Sunday, August 05, 2007

The Spanish connection

Little miss Queensland and meself


Well after transiting through Holland and Paris I arrived in Spain, Gerona to be exact and since I didn’t call ahead, made things a bit complicated, only a bit mind you.

I learned quickly that there is no prefix of [0] in mobile numbers for Spain and hence couldn’t get through to Carlota, the girl I met in Columbia.
I found the hostel recommended by her, it was full, I went next door, it had rooms.
I went for a walk and found an Irish Coffee bar, haven’t seen one before, so it was special, I went in and didn’t order coffee.

Graffiti in Barcelona


Went kite surfing, or should I say I tagged on and that I did. After the dinner date number 2 and getting an earful all day about how I snore it was time to part ways, and off I went, I was free from other peoples problems and it felt so good, I was free.

You: So what did you do with your new found freedom you ask?
Me: I went and had a beer ‘The solution and cause of all your problems’ as Homer might quote

Then I went off and slept in an Orchard, there was a tractor roaring around, so I went for a walk, when I came back I saw this tractor with full beams come tearing up the orchard spraying and was off another way, it only took me about 10 seconds to locate my bag (which should now be insect free for the next 6 months)

Next day I went strolling expecting to find a bus, no bus, walked a long way, it was nice, easy to see I had left Holland, if you don’t have a car in Spain you’re a big nothing.

Ended up at a costal town called L’Escal, dived into a field along the way and had a sleep in a Hay field, it reminded me of a book I once read called ‘As I walked out one midsummer morning’, the book is about an English guy who walks around Spain, eating bread and cheese and drinking red wine and sleeping rough.

English girls on the party bus


The weather won’t kill you, its 28 degrees at night. Sort of European Beat generation with lots of very descriptive explanations of the Spanish countryside, Fuck off, it’s all Brown, there’s only so much you can say, it’s brown, all of it!

The next night I thought, ‘Erra I’ll rent a tent’ and so finally found a place, the charge was going to be £56, bit steep, but show me the tent, finally someone pointed at a bit of brown dirt on the ground and said ‘You can put it there’, yeah but where is the tens, no we don’t have tents, Ahhhhh, I was out of there.

That night I had a £1.80 bottle of table wine, went and had a beer in an English pub where everyone was watching and commentating on 2 dogs playing in the bar and left, they did forget to charge me too.

Slept under the stars again, I was free as a bird.

Next morning I went to Barcelona to meet Jon from Sydney, he was in Madrid. I got a basic room in a place called ‘French Hostel’ and hit the streets.

‘What a city’, ‘Fuckin’ hell’ were but some of the thoughts flashing through my brain.
I love the back streets and squares and old city, couldn’t help but think, how can 1 city have so much and we’re starving for this in Ireland, and probably just about everywhere else in the world too, truth be told.

Highlights would include
I booked a cycling tour and all times I could go, they couldn’t go, and the last time I was supposed to go, I got lost and missed them and as it turns out, I could have went a shorter way, if I could follow a map, which I really cant, so I didn’t, and I missed the tour ok ?

French guys on the party bus


Went on the party bus, good craic, met lots of people and ended up at a club (For everybody) where even the DJ was bored out of his tits, he really was, I laughed, but we all have to make money somehow, hmmmm somehow.

Went into a bar where all the drinks were displayed like the stock exchange and drinks not selling well came down in price, great idea, I’d be hanging out for a bargain, ‘Corrs light has hit rock bottom, errrrr Coors Light is hitting rock bottom, you’d have to pay me there to drink that love’

Had Coffee (Cheap too .90 cents, not like rip off Ireland), Tapas, Watched he rad skaters and boarders and practiced a bit of Spanish

Tommy Tiernan

Went on a pub crawl and met a couple from Cork who thought I looked like Tommy Tiernan, ahh, no lads, i couldnt, but he is popoular, so i suppose it's not too bad.

What else, met some Irish boys that thought they were going to be mugged by the hookers on the Ramblas, yeah nice by day, dangerous by night.
Went to the Picasso museum, lots of naughty pictures, naughty, naughty!!

Finished reading the City of gods novel, epic read

Missed the Cork V Waterford game, I was transiting through London Stanstead, got to the hostel in Dublin and tried to watch it in the hostel.

Upstairs they were watching Ferris Bewlers day off, downstairs this chick was watching CSI Miami and then informed she wanted to watch ‘Criminal minds’, I did well to say nothing, it was only the best game of the year that everyone was talking about and the game itself is our national game and is 2500 years old and oh yeah is the fastest field game in the world ( nearly forgot that bit)

I was scratchin me nuts walking through the Kilnenny Castle grounds and i looked up


I wonder will they be watching CSI Miami in 2500 years, will Miami even on the map?
Flash back to ‘Catch 22’ conversation between and old French man and a young American guy "The frog is almost five hundred million years old. Could you really say that America, with all its strength and prosperity . . . will last as long as . . . the frog?", further reading ?


Back in Dublin, went to Kilmainem Jail, Saw Bully’s Acre

and then I went to Kilkenny and stayed for 2 nights, great night life and managed to see the Cork V Waterford game.

Longest running session in Kilkenny, every Monday night for over 20 years



I was very happy, the score of that game was 3-16 each, the replay is on today, today will be a good day.

Peace out

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