That time I did a 28-day European bus tour — Part 4

This article will cover Days 6–7 of the tour

Here is Part 3 of my story, in case you haven’t read it yet:

So, in the late summer of 2013, our tour bus arrived in Barcelona and we checked into the hostel in which we would be staying for the next two nights.

I remember travelling through some desert on the way. It was the only part of Europe in which I remember seeing any desert (which reminded me a little of my home country).

So what do I remember about my two nights in Barcelona? I will tell you everything I remember.

I remember having paella. It was probably at a place aimed at tourists, considering that we eat very early by Spanish standards (they eat late). Still, it was paella and it was good. I didn’t have anything to compare it against at the time. Also, there were two Korean male travellers in the group who seemed really happy to finally be having rice (because good Asian food isn’t always easy to come by in Europe, as any experienced traveller will know, just as good Western food isn’t always easy to come by in Asia).

I remember watching a flamenco show, which was entertaining. Then I think we went to a bar and drank sangria. I think it was the first time I had had sangria and I wasn’t much of a drinker at the time (but I was still developing a taste for it) but I didn’t mind that drink (compared to say, beer or wine). I also remember being told that the way they pour drinks in Spain is much more liberal than in Australia, where there are strict legal requirements around how they pour drinks. At least we weren’t driving.

I remember going to some big nightclub that was on the beach. I can’t remember the name of it. I remember not feeling like more alcohol because of the (rather large) sangria I had just had. So I asked for water and was charged five Euros for it. This is not Australia, where you can always get free water on tap (as a general rule). I also remember somehow stepping outside the club and trying to get back in but being refused entry because I was wearing the wrong shoes (but because I came in with the group, they must have let that slide). Honestly, I was never really one for clubbing anyway. I may still do it on the odd occasion but it’s never really been a thing for me.

I remember catching a cab home that night and I remember the driver driving rather fast through the streets. It was an experience. But I hope the guy knew what he was doing.

I remember buying an SD card for my camera, so I could more pictures, like these ones:

I also remember seeing this building (know as the Sagrada Familia) when I was there:

These days, I take all of my pictures on my phone. But I didn’t do that back then.

I remember having tapas near the beach with a few of my fellow travellers (there was a group of friends who were all from Perth, Australia, and they seemed happy with me tagging along with them). And we also went to the beach, where this photo was taken:

I know what you’re thinking. That building in the background looks like Dubai. It isn’t, obviously. That’s something else.

I also remember there being topless women on the beach, and I remember chatting casually with some female tourist who was topless (she told me she was Swedish). It wasn’t a big deal to me that she was topless. If she felt comfortable being topless on a public beach then… fair enough. I don’t usually go to the beach all that often (I do live about two hours from the nearest beach) but I rarely see topless women in public here in Australia. Unless you go to a nudist beach. But I was in Spain, not Australia, so things will be different from what I’m used to.

So… yes, I enjoyed my brief time in Barcelona (I was on holiday in Europe, what’s not to like?). I don’t remember too much else from my time there. But I would happily revisit Barcelona and Spain someday (like most places I went to). There definitely seemed to be much more nightlife (and more people around generally) than where I live. But then I live in Canberra, so that’s not saying all that much. And I obviously only saw a small part of Spain (probably the most touristy part).

Also, I remember getting by on very basic Spanish (and French and Italian in those respective countries). It becomes more challenging if you are trying to talk to people whose job isn’t to serve international tourists. But generally, people seem to appreciate it if you at least try and make an effort.

On Day 8, we left Barcelona and headed back to France. The next part of the trip was to head along the French Riviera, stay for a couple of nights in Nice, including an evening in Monaco, then continue on to Italy. I will discuss this in my next article.

To be continued…