Monday, March 23, 2009

Pick pocketed!

11 AM exactly… Jesus. I’d hoped to wake at 9 and get an earlier start. I don’t exactly have a reliable alarm anymore, now that my cell phone is gone. Yesterday, I think I was pick pocketed. I was trying to refrain from taking ever more pictures on my regular camera, so I snapped a couple pics of an interesting statue and some fountains in the Port Olimpic area using my phone. But then I decided to switch to my camera anyway, so I pocketed the phone and thought nothing of it till about 10-15 minutes later, when I wanted to make a short video on the beach. At that point, it was no longer in my pocket. Determined not to panic (as I’ve learned from the many times I’ve lost my lens cap), I sat down and emptied my purse and my jeans and coat pockets. Nada. I retraced my steps. Still nada. I asked around, approaching front desks and uniformed types. And you know what? It was still missing. I even tried calling myself from a payphone once, but it just kept ringing.

Did you know that it’s awfully hard to find a police officer in Barcelona? It’s a wonder crime isn’t even worse. After some searching the area, I only located a security guard, and he couldn’t help me at all. Finally, a receptionist at a local hospital gave me directions to a police station somewhere in the area of La Rambla. When I *finally* got there (the first two busses in that direction failed to stop… then I ended up going down a creepy road where I was leered and begged at… finally, some people pointed the way and after a few vague interpretations, I made it), I called home to make sure my phone was disconnected, and then set to answering lots of questions about my basic identity details, filling out loads of paperwork. I had to sit in a waiting room, awaiting a copy of the form so I could use it for insurance purposes if I need to. They told me I’m highly unlikely to ever get my phone back. I noticed a little black market activity going on behind the fruit and meat market on La Rambla the other day (I even snapped a picture, to their great annoyance)… I wonder if I’d find it there.

Well, that’s just the most distressing part of yesterday. I did have a marvelous time at the Sagrada Famila. It’s the strangest/most amazing building in Barcelona… it’s like a giant pointy sand castle. I took loads of pictures, many of which I think came out rather nicely.

So. It’s just about 11:30 AM. Gotta dress and go. I’d like to see Park Güell today.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

I Can't Believe I'm in Paris!

Currently: In bed, light switched on, curtains drawn. In St. Christopher’s Inn hostel, Paris. Oui, the City of Light!

Unlike the previous night, I got back before 3 AM this time! (Sort of a long story.)

My day in brief: Today I accidentally slept in a little long, so I didn't get to do as much as I'd hoped, but I still had a nice time. I mostly explored the "Latin" area. Notre Dame was beautiful – I took plenty of pictures. It was evening when I saw it, so unfortunately I couldn't go inside then. But I'll certainly be back. I had dinner right across the street from it – onion soup and hot chocolate.

Reasons I do not like the Metro (and I miss the Tube!):
  1. It's too complicated to navigate!
  2. I bought a week-long pass, but it only starts working next Monday. And I can't buy day-long passes; only tickets for each trip (and they cost the same whether you take a bus or the Metro).
  3. Once, I got on a train going the wrong direction and got off at the next stop to change sides, only to find that at that station I had to exit and pay again to get on!
  4. There are lots and lots of RATS!
  5. The stations are very dirty and not very interesting to look at.
  6. I haven't seen a single musician performing... but I DID see a couple homeless men that did a funny version of hip-hop dancing.

Plans: Louvre tomorrow? Also, I’ll try to call Chloe again (I got her voice mail last time). Maybe we can meet for dinner.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

On the Verge of Traveling and Fighting This @#$?% Flu

I’ve come down with the flu, and though I felt completely disgusting yesterday, I went to Greenwich with Kate. It probably didn’t do me any good health-wise, but it was worth seeing, especially as I’d put off going for so long. When I got home, it became much worse (and I’ll spare you the icky details).

The weather has been particularly wild these past few days. I’d gotten the impression that spring was on its way judging on the sunshine that persisted for a while previously, but I think winter just had one last statement to make before it becomes spring properly. About an hour ago, the sky was bright blue; and now, judging by the storm howling and beating against my window, you’d never guess it to have been true.

I stayed up nearly until dawn again, watching some insane post-midnight television programs with Agneta while I took care of some my travel bookings. Usually, we’d be watching some movies or old TV shows through the connection to my laptop, but as I needed my laptop, we just let the TV run its course. I’ve discovered some new films that way in the past; more often than not, they’ve been quite different from the films I’m used to seeing on TV back home. Anyway, this time it seemed to get stranger as time went on. Examples: I’m A Cyborg, But That’s Okay (a Korean film about a mental hospital patient who believes she’s a cyborg and fantasizes about killing everyone, but is cared for by another patient who believes he can shrink); Hello Friend (about a killer computer part); and some stop-motion children’s show with magic poo that transforms into a triangle that teleports people and animals into another dimension. Sometimes we just watched sports (OMG, sports!) to escape from the madness for just a little while. I think Adult Swim will seem quite tame after this.

Anyway, during all this weird TV-watching, I finished booking my flight back to LA (round trip was HALF the price of a single ticket!) and my flight and accommodations in Paris. I still have to book for Barcelona. I don’t think I could have possibly done any more comparing. I’m trying to stick to a very strict budget, as well as I can.

For now, I’ve got plenty to do, but my first priority is to get rid of this flu. I have a bath waiting for me now, and it’s been getting cold. I’ve already had some meds, but I need some tea, too. And possibly soup.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Loath to Make Plans

I keep clicking on the calendar in the bottom-right corner of the screen… considering my tentative travel plans. One week in Paris, and another in Barcelona. Or maybe splitting the second week into Barcelona and some other place. Exciting, isn’t it? It is, but the one thing holding me back from making all my reservations is a lack of communication… Wouldn’t it be so much better if I could share the experience with friends? I have three friends in Paris who I would like to see. I’ve sent them notes through email and Facebook – days ago – but I haven’t received a reply. Janice and I have been talking for ages about going to Barcelona together. I’ve been trying to meet up with her to discuss it, and that’s been a problem; finally, I asked her if she’s even still interested – via email – and she told me that she’s got some plans coming up that conflict with the dates I need to travel on. I’d put it off to accommodate her plans… really, I would… but I’m spending a lot of money and wasting a lot of time as it is. My parents gave me a very nice sum of money at the start of this adventure, and most of it’s gone. London’s an expensive city, and the economy is pretty unforgiving, especially to someone who intends to stay only temporarily. But let’s not go into that. It’s too depressing a thought, and I’ve already been there, many times.

I’m still holding on to the notion of sharing my travels… So clicking the “Send/Receive” button on Outlook and refreshing Facebook is becoming a semi-obsessive habit. I’m anxious, and I’m beginning to get a little paranoid. Am I being ignored? Is there something wrong with me? Is something wrong with the website/my email/their computers/etc.? I’ve thought about a few people that I’ve lost contact with over time, and have begun to ask the same questions all over again. It’s unsettling. And if in fact there is something technical at fault, or my messages have simply gone unnoticed, what if it all comes together after it’s too late? I *hate* making decisions like these…

I’ve also got to book my return flight to LA. And even in that case I’m having doubts. Just one little click decides how much time I’ve got before I close another chapter in my life. As much as I love my family and friends back home, I am truly reluctant to return. I felt so stuck there. Especially after graduation. Sitting in my bedroom, I was in the one place where my world felt unchangeable, in a very negative way. It’s a place for clinging to childhood and feeling guilty for not suddenly transforming into a productive adult. And god, in that place, I really hate that phrase.

And so, my browser remains on a dozen or so travel websites, reservations just a click away… and it’s been that way for two or three days, exactly the same. I’m considering clicking a fairly distant date – a week or two after my supposed return from the continent. Agneta assures me that she’ll have a flat by then, and I can stay with her. I just don’t know how many days will be an excess, especially on my finances. And by the way, just why have round-trip flights come up on these websites at incredibly low prices than the single trip ones? I mean, really… it’s ridiculous! I may have to buy a round-trip ticket and then feel a bit guilty for burning the second trip.

Oh, and also: I haven’t done ANY packing, nor any shipping yet! I’m sure I’ll be rushing it all at the very last minute.

TOMORROW’S PLAN: Greenwich Observatory, with Kate (11:30 AM). One of a few places I’ve long intended to visit.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Ups & Downs

I’ve done it again… another ridiculous all-nighter, going to bed as the sun rises. The previous 12 hours or so have been another roller-coaster ride. I woke up some time after noon, took a bath to soothe away some of my anxiety, enjoyed having the ability to eat in the bedroom once again, and returned to my previous anxious state, with extra nerves to spare (almost to the point of being nauseous) before it all went away, replaced by a silly kind of bliss for a while until I was merely excited, in a calm sort of way.

Perhaps this needs some explanation.

Cristina is at large once again. Fearing she will fail to return our deposits as she did with Oscar, Janice, Giulia and I have peaceably requested that she accept our deposits as rent in lieu of this, our final month’s, payment. She angrily declined. Janice moved out yesterday morning into a single room on Queensway with a “big bed” and a “verrrry big wardrobe”. More texts and phone calls with Cristina… more stress, more ridiculous claims and insulting statements on her end… She announced a day before that she would be arriving at 8:30 PM. I talked with my dad on the phone. I told him about the situation, and he warned me not to hand over any more money to Cristina. Abby, Agneta, Giulia and myself chatted in the kitchen, anxiously watching the minutes pass. Cristina called Giulia some 15 or so minutes after the appointed time (another messy conversation ensued); her accountant would be in the lobby soon to collect payment. No go, there. Giulia and I wrote a letter for the accountant to pass on to her, but the rotund fellow would not take it; she would be coming the following evening anyway.

At 10 o’clock, Janice suggested to Agneta (via Skype) that we all meet her at the Black Lion pub. Ryan, Giulia, Agneta and myself went, and Janice brought her German boyfriend (I still can’t remember his name… we all still refer to him as “German guy”, though). We all had a great time – perhaps all the more because of our stressful encounter previously. It was just what the doctor ordered. The atmosphere couldn’t have been more perfect, right down to the ancient oil paintings and leather lounge chairs. It’s a shame the kitchen was closed already, though. The place is less than a minute away; we really should have visited it a lot more often during these past several months.

Next stop for Agneta and I: Subway. She, with her classic veggie sub, and I with my regular Italian B.M.T. No chocolate chip cookies, this time. By coincidence, we saw Janice and the German guy there, too, but we separated after that. At home, Agneta and I indulged in all manner of goodies (edamame beans, pretzels + Nutella, Allsorts, and our sandwiches) and watched Dirty Pretty Things.

We talked for hours after that… About her new job, Cristina, the past, the future, Disney World, etc. Both of us have some pretty grand goals, but things aren’t looking too peachy at present.

Cristina has promised to come meet today, at 8:30 again. This time, however, I’m pretty sure I will ask for my deposit back so I can leave London a few weeks earlier than previously planned. I’ve spent a lot of my money here for lack of a job (and it’s not as though I haven’t tried my damnedest to get one). I won’t find a job in the time I have remaining, so I may as well move forward and use what money I have left towards a little traveling before I head back to California. I will challenge myself to spend as little as possible while making the absolute most of it. Can I do it within $500? Paris and Barcelona are musts. I’ve begun a list already, which I intend to make quite thorough. I’ve also got a few places left seeing in London that have been put off.

That said, I should see if I can get by with just a few hours of sleep – I would really like to check out the Royal College of Surgeons of England today.

Oops, I can already hear the horses on Bayswater Road…