Jams and a Greenhouse

Paulo and mamma Rabbit

One of the babies

Jams!

Rita, Paulo, Hugo, Darryl

The farm's been great! So many lovely things. Rhubarbs, fennel, blackberries, rabbits, goats, and sheep... The meals are large and delicious, always accompanied with endless bottles of homemade organic wine and Belgian beers. Ping pong, chess, and foosball continue to bring out the competitive side in each of us. Bike rides into town and soccer, not to mention the weeding, digging, planting, & chopping, help us work off the pounds that have accumulated with each meal. Nights have been hangin out with the other WWOOFers or the French family.

Andrew and the guys finished the greenhouse today. A much celebrated accomplishment. Kristin had fun in the kitchen making loads of raspberry-rhubarb jams. Played with baby rabbits and kittens.

We have found in our travels, especially here, a general (strong) dislike of Americans. It is not much of a surprise. Preconceived ideas and stereotyping of individuals of a certain race or from a certain country is not constructive. Darryl said we've been discriminated against, and it's even made him uncomfortable. But we try to take it with a smile and not personally. We are trying to break down the general negative views they have of Americans.

We had the afternoon off so the four of us rode to town and got a few beers at the pub.

In Bruges

We had so much fun in Bruges.  It's a small medieval town of cobbled streets lined with window-fronted shops opening into plazas with outdoor eateries and bridges over canals.  No new buildings are allowed to be built in Bruges and lots of signs are in Latin.  Lots of people on foot, bikes, and motorcycles.  Horse drawn carriages and speed boats too.  Every other shop was a chocolaterie or tea shop.  Of course here were multiple shops selling Belgium lace.  And pubs.  Darrell joined us, and we had a great time getting to know him better.  We all rode bikes to the bus station in Malegem and took the bus Bruges.

We wandered without a plan stopping through to see Michelangelo's Madonna and Child, past street musicians playing accordians and harps, to Markt, the big open area to eat lunch and up 366 tightly winding stairs to the top of the Belfry, Bruges' most famous structure.  Of course we had to have some Belgium chocolate, so we stopped in a little choclatier, each buying one piece.  Toasting the chocolate we ate it huddled up in the store.  Moving on we found a great pub on a side street next to the Tolkien Diner and The Hobbit restaurant.  The pub was famous for it's selection of over 250 types of beers.  The menu was laid out according to region.  The pub was cozy and dimly lit with Strauss playing in the background.  The tables are small wooden squares spaced closely together.  The boys drank by region starting from west Flanders moving east. Kristin stuck to the fruit beers, a cherry flavored beer, then peach and blackberry.

We met some interesting people there.  Micello, an old Italian in Bruges on business with bad eyes and lots of stories.  He sells antique books, sometimes
Illegally, he let slip, and some from the 11th century.  Then we met two cousins, a girl from Georgia (the state) and a Belgian from Bruges.  We learned a lot about Belgian politics.  For such a small country and to have the capital of the European Union, Belgium has a lot of interesting political conflict.

Then we played around Bruges as he sun was setting.  Bruges is really pretty at night with latern-lit streets and restaurants with flickering candles seen outside and through front windows.

Fieldwork, Greenhouse, and Red Currents, and Chard

Yesterday a dark sky threatened rain all morning, and finally a sudden, though short-lived downpour soaked the linens on the line, Kristin getting soaked in the process. The sun came back out and things were dry before night. At 20 km from the coast, the farm doesn't get much rain. Before that Kristin helped Rita with various guesthouse upkeep (this will be a regular part of Kristin's morning duties), picked red currents, and prepared them for Rita's cooking, while Andrew worked in the fields and planted brussel sprouts and winter cabbages in the late afternoon. Spent the night chatting and having a drink with a friendly French family who are guests here. Needed occasional help from "google translate". Technology bringing Americans and Frenchies together in Belgium.

Besides what has become the usual, today Kristin peeled potatoes, while Andrew planted cauliflower and broccoli in the greenhouse & helped construct the greenhouse roofing. It's about halfway done now. Together we prepared huge leafy green chards for dinner. We took some mint from the yard and made Moroccan mint tea (sans excessive sugar). The men played Risk (Dutch version) at night.

We don't have work on the weekends, which means we have a little weekend excursion planned. We are going to Brugges early tomorrow morning, will probably come back on the last bus, and go back on Sunday to save paying for a place to sleep. It's about a 15 minute ride.

some pics

trying to feed the rabbits...
he's holding a bucket of our...poo & pee. going to dump it somewhere. thanks for doing the dirty work hub!

red currents.

in the fields...

paulo & darrell. plus a very large zucchini.

and a post to follow.

Compost and Peas

For those that don't know, being a WWOOFer basically involves some type of set up where you volunteer to work for people, and they give you a place to sleep and feed you. The usual minimum length time is 2 weeks. For us, specifically, we work 5-6 hours a day, 5 days a week, sleep in a caravan, are on our own for breakfast and dinner (using their kitchen and food, often leftovers from the guest meals), eat lunch prepared for us and eaten together with all WWOOFers, Hugo, Rita, and their college-aged son. Drinks are free...beers, wine, coffee, tea, juices, etc. The limit is 2 beers per day (which means 4 for Andrew since Kristin doesn't like beer). There is a raspberry beer here that is sweet enough to enjoy, but not for everyday.

So a normal day goes something like this:

7:30 - 8:00 - wake up
8:00 - 9:00 - breakfast
9:00 - find out from Hugo and Rita what our job will be for the day
11:30 - everyone has coffee, tea, and cookies under the tree
12:00- back to work
1:30 - lunch, all together outside (or in the greenhouse of raining)
2:30 - back to work til finished
14:00 - 14:30 - relax
8:00 - clear and clean guests dinner (alternating days with Darrell
and Paulo)
8:30 - dinner

Today Kristin helped Rita in the house because some guests were leaving and new ones coming. Then after tea she picked some peas and prepared them for Rita to cook for dinner. Andrew spent most of the day using compost to prepare the old potato plot from yesterday for planting. We were on dinner clean-up duty tonight. Rita brought us the house wines to drink during cleanup.

Potatoes

Wilgenhof. That's the name of the farmhouse in Maldegem if you want to google it. We slept amazing last night. Yesterday was a bit awkward trying to understand instructions and work expectations from Rita and Hugo, but today we feel more comfortable with the routine and our role. It seems best to just go for it, and they will tell you when you are doing something wrong. Rita is very frank, which is nice because you know what she's thinking. After breakfast at 9:00, we all pulled some green beans. Then Kristin helped Rita clear and clean the table when the guests had finished eating while Andrew helped clear some nettles. Together we dug up potatoes until coffee and tea break with Rita, Hugo, Darrell, and Paulo. Potato digging is hard work, but it is so satisfying to be able to see progress and to work with your hands. Some cattle roamed behind the orchard by the garden. The garden is full of so many different berries, vegetables, and vines. Trying to learn much as possible. Today we learned that Hugo grows tobacco plants in the greenhouse to keep the flies away from the plants.

After we finished with the potatoes, we all ate lunch together, which Paulo prepared with lots of freshly picked vegetables. The zucchinis are about 18 inches long and 5 inches in diameter. Hugo and his friend make their own organic wine, which we learned a little about. Lunch was in the shade of a tree, and Hugo brought out a few of his rose and white bottles of wine.

After lunch at 1:30, we helped Paulo chop carrots, zucchini, green beans, fennel, and celery for dinner. The kitchen has lots of large pots, a 6-burner stove, and a big oven, making it seem professional.

Andrew and Hugo wheeled the potato yield away, which apparently wasn't much this season due to a late winter frost. Darrell spent the day working on the roofing to the greenhouse where the caravan is.

Hugo's friend who helps on Tuesdays made us an afternoon dessert called Sabayon. We think it originated in Italy. He used egg yolks, sugar, wine and port to make the sauce and put it over ice cream. Delicious.

Then we took the bikes to explore the town and neighboring farms. One farm had kangaroos and deer. Took a shower and are about to eat dinner. Our bodies are exhausted, in a good way.

our caravan in a greenhouse...home for a couple weeks.

trying to make friends with this cutie kitten

we found a heart potato.

we have posted a handful of pictures from the beginning of the trip on flickr.com under 2 different accounts. to find go to flickr.com. then put kstein2010 or andrewbs2010 in the search box. it wont find us. so then click on people above the search box. retype kstein2010 or andrewbs2010. shoud work. there is probably a better way. the accounts have different pics.

Into Flemish Belgium

Today we have experienced many forms of transport. In order: taxi, plane, bus, train, train, tram (or trolley), tram, bus, car. And feet. These all happened from 4:15 am to 3:30 pm to transport us from Madrid to Maldegem, Belgium where we will spend the next 2 weeks. The trains in Belgium were clean and fast. People speak Flemish and French. More Flemish where we are. We stored our backpacks (€3.50 for 24 hour locker) at the train station and made time for a refreshment excursion into Gent (or Gand in French).

Gent is a charming college town, hosting an annual 10-day cultural, music and theatre festival, De Gentse Feesten, which is going on now. The plaza surrounded by medieval architecture was festive with music and stands setting up to sell all types of food & beverages, clothes and hats. We heard a cello, accordian, and guitar being played on the street as we wandered by. Lots of homemade ice cream, chocolate, and sweet stands. Apparently Norah Jones and Ornette Coleman beat us here. They played at a jazz festival here just last night! Because of the festivities, the town is somewhat crowded. Still we saw an old 12th century castle, the Gravensteen, and walked the bridge over a canal.

We will be WWOOFing (Willing Workers On Organic Farms - www.wwoof.org) at Hugo and Rita's farm for the next two weeks. We set this time up with them back in February. There are two other wwoofers: Darrell, a Scotsman studying conservation and Paulo a Brazilian studying in Moscow who are staying in a separate house. We are in the caravan, which is past the rabbits and horses, through a grove of blackberry trees, under grapevines and in the unfinished greenhouse. It is quite cozy and hidden from everything. It's definately the strangest place we've stayed yet, but not the smallest. The table turns into our bed. Andrew has beaten Darrell at chess already; team Stein won the first fuse ball game, too. Woohoo. Both wwoofers are super
friendly, have been here a while, and are showing us the ropes. Rita and Hugo live in an old restored farmhouse, which is attached to the hotel they run for guests. Their daughter who works in Brussels picked us up from the bus station. Their son is studying at the university in Gent. They are friendly and have offered us lots to drink but seem to be very busy. Rita runs the kitchen single-handedly while Hugo runs the farm and garden projects. Both speak very good English. Their home runs 85% on solar power. The whole operation is almost completely self-sufficient using all their fruit, vegetables, and animal products for sometimes as many as 25 guests. We saw chickens, skiddish rabbits, a horse and pony, goats and a handful of baby kittens. Oh, and apparently the rabbits aren't pets! The farm is big and all that we saw was in the immediate surroundings. Lots of trees and flowers, birds and butterflies. It is beautiful. We will
get to discover more of the farm tomorrow. We start the day at 9:00. The environment seems very laid back, yet with a satisfying sense of productivity. We are looking forward to a bit of routine to break up the feeling of perpetual movement.

Gardens and Museums

Today was another day exploring Madrid. Sunday morning lots of shops
are closed. But we found where evryone was. We went back to the park
from yesterday and found an open area with a lake where families
paddled in little boats, a boys´choir sang Spanish acapella, a
saxophone player seranaded people eating ice cream and sipping
coffees, a man made huge bubbles to the delight of squealing children,
and people walked their dogs through tall trees.

We visited the Botanical Gardens, which had a really cool exposition
of bonzai trees, and a greenhouse sectioned into desert, subtropical,
and tropical plants. Then we saw some Spanish greats at the Museo del
Prado, including El Greco, Goya, and Valesquez.

Leaving early tomorrow morning for Brussels.

Madrid

We arrived late last night to Madrid, when the soft golden lights on old detailed buildings looked magical and beautiful. Dropped off our backpacks and went out for a midnight dinner.

This morning we had breakfast at a sidewalk cafe in a big plaza, found an old bookstore (a cat dozed between stacks of books on the front desk) to trade the worn paperbacks we've finished for a couple new worn ones. Pickings were slim, but we came out okay. It doesn't seem as hot here as in Barcelona, but maybe that is because we acclimated to the heat in Moroccan.

On our way back to the hotel for lunch, we passed by a palace and a cathedral. We were almost run over by a mob of about 30 men who had been selling fake Dolce and Gabannas and other high end brands on the streets. At first we thought it was a flash mob, but then saw two policemen following behind. We didn't hang around to see what happened.

Spent the afternoon bewildered and entertained at Madrid's modern art museum, the Reina Sofia. Saw the same artist's poo in the same can as we did in Paris. Many similar pieces and same artists seem to be popping up in these world class modern art museums. The main exhibit featured the New Realism movement. The pieces of this movement were first exhibited between 1957 and 1962. What is shocking to us now must have been truly mind blowing then. It was a great museum. Afterwards we strolled through Parc Retiro where people were jogging, cuddling, and playing horseshoes.

Chefchaouen

Today we traveled to Chefchaouen, a nice little town bordered by the Rif Mountains. The medina here is relaxed and beautiful, full of varying hues of blue against whitewashed walls and red-tiled roofs. It has a distinct Andalusian influence, and Spanish is spoken second after Arabic. We explored the endless alleys and shops selling decorated pottery pieces, woven striped textiles, and colorful leather goods. The alleys open into cobblestone plazas with tress and overhanging grape vines. It will be a nice place to spend our last couple of days in Morocco.

Fes

Old city Fes is an incredible maze of narrow lanes and crowded stalls with semi aggressive salesman yelling that their products are worth a look. We got lost fast, in a good way. It's part of the medina's charm.

The medina is a dream for photographers, with it's faded and muted painted doors and shutters, narrow winding steps, and cast iron creations. We also saw a school and mosque with beautiful tile work and stucco designs. We found a cafe recommended by a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco and drank some delicious iced mint tea.

We've had fun eating cheaply at the hole-in-the-wall places throughout Fes. Favorite dishes include B'sara, a white bean and garlic soup served with a dollup of olive oil and pita bread, a Moroccan soup of beans with a tomato base, makoda, which are fried spiced potato balls, and pita sandwiches made with various fillings. There's lots of Moroccan pastries to choose from or gelato for dessert. Mint tea, cafe au lait, and espressos are everywhere. A couple of times we'd follow signs to a restaurant, turning on alleys off of alleys, winding up narrow stairs, and find ourselves in someone's home.

Highlights of the medina included finding an "industrial center," where we saw the wood being cut and sanded, the leather dyed, huge weaving looms (almost always operated by men), tiles chipped, etc. It was quieter and more removed then expected, a little behind the scenes.

We joined a mass of people huddled out into the streets of a sidewalk cafe to watch the World Cup game around a small TV. Beer is not sold much or at all, so we drank orange juice and mint tea. Most fans were cheering for Spain, which made the game more fun by watching their reactions. Lots of hugging and singing and drum playing exploded afterwards.

We spent today in new Fes, which is completely different. It is more residential and affluent with wide boulevards. It is nice to be able to compare the two sides of Fes and to spend some time in a more, shall we say, relaxed, environment.

To Fes

One of the best smells in Morocco: the piles of fresh mint that permeate the air. We passed mounds of heavy watermellons and slabs of dangling meat on our walk to the bus station in Essaouria. The bus traveled through open spaces of flat arid land on its way back to Marrakech. We then boarded a stifling hot train to Fes in 2nd class.

The heat was oppressive, and everyone was sleepy. It was hard to imagine being a woman here in the heat, covered completely and in layers. We arrived to Fes at 1 in the morning and haggled the price of a taxi down over 50%. Haggling is expected and part of the culture with all unmarked prices. We are staying in a small hotel inside the old city.

We took cold showers to alleviate some heat. A large open window with decorative cast iron burglar bars looks over the flat roofs in the medina. We woke around 4:10 am as the muezzin began his haunting call to prayer. Today we will explore Fes.

Essaouria 2

Kite surfing looks really fun.  We sat by the beach watching them do wind-enhanced helicopter jumps. Essaouria has feral cats and small dogs all over the place.  Not scary dogs, but cute pet dogs.  And no one seems to own them.  They sometimes roam around in packs, their little legs moving like the cartoon Road Runner.  A couple of dogs have dreds.

At the port men sold freshly caught fish to be grilled.   There were fat fish, long fish, silver fish, red fish, blue fish...and eels, huge crabs, and a small shark!

Off to stroll through some art galleries.   Heading to Fes tomorrow.

Essaouria

We took a 2 1/2 hour bus west to the port city of Essaouria.   The bus was clean; the trip easy. Passed the time chatting with some very well-traveled and good-humored Australia tourists.

We immediately noticed the change in climate.  The weather is cool and breezy.  The air smells salty and fishy.  The town has an overall chill vibe. 

We walked through the stone arched gate into the old city to find a place to stay.  The medina here is smaller but the streets are wider, and the shopkeepers are less aggressive.  Our charmimg hotel is colorfully decorated in tiles, paintings by local artists, pottery, and woodwork and has Moroccan music playing in the background.  We found it in a back alley off of a back alley for 100 Dirham (11 USD) a night, which was a quarter of the price of the first hotel we tried.  The city has an artsy edge and hosts the annual Gnaoua World Music Festival (dubbed the Moroccan Woodstock) which took place 2 weeks ago.  Something tells us we would have had a very different experience if we were here for the festival.  The old walled city is beautiful with colorful arts and crafts, whitewashed buildings, and large heavy wooden doors often painted in yellow or blue.

We ate lunch across the street.  Kristin had her favorite meal of the entire trip so far - potato and cream cheese gnocchi with crushed almonds.  It was a unique fusion of tastes and artfully presented.  Then we walked passed numerous stalls and art galleries to the port.  We laid out on the sandy beach, and jumped in the surprisingly chilly water.  it is so windy anddidn't take long before we were covered in sand.  It's a public access beach with lots of families and tourists and kite surfers.  Women were either covered head to toe or wearing bikinis.  Many of the men are wearing djellabas, a long loose robe with a pointy hood and pointy soft leather slippers with no heel (often in yellow) called balghas.

Drinking Casablanca beer and Moroccan mint tea near the sea and had a pita picnic for under $1 for dinner with some dessert pasteries from a street stall.

Marrakech

There are many faces of Marrakech.  The morning shows no traces of the frenzy 8 hours earlier.  The transformation is complete.  There's space to walk.  The square is empty without any structures and a lone man washes traces of the night away.   We walked out of the old medina to an upscale French part of town.  The French area, Gueliz, had fancy restaurants and artisan shops and those western companies that have deemed Marrakech a worthy investment, most notably KFC, Pizza Hut, and McDonald's.  

We hesitated but stopped for coffee at a street cafe.  The cafes are full of only men customers, which is confusing and feels awkward if you're a woman.  This particular cafe had one woman, which is why we felt comfortable to stop.  We chose the table next to hers.

Midday is hot.  We found a cold supermarket with air conditioner and cold drinks.  Then as an anthropological exercise we rested the afternoon away.  Ours included a retreat to one of the many gardens, Jardin Majorelle.  It is an enclosed green space with varieties of cactii and trees, a pond with lily pads, palm trees, hibiscus and bourganvillea.  It was quiet and smelled of jasmine.  Birds chirped in the background.  There was a small collection of the works of Yves Saint Loren.  It was all in all a perfect remedy for tired feet, heat, and chaos.

Then we headed to the souks (artisan markets) in the medina.  It was as expected, a maze of layers, and levels of stalls.  We wandered through to see what they had, but had no desire to haggle or buy, which meant we weren't there long.

Andrew fought off an aggressive snake charmer who tried to put a snake around his neck.  Then as we were standing at a stall drinking orange juice (the juice comes in a glass), Kristin got free henna from a woman because of her "beautiful eyes".  The free henna became you-give-me-present henna so we ran away.

We watched the Spain v Germany game with an enthusiastic Spanish crowd.  It was fun.  In Essaouria now.

Morocco

Marrakech is hot and dusty.  Smells like horses and camels.  In the short walk from to our hotel, we saw camels and their babies, charmers with snakes wrapped around their necks surrounded by half-coiled black cobras with their necks erect and hoods flared, monkeys on leashes and in cages,  women completely covered except a slit for their eyes offering henna art, and men driving horse-drawn carriages.  And lots of other stalls selling jewelry, tiles, leather goods, and probably anything else you might want. Within the square there is no defined street/sidewalk/lanes, and it's all craziness.  The city seems obviously touristified and intense. 

A sweet younger boy (our waiter at lunch) gave us extra pita bread covered in seeds to take to the hotel and led us through multiple turns and winds dodging people and motorcycles through narrow alleyways to the hotel.  The hotel is basic and is joined openly to the home of the owners.  Multiple levels with rooms circling around a small open-air courtyard decorated in tiles.  Steep and narrow metal stairs lead to a rooftop terrace overlooking the flat roofs of a labyrinth of square buildings.   A mosque dominates the skyline.  The gardens surrounding the mosque have benches where we sat for a while.  Occasionally someone would find a place to kneel and pray often on a street corner or sidewalk. Morocco is over 99% Muslim.  Most older men wear long flowing shirts and pants with a small hat and women cover their heads if not everything but their eyes.  The younger crowd dresses more in jeans or T-shirts.  There are other tourists and most people speak enough English to get by, but Arabic and French are predominantly spoken. Andrew got his hair cut and a semi-shave with a straight-edge razor at a men's salon.  The blade was covered in alcohol and lit on fire.

In the evening it's still warm.   We walked out into the Djemma el Fna, which is a famous big open area in the medina center near where we are staying.  It comes alive at dusk with the beating of drums and Arab music.  Rows of restaurant stalls with white canvas coverings and light bulbs strung throughout suddenly appear.  Clouds of white smoke fill the air as men in white chef outfits fire kabobs.  We wander around before committing to a certain restaurant stall.  There are multiple surrounding stalls selling dried fruits and nuts (almonds, pitaschios, walnuts, dates, etc.), and men surrounded by oranges selling the freshly squeezed juice.  This night scene is what Marrakech is known for, and it's culture is spectacular.  But it becomes overwhelming being constantly approached by women with babies or little kids tugging on your shirt and asking for money with an outstretched hand.  Men pulling you to join their food stall.  People (sometimes aggressively) yelling at you in multiple languages to get a response to buy what they're selling.  We just walk and do not make eye contact lest we become bombarded.  So much stimulation of the senses, yet we have to turn off our senses.

We sat quickly at the picnic table-style seating for a snack of pita bread, olives, and a tomato-chickpea soup.  After we sat they started bringing food out and putting it in front of us.  Unless you have them take it away, you're going to be paying for it.  Skewers of meat and vegetables were other options. 

We are amazed to be in a developing country with such a nightlife - families with young children are out past dark, the noise, the crowds, the flashing neon lights.  So much stimulation.  The foreigners seem to be the only ones not sure how to navigate through the masses of people and motorcycles, which can be funny.  A clear metaphor for our travels and the experience of being an outsider.

Buildings and a beach

The Museu Picasso occupies a merchant's residence in a wealthy area.  It was informative on Picasso's life and had a lot of his early work, which is so different from the cubism that he is famous for.  It's nice to focus in on one artist after visiting so many museums with collections of various styles and artists.  We can get lost rather quickly.  Then we strolled the Gothic quarter's narrow side streets and plazas.  It started raining in the early evening but didn't last long.  The rain cooled the air and cleared the sky.  We saw some of Gaudi's eccentric buildings.  Gaudi architecture, famous in the modernism movement (and a Catalan version of Art Nouveau) defines a lot of the city.  Barcelona is an architectual playground.  The Gothic, modern, and downright bizarre architecture somehow mixes well. We are gaining new appreciation for inspiring and creative architecture.   It's also been fun to go shopping together and dress fashionably after two years of wearing a small selection of old, handwashed-stretched, sun-bleached clothes. 

Yesterday morning we got a message from Margaret (Peace Corps volunteer friend in Swaziland traveling in Europe) that she was in Barcelona!   Meeting up became our number one mission.  On our way to Parc Guell, we stopped in a cafe for espresso and coffee, then walked around another Gaudily work, the La Sagrada Familia, which is his most famous building.   Construction started in 1882, and is expected to be completed in 2026, although the date seems to keep moving further back.  Maybe the oddist looking church ever.  Then we went to the park where much of Gaudi's design decorates the hilly area in colorful tile mosaics.  We ran into Margaret and her friends before planned, and it was great!  So fun to see her, hug her, spend some time together, and hear about her travels. Had lunch and then they were off to Paris.

Spent the hot afternoon at Barcelona's urban beach.   The Mediterranean water was refreshingly cool.  The beach was pebbly (not sandy) but soft. There were women without tops wading in the water and sunbathing, and one particularly hairy man without a care in the world (or article of clothing) laying out for all to see.  Flying to Marrakesh this morning.

Paris to Barcelona

Early yesterday morning we visited the Gothic-style cathedral, Notre Dame. The surroundings and cathedral were quiet and peaceful without many people. Then we walked around the Latin Quarter to see the Pantheon and spend some time in the Jardin des Luxembourg before meeting up with Jack for brunch at one of his favorite places, an American-style diner complete with banana pancakes, hasbrowns, eggs and bottomless coffee. Not Parisian, but delicious.

The afternoon found us wandering through a cramped, yet classically charming bookstore called Shakesphere and Company. Apparently Hemingway enjoyed it.  We swapped two of the books we had finished reading and a little cash for a new book (Tennessee Williams short stories - also not Parisian). And then the Louvre.  We saw as much as possible before our aching feet demanded rest.  Mona and a few others were immediately recognizable as among the most famous in the world.

Then we watched the World Cup game at Jack's new flat (formerly the Swiss compound for a world's fair) and had a night picnic with wine on the Champs des Mars with an orange-lit Eiffel Tower in the background.  Every hour it sparkled and was really beautiful.   A perfect Paris ending.  Had a great time with Jack. 

Riding the subway to the airport, we realized how familiar Paris seems.   We were often reminded of the Back Bay and other parts of Boston with the mass transit and architecture. 

We are now in Barcelona. Arrived yesterday. Barcelona is fun and stylish.  We've enjoyed walking Las Ramblas boulevard with its restaurants,  flower stalls, and street performers.  Ventured through a beautiful fresh food market yesterday and watched the energetic Spain v. Paraguay game with the sounds of oohs and awes all throughout the narrow side streets.  Today we saw the port filled with sailboats getting ready for the Barcelona World Race, enjoyed the Museum of Contemporary Art, stopped for tapas and sangria, and are now headed for the Picasso Museum. 

Modern Art

We woke up early in search for a baguette with breakfast which led us to a fancy area of Paris and beautiful buildings. It was fun to wander the streets before stores opened as people were sweeping sidewalks and others headed to work. Then we walked down the famous tree-lined Champs-Elysees passing herds of people shopping and restaurants and stores paying the most expensive rent in Paris for the envious location. Before we reached the end of the street, we both had a new article of clothing. The fashion is contagious...we hope. The Champs-Elysees leads to Napoleon's Arc de Triomphe, the huge arch in the center of the world's largest roundabout. We followed the tunnel underground to sit under the arch and watch the crazy traffic. Afterwards we visited the Museum of Modern Art. Strangest piece - poo in a tin can. Literally. The artist pooed in a can. At least this is what we thought it said. The can was displayed in a glass cube on a white podium. Plenty of others were equally disturbing/interesting/thought provoking.

The highlight of the day was the impressive Centre Pompidou, where we ended up spending the entire afternoon. The bizarrely and creatively designed museum had two exhibitions and a permanent collection. Our favorite exhibition was Dreamlands, which brought together various installations using every medium you could imagine to portray the intersection between the dream world and reality. Salvador Dali, Dubai construction projects, and dancing skyscrapers all made an appearance. The modern art was wild. Almost always provoking an extreme emotion. Some terrifying or shocking or disgusting. Others inspiring or hilarious. A silent movie featurng "Fatty Arbuckle" made us laugh out loud. And of course there were times we just stared and had no idea what was being expressed or how to even appreciate the effort. The top floors had incredible views of the city. The plaza around the centre was alive with beautiful people drinking at sidewalk cafes or sitting on the cobblestone while musicians and magicians performed in the street.