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/