Homage to Catalonia

Deciding to go to Barcelona and spend time with David was one of the best decisions this trip. Being with a good friend and exploring the alleys, placas and beaches has been incredibly rewarding, and I feel like these past couple of weeks in particular i've learned quite a bit about myself and where i intend to head over these next few years. During my last night here I was able to go down to barceloneta (one of the more popular beaches here) with David and some new friends of mine and just enjoyed the full moon and warm air over a couple of drinks. Biking back to David's place from the beach was a nice last look at the city as well. Even though there arent many bike lanes here, it is still a joy to navigate around all of the one way streets and race cars and motorbikes(and more often than not, win!). Barcelona is a city filled with diversity and movement, and it has been invigorating getting a brief glimpse of life here.

Today i will take a train as far north as i can go in 24 hours (either to Paris or London) and then spend a couple of days there before hopping on a plane and heading back con mi bicicletta. I am uncertain what returning to the states will be like after my time spent abroad. I didnt experience any culture shock during my stay here, and i don't imagine i'll experience any when i get back either, but i hope i'm able to hold onto what i've learned on the road. Knowingly changing both your lifestyle and living environment forces you to constantly explore new potentialities, and I hope that San Francisco will allow me to continue this exploration. I feel so young these days and more than anything i think this trip has allowed me to touch on precipices of freedom and possibility - both of which have been afforded to me at this age through the help of family and friends. I look forward greatly to returning to the familiar and exploring new adventure with all of the people close to me over the coming months.

See everyone soon,
-ian

p.s. - i added what i think will be my last batch of photos of barcelona this morning as well, which can be found here; http://www.flickr.com/photos/30541750@N00/sets/72157600995813378/

Dancing, Borders, Infoshops

I've spent the last few days in Barcelona trying to enjoy the public areas which i know i'll miss once i have to leave. Lots of reading, cycling, and photography have filled these past couple of days. Two days ago I was able to go to an exhibit here which focused on borders. It featured around 12 different modern artists - lots of wonderful photography and video work. Later that evening I spent the night at this guy Mario's apartment, whom i met through Diana. We had a small dance party and it was neat looking through mario's record collection and taking photos from the roof of his building. He works as a reporter here in the city and also plays in a band during his free time. Late last night me and David listened to Sublime on his ipod together and talked about music for a while in one of the less populated placas - this seems to be becoming a tradition of sorts for us now. I've also been able to see some of the anarchist infoshops finally, and it was neat visiting the CNT headquarters too. It seems there are still quite a few anarchists in Catalonia, although i wish i was able to communicate more clearly than I am now with my limited spanish.

I'm planning on flying home early in August, so the trip truly feels as if it's winding down now. It seems like a natural conclusion at this point with money running out and I'm a little tired of living out of a pack as well. I feel like there is so much to look forward to in San Francisco i can't say there is any sadness that is accompanying this 'end' - I've been thinking about my 'beginging' in the bay for a while now. I kind of feel like an astronaut here at times, completely disconnected from the 'real' and having my sense of self becoming rather abstracted. Just being able to take each day as it comes along is very different from the routines i lived under while I was in santa cruz and in the bay area. It's been wonderful and liberating, and I'm hoping that once i get back I'll be able to hold onto this feeling and lifestyle I've had during my travels here. On the other hand, I am looking forward to having something physical to call home. I've benefited from the generosity of so many people over the course of my travels, and I feel very fortunate to have had places to stay almost in every town I came across. However, for some reason i think the introverted side of me likes to have some sort of permanent fortress to retreat to and be able to reflect and relax. It'll be nice to have that again. Of course, being able to see my friends and family is going to be wonderful too - I'm looking forward to that the most. I feel like I've changed quite a bit as the result of a lot of the people I've meet here as well as a result of all of that time i spent alone on the open road with my bike. I wonder if it will be apparent at all to other people when i get back.

David gets off of work soon and he had his last class this morning so he was hoping that we'd all go out to party which sounds nice. I was also finally able to find a couchsurfer for the weekend, so I'm glad I'll be able to give David his room back as I've definitely been crowding it with all of my equipment as well as my tall self. Before I head back to paris for a few days and fly out, I hope I'll be able to see more of the alleys of Barcelona. David's headed for Syria to visit Matt at the end of august and then will travel to other parts of the Middle east as well. It'll be nice to hear about his adventures when he returns to san francisco. I think I'd like to organize some sort of big camping trip with all of my friends whom are in california when i get back, it'd be a nice to way to see everyone again and spend some time together. I'll have to make note of that so i don't forget once i return home. That's all that comes to mind right now. I'd better hurry or I'll miss David.

-i

Placas y Estrellas

Barcelona, as a city, is something that I've fallen in love with during my short stay here. The diversity of the people, architecture and neighborhoods really lends itself to exploration and learning and most people i meet are glad to talk to you and hang out. Me and David have been fortunate enough to spend the last few nights in las placas de Gracia(a working class neighborhood in Barcelona) where lots of young people congregate during the evenings in small clusters of 5 or 6. Also, there are groups of Pakistanis whom wander around the city selling Estrellas(cheap beer) for a euro a can, which helps foster the festival like atmosphere in these public areas even more. A couple of nights ago was truly special, as there was a power outage across a good portion of Barcelona. Lots of people decided to come out with candles and torches and las placas were lively and filled with people whom all were there just to relax and enjoy each others company - truly beautiful. It's also been nice to be able to actually speak the language a little bit. It was a definite handicap in Germany in France being forced to communicate in English, but here I feel like I've been able to make some stabs at speaking in Spanish which have worked out alright. I'm hoping to pick it up a little bit more during my stay here.

Yesterday i went to the beach with Pamela whom is one of David's friends here. I biked there along the coast for while and met her on one of the less crowded sections of the beaches. We stretched out on the sand for a while before i got into the warm waters of the Mediterranean. The beaches here are artificial, and some of them are overcrowded to the point where i couldn't see anyone enjoying them, but if you get out far enough there are some nice spots. Perhaps I'll get out to the beaches again tomorrow, I really enjoy swimming in the warm waters here and I think it will be a harsh shock trying to swim in the Pacific again when i get home after being spoiled. I've been sleeping on the floor in David's apartment, and it's been really great of him for letting me stay there. Another girl from Santa Cruz, Diana, is also in town and i may stay a night or two at her place in the coming days.

I've talked to David about this quite a bit and I'm pretty sure that I've mentioned it in my blog a few times before as well, but being able to travel and experience all of these different places across Europe and seeing the variety of flourishing radical spaces has really inspired me and some of my friends to start serious projects in San Francisco. Radical politics in the Bay Area have been completely depressing since the war started, and it's about time to pick it up and start being an active anti-authoritarian force in society again. I've enjoyed dreaming of possibilities with David over cervesas and imagining what San Francisco could become with so many of our active friends moving into the area over the next year. It's nice to have something to look forward to on my return home. Today we plant the seeds, tomorrow the party of our lives!

Here are some new photos that I finally was able to upload. The two new sets are "Tour de France in Marseilles" and "Barcelona". I've been doing a lot of night photography during this trip, and i think a few from Barcelona have turned out rather well. The link is here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30541750@N00/sets/

Adios,
-i

Barcelona

I arrived in Barcelona a couple of nights ago and have been slowly exploring the city via bike over the past couple of days. I must say that having my bike along with me in the larger cities has been invaluable, as it allows me to traverse and explore almost an entire city in one day, rather than being forced onto subway lines or into crowded areas. Again, much like the other places I've been to on my trip, the alleyways and plazas in Barcelona are what attracts me most about the city itself. The layout of the city really changes how you relate to other people and places within it as well, and having the open plazas with lots of young people sitting around and talking is something i've never found in the states (the situationists called this psychogeography I think). In fact, the preservation of at least some public spaces seems to be what separates most European cities from American ones. It lends itself more to spending time with people rather than spending money with people, which is refreshing.

David and I have spent the last couple of nights walking around various parts of Barcelona drinking and talking. The cervesas here are cheap, but not nearly as good as what i found in Belgium or Germany, but it still works. I met some of his friends here as some of us went to park together to enjoy some of the music and we were able to get coffee as well. Over the next few days I plan on visiting a few of the museums around the town and tomorrow i think I'll go to the beach with one of David's friends that we spent time with last night. I've become interested in the Spanish civil war over the past year(David seems to be an expert on it), and Barcelona is a city rich with history concerning the subject. There are still traces of the once thriving anarchist movement scattered amongst the commercial areas, including infoshops and even the current C.N.T. headquarters which we passed by last night. I hope to visit many of them during my stay. There is a vast network of squats in Barcelona too, but most of the people in them only speak Catalan and I have enough difficulty trying to get any understandable Spanish out, so we'll see how much i'm able to explore them without being horribly foreign and alien. It's refreshing to see so many people out in the parks as well, and I plan on perhaps going to spend some more time there today.

As the trip slowly starts creeping towards some sort of conclusion, different feelings are setting in than i was experiencing before. I am really looking forward to moving to san francisco and starting some sort of new track in my life. I have to admit traveling for this long without any permanence other than perhaps my bicycle and camera has been grinding at points. However, the sense of adventure and wonder associated with being able to explore and find so many new and beautiful things on a regular basis has far outweighed any of those other concerns. I imagine I'll spend a few more days (4? 5?) in Barcelona before heading out on the road again, to where I still haven't decided.

I have lots of photos stored up now on my camera, but havent found a computer to upload them on yet, i promise in the next couple of days I'll get them up.

Escribiré otra vez pronto,
-i

Le Tour de France

Hmm, it seems like there is quite a bit to say in this post. Paris wrapped up wonderfully and i was able to do quite a few things during the time i was there. Visiting the museums was wonderful, and it was refreshing to race around the city on my bike without any of the gear on it at all. I feel much more in my environment biking through cities than in the countryside for some reason - it's much more of a thrill. Spending time at the anarchist library was really great, and i was able to cook an Italian dinner for everyone one night. We all played the board game "Mae '68" which pits rioters and students against the police in the streets of Paris. Along with a couple of bottles of wine, i really enjoyed making bad jokes about french rioters with everyone and it was a memorable way to spend a night in Paris. I was able to spend some time on the Seine as well, mostly reading and walking along the beautiful water. Paris is known as 'the city of light', which seemed rather appropriate after seeing how beautiful everything is illuminated during the evenings there. I enjoyed Paris a great deal and i kind of wish that I was able to spend some more time there. Perhaps another trip.

I hopped on a train headed for Marseilles two days ago and arrived rather late at night to what seemed like a deserted train station. I biked a couple of kilometers to meet up with my next couchsurfer, daniel, who had offered me a place to stay for a few nights so I could see the races. Daniel grew up in Mexico city and is just finishing up his studies here in Marseilles with a focus on fluid dynamics(he says only crazy people decide to get PhDs in physics). Its been fun hanging out with him the evenings. Last night he had four more couchsurfers (two from Belgium, one from Chile, One from Italy) staying there as well, and we all cooked dinner together and talked for a while - quite an international group. I was lucky enough to sample both mexican and belgium chocolates for the first time too, as both Daniel and the girls form Belgium claimed their own variety was superior. Tonight we will all go to the city center to go dancing.

The Tour de France was spectacular, in all senses of the word. I got to the route a couple of hours before the cyclists arrived so i was able to get a spot right up against the barrier maybe 15 meters from the finish line. Being around so many bicycle enthusiasts and feeling the excitement build as we all watched the race on a huge projection screen was everything i thought it would be. There were lots of promotional giveaways before the riders arrived as well, with people on bikes and little motorcars throwing candy, water, coffee and everything else to people on the sidelines. When the riders did arrive for the final sprint, the energy of the crowd was amazing. It was the first time during this tour that a Frenchman won a stage, so everyone wanted to celebrate afterwards which lead to some free wine(magnifique) for me. Seeing the riders flash by in the final sprint was something else to say the least. This morning I woke up early again to see them ride off, although they were just doing the procession through the city so it wasnt quite as exciting. Overall I'm really glad I was able to see it all in person and it is something i will never forget.

Tomorrow I'm off to Barcelona to meet up with my friend David. I'll probably be there for a good week and am not sure about my exact plans for what i'll do afterwards. Maybe Madrid? Or Paris again? I have lots of photos from the race and will get them up sometime in the next couple of days. Anyways, enough typing - I'm off to the beach for a few hours!

Au revoir,
-i

Some Photos

I arrived in Marseilles late last night after a scenic train ride. Now I'm about to go get a couple of beers and a sandwich and then go get a good spot to see the Tour De France. All of the riders will be arriving in Marseilles today and departing early tomorrow morning. I'm so excited!

Here are the photos (the new sets are "Bike Trip Belgium-France" and "Paris"):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30541750@N00/sets/

The End of a Trip, Paris

It was truly strange to write the title to this post, finally having realized the completion the bicycling portion of my trip. Did I really bike all the way from Berlin to Paris? To tell the truth as I sit here now typing away it seems a tad unreal and it feels like it will take a long while to process the whole experience and form any sort of concrete narrative. The diversity of experience, the time spent on the road with thoughts and ideas racing through my head like what felt like fire, the couchsurfing hosts who were all so generous and giving and really changed the nature of the trip itself for me - all of these things seem strung across a complex web of memory that will take a while to untangle. What an adventure.

I arrived in Paris late last night after a few days of really long riding. I made it across Belgium in a day, and then through France to Paris in another two. The sun finally came out and made for some beautiful days of riding, although my legs are aching this morning from pushing too hard for several days in row. There are some memories from the past few days which stick out that i suppose i would to get down. I stayed with a wonderful married couple in Belgium who cooked me the most enormous and delicious dinner after my first day of long riding. Afterwards they gave me a tour of the town, which is filled with history from the first world war (there were a lot of victims from gassings on the surrounding hillsides, which made the next day of riding through them a tad eerie). The french seem to love cycling and cyclists both, and i got a few morale boosts from people cheering me on from the side of the road in several small french towns as I passed through. The roads in France and Belgium, aren't nearly as ideal for cycling as in Germany or the Netherlands, but cars were still fairly respectful and there wasn't anything too inconvenient to overcome. For the first night in France on my way to Paris I was able to stay with a lovely girl in a small town near peronne. She studied art history and we were able to talk about Marcel Duchamp for a while which was fun, although it made me realize how much i have already forgotten from some of my history of art and visual culture(HAVC) courses in Santa Cruz.

Paris is a beautiful city. As soon as I arrived I biked around the city to get a feel for things before meeting up with seb, anton, molly and will who have all been staying here. I was able to find a wonderful place to stay in the basement of a anarchist social space in town (it's run by the same people whom wrote 'call'). It's very charming and comfortable here. The building has a large anarchist library, a nice courtyard in the back, and even a full kitchen so I will finally be able to get some cooking in again. Today I'm planning on going to get a free lunch from food not bombs with Will before he heads off to Ireland, and then a, planning on exploring the city using the map that Marla drew for me a while back in Berlin. Tomorrow I'll explore all of the Museums and then the day after I'll be off to see the Tour de France in Marseilles via a high speed french train. As always I'm taking lots of photos and will upload them soon.

Salut,
-i