Park Güell is probably one of the most famous (and most photographed) works of Gaudí. We had fun exploring with our good friends Jess and Steve!
Mopping Yet Another Porch
Mopping is exciting enough to Theo that it can be used as a reward for completing other, less exciting activities. Would we take advantage of this? Well, maybe.
Cooking And Eating In Barcelona
We found the food in Barcelona to be high-quality, affordable, and generally vegetarian friendly. We were staying only three minutes away from a local market, and there were lots of excellent bakeries and shops on the walk home from Theo’s school. Good wine can be obtained for only a few euros per bottle in Spain. Most restaurants had affordable fixed price lunches.
In short, we ate very well all month, at home and in restaurants.
Books About Spain I Read While In Spain
Only in Spain is the modern-day memoir of an Australian woman who falls in love with flamenco and moves to Spain to continue dancing. It’s a fun, light, easy read.
The Shadow of the Wind is a grand, twisting novel set in Barcelona during the 1950s. It has a huge cast of characters and and a gritty, winding plot that touches on the impact of the fascist rule of Spain following the civil war.
Cathedral of the Sea is historical novel that follows the life of a fictional serf who eventually becomes a wealthy money lender. Occasionally (okay, often), I felt like the author was sprinkling unlikely social mobility on our main character so that he could describe yet another aspect of Barcelona life during the 14th century. But, in the end, I didn’t really mind so much, because I enjoyed the peeks into various social strata.
Homage to Catalonia is a memoir by George Orwell (yes, that George Orwell) that describes his experiences serving in the POUM militia during the Spanish Civil War. I loved this book for its gorgeous language, used to describe both the tedium of the battlefield and the violent rifts that grew between the various anarchist, socialist, and communist parties who were theoretically united in opposing the fascists.
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Zurich – Luckily, Playing In The Fountains Is Free!
Zurich, Switzerland was our second stop in a six-day-journey-by-train from Barcelona to Berlin.
During our trip, we’ve stayed a couple of places that people have warned us would be quite expensive: Sweden, New Zealand, and Japan come to mind immediately. In all three of those countries, we were actually surprised by how (mostly) affordable we found them compared to the warnings. (Of course, we departed on our trip from the California Bay Area, so we have a somewhat skewed baseline.)
We’d been warned that Zurich was expensive too… Continue reading “Zurich – Luckily, Playing In The Fountains Is Free!”
Our (Likely) Farewell Ride On The City Night Line Trains
We’ve taken about half a dozen night trains during our two years of travel, and they are definitely one of my favorite modes of transportation: lower carbon footprint than flying, no need to try to entertain a child during a daytime long-haul ride, and a pleasant sense of adventure inspired by the slight sway of the carriage.
Our trip from Zurich to Berlin was our third experience on the efficient and comfortable City Night Line trains, which Deutsch Bahn seems to be in the process of phasing out. (If this makes you sad too, you can sign a petition.)
Even More Exciting Than Lemonade!
Brian and I were walking through Kreuzburg, looking for lunch, when we saw some elementary school students selling chard, zucchini, and cucumbers from a stoop. I don’t think I’ve seen chard for sale for months – we certainly haven’t eaten it for a while – so I was pretty excited.
(Yes, I’m a vegetable nerd. In case you are too: chard is excellent when braised with olive oil, onions, garlic, and some vegetable broth, and then served it over pasta.)
A Weekend of Food
Since arriving in Berlin, we haven’t consumed so much in the way of what might be considered traditional German food. However, to celebrate the fact that Berlin is a diverse, international city, we’ve been sampling tasty, interesting food from all around the world.
This weekend was full of tasty, interesting food.
On Saturday, I was one of several cooks at Über den Tellerrand‘s 50 Shades of Salad, one of the organization’s many events to promote cultural exchange. I made pasta salad with caramelized fennel/onions, sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, and parsley, a salad-ish combination that seemed reasonably “American.” Other cooks made salads from from Iran, Italy, Syria, and Japan.
Parks and Playgrounds in Berlin
On the weekends, we’ve been enjoying the amazing parks and playgrounds in Berlin.
Some parks, like Jungfernheide, are huge and forest-y, with lakes where people can swim and splash. (Some people wear bathing suits, some don’t. Nudity seems much less taboo in Germany than anywhere else we’ve visited. At the DDR museum, there was a part of the exhibit dedicated to nude beaches in the DDR/GDR, complete with photos and videos. )
Books I Read About Germany While In Germany
Book of Clouds is a somewhat surreal novel set in modern-day Berlin, from the perspective of a Mexican woman who has been living there for several years. It dips into Nazi and Stasi history, and explores how the past reflects into the present. I definitely recommend this book.
Goodbye to Berlin is a classic collection of interwoven short stories set in Berlin during the 1930s, as the Nazis were just beginning to come to power. This book was the inspiration for Cabaret, the musical turned movie.
Stasiland is a narrative documenting stories of former East Germany citizens and Stasi officials during the GDR. It’s written by an Australian author, and intermixed with the stories are her own reactions and experiences during her research. It’s well-written and a fascinating.
Leaving Berlin is a spy thriller set in Berlin in the first years of its time as a divided city, during the Berlin Airlift.
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