First Impressions

So this morning I arrived in Helsinki, Finland at 4.30 am., and my first thought was...............WOW!!! How Clean!!!! Then got right on a ferry for Estonia and same reaction, WOW!!!How Clean!!!!

Not sure what that says about Barcelona, maybe that even though there is always people cleaning Barcelona the city is always dirty! But it is still home and I love it.

Ps. Typing on this keyboards in weird....I have no idea what to do with these other letters!

BBQ with friends

Yesterday, I went to my first BBQ in Spain. I needed it so much! Although it wasn't the first time I BBQ'd in Spain......that's another story!

It was at my friend Santi's mothers house about 20 minutes outside of the city. Being in a smaller town, completely residential, backed up by a forest with a big yard and lots of plants and trees made it the perfect setting. The food was excellent and the company even better. The day was your typical gathering with people from all over the world. Santi's mother and her two friends were so much fun to speak with and listen to their stories. As they went back and forth from speaking Spanish and Catalan, I realized that my comprehension of Catalan keeps getting better and I find a lot of gratification in that.

One more very memorable day in Spain!

A massage less WHAT?!?!!

It only took all summer.....but I finally went topless. Although there was a trade-off! I got a great full body massage from a Chinese lady for 15 Euro, but since there is no sheet to cover up with you end up topless. Guess what? It wasn't bad and I think I like it. Hey, my boobs were so white compared to the rest of my body it probably looked like I was wearing a white bikini top. Hahahahah! I've converted, I think I am now officially European.

Ignorance is Bliss

As I approached the beach this morning, a little later than usual, I was taken by how calm the water appeared. I get in and it is a nice cool temp (for the med) and the visibility is incredible. I swim out to the buoy and once out there take advantage of the solitude and quite. Quiet is not something you get much of in a city like Barcelona, and being out a couple hundred meters from the beach gives that too you.

After a couple of minutes of just floating, I hear someone near by and it is a young kid on a wind surfboard. When I look ahead of me, I see a jellyfish. Ok no problem I swim away from it. Then the kid says, "I've seen a lot of jelly fish, be careful" and then proceeds to point out the one I was swimming towards. Ok time to head back to the beach.....as I put my head in the water I realize they are all over the place.

Fuck, I just knew I was going to get stung. I do not know how I managed to swim out that far, spend 5 minutes floating around and not stung. I slowly maneuvered my way back to the beach and made it without incident. I talked to my old people a little bit until Marta got to the beach, needless to say se didn't swim out to the buoy this morning either.

I hope they are gone tomorrow I missed my morning swim!

E2 - Catalan, Catalunya, y el Burro (donkey)

Saludos!

My Spanish/Castilian is taking on a life of its own and I find myself cursing in Castilian instead of English now. I guess the transformation is well on its way. I am fitting into this life style effortlessly. And no, I haven't started smokingthat will never happen!

I've been neglecting the picture taking, instead opting for the experience. Most nights go well into the morning and I am very rarely home before 3am. I am meeting some great people, one of whom is my flat mate Marta. She is fantastic, and we get along as if we had known each other for years. A little on her, she is in the Independent film industry and has only been back in Spain for 10 months. Born and raised in Madrid, went to New York 10 years ago and speaks fluent English. With that said, we almost exclusively speak Spanish and she is helping me with my vocabulary. She has opened a completely new world for me here in Barcelona, taking me with her to see films and meeting people in the Spanish/Independent film industry. She gets packages in the mail almost daily containing new documentaries or short films, and I have so much fun watching some of these. Well some more than others, for every gem we watch we've had to endure 2 or 3 pieces of crap. But the same, we enjoy discussing the good and bad in each of them. I just keep lucking out with my living arrangements. Not bad for a Craig's List ad.

On the title of this email... Not sure how much most of you know about the region Barcelona is in. In brief, the region is Catalunya and they have their own language, Catalan. I am learning to understand and read it since everything in the city is in Catalan. I find it to be similar to French, though if I ever said that directly to a Catalan they would take offense. The language according to Catalans pre-dates French.from what I can find, there is question, but it has been in existence since the 8th century. There is an obvious separatist movement in Catalunya, where depending on what Catalan you speak with, they want complete separation from Spain or just more governmental control/representation and varying degrees between the extremes. Some Catalans (the youth in particular) often chant "Puta Espana" directly translated in to "whore Spain" but really means "F*ck Spain." I know for sure I don't care for those sentiments, but I haven't really formed a complete opinion on the discussion, and right now I just enjoy playing devils advocate and trying to understand the bigger picture. The national symbol for Spain is the bull, here in Catalunya you often see a sticker of a donkey on the back of the car (think of the fish many Christians put on their cars in the US) to show they are Catalans. I still feel uninformed on this debate, but I am learning more daily. The whole thing makes me wondercould California be its own country too?

One more thing about this region..they love their "Foc" and no I did not misspell the "F-Word" Foc is fire in Catalan, as in fireworks. So far a lot of my pictures seem to have the night/something burning theme. So here are some of my latest. I was here last summer and took a lot of "typical" tourist pics. They are still available on my msn.space account. For me it has been a lot of really late night pics, or pics of little baby Orlando.

Last weekend I went to a beach, Sant Pol about 45 minutes north of Barcelona, and it was lovely to get out of the city. Marta has a car, which is going to be nice for quick getaways. There is so much to tell about this energetic cityhere it is in list form and in no particular order..

Paella in Barceloneta
Free museums, art and dance exhibitions
Swims in the salty tranquil Mediterranean.
Beach parties until 6am
Cheap beer and great wine
4 languages spoken fluently in any group situation (at least)
Typical weekend meeting-up time is 1:30 am
42 Euro for a monthly transportation passthat's it!
Cooking everyday
Eating "Calamares en su tinta" (Calamari in its inkmmmmmm)
The gratification that comes with making new friends
The ease of living with Marta
Quality time with baby Orlando
People speaking Spanish with different accents
Walking everywhere!
And there is sooooo much more.I can't remember the last time I was this happy.

A little advertisement here. An old friend Matt Carpenter is the Executive Chef at a restaurant in West Hollywood, BIN 8945 www.bin8945.com. The food is fantastic and has Latin American influences. Please check it out if you are craving something creative or just want to eat some good food.

Ok, that is it for now. Feedback is appreciated and the list is now well over 200.

Besos! Chao,

For photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/darwin33

E1 - Arrival in BCN and Fiesta de Saint Joan

Hello All!

Turns out that finding time to write is difficult here in Barcelona. This city is all I remember and more. I've arrived during a week of festival, although the actual day of celebration wasn't until Friday night. More on that later.

For starters, the formalities....my flight was uneventful (good thing) my apartment is better that I imagined. I've yet to actually meet my roommate, but I've gotten to know 2 Mexican friends of hers (staying here in her absence) very well. The good news about the apartment is that it is in a very quiet area at night....the bad news about the apartment location is that it is in very quite area. Yes, it is both good and bad. Not much to do locally here after dark but the Metro station in only 1 1/2 blocks away and there are all night buses within 2 blocks.

I've gotten to spend the past 2 evenings with Eliza, Carlos and baby Orlando. He is the easiest baby I have ever met and am enjoying greatly the long stretches of time Eliza allows me to hold him. Catching up with her is fantastic and the back and forth between Carlos and I is fun. They always seem to have visitors from all over the world, and those of you who always razz me about knowing someone everywhere would see that I can't compare to their list.

I've lucked out with my apartment in more than location and quality. Turns out that an Irish friend of mine lives barely 3 blocks away, and on my way to the beach. He was so great my first morning/afternoon here. He came by to pick me up, take me for a much needed cup of coffee and breakfast and then gave me a quick orientation of the area. He really is a great guy and I am really lucky to have him so close. On Friday he and I cooked Chicken Korma in his apartment, what a fantastic and fun meal it was. He is also a local DJ and fellow computer fanatico.

Ok, so that was just the basics of my days so far, I know it was boring but now for the real fun. ..>..>

Friday June 23rd was the Fiesta of Saint Joan. On the night of June 23 each year, neighbourhoods in Barcelona organize celebrations with bonfires where people burn old furniture and unwanted items and hold firework displays. Bands play and people dance the night away. Traditionally, everyone eats a special kind of cake called coca, made of pine nuts and dried fruits. It was originally a pagan festival that celebrated the summer solstice (shortest night/longest day of the year). But even though the actual day of celebration wasn't until Friday, the city has been booming with fireworks since I arrived on Wednesday. This festival is a great example of what attracts me to Barcelona, as it is full of symbolism and everything having to do with this celebration "is part of the transformation, where what is present in our everyday lives take on new meaning." (read that somewhere, not mine, but I don't remember where)

I left Eliza's at 2am and the metro was packed with hot, sweaty, rowdy teenagers, 20 Somethings and a smattering of older people. I don't think any one could possibly imagine how many people I mean by packed but sardines come to mind. Everyone, including me, on the way to the beach. Yes, 2am.... I was making my way to the beach. Hundreds of thousands of people on all the beaches in Barcelona. People dancing and tweaking as far as the eye could see. Everyone having a good time, and everyone setting off fireworks. I may suffer from shell shock for the next few days but it was worth the experience. I found myself dancing with a group of French guys and girls at one of the DJ tents closest to my apartment until about 4:30am. The beach party goes on until 6am, but I just couldn't go any longer.

The walk back to my apartment at that hour somehow felt safe, and I think it says a lot about priorities in this city on a night of celebration. The guys staying in the apartment got in an hour later and I didn't actually get to bed until about 6am. ..>..>

Now that a good part of my day has escaped while I slept, I have to rush around and finish my errands. Going to a friends birthday party tonight and Sunday I am on a mission with the two Mexican guys sharing my apartment. Turns out that one of them, Victor, is here chasing a girl and his friend and I are going to be the set up crew for all the events he has planned to win her back. Including having hired a Mariachi Band (not easy to come by in Barcelona) to serenade her in Placa Catalunya. Or better known as the very center/heart of this romantic city. I'll have pictures to post soon. For now here is a not so good quality, a little too drunk to focus in the dark, picture of the Fiesta of Saint Joan.

This is going to be a good 8 months in Europe, I know I will miss you all but I want to thank everyone for their encouragement and support. Besos!

Will Return May 2006