Ok. So far, not a whole lot to report. I have already managed to lose something, which should surprise no one. Fortunately it was not my camera, passport, money, sunglasses, thyroid medication, external harddrive, mini laptop, ipod, phone, shoes, patience or sanity. Though, that last one could be argued.

No, I lost my book. It was the book that I planned to read throughout my sojourn. No, in case you’re jimmy reading this, it is not a malazan book. I didn’t bring those. They’re big and space consuming and if I only brought one and finished it, I’d need the next and seriously..too much maintainance. No the book I had is one I’ve always wanted to read and the other day walked into the my sister’s closet on the drive and there it was.  Le Deuxieme Sexe by Simone de Beauvoir. I wasn’t even through the introduction and I left it on the first plane. I know what you’re thinking, yes it’s an easily replacable book. Get on with it.

Okaaaaaaaaayuh.

All that sightseeing I planned to do in Barcelona? Sagrada famila et al? Will have to wait until the next time I’m through. Cuz I slept through the afternoon and well into the evening. Mind you, it’s not like it was wierd when I went out for dinner at 10 pm(after spending an hour ransacking the room looking for my key which was under the television for some reason).  And from there wandered the streets alone, never being afraid for my safety, camera, wallet or virtue. (damn! I mean, oh happy day.)  If this one sojourn into late night barcelona was any indication, the men here are waaaay less sexually aggressive than in france. It could be argued that the warm temperatures make them lazy. Or the heat in their blood gives them the arrogance that it’s only a matter of time before you come to them, they don’t need to push. Either way, I walked all over the place completely alone, and was never harrassed once. Whistled at, called to, smiled at, certainly. But left alone.  And I wandered down some reeeally deserted streets.

Had dinner at a sushi place around the corner from the hotel. Very hip, atmospheric, good music, womderful people, patient as hell with my non existent spanish. (I keep accidentally using Italian, it hasn’t caused any international incidents…yet.) Great sushi, tuna with avocado and mango roll? Wassabi that comes in a perfectly formed cube? The manager making me wait because he had to run to a store and get change so insisted that I have a shot of whatever I wanted on the house?

After walking about, marveling at how picturesque everything is, how old everything must be and how lived in the city feels, I got thirsty.  Barcelona is  like a place you’ve lived in for so long, you can’t really remember what it looked like before you moved in. And it’s a place you love. (editor’s note. I’ve only been here a matter of hours. My opinion might, can and likely will change with continued exposure) I found myself on Carrer de Comtessa de Sobradiel outside a place called Harlem Jazz Club. OkAY! 7,50 to get in, a blues band playing standards to make any intimidated, nervous and slightly homesick girl (it’s just culture shock, it will pass. I don’t ACtually miss anyone yet. Tho there are a few I wish were here) feel as comfortable and delighted as can be. I danced with numerous people who spoke to me in crazy mixtures of  spanish, french and english. And while yes they hit on me like mad (you dance for me? I buy you drink? Where you go after now? I know a disco…we can go sal-saaaaaa) when I waggled my fingers goodnight (buenas noches) at 2 am there was no insistence that I stay or go somewhere else. They just waggled back.

Spain is very strange for me. I expect it to be like france, because they’re close and I’m accustomed to the strangeness that is french culture. But it’s not. It’s much different, how exactly I can’t say yet (aside from the obvious language, food, haircuts, eyebrows, fashion style, etc. ) I’ll have to do more exploring. It’s all very scientific you see. I’m on an anthropological expedition. It’s a macro and micro at the same time, that is to say, it is an experiment on how trish interacts with humanity on it’s own turf, coupled with how humanity acts on it’s own turf. I feel up to the challenge and appreciate your confidence.

I took lots of nighttime pictures, but I think I will have to wait to upload them. The interweb here (L’internetto for the linguists..just kidding, I have no idea how to ask for tea in spanish yet, much less interwebidity) is slowish and stalls every time I try to post pixtras.

I have a wakeup call in 2 1/2 hours, so I shall sleep because manana, it’s off to Malaga! And a week long detox retreat thing that I am very excited about. I don’t think there is internet access there except in emergency, so it might be a time before the next one. But until then I will take copious pictures, post them when I can and have adventures worthy of writing about in excess. How selfless of me.