Barcelona: Of Sun,Sea,Sand and finding a Hero

With a lot of ground to cover in just three days in Barcelona, it was imperative for us to visit the Barceloneta area once we arrived from Madrid.On that balmy afternoon a bit weary from the 4 hrs train ride from Madrid, we made our way by metro to Barceloneta. A short walk from the metro stop of Barceloneta lead us to the harbour that borders the Meditteranean sea. Numerous sailboats dot the waterfront along with the huge shopping mall Maremagnum. Here, one can leisurely walk along the harbour and be treated with the best view of sunset over the Catalan capital. 

View of the sailboats and the Meditteranean Sea

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Thoughts: 2012, the Travel Year that was

2012 is one for the books, from the nearby Southeast Asian neighbors to the far reaches of beautiful Europe. Despite the odds of project schedules and work load issues, I was still blessed to satisfy the wanderlust for this year. For the cubicle dwellers, there will always be means and ways to fulfill our dream destinations.

My personal letters to the 2012 places.

April 2012 - Siem Reap, Cambodia

Dear Siem Reap, 

That was a literal "Temple Run" adventure.Thank you for sharing the ancient wonder of your land - the intricacies of the details, the fine mark of craftmanship in your temples and the rich history that comes along with it. 
But beyond that I admire your resiliency from the tragedy of the Khmer Rogue. 
Thank you for sharing a part of your dark history and how it has transformed you as a nation. I adore your simple life - I have seen how you have dreams but contented with what you have. Beyond Angkor Wat, I will cherish your hospitality, goodness, simplicity and above all your spirit of moving on and pressing forward.

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Barcelona: Giddy for Gaudi

Unconventional and interestingly peculiar Barcelona is about 4 hours (fast) train ride from Madrid. As you explore the streets of the Catalan capital you will be treated to a visual feast of architectural marvels.From buildings with wave like facades giving an illusion of having no straight lines, adornments of wrought iron in different shapes and sizes, mosaics carefully assembled to create a colorful image and a church with intricate details that it is still under construction for about a hundred years now.

Barcelona, is a living and breathing tribute to its famous son - Antoni Gaudi. Leaf through any Barcelona guidebook and the name Antoni Gaudi will be mentioned being the architect that is responsible in designing several places of interest in Barcelona.Uncover Barcelona through the Modernisme architecture of Antoni Gaudi.

Parc Guell
A park on the hill of El Carmel commissioned by Eusebi Guell .The entrance is flanked by two whimsical houses painted in brown, with odd-shaped roofs and colorful mosaic adornments that it can almost pass as the witch's gingerbread house in the story of Hansel and Gretel.The focal area of the park is the grand staircase right smack in front of the entrance with the lizard/dragon made in colorful mosaic tiles in the middle dividing the staircase into two lanes. The staircase leads to a covered area with grooved columns that resembles a tree trunk. The roof of which serves as a huge terrace surrounded by a serpent like bench that is decorated with a kaleidescope of tiles.

Parc Guell - Grand Staircase

Admission Price: Free (no admission price as of Oct 2012 but there is a rumor that they might be charging an entrance fee in the future)
How to get here: Take the metro to Lesseps. Once you alight in the metro stop (Lesseps) follow the direction signs leading to Parc Guell or follow the tourists. It will be around 10-15 minute walk with an uphill climb to the road leading to the park. 
Souvenirs: There are a lot of souvenir shops on the street leading to the park. Recommended buys are the mosaic tile decorations, reproductions or prints, colorful wind chimes.

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Segovia: Half an Hour

In half an hour...

...you can burn 90 calories by walking

...Rachael Ray can make a meal

...the glass of water you drank is processed through the kidneys

...you can temporarily leave the bustle of Madrid and experience the old world charm of Segovia

In half an hour the high speed train can travel 58 miles from Madrid to reach the small town of Segovia. Leave behind the modernity of Madrid and experience a day getting lost in the maze of cobblestone streets in Segovia. 

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Vacation Guide: Madrid, Spain

Madrid may lack famous landmarks but it does make up with its richness in history, beautiful arts and delicious food.Surprisingly among the European capitals, a visit to this city is actually friendly on the pocket.

Plaza Mayor, Madrid

From the airport to the city centre

Cheapest way is to use the metro which is connected to the airport but this means that there is a high possibility of transferring lines and lugging your luggages up and down the stairs

Another option is the airport shuttle which can take you from the airport right into the doorstep of where you are staying in the city centre. The shuttle is usually shared with other passengers unless you opted for the private service. For more information: http://www.aerocity.com/en/

The most convenient but most expensive option will be to take a taxi. Make sure that you take the taxi from the taxi stand in the airport and the driver will be using the taxi meter.

My pick: The best option will be to take the airport shuttle, the quote we got is around 30 Euros for 4 pax but since we were not able to prebook the shuttle before we leave we don't have any option but to take the taxi. Since we are a group of 4 the taxi fare wasn't that bad at all because we paid a total of 44.50 Euros which will come out at 11+ Euros per person

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