The two days we spent here were fantastic. Due to crappy internet in Paris I wasn't able to research hostels as much as we wanted so I we had were names and web addresses. Upon arriving we didn't know where to go but had a general vincinity. So we went there and started walking in search of these hostels. We found a cyber cafe and got some addresses. Of course when we got there they were full and had no availability. We were refered to a hidden gem...Hostel Olivia. This was another test of my anxiety and taught me a new lesson: Learn from your mistakes. Planning is efficient but spontenity can uncover hidden gems. This place was great and defintely a hidden gem. I felt like we were living in someones home or apartment. Claudestro, the owner of the hostel was so sweet. She was probably in her 70s and was there 24h....7days a week. We had an interesting view of some buildings outside our window. One was an open hole in the wall and the other was the doorway to someones house. At one point 3 little Spanish children were running up and down the galleyway and their dog would chase them. I tried to get one of them to pose for a picture but I could only get them in action. I was able to take a picture of a kid helping his mom collect all the laundry from our hostel. He was very photogetic.
Barcolena was beautiful all the way around...articheture, people, weather.... It was also very clean and people were so friendly and willing to chat. Of course, it helps when you know the language. Levi saved me there and was able to communicate with everyone. He even got complimented twice in one day on his Spanish speaking by two of the locals. His communication with the locals brought about several interesting stories...one being that when a taxi driver learned we were from America, he automatically related it to Western Movies...Clint Eastwood and John Wayne. We saw Temple of Sangia Familia which is a church that has been under construction for over 200 years. After seeing it, I can see why...the detail is so intricate and colorful. Hopefully pictures will do it justice. It is supposed to be completed by 2012.
The second day here we just wandered around. Levi got an idea to stop at every bar we saw and have a drink and tapa. I said ok, but only if we could mix it in with some shopping. Needless to say, we had a lot of fun. We stumbled upon a church. It was amazing inside. Little did we know that a wedding was also about to happen. We were able to catch the bride getting out of the car, but didn't stay for the wedding. The next bar we stopped in had the ten commandments for being lazy or relaxation. Levi is going to properly translate it, but he did his best during our time there. I think it was fate as some were directed totally to me at this time in my life such as:
1. Don't do today, what you can put off till tomorrow.
2. When work assults you or the desires of work assult you, sit down and wait for them to pass.
3. Do as little as possible, let everyone else do it.
The funniest thing so far on this trip was our last night in Barcelona. As we were wandering the streets, some wasted lads from England approached us and literally and very seriously asked us, "Do you know where we are and where we are supposed to be?" Of course they had no name or address when we were asked that. How the heck are we supposed to know where you need to be? LOL! They finally found their hotel card and I gladly took it as if I knew the city like the back of my hand. Somehow Levi and this lady got on the subject of Connecticut. She asked him..."How far is Connecticut from here and how do we get there?"...all as if she wanted to go right then. LOL! Oh, so funny. I eventually got them instructions to where they needed to go and was proud of myself for being able to understand a enough of Spanish to tell them. Levi has been slowly trying to teach me key words.
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