Days 8 & 9 | To & Fro

I feel as though I am migrating a bit away from being a tourist to a member of the neighborhood. Several shop owners now know me and what I like, I am counting my euros with proficiency, and am speaking rudimentary common phrases that others actually seem to understand and I no longer need Goggle Translate for the daily things. "Thumb drive' (computer memory stick) apparently is still 'thumb drive' but with a Spanish accent ;-) They also will often start long conversations at a rapid pace while I look on interestingly only to discover in the end I did not understand a word they spoke. So that must mean I don't look like a tourist (!) That has always how it has been for me with foreign languages. I can compose and read, but understanding a native who speaks at the speed of light is where I seem to get stuck. And in Barcelona there is both Catalonian, which is more like Italian, and there is also Spanish, which is often quite different. It's hard to know in advance, of course, who speaks what.

And speaking of Catalonia and Spain, today I had an interesting experience. I have been writing on several occasions that I want to get down to the beach. Last night I had the opportunity to talk with my brother, Skip, who had been here with my sister-in-law Jen, in October. He told me what section of the beach to head to so this morning I plotted my route.

It was basically down through the Gothic Quarter again and then beyond. A route I now know well. As I got closer to that section I noticed large groups of people wrapped in the Catalan flag marching in the same direction and chanting. And the throngs kept growing. And growing. And the chanting was getting louder and louder. A Catalan Separatist protest was a brewin' (pictures below and movie on FB). Just a few months ago Catalan leaders were jailed for trying to separate from Spain. There were police everywhere and helicopters hovering above the plazas. There was a bandstand set up and as I got closer to the main plaza I stopped to ask a police officer how to get where I was going. Through quite broken English he was able to tell me basically to turn around and head home. Had I read my news before I headed out this morning the Spanish Cabinet was in Barcelona today and people were not happy about it. Apparently I got out in good time as things in certain sections turned ugly, [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46645340 & https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41584864].

So I had a very nice walk back to Gracia through yet another route along a parallel path, and I can now say I am getting to know this city quite well. I stopped at my Moroccan restaurant for my main meal, which was now at 3PM (I'm acclimating!) and that will carry me through the evening. There were two men at a booth next to me speaking perfect English so I introduced myself. One was from Acton, MA teaching English as a second language (I thought of you, Alex!) and the other was from Barcelona but had lived many years in London. I have to say it was nice to hear English. Since I arrived I have not encountered many people that do, so while I find it fascinating to figure it all out and navigate, there is an odd realization at the end of the day, when you travel solo, that you haven't really had a conversation with anyone that day!

I had a similar desire to have another English-speaking person with me yesterday when I walked down to the main train station very close to the waterfront. It is rightfully a grand station in a metropolitan city and while I have navigated these before, it was usually either in an English-speaking country or I had someone to translate, or at least figure it out. I'll admit it was a bit intimidating. I have been planning a long day-trip out of Barcelona for next week and making sure I was looking at all the right tickets, etc. was confusing. I decided to do more research from home and perhaps purchase the tickets online. Over a nice large mug of tea this morning I decided to head north to southern France to a small town called Beziers, which looks lovely. [https://theculturetrip.com/europe/france/articles/the-top-10-things-to-see-do-in-beziers/]. It's about a 2 1/2 hour train ride and will provide me with about 5 hours in the town before having to travel back to Barcelona. Travel day TBD. There will be other shorter trips I can take over the next few weeks, but this may be the main adventure.

Also, upon Becca's suggestion, I signed up with an international expat organization made up of professionals from around the world. I've already been asked to an event and will plan to attend events after Christmas. It's sort of a friendly LinkedIn geared toward people working away from their home. I received 8 "twinkles" today, which is an interesting term used to say 'hi'. This may be my group of english speaking folks who very likely have fascinating stories of their experiences over the years.

Otherwise I am settling into the living part of this month away, with yoga and my morning walk and stair climbing (pics below) - I'm not up to running them yet, but that would be a trick if I could before I leave - from desk sitter/couch potato to stair runner, says the optimist. I didn't take as many pictures over the last few days, but I have included a few more of things I find beautiful or fascinating.

I have also enjoyed catching up with friends over WhatsApp and Zoom calls. I was able to talk with my brother for over an hour last night! And it's been wonderful hearing about everyone's preparations for the holidays, work endeavors, and planned time off. With the automagic of technology today it's like we don't even have to be that far apart! Safe travels to everyone as they begin their holiday adventures!