September 23rd - Barcelona, Spain

September 23, 2006
Barcelona, Spain

When I woke up this morning (8:30) I was really thirsty. Unfortunately, this is the first city where the water does not taste that great. Nonetheless, it quenched my thirst. A few minutes later B came in and we packed our things and headed for our new hostel.

Although we looked at a map, we got lost several times. To make matters worse, it started to rain very hard. We got totally soaked (though it wasn’t that bad because it was still very warm). We were relieved once we found our hostel.

Our feeling of contentment was quickly squashed when we learned that our reservation was only for one person. After searching for a new hostel online we decided to make a phone call to the best hostel in all of Barcelona (Hostel Kabul). Incredibly, they had space for us!

We trekked all the way back across town (and stopped in to pick up Meghan) and found that the Kabul hostel was almost next door to our previous hostel (ohh well). We dropped off our things and decided we needed to get some food. I had a delicious kebab sandwich!

After filling our stomachs we cruised around town. Our first stop was a cool cathedral. Sadly, it was covered in scaffolding and we could not see the front (which is supposedly spectacular).

As we were walking to our next destination (a cool park) it started pouring rain. I purchased my first umbrella (in my whole life) for 3 Euro! It got the job done and kept me dry. It was really neat to use an umbrella…

The rain forced us to take a detour from the park. Instead, we stumbled upon a large market. Alongside the market was a fiery gate that will be the center of a parade tonight. I guess there will be fire-breathing monsters on the streets tonight! After taking some pics by the gate we went into the market. There was some crazy stuff there. In addition to numerous fruits and seafood’s, I think I saw a skinned cat for sale with the beef…kind of crazy!


We left the market and headed for the park (because everything else was closed until like 4:00 for siesta…). By the time we got there it had stopped raining. As we left the park we walked by a cool arch known as the Arc de Triumph (This is like the 4th city with one of those – Paris’s is the most famous).

Our next stop was a famous drinking fountain. We found our way to the square where the fountain was supposed to be but could not find the place to drink…Still, it was a neat area. Even cooler, we met a couple of guys from Oregon (identified by their ducks shirts) and chatted with them for a while.

On our way back to the hostel we stumbled upon another market. It had a cool entrance and we decided to check it out. Though it was much bigger than the other market, it had almost the exact same stuff.

We then returned to our hostel dirty and tired. We showered and are now chilling out. For the rest of the evening we will enjoy some of the festival nightlife. I am excited to see the fire parade. It should be awesome!

PS - all over town there are advertisements for an NBA game. The sixers are playing FC Barcelona in october....I thought it was cool.


UPDATE:

Before heading to the fire parade we decided to grab some dinner. Incredibly, dinner is free here at the Kabul hostel! After consuming our free meal and drinking a cheap beer, we headed to the fire parade. The streets were incredibly packed and it seemed as though everyone in town had the same idea.

Still, we eventually forced our way into the vicinity of the cool fiery gate (the beginning of the parade). We were standing on the street with tons of other people (almost all of whom were wearing long sleeve shirts, pants, and bandannas around their heads). As the parade started we realized we were in path of the devils and floats (all of which shoot fire out) and people around us were wearing fire protection.

I was keen on hanging with the locals and running around the festivities. However, as the fire got closer and it became apparent that one could easily get burned, I lost my cajones. We ran back and forth between the street and the sidewalk. Often using other people in the crowd as a shield against the sparks. Still, I did not escape without getting a burn on my chest.

The fire parade last for about 2 hours! It was a never-ending stream of people dressed as devils, bands, and floats (all of which shot sparks out into the crowd). I have never seen anything like it (Imagine if Rose Parade floats and participants shot fireworks at those watching!). Some of the people running the floats would even chase down people and cover them in sparks. It made the 4th of July look pretty weak…It was one of the most wild experience ever!

By the end of the parade my ears were ringing and I was incredibly tired. Furthermore, it started to rain again. We decided to rest and then head back to the hostel…

It was an incredible night! I never thought I would witness something like that. The pictures don’t really do it justice. It was absolutely crazy!