04 August, 2007 (Saturday) Barcelona, Spain

Another day in Spain - bring on the tapas, sangria and sun!

Barcelona beach
If I had to confess to the thing I missed most about home then I´d probably have to say the beach. It´s been over a year since I last jumped into the ocean (see Tofino, hot springs tour - sharp rocks and freezing ocean), over 20-months since I have been on a beach. See - I´m still counting.

With the sun shining at a good 30+ degrees, it was fine beaching weather. We wandered amongst the laundry decorated streets of Barcelonetta to break out onto the promenade looking out across the Mediterranean. Bodies littered the beach baking and erasing tanlines. The beach itself was not the golden yellow of sand, but a light brown colour. Walking closer we found the beach to be coarse brown dirt. Waves were tame, a tiny shore break crashing in regularly. It didn´t take a heart-beat for us to shed layers and start splashing in.

The slow roll of the waves and salty brine on my lips awoke dormant memories of home. While there weren´t any waves worthy of name to ride to shore, it was a relief to be in the sea again. It felt just as good to drip dry, although the novelty of sitting on gritty dirt was short-lived. Once we´d soaked up some of the Barcelona sun we wandered the promenade for something to eat. Tapas and sangria were on offer, and provided a pleasant light afternoon repast.

Each beach is different, and Barcelona has a character all of its own. Open-air restaurants, fresh sea food and a jug of sangria? I think I might sign up for more of that...

Hosteling
Hostel life is so transitory. New people every day, old ones disappearing just as you´re starting to build rapport. A range of nationalities. A range of traveling types. Stability is knowing that you´ve got a bunk to sleep in each night. Nationalities stick more than names. Let´s guess ages...

03 August, 2007 (Friday) Barcelona, Spain

A while between updates, but I have a few in the wings. Just trying to find the right opportunity to send through. I know, I know. My captive audience is just waiting with bated breath. Well hold that breath just a touch longer. So, onto Barcelona...

Barca
Today I'm in Barcelona. The weather is sunny. It's looking better than good out there. I'm sitting here, typing away, looking into one of those classic courtyards - you know the deal, glassed walled apartments looking into a messy central square. So I'm starting to get a feel for this party town. My brother... well let's just say he seems to be hitting his groove. For the day ahead, I'm looking forward to taking some enthusiastic happy snaps.

Barcelona seems to be another of those European cities that somehow manages to mix in the old with the new. The result is something which manages to be both, but somehow not quite either. Yesterday we wandered through the harbour front, all reflective glass and paved commercialism, before finding our way into the medieval Bari Gottic. It was amazing just wandering into a square with a centuries old cathedral dominating the space, before finding ourselves lost in another sequence of narrow winding streets.

The trickiest part so far has to be finding a decent tapas bar outside of the tourist area. But I'm working dilligently at finding the 'place'. I guess it's part of the adventure. In the meantime, it's going to be more winding streets for me. Perhaps even the beach (living in London I'm a little beach-starved).