a summer update
back from spain
leah and i went to spain in july for a couple weeks. big trip. here’s some writing abt it:
we flew from denver to munich and then from munich to barcelona. at the munich airport we walked past the rapper fat nick and he was telling some randoms to come to his concert. we landed in barcelona and had a few hours to kill before our train to pamplona. we sat at a cafe outside the train station and drank coke in front of a book store. they were selling some flaubert and nietzsche and camus and a few histories of catalonia. it was hot and we were exhausted so we sat there for a while, hungry, unsure of how or what to order. eventually we got up and went to a chain restaurant down the street called pans. i got a sandwich and leah got a salad.
we took the train to zaragoza and waited in the interior heat. there’s a massive ceiling above the train tracks and the wall above the trains is the exterior of a hotel and outside there is a fountain area next to too few trees and concrete. then more concrete. we wait for an hour or so and then took a train to pamplona. we sat next to an exhausted man from new zealand. as we got closer to pamplona hordes of teenagers regaled in white clothing red sashes red kercheifs holding sandwiches and drinking don simon sangria joined. each stop lead filled the train. the teenagers all sat on the floor of the train due to lack of seats and eventually there was a teenager leaning on my legs and a teenager leaning against ed’s shins (i chatted with the man from new zealand and his name is ed) and a lady leaned on leah’s knees as well. we watched the sunset and i lent my pen to the children so they could write their cell phone numbers on each others arms so they would be able to call each other if their phones died.
we arrived in pamplona and it was evening. there was a single egress point at which cops directed a dog to sniff each person who left the train. there was a small place off to the left after the gate to leave and it was filled with people who had been caught with ilicit substances. they were so tired and sad.
leah and i walked through pamplona to our residence. uber does not work there and there were no taxis at the train station and we did not have cash for the buses and the buses were full anyway so we walked. we were tired and so joyful. we walked next to the river and through the park and then across the street and through a couple more parks.
we arrived at the specified address and didn’t know what to do. it’s a type of hotel that i am not familiar with. so i called the number and rang the bell and a small spanish man came to assist. he introduced himself as raphael (i think idk) and then walked us to where we were staying. he pointed to the road and made a comment about it being the main road to get downtown in the mornings. he said we could use the bus lines 4 or 18 to get downtown. he said there’s good food along here. he let us into the hotel which was really just a converted 2 bedroom apartment. we unloaded our shit and then went outside and discussed food and then felt very defeated at the lack of options and our deep exhaustion so we went to the taco bell as the fireworks started going off. we watched the fireworks through the trees before eating our taco bell in the courtyard outside the hotel. the taco bell was weird.
the next day we went into pamplona proper. we got coffee and pastries at the cafe outside our hotel and then walked downtown. we were dressed in regular clothing and felt out of place. so we found a stall and purchased encierro attire including kercheif and sash. properly addorned we walked around the city. we found the city center to be one of the worst smelling places we’ve ever been. we walked along the city walls on the south side of the city and then walked through the fair grounds in the park outside of the city center and then we walked through the city center multiple times. we walked down the bull running course and to the bull fighting ring. we walked by the ciutadela which is closed during the festival of san fermin.
eventually we stopped at a restaurant along the eastern side of the city to eat lunch. they were doing a 3 course meal for the festival so we ate 3 course meals. we both got roast chicken which was delicious. we walked to a park that i had heard about and walked along the walls there. we found that it was a small fowl rearing park, complete with guinea-fowl, peacocks and peahens, chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys. under the trees in the shade some deer were sleeping. we walked through the fair grounds and purchased a stuffed churro and some french fries. then we drank some beer and walked through the downtown proper. we ate burgers that were not very good at a restaurant.
the next day leah and i wanted to watch the bull running. we woke up early in order to make it to town by about 7:30 since the running starts at 8. as we walked into the city at about 7 most of the people we saw were on the way back out of town. clearly hungover or beginning to be, each person looked tired, pained, as though joy had been wrenched from them. it was cute. the busses were a ridiculous scene. as we began walking through the streets of downtown pamplona we were surrounded by a group of people marching, singing, dancing, and an accompanying brass brand.
we arrived at the location where we planned to watch the running. there was a small cafe next to it so we bought coffees and pastries and waited. we drank and ate and waited. as the time came closer to 8 the soon to be runners began hopping up and down. stretching. running. dodging. the running began with the firing of the rocket, and then the second rocket. we saw the runners begin to run in preparation, then in earnest, then in panic. then the third rocket. and it was over. the fourth rang and it had barely been 2 minutes.
leah and i left the running area and went for a walk. we got some more coffee and sat for a bit while we waited for my dad to arrive. once my father arrived we met up with him and helped him find the appropriate attire. immediately after dressing we went to walk around the city walls, and then to drink some sangria.
we walked through the city together and then through the fair grounds and then we delivered my father back to his hostel so he could take a nap and wait for jacob to arrive. leah and i ate lunch and leah laid down to sleep. i left to meet up with jacob and my father.
we walked downtown together and went on a tapas crawl, getting tapas and wine at each bar that struck us. we stopped at cafe iruna which is in the plaza de castillo in downtown pamplona and is the cafe at which hemingway spent a lot of time. my father is, and used to be, a big hemingway fan, and i am a fan of having gone places that people like to go. it was wonderful. the tapas crawl itself led me to the conclusion that tapas is just kind of gross, but the spanish wine was phenomenal and the vibes were amazing. we were each in a very jovial and happy mood and we were all prepared to enjoy the experience so there were no detractions from the experience.
we ended the evening kind of early because jacob and i were going to do the running of the bulls the next morning.
jacob and i met at about 6:45 the next morning and walked into pamplona together. we were both anxious and kind of giddy. we arrived at the location where leah and i had watched the running the prior day. dad and leah both needed to sleep in a bit so they hadn’t arrived yet. jacob and i had brought our bags to hold our items but we were assuming dad and leah would be there to hold them. as 7:30 passed we realized dad and leah would not be there in time to hold our bags. a man tapped jacob on the shoulder and spoke to him in spanish while gesturing at the bags. jacob responded and said we’re waiting for our loved ones to hold them. the man pulled out a police badge and said in english that we have to lose the bags or we can’t run. it was about 7:45. jacob and i spoke and i suggested leaving them on the ground off the path. jacob didn’t want to because he was worried about losing my bag. panicked at the thought of talking to strangers i failed to come up with any other plan. jacob spoke with some shop owners who have a cafe along the path of the running and they said they’d hold the bags for us.
as it hit 7:50, 7:55, we began to feel the sort of surreality that comes with a massive risk. neither jacob nor i had internalized the level of risk that this running would entail so we both became nervous and ebulliant. everyone around us started bouncing up and down so we did too. the energy of the crowd was stilling as the clock hit 7:59. we could feel a deep abiding energy emenating from down the path. those closest to the bulls exuding a more distinct readiness and fear. when the first rocket hit jacob and i grabbed each other and said this is it. we saw a wave of people running towards us, sprinting panicking shoving indistinctly baring an unmanageable ill-preparedness. they closed in and we began to run. i turned and with my left side to the wall began sprinting. i passed a man who pressed deep against the wall. i could see that the wall ended about 30 feet ahead of me and after the wall ended there was a large open space with a fence about 3 feet offset to the left. i planned to get to the end of the wall and move into the space to the left. as i eclipsed the edge of the wall and pushed myself into the space i found that it had been filled with multiple men. i shoved my body into them as i turned and looked back. there was a bull about 4 feet away from me, and then another and another as they ran past. then they were gone.
the relief swept through the alley like the mistral. a cleansing, light, freeing zephyr. i found jacob and we hugged and i could not stop laughing. it was a phenomenal release of pure joy and gratitude.
after the running jacob and i went to the cafe where they were holding our bags. they returned them and held their ipad up so we could watch the rest of the running with them.
we met up with leah and dad and then went to breakfast together. after breakfast dad needed to rest so leah and jacob and i went together on a walk. we walked the city walls from the south west side through to the north and then east side.
we left the old-town of pamplona and went to a few shoe stores to get jacob new shoes and we got leah some shower shoes and then we got accused of shoplifting in what is essentially a pay-less shoe store. there was a festival of san fermin for children happening so we walked through the festivities and watched children playing ring tossing games, making crafts, face painting, watching magicians. we saw a bull-running for children as well. there were teenagers manning fake bulls which were made of a wheelbarrow wheel that had a fake bullhead attached to it. the fake bullhead had a small spout which was attached to a bladder of water which the drivers could shoot by pushing a button on the handles. they played a sound and then the bulls began chasing the children around in circles, shooting them with water when they got too close. the children ran and spun and danced away from the bulls all while shrieking.
afterwards we sat down at an italian chain (we did not know it was a chain yet) called la tagliatella. i texted my dad to meet us there and we ordered some wine and appetizers and then we ate a feast.
afterwards we walked into town and went to cafe iruna again, then jacob found a wine bar for us to go to. we drank some beautiful spanish white wine before moving to a new wine bar. the streets were crowded but friendly. the atmosphere was joyous, almost triumphant. i imagine i was projecting but there was generally a feeling of accomplishment.
leah and i left the next morning to go to malaga.
we made it to malaga and it was so fucking hot. we walked to our hotel.
we arrived and were completely blown away. we stayed at the molina lario in malaga and the location was amazing. the amenities were stunning and we had an overall incredible stay there.
leah slept on arrival so i ventured out to buy us kebabs and pizza. i walked through malaga park and then down the pier before finding a kebab and pizza shop we had passed on the walk in.
the next day we had scheduled a hike called the caminito del rey. it’s a hike in the hills of malaga that goes along the path of the first hydroelectric dam in spain. we woke up late for it and we were both feeling like absolute shit. leah had a headache and was feeling not well and i was exhausted and not in the mood to hike. we almost missed our train. leah forgot her sunglasses. we brought roughly 16 ounces of water and it was inside a tin water bottle which heated up in the sun so the water was horrible and unrefreshing. but the views were phenomenal. not much to describe here so enjoy the pictures
after we finished the hike we were back in el chorro. we ate hot dogs and sucked down water at the first post-hike stands we saw. then we had a few hours to kill before the train back to malaga so we got lunch in the hotel restaurant there. we finished lunch and still had 2 hours before the next train so we had to wait outside. there is a small cafe next to the train tracks so we waited there, as did everyone else waiting for the train.
it was unbearably hot. we played cards and drank water and chatted and waited and suffered. the train arrived, we went home and we both fell asleep. i woke up and decided to go out and find food and got us kebabs from a kebab shop a few blocks from our hotel.
the next day, our first proper day in malaga itself, we started out by getting coffee and croissants. then we walked and then we ate lunch at a tapas place and drank sparking water.
we went to the alcazaba afterwards which is a moorish castle.
afterwards we went for a walk in malaga park and
and then we walked down the pier and drank some drinks and did a little shopping
then we went back towards our hotel and ate dinner at a pizza place called gusto
the next day we went to some museums: the malaga museum and then the thyssen krupp museum. the thyssen krup museum was kind of disappointing but still had some nice pieces. a disturbing thing about it is that the thyssen family funded the nazis, and some of their collection is art that was stolen from people during / before ww2. there was a famous incident in which the thyssen family had a $38 million piece reposessed after it was traced back to a jewish family from whom it was stolen.
but the malaga museum was great. there were many beautiful and interesting pieces and they had a wealth of information on the history of andalucia. the art copy for the archaeological pieces was painful. leah provided a lot of valuable insight into the process of writing copy for museums and how the items are selected / presented / described which helped me process the horrid writing.
afterwards we went to a hindu mexican restaurant chain called amigos. leah got paneer masala and i got a spicy chicken burrito
we walked around downtown malaga some more and explored some areas we hadn’t been to before and then we went home and watched bob’s burgers and laid down for a while.
the next morning we woke up early and picked up our rental car from the train station and then began our drive from malaga to barcelona. when i originally booked the rental car i was under the impression it was like a 4.5 or 5 hour drive, but then the day before getting the car i realized it’s actually about a 10 hour drive. fortunately i love driving and i love road trips. i didn’t really take any pictures because i was driving so just imagine spanish countryside.
we arrived at night. we drove the car to the airport to drop it off and when i told the guy at the sixt place we were staying in barcelona he changed our dropoff location to the sixt that was like 50 yards from our hotel so we wouldn’t have to pay for an uber back to our hotel. we were starving and exhausted so we checked into our hotel and then immediately walked to la tagliatella a couple blocks over and destroyed some italian food before passing out.
we were mildly disappointed by the hotel, hcc regente, but it was in a great location.
the next day we woke up and walked into la raval and the gothic quarter. we got smoothies and stopped into some shops. we bought leah a ring and a new fan and we bought some post cards.
we stumbled onto the arc de triomfe
and then we walked to the sagrada familia. i knew nothing about sagrada familia and i still know very little. cool lookin place though, a very serious tribute to whimsy.
we walked to a nearby italian restaurant called tuscania and ate there and it was phenomenal. the server was very kind.
afterwards we went for a search to find a clothing store leah had been to before that was in la raval. we stopped into the market there
then we went to a restaurant near our hotel called mar i terra. leah ordered a tenderloin and i ordered a 60 day dry aged argentinian steak. they bring you a small hot stone on which to cook the steak to your preferred level, and they include a bit of salt and some beef fat to lubricate the stone.
the next day we woke up and went to park guell. we had an appointment for arrival and we were under the impression that you have a very limited time in the park, so we planned to take a cab or the subway. but then we woke up early enough and decided to walk. we used google maps to get there and google deeply betrayed us by leading us up to the back side of park guell, which meant we had to ascend about 300 extra feet of elevation to arrive at the park. it was miserable.
when we made it to the backside of the park neither of us realized where we were in relation to the famous parts of parc guell, so we just walked around a bit and felt confused and disappointed. eventually we spotted the magical mosaics through the trees and walked down to parc guell proper.
i didn’t take a ton of pictures of the mosaics or things like that due to how many people were around but here’s a few
i knew nothing about gaudi prior to this trip but leah enlightened me, and the experience of witnessing his creations in real life was edifying on its own. parc guell was deeply gratifying to experience. it is difficult to envision reshaping public spaces and public lives, to imagine communities structured in physically new ways, and often attempts to re-invent shared life are focused on the utility needed in order to function and less on the necessity of beauty and fantasy. despite the failure of gaudi to receive full funding for parc guell, it stands as a wonderful in-road to rethinking what public space could be.
also the amount of tourists doing stupid influencer shit there was unbearable. everywhere you looked people were malding that someone was in the background of their picture or they were mad that there weren’t any clear spaces or they were annoyed that the lighting was off. it was hot and crowded and everyone was miserable so some slack ought to be given but it is hard to feel sympathetic towards people who are simultaneously complaining about others being in the background of their photograph as they stand in the background of another’s picture. the amount of glares, under the breath comments, outright screams, aggressive body language, and generally anti-social behavior in this park was disturbing and distinctly, clearly connected with the drive to curate an experience for consumption by others.
after parc guell leah and i walked to the hospital de sant pau. on the way we stopped at a small cafe and drank some water and some coke and re-energized.
the hospital was in use until 2009. it’s a unesco heritage site and it features some incredible architecture and campus design. it begins underground and then leads you up into the campus and from there you explore each building. there was a great density of information in the first building but unfortunately that is kind of the climax of the entire experience. the rest of the buildings were either under construction, under repair, in a state of historical preservation / recreation, or simply not very compelling. also, only the first building had AC and it was about 100 degrees outside.
we walked towards sagrada familia and ate at tuscania again, and then we ate gelato in the neighboring park.
we walked home to prepare for dinner. we had made reservations to go to Enigma, a michelin star restaurant by Albert Adria, a few months prior.
we got dressed and then walked there. we arrived to a non-descript building with a single sign with the enigma logo on it. we were immediately greeted and asked if we had a reservation. i said yes and they led us inside. we were met by the manager and a host who gave us cool, wet, lemon scented towels. after that they gave us a palate cleansing kefir and then gave us a tour of the restaurant. they introduced us to each member of the staff and as we entered each person the staff greeted us, which was kind of creepy.
we sat down at a table in plastic chairs that were colored to look like ice and crystal. the table itself was a pale icy blue color and there were ivory white plastic stands next to each table. the items were organically shaped and featured pseudonatural gradient coloring. the walls were all curved and covered in a sort of silver, metallic, textured plastic. the ceilings were shrouded in fake clouds made of what looked like chiffon and lit with hidden pink, peach, white, eggshell, and offwhite colors. the floor was a sort of silver concrete color.
we were served about 20~ courses, leah and i both had drinks.
here’s a polyptych of me trying the sherry sour:
then leah and i got green poetry, which is an absinthe drink and must be ordered for everyone at the table:
after that i got a drink custom made for me by frank, the bartender. they had no drinks with tequila on the menu so i asked him to come up with something for me. he asked about my favorite flavors and then made this:
it’s a raspberry infused tequila he made himself that he had been aging, mixed with a small amount of grapefruit juice and a lime froth. absolutely phenomenal, easily the best cocktail i’ve ever had.
i took pictures of each course we ate as well but i won’t post them because there are too many. suffice it to say that it was a singular gastronomic experience. each piece of was thoughtfully designed and executed. the service was unbelieveable. each course was timed to our needs, and they cleared our table within moments of each course. a person would come by and wipe down each table place before each course and during the course if anything spilled. everyone was friendly and kind and they freely gave recommendations and answered questions and were generally very kind.
the day, leah and i picked up a rental car from the train station and then drove up the costa brava. leah and i had made reservations to go to the Marimurtra botanical garden in blanes. we got baked goods and coffees at the train station and then drove up the coast.
leah and i left the botanical garden and then drove back down to blanes proper, where we ate some italian food and then went swimming.
we continued driving up the costa brava to lloret del mar
it was an incredible drive. winding through the hills of catalonia with the coast off to the south we passed through villages and small towns, spanish vacation spots, a rather large summer camp-esque compound.
eventually we turned back and returned to barcelona. we had the car for a bit more so we drove up montjuïc
afterwards we returned the car and walked home. we witnessed an emergency and stood on the street watching a fire truck raise a firefighter to the roof of an apartment building on which multiple people were moving back and forth. there was seemingly no danger present and the entire affair had a sort of odd feeling about it. we watched for a bit and saw no progress and no drama so we kept it moving. the street was filled with spanish people standing around watching, talking, debating what is going on. in the same building a 2nd floor pilates class was happening. women were standing on their balconies 10 feet away from the firefighter’s scissor lift talking and gesticulating from patio to patio.
we went to mar i terra for dinner because we were exhausted and then we got gelato and walked home.
the next day we returned to montjuic for the sake of the museu nacional d'art de catalunya.
the descriptions of the pieces and the exhibits was so bad it was distracting, but the pieces themselves were absolutely incredible. the museum is expansive with a gargantuan collection. we could not make it through everything before we had to leave and find food. but it was an unbelievable museum experience, one of my favorite museums i’ve ever been to.
we left the museum and found a small halal restaurant and ate some shawarma and baklava before walking down to the port. we browsed some shops and looked at the water and then walked into the gothic quarter to do some drinking.
after that we walked to the parc de la ciutadella.
we left the park and went to puertecillo born, a chain seafood company that has a fish market feeling to it. they lay out all the catches on ice in front of the cashier and then you order however much of each you would like and they prepare it to your request. they offer accompanying bread, sauces (we got garlic aioli), and wine (we got a semi-dry white the name of which i am forgetting). as each item is ready you pick it up until you have everything. i ordered the catch of the day, grilled. it was bream. leah ordered razor clams and calamari and a salad. the calamari was out of this world. the wine was delicious. overall every single item was beyond our expectations and the experience of eating there was so fun.
that was our last night in barcelona. the next day we took a cab to the airport. as the cab was just leaving, he ran two red lights and cut off a pedestrian and then was immediately pulled over and given a ticket. he tried to contest the ticket by saying “i already got a ticket on monday” but the cop wasn’t having it. the whole interaction took like 45 seconds though which was nice.
we hung out in the lounge in the airport and then flew home.
miraculously the trip was basically without conflict or issue. leah and i had a joyful, exhausting, rejuvenating, exhilarating time.