8:57pm -Barcelona -La Rambla

Hola to all. Life in Barcelona is more then pleasant. This city lives, it breaths, it dances! It is so full of life that its hard to put things into words.
Ill start by saying I started Spanish classes yesterday and they are going well. Learning a lot already, and classes are suplemented with activities…and drinking. After calss today we watched a movie in Spanish (though it was originally French). While I didnt understand all of it, I got the general idea. Translating comedy is a bit difficult and I missed a few of the jokes, though I think the voice over actors did as well. Plus there was a big protest going on outside with a whole lot of noise…people protesting tearing down buildings to build a new metro station…sounds a lot like New York and the proposed stadium in Brooklyn.
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Afterwards we went for coffee and drinks…and more Spanish, though my brain is full up for the day and sort of shut off…the Spanish station anyway.
Im sharing a flat with 3 other people, Thalia from Brazil is my roommate, Sandro, also from Brazil, and Katarina, from Germany, have single rooms. All of them are really nice and the girls and I go to school together in the mornings and have lunch together after with another German girl from school. I might just learn some German here too! I think I lucked out, as our apartment has a fabulous terrace and even a washing machine! (Ive got pictures which I will upload later when I can figure out how…need either a computer that will allow a USB connection or a wireless connection).
Ive been walking around the city a ton, just taking it all in. Barcelona is an orgy of magnificent architecture and every walk brings new things to look at, photograph and generally be happy to have seen. I went to the fabulous Santa Maria del Mar today, a less famous church (then the enormous Catedral or Gaudis Sagrada Familia) but astounding none the less.
The evening was spent desperately, and a bit embarrassingly, looking for a bar where I could catch the Yankees/Red Sox game. It seems not one person in Barcelona is interested in baseball…and there are two huge football games on tonight, so no luck. I pounded the pavement for a good 2 hours before finally deciding the only place I was going to get any info was on the internet. (3/1 in the top of the 6th…go Yanks!) Knowing the game is on at a watchable hour here is driving me a bit mad…but a bartender at Travel Bar said he might be able to get tomorrows game on the tellie for me. Keeping my fingers crossed…

This weekend was a bit too much fun. It took till Monday to adjust to Spanish time…late nights of dancing, drinking and befriending locals kept me up till sunup both Saturday and Sunday. I had too much fun to complain and found a promising club that has a drum and bass night weekly which Im excited to check out. Cant beat free entry.
Speaking of cheap…Travel Bar is a god send. Its a local bar with tons of expat bartenders and travelers from all over the world. They do pub crawls, informal spanish and english practicing sessions, all sorts of drink specials and my fave…1 dinners! Being on a bit of a budget, I cant think of anything better. Every night happy people come and share Cheap Eats, watch footie and enjoy chats that span many a language barrier.

So, generally all is well…although I do have some homework to attend to tonight. A vacation with homework…strange mix.
Im sure Ill have more to write soon, but have to sign off for now…
Adios todos…con cario,
*Liz