old tiger's Blog

Barcelona..is not Spanish..it's Catalonia..the inhabitants of Barcelona..
are proud of their heritage..Catalan spirit..art..language..everything..
it's a big city..with almost parallel streets..lots of pubs,bars,restaurants
and lots to see for the tourist..I started walking the Ramblas..this is a
1,6km long walking street...always full of strolling people..always full of
animation..buskers,street artists,souvenir shops,pubs..tapa bars..
now these tapa's...are typical Spanish..little snacks..sandwiches..
filled with bacon,fish..deliciuous..try a tortilla..cheap..and filling...
I went in to the covered market along the Ramblas..called mercado de
Boqueria=what a feast for the eyes..food,cheese,fruits,really colourful
I stocked up some bread,cheese,ham..
the Ramblas ends at Plaza de Catalunya big square...
I wandered around the barri Gothic..old part of Barcelona city..
little streets around the cathedral..very touristic in fact..I found a restaurant...
called Casa Jos?..I guess it was so dirt cheap to eat there..very popular
with rucksack tourists in fact...if you ever visit Barcelona..don't miss..
the art of architect Gaudi..this dude..started a church called Sagrada familia..
in fact up till today..it's still not finished..because Gaudi died in 1926..
he was hit by a tram..visit his funny house architecture..
ask for Casa Mila..casa Battlo..or visit Parc Guell..I'll try to find a link..
http://www.red2000.com/spain/barcelon/phgau.html
I met some Americans on the Ramblas...and we went for sangria and beer..
on Plaza Real..loveley square with palm trees..
in the evening..I picked up my rucksack at the railway station..
and slept in Ciatudella parc..huge parc..lots of space..

Tiger..

Perpignan has got charm..I found..it's bit of a mix..
of France+Spain..one can feel here...that Spain is close by..
got a ride to around Le Boulou..I recall these typical trees...
don't know the name in English??I crossed the border..into Spain...
no problem these days..but hitch hiking in Spain..
was a nightmare..extremeley difficult to get a ride..
I did get a first glimpse of Spain..got a ride to Figueras..
stood there for a long while..got to Girona...and finally...
Barcelona..I did not do the Costa Brava coastline...
well known for Lloret de Mar nowadays..typical holiday resort..
on Barcelona town..I'm gonna dedicate another entry..
it's one of my favorite cities in the world actually...
I stayed 3 days in Barcelona..slept in Ciatudella parc..
safe enough..but third night..I slept in a building construction..
I thought..i was safe in there..until some guard...made his round..
he never would have found me..but his dog did...bwaah..
I had to move out there..in the middle of the night..not funny..
anyway..that's part of travelling..gypsie style...
Tiger

so..Avignon..the Provence..bit south is Arles..well known..
for Vincent Van Gogh..he cut off his ear there..while having a fight..
with his friend Gauguin..this regio is known as the Camargue...
http://www.tourisme.ville-arles.fr/us/index_us.php
I made a detour to see Stes.Maries de la Mer-Aigues Mortes...
Ste.Maries is known for an annual gypsie festival..in this regio..
you will find wild horses,flamingo birds...and real wild nature..
but..I guess..that's more for summer months..I did not enjoy it..
in the time of the year I went trough it..anyway..I moved on..
towards Montpellier-B?ziers-Narbonne..Languedoc regio..great..
some very strong wind called the mistral can blow here...
I had no time to visit Carcassonne..i've heard it's a walled city..
never seen it..probably never will??I reached Perpignan that day..
it's a city where one can know..that Spain is very nearby...
stayed overnight in the youth hostel..i needed a bath really...
next day..I would reach Le Boulou-Perthus-La Jonquera(Spain)
my aim was Barcelona city..loveley city..Tiger

so..after Volvic..got a ride to St.Etienne..
I was gonna go down to the valley of the Rhone river..
loveley regio of France...Valence-Mont?limar...
now...Mont?limar is well famous for a nougat(sweet)
it reminded me of Granna(Sweden)I did not have time..
to either taste or buy it..got on to Avignon..aww..just visit..
loveley city..once there were popes here...religion,you know??
the regio of Provence stole my heart..it's a sunny part of France..
I reached Avignon that day..but I did not sleep..
sous les ponts d'Avignon..very famous French song..
pont=bridge..I'll get you all a link about this place..
just travell along a bit with me,will you??
http://www.beyond.fr/villages/avignon.html
I don't even recall where I slept..my memory slips???
I was gonna go for the Languedoc regio next day...
that's Narbonne-Perpignan and Spanish border..
will tell you later on..Tiger..

Finally..I packed my rucksack..and left for Porte d'Italie..
Paris got a huge ringroad called boulevard ph?rif?rique..
Porte d'Italie gives acces to the road towards Orl?ans..
Orl?ans was not easy to reach that day..I left bit late in Paris..
hitchhiking was not that great as well..got a ride to Etampes..
stood there as well for a while..reached Orl?ans in the afternoon..
in Orl?ans I took direction Nevers..it follows the river Loire..
I could not get to Nevers..somewhere around Briare..I got stuck..
and slept somewhere outside in an empty building..it was cold..brr..
Next morning..took my own breakfast..all these trips I carried a small
mini camping gas to make coffee..good thing..a cup of hot coffee..
does wonders to start a cold day..usually my breakfast was nothing
more then a piece of bread with jam or cheese..but it was O.K..
so..this day..started from Briare towards Nevers..I was lucky..
got a ride soon enough..but bit after that..got stuck for a long while..
stood for more then 2 hours on the same spot..got picked up..
and got a ride towards Clermont Ferrand..bit before Vichy..it became
dark..and was looking for a spot to put my sleeping bag..
I saw an empty peasant stable..had to cross under a barbed wire..
it was in fact a shed...with a wagon with hay on..ideal..because..
it's off the ground..and it was bloody cold..next morning..
I got the surprise of my life..i got picked up by the local police..
they came in a jeep...and told me to pack my things..they drove me
to the police station...they really made me look like a fool..
my rucksack was turned upside down on the floor..in a rough way..
my passport and identity controlled..but I was in order of course..
and they treated me as a piece of shit..they made a statement..
that I had trespassed public property..some peasant had seen me..
and reported to the police..they called me names..like tramp..
vagabond..gypsie etc...in fact..they had fun..they were in power..
in their eyes...they just couldn't face the fact..I was a traveller..
in my own way..it's the game of envy of freedom..they lacked..
I kept myself serious..no way to get excited...I had money enough..
so after 3 full hours in that fucking police station..they drove me..
to a railway station...and told me..take a train to next town...
I said O.K..but I did not..they left...and I went back on the road again..
the next ride..I remember...some chick(H?len?)picked me up..
in one of these 2 PK student cars...she drove me to her place where
she stayed with her boy friend..they were hippies at heart..
and gave me shelter...and food..for the night..they lived in Volvic..
village in the Auvergne known for mineral water..close to Riom..
loveley part of France..it even got old volcano craters..
I told them my story of the police..they said..les flics...fuck them..
so..next day..I was gonna try to get towards St.Etienne-Valence...
I will tell you all later on...Tiger