the spainiest of spain

My Parisian adventures have come to an end and the ones since have been entertaining and not entirely without incident. Recently, I’ve ended up being unintentionally shuttled off to a random town in the French country-side, spending a night on a sidewalk and I can no longer walk without limping (all unrelated)… and, yes, I am still enjoying myself.

My last few days in Paris, I spent a decent amount of time around the Luxembourg Gardens. At one point of longing for familiarities, I opted to see a film: “La Faille” (Subtitled, not dubbed) I’m not sure what it’s called in English, but it’s starring Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling. It was enjoyable and seemed strangely surreal. You also learn a lot of new French words this way. I went up the Eiffel Tower one night (actually my birthday–mildly bizarre) and stayed there for a few hours until dark when the city lit up. I began to enjoy attempting to speak French.

After a 24-hour trek through France and Spain (NEVER get on the wrong car–this is very important) I arrived in Madrid. It’s difficult not to compare cities; having no expectations for Spain, I was quite pleasantly surprised. Madrid was much warmer (figuratively as well as literally) than Paris or London and the atmosphere was much more lively. I wouldn’t have been entirely surprised if a party had broken out at any given moment. Speaking Spanish is an interesting challenge–French is at least familiar even when not entirely understood. The Reina Sofia is, of course, wonderful (and Dali’s work is much more satisfying than that in the Dali Espace Montmartre in Paris).

Barcelona is, as one might imagine, seemingly consumed by nightlife. The architecture is awe-inspiring–it’s definitely a gorgeous city. I’ve spent most of my time wandering through Old Town, but even the newer areas are very well designed. La Ramblas at night is very interesting. Catalan is the official language in Barcelona, but Spanish seems to be sufficient.

I had originally considered heading out to the Cote d’Azur, but had decided against it. Julie has, however, convinced me to make an excursion out to San Sebastian for a couple of days before heading to Italy. Travelling through major cities is very enjoyable, but I find myself getting worn down, constantly on the go. I will look forward to a couple of days of good beach-times.

I swam in the sea today. It was so cold I was the only one in (it wasn’t that bad by Canadian standards–you’d just hear a whole chorus of “Well, it’s warm once you get in there!”) The beaches are quite lovely and I enjoy the vacant horizon (and are apparently at war with my ravaged feet who are not accustomed to the jagged terrain on which they must plant themselves).

Salt water is really gross. If someone were to offer you a glass of freshly-scooped salt water, it would be best to decline.

It’s getting more into tourist season and it’s starting to get harder to find places to stay (so much for spontaneity) so I may end up camping in Rome. Food is always good. Sangria, banana juice, tapas, and yet more bread. When I was in Paris, I discovered Nutella (it had somehow eluded me all these years). Hazelnut chocolate in the form of a sandwich spread is a dangerous thing.

That concludes my incoherent update. I hope it was informative, thought provoking and catalytic in creating stricter environmental protocols. I must now go to bed.