Around 0600 I was woken up with the remark that my alarm clock had been ringing for an hour. I talked something about the phone in my pocket and turned off the alarm clock. At least I thought so, because it started again after 5 minutes and I had to be woken up again. Around 0930 I woke up from the loud snoring in the room. Meanwhile the others were there and made a lot of sleeping noise. I went briefly to the bathroom to the morning toilet and then went to not waste time unnecessarily by sleeping. So I went out onto the road and turned right in the direction of Gracia. Simply on foot the streets halfway straight ahead direction Park Güell. What I hadn’t expected was that it went steeper and steeper uphill. Shortly in a supermarket to get juice. Sometime shortly before Park Güell it went really steep, but this was practically supported by escalators. I’ve probably never seen escalators in the middle of town to climb a slope. Very practical. A lot of people moved in the park. Right at the beginning there was also a good overview of the city up to the horizon, where there was only sea. In the park there were the usual Tandler with jewellery and stuff spread out on blankets. Without noticing them I went uphill to some brick thing.
There the view was still a little better around some photos to make. Further it went down again towards the brick square, which is very nicely made and at whose edge the winding endless bench stretches. There were a lot of people on the square including some jugglers and musicians who wanted to earn some money. We took some more pictures and went down again towards Gracia and on foot to the Sagrada Familia. In between a small break was made at a corner shop to have something to eat and a coffee. The place was a typical octagonal place. Here for the first time my lack of knowledge of Spanish came to light, because the people there could not speak English. I ordered a sandwich with cheese and coffee, sat outside and got the Langenscheidt Spanish Traveller Helper out to learn a little more. The first thing I learned was what different types of coffee there are and how they are called. But I could only remember with and without milk. The sandwich that would have made Lord Sandwich turn his grave cost 5€ with the coffee.
The remaining block went on to the Sagrada Familia. The building is quite hidden, if you are in the immediate vicinity, because the houses of the blocks block the view. Only one block before I could see them. On the block of the SF there were a lot of people. From far away a snake was visible around the SF, which had also destroyed my original plan to visit it. The building is really impressive, but nobody really knows what comes from Gaudi’s original plans. We continued on foot towards the beach, if possible straight ahead without taking any winding paths. There was not much going on in the park. There was a children’s birthday party on the meadow that was not supposed to be entered. But there were people everywhere on the meadow. The park was left towards the beach on the right and circled on the left.
After eternal running, the feet did me already far earlier also after the march of the day before pain, I reached Port Olympic. Somewhat hidden in a park lay some homeless people and slept. Quite a lot of people walked along the beach. It was also quite warm in the sun. The temperature display at the beach said 16 °C, but in direct sunshine with numerous thick clothes it seemed to be much warmer. Some beach bars were also open and served mostly fish. However, the price level was quite astronomical with often 25 €. Some beach volleyballes played in the sand, some Germans made strange movies on the beach, where I stopped for two tilts to stare into the sea, which hit the beach quite brutally. The beach was extremely well equipped. There were showers with seats, numerous fitness equipment for endurance runners and lots of toys for children. The beach had also been straightened, so that footprints were hardly visible. At the horizon numerous ships passed by and some windsurfers tried their sport, whereby they stood more and often fell off the board. A surfer also tried in vain to get on a wave.
I didn’t think they were that big, but the surfer in his suit waited for ages to catch a wave that didn’t come after all. We continued north to the end of the beach path. Numerous strollers accompanied me. At the end I turned around again to find something to eat. My cigarettes slowly went towards the end and it was already 15.00 o’clock. At the beginning of the beach at Port Olympic a beach bar directly at the beach was open. There was something to eat and beer. I ordered myself a large beer from the barrel and wanted to sit down in a deckchair, had then however somehow nevertheless no buck me in it to settle and sat down me at a table. There was chillt with the beer and the remaining cigarettes first of all and further on the beach gglotzt, whereby it became also slowly noticeably colder. A look into the lonely planet revealed that the next metro would probably be the one I came from.
Now I decided to go some of the one beer fogged up on the beach back to the south. I went past Port Olympic again with a strange hotel that has a lake on the ground floor and a waterfall from the first or second floor. I don’t need it. After eternal running I arrived at the metro Barceloneta by a totally built up sandy beach. There were also again some cigarettes, of which I allowed myself one, before it went down on the full place in the metro. With the train I went to the station Catalunya. There were a lot of people on the square for Saturday evening. Everything was also decorated for Christmas, so I had to assume that the people were there for Christmas shopping. Somehow it sucked me into a department store, from which I had freed myself again as soon as possible, after I had noticed that I do not want anything at all there. Asked the lonely planet again where I can still go. I had decided to go to Cosmocaixa.
This is a scientific museum, which should contain numerous approach hurdles. The museum should be open until 2000. It was about 17.00 o’clock and already darkened. On the streets around Catalunya everything was full of people. I tried to figure out how to get to the museum by train. This was not supposed to be a normal metro, but a metro from another company. I tried to ask a newspaper saleswoman where the thing departs, but could only remember the beginning of the explanation. In the normal metro there was also a uniformed person who explained the way to me where I could only remember the beginning again. Somehow I got out again and headed for Rambla, where I happened to find the entrance to the train. It wasn’t that hard now, only the signage has to be worked on. The train also came after 10 minutes, the journey took 10 minutes. From the depths of the subway it went eternal steps again to the daylight, which was however long no longer there.
First we had to get the bearings on the planet map again and then we went up the road. There an eternally old tram should go uphill in the direction of the museum. There were tram tracks and a stop with a notice board. Unfortunately I was now 1720 too late for the last ride of the tram uphill. So I tipped over and walked up on foot as usual. Again an unbelievable traffic on the street. At some point the tram came towards me from above. It was filled up to the last free standing place with humans, so that I congratulated myself for it too late to have gone on foot. On the streets it became finally ever more lonely. No more people far and wide, also the cars became less. Somehow I felt like at the ass of the world up there on the slope. Without knowing the right direction I went over the street to the left past a submarine named Barcelona that was standing in the middle of the street. On the left was the museum. As planned, approximately 1800 into the museum. The entrance fee is only 3€. For special performances it costs 2€ extra.
I wanted to give myself the astronomy performance, but unfortunately it was sold out. Otherwise there were no more special shows. First I went past the museum shop where I had to get out sometime. I didn’t pay any attention to this thing, because it only costs time, because I can’t or won’t take it with me anyway. In a spiral it went 5 floors into the cellar. There is nothing to long for, except an old hose, which should clarify the time. Next time the elevator. Arrived below there were also the actual exhibits. It was clear to me that the whole thing was meant for children. Nevertheless the exhibits were very interesting. You could change something at each one, which should clarify some physical background. For someone with a scientific education these are all familiar things, but they are very cleverly interactively prepared. A few Germans struck me right from the start, who went through the thing with their children without even understanding anything or wanting to understand anything. Maybe it was the language. At each exhibit there was a detailed explanation of the exhibit in three languages. Without reading it or knowing the background, it just doesn’t make sense to turn anything around. Nevertheless, there was some play with everything without even the slightest interest in the text. But only a few of them did that.
The actual exhibition was in the basement. In addition, there was a walk-in rainforest that stretched over the 5 floors. With artificial rain after some time and huge fish, like in an aquarium. The floors to the top there was nothing more to see. There were only the rooms with the special ideas. After a phone call we went out of the museum into the dark lonely night in front of the museum. We walked down the slope towards the city center. After a few minutes there were more people on the streets. I didn’t want to take the metro again, but to continue on foot through the city to Gracia. The streets were quite winding and I had some problems to find the right streets, although they are all labeled on corners. Over a bridge and a big square I finally went from northwest to Gracia. The street changed suddenly with many small shops, bars and restaurants. Many people on the streets, so that it was hardly possible to get through.
After endless walking, turn left onto Diamantenplatz and rest for a while. During the civil war the square is said to have had a bunker, which will be opened to the public sometime. On the square there were chairs from restaurants, where some people were sitting outside. It got colder and colder for me, although it wasn’t that cold at all. I still had Ralf’s tip in the planet, so I wanted to go to the Perla in the Perla RocknRoll Bar. A look at the map told me that it should only be one street away. Of course the bar was closed. Around 2100 I was much too early. The bar was also completely barricaded, so I didn’t find it right away. Then first of all not, maybe later. Meanwhile it was time to warm up and talk back to the Diagonal in the hostel. That took quite a long time until I arrived. On the other side of the street I fetched some beer and then went up.
In the stairway one has already heard the music of the “reception”. On the table there were some drinks again. The Portuguese, the Americans, the Irish and the Polish women were already there. The Polish women were busy in the room with something, while the others indulged in the drinks and the music. First they took off their clothes and threw on the netbook, talked, had a drink and typed a travelogue. In the lounge, the latest films were always shown in English. At some point about 6 new people arrived, which completely filled the reception and gave the arrivals the right impression.
At some point the question of evening arrangements arose. That was around 0030. We decided to go to some bar on the Rambla. Why I do not know more. The bar was a Technoschuppen with for me very bad music. The others had liked it, all right. During the whole time I drank there only a small beer, since with me no correct party tendency wanted to arise. I talked to the Irish and the Turk all the time. Meanwhile the Americans, especially the ex-New Yorker, had filled up the tank, which completely knocked her out of NY. At some point it became too colourful for me and I wanted to go over to Raval in the Moog to have other music. People suddenly wanted to go to Razzmatazz. I could welcome that again and wanted to go with them.
But the gang was so out that it took an hour until we could go. Not without another brawl about unimportance, which fortunately was not realized. I forgot to ask one teacher from NY what he is a teacher for. Probably he does sports and his training at night in Brooklyn. On the Rambla there was a lot going on at that time. Above all there were people with beer cans for sale. The 0.33 for one Euro, which is quite acceptable, but actually not allowed at all. In addition there were still some people who sold food from the hand basket. I wanted a sandwich, which should cost also 1€. What is on it he did not understand, so I grabbed one. Despite the darkness I could see the grey sausage shimmering. Grey sausage par excellence. The thing flew immediately times into the garbage. Not because of the grey sausage, but because of the sausage itself. The others didn’t die from it either. Afterwards we went into the next metro shaft on the Rambla. The others didn’t even bother to pay, but more or less elegantly jumped over the barriers of the ticket control.
I was willing to pay, but the machines somehow not at all. So also over to the platform. Then I took the metro to the industrial area and went only two or three stations further. The metro was completely filled with people like during the best rush hour 0700 or so. But there was smoking and drinking. Shortly before getting off it looked at the smoke development as if one would burn down. That was however only its tidy sport cigarette, which wrapped in seconds the whole course in smoke. The crowd now moved to the entrance of the Razzmatazz. Despite the many people, the entrance went surprisingly fast. Again there was beer and food sellers on the street. The entrance of 15€ was paid by credit card to save cash.
This part is probably one of the biggest clubs in Barcelona, if not the biggest. Numerous indie acts play here. On five or six dance floors, it’s a good thing. Shortly after the entrance we got lost. Shortly through the whole area and found out that there is probably no hope to find us any more. Today electronic music was announced on all dance floors. In a room somewhere upstairs there was also good music. On stage there was a DJ, next to him monitors and beamers with wacky projections. Not so colorful and spectacular, but everything was nice and dirty, just like the music. First I stood around and watched the whole thing. At some point I wanted to have a drink. Then the Irishman suddenly appeared. He told me that I got a card for a free drink. Had I not noticed at all. After eternal queuing at the bar and permanent ignoring by the barmaid we got our vodka-cola.
The drink was enough for a while I tried to talk to him. At some point he disappeared, said he had to find someone. I had no more desire and went out direction Metro. I had heard that the line was still running on Saturday night. It does, too, but only the other way. At the entrance of my direction there was again a grid in front of it. So without thinking about it I got into a free taxi at the red traffic light and told it the right place this time. Juan Carlos. It’s actually easy. The confusion from the evening before was that there is actually a place St Juan with a basilisk. Without any problems back to the hostel. There the Americans lay on and in front of the sofas of the reception. I still had a beer in the fridge, which I immediately took while I talked to the others. The conversations continued until about 0800 in the lounge, where I finally fell asleep tired on one of the sofas, because it was much warmer than in the room. The NYer slept there already longer time on another sofa.
