Mediterranean Blue

For my last day in Barcelona, I went to the beach and boy was it beautiful. I went mid afternoon, so the sun was not too hot and it was probably one of the most pleasant beach stays that I have had. The weather in Barcelona is somewhere in the 80′s, the water was nice and cool, and a different color blue then I can describe and it made me really wish I could swim (no I cant swim).

One glance at the sea

and it was then I knew

that there is not a color alive

to describe this hue

so I took the liberty to name it

Mediterranean Blue

 The entire beach was crowded with people. Great for people watching.

Observations:

One – obviously being topless is not a problem in Spain, because several women went topless like it was an everyday occurrence. There were also a lot of naked babies, so maybe they don’t have baby swim suits in Spain. European mean seem to think its  perfectly fine to sport speedo’s over trunks.

Two – there are people all over trying to sell you things like massages, food, drinks and even donuts. There was this guy with a stack of donuts on a wood board balancing on his head and he was running all around the beach selling donuts. There are also many street musicians playing music all along the beach and boardwalk, so this was all with the soundtrack of constant drumming and distant song that you could hear but not necessarily see.

Sunset at Port Vell and Waterworks at Magic Fountain

 After being a beach bum for a few hours, I watched the sun set on Port Vell adjacent to the beach , then headed over to the magic fountain in Park Montijuc/Placa Espanya, sites left overs from the Olympic grander. If you have been to Vegas and seen the water show at the Bellagio Hotel, well this is like 10 times better. There must have been at least 5 thousand people there all for the 10:00pm waterworks. The water alternated between every color in the rainbow, twisted, turned, reached for the heights descended and did aerobatic moves synched to classical music. All this in front of a huge castle with lights beaming from behind up with the moon hanging in the sky. Impressive!!!

Randomly, back at my hostel was a mojito making class, which I just missed, lead by one of the most eccentric people I have ever met, Rafael. When first walked into my hostel, I was greeted by him with a smile, a derby with a long ponytail hanging down a bare chest and some pants made in India which resembled a skirt. He wears a leather fanny-pack thing on his back, but its much nicer than a fanny pack and something a modern person might actually wear. He is probably one of my favorite people I have met on this trip. He is Brazilian, is all about sustainability and loves weed. The other night, he invited me to join him for dinner, we ate pasta on the terrace, and as I recited poetry, he busted out a joint (from weed which he grows himself I might add). He also lives in a wood house on the roof of our hostel (he works there). I wasn’t a huge fan of this hostel, the rooms were small, but he was such a character that it made up for it.

Cruising along the Mediterranean

On my way to Italy, I will be cruising along the Mediterranean and visiting France, more so as a stop over because the train ride to Italy is long and requires many transfers. Just today, it was an 8 hour trip requiring three transfer to get to Marseille, France. I might add that having a Euro-rail pass is a mess. You can ride the train in 5 countries with the pass I have, but for most of the trains you need a reservation (which you have to pay extra for). To get a reservation, most of the time you have to do so days in advance (there are limited seats for pass holders) that you need to stand in long lines to make. You also can not make a reservation from a neighboring country. This meant, I arrived to France, had to get in line and buy a ticket with about 3 minutes to spare before the train left. It was one of those home alone dashes to the train, but I made it.

The scenery from Spain to France is nice, a lot of greenery, castles, vineyards, beaches and ports with boats out to sea. As I write this I am even seeing some snow capped mountains to the left, so I cant really complain about the train ride.

Randomness

For all of you who may be the slight bit envious, I am blessed to be on this journey, but backpacking is nothing close to a vacation, its hard work. On any given day I have walked between 5-9 hours a day sight seeing, I live out of a bag, so I never know where anything is. I am always trying to figure out a map, a bus or train system, make hostel or train reservations, decide when and where to eat, how to get there and how to do what you want to do while on a budget. Then you have to try and communicate with people who don’t necessarily speak your language. And hostels are hit or miss, it may sound nice and get great reviews, but it may have small rooms or bathrooms, and lack some of the amenities you would desire.

Just today for example, after an 8 hour train ride, i arrive at my hostel which was actually the wrong hostel (they have two) because after asking for directions twice via email i went online where they only have diretion to their main hostel. So with my tired self and a heavy 40+ pound backpack, i had to go across town on the metro, walk 5 blocks and up and hill and then up 4 flights of steps before i am finally there. But, how much can i complain i am like 3 blocks from Vieux- Port right on the Mediterranean and its lovely.  Tomorrow is Notre Dame and the beach again.