So excited to go to Spain. Our first stop was Alicante, Spain. We arrived in Alicante around 3. We booked everything online, so you can only go on what the websites provide you. Which as you will read from our entire Spain experience is definitely not all what it was made out to be. We took a taxi to our hotel, which was in the middle of no where. (but claimed to be within walking distance to the centre of town). At least our room was excellent, like a small apartment. Two rooms, two bathrooms, kitchen with all of the appliances and a deck. Which happened to look out onto a private British school, that I am pretty sure never had classes as there were always kids outside running around! We learned which bus to take into town. It didn't take long to realize that not many people spoke or understood English. (I guess this is just a tourists assumption). So we just pointed on a map to the driver where we wanted to go, and he charged us whatever I think he wanted. We wondered around, trying to find the beach. It wasn't too bad being lost as it was beautiful. We walked along the Mediterranean sea and people watched. We came upon the beach, where we saw no shortage of topless sunbathers. I finally put my feet into the Mediterranean for the first time in my life. Wow, was it cold! We found a place to sit outside and enjoy the late afternoon sun. From here, we thought we would walk into more of the centre of town to find a grocery store. There is nothing like shopping in a store that all you can do is rely on the pictures on the packages. I am not sure how many times we asked one another, what do you think this is. I know this though, wine in Spain is cheap as chips. You could get a bottle of red wine for less than a euro! We also bought a 40 of vodka for 10 euros! This is like 8 pounds, which is like 11 dollars! After stumbling through the store, buying what we thought would be eatable things we got back onto the bus. Well we missed our stop and ended up going on a little detour. The bus stopped and turned off at one point. Umm, Mr Bus driver we need to get back to our hotel! Try getting that across to someone that doesn't understand you. I showed him our hotel card which he thankfully smiled, but he did manage to get us to pay again because it was like we were taking a new trip. We made it back, made some sandwiches watched some Spanish Tv and then went to bed. I should mention what was thought to be salt and pepper turned out to be sage and garlic salt!
Day 2, hello sun! Mom and I were all over our bathing suits, grabbing our books and heading down to the pool. Oh sorry, the pool isn't open for another week! What! Back to the room, got ready and headed into town again. This time we sat in the sun and had a mojito right along the beach. Mom and grandma went to tour the castle and I found a spot on the beach and had a nap! How is this not lush, I could handle this life! After mom and grandma had finished there touring we went to have a drink at a pub. For some reason they are not able to make cocktails until after 6. You can only consume beer or wine before hand. Which I didn't understand considering we had just has a mojito by the beach. But, whatever, you can't really ask why when the person doesn't know what is being asked. No one was in the mood to do much shopping we were interested in finding an Italian place for dinner, but found the grocery store before a restaurant. So it was decided that we would just make spaghetti and meat sauce back at the hotel. Mom and grandma went across the street to a hotel to sit and relax and I went back into the unknown at the grocery store. I had more older men say hi to me then I have ever had in any other venue! Flattering, but if you are closer to the age of retirement or are retired I think you may be a little old for me! We made our way back to the hotel, getting off at the right stop this time, so it took 15 minutes instead of 45 minutes. We made probably the best spaghetti and sauce then we have ever made before. The garlic toast was good too, thanks to the garlic salt I bought yesterday! There is nothing like stuffing yourself at 9 at night and then going to bed at 1030. You are guaranteed to have an excellent sleep!
Day 3, beach! We headed directly to lay in the sun! Lovely! All three of us just laid there for the afternoon soaking up as much as we could. This was probably the most relaxing day of the entire trip. Since it is normal to be topless on the beach in Spain I figured I should try to live like a local! (ya right, but I did change into my bra and knickers on the beach!) (please note, I wasn't the only one in my family to do this!) We did some shopping after the beach, a favourite past time of my mom's. If you have been to Spain you know how they don't measure when they make drinks. Which we quickly discovered when we stopped at this dive. Thankfully we weren't in the mood to make a night of it, or it could have been messy. Another meal back at the hotel. We sure saved money not eating dinners out, no one seemed to be bothered by it either. We knew it wouldn't be the same in Barcelona.
Day 4, early morning to make it to the train station. We had booked tickets to take the train to Barcelona so we could see some of the country side. The train was to be 5 hours and I think we were on it for 6 and a half. That was fine, I caught up on the sleep that I wasn't lacking since we had been sleeping and taking it easy in Alicante. We made it into Barcelona around 2. We had booked into a bed and breakfast again through the Internet. Well, we took a taxi to a not very nice area of the city. Not close to the centre like it claimed to be. It was in an apartment building, and in some guys flat! (It did not say this on the website, it also didn't say that the rooms were smaller than a bathroom). We got into the 'room' where there was a double bottom bunk and a single upper. We didn't have room for our suitcases and we couldn't move with the three of us. I could feel the tension and worry of both mom and grandma. I of course was feeling bad because I booked it. But I did not anticipate this. The pictures on the website were so deceiving. (Later we found out that the owner is a professional photographer!). All we wanted to do was drop our things and get out of there. The least amount of time we could spend there the better. We were given confusing directions by the landlord. We went out and of course got lost. We made it to a place that looked respectful to have a snack. The owner was fantastic, he gave us better directions and some cautionary information. We went back onto the streets, we were looking for an information booth. Supposedly marked with an eye, and supposedly all over the place. I guess I do have poor vision but really, this was ridiculous! A few hours later we came to the centre where we found information. We booked our tickets for the hop on and hop off tour that we would take tomorrow. We shared a pitcher of Sangria as we read the information about the tour and decide which stops we would want to get off. After we went into what use to be an arena where there were bull fights and now is a mall. We walked and wondered like zombies, coming upon a Mexican restaurant. We sat, enjoyed a Margarita discussed the state of our living situation. After taking a taxi back to the 'room' we stood at the door for about 15 minutes trying to turn the key to get in, I had to phone the landlord and in some way ask what was going on. I got a response in Spanish that left me just as stumped. But, it did eventually open. We made it to bed and laid in one spot trying not to disturb one another. Funny looking back, but really annoying when you are there. This was not the sort of place that grandma was use to staying.
Day 5, grandma the first up as it takes her the longest to get ready, came back from the shower and said she saw ants crawling all over the floor in the bathroom. I was like add it to the list of things wrong with this place. I didn't see any ants when I was in there, but it wasn't like I was going to say anything to grandma. We sat and ate dry toast as our breakfast at the bed and breakfast. As quickly as possible we got out of there. We did have an enjoyable day on the hop on and hop off bus tour. We stopped at several attractions including taking a cable car up to a castle, where we were able to see all of Barcelona from up the in the air. We stopped at the Gothic area of Barcelona, where a home designed by Gotti was located. We stopped and toured the Sagarda Familia, the church that was designed by Gotti and has been in the works since the early 19th century. All of the sights were interesting, some more beautiful then others. I think the most exciting event of the day though was being right centre stage for a undercover bust. We had just walked by these men selling knock off Prada and Gucci purses. I had made a comment that I could use a new purse. We stopped to get some money and the next thing we knew. There were men dressed in street clothes running with these scooped up bags and the sellers of these bags right behind. It wasn't until the cops showed there badge that we knew what was going on. Intense, but a good reality check that we needed to be aware of where we were. We stopped at a place for dinner and drinks. This again was a terrible meal, I had a veal hamburger that was so rare that I couldn't even put it in my mouth. I of course couldn't be bothered to complain. I was happy with my chips and red wine. I think that the 3 of us were just a little tired and sick of being with one another that we were all rather quiet. We took a taxi back to the 'room' as we crossed the street we saw our landlord in this dodgy restaurant. He came out and invited us in for a drink. In most cases we probably would have said no, but for some reason we seemed to be adventurous. I am not going to go into details of our experience at this place as I am trying to forget it.
Day 6, have you ever slept with ants? Well I now have. OMG! I have never seen so many ants in a bed before. It is making me gag just typing this. We were up and out of there as soon as possible. Even though our flight wasn't till 5 we showed up at the airport around 1. When we first got to the airport we emptied our suitcases and shook everything out. Yuck! Even when we were back in London we still found one or two ants on our luggage!
I guess you can probably tell which place in Spain I preferred. So many people said that I would love Barcelona, but I did not love it and I don't ever plan on going back! Don't get me wrong I saw some fantastic things, but never again. It is once again hard to describe things I've seen in words that would do it justice so I will post pictures on facebook.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
3 Generations on Vacation!
Where to start, the two weeks with my mom and grandma were jam packed with adventures. I am going to split our adventures into two post. One about England and the second about Spain. This way you won't have to read a massive long post, which you most likely would get bored with.
It was a hot day Friday the 8th of April. I wasn't too sure when mom and grandma would arrive. So I made plans to sit in the garden with a friend and drink champagne while catching some sun. Just as I was about to hit the garden, mom and grandma were on my doorstep at one in the afternoon (earlier than expected). Excited and tired from the long journey, I got there suitcases up the two flights of stairs then whisked them into the garden for a beer (and so that I could still have my champagne). Having enjoyed the sun for well over 3 hours and a bottle and then some vodka tonics, I was pleasantly happy. Mom and grandma had a small nap so they too were well refreshed. We enjoyed dinner at an Italian restaurant in Thame. Which then lead us to a local favourite of mine the James Figg, with the weather being mild we were able to be outside. Mom and grandma were both well excited to be here and they were in no way making this an early night. Grandma being grandma is always into having a dance or two, so there is only one place in Thame to Dance and that is the Black Horse. Not really the best place for grandmas but it is better than nothing. I do have a few more friends here then in the beginning so when we got to the horse we weren't really left alone. One of my younger male friends took grandma for a dance and well that just led to more dancing and wouldn't you know it, it was after 1 when we got home and after 3 when we went to bed. The first night is always the run away, right? I mean that is how it has been with my other visitors.
Day 2, we all slept in to late morning. Could be considered early afternoon! Thinking we had better do something productive we went for a walk around the town, looked in a few shops and then picked up some groceries. I was hankering for a home cooked meal by grandma. We went back to mine so that we could finalise our plans for Spain (well book it as we hadn't done any booking yet). I think I spent 4 hours on the computer, we were off to Spain on Monday. We had pork chops with mushroom soup gravy, potatoes and green beans. Yummy! Thanks grandma! After a friend showed up and we had a few drinks and laughs we headed out. We stopped at one of the pubs where there was Karaoke, it was packed. Not really the crowd that I wanted to be around, we decided to leave after one drink and head over to the Black Horse where they were having a 70s and 80s night. Well that was that, music that just makes a person happy. Again some friends took mom and grandma out to dance, everyone was happy. Great time, good pictures and some pretty funny moments! (What happens in England with your grandma stays in England!) Not as late this night, but late enough.
Day 3, another early afternoon wake up. This time, no one was wanting to move to fast. I was exhausted, I can't imagine that mom and grandma felt that great with being jet lagged and tired. I had to laugh everyone was a little stiff from all of the dancing. It was decided to go for a proper roast dinner. We all had roast beef and Yorkshire pudding which was fabulous at one of the locals! After which we decided to go for a true walk, I took them around the outskirts of town so they could get a better picture of the town I live in. Early night tonight as we were having to get up early to make it to Gatwick to make our morning flight to Spain.
I will go into Spain in the next post.
We arrived back into Gatwick on Saturday. It was late enough that all we wanted to do was get to our hotel. We checked in, had a bite to eat and then straight to bed.
Sunday we headed into London, not knowing where our hotel was, made for a lot of walking and back tracking. I felt for grandma as taking the tube in London can be overwhelming. As things move fast, and you are expected to keep up. But, it was all part of the experience. We checked our bags at the hotel once we found it. Mom and grandma went off to go tour the Tower of London. (I had already done this with dad). I kept myself busy, sitting in the sun in a park and watching the London Marathon. I also enjoyed a Newcastle Brown Ale while sitting along the River Thames! I met up with mom and grandma at the London Eye. A neat experience, but for 18 pounds not one that I would do again. We found ourselves at an Irish pub for dinner, not the greatest. Both mom and grandma were pooped after their long day so it was eat have a drink and crash. We took a tube to get closer to our hotel, but ended up taking a taxi directly to the hotel as it was just too much walking to get there after the long day. I pretended like the walk wouldn't have bothered me, but forget it I was knackered and happy to take a taxi. I should mention the hotel gave us the key to our room so we went up there to open the door and see someone elses belongings, and a messy bed. (thank goodness no one was in there, how embarrassing that could have been). The hotel didn't know what had happened, apparently if your last name is similar to someone elses they just may give away your room, really! It was a complete mix up, we did get a free breakfast the next day.
Monday saw an early rise as we wanted to make it to see the changing of the guards. Breakfast, more walking, two tubes and then more walking! We made it with little time to spare. This was the first time I had seen Buckingham Palace. Not as breathtaking as I had envisioned. The streets were lined with people. Because we weren't right against the palace gates we couldn't see everything. We did see the guards, the band and the horses coming in and going out. I took a picture of where Kate and William will come out and give their first public kiss as a married couple. Speaking of which, it is crazy here with this wedding. Everywhere you go, there is Kate and William's face. Stores all have specials on for the Royal Wedding, pubs are hosting wedding parties, there are street parties scheduled all over. The funniest thing I think I have seen so far is at a butchers, there are two cows, one wearing a bow tie and has William's face and one wearing a veil with Kate's face. (not sure, but I don't think I would like my face on the body of a cow!)
From the palace we made our way to WestMinster Abbey. The line up was at least an hour and half long, with a 16 pound admission. But, well worth it. You can tell they are very busy trying to get it ready for the big day. Cleaning and restoring, cameras being installed. Even on the street there have been bleachers added and stands for tv cameras. It was decided that we had done a significant amount of walking, waiting, standing and sightseeing so we were going to make it back to my town. We had to go back to the hotel pick up our luggage, make it to the train station, take a train and then a taxi to get back to Thame. A quiet night. rented a movie and early to bed.
Tuesday saw us up early to make it to Oxford so we could take a tour through the Cotswolds. Our first stop on the tour was at Blenheim Palace. Now this was a palace, the grounds were absolutely lush. So beautiful, the palace itself was breathtaking. This is the birth place of Sir Winston Churchill. It is still lived in by the Duke of Marlborough. Some how related there is a single male member of the family who is 34. I was looking, trust me! We had lunch in the village called Woodstock. We then left to go through some of the Cotswolds, villages including Minster Lovell, Burford, Filkins, and Bibury. I am in love with this area of England! The beauty is breathtaking. Picture perfect can't describe what I saw. Like Ireland, but because it is later in spring, more lush. How am I going to survive a winter and late spring back in Medicine Hat after seeing this! I am positive that this day has been one of my favourite! We got back into Thame in the early evening. After freshening up we went for Chinese. I was missing some of my friends so we went for a few after dinner drinks. Mom and grandma left me earlier and went home to sit up into the wee hours of the morning setting the world straight.
Wednesday, finally a day off of touring! We slept in and had a very slow start to the day. Mom and grandma went shopping and I tried to get a few things done around the flat. Grandma came back to have a lay down so I went with mom to continue her shopping and to get some groceries for dinner. It was the last night for mom and grandma in my town. We made another one of my favourite family suppers. Sweet and sour meatballs! We stayed in for the night, which was perfect as we knew that Thursday was another big day.
Thursday, mom and grandma packed up their stuff. I packed an additional bag for mom to bring home for me as it is time for me to downsize here. We went to London via train. By this time, mom and grandma had had enough of dragging suitcases on the tube so we just took a taxi to out hotel. I have never been in a place that the streets are so packed with people. It was overwhelming. It almost takes the fun out of things when you are having to be so conscious of all that is coming around you. We did a little shopping but were turned off as the crowds just made it unbearable. Tonight was our theatre night. After making ourselves look gorgeous we headed to the Victoria Palace Theatre where we saw Billy Elliot. This was absolutely wonderful. I recommend it to anyone! I was blown away by the dancing of all of the children. I liked the movie but this was ten times better! Mom and grandma really enjoyed it too. If I have the opportunity to see this show again, I will for sure!
Friday, this is goodbye. It was an early morning as mom and grandma were taking a bus to the airport to catch their plane. It was another sad goodbye, but in reality I am going to be home sooner than later so it was more like I will see you soon.
I really appreciated having had both mom and grandma share in my experience this year. It is not something that I think many people can say they have had. Three generations sharing in laughs and tears as we experience many things together. I am so proud of my grandma she is one amazing women. I think I was more tired than her throughout our trip! There are no words to describe how thankful I am of my mother. She is an amazing woman and I am so grateful for all that she has done for me! I know my experience would not have been the same had both of them not made the trek across the pond to be with me!
It does help that we had great weather the entire time. I am not sure that England is as cold and as rainy as people claim it to be, I think they just say that so that not everyone wants to live here.
It was a hot day Friday the 8th of April. I wasn't too sure when mom and grandma would arrive. So I made plans to sit in the garden with a friend and drink champagne while catching some sun. Just as I was about to hit the garden, mom and grandma were on my doorstep at one in the afternoon (earlier than expected). Excited and tired from the long journey, I got there suitcases up the two flights of stairs then whisked them into the garden for a beer (and so that I could still have my champagne). Having enjoyed the sun for well over 3 hours and a bottle and then some vodka tonics, I was pleasantly happy. Mom and grandma had a small nap so they too were well refreshed. We enjoyed dinner at an Italian restaurant in Thame. Which then lead us to a local favourite of mine the James Figg, with the weather being mild we were able to be outside. Mom and grandma were both well excited to be here and they were in no way making this an early night. Grandma being grandma is always into having a dance or two, so there is only one place in Thame to Dance and that is the Black Horse. Not really the best place for grandmas but it is better than nothing. I do have a few more friends here then in the beginning so when we got to the horse we weren't really left alone. One of my younger male friends took grandma for a dance and well that just led to more dancing and wouldn't you know it, it was after 1 when we got home and after 3 when we went to bed. The first night is always the run away, right? I mean that is how it has been with my other visitors.
Day 2, we all slept in to late morning. Could be considered early afternoon! Thinking we had better do something productive we went for a walk around the town, looked in a few shops and then picked up some groceries. I was hankering for a home cooked meal by grandma. We went back to mine so that we could finalise our plans for Spain (well book it as we hadn't done any booking yet). I think I spent 4 hours on the computer, we were off to Spain on Monday. We had pork chops with mushroom soup gravy, potatoes and green beans. Yummy! Thanks grandma! After a friend showed up and we had a few drinks and laughs we headed out. We stopped at one of the pubs where there was Karaoke, it was packed. Not really the crowd that I wanted to be around, we decided to leave after one drink and head over to the Black Horse where they were having a 70s and 80s night. Well that was that, music that just makes a person happy. Again some friends took mom and grandma out to dance, everyone was happy. Great time, good pictures and some pretty funny moments! (What happens in England with your grandma stays in England!) Not as late this night, but late enough.
Day 3, another early afternoon wake up. This time, no one was wanting to move to fast. I was exhausted, I can't imagine that mom and grandma felt that great with being jet lagged and tired. I had to laugh everyone was a little stiff from all of the dancing. It was decided to go for a proper roast dinner. We all had roast beef and Yorkshire pudding which was fabulous at one of the locals! After which we decided to go for a true walk, I took them around the outskirts of town so they could get a better picture of the town I live in. Early night tonight as we were having to get up early to make it to Gatwick to make our morning flight to Spain.
I will go into Spain in the next post.
We arrived back into Gatwick on Saturday. It was late enough that all we wanted to do was get to our hotel. We checked in, had a bite to eat and then straight to bed.
Sunday we headed into London, not knowing where our hotel was, made for a lot of walking and back tracking. I felt for grandma as taking the tube in London can be overwhelming. As things move fast, and you are expected to keep up. But, it was all part of the experience. We checked our bags at the hotel once we found it. Mom and grandma went off to go tour the Tower of London. (I had already done this with dad). I kept myself busy, sitting in the sun in a park and watching the London Marathon. I also enjoyed a Newcastle Brown Ale while sitting along the River Thames! I met up with mom and grandma at the London Eye. A neat experience, but for 18 pounds not one that I would do again. We found ourselves at an Irish pub for dinner, not the greatest. Both mom and grandma were pooped after their long day so it was eat have a drink and crash. We took a tube to get closer to our hotel, but ended up taking a taxi directly to the hotel as it was just too much walking to get there after the long day. I pretended like the walk wouldn't have bothered me, but forget it I was knackered and happy to take a taxi. I should mention the hotel gave us the key to our room so we went up there to open the door and see someone elses belongings, and a messy bed. (thank goodness no one was in there, how embarrassing that could have been). The hotel didn't know what had happened, apparently if your last name is similar to someone elses they just may give away your room, really! It was a complete mix up, we did get a free breakfast the next day.
Monday saw an early rise as we wanted to make it to see the changing of the guards. Breakfast, more walking, two tubes and then more walking! We made it with little time to spare. This was the first time I had seen Buckingham Palace. Not as breathtaking as I had envisioned. The streets were lined with people. Because we weren't right against the palace gates we couldn't see everything. We did see the guards, the band and the horses coming in and going out. I took a picture of where Kate and William will come out and give their first public kiss as a married couple. Speaking of which, it is crazy here with this wedding. Everywhere you go, there is Kate and William's face. Stores all have specials on for the Royal Wedding, pubs are hosting wedding parties, there are street parties scheduled all over. The funniest thing I think I have seen so far is at a butchers, there are two cows, one wearing a bow tie and has William's face and one wearing a veil with Kate's face. (not sure, but I don't think I would like my face on the body of a cow!)
From the palace we made our way to WestMinster Abbey. The line up was at least an hour and half long, with a 16 pound admission. But, well worth it. You can tell they are very busy trying to get it ready for the big day. Cleaning and restoring, cameras being installed. Even on the street there have been bleachers added and stands for tv cameras. It was decided that we had done a significant amount of walking, waiting, standing and sightseeing so we were going to make it back to my town. We had to go back to the hotel pick up our luggage, make it to the train station, take a train and then a taxi to get back to Thame. A quiet night. rented a movie and early to bed.
Tuesday saw us up early to make it to Oxford so we could take a tour through the Cotswolds. Our first stop on the tour was at Blenheim Palace. Now this was a palace, the grounds were absolutely lush. So beautiful, the palace itself was breathtaking. This is the birth place of Sir Winston Churchill. It is still lived in by the Duke of Marlborough. Some how related there is a single male member of the family who is 34. I was looking, trust me! We had lunch in the village called Woodstock. We then left to go through some of the Cotswolds, villages including Minster Lovell, Burford, Filkins, and Bibury. I am in love with this area of England! The beauty is breathtaking. Picture perfect can't describe what I saw. Like Ireland, but because it is later in spring, more lush. How am I going to survive a winter and late spring back in Medicine Hat after seeing this! I am positive that this day has been one of my favourite! We got back into Thame in the early evening. After freshening up we went for Chinese. I was missing some of my friends so we went for a few after dinner drinks. Mom and grandma left me earlier and went home to sit up into the wee hours of the morning setting the world straight.
Wednesday, finally a day off of touring! We slept in and had a very slow start to the day. Mom and grandma went shopping and I tried to get a few things done around the flat. Grandma came back to have a lay down so I went with mom to continue her shopping and to get some groceries for dinner. It was the last night for mom and grandma in my town. We made another one of my favourite family suppers. Sweet and sour meatballs! We stayed in for the night, which was perfect as we knew that Thursday was another big day.
Thursday, mom and grandma packed up their stuff. I packed an additional bag for mom to bring home for me as it is time for me to downsize here. We went to London via train. By this time, mom and grandma had had enough of dragging suitcases on the tube so we just took a taxi to out hotel. I have never been in a place that the streets are so packed with people. It was overwhelming. It almost takes the fun out of things when you are having to be so conscious of all that is coming around you. We did a little shopping but were turned off as the crowds just made it unbearable. Tonight was our theatre night. After making ourselves look gorgeous we headed to the Victoria Palace Theatre where we saw Billy Elliot. This was absolutely wonderful. I recommend it to anyone! I was blown away by the dancing of all of the children. I liked the movie but this was ten times better! Mom and grandma really enjoyed it too. If I have the opportunity to see this show again, I will for sure!
Friday, this is goodbye. It was an early morning as mom and grandma were taking a bus to the airport to catch their plane. It was another sad goodbye, but in reality I am going to be home sooner than later so it was more like I will see you soon.
I really appreciated having had both mom and grandma share in my experience this year. It is not something that I think many people can say they have had. Three generations sharing in laughs and tears as we experience many things together. I am so proud of my grandma she is one amazing women. I think I was more tired than her throughout our trip! There are no words to describe how thankful I am of my mother. She is an amazing woman and I am so grateful for all that she has done for me! I know my experience would not have been the same had both of them not made the trek across the pond to be with me!
It does help that we had great weather the entire time. I am not sure that England is as cold and as rainy as people claim it to be, I think they just say that so that not everyone wants to live here.
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