Goodbye from Barcelona!

Published on Dec. 28, 2004 in Spain

 Sorry about the post under Casey´s name, the kids next to me bumped me and my hand hit the enter key. Anyhow, talk about some cultur shock here! We are staying with Ben, and he is staying with a family from ... well, they just aren´t the best people. Kind if you give them money, real not so nice if you don´t. Regardless, it has been a good trip here. Yesterday we strode up to the mountain and overlooked the entire city ... the mountain is sort of in the middle and has one of the most amazing views ever. We then rolled down the outdoor escalators (yea, that is right, outdoor) down this hillside and walked around town for a while. We ate at this 7euro a plate place, and it was just amazing ... we had a three hour dinner. Went out for a drink later, and so forth. Well, we need to look a few things up, so goodbye for now! More to come later!

Best Club Ever

Published on July 19, 2003 in Spain

It has been a few days since I last wrote in here, but there is obviously a reason.  Lets start back with yesterday.

I guess it was almost two nights ago, or two days ago, that I last wrote in here.  After waking up in the morning we went and got some food at the hostel, and also I snagged a little for Vanessa and Regina (or whatever her name was).  We walked to our new hostel and checked in, having to wait a few minutes in suspense to see if it would actually be open.  After a few minutes they let us into a dorm room, room 306. We went up to our room and let ourselves in, immediately meeting a woman named Louis -- older but still over kind.  We left at this point over to the Segrada Familia (a pretty damn big cathedral) and wandered around there.  It is at about this time that I will remark that I am getting quite good at the subway system, and learning how to understand a language that I don't understand but understand it nonetheless.  So,we then went to the Trinidat Park, which was alright however somewhat rundown.  Looking out the window I see a very attractive female -- but once again, I need to focus on Writing!  Ashley and I came back down to our place, where she and Sibyl went shopping.  Needing some time alone, I decided to go out and explore on my own.  I took the green line quite a ways up into the mountains and sat in a parc for quite a while.  I met up with Ashley again at like 6:30 to purchase our train reservations, and once again took another nap.  Waking up a few minutes later at about 11:00 we left for a club, Discotopia I call it but the real name evades my memory.  Ashly, Sibyl and Simon all made the decision to take a taxi, while I and some other people flocked onto the metro and walked up a really large hill.  Fortunately our ride was free, but they arrived before us.  The firs person in line, whose name I forgot again, was wearing some pretty simple clothing, while most o us were dressed up.  The bouncer person stopped her and she asked "how much is it" while he said "how old are you"  Responding that it was 25 or older, she didn't qualify.  We all stepped aside with evil looks from the bouncers.  Ashley Simon and Sibyl all glanced back at us from the balcony.  I wanted to go in.  After putting my American ingenuity to use, and the ability to understand what the bouncers wanted -- a) people who would spend money b) people  would dance and c) people who would have a lot of fun.  I showed up again, they didn't really see me in the first place, with Ashly under one arm and Sibyl holding my hand.  How could they reject a guy wit two cute girls under his arms?  Yup, they couldn't.  Inside the house was just simply amazing, AMAZING!  Three were many many people, but it wasn't backed.  We stepped outside and got another drink, and I sat for maybe an hour and a half talking with Jay (a must from different countries) and Simon about all the pleasures in life.  The conversation started out by me kissing Jay's girlfriends hand, who was sitting just next to him, but not really realizing that she was his girlfriend.  That lead onto area codes, and of course I talked my way out of a sticky situation.  We all laughed.  But after this, since it is almost 12;30 or so, we moved back into the house, which was 4 stories tall, a mansion of a bar, a club, it was huge.  Moved through the floors and danced in each place.  I will admit that I don't really enjoy dancing, but the sexual innuendo's that populated the room was too goo to enjoy.  The female were great, and I was with people I enjoyed.  One of the highlights was some girl who grabbed my side, and my hand happened to be near her rump so I grabbed that.  She gave me a pretty seductive smile back, I almost melted through the floors.  Unfortunately many of the people who eventually got in had to take a test the next morning, so we went home at 2:00 or so in the morning.

I got home and noticed a very cute girl just in the room.  I couldn't wait to wake up.

The Value of Tip

Published on July 19, 2003 in Spain

When I woke up there was indeed a very cute girl waking up at about the same time.  I will take this time to apologize for the female centered agenda of my writings -- I am just documenting every person that I meet. We went out to coffee at this little cafe, I had a bread t thing with some chicken in it.  Very good!  Her name is Kristin.  I went back with Ashley and we took off for the beach, which was an adventure in it= own.  While getting ready to go I joked with the room that of the six people I was the only male, but nobody was uncomfortable.  Except when I was doing push ups and one of the females, a free-living hippy type, appeared with no underwear on and her bottom was right in my face and I extended my arms.  AhhH!  I did not enjoy that so much.

We went to the beach, where I was amazed by how many topless people there were.  Unfortunately the percentages were about the same no matter who the group was, either young old or real old.  Good times.

Went home and fell asleep again.  I woke up just in time to meet the group again, we had about 20 people and all were going out to some club.  I didn't know where the heck we were when we got there, which I'm sure wasn't a really good thing but we all enjoyed ourselves.  When we arrived, about 12:00, we were the only one's in the club.  I learned how to play Foosball, but played with a bunch of Brits and other European people ho seemingly have played quite a lot before.  Nevertheless, I learned how to play quick and held my own.  Eventually at 2:00 or so the club started picking up, and we all started dancing.

I gave the bartender a two euro tip, and later kissed her hand at some point.  We all drank before getting to the club, since drinks are real expensive.  I was walking by in not the bestest of moods and she gave me a free kiwi shooter th thing -- it was pretty good.  we laughed a little more, enjoyed ourselves, and I was in a much better mood.  Realizing how lucky I am in the US, I really don't like the smell of smoke wherever I go.  EVERYBODY smokes..  I danced with this girl, geez, what was her name.  The same girl that was not allowed into the club the night before but this time dressed up slightly.  She is an amazing dancer.  We only danced close a couple of times, me trying to keep up, and she has more control of her hips that anybody I have ever seen before.  Why do I, Mr. mediocre at best dancer, get stuck with Oh My God Rock Your World dancer?  Unfortunately she  just really wanted to dance, and was having boy issues, but that is not too much of my concern..  I enjoyed myself.  At 6:00am we arrived back at the hostel, curled up into bed, and slept until about 8:00 when the construction, on a Saturday, rocked our entire  building.  I look forward to the day that I will be able to sleep a full night, I look VERY forward to it!!  And now we arrive up-to-date to today.  Looking back, I have just relaxed a lot today.  I went to the beach for the entire afternoon, and didn't even get sunburned!!  Please tell me what is the matter with that situation??!  I fell asleep under a tree reading a book, and could feel a lot of the people walking out of the metro station looking at me.  I don't know, a white guy curled up relaxing unhindered by society under a tree.  An interesting sight I guess.  At 6:00 we got our bags and headed over to the train station.  Sibyl is very easy to travel with, I will admit that, but Ashely apparently doesn't observe what is going on around her.  For instance, I was the one who figured out what train to get on, I was the one who double checked, I was the one who got us down onto the train.  Just now I was the one who found out, by asking some French girl, what our seat numbers for our reservation are.  That is alright, I am enjoying myself, but still cannot wait to get off on my own.  Ashley and Sibyl are both asleep, soon I will be, all of us preparing for what should be a party-filled Sunday night in Nice, France.  The train is stopped in some town I cannot pronounce, a half filled car awaits the final command to start.

Getting Grasp

Published on July 16, 2003 in Spain

 What an eventful day!!  So, I don't even know where to begin, where the adventure starts, where the insomnia blurs with reality in some dizzying haze of some thingness.  

We left the airport after getting some change an finding our bags.  Although my father and his girlfriend think that I'm not competent, everything (finding the baggage reclaim in Spanish, getting change from an ATM, getting smaller bills for the bus, getting on the right bus) ans so forth was quite easy.  We jumped on the A1 and headed for Cataluna (spelled wrong I'm sure).  I asked the bus driver to alert us at the spot, and he did.  First thing on the agenda: find some food.

We stopped at a little pizza place off of Cataluna Place and got some food,   quite enjoyable.  Four cheese pizza we both had, and some water.

Having food in our stomachs we were able to brave the next adventure: finding our hostel.  But first, to find the Cafe Zurich.  Not knowing where to go  we bought a map, and ask a vendor person where "donde esta Cafe Zurich?"  She mumbled some things and pointed the other direction.  Two minutes later we were standing at a cafe with hundreds of other people.  We spread our map, found out where we were, and headed out.  It is maybe 9:00 now, and we have no clue where to go.  We head ff in what we th ink is the right direction.

One exclamation I will make about Spain, or at least Barcelona, is that the streets are very poorly labeled.  They are opposite from what we use in the states, and the smaller streets are only listed on the sides of buildings, if at all.  A while later I asked Ashley where w were, she pointed, and I said I don't think so.  WE had walked along this main boulevard just a few too many blocks, and were down by the harbor.  Walking back I borrowed the map and gave it a try.  silly map wasn't really right!!  The amazing thing is that some mail streets on the map were little one lane roads, which made finding our hostel quite a pain.  We stumbled down a street that both of us thought was right, asking one vendor where the hostel was.  He pointed, and we found a sign that said: "hostel residencia"  That must be it, right?  Nope, walked to the top of a five story building and no such luck.  Let me speculate on the weather.  At about 10:00pm it is hot, not scorching hot but make you sweat when you walk around with a big pack hot.  We found a place.  In a dysfunctional discussion the guy tried to get us to stay there, but we stood stiff.  It wasn't our hostel, and that is what we wanted.  I asked for the address and we immediately noticed that we were on the wrong street.  The map entirely portrayed the situation wrong!  After locating the right street we were both relieved to see a hotel with lots of people in it, and our reservation awaiting us.  Checked in, put our bags down, and ran back to Cafe Zurich to met our friend.  We were four minutes late.

Sibyls seems to have been having the time of her life, she was tan, and knew the city pretty darn well.  We jumped on the metro (I snuck in) and took it to some random part of town.  The club/bar was closed.  Now, adding to the situation, I had not slept for over 3 hours in five days.  We found some other little place that was hopping at 1:00am on a tue. night, and got a few drinks (with two of Ashley's friends), the local beer was really pretty good, and Ashley and I stumbled unknowingly home, the beer boosting our ability to navigate the streets.

I showered, watched part of a Spanish movie with the host-lady, curled up into bed, and slept for 7 1/2 hours.  And the new day beckons!  We are off to find food, and whatever adventure lies on that path.

Keyboard Rambles

Published on July 16, 2003 in Spain

I am quite glad to be on an American keyboard, these Europe people have their keyboards all freaking messed up!  So, lets see here, life is indeed quite interesting!  after taking a pretty long nap i woke up to these two girls moving in, and being the outgoing self that I am I said: "so, where you all from" and that is where it all started.  They joined Sibyl, Jason, Ashley, and myself on our adventures for the night.  Too bad they are both seeing people, because they are both pretty cute!  Very cute actually, my type of cute!  Alas...  But, onto the story.

We left at about 8:30pm and met up with Sibyl at guess where, Cafe Zurich!  At this point we waited around for Simon, and went over to the grocery store to get some food and alcohol.  Good times were had by all!  We got a few bottles of wine, and some schnapps.  Jumped on the metro, got off one stop to early, and missed a bus.  Now, the real adventure starts!  We followed some other people to the wrong place, we were going to see Amelie at a big outdoor theater.  Jumped in a taxi up the hill, it was sold out, walked down the hill, metro was closed (oh, and drank a little at the top of the hill), got a taxi most of the way home, and stumbled home.  Now it is two or so in the morning, and I am ready to go to sleep!!  I am debating whether or not I should be showering in the morning, or tonight.  We will see when Ashley comes back.

I indeed wonder how loud these keys are as I type them, but it doesn't really matter.  OH!  And another thing that is quite frustrating: one of the girls is a total techie -- why do I meet these just perfect females for me yet there is no possibility of anything:?  Why knows, I'm sure I will run into the perfect one sometime soon.  They laughed at me when i wanted to get a little bit of bread for before I go to bed tonight, but I'm quite hungry right now.  My quote book is going good, it has made me friends with several people.  A girl writing emails to her parents was the end of my torture, as well as all the other people i am running into.  I cannot wait until i get out on my own and am able to meet random people from all over the world, but it should all be done in stepping stones.  I am not really having that much culture shock since I'm with friends to aid me through the ways, but I'm sure when I get by myself I will be quite amazed.  Drinking tomorrow night I think.  I made friends with another girl whose name I don't know when I gave her a big water bottle -- she was asking for change to get some water from downstairs and I just said: "here, have this" -- she was mentioning about being dehydrated, and I certainly know that feeling!  So, I told her to get water from now on at the supermarkets, since it is like .19 euros vs one euro.  quite a savings!!  Plus it is twice as large!  Well, I think I am going to curl up in bed after doing my teeth, that sounds really nice right now.  I also need to go to the bathroom, but I can wait to do that.  So, g'nite for now my friend, until our next encounter!!