p a p e r d o l l

How does one describe Barcelona? It’s an infectiously happy place. You feel giddy upon arrival- giddy with an inexplicable sense of joy. Quite nuts, if you think about it. That’s how we felt the first day we were in Barcelona and it didn’t let up much as the days went by. My second part of the vacation, in words. Before the good stuff, let me share with you the what-the-hell part that preceded my sojourn in Barcelona.

People: Zheng Yang, Gemma, Huilin (who decided to join us a week before we were due to depart for orange Barcelona to escape crazy cold Paris), me.

What-the-hell (part 1): Months ago, Zheng Yang and Gemma and I decided to book a 9am flight to Barcelona. The problem with that was that there was a need to take the transfer coach from the edge of Paris to the Paris Beauvais airport, which takes about two hours. Which meant we had to catch the 6am bus departing from Porte Maillot to catch our plane, which was impossible, since we live in the suburbs and there are no trains that would allow us to catch such an early train. Thus! We decided to spend the night at the airport. Of course, we did not know that this budget airport closed for the night, because, seriously, non-24-hour airports? We were told near midnight by the airport personnel that, well, we couldn’t stay at the airport. Great. We had to go to a nearby hotel. Taxi drivers were already waiting to take us. PLOT! Gnash teeth. At the hotel, I became a translator (which was kinda cool) because there were 18 people needing a room in all, none of them (aside from the 4 of us) knowing any French but conveniently knowing Chinese and English, so great(: Anyway, to cut the long story short- in the chaos, the four of us managed to get a room only paying for two (heh heh) and we all got a good night’s sleep after all.

Now that that has been said, we can get on to the real part of the vacation.

Day 1: We checked into Centric Point Hostel in downtown Barcelona. Near the train station Passieg de Gracia. The hostel was AMAZING- location, facilities, cool factor. We were right in the shopping heart of the city, the hostel was super new and clean and spacious and breakfast and internet were included, plus we were living right opposite Cartier and high-end shops like that. The view was awesome at night. It was quite unbelievable. After a quick shower, we headed out for lunch which was cheap compared to what we’re used to in Paris. Then, we went to the beach! It was so so so beautiful. The weather was great and we sat on the beach eating fruits and watching the sun go down. ZY and Hui were doing cartwheels on the sand and I was uh… watching. And taking too many photographs of the setting sun. For dinner, we went to an Indian restaurant called Chandni. I had superb hot chicken masala curry and a garlic naan.

Day 2: We walked to where Gaudi used to live. The Gaudi architecture that is everywhere in Barcelona is so beautiful. Grotesque, but mesmerizing. We walked to La Sagrada Familia and were bsolutely awed by it. And I just have to say that it looked cleaner than I had imagined. It had looked rather dirty in the film L’Auberge Espagnole (The Spanish Apartment). Anyway, after that, we had a buffet lunch at Latuca. There are a lot of buffet restaurants in Barcelona, by the way. The lunch was yummy and totally worth what we paid. Also gave us a chance to rest our feet. We went to a shopping centre afterwards, but this was rather disappointing, so that was that. Too full for dinner, we had space for only desserts at the restaurant right next to our hostel, called No No. It was a nice little place- modern. By the way, all the hot chocolate in Barcelona is wonderfully rich, mixed in this round machine thing that every cafe and restaurant seems to own.

Day 3: Gemma wasn’t staying at the hostel with us- she was staying with a friend on exchange in Barcelona for the semester. We met her and her friend (Shanti, who’s friends with Amira!) for a Japanese buffet lunch, which was again very much worth the money we paid. Then, we broke up to go our separate ways. Hui and I walked along the port, with the sun shining down on us and the birds flying in circles. We continued walking down the famous Las Ramblas, intrigued by the creative street performers. We wanted to go to the Museum of Erotica, but it was really small and rather expensive and so we decided to not go and instead, found ourselves at a market near it, which carried glistening fruits, piled-up goat heads (very disturbing with so many dead eyes staring at us), gourmet chocolates, candy, seafood, gelati etc. It was quite a feast for the eyes and the tummy. We finally arrived at our intended destination: the Mango Outlet Store. There was a sale at the Mango Outlet Store, so imagine if you can that there were skirts going for 1.99 euros. It was paradise(: Tapas for dinner and then an excited visit to Zara.

Day 4: We took a trip out of town, Hui and I! To Figueres, where Salvador Dali was born in 1904. We wanted to visit the Salvador Dali Museum, you see. So glad we made the trip. The museum was very very engaging. We’d split up to go through the museum and for walking about town. After I was done at the museum, I chanced upon a fresh produce market and bought the sweetest plums and navel oranges imaginable. It was divine to walk in 22 degrees celcius sunny weather and munch on the fruits. Very happy trip this was. Hui left for Paris upon our return to Barcelona. ZY and I headed out for a tapas dinner which was absolutely delicious. The grilled squid was the best of all the tapas we tried. We then had gelati and walked Placa Catalunya with the bustling weekend shopping crowd.

Day 5: Today was the last day. ZY and I went to Parc Guell in the morning, which is a park created by Gaudi. It was breathtaking! Truly truly. Itself and the view of Barcelona from it. I left ZY to tan (I am, as many of you know, not one for tanning) and made my way to the Museum of Decorative Arts, which was interesting enough. There were many people in the park of the museum- lying down, talking to each other, cycling, roller-blading, jogging. For lunch, I had grilled squid in a restaurant, with warm bread rolls and green olives and a colourful salad. Enjoyed it thoroughly. Realized afterward to my displeasure that no shops were opened (because it was a Sunday) and so had to contend with reading a magazine at Starbucks with a cuppa latte. Alas, it was time to leave Barcelona! Which brings me to…

What-the-hell (part 2): The bus taking us from Barcelona to the Girona airport where we would catch our Ryanair flight back to the Paris Beauvais airport broke down. RAH. We had to wait at a gas station for another bus to come pick us up. It was a most anxious time. If we didn’t catch the plane, the next plane was the next morning and the next morning was the first day of classes of the second semester! It would not do. Thankfully, we made it just in time (with a minute to spare, I kid you not and yes my heart suffered for it) before the check-in counter closed for the flight we were on… 40 minutes before take-off. Upon arriving at Paris Beauvais airport, we had to board a bus back to the city edge, and then walk a distance (in the heavy rain too! RAH again.) to the train station. We then had to run (with luggage and tired hearts (from the anxiety-inducing bus breakdown) and scheme to catch the second last RER back to our little town in the suburbs instead of the last one. Finally, we were back at 1am. And of course, I had to have a full day of classes starting from 9am in the morning.

Anyhow! Barcelona was fabulous. Couldn’t have asked for a more splendid vacation. Met interesting people in our dorm room. The Portuguese architecture students we liked, a Brazilian girl we(we taught her to say ta1 ma1 de4 and she said it with such zest!), an overenthusiastic Taiwanese guy we kinda liked (he had just been in Singapore before arriving in Barcelona), but also a smelly incomprehensible Italian we didn’t. Oh well. Loved the food and the weather. I think I want to go back there and soak in more of that happiness.

I shall make my vacation recount a two-parter, because it really was that. After the UK trip, I came back for two packed days of serious things before going off to Spain. Here we go!

Day 1: Awoke at 5.30am. Reminiscent of secondary school days, when waking up at 5.30am for school and then training and then homework was a non-issue. Well, those days are far gone and waking up at 5.30 was NOT FUNNY. Still, it was my fault for booking an optimistically early train ride to London. What was I thinking? I was thinking I was still very very young and very very energetic. Anyway, I have digressed. I slept and drooled unglamorously on the eurostar train while it chugged (more like sped glamorously) under the Channel to London. Cousin Kenny met me at Waterloo. He was in Manchester the previous day for a soccer match. Boys will be boys. (Girls who like soccer will be girls who like soccer.) We pottered around waiting for the famous Four Seasons Restaurant to be opened. The duck there is amazing. Seriously, all duck eaten before this pale in comparison. This duck was tender. Tender duck! We then took a bus to Cambridge. Kenny kept up an interesting commentary of the place while we walked to Churchill College, where he lives. He has a very nice, very spacious room. It’s triple the size of my room here, but never mind. After resting a little, it was time to get ready for a formal at Queens College. Basically, people dress up and have a three-course meal. Quite nice. We hung out at someone’s room after that.

Day 2: I slept in. In a sleeping bag. Kenny came back from his classes just in time for lunch and so we cycled (I’d missed cycling) to town for a Thai lunch. We walked the market and the campus. So many stories he told! I can’t remember half (likely more) of them, but it was lovely to listen and walk through the beautiful old colleges. We cycled to an Asian supermarket some distance from the town to buy ingredients for a steamboat/table barbeque dinner Kenny was giving in my honour. (So nice, eh?) I met more of his friends and we all had a very enjoyable tasty meal together.

Day 3: Kenny’s room continued to smell of barbequed meat, which was not entirely pleasant. Since he had a day-long physics practical (the horror), I had the day to myself. On his suggestion, I cycled to the next town, Grantchester. It was really really nice. To get from Cambridge to Grantchester, one had to cycle this foot/bicycle path that had rolling fields of green on either side, as far as the eye can see. It was amazing. I was reminded of all the Enid Blyton stories I’d read since I was an ickle thing. I had brunch (Sparkling Elderflower, Hot Chocolate, Victorian Sandwich, Scone and Clotted Cream) (I’d worked up quite an appetite with the cycling) by myself at The Orchard, which everyone should check out, should they find themselves even remotely near it. Such history, such tranquility. I cycled back to Churchill College with my spirits lifted (seriously), and decided to walk to town (my butt was hurting from all the cycling) to check out the stalls at the market and the shops in town. I bought books from a second-hand book stall at ridiculously low prices (between 1 and 2 pounds)- Nicole Krauss’ History of Love, Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper, Ali Smith’s The Accidental, and four books by Alexander McCall Smith. Then I went (sigh) shopping (yet again). Soon, it was time to walk back to pack and shower for my night bus to Edinburgh. Before the long bus ride, my cousin showed me a couple more places on campus as we walked to Dodo, a Japanese eatery, for our last meal together before I left. End of Cambridge trip! Bus to London and then from London to Edinburgh passed by uneventfully. One point to note: sleeping upright (and in contorted positions between upright and horizontal) for approximately 8 hours is supremely uncomfortable.

Day 4: Arrived in Edinburgh! And so began a solo trip in a new place. Boy was it windy. And early. And cold. Brr. Lugged my luggage around for quite a bit before I found the right bus-stop to take the right bus to my bed and breakfast establishment. I had decided to splurge to celebrate the completion of my first semester at La Sorbonne, and so it was to a four-star B&B I was heading. Et voila! The Townhouse, on Gilmore (!!) Place. Up on the top floor, my room was a single, with an en-suite bathroom with an original Victorian bath. No time to enjoy the bath yet, I had a quick shower before heading out to explore Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Where else but the shopping stretch first, oui? It was to Princes Street I went, indulging in my love for UK high street brands. FCUK, Miss Selfridge, Topshop. (Do you hear my happy sigh?) Of course, no trip to UK is complete with as many visits as possible to Marks and Spencer. Love love the food there. I went a bit nuts there choosing my dinner. TV+Bath for the night.

Day 5: As it was a bed and breakfast I was staying at, I had breakfast in the quaintest dining room. Scottish porridge and scrambled eggs and toast and peaches and sweet milk tea. Full up, I started off for the day. First stop again was Princes Street. A shopaholic is a shopaholic is a shopaholic. The history-lover in me kicked in soon after and I traipsed over to the Museum of Childhood on the Royal Mile. The most adorable place. Bibs, toy cars, doll houses, board games, musical boxes, story books, costumes… … I had such fun poking at this, looking at that. I then walked over to Grassmarket to check out Armstrong’s & Sons, a well-known vintage clothing store. Walking on, I made my way up Victoria Street with the cutest little shops, popping into this one and that. At the end of the street, I found myself at the Central Lending Library and couldn’t resist a quick look around.

Day Six: Scottish fishcakes for breakfast- boy were they yummy. First stop, the Royal Botanic Gardens. It was quiet and pretty and the Rock Garden was surprising (in a very pleasant way). Back in town, I visited Harvey Nichols, browsing through unaffordable clothing and a more affordable food section, which I spent too much time and possible too much money in. On then to Jenners, a homegrown departmental store. On again to Fopp, a music store featuring mainly UK names. Speaking of, I LOVE PAOLO NUTINI- swoon. Weather was great. It was sunny and Edinburgh looked mesmerizingly shiny. An extra long and luxurious bath, since it was my very last night.

Day 7: I had to check out, sadly, but not after a hearty breakfast. I also did my laundry this morning at a nearby launderette, since I knew I’d have a horrifically rushed two days in Paris before I was off to Barcelona. I swear I stared at my laundry in both the washer and the dryer for almost two hours. It’s strangely calming to watch your clothes go round and round. After dumping my freshly laundered clothes at the sitting room of The Townhouse, I set off for the Museum on the Mound , which is really the bank museum. Quite fascinating. I saw a million pounds in 20-pound notes, for example. After that, I went on to the National Gallery of Scotland where there was a Goya exhibition (Masters and Matadors, it’s called) going on. I was very taken by Goya’s pencil drawings. Beautifully grotesque. And such a good hint/teaser to my upcoming Barcelona trip. I was also taken by a particular portrait of Mrs. Thomas Graham by Gainsborough, so much so that I purchased a slide of it. Possibly the most beautiful subject of portraits of the era of portraits. Emerging into the sun, I took a walk, stopping to read the dedications on benches opposite Princes Street- touching love declarations and such. There was still time before my night bus back to London, and I decided that a movie was just the ticket to while the time away. I caught Dreamgirls, which was such a treat! (Along with butter popcorn and Ben & Jerry’s.) I knew I was right to stop watching that American Idol season after Jennifer Hudson was very very wrongly (or rightly, seeing her success now?) voted off. I then trudged back in the cold to the Townhouse, to collect my luggage before making my long and rather arduous bus (Edinburgh Lothian)+bus (UK National Express) +train (London tube) +train (Eurostar) +train (Paris RER) journey back home. I started at 8pm and reached home at 4pm the next day. Quite a bit of waiting time between any two modes of transportation named. You’d think sitting down isn’t too draining, but it somehow manages to be. Must be the luggage-lugging as well.

There! The wonderful first part of my vacation(: Sans the lugging and waiting and sitting/attempting to sleep comfortably parts.

I’m in Barcelona. Just checked in to the best hostel imaginable. And it’s sunny out! Which is very different in a very good way from very cold Paris. Excited about what’s in store. I’ll have to do a write-up of last week and this week next week. Right now, it’s time to have fun(: