Monday, September 30, 2013

"Christopher 'Ludacris' Bridges" - That Means "Christopher 'Ludacris' Bridges" in Spanish because that's a proper noun.

There you are! The Barcelona MetroBlog almost left without you. Now buy a ticket and hop aboard the red line, Línea Uno. First stop: Adventure!

Alright! It looks as though we accidentally went to the wrong platform and we're actually heading away from Adventure, but that's alright because we can get off at the next stop and then cross back over to the platform and then head back towards Adventure.

Right, so I'm pretty sure Adventure is on this line but we might need to make a few transfers. Hold on, let me look at this map for a second.

Ok! I forgot almost all of what I saw on the map as soon as I turned away from it. Lets follow these Canadians and see what happens. They're wearing enough denim to look like they know what they're doing.

Great, we've left the MetroBlog and are now in a place that is unfamiliar to me and my memory.
Lets grab a Fanta and walk.

Aaaaand we've made it! Adventure here we are!

A certain amount of time ago, I had the opportunity to watch the Castell festival here in Barcelona, where people who claim they are from Catalunya erect towers made completely of humans being! These days, they build the human towers out of living humans which makes for a more ethical and cleaner tradition. Small children* even participate by climbing the towers, but the kids come first in terms of safety because they wear helmets. I brought my helmet and I tried to climb one of the towers but they said that I was prohibited from participating for some reason. Guess I wore my crampons for no reason!
Anyway, if you don't know what the Catalonian human towers are, just Bing it! 


In other news, I found out that people shower in the nude here! My study abroad program CIEE (CIEE: You're the King of the World) warned me that Barcelona was located in Europe, home to strange things such as Speedos and public transportation. While it's taken some time to get used to, I decided I'd try the European way of things and try to shower in the 

[and this is where The Blog gets a little iffy for those under 18]

nude

[and we're back to being family friendly]

myself.


In other business, I added some new pictures to the walking tour album. Let me know what you think!

In this post, we'll be closing with a MTV Cribs style salutation.

get outta here, go on, come on, i got shit to do, seriously, this is my house, get outta here.
alright peace...



*almost positive those were not tiny adults.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

"pues, mi ensalada esta frio" -- that means "well, today can't also be tuesday" in Spanish!

Happy Morning Interested Readers, or as we say in Spain "Please leave before the other customers get angry" 

Boy am I glad to continue speaking to you through this text on your computer screen and girl am I excited that you made sploggbot.blogspot.com the homepage of your browser! It seems as though Hanukkah came early this year for me!

The Blog is surely gaining notoriety and popularity, particularly among Japanese teenage girls. One travel blog critic, we'll call him Anonymous Simon Hochberg to protect his identity, even claimed "This is the only study abroad blog…"
Well Anonymous Simon Hochberg, thanks for supporting your colleague, but I'd wager to say there are at least 3-5 more study abroad blogs out there. Check out this web site. It's like RottenTomatoes but for study abroad blogs:
Likerottentomatosbutforstudyabroadblogs.net/privatepolicy/ohcrapiforgotthe"e"intomatoes

My time in this country continues to be not boring!
I've found many Frigo Happiness Stations and I'm having a great time with my study abroad program CIEE.
CIEE: "We'll Change Your Soul"
CIEE really hooked it up with a cool-as-heck dorm. Here, there's always a warm smell of colitas rising up from the air.
Let me tell you a little about the neighborhood I live in.

It's great.

I promised my Photography of Anything but Nature professor that I'd post a few pictures I snapped around Barcelona so yesterday, I participated in a 10 mile walking tour through some of Barcelona's most interesting and unique walking sites. I took over 300 walking photos and I posted an album of the walking tour below today's Barcelona Tip.

Barcelona Tip
The album link is directly below this sentence.

http://imgur.com/a/cl2j2

Well thats all for now,
To God!

Monday, September 23, 2013

"Dentista" - That Means "I Didn't Order This. Perhaps You Meant to Give This to That Person at the Other Table Who Looks Similiar to Me. Someone's Not Getting a Tip" in Spanish!

Good Afternoon Interested Readers!

In Barcelona, there is not a traditional dish called "smashed potatoes." Smashed potatoes is when you make regular old mashed potatoes and then add a little danger fun! Carefully pour 1 bottle of sangria into your batch of mashed potatoes and then recklessly pour 1 more bottle of sangria. Smashed potatoes, great for a delicious night with friends!

"Fundació Antoni Tàpies" - That Means "Disappointing Cocktail Party" in Spanish!


Greeting friend and families!
Good morning! or as we say in Spain, "Go home tourist!"

Great to be back here at The Blog with you again.

This last day or 10 has been a whirlwind! And while the excitement of Newark's finest airport food court is beginning to fade, living in Barcelona has its advantages too. Barcelona: famous for Barcelona music!

One evening in the past, I paid a visit to Barcelona's Parc Guell, a site where tourists come to watch tourists buy overpriced jewelry with the city's skyline in the background. At night, one can see Barcelona at night.

Luckily I enjoyed the parc after the swarms of polite folks had left. The parc was empty because families are usually home for dinner around 9-11pm. People eat quite late here. Not sure what that's about, but I think it's a cultural thing. Stand by for further confirmation in later parts of The Blog.

[[To purchase later parts of The Blog, send 1 payment of (euro symbol)50 to P.O. Box Where Max Lives in Barcelona, I Know, He Doesn't Exactly Know His Address, But He Knows How He Gets Home, Anyway, Just Get This Money to Him, Thanks, Barcelona, Spain, European Union]]

I promised my Photography in Barcelona professor that I'd continue to post pictures of my time here. Here's a photo I took at the top of Barcelona's Parc Guell, looking out over the city. It took me a couple times to get the lighting right because I wanted to show most of the buildings and the beach. It was difficult to get the perfect photo when the sun was on the wrong side of the world, but this is the best I could do. 


It's hard to see in this photo, but one of the coolest buildings, and my favorite example of modern architecture in the city, is Barcelona's
Torre Agbar, lit up with an assortment of different designs every night.


With that, Part III of The Blog concludes, but not without a priceless Barcelona Tip!

Barcelona Tip Tip
In Barcelona (and other locations), people do not tip as is custom in the United States of America. To my (and now our) knowledge, this is not a cultural trend. Most waiters, taxi drivers, bellboys, and waitresses are significantly, and noticeably worse at their jobs. Go figure.

Well, "Hasta la vista!" or as we say in Spain, "Hasta la vista in Spanish!"

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Caimán - That Means "Hot Tomato" in Spanish

The Blog surges forward! 

roughly one and one-half weeks ago i boarded not 4, not 3, but 2(!) planes to transport me and my dreams to España, Spain with a quick stop on the east coast. 

after minutes and minutes spent perusing many of the duty-free shops at Newark, i was on my way to spain, famous for spanish people!

at this point in Our Blog, I'd like to share with you the first picture i took in spain. before landing in barcelona, a fine united airlines pilot flew around the whole city, giving a quick aerial tour of the skyline for everyone except those in the aisle seats.

i was inspired by the beautiful views to take this picture:


this picture doesn't capture the entirety of the culture and history of the city, but it's certainly better than anything you can find on google.com or barcelonaskylinesandtanlines.com. while difficult to see in this image because of the lighting, barcelona is a coastal city sandwiched between towering mountains and sandy beaches.

barcelona tip:
in barcelona, the locals refer to barcelona as barcelona

stay tuned for more pictures and barcelona tips!
adios in spanish!

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Cortes Generales - That Means Frisbee Golf in Spanish!

hey thanks for taking a look at This Blog. you're here for one of two reasons:
a) you clicked on the link in my facebook's status -or-
b) you accidentally clicked on the link in my facebook's status

either way, welcome aboard, or should i say "welcome aboard in spanish!"
for the next couple months of mine and your lives, i will be eating in barcelona, catalunya, right next to spain. and i will also be living there. 

here at This Blog, we're going to have a great time exchanging your precious time for my seemingly-meaningless ramblings. chances are you might learn something, but probably not two things!

so what are we waiting for, "lets go! in spanish!"