I have to say, nobody has told me anything good about Milan, but riding the bus through it to the airport intrigued me a little bit. It's tree lined streets, trolley cars and muni-looking trams made it look a lot like San Francisco. It seemed to have any edginess that I like, so maybe it would be worth a day trip if I have to fly back that way at some point.
So here is the problem with thinking you can sleep in airports....other people. I got to the airport and was relieved to see those welcoming benches with no armrests just waiting for me to settle into....and luckily they were right where I needed to check in about 5 hours later. As soon as I laid down, the cleaning guy saw me and the others trying to sleep in the area and set out to prevent this by making as much noise as possible. I'm sure he took some sort of sick pleasure in driving that zamboni machine by me about 5 times for no good reason. After about an hour of that, he took off and I just started to doze when these three Spanish guys decided to come in and invade my area...banging their bags down and going in and out of them. They were soon joined by two Slovenian high school girls with a big bottle of vodka. Now, had this been my idea to booze it up in the airport all night before a flight, everyone else could go to hell and I'd be happy...but dammit, I didn't think of it first and these two chicks were just annoying. Anyway, I ended up getting a couple of hours of shut eye there and then slept pretty much the whole way over to Barcelona.
I met Hannah and Steve at the airport yesterday, and luckily the were feeling pretty tired as well, so no crazy touring was necessary upon our arrival into the city. We wandered around La Rambla for a bit, went out to lunch in one of Picasso's old haunts and hit up an outdoor bar for some sangria later in the afternoon. Being exhausted, we separated for the rest of the day and I came back to take a much needed ciesta.
My hostel here is nice, very small, but good people (and FREE internet!!!). I'm in a great neighborhood with lots of bars and restaurants. After my nap yesterday, I woke up to a fiesta of paella and sangria going on with everyone hanging out. I made the mistake of sitting right next to the chef and as he heaped spoonfuls of (what looked like) sausage filled paella on my plate, I didn't really know what to do. Not to be rude, I pushed the pork to the side of my plate and just dealt with it. I didn't want to offend, and I know it will probably happen again at some point in my travels.....don't be getting any ideas though....I will not give up my vegatarian ways!!!
This morning I woke up early and did a huge walking tour around Barcelona. I feel very comfortable in this city. The streets are beautiful and the neighborhoods give it a homey feel. It's easy to get around and there is lots to do and see. On my way over to Sagrada Familia, it started to pour on me...this is the fifth day in a row that I've had to deal with the rain. I think I'm just following it around the Mediterranean. Rest assured, I didn't let that stop me from doing anything...I simply bought an umbrella and just dealt with wet feet in my flip flops (my feet still haven't forgiven my new walking shoes since the hike at Cinque Terra). I got lost in the narrow streets of the Barrio Gothic , got denied at the Cathedral due to my sleeveless top, and took a couple of hours to explore the National Museum. The sun is now shining and my six hour walk felt wonderful. It time for a ciesta and hopefully a night out on the town.
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