Part Seven: Two Employees For The Continent of Europe, Obviously

Our packed Citroen C4 screeches to a halt just outside the Calais Ferry Terminal building. Adam and Charlie dart inside, as we’re frantically attempting to book tickets as foot passengers to save Charlie’s Mom and stepdad the hassle of ferrying over from Dover just to go back 15 minutes later. We pull the doors open to reveal literally hundreds of people snaking around the building in a line that stretches for what seems like miles. Some are standing, some are sitting, and some are bundled in a sleeping bag attempting to catch up on days of missed rest. We follow the zig-zag all the way to the front, where just two people are behind the counter selling tickets. Once again, Europe has really risen to the challenge of this now global crisis.

Realizing there was no hope of getting walk-on tickets, we made the call and had Gillian and Malcolm (and Knights in Shining Armour) board the dog gone ferry. Now with nearly two hours of free time on our hands (free time you say? CRAZY!) we decided it would be a good idea to do a dry run of their route to make sure we could give very accurate instructions so as to make the 4:45am ferry instead of waiting until 6:15am. Let it be known that 3am dry-runs of a highly confusing route overseen by five rather vocal people after 15 hours in a car together is not recommended.

The ferry exit led directly to a highway that had only one exit 5 miles down the road. That exit had both a left and right turn option with led to a roundabout that swoops under the highway and back onto the ferry return lane, shooting vehicles back into the boarding zone to go back to England. Confusing? Try putting all of that into a text message, which took us 15 minutes to agree on wording. It was the first and only moment where we got testy with each other. Indeed, the Ferocious Five neared a state of meltdown.

Because it was a highway, we had to lug our bags out into the middle then flap our arms to flag down the cars, dump in our bags, and zoom into the customs line. This was, of course, after we parked the car at the end of the lot, ran the key to the drop box in the ferry terminal half a mile away, then darted back to our makeshift pick-up zone. Magically, the entire operation went off without a hitch. As their cars crested over the horizon and our salvation become visible, the excitement exploded. “I have never actually jumped for joy like I did just now,” David said.

Cars and bags safely stowed below, we toasted to our success with ferry-quality champagne, watching the sun rise over the White Cliffs of Dover as we approached good old England. We had done it. We had pulled off the greatest escape in travel history. Bring it volcano. Bring it.

As our train pulled into London and we each headed in our own direction, the reality of reality slowly started to settle. Why, again, had we decided to come back to all this? Why, again, did we want the adventure to end? For the life of me, I can’t remember. All I know is that I’ve got an excellent pair of plumen-goggle-strassen to check out the mean cloud of volcanic ash!

Long live the Ferocious Five.

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Kyle Taylor

Part Six: Leather Vests and Plume-Seeing Goggles

Having had breakfast in Dubai, lunch in Tunisia, and dinner in Spain, we were all feeling the effects of non-stop travel fueled solely on adrenaline. Thankfully, a friend in London booked us into a great hostel on the outskirts of the city, which became “Ferocious Five” headquarters for the evening. Now that we had sorted out getting to Calais, the next step was crossing the Channel.

True to form, no websites would process our booking request. Not Eurotunnel, no P&O, and not SeaFrance. It was all “critical errors” and “impossible operations,” much like our lives in general at the moment. As a result, we were up late into the night (or was it early into the morning?). Sleeping just 3 hours, it was once again time to move. Following a mesmerizing free breakfast of dry cereal and bizarre muffins, we loaded all five bags and all five people into a car the size of my thumb. Every single minute iota of space was full of something, as we had emptied David’s bag to stick individual shoes, socks, and shirts under seats, between headrests, and inside other bags.

The next 15 hours of non-stop driving emerged as a real blur, full of inside jokes that probably aren’t funny, kind service station employees drawing maps on the back of receipts, and the same six songs played over and over again on the two radio stations we could tune into. Somehow, the notion of Germans wearing leather vests made us all laugh over and over again, as well as our collective invention: the plumen-goggle-strassen, which is the only pice of equipment that lets you actually see the volcanic plume cloud floating overhead in an otherwise pristine sky. There were more nicknames like Swervy McSwerverson, Countless shots of Red Bull, and even the use of toddler toilets at rest stops top avoid the line. Yes, we are all aware of how ridiculous the whole thing sounds.

Despite the frantic nature of this marathon drive, there was also something particularly beautiful about it. Here we are, five total strangers thrust into an impossible situation, crammed into a tiny car packed to the brim genuinely enjoying each other’s company and relying solely on this intense trust in ourselves and each other. As we pulled into Calais minutes after midnight, the thought of it all ending seemed more sad than anything. Couldn’t the adventure live on forever?

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Kyle Taylor

Trip Recommendations

Lisbon:


Wander Alfama (the old district) for hours, getting lost down any and all little lanes. Unbelievable panoramic views.

Pensao Figueira Guesthouse (ask for a room facing the square).
Simply walk everywhere. The city is gorgeous, charming and in my opinion, magical.

Tona La Da Ca for dinner. Portuguese food at Portuguese prices. Wander into Bairro Alto and ask around. People will know what you’re talking about.

The Monastery in Belem. Vasco de Gama is buried there!

The real beauty is along the coastline. Rent a Smart Car from Ausocar (google it) for $30 a day and beach-hop for as long as you can. The Lagos to Lisbon route is beyond picturesque.


Madrid:

Eat, eat and eat!!!!

Museum of Ham (Museo de Jambon) gives you free ham with any drink (which are wildly affordable) and they do Sangria by the glass.

Momo has an amazing $15 3-course menu that was utterly divine. It is in the Checutera (sp?) district, just north of Plaza del Sol.

Helado (ice cream) anywhere.

Besides food, don’t miss the Reina Sofia (brilliant collection and brilliant curation). Touring the palace was also worth the wait and cost ($4). So over-the-top it’s no wonder Spain went bankrupt during its golden period. Also, make sure to stroll through the Parc Real in the east.

Last but not least, walk along Alfama and Gran Via at night. The Metropolis building at dusk is unrivaled for overall splendor not just in Madrid but, I would argue, almost anywhere.


Barcelona:

Barcelona is enormous, and the avenues are massive. I found it easy to navigate but less charming. It’s all about the destinations and hot-spots.

For food: Carmelitas for casual sandwiches (and a great ambiance), Dos Treces for modern Spanish food, Tres Hermanos for INCREDIBLE tapas and sangria and Wagaboo for fusion. It’s so modern.

For sites: Note that the Gaudi spots have long lines (over an hour) and are very expensive (as much as $15). Plan ahead and be sure to get there early. Don’t miss his tow homes, Parc Guell in the north and the Sagrada Familia (particularly amazing after 9pm with the lights on). Barcelonetta and the beaches offer some great people-watching, Las Ramblas and Old Town are the places to stroll and just take it all in and the fountains at Montjuic are simply extraordinary.

Hope that helps any of you on your quest through the Iberian Peninsula!

Also, cruise the entire Portuguese coast. Most. Beautiful. Coast. On. Earth.

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Kyle Taylor

Madrid At Night

There isn’t a whole lot to say here, except that Madrid is now tops on my list for most beautiful cities on earth at night. Of course, the unbelievable beauty of the Metropolis building may have skewed my findings. Here are some photos of the Metropolis building, the Communications Palace (code for headquarters of the post office, which speaks volumes about the importance of postal workers in Spain), the Queen Fountain, the Founding Arch and of course, the Tio Pepe sign, which is - at this point - an institution.








Coincidentally, if you’d like a print of these or any of my photos, check out my flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kyletaylor. I’d be happy to order one for you.

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Kyle Taylor

Madrid Through My Stomach

If we’ve done anything well on this trip (to be fair, we’ve done nearly everything well), it has been eating. I’m like a bottomless pit that just can’t stop. Not only is food fairly inexpensive, it’s also absolutely delicious. The “must-eats:”

Tapas, tapas and tapas. Namely, chorizo, patatas bravas (which sounds like “bravo potatoes” to me, which is absolutely true), goat cheese and honey on toast, croquettes (cheese, ham or ham & cheese) and the egg/potato pancake thing.



HAM! It as much as possible and note that it does not taste in any way like Oscar Meyer singles. Museo de Jambon (Museum of Ham) in Madrid did it best. Honestly, consume as much as humanly possible.

Trendy salads. I don’t know how else to refer to them. Just eat the concoctions they have come up with. Blackberry balsamic vinegar, for example.



Fresh fish! While this is more of a Portuguese specialty, try it anywhere near water. Grilled over open flame served in olive oil topped with garlic and onions. Fish-fection (that’s a play on perfection).

Sangria. Is there anything more to say about it?

Port. Again, more of a Portugal thing, but it’s sweet and delicious and tastes lovely accompanied by some chocolate.

Wine in general. I mean, what else is there to say?


Coffee. Not my scene, but alas loves it “LIKE WHOA.”

Ice cream. It’s as close to Italian Gelato I’ve found outside Italy, which makes it pretty darn good.




And last but certainly not least, PASTRIES. This is a region of the world committed to carbohydrates. I mean, seriously committed. I’m beginning to think complex carb ingestion may be a regional sport. There are entire shops committed to nothing but baked bread in all different flavors and sizes. This is an every morning kind-of thing that simply CANNOT be missed, so throw out the absurd “no carbs” diet and start your day right with fresh juice, coffee and a pastry. Remember - these people are WAY THINNER than we are and they do it, so there must be something to it all. My top three:

3. Plain bread. It’s amazing. Smear it with preserves, honey or chocolate spread and enjoy.
2. Chocolate croissant. Seems easy enough, right?
1. Xuxo. Pronounce “chew-cho,” this little Spanish wonder is filled with cream and covered in granulated sugar. I actually got so addicted to these and ate so many in a short period of time that my glands swelled from sugar overdose. No, seriously. They couldn’t handle it. I had to cut sugar out of my diet for four days to recover. Needless to say, proceed with caution. Word of asvise: Don’t submit your symptoms to WebMD. They told me I was either pregnant or had a “potentially fatal gland infection.” No WebMD, I just ate too much sugar.

And now it’s your turn. Go!

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Kyle

Madrid Is Magnificent

Thankfully, nothing ridiculous, absurd or particularly hilarious happened on our journey to Madrid. We were equally lucky while IN Madrid as well. While that’s swell for us, it means less entertaining fodder for blogging!




While we did have a guesthouse booked in Madrid, one of Team Barcelona’s significant others offered his place to us, which meant a savings of $60 each PLUS a live-in tour guide. Glorious. The only bad side is that he lived on the 5th floor of a walk-up, which left Alyson and I gasping for air as we climbed to the top, bags in hand, on backs, on fronts and so on.




Most folks had told us that Madrid did not compare to Barcelona. It wasn’t beautiful. The people were different and so on. We couldn’t disagree more! Madrid was our place! Loved the winding tiny lanes, loved the innumerable plazas, loved the gritty city feel, loved the warm people and loved the sites and LOVED the food.




We did our usual “walk the entire city in a day and feel totally exhausted” thing, which does wonders for orienting ones self. We also got to take in some of Madrid’s (and Spain’s) most incredible sites, including the The Cathedral, the Egyptian (yes, Egyptian) ruins, the Reina Sofia (modern art museum), the Parc Real (which used to be the Royal Family’s backyard), the Prado (historic art museum), the Palace and the Plaza Mayor (center of town). Just a few shots by day. More by night soon!

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Kyle Taylor

Bike Rentals and Renewable Energy, Oh My!

For anyone who has been living under a rock and missed anything and everything about the economic crisis (and subsequent “rejuvenation” and “stabilization,” which are just the epitome of “buzz word,” it seems that every nation on Earth has placed “new Green technology” at the top of their list as to how we’re going to get out of the slump. “We’re going to be the World leader in green energy” comes to mind. While that would be super if the US is able to be the World leader, we may be living in that American bubble just a little too much at the moment.

All through southern Portugal the hilltops were dotted with wind turbines that now generate 5% of the nation’s power. Portugal is also building the world’s largest solar energy facility, which will deliver another 10%, making Portugal 15% renewable.

In Spain they’re already at 10% and apparently control the patents for about half of all existing technology! On top of that, the culture is just already much “greener.” For example, in Barcelona there are bike rentals at every metro stop called “Bicing.” For $30 a year you can get 30 minutes of biking free per day, then it’s just 30 cents for each 30 minutes after that.

Don’t even get me started on their rail networks. High-speed rail (faster than flying) now connects a majority of Western Europe. Where are we on this front? Approval was just given for a high-speed rail link from LA to San Fran and Buffalo to NYC. Completion date? 2015. Come on America. Let’s get moving! I firmly believe we can do it, but we’ve GOT to get our act together. Let’s continue to be that beacon on a hill, but lets power that beacon with wind and solar energy.

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Kyle Taylor

Jesus Is A Big Deal Here

As I am usually totally unaware of the date and time, it’s no surprise that I planned an entire trip to Spain - the second most-committed European Catholic nation - over Easter. Fortunately, Barcelona is somewhat of the “anti-Spain” in terms of progressiveness and so on, which meant not EVERYTHING was closed (the woman at a museum looked at me like I was insane when I asked about “special Easter hours” asking me, “what means special Easter? I don’t understand.” Even in the US things are closed on Easter). There were, however, two doozies in terms of life experiences.


The first came in the form of a Good Friday parade (Semana Santa) that was reenacting Jesus’ march to the cross. While Jesus was played by a statue, there were at least 100 people in the procession. Some were holding orbs, others were dragging crosses. The mayor of Barcelona and the bishop of Barcelona also took part. As it cruised down Las Ramblas (Barcelona’s main drag) literally THOUSANDS of people scurried to the line the streets and snap some pictures. I managed to get in front of the entire procession and get a few shots from inside the parade ground (there are very few rules to be seriously followed in Spain).


Naturally, I’m certain it’s my own cultural context and ignorance, but both Alyson and I were a bit taken aback by the pointy black KKK-esque hats everyone was sporting. It turns out the KK adopted their gear from the Catholic Church. You know, because they have so much in common?


The other Easter-related story has to do with the fact that Thursday through Tuesday was a “holiday” in Spain, so NO ONE was working, including the man who sells the butane necessary to heat water in the apartment. Yes, each apartment is in charge of its own natural gas supply (and I’ve heard stories from other Europeans who are under the same conditions). Well, we ran out Saturday night and couldn’t get more until Monday evening. Luckily - as Aditi pointed out - none of us could shower, so we sort-of shared in our own stench. Brave Alyson managed to wash her hair under the frigid conditions, but the rest of us - well - we smelled. Alas, you just have to embrace it, right? Right?

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Kyle Taylor

Gaudi Is Glorious

“Welcome to the home of the most brilliant genius who ever lived,” the audio tour proclaimed. This same message started every audio tour of a Gaudi exhibit in Barcelona. Clearly, Spain is a fan. While many of you may know of him, other might be learning of the World’s greatest genius for the first time, so I’ll explain. He was a really big deal at the turn of the century, completely revolutionizing art and architecture in a way that has yet to be repeated. From apartment buildings to parks to churches, Gaudi has left an important stamp on the city of Barcelona, the nation of Spain and the international world of art. Indeed, he is the greatest, most brilliant-est, most fantastic-est man that ever lived, and a huge part of our stay in Barcelona. We visited his apartment building, an estate he was commissioned to create, an unbelievable park set atop Barcelona and the Sagrada Familia, a church that would become his last work. He died suddenly in 1926 when he was hit by a tram. Note the colors, curves and genuine uniqueness of it all, then go visit and see it all for yourself!

























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Kyle Taylor