But hey, I can't let down my fans! Both of them would be so disappointed if I neglected the Sblog too long. . . .
Anyway, my Mom came to visit me my last week in Madrid, we went to Segovia and ate suckling pig and we went to a bullfight. It was brutal, but the matadors are pretty sexy, I won't lie.
I have officially left Spain as of March 28th. I feel like I should say it was hard to leave, but it wasn't really, because I knew it was coming. It was hard to say goodbye to my host family though, they were great.
I flew to Scotland on the 28th and met up with my friend Gwen. She's doing her masters program there, so she showed me her stomping grounds in St. Andrews and we spent a day in Edinburgh. It was so pretty in Scotland. I saw sheeps and kilts!!!!
The 31st we flew to Rome together, and we are going to spend 6 days here and then we're off to Florence and Venice. Then I'm coming home on April 13th!!!
The reason this blog is a brief outline is because I sent my laptop home with my Mom so I have no way to upload my photos and I have limited computer access. So keep faith in the Sblog because TONS of photos explaining my adventures will by posted when I return to California!
Can't Breathe Through My Nose But Still Having Fun,
Emily
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Road to Marrakesh, Part II
Okay, I think I posted too many photos, so stupid Blogger is making me do this in two parts. whatever. Anyway!
We continued our way into the Atlas mountains to commence our hike. I was thinking 'How hard can it be, our guide said he was in the discoteque all night and he's still wearing his club clothes'. I was wrong. You know those rickety wooden bridges, like in Indiana Jones? I crossed about 5 of those, and we had to cross the river several other times just by hopping over rocks, but despite Mustapha's club clothes, he proved to be quite the mountain goat, and a great guide. He only had to carry me part of the way.
Just kidding!
We also saw some amazing views during our hike:
Berber villages, nestled in the mountains
The little restaurants along the river. Note the rickety bridge!
On Monday Molly and I explored the Souks further:
Some snake charmers in the square. You're supposed to pay them for photos, but this fellow took a liking to me. I think it's because he could tell I love snakes so much. The cobras were a little much, though, they would hiss and strike when people walked by. That's a little much, even for me!
These guys just ran up to us and threw monkeys on us, although we had no money. They feel just like little humans though, especially their hands, and they're so soft and furry, I want one!!!
We also bought nuts and dried fruits from this guy. Booths like this are everywhere in the square, and for some reason he insisted I be in the booth for a photo. Oh well, why fight it? All the people were so nice!
This is the Berber Pharmacie we went to-it's just tons of these brightly colored unlabeled jars and the fellow explained what everything is. It smells great with all the spices, oils, soaps, dried herbs, and the colorful powders are for dyeing fabric.
Morocco totally blew me away because all the guidebooks I read and all the people warning me had me prepared for rude people, especially towards Americans and even more towards women. I was prepared to be punting men out of the way and constantly have my defenses up, but it wasn't that way at all. Moroccans are incredibly helpful, friendly, and proud of their culture, and they were especially nice to each other. We would go in shops and they would invite us to stay for tea, and they just fawned over us and made us feel very special. The worst thing that happened was some guy grabbed my arm and said "sex machine", which really just made me curious: Am I a sex machine? Is HE a sex machine? Does he HAVE a sex machine? And some men whistled and stuff, but it's nothing more than I experience everyday living in the Mission district.
And granted, we were in a very touristy area, but we saw no extreme poverty, everyone looked happy and healthy (except you would think it was a British colony, not French, because lots of people have bad teeth), and it was great to be in a country where it seems like everyone is always smiling (despite the bad teeth). Such a great break from Madrid! Everyone's so serious here. . .
Also, if you're white, Moroccans tend to automatically assume you're English, so lots of the men hollered, "Victoria and Susie! Hello, fish and chips!" which was really just funny more than anything.
There's also raw meat just hanging on hooks everywhere, with flies buzzing all around it
In the US it would violate about 800 health codes, but at least you know it's fresh!
And of course, me being the vintage freak that I am, managed to find the one antique booth in Marrakesh
It was full of vintage cameras, and God knows what else is buried under that wonderful vintage rubble.
Kamal, who worked at the hostel we were staying in, took us to the chicken market (per my request) and we got to see the entire process of chicken slaughter. Molly and I picked out a live chicken and gave him a name and a back story
And then we took him to the slaughter booth. The two men working in there showed me how they slit the chickens' throat to kill them, then they put them in a bucket of hot water (not exactly sure why), then the other guy cuts off the head and feet and sticks them in the de-feathering machine. Every time I got sprayed with something I told myself it was just water. It was really crazy to see a massive pile of chicken feet and heads on the floor of this booth and blood and feathers flying everywhere. I tried to explain to Kamal that Americans like to have their meat arrive in shiny, cellophane packages with no evidence that it was once a living creature, but all I got from him was a weird look.
The man on the left cuts the throats, the one on the right is working the de-feathering machine. Kamal barbequed our chicken for us, it was delicious, even the heart.
We also went in a booth in the area where they make and dye all the fabric, and a fellow in there showed us the process of how they color the cloth and then he wrapped me up Muslim style:
Do I look the part?
Then he took us onto the roof and we got a great view of all the fabric drying, and of all the souks:
So pretty!
So that was my trip, in a nutshell. I'm already planning my next trip to Africa, Molly said she'd come with me, and I'm going to hold her to it! I want to see more of Morocco, Algeria, and Egypt. I will return to Africa soon, enshallah! (Arabic for God willing)
We continued our way into the Atlas mountains to commence our hike. I was thinking 'How hard can it be, our guide said he was in the discoteque all night and he's still wearing his club clothes'. I was wrong. You know those rickety wooden bridges, like in Indiana Jones? I crossed about 5 of those, and we had to cross the river several other times just by hopping over rocks, but despite Mustapha's club clothes, he proved to be quite the mountain goat, and a great guide. He only had to carry me part of the way.
Just kidding!We also saw some amazing views during our hike:
Berber villages, nestled in the mountains
The little restaurants along the river. Note the rickety bridge!On Monday Molly and I explored the Souks further:
Some snake charmers in the square. You're supposed to pay them for photos, but this fellow took a liking to me. I think it's because he could tell I love snakes so much. The cobras were a little much, though, they would hiss and strike when people walked by. That's a little much, even for me!
These guys just ran up to us and threw monkeys on us, although we had no money. They feel just like little humans though, especially their hands, and they're so soft and furry, I want one!!!
We also bought nuts and dried fruits from this guy. Booths like this are everywhere in the square, and for some reason he insisted I be in the booth for a photo. Oh well, why fight it? All the people were so nice!
This is the Berber Pharmacie we went to-it's just tons of these brightly colored unlabeled jars and the fellow explained what everything is. It smells great with all the spices, oils, soaps, dried herbs, and the colorful powders are for dyeing fabric.Morocco totally blew me away because all the guidebooks I read and all the people warning me had me prepared for rude people, especially towards Americans and even more towards women. I was prepared to be punting men out of the way and constantly have my defenses up, but it wasn't that way at all. Moroccans are incredibly helpful, friendly, and proud of their culture, and they were especially nice to each other. We would go in shops and they would invite us to stay for tea, and they just fawned over us and made us feel very special. The worst thing that happened was some guy grabbed my arm and said "sex machine", which really just made me curious: Am I a sex machine? Is HE a sex machine? Does he HAVE a sex machine? And some men whistled and stuff, but it's nothing more than I experience everyday living in the Mission district.
And granted, we were in a very touristy area, but we saw no extreme poverty, everyone looked happy and healthy (except you would think it was a British colony, not French, because lots of people have bad teeth), and it was great to be in a country where it seems like everyone is always smiling (despite the bad teeth). Such a great break from Madrid! Everyone's so serious here. . .
Also, if you're white, Moroccans tend to automatically assume you're English, so lots of the men hollered, "Victoria and Susie! Hello, fish and chips!" which was really just funny more than anything.
There's also raw meat just hanging on hooks everywhere, with flies buzzing all around it
In the US it would violate about 800 health codes, but at least you know it's fresh!And of course, me being the vintage freak that I am, managed to find the one antique booth in Marrakesh
It was full of vintage cameras, and God knows what else is buried under that wonderful vintage rubble.Kamal, who worked at the hostel we were staying in, took us to the chicken market (per my request) and we got to see the entire process of chicken slaughter. Molly and I picked out a live chicken and gave him a name and a back story
And then we took him to the slaughter booth. The two men working in there showed me how they slit the chickens' throat to kill them, then they put them in a bucket of hot water (not exactly sure why), then the other guy cuts off the head and feet and sticks them in the de-feathering machine. Every time I got sprayed with something I told myself it was just water. It was really crazy to see a massive pile of chicken feet and heads on the floor of this booth and blood and feathers flying everywhere. I tried to explain to Kamal that Americans like to have their meat arrive in shiny, cellophane packages with no evidence that it was once a living creature, but all I got from him was a weird look.
The man on the left cuts the throats, the one on the right is working the de-feathering machine. Kamal barbequed our chicken for us, it was delicious, even the heart.We also went in a booth in the area where they make and dye all the fabric, and a fellow in there showed us the process of how they color the cloth and then he wrapped me up Muslim style:
Do I look the part?Then he took us onto the roof and we got a great view of all the fabric drying, and of all the souks:
So pretty!So that was my trip, in a nutshell. I'm already planning my next trip to Africa, Molly said she'd come with me, and I'm going to hold her to it! I want to see more of Morocco, Algeria, and Egypt. I will return to Africa soon, enshallah! (Arabic for God willing)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
My Road to Marrakesh
My dress still smells like the smoky Medina and my fingers are still stained from the spices in the tagine we feasted on, even though I have sadly returned to Madrid. Molly and I had so much fun in Marrakesh,
from the donkeys that pull carts all over the souks
to the waterfall we hiked to in the Atlas Mountains. And yes, I did it all in saddle shoes and a dress!
We arrived Saturday about 1, and it was a good thing we hired a guide to take us to our hostel, because it's a total labyrinth! When we got there, delicious Moroccan mint tea was waiting for us, yum! Even just going from the airport to the hostel, I got the immediate 'we're not in San Francisco or Madrid anymore' vibe-men and women wear long robes and all the women cover their hair, although lots of people wear western style clothes, too. Noisy motorbikes that reek like diesel are everywhere, roads, sidewalks, even driving on the shoulder, because traffic laws in Marrakesh are basically nonexistent. Every time you step into the road you are playing chicken with donkey carts, motorbikes, regular bikes, pedestrians, trucks and taxis. The beautiful Atlas mountains overlook the city:
This is in a garden that's near the main square, the Jema Lefna. Molly and I ate tagine,
traditional Moroccan cuisine that is cooked in a heavy clay pot on a stove. We wandered around the Jema Lefna the first day, trying to absorb the sights, sounds, and smells of Morocco. This is why photos just don't capture this amazing place. You really have to be there to smell the donkey poo in the streets, the reek of the diesel, the spicy, smoky smell of the food being cooked in the square, the metal workers and tanneries, the sounds of the snake charmers and men enticing you to shop in their booth, the experience of nearly being run over 800 times a day. Maybe I'm not painting a very good picture, but it was fantastic, really.
The busy Medina
We also went to the Balace Bahia and wandered around the beautiful gardens, and marveled at the architecture:
The garden in the palace.
The beautiful and intricate roof in the palace.
Also, cats are like the pigeons of Morocco, they're everywhere basking in the sun and looking for food.
Me and a Moroccan pigeon.
Our first night in the hostel was actually Nezza's (one of the girls who works in the hostel) birthday. Even though we were pooped from our plane trip and the culture shock of being in Africa, we joined the party and danced to Arabic discoteque music, taught everyone the sprinkler, and, of course, smoked tons of shesha (hookah).
Smoking shisha
On Sunday me and Molly and some other people staying at the hostel got a guide named Mustapha to take us to a traditional Berber house.
He showed us how they live, and how they eat
using the traditional Berber stove. Then the Berber women showed us the Moroccan tea ceremony:
I hope I can recreate it! It's so good because the plate of greens on the right is all fresh mint, and the big white cone on the left is sugar. Mmmm. Then we ate a delicious Berber breakfast of fresh bread, honey, olive oil, and fresh butter before we went for our camel ride.
Riding a camel is NOT like riding a horse-it's super bumpy. And I now think camels are probably the second weirdest animal, right behind the platypus.
After camels were were supposed to drive further into the Atlas mountain to begin our hike, but there was a rockslide that consequently caused a huge traffic jam. We got out of our van to explore the situation.
All the Moroccans, surveying the rockslide.
The pile up was so vast, everyone parked their cars and got out and started a drum circle and singing to pass the time while the road cleared.
This is why I thought Morocco was so amazing. No one was mad or impatient, no one was yelling at each other. There were no construction workers, policemen, or ambulances. The citizens took it upon themselves to clear the road and then the men started directing traffic to clear the jam. It was excellent.
from the donkeys that pull carts all over the souks
to the waterfall we hiked to in the Atlas Mountains. And yes, I did it all in saddle shoes and a dress!We arrived Saturday about 1, and it was a good thing we hired a guide to take us to our hostel, because it's a total labyrinth! When we got there, delicious Moroccan mint tea was waiting for us, yum! Even just going from the airport to the hostel, I got the immediate 'we're not in San Francisco or Madrid anymore' vibe-men and women wear long robes and all the women cover their hair, although lots of people wear western style clothes, too. Noisy motorbikes that reek like diesel are everywhere, roads, sidewalks, even driving on the shoulder, because traffic laws in Marrakesh are basically nonexistent. Every time you step into the road you are playing chicken with donkey carts, motorbikes, regular bikes, pedestrians, trucks and taxis. The beautiful Atlas mountains overlook the city:
This is in a garden that's near the main square, the Jema Lefna. Molly and I ate tagine,
traditional Moroccan cuisine that is cooked in a heavy clay pot on a stove. We wandered around the Jema Lefna the first day, trying to absorb the sights, sounds, and smells of Morocco. This is why photos just don't capture this amazing place. You really have to be there to smell the donkey poo in the streets, the reek of the diesel, the spicy, smoky smell of the food being cooked in the square, the metal workers and tanneries, the sounds of the snake charmers and men enticing you to shop in their booth, the experience of nearly being run over 800 times a day. Maybe I'm not painting a very good picture, but it was fantastic, really.
The busy MedinaWe also went to the Balace Bahia and wandered around the beautiful gardens, and marveled at the architecture:
The garden in the palace.
The beautiful and intricate roof in the palace.Also, cats are like the pigeons of Morocco, they're everywhere basking in the sun and looking for food.
Me and a Moroccan pigeon.Our first night in the hostel was actually Nezza's (one of the girls who works in the hostel) birthday. Even though we were pooped from our plane trip and the culture shock of being in Africa, we joined the party and danced to Arabic discoteque music, taught everyone the sprinkler, and, of course, smoked tons of shesha (hookah).
Smoking shishaOn Sunday me and Molly and some other people staying at the hostel got a guide named Mustapha to take us to a traditional Berber house.
He showed us how they live, and how they eat
using the traditional Berber stove. Then the Berber women showed us the Moroccan tea ceremony:
I hope I can recreate it! It's so good because the plate of greens on the right is all fresh mint, and the big white cone on the left is sugar. Mmmm. Then we ate a delicious Berber breakfast of fresh bread, honey, olive oil, and fresh butter before we went for our camel ride.
Riding a camel is NOT like riding a horse-it's super bumpy. And I now think camels are probably the second weirdest animal, right behind the platypus.After camels were were supposed to drive further into the Atlas mountain to begin our hike, but there was a rockslide that consequently caused a huge traffic jam. We got out of our van to explore the situation.
All the Moroccans, surveying the rockslide.The pile up was so vast, everyone parked their cars and got out and started a drum circle and singing to pass the time while the road cleared.
This is why I thought Morocco was so amazing. No one was mad or impatient, no one was yelling at each other. There were no construction workers, policemen, or ambulances. The citizens took it upon themselves to clear the road and then the men started directing traffic to clear the jam. It was excellent.
Monday, March 2, 2009
A Farewell to Analog Television and a Visitor From Scotland
Yes, as of February 17, 2009 analog television is no more. Say a few words of respect about how you will no longer have to do a dance wearing a hat of tin foil and sculpt kinetic mobiles out of old hangers that would inspire Alexander Calder just to watch the episode of Friends where Rachel and Ross break up for the 16th time. Let us turn toward the 21st century and embrace all that is digital!!!
I'm not ready. Christ, my phone doesn't even have a camera, and my boyfriend had to take pity on me and give his old iPod so I would have some music on this trip, because I only listen to records and never had a desire to jump on the Podwagon. What's next, the death of books? Don't be surprised people, podcasts are on the rise, and I'm not even sure what they are, save that they are threatening publishing companies and the tangible, beautiful, paper book.
Oh, in other 'only I care about this stuff' kind of news, Ricardo Montalban died a couple weeks ago. Who's going to watch 'The Wrath of Khan' with me to commemorate him when I get home?!?!?
Anyway, my friend Gwen came to visit me from Glasgow this past weekend! We met in Girl Scout Camp the summer going into 7th grade, so needless to say we go "way back"
Saturday we went to El Escorial, where King Philip II built his monstruous castle slash monastary in 1563. Fun Fact: Philip II was a very pious Catholic, but he died of syphilis. Interesting.
We waiting in a loooong line for a loooong time to get in, and there was only one person taking tickets. Gwen was shocked because apparently the UK is very efficient and puntual. She was also surprised by the lack of friendly customer service, since Scots are very nice folks. At least I have that to look forward to!
Here is the castle from the outside. My favorite part inside was this really cool map room that had some embarrassingly inaccurate depictions of our continents. Yay!
Yes, it was a very dreary day after all that sun that Gwen was looking forward to. Bummer.
The gardens were my favorite part, with all the blossoms and green hills.
Someone got an A in hedge trimming!
All the hills reminded me of the Tolkien trilogy.
We were both starving after the Long Line Debacle, so we cheated and ate Chinese food. I loved every fricken bite of it. It was kind of funny because the owners were Chinese, but the menu was only in English and Spanish, so we were like, "Tienes 'Chow Mein?'" And I didn't know whether to say things in English, Spanish, or Mandarin, and the servers were equally confused, so it was funny.
For about an hour and a half I completely forgot I was in Spain, and it was kind of nice.
On Sunday, we went to the Palcaio Real. I had already been there, but it's really cool, so I didn't mind going again. Plus, Gwen doesn't take forever in museums (thank God!), so we just saw, photo-ed, and left!
We also braced the Parque de Buen Retiro, despite the cold, and just wandered around. It's really big, so we saw a bunch of stuff I hadn't yet seen,
like the beautiful Palacio de Cristal. It reminded me of the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park, and I just have a thing for victorian- looking glass houses, they're so rad. The lake had lots of ducks, too, so I want to go back with bread. Oh, and I've decided when I grow up I'm going to be an old man that feeds the pigeons in the park all day, serenely mumbling to myself. It's good to have goals, right?
We also paid our respects to 'El Angel Caido' or The Fallen Angel, one of the only statues in the world of Lucifer (the devil).
Hail Satan!
Then we trekked over to the museum Thyssen and cultured ourselves. I was in desperate need of a break from Jesus art, so we looked at all the modern art. There was some great Degas, Monet, Pisarro, and Cezanne. Ahhh, I love Impressionism, and the only other time I saw anything by Monet was when the travelling exhibit came to the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco and it was so damn crowded I couldn't enjoy myself and nearly had a panic attack. So yesterday made up for it, hooray!
Going on right now in Madrid is the Cow Parade, where hundreds of cows painted by different artists are found everywhere: streets, subway stations, and plazas. Gwen pointed out that whoever designed the cows isn't very bright because thay all have an udder AND horns. Hmmmm. Are these hermaphroditic cows? Or are they trying not to discriminate any gender?
Anyway, here's me with one of the said anatomically incorrect 'cows'.
I was really glad Gwen got to come visit me, it was like having a bit of home for a weekend, and I'm really looking forward to Edinburgh and Italy with her!
This Saturday is Morocco! I'm on the road to Marrakesh! All aboard that train!
Emily
I'm not ready. Christ, my phone doesn't even have a camera, and my boyfriend had to take pity on me and give his old iPod so I would have some music on this trip, because I only listen to records and never had a desire to jump on the Podwagon. What's next, the death of books? Don't be surprised people, podcasts are on the rise, and I'm not even sure what they are, save that they are threatening publishing companies and the tangible, beautiful, paper book.
Oh, in other 'only I care about this stuff' kind of news, Ricardo Montalban died a couple weeks ago. Who's going to watch 'The Wrath of Khan' with me to commemorate him when I get home?!?!?
Anyway, my friend Gwen came to visit me from Glasgow this past weekend! We met in Girl Scout Camp the summer going into 7th grade, so needless to say we go "way back"
Saturday we went to El Escorial, where King Philip II built his monstruous castle slash monastary in 1563. Fun Fact: Philip II was a very pious Catholic, but he died of syphilis. Interesting.
We waiting in a loooong line for a loooong time to get in, and there was only one person taking tickets. Gwen was shocked because apparently the UK is very efficient and puntual. She was also surprised by the lack of friendly customer service, since Scots are very nice folks. At least I have that to look forward to!
Here is the castle from the outside. My favorite part inside was this really cool map room that had some embarrassingly inaccurate depictions of our continents. Yay!Yes, it was a very dreary day after all that sun that Gwen was looking forward to. Bummer.
The gardens were my favorite part, with all the blossoms and green hills.
Someone got an A in hedge trimming!
All the hills reminded me of the Tolkien trilogy.We were both starving after the Long Line Debacle, so we cheated and ate Chinese food. I loved every fricken bite of it. It was kind of funny because the owners were Chinese, but the menu was only in English and Spanish, so we were like, "Tienes 'Chow Mein?'" And I didn't know whether to say things in English, Spanish, or Mandarin, and the servers were equally confused, so it was funny.
For about an hour and a half I completely forgot I was in Spain, and it was kind of nice.On Sunday, we went to the Palcaio Real. I had already been there, but it's really cool, so I didn't mind going again. Plus, Gwen doesn't take forever in museums (thank God!), so we just saw, photo-ed, and left!
We also braced the Parque de Buen Retiro, despite the cold, and just wandered around. It's really big, so we saw a bunch of stuff I hadn't yet seen,
like the beautiful Palacio de Cristal. It reminded me of the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park, and I just have a thing for victorian- looking glass houses, they're so rad. The lake had lots of ducks, too, so I want to go back with bread. Oh, and I've decided when I grow up I'm going to be an old man that feeds the pigeons in the park all day, serenely mumbling to myself. It's good to have goals, right?We also paid our respects to 'El Angel Caido' or The Fallen Angel, one of the only statues in the world of Lucifer (the devil).
Hail Satan!Then we trekked over to the museum Thyssen and cultured ourselves. I was in desperate need of a break from Jesus art, so we looked at all the modern art. There was some great Degas, Monet, Pisarro, and Cezanne. Ahhh, I love Impressionism, and the only other time I saw anything by Monet was when the travelling exhibit came to the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco and it was so damn crowded I couldn't enjoy myself and nearly had a panic attack. So yesterday made up for it, hooray!
Going on right now in Madrid is the Cow Parade, where hundreds of cows painted by different artists are found everywhere: streets, subway stations, and plazas. Gwen pointed out that whoever designed the cows isn't very bright because thay all have an udder AND horns. Hmmmm. Are these hermaphroditic cows? Or are they trying not to discriminate any gender?
Anyway, here's me with one of the said anatomically incorrect 'cows'.I was really glad Gwen got to come visit me, it was like having a bit of home for a weekend, and I'm really looking forward to Edinburgh and Italy with her!
This Saturday is Morocco! I'm on the road to Marrakesh! All aboard that train!
Emily
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Oranges You Glad I Went To Valencia?
After a mere four hour bus ride, myself, Molly, and Summer arrived in the orange-laden coastal city of Valencia for carnival weekend! It was a rather impromptu trip for me, but after being sick and missing out on Prague, I was desperate to get out of Madrid and do something fun.
Our hostal was right in the middle of the historic district, so (once again) we were surrounded by super old buildings, cobblestone streets and wrought iron balconies, with one gothic church after another.
Friday night we made a feeble attempt to go dancing, but the music was kind of dumb, and the 'club scene' in Spain is way different than in America. Clubs don't even really get busy until about 2am and stay open until 6 or 7am! Crazy! And we were out at like 2 and there were men in their sixties there! Don't they have to wake up in like, two hours? It was weird.
We also tried 'Agua de Valencia', the famous drink of the region that consists of some sort of booze, sugar, and, of course, orange juice. I thought it tasted like Tampico or Sunny Delight, but Molly and Summer liked it.
Saturday! We walked through the huge sunken park that meanders through the city. Fun Fact: it is so meandering because it used to a river. It flooded the entire city in 1957 so they drained it and turned it into the beautful park that it is today. Brilliant!
Spring is finally coming to Spain, so things are blossoming and very beautiful.
Orange tree grove, complete with fountain, in the park. Summer tried to eat one of the oranges, but it was sour. Oh, well. The park smells amazing, though.
The park dumps you into the super modern Academy of Arts and Sciences, where they supposedly have an amazing aquarium, but it cost like, 20 euro to get in and it was closed anyway. Besides, I'm kind of spoiled by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and I want to keep it as my favorite fish zoo.
To me this looks exactly like Star Trek Academy, or the painted backdrop from 'The Squire of Gothos' episode. I mentioned this to Summer and Molly and they both looked at me like I was nuts. I know, I'm a geek. Geek chic, rather.
The thing I really liked about Valencia is that the ancient and modern buildings are both so amazing, and they don't seem to compete with each other. There will be an excellent old building, but the ground floor will be converted into a really funky, modern shop or restaurant. Valencia is also way less touristy than Barcelona, although there is still a lot to see, and the beaches are actually way nicer. Not everyone speaks english like they do in Barcelona, so we got to use more Spanish. Although, like Barcelona, they speak Catalan, but everyone also speaks Spanish.
After Star Trek Academy we walked down to the beach (we walked A LOT on Saturday) and trudged through the sand, and I dipped my toes in the water. The Mediterranean is so different from the beaches in California! The Atlantic is green and murky and has those big freezing waves that vomit hunks of stinking seaweed onto the shore. The Mediterranean has tiny waves, clear water, and clean amazing sand.
Me and Molly, trekking to the water.
It felt so good to dig my toes in the sand. Lucy liked it, too.
Valencia is also the birthplace of Paella, so we ate a huge plate of it on the water front. Then we went home and 'freshened up' for our night out on the town. We donned our carnival masks, and I turned Summer's fine hair into an afro. It was one of my finer hairdressing moments.
At our hostel, before we went out. Yes, we look silly, but that's half the fun!
Sunday! We walked around the historic district, and went to see the Holy Grail, the only one recognized by the Church, but on the way a Frenchman stopped us and said "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!" Just kidding! I couldn't resist a Monty Python reference. Anyway, we saw it, it was ornate and old looking.
We ate breakfast in a lovely square, and since it was carnival weekend there was a big parade with music and children dressed up in traditional Spanish costumes. So cute!
The fountain in the square where we ate breakfast. It's also right around the corner from the Holy Grail church. This square also had tons of pigeons, and for those that know me, know I am a weirdo and I love pigeons. The Valencian pigeons are so pretty, they are all sleek and shiny and healthy looking, and there's lot's of white ones. Not like the grimy, decrepit San Francisco pigeons. I chased a couple.
Anyway! After going down that rabbithole, Valencia also has tons of plazas, and they are all like little parks with grass, fountains, trees, and statues. Hooray!
Doesn't this look like a postcard? I'm such a good photographer :P
On a somewhat side note, most people I know are aware of the fact that I have a unique sense of style, and I sometimes get stared at. Spaniards apparently never got the lecture that staring at people is rude. They stop dead in their tracks and just . . . . stare. Also, traveling with Summer, who is taller than me, blonde, and also has a unique sense of style, well, you would think I still had a giant hot pink mohawk or something, the way we get stared at. Sheesh. People were trying to take my photo when they thought I wasn't looking. Summer and I also both have tattoos, which I guess is not as popular a thing in Spain like it is in San Francisco. I've only seen two people that had a lot of tattoos since I've been here, and they were both men, and they looked like they might not have even been Spanish. It's just different. It doesn't bother me, I know I look 'different' and people are going to stare because they're curious. I've accepted it, it's just odd how a different culture reacts so differently, too.
Anyway! I wish I could have spent more time in Valencia. The beach, the people, the architecture, the food, everything was great. I only have four weeks left in Madrid, can you believe it? It's so sad! There's so much that I'm going to miss.
My friend Gwen is coming on Friday, I'm going to give her the Madrid tour and we are going to El Escorial, where King Phillip II built his huge famous castle that has lots of Goya. Woo!
Getting Stockholm Syndrome,
Emily
Our hostal was right in the middle of the historic district, so (once again) we were surrounded by super old buildings, cobblestone streets and wrought iron balconies, with one gothic church after another.
Friday night we made a feeble attempt to go dancing, but the music was kind of dumb, and the 'club scene' in Spain is way different than in America. Clubs don't even really get busy until about 2am and stay open until 6 or 7am! Crazy! And we were out at like 2 and there were men in their sixties there! Don't they have to wake up in like, two hours? It was weird.
We also tried 'Agua de Valencia', the famous drink of the region that consists of some sort of booze, sugar, and, of course, orange juice. I thought it tasted like Tampico or Sunny Delight, but Molly and Summer liked it.
Saturday! We walked through the huge sunken park that meanders through the city. Fun Fact: it is so meandering because it used to a river. It flooded the entire city in 1957 so they drained it and turned it into the beautful park that it is today. Brilliant!
Spring is finally coming to Spain, so things are blossoming and very beautiful.
Orange tree grove, complete with fountain, in the park. Summer tried to eat one of the oranges, but it was sour. Oh, well. The park smells amazing, though.The park dumps you into the super modern Academy of Arts and Sciences, where they supposedly have an amazing aquarium, but it cost like, 20 euro to get in and it was closed anyway. Besides, I'm kind of spoiled by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and I want to keep it as my favorite fish zoo.
To me this looks exactly like Star Trek Academy, or the painted backdrop from 'The Squire of Gothos' episode. I mentioned this to Summer and Molly and they both looked at me like I was nuts. I know, I'm a geek. Geek chic, rather.The thing I really liked about Valencia is that the ancient and modern buildings are both so amazing, and they don't seem to compete with each other. There will be an excellent old building, but the ground floor will be converted into a really funky, modern shop or restaurant. Valencia is also way less touristy than Barcelona, although there is still a lot to see, and the beaches are actually way nicer. Not everyone speaks english like they do in Barcelona, so we got to use more Spanish. Although, like Barcelona, they speak Catalan, but everyone also speaks Spanish.
After Star Trek Academy we walked down to the beach (we walked A LOT on Saturday) and trudged through the sand, and I dipped my toes in the water. The Mediterranean is so different from the beaches in California! The Atlantic is green and murky and has those big freezing waves that vomit hunks of stinking seaweed onto the shore. The Mediterranean has tiny waves, clear water, and clean amazing sand.
Me and Molly, trekking to the water.
It felt so good to dig my toes in the sand. Lucy liked it, too.Valencia is also the birthplace of Paella, so we ate a huge plate of it on the water front. Then we went home and 'freshened up' for our night out on the town. We donned our carnival masks, and I turned Summer's fine hair into an afro. It was one of my finer hairdressing moments.
At our hostel, before we went out. Yes, we look silly, but that's half the fun!Sunday! We walked around the historic district, and went to see the Holy Grail, the only one recognized by the Church, but on the way a Frenchman stopped us and said "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!" Just kidding! I couldn't resist a Monty Python reference. Anyway, we saw it, it was ornate and old looking.
We ate breakfast in a lovely square, and since it was carnival weekend there was a big parade with music and children dressed up in traditional Spanish costumes. So cute!
The fountain in the square where we ate breakfast. It's also right around the corner from the Holy Grail church. This square also had tons of pigeons, and for those that know me, know I am a weirdo and I love pigeons. The Valencian pigeons are so pretty, they are all sleek and shiny and healthy looking, and there's lot's of white ones. Not like the grimy, decrepit San Francisco pigeons. I chased a couple.Anyway! After going down that rabbithole, Valencia also has tons of plazas, and they are all like little parks with grass, fountains, trees, and statues. Hooray!
Doesn't this look like a postcard? I'm such a good photographer :POn a somewhat side note, most people I know are aware of the fact that I have a unique sense of style, and I sometimes get stared at. Spaniards apparently never got the lecture that staring at people is rude. They stop dead in their tracks and just . . . . stare. Also, traveling with Summer, who is taller than me, blonde, and also has a unique sense of style, well, you would think I still had a giant hot pink mohawk or something, the way we get stared at. Sheesh. People were trying to take my photo when they thought I wasn't looking. Summer and I also both have tattoos, which I guess is not as popular a thing in Spain like it is in San Francisco. I've only seen two people that had a lot of tattoos since I've been here, and they were both men, and they looked like they might not have even been Spanish. It's just different. It doesn't bother me, I know I look 'different' and people are going to stare because they're curious. I've accepted it, it's just odd how a different culture reacts so differently, too.
Anyway! I wish I could have spent more time in Valencia. The beach, the people, the architecture, the food, everything was great. I only have four weeks left in Madrid, can you believe it? It's so sad! There's so much that I'm going to miss.
My friend Gwen is coming on Friday, I'm going to give her the Madrid tour and we are going to El Escorial, where King Phillip II built his huge famous castle that has lots of Goya. Woo!
Getting Stockholm Syndrome,
Emily
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Exactly How Long Would One Have To Stay In Bed Before Developing Bedsores?
You know that twilight period of illness when you´re not quite well enough to return to work or school (you know, because you don´t want to get anyone else sick, even though you know that jerk that sits behind you in bio is the one that gave you this gnarly disease), but you´re well enough to be bored and restless? I am currently in that phase. In the last 24 hours I have:
-Been tragically forced to cancel/postpone my trip to Prague. I´m super bummed, as is my friend Andy, who I was going to stay with there. On the upside, however, it is sunny and in the 60´s here and it is below freezing in Prague. I´m glad I´m missing out on that, at least.
-Finished two books. Neither of which were books I would typically read, but when you´re in Spain and the pickins are slim and a fever confines you to your bed, you end up reading historical fiction bodice rippers.
- Discovered a great new way to cure the blues: Picture everyone you know, especially if it´s someone you hate or an uptight jerk with a stick up his bum singing "I´m Just a Love Machine" into their hairbrush in front of the mirror, complete with white-man dancing, pointing, and air guitar. This really works. I already did it to all of you.
Bilt up in my mind that me and my fella were mad at each other, only to finally break down and call him and discover that, 5€ later, I´m crazy and everything is as hunky-dory as it has always been.
-Sent "Valentine´s Day Sucks" emails to 3 friends.
-Organized my wallet.
-Went for a stroll in a feeble attempt to soak up some vitamin D. I look like The Portait of Dorian Gray.
-Examined myself in the mirror for way too long, and now I think my left eye is higher than right. I know no one´s face is perfectly symmetrical, but this borders on unacceptable.
-Trimmed my fingernails.
Not nearly as exciting as a weekend in Prague, and most certainly not what I want to be blogging about, or what you, dear reader, want to hear about, but as I said. . . . . bored and restless. . . . .
In other news, I finally discovered "The Emily Neighborhood" of Madrid! It´s called Malaseña, and it´s kind of like Valencia St in San Francisco. There´s lots of teenage posers and twenty-something hipsters and yuppies. Cool funky bars with mangled Barbie kinetic sculptures as decor flank the streets, but I was SO THRILLED to FINALLY discover. . . . vintage clothes! Ahhhhh. . . . . The feeling of euphoria that washed over me as I pawed through 70´s polyester and 50´s cigarette pants can only be likened to that of a junkie getting a fix.
Also in this neighborhood are musty little vinyl shops where old men sit and listen to 1950´s American jukebox tunes. Adorable. They had good records- I found a really great Don McLean sticker back, but it was like 19€, and how would I get it home? I could not resist a 1940 Flash Gordon DVD in Spanish, however. . . . Could anyone?
I also finally did a "Day of Beauty" I did some haircuts for some gals, I had really been missing weilding my shears. I can only imagine how shaggy everyone at home is getting.
Ew! I also finally had to break down and do my color, and there are no beauty supply stores in Spain where you can buy proffessional grade haircolor, so I had to use. . . . box hair dye. I allow all my hairdresser friends to give me 10 lashings when I return to the states. I was desperate.
I apologize, once again, for the uneventful Sblog, but hang in there, I got my ticket to go to Marrakesh, Morocco from March 7th-10th!
More fun stuff to come:
Gwen! Feb 27th-1st! We are going to visit the charming ancient city El Escorial!
Mom! March 19th-25th! We are going to yet another charming and ancient city, Segovia!
Keep Faith in the Sblog,
Emily
-Been tragically forced to cancel/postpone my trip to Prague. I´m super bummed, as is my friend Andy, who I was going to stay with there. On the upside, however, it is sunny and in the 60´s here and it is below freezing in Prague. I´m glad I´m missing out on that, at least.
-Finished two books. Neither of which were books I would typically read, but when you´re in Spain and the pickins are slim and a fever confines you to your bed, you end up reading historical fiction bodice rippers.
- Discovered a great new way to cure the blues: Picture everyone you know, especially if it´s someone you hate or an uptight jerk with a stick up his bum singing "I´m Just a Love Machine" into their hairbrush in front of the mirror, complete with white-man dancing, pointing, and air guitar. This really works. I already did it to all of you.
Bilt up in my mind that me and my fella were mad at each other, only to finally break down and call him and discover that, 5€ later, I´m crazy and everything is as hunky-dory as it has always been.
-Sent "Valentine´s Day Sucks" emails to 3 friends.
-Organized my wallet.
-Went for a stroll in a feeble attempt to soak up some vitamin D. I look like The Portait of Dorian Gray.
-Examined myself in the mirror for way too long, and now I think my left eye is higher than right. I know no one´s face is perfectly symmetrical, but this borders on unacceptable.
-Trimmed my fingernails.
Not nearly as exciting as a weekend in Prague, and most certainly not what I want to be blogging about, or what you, dear reader, want to hear about, but as I said. . . . . bored and restless. . . . .
In other news, I finally discovered "The Emily Neighborhood" of Madrid! It´s called Malaseña, and it´s kind of like Valencia St in San Francisco. There´s lots of teenage posers and twenty-something hipsters and yuppies. Cool funky bars with mangled Barbie kinetic sculptures as decor flank the streets, but I was SO THRILLED to FINALLY discover. . . . vintage clothes! Ahhhhh. . . . . The feeling of euphoria that washed over me as I pawed through 70´s polyester and 50´s cigarette pants can only be likened to that of a junkie getting a fix.
Also in this neighborhood are musty little vinyl shops where old men sit and listen to 1950´s American jukebox tunes. Adorable. They had good records- I found a really great Don McLean sticker back, but it was like 19€, and how would I get it home? I could not resist a 1940 Flash Gordon DVD in Spanish, however. . . . Could anyone?
I also finally did a "Day of Beauty" I did some haircuts for some gals, I had really been missing weilding my shears. I can only imagine how shaggy everyone at home is getting.
Ew! I also finally had to break down and do my color, and there are no beauty supply stores in Spain where you can buy proffessional grade haircolor, so I had to use. . . . box hair dye. I allow all my hairdresser friends to give me 10 lashings when I return to the states. I was desperate.
I apologize, once again, for the uneventful Sblog, but hang in there, I got my ticket to go to Marrakesh, Morocco from March 7th-10th!
More fun stuff to come:
Gwen! Feb 27th-1st! We are going to visit the charming ancient city El Escorial!
Mom! March 19th-25th! We are going to yet another charming and ancient city, Segovia!
Keep Faith in the Sblog,
Emily
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
My Soggy and Excellent Barcelona Weekend
Yes, it was unfortunately rainy and soggy my whole weekend in Barcelona with Summer and Molly, but that didn't stop us from having a good time! Barcelona is a beautiful, beachy city on the Mediterranean (we had to use our imaginations and pretend it was sunny), and much more touristy than Madrid- But that's because there is more to see! Of course there's tons of works by Gaudi, the famous Barcelonean architect. Luckily they are right smack in the middle of the city so we saw them on our first day!
This is the Casa Batllo, or "Bone House", for obvious reasons. Like everything by Gaudi, it is truly unlike anything I've ever seen. It's also right on a really busy street, so we were just walking and then, BAM! there it was. It was odd, for it being a rainy weekend in Janurary/February, there were still lots of tourists. . . . . I was one of the many fools blocking the sidewalk trying to get a photo of this bad boy. I swear I will be much nicer to San Francisco tourists from now on!
Next, we walked to the Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's masterpiece. It's a huge cathedral that is still under construction, as it has been since 1887. They work off of Gaudi's blueprints, but, Fun Fact: lots of them were destroyed by anarchists during the Spanish Civil War, and the work that is not Gaudi's is pretty obvious. It's still amazing, however. Behold:
It looks like it's all drippy and melty and Gothic and . . . . Gaudy? I wonder if that's where the word came from since his work is pretty over the top. Anyone who finds out for me gets a Fun Fact point! Anyway, I've always wanted to see this, so it was a pretty big deal to me. We were also able to climb up to the top of one of the spires (looooong narrow spiral staircase), and get some pretty amazing views of the city and the Mediterranean:
You can see all the construction in progress. . . . Good thing I'm not afraid of heights! We found a place to eat in the downtown area, and, like I said, Barcelona is much more touristy and international than Madrid. On the menu they had pastas, meats, and . . . . . SUSHI! I had low expectations when I ordered it, but it was very delicious, my taste buds danced and sang. My sushi craving has been briefly satiated.
Fun Fact: The national language of Barcelona is actually Catalan, not Spanish. It's a strange bastard child of French and Spanish, and was actually very repressed during the Franco era, but is now flourishing. I was a little nervous about it since I don't speak a lick of Catalan, but everyone spoke Spanish, and almost everyone spoke English as well. They seem to cater to tourists a lot more in Barcelona-everyone was very patient and wanted to make sure we understood everything, and when we were walking around like morons looking at a map, locals often stopped to help. Madrid is very different- They have a "We speak Spanish, we're going to talk to you in Spanish and if you don't get it, too bad" kind of attitude, and no one has ever offered to help me in one of my pathetic Bust-Out-The-Map moments. But it's okay. I'm here to learn Spanish, so it's better they speak to me in Spanish, you know?
Day 2!
Of the four guide books we consulted, one of them had a two sentence blurb about a hearse museum. Um, AWESOME! We asked one of the girls that worked in the hostel about it and she had never heard of it, and she's from Barcelona. We did find it eventually, in the funeral home neighborhood in the basement of an unmarked building that is actually a funeral home itself. It was free to enter, and the security guard came down with us, unlocked the door, turned on the lights, waited for us while we looked around, and locked up and turned off the lights when we left. I take it they don't get a lot of visitors. We weren't allowed to take photos unfortunately, but it was SO COOL. It had hearses and funeral carriages from the 19th and 20th century that housed Spanish Royalty on their way to their final resting place. Some of them were ridiculously over the top, it almost seemed sacrilege, or just way too much effort for a dead person. My favorite was this one that was all white and enclosed in cut crystal- it reminded me of a hybrid of Cinderella's carriage and Snow White's glass coffin. But I love quirky little museums that no one knows about-sometimes they're better than seeing all the touristy obvious stuff. This was tied for my favorite thing we saw. My other favorite we saw afterward: the huge (est in Europe) outdoor market off of Las Ramblas.
The market is huge, bustling, close quarters, with everything edible imaginable: lovely colorful exotic fruits, every kind of olive you can imagine, vast arrays of stinky cheeses, every possible weird once living mammal
such as these skinned bunnies (there was also cow tongue, brains, pig feet, intestines, still twitching sea creatures, and lots of other stuff that initiates your gag reflex).
Here's some of the prettier stuff the market has to offer.
Right next to the market is Las Ramblas, an outdoor shopping area that has touristy stuff like postcards, but also beautiful flower stands, exotic pets for sale like turtles and parrots, and incredible street performers that put the ones at Pier 39 to shame. Thay have amazing costumes and setups, and a lot of them are "sleeping" or hidden until you put a coin in their bucket, then they magically come to life for you!
Here's one of the many street performers' "stage".
3rd Day! Last Day!
We went to Park Guell, a famous public park designed by: guess who? Gaudi! You guys are getting so smart. Anyway, it was super rainy, but that didn't stop the slew of tourists. It is a very beautiful park with men playing Spanish guitar for coins and vendors selling jewellry. I can only imagine what it's like on a beautiful sunny day, when you can actually sit on the world's longest park bench without your ass getting wet (I squatted above it, public restroom style) and have a picnic.
The entrance to the park.
Me, squatting.
One of the two houses at the entrance of the park-they look like gingerbread houses-so cute!
Gaudi is also famous for his mosaics- this is the ceiling of a columnar canopy in the park. All the musicians and vendors were in here.
We also walked around the Barri Gotic, or Gothic neighborhood, which had lots of really cool narrow, windy, stone streets and Gothic cathedrals that we went in, but unfortunately the rain made it kind of difficult to take photos.
I wish I could have stayed in this city longer-it has such a cool vibe and is more diverse than Madrid, which was something I was really missing. I'll have to come back in like, 30 years. Maybe then it will be sunny and the Sagrada Familia will be completed.
My next journey is to Morocco-I'm really excited! I want to go to Marrakech, but I think Molly wants to go to Casablanca, which is enticing since it's right on the water, but I've heard and researched that Marrakech has more to see and much more charm. Casablanca is just another big modern city, but who knows. So we'll see.
Til then,
Emily
This is the Casa Batllo, or "Bone House", for obvious reasons. Like everything by Gaudi, it is truly unlike anything I've ever seen. It's also right on a really busy street, so we were just walking and then, BAM! there it was. It was odd, for it being a rainy weekend in Janurary/February, there were still lots of tourists. . . . . I was one of the many fools blocking the sidewalk trying to get a photo of this bad boy. I swear I will be much nicer to San Francisco tourists from now on!Next, we walked to the Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's masterpiece. It's a huge cathedral that is still under construction, as it has been since 1887. They work off of Gaudi's blueprints, but, Fun Fact: lots of them were destroyed by anarchists during the Spanish Civil War, and the work that is not Gaudi's is pretty obvious. It's still amazing, however. Behold:
It looks like it's all drippy and melty and Gothic and . . . . Gaudy? I wonder if that's where the word came from since his work is pretty over the top. Anyone who finds out for me gets a Fun Fact point! Anyway, I've always wanted to see this, so it was a pretty big deal to me. We were also able to climb up to the top of one of the spires (looooong narrow spiral staircase), and get some pretty amazing views of the city and the Mediterranean:
You can see all the construction in progress. . . . Good thing I'm not afraid of heights! We found a place to eat in the downtown area, and, like I said, Barcelona is much more touristy and international than Madrid. On the menu they had pastas, meats, and . . . . . SUSHI! I had low expectations when I ordered it, but it was very delicious, my taste buds danced and sang. My sushi craving has been briefly satiated.Fun Fact: The national language of Barcelona is actually Catalan, not Spanish. It's a strange bastard child of French and Spanish, and was actually very repressed during the Franco era, but is now flourishing. I was a little nervous about it since I don't speak a lick of Catalan, but everyone spoke Spanish, and almost everyone spoke English as well. They seem to cater to tourists a lot more in Barcelona-everyone was very patient and wanted to make sure we understood everything, and when we were walking around like morons looking at a map, locals often stopped to help. Madrid is very different- They have a "We speak Spanish, we're going to talk to you in Spanish and if you don't get it, too bad" kind of attitude, and no one has ever offered to help me in one of my pathetic Bust-Out-The-Map moments. But it's okay. I'm here to learn Spanish, so it's better they speak to me in Spanish, you know?
Day 2!
Of the four guide books we consulted, one of them had a two sentence blurb about a hearse museum. Um, AWESOME! We asked one of the girls that worked in the hostel about it and she had never heard of it, and she's from Barcelona. We did find it eventually, in the funeral home neighborhood in the basement of an unmarked building that is actually a funeral home itself. It was free to enter, and the security guard came down with us, unlocked the door, turned on the lights, waited for us while we looked around, and locked up and turned off the lights when we left. I take it they don't get a lot of visitors. We weren't allowed to take photos unfortunately, but it was SO COOL. It had hearses and funeral carriages from the 19th and 20th century that housed Spanish Royalty on their way to their final resting place. Some of them were ridiculously over the top, it almost seemed sacrilege, or just way too much effort for a dead person. My favorite was this one that was all white and enclosed in cut crystal- it reminded me of a hybrid of Cinderella's carriage and Snow White's glass coffin. But I love quirky little museums that no one knows about-sometimes they're better than seeing all the touristy obvious stuff. This was tied for my favorite thing we saw. My other favorite we saw afterward: the huge (est in Europe) outdoor market off of Las Ramblas.
The market is huge, bustling, close quarters, with everything edible imaginable: lovely colorful exotic fruits, every kind of olive you can imagine, vast arrays of stinky cheeses, every possible weird once living mammal
such as these skinned bunnies (there was also cow tongue, brains, pig feet, intestines, still twitching sea creatures, and lots of other stuff that initiates your gag reflex).
Here's some of the prettier stuff the market has to offer.Right next to the market is Las Ramblas, an outdoor shopping area that has touristy stuff like postcards, but also beautiful flower stands, exotic pets for sale like turtles and parrots, and incredible street performers that put the ones at Pier 39 to shame. Thay have amazing costumes and setups, and a lot of them are "sleeping" or hidden until you put a coin in their bucket, then they magically come to life for you!
Here's one of the many street performers' "stage".3rd Day! Last Day!
We went to Park Guell, a famous public park designed by: guess who? Gaudi! You guys are getting so smart. Anyway, it was super rainy, but that didn't stop the slew of tourists. It is a very beautiful park with men playing Spanish guitar for coins and vendors selling jewellry. I can only imagine what it's like on a beautiful sunny day, when you can actually sit on the world's longest park bench without your ass getting wet (I squatted above it, public restroom style) and have a picnic.
The entrance to the park.
Me, squatting.
One of the two houses at the entrance of the park-they look like gingerbread houses-so cute!
Gaudi is also famous for his mosaics- this is the ceiling of a columnar canopy in the park. All the musicians and vendors were in here.We also walked around the Barri Gotic, or Gothic neighborhood, which had lots of really cool narrow, windy, stone streets and Gothic cathedrals that we went in, but unfortunately the rain made it kind of difficult to take photos.
I wish I could have stayed in this city longer-it has such a cool vibe and is more diverse than Madrid, which was something I was really missing. I'll have to come back in like, 30 years. Maybe then it will be sunny and the Sagrada Familia will be completed.
My next journey is to Morocco-I'm really excited! I want to go to Marrakech, but I think Molly wants to go to Casablanca, which is enticing since it's right on the water, but I've heard and researched that Marrakech has more to see and much more charm. Casablanca is just another big modern city, but who knows. So we'll see.
Til then,
Emily
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