The Spanish life. I love it. Last night, I had cheese for dinner. Cheese! For dinner! Awesome.
Last time I posted was after Sitges. Sitges was beautiful, I'd love to go back there when the weather is nice and lay on the beach all afternoon. Thursday we had class in the morning and we didn't have anything else until 5P. Me, Holly, Analise, and Sylvia didn't think it would be a good day for the beach so we didn't bring our stuff. However, it was a beautiful afternoon. So we headed over to Las Ramblas to shop and found this really awesome store called Sky Republic. It was relatively inexpensive and had a lot of really cool, Spanish stuff. I bought some presents for myself and others. We walked around and tried to shop some more, but stores close from 2P-5P for comida (lunch, sort of) and siesta (nap...this is why I love Spain) so we headed to find some comida for ourselves.
Seeing as how it was paella day, we headed to a restaurant that Silvia and Jordi had recommended that was right down the street from the University. We sat outside in the sun and drank sangria (it was pretty weak, but still refreshing). For our first course, we all had paella. It was so much better than the paella of last week. This week's paella was not nearly as greasy and had pork ribs, calamari, and shrimp. It was Sylvia's first time and she's a true convert now. After that, we all ordered different second plates. I had bistec (steak), Holly had sausages, Sylvia had bacalau (cod), and Analise had tuna. Everything was served with french fries and a roasted pepper. I liked mine the best. Sylvia's cod was good, but it had bones in it. Holly's sausages were somewhat flavorless, and I didn't really like Analise's tuna at all. But none of it was terrible, I just liked mine the best. All of this and bread for 9 euros.
After sitting in the sun for 2hours, we needed something cold. So we found some gelato. I think Spain has ruined ice cream for me. It's so cold and creamy and delicious. I had hazelnut, which tasted like Nutella. Yummy. We went and sat around the jardín at the University and eventually met up with the group to head over to la Sagrada Familia which is a Gaudí work in the middle of the city. It is incredible.
La Sagrada Familia is a church that Gaudí designed (actually, he was the second architect to work on it, but the most famous and did the most work). It has been a work in progress since 1892 and won't be done for another 20 years. The details on the facade are amazing, so intricate and artistic. Just more proof that Gaudí is a genius. Eventually, it will be the tallest building in Barcelona, but right now it is still not finished. The inside is equally beautiful and demonstrates the different eras that have been spent working on it; for example, the material of the columns has changed over time because they have discovered that other things are stronger than granite. Gaudí designed this building the same way as he did the other: modeling the structure after nature. We saw some of his templates in the museum and then we finally got to go up into the towers.
It cost 2 euros to go up (last weekend I dropped 3.50 euros for a bottle of water so I figured I would be shameful not to spend 2 euros to go) in the elevator. It didn't go to the top, but it was certainly high and the view from the top was spectacular. You could see the entire city, the moutains, and the sea all at once. Absolutely breath taking. The passageways and bridges and stairs were tiny and crammed and the stairs were so narrow only one person (barely) could go pass at a time. I decided the narrow stairways were Gaudí (in his infinite wisdom) symbolizing the lack of personal space that the Spanish people tend to maintain. We made it down eventually, with breaks to check out the views of the city and listen to this crazy British kid. He told us he couldn't swear in church and was freaking out about the stairs and kept saying things like "Oh my bleep I'm going to bleeping die".
After surviving the stairs (they were really quite nerve wrecking), we headed home and managed to not nap and eat an early dinner so that we could go out. We had chicken (delicious), rice, salad and bread. Notice how there is not a laundry list of food, and finally not epic portions. It was really tasty. Around 11, Me, Holly, Analise, Michelle, Kate, and Sylvia headed to Oveja Negra to start out our night. We hadn't been out since Saturday, so we were ready to party.
Oveja negra was a bust. In Spain, they don't really start going out until most Americans are wrapping up their night, so getting to Oveja Negra at 11P was a tad early for Spaniards. We did sit next to some Spaniards who were trying to practice their English on us, even though we understand and speak Spanish. The guy I was talking to would take 2 minutes to respond to my questions that I asked in Spanish, and his responses were limited to less than 8 words. Luckily, I had a gin and tonic to get me through the experience. That got old very quickly, so we left and went to Chupitos, where we went last Thursday.
Let me preface Chupitos by mentioning my poor choice in footwear. Barcelona is a walking city, and wearing wedges was a bad idea. Anyways, at Chupitos we decided it was time for shots. At Chupitos they have flaming shots, which we had to do, naturally. We started with a boy scout. The bartender pours alcohol on the bar and lights it up and you take a skewered marshmallow and toast it over the flame. Then you put the toasted mallow in the shot to liquor it up, eat the mallow, and take the shot. I had 2 of these over the period of the night. They were tasty. After that we watched some people do something crazy, so we decided to try it. I think it might have been absinthe, but all I know is that it is blue. The bartender put the liquid and an empty shot glass in a bowl and lit the shot on fire. Then, she took a tall glass and put it over the shot glass which somehow (and I should probably know how, but I don't) the liquid went into the shot glass. After she pulled the glass off, she covered the tall glass with her hand while you drank the liquid with a straw. When you were done with the liquid, you drank the fumes left in the tall glass. Very strange, I must say. But interesting. We decided that was enough shots and moved on a liter of pure liquor, which tasted amazing and I have no clue what was in it.
We weren't really seeing any cute guys but we decided to sit down and see if some appeared. They did. Hot Spaniards. We started talking to them and they were fun (and incredibly hot) so we spent the rest of the night hanging out with them. That night, Analise had worn a skirt that was somewhat sheer, but only in really bright light. Well, at Chupito's, they have black lights and it's pretty dark. About halfway through the night, we discovered that you could see Analise's white panties through her skirt thanks to the black light. Her crotch was glowing, hilarious. We met some more people, including some Columbian girls who were really nice. We also did more shots (somewhere in there was another boy scout and some tequila). David took sweetly to Holly and the train conductor (he drives a train for the Metro) and I hit it off. I do not know his name/maybe cannot remember it. We left Chupitos as they were closing. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty drunk and really wanted to go to bed. They wanted to take us somewhere else, but we made the good decision to go home since we had to wake up so early in the morning for our excursion. We walked back to the University to catch the bus home and on the way, Analise had to pee, so she did so on an ATM. Sylvia and I headed home on the bus, where I was a bit of a drunk circus, but nothing too terrible; and the whole time I was barefoot. I got to my bed at 4A and passed out cold.
I woke up in the morning a little bit afraid to open my eyes, thinking a hangover was imminent. Luckily, my liver did me a favor and I was perfectly fine. I picked up some Hot Doks (this is always a good idea after drinking in Barcelona; the grease just works wonders) for me and Holly and got on the bus to Montserrat, a monastery about an hour outside of Barcelona in the mountains.
Montserrat was beautiful. We got there and on the way towards the monastery found some people selling local fares. I bought a couple surprises which will hopefully not get taken by customs (I'm totally prepared to lie in order to sneak them across the border) and Craig, Analise, and I decided to go down to Santa Cova, this place that has something to do with visions of the Virgin. This was quite a hike, but breathtaking views. We stopped several times to just sit and take it in. Santa Cova is (I would call) a shrine to the virgin. People also come here and bring tokens to offer up to God. Which is somewhat creepy. We went into the room where people left them and it was all at once sad, creepy, and somewhat happy. It was pretty cool to see, definitely something we do not have in the United States. We were supposed to be back by 1 to hear the choir boys sing, but we didn't make it due to some tram confusion. I have some trouble with my asthma here (Spaniards smoke a lot, and it makes my asthma worse) so we had to take the tram and didn't catch the one before 1P. We are pretty sure we heard them practicing as we climbed down the mountain, which was really peaceful and something I will never forget, sitting on the edge of a mountain listening to the boys choir and looking out over the mountains. Wow. Once we made it back to the montesary, we bought a cheesecake (not actually a cheesecake, more like cheesecake flavored flan) and inhaled it. We got back to Barcelona around 3 and headed home for a siesta and to prepare to see King Lear (or Rey Lear) that night.
(Warning: this might become somewhat explicit as I am still harboring rage towards the incident)
When I got home, I went to throw myself in my bed and noticed some brown streaks on my covers, which were definitely not there before I left. I knew I had been drunk the night before, but was 100% certain that I did not leave them there. I bent down to smell them. Unmistakably dog shit. The fucking dog had wiped her nasty ass all over my bed. I went and told my Senora, who was not nearly embarrassed enough in my opinion, who said she would wash my sheets. What the hell, dog? Why my bed? Ugh...I could kill that bitch.
After I peeled the sheets off my bed, I fumbled around on the internet for awhile and tried to sleep, but sleeping without sheets was difficult so I got up and cleaned my room. After a shower, I got dressed for the theater. I thought I should dress like I would in the states, dress, heels, etc. Heels were again a mistake. This time a much much more terrible mistake. Analise, Sylvia and I took the train to the theater. Craig had said it was right next to this building, so when we got there, we walked towards that building thinking we would find the theater. By the time we realized we were going the wrong way, it was like 13 minutes until the door closed. I took off my shoes and jogged and barely made it. I will not be wearing heels in Barcelona again, unless I plan to take a taxi. The play was well done, I think. For the most part, they spoke really fast and I didn't quite understand it. As it is, King Lear is hard to understand in English. But the adaptation was really interesting in terms of the set and the costumes and King Lear the actor was amazing. The rest were somewhat mediocre, over dramatic and such. Overall, it was really awesome and I feel really cultured now that I can say I've seen King Lear in Spanish.
After King Lear, I once again walked home barefoot, and we stopped into Hot Doks (it was the only thing open on our block) for a drink (Fanta Naranja is my favorite here) and snack. After our appetizer, we came back to our apartment and had cheese, grapes, and bread for dinner at like midnight. It was nice to do something relaxing, and I could eat cheese for every meal and not even want something else. I used the phone to talk to Daddy and Kaleb (phone cards here are thieves...I can usually only use them for like 30 minutes max) to say hi and that I'm alive. Later on, Mommy called me and we talked for awhile. It was good to talk to people at home. I haven't been home since March so I'm a little homesick, but Barcelona is incredible so I don't let it set me back. At 5A my time, Rachie called! I was sleeping, but I woke up and we got to talk, which was great. I slept until noon and have just been putzing around here, trying to decide something to do. The weather hasn't been good for the beach. They had a really dry winter and now the weather is making up for it by raining a lot. Which is good because they need the rain, but bad because I want a tan. I'm sure we'll find something good, if not just go eat somewhere new and different and maybe go to Park Guell. Sylvia has been there so she's not sure she wants to go, and I'm not sure the weather will hold out. I should go get dressed and ready.
¡Les quiero y hasta luego!
5.31.2008
5.28.2008
More Than Halfway Through
We're more than halfway through the program and I am exhausted. They have us going all the time and when we finally stop, sleeping seems like such a good idea. I haven't been out since Saturday, and I am not the least bit ashamed at my lack of going out this week.
Sunday I came home and uploaded like 500 pictures to the internet. I've been working on adding captions since, for the most part, most people have no idea what they're looking at. I'm through like 100 or so. Monday we had class and then took a break to the cafe across the street before our afternoon excursion. I had some sangria (which was much stronger than Oveja Negra and gave me a little bit of afternoon buzz) and a chocolate crepe. I think I could eat crepes of various varieties for every meal and would not get tired of them. They are delicious.
For our afternoon excursion, we went to the Gaudi museum. Gaudi is a famous architect from Barcelona who designed things based on nature. For example, when he was creating the arches for his buildings he used a simple string model. He would hold the string so that it created a parabolic shape which would represent an upside down arch. He designed everything with purpose. His furniture is strange looking, but it is highly ergonomic, which is really cool since he was around in the late 19th, early 2oth century, before ergonomic was hip. We saw his La Pedrera building which has been converted to a museum, and then Casa Batllo which was also really awesome. Casa Batllo has a sort of dragon facade and is mosaicked across the front, it is one of my favorite buildings in Barcelona. Tomorrow we'll go see one of his most famous works, which is still being built, La Sagrada Familia, which is a church that will eventually be the tallest building in Barcelona. I'm not really sure why, but due to the complicated nature of the building, it is still not complete. Also, Park Guell has some more of Gaudi's works, including the long, tiled bench that is hugely famous all over the world; hopefully we'll go there this weekend.
After Gaudi, we headed home for dinner of leftover city, and not really good leftovers really. I don't know what's up with Senora lately but the food has not been awesome. I'm not too worried though, I definitely eat enough. Monday was Jessica's (the French girl who lives with Kate and Michelle) actual birthday so Sylvia and I met up with Jessica, Kate, Michelle, and Austin for coffee a couple blocks away. I had Brazilian coffee which definitely had whiskey in it and helped me sleep like a baby when we finally got home at 1A. It was nice to do something relaxing, though.
Tuesday morning I woke up in a stinker of a mood, which is strange because I've been sleeping more and drinking less. We went to class and didn't have any excursions in the afternoon. Craig, Sylvia and I headed over to Las Ramblas to try and get some shopping done, but didn't really accomplish anything. We did, however, spring for Chocolate y Churros again. And they were consistently amazing. I could go for some right now, even though I've had Chocolate today. After that we met up with some people from our group and headed over to Arc de Triomf. Its a giant park and the entrance is this awesome arch. We walked around the park, which was beautiful, for a long time, looking at stuff and taking pictures. I lusted after some beautiful, giant dogs (since I'm starting to really miss my Bartimus) and we walked down to the Harbor area. I bought some rioja wine, which Jordi says is excellent Catalan wine. I haven't opened it yet, but I can't wait to try it. Here they drink all wine chilled, even red wine, which I like. I think I'm going to chill this, but I haven't decided.
After walking, I was tired again, so I came home and napped for 3 hours. We ate dinner (noodles, hot dogs, salad, bread, etc. Basically nothing new or interesting). When we were out and about, I was totally pretending that I wanted to go out, trying to convince Craig that Tuesday was a great night for going out (pretty much every night is a great night for going out in Barcelona); however, when I got home and passed out, I woke up not pretending anymore. So we didn't go out. We played hermits and went to bed around 12:30.
At 1:30A, Analise called me because she and her room mate had gotten in a fight; they're fine now. I woke up this morning in a much better mood. We had class again and then headed straight for Sitges, which is about an hour away by train. The train ride went right along the coast and was stunning. Sitges is also beautiful. It's tiny. Not as tiny as Besalu, but much much smaller than Barcelona. It is kind of touristy, but still very pretty and cute. There are shops and restaurants, but the beaches are the main attraction. We didn't spend any time at the beach because the weather wasn't beach weather, but we saw them and they are beautiful. Sitges also tastes like the ocean, which I loved. It was like being back on the boat with Gabby and Popop. We went to several museums that had important Catalan art, modern and romantic. The art was beautiful and I got some really cool pictures, even though we were supposed to take them in the museum. Oops.
After the museums, we went with Jordi and Silvia to a cafe for a marienda (snack). We tried a variety of pastries and of course, Chocolate. I didn't really like mine, it was thick (Silvia tried it and said I must have gotten the bottom of the barrel), luckily Craig ate most of it in my honor. We walked around Sitges some, looking in shops but not really buying anything. We got home around 8P and I fell asleep until Senora, who must have been hollering at us for awhile, came and turned the light on to wake me up for dinner. Dinner, to be perfectly honest, sucked. Coming to Spain, I was hoping to eat Spanish food for every meal, and we do, but not really. Tonight's selections were pizza (in the place of noodles) which was burnt black, hot dogs, cheese, salad, bread, ice cream, and juevos rellenos. Let me tell you about juevos rellenos, or surprise eggs as I call them. It's looks like deviled eggs with a mayonnaise sauce on top. But, the surprise is: it's stuffed with fish. Suprise! It was salty and fishy and mayonnaise-y all at once. I ate one, going my philosophy to try everything, but am not really enamored. Especially when I got the surprise of being stuff with fish. And we've been eating at 10:30P. I asked Silvia about this and she said 9 is normal but 10:30 is a little late. I think we eat that late because our Senora doesn't get home until 9 from work. I'm getting used to it. I don't mind eating later than most Americans (8:30 is ideal for me), but 10:30 is pushing midnight snack time. But I love the experience of being immersed in a different culture, which definitely out weighs my hesitation to wait to have dinner until 10:30. I have learned that eating too much at 10:30 is a bad idea, unless I have definite plans to go out, because usually I go to bed like now and having a full belly is not ideal for sleeping. Tonight, though, our plans to go out fell through. Which is ironic because I spent part of the train ride home trying to convince Craig that Wednesdays are better than Saturdays in terms of going out, clearly I am a hypocrite.
I'm starting to yawn, so I'm off to bed. Hopefully next time I blog I will have more interesting stories to tell.
Sunday I came home and uploaded like 500 pictures to the internet. I've been working on adding captions since, for the most part, most people have no idea what they're looking at. I'm through like 100 or so. Monday we had class and then took a break to the cafe across the street before our afternoon excursion. I had some sangria (which was much stronger than Oveja Negra and gave me a little bit of afternoon buzz) and a chocolate crepe. I think I could eat crepes of various varieties for every meal and would not get tired of them. They are delicious.
For our afternoon excursion, we went to the Gaudi museum. Gaudi is a famous architect from Barcelona who designed things based on nature. For example, when he was creating the arches for his buildings he used a simple string model. He would hold the string so that it created a parabolic shape which would represent an upside down arch. He designed everything with purpose. His furniture is strange looking, but it is highly ergonomic, which is really cool since he was around in the late 19th, early 2oth century, before ergonomic was hip. We saw his La Pedrera building which has been converted to a museum, and then Casa Batllo which was also really awesome. Casa Batllo has a sort of dragon facade and is mosaicked across the front, it is one of my favorite buildings in Barcelona. Tomorrow we'll go see one of his most famous works, which is still being built, La Sagrada Familia, which is a church that will eventually be the tallest building in Barcelona. I'm not really sure why, but due to the complicated nature of the building, it is still not complete. Also, Park Guell has some more of Gaudi's works, including the long, tiled bench that is hugely famous all over the world; hopefully we'll go there this weekend.
After Gaudi, we headed home for dinner of leftover city, and not really good leftovers really. I don't know what's up with Senora lately but the food has not been awesome. I'm not too worried though, I definitely eat enough. Monday was Jessica's (the French girl who lives with Kate and Michelle) actual birthday so Sylvia and I met up with Jessica, Kate, Michelle, and Austin for coffee a couple blocks away. I had Brazilian coffee which definitely had whiskey in it and helped me sleep like a baby when we finally got home at 1A. It was nice to do something relaxing, though.
Tuesday morning I woke up in a stinker of a mood, which is strange because I've been sleeping more and drinking less. We went to class and didn't have any excursions in the afternoon. Craig, Sylvia and I headed over to Las Ramblas to try and get some shopping done, but didn't really accomplish anything. We did, however, spring for Chocolate y Churros again. And they were consistently amazing. I could go for some right now, even though I've had Chocolate today. After that we met up with some people from our group and headed over to Arc de Triomf. Its a giant park and the entrance is this awesome arch. We walked around the park, which was beautiful, for a long time, looking at stuff and taking pictures. I lusted after some beautiful, giant dogs (since I'm starting to really miss my Bartimus) and we walked down to the Harbor area. I bought some rioja wine, which Jordi says is excellent Catalan wine. I haven't opened it yet, but I can't wait to try it. Here they drink all wine chilled, even red wine, which I like. I think I'm going to chill this, but I haven't decided.
After walking, I was tired again, so I came home and napped for 3 hours. We ate dinner (noodles, hot dogs, salad, bread, etc. Basically nothing new or interesting). When we were out and about, I was totally pretending that I wanted to go out, trying to convince Craig that Tuesday was a great night for going out (pretty much every night is a great night for going out in Barcelona); however, when I got home and passed out, I woke up not pretending anymore. So we didn't go out. We played hermits and went to bed around 12:30.
At 1:30A, Analise called me because she and her room mate had gotten in a fight; they're fine now. I woke up this morning in a much better mood. We had class again and then headed straight for Sitges, which is about an hour away by train. The train ride went right along the coast and was stunning. Sitges is also beautiful. It's tiny. Not as tiny as Besalu, but much much smaller than Barcelona. It is kind of touristy, but still very pretty and cute. There are shops and restaurants, but the beaches are the main attraction. We didn't spend any time at the beach because the weather wasn't beach weather, but we saw them and they are beautiful. Sitges also tastes like the ocean, which I loved. It was like being back on the boat with Gabby and Popop. We went to several museums that had important Catalan art, modern and romantic. The art was beautiful and I got some really cool pictures, even though we were supposed to take them in the museum. Oops.
After the museums, we went with Jordi and Silvia to a cafe for a marienda (snack). We tried a variety of pastries and of course, Chocolate. I didn't really like mine, it was thick (Silvia tried it and said I must have gotten the bottom of the barrel), luckily Craig ate most of it in my honor. We walked around Sitges some, looking in shops but not really buying anything. We got home around 8P and I fell asleep until Senora, who must have been hollering at us for awhile, came and turned the light on to wake me up for dinner. Dinner, to be perfectly honest, sucked. Coming to Spain, I was hoping to eat Spanish food for every meal, and we do, but not really. Tonight's selections were pizza (in the place of noodles) which was burnt black, hot dogs, cheese, salad, bread, ice cream, and juevos rellenos. Let me tell you about juevos rellenos, or surprise eggs as I call them. It's looks like deviled eggs with a mayonnaise sauce on top. But, the surprise is: it's stuffed with fish. Suprise! It was salty and fishy and mayonnaise-y all at once. I ate one, going my philosophy to try everything, but am not really enamored. Especially when I got the surprise of being stuff with fish. And we've been eating at 10:30P. I asked Silvia about this and she said 9 is normal but 10:30 is a little late. I think we eat that late because our Senora doesn't get home until 9 from work. I'm getting used to it. I don't mind eating later than most Americans (8:30 is ideal for me), but 10:30 is pushing midnight snack time. But I love the experience of being immersed in a different culture, which definitely out weighs my hesitation to wait to have dinner until 10:30. I have learned that eating too much at 10:30 is a bad idea, unless I have definite plans to go out, because usually I go to bed like now and having a full belly is not ideal for sleeping. Tonight, though, our plans to go out fell through. Which is ironic because I spent part of the train ride home trying to convince Craig that Wednesdays are better than Saturdays in terms of going out, clearly I am a hypocrite.
I'm starting to yawn, so I'm off to bed. Hopefully next time I blog I will have more interesting stories to tell.
5.26.2008
More Good News
Pictures are up! Either go to the bottom to see the slideshow (which doesn't work at the internet café because this computer still has Windows98) or go to www.picasaweb.google.com/scotti.wingfield
There are 473. Enjoy.
There are 473. Enjoy.
5.25.2008
Good News
The internet is fully functioning. Which means I can write from my computer. Which means I have spell check. Which means I can write more often. Senora had just unplugged it...oops.
It's 5 o'clock (AM) Somewhere
Actually, I keep meeting 5A in Barcelona. My señora probably thinks I'm the laziest person alive. But at least I have internet, sort of.
Yesterday, after spending way too much time at the internet café I went out and ran some errands. Snacks, cash, etc. I took a nap and then Holly, Michelle, Kate, Analise, and I headed out to the football game. The game was held at the stadium that Fútbol Club de Barcelona (or FC Barcelona) plays in, which was huge. We met over by Analise's place and walked about 26.2 miles to the stadium. When we finally got there, I hadn't eaten much beyond the croissant because I was saving myself for Argentinian meat, so we found some food (I couldn't make it to scavenge for really good food so I just got a hamburger and some sausage at a stand and inhaled it) and clara. Clara is beer mixed with lemonade. When I had it yesterday it was lemon Fanta and I'm not really sure I like it, although it does taste better than beer. John C. Wilcox bought Craig a beer (jealous) and we walked around with JCW and some people from the group before the game started.
Eventually, we climbed 8,000 stairs to get to our seats. Nosebleed, of course. Which I didn't mind because we could see the whole field and the whole stadium. It was a friend game between Catalunya and Argentina so it wasn't that packed. There was a suprising amount of Argentinian supporters considering the political meaning behind the game.
A lot of Catalunya believes that it should be a separate nation from Spain since it has its own language, food, culture, etc. There is stuff here that would never happen in other parts of Spain, which is really cool. I don't really know enough about it to have an opinion, but most of the TA's think that Catalunya should be a separate nation. Part of the politics behind the game were that the Catalunya team is not recognized in the international arena, unfortunately. So they don't get to play against the national teams or in the World Cup. Either way, we saw a lot of mullets.
The game was cool, but I don't really know that much about soccer so it was fun to watch but I thought it would be more intense, more like lacrosse. There wasn't enough fighting for my taste. But the fans were something else. It was definitely the loudest and proudest game I have ever been too. I took a couple videos because I was in couple awe of how wild the fans were. They had drums and were bouncing up and down the whole time. The game itself was pretty mild, since it was friendly, but the fans were totally worth going. Argentina won, 1-0. After the game, Craig, Analise, Holly and I headed back towards my neighborhood for some Hot Doks.
As Michelle wisely said before we even left, we live really close to the stadium, like literally 3 blocks. We could have avoided walking an entire marathon, sorry Michelle. We went to Hot Doks where we encountered the same Dominican waiter. Craig and I ordered 2 sandwiches and shared them and some fries. They were both a combination of Texas toast, fried egg, ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and pure delicious. After eating dinner, Craig said he would set up my wireless for my señora so we headed across the street to my apartment. She wasn't home so I was just going to change and we were going to go out but she showed up. We drank cava while he set up the wireless successfully (finally) and in Spanish (impressive) and we headed over the fairy forest bar/coffee shop. I drank Tanqueray and tonic and we checked the place out. Its like a forest inside, its so cool. There is greenery and artwork all over. Craig thought it was creepy, but the rest of us thought it was awesome. It was more a place to get a drink and sit and talk than the dive bar that is Oveja Negra
We left shortly before it closed (we really only stayed like half an hour) and headed down La Rambla del Mar and walked along the harbor trying to think of something to do. It is Jessica's (the French girl that lives with Michelle and Kate) birthday on Monday so we wanted to do something fun, at least get her trashed or something. But we didn't want to go to Oveja Negra, we wanted something new. So we were walking and we just kind of followed the crowd into this club inside a shopping mall, strange. Sunset, I think it was called. Poor Craig had to pay 15€ whereas the rest of the girls didn't, since we're girls.
That place was eurotrash central. It was like Lesbian Night and Bachelorette Party Night. And there were a lot of people beyond the age that it is acceptable to be out beyond 2A. The music was crazy. It was like something for everyone, literally. They even played a Grease montage. Which was hilarious; the lesbians were doing the entire dance to Greased Lightening. There was a group of super eurotrash guys who kept coordinating their dance moves like N'Sync and doing them in unison. Some guy stroked Kate's heel inside her shoe. The same guy asked Analise if she preferred his pants rolled up or let down. And, on the walls, they were playing movies. While we were there Spiderman and Star Wars were the featured films of the evening. It was a great time. And, for once, we didn't get absolutely accosted by strange euro men. We danced with a couple but they got the hint when it was time to step off and leave us alone. They don't keep calling 20 times a day because they weren't trying to get our numbers.
It was hotter than hell in there, so we stayed for like 2.5 hours and headed home. We made it on the Metro and I rolled into bed at 5A, per the usual. I tried to use the internet, thinking I could talk to people since it was like 10P in the States. However, for some reason, it wasn't working last night or today when I woke up at 3P. Craig suspects she turns off the router when she's sleeping because the lights blink. She wasn't home so hopefully I can figure it out when I get back, I'm at an internet café now.
After waking up at 3, we were going to go see a movie because the weather is miserable here. The movies were starting for like 2 hours so we headed over to a café on Las Ramblas that was recommended to us by Marianna and Jordi and Silvia, so we had to try it. We had a giant plate of all things fried tapas, which was phenomenal, fried cheese and fried crab and other stuff fried. That ws delicious. Then we had chocolate con churros which is churros and hot chocolate. But the hot chocolate here isn't like it is in the States. Here it is essentially hot, melted chocolate. You can't really drink it, its way too thick. That was amazing. The fried churros were so fresh and hot and the hot chocolate was so rich, I'm still full and we ate it like 2 hours ago. After that we did some shopping on Las Ramblas but most stuff was closed because its Sunday. Soon, I'm going home to see if I can fix the internet, if only to put pictures up and catch up on TV shows. Tomorrow we have class and then an excusion to a museum, maybe something about Contemporary Art? I'm not really sure. I am sure, that I've been away from my bed for far too long and am going to head home for dinner and sleep.
¡Hasta mañana!
Yesterday, after spending way too much time at the internet café I went out and ran some errands. Snacks, cash, etc. I took a nap and then Holly, Michelle, Kate, Analise, and I headed out to the football game. The game was held at the stadium that Fútbol Club de Barcelona (or FC Barcelona) plays in, which was huge. We met over by Analise's place and walked about 26.2 miles to the stadium. When we finally got there, I hadn't eaten much beyond the croissant because I was saving myself for Argentinian meat, so we found some food (I couldn't make it to scavenge for really good food so I just got a hamburger and some sausage at a stand and inhaled it) and clara. Clara is beer mixed with lemonade. When I had it yesterday it was lemon Fanta and I'm not really sure I like it, although it does taste better than beer. John C. Wilcox bought Craig a beer (jealous) and we walked around with JCW and some people from the group before the game started.
Eventually, we climbed 8,000 stairs to get to our seats. Nosebleed, of course. Which I didn't mind because we could see the whole field and the whole stadium. It was a friend game between Catalunya and Argentina so it wasn't that packed. There was a suprising amount of Argentinian supporters considering the political meaning behind the game.
A lot of Catalunya believes that it should be a separate nation from Spain since it has its own language, food, culture, etc. There is stuff here that would never happen in other parts of Spain, which is really cool. I don't really know enough about it to have an opinion, but most of the TA's think that Catalunya should be a separate nation. Part of the politics behind the game were that the Catalunya team is not recognized in the international arena, unfortunately. So they don't get to play against the national teams or in the World Cup. Either way, we saw a lot of mullets.
The game was cool, but I don't really know that much about soccer so it was fun to watch but I thought it would be more intense, more like lacrosse. There wasn't enough fighting for my taste. But the fans were something else. It was definitely the loudest and proudest game I have ever been too. I took a couple videos because I was in couple awe of how wild the fans were. They had drums and were bouncing up and down the whole time. The game itself was pretty mild, since it was friendly, but the fans were totally worth going. Argentina won, 1-0. After the game, Craig, Analise, Holly and I headed back towards my neighborhood for some Hot Doks.
As Michelle wisely said before we even left, we live really close to the stadium, like literally 3 blocks. We could have avoided walking an entire marathon, sorry Michelle. We went to Hot Doks where we encountered the same Dominican waiter. Craig and I ordered 2 sandwiches and shared them and some fries. They were both a combination of Texas toast, fried egg, ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and pure delicious. After eating dinner, Craig said he would set up my wireless for my señora so we headed across the street to my apartment. She wasn't home so I was just going to change and we were going to go out but she showed up. We drank cava while he set up the wireless successfully (finally) and in Spanish (impressive) and we headed over the fairy forest bar/coffee shop. I drank Tanqueray and tonic and we checked the place out. Its like a forest inside, its so cool. There is greenery and artwork all over. Craig thought it was creepy, but the rest of us thought it was awesome. It was more a place to get a drink and sit and talk than the dive bar that is Oveja Negra
We left shortly before it closed (we really only stayed like half an hour) and headed down La Rambla del Mar and walked along the harbor trying to think of something to do. It is Jessica's (the French girl that lives with Michelle and Kate) birthday on Monday so we wanted to do something fun, at least get her trashed or something. But we didn't want to go to Oveja Negra, we wanted something new. So we were walking and we just kind of followed the crowd into this club inside a shopping mall, strange. Sunset, I think it was called. Poor Craig had to pay 15€ whereas the rest of the girls didn't, since we're girls.
That place was eurotrash central. It was like Lesbian Night and Bachelorette Party Night. And there were a lot of people beyond the age that it is acceptable to be out beyond 2A. The music was crazy. It was like something for everyone, literally. They even played a Grease montage. Which was hilarious; the lesbians were doing the entire dance to Greased Lightening. There was a group of super eurotrash guys who kept coordinating their dance moves like N'Sync and doing them in unison. Some guy stroked Kate's heel inside her shoe. The same guy asked Analise if she preferred his pants rolled up or let down. And, on the walls, they were playing movies. While we were there Spiderman and Star Wars were the featured films of the evening. It was a great time. And, for once, we didn't get absolutely accosted by strange euro men. We danced with a couple but they got the hint when it was time to step off and leave us alone. They don't keep calling 20 times a day because they weren't trying to get our numbers.
It was hotter than hell in there, so we stayed for like 2.5 hours and headed home. We made it on the Metro and I rolled into bed at 5A, per the usual. I tried to use the internet, thinking I could talk to people since it was like 10P in the States. However, for some reason, it wasn't working last night or today when I woke up at 3P. Craig suspects she turns off the router when she's sleeping because the lights blink. She wasn't home so hopefully I can figure it out when I get back, I'm at an internet café now.
After waking up at 3, we were going to go see a movie because the weather is miserable here. The movies were starting for like 2 hours so we headed over to a café on Las Ramblas that was recommended to us by Marianna and Jordi and Silvia, so we had to try it. We had a giant plate of all things fried tapas, which was phenomenal, fried cheese and fried crab and other stuff fried. That ws delicious. Then we had chocolate con churros which is churros and hot chocolate. But the hot chocolate here isn't like it is in the States. Here it is essentially hot, melted chocolate. You can't really drink it, its way too thick. That was amazing. The fried churros were so fresh and hot and the hot chocolate was so rich, I'm still full and we ate it like 2 hours ago. After that we did some shopping on Las Ramblas but most stuff was closed because its Sunday. Soon, I'm going home to see if I can fix the internet, if only to put pictures up and catch up on TV shows. Tomorrow we have class and then an excusion to a museum, maybe something about Contemporary Art? I'm not really sure. I am sure, that I've been away from my bed for far too long and am going to head home for dinner and sleep.
¡Hasta mañana!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)