Spain-Ireland 2003 (1)

Hey everyone!! It's been a while, much to the relief of some of you as my messages are epic, no? I'm writing now from downtown Belfast...

So, I think I left off just after I had picked up Justin in Barcelona and we were being snowed on in Siurana... well, Siurana proved to be the worst weather of my trip so far... When we raised our go go gadget necks above the clouds to peak out, we saw that we were the only ones in the clouds... coast - clear, west - clear, El Chorro - clear (but super super hot according to friends down there...) but us, no, socked in... BUT, it was ok cause we still had the rental car.. we moved into the refuge in Siurana to stay out of the rain and snow and that was odd, cause they kick you out from noon to 7pm so we sat in the car reading or we went into to nearby Reus to use the internet... Siurana itself has nothing to offer by way of shops, entertainment or anything really... just climbing... And as for the climbing, that which I did experience made me miserable.. coming from El Chorro, Gandia and Sella... overhanging tufas.. ooo lala to vertical painful tendon ripping pockets.. well, I sucked there... but to cheer up future visiting climbers, if you like Smith Rock, you'll like Siurana... I never did climb well at Smith so I was miserable.. sucking eggs on everything... did a couple here and there ... Justin had a good time and liked the style, but then he gets all giddy with fear on the steeps so it was just perfect for him... we're opposite in that way... Anyway, the cannuks, Andie and Derek left us sooner than we thought (boohoo.. we like them lots) and then we were on our own to climb and camp in the freezing cold... we did, however, get a huge lovely camp site and put up our slack line... but.. enough about Siurana.. I'm getting bummed just thinking about it cause in my opinion... aside from the lovely people we met, it was the low point in my trip entirely...

High point.. Rodellar! We loved Rodellar! How beautiful.. another Spanish town sitting on a cliffside... isolated from anything.. no road going beyond the town... loaded with Limestone cliffs, most overhanging to steep vertical, dripping with tufas, spectacular orange, blue, grey, black and white streaked limestone... and odd Red River Gorge Red climbing in some spots... a river running through the entire gorge, the option of sun and shade all day, adventurous cobble hopping river crossings and wild goats and their kids running around on rainy days.... and swimming holes as bluegreen as the mediterranean with diving rocks placed as if it were all designed by divers... and caving, slot canyons, trails, and did I mention, amazing limestone! Unfortunately, we were only there for a short while... We rented a car with our buddy Nick from New York... we left Siurana with him, went to Riglos and tried to climb the classic Fiesta de Biceps... an 8 pitch conglomerate spire route (7a) but we had no topo and at the top of pitch 5 realized we weren't exactly on a classic and we were all dying of dehydration and climbing in the sun... so we bailed and drank beers and ate olives in the parking lot... we laughed when we realized how close we were... and how the whole time, none of us were sure we were on route.. I, in particular, knew we weren't.. but, that's just a girl thing and we have to give the boys a break.. heehee So the next day we drove to Rodellar, walked around in the rain and then rented a super cool bungalow for next to nothing (with kitchen, bedrooms, bathroom, hot water, sink, stove with gas and a bar on site) The owners... awesome! We loved it there and next to El Chorro, it was the most hospitable climbing area I had been to on my trip...

After a few days there, Justin and I were heading to the Basque country and Nick back to work in Barcelona... we dropped him off in Pamplona... we saw little of that city, but unless you're running with the bulls, it's not a destination point in my opinion.. We drove thru the basque country and it was amazing.. it looked like Switzerland... so green with Swiss brown cows and Bavarian architecture... Next stop - Bilbao and the Gugenheim Museum... it was great but the art genres on hand were a bit bizarre.. it had a moving images theme and there were a lot of very weird videos on hand.. the second floor which hosts the visiting display of a given artist was in the process of being changed, so we saw nothing.. which was a shame cause the upcoming show was to be awesome pop art by a guy named... James Rosenkratz or something...

Anyway.. there were some amazing photos and interesting paintings and then there was a lot of shit... but the Gugenheim itself, the layout, etc... was worth the visit... THEN we went to San Sebastian.. that was amazing... we sat on the sandy beach and watched the surfers... then later when I was talking to my mom on the phone I spotted our Swedish friend, Anders, walking down the street (we met in Siurana) and I sent Justin running... we stayed with him that night and went out to a bar where I also got to hang out with a buddy from San Sebastian who I met in Peru on another climbing trip.. that was great!

From San Sebastian we drove along the French side of the Pironeos and made a stop in Lourdes.. it's the sight of a miracle and the water is supposed to be holy so boatloads of people come every day in all states of health and on behalf of loved ones to pray and hope for a miracle of their own... there were loads of nurses on hand, wheeling people around, taking them up to the Grotto to light candles and then dropping them into holy pools to be bathed and sing Ave Maria.. it's a Catholic thing.. the faith of the people was amazing... Justin and I just watched and drank a litre of holy water...

Then, I dropped Justin off in France and returned the rental car to Barcelona and flew to Belfast... I am staying here with my aun Martha... I went south to Wicklow for a one year anniversary mass for my Aunt Kathleen who died last year of bowel cancer. Afterwards, my cousin Carol had us all over for a big shindig at her place... nothing like getting plastered with family and watching your aunts and uncles get more drunk than you... I have quite the big family... Mom was one of 13 and this was her side... loads of cousins, second cousins, etc... The whole time I've been home I've been meeting folks I'm related too but never knew before... I'm planning to climb this weekend in the north or Ireland on the coast.. but it's been raining for two days.... soooooo

Justin is in Grenoble with his friend Sebastian who spent two months in SLC with Justin last fall... He says he's having a bad climbing week, feeling weak and wanting to get back home to train! haha.. me too.. Ireland is doing nothing for my climbing! But, my alcohol tolerance has gone way up! yeehaw. Anyway.. not too interesting... just facts... and I'm too tired from the nights of partying in the south to write more.... travel info to follow...

Car rental - http://www.all-inclusive-car-hire.com/ cheap, unlimited mileage.. uk, spain, portugal only (try to get a diesel.. cheaper fuel, better mileage)

Rodellar - stay at El Puente.. not Mascun... it's a customer service issue, but adds a walk to your stay... for which a rental car is almost necessary unless you can hitch in...

Siurana - no free camping allowed unless you're stealth or have a van... stay at Camping Siurana €6 per night/per person

San Sebastian is a must see! Pamplona - could give a miss...

all for now... take care! love sleepy Rai who wants to come home to SLC and recover from the exhausing travels... the PhD program will be a holiday haha