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OCTOBER , 2003
After we checked into the hostel we walked up to tourist information then to the school, so we will know where to go on Sunday, and then to the internet place. They have an Easy Internet here, which are cheap (1.80 euros an hour), and you buy a card so you can get on and off as often as you want for the amount of time you bought. It's nice to pay only for the time you use, rather than buy time in 15 minute or half-hour blocks.
10/10: We had a nice breakfast at the hostel and then went to get the sightseeing hop-on/hop-off bus for a tour around the city. We stayed on the bus for about 2.5 of the 3.5 hour tour, and got off about 1PM to go to the book store. We forgot that a lot of the shops close for a couple of hours mid-day, so the bookstore was closed. We bought Metro tickets (a 10-ride ticket for 5.80 euros), and went to Guell Park, which contains the house that Gaudi lived in for the last 20 years of his life. The Park also has a lot of architectural elements that were designed by Gaudi.
Antoni Gaudi was born in Barelona in 1852 and lived and worked in the city throughout his life. He had a very flamboyant and unique architectural vision, and he designed some of Barcelona's most outstanding Modernist buildings. His trade marks are curved lines, pinnacles and organically inspired stones and towers, and I just love his work. I don't usually go for unusual art or architecture, but his stuff really appeals to me.
I like Barcelona for a lot of reasons - its architecture, it is right on the Mediterranean and it has lots of parks, in addition to losts of restaurants, stores and people of all ages, nationalities, and manner of dress.
There were various musicians porforming as we walked through Guell Park, and one group in particular was excellent. They were a jazz trio - guitar, banjo and drums - named Difusa, and I thought they were good so I bought their CD. It will be neat to play it when I get home.
We got back on the sightseeing bus outside the park about 4PM and took it to the waterfront to check out the English language movie theatre. Then we walked back to the center of town to the internet and then came back to the hostel about 9:30PM. I just got pizza again for dinner on the way back to the hostel. At 2:50 euros, it is a bargain, and the one I got tonight was delicious - eggplant, zucchini, red and green peppers and cheese.
10/11: I didn't sleep very well last night. I drank some Pepsi with my pizza, and I think the caffeine kept me awake. It was also much noiser at the hostel until about midnight, then there is some weird noise that starts about 2AM (it did it last night too) that lasts about a half hour, then the pigeons start up about 6AM. Our window opens into an airshaft and the pigeons roost at the top of it and they can be very loud.
We walked over to the second-hand market on the Placa de les Glories and on the way we stopped to see the Boqueria Market. The market has been housed since the 1830s in a covered hall just off La Rambla (one of the main tourist streets in Barcelona). The market is filled with the scents and colors of fresh produce, cheese, meats, fish and lots of noise from the shoppers and the stall vendors. Shari and I were trying to figure out what some of the stuff was, and one thing in particular was very odd looking. It turned out to be a whole skinned rabbit (with the eyes still in palce) and it certainly did not look very attractive. Neither did a lot of the seafood products. They even had a few stalls devoted to odd parts of animals - tripe (cow's belly), tongue, pig's feet, brains, liver, and I few parts I had no clue on. It was a very interesting experience strolling around the market.
After we left the Boqueria Market we walked to the Placa de les Glroes to see the second-hand market, which was another interesting experience. They sell a wide variety of items and most of it is junk, but I bought some batteries, a change purse and some food preparation gadgets. Then we walked back to the center of town so I could check out some musical events that are being held next week, and to buy some new shirts. I finally found a couple of shirts I liked after trying on about 20 of them. They are both black, so they won't be good for hiking,but they will be fine to wear at school and while sightseeing.
Shari left to wander on her own and was still out when I got back to the hostel abpout 5PM. I just wrote notes, and Shari came in about 5:30. We left the hostel again about 6:30 to go see the Magic Fountain show. First we walked down to the waterfront area near the Monument a Colom, the statue of Christopher Columbus that sits atop a tall pedestal, and then we took the Metro up to see the Magic Fountain. The fountains are in front of the Montjuic hill recreational area, which has gardens, museums, galleries and sports facilities. The fountains are lovely, and every 15 minutes, from 7 to 9 PM there is a show with water, lights and music.
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