Spain - March '05 (part uno)

I was looking back at some old emails, and came across a few funny ones I had sent to my family while I was travelling in Spain this past March. My sister celebrated her 5th-year anniversary in Sevilla at the same hotel that hosted their wedding. It was basically an excuse for a fun weekend of partying w/ 20 friends in Europe. I continued by myself to Cordoba, Madrid and Barcelona. It was a great trip, for the most part, but I decided from this vacation in particular that it'd be the last time I travel alone - at least, for a while. It's just not as fun, or safe for a girl alone, for that matter.

So, when I wrote these emails - which was tough enough just finding an internet connection - my family thought some parts were so funny, I should make my trips more of a business by writing humorous travel books. Now, I don't know if they were that good, but at least they amused the family... So here I share my embarrassing tribulations for your amusement. Enjoy!

Sent: Friday, March 11, 2005 5:12 PM
Subject: Greetings from Barcelona!

Oy!

It´s been an overcast, freezing, and freezing-cold-rainy day (9 degree C? Felt like 0.). Arrrgghhh! Kind of speaks to the kind of chaos I´ve had to deal with my B&B situation. It started with me emailing to notify them of my flight arrival info 2 days before going to Barcelona, since they mentioned in the reservation to contact them w/ that info. The next day (on which I didn´t check email) they responded, saying they had a problem w/ my reservation, changing my location, but that I´d have a double en-suite room w/ full bath and kitchen & living room, which was an upgrade from my orig reservation. Thank goodness I was able to check email a few min before my flight from Madrid b/c of the new B&B address...

I get to Barcelona, and no one is there to greet me outside the apt. The store next door won´t let me use their phone, and it´s already 30 min. past the time I said I´d arrive. I find a payphone, call, re-call, re-call, etc. I get ¨try again later¨, then busy signal, then busy again, then finally get through. At this point I'm out of change. A woman is sort of yelling in English,¨I´m coming - my cell phone battery is about to die, but I´m on my way!¨ So I say I´ll be waiting. Another 20 min passes and I´m nearly peeing my pants. Seriously. And all the while, I´m thinking, [my sister] would be laughing at me right now. I don´t know, just feel like it´d be a judgement thing. Anyway, I´m also thinking all the while, if they ever arrive, how would [my sister's husband] handle this - meaning, effectively make them feel like crap w/o actually sounding mad or yelling. Well, all I could manage at this point was to pretty much start crying. I had to pee, after all! I thought, could I find a hotel that wouldn´t charge 200 Euros at this late hour? I couldn't even find a bathroom!

Anyway, a guy finally shows up almost 1 hour late - Eduardo - extremely (I mean damn!) handsome, and extremely embarrassed & apologetic. He doesn´t have the keys, and can´t reach the girl who does. So, long story short, he brings me up to an apt very similar, but is being worked on by the handyman. Apt looks like straight out of IKEA (and actually is...). Very nice, interesting. Says we´ll put you up here for the night. I say, I really don´t want to have to switch over again (keeping [my brother-in-law's] ¨stick-to-it-tiveness¨ in my head), and I also ask about the en-suite, since he´s showing me the room that has to share a bathroom w/ another room. I told him about the email I got, and finally convinced him. He puts me there, gives me keys, shows me on my map stuff to see & avoid for the next day, etc. and leaves. I decide not to go out for dinner, to just get into bed & read book. I´m in pajamas... and the girl rings the bell (she´s with the handsome fella), and chats me up about the "mix-up", tries to get me to agree to move again tomorrow, but I'm not budging. I'm tired & embarrassingly in my PJs, and they left me out in the cold, dark & strange city all by myself for nearly one hour w/ suitcases in hand on the street, no bathroom in site... very unprofessional for a B&B. She's a bit more stubborn than Eduardo, but the facts convince her.

Anyway, lovely room, and I start trying to go to sleep - and I hear keys in the door. So, turns out other guests (I met them this evening - nice couple from Germany) are put in one of the shared-bathroom rooms. Weird, no? And the guy opens my bedroom door & quickly closes it when he realizes he sees me in bed!

So, this evening I finally check my email, and find that either Eduardo or Paula (the girl) have written a brief ¨hope you are really enjoying the place¨ email - no other words. And I respond with a lot of thanks (in preparation for my soft-tone tirade about to come...). I re-iterate why they need locks on the bedroom doors - not just the surprise stranger last night, but also today I found the apt door open & lights on, but no one inside. Just open there for anyone to come in & steal stuff. I also mentioned the funny smell in my bedroom & bathroom (I think I just realized that what I believe is probably glue or some other handyman´s material smells strangely similar to the seafood at the open-air market).

Stop laughing at me, [sister]. This didn´t happen to me b/c I´m cheap! Yes, I found them on RatesToGo, but they had good reviews & great photos. And the 2 other places I stayed at turned out more or less OK. This apt IS beautiful. The young folks running the business are IDIOTS. Not everyone is rich, my dear, and some of us have to save up for a year in Israel, possibly unemployed. So, gggrrrrrrrrr to you!!! ;-)

I´m hoping tomorrow is SUNNY. Enough gloom & freeeeeeezing!! I´m going to buy the 2-day tour bus pass, since it takes you everywhere, practically, for 21 Euro. That´ll allow me to do all the tour stuff Sat & Sun (want to see all the Gaudi stuff), and leave Monday for shopping & relaxing (my feet are dead!! muscle spasms daily). I walked a lot today, down to the harbor & up through some of the Barrio Gotic. The old bullring doesn´t seem to even have off-season tours, unfortunately. I walked there (2 mi each way) b/c the tour bus doesn´t have it on its path. I also went to the Picasso museum - I thought it was great - a lot of his stuff from age 14-19 (though they don´t let you take photos like they do in the Prado Museum, those meanies...).

OK, enough finally!! Hope you enjoyed my trials & tribulations. I´ll need a foot-spa soak when I return, for sure. Love,
- me