Saturday June 29th

Saturday is a special day! We love this day because we get to go adventuring together… As soon as KD wakes up. Today’s adventure included Plaza de Catalunya and Las Ramblas. We wanted to leave a bit early so that we could take out rent. We had tried the night before and it didn’t work. We thought, “uh-oh, There is a block since we are trying to use it in Spain.” Home we went and started a fun customer service e-mail with the bank. They said we could try and use the card tomorrow and it should work. Well, that was today… and it didn’t work. Home again and we made a toll free Skype call. (Who knew you could do that?) After a series of calls back and forth from the bank to the credit card fraud department, it was decided that I really am Nicole Gordon. Also, someone finally had the sense to ask how much I was trying to take out of the ATM. Fun Fact: You can only withdraw $500 within a 24 hour period. Another trip to the ATM and TA-DA. Mulah in the hand.

Highlight of the day for KD: FC Barcelona Spring 2013 Official Futbol Jersey! (For those of you who don’t know, that’s really soccer…. And they happen to be the best team ever!) To add to this highlight, it was 50% off!

 

 

Now! For Las Ramblas! We started off a bit late due to ATM difficulties. However, Las Ramblas were still crawling with vendors and people of all shapes and sizes. There were beautiful flower shops, fans, shawls, trinkets, jewelry, and a host of other souvenirs. (I was slightly offended that  nobody asked me, “Would you like a necklace? A pretty necklace for a pretty lady.”)  We stopped for lunch at Restaurante Oriente for the lunch special! 3 tapas and a Paella. We got patatas bravas, salchichas, and croquettes. For the Paella we got the Paella Valenciana, this includes rice, chicken, vegetables, and delicious spices served hot in a skillet. It was highly recommended from the Rentas family (our friendly Puerto Rican family from Washington D.C.) Needless to say, they make a great recommendation, and it was delicious!

A highlight for both of us was La Boqueteria! Barcelona’s largest outdoor food market. It was closed last time and so we were elated to find it open today! There were rows of fruits, meats, fish heads, candies, ice creams, breads, cheeses, and even Dunkin Donuts! Yep, even in Spain. We’ll have to find an occasion to either lament or celebrate so that we have an excellent excuse to go. Our items of purchase for today were a delicious fruit salad to share, a sour lemon candy for Nikki, and Dulce de Leche/Cookie Gelato ice cream for KD…. Which he also might’ve shared. (What a good husband!)

Peppers

 

Fruit!

 

    More Fruit

 

Chicken and Rabbit?

 

Candies, and Nuts, and Chocolate... OH MY!

 

100% Fruit Popsicles.... unless you get the ones with alcohol in them.

 

Fresh seafood! Be careful! Lobsters still moving on the ice!

 

Giant Fish Heads! Good for soup?

 

Olives!

 

The egg hut! Is she the hen?

 

CANDY!

 

On top: Fruit turned into candy.

On bottom: Candy that looks like fruit.

 

      How they turn fruit into candy! (They soak in sugar water in big glass bowls!)

 

MEAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Our most peculiar find of Las Ramblas is at the end of the street. There are all of these statues that move! They are fantastic! They sit so still until somebody pays them and then they’ll move around. I think we mentioned them last time we went. Our two favorites are probably the golden ange,l who tends to look like she is blessing people when she moves, and Columbus, who has the posture down for the REAL statue that he copycats. They are both very impressive. Overall it was a fun day and enjoyable company!

 

 

 

 



Friday June 28th

Friday was again very busy at work, though I suspect that will be the case for the next week or so.  The big highlight at work was the barbeque.  Yes, we had a staff barbeque in the afternoon, a way of celebrating the calm before the storm, so to speak, and to say thank you for all the hard work that will be put in this next week.  We can’t do it after the 4^th of July since July is typically the month in which Spaniards use their vacation days for the year and a large portion of the staff will be leaving afterwards.  The barbeque was great, bratwursts, hamburgers, salchichas (a kind of spicy sausage hotdog), salad, and toasted bread covered with a traditional sauce made of tomato, olive oil and various seasonings.  Very good food!  It was nice to just get to spend time will all the staff, including those who work offsite.  Nikki came and joined us as well, which made it that much more enjoyable, plus she got to meet Morgan, Michelle, Umberto, and a few others with whom she wasn’t acquainted.  Then it was off to the beach!

The weather was decent, so Nikki and I decided to go for it and got to the beach a little after 5:30 where we sat for a while, ate a picnic, watched some people playing paddle ball and volleyball, and people watched.  I read a little, Nikki napped, and most importantly, Nikki got to go swimming in the Mediterranean!  Apart from the water being really cold and salty it worked out nicely.  Thankfully we still have weeks ahead of us and the water will probably get significantly warmer.  We also decided it would be our goal to have at least one day when someone comes to the beach with us so that they can watch our stuff, which would allow Nikki and me to actually go swimming together.  In all we stayed for almost two hours before heading home on account of wind. 

Thursday June 27th

Thursday was unusually busy for me, though not by design.  The Consular Section was typical for a Thursday, but I received a call relatively early in the morning because the other sections were so swamped with work for the 4^th of July party that they needed help.  I was asked to work with the Consul’s secretary to get everything ready.  Hence, for the next week I will be working as a secretary in addition to my Consular duties.  Namely I was asked to manage and organize the guest list, including RSVP’s and such.  Believe it or not, there are 1,000 people invited and each can bring a plus one.  (I of course will be bringing Nikki.)

Today was also Clyde’s last day of work, so the Consulate staff had a little farewell party at the end of the day for him.  After getting home, we decided to try heading to the beach, but after looking at the weather, that was definitely a no-go.  Instead we waited a little bit and went back to the fountains.  They are just such a pleasant place to spend time that we can’t help but go back, and probably will continue to do so for the duration of our time here. 

Wednesday June 26th

Wednesday Nikki came to work again during the morning to finish some security stuff, including getting a tour of the consulate, before heading home to get some rest.  Clyde also took the staff out to lunch to say goodbye since he leaves on Friday.  We went to a new place, I don’t remember how it’s called, but I could find it again.  The food was delicious, and after the tapas last night I felt like it was an all-you-can eat buffet.  I got a really good omelet thing, some delicious rice and vegetables, bread, and arroz con leche.  For those of you who don’t know, arroz con leche is my absolute favorite Spanish dessert.  After coming home, Nikki and I decided that with all the fun we had had over the past few days, it was best to stay in and use today for some down time to recuperate.  Thus far Nikki has loved living in Spain and I couldn’t agree more.  We love everything about it and we have had some really great days!

Tuesday June 25th

Tuesday Nikki came to work with me.  Rather, she “broke in” to the consulate.  We knew it was okay, of course, since the Consul had invited her and asked her to come in on Tuesday.  She came in and was meeting the people I work with when the Security Officer came down and was wondering how she got in without an access request.  Oops!  So we talked to the proper people and got that straightened out so that she will be cleared the rest of the time in Barcelona to come and visit me any day she wants!  She got to meet all the local staff I work with, my supervising officer, and the Consul General.  She thought Gerardo, Clyde, and Tanya were great!  I can vouch for that because she got along great with everyone and everyone loved her, (as I knew they would), especially the Consul General.  As an additional note, work was crazy today.  With the holiday weekend there were soooooo many people who came in needed help of one kind or another.  With so much time to work on her project, Nikki finished her very first embroidery project and I think it turned out amazing! 

It also happened to be Megan’s, another intern’s, birthday today.  She invited the interns and their significant others to a place called La Pepita for a birthday dinner.  Apparently this was a nicer restaurant in the Gracia area famous for its tapas.  A tapa is basically a very small plate of food, akin to what we would call sliders in the US.  Here they translate it as appetizers, but I dare say that the appetizers in the US are quite a bit larger!  We went three for four on the tapas.  We enjoyed the patatas bravas, the Argentinian beef with olive oil on a bed of wheat, and the glass of chocolate mousse.  Unfortunately, the cold pumpkin soup with cured ham and some green vegetable thing was a failure.  We made it through over half, mostly because I was too stubborn to pay for something and not eat it! 

Monday June 24

After the late night last night, it should come as no surprise that we woke up late.  Nikki also happened to take a double siesta today, but we still had time to run down to Las Ramblas to see some of the markets, though we will have to go on a different day to see La Boquetaria since it was closed for the holiday.  In theory, by going on the holiday we could avoid most of the major crowds.  This theory proved accurate.  Unfortunately, by avoiding the crowds we also avoided many of the attractions and markets which are usually there.  This means that we will just have to go back on another day to see it all again! 

A few cool things we did see were some human statues, among them a golden angel, an old green man, a bronze Columbus, a gargoyle, a greek philosopher, a weird alien lady, and a knight.  We both agreed that the angel and Columbus were the best!  My personal favorite was the art section of the Ramblas.  Most were doing caricatures and portraits, but one man was doing landscapes and I though his work was phenomenal!  The one he was working on was a black and white painting of a mountain range fronted by a lake, with a waterfall and some foliage in the foreground, plus a massive moon in the background.  (It kind of looked like a landscape from the fourth moon of the planet Yavin when you look back at the planet).  I was quite impressed by both the quality as well as the speed with which he was able to complete the painting.  After a final walk around one of the beachside parks by the marina we came home for dinner and to call it a night.

Sunday June 23

We made it to church okay, where Nikki actually met a couple of sisters from Ecuador, as well as Maryanne.  She actually told us that this next week is the beginning of a massive sale all throughout the region, with up to half off at all the stores!  After yet another siesta, we decided to hit the beach.  Once again, the weather struck maybe 30 minutes into our excursion forcing us to come home, but not before eating our picnic. 

The night of the 23^rd is actually a major holiday in Catalunya, as it represents the night before el Dia de San Juan.  People party until 6 in the morning, and spend all night blowing up fireworks, firecrackers, and all manner of explosives.  Nikki and I decided to head back to the beach where they have the largest party, although they celebrate in the streets throughout the entire city.  Unfortunately, on our way down the metro lines ran into technical difficulties and we ended up on the streets trying to figure out the buses.  This unexpected adventure proved successful and we found bus 17 to Barceloneta, where we walked along the marina promenade and ate waffles from a street vendor.  The waffles were actually surprisingly good, though I still do not know why they gave us a little plastic spoon.  It couldn’t even cut through the waffle!  Regardless, after finishing the waffle we walked through the old fishing district to the beaches and walked up the boardwalk along San Sebastian, San Miguel, Barceloneta, and to Somorrostro. 

Apart from the stupid petardos, (firecrackers), that people kept throwing randomly into crowds of people, it was actually quite enjoyable.  All the chiringuitos were open, selling food and drink and playing music all along the beach for people to dance too.  The beach itself was also full of bonfires from people just digging pits and roasting willy nilly.  The fireworks themselves were decent.  No organized show, but as anyone could walk down the street and buy massive fireworks, the beach was full of entrepreneurs.  We actually saw one idiot who set of a firework that didn’t actually get up into the air and blew up on the beach, clearing a significant section.  Luckily, by this point, Nikki and I had made it out to one of the piers and were sitting on the rocks overlooking the bay and watching the beach from a distance.  It was very romantic to be sitting on the rocks looking over the beach when the clock struck midnight and the party really got going!  We finally made it home about 2 am, right when all the younger, single, crowd showed up and sat on the porch to watch the fireworks next to our house before having our own mixed drinks, (OJ and Sprite) and calling it a night. 

Saturday June 22

So today I took Nikki to see Pl. de Catalunya and we stopped by the department store to go to the supermarket before coming back to the house for the siesta.  Nikki is still mostly on Utah time and actually woke up in the middle of the night (between 3 and 6 this morning), so she was exhausted and ready for a nap.  We both think that the whole idea of a Spanish siesta agrees quite well with her!  In the afternoon I wanted to take Nikki to visit Parc de la Ciutadella to show her the Arc de Triomf and all the stuff I saw on my first weekend.  We made our own bocadillos and brought a picnic with us, which we ate sitting in front of the waterfall fountain.  We also visited the lake in the middle of the park.  It’s more like a large pond, but then again we are used to Lake Powell, Utah Lake, etc.  This lake was right next to the Parliament building, has been there since the 19^th century, and has had rowboats available for rent since then as well.  I, or course, knew this and had brought Nikki here with the express purpose of taking her out for a time on the lake, and it was a raving success (if I do say so myself!) 

We also got to enjoy watching all the people in the park: the people on the slack line, the bachelorette parties, the birthday parties, the families spending the night together, and the random performers.  Mostly they were musicians, but we did run into one of the giant bubble blowers who use a large loop of string to make ginormous bubbles!  On our way back through the Arc we found a troop of dancers who were doing a cool break dance routine, so we sat for a while to enjoy the show.  At one point, a little kid, maybe 2 or 3, wanted to dance so they let him come out and dance in the middle for everyone to watch and cheer.  It was pretty cute!  Before coming home we made sure to leave some time to grab a couple ice creams and walk around the block, just to enjoy the evening. 

Friday June 21st

Friday I got up in time to catch the through train to the airport.  The night before I had waited to make sure the plane left, and the arrival time said it would be in Barca at 9:15 and at the gate by 9:25.  I made it to the airport by 9:00 just in case, and when I got to the gate the sign said arrival at 9:40.  At 9:30 the time changed to 11:20!  With two hours, it still wasn’t enough time to go to work, so I decided to walk the airport and visit the different stores.  After I ran out of stores to see, I found a chair, put my hand in my pocket to hold my wallet, and dozed in and out for an hour and a half.  But it was all worth it when Nikki finally came through the gate. 

I pushed my way up to the front so that I was the first person anyone saw when they exited the gate.  Literally, the sliding door opened and I was front and center.  I’m going to take it as a complement in that I blend right in.  I must have looked very European because Nikki came out, didn’t see me, and kept walking over towards the tourism office.  (She may have been really tired, but I like to think I look European, so I won’t shatter that illusion just yet.)  Anyway, I shadowed her all down the walkway and the second she made it around the corner she walked right into me.  Yes, we did stop traffic, but who can blame us?  I would have stopped too;  after all, we are a good looking couple!  By the time we took the shuttle to the train and had boarded, Nikki was falling asleep, so I took her home, tucked her in, and went off to work where I got a new and exciting project.  This project is in the political realm and is my first translation assignment.  I actually find it quite fun and interesting.  I also spoke with the Consul and Nikki will be coming to work with me on Tuesday to tour the facility and meet people. 

I think it was the fastest I have ever made it home!  Nikki was there waiting for me and actually working on her first cross-stich.  I may be biased, but she is really good!  She had gotten a little sleep and was ready to head out for the night.  First, we decided to stop by a local restaurant where we got some bocadillas, a local type of sandwich which I find particularly delicious.  However, after looking at the menu, Nikki decided to buy a bikini instead.  No not that kind!  It’s a different kind of sandwich here.  I also ordered some horchata, a drink I especially love; thus far my favorite kind has been el Salvadorian.  This horchata was from Valencia, a region of Spain further south, and it was very sweet!  Because it was horchata it was still good, but not my favorite.

 

We went to see the fountains at the National Palace again, and it was so much better to go with someone.  The palace all lit up, the waterfalls all down the front, the giant fountain in the middle synchronized to the music playing over the speakers.  It was really crowded but we found a spot – there was a section of wall on the side of the bridge with some palm trees behind it.  We were able to climb up there and get above the crowd just the two of us.  Just a great night!  The fountains themselves are great, but they were significantly more enjoyable as Nikki was there with me.  We also ran into a “jam session” for the school of music and listened to some American classics such as Bon Jovi sung by a Spanish woman, before going home.  I think Nikki would agree that this is just an amazing city!

Nikki's Here at Last!

I arrived safely. Although, two hours late. KD was patiently waiting at the exit. Boy, was I so happy to see him! In fact, I'm almost certain I've never been so happy and relieved to see someone in my whole life. Boy! Did he look handsome!

He was such a gentleman and carried my bags for me. This was a relief because I didn't get any sleep on the plane and was exhausted. He helped me navigate to the metro station and bought an unlimited month pass! He showed me the way home, where we would be sleeping.... and I quickly fell asleep. But! Not before a quick kiss sending him off to work. Oh, how glad I am to be in Spain with my Sweetheart.

And now our journey begins........

Thursday June 20th

KD - Thursday was great!  I had to stay after work again, but this was because I got to go to another event.  This one was at a club called Luz de Gas and was a solidarity/benefit/charity concert for La Casa de Ronald McDonald.  I had written this speech so I got to go and enjoy the evening.  I didn’t get to enjoy the complementary drinks, (cava or vino, aka wine), but the concert was surprisingly good.  I say surprisingly because it was jazz, which has never been my forte.  The first singer was Gwen Perry, the same who had sung at the most recent Consulate event, and the second was Alma Simonne, a local girl who had made it big.  The music was a mix of English and Catalan, ranging everywhere from Sweet Georgia Brown to original pieces.  The club itself was pretty awesome: a large dance floor in the middle, an island bar, some balconies, and the décor was classy, like turn of the century classy. 

The concert was supposed to go from 9-11, but started about a half hour late.  This meant that it went a little late as well and, unfortunately, public transit closes down at midnight.  I had to leave a little early or I would have been stranded 45 minutes (in metro) away from my house in a new section of the city I had never been in before.  I made it to a metro stop, the same I had arrived at, but soon realized that it was the wrong one.  Every stop here as a minimum of two exits, and sometimes as many as six.  To go back to Pl. Catalunya I had to leave the metro, turn right, take another right, walk a block, and turn left.  I made it on the second to last train of the night.  Once home, I stayed up late to make sure Nikki got on the flight, and then called it a night.

Nikki - Today was the beginning of my Journey to Spain! I've been trying to get everything ready for a few weeks and KD has been planning like crazy! I was so excited this morning that I got up before my alarm. My mom was super sweet to have already put my bags in the car before I woke up. (Secretly, I think she is very excited!) My mom even did my hair for the trip!

It was a fun car ride. Although, there were a lot of phone calls. Her calls were business. Mine were to tell family members that I loved them. Thankfully, we got a good chance to talk, just me and my mom. She was so worried about me getting on the plane that she decided to stick close by and get a waffle for breakfast.

I had a small mishap where the computer wouldn't print my boarding pass. Thank goodness for humans! I checked to make sure that I was on the standby list and then gave a call to my Hanks family. My Mother-In-Law was so cute making sure I was okay and gave some fun suggestions for the trip. I easily made it onto the first flight! What an adventure! I was on my way to New York! The first flight was mostly boring and uneventful.

I arrived safely to the JFK airport. It was a confusing airport, but there were lots of help stations. As I was heading to the gate I hear a voice behind me saying, "Move, Move, MOVE! We're coming through!" I quickly sidestepped, thank goodness, or I would've been mowed over by a couple and their stroller followed by their double stroller! They were headed toward the shuttle to terminal B and boy were they moving. For all of their efforts, including a bit of yelling at the airport staff, they only made it one spot in front of me and we rode the same shuttle. (I hope they made their flight... Otherwise, I'm not sure all the fuss was worth it.)

I made it to my own terminal with about thirty minutes to spare. I checked with the desk and they printed me a boarding pass! I was so worried about this flight.... If I didn't make it I wasn't sure how often they go to Spain. It didn't matter because I was on! After a small delay, I boarded the plane! I was on my way to Spain! Well.... sort of. The plane was supposed to take off at 7:38pm. People were still boarding. Then, it was about 8pm (New York time) and we were backing out. MAINTENANCE! They got a check light that had to be cleared by maintenance. It took awhile, but finally they got us back up to the gate and we were cleared! Then, we had to wait for fuel. Finally, at a little after 10pm, we pulled back out to the runway. We were 11th in line..... AND TAKE OFF! I was actually on my way to Spain!

Wednesday - June 19th

Wednesday at work I actually had a pleasant morning.  A Fulbright Scholar studying medieval Spanish history was here and we met with him to do a tour of the Gothic Quarter.  I had already gone to the quarter, but even so I learned and saw some new cool stuff.  He showed us the ancient Roman aqueduct, the differences between the different church buildings, the ancient layout of the city, the story of how Barcelona lost its independence, and fun little facts.  For example, the archbishop way back when who constructed one bridge in particular and placed a skull with a knife through it underneath to serve as warning of the supremacy of the church.  Legend has it that the day the knife is removed the city will crumble.  Needless to say, that was definitely something I had to see.  We also found another market near the Cathedral and this one specialized in antique stuff, even some ancient coins from Barcino. 

That evening I decided to go the beach once again.  Why not?  It’s right there!  I have decided that I would sooner have the beach than the mountains any day and time.  The weather held for the most part, but about 8:30 a wind picked up and made things a little too chilly for me.  The weather here is crazy!  The south of Spain has been experienced record breaking heat, above 40 degrees Celsius (over 100 Fahrenheit), while the north, close to the French border, has had massive flooding due to the wet winter and rapid heat wave in the last few weeks.  Barcelona has not had so many extremes, but it is unpredictable: one moment its rainy and overcast, the next its sunny and extremely hot. 

Tuesday - June 18th

Today I am still on recovery. During work it was back to a normal day. I found a French dictionary and took to reviewing my grammar, just a crash course but not bad. The Ambassador also came to the Consulate to talk with just the staff in a smaller setting. By the way, he is from the great city of Boston! He is going home and going to a Red Sox game! Between recovery and the miserable weather, (70, overcast, humid, with spots of rain), I’m staying in tonight, eating dinner and kicking it until I fall asleep. Good news is that I get to sleep in a littletomorrow because we have another event of sorts tomorrow at 10.

Monday - June 17th

Monday was crazy! Once again I left for work at 7:30 and came home at 10:30. During the day, we finally got our computer systems working again as they had been down all ofThursday and Friday effectively crippling us. We had three days work and it was nice to finally have something to do all day! We also had a new summer hire who will be working for the tourist season to help alleviate the work load. We also had another evening event. This time the event was a little more prestigious.

The Ambassador finishes his tour of duty next week and is paying his respects to different areas of Spain. Monday he was in Andorra and Barcelona and that evening was a big shin dig. Ambassador, Consul General, President of Catalunya, the President of Parliament, the Alcade of Barcelona (like a more important version of the Mayor), the Minister of the Economy, etc. We spent all day prepping, news networks were there, a pretty big deal. I accompanied the Parliamentary President for the evening and made sure she had everything she needed, helped with some odd man jobs, and was in charge of flowers for the evening. It went quite smoothly, and this time I was finally able to track down something not alcoholic…some Pepsi! Though it was in a champagne glass to make it that much more sophisticated. I do wish we had real food at these events! The Consul and Ambassador both spoke, we had a harpist for live music, and Gwen Perry sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow (the Ambassadors favorite song). Anyway, I made it home exhausted.

Sunday - June 16th

Sunday I was just on down time. Sleeping, doing laundry, Herlindas came home from Rome, had dinner, watched futbol.

Saturday - June 15th

Saturday I was planning on getting up early to head out for the day, the alarm went off, and I decided to sleep as late as I wanted. I may be in Barcelona, but on the weekends I am on vacation and during the week I get even less sleep than when I’m in school. So, I woke up at 1:00, made some pizza with Paco and Harold, and then I spent the afternoon at the beach. This time I went to Bogatell. This is also the first time I went during the day, and I definitely got a little pink! But I don’t care too much, it’s not too bad and at least the weather is good. It’s11:00 at night here and still 80 degrees Fahrenheit! Two weeks ago it was 50 at night and there weren’t too many tourists, now its 80 and the tourists are all over the place like a swarm of ants. I finished the evening taking the metro up to the national palace where I took a video of the fountains. There is a huge fountain in front of the palace that is synchronized with music that plays every half hourThursday through Sunday after 9:30. It was actually really impressive to watch, and it was packed with people. (I would guess mostly tourists).

A few random notes to add. Out here you can buy cheesecake cups. Yes, it’s true. They are like a hostess style desert, you open it up and there is a little cheesecake. Definitely something they need to invent in the US. I also ran into my first parrots this week, a couple of bright green ones down by Nova Icaria.

Friday - June 14th

Friday the 14^thI did not leave early. The American School of Barcelona had their graduation ceremony tonight, the one I wrote the speech for yesterday, so that meant I stayed the whole work day and into the evening to go to the event. It was a pretty good size class, almost 50. The event went well, and it was kind of nerve-wracking to be sitting and listening to my speech, waiting to see how it was received. But it was a good chance to get out into the community again. Coming home I just finished up my book report and weekly report to send in to Courtney.

Thursday - June 14th

Thursday, the Consul’s secretary walked in at 11:30 and asked me where the draft was for the speech the Consul was giving tomorrow. This was news to me. The speech I had been assigned was for a function next week, and I had already turned that in. Apparently there is another event tomorrow at which the Consul is speaking and no one had written the speech yet. So I spent my morning drafting a last minute speech. The real kicker? Our computer systems were on the fritz today. No internet and no resources for research. So I got to write the speech from thin air. I was given a topic. I’ll have to wait and see how tomorrow goes…

Wednesday - June 12th

Wednesday was a looooooooooong day! I left for work at7:30 in the morning, but didn’t make it home until 10:30 at night. I worked my normal workday, but we had an event last night. A delegation came from Florida to discuss business with the delegation from Barcelona. This meant that I got to spend the night directing traffic and then socializing. Those of you who know me know how much I love making small talk. All in all it went well. As a member of the Consular Section, I was primarily focused on the tourism industry. I spoke with representatives from cruise lines, the port master, the dock master, some airlines, and a few businesses aimed directly at tourists. The economic and political sections had their own people they focused on. There were only two downsides to the event. First, seating was limited. Second, they only served alcohol. It was a long, thirsty night! But overall, it went well.

Tuesday - June 11th

Tuesday I got to have a meeting with the Consul General and we sat down to talk for a while. I was also asked to help out with the Public Diplomacy and Political sections because they were so swamped with work these next couple weeks. With so many events, I was asked to step in and help with some of the local ones in and around Barcelona itself. So it was that I got drafted into writing a speech for the Consul. Different, but nice for a change. (I finished the speech by the next morning and sent it several days ahead of schedule). I also had the singular privilege of meeting Carl Bernstein. I was invited into the office to sit down and have a chat. For those of you who don’t know who Carl Bernstein is, he is the reporter who uncovered Watergate. The movie All the President’s Men is his story. Also a pretty cool thing to have happen. That evening I decided to go to yet another beach, this time to Nova Icaria. So far, this has been the best sand, and full of people playing sports. Somorrostro is less crowded and the clubs make for a nice atmosphere, whereas Nova Icaria is nicer and larger. It’s a toss-up between the two. I guess I’ll just have to go again and reevaluate them. 

Monday - June 10th

Today was quite slow. I stayed home tonight to get a few things done, but at work I finally got a project to work on, so that was nice and should keep me busy the next few days.

Sunday - June 9th

Sunday was nothing but the beach. I got up, walked around four beaches, picked my favorite, and sat down to read. The weather was pretty overcast and it had just rained in the morning, so there were not very many people around. In truth there were still quite a few people, maybe as much as a beach in San Diego, but compared to how the beach usually is it wasn’t too many. So far, my favorite beach is Somorrostro. It has the nicest/softest sand, the fewest people, it’s the widest, the flattest, and is right next to the clubs and bars so there is always good music. Incidentally, it also happens to be the closest to the Olympic metro stop, so I can just use that one instead of Barceloneta.

Lots more pictures! (June 8th)

Saturday - June 8th

Like I said, I did everything last night so that I would be free today. Unfortunately, I woke up to wind and rain outside. Not great weather for exploring the city on foot and going to the beach, so I went back to sleep until 2:00 to try and catch up on the sleep I’ve missed during the week. The good news is that waking up at 2 the skies were clear and it was warm again. I spent the afternoon in el Barri Gotico, the old medieval section of the city. The guidebooks say that this is not the best neighborhood at night and there is so much to see that I saved this for Saturday on purpose. Let me tell you, it was totally worth it!!

First and foremost, though the guidebook says to avoid this neighborhood late at night for safety, I know the real reason. The reason you don’t go at night is because it would be way too easy to get lost, it’s just common sense to go during the day. Walking out of the metro I took a wrong turn and got super lost right off the bat and before I knew it I could see the marina. After backtracking I found the correct way and then got to enjoy the neighborhood. The first thing I went to see was the largest surviving section of the second Roman wall constructed in the 4^th century AD. After this, I sent looking for the Cathedral and at first I couldn’t find it. Then, next thing you know I walked out of a little side street and was standing 5 feet away from it! This is not all that surprising if you could see these streets in person. They are small, narrow, dark, and twisted.

I went and found the Placa del Rei. This plaza only had one entrance and was surrounded on one side by the ancient Roman walls I already mentioned and on the others by the Palau Reial Mayor. This used to be the royal palace and was the residence of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella when Columbus arrived back from America and made his report. I basically got to stand on their front porch. I then found the Temple d’Augustus, a little know and relatively hidden historical gem. You go down yet another little side street, cut through a dead end courtyard, and go down some steps at the other end which turns and drops you off in from of another courtyard below street level. What is the Temple d’Augustus? It is what remains of the Roman Temple/Forum constructed in the 1^st century BC dedicated to Caesar Augustus and remains the best preserved Roman relic in the city. It was so out of the way that I was actually alone, and it was middle of the day Saturday!

I visited the Placa de Sant Just, the courtyard that has remained unchanged since medieval days, the Placa de Sant Jaume, the central courtyard of ancient Roman Barcelona and the current center of government for Barcelona, and the Carrer del Brisbe which was the principal artery of Roman civilization and led back to the Cathedral. I also visited the ancient Jewish quarter, synagogue, and baths included. (Though today the synagogue has been destroyed and replaced, as has the baths which are now a furniture store.) The last few notable visits were the ancient cemetery, the rose window, and the series of connecting courtyards which form an open air market and art show. I finished off my tour of the gothic quarter by returning to the Cathedral to draw a quick sketch.

Can I just say I felt uncomfortable? You know how when people go on vacation they stop and listen to random musicians and watch painters? It’s almost part of the entire tourist experience. I guess I was asking for it, but I had a group of people gathered around me to watch me sketch. Definitely made me self-conscious, but I couldn’t stop. I just tried to ignore them and keep trying to enjoy my vacation time. I did feel kind of cool though. I also took the time to enjoy the other exhibitions. The art was cool scattered throughout the various courtyards, and I ran into many musicians. Some local Catalan music, a fantastic violin player, some guitarists, an accordion player, some eerie Chinese music, and even a guy singing Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics but with a very Spanish accent and with every word clearly annunciated. I couldn’t help but smile. There were also tons of shops and stores and I eventually had to stop looking because I was so sorely tempted to buy stuff. It was a very fun and relaxing afternoon.

I then ran back to the apartment to change and ran to the beach for an hour or so where I just sat and read Earnest Hemingway. It’s nice to just be able to hop on the metro and less than a half hour later be standing on the beach. All the beach bars and restaurants along the edges, yet another band playing on the veranda which could be heard all over the beach, people playing sports, and plenty of others who walked around selling drinks and massages. It was a pretty good end to the day. And because it was so late in the day, I didn’t even get burnt or anything. I can’t wait until Nikki gets here so I can share all this with her!

Friday! June 7th

I stopped by another little shop for lunch, this time a meat and mushroom main course. The big highlight on Friday was getting to meet with the Consular General. She was great!! Aside from discussing my specific duties as an intern, she is genuinely interested in my life. After getting to know each other a little, we discussed both my life and career goals and how she could help me accomplish them. For example, I am sending her a copy of my résumé which she offered to streamline for my career.

Also, Fridays are apparently early day and I left at 2:30. This proved good because I had plenty to do. I had to get my resume updated to send to the Consular General, check in and write my report to Courtney at the Hinckley Institute of Politics, install some photo software on the computer so I could then upload the pictures I have taken, and a host of other small menial tasks, among them doing my laundry. I decided to get this all done so that I could have the entire weekend to just relax and enjoy myself. Hence, Friday night was also spent at the house.

June 6th

Thursday was relatively uneventful, though work went by rather quickly.i think this was mostly because I am finally starting to figure everything out more or less. I also decided to take the night off as well and relax.

Pictures!

Pictures! - Water Shots