Thoughts of a Nomadic One

Walking down Las Ramblas, one can see endless rows of tall trees with rich green leaves standing guard on either side of the street. The streetlamps at the Passig Gracia resemble vines reaching up to the sky and the aquamarine Gaudi-inspired tiles on the pedestrian area help make this city feel very organic and earthy.

The world renowned Barcelona architect, Gaudi, was the inspiration of the amazing city planning and design for many of this city's most famous buildings. He designed numerous schools, churches/cathedrals, residences and even a Park! Some of his most famous works include La Pedrera, Casa Batlla, Park Guell and La Sagrada Familia (World's most visited construction site).

His design philosophy: Full integration of engineering, architecture and aesthetic design.
His works are truly a marvellous mix of functionality, innovation and beauty. Many of my friends in Engineering (esp. Civil) would be amazed by the methods developed and used by Gaudi.

I arrived to Barcelona and met up with Rhett, whom I had met in Granada, after spending half a day in Cordoba visiting mosque-turned-cathedral Mezquita. Together, we explored the city and sat on the World's Longest Bench in Park Guell.

My last sight in Barcelona was FC Barcelona's home stadium, Camp Nou. However, as I was leaving the stadium, I got hit by green bird poop and had to get wiped down by a Portuguese couple who were right behind me and wash my shirt in the Park. Some people would say I was lucky, but since this is the 4th time it's happened to me in my life, I would say otherwise.

And now, I'm off to take the overnight to Madrid and then flight to Hamburg through Munich. (i.e. No beds for 2.5 days!)

It was around 8 AM when I woke to the sound of moaning and m bunk bed rocking. Memories of last night flooded back. In an attempt to save money and still satisfied from an excellent Menu de Dia (Paella Marinara, Tortilla Espanola con Ensalada, Flan, Fanta, 8 Euros), I skipped dinner. However, my efforts were futile since upon being spotted by members of Team Right-O, I was roped into the hostel bar for celebratory drinks.

Earlier during the day, the 4 of us had climbed up and visited la Alhambra, a marvelous palace built by the Moorish rulers of al-Andalus (Andalucia). After a 4 hour visit of the Palacias de Nasirids, the Alcazar and the beautiful garden we grabbed lunch at a table outside. Then the sheesha came out and it was downhill from there. Several drinks of 'Nutty Housewife', Gin and Sin, shots of 'Buttery Nipple' and we were all on our way.

But then someone had the bright idea of hitting the bottle of absinthe. I am sure it was that Irish barman named Tony who kept playing funky underground hip-hop mixed with classical piano music from the Richard Clayderman collection.
How was absinthe?

'It burns the Soul!' - Adrian

After the bar closed, the responsible thing would have been sleep, but that would not happen until several mojitos later and a visit to Granada's gay bar. Thankfully, either I'm not pretty enough or my gaydar signature was working properly. And so I returned to bed only to find my friend hopping on to the top bunk with a girl. I instantly knew this was going to be a repeat of Amsterdam 2003 when a French couple copulated in the lower bunk of m bed. The awkwardness of such an experience cannot be described, it must be felt.

Why do I always get the sex bed?

Other than my escapades in the hostel (Oasis Granada, best hostel ever), I also really loved Granada. On my first day, I walked about town and had a bocadillo con Jamon and then hiked up the Abaicin. From there you could get a great view of the Alhambra and the city of Granada.

One incident to note: While I'm trying to appear as little as a tourist as possible, it's pretty impossible since there are barely any Asian people in Espana. On my way to the bus station in Granada, an old man started crowding me. I grew suspicious so I checked that my camera was still in my daypack pocket and then I noticed his fingers inching towards my right pocket for my money clip. Looking back, I really wish I had yelled, grabbed his arm or something, but instead, I stared at him straight in the eyes. He sighed and moved towards the exit with his partner to get off the bus. I hope this experience makes me even more vigilant as I travel through other parts of the world. Although, according to a friend of mine, I've got to watch out for carpet salesmen in Turkey.

What would I do with a carpet?