Finally... I Found Something Better To Watch: I'm "Home"-ish!

...In Spain at least. I leave for Granada tomorrow morning. Only a wee 12-hour train ride. Nothing to write home about. (Ug.)

But let's talk about Barcelona!

My roomie and I decided to wander last night at, oh, about 10pm. I was so excited to actually have somebody to hang out with! And she was really nice! She's from Columbia, originally, living in Toronto but this year spending her time in Spain, taking (get this!) Spanish classes. You know you're in a whoooooooole different kind of Spanish-speaking country when native Spanish speakers need to take classes to learn how to speak Catalan- Spain's Spanish.

We walked La Rambla and tried to find some food. I realized tonight that we totally missed the Boqueria market! It's huge. We must have been distracted by the buskers (is that what they call those people who dress like trees or statues and pose for money?)... We found a cute little tapas place with a price that was right (5 euro for Sangria and 3 tapas) and soon found ourselves serenaded by a roaming three-man-band. Now this was the kind of experience I wanted to have! Everywhere I've been it's been closed or dead or I've been alone. Barcelona is so alive! There are people everywhere until late late late. Plus, did I mention how excited I was to actually meet someone in a hostel?

Me and the roomie with the rolling "r" name I can't remember!

My first tapas in Spain.

I spent the first half of my day trying to find the train station I need tomorrow. But the rest of the day? Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh how I am IN LOVE with the sea. Love love love. There's sand and SUN and even though it's cold there are still crazy old ladies in bikinis walking around. It was lovely. I did some sight-seeing, too, but the sea was the highlight. Just right there, next to this huge city... all this blue. Sigh. I'll definitely be back to Barcelona!

La Playa (That's SPANISH!)

My view for an hour or so.

My ever-present headphones and scarf. I've already gone through my 36 hour audiobook and all of my podcasts. I never thought I'd get old enough that music was last on the list!

These guys were taking turns running, leaping off that ball buried in the sand and then spinning through the air.

Birds for sale on La Rambla. The roosters were having a crow-off. It was surreal. Reminded me of the market we went to in Thailand. The one I kept calling Chittychittybangbang because I couldn't remember the real one. They had every kind of usual and strange animal for sale. At first it was just fascinating to see bunnies and marmosets and chipmunks and chickens and then it just got depressing. (The marmosets were a trip, though. Have you ever seen one? They look at you. They look like tiny hairy men yapping at you with buck teeth.)