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Copyright Infringement
Hello again and welcome to the second edition of our Barcelona adventures.
As you can see from the masthead we've run into some legal difficulties
with the title The Barcelona Bugle.
Both The Barcelona Bagel and Bingo Barcelona
have registered complaints that our previous name infringed on their trademarks.
We have therefore changed the name back to The Picayune.
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Cows, Gaudiness and Fraggles
If this is the first time reading this publication, have a look at the
previous issue (link located in the left column).
And for those interested we've also
included our regular mailing address in the left column at the bottom.
In this edition you can expect to see a mix of cows, gaudiness, and fraggle rock. Enjoy.
Brian and Lynn
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Photo Essay #2 - The Spanish Pyrenees |
-- Its called Val D'Aran --
When I signed my contract to work I found out we still had a week before it began -
'ROAD TRIP!'. Our second photo essay is of a place called Val D'Aran. Its
a small collection of villages in the Pyrenee Mountains. We stayed for four days –
hiked through the mountains, ate some wonderful food, and saw some things that most
of you probably don't picture when you think of Spain.
The pictures here are of two villages
we stayed in called Vielha and Montcorbau, and the National Park that surrounds the villages.
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-- Click on the picture to see the essay --
Our only regret is that we didn't get a picture of the French singers and accordion player
that entertained us and a busload of bluehairs from Brittany.
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-- Back into the First World --
Though it is not nearly as colourful as our previous habitation we are
extremely happy in our new apartment. We have moved from one bedroom and
2/10ths of a bathroom, kitchen
and rumpus room at 113 Aribau to having our own bathroom, den and half of a large
living area and kitchen.
Click on the layout to see the setup of the apartment
and meet our new roomates Daniela and Roger.
Flat Layout
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We Get Our First Visitors — Kaylie and Anthony |
-- On their way to Venice --
In October we were graced with our first visitors. My cousin Kaylie and her
boyfriend Anthony stayed with us on their way to Venice. They had been traveling
around Europe proving to their web design customers in Kentucky that they could still
work while abroad.
The tourist part of their visit could be defined by the name 'Gaudi'. Gaudi was an architect
in Barcelona active in the early 20th century – and the inspiration for the word Gaudy.
We really enjoyed having them and look forward to visiting them in Paris next year
where they're planning on doing pretty much the same thing we're doing.
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-- Click on the picture to see more pictures of their visit --
As I mentioned, Kaylie and Anthony are in the web design business. They are currently
taking care of a wild home in Kentucky and have created an amazing way of showing it.
Check out:
www.noeink.com/domehome
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-- The Bugle needs your help --
Last issue we were looking for some help in placing one of the giants we saw
in the Merce Parade. Thank you to those who submitted suggestions. We have since
figured out that the Gigante in question is the spitting image of our Colombian/Canadian
friend...Patricia.
We need your help again. When we were looking at our pictures one day, we noticed the
one you see to your right. We are positive there's a joke in here somewhere but we cannot
decide on the best one. Please send captions for this picture to
brian@pooladdict.com
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As always the caption picked will win 250 Picayune points.
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Is that a sword in your toga ...?
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How to be rude in Spanish
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-- Spanish Finishing School --
It may come as a surprise to our readers to hear that after three months of
cultural immersion we continue to struggle with the nuances of Spanish etiquette.
To help us navigate social situations with a little more finesse
we have enrolled in a local finishing school to
learn such important skills as "when to kiss and when not to kiss".
For example, I no longer stuff a fork full of paella in my mouth just
as I am introduced to our roomate's amigo (very messy). Brian
is learning that although you must always kiss a woman upon meeting them, one
does not have to kiss every woman one sees.
On the second day of class we learned another valuable lesson.
Apparently it is seen as quite rude to refuse food or drink without giving
an adequate reason.
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"no thank you,
you see I have a metal plate in my head"
In restaurants when the waiter offers coffee or
dessert after a meal a simple no gracias will be met with furrowed
brows. Now that we have mastered suggested phrases such as no gracias,
es que estamos llenos ("no thank you, we are full"), we have
developed some new responses. For example
no gracias es que he comido demasiado bocadillos ("no thank you, I
overdid it on the pork sandwiches"), or no gracias, es que tengo una
pieza de metal en mi cabeza ("no thank you, you see I have a metal plate in
my head"). For some reason our responses continue to be met
with furrowed brows.
Culture Editor
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The Dream is Over — Brian Gets a Job |
On the port sounded nice ...
That's right Brian got a job and it looks like we're going to stay a while.
I'm working as a Java programmer for a company called Fonocom. It hosts websites
and produces web applications for its customers.
When I was told that my office is on the port I thought "how nice". It turns
out its on the working part of the port.
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"I came all the way to Barcelona to work in Malton"
The building pictured to the left houses one Hi-Tech firm and 8 shipping
and logistics companies. Fortunately Lynn and I are now never in short supply of
Belgian cognac and Bolivian cigarillos. Leave it to me to move all the way to
Barcelona to work in Malton.
I've prepared a page
for you to see my view from the office window. First straight
ahead ... then to the left ... and the then to the right. The ocean is there somewhere
(I've heard).
I'm enjoying the work and learning a lot about this thing called 'professional' programming.
Brian
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-- Thanks for reading --
That's it for this issue. As always we welcome all emails telling us about what's
going on in your part of the world and anything you would like to include in the
Picayune. Send them to:
brian@pooladdict.com
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-- In the next issue ... --
Brian and Lynn take a class
'How to swear in Spanish'
'Conception to Confirmation'
The Christmas Crapper
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-- To see back issues click on the Archive Links in the left column --
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We are paying for our groceries at the check out stand when an elderly man comes in
with his dog. Shrugging his shoulders the man tells the clerk in a questioning tone of voice
"I can not come in? You see I have a dog. Por favor, you
will page someone to fetch the groceries I need?" Qué más?
Our immediate thought was "Why would you bring your dog to the grocery store?"
To our surprise, the clerk gave the man and his dog a friendly smile and said of course she
would page someone immediately.
Oct. 1
We move to the new apartment at C/ Ricart 16
Oct. 17 - 18
Kaylie and Anthony stay with us as they pass through
Oct. 12
Brian gets a job
Oct. 22 - 24
We go to the Pyrenees to see The Aran Valley
Oct. 29
Brian starts new job
Oct. 31
Halloween party at 113 Aribau
Nov. 6
Lynn returns to intensive Spanish classes
Nov. 9
We see the Spanish civil war photo collection
Nov. 11
Poble Español
Nov. 17
We see an Afghanistan History and Culture Exibit
Nov. 22
'La Espalda del Mundo' at the Ind. Film Festival
Nov. 25
We Curl at the Boat Show
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Otoño
Weather -
High 35ºC (early Sep)
Low 12ºC (end of Nov)
Sun and Rain
Events -
Sept. 11 - Catalunya National Day
Sept. 24 - Festes de la Mercé
Visitors -
Kaylie and Anthony Oct. 17 - 18
Invierno
Weather -
Low 5ºC (mid Jan)
High 16ºC (end of Feb)
Rainy and Cold
Events -
Dec. 25 - Feliz Navidad
Jan. 1 - Any Nou
Jan. 6 - Epiphany, when kids here get gifts and when the 3 kings arrive in Barcelona
for parades (not Marky Mark and Ice Cube the other ones)
Feb. 13 - Carnaval (lots of Merry-making)
Feb. 17 - Festes del Tres Tombs
Visitors -
We're currently planning on being here over X-mas
Primavera
Weather -
Low 12ºC (early Mar)
High 25ºC (end of May)
Beaches open towards end of March early April
Events -
March 24 - 31 - Holy Week (Easter) we're thinking of going to Andalucia for it
May 11 - Holy day of Irish-Canadians
May 31 - Corpus Christi, Celebrated with a mysterious "Dancing Egg"
Visitors -
Many people have expressed interest, no firm dates
Verano
Weather -
Low 19ºC (early June)
High 37ºC (end of July)
Hot and Humid
Events -
June - Celebration of Electronic Music
June 28 - Pride Parade and holy day of French-Canadian Women
Aug. 15 - Fiesta Mayor de Gracia
Visitors -
Wide Open
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