To interrupt my usual carrying on... I want to introduce to everyone the LOVELY, the TALENTED, the WONDERFUL and the BRILLIANT, the one and OOOONLLLLY.... KAAAAAAIYA! Her link is now featured on MY list so please click and enjoy her very picturesque world.
Baci bella!
Good morning my beautiful people!! I made a phone call to make sure the sun will be shining all day just for you! (You’re welcome, - don't say I never do anything for you.)
Today I say ENOUGH of this Europe “nostalgia” nonsense!! Lets look at things the way they REEEAAALY are! So the following will be a Barcelona Bashing Session followed by WORLD DONE RIGHT where I, Ale, will write down exact instructions on how to improve this land of Barcelona (YES, thanks to me, there is still hope for them.)
Saturday, April 2
After my euphoric moment by the atm machine, in which my victory over the machine was belittled by the heinous exchange rate, I headed directly towards the taxi stand to proceed on my way to hotel. Common Spain, lets get this one right at least…
Taxi drivers… hmmm, they’re the same all over the world I guess, I mean cabbies in NY still think they will be able to cheat you, even though you’re a native. So here in Barcelona, what follows is a perfect example of roles reversed. (Ale style! Or a la Ale) When we arrived, and since my hotel was sort of in the suburbs of Barcelona, the taxi driver decided to humor himself by telling me that I sure picked a hotel far from the center. “No kidding Sherlock! Ya think there’s a good reason for that!? Like, I’M NOT PAYING FOR THIS”. Whatever- I decided to let this smug comment fly AND the fact that he pressed some extra thing on his meter and now my fare jumped from 15 euros to 20! What the heck is that about… good thing I read all the gossip on the internet where they warn you to go by the first number that is read on the meter and not by the “second” one that magically appears after the driver messes with it. Once again WHATEVER (I’m not paying…. Furthermore I decide to leave him a tip, cause I’m in Europe and I’m happy or some nonsense like that.) So, are you ready for this? I hand him a 20 euro note and a 10 euro note and ask him to make change for me for the 10 euro (so I can give him a 2 eruo tip). He gets all confused and stuff and gives me two 5 euro notes and I take them but say can you give me change in ones? And he is still confused about WHY I’m asking him for change and why this and why that… and we ended up passing back and forth the 20 euro note, and so on and so forth. I finally decide the HECK with the tip, I’m wasting precious shopping time and decide to just leave him with the 20 euro note and be done. So I say ok, fine, no change is necessary I’ll just take my extra 10 euro note back and – Muchas GraTHias. So I take the 10 euro back and through the glass doors into the hotel…
Did any one notice what happened?? (Is anyone still awake?) Well what happened was, I got the two 5 euro notes form the driver initially and than my own 10 euros back from him at the end! Result: he tried to cheat me 5 euros, I cheated him out of 10 euros = Ale wins by a grand total of 5 euros! **Pulling one over a taxi driver in a foreign country = PRICELESS**
Now this is what I call a la Ale! Honestly now for all of you that are disguasted by my actions… I have to say this was a TOTAL ACCIDENT!!! This is why it’s a la Ale, because I so did NOT even plan it… it just happened! The force of Primavera is with me!!! I don’t believe in taking money away from taxi drivers (even after they did try to rip me off). They work hard, and are probably underpaid… therefore if I get ripped off by them, OH WELL that’s how it is.
Saturday, April 2
Arriving in Spain was weird. I always get this "feeling" when I get off the plane in Europe. Its a feeling that just appears out of nowhere and I have no idea why or what it represents. Its really a misture of feeling something very familiar... returning to your hometown that you haven't visited in years and remembering everything that you've managed to forget... I don't know, its just this strange yet familiar sensation that takes you by surprise and makes you think that maybe there is much more to you than you can ever imagine.
This feelings is scary sometimes because you just want more and more of it. You want to find out what is it that triggers these "memories", memories of things that you've actually never experienced. Its a mystery, and it can become a drive that takes over your life.
For some people that experience it, life is never the same... they drop everything in search of answers... I know many of these people. They're spead all over the world, speaking languages that are foreign to them and realizing that they can express themselves best in them... They cook exotic foods and are comforted by them as if their grandmothers were the ones to cook them first. I know this feeling very well. I am also one of those people who supressed it, who hid it, and who returned to her "real" life... only to realize that the "real" life will never be the same again.
Ok, I'm done with the mushy stuff-- for now--
So Saturday morning as I came out of the plane in Madrid, I remembered that in Spain the sweet smell of European cigarettes is the fist thing that hits you. Waw, even in Italy it is "officially" forbidden to smoke in airports, people still do, and then the sexy Carabinieri boys come over and shake their heads at you, and than ask to take you out. But in Spain there are still these "smoking stations". Wild!
Like a pro I went straight to the atm machine and got my first 100 Euros out. After a brief moment of exsiliration that it worked! I realized the depressing part of this situation: 100 euros = $130 dollars, how depressing!!!
to be continued... oh, and my very "professional" pictures are comming too...
the secret "formula"
Now I would like to extend this challenge to all you math wizards out there... Is this some kind of a new formula??? That I've never had the pleasure of learning? (Actually I tried to put the horrors of math out of mind as soon as possible.) So if any one can tell me what this means you'll get... I don't know, I'll take suggestions...
Hint: this little banner hang all over the city of Barcelona
Official game rules: do not go snooping around the internet to find out what this formula means, the way to play is just to look at the formula and figure out what it could mean using only the hint above.
Thank you for playing and I'll reveal the answer next week! hehehe
Important and old gothic stuff
Here is a picture of the cathedral. Some of the pictures you'll see are actually from the official Barcelona website (which is very nice btw). Well its because most of the historical sites are currently under renovation! So they're covered in scaffolding (lucky for you that you won't have to deal with my "photography" skills).
You know how the entire Europe did mega renovation for the opening of the Milleneum? Well apparently Spain just woke up from a siesta and decided to join the bunch. Buenos Dias! Rise and shine!!
Hello my beautiful people!
I'm jetlagging badly right now... always happens comming back to this side of the ocean. I'm sleeping normally but my eating times are all screwed up. Like today I ate dinner for breakfast. Maybe I'll have breakfast for lunch...? What do you think? hehe
Anyway, this is what's going to happen for the next few days: I'll write my Barcelona stuff in a different color so it will be clear where is what. Actually I was going to post something yesterday but than as I hit "publish" blogger totaly flaked out on me!!! Sucks, it was really long and winded (as always).
Friday, April 1st
I really did have the very best intentions on getting everything work related accomplished so I can just sit there and enjoy the "anticipation" but nope, ofcourse I was still running around as my white limo (jsut a town car this time) was frantically calling my cellphone form downstairs.
On the way there the driver and I discussed everything from NYC lifestyle, to real estate market (he is shopping for a condo in Miami), to the politics in Cuba... to resolving world hunger and the operations of the World Bank. It was deffinitely a productive 45 minutes.
Talking about productivity, I'm happy to say that I did pack myself correctly for the trip. I will now reveal the 10 things that you absolutely cannot leave out when traveling! Business or pleasure, you need these items:
1. Advils (or any other headache medicine you trust) - for when you need to get over a nasty hangover headache.
2. Eye drops - for when you need to get rid of the red eyes that WILL devolope due to lack of sleep... due to going out partying, drinking, and performing any other sleep depriving activities.
3. Eyepatch covers (however you call them) - a must have if you plan on sleeping on the plane.
4. Travel friendly manicure set - the so will take away your metal filer!! so make alternative arrangements.
5. Lip gloss - so you walk out of the plane as cute as possible, every second in a foreign country is a chance to have a foreign fling!
6. Tri band cellphone- cus you need to start calling someone as soon as the plane lands and the anoying seatbelt sign "...is turned off and the doors are opened..." yeah yeah...
7. Locion - airplanes are the number 1 cause of dry skin
8. Credit cards/bank cards - this is trickier than you think as you'll see below...
I spent quite a few minutes calling all my credit cards and bank atm cards because if you don't report the fact that you are traveling they WILL shut your cards off!! TRUST ME! Someone actually does monitor what you're doing with your cards, and if they see "strange" behavior they will shut your card down for "security protection purposes untill further investigation confirms the legitimacy of transactions". It's a good thing, if your card is actually stolen and someone is trying to buy farm equipment somwhere in Missuri, but it totally sucks when you're in the middle of a very important Furla bag purchase in Milan!! So I called to advise them not to be alarmed if they see "uncarachteristic and unpreceedented usage" (their terms not mine). Furthermore! Going forward they need to consider withdrawals of large sums in any of the European Union member countries a VERY carachteristic usage!! OK!?!!!
There that said and done, I was finally at the airport, at the Iberia counter. By the way, what's up with the uniforms??? The mens' are OK, but the womens' ones are completely hidious! They look like cow milking girls from somewhere in Eastern Europe!! Anyway, at that point however I was distracted because this very cute 17 year old (he looked 17) checked me in... as I checked him out... than he directed me to my gate as I continued to stare right at him. He had a beauty mark on his cheek... he had this Enrique Iglesias thing going on. Ahhh, the silly 10 year difference cannot stand in the way of true love like this!!! Excuse me..When is your 18th birthday?? and where are your parents?
To be continued...
Hi people!
I'm back, so everyone can stop missing me now. I was VERY happy to find sunshine and reasonably warm weather upon my exiting the airport. However I'm still a bit confused about the location (or not location) of my red carpet!! It's ok though I wasn't looking too much like red carpet material.
Tomorrow I'll be taking it easy so I'll have time to tell you some stories. Yes I have pictures too, not too many but enough for my show and tell. I'm a little sad, which I think is a reflex I've developed every time I come back from Europe.
Ok, a nice long bubble bath is waiting for me... haha, actually there is a story I have from Barca about bubble baths... hmhm
chauchau
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