Day 6 | Learning ...Sometimes The Hard Way & Other Observations

So, I had a some 'firsts' today. I walked back down to El Born to see the Basilica Santa Maria, which was amazing. I still used my google maps (which was working again) to guide me down, and now I have an established mental map of how to get to that section. While down there my map feature quit again, meaning I couldn't connect to the internet. Thank you to those that provided guidance on how to download a map and use offline, but that only works for driving instructions and not walking instructions. My 'first' was that I was able to navigate from a new place all the way home without using the map. I was just a wee bit proud if I say so myself!

My second 'first' (does that make sense??) was that I was almost pick-pocketed today. In a church no less! I should have sent them to confession. It all happened in the blink of an eye, but when replayed in slow motion in my mind, they were quite good at their craft. Lessons for anyone coming to the area, or probably traveling in general - and Becca, thank you so much for the heads up. It saved me:

• They approached me speaking Spanish and asking me 'hablo espanol?' After responding three times no, I finally said 'hablo ingles' which is pick-pocket-speak for 'we've got a live one'. Mistake #1.

• There were three, two women and a man. One woman hands me her phone to take a picture of her then spends an inordinate amount of time with it on the selfie mode and fixing the flash, always trying to get me to hold the phone and look at her. This takes my hands off my purse and distracts me. Mistake #2.

• I keep pushing it back into her hands but she won't take it and she is always turning so I am not facing the other two. The other two pretend to talk with each other then get in side by side with me. The man's scarf then flops on top of my purse. And my purse has been unzipped. This would have been when he would have tried to retrieve it having his hands inside my purse and taking whatever with him

Thank you Becca for suggesting the double-zipper minimalist approach! I had my one credit card zipped inside a deep internal pocket inside the outer zipper of the purse. I also had my phone inside the second zipper. I had also stuffed a nylon shopping bag in the main compartment making it hard to see where the second zipper, or anything, was. When I saw the man so close and his scarf near my purse I dropped her phone and secured the top of my purse and walked away. I had everything in tack, but it was a close call.

Another thing that struck me in hind sight was so far, while I have seen so many people having good times and laughing, when I walk around they are not a people that look up and smile easily. They are reserved around strangers I think. This woman came right up to me, big smiles and handing me her phone to take a picture. One of Becca's pearls of wisdom was to always keep my phone very close to me, pick pockets have been known to swipe them off your cafe table if left unattended. For a stranger to hand me her phone hit me right off the bat as odd. All of what I described happened probably within 30 seconds, so in the blink of an eye...I was lucky.

And, after I was safe and sound I had the chance to look around and take some pictures (see below). It's a beautiful church. and would be quite special on Christmas Eve I think, pick-pockets aside.

There were other random observations today, less dramatic but amusing or interesting:

• I accidentally walked on to a movie set down by the waterfront. They weren't filming at the time, and I was quickly ushered off. They wouldn't say what the movie was....

• It is miraculous to me how cars can zip and then stop on a dime coming out of a one-lane/one way road to dodge a granny moving at a snails pace with her walker, emerging from a corner they could not see around, while she navigates other pedestrians looking down at their smart phones while walking their dogs, and bicyclists weaving between it all - a no one sounds the horn or swears. It's just life. Any moving form of transportation yields to the pedestrian, no questions asked. And they don't like it when you try to yield to them - then you've gone and just messed with their mind for no reason at all...

• Another thing about those one lane/one way roads, is if the lead vehicle happens to be a garbage truck picking up trash....very slowly.....every vehicle behind it has to wait until they possibly creep to an intersection where they can dodge out. There is no way around it. Or better yet, the one lane / one way road when the delivery truck stops to deliver something and is gone from his/her truck when doing so and cars back up behind and just patiently wait for them to get back. No horns, and seemingly just accepted. I can't imagine that in Boston

• If you shop and forget to bring your own bag, they charge you for the plastic bag - bravo

• Each block has at least one station with huge bins that both residential and commercial properties dispose of their trash. One for paper, one for plastic, one for bottles, one for food scraps/compost and another for other rubbish

• People truly do go to the local bakery for their daily bread

• In the evenings, after school and before supper, the neighborhood squares are filled to the brim with families and little kids. The kids play tag, or soccer and scream at the top of each of their little lungs - but in a good way. It feels like this is the free space for them just to be kids and play and yell and run it all out before having their meal

• The Spanish pout and PDA. I don't know if this is unique to Spain or not, but I have watched with great wonder and amusement at the interplay between men and women. The women have a keen ability to pout, or look bored with their men. The men due a brilliant job of coaxing a smile and response out of the women. Sometimes this goes in fits and starts, but the end result in unabashed PDA. Christ, I have a hard enough time simply looking up to see if there is anyone I know in the room, much less the ability to navigate or orchestrate this type of game. I wonder if they are just born with it.....

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