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 Dakota's Iberian Travelogue

Hi my name is Dakota Smith & I work for Travelers Digest. Recently me & my girlfriend (Jasmine) took a trip across the Iberian Peninsula stretching from Barcelona to our finishing point Lisbon. We would only have one week to complete our trip, but after careful research I thought I had figured out how.

I had been living in England with my girlfriend at the time so we decided to fly on EasyJet from London to Barcelona, I mean after all we just had to see the city where the opening shot of Justin Timberlake's video for Sexyback took place.

Arriving in Barcelona, we quickly navigated our way through the airport to the bus stop located outside the terminal, where we caught the direct bus to the city centre. I had booked a hotel online a few weeks before that was located in the Universitat district. The room wasn't cheap that's for sure, $80US Dollars a nite & it didn't even have a private bathroom. But hey I wasn't looking for comfort, I was looking for location, & that it did have. It was just a few minutes walk from Placa Catalunya & Las Ramblas.

Our first nite in the city we walked down to Placa Catalunya to meet some of Jasmine's friends who were in town. After that we all took an early evening stroll through the Gothic Quarter, the city's cultural centrepiece. The Gothic Quarter is a labyrinth of narrow, winding streets extending past ancient walls, & palaces built by the Romans as well as the great gothic buildings that marked the highpoint of the city in the Middle Ages.

While in the Gothic Quarter we stopped at a small Cava (Barcelona's version of Champagne) & cheese bar to stock up on well you guessed it, Cava & cheese! It was a popular joint frequented by students looking for cheap drinks before a nite out. We found standing room long enough to hang out for a bit enjoying a €7 bottle of Cava & some cheese. Eventually we left & saw some more of the district.

After our brief walk we headed back to our hotel to get ready to go out later that nite. Nothing welcomes you to a new city like drinking, but then again I also say that about mornings. We met back up with our friends & walked a few blocks to Chupitos. A happening little place whose name translates into "shots", there are over 500 different shots to choose from, & all for a flat price of €1,50. Cheap prices are a rarity on the Barcelona nitelife scene, so we took advantage of the uncommonness. It's bewildering how many of the shots involved flames of some sorts, also one of the bar's more unique shots is called the "Monica Lewinsky", it consists of a beer bottle places inside a dildo, & then shook until it foams, & then the customer is left to guzzle it down.

After leaving Chupitos we went to a few clubs which unfortunately did not share its gravity of price. But after a short while we took off back to our room as I personally was beat.

The next morning we set about doing the everyday tourist stuff, we went for a walk to the beach, we saw the Sagrada Familia, & of course Casa Batllo. Gaudi was a brilliant modernist architect whose hand can be seen in works all over the city, it's as if in the late 19th century the city decided to hand him money & property with no constraints whatsoever on his visions.

The Sagarada Familia isn't exactly the most photogenic of places if only because such a large portion of it is still under renovation. The expected completion date is somewhere around 2026 which would make it almost 150 years after constructions first began. I don't know about you but I'm keyed up with anticipation.

The next day we planned the majority around Parc Guell, another one of Gaudi's works. Parc Guell is located on a large hill soaring over Barcelona. At the top of the park is a terraced area offering beautiful views of the city. But the park's true charm is in its amazing stone structures, & its stunning tiling. It was definitely the highlight of the tourist attractions. That & we got churros just after, & those are awesome.

Soon our time in Barcelona had expired, we said goodbye to our friends & made our way to the train station to catch our late morning ride to Madrid. Five hours later we arrived at Madrid Atocha, from there it was a short subway ride to the hotel I had booked online, again not cheap, but in a great location. We didn't have long to spend in Madrid so we got straight to sightseeing. Our first nite was spent having dinner & casually strolling down the high street, & to the opera house, as well as Plaza Mayor.

The next morning we decided to first buy the train tickets for our upcoming journey to Lisbon. It sounded easy in theory but what we didn't know was just how disorganized Spain truly is. Taking a number in the queue for tickets at the Madrid station, three hours later we reached the counter, & got our tickets. Finally the real seeing of the sights could begin, first we walked from our hotel to Plaza Puerta del Sol, & then we continued on to the Palace of Communications. A stunning building that serves as one of Madrid's most recognizable landmarks.

Walking past the Palace of Communications we reached Parque de Retiro. Madrid's central park of sorts, from the main entrance in Plaza Indepencia you come to the pool in the centre of the park flanked on one side by l'Estanque, a beautiful waterfront monument. We decided to see the water up close, so we rented a row boat for an hour at a cost of about €4. It was a great time, Jasmine had a lot of fun rowing me around the water, & I had a lot of fun treating her as if she were my taxi driver.

After a few lazy hours in the park, we darted back across the city centre to Plaza Mayor once again, & then onwards to the Royal Palace. The palace is the official residence of the King of Spain, however he & his family don't actually reside in the palace. To the west of the palace are the Sabatini Gardens, free to enter, they're a tranquil place with trees, statues, fountains, & everything else you could want from palatial gardens. Jasmine & I spent a few hours in the gardens talking, & resting our feet.

Eventually nite was upon us & we had to make haste & prepare to catch our overnite train to Lisbon. Riding the subway to the north of city we reached the station & boarded our 11PM train for Lisbon. Wanting to save money we had decided to get seats & forgo bunks. We had a rough nite trying to sleep, but we saved over €100 so I still think it was worth it.

Early the next morning we arrived in Lisbon & took a taxi to our pre-arranged hotel. This was by far the nicest & cheapest hotel we stayed at during our trip. The price per night was only €40, & the room was thrice the size of the previous ones.

Unfortunately Lisbon just didn't seem to stack up to the two other cities we had the pleasure of visiting. Lisbon while more affordable, seemed run down in part, vagrants littered the streets, & they weren't passive in their shouts & demands that passer-bys give donate to their cause. It was not a city I would have felt safe walking in at nite.

We spent our first day in Lisbon trying to find a restaurant that served something other than seafood (we're both vegetarians), & then seeing the few sights that the city had to offer. The next day our plans came to an end before they had a change to begin as the weather took a drastic turn for the worse. It was the first rain we had encountered on the Iberian Peninsula, & it was heavy.

The day consisted of nothing more than lazing around the hotel room watching MTV & eating snacks we had worked through the rain to achieve. Early the next morning we were off to the airport & back to London.

All in all I would say the trip was a success. Barcelona was one of the most amazing cities I've ever been to, & I definitely would like the opportunity to spend some more time in its confines. Madrid as well goes down in my books as a beautiful & intriguing place. Lisbon as I said is the lackluster of the three, & the only one which I do not recommend.

Our entire week in Spain & Portugal had cost us $1500 US Dollars for two people, including all flights. That my friends is what I call a deal.

 -Dakota Smith