Awaiting my departure from Paris to London. I am going to stay with Aleks tonight in Cambridge. I was going to do a bit of sight seeing first, but Paris I believe deserves more than a day. The night train was still not the most pleasant, and I was only on four hours of sleep before that. A bit exhausted arriving at seven a.m. With nothing but vending door chips for dinner:). I also first want to find a laundry mat to fit my bag and all of my clothes so I can dry them for an hour. I'm staying with Aleks, then at zak and juls house in London to meet up with leanne, and after that off to Amsterdam to stay with yoram, haha yea that's his name, the crazy red head Aleks and I met in Edinburgh. My journey is starting to come full circle I feel like. At the previous train station, before ei took the metro to get to the station that goes to London, I parted way with the girls. In Barcelona I also said goodbye to page, who is currently trying to set up her life there. Perhaps when Ito back through I will meet up again. I know I will see Sarah and Sarayha again, so not too sad of a departure. They are movers and shakers too, and get the bug to go so I know theyll be in Hawaii after there six month stint in Australia, and I will probably head up to Vancouver. I was even talking with them about all working the ski resorts in whistler next winter. Always wanted to do that for a season.
Barcelona is a very groovy city. We all squeezed into a hostel for the weekend. It had just opened, and because ithink it was just a random building prior to being a hostel, they put up walls and rooms come out of everywhere. One of the rooms even opened into the showers. The showers are kind of like grandma deaths system of creating walls with stationary sheets, but with water proof material instead. It is very communal because of this design. There were also so many of us now, and gem being really excited to see page, that you kind of just got to know everyone. She even met a kid in the hostel, Joe, who she was house hunting with by the last few days. Page also spoke spanish which was very helpful. Although, for people of Barcelona, Spanish is there second language. The official language is catalone. This area had struggle for independence for most of it's history and up to the civil war had sovereignty from time to time. This is why you see the independence flag hanging. In Barcelona, you will also find the only memorial plaque of the civil war, which Franco one of course, and because so, because his solution to moving on from it was to not hold anyone to blame for the atrocities and to move on and forget. This is of course because he won and these were committed on his part, with the help of Mussolini and Hitler. At The beginning of the Spanish civil war was when the technique of intentionally targeting civilian population was first used, by Hitler, when Franco asked for help with the resistance of the Spanish northern bathe country, and in catalones. The monarchy, in the periods in Spain when there was one, would reside in Barcelona, but I think that was a way of controlling and keeping the northern areas. I'm not sure though. The Spanish civil war was ideally because a hand full of general, Franco at the head of the movement, wanted to reestablish the monarchy. He successfully held power as a dictator until he died, where after the monarchy that the power of the government fell to, was given back and the monarchy assisted in reestablishing democracy. This was the first time that the transition from dictatorship to democracy was accomplished without a single person being killed. Well, now I am just kind of rambling. But the memorial that is in place is outside the church that was used as a bomb shelter for the children of a school during the Spanish civil war, and was the sight were a bomb was dropped concaving the roof and killing forty six, I believe it was, school children. It was not even put up until 2007. Now having seen so many memorials across Europe, it is interesting to compare the different way in which certain countries deal with a dark past. Memorials or the lack there of are very controversial, and it is interesting how some choose to honor, remember or blame those people, now of the past.
Barcelona still, desires independence from the rest of Spain. Being the third richest region they pay out more in taxes than is distributed back to them. Spain currently has a twenty two percent unemploywmnt rate and between twenty and thirty for those lookng for jobs it goes up to near thirty five percent. This is the highest of any developed country. Makes sense now the attention paid to pick pocketers. The wealth of barcelona in part is probably due to the summer Olympics being held there in the 90s generating mass amounts of tourism. Still however, they do not identify themselves as Spanish, and in many of the surrounding areas of Barcelona they only speak catalone, which is a mixture of French and somewhat like Spanish. It is like Bavaria in Germany. Barcelona I would imagine has a very different feel from the rest of Spain. I suppose I will find out before to long. For now I am going to enjoy London and Amsterdam with friend I made at the start of my trip and plot out my next two weeks so that I can do couch surfing the remainder of the time and meet more. Not to mention I'll have a freshly bed bug free bag. I don't have any bites or anything but Sicily was sketchyyy I must say haha. Finished my train station croissant, and off to check the old school board with the flip letters and numbers to await my train platform. When I, bored at the laundry mat this afternoon waiting for Aleks to be done with class I will attempt to fill you in on Barcelona.
Welp, Glad I decided to set off first thing. Due to some random holiday the eurorail seats were unavailable for Paris to London. Would have been 240 euro....whoa. This is why I randomly got on a train which was pointed out me to me, to be connecting to another train I'd have to find to get to keli or Keliville, something like that. I realized I spend a lot of time talking about places I've been but not that much about the ways in which I get there, which is truly the best part of backpacking. I mean I honestly just got to a train station and if the one conductor didn't speak English, I would have not even known where any trains were going. It was tiny and no sign, I don't even think there was an indoor. I'm also going to a town I never heard of in hopes that I can take a ferry, to somewhere close to London I think haha. I hope from there I can beta bus or something. It would only make sense that they'd have busses near the ferry ports. It really is so freeing. No one calling to find out where you are. People you are usually meeting are travelers themselves so they take into a count a day or two of being lost on the countryside. I love just floating Round and seeing where it takes me. With of course some destination in mind. I feel like my eurorail pass is just a ticket to roam where i please. It's comforting once youre on a train. You have a seat and it's warm. Much better than waiting for somewhere you are set on or being stressed and rushing to a specific train. When you have no set plans there's no disappointments and you can just go. If you don't want to sleep in a train station you could honestly just ride a train to a destination, switch at the end and turn around go back to it. I'm glad to be roaming again. The girls were fun, and they were nearing there end so they couldn't mess up there days, but reserving things and checking at the station on your free time for the best option, mY be responsible but it takes the fun out of just showing up, hopping you can get where you want, and laughing at the ridiculous alternatives if not. I can see the ocean out the window. I have no idea if the stop I am trying to get to is the last or what but I am sure I'll find it. Can't be to far, since we are cruising the coast. I think Barcelona might have been the last of t shirt weather. I'm just in leggings and a zip up but it is still a lot cooler than where I has been. This is why my bag has gotten heavier with a stock up on some warm shirts. The French countryside is beautiful and it's sunny. Everyone so far hS been very nice and helpful. Idk what the stereotype is but I havnt come across any rude French. I probably have the most horrible accent right off the bat that they just immediately start speaking to me in English. Bonjour, Parker vous englais....I get a what then....what do you need help with haha.
So Barcelona is a great city. The bars and clubs are open until six, there are even some that don't start until six and you get a ticket to party all day. Page had been there a couple days already and it was a thursday night when we arrived. This is a big night. We got together headed out close to midnight and had a night at a place on the beach. It was a lot fun and a lot of nice people.
At the ferry station. 26 euro with eurorail pass. f yea baby. that rediculous song Barbara Straisan was on, and it reminded me of simones cheesy brother singing with us or should I say for us when we were trapped in the car with him for the soccer match haha. He would sing like u2 and I felt bad so I kind of just sang with him haha. He was stoked but didn't know hardly any of the words. I will finish this on the ferry. And finally fill you in on Barcelona, but I have to try to give Aleks a heads up and find a way from the ferry.
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