Ballin and Barcelona (or My Experience with Genius) [Updated]

Hola Amigos,

Here's what I've been up to the last few days:

Monday (9/8): Played basketball less than a quarter mile from the Eiffel Tower. I was just going for the ball, so I didn't bring my camera, biggest regret from Europe so far. It becomes part of the background when you're playing, but every now and then I'd look up and just be in awe. And the competition was good and fun as hell to play with. Every drive to the hoop contained about 4, 5, or 27 fakes before a behind-the-back or between-the-legs pass. When I did a behind-the-back and the recipient didn't see it coming, he apologized for missing it rather than asking me what the hell I was doing. A few funny notes too. While they had a boombox with Dr. Dre playing, a couple of differences from the US were that they smoked cigarettes between games and all brought their purses with them. So while we were playing there were about 10 or 12 purses on the sideline and not a single girl amongst us, that will never cease to amuse me. (Side note: I feel like this trend in Europe may originate with the heavy usage of coins. I hate them rattling around in my pockets, so a purse may be handy; but I don't think I could ever bring myself to buy one).

That night at L'Antidote, I had a surreal moment. There were a bunch of French lads and ladies my age at the bar, a handful of whom were rather sloppy (to put it nicely). When ordering their final round of shots, they asked where I was from. When I answered, they gave me a shot and hummed the first part of the national anthem before regaling me with their stories of their time in the USA. I've heard stories and rumors about how the French are rude to travelers, especially those from America, but my experience couldn't be more of the opposite. Many people in Paris went the extra mile to make my stay as good as possible. After I live in Shanghai for a few years, I'll probably have to live here and learn French. (Also, I'll have to learn their anthem so that I can hum it to the first French person I meet in a bar back home)

Tuesday (10/8): I went to Napoleon's tomb, a massive monument to a tiny man. Afterwards, I chilled at a cafe for a couple hours arranging travel and the like. Pretty slow day. I ate at a North African restaurant around the corner from my hostel, which was delicious and the host was stellar in guiding me through my options; there was food from Senegal, Cameroon, and Madagascar, all tres bon. If I can find the name I'll pass it forward for future travelers. In my last night at the Young and Happy Hostel in the Latin Quartier (can't say enough good things about it, great staff, clean rooms, always felt my possessions were secure), a bunch of new travelers just got in. I took them over to L'Antidote to hopefully continue traditions after I leave. I'm gonna miss that place, it was a chill bar to start the night and Will is a cool bartender, always talking with the folks and providing quality service/music (really good music actually).

Wednesday (11/8): Spent 6 hours in the airport due to delays, let's not talk about it. It was late, but I got to Barcelona.

Thursday (12/8): Wandered around Las Ramblas before heading over to Picasso museum. Talk about mind blowing, I think I got an aneurysm. I spent 3.5 hours looking at the over 300 paintings there and they have over 700 more in the vault (Picasso liked the idea of a museum in his hometown and just up and donated 1000 paintings that were "laying around his house"! What!?!). Genius doesn't have an off switch, and it showed. It started with paintings when he was 12 and he died with a brush in his hand. I could look at his works all day. My favorite was his interpretations of a Velazquez piece. When I see a picture, I try to come up with two or three ideas of what is going on in it before moving on. Picasso put his own spin on fellow Spanish painter Velazquez's "Las Meninas"... 60 times. 60. All cubist, but all different, with the colors perhaps conveying the souls/emotions/true intentions of the main characters. Mindblowing. Loved it.

That night, I met Lauriane, Elise, Dave, and Ryan who explored the streets of Barcelona with me. We punctuated the night with my first dip into the Mediterranean Sea around 3AM. The perfect way to start my time in Spain

Friday/Saturday (13-4/8): When I first posted this I got the days off by one, now I can't differentiate these two (Barcelona will do that to you). I did a Gaudi tour, went to Casa Milla (a house designed by him), Sagrada Familia, and Parc Gaülle (a community designed by him). He's definitely a genius too, just centuries ahead of his time. He was an architect, sculptor, and an engineer, his buildings are all twisted and crazy (I'm standing on the roof of Casa Milla in the photo above). I wish he didn't die, I definitely would've commissioned him to design the future Lauer Mansion.

On Friday afternoon, I explored the Gothic district with Lauriane, Elise, Dave, and Ryan. Then I had the first of my Culinary Adventures (coming next post).

Sunday (15/8): Very lazy day today, just laying low after some late nights partying this weekend.

Tomorrow I head out to Figueres for another of my favorite geniuses, Salvador Dali.

Shameless Plugs: I've eaten like a king every night in Barcelona thanks to Kip Lange, Dot Kelleher, Alex Baddock, and Jeff Devine. My map, which is peppered with their recommendations, is treated like a holy relic. So far they're batting 1.000 (knock on wood), I have no doubt it'll keep up. I will tell you all about it in the next post.

Also to the Young and Happy Hostel. I wish I could remember the manager's name, he learned mine on the first day and made sure that my experience was as pleasurable as possible. Either he does that for everybody there or the Scublog has gained popularity faster than I expected. He's a real class act.

Finally, to Gabi, Olivier, and Will for being excellent people to talk with, learn about Paris from, and for making an American feel comfortable abroad.

Ici C'est Paris!

Lots going on over here, and there's even more to come so I actually will make this brief.

Thursday (5/8 [Euro Style]): I went to the Pantheon after arriving in Paris. Ate my first Parisian crepe, drank my first Parisian café, and nearly melted with my first Parisian crème brûlée (which reminds me that I still haven't eaten Parisian escargot, what's wrong with me!). I met my temporary roommate Javiera, who is from Bilbao of the Basque country (not part of Spain [but it kinda is]). Discovered the bar L'Antidote and befriended the bartender William from Monaco.

Friday (6/8): I wake up early for the last time, it's much more fun to stay out until 5 than it is to wake up at 8. Jav is a fine arts major, so we head to the Louvre, where we act like tourists, get ridiculously lost, make fun of the Mona Lisa, etc. After spending 45 minutes recovering in a cafe, we get lost trying to find a flea market that doesn't actually exist out in the suburbs. We go back to L'Antidote and party la nuit away.

Saturday (7/8): Jav leaves for London, I act like I live here. I spend a couple hours in a cafe before heading to an artists apartment that Jav and I passed by on the way to the Louvre. Seriously, David, if you're reading this check out some of the photos on the side. If your apartment in Berkeley is anything like this (painted walls and art coming out of the woodwork) then please take some pictures and I'll definitely come over after China - living with an artist would be a fantastic experience.

I went to the inside out building and bought a Paris St. Germaine kit before heading to the game. I could write a million words about this experience. The fans are crazy, there are two rival sections, the fascists and the socialists who used to fight after games - even though they root for the same team! Last year was a brutal year for PSG who finished 10th, so the fans cared less about the soccer and more about the fighting. It escalated until one fanatic got killed. To get into the stadium, I had to pass by security guards with machine guns (I still get chills thinking about it). The game was alright, but much lower quality than the HSV-Chelsea match. I got along well with Pierre and Isabella who sat next to me and spoke enough English to commentate on the game. Pierre rooted for both teams, growing up rooting for Sainte Ettiene who were a powerhouse in his youth and now living in Paris. Like the rest of our section, they hated the fascists and just loved the game. The atmosphere was pretty intense, the crowd did little whistles every time they didn't like something or to mock the other team and at times was as ambient as vuvuzelas. The crowd had dozens of chants (which you can hear here), most of which are simple like "Ici C'est Paris" ("This is Paris"). I could go on forever. There was a bicycle kick for a goal, ridiculous. I probably will write more on this later.

Sunday (8/8): I finally visited the Eiffel Tower, which is essentially a tourist trap (trés bourgeois haha); I fulfilled my required attendance and headed to Sacre Coeur... another tourist trap. I came back exhausted, but went to L'Antidote and met up with Will and his friends. I asked them about what French music is best and had a great ongoing conversation that lasted the whole night. Also this was the first time I did the kiss on both cheeks thing as a goodbye (basically they're converting me, I'll probably arrive in Barcelona wearing a beret - which I haven't actually seen yet).

Today (9/8): Whoa, that's now. Last night at 5:30AM I came back to the hostel and chilled with Olivier, one of the guys working the desk. We got off well right off the bat (on the first day) as he is from Paris and loves PSG. He added a few bands to the music list and we started talking about basketball - which he also loves - and told me the location of a bunch of the courts around town. A couple are in shady areas, which I may stay away from, and one for elite players (you can only play if you have a strong reputation), which I may stop by just to watch. There is one that is safe to be at, which is where I'll play this afternoon if the players there are legit. Afterwards, I'll head to Musee D'Orsay (if it's open today, Mondays can be off days for museums).

I love Paris. The people here have been so helpful and nice; the opposite of the stereotypes in my experience. There are enough tourist activities to occupy me for decades, but I've had more fun conversing with locals and chilling at cafes. I could write a bajillion words about the culture here and the differences/hidden similarities with America, which I may yet do. But for now, I've got to get back out there. I only have two days before set off for Barcelona!