Leaving Spain

I said my goodbye to Spain yesterday, flying out of Barcelona, and feeling a bit sad. I've spent about three of the last five months here, and it's hard not to get nostalgic. Barcelona has been a home away from home thanks to friends like Rique and Paola and also Alison and Sebas who all opened their homes for me while travelling. It's nice to be with locals, since you see the real Barcelona versus the watered-down Lonely Planet version. Needless to say, I wouldn't have been able to afford Barcelona without their hospitality. I was also nostalgic about my time in Piedralaves....I wrote about this a few posts back, so no sense in re-writing what has been written. I'm going to miss the Spanish culture, lifestyle, and all the wonderful people I met.....(but not gonna miss the food since it's not very vegetarian friendly). But now I'm in the wonderful tropical British Isles where the weather is a balmy 50 degrees F, under rainy, cloudy skies. I'll be here the final 2 weeks of my trip (aii mami!). I haven't been posting much and haven't been taking many photos either. I think it's a sign that it might be time for me to go into backpacker traveler retirement. But I'll make that decision at the end of the season when I return to the states. So this is not my swan song yet....but it could be coming soon.......
hell is not in any Barcelona guidebook

Speaking of white birds, Dónde está Che Pelotas?

Anoche, Vè 'Cabeza del Radio' en Barcelona

Yesterday, I took a day off from my life as a country peasant, and headed to the big city to see traditional Spanish Music. After a bus ride from Piedralaves to Madrid, I caught one of the high-speed AVE trains to Barcelona.
Photo on the AVE as I'm getting close to Barcelona, with Montserrat lurking in the background. You'll remember Montserrat in one of my postings a month ago because I know you read this blog religiously,......right?
On the train, there was a tv screen that played the traditional Spanish movie, Sueñas Chicas, or Dreamgirls in English, starring Jaimè Foxx and Eduardo Murphy. The movie was all in Spanish, but fortunately for me, the songs that were sung in English were subtitled in Spanish. I appreciated the simple dialogue since it's easy to follow, but I noticed Jaimè and Eduardo had trouble with their lips when they spoke....but anyway, that's not important. What's important is that I saw the traditional Spanish ensemble called 'Cabeza del Radio', or Radiohead in English. They played at the Daydream Festival along the Mediterranean Coast in Barcelona. Here's photos from their Spanish Musical Performance:
Cabeza del Radio just as they took the stage
The light show got better and better.....
They played all ten songs from their latest album En Arcoiris (or In Rainbows for our English readers).
...as the show progressed
The lead cancionista, Tomás Yorque had a lot of energy as he belted out other classical Spanish tunes such as El Himno Naciónal, Optimista, and Androide Paronoico. But my favorite part was when they played Suerte, or Lucky in English. I was singing the line in the song that goes 'cause I'm your suuuper heeero...etc.', when a Spaniard standing next to me corrected me by singing the proper verse of 'cause I you sooopa hieeelooo', or to translate, 'I you soup-ice' in English. Ahhh, I stand corrected. Because everyone knows that Gazpacho is a traditional soup served cold in Spain. This is why it's so special to see a Spanish band play in a Spanish country amongst the Spanish people. Obviously it's an enlightening cultural learning experience. Because on a hot Spanish day, what would be better (or 'Lucky') than to have a friend nearby who was a bowl of cold Gazpacho soup. Now that I'm corrected, the whole song finally makes sense to me.
Suerte!, Dónde está Che Pelotas?

Back on the backpacker trail

After a 10 month leave from call of duty, tomorrow I reinitiate my service in the backpacker brigade, as I head back to Morocco. I´ve enjoyed my week as a civilian in Barcelona, staying with two groups of friends and steering clear of anything resembling tourists or tourism. The last few days have been spent in the barrio of Poble Sec, which is Barcelona's version of the Borough of Queens. There's a healthy mix of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, China, India, Pakistan, etc., as well as there's the neighborhood drunk who sings in the street and gets pelted with trash and eggs by the locals. Life happens in the streets and on the balconies. When I walk out onto my friend's balcony, I'm guaranteed to see at least three old ladies on their own balconies. They look at me. I look at them. And then somehow the world keeps spinning around.
Anyway, here's some photos of everyday life as a civilian in Barcelona.
fresas fresas fresaspescado frescosweet tasteI don't know if this is a problem, but for some reason I like to take photos of laundry drying on building facades. If you followed my blog from my last journey, you'd certainly have to agree.<Did you know that Barcelona is the first city in Europe to start a recycling program? That's what those big yellow and green thingys are at the bottom right of the photo, that are also ruining this shot.An antique door next to the Design School in Barrio Gothic. I want to steal this door for myself'Bicing' is Barcelona's version of a car-share program, but different since it uses bicycles instead of automobiles in case you haven't figured this out yet.<
A bunch of boats with La Barceloneta in the backgroundBarcelona is a port town. Here is the luxury boat portthis bar must be the last stop for a few of my friendsWorse than hell, is what awaits here, Dónde está Che Pelotas?

Barcelona update

Last time I was here, this Casa Okupa (squatter house) had a different sign painted at the top left. The sign said 'Why do they call it tourist season, when you can't shoot them?'
Casa Okupa in Barcelona, Spain
Now the sign says 'We know your capitalist tendencies'....I love it when advertising campaigns are successful in hitting their specific target market. The squatter's advertising team must be very proud.....these guys throw legendary parties by the way.
A squatter house with a view of Barcelona, Spain and the Mediterranean Sea
Speaking of squatting, Dónde está Che Pelotas?

compré crema falso

so i went to the store to buy body lotion, to help keep my skin looking fresh and radiant. i bought this stuff by nivea thinking it was normal moisturizer for people with darker skin since it said 'for darker skin'. little did i know that the stuff was actually lotion with skin tanner. so now i look like this fake-bake kid from new jersey......oh wait, that's where i'm from.
how's that for being an experienced traveller.....and i even bought the stuff in san francisco, so i didn't have the excuse that it was in spanish.
the gaudi funpark of parc güell in barcelona, spain
Speaking of vibrant moist skin, Dónde está Che Pelotas?

some random first thoughts....

random first thoughts on this year's edition of my trip overseas...

• i hate using the word 'adventure' to describe a trip. it sounds so pretentious or lonely planet-esque/r.e.i. generation.
• leaving my dog jessie is always the hardest part. and when i'm packing and getting ready the last couple of days before taking off, she gives me this sad look constantly which makes me feel guilty........hmm, i wonder if you left your kids for a trip would they give you a guilt complex.
• thank you to the people who came out monday night at kilowatt. that was fun...even jessie said so. she was hungover the next day.
• this last week i was a bit stressed with anxiety because of getting everything ready for the trip, finishing work, cleaning house, saying good bye to friends, etc. etc. because of this stress, i developed a big zit on my nose. but somehow, the day i let for my trip, my zit went away. it's as if my zit knew that it was time to go...for both me and for it the zit.
• this is the first time that i've started an overseas trip by staying with friends. i'm also starting it where i ended it on last trip from december 05 till last june.
• sometimes i wonder if travelling is something i just do for a living the same way people go to their jobs everyday. .....make money...enjoy life.....make money....enjoy life.......there's got to be a balance in their somewhere.
• new airports look more sterile than some hospitals i've been to.
• this one is for the fellas: the female flight attendants are smoking hot. for the ladies: i have no opinion of the dude flight attendants.
• five months goes really fast and i'll be home before you can whistle dixie.
  

the first photo of this years trip. redeye sunrise over the english channel on air france flight 83 to my connection in paris en route to barcelona where i'm sitting right now.
He's smoking hot to both the ladies and the gents, Dónde está Che Pelotas?

and i'm out

tomorrow i'm returning to this place here. i'll be back on the trail for the next 5 months, travelling mostly in spain, morocco, scandinavia and the uk. i hope that the dollar still exists by the end of my trip.....any gift requests, speak now or forever hold your peace.
barcelona, spain
He's got a Spanish accent....or maybe Latin American.....or was it Hungarian? Dónde está Che Pelotas?

RENdom Photo of the Day

The Spanish do this so well, just hanging out.....which is why I'm going back.
Dude just chilling on a bench with Antonio Gaudi's never ending project, La Sagrada Familia in the background, in Barcelona, Spain
Speaking of hung Hispanics, Dónde está Che Pelotas?