GOODBYE POBLENOU......
Andrea standing in front of our apartment building in Poblenou
We had to spend an extra week in Poblenou, which proved to be one of the worst areas in Barcelona. I read that it was an up coming and a very innovative area, like the meatpacking area in NYC that is now home to cool shops and hotels. This was not the case in Poblenou. When I got here I read it will be up and coming in 3-5 years when the recession is over. I also learned it is home to Barcelona's organized crime rings. What? Organized crime rings? I told the kids we had to be very careful and Ricky even bought me some pepper spray to keep in my purse. "I am serious I said, I read it on the internet." We saw an elderly couple crossing the street and the they boys said..."Mom, they are definitely part of an organized crime ring." One night the kids friends came over and the first thing they said was how dangerous Poblenou was. One night Cambrie and I got lost driving home from a shop and we say this sketchy huge metal door open and 3 asian guys in full black run out, look side to side, and then let a guy in a suit in before they quickly pulled the gate closed. Cambrie looked at me and said...."organized crime ring.
Leaving Poblenou photo shoot.
GOODBYE WIGGLY PUFF......
We learned quickly why Hedgehogs are not popular pets.
1. You bleed if you hold them without garden gloves.
2. They hate people and hiss when you try to pick them up.
3. They smell horrendous.
4. Their waste smells even worse.
5. They sleep all day and then make noise all night.
On top of this, and finding 3 tics on Wiggly Puff we decided to leave a parting gift for Poblenou...our Hedgehog Wiggly Puff.
Faith bawled, bu we assured her that Wiggly Puff was much happier being out of the small cage and having a big park to roam around. "Why don't we go get all the Hedgehogs from the pet store and set them free?" she asked. Hmmm Ricky thought for a second. "We will talk about that after we move." Nice diversion.
Good bye Wiggly Puff.
TURO PARC
Turo Parc our new permanent neighborhood
Even though we have only been 5 km from school, it has been taking us an hour in traffic to get there. We decided on a neighborhood called TURO PARC, very close to school, where a bunch of the families from school live. With hope and a prayer we were able to find a great apartment and move within a week.
A view from our balcony in our new apartment.
Our new building Plaza Francesc Macia
The girls unpacking in their new room.
Everyone was so happy to be close to friends, school and real food (no more Dominos Pizza yippee).
For me, coincidentally there is great shopping all around the new apartment and I had to buy a pair of boots to celebrate.
Faith testing out my new boots....
WIGGLY PUFF RETURNS....
We had a friend from DC come to town for a wedding and he invited us and some of his other friends for dinner. "It will be a magical evening," our friend David explained. La Venta, the restaurant was located on a steep hill overlooking the entire city. The view was breath taking, Ricky and I were grinning from ear to ear. The first month in Spain under our belts, the dreaded second move a success, and now a familiar english speaking friend to share all the details with.
"We did all the food ordering already, I am sure you will love everything," David said as we arrived. LIttle does he know how picky I am.
The waiter comes and sets a plate down in front of me. "AHHHHH!!!" I scream.
"It's Wiggly Puff!" Everyone stares at me. Ricky is at the other end of the table.
"Ricky look, it's hedgehog for dinner!"
"Hedgehog, what?" "No, no, it is Sea Urchin Andrea, and it is really delicious, you have to try some." David says.
"No thanks I say, I am really picky eater."
LA MERCE.....
The Spanish find any excuse for a holiday, and almost every weekend there is some kind of holiday, with people in the streets, live music, fireworks, and cheering often all night long. This weekend was LA MERCE. It began in 1902 and it is a 5 day celebration to bid farewell to summer. We were told we could NOT miss the fire parade. We looked it up online and it said to wear long sleeves, hats, and eye protection as fire can sometimes burn the crowd. "Burn the crowd?" I thought, "Is this really an event NOT to miss?"
Oh no, here comes the fire parade.
Cambrie and her friend Merel ready for the fire parade behind them.
The parade is people dressed as devils spraying fire and sparklers
out of pitch forks at the crowd and in the air. Don't ask me what
this has to do with the end of summer.
Holden and his friend Ada after the parade and luckily no burns.
LA MERCE....Human Castle Building
After the fire parade, I am starting to understand that safety is way different in Spain than it is in the USA. Today we went to the Human Castle Building Event. There we no crash pads, not roped off area, no police controlling the crowds. There were teams of people in the middle of the town square
(Placa de Sant Jaume) seeing how many people they could stack up on each other.
That is Cambrie in the corner.
The girls and I in the Gothic district enjoying the
festivites of La Merce.
WHERE IS LUKE?
You may be wondering why I haven't mentioned Luke recently? Luke made contact with a friend from Malibu who was in France this week at a surf competition. He mapped out the train ride and before I had a chance to be briefed on the details he was off. That was Wednesday.
Later that day I heard Ricky in the kitchen on the cell phone sounding heated. "What do you mean you have no money left, I gave you 80 euros this morning?"
"Let me talk to him," I say calmly.
Luke had not realized his friend was staying a hour bus ride from the train station and then 1/2 drive from the bus stop to the hotel. The bus fair and the cab ride ate up most of his money. The friends mother didn't know the boys had made plans and was not happy and less happy about the money situation. We could not figure out how to get Luke money from Spain to France on a holiday weekend. A few days later Luke called and said he was living on tap water and sugar crepes (the cheapest thing there)
Luke arrives home from France hungry and tired.
IN CLOSING....Here is something new and different we learned about Spain this week.......
While out and about on the town attending the festival activities I gasp when I saw I normal guy urinating right in the middle of a main public area. I guess I should have looked away, but upon starring a little harder, I realized it was actually a public port a potty for guys. Now that is something I have never seen. before.....
Holden and our friend Joe, demonstrating.
While our week was full of activity, goodbye's and hello's, there were some hard days of missing home, friends and the history we have with loved ones. Love your emails, your comments and any love that you will send our way.
oxox The Schroder's
