Miscellaneous Moments

Moments lived, and observations made (from silly to sad):

Humorous: Walking down the street in Barcelona, I passed a lanky 20-something man wearing an eggplant purple velvet coat – and in the front pocket, instead of a handkerchief, was a single fire-engine red feather.

Sad: I passed by a little boy walking with his mother, who I realized was upset when one enormous teardrop rolled off his cheek and onto his shirt. He looked up at me with his big, sad eyes as I gazed on helplessly.

Entertaining: 10 minutes into an overnight train ride, a man who looks much too young for his gray hair appears to be asking two people about my age, a guy and a girl with dreadlocks, for a lighter. Instead, I realize he’s actually asking if they want to smoke with him on the train. They eagerly accept the offered cigarettes and are instantly on their feet following him into the tiny water closet, where they file in one after the other, and lock the door behind them, reminding me of clowns piling out of a tiny little clown car, only in reverse. Yuck.

Irritating: The three girls across the aisle from me on the train feel it’s necessary to clip and file their nails, creating two of the most annoying sounds I can think of. It’s a 10 hour train ride, but surely they don’t have that much nail to work with.

Creepy: A man dressed head to toe in black leather, accented by metal spikes, has a black cat on a leash perched on his neck and shoulders as we wait together for the tram in Nice, France.


Entertaining: An old man is playing a harmonica in the middle of La Rambla in Barcelona, and as I approach, a crowd has already gathered to observe. When I make my way to the front of the mob, I determine that there is more than inaudible harmonica music – the old man has a live rabbit sitting in front of him, on top of which he is stacking hair rollers and stuffed animals. The rabbit does nothing but twitch its nose and whiskers as the rest of it stays completely motionless. This is the most creative way I’ve ever seen anyone beg for money, so after taking a few photos, I empty my change purse into the cup beside the bunny.


Exciting (probably only to me): In Barcelona, for only 10.60Î, I purchased the following:

One WHOLE Pineapple
Tangerine
Tomato
Onion
Red Pepper
Cucumber
Pack of Sliced Turkey
An ENTIRE Wedge of Brie
2 Cans of Soda
An Enormous Loaf of Homemade Bread
4 Packs of Yogurt

In the States, that would have cost at least 25 bucks. Seriously. Barcelona rocks my world.


Heart-wrenching: Walking along the boardwalk in Barcelona, I spot a little old man in his bathrobe and slippers carrying a stereo with both hands, hugging it to his chest. He has surely come from the hospital right across the street, and as he sits beside me on a bench, I pray someone knows he’s outside. The volume on his stereo is practically muted, but I hope he can hear it and that it’s something good.

Generous: After trying on 4 shirts at a little souvenir-like shop, the owner who speaks as much English as I speak Spanish, personally escorts me out of the store, down the street, and around the corner to another shop where he shows me a wider selection of the same style shirt. He explains my “situation” of being unable to find a suitable shirt to this store’s owner who smiles at me, and gestures towards her assortment of tees. I graciously thank them both, peruse the shirts for a few minutes, taking several out, looking, and then refolding them and returning them to their piles. When the store gets crowded, I seize the opportunity to slip out without buying anything. I appreciated their helpfulness, regardless.

Infuriating: I ordered a 6-euro meal of chicken and potatoes at the train station restaurant. The man who took my order asked me to pay, then have a seat and he would bring me my meal. I looked at the two bills in my wallet and handed him the 20. He took it, put it in the register, and when I handed him an additional 1 euro coin so he could give me bills instead of a bill and coins, he instead handed me only a 5 euro bill. I paused, then said, “…and the 10?” In reasonably good English, the man curtly told me I had only given him a 10-euro bill. Absolutely certain that I was correct in having given him the larger bill, I calmly, and as politely as possible, disagreed. He plopped down a 10-euro bill on the bar, and said “No, you gave me a 10, but I don’t want any problems, so here,” and he slid the bill over to me. My heart pounding, and surely blushing from being falsely accused, I told him that was not the case, took the money, and walked off to find a seat.

It was the most awkward of exchanges when the bartender brought my meal to me. I smiled and thanked him as he set down the stew-like concoction in front of me. As I ate the warm meal, I prayed that my new friend didn’t add a laxative or anything else to it – that would not make for an enjoyable 10-hour train ride. For the first time I can remember, I did not leave a tip.

Laughable: I boarded the metro in Barcelona only to find a group of guys ranging from my age to their mid-30s, averagely dressed with the exception of sashes draped around them like beauty queens, and headbands with red glittery heart-shaped antennae. They looked at me and we all smiled and giggled. I wondered if this could be the Spanish version of a Bachelor party, or if it was remnants of the previous days St. George’s celebration.

Sheer Joy: My own hotel room. Two nights. Just me. Clean, white everything. Queen-size bed. Heaven.

Incredible Discovery: I found the perfect book at a French antique market in Cannes. There was only a small selection of English books and I couldn’t have found a book better suited for me in the biggest bookstore in the States if I tried.

The book is all about a girl my age in the 1930s who abandons tradition in favour of traveling Europe and Asia by train. She starts on the southern coast of France (where I bought the book!), and continues to live a life I could see being my own.

It amazes me how I can find a kindred spirit in a fictional character.