Lukas: Blanes - Spain's Best-Kept Disappointment

As week 2 was heading towards an end, two friends from Toulouse and Salzburg came to visit us. From Friday to Monday, they accompanied our adventures in Spain. We ate, shopped, did some sightseeing, and finally, on Sunday, we planned a day trip to Blanes. Known for its beautiful coast and botanical garden.

So, we took Adem and Ahlagül to the Rodalies Station to buy them tickets and catch our train – luckily, Pia’s and my monthly Rodalies ticket covered this journey because if we had spent €15 in addition to the emotional distress and time loss, I would’ve genuinely drunk the bottle of sunscreen in my bag.

Arriving in Blanes was amazing! We only had to push through a crowded miniature train station, obviously not made for such tourist capacities. Then instead of going by bus (which was basically non-existent) or taxi (which were all taken at that point anyway), we walked for 40 minutes to the city centre (I deeply apologise, but who on earth builds a train station for a city that is practically happy to be even considered to be in that city. That’s like building Salzburg’s Main Station in Himmelreich.) While on that walk, we came across a supermarket (what a rarity – no jokes). We bought some drinks and asked the locals in that store how to get to a beach we had seen online, only to be informed that that beach isn’t even open to the public. They then recommended two beaches we could go to instead, which were really pretty. We were also told that we would only be able to go there by car – so taxi it is.

Well, good luck! The locals told us we would be able to find around 20-ish taxis just a few minutes ahead (haha, if we only knew). So, we went in said direction, after some time, still no taxis in sight. Then we suddenly arrived at the beach and headed more towards the city centre. On the way, we asked a public servant where those supposed taxis would be located – she told us just down that street. Nice!

Well, you might be wondering "How does this story end?". You're in luck! You can find out if you read Pia's blog post where she dives into the taxi drama, an overcrowded beach and more disappointing adventures. See you next time!