Spain (Madrid, Barcelona and the area)
August 24 to September 07, 2006
Dear Friends,
Here comes another letter from another traveling adventure on my end. It was a kind of a
“business trip”… As soon as I said that, Soraya remained me that the business trip to a
conference usually does not last 4.5 weeks.  Anyway, a conference in Barcelona was an
excellent excuse to pack my suitcase. The rest of the trip I somehow managed to plan by
myself. 
Three days after leaving Edmonton I finally managed to find a bed hoping that next morning I
would not wake up in another country.  This part of the letter is coming to you from a cute
hotel in the centre of Madrid.
My trip started with saying good-by to Daniella in Edmonton. Instead of her, I left for Europe. It
seems that she enjoys her life in Canada very much and does not want to go home quite yet. 
The trip continued with almost 2 hours of waiting at the Edmonton airport to pass the airport
security. Then I took a magic sleeping pill that calmed me down in 15 minutes (although it was 1
pm). Needless to say, I do not remember the first 5.5 hours of a 10-hour flight to Frankfurt… My
neighbour was a very talkative mid-age lady from Bosnia, but the effect of the pill was much
stronger…
We landed in Frankfurt at 6 am local time but at 10 pm in my head. On purpose I booked a flight
to Barcelona for the late afternoon so I could finally have a chance to visit Frankfurt. But I felt a
bit tired that morning so I thought I would ask at a Lufthansa counter if I could get on an earlier
flight that day. “Of course”, they said – with an extra fee of only 1200 Euros (~$1750 CAD)
(minor detail). I realized immediately that I would enjoy very much a compromise of visiting
Frankfurt on this rainy day…  So in the early morning I went to the city centre…
Frankfurt (Germany)
Frankfurt is not one of the tourist-oriented cities, but an experienced traveler could find a couple
of interesting spots to visit. I spent a majority of time walking in the city centre and besides the
river, enjoying the Frankfurt’s skyline. Besides rain and clouds, I also started to feel tiredness
and a jet leg. Staying awake was too much work at times.  But I managed to catch with my
camera a couple of views from the Frankfurt’s streets to share with you. I was not in a rush to
visit “everything” as I will be staying for another day in Frankfurt before my flight back to
Canada.
Flight to Barcelona
Late in the afternoon I took off for Barcelona. Although I did not want to sleep, I was so tired that
I was gone before a take off that I usually wait for with an excitement of a child. An amazing play
of the clouds and the sun managed to wake me up before landing in Barcelona …
Trip to Madrid (Spain)
Arrival to Barcelona that evening was exciting, but that was not my final destination for the day.
From the airport I went directly to a train station at the city centre hoping that I would find a ticket
for a night train to Madrid. I was lucky and soon I was lying in a bed and traveling to Madrid. I do
not remember much from that night… 
1
Spain (Madrid, Barcelona and the area)
August 24 to September 07, 2006
Madrid
Madrid was waiting for me in the morning. After a short practice of Spanish, I had a room
booked in one of the cute hostels in the city centre.
And then the journey begins with the walks and visits of the city centre of Madrid. The
temperature was above 35 C – an ideal day for visiting museums. First I walked in an
archeological museum where for the first time I met face to face with Egyptian mummies and
sarcophagus. In addition, I encountered there some Roman sculptures and remains of the old
Greek civilization. The rest of the day I got a bit overwhelmed with art visiting the works of the
world renowned painters in National Museo del Prado and Museo de Thyssen-Bornemisza.
Although I saw many works from different centuries and a large temporary exhibition of Picasso,
I have to admit that again I enjoyed the most the works of the impressionists. I could not take
my eyes off the works of Monnet, Renoir, Pissarro, and Van Gogh…
Wandering down the streets, museums and parks of Madrid continued 2 days later when I came
back from some interesting day trips in the nearby town (more about those trips you will find
below). Madrid pleasantly surprised me with its diversity from parks and sculptures to museums,
churches, cathedral, Royal Palace, and an original temple brought here piece by piece from
Egypt. Instead of trying to describe a magic of this city, I am sending you a couple of views from
the streets of Madrid…
Toledo
Still under the stress from a jet lag, the first morning in Madrid I woke up before 5 am (for all of
you who know me well you will easily realize that this could happen in my case only with a
sudden change of time zones). That day I went to Toledo, a capital of Spain in the past, and a
World Heritage Site today. The trip to Toledo started with a half an hour ride with a very fast
train. How fun! 
Toledo surprised me with its medieval buildings, narrow streets, and a number of small souvenir
shops on every corner. Everything was full of tourists. The city of Don Quixote and Sancho
Pansa and an amazing variety of weapons from the time of knights…. The whole city even
today carries the sprit of the time of the knights. It does not surprise me now that Cervantes was
so inspired to write Don Quixote considering that he lived in Toledo most of his life … 
Laura told me that one could learn here a lot about the history of Spain, but my brain was not
ready to absorb information that day. At times I could hardly keep my eyes open... But I was still
able to enjoy walking down the streets of this old town, visiting churches and museums,
climbing up towers (to get a better view of the town). For the first time I walked into a
synagogue. Although this town had many things to offer, the Cathedral of Toledo left me
breathless with its dimensions of ~120 meters length, over 40 meters width with 5 arcs, and the
height of the arcs over 30 meters. What a huge building… This was by far the biggest cathedral
I had ever walked in…Interior of the cathedral was equally impressive with one of the most
decorated altars, chapels, organs…Here are a couple of photos instead me trying to describe
this monumental building…
2
Spain (Madrid, Barcelona and the area)
August 24 to September 07, 2006
Segovilla
Only 2 hours by trail from Madrid was another medieval town and World Heritage Site:
Segovilla. Considering a strong recommendation of Spanish friends Laura and Enrique to visit
this town, I could not miss it.
Simply said, I was amazed with Segovilla … I am not sure if that was a consequence of a 12
hours of sleep the night before and long waited recovery from a jet lag, but my heart was
beating faster while I was wandering around this medieval town.
First I saw a spectacular 1 kilometer long Roman aqueduct built almost 2000 years ago, with
impressive 166 arcs and the biggest height of 28 meters. Fantastic…
Besides interesting narrow streets, old stony houses, and a number of churches, I was amazed
with the main square (Playa Major) with a view of a magnificent cathedral – somewhat smaller
and slightly less decorated inside from the one in Toledo, but equally spectacular …
But of all things, it seems that Segovilla amazed me the most with its castle (Alcazar). With its
magic, this castle inspired Disney’s’ drawings for a world renown fairytale “Sleeping Beauty”.
The entrance to the castle was like the entrance to a fairytale – and the time of the knights…
Rooms within a castle were decorated to reflect their furniture and functions from the 16th and
17th century. Among the other things, here you could see knights’ weapons, flags… Climbing up
the tallest castle tower offered an amazing view of the old town and nearby hills. To have a
complete fairytale, I just needed a bunch of knights on the horses to appear on a horizon… 
And then came the time to pack my suitcase and take a trip again – just for a change.  I took
again the night train with a comfortable bed to Barcelona. I could not even imagine that such a
decision would offer an opportunity of practicing Spanish for full 2 hours with a very nice girl
from Venezuela. The rest of the night I slept very well and did not remember much. The next
day I spent in Barcelona. But the story of Barcelona will start a bit later.
Museum de Salvador Dali (Figueres)
After a day of visiting Barcelona I was going for another 2-day trip – just to make sure that I did
not stay for too long at one place.  I went to visit Laura’s parents (my roommate in Edmonton)
in a nearby city Girona, some 100 km away from Barcelona. But before arriving to Girona, I
planned to visit a Museum of Salvador Dali in Figueres, a town that was on my way. What a
genius and what creativity… Although I have visited quite a few different museums so far and
have seen many different art works, this museum completely blew my mind. Something
completely different, difficult even to imagine… Dali did quite a few different things related to
art… In the museum you could such a spectrum of art work from pictures and drawings to
sculptures, jewelry, decorations, all the way to the pictures that seen from different distances
change their content and an abstract room design with a furniture set up in a way that seen from
a specific angle gives an impression of a woman face… Spectacular… The museum does not
have any particular order. Dali’s desire was to leave up to a visitor to create his/her own
experience of this place. After full 3 hours of continuous surprises, I got out of a museum
somewhat confused…  Here are a couple of pictures to give you some idea of the magic of
this place.
3
Spain (Madrid, Barcelona and the area)
August 24 to September 07, 2006
Visiting Laura’s Parents: Girona
After visiting Dali’s museum, I took a train to Gerona. An atmosphere on the streets of this city
reminded me of the atmosphere from the streets of the town in Croatia where I grew up.
Although this city was a bit bigger (population of ~100.000) and a bit older then my town, one
could sense some calm energy. I liked very much that the streets were neither empty nor too
crowded as in bigger cities. Girona had some specific character with colorful facades of the
buildings along the river that were built next to the wall of the old city. The old city centre with
medieval buildings, narrow streets, churches, the cathedral, and the city walls carried a sense of
history. I visited the cathedral. Once this visit unexpectedly became a visit to a museum
adjacent to a cathedral, I realized that my soul could not absorb another art work (especially
after visiting Dali’s museum earlier that day). It seemed that I needed a break from the art for a
couple of days.  So I sit down in a deep shade and peace of one of the parks in the old town…
and did not get up for almost 2 hours… 
That evening I went to visit Laura’s parents. I knew that longest ever conversation in Spanish is
waiting for me. Fortunately, I practiced a lot that week. 
Laura’s parents were great. I enjoyed joking and laughing the whole evening – I have no idea
how, but it all happened in Spanish. When I could not understand my hosts, I just kept nodding,
smiling and saying “Si, si.” – I learnt that lesson from the time I moved to Edmonton 6 years
ago.  It was cute that Laura also called by phone from Edmonton that evening just to make
sure that we managed to communicate with each other.  I tasted a couple of delicious dishes
from a Catalan cousine and some special dishes prepared by Laura’s mom. Laura and her
parents insisted that I stay in Girona another day to get a chance to visit the area a bit. So I
stayed…
Next days I spend some more hours walking in the old city of Girona. The day was full of
sunshine with not a cloud on a sky. Thinking that I was ready to walk into another museum, I
visited the Arabs Bath and the Museum of Archeology. The rest of the morning I spent walking
down the interesting streets of the old city and without much desire to visit another museum.
In the afternoon, Laura’s parents took me for a lunch and a visit of a nearby town Besalu. I could
not even dream that one day I would walk on a magic old bridge from the 11th century in Besalu.
Laura and I have a picture of that bridge in our living room in Edmonton. I felt like a child
touching the stones of the bridge wall, feeling the energy of the past. Life is so unpredictable…
When Laura came back from Spain last Christmas and brought a bunch of pictures of Girona
and a province of Catalonia, I could not even imagine that I would see that part of the world in
the upcoming year. Life is a miracle…
After visiting Besalu, Laura’s parents took me to a nearby town built on the volcanic land (there
are lots of interesting things to see in Catalonia). The town was built on the hill formed from
crystallized lava. What an interesting play of nature. We went for a short stroll among the old
houses to a church and a beautiful view of a valley with Pyrenees in a background. Then came
the time to go back… That evening I took a train from Gerona and returned “back home” in
Barcelona. The next day my conference was starting – it was about time that I do some work…

4
Spain (Madrid, Barcelona and the area)
August 24 to September 07, 2006
Barcelona: Conference – The Business Part of the Trip Conference (And an Excellent
Excuse for This Whole Trip to Europe)
A conference was so good that I cannot skip mentioning it. True, it could hardly get better from a
world congress in my area of research (cardiology and rehabilitation)…  Also I have to admit
that I enjoyed working a bit after such a long break…  The days ahead were full of new
people, interesting presentations, new ideas… Uh, my adrenalin was a bit too high those days –
from an excitement. Hm, maybe I like my job a bit too much… The only disadvantage of the
conference was English language. I had just got used to speaking Spanish…  Here are a
couple of photos from that “research world”…
Visiting Barcelona
My visit of Barcelona was a bit interrupted with some 3.5 days of visiting over a 9-day period. In
Barcelona I stayed in the apartment of Laura’s sister – or better to say with her roommates
Marta and David because Laura’s sister was on holidays. The apartment was on the top floor of
the building (7th floor), huge balcony, and a wonderful view of MontJuic. What a place for a
relaxation…
My first day of visiting Barcelona was upon return from Madrid. At that time I still had energy for
visiting even though I was already a bit tired of museums.  I decided to have a bit more
peaceful day with visiting parks on MontJuic (the hill in the city centre).
But Barcelona is not really a quiet city where one could find many peaceful corners – at least
not in a touristy part. I walked to Plaza Espana Spanish square), Palacio National (National
Palace) and a beautiful view of the city.
A bit later “by accident” I walked into an ethno museum Pueblo Espanol. The museum was
designed as a Spanish village with a combination of houses from different parts of Spain. The
houses were studios and stores of the artists with fantastic collection of art work ranging from
pictures to glass, porcelains, wires, metals… Here I unexpectedly walked into a museum with a
bunch of fantastic art pieces. Twenty pieces of ceramics art work by Picasso was the most
impressive. Too bad I could not make any photos. What a character… 
My walk continued to the Olympic Park. Here I recalled that a few years before the Olympic
Games in Barcelona, my father promised me to bring me to those Olympic Games in 1992.
Unfortunately, then came a year of 1991 with a war and craziness that I do not want to write
about, so we did not make it to Barcelona… But, fortunately, there I was some 14 years later –
and the time did not seem that important in that moment. It was wonderful to sit in the Olympic
park and recall my thoughts from 14 years ago when basketball was my entire world…
A visit of MontJuic finished with climbing up to the castle (Castel de MontJuic) with a fantastic
view of the sea, port, and the city.
And then a cream on a cake: La Rambla, a boardwalk in the city centre full of people, street
performers, sounds, postcards, souvenirs… An ideal spot for tourists. With an amazing 25 C in
the evening, it was pleasant to wander around enjoying the sounds, colorful performances of
street performers, different languages… That part of Barcelona I remember the best when my
brother Boky and I visited this city during our trip around Europe in 1998. La Rambla looked the
same…
5
Spain (Madrid, Barcelona and the area)
August 24 to September 07, 2006
In the upcoming days Barcelona continued to surprise me with its magic: architecture, art,
culture… street performers, plays of lights and sounds with a water dance in a fountain, parks,
works of Gaudi such as Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, Casa Batillo and Casa Mila…
I wrote to you how impressed I was with the size cathedrals in Toledo, Segovilla, and Madrid.
Sagrada Familia in Barcelona left me speechless… Although it was not even close to be done
and it is unknown if it would be completed in next 20 years, Gaudi’s creativity and attention to
details puts in shade many of the cathedrals I have seen so far. Majority of the original Gaudi’s
drawings were destroyed during the Spanish civil war in 1930s. A part of Gaudi’s original plans
were recovered from photos, exhibitions and samples – so the work on a cathedral continues. I
hope that one day we will have a chance to admire the majesty of this cathedral similar to the
one from the original Gaudi’s drawing on the left. And, if technology permits, the cross on the
top of the highest tower of the cathedral, according to Gaudi’s plans, would rotate – and be used
as a light house… 
Besides the cathedral Sagrada Familia that was the biggest Gaudi’s project on which he worked
over 40 years, Gaudi played with designing some smaller buildings and decorating parks in this
city. Park Guell is another masterpiece of Gaudi that will blow visitors’ minds with a play of
curves, colors, materials… It feels like you suddenly fell into a hole and ended up in the
wonderland like Alisa…  Here are a couple of photos from that wonderland…
What a play of creativity…
Trip to Sitges
Before I finished my visit to Spain with Barcelona, I went one day for a trip to a nearby town on
the coast, Sitges. This town reminded me of the old towns along the Croatian coast with a
boardwalk and beaches. There was also an old part of the town with a church and narrow
streets – and, to my biggest pleasure, palm trees… 
But besides architecture, my experience of this town was interesting, to say the least.  If
somebody is really curious about this part, ask me and I will tell you in person… Just a walk in
the old town was an interesting experience itself. The streets were full of pubs and coffees in
which literally everybody sits facing the street – and without any discretion watching the people
passing by. It felt almost like being a part of the fashion show…  But that is just a small piece
of my experiences in this city… 
I enjoyed walking along the beaches and watching the sea and palm trees. The sunset was one
of the red ones often seen in Alberta’s prairies. After the sunset, almost a full moon appeared on
the east with a moonlight reflexion in the water. The magic of the moonlight and sound of waves
tied me to the rocks and left me speechless. It was amazingly beautiful evening…
And a Bit More of Gaudi’s Creativity for the End – Casa Mila (House Mila)
I am finishing this letter in Barcelona a day before my flight home to the Balkans. Honestly, I
was not really in a rush to get out on 35 C today… And after 2 weeks of wandering around
Spain, I was a bit tired of visiting. I know some of you may worry that I got sick… 
Somehow I managed to gather energy and get out of the apartment later in the afternoon to
enjoy a bit more the magic of Barcelona and see some other creations of Antonio Gaudi. My
walk brought me to Casa Batillo (House Batillo) that, could be enjoyed only from the outside.
6
Spain (Madrid, Barcelona and the area)
August 24 to September 07, 2006
A bit later I found myself in the hallways and the roof of the another Gaudi’s building (Casa Mila)
that is under UNESCO protection. What a combination of architecture and art. Amazing… This
building does not have a single straight line in it. Every line is broken or bent… I would not dare
to try to describe or explain this amazing architectural and creative project that I can hardly
understand. Instead, here are a couple of photos for you to enjoy the curves, shades, shapes,
creativity… These unusual towers that you see on the top of the Casa Mila are actually
openings for a smoke and ventilation for the building…
Enjoy the curves! 
This brings me to the end of my tour around Spain. My brain has rested, or maybe got a bit tired
by now from such a long rest.  I feel I could work a bit by now…  But I will have to survive
somehow 2 more weeks of rest and fun with family and friends in Serbia.  My mom worried
how I would combine my desire to work with my trip home now. Well, I had to admit to her that I
was sure my motivation for work would be gone within a day of great company at home… 
Overall, this trip to Spain was a fantastic experience with lots of art, architecture, history,
pleasant people, and wonderful scenery. I am so happy that I had a chance to get to know a bit
better a country that I dreamt about in my childhood and that I got a chance to practice my
Spanish. But now I feel it is the right moment for spending more time with dear people, for new
meetings and some different joys. So I am off home to the Balkans tomorrow looking forward to
laughs and stories with family and friends…
Here comes lots of sunshine and warmth from the Mediterranean,
Sandy
7