Friday, August 26, 2011

Europe 2002 Trip Reports Part 5 Barcelona Day 1

This is the 5th of a series of posts recalling my trip to Europe, using e-mails sent at the time. Unlike later trips, I didn’t e-mail people everyday. Trip reports are largely as I wrote them at the time with two exceptions: 1. I was usually pretty rushed due to Internet fees in Europe, so I’ve cleaned up my e-mails to make them more coherent, which wasn’t a priority at the time. Also, in some blog posts I’ll add additional thoughts with the hindsight of nine years later or to add further clarification. I’ll use “NOW” in such cases.

This 5th report covered my leaving Madrid for Lisbon before returning to Madrid briefly.

[NOW: I’m pretty sure it was during the trip to Barcelona that I had to switch trains in the middle of the night, though I can’t recall which train station. Everyone had to stay in a clear glass cubicle while waiting for their train. A drunk got up and urinated at the entrance to said cubicle.]

Made it to Barcelona yesterday morning, Got a few nice pics in the morning but spent most of the day on the beach. It was the first time on a Mediterranean beach. Quite pleasant. Lots of nice palm trees.

[NOW: It was also the first beach I went to on the trip that fit the stereotype of the women all tanning topless.]

Got a bit burnt though. As I’ve mentioned in the past to some, I always wear my shirt on the beach. Very wise move or I’d be in real pain now. I did wear 45x sunscreen but sun still got through. Part of problem may be that I accidently left my cap in my room.

On way home I asked someone directions. They didn’t speak English but did speak French so we were able to communicate that way (I think I said something along the lines of I lost myself rather than I am lost but it got the point across).

At around 3:00 this morning a fight broke out in my room re; who belonged in which bed. It made me feel a lot closer to View Towers.

[NOW: I cleaned this up for the blog, but in the original draft of this report, connection issues turned all my apostrophes into the number 4.]

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