Ease hiS…pain!
Friday, December 8th, 2006Hola Amigos…Como Estas? I think when I last left you all I was in the beautiful and lovely city of Paris. After Paris I returned to the land of Tapas, Paella and Flamenco dancing that is Spain and my favorite city, Barcelona. Why did I come back?…well, I simply could not get enough. Actually I came back because my flight to Dublin was out of Madrid and I basically had no choice. I booked that flight to Dublin from Madrid before I decided to go to Amsterdam, Brussels and France so it was out of the question not to return.
So I had 4 days in Barcelona to have one last look at a city that I enjoyed so much. What is hard not to like about being in sandals and a t-shirt in December? Walking down by the waterfront that is lined with palm trees watching boats sail in and out…how can you complain? Getting lost in the maze of streets and listening to people shout in spanish, at each other across balconies lined with laundry. What is not to like abuot getting asked if you want Hash about 10 times a day by the same few guys standing outside your hostel… simply magical…not quite as magical as the Hash itself but nonetheless….kidding mom!
I would have to say that the two weeks in spain dramatically improved my Spanish. The hardest thing is understanding people who speak like auctioneers. I swear sometimes they are purposely trying to speak as fast as possible. Perhaps you people remember the commerical they used to have in the states for these things called “Micro-Machines.” They were like little toy cars or something. The guy in that commerical did not speak half as fast as the people here speak. I made a huge effort to speak spanish. In Barcelona the officialy language is Catalunya, not even spanish, but luckily they all speak it (Spanish) and understand it.
I always hated it when I got the nerve to ask someone something in Spanish and then got a response back in Spanish that I didnt understand and then had to give them that hopeless look as if to say, “I tried? However what you said meant absolutley nothing to me..No Comprendo!.”
The spanish in Spain is a little different from the Spanish I learned in school…or tried to learn in school, don’t learn too much sleeping in class. Most of us learned Mexican spanish. I guess it would be like comparing American english to British English:
“I mean like…ya know…like…yeah, whatever.”
“Of course darling…don’t be absurd.”
Now in Barcelona I did have a visitor. This visitor is one that I honestly hope I never have again. The nightmares that I will have due to this visitor are gonna make for alot of sleepless nights. This unwelcomed visitor is cold, calculating and manipulating in ways that would make anyones skin crawl. They pretend they like you and use you for what they need and then have no problem jumping into bed with someone else when they are tired of you. If I never see this visitor again I will be one happy guy…no question about it. This visitor of course is…
BED BUGS….AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! (Insert sound..Da Da Daaaaah!)
I woke up at 4 in the morning and could not stop itching. I noticed a few bites the previous couple of days but went too bed too drunk to realize…I guess! When I felt the itching I turned on the lights to realize there was quite a few of these guys crawling around the bed. Because it was so late there was no one at the reception I could complain to so I had to go and sleep on a couch out in the lounge area. I guess I was the only one who got them cause no one else complained. Finnally the next morning I spoke with the guy who was running the hostel and he was very apologetic and gave me a free nights accomodation…good enough!
It will certainly not be my lasting memory of Barcelona. However, think about this for a moment. Two of my favorite places on my trip were Borneo and Barcelona. Both places I got Bed Bugs. There are alot of B’s in there for it not to be a coincidence. Now I am going home in a week to Boston…Nooooooooooo!
So after Barcelona I hoped on a bus and came to Madrid. My expectations were high as I had so much fun in Barcelona I thought things could only get better…well they didn’t. Madrid has been cold, and rainy. No palm trees, or warm ocean breezes. I felt like I had been betrayed when I arrived. Just a big city like all the rest. I guess it took me this long to realize that I have been going to all the big cities in Europe and not really enjoying myself but when I get out of them I did enjoy myself…I guess that is the best advice I can give. Everyone talks about how the big cities are great, and they are right, some of them are, but it is not until you get out of them that you truly realize what a country and it’s people are like.
I am now down to my last few hours here on mainland Europe. I will fly to Dublin in the morning where I will finish the last week of my journey, hard to believe. It seems like only a few weeks ago Jeff was dropping me off late at the Airport. Seems like only yesterday that I was saying goodbyes to people and looking forward to the amazing adventures that awaited me. In just over a week I will be saying Hello’s to all of you who I said goodbye too and I am really getting excited about it. I have had a fun time here in Europe. I guess it was not as exciting as all the other places I visited but it made me realize how great my trip really has been. I am not one to gloat or brag but there is one thing I have really enjoyed about Europe. I have met so many Americans here in Europe, mostly students who are out of the country for the first time. They love telling people about how they are studying abroad and living here or there. They really enjoy telling people how they are so cultured and know so much, and perhaps some of them do. The best is when they ask me my story and I tell them I have been around the world and been away for 8 months. The look on their faces is funny. Like, “Oh, that is better than what I am doing.” I have spent alot of time telling people about how great the places were that I visted and showing people pictures as well. I know I will be doing alot of that when I go home as well, which will be fun.
So wish me luck on my last week and I look forward to seeing you all when I return. I will do my best to make sure my last week is as exciting as possible. I am now off to sleep at the airport tonight as there is no accomodation here in Madrid because of a holiday…great planning on my part.
See you all soon,
Brian
P.S. First one who knows what I am referencing with my title wins an award…I thought it was quite a clever one!
Gagnonius