Zoe Jackie Barcelona
When I arrived at the hostel after a slightly hectic 20 hours of traveling, it was comforting to find my good old familiar friend, Zoe, napping peacefully on the bunk bed we would share in a six-person dorm-style room.
The first thing we did was walk to the nearby Plaça de Catalunya, the main square of Barcelona. I wish I had an audioguide like the kind you can use in some art museums, but one that applied to the whole city of Barcelona. So many statues and monuments are scattered around, and I'm curious what they are all about.
The Ramblas (The Champs-Élysées of Barcelona) runs from the Plaça de Catalunya down to the waterfront. We strolled down this busy street, trying to get our bearings for our Spanish surroundings. We walked through La Boqueria (a big produce market) as it was shutting down, and caught glimpses of bright rainbow arrays of vegetables, fruits, and candies.
We saw and encountered some bizarre characters as we continued our stroll down the Ramblas. One drunkard stopped me, saying he wanted to practice his English with me. He proceeded to tell me stories of drunken disasters that had landed him in that hospital — he pointed — just down the street. Then he asked me for more booze. We saw a man dressed in an entirely crimson suit and hat riding a bike covered in bright flowers. We also saw transsexuals, prostitutes, and tons of tourists.
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As we walked along the Mediterranean just after sunset, we thought of our boyfriends back home. We wondered if we should have brought them with us on this trip. They had expressed interest, but we were set on the idea of a girls' trip. Now we felt tinges of regret. We just wished they were here to experience romantic España with us.
Before I left on this trip, my dad asked me if I had any worries about anything. I said I didn't really, except that I was worried I would miss my boyfriend. He said that when he was just a little older than I am now, he had planned a trip with his girlfriend of the time. She wasn't able to make it, so he went with one of his best guy friends and had a blast. He realized that at such a young age maybe romantic couples don't make the best travel partners.
Anyway, I believe that when you're young you should never ever let love set you back. If you love travel then you should seize every opportunity presented to you, especially when you're young. While boyfriends might be thousands of miles away, these days they are really only a Facebook message or a phone call away.
Zoe and I are going to be like Vicky and Cristina in Vicky Cristina Barcelona — minus the whole love affair of course. Who can watch that movie and not want to come here? We might not have time to do all the soul-searching those girls did, but at least we'll get a taste of some of that intriguing Catalan culture.
— Jackie
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You are reading "Zoe Jackie Barcelona", an entry posted on 30 June 2009 by Jackie Steves.
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