Adventure #4: Barcelona



Statue of Christopher Colombus



This weekend Mark and I went off to Barcelona.  Mark actually had to be there last Monday for work meetings throughout the week, and I left Aix on Wednesday afternoon to meet him.  Mark drove down with his coworkers and I took the bus.  Reason being is because there are no direct flights from Marseille to Barcelona.  Quite odd, if you ask me.  Both cities are the 2nd largest cities in their respective countries, yet there's no direct flight.  You have to connect either in Paris or Madrid.  So odd!  Anyways, my bus ride took 7 1/2 hours!  I could've flown home in that amount of time.  At least I had my iPhone and could watch movies during the ride.

When I arrived in Barcelona around 9pm, I met Mark and his coworkers for dinner.  I was a little late, but the paella which was served tasted delicious.  Plus, the wine was a welcomed treat after my long trip.  On Thursday, while Mark was working, I ventured next door to the mall.  I was anxious to try out my Spanish skills once again, slightly nervous that I would get it mixed up with French.  Upon entering the mall I realized that I would be way more confused than anticipated... I completely forgot that Barcelona speaks "Catalan", not Spanish.  Regardless, a mall is a mall, and I was able to keep myself occupied until Mark came to meet me for lunch.  The mall had some adorable little outdoor cafes, plenty of tapas restaurants, too.  Eventually I realized that most people in Barcelona speak English, so I would be fine.

"El Diablo"

Once Mark returned to his work meetings, I took the subway into town, not really knowing where to go or what to see.  To my surprise, the subways were SO nice!  My guess is that the public transit system was redone for the Olympics in the 90's.  No matter, they were clean and easy to use.  (If only Chicago could develop a similar, non-odorous type of transportation like Barcelona's.)  I got off the train at Vila Olimpica and just walked along the Platja de la Barceloneta until I reached the Rambla, one of the main streets in Barcelona, filled with shops and street venders.  Then I wandered up the Rambla, checking out the beautiful architecture, the shops selling pets (birds, lizards, guinea pigs, etc) and the "human statues" dressed like different characters: robots, cat woman, aliens, fruit trees, and more!  I even ventured into an open art gallery with some extremely, extremely odd figures.  Impressionist, maybe?  Not too sure since everything was written in Catalan.  There was a statue of "el diablo" - the crazy chicken!, the Giants of Barcelona, statues of crazy-eyed sheep and goats, and two half-woman half-pigeon figures.  Finally, I made it to Placa de Catalunya at the end of the Rambla.  You wouldn't believe how many pigeons (actual pigeons) were in the plaza.  Seriously, it was like a see of birds surrounded by a bit of cement.



Mark's Stein Beer

Seeing that it was almost 5 pm and I was getting cold, I decided to have a glass of wine at the Hard Rock Cafe (really expanding my horizons) and wait for Mark there.  I was delighted when the bartender told me that someone had bought my first glass of wine.  How nice!  I was slightly put off when I saw that it was some creepy looking guy in a cowboy hat.  Still, I raised my glass and mouthed "Gracias".  When he came to say hello, he asked if I was Venezuelan.  Huh?  Really, no clue how he thought that, but since his English was poor, I could only conclude that he thought I was someone else... some Venezuelan woman, apparently.  Thanks to his lack of English vocabulary and my lack of knowledge of Catalan, the Spanish cowboy with rhinestones set in the middle of each of his upper teeth, went back to his seat and left me in peace.  After Mark arrived and enjoyed one drink with me at the Hard Rock, we walked around the west side of town some more before dinner.  Of course, I had to take him to see "El Diablo"... the picture will most likely end up in the RV (in tribute to Ricky Bobby).  We did stop at one bar which made Mark's day, month, year.  They served beer in stein glasses!  Aurevoir/Adios 8 oz beers... Mark's getting a stein!  We then met up with Marie for an "early" dinner (8pm is early in Barcelona).  If only Mark was here to help me write this section of our adventure because by this time I had had my share of white wine.  I remember that dinner was delicious - Mark had a steak with Bernaise sauce and I had fish.  At the end of the night I was determined to find the Irish pub we visited 2 years ago when we spent 1 night in Barcelona.  I didn't remember the name of the pub or the hotel next door where we stayed, but I knew it was somewhere in the Gothic area.  Surprisingly enough, we didn't find it.



The next day was much clearer.  Mark was done with work early (I slept in, of course), and after checking out of the hotel we took the train to Marie's apartment in Gracia, on the north end of the city.  Since Marie had several projects due the following week for her classes, Mark and I let her be while we went out to experience the city together.  I had gotten in touch with one of the Sales Managers at Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona, and she kindly invited us to come see the property.  It was GORGEOUS! of course.  We did a short tour since the hotel was full and we couldn't see the rooms.  Upon entering the spa, I was greeted by a wonderful and familiar smell of the relaxing salon products.  Just wish Mark and I could afford to actually experience the spa.  At the end of the tour we received 2 drink coupons for the Banker's Bar, which was really generous of our guide.

Following our tour, Mark and I hopped on the hop-on-hop-off bus to tour the west side of Barcelona.  Since it was already 4pm we didn't hop-off, but it was nice to learn more about the city.  Plus, now we know for the next time where we want to actually visit during our stay.  For all of our soccer-friends, the bus tour went past Camp Nou, the stadium for FC Barcelona.  We obviously didn't go in, but it was quite impressive from the outside.  I can't imagine what it would be like on a game day, but I hear it's pretty intense.  After our tour, we walked over to see the Sagrada Familia.  Sadly, it was 6pm and the church was closed so we didn't get to see inside, but I've been told that the outside is more impressive anyways.  Something to see next time, too.



Banker's Bar at
Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona



Friday night we went to a wonderful tapas restaurant with Marie in Gracia.  Afterwards we went back to MO for our free drinks at Banker's Bar.  Apparently the bartender there won the award for best bartender (or mixologist) in Spain.  Not sure if he was working Friday night, but if it was him, then he is also the slowest.  No complaints, though.  It was a great atmosphere to be in while waiting for our Banker's Martinis.  Following drinks, we headed south near the Rambla to meet some of Marie's classmates and to go to a night club.  We arrived around 12:30 am, but the club was still not open.  So we went to a nearby pub and waited until 1:00 am when the club actually opened.  Marie's friends are all very entertaining and very nice people.  By 3:00 am, Mark and I were ready to head back to Marie's apartment since we wanted to wake up at a reasonable hour and do more tourist stuff.  However, we were told by her friends that the night was just starting!  At 3:00 am?  Seriously?  They party late in Spain.  Regardless, Marie said we could go, and I went to get my coat out of the coat check... little did I know what a shit-show that was going to be.  Sorry to curse, but I have no clue how else to describe it.  Did I mention that Europeans don't really get the concept of lines?  This was a clear example.  Well, the "line" was quite long (people waiting to CHECK their coats), and once you got into the little area in front of the coat check counter, it was a mosh pit.  People were pushing and shoving and cutting in front of others to get closer to the counter.  Others were tossing their coats up to friends further up in the mosh pit so they wouldn't have to wait.  Basically, it took me over 30 minutes to get my coat back.  Never again.  If we ever end up in a club in Spain again, I will leave my coat at home.



Sanctuary of Montserrat



The three of us were able to wake up at a reasonable hour on Saturday morning, so we took the train to Montserrat, just outside of Barcelona.  The train ride in itself had some entertaining moments, like the musical duo in the subway: one man playing an achordian and the other "playing" a violin.  First of all, it didn't sound like they were even playing the same song.  Second, the violin was so intensely out of tune that we were all in agony.  I was tempted to give him money just to stop playing, but then I figured with the language barrier he might not get it.  So we endured the "music" for a good 10 minutes only to be greeted by another musician at our train stop.  The second train ride, which was about an hour, was music-less, thank goodness!  We got off just before Montserrat so we could take the cable car up the mountain instead.  It was pretty cool.  At times it actually looked like we were going to hit the mountain!  I'm sure that the view of Barcelona and the Mediterannean is beautiful, but eventhough it was a sunny day, there was a lot of haze over the city, so we couldn't see much.  Just another reason to return!  It was still a beautiful view, and I scared Mark by sneaking up on him and giving him a little push while he was overlooking one of the cliffs. (Don't worry, he didn't fall off the mountain).   After checking out the view, we went to visit the church, which I believe is just called the Sanctuary of Montserrat.  The church was absolutely breathtaking.  I took so many pictures because of all the intricate details throughout the building... it was still hard to capture the beauty of this church.  We did a little more walking through the town before catching the cable car back down the mountain.  There was still more to see, but we'll have to save the additional hiking for our next visit as well. 



Bar El Rincon



When our cable cab reached the train stop, we still had about an hour before the train arrived.  Luckily, we saw a sign for Bar El Rincon which was right next to the train stop.  Once we saw Bar El Rincon we wondered if we should actually go.  From the outside it looked a bit shady, but as it turns out, the place was pretty cute... it would be great in the summer.  So we enjoyed a drink at the intriguing train stop bar before heading back to Gracia for the night.



Overall, Mark and I had a wonderful time, as we usually do on our little adventures.  It was great to see Marie, and we hope we can go visit her again before she finishes school, which I'm sure we will.  Plus, now we know a little more about Barcelona and what to see next time!

French Class, French Parties, French Football

I started receiving a newsletter for Mark's company and learned that they are offering French classes to spouses of ITER employees at L'Institute des Etudes Francaises pour les Etudiantes Estranges (IEFEE), which means I started taking French classes last week.  The classes include 10 hours per week of French language/conversation... a great review for me about a lot of what I have forgotten over the past 7 years.  I am also taking an elective class on the Mythology in Art - all of which is taught in French.  Hopefully my skills will be back in full force soon.  In the meantime, I'm already sensing some improvement.  Plus, I've met a few people through Mark's friends at work who will help me practice conversation when we're out.

Last week and this weekend proved to be quite festive.

On Tuesday I attended a "Tastevin" with members of AAGP, one of the groups I joined in Aix.  A Tastevin is basically a wine tasting.  Someone from the group hosts it each month.  Since it was a "school night", Mark was not able to join me, but he was missed.  Several of the members work with Mark, which is actually how I heard about the group.  We tasted wines from a vineyard in the northeast region of France.  I wasn't too impressed with the reds (too oaky for me), but I did buy a bottle of the Chardonnay.  The charcuterie and cheese served with the wines were actually my favorite part of the night, including chevre (goat cheese).  That and getting to know the members of the group better was a true highlight.  I'm excited because Mark and I will be hosting the Tastevin in April!

Friday night was an Aperitif Dinatoire, hosted by IFIP, the other group I joined.  Many of the members are the same people who are involved in AAGP which is nice because I get the opportunity to do a lot with them.  Mark's boss and his wife were the ones hosting Friday's event, and it was an absolute blast!  An Aperitif Dinatoire is like the evening version of a brunch.  Normally it should start around 6:00 pm, but since it was a Friday we had to wait for people to get settled in after work and started at 7:00 pm.  Rather than a sit-down dinner, it was just a buffet of appetizers, and delicious appetizers at that, plus a lot of great wine!  After a few hours of eating and socializing, we teamed up to play a game about idioms.  Some members of IFIP are Americans/English and some are French.  So we each had to write an idiom in our native language, put it in a hat and then draw a new one.  We teamed up into groups mixed with French and English speakers to continue the game.  Once we drew a new idiom we had to come up with 3 definitions for it, 2 false and 1 true.  If you read an idiom in English, the French speakers had to choose which definition they thought was the true one and vice versa.  It was a little tough for Mark since he couldn't understand what was being said during the French idioms, but one of his team members was helping to translate for him.  In addition, Mark's idiom of choice was the hit of the night: "Up shit creek without a paddle."  The French thought it was hilarious!  The French woman on my team turned to me and asked, "What's a creek?"  Overall we had a great time with our wonderful company.

Saturday was the crazy party night.  After enjoying a beautiful 60-degree day in February (sorry to all you Chicagoans stuck in 2 feet of snow), we headed to Mark's co-worker Mike's house for the start of our Poker Run party.  Mike had bought quite a few bottles of white and rose champagne for the evening, along with several delicious cheeses, foie gras (which I liked) and caviar (which I did not like).  At 10:00 pm we ventured to our apartment (since Mike's building has a noise ordinance) to continue the evening's festivities.  Of course, our dear friend Phil has this obsession with a pink and purple wig known as the Tina Turner wig.  I made the big mistake my very first weekend in Aix of putting the wig on while at O'Sullivan's and dancing around the bar to Tina Turner's hit "What's Love Got to do With It".  Ever since then the wig has followed Phil during every night out.  I like to think of the wig now as Bud Light - a sure sign of a good time.  Needless to say, the wig made it atop my head on Saturday night while we blasted Tina's classic hit.  At least I was not the only person to sport the wig that night.  I have photographic evidence that quite a few people were enthralled with the wig as well.  Since the champagne also accompanied us from Mike's apartment to ours, it made for an evening of sing-along, dancing and even our friend Tanja being hoisted into the air by two guys, Gregory and Mike, and then Gregory dancing around the room with Tanja on his shoulders.  I'm pretty sure the party went until 3am, but we don't have a clock in our living room, so I can't be sure.  Regardless, Mark and I received several texts on Sunday (afternoon) thanking us for a wonderful night.  Looks like we'll have to do it again soon.

Once Mark and I finished cleaning the apartment on Sunday, we decided yet again to take advantage of the gorgeous weather in Aix.  The Argonautes were playing at 2:00 pm, so we moseyed over to the Stade Georges Carcassonne to see what an American football game would be like in France.  Yes, Aix has its own American football team.  Surprisingly, there were a few hundred people at the opening day game.  It was kind of like a high school football game, I guess.  Still some very odd differences.  First of all, the announcer was quite energetic and slightly more informative than most.  In the States we are used to them saying the name of the person making the play and the stat of the play once it has been completed.  In France, the announcer gives the audience (which is situated only on one side of the football field) a full play-by-play throughout the game.  And as I said, a very energetic play-by-play.  What was funny was that he would even describe what the penalties meant over the megaphone so that the fans could understand the technicalities of everything taking place.  At half time Mark and I walked over to concessions, just a little "booster" table selling t-shirts, sodas and chips.  Definitely reminicent of a high school game.  I still want a t-shirt next time we go, though.  The most intersting aspects of half time were the following two things: 1. The teams didn't have locker rooms.  The players just sat on a bench next to the stands and rested there.  2. One of the refs came into the stands to say hello to his girlfriend and friends and to take a cigarette break.  Something else to add to my list of "Things that make you go Hmmm..."  What threw me off the most was the dance team that came out at the beginning of the second half.  To preface, this game was obviously NOT being held at an "NFL-stadium"... think high school again.  It was a field that was used for both soccer and football, and the dance team performed on the track surrounding the field.  Back to my point, they began dancing at the start of the second half... while the game was being played.  So the announcer would be talking about the game plays and then all of a sudden shout "Soul Force!" - the name of the dance team.  Mark and I were like, "Shouldn't they have been performing during half time?"  At least we got to see real football on Superbowl Sunday, regardless of the quality of play.  Plus, the Argonautes won 28-0!  Oh, and did I mention that the head coach of the Argonautes used to be a punter for the Kansas City Chiefs.  Yeah, that's right.  Go Argonautes!