As of Friday, we will have been in Europe for two weeks. I feel that is an accomplishment of sorts. Through so many experiences, we are broadening our view of the world. We're learning, albeit sometimes uncomfortably, but we're are loving it.
I've been writing down little words here and there in a notebook to not forget what I needed to write on the blog. I'm going to go through them in this post and it will have an eclectic feel. Sometimes it's good to get out of a pattern! I know that we did when leaving the US. So, in dedication to our two weeks being an expat in Europe I will write an erratic word list/whatever thought and association I have with it here in Barcelona.
To start off the list: La Rambla
La Rambla is a touristic street that extends from the port until Plaça Catalunya. It's kind of comparable to the Hollywood's stars, or the walk of fame. Tourists flock the street where they can see several stores selling trinkets, tours, or even a contraption you put into your mouth that turns you into a squeaky toy. Yes, the most annoying thing about La Rambla, other than the population density, is the squeaking Indian salesman that are passed every meter. In the beginning, I would imagine that I've stepped on a toy or that a teddy bear was following me. Now, I want to punch the salesman and hear the squeak in a satisfying deflating gush.
It has a few restaurants along the street that seem nice. Unfortunately, they're tourist traps. A good meal that you could find on some other random road would cost less. Imagine a delicious $15 that could have easily been $9 or $7. Um, the cheaper price, please!
Every now and then when I have to cross the street, I do notice some interesting things. Lately, I've noticed that there are the statue performers. I saw a golden angel statue come alive for a little girl and act in such a way that she was surprised her fingers moved. There was a black dragon and a white Caesar, too. They make a living bathing in paint and requesting a few euros per picture. I could do that...I just need to make the costume and stake my claim on the streets....oh well.
Paella con pollo?
Paella (pa-ay-ya) is a traditional dish in Barcelona that is usually cooked with seafood, most of the time their giant prawns/shrimp. It reminded me of Jumbalaya without the spice. It's a cooked rice dish with vegetables and the meat. Well, you know La Rambla? Miguel and I chose a restaurant near there because we were desparate to eat. This little bar played up the idea of Spain. There was even a Spanish quartet (Do you call them mariachi?) and they sang to us. It was nice.
We decided to order the paella without the seafood. Miguel doesn't enjoy seafood and I oblige that with out diet. Sometimes, it's nice to have a good fish filet or crableg every RARE moment. He just tells me that he wouldn't kiss me afterward. Why should I risk a good peck? Anyways, we asked for paella con pollo (chicken). The paella had its distinct flavor, but we wouldn't get it again. We could easily made it at home. We were told we had to try it and we did.
Plaça Catalunya
If La Rambla is the neck of the dense tourist population, then Plaza Catalunya is the head. I'd compare it to Times Square. Tons of people, local or not, walk past you on their own agendas or gawk at the city around them. The plaza is very pretty. In the center it has a compas pattern with trees encircling it. There are numerous fountains with the mandatory European statues within them. You have a massive roundabout as its moat. Then, of course, are the massive stores for the tourists, including the only Apple store in Barcelona. I saw kids running with balloons, business men walking towards their jobs, a few people creating enormous bubbles to blow in the wind, and plenty to tourist groups waiting for their bus. It's a great place to people watch!
Parrots
Yes, parrots. Have you ever seen those green parrots in the pet store with a little red mark near their beak? Well, don't think they're indiginous to Barcelona because they're not. But, there are numerous groups fighting for space in the palm trees. Hearing the birds sing here is welcoming until you hear the generic crow or seagull establish their territory. I just can't get over these parrots, though. Crows have never been a nuisance and I used to not like seagulls, but these parrots are quite noisy and aggressive! Just something I wasn't expecting here. Noisy green parrots.
Local Nocturnal Parties
We were looking forward to some parties. Barcelona has plenty of youth who are willing to do that different times of the week. It just happens to be where we are. Yes, it's hard to sleep at night when there are people shouting for several reasons, drunkards are pissing in the street, and the occassional loud music trickling past my earplugs. I am a deep sleeper. For some reason, it's hard for me to sleep here. I think I just need to not nap during the day or tire myself out, somehow. (My subconscious says 'Josiah, exercise, lazy.')
To add to that, we have been hearing occassional booms across town. We were told that there is an upcoing holiday known as St. Joan's (Zho-on) Festival, which is a big thing here. For this holiday, they allow fireworks to be sold and little children run rampant lighting firecrackers and throwing them into trashcans or nearby streets. Little bombers in the making.
Fútbol
Futbol, or soccer, is the top sport of the world. I'm noticing it more and more, especially since the FIFA cup is playing. I want to wave my little flag for Spain, but I'm just not a sports person. I don't care. My point is that the Europeans DO care. Imagine FIFA like the superbowl. It's the same effect. People zombify in front of the screen and infest bars or pubs. Even nice restaurants! The catch: it's not just one game.
They can have their games. I can go my own way.
Coincidentally, there is a concrete soccer field outsite our terrace where I've seen plenty of kids and men play the sport.
Chorros con chocolate
Something else I was told to try was the chorros. Miguel and I were excited about the chorros! We love them back in LA. We were disappointed, though. A chorro back in the US or even Mexico are fried dough sticks, usually in a star shape tube, covered in cinnamon that are about a foot long. They are so good hot and chewy....my mouth is watering now. Those were latino churros. We've been noticing that anything bearing the same name in the latino culture is not necessarily the same thing in Spanish culture. Go figure. A Spanish churro is the same fried dough, but the size of your finger AND WITHOUT cinnamon. :( They try to compensate with chocolate, which we knew that was commonlly served with it. We expected the chocolate to be stuffed, like some of the latino churros we have seen, but nope....it was served on the side. It looked like hot chocolate but thick. We thought of a hot version of a thick chocolate pudding that you are supposed to dip your bare churro into. We didn't like it as much as the ones in LA. We did enjoy them, though. What we REALLY didn't like was the price. 8€. That's a lot of money! That's $10-11 for a doughnut or two, guys! Nu-uh, nope. I would only get them again if it was half that price, maybe 3€. We told out roommate that and she said we were swindled. It was a lesson to ask for the price first before accepting anything. (We forgot to ask the price before they finished cooking them and we had to pay.) Basically, we marked off Spanish churros off our list.
Another example of food being different here is a Spanish tortilla. In the US, everyone knows what a tortilla is. Here, they are giant omelets with potatoes with or without onions. Yep, welcome to Spain! (For you, Bob ;-] )
Public Transportation
Barcelona has a fantastic public transportation system. They have 3 different trains for 3 different distances - local, outside of town, and far off cities or countries. They have wonderful buses AND a bicycle system that you can use for free for half an hour. You can put the bike back for 5 to 10 minutes before using it again for another 30. Fantastic, eh?!
I'll admit, I'm still trying to understand the pricing for the different types of cards you can buy for the metro.
The metro has several zones within the city, the biggest being zone 1. The zones look like a throwing target board. Then imagine a spider web on top and you have the metro system, sort of. I've been told that it is like London's.
We've been able to utilize the system quite well.
Intercambio via Meetme
Barcelona Bob recommended that we go to the intercambio meetings when we could to make friends, connections, and a chance to practice other languages. We found a group that meets at a bar every Wednesday night. It's called ACLanguage and we have fun there. There's plenty of conversation and teaching with people. The only challenge is jumping into the fray and start talking! Don't be shy here. (A drink helps.) We met so many people from all over. Barcelona is an international city, like LA, where you can find almost any culture amongst the people. There was one woman that I enjoyed chatting with named Erica. She did what we did. She gathered what she could and moved from Venezuala to Barcelona. She has been here for over three years and doing well! She was insightful and inspirational. Erica even told us an option for cheap groceries. At La Boqueria, we can go when they are about to close and the vendor's will give away a lot of produce with a small purchase because they cannot sell things the next day. I think that will be an option for our meat.
Lastly, Estrella
Estrella (Es-stray-ya) is a common beer here that I happen to like. It's as prominent as budweiser or heinekin. The label is red with a star and it's my go to beer when I cannot think of anything else. I like some others, but this one leaves a nice after taste.
Europe - we enjoy thee!
I can say that I'm learning a lot about the world, myself, and my resolve for things. It's tough starting over at any place. You only have yourself and, maybe, a significant other who stands beside you. I've been EXTREMELY lucky to be married to an amazing man and to have met some awesome people who are making my first experience in Europe worthy of memories. I want to say thank you to my husband and to my friends like Bob and Claudia. All of you are the best!
Abrazos (hugs)
I've been writing down little words here and there in a notebook to not forget what I needed to write on the blog. I'm going to go through them in this post and it will have an eclectic feel. Sometimes it's good to get out of a pattern! I know that we did when leaving the US. So, in dedication to our two weeks being an expat in Europe I will write an erratic word list/whatever thought and association I have with it here in Barcelona.
To start off the list: La Rambla
La Rambla is a touristic street that extends from the port until Plaça Catalunya. It's kind of comparable to the Hollywood's stars, or the walk of fame. Tourists flock the street where they can see several stores selling trinkets, tours, or even a contraption you put into your mouth that turns you into a squeaky toy. Yes, the most annoying thing about La Rambla, other than the population density, is the squeaking Indian salesman that are passed every meter. In the beginning, I would imagine that I've stepped on a toy or that a teddy bear was following me. Now, I want to punch the salesman and hear the squeak in a satisfying deflating gush.
It has a few restaurants along the street that seem nice. Unfortunately, they're tourist traps. A good meal that you could find on some other random road would cost less. Imagine a delicious $15 that could have easily been $9 or $7. Um, the cheaper price, please!
Every now and then when I have to cross the street, I do notice some interesting things. Lately, I've noticed that there are the statue performers. I saw a golden angel statue come alive for a little girl and act in such a way that she was surprised her fingers moved. There was a black dragon and a white Caesar, too. They make a living bathing in paint and requesting a few euros per picture. I could do that...I just need to make the costume and stake my claim on the streets....oh well.
Paella con pollo?
Paella (pa-ay-ya) is a traditional dish in Barcelona that is usually cooked with seafood, most of the time their giant prawns/shrimp. It reminded me of Jumbalaya without the spice. It's a cooked rice dish with vegetables and the meat. Well, you know La Rambla? Miguel and I chose a restaurant near there because we were desparate to eat. This little bar played up the idea of Spain. There was even a Spanish quartet (Do you call them mariachi?) and they sang to us. It was nice.
We decided to order the paella without the seafood. Miguel doesn't enjoy seafood and I oblige that with out diet. Sometimes, it's nice to have a good fish filet or crableg every RARE moment. He just tells me that he wouldn't kiss me afterward. Why should I risk a good peck? Anyways, we asked for paella con pollo (chicken). The paella had its distinct flavor, but we wouldn't get it again. We could easily made it at home. We were told we had to try it and we did.
Plaça Catalunya
If La Rambla is the neck of the dense tourist population, then Plaza Catalunya is the head. I'd compare it to Times Square. Tons of people, local or not, walk past you on their own agendas or gawk at the city around them. The plaza is very pretty. In the center it has a compas pattern with trees encircling it. There are numerous fountains with the mandatory European statues within them. You have a massive roundabout as its moat. Then, of course, are the massive stores for the tourists, including the only Apple store in Barcelona. I saw kids running with balloons, business men walking towards their jobs, a few people creating enormous bubbles to blow in the wind, and plenty to tourist groups waiting for their bus. It's a great place to people watch!
Parrots
Yes, parrots. Have you ever seen those green parrots in the pet store with a little red mark near their beak? Well, don't think they're indiginous to Barcelona because they're not. But, there are numerous groups fighting for space in the palm trees. Hearing the birds sing here is welcoming until you hear the generic crow or seagull establish their territory. I just can't get over these parrots, though. Crows have never been a nuisance and I used to not like seagulls, but these parrots are quite noisy and aggressive! Just something I wasn't expecting here. Noisy green parrots.
Local Nocturnal Parties
We were looking forward to some parties. Barcelona has plenty of youth who are willing to do that different times of the week. It just happens to be where we are. Yes, it's hard to sleep at night when there are people shouting for several reasons, drunkards are pissing in the street, and the occassional loud music trickling past my earplugs. I am a deep sleeper. For some reason, it's hard for me to sleep here. I think I just need to not nap during the day or tire myself out, somehow. (My subconscious says 'Josiah, exercise, lazy.')
To add to that, we have been hearing occassional booms across town. We were told that there is an upcoing holiday known as St. Joan's (Zho-on) Festival, which is a big thing here. For this holiday, they allow fireworks to be sold and little children run rampant lighting firecrackers and throwing them into trashcans or nearby streets. Little bombers in the making.
Fútbol
Futbol, or soccer, is the top sport of the world. I'm noticing it more and more, especially since the FIFA cup is playing. I want to wave my little flag for Spain, but I'm just not a sports person. I don't care. My point is that the Europeans DO care. Imagine FIFA like the superbowl. It's the same effect. People zombify in front of the screen and infest bars or pubs. Even nice restaurants! The catch: it's not just one game.
They can have their games. I can go my own way.
Coincidentally, there is a concrete soccer field outsite our terrace where I've seen plenty of kids and men play the sport.
Chorros con chocolate
Something else I was told to try was the chorros. Miguel and I were excited about the chorros! We love them back in LA. We were disappointed, though. A chorro back in the US or even Mexico are fried dough sticks, usually in a star shape tube, covered in cinnamon that are about a foot long. They are so good hot and chewy....my mouth is watering now. Those were latino churros. We've been noticing that anything bearing the same name in the latino culture is not necessarily the same thing in Spanish culture. Go figure. A Spanish churro is the same fried dough, but the size of your finger AND WITHOUT cinnamon. :( They try to compensate with chocolate, which we knew that was commonlly served with it. We expected the chocolate to be stuffed, like some of the latino churros we have seen, but nope....it was served on the side. It looked like hot chocolate but thick. We thought of a hot version of a thick chocolate pudding that you are supposed to dip your bare churro into. We didn't like it as much as the ones in LA. We did enjoy them, though. What we REALLY didn't like was the price. 8€. That's a lot of money! That's $10-11 for a doughnut or two, guys! Nu-uh, nope. I would only get them again if it was half that price, maybe 3€. We told out roommate that and she said we were swindled. It was a lesson to ask for the price first before accepting anything. (We forgot to ask the price before they finished cooking them and we had to pay.) Basically, we marked off Spanish churros off our list.
Another example of food being different here is a Spanish tortilla. In the US, everyone knows what a tortilla is. Here, they are giant omelets with potatoes with or without onions. Yep, welcome to Spain! (For you, Bob ;-] )
Public Transportation
Barcelona has a fantastic public transportation system. They have 3 different trains for 3 different distances - local, outside of town, and far off cities or countries. They have wonderful buses AND a bicycle system that you can use for free for half an hour. You can put the bike back for 5 to 10 minutes before using it again for another 30. Fantastic, eh?!
I'll admit, I'm still trying to understand the pricing for the different types of cards you can buy for the metro.
The metro has several zones within the city, the biggest being zone 1. The zones look like a throwing target board. Then imagine a spider web on top and you have the metro system, sort of. I've been told that it is like London's.
We've been able to utilize the system quite well.
Intercambio via Meetme
Barcelona Bob recommended that we go to the intercambio meetings when we could to make friends, connections, and a chance to practice other languages. We found a group that meets at a bar every Wednesday night. It's called ACLanguage and we have fun there. There's plenty of conversation and teaching with people. The only challenge is jumping into the fray and start talking! Don't be shy here. (A drink helps.) We met so many people from all over. Barcelona is an international city, like LA, where you can find almost any culture amongst the people. There was one woman that I enjoyed chatting with named Erica. She did what we did. She gathered what she could and moved from Venezuala to Barcelona. She has been here for over three years and doing well! She was insightful and inspirational. Erica even told us an option for cheap groceries. At La Boqueria, we can go when they are about to close and the vendor's will give away a lot of produce with a small purchase because they cannot sell things the next day. I think that will be an option for our meat.
Lastly, Estrella
Estrella (Es-stray-ya) is a common beer here that I happen to like. It's as prominent as budweiser or heinekin. The label is red with a star and it's my go to beer when I cannot think of anything else. I like some others, but this one leaves a nice after taste.
Europe - we enjoy thee!
I can say that I'm learning a lot about the world, myself, and my resolve for things. It's tough starting over at any place. You only have yourself and, maybe, a significant other who stands beside you. I've been EXTREMELY lucky to be married to an amazing man and to have met some awesome people who are making my first experience in Europe worthy of memories. I want to say thank you to my husband and to my friends like Bob and Claudia. All of you are the best!
Abrazos (hugs)