Mi cuerpo es en el fuego.

Thank you, Manny, for making me keep up with this.

Friday, July 19, 2013 8:46 am

Lovely Marseille

I don't know how I did it on so little sleep, but after I gave my body a small pep talk the night before, it woke up at 6:15 am, just in time to catch the 7:18 am train. The brain is an amazing thing. I’m enjoying my morning riding to Montpellier, France with a large group of Estonian soldiers, trying to make it to Barcelona. Due to my procrastination, I don't think I'm going to make it since I didn't make a reservation in time. Apparently, Barcelona is a popular place to visit on the weekends (should have known better). I’m playing city roulette at the moment.

Marseille is the only city that I’ve actually felt scared to walk around in at night. There’s always the possibility of danger anywhere you go, but when I got off that train Wednesday night, man did I have a bad feeling in my gut. People lurking in the shadows at the station were giving me uncomfortable stares, but I made it to my hostel confidently & safely. This hostel is the inside of someone’s apartment, so there is an 11 pm curfew due to the required quiet time. As soon as I walked through the door, I met a fellow American, Tinn from Minnesota, & 2 Austrians, James & Mathias. The landlord was so kind to let us stay out a bit later that night, so we went to the only open place & had a fun time.

My favorite Austrians

Tinn already had plans to spend the day sightseeing in another city yesterday morning, but the guys & I explored Marseille & then headed out to one of the beaches in the afternoon. I’ve always pictured Marseille to be this beautiful, rich seaside place, but I was surprised at how rundown it looks. It's got such great potential if they took a pressure washer to the sides of the buildings. The beach was picturesque, with large white rocks lining the sand & the city on the horizon. Twas beautiful. I showed off my gracefulness (Mom, you would be proud) as I  walked down the steps incorrectly & have a battle scar/scab on my knee to show for my hard work. Don't worry, the guys were paramedics so I was in good hands.

View at the beach

We had a good time baking in the sun & jumping off of the rocks until a raging thunderstorm came rolling in. I've never had this many thunderstorms at once in my life! I love it! Hold on, just made it to Poudo, time to train hop. Eureka!! Guess whose making it to Barcelona today? This chick. Not only do they have multiple trains, but I don’t have to pay a reservation fee! I just need to find a Starbucks to find a hostel. James & Mathias dropped me off before making their way to Switzlerland, so Tinn & I went out to dinner by the port & enjoyed delicious, fresh pasta & free music.

Monday, July 22, 2013 2:54 pm

The Flintstone mansion, courtesy of Gaudi

Used-to-be longest bench in the world

I made it to Barcelona! I’m sitting on top of the hill in Parc Guell overlooking this stunning city & ocean as a musician plays his hammered dulcimer below & pigeons make love beside me (disturbing image)…quite peaceful though. This park was designed by the famous architect, Antoni Gaudi, who is known for his flamboyant designs that is a cross between the Flintstones & Dr. Seuss. I’ve never done drugs, but I bet this is what it’s like to trip on acid, just without unicorns. One of my favorite things that he incorporated into his work is the use of mosaic. I fell in love with this type of art when I was studying Latin back in high school (making a mosaic has been on my bucket list ever since).

...a parade

La Boqueria Market

Saturday was spent doing laundry, shopping on the well known Las Ramblas Blvd, & ended with an attempt to go to the beach. Las Ramblas is a vibrant boulevard packed with tourists, shops, La Boqueria Market, & street performers. I was lucky enough to catch the creepiest parade I have ever seen, complete with dancing plastic giants. It was quite a walk to the beach, so I never made & got distracted with one of the many bands as the people were salsa dancing in the street.

<3 Barcelona

When I arrived back to the hostel, 2 of my 11 hostelmates, a Russian & a Brazilian, greeted me by showing me their 2 bottles of vodka big enough to be a small cup for those plastic giants (the bottles were half my height) & sticking a blunt right under my nose for me to smell. If you want to make friends, don’t do that. Luckily, they were heading out to party & wouldn’t return until 8 am that morning leaving my French Canadian hostelmates & me to play cards & go out. Hugo, Vanessa, Laick, & I roamed the streets until 4 am because that’s the smart thing to do in Barcelona. The streets were still filled with people drinking & bar hopping. Hugo & I decided to head to the beach since it was still early in the night (5 am-ish), but changed our minds halfway there because of the distance. So instead we “wandered” (got lost in) the scary alleys before making it to the hostel safely.

Sagrada Familia

Three hours sleep was plenty for me to wake up in time to make it to Mass at Sagrada Familia. The Gothic style church is breathtaking, even though it is still in the process of being completed since 1882 (Gaudi was working on it) & won't be finished until 2026 at the earliest. I’ve finally fulfilled a longtime goal of mine…yes, I finally went to a nude beach (or clothing optional beach). There was no way I could have prepared myself mentally for this experience. I knew what to expect & understand that that’s the “normal” thing, but I felt rude for not covering my eyes! Sadly, I was too chicken to join them & show off my bum due to the 140 bedbug bites on my body. But it was a great experience. The best part of it is that people embrace their bodies, not worrying what they look like. No one there looked like a model, they were everyday people, young & old, & all they wanted to do was have a good time soaking up the sun. I stayed out a tad too long in the water & have finally evened out my multiple tan lines with a sunburn. I was going to head out to the beach again today, but because sleeping last night was painful, I plan on staying in the shadows for a while. The pain was also due to another graceful meeting my back, butt, & elbow had with the marble stairs yesterday…stupid sandals & legs that can’t walk down stairs correctly.

My last stop of the day was at the Magic Fountain of Montjuic. This has been the best part of Barcelona (I love the touristy stuff!). A few nights a week at 9 pm, the gigantic fountain dances to all sorts of music while the colorful lights have seizures. The stairs in front of the National Palace were packed with people enjoying the show while my camera & I had a romantic time together. I had one of the best night’s & much needed sleep when I got back & slept through the free breakfast which was very important. I realized on Saturday that my debt card doesn’t work in Spain, but luckily I had just enough cash to pay for my 2 nights hostel stay since I couldn't talk to the bank until today (still working on that).

Once I get my financial situation figured out, I’ll be heading to the train station to book my hostel train ride to Paris for tomorrow. Fingers crossed!!

Monday, July 22, 2013 8:53 pm
I tripped on the stairs again today. This time it was in public in the train station...got to keep up my reputation.