La Boqueria, Barcelona

La Boqueria
Originally uploaded by mce323

These guys made me think of the scene in "Little Mermaid" where Ursula's eels (Flotsam & Jetsam) are incinerated by an errant shot from her trident. I didn't bother trying to explain this to the fishmonger eying me from behind the stall as I didn't know the word for "eel" in Spanish, much less Catalan.

Valencia Aquarium

Valencia Aquarium
Originally uploaded by mce323

My second iMovie. Made from clips of my visit to the Valencia Aquarium in Calatrava's City of Arts and Sciences.

lisbon (again)

I've been back in Lisbon for a week now. I arrived at Sete Rios along with two American girls I had befriended on the bus ride. They had been studying in Toledo and were arriving to Lisbon without a guaranteed place to stay as their couchsurfing contact had confirmed but not provided his actual address. As a marathon of cheesy movies failed to entertain us, they compulsively texted everyone they knew or had briefly met in the last few months who had any tie to Lisbon. Compounding matters, they had both overpacked to such a degree that any movement had to be carefully orchestrated. They each had two large wheeled pieces of luggage that easily matched them in height. When we got off the bus at Sete Rios, I watched as they negotiated staircases and whimpered when an elevator was not available. I took them to the metro station and showed them on a map some of the hostels I remembered. They declared me "packing guru" upon noticing my dearth of luggage. Although I'm technically a backpacker, I don't really resemble one. I hate the towering backpacks that hang over most backpackers and prefer to be as light as possible. I accept the fact that I have to do laundry every week and might have to buy some things locally. Small price to pay for my spine to remain in one piece.

Little changes in Lisbon. Jose strongarming the narrow ruas of Bairro Alto and Principe Real in his battered red car. A few new stencils here and there that I will dutifully photograph. The same blind busker on the metro tapping out the same tempo with his cane as he moves down the aisle. Quasi Pronti in Saldanha for their huge plates of pasta, although the price has gone up since my last visit. Steaming cups of bica drowned in sugar. That little backdoor bakery on Rua da Rosa where everyone clamors for a bola de berlim through glassy eyes and drunken giggling.

Class doesn't start until Monday. It's nice to be in a familiar place and even nicer to have a routine to follow for the next month. It's a nice break from hostels and sightseeing. After awhile, all the European cities start to blur together. You hand over 10 euros for such and such monument/museum/church and stare listlessly at a fresco and start to wonder if you're really absorbing anything. Everyone smokes. Worse, everyone chainsmokes. With indoor smoking having been banned long ago in LA, I'm still getting used to walking into a bar and being assailed by a wall of smoke that stings my eyes painfully. I've grown tired of smelling like a Vegas casino the following day.