A taste of Spain
Three days in Barcelona, two in Madrid and five in Tenerife to make for a honeymoon trip
By Saleha Riaz
I got married in December last year but decided to wait till the summer months for our honeymoon so we could make use of the cheap flights that fly from London to the rest of Europe — that rope you in with their insanely low prices and then proceed to milk money out of you anywhere it can, from food to admin fees to luggage. 
The impending question that needed deciding was – where in Europe? 
We were inclined towards Italy or Greece, they seemed the most romantic options. But when we found out a friend was getting married in Tenerife (part of the Canary Islands but comes under Spain), and not knowing whether I would get a multiple entry Schengen visa (my husband is the proud owner of a British passport, and I am endlessly mocked over my little green book of shame), we decided — Spain it was. 

 

 

 

 

 

We have been organising tours to China over the Karakoram Highway for European tourists since 1988. Arranging a tour for high profile members of Pakistan Women’s Organisation, however, proved to be a different ballgame altogether.

They refused to get the police character certificate, necessary to obtain a Chinese visa and declined to make a personal appearance at the embassy. Gaun, the visa counsellor at the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China, came to our rescue and issued us the group visa in three days. The Thai embassy, Islamabad on the other hand, was most difficult and stamped the visa only eight hours before our flight’s departure from Lahore.

The 40 members of our group had over 80 large suitcases, brimming with clothes, shoes, handbags, medicines and dry ration, as if they were migrating to China. My capacity as a group leader was put to the test during transit at Bangkok airport when I lost half the group in duty free shops and we almost missed the flight to Beijing.

Either as a force of habit or for sheer amusement, the women would not pay attention to any of the provided information, but would instead ask the same question, and I would be obliged to repeat myself forty times.

After four hours of flying, we arrived at Beijing airport’s Terminal 3 building, designed by Norman Foster for the 2008 Olympics. The roof of the terminal resembled a dragon. Pakistan-China friendship flags carried by our group played their magic and the immigration assigned us special counters for speedy clearance. While the airport formalities were fulfilled easily, loading the 80 suitcases onto the bus was very tiring and time consuming. Throughout the remainder of our journey we had to hire an additional cargo van to carry the baggage.

In the last fifteen years, Beijing has changed dramatically, particularly due to the 2008 Olympics. High-rise steel structures soar into the sky, ultra modern highways criss-cross the city, and hundreds of underpasses and overhead bridges are built to facilitate the flow of traffic, yet the traffic jams are a constant occurrence.

It took us around one hour to reach our hotel, Tian Tan, in the city centre. We had barely distributed the room keys to our guests when the local guide insisted to take us out for dinner. “Who eats dinner at six in the evening?” shouted the furious ladies. “We do! In China,” replied the confident guide. Most restaurants in China close down by eight in the evening so we reluctantly followed him to a local restaurant. There was a lavish buffet set-up boasting a large variety of Chinese food: duck, chicken, fish, beef, vegetables and rice. “Mr Akhtar, is it Halal?” asked the ladies. “The fish, vegetables, rice and soft drinks are Halal, the rest is up to you!” was my honest answer.

We had to follow a strict schedule to cover all the historical monuments in and around Beijing but getting all the ladies into the bus, on time, was a daunting task. There were always one or two ladies missing while we were aboard the bus.

Our first stop was at the Temple of Heaven set inside a walled, 267-hectare park. The park was full of elderly people; some were dancing to the music played on loud speakers, some were playing cards, while others were gathered around groups of musicians, magicians or acrobats. There is a long covered passage that leads to the Hall of Prayers for Good Harvest.

Traditionally, the emperor was carried in a solemn procession on the first lunar month of each year for divine guidance and bountiful harvest. The hall is an architectural wonder as the entire structure stands on massive trunks of fir trees without using a nail or cement. The ornate roof is decorated with stunning blue, yellow and green glazed tiles, representing heaven, earth and the mortal world. We surely could expect good harvest as it started raining the moment we arrived at the temple.

Our next stop was the historic Tiananmen Square. At 440,000 sq meters, it is decidedly the largest public square in the world. The square is named after Tiananmen (the Gate of Heavenly Peace), the 15th century arched gate that is a silent witness to major Chinese historical events. Chairman Mao Zedong proclaimed the Peoples Republic of China from Tiananmen Gate and the 1989 pro-democracy protests by students were also quashed at this gate. At sunrise and sundown, the Square is reminiscent of Wagah Border, when smart soldiers of the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) raise or lower the Chinese flag.

Our group members were totally exhausted by the time we reached the Forbidden City. While our local guide, Richard, and I were negotiating the rates with the wheelchair porters, to carry the exhausted group on the tour, the ladies proudly entered the Forbidden City, enjoying multi-flavoured ice cream cones.

Covering a massive 720,000 sq meters in the heart of Beijing, the Palace Museum or the Forbidden City was home to 24 Emperors of the Ming and the Qing dynasties for 500 years. A 10-meter high defensive wall with watchtowers at its corners is further strengthened by a 52-meter wide moat that encircles the City. There are only four gates that give access to 800 buildings with 9,000 rooms that were occupied by over 800 concubines (wives) of each emperor.

Males were forbidden to enter the City. Even the emperor’s own sons, on reaching 18 years of age, were ordered to leave the palaces. Since natural born eunuchs in China were not enough to fulfil the needs of the Harem, young boys from poor families were operated upon to turn them into eunuchs. Although nine out of ten boys did not survive due to the primitive operating procedures, yet the poor families were keen to offer their sons in service of the emperors.

The Chinese were masters in wooden structures but most of the delicately-built palaces fell victim to fire hazards due to firework displays, knocked over lanterns or accidental blaze from incense jars. As a precaution now, scattered around the palace complex are huge bronze vats that contain water to put out any fires.

Shopping is the ultimate delight of ladies so we headed to the Pearl Market, situated at a walking distance from our hotel. The covered market had every conceivable item under one roof and bargaining is the order of the day so we expected a great match of wits between the Chinese salesmen and our champion local bargainers. We gave our group two hours of shopping time and requested them to gather at the main gate by 7pm.

Confident that I knew the ladies’ love for shopping, I challenged Richard that they would never return by the agreed time. However, he assured me that they would as the market shut at 7pm sharp and the women were hungry and desperately awaiting the Beijing Roast Duck. As per Richard’s prediction and much to my surprise, they arrived on time and even more astonishingly, without any shopping bags.

It was later revealed that they did not shop in protest, because of one lady, who bought everything under the sun, without bargaining even for a single Yuan (1US$ = 6.20 Yuan). The future shopping strategy for the rest of the group was not to shop anywhere that that lady went to shop.

The Beijing Roast Duck, an imperial delicacy, is Beijing’s signature dish, and a must try for every tourist. The dish came out of the Forbidden City only in 1911 when the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty was deposed and the Royal Chefs lost their jobs. The Beijing Roast Duck like the Kobe Steak of Japan are now world-renowned.

The duck and the calf are given a special feed to ensure high quality meat and beef. The duck goes through a lengthy preparation process before it is ceremonially brought to the dining table. After slaughtering, the bird is inflated by blowing air between its skin and the body. The skin is pricked and the duck is doused into the boiling water. Finally, it is hung up to air-dry before being roasted. When cooked, the duck’s skin is crispy on the outside while the meat is juicy on the inside. The bird is meticulously sliced by a skilful chef right at the table before serving to the guests. The accompanying plum sauce, spring onions, cucumbers and pancakes added to the scrumptiousness of the duck. Our group members took the famous dish with a pinch of salt and to their palettes, as the ladies admitted, this fine worldly cuisine could not trump their Pakistani aalu gosht.

to be continued

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The historic Tiananmen Square.

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View of the Imperial Palace in the Forbidden City.

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The Beijing Roast Duck, an imperial delicacy.

 

 

A taste of Spain
Three days in Barcelona, two in Madrid and five in Tenerife to make for a honeymoon trip
By Saleha Riaz

I got married in December last year but decided to wait till the summer months for our honeymoon so we could make use of the cheap flights that fly from London to the rest of Europe — that rope you in with their insanely low prices and then proceed to milk money out of you anywhere it can, from food to admin fees to luggage.

The impending question that needed deciding was – where in Europe?

We were inclined towards Italy or Greece, they seemed the most romantic options. But when we found out a friend was getting married in Tenerife (part of the Canary Islands but comes under Spain), and not knowing whether I would get a multiple entry Schengen visa (my husband is the proud owner of a British passport, and I am endlessly mocked over my little green book of shame), we decided — Spain it was.

We spent three days in Barcelona, two in Madrid and five in Tenerife.

A little background research on what to do always helps. I highly recommend going to your hotel lobby and asking them to mark out tourist attractions on a map and tell you how to get there. And the more you walk the better. We would hit a couple of must-see places and then walk in whatever direction we felt like. When we were exhausted we would take a cab home. Or, in the case, of Barcelona take the Metro — it’s simple to figure out and a three-day pass costs only 18 euros.

Unlike London, where everything shuts at 11pm, many shops in Spain close in the afternoons when it gets hot and then remain open till late at night. Perfect for us Pakistanis.

Spain is full of tourists and the locals seem completely chilled out and happy! Not everyone knows English but ask enough people and someone will be able to help out.

Having not slept a wink the night before, we were exhausted on the first day in Barcelona but didn’t want to waste a single minute, so we headed to Port Olimpic and were slightly disappointed. We had imagined a typical European quaint city and instead ended up at an artificial beach with a lot of topless women.

We stopped to grab a bite at one of the restaurants along the beachfront. It turned out we weren’t a fan of their kind of food. The vegetable paella (rice dish) at most places was good and tortillas (Spanish omelets) and salmon tapas were palatable. But overall gastronomically we were far from satisfied.

After Port Olimpic, we ended up in the heart of the old city and realised this is what we had been wanting to see all along — narrow streets, cathedral and museums. We were exhausted so we headed home but the next day it was the first place we hit.

If you’ve seen one cathedral, you’ve seen them all. I enjoyed the exterior architecture of Barcelona Cathedral more than the inside. Next we headed to La Rambla, which not only has all the brands but running alongside are vendors selling souvenirs, antiques and paintings.

One can easily spend a day exploring La Rambla and its side streets. At one end of the street is Rambla De Mar, a beautiful walkway that leads to a mall, a cinema and restaurants that come alive at night.

We made the mistake of leaving the famous Sagrada Familia, a massive church built by Antoni Gaudi, an architect who has left his mark all over Barcelona, to be visited on a Sunday, our last day in the city. They were holding a private mass there and we couldn’t go in so be sure to find out the in advance when the basilica is open to visitors.

We did, however, go to Park Guell. Be warned that it is an uphill walk and if you go in the summer you must keep water with you, but it is worth it. There is much to see, including Gaudi’s iconic dragon, benches and ceilings all decorated with tiled mosaic for which Gaudi is well known. We also made the mistake of leaving the Picasso Museum for Sunday when it is free and had a long queue which we didn’t have time to wait in. On other days tickets cost between 6-11 euros and it is easier to get into.

Wishing we could have spent another day in Barcelona, we were off to Madrid. Our hotel Nh Palacia de Tepa (45 euros a night per person) was 10 minutes away from everything we wanted to see, and upon checkout we found out that it was built on the ruins of a palace and they had a glass floor through which you could see some of the ruins.

We only had a day and a half in Madrid, so we were lucky that on our first night my husband’s friend and a local gave us a night tour, pointing out the skyscrapers, the gates of Madrid and Toledo and the Cibeles Fountain where Real Madrid celebrate their victories. We avoided bus tours but that would be the next best option to get a quick overview of the whole city. Our friend even took us to Real Café, one of many restaurants inside the Real Madrid stadium and a must for football fans.

During the day we went to see the Almudena Cathedral and the Royal Palace of Madrid, where you can rent a headset and get an audio tour and is as grand as any royal palace you can imagine. We also visited Museum De Prado near which there are several museums but we decided to stick to one.

We found Madrid to be much prettier than Barcelona but the latter certainly has more to do for tourists. I do wish Barcelona’s sites also did audio tours as I would have liked to know more about what I was seeing. Buying a basic guidebook is highly recommended.

I was adamant that I wanted to see either bullfighting or flamenco dancing. I was told the former was way too gory so we opted for the latter. We selected Carmen at the Nuevo Apollo theatre, where we experienced a mix of flamenco and ballet.

Madrid has many shopping areas and we walked from Puerto Del Sol on to the Gran Via which has a New York feel to it, but eventually opted for Fuencarral which is more of a market and is covered as well, important because Madrid can get quite hot.

Our last stop was Tenerife, a four-hour flight from Madrid.

It was like two holidays rolled into one: from city to island. We were on the south side of Tenerife, which has two main resorts, Gran Melia and Abama. Both of them are huge but while Gran Melia is more modern, Abama feels like its built in the middle of a forest. We stayed in the latter and we had to find our way around using a map. It has eight swimming pools and its own beach and to get to places one needed to ask to be taken in a buggy.

Sadly, due to time constraints, we didn’t get to see the actual city, which is an hour away, or the volcanoes, which is about a five-hour excursion and was recommended by many people.

 

 

 

 


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