Ben's Blog

A week after being back...

I’m not sure if closure is the right word, it’s wasn’t a goodbye, more like hello. I hope I got to know and understand my grandparents a little better, saw a bit of who they were as a young couple, before I was born. It was quite a powerful thing to experience, possibly put things into perspective. They were a major influence on my life and will always remain a part of me.

day 16, homeward bound

I spent my last night in France, checked out of my hotel, bought some pastries for breakfast and spent the day walking around Perpignan, the sun was out, it’s an attractive city; but with no guide book though I was sort of wondering about aimlessly. I checked up on 43places and Wikipedia, but there wasn’t much listed about the town, popped my head into another gloomy church. I kept saying things in Spanish rather than French, I missed the place already.

day 15, I'm sitting at a railway station, got a ticket for ma destination.

This is my third day in Barcelona. I’m feeling unrelaxed, torn in two. I want to see all that Barcelona has to offer, but I know there’s no way I’ll get to know this city in the short time I have here. My time off is coming to an end, I think that’s what saddens me.

day 14, barcelona night-time trip

Started thursday still in Barceloneta, Barcelona, sitting on my balcony; the sun was out, with a cooling sea breeze to accompany me. I fixed my skates, packed up a small bag and headed out.

day 12, onwards on water...

The day was spent on the move; starting on Formentura with a breakfast by the beach again, today the orange juice was back in stock, so I had that with a local pastry.

day thirteen, shopping for wheels.

After being relaxed, away from people, today was a bit of a shock. I felt like a naive peasant, learning about the ways of the city for the first time. I had to figure out how the metro worked, reading instructions in a language I didn’t understand, deciding the most cost effective ticket. I pushed my ticket in the wrong machine, a guide tried to explain, but at first I didn’t understand, I felt very stupid. Leaving the metro is different too, I’m used to swiping the ticket on exit, but on Bacelona metro you just push through the double gates. I had to watch someone to see how it was done.