Barcelona Bullfight. Mixed Emotions.

Outside, there were anti-bullfighting supporters out side the plaza holding signs and blowing whistles. Inside, the plaza was rather empty.The atmosphere was the opposite. It was new and mysterious, but it had a sense of pride and tradition. My anticipation of greatness and my excitement of what was about to happen gradually faded as the first fight continued. We watched 6 bullfights; in other words, we watched 6 bulls die. Not exactly the most exciting or innocent thing to watch, and we quickly found ourselves hoping the bulls would somehow get the matadors. It wasn´t until the fourth fight, that we witnessed just that. The matador was hit, snagged, thrown into the air, dangled from the bull´s horn, gored in the buttocks, and pinned to the ground before others could help to get the bull away from him. It was awesome!...but then the injured matador returned and killed it. Dang! The bulls really have no chance of survival, which is why, in my mind, bullfighting is more of an art than a sport. As we watched each fight, we picked up on the process, as well as the techniques and skills of the matadors. The failures/mistakes are marked by whistling from the crowd and the successes by applause. Overall it was very interesting and a great experience, one that I don´t think I´ll need to see again, but nevertheless it was a look into a different culture. I´m still not sure what I think of the whole thing; I´m not totally against it, but I´m definitely not sold on it.

One thing led to another...

That was a Brian Regan reference... here are the middle stages:

After some dude on a horse stabs it with a
long spear, some other dudes run by and
put those red & white things in its back

The dude with the red thing (el matador)
just stabbed the bull with a sword
(through the shoulder blades and into its heart)

Off to the butcher
(this happens right away and then the meat is sold
 in the local markets, which was nice to hear)

El Millor Dia

My first full day in Barcelona may very well be the best day I have had in Europe. We (Eney and I) saw experienced a lot, but not too much. We did not feel the typical tourism exhuastion that we have had during and after other long days. The day started out around 11 am (sleeping in probably helped with the fatigue factor) when we headed out to la Plaza de Toros Monumental (Barcelona´s Bullring). Our goal, in our minds distant yet achievable, was to get tickets to the bullfight that night, which was far easier than we expected. We were so jacked that we would actually get to see one after failing to even get the opportunity in the other Spanish cities. Tickets in hand and excitement all around, we set out to kill some time before returning to see the controversial tradition. The closest thing that was circled on our map (things we wanted to see) was the Sagrada Família. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. This church has been under construction since 1882 and is, in my opinion, not even close be being finished, although there is an estimated completion year of 2026. The architecture (by Gaudí) is amazingly unique and intricate, from the supporting columns to the stained glass. It is so different from all the other massive churches and cathedrals I have seen here. I would love to have the opportunity to come back at some point in my life to see it completed.

Tree-like columns and palm-like ceiling

Beautiful stained glass

4 of the 8 towers that are complete (view from other towers)
Construction on the roof for the Central Spire of Jesus Christ
It will be 170 meters (approx. 560 ft) high!

Then back to la Plaza de Toros Monumental for the bull fight. More on this in the next blog but here´s a picture.

What better way to cap the day off with Barcelona´s water fountain version of fireworks. A 15 minute show consisting of constantly changing colors and shapes set to classical music (seriously like fireworks). I was impressed.

Spanish Capital

Madrid, the capital of España, had the feeling of exactly that. It is a big city with a more modern/western feel. The culture of the area is a bit more hidden than in the other cities in Spain but it is there. We walked up and down the streets and through the plazas (maybe even too much). I really enjoyed just being in the city and not having to fill the time with tourist things; it was relaxing.  Here is some stuff I saw here:

A look down Gran Vía,
one of the main drags with big buildings lining the sidewalks

Palacio Real (Royal Palace)
I can´t imagine living in a place this big and extravagant
(no photos allowed, bummer)

La Guernica by Picasso
Pablo may see things differently,
but he sure can express emotion

Pomegranate

I think Granada might be on the top of my list as of now. Im not sure if its because of the city itself, the way we spent our time there, or if its just the most fresh, although I think it is a combination of the three. We only spent two nights there but we did a lot, without overexerting ourselves... On second thought, we really only had one full day and we did cram that day full of sights and "going." I would have loved to stay another night, not only to have taken a more relaxed approach, but also to see somethings that we didnt get a chance to. One of the best things we could have done was taking the free (5 euro donation) walking tour, during which our guide casted some of us tourists as characters in the city´s history (Eney was a great Cristóbal Colón/ Christopher Columbus). It was very interesting to know how and why and what everything was and it made seeing all the sights much more meaningful. The walking tour took us around the old part of the city, el Albaicín, for about 2 hours.

El Albaicín (more so the top half w/ more trees)

Then it was off to La Alhambra. Check this out for a quick history if you would like: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra It is an amazing place, as I hope some of the following pictures will show.

One of the many amazing (and green) courtyards

One of the many amazingly intricate ceilings
(it is very 3-dimensional)

Handrails con agua
(there were really streams of water flowing
down the handrail, this is my artistic side)

La Alhambra
(from el Albaicín at night)

After Alhambra came food. Then back to the hostel after an aborted attempt at seeing the Cathedral (it cost 3.50 euro, which seems cheap, but we have seen lots of cathedrals and we were very tired). The other guys had begun to get settled in for the night when I brought up the idea of going to see the Sacromonte caves, caves that people live year round (above the top right of the ´el albaicín´ photo). One of the tour guides friends actually got a cave handed down to him from some relative, which is nice cuz he doesn´t have to pay taxes on it. Needless to say, the guys didn´t really want to go so I went on the adventure alone. The caves ended up being semi-difficult to get to and semi-erie once I got there (it was dark at this time). I would still say it was worth seeing, plus it was a good time to be alone to think. I slept so good that night.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, Pomegranate is Granada in English...hence the title.

Sevilla & Rest

My time in Sevilla was very good overall. It´s a bigger city, full of culture and winding roads. It´s actually very easy to get turned around and lost. Oh, and it´s frickin hot! It got up to 43 degrees Celcius, thats 109.4 degrees Fahrenheit according to google. It was miserable at times, but we managed to avoid it just enough to make it through our time there. As for the sights, we saw el catedral and el Alcázar, probably two the top tourist stops. The cathedral was massive and the gardens and architecture of el Alcázar were amazing (pictures are below). We also tried to get tickets for Los Toros (a bull fight) but there were no bulls in town that weekend, I guess.

In the middle of my time in Sevilla I began to notice a change in my attitude towards the guys and about travelling in general. Mostly, I was getting frustrated easily. I needed to change something, so I took the whole of the next morning to be by myself. I wrote and read and thought about things, it was so good. I could do whatever I wanted and I didn´t have to consult anyone. Don´t get me wrong, I love travelling with the fellas (in fact, it would be nearly impossible to travel this long without them), but it was great to get some time alone. Not only was that specific time good, but it translated to my time with the boys; I felt renewed.

El Catedral-Giralda
A massive Cathedral (3rd largest in Europe)

Gardens of El Alcázar
a royal palace in Seville, Spain, originally a Moorish fort

The Grotto & The Nudist Beach

Don't worry, I didn't take any pictures at the nude beach, and we really had no intention of ending up there when we started. It's just funny how things turn out sometimes.

Here's how it all went down:

We ended up on this beach (not too bad).

The Beach

We started swimming in the beautifully clear and refreshing water and noticed that other tourists were getting into little tour boats and heading down the beach. We had heard something about a grotto (cave) and it sounded cool enough to check out, but not cool enough to have to pay some dude to take us there. A combination of frugality and our sense of adventure took over and we decided to try and swim along the coast to see if we couldn't get there by ourselves (typical American guys). It wasn't as hard as you could imagen but we did swim for a long time, taking breaks on rock formation in the water or on secluded beaches. We actually swam around and through this funky rock on our way.

The Funky Rock

After a while, without any hints that we might be getting closer, we were thinking of turning back. I went to check out whatever was through an arch in the rock, what I thought was an enclosed cave, and found that it just went on along the coast. But it allowed me to see that there were some sailboats and a yacht anchored not too far from where we were. A kayaker-by (a passer-by but for kayakers) confirmed that the Grotto was just up ahead, but he also mentioned something about a nudist beach. Just to keep it straight, we did continue on but with our destination the same as it had always been, the Grotto. This is where it gets funny though. We get there, the water entrance of the cave, a cave big enough for the tour (motor) boats to enter and turn around and exit, and we talk to a local about swimming into the cave. He says its possible and that there is a way out (like a secret passage way) once you get into the cave. At this point not only am I excited that we made it all the way there, but now there is a secret passage way that takes you onto the beach, awesome! So we follow this dude and this wife, I think, into the cave (in between boats) and find that it was totally worth it, at least in my opinion. And the secret passage way, through which you have to swim amidst rocks with only a foot or two of space for your head, was like something from the movies (the whole Grotto experience was something like Pirates of the Caribbean). It took us right out onto the beach, which just so happened to be the nudist beach and also, the guy that we followed through the cave... completely naked. It was a very new and different experience as we walked across the beach and up the stairs and out of sight.

Go On Tip!

Has anyone heard of Hurling? I had not before my stay in Dublin but now I am a die-hard Tipperary fan (that's our flag in the picture). Anyway, hurling is a mixture of football (soccer), lacrosse, and hockey. It's fast paced and very intense, with plenty of scoring and contact. We took a risk in buying tickets for 30€ before we really knew what we were getting into, but it turned out to be a semi-final match of the Irish League (GAA) Championships. We happened upon some confident Tipperary fans who persuaded us to route for Tip. It was great to be on the winning side!

Guinness...mmmm

Guinness is a very tasty beer, in my opinion.

At the Crown Bar...
A famous bar in Belfast
it looks more like a church inside than a bar

We toured the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin
I poured that very pint...perfect

Downhill

We stayed in Downhill on the northern coast for 2 nights, but we all agreed that is should have been more. The hostel was amazing and the owners, who we knew through some connections, were so generous and hospitable. Macall actually cooked us dinner both nights, what a blessing! it had been a long time since we had had a proper home cooked meal. I have now swam in the Atlantic Ocean. Eney and I walked back from town through the train tunnels, one of them being ~625 metres long. It was so dark and a bit exhilarating.

From a bluff above the hostel

The light at the end of the tunnel

The Luck of the Irish

Since we first arrived in Ireland, things have been going our way. On a train from southern Ireland to Dublin, Joe and I were interrupted by Tina, who upon seeing that we were playing cards invited herself to join. We were caught off guard at first, but hey, we'll roll with it. Next thing we know she pulls out two tall boys of Bud for us and insists that we take them (because the beer on the train is too exspensive). We played a poker with her until she had to get off the train, at which point she gets out two more beers for us. "Being nice costs nothin," she said several times. She sure was nice and kinda crazy too, but like she said, I'll never forget Tina. On that same train, Joe and I also met a especially nice (a very different type than Tina) older couple, Ilene and Herald. Long story shorter, we capped off our stay in Northern Ireland with Ilene and Herald. They took us (Joe, Brock, and I) to their house for tea and buscuits, then to some tourist sites (The Giant's Causeway & Dunluce Castle, pictures below), then back to their home for dinner. We were so blessed.

Ilene, Herald, and their home

Giant's Causway
Hexigonal columns of rock formed by volcanoes...
...however I believe the myth that a giant built them

Dunluce Castle
the ruins of a very cool cliff's edge castle,
on which C.S. Lewis supposedly based Cair Paravel

TMNT

For those of you that don't know, I used to (and still do) love the Ninja Turtles. This is a bit of a different take on them but it is also where they got there names...

Leo

Donney

Raf

Mikey

I thought I was in Europe?

Here are a couple things that made me feel more at home...or I just think are kinda funny.

Sleeping Beauty's Castle... just like it is in California
...and the main street is still Main Street U.S.A.
...but its in France?

Yes, this is Lady Liberty...
...only miniature
(its actually kinda weird to see it so small)

Paris in 2 Days

Paris happened fast. We crammed as much of Paris as possible into 2 days (probably too much). At the end of each day my feet ached, my head hurt, and I could barely keep my eyes open but I wouldn't have had it any other way. Here are a few of the monuments and churches:

Sainte Chapelle
Amazing stained glass

 Basilique du Sacre-Coeur (Sacred Heart)

Eiffel Tower
We climbed 704 stairs to the second level, great view

The Lourve
Such a big frickin museum...overwhelmingly awesome

Notre Dame
We also got to go up to the top

Cap'n D's (aka Cap d'Ail, France)

We made it to the French Riviera, the beautiful town of Cap d'Ail. We couldn't pronounce the name so we called it Cap'n D's, an inside joke that is really not that funny but it makes us laugh quite frequently. Travelling here wasn't the greatest experience (sleeping on trains and in stations with some disagreements along the way), but seeing this when we finally arrived helped...

As soon as we had put our things away at the hostel, we were headed to the water. It is so blue and clear; and so refreshing but not too cold at the same time. Later that night we pretty much cleared out a buffet in town; it was the American thing to do, right? The night was capped off with conversation and laughter and mosquito bites on the patio outside the hostel overlooking the Mediterranean. Not bad in my opinion.

And then waking up to this...

Also not bad.

Carpe Diem

This is out of chronological order but I forgot I wanted to mention it quickly because I think it is pretty cool... Anyway, Joe and I were on our way to meet the guys in Gimmelwald and we had to transfer trains in Köln, Deutschland (Cologne, Germany). It was late and we hadn't gotten much sleep on the previous train, needless to say, we weren't in the most adventureous mood, in fact, we were thinking we might just stay in the station and try to rest. We didn't do that though. We went for it. "The city is right there, let's walk around for a bit." And as we walk out the door we see this...

... a bohemoth cathedral. It is so big, the pictures don't even capture the magnitude and shear size of it. I just thought is was cool that we almost didn't even go outside... SEIZE THE DAY

Beautiful Gimmelwald

I have been wanting to post something for a couple days now but I am just getting the opportunity tonight. While Joe and I were in Amsterdam, we went to the Anne Frank House, the actual office building and 'Secret Annex' where Anne and 7 others hid away for around 2 years. I had heard the story before and been amazed before, but walking through the house and hearing/seeing it from a new perspective was really powerful.

'The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature, and God' -Anne Frank (Feb. 17th 1944)

I really loved this quote and I totally agree with Anne, in fact, I think it's good for anyone.

A couple of days later, Joe and I meet up with the other fellas in this place...

...it couldn't have been much more on time. The heavens, nature, and God right there.

I can't really describe the beauty that is Gimmelwald, so ill try to use pictures:

Mountain Hostel

The boys together again! So good.

Swiss National Day...
Just as we all lit our Swiss lanterns it begins to pour