Beach Volleyball on Sundays

There are many activities which take place on the beaches. Garth and I have been to beach volleyball a couple of times and have enjoyed it. There are some social groups which run volleyball games on the beach - and are free to join. We joined the Red Octopus group a while back and play volleyball with them on Sundays. There are usually lots of people of varying ages from all over the world that belong to the PulposRojos (Red Octopus) so it is always different faces you see each time. Several beach volleyball courts are set up and people usually join the group which best suits their level. My brother is pretty good and his height (he is tall) helps a lot. He just taps the ball and it flies over into the other half. I am not as good. I have a few good moments but nothing consistent. So we have been telling people we know about the beach volleyball on Sundays and many have expressed an interest in coming too.

Garth has just hit the ball

This Sunday we met Mel (the lovely Australian) and Zaida (the lovely Mexican) at 5pm and went over to play beach volleyball. When we got there, there were only two nets set up and quite competitive players playing. We had to wait a while before we could join one of the games. The game we joined was with very serious guys who played to win. The final score was 21 - 4!! A thrashing. I did not enjoy it too much as it was way too serious for my liking. Then a little while later Ludis and Liga from our Spanish class arrived and joined us. We had a fun, friendly game with lots of laughs and teasing. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed playing with mostly foreigners as we had fun along the way. The previous game with the locals seemed very serious and no fun. And it was not like that the previous times we played there. Just this week, they have pushed the level up a notch!! A fun time was had by all and I am sure we will go back next week - or soon. Then Mel, Garth and I went to a Middle Eastern eatery to grab a falafel - the best value meal in this city. Euro 3.20 each. After that we took a walk through cobbled streets of the old district called Born - which has some very trendy little bars, restaurants and shops.A great afternoon!

No, this is not me in a speedo! Other players.

A game in action!

Oh what a night !

And a day!

Yesterday was “Graduation” day for us Spanish students. I arrived on the school's terrace at 12h30 to find that the place was crowded with the teachers who had taught us during the course. There was a table, laid with typical Spanish drinks and snacks – Tapas, Tortilla, Spanish omelette, Sangria, Sumo... The students arrived in dribs and drabs. Mona being the first, and me the second. It was an awesome afternoon, spent chatting to our fellow students and teachers about their plans for the future and where they see their Spanish taking them. Some of the teachers are going to teach Spanish in other countries like Germany and Russia. Others will stay in Spain. Others will travel to Australia and Africa and see what opportunities come their way. The Polish group in our class – Iga, Monika and Jacek invited us all to have lunch with them at this affordable place near the Arc de Triomf. So Ludis, Mona, Guiu and I went to join them. The Polish students are here doing a 3 month apprenticeship in an Architectural firm so they work from 9 am to 2pm (then they come to Spanish class from 2 to 4) and then go back to work from 4 to 7pm – excepting Fridays when they knock off at 3pm. They said it is tiring and they may not take the next Spanish course. They invited lots of other apprentices from their firm to the lunch so it was a huge table with people from all over Europe. After our lunch we walked to La Rambla as the Polish students wanted to visit the MACBA museum which is nearby. When we got there they decided not to enter the entry fee was high. So we went into the free museum next door which they also battled to find anything artistic about. Reverberating echoes in a room, and a pile of Ikea magazines! Monika touched the magazines and the security guard was quick to come over and tell her it is forbidden to touch.

Lunch with the Spanish students and the Architect apprentices

Later on, we arranged to meet at the beach. The Apprentices (let's call them that as there were so many of them) were sitting on the beach when we arrived. Wine and beers were flowing whilst we sat and chatted on the sand. Then we played a game of piggy in the middle, standing in a circle and the person in the middle having to catch the ball whilst it was being thrown between the people standing in the circle. It was already dark but we got sweaty and hot doing all that “running and catching” on the beach. So it was time to swim. The girls had their bikinis on so they could swim. The Italian boys swam in their underpants. The Polish guys had speedos under their clothes so they swam in their costumes. I never anticipated swimming – since I have had a cold this week and especially not after Jacek told us that the the city beaches are dirty as the sewers flow into the sea! All that forgotten and me dripping in sweat, I got down to my underpants and for a swim in the sea. The water was calm, warm and refreshing. We played a bit of piggy in the middle in the sea before having a race to touch the buoys which mark the boundary of the swimming area. It was real fun. Swimming in the sea after midnight, in your underwear!! Then we made two teams and played a game of volley using the beach volleyball net. Just before 1am it was decided that enough was enough. Time to head home or to head out to nightclubs – for some of the young apprentices! A great day, full of fun.

Line Up For Your Freedom

For the past month I have walked past a Home Affairs Office (Passport and Identity Centre) every day – on my way to the school I have been studying Spanish at. Every day without fail there is a queue of people waiting to get inside the building – either to collect or obtain their official documentation. When I am leaving in the afternoon the queue has disappeared and the people have probably left with their prized documents. So what are the prized documents ? A little red book which has the most amazing advantages. I thought about it. What does the EU passport offer the beholder ? Why do so many people want EU passports ?

Join the queue for your little red book

The coveted little EU passport grants you many things. Freedom to travel the world and be welcomed into almost every country on the planet. It entitles you to a whole bunch of high quality services for free or little cost – education, health, safety, welfare and more. It allows you to live and work in all of the countries in the European Union. It affords the holder many more options, opportunities and privileges than people in other places have! Therefore the prized EU passport is a coveted possession. Why then do I see what looks like every Tom, Dick and Harry waiting in the line outside the Home Affairs Office to collect the coveted little red book? Shouldn't it be hard to obtain such a thing ? I took a closer look at the tariffs for the documents which that office issues. A measly 25 Euros to get your Spanish passport and 10.20 to get your DNI (document of national identity). Cheap prices for such coveted items! I think I will join the queue and get mine one day soon...

Tariffs for DNI and Passports

Bon Jovi rocks Barcelona

Bon Jovi

As I ran past the Olympic stadium on Monday night there was all sorts of noise and activity going on inside it. I stopped to see that a stage was being set up inside the stadium. On Tuesday night I when I ran past I noticed people had begun to camp (in tents) outside the stadium and were lining up. I asked one of the campers what they were waiting for. He told me that Bon Jovi was playing the next day. My brother, crazy Mel (who I have discovered is totally normal and so nice) hatched a plan to go to the Bon Jovi concert - without tickets!! The Olympic stadium is a topless stadium so the sound carries up and out of the stadium, into the surrounding atmosphere. Around the stadium are parks, the concourse and other public areas. So, armed with wine, snacks, Tinto Verano (Sangria) and beers we met and made our way to the stadium - guided by the voice of John Bon Jovi. "Please come and sit outside the stadium and listen to me singing" he sang... Mel brought with a pretty young German friend of hers, named Caren. Caren is from Germany but has done her university studies in Spain. She speaks German, Spanish, French and English fluently. She is now in the last month of her apprenticeship, in Barcelona. Apparently all university degrees in Spain include a mandatory apprenticeship as part of the degree. She is in her last month of her apprenticeship and then she is all finished up. So next month she is off to Brazil for 7 months. The joys of having freedom, mobility, accessibility and of course youth!!

Waiting to get in

So we sat on the concourse outside the Olympic stadium, listening to Bon Jovi belt out his hits - hard and soft rock. The crowds seemed to love the concert. "Ole Ole Ole" they chanted. "Otra Otra Otra" (another) they howled when he stopped, and they wanted him to sing more. He even changed some of the words in his songs to Spanish words - a nice gesture when singing to a Spanish audience. There were masses of people at the concert. He must be popular here in Spain but then again I am sure people from other countries also jetted in (with cheap flights on Easyjet and other low cost airlines), to hear their rock legend. It was nice to hear all those old hits of the 80s and 90s. It made me quite nostalgic hearing "Living on a prayer". The song is old but it still has a powerful impact. After giving the crowds a few extra songs Bon Jovi finally stopped and then there was a mass exodus and a mad rush for the buses which waited outside the stadium, to take people back down to Plaza Espanya - where the metro and bus lines run from. I did not have to rush back down to Espanya as my flat is just on the side of the mountain. So, a brisk walk and I was home and in bed. Another exciting, once in a lifetime moment!

Lines snaking around the stadium

Meeting other people

It is interesting meeting people in foreign places. I have met so many people from all corners of the world. Many of them are intensely interested when I tell them I am from South Africa. They show such interest and intrigue in the place. I find that most of the Spanish people cannot distinguish a South African accent from accents of other English speaking countries. Most Spanish people often think I am English – probably just because I am an English speaker. When I say that I am South African many have said “Wow, that's great or That's amazing”. I even had one Spanish guy tell me that it is so important that people like me come to Spain and he thanked me!! He thinks it is important for Spanish people to be exposed to other languages and cultures. So hospitable. It is amazing to hear what people think of South Africa. I have also met people who think South Africa is this exotic place (like traditional Africa is shown to be). I have to tell them that South Africa is the exception. It is not just plain traditional Africa. I feel compelled to tell people that South Africa is a very modern country with roads, airports, modern buildings, electricity, running water and modern infrastructure. Many are surprised. Some people are disappointed when I tell them that life in South African cities is often more advanced than life in a European city. Most European cities are so old and are historical – by comparison. Then I meet people who are totally unaware of what life in Africa is like. They think it is like living the role of Mogli in the Jungle book and love the idea of freedom and nature.

The worst I have found is when I meet people – usually nationals from other English speaking countries, who know South Africa better than South Africans. I spoke to an American guy who had done a degree in developmental studies. He knew Africa and the solutions to Africa's problems inside out, better than a professor. He knew of Julius Malema and what Malema is doing and saying. He said the Malema was crazy but then he said that South Africans are the most racist people in the world! I was appalled by the arrogance, ignorance and bigotry which he displayed. He had an answer to everything and knew Africa “intimately”. He has never been there and doesn't know the unique nature of the African way or the psyche of the African people. I was shocked how he suggested and believed in text book solutions to Africa's problems. People critiquing Africa always seem to do it from a Western point of view and have no understanding of the real situation and that Africa has its own culture, ideologies and values.

The Summer Heat

Fans Fans Fans

You are going to need one of these ! It gets so hot here that you need to be cooling yourself down a lot. Don't fool yourself about the "cool" Mediterranean climate. In Summer, it becomes the steamy "hot" Mediterranean climate. There is a lot of humidity in this city which also contributes to the heat. Therefore you see many people walking about fanning themselves constantly. Fans come in different colours, designs and sizes. Tourists, locals and many others seem to carry a fan to cool themselves down. People waiting at bus stops, passengers on buses, people waiting in the metro stations (this is the worst place as the heat underground is diabolical), people walking in the streets, people waiting in queues to enter tourist attractions often seem to sport a stylish fan. I saw a lady collapse and fall to the ground inside a metro station. To her rescue came some people bearing fans and wet facecloths. The heat had obviously got to her and the magic remedy was the little fan and the wet facecloth. It is extremely hot underground, that you break into a sweat even just standing on the platform. Yesterday I stood next to a guy that had beads of sweat dripping down his forehead as he stepped onto the train. "Please get yourself a fan," I thought!!

Los Torros de Espana !

Vendors have taken full advantage of the situation and have harnessed their entrepreneurship. Fans are for sale on pavements, in shops, on street corners, at fleamarkets.... Some of the fans are very stylish and sport bright and interesting colours and designs. So do I have a fan ? No. Not yet. They say August is coming and is the worst month. Maybe I will be forced to invest in a very stylish, elegant fan just to keep my cool!! Today it seems like the sun is being a little less punitive and maybe the heat will be more tolerable.

Buy a fan from a vendor

Friday Night - Party in a warehouse!

One of the students from my Spanish class invited us all around for a party on Friday night. The party was held at Ludis's place. Ludis is a free spirited American guy who is travelling Europe and has decided to settle in Spain for some time - with his girlfriend Liga - who is from Latvia. They are both in my Spanish class. Ludis is very friendly and open. He talks to everyone and is the type of guy that everybody will know as he very nice. Liga is also very nice, yet a little more shy and quiet. Ludis loves the attention he gets in class and likes it when the teachers compliment him. I told him that he is like the "eager beaver" who always needs the pat on the back for getting the right answer! He agrees with me!! So off we go to Selva de Mar metro station on Friday night at 9pm. Armed with drinks and snacks for a large crowd. When we got outside the metro station I realised that I did not have Ludis's cell number correctly saved in my phone. I phoned the number and got a child answering with "ci". Luckily, just after ending the second phone call to the wrong number, two of our teachers came walking around the corner. They at least had the correct phone number and called Ludis to come and meet us. Ludis told us about the huge (120square meter) place he lives in. So Garth and I were keen to see the amazing bargain priced flat he has found to rent. Ludis met us and walked us to his place. It turned out that the flat is what once used to be warehouse or some sort of building like that. Then it was used as a night club. Then he moved in. There is so much space in there that he could run a hostel with several dormitories in it. So the evening was spent talking to Ludis, Liga, Pablo (teacher), Guiu (teacher), Dan (a fellow student from the US) and some other people. Later on in the evening a friend of Ludis and Liga's arrived with a cardboard box in her hands. She revealed two small kittens in the box. The kittens were from her parents' farm and were meant to be resettled at Ludis and Liga's place. The reason why ? I would soon find out. There are huge mice running about the place!! Those two kittens were only 4 weeks old and could still fit into the palm of your hand. For the time being, I thought the kittens might be eaten by the mice!! The poor kittens lay asleep on a towel on the floor and a mouse came out to play, running all over the place whilst we watched it hiding from us humans - and the sleepy kittens!

Meet Up Social Group

There is an online network one can join called Meet Up. Here in Barcelona there are many Meet Up groups in the network. Once you are on Meet Up you can join as many or as few of the groups as you like. Some groups are for activities and other groups are for socializing. The groups include photography, wine tasting, kiteboarding, hiking, yoga, tai chi and all sorts of other things. Once you join a group you will receive emailed invitations to attend the socials or the activities which each group offers. There is a convenor/organiser of the group and he/she is the person that organises everything and emails everybody. You then have to pay 1 euro or maybe more (depending on the activity and what is included), to the organiser for each event you attend. It is quite a good concept.

On Wednesday night I went to a Meet Up social called American Happy Hour. It is called this because the group attending the meet up were going to go to the American Bar to meet with some American expats who live in Barcelona. I had never been to these Meet Up events before. Well, I lie. I have been to the running group - which is also a Meet Up group but that is for running! So, a number of people met and then walked over to the American Club for the Happy Hour. The venue had a nice big terrace so people stood outside on the terrace and chatted and mingled. Jose, the organiser brought newcomers over to introduce them to other members of the meet up group. Luckily for me, I ran into Mel (an Australian) whom I had met at the JCI conference in Tarragona, in June. So I spent a lot of time chatting to her and winding her up. She takes it so well. Ozzies can handle anything! They have such thick skins! I met many people from all over the world. Americans, Canadians, Mexicans, Colombians, Brazilians, Brits etc. It always interests me how many people come here from places I would not even have considered - taking into account the language and cultural differences. There was a Kiwi guy named Duncan who is here in Europe, doing a bit of a cycling tour. There was a tour guide from Denmark who lives in Spain in the Summers and then works all Winters taking Danish tour groups to Australia, Cuba or elsewhere. It is always interesting to find out the reasons why people are here. And as for Mel, she is just here to have FUN FUN FUN. It was a good evening with lots of laughs!

Pickpockets in the metro station

Today I had heart palpitations. I came close to being pickpocketed. I was walking through the underground passage to get to the platform to get the metro home – after school. Yes, I am back at school, as a student and not the teacher!! Today we really had a fun lesson. We had to work with food and produce menus and for a restaurant and then find out what each student had created. So after our fun Spanish lesson, I was on my way back home inside the metro station. Firstly, I ran into a Mexican girl I met at the International Expat Meetup event last night in the metro station too. Small world. In a big city like this I managed to run into someone I had only seen once before – the previous night!! So back to the heart palpitations! I felt something – hardly noticeable from behind me and turned around. Not even 10 centimetres behind me were three dark complexioned youngsters (definitely Gypsies youths). They stopped deadstill and had Barcelona city maps held up to their faces. I didn't know what was wrong but I had felt something pulling. I then took my backpack off my back to check if all was in tact and I noticed that the back part of my backpack had been unzipped. By now the gypsies had walked off in the other direction. I was in panic mode and could not even think straight. I felt around in the part of my daypack which was now unzipped and did not know where my wallet was. P A N I C. My first thought was what do I do if my bank card is stolen??? I chased after these thugs and found them rendezvousing with another 3 gypsy boys and walking down another passage - with city maps disguising their faces. A dead giveaway that they were up to no good. I was still digging in the other part of my backpack and could not feel my wallet amongst the collection of things in there – hat, bottle of water, keys, cell phone, sunblock, sunglasses, camera, loose coins and the whole kitchen sink!! Thoughts going through my mind were : Can they use the card to withdraw all the money like the criminals in Africa do? What do I do to cancel the card ? Problem Problem Problem. At last... my hands felt the leather wallet. Relief... So I walked back to the platform with the stress having subsided. As I waited on the platform I noticed 3 station guards on walkie talkies charging off in the direction from which I had just come. I thought perhaps those gypsy youths had just got away with someone's bag or purse. Thank goodness not mine today. A nasty wake up call though!!!

Metro station

Train arriving

Study Spanish for free

International House - where we study Spanish

Well almost free... That is what the course is advertised as. It actually costs 40 Euros. The course runs from Monday to Thursday, two hours per day, for a month. So July is the month that my brother and I are "studying" Spanish. Before signing up, we told the course organiser we knew no Spanish and would need the beginner class. So our first 2 days of "learning" we spent in the beginner class. The teachers in that class spoke only Spanish and were talking about things way above our level. We were at a total loss! We discovered that there is a Preintercipio (Pre-beginner) class and voluntarily downgraded to it. The class is more fun as we do basic and easy things. The other learners in the class are fun and interesting too - more so than in the beginner class. We are at more or less the same level of knowing very little!! None of us knows what is going on half the time though. The teachers also speak only Spanish! The teachers of these Spanish courses are trainee - teachers who are teaching us in order to build up their practical teaching hours.  Before they can qualify as teachers they have to have a set number of practical hours under their belts. They teach in teams of 4 or 5 teachers per lesson. Each trainee teacher teaches for about 30 minutes, and the next teacher just follows on from where the previous one stopped. I like the team teaching approach. It flows nicely. What I don't like is that the teachers do not use English to explain or clarify aspects which learners do not grasp. This is because their lesson crit - who sits at the back of the class, assessing the student teachers, will penalise them for speaking English. Yesterday, one of the student teachers apologised (in perfect English, after the lesson) for not being able to explain clearly what we did not understand in the class. He explained that he is not permitted to speak English during the lessons. Quite bizarre, when there is a class of learners who stare at the teacher and do not know what is being said or requested of them! This makes for difficult learning and lots of confusion, and humour! We laugh a lot because none of us know what is going on much of the time. These teachers!!! Use English please!!!!

Hard at work !

Polish students love Spanish!

La Rambla and surrounds

La Rambla

Spanish Architecture

After our Spanish lesson today my brother and I took a walk up to Plaza Catalunya, which is no longer the home to a hippy colony. The hippy colony were evicted some time back and the square is a tourist drawcard once more, with its fountains in operation once again. We took a walk down La Rambla, which is a pedestrianised avenue that is full of hotels, shops, and street vendors. Walking down La Rambla requires a lot of patience because there are crowds of people everywhere. The Summer crowds have arrived and you hear all sorts of languages being spoken everywhere. It is like a maze, with people coming into and out of side streets along the Rambla from all directions because in the surrounding streets of Gotica and Raval (neighbourhoods) there are also many hidden places of interest, shops, bars, restaurants and squares. As you walk down La Rambla you are constantly shuffling out of the way of street performers, street vendors, people trying to sell you tickets to a show or a bar tour or beggars. The buildings along La Rambla are quite old and there are some good examples of old Spanish architecture. We walked off into one of the side streets and came across a very old building which happens to be a museum. The building was obviously a church at one point but is now an art museum.

The Museum which we visited

The type of art that is displayed was very odd.  As we entered the building we noticed the holy crosses which were engraved into the stone walls of the building. There was little else beside some black speakers, which had a series of banging sounds coming out of them. The banging sounds seemed to reverberate and create an echo in the empty building. There was also a pile of IKEA magazines which had been glued together in an ornate way. My brother was astonished at the type of art and commented on the awkwardness of it. The security guard on duty looked at us both and shrugged his shoulders - seemingly in agreement of our disbelief. Thank goodness entrance to the museum was free as we were alarmed at what constituted the art which was on show in that museum. As we came out of the museum we were approached by a drunk Brazilian with dreadlocks who came to introduce himself to us in English!! Then we saw other poor and possibly jobless people lying about outside the museum next door, which is called MACBA, and is the city's number one contemporary art museum. We did not visit MACBA today as we decided to call it a day and may come back to that one on another day. This is one crazy place!!!

Stall selling pets in La Rambla

Stall selling sweets in La Rambla

Street performers

Street performer

Glorias Market

Shoppers

Stalls everywhere

After two days of cloudy skies and rain, the sun decided to show its face again. So this morning I decided it was time to head out to buy something. I needed a new pair of shorts so I thought I would go to the famous Glorias market. Glorias market is touted as one of the top ten things to see and do in Barcelona. It is a fleamarket which has all sorts of things for sale. The Spanish name for the market is Encants Vells but it also commonly known as Glorias Market because the fleamarket is located at the metro stop called "Glorias". Right next to the fleamarket is a shopping mall called Glories - which is a modern shopping mall with all the chain stores that are popular in Spain and in Europe as well. So, formal trading right next to informal trading. The fleamarket is open four times a week - Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday mornings. There are hundreds of stalls and tables all over the place with vendors selling their wares - both old and new items. Many of the items are "Made in China" but that does not deter the eager shoppers who are looking for bargains. The shorts I bought are one of these such items - Made in China!! The fleamarket is set among some very old and dilapidated buildings so it often feels like you are looking at junk in a junkyard. The vendors seem to be mainly Moroccans or other North Africans. The things for sale range from new shoes, clothing, fabrics, toys and kitchenware to second hand furniture, clothing, books, tools etc etc. The place is a hive of activity with both locals and tourists (with their cameras strung around their necks). The walkways between the stalls are so full, you are jostled through the walkways by the crowds. There are eager buyers all over the place - looking at, buying and deliberating buying things. There is a good view of the Torre Akbar (Akbar Tower) from the market. Akbar is an extraordinary shaped building of modern design in the city. It is also locally known as the Green Suppository or the Giant Dildo as it looks like those items... It is home to many corporate companies as it is a tall building with many floors. During the day it is green in colour but at night it is lit up and boasts red hues in the dark.

Second hand antiques

Akbar Tower

Africans in Barcelona

This place is full of foreigners. Many are tourists who just pass through and many are other European citizens who have as much right to live here, as they would have to live in their own EU countries. There are also many people that live here, who are not European. There are Africans living here but from what I can gather, there are not too many of them. You do not see many dark skinned (African) people here. Many of the Africans staying here are legally here now because Spain has a policy of granting legal status to illegal aliens who have lived here for a period of 3 years. Such leniency! If more people knew this, they would sneak in here... Many of the African men become vendors, selling pirate goods on the streets near tourist hotspots - to the tourists who happily pay for the bags, sunglasses, jewellery and other goods which these guys sell. They are obviously under pressure when doing their work as it is not legal trading or perhaps some of them are not here legally. They always work in groups. They carry their goods in a large cloth which they lay on the pavement when they get to their chosen street. They stand near one another and one of them keeps a look out for the police - while they try to sell their wares. As soon as one of them sees the police he alerts the group. They all grab the four corners of their cloth (with the goods inside it) and sling it onto their backs before they hoof it. Usually, to a metro station (the police have no jurisdiction over passengers inside the metro) as the metro police have jurisdiction there. So they are safely out of harm's way when in the station or on the trains. Yesterday my brother and I were getting onto the metro when an African woman interrupted me to tell me that my backpack was not zipped. I panicked and thought I might have been robbed but I had not. She told me that the Metro is a high risk place and I had better be careful with my possessions. I better pay more attention! Anyhow, I chatted to her and asked many questions. She told me she was from Nigeria but now lives here. She has been living in Barcelona for 9 years already. She said that she is now a permanent resident. She only has one year left until she can obtain her Spanish passport. She works in a hotel as a receptionist. She said that she tried to go to Ireland before she came to Spain all those years ago but was deported on arrival in Dublin. So she made her way to Spain and is now a permanent resident - who is just a short way from getting citizenship and a passport! Today as I walked past a home affairs office where there are usually long lines of people waiting to collect their passports and identity cards I noticed some African women with babies waiting outside - obviously having just collected their identity cards or passports. The easy way for Africans to become Europeans!

Please buy something ?

Welcome to our newest Europeans!

The Clean Up Team

Spraying the streets down

As you can imagine, a city like this can get very dirty. With the amount of people that live here and the number of visitors passing through, this place can generate enough waste to fill the landfill sites of a small country, in a day. I often notice clean up teams hard at work in the city. A good sight! When you consider how much waste is being generated, there needs to be constant cleaning and removing of rubbish. The trucks which remove the rubbish empty the dumpsters several times each day. There are many dumpsters all over the place as people have to bring their own rubbish down from their apartments and then sort it into the appropriate dumpsters. The pavements are my pet hate. I find I have to keep my eyes fixed on the ground when I am walking on the pavements - in order to avoid standing in dog poo, spit or vomit. It is most annoying. You cannot lift your eyes off the pavement otherwise you may just land in something not so delightful.... The number of people who have dogs here is unbelievable. The dogs live in flats or apartment buildings and the owners bring the dogs down to the street or the park a couple of times each day. I have even seen big dogs like Dobermans and Rottweillers in the parks! Some dog owners take responsibility for their dogs and pick up the poo, whilst many seem not to do so. This really has to be the worst place I have been in terms of dirty pavements. Parisian pavements have nothing on this place. It is mainly small little French poodles which poo on the pavements there. Paris is sparkling clean by comparison. That said, there are teams which clean the pavements continuously. There are sweepers with brooms and there are guys who spray the pavements down with power hose pipes. And there are trucks with rotating brushes on the front and back of the truck, for scaling and polishing the roads. Certainly necessary - considering how dirty the place can become. On Summer nights or during fiestas the bins in the streets usually overflow with bottles, cans and other litter. It can be a problem as the litter just accumulates on the floor. Used bottles and cans often lie all over the streets where the party goers have been. Signs of a good party I guess. The Spanish - and possibly the tourists alike, do not need an excuse to have a good time. Life is a good time!

Sort your rubbish before you put it into a dumpster

Cleaning the streets

The musical line up

It has been an overcast and cool day in Barcelona today. A nice break from the scorching heat and high humidity I say. It rained at about 6pm. I cannot give up my running fix so I ventured out after the second bout of rain which was at about 10pm. I set out at about 10.30pm - in the dark. As I stepped out the front door of the building I heard what sounded like an old Janet Jackson song. I didn't know where it was coming from so I thought it must be someone playing music loudly on the rooftop or a balcony. As I ran, the song became louder and clearer. I heard a voice saying "I love you Barcelona". This could not be someone listening to a cd! So I followed the sound of Janet Jackson up the mountain (Mont Juic) and bang, there at the Poble Espanol (the Spanish Village - which has an open air stage) she is. I could not see very well as scaffolding and crowds of people between me (on the outside) and her (on the inside) made it impossible. But I could hear her loud and clear. "It's all for you " was the song which caught my attention. I asked the security guard (in my limited Spanish - Janet Jackson es aqui?) and he confirmed it. There were groups of people just sitting on the grass outside and listening to the music. I was meant to be running so I did not hang about to listen. I decided to continue with my run and then come back via the Poble Espanol on my way back, to stop and listen for a while. As I ran around the mountain - about 40 minutes in time - I passed another of the open air theatres - where another concert was underway. There are so many things on the go here. It is amazing. I wish I knew what was going on before hand so I didn't have to discover these things only when I head out for my run.The joys of running! Running enables you to see things you would not otherwise see and to discover things you least expect to discover. I was just thinking about how many concerts have been on here in the last month. Shakira, Ricky Martin, Black Eyed Peas, Janet Jackson and Rihanna in the space of a month. These are only the ones I know of. There many be others which I did not know of. This city is definitely on the touring itinerary for the musical artists. I have got to get to some concerts and not just run past, listening from outside!

Poble Espanol - Spanish Village

All for you?

Harley Davidson Show comes to Barcelona

This weekend just gone, Barcelona was home to the Harley Davidson Bike show. The Congress Centre in Plaza Espanya was ablaze with the sound of roaring Harley Davidson bike engines. The plaza was full of stalls selling biker wear and gadgets for biking. There were models of the latest bikes all over the place. I would never have guessed that Harley Davidson produces some of the types of bikes I saw. Colourful, exotic, eccentric. You name it, it was there. 

Parking in the square is reserved for Harleys

There was a fun atmosphere with biker enthusiasts all over the place – eating fast food and drinking cerveza. The Churrerias were doing a roaring trade with the kids who wanted chocolate con churros - a long thin type of doughnut which is dipped in melted chocolate. A real sugar fix. The pavements on Gran Via (Huge Road) – outside the square were jam packed with non Harley Davidson bikes. Spectators who arrived on other types of motorbikes – not Harley Davidsons – were not allowed to park their bikes in the square. The parking in the square was reserved only for the Harley Davidsons. Very elite!!

Parked Harley Davidsons

Harley Davidsons come in all shapes and sizes

The Harley Village was where the latest and greatest of Harley Davidsons could be seen. Wow, lots of money dripping around in there. The spectators came dressed in their leather bikers gear – well some of them. It sounded like bikers from other parts of Europe had jetted or ridden in for this event too. English accents and German accents could be heard. All seemed to enjoy themselves and the prevailing biking atmosphere.

The Harley Village

Another mean machine!

Mont Juic

The cable car which you can take to the castle on top of the mount

As I have mentioned Mont Juic previously, I thought it is time to give more details about Mont Juic. There are so many museums, sporting facilities and parks on the mount so I decided to walk about it today and take some pics of the most interesting attractions. I did not get up to the castle on the top though. That will have to be another posting - perhaps when I go up there to listen to the Jazz In The Park concerts which are held from 8pm every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Plaza Espanya, the square at the bottom of Mont Juic, with the Magic Fountain

Palau Nacional - which houses the museum of Catalan Art

A stone's throw from where I stay and literally on my doorstep is the area of Barcelona, known as Mont Juic. Translated literally, Mont Juic means Mount of the Jews. It must originate from the days when many Jews lived on the mount. Jews always know what is prime real estate! Location location location... It is not easy to recognize Jewish people here today though, as not many people show obvious signs of being Jewish – which is sometimes easy to notice because of the clothing or headwear Jewish people might wear. Back to Mont Juic... It is a mount or hill which is located near the centre of the city of Barcelona. On the mount itself, there are a number of tourist attractions. Many of them date back to the 1929 International Exhibition and the 1992 Olympic Games which were both held in Barcelona. The tourist attractions on the mountain include : The Palau Nacional (National Palace - which now houses MNAC - Museum of Catalan art), Font Magica (Magical fountain with music and illuminations at 9.30pm ), Poble Espanol (Spanish Village - a collection of houses built with Spanish architectural styles), The Olympic Ring (a collection of sports facilities which were built for the 1992 Olympic games), The Olympic Tower (a communications tower built for satellite communication of the 1992 Olympic Games), Castle of Mont Juic (an 18^th Century fortress, used for defending the city). It was another scorcher of a day here today so I braved the heat and walked about taking photos. Many of the sporting facilities were in use today - the baseball fields, the pools and the Olympic stadium - which hosted a rugby tournament this weekend. It is good to see that these once Olympic sporting facilities are still in use today, 20 years after the Olympic games. There are many parks and botanical gardens sprinkled all over the mountain as well. This makes it a good place for running, cycling, walking or just being outdoors. The parks were full of tourists seeking a cool spot to regain energy or families having a picnic. There are commanding views of the city, the port and the surrounding mountains from Mont Juic. Mont Juic is Mont Magic !!! An interesting place.

1992 Olympic Aquatics Centre

Baseball game in progress

Stadium of 1992 Olympic Games

Olympic Diving Centre

Olympic Museum of Sport

Sun bathing on the concourse leading up to the Olympic Stadium

Olympic Tower