faux euro update
I was going to write about my trip to europe in painful detail, but I got bored of it myself part way through. If you really care to know about specifics or anything, I would love to tell you anything in person.
in short, it was an amazing trip. I have a new appreciation for getting to know a city. its really a treat to be able to visit somewhere you've never been before, for the sole purpose of becoming acquainted with that place. especially if that place is rome. or venice. or barcelona.
italy is beautiful and the people are nice. Italians have their own way of doing things and I admire that. it kind of came across as silly sometimes, but this trip really emphasized to me the utter subjectivity of everything. namely fashion, social norms, and food. and I imagine americans come across as absolutely insane to most foreigners anyhow.
barcelona is the most amazing city I have ever seen. it is 'happening' in all senses of the word. it was a treat that berto, ashley, and I gave ourselves just after our final review in rome. we were deciding half way through our trip where we should visit at the end, and we narrowed it to barcelona, amsterdam, paris, london, and berlin. or something like that. barcelona was the cheapest one available. it really put italy in perspective as well. barcelona is modernized and growing and working and functioning. its beautiful really. while here, we really became excellent architecture students and sought out pretty much every cool thing we could get our hands on. like: tons of Gaudi, jean nouvel, joan miro, alvaro siza, herzog de meuron, mies van der rohe, miralles, calatrava, and more. all in like 2 days. It was fucking mind blowing. AND, we ate possibly our best meal that we got at a restaurant (in all our travels) from this place called the rabbit barn. bitchin place that has huge barrels of wine out for the taking for everyone waiting to be seated. if you happen to go, be sure to get the rabbit.
side note of warning to future euro-adventurers: beware of ryan air. yes, those tickets are quite cheap, but they come at other costs. ryan air will fuck you in any and every way they can like you wouldn't believe. so if you do take the ryan air fuck fest, read the fine print, pack super light, and brace yourself. for real. the tip off really is that their website looks like a porn site. that should have warned us off.
an unexpected by-product of this euro-adventure: a new found appreciation and acknowledgment of being able to speak and understand the language that everyone around you is speaking. just the simple act of casual eaves dropping is a big deal. its really amazing to sit in the middle of a crowded public place, with people swarming all around you talking, eating, walking etc. and not understanding a goddam thing they're saying to each other. and staying for 6 weeks sort of ingrained that into my day to day routine. it was weird transferring in chicago on the way home and being able to idly chat to anyone. culture shock of sorts.
so I'm back in berkeley. I was really missing it by the end there. though I loved traveling for such an extended period, I couldn't help but dwell on the issues that are immediately facing me as I finish up here. like: what the hell am I doing? so its good to be back and figuring this all out.
I graduate in about a month. thats exciting. the design aspect of my thesis is due may 2. also exciting.
things are beginning to pick up speed again.
in short, it was an amazing trip. I have a new appreciation for getting to know a city. its really a treat to be able to visit somewhere you've never been before, for the sole purpose of becoming acquainted with that place. especially if that place is rome. or venice. or barcelona.
italy is beautiful and the people are nice. Italians have their own way of doing things and I admire that. it kind of came across as silly sometimes, but this trip really emphasized to me the utter subjectivity of everything. namely fashion, social norms, and food. and I imagine americans come across as absolutely insane to most foreigners anyhow.
barcelona is the most amazing city I have ever seen. it is 'happening' in all senses of the word. it was a treat that berto, ashley, and I gave ourselves just after our final review in rome. we were deciding half way through our trip where we should visit at the end, and we narrowed it to barcelona, amsterdam, paris, london, and berlin. or something like that. barcelona was the cheapest one available. it really put italy in perspective as well. barcelona is modernized and growing and working and functioning. its beautiful really. while here, we really became excellent architecture students and sought out pretty much every cool thing we could get our hands on. like: tons of Gaudi, jean nouvel, joan miro, alvaro siza, herzog de meuron, mies van der rohe, miralles, calatrava, and more. all in like 2 days. It was fucking mind blowing. AND, we ate possibly our best meal that we got at a restaurant (in all our travels) from this place called the rabbit barn. bitchin place that has huge barrels of wine out for the taking for everyone waiting to be seated. if you happen to go, be sure to get the rabbit.
side note of warning to future euro-adventurers: beware of ryan air. yes, those tickets are quite cheap, but they come at other costs. ryan air will fuck you in any and every way they can like you wouldn't believe. so if you do take the ryan air fuck fest, read the fine print, pack super light, and brace yourself. for real. the tip off really is that their website looks like a porn site. that should have warned us off.
an unexpected by-product of this euro-adventure: a new found appreciation and acknowledgment of being able to speak and understand the language that everyone around you is speaking. just the simple act of casual eaves dropping is a big deal. its really amazing to sit in the middle of a crowded public place, with people swarming all around you talking, eating, walking etc. and not understanding a goddam thing they're saying to each other. and staying for 6 weeks sort of ingrained that into my day to day routine. it was weird transferring in chicago on the way home and being able to idly chat to anyone. culture shock of sorts.
so I'm back in berkeley. I was really missing it by the end there. though I loved traveling for such an extended period, I couldn't help but dwell on the issues that are immediately facing me as I finish up here. like: what the hell am I doing? so its good to be back and figuring this all out.
I graduate in about a month. thats exciting. the design aspect of my thesis is due may 2. also exciting.
things are beginning to pick up speed again.