Change of Plans

Ah the winds of change. Turns out the real blind date is with all of Spain; not a person. I was appresensive about leaving the 'ease' of traveling with a guide, but that quickly became replaced with a great hunger for the freedom of being 'alone', which of course one never really is.

Lets just say I now rejoice in the choices and opportunities of one day at a time...

I found a free walking tour today- around the gothic areas of old Barcelona. Between the Romans and the Moors, they were here for only a few hundred years., but provided a great base on which lots of great buildings are overlaid - One picture is a church in a quiet little plaza (another picture) where people were lined up and shot during one of the insurrections. Forget which one, but it is May day, isn't it?.

The tour covered lots of ground, including the Plaza Nova where there happened to be another anarchist demonstration going on, so very Spanish. This is about Catalunya wanting more independance from Spanish rule.

I seem to have no control over where the pictures put themselves at this point, so they are all at the top- I think-

Anyway, I will be going out to a cooking class soon- to learn about making tapas and pannellas? and Sangria. Naturalmente.

I plan to leave tomorrow on a bus for a town called Denia, where I will locate a helpx host who is

doing some interesting things with waves and boats, can't tell you much yet- but will find out!

One issue I have now is that I have too much laggage due to initial plans including transportation- so I hope to be able to afford shipping a bag back. So much nicer to travel light!

Good for now, hasta luego-

Castilian spanish is most confusing, by the way.

Getting Used to the Idea

Barcelona kind of hits me as a bit on the crazy side. So much Gaudi! I spent a lot of time in the Parc Guell; I have some pictures but haven't had time to download yet- so visit the website by clicking on the link above- they have great pictures. The loopiness of the creations has matched my mood, kind of an out of body experience. Or is it out of mind?
I slept in until after ten this morning, then met John for the trip to the park, and a lunch of tapas. Of course aside from the sightseeing, I have been contemplating the feasability of the idea that I came with- to travel with John in his motor-home. A very confined space. And I have been feeling very irritable since I got here, so not all starry eyed about anything. We went to see the proposed 'hostel on wheels' this afternoon, and sat and talked for hours, before I finally got a sense of comfort and safety with the whole plan. I have my own space in front, above the driver's seats. John has been very communicative about all my concerns and doubts, and I can still leave if I decide I need to. Part of the comfort level comes from learning that we share many thoughts and values, talking about history and philosophy, and even enjoy the same kinds of music.
So, that tough decision out of the way, I plan to continue to sight-see Barcelona for the next several days, maybe getting about on bicycle more than that tiny motorcycle. Or by bus. Actually the motorcycle isn't too bad, and I don't mind that many people see it and laugh that two grownups (theoretically) are riding on it. But still...
After Barcelona, the plan for me to walk the Camino de Santiago still stands. I read up on some of the trail- that the northern part of it comes from France over the Pyrenees by several different trails, that it has been in use for a thousand years, and some parts are prettier than others. At some point there is a spigot on the wall of a winery, where one can pour free wine...Will watch for that part.
I hope I am not repeating myself too much, as I have begun to do in normal conversation. The short memory would require that I go back and read past posts each time I write, too time consuming! Anyway, if so, just ignore it. I will edit when I have more time.

Sunset in the Morning

Most of my flight(s) from SLC to Barcelona were unremarkable, but in the morning as we approached Spain, the sunrise really looked like a typical colorful sunset in Utah- and it occured to me that this is because of all the ash still in the atmosphere from the volcano! Very pretty, in a way.

John met me when I got off the bus in Paza Catalunya, and helped me find the hostel (no easy task on this silly little streets) and haul my bags up three flights of old marble stairs. After a shower, I went out with him to see some of the local sights and get lunch. I also got a chip for my Nokia, so I now have a local phone number- and calls to the US are pretty darn cheap, no idea why that is.

I am between naps at the hostel, having explored some basic parts of Barcelona on the back of a tiny Chinese made motorcycle. John chose it to fit in a closet in his motorhome. I quickly decided to just trust, and not get uptight about the aggressive driving style, which is apparently necessary and expected. The motor bike saves a lot of walking.

We did walk the Ramblas, a wide avenue with lots of trees, here in old Barcelona. Lots of activity, like buscars and living statues and- especially since today is (was) a semifinals futbol (?) game between Barcelona and an Italian team, roving gangs of yelling, chanting fans wearing the team colors comprised more than half the population on the streets.

After walking around the famous unfinished Familia Sagrada church (part of the facade can be seen in the above picture), I had to get back and sleep. Tomorrow- or today, actually, I will see more, and upload my own photographs to send more. I was given a complimentary sangria by the young Pakistani host here at the hostel, while I watched the futball(?) soccer match with him in the cucina (kitchcen) . Barcelona lost by one point. So now it is time to try to sleep again.