June 27

Last night in Spain...
After a late start this morning and what I will call brunch at the market, Sydnee and I walked to the 1992 Olympic site and explored that area. There were plenty of neat buildings and Olympic monuments. The only thing really worth noting is that I believe the Auburn University pool is larger than the one here. After that long walk/hike we decided that "when in Spain" we should siesta too.
We people watched on La Rambla for a couple of hours and then went to this really cool "travellers bar" that caters to a variety of english-speaking nationalities. We split a €1 meal (talk about saving money) and tried to pick a team to root for in the Spain v. France World Cup game.

As a farewell to Spain, I would like to share some of the observations I have made while here:
*no gender discrimination here- I have seen just as many men wearing capris as women, men push the baby stroller just as much as women, and we have seen many women street sweepers and butchers
*there are two foods that are EVERYWHERE- number 1- HAM (jamon is spanish), 2- more of a drink, but it is called Orchata (earth almond) and is a nasty, milky drink everyone seems to love and need
*loud noises are constant- from church bells, to firecrackers, to people or music, there are always loud noises
*food is cheaper if eaten at the bar
*fresh squeezed orange juice is everywhere and very tasty
*the siesta aka break from work aka everything is closed - very much still part of life here
*broken arms, no kidding- I think I see someone with their arm in a cast about once an hour, maybe 1 in 200 people has a broken arm here at any one time (i would very much like to know the cause of this "broken arm disease" as Sydnee and I refer to it)
*Last but most importantly, when all the guide books say that the best time to visit Spain is in April, May and September- THEY ARE NOT JOKING, peak season (June, July, and August) IS NOT a good time to come- it is too hot and too crowded and the prices are higher than they should be. Please take this advice if you plan a trip- it is the type of advice that I would listen to but decide I'd rather do what I want anyway, but I'm telling you, it is better off-peak season!!!