Thursday, May 20, 2004
Back at UPC even though it's the extended weekend. I was leaning towards going to Provence region of France but decided that it wasn't worth it since I still have to get started on my research project and needed to relax a little. I'm going to drop the 4600 class after all to save myself a lot of stress since I got nowhere on the LISP program.
A lazy start today, cooked real breakfast, swept room after Edu made me feel a little embarassed, asking if I didn't get depressed with the clutter and who cleaned up my place where I lived back home. Set out for university so I could focus on work but got as far as store 2 doors down which was selling cool summer dresses for 3 euros. After dropping that off and starting over, went to Diagonal to get regional information on Catalunya. Not really helpful, but palace the info booth was in had several exhibits which I'll probably come back to visit sometime. Took bus from diagonal to university so got to see a different part of the city.
Wednesday
Really meant to get work done today. Thought it would be nicer if I could get reading done in a park and on the way was going to stop by student travel agency. Ended up stopping by Enforex first, used computer, bought donut and signed up for trip to Picasso museum in afternoon. Student travel information place was great, had loads of brochures and travel guides so ended up staying a while researching the various natural parks and hiking areas. Afterwards went to student travel agency to find information on Budapest trip which is looking to be pretty expensive. Took a long time, but travel agent was very helpful.
Went back home for lunch, but cooking ended up taking longer than I thought so was too late to join Picasso group leaving from Enforex. Decided to just try and meet them there, but didn't know anyone in group so hard to ask whether they had already gone through. Seemed like there were a lot of tourists around so decided to pass and wandered into textile museum instead which was basically fashion of the past few centuries. Wandered further down, found Maria del Mar Church, which Flor had recommended. Huge and gothic, not nearly as touristed as Cathedral. Exiting through other end, found ice cream shop, turned around and found Enforex group since several people holding folders. When I asked one girl to make sure and expressed my amazement at catching up with them, she said something like "God helps us", funny since I had just come out of the church. Apparently the group had gotten off at the Arc de Triomphe stop and walked through the Parc de Ciutadella before walking along to the church. So I ended up going through the Picasso with them after all, though the tour guide gave us the museum spiel and leaving us there. Misunderstanding with bagcheck guy who didn't want to take our bags since we were a bigger group, but finally got assured that he would remember us and would be there "atado" when we came back.
Wandered to find exhibit Sabir had told us about, but smaller and not as much information as I was expected. Cool little gallery had trick photos of mini figurines swimming in watermelons and skiing on piles of sugar. Postcards were 15 euros for the packet of 11 which couldn't be bought individually and then when I tried to buy another postcard I liked, she didn't have change for a two euro coin!
Long snaking line in front of Corte Ingles. Asked someone in line and some singer named Enrique Babas (?) was signing CDs. Went to tourism center only to find no Catalunya information so referred to other tourism center. At least she gave me a discount card for the visitor's shop. Stopped by FNAC where sat down happily with Rough Guide and Lonely Planet and ended up buying a book about cool and out of the way places to hang out in Barcelona. Back home, ate hamburger, decided to go see samurai film after all after checking reviews.
"Zaitochi" was so bizarre! A blind samurai who ends up killing 10 people at a time with his sword, squirting the blood all over the place in a comic fashion. He helps out two geisha who are actually brother and sister. All the men seemed to think the brother in makeup and dress more attractive and at end when it was suggested he could switch back to living life of man, he said he liked the clothes he was wearing. The real kicker was the "STOMP" influenced field workers and house builders as well as the tap dancing conclusion. The audience seemed pretty dead though--only a few laughs when there was so much fun in the movie. Wish I had invited someone along.
Tuesday
Sabir took us to task in class for not exploring Barcelona enough and spending too much time in the computer lab so I tried to start making up for that today. A lot of walking around Plaza Catalunya and Ronda Universitat to find travel agencies, information centers, and bookstores. Along my street, got to talk to cybercafe owner who seemed receptive to me doing fieldwork there. Also found art film place a few blocks away which was only 4 euros for a movie and 2.70 on mondays. Didn't know any of the films being played, so just went to French documentary on kids which turned out to be pretty boring.
A lazy start today, cooked real breakfast, swept room after Edu made me feel a little embarassed, asking if I didn't get depressed with the clutter and who cleaned up my place where I lived back home. Set out for university so I could focus on work but got as far as store 2 doors down which was selling cool summer dresses for 3 euros. After dropping that off and starting over, went to Diagonal to get regional information on Catalunya. Not really helpful, but palace the info booth was in had several exhibits which I'll probably come back to visit sometime. Took bus from diagonal to university so got to see a different part of the city.
Wednesday
Really meant to get work done today. Thought it would be nicer if I could get reading done in a park and on the way was going to stop by student travel agency. Ended up stopping by Enforex first, used computer, bought donut and signed up for trip to Picasso museum in afternoon. Student travel information place was great, had loads of brochures and travel guides so ended up staying a while researching the various natural parks and hiking areas. Afterwards went to student travel agency to find information on Budapest trip which is looking to be pretty expensive. Took a long time, but travel agent was very helpful.
Went back home for lunch, but cooking ended up taking longer than I thought so was too late to join Picasso group leaving from Enforex. Decided to just try and meet them there, but didn't know anyone in group so hard to ask whether they had already gone through. Seemed like there were a lot of tourists around so decided to pass and wandered into textile museum instead which was basically fashion of the past few centuries. Wandered further down, found Maria del Mar Church, which Flor had recommended. Huge and gothic, not nearly as touristed as Cathedral. Exiting through other end, found ice cream shop, turned around and found Enforex group since several people holding folders. When I asked one girl to make sure and expressed my amazement at catching up with them, she said something like "God helps us", funny since I had just come out of the church. Apparently the group had gotten off at the Arc de Triomphe stop and walked through the Parc de Ciutadella before walking along to the church. So I ended up going through the Picasso with them after all, though the tour guide gave us the museum spiel and leaving us there. Misunderstanding with bagcheck guy who didn't want to take our bags since we were a bigger group, but finally got assured that he would remember us and would be there "atado" when we came back.
Wandered to find exhibit Sabir had told us about, but smaller and not as much information as I was expected. Cool little gallery had trick photos of mini figurines swimming in watermelons and skiing on piles of sugar. Postcards were 15 euros for the packet of 11 which couldn't be bought individually and then when I tried to buy another postcard I liked, she didn't have change for a two euro coin!
Long snaking line in front of Corte Ingles. Asked someone in line and some singer named Enrique Babas (?) was signing CDs. Went to tourism center only to find no Catalunya information so referred to other tourism center. At least she gave me a discount card for the visitor's shop. Stopped by FNAC where sat down happily with Rough Guide and Lonely Planet and ended up buying a book about cool and out of the way places to hang out in Barcelona. Back home, ate hamburger, decided to go see samurai film after all after checking reviews.
"Zaitochi" was so bizarre! A blind samurai who ends up killing 10 people at a time with his sword, squirting the blood all over the place in a comic fashion. He helps out two geisha who are actually brother and sister. All the men seemed to think the brother in makeup and dress more attractive and at end when it was suggested he could switch back to living life of man, he said he liked the clothes he was wearing. The real kicker was the "STOMP" influenced field workers and house builders as well as the tap dancing conclusion. The audience seemed pretty dead though--only a few laughs when there was so much fun in the movie. Wish I had invited someone along.
Tuesday
Sabir took us to task in class for not exploring Barcelona enough and spending too much time in the computer lab so I tried to start making up for that today. A lot of walking around Plaza Catalunya and Ronda Universitat to find travel agencies, information centers, and bookstores. Along my street, got to talk to cybercafe owner who seemed receptive to me doing fieldwork there. Also found art film place a few blocks away which was only 4 euros for a movie and 2.70 on mondays. Didn't know any of the films being played, so just went to French documentary on kids which turned out to be pretty boring.
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