Nothing but Sunshine in Spain

After our weekend in Scotland we went on another plane to Alicante, Spain. It was a three hour flight all together. Now this part of our trip was different from the rest. We had no idea what to expect when we landed in Alicante. We had no family waiting to pick us up, no hotel booked and a language barrier. It was a true adventure. Since it was cold in Scotland we had dressed for the weather but Spain is much hotter. When we arrived our first task was to find a bus that would take us straight to downtown Alicante where we would then search for a reasonable priced hotel room. This took us a while since we first went to the coaches that took people to their resorts and then we were sent back upstairs where we found an information desk. Lucky for us the information desk receptionist spoke broken English so she directed us to the correct bus. We got on the bus and it drove past the sea all the way until we reached Alicante City. We had no idea where to go so we decided to get off the bus where the beach was. There was hotels all lined up down this street, restaurants, markets and much more. It was a tourist vacation area which was beneficial for us. So we picked a hotel and we got a cheap hotel room over looking the beach. Perfect!

Of course we were thrilled over this hotel room and couldn't wait to get on the beach and go swimming. Compared to the wet and breezy weather in the UK the warm weather in Spain was just the way I like it. We walked around down the main street and back up by the marine towards the beach. Water so blue, clear skies and sunshine. This adventure was turning out good so far.

We spent the rest of the afternoon swimming in the warm sea and tanning on the beach. I love the warm weather and swimming so this was just relaxing.

After the day on the beach we got changed and headed out to the main street to get come dinner. We ate at a french restaurant and enjoyed the sunset at the same time. Walked down the main street at dark and had a drink at a pub. We then walked down the beach with our feet in the water. This is somewhere I didn't want to leave the next morning but everything comes to an end.

Waking up early we did get to have a beautiful view outside our hotel window.

After having a successful amazing first day to our adventure it was time to wake up really early to walk to the train station to head to Barcelona. The station was a fair walk and by the time we got there we missed the first train because it was already full. So we had to book for the 2pm train and we decided to head back to the beach and chill until then.

We laid on the beach and tanned until it was time to walk back. Walking was more difficult since we had big backpacks on our backs because that was our luggage. In the hot sun it was difficult at times. We stopped off in Burger King first since the train ride was five hours to Barcelona. The train was relaxing and nice. Our view was the sea majority of the time, lots of leg room, comfortable seats and the movie Rango on in Spanish. We mostly read our books and slept.

When we arrived in Barcelona it was now the evening and dark outside. We first had to wait in line to book more train tickets to take us to France after our time in Barcelona. It was a long wait and even when we got to a till the man couldn't get us to the place we wanted which was Nice, France. So we had to settle for somewhere else which was near Nice. We then had to get on the Subway to reach our destination at La Ramba Street so we could find a hotel. Once we figured out their subway system we walked up to the surface and saw loads of people. What we didn't know is that Spain has this big festival on for a week on La Ramba Street which is their downtown. The first hotel we went to the receptionist said it might be very difficult to find a reasonable priced hotel this week. At this point we started to worry we wouldn't have a hotel or would have to walk way out of our way to find one. We found another one and the guy had rooms but very expensive and he told us it would be impossible to find a room at our rate. We went to a hotel next door to that one and we got a room at our rate for two nights. I laughed at that other man because we just proved him wrong. After we got our stuff in our room we decided to go walk around the festival for a bit and do some site seeing.

We then went into an Irish Pub. I know what are we doing in an Irish Pub in Barcelona Spain. Well it just seemed safe enough to go in. There were many European people there from France, Germany, Italy and much more. There was a lot of different languages going on around us so you can imagine how awkward it was for us feeling out numbered. We still had a good time, had a drink, enjoyed the atmosphere and entertainment.

The next morning we had a little sleep in since we stayed up later the night before. We got ready and since the hotel was a little sketchy we were worried about things getting stolen. So we took our passports, Eurorail tickets, health card and Philips Wallet with us so if our clothes and that got stolen we at least could get home. We got ready and walked through all these little allies full of shops. The night before these allies looked dark and unused but during the day its full of people and shops. It was actually amazing. Our first tourist stop was a beautiful cathedral but I was wearing a tank top and they only allow you in if your shoulders are covered. So lucky for us our hotel wasn't too far to go grab a small sweater and go back. Remember that part of our day because that was something we regretted later. We looked around the Cathedral which was amazing and then after that we decided to grab something to eat at Burger King across the road.

The picture above has something in it that was important to us and "nothing but sunshine in Spain" isn't exactly true for us. We went into Burger King and Philip grabbed his wallet from his backpack. We were suppose to get more money out but forgot so he had to use his Credit Card. We got our food and we were really hungry because we had no breakfast. We quickly found a table and sat down. We didn't have the time on us so I took a picture with my camera to find out the time. Just as we were about to eat a man came up to our right side and started saying something really loud in Spanish. Being alarmed and not understanding what he was saying we tried to get him to realize we speak no Spanish. At first I thought he was talking about taking a chair from our table but then he suddenly walked away. We looked at each other with confusing faces and then I saw him walk out the front doors and had this horrible feeling. I looked down at our feet and our backpack was gone.

In panic we left our food and my camera on the table and ran outside to try to catch them but of course the streets were full of people. There was police man on motorcycles and we explained to them we were just robbed and we explained the backpack. But at that point I think we both knew our backpack was gone. I was devastated and panicking. We not knowing what to do but the policeman told us the direction towards the Police Station to go report this crime. We went back to burger king and luckily my camera was still there, the employees had no idea what happened. They also had no security cameras up but they were so nice and packed our food for us so we could bring it along.We walked and couldn't find the station and asked more policeman. Again we got lost and finally this policeman walked us straight to the station. It was underground near the Subway so of course it was hard to find. We told them we would like to report a robbery and we sat down with a women who could also speak English. But it was like a joke to her. I am not sure if she was trying to make us feel better or just being a jerk. There were many Americans, British and Canadians in there doing the same thing we were doing. It was like we were just another number to them. Philip called his credit cards and cancelled them all and we filled out the report. The women though had no respect and honestly how I was feeling at that moment I wanted to slap her so bad. But of course I was in a police station and that wouldn't be a good idea. We had to wait until they called Philip in to go over the report and the incident. It was a long wait and I cried so much. Our passports, Philip's wallet, health cards/health insurance, Eurorail tickets, my Nana's cell phone, towel and a book was all gone.
It was a horrible feeling.

Philip finally got seen and they said they would contact our hotel if anything shows up. They then directed us to the Canadian Consulate where we would get temporary passports so we can at least get back to England. We went there and we had to fill out lots of forms. They wanted you to have four contacts that have known you for the last 2 years and not family. They had a phone and computer they let us use for free. I called my mom and was balling I couldn't explain what had happened so Philip took over. She was very calm about it and just tried to reassure us it will be okay. We stayed there for majority of the afternoon because we felt horrible and we felt safe there. So after we filled the forms out they told us to go back to our hotel and try to relax. They would go over them and call our references to verify we are who we say we are. We had an appointment with the Consular the next day who would approve our temporary passports.

We walked back to the hotel and were devastated. Our trip has been ruined we lost a lot of our personal things. We spent majority of the evening trying to figure out what to do next. I talked to my mom on Skype for a long time trying to see what we should do. We lost all Philips's credit cards and debit cards which had majority of the money. I had my debit card still but had a $200 withdrawal daily limit so it wouldn't be enough to pay for our passports, an extra night in Barcelona or for food. Our only solution was a money transfer from my parents. The next morning that was our first goal. We went upstairs and we still had our Burger King meal that we been carrying around all day. We had to eat since we haven't at all. The food was cold but we didn't care. We didn't realize this but Philip had dropped money onto the floor underneath the bed before we had left that day and when we returned that night the money was sitting on the dresser. All of it. It made us sick because we were more worried about getting robbed at the hotel then outside. For some reason this trip wasn't suppose to finish or we just had bad karma or just very unlucky. We felt like it was all our fault because we didn't secure our backpack to us and it was so easy to grab. Sleeping that night was the worst. Tossing and turning trying to forget what had happened but we both couldn't sleep.

The next morning came and we got ready and headed to a Western Union to try to get our money transfer my parents did for us that morning. But for some reason she wouldn't help us and didn't speak very good English. We went back to the Canadian Consulate and asked them what to do. They gave us directions to one near by underground. We got there and it didn't take long for us to get the money transfer. Before our appointment we had to have the money in cash for the passports and passport pictures. Our next stop was at a camera shop were they did our passport pictures. We got them done at a reasonable price and then headed back to the Canadian Consulate. We both had an interview separately with the Consular to ask us questions and we had to ask some basic questions about each other to help verify we are who we are. At that point they already had called all our references in Canada at 3 A.M. Canadian Time. My mom and Philips mom had contacted everyone to let them know they will be getting a phone call. So we got approved for our temporary passports but they said they wouldn't be ready till the next morning which meant we had to book another room at our hotel which was expensive. We had no choice. The picture below is us when we came out of the Canadian Consulate and was approved for our Passports. If you can't tell we were very happy at this moment.

The next step was to figure out what to do after we got our passports. We had no money, we didn't have our Eurorail tickets anymore and honestly we felt horrible about the trip. We decided to fly back to England to my Aunt and Uncles as soon as we received our passports. Since we knew we would be able to leave Spain we thought we try to enjoy the rest of the day. We walked around did some more touring of the city and the festival and went to the beach. The beach wasn't as nice as Alicante but it  was nice to be able to relax finally. Obviously we felt sick to our stomachs every time we thought about it but we were safe and able to get back home.

View from our Hotel Window

In the evening we visited a famous temple called Sagrada Familia which is apparently still under construction that is really interesting to look at. It was closed since it was later in the evening but we sat on a bench and viewed it. But at this time thinking about how our Europe Adventure has been ruined. No Rome or Paris got us upset again. We hated those two men who did this to us and when we thought about it they didn't really get much out of it. We had 5 Euros of cash, credit cards were cancelled and my Nana's cell phone got locked. They got nothing from it but we lost a lot. One thing we regretted was we wished we left all our stuff when we had to go back to the hotel the second time when I had to get a sweater for the Cathedral. That was our chance to save our things before being robbed. But it didn't happen that way. The trip ended up costing us more money then it should of and we didn't make it to Italy or France. You can see how upsetting this can be.

We tried to enjoy ourselves and walked back to our hotel. We slept much better that night knowing we could get to England tomorrow. The next morning we packed our bags and walked to the Canadian Consulate. We got our passports which were white because they were Temporary. They only lasted 6 months so we when we returned home in Canada we had to mail them off to get our regular passports. After we got our passports finally in our hands we booked a flight that same day back to England. It was expensive compared to the other flights but that was because it was last minute. So we booked them and our flight didn't leave till 9pm that night and it was 9am at that moment. We were done with Spain and didn't want to walk around with our bags on us so we went to the airport. We spent 10 hours their waiting for our flight. There were no shops or restaurants just a little cafe and duty free shop. Luckily we had Philip's iPad and watched TV shows and we both had books. We felt safe their then we did walking around Barcelona. We got on the Easy Jet Plane which the pilot came out and made jokes because we were delayed. That's the first time I have seen a Pilot come out and talk face to face with the passengers. It was nice. We arrived in Gatwick, England around midnight where my two cousins and Aunt were waiting for us. We never have felt so relieved. We were safe and out of Spain.

We were lucky we had a Consulate in Barcelona because if there wasn't we would of had to travel to Madrid. We got lucky in some ways and didn't in others ways but we were safe now. It is something we laugh about now and remember. Yes it sucked big time but its a story we will tell for years and I guess I have something to cross off my bucket list - Being Robbed in a Foreign Country. Our Passports now say Issued in Barcelona, Spain. An adventure we will never forget.

A wee bit of Scotland

After we had a fantastic week in Northern Ireland we got on another plane headed to Glasgow, Scotland. Security part took longer then we expected not because it was busy it was the total opposite. The employees were bored so decided they would do these random practice drills on us. I think I put my bag through the x-ray five times before they let us go. But it was a laugh. We got on the plane and picked our seats, got settled in with Philips iPad set up with Parks and Recreation show ready to play. But there wasn't much time for that since this was the shortest plane ride I have ever been on. It literately felt like we went up in the air for five minutes when the captain on the intercom announced "prepare for landing". When we arrived to Philips Uncle and Aunts house the streets were like typical town streets with houses attached everywhere and cars parked along the sidewalks. Cramped! The house from the outside looked small but when you entered in there was tall ceilings, massive doors and big rooms. I met Philips twin cousins for the first time. We only spent three days total in Scotland but we did as much as we could. Our first day we ventured onto a train to Glasgow City but of course it was raining. No surprise there. I really liked Glasgow City Center Train Station. The look and feel was very Victorian but also modern as well. A mix of the old and the new. 

That day in Glasgow we just walked around viewed the architecture of the buildings. We did stop into Pizza Hut (so American) for something to eat and I couldn't understand the waitress. Some of the Scottish Accents were very thick so sometimes I just smile and nod. One thing we thought was interesting was this statue.

Was the pylon suppose to be there or was it a prank made by some teenagers with nothing better to do with their lives? Either way we thought it was different. But when we went to Edinburgh and came back it was still there and we think it was for this festival or something.

You know in the movies when you see people in the rain walking on the sidewalk and a car comes along driving through a puddle leaving the poor person wet and muddy. Well this actually happened to Philip while waiting to cross the street. In the picture below you can see his pants wet, okay maybe its not terrible but it was still a funny moment.

Our day in Glasgow was good but wet. This is George Square and apparently a zombie movie called WORLD WAR Z with Brad Pitt had a scene taken here. Pretty kool. When we got back to Philips Family home we were ready for a change of clothes and a nice hot tea.

The next day turned out to be the total opposite regarding the weather. Warm and Sunny! Perfect for going to Edinburgh, Scotland's Capital. Philips cousin John tagged along with us. We first had to take the train to Glasgow and then another train to Edinburgh. All together it was about an hours journey. Love taking the train and seeing the country side of Scotland. When we arrived the first thing we decided to do was climb Scotland's Monument not knowing you had to climb these narrow spiral stairs like the ones in old castles.

I am afraid of heights so it was difficult for me to do this and I didn't make it right to the top but I made it pretty far to have this beautiful view.

 You can see Edinburgh Castle on that part of the hill. While up there I saw a huge store called "Jenners". Only some people will understand how this had an interest to me but story made short, my brother couldn't say my name correctly when he was young and he would call me "Jenner".  A lot of my friends then called me Jenner and its been a nickname I have had and a memory.

We started walking around and see what to do next. We then went inside a free admission art museum called Scotish National Gallery but I couldn't take any photos inside. It was interesting. Not all my kind of art but it was good.

Next we ventured up a hill to Edinburgh Castle. It was huge and such a great view looking over Edinburgh City. Perfect back then looking over the city they ruled or looking out for enemy's. The Admission price was a little expensive so we didn't get to look right inside but at least got to see the outside and main entrance.

Some interesting people we saw walking down the main street of Edinburgh. Mostly to shop.

BRAVE HEART

INVISIBLE MAN OF EDINBURGH 

If we didn't see a Scottish Bag Piper I would be disappointed

The next part we walked around and went in and out of buildings like cathedral and the parliament building. It was a really nice day out. We walked up this hill and found this.

We thought it was interesting as it looked like a roman or Greek building was being built in Scotland. We saw people sitting on it and we decided to try it out. When you get closer its a lot higher and I wouldn't of got up there if it was for my strong boyfriend to help lift me up.

It was a fantastic view from that hill and it was in the evening when the sun started to set. Beautiful! In Wales there is this hill we climb often called Tymbarlym. Don't worry if you can't pronounce it, it's Welsh. Anyways right at the top is this type of monument which meant to mean a high point. On this hill in Edinburgh there happened to be one there too. So now I have reached two high points in the UK. 

Our walk back to the train station was beautiful with the sunset. 

When we arrived in Glasgow to walk to the train station to catch the train home we saw this statue again but can you tell whats different from the picture above? 

It has two pylons now and the other one being on the horse. Now I wasn't sure if that was a prank or not. Oh well. So on our last day in Scotland we decided to go back to Glasgow City and look at a different part. We went to a very old cathedral with a huge cemetery.

 And then we walked into the oldest house in Glasgow. Spent about an hour in there. Very interesting.

Overall our trip to Scotland was short but it was great at the same time. Lots of history, scenery and saw some of Scotland's culture. I would for sure travel there again if I had the chance to maybe see more of the country side.

Northern Ireland

Last September my boyfriend (who is half Irish (Northern Ireland)) and I ventured to Europe. Both having british backgrounds we had family all across Britian. We first stayed in Wales, UK with my Nana, then took a plane from Bristol, UK to Belfast, UK where we stayed with my boyfriend's grandad for a week. This was my first time here and I must say getting used to the Irish Accent was difficult. It took me a couple of days to understand what people were saying to me. We did a day trip to Belfast and we both agreeed we loved it. It was small because practically walked all across the city, it had its historical history but also some modern mixed in there.



Our favourite was the Belfast Cathedral. When we walked in there was someone playing the Organ. It felt magical. I actually felt like a princess walking down the middle with the Organ playing and the high ceilings. I imagined myself wearing a beautiful wedding dress just like Kate and Will's Wedding in April 2011. I have never got a feeling like that before and I have visited lots of Churches and Cathedrals. 

The City Hall was amazing. Beautiful inside and out. We spent a good hour walking around taking in the beautiful ceilings, the amazing floor and the glass windows. Again this is one of the best City Hall's have been to. 

We were amazed by Belfast and really enjoyed our day out. On our last day in Northern Ireland before we flew to Scotland his Aunt and Uncle took us up to Port Rush, Northern Ireland. They took us along the scenic route which was breath taking. We drove along the sea wall passing small villages and always having the blue ocean on our right.






 Our first stop was the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. I am scared of heights and walking along a rope bridge over water freaked me out. But I hate missing out and was stubborn. The view was amazing on the walk up to the bridge with the water so blue and the hills of green grass. When we came to the bridge I was shaking and I almost started crying when I was standing at the middle of the bridge. I must of looked ridiculous but I didn't care. I was holding on for dear life. I finally made it over and it was worth it. The view was amazing! I didn't want to leave, I just wanted to pitch a tent and stay there all day. But everything comes to an end eventually. When we were ready to leave I forgot I had to go back over the bridge but the second time wasn't as bad. 

After that we drove to the Giants Causeway which is the fourth greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom. It was so interesting that these rocks were naturally formed this way from the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. Now I can say I have been there! It was a huge area of these rocks and they were fun to climb on. Yes there were lots of tourists but you can't blame them for wanting to see this. One time we climbed to a high spot sat there looking around the whole view. A little walk away from the main section is a rock shaped as a Giant's Boot. You can sit right in it and it is really comfortable. Again an  amazing rock cause by nature not man.

Then we took a quick stop at Dunluce Castle which is a ruin but it's location is marvelous. Looking over the sea on top of a small hill. We didn't go look inside but we took the time to walk around and see the view. This is my boyfriends favourite Castle he has seen so far. I do agree. If I had a castle would love it looking over the ocean. 





Our Week in Northern Ireland was fantastic. I got to see so much historic buildings, natural wonders and got to experience the Northern Ireland Accent. My boyfriends family were beyond helpful for getting us to experience these wonderful places of Northern Ireland. If you ever happen to get there Belfast, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Giants Causeway and Dunluce Castle are a must see!