I've been home a few weeks now. Not much has changed. Although I do see things a bit differently now. Not really differently, I just have a different appreciation of it now. Like the utter diversity here, and the fact that I can pay with my card and not get charged. But there are other things that I liked and kind of miss about Madrid/Europe too. The sights, the hanging legs of jamon, the transportation systems, the constant walking that helped get my ass into shape just a little bit.
But by the end of it I think I became so jaded. I was reluctant, defiant even, to take pictures of the beautiful things around me let alone stand in line for something like the Louvre or the Effiel Tower. I had little to no expectations from wherever I was, which was either a good or a bad thing. I had little disappointments, but I wonder if that I meant I lacked the drive to see what was really around me. Then again, I was technically on vacation and damn if I didn't need to relax for a bit.
Studying abroad and traveling has a lot of hype. Good or bad, it does. So much so that I'm not sure that my experience could've ever lived up to it. Rarely do they speak of the everyday ups and downs and quirky details of living abroad, details which I live for. But I would never say I regretted it. I still enjoyed my time there. I love Madrid and Spain, and wish I got to see more of it. Hopefully I will one day.
I suppose this is why I'm reluctant when people ask me about my trip sometimes. I feel as though they expect it to be amazing. Which sometimes it was, sometimes it was far far from it.
Pero supongo, que eso es la vida, no? Y aqui estoy. Still doin' the same ole' same ole'. Future still unsure yet steadily approaching as I go into my last year of college. Just coming back I felt somewhat different, maybe a bit bolder than I used to. But I suppose for me, talking to people that speak english is generally easier and relatively less stress-inducing than speaking in spanish. It'd be nice to say that yeah maybe in about 2.5 months time I've changed a bit for the better. That maybe I'm not so much the 'chica al borde de un ataque' as I was before. But who knows.
I still have a long year ahead of me and of figuring out my life now that I've returned to the real world, with real classes, work, graduations, and potential careers to face. Yup, life's just about the same thus far.
And still I ask, "Que coño estoy haciendo?"
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Adios Madrid, chulona mia
Due to scheduling complications, I had to take a total of 3 trains over about a 17hr trip from Paris to Madrid. Kinda uncomfortable at times but at least I more than break even with my Eurail Pass. And I get one more trip on the Barca-Madrid AVE!! The movie wasn't as good this time, bu at least I was back in a land where they spoke castellano.
I got back to Madrid at around 4pm, and again I felt a breath of fresh air being back on familiar ground. I checked into my hostel in Sol which was nice enough, despite the fact that I had to share a dorm with 3 other dudes. But whatever I was only there for one night barely.
It was just about the worst weather I remember witnessing in Madrid. Rain, clouds and everything. But I had last-minute shopping to do damn it! I shop I did, for some Filipinos for the road, and more souvenirs. If only the weather was better, I would've walked down Gran Via on last time.
The hostel was for sure awkward and loud as hell. I was reluctant to sleep in my dorm, prepping all the stuff I had to before the flight. But finally it got quiet and I figured I should sleep a little before heading to the airport.
7:30!!!! AAAAAAAAAHHH damnit! I was supposed to get up at 6:30am! I slept through my cell alarm, and ended up waking up to the loud-ass alarm of one of my awkward dorm-mates. Luckily just about everything was prepped and ready to go. I grabbed my stuff and busted outtta that mother. Took the metro to the airport, grabbed my stored luggage, took a shuttle to the other terminal, checked in luggage and got to my gate that still wasn't boarding yet. Call up George Clooney, cuz I got this airport shizz down!
On the plane to London I started hearing some English-speakers. It started hitting me that I wouldn't be speaking spanish/castellano any more, at least not when I had formal busy-ness things to handle. I already start to miss it.
So here I am on another long flight, this time going in the opposite direction. Remembering way back on that first flight, I'm reminded of how so freaked out I was the whole time. I was so anxious and felt like such a newb at everything. This time, I couldn't be more calm, feel pretty relaxed, not a worry at all. I don't know if was that I'd finally gotten the hang of flying on my own, that I was just tired and jaded by it all, or just the thought of finally being home. En todos modos, in a way I almost felt like the title of this blog was not as true for me as it was when I started it.
I arrived at good ole' SFO safe and sound, minus one piece of luggage that got stuck in London, but I got that back the next day. All that I care about now is that I'm home, where I can get some food and some sleep.
Madrid, te quiero. Espana, deseaba conocer tu y tu tierra mas. Y todavia, quiero conocerte mas. 2.5 meses es mucho tiempo, pero no es mucho tampoco. Me voy a echar de menos tu calles, tu sonidos. Espero yo para nuestro proximo encuentro. Vale vale. Chao. Adios. Hasta luego.
I got back to Madrid at around 4pm, and again I felt a breath of fresh air being back on familiar ground. I checked into my hostel in Sol which was nice enough, despite the fact that I had to share a dorm with 3 other dudes. But whatever I was only there for one night barely.
It was just about the worst weather I remember witnessing in Madrid. Rain, clouds and everything. But I had last-minute shopping to do damn it! I shop I did, for some Filipinos for the road, and more souvenirs. If only the weather was better, I would've walked down Gran Via on last time.
The hostel was for sure awkward and loud as hell. I was reluctant to sleep in my dorm, prepping all the stuff I had to before the flight. But finally it got quiet and I figured I should sleep a little before heading to the airport.
7:30!!!! AAAAAAAAAHHH damnit! I was supposed to get up at 6:30am! I slept through my cell alarm, and ended up waking up to the loud-ass alarm of one of my awkward dorm-mates. Luckily just about everything was prepped and ready to go. I grabbed my stuff and busted outtta that mother. Took the metro to the airport, grabbed my stored luggage, took a shuttle to the other terminal, checked in luggage and got to my gate that still wasn't boarding yet. Call up George Clooney, cuz I got this airport shizz down!
On the plane to London I started hearing some English-speakers. It started hitting me that I wouldn't be speaking spanish/castellano any more, at least not when I had formal busy-ness things to handle. I already start to miss it.
So here I am on another long flight, this time going in the opposite direction. Remembering way back on that first flight, I'm reminded of how so freaked out I was the whole time. I was so anxious and felt like such a newb at everything. This time, I couldn't be more calm, feel pretty relaxed, not a worry at all. I don't know if was that I'd finally gotten the hang of flying on my own, that I was just tired and jaded by it all, or just the thought of finally being home. En todos modos, in a way I almost felt like the title of this blog was not as true for me as it was when I started it.
I arrived at good ole' SFO safe and sound, minus one piece of luggage that got stuck in London, but I got that back the next day. All that I care about now is that I'm home, where I can get some food and some sleep.
Madrid, te quiero. Espana, deseaba conocer tu y tu tierra mas. Y todavia, quiero conocerte mas. 2.5 meses es mucho tiempo, pero no es mucho tampoco. Me voy a echar de menos tu calles, tu sonidos. Espero yo para nuestro proximo encuentro. Vale vale. Chao. Adios. Hasta luego.
La vie en rose - says nothing about the smells
So after a long train ride, with some very pretty views of the French countryside, we finally make it to Paris at around 11pm. We take the metro to Monmartre, where our hostel was as well as the Sacre Cour and where Amelie took place.
Unfortunately my first views of Paris weren't as picturesque as I thought it would be. Maybe it was the fact that it was late at night and Monmartre isn't exactly the Champ-Elysses, but the streets were dirty and certain areas, especially in the metro, definitely smelled. But I suppose its understandable, its an old city and you shouldn't expect everything to pleasantly wonderful.
But that is absolutely no excuse for the WHACK-ASS hostel we were staying. It was relatively cheaper than others, but if we knew it was this bad we would've paid more MUCH MORE for a better one. Our room was dimly lit, the floors covered in cheap flimsy red carpet that was not nailed/glued in all the way, the walls had a creamed colored cheap wallpaper. Seriously looked like a gross, ghetto version of The Shining. Not to mention the strange stains on the bed blankets, the 3 hangers in the closet, and the horrible view of the maid's closet down the hall. There's also the bathroom issue, in which the toilet with no toilet paper was down the hall and the shared shower for all 6 floors was tiny, not the cleanest, and flooded. Why, God, WHY!? Luckily for our last night we upgraded to an infinitely better room with its own bathroom but still...why?!
So aside from that, Monmartre is an interesting neighborhood. Lots of little shops. you can tell this is a working class, and immigrant, neighborhood. Lots of souvenir shops which is definitely appreciated.
So here's the list of major sights to see we hit up in Paris:
The Louvre - definitely is a must. But there was no way we were going INSIDE. Lines were infinitely long. And just seeing the building and seeing how huge it was, we could only imagine how much art would be inside it. That equals way too much than we could handle. But we took some great pics of the pyramids outside, despite the gray clouds hovering about. And unfortunately no roseline, no kneeling down above the tomb of Jesus' supposed babymama.
The Seine River - walking along the Seine is typically Parisian, at least in my mind. The bridges were cool, with all the locks that people leave on them. Pretty cute.
Shakespeare and company bookshop - Cool english-language book shop, as seen in Before Sunset. Pretty famous and they stamp the books that they give you. Couldn't help but get an Almodovar book from here.
Notre Dame - I didn't find no Quasimodo, but the place sure is pretty.
The Latin Quarter - Where the Sorbonne is and all the Frenchie university students are. Nice little neighborhood, shops, random comic/manga shops too. I guess for all the anime/manga nerds of the university? Also found a little theater to watch a Hitchcock film and kills a few hours until dinner. By the time it was done, the sun was setting, and made the streets look like what I'd expected from Paris, even just for a while.
Sacre Cour - Walkable distance from the hostel, so we hit that up at night. Great view of the city and the Effiel Tower.
Les Invalides - Where Napoleon was buried, and a bunch of other dudes
Musee Rodin - cool statues
Effiel Tower - as cliche as it is, it was very pretty. Though it serves nothing but to look at it and to look from top of it, it does its job well. Didn't go up it, but I touched the base of it! That's all I wanted
The Champ-Elysses/Arc de Triomphe - Lots of fancy stores on this famous street, including a HUGE Louis Vuitton store that had a line to get inside. Was only there for a little while if only because of how Audrey Hepburn spoke about it in Sabrina.
Spread out amongst these many sights there was also lots of walking and lots of talking. Talking and speculating about life as we know it and the terrifying fact that we'll soon be facing the real world, both coming back home and graduating how many months from now. I wouldn't expect any less from us, me and Katie, we think waaaay too much for our own good.
There were also many tasty foods and pastries, including yet another variation of the hot dog. This time its called a 'hotdog frommage' pretty much a regular hot dog in a baguette-like bread and covered in cheese. So horribly good.
So Paris is where Katie and I part as she continues to explore Europe and I return to Madrid for my flight home. Ciao Paris, until next time with more time and more monies. It's been interesting.
Unfortunately my first views of Paris weren't as picturesque as I thought it would be. Maybe it was the fact that it was late at night and Monmartre isn't exactly the Champ-Elysses, but the streets were dirty and certain areas, especially in the metro, definitely smelled. But I suppose its understandable, its an old city and you shouldn't expect everything to pleasantly wonderful.
But that is absolutely no excuse for the WHACK-ASS hostel we were staying. It was relatively cheaper than others, but if we knew it was this bad we would've paid more MUCH MORE for a better one. Our room was dimly lit, the floors covered in cheap flimsy red carpet that was not nailed/glued in all the way, the walls had a creamed colored cheap wallpaper. Seriously looked like a gross, ghetto version of The Shining. Not to mention the strange stains on the bed blankets, the 3 hangers in the closet, and the horrible view of the maid's closet down the hall. There's also the bathroom issue, in which the toilet with no toilet paper was down the hall and the shared shower for all 6 floors was tiny, not the cleanest, and flooded. Why, God, WHY!? Luckily for our last night we upgraded to an infinitely better room with its own bathroom but still...why?!
So aside from that, Monmartre is an interesting neighborhood. Lots of little shops. you can tell this is a working class, and immigrant, neighborhood. Lots of souvenir shops which is definitely appreciated.
So here's the list of major sights to see we hit up in Paris:
The Louvre - definitely is a must. But there was no way we were going INSIDE. Lines were infinitely long. And just seeing the building and seeing how huge it was, we could only imagine how much art would be inside it. That equals way too much than we could handle. But we took some great pics of the pyramids outside, despite the gray clouds hovering about. And unfortunately no roseline, no kneeling down above the tomb of Jesus' supposed babymama.
The Seine River - walking along the Seine is typically Parisian, at least in my mind. The bridges were cool, with all the locks that people leave on them. Pretty cute.
Shakespeare and company bookshop - Cool english-language book shop, as seen in Before Sunset. Pretty famous and they stamp the books that they give you. Couldn't help but get an Almodovar book from here.
Notre Dame - I didn't find no Quasimodo, but the place sure is pretty.
The Latin Quarter - Where the Sorbonne is and all the Frenchie university students are. Nice little neighborhood, shops, random comic/manga shops too. I guess for all the anime/manga nerds of the university? Also found a little theater to watch a Hitchcock film and kills a few hours until dinner. By the time it was done, the sun was setting, and made the streets look like what I'd expected from Paris, even just for a while.
Sacre Cour - Walkable distance from the hostel, so we hit that up at night. Great view of the city and the Effiel Tower.
Les Invalides - Where Napoleon was buried, and a bunch of other dudes
Musee Rodin - cool statues
Effiel Tower - as cliche as it is, it was very pretty. Though it serves nothing but to look at it and to look from top of it, it does its job well. Didn't go up it, but I touched the base of it! That's all I wanted
The Champ-Elysses/Arc de Triomphe - Lots of fancy stores on this famous street, including a HUGE Louis Vuitton store that had a line to get inside. Was only there for a little while if only because of how Audrey Hepburn spoke about it in Sabrina.
Spread out amongst these many sights there was also lots of walking and lots of talking. Talking and speculating about life as we know it and the terrifying fact that we'll soon be facing the real world, both coming back home and graduating how many months from now. I wouldn't expect any less from us, me and Katie, we think waaaay too much for our own good.
There were also many tasty foods and pastries, including yet another variation of the hot dog. This time its called a 'hotdog frommage' pretty much a regular hot dog in a baguette-like bread and covered in cheese. So horribly good.
So Paris is where Katie and I part as she continues to explore Europe and I return to Madrid for my flight home. Ciao Paris, until next time with more time and more monies. It's been interesting.
Friday, June 11, 2010
TORINO - more Italian bulls!
Finalmente! Ya he terminado con mis examenes! Y tambien no estoy enferma . La unica cosa que yo quiero hacer es relajar...
Examenes as always are stressful. Art exam analyzing Guernica - yeah cuz that's doable in 1.5hrs. All-nighter finishing cine paper on La Mala Educacion (which coincidentally my professor actually does NOT like). PLUS a so-called "recitation" of a poem for lit, in which our professor started late and kept us for an extra 1hr to finish up. But now I'm done!!
All I have to do now is pack up all my crap, shove it in a locker at the airport and get my but to Italy.
After the crowded early-morning metro ride dragging along a backpack and 2 roller suitcases (a few people actually had some pity on my poor soul and offered to help me up some steps), left my stuff in a locker and headed over to gate. On the way over I realized such a weight, both physical and mental, had been lifted up off of me. I had no hefty luggage, no tests, no hw, no deadlines, no pressure to face from here on out. I was already sick, what's the worst that can happen? I was on my way to the gate, I was way early, I knew how to get from the airport to the city. Whatever happens I can deal with it. I was calm. Plus the vending machine popped out 2 bags of cornnuts for me instead of one - I'm taking that as a good omen. This'll be a good trip. It has to be.
I finally get to Torino and meet Katie for the second time. Again, we get a little lost getting to the hostel but its a-okay. We decided to walk around the city center a bit and grab a bite to eat. We knew little about Torino which I think worked to our advantage. Little to no expectations, letting whatever happens happen can be a very good thing. We learned our lesson from Barcelona.
The city is pretty calm, older but very clean and pretty. No tourists thank god. Very conducive to my want for relaxation. And what a wonderful discovery to find that arab/turkish food is ubiquitous in Italy as well, as we found kebab places all over. Not only that, but they have a peculiar thing called a pizza kebab - PIZZA KEBAB. A wonderful discovery indeed. Seriously, why haven't kebabs and shwarmas caught on in the States?
Next up on our very loosely planned trip is the National Cinema Museum. A.k.a. the best museum everrrrrrrrrr! God I'm a geek, but I don't care. There were no lines, no crowds, and relatively cheap student entrance. Film memorabilia galore, original posters (though they be in italian), set-ups and stages dedicated to different film genres/aspects of film. Showing a few clips of movies, they showed the end scene and the oh so famous speech from Casablanca, which I could probably recite from memory. <3333333333
After my reluctant departure from the cine museum, we decided to walk around the center of town on the way to the Egyptian museum - this time the key to Katie's heart. Torino is actually very beautiful but simple at the same time. Open spaces. Felt like I could breathe better, compared to the hustle and bustle of Madrid, and that of Barcelona even.
Being above ground and using the trams also help, instead of being down underneath the ground in metros. Best part of the tram system? Just about no one checks your ticket nor does anyone validate their ticket, hence basically free tram rides!
Last day we went to the Royal Palace, but the only tours they had were in Italian. Definitely spent too much time in those rooms listening to their histories in Italian. We busted outta there, had a last few walks around town and ate bomb-ass cannolis. We made our way to the train station with time to spare, no running out to the platform for us!
Overall, we liked Torino. We didn't expect much, but got a lot back. Good bye Torino! And Italian, which is close enough to Spanish for me to kinda understand. Onto Paris, second to last leg of my European trip
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Madrid Te Quiero, pero hoy tu no me quieres
The fatties that we are, we decided to hit up Amorino for some gelato before we caught our train to
So we get back to
Unfortunately, I also return to
Aside from her own wonderings which I tried my best to advise her through, we went to
I also still had class. And a concert to get to, and goddamn it we were gonna make it. At least ONE good thing had to happen while Katie was in
JAMIE CULLUM EN CONCIERTO
Well, it was enjoyable for me anyway. Despite the fact that we got lost, we found some Madrileños who were also look for La
Highlights definitely included when he did a cool improve beatbox version of Frontin’. Then there’s his name in and of itself JAMIE. Or JAIME (hai-meh), which they chanted endlessly at the end. I was bummed he didn’t do his cover of Umbrella, but more than satisfied with the unplugged Cry Me A River. He loves to lead his songs up to a crescendo, a climax. And apparently his concerts too. I love the song Mixtape but never thought it’d be such a crowd pleaser. Energy and vibe was so high throughout the room – the song is about a music lover totally enraptured in his own world of music, and that’s what we were there for tonight.
The show ended and he left us all wanting for more, much much more. For at least 5 minutes the crowd chanted intensely for him to do an encore. OTRA OTRA OTRA!!! Not to mention the infamous oh-LEY, ole ole oleeee, oleeeeeee,oleeeeeeeee!!! So COOL. I thought I’d have to wait until I was at a futbol game to hear that one.
I'd put up my own video for this, but uploading is being uncooperative right now.
We left for Sol to get some churros con chocolate, probably not the best thing for my stomach at the time, but who cares. It was Katie’s last night and I would force both of us to go out and do stuff if I had to….which I think I kinda did. We missed the metro, so we walked down Gran Via to my apartment, stayed up with her for while, then she left for her early morning train back to
Overall, missing wallet/passport, no cool shopping, no tapas for my buddy. And illness and examenes coming up for me. I have no idea what was up with this week. Bad timing, bad a lot of stuff. Most of all I regret not being able to show and impress Katie with the Spanish culture. But apparently the way she works with meal times and naps does not fit well with the Spanish schedule, which works perfectly for me. I love a lot of things about Spanish culture and want to show others what I love about it. I suppose in that way I was disappointed I couldn’t incite the same excitement for her.
Sorry my dear friend. Hopefully
KatieLauraBarcelona would've been a horrible movie
Oh my god...Really just, oh my god. There aren't really words to describe the trip Katie and I had to Barcelona. Mostly because the way I would describe it is soooooooo not what I wanted it to be.
I was there from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, which I later realized was not nearly enough time to spend and see all that I wanted to, that I should have.
First things first - Las Ramblas. The singular street on which, for whatever reason, turistas gather, inhabit, breed for God's sake! It's so crowded and chock full of street performers and venders, overpriced souvenir shops and restaurants to appease complacent tourists. The best parts of Las Ramblas is that it is convenient, performers are entertaining, its on pretty much the same street as the Gaudi houses. It also has an awesome gelato chain shop called Amorino. For 3 euro you get 2.5 scoops of gelato on a cone shaped into a flower. So cool!
The very best part of Las Ramblas is that strangely enough La Boqueria is in the middle of it. It's a cool little market organized in different sections of fruits, vegetables, meats, and fish. Its a tourist spot, but a cool one. Awesome example of the wonderful food markets in Spain, most likely those throughout Europe as well. Although I wasn't there to actually buy anything, it was very cool. The colors and arrangements amazing, under the bright lights of the stands. A photographer's dream! Not to mention the delish fruit juices and smoothies some of the fruit stands give out.
As good it was to see each other again, it was pretty much a bummer the fact that she wasn't feeling too well when she got to Barcelona after a 9hr train ride. Not to mention the fact that she was in a country where she didn't speak/understand the language nor did she know anything really of Spanish culture, not even the touristy things...siiiiigh my heart! Actually to be fair, it was semi foreign to me as well considering that pretty much all the signs and places, and a good number of locals speak Catalan, NOT castellano (a.k.a. spanish, but don't call it that in Catalunya, you might get shot) But still, we fight on to try to make the best of time here.
Another obstacle in our Barca adventures was the metro system. It's nowhere near as extensive nor as easily accessible as that of Madrid. Many times we had to make a transfer at Passeig de Gracia, which no one told us had a long-ass tunnel to walk through, which if it was any longer we probably could just walked to where we were going and it'd be about the same. Not to mention the fact that when on the actual streets of Barcelona, in order the cross over into the next block you have to go around the corner to the cross walk, then cross. Confusing I know, and with no sense at all. Honestly, Barcelona's reputation of being a unique and artistic type of city soon became inefficient and annoying. Suffice it to say, getting lost was a tendency and transportation was problematic. On a certain night we got quite lost, to the point that we settled for just eatinf at the nearest restaurant we found which was a mediocre chinese place. Still, again, we go on.
Wandering around the center area was pretty nice though. Into the tiny streets off of Las Ramblas is Barri Gotic and a slew of museums, shops, restaurants, and all sorts of other stuff. Definitely weeds out at least some of the tourists. At a certain point on this sunny day it started to rain for about 15mins, as the sun was still shining. Very strange, random, bittersweet. Quite definitive.
We had a slew of bad timing, one thing led to another and we end up cramming pretty much all the Gaudi sites into our last half-day. We decided to go inside at least one of the houses, and the Bone house won us over. As expensive as it was, it was still pretty damn cool. Meant to emulate the body of a dragon, the Bone house is unique in its design in and out. The mosaics, the colors, the curves and designs. Hard to believe that that place was actually functional and that a family once lived there. Awesome.
Next up, Parc Guell. A whole park designed by Gaudi. On the outskirts of town, and up quite a few hills (seriously, we took ESCALATORS to get up there), it has an amazing view of the city, Sagrada Familia and Torre Agbar - the grandest, most phallic object in the world. In my opinion anyway. Don't worry, Gaudi didn't design that one. Anyway, from the little we saw of the park, it was very awesome, very Gaudi, difficult to describe in little words because there's just so much. One thing's for sure, these damn tourists need to get out of my way. Never thought I could feel claustrophobic in park. At the very least they need to get out of my pictures. If they did that, I could work for a postcard company. Honestly, I take better pics with my point 'n shoot than some of those crappy postcards.
Finalmente - La Sagrada Familia. Gaudi's yet-to-be-completed masterpiece. Gaudi is called "God's Architect," and for good reason. Being devoutly catholic, he dedicated the church to be the "last great sanctuary of Christendom," and indeed it seems so. Despite the cranes and scaffolding continuing the construction, it is amazing to behold. So tall, grand and incredibly detailed and gothic, not to mention rife with religious symbolism. 18 towers representing different Biblical figures, the tallest towers representing the Holy Family it self. So wonderfully gothic, looks like as though it was made of wax and melted ever so slightly. I just wanted to touch it. I know, weird, but I just wanted to! But that meant getting through the crowd of tourists and paying for it soooooo nooooo.
Gaudi worked on it on and off for 40 years, the last years of his life was spent in depression and he madly consumed himself in his plans for La Sagrada. Even so, they don't plan on completing what they THINK he had wanted for the church until 2026, 100yrs after his death! Utter and complete passion, dedication, and pure genius even beyond death. That I can appreciate.
Looking back on it, the bad memories of Barcelona are becoming more and more distant, maybe because I didn't take any pics of it. I realize that we actually did see a lot of things. Beautiful, irreplaceable things that can't be experienced anywhere else. I didn't leave Barcelona with such contempt for it at all, just with a thriving want to return now knowing what I know, to see everything else there is to be seen. Hopefully that might include a few locals like Manu Chao and a tall dark and handsome stranger...preferably not one with a crazy ex-wife and a gun.
I was there from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, which I later realized was not nearly enough time to spend and see all that I wanted to, that I should have.
First things first - Las Ramblas. The singular street on which, for whatever reason, turistas gather, inhabit, breed for God's sake! It's so crowded and chock full of street performers and venders, overpriced souvenir shops and restaurants to appease complacent tourists. The best parts of Las Ramblas is that it is convenient, performers are entertaining, its on pretty much the same street as the Gaudi houses. It also has an awesome gelato chain shop called Amorino. For 3 euro you get 2.5 scoops of gelato on a cone shaped into a flower. So cool!
The very best part of Las Ramblas is that strangely enough La Boqueria is in the middle of it. It's a cool little market organized in different sections of fruits, vegetables, meats, and fish. Its a tourist spot, but a cool one. Awesome example of the wonderful food markets in Spain, most likely those throughout Europe as well. Although I wasn't there to actually buy anything, it was very cool. The colors and arrangements amazing, under the bright lights of the stands. A photographer's dream! Not to mention the delish fruit juices and smoothies some of the fruit stands give out.
As good it was to see each other again, it was pretty much a bummer the fact that she wasn't feeling too well when she got to Barcelona after a 9hr train ride. Not to mention the fact that she was in a country where she didn't speak/understand the language nor did she know anything really of Spanish culture, not even the touristy things...siiiiigh my heart! Actually to be fair, it was semi foreign to me as well considering that pretty much all the signs and places, and a good number of locals speak Catalan, NOT castellano (a.k.a. spanish, but don't call it that in Catalunya, you might get shot) But still, we fight on to try to make the best of time here.
Another obstacle in our Barca adventures was the metro system. It's nowhere near as extensive nor as easily accessible as that of Madrid. Many times we had to make a transfer at Passeig de Gracia, which no one told us had a long-ass tunnel to walk through, which if it was any longer we probably could just walked to where we were going and it'd be about the same. Not to mention the fact that when on the actual streets of Barcelona, in order the cross over into the next block you have to go around the corner to the cross walk, then cross. Confusing I know, and with no sense at all. Honestly, Barcelona's reputation of being a unique and artistic type of city soon became inefficient and annoying. Suffice it to say, getting lost was a tendency and transportation was problematic. On a certain night we got quite lost, to the point that we settled for just eatinf at the nearest restaurant we found which was a mediocre chinese place. Still, again, we go on.
Wandering around the center area was pretty nice though. Into the tiny streets off of Las Ramblas is Barri Gotic and a slew of museums, shops, restaurants, and all sorts of other stuff. Definitely weeds out at least some of the tourists. At a certain point on this sunny day it started to rain for about 15mins, as the sun was still shining. Very strange, random, bittersweet. Quite definitive.
We had a slew of bad timing, one thing led to another and we end up cramming pretty much all the Gaudi sites into our last half-day. We decided to go inside at least one of the houses, and the Bone house won us over. As expensive as it was, it was still pretty damn cool. Meant to emulate the body of a dragon, the Bone house is unique in its design in and out. The mosaics, the colors, the curves and designs. Hard to believe that that place was actually functional and that a family once lived there. Awesome.
Next up, Parc Guell. A whole park designed by Gaudi. On the outskirts of town, and up quite a few hills (seriously, we took ESCALATORS to get up there), it has an amazing view of the city, Sagrada Familia and Torre Agbar - the grandest, most phallic object in the world. In my opinion anyway. Don't worry, Gaudi didn't design that one. Anyway, from the little we saw of the park, it was very awesome, very Gaudi, difficult to describe in little words because there's just so much. One thing's for sure, these damn tourists need to get out of my way. Never thought I could feel claustrophobic in park. At the very least they need to get out of my pictures. If they did that, I could work for a postcard company. Honestly, I take better pics with my point 'n shoot than some of those crappy postcards.
Finalmente - La Sagrada Familia. Gaudi's yet-to-be-completed masterpiece. Gaudi is called "God's Architect," and for good reason. Being devoutly catholic, he dedicated the church to be the "last great sanctuary of Christendom," and indeed it seems so. Despite the cranes and scaffolding continuing the construction, it is amazing to behold. So tall, grand and incredibly detailed and gothic, not to mention rife with religious symbolism. 18 towers representing different Biblical figures, the tallest towers representing the Holy Family it self. So wonderfully gothic, looks like as though it was made of wax and melted ever so slightly. I just wanted to touch it. I know, weird, but I just wanted to! But that meant getting through the crowd of tourists and paying for it soooooo nooooo.
Gaudi worked on it on and off for 40 years, the last years of his life was spent in depression and he madly consumed himself in his plans for La Sagrada. Even so, they don't plan on completing what they THINK he had wanted for the church until 2026, 100yrs after his death! Utter and complete passion, dedication, and pure genius even beyond death. That I can appreciate.
Looking back on it, the bad memories of Barcelona are becoming more and more distant, maybe because I didn't take any pics of it. I realize that we actually did see a lot of things. Beautiful, irreplaceable things that can't be experienced anywhere else. I didn't leave Barcelona with such contempt for it at all, just with a thriving want to return now knowing what I know, to see everything else there is to be seen. Hopefully that might include a few locals like Manu Chao and a tall dark and handsome stranger...preferably not one with a crazy ex-wife and a gun.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Back home, Back to the blog
Oh, Hi! How are ya? It's been a while...yeeeeeeeaaah.....
It's been a loooong while. A busy, examenes, viajes, descansos filled while. But no that I'm back home and with very little else to do but to dig through my crappy short-term memory to fill in the gaps of my last weeks in europe.
That being said, going back in the time machine almost a month ago in May...
I had to make a little field trip to Barrio de las Letras for an assignment. Our professors' attempts to get us to see and go out to certain spots of Madrid are neverending but also very appreciated. This area of the city on Calle Huertas, kinda in between Plaza Mayor and Paseo del Prado area, is literally a neighborhood of letters. The streets are named after famous literary Spanish figures, many of which lived in that area. There are also plaques and writings on the walls and sidewalks with quotes from some of their works, including Cervantes' Don Quijote and I think from Garcia Lorca as well. In addition to that, its a pretty nice area to walk through. There's a bunch of little shops, some some good places to eat and drink. Kinda wish we knew about this place a few weeks earlier
Spring is finally here so we decided to stop in one small spot to cool down and get some gazpacho, and it was pretty awesome. Tasty, cool gazpacho (cold tomato soup) with fresh diced tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, and onion to add. So good. Although I must say that right before trying it, I almost suspected it to be spiked with sleeping pills. But even so, worst things could happen...
FIELD TRIP NUMERO DOS!
Same day, 2 field trips. Later that day our cine class went out to meet our professor at the Universidad Compultense de Madrid campus where she teaches. The film Tesis was filmed there so we decided to walk around the Media and Communications department where some of the scenes took place. Classes were done for the day people were just leaving. Let me say it felt kind of odd being around other students, I mean, kids OUR age. Surrounded by them. We're so used to our little world at the Instituto in el Centro that it felt strange to back on a college campus again. God if only we were there more, just to check out some of the Spanish cuties ;__:
Anyways...the building was pretty cool. Not quite the same as in the movie, but similar. We also got to see some of the production stages where they film scenes and segments, with full on camera set-ups, lighting kits, newscasts sets and green screens. Uh-buuuuuuh. So nowhere near the type of equipment I'm used to, totally sophisticated equipment, specifically TV equipment. Yeah, I felt owned.
Cine trip parte dos - Yet another film we watched took place in an old and famous restaurant called Casa Mingo, a short walk from the Compultense campus....or so the professor said. A short walk turned into at least 20-30 mins. We were tired and hungry, I'm guessing that was pretty apparent when our professor said something about Americans not walking very much in the States... It's true, sad, but true.
Finally we get to restaurant, known for its cider and roast chicken. There are bottles of cider lined and stacked above the bar, dark wooden floors and walls, has an old timey-feel for sure. Food was good and relatively cheap but the best part was our professor. She loves to talk and joke around. So adorable. But she's also got some "vestido peligroso" as she says. On the way to dinner, apparently the strap on her bag got caught and some how undid some buttons on her dress. Bra was shown....Yeaaah. But of course knowning her, she handled it wonderfully, accepted and joked about it. Oh Rosanna, so legit.
Honestly, the daily entertainment that our teachers provide will be one of the things I miss most.
It's been a loooong while. A busy, examenes, viajes, descansos filled while. But no that I'm back home and with very little else to do but to dig through my crappy short-term memory to fill in the gaps of my last weeks in europe.
That being said, going back in the time machine almost a month ago in May...
I had to make a little field trip to Barrio de las Letras for an assignment. Our professors' attempts to get us to see and go out to certain spots of Madrid are neverending but also very appreciated. This area of the city on Calle Huertas, kinda in between Plaza Mayor and Paseo del Prado area, is literally a neighborhood of letters. The streets are named after famous literary Spanish figures, many of which lived in that area. There are also plaques and writings on the walls and sidewalks with quotes from some of their works, including Cervantes' Don Quijote and I think from Garcia Lorca as well. In addition to that, its a pretty nice area to walk through. There's a bunch of little shops, some some good places to eat and drink. Kinda wish we knew about this place a few weeks earlier
Spring is finally here so we decided to stop in one small spot to cool down and get some gazpacho, and it was pretty awesome. Tasty, cool gazpacho (cold tomato soup) with fresh diced tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, and onion to add. So good. Although I must say that right before trying it, I almost suspected it to be spiked with sleeping pills. But even so, worst things could happen...
FIELD TRIP NUMERO DOS!
Same day, 2 field trips. Later that day our cine class went out to meet our professor at the Universidad Compultense de Madrid campus where she teaches. The film Tesis was filmed there so we decided to walk around the Media and Communications department where some of the scenes took place. Classes were done for the day people were just leaving. Let me say it felt kind of odd being around other students, I mean, kids OUR age. Surrounded by them. We're so used to our little world at the Instituto in el Centro that it felt strange to back on a college campus again. God if only we were there more, just to check out some of the Spanish cuties ;__:
Anyways...the building was pretty cool. Not quite the same as in the movie, but similar. We also got to see some of the production stages where they film scenes and segments, with full on camera set-ups, lighting kits, newscasts sets and green screens. Uh-buuuuuuh. So nowhere near the type of equipment I'm used to, totally sophisticated equipment, specifically TV equipment. Yeah, I felt owned.
Cine trip parte dos - Yet another film we watched took place in an old and famous restaurant called Casa Mingo, a short walk from the Compultense campus....or so the professor said. A short walk turned into at least 20-30 mins. We were tired and hungry, I'm guessing that was pretty apparent when our professor said something about Americans not walking very much in the States... It's true, sad, but true.
Finally we get to restaurant, known for its cider and roast chicken. There are bottles of cider lined and stacked above the bar, dark wooden floors and walls, has an old timey-feel for sure. Food was good and relatively cheap but the best part was our professor. She loves to talk and joke around. So adorable. But she's also got some "vestido peligroso" as she says. On the way to dinner, apparently the strap on her bag got caught and some how undid some buttons on her dress. Bra was shown....Yeaaah. But of course knowning her, she handled it wonderfully, accepted and joked about it. Oh Rosanna, so legit.
Honestly, the daily entertainment that our teachers provide will be one of the things I miss most.
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