Europe 2010
This is the first of a serie of posts about my experience as a traveller and I hope with this to be an inspiration for those who want to travel and help those who can not travel to give a look at the world.
When I travel I am always oriented to stay in hostels or hotels with "hostels price" because I travel to see the world so I just need a place where to sleep.
It was September 2010 and I was in the Army in Piacenza, it was a good location because I was close to Bergamo Airport which is where Ryanair (low cost airline) leaves from.
At that time with Ryanair you could book flights around Europe for 5 Euros so what I did was putting Bergamo as departure and check which country I could fly to with 5 Euros, then the same from the next country and the same again and at the end I came out with this plan:
Leaving from Bergamo on September 7th 2010 to Girona with short trip to Figueres, Paris, Glasgow, London, Berlin and back to Bergamo on September 17th 2010.
So I had in total 10 days to spend in all these countries that is why it was pretty much a very fast trip: arrive to the country, explore it in 1-2 days and go to the next, do the same and again the same for the next country.
For somebody it may looks like stressful and probably it is but this is the spirit of my trips, no time to get bored, always something to do, somewhere to go and something new to discover.
Let's start the adventure: Girona/Figueres 07-09 September 2010
My idea was to arrive in Girona (Spain) and rent a car at the airport and go one day to Lourdes to see the Sanctuary, I organized the car before to leave but when I arrived I had a surprise: I could not pick the car up because I did not have a proper credit card but a postepay prepaid card!!!
my flight had two hours of delay, and I was at the airport of Girona at almost 1am with no hotel booked and nothing planned.
I checked if there was any bus available to reach the city but nothing at that time so the choice was between to stay at the airport sleeping on the chair or catch a taxi, I don't think I need to say which choice I made...
The hall of the airport at that time was like a huge bedroom with people sleeping everywhere and I was impressed by the organization of some of them, pillow, blankets, pijamas, at that stage I was expecting to see some bed from ikea mounted somewhere...
The morning after the airport became again an airport instead a bedroom and finally I could leave so I caught the bus to get to Figueres.
My original plan was to go one day to Lourdes sleeping in the car and one day to Figueres at the end and return the car at the airport before to leave for the next country but I had to change my plan.
I was very tired and I needed to rest so arrived at Figueres I looked for a cheap hostel/hotel and I found this Hotel Los Angeles where they charged me 35 Euros for a single room for one night. It was a bit out my planned budget but I needed to rest so it was ok.
Figueres is about 40km from Girona and it's the birthplace of Salvador Dalì, my favourite surrealist artist and house of his museum "Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dalì".
When I arrived In figueres was morning and after I found the hotel I went to give a quick look to the museum but just from outside because I was too tired to go in.
The thing I will always remember and that has been always the same even for my next trip to Figueres two year after is the magic of surrealism that I could feel around me.
It was everywhere, in the air, on the ground, in the sky, the clouds were in constant metamorphosis, I could almost ear the buildings murmuring and the people around me were also part of that surreal atmosphere...
While I was walking to get to the museum I could feel its magnetic recall.
The museum is situated in a higher position respect to the town, it is like the castle of the King who protects his people.
I would have thousands and thousands of words to spend about that magic place but I will do it in another post.
After seeing it from outside I went back to the hotel to sleep a couple of hours, I think was lunch time and I am not sure if I got some food or not.
Back then the opening hours of the museum was 9am to 7:15pm so I made sure to get back atleast three or four hourse before the closing time.
I am not sure what time I got there in the afternoon but it was enought to see everything, well enough for a normal person because I could spend a full day in there...
I recommend everyone to go and visit it, it is worth it.
After my visit I went for a walk to see a bit of Figueres and even to find a supermarket because I remember I was very thirsty and I needed to eat something.
Back to the hotel to get a good sleep, the morning after I had to go back to Girona.
I went to Girona by train from Figueres railway "renfe Media Distancia", very fast and clean train and the trip was not very long.
It was a nice and warm sunny day, Girona is a nice city and didn't look very busy. I liked that medieval atmosphere of the city
Very characteristic the colorful houses along the river.
I had a great day in Girona walking around all day taking pictures. The thing I like the most of having a "solo" trip is that I can do whatever I want, go wherever I want, eat if I want to, stop if I want to, it is freedom.
With this I am not saying that traveling with a partner or a friend or a group of friends is not good, it is just different.
At 8pm I had my flight to Paris. I took the bus from Girona and I arrived at the airport in the afternoon, I remember was still sunny and I had a bit of time to rest before to leave.
