well i had a thought and coming to zaragoza was included in it but i think it is a poor thought......so i am changing my mind and gonna try to get to lleida......hopefully there will be a train a little later so i can ditch my bag at the station see a bit of this town and then leave......if not eh i am used to making mistakes.....til then ben
The Mom!
Yes, guess what - it's me again!! Ben just called again!! He waited in yet another line at the train station for information and finally got a ticket for $5 to Tarragona which is a small town on the ocean an hour and a half south of Barcelona. Temperature was warm - 90 or so - and it wasn't raining and he was going to pitch his tent! Ok - I think Timex may need me now!! Maybe I'll let Ben post next!!!
The Mom
Hi - this post is more for everyone else other than Ben (ie - Ray!!). I spoke with him a couple of times on the phone this morning (his this afternoon!) and he was quite frustrated at the Barcelona train station. After waiting over 3 hours he found out there was only one train left to Madrid - with one seat on it using his Eurorail pass + $86. He then decided that the hassle of trying to get to Lisbon for just 2 or 3 days - and then going back in the same direction just wasn't worth it. So . . . the last we spoke - he was headed to find a small train or bus out of Barcelona to a suburb and spend a couple days more there. Anyone that wishes to contribute to the send Mommy to Europe to cheer Ben up fund can be in touch!! (just kidding) I guess it's Italy next. Arrivederci!
Ben
well....i figured i should update everyone.....it has been a long morning of battling the complexities of this city....such simple tasks.....i think it is the language barrier that is frustrating me....who knows....anyway i am outta here headed to portugal.....my moms boss should have a place for me to stay.....if not i am sure i can find a hostel.....then i am gonna slowly make my way back through spain and see a bit of it.......scott suggested granada (think tres did too) but it is quite south so we will see.....then hopefully gonna fly outta girona to rome and maybe stay with some of rays fam....either way all will be well i got a tent so there will be some sorta roof over my head.......thanks for everyones help and support....again internet might be limited so breath....mom take a few valium every hr or so..... :-P ....with that i am off to find the main train station to get outta here....ttyl...ben
Tres
Ben...
Glad to hear you are moving past the phone booth thing...I hope you have some time to stop and check out some of the awesome small towns on the way to Portugal...if not try not to miss out on Salamanca...I hear it is amazing. And you can prob. just skip Madrid...it is cool, but it is just a really big city and you won't really get to see the "Spanish Culture" Well I am off now...shoot me an email and let me know about Spain and some other stuff...I was pretty much all over Europe when I was there so if you have any questions hit me up...And to The Mom...sorry about causing you to worry...he will be fine where he is travelling and the Spanish government has squashed the group...now that I re-read my message I see that it seemed to inidcate that the group was still around...but that really isn't true...Sorry about that.
Tres
Ray
Hey Bud...I left this message on your email but just playing it safe...I will be talking to the Italians this coming Sunday at 7am. I will pass your name around to everyone that I can and then get back to you with some addresses.I hope something works out, talk to you soon
PS I've thrown up everynight since you've left...hope you're hav'in fun:)
The Mom!!!
Benjamin!!! Details - just one or two please!!! For me - for Ray !!! Should my boss call his friend? How are you getting to Portugal? When might you arrive? Where might you arrive?
Ben
tres dont be scared of "the mom" she gives everyone hell......she acts as sorta the moderator of this site by refreshing it every 34.63 seconds at work.....i was actaully gonna head to girona......as for the true spanish food i definatly need to work on that....the hostels ahve been so expensive though so i have been hitting the grocery store more often......as for the beer and wine it is so much better here......not sure what it is but the taste is much less repulsing then at home.....but yeh the catalina i had heard about....not the terorists but......i had been abit down about the phone booth deal but i will prolly not be back here soon so i am not gonna let it scare me away just yet.......as for portugal, italy i am gonna head toward portagal and try to make decent time.......that way i should make it there whatever be the timeframe ray may figure out......thanks for checking in though tres and i will shoot you an email if i can.....thanks for the help......ben
The Mom
Ok - the former message was ESPECIALLY comforting to a mother! I was delighted to be reminded about the terrorist threat!! Ben - have you made any Italy/Portugal/Ireland decisions??
Paul/tres From Gvaa
Ben,
Well my friend welcome to Spain...a great country with people looking to rip you off nearly everywhere...the only time I have been in a high speed chase was in Spain after we saw this kid jump out of a car and steal this old lady's purse...he got back in and we sped off after them but to no avail. b******s...Well I hope Spain will get better. I think it is one of the most incredible countries in Europe, but I may be biased b/c I lived there. Just some info, Barcelona is totally unique to Spain...the culture and atmosphere are different there...even the language. The city has a lot of neat things to say...Sagrada la Familia, Parque Gruel...and some neat plazas. Also the north of Spain is totally different than the rest of it...probably not the "Spanish" culture you were expecting...after all the north is trying to break off from the rest of the country and is home to a terrorist group that attacks the southern part. Anyways...you have to try some tapas while you are there and then some sidra...it is a wine so you will probably not like it, but it is part of the culture up there. If you want to see Spain you were expecting, head south if you have time...if you are in a rush let me know and I will try to figure out some places close to Barcelona for you to see (like Girona..RyanAir flies there)...If you have any questions about Spain and other stuff to see let me know...I hope you enjoy the country and can look past the phone incident. Oh, and yesterday while you were bumming around my old homeland...I worked and did 9 calls...yes 9 calls in 12 hours....ENJOY IT!!!!!!
Hi Ben, Wow, all those countries you are visiting. Sure is great. Had four car breakdowns in past 5 days. Had alarm system removed that I never use anymore but the system took my battery to shreds I guess. Yesterday alarm system out, today new battery. Hopefully this is the end and it is not the alternator. Wish me luck tomorrow--this is getting tiring. Stacie and Jeffrey visited Sun. and I got great pictures that I had developed today. He is such a nice baby and sooooooo cute. He's doing nicely. Not much else in my boring world (compared to yours). Until next time, have fun wherever you are.
