Reset search
After Military TravelsAfter Military Travels
SatelliteEdit route

After Military Travels

August - September 2016
A 23-day adventure by Inbar Read more
  • 34footprints
  • 4countries
  • 23days
  • 129photos
  • 0videos
  • 13.3kkilometers
  • 12.3kkilometers
Follow Calendar Share Bucket list
Date ascending
  • Inbar FriedmanAfter Military Travels
    Day 5

    Teatre-Museu Dalí - Figueres, Spain

    August 25, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    I took a train out Barcelona today to a little picturesque town called Figueres. Upon leaving the train station, I began a 20 minute walk in the summer sun. Why did I do this? I assure you it was worth it.

    My destination was none other than the Salvasore Dalí Museum and Theater. I can't really describe on paper what I went through in that vast maze of rooms, corridors, open courtyards and staircases. Everything in there, the walls, lighting, rails, stairs and even windows (including the actual art pieces as well, of course) were placed in the most perfect most calculated way and the result was the most emotion evoking, spine chilling, hair raising experience I had ever encountered due to art.

    I won't go into the details of the things that I saw there as it is not something that can truly be described. I can only express how truly regretful I am that I don't have the time or the art supplies to act upon the incredible wave of creativity that is buzzing through me and making me fingers itch for even just pen and paper. I've never felt so inspired, so filled with creativity by someone else's work. I can easily say that Dalí is now officially my favorite artist.

    One day I will come back for the sole purpose of waking up in the morning, walking through the museum for an hour or two and then sitting outside of it with my heart's desire of supplies and dimly let the inspiration fill me up and the creativity flow. When I do, it will be the freest of my work.    Read more

  • Inbar FriedmanAfter Military Travels
    Day 5

    Teatre-Museu Dalí cont.- Figueres, Spain

    August 25, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    There is one aspect of the museum that I do feel it necessary that I expend on. Dalí painted an entire collection the tells the history of the Jewish people from the holocaust to the declaration of the Jewish state of Israel to today. Here is a man who is not Jewish, has never been to Israel, has no connection to the Jewish people whatsoever and yet his work invoked emotions within me I hadn't realized were there. Never has a painting made me cry, and yet there I was, walking through the black walled, barely lit corridor, examining the paintings and crying. It was certainly a unique experience that those who don't have the Jewish background I do, will simply be unable to fully appreciate.Read more

  • Inbar FriedmanAfter Military Travels
    Day 5

    Girona, Spain

    August 25, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    After the Museum of Dalí, I left Figueres and took a train to Girona where I was met by my uncles. Girona is another little town that has remnants of an ancient city as well as a river flowing through it. We walked around and enjoyed the serenity of it all and at 18:00 we were invited by a friend of my uncle's to a play. It was a group from Israel putting on a play about the aftermath of the 2009 shooting at the Bar Noar, a gay club. The play followed a few different characters that were at the club at the time of the shooting and their families as they try to cope with not only their injuries but their forced and public coming out of the closet as a result of the shooting. It was a very emotion filled show that really depicted the the situation quite accurately. The actors were all either part of the LGBT community or family of someone part of the LGBT community. It was an enjoyable eye opening experience that I enjoyed immensely.Read more

  • Inbar FriedmanAfter Military Travels
    Day 6

    Montjiuc - Barcelona, Spain

    August 26, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Literally translates to Jew Mountain, named for the Jewish cemetery that used to be on its slopes. I got on a train that carried me up part of the mountain and then began to walk. I visited the Botanical Gardens that were there as well as the Olympic stadium of the '92 Olympics. The architecture of the stadium is like the rest of Barcelona, a crazy mixture of modern and classic.Read more

  • Inbar FriedmanAfter Military Travels
    Day 6

    Crashed... - Barcelona, Spain

    August 26, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    I got tired. I crashed. I totally deserve these 15 minutes of nothing in the grass in this perfect weather after all the uphill walking I just did. So I'm just gonna chill for a bit before I continue. Lets all cross fingers that I manage to get up...Read more

  • Inbar FriedmanAfter Military Travels
    1
    Day 6

    Montjuic continued - Barcelona, Spain

    August 26, 2016 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    After visiting the Olympic stadium I made my way back to the station where you can take a cable car to the top where Castel de Montjuic is situated. So I went to where they were selling tickets for the cable car and asked if it was possible to walk. The answer I got, "yes but it's like a 20-25 minute walk... Uphill... In this heat..." (which was the same thing my uncle said when I asked him). My anser, "cool, thanks," and I began to walk. Turns out everyone else is a lazy ass because it really wasn't that bad of a walk, albeit uphill and I did it in under 20. Really no biggy.

    The castle itself (it was used as a fort actually) is something else. Set super high up, you can see most of Barcelona from up there and of course the architecture is like nothing I had seen in the states or Israel. The last picture is of the cable car I proudly didn't take.    Read more

  • Inbar FriedmanAfter Military Travels
    Day 6

    Arc de Triomf - Barcelona, Spain

    August 26, 2016 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    So those 15 minutes in my last post where I crashed? I was looking for the Arc de Triomf. I had been told "go and see it, get off at this metro station" and not much more than that so I didn't really know what I was looking for. So after getting off the metro, having a look around and not seeing anything remarkable, I said f it and plopped down on the grass. Eventually I got up the energy to start looking again. I quickly gave up and went to ask for directions. I asked a young woman, "¿Sabes dónde está el arc de triomf?" she actually laughed at me and pointed, saying something along the lines of, "You see that ENORMOUS structure over there? That's it." So slightly embarrassed at having missed it(in my defense I could only see it from the side so it didn't look like an arc) I made my way toward it.

    Arc de triomf(arc of triumf) is a very fitting name for such a large arc. I walked through the Arc which led to a very long pedestrian walkway (שדרה) at the end of which was a very pretty park with a little lake with a Gaudí fountain in the middle(forgot to take a picture 😥)

    Somewhere along the park I heard music and of course, being me, I naturally drifted towards the sound. I came upon two black guys playing a something with a sort of reggae vibe. One was playing the good old guitar but the other was playing a harp looking instrument with a drum thing at the bottom. There was also a random white guy sitting on the grass nearby and singing along. The result was simply wonderful. I sat down for a good half hour to write and listen to the music    Read more

  • Inbar FriedmanAfter Military Travels
    Day 6

    Plaça Espanya - Barcelona, Spain

    August 26, 2016 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    So I got all prettied up and made my way to Plaça Espanya. The place was absolutely brimming with people from all over the world. I made my way to the huge fountain to try to see the water show. Similar in its idea to the fountain show at the Belagio hotel in Vegas(though not nearly as grand) it was a show of water and lights in different heights and shapes. Getting somewhere I could actually see the show was the real challenge.

    After half an hour of that, I came upon a band playing in the street made up of a violin, electric contrabass, and a guitar. They were fantastic, playing songs such as Viva la Vida, It's too Late to Apologize, Fireworks and more. They played with such gusto, especially the violinist who might as well had been having sex with the instrument. I may have sat there for an hour.

    After that, around 11:00pm I made my way to Plaça Catalunya. I walked down La Rambla street looking for a nice bar I can sit down for a beer in. I ended up getting pulled by someone to this bar with a kind of erotic vibe. Once inside I intentionally got rid of the poor guy and got myself a beer. As I was sitting, another guy came to sit by me and tried to chat me up with his broken English. He insisted on buying my next drink. I let him entertain me for an hour then told him I had to catch the metro before they stop running, and left the guy(who seemed like he was probably a really good guy) with five euros less in his pocket and nothing to show for it. Not too crazy of a night but enjoyable none the less.    Read more

  • Inbar FriedmanAfter Military Travels
    1
    Day 7

    Park Guey - Barcelona, Spain

    August 27, 2016 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    My last day in Barcelona, my uncle's partner offered to go with me to Park Guey. Located a five minute walk away from their house in the middle of a forest was this gem.

    Overlooking the city was this Gaudí designed paradise. It was meant as a sort of gated community with shared facilities such as a trading center, buses(horsedrawn) and more but was a failure as only two houses were bought on the property.

    When it became obvious that he would not be able to make a profit of it, the owner of the project sold it to the state which turned it into to public park. One of the building is now used as a public school. I doubt they realize how privileged they are to learn in such a magical place.    Read more

  • Inbar FriedmanAfter Military Travels
    Day 9

    First day in Ecuador

    August 29, 2016 in Ecuador ⋅ 🌬 22 °C

    I landed in Quito yesterday and immediately took a cab to a hostel that had been recommended to me by a friend and several Israeli travel sites. The owner of Hostal el Taxo has a soft spot for Israelis and has even learned some Hebrew as so many Israelis stay at his hostel. Unfortunately the hostel was quite void of other Israelis when I arrived, and I was told they had all just left that morning. This made me sad, as I was hoping to find some companions on my arrival.

    No worries, however. I went to bed and the next morning got myself some breakfast and checked out of the hostel. The owner was very helpful when I asked him how to get to the central bus station. I got on a city bus as he had told me to and for a moment there felt a deja vu to my army days. Getting on that bus was as worse as getting on the bus to מחנה נתן and only slightly less crowded.

    Currently I am waiting at the central station for a bus that will take me to Mindo, recommended to me by my sister as her favorite town in Ecuador. Wish me luck! (and may I find friends... 😥)

    UPDATE! I went to find something to eat as I hadn't eaten since breakfast. Found this stand selling this soup looking thing and got myself one. I don't really know what I'm eating but here is what it consists of: white beans that remind me of פול, different colored corn curnels(like cornchips), plantain chips and poured over all of this is a sort of cold tomatoe soup with onion and chicken(though I only found two tiny pieces of chicken). I was kinda hoping for hot soup but whatever, it's pretty decent and it cost me $1.50 so I'm happy. And now I'm pissed because I totally took a picture of it before eating it so I could post it here, but now that I've finished it I see that it didn't save grrr...    Read more

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English