SPENDING TIME IN SPAIN

For the last week Flat Hawkster continued his tour of Spain by visiting the towns of Sitges and Girona.   He started by taking a 40 minute train to Sitges, which is a beach town 35 kilometres south of Barcelona.  Sitges is well known for its beaches, restaurants and historical sites.  It has a very artistic history due to the many artists who would routinely visit from all over Europe in the late 1800's.  There are 17 beaches providing plenty of sand for the thousands of tourists that visit each year.  Flat Hawkster was very impressed by the powerful waves that were constantly crashing onto the beach.  They were so strong that the lifeguards prevented people from swimming but that did not stop the many surfers who were looking to "hang loose".

This is the main boardwalk for Sitges.  It was pretty quiet when Flat Hawkster
was there because it was the off-season.  Usually it is filled with bikers, walkers
rollerbladers and skateboarders.

Flat Hawkster saw this playground overlooking the beach and was reminded of
last year when Hawthorne had its own playground surrounded by water.  Glad
they fixed that:)

 The above picture tries to capture the the size of the waves that could be seen on
Terramar beach.  The photo below does a better job of showing the water's power. 

Check out these two videos which give you an idea of just how powerful the waves were.  The surfer below has great technique to start off but then finishes with a wipe-out.  He was not hurt and Flat Hawkster was happy to have filmed it all.

The next town on Flat Hawkster's tour was Girona which can be found in the northeast of Spain.  Girona is a well preserved medieval town that has a long and interesting history which began with the ancient Romans. Throughout its history, Girona has been attacked on many occasions and conquered 7 times.  This can be seen in the variety of architecture and churches that can be found within the Old Town area.   Flat Hawkster especially enjoyed the long walk on Girona's fortress wall that surrounds the city and rises up to great heights with impressive views of the city.  Girona is a relatively small town with 100,000 people and relies heavily our tourism.  It is a very clean town that, like Sitges, has a great appreciation for art. 

This is the Onyar river which separates Girona's old and new towns.  It is a nice place to hang out and listen to the ducks.

One of Old Town's many lanes.

Flat Hawkster came across a collector's market while walking through the Old
Town area.  They were trading bottle caps among other things.  In the picture
below the children were trading pokemon and soccer cards.

During his time in Spain,  Flat Hawkster has had to adjust his watch and his body clock.  His watch, because Spain is 9 hours ahead of Ladner.  His body clock,  because the Spanish schedule things differently than what he is used to.  For one thing, the stores and businesses are all closed on Sundays and they shut down from 2-5pm every other day for a "siesta".  This time was once used for naps but now business owners take advantage of the opportunity to catch up on a busy life.   Flat Hawkster can understand why people would need siestas because everything happens so late in Spain.  Dinners don't usually begin until 9 or 10pm.  The soccer games also start at 10pm.  People, young and old, can be found socializing on the street at all hours in the night.  This has all made Flat Hawkster quite tired and he may be recommending daily siestas for Hawthorne when he gets back.

Flat Hawkster took a break from walking and jumped onto this tourist train which took him through the narrow lanes of Girona's Old Town district.  In the picture below,  Flat Hawkster is standing at the bottom of a staircase that leads to a huge cathedral which towers over the city.   Those stairs were quite the workout and he may need to join Hawthorne's new running club.

Flat Hawkster hopes that everyone has enjoyed their first month of school.  He is enjoying his travels but looking forward to a return.  Enjoy the day Hawthorne!

BARCELONA BOUND

After leaving Greece,  Flat Hawkster's next stop was Barcelona, Spain.  Check out the short video below that was taken just after his flight left the Mykonos, Greece airport.   

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain (to Madrid) with a population of 5 million people living in the metropolitan area.  Barcelona's airport is one of the busiest in Europe with over 34 million "flyers" each year.  That is a lot of baggage!  Flat Hawkster arrived at night which made things a little more challenging.  He ended up on the wrong train for a while before wandering around and eventually finding a place to rest.   When he awoke the daylight introduced him to a beautiful city that is alive with festivals, beaches, outdoor restaurants and music.   He has really enjoyed learning about Barcelona and taking part in some of the fun.

This was one of the streets playing host to a local music festival.

Flat Hawkster spent his first day in Barcelona visiting a number of buildings designed by the famous Spanish architect named Antoni Gaudi.   He lived until 1926 and became famous for the modernist style of architecture that he used.   His most famous work is the Sagrada Familia (seen below) which be began working on during the 1880's.  By the time he died in 1926 it was only 25% complete and is still not yet done!  Intermediate students may want to mention Gaudi the next time they are late with a project:) 

This is the Sagrada Familia that is still a work in progress but that doesn't stop
thousands of tourists from visiting each day to tour inside.

These pictures were taken in Guell Park which was originally designed by Gaudi
as a perfect place to live.   People don't live there but it is a free public park with
some incredible spaces and buildings.  Flat Hawkster isn't an expert but some of
structures reminded him of things he's seen in a Dr. Seuss book. 

Barcelona provides a lot of things for people to do and one of the most popular experiences is having a beach day.  Flat Hawkster put on plenty of sunscreen and spent a lot of time walking along the beaches that seemed to run forever.  He saw many things as he walked:  beach rugby, volleyball, helicopters, modern buildings, restaurants, performers, yachts and so much more.  It was a busy place but provided a refreshing breeze to cool him off on a very hot day.

Volleyball and ping-pong (below) were just two of the many activities
available for visitors to the beach.  Unfortunately every time Flat Hawkster
plays ping pong his talons ruin the paddles.

As some of you may know,  Spain is the top-ranked country in the world when it comes to soccer (Football).  The sport is very popular in this nation and this was made clear to Flat Hawkster when he saw a lot of children just dribbling a soccer ball down the street as their parents shopped.  There were also thousands of Barcelona FC banners/flags hanging from apartments all over the city, showing support for their local team which happens to be, arguably, the best team in the world.  On top of that, one of the players on Barcelona FC (Lionel Messi) is considered my most people to be the best player in the world.  With all of this in mind,  Flat Hawkster had to go to one of the team's games and join 110,000 other fans supporting the local team.  It was crazy!

In the brief clip below you can hear the local supporters singing along as they celebrate a late victory by their home team.  Lionel Messi also scored which sent almost everyone home happy.

GREEK ADVENTURES

For the last week Flat Hawkster has enjoyed an incredible experience in Greece.  He has been able to visit some of the most famous ancient ruins in the world that have been in existence for thousands of years.  He began by visiting the Acropolis which sits on a rocky hill that rises steeply to over 150m in height and overlooks the city of Athens.   Its high perch made it an area that could be kept better protected from any invading forces.   There are a number of buildings/ruins left on this site which have been transformed many times over the centuries.  Flat Hawkster was fascinated to see a number of large cranes up on the Acropolis helping with some of the restoration work and wondered how these huge buildings were built 4000 years ago without this type of machinery?

This is the Parthenon,  the most famous building at the Acropolis.  Since being
built milleniums ago,  it has been used as a temple for various religions.

This is the view from the Acropolis that seemed to go on forever.  You can
see how it would difficult for an army to attack without being noticed.

Flat Hawkster points out a large ancient amphitheatre that had seats for
5000 people.  In ancient times,  guests would have enjoyed plays, dances
and song.  This theatre has been updated and is used regularly for performances.

This is a view of a smaller amphitheatre that sits at the base of the Acropolis.
In the picture below,  Flat Hawkster has found a seat but appears to be early for
the show.   Notice the large, steep walls that surrounded the Acropolis
and provide a great defence against enemies.

After a few days in Athens,  Flat Hawkster took a ferry ride to Mykonos, one of the many Greek Islands that are popular with tourists.  The ferry ride was interesting because there was not a lot of room for passengers and some people were forced to stand for most of the trip (5 hrs!).   Flat Hawkster was happy he had a seat and enjoyed the fresh air on the open deck.  The video clip below shows the ferry heading into the terminal for island of Siros.

Flat Hawkster became a little camera shy in Mykonos and couldn't pull
himself away from the pool.   The above picture shows some buildings that appear to
be on the water.  This area of Mykonos is call Little Venice.

These are the Mykonos windmills that were built in the the 16th century to
mill wheat and help in the production of bread products.   

Look at these pelicans, they were huge!  Notice the large "throat pouches"
 used to catch prey and drain water from scooped up contents before swallowing.

EASTERN EUROPE

During the last week, Flat Hawkster has been touring through Krakow, Budapest,  and Vienna.  It was a busy schedule that included some very long train rides.  Did you know that the train rails/wheels are different in some Eastern European countries?  This means that the entire train's wheels need to be switched before riding the new rails.  It takes a long time to switch all those wheels.  Many train companies will avoid having to change the wheels by taking a much longer route.  It was a lot of travel but filled with plenty of unique experiences for a Hawk from Ladner. 

He began in Krakow, which is one of Poland’s largest cities with a population of 800,000.  There are over 8 million people living within 100 km of Krakow and it is a busy tourist site, place of business and centre for education.  Flat Hawkster enjoyed visiting the local castle (Wawel Castle) but the highlight of his trip was the  Wieliczka Salt Mine.   This huge mine is 1000 ft deep, 10 km in area with over 200 km of tunnels spread out over 9 levels.  The mine was started in 13th century and still produces some salt but it is mainly a tourist site now. People are allowed to go 300 ft below the earth's surface to view underground Chapels and huge chambers with large Salt block carvings.  It was really cool!

Wawel Castle.  There is a cave underneath one of the towers
and it is said to have been a Dragon's Den at one point.
Flat Hawkster investigated but did not find any Dragons,
just plenty of tourists who aren't that scary after you get to
know them:)

Krakow's public square with plenty of horse-drawn carriages available to
take tourists around what was once the largest square in all of Medieval
Europe.

Flat Hawkster is pictured in one of the many corridors at the salt mine.  Things
looked safe but he was a little concerned about having 120 m of dirt above him.

This is one of the mine's underwater lakes. There is so much salt in this "lake" that
it would be almost impossible for a human to sink in the water.

The salt mine had many chambers along with over 20 chapels.  The chapels
were there because mining was a dangerous occupation and the over 3500
miners who had worked there required spiritual support.

In Budapest, Flat Hawkster visited some of the usual tourist sites that included churches, palaces and museums.  During his time here he discovered that this is actually a city with two cities: Buda and Pest.  Buda is high on the hill overlooking Pest.   These places are separated by the Danube river which runs through a number of European countries:  Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Serbia, Ukraine, Croatia, Moldova, Bulgaria and Romania.   As a result the Danube has been an important transportation link for thousands of years.  Today,  many people travel from city to city on Danube River Cruises.

The view from Buda looking down towards Pest.

Budapest has a very old subway system but it has been maintained very well.
Each station is very clean and looks almost identical to all the others.

One day Flat Hawkster treated himself to a thermal spa in Budapest's city park.
This spa's pools were filled with water that is heated thermally by the earth
and contains a number of minerals that apparently are good for people's health.
There were 15 indoor pools and 3 outdoor ones.  A very busy place!

Vienna was the last stop on the tour this week.  It is a beautiful city in the country of Austrian where they speak German.  Much of their history, good and bad, is shared with Germany.  This city was also home to a number of famous composers such as Mozart and Strauss.   Music is a very important part of Viennese life and the city boasts a large number of concert halls.  Vienna is consistently ranked as one of the best cities in the world (along with Vancouver) and Flat Hawkster could see some of the reasons why.  It is a very clean, safe and has plenty of parks for people to spend time in.

This is the Danube river that winds its way through Vienna and many other
cities in Europe.

This is the enormous St. Stephens Basilica church.  Its tower stands 1000ft high
with over 300 steps leading to the top.  It was a workout but the view of the city
is impressive.

There was an Agricultural fair taking place in one of Vienna's many city parks.
You can see the huge public library in the background.

This was the summer palace for Austria's royalty.  

BLOGGING ABOUT PRAGUE

Flat Hawkster has spent the last week in Prague, Czech Republic.  After visiting a number of cities during the cruise, he was excited about staying in one place for while.  Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic and the largest city in the country with a population of 1.3 million people.  It has been invaded by many forces and empires over the last 1000 years because the Vitava river made it an attractive location for the transportation of goods.

Here is Flat Hawkster pointing out the Vitava river that has played such an
important role in Prague's history.

Flat Hawkster enjoyed learning about the history of Prague and some of its legendary stories.  You can see him below standing in front of the Astronomical Clock in the central square.  This clock not only tells the time but it also tells people the where the Sun and Moon are in the sky (the zodiac).  It was built in 1410 and the City Fathers (leaders) were extremely proud of having a clock that no other city could boast about.  They were so proud in fact that they actually blinded the man who designed this piece so that he would not build another one elsewhere.  As you can imagine,  the clockmaker was very upset and in order to get back at the City Fathers, he was guided into the clock one night with a plan to destroy it.  He succeeded but died while completing his mission.   He was the only man who knew how to fix the clock and it was not repaired for another 100 years.

The Astronomical Clock in Prague.

Flat Hawkster had to climb to the top of the Astronomical clock tower to see
the view of Prague.  You and see the stairs in the picture above and they were
a lot of work but it was worth it.  When he arrived at the top Flat Hawkster was
treated to a performance by a trumpet player who plays at the top of every hour
while people in the square below cheer and applaud.

The statue below honours a priest who worked closely with the Queen at the time (1500's).  One day the King asked the Priest to reveal all that he knew about the Queen but he refused to share any information despite the risk of harm.  The King responded by throwing the Priest off the King Charles bridge in an effort to drown him.   Bystanders then saw what they believed to be a miracle when 5 stars were seen around the Priest's body as he floated on the water.  From that point on the Priest became the saint of all bridges in the Czech Republic.

This is the St. John of  Nepomuk Statue that can be found
on most bridges in the Czech Republic.

Prague has a variety of architectural styles and in this picture they combine with the dark
clouds to make a pretty scary setting.  Flat Hawkster doesn't look too worried though.

Flat Hawkster visited a local college one day and stumbled upon a large building that looked bigger than anything he had ever seen before.  It turns out he was right.  It was Stradov Stadium, the biggest stadium in the world with seats for over 240,000 people.  That's almost 5 times the size of B.C. Place! It  holds up to 6 full soccer fields and 2 mini ones.  It was built in 1926 and has hosted soccer games, grand gymnastics displays and military processions.  Unfortunately, it is not in great condition right now and is used only for soccer training and occasional concerts.

This is a side view of Stradov stadium.  The overhead view below gives
you a better idea of just how big this facility is.