Passing Through Lyon, France

​July 16

Today was a big travel day! Early wake up to metro to the Barcelona-Sants train station. Grocery store run to grab lunch for our 5 hour high-speed train to Lyon, France. We all spent a good part of it sleeping. Once in Lyon, we took the metro to our hostel and got our bags stored in lockers. We were all very hungry and found a bakery nearby for pastries and salad which we ate along the river. Now that we’re in France, Alastair is supposed to be in charge of all of the translating/ordering for the group as he has the best French. I’ve been in charge of speaking for our group for the last month or so and it was fun to watch him order at the bakery!

We walked around the city, over bridges, through squares, enjoying the architecture. We stopped at another bakery in old town to try a pastry that looked like a slice of pizza and tasted like krugel. The bakery had wasps swarming inside the pastry cases.

We sat down at a restaurant to play cards and sip coffees. The owner asked us not to play cards and then proceeded to mock us for drinking our water straight from the bottle. We looked for hidden entrances to the tunnels under the city and then made our way to the funicular. This one was incorporated into the city’s metro system and we rode to the top of the hill overlooking Lyon to see Basilica of Notre Dame of Fourvière. 

The views of the city were stunning and we sat down at a restaurant for drinks, olives, and cards. It began to thunder and rain pretty hard so we moved inside to a table in a stairway to wait out the weather.

Dagny took the metro back to the hostel and the rest of us went to ANOTHER Michelin recommended restaurants. Thanks Alastair. This one was called Daniel & Denise and our server was delightful! We thought we were ordering a tasting menu, but it was actually the European definition of “menu” so we each selected a full-sized appetizer, main course, and dessert. It did not disappoint and we spent 2.5 hours chatting and swooning over our food.

Highlights were Alastair’s special pâte en croûte,

my veal’s breast,

and Alastair’s pike quenelle.

Overall, two thumbs up on our time in Lyon. After spending so much time in Spain, we’re really enjoying being in a different country. Changing it up a bit!

Adelaide

Sagrada Familia and more Sneaky Bites

​July 15

We had a 7:30am train from Zaragoza to Barcelona this morning, although our hotel being located in the train station made this much easier. We were slightly worried that our train would be delayed or cancelled because there were widespread train strikes across Spain today. Luckily, we got to Barcelona no problem.

We took the metro straight to our hostel and left our bags in lockers for free. As the only one who’s been to Barcelona before, I was in charge of leading our walking tour around the city! We passed the Cathedral of Barcelona on our way to Mercat de la Boqueria. Indoor markets are always fun and we enjoyed walking around all of the stalls.

We walked north on La Rambla and while it’s usually a staple of Barcelona, it was completely under construction and not at all pleasing. We were pleased, however, by the LEGO and Swatch stores which were very entertaining and air conditioned.

We kept north past Casa Batlló to La Pedrera - Casa Milá. From there, we walked East for a long while until we reached the Sagrada Familia. We didn’t get tickets to visit the inside of the basilica but the outside is the impressive part.

Once we had taken in the impressive views and walked to the back side of the basilica, the girls and I went into KFC for chicken sandwiches while Alastair kept walking. After we ate, the girls and I took a bus to Ciutadella Park and then walked back to our hostel in the Gothic Quarter.

After some downtime, we found an Irish bar where we could play some cards. I’ve actually been to this bar 2 years ago with my study abroad classmates. Our bartender was a Ukrainian refugee. We headed back to Mercat de la Boqueria to look for dinner but instead opted for a nearby Michelin recommendation: Bar Bacaro. The Italian food was delicious and we shared a bottle of wine.

Alastair’s thoughts: The bistro offered unique flavor combinations that many of us had never experienced before such as cod fish and white chocolate. The sisters all opted for pappardelle with ragu while I ventured for a pasta with anchovies and lemon juice, that could have used a little less acidity. The atmosphere of the restaurant was excellent, and was made better by the extra appetizer for Maggie and I that was left on a nearby table. 

He’s not kidding. He and Mags really snuck someone else’s leftovers. One of the best parts of traveling as a family is that we are constantly laughing and creating inside jokes. Tonight’s dinner was no exception and our topic of conversation was less than appropriate. There was a woman at the table next to us who we suspected was eavesdropping. When she paid her tab and left, there was still an appetizer on her plate that was left untouched. Alastair was appalled and reached over and snatched it. He and Maggie scarfed it down to hide the evidence. We all laughed way too hard.

Our last stop of the night was La Ascensor Bar, known for their mules, which was mostly empty. We played cards and headed back to our hostel to go to bed. Once we reached the lobby, the hostel employee organizing the bar crawl recruited Dagny and Magnolia. Alastair and I fell asleep on account of our 8am train to France tomorrow.

Adelaide 

Running of the Bulls

​July 14

Today was the day! Alastair woke up around 6am to get dressed and walk to the starting line for the running of the bulls. He actually had a hard time getting into the lineup of runners and had to climb over a port-a potty? 

Us girls got to sleep a bit more but we were walking by 7am to find a place to watch. Along the route, restaurants and shops barricade their doors and windows, leaving just enough room to watch over the top. Crowds are gathered on the balconies above (which you either are lucky enough to own, or can afford to rent).

The fencing barriers on the side streets include two layers of fences, such that the police and EMTs can stand behind the first, and spectators behind the second. We found a spot along that second fence, and defended it fiercely. When the time came, we climbed up and had a great view of the running.

The whole event went so quickly! We saw the runners spread out along the street, nervously jumping up and down as they awaited the bulls. There were ~8 bulls that ran by and it was over in a flash. Almost immediately, the fences were opened and we all filtered into the street. There were many people laying throughout the street on stretchers as their heads or limbs were assessed by EMTs. We were grateful not to see Alastair on any of the stretchers. The TVs in the bars along the route were already playing highlight reels of injuries from the run that had just occurred. It was kind of surreal the rush of adrenaline followed by the search for our brother.

We made our way back to the AirBnB, our designated meeting point since Alastair didn’t have his phone with him. We all arrived at the same time, and were relieved to see him on two feet. He had a blast, claiming that it was neither difficult nor scary, and that if he were to do it again, he would take even more risks. Brave kid.

We walked around town for a bit before deciding to FOB until checkout at our AirBnB. We packed our bags and then walked with them away from the festival to find a place to eat lunch. We were SO hungry having had no breakfast, and we came upon a burger place that looked delicious and air conditioned. Unfortunately, they weren’t open yet so we had coffee at the cafe next door and played cards while we waited until 1pm.

The restaurant was themed around an ambiguous “Kevin” which we thought was funny. My burger had guacamole, pico de gallo, and a jalapeño aioli. It was perhaps one of the best burgers of my life, which may have had to do with my hunger level. We played more cards, shared a big cookie/brownie, and then split up for some down time before our train. 

Alastair and I walked to a park to sit on a bench and scroll on our phones. The girls made their way to the train station and found AC. Alastair and I joined them there and then we all hopped on our train back to Zaragoza. Unfortunately, it was a slower regional train and the AC was broken. We were all completely melting for 90 minutes before they stopped at a random station and had us load onto a different, slightly cooler train that was also bound for Zaragoza. I would say that our biggest challenge so far traveling together has been staying out of the heat, and the second is finding creative ways to ditch our bulky bags so we are not limited by them.

Once in Zaragoza, we checked into our nicest accommodation of the whole trip so far. Our hotel was conveniently located in the train station and we had two rooms, two bathrooms, four beds, AC, and plenty of room to spread out.

I spent the evening booking the rest of the accommodations and train reservations for our trip. Alastair watched the World Cup game on our TV and eventually, he and Mags walked to McDonalds to grab dinner for us all while I talked to Palmer for a bit. The four of us have been eating lots of fried chicken sandwiches on this trip as they’re cheap and delicious.

Another busy day of travel tomorrow!

Adelaide