Farewell, Barcelona

Well, we bid adieu to beautiful Barcelona. It was raining hard when we jammed our luggage in the back of our new used car, and put in the address of our next abode in El Algar in our smart phone GPS. We were excited for the next adventure, but sad to leave our friend Peter (our landlord, who was just incredible in helping us with anything we had a question about). In spite of having our bag containing our new camera stolen, we have grown to love this city. It was still pretty cold when we arrived the second week in March, but it warmed up for us, and to us, as the weeks passed. We will miss the sounds of the Spanish music wafting through the neighborhood in the morning, and the smell of the great cooking as we walked around. Strolling the narrow streets and listening to all of the different languages being spoken changed our outlook on the world a little. A few observations:

I understand that Spain has four pretty distinct areas that are quite different from each other. Barcelona is in the Catalan area. Here, they speak Catalan as the primary language. It is what they teach in school. They all learn Spanish too, of course, but they are very proud of their heritage, and identify first and foremost as Catalan. There is even a kind of half-hearted push for independence from Spain. We saw signs like these in many balconies in the city.

Yes. Freedom! Independence is dignified! I identify with these people, and love them for these feelings. I'm not sure how all the financial dealings work out, and I think they don't either, and that is why their effort is half-hearted.

Barcelona is a dog loving city. We didn't see a single cat the whole time we were in town. Pretty sure that was rabbit in the meat display case! Dog owners seem to be very sincere in their training of their dogs. They require obedience and good manners. But, you still have to be careful where you walk, as they have not figured out how to pick up the leavings. I believe this is because they charge for plastic bags at the grocery store. The bags are sturdier than the ones used in the US, but since they charge, most people bring their own bags...which means there aren't any around to pick up dog litter. Still, I have loved walking the streets of Barcelona, and I have never felt threatened or worried about my safety.

My kids have loved the food. Me, I'm still recovering from the devastation done to my mouth, but everyone else has loved the food. There are some things you won't find in most of the stores..like pancake mix or syrup (what's up with that?), wash cloths, the kind of bacon we are used to, non-aerosol hair spray, salad dressing..(who can live without Ranch?), and many other things. Of course, they might be there under a Spanish disguise. We haven't fully decoded the language yet..and having half of everything in Catalan hasn't helped.

The harbor is beautiful. I''m going to have to leave my boat here, as my new used car is too small to tow it. I'm also going to leave my other car..the red Ferrari here, as it is too impractical with a family.

Oh, well.