Day 2- Wednesday: JET LAG!

I thought this was a perfect picture to start with (even though it is from the end of the day). It shows my innocence and beauty- ha ha ha! Actually, I just thought it was funny.

I woke up yesterday (I am writing this Thursday morning) at 4:00am (after falling asleep at 12:30am). Read for an hour to try and fall asleep- no help. Came into the living room where it's cooler- no luck. I want online and talked with a few friends. Around 7:00am I started to feel tired and went back to my room. Around 8:00am I fell asleep and woke up around 10:00am. Let's just say Jet lag has set in. It's kind of like muscle soreness. It doesn't hit until the second day.

I had an awesome day today, even though I was internally crabby. Cristina and I went to el registro civil in the Barri Gotic district (I think that's right). Tangent.. do you all ever question how people can go to another country and just remember the places they have been- listing off cities, buildings, etc. Well, you all are friends with someone who can't do that. I am going to try and get better, but seriously... I can't for the life of me remember these places. Hell, I am having a hard time remembering street names; Gracia this Gracia that... Placa this and placa that... uh! It's all the same to me (at least for now).

I enjoyed walking through the Barri Gotic when there were not thousands of people around. This is more in the center of the city (Old Barcelona), so it's very touristy (my favorite (think Pier 39). I am going to go back to this area many times during this trip and hope that it was my lack of sleep that caused me so much frustration.

I met with Jen by her work in Gracia (again... near Travessera this and Gran Gracia that). I really like this area a lot. The streets are SO narrow and the shops are so tiny and cute. There is a street called Verdi (don't be proud... there are many more names in front of Verdi'... it's like blah blah blah Verdi') that I like a lot. Cristina works at the Red Cross (teaching Spanish) that is on that street. Wow- anyhow... Jen and I went to lunch at a kabob place. It was so good and go so much food for next to nothing- like 6 euros each for a full plate of food. Afterwards I went to buy a gym membership at Dir. Definitely a scary experience, but I am glad I had her with me. I initiated and the conversation in Spanish and continued to try and talk with her as much as I could, but my understanding of other people speaking back to me is poor, so Jen had to step in.

I forgot how many different things there are to do and know when going to a new gym: Can I use my lock or do I need to rent a locker, do you rent towels or do I have to use my own, wait... how fast is 12 kilometers per hour, how much is 26 kilograms, why does everyone else have a towel to put down on their machines, but not me, why is it so F'ing hot in here?) Seriously, those were just a few of my thoughts at the gym. The gym isn't too bad, but the conversions are what killed me. I hadn't worked out for two weeks so I kicked my own butt and did cardio, stretch and lifted (2 and 1/2 hours later I was dead).

So feeling like I could hardly catch my breathe (still from my 30 minute run 2 hours ago), I met Jen for a drink. We went to JUGOLANDIA. This place was so fun! It was a beautiful day outside and we sat outside and just caught up on our days and laughed at all the things we take for granted. Mine was looking at a menu, knowing what it's saying in Spanish, but not being able to process what it is as quickly as I could if it were in Englsih. So, the 6 page menu takes 20 minutes to read through rather than 5. My drink (which i do not remember the name of- but had watermellon (sandia), cantalope (melo'n), banana (platano), and something else either strawberry (fresa) or apple (manzana) in it. It was AWESOME but cost over 8 euros (yes, more than my entire lunch). Jen's drink- let's just say when I tried it, the best description can be seen in the picture below.

Jen and I met up with Cristina after work and came home to get ready for dinner. We had pizza's... seriously, Jen is an amazing cook. We each had our own pizza's- mine had green peppers (the whole pepper looks like a jalapeno) and chicken sausuage. It was so good. However, at that time of the night (about 10pm) my head hurt so bad that I could hardly stand, so what's a boy to do?

Go out of course! I met up with some of my San Francisco friends who are in town for a gay cruise that leaves on Saturday. Despite getting completely lost and getting there about 45 minutes later than I thought I would, I found them. I am very thankful for their patience in finding me and not leaving me to be stranded in the middle of Eixample. I am going to be going back to that area often (I guess it's the most gay area- they sometimes call it geixample (gaychapla), but more so, because I was running around the area trying to find my friends and didn't get a chance to appreciate another neighborhood in Barcelona.

I appreciate everyone who is reading my blog. I realize that I write the same way I tell a story- THE LONGEST WAY POSSIBLE : ) I hope everyone is enjoying it. I am adding a lot of pictures so that the people who think I am being long winded can just enjoy the photographs (but those same people probably didn't get far enough down here to read this part :) ha ha ha). I am still working on the format of how I want each daily blog to be with the pictures and the stories, so please be patient : ) You have to be, you're my friends! Ha ha ha! Love you all!



Me near one of the oldest looking walls I had ever seen (ha ha ha)! This is in the Barri Gotic and will be going back there and sharing with you a little bit more cultured information than, "an old wall". Like my shirt? I bought it the day before from El Piano- man.







This was when Cristina and I were waiting to be called at the registro civil. The little girl who is standing was flirting with the boy int the stroller. I couldn't get my camera out in time, but it was the most adorable thing ever. Then she came back about 20 minutes later when her mom and her were leaving and walked straight up to the boy and started playing with him and his pacifier. Her poor mother is gonna need a leash on her. I used this opportunity to learn a new phrase and speak to someone in Spanish. I asked the child's mom, "Queiro que te envie la foto por e-mail?" (Do you want me to send you the pictures by e-mail?). She said "Vale, vale... yes yes".

Cristina and I in the elevator at el registro civil (this could have been the coolest picture (I took 3) and none really came out clear) : (







This would be one of those times that I should know the name of the building, but don't. I think this is the Spanish government building and across the placa (plaza) is the Cataluna (Barcelona) government building. But for all I know I could have that backwards.

A really cool archway in the Barri Gotic- definitely one of my favortie sites so far.











Speaks for itself, I think. I just thought it would be a cool picture to share : )












Both buildings are en la plaza del sol






Jen at lunch drinking a beer. And yes, she has to go back to work. I couldn't imagine the concept of going to have a drink at lunch and then going back to work afterwards. Maybe that's becasue I am a cheap date and would be buzzed after one beer. Yea, probably- no one needs a guy dancing shirtless at work : )


Me trying not to be crabby : ) ha ha ha! How do you think I am doing?











This is the 6 euro lunch I was talking about. I actually was able to stand the smoke that was billowing out from the back table, just because the food looked so good and was so cheap.



This is me doing my interpretive "search" for Jugolandia : ) I'm phunny! There are a few more pictures in this series, but I felt like I would share with the you the original.








Jugolandia- Can anyone else see why I would have taken this picture (They also had a drink called - yes, you guessed it- Disneylandia)?







My true, uncensored feelings on Jen's drink.







This was the cutest boy ever. Jen told me I should have videoed it (I wish I had). He was walking bye with his father (in the background waving) and was just staring at this guy playing the accordian (sp?). He then started playing with it. Afterwards he went to that bucket and reached in to see what was in there. Can you read his shirt? "Mr. Happy"- ha ha ha!

A few of my San Francisco friends that I met up with later that night (Rene, Erik, and Billy). "They didn't leave me!!!!" : ) Two of the three said they would stay and wait for me : ) Thanks a lot Rene- remember, "A New Earth"? ha ha ha! Kidding!

That's me getting suckered into buying roses from some guy who came into the bar (Erik was joking he wanted one, so I had to get him one- he got the pink one). The guy just started giving me them (three to start with). I asked him how much (in Spanish of course) and he said, "however much you want to give me". I said, "all I have is 2 euros" and gave him that. He said, "how about one more?" I told him that's all I had- He TOOK BACK ONE OF THE ROSES! HA HA HA!














Never buy roses with a group of gay guys. Or if you want to see dirty things done with roses, buy roses with a group of gay men. These are some of the more "family appropriate" shots- ha ha ha!

New Spanish words:
Bakery- (la panaderi'a)
Do you want me to send you the picture through e-mail?- (Quieres que te envie la foto por e-mail?)
Still- (todavia)
Block- (cuadra)
A quarter- (cuarto)
I went- (yo fui)
I was- (yo estaba)
I wrote- (yo escrbia)
Bye (in catalan)- (adeu)
Not equal- (desigual)
A sale- (rebajas)
I.D- (el carnet)
Go away- (vete)