Day 16 - Tuesday December 21st 2010 (Barcelona, Spain)

I had hoped and prayed that it would stop raining. I even remember laying awake at about 6am thinking its… I think it stopped! But no. By the time we had to take down the tent it was raining harder than ever and so we crankily got dressed and grabbed our soggy muddy packs and stuffed a soaking wet tent into my bag and I felt cold rainwater dripping down my buttcrack as I folded the tent poles. It was miserable. Then we made the miles long walk uphill in the mud and rain walking through inches thick water to the Renfe station. By the time we got there my pants we soaked and I was worried about mold in my bag if I didn't air things out. I treated Lijah and I to some breakfast of Tortilla sandwich and milk but for some reason they heated up the milk super hot and gave me coffee with it. We put chunks of chocolate with it instead but I need up drinking both because Lijah thinks milk free is the way to be. Eventually we got on the train and were able to relax a bit on our 5 hour train ride to Barcelona. I wrote in my journal nearly the whole way there. Once we arrived we were greeted by billowing wafts of warm sea air and artisan foods. It was 2:10pm and we felt pressure to both, be responsible and follow a logical plan of action and to go ape on Barca’s face. We did surprisingly well. We ran to the tourismo info desk and got maps of the city and the metro and then got the name of the closest Auberge / Hostel, then we ran to the ticket info office to see if we could get a ticket to Marseille that night so we could gain a day. We found that we could go straight to paris on a night train! Then we found out we couldn’t because sometimes people LIE. Then we traveled back and forth between information and the ticket booth 7 times and finally we ended up getting a series of tickets that would eventually bring us to Marseille and we would leave the next morning. Mostly what I learned from the experience is that I really wish they made barbecue flavored gum. I was oh so hungry. So after we figured out “the plan” we skedaddled onto the metro and went to the Sangrada Familia Basilica ?? insert fact about it here --- , It was peacefully gaudy and blissfully Gaudi. It was also an interesting contrast to hear beautiful choir music with the noise of circular saws and power drills due to its current construction. I was extremely moved by the incredible interior that was reminiscent of a redwood forest and the starred ceiling hundreds of feet above us. It was so incredible and grandiose that it was hard to believe. The outside of the Basilica was so detailed it was overwhelming and photos truly can’t give you the same feeling of being in its presence. It was a shame that it was so rainy while we were in Barca but I don’t think I would have changed a thing. Right after visiting the museo below the Basilica we reverently crept out of Cathedral over to where we would find the amazing Picasso museo. I was real excited for this because I have a deep love and admiration for his work. Problem was we kept running into impassable castles and alleys that lead to nowhere. Eventually we met some nice bass folks who pointed us to the right street. We found the street but we could only find a mammoth museum where the Picasso museum should be and I don’t mean a figuratively mammoth museum. I mean a Museum of Mammoths. Anyway we searched back and forth and right as we were reaching the brink of insanity we went where it shouldn’t be and found it. I had a risa permenente as we began to explore the museum. I think I realized how much I love modern art and impressionism and how much I miss painting and drawing. I promised myself that I wouldn’t let that part of me disappear from my life. I also kept getting ideas of what to draw and how to draw it. It was really inspirational. I loved his blue period in 1902 – 1905 and I really loved his work concerning Valasquez??. My favorite part of the museo was the Dagas / Picasso inspection, where we looked at paintings by two artists who lived at the same time in nearly the same city at times and who admired each other and were inspired by each other but never actually met. It was breathtaking. I wanted to buy all kinds of books and posters and things but, too heavy and no room, I’m a backpacker so I have scruples to think about. After we left the Museum we just explored the city and I got some much needed supplies in the area of locks, earplugs, and extra insoles. I was excited to see the 4 Gatos bar where Picasso used to eat and I was amazed at how different Barca is from Madrid and how much variety the stores have. Time flew like a daring peregrine falcon and soon it was time to go get our bags before the consigna (lockers) closed. We got there with plenty of time to arrive at out hostel before it closed at 11pm and started walking with our wet 45 Lb. packs toward our new home. Unfortunately the bumbling man at the info desk misled us and the hostel was ridiculously far away. We walked and walked like pioneer children and arrived there in a pile of sweat and exhaustion. The Auberge Pere Tarres was very nice though and only 15 Euro including breakfast. So we tumbled upstairs and found our room which was full of eight beds, a pile of tobacco on the desk, a large blue suitcase, scattered socks everywhere and no humans to be found. We entered cautiously and started unpacking all our wet things from the night before. Wet leaves and dirt were flying every which way and we were such a flurry of activity we didn’t even notice a tall hair laden man enter the room. Hello he said, in a thick Russian accent, “I am ALNOR!” Gibber gibber jabber… I could barely understand a word he said, possibly because he was speaking more Russian than English or perhaps because this man had more hair than head and I was distracted by its ferocity. We introduced ourselves quickly to this black mane of a man and then exited the room to search for food. We were Staaarrving considering we haden’t eaten much all day.. again. We went and ate at a nearby McDonalds mostly because of its alluring dollar menu and they locked us in because we entered the establishment three seconds before it closed, literally sliding under a metal closing gate like Indiana Jones. After we finished eating we had to ask someone to let us out. Anyway It was a long night. I had to set up my tent in the dark because ALNOR was asleep and I nearly poked him in the eye 4 separate times with my tent pole. I was about as loud as a freight train full of constipated elephants. I kept bumping into everything… I felt bad for the poor hair consumed ALNOR in his little corner, looking like a peaceful chia pet. After Lijah and I took turns using the wifi downstairs we fell asleep at about 3am.