Dear followers,
Yesterday I was struck with some sad news; news that has left a meatball-sized hole in my heart. Whilst creeping on Facebook I discovered that MTV’s Jersey Shore was ending after one more season. I admit that I love this show. Nothing made a long day of school more enjoyable than knowing it was Jersday and that I would soon be getting together with my friends, pouring some pinot and having a good laugh. And yet while I pouted, I noticed that there were massive amounts of people delighted over this farewell. The media is continuing its bloodbath against these people as it has from the beginning and I am growing tired of it. And so I pondered. Why do people hate this show so much? Why does it produce such a wave of nausea?
People who deem themselves “educated” and “classy” have slammed this show countless times for encouraging stupidity, immorality and delinquency. First and foremost, if you actually take Jersey Shore seriously, you are a moron. I really don’t need to go any further with that. Secondly, for Mr and Mrs Holier than Thou who claim that they don’t watch the show because “they have a brain” I say get off your high horse. I am working on my third University degree, am well-travelled, play classical music and have published work. But guess what? I go to the club and get smashed, I fist pump till my arm hurts, I yell obnoxiously and I have had some close calls with grenades in my lifetime. How is this possible you ask? How can those two worlds co-exist? It’s because I’m a guy in my 20s that likes to unwind and have some fun and I have a funny feeling I’m not the only person on the planet who does the same. The only difference is my life isn’t documented by a camera crew. Jersey Shore showcases “youngish” people having a good summer. With all the racism, homophobia, religious intolerance and pure hatred out there in this world, why are people still getting their panties in a wad over alcohol and sex?
Is this show really that bad compared to what else is on TV? Is it worse than the never-ending diarrhea of shows out there that involve people trying to find “true love” in the most un-natural way possible? Is it worse than the gem “I didn’t know I was pregnant” which involves obese women sans teeth living in trailers who somehow manage to get knocked up, spend 9 months carrying a child and shockingly deliver a baby when all they thought was happening was some cramps from a bad batch of chilli? Is it worse than “Toddlers and Tiaras”, where parents dress their toddlers up as whores, choreograph a stripper routine for them and reward them with a trophy? Finding love on a gameshow...ooh I hope they make it. Surprise baby delivery in a motor-home toilet...those poor women. 4-yr-olds stuffing their bras and getting fake teeth...so adorable. Young people having a few drinks and dancing...an abomination!!!! Really? Really?
I think the biggest complaint I have heard from people about the Jersey Shore is “I can’t believe they make millions of dollars just to party”. Do you know what that’s called folks? That’s the green eye of jealousy. Look deep into your hearts, do you really dislike what they are doing? Do you really think it’s stupid or an embarrassment? Or are you just pissed that someone you feel works less than you and deserves less than you is more successful? It’s the Paris Hilton-effect where people instantly hate something or someone who they don’t feel deserve the things they have. And to you people, I quote the great Phoebe Buffay, “get out of the bitter barn and play in the hay”. Enjoy the show for what it is, fluffy entertainment that is welcomed after a long day of my brain wanting to explode. And if you don’t want to enjoy the show, I have a solution for you. It’s called changing the channel. Mind = blown.
So before I end this little rant, I would like to reflect on the actual life lessons that Jersey Shore has taught me.
1.Jersery Shore taught me that no matter how much you love someone, if they are f*** up you need to get the hell out of there. From personal experience, watching Sam and Ronnie together was like watching a mirror. I managed to get out of that train wreck and you can too. There’s always another gorilla juicehead or another sweetheart for you that will treat you better.
2.Jersey Shore taught me to always value personal image. There are a lot of slobs in this world, just go to Walmart on a Sunday afternoon and you’ll see. But that shit wouldn’t fly in the shore house. You have to be looking “fresh to death” at all times. That means, freshly laundered clothes, not a single hair out of place, plenty of Axe or perfume and some stylish accessories. And no matter how drunk they got the night before, they were always in the gym the next day. I think promoting pride in one’s look could be beneficial to a lot of people I see out on the street and to that I say kudos Jersey Shore. Some people Eat, Pray, Love and some people Gym, Tan, Laundry. Just take care of yourself.
3.Jersey Shore taught me that if you’re a manipulative bitch, no one will like you. I have met too many Angelina’s in the last few years and I wonder that maybe if they watched this show, they would have learned that like Angelina’s garbage bag suitcase, they are nothing but trash.
4.Jersey Shore taught me the value of family dinner. A family eating together has sadly become a thing of the past. Now people are too busy or there is something more worthwhile on TV or on their phones. It’s nice to see that every Sunday, the cast get together to cook in the kitchen, sit down to a gorgeous dinner, pray and enjoy each other’s company. Being Italian myself, I understand the ritual that is Sunday dinner and the importance it has in keeping a family together.
5.Finally, Jersey Shore taught me that true friends will always be there for you. Whether you’re on your 6th breakup with your significant other, arrested for disturbing the peace, bashed your head into a wall, depressed from being homesick, or had some meatball problems on a class trip to Montreal, your real friends will always be there to pick you off the ground, cheer you up and remind you that everyone else is just as messed up as you.
Alas, the show that redefined reality TV and enraged people the world over is coming to a close. However, every storm cloud has a silver lining and rumors are that the show will continue with a new cast. Nonetheless it will be hard to fill the stilettos and sneakers of these guidos and guidettes, who were often imitated but never duplicated: Pauly DelVecchio, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Mike Sorrentino, Jenny Farley, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Sammy Giancola, Vinny Guadagnino and Deena Cortese.
In closing, I am glad shows like these provide a welcome break from all the depressing shit going on in the world today. So to all the fans of the show (and the haters), I say take a shot, dance the night away and find someone who’s DTF.
Ciao
Friday, August 31, 2012
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Day 17: Portugal Here We Come
9:21 am: Fell asleep around 1 am only to be woken up at 3:30 for yet another ticket check. Luckily that guy that was beside me left at 12:30 and never came back so I had the area to myself. I was on and off of sleep all night and woke up at 7 which I was thankful for since my stop was at 7:30. I found the hostel really easily. It looks like an amazing hostel. I read on hostelworld that Portugal has the best hostels in Europe and this one definitely looks like the best I have stayed in. The common room is huge and there's free internet so already its great. It looks like they plan a lot of activities for guests here too. I'm just waiting for Britt to arrive. She's flying in but i noticed online that her flight was delayed. I'm sitting in a cafe right now having a Natas pastry (the thing I was looking forward to most in Portugal). This will be the first of many. Ps they taste the same as the ones at the Portugese bakery at home so at least I know I'm not missing out when I eat the ones there. The stores should be opening soon and hopefully I can do some souvenir shopping before Britt gets here. I can't believe I'll be home on Monday! 17 days have just flown by.
8:00 pm: Britt arrived at the hostel around 10:30 am. We got settled and walked around the city. As a city, Lisbon isn't much to look at. Their squares aren't impressive and maintenance and cleanliness don't seem to be of importance. I have also never been offered drugs by so many sketchy people in any city i've been to before here. We walked to the harbour and around the Alfama area. We took a rickety tram (which was pretty fun) to St. Jorge's Castle (which again, not that impressive). Then we took a bus to Belem and explored the area followed by a picnic lunch where we made a new friend (a dog named Gato). We went to the famous Natas pastery shop that is known all over and I had three of them lol. Just to clarify, a Natas pastry is a flaky tart shell filled with custard and caremalized at the top with sugar and cinnamon (they are amazing). In Belem we saw the Jeronimos Monastery, Belem tower and the Monument of Discoveries. We considered going to the Coach Museuem but decided we were too tired. We got back and napped for a couple hours. We met a girl is our room named Irene from NYC. She was super friendly and we're going to meet up with her later. Now Britt and I are about to go to a restaurant for dinner that my guide book recommended.
Ps as I said earlier, this hostel is amazing. So big and clean, unlimited soft towels, free breakfast, friendly staff. The chef cooks dinner every night for 8 euros. We considered getting it tonight but we want to try something in the city that the locals to go. If i was traveling alone though, the hostel dinner would be a great opportunity to meet people.
8:00 pm: Britt arrived at the hostel around 10:30 am. We got settled and walked around the city. As a city, Lisbon isn't much to look at. Their squares aren't impressive and maintenance and cleanliness don't seem to be of importance. I have also never been offered drugs by so many sketchy people in any city i've been to before here. We walked to the harbour and around the Alfama area. We took a rickety tram (which was pretty fun) to St. Jorge's Castle (which again, not that impressive). Then we took a bus to Belem and explored the area followed by a picnic lunch where we made a new friend (a dog named Gato). We went to the famous Natas pastery shop that is known all over and I had three of them lol. Just to clarify, a Natas pastry is a flaky tart shell filled with custard and caremalized at the top with sugar and cinnamon (they are amazing). In Belem we saw the Jeronimos Monastery, Belem tower and the Monument of Discoveries. We considered going to the Coach Museuem but decided we were too tired. We got back and napped for a couple hours. We met a girl is our room named Irene from NYC. She was super friendly and we're going to meet up with her later. Now Britt and I are about to go to a restaurant for dinner that my guide book recommended.
Ps as I said earlier, this hostel is amazing. So big and clean, unlimited soft towels, free breakfast, friendly staff. The chef cooks dinner every night for 8 euros. We considered getting it tonight but we want to try something in the city that the locals to go. If i was traveling alone though, the hostel dinner would be a great opportunity to meet people.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Day 16: Almost Pickpocketed!
11:20 pm: Last night was an amazing night! The flamenco show was incredible. The band and the dancers were really talented. It was definitely worth the money. We were there for a couple hours enjoying the show and having some delicious sangrias and then while Britt's parents left for their hotel, Britt, Nat and I decided to go out and check out some bars. We wanted to stay near Nat's hotel which unfortunately wasn't in a very lively exciting nightlife area. We went to a jazz bar that my guidebook recommended. The Capiniheras (spelling?) were delicious and the bar itself was amusing but it wasn't that exciting. After that we walked down the street and were hounded by people trying to get us into their bars since I think we were the only ones out walking around. We walked by a lively bar blasted 90 music and knew we had found our bar lol. The place was full of drunk old people dancing ridiculously and we quickly found out that it was a work party. We decided that this could turn into some hilarity so we ordered some Mojitos (which were insanely strong) and waited. Before we knew it we were dragged onto the dancefloor with these people as they took Britt's camera and were taking pics with us. We should them all of our ridiculous dance moves (Nat even invented a new move that night - The Darkwing Duck). I have a feeling they were just as entertained by us as we were of them. We eventually had had enough and left. We walked by Cher's Karaoke bar and went inside after the guy outside practically begged us to go in. It was the sketchiest bar ever! The girls used the bathroom and then we just left. The best part about the place was the statue of Brian that we found in the hallway. In reality I think it was a statue of a pilot but he looked insanely similar to Brian. Around 3 am we wakled Nat back to her hotel and then Britt and I went back to our hostel. We noticed that one thing lacking in Madrid is places to eat in the middle of the night. Nothing is open! I could definitely have gone for some Stobies.
This morning we woke up super early and checked out of our hostel. I'm leaving tonight and Britt is going to stay in her parents hotel for the night and then meet me in Lisbon in the morning. We carried our bags to the Mumford's hotel to keep them there during the day. We went to get some delicious treats for breakfast and then we went to the Prado museum. We had a guided tour of the museum for an hour and then did our own exploring for a couple hours after. I saw some amazing artwork, especially a lot of the Spanish art by Goya and Velasquez. My personal favourite pieces were the Garden of Earthly Delights, Saturn Eating his Children, and a German paintin on the 3 ages of Man (I'll have to google the artist and name of that one). After the museum we went to this authentic paella restaurant my guidebook recommended. It was absolutely amazing! We've been talking about paella (or as I like to say Pie-Yay-Ya)since we've been in Spain and it was well worth the wait. It was so delicious and I even tried eating mussels for the first time (and loved them!). After lunch, the Mumfords decided to check out the Royal Palace and I decided just to walk around and look for souvenirs. Unfortunately I didn't end up getting very much at all. Most souvenirs are so crappy and useless. All the nice things are either too big or too fragile to take home in my backpack. After the tour of the Royal Palace, I met back up with the Mumfords. Britt's parents went back to the hotel and the three of us went to the Renia Sofia museum of modern art. It was free since it was after 7 pm which was an unexpected bonus. I'm not a huge fan of modern art (I can stick a pop can on a stick and call it art too) but we really only went to see Picasso's collection which included his masterpiece, the Guernica. It was really an amazing piece of art. After that we went to the hotel and I packed up my things and said goodbye to Britt's parents and Natalie. Next time I see them we'll be back in London, Ontario, going about our normal lives. It was really awesome to spend a week halfway across the world with them and Britt's parents are just so nice and accomodating. i felt like their unofficial son on family vacation with them. I'm taking the night train to Portugal and Britt will be meeting me there tomorrow when her flight leaves in the morning.
Soooo I almost got pickpocketed on the metro!!! This couple got on and stood really close to me on either side of me. It was packed on the metro so I didn't think anything of it. They kept pressing up against me and talking to eachother to distract me. the woman had a shirt draped over her arm so i couldnt see her hands. When we were approaching the next stop, the woman got way to close to me than I was comfortable with. I automatically knew something was up. I moved my side back in front of me and made eye contact with her. She told her friend to get off and they ran off the metro once the doors opened. I looked down and notcied 2 zippers on my bag were halfway unzipped. Luckily I nad read in my guidebook always to put a piece of clothing over all my stuff in my bag so they would have to dig deep to get anthing. They didnt take anything and all my most valuable stuff was in my money pouch in my pants but the fact that she unzipped my bag without me knowing was scary. I felt really violated. You always read about this stuff and think it wont happen to you but I guess anything can happen. I was upset with myself for taking so long to realize what was happening. The funny thing was that 2 stops later, a guy walks on the metro with no bags or anything and a shirt draped over his arm. He started making his way towards me. I immediately and non-subtly moved my side bag in front of me, stared him right in the eye and never stopped eye contact with him. As expected, he gave me a dirty look and got off at the next stop. Apparently this happens more often than i thought.I'll definitely be more aware of this in future travels.
I'm currently on my night train to Lisbon. Unfortunately, there were no more beds available so I'm just in a regular seat. The crappy thing is that when you're in a sleeper couchette, they come wake you up before your stop but in the regular seats, no one comes to wake you up, its your responsibility. So of course, I'm paraniod of sleeping past my stop. Furthering my bad luck with travel companions, I'm sitting beside an old foreign guy. Would it be that much to ask to have some young person who speaks english to talk to? It's almost midnight and no one is sleeping yet. Hopefully they turn the lights off soon. It's been an eventful day and I am beyond tired. Fingers crossed that I wake up when I need to!
This morning we woke up super early and checked out of our hostel. I'm leaving tonight and Britt is going to stay in her parents hotel for the night and then meet me in Lisbon in the morning. We carried our bags to the Mumford's hotel to keep them there during the day. We went to get some delicious treats for breakfast and then we went to the Prado museum. We had a guided tour of the museum for an hour and then did our own exploring for a couple hours after. I saw some amazing artwork, especially a lot of the Spanish art by Goya and Velasquez. My personal favourite pieces were the Garden of Earthly Delights, Saturn Eating his Children, and a German paintin on the 3 ages of Man (I'll have to google the artist and name of that one). After the museum we went to this authentic paella restaurant my guidebook recommended. It was absolutely amazing! We've been talking about paella (or as I like to say Pie-Yay-Ya)since we've been in Spain and it was well worth the wait. It was so delicious and I even tried eating mussels for the first time (and loved them!). After lunch, the Mumfords decided to check out the Royal Palace and I decided just to walk around and look for souvenirs. Unfortunately I didn't end up getting very much at all. Most souvenirs are so crappy and useless. All the nice things are either too big or too fragile to take home in my backpack. After the tour of the Royal Palace, I met back up with the Mumfords. Britt's parents went back to the hotel and the three of us went to the Renia Sofia museum of modern art. It was free since it was after 7 pm which was an unexpected bonus. I'm not a huge fan of modern art (I can stick a pop can on a stick and call it art too) but we really only went to see Picasso's collection which included his masterpiece, the Guernica. It was really an amazing piece of art. After that we went to the hotel and I packed up my things and said goodbye to Britt's parents and Natalie. Next time I see them we'll be back in London, Ontario, going about our normal lives. It was really awesome to spend a week halfway across the world with them and Britt's parents are just so nice and accomodating. i felt like their unofficial son on family vacation with them. I'm taking the night train to Portugal and Britt will be meeting me there tomorrow when her flight leaves in the morning.
Soooo I almost got pickpocketed on the metro!!! This couple got on and stood really close to me on either side of me. It was packed on the metro so I didn't think anything of it. They kept pressing up against me and talking to eachother to distract me. the woman had a shirt draped over her arm so i couldnt see her hands. When we were approaching the next stop, the woman got way to close to me than I was comfortable with. I automatically knew something was up. I moved my side back in front of me and made eye contact with her. She told her friend to get off and they ran off the metro once the doors opened. I looked down and notcied 2 zippers on my bag were halfway unzipped. Luckily I nad read in my guidebook always to put a piece of clothing over all my stuff in my bag so they would have to dig deep to get anthing. They didnt take anything and all my most valuable stuff was in my money pouch in my pants but the fact that she unzipped my bag without me knowing was scary. I felt really violated. You always read about this stuff and think it wont happen to you but I guess anything can happen. I was upset with myself for taking so long to realize what was happening. The funny thing was that 2 stops later, a guy walks on the metro with no bags or anything and a shirt draped over his arm. He started making his way towards me. I immediately and non-subtly moved my side bag in front of me, stared him right in the eye and never stopped eye contact with him. As expected, he gave me a dirty look and got off at the next stop. Apparently this happens more often than i thought.I'll definitely be more aware of this in future travels.
I'm currently on my night train to Lisbon. Unfortunately, there were no more beds available so I'm just in a regular seat. The crappy thing is that when you're in a sleeper couchette, they come wake you up before your stop but in the regular seats, no one comes to wake you up, its your responsibility. So of course, I'm paraniod of sleeping past my stop. Furthering my bad luck with travel companions, I'm sitting beside an old foreign guy. Would it be that much to ask to have some young person who speaks english to talk to? It's almost midnight and no one is sleeping yet. Hopefully they turn the lights off soon. It's been an eventful day and I am beyond tired. Fingers crossed that I wake up when I need to!
Day 15: Madrid with the Mumfords
9:00 am: Already been awake for 4 hours ugggh. Britt and I woke up at 5 am to get on the metro. I said goodbye to her as she got off to get on the shuttle bus for the airport. She's flying to Madrid and I'm taking the train. If all goes well, we'll end up in Madrid at the same time and meet at the hostel. I'm on the train now so hopefully her flight leaves on time. It looks like it might rain (just our luck). Hope to get a lot of sightseeing done and then we're meeting Britt's parents tonight for a Flamenco show which I'm really looking forward to.
8:00 pm: I got into Madrid half an hour early. The train ride was really nice. It was a nice new train and since i was on it around 9am it was full of business people going to work. They were playing the proposal on the train. It was in Spanish but I got the gist of what was going on in the movie. It was really cold when I arrived this morning. I found the hostel easily and threw my luggage in the holding room and set out exploring. I did some window shopping and saw the Opera house, the royal palace (saw the changing of the guards), the cathedral, and Plaza Mayor. I was on my way back to the hostel to see if Britt and Nat were there and i found them sitting at a table outside eating delicious treats. We checked into our room and did some sightseeing. We had a picnic lunch and then met up with Britt's parents. We went to a bar to watch the second half of Spain's world cup match. The atmosphere at the bar was awesome. At one point, there was a chocolate shop down the street on fire and no one got up to look at it. The game was much more important lol. After the game (which Spain lost) we walked around some more. We saw Plaza D'Espanya and explored a really cool Egyptian temple in the park (the stones were brought from Egypt and they built in in the park). Me and Britt have just gotten back to the hostel and we are getting ready to meet up with the others for our Flamenco show.
8:00 pm: I got into Madrid half an hour early. The train ride was really nice. It was a nice new train and since i was on it around 9am it was full of business people going to work. They were playing the proposal on the train. It was in Spanish but I got the gist of what was going on in the movie. It was really cold when I arrived this morning. I found the hostel easily and threw my luggage in the holding room and set out exploring. I did some window shopping and saw the Opera house, the royal palace (saw the changing of the guards), the cathedral, and Plaza Mayor. I was on my way back to the hostel to see if Britt and Nat were there and i found them sitting at a table outside eating delicious treats. We checked into our room and did some sightseeing. We had a picnic lunch and then met up with Britt's parents. We went to a bar to watch the second half of Spain's world cup match. The atmosphere at the bar was awesome. At one point, there was a chocolate shop down the street on fire and no one got up to look at it. The game was much more important lol. After the game (which Spain lost) we walked around some more. We saw Plaza D'Espanya and explored a really cool Egyptian temple in the park (the stones were brought from Egypt and they built in in the park). Me and Britt have just gotten back to the hostel and we are getting ready to meet up with the others for our Flamenco show.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Day 14: Last day in Barcelona :(
9:30 am: Last night was by far my favourite night of the trip. Park Guell is amazing and full of crazy Gaudi art. We climbed to the top of a hill with a giant cross on it and we just sat there drinking and eating delicious treats that Brian brought while we watched the sun set and Barcelona get lit up at night. It was a gorgeous view and I'm glad I got to spend a moment like that with friends. As the wine kept flowing, hilarious discussions ensues including a glorious rant by myself on why I hate the wind (if only I could remember it so I could blog about it). There was also plenty of singing including a non-stop performance of four songs from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. We stumbled back to the apartment around midnight and we were really craving some grease. We went to this pizza place and I had an entire pizza to myself topped with ground beef (it looked like diarrhea but tasted fantastic). It was nice having some pizza. I haven't had any greasy food in so long!
We fell asleep around 2 last night.
Nat left for Girona this morning for work but she will be meeting us in Madrid tomorrow. Brian has also left for work so its just me and Biskal today. We are going exploring...if she ever gets ready...geez.
11:30 pm: Biskal and I had a sweet adventure day. Our first stop in the morning was a search for delicious treats lol. I'm addicted and am going to miss fresh pastries every morning when i go home (Tim Hortons does not compete at all). As soon as we left the apartment and got to the end of the street we already needed to bust out the map because we were lost. I didnt realize how much we were relying on Nat and Brian for directions haha. We set off for the Royal Palace which apparently no one in Barcelona knows its location. As soon as we got there we knew why no one knows it. First off the building is not that impressive as far as palaces go. Secondly, the place was completely deserted. The only living creatures around besides us were the hundreds of birds mating all around us. It was disgusting. We spent 30 minutes pretending we were on Lost and taking pictures in the bushes lol. That is why I love Britt lol. Then we found a play ground and played on it for a bit. Apparently, the Spanish royal family is not popular in Barcelona and they know better than to actually live here so the palace is never used. After our royal adventure, we walked to FC Barcelona stadium. I was considering taking a guided tour inside but figured it was just a waste of money. It was still cool to see from the outside though. Then we went on an epic walk up a massive hill to the Olympic Grounds which was really really cool. I got to go into my first Olympic Stadium!! Then we decided to take the cable car from the hill to the beach which was also amazing. We had incredble views of Barcelonetta (Barcelona's beach) and the rest of the city. It was a hilarious ride due to 1) Britt's fear of heights and her squeals every time the car shook and 2) the old British ladies having a converation about tomatoes. It was nice to get to a beach finally on this trip even though it is cool and overcast. Ever since we've been in Barcelona, Brian has been telling us about "naked man" who apparently is always at the beach just pacing up and down nude and everyone knows who he is. And guess who the first person we see is when we get to the beach? NAKED MAN lol. Hilarious. We sat on the beach for a bit and dipped our feet in the Meditteranean. We walked along the beach for a while and Biskal stepped on a half-buried rock, taking off a good chunk of her toe nail.
Next we went to the Ramblas so I could get a shot glass (we realized that if you ask the chop owner the price and then say that its too expensive and start walking away, they'll sell it at half the price they were asking). Then we went to Desigual, a clothing store with some really cool lame clothes that I love and in typical Biskal and Piskal fashion, we walk out of the changerooms with the same shirt on lol. We bought our matching shirts and got back to the apartment around 5 and went to the grocery store to get some dinner and to get some beer for the guys as a thank you gift for letting us stay with them the last 3 days. We ate and Britt had a nap while I did some reading on Lisbon. Brian came home and we watched Niel Patrick Harris. Dr. horrible which I had never seen and loved it. Then we spent the rest of the night chilling and wacthing tv. We were thinking of going out tonight but decided just to stay in since Britt and I both had colds right now and we have to be up at 5 am tomorrow. It's sucks that we'll no longer have Brian on our adventures. It's too bad he lives in Calgary, he would have fit nicely in the group. Anyways, bed time. Heading to Madrid tomorrow!
We fell asleep around 2 last night.
Nat left for Girona this morning for work but she will be meeting us in Madrid tomorrow. Brian has also left for work so its just me and Biskal today. We are going exploring...if she ever gets ready...geez.
11:30 pm: Biskal and I had a sweet adventure day. Our first stop in the morning was a search for delicious treats lol. I'm addicted and am going to miss fresh pastries every morning when i go home (Tim Hortons does not compete at all). As soon as we left the apartment and got to the end of the street we already needed to bust out the map because we were lost. I didnt realize how much we were relying on Nat and Brian for directions haha. We set off for the Royal Palace which apparently no one in Barcelona knows its location. As soon as we got there we knew why no one knows it. First off the building is not that impressive as far as palaces go. Secondly, the place was completely deserted. The only living creatures around besides us were the hundreds of birds mating all around us. It was disgusting. We spent 30 minutes pretending we were on Lost and taking pictures in the bushes lol. That is why I love Britt lol. Then we found a play ground and played on it for a bit. Apparently, the Spanish royal family is not popular in Barcelona and they know better than to actually live here so the palace is never used. After our royal adventure, we walked to FC Barcelona stadium. I was considering taking a guided tour inside but figured it was just a waste of money. It was still cool to see from the outside though. Then we went on an epic walk up a massive hill to the Olympic Grounds which was really really cool. I got to go into my first Olympic Stadium!! Then we decided to take the cable car from the hill to the beach which was also amazing. We had incredble views of Barcelonetta (Barcelona's beach) and the rest of the city. It was a hilarious ride due to 1) Britt's fear of heights and her squeals every time the car shook and 2) the old British ladies having a converation about tomatoes. It was nice to get to a beach finally on this trip even though it is cool and overcast. Ever since we've been in Barcelona, Brian has been telling us about "naked man" who apparently is always at the beach just pacing up and down nude and everyone knows who he is. And guess who the first person we see is when we get to the beach? NAKED MAN lol. Hilarious. We sat on the beach for a bit and dipped our feet in the Meditteranean. We walked along the beach for a while and Biskal stepped on a half-buried rock, taking off a good chunk of her toe nail.
Next we went to the Ramblas so I could get a shot glass (we realized that if you ask the chop owner the price and then say that its too expensive and start walking away, they'll sell it at half the price they were asking). Then we went to Desigual, a clothing store with some really cool lame clothes that I love and in typical Biskal and Piskal fashion, we walk out of the changerooms with the same shirt on lol. We bought our matching shirts and got back to the apartment around 5 and went to the grocery store to get some dinner and to get some beer for the guys as a thank you gift for letting us stay with them the last 3 days. We ate and Britt had a nap while I did some reading on Lisbon. Brian came home and we watched Niel Patrick Harris. Dr. horrible which I had never seen and loved it. Then we spent the rest of the night chilling and wacthing tv. We were thinking of going out tonight but decided just to stay in since Britt and I both had colds right now and we have to be up at 5 am tomorrow. It's sucks that we'll no longer have Brian on our adventures. It's too bad he lives in Calgary, he would have fit nicely in the group. Anyways, bed time. Heading to Madrid tomorrow!
Day 13: Another awesome day in Barcelona
9:00 am: Tapas dinner last night was delicious yet again and we had plenty and plenty of wine with it. After dinner we said goodbye to Britt's parents. They were heading to Granada and will meet up with us in Madrid later on wednesday. Brian, Nat, Britt and I went to Montjuic (the mountain where they have the big fountain). It has a music and lights show and it was absolutely stunning to look at in front of the huge majestic building. We had a good time there taking pics and then we met up with Graham and went to a bar to meet with some people in their program. The bar was a bit sketch (an old wine cellar run by guys with tatoos and skullets) but it was a lot of fun. We had sangria for the first time. It tastes like juice and we quickly went through 4 jugs of it. We were definitely feeling it near the end. We left around two because we were exhausted and because Brian had to work super early in the morning. We ended up getting 5 hours of sleep so that's an improvement from the last couple of nights. Nat, Biskal and I are on our way to get some delicious treats and then we are doing some exploring.
7:00 pm: we picked up our treats and decided we would go up to Tibidabo mountain. The whole experience was ridiculous and hilarious. First off we walked all the way to the funicular and thought we were awesome because we got there at 9:30 only to find out it didnt open till 10:45. So we sat in a park and ate our treats surrounding by the barks and howling of what sounded like 100 dogs in the nearby mountain. When it finally opened, we paid 4 euros each to take a 1.5 minute ride (we probably could have walked it). When we got to the amusement park, we immediatly saw a massive church. We went inside and there was an English mass going on and everyone was singing Amazing Grace. I guess this is where teh tourists go to church. The amusement park itself was even more bizarre. We were the only ones there, none of the rides were running, half the park was blocked off and there were dead ends everywhere and they were playing the creepiest music the whole time. It was something straight out of Goosebumps or Are You Afraid of the Dark. Britt took a pic of the deserted carousel and was mocked by some carneys. It was one big weird experience. The views from the top were great but it was pretty foggy out. So Tibidabo was a bust but it definitely provided some funny memories. After that we realized that mine and Britt's cameras were dying so we went back to the apartment to get Nat's cam and then went to the Ramblas for lunch. We had some good eats including our favourit Barcelona staple: patatas bravas mmmmm. For dessert we had churros dipped in Spanish hot chocolate (which was as thick as nutella). We ended up eating until 3 (like true Europeans) so needless to say, the first half of the day was not that productive.
After lunch, we began our afternoon of Gaudi. Gaudi architecture is incredible. His buildings are a mixture of Alice and Wonderland and Dr. Seuss. So much geometry and colours. We walked by an apartment he designed that looked like a fish. It looked so out of place with the buildings beside it. Next we went to the Predrera (a huge house he desinged for a wealthy family). The best part was the roof which was full of giant sea shell sculptures and statues that look like the clone troopers in star wars. It was really really neat. Then we went to his most famous work, one of the symbols of Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia. By far the most amazing church I have ever seen in my life. Soooo much detail everywhere. It's huge with massive twisted spires. The front is adorned with carvings of the stations of the cross mixed with (in typical Gaudi fashion) giant frogs, geese, and bundles of colored fruit and vegetables. The back wall depicted more religious imagery including dead babies dangling from the church. In the front is a giant statue of Jesus tied to a pole with whip markings all over him. Definitely a crazy church. You could stare at it for an hour and still not see everything. Gaudi dies before it was finished and it has been under construction for over 100 years with no end in sight. All the construction machinery and vehicles have become part of the site itself. They keep saying it will be open as an actual church soon but who knows. We walked inside and climbed the tower for better views of the outside of the church. When we were finally able to peel are eyes away from this masterpiece we met up with Brian at the metro, It's been raining off and on all day. Still can't believe I got stuck with rain in Barcelona. Tonight we're goint to Park Guell (also designed by Gaudi) to watch the sunset.
7:00 pm: we picked up our treats and decided we would go up to Tibidabo mountain. The whole experience was ridiculous and hilarious. First off we walked all the way to the funicular and thought we were awesome because we got there at 9:30 only to find out it didnt open till 10:45. So we sat in a park and ate our treats surrounding by the barks and howling of what sounded like 100 dogs in the nearby mountain. When it finally opened, we paid 4 euros each to take a 1.5 minute ride (we probably could have walked it). When we got to the amusement park, we immediatly saw a massive church. We went inside and there was an English mass going on and everyone was singing Amazing Grace. I guess this is where teh tourists go to church. The amusement park itself was even more bizarre. We were the only ones there, none of the rides were running, half the park was blocked off and there were dead ends everywhere and they were playing the creepiest music the whole time. It was something straight out of Goosebumps or Are You Afraid of the Dark. Britt took a pic of the deserted carousel and was mocked by some carneys. It was one big weird experience. The views from the top were great but it was pretty foggy out. So Tibidabo was a bust but it definitely provided some funny memories. After that we realized that mine and Britt's cameras were dying so we went back to the apartment to get Nat's cam and then went to the Ramblas for lunch. We had some good eats including our favourit Barcelona staple: patatas bravas mmmmm. For dessert we had churros dipped in Spanish hot chocolate (which was as thick as nutella). We ended up eating until 3 (like true Europeans) so needless to say, the first half of the day was not that productive.
After lunch, we began our afternoon of Gaudi. Gaudi architecture is incredible. His buildings are a mixture of Alice and Wonderland and Dr. Seuss. So much geometry and colours. We walked by an apartment he designed that looked like a fish. It looked so out of place with the buildings beside it. Next we went to the Predrera (a huge house he desinged for a wealthy family). The best part was the roof which was full of giant sea shell sculptures and statues that look like the clone troopers in star wars. It was really really neat. Then we went to his most famous work, one of the symbols of Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia. By far the most amazing church I have ever seen in my life. Soooo much detail everywhere. It's huge with massive twisted spires. The front is adorned with carvings of the stations of the cross mixed with (in typical Gaudi fashion) giant frogs, geese, and bundles of colored fruit and vegetables. The back wall depicted more religious imagery including dead babies dangling from the church. In the front is a giant statue of Jesus tied to a pole with whip markings all over him. Definitely a crazy church. You could stare at it for an hour and still not see everything. Gaudi dies before it was finished and it has been under construction for over 100 years with no end in sight. All the construction machinery and vehicles have become part of the site itself. They keep saying it will be open as an actual church soon but who knows. We walked inside and climbed the tower for better views of the outside of the church. When we were finally able to peel are eyes away from this masterpiece we met up with Brian at the metro, It's been raining off and on all day. Still can't believe I got stuck with rain in Barcelona. Tonight we're goint to Park Guell (also designed by Gaudi) to watch the sunset.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Day 12: Barcelona with the Mumford Family
8:00 am: Tapas dinner last night was delicious. Basically just little appetizers (pieces of breads with various toppings). You just fill your plate with as much as you want and they count the number of toothpicks you have to charge you at the end. It's neat having all that variety but I don't feel like its that filling unless you spend a lot (but that's probably me just being used to N. American portion sizes). After dinner we met up with some of the people Nat works with to go to the forest bar. They were all really nice and friendly and spoke great english so it felt easy to hang out with them. In the summer in Girona, they set up these outdoor bars in the forest. Its a gorgeous old forest filled with makeshift bars complete with dance floors, strobe lighting, djs, etc. It was really cool. Drinks were 10 euros (aaah!) but they did make them very strong. It was hilarious hearing some of the music and seeing the dance moves. Europeans are either way ahead of the trends or really behind when it comes to music. The last time I saw a choreographed dance to "Saturday Night" was in Gr. 7 haha. It's too bad we were so tired because we ended up leaving early (and by early I mean 3 am). We woke up this morning at 6 to catch the train to Barcelona (after we got some delicious treats of course). We're all hung over/exhausted which has made for an interesting train ride. I'm anxious to meet Brian's roommates today.
8:15 am: Britt sat down in her train seat and it collapsed! Best part of the morning so far lol
8:00 pm: Great day in Barcelona so far. We went from the train station and met up with Britt's parents at their hotel. The 5 of us went on a walking tour of the Gothic Quarter at 10 am. It wasn't too pricey and it was really informative. I learned a lot of history and saw a bunch of cool squares, churches, buildings etc. One particular highlight was a churchyard full of geese (apparently the geese used to be used as security. Whenever someone entered the courtyard, they would honk loudly and wake everyone up). We met a digruntled goose that I named Gargamel. After the tour we went for tapas lunch. Had some delicious food (patatas bravas are my new favourite). Don picked up the tab which was really nice of him. The Mumfords have been awesome to me so far and it really feels like I'm traveling with family which is amazing. They have this tradition in Catalonia where all their bread is scrubbed with tomatoes so it has the flavour of tomato but no actual tomatoes in any of the sandwiches.
After lunch we explored another church and then parted ways. Britt, Nat and I walked along the Ramblas (the gigantic shopping street in Barcelona). They sell all kinds of things here including random animals like piegons, squirrels, ducks, chipmunks, etc. It's also full of street performers and extremely annoying vendors. There are these guys that put weird whistles in their mouths and then make these annoying duck noises, pretending they dont know where the sound is coming from. Then they try and sell them to you and they are all super sketchy and sleazy. I walked behind one for a while and make the quacking noise on my own. I dont think they liked me. I can see why the Ramblas is one the streets with the highest incidence of pickpocketing. Its just so easy to get distracted and its completely packed with people. After our walk we went back to Britt's parents hotel and had an epic 3 hour nap all in the same bed. I didnt think I could justify napping when traveling but I seriously would not have lasted the rest of the day without it. Traveling Europe does not leave you a lot of time to sleep lol. After our nap we brought all our stuff to Brian's. We mey his roommates Matt and Graham and they ended up being cool guys. It's nice how they are chill with us staying at their place. We've just been chillling and now we are getting ready to meet Ma and Pa Mumford for dinner (9:30 dinner....I dont think i can get used to this).
8:00 am: Tapas dinner last night was delicious. Basically just little appetizers (pieces of breads with various toppings). You just fill your plate with as much as you want and they count the number of toothpicks you have to charge you at the end. It's neat having all that variety but I don't feel like its that filling unless you spend a lot (but that's probably me just being used to N. American portion sizes). After dinner we met up with some of the people Nat works with to go to the forest bar. They were all really nice and friendly and spoke great english so it felt easy to hang out with them. In the summer in Girona, they set up these outdoor bars in the forest. Its a gorgeous old forest filled with makeshift bars complete with dance floors, strobe lighting, djs, etc. It was really cool. Drinks were 10 euros (aaah!) but they did make them very strong. It was hilarious hearing some of the music and seeing the dance moves. Europeans are either way ahead of the trends or really behind when it comes to music. The last time I saw a choreographed dance to "Saturday Night" was in Gr. 7 haha. It's too bad we were so tired because we ended up leaving early (and by early I mean 3 am). We woke up this morning at 6 to catch the train to Barcelona (after we got some delicious treats of course). We're all hung over/exhausted which has made for an interesting train ride. I'm anxious to meet Brian's roommates today.
8:15 am: Britt sat down in her train seat and it collapsed! Best part of the morning so far lol
8:00 pm: Great day in Barcelona so far. We went from the train station and met up with Britt's parents at their hotel. The 5 of us went on a walking tour of the Gothic Quarter at 10 am. It wasn't too pricey and it was really informative. I learned a lot of history and saw a bunch of cool squares, churches, buildings etc. One particular highlight was a churchyard full of geese (apparently the geese used to be used as security. Whenever someone entered the courtyard, they would honk loudly and wake everyone up). We met a digruntled goose that I named Gargamel. After the tour we went for tapas lunch. Had some delicious food (patatas bravas are my new favourite). Don picked up the tab which was really nice of him. The Mumfords have been awesome to me so far and it really feels like I'm traveling with family which is amazing. They have this tradition in Catalonia where all their bread is scrubbed with tomatoes so it has the flavour of tomato but no actual tomatoes in any of the sandwiches.
After lunch we explored another church and then parted ways. Britt, Nat and I walked along the Ramblas (the gigantic shopping street in Barcelona). They sell all kinds of things here including random animals like piegons, squirrels, ducks, chipmunks, etc. It's also full of street performers and extremely annoying vendors. There are these guys that put weird whistles in their mouths and then make these annoying duck noises, pretending they dont know where the sound is coming from. Then they try and sell them to you and they are all super sketchy and sleazy. I walked behind one for a while and make the quacking noise on my own. I dont think they liked me. I can see why the Ramblas is one the streets with the highest incidence of pickpocketing. Its just so easy to get distracted and its completely packed with people. After our walk we went back to Britt's parents hotel and had an epic 3 hour nap all in the same bed. I didnt think I could justify napping when traveling but I seriously would not have lasted the rest of the day without it. Traveling Europe does not leave you a lot of time to sleep lol. After our nap we brought all our stuff to Brian's. We mey his roommates Matt and Graham and they ended up being cool guys. It's nice how they are chill with us staying at their place. We've just been chillling and now we are getting ready to meet Ma and Pa Mumford for dinner (9:30 dinner....I dont think i can get used to this).
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