The third and final chapter . . .
Okay! I have time to finish this weekend story up now! But I have to remember where I was . . .
Ah yes! Napping before playing on the beach.
So, we buzz on back to Roses, drop off Annette because she´s tired, and walk down to the tourist beach to bounce around the volleyball. Anyone who knows me knows how good I am with hand-eye coordination, let alone when spherical objects are involved. Mark had met us there, full of vim and vigar after his run, how he does it, I dont know. He´s currently training for a trail running competition, so he does this daily. There´s a circle of 8 of us, 3 of which are incredibly athletic people, and then there´s the 4 Americans (and one British), who have no clue how to handle a volleyball. We were so bad I looked like I knew what I was doing!!!!! I actually looked pretty good in comparison to the rest of my crowd :) So, HA! Joe, I have my athletic moments!
After wasting a perfectly good hour chasing after a volleyball and making complete fools of ourselves, next to the pro players that were practicing on the beach, we walked on back and got ready for dinner. Each of us nabbed a quick (I mean, 1 to 2 minutes) shower and walked down to the nearby restaurant.
The place was packed, so I went ahead with Annette and grabbed a table while the rest of them got ready. We had wicker chairs, and round tables, and were completely surrounded by palm trees. It was cute, and quiet, despite how busy the place was. We of course ordered some wine (Sangria followed) and ordered the only thing they had on the menu. Chicken, with fries. yep, that was it. But what they did, they did VERY WELL!! Excellent dinner. The fries here are served with mayo and ketchup on them. Not quite ranch, but pretty tasty! Dinner was messy, as they eat the chicken (1/2 a chicken, no joke - it was a lot!) with their fingers. It was nice to chat with the locals. Emma and Mark have traveled all over, the most recent trip being Senegal, where they stayed with a tribe. They´ve also caravaned across the desert in Moraco, and are planning on trekking Argentina next. Joey, you´d like Mark. When I told him I was from Michigan, he said "I do not know much of Michigan, except taht the University of Michigan State has a good basketball team. I like to watch them play". Yea, he´s a state b-ball fan. He likes Alan Anderson best. Their friend Juan came, but was pretty quiet seeing as he didnt´speak much English. Mark likes Metallica, ACDC, Iron Maiden, U2,etc. Emma prefers the Spanish music. We talked about the States, and what the people think of them. They wondered how it was that Bush got elected again. They have the idea that the US is completely prosperus, but that all black people come from the bronx. So, we had some educating to do. Emma´s a teacher, so we talked about the students she teaches, and how unruly they are at times, which made me feel better, because I was under the impression taht students in the States were the rudest there were anywhere. Apparently all schools are having a hard time.
After dinner we hopped in the car and drove off to Ampuras, which is a coast side town with a crazy strip of bars. We got yelled at by a french lady for singing Journey too loud. Damn French. Then we headed off to a bar called the Captains Quarters, where they play music WAY TOO LOUD, and everyone orders a drink for the person next to them, you never order for yourself. it was smokey and crowded, and increidbly loud, playing Aerosmith and ACDC, and the like. It´s amazing how far away from teh States I can be, and I never escape it´s music. I´m away from the food, the clothing styles, but never the music. And they of course know all the words, even do the air guitar and drums to go along with the song. It goes to support the idea that music is the true universal language, it´s something that can unite people, no matter how far apart they live.
At this point I was spent. Exhausted, it was about 2 AM, which means the discos were just opening, and the night was just beginning, but half of us were ready to crash. So, back to the flat we went, where they had cleared the living room and set up 6 small beds on the floor. These people were amazing. And I crashed, sleeping the best I have since I got there.
We rolled out of our beds at about 10 am, about 4 hours after the last group got home from the club, and they made us breakfast and hot chocolate! It´s been ages since I had hotchocolate!!! then we packed up our stuff and they dropped us off at the bus station. We caught the bus back to Figures - passing more fields of flowers, rolling hills and tiny antique villages. Once in Figures, half of the group headed home, while 4 of us started hiking to the castle that´s in Figures.
It took us about 30-45 minutes to get there by foot, but it was a nice walk, even though it was all up hill. The castle (Castell de Ferran) is the largest fortress in Europe, and was in use until 1966. It was built in the 1700s, and a good portion was still up from that era. We took the tour, walking around, then made our own path up a flight of stairs (breaking the rules and crossing the baracade, I know mom, they´re there for a reason. ) Upstairs of this officers house was a HUGE area, all with the orginal paint, tiles, doors, everyting. It wasn´t in perfect shape, but it was so neat to imagine what the place looked like 300 years ago. The moulding on the arched doorways was still up, the doors were painted a dusty blue, and the walls had the same tone blue, with a yellow and red accent. The fireplaces were still in their original grand condition, evne the bathrooms were still tiled. it was AWESOME! I have some photos, but here is where my camera ran out of film, so we´ll have to count on my friends to get me the digital ones they took.
After walking the castle for an hour or so, we started the hike back to the train station, hopped the next train back to Barcelona, spent from a weekend of being outside in clear, crisp air. What a fantastic break from the course. School has it´s moments when it´s just too much. Not that I ever feel like quitting, but I need to walk away, and that´s what this trip allowed me, and the other 5 to do. I slept the whole train ride back, got home and called the fam and Joe, and fell asleep, feeling as though I´d just been gone for a week to a completely different world. monday classes picked up again, and the work load got huge again. I managed to pick up a cold, I blame Barcelona and it´s polution for that, even though it´s probably the AC I spend my days in. I hope to make it to Girona this weekend and see some Roman ruins, but it depends on how things are going here at school. After the course I think I might rent a car and drive the coast, there´s so much more to see! It all depends on time and who will join me. If any of you have time around the first of August, buzz on over to Spain, and we´ll tour the coast together :)
Now I have to get back to my homework (blah blah blah). But thanks for checking up! I´ll drop another entry in as soon as some other fun adventure happens. It will probably be "developing my film", seeing as I have yet to find a place here that will do it for me (hence, no photos yet). Alexis, I may just ship them your way undeveloped. Apparently people dont´take pictures here :)
Ah yes! Napping before playing on the beach.
So, we buzz on back to Roses, drop off Annette because she´s tired, and walk down to the tourist beach to bounce around the volleyball. Anyone who knows me knows how good I am with hand-eye coordination, let alone when spherical objects are involved. Mark had met us there, full of vim and vigar after his run, how he does it, I dont know. He´s currently training for a trail running competition, so he does this daily. There´s a circle of 8 of us, 3 of which are incredibly athletic people, and then there´s the 4 Americans (and one British), who have no clue how to handle a volleyball. We were so bad I looked like I knew what I was doing!!!!! I actually looked pretty good in comparison to the rest of my crowd :) So, HA! Joe, I have my athletic moments!
After wasting a perfectly good hour chasing after a volleyball and making complete fools of ourselves, next to the pro players that were practicing on the beach, we walked on back and got ready for dinner. Each of us nabbed a quick (I mean, 1 to 2 minutes) shower and walked down to the nearby restaurant.
The place was packed, so I went ahead with Annette and grabbed a table while the rest of them got ready. We had wicker chairs, and round tables, and were completely surrounded by palm trees. It was cute, and quiet, despite how busy the place was. We of course ordered some wine (Sangria followed) and ordered the only thing they had on the menu. Chicken, with fries. yep, that was it. But what they did, they did VERY WELL!! Excellent dinner. The fries here are served with mayo and ketchup on them. Not quite ranch, but pretty tasty! Dinner was messy, as they eat the chicken (1/2 a chicken, no joke - it was a lot!) with their fingers. It was nice to chat with the locals. Emma and Mark have traveled all over, the most recent trip being Senegal, where they stayed with a tribe. They´ve also caravaned across the desert in Moraco, and are planning on trekking Argentina next. Joey, you´d like Mark. When I told him I was from Michigan, he said "I do not know much of Michigan, except taht the University of Michigan State has a good basketball team. I like to watch them play". Yea, he´s a state b-ball fan. He likes Alan Anderson best. Their friend Juan came, but was pretty quiet seeing as he didnt´speak much English. Mark likes Metallica, ACDC, Iron Maiden, U2,etc. Emma prefers the Spanish music. We talked about the States, and what the people think of them. They wondered how it was that Bush got elected again. They have the idea that the US is completely prosperus, but that all black people come from the bronx. So, we had some educating to do. Emma´s a teacher, so we talked about the students she teaches, and how unruly they are at times, which made me feel better, because I was under the impression taht students in the States were the rudest there were anywhere. Apparently all schools are having a hard time.
After dinner we hopped in the car and drove off to Ampuras, which is a coast side town with a crazy strip of bars. We got yelled at by a french lady for singing Journey too loud. Damn French. Then we headed off to a bar called the Captains Quarters, where they play music WAY TOO LOUD, and everyone orders a drink for the person next to them, you never order for yourself. it was smokey and crowded, and increidbly loud, playing Aerosmith and ACDC, and the like. It´s amazing how far away from teh States I can be, and I never escape it´s music. I´m away from the food, the clothing styles, but never the music. And they of course know all the words, even do the air guitar and drums to go along with the song. It goes to support the idea that music is the true universal language, it´s something that can unite people, no matter how far apart they live.
At this point I was spent. Exhausted, it was about 2 AM, which means the discos were just opening, and the night was just beginning, but half of us were ready to crash. So, back to the flat we went, where they had cleared the living room and set up 6 small beds on the floor. These people were amazing. And I crashed, sleeping the best I have since I got there.
We rolled out of our beds at about 10 am, about 4 hours after the last group got home from the club, and they made us breakfast and hot chocolate! It´s been ages since I had hotchocolate!!! then we packed up our stuff and they dropped us off at the bus station. We caught the bus back to Figures - passing more fields of flowers, rolling hills and tiny antique villages. Once in Figures, half of the group headed home, while 4 of us started hiking to the castle that´s in Figures.
It took us about 30-45 minutes to get there by foot, but it was a nice walk, even though it was all up hill. The castle (Castell de Ferran) is the largest fortress in Europe, and was in use until 1966. It was built in the 1700s, and a good portion was still up from that era. We took the tour, walking around, then made our own path up a flight of stairs (breaking the rules and crossing the baracade, I know mom, they´re there for a reason. ) Upstairs of this officers house was a HUGE area, all with the orginal paint, tiles, doors, everyting. It wasn´t in perfect shape, but it was so neat to imagine what the place looked like 300 years ago. The moulding on the arched doorways was still up, the doors were painted a dusty blue, and the walls had the same tone blue, with a yellow and red accent. The fireplaces were still in their original grand condition, evne the bathrooms were still tiled. it was AWESOME! I have some photos, but here is where my camera ran out of film, so we´ll have to count on my friends to get me the digital ones they took.
After walking the castle for an hour or so, we started the hike back to the train station, hopped the next train back to Barcelona, spent from a weekend of being outside in clear, crisp air. What a fantastic break from the course. School has it´s moments when it´s just too much. Not that I ever feel like quitting, but I need to walk away, and that´s what this trip allowed me, and the other 5 to do. I slept the whole train ride back, got home and called the fam and Joe, and fell asleep, feeling as though I´d just been gone for a week to a completely different world. monday classes picked up again, and the work load got huge again. I managed to pick up a cold, I blame Barcelona and it´s polution for that, even though it´s probably the AC I spend my days in. I hope to make it to Girona this weekend and see some Roman ruins, but it depends on how things are going here at school. After the course I think I might rent a car and drive the coast, there´s so much more to see! It all depends on time and who will join me. If any of you have time around the first of August, buzz on over to Spain, and we´ll tour the coast together :)
Now I have to get back to my homework (blah blah blah). But thanks for checking up! I´ll drop another entry in as soon as some other fun adventure happens. It will probably be "developing my film", seeing as I have yet to find a place here that will do it for me (hence, no photos yet). Alexis, I may just ship them your way undeveloped. Apparently people dont´take pictures here :)
posted by Chandi at 10:27 AM
2 Comments:
Do you have a place to move to?
You crack me up! Remember, the squeaky mouse gets the mouse trap. . . is that it? Maybe not . . . ummmmm. . . the cheese? eaten by the cat? Silenced by the broom? Hmmmm. ..
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