Beginnings and endings

On the eve of my departure from Belgium and subsequent arrival in South Africa, I feel as if this (beginnings and endings) is what my life has been reduced to over the last two and half weeks (since I left Hamburg). It's also strange that it feels that more than two weeks have passed since I so reluctantly left Hamburg. I realised this is the pace at which I want time to pass all the time. I simply hate those weeks when you start out on the Monday and before you know it it's the start of the Friday working day...you are completely exhausted, can't remember half the stuff you'd done in that week, all you know is that you've been doing it on the trot and that the weekend will also be so crammed with stuff that you'll not have the opportunity to completely rest and recoup. Also you live with the depressing knowledge that the next week will pass in exactly the same way. It pains me to say it, but that's what I'm returning to in South Africa. I know there are times when things have to be hectic, but when I left SA 5 months ago (it feels so much longer), it had become clear that I was not striking a satisfactory balance and that I was constantly trying to catch up with the hectic pace my life (especially my working life) had acquired. That will definitely have to change when I get back since I was very unhappy and stressed and it had taken me close to 5 months to de-stress and regroup.

Mostly I feel as if I've finally gotten round to touching base with myself. Like I've regained ownership of my life again instead of constantly reacting to external factors that always seem to require my immediate attention. A sense of myself had gotten lost along the way and it was quite a struggle to rediscover that hidden and obscured self. I feel as if I'm just so much more present in my life as opposed to watching my life pass in front of me like a film reel. I have the space and time to process new experiences and figure out how I feel about it. My actions and reactions are no longer mysteries to me as I'm in touch with what I feel when I feel it and I can trace my action/reaction back to that feeling. I get such intense pleasure from music, instead of it being some background noise to distract me from the mundanity of my life. My life hasn't become less mundane, but I am no longer overwhelmed by the mundanity of life and sometimes even welcome it as a time when I reflect on other aspects, but that's luxury of idleness. If you busy all the time there's no time for reflection and that's great sometimes, but one has to strike a balance, an acceptable balance (for each person that balance is different) between the busy time and the idle moments when one can just enjoy the simple pleasures. I for instance can't wait to get back to my flat and just sit on my balcony with a glass of wine or juice, watch the cats play in our garden, hear the trucks and cars pass on Jan Smuts Drive...just me and my thoughts. There is no need for distraction since I'm just completely content with what I have at the time: sunshine and maybe a little bit of music in the background;-) I want to have more of these moments in my life because they are the ones that will keep me in contact with who I am, which will ultimately help me relate better to other people and my environment.

On the other side living between beginnings and endings is very exciting. Although there's always something/someones you have to leave behind, there are also always something to look forward to. I really enjoyed and revelled in the peace and serenity here at Tom's parent's house. I'll miss the people too, but I have such a lot to look forward to. I'll touch base and resume relations with my nearest and dearest. I've had quite a couple of homecomings over the last couple of years, but this one will be one of the most memorable for all the right reasons. Firstly there's going to be great feasting and celebration because I'm back...and like sitting on the balcony by myself this is always a form of therapy, for me at least. Why? Because I'm fortunate enough to have surrounded myself with some wonderful people. People I have always appreciated, but who have come through for me so brilliantly in the last while. I would also like to acknowledge the great new friendships I've formed and the old friendship that has been strengthened while I was here. For me an experience is made just that more enjoyable and significant because of the people who have shared it with me and all the great people I've bonded with here have played a large part in colouring my experience with great significance. And for that I'm very grateful.

There you have it then, my last posting from Europe. It was a wonderful privilege to share all my travels and experiences with all you guys. The next one will probably be from my living room in Cape Town. I'm still unsure whether I'll keep the blog going after I've entered corporate South Africa again. Posting pics and relating my experiences from different parts of Europe has been an integral part of this blog and I don't know if I'll find anything in my daily life in South Africa to replace it. We'll play it by hear and next time I post it would be about how great my homecoming was.

Keep well.

Hasta la vista Barça

So Wednesday night I didn't get more than 2 and half hours' sleep, not b/c I was out partying. No, insomnia hit me hard when I could least afford it. However, I thought I'd push on with my programme for Thursday despite not sleeping the night before. The day started with a tour of Picasso's haunts when he lived in Barcelona at the end of the 19th century. It was very interesting and while it's true that Picasso's family stayed in Barcelona long after he left for Paris, I think Barcelona is making too much of its connection with Picasso. He was in the city for about 2 years and it was while he was still a schoolboy, so the works he did there were not that significant. He was merely familiarising himself with artistic convention, so that he could eventually break with those conventions and develop cubism. The tour ended up at Picasso museum, but I decided not to enter b/c it was such a wonderful day and I wanted to make the most of it.

I first visited the outstanding Modernista buildings before heading for the beach. On the way to the beach I bought the most heavenly ice-cream: chocolate, pistachio and coffee. The beach was great and the surfers pathetic especially if one considers how small the waves they were trying (unsuccessfully) to ride were. I spent about an hour at the beach coming to terms with just how tired I was, but I couldn't stop, there was still so much I needed to see. So I took a bus to the Plaça d'Espanya to check out impressive Palau Nacional, the Olympic stadium and the surrounds. Incidentally it is here that I found the strange warning sign below.

To finish off the day of sightseeing I visited the arena in which bull fights took place. It was wonderful and since it was within walking distance of the La Sagrada Familia, I made my way over there to have one last look at it before taking a bus back to my room for a short nap. To my chagrin the nap didn't happen and this on the night when it was my last chance to go out. Princesa 23 (my Barça haunt) was celebrating Women's Day with welcoming and cheap drinks. Very reluctantly I made my way over there and ordered my first Mojito. The first thing I noticed was that they were not shy with the alcohol. My Mojito was basically rum with crushed mint and lemon and a spritz of carbonated water on ice. It tasted great and it was a great pleasure watching the barman and the flare with which he russled up each drink. I found myself sitting next to the only guy at the bar and we started chatting. I can't remember what his name was, but he was Senegalese and had been living in Barcelona for the last six years. I ordered my second drink a Caipiroska (basically a Caipirihna with strawberry pulp). It was great so when mr. Senegal asked if I would go with him to a bar where they were playing live music, I readily agreed. We ended up at Harlem Jazz Club (around the corner from where I stayed) and the music was great. The band played something like jazz fusion and afterwards they played Orishas (a Cuban band, living and making music in France - in Spanish of course). I danced the night away with the mr. Senegal and his mates. I was on Malibu and coke, but again they practically filled the glasses with Malibu and only adding the coke for colouring. When I finally got round to asking what the time was, it was 3am and since I hadn't slept the night before and still have a full day of shopping and sightseeing the next day, I decided it was time for me to go home. Mr. Senegal implored me to join him the next evening for some live Senegalese music at the same club, but since I couldn't be reached via phone and I had other priorities, I didn't feel I needed to honour my promise to meet up with him again.

After too brief a sleepy, I had to be up the next morning to move out of my 2 star accommodation into a 4 star hotel. The hostal (different from a youth hostel in that they don't have dorms) I was staying at couldn't accommodate me for my last night in Barcelona, so I thought I would treat myself on the last night with a room which had a TV and my own bathroom. After I'd moved into my new room and taken a shower, I hit the shops hard. It was just so nice not to be subjected to the rigorous programme I'd put myself through the previous two days. I decided that I was my worse enemy and that I should give myself a break instead of pushing so hard. I ambled between shops acquired a pair of shoes, a bikini top and accessories. In between I had time to go up a column (similar to the one on Trafalgar Square) at the harbour to get a more panoramic view of Barcelona as well as a visit the Picasso museum. After this I successfully managed to get two hours' sleep before heading out to Princesa 23 for a cocktail and dinner and a Flamenco performance. My guidebook said that the Flamenco I was about to see would be cheesy and I thought to myself, how bad could it be since I haven't seen that much Flamenco. To my surprise, I noticed the dancing wasn't that good, but the singing and music was excellent. The singer was a real character and people (read: tourist, cause locals wouldn't be caught dead in such a place) were invited onto the stage to join in. It was very enjoyable and I returned to my hotel room satisfied and content.

The next morning I was up early to catch my plane back to Brussels. However, before boarding I bought another pair of shoes...I'm weak, I knew I shouldn't buy at the airport b/c things are just horribly expensive there, but these were good shoes and I was prepared to pay the price for them, so I couldn't see any harm being done. There was also a scary couple of minutes when we were flying over the Pyrenees mountains. We got into some serious turbulence. I've never been scared on a plane before but our little aeroplane was rattled around so much that I couldn't shake the feeling that things could go seriously wrong. It was smooth flying after that and I for one was grateful that we had a skillful pilot, who got us through that turbulence.

My last word on Barcelona is a reference to the soundtrack to my Barcelona trip. I listened mostly to Maroon 5's Songs for Jane and The best of Depeche Mode. I'm sure without these great albums, my trip wouldn't have been half as good and whenever I listen to them I'll also remember the great time I had on my very first holiday all alone in Barcelona...may it be the start of many enjoyable trips on my own.

Hola Chicas!!

...and of course all the guys that read my blog. I know this post is a bit delayed as it's been four days since I returned from Barcelona. The weather in Belgium has just been so great (sunshine and 14 degrees average) that I've just been lounging around and basically doing what I want when I want to do it. My days have been spent not getting out of bed before 11:00, getting some form of exercise (either walking, helping in the garden or cycling) sitting outside chatting to people (online) and trying to work on my very last assignment...without success. Tom's parents also make it very easy for me to be lazy, all I have to do is show up for the regular meals, otherwise I'm left to my own devices, which really suits me as there will not be a lot of "me-time" when I get back home on Monday (I still can't get to grips that it's so soon already).

Back to Barcelona, what an enchanting city. It was definitely worth the trouble although it wasn't that much trouble if I'm honest with myself. I flew from Brussels after spending a weekend there with Rikke, the Dane who studied with me in Hamburg. I'd been to Brussels on quite a couple of occassions and thought I'd seen all there is to see in Brussels. I was mistaken and pleasantly surprised by all the new things I'd discovered in Brussels: the EU parliamentary buildings are very impressive and modern. What struck me was the new housing developments next to the parliamentary buildings. They were a carbon copy of those developments on the right as you drive in from the roundabout and the Caltex filling station at the Waterfront. Their sunny, southern-ness seemed a little incongruent with the old, grey Northern European buildings surrounding the parliamentary complex, but were also for a sign of my imminent return to Cape Town:)

Upon arrival at the airport in Barcelona I packed away my thick coat since at plus 12 degrees one does not it any more. My accommodation was a basic (double) room off La Rambla (the main boulevard) in the gothic centre of the city. A great location in that a lot of sights and the beach is within walking distance. The gothic city centre is a maze of pedestrian streets, plazas and structures dating back to the times when the Romans settled in the then Barcina. It is the historic core from which the sprawling city with a population of 1.58 million developed. Barcelona awakened an appreciation of architecture as there are such a multitude of awe-inspiring buildings. What I also loved were all the plazas and/or fountains at regular intervals...it seems as if the city planners just used any excuse to set up a plaza and/or fountain wherever they could. The drawback of staying where I was staying was that it also seemed to be the main shopping area and thus it was sometimes difficult to stay committed to sightseeing and not be tempted by all the shops and their wonderful wares.

The first afternoon/evening in Barcelona was spent orientating myself, checking out the shops (if I must be honest) and settling in. The next day, armed with my Lonely Planet guide, I undertook a walking tour of the old Barcelona. This again was just to orientate myself more comprehensively. For lunch I decided that I should have tapas (and sangria) and I discovered this restaurant/bar that would become my regular haunt - Princesa 23, why b/c I deserved to be treated like a princess;-) I was not disappointed by the tapas and left very satisfied and with the intention to come back and try out the cocktails at the bar. The afternoon I ambled around the inner city (probably checking out the shops again, but not buying anything since the last day in Barcelona would be my shopping day) and the evening I attended a performance by "one of the most talented guitarists" (Manuel Gonzalez) in one of the old churches (Eglesia de Santa Maria del Pi). I enjoyed the performance a lot more than I thought I would. Another advantage of having all those open spaces is that there are always street performers entertaining the crowds. There is constantly music being made or people donning elaborate costumes in order to make money and amuse at the same time. Well, I knew I had to sample the Barcelona night life at some time or another, but I didn't feel brave enough to go it alone on my second night in Barcelona, so I holed myself up in my room with the great book, I'd brought along for company.

The next day I'd gotten myself a ticket for the public transport for some serious sightseeing. My first stop was La Sagrada Familia...a huge cathedral designed by the legendary Antoni Gaudi, a pioneer of the Modernista movement at the turn of the 20th century. After more than 100 years the cathedral is not yet completed (they hope to have its roof on by next year), but it's impressive nevertheless. The details is just astounding and just when one thinks one seen everything another detail jumps up at you. In brief the modernistas combined various styles (gothic, islamic and renaissance) and some like Gaudi, were very dismissive of straight lines, so you have buildings with fluid lines and quirky ornamentation, almost bordering on kitsch, but still staying within good taste. I spent some time at the Sagrada Familia, soaking up the history and just marvelling at the beauty of it.

After a brief stop at Barcelona's Arc de Triomphe and La Pedredra (a house designed by Gaudi), I made my way to Park Guëll and Gaudi's house. The park was wonderful again with a lot of the Gaudi quirks. Gaudi's house was a bit of a disappointment (very sterile), but I wasn't too fazed. The garden had enough twists and architectural wonders to keep me enthralled. It had started raining as I was entering the park, so I decided that instead of the metro I'd take the bus back down to the city centre, to give myself more a sense for the city. When I got there it thankfully stopped raining, so I ventured down to the harbour to see if there's anything for me to see. I stumbled upon a shopping mall and was reminded of the Waterfront again, but otherwise there wasn't much that interested me.

As can be imagined I'd covered quite a bit of ground in that day, so I was dead tired when I got back to my room. However, I promised myself that I would go out that night to watch some Flamenco. After very unwillingly getting dressed and moving out, I found out that the place to which my guide book was leading me, no longer existed. I wasn't too put out since I wasn't really in the mood for appearing social, so it was with a glad heart that I returned to my room and my book, Shalimar the clown, by Salman Rushdie.

This is where I'll end this post. I did too much in Barcelona to cram it all into one post. Tomorrow I'll expand on what I did in my last two days (and nights, I finally sampled the night life) in Barcelona.

Enjoy the pics.

The passion facade of Sagrada Familia. Unfortunately this picture merely hints at the impressiveness of the building

A moving sculpture of Jesus just before crucifixion at Antoni Gaudi's very impressive Sagrada Familia - a cathedral that's a 100 years in the making (still incomplete) and representative of the holy family

One of the many street performers in Barcelona outside the big gothic cathedral. This guy was fascinating b/c he was about 3m tall (obviously he was standing on something) and he kept on reaching for the skies. That's all he did the whole time I was there and I was wondering for how long he'd kept up the performance and what goes through one's mind when one does something like that

One of the wonderful creatures imagined by Antoni Gaudi and found at the entrance of Park Guëll, which Gaudi designed before the project was abandoned

This is what I imagine the gingerbread house in Hansel and Gretel might look like, but it's a creation of Gaudi at the entrance of Park Guëll

A confusing sign: it's obvious the picture on the right means no swimming in a pool that's so shallow that it wouldn't even cover your feet properly. But what does the picture on the left mean. Don't get struck by lightning? Does this mean that lightning regularly strikes in this area? And strangely enough this sign appeared again a couple of metres further from this one

The beach at Barcelona...it doesn't look any different from the one in Durban and those waves were not that impressive, but it's beautiful nevertheless

Note the shoes hanging from a line in Barceloneta, the obviously poorer neighbourhood right on the beach

I loved these lions at Monument a Colom. They were so different from other bronze lions (say at Rhodes Memorial) in that they seemed to have character and they had different poses.