Our trip to Spain
Tour "Ola Spain" TO "Accord"
The second part
travel time July 03 to July 17.2010
Great breakfast, nothing like Parisian! Departure from the hotel at 8 o'clock and a pleasant transfer to the sea coast in Spain, or rather in Catalonia. The Catalans still consider themselves a separate state. With us, there were protest marches for the autonomy of Catalonia.
At 14:00 we check into the Plaza Paris 3* hotel in Lloret de Mar. The hotel is very good, the room is excellent with a large loggia, on which there was a table with chairs and a towel dryer. The room has a hairdryer, air conditioning and a telephone. They called us from home via Skype. But the refrigerator is paid, 20 euros per week. Number on the second floor, under windows blossoming magnolias. The beauty! The hotel has a heated pool, but we didn't use it. After all, the sea was a 5-7 minute walk from the hotel along the shopping street. The only but: the hotel can not be reached by bus, and about 300 meters had to go with things from the street to the hotel. Tourists with children should take this into account. Yes, and when checking out, it is advisable to put part of the luggage on the bus the day before, especially if you have bought a lot of drinks.
After settling in, we have free time and, having quickly sorted out our things, we go to the beach. The beach is spacious, clean and beautiful, but there are no less people on it than in the Crimea at the height of the season. We find a small patch closer to the water, and the husband goes first to try the water. The water was very clean, clear and blue, but deep and invigorating, 21-22 degrees. At first I did not dare to enter it, but then, gradually wandering up to my knees, I accustomed myself to the idea that it would not become warmer, but I want to plunge, I still dared and jumped into the water for a few minutes. My husband took great pleasure in long-distance swims, and I periodically jumped into the water for a few minutes and dipped. Until the evening we were on the beach. On the way back from the beach, we went to shops, asked the price, looked closely, but on the first day we didn’t buy anything except beer, sangria and food.
Around the hotel there are a lot of bars and cafes where you can eat. The price for paella was about 8.5 - 9 euros for one. But to be honest, I am not a fan of rice and seafood, so we took paella only twice: once in Lloret, and the second time in Barcelona, moreover, in Barcelona the quality was worse, and the price was 6 euros more expensive. But what is paella, I now know. I liked the sangria wine, as I like light sweet wines. Wine was drunk every day, it was bought in shops around the hotel. The prices were very different per liter, depending on the container: starting from 1 euro. There was wine even in bags, in plastic bottles, and in glass. We took in glass for 3 euros per liter. They brought it home too. In souvenir bottles, wine is much more expensive. In a souvenir bottle with a bull's head for 15 euros. But we took it for drinking, not for collection. Although many of the group overstocked and souvenir bottles. In the evening we went down to the lobby to the pool, and there is local animation: three girls and a guy dancing flamenco. It is a pity that we came at the end, we danced very beautifully. Looking ahead, I will say that flamenco in Barcelona was much worse than in our hotel.
The breakfast at the hotel is excellent. I really liked the beans in the marinade. I took it every morning before slicing. According to the schedule, today we have an elective in Barcelona. The whole group went. Barcelona is 70 km away, but we drove more than an hour and a half on local roads. We left in the morning at 8 o'clock and arrived there at about 10 o'clock. Barcelona met us with a heat of 38 UAH. already at 10 o'clock in the morning. In Barcelona we had a guide Sofia. Whether due to the fault of the guide, or for another reason, but Barcelona did not make the impression on me that I expected, i. е. I apparently had high expectations. The same can be said about Park Guell. He seemed so unkempt and trampled to me! Compared to the parks of Paris and Salzburg, I was slightly disappointed. Although it was not entirely correct to compare, the eyes and brain did this involuntarily.
The tour lasted almost 4 hours. Tired of all the heat and running. Then they brought us to Plaza Catalunya and announced free time. This is where all our ordeals began. Olesya announced the day before that the Flamenco show was postponed due to the football final from Sunday to Saturday and will be held in Barcelona at 20:00. But that was where her story ended. Later we realized how we were bred with this Flamenco. Usually Flamenco takes place near Lloret from 21:00 to 24:00, the price of 35 euros includes champagne, sangria wine and a dry dessert, and everyone is brought there by bus, smart and fresh. In what format the show will take place in Barcelona, it’s just that no one was told to us, and it will become clear later why.
My husband and I also went to an elective at the Camp Nou stadium for 30 euros, although it’s not clear why we were charged 30 euros, since we had neither a guide nor an audio guide, and the ticket cost about 19 euros. We ourselves wandered around the stadium and locker rooms for about an hour, looked at all the cups and photos of the players, bought souvenir pens for 3 euros and returned to the bus. There were 12 of us, such football fans. The rest of the group remained in the center in a free walk. Then, after the stadium, we were brought back to Plaza Catalunya and left, warning that at 19 o'clock we were going here and going to Flamenco. The main word here was "go".
We still have almost 4 hours of free time until 19:00, we turn into a side street from the square, walk away from the tourist trails and go to a cafe in order to have lunch. Here we again order a paella mix, and two small glasses of Spanish beer. Paella, as always, in a frying pan for two, and the beer was brought in bottles, but not bad, soft. They paid 35 euros for lunch, since here paella costs 14.5 euros for one, and a small bottle of beer costs 3 euros. But there is nothing to do, you want to eat. The main thing was to sit and rest in a cool room.
When we went outside, the heat intensified there even more, but we courageously began our walking promenade along the Rambles from Plaza Catalunya to the Columbus monument in the port, looking at all the living figures on the boulevard along the way. Near the monument to Columbus, a photo for memory and we turn back to Plaza Catalunya, as there is an appointment with the bus. The way back and forth is almost 3 km distance in the heat and overcrowding. We finally made it back to the square, where our group of 25 had already gathered for the Flamenco ride. My husband initially did not want to go to Flamenco, he leaves me with the group, and he walks through the square to the fountains and to the supermarket. We all stand and wait for the bus, and then a shock comes: it turns out that there will be no bus! Nobody planned it, they just deliberately didn’t tell us about it, due to the fact that the ranks of those who want to go on foot to Flamenco would have thinned out a lot. Everyone begins to resent how it is, why they didn’t warn about this in the morning, to which our Olesya calmly says: whoever doesn’t want can not go, but the money has already been given. And to go, they say, is not far here, about twenty minutes. But when we started walking there, tired after a day in Barcelona, all loaded with bags, sweaty and dirty, it looked like a displacement of refugees from Ukraine, not a group of tourists. We walked there along the busy streets for almost an hour, I already wanted to go back, spitting on the money spent, but my husband left a long time ago, and somehow I didn’t smile to wander around the city myself. All the more, the hope glimmered that at the end of the road a holiday awaits us, and our torment will be rewarded. Once again, we were bitterly disappointed. We were accepted there as third-class citizens. English-speaking tourists were sitting next to us, so this show was arranged for them. In English, the host told them something about flamenco, they had wine, champagne, dessert on their tables, and we were served a small glass of sangria, and that was all the treat. The show itself reminded me of school amateur performances, where several people will talk a little, then knock their heels on the floor, then shout in loud voices (like singing). In short, the "95 quarter" spectacle is much more interesting and colorful, and they sing and dance better than in Flamenco. Maybe someone will disagree with me, and he saw another performance of Flamenco, I do not argue, as I wrote above, in our hotel in Lloret they also danced much more beautifully. I write specifically about the Flamenco show in Barcelona. This action lasted a total of 50 minutes. Here we had a flamenco for 35 euros. None of us expected such a divorce. I wrote about this to the management of the Akkord company, they promised to sort it out. But that doesn't make it any easier for us. The mood was already ruined. The bus took us back, and we went to the fountains. There, we were given only 15 minutes of time, since the group had already begun to get hysterical. As for me, it would be better if we spent that hour instead of Flamenco at the fountains. The spectacle is amazing! At 22:00 we drive to Lloret to the hotel.
After yesterday's divorce from Flamenco, we did not go on an excursion, although part of the group went to Girona and Figueres. We slept off and went to the beach. A whole day of relaxation on the shore partially removed the negative memories of the previous day. But somewhere in my memory, at the word “Barcelona”, a picture of our tedious passage through the streets of Barcelona to flamenco immediately pops up in my memory, and imposes a negative background on visiting this, in general, beautiful city. On this day we bought souvenirs and drinks to take home. We bought a large bottle of sangria and dolce sherry. Fridge magnets were taken for 1.5 euros apiece. The book about Barcelona is expensive, for 14 euros. In the evening, we watched the final of the World Cup on TV, there was no broadcast on the Russian channel, we watched some kind of French. And at night we were not allowed to sleep by football fans. Until morning, cars and motorcycles with the flags of Spain drove around the city and songs, screams and car horns were heard. But we forgave them such behavior, I think that if Ukraine became the world champion in football, we would be no less happy.
In the morning again the beach and the sea. I have already got used to the water and enjoyed swimming along the shore. Then a quick lunch in the room with sandwiches and at 2 pm we drive to Montserrat.
This trip remained the most vivid memory of Spain. Our guide was Alex. As he called himself "God's man". While we were climbing the mountain along the serpentine, he told us something about the history of this mountain, but we admired the landscapes of the surrounding area more. Stunningly beautiful! Especially for us, the inhabitants of the steppe region. In the monastery we quietly followed him, he again quietly told something, but I like to retire in such places as much as possible, and to join the sacrament myself. Finally, we were led into a small room, where a small statue of the Black Madonna was placed behind glass, and only her hand with a ball was open to pilgrims. We also all touched this hand, and each one asked for something for himself. It stuck in my mind as something very personal and spiritual.
As Alexey told us, the statue of the Black Madonna was made of black maple more than 600 years ago. This was determined only recently, when the monks allowed an analysis of this tree to be made. And before that, there were various legends about the extraterrestrial origin of this statue. This is how science debunks even the most fantastic legends. We wandered around souvenir shops there, bought several figurines of the Black Madonna, and in the temple of the monastery I bought a large consecrated candle for home. When leaving, some of our tourists from the group bought sweets at the market near the monastery, and we bought ice cream. We love to compare the taste of ice cream in different countries. The way down the mountain was no less interesting than the way up. We arrived at the hotel at 21:00, ran to the beach to say goodbye to the sea, but did not swim any more, the sea was stormy that evening.
Day eleven.
In the morning the last breakfast at the wonderful Plaza Paris Hotel and at 8 o'clock we leave for Nice. The road is long, according to Olesya 600 km. At about 4 pm we arrive in Cannes. There the local guide Natalia is waiting for us. A short one-hour guided walk around Cannes, then an hour of free time for photos on the red carpet of the Film Festival Palace and other beautiful places. Luxurious hotels, beautiful promenade. There is a sandy beach, which we just looked at from the side. There are also a lot of people on the beach, and the water seemed unclear to me, either from the sand, or from so many people. We didn't swim here.
We get back on the bus and go to Nice. So we covered the distance of 36 km in 2.5 hours. It turns out that the promenade was closed, and our guide in Nice did not know this. As a result, we lose 2 hours of precious time planned for Nice. We arrive there at almost 21:00. Half an hour of jogging through old Nice, and transfer to the hotel for the settlement. The hotel is located in the center on the main street near the railway station, and the bus does not drive up to it, they drop us off near the station, and then walk to the hotel, but not very far.
The room in Nice at the Hotel National 3 * turned out to be the most cramped and uncomfortable of all hotels. Most likely, this room is intended for one, since the bed was quite narrow, about 120 cm, and there were two of us. In the room, the two of us could not disperse, the distance from the wall to the bed was a maximum of 40 cm. And the bathroom was 120x140 cm in size (I specifically counted the tiles on the walls). And on this patch was placed a tiny washbasin, a tiny tray with a curtain, and the same miniature toilet bowl. Such was the impression that the room was built for midgets. But since it was already late, and changing anything would be a big problem, we decided that we would endure one night already.
At 10 pm, my husband and I leave the hotel and walk around Nice at night. We walk near the fountains, along the embankment. We went down to the water, but the beach is not illuminated at night, and we quickly left from there, as some suspicious groups of young people were sitting there in the dark. At 24 hours, fatigue takes its toll, and we return to the hotel. Some of our group even went swimming at night. The beach here is not the same as in Spain, but large - pebble, rather even cobblestone. Entry and exit from the water is uncomfortable.
Day twelve.
The breakfast at this hotel was so modest that it could be said that there was none at all. When we went downstairs, there were a few crusans and leftover coffee left. There was no cheese, no cold cuts. And no one was going to add them to us . . We thought that our groupmates were so hungry that they all ate, but it turns out that there was so little cold cuts and cheese that even those who came first did not have enough. And the imperturbable Frenchman walked around us, cleaned the dishes, and did not think to add anything to us. So we got up and left without breakfast. This is how Nice met and saw us off.
Check-out from the hotel and departure at 8-30 for the optional class "Luxury and Beauty" in Monaco and Montecarlo. An elective is paid - 40 euros. Guide to Monaco Raisa. Did the whole tour well. Although the program says free time in Nice, don’t be fooled by this, because if you don’t go to Monaco, no one will come to Nice for you, you will have to get from Nice to Monaco yourself to catch up with the group. So Olesya announced to everyone. This did not threaten us, since we had plans to visit Monaco, but there were tourists who had already been to Monaco and did not want to pay an extra 40 euros. So they would have to catch up with the group in Monaco themselves. Therefore, everyone went to Monaco.
This is exactly the case when an elective is imposed by force, without giving the right to choose. I think this is wrong, the bus was supposed to return to Nice and pick up the remaining tourists. And the stories that entry into Monaco is paid are not the problem of an ordinary tourist, but the problem of the operator.
You can't help but like Monaco and Montecarlo, they really are luxury and beauty. It is better to see once than to hear 10 times. I want more there.
Before Monaco, we stopped at the Fragonard cosmetics and perfume factory. There we bought perfumes, creams, etc.
At 15 o'clock in the parking lot of Monte Carlo, we board the bus and go for the night to a transit hotel in Padua. We have to drive 600 km again. We get to Padua after 22:00. Hotel in Padua "Crown Plaza 4 *", this is the most luxurious hotel on the entire route. There is air conditioning, hair dryer, electric kettle with tea and coffee set, iron and ironing board. Here we were able to iron our crumpled clothes in a suitcase in front of Venice and drink tea and coffee normally. Too bad we have to leave in the morning.
Day thirteen.
The breakfast is excellent, although we were seated in the hall between the Chinese and other black tourists, carried us to the third world countries. It was noticed not only by us, because there was a separate hall for Western Europeans. And they also talk about the European choice. Yes, Europe does not need us, they equate us with Asian and African countries. A little upset by this approach, we leave for Venice at 8 o'clock. Already there at 9:30 am. Our guide Alena is waiting for us there.
The boat was given to us so cramped, old and smelly that by the time we reached Venice, everyone felt sick from the heat and "aromas". I compared with the boat on which we sailed to Venice in October last year, this was a handsome boat on two decks, and with a toilet. And it was such a killer! I expressed my complaint to Olesya, and another boat took us back, also small, but at least not smelly, and more spacious.
Venice met us 40 gr. heat with high humidity and lack of wind. Alena led everyone at an accelerated pace along some narrow streets to the Rinalto Bridge, then back to Piazza San Marco in almost the same way. This ended the tour. I didn't want to walk in this heat. They announced free time until 14 o'clock.
And my husband had a problem with cigarettes. The stock of cigarettes bought by my husband in Spain ran out, and we went in search of cigarettes in Venice. It is better for him not to eat than not to smoke. After wandering through the alleys around the square, we did find one souvenir shop that sold cigarettes. And nowhere else was there, neither in cafes, nor in restaurants. People take care of their health, not like our men. And then we wonder why our men have such a short life expectancy. He bought cigarettes there at the rate that it would be enough to reach his native Ukraine. A pack of the cheapest cigarettes cost 5 euros. This retreat is especially for smokers.
Then we went to a cafe to drink some water and eat ice cream. I didn't want to eat anything else. After the cafe, we accidentally met two mothers with school-age children from our bus, whom Olesya promised to take to the supermarket, and I joined them. I bought two bottles of Chianti at the supermarket for 5.3 euros and returned to the square myself. Why this store was not told to all the tourists from the bus remains a mystery. After all, I did not know if I had not met these mothers. And in other shops for tourists, the cheapest "Chianti" was 15 euros.
At 14 o'clock a boat arrives, we sit on it and sail back. We are given another half an hour to buy souvenirs in the market at the bus stop, and at 15 o’clock we leave towards Austria. Beautiful mountains, many tunnels. Those who have traveled along the road to Graz know the beauty of this road. We love until dark. Again we have to drive 600 km to the hotel in Sopron. When it got dark, and we were already approaching Sopron, a thunderstorm and rain began. It was the first rain during our stay on the tour. So the weather was kind to us. Though I wish it was a little cooler. We arrived in Sopron at 23:00. Hotel Lever 4*. How many laudatory reviews have already been written about this hotel, and for good reason. But our room didn't have air conditioning and the open window didn't help much. After the rain it was very stuffy. All other comforts of the hotel were excellent.
Day fourteen.
The breakfast is great, the weather is hot again. Departure to Vienna at 8-30. It is 70 km to Vienna, about an hour later we pick up our guide Svetlana. Again the same problem, no microphone, no headphones, the voice is quiet, Half of the group can not hear anything. We walk along the Hofburg. This is the second time I've been to Vienna, but my husband hasn't been yet. So I was his guide. Free time in an hour and a half. The heat reaches 38 gr. The group did not get into the Treasury, whoever wanted to joined the chord group, which at the same time was with us in Vienna. In our free time, we went for a walk on our own. We went to the Billa supermarket, bought two large packs of Julius May coffee, more Mozart sweets to take home, a snack and beer for the road. I found and bought a large book about Vienna in a souvenir shop. Then we went to the Rosenberger's for melange coffee with apricot strudel.
Here, too, an interesting episode occurred. We had already eaten when a large dark-skinned waiter came up to us to clear the dishes. He saw that we were fanning ourselves with maps of Vienna and asked: “Rus? ”, To which I replied “know, Ukraine”. He went into the back room and brought us two large glasses of cold water, then pulled out two signature Rosenberger pens and handed them to us. It was nice to have such attention, although we did not understand why we deserved it. We thanked him with a smile, and he just waved his hand.
After Rosenberg, we leave and go to Maria Theresa Square, then to the Parliament, but the heat takes its toll, and we are already waiting for the bus not far from the square in the shade of trees. At 15:00 we leave Vienna and head to the border to a transit hotel. Again we have 600 km ahead of us. roads. Once again we pass through Budapest, admiring the beauty of the parliament building and bridges across the Danube. The end is coming soon and it's getting sad.
Moving without stopping for lunch through the Carpathians, only a sanitary stop at a gas station. Some tourists had train tickets at 16-15. They make it to the train. But there is a risk that you may not have time. In Lviv, the group could not say goodbye, everyone became so friendly with each other! After long hugs and handshakes, we take a taxi and go to the pre-booked Irena Hotel. We have a train only the next day after lunch, so we still have enough time to rest in Lviv. We enjoy a good room, a delicious lunch in the hotel cafe and our low prices.
Conclusions:
The concept and program of the tour is great, and it was a shame that the execution was a little lame. For the whole tour, I put 9 points on a 10-point system. I couldn't forgive electives in Barcelona. Our drivers are great, we didn’t get lost anywhere, everything worked on the bus, the main thing is that the air conditioner worked well, and it was always clean. Music and video accompaniment was good, you could even order a movie to your taste. There was legroom in our seats, although the seats with a table were uncomfortable, but we sat a row further back. I also gave the leader of the group 9 points, as she, in addition to the Flamenco elective in Barcelona, conducted the entire tour normally. In the questionnaire I wrote all my claims, they promised to sort it out. So my conclusion: go on this tour, and get a lot of fun, but when choosing an elective, ask for full information about it. Do not be fooled by beautiful advertising, the main thing is how this elective will be held. Well, maybe we were so unlucky with Flamenco, in connection with the football final, and the rest before us, and after us, this is really a holiday for the soul. I wish you all successful travels!
