My first solo trip

How it generally felt:

Intro

I have a feeling that my travel blog mostly consisted of pretty boring “went there, did that” type of posts. Not sure if that’s interesting, so I decided to introduce some slight changes to the flow. This time I’ll try to focus on overall impressions and summarize more aggressively to reduce the amount of mundane detail. There will also be several new sections with thanks, todos, etc.

What I intend for the nearest future [yeah sure] is tech-related posts and personal stuff.

Thanks to:

• To Pasha, best chef ever who brought me several day offs to get a visa
• Patricia for showing me how beautiful Spanish sounds, a tour in Zaragoza and reccomending a “street for tapear”
• Vitaly for suggesting CosmoCaija museum
• Dmitrii for recommending to rent a bicycle and explore Casa de Campo
• Alice for warning about pickpockets, which is maybe why nothing has actually been stolen from me
• Discover Ukraine LLC for an excellent Barcelona metro map

Places:

• CosmoCaija, the best interactive museum of science imo
• Marijuana & Hemp museum in Barcelona, a big collection of very different stuff connected by one thing
• Royal Botanical Garden in Madrid, has a very impressive collection of bonsai
• Christmas markets. You might find hidden gems in piles of boring craft and chinese crap
• Gaudi. Seriously, this organic and fluid design, it’s unlike anything and absolutely captivating
• Tapas. Basically a small buterbrod with creative toppings, which include crab salad, onion rings, goat cheese, you name it You can try a lot of these flavors while bar-hopping, or “tapear” in Spanish
• Ugot Bruncherie. I lived in AirBnB right above this place and had breakfast two times. Easily gets you full plus they make excellent cakes

To-dos and impressions:

• EAT LOTS OF FOOD. NO, SERIOUSLY, DO IT. Spanish culture is like 33% food
• [personal preference] Only visit museums that have personal meaning for you. Otherwise you’re doomed to stare at pretty, but non-memorable art
• Start conversations with random people. Worked several times. Had a delight of meeting a surgeon from South Africa and spent an hour chit-chatting
• In Barcelona, the part by the sea feels different than the one closer to the mountains, go see both
• Europeans react to compliments and small talk very differently than Russians. Started saying nice things to people, feels pretty good

Things to consider:

• Some tickets, e.g. Madrid Royal Observatory, Sagrada Familia, have to be bought online in advance
• There’s a whole pickpocketing culture in Barcelona and maybe even a Thieves’ Guild. Watch out and keep your wallet and phone safe
• Subway in Barcelona works till midnight, and in Madrid till 1am. There might be holiday-related schedule changes
• In winter, be wary that many buildings don’t have heating and there’s a big chance to turn into a snowman. Lucky for me, all the stays accidentally happened to have heaters
• Without basic Spanish you’re going to have a tough time doing almost anything. Barcelona is a lot more English-speaking than Madrid
• You can buy pre-paid European sims for around 5E if you don’t plan heavy internet usage

The backstory

I had an urge for a solo trip since the euro-tour we did after obtatining Bachelor’s degree. The concept of being alone in a new, unusual environment and observing yourself finding a way to spend time amused me. During all the trips we divide duties such as navigation, search for places to eat and visit, googling for cheap tickets, booking stays, etc, among ourselves. Often I would find myself I was doing too little and paying less attention. I was feeling less immersed into both the process and the surroundings. Also, apparently everybody has a faster pace than me and I don’t have enough observation time.

Moreover,

• I had more than a week of vacation days till 2019 ends
• Practice live Spanish and check out how it sounds in a natural environment
• Meet with people I knew in Zaragoza and Barcelona. Only a partial success there
• Haven’t tasted any jamon since the ban on import of some European goods to Russia. Cursed political warfare
• Grey and depressing winter. We had no snow, which makes it even more grim-looking
• Had to finally obtain a Schengen visa. Haven’t been to EU for almost 2 years (wow!)

Day 1: notning is clear, but nevertheless amusing

The first encounter with the Spanish way of doing things was when they placed our luggage on the wrong belt. Buenos Dias, motherfucker!

Madrid has a pretty decent metro, it is dividen into several zones, and you mostly need zone A to explore the center. The subsway is pretty fast and there are mechanical handles on the train doors, which mostly make no sense, because every door in the train gets open anyway.

Fortunately, the airport is situated in zone A and you can purchace an unlimited ticket for the duration of your stay. This ticket turned out to be an overkill, ‘cause I DIG WALKING. It’s pretty easy to get even to Casa de Campo from the central street.

My first host was a Venezuelan woman in her 50s. She’s a big fan of Jesus and also has this cool Jamon Leg Holder.

The flat had two huge dogs who barked almost non-stop.

It’s a tiny place situated in the old building, and it’s a good balance between price, closeness to historical center and condition - which could be better.

“My language practice starts now”, - I thought, and was talking non-stop for the next 30 minutes.

I was feeling pretty fucked after a no-sleep night, at which I preferred to play Hunt, and a five-hour flight. After this compulsive talk with the host, I immediately fell asleep. There goes my idea to have “a whole day” in Madrid.

After waking up, I craved a bite of tasty Spanish cuisine. Thus I circled around central streets, taking note of what is open, but nothing really got to my heart.

Long story short, ended up having a worst burger in my life in a random bar nearby. Pre-Christmas hours were even shorter than usual, which is still more restrictive than in Moscow. And did you know the kitchens close an hour before the restaurant? The bartenders suddenly went excited when I told them my origins.

Day two: an attempt of self-aware museuming (museuing? whatever)

I had a pleasure of breaking the “GET UP OR WE’RE NOT GONNA HAVE TIME TO DO ANYTHING AAAAAAAAAA” rule and waking up at 13. Honestly, the rule is sorta right, especially in winter, when the sun sets earlier.

Googling a daily agenda is hard. Really fucking hard.

The pros:

you are right here, right now, and everything depends on it. It’s probably harder to focus and be as efficient doing the same in your cozy flat.

The cons:

you’re wasting your precious travel-time staring at the screen. If you’re me and wake up at random times, this can reduce your up-time.

While the sun was still up, I went to Royal Botanical Garden. looking a bit underplanted (like understaffed, but underplanted, do you get it hahah?).

After rofling about pumpkins and cabbages I discovered there’s a terrace housing several dozens of bonsai. Check out this shit:

There’s even miniature cliffs and a pomegranate tree:

Puzzling, but a sign explains the origins:

Afterwards, the museum time. This endless queue is for free entry after 17:

These are the impressions after visiting the main exhibition:

• “Classical” pictures are sort of boring, as they’re all about biblical themes. Seriously, even today there’s so much biblical references it makes me sick. Referring to Bible does not make your work original, fun, or deep. Especially considering that only a few of so-callsed Cristians have actually read it. It contains a lot of violence and sick shit in general.
• A depiction of Archangel Michael and his boys massacring Satan & co had a painter’s selfie reflected in his shield
• A scene involving a noble returning from the hunt and encountering traveling monks He uses this opportunity to embrace God’s power over his own. Seems like a significant moment, but one of the hunting dogs is emitting a thick stream of urine at a tree in the corner of the picture Is that a medieval sense of humor or something?
• There’s a picture of a man holding a stone. Description says something like “…that’s a Saint X because of the stone he holds. He used to beat the crap out of himself because the body is filthy”
• Another picture of a guy wearing an animal skin, in a cave. “This saint has spent all of his life in a cave”. At this point I had enough of sado-mazo christian aesthetics

The smaller exhibition was more fun. Its main theme was a revolution in teaching people how to draw.

• Previously, an aspiring painter had to find a master and participate in drawing sessions, which always included a person or an object being drawn
• With the help of printing technology, painters could translate their tutorials into metal tablets Those are then printed into books as illustrations
• Books can cover various areas and subjects: emotions, human or animal anatomy, specific parts of the body
• Not sure how they transferred complicated illustrations to metal
• Tutorials lowered the field’s entry requirements

Photos were not allowed. I tried, but my Sneak skill wasn’t high enough.

Next on the list is a cocktail bar in LGBT-themed district, one of the best in Madrid. The whole subway station is decorated with pride flag.

Just as you ascend the stairs, there are several thematic establishments in view.

There is also this swaggy sock shop, keep in mind when visiting Madrid:

Sitting alone in bars & restaurants can be a bit sad, but not in Ente Santes. These guys casually show off every five seconds:

Here I was, ready to waste my hard-earned money on cocktails and jamon. Tried to explain import restrictions in Russia to a bartender, but failed, and also suddenly realized how stupid-ass the idea is. One can become used to the craziest nonsense really easy.

Afterwards ordered this chicken with shit ton of ingredients, including caramelized bananas and various kinds of tropical ingredients. Hope I can replicate something like this at home.

District was named after a president, the bartender said, but had no idea why this suddenly was the gayest district in Madrid. Taught a him to say “Приятного аппетита”. The Spanish have a funny way of always placing “e” if the first sound is consonant. Think about “school” and “escuela”.

Not a big cocktail expert, but had a blast with both spicy and sweet ones. 50E well spent.

After I left a tip, we had a “Na zdorovie” moment, followed by a tequila shot. A shame, considering I explained we don’t have that toast 10 minutes ago. Hope this is another bar where staff remembers me.

Day three: bicycle time

Fucking finally got up earlier than usual! Suddenly had a lot less struggle with finding a good restaurant. Although there were some top ones that already had full booking for several days ahead. Sad.

Look at how pokhoroshel Madrid with Sergey Semyonovich in power:

Madrid has two big parks: Retiro and Casa de Campo, the latter being significantly bigger. Retiro is closer to the museums if you want to mix activities. There was a cool exhibition by Sara Ramo, the main idea of which was to put everyday spaces and items out of context. This ought to show how we are used to a certain way things work. Bigger park won over, though. It was time to use my slightly rusty bicycling skills.

Before heading into the park, spent time riding along the river. It’s surprisingly dirty and shallow. Deeper into the park, trees start to turn green again, grass and flowers appear. No cars inside whatsoever, so it feels very safe to ride.

Had nostalgic feelings about exploring my village on bicycle years ago. More engaging to follow smaller dirt-roads than big ones.

There’s a zoo in the middle of the park, but the roads were closed so no luck getting there. The park has several levels of elevations and you can have a nice view from up here.

The air is distinctly different than in the city, although Madrid is smaller and less polluted than Moscow, I’d assume.

Had a glimpse of a rabbit, but wasn’t able to get a good shot.

Day 4: Christmas & Zaragoza

Lucky for me, the station was very close to my stay. Had no idea how trains work in Spain. Two trains departed at the same time, but the right one had a number also printed on the e-ticked in small font.

Didn’t have a slightest idea how to get from a train station in Zgz to the new stay. There were bus stations near the center, but many of them didn’t have any name in MAPS.me.

Wrote all the stuff up to this line while sitting in the train to Zgz. Spagetti-western-ish landscapes and rural buidings outside the window. Palette consists mainly of orange-yellows, positivity-inducing, compared to the suicidal grey of Moscow winter.

Man, these Renfe express trains are bonkers, they go so fast your ears behave like it’s an airplane.

Upon arrival, found a proper bus (thanks Patricia!). When you try to speak or hear Spanish in a noisy environment, you fail. That means no info for me from a bus driver.

Thanks to GPS-not-working curse (all my phones have it) lifting suddenly , I could track myself around the city. Picked a bus stop somewhat close to the center.

The flat owners, a Spanish man and his Brazilian wife spoke very clear Spanish.

I was really amused and breathed a sigh of relief, as that Venezuelan accent was damaging my brain.

After I met up with Patricia, all bars and restaurants decided to simultaneously close thanks to Christmas. Had to head to McDonalds again, so much for Spanish cuisine.

Patricia showed everything there is: a cool central market building, remnants of a roman wall, the Basilica, of course, a medieval church-part-mosque, and the famous donkey statue.

Here’s some Christmas Market shots as well:

Zaragoza is small, so pretty easy to explore everything there is on foot. My overall impression is that outside of the center you have bland mnogoetazhki, albeit with a brighter mood than their Russian counterparts. Historical center is very small, and if you don’t spend time at the museums, you can see everything in an hour or two.

Nothing-special-happened-day (you can skip)

Ascended one of Basilica’s towers and got myself a ribbon with what looks like Catalan flag but really is Aragon’s flag. No, it doesn’t mean I’m a Catalan separatist, it’s because in Medieval times Catalunya was under Aragon.

Catholic interior proved to be unusual, as I mostly saw Catholic churches in movies.

Confession booths, pews, latin singing and the gothicness is impressive, especially considering how many domes this cathedral has.

Parted ways with Pat and went to explore nearby parks.

Love for walking + not knowing local bus routes & timetables = let’s just walk to a train station across the city. It took 40 minutes.

This train had a speedometer panel peaking at 250 km/h!

Look at how pokhoroshela Barcelona with Sergey Semyonovich in power:

My AirBnB in Barcelona was a huge 6-room apartment, which I have chosen in hopes to spend Christmas with other travelers and socialize. Had hopes of teaming up with someone and going for exploration together.

The hosts are gay couple from Venezuela, Felice and Feliche (nice fit there). At this point you, too, might wonder why there’s so much latin@s in Spain. The answer is simple: they obtain citizenship quicker and have other misc benefits.

Other two tenants were Alix and Alejandro, too from Venezuela. Fun thing is that seems like only those who experienced dictatorship themselves dislike Putin, while other Europeans might have positive-ish stance towards him.

Was expecting to experience early-closing-time problem again, but Barcelona proved different. For 30 Euros got shrimps with apple slices in a fancy sauce, pork and chocolate cake with strawberries and mint. Also, a lot of indian or arab 24h minimarkets all over the city.

Took a walk through nightly Barcelona. Got a strange impression of being teleported back every time I walked a block. The buildings are different, sure, but those details are subtle to the eye of a foreigner.

When you get to a part with non-orthogonal components, like diagonal street or dense area near the port, it feels better.

First day in Barcelona

As per usual, I don’t give a fuck about getting up early and woke up at 11. Not much thought was put into today’s programme - possibly because Gaudi rocks. I mean, partially his buildings should be made of rocks because they use gravel or sand during construction.

There’s no better day for eating in Spain than this one. Why? Some centuries ago, there existed a saint who was the first Christian martyr. And he probably did his marture thing today. So if you would like to respect his sacrifice, please eat a shitload of food.

I was terrified by the amount of edibles waiter brought to my table. It included the following:

• Sangria
• Paella
• Jamon plate
• Salad
• Cheese & potato pie
• Toasts with tomatoes and olive oil
• Pork with potato mash
• Pineapple with caramel syrup
• A piece of chocolate and sweets
• Champagne

I narrowly avoided death from exploding by not eating the sweets. Managed to consume everything else, though, so kinda got the achievent there.

Sagrada Familia

Some might say Sagrada Familia is for tourists or is overrated or something, but I personally found it to be fucking nuts. Just look at that thing!

This huge stone building is melting like an ice cream, and it has tons of details and writings on the outer walls.

I wonder if non-finishedness is going to turn into a feature. The basilica is a mix of very different shapes and styles to the point it have seemed absurd if it wasn’t for Gaudi’s genius.

Flowers, spires, Jesus, ice-cream shapes, inscriptions, two sets of different spires and side-buildings that look out of style!

Funny that the main part and the newer part differ in color just due to time. Some newer parts have rebars sticking out of them.

I dig the organicness and walked around Barcelona to see other Gaudi’s Casas. Wonder how much a flat in one of those cost.

CosmoCaija

This museum is your total bro if you respect science (and if you don’t, you’re not my bro).

The main idea is what science is all about: try it our yourself, experiment, make sense of it, show proof, explain in a clear manner (though this one is debatable).

For example, you can:

• Lit a fire like an ancient human with an imitation of a stick
• Look at mathemathical curves and figures and immediately see where they appear in nature This is arguably illustrative, as most important applications don’t invole looking at natutally-occuring spirals, but rather using those in mathematical modelling
• Visualize Newton’s third law with two minerals changing color depending on the pressure
• Look at the famous bouncing ball experiment forming a normal distribution
• Illustrating how acncient oceanic creatures adapted to land using a row of fish tanks with cute and odd creatures inside
• Displaying huge slices of geological materials and show how they can be bent and molded with cotton-wool

Follow the white glowing rabbit at Plaza Catalunya:

Bought lego figurines as presents on Christmas market.

From my childhood I remember Lego sets being hella expensive. Checked if they’re affordable now that I earn enough. Nah, still very expensive shit.

Ихихихихи:

Second day in Barcelona

After looking at cool, but boring paintings at Prada it seemed wise to choose a less conventional museum. Why not a Cannabis museum, then?

An entrance + thematic popsice cost 10E in total. I definitely recommend, just look at this:

In my opinion, it’s awesome how many completely different things from various epochs and origins are connected by weed. Doctor’s tools, propaganda posters, ceremonial tribal pipes, paintings depicting role of marijuana in medieval ages.

Ironically, in a few days stumbled upon a post discussing what’s bad about weed and is not usually discussed.

Here, near Barceloneta, is a small yard that isn’t a part of a grid layout.

International communication

In this AirBnB flat were also living an Italian couple and two Chinese girls. Of course, I asked about their opinion on censorship.

The response was unexpected: while they didn’t know about Twitter and YouTube, they didn’t really care for those. When they first went outside, they were surprised that everyone used Twitter and Facebook and had to register. Upon returning, they were suddenly unable to use those and had to set up a VPN. All in all, they suppose that people are living OK without knowing about those.

They acknowledge the government must’ve wanted people not to know something, but don’t see anything particularly bad in censorship. Invited me to visit Shanghai sometime.

Felice asked if nations far from Moscow identify themselves as an entity separate from Russia. Another interesting question was if Russia perceives itself as European or an Asian country.

I told them about the language and a struggle between the easterners / westerners movements, war in Checnya and some other stuff they had no idea about.

We ended up talking for far longer than I have planned, and it was almost midnight, and didn’t have supper yet. Hopeful that bars are open, I went to Carrer de Blai, a bar street that Patricia recommended.

The street didn’t disappoint, and tapas were excellent. I think it’s a great tradition, hope we had something like that. You walk around, socialize, try different food and places without any kind of social pressure.

What can possibly be better? Also, these hot Catalan bartenders!

So at 1am I was going back, drunk, full and happy.

Back to Moscow

It was hard to beleive a whole week of concentrated stuff went by so quickly. A classic last day tactic: go to nearest supermarket and stuff half your luggage with local food.

Met a very nice surgeon from South Africa who travels to Barcelona once a year for lecturing. There’s a chance my next solo destination is South Africa.

Conclusions?

Going in without any plan sound cool, but in reality you spend a lot of time figuring out what to do. IMO, this time is better spent actually doing something. You have to get quickly acquainted with the county, how everything works, the schedules, the people. It’s tiresome and you actually have to think, which exausts your brain really quickly.

In part I’m looking forward to NOT PLANNING STUFF EVERY SINGLE DAY AGAIN! Proud of keeping up to my standards of walking for about 15 km / day.

This has been a “swim or sink” language practice. I’d definitely return someday, especially to Barcelona.

Writing this post has me feeling I’m ending two things:

• Travels without a purpose. They start to blend together.
• Posts dedicated to travel experiences. Probably. For a long while I planned to implement some fun pet projects with LaTeX formulas, cool plots, stats, machine learning and fun nonsense. Guess it’s time to finally start making those.

God no I don’t want to see grey rectangular boxes again :C Plis plis! Also I failed at changing the narrative of a travel post! Oh well…