Mostly spent traveling. Took forever to get to the airport. I definitely learned to first of all bring a backpack for these trips! Way too many stairs and everybody seems to live on the fourth floor... and second of all, to stay in city centers so there is no need to take long bus rides or to try to catch the metro before it closes.
Spain was good to me. I loved traveling alone and meeting so many interesting and fun people. I loved the country - every city was different and I liked exploring and getting to know each one. It was a memorable adventure and I will for sure be back... maybe for a while ;)
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Madrid walking marathon
Today, a native Madrileño named Christina posted in the CS group that she can show any tourists around the city, so of course I signed up. Another couple of people, both originally Filipino, came along as well. Some little tidbits Christina told us were really interesting, as we walked through the old post office and the huge Retiro park, but man it was a looong walk. I was kind of glad it's the last touristy day of my trip because my legs so needed the rest by this point.
I had one last night of tapas at El Tigre, a bar that gives you a ton of food when you buy a beer, followed by some more dancing. (El Tigre had creepy animal heads mounted way too low on the wall so it was possible to kiss them if you wished - pictured below!!!)
Anyway, I'm definitely coming back to Madrid. I feel like I can really breathe in that city.
I had one last night of tapas at El Tigre, a bar that gives you a ton of food when you buy a beer, followed by some more dancing. (El Tigre had creepy animal heads mounted way too low on the wall so it was possible to kiss them if you wished - pictured below!!!)
Anyway, I'm definitely coming back to Madrid. I feel like I can really breathe in that city.
Viva Madrid!
I needed to rest from the traveling and late night, so I just let myself sleep until 1! All I really accomplished that day was the Prado museum, with it's large collection of Goya and Velazquez and Spanish medieval art. It was a zoo, but it was nice to get a museum visit in since I haven't done that on this trip yet.
After, I met up with a group of couch surfers that were having some drinks at a bar called Umami. (I don't think they have burgers there.) I had a lot of fun with this group, good, interesting conversation. I've learned so many things on this trip and had so many experiences that it's felt like a two-month long trip rather than two weeks.
People in the CS community are also very outgoing and open-minded, so I've gotten to meet a lot of like-minded people.
The night continued until after the metro was already open again at 6am with dancing at a couple different clubs. A lot of our music, but enough Latin and Spanish music to make me happy too. I should also mention that I finally tried the beers they sell on the streets. It's not legal, but that's not enforced, so there are a bunch of people that just walk around with six packs and sell beers for 1euro.
This day was not documented on the iPhone, so I'll have to update with pics once I upload them.
After, I met up with a group of couch surfers that were having some drinks at a bar called Umami. (I don't think they have burgers there.) I had a lot of fun with this group, good, interesting conversation. I've learned so many things on this trip and had so many experiences that it's felt like a two-month long trip rather than two weeks.
People in the CS community are also very outgoing and open-minded, so I've gotten to meet a lot of like-minded people.
The night continued until after the metro was already open again at 6am with dancing at a couple different clubs. A lot of our music, but enough Latin and Spanish music to make me happy too. I should also mention that I finally tried the beers they sell on the streets. It's not legal, but that's not enforced, so there are a bunch of people that just walk around with six packs and sell beers for 1euro.
This day was not documented on the iPhone, so I'll have to update with pics once I upload them.
Toledo
I saw on the couch surfing Madrid group that people were organizing a trip to Toledo, an old town (Goya's home) about an hr outside of Madrid. So I got to Madrid and then left the next day lol. Just for the day though.
Toledo was magical. I had never been to a medieval city like that, so it was a novelty for me. Apparently the Lord of the Rings swords were made there, sooo they could actually go to battle with those weapons. All the stores were selling swords and masks like in those movies. I considered it, but thought I might have trouble getting through security! And I have to say the whole place kind of looked like a fake town. Too many theme parks for me I think.
The group was myself, a Spanish girl, an Australian guy, and a Puerto Rican guy, so it was a fun mix of cultures. Had some good food, walked a ton, took lots of pretty pics (most on the camera, will be uploaded later).
After a long day and a nap on the bus, we were ready for a night out. Me and the two guys went around and had lots of tapas and beers. At one point we had to satisfy the Australian's Guiness craving, which is how I ended up with the pics below.
I had fun exploring the tapas bars, but conversation was a little difficult. I've been in so many different groups on this trip that I guess sometimes you're bound to get a group that doesn't have the most dynamic vibe. That's one part of traveling alone that's exciting but sometimes difficult - the groups are unpredictable.
We missed the metro by 20min (it closes at 2 there), so I had to take a long bus ride home. All part of the experience.
Toledo was magical. I had never been to a medieval city like that, so it was a novelty for me. Apparently the Lord of the Rings swords were made there, sooo they could actually go to battle with those weapons. All the stores were selling swords and masks like in those movies. I considered it, but thought I might have trouble getting through security! And I have to say the whole place kind of looked like a fake town. Too many theme parks for me I think.
The group was myself, a Spanish girl, an Australian guy, and a Puerto Rican guy, so it was a fun mix of cultures. Had some good food, walked a ton, took lots of pretty pics (most on the camera, will be uploaded later).
After a long day and a nap on the bus, we were ready for a night out. Me and the two guys went around and had lots of tapas and beers. At one point we had to satisfy the Australian's Guiness craving, which is how I ended up with the pics below.
I had fun exploring the tapas bars, but conversation was a little difficult. I've been in so many different groups on this trip that I guess sometimes you're bound to get a group that doesn't have the most dynamic vibe. That's one part of traveling alone that's exciting but sometimes difficult - the groups are unpredictable.
We missed the metro by 20min (it closes at 2 there), so I had to take a long bus ride home. All part of the experience.
A Madrid
Left the hostel today and took the train to Madrid - the last stop (pics from train below). Can't believe the trip is almost coming to an end. Did a lot of reflecting on the train. It's funny how different of a perspective people have on travel in Europe. Traveling on your own, hosteling, couch surfing, it's all part of the norm. One person asked me how else would a young person do it when I said people back home were surprised I was traveling this way. It's been such an expanding, eye opening experience for me. Funny though, I recently heard that 80% of your lived experience is from information that already exists in your mind, and the rest is up to external events. So I can claim that I created 80% of what I got out of this trip. Seems like a lot, but I believe it. If you want to hear, you listen, if you want to learn, you pay attention.
The lady I'm staying with in Madrid is a super hippy, India-loving person, so we got along immediately. We had a nice long chat using broken English and Spanish over a vegetarian Indian dinner. I like this place already. And her cats have crazy light blue eyes (attached).
The lady I'm staying with in Madrid is a super hippy, India-loving person, so we got along immediately. We had a nice long chat using broken English and Spanish over a vegetarian Indian dinner. I like this place already. And her cats have crazy light blue eyes (attached).
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Christmas
Actually Christmas eve, but that's when they really celebrate in Spain. They have Xmas eve dinner with their families and open presents then. We decided at the hostel to do one all together since we were all away from home. Since most things were closed that day, all I really accomplished is the flamenco museum (below pics), tapas, and buying some food for dinner. Oh and I went back to Plaza de Espana, which we went to on the tour, and just sat there for a while, imagining what it would be like to live in Spain and have all this history around me.
I like Sevilla. It's similar to Granada in its southern feel, but is more of a city. The streets are all curvy and disorganized, and it's impossible not to get lost even while having a map in front of you the whole time. I did a few circles during my time there. But then, you end up finding so many little plazas and tons of people walking around. It felt especially festive this day - people were walking around with their families and ducking in and out of shops to buy their xmas eve dinner stuff. There was a pretty cool xmas light show I watched in one of the plazas.
Dinner was really fun, we cooked up a bunch of food...actually I didn't cook at all, just mostly ate! :) There were a few new people, among them a guy that's biking around Europe from Sweden. He was already 3 months into it and had a nice beard and tan going. I had some great conversations that evening and went to bed happy with Sevilla and ready to move onto Madrid. I was getting pretty tired by this point with so much walking and lack of sleep. I'm so glad I didn't pack more cities into the trip, since most mornings I've been taking my time to get out of the house and it's been really nice.
I like Sevilla. It's similar to Granada in its southern feel, but is more of a city. The streets are all curvy and disorganized, and it's impossible not to get lost even while having a map in front of you the whole time. I did a few circles during my time there. But then, you end up finding so many little plazas and tons of people walking around. It felt especially festive this day - people were walking around with their families and ducking in and out of shops to buy their xmas eve dinner stuff. There was a pretty cool xmas light show I watched in one of the plazas.
Dinner was really fun, we cooked up a bunch of food...actually I didn't cook at all, just mostly ate! :) There were a few new people, among them a guy that's biking around Europe from Sweden. He was already 3 months into it and had a nice beard and tan going. I had some great conversations that evening and went to bed happy with Sevilla and ready to move onto Madrid. I was getting pretty tired by this point with so much walking and lack of sleep. I'm so glad I didn't pack more cities into the trip, since most mornings I've been taking my time to get out of the house and it's been really nice.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Sevilla
Arriving at the hostel I already had a good impression because I sat and talked to the guy at the desk for a while about travel. He's been all over the place and most recently did the trans-siberian rail trip, which I want to do someday. The whole hostel experience felt very much like freshman year dorms, where you're full of anticipation and openness, meeting all kinds of people, all hanging out together, before cliques have had a chance to form.
I took the morning tour around the city the next morning, which was very interesting and covered most of the major sights. The one that stood out to me the most for some reason is the old tobacco factory. Beautiful building, now houses the humanities department of the university, but back in the day, there were thousands of workers there, all women, and their dramas were the basis for the opera Carmen. Now I need to see that one! (@Adrienne)
I went to the Alcazar with one of my new friends, a Chinese-Australian girl Ying, and it was fun to be able to ooo and aaa with someone else for once. We actually spent quite a bit of time together that day because later we decided to skip the flamenco show everyone was going to, and go find a more casual bar in an area we were told would have something like that called Triana.
At one of the tapas bars we squeezed into between some drunken business looking people, we were told about one such bar called Casa Anselma by a couple of these drunken people. We quickly escaped after getting the information we needed, and after some meandering around and a quick picture with a random group of more drunken people (attached), found the bar.
Anselma was one of my favorite experiences on this trip! It was a nice-size bar, packed with people, some standing around the bar, but most sitting in the rows of folding chairs, watching the flamenco musicians and random people that would get up to dance and sing. Also, Anselma herself, the very matronly owner of the bar, would get up and dance too. There were no costumes or any program, just people that like flamenco. The energy in the place was awesome, everyone would sing and clap along and shout out requests. It was really cool to get a peek into this culture and plus, I realized I really like flamenco music. See here for more detailed pictures of the bar: http://www.sevilla5.com/activities/flamenco/anselma.html
I took the morning tour around the city the next morning, which was very interesting and covered most of the major sights. The one that stood out to me the most for some reason is the old tobacco factory. Beautiful building, now houses the humanities department of the university, but back in the day, there were thousands of workers there, all women, and their dramas were the basis for the opera Carmen. Now I need to see that one! (@Adrienne)
I went to the Alcazar with one of my new friends, a Chinese-Australian girl Ying, and it was fun to be able to ooo and aaa with someone else for once. We actually spent quite a bit of time together that day because later we decided to skip the flamenco show everyone was going to, and go find a more casual bar in an area we were told would have something like that called Triana.
At one of the tapas bars we squeezed into between some drunken business looking people, we were told about one such bar called Casa Anselma by a couple of these drunken people. We quickly escaped after getting the information we needed, and after some meandering around and a quick picture with a random group of more drunken people (attached), found the bar.
Anselma was one of my favorite experiences on this trip! It was a nice-size bar, packed with people, some standing around the bar, but most sitting in the rows of folding chairs, watching the flamenco musicians and random people that would get up to dance and sing. Also, Anselma herself, the very matronly owner of the bar, would get up and dance too. There were no costumes or any program, just people that like flamenco. The energy in the place was awesome, everyone would sing and clap along and shout out requests. It was really cool to get a peek into this culture and plus, I realized I really like flamenco music. See here for more detailed pictures of the bar: http://www.sevilla5.com/activities/flamenco/anselma.html
Monday, December 26, 2011
The Albacin
Today, an old Spanish man tried to kiss me. I was in the beautiful Albacin neighborhood, minding my own business, taking photos from the St Nicholas church. He starts talking to me in Spanish, and I think aw how cute, this old Spanish guy is so nice. I try my best, and he invites me to have a cervesa next door. (By the way, you can get cervesas on the church grounds.) I think, nice, what a fun Spanish experience. After a cery broken spanish conversation, we somehow communicate that we're gonna go on a walk around the neighborhood, and off we go, walking very slowly because, well, he's old. Ok so on our walk he starts saying something to me I don't understand, I just smile and nod, but then he proceeds to take my hand and tries to kiss me! Wtf! He's like 80! I'm like no no no Juan, no quiero, adios, gracias para la cervesa, pero adios! He looked quite upset, but just stood there as I walked away. So much for my authentic Spanish experience! I guess that's it - the men continue to be aggressive even when they're seniors! I wonder if he just hangs out at that spot and waits for tourist girls to come by. Note to any such future girls - if some old guy invites you for a cervesa in Spain, just say no!
Anyway, when I shook that off and walked around a bit by myself, I headed back slowly to get ready to leave. A bit too slowly I guess because by the time I got ready and made it to the train station, the 5pm ticket to Seville was sold out. The next train was at 9, so I had to take my luggage, back to the bus, back to Justine's. Ha oh well, I guess it's all part of the travel experience.
Made it to Seville just fine and walked to the hostel with other weary travelers as the bus already stopped running by the time we got there at midnight. I did notice though that I felt a lot more confident arriving in a new city and navigating to where I needed to go.
This day was the very middle of my trip in Spain. Also, sadly, I'm done with couch surfing. In Seville is a hostel, which I've never done before, and then in Madrid I'm staying with a lady from airbnb. I'm sure the hostel will be fun, but I'm a little nervous it'll be all young drunken college students. The Madrid stay I'm looking forward to because the reviewers had all amazing things to say about the person, Cinthia.
Anyway, when I shook that off and walked around a bit by myself, I headed back slowly to get ready to leave. A bit too slowly I guess because by the time I got ready and made it to the train station, the 5pm ticket to Seville was sold out. The next train was at 9, so I had to take my luggage, back to the bus, back to Justine's. Ha oh well, I guess it's all part of the travel experience.
Made it to Seville just fine and walked to the hostel with other weary travelers as the bus already stopped running by the time we got there at midnight. I did notice though that I felt a lot more confident arriving in a new city and navigating to where I needed to go.
This day was the very middle of my trip in Spain. Also, sadly, I'm done with couch surfing. In Seville is a hostel, which I've never done before, and then in Madrid I'm staying with a lady from airbnb. I'm sure the hostel will be fun, but I'm a little nervous it'll be all young drunken college students. The Madrid stay I'm looking forward to because the reviewers had all amazing things to say about the person, Cinthia.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Alhambra
It took some time to get started on the great Alhambra as I needed my beauty sleep and then took the wrong bus! Fortunately, the wrong bus went up a hill to the Albacin, a magical typical southern-Spain neighborhood. Similar to what I saw the first day, but in beautiful sunny weather. There were were people taking the bus to there looking like they're just running errands and I couldn't believe people actually live in a place like this.
I still needed to get to Alhambra, so after basically making a circle around the city, I took the right bus and finally got there. I was there for about 5hrs until sunset (attached!), and it was pretty amazing. The Moorish architecture is so beautiful, I fell in love with it seeing the Taj Mahal, and the visit to Alhambra was just as spectacular. I really want to go to Morocco now.
The gardens though were my favorite. I could live in those gardens, just become one with the vines on the arches or stake out a nook next to the many peaceful fountains. The sound of the fountains as a backdrop to the beautiful architecture is unforgettable.
I still needed to get to Alhambra, so after basically making a circle around the city, I took the right bus and finally got there. I was there for about 5hrs until sunset (attached!), and it was pretty amazing. The Moorish architecture is so beautiful, I fell in love with it seeing the Taj Mahal, and the visit to Alhambra was just as spectacular. I really want to go to Morocco now.
The gardens though were my favorite. I could live in those gardens, just become one with the vines on the arches or stake out a nook next to the many peaceful fountains. The sound of the fountains as a backdrop to the beautiful architecture is unforgettable.
Granada
I seriously need to work on my Spanish. Arrival was flustering. Justina told me to take some buses to meet her somewhere, and just a simple thing like taking the bus is hard when you don't know the language. More motivation to learn!
However, this was all forgotten by the time I had my first sangria! But first, I finally got there, found my host, and got settled in. Justina is awesome, absolutely beautiful soul. I guess I picked people based on their descriptions of themselves and other people's reviews, so I already knew they'd be great, but it's still somehow a pleasant surprise when they really are that great. She's spiritual and mature, so we got along immediately.
After a little rest, a jaunt to buy a towel, and a shower, she sent me on my way to explore. That's when I found the sangria - yum. I later realized I didn't reach the place she told me about, the Albacin, but I made it there later. I did reach this restored Moroccan area close to the cathedral in the little downtown, and it was cute but quite touristy. I then randomly went up an interesting-looking hilly street and fell in love with Granada. It was late, the street was quiet, and I was enchanted. Narrow, cobblestone streets, small white houses, tile roofs, everything that I pictured Andalucia to be. Plus it felt like you can get to know this city really intimately, it felt accessible. In comparison, I was remembering Barcelona as a big lonely city. In thinking more about it later, I think cities any bigger than Granada just take time to get to know. It's impossible to arrive and instantly feel at home, it takes work.
Later that night Justine, Marika (her roommate) and I went to a friend's place for a hangout. I talked to Marika quite a bit about culture differences as she's from Japan studying Spanish and English in Granada. Quite an interesting conversation...so first day in Granada, even though starting out a little shaky, ended well.
However, this was all forgotten by the time I had my first sangria! But first, I finally got there, found my host, and got settled in. Justina is awesome, absolutely beautiful soul. I guess I picked people based on their descriptions of themselves and other people's reviews, so I already knew they'd be great, but it's still somehow a pleasant surprise when they really are that great. She's spiritual and mature, so we got along immediately.
After a little rest, a jaunt to buy a towel, and a shower, she sent me on my way to explore. That's when I found the sangria - yum. I later realized I didn't reach the place she told me about, the Albacin, but I made it there later. I did reach this restored Moroccan area close to the cathedral in the little downtown, and it was cute but quite touristy. I then randomly went up an interesting-looking hilly street and fell in love with Granada. It was late, the street was quiet, and I was enchanted. Narrow, cobblestone streets, small white houses, tile roofs, everything that I pictured Andalucia to be. Plus it felt like you can get to know this city really intimately, it felt accessible. In comparison, I was remembering Barcelona as a big lonely city. In thinking more about it later, I think cities any bigger than Granada just take time to get to know. It's impossible to arrive and instantly feel at home, it takes work.
Later that night Justine, Marika (her roommate) and I went to a friend's place for a hangout. I talked to Marika quite a bit about culture differences as she's from Japan studying Spanish and English in Granada. Quite an interesting conversation...so first day in Granada, even though starting out a little shaky, ended well.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Adios Barcelona :(
As I mentioned, we crawled out of bed at 1, had quick coffee and tea, and didn't do much else. Tania went on her way and I went on mine to get a train ticket, pick up the jacket I forgot at Rosi's place, and run a couple errands. Managed to have amazing tapas again, picture attached! By the way, the thing on the right is that Brie with jam I wa talking about before. I was excited to have it a second time yumm.
The train was quite comfy I must say. Overnight train in Spain I liiike.
It takes time to get to know a place, so only a few days in a city are always bittersweet. I left feeling like I was just started. At least I got to know the people of Barcelona just a little bit, which is an improvement over the hotel stay, museum visit type of trip.
The train was quite comfy I must say. Overnight train in Spain I liiike.
It takes time to get to know a place, so only a few days in a city are always bittersweet. I left feeling like I was just started. At least I got to know the people of Barcelona just a little bit, which is an improvement over the hotel stay, museum visit type of trip.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Adventures with Tania
This day lasted until 6am the next day. So its a good thing it started out with a nice strong cup of coffee! Tania and I set out together, but parted ways after the coffee for a bit to check out different stuff. I went to Barri Gotic again, saw Palau de la Musica with it's pretty entrance, and Arc de Triomf. Walked around the pretty streets of the gothic quarter and found amazing tapas. I had this magical tapa that's fried Brie served with raspberry jam. O m g. Also had wine, which is normal over lunch, and which may explain why it is hard to do business with Spanish people from abroad. Or at least it's best to call them in the morning ;)
After my drunken lunch, I went to meet Tania to go to Park de Guell, a park with more Gaudi masterpieces on a hill above the city. It reminds me of this Berkeley spot also on top of a hill where you can see San Fran and the golden gate. There are also three crosses on the very top...very dramatic. While we were watching the sunset from up there we befriended a couple of Spanish cats, which are just as coy as their American compatriots.
The Gaudi stuff was weird and beautiful as always, very pretty mosaics, pictures will be posted.
Next came the quest for chicken. Tania wanted to make us kung pow, but on Sundays most supermarkets are closed, so we ended up taking the metro all the way into the downtown to the middle eastern part to a store she knew would have it. On the way we unsuccessfully tried to buy a train ticket for me, but all we did was walk around in one metro station for an hour :( oh well, it's all part of the adventure.
The kung pow chicken was a smashing hit, after which Tania and I decided that even though it's Sunday, it's our last night in town and we should go out.
We ended up in this basement club with really cool stone arches but a terrible dj. We just sat there drinking our incredibly expensive drinks and watching the few people dancing until we found out there was an upstairs part to the club. The dj up there we much better and somehow we ended up dancing until 4:30 in the morning! Another hour and the metro would've been open, but the Spanish guys in the club were getting annoying, so we left and took the bus. This took a bit of circling a plaza to look for it, but I got to practice my Spanish a little more!
Going to bed at 6:30 means we slept until 1 the next day and did not accomplish anything we wanted to, but we had our night out and lots of laughs about our various adventures.
After my drunken lunch, I went to meet Tania to go to Park de Guell, a park with more Gaudi masterpieces on a hill above the city. It reminds me of this Berkeley spot also on top of a hill where you can see San Fran and the golden gate. There are also three crosses on the very top...very dramatic. While we were watching the sunset from up there we befriended a couple of Spanish cats, which are just as coy as their American compatriots.
The Gaudi stuff was weird and beautiful as always, very pretty mosaics, pictures will be posted.
Next came the quest for chicken. Tania wanted to make us kung pow, but on Sundays most supermarkets are closed, so we ended up taking the metro all the way into the downtown to the middle eastern part to a store she knew would have it. On the way we unsuccessfully tried to buy a train ticket for me, but all we did was walk around in one metro station for an hour :( oh well, it's all part of the adventure.
The kung pow chicken was a smashing hit, after which Tania and I decided that even though it's Sunday, it's our last night in town and we should go out.
We ended up in this basement club with really cool stone arches but a terrible dj. We just sat there drinking our incredibly expensive drinks and watching the few people dancing until we found out there was an upstairs part to the club. The dj up there we much better and somehow we ended up dancing until 4:30 in the morning! Another hour and the metro would've been open, but the Spanish guys in the club were getting annoying, so we left and took the bus. This took a bit of circling a plaza to look for it, but I got to practice my Spanish a little more!
Going to bed at 6:30 means we slept until 1 the next day and did not accomplish anything we wanted to, but we had our night out and lots of laughs about our various adventures.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Third day
Had an interesting conversation with Arthur this morning. He told me about a project he's working on for the German institute here. He works with two groups, leading them in performing German plays. One group is all teenagers, and his purpose there, coming from a social work background, is to promote social skills, empathy, confidence, etc, and language learning at the same time. The other group is adult, and that one is more for language, so that there is an interesting activity for them to practice German. He's also writing a play for this. Seems that people find all kinds of creative ways to have income here. Apparently the unemployment for people younger than 25 is 40%! I met one American the first night that teaches English, and he just walks around the squares and hands out business cards like a madman. Somehow he's able to make a living just doing lessons.
My only tourist attraction this day was La Sagrada Familia (pictured below with and without the stupid face). It's a cathedral Gaudi worked on for 40 years and never finished. However he left detailed instructions and they're still working on it.
Its very ornate on the outside, a bit much, but inside it's spacious and airy. Gaudi used nature as inspiration for all his work. There was a whole nerdy exhibit about his use of honeycomb, spirals, crystal shapes, double helixes, it was pretty interesting. The columns were made like trees, and where the branches branched off, he placed bulbs like scars on a tree.
Later I met up with Petz Schults, the sustainable designer I emailed before coming to Barcelona, at a gallery space where she gets together with some friends once a month to showcase their sketchbooks to eachother. She shared some interesting ideas about sustainable design and told me about some projects she's working on. There was a very warm feeling between everyone there, they were talking about New Years plans, and it was fun to get a peek into Barcelona social life.
Then it was time to move apartments. The next place I stayed was with Elvira, who is originally from Barcelona, and another couch surfer Tania from Moldova. Had an awesome dinner with Elvira and Tania, lots of talk about culture, especially of the eastern-european variety. Elvira has always been interested in Russian culture and and language and she knows almost more about my peoples than I do. It also helps that she's hosted over 100 couch surfers! The next day after we leave, she's hosting a guy from Belarus for 3 days and next week another person from somewhere else. I don't know how she gets the energy, but she should probably write a book at some point.
It's incredible to what extent Europeans are exposed to other cultures than their own. Both the girls did Erasmus, which is a study abroad program for Europeans, and everyone I've talked to seems to have done it. For example, Tania is Moldovan, but studying in Czech republic and is doing Erasmus in Portugal for a semester. Oh, and a flight to Barcelona is 30euro round trip from there. She speaks like 6 languages.
For me, even these four days in Spain are expanding my mind. Even though I'm constantly around foreigners in the US, and always have been, it's a different experience being a foreigner yourself. Maybe that forces you to be receptive and open to changing. Or maybe my mindset was already there.
My only tourist attraction this day was La Sagrada Familia (pictured below with and without the stupid face). It's a cathedral Gaudi worked on for 40 years and never finished. However he left detailed instructions and they're still working on it.
Its very ornate on the outside, a bit much, but inside it's spacious and airy. Gaudi used nature as inspiration for all his work. There was a whole nerdy exhibit about his use of honeycomb, spirals, crystal shapes, double helixes, it was pretty interesting. The columns were made like trees, and where the branches branched off, he placed bulbs like scars on a tree.
Later I met up with Petz Schults, the sustainable designer I emailed before coming to Barcelona, at a gallery space where she gets together with some friends once a month to showcase their sketchbooks to eachother. She shared some interesting ideas about sustainable design and told me about some projects she's working on. There was a very warm feeling between everyone there, they were talking about New Years plans, and it was fun to get a peek into Barcelona social life.
Then it was time to move apartments. The next place I stayed was with Elvira, who is originally from Barcelona, and another couch surfer Tania from Moldova. Had an awesome dinner with Elvira and Tania, lots of talk about culture, especially of the eastern-european variety. Elvira has always been interested in Russian culture and and language and she knows almost more about my peoples than I do. It also helps that she's hosted over 100 couch surfers! The next day after we leave, she's hosting a guy from Belarus for 3 days and next week another person from somewhere else. I don't know how she gets the energy, but she should probably write a book at some point.
It's incredible to what extent Europeans are exposed to other cultures than their own. Both the girls did Erasmus, which is a study abroad program for Europeans, and everyone I've talked to seems to have done it. For example, Tania is Moldovan, but studying in Czech republic and is doing Erasmus in Portugal for a semester. Oh, and a flight to Barcelona is 30euro round trip from there. She speaks like 6 languages.
For me, even these four days in Spain are expanding my mind. Even though I'm constantly around foreigners in the US, and always have been, it's a different experience being a foreigner yourself. Maybe that forces you to be receptive and open to changing. Or maybe my mindset was already there.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Barthelona
After a relaxed delicious coffee made with italian method, which I admit I've only seen before on jersey shore, and a planning session with my map and guidebook, I headed out for tapas.
Found a random place and almost completely ordered in Spanish, except I think the waiter got impatient because he eventually switched to English. I got an understanding look from the older gentleman in a beret sitting at a table next to me, and he also proceeded to order in English. So we started commiserating and I got invited to have lunch with him. Found out he's a sculptor from Cambridge who has recently retired and has spent much time in Barcelona for inspiration. We talked about the usual stuff you talk about with sculptors from England, you know, art, classical music, history and the like. It was quite pleasant. Here he is: www.Douglasjeal.com. The tapas were amazing btw.
I headed toward the old part of town and visited the cathedral first (pictured below). It's so impressive, one can really let their mind expand in a space this big. One nice part about traveling alone is the quiet and introspection. I just took my time walking through at my own pace, it was really nice.
After this I checked out the underground ancient Roman city from 400bc. Wish we had ancient Roman cities under LA!
Then I headed to Eixample to Casa Batllo, a Gaudi creation. The whole building represents water and marine life and looks a little bit like a toy house with all kinds of curves and colorful patterns. But it also has a lot of architectural elements to create passive cooling and heating, and attention to natural light. It was a very relaxing experience to be in there.
In the evening Rosi and I went to an exhibition for Drap art, which is upcycled art. We bonded over arts and crafts earlier and sustainability in general. It seems that Barcelona is quite eco-friendly, which is nice to see.
The drap art was impressive, just what people can do with basically trash. I got a lot of ideas, so expect y'alls presents to be made out of trash now! ;)
After, we went to have some tea and met up with Arthur, after which I learned that the equivalent of "gringo" in Spain is "giddy" (not sure about spelling). This is good to know in case I ever hear some angry yelling and that word, I'll know I did something wrong!
They also educated me a little about Catalonia. There are a lot of laws protecting the Catalan language, such as to get any public office, you have to know it very well, because there is so much Castillian around with people from other parts of Spain moving here and tourists. Also, there is an independence movement to separate from Spain, but from what I understand it's a small minority of people. I'm sure it can be hard when your city is overrun with tourists, I mean, I feel like that in Santa Monica sometimes, and Barcelona is filled with them. (us!) Maybe Tony can look into making Santa Monica its own country too ;)
Found a random place and almost completely ordered in Spanish, except I think the waiter got impatient because he eventually switched to English. I got an understanding look from the older gentleman in a beret sitting at a table next to me, and he also proceeded to order in English. So we started commiserating and I got invited to have lunch with him. Found out he's a sculptor from Cambridge who has recently retired and has spent much time in Barcelona for inspiration. We talked about the usual stuff you talk about with sculptors from England, you know, art, classical music, history and the like. It was quite pleasant. Here he is: www.Douglasjeal.com. The tapas were amazing btw.
I headed toward the old part of town and visited the cathedral first (pictured below). It's so impressive, one can really let their mind expand in a space this big. One nice part about traveling alone is the quiet and introspection. I just took my time walking through at my own pace, it was really nice.
After this I checked out the underground ancient Roman city from 400bc. Wish we had ancient Roman cities under LA!
Then I headed to Eixample to Casa Batllo, a Gaudi creation. The whole building represents water and marine life and looks a little bit like a toy house with all kinds of curves and colorful patterns. But it also has a lot of architectural elements to create passive cooling and heating, and attention to natural light. It was a very relaxing experience to be in there.
In the evening Rosi and I went to an exhibition for Drap art, which is upcycled art. We bonded over arts and crafts earlier and sustainability in general. It seems that Barcelona is quite eco-friendly, which is nice to see.
The drap art was impressive, just what people can do with basically trash. I got a lot of ideas, so expect y'alls presents to be made out of trash now! ;)
After, we went to have some tea and met up with Arthur, after which I learned that the equivalent of "gringo" in Spain is "giddy" (not sure about spelling). This is good to know in case I ever hear some angry yelling and that word, I'll know I did something wrong!
They also educated me a little about Catalonia. There are a lot of laws protecting the Catalan language, such as to get any public office, you have to know it very well, because there is so much Castillian around with people from other parts of Spain moving here and tourists. Also, there is an independence movement to separate from Spain, but from what I understand it's a small minority of people. I'm sure it can be hard when your city is overrun with tourists, I mean, I feel like that in Santa Monica sometimes, and Barcelona is filled with them. (us!) Maybe Tony can look into making Santa Monica its own country too ;)
Thursday, December 15, 2011
First day
First day, arrive in a haze, of course, no surprise there. Already excited about the Spanish all around me and how I´m actually understanding a little bit. SO glad I learned some before I came - I would´ve been so overwhelmed and intimidated otherwise.
The metro seems to be an endless maze of tunnels and stairs. Maybe I should've taken a backpack after all! Dragging suitcase all over metro and looking like a touron. Classic. However, despite the difficulties, I like getting lost and found again, getting to know an unfamiliar city, it makes me feel alive.
First couch surfing experience is a huge success - Rosi and Arthur, the couple I'm staying with, are very welcoming and warm people. She's from a town somewhere between here and Madrid, he's German, both interesting and fun to talk to. She's actually a Spanish teacher! How perfect for me! Their apartment is cute and peaceful, and the couch is comfy, which I discovered immediately as a nap was in order.
I´m staying in Raval for the first two nights, right in the city center, so a lot of sights are right around the corner. I started out at the Hospital de la Ste. Creu Biblioteca Catalunya. Old stone building, so European, and makes you feel so...scholarly. Picture below is my view from the bench I was relaxing on :)
The same night, there was a weekly Couchsurfing Barcelona meetup going on, which apparently gets a huge turnout every week. Just hosts and surfers that are in town that all like tapas and drinking. Sooo there were about 30 people there and I was told it´s even more in the summer. This is a good start!
The bars were in the Gothic quarter - narrow curvy roads, people everywhere. Stone walls. Everyone was friendly, open, and chill. I´m immediately getting a sense of laid-backness in this town, even coming from socal.
The metro seems to be an endless maze of tunnels and stairs. Maybe I should've taken a backpack after all! Dragging suitcase all over metro and looking like a touron. Classic. However, despite the difficulties, I like getting lost and found again, getting to know an unfamiliar city, it makes me feel alive.
First couch surfing experience is a huge success - Rosi and Arthur, the couple I'm staying with, are very welcoming and warm people. She's from a town somewhere between here and Madrid, he's German, both interesting and fun to talk to. She's actually a Spanish teacher! How perfect for me! Their apartment is cute and peaceful, and the couch is comfy, which I discovered immediately as a nap was in order.
I´m staying in Raval for the first two nights, right in the city center, so a lot of sights are right around the corner. I started out at the Hospital de la Ste. Creu Biblioteca Catalunya. Old stone building, so European, and makes you feel so...scholarly. Picture below is my view from the bench I was relaxing on :)
The same night, there was a weekly Couchsurfing Barcelona meetup going on, which apparently gets a huge turnout every week. Just hosts and surfers that are in town that all like tapas and drinking. Sooo there were about 30 people there and I was told it´s even more in the summer. This is a good start!
The bars were in the Gothic quarter - narrow curvy roads, people everywhere. Stone walls. Everyone was friendly, open, and chill. I´m immediately getting a sense of laid-backness in this town, even coming from socal.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Off to Barcelona!
It's finally hitting me that I'm going on a two week trip to a foreign land by myself. The coworkers were making me nervous yesterday. Is it my American optimism that's making me lax about traveling by myself? To be honest, the uncertainty is part of the adventure.
I am pretty set for the first stop, Barcelona, with two couches to sleep on and several different people to meet. It's the stop I'm excited about the most, but I know Granada and Sevilla are also beautiful, and Madrid should be fun for its big-city feel and nightlife.
If whatever you dwell on truly does get stronger, then after this trip I will have a good idea of what it would be like to live in Spain, will have started some lasting friendships, learned a lot of Spanish, and most importantly and as always, learned some things about myself.
El viaje comienza!
I am pretty set for the first stop, Barcelona, with two couches to sleep on and several different people to meet. It's the stop I'm excited about the most, but I know Granada and Sevilla are also beautiful, and Madrid should be fun for its big-city feel and nightlife.
If whatever you dwell on truly does get stronger, then after this trip I will have a good idea of what it would be like to live in Spain, will have started some lasting friendships, learned a lot of Spanish, and most importantly and as always, learned some things about myself.
El viaje comienza!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)