Sunday morning we got up early and headed to the circuit (fully decked out in Ferrari gear). We had general seating tickets so we had no assigned seats, meaning that not only were we in the rowdiest section of the circuit, but we would also be sitting in the same seats and in the sun all day (from 9am to 4pm).
This was our first live F1 experience and we had no idea how the day was going to unfold. The first race started soon after we were seated. The first race was for G3 drivers, the "C Team" of F1. The cars were fast and loud but bearable, much like watching go-karts. It was just what we needed to get into race mode.
The crowd really started to show up as the second race, G2 ("JV"), started. These cars were noticeably faster and louder than the G3 cars. Their race was about twice as long and much closer between the drivers. It was really fun to see the progression of speed and skill between one race and the next, and it made us even more excited about the F1 race.
I'm not sure if I would have fully appreciated the power and speed of the F1 cars had I not had the other cars to compare them too.
After the G2 race there was about two hours of lag time when the drivers were getting medical inspections, having team meetings, etc. There was also a driver's parade around the track and interviews with each of the 24 drivers, discussing the track.
As I said before, we were sitting in the rowdiest section of the circuit, filled with Spanish fans donning Ferrari gear in support of Fernando Alonso, a Spanish native and two-time F1 World Champion. So when he came by our section of the track during the parade, the first time we had seen him all day, the crowd went absolutely nuts! In fact, every time he came by (which was about 60 times) the crowd went crazy. It set the mood for an excellent day!
The warm up laps started and the difference between the F1 cars and the ones we had seen earlier was immediately known. The noise was unbearable but incredibly impressive, and these was just the warm up laps. We quickly put ear plugs in as we waited for the official start.
The race started and Alonso was in fourth place, the spot he qualified for, but by the time the first lap was finished he had bumped up to third.
I won't go on and on about the details of the race, the important thing to know is that at the end of the race Alonso finished second and our section was wild with excitement! We stayed for a few hours after the race but we couldn't stay all night because we had to drive back to Barcelona.
We survived the 3.5 hour drive to Barcelona, checked into our hotel, and then went out for dinner.
A few things we noticed about Barcelona on our first night:
-It is much more expensive than any other city we had been to this trip.
-It also hosts more street vendors than any other city we had been to this trip.
After the long day we had, and all the sun we took in, we were exhausted. We went to bed, preparing for some intense sight seeing the next day.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Girona to Valencia
Saturday morning we packed and had a late breakfast before making the drive to Valencia. It took about 4 hours to get to Valencia, and by the time we got there and were checked into the hotel we had missed the Formula 1 qualifiers.
We decided to stay in near the race headquarters and check out the activities. Every year Valencia sets up a "Beach Park" as extra entertainment for the Grand Prix weekend. There are different booths offering free swag, two go-kart tracks, and several tapas bars. There are also several stores near the area selling race merchandise. We spent some time walking around and bought some Ferrari team gear.
In addition to the Beach Park, the Valencia Street Circuit (and I would guess most of the F1 circuits) offers several "open door" sessions, meaning that they open the track to the public and let you walk through part of the track, look at the pits, and take photos. We took advantage of this opportunity, it was very cool to say the least, and then headed back to the Beach Park for dinner and drinks. Valencia was packed with people there to see the race, making it quite different from our visit a few days before.
We didn't stay out too late because we wanted to make sure we could get up early the next day for the big race.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
We decided to stay in near the race headquarters and check out the activities. Every year Valencia sets up a "Beach Park" as extra entertainment for the Grand Prix weekend. There are different booths offering free swag, two go-kart tracks, and several tapas bars. There are also several stores near the area selling race merchandise. We spent some time walking around and bought some Ferrari team gear.
In addition to the Beach Park, the Valencia Street Circuit (and I would guess most of the F1 circuits) offers several "open door" sessions, meaning that they open the track to the public and let you walk through part of the track, look at the pits, and take photos. We took advantage of this opportunity, it was very cool to say the least, and then headed back to the Beach Park for dinner and drinks. Valencia was packed with people there to see the race, making it quite different from our visit a few days before.
We didn't stay out too late because we wanted to make sure we could get up early the next day for the big race.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Girona-Costa Brava
We woke up later than we had wanted on Friday, feeling the aftermath of too much alcohol. We managed to get up and were on the road by 11am, heading to the Coast Brava.
There are many beautiful parts of this coastline and unfortunately we just did not have time to see it all. We took advice from my stepmom and her family and headed towards Palafrugell and worked our way up the coast.
We started in the small town called Calella. We parked the car and started walking. We walked along the beach, traversing another beach town, Llfranc. The coves that make up this coastline are beautiful. The water is very clear, and the way the mountainous and treelined area falls towards the Mediterranean is breathtaking. The rocky coast is unique to this northern coastline and it is a very popular tourist destination.
We got back in the car and headed further north towards Begur. The winding roads in this area provide amazing views and the drive itself was just as fun as walking on the beach. We followed the road to Platja Aiguablava, a small beach tucked into the coast.
It was beautiful! Like nothing I have ever seen. It was a perfect mix of mountains, forest, and the beach. We stayed at the beach for about two hours, had lunch, and then made our way back to Girona.
We spent the evening with family as they showed us around the older parts of Girona. We walked around the Jewish quarter, through the narrow streets, around the cathedral, and across four of the walking bridges in the city. It was really neat to walk around where my stepmom grew up and visit places that I know her and my dad have been and enjoyed. We took photos of the beautiful sites, and then sat for dinner.
The old parts of the city are easily visited in one evening. The whole area is incredibly well preserved.
We made our way back home and called it an early night, as we were headed back to Valencia the next day to partake in the Formula 1 festivities and watch the race on Sunday.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
There are many beautiful parts of this coastline and unfortunately we just did not have time to see it all. We took advice from my stepmom and her family and headed towards Palafrugell and worked our way up the coast.
We started in the small town called Calella. We parked the car and started walking. We walked along the beach, traversing another beach town, Llfranc. The coves that make up this coastline are beautiful. The water is very clear, and the way the mountainous and treelined area falls towards the Mediterranean is breathtaking. The rocky coast is unique to this northern coastline and it is a very popular tourist destination.
We got back in the car and headed further north towards Begur. The winding roads in this area provide amazing views and the drive itself was just as fun as walking on the beach. We followed the road to Platja Aiguablava, a small beach tucked into the coast.
It was beautiful! Like nothing I have ever seen. It was a perfect mix of mountains, forest, and the beach. We stayed at the beach for about two hours, had lunch, and then made our way back to Girona.
We spent the evening with family as they showed us around the older parts of Girona. We walked around the Jewish quarter, through the narrow streets, around the cathedral, and across four of the walking bridges in the city. It was really neat to walk around where my stepmom grew up and visit places that I know her and my dad have been and enjoyed. We took photos of the beautiful sites, and then sat for dinner.
The old parts of the city are easily visited in one evening. The whole area is incredibly well preserved.
We made our way back home and called it an early night, as we were headed back to Valencia the next day to partake in the Formula 1 festivities and watch the race on Sunday.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Valencia-Girona
Thursday morning we checked out of our hotel and headed to the train station. We grabbed a coffee and got on the train headed for Barcelona to pick up our rental car.
We arrived in Barcelona three hours later, picked up our little Smart car, and got on the road for Girona. Because it was the Noche de Sant Joan, a highly celebrated summer festival marking the shortest night of the year, many people were leaving the city and heading north towards the coast, so traffic was terrible. The forty minute commute from Barcelona turned into a four hour drive, and we arrived in Girona exhausted.
We showed up at my stepmom's mother's house and met her, her son, his wife, and their daughter. We changed and then went with my stepmom's brother, his wife, and his daughter to their friend's house to celebrate Sant Joan.
We were treated to an amazing meat and cheese meal, wine, champagne, sweet bread traditional of Sant Joan celebrations, fireworks, and way too many gin and tonics! We drank and hung out till after 3am, it was a blast!
Our first night in Girona completely lived up to our expectations, and we were excited for the next day to explore the city and nearby area.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
We arrived in Barcelona three hours later, picked up our little Smart car, and got on the road for Girona. Because it was the Noche de Sant Joan, a highly celebrated summer festival marking the shortest night of the year, many people were leaving the city and heading north towards the coast, so traffic was terrible. The forty minute commute from Barcelona turned into a four hour drive, and we arrived in Girona exhausted.
We showed up at my stepmom's mother's house and met her, her son, his wife, and their daughter. We changed and then went with my stepmom's brother, his wife, and his daughter to their friend's house to celebrate Sant Joan.
We were treated to an amazing meat and cheese meal, wine, champagne, sweet bread traditional of Sant Joan celebrations, fireworks, and way too many gin and tonics! We drank and hung out till after 3am, it was a blast!
Our first night in Girona completely lived up to our expectations, and we were excited for the next day to explore the city and nearby area.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Valencia-City of Arts and Sciences
Wednesday morning we headed towards the City of Arts and Sciences on the opposite side of Valencia, which has an arts museum, planetarium, science museum, and aquarium.
The City of Arts and Sciences is a fairly new part of Valencia, and the architecture here is amazing. The City is located at the end of a large riverbed turned into park, but the ultra modern designs of each building makes you feel like you are in another world.
We walked around the whole area and then decided to go into the science museum and the aquarium.
For those of you reading this from Alaska, the science museum is similar to the Imaginarium on steroids. It is a super interactive science museum with activity stations, work shops, displays, etc, all designed to bring science to life. There are exhibits on pretty much everything you can think of, electricity, construction, energy, global warming, space, health, DNA, sports medicine, gene research, and so much more. We spent about 2.5 hours visiting all three floors and almost every station.
We left in complete awe and headed to the aquarium, which was also amazing. It is designed to take you above and below ground, showing you a variety of marine life from all over the world. There are many impressively long tunnels that take you from one side of the world to the other, all the while surrounded by fish.
About three quarters through our tour of the aquarium, we made our way to the dolphin show. It is very similar to what you would find at Sea World, but it was still pretty impressive. It had a slightly different twist, the show was focused more on teaching spectators about dolphins instead of tricks, although there were plenty of tricks.
We left the dolphin show, made our way around the last parts of the aquarium and then headed to the beach.
Valencia has hosted the European Grand Prix on the Valencia Street Circuit for the last three years, and just so happened to be hosting it for the fourth time this coming weekend. The city was preparing for the exciting weekend event, and while walking along the beach we were definitely feeling left out of the action (we were leaving for Girona tomorrow).
After debating the expenses, travel arrangements, and all the logistics associated with going to the race, we decided to go for it and bought tickets for the race! Totally elated, we went out to dinner to celebrate!
We ate at La Pepica, a suggestion from on guide book, located on Malvarossa Beach. Everyone who gave us advise about Valencia said the same thing, have paella on Malvarossa Beach, and so that is exactly what we did. We ate a wonderful paella, one of the best I have ever had, had a delicious bottle of wine, and celebrated our new adventure. It was a fabulous end to a fabulous day.
It ended even better when we realized we were having dinner right next to Rubens Barriochello, a F1 driver from Brazil.
We made our way back to the hotel, I had to of course tell my dad about all of this, and then we packed for our trip to Girona in the morning.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
The City of Arts and Sciences is a fairly new part of Valencia, and the architecture here is amazing. The City is located at the end of a large riverbed turned into park, but the ultra modern designs of each building makes you feel like you are in another world.
We walked around the whole area and then decided to go into the science museum and the aquarium.
For those of you reading this from Alaska, the science museum is similar to the Imaginarium on steroids. It is a super interactive science museum with activity stations, work shops, displays, etc, all designed to bring science to life. There are exhibits on pretty much everything you can think of, electricity, construction, energy, global warming, space, health, DNA, sports medicine, gene research, and so much more. We spent about 2.5 hours visiting all three floors and almost every station.
We left in complete awe and headed to the aquarium, which was also amazing. It is designed to take you above and below ground, showing you a variety of marine life from all over the world. There are many impressively long tunnels that take you from one side of the world to the other, all the while surrounded by fish.
About three quarters through our tour of the aquarium, we made our way to the dolphin show. It is very similar to what you would find at Sea World, but it was still pretty impressive. It had a slightly different twist, the show was focused more on teaching spectators about dolphins instead of tricks, although there were plenty of tricks.
We left the dolphin show, made our way around the last parts of the aquarium and then headed to the beach.
Valencia has hosted the European Grand Prix on the Valencia Street Circuit for the last three years, and just so happened to be hosting it for the fourth time this coming weekend. The city was preparing for the exciting weekend event, and while walking along the beach we were definitely feeling left out of the action (we were leaving for Girona tomorrow).
After debating the expenses, travel arrangements, and all the logistics associated with going to the race, we decided to go for it and bought tickets for the race! Totally elated, we went out to dinner to celebrate!
We ate at La Pepica, a suggestion from on guide book, located on Malvarossa Beach. Everyone who gave us advise about Valencia said the same thing, have paella on Malvarossa Beach, and so that is exactly what we did. We ate a wonderful paella, one of the best I have ever had, had a delicious bottle of wine, and celebrated our new adventure. It was a fabulous end to a fabulous day.
It ended even better when we realized we were having dinner right next to Rubens Barriochello, a F1 driver from Brazil.
We made our way back to the hotel, I had to of course tell my dad about all of this, and then we packed for our trip to Girona in the morning.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Valencia-Cuitat Vella
We left Ibiza early Tuesday morning headed for Valencia. We had a four hour layover in Palma so we decided to take advantage of the time and go to post office. We needed to send stuff home and lighten our load.
We finally arrived in Valencia around 4pm. We arrived at our hotel, a much needed upgrade from our island life, and then hit the streets.
We started at the train station since we needed to finish our travel arrangements, and then headed towards the Cuitat Vella, or Old City.
Valencia is a fairly new tourist hotspot. It was once a forgotten, unkept city on the coast, and since 2007 it has transformed into a beautiful vacation destination, offering both the city and beach life. Events like the America's Cup and the European F1 Grand Prix have made the city this year's European Sports Capital.
The Old City is in the heart of Valencia and is littered with monuments including the city hall building and several cathedrals. We spent all evening walking around the narrow cobble stone streets, admiring the architecture, and people watching.
We had a few tapas for dinner and made our way back to our hotel trying to find a place for dessert or drinks. The sleepy city was almost entirely closed! We decided to make it an earlier night and just went to our hotel. We had a full day of sightseeing planned for the next day.
We finally arrived in Valencia around 4pm. We arrived at our hotel, a much needed upgrade from our island life, and then hit the streets.
We started at the train station since we needed to finish our travel arrangements, and then headed towards the Cuitat Vella, or Old City.
Valencia is a fairly new tourist hotspot. It was once a forgotten, unkept city on the coast, and since 2007 it has transformed into a beautiful vacation destination, offering both the city and beach life. Events like the America's Cup and the European F1 Grand Prix have made the city this year's European Sports Capital.
The Old City is in the heart of Valencia and is littered with monuments including the city hall building and several cathedrals. We spent all evening walking around the narrow cobble stone streets, admiring the architecture, and people watching.
We had a few tapas for dinner and made our way back to our hotel trying to find a place for dessert or drinks. The sleepy city was almost entirely closed! We decided to make it an earlier night and just went to our hotel. We had a full day of sightseeing planned for the next day.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Ibiza-Eivissa
We got back from Formentera around 8pm on Sunday, sun burnt and completely exhausted. We got back to our hotel, changed and headed into town for dinner. Dinner was nothing special, and since the sun completely wiped us out, we just went right back to our hotel to crash.
We spent all day Monday in Eivissa. We decided to take a break from the sun and do some sight seeing and shopping in town. We managed to hit almost every store throughout the day, and walked most of the streets within the city center and near the port. We stopped a few times for snacks but mostly just enjoyed our day of walking.
We had tapas at Can Pour Bar before heading to the casino on the opposite side of the port. We were expecting a semi Vegas style casino, with slot machines, bright lights, and free drinks...what we found was a dimly lit room with about 25 slot machines, one roulette table that wasn't open yet, and an empty bar offering no free drinks. We played a few slots, won 8€, and headed back towards the more "happening" part of town.
We made our way back towards the shopping area where we recognized a tapas bar we found after lunch. It was a traditional pinxos place serving only tapas. Cold tapas are in a case on the bar, and warm tapas are served by waiters roaming around the room. Each tapa is a small bite with a piece of bread stuck together by a toothpick. Each customer gets a plate and helps themselves to whichever tapas they want, hanging onto the toothpicks, which are used to tally your bill (each tapa is 1.25€). We had a great time sampling tapas and drinking wine.
We headed back to our hotel, packed and prepared for our flight to Valencia the next morning.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
We spent all day Monday in Eivissa. We decided to take a break from the sun and do some sight seeing and shopping in town. We managed to hit almost every store throughout the day, and walked most of the streets within the city center and near the port. We stopped a few times for snacks but mostly just enjoyed our day of walking.
We had tapas at Can Pour Bar before heading to the casino on the opposite side of the port. We were expecting a semi Vegas style casino, with slot machines, bright lights, and free drinks...what we found was a dimly lit room with about 25 slot machines, one roulette table that wasn't open yet, and an empty bar offering no free drinks. We played a few slots, won 8€, and headed back towards the more "happening" part of town.
We made our way back towards the shopping area where we recognized a tapas bar we found after lunch. It was a traditional pinxos place serving only tapas. Cold tapas are in a case on the bar, and warm tapas are served by waiters roaming around the room. Each tapa is a small bite with a piece of bread stuck together by a toothpick. Each customer gets a plate and helps themselves to whichever tapas they want, hanging onto the toothpicks, which are used to tally your bill (each tapa is 1.25€). We had a great time sampling tapas and drinking wine.
We headed back to our hotel, packed and prepared for our flight to Valencia the next morning.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)