August 29 (I)
European men are way hotter than their American counterparts. Sorry guys, it’s not even close.
August 29 (II)
I’m of course /loving/ all of the language play on this vacation. From pretending I was French in all my interactions on the airplane to hanging out and speaking Spanish with a hint of Portuguese with the person whose apartment I’m staying in (while he speaks almost completely in Portuguese and I almost entirely understand him), to striking up a conversation and hanging out having a few beers conversing mostly in French with a cool new French friend, this is my kind of vacation! Lisbon has an amazing, vibrant energy that seems endless. Tonight I was finding my way around and purposely getting lost. My camera will come out tomorrow.
August 30
Meandering thoughts while about in Lisboa (pronounced “LEEZH-bo-ah”). I think today was gay day here. Tons of groupings of two or three good-looking men just happening to be going out for a stroll together through the streets of Lisbon. Part of what makes this city so interesting is its many very steep hills, giving it a layered look that seems more like a crazy maze (I’m going down a hill to get up to that high point? Doesn’t that mean I’ll be climbing another? Brother, I better get a water…) I can’t remember the last time I climbed so many stairs or walked up so many steep inclines. This is not the city for people who have bad knees. The food here is delicious and interesting and I was so fortunate to get a chance to hang out with a couple new friends met through the connection of a friend I’ve known for years who showed me some places I probably wouldn’t have thought to go to not being from here. I had a delicious Nutella ice cream with chocolate and a yogurt that tasted like cheesecake (suggested by the person at the shop). It was even more awesome than it sounds. And as I type this, I’m listening to a bunch of guys on the street singing what I’m guessing is some sports-related fight song. Kind of fun to hear, actually. I wandered through the party atmosphere. Tons of people spilling out of the bars and having drinks on the pedestrian streets. Tons of good looking men, too. The guys here are ridiculously hot.
August 31
Today I walked more steps up than I thought humanly possible. Seriously. When I first arrived in Sintra and looked at how far up in the sky the castle ruins were, I was like, “there’s no way on earth I’m going to be able to walk up there.” Yet, that I did. Twice! I also walked to El Palacio de Pena, which was even /higher/ up! I had thought of going to the coastal town of Cascais as well but was too exhausted – and taking the bus there from Sintra and having to get back to Lisboa seemed too complicated. Perhaps tomorrow when I go to Belem… When I got back I partook of a drink suggested by one of my new Portuguese friends! It’s called Ginjinha (pronounced “HeenSHEENya”) and it’s made from fermented cherries. I’m not a big liquor person but I could totally go for buying a bottle of this. Delicious. I chatted it up with a Chilean at a bar who just came from Sevilla and who stayed at the same Airbnb host’s place where I’ll be staying in a few days!! What are the odds of that happening?!?! I also had my first experience with a rude European. He was annoyed with all my questions about train and bus options concerning Sintra and Cascais and getting back to Lisboa and I was like, “isn’t that your job?” But meditation/mindfulness/awareness has helped bring me to a place where I just laughed at the situation rather than get angered by it. The music that I’ve been hearing with acoustic guitars all over the place is wonderful, too.
September 1
One thing that struck me today is how perception of and feelings about things change when you become familiar with them. I’ve only been in this neighborhood (Rua Gaveas on the map in the first set of pictures I posted) for a few days but I’m really starting to get an understanding of what roads lead where and how long of a walk it is between subway stops, etc. Even the feel of the apartment I’m staying in. It makes things comfortable and efficient but also tends to make them a tad bit less exciting to me. Does anyone else have this experience? Cascais was much more beautiful than I was expecting. I really liked the “Boca do Inferno” (“Mouth of Hell”). The picture – like so many of these – doesn’t do it justice. It’s an arch and when a high wave moves in the water blasts through and it makes this thunderous noise. There were a lot of shops there, which I don’t really care about but the waterfront was nice and I had some delicious chocolatey thing (I don’t really know how to describe it) for brunch. Went to Belem afterwards and of course the huge church was open every day except Mondays. Wah waah. Oh well, I’ve seen enough of those in my lifetime to get the idea. To be honest, I was tired, my feet hurt, and I just wanted to get back to the Lisbon center and have dinner. I decided I needed to have grilled sardines, which are a local specialty. I can see why… They have a number of bones but seeing as the fish unwillingly gave their lives, which enabled me to be nourished, it’s the least I can do to honor them as they are. I was thinking that meat eaters really should eat things that resemble what is being eaten as opposed to blobs of who knows what – for health and for respect and honor to the animal. I ordered a small wine, which ended up being a small, half bottle. I suppose I could have asked for just a glass, but… Let’s just say that I’m glad that Lisbon is a walkable city… Off to Lagos early (very early!!) tomorrow morning. I’m a little stressed about making the train. I’m thinking tomorrow will be more of a relaxing “down” day after I see the rock formations I want to see. I could really use an evening of hanging out at a coffee shop or bar, drinking, reading, and relaxing.
September 2
So I didn’t get my “down day” after all. Oh well… It was great fun. The train connections all flowed smoothly although it would be nice if they had better signage in these places. It’s very stressful when you’re not from a place and don’t fully understand the process or routes or whatever and missing a connection can mean great amounts of time and great expense to fix (especially when, like today, you’re only in a place for one day/night). Sat next to a closed blinds person in the train who was next to the window and controlled the blinds. So annoying. I noticed how he at one point was listening to music and reading something on line and fidgeting and adjusting the blinds and making noises. I was getting anxious just being in his presence. Anyhow, the Portuguese countryside is beautiful in places – big, rolling hills and small trees with rounded tops. Different from anything I’ve experienced. But you’ll have to take my word for it – or maybe I can get some pics from the bus tomorrow. My main reason for coming to Lagos was to see the rock formations that feature prominently in my pics. The funny thing is that I almost cut Lagos out of my itinerary thinking I could have an extra day elsewhere but something inside of me kept insisting I go. So important to listen to those voices. Had I hated it, I would have maybe been irritated but had I just not gone at all, I would have always wondered what these rock formations were like. Better to know – for better or for worse… There was a kid on our boat who wanted the driver to go fast and do fast turns. I was terrified. But I’ll admit that it was kind of fun… I went to some gay bar I found by googling. It looked kind of fun. This couple own it and it’s in their home. But it was /dreadful/. I think it’s just supposed to be for people they know or something. The host was painfully introverted (his partner seems by his pictures /very/ extroverted but he wasn’t there). And didn’t even acknowledge my presence beyond curtly answering a handful of questions I asked. At one point there were six other people there and they all seemed to know each other and I felt very unwelcome. I couldn’t wait to get out of there. But I shouldn’t have been surprised, I guess. I hate gay bars of all kinds. The surprise would have been if they would have been nice. I walked onto the pedestrian streets and watched a street performer dressed as a bush scaring people. Hilarious. That put me in a much better mood. Tomorrow is day two of getting up dreadfully early. I’m again a little nervous about this. This is the bus ticket I had to book by calling Spain a few weeks ago. I guess I should get some sleep but it’s so beautiful out. This place where I’m staying actually has a balcony and I’m sitting on it typing this while listening to the jazz/bossa nova music from across the street. Perfection.
September 3
Adeus, Portugal! Hola, Espana! I made the bus this morning after all but not without my usual fretting. I really wish these transport-related businesses would spell out very clearly what was going to happen and then have over-the-top clear signage indicating which bus to look for, where to go, etc. My boarding pass said that boarding would close 30 minutes before departure, which to me says that you have to be on that bus. So I, not a morning person, got there not 30 but more than 45 minutes early for an 8:30 departure but not only was there no bus waiting to collect people at 8:00 but there was no bus with the company insignia in the parking lot (which I was deducing was commonplace). I asked the information guy but he did not seem concerned, or didn’t care, or both. So I waited – 8:10, 8:15, 8:20 – still no bus. Lagos is a remote location and so doesn’t have a steady stream of other alternatives I can catch if this one didn’t work. I could feel myself slowly moving to freak-out mode so I just sat there calmly and tried to employ what I’ve heard in meditation groups. And so what if the bus doesn’t come? Will I die as a result? Are there other alternatives even if they may be more costly and inconvenient? So I just sat there with it and found that, while I was still a tad bit anxious, I didn’t fall into full-on freak-out mode and lo and behold, the bus arrived at like 8:27. It had been in the parking lot all along but the bus didn’t have the company insignia on it. There was only a piece of paper taped to the front window, which of course I didn’t see. So Sevilla… I am absolutely blown away by this town. I’ve never seen so many interesting, gorgeous, historical seeming buildings packed into such a small place – and I’ve been to a lot of historical places!! The layout is gorgeous. I haven’t yet had tapas but I had some seafood that seemed pretty reasonably priced and I was so hot and thirsty that the beer I ordered went down like a glass of water. Tomorrow is another full day on Sevilla. I feel like I actually saw a lot if what I wanted to see today so maybe /tomorrow/ will be my down day. I’ve been practicing my Spanish a bit after I was able to finally get myself out of my listening for and attempting to speak some Portuguese mode. The people speak so fast here!! I have found though that I can hold my own in very casual conversation with people who are patient with (and don’t rush to correct – lesson learned for my French classes) my many mistakes but professional exchanges (like ordering a yogurt smoothie for my meal #1) fluster me and leave me feeling like I’ve never studied the language a day in my life. Still, they mostly tolerate and at least give my Spanish a chance. This is different than French-speaking places – particularly Paris and Montreal – where they will switch to English if they hear a hint of an accent. I remember saying to some guy from whom I was ordering some poutine in Montreal, “Je suis ici pour pratiquer mon francais!” Oh, I forgot to mention a total geek-out moment from yesterday. I found the very tiled octopus art in the street that I found on Google maps when I looked up the address for that awful gay bar!! Small thing but it gave me a moment of full-on, geeky joy.
September 4
Decided on a whim to go to a flamenco dance performance and was so glad I did. That has been one of my favorite things I’ve done thus far. I need to go to more of these. I LOVE Spanish guitar and it was fascinating how the sound of the dancing meshed with the rhythmic clapping and singing and lyrics and facial expressions and poses. It gave me chills a number of times. I had a strange moment this morning. I went to a divey, tiny hole-in-the-wall cafe and had a cheap breakfast off the desayuno menu. The people who were in there when I arrived had left and the next set had not arrived so it was just me and the guy running the place. He was watching some cheesy Spanish soap opera and from what I gathered, this character’s wife had just died and he was coming back to an empty house for the first time. The music was over the top sappy but for some reason, it totally made my eyes water, even though I know nothing about this show. I looked at the shop owner and he had full on tears running down his face and was wiping his face with some sort of towel. I wasn’t sure how to react or if I should react or pretend I didn’t see, etc. It’s so stupid all the social norms for men around this sort of stuff. So I said, “fue triste, eso.” And then he said nothing. And then I felt stupid. Thank goodness I was almost ready to go. As fascinating as Sevilla is, I find myself ready to move on after a couple days. I do love the look of the place and I love how so many people are out at night eating in restaurants and having a beer. It isn’t just sequestered to little areas, either (within the Center and immediately surrounding areas, at least). I kind of feel like I get the idea of this place and it’s all I really need to know. I’m looking forward to staying in a place for more than just a couple days, too. I’m feeling a tad bit run down from all the go-go-go. And it’s really hot here. As much as I’ve loved it, I don’t think I could live in this town.
September 5
Arrived in Madrid tonight. I love the feel of this place… Right up my alley. I’m staying with an older lady who is an artist. Her place is really interesting. I’ll grab some pics when I get the chance. When I first arrived. She fixed me a glass of water and then some tea and then we hung out and chatted in Spanish for almost an hour (thank goodness she did most of the talking and was patient with my linguistic fumblings). She’s a really interesting person. There are also a couple students living here longer-term. I get my own bathroom at this place. I can’t even begin to express how excited this makes me after sharing bathrooms for over a week. At one point the lady was showing me how to work the jerry-rigged door. “Nunca es normal aqui” (“Nothing is normal here”) to which I responded “no soy normal” (“I am not normal”) to which she responded “entonces es perfecto.” (“Well it’s perfect, then.”) One thing I’ve decided as I was walking to this place from the train station is that I think I’m all history’d out. I think I might focus on art, weird stuff, exploring, maybe even looking for some new clothes if I can find a cool, cheapie place. I went to the mosque in Cordoba, which is really cool. Annoying to me, though how the Catholics took it over and added all of their dogmatic imagery. I suppose I should be thankful that they renovated the building and didn’t just flatten it. But I attempted to take pics of only the original Muslim imagery, except for a handful of pics I appreciated for the intricate details. Another annoying thing on this trip – screaming children. They’re all over the place!! Went to a bar that was playng Spanish, 70s, disco music that made me wish I had been a kid here during that time! Everyone was singing along…
September 7 (I)
Decided to have a museum and park day yesterday as I noticed that most museums are closed on Sundays. I first hit the Museo Arqueologico, which I would recommend to anyone. Very informative, interesting, and cheap, costing only 3€ to enter – well worth the money. It was so interesting to me to see all of these names of regions and cities and learn how they originated. We oftentimes just call a city, state, or area by a name as a matter of course but never really know /how/ it came to be known as that and that what that name represented hundreds and thousands of years ago may have been completely different in scope and meaning, usually as a result of some sort of shift in power dynamic. Then I headed to the Parque del Retiro (Madrid). Lovely place with many pathways in a heavily wooded area to escape any noise elsewhere. I had a nice sangria there. I then went to the city’s modern art museum. There were many great pieces there but overall, I still find that I struggle with modern art. Sometimes the pieces seem like a big scam to me that we have been fooled into thinking represent “talent”. Seems like a big inside joke, particularly when there are no guides to help get one inside the mind of the artist for the purposes of prospective interpretations. One thing I’ve noticed in Madrid is that overall, people tend to be a little more dressed up than people elsewhere. Even in warm temperatures, many are still wearing long pants and casual yet dressy shirts. Personally, I’ve come to realize that I eat way too much at home. I have eaten far less over here and have been way more active and yet, am still rarely hungry. I also had the chance yesterday to do some self-reflection and journaling – for the first time on this vacation, which was great. As I’m typing this some woman in a neighboring apartment is loudly and endlessly rattling on and every time the other person begins to respond, she just talks more loudly over the other person. How is it that some people have so much to say (mostly without really saying anything)?
September 7 (II)
Had another “Spanish lesson” hanging out tonight with the lady who owns the place where I’m staying. I really like her. There’s something about her – I can’t explain – that reminds me of my grandmother when she was younger. There were moments when it seemed like I was being able to speak Spanish relatively effortlessly in my disjointed, slow, stop-and-start kind of way, but then I finally hit a wall and was tripping over everything. Oh well, I at least got to experience that moment where everything was flowing for a little bit. I went to the Palacio Real (where Spanish royalty used to live) today. Out of control opulence! It was gorgeous but geez, I couldn’t imagine just sitting in one of those rooms and having lunch! I snuck in one photo (ceiling painting) before realizing that we weren’t supposed to be taking pictures. Oops. Afterwards I meditated in the park in front and opened my eyes after 20 minutes and there was a little pigeon sitting on the ground, almost right next to me like he/she was meditating, too. I’ve decided that I’m going to try loving-kindness meditations directed toward myself (and if I feel inspired, to others as well). I made a note of that yesterday when I was reflecting and just bringing up the mere prospect of it made me a tad bit emotional. I can be extremely harsh on and somewhat vicious to myself at times. Funny how one’s own worst enemy can lie within.
September 10 (I)
I have run into a frustrating experience revolving around, of all things, an internet connection! For some reason the wi-fi access where I am staying has been mostly non-existent and the handful of times I’ve managed to get hooked up, the connection has been dreadful. The people who own the place have tried to fix it but for some reason, it still doesn’t work well on my phone. It’s not the end of the world as I have just sought out a coffee shop with free wi-fi. It’s just frustrating to #1, not be able to communicate (without using expensive cell phone or text service) with people to arrange exactly what I am doing after my stay here and, strangely more importantly, #2 to post my almost daily reflections. It’s one of the parts of taking a trip that I enjoy most and is, believe it or not, as much for me as it is for friends who may be interested in reading them. So that being said, I have arrived to the final leg of my trip – the Barcelona area. People on the train ride here were driving me crazy – from the woman behind me constantly wrinkling her bag of chips and then crunching on them more loudly than I’ve ever in my life heard anyone crunch on chips to the guy across the aisle who had super loud alert noises on his phone and who literally, without exaggeration, took about 10-12 calls in the last 45 minutes of the train ride and was texting the entire time while on the phone. The only time I saw that he looked away from his screen was when he had a call on both phones and took them both at the same time!! I almost started laughing at that point. Total epitome of the ADD generation that we now live in. I wondered to myself as I got off the train why things like these irritate me so much. Why is it such a challenge for me to just let them go? Barcelona has a completely different feel than Madrid. Whereas Madrid is in a sense, very orderly, Barcelona seems all about crazy chaos. Almost going hand in hand with that, while going to meet a friend of a friend who was kind enough to act as a sort of walking tour guide through the gothic/old part of town, I serendipitously, in a city of millions, ran into my friend with whom I’ll be staying shortly for my final few nights!!! How did this happen?? There have been a number of things like this that have happened on this trip. In Lisbon, I randomly met some guy at a bar who had just stayed at the very airbnb location – in Sevilla – where I was going to be staying three days later. In Sevilla, I saw a person on the street at whose place I was considering staying and with whom we had talked of going out for a drink (but never did). And I twice ran into my airbnb host in Sevilla while roaming about the town. But I must say that the Barcelona sighting of my friend, whom I’d met online many months ago and who took me to the airport when I was in Los Angeles in May (it was my last day there and his first day there), totally takes the cake!
September 10 (II)
A friend of mine mentioned to me how when she went to Sagrada Familia, she was brought to tears at how beautiful it was. I can kinda/sorta understand this although it wasn’t necessarily the art (at least directly) that put me in an emotional state. It was everything. The detail, the dedication, the passion, the beauty, the messages. I couldn’t help but become reflective. I saw a sentence on a film clip there that said something to the effect of God provides inspiration if you let yourself hear the message (or something like that). I have my own interpretation of what others might call “God” but the message totally made sense to me and helped to make my eyes all watery. Equally impressive to me was the Casa Batllo. Loved, loved, loved that place!! What’s amazing is that all of Gaudi’s architectural structures in some way have a window on or are aimed at the Sagrada Familia. Such thought. One thing that’s nice about gay bars in Spain is that there are a number of them for older guys – many much older than me. I like the idea that you can go have a drink with friends when you’re in your 50’s and not have to be hanging out with a bunch of 21-year-olds. Americans can really stand to learn a thing or two from Europeans about living life. There are little places where friends can stop for a beer or coffee literally all over the place and people do so at or actually all hours of the day. Having a drink and conversation with friends. That’s living… I hesitate to say this but one thing that’s been amazing is that the only rain I’ve experienced this whole time has been a little bit of drizzle for about 10 minutes on the train window when I went from Madrid to Barcelona. I’m thinking I’m actually going to do the beach thing in Sitges tomorrow. I’ll laugh my @ss off if tomorrow is the day I finally experience rain.
September 12 (I)
I did the beach thing yesterday. Met up with some friends from Omaha of all places and relaxed and waded in the warm Mediterranean. That night was some gay bear party event. I’ve never understood what about those things is so appealing. Sure there are gobs of good looking men but it’s not like one ends up having interesting conversation or anything. I’m glad to have experienced it but don’t feel I need to do something like that again. The beach on the other hand was great. I can only do about a day of that without getting bored but the day was fun. One thing that’s interesting to me is that I’ve been hearing French all over the place but in Sitges, /English/ seemed to be the predominant language. Maybe because we’re so close to France here and the French just go to their own beaches? Saw a ton of people getting ready to demonstrate for Catalonian independence yesterday. I’ll have to be honest, I did not realize until coming here what a significant issue this seems to be but based on the amount of flags I have seen everywhere, it seems to be a really big thing. Of course, we’ve never heard anything about it in the lame American “news”. I included a picture of a delicious meal I had in Barcelona. I had gone to the neighboring restaurant but they frowned at me because I was “solo” and they didn’t want to seat me with the hopes of getting more paying customers. So I went to the restaurant next door and had a great meal for 2€ cheaper and watched with joy as the table I would have taken at the other restaurant sat empty the entire time. I’m waiting now to hang out with my friend Joaquin for the final few days of this great trip.
September 12 (II)
I’ve been introduced to a new drink – Vermouth, which I must say I really enjoyed. Nice and light without the gasoline taste that comes with most liquors. I might have to grab a bottle of this along with that Portuguese wild cherry liqueur if I can ever find it. Today’s pace was much less hectic than what I’ve been experiencing til now and I think my body needed it. I was hanging out at my friend’s place and I literally passed out for a short bit. We made (or maybe more accurately “he made and I ate”) a nice salad and just hung out outside in the beautiful weather drinking wine and having interesting conversation all night. Time well spent. Maybe /this/ is when I’ll finally have my down days I’ve kept meaning to take! One thing that I’ve been kind of yearning for lately for some reason is a dog. I’ve really enjoyed seeing them all around over here. I may need to figure out how to rearrange my life to be able to bring one in.
September 13
I had my first ever (that I recall) sleepwalking event last night. I woke up in the middle of the night needing to use the restroom but for some reason I can’t explain – perhaps due the spiral staircase in my friend’s house – I momentarily actually thought that I had fallen asleep in a Gaudi house/museum I had visited and that they had closed the place down and turned off all the lights with me inside. I was starting to become stressed wondering how I was going to get out of there and how I was going to find a bathroom when I somehow ended up in the bathroom and then realized where I really was. So strange and creepy how real all of that seemed! If you’re ever in the Barcelona area and have the time, I highly recommend driving out into the countryside and mountains west of the city not far from the coast. They alternate between having adorably quaint villages and monasteries to providing breathtakingly striking vistas. Truly some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve seen in this trip and I feel like I’ve seen a lot of cool stuff. My friend took me literally up into the clouds hoping to show me an amazing panoramic vista, which unfortunately wasn’t to be. What we got to see instead was eerily fascinating. There is an abandoned village on top of this mountain literally in the edge and the cloud passing across the top provided a hauntingly floating and hovering mist, which perfectly matched the ambiance of the abandoned ghost town. Plus, it made the temperatures noticeably cooler. Those were probably the coolest temps I’ve experienced on this trip and I loved every minute of it. If you’re planning to come to the Barcelona area to practice your Spanish, don’t count on it. I’ve been surprised at how more often signs and commerce are conducted in Catalan and not Spanish, although I understand they can understand both.
September 14
Well here we are – my last full day of travels is almost at its end. I’m so grateful that I have been financially and physically able and have had the wherewithal to be able to pull off this complicated, enriching journey. I’m also so very grateful to all the new friends I’ve met along the way as well as old friends who gave great advice, suggestions and support, and who connected me to many of my new friends over here. Portugal and Spain are two extremely gorgeous countries, rich in history and a many cultures. As with Ireland last year, I honestly didn’t know much about either country but feel that I’ve been moved to such a greater level of understanding. I’ve walked (and walked and walked!), taken multiple forms of transportation, learned about and experienced gobs of history and gorgeous architecture, met a lot of nice people (and an occasional not so nice person), sampled many delicious foods and pastries, and wines and beers, appreciated the hot European men, saw art, went on a boat ride to check out rock formations and caves, practiced Spanish and Portuguese (although I admittedly oftentimes ended up using Spanish, instead – sorry!!), and even French! Admittedly, I feel bad at how easy it was for me to revert to English when I was tired. I try to do my best to speak as much of a language as I can while in that country. I learned about the politics of Catalonia and about its language, which in some cases seems more like French than Spanish. I twice waded into the warm Mediterranean waters and even met up with some Omaha friends I hadn’t seen since December. I’ve seen large cities, little villages, mountains, churches, monasteries, mosques, art nouveau architecture, palaces, castles, ruins, nice restaurants, little divey joints, parks, gardens, beaches, rocky cliffs, museums, etc, etc. I never quite know what to expect when on a trip beyond the panic attack-inducing miserable planning beforehand but I can honestly say that I have not been bored once the entire time I’ve been over here. I brought two books with me and haven’t even thought about opening them. Tomorrow I get up early to catch a bus to the airport to be whisked to Amsterdam for a short stop before returning to Minneapolis. One interesting thing – I leave Amsterdam at 5pm and arrive in Minneapolis at 7:15pm! Another interesting thing I keep forgetting to mention – the little Facebook globe for “notifications” shows Europe, Africa, and Asia when on this side of the world…
September 16
And le retour… The downside to traveling places is the commute (especially the commute back it seems) but trying out this mindfulness thing, I was trying to remain present even in the midst of what typically bores me to tears. I tried my best not to zone out or become numb for hours on end like I typically have done (although I did occasionally fall into replaying fond songs and scenes from shows/movies in my head). So here are a few various experiences… I took the bus to the airport and was so glad that my friend accompanied me until I literally set foot on the bus. The process at bus stations is always so loosey-goosey and things change (as did the quai that my bus took off from literally minutes before departing) with only a moment’s notice and oftentimes with not much of an announcement. Few things are more challenging for me than things not being well marked and them constantly being in a state of flux. It usually leaves me with the feeling that, even when I have a physical ticket in hand and am where I am supposed to be, there is still only a percentage chance that the transport will happen (even though it almost always does…). I had to check my small carry-on at the airport because I had to check in with an agent and was forced to try to fit the suitcase in that impossible metal box. I have never had to check in this suitcase before. At first I was really annoyed because I don’t like the hassle and possibility that my bag might not make it to the final destination but in hindsight, it was glorious. There are no extra charges for checking a bag on these international flights and there is a separate baggage claim carousel for international travelers after customs, which made things so easy. And it was great to not have to lug that heavy suitcase all day. I sat next to a Catalonian on the flight to Amsterdam. He didn’t speak any English but I was heartened that I was able to communicate with him occasionally in Spanish. He had attended the huge, pro-independence rally a few days prior and I was able to tell him that I saw a lot of people walking around wearing the flag as capes. He was headed to a European archery competition and I wished him good luck and he replied with good luck wishes for my travels. I had an hour and a half at the Amsterdam airport but it was surprisingly just enough time to get to my next flight. Talk about a rude awakening. It was a full-on MSP-staffed plane and most of the passengers on it were Minnesotans. Ooooh, dear. I liked the lady I sat next to and commented to her that the landscape around the airport looked like it could have been in rural Iowa. How do they make those places look so identical? It’s like highways. On the long flight, I tried to stay as present as possible without zoning. I listened to a lot of music and read and watched the painstaking progress of the flight on the monitor (is that being present or zoning??). One thing I couldn’t get over was how much food they fed us. Jeez, how much can a person eat in eight hours??? Along with that I am appalled at how much waste is created by this. Literally every last thing is wrapped in plastic and even things that are not used are tossed. And they handed out these hot towelettes, which again were tossed. So we can enjoy them for the 30 seconds that they are warm? I also noticed that the flight to MSP was English-only. They didn’t even make an attempt to speak any other language. It seems to me that two languages that should definitely be spoken are the languages from the country of origin and the destination. Even more ridiculous is that the languages spoken on the Barcelona-Amsterdam flight were Dutch (ok) and… English? Why not Spanish or Catalan? Wouldn’t that make more sense? Do those people not use the plane to fly to Amsterdam? I suppose staffing and language ability plays a role. Another rude awakening was after I arrived at MSP. I was no longer hearing calls of boarding to destinations like Milan, Madrid, and Paris but was instead hearing them for places like Lincoln, NE and Bozeman, MT. I feel a tad bit off today but jet lag seems to have had a greater effect on my appetite. I woke up starving today as opposed to not in the slightest bit hungry as usual. Also getting used to sitting in a chair in an office in a clinic again. Like I said to a coworker, I have no mountains to see or sea to swim in or museums to catch or new streets to discover. At least not today. 
September 18
Relaxing at my place drinking a glass of sweet red vermouth that I bought last night along with a six-pack of Pilsner beers, a bottle of Portuguese wine, and a bottle of cherry liqueur. Who says vacation has to totally end?
Scott Bilodeau's Meandering Babbles 