Gaby in Barcelona

a matter of hours

2008-07-21T04:51:00.004+02:00

8 hours, to be a little more precise. That's when I get on a flight and leave Barcelona for what may be quite a long time. It's been a long, amazing, life-changing summer. I have seen and experienced things incredibly and wholly new to me, things I may never see again. While I could never fully enumerate them, some of the highlights include the Eiffel tower at night, European pub crawls, late-night metro trips, cafe con leche in bars, both major Grand Slam tennis tournaments in the continent, and Catalan/Spanish culture in general. While here, I have been witness to two of Spain's greatest athletic triumphs in decades (Euro2008 and Nadal ousting Federer at Wimbledon...."PODEMOS"). I've seen incredible musical talent, both on and off stage. I've seen so much, and it seems like so little.

I have quite possibly had the summer vacation of my life, and it means that much more because it is my last. In less than two days, I resume my responsibilites in the United States, all the more acutely as I go to Jury Duty. Yeah it sucks, but with in two days of living among Europeans, I'm reminded of my true citizenship by being called to the one Constitutional duty that is given to absolutely every American citizen. In truth, there are few more direct ways to be brought "home".

All the same, there is a piece of me that will never leave here. My soul, my life, has been forever altered by the friends and experiences I've found in Europe, however fleeting they may have been. I've been blessed by God to see all that I've seen here, and will always treasure it, well beyond my deathbed.

I can't count how many things I will miss about this summer. It is, by far, the best I've had since I first left Miami to study in Atlanta. Life has thrown a fair amount of curveballs my way, and while I didn't always put the bat on the ball, I certainly swung everytime, and I wouldn't change a thing. I've waited three years for this trip, and it was perfectly timed. This place has given me the renewed energy to earn my degree from Georgia Tech and begin making a life for myself. For that reason, I plan to keep updating this blog. The link will stay the same, though the title may change. I hope you'll continue to read every once in a blue moon.

I'm ready, Life. Throw everything you've got, because I'm laying all my cards on the table. The walls are coming down, and I'm coming for you. There's no more time for screwing around, because too much of you needs to be lived.

For the record, I think that if more people talked like that, the world would be a different place entirely. So I'll leave you with one question before I resume my life as an American citizen: What gives you the courage to face each day anew? What is worth the trouble of doing more than just surving (I know that's two questions...deal with it)?

-Gaby

P.S. I finally went to Sagrada Familia. Enjoy the pictures!

a small sidetrip

2008-07-14T19:39:00.006+02:00

I thought I'd share my pictures from my visit to Parc Montjuic on Saturday. The coolest thing about the castle there is how strategically located it is. It sits on top of a large hill near the coast, separate from the regular mountain chain surrounding the city. From there, you can see everything. It has a fantastic view of all of Barcelona and the sea. The best part is that it was free to walk around in.

In the same park you can walk down to the Olympic village, where I went to a soccer game earlier in the semester (see Dali and the Olympic Stadium). I explored more of the Olympic village, and remembered watching the Barcelona Olympics when I was six years old. I even remember the shirt I wore a lot that year, on the right here. What I remember most vividly, though, was the most badass torch-lighting in history, where the archer lit his arrow, aimed just above the torch at the end of the stadium, and let the Olympic Fire fly. I'll never forget it as long as I live.

Well, that's all for now. I may yet make it out to Sitges for a day this weekend. I'm in need of a really pretty beach, and unfortunately, Barcelona is not up to par. Also, here's a picture for everybody back home that is having serious Gaby withdrawal.

One week to go!

-Gaby

Pamplona

2008-07-09T18:45:00.003+02:00

As a break from homework and projects, I'm gonna tell you a little about my short trip to Pamplona.

The Fiesta de San Fermin is week-long celebration of the feast day of Saint Fermin. On the beginning day of the Festival (July 6th), the whole town gathers in front of City Hall and awaits the lighting of the Txupinazo rocket, which signals the beginning of the Fiesta. When I say the whole town, I mean it. Nic and Wooly were there, and told me that the crowd was packed so tight they were lifted off the ground the whole time. Once the rocket is in the air, everyone pops champagne and sangria bottles and sprays them over everyone else. People in the balconies toss and water, and everyone is going nuts. I arrived in town just after this and saw the aftermath of people walking away. As I walked, a garbage truck broke a champagne bottle right in front of me (thank God I saw it coming and turned away...shards bounced off my cheeks).

I met up with my cousins, who were staying with the Centurions, a St. Theresa family from back in the day. My cousins and I walked around and wound up watching people jump from the 15-foot monument into people's waiting arms on the ground, a tradition some Australians started years ago that took on a life of it's own. One girl even went up and jumped topless. They're arguably as crazy as the people that run. After that, we went back to the apartment and caught up as we watched the Wimbledon final, but it was time for the bullfight, so we all went to watch it. I won't try to describe the skill of these bullfighters who were on horseback, so I'll just let you see for yourself:

These guys are good

After the bullfight we watdhed the remainder of one of the most epic Wimbledon finals ever (PODEMOS!!). What a week for Spain: first the EuroCup champions ship, then Nadal finally beating Federer on grass for the first time. As much as I would've liked to have seen Federer try and beat Sampras' record, I'm glad that the one to dethrone him was Rafa (he also happens to be the only one who can). After that, we went out and partied all night. The streets were flooded with people all night all the way up to the running of the bulls the next morning at 8. Again, just watch in awe as I did from the balcony of the Centurions:

These guys are crazy

A piece of advice I got from many a Spaniard: don't run without having seen this live several times. After seeing it once, I think it was good advice. The turn you see at the beginning of the video is known as dead-man's curve, and, oh yeah, the streets are wet from being cleaned a few hours before. Freaking nuts. By the way, check the Fiesta's website for all the traditions and good advice you could ever want.

We spent the rest of the day sleeping/hanging out around the city until I had to board my train to get back to Barcelona. I had a blast, and I really want to go back for a few days the next chance I get. God only knows when that'll be, though.

I didn't take as many pictures as I'd like because things were a little wild on the streets, so I had to leave my camera behind most times, but the pictures I did take are below. I may or may not go to Sitges this Saturday, depending on how busy things get. I'll post any more adventures as they happen, so hopefully you'll hear from me soon!

-Gaby

Hard Rock Calling

2008-07-08T10:10:00.003+02:00

It's long past time that I should tell you about the rest of my London trip, so here it goes...

The day after Wimbledon, the Halleys and I woke up to go see a few sights around London, so we started walking. We walked across Hyde Park over into St James Park and all the way down to Buckingham Palace. Iggy really wanted to see the Changing of the Guards, so we hung around the park until it was time. It was kinda cool to see the different guard division gather in the courtyard in front of the palace for the ceremony, but aside from the James Bond music the band played at the end, it wasn't worth waiting around as long as we did (about an hour).

After that we went looking for Abbey Road and realized we were in the wrong place entirely, so instead we went to see Westminister Abbey and Big Ben. We hung out next to Big Ben and the London Eye for a while before heading back for the concert that afternoon. We did Abbey Road the next morning, and the day after that I road the London Eye before coming home.

That concert was simply amazing. All the performers were amazing, particularly the headliners: Eric Clapton and the Police. We drank beer the whole time and laughed at other people who couldn't hold their alcohol. The only way to show describe it that I have is to show you the videos, most of which have finally been uploaded (thanks to Youtube for being incredibly slow about it lately). Without further ado, here are my videos from the Hard Rock Calling in London Hyde. Enjoy!

a bribe to keep checking

2008-07-03T21:39:00.002+02:00

I have a fair amount of work to do right now, which requires the responsible Gaby to make an appearance in Barcelona, so I can't tell you all about the concert just yet, but I will soon. Here are pictures from London and the concert to keep you coming around ;)

Inglaterra (y los Reyes de España)

2008-07-01T18:56:00.002+02:00

Before I describe one of the most amazing weekends of my life, I need to say one thing: ¡VIVA ESPAÑA!!!!

'Nuff said. Now, for the record, I love Hyde Park. Every second I spent in there was truly beautiful/awesome. When I first got to London, I basically had all day before the Halleys got there, so I just hung out there the whole time. For a long while I napped there, and when I didn't want to sleep anymore, I laid down near a big pond and read my book for a long while more. Eventually I dropped my bag off in a safe place and walked around the whole park, just to explore a little. It really is beautiful. If you ever get the chance, go. Seriously.

Turns out that the Halleys' flight was delayed on the tarmac at Heathrow b/c somebody either had a hand grenade, or at least threatened that they did. Either way, it's enough to shut down the airport. They eventually got to the apartment they'd rented and we began settling in. We had dinner and showered, and then I decided it was time to go camp out for Wimbledon, or as they say it, "queue up". The British and their queues...

I get out there, get my number in line, and realize I forgot my camera. Idiot. I asked the guys ahead of me and behind me if they minded my going back for my camera. The guy in front, Steve, was so nice about it he offered to keep dry my sleeping bag (it was drizzling then). I thanked them and hurried back. Once I had the camera, I started running back to the station. As I went to turn left down the stairs, I slipped. I still had my hand on the railing and was sliding on my hip, so I just tugged on the railing and slid over the edge of the stairs, landed my feet a few steps down, and kept going. I wish I had a recording of this, because it must've looked kinda cool. Still missed the train, though.

The Queue was an experience, man. When I got back out there, I made friends with some locals (Steve and his friends) and we joked around until late at night. I only really slept for a couple of hours that night, anyways. Around 6 AM the stewards go around waking people up to pack up their tents and stuff, and around 6:45 they begin to move the Queue. They moved us forward alongside the golf course (which currently serves as a parking lot for the tournament) and begin to pass out wristbands for the show courts. The number of wristbands correspond to the number of tickets available that day for that court, so I was lucky to get one for Centre Court. There weren't many left.

I had bought tickets together with my new friends, but since it was my first time there, I decided to explore for a little while. Matches didn't start for a couple of hours anyways, so I walked around, ate, explored the grounds a bit. I hung out at court 3 with some Cricketeers I had met in the Queue. They were funny guys, and had brought their uniforms to wear in the stands. Eventually I decided it was time. I was going to take my seat in Centre Court.

Honestly, I don't know how it happened. As far as I'm concerned, it was a miracle. As I looked for my section and seat, I expected to be fairly far back somewhere (there's no upper deck). The stewards kept pointing me to lower and lower entrances, and then it happened. I stepped out into the stands, and there it was: Centre Court. Not 50 ft away from me was the Court where legends of Tennis had played. More than I could count, probably. This is where Pete Sampras won 7 years in a row. This is where Roger Federer was looking for his 6th year in a row, and I still had to walk DOWN to my 8th row seat. The whole thing gave me goosebumps, and I wished like hell my grandfather, Orestes, could've seen it with me. He's the one who was the huge tennis fan in my family. He bought our tickets to the Sony Ericsson in Miami, which we'll always keep in his name. His favorite tournament in the world was Wimbledon, and I was so close to the court I could spit on it.

About 3 games into the first match, I finally settled down to watch tennis. I was watching Federer (WOO!) play some guy everyone knew would get trounced, but it was a good match anyways. After that came Mauresmo vs Serena Williams, and then Ancic vs Ferrer. During the matches, my friends and I screwed around a little amongst ourselves while drinking some 7up mixed with an alcohol called "Pimm's". I don't really know what it is, but it's delicious. I brought back a couple of bottles with me.

Eventually it was time to call it a day. I was running on 4 hours of sleep over the last 3 days, so I thanked my new friends, bid them farewell, and headed back. I still had to sleep on the floor that night (it was a small apartment we stayed in), but it was better being indoors. I still have to tell you about the concert, which was equally amazing, but that'll be another post slightly later, possibly still tonight. In the meantime, here are pictures from Wimbledon to enjoy:

Wimbledon

-Gaby

good times/bad times

2008-06-25T12:05:00.002+02:00

Last I left you, I had planned on going to Sevilla. Well, a sold out train made sure that didn't happen, since every other method of getting there was way more expensive, so I've stayed in Barcelona this whole time. Now, let's start with the good times.

My cousins Nic and Wooly were in town visiting family on their dad's side, but we went out together at night. Friday I took them to Ovella Negra with my friends and then Otto Zutz, where we danced until the Metro opened up again at 5. The following day, I didn't wake up until 5 PM! It's easier than it sounds when the hurricane shutter-like blinds completely darken the room. That evening I did some grocery shopping at Carrefour in the Glories mall, as well as some exploring in that mall. it is HUGE! It doesn't look big from the outside, but it just keeps going underground! I also found myself the cheapest official FCBarcelona jersey in the city.

That night I took my cousins out to La Fira, a cool bar with a big "Miami" sign in it, that also has a really cheap and good shot bar called Espit Chupitos (Chupitos meaning shots). We had a fun time there taking flaming Harry Potter's and hitting on women and then called it a night.

Sunday was just about relaxing and hanging out. On Monday, Cazzie and I went to the beach for some people watching for our class project (I wish I could claim credit for this idea, but she and our other partner, Skji, are the geniuses here). We did that for a few hours while enjoying the beach, and then that night we had a huge potluck dinner in a friends room. This was preperation for la Fiesta de Sant Joan, a celebration of the summer Solstice. What most of Spain winds up doing is lighting fireworks all over their cities and lighting bonfires all over the place, especially the beach, all night long. But see, here's where the bad times start...

During the pot luck dinner, my cold came back with a vengeance. It was to the point that I had to intentionally skip out on the all-night party. To make things worse, my lack of medicine made sure the cold kept me up all night long anyways. I could have endured the constant fireworks, but the cold was too much.

I spent the better part of the next day looking for medicine. Finally found some in the afternoon, and now I'm doing way better. Hopefully I'll be all rested up by the time I have to camp out for Wimbledon...

Well, I leave for London tomorrow, so this is the last you'll hear of me until I get back. If I find an internet connection over there, I might pop in for an update. See you in a week!

-Gaby

my neighbors...

2008-06-20T14:42:00.002+02:00

...just might be a little crazy, but there was an interesting development today, if a bit small. The guy who lives next door to me has periodically been yelling at the top of his lungs at some woman since we first got here. I don't know what he's pissed about because he's talking way too fast for me to catch anything useful, but there's no language barrier when it comes to the tone of his voice. On one particular day, he was screaming so hard his voice would crack.

The odd part about this "escandalo" is the fact that I never heard her yelling back. It seemed like this woman just sat there and let this guy scream at her this whole time. I don't care what she may have done. I still seriously doubt she deserves that kind of treatment. If anything, everyone deserves forgiveness, but I won't go into some kind sermon here and now. The important thing is that as I just walked into my room, I could hear her finally standing up for herself! She was screaming and yelling right back at this guy. Hooray for small moral victories, and Hooray Beer!

Speaking of which, I'm gonna go get a cold one. Happy Friday everyone! I'll post again when I get back from Sevilla on Monday!

-Gaby

To keep a promise

2008-06-19T22:26:00.002+02:00

If you're a loyal fan, or can read all the way back to "Dali and the Olympic Stadium" on this blog, you'll recall La Font Magica, the fountain in Placa Espanya that has light and music shows on weekend nights. Well my parents certainly remembered and wanted to go see a show, so we did. In that entry, I promised to record more video of the show, and that's the promise I'm keeping now. Enjoy!

Halley talent emerges...

2008-06-19T02:03:00.003+02:00

I spent the last weekend in Madrid with my cousins, Nick and Wooly, who are also studying abroad there. I got there right after the celebration for Spain's victory that night in Euro2008, so I missed the insane festivities at Plaza Colón, which included a lot of chanting. According to Nic, they included encouraging women to kiss somebody ("Que se besan!"), as well as that somebody demanding some flashing action ("Si no me besas, enseñame las tetas!!"). Despite missing that, we still managed to go to a house party at a friend of theirs where their other cousin is staying (if you're lost with all this cousin talk, don't sweat it. Dismiss it as a Cuban thing and keep reading). We had a good time, hung out with some locals there. Some of the guys there were a band that was signed or on the verge of being signed. They got their hands on a guitar, and the party became limited to that for the rest of the night. They were good, but that made it pretty hard to hit on the groupies who did nothing but sing along all night. Oh well.

The next day was "Dia de Deportes" where all manner of streets were closed and turned into playing fields for soccer, basketball, handball, field hockey and such. This was all over Madrid, too. We spent the day at a huge flea market where they looked for gifts for their family. I managed to buy myself a pretty nifty hat 8).

That night we played some intense soccer amongst ourselves at a park clearing, because Madrid is an expensive city where you even have to pay to use soccerfields. Lame, but we still had a good time. We ate tapas later at a cheap place called "El Tigre", and it was damn good stuff. So good, in fact, that there's standing room only! It was a really local place, too, which is always a good thing.

The next day they had class, so I just walked around Madrid and revisited some sites I had been to when I was twelve (which means I barely remember them). It was kinda cool to Puerta del Sol again, where I spent New Years almost ten years ago! That was the craziest New Years I've ever had, hands down. I left that afternoon on the Ave, the highspeed train in Spain (about 300 km/h).

If you ever have the chance to take a train ride through Spain, do it. The countryside is absolutely beautiful, even on the Ave. I included some pictures of it below.

In case you're wondering about the title of the post, it's because I balled up playing soccer with my classmates today. Scored a bunch of goals, saved a bunch more, and scored a couple of ridiculously lucky goals, which is just fine with me. My cousins are still way, way better, but the more I play the less you can ignore a knack for it.

That's all for now. I plan on Sevilla and London next week, so plenty more pictures and videos (especially from Wimbledon and the concert!).

I'll post randomly b/w now and then, but don't be afraid to leave comments to any boberia I may have written. I always like to know you're reading ;)

-Gaby

Vatican City

2008-06-11T18:16:00.001+02:00

I didn't remember all of this info. I had to look up a lot of it on www.saintpetersbasilica.org, which is a great website on the Basilica.

I greeted them like Roberto Benigni...

2008-06-11T11:02:00.003+02:00

Firenze

Roma

souvenirs from Paris

2008-06-11T09:49:00.002+02:00

As promised, here are a couple of little gems from Paris:

I didn't have a chance to stop and listen to these guys (it was on my way out of the city), but I took the video anyways.

Pictures at last...

2008-06-10T09:42:00.003+02:00

Finally, pictures from Paris and the Roland Garros French Open. Enjoy and comment!

Paris

Roland Garros 08

cultural differences

2008-06-08T18:08:00.003+02:00

So I spend an extra full day in Rome because I booked my flight on the wrong day. I though I was clicking on Sunday, but in Europe the calenders start on Monday. Despite knowing this, I still managed to get confused. Long story short, I'll be back in Barcelona early tomorrow evening. I may try to post tomorrow night, depending on how long it takes to upload pictures. Count on Paris pictures, at least.

-Gaby

a little free time for you

2008-06-06T17:50:00.005+02:00

Ok, I finally have a little bit of free time to tell you guys some stories, so let me tell you about my visit to Paris (I'll tell you all about Italy when I get back to Barca).

I arrived in Paris bright and early Saturday morning and got on the Metro to go to my hotel. It turns out that the hotel is out in Levallois, well away from the city center. This wouldn't have been a problem if the train actually went out that far on weekends (It would reverse directions five stops away and you'd have to cram into a crowded bus the rest of the way). Still, it was a nice place with friendly people who tried (in vain) to direct me to an internet cafe. They told me I'd find one more easily nearer the city center, so I went back to the Metro and randomly got off on Sentier. I walked down one street and found nothing, so I ate lunch at a Quick restaurant. I walked down another street that looked promising, and quickly discovered that there were a string of sex shops and clubs down this street. Not half a block down one guy tried inviting me into his club. He actually got more excited when I told him I only speak English, and continued insisting. I told him unless he had free internet, no dice. A little further down a bar had a sign for free wi-fi, so I walked in. Turns out they speak perfect english there, and constantly have soccer or rugby on the TV, and there happened to be rugby on when I walked in. After settling a few things on my laptop, I wound up talking to a drunk guy from Sydney. Real nice guy, but very, very drunk. That night I walked from the Louvre down Le Jardin de Tuileries and Champs d'Elysees all the way to the Arc de Triumf. Absolutely beautiful.

The next day I went back to the same place to see it during the day, and walked down to Notre Dame and spent the afternoon there. I took a pretty cool audio tour of the cathedral, then went up into the belltowers and looked out at the city of France, not to mention saw Emmanuel, the huge bell only rung on special occasions (it's an F# 2, if you're interested). After that I went to Mass downstairs. Though I didn't understand a word of it, I still got goosebumps while celebrating Mass with complete strangers in a strange country. It really showed me the true meaning of the word "Catholic". I can't wait to do the same in Vatican City.

That night I watched the Eiffel tower sparkle for several minutes. I have video, and I'll post that and pictures when I get a chance, I promise.

The next two days I spent at Roland Garros, all day. It was really a cool tournament (read expensive), and I literally got chills as I walked in to Phillippe Chartrier Court. I got to watch Ana Ivanovic duke it out with Pattie Schnyder. After Ana won, I watched Nadal warm up. I had to leave after that to catch my train to Florence, but that's where I'll leave you for now. More by video when I get back to Spain, and I'll have a TON of pictures to show you when I get there. Until then, I'm in Rome, doing as the Romans.

-Gaby

wait for it....

2008-06-04T16:02:00.003+02:00

I know I've been bad about updating while traveling. It's been crazy/good, but I promise the next stable connection I get on my computer I'll do a more complete update, at least on Paris. I promise I'll have everything up before you wake up Monday 8)

late in the night, off in the distance...

2008-05-27T09:57:00.003+02:00

...came the rumbling of thunder! I cant wait for the first thunderstorm over here!

Had to mention it....more mierda later.

subtle differences

2008-05-25T20:57:00.003+02:00

This one may strike you as kinda boring, but I wanted to mention it anyway. I was at Mass this afternoon with Chip, and as we walked in, it looked like there had been a First Communion Mass just before. This made sense to me, because I remember mine being in May as well. What we came to realize was that the mass we were there for also had a First Communion...for four children. This struck me as odd because almost everyone I know back home did theirs in a considerably bigger group (largely because they were in a Catholic school with/like me, but still).

All the same, the families of these four kids filled the church significantly better than last week's crowd of retirees and us. Also, they sat on benches on the altar the whole mass, and even doubled as altar servers (gave me a chuckle, having been one myself years ago). I really thought the whole thing was great, because it was easier for these kids to focus on the actual ceremony. They had no distractions from the people they sat next to every day of the week like my friends and I did. I kind of envy them for that.

I also wonder if there were only four because that Mass time was one of two, maybe three, Masses that are in Spanish-I mean, Castellano. Doesn't matter me. I liked the ceremony as it was, but I won't ramble on lest I get lost in a discussion about how I'd like to see a couple of the Sacraments go down.

Unless I have some kind of unforeseen adventure during the week, I'll probably post again sometime next week from France or Italy, where I intend to have a few adventures and many, many pictures.

TTFN,

Gaby

tastes like Licorice

2008-05-22T10:53:00.007+02:00

I don't know what they were all complaining about, but I like absinthe. Apparently most other people on the trip don't like the taste of it, combined with the strong alcohol content. I'm no alcoholic, but that was one hell of a drink (special occasions only, though). I just wanted to get that out of the way as I sit here ignoring my lecture...

It gets harder to wake up each morning and go to class. It's my own fault, but the night before has always been worth it so far. Let's start with Tuesday night. That was a good night.

So my initial plan for Tuesday night was to go see a show, "Cómeme el Coco, Negro". Check out the link on the right titled "La Cubana" for more info about it. It was a free show on Tuesday, but this bright guy completely forgot about even getting the free tickets until about 7:45 or so (the show started at 9:30). I frantically tried to gather the few people who understand spanish well enough to enjoy the show, but everyone was going to a bar on the beach for free food. Crap. Well I decided to go anyway, so I throw on my Cubavera, grab one of my new cigars, and get going. I get there and find that the box office closes an hour before show time, and like a good Cuban, I was late for that. Coño. At least I have a cigar, and I'm not too far away. I smoked it on my way back, and quite enjoyed it, I have to say. When I got back, I met up with the girls downstairs and walked with them to this bar, Shoko, for the free food.

We struck GOLD. Not only was there free tapas along the lines of kabobs and sushi, but there was free wine, certain mixed drinks, and Heinekens! Keep in mind that this is right on the beach next to the Olympic Port, so this is a pretty sweet place. It only lasted for about two hours, so ravaged the goods as best we could while it lasted. When the handouts were over, any open space, of which there was plenty, became a dance floor, and we started dancing the night away. I had to call it around 2 AM, b/c of the very class I'm currently ignoring, but it was a fun night.

Now last night was a winner. After a couple of hours on the beach, we went looking for a bar to watch the Champion's League Final. At first we were looking for and English or Irish Pub (because there are a few), but we figured they'd be packed so we just wandered a little. We wound up at this small bar called Groucho (as in Groucho Marx) and watched the game there. The cool part about the bar was that it had regular seating upstairs with a TV easily visible over a balcony. We had a good time there, but here's what makes the night a winner: 1 Euro shots! We took advantage of a couple of those after the exciting game before leaving. This is when my friends decide they want to go to Marsella, a bar that serves some serious absinthe. Looks like it's time to try it.

For those of you who haven't had the opportunity, absinthe is a damn strong alcohol, which used to have hallucinogens. On top of that, this particular bar is apparently where Picasso and Hemingway came to get "inspired". To drink the absinthe, you place the sugar cubes on the balanced fork, like the picture shows, and pour water over the sugar to dissolve it into the drink, as well as dilute the drink to a point where you can handle it. The more you pour in, the easier it is to drink. I didn't pour in a whole lot, and dived in.

That crap is strong, but good. It tasted like licorice, which most of the others didn't seem to enjoy, but Michael were pretty pleased. Despite the alcohol content, I never really wound up feeling any buzzing. Worth a repeat experience for a special occasion.

So I have a map of all this stuff, and I'm gonna post it soon, possibly before you even read this. We'll see. It's time to get back into class now, so I'll leave you in agonizing anticipation of my next post!

-Gaby

Dali and the Olympic Stadium

2008-05-19T15:06:00.001+02:00

Dali Museum

RCD Espanyol

Finally, some blue sky

2008-05-12T14:43:00.001+02:00

LaPorta muerete:

Screw the weather, I'm going exploring anyways...

2008-05-10T20:02:00.004+02:00

Alright, so no video today. I'm kinda tired and would just rather type, so I hope you don't mind. Despite the awesome city I'm in, I kind of have to admit that the weather really sucks. It's raining constantly either somewhat soft or really hard. It made walking around less fun, but I did it anyways.

One of our TA's, Blacki, came on this trip last summer and basically never left the city, so he knows it incredibly well (and had a g/f here, if I remember correctly). He offered to give us a small tour of somewhere cool in the city around 11 this morning, so I decided to join him. First thing he did was take us to this relatively large comic book shop that apparently translates all the english comics that go to Latin America. It was pretty cool, but not my thing. Before moving on, we had a snack at the bar next door (croquettas and cafe con leche at a bar...I can get used to that). We then went through the Gothic neighborhood of the city next to Las Ramblas. It was a really cool area, and I expect I'll be back through there at some point.

We went down through there to the coast and then back up Las Ramblas to Plaza Catalunya, with him showing us different shops he had been to along the way. After that, most of us went our separate ways, but Blacki, Carolyn and I stopped by a sporting goods store and then this restaurant called Pasta Fiore, which was really good and fast Italian food. We hung out there while waiting for the rain to let up a little then came back home.

After that, Michael, Carolyn and I went back to look for the Bicing office. Bicing is a system of bike rentals where you can rent a bike from any of their many locations, ride it wherever, and drop the bike off at the nearest station, all of which is unmanned. After some wandering, we finally found it, and it was closed for the weekend...

Until this point, I didn't have an umbrella. Somehow, I never got around to simply buying a cheap one. After finding the closed Bicing office, I said to myself "I'm buying one at the first tourist shop I see". Sure enough, found a good one and bought it. From there, we went looking for the US Consulate up by the University.

It was quite a walk, with no subway, and we hadn't yet realized that our metro passes were also good for the bus, so we walked all the way up there to a closed US Embassy. We definitely took the bus back to the metro. The funny part was that the station we went to, Maria Cristina, had the biggest vending machine I've ever seen. It was, quite literally, a wall. End to end. I promise I'll swing through there again and get a picture.

Actually, I promise to start taking pictures period. I haven't had my camera with me the last couple of days, because I wanna get myself situated a little bit before acting like that much of a tourist. But they will go up by Monday, since I'm definitely taking pictures at the Barca game.

That's all I've got for now. More stories when I have time to tell them!

-Gaby

Voices in the Tunnel

2008-05-09T22:24:00.000+02:00

Pregame

2008-05-07T23:48:00.002+02:00

As I sit at the gate here in Atlanta, I have to admit to myself: I’m kind of nervous. I’m here a solid three hours before the scheduled takeoff time, and that’s after killing 4 hours in the atrium after getting here from Miami. Ultimately, it comes out to a 24 hours travel day, and just thinking about it makes me a little tired. But it’s okay, because it’ll be similar to the many all-nighters I’ve already pulled, and it certainly won’t be the last. Now that I think about it, the last time I was on an international flight was the last time I went to Spain almost 10 years ago (Great, now I’m slightly more nervous).

It’s all good, though, because I know how incredible this is going to be. I get to study in a foreign country where I’m familiar with the language, and travel to other foreign countries like crazy. On top of that, I’ll have the chance to go to both the French Open and Wimbledon Championships. Those are two of my life’s goals right there! In case you’re wondering, yes. The other two Grand Slams are also on that list. But my tennis mania aside, this is going to be freaking awesome.

People from the group are starting to arrive, so I’m going to go be social now. Next time you hear from me, I’ll be in Barcelona. See you on the other side!

-Gaby