Stiges

My friend, Rodney, became our invaluable host as he showed us around town during our four day stay, helping us to not get lost and making our trip even more enjoyable by his and his family’s company.

On the last full day, we all drove out to Stiges, a small beach town 30 minutes from Barcelona and enjoyed sun, the Mediterranean Sea and paella.

BCN - Day Two

Day two included a visit to Sagrada Familia….one word- amazing. Worth the short wait to enter and the extra fee to ride the elevator to the top and walk down. The observation deck at 90m serves as a viewpoint of rooftop Barcelona. The building of the cathedral began in the 1880’s and will not be complete until sometime in 2030, definitely a long-range project.






That evening we visited an art school friend for Focs de Sant Joan, a Midsummer’s Eve Festival for summer solstice. Check out the website http://www.bcn.cat/santjoan/en/nit-magica.html for all the details, but apparently there are three important symbols for the evening. One being herbs such as rosemary, thyme and verbena that take on magical healing strength, another is water and the third fire.

We were witness to the last in a neighborhood bonfire built from old furniture, wood, boxes and anything else burnable. The special flame was given to each of the blue t-shirt wearing roller skaters. They lite the bonfire, but only after the giant cartoon pig exploded with fireworks. After that the pig, like us, just watched the rest of the event. A group of drummers kept the beat going for most of the ritual.












We did not make it down to the beach where many end up in the wee hours of the evening/morning. This event or ritual is a carry over of the olden, pagan days that celebrated the cycles of nature and the changing seasons.

BCN - Day One

The next full day in Barcelona we visited Casa Mila or " La Pedrera". After the Gaudi on "The Block of Discord", Casa Battló, was built, a wealthy businessman commissioned Gaudi to build "La Pedrera", a Modernista apartment building. From the street, the building is mostly curvy greyness, but it is the rooftop that is most extraordinary. We started at the roof, catching our first view of the city and then worked our way down through the building were the rooms were decorated in the Modernist and Art Nouveeau styles of its original time.

On the street we took Bus #24 to Park Guell. Originally built as a planned community, it failed due to its distance from the cultural center of Barcelona; today it is surrounded by wealthy neighborhoods. The park is filled with beautiful mosaic sculptures, fountains and tile seats. There is also a small house where Gaudi lived. Starting at the top, we walked down through the gardens and surroundings, stopped on a bench to have a snack and continued throughout this beautiful setting.

Later that afternoon, we meet an ex-Pat friend, Rodney, for delicious lunch then took a traditional siesta, only to wake refreshed to attend a Flamingo show at Los Tarantos, the oldest Flamingo Club in Barcelona.

Busy and wonderful day in Barcelona.

Bonita Barcelona

Barcelona is all curvy and round and organic. It is Gaudi and it is wonderful. The weather is mildly warm after chilly Belgium. It reminds me of Northern California and its almost perfect climate. We have once again walked and walked and walked, but this week, my legs, shins, have become used to the constant motion and they no longer ache.

Getting in and out of Barcelona, we took 2 different budget airlines. Ryanair flew us in from Charleroi/Brussels and Easy Jet flew us out to Lyon. Both flights were on time and flawless. There are a few ways to get into Barcelona Center. We rode the Renfe train. The directions to find the train are not readily seen, but we found the 2nd floor walkway at the end of Terminal 2 – B (T2B) with the help of an American speaking person. We purchased a T10 card for about 8 Euros, which gives you 10 rides on train, bus, metro or tram anywhere in the city and can be used by more than one person. We swiped the card 3 times and then waited for the train. Our stop was the 4th one and we walked about 4 blocks to the hostel.

Getting off the metro and walking to our Barcelona’s Central Garden Hostel (www. barcelonacentralgarden.com) we stumbled upon the Manzana de la Discordia or Block of Discord with three mansions designed by the most prominent Modernista architects of the early 20th century, Antoni Gaudi, Joseph Puig I Cadafalch and Luis Domench i Montaner.

At the hostel we were greeted by one of the owners, Elisia, who quickly educated us on all of the must see sites. The hostel itself is one of the best I have ever stayed at and is reasonably priced, in a great neighborhood and near a metro. We were able to walk or hop on a tram or bus to see most everything we wanted.

I love Barcelona and it beckons me back.

Possibly the Worst Hostel Ever

Violet and I arrived in Antwerp, having narrowly missed our train in Bruegge, at around 17:00. We walked the 10 minutes from the Antwerp Central Train station, which is voted the 4th most beautiful station in some international poll, past the diamond district.

As the neighborhood got grayer and grayer, the only bright spot were the Hassidic Jews dressed in long black coats and felt hats riding their bikes. We came upon the street and on the corner of the hostel were over a dozen men hanging outside the entrance. It looked like a homeless shelter, not a hostel.

We entered and a friendly woman behind the desk gave us our key. I asked her why were their so many men and she said that there were two groups of about 20 each who had come over from Holland and were there to party and drink and that last night they had let off a fire extinguisher in the hallway “for fun”. I then asked, “When are they leaving.” And she said “tomorrow.”

The room itself was very clean, it’s just the hostel itself was run down, with icky stained carpets in the hallways, rickety hand railings on the stairwells and nasty couches in the common room. And those were the high points.

In the past, I have done really well on choosing accommodations, however, I missed completely on this one. Maybe it was because I only had about two weeks lead time to find somewhere and all the others I contacted were booked.

But, next time…well there will certainly not be a next time for The New International Youth Home or Hostel or Alias or whatever they are calling it this week.

One Day - Four Towns

We left Hotel Albert for Brussels Noord Station at 6:30 am taking the train to Ostende on the North Sea. At Ostende it began to rain and we caught a taxi to Casino, the center that the where the Rotary International was holding its annual convention.

The Youth Exchange Program (YEP) was one of the programs being highlighted at the event. Jackson went back stage with a only a dozen or so students since many had left the day before for a 4-day Prague tour. During the program, they made an entrance on stage waving their country flags. One young Canadian, Janell, played beautiful classical violin and then was accompanied by Matthew from Ohio on electric piano while she sang a gutsy version of “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele. Her talent blew me away. We later found out that she is applying to the Brussel’s Conservatory and hopes to study music there next year.

On we pressed, Violet and I took the train to Antwerpen, but made a stop in Bruegge for lunch. We intended to eat at Medurd, a place recommended by USE-IT guide, were informed that all the tables were reserved. We wandered and then found a lovely café with the delightful owner, Pascal. We filled ourselves with homemade tomato soup, cheese crepe and the most delicious hot chocolate.

Look out Miribella (in NYC) this chocolate was amazing. The melted dark chocolate was served in a small round bowl sitting on top of the mug. We scooped the chocolate out into the hot milk and stirred. No sugar required, just deliciousness. Pascal soon began talking chocolate and told us all about a shop outside the main tourist area called Roose’s. He marked the map and we were on our way.

No problem finding Roose’s and we quickly located the dark chocolate chips that we would take home and melt into our own hot chocolate. But, it took us quite some time to pick out the twelve pieces of handmade yummy- filled chocolates to take away in a little box. Think Godiva chocolate only better and much cheaper. This shop is for locals and tourists like us who happened to talk with the right person. We left, happy with our purchase and now on our way back to the station to catch the train to Antwerpen.

Arriving as the train pulled out of the station and watching it leave without us, we had an hour wait.

Next post, - Antwerpen and the New International Youth Hostel. Possibly the worst place I/we have stayed at yet.

Two Days in Brussels - 24 hours

Flying into Brussels was a breeze. We actually got there early and walked passed immigration and waited about 30 minutes for Jackson to join us and then we were off to Hotel Albert. Since our room was not ready, we left the bags there and walked to Grand’Place. That is mostly where we hung out and walked and walked and walked.

A favorite spot was the Royal Library of Belgium near Grand Central station. They had an exhibit on manuscripts from around the world. The visual presentation of the written word was exceptional. Instead of placards as explanations for the exhibits, there were small notepads the size of Kindles that transitioned from object to object in the display. In one area, mini rooms displayed cozy studies/libraries from different eras.

On one walk near Palais de Justice we happened upon a graffitied skate park; then took the glass elevator down after admiring a hilltop view of Brussel’s Upper Town.

We also of course ate frites (fries, not French though) and delicious crunchy waffles.

Back with the Boy

Almost one year ago in August 2010, Violet and I drove Jackson to Austin-Bergstrom Airport to embark on a year long Rotary Club Youth Exchange Program in Belgium. We made our teary good byes with great big family hugs. After Jackson disappeared behind security, Violet and I clung to each other still crying long after Jackson was gone.

Today we are all back together, poking and prodding, complaining and arguing and it seems as if he never left. Not much has changed except his hairstyle and wardrobe. We are staying with Jackson’s first host family, Franca and Sergio and their beautiful daughter, Lisa in Fontaine. We are headed to Brussels today after Jackson retrieves his multiple boxes of accumulated books and clothes from his third host family and repacks them for export to the States. Tomorrow we travel to Ostend for the last official Rotary Club event and then to Antwerp for a couple of days exploring.

The Rotary Club has an amazing program for youth to live abroad for a year during high school. I heard about it from a colleague whose son was going on a year study in Brazil. The program provides for the student to live with three host families during their stay, enrolls them in school, and some clubs also offer emergency health insurance and a monthly stipend for the student during their stay.

What a great opportunity. I would suggest this program to anyone interested in student exchange programs. It was quite reasonable in price and I probably saved money in food costs and car insurance while he was in Europe. Now returning home, Jackson is fluent in French and will continue on into his 13th year enrolled in an alternative high school where he can finish at his own pace the last 3 ½ credits he needs to graduate. He will also be dual enrolled in community college during the 2012 spring semester.

Merci, Rotary Club, c’est bon.

My Bags are Packed

Here I sit at command central, my dining room table, with my envelopes of itineraries, plane tickets, train passes, hotel confirmations, phone numbers and yes, passports, almost ready for the final packing and stuffing.

Tomorrow Violet and I begin the journey across the sea to pick up Jackson in Belgium where he has spent the last 10 months in a Youth Exchange Program with Rotary Club International. He has been learning French among other things, while Violet and I have spent the last year sans smelly teenage boy energy enjoying the company of each other. Now wondering, how are we going to share our space again with him?

I suppose we will relearn how to be with each other as we travel through Belgium and to Barcelona, Switzerland, parts of France and Paris. Taking planes, trains and automobiles our journey will cover more than three weeks while we visit a high school friend in Paris, two Cal Arts buddies, one in Barcelona, the other in Switzerland and a niece and her adorable family in France…and those are only the folks we already know!

Exciting adventures ahead…stay tuned.

The Path of Life

Balance…This is what I strive for. That perfect blend of being and doing along the Path of Life. When I was ten I asked my mother what I was good at. After a moment’s pause she replied, “You are good at making people happy.” I thought, what does that mean?

Now, before I go any farther, I have a disclaimer. I have no real recollection of asking this question or her response. This is purely a perception of an event that I have carried with me through my life. I probably made it up. And if I asked her she might tell me she does not remember or in fact, I never asked her this question. But, perception is a powerful entity and it grows into our beliefs.

So, I am still stuck with the belief that I am good at making people happy. Am I supposed to be a clown? There is no way I am dressing up in a clown suit (although my mom did make me one that I wore for years at Halloween…hmmm.)

Besides, some people are afraid of clowns.

On further contemplation, I realize that as an art teacher to middle school adolescent youth, I try to convey the message that all of us have a creative voice and that voice is an expression of our unique individual self. And it is in that self that we find happiness. So, as a teacher-of life, in life, for life- I can help people become happy…with whom they are.

Now that sounds like a life path, not the clown thing, at least for me.