The Barcelona Three

There are a few things that enter my head when I think back about our time in Barcelona: Paella, Tapas, Architecture, Carlsberg, Non-stop Partying, German School Groups, Pigeons, Architecture, La Rambla, Bob Marley, Maoz Falafel, Winding Streets, who could forget Sangria, Relaxing, Street Performers, Gelati, Internet Cafes, Regular Cafes, Handbags in Sacks, Architecture, Pizza, Placa Reial, Frosties and Chocolate Cereals, Bananas from my stall in the Mercat de la Baqueria, Flowers and Birds, Sleep, No Sleep, and more things of that nature...
In fact, a big portion of our 2 weeks in Barcelona was spent relaxing in Placa Reial - the placa into which our hotel faced, the placa that never slept (up until at least 5am every single day there were people sitting in the cafes and restaurants outside our hotel window drinking, laughing, singing anything from classic 80s hits to happy birthday..
This city is just full of life, everywhere you look the streets are bustling, there's always something happening, something colourful to catch your attention, a busker playing an accordian or guitar, sitting still as a statue only to jump out at unsuspecting curious passers-by scaring the daylights out of them, dressed as a clown entertaining crowds at the expense of innocent bystanders, or maybe even pumping out a dance beat or two to complement his juggling routine aimed at the outside-dwelling patrons of a nearby restaurant..
The weather was fine, the people friendly (and pretty damn good looking too, I might add - both guys and girls), the views over the city spectacular from the cable car to Montjuic.. It is just generally a great place, and one quite high on my list of favourite cities :)
While getting lost amidst the web of small alleyways flanked by towering 4-storey buildings - many of which date back to medieval times and where washing hangs out of the open windows over balconies that provide a home to numerous flowerpots and weathered wooden shutters - was definitely a highlight for me, we also managed to fit in a bit of sightseeing too. Some of the most memorable places we visited were.. Get ready for it: the Egyptian museum (Museu Egypci) with a very interesting display of photographs from the uncovering of Tutenkhamen's tomb; the Ethnological museum (Museu Etnologic) displaying info and artifacts of several indigenous cultures from around the world (including Australia, which the museum had quite an interesting viewpoint of - see the photo); another Olympic site, this time from the 1992 Olympics; La Sagrada Familia, the enormous and visually exciting Roman Catholic church that has been under construction since the 1880s and is still not expected to be completed until about 2026 (!); the Picasso museum, devoted entirely to the man everyone has heard of, and including an exceptionally interesting special exhibition on the famous painting, Las Meninas, and Picasso's (and others') various interpretations; the wonderful and huge fresh produce market, Mercat de la Baqueria, which reminded me a lot of the Adelaide Central Markets, brilliant; taking in a flamenco performance in a very intimate club called Tarantos; and last but definitely not least, the Benedictine abbey, Santa Maria de Montserrat built atop the very picturesque mountain Montserrat just outside of Barcelona. Phew....
Above all, though, it was lovely hanging out with my mum and sis for the last time in what I suspect may be a while as we all split up to go our separate ways on the 29th of May. Mum flew home to Australia, Lee moved on to Granada in the south of Spain and I took the train northeast about 4 hours into the south of France!!! This Thursday was a particularly teary day...

A few small facts that you may or may not have known: Barcelona is in an area of Spain known as Catalunya, which also used to include a small region of France. It has its own language (Catalan), separate from Spanish and sharing many similarities with French, and is considered essentially as a separate nation. Bullfighting is not a Catalunyan tradition, but a Spanish one, and as such is not practised within Catalunya (except when the Spanish government decides to take the arenas under their jurisdiction - which they can do - at certain times in the year, when even the Catalunyan authorities are replaced by Spanish).

Photos:

Placa Reial by night

the fountain in the centre of our placa

in the Museu Etnologic - the world's view of Australia

graffiti is quite widespread through this city

La Sagrada Familia - notice the cranes in the background

an alleyway

another alleyway

an interesting way to make a few dollars...

healthy breakfast options

Monument a Colon (Monument to Colombus) at the end of Las Ramblas

one of the best markets I've seen...

on the cable car from Montjuic

at the top of Montserrat!

we found this small church also near the summit of Montserrat

hide and seek

A week in London

Flying into London was obviously exciting, yet I was, for some reason, also quite nervous.. Arriving in Heathrow airport meant that all of those months (over 12 of them) of planning and organising and talking about our Asian adventure had finally come to a close and our itinerary had essentially ceased to exist. I had now officially entered the realm of infinite possibilities and the unknown.
Something else that bothered me was entering back into western culture.. I say this not meaning to offend anyone, but I see the "western culture" in general as somewhat superficial, especially when comparing it with the extremely functional cultures that we came across in south-east Asia. I didn't particularly care for the people's "need" to be fashionable, the "need" to show ones wealth with a nice car or the "need" for possessions in general. I basically found the place and people quite uninspired and uninspiring because of this. This was definitely a case of reverse culture shock, but I guess I've always felt this way and it was just magnified by my experiences at the time. Nevertheless, as with everything, it doesn't take long to become accustomed to your surroundings and I am now quite used to the culture again, and have even been noticing a few substantial positive attributes within our ethos as compared to the Asian societies.
I say I was entering the unknown.. well, sort of... I have been to London before, a couple of years ago, and so had no trouble in finding my way around the Tube (which seemed a little lousier than I recalled from last time - the metros in Japan and China were definitely better - but in its defence, the Tube is nearly 150 years old, the oldest underground metro in the world) which, let's face it, is pretty much all you need to know your way around London. We had our 2-year UK working holiday visas stamped (phew...) as we passed through immigration and caught the Tube to King's Cross station where we met up with Nic (the Northerner; you'll remember her from my NZ blog). From here Lee and I split up to stay with separate friends.
This short time in London was pretty much one big catchup session for me with a whole bunch of people I hadn't seen in ages (or hadn't ever seen for that matter). Nic, Jode and their housemates were kind enough to lend me their couch for the few days I was to spend here. Man, it was great (and strange) meeting up with Nic again, this time in her own country.. She even took a well deserved day off work and we took in a bit of sightseeing and took the train out to the Prime Meridien and Royal Observatory at Greenwich, where we got the very novel idea (I'm sure) of taking a photo of us standing with one foot in the eastern hemisphere and the other in the western.
I caught up quite a bit with my best mate, Jubby, who I had only seen for 1 month or so out of the past 20. He has the same visa as I and came over last August. Like old times.. Nothing changes.. And that's the way I like it :) No-one can understand what we're on about when we're together - and I think most of the time we have no idea either haha. The first night out we had was spent in Walkabout - a very typically Aussie pub, complete with Foster's flags, a sign pointing to the "Dunnies" and some of the bar staff wearing All Blacks shirts.
Ella, another fellow Adelaidean and long-time-no-see candidate, is also here and we shared a few beers (and double vodkas, right?) and spent some quality time, along with Jubby, standing pointlessly in the line to get into a club hosting Paris Hilton. Stupid £20 entrance fee... Instead of paying this ridiculous amount (equal to about A$45) we headed to a nearby bar - with the best cocktails in the world! - called Archangel.
About 10 years ago, I'd say, when the old chat lines were cool - ICQ, mIRC, etc. - I started chatting with 3 gals from Michigan, USA. I have kept in particularly close touch with Michelle. Obviously with me living in Australia and she in the US, we haven't really had the chance to meet. Until now.. Turns out she and her friend Ami were in London at the same time as I was! What are the odds? We just had to catch up! And how else does one catch up but over a beer? We chose a pub and got to chatting pretty much like we had known each other for years, which technically we have :)
On the 16th of May, our mum flew over and spent a couple of days in London with us, getting ready for her two week trip in Europe.. And when I say Europe, I mean Barcelona!

Photos:

The tube! A familiar sight...

Nic and me with a little friend I like to call Hot Chocolate

Jubby!

Me and Michelle

Playing in the park

the Meridien

Bridge.. What bridge..??

Next Stop.. Arabia!

We felt as though we'd been slightly Buddha'd and templed out by the end of our time in south-east Asia, so it was a nice change to see something completely different in the next country we visited.. The United Arab Emirates, a predominantly Islamic country made up of 7 emirates (states) and situated in the desert of the Arabian Peninsula, is a very intriguing place. Not only are the mosques absolutely stunning, the call for prayer 5 times a day haunting, the desert formidable (the dual meaning of the word, as threatening but at the same time inspiring awe, is particularly useful here), and the water temperature perfect even if the beach itself is too hot to bear, but the history and way the UAE is being administered by its extremely wealthy Sheikhs (or leaders, the word is pronounced "shakes") is just fascinating. With tax-free incentives for businesses and home owners, free public education for Emirati nationals, unfathomable amount of continuous construction (about $350 billion worth at last count) and the fastest growing GDP on earth, it's no wonder that people are flocking here from every corner of the globe - approximately 85% of residents here are non-citizens, the highest of any country.. The UAE looks to be on its way to becoming the most developed country in the world! (bit of a shame about the approximate 3-to-1 ratio of males to females!)
When most people think of the UAE, they think Dubai; the insane playground for developers where almost anything is possible.. If it can be built, you'll probably see it at some point in the "experiment" that is Dubai! First the Palm Islands, then the World, and now The Universe (a cluster of islands in the shape of the Solar System) are being constructed off the coast, the Burj Dubai (the tallest building in the world), the Hydropolis (the world's first underwater luxury resort), Dubailand (bigger than Disneyland), Dubai Sports City (an entire city comprising of apartment blocks and sports stadium and arenas), Dubai Mall (the world's largest shopping mall), the Falconcity of Wonders (replicas of the 7 wonders of the world plus some more modern wonders such as the Eiffel tower and the Taj Mahal - when viewed from space the city will form the shape of a falcon), and who could forget the Burj al Arab (the world's only "7-star" hotel.)
But this is not all the emirates have to offer. Abu Dhabi, the country's often overlooked capital, is a lovely seaside city filled with glass skyscrapers, wide palm tree-lined streets, mosques, and restaurants serving food from all across the Asian continent and beyond, not to mention the pristine beaches, man-made islands and unbelievably expensive cars. We spent the majority of our time here, couchsurfing with a top Aussie expat named Rob and his Swedish buddy, Kris.
First off, my experience in the Abu Dhabi airport was not particularly carefree.. My bags were searched when I entered the country and then again when I left, the latter because the x-ray scan found 3 bullet-shaped objects? No idea what they could have been? Then, our taxi driver crashed into the curb because he wasn't paying as much attention to the road as he was his finger which basically never left his left nostril during the 30 minute trip.. But with these pleasantries out of the way, we were able to enjoy ourselves immensely, or as much as is possible in 45 degree heat!
We spent the first day wandering around the city and in the Abu Dhabi mall before heading to the beach with the guys. We had planned on going across to one of the islands this day but the Sheikh decided to close the waterways for a boat race.. How convenient :)
The next day was Dubai time! 6 of us piled into Rob's Toyota ute and hit the freeway. Wild Wadi waterpark was the destination, towered over by the huge and imposing Burj al Arab. We had a great time getting upto mischief here.. I haven't been to a waterpark in years! That evening Lee and I stayed in Dubai in the souk (market) area of Deira, but a had a bit of a hard time finding the hotel (stupid incorrect lonely planet maps!). We checked out the gold souk (the largest gold market in the world), but to me it was no more than a bunch of jewellery stores selling extravagant gold jewellery - not the kind of bustling street market I had expected. The rest of our time in Dubai on the following day was spent basically wandering around, visiting Dubai museum, and taking an Abra (small water taxi) across Dubai creek before catching a bus back to Abu Dhabi that afternoon.
When we arrived back, we caught a taxi directly to the gigantic and utterly amazing Sheikh Zayed Great Mosque in the south of the city. It was only opened in December of 2007 but has emerged as one of Islam's top ten mosques! The gigantic white egg-shaped domes, the massive minarets standing guard over the huge courtyard, the stunningly decorated interior complete with the largest carpet in the world, just the sheer size... This mosque can hold 40,000 worshippers! Our taxi driver was kind enough to take us inside and show us around.. Lee even had to wear a hijab!
Alas, we flew out the next day..
I've gained quite an interest in Arabia in my short little visit here.. I would love to go back and visit some more of the UAE now and even some of the other Middle Eastern countries (although I might have to be a little careful when deciding). The area around Liwa in the UAE would definitely be one of my next stops if I ever return!

Photos:

this is Abu Dhabi airport

I was informed after the fact that it really isn't a good idea to take photos of the women here..

enjoying a Starbucks break

a little stereotypical...

the view over Wild Wadi from the huge waterslide

that's the shit right there!

skiing in the desert, anyone?

the red one's mine :)

still under construction: the Burj Dubai

the Great Mosque as viewed through a windshield :P

inside the mosque.. this place is amazing!

the End of Asia (as we know it?)

So I've come to our last day in Asia.. That's it.. Two-and-a-half months gone.. But there's more to come!
Because we didn't get to see Mao's mausoleum the day before, we made damn sure we could on this day.. Closed shoes and all! After wrestling with a group of Chinese tourists for our place in the line, we finally made it to the front and got to walk through to see Mao. It was essentially the same experience as when we saw Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi, except this time the Chinese bought flowers to place inside. We were ushered through quickly past a glass coffin enclosing Mao resting peacefully. He actually looked a little plastic, which is I guess why a lot of people think it's just a Madame Tussaud's wax figure of the leader laying there. I guess we'll never know :)
Me having an interest in astronomy, we went to see Beijing's ancient observatory, one of the oldest observatories in the world housing some quite revolutionary tools including an amillery sphere and huge bronze celestial sphere. The majority of instruments were stolen during WWI, when allied forces invaded Beijing, and displayed in European museums, but they were returned by the German and French governments after the war ended. Interesting..
Chris and John, our couchsurfers from Xi'an, just so happened to be in Beijing at the time as well so we caught up with them for our last lunch in China. That made for a nice ending to our time there. While we were waiting to meet up with those guys, though, we were accosted by a lady speaking to us incessantly in Chinese out the front of the Australian embassy.. It wasn't long before the guards thought they'd better protect the Aussies and 'removed her' from the premises. Yay for embassies!
Shortly after this we were on our way to China's brand new airport Terminal 3. It took a little while but I warmed a lot to this country and its people. I was quite sad to leave and felt as though there was a lot that we missed out on - which of course in China there is! I would even go as far as saying that it's one of my favourite countries that I've visited now. 2 1/2 weeks definitely isn't enough! Oh well, there's always next time.......

I'll leave you with a few random photos from our time in China.

Photos:

good place for a pole :)

getting back at them.. having a photo taken with the Chinese on the ferry

you see these guys everywhere in China, they control the traffic and pedestrians even when there are traffic lights.. they need to or there would be chaos.. hardly anyone pedestrians obey the traffic signals

this little girl was auite interested in us and was happy to give me a wave when i took this photo

that is some pretty ingenious footwear

a food stall.. awesome! miss em...

yum

our hostel in Beijing at night

stuck in the basket :)

Beijing's ancient observatory

the Airport! Tsai Chien China...

the Imperials

Our mammoth day of walking the greatest wall on Earth was suitably finished off with a pleasant dinner out with Brook and Alana, and drinks at a cool backpacker-friendly place called Sakura cafe. Because of this, the following day started a little late and we continued this relaxed theme by both getting foot massages in what looked remarkably like a brothel - we were lead downstairs where it is dimly lit with red lights, the rooms have locking doors with quite comfy beds, and your masseuse wears a short skirt and high heels... I'll let you connect the dots...
In the afternoon we headed out of the city centre to visit the Summer Palace, which is where the emporer and his imperial family would hang out if they got sick of sitting in isolation in the Forbidden City. On the bus ride out there, we got to speaking with a 40-something gentleman who was explaining how a lot of Chinese were converting to Christianity and that China is poor because they worship the "false God," Buddha. Hmm. Anyways, back to my story.. The palace was quite nice with its vast lakes and colourful temples, and many people we met said they enjoyed it more than the Forbidden City, but we spent only a little time here.
In the evening, we went for a night at the Opera. Beijing Opera is world-famous, but we're not sure if we actually experienced it.. Confusing, no? Basically, there were about 8 or so small acts, one of opera, one of kung-fu, one of the brilliant face-changing art known as Bianlian (the performer is able to change their mask many times, each time virtually instantaneously and seemingly magically - in fact, the way they do this is actually a highly esoteric secret under protection by the Chinese government), and so on, performed in the Lao She teahouse. However, there was one less act performed than was on the programme and none of them stood out to us as an opera performance.. The most interesting acts were 2 gentlemen that could make all sorts of crazy sounds with their voices, such as steam trains and birds, and a stand-up comedy skit that we couldn't understand as it was all in Chinese :)
Finally, the next day, it was Forbidden City time (or Forbids in Aussie-speak). We had hoped to get in to see Mao's mausoleum on this morning, but my lack of suitable footwear (flip-flops) managed to get us turned away at the last minute after lining up for half an hour, so we headed here instead. Beijing's Forbidden City, the world's largest surviving palace complex at 720,000 sq-metres, was the Chinese emporer's fortress throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties and 980 of its buildings still stand today.
Our experience of this amazing place was somewhat weakened by the fact that a bunch of the main buildings are currently undergoing renovation and so have huge scafolding structures encasing them - which I suspect may be removed in time for the Olympic games in August. The other buildings, which have already been completed, look brand new with new paint jobs, etc, which also takes away from the authenticity of the place. Oh well.. That's China for you.
<< Aside: Even the city's hutongs, or small alleyways in which locals live and have street stalls, etc. - basically the last taste of "old" China left in Beijing - are unable to escape this 'modernisation' and are being ripped down and rebuilt by the Chinese government because they believe tourists don't want to see these old, historic streets. The entire strip of Meishi Jie, the street our hostel was on, and the hutongs branching from it were being torn down while we were there and rebuilt in uniform grey brick. Don't get me wrong, it is going to look very nice when it is completed, but do we really want to see reconstructions? >>
An intriguing display within the Forbidden City was an entire building filled with hundreds of huge, incredibly intricate clocks donated to the Chinese imperial family over the last few centuries by many different countries - Britain and France being the largest contributors. One includes a working model of the solar system, and another has a small model of a poet who actually moves his arm as if writing! Wow!
<< Another useless fact: There was some controversy recently when a Starbucks opened its doors within the palace walls in 2000. So much so, in fact, that they were forced to close again in July of 2007. The nerve! >>
Lunch was from a popular food street nearby, where we also bought some cool little souvenirs. Following this we ventured south to the beautiful Temple of Heaven, a complex of Taoist temples used by the Emporers of China to make sacrifices to the heavens - in ancient times the Emporer was considered as the Son of Heaven. We crossed the city again that evening to see the Olympic sites lit up at night.

Photos:

strange things are happening.. in the massage parlour

A vendor selling papers

a performance at the opera

within the Forbidden City, the scaffolding looks lovely...

an awesome statue

a clock complete with a primitive working solar system

inside the City

taking a moment

official Olympic retailer with the 5 mascots

we found these in the food street - no I didn't try them...

Temple of Heaven