First blog post from Spain

August 6 2009, 8:40 am

Landed in Barcelona at 8 am yesterday… weird day of getting situated and trying to beat the jet lag. Spent the morning settling in to the new apartment, which is great except for the fact there is no air conditioning and no fans (must go on a quest to find a fan today!!). Kara and I ventured out mid-morning to figure out the metro system…I wanted to be sure that I would be able to find my way to school once Kara leaves. It was easier than expected, other than the fact that the school has the wrong address published, but we found it nonetheless. We did pretty good navigating our way through the underground minus our first attempt to exit…we couln’t figure out how to get out, there was nowhere to put your ticket and we somehow managed to get stuck in the handicapped aisle. Turns out, you can just leave the subway without swiping your ticket (unlike NY which makes things very confusing)….Perhaps it would be helpful if I practiced public transportation in America before attempting to be a pro in a foreign country???

Around noon, we stopped in a neighborhood pub for a beer and we were also given some complimentary bean and fake crab salad, it wasn’t that great but it was a nice gesture.

The afternoon was filled with a siesta (I have a feeling I am going to get accustomed to siestas very quickly). After siesta and my second cold shower of the day, Kara and I went to meet up with Todd and David for some rooftop cocktails, more heat and then a quick jaunt down to their room to sit in the a/c. I’ve decided that some point on this journey I may have to whore myself out in an attempt to sleep in an air-conditioned room!!

The random crew of us headed down to Barceloneta for tapas and wine on the beach. The weather is much cooler and peaceful down that way…And, I definitely understand why the Catalunyans eat dinner at 9 pm—it’s way to hot to do anything civil before that hour.

After dinner, we strolled back through the marina and the city center. The first night’s sleep was pretty restless. The combination of the jet lag and the heat made for a very uncomfortable evening. I woke up at 4 am unable to go back to sleep. Thank God for the Sex and the City DVDS and Facebook!!

Today’s tasks include the following:

1. Sight seeing. We’re going to see the Sagrada Familia, Gaudi house and potentially the Picasso museum.

2. Find a fan so that we can sleep this evening

3. Find a market so that we can consume fresh fruits and vegetables (apparently the Spaniards think that jamon and potatoes are a complete source of nutrition).