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Published: July 19th 2010
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7/26 to 8/02/07
Barcelona
(7/26 to 7/28/07) A mediocre day in Spain is better than a great day at work. That being said, Spain doesn't create fireworks in my heart. Maybe my vision is cloudy after the perfection of Cinque Terra, or perhaps it is because I was just here a year-and-a-half ago or am anxious to see Billy in two days.
Nonetheless, Barcelona seems mediocre to me. It is overly crowded, like a summer Saturday at Disneyland. The food is bland when it should be, at least in my mind, filled with flavor and spice. The main sight is a church, La Familia Sagrada, that has been under construction since 1883...FINISH IT ALREADY! Cranes are not my idea of a good photograph! Las Ramblas, the lively street full of shopping and living statues is too crowded to navigate sober, much less after a few Estrellas! I am, however, still in love with the gothic quarter, mostly because I have memories from when Billy and I explored it under an April Full moon. It remains in my heart as nostalgic, romantic and perfect. --------------------
Mallorca
(7/28 to 8/02/07)
A month+ of traveling, repacking suitcases, shooting pictures, sightseeing, walking, flying
and taking trains is exciting, but draining. Mallorca provided the vacation from the vacation that I needed at this leg of my journey. Billy's plane landed at the same time as ours, so we were able to completely share the newness of the Spanish Island in each other's company. Most of the time was spent poolside: laying out, drinking beer, and playing ping pong and hands of gin rummy. For a change of scenery, we walked a few feet to the Mediterranean beach and floated on rafts in the saltiness of the great sea.
Palma, the center and main port of the island, was a charming break from the sunshine. The narrow alleyways and cobblestone streets created mental images of flamenco dancers and awakened chapters from Man of La Mancha. Each doorway and balcony was rustic and unique. Aged polished wood, cast iron grates and decorative door knockers complimented the timeless pathways. Castle walls and towering windmills brought to life thoughts of Don Quixote galloping across my mind. It all was quite quaint and a place I would like to revisit in the future.
The most amazing experience however, was so unexpected and probably the most fun I've
ever had at a club. The night we arrived, Billy and I explored the nightlife surrounding our hotel. We were surprised to find streets lined with nightclubs and scores or British teens and twenty-somethings raising a ruckus. It was like an MTV Spring break party times one-hundred. We were befriended by drunks and bar wenches, eventually finding ourselves at the largest of the nightclubs. The 25 Euro ($40 USD) cover charge seemed steep, until we heard the thump-thump music and were told it was all you can drink (needless to say the club lost money on us!) At some point in the evening, the dance floor turned into a packed sea of people who started jumping up and down chanting, "We want water! WE WANT WATER!" Ask and ye shall receive! As if back in a Burmese monsoon, sprinklers and hoses poured down water upon us as the base of the music thumped on. Everyone jumped, laughed, hugged and danced. My thighs and knees still ache from the hours spent in this big, wet, friendly moshpit.
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