Saturday, September 19th - Pineda de Mar to Salou, Spain

This was a travel day so it was busy but there won't likely be much to write about.  I was up reasonably early, went down for breakfast and then back to my room to finish packing.  I checked out just after 10 a.m. and left my luggage all in storage while I went out for a walk.  I was hoping to find a hairdresser to wash and trim my hair but the three places I checked were all busy so I stopped trying.  It was very last minute and just wishful thinking on my part but at least I tried, and it was a nice walk on another beautiful sunny day in Pineda de Mar.

I went back to the hotel and did some computer work for a while just making sure I had the train schedules right and knew where I was going once I got to my destination.  I also caught up on the news and e-mails and facebook while I waited. 

I left the hotel about 12:30 p.m. and walked to the train station - about a 20 minute walk with my luggage.  I bought a ticket and caught the 1:17 train to Barcelona Sants station.  That trip was about an hour and fifteen minutes long and it was a great ride.  The train itself is nothing special but driving along the coast is always a wonderful trip.  The scenery is beautiful with all the sandy beaches, some rocky outcroppings, and the beautiful blue Mediterranean Sea behind.  I was sitting with my back to the other side of the train facing the Sea so I can't say anything about what was on the other side but I know it was a bunch of small towns because they all just seem to run together along the coast.

I arrived at platform 6 or 7 at Barcelona Sants, which is one of the biggest and busiest station in the city.  I checked the screen before leaving the platform and it was clear my next train wasn't leaving from there so I went up the escalator.  The bigger screen told me my train was leaving from platform 8 or 9 but it wasn't confirmed yet.  The escalator down was right beside me so there was going to be no problem getting there.  That meant I could have a quick sandwich and drink at the snack bar - not that great and rather expensive but it was certainly better than eating just the snack I had with me (corn nuts, cookies and chocolate).

When I finished my sandwich I went down the escalator and waited for the 3:03 express train that was stopping in Salou, supposedly in about an hour and fifteen minutes again.  I was actually surprised to see how many places it was stopping as it was an express train.  However, I soon discovered that the express part just got you all the way out of Barcelona and over to the coast without stopping, then it started stopping at each of the towns along the coast.  I knew Salou was a long way down the list so I just kept remembering that it came after PortAventura.  Well, it was hard to miss PortAventura because it is a huge theme park with lots of rides and amusements.  It made the next stop, Salou, seem very quiet and boring.

When I left the train station I went toward the taxi stand as I wasn't going to walk when I didn't really know where I was going.  There were several taxis there but no drivers anywhere in sight.  Several other people were also waiting and wondering what was going on.  I saw a taxi coming and flagged him down, and he said he would call and get some other taxis there right away.  He did make some calls but I have no idea what he said.  

My apartment was not far away from the train station but I'm glad I didn't walk.  It would have been about a 30 minute walk I think.  The taxi dropped me off and I went into the business office for the three large apartment buildings that are all together on two streets with a pool in between.  I checked in and got my key.  I am on the third floor of building # 3.

My room is very nice.  When you walk in there is a kitchen on the left and a bathroom on the right.  Then you have the living room on the left and the bedroom on the right.  There are large patio doors in both the living room and the bedroom and they open on to a balcony that is very large.  I have a table and four chairs out there and a clothes rack for drying clothes and I still have a lot of empty space.  The bedroom has twin beds and a large closet and shelves built into the wall.  The living room has a table and four chairs at the kitchen end and then a large hide-a-bed couch and coffee table, small TV and cupboard.  There is certainly more space than I need but I'll probably make use of all of it before I'm done.  My plan is to empty out my entire suitcase and try to sort through everything so it will be nice to be able to spread things out.

My balcony looks over a small street and there is a sports bar right below.  The street is very narrow so the neighbouring building is quite close.  However, all of those apartments seem to be closed up so perhaps they are not rentals but actually owned by people and now that school is back in there is no one living there.  Otherwise there are lots of trees along the street that just come up to about the third floor so it's a pretty nice view.  When I look to my right I see more buildings and some hills in the background.  When I look to my left I see the Mediterranean Sea.  Only one building sits between our building and the street to my left.  And on the other side of the street is the beach promenade with its fountains, benches, statues and of course the beautiful beach.  It's a pretty good location so I think I'll survive here for a couple of weeks.

Once I was somewhat settled in and had relaxed on my balcony for a while, I decided to go get some groceries.  I walked to the grocery store that had been recommended, not the closest one, which was touristy and expensive, but supposedly a bigger one with better prices.  The walk was only 10-15 minutes so no big deal.  However, on my way back with my backpack loaded and another bag loaded, it seemed like a bit longer walk but then again I got sidetracked a bit but that's another story.

The grocery store was busy.  They were closing soon and are not open on Sunday so I think everyone was in a rush to get their last minute shopping done.  The store aisles were very narrow so it was hard getting through.  The store was a weird shape so some aisles went one way and some ran perpendicular to them.  It was very awkward to get around especially if you didn't know where anything was.  I did have a list prepared and I got most of what I wanted.  Some of it was the household items like dish soap, laundry soap (yes, I have a washing machine in my bathroom), paper towels, etc. and some of it was food such as cereal, milk, bread, cheese, eggs, etc. that I would eat over the coming weeks.  Of course I also had to buy things like salt, pepper, margarine and oil that will be used but probably a lot will be left behind.  I am so looking forward to a simple bowl of cereal or a grilled cheese sandwich.  I didn't buy any fruit or vegetables because there is supposedly a farmers' market that is better for those things.

On the way back to the apartment I decided to go one street over just so I could walk along the promenade.  It was only going to be about one block extra as far as steps were concerned so I thought that was a good deal.  It was even better because I walked past the tourist information place and noted their hours, and because there was a fountain / light / sound show going on in the promenade area.  Apparently it happens every Friday and Saturday night so I just lucked out.  

I stood on the one side of the street for a while and then decided to cross over and get a bit closer.  There were lots of people around so you really didn't see much more from this side of the street.  You did get to feel the spray of the water though as it was blown over by the wind.  A couple people ini front of me left so I moved up and got up by a tree on higher ground.  There I could balance against a tree, still hang on to my groceries with my left hand and take pictures with my right hand.  It was a pretty good show I thought.  I didn't see all of it but what I saw seemed as bright and colourful and was as coordinated with the music as the one in Barcelona that is supposed to be so good.  They also used lasers in the show and by the end of it when they were rolling the credits with lasers against the mist, I realized that I was on the back side of the real show.  I will have to come back on another evening and watch it from the front side to see if it's any better - and to see the whole thing.  If the wind is blowing in the same direction, it should at least be drier.

After the show ended I went back to the apartment and put away my groceries, relaxed  a bit and then went to bed and read for a while before falling asleep to the sound of the cheering in the sports bar below.  It's definitely not a quiet location but I was tired enough to sleep anyway.