Whoa! So, almost a week has gone by here in Barcelona and I haven't been writing because I've been out running around the city day and night. Where to start? I am officially moved into my apartment. My roommates Kevin and Matt are both super nice guys and we've been having fun getting to know the city better. On our second day here we were given a guided tour of the city which took us all around to a ton of famous places, most of which I can't remember. Here are some photos of my early explorations of Barcelona:
A view of the city from Montjuic.
The hotel we were staying at for the first few days. Its in the Plaza Espanya, a pretty close walk to a ton of restaurants, shops, climbing gyms, etc.
La Sagrada Familia. Possibly the coolest church I have ever seen in my entire life (and when finished, the tallest church in Europe). Currently under construction until 2035 or something crazy like that.
My roommate Matt walking down one of a million back streets in Barcelona. How cool is this place?
Me, Erica, Juliet, and Matt trying to find our way back to the hotel on a 2 mile venture through the city.
Why? Because we can.
Yes, you read that right. Strangest bar I've ever been to.
A couple things to note about life in Barcelona thus far:
-I have done more walking here than I ever have before in my life. Mostly, this is out of the overwhelming urge I feel to see every single part of the city. Also, I may or may not have gotten lost more than once. Either way, in the past 48 hours I think I walked around 10 miles. Whether or not this is a lifestyle to get used to or I just need to stop getting lost is yet to be determined.
-The metro is the shit. A system of underground tunnels to connect the city. Why didn't Phoenix think of this. Worst part about the metro-- having no idea which direction you're facing once you get off. This may be part of the reason I've spent so much time walking.
-Washers? Check. Dryers? Ummmm... So it seems literally every single person in Barcelona hangs their clothes out to dry. This cultural adaption doesn't seem too crazy unless you factor in weird things like sheets. I currently own one set of the cheapest, scratchiest sheets available in Barcelona (cost: 30 euro). Whenever I decide to wash these sheets I have to pick a day to wake up early, wash them, pull them out of the washer, and hope that its sunny on my balcony. How long does it take for sheets to dry? Less than a day I hope. This will take some getting used to.
-"Cafe" here generally means espresso. Thus, "cafe con leche" is a latte. No small wonder that the first thing I figured out here was where to buy coffee. Coincidentally, every shop will make you a latte and they're all good. Which brings us to my next point:
-Every 5th shop or so on any given street is a cafe/bar/small restaurant. It seats anywhere from 5-15 people inside and generally has outdoor seating. You can eat sandwiches (bread with tomato spread and meat or cheese [or both if you're lucky]), get a coffee, usually find a pastry, or drink a beer. Furthermore, there is no time bracket for any of these items, meaning you can get a coffee at 11 at night or, in the case of the man sitting next to me at breakfast this morning, drink a beer with your sandwich. This still blows my mind. In America you are definitely an alcoholic for this behavior, but here it is totally fine.
-Public drinking: totally cool here. House parties: not acceptable. At our orientation we were told about the apartments people live in and how thin the walls are (this is true). Since people all across the city are living in such close quarters, house parties are generally not acceptable. I was literally told that it was rude to be making too much noise in the apartment, especially at night, and that I should "take my drinking into the street like a normal person". I didn't fully understand this until last night on the Metro a group of 20-something Spanish people were drinking their beers/mixed drinks out of glasses on the metro. I dont mean glass bottles, I mean cups from home. Awesome.
-Nudity is totally acceptable in storefront ads, and not even for porn. I was walking by a spa and saw an ad for some skin treatment, then BOOM, boobies. Out of nowhere. I'm not angry.
-Cab drivers can be sketchy: Last night, around 230 a.m. (still early) we decided to head home. My roommate Matt and I got into the first cab we could flag down. The cab driver was mumbling some shit we could hardly understand. We got the impression he lost something and he went to town looking for it while driving. After repeated attempts to figure out what he lost, I gave up. This guy pulled the E-break at every red light and forgot to put it down every time the light changed (read: loud noises from engine and no movement). About 100ft from our destination this guy finally finds what he has been searching for: a joint. Lost. My. Shit. Matt and I got out on some corner and walked home, thanking God we were still alive.
-Sooooooo, almost none of the signs around the city are in Spanish. Strange? I thought so too. Catalan is the primary language for signs, pamphlets, etc. For those who don't know, Catalan is a mix of Spanish, French, and Italian. Knowing Spanish helps to guess at what signs might say in Catalan, but its not a guarantee. Although all the signs are in Catalan, Spanish seems to be spoken primarily. Its taking some getting used to, but I'm beginning to understand the accent through the lisping and weird pronunciations.
Finally moved into my apartment. Here are some pics:
My room.
Bathroom.
Living room.
Kitchen area.
Thats all for now. Why not end on a quote from a favorite author?
"There are only two mantras, yum and yuck, mine is yum."
--Tom Robbins (Still Life With Woodpecker)
Alex - just stared reading this so i am a bit behind as you already know.
ReplyDelete1. the city looks brilliant!
2. I didn't have a dryer for a few years..but i did have a large sunny patio..and i would say yes one day should be more than sufficient for drying sheets...if you haven't already tried by now!
3.In my experience drinking in public in the morning IS acceptable in wisconsin. but so is being obese.
also - how in all of these years did we never talk about tom robbins my absolute hands down favorite author of all times? and yes i prefer to live my life entirely by yum standards.
xo yr cousin
S