Adios Barcelona, Annie and Uma. Hello Germany, Paris and the rest of my time in Spain.

Barcelona is an incredible city. It is clean, cosmopolitan, diverse and so much more that I look for in a city. There were old and new buildings galore, pieced together in an expert manner. So much so that you would almost think that the descendants of the original architects and city planners were the ones who continue this process today. There were people from every part of the globe, all speaking their own languages, in addition to English, Spanish and the local language, Catalán. For this, I felt like less of a tourist and more like a member of a community that continues to move and change in Barcelona. And although its a pretty big city, with over 1.6 million people living in the city proper alone, it is definitely livable for me personally. There are parks everywhere, public theaters and music venues, museums and any other type of stimulus that you may want. It also has distinct sectors of the city that feel much like those of New York or Berlin, which is something I really like; its like visiting several cities within one. I would say that above all, its most defining factor is that it is the least Spanish feeling city that I have been in here. Maybe this is why there is a separatist movement...

As some of you may know, this trip wasn't all fun for Uma, Annie and myself. It started out difficult and ended that way. I am going list these things off so that you can read through them, feel bad for us, and then move on with your life like we are trying to (...haha?).

• Thursday night - We were supposed to stay with some friends in Málaga and the timing didn't work out. Uma had wicked blisters and we walked around for awhile, hungry and trying to figure out what to do with ourselves. We got into an argument, paid for an expensive hostel and slept for 5 hours there.
• Friday morning - We showed up to the airport late, Annie couldn't check her bag, Uma didn't print her tickets and missed the flight. This sort of worked out since Uma ended up bringing Annie's bag with her after she had bought a new flight for later in the day and paid a substantial amount for the extra bag.
• Friday afternoon - In the train, at each others' throats, Uma was robbed of 400 euros, her passport and credit/debit cards. Good grief. Then we had an hour and fifteen minute transit to the hostel. We arrived hungry and tired, the food was crap. Annie had squid rings that tasted like spaghetti-os. Wait, she didn't eat them, I did.
• Monday afternoon - I realize that Annie and I won't have time to catch our flight back to Málaga by public transit from our hostel. A taxi would be super expensive to the airport in Girona (a city outside of Barcelona that has an airport used by budget airlines like ours), so I get a hotel and we try to make our way to it. We miss the last bus and then train by 2 minutes. We break down and pay one-hundred and fifty euros for a taxi. We arrive to the hotel and I open my email to look at the tickets to see when and where we are leaving from in the Girona airport. I realized we don't leave from Girona, but from Barcelona. Yes, I made the biggest mistake possible. We paid 150 for the taxi and another 70 for a room that we didn't need. In addition, the plane tickets were no good since we couldn't make it back to Barcelona in time to catch the flight. What do we do? Buy new flights so that Annie can get back to the U.S.
• Tuesday afternoon - Waiting for Annie's flight to leave from Málaga, I realize that I left my computer charger at the hostel. Emotionally distressed because of recent happenings and the fact that Annie is leaving, I have my iPod either stolen from me or I lose it in the last 30 minutes of my time at the airport.

Despite all of this, we are alive, well and I am happy that it didn't go any worse. I won't let the events sour me on Barcelona, because the city is amazing; I am the idiot. I am hoping that if I decide to come back to Spain next year to teach English (second choice) that they will locate me in Barcelona. I'll just make sure I figure out flight details before hand.

I've traveled five out of the last seven weeks. I'm tired, beyond broke and needing a break. Did I mention that I teach here? That part of my life is going well, I am comfortable in classes, I know what to expect and have a good rapport with the students. I'm going to take the next week to read, run and ride my bike. I need a break from moving long distances; I'll only get a week of such a break, since next week I am heading back to Germany to road trip to Paris with Ben, Tom and Jani. I'm really looking forward to it, since it will be my last trip while I am here in Europe.

My time here is coming to a close. Just over two months left, and it really feels like I have been here for three months or so. I've seen so much, want to see so much more, but am thankful for it all. I'm excited to see my friends and family again, and sad to say goodbye to the new friends and family I've made here.

Listen to this song. It's among my favorites these days. Here are some pictures too.

Visitors!

Annie and Uma have been here since Friday and Saturday of last week, respectively. It's been really great to have them here together...and to have two of my best friends get along famously, even if they are having fun adventures without me while I'm working.

We spent Friday and Saturday in Madrid. What an incredible city. It's the capital of Spain, a huge sprawling, urban monster, but inviting, clean and walkable. The buildings in the downtown area reminded me of the turn of the century architecture that I saw when I was in Buenos Aires. Once we walked towards the area that had the parks and museums, the architecture started to change into a mix of the old with more modern, sleek buildings. It was really well done and gave the city a feel of tradition and progress. Hopefully you can get an idea from my photos.

We took the high-speed train (Ave) from Madrid to Malaga, and then caught a bus from Malaga to my city. I LOVE the Ave. It goes 300+ km/h and turns a 6+ hour trip into a 2 hour and 15 minute joyride. For all the failures of public planning that I have seen here, the train is pretty awesome.

Since we've been back, Annie and Uma have gone to Gibraltar and Morocco while I was working. I've been able to show them a bit of Algeciras - which they think is pretty - and take them to get some good food.

Tonight we are heading back to Malaga, to stay with my friends Ashley, Jenita and Britney for the night in order catch our flight to Barcelona. I'm really looking forward to this trip since I hear Barcelona, and Cataluña is like no other part of Spain. In addition to Spanish, they have their own language, Catalán, and a culture that is quite distinct.

I'll be a bit more prepared to write once Annie and Uma have gone, so stay tuned.

Córdoba with Lolo

This weekend was the first of a few upcoming trips that I'll be taking in Spain. I went with Lolo to Córdoba to see where he lived for most of his life. We stayed in his grandmother's house, which was empty, which meant that we could roll in at anytime of the night...or morning that we wanted. BONUS. We ate at his family's house for every meal, which was awesome because I got to know them and eat some awesome food.

Migas - Day old baguette, soaked in olive oil, salt and pepper over night, then cooked in a pan with a special type of sausage that isn't meat and garlic, and then eaten with fresh radishes. This was a meal eaten during the Spanish Civil War and was continued through Franco's dictatorship. The people tried use whatever they could to eat and would waste nothing. It's cool when you can eat history.

Salmorejo - A tomato, garlic, olive oil and day old bread yet again, soup like substance that is eaten cold. This is one of the best things Andalucia has to offer the world if it is done right. Sometimes, they serve it with hardboiled eggs and Serrano ham, which I am sure would be wonderful.

Pisto - A bunch of veggies (squash, onion, garlic, tomato, eggplant, leek, carrot, etc.) mixed with olive oil and then cooked in a pan. Simply amazing!

Wine - Spain has great wine. I suggest a 3 year old Rioja that is not Don Simon.

The point is I am surprised I have only gained 5 pounds here instead of 30.The food is great and they eat at terrible times of day. That is ethnocentric of course. They normally don't eat much food at their night meal, which is around 9 or so.

Annie and Uma will be landing in Madrid on the 5th, and I'll be there to pick them up. I couldn't be more excited to have two of my best friends coming to see me here. The rest of you, get over here already!

More updates to come as they come and we travel. Here are pictures from this weekend.

Inspiration: Have a look with what I want to do with my life

TRANSIT ELITE from Dave Christenson on Vimeo.

Travel plans made!

It's a scary thought, but I officially have ALL of my travel plans made until I leave Spain. I would usually be a bit bummed about this, but I get to go to some killer places. I'll be sure to post pictures on my Flickr account so anyone who is interested can see.

This weekend I am going with my friend Lolo to Granada and Cordoba. Granada is a city I've been wanting to go to for a really long time, so I'm glad I finally get to go with him. He went to college there and says it's his favorite city in Spain, which I can see why from his description. Every kind of nightlife I could want: indie music, electro, minimal, jazz, rock and roll bars, etc. It's got THE Alhambra, an Arabic palace that many say could be considered amongst the wonders of the world. Not to mention, Granada is at the foot of the Sierra Nevadas, for snow aficionados, and 40 km away from the Mediterranean. Pretty killer I'd say. Then, the next day we are going to Cordoba, his childhood home and another equally beautiful and interesting city I'm told. Either way, I'm excited to go see his old stomping ground with him since we always have a good time together; and, I'm sure if he finds these places interesting, I will too.

The following weekend, I am going to meet Annie in Madrid. Uma may come too!!! That would be so cool to have two of my best friends here at the same time...but we'll see. We'll spend the weekend in Madrid, and if my friend Matt comes, we may take bus to Toledo to check that out for the day. Really stoked for this.

Thennnn, Annie and I are going to Barcelona for 4 days due to my awesome ability to find cheap flights. It's basically as far away from my city as you can get in the country, and we got round-trip tickets for 65 euro each. I'm hoping to Couchsurf there to 1) save money and 2) show Annie how awesome Couchsurfing is.

Finally, two weeks after that, for Semana Santa I'll be heading back to see my mates in Herbede-Witten, Germany. They've lured me in with Doner (turkish kebab, but felafel in my case), beer and a road-trip to Paris. I would have gone anyway, but I've been really wanting to get to Paris and it would be an awesome way to do it. Woot!

So, please, if anyone has any suggestions on things to do, or wants a postcard or something from anywhere I'm going, drop me a line and I'll get it to you. Peace and love!

 

 Top of the Rock of Gibraltar, with Morocco in the background.

 

Great Week.

My friends and family are the best. I had so many emails, Facebook wall posts, etc. that my homesickness went away. You'd think that I would miss everyone home even more for all of that, but truthfully it made me feel a bit more at home here. I know (and should have known all along) that my friends and family will support and love me no matter where I am. Pretty awesome group people, these familiares of mine.

It gets better though. On Thursday I went to my friend Lolo's house to hang out for a bit, like I usually do, before we go out for the night. The girls had said they were feeling down and had a movie that they would rather watch, so I was excited to have a guys' night for once. But, being the old man that I am, I was starting to lose steam as we were "waiting" for Xabi to get out of the shower; this is what I thought at least. Finally, he called us to come over, and when I showed up the lights were all off and Xabi was acting a bit weird. He got me to go into the living room and there I found about 10 of my friends waiting, with a cake, with American flags and trick candles. I was blown away by the amount of planning and thought that went into it. I really think I owe the most to Hannah, since she seemed to be the mastermind of the operation.

I've never gotten so many good gifts either. The professors at my school gave my coworker and friend Abby money to go and buy me something on their behalf. She hit the jackpot by buying me three bags of awesome food. My friend Lolo gave me a copy of a book that he said changed his life. One of the profs that I work with, Alfonso, got me a new cycling jersey. Hannah got me a rubber picha with little seamonkeys inside. Everyone is really to good to me.

Then, Friday I had two French Air Force cadets couch surf at my place. I took them around, showed them the city a bit, made dinner for them and had some great talks. They left at noon the next day and I didn't think that I would see them again. They called me later that day and said their departure - they were participating in a charity race across Morocco - had been delayed and that they wanted to hang out. I was stoked, since I was sad to see Tim and Fabien leave. We had a great time last night and they ended up giving me two of their flight suit badges as souvenirs of our brief, but fortuitous encounter.


Now, I've got one of my good friends Jose staying with me here at my house until Friday. It's really nice because in only one day I've had a great time chatting and learning from him. He's a guy that has seen a lot, done a lot and knows how to share it. He speaks five languages, has lived in many countries, and is one of the most honest, inviting people that I know. It's a shame that the reason he is staying with me is because he's moved out of his apartment and is leaving the city for good soon. I'll be sad to see him go. But, I think that I can take something from this. People, good and bad, come and go from our lives every day. We can't get down about this; rather, we have to cherish the moments we have with those special people. I honestly feel blessed to have so many great people in my life to say "see you later" to.

If this entry has been a bit corny or emotional for you, tough. Suck it up. Because the truth is, if you are reading this, you are probably one of the reasons I am feeling so lucky in life.

23...any different?

Yesterday I turned 23 years old. It's quite strange, I've actually thought more about where I've come since as far back as I can remember on this birthday more than any other. Let's put things in perspective now:

*My mother had already had my big head to take care of for two years by the time she was 23 years old. I can't even imagine having a kid right now. But, hey, different strokes for different folks right?

*I've been alive for almost a quarter of a century; that's a pretty substantial amount of time considering that when I was developing my sense of time, I was less than I decade old.

*We have had 4 different presidents in my lifetime, including two double-termers. That is pretty significant, come on; also, these geniuses have managed to get us in innumerable wars/battles/etc. and have succeeded in destroying much of what the U.S. once was and stood for. 

*I never, never, NEVER, imagined I would be who I am today or am where I am at. For better or worse, for knowing all of you, having my wonderful family and friends, I am pretty content with my here and now.

*No matter how old I am, I don't feel like I have ever really "arrived" at the next step or where I was going. Whether this is because I am always having to plan for the next thing, or whatever it may be, it's sometimes unsettling. On the other hand, I think that it keeps me moving forward as well, so I'm trying to live with this.

Off the subject from my birthday directly, this last week has been pretty interesting. On Thursday, while walking home at 5:30am from a night out, I was stopped by the police. They thought I looked suspicious and as such followed me. I was getting spooked because I walked through an area that makes me a bit uncomfortable at that time of night. After hearing a few sounds behind me, I pulled out my big, bad 1 inch pocket knife. As soon as I did that, the secret police in their unmarked soccer-mom van pulled up to the curb, jumped out and started yelling at me. One cop was particularly rude and was awfully pushy with his baton. "You aren't in the U.S. you know. You can't walk through the streets with guns and whatever you want." Suck it dude. They wanted to fine me 300 euros for a concealed weapon. but then let me go since I explained that we foreigners aren't well educated in international weapons and firearms laws. I should be a lawyer.

The following day I went to Carnaval in Cadiz. In a word, insanity. The city goes from a population of somewhere around 400,000 to over 1.2 million in a weekend. People come from all over the world to spend this "holy" festival with the Spaniards. Friday night is just a big party in public plazas and in the street. I was out until about 6 am with my friend Dave and had a pretty good time. I would say that the churros and chocolate on the way home were definitely the highlight of the event. Saturday is when everyone dresses up like on Halloween, most often in group costumes. A few of us went as the Ninja Turtles, yours truly being Donatello. Since I couldn't fit in a child's costume, I made my own out of basketball shorts, green tights, a green t-shirt and a purple pair of woman's underwear that I cut into my headband. About 8 of us went out together after a bit of a party in my friend Matt's house. We met up with another good friend Lolo and his friends from Granada...they are insane bunch. There were 7 of them dressed up as bees, going around the crowd buzzing, and "stinging" people with their tails. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to going and seeing them soon. My night came to a sudden halt with an unfortunate accident (no, not incontinence), but overall I think I got the idea of the insanity that is Carnaval.