Spaaaain!
I'm back from Spain and have been for 2 weeks, if you're unaware. That was fun fun fun. I had a hotel room with 2 fun roommates that had a balcony overlooking tree-lined Las Ramblas, right near the Catalunya Metro stop, exactly where we wanted to be. The hotel had a few weird quirks, but the location (and free drinks in a freezer next to reception) totally made up for that.
Oh, here's a good story! One night we were on our way to go clubbing. We were all jazzed up, walking in a huge pack but spread out in 2s and 3s all over the pedestrian road, like only tourists can do. I was in mid-conversation with Patrick, a freshman clarinetist, who sat next to me on the plane rides back and forth. Keep in mind that we're on Las Ramblas, according to my guidebook, the street on which you are most likely to get pickpocketed in all of Europe...or something like that. So I had decided to leave my wallet at the hotel and just stick some cash in my front pocket. Also, when walking down the street after 11PM, there are locals scattered every few hundred feet holding 6-packs of beer that harrass you to buy some whenever you pass. I'm convinced that "Want more beer?" and "Drunk? Want to get drunk?" are some of their only English phrases. Anyways, this guy taps me on the shoulder saying something fast, but once I see it isn't one of my Tufts friends, I brush him off and walk faster. I'm totally ignoring him, assuming he's selling me a can of nasty beer. He hurries up to me again, and tries to hand me something, but I hold on tighter to Patrick and keep going. The dude pursues me and shoves folded paper in my hand. As I speed walk away, I examine what's in my hand, and it is the 50 euros that I thought were securely in my pocket. In other words, I dropped the equivalent of 66 American dollars, and someone chased after me until I took it back. I am such an asshole, and I never even got to say "Thank You" to the stranger who saved the rest of my vacation.
I am so glad I understood Spanish. People had told me Barcelona was very English-speaking, but I used
Castellano much more frequently, from stores to restaurants to everywhere. We played 3 concerts at the American School of Barcelona, where the kids not only know English, but were playing Stevie Wonder over the PA system during announcements to celebrate MLK's birthday. Me and my roommates spent an entire hour in FNAC (a Best-Buy Borders fusion) looking for good Spanish music, and I walked away with a cd by the rock group El Canto del Loco. So fun! I saw a Picasso Museum, a Chocolate Museum, an Erotica Museum, La Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, beautiful Magic Fountains that were illuminated to music for a full half-hour at night, Columbus' statue, the Mediterranean ocean at night, the Gothic Quarter, and lots of Souvenier shops. Sadly, I never made it to the old Olympic stadium and Montjuic or Industrial Park area, but I only had a few days there. I will put up photos on Webshots (and possibly Facebook) whenever I need to procrastinate a little more.
Oh, here's a good story! One night we were on our way to go clubbing. We were all jazzed up, walking in a huge pack but spread out in 2s and 3s all over the pedestrian road, like only tourists can do. I was in mid-conversation with Patrick, a freshman clarinetist, who sat next to me on the plane rides back and forth. Keep in mind that we're on Las Ramblas, according to my guidebook, the street on which you are most likely to get pickpocketed in all of Europe...or something like that. So I had decided to leave my wallet at the hotel and just stick some cash in my front pocket. Also, when walking down the street after 11PM, there are locals scattered every few hundred feet holding 6-packs of beer that harrass you to buy some whenever you pass. I'm convinced that "Want more beer?" and "Drunk? Want to get drunk?" are some of their only English phrases. Anyways, this guy taps me on the shoulder saying something fast, but once I see it isn't one of my Tufts friends, I brush him off and walk faster. I'm totally ignoring him, assuming he's selling me a can of nasty beer. He hurries up to me again, and tries to hand me something, but I hold on tighter to Patrick and keep going. The dude pursues me and shoves folded paper in my hand. As I speed walk away, I examine what's in my hand, and it is the 50 euros that I thought were securely in my pocket. In other words, I dropped the equivalent of 66 American dollars, and someone chased after me until I took it back. I am such an asshole, and I never even got to say "Thank You" to the stranger who saved the rest of my vacation.
I am so glad I understood Spanish. People had told me Barcelona was very English-speaking, but I used
Castellano much more frequently, from stores to restaurants to everywhere. We played 3 concerts at the American School of Barcelona, where the kids not only know English, but were playing Stevie Wonder over the PA system during announcements to celebrate MLK's birthday. Me and my roommates spent an entire hour in FNAC (a Best-Buy Borders fusion) looking for good Spanish music, and I walked away with a cd by the rock group El Canto del Loco. So fun! I saw a Picasso Museum, a Chocolate Museum, an Erotica Museum, La Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, beautiful Magic Fountains that were illuminated to music for a full half-hour at night, Columbus' statue, the Mediterranean ocean at night, the Gothic Quarter, and lots of Souvenier shops. Sadly, I never made it to the old Olympic stadium and Montjuic or Industrial Park area, but I only had a few days there. I will put up photos on Webshots (and possibly Facebook) whenever I need to procrastinate a little more.