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Published: April 20th 2007
Well, we had to say goodbye to Paris last night as we rushed headlong through the metro & streets to catch our night train. We didn´t have beds this time, so we tried reclining in a full voiture for 12 hours. My seat was broken, so if I touched the back of it it fell in on the guy behind me! Haha. All I could say was ¨desolee!¨I spent the night in various positions, like one in which my legs were against the window and my head was hanging off the seat so that people brushed my hair as they walked by. It really was hilarious. At least I don´t have a twisted neck! And it was a very cheap passage. When we arrived here in Barcelona this morning we were exhausted, and I at least was missing Paris a lot. Barcelona is very different in that it is dirty, hot, and crowded, especially when:
You arrive at the train station and ask the hostelling office what rooms are available.
He answers: ¨Well, uh you see...this weekend is the comic book convention, so very full. No rooms available. You can wait for cancellation.¨Comic books? What?!
So then we discovered how heavy our backpacks really are (and they are by far the smallest we have seen among our fellow backpackers!). We walked and walked and walked and finally found a small room with three beds on the fourth floor of a random building in a quieter area. Great! A little expensive but tres chic and private. We rested a moment and then went on to find an internet cafe. We took to querying various pharmacies about the location and after four hours and at least six different sets of varying directions all involving the word ¨far¨, we found one through the help of a smartly dressed concierge standing outside a very expensive hotel. He was very kind. After that we decided to wander a bit, eat some falafel, and explore the Barri Gothique a bit. Very pretty! Although I am not sure what of what I saw was really in the Gothic Quarter and what was just outside of it. I bought a turquoise and sterling silver ring after dropping in on the floor right after the lady took it out of the locked glass case (don´t worry I love it- I am just not sure if I love Barcelona) and we looked at various street stands. Now it is dark and we´re all pretty tired. Kinsey´s poor camera is somewhat ill, so hopefully that will be remedied soon. We are going to try to go to the beach tomorrow, and I am going to try to do some hostel yoga at some point. I´m not sure exactly how far we are from our hostel, or exactly where it is. Another adventure is just around the corner.
So all in all, Barcelona is not what we had expected, though we didn´t have any specific expectations in mind. I think we thought it would have more heart, but maybe we just need to explore more and be a bit more open-minded. At any rate, tomorrow night we are on to Switzerland (we think), so see you there!
Courtney & the Girls
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Waiting for the train to take us to spain
Scott
non-member comment
Hostile Yoga
Please be careful with your hostile yoga -- you might injure someone, and then you'd end up in a Spanish jail. That would impinge upon your plans to visit Die Schweiz. Interlaken is very nice; I remember a beautiful park there. Of course, I was there just after Grindelwald -- magnificent! -- so it was slightly underwhelming by comparison. Rock on, Rose... Much love from Dad