Digital Glam

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

From Lisbon to Porto

After two days in Lisbon and a train ride up to Porto, I have been nothing but impressed with Portugal. I have to admit that we planned our trip to Portugal at the last minute and only added it to our itinerary after we found cheap airfare on Vueling (Barcelona to Lisbon) and on Ryanair (Porto to London-Stanted). Not knowing anything about the country, we flew in pretty much blind and relied on our skills as world travelers to get by. What we discovered was a country rich in history, culture and art. A place in Western Europe with friendly people and not priced so it would break our bank account. Throw in delicious food and great wine and you have my favorite destination of our European leg of the trip!

Gav and I booked our train ride from Lisbon to Porto online. We were pleasantly surprised as how easy it was to navigate through the Portuguese rail website (they had an english version). After paying via our credit card, we printed out tickets and we were good to go!

On board the train, we were treated to assigned seats. We had stopped at a bakery before hand and picked up lunch for the three hour train ride, so it was nothing but smooth sailing all the way up the coast.

Upon arrival in Porto, we made our way from the train station to the Metro (subway) stop and discovered a brand-spanking-new rail system that was quite user friendly. We checked into our four star hotel and we were ready to explore Porto!

Boarding the train in Lisbon.

Porto at night.

Porto's city center.

Scenic Porto on the Douro River.

Porto Pictures

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Adios Barcelona and the “Gavin Roots Tour Part II”

It’s difficult saying what parts of Europe have been my favorite since there is so much difference between cities, but I have to admit that I was extremely happy with our five days in Barcelona. The city’s public transit was top notch and affordable, the food and drink were excellent and it was a very affordable city (esp after our stay in London and Paris!). We were blessed with wonderful weather and the city had a great laid back vibe to it. I definitely would like to visit Barcelona again sometime in the future.

Saying goodbye to Spain was tough, but I was really looking forward to Portugal. I call this the "Gavin Roots Tour Part II" since he's almost half Portuguese. (Part I was when we went to Ireland.)

We had booked our flight from Barcelona to Lisbon on the Spanish low-cost carrier, Vueling, which in my opinion patterned itself after the US low-cost carrier, JetBlue. We were treated to a wonderful two hour flight from Spain to Portugal and landed in Lisbon in the early evening. We decided to treat ourselves to a Four-Star Hotel (we actually got a great rate on the internet) and caught a cab to our hotel, which is something that we never do. We dropped our bags off at the room and took the Lisbon Metro (another great example of a European city’s mass-transit system) to the city center and explored the beautiful, yet hilly, Bairro Alto neighborhood.

If you have been to Lisbon you know what I am talking about when I say that it is one hilly city. Think of San Francisco with cobble stone roads. If I lived in Lisbon, I would have one firm ass from all the climbing that people do! We poked around the Bairro Alto for an hour or so and stumbled upon a small restaurant that was filled with people and run by an older woman who waited on the tables and an older man (her husband?) who ran the grill/kitchen. We were the only ones in the restaurant who wasn’t speaking Portuguese and there was no English Menu (my ideal type of restaurant!) so we tried our best and played “International Charades” and ordered up a storm! We were treated to a hearty Portuguese meal of mean, seafood and bread and shared a two jugs of a great local white wine (the Portuguese really know how to make wine and it’s so affordable!). After stuffing ourselves silly for less than 20 euros, Gav and I rolled out of the restaurant and found our way back to the hotel.

It was the perfect way to end another great day in Europe.

Kids catching a free ride on one of Lisbon's trolleys.

Lisbon

Oct 6, 2006 - 18 Photos

Scenic Stiges

The Sitges Tourism website says, “Be careful when you visit Sitges, because you will never want to leave.”

Well, Gavin and I were up for the challenge and we wanted to see what all the hype was about, so we shelled out the 5€ per person for a round-trip ticket and made the 35 minute train ride to the beautiful seaside town located southwest of Barcelona. Once we got there and wandered through the narrow streets of this quaint town was early October Mediterranean bliss. Stiges is home to beautiful architecture set next to a picture perfect stretch of shoreline with stunning sandy beaches. Gavin and I dropped our things and headed straight for the surf (yes, there were waves) and were welcomed by the warm early Autumn waters of the Mediterranean Sea. It was magical.

I have to admit that we are quite skeptical when people recommend a beach, especially in a non-tropical climate, but Stiges was well worth the short train ride out of the crowded city. The next time we visit Barcelona, I want to spend a few nights in this great seaside town.

Stiges

Oct 6, 2006 - 6 Photos

Friday, October 06, 2006

The Naturist Beach

On our second day in Barcelona, Gavin wanted to check out the beaches and swim in the Mediterranean Sea, so he did some research and found a beach for us to check out. After a short 15 minute trip via the Metro we found ourselves near the water, but we had to hike about half a mile to the actual beach. I wondered to myself why the beach was so difficult to access and then we suddenly found out why: Gavin had brought us to a nude beach without knowing it.

I was not prepared for what I saw when I turned the corner. I know what most of you are thinking … Wow! A nude beach in the Mediterranean. Hot! Well, it wasn’t. It was filled with leather skinned old people who looked like walking Hermes handbags! Luckily for us, there was a younger section of the beach and getting naked wasn’t compulsory so we got comfortable (not that comfortable) and enjoyed the warm October weather in Barcelona.

Oh yeah, Gavin had fun in the warm Mediterranean Sea too.

This is as close as I dared pull the camera out.

If you look closely, you can see a few naked bodies.

Barcelona Day 2

Oct 6, 2006 - 5 Photos

Hola Barcelona!

From Paris we flew to Barcelona on the low-cost airline, Easyjet. Usually, I would never fly an airline with bright Orange letters or the word “EASY” in its name, but when you’re trying to create value you really don’t have much choice.

Our flight from Paris-Orly to Barcelona was actually quite pleasant and I would easily choose Easyjet over Ryanair in the future. (I would also like to say that most American cities, especially those in Hawaii, really have a lot to learn about making their airports accessible. Getting to and from all of the European cities that we have visited, via public transport, has been incredibly easy.)

Rich with history and the capital of the Catalan region, Barcelona was thrust into world spotlight after the 1992 Summer Olympic Games, which it hosted. Gavin and I were both pleasantly surprised with Barcelona and instantly felt comfortable navigating the streets and attempting to communicate with the locals. Barcelona residents speak Catalan which would best be described as a mix between Spanish and French, but will speak Spanish to visitors.

Gav and I jumped on one of those cheesy tourist buses with the open upper deck (you know which ones I’m talking about) to get a better feel of the city. Barcelona does have a wonderful subway system, but seeing the city above ground sure helps you understand how large it really is.

Check out my Picasa web album via the link below to see more.

You are what you fly!

Barcelona

Hola Barcelona

Oct 6, 2006 - 13 Photos

The Naturist Beach

This is as close as I dared pull the camera out.

If you look closely, you can see a few naked bodies.

Barcelona Day 2

Oct 6, 2006 - 5 Photos

Famous Paris Landmarks

You’re never prepared for seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time. I can’t even guess how many times in my life I have seen a picture of it, seen it on tv or in a movie, but seeing it in real life is really quite amazing. You’re not prepared for how massive it is and how it really is the focal point of the city. (For example, the Empire State Building IS impressive, but its also surrounded by a ton of other skyscrapers. The Eiffel Tower is by far the tallest structure in the city and it is made quite apparent when you see it in person.)

For a mere 3€ we could climb the stairs to the observation deck and we were treated to a bird’s eye view of Paris. What a deal!

If the Eiffel Tower is Paris’ number one landmark, the Arc de Triomphe is a close second. Impressive in its own right, the Arc is also situated so it is one of Paris’ focal points and can be seen for kilometers in all directions.

Paris, what a romantic city!

The view from the Eiffel Tower observation deck.

The Arc de Triomphe at night.

Our xmas card.

Paris 3

Sep 27, 2006 - 6 Photos

Versailles

I have to confess that after being on the road for over five months and after traveling to various points on the globe, I have become a bit numb and my memories have begun to blend in with each other. Unlike a traditional vacation where I would visit somewhere for a week or so and then go home, we are going from country to country without a break or at the very least, a chance to reflect on our travels. I’m not saying that I am taking things for granted, but I am a bit sad over the fact that I haven’t really been able to savor each destination … until Paris.
Paris is amazing. Simply stunning. It was like I was in a movie or as if a postcard had come to life. With its art, culture, architecture and famous landmarks, Paris definitely makes an impression.

Since Gavin has visited Paris before, he took it upon himself to plan our itinerary. Day 2 included a trip to Versailles and the Eiffel Tower.

Built by France’s royalty, Versailles is now considered a rich suburb of Paris. After a quick train ride out of the city, we were at the doorstep of one of the most impressive man-made structures I have ever been to. With its beautiful gardens, over-the-top decadence and rich history, Versailles was quite a treat and its no wonder why the French are so proud of it. Any trip to Paris is not complete unless you visit Versailles. Words cannot begin to describe what we saw and I doubt our pictures will do it justice. It is impossible to properly put into perspective how massive and impressive the whole experience of visiting Versailles really is.

From the cathedral to the theatre and the famed Hall of Mirrors, Versailles is a monument to the decadence and power of the once great French Empire. Filled with art and gold, one could only imagine what it would have been like to be a visitor to this grand estate during the reign of Louis XVI.

Paris 2

Sep 27, 2006 - 17 Photos

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

My new favorite band

Check out the band, Junior Boys. I downloaded their single, "In The Morning" from iTunes (it's currently their Free Download of the Week) and was so impressed that I purchased their album. I'd call them techno emo-pop with soft vocals and a soothing beat.

Good Stuff.

Bonjour Paris!

When using a computer, never ever forget the Number One Golden Rule: Save Often! It's quite frustrating losing a blog post after spending 45 minutes writing and researching French words and various web-links. Mere!

After a week and a half in Belgium, it was time for us to pack up our bags and take the show on the road yet again. (After 5 months of living out of a suitcase and being technically "homeless", you really appreciate a friend who will let you stay at their house and use their high-speed internet, hot water, car and just about everything else that I used to take for granted.)

We jumped in the car with Mai and her friend Morgan and drove 2 hours to Paris. We said Au voir to Belgium and crossed over the border to France. Mai and Morgan had been planning this day-trip to Paris and they were nice enough to ask if we wanted the lift (heck, it saved us 100Euros that we would have spent on 2 train tickets!).

Our first two stops were the Musée Maillol and the Musée National d'Art Moderne. The Musée Maillol had a stunning exhibit by Bert Stern. In 1962 he photographed Marilyn Munroe for a Vogue Magazine spread. The collection of photographs were stunning and they captured her natural beauty (she didn't have any makeup on in any of the pictures). The Musée National d'Art Moderne, The French national modern art museum, had an exhibit by American minimalist sculptor, Dan Flavin (who we saw at the Tate Modern in London a few weeks before). He's famous for creating sculptural objects and installations from commercially available fluorescent light fixtures. Simply brilliant.

After the two museums, we checked into our budget hotel that we would call home for the next four nights. In an attempt to create value, Gav booked us in something that fit into our buget and let me tell you: Paris is not cheap. (Check out the photo in my Picasa webalbum. The link is at the bottom of this blog entry.) The hotel sure wasn't the Hilton (New Hilton Sydney?), but it was exactly what we needed since we had a crazy agenda of trying to see as much of Paris as we possibly could.

This was my first time to Paris and I was blown away by it. No matter how many times you see images of the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe, nothing can prepare you for the feeling you get when you see it in real life. We took a ton of pictures, so please check out the web-album link below.

Enjoy!