September 12, 2018, I took an 8:10 am bus from Cuenca to Guayaquil, arriving about 1 p.m. Taking a cab from Guayaquil's Terminal Terrestre or bus terminal to the airport (which is closeby) cost $4. Passing through security was easy because of being early.
The flight on Iberia (which is operated by Latam, a Chilean Airline) was wonderful, & included a meal with a few glasses of wine. Our flight left Guayaquil at 5:45 pm. At 11:20 am the next morning the airplane touched down at the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport. It was an 11 hour flight, yet the time in Madrid is 6 hours ahead of Guayaquil.
So that's why the flight seems long, but it's not bad. It's a direct flight, which is a huge plus. The cost for a one way trip to Spain is about $500. The title of this blog is Viajes por América del Sur & I am posting about Europe. However, visiting Spain & Portugal gave me valuable insights into Latin America.
Looking back on that day in September, I think what tremendous courage I had to set out on my own for a trip from Guayaquil to Madrid at 8:10 am. My pack carried printouts of tickets to the flight to Madrid, a flight to Barcelona, a train trip from Barcelona to Valencia, a bus ride from Valencia to Granada, & a bus ride to Madrid. I also had printed my boarding pass for an Easy Jet plane from Madrid to Lisbon. And a ticket for the train from Lisbon to Porto.
Of course, I printed out all of the Air BnB reservations I'd made for Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Granada, Lisbon, & Copenhagen. I chided myself for being so low tech that I'd actually printed copies of my destinations. Even though I'd recently purchased an iPhone 8 plus phone, I wanted paper copies, & not to download everything on the iPhone. Oh, I didn't mention that I printed out pre-purchased tickets to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, & La Alhambra in Granada. I even purchased an "On & Off" Bus Pass to see the sights in Barcelona.
All of my planning really worked out well! I was scared I would miss a plane, train or bus, which would throw my itinerary off. Because I prepaid for all of my lodging, there was no room for error! And to my credit, all went smoothly. I never missed a plane, train or bus.
The next thing in Spain after walking out of the airport was to get on Spain's Metro. I didn't know where my Airbnb was located & had asked my host for directions several times, without receiving a reply. I LOVED staying at this Air BnB (not all Air BnB experiences were positive--more on that later) yet this person's one limitation was that she did not get around to answering mailed queries from Visitors. Actually, she did send directions the day I arrived in Spain, I just didn't realize it.
It worked out very well to have a pre-paid ticket for the earliest time offered (less visitors) to view the Familia Sagrada the day after arrival in Barcelona. And having a prepaid ticket to La Alhambra in Granada provided another sight seeing event to look forward to. That ticket was also for the earliest entrance of the day to La Alhambra possible.
First of all, let me describe my experiences in Madrid. Upon arrival, besides going to the ATM to withdraw money so I had Euros, I bought a SIM card for my cell phone. That was east. The cost for ten day plan is $50.
I bought an adaptor (cost was $10) there too, because while American outlets are the same in South America, European outlets are different. Most electrical items are fine with the higher voltage (220W) of European outlets. Here is the adaptor:
Many AirBnB hosts are accustomed to tech savvy guests in their 20's. I was still learning how to use the Google Maps Application of my new cell phone. I didn't realize that the AirBnB App would come in handy. Young people use this App all of the time, I'm told.
I realized my Madrid Air BnB Host lived nearest the Atocha metro stop. I walked up Atocha looking for her street & was lost over 2 hours, going up & down Atocha, right past her street. Finally I walked all of the way back to the Atocha Metro station, & caught a cab.
The Driver knew exactly where Ildefonso was (off of Santa Inez). I was so relieved. The charge for the taxi was $10, better than I expected. I should have grabbed a cab the minute of arrival at the Atocha Metro Station.
Daniela, my hostess, leaped downstairs when I arrived. Luckily, she was waiting for me. Physically fit & apologetic for not sending directions sooner, she carried my small pack up the stairs. She showed me around her tiny 2 bedroom apartment, how to use the shower & wipe the teensy bathroom clean afterwards. She prepared hot tea & I eagerly ate the brie cheese, crackers & strawberries she provided. Photos below show the neighborhood where I stayed, & the nearest Metro stop.
Friday I headed for Madrid's Museo Nacional del Prado, & spent much of the day. The following are photos taken on the way there.
Local Artists sold their art in front of the museum.
Below is the line to the museum on a Friday morning (photo was taken about 10 am--when Museum opens). The line moves rapidly.
Taking photos inside is not allowed. Opened in 1819, the Museum was based on a former Spanish Collection. Del Prado is one of the finest collections of European Art in the world, dating from the Romanesque to the 19th century.
Madrid's Prado Museum features art by famed Painters including El Greco, Goya, Velázquez, Rembrandt, Dürer, Murillo, & Ribera. About 7600 Paintings, 8200 drawings & 1000 sculptures are displayed.
I paid 7.50 Euros entrance fee (because I'm over 65 years old), 1/2 the fee of 15 Euros for adults. Tickets for Seniors are not available on line.
The following photos are taken in front of Madrid's Museo del Prado (and in the entry way).
Below is the photo I took after leaving the museum (about 4 pm). I felt dizzy, and the green grass was calming!
The "Hop-on-and-Off" bus was helpful orienting me to Madrid. I met visitors from Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Portugal, France, & Italy on the bus. The cost was 11 Euros for a day's pass. Our tour went to Museo del Prado, Puerta de Alcalá, Barrio de Salamanca, Plaza de Colón, Plaza de Cibeles, Gran Via, Plaza de España. Templo de Debod, Teatro Real, Palacio Real, Puerta de Toledo, San Francisco El Grande, Catedral Almudena, Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, Círculo Bellas Artes, Museo Thyssen, Museo Reina Sofía, Jardín Botánico, and ended up back at the Museo del Prado.
We passed by Plaza Canovas Del Castillo.
Here we're on Paseo De La Castellana. We pass by the Santiago Bernabéu stadium where Spain's team Real Madrid plays.
Next we're viewing the Jardines del Descrimiento. The gardens of the Discovery are in a park located in the Plaza de Colón. They are bounded by the streets of Goya, Armada Española, Serrano & Paseo de la Castellana. Dedicated to the so-called discovery of America, they have a monument in its eastern sector, & a flagpole with a Spanish flag.
Below is Madrid's Archeological Museum.
We are driving up Alcala in the Cortes area of Madrid.
I stopped at this café, for coffee & a dish of ice cream.
I rode the Hop- on Hop-Off bus back to its stop at Del Prado, then walked to my Airbnb. That night I enjoyed a delicious dinner at Gato Gato, a neighborhood restaurant. Actually, dinner was an appetizer of seafood on a bed of salad. The cost was $10. I returned several times.
The best day of my stay in Spain was taking the train 47 Kilometers from Madrid's Atocha Train station to the town of El Escorial. Located here is the Palace at San Lorenzo de El Escorial, built in 1570 by King Phillip.
Indeed the Spaniards have no shame regarding their cruelty to the Indigenous people of Latin America, which yielded thousands of galleons full of silver & gold. For Spain, the 1500's and 1600's were its Golden Years; the years which Spain is most proud. Spain dominated Europe & the whole world during these years!
Francisco Franco's Tomb is under guard behind the altar of the basilica. Since the election of a new President, calls have been made to exhume the Dictator's tomb & move it elsewhere. Many of those who died in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) are those who fought for Franco, yet thousands of others fought against him. Thousands of their bodies are buried here.
I looked through a book full of photos of young Catalonian men who fought against Franco in the Civil War.
The bus was waiting for us after viewing the Valle de los Caídos.
Handsome young men from Cordoba laughing at Bus Driver's Jokes.
Young woman sitting next to me, who described reasons many people of Catalan want to separate from Spain.
Below is the bus station in El Escorial. Nearby is the train station, where I boarded a train returning to Madrid. I believe the cost was 4 Euros. There are group tours to El Escorial and the Valle de los Caídos. However, getting there on your own is a terrific adventure, & it's easy.
Below is a photo of Madrid's Puerta de Alcalá at dusk.
The next day I boarded a plane for Barcelona. Will I buy a ticket for a flight departing early on a Sunday morning again? I hardly slept at all that night, anticipating an early morning walk to the Plaza de Cibeles. There a Bus stops to take passengers to the Airport all hours of the night, even on Sundays and holidays. I checked out the bus schedule the night before my flight.
Taking a taxi would have cost 35 euros, the same I spent per night to stay at my Airbnb in Madrid! The Airport Bus costs 4 Euros and is well worth the savings. Most bargain air flights leave early morning. So one has to always think whether the savings are worth a $35 taxi fee or lost sleep worrying about catching the Airport Bus on time.
Monday morning at the Sagrada Familia was the best way to start enjoying Barcelona. I bought a ticket for the earliest time available, 9 am. The Entrance fee was 15 Euros. I decided against the Audio Tour & Guided Tour.
Catalan Architect Antoni Gaudi began building the Sagrada Familia in 1892, and it is still a decade away from completion. Gaudi wrote, "The temple as a whole, as well being a place for divine worship, will artistically represent the truths of religion and the glorification of God and His Saints.”
The Sagrada Familia Museum is an underground exhibition that houses Gaudi’s construction models, drawings, & contemporary photographs.
Today, visitors can look at these models to get an understanding of the scale of the construction that Gaudi initiated. Others who worked on the Sagrada Familia are featured, as well.
Stained Glass Artists contributed extensively to the Sagrada Familia. The complexity of it all is obvious when one reviews the many museum's models and drawings. The museum aims at helping visitors understand the role nature played in Gaudi’s designs.
After viewing the Sagrada Familia, I saw the "Hop-on & Hop-Off Bus" across the street, so commenced a tour of Barcelona. Luckily I prepaid for my ticket on line, so the overwhelmed Guide was unable to deny the opportunity to climb aboard.
Below is a side view of the Barcelona's Camp Nou, the largest Soccer Stadium in Spain. Apart from Barcelona, it hosts the Catalan team.
Barcelona's Port Vell
Beaches, including the Barceloneta, are just a 10-minute walk away. The Hotel is also within walking distance of Las Ramblas, Plaza Catalunya & the Paseo Maritimo.
The airbnb where I stayed in Barcelona was among my favorite. Below are photos of the son & mother team that run this AirBnB, located in the Gracía part of Barcelona.
Many believe that Christopher Columbus was Catalan! Below are the routes he took to the "New World" in the 1400's & 1500's.
The sculpture shown below is an artistic rendition of the Reaper's War that took place from 1640 to 1652. The Reaper's War started as a rebellion of Peasants.
The conflict was with the financially depleted Castilian Monarchy of Philip II, who wanted to tax Catalonia without providing any benefits to the region.
The falling of Catalonia was in 1714.
The Museum was so enthralling I had to rush to catch my train. Barcelona's Train station, where I caught a train to Valencia, is seen below.
The train ticket was 40% less expensive because of having bought it on line, in advance. I think I paid about 20 Euros for the train ticket from Barcelona to Valencia.
The falling of Catalonia was in 1714.
The Museum was so enthralling I had to rush to catch my train. Barcelona's Train station, where I caught a train to Valencia, is seen below.
The real reason I went to Valencia was so that I could take this train ride. All other trains were prohibitively expensive, so I took buses between other cities.
After getting off of the bus, a free ride took us to Valencia's beautiful Nord Station.
Views of the Southern Spain Coast were fabulous. Plus, I was able to eat on the dining car soon after boarding the train. I was hungry, because of having nothing to eat all morning. The chilled glass of white wine & ham on a roll were over priced yet worth it!
From the train station I walked to my Airbnb, located in a fashionable part of Valencia.
Below is the door to the Airbnb I stayed at. It was really more of a hostel. The person who greeted me was a young woman named Gabriela; not the man who previously corresponded with me. Gabriela was lovely yet I felt deeply abandoned & infuriated. "What did I expect?" I had to keep asking myself. I was feeling very alone.
Below are examples of the amazing architecture of Valencia:
The Hemisferic is a splendid Laserium, Planetarium and IMAX cinema (over a 900 square meters of screen). It belongs to the City of Arts and Sciences complex. The building was designed by Santiago Calatrava. It has the shape of an eye, and reflects 24, 000 square meters of the lake below. The cover of the cinema looks like the eye lids of the eye, and can be closed or opened.
After a few days in Valencia I took a bus to Granada. By that time I'd developed welts over much of my body. I honestly thought I'd contracted a case of bed bugs. I talked to Airbnb Support saying that I must have gotten them at the Airbnb where I stayed in Barcelona.
What a mistake that was. Airbnb support contacted my Granada Airbnb host, & she canceled my stay at her house. I was about to arrive in Granada with no place to stay! Airbnb support promised me a room at a hotel. Yet at 8:30 pm I still hadn't received word of the hotel. Finally Airbnb support contacted me with the name of the hotel. I had no idea where the hotel was located. Neither did they!
After being lost looking for the modern hotel provided by Airbnb Support, I found it. It was a lovely hotel, part of the Hotel Barceló chain. It was new so many people I asked did not know its location. The bus station is outside of Granada, so it was a long walk to the hotel.
I purchased the antihistamines below (the Spanish equivalent to Benadryl) & cortisone cream in Valencia. They helped with the outbreak I'd been experiencing. By the time I got to Granada, I realized I did not have bedbugs.
What I had was a case of hives. I was more stressed out than I realized. The airbnb Host where I had planned to stay said I could stay at her house if I had a letter from a Medical Doctor saying I did not have bedbugs (!).
Luckily, I was just a bus ride away from the beauty of Granada. Despite my hassles there, Granada was my favorite part of Spain.
Gardens around the Alhambra Palace are gorgeous:
Each view seemed more beautiful than the last.
That day I went to the health clinic for a certificate of good health. This experience turned out to be one of my best afternoons in Spain. I waited with others seeking a no-fee appointment with a Physician in Granada.
One young woman was particularly helpful, saying she preferred Granada over Barcelona & Valencia. From that moment on I agreed with her. The Physician herself was lovely. She asked asked me several questions before typing out a statement stating that she met with me.
I spent the night in the hostel which I had originally been denied, yet that experience turned out to be awful. The woman who rented to me seemed angry from the beginning. I think some people who get great ratings through Airbnb are friends with someone in their system!
The WIFI was poor, & I moved nearer to the modem. This woman then threw me out of her house. I was walking along Granada's main streets when Airbnb called. They agreed to reimburse me for hotel fees for the weekend.
Fortunately I found a room at the Urban Dreams Hotel, on Camino del Ronda. Airbnb, to their credit, paid for the $210 cost of spending 2 nights in a hotel room.
One of my best meals in Spain was at a Korean Restaurant. Two Korean women were also eating dinner. They were from Irvine, California, where they worked as Engineers with Samsung. The Spanish Waitress spoke fluent Korean. She had lived in Korea for a year!
The Waitress asked how I liked my dinner. I replied that I would have enjoyed more vegetables. She then came to the table with a whole plate of delicious sautéed vegetables. A short time later the Cook herself came out to both tables & introduced herself, bowing deeply.
Granada was a fabulous experience. The Frederico García Lorca Park was amazing. I went there 3 times. One of my most memorable times of Spain was shivering with happiness that I had actually arrived at this incredible park. Below are scenes of the park. I took a tour of the home Frederico García Lorca lived in with his family; however, no photos were allowed.
I enjoyed Sunday wandering around Granada. The following photos were taken that day. Monday, September 24, I took the bus from Granada to Madrid, & another bus to Madrid's Airport.
Monday morning I took the bus to Madrid, and another bus to Madrid's Airport. Then I caught a plane to Lisbon, arriving about 8 pm that evening in Portugal.
Being an airbnb Host can become very repetitive. It's hard to have different people stay every night in your home, I realized. Hosts are just trying to make ends meet. We didn't interact much. Fortunately, I already knew what I wanted to do in Portugal.
The morning after arrival I felt hungry & disoriented. Happily, this lovely café, where I enjoyed breakfast, was just around the corner.
A beautiful park was just up the street.
Below are several of Lisbon's architectural gems:
I took the well known Cable Car up the hill in Lisbon.
Just a block away from where everyone got off, I discovered a wonderful market, where I took lots of photographs.
Agents at Lisbon's Metro Station are super helpful. One helped me understand how I could take the early morning Metro to the train station the next morning.
The blue tile below, characteristic of Portugal, was taken in the train station at Sao Bento.
After a delicious lunch, I took a boat cruise down the Douro.
After our cruise, I enjoyed a glass of sherry:
Then I walked up hill into the town of Porto itself.
The following morning, I took the train to Sintra.
Scenes of the Pena Palace at Sintra are seen below. Once a Monastery, Portuguese Royalty still use the Palace for important state occasions.
These two lovely British Women were my companions during the afternoon:
I returned from Sintra in time to have dinner in Lisbon.
Below is my Airbnb Hostess on the phone, sitting next to her Mother.
Rather than wait for this touristic fado locale to serve, I decided to go elsewhere.
Below is my last dinner out in Lisbon--at the Rua de Rosa. Excellent!
Friday I caught an Easy Jet plane back to Madrid, where I stayed a day before leaving for Copenhagen.
Nearby was a fountain, & restaurants surrounded the fountain.
I enjoyed a salad & a glass of white wine here one day.
I especially enjoyed the Reina Sofia Museum.
Below is a portrait of Luis Buñuel, by Salvador Dali.
That's all for now. The next morning I took a cab to the airport. I was on another of those discounted flights that leave at 7 am, so I actually paid 30 Euros for a taxi to the Airport. Next, I was off to Copenhagen to meet a friend. We went on a Cruise, then spent a week in NYC. I liked Spain & Portugal the best of all. Thank you for reading this blog entry! Soon you'll be able to look at the photos & read some about the next part of my big trip.
