A weekend in Spain

A Spanish experience

Ever since I got to know about world map, I had a few places in my mind that I always wanted to visit and Spain was one of them. Until 3 years back, I was not even in a position to think about stepping outside India. Call it the education loan, job or maybe I was too busy exploring India that I could never imagine myself going out.
Before writing down my travel log, I would like to reassure myself that though I love motorcycling but I don’t want the below stereotype that comes with a biker:

Ø  If you are a rider (Moto biker), you should not go anywhere using public transport or other means of transport. If you are doing so means you are saving fuel costs or you are not that man with steel balls kind of poser:

Again – To hell with those who buy a fancy bike to polish it, clean it daily and take it out to go to their office or for some picnic or post encouraging quotes and pictures, without experiencing anything. If such people think they are bikers - get into a circus or see a psychiatrist. I use my motorbike for highways and often use a bicycle to commute to office to keep myself fitter or public transport to travel to places where I can reach easily.

Traveling solo – which is something I have stopped even talking about as whenever I meet a new person (Indian) and tell him about my solo ventures or plans I am hit by that same comment – Don’t you get bored, kisi ko sath le k jao. I control a current that goes in my veins at that moment and somehow I convert this negative energy to make myself look like a victim of loneliness in front of others. I always say – ‘What should I do, no one accompanies me, and maybe I am a boring guy or may be people don’t like my company.’ The other person becomes happy on this thought of him being accompanied by a group and lives in his own web of being loved and cared for and I move ahead leaving him back to his illusive world.

Ok – So now back to Spain thing. One fine evening in Germany, I was browsing websites on Spain and saw a few places I could cover in 3 days, booked my flight immediately and was ready to see Girona and Barcelona along with some other places. On Friday – 13^th June, I kept waiting for a bus scheduled to pick me at 15:15 from bus stop in Bochum but the bus arrived at 17:00 hours. Just to mention, there was a storm on Monday and all train routes to Bochum were blocked, so getting out by bus was the most feasible thing. As I boarded bus, I was a little nervous of missing my flight to Girona from Cologne, but in a few hours I was there at the airport, ready to catch my Ryan Air budget flight.

At 22:15 I landed in Girona in Spain, and called my CS host who lived in Sant Feliu De Guixols, a beautiful coastal town at some 20-25kms away from Girona. I came to Girona city from airport but only got to know that next bus to SF De Guixols is in morning 6:30 am. So I told Ngoc (my Vietnamese host in Spain) that I will see him in morning as I am stuck in city. I came back to airport, it was 11pm by then and I took out my towel, spread it there on the floor and slept (yes I was tired to search for a budget hotel). It was a good sleep and at 5 am I woke up and went to Girona city centre again where I met Ngoc. He was going to Budapest that morning and after some conversation handed over his flat keys to me and showed me his building on google maps. I was feeling fresh so I thought of exploring some places before heading to Sant Feliu de Guixols.

I took a public bus and reached Banyoles and had breakfast there, roamed around the lake, clicked few pictures and from there I thought of going further ahead towards Andorra. Yes, on bus – for a moment – but no – No bus, why not try hitchhiking I thought. At that moment I was not sure but then I walked and walked and walked and reached the highway where I could wave my hand and try stopping vehicles for a lift. After 4-5 attempts a car stopped with a man in his forties. He asked me where I want to go, I only knew of a place Olot so I said Olot. He said ok, come. I tried to have conversation with him but he kept speaking Spanish and I could only understand that he goes 20 kms ahead of Olot towards Andorra. When he stopped at Olot, I asked him I would come to his town with him as I had no such place in mind, it was just that I wanted to get lost anywhere.

The road was beautiful after Banyoles, there were mountains, greenery and beautiful countryside houses and farms. I never thought of all the places in Spain, I would end up in such a mountainous terrain. And when I got down at Ripoll, I got to know Andorra is further 100 kms ahead so I dropped the plan of going there. Now I was in middle of a place I knew nothing about, a few camera clicks and was back on highway. At that moment I dropped plan of going into mountain of Garrotxa and instead spend my time in hitchhiking and getting lost for a few more hours into the unknown. Trust me I had no idea of where I was, no maps, no language understanding, no knowledge of anything but still I enjoyed. On my way back, at first I was able to stop a couple in a big van after around 10 unsuccessful attempts and hell yea I was greeted with a Namaste by the friendly lady and they knew English. She told me about India (27 years back) when she visited and was good to talk about India at such a place where even English was an alien language. They dropped me near a beautiful Castle at Besalu and after clicking a few pictures I was again on highway. This time, it was a tiring effort and people even showed me middle fingers but didn’t stop. Finally, a delivery man in a truck stopped on other side of road after watching me and promised to take me with him after 20 minutes as he had to drop a package in Besalu. I waited for him and he was there again in my direction in next 35 minutes or so. While I told him I am from India in English, he kept saying in Spanish he don’t know Indian language (I could make that out), was funny but he was a curious man and as I speak in English he replied in Spanish and when he asked something in Spanish I replied in English, it was a strange way of communicating.
The roads were clean, there were mountains on both sides and I rolled down windows and suggested him to switch off ac and feel the air, he smiled and agreed and it was same feeling afterwards. The breeze was fresh and in no time I reached Banyoles and from Banyoles I got my bus again for Girona and another bus from Girona to Sant Feliu De Guixols. In SF de Guixols, I was lost again and my phone’s battery died as well, and then I saw a Kebab center named Salim Kebab and I saw a board of free wi-fi. Let me get in and talk, may be they are Indians and if I see internet, I will get to the address and building I am looking for. I ordered some Kebabs (to sound like a customer) as the guy kept speaking in Spanish. Then I plugged in my charger and asked wi-fi password from him and he asked me where I was from – India I said and I asked him – Pakistan was the reply. And then the conversations continued for next 30-40 minutes or so in Punjabi. Punjabi is a language spoken by Punjabis – I think majority in Pakistan speak Punjabi as well. From music to cinema to borders to politics to about cities of India and Pakistan – I felt fresh again and got help from Salim and he showed me the building where I wanted to go, I was thankful to his gesture of offering me to eat Makhani Dal and Tandoori naan, but I was so full with kebab that I couldn’t think about any more food. Rest of the evening I rested, the place had wi-fi so could connect to Noopur and tell her about few of the events and rest she will read here.

Pics for the day:

Just walking in Banyoles

 

Banyoles view of lake from top

 

Banyoles lake

 

Hitchhiking with a Spanish driver

 

Walking on the highway somewhere after Olot

 

Another van in which I hitchhiked

 

In Besalu

Finally at the coast in Sant Feliu de Guixols

 

 

Next day was Sunday – A leisure day at beach. It was the first time I saw a beach with topless women, yes was new to me. I tried to be normal but couldn’t stop my eyes catching someone every now and then. I took a dip and after some swimming I slept on the beach and this totally rejuvenated me. Then I moved around in town, got some fruits and food and then a few beers and walked to the edge of beach with not many people around and finished my beers there. In the evening, I pampered myself with a nice meal of bread with tomato, garlic and a few more beers. And from the 10^th floor of sea facing apartment’s balcony, I admired the sea and quality beers and slept.

View from my balcony

A typical fruit market

Beach in Sant Feliu de Guixols

View of town

Mediterranean sea overlooking the town

Next morning – 16^th June – was my off from office and I had a plan to make full use of this day to see Barcelona. I got a bus at 8:30am and by 10:30 I was in Barcelona. Barcelona, in spite of being crowded with tourists, has a charm. As I was walking with my camera around my neck and a backpack (typical tourist look), I remembered something from an Indian colleague in Germany:
When I was having a meal with Indian group in office, I was asked about plans for weekend and I told them about going to Spain.
One guy in his twisted English accent warned me to be extra careful in Barcelona else I will be looted.
And out of nowhere an unwanted discussion started between us which ended up with:

Me (trying to win a point) – This can happen everywhere, you need to be confident with a positive body language, if you look like a lost tourist with unarranged maps and crawling around with a dumb look on your face you will be always spotted.

Guy again (this time supported by another guy) – No, you not getting me. If you are lucky enough you will be spared, else Barcelona is dangerous place.

I got irritated. Me – Have you ever been there? Has it happened with you?
Guy – No, but my friend was there and he tells me.. aah..  My patience overran by this time and I said – Ok, thanks for your concern, I will be careful. Most of the people who have not been anywhere, who really don’t know about any place are the first ones with their free advices. Same way I am encountered by many people who talk shit about Muslims and I am like do you even know any Muslim, how can you have so much hate and then you say Muslims are not good. But like I said, it’s all people and by now I think I am strong enough to deal with all sort of jerks – either in my professional life or personal space. From a last few years I have actually started deriving pleasure out of such idiotic people and I have a tendency to support their foolish points only to get more foolishness out and laugh on them inside my heart.. In Hindi we say – Swad lena. J

Ok so back to Barcelona and I was feeling sorry for the guy who gave me such an advice on getting robbed in Barcelona. I hitchhiked in mountains in Spain, I stayed at a stranger’s place and even he trusted me to give his flat keys to me while he was away. Back in India I have been staying on highways, in Dhabas, in dim lighted cheap lodges, meeting people of all sorts but if I was afraid, I am sure I would also have ended up in one of those boring guys living in an unreal world, ready for a free advice and with fear dripping out of every single thing they say.

I will share a few pics of Barcelona soon as I don’t really think I would do good in remembering the names of places – museums, castles, forts, historical cathedrals all man made. The best part was a food market where I could eat a lot of freshly prepared food, fruits, juices and breads.

Ok, so that’s all I want to remember about Spain and I am done with my documentation. I would really love to read my blog after a decade or so and remember all this again.