(written on 16 May 2013)

It was not only the day that Marie returned home, but also the day that Daniel – after a combined stay of more than six weeks with me this year – returned to England to start University life in London. We spent time in the city centre in the morning, while the weather was still gorgeous and warm, and one of the things we went to was the Begijnenhof. That’s a little old court yard right in the city centre where for many centuries all the houses were occupied by beguines. And even now that they died out, the quaint little houses are reserved for elderly single ladies only. The Begijnenhof also is where one of the two remaining wooden houses of Amsterdam is. Until very recently it was thought that this was the oldest house in Amsterdam still until a wooden structure of a house on Warmoesstraat revealed itself to be older. The picture is of Daniel taking a picture of his mother on Begijnenhof.

The afternoon then was all about getting to the airport. Because of reconstruction work on the railways, there was a rail replacement bus service in place, even on the short stretch between Amsterdam and its airport, so we spent a bit longer than usual getting to the airport. And then… it was time to say goodbye. “Oh I’m gonna miss you!” Daniel said as he gave me a hug and for sure that’s a mutual sentiment. Yet the goodbye was not as sad as it was in July and that’s probably because I’m actually now looking forward to getting my house back in shape. After such a long visit, and with some couchsurfers in between, I’m actually looking forward to having the place to myself again. Well, until next time when he asks to come over. Of course.

(written on 16 May 2013)

I wasn’t going to get in between Daniel and his mother as they set out to explore Amsterdam today (or rather; Daniel was quite keen to show ‘his Amsterdam’ to his mother) so I left the house early to go and get my coffee and muffin in the Coffee Company shop and when I returned they were just about to leave the house. That meant that I had most of the day to myself. I didn’t complain! On the contrary, Daniel has stayed here for nearly two weeks now again and I also spent nearly a week in Barcelona, so a day of nothingness was just what the doctor ordered!

In the evening, after Daniel and Marie had returned from a long day of walking all over town (I was exhausted just from listening to them, telling me where all they’d been)… we walked some more. Marie had said she would like some Italian food, so it was my plan to take them to Casa di David, one of the best Italian restaurants in town that’s still quite affordable. Unfortunately, when we got there, a large group had just arrived and was going in. That would probably mean that we would have to wait a long time for our food, and besides, we would be sitting inside when actually the weather was quite lovely outside. So we walked a bit further to Pizza Pino in Lange Leidsedwarsstraat where we sat at a table outside, watching the world go by, chatting, having a good time, and eating some lovely food.

Afterwards we went to Reguliersdwarsstraat, well known for its many gay bars, and a street that I typically shun because of the type of people that usually hang out there. Tonight though it was quite pleasant to be there with Marie and Daniel, as we sipped our drinks outside. They continued partying as I went home to get a well deserved rest.

(written on 16 May 2013)

“Now take a picture of me and my mother!” said Daniel. so I obliged and you see the result above. Yes, Marie, the Kid’s mother, arrived this evening and Daniel went to pick her up from the airport. I saw the two of them approaching the house at around 7pm. Thanks to Facebook it’s not really a surprise anymore when you first meet someone face-to-face. I’d know what Marie looked like for years now, but of course I had no idea what she would be like when I’d finally get to meet her in person. Turns out she was really nice! It clicked between us (or so I’d hope to think) from the get-go. The fact that we are just about the same generation did help as well of course. There was a generation connection where with the Kid I often feel a generation gap (or ravine, rather.)

We went out for dinner to an Indian restaurant very close to where I live (actually quite possible the closest restaurant to my apartment) but it’s a bit in a side street so I wasn’t sure if we’d be the only ones there. Fortunately there were other people there as well and it was very nice to catch up with Marie, for once talking about Daniel, who was there as well of course, rather than with him. I found it very important to stress to Marie as well that Daniel is a friend but that there is no romantic or even sexual thing going on between him and me. I know that some of my friends already suspect or suspected that but especially towards his mother I thought it very important to be quite clear about the fact that there’s nothing going on between Daniel and me. 

After dinner, Daniel and Marie went out for drinks in town and I returned home and prepared the sleeping arrangements. This was going to be… ehm… interesting. Daniel is of course sleeping on his air bed in the corner furthest away from my bed… but what about Marie. My double bed actually consists of two mattresses so that was the solution. I dragged one of the mattresses towards the cupboard where the TV is, and it just fitted there. With the curtains closed, I would still have privacy on my side of the curtains and Marie and Daniel would be in the space on their side. Creative decorating, it’s called.

(written on 13 May 2013)

You may think that this was a candid camera type of picture of Daniel as he was shaving and preparing to go out, but nothing could be further from the truth. You cannot point a camera at this guy without him being perfectly aware of that, and quite likely striking a pose that he feels is suitable for the moment. Yes, the Kid went out into town tonight and actually it will be his last night in Amsterdam on his own. Tomorrow his mother arrives and then on Sunday they will fly back to the UK together. Daniel’s second visit to Amsterdam this year is already nearly coming to an end and I’ve hardly been aware that he was here (due to my own travel of course).

In the morning I watched Bill Clinton’s speech at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. My goodness can that guy give an amazing and inspirational speech. I must honestly say that I was quite deeply touched, which is bizarre because I’m not American, I can’t vote in American elections and even if I could it would be unlikely that I would vote Democrats (I’d most likely go for the Green politicians) but this really affected me. Perhaps the Bush years were so horrendous that any sound that’s more human and reasonable than what came from the US government in those years is already met with positive emotions. I fear that the US will vote Mitt Romney into the White House in November. I’m not sure why but I really think they will not give Barack Obama a second term, and that would be a huge shame. At least Bill Clinton did his best to turn the tide. He was truly formidable.

(written on 13 May 2013)

Before I went to Spain, I’d been a bit concerned about Daniel and the fact that he’d be in charge of the apartment for nearly a week. He’s not been very nice to his friend Kayleigh on the night before I left and although I’d seen pictures of the two of them in Amsterdam while I was in Spain, I wasn’t sure how they got along and – most importantly – how that would affect the state of my apartment. My concerns turned out to be unnecessary because when I got home last night, the apartment was in good shape, or at least as good as can be expected with two people sharing a tiny studio. There had indeed been some trouble with Kayleigh and Daniel didn’t expect to be speaking with her for a while, but at least my apartment hadn’t suffered from it (and my apologies if that sounds selfish but obviously that had been on my mind most).

Today I went back to work as if no holiday had ever taken place. Excel crashed, as if no holiday had ever taken place. And before I knew it, all was going as per usual. As if no holiday had ever taken place. Except that my mind was still somewhere between Catalonia and Amsterdam of course. The picture – of course of Daniel – was taken in the evening as he was lying on the couch, watching TV and I was sat at my computer processing my Barcelona pics.

(written on 13 May 2013)

So, the headphones I got were some white Sony ones. The sound is pretty good and yet, the price tag was not so astronomical that I’d have switch to a diet of bread and water for the foreseeable future. It’s a good thing I got them because today was the last day in Barcelona again. Very sad indeed, although the little light somewhere in the tunnel is that I will be back in Spain (Madrid) at the end of the month for my birthday weekend. Still, it was goodbye to Barcelona for now and with my New Year’s Eve to be spent in Scotland, I’m not sure when I’ll be back here in Catalonia.

The morning was spent strolling through town just a bit before getting on the bus back to the airport. The flight was smooth, eventless, except for the take-off and landing. Just after take-off the plane made a huge turn to the right so that it could presume its northbound course and doing so it gave me a fantastic view over Barcelona. You can see it in the picture above. The grid of streets in the Eixample and the newer parts of the city are clearly visible, with the widest street in this picture being the wonderfully named Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes (Gran Via in short). Torre Agbar is visible and the old city (Gothic area and Raval) are just to the right of the picture. As we approached Amsterdam, the plane made a full circle over the city and the entire city centre was perfectly visible underneath us – an awesome view. Of course it was easy to spot Dam Square, the Bijenkorf department store, the Royal Palace and my own house as well. A great ending to a great holiday in amazing Barcelona. 

(written on 13 May 2013)

Again it was a glorious day, so the program for the day was pretty clear from the get-go. Breakfast, then a walk, then lunch, then the beach, then return to the hotel, then out for dinner and some drinks. The walk in the morning took me once more to the Raval area, also because it’s the most photogenic of Barcelona’s neighbourhoods. I wanted to go visit the huge Sant Antoni market but unfortunately it was still closed because of reconstruction work. Next time I’m here, it should be ready.

In the afternoon I walked back from the beach via the Gothic area, and to my delight I saw that the Santa Maria del Mar church was open. It’s an astonishingly beautiful building that manages to keep a healthy dose of serenity even though it’s in the middle of a heavy tourist area. Today as well there were many tourists. I should group myself in that category as well of course though I much prefer the term Independent Traveler (yes, with capital letters). I took some nice pictures in the church before heading towards the hotel again.

I’ve been doing some research into headphones and have been having quite a lot of difficulty making my mind up which ones I should get. And it’s not like I’ve not seen enough of them. I’ve been to the Apple Store repeatedly, trying to listen to all available headphones (and being quite surprised by the difference in sound quality) but also I went to FNAC, El Corte Inglés and some smaller electronics stores. And still I haven’t bought a set. I’d love to get some Bower and Wilkins ones. It’s the same brand as my stereo at home and I love that one… but I’m a bit held back by the price and also I wonder how the set will be when wearing it on my way to work. It doesn’t seem extremely comfortable. Then there’s Doctor Dre as well of course and admittedly the sound is fantastic, but given that the price tag is equally surreal… I’ll give those a miss. Then there are the typical brands… Sony, Philips, etc. But, as said, I’ve yet to make up my mind. I’ve set myself a deadline, namely the return flight, because I want to be able to see a movie on my iPod while listening to it with my new headphones. We’ll see how it goes.

(written on 8 May 2013)

Oh-oh-oh! What I forgot to mention yesterday! When I did my usual morning stroll in the morning, I walked via Carrer de Ferran, past my favourite lunch place Cafe Schilling, which only two days before had looked as if it was never going to open again, and lo-and-behold! It was open! Somehow they had managed to clear up a huge mess that could be seen through the windows even on Thursday and they had reopened just as scheduled on 1 September. That was absolutely wonderful news so to celebrate that fact I immediately had lunch there, even though it really was a bit too early – definitely according to Spanish standards.

This morning I spent some time in the Raval district. Even though it’s an immensely central part of town, adjacent to the tremendously touristy Ramblas, you don’t see many tourists here. They all stay on the Ramblas, or if they do feel adventurous they may walk through the Gothic area for a while. But the Raval, on the other side of the Ramblas? No. Still very authentic. And let’s hope it stays that way, although the city has started a huge redevelopment project for this neighbourhood. Some years ago, many people in the Raval had banners hanging from their balconies saying “Volem un Barri Digne” – we want to live in a dignified neighbourhood. The city took that to heart and the Raval is slowly changing. There are still street prostitutes, there are still shabby houses with dubious characters lurking in the shades… but the hands of time are noticeable. I wouldn’t be surprised if, in a couple of years time, Raval’s streets will be spotlessly clean, and there will be Starbuckses, McDonalds’s and Burger Kings in most of the neighbourhood’s streets. Whether that is a good thing is something I’m not too sure about.

(written on 8 May 2013)

Well, you can’t say you’ve not been warned about this. Today, while the sun was shining very generous all day, I did exactly what I had intended to do all week here in Barcelona. Please see my post from a couple of days ago for a complete listing. At the end of the afternoon, when I’d seen enough of the beach, instead of walking back to the hotel via Barceloneta, I decided to criss-cross some of the grid streets of the Eixample and the Olympic Village. A new way to return to the hotel. But admittedly, that’s about as excited as it got today. A wonderful lazy day. The picture is of Torre Agbar, an office tower at the Gloriès square.

(written on 7 May 2013)

And then there was sun. And there was blue sky. There was my usual breakfast and my stroll through town, but soon enough there was also the metro ride to the beach at Poblenou. And then there was the beach and doing nothing but reading, and lying in the sun, and swimming a bit. The sea is amazing! It’s fairly wild and the waves are high, but it’s not scary. Moreover, the water temperature this late in the summer is just wonderful.

The picture was taken in the evening, as I strolled through the old Gothic area of the city. Years ago I took a picture of myself against an old door in a narrow street…

… that was in 2006. Since then I gained a lot of weight, until Jan this year. And then I started losing weight. A lot of weight. So that the picture I took tonight shows me, six years older, but actually slimmer and leaner than I’ve been in a long time. Having lost so much weight this year still feels absolutely awesome. Not only do I look better than I’ve looked in years (at least in my humble opinion), I also feel so much better. Seeing myself in today’s picture, against that same door as where I stood six years ago, made me feel super about what I’ve achieved weight wise this year.