Mike & Amanda's Gaudi & Seafood Tour of Barcelona, Oct 06 - Part 4, Port Aventura!

[Mike Jones]

(Links to Previous Days & Full Trip Report Index)



Day 4 – Wednesday 11th October 2006


Another impressively unbroken night passes and we awake at 630. Showers etc, and away out by 740. It’s still just dark but pleasantly warm, with broken cloud above. Our objective today is Universal’s ‘Port Aventura’ theme park 40 kilometres away, near Salou, so we walk back to the Metro and train (underground) station at Passeig de Gracia, a 20 minute stroll through mild, rush hour traffic.

We enquire about tickets for the journey and are offered inclusive park entrance and return rail passes for 39 Euro each, effectively giving us the rail element for just 5 Euro apiece! This seems pretty good value and we have about 15 minutes before the next train arrives, giving us time for a coffee and croissant from the platform kiosk.

The train is on schedule, and we are soon passing slowly through the industrial suburbs of Barcelona again. The skies remain cloudy, and the carriage’s grimy, tinted windows do not help the views of this tatty landscape.

It even starts to rain at one point and we wonder whether we’ve made a bad decision today… however, by the time we reach Tarragona, a large, industrial town 15 minutes from Port Aventura, it has brightened up again. We disembark at Port Aventura’s own railway platform at 9.50, in warm sunshine, and follow the dozen or so other passengers up towards the park skyline.

The walk takes about 10 minutes, although we discover we could have elected to wait for a Disney-esque tram, which passes us a few minutes later.

The walk takes us past a large, bland hotel, the El Paso, then under a highway bridge to the entrance plaza. There’s a large fountain and Halloween paraphernalia everywhere! The buildings around the entrance are reminiscent of IOA in Florida.. I’m impressed so far!

The layout is similar to Florida themeparks. We make a quick loo stop then join a modest queue of 5 or 6 people at a ticket kiosk to swap our train tickets for park passes. We are admitted immediately, and walk through into the first of PA’s five ‘lands’, “Mediterrania”.. this is essentially a shopping area fronting the park’s central lake, similar to Port of Entry at IOA. After checking our bag into a locker station we walk into the park proper. There’s a Woody Woodpecker character greeting in progress, and we continue past towards the next Land, “Polynesia”. (This is the only choice, as it looks as though the park will be opened in stages today, no doubt due to low visitor levels.) We can’t believe how quiet the place is!

The first ride we see is Tutuki Splash, a steep log flume ride.. I am reluctant to get soaked so early, and we continue to the next attraction, Kontiki Wave, a large boatswing. It’s pretty good, and along with the 5 other guests on board we make plenty of appreciative noise!

We chance our arm and try to progress through to China, the next land, but a CM is posted and advises that it will remain closed until 11am. No matter. We seek out another distraction in Polynesia and have two back to back rides on Tami Tami instead – a small, kiddie-coaster. Good fun!

 

[Mike Jones]

Well, there’s no putting it off… Tutuki Splash beckons, and, if we’re not going to be bored until 1100 we have to risk getting wet! I beg a small carrier bag from a store to protect camera and wallet, strip off my shirt and plunge in!

It’s pretty good! Well-themed and with two decent drops, the last one being pretty steep. Best bit? Unlike the other couple on our boat, who get soaked, we escape with only minor dampness!

We check out the show at the Polynesia theatre we spotted earlier.

It’s neatly choreographed, and looks something like the New Zealand rugby mob doing their pre-match thing, but overall it’s a bit cheesy for us and we head off back to the locker station to recover some of our gear.

It’s 11.10 as we return to the China border crossing and they’re open for business. Everyone seems to be making their way towards the imposing coaster, Dragon Khan.

This is a fine coaster… a bit like Kraken at Seaworld, or Hulk with a conventional start, and as good as both. Very long, high and with 8 loops! Magic!

We repeat-ride with very little wait.

Next stop, a slightly less challenging attraction, Fumanchu – traditional, long-chain swings on a carousel!

We love it! Great views of Dragon Khan along the way…

 

[Mike Jones]

It’s getting on for 1200 and we head over towards the adjacent area, Mexico. There are a couple of shows and a teacups ride remaining in China but we have our sights set on the next headliner, a huge Dr Doom-like tower. There’s a 5-minute wait at the rope drop for Mexico, before the huge crowd (all 20 of us!) are admitted and stroll briskly towards the ride.

Along the way we pass La Mina del Diablo (Devil’s Mine) that looks a lot like Big Thunder Mountain.

We’ll pop back later for this. First we have a date with Hurakan Condor!

It’s only as we approach the ride proper and enter the queuing area (empty – we are the first on!) that I realise the true nature of this structure – it doesn’t shoot you up into the air in the manner of Dr Doom’s Fearfall – it raises you to the top of the 328’ tower, then drops you! Way-hay!!! We are seated and strapped in within seconds and the carriage is drawn smoothly and swiftly up to the full height! The views are stunning, but there’s barely time to take it in before the seat backs are tilted slightly forwards,. Encouraging you to look down – oo-er – and then the brakes come off! Fan-bloody-tastic!!!! This is the closest I’ve come to freefall since packing in skydiving a few years back!

The 4 second descent is halted quickly but smoothly, and, with the screams of our fellow passengers ringing in our ears, we reach the bottom and prepare to disembark. However, as no-one else is waiting, the CM allows us to remain seated for another ride.

This is as good as the first, but as a line has now appeared we have to exit. I am buzzing and beg Amanda (who doesn’t really care for heights!) to run round and ride again. This time she even opens her eyes!

Right, wobbly legs and all, we make our way over to the Devils Mine. The park guide reads “Terror in the Abyss. You will be running to catch the train that will let you escape from the perils that await you in this abandoned mine.” These ‘perils’ comprise scarily garbed cast members who leap out and yell at us as we pass in single file through a dark, mine set. Good fun! We emerge after several minutes of this chaos onto the loading platform of the train itself, which proves to be more exciting (IMO) than the BTMRR at Magic Kingdom.

The remaining rides in Mexico are mostly aimed at young kids, so we pass through to the next and final ‘land’, the Far West. (Themed realistically enough like a 19th century American pioneer town.)

The first ride is called Volpaiute, and looks like a variation on the Waltzers theme, so we step aboard.

It’s mediocre to be honest, and mercifully short. Directly opposite is the entrance to the last biggie, a wooden roller coaster.

 

[Mike Jones]

We are loaded without delay and off we trot. Hmm. Something wrong here. The ride is tame and very short…. We really expected more. On exiting we discover our mistake – there’s another, smaller, kiddie coaster running alongside the big one, and we’ve strayed onto it instead. This one is called Tomahawk and we wanted Stampida!

Before making good our mistake we both need the restroom, so we head off into the town area of this land to find some. There are plenty around, according to the map, but they are very discreetly placed and we need to ask for guidance before we find some.

Right, back to the rides! Stampida next.

We enter the queuing area (no wait time), which is themed a little like the one at Splash Mountain in Florida. As we near the loading platform the line splits into Blue and Red – aha! It’s like Duelling Dragons then, or more probably, like the Grand National (an old, wooden coaster with two, competing trains) in Blackpool. However, due to low crowds, only one line (Blue) is open.

This is more like it! It takes off like a rocket and the ride is truly thrilling! A lot faster than we expected and smooth, sharp turns.

It’s 1.15 as we exit. We are pretty much done now, and, as there’s only one return train this afternoon, in about an hour, (otherwise we will have to hang on until early evening), we decide to grab some lunch and call it a day.

The nearest café is The Old Steakhouse where we buy ribs, pork hock, salad, fries, onion rings and water (27 Euro). Its good enough (typical themepark fayre) and is consumed without complaint.

As we make our way back to the entrance we bump into the Addams Family!

They really seem to be going overboard with the Halloween stuff here! During the walk towards the exit we pass a couple of rides we hadn’t bothered with, including a family raft ride, a bit like Popeye and Bluto or the Kali River Rapids in Florida.

We again marvel at how empty the park is today – I think October is the last full month, opening being restricted to weekends and holidays over the winter season.

 

[Mike Jones]

We reclaim our bag, make a quick restroom visit and walk back to the train ‘station’ for just after 2pm. The platform is initially empty, but, when the tarin arrives at 2.25 (about 10 minutes late) 4 other people have joined us.

The return journey is uneventful and pleasant. The coastal views are much prettier than this morning, and the onboard display tells us that the outside temperature is 29 degrees C. Lovely!

We decide to stay on the train until its final stop, Estacio de Franca, a few minutes past our boarding station, as this will place us close to the eastern part of the old town, La Ribera, where the Picasso Museum is situated. We hope to visit the Museum, but if busy, we’ll enjoy a ramble around this less-explored part of the city.

The museum is very busy, with long lines waiting for admission. We stroll on, northwards, through an area of small businesses and shops, quite unlike the more touristy bits around the Ramblas, but pleasant just the same.

We emerge from the narrow streets at an unusual and imposing building, the Palau de la Musica Catalana.

The early 20th century façade is complemented by a (presumably) more modern addition, the face of which comprises of carved and pierced brickwork.

We cross the busy Via Laietana ….

…back into the Barri Gotic, and walk down the now familiar streets around the cathedral in search of comfy chairs and liquid refreshment. Not surprisingly we find ourselves back in the Placa Reial, where we bag a table outside the Café Karma. It’s 5pm.

We enjoy the warm afternoon atmosphere and spend the next couple of hours watching the local nutters, police and tourists promenading around the square.

At one point a police van causes minor excitement as it careers across the paving, lights flashing and sirens wailing, before squeezing into a narrow alleyway, scattering pedestrians in its path. A group of German lads at an adjacent table make us laugh with their blatant eyeballing of and fruitless attempts to engage with a trio of Spanish girls at the next table.

It starts to go dark and I try some arty-farty pics of the sky above the palm trees.

 

[Mike Jones]

The Placa looks delightful as the dusk deepens and the lights come on around the area.

Its 730 and after two or three large brandies and a couple of beers we reluctantly drag ourselves off to the hotel. As we pass through the adjacent streets we spot a footie match on the TV in an Irish bar. It’s England v Croatia and the halftime score is 0-0. We return to our room, change and head back out around 8.15. I’d like to see how the match ends, so we enter another Irish bar close to the hotel on the Ramblas. A couple of pints of Guinness later, and after a bit of banter with the Irish barmaid and English customers, we emerge, disappointed at England’s 2-0 defeat.

Rather wobbly now, we head into the old town for a dinner venue. We pass Vildsvin, where we ate the other night, but we want something more substantial than oysters or tapas and press on. We choose an attractive looking place near Placa del Pi, but due to excessive alcohol consumption I neglect to record its name in my notebook!

The food however is lovely – I have a large salad for starters, and Amanda has fish soup, followed by a humungous fish platter for both.

The bill is a very reasonable 47Euro. We stroll happily back to the hotel for about 1100pm, just as a light rain starts to fall. Completely shattered, we are in bed, sound asleep within minutes…..

..and then the thunderstorm starts! The room is lit up like a Christmas tree, and even through the 4 layers of glass we are deafened by the noise of the thunder. Opening the windows, we can see lightening hitting the mountains behind the hotel. I try to take some pictures but they aren’t too clever. After enjoying the spectacle for about half an hour, accompanied by the shrieks of drowned revellers dashing for cover 5 floors below, we return to our beds.

Mike & Amanda

Tomorrow: Parc Guell.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Great report and photos as usual

 

[Cyrano]

Another great day and report. Looking forward to the park next

 

[Minniespal]

Mike ~ You certainly pack alot into one day

 

[mark&sue]

Fantastic report and photos. We stayed at the Port Ventura Hotel next door and really enjoyed going to the park at nighttime. As we went in July it was much cooler to go in the evening as they stay open to midnight.


Susan

 

[Mike Jones]

I can imagine it being a lovely place at night Sue.

How good did you find the waterpark? Compared to Florida's?

Mike

 

[mark&sue]

I don't like water parks very much. I like the family raft rides. This one was good but I found the waterpark itself to be too crowded and too hot!

We will probably going back maybe for day trips as we are buying a place in Spain not too far away and will either hire a car or take ours over on the Ferry.


Susan

 

[Mike Jones]

Thanks Susan. I'm just thinking of renting a place in the area next summer so we can take my two kids (12 and 14)... the theme park and waterpark would give us two or three days peace, but one doesn't 'do' beaches, so we'd need more things to keep them entertained for a week.

Any recommends for other places of interest (family style) in the area? And any decent villas within a modest drive of Salou, the parks and Barcelona?

Mike

 

[ely3857]

Brilliant pictures & Great day



Jodie