Montjuic

Montjuic means ¨mount of jews¨, but more importantly it is where the Joan Miro museum is. This is my favorite spanish painter because of his use of colors and crazy, off the wall symbols which make no sense, unless you contemplate it. Anyway, I enjoyed it very much. And, I even bought two pictures that I will be framing when I get home and putting them right over my bed. Perfect! Montjuic is very pretty; a lot of it is a park, so there were fountains and trees everywhere and beautiful flowers that filled the air with their aromatics.

Yesterday we saw yet another wedding in a very old church made by sailors and fishermen as a symbol of Catalan culture. It took the side of Franco during the Spanish Civil War, so the civilians turned on the church and burned all the wood inside. Now, a continuously burning flame sets outside the church to remind any passer by that Catalan culture will live on forever. Besides the church, Mom and I went to an amazing restaurant last night. If anyone is going to Barcelona anytime soon, or ever, you have to eat at lonja de tapas. We had the seafood paella. Amazing. It is a pan of rice boiled in a mix of seafood (including mussels, squid, langostinos, etc) and saffron (which I found out cost about 4 euros for two sprigs). We sat there and ate as much as we could, and still ate more because we didn´t want the amazingness to get thrown away. The flavors last forever in your mouth, and just make you want to continue. Very memorable.

Another very memorable moment was when mom and I decided to wander a side of Barcelona we hadn´t seen yet. Well, there is a reason. We walked a little ways off of La Rambla and found the red light district. Prostitution is legal in spain, but pimping is not. So, it was very interesting to see the women lining the streets. Yet, another cultural experience to add to my list. What is going to happen today?

Trashy internet cafe!

Sorry, for the absence of a blog yesterday, I know you all are waiting on pins and needles for my next entry. The trashy internet cafe I went to yesterday was so slow, all I had time to do was check my email. So, here we go:

Yesterday we went to Montserrat which is a Monestary on a Mountain about an hour outside of Barcelona. I figured it would be good for us to get some nature in while we were here. We took a cable car to the top of the mountain which exposed us to the beautiful sights. It really was very serene and peaceful up there- which was nice after being in cities for the past week and a half. Once we got to the Basillica, there was a wedding going on. I felt a little like we were intruding, until one of the tourists stepped out of line and decided to wish the bride congratulations on her wedding video. TACKY! mom assured me though, that if you are going to get married in a place like this, you have to expect tacky tourists. The church was very beautiful, and although there have been many attempts to destroy it (by governments mostly), it still stands in all its glory on top of this mountain top.
After the Basillica we rode a funicular (which I think is a cog railway- like pike´s peak) up a few more hundred feet to a higher peak. Then, we hiked back down to the Basillica. Mom said i am starting to rival Julie* for the Batan Death March title. *(the names have been changed to protect the innocent). She survived the hour treck down a paved road (its not like we were in the wilderness). But, after 15 bandaids we made it to the bottom (safely), and she agreed that it was well worth seeing.
Today we are going to walk around and explore the city a little more, look into the different areas of town. It is very interesting to be able to walk down alley ways and ¨streets¨that you would never walk down in the US. So, we are going to go exploring.

Barcelona vs Manchester United

Once, we found our hotel and bought a couple bottles of wine (we are irish after all), we went to Las Ramblas ( a major pedestrian street in Barcelona) to people watch. Then, the floods of people started cascading down the street cloaked in Barcelona FC (football club-soccer) paraphenalia. Apparently last night was the league championship in Rome against Manchester United. This explained why mom thought she saw the soccer team waiting in the airport. It was not the soccer team, just crazed fans. And, when I mean crazed fans, I mean St.X/ Trinity fans on game day. Crazed fans. It was very cool to see all these people parading down Las Ramblas with their horns, and hand-made trohpies. We later learned that at the waterfront, bottom of Las Ramblas, a huge TV was being set up for people to watch the game. We thought playing cornhole in a parking lot was tailgating- these people do it much better (in my opinion). They crowd the streets and play on the piers. I love how the concept is still the same in every country: ¨Come on men, lets dress up, get drunk, and yell at a TV, in public. YEAH!¨ Barcelona did end up winning, so the shouting in the streets continued for many hours after the game. It was exciting, and yet another cultural experience to fill my long list.

Barcelona Airport

We are here- in Barcelona. But, all we have seen so far is the inner workings of the Barcelona Airport. We flew into one terminal, and then had to wander around a different terminal to find our luggage- very fun. Oh, well, those are the joys of travelling. We are going to tour the city today, hopefully. I will let you know more, when more arises.

Mom's here!

Finally, I can talk all day without someone looking at me like I am wierd- okay, that happens anyway. So, mom did everything I did in the past 5 days in one day (and she took a nap), what a trooper. We went to the Prado, the Royal Palace, San Miguel Market, and all the Plazas. We drank wine all day, ate tapas and walked everywhere! The best part of the day had to be San Grines Chocolatier. If anyone is going to Madrid, they have to stop here. This is where there are churros and chocolate. Churros are deep fried dough (kinda like a funnel cake, except not as gross) and you dip them into a cup full of melted (mom thinks bittersweet) chocolate. Whatever kind of chocolate it is- I want my own supply- oh my was I in heaven. After we finished our churros, there was still a cup of chocolate because the ratio of chocolate to churros was much in the chocolates favor. So, the man next to me (a local) looked at me and started to drink the chocolate out of the glass! Yes! (I thought). So, with a clink of the glasses, we drank the chocolate in the cups- what bliss. A wonderful way to finish the trip in Madrid. Tomorrow- land of cava, paella, and beaches- ahh, Barcelona.

Toros!?!

Okay, so I went to a bullfight because that is a cultural experience also- NEVER AGAIN! I don't know why I think sitting on a calf while it is getting branded is much better, but this was horrible. People are paying to watch this bull run in a circle for 20 min and then get stabbed 10 times before getting stabbed through the head. I am pretty sure they train these bulls, because I am not sure why the bull was still running after the pink cape, when it could clearly see (color blind or not) the man holding it and stabbing him. Needless to say, I only stayed for two deaths (they aren't even fights- the bull has no chance), and quickly left. Where is PETA when you need them. They can still have these "fights" humanely- use paint! Anyway, mom is coming here tomorrow- and I am pretty sure she is like santa to me- the sooner I go to bed, the sooner she will be here. So, I am off to bed, and hopefully will not think of any bullfights (or really deaths), thank God I closed my eyes for the final kills!

Museo Nacional Centre de Arte Reina Sofia

This is my Hirshorn- I found it. I listened to th Georgia women I met on the bus the other day and went to the Reina Sofia art museum. It was so cool. Unlike the Prado, I spent about 2 hours in here and looked at everything. There were tons of Picasso's, Miro's (my favorite Spanish painter, who has a museum in Barcelona, can't wait), and other lesser known, but very modern artists. I wasn't planning on going because I thought art was lost on me, but I guess it was a good idea to speak to the Atlanta women, so I had a clue. If anyone i headed to Madrid, this is the art museum I would recommend, not stuffy or old. One of my favorite rooms was filled with statues of what looked like asian men (something like 60 statues) all in poses like they were conversing. It was really cool, and freaky at the same time, I was waiting for them to "unpose" (you know, like street performers). Anyway, this is definitely one of my favorite things is Madrid.

Futbol!

So, yesterday I went to the Real Madrid soccer game (futbol). This was a cultural experience. Thanks to my childhood, I love soccer (maybe not as much as my brothers, but I do, nonetheless). So, I was very excited when I found out Real Madrid was playing while I was in town. I rushed to get tickets (which was not necessary because there were plenty of open seats because the stadium is HUGE). However, much like games in the states there were vendors outside the stadium. I didn't realize these vendors served a very important purpose to the culture of the game, which I will get to in a minute. There was a frenzy of people around the staduim trying to make a buck, find their seats, and witness the commotion. I had decent seats, once I climbed the multiple stairs and found them. they weren't great, but they were good- I was about as far away as I usually am to see a Nuggets game, so I wasn't complaining. I had a clear view of eveything and they players weren't minescule. So, there are no frills in soccer (at least at these games). The lights didn't turn off (we were outside), an announcer didn't come on and make every player immortal. The players were simply announced and the game began.

At half-time, I was about to get up to grab a beer and something to nibble on (since it was 10:30, and I hadn't eaten yet- in spain, dinner is 9, so this isn't too unusual). And, everyone around me pulled out a homemade sandwich, or a sandwich they bought from the vendors outside. So, I thought- wow- they let you bring food in, pretty cool, and economical. Economical maybe, but not so great for me. Because at the concession stand they offered bags of chips, pretzels, and sunflower seeds. They also had beer, and cokes. I was a little disheartened, but figured a beer would hold me over. Until I heard an American behind me say- is it true the beer is non-alcoholic? WHAT?! I quickly turned around with- what are we at a college game?

At the end of the game, there was no beer, no food, and a loss for Real Madrid. Although, a very cultural experience. and, that crowd was decently rowdy for the lack of alcohol. Now, I know.

Cathedral

So, I went to Toledo yesterday and I am really glad I did. I wasn't sure if there would be anything cool there to see, but I thought what the heck. So, I got on the bus and the two women sitting next to me were from georgia- so I had to chat them up, since I haven't had a more than two word conversation since I got here (besides with myself). So, from them, I found out I need to work for Delta since these ladies have been all over the globe! But, that also might mean I have to live in Atlanta, so that is out.
When I got to Toledo, I started walking up hill- since Toledo is a hill, with the main attractions at the summit. There were more american people there than I have seen all trip. It was very amusing. I learned a lot about the cathedral without even buying a tour. Toledo used to be the capitol of spain until the mid 1500s. The government had changed multiple times, so the cathedral reflected all the different time periods and religous beliefs, finally settling on catholicism. I was amazed at this cathedral. It took something like 250 years to complete, and the intricacies can explain why.
This is where I am going to keep my rose colored glasses on, because I don't want to think that the only reason this was built was because they all wanted to buy their way into heaven. So, it was very awe insipring to think people had this much faith and belief in God. When, you look around now, I am surrounded by people that think it is all a hoax, and are trying to convince people not to believe. Well, I can't imagine if you didn't believe back then. There was gold thrown all over the place, maple, oak, and jewels adorned the walls and little "chapel" areas. It really made me question how these people could think like that, and how badly the catholic church had to screw up to not have those zealots anymore. (well, besides the ones in the bible belt, but they really don't count). Anyway, I am off to shop and prepare myself for the Real Madrid game tonight!!

Prado y Toledo

Tomorrow, I am going to Toledo. It was the old capitol of spain. So, I am going to check it out- I don't want to get to tired of walking around madrid. I did realize today that I am not a fan of priceless art- or let's say some priceless art. I went through the Prado, and the book I am following said it should take about 3 hours, and I was finished in 30 minutes. I just didn't care about pictures of jesus and the other biblical stories- I am catholic, I colored those pictures in grade school. I am however a fan of modern art- with colors and craziness, that might be why I like the hirshorn (in DC) there is always something new there.
I also saw the prettiest park ever- sorry Colorado, this one had statues and fountains galour. Retiro Park is very large, and it really doesn't feel like you are in a city. That could be why living near it is $12,000 a month (yes, a month for an apartment). But, it sure is pretty.
I also went into Plaza Mayor today (again) for a schedule of the bus times to Toledo, and today must have been Time Square day- not kidding, there were all kinds of performers and street people. And then, there were random disney characters like mickey (2 actually) and winnie the pooh. Interesting, very interesting. I didn't get asked any directions today, but maybe in Toledo tomorrow, I will let you know.

day 1 post traumatic stress

After my traumatic stress of a new place, I took a nap and got over it. Therefore, the later half of the afternoon was much better. I went wandering around, and although my mother would be very disappointed, I didn't take a map (I think I am boycotting the many years of standing in the street looking like tourists). Well, this paid off because I got asked by two people how to get somewhere (one was a local, or at least a spainard). I couldn't tell them anything, but at least I looked like a local- go me! Although no map did leave me wandering around the city for 4.5 hours (this was after my intended 1.5 hour walk) trying to find my way back to the hostel. Luckily, with the help of the bus maps, I found my wy back. Once again, I find that my mom is always right- why doubt it?! Anyway, I did eat some tapas and drink a little wine. I think I am going to do it up a little more tonight- I found out why they don't eat dinner until 9 here (one- it is light until 10, no joke. And, they don't get off work until 7:30). So, we will see how today goes. I am going to try and get bullfighting tickets and soccer tickets today. And, I am going to visit the Prado [art] musuem. I will let you know.

What am I doing?

First- I am here, in one piece, and I found my hostel. However, I felt extremely overwhelmed the moment I stepped off the plane. I am not prepared at all- even though I have a daily itinerary written out. But, I am trying not to get too discouraged since this is only day one. I think i was expecting an arrival party for me or something. I did feel a little relieved when I saw a familiar sight within the first hour of my arrival- somoeone singing in the metro station- thank you DC for that. I did watch two movies on the plane- Australia (my sleeping movie, sorry mom), and Bride Wars (which totally reminded me of karyn).

I am also officially not jealous of backpackers because I hate, let me re-iterate, I HATE my backpack- although it is only 25 lbs, it is bulky and heavy, and annoying. My shoulder is almost literally rubbed raw because of it! stupid back pack.

I almost got the whole middle aisle to myself on the plane ride, but I was nice enough to give up two of the seats to someone who was crammed next to someone else she didn´t know. So, I only had two seats, but I was able to lay down and sleep, which was very nice. Well, I am not sure if there will be much more going on today, I think I am just going to walk around and try to orient myself with where I am, but I will let you know if something interesting comes up.

Tomorrow

I did manage to get all of my things into a back pack and my carry on bag- weighing under 30lbs! So, now I have about 10 lbs of stuff I can buy- yeah for me!

"Too-morrow, tomorrow, I love you tomorrow, it's only a day away." Well, sort of- more like thursday, but close enough. I will keep you posted.

Laramie, Wyoming

Yesterday was a very interesting trip to Laramie, WY. WooHoo!! (just kidding- it's Wyoming, not Kentucky). So, I went to Wyoming for a American Water Works Association/Water Educational Foundation conference (at this point my brother would chime in with- "okay, dork.") So, I did feel kinda bored at the conference since there were only about 30 people there and two people to network with. Needless to say- when they found out I was an Environmental Science person, they immediately turned up their noses (they wanted engineers- excuse me!) But, whatever, who wants to work in wastewater anyway.

So, the best part of the whole day was when my advisor got pulled over by a wyoming cop for "speeding" past someone on the two lane highway. I liked it because the wyoming cop was pulling something out of the middle of the road when we (the in front of us, and us) passed him. Then, we passed the car in front of us, and the cop decided we were speeding in order to pass him. He then, asked my advisor why he would pass someone when that person was going the speed limit, and when a cop was behind him. And, then he waited for an answer. It was interesting because when the cop went back to his car to look up my advisor's history I was very quick to point out how many holes were in his story.

1.) He couldn't have clocked the person in front of us- since he wasn't in his car when we passed him.
2.) colorado drivers just like to piss off wyoming cops that are bored enough to pick stuff out of the road.
3.) He had no proof we were speeding!

Luckily, my advisor only got a warning- but i almost guarantee that if I got pulled over- I would have gotten a ticket! Stupid police officers and their need to keep society safe.

Trying This out

I have decided to start a blog. It is entitled Technologically Savvy because this is my first attempt at being just that. I am not at all intuned with the technology world- as my brother can atest. but, nonetheless I am starting a blog as my second adventure into cyberland (is Facebook considered an adventure in cyberland)?

I am starting this blog because I am going to Spain this summer for three weeks and I am not going to write seventeen individual emails to everyone. Instead, there will be daily posts on this site (because I assured my mother to make her as comfortable as possible while I am in a strange country alone). So, I am pretty sure this will just include my daily activities- if I can figure out all the gadgets and gismos, I might even post pictures but that might be over reaching. Feel free to leave messages and comments, and hopefully my spain trip will entail some decently interesting stories- so you read them. So, I will get back to you. The date of estimated travel is May 20. I will be arriving in Spain on May 21st at 8am (that is, I believe, 6 hours ahead of Louisville, 8 hours ahead of Denver- I will get back to you on that). Until then.