Barcelona #1

Why go to Spain? One of the questions that makes me feel crazy in a way that makes me unable to answer that question. But for years ago when I first arrived to Gaudí's city, I decided that some day I wanted to live there. Unfortunately it didn't go so well as I'd hoped for. In the other hand it was able to give me the best time of my life, and memories that I'll never forget. People doubted that I would be able to take care of myself. And from time to time it was really hard. So I want to put down in words on my blog how my first moving-abroad-adventure was for me and a guide to Barcelona. What to see, what to do and what to eat. Preparing myself for the next adventure, it's still surreal that I'm (almost) done with Barcelona.

Having too much month at the end of the money.

And it's not even June yet. I kind of feeling stupid today. Not because of the public transit-incident yesterday but this morning when I was checking my bank account, first thought that came to my mind was "I'm booking a flight to Peru today!". As the very impulsive person I am, I did that. Paying the rest of the bills, I was finally realizing that my money will be gone in no time, and I won't be able to save anything up in June. The money will be gone before the end of June. And I have a bill from when I got home my suitcases from Spain. 

Well, I guess the point is that it's now official when my Peruvian adventure will begin. 105 days left. Precisely: 12th of September 2013. From Barcelona to Madrid. From Madrid to Lima. From Lima to Trujillo. 24 hours of travelling. Yay!

What happens to Claude when taking public transit.

Rumour has it amongst my dear friends and family that I'll probably be the most dysfunctional GPS ever. My inner GPS is forever broke and dysfunctional. So don't ask me to use a map or help finding way. The fact is that this doesn't only happens to me when I go somewhere for the first time alone but I find it incredibly hard even if I have gone there several times with others. The requirements are: I'm alone and public transit!
And of course it happens when I have to do something of importance. Like going to an interview. Now, I'm still laughing inside myself and wondering how this could ever happen. I'm on my way to somewhere just in the suburban of Copenhagen. Which I didn't knew well. Let me say, at all. I've never been there and today was NO exception. I'm pretty sure that where I was supposed to get off the bus wasn't there at all or might not exist anymore. Though I'm sure that I took the right bus. So you pretty much figured out that I didn't go to the interview. 

Too many people in the bus, the possible impossibility to get off without pushing and offend anyone (which we Danes are best at!)and the non-existent idea of where I was, I thought today I'm not going to any interview. I'm going home. Besides I was wearing too much cloths and the sun accidentially just decided that today it would appear. So eventually I found out where I was, and it was too late to go anywhere but home. So from the bus I took the train and home to get grilled in the sun.

I'm grateful to be just one dysfunctional GPS!

This is probably what my mind is looking like when I'm in public transit and if it could be seen.

Paris... is always a good idea.

I've always dreamed of seeing the city of Light... Well ever since everybody has been there while I haven't.. yet. I'm leaving Europe in September, so I was thinking: Why not be just a little more crazy and spend money on a weekend trip to Paris with my girls? After all, Paris is always a good idea! And as far as I know pretty expensive. I would normally never even go out in Copenhagen because of the cost. So before going to Barcelona the 10th of September I'll take off to my first visit to France in August. Trying to keep down my expectations. But I'm so excited and to spend a little time with my girls while we're travelling together is fabulous! 
To see famous landmarks with my own eyes, as long is not going to be like my trip to Rome. I expected a bit too much on that trip I guess. But seriuosly, I can't wait to eat croissants and fondue au fromage and wash it down with champagne. 

A Hispanic Adventure.

Last summer I started my Spanish adventure in Barcelona. To be more precisely in Sants-Montjuïc, in a small appartment on third floor. It has been the most crappy place I've ever lived. It was allright in the summer, but really cold in the winter. And surrounded by the most crazy neighbours ever. Such as the "ambulance" on second floor, the crazy man who always had to turn up the volume even at 7 o'clock in the morning so everyone could hear the news or his music. And the couple with the kids who always were crying. And the blind lady on 5th floor, which were prepared to hit you with her stick if you came too close.

Ilustration from Barcelona dibujos y más.

Perhaps I should rather call it my "hispanic adventure" since I lived with Peruvians. Which means I didn't really catch that much of the Spanish culture. But some of it I did catch, and to be honest I see huge differences between Barcelona (Catalonia) and other parts of Spain. The only time I went out of Barcelona was o when E and I went to Salou in Tarragona with some friends. Well, not true. E and I did travel to Peru once... for a week. The most terrible week. Ever. A piece of advice would be: don't take on a 21 hours flight just to go somewhere for only a week. 

It was the worse travel of my life, besides my airport incident in Barcelona when going back to Denmark.

Now I bought my flight ticket to Barcelona where I'll be staying a few days before going to Lima. I'm also planning a big city adventure, but for now: My Peruvian adventure awaits me, because, Claude Goes To Perú!