Thursday 23 July 2009

Old teenage hopes are alive at your door.

A: Hola, soy ------. Puedo hablar con -----?
B: Ah hey ------, what's up?
A: Nothing, I was just calling to wish you good luck tomorrow-
B: Haha thank you, I'm gonna need it.
A: You scared?
B: Yeah, a lot.
A: Bueno, don't worry... In any case you still have me, if you need me you can- send me a mail or something. And no se, it might be hard at the beginning but in the end it will work out.
B: Yeah, but I guess that's how it has to be.
A: Yeah, I don't know. Uhm... Well that's it... No se, good luck. Uhm, bye
B: Bye
A: ...
B: ...
A: ...
B: ...
[hangs up]

No se, I probably shouldn't have hung up, and asked you to speak. Or maybe tried to reassure you more? Told you everything you mean to me. But oh well, I didn't quite know what to do... At least I hope you understand that I tried to call because I care, in my special way. (I do hope you don't read my blog.)
Ehmm yeah

A few hours now, goodbye.

One, Two, Three, Four
Tell me that you love me more.
Sleepless long nights,
That is what my youth was for.
-Feist, 1234

Monday 20 July 2009

Bye Bye, Blackbird

"That was his most perfect idea of heaven's happiness: mine was rocking in a rustling green tree, with a west wind blowing, and bright white clouds flitting rapidly above; and not only larks, but throstles, and blackbirds, and linnets, and cuckoos pouring out music on every side, and the moors seen at a distance, broken into cool, dusky dells; but close by great swells of long grass undulating in waves to the breeze; and woods and sounding water, and the whole world awake and wild with joy. He wanted all to lie in an ecstasy of peace; I wanted all to sparkle and dance in a glorious jubilee."

- Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights

20/07/09

Sunday 19 July 2009

Back.

I am back from my trip to France, with five camera rolls to develop (we'll see how the pictures turn out). I had a great time, and think I'll be going back there, at least to visit. Maybe to live for a while. It's an amazing place, and my grandfather is probably right when he says that it is "sin duda, la ciudad mas hermosa del mundo" ("without doubt, the most beautiful city in the world"). He used to live there as a university student on a grant, and also later on as a newlywed couple with my grandmother, I believe for a year. Interestingly enough, I believe they saw Ingrid Bergman when they were there, and they refer to her as a 'horse of a woman'.
Check my previous post to see what my trip was about.

The Odyssey

Day 1:
I hop on the car, we drive all the way from Barcelona to La Charite sur Loire, on the Loire River in France, where some family friends have a Chateau (amazing house, 14 rooms).

Day 2:
We go biking. An hour into the ride, and on the furthest point on our itinerary, it downpours. The rain stops just when we get back to the house. I was wearing new clothes. Still, it was lots of fun.

Day 3:
We go across the countryside looking for castles with the family friend, an archaeologist. In the afternoon we go to a village which has (had) a castle. It was demolished in the 16th century, because of a siege.

Day 4:
We go biking again (tempt the devil). It does not rain, and we go very far. We see the line of channels that goes through all of france, for transport. Also, one must say that the landscape is gorgeous.

Day 5:
We go canoeing. Very calm, until at the end there were rapids. My two brothers and I were in the same boat, and it tipped over. My little brother was okay, though very scared. However, my mom was even more scared, and kindof wanting to leave.

Day 6:
Off to Paris we go. 2 hour trip, I play pokemon in the car, time flies. We visit the Eiffel Tower in the afternoon, only Juan and I go up (and we went up all the way).

Day 7:
The Louvre. I believe I'm getting my dates mixed up, but we also had lunch in the Champs Elisees. No, I lie. That was on the same day as the Eiffel Tower. After the Louvre my parents notice a strange bump on my baby brother's back, and go out to the hospital, so I tour alone with my other siblings. We see the Notre Dame (me and my sister, for my brother and I had an argument and he disappeared. Sucks to him, because I had the keys). The bump was nothing to worry about.

Day 8:
We visit les invalides, where Napoleon is buried. Then my parents go to the Picasso Museum, but I rest this one out, watching Desperate Housewives/Grey's Anatomy at home. I missed those shows.

Day 9:
We visit the Musee D'Orsay, which holds the greatest collection of impressionist works of art in the world. I thought of Ami. In the afternoon, we visit Versailles. At night we meet up with our friends from la Charite and I take a walk with my sister and their daughter. Then, we go have dinner in front of the Notre Dame (after hours of searching for a restaurant in our neighbourhood, the Mareill or Marais, I don't quite know). It was that pizza place that's also on Ramblas, Pizza Marzano. Their pizza is amazing.

Day 10:
Car trip all the way down to Navarra, Spain. We get there at 11:30, and it turns out we got the reservation day wrong, and were one day ahead. Nevertheless, the owner gave us no problems in lodging there.

Day 11:
I spend the day in Navarra, my grandparents arrive for lunch with some cousins, and more cousins arrive for dinner.

Day 12:
I take a walk with my Dutch cousin Julia, my brother Juan and my grandmother. The countryside is really nice here too (and the weather). At four I grab the bus from Pamplona to BCN. I arrive at a quarter to 11.

Note: This is a very rough sketch of my travels, because I'm not sure of the exact dates of some things. Also, I left out that we went to Montmartre, the bohemian neighbourhood, where we saw the Sacre Coeur and went down to the Moulin Rouge, which still holds functions. So we decided to have a family dinner watching boobs at a cabaret (no).

Sunday 5 July 2009

There's always something happening, and it's usually quite loud.

I remember way back then, when everything was true and when
We would have such a very good time, such a fine time,
Such a happy time.
And I remember how we'd play simply waste the day away,
Then we'd say nothing would come between us,
Two dreamers.
- Madness, Our House


Tomorrow I head off to France. In the end, the barbeque was on Saturday, so I spent the day with Jamie and then we headed off to celebrate the 4th of July. Then on Sunday Jamie came over again, and we watched one final futurama, heading off to starbucks as a last goodbye. I've been watching 'How I Met Your Mother', and it is the best show I've seen in a long time. I'm in love with the characters, they're all so human. Bueno best of luck to everyone for 10 days, I shall be seeing you all afterwards.
Ah, and I bought Maria J. a really cool birthday present, I do hope she enjoys it (though I'd love to keep it).

See you all soon, I hope I grab hold of the interweb on my trip, so I can keep in touch.

Friday 3 July 2009

Spending warm Summer days indoors...

Well, this shall prossibly be my last post before heading to la France. My plans until the next post are: spend tomorrow with Jamie, do lots of stuff. Then Sunday, a barbeque, and Monday off across the border, by car. We shall then stop at some friends' chateau 2 hours away from Paris for three or four days, and there are high hopes there for a beautiful country house with (I pray) a pool. Thing is last Summer we went to the same friends' country house in Portugal, and it was amazing, an old 3-floor mansion in a small lonely town. I took some beautiful pictures. So I'm hoping they have some of the same thing happening up in the land of 'la liberté'.
After those days in the country house, we shall hit Paris, the city of lights. Apparently our apartment is in a really good neighbourhood, so I expect a lot of walks and a lot of good photos. Sad thing is it's gonna be hot, for some reason I imagine Paris windy with autumn leaves.
Then on the 16th I take the car back to Navarra with my parents, and immediately (in theory) depart, by bus, back to Barcelona to study and wish some friends farewell.
Anyways, I do hope to be posting soon, and I have high hopes for these next two weeks... Starting... now.

Playlist: Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa - Vampire Weekend.

(I don't normally put playlists- I normally find them pretencious- but I'm loving that song.)