Roses are red, violets are blue, if you don't watch your step, you'll step in dog poo. Classy? yes. When we first arrived in Barcelona, the aroma of ammonia filled the air as we walked into the place we were staying. If there was one thing about Spain that I never expected, it would be the dogs. Most are abnormally large, wonderful for those days you miss siesta time because you can just ride the dog around like a horse (joke). I think I was most shocked by the lack of a leash law. Owners will be walking a few hundred yards away from their pet and the dog WILL follow them. It is like nothing I have ever seen, if dogs were that well trained in the US, I doubt I ever would have gone through that awkward"terrified of dogs stage". That being said, there is also an exorbent amount of "surprises" on the sidewalks.
When we first arrived in Barcelona for the weekend it was around 12 am. Perfect time to go explore the city without a map, right? Ha, well after about three hours of wandering around in search of the place we were staying I quickly learned two things: the night life in Barcelona is pullin' an all-nighter (we had plenty of people to ask for directions even at 3 in the morning, and when we did get home, the club near us had a line out the door at 4 am) and I learned that the right pair of shoes is the difference between walking can be fun and pulling a move from the movie SAW and cutting off your feet.
The next morning we woke up and went to this outdoor market. It reminded me of a scene from a movie where the hero runs from tent to tent in order to escape the bad guy. There was beautiful jewelry next to dirt covered VHS copies of Snow White, ironic yet WONDERFUL. Since I was thinking when I packed for the weekend trip that "backpacking" meant literally wearing your backpack at all times, I had not packed a purse. So 2 euros later, I put my little wallet in this bright yellow gaudy purse (it's actually pretty cute but you get the idea). The one thing I loved so much about the market were the books. There was one tent that had mounds of books and was continually bringing in more as we looked around. I instantly found the one thing I wanted from Spain (an antique Bible in Spanish). I cannot begin to explain how excited I was to hold this whole new way of looking at the Word.
After the market, we went to La Sagrada Familia, a beautiful church. The detail in the architecture was so intricate that you could spend your whole life looking at it and find something new. One thing I liked about this building was that it is continually being worked on and has not been finished. In the words of Meg Ryan from You've Got Mail "It's a tribute to the city, the way it is constantly changing" and getting more beautiful.
I hate to stop this blog post right in the middle of my story, but my roommate's computer needs battery fast. I was told not to bring your computer to Spain but as much as I use hers I wish I had. Consider this as one of those newspaper stories, like Dandelion Wine, you get a little each week. In the next post I will tell you more about Barcelona, seeing Bethany Dorius (high school friend) in Alcala...can you sing It's a Small World with me?.... and the bullfight I'm going to tomorrow morning (if tickets do not run out...fingers triple crossed).
That's all for now! Except this, K Norris, you were right; the other day a woman sat next to me on the bench when she could have sat somewhere else. Very sweet!
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