Scatterbrained

26.01.2008 - 12.02.2008

I don't think it's possible for me to find a good system of organizing the telling of thoughts and experiences I've had here so far in Barcelona, so I've given up on any structured kind of entry. So here goes somethin'.

*Two older Spanish men I talked to in the past week both told me that they would never come to the U.S. because they are afraid of going through customs. They think that because they are foreigners, they will automatically be treated as a potential terrorist. I don't really think they would be subjected to all that much more than the kind of security your average American is used to, but I don't blame them for thinking it would be a highly stressful and scary experience, because that must be the message that's getting across to them on the news.
*Barcelona is not the city it was before the 1992 Olympic games here. The popular coastline wasn't even accessible until after the Olympics. It used to be all industrial centers, harbors, and whole bunch of big rocks, until they imported tons of sand and cleaned it all up. And in general, Barcelona was not the cosmopolitan city it is today: tourist sites were not well presented or preserved, modern and upscale businesses were scarce, and the whole of the city was a lot more rugged and rustic. I was told this by one of the men I spoke of above, whom I met when asking if I could take his picture while he worked in a little vendor tent selling hand-carved wooden crafts. We ended up going to lunch and talking for a good five hours or so in Spanish. He was really interesting, very intelligent, and not creepy. And he spend his childhood and most of his teenage years under the Franco regime, so that was a trip to discuss with him.
*Because of the terrible exchange rate, everything is expensive. You can't get a decent dinner with drink for under 30 euros, which translates to about 47 U.S. dollars. Yikes. And it seems to me that if the Euro was equal to the dollar, everything you could purchase would be close to equal in value. So, what that means is that Spaniards are happily enjoying their appropriately priced meals, while I'm laying down half a benjamin for some lamb chops and a glass of wine. BUT, interestingly enough, if I was one of those Starbucks freaks (which I never was), then my budget would probably even out to what it was in the States, since the signature coffee drink of Spain is the café con leche and it only costs about 1.75 euros for this and a croissant in the morning. Or about 1.20 alone, which is a lot less than a fancy latte. So it's super cheap, and deeeelicious-- SO much better than any coffee drink the United States, and I don't know why... it just is. Funny how Europe will probably always do coffee better, for no apparent reason other than that their coffee-making ancestors are more ancient than ours.
Also, you don't ask for coffee "to go" in Spain. The main point of having a cup at your local café is to sit down, relax for a few minutes, and read the paper or have a conversation with the barista.
*I think one of the most important lessons you learn while traveling, is not to judge people so quickly. I actually decided a couple days before leaving Barcelona that this was going to be my next personal assignment-- to try to suppress those immediate judgments of people, at least the negative ones. And as soon as I stepped foot in this strange land, I knew my mission was a righteous one, because my cab driver from the airport was a total jerk and it started to really affect my attitude, until I remembered my new calling and retreated from these dark thoughts. Anyway, since then it's been a constant struggle to remind myself that first impressions are not always accurate and that a lot of times I'm proved entirely wrong in my judgments. And relating back to traveling, this idea is especially poignant because many times you judge someone based on their mannerisms, but you can't do that when the person is from an entirely different culture than you... because something you may be offended by is totally acceptable to him or her, or vice versa.

Okay, picture time!

I went to Montserrat, which is a mountain with an ancient cathedral and a monastery, about an hour and a half outside Barcelona. Check out how high up it is...

I didn't get any pictures of inside the cathedral, because I felt disrespectful taking pictures during services. But I wish I could share it with you, because it was one of the most amazing buildings I've ever been in. I can't really try to explain it. So instead here's a picture of some cute kids and a kitty outside the cathedral.

Below is a weird picture I edited, taken of the view from Montserrat.

And here are my compañeros de cuarto (roommates) in my apartment.... and I just realized I never explained my living situation! Well, I found a room in an apartment in the classifieds here, and loved it right away! Everyone who lives here is so nice, considerate, and in general, awesome people. There's Sarai, a girl from Ibiza, LLorena, a girl from Mexico, and Marianna and Ricardo, a couple from Portugal. And none of them speak any English! It's great...

Below is a snapshot I took in the metro of some people dressed up Carnaval, which is kind of like Halloween but it's a week long and nearby towns host huge parties at their own cost. We only ended up at a club in Barcelona, though, which was still really fun, and packed, as you can see.

Next we have another festival where the Catalunyans make giant plastic images of patron saints and march them around the town square while a band plays corny 16th century celebration music.