Day 18, Monday, Barcelona Pt II.

So after a quick breakfast in form of Oreo-Cookies and Cacao I made my way over to Catalunya - a huge crowded plaza where right now some students where sympathizing with the protests in Madrid and made a camp-in (instead of a sit-in). This is a picture that could be seen in all spanish towns I was at so far. I guess they really got something going if even the Baskians, Aragonians and the Catalonians solidarise with the Madrilens. Maybe that's a good sign.

From there I went down a route which my ADAC-tourist-guide redcommended in order to see many of the historic buildings and cathedrals. I really like how you can always discover something new in any corner of Barcelona.

My route endeded at the MCAB . The Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona. With 6 EUR for students it seemed quite fair and I was eager to get taht packback off my back, so I went in. I really like it when you can spend a whole day in a museum (like the Guggenheim), but unfortunately the MCAB doesn't give you that opportunity. It's nice and decent and all, but it doesn't invite you to stay. There aren't even seating opportunitys in front of the art, so when you want to look closer or longer at them you end up standing in someone's way. But at least the selection of pieces of art is really neat, especially since you usually never have modern russian art post-Lenin in any contemporary art museum in the west. I didn't really realize that before that very day, but if you think about it: it's true.

So after a few hours in the MCAB I decided to test if my metro-ticket is also valid for the busses (it is) and choose a bus route with would lead me along some of the sights, so I wouldn't have to walk there (have I mentioned? It was really hot that day...). But of course I wouldn't be me (see Day 10...) if I hadn't taken the bus in the wrong direction at first...
But I finally came to where I wanted to go and finished the first part of that day by strolling down the beach promenade with all its many ships and yachts. It's quite impressive to see all those ship poles at once.
So after this I returned to my lovely little hostel and had the shock of the day when I entered my room: All my stuff was gone! My trousers, my tooth brush, even my boxers and my socks. Of course the first thought crossing my mind was "theft" so I stormed out of the room and into the arms of one of the hostel guys who was showing some french dudes their new room: My one. At that point I came to a realisation...
As it turned out, my stuff wasn't stolen, the hostel-staff was just so "nice" to move them in my new room for me - of course without telling me (that's not included in the prize). They even changed the stuff of one of my roommates from one to another bed - again without telling her.
It was quite an act to get this informationn from the spanish-speaking dude at the reception, but I finally found my stuff in the new room (eventough one dicitionary and two pairs of socks are still missing). Turns out the new room was fully booked with a polish couple (on their honeymoon, I guess) and two very strange french guys who told me proudly (in french) that their grandfathers fought the Wehrmacht in the Elsass. So as a german I felt really comfortable. ;-)
The polish couple was nice, but they didn't really wanna have to do anything with someone else andf kept playing "Black Stories"....in polish.
So I decided to see if my former roommates - Marietta and Olga from Athens - where back at our former room to tell them why my and their stuff was moved. So I tried to explain the spanish guy once again something (that I wanted to know if he knew if the two of them were in), but he only got "greece" and proudly showed me his medaillon of a greek guy. Five minutes later I had explained him that I wanted to know the name of that greek guy (I never thought someone couldn't understand the question "Who is it?") and got the answer: Perikles (at least now you can't say you wouldn't learn anything from reading my blog, guys).

But eventually I found Marietta and Olga in our former room and we shared the new infomations. We then decided to spend the evening together on La Rambla and, what can I say, it was really a nice and funny evening. Thanks again, girls (and I'm still convinced that waiter WAS actually flirting with you, Olga...). We later found what appears to be the only dark alley in all of Barcelona, but fortunately no one got robbed. ;-)

The night between the polsih guys and that one awfully chatty french guy (never should have told him I spoke a little french, he took this as a challenge to talk to me for the rest of the evening in french) wasn't very relaxing, because in addition it was really loud (garbage men) and quite airless. But as I learned the next morning, the night in my former room was even worse, because there were 6 beds but 8 people in that room (6 of them French, as if it wasn't enough already). Ah, yeah, the bed beneath mine was empty, by the way. So this really looks like a well organised company that dreadlock-guy is throwing here...

So, that was my first and last full day in Barcelona. More soon. Don't follow leaders, watch the parkin' meters.

PS: Bald geht Wilks Party los und alle werden da sein... Ich wünsche euch jede menge Spaß, esst 'ne Bratwurst für mich mit und macht viele Fotos. Ich will ausführliche Berichte im Anschluss! And dress to impress!