlteCocker bought a souvenir beach towel that said "Barcelona-Salou" and had a nice map on it of the area. She buys towels and/or t-shirts all over. They don't cost much and are easily stuffable in luggage (hers diminished by leaving an enormous cookbook and scarf from Thailand with her friend in Paris. She is not much on other souvenir crap--except in SE Asia where everything is cheap. It is pretty much the same all over. The towel was made in Egypt--at least in a different place than China.
After walking down to the harbor, AlteCocker had a gin and tonic sorbet (yes, you read that correctly). Whether it had real alcohol in it she does not know, but it did taste of gin and tonic. Very nice new taste.
On the way back, AlteCocker did something she needed to do and didn't have time to do before leaving the US: She got a haircut at "Peluqueria Coiffure Hairdresser's"--yes, that really was the name of the place. She asked and was told to return in an hour. Rather than doing that, she simply waited for a nice lady named Maria to give her a haircut. We had normal communication problems. AlteCocker's terrible Spanish balanced out by Maria's better ability with English. In the end, AlteCocker told Maria to simply do what she wanted. It wasn't exactly cut the way she gets it cut at home, but fairly close to it--and only 25 euros. She gave Maria 30. There were some very interesting interactions in the hairdresser's while she was there. A very rude French guy walked in with a bare chest (there was a sign on the door indicating that you could not walk in that way, but anyone with half a brain would not have done that). He was told that they were full. His response in French was, "Too bad for you"--very rude. One of the hairdressers did speak French, as, of course, frequent readers know, does AlteCocker. The hairdressers were right to refuse him. Disgusting rudeness should not be rewarded.
After the haircut, AlteCocker stopped at tourist information to get some advice and add to the brochure collection in the house. It was an early to bed evening. Unfortunately, AlteCocker accidentally deleted her current read on her Kindle, "Liberty! The American Revolution" by Thomas Fleming. No problem. She switched to her other current read, "Founding Mothers" by Cokie Roberts. She has been reading them in tandem together with some others.
The apartment in addition to being nice, has a pool. There are beach chairs in the apartment and you bring your own chair to the pool. She has been tipped off the the beach is absolutely chock full and not so nice. Some time at the pool no doubt will result. She has also looked at some tourist brochures about day trips. There is one day trip she will not do and that is to the nearby amusement park called Port Aventura. No kids in tow. No need to go there. There seem to be a number of nice drives you can do for the day if AlteCocker manages to get herself up early enough.
After indulging in the hotel gelato or ice cream bar, AlteCocker walked down to the beach. It was, as per usual on these beaches, chock full of Europeans laying side by side on rented beach chairs--not very inviting if one favors beach peace and quiet. It's much nicer at the apartment pool. On the way down AlteCocker bought a souvenir beach towel that said "Barcelona-Salou" and had a nice map on it of the area. She buys towels and/or t-shirts all over. They don't cost much and are easily stuffable in luggage (hers diminished by leaving an enormous cookbook and scarf from Thailand with her friend in Paris. She is not much on other souvenir crap--except in SE Asia where everything is cheap. It is pretty much the same all over. The towel was made in Egypt--at least in a different place than China.
After walking down to the harbor, AlteCocker had a gin and tonic sorbet (yes, you read that correctly). Whether it had real alcohol in it she does not know, but it did taste of gin and tonic. Very nice new taste.
On the way back, AlteCocker did something she needed to do and didn't have time to do before leaving the US: She got a haircut at "Peluqueria Coiffure Hairdresser's"--yes, that really was the name of the place. She asked and was told to return in an hour. Rather than doing that, she simply waited for a nice lady named Maria to give her a haircut. We had normal communication problems. AlteCocker's terrible Spanish balanced out by Maria's better ability with English. In the end, AlteCocker told Maria to simply do what she wanted. It wasn't exactly cut the way she gets it cut at home, but fairly close to it--and only 25 euros. She gave Maria 30. There were some very interesting interactions in the hairdresser's while she was there. A very rude French guy walked in with a bare chest (there was a sign on the door indicating that you could not walk in that way, but anyone with half a brain would not have done that). He was told that they were full. His response in French was, "Too bad for you"--very rude. One of the hairdressers did speak French, as, of course, frequent readers know, does AlteCocker. The hairdressers were right to refuse him. Disgusting rudeness should not be rewarded.
After the haircut, AlteCocker stopped at tourist information to get some advice and add to the brochure collection in the house. It was an early to bed evening. Unfortunately, AlteCocker accidentally deleted her current read on her Kindle, "Liberty! The American Revolution" by Thomas Fleming. No problem. She switched to her other current read, "Founding Mothers" by Cokie Roberts. She has been reading them in tandem together with some others.
August 8, 2015: Another Slow Day
The first job of the day was to get the accidentally deleted book reloaded at the H10 Hotel with its free internet. She had a croissant, coffee and so called orange juice at a nondescript bar near the apartment. Nothing to write home about there. Then, to double the calories, she had a pain raisin at the local supermarket adjacent. In the future she will skip the bar and just grab something at the supermarket as she tastes her way through Spanish pastries.
Then it was off to the H10 Hotel to update the blog and reload the deleted book. Fortunately, bless the Kindle, it saved AlteCocker's place. Not much is planned for today as a local festival has begun. She chose bed over the festivities last night, but tonight there were Catalan human towers scheduled. So as to be 100% sure of not missing that, she is not planning drives for today.
Yeah, right. It rained all afternoon and, after staying home to make sure she saw the human towers, guess what? Cancelled. The joys of vacation. They always say, "You should have been here last week." Well they are going to do the human tower thing in Tarragona on the 12th. AlteCocker will try again there. It is NOT supposed to rain!
So, August 8th was pretty much a bust up. Add to that AlteCocker slipped and fell outside the apartment where there is a little rise on the pavement that she hadn't noticed. She know is sporting a black and blue beard in addition to the scraped knee from Paris. Maybe she is getting to old for this. Fortunately, injuries were cosmetic and minor (you won't see any photos of AlteCocker until the "blue beard" goes away--LOL.
It was still raining at dinner time so AlteCocker chose a nearby restaurant "Jack's Place" with a Jack Daniels theme. AlteCocker's Dad was a fan of Jack Daniels so she had to eat there once. She had a very good filet. No dessert as she had ice cream earlier, but she did close out the festivities with an Irish coffee. Then she went nearby where there is a place that makes all sorts of tourist reservations. She made a reservation to go to Montserrat for August 10th. It's a pilgrimage church for Catalans. While AlteCocker is not a Christian, Montserrat is a part of the local culture so it should be interesting. She'll leave the driving to others.
Then it was off to the H10 Hotel to update the blog and reload the deleted book. Fortunately, bless the Kindle, it saved AlteCocker's place. Not much is planned for today as a local festival has begun. She chose bed over the festivities last night, but tonight there were Catalan human towers scheduled. So as to be 100% sure of not missing that, she is not planning drives for today.
Yeah, right. It rained all afternoon and, after staying home to make sure she saw the human towers, guess what? Cancelled. The joys of vacation. They always say, "You should have been here last week." Well they are going to do the human tower thing in Tarragona on the 12th. AlteCocker will try again there. It is NOT supposed to rain!
So, August 8th was pretty much a bust up. Add to that AlteCocker slipped and fell outside the apartment where there is a little rise on the pavement that she hadn't noticed. She know is sporting a black and blue beard in addition to the scraped knee from Paris. Maybe she is getting to old for this. Fortunately, injuries were cosmetic and minor (you won't see any photos of AlteCocker until the "blue beard" goes away--LOL.
It was still raining at dinner time so AlteCocker chose a nearby restaurant "Jack's Place" with a Jack Daniels theme. AlteCocker's Dad was a fan of Jack Daniels so she had to eat there once. She had a very good filet. No dessert as she had ice cream earlier, but she did close out the festivities with an Irish coffee. Then she went nearby where there is a place that makes all sorts of tourist reservations. She made a reservation to go to Montserrat for August 10th. It's a pilgrimage church for Catalans. While AlteCocker is not a Christian, Montserrat is a part of the local culture so it should be interesting. She'll leave the driving to others.
August 9, 2015: Poblet Monastery
There are 3 big monasteries around here advertised as the "monastery trail". So after some throwing some clothes in the wash, AlteCocker decided to liberate the car and go and see the one that is supposed to see the best, Poblet. She did have some trouble liberating the car. That parking is very tight and she had to do some maneuvering--made worse by the scratches of the first day and nerves. Then she has this little control that is supposed to open the door to the parking and, well, the home exchange family is in need of a new one because it works lousy. She can only open the door from the outside. She has a key that opens a door to the parking for pedestrians--which she was told also opens the garage door. Well it opens the pedestrian door but not the garage door. So, by the time she maneuvers the car to exit, yup, the garage door has closed itself--and the damn control only works from the outside sometimes. So, she has to exit the garage, open the garage door with the malfunctioning garage door opener and then rush back in through the pedestrian door and get the car to exit before the garage door (apparently on a timer) to close again. Ugh! Street parking is not an option as Salou is one of those beach towns whose population expands 5-6 times normal for August. You should see how they park here!
Anyhow AlteCocker finally liberated the car and got out of the parking and got on her way to Poblet with her friendly GPS directing her--and automatically fixing wrong turns should she make any without getting angry (why AlteCocker loves her GPS).
Spanish attractions in the countryside generally close for about 3 hours for lunch, so, by the time she gets underway a stop for lunch is called for rather than sitting around waiting for the attraction to open. She stopped at a restaurant called "Casa Nostra" (no, not "Cosa Nostra", but the name was funny) in a town called L'Espluga de Francoli just before Poblet. It cost 20 euros. AlteCocker ate some triangular ravioli filled with some sort of cheese mixed with perhaps a small amount of truffles (remember she could be confused because words in Spanish might not mean the same things as the French would mean; it could have been something else, but it was good whatever it was) served in a white sauce with some of those European wild mushrooms--much more flavor than the ones Americans purchase in the little blue boxes at supermarkets. Then for dessert she had a semifredo ice cream thing that was flavored with mandarine orange. No wine. Just bottled water, as AlteCocker was driving and she has already had enough car problems.
She got to the monastery with plenty of time to spare before it reopened for public tours at 3:00pm, so she read another chapter of the book "1906" by James D'Alessandro about some fictional adventures during the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Having a book handy makes time pass when you have to wait for something. The tours are only in Spanish or Catalan, so, if you are impaired in those languages, they give you a little brochure and you take yourself around. If you have been to a monastery with a cloister, they all look similar. This one was a mix of Romanesque and Gothic style. What is notable about it is that there are still Cistercians there--32 monks (AlteCocker asked). There are also some medieval Catalan royals buried there. The tombs were interesting and placed up high--unlike the ones AlteCocker has perused elsewhere. Damned if she knew who anything about those royals. European history can be totally confusing at times.
While this was not the most impressive monastery she has seen, it was still interesting. Having said that, since this was the most interesting one that is supposed to exist in the area, she does not plan to see the two others. She did buy a t-shirt in the shop because no one in the US will know what Poblet is and AlteCocker will get to explain when she wears it and make her friends jealous. Why buy one from Barcelona when you can buy one from a more obscure place?
No falls today--geez she has had enough of that.
Anyhow AlteCocker finally liberated the car and got out of the parking and got on her way to Poblet with her friendly GPS directing her--and automatically fixing wrong turns should she make any without getting angry (why AlteCocker loves her GPS).
Spanish attractions in the countryside generally close for about 3 hours for lunch, so, by the time she gets underway a stop for lunch is called for rather than sitting around waiting for the attraction to open. She stopped at a restaurant called "Casa Nostra" (no, not "Cosa Nostra", but the name was funny) in a town called L'Espluga de Francoli just before Poblet. It cost 20 euros. AlteCocker ate some triangular ravioli filled with some sort of cheese mixed with perhaps a small amount of truffles (remember she could be confused because words in Spanish might not mean the same things as the French would mean; it could have been something else, but it was good whatever it was) served in a white sauce with some of those European wild mushrooms--much more flavor than the ones Americans purchase in the little blue boxes at supermarkets. Then for dessert she had a semifredo ice cream thing that was flavored with mandarine orange. No wine. Just bottled water, as AlteCocker was driving and she has already had enough car problems.
She got to the monastery with plenty of time to spare before it reopened for public tours at 3:00pm, so she read another chapter of the book "1906" by James D'Alessandro about some fictional adventures during the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Having a book handy makes time pass when you have to wait for something. The tours are only in Spanish or Catalan, so, if you are impaired in those languages, they give you a little brochure and you take yourself around. If you have been to a monastery with a cloister, they all look similar. This one was a mix of Romanesque and Gothic style. What is notable about it is that there are still Cistercians there--32 monks (AlteCocker asked). There are also some medieval Catalan royals buried there. The tombs were interesting and placed up high--unlike the ones AlteCocker has perused elsewhere. Damned if she knew who anything about those royals. European history can be totally confusing at times.
While this was not the most impressive monastery she has seen, it was still interesting. Having said that, since this was the most interesting one that is supposed to exist in the area, she does not plan to see the two others. She did buy a t-shirt in the shop because no one in the US will know what Poblet is and AlteCocker will get to explain when she wears it and make her friends jealous. Why buy one from Barcelona when you can buy one from a more obscure place?
No falls today--geez she has had enough of that.
August 10, 2015: Montserrat
Today was spectacular. It's a long drive so AlteCocker took an excursion with Plana to Montserrat; the guide was Esther. Montserrat ("serrated mountain") is the premier Catalan pilgrimage site. The location is just stupendous. AlteCocker's excursion went only to Montserrat (some include a cave underneath the mountain or a visit to a village). There was over 5 hours at the location and there are lots of choices. The religious can choose to venerate the so called "black" virgin by standing in a long queue. Having done the casket of St. James (or what purports to be the casket of St. James) several years ago, one of those venerations was enough for AlteCocker. She visited the church, the art gallery (lots of very interesting Catalan artists as well as Picasso, Dali, Monet, etc.) and an autovisual place that showed you the daily life of the monks (there are 80) and students at the choir school. The students are away during the summer months so don't expect to hear them sing in July-August. They are probably all at the beach.
The star of the the show is the site. The monastery is built right into the mountain. Someone has described the mountain as looking as if the formations were made by angels. Angels or not, it is very spectacular. AlteCocker is not certain if it is similar to the rock formations in Cappadocia, but they looked as if they might have common geological origins--maybe not but both places are very spectacular. To see them best you need to do some of the walks, but AlteCocker is in no condition for long hikes, so she satisfied herself by taking the funicular up to the top of one of the mountains for a view and photos. On the bus tour there is enough time to do a hike if you want to spend your time that way. Some of the hikes have dangerous descents without guardrails, so be aware of what you are doing in advance of committing. AlteCocker took some photos at the top and called it done. There is plenty to do at Montserrat for both marathon runners and AlteCockers. AlteCocker bought a DVD of the choir (she thought it was a CD but noticed her error later) and a couple of fridge magnets. She also bought some local goat cheese from a vendor of local products at the entrance/exit. There are plenty of items available as souvenirs--both religious and non religious at the site. There are also assorted places to eat so you won't starve. The bus ride from/to Salou was about 1 3/4 hours from Salou with a stop for toilets on the way up.
By the way, if you plan to do any of the 3 monasteries on the Salou monastery trail, do them before going to Montserrat. After Montserrat, Poblet would have looked like a village church.
AlteCocker arrived home without a fall (!) totally exhausted. Her black and blue beard and assorted scrapes are happily going away. She was so exhausted that, to tired to read, she sacked out by 9:00pm. She did, however, book another tour before going home when she was dropped off. She will be going to see a Catalan human tower in Tarragona on August 12th followed by some sort of show. The most popular language here, by the way, for tours is Russian. The tour is only being done in Russian so AlteCocker's long forgotten brief high school foray into the Russian language will get a work out. The show is multilingual, however, so there should be no problem so long as the guide can tell AlteCocker in English where and when to return to the bus.
The star of the the show is the site. The monastery is built right into the mountain. Someone has described the mountain as looking as if the formations were made by angels. Angels or not, it is very spectacular. AlteCocker is not certain if it is similar to the rock formations in Cappadocia, but they looked as if they might have common geological origins--maybe not but both places are very spectacular. To see them best you need to do some of the walks, but AlteCocker is in no condition for long hikes, so she satisfied herself by taking the funicular up to the top of one of the mountains for a view and photos. On the bus tour there is enough time to do a hike if you want to spend your time that way. Some of the hikes have dangerous descents without guardrails, so be aware of what you are doing in advance of committing. AlteCocker took some photos at the top and called it done. There is plenty to do at Montserrat for both marathon runners and AlteCockers. AlteCocker bought a DVD of the choir (she thought it was a CD but noticed her error later) and a couple of fridge magnets. She also bought some local goat cheese from a vendor of local products at the entrance/exit. There are plenty of items available as souvenirs--both religious and non religious at the site. There are also assorted places to eat so you won't starve. The bus ride from/to Salou was about 1 3/4 hours from Salou with a stop for toilets on the way up.
By the way, if you plan to do any of the 3 monasteries on the Salou monastery trail, do them before going to Montserrat. After Montserrat, Poblet would have looked like a village church.
AlteCocker arrived home without a fall (!) totally exhausted. Her black and blue beard and assorted scrapes are happily going away. She was so exhausted that, to tired to read, she sacked out by 9:00pm. She did, however, book another tour before going home when she was dropped off. She will be going to see a Catalan human tower in Tarragona on August 12th followed by some sort of show. The most popular language here, by the way, for tours is Russian. The tour is only being done in Russian so AlteCocker's long forgotten brief high school foray into the Russian language will get a work out. The show is multilingual, however, so there should be no problem so long as the guide can tell AlteCocker in English where and when to return to the bus.
August 11, 2015: House of Illusion
Didn't do a whole hell of a lot today but went to House of Illusion, the magic show. The magic show, located in the main "action" area, was a longer walk than anticipated. On the way, AlteCocker discovered the open air market and various and sundry businesses with names that are a tribute to the US. It is universal that US names are chic--the same as French ones in the US. We always want what we can't have. There was even one business selling a Brooklyn Dodger's baseball shirt. Although AlteCocker has been loyal to the Brooklyn Dodgers since childhood, the shirt was 69 euros. No sale. AlteCocker does know that the Dodgers moved to Los Angles.
The magic show starts with two parallel shows in the bar. The guy who reads minds was terrific even if you know he is not actually reading minds. There are two shows. AlteCocker went to the early show because she was worried about staying up late enough for the late show. She should have gone to the late show. You get a meal with the early show but the meal is chicken legs and french fries and drinks (wine/beer/soft drinks). The meal was awful, so skip it and go late.
After the show, AlteCocker contemplated a taxi as her back was aching but she decided to walk back because, well, she did.
The magic show starts with two parallel shows in the bar. The guy who reads minds was terrific even if you know he is not actually reading minds. There are two shows. AlteCocker went to the early show because she was worried about staying up late enough for the late show. She should have gone to the late show. You get a meal with the early show but the meal is chicken legs and french fries and drinks (wine/beer/soft drinks). The meal was awful, so skip it and go late.
After the show, AlteCocker contemplated a taxi as her back was aching but she decided to walk back because, well, she did.
August 12, 2015: Castels, Horse & Flamenco Shows
Lunch was at Jack's Place. Previously AlteCocker had their filet mignon. This time she had their pulled pork sandwich--which was excellent. Dessert was apple pie with vanilla ice cream. For a beverage AlteCocker had a strawberry infused cider from Sweden--very good. The cider also comes in raspberry and apple. She will have to try them all before leaving.
If there is one thing AlteCocker wanted to see, it was the building of human towers, or castells. They were supposed to occur on the beach in Salou on the night it rained. So, to be sure she saw this, AlteCocker booked a group excursion that included castell building in Taragonna followed by a horse and flamenco show in nearby Cambrils. During the summer the castell group does this every Wednesday night. AlteCocker wanted to see this so badly that she signed up for a tour in Russian. As previously noted, she does know some Russian from high school but it's limited. Patricia, the guide from Plana, was nice enough to translate salient bits of the tour into English. AlteCocker found that she still understood a bit of the Russian as well. The most important things were to know what the bus number was and what time to be places.
The castells took place at the plaza in front of the cathedral in Taragonna. This teeny kids climb to the top and when the castell is complete raise a hand. The castell is then immediately dismantled. The children climbing to the top appeared to be about 4 years old. They did wear hard hats, but AlteCocker would be terrified. She the link posted above to see what a castell looks like.
Then, already soaked the steamy weather, the group was taken to Diverti Park in nearby Cambrils for two shows. We got a cup of sangria when we entered. There were tables where they were selling things--everything from Spanish ham to castanets. There was no pressure but a lot of souvenirs were, of course, purchased by people with kids. AlteCocker, of course, bypassed the crap. You first see a horse show--which is a sort of junior version of the Lippanzzaner stallions in Vienna plus dance moves from other horses as well. The show was very well done but the arena is small so there are limits on what they can do. Then there was a break where we had Catalan champagne or "cava" (same thing but not from the Champagne region in France so it can't be called "champagne"). We were told there would be some noshes but the noshes were limited--and the tables were not refilled when exhausted. Since AlteCocker did not rush the tables, she did not get much to eat. The samples are there to encourage you to buy Spanish products, of course.
Then we went back into the same arena for the flamenco show--which was really well done but it is totally a tourist thing. After all, in Spain the horses and flamenco are from Andulsia, not from Catalonia.
By the time AlteCocker got home it was 1:30am on August 13th. People were still riding bikes along the beach and some restaurants and bars were open as well. Heck, the supermarket near her apartment was still open. Due to the heat, Spaniards have developed a lifestyle that includes activity in the morning and late afternoon with a siesta in between. Then at night, when the sun goes on and it is relatively cooler, things liven up. You can see kids on the streets playing soccer at midnight!
AlteCocker had a shower and crashed!
If there is one thing AlteCocker wanted to see, it was the building of human towers, or castells. They were supposed to occur on the beach in Salou on the night it rained. So, to be sure she saw this, AlteCocker booked a group excursion that included castell building in Taragonna followed by a horse and flamenco show in nearby Cambrils. During the summer the castell group does this every Wednesday night. AlteCocker wanted to see this so badly that she signed up for a tour in Russian. As previously noted, she does know some Russian from high school but it's limited. Patricia, the guide from Plana, was nice enough to translate salient bits of the tour into English. AlteCocker found that she still understood a bit of the Russian as well. The most important things were to know what the bus number was and what time to be places.
The castells took place at the plaza in front of the cathedral in Taragonna. This teeny kids climb to the top and when the castell is complete raise a hand. The castell is then immediately dismantled. The children climbing to the top appeared to be about 4 years old. They did wear hard hats, but AlteCocker would be terrified. She the link posted above to see what a castell looks like.
Then, already soaked the steamy weather, the group was taken to Diverti Park in nearby Cambrils for two shows. We got a cup of sangria when we entered. There were tables where they were selling things--everything from Spanish ham to castanets. There was no pressure but a lot of souvenirs were, of course, purchased by people with kids. AlteCocker, of course, bypassed the crap. You first see a horse show--which is a sort of junior version of the Lippanzzaner stallions in Vienna plus dance moves from other horses as well. The show was very well done but the arena is small so there are limits on what they can do. Then there was a break where we had Catalan champagne or "cava" (same thing but not from the Champagne region in France so it can't be called "champagne"). We were told there would be some noshes but the noshes were limited--and the tables were not refilled when exhausted. Since AlteCocker did not rush the tables, she did not get much to eat. The samples are there to encourage you to buy Spanish products, of course.
Then we went back into the same arena for the flamenco show--which was really well done but it is totally a tourist thing. After all, in Spain the horses and flamenco are from Andulsia, not from Catalonia.
By the time AlteCocker got home it was 1:30am on August 13th. People were still riding bikes along the beach and some restaurants and bars were open as well. Heck, the supermarket near her apartment was still open. Due to the heat, Spaniards have developed a lifestyle that includes activity in the morning and late afternoon with a siesta in between. Then at night, when the sun goes on and it is relatively cooler, things liven up. You can see kids on the streets playing soccer at midnight!
AlteCocker had a shower and crashed!
August 13, 2015: Dinner at La Goleta
Remember those annoying tenants from her stay in Martinique? Yup, they are back. They are complaining about the oven not working this time, and, of course it's an emergency that they want repaired yesterday. It is totally their fault as they complained about the oven once before. AlteCocker offered to meet with them about it when she returned from Martinique. They did not deign to answer her email. She told them the problem has to wait until she returns from Spain and, if they want it sooner, they have to pay for it. Of course, this will not make the tenants happy, but it is their fault. These are the same people who, after AlteCocker set up an air conditioning repair for them, cancelled the appointment and took two weeks to get the repair done. No sympathy from AlteCocker for these folks. In addition to reading them the riot act on the oven, she suggested that they move.
Having disposed of the tenant problem, AlteCocker is sitting in the H10 Hotel lobby having just finished the blog update. Today promises to be a "not much" day after last night's excursion. In addition to the blog catch up, today is another laundry day. The washer, for once in Europe, is easy to use. AlteCocker even washed her sweat soaked travel purse with this load. Unfortunately, she forgot to remove her business cards. So much for them. If that is the only thing she loses on this trip, that will be good.
Tonight she took a walk down to the next beach--a spectacular walk--and dined at La Goleta. AlteCocker was tipped off to this place by her home exchangers. Paella is the dish most people order, but it is only done for two, so AlteCocker had a slab of rare tuna. First course was a salad; in addition to the usual lettuce the salad contained a lot of unusual items such as blueberries, a bit of orange fish caviar and some shellfish. Strangely it was good. Since the courses were not overly large, she had room for a tart tatin for dessert. As seems to be the case with all restaurants in Spain, an amuse bouche surprise precedes the ordered food. There was a small cup of gazpacho and what she thinks was a croquette that probably had fish inside. The restaurant overlooks the sea with a good view of the sunset. So, in addition to good food, there was a good view as well.
When dinner was over, it was time to take the beach walk back. You are forewarned: You need to do this walk along the beach as the walk runs outside what appears to be an old city wall/flood wall. If you attempt it from up above, there will be much more climbing. AlteCocker followed her home exchanger's directions and avoided all of that.
On the return walk AlteCocker diverted to the market area. She ended up buying this remote control car thing that cost 7 euros. It makes a lot of noise and flashes lights. The soon to be 5 year old will next door will get it for his birthday. His sister will get one of those cheap flamenco dresses sold all over Spain for hers. For herself AlteCocker bought another lawyer figurine that she needs like a hole in the head. She has a bit of a collection of those, so now there's another.
The beach area is filled with things you would find at any beach including beach/pool floats that look like alligators (AlteCocker had one of those when her kids were the screaming kid age). There are ice cream places, bars and inexpensive places to eat. You would find the same at any beach area in the US, but much more prevalent here with kids nagging their parents for stuffed animals and crap in an assortment of languages.
Having disposed of the tenant problem, AlteCocker is sitting in the H10 Hotel lobby having just finished the blog update. Today promises to be a "not much" day after last night's excursion. In addition to the blog catch up, today is another laundry day. The washer, for once in Europe, is easy to use. AlteCocker even washed her sweat soaked travel purse with this load. Unfortunately, she forgot to remove her business cards. So much for them. If that is the only thing she loses on this trip, that will be good.
Tonight she took a walk down to the next beach--a spectacular walk--and dined at La Goleta. AlteCocker was tipped off to this place by her home exchangers. Paella is the dish most people order, but it is only done for two, so AlteCocker had a slab of rare tuna. First course was a salad; in addition to the usual lettuce the salad contained a lot of unusual items such as blueberries, a bit of orange fish caviar and some shellfish. Strangely it was good. Since the courses were not overly large, she had room for a tart tatin for dessert. As seems to be the case with all restaurants in Spain, an amuse bouche surprise precedes the ordered food. There was a small cup of gazpacho and what she thinks was a croquette that probably had fish inside. The restaurant overlooks the sea with a good view of the sunset. So, in addition to good food, there was a good view as well.
When dinner was over, it was time to take the beach walk back. You are forewarned: You need to do this walk along the beach as the walk runs outside what appears to be an old city wall/flood wall. If you attempt it from up above, there will be much more climbing. AlteCocker followed her home exchanger's directions and avoided all of that.
On the return walk AlteCocker diverted to the market area. She ended up buying this remote control car thing that cost 7 euros. It makes a lot of noise and flashes lights. The soon to be 5 year old will next door will get it for his birthday. His sister will get one of those cheap flamenco dresses sold all over Spain for hers. For herself AlteCocker bought another lawyer figurine that she needs like a hole in the head. She has a bit of a collection of those, so now there's another.
The beach area is filled with things you would find at any beach including beach/pool floats that look like alligators (AlteCocker had one of those when her kids were the screaming kid age). There are ice cream places, bars and inexpensive places to eat. You would find the same at any beach area in the US, but much more prevalent here with kids nagging their parents for stuffed animals and crap in an assortment of languages.
August 14, 2015: Gaudi Centre in Reus
Today was a day to drive the car again. My home exchangers informed me that there was a button in the garage that you push to open the garage door from inside the garage. Yes, there was a button. In fact there were two of them. Of course, AlteCocker pushed the wrong one first. It turned on the lights. She eventually liberated the car without running into the garage, but, for that, you have to wait for the story of how she returned the car to its parking place. The garage door opener, which was very balky when she first got it, now has ceased working entirely. Yes, another Keystone Cops routine because she totally cannot open the garage from outside.
AlteCocker drove to Reus to see the Gaudi Center. Antonio Gaudi, who designed the Sagrada Familia Circh in Barcelona, was born in Reus. While there are a lot of Art Nouveau buildings in Reus (you can walk around to visit the outsides because they are occupied, but that's it), there are no buildings by Gaudi. Instead the Gaudi Center exists so you can learn about the how and why of his art and architecture and the background to his work--which came out of the Art Nouveau movement. It really is a wonderful place and AlteCocker was glad to have seen it before seeing the church in Barcelona. One thing they show you is how it will look when it is finished. The target date is 2026 but who knows?
After the museum AlteCocker had intended to eat in the museum's restaurant. It wasn't open yet when she was ready so she went around the corner to Cafe de Reus. It was a totally forgettable meal. She had the set price meal and the waiter 'helped" her choose, but not very well. The starter was pasta in a black sauce which she assumed had a squid basis. It was OK, but the main course--a sort of fish stew was overcooked and too salty. The dessert was Catalan cream (sort of a cream caramel but not exactly that is a traditional Catalan dessert--a totally forgettable and uninspired meal. She should have eaten at the restaurant in the museum on the roof for a good view of the central square, but she made a bad choice. Yes, she saved money but you get what you pay for.
Then she went to liberate the car from the parking garage. Liberation went more smoothly than entering when she tried to enter the exit. The confusion resulted because the entrance was on the left side and she had difficulty understanding the signs. It was a big mess backing up in the garage to come down in the right place. No doubt there was some cursing in Spanish by those waiting to exit. They must have thought AlteCocker was mentally deficient. Because she left during the 4 hour hiatus when most shops are closed, there was little traffic. She did not even try the automatic cash machine as she assumed, as per usual in Europe, that it would not work with her American credit card. Same thing every year until American credit cards actually have pin numbers you can use.
One regret of her visit to Reus was a print she did not buy. It was of a Catalan tower--the thing she saw in Tarragona the other day. She saw it going into the Gaudi Center. When she went back, the shop was closed for lunch and siesta, of course. You do not see the siesta routine in Salou because there are tons of tourists wanting to buy things all the time. In less touristed places businesses close down from 1:00pm to 5:00pm and then open up again until about 8:00pm. It would have been too long to wait. Perhaps AlteCocker will find another picture elsewhere. well, she saved money. Maybe she'll return to buy it. Maybe not.
Putting the car into the garage turned into a pain in the butt when the garage door opener basically shut down. It either needs a new battery or perhaps a new garage door opener as the little red light that flickers indicating a connection does not flicker anymore. So it was park the car outside the garage, open the side door with the key, push the button in the garage to get in. Street parking is hopeless as there is no street parking here to be had for blood money in August--and you should see how they park. Often they double park right in front of the garage entrance and you have to wait for them to move to get in. That happened today plus someone parked on the entry ramp--fortunately on the side where no one was blocked.
On the way back to the apartment she stopped off at the H10 Hotel to update her phone. Then later she returned to do the blog. She had to sign on several times because the cursor kept freezing. The internet at the hotel is very good when it works, but it does get balky at times. Presumably that occurs when too many people are using it. There is nothing like FiOS cable at home.
AlteCocker drove to Reus to see the Gaudi Center. Antonio Gaudi, who designed the Sagrada Familia Circh in Barcelona, was born in Reus. While there are a lot of Art Nouveau buildings in Reus (you can walk around to visit the outsides because they are occupied, but that's it), there are no buildings by Gaudi. Instead the Gaudi Center exists so you can learn about the how and why of his art and architecture and the background to his work--which came out of the Art Nouveau movement. It really is a wonderful place and AlteCocker was glad to have seen it before seeing the church in Barcelona. One thing they show you is how it will look when it is finished. The target date is 2026 but who knows?
After the museum AlteCocker had intended to eat in the museum's restaurant. It wasn't open yet when she was ready so she went around the corner to Cafe de Reus. It was a totally forgettable meal. She had the set price meal and the waiter 'helped" her choose, but not very well. The starter was pasta in a black sauce which she assumed had a squid basis. It was OK, but the main course--a sort of fish stew was overcooked and too salty. The dessert was Catalan cream (sort of a cream caramel but not exactly that is a traditional Catalan dessert--a totally forgettable and uninspired meal. She should have eaten at the restaurant in the museum on the roof for a good view of the central square, but she made a bad choice. Yes, she saved money but you get what you pay for.
Then she went to liberate the car from the parking garage. Liberation went more smoothly than entering when she tried to enter the exit. The confusion resulted because the entrance was on the left side and she had difficulty understanding the signs. It was a big mess backing up in the garage to come down in the right place. No doubt there was some cursing in Spanish by those waiting to exit. They must have thought AlteCocker was mentally deficient. Because she left during the 4 hour hiatus when most shops are closed, there was little traffic. She did not even try the automatic cash machine as she assumed, as per usual in Europe, that it would not work with her American credit card. Same thing every year until American credit cards actually have pin numbers you can use.
One regret of her visit to Reus was a print she did not buy. It was of a Catalan tower--the thing she saw in Tarragona the other day. She saw it going into the Gaudi Center. When she went back, the shop was closed for lunch and siesta, of course. You do not see the siesta routine in Salou because there are tons of tourists wanting to buy things all the time. In less touristed places businesses close down from 1:00pm to 5:00pm and then open up again until about 8:00pm. It would have been too long to wait. Perhaps AlteCocker will find another picture elsewhere. well, she saved money. Maybe she'll return to buy it. Maybe not.
Putting the car into the garage turned into a pain in the butt when the garage door opener basically shut down. It either needs a new battery or perhaps a new garage door opener as the little red light that flickers indicating a connection does not flicker anymore. So it was park the car outside the garage, open the side door with the key, push the button in the garage to get in. Street parking is hopeless as there is no street parking here to be had for blood money in August--and you should see how they park. Often they double park right in front of the garage entrance and you have to wait for them to move to get in. That happened today plus someone parked on the entry ramp--fortunately on the side where no one was blocked.
On the way back to the apartment she stopped off at the H10 Hotel to update her phone. Then later she returned to do the blog. She had to sign on several times because the cursor kept freezing. The internet at the hotel is very good when it works, but it does get balky at times. Presumably that occurs when too many people are using it. There is nothing like FiOS cable at home.
August 15, 2015: It's a Holiday!
This is a holiday weekend in predominantly Catholic countries in Europe as August 15th celebrates the day Catholics celebrate the Ascension of Mary into heaven. Of course, with a holiday added to the generous European vacation time, everyone takes advantage of the extra day to plan vacations/weekends around it. Since the holiday is on a Saturday not sure if they get Friday or Monday off in addition. It does mean that everyone is at the beach--and Salou is at the beach. You should see the parking--or lack of parking here. Hotels can have NO parking so the vacationer's cars park all over--including in some imaginative places. AlteCocker was told Salou is a ghost town in the winter with all the hotels closed. Right now it is packed.
AlteCocker decided to have a reading day. Other books mentioned in this blog have been finished. She worked on "Catalonia Is Not Spain" by Simon Harris and finished it. She purchased it on her Kindle during the trip when she realized she had no idea who all the people were who were in the tombs in the Poblet monastery--or who Jaime I was when she saw a monument to him in Salou. Catalonia had had a very difficult time from the central government in Madrid--which pours tons of money into Madrid and much less into Barcelona. There is a lot of resentment in Catalonia (the part of Spain from the Pyrenees to Valencia along the Mediterranean and some distance inland). There has been much anger for years. Francisco Franco attempted to eradicate the Catalonian identity--largely based on the language here. So people began to speak Catalan at home and Spanish in the street because they could be arrested for speaking Catalan! Spain has a lot of different linguistic groups. Rather than reveling in multiculturalism, the central government has been through repeated bouts of repression. So many problems in the world come from not treating minorities fairly. Just look at the news. You see a lot of Catalan flags here with a blue triangle and a star added on the left to the bars of red and gold. That triangle indicates that the person supports Catalan independence from Spain.
Catalonia also straddles the Spanish--French border divide with Catalan speakers in SW France in the area around Perpignan. In fact, about 40 years ago, AlteCocker was part of an effort to twin the French Catalan village of Ceret with Vienna, Virginia. It all got started due to a man named Robert Mercader--a man of French Catalan origin who immigrated to the US and ran a French conversation group in which AlteCocker participated. Anyway, AlteCocker has had experience with Catalonia before, but only on the French side where there has been no repression of the language (although not taught in schools) and a sort of bemused tolerance. France also has a lot of linguistic/subnationality groups. It is wise to remember that European states as we know them today were largely a product of the 19th century and cobbled together out of many subgroups. In order to create a nationality, minorities all over the continent have been either suppressed or ignored.
So much for the historical sidebar. AlteCocker hung out in Salou having a pizza in a restaurant across the street from the beach and staying there a long time because it poured. Fortunately, it cleared up in time for the religious procession. A statue of Mary from the local church was brought down to the beach in a procession lit by candles and a local band. Then, after it arrived, there was a gorgeous fireworks display. After that finished, the procession reversed itself to take the holy statue back to the church. While the fireworks were not The Mall on the 4th of July, they damn good--and AlteCocker could not have had a better place!
On the way "home" AlteCocker stopped at the H10 Hotel to check email and ended in a long conversation with a hotel employee named Macou. He is from Senegal. Most of the employees are out of work when the hotel closes for winter. AlteCocker wonders how them mange but European countries often have generous unemployment benefits. When Macou heard AlteCocker was from the US, he gushed about how he loves the US. Of course, he has never been to the US. Unlike AlteCocker, who thinks the US sometimes butts in where it should stay out, Macou thinks the US is perfect as the world's policeman because the world is such a mess. He also does not think much of China taking on that role. AlteCocker made a half hearted attempt to change Macou's mind and, after the conversation, we did the kiss on the cheeks routine--like the French--when AlteCocker finally left to sleep. Some conversations like that with Macou invariably make the best memories. Unfortunately, AlteCocker forgot to take Macou's photo!
AlteCocker decided to have a reading day. Other books mentioned in this blog have been finished. She worked on "Catalonia Is Not Spain" by Simon Harris and finished it. She purchased it on her Kindle during the trip when she realized she had no idea who all the people were who were in the tombs in the Poblet monastery--or who Jaime I was when she saw a monument to him in Salou. Catalonia had had a very difficult time from the central government in Madrid--which pours tons of money into Madrid and much less into Barcelona. There is a lot of resentment in Catalonia (the part of Spain from the Pyrenees to Valencia along the Mediterranean and some distance inland). There has been much anger for years. Francisco Franco attempted to eradicate the Catalonian identity--largely based on the language here. So people began to speak Catalan at home and Spanish in the street because they could be arrested for speaking Catalan! Spain has a lot of different linguistic groups. Rather than reveling in multiculturalism, the central government has been through repeated bouts of repression. So many problems in the world come from not treating minorities fairly. Just look at the news. You see a lot of Catalan flags here with a blue triangle and a star added on the left to the bars of red and gold. That triangle indicates that the person supports Catalan independence from Spain.
Catalonia also straddles the Spanish--French border divide with Catalan speakers in SW France in the area around Perpignan. In fact, about 40 years ago, AlteCocker was part of an effort to twin the French Catalan village of Ceret with Vienna, Virginia. It all got started due to a man named Robert Mercader--a man of French Catalan origin who immigrated to the US and ran a French conversation group in which AlteCocker participated. Anyway, AlteCocker has had experience with Catalonia before, but only on the French side where there has been no repression of the language (although not taught in schools) and a sort of bemused tolerance. France also has a lot of linguistic/subnationality groups. It is wise to remember that European states as we know them today were largely a product of the 19th century and cobbled together out of many subgroups. In order to create a nationality, minorities all over the continent have been either suppressed or ignored.
So much for the historical sidebar. AlteCocker hung out in Salou having a pizza in a restaurant across the street from the beach and staying there a long time because it poured. Fortunately, it cleared up in time for the religious procession. A statue of Mary from the local church was brought down to the beach in a procession lit by candles and a local band. Then, after it arrived, there was a gorgeous fireworks display. After that finished, the procession reversed itself to take the holy statue back to the church. While the fireworks were not The Mall on the 4th of July, they damn good--and AlteCocker could not have had a better place!
On the way "home" AlteCocker stopped at the H10 Hotel to check email and ended in a long conversation with a hotel employee named Macou. He is from Senegal. Most of the employees are out of work when the hotel closes for winter. AlteCocker wonders how them mange but European countries often have generous unemployment benefits. When Macou heard AlteCocker was from the US, he gushed about how he loves the US. Of course, he has never been to the US. Unlike AlteCocker, who thinks the US sometimes butts in where it should stay out, Macou thinks the US is perfect as the world's policeman because the world is such a mess. He also does not think much of China taking on that role. AlteCocker made a half hearted attempt to change Macou's mind and, after the conversation, we did the kiss on the cheeks routine--like the French--when AlteCocker finally left to sleep. Some conversations like that with Macou invariably make the best memories. Unfortunately, AlteCocker forgot to take Macou's photo!
August 16, 2015: Slept In, Did Blog, Read and Hung Out
AlteCocker had good intentions about exploring Tarragona, but everything closes early on Sunday and she really got started too late to deal with it. So it was off to the H10 Hotel to another frustrating computer session. She generally uses Google Chrome, but Internet Explorer (which she detests) works better with the hotel internet, so Internet Explorer it is. There is not a lot to report for today anyway, as she woke up very late and just basically hung out and read until it was time to seek out a place for dinner. So, back AlteCocker went to the beach to look for a place. The place selected was like almost all the places on the beach. Not one of them is a place where you would go for a good meal. They are places for fancy cocktails and snacks. La Goleta--visited earlier earlier--seems to be the only really gourmet place. AlteCocker had an "oasis" cocktail which came with a sparkler to the table and two extra long straws. It had a bunch of juices and vodka in it. Then she had what was labelled as a "tapas" portion of fried squid and some garlic bread (shaped like the of a pizza but with very thin crust). A tartuffo ice cream dessert finished it off. By the way, the restaurant had a sign advertising "sellfish". The English translation gremlin strikes again!
Quite frankly AlteCocker is done with the beach walk here. She doesn't have a lot of time left and the beach is like a thousand other beaches all over the world when everyone takes a vacation at the same time--packed, filled with screaming children (in many languages!), and not very appealing. Time to do more driving around.
Quite frankly AlteCocker is done with the beach walk here. She doesn't have a lot of time left and the beach is like a thousand other beaches all over the world when everyone takes a vacation at the same time--packed, filled with screaming children (in many languages!), and not very appealing. Time to do more driving around.
August 17, 2015: VallBona de Les Monges
Yes, it is time for another monastery. Yes, AlteCocker knows they all look the same after awhile, but, heck, that is what there is to see here and the drives to the small towns where they are located (and she means very small places) are always interesting and sometimes gorgeous.
The place selected for today's adventure is Vallbona de les Monges, a nunnery in the hills west of Salou. It was a little less than an hour thanks to AlteCocker's reliable GPS. The same word appears to be used for both the male and female version of a monastery here, "monastir". This one is for women and has grand total of 8 nuns. The tour is in either Catalan or Spanish alternatively. AlteCocker's tour was supposed to be in Catalan but none of the people understood Catalan so the guide was nice enough to do the tour in Spanish followed by some bits in English. All non Spanish speakers were given little pamphlets and, since, mostly all monasteries follow the same plan, it is not hard to follow the gist of what is being said. When we enter the main church a nun with a lovely soprano voice is practicing with the organist so we have a lovely musical interlude. Jaime I's (the same guy as the one in the Salou monument) second wife--who was from Hungary--is buried in the church's nave together with one of her daughters who died on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. There are relics of some saint or other in a reliquary box.
The monastery is a mix of Romanesque with Gothic elements--as is true for almost everything here. While less impressive than Poblet, it has a really lovely feel and the town is charming. When AlteCocker exits she notices a glass maker's shop and an invitation to enter. He had some lovely reasonable items for sale but nothing AlteCocker had to purchase when she considered to the old weight and fragility in luggage problem. She takes his card. The name of the shop was March Valvet. There does not appear to be a website and the guy obviously does modernistic glass windows for churches. She wished she had a larger suitcase, but she doesn't.
Something to note: The only restaurant near the nunnery is closed on Monday and today was--of course--a Monday. So there was just a bag of almond biscottis from the nunnery shop for lunch. She headed back to Salou for some down time. On the way she passes a sign for "La Conca de Barbera" and immediately after there is a pull off on the right. It is time for some gorgeous photos of the valley and some other less gorgeous ones of the gigantic windmills on the hilltops.
The blog went up without any problems for once and it was probably going to be Jack's Place for dinner again. If she goes down to the beach to find a restaurant again, AlteCocker should be shot!
The place selected for today's adventure is Vallbona de les Monges, a nunnery in the hills west of Salou. It was a little less than an hour thanks to AlteCocker's reliable GPS. The same word appears to be used for both the male and female version of a monastery here, "monastir". This one is for women and has grand total of 8 nuns. The tour is in either Catalan or Spanish alternatively. AlteCocker's tour was supposed to be in Catalan but none of the people understood Catalan so the guide was nice enough to do the tour in Spanish followed by some bits in English. All non Spanish speakers were given little pamphlets and, since, mostly all monasteries follow the same plan, it is not hard to follow the gist of what is being said. When we enter the main church a nun with a lovely soprano voice is practicing with the organist so we have a lovely musical interlude. Jaime I's (the same guy as the one in the Salou monument) second wife--who was from Hungary--is buried in the church's nave together with one of her daughters who died on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. There are relics of some saint or other in a reliquary box.
The monastery is a mix of Romanesque with Gothic elements--as is true for almost everything here. While less impressive than Poblet, it has a really lovely feel and the town is charming. When AlteCocker exits she notices a glass maker's shop and an invitation to enter. He had some lovely reasonable items for sale but nothing AlteCocker had to purchase when she considered to the old weight and fragility in luggage problem. She takes his card. The name of the shop was March Valvet. There does not appear to be a website and the guy obviously does modernistic glass windows for churches. She wished she had a larger suitcase, but she doesn't.
Something to note: The only restaurant near the nunnery is closed on Monday and today was--of course--a Monday. So there was just a bag of almond biscottis from the nunnery shop for lunch. She headed back to Salou for some down time. On the way she passes a sign for "La Conca de Barbera" and immediately after there is a pull off on the right. It is time for some gorgeous photos of the valley and some other less gorgeous ones of the gigantic windmills on the hilltops.
The blog went up without any problems for once and it was probably going to be Jack's Place for dinner again. If she goes down to the beach to find a restaurant again, AlteCocker should be shot!
August 18, 2015: Bus Day Excursion to Valencia
AlteCocker hardly slept the night before this one. The bus left at 6:30am. So, when she woke up at 4:30am she knew would not go back to sleep--ugh! She walked over to the Lazy Wave bus adjacent to Plaza Europa and the bus pulled up as arranged. The guide was Esther--the same guide she had had for the excursion to Montserrat. The coach was full and Esther had to do the commentary in 3 languages. One time, for a few people, she added Italian. There were some Portuguese people as well, but no Portuguese on the coach. Presumably, Portuguese is one of the few languages Esther does not speak.
All the Russians, by the way, buy packages that include a lot of excursions. That is why there are so many in Russian. The Plana Bus Company, that runs these excursions, hires a lot of young people from the Baltic States for the summer as they all speak Russian and are part of the EU. That is why the Russians all go in separate buses.
The ride to Valencia took about 3 hours with a toilet/coffee stop midway. The toilet queue was massive so AlteCocker chose to be the first one in the coffee line. When the queue disappeared, she went to the toilet. The trick to tourism anywhere is to do things when people are not there.
In Valencia, some people chose to just see the old city and some paid to go to the Oceanographic (the aquarium first). AlteCocker had purchased the ticket for Oceanographica. Yes, she has been to many aquariums in the US, but this one was even better than the one in Baltimore. After about 2 hours at the aquarium we were picked up for a brief tour of downtown Valencia, which is Spain's 3rd largest city and a part of Catalonia although speaking its own dialect.
AlteCocker had two hours in Valencia on her own after the bus tour. She had some ice cream and cake to die for in Vallbona Chocolate. Then she had some tapas nearby. That left very little time for sightseeing so she just went to the Cathedral and saw what purported to be the Holy Grail and St. Vincent's arm. Then it was time to board the bus. We drove over this bridge full of flowers on the way out. We were told that they change the flowers all the time with the seasons but the bridge always has flowers. Since everyone had seen to their toilet needs in Valencia, the bus went directly back to Salou where AlteCocker crashed exhausted and happy. Yes, it was a bit much for one day, but AlteCocker brought her trusty airplane pillow and did some sleeping in both directions. Of course, if she wants to see more of Valencia, she will have to go back as a day tour just gives an overview.
All the Russians, by the way, buy packages that include a lot of excursions. That is why there are so many in Russian. The Plana Bus Company, that runs these excursions, hires a lot of young people from the Baltic States for the summer as they all speak Russian and are part of the EU. That is why the Russians all go in separate buses.
The ride to Valencia took about 3 hours with a toilet/coffee stop midway. The toilet queue was massive so AlteCocker chose to be the first one in the coffee line. When the queue disappeared, she went to the toilet. The trick to tourism anywhere is to do things when people are not there.
In Valencia, some people chose to just see the old city and some paid to go to the Oceanographic (the aquarium first). AlteCocker had purchased the ticket for Oceanographica. Yes, she has been to many aquariums in the US, but this one was even better than the one in Baltimore. After about 2 hours at the aquarium we were picked up for a brief tour of downtown Valencia, which is Spain's 3rd largest city and a part of Catalonia although speaking its own dialect.
AlteCocker had two hours in Valencia on her own after the bus tour. She had some ice cream and cake to die for in Vallbona Chocolate. Then she had some tapas nearby. That left very little time for sightseeing so she just went to the Cathedral and saw what purported to be the Holy Grail and St. Vincent's arm. Then it was time to board the bus. We drove over this bridge full of flowers on the way out. We were told that they change the flowers all the time with the seasons but the bridge always has flowers. Since everyone had seen to their toilet needs in Valencia, the bus went directly back to Salou where AlteCocker crashed exhausted and happy. Yes, it was a bit much for one day, but AlteCocker brought her trusty airplane pillow and did some sleeping in both directions. Of course, if she wants to see more of Valencia, she will have to go back as a day tour just gives an overview.
August 19, 2015: Tarragona Festes de Sant Magi
Sometimes you just luck out. Today was my day to visit Tarragona. On the bus tour, when AlteCocker said she planned to visit today, Esther mentioned there was going to be a big festival. She was right! OK, the museum AlteCocker intended to visit was closed for the fiesta but that was small potatoes considering what she got to see!
To get to Tarragona, AlteCocker took the public bus. There was a lot of confusion going as the bus boarded across the street from McDonald's--not in the big bus terminal behind it. AlteCocker thinks she missed a bus due to the confusion. The buses to Tarragona go every half hour.
She first viewed the Roman Amphitheater from above. Walking down meant you had to walk up and the up above view was fine. She also viewed Taragonna's harbor and beaches (which looked a lot less occupied and more inviting than Salou's, by the way). Then she unsuccessful tried to go into the museum only to be met with the notice that it was closed due to the holiday. This holiday is celebrated only in Taragonna. It is called "Festes de Sant Magi". The events went on from the 14th to the 19th of August. AlteCocker knew she was into a big deal event when she walked up to the Cathedral and, hey, she was in the middle of a mass of several castel teams from the area. She definitely did not belong there and it took a bit to extract herself but she was in a perfect position to view the castels--which went on one after the other. Then she meandered down to Tourist Information and picked up a paper brochure in English listing the events. A parade of the big heads was scheduled for 7:00pm and due to start in Font Square. So, AlteCocker positioned herself at the square by plopping herself down in a restaurant--ordering a granzido (icy slush nonalcoholic drink followed by dinner (gazpacho, tuna in clam sauce and tiramisu) with cava sangria (sangria with Catalan champagne in lieu of the usual wine). She dragged out dinner to maintain her seat until the big heads all came into the square for a photo opportunity. AlteCocker took a lot of photos! Some of the heads were quite bizarre--especially some of Blacks with exaggerated big lips which would have been offensive in the US. The man sitting next to me in the restaurant told me that the origins of the tradition are murky but appear to be rooted in the fights between the Catholics and Moors in medieval Spain. How that ended up in the essentiall Sambo black big heads is beyond me but those sorts of figures--and dolls can be seen in different places in Europe. All the heads have exaggerated features. As is true all over Europe, fewer people go to church. As is also true, traditions are kept up in spite of the lack of church going. It made for a spectacular photo opportunity!
The events were going to continue into the evening but AlteCocker decided she had had enough and walked down to the bus terminal where the bus to Salou was loading. No need to wait for the bus this time! Also the bus dropped off in Plaza Europa--closer to her house than McDonald's--so a lot more convenient returning home. When you learn everything, the home exchange is almost over and there is not much time left.
To get to Tarragona, AlteCocker took the public bus. There was a lot of confusion going as the bus boarded across the street from McDonald's--not in the big bus terminal behind it. AlteCocker thinks she missed a bus due to the confusion. The buses to Tarragona go every half hour.
She first viewed the Roman Amphitheater from above. Walking down meant you had to walk up and the up above view was fine. She also viewed Taragonna's harbor and beaches (which looked a lot less occupied and more inviting than Salou's, by the way). Then she unsuccessful tried to go into the museum only to be met with the notice that it was closed due to the holiday. This holiday is celebrated only in Taragonna. It is called "Festes de Sant Magi". The events went on from the 14th to the 19th of August. AlteCocker knew she was into a big deal event when she walked up to the Cathedral and, hey, she was in the middle of a mass of several castel teams from the area. She definitely did not belong there and it took a bit to extract herself but she was in a perfect position to view the castels--which went on one after the other. Then she meandered down to Tourist Information and picked up a paper brochure in English listing the events. A parade of the big heads was scheduled for 7:00pm and due to start in Font Square. So, AlteCocker positioned herself at the square by plopping herself down in a restaurant--ordering a granzido (icy slush nonalcoholic drink followed by dinner (gazpacho, tuna in clam sauce and tiramisu) with cava sangria (sangria with Catalan champagne in lieu of the usual wine). She dragged out dinner to maintain her seat until the big heads all came into the square for a photo opportunity. AlteCocker took a lot of photos! Some of the heads were quite bizarre--especially some of Blacks with exaggerated big lips which would have been offensive in the US. The man sitting next to me in the restaurant told me that the origins of the tradition are murky but appear to be rooted in the fights between the Catholics and Moors in medieval Spain. How that ended up in the essentiall Sambo black big heads is beyond me but those sorts of figures--and dolls can be seen in different places in Europe. All the heads have exaggerated features. As is true all over Europe, fewer people go to church. As is also true, traditions are kept up in spite of the lack of church going. It made for a spectacular photo opportunity!
The events were going to continue into the evening but AlteCocker decided she had had enough and walked down to the bus terminal where the bus to Salou was loading. No need to wait for the bus this time! Also the bus dropped off in Plaza Europa--closer to her house than McDonald's--so a lot more convenient returning home. When you learn everything, the home exchange is almost over and there is not much time left.
August 20, 2015: A Day Off
Sometimes, on these long trips, AlteCocker has just had it and needs to relax. That was what she did. It was a day for finishing a bunch of books and for laundry and just doing nothing. In the evening AlteCocker took herself out to a restaurant called "Poc a Poc"--just behind Danny Boy's Bar in downtown Salou. She really wanted paella but, as with other places, that is only for two. So she had grilled squid. It was whole squid cooked that way--not the little rings we often get in the US. So, it was something new--always a good thing.
august 21, 2015: Back to Tarragona
Today it was back to Tarragona to go to the Archeological Museum that had been missed on August 19th due to its being closed for the fiesta. By this time AlteCocker does know her way around the old city a bit having been there twice before. It was open. There is a film you see at the beginning that had just begun in English when she got there. Tarragona, or Tarraco to the Romans, was the capital of its Spanish province when the Roman Empire extended into Spain! So there are lots of bits and pieces leftover from the Romans--not just the Amphitheater she viewed previously. Many of the best bits were in the museum--including the much ballyhooed giant penis--a votive for the Roman god Priapus. Yes, she took a photo, but do to the light, she could not get one of the good side where there was a face on the penis. There is a lot of Roman sculpture--all collected from some local digs and some mosaics as well. After about an hour in the museum--and it was hot as hell today--she headed to a bar for some ice cold water and some tapas. She had had a gelato previously and she wasn't all that hungry. The portions were so generous, she did not finish them. Basically it was a chance to enjoy air conditioning inside the bar.
Then she decided to visit the Cathedral--and she was glad she did. The Cathedrals, palaces, (and, on this trip, monasteries) tend to meld together on trips so that you do not know where you were afterward. So, after a church or two, AlteCocker is done. The Tarragona Cathedral has recently been restored and it is just gorgeous. There is an associated museum but the air conditioning was not turned on, so no need to stay in the sauna. She did observe the air conditioning units but they were off. Perhaps not enough visitors. There were things in the museum that American museums would die to possess--which is why Americans come to Europe to see these things. To add to the atmosphere, the organist was practicing inside. AlteCocker understands that there is some saint's arm (arms seem to be big in Spain as there was one at the church in Valencia too!), but she managed to miss it. After the Cathedral, it was time to go. AlteCocker was absolutely soaked from the heat and craved a shower. So she walked down to the bus terminal and took the bus back to Salou.
Back at the house it was a quick shower and a nap. When she awoke it was 9:00pm, so she took a walk over to the H10 Hotel. It was evening and lots of people were online--which means major trouble doing the blog. She had to use internet explorer again. Grr!
Macou, who works nights, came by and gave me a big "hello". Then it was back to the blog to finish up for the day.
Then she decided to visit the Cathedral--and she was glad she did. The Cathedrals, palaces, (and, on this trip, monasteries) tend to meld together on trips so that you do not know where you were afterward. So, after a church or two, AlteCocker is done. The Tarragona Cathedral has recently been restored and it is just gorgeous. There is an associated museum but the air conditioning was not turned on, so no need to stay in the sauna. She did observe the air conditioning units but they were off. Perhaps not enough visitors. There were things in the museum that American museums would die to possess--which is why Americans come to Europe to see these things. To add to the atmosphere, the organist was practicing inside. AlteCocker understands that there is some saint's arm (arms seem to be big in Spain as there was one at the church in Valencia too!), but she managed to miss it. After the Cathedral, it was time to go. AlteCocker was absolutely soaked from the heat and craved a shower. So she walked down to the bus terminal and took the bus back to Salou.
Back at the house it was a quick shower and a nap. When she awoke it was 9:00pm, so she took a walk over to the H10 Hotel. It was evening and lots of people were online--which means major trouble doing the blog. She had to use internet explorer again. Grr!
Macou, who works nights, came by and gave me a big "hello". Then it was back to the blog to finish up for the day.
August 22, 2015: Santes Creus Monastery; Pont Del Diable
This was the last day AlteCocker could do some active sightseeing here as the home exchange is ending and she has some cleaning and packing to do before moving into Barcelona for the remainder of her stay in Europe. She is looking forward to seeing the Sagrada Familia Church and a few other things, but she won't have time to "do it all" in view of having only 5 days there.
It was off to the last of the 3 Cistercian monasteries on the monastery route here around Salou, Santa Maria de Santes Creus. Having visited 3 other monasteries this trip (this one has been overflowing with monasteries and churches), she almost passed on this one, but she is glad she didn't. Of the 3 monasteries on the Cistercian trial, Santes Creus, was the best presented (and did not follow the Spanish custom of closing for hours at lunchtime!). Instead of a tour in a language you don't understand, everyone got little booklets in his own language and used the booklets as a guide when walking around--much more effective than the guided tours. Santes Creus also has a really professional multimedia presentation in a variety of languages (AlteCocker watched it in French, as she didn't want to wait longer for the English). If no one is waiting for the language posted, they will change the language to what you need. It was just an amazing presentation. Someone invested a lot of money putting it together and you all ought to go and see it if you are in the area. There were 3 Catalan monarchs buried in the monastery church.
Parking was mildly difficult because AlteCocker had no idea where to find it and tried to park in the area reserved for either hikers or workers at the monastery (there was a bar there so they could close the area at night but who was allowed to park there beats AlteCocker). Anyway there were no spaces, so she turned around and found a road and, boom, there were parking spaces. She left the car and went back down the hill to the monastery. Finding it did not close for lunch, she decided to have lunch first.
At Santes Creus, there were plenty of options. She chose Restaurant Cal Mosso, the restaurant closest to the monastery. She went inside because there was air conditioning there. She had a Catalan version of pizza: A piece of toast with toppings on it. She chose, at the waitress' recommendation, a toast with apple and goat cheese on it. It was delicious and really a meal. She had an excellent creme Catalan over pineapple slices for dessert. Creme caramel is served as a sort of national dessert in Catalonia. It is a sort of creme brule, but much of what AlteCocker has eaten called "creme Catalan" has not been up to par. This one was absolutely delicious.
After lunch she spent about 1 1/2 hours exploring the monastery (no more monks at this one!) and taking photos. Then it was time to hit the road. Instead of returning directly to Salou, she decided to go in the other direction and ended up high in the mountains on twisty roads with nice views (no photos as she was driving though). Eventually she turned around and set her trusty GPS for the Pont del Diable outside Taragonna. The Pont del Diable is Catalonia's version of the the Pont du Gard in France--the remains of a Roman acqueduct that brought water into the city. The Romans were superb engineers. The Pont del Diable is less grand than the Pont du Gard, but still something to see!
Then it was back to Salou and dinner again at Jack's Place. AlteCocker has given up on most of the local restaurants in Salou--as you might have guessed.
It was off to the last of the 3 Cistercian monasteries on the monastery route here around Salou, Santa Maria de Santes Creus. Having visited 3 other monasteries this trip (this one has been overflowing with monasteries and churches), she almost passed on this one, but she is glad she didn't. Of the 3 monasteries on the Cistercian trial, Santes Creus, was the best presented (and did not follow the Spanish custom of closing for hours at lunchtime!). Instead of a tour in a language you don't understand, everyone got little booklets in his own language and used the booklets as a guide when walking around--much more effective than the guided tours. Santes Creus also has a really professional multimedia presentation in a variety of languages (AlteCocker watched it in French, as she didn't want to wait longer for the English). If no one is waiting for the language posted, they will change the language to what you need. It was just an amazing presentation. Someone invested a lot of money putting it together and you all ought to go and see it if you are in the area. There were 3 Catalan monarchs buried in the monastery church.
Parking was mildly difficult because AlteCocker had no idea where to find it and tried to park in the area reserved for either hikers or workers at the monastery (there was a bar there so they could close the area at night but who was allowed to park there beats AlteCocker). Anyway there were no spaces, so she turned around and found a road and, boom, there were parking spaces. She left the car and went back down the hill to the monastery. Finding it did not close for lunch, she decided to have lunch first.
At Santes Creus, there were plenty of options. She chose Restaurant Cal Mosso, the restaurant closest to the monastery. She went inside because there was air conditioning there. She had a Catalan version of pizza: A piece of toast with toppings on it. She chose, at the waitress' recommendation, a toast with apple and goat cheese on it. It was delicious and really a meal. She had an excellent creme Catalan over pineapple slices for dessert. Creme caramel is served as a sort of national dessert in Catalonia. It is a sort of creme brule, but much of what AlteCocker has eaten called "creme Catalan" has not been up to par. This one was absolutely delicious.
After lunch she spent about 1 1/2 hours exploring the monastery (no more monks at this one!) and taking photos. Then it was time to hit the road. Instead of returning directly to Salou, she decided to go in the other direction and ended up high in the mountains on twisty roads with nice views (no photos as she was driving though). Eventually she turned around and set her trusty GPS for the Pont del Diable outside Taragonna. The Pont del Diable is Catalonia's version of the the Pont du Gard in France--the remains of a Roman acqueduct that brought water into the city. The Romans were superb engineers. The Pont del Diable is less grand than the Pont du Gard, but still something to see!
Then it was back to Salou and dinner again at Jack's Place. AlteCocker has given up on most of the local restaurants in Salou--as you might have guessed.
August 23, 2015: The Home exchange Ends
Today is AlteCocker's last full day in Salou. First things first and she does the blog at the Hotel H10 midday when they are all scarfing things down at the buffet and the internet works best. The internet situation has been a thorn in AlteCocker's side here and it confirms her prejudice against people's second homes. They never have all the amenities of first homes--although her exchange apartment was very nice. The parking situation in Salou meant that she was forced into that garage--where she scraped the car. During her entire time here, she never saw an empty legal space. In fact, most of the illegal spaces were filled as well. If someone finds a space, he parks his car and leaves it there for his entire stay (generally at a hotel like the H10 which keeps his kids happy jumping up and down and on meal plans which cause him never to leave the hotel except to buy souvenirs). AlteCocker found Salou to be a very difficult base for exploration--as you may have surmised. She is not sad that she came here, but she would not be in, shall we say, a hurry to return. There are other locations that would be better for exploring the area (such as Tarragona or some inland towns away from the hubbub at the beach), but with home exchange, you take what you get and work with it. While Salou has had its challenges and negatives, on the positive site, she has learned a lot about Catalan history and Gaudi and seen a lot of interesting sites. No, it wasn't Barcelona--and she would have preferred Barcelona--but she didn't get Barcelona.