Having just left Murcia in a transit bus I am making my way towards neighboring city Alicante and from there I will connect with a BlaBla car that is destined for Barcelona. From Barcelona I will take a train or bus to Girona, which is about an hour northeast. Today is the the beginning of what will be about an eight day mini trip consisting of two days in Girona, about three more in Barcelona, and probably three nights in Lisbon, Portugal.
The last blog post was written in Babelia Books & Coffee, a very relaxed place to drink a caffeinated beverage in Barcelona. Upon walking out of the coffee shop that day I spent the majority of The next handful of days walking around, drinking more coffee at a whim, and taking in the atmosphere of various neighborhoods in this very explore friendly city. Since I came to Barcelona alone I decided to not be a loner the entire time and attended various language exchange Meetups at different bars where I was fortunate in meeting some really cool people from different parts of the world. I didn't visit La Sagrada familia but some of my favorite places in Barcelona included parts of Park Güel, the neighborhood La Gracia, Mirador de Midgita, and Gypsy Lou's for nightlife. The Sunday before leaving I was able to meet up with a girl named Jessica who is a former neighbor of my good buddy Sebastian and her expat lifestyle left me inspired to follow in her footsteps. A failed BlaBla car attempt the following day had me spending an extra night in the city and by coincidence I found myself staying at an unmarked residential hostel that turned out to be Hostel One Backpackers in upper La Gracia. Some really nice people were met there and I might be booking a few nights again this weekend when I revisit the city.
Barcelona might be my favorite city and having an opportunity to come back this weekend makes me feel very lucky.
A second and this time successful BalBla car attempt had me sharing a ride with a couple Catalonians, Jaime and his wife/girlfriend Pilar, down to the city where last year I taught English: Murcia.
For the past eight days I have been crashing at my friend and former landlord Lola's house. We made a deal where this time she should wouldn't charge rent in exchange for me painting various rooms in her house. It's been great staying there again and the only part missing is Lucia, who is currently working in Ireland.
Coming back to Murcia has been overwhelming and nothing less than joyful. The majority of the last eight days since coming back has been spent reconnecting with some close friends from last school year and also volunteering at the primary school Nuestra Señora de los Angeles where I once was an English language assistant.
This current bus ride where the sky is starting to turn orange and red along the horizon will serve as the opening page of a temporary break from seeing friends in Murcia because next weekend I'll be returning to Lola's.
I plan on visiting in Girona my friend Laura who I met through a Couchsurfing language exchange three years ago. We have only been friends via Skype so it should be fun meeting her in person for the first time. In Barcelona no plans have been made except for a cup of coffee, and in Lisbon no plans have been made except for a day trip to a small Portguese city called Cascais. Cascais is a sister city to my hometown, Sausalito in California, and I am going to see if the government there will give me some free stuff :)
This blog post is overdue and over filled with words. I hope that whoever is reading this is having a great day and is happy. I can't see you but I think you're beautiful.
Updates are coming soon :)
Sincerely,
Daniel Catena
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