Last Days!

Ah! My last few days in Barcelona! Quick...must see and do everything that I can! That's pretty much what's going through my head these days. Part of me wants to just run around the city and see things. Yet, another part of me just wants to relax and enjoy the laid-back atmosphere that is Barcelona in mid-summer.

There's nothing I'm dying to do that I haven't done yet. Don't think that I'm saying I've seen all that Barcelona has to offer. I could never say that. It's just that it's to the point where I feel as if this place is a home away from home; I feel more at home here than back in my town in the U.S. I still stumble with the language (especially that catalan, I've GOT to learn that!) and there will always be political issues that I won't fully grasp or understand, but I've come to relish those days walking down the streets, getting lost on purpose, and then realizing I've been here before. I like that now I can go to places such as the Arc de Triompf or Port Vell, and I don't have to grip my camera and pause to take pictures of every little thing. I still walk by some masterpieces (Gaudi, hello?!) and marvel at them, but I can look at the tourist lines and the families with matching T-shirts and bucket hats...and I can move on and enjoy my day. I need to use a map less frequently now (so liberating!) and I now need more than my own two hands to count the number of friends I have who live here. Yeah, that makes me feel pretty cool, not gonnna lie.

As my days here wind down, I'm beginning to miss the city, yet again (even though I'm still here!) There are many things I'll miss: the people, the flags hanging from balconies, the view from the apartment I'm staying at...the attractive men, the number of bicyclists on the streets, the pictures of paella taunting my empty wallet...

I'll also miss the new friends I've made. I think I've met some keepers, most of them from countries other than my own...hmm...

So, I'm preparing to leave this culture for another...Cuenca, Ecuador. Of course things are much more different in South America. In Spain, there is still some Western culture, but Ecuadorian culture is very different. How different? I'll tell you as I learn!