*this will be another entry on a French computer, so sorry for the massive amount of spelling mistakes
So we are going to try and do shorter entries more often so that people don't think we have fallen off the face of the earth
Last time we spoke, Emily and I were enjoying Toulouse and having a relaxing week. We spent a few more days exploring the city, relaxing by the river and watching the sunrise from Joey's balcony. A part of the French culture that I wish we could take back to the states is the importance of taking a break mid-day to rest. From 12-2 everyday the city gets packed with people from school and work on their break. People fill up the parts by the river, the cafes and enjoy 2 hours to have wine, eat and relax before they go to finish their work day. I think I would have been much more willing to do school work if I did not have 8 hours of class in a row.
One of the nights, Toulouse was celebrating their version of Carnival so when Emie got out of class we took the metro into the city. We bought a few bottles of beer and wine and walked up to where the parade was going to happen. The first part of the parade was a massive head made out of wood with an open mouth a a huge CARNIVAL sight on the front. This followed many different caravans of people and different floats: lots of music, old people wearing pink and banging on drums, dancers, children and even a big yellow school bus filled with people doing nothing. In the middle of the march we snuck in with a group that was dancing down to the river and we joined them. We danced all through the city till we got to the bridge over the river. Everyone was celebrating in the streets and gathering by the river. Although we did not make it, there was a massive bonfire at the end where they light that huge head plus anything else they could find. When we woke up the next morning there was confetti on our bed, in our hair and all over the apartment. Later that day we cooked dinner for the boys, shared wine and again enjoyed the warm sun on the balcony.
On the weekend, Nada and her daughter Rose arrived with one of their puppies that we called popcorn, poppy or poptart. A little terrier with long hair and the cutest face. We had beers in Centra Square then found a place for dinner. We went back to the apartment that night, chilled out, laughed and shared stories.
I think this might have been the first time I was homesick. Seeing the kids laughing and being with their mom made me miss my sister and my parents. At the same time it was comforting to be with such a loving family. Not to mention this family has lived and traveled all over the world and kept us cracking up with some hilarious stories. The homesickness was short lived and the next day, Nada, Emily and I were off to Spain!
We had a 4 hour drive, in Picasso as they call their car, into Barcelona. We found a super cheap hostel, thanks to Emily and her Kindle Fire magic. We checked in and went right out into the city for Tapas. We found a cool place off the main drag and ordered some brie, potatoes and a specialty of Spain called jamon: very thinly slices of smoked ham that is to die for. We had wine then moved onto another place. We made the mistake of going to the Ramblas (super touristy) to find a place and ended up with oil soaked bread, nasty wine and fried sausage. We left there and headed back to the hostel to sleep since the next day was our only full day in the city. We were sharing a room with some over enthused Canadians that talked a little bit too loud for our liking but they did not bother us too much, that night at least.
We woke up to some rain, which was a bummer but we were not going to let it ruin our day! We went out into the city to head to the Picasso Museum. Nada did her dissertation on the artist so I walked around with her so I got some extra commentary. The progression of his art is really amazing; to see in front of you how he started to paint, and see what his inspirations were. You could see the change in his art style from when he started, to when he spent time in Paris and the reflection of his artist friends on his own art. The end of the museum had some of the 58 paintings of his Las Meninas Series, an interpretation of a Velazquez original. This was my favorite part of the museum for sure, and a great way to end it. The building itself was super beautiful as well! It was recently renovated and it is comprised of 5 townhouses that were built between the 13th and 15 centuries.
After that we went to see La Sagrada Familia, which is a church in Barcelona that begun its construction in 1882 and is still being worked on today. The church is in the center of Barcelona and has become sort of the face of the city. Gaudi was the main artist working on it, till the day he died in 1926 and has left his mark on the city in other places as well. His style is unique and unlike anything I have seen. You really need to look at pictures to understand the way he presented his art. The side of the building he had worked on almost looks like a sand castle, with all the figures perfectly intertwined together, yet on the verge of melting off. Look it up, go there, stare at for hours and try to imagine how someone thought it up in their brain.
We walked back the long way so that we could see more of Gaudi's work. There were two buildings we saw that again were more unique and colorful than anything else in the city. That was one of my favorite parts of Barcelona. The entire city is not a bunch of big "little boxes on a hillside" with everything looking the same. It has been through many different architectural time periods and the city has much to show for that: very colorful and very alive.
While in Barcelona I also picked up a journal/sketch book. I decided I wanted to try drawing, especially since I had Nada by my side. I did some blind drawing and it came out okay. It all still sort of looks like mish mosh but I am happy that I am trying. My sister is such a talented artist so I have to have some sort of it running in my blood.
We settled for more tapas that night at a place that had yummy sangria and candle light to set the mood. We sat there for a while, drawing, talking about food, cooking and art. Then we went on an adventure to find a Rainforest bar Emily had gone to while she was abroad a few years ago and her memory was pristine! The place was covered in these amazing origami when you first walked in then there were actual insect noises, and huge canopies of fake trees and leafs and even a waterfall. More sangria, more drawing and more talking. We walked back to the hostel and chatted with the attractive ginger who manages the place. We got a crappy nights rest, but we all got a shower in the AM and headed off for a 3 hour drive into the Pyrenees!
It is hard to explain what pure, natural beauty looks like. But I would like to believe these Mountains explain it. Once we were off the highway, we had miles of mountain range, driving around the hills, through a valley and alongside a river that was aqua blue. The size was overwhelming of the mountains and a landscape that was totally new to me. We pulled into "Saturno" which is where the Art workshop was being help that Nada was leading, and where Emily and I would be working for the next 5 days. Nada had told us that the house was inbetween the olive and almond trees, and she was not joking. We had almonds every morning with our yogurt and to snack on right from the trees. Again, the view and the home was unreal. The women running the place, Mercedes, is a devout Buddhist and spends alot of her time reading and studying the Buddha. Her home is made of mostly stone and sits on the side of a mountain that over looks the Pyrenees. We could see at least 6 small towns in the distant, the river and the snow top mountains at least 100 miles away. It was breath taking and there was not one day there that I was not in awe of the view. The house was in shambles when Mercedes first started renting it, but she has redone and fixed up the entire place herself. It was very cozy, with art all over, the Buddha in every corner and had an eclectic collection of furniture making the house very unique. Emily and I were set up in a bedroom upstairs in a loft area with a small window over looking the backyard.
We made lunch and set the house up a little bit before all of the students came. For our time in Saturno, our days were spent working on an old storage room that Mercedes wanted to turn into a workshop for herself. We ended up getting the work finished earlier than we thought, so we got some extra time in the art room.
I wont go into great detail about the class going on, but I will give you an idea of the group. Over the weekend there were 10-15 students who have been working with Nada over the past 3 years and they return twice a year for the workshop. They work on these specific Buddhist symbols, that have heavy meanings behind them and are said to help transform your life.
I had my own experience in the art room and it ended up being a huge obstacle for me. I have never done any sort of art like this and I had always left it to my sister to handle it if it came about. I was avoiding it some days and would go read in the garden instead. But Nada sat me down and really helped me find my place in the art and get through it. So from step one, I drew the symbol that I chose, traced it onto good painting paper and slowly the drawing came to life. It felt good to get over my fear and work through something like this. It may not have looked amazing, but it was my work and I felt really good about it. My sister would be proud. Emily has done some art before and made such a beautiful painting. There were aspects of her drawing that might take people days to draw and Emily finished her first sketch in one day. Her colors were intense and the lines near perfect. Everyone in the class was really proud of both of us for finishing in such a short amount of time! We both want to continue on with the symbols and finish all 8 some day.
The students, mostly women, came from all over Spain and were so kind hearted to us. We all sat in the living room together, huddled around 2 small tables for our meals, eating the food from the chef for the weekend who went by Carol. A spunky women, who spoke very good English and was cooking us the most wonderful vegetarian meals. Everyone was so kind to Emily and I and I feel like I have some new friends in Spain. The community that the group was really beautiful and we both felt lucky to have been apart of it. We got to work on my Spanish while we was there, but lucky for us most people spoke English. We went on walks behind her house that led to more beautiful views of the far away snow capped mountains. We also spent alot of time reading outside and enjoying some of the sun that came out. Nada had told us that in Spain, it was going to be hot and sunny, so Emily and I packed shorts and tshirts with the exception on one pair of leggings and a zip up hoodie. This might have been the only major fail of our trip that we were ill prepared for the cold that would come when we went into the mountains. Apparently at the same time each year there is a cold front with rain that we got caught in. Perfect. We managed though!! And the last day there was warm with the sun!!
On our last day there Emily, Mercedes, Carol and I took the day to drive to a temple called Dag Shang Kaygo and it was about an hour away from Saturno. Pulling in you notice the hundreds of Stupas (a piece of art that is used in worshiping in Buddhism) that are painted beautiful colors all around with statues and a temple in the center. There was a monk speaking that day at the temple, so we joined about 200 other people on the floor to listen. The energy was really intense in the room and the monk was talking about some really heavy topics having to do with how we treat people around us, what we perceive as beautiful to the sort of praise we are giving everyday. After the 2 hour session we walked around the beautiful property, also on the side of a mountain with a magnificent view. We went into the near by town called Grause and had a little bit of tapas for lunch at Rokola. I got a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice and we sat outside and enjoyed the sun. We had a good talk over the tapas and headed back to Saturno for our last night all together.
We enjoyed herb tea made right from the garden, whole baked apples and some treats that Mercedes made for us. We stayed by the fire laughing and making jokes until the coals died and we went to bed. The view at night from this place is just as spectacular as it is during the day. All of the small towns light up, the moon is shining really bright and there is a reflection off the river. We were sad to leave the group of people and this beautiful place. But the next day we got up, packed the car and headed back to Toulouse.
We have the rest of our trip all planned out for the most part just need to tie a few more loose ends. Money is getting tight but I think we should make it through May. I am glad we both have return tickets home ha. Although I find it very hard to think of myself in Maryland in those suburbs...
Well that is all for now. We will have another update soon that takes us to where we are now, but we at least wanted to get this part up!
thank you for reading!
J and E
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