Blue and White Tower

When you start a vacation you look foreword to all the things that will happen and then when you are at the end of the vacation you remember all the things that have happened. As any good blogger I realize that there is so much more blogging I could have done on the trip if I hadn’t spent so much time procrastinating. However the beautiful thing about blogging is that you can go back in time and fill in some of the gaps. I guess that is what you do at the end of a trip; you fill in all the gaps of your time with stories about what happened so that when you get asked, (and you will get asked this many times) “How was your trip?” you have something to share.

One of those gaps that the blog failed to mention was our trip to Gaudi’s famous Parc Guell. Gaudi designed this park for a wealthy patron and it contains all his signature shapes and colours. The blue and white and green and yellow and purple tiles in endless combinations. The strange parabolic shapes and odd looking columns. Even though this is a tourist trap it is still something to see.

But as often happens it doesn’t take wandering to far off the well trodden tourist path to find something more authentic and unique. Don’t get me wrong I love the touristy stuff. Often it’s touristy because it’s good. But to much pre made, high calorie junk food and I a get hungry for something substantial. Well our little trek up one of the hills in Parc Guell gave us something good to savour. The spot we hiked up to overlooks Barcelona and its apex is marked by a rugged stone cross. It was up here that we were treated to some great French music and an impressive hoola hoop show. Enjoy.

Looking out the living room window

Today I woke up to the suns rays shining through our bedroom window. My grandma has been nice enough to let Vanessa and I sleep in her bedroom so that we could sleep side by side and also have our own space. Having our own little space has been a real treat, especially when we are away from home for so long.

With only a week left we are heading up to Copenhagen for the day to see Nils for one last time before we head back to Canada. My grandma is going to a funeral for her sister in law from Norway so we are driving her up there and will pick her up afterwards. Nakskov (the place my grandma lives) is such a quiet place that it will be strange to be in the big city. We have spent the last 2 weeks here, which has been a welcomed change from the big cities of Krakow, Barcelona, Paris and Berlin. Being able to sit on the patio and hear the birds chirping or the wind blowing is something you miss when you are in the city. I am not sure how long we will last living in Vancouver although my parents place is peaceful.

A very old tree on one of our walks

The other enjoyable part of being in Naksov is taking in all the sites, sounds, smells and tastes. The other morning we had Te Birkets for breakfast, which are a Danish type pastry. Usually I bike up to the baker in the morning to get them. I don’t remember having them when I lived here before but they are a sweet elongated bun with honey in the centre. Talk about taste.

Spending our last 3 weeks in Nakskov has really allowed us to experience this place. Having to time to go for walks, have breakfast with my grandma, sit at home looking out the window and even doing everyday chores like cutting the hedges or cleaning out the dishwasher have been a joy. Of course we have missed Canada and long to be back which can sometimes get in the way of enjoying what is right in front of us but I think that overall this has been a time that we will treasure forever.

Map of the Louvre

“But how do you know this Fleming?” you ask. Well let me tell you. My mom, Vanessa and I took a free tour with Sandemans Tours and at one point we stopped at the Louvre. Our tour guide sat us down to explain a few things with the line winding its way behind him. As he explained his first experience of the Louvre, which involved 3 hours in the tapestry section and permanent psychological damage, he pointed out with a loud voice that there was another entrance and people didn’t have to stand in this huge line. Inevitably one of us asked where this entrance was and he said he would show us later.

Porte des Lions Entrance

Later in the tour, as promised, we came to the Porte des Lions. The Port of the Lions is another entrance to the Louvre. It has two lions at the entrance and when you go in there is a door with a sign that says entrance. For some reason no one knows about it. It seems to good to be true but when we went there the other day there were 5 people in front of us and it took us only 5 minutes to get in. The line up to get in by the glass pyramid was at least 2 hours. Not only is this the quickest way but you’re immediately in the Italian painting section with the Mona Lisa. You kill two birds with one stone.

Blishen's at the Louvre Glass Pyramid

However having arrived in Paris it has been a real treat to see my parents and brother. We picked my parents up at the airport in a car, which in hindsight may not have been the best idea. The person we are doing a home exchange with said that driving was tough and did we ever find that out. Coming back from the airport we got lost for a little over an hour before finding our way back to the apartment. This was mainly due to the horrible map they give out at the metro stations, the “organic” French driving (which basically means do whatever you want) and the fact that we had only been in Paris for all of a day up until that point. It rivaled driving in Havana Cuba.

Horse Butcher

One of the other treats has been the food. Just around the corner from the apartment is fresh fruit and vegetables, butchers, bakeries, seafood, flowers and cheese shops. All of the food is fresh and tastes fantastic. The French really do know how to eat well.

And yet with all that good stuff we miss everyone back in Canada. When I asked Vanessa if she would consider moving to Europe she told me that she was a Canadian at heart and never wanted to move anywhere else. Thank goodness I love Canada to.

However, like a good meal, while I was taking it all in it tasted great. Dali’s work is very strange, sometimes a little to strange for me, but his technique is phenomenal. He really is an amazing painter and I appreciate that. When we went to MACBA in Barcelona we saw a bunch of “contemporary” art (mostly from the 1950’s-1970’s) and it stunk. It was all about the idea and had almost no aesthetic appeal. Although sometimes I wonder if Dali was so aesthetically good that he could get away with paintings that had no meaning at all. I guess we’ll never know.

Besides Dali’s excellent technique there were two reasons why I wanted to go to the Dali Museum and both had to do with my dad. Number one, I went to a Dali exhibit at Lousiana with my parents when I was younger and loved it. The shapes and weirdness of it all really appealed to me as a kid. Number two my dad had mentioned that if he went to Barcelona again that he would make time for this museum so I figured it was worth it. It definitely was.

I had heard over the internet and from a few people that you had to book a whole week in advance in order to get into the museum but this isn’t true. We booked our tickets over the Dali Museum website the day before and had no problem getting them. At the museum there were 10 people in line to get in and they all bought tickets on the spot. If you are making the trip from Barcelona it is probably a good idea to book tickets since you are traveling for two hours by train to get to Figueres. The train leaves at least every hour from Sants Estacio on the local Rodalies line and costs around 12 euros each way. The walk to the museum is only ten minutes from the train station and is through the downtown area, which is nice. We were tired at the end of the day but it really is a nice day trip from Barcelona if you are a fan of Salvador Dali or just like good art.

Our trip up to Tibidabo was no different. One of our roommates had suggested taking a trip up to Tibidabo, a 512 m mountain overlooking Barcelona. At the summit there is a kitschy amusement park right beside a church that has another church built on top of it. Sound weird? Well it is but in a good way.

One of the best parts about going to Tibidabo is the ride up. If you go a certain route your transit ticket will take you all the way for very cheap. You start by taking the S1 or S2 to the Peu de Furnicular train station. This is the base of the furnicular, which is a cable drawn train that you then take up the side of the mountain. It isn’t a super long ride but it is neat. Once the Furnicular lets you off at Vallvidera Superior you climb higher on the number 11 bus, which takes you right to the summit. This whole ride costs you 0.80 euro, which is about $1.25 per person. Not bad if you ask me. There is another route with a furnicular that takes you right to Tibidabo without the bus trip for 4 euros each.

Furnicular

The ride up

Once at the top you already have a nice view of the city but if you like heights you can visit the tower in Temple de Sagrat Cor. This church took 60 years to build and has a statue of Christ at the top. It only costs 2 euro to take the elevator up and then you get to climb a bunch of spiral staircases to the different levels. When you get to the top feels as if the whole building is leaning in one direction and is about to fall over.

Temple de Sagrat Cor

Looking down from the top

If you can get over that then you will have the opportunity to walk around the top of the tower and take a look at the view to the north, east, south and west. When I looked in the Fodor’s guide book this tower was not even mentioned and yet this has probably been my favourite part of Barcelona so far. Go figure.

Looking northwest towards San Cugat del Valles

We decided to try out the Eurail Pass as a way to travel between Krakow, Barcelona, Paris and Denmark. It was more expensive than flying but we thought it would be interesting to see the various countries close up. We bought a Eurail Poland Pass for $280 for both of us and quickly realized that we didn’t need it. Train travel in Poland is so cheap that it was better to just buy the tickets at the train station. To go from Krakow to Oswiecim (Auschwitz) return was only $18 (1 1/2 hour train rides).

Trzebinia Train Station in Poland (on the way to Auschwitz)

Charlottenburg Train Station in Germany

We also bought a 3 country Eurail Pass for Germany, France and Spain. This was a much better deal especially if you have long distances to travel. We paid $1000 for the pass and it can be used for 24 hours of travel on 9 different days of our choosing for both of us. The ticket from Berlin to Paris alone was $500 for both of us if we had to buy it. You do have to pay a reservation fee for travel on the faster trains, which was unexpected, but after the slow train from Krakow to Berlin it was worth the extra money. On top of that you get to see the landscape and experience a country in a way that is different from flying.

That being said I have to admit that train travel can be tough. We traveled 10 hours to get from Krakow to Berlin, then 11 hours up to Paris and an 11 hour overnight trip down to Barcelona. All in all we ended up doing 32 hours of train travel in 4 days. And while it was nice to just sit and relax it was the after effects that took us by surprise.

Elipsos Train Hotel Cabin from Paris to Barcelona (Beds flip down)

Breakfast on the Elipsos Train Hotel (Included in the train ticket)

Arriving here in Barcelona we were wiped. And not just for a day. Similar to our arrival in Denmark it has taken us almost a week to feel normal again. After our first few days here it was Vanessa who said that we were experiencing another form of jet lag. All that traveling had done the same thing as taking the plane from Canada.

But it hasn’t only been the traveling that causes fatigue. It has been the culture shock. Every time we come to a new country we have to re orient ourselves. We have to get used the place we are staying, the surroundings, the noises and smells, the taste of food (some better than others), the language and customs. All and all the combo of travel and culture shock has taken its toll on us. It would be nice to think that we are excellent travelers, able to quickly adapt to any new environments we enter, but that is not the case. It takes a little while to get your bearings in a new country; to learn what tastes good to you and what doesn’t, to find out where to buy food and where not to, to learn some basic communication skills. All off this compounds to a point where the surroundings can begin to overwhelm you. But slowly each place has become somewhat familiar to us as we spend time exploring our surroundings. I guess wherever we go we can adapt it’s just taking a bit longer than we expected. But maybe adapting is all part of being on vacation, or at least a vacation that takes you away from everyday life.

200 meter changing room

Crematorium with gas chamber underneath

Above you can see a video and a model showing the design of Crematorium III. Prisoners were ushered down a set of stairs into a 200 meter long underground room that looked like a change room with benches. Here they were told to strip bare, leave their belongings on a numbered hook and remember the number for later pick up. Of course there was no later pick up. Then they were guided into the gas chamber in the next room. This was just below the crematorium. It had fake shower heads in the roof to make it look like a shower room. Once the doors were locked the Zyklon B was dropped down holes in the roof with pipes that went all the way to the floor. There were vents at the bottom of the pipes and once the Zyklon B reacted with the air the poison filled the room and everyone was dead within 5 minutes. Next, anything of value was extracted, and the bodies were taken upstairs to the burning ovens by an elevator.

Example of oven in Auschwitz I

Example of oven inserts in Auschwitz I

Once cremated the ashes were disposed of in the Vistula river. This death factory had the ability to process between 5,000 to 8,000 bodies a day.[1]

It is no longer possible to see the crematoriums at Auschwitz II-Birkenau because they were all destroyed. Crematorium IV was destroyed by a group Sonderkommandos (prisoners working in the gas chambers) in October 1944 and in order to avoid any evidence of mass extermination the Nazi’s destroyed crematoriums II, III and V in January 1945 before the Russians could liberate the camp. Today all that is left of the crematoriums is a pile of rubble and the horrible memory of what happened there.

Remains of Crematorium II

The great thing about traveling is going to different museums. When I was younger I really didn’t appreciate when my parents took me to the British Museum in London or Lousiana in Denmark. Maybe that is just the way it is. Fortunately it seems like that has changed. While visiting my aunt Karin, her husband Ole and my cousin Sebastian in Hillerød we were able to go to Louisiana. This is the most well known museum in Denmark and is recognized worldwide. Good museum to visit.

Infinity and Beyond

Inside one of the homes

The main exhibit was on architecture. It talked about what it meant to have a home, what homes look like and what they could look like. I really enjoyed it but Nils got a little bored with it after a while. He was looking for more drawing and painting. Afterwards we went out for lunch and talked about art and what it means. We both found that the Danish art was very cerebral because it tried to express a certain idea. Perhaps this is because the artists that go to school in Denmark and probably many other places spend most of their time learning art theory rather than learning the practical aspects of making art. It was not as technically sophisticated as some of the other art. While I think it is important to analyze the art you are doing it is also about the visual. Personally I like art that has some visual appeal. Its not that it has to be perfect but the artist has to have some sense of space and the combination of visual elements. Art that is primarily about an idea would be better expressed in an essay as far as I’m concerned.

Art by Al Taylor

Model of housing complex

Plexi Glass Sculpture

But of course it also has its downsides. There are concerns by wildlife organizations that windmills kill birds. People who live in areas close to windmill farms (a concentration of windmills in one area) complain about the noise they give off and there are always comments about how it wrecks the view. Of course it is easy to say that these are minor complaints when we are not the ones being affected but it must also be acknowledged that these problems seem much less dire than the impact we have already seen from energy sources like oil. No matter what we choose as a source of energy there will always be some negative impact. Perhaps in this society it is about finding those energy sources with the least impact on the environment.

Windmills in the countryside

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