Ninjas Ate My Lunch…So I wrote a blog about it.

That is song that was being sung CONSTANTLY last night, throughout the streets of Barcelona after Spain accomplished something never before done…winning themselves a spot in the World Cup finals!

The apartment I am staying at is very near Placa d’Espanya, which while not as much of a central spot as Placa Cataluyna (popular as a downtown spot for shopping and eating) is still very much a major location in the city. I don’t know if it’s because of it’s historical meaning or because of the name, but regardless, Placa d’Espanya was a place for serious celebration last night.

I ended up watching the game a local bar near my apartment, which was nice because it wasn’t too crowded so I could get a seat, but I did kind of want a crowded, excited atmosphere. There was definitely cheering going on – in fact I thought the guy in front of me was going to propose to his girlfriend he was so happy and touchy-feely with her after the win. But once I left the bar the sounds of fireworks, horns, and cheering caught my attention.

I made my way toward Placa d’Espanya, noticing on my way the many police cars and vans lining the streets with cops in what looked like riot-gear milling about. I took this to mean I was heading in the right direction for a celebration.

Then I noticed that they had blocked off the entire center island of the plaza, barricading people from getting to the fountain. I realized later this was probably a good idea, considering the kind of revelry that exploded in the street.

I can only imagine what Sunday is going to be like, if they win or lose…

Please enjoy a few photos I was able to take with my phone. They don’t really do the scene justice, but do note the total bromance happening in the right hand corner of the second photo. Also I’m trying to upload some audio of the evening…we’ll see if it works!

Dreaming of Revelry

Spanish Bromance

A huge mass of people running in circles around the fountain.

Sounds of Winning

And so it is. First night of my third trip to Barcelona in a year. Things are feeling good.

I don’t have a lot to write, or rather, I don’t know how to formulate my many thoughts to write something coherent, but I can say that it has been a good day overall. Everything came together nicely – the apartment I’m in is very comfortable and in a great location, I have explored and navigated around with little trouble, AND I read a map correctly! I think this will be a trend.

The theme of this particular blog is just beginnings, since it is the first day. I’m hopeful and excited about my time here. Figuring out ways to really savor my time here rather then just spend it or pass it. I want as many moments to count as I can. So far, so good!

Bona nit, Barcelona!

Getting the ol’ blog going once again with another trip to Barcelona, albeit MUCH shorter this time around. I can’t believe how lucky I am to get to be going to Europe twice in 4 months…I feel like I should pinch myself! Anyway, the details…I will spend 4 hopefully glorious days in Barcelona and then fly to Italy for a study tour/conference with my co-workers…AMAZING!!

Some updates on this leg of the trip…

I’m flying with Air France which I was a bit hesitant about given their not so wonderful history of plane crashes this summer. But I shoved those feelings away and tried to be positive (not hard with the plans I have…a positive outlook seems natural at this point!) I have to give props to Air France, my 10+ hour flight was AWESOME. I had an aisle seat, sat next to a really nice girl from SF who was chatty but not overbearing, ate some delicious chicken/potato/veggie dish that seemed to be drenched in oil/cream, AND was served an abundance of cheese at every meal time (dinner and breakfast).

To top it off, Air France’s entertainment services totally rock. You have your own tiny TV with choices of a ton of movies, tv shows, music, and games. I watched four, yes FOUR movies and a few tv shows. It was so great…I had a mini John Travolta marathon with Grease and then that Phelam 123 movie about hijacking a metro train in NY, watched The Ugly Truth AND 500 Days of Summer!!! Quite productive and enjoyable, to say the least.

Now, I’m hanging out in the Paris CDG (Charles de G…something) airport – a much nicer experience than the last one (see THIS POST from my travels this summer). There are these really cool lounge chairs that I am loving, and I MAY venture to find food. But I don’t really feel like interacting with anyone in “French” (my version of the language – saying “Bonjour” and then discretely switching to English.)

More to come!

Adios!

Totally rocks. And, as it turns out, it is a delicacy to eat the hardened layer that is on top of the yogurt when you open it. After trying some, I agree.  I am contemplating a way to bring a crate full of it home with me, but I don’t think it will be less than 8kilos to carry on the plane.

More to be posted about my trip to Istanbul later, when I’m not enjoying yogurt and pretending to pack. Until then I leave you with a rare sighting of TURKISH GODZILLA attacking Galata Tower! Rawrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

It is 2:09 am (what’s up with my 2am postings?) and I am laying on the couch in my cousin’s apartment in the middle of Istanbul. I’m traveling on this leg of the trip with my Mom and step-dad whom I met up with yesterday in Barcelona to spend the night before our flight this morning.

So far my time in Istanbul has been interesting and fulfilling, both emotionally and physically. This city is unlike Platja d’Aro in many ways, but there are elements that are strikingly similar. People out, bustling around, the energy of a city buzzing with sights, sounds, and motion. I love that about this place, and about where I have been in Spain as well. You can wander and feel alone but a part of something at the same time. This is something I have come to appreciate while spending time by myself, the ability to exist alongside someone else and share in an experience without actually having to interact.

I am spending the next four days in my cousin’s apartment which is incredibly comfortable and stylish and makes me want a place just like it. My mom and stepdad are sleeping at my cousin’s boyfriend’s place, walking distance away. Although it should be noted that walking distance here appears to always involve a hill of some sort. My butt has gotten quite the workout in the past three weeks.

Tonight for dinner my cousin made reservations at a kebab (literally, meat) restaurant that is popular with both locals and tourists. The area where we were seated was on the top floor of a building with floor to ceiling windows lining the dining area for full views of the Bosphorous and various mosques and other sites of importance that I will learn about. We ate our fill of appetizers (many including walnuts and pistachios in different forms) and then were presented with a huge plate of kebab pieces of lamb and chicken. My favorite had to be the lamb one with pistachios mixed in. It gave it such a yummy texture and flavor. This followed by a dessert of layers of thin filo-like dough filled with cream and pistachios and covered with sweet syrup and more pistachios, was incredible. And to think my grandmother used to say pistachios were only for, “little rich girls.” They are also for Turks of all economic classes and American tourists who happen to be slowly running out of money. Pistachios – the nut of the people.

I have rekindled my love of this sweet spread in the last few weeks, and boy, does it feel good. I realized that on my trip to Sweden Nutella was a staple of my diet, and I’ve brought it back in my daily food rotation. Last night after returning from a weekend trip to Talamanca I freaked out and ate my body weight in Nutella, peanut butter, and bread. I started to feel guilty about the amount of bread I was consuming, because really, all those carbs?? Come on now, let’s be civilized. That’s when I found myself at 2 am in my kitchen, barefoot eating Nutella straight out of the container from a spoon with a side of Special K. Much better.

Today marks 4 days of being sans travel buddy, and it has been growing on me. Slowly. I have been doing things that I like, even though most make me uncomfortable during some portion of it. One of the things I have done is sign up for Catalan classes to learn some of the language spoken here in Catalonia. It is different, but similar to Spanish, so I am able to pick up bits here and there. I found a Catalan woman who gives private lessons for 13euro an hour (about $18) and she is incredibly sweet. The first thing she said when we met was, “Oh! I thought you would be older! And taller.” I guess I write emails like a more mature, tall person?

Anyway, we have met a few times, and during our first meeting she took me to the tourist office in Platja d’Aro to talk about more excursions I should go on. It should be mentioned, at least to give an idea of her personality, that during that same meeting she brought me to a book store, to a shop where she bought her daughter a skirt, offered to drive me to some volcanos to sightsee and invited me to her house to meet her family and her dog.

One of the places she suggested is yet another beach side village called Tossa de Mar. It is actually quite close to where I am staying, so my friend said he could drive me there on Thursday, hang out for a bit and then come back to get me after he did other things. We headed there in the afternoon, around 2, and started off at the beach (this is becoming a trend that I love.) After he left I explored the city which quickly became one of my most favorite places I have visited so far. There is a medieval town running along part of the coast line which was built in like the 12th century or long time ago. At some point the town was walled off and a castle was built inside the walls as well. What is really cool is that you can walk through the town and also along the wall, very high up, and it gives an amazing view of the Mediterranean Sea.

High up view of Tossa de Mar

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