parc de sant jordi

awesome building at the park

el parc de sant jordi is just two or three blocks from the house here. i have only been there twice, but when i went on monday, i made sure to take a few pictures. the boys and i ate breakfast there (yogurt and oatmeal digestives), then we went to play. unfortunately, pablo was jumping off of a step and cut his hand, so i spent an hour occasionally rinsing it off in the fountain and sitting with him while daniel was playing around. eventually ximena came and meet us there and we went back to the house for lunch and a lazy afternoon. here are some pictures of the building and park :)

it just sits there, looking stately

the sun was so bright...

josh

ah, yes. 

whenever i see statues, like the one above, i think of my brother josh. he was all over england, and in a few places here in spain. i can't explain it, and it doesn't make much sense. but there it is. there is my brother josh. he is noble and strong, like the statue. my other brothers are too, but not in such a historic and classical sense.

pablito

yesterday, while we were out walking, we passed a store front where a huge dog was resting. 

"hey look dad, a cat!!" - pablo

today, riding the bus home from the market.

"are you tired, pablo?" - ximena

"i want to sit down..." - pablo

"you already are!" - ximena

"(confused look) i want to lie down..." - pablo

humming

since sunday, we've mostly just been hanging around in the house and town.

monday was a festivo, so rubén didn't go into work that day. in the afternoon, as we were finishing lunch, some of their friends stopped by for a visit. since i didn't know them and they all had a lot of catching up to do, i retired to my room to read. i think i ended up just chatting with a couple of dear friends, which was nice.

on tuesday we ran a lot of errands. we went out "bright and early" (ie 11:30 or so) and hit a bunch of shops. ximena was, and still is, shopping for gifts to give family when they go to colombia this summer. they leave barcelona the same day i do, so the days leading up to my departure are sure to be packed. no pun intended, but haha...sometimes they just happen! that evening when rubén was home, we had our in between meal and then ran some more errands. i had my eyes peeled the whole time for possible gifts myself. i did find a treasure, which i can't wait to reveal to the recipient. we got home around 9, ate, and went our separate ways.

today, wednesday, we were planning on going to the zoo, but ximena didn't get much sleep last night because of the baby, sofia, so we went to a nearby open market instead. those types of markets always get one that...oh i don't know, markety type feeling. today was quite hot (33 C, 91 F), so by the time we arrived back home we were all thirsty, tired and headachey. since then we've eaten a few times and had various periods of rest. i read a funny article online about things that are british but that americans have ruined. among them: chocolate! not that chocolate is british, but yeah, cadbury's sure does beat hershey's any day.

oh great.


now i'm hungry for chocolate. 

arroz con leche

i just heard the kids singing this:

arroz con leche  (rice pudding)

me quiero casar  (i want to get married)

con una señorita  (to a lady)

que sepa bailar  (who knows how to dance)

terrassa

we went on a walk today, to an older part of the town. back in the day, the romans were the big whigs around here. these are just some pictures i took while walking. and yes, since i was walking, they aren't the best looking pictures. at least they'll give you an idea of what the town is like. by the way, terrassa means "terrace". Ximena was telling me that a river used to flow through the city and that's what made it so hilly and dippy. and terracey. 

on the right and middle side of this picture is the entrance to the metro 

on the way to the older part of town

an old castle, as seen from a park

other side of the castle

xoxox (spanish for "street view")

an old church

my street (taken from my buildings' door)

¡vale! ¡vale!

vale: OK! fine! all right!

the first day i was here, i heard this word nonstop. I had no idea it was so popular. it's kinda like the usa "like". i mean like, totally. during conversations, i would respond with "ok" (in a spanish accent, of course). i thought that was acceptable. it is in some other countries. but that first night the dad told me to say "vale" en vez de "ok". so now i'm saying "vale" all the time. vale.

the weather has been mostly cloudy since i got here-they say it's unusual. but i think that in a few days it will clear up. i hope so, because i mostly brought summery clothes. but when i find myself wishing it were sunny and warmer, i remember that it's an oven in tennessee. i guess it's not so bad here, afterall.

let's see, what would you guys like to know. well, the food. the food tastes very different. ok, moving on...:P but seriously, a lot of olive oil and salt are used. and lots of fish. i think that my stomach is rebelling to the food because it hasn't had anything similar to what it's used to. i had some green tea today, thinking "how could anyone go wrong with green tea?" but lo and behold, it was hardly green tea. it had a bean-ish flavour. i think that i'll make a run to the store soon and buy some danon yogurt (i saw some today!) and maybe nutella. just some comfort foods for my soul :)

i have yet to take pictures of the town. last night was the perfect opportunity, but i didn't take my camera with me. and i do hate to feel like a tourist. speaking of which, while i was at the train station, an older man was talking to me and thought i was from argentina. didn't he even hear my american accent and butchered use of spanish? 


the family i'm staying with is "real" nice. the parents, rubén and ximena, are both from colombia. they have been in spain for about 10 or 11 years though. they have two boys, daniel (4) and pablo (3), and a little girl, sofia (8 weeks?). they don't know any english, which is good. i guess. last night i had to watch part of casablanca because i just wanted to hear english! aah, rick's new york accent and sam's jolly voice sounded like music. 


vale, i hate rambling. ciao!