Me encanta la Barca

Estoy enamorada de Barcelona! I really just love this city. Barca is a beach city, with plenty of watersports, running, biking and laying on the playa. Its a city of color--inspired by Gaudi, the buildings are bright, decorated with tile work--and everyone wears bright, breezy, beachy clothing. Ive been to Barca before and knew that it was my favorite city in Europe, but had the chance to realize it again during these travels. Hosted by friends, we had the opportunity to spend plenty of time with a community of friends that Moi has in Barcelona.  Some highlights:

• Renting bikes and cruising along the beach boardwalk, past sunbathers and kite sailors and little cafes along the shore.
• Taking a guided audiotour through La Pedrera, one of the most famous buildings by Antonio Gaudi. His creative fingerprints are all over Barcelona--from the decorated sidewalk tiles to the architecture of the buildings. All of his designs are inspired by nature--the twists of a seashell, the pattern created by the twigs of a seafan, the kernals on a cob of corn--and rely upon texture, color and organic shapes. La Pedrera has an amazing roof terrace, with twisting towers and curved edges. Contrasting with the bright blue Catalan sky, the white rooftop is an incredible piece of artwork.
• Eating paella with fresh seafood and saffron rice, paired with a delicious wine. Carumba!
• Strolling through the narrow streets of the Gothic quarter, popping into small stores that sell homemade items or small cups of cafe cortado.
• Exploring the bustle of the outdoor market, where we were (sadly) fooled by a vendor who gave us the "tourist price" for a coconut-strawberry smoothie and a handful of cashews. 

Berlin, Prague, Budapest

As Moi and I traveled through eastern Europe, there was always the strong presence of the history of this region. Alongside beautiful Barroque churches are the pre-fabricated soviety housing projects and after years of oppression, first by the Nazi Germans and later by the Russian soviets and now by the falling euro,there is a strong sense of loss. And, interestingly, these countries are capitalizing on their tragic history by creating "terror tourism."  One can visit old nuclear bunkers, buy a gas mask souvenir or snap a photo of the old Nazi headquarters. While I was very interested to learn about the past in eastern Europe, it was strange for me to encounter the way in which tragic events formed the foundation for todays tourism. 

Some highlights from Berlin, Prague and Budapest:

• Visiting with friends who run a horseback camp for children, just outside of Budapest. The Gyori family were incredibly kind to Moi and I, inviting us to their horse ranch, including us in their dinners, helping to arrange housing for us in the city of Budapest. And (a surprise in eastern Europe), we were taught a country line dance! :)
• Renting a paddle boat in Prague and getting caught in a rainstorm on the Danube river.
• Exploring Tacheles, an abandoned house turned art cooperative, in Berlin. This huge apartment building was co-opted by local artists in the 90s and turned into a giant maze of graffiti, paintings on the walls, a sculpture garden, exhibit space and more... Although the bank has tried several times to reclaim their building, Tacheles has become an establishment in Berlin. Walking around Berlin, I was amazed by the amount of street art and graffiti on the walls of buildings, sidewalks and in public spaces. Knowing a little bit about the history of Berlin, this makes sense. Under Soviet occupation, Berlin was split into two parts--west Berlin (capitalistic, with ties to the US and western Europe) and east Berlin (communistic, with ties to the USSR). To prevent people leaving to the western societies, the soviets constructed a wall (overnight) around west Berlin, keeping the soviet citizens in the soviet side. Although people attempted to cross the wall, into the west (by jumping out of windows of houses or by climbing the wall) it was heavily guarded on the east. On the west, however, people were free to approach the wall and soon it was covered with graffiti, calling for a unification of the city and for freedoms. After the falling of the wall in 1989, artists were invited to create messages of peace and unity on the remaining fragments, which stand today as a monument to this time period. So, its no wonder that street art and self expression through public artwork are embraced in Berlin--in the street and Tacheles. Check out the wikipedia article on Tacheles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunsthaus_Tacheles
• Discovering underground tunnels, in the mountain near Budapest, with a hospital built into a cavern. Now the hospital is a museum with the creepiest wax figurines. :)