Friday, October 17, 2014
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Catalonian Independence?
If you're a news dork like me, you've probably been following the Catalonian independence movement. Their big vote is coming up next month (or is it? Spain is trying to stop it) and polls show high support, more than Yes got in Scotland.
Catalan flags and independence slogans are a common sight. Campaigns have slogans like #SiOSi (yes or yes? Yes, oh, yes?), ara és l'hora (guess: the hour is now?), simply 9N (the date of the election), and 9/11 > 11/9, which I pieced together as a reference to the Siege of Barcelona, 300 years ago on 11 Sep (remember, euro style dates). Maybe that's how they picked the vote's date in the first place?
On Sunday I saw lots of flags waving in Plaça Catalunya, both Catalonian and Spanish. Also ... (semi-guessing) anti-independence slogans in Catalan? The first I'd seen of these! Later I would see ads for "12 Oct, Spain's National Day" - oh right, Columbus Day. It makes sense that No would rally then. The crowd was mostly older folks and had dispersed entirely by the time I returned that night.
Catalan flags and independence slogans are a common sight. Campaigns have slogans like #SiOSi (yes or yes? Yes, oh, yes?), ara és l'hora (guess: the hour is now?), simply 9N (the date of the election), and 9/11 > 11/9, which I pieced together as a reference to the Siege of Barcelona, 300 years ago on 11 Sep (remember, euro style dates). Maybe that's how they picked the vote's date in the first place?
On Sunday I saw lots of flags waving in Plaça Catalunya, both Catalonian and Spanish. Also ... (semi-guessing) anti-independence slogans in Catalan? The first I'd seen of these! Later I would see ads for "12 Oct, Spain's National Day" - oh right, Columbus Day. It makes sense that No would rally then. The crowd was mostly older folks and had dispersed entirely by the time I returned that night.
Casual Sunday in Barcelona
I had this great plan to buy a bunch of things when I landed, so I wouldn't need to bring them with me: stuff like shampoo and sunblock, and a cheap emergency cell phone with a local number. But my travel day (Saturday) left me frazzled, and I apparently do not know how to shop. I eventually purchased about half of my list at the city-block-sized department store El Corte Ingles, which has an integrated supermarket. But no sunscreen. I was very afraid of the Spanish sun!
Most stores and many attractions are closed Sundays (like the rest of Europe) so my first full day was a good one for a casual stroll. There was a miscommunication whereby I missed a walking tour of the old Gothic Quarter (Barri Gòtic) and then a bike tour too but it's probably for the best as I still did not have sunscreen. Instead I explored at my own pace, ducking frequently into shade. These tiny winding streets are so fun! It's easy to get lost there, and I did, many times. Lots of restaurants, bars, shops, (Italian-style) gelaterias, and Roman walls blending seamlessly into those of later eras. Man. It's hard for me as an American to comprehend the idea of a city founded by an ancient civilization. Romans are basically elves or fairies as far as I'm concerned.
Anyway, I finally solved my sunblock problem at a convenience store (supermercat) here, easily found all over. Another reason why this is the better place to stay rather than my oh-so-fashionable local address. I visited the cathedral (shorts JUST long enough this time, my salvation from a Vatican Too* experience) and had a salad on a terrasse in Plaça George Orwell. It was doubleplusgood. I also saw lots of people with flags in Plaça Catalunya and bought tickets at the info center for Casa Batlló and Montserrat.
More walking, toward the port this time. Turning a corner brings an immediate change: all is palm trees and modernity. The lower sky is filled with sailboat masts, and the upper with bridges and skyscrapers. There's a giant statue of Christopher Columbus, pointing to the sea. Which is east here, but I suppose it would have looked silly for him to point away. Then I head back along the popular pedestrian zone Las Ramblas and back into the Barri for free admission to the Picasso Museum. That line turned out to be as long as you've probably already guessed, so I went back to the hostel to recharge myself and my devices.
That night (based on an excellent recommendation from Victor) I went to the Casa Batlló, conveniently near my hostel - each visible from the other's roofdeck. I think we won out in that deal. And what a Casa! All was curves and natural light, including an innovative central "light well" and glass elevator. Doors were hobbitesque and walls gave the impression of being underwater. The façade was all scales: but dragon or fish? And what kind of bones are these? WHY ARE THERE BONES AT ALL? I really dig this Gaudí fellow and I'm excited to see more of his work in town. I took many pictures which I will eventually link to here.
* if you think I'm going to pass up a pun like that ... do you even know me? ↩
Most stores and many attractions are closed Sundays (like the rest of Europe) so my first full day was a good one for a casual stroll. There was a miscommunication whereby I missed a walking tour of the old Gothic Quarter (Barri Gòtic) and then a bike tour too but it's probably for the best as I still did not have sunscreen. Instead I explored at my own pace, ducking frequently into shade. These tiny winding streets are so fun! It's easy to get lost there, and I did, many times. Lots of restaurants, bars, shops, (Italian-style) gelaterias, and Roman walls blending seamlessly into those of later eras. Man. It's hard for me as an American to comprehend the idea of a city founded by an ancient civilization. Romans are basically elves or fairies as far as I'm concerned.
Anyway, I finally solved my sunblock problem at a convenience store (supermercat) here, easily found all over. Another reason why this is the better place to stay rather than my oh-so-fashionable local address. I visited the cathedral (shorts JUST long enough this time, my salvation from a Vatican Too* experience) and had a salad on a terrasse in Plaça George Orwell. It was doubleplusgood. I also saw lots of people with flags in Plaça Catalunya and bought tickets at the info center for Casa Batlló and Montserrat.
More walking, toward the port this time. Turning a corner brings an immediate change: all is palm trees and modernity. The lower sky is filled with sailboat masts, and the upper with bridges and skyscrapers. There's a giant statue of Christopher Columbus, pointing to the sea. Which is east here, but I suppose it would have looked silly for him to point away. Then I head back along the popular pedestrian zone Las Ramblas and back into the Barri for free admission to the Picasso Museum. That line turned out to be as long as you've probably already guessed, so I went back to the hostel to recharge myself and my devices.
That night (based on an excellent recommendation from Victor) I went to the Casa Batlló, conveniently near my hostel - each visible from the other's roofdeck. I think we won out in that deal. And what a Casa! All was curves and natural light, including an innovative central "light well" and glass elevator. Doors were hobbitesque and walls gave the impression of being underwater. The façade was all scales: but dragon or fish? And what kind of bones are these? WHY ARE THERE BONES AT ALL? I really dig this Gaudí fellow and I'm excited to see more of his work in town. I took many pictures which I will eventually link to here.
 |
| A teaser from Casa Batlló |
* if you think I'm going to pass up a pun like that ... do you even know me? ↩
Catalan For Beginners
The no-fact-checking edition
Catalan is Castilian (Spanish) + French + Italian in a blender.The first words learned were those I saw everywhere: Sortida (exit) was easy, like the French Sortie. Amb (with) was jarring because I couldn't connect it to any other language, but the omnipresent Rosetta Signs confirmed it. Quatre (four) is straight French to the eyes but kwatrah to the ears. The letter X plays more of a role than usual, where Castilian uses ch: xocolata amb xurros. T can be silent: Batlló is pronounced close to Bayou. C can have a descender, like French and Portuguese: plaça. Ll is common, and it's perfectly fine at the beginnings and ends of words. Buy some llibres at the llibreria, after a trip to Park Güell! There's also a separated version, with punctuation apparently used to indicate that it's really just 2 Ls, not the y or j that ll usually makes. The mark used can be a period (Avenida Paral.lel), a dash (col-lectió) or a mid-height dot (my favorite, the Il·lusions store). I've never seen this in a language before. Exciting!
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Barcelona: First impressions
The mountains remind me (from the plane) of California wine country. On the ground, the land reminds me of Las Vegas initially, then progressively turns into Montreal as the train heads downtown. Many signs are trilingual: Catalan is the clear winner, but they want English and Spanish speakers to find their way around too.
Now downtown at street level, everything is impressive. Grand boulevards, stately buildings, a city of lights. So many people out and about on this Saturday night. Yet: so much of what I overhear is English. And much of this crowd is dressed in Obvious American. My Barcelonian co-worker described my hostel's location (the Passeig de Gracia) as "a fashion area" so that may be skewing my perspective.
My first meal is at a Basque-style tapas bar at the proper time: 9ish. I can't make any sense of the menu (is it in Basque, or Catalan?) so I go by pictures until I see English menus are available. Spanish too, hehe. Regardless I had a tasty time for just 13 euro.
My hostel presents some challenges regarding both Wi-Fi and charging, so you may have to wait for the next city to get the rest of my Barcelona experience.
Now downtown at street level, everything is impressive. Grand boulevards, stately buildings, a city of lights. So many people out and about on this Saturday night. Yet: so much of what I overhear is English. And much of this crowd is dressed in Obvious American. My Barcelonian co-worker described my hostel's location (the Passeig de Gracia) as "a fashion area" so that may be skewing my perspective.
My first meal is at a Basque-style tapas bar at the proper time: 9ish. I can't make any sense of the menu (is it in Basque, or Catalan?) so I go by pictures until I see English menus are available. Spanish too, hehe. Regardless I had a tasty time for just 13 euro.
My hostel presents some challenges regarding both Wi-Fi and charging, so you may have to wait for the next city to get the rest of my Barcelona experience.
posted from Bloggeroid
Wilkommen in Frankfurt
I have landed in Europe! It amuses me that the first language I get to practice on this trip is German.
I should have time for a wurst oder etwas before my Barcelona flight.
I should have time for a wurst oder etwas before my Barcelona flight.
posted from Bloggeroid
Friday, October 10, 2014
Health update
I had hoped to post a few times about the planning process, but I've been feeling pretty miserable with sinus congestion for two weeks. This threw a serious wrench in my plans to ... well, actually make plans, let alone write about them. But the good news is that I'm feeling reasonably well on the day of my departure, and I've even reserved beds in 6 of my 8 nighttime destinations. I should be able to buy the necessary train, bus, and ferry tickets to complete my journey in-country, but I'll need to do additional research today on my Portuguese rental car idea. (I've already had to rule out my Spanish car plan. Sad.)
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