My mom and Crystal just left this morning for home. They were able to extend their trip two days because of all of the problems at the beginning. They were supposed to get in Saturday afternoon, December 4th, but because the Spanish air traffic controllers went on strike the day before, there were no flights in or out of Spain from Friday afternoon until late Saturday night. Their flight from London to Madrid was cancelled and they had to spend Saturday night in a hotel in London. After hours on the phone Sunday morning, they were able to get a flight to Madrid Sunday evening, so they took advantage of the day in London and saw the highlights in 5 hours. They arrived in Madrid around 11:30 p.m. Sunday, December 5th, but they couldn't find their luggage. I was waiting outside the baggage area and they were on the other side of the door, trying to find their bags and communicate their problems to the Spanish airport workers. We were calling each other back and forth, unaware that we were so close until the automatic door opened and we saw eachother! It was about quarter after twelve at this point and I came up to the door and asked the lady about their baggage, which should have arrived over an hour ago. Finally, she said to go to the Iberia information desk. So they went there and found my mom's suticase, but not Crystal's. Hers was still in London and we had a flight booked to Paris in the morning. So we went home; in metro and then in taxi, because it was now after 1:30 a.m. and the metro had closed. We got home around 2 a.m., caught up over a glass of sangria, and exchanged little gifts. Half of my mom's suitcase was things for me--mittens, scarves, sweatpants, facial masks, and sweaters--and I gave them each a scarf and a pair of earrings to help them fit in in Spain. : ) The time got away on us and we didn't go to bed until 4:30 a.m. Our flight was at 9:30 Monday morning and when I asked my mom what time she wanted to get up, she said, "I'll probably get up at 5." I said, "Mom, that's in a half hour...". We couldn't believe how the time flew! So we went to sleep for an hour and then headed back to the airport. It was their first time on an Easy Jet flight and it was an experience to say the least. We were fine, standing in line at the gate and then the gate changed. People were practically running to the new gate. I was like, "C'mon guys, we gotta go!" as we were speedwalking through the airport. I had to put my carry-on in the little box to make sure it was the right size, and it fit; but then I couldn't get it out. A nice Spanish man had to help me pull it out! But it fit!We got into Paris around noon and made our way to the hotel. We were staying near the Arc de Triomphe and the Avenue Champs-Élysées, a prestigious street with lots of cinemas, cafés, and luxury specialty shops. Right away we called to figure out what was going to happen to Crysta's suitcase. British airways said they would send it to our hotel. PERFECT. Because it wouldn't have fit in the Easy Jet's little carry-on size box. We had lunch at a Thai/Chinese restuarant down the street, and then walked down to the Arc de Tripmphe and then set out to get a good view of the Eiffel Tower at night.
We spend Tuesday and Wednesday in Paris too. On Tuesday, we went to Montmartre in the morning, saw Moulin Rouge (and bought tickets for a show that night!), walked to Montmartre hill and saw the adorable Artists' Square, Sacré-Coeur, and then took a mini-van tour of the city! It was snowing all day and it was freezing cold, but so beautiful! On Montmartre hill there were tons of Spaniards playing in the snow and throwing snowballs! It was great. Then that night, we had a lovely French dinner (caviar/eggplant/garlic and fried salmon) and went to Moulin Rouge! It was a good show, but nothing like the movie. We talked to some madrileños that were sitting behind us, and one said she was disappointed and that the Rockettes in NYC are more precise and much better. There was singing, dancing, juggling, a girl swimming/dancing in a water tank with snakes, a ridiculously strong man and a girl who would balance on his head, a hilarious ventriliquist, and lots of feathers and diamonds. I wish there would have been more French Can-Can, but overall I enjoyed it.
On Wednesday, we had an omelet breakfast, saw the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe, and went back to the Eiffel Tower to get some more photos. It was still snowy and you couldn't see the top of the tower, but we took photos anyway. Then we visited the Notre Dame again, had lunch in the Latin Quarter (at Saint Severin's : )) and went to the Louvre!
Thursday morning, the day we were supposed to fly to Barcelona, we had the TV on in the morning and I saw on CNN that the Paris Airport was closed due to snow. So we immediately called down to the Consierge to find out if this was true. They said the airport was open, but no taxis were running to the airport. So we had to walk a few blocks in the snow with our suitcases and take the bus. That bus ride was like a SAUNA. I'm not exaggerating. It was miserable. When we got to the airport we had no idea where to go. We just got off at the first stop and went in. Luckily, we were in the right place. But we didn't have much time to spare and there was a huge line for Vueling. They were all Spanish, though, so I asked them what flight they were waiting for and they said we could go ahead because our flight was boarding in 10 min. We had our boarding passes printed already, so it was a breeze. We went through security and headed to our gate. Vueling was like a luxury airline compared to Easy Jet. No lines to wait for seats and most importantly, no box to stuff our suircases into! So Crystal and I were good to go! : )
We got into Barcelona safely and I felt so much more comfortable right away. It's so nice to speak the language and be able to communicate. We made our way to our hotel (walking 10 blocks from the nearest metro station...) and then went out for a lunch of tapas! It was delicious. Then we walked down La Rambla to the Port Vella, the Gothic neighborhood, and visited the Cathedral of Barcelona. We browsed around the Christmas market and had a coffee overlooking the plaza in front of the Cathedral. It was so relaxing and just what we needed after the stress in Paris. We went to go see the Sagrada Familia at night and then had dinner at a little restaurant with a great view of it all lit up.
On Friday, we did the tourist bus aroud Barcelona. We went to La Pedrera and took a TON of photos on the rooftop. It was such a beautiful day! Probably 60-something degrees! After that, we had to go to FNAC, to buy more memory cards for our cameras! Then we were back on the bus! We went to La Sagrada Familia, the interior of which is COMPLETE! and absolutely stunning. After the Pope visited on November 7th, it is now a Basilica (I'm not sure exactly what that means...), but I can say that it has really come along since I saw it last in May! We had a little lunch and then hopped back on the bus to visit Parc Güell by sunset. Our camera batteries were running low, but we still managed to capture the beautiful views of the sunset from the mosaic benches of Parc Güell. Then we headed back to the hotel to charge the batteries, saw the Font Mágica, and had dinner in the Gothic neighborhood!
Saturday we headed back to Madrid. We had a two hour delay in Barcelona, but made it into Madrid mid-afternoon. We went grocery shopping, watched a movie, and made dinner. It was definitely a “catch-up and relax” kind of day!
Sunday morning we went to the Rastro market, had lunch at home, and then I led a sightseeing tour of Madrid: Plaza Mayor, Palacio Real, Plaza de España, Puerta del Sol, Plaza de Cibeles, Puerta de Álcala, Paseo del Prado, Plaza de Neptuno. Then we went to dinner at a gluten-free Italian restaurant with Pazos, my flatmate.
Monday I had to work, so Mom and Crystal explored the city on their own, visiting Puerta de Toledo and the Caixa Forum. We met up after school and visited the Belén del Ayuntamiento de Madrid (Madrid’s Nativity Scene). Then we went to for a walk through Retiro and saw the Palacio de Cristal (Crystal Palace). After that, we went to Gema’s house for coffee and desserts! I was so happy that we were able to visit my host family from when I studied abroad. I know it meant a lot to her and it meant a lot to me too. After that, we rushed home because we were making homemade gluten-free pizza for dinner with Pazos! It wasn’t deep dish and the dough didn’t rise, but it was still delicious! Pazos said it was the best pizza he’s ever had!!! : ) Way to go, Mom!
Tuesday morning, they had their flight back home. But they couldn’t leave without doing a little more sight-seeing…we went to Atocha train station and saw the greenhouse with tons of plants and turtles, and then I helped them find the train they needed to take to catch the metro to the airport and I went to work.
It was a busy week, but I’m so happy that they came to visit me. It was so good to see my mom. I can’t wait to see my dad, Brittany, Ryan, Rachel, Aunt Julie, and the rest of my family and friends! …only a week and a half! : )
xoxo
