VACACIONES DE PRIMAVERA VIENTE-DIEZ!

Lying in the sand, I feel the heat of the sun on my skin. I open my eyes and look ahead into the blue horizon of the Mediterranean sea. The smell of the water mingles together with the scent of frying seafood from the beach-front restaurants behind me. 'My God', I think, 'it's only February.'

Whilst Prague continued to be buried under record snowfall, I was lucky enough to escape down to Barcelona, the major port city and capital of Catalonia, which is the Northeastern region of Spain. Five full days were spent lying on the beach, eating delicious sea critters, climbing hills, drinking in artillery mounts, charring onions and dipping them in the most amazing sauce in the world (Romesco), drinking sparkling wine, putting way too many fixins' on falafel,  hitching rides on bikes, making fresh orange juice, and walking through parks with wild parrots. There are a hundred stories to tell of what happened that week, and I will continue to share them for the rest of my life, but here I'd like to dwell in what could have been.


When coming to Europe to teach English as a Foreign Language, there are many places one can choose to go to be certified and get a job. Prague of course is a very popular choice, with its semi-possible work visa situation, cheap cost of living, and high quality of life. Barcelona is also a hub for expats, and while I was there I tried to picture what life would have been like if I had instead gone there. Certainly the weather is amazing, but there's much more to consider in a city. On one hand the city is much more expensive, with rents more than twice as expensive in most areas, but on the other being paid in euros would definitely offset that. What's might be important to look at though is the style of life there. Imagine waking up in the morning, and popping down to the huge street markets, chatting with the friendly locals, buying fresh bread, cheese, fruits and veggies, and so much seafood (pictured). During a mid-day break from class you walk down to the beach and have a picnic lunch in the sand, and perhaps share a pitcher of sangria with some friends. After an afternoon of teaching you head over to Parc Guell, find a shady spot in the woods and read a book, or practice Spanish. Then hike to the top of the park watch the sun light fade over the horizon.


In the late evening you head out to dinner at an honest to God variety of restaurants, serving everything from traditional Catalan, to Malaysian cuisine. Then after a night of food and wine, walk, take public transport, or use the simple bike pick-up/drop-off service home, and fall asleep with not even a second thought about how amazing this particularly average day in Barcelona has been.

Prague is a wonderful city, but sometimes living here makes you take it for granted. So it's easy for me appreciate what staying in Barcelona would really be like. To be able to live in Spain long enough for it to become routine blows my mind. Check out my photos, but then google more. There's so much my camera could not capture.

SPRING BREAK 2010!!

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