Boobs and blunders in Barcelona

 This blog is so totally out of order, it's ridiculous, but then again - I've never been one to do things logically haha. Now I'm ACTUALLY back in Zaragoza (I know I say that all the time, but this time it's true...I hope) I can continue blogging! Yes, I can hear you all rejoicing!!

I'll stick with the Spanish theme for now, so today's subject is the wonderful and captivating, Barcelona.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this city. I'd only heard good things about it, but for some reason I'd never put it on my "MUST VISIT" list. But when it came to booking my flight to Spain, Barcelona was the cheapest option so I penciled in two nights there before I headed to Zaragoza. Best idea ever! I was already on a high when I got there, I'd made a friend on the plane (Hi Amanda if you're reading this!) and I was starting to get really excited that I was about to land in the country where I'd be living for a year. As soon as I saw the beach from the plane window, I was suddenly so keen for Barcelona and wishing I could stay longer. It had been a long time since I'd seen the sea!

Now this was the first time on my trip that I'd be staying in a hostel and I know what you're thinking - what a princess, not staying in hostels! Ah no - I'm more than happy to stay in hostels, in fact I would have preferred it, had I not had so much crap with me. Also I'm just super lucky to have people to stay with, so needless to say, I had that nervous but excited feeling when you're about to open the door to your dorm and have no idea who you're gonna meet. Will there be some obnoxious fuckwit? A chronic snorer? Or worse, a group of friends who just talk amongst themselves and ignore you? Man, did I hit the jackpot!! I walk in to find the beds empty except for one - and on this bed was an Australian girl!! An awesome Australian girl called Ruby!! I was so happy! We bonded over beaten up Tim Tams, and just general antipodeanness. Yes, I know that's not a word but you know what I mean. That night we went out for tapas and just chilled out. As I had arrived in Barcelona pretty late and had had a full on day, we just went for a walk along Las Ramblas and headed back to the hostel.



The next day Ruby and I headed out with two goals in mind. 1. Hit the beach and 2. Find the lomography shop and hire a camera. We managed to do both of these while just generally soaking up the Barcelona atmosphere. It's such a cool city, it's busy but it doesn't feel like a major city. I guess because it's quite spread out. La Rambla is probably the most famous street and it runs for about 1.2km through the city, but you also have the Barri Gotic (gothic quarter) and El Raval (another part) before you even hit the beach. So while there are a lot of tourists, it never felt as suffocating as it did in other places I've visited such as Paris or Oxford.

Of course, Barcelona is very famous for being the home of a number of Gaudi's buildings, and they are really impressive. His style is so...I want to say bizarre but it's not. I really like it, his buildings are like something you would have imagined when you read fairy tales as a child. Or (totally gonna loose street cred here) like Floop's castle in the film Spy Kids. Guys, c'mon - don't pretend like it wasn't the best film of 2001. I'm a die-hard fan, not gonna lie. But anyway, La Rambla and the street surrounding my hostel had a couple of his buildings and I wish I'd had time to look inside too but that will have to wait for another day! I would totally suggest just googling Casa Battlo because the interior looks insane - I'm definitely not leaving Spain without a visit there!

Don't think this is Gaudi but it's a similar style and I love it

Casa Battlo - Gaudi

 

The house next door is just as beautiful - but not Gaudi

Amazing detail

We decided to head to the market for some breakfast, and we passed through the touristy part of La Rambla. This bit is full of postcard stalls, cheap tourist crap and also numerous amounts of men blowing some kind of tiny whistle that has an annoyingly high pitched sound. After walking past about 10 of these guys, I was ready to shove the damn whistle up the back passage of the next guy who tried to sell one to me. Luckily for that guy we reached the market!

La Boquería is amazing. It's the best market I've seen so far in Spain, but that is probably because it's so touristy. Ruby and I bought some fresh fruit, bread and fresh fruit juice and it cost less than a latte would in New Zealand! We sat in the street eating and just watching the scene in front of us. This is something I genuinely love about Spain, the supermarkets are the second choice when it comes to buying food. This is because it's possible to just head to the local market and pick up your meat and vegies etc. but you know that it's all local produce. Pretty incredible. It is true that in Spain people eat a lot more fresh food than other places - England definitely. NZ is pretty good for fresh food but Spain is something else!

Also - you can find some pretty hilarious things in the street outside the market... I doubt these actually work but who knows? haha

Entrance to La Boqueria

My favourite part - the juice section. Juices of every fruit you can think of!

 

 

  After the market, we headed off to find the Lomography shop, passing through the amazing streets of Barri Gotic and El Raval. This was what I was waiting for - tiny, labyrinthine streets. Oh man, I can't even remember how many times I said "Ahhh look at the sidestreets!" Poor Ruby haha.  But it was really beautiful. Words cannot describe how I felt so I'll let my (average) pictures do the talking. I wish I had a good camera but beggars can't be choosers!

One of the shops we popped into - so strange!

This freaky thing was standing outside the shop

It gives you a heart attack and/or the creeps when you turn around and look down the street

SIDESTREETS!

 
On our way to the Lomography shop we stumbled across an amazing piece of street art. It was so colourful and had so many different dimensions to it, it blew my mind. Every time you looked at it, you saw something new. The photos don't even do it justice! One thing I do love about Barcelona is the street art. It's everywhere!

Once we'd acquired our rented Lomo camera (I will develop the film soon!) we headed to the beach. I was pretty excited as I hadn't seen the sea since I left New Zealand, but while it was amazing to have some beach time, I definitely realised how lucky we are in NZ. The sand is dark brown, and the beach is packed. I understand why - it is one of the most visited cities in the world - but it just made me appreciate what I have at home. But I had a great time anyway! I swam in the Mediterranean for the first time in my life - not bad haha. We sunbathed, ate Tim Tams and just generally relaxed. We also got lucky and scored a free umbrella. You usually have to pay for hiring an umbrella or a recliner but we just rocked up, saw an umbrella with no one under it and parked ourselves there. No one noticed and the dude who was in charge of the umbrellas didn't have a clue! So sweet!

One huge difference between NZ and Spain is the attitude towards nudity. Boobs were everywhere; big boobs, perky boobs, saggy boobs, brown boobs, white boobs - boobs! haha. I'm no prude but it's kind of shocking to come from a country where most of the time, boobs are hidden, to a country where it's perfectly acceptable to get the girls out for some sun. Can't say I had the guts to try but I do admire their attitudes!

My view was partially obstructed but better than most peoples!

Masses of people! Horrible!

This was the least populated part of the beach I think!

Horrible bikini shot (with awesome Ruby) but proof I was there!

 We walked back to the hostel, all hot and sweaty but with that amazing feeling of salt and sand on your skin. We made sure to pass through the shady side streets (SIDESTREETS!) but had to stop a few times from sheer fatigue. Being a tourist is hard!

Totally didn't realise there was a kid on the balcony, looking wistfully into the distance, until I uploaded it onto my computer

Amazing architecture near the cathedral

The cathedral

 Once I got back to the hostel I had a much needed shower and then headed out to see La Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell...or so I thought! It was really late by the time we got back and I rushed to Sagrada Familia to make the last visit. Sadly, this was not meant to be as I initially thought I would walk...I got lost. So I went to the metro (which I should have done in the first place) and got to LSF just before they closed, however, the line was too long so I wouldn't have made it to the ticket booth in time. Dammit! It looked pretty impressive on the outside, even with the construction, but I know the inside is even better. I just had to add that onto my "return to Barcelona" list. Also, I found out that Parc Guell was waaaay further away than I thought so that plan was foiled too.

 

 

La Sagrada Familia

 Defeated, I headed back to the hostel where Ruby and I decided that we would go out for dinner. We chose this amazing little Italian restaurant - Yes I know, I know, Italian in Spain but I have a year to eat Spanish food and also just had a mad hankering for carbs! Here I had my first taste of how hard my life was going to be until I learnt a bit more Spanish. I managed to ask for a table for two - done. I managed to ask for a beer and a bottle of water - easy. I ordered us pizza and carbonara - just point and pronounce, no sweat. But wait, the waiter stops my Spanish confidence when he asks me what size beer I want. I confidently say "Picante!" He looks at me funny and then laughs. I realise my mistake, feel like an idiot and say "Oh I mean pequeña." IDIOT. I'd just asked for my beer to be spicy instead of small hahaha. To make me feel even better, the waiter brings me over a bottle of chilli oil with my beer. Cheeky bugger haha but it was pretty funny. At that point I wondered...what the hell am I doing in Spain?! haha. 

I had to leave the next morning so it was an early night and repacking for me! The next morning I said bye to Ruby and Barcelona and headed off to start my new adventure in Zaragoza. I really wish I'd been able to spend more time in Barcelona, it really is an incredible city. But luckily I am only a 3h 45m bus ride away so hopefully one day soon I can explore a bit more and see all the things I missed.

Living la vida loca

So it's probably time that I write about my time in Spain right? Once again, I apologise for my lack of activity but now I am not traveling, I SHOULD be able to keep up a blog. Should. But don't hold your breath...

Ok...SPAIN. España. I'm in Spain, and have been for 1 month and 1 week exactly. Crazy how time flies. I've been away from home for 2 months now which doesn't feel like that long, but I am starting to miss good ol' gods own (for those of you who don't know, that's NZ I'm talking about!) I guess I'll start with things I like and dislike so far about Spain.

Likes (in no particular order):
- The weather. So far it's rained twice. TWICE. Yes, it is summer but still...amazing. I've experienced the climates of a few different regions already and I've come to the conclusion that I'm living in the best one. Valencia and Barcelona are too humid, Asturias and Castilla y Leon (in the North) are too unpredictable and cold (I had to wear jeans!) but in Zaragoza (in Aragon) it's pretty much perfect. It's around 33c daily average, but can get up to 35. It's pretty stinking hot but it's a nice, dry heat. If you go out between 12 and 5 you're probably going to melt a bit but can still live your life. So, most people are active in the morning and late in the evening (which suits me perfectly) and also ties in nicely with my next like about Spain...
- The siesta. I don't really need to explain this cuz I'm pretty sure most people know what it is, but the siesta is basically the nap you have after lunch. I love it and honestly I don't know how I managed to live without it previously hahah. But in all seriousness, it is necessary. Spanish lunches are huge and it's so hot that you actually can't function after lunch so, hey let's all nap and come alive in the evening.
- The babes. Lots of babes. Self explanatory really.
- The lifestyle. As mentioned earlier, Spaniards come alive at night. It's good because I am more of a morning and late evening person so it's perfect for me.
- The culture/tradition. Spain is such an interesting country because it wants to be modern, but at the same time wants to maintain it's cultural identity and traditional ways. It's really obvious when you're here that there is, not a fight as such, but more of a strange and fragile balance between modernity and tradition. I'll be talking about some of the traditions I've experienced so far in later posts (hopefully).
- The Spaniards. Spaniards are a constant source of amusement for me, they are a nationality unlike any other. The hospitality I have received so far has been nothing short of amazing. I've been welcomed into families like an old friend and been practically force fed because I'm the guest and they don't want me to be hungry. I'm not saying other cultures aren't welcoming and friendly but the Spanish are something else when it comes to hospitality. Spaniards are also amusing for me because they are so expressive. The facials and hand gestures sometimes border on the ridiculous and I have to try to keep a straight face. Also, most of the time it sounds like they are arguing or in some kind of disagreement with the person they're talking to. I asked E (my host mum) about one group we walked past who were having - what I thought to be - a very heated discussion. She laughed and said, oh no - they're just talking about banks and what they think about their banks. And sure enough, 5 seconds later, they erupted in laughter for a second, and then the "anger" continued. E explained to me that Spaniards just speak like that...which is fantastic for me (sarcasm) since I have to rely on tone of voice and visual cues to help me understand the context of any conversation. FANTASTIC but entertaining nonetheless.

Dislikes:
- Meal times. I dislike it mainly because lunch is such a faff on. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day, which goes against my preferences. At home, I barely eat lunch, if I do it's a sandwich or some crackers and cheese or something. Here, it's a three course meal. It's way too much. WAY too much. I can't even function after eating that much - hence the traditional siesta. Dinner is usually a lot lighter but still, I'd rather have my food baby coma in the evening where I can just go to sleep but then I guess that's why Spain has such an amazing nightlife, which I can't really complain about... Breakfast is an issue for me aswell. The first day, I was stoked because I found out that for breakfast they usually eat these little cakes called Magdelenas or just dunk biscuits in their hot drinks. I was in heaven. But then...it got old real fast. Well...I got fat real fast hahah I still enjoy the biscuits, not gonna lie! Toast and cereal do exist here but biscuits are very popular. But from now on I'm going to go and buy cereal and maybe some yoghurts etc so I can stop being a fatty.
- Tradition. Tradition is good because it makes a culture what it is, but sometimes, especially coming from such a liberal country like NZ, tradition can feel quite oppressive in a way... Don't get me wrong, I love the traditional events and whatnot that I've seen here so far (posts to come) but at the same time Spain remains very traditional in general. It's quite conservative and coming from NZ that's kind of hard to get used to. Also, I don't appreciate such traditions that include the suffering of animals, for example, bullfighting. In El Puig's fiestas (local saint's day/week of parties and things) one of the events was having a bull run through the streets...but the bull's horns were on fire. I'm just not okay with things like that. Animals don't have a say in this, and I loathe animal abuse.
- Fashion. I thought Spain was supposed to cool and trendy but so far I am super unimpressed with the shops. I guess this has something to do with the conservative nature of the country too. I miss NZ shops.
- And the biggest one of all... my family and friends aren't here! So far I have zero friends, which is really shit to put it bluntly haha. I miss just talking about nothing with my favourite people and just having people I love around me. Hopefully once I start language school I'll meet some people but for now I remain friendless. Joy of joys.

That's it for now, tomorrow (if you're lucky/if I can be bothered) I will start writing about the Spanish cities I've encountered so far. But for today you get stuck with just my thoughts :)

Oh but I should probs mention my job right? Well so far the fam have been great, I feel pretty comfortable with them and so far no conflicts... but don't expect me to be bitching about them on here if anything happens because I'm not that stupid haha. Sorry, I know it would make for juicy reading but I am a professional (kind of haha).

This post is pretty bland too so I might just throw in some photos that are semi related haha.
Peace and love xxx

I love the graffiti in Spain

Best thing I've ever seen

Ham is EVERYWHERE

So are Spanish flags

 

 

Even D.I.Y ones

This au pair lark ain't so bad...

Hola amigos!

Last time I blogged I was on my way to start my life as an au pair in Zaragoza...So now you can correctly assume that when I got off the bus I was met by an actual family, and not the local underworld boss ready to sell me into the sex trade (my dad thought this would happen). I'm going to keep this brief (as I will discuss in another post) but the family are lovely and so far I'm settling in well. I know I have a lot to catch you all up on but I'm going to skip the major places for now (soz) to talk about a place none of you will know about - Aldehuela de Liestos.

First glimpse of the village

Being photo-bombed by the family haha

This little village is the family village of my Spanish mum (from here on will be referred to as E) and I am so lucky to have the opportunity to go to these places! This town has a permanent residence of 12 people, TWELVE!! Of course it fluctuates throughout the year as families return to their home village, but only 12 people stay there for the whole year. It's amazing, they have a baker from another town who just pulls up in the square and toots the horn and they all come out and get the bread. Same with the groceries, there's a van that comes every so often to bring them food.

Now I'm so enamored with this place I've just gone ahead and rambled and not even explained it well! This little town with the impossible-to-say-quickly name is located high in the hills of Aragon (the region where Zaragoza is located). The landscape is all dry and red and there are fields of sunflowers everywhere. It's unlike anything I've ever seen and I think it's amazing. The village is nothing special but it's just the fact that it's so frozen in time that makes me love it. My Spanish dad (J) told me that in the village a man can stand in the middle of the road and yell "GO(?)" and it means, good morning, hello, how are you and what a beautiful morning it is today hahaha.

Ahhh I can't even write properly because I have too much to say!! Anyway, we visited the village to celebrate the eldest girls' birthday (L). So this celebration included the fam (E, J, L and I), three grandparents, two aunts, two uncles and four cousins - oh and me! As you can imagine this was quite intimidating for me, I had met the family a week before in Valencia (blog will come eventually haha) but a whole weekend of Spanish was pretty daunting. I am starting to understand a lot but still can't speak a great deal which makes things hard, however, the family are so welcoming and lovely that it is never too bad for me. If we can't speak in Spanish, we try English (and also French with one of the grandfathers, who speaks French with a Spanish accent haha) and then finally we resort to hand gestures. I use a lot of these in my life now haha. So the whole weekend was a celebration, I ate far too much, was taught card games by the family and just generally soaked up the vibes of the village.
On one of the mornings I took a walk while everyone was still waking up and it was like I was the only person in the world, it was incredible.

My favourite collapsed barn haha

Landscape

Just me, no-one else around!

 The streets are small and plain but there are so many old abandoned houses that I would love to restore. It's sad that they end up like this but everyone moved to the cities so many of these family villages are full of abandoned houses. There is one church, one shop (I am the first kiwi ever to set foot in the shop of Aldehuela de Liestos - take that Edmund Hilary hahaha) and not much else! It was pretty mind blowing that in our technology mad generation, there are still places like this that are so untouched by it. The most high tech thing I saw was the speaker on top of the church. I only found this out because I was outside the house when all of a sudden "Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend" started playing really loudly and I couldn't figure out where from. Then I looked up at the church and it was blasting out of the speaker on the roof. It was the most bizarre experience - a song from the 50's(?) in English, filling the streets of a tiny town in the mountains of Aragon. So weird but hilarious! I apologise for the shit quality of the video and also the dancing Spanish people but I was too excited to think about what I was filming haha.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv_WI64_ioY

The village from the cemetery

Probs what you would consider one of the main roads haha

Padlocked doors guarding empty buildings are everywhere

One of the houses I want to restore

The well

Standard scene!

Colours

I love this house

The bar - only place I could get wifi

As well as my first experience in small town Spain, I had my first Catholic mass in a very very very long time. Now, the family know I'm not religious but everyone was going so they asked if I would mind going along/it was an opportunity for me to see inside the church (which was closed normally) so I said I would go. Oh my gosh, sorry Grandma and other religious friends, but it just confirmed my views. Even though I couldn't understand the majority I knew the priest was talking about the poor and the sick and the blah blah blah, then of course they ask for a collection. I had to wonder, how much of that collection actually goes to the poor and the sick etc. etc. That's what I can't stand. As well as that, the priest was praying to a cup of wine and a piece of water cracker. It's just ridiculous. Soz for the sudden serious tone/to the believers - I respect your views but sadly I cannot share them with you. Most of the time I was just fighting to stay awake but the worst part was that I was sat next the four year old cousin and she had a fan, and at one point she hit me in the head with it and it was so hard not to crack up! Then later she asked her aunt why I "didn't eat Jesus Christ" (the water cracker) hahahah. So cute.

Phew! Religion aside, I had an amazing time in the village. There are some amazing walks around the village and apparently the mountains are full of vultures which would be pretty incredible to see. I think I will be visiting again so maybe next time I can do that!

On the way home we stopped in a Medieval town called Daroca that used to have fortified walls and is surrounded huge mountains. It is such a beautiful place, even more so at sunset when the setting sun makes the surrounding rocks glow orange. Incredible, I am so lucky to see these places. So untouched by tourism, I love it!

Daroca

12th Century church on the right

So beautiful!

Awful picture, amazing view haha

Off on holiday to Asturias with the family today, will be away for most of August - hasta luego! xx