Montjuic

The past few days have been full of rain. My lack of waterproof shoes has thrown a bit of a wrench into my routine and my feet are not extremely happy. As if the six plus mile walk each day wasn't enough, I now must deal with wet socks. It is the type of weather that is perfect for napping. If I was in San Diego I would probably spend the afternoon cuddled up on the couch catching up on HBO series and sleep. However, I am not in San Diego I am in Spain, and as I stated before, I will sleep when I die.

While the storm was still brewing over the Mediterranean I went to explore Montjuic. The magician and tennis coach asked if I wouldn't mind the company and the three of us journeyed up the nearby mountain. Montjuic is a mystical place with many gardens, a magic fountain and a castle. The route up typically includes an air tram, similar to what you would find in a zoo, which is included with your metro ride. Unfortunately, due to the wind and impending rain we were forced to travel up by bus. The ride was very short and the road up to the castle was thick with pink poppies. A grey haze shrouded Montjuic, adding to it's mystery. Mist hung heavy over Barcelona and bright green parrots and white winged ravens sang from the trees, as if welcoming the weather. As a Game of Thrones fan, I couldn't help but imagine the royal rituals, ancient alliances and betrayals that must have happened here. Peering from the watch towers and behind the cannons I pictured knights defending this stone fortress. I wondered how many battles there had been and how much blood had been shed. The castle's stunning views of the city and sea left us speechless and we silently walked the rocky terrace grounds, soaking it all in.

The Montjuic expedition ended yesterday with an evening Magic Fountain show. It is similar to what you would find at the Bellagio in Las Vegas but the backdrop is Palau Nacional, a giant Italian-style building dating back to the twenties. A Canadian who will soon get her Masters in curatorial studies moved into my room at Sant Jordi and joined us for the light/music/water spectacular. With a similar vernacular and friendly attitude, her and I hit it off immediately. She is traveling for a month and a half and recently toured the lava rock fields, waterfalls and glaciers of Iceland. She will be in Paris at the same time as me and we hope to meet up one night for dinner. Fifteen minutes into sky high water streams and a terrible 80's music soundtrack, our Sant Jordi crew left the fountain for a typical tapas dinner, passing an old bullfighting arena along the way. Having not eaten since our beer and cuttlefish breakfast in La Boqueria, we feasted on bread, ham and pickled fish. A cheers to travels of the past and the future.