A Quest & the Low Season in Granada

Well at least I can say that Granada was an experience. After catching the city bus to the city centre and actually getting off at the correct stop, I managed to wander in the wrong direction, which lead to quite the adventurous route. As my research and use of maps in the previous cities hadn't steered me wrong, I thought I would be fine here too, apparently I was mistaken. So I scampered up the hill (also everything on this route was uphill and steep), weaving my way up, up and around until I reached a quasi dead end. Thankfully some bus stops have maps and even indicate which stop you are presently located at. I ended up using two different ones to give me a sense of where I was - very far west of my objective, I was. Finally, the last part of my quest was to follow a hiking path that opened up to a really good panoramic view of the city, as well as an apparent dead end, again. In reality, it was a group of hillside, gypsy homes that are caves and yards on very steep ground, just above the more typically built homes (still steep and hippy-esque).

I realized as I walked back and forth along the same route (u-turns) that bringing a neon, yellow jacket might not have been the most subtle idea for being lost. Despite all the stories that are told about gypsies/Roma (they could be true as well) I didn't have any issues despite feeling as if I were trespassing and most of the dogs held discontent attitudes towards me. I even ended up going back to one of the homes to ask one of the women how to get myself off the hill. As she had already seen me go by once when I wandered back she beconed me to come in (through the fence) and then pointed me in the right direction of the stairs down. In reality, I was practically on top of the hostel, but it still took me a good while to weave my way through the alley roads and ask for directions a few more times. In the end, I wandered for two hours across an unknown amount of kilometres with an unknown amount of kilograms stuck to my back through both a pristine, posh community and a neighbourhood of gypsy, cave homes (more like dwellings). Despite having a background that makes backpacking easier, or more usual, that trek was the closest I've dragged myself to a breaking point (that I can remember at least). Also it took me a few days to realize that I am "backpacking" because to me, I am just travelling. No heat, no problem; shared room & facilities, I have a bed with blankets and a kitchen; carry all my stuff, pack what I want; no laundry machine, soap and a sink; no dryer, use spare laces as drying apparatus; no cell plan, use Wifi for everything. All in all, it's good.

Typically to go see the Alhambra, tickets must be booked and bought in advance. I had tried to book one, but their website (well, ticketmaster) was being finicky so I chanced it and went relatively early the next morning. Thankfully, between the weather (rainy, cold), the weekday (Wednesday), and the season (low/winter), I was in luck. I was even able to get the time slot that I wanted! My plan was to join the walking tour of the city in the morning and make my way back up to Alhambra in the afternoon; however, I never managed to find the group so I went and checked out the cathedral. It is a very impressive structure, but also very cold. Every time I would run into a ray of sunlight I would pause and attempt to say in the heat - at least Granada didn't have the howling wind of Madrid. Before I went inside Alhambra, I stopped part way up and had a midday picnic. I got a few weird looks but enjoyed the sights and watched an older, gypsy lady try and sell sprigs. I even managed to both not give (say I didn't know) and give directions to people in Spanish...why those who can actually read the signs and directions need assistance was beyond me  (tourist area with lots of maps and signage). Once inside, I visited the palace, alcazar, and gardens - the latter being the least impressive, probably because by that point I was rather soggy and tired. The Alcazar provided fantastic views of the city and it's surrounding areas. The palace was an impressive Moorish styled construct and they provided information on the manner in which restaurations had been completed and the way that those currently under progress were being done.

After another day of walking and taking in the sights, I decided to take it easy and ended up reading on the couch with the dogs. The hostel was a very stereotypical backpacker lodge, not quite the chill vibe I was looking for, but overall it was good. My first night, I ended up going to see a flamenco show with one of the Aussies. It was a good time, there was one singer, one guitar player, and one dancer. The setting was pretty neat as it was a tiny white cave (typical of the area) that was only about 7 or 8 feet high.

My diet has gone somewhat downhill, I think. Between the ease of pasta and pastries, and accidently buying fruit bread for my meat and cheese sandwiches, it's been a good stack of refined food (carb/wheat). To try and compensate, I've been carrying around mandarins, and either buying baked goods or adding spinach to my food. I'm hoping  that once I get to Morocco that my diet might consist of more beans, meat, and produce.

We are now driving between Malaga and Algeciras, which is quite a scenic drive as it is along the Mediterranean coast with a number of white towns and the North African coast line in the background. I will be staying in La Linea de la Conception tonight and then walking briefly across the border to Gibraltar where I'll be spending the day before I cross the Straight into Morocco - here's to smooth sailing, in a variety of ways.

-Alex

Round 'n round in Cordoba

Let's just say that this set up is a much more awkward position than my last entry. I am currently sitting on an Alsa bus on my way to Granada, also in the south of Spain between Cordoba and the Mediterranean coast. I've spent the last couple days visiting the sights and having a random man literally woof at me, even the locals looked perplexed and I still am not sure at the reasoning. For some reason I thought that the whole fitness thing was a North American fad, but there seems  to be a good deal of Spaniards who run outside. It is slightly entertaining as they are dressed for winter running and it is above zero, but to them it feels like winter. Also having kept track of my expenses, a first for me, I've been spending an average of 40 Euro per day without limiting myself excessively!

The hostel that I stayed at this time was quite nice, but much quieter, which depending on your perspective can be a nice break. I did manage to get more sleep that way, but since I'm travelling alone it is nice to meet people through the hostel, especially in the common area and kitchen. It doesn't help that I managed to sleep through the first morning's breakfast and didn't realize that I had access to the kitchen throughout the remainder of the day. Some have asked how travelling by myself is going and so far not bad - I am travelling with an ad hoc plan, making reservations each city at a time (for the next one while I'm in the previous one) and being by myself allows me to do that with relative ease. I am looking forward however to getting back to a more vibrant hostel so that my meals and down time will be a little more interesting. During my time in Cordoba, I ate three meals in restaurants on my own and overall they were succesful, albeit pricier than I would have prefered. The first night I wandered to city for a good, long time before settling on a tiny bar, I think. I ordered a glass of wine (cost 2.5 Euro when it's possible to buy a bottle for under 2 Euro) and an slice of frittatta. The owner was rather friendly and keep offering me what he was serving the other patrons, eventually I settled on a pastry filled with seafood, tomatoes, and something else (olives?). The next day I settled on a café - coffee & ham filled pastry - and later a little restaurant - seafood paella, or risotto. A downside to  getting up and eating at strange intervals is that I am most definitely not on the Spanish schedule - small breakfast, lunch after 2, and dinner between 7-9. I was eating my paella lunch while the school kids were having their post-school day coffee - their version of afternoon teatime.

I would say that 50% of my time exploring the city involves me wandering the city streets (calle) usually in the right directino, but not always in the right sequence or following a set route. Before an exercusion, I will have an idea of where I am going and look at a map beforehand. Once I am out and about,  I will keep my map in my pocket and weave my way until I either reach my destination, find another one, or find a point of reference to make a u-turn. This town was no exception, I walked in many a circle, but also saw many hidden cornerstone I would have otherwised missed and garnered a better sense of the area.

The main appeal and attracting in Cordoba is the Mezquita - a catherdral, turned mosque, turned cathedral. The original cathedral is all but lost with the most impressive, and unique, architecture is the combination of Moorish and Christian styles. There are over 800 arches as well as the typical cathedral, ornate designs. Despite being impressive, it is slightly disappointing when you consider that every piece off the structure has been either excavated and/or refurbished, or is a replica. A neat, but eery, aspect which I think has previously evaded me is that on the floor there are stone placards of important personnel with their date of death and their exact age (down to the amount of days old that they were). I also visited the Alcazar of the Christian Monarch. The interior display was nothing spectacular, but the gardens were very well maintained and preserved. It reminded me of the gardens your read about in old literature that were within castle grounds. Throughout the city centre there are relics and artifacts from the city's long history and the myriad of ruling bodies, even the city walls are integrated into the modern city design (e.g. the highway around the city follows the path of the walls).

Arriving and leaving Cordoba were both a little hectic, so far the only times I have felt as if I am on the Amazing Race. After arriving on the train, I knew I had to go find the #3 bus (apparently the 3 in all cities is the bus that goes to the bus/train station and downtown). So as I was going through the various bus stalls, I looked up and saw the three facing the opposite direction on the other or side of the street so after a slight jump and hustle, I managed to catch it as it was about to leave! This morning went fairly smoothly, I got up and packed up my things (finally settling into place), showered, and had breakfast. On my way out the door, I said goodbye to the Dutch girl I met and forgot my water. Then as I was walking towards the bus stop, the bus went by me (think it was a couple minutes early). Thankfully the next bus was only 12 minutes behind and I had left with plenty of spare time. As we were reaching the bus and train station, I needed up hoping off the bus a stop early which meant I was a little disoriented and did a few about-turns before I pointed myself in the right direction. Getting the bus ticket was a breeze,I used the automated machine, but for some reason my credit card seems uncooperative, even after talking with the bank helpline last night. I managed to scoot across the road to the train station to find a replacement water bottle and after tossing my bag on the bus find/use the washroom before we took off.

We are pulling into Granada soon and I have quite the hike ahead of me as I chose a hostel on the top of a hill (offers a delightful view of the ctiy).

-Alex

PS: if I were to go on an actual round-the-world (RTW) trip, not only would I lose the books (for school), but also at least half my outfits and the small backpack (which other than the plane ride I have not used and currently have it strapped to my ruck). Which means, some things might be getting the heave-ho after my semester.

A quick tour of Madrid

Now I find myself awaiting the departure of the Renfe AVE train from the Atocha station in Madrid. It seems that European transports enjoy playing classical music for their occupants, although this one feels a little more like jarring elevator music. I decided to splurge on this train ride as it only takes two hours versus the six hours in bus; which if I had ample time would be ok. The big downside is that the train costs 64 Euros, whereas the bus would have cost 15. It is a large difference, but between keeping my spending down (Madrid, including this train ride, cost 175 Euros) and "living-life-to-the-fullest", I took the train. Sidenote, I was looking for water this morning and ended up finding a vending machine that sold water and was slightly disappointed as I thought it would only be a small one, but it sold 1.5L bottles (I decided not to travel with a water bottle - partly space, partly the need for bottled water come Morocco)!

I am on my way to Cordoba in the south of Spain, the Andalusian region. Having skipped Barcelona due to time constraints and visited most of Madrid's main attractions, I am looking to spend a good portion of my time in Spain visiting the architecture and history of the Moorish times (Islamic). Overall,  my time in Madrid has been well spent with some needed down times; however we are still a little short on hours of sleep.

My first day in Madrid, I worked my way around the airport which involved taking the shuttle bus between terminals as I failed to find the Metro access at the first one. Once I found the station, it was a relatively simple process of getting my ticket from an automated machine with clear instructions - pick "ticket" then select the Metro line you want to take and the last station that you want to get off at (in Spanish). Upon completion it spits out a little ticket that you next pop into the entrance booth. Even having to switch lines on my way to the hostel wasn't a big issue as everything is clearly lablelled. However, there were those who were much more lost looking than I, but I am inclined to say that the research I did on the way to Spain helped. As well , luck must have been on my side as when I popped out of the Metro I managed to wander down the right street until I found the proper street number and entrance (a typical apartment door)! As soon as I got to the hostel and was shown around, I decided the best way to start my trip in Spain was to have a siesta! Three hours later and rather groggily, I ended up going for a quick walk to a local park with a panoramic view of the city and then grabbing some groceries.

Staying in the hostel with access to a kitchen is a definite bonus, not only is it cheaper, but usually healthier and more communal, especially compared to some folks' MacDonald's choice. So far my typical breakfast has been two fried eggs, two pieces of toast, a few mandarins, a yogurt, and a packaged cappuccino. Lunch I have either come back to the hostel or brought with me; either way a few small sandwiches of bread, jamon, and cheese along with some more mandarins and a coffee. Dinners have been a little more varied - tapas & mojitos one night and pasta another. My pasta was simple, or so I thought, apparently using three ingredients - pasta, cream, and spinach plus spices - counts as a fancy meal and I must say that it turned out rather spectacular (albeit too much and not great when it has cooled down). Tapas, along with jamon, is a very Spanish meal. A few of us had heard about this place where when you bought a drink (typically beer, but we got motjitos) you received a plate of food (known as tapas). As there were three of us, we received three plates of food! The food included risotto/paella, cheese & jamon with bread, potato & egg salad on bread, chicken wings (dry in a good sense), and frittata. By no means is it supposed to be anything fancy, but it is indeed delicious and filling. Although a quasi meal, it is not somewhere you stay for long - it is standing kind of venue with typically glaring lights and loud conversations, also the floor is littered with used napkins (perfectly acceptable and expected). We finished the night at an Irish pub that played Spanish and American pop hits, and offered Guinness and Murphy's; what I would call atypical but a good time! Overall, despite choosing economic and healthy (ish?) it had been quite tasty and interesting.

Sadly, the weather hasn't been very cooperative. I had expected Madrid to not been toasty or necessarily sunny, but it has been rather chilly and wet - à la Vancouver or London - but with lots of wind. Despite being between 0 and 10 degrees, the Finnish girl and I agreed that we found it cold, even after coming from colder climates. Nevertheless, I spent a good chunk of my time in Madrid walking the city - only one very soggy occasion, but thankfully, due to a technical wardrobe, dried off relatively quickly. On that note, I have so far been pleased with what I brought with me only being saddened by the fact that this morning after packing I realized that I indeed did not pack "light". By no means did I pack "heavy", but there's a good 10+L that I wish I didn't have in my pack. At this point I'm going to leave it as is until I get completely fed up with it or figure out what I could 'lose' as I can still huff around with relative ease (not grace) and I don't have a pack on my front (only a side satchel).

As I mentioned, I have walking everywhere, except the airport and train station, as the city centre (and all the main attractions) is extremely walkable being only about 2.5 km maximum one way. After walking and standing all day, it gets a little tiring but is worth it - especially considering the amount of time I spent sitting in transport, and eating. On my first full day in the city, I managed to wake up at 1000, after spending an hour in the early morning tossing and turning, which gave me a later start to the day than I was hoping for and meant that I would have to take the afternoon walking tour. I ended up going with one of the Americans at the hostel. The way that these tours works is that there is no initial fee (therefore "free"), but at the end of the tour they ask for tips as the tours are the guides' actual jobs. Overall it was interesting as it provided a bit of the history of the city as well as the sights. One my second full day, I perused two of the main museums - the Sofia and el Prado. Sofia is the contemporary gallery, including the works of Picasso and Salvador. Although postmodern art is not my thing, it was well worth the time and perplexion. While waiting for the free admission to start (14 Eur otherwise), I meandered through the el Retiro Park which was rather lovely, very manicured, and quiet, presumably because the weather. The el Prado was definitely more my style with the grand, wall-sized paintings and Roman/Greek/etc statues - lots of mixes as most of the heads were recommisioned after their initial creation. Either way it was a day full of art, history, u-turns, and standing.

Well I should be arriving in Cordoba shortly, especially since we've been racing along at up to 296 km/h! My next blog entry should be when I'm on my way to Granada.

-Alex

PS: pictures will be in short supply until I get a system for moving my camera pictures onto my tablet, currently using limited tablet and phone pics.

And I'm off!

I am currently sitting in a British Airways plane somewhere over the Atlantic; my eleventh crossing, and by far not the longest flight - a 14 hours jaunt between Dubai and Washington DC in 2012 holds that record. Once again I have packed up my life and put everything in storage, completed most of my to do list, and left what I failed to complete with those I leave behind. This voyage has been in the making for the past 8 years so every time I came up with reasons why not to go, I reminded myself that I really ought to suck it up and go! Also, as one who dislikes 'endings', leaving is always the hardest part for me and this case was no exception.

Departure day was relatively uneventful, other than waiting for a pair of hard-to-find Birkenstocks to arrive in the mail and my third trip to MEC in the past three days. I packed what I would consider a perfectly respectable load for a year of travel - a 50L pack, an 20L small backpack, and a 10L sidebar - all reasonably packed with plenty of wiggle room. Compared to the last time I left the country, I can actually carry everything and move more than a shuffle at the time! Here's a summed up list of what I have packed:
3 pairs of shoes: runners, sandals, and flats;
gym & yoga attire (no mat or shaker bottle);
2 pairs of pants: black cargo & skinny jeans;
1 long skirt (also used as a dress);
1 pair of leggings;
a bunch of t-shirts & long sleeve shirts;
2 dresses (used as tunics);
1 light jacket;
1 light shrug;
2 scarves;
2 belts;
1 bathing suit;
1 hat;
2 books (dictionary & besherelle);
tablet, keyboard, ipod, phone, camera; and
universal adapter, notebook, headlamp, work gloves, letterman, first aid kit.
This is by no means a complete list, but more so an overview to show how the stuff I will be lugging around is lighter than it would have been without any thought. That being said, my storage locker is 10'x10'...

The most common question - despite the lengthy long-term travel literature stating that most people would ask what I was thinking - was what my plans were? Those who are familiar with how I function would assume that there was a well-laid itinerary; however, that was not the case this time. I do nevertheless have a general idea and outline of how I envision 2014. Part of the reason that I have left my plans as general outlines is so that if (when) opportunities arise, I will be able to pursue them.

The year is divided into three legs: first, a brief few weeks to explore Spain and Morocco; second, move to Jordan and a semester to complete my undergraduate degree; and lastly, the remaining eight months going through Turkey, Greece, and the Baltics to end in Poland for Christmas. The second leg ought to occur between February and May with a base in Amman. The third leg is intended as a period of volunterring, WWOOFing, and trips with friends. Having left Canada with only a ticket booked to Madrid, there is plenty that I have left to plan, organize, and haphazardly assemble. However the year ends, I am sure there will be lots to reminisce about and to share with you.

Those who have asked what my plans post 2014 entail probably have just as good of an idea as I do at this time. Whether I get a Class B/go Reg Force, enrol in a masters, or start another career is still up in the air and I am planning to leave it hanging there for most of the year to see what comes up and what I want at that point.

As I finish up this first blog, on the move, most other passengers are curled up with their standard flight pillow, blanket, and TV; I however am still in Pacific Standard time and have a feeling that when I reach my hostel in Madrid (booked while I was sitting in Toronto waiting for my second of three flights) I might benefit from a nap before I send myself out for a city walk to get lost and discover the city!

Adios (...my Spanish is a little rusty, despite brushing up on the basics in Ecuador) .

-Alex

PS: made it to the hostel via the metro in time for siesta!