41 22.729N 002 11.121E Barcelona, Spain
Pipedream
Sun 13 Sep 2009 17:01
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Wow it looks like my last log entry
was written August 13th just about a month ago. You'd think I was
retired or something. A quick up date:
George is safely back in Lake Geneva,
Wisconsin. He has been to the doctor expecting the worst and has found out
he is a middle aged man who should not be running marathons or playing
killer hand ball anymore. But he 'is as good once as he ever was' or
maybe even good enough for the push to Greece and another trip back across the
Atlantic.
Chris left about two weeks ago. He had
trouble booking a flight to Amsterdam and had to hang around Barcelona (BCN)
with Matt and I for a week or two longer than he had planned. I got an
e-mail from him about two days ago. He reached Svalbard (Spell Bound) and claims
to be enjoying the 8 degree temperatures, and the blizzard conditions in early
September. As one of the guys we met in Bermuda who lives in that area
said, "Just lock yourself in the deep freeze with a nice blond. You'll get the
same experience and save a lot of money..." Some of his more notable
experiences included sleeping under the escalator at the airport for two days,
(Borac?or was the the Robin Williams movie?) crashing with a single mother and
her 14 year old daughter in their trailer when he discovered the last hotel room
on the island was gone and it was real cold out, and then there was the
$25 happy meal at the local McDonalds.
Matt left about a week ago. I got an e-mail
from his mother that he landed ok and was spending some time with his honey in
Boston and Maine. He was actually applying for jobs online the last day or
two he was on the boat. How many biochemists can there be who actually
want to live in Maine? I have been hanging out on the boat trying to teach
myself Spanish, cleaning up and fixing things, and methodically doing all the
tourist stuff I can.
I bought a 15 speed mountain bicycle at the local
Carrefour (French Wal-Mart) for 89 Euros. I figured I would go cheap and
resell it when I left in a few months. The next upgrade was 50 more Euros
and came with front shocks, disk brakes and even a bell but no
whistle. With Matt and I both taking turns ridding the thing we managed to
do at least 25 miles a day. It now takes weekly maintenance to keep it
going. Gorilla glue is great stuff! There are bike lanes in most of
the main boulevards. The traffic is pretty dense with lots of motor
scooters and when the bike lanes stop I am just able to keep up with the
traffic flow by peddling all out in way high gear. So most of the time I
am making like I belong in the traffic; but, I have noticed there are not a
whole lot of bikes around me and everyone else has helmets on... riding on
the sidewalk is even worse, as pedestrians don't have rear view mirrors and are
likely to stop or turn at any time. I managed to kick a really big guy in
the knee the other day getting off my bike to take a picture while I was on a
sidewalk. The most famous architect in these parts Paulo Gaudi was hit by
a commuter trolley a few years ago and taken to the pauper's ward of the
'Medieval hospital' where he died two days later without anyone realizing
who he was. All the major cross walks have the same bunch of words
stencil on them with the word 'morte' in the middle, I can't translate it all
yet but I think I get the idea. I've been thinking about wearing a
tag on my big toe.
So what is my day like? I get up about 8:30
AM and hike down to the showers. Back to the boat and hang my towel on the
life line. If the rain in Spain falls in the plain I am obviously not
there. It has rained only one day since we got here. I turned off
the AC as the nights are getting cooler and my neighbor complained about how
high the electric bills were at the marina. It took me a while to be able
to figure out how to get American style coffee here. I have found a brand
of Columbian coffee similar to the one we use at home in the supermarket (big
711). George introduced us to the coffee press - works great on a boat -
it minimizes the cooking time and the risk of spilling boiling water
on yourself when another boat goes by. I can't seem to find half and half
or Creamora here. I mix my own from whipping cream and boxed milk.
Milk here comes in boxes that do not need refrigeration until opened.
During coffee I check a-mail, read the paper on line, and then do a Spanish
lesson or two. (Rosetta Stone) I am trying to lean Castilian Spanish what
is spoken here and which is different from the stuff they
speak south of Orlando. Some 'c's and 'z's are pronounce
with a 'th' sound 'v' is a 'b' sound etc. Spanish with a lisp... I
try to make a batch of Sangria every day so it will be cold for happy hour
around 4:30 PM. Next there is the marketing to do. Most of the
markets to buy meat and produce close by 2:00 PM. Try to get a 12
pack and a couple of rolls of paper towels home without a car
sometime. Another Spanish lesson or a museum and it's 4:30 PM
and time for the free concert at the commons across from the marina or my
afternoon nap. A tall glass of Sangria and that takes me to dinner.
Cook clean up walk across to the other marina (Olympic) and another night
concert in the vendor area and it is almost bed time. The European
sailing championship race is tied up here in BCN (Nice, Brest, BCN,
Istanbul) for a few more days and the joint is jumping. Then it's time to
Skype home as there is a 6 hour time lag and I have to wait for folks to get
home from work read a little and its 2:00 AM and I can't seem to get out of bed
before 8... Generally people here start work
around 9:00 AM take a lunch brake between 2:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon and are
open until about 8:00 PM. Most of Europe eats dinner around 8:30.
Here in Spain they do dinner in two sections... Topas between 6 and 8, you
have time for a show, and then dinner around 10:00. Most restraunts
serve until 11:00 PM. I am trying to include a couple of
pictures with this email...
You can buy first run movies here from street
vendors for as little a 1 euro. What copyright? I bought an English
version of Harry Potter, got it back here and found it was in Castilian
Spanish. In the middle of the movie a shadow of a person gets up and
walks across my computer screen. I can even pick up a few words but it
comes at me like a fire hose. Two nights ago I watched Spoc say
something like " viva largo en tiempo y prosperar" the 'live
long' greeting in Spanish! .
Sangria?
My favorite so far:
1 box (.75 liter) of Sangria de Vino Tinto.
Matt and I were using good wine but the red box stuff costs .55 euro in the
grocery store
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup Brandy
1/3 cup Cointreau
Mix all this up in a biggish pitcher
1 lemon
1 lime
1 orange
1 peach
1 pear
1 cup of cut up strawberries or water melon
(according to the season) I like the strawberries but have to pay about 3.5
Euros for a small basket of them. You can get a lot of water melon for a
euro.
Cut the citrus cross ways in circles. Cut off
the skin and then dice it up in 1/2 inch squares (bit sized) same with the rest
of the fruit put it all in the pitcher and let it sit in the fridge over night
or at least until chilled.
Serving: Pour about about half a glass 4 oz
and then another 2 to 4 oz of something fizzy. Club soda, lemon lime soda, or my
favorite, Champaign! Scoop in at least a tablespoon of the cut up
fruit. I like to take a sip and then bite into a lemon or lime
piece. Ole!
Chris likes to make it with white wine. Light
fruits peaches and strawberries and maybe lemon vodka in lieu of the
brandy. Maybe no liquor. Some places put cinnamon and apples in
it. Experiment. We have paid as much as 15 Euros for a liter of the
stuff in a restraunt.
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