Tricky

Romeo Charlie Barcelona

 

Hola from Barcelona.

I'd forgotten what an... infectious... city this was.  I've been here since Friday lunchtime, at which point I spilled out of an aircraft from my London life into the heat, bustle and irreverent wild swirl that seems practically imposed upon you here. I'm here for a few days before taking the short flight to Palma on Monday afternoon. The idea was to get into the holiday mode by doing a Barca city break for a long weekend then hitting the island having danced our cares away, had a little urbanness, done a Spanish lifestyle crashcourse and been even more in the mode for a total break than had been before, if such a thing was possible.

Another reason for being here is that back in miserable London February, I had gone to see Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona on the Fulham Road and been sodden on my run back to the car in unexpected and un-prepared-for horizontal slashing rain. I had enjoyed the film, but enjoyed the blast of warm air that came off the cinema screen into my winter and resolved to come back. Sometimes it really is that simple. I think I must have booked this trip the next week. I haven't been here for a few years and I think on the last trip I didn't spend that much time in the city as I was visiting friends who live on the coast about an hour north of here.

Yesterday was full, in an effortless sort of way. I'm here with JA, a friend who is also with me all next week (we're joined by another special guest star fellow passenger on arrival in Palma) and he was keen we go to the Boqueria market. No problem. Have breakfast near by. Of course. And that we wander aimlessly through the Gothic quarter. Perfect. A late-afternoon stint on the gay bit of Barcelona beach.Yesssss. Drinks=dinner=dancing till late. What a traveling companion. All his suggestions would have been mine.

Been here, been there

 

Perhaps the one thing that has marked this year as being different from the two that preceded it, is that I haven't been to as many live concerts. I mean, it's not deliberate exactly, I've been to the ones I have been passionate about, but I haven't really been passionate about as many. I'll write about the ones I have seen as I get to it.

I have traveled though, which has kept me sane. Save for Christmas, when -ugh- I was ill, between August 08 and April 09 I didn't take a single day of holiday which, frankly, is not something I will be doing again in a hurry. It's just... not healthy. 

So the top one is obviously Cape Town. I was there in April, for my birthday too, which was kind of magical, mainly because of the company I was keeping down there. Then I was in Berlin at the end of May for three days. Bit of a "new places" type adventure

Then I was in Italy, in the deep deep South: Puglia, in June. It was very... unreconstructed. Sort of how you imagine Italy - beautiful, ancient and gobsmackingly architectural in parts then a bit sort of industrial and thrown up in others... but good coffee and ice cream served everywhere, so it doesn't really matter than you might be in a ordinary bit on an ordinary day.

Jeez, loved her.

Then two weeks ago I was in Amsterdam for Pride weekend. It was wild... and so maybe that's kind of another story for another day...

Yes - that last one is the reason there's a story. Offer Nissim DJing in shirtless heaven.

I am getting a little up to date because I am off to Mallorca and Barcelona in seven days... and I want to post a few snaps as I go, of that.

Hairpin bend

*pring!* *pring!*

It's SM on the phone:

SM: Hi
RC: What gives?
SM: We went to see that Coco Before Chanel movie
RC: I am gagging to see it - how was it?
SM: I liked it...
RC: I sense hesitation
SM: Well of course I loved all that Parisian period stuff
RC: Of course
SM: And I love that actress...
RC: Audrey Tautou?
SM: Right
RC: But?
SM: The problem was the title of the movie - it's all Coco *before* Chanel
RC: Oh
SM: I think I would have preferred...
RC: Coco Wearing Chanel?
SM: Exactly
RC: They had better make a sequel!