Visiting Spain and Morocco!
By
Abida Rahmani
I was in Islamabad at the end of 2019 , that my friends living in Los Angeles, CA convinced me to join them for a trip to Spain. It had always been a great passion and desire to visit Spain and see the lost grandeur of almost 600 years Muslims rule in Spain:
After completing all the financial obligations we were supposed to leave on 25th March 2020 for Barcelona.
Soon after the Covid-19 Pandemic ruled the world and Spain along with USA and rest of the world was badly affected.
Finally after a wait of two years , curb and control over the pandemic with vaccines , measures and other restrictions we were able to visit Spain. I was the only one that traveled from Toronto to Barcelona, rest of the group arrived from LAX. I was traveling through Aerlingus and had a connection through Dublin because it’s an Irish airline.
After arrival at Barcelona there was no to receive me. Luckily has got the name of the hotel from our agent and tour operator Yazmin Ahmed.
After changing the currency figured out that the language problem is quite imminent. However with the help of airport security guard, got the shuttle van to hotel for 20 euros. It was
hotel
Roger de lluria
28, 08010,
Barcelona, spain
I reached there in the morning while rest of the group arrived in the evening!
After taking rest, had some food went around the block .
After the arrival of rest of the group went to a nearby restaurant for food.
Next day we started touring Barcelona with a guide in the morning!
Catalonia's vibrant capital, Barcelona is a stunning seaside city that flaunts her beauty and sunny lifestyle. Gorgeous scenery, breathtaking architecture, and superb cultural attractions make for an alluring destination. Of course, the balmy Mediterranean climate adds to the charm.
Barcelona has an atmospheric medieval quarter, the Barri Gòtic, with an almost magical old-world ambience, but it's even more famous for its Modernist architecture. Antoni Gaudí left a lasting mark on Barcelona with his avant-garde Surrealist buildings; several are UNESCO listed.
Trip to Spain and Morocco
Part :2
On way to Madrid:
After a walking tour on March 21st in Barcelona’s narrow but clean organized streets went through Gothic quarter, Jewish quarter, Cathedral and city hall.
Jews were eliminated from Spain and many Muslim countries rescued them.
At 2:pm we were at the bus to start our journey for Madrid. It was a six hours journey, had a stop over for lunch and restroom. There were miles and miles of Olive trees on both sides of the highway. Spain is a big exporter of Olive oil. Had a lot of fun on our way, songs, jokes, laughs and prayers. Shaheena Mirza took our funny pictures while sleeping. It was almost 9:00 pm that we arrived at hotel. We have to pull our luggage all the way on the street to hotel because the bus had no approach there.
We had to take pictures of hotel plaque and entrance for our reminder with weird names.
 Madrid,
Spain's central capital, is a city of elegant boulevards and expansive, manicured parks such as the Buen Retiro. It’s renowned for its rich repositories of European art, including the Prado Museum’s works by Goya, Velázquez and other Spanish masters. The heart of old Hapsburg Madrid is the portico-lined Plaza Mayor, and nearby is the baroque Royal Palace and Armory, displaying historic weaponry.
Madrid was officially made the national capital by Philip III, an entire generation after Philip II took the court to Madrid in 1561. Under the patronage of Philip II and his successors, Madrid developed into a city of curious contrasts, preserving its old, overcrowded centre, around which developed palaces, convents, churches, and public buildings.
The next day in the morning started the walking tour with our young guide. She was 6months pregnant and expecting a boy.In our group the only male was brother Fasahat Syed and she gleefully told us that another male is with her in her tummy.
It was raining now and then all along and we had only two sunny days in our trip. Generally it doesn’t rain that much in Spain. Therefore it was cold and soggy with no signs of spring!
Most of us wanted to have a cultural show. Yazmeen Ahmad booked that , it was an equestrian show with a bit of Flamingo. Because of the rains there wasn’t any Flamingo show on the streets. Flamingo dance is a prominent character of Spanish culture!
The Royal palace has the grandeur of a palace. Since Spain is a Monarchy, this palace is used for large banquets and other ceremonies.
Photography was banned at Equestrian show and the main Palace!
