Friday 28 September 2007

Let's start at the very beginning...




... a very good place to start. That there is Greenland and surrounding ice. Because we flew direct from San Francisco to Amsterdam, we got to fly over some pretty desolate but beautiful areas of Canada and Greenland.




And here is our dining table and air conditioner. A lot of people have been asking about our place and so here it is. Hopefully, if you click here you can see more pictures of the apartment including one view off our balcony. Our kitchen is pretty small, but that doesn't stop it from needing three doorways into it. Maybe some day when we actually have a little furniture in here we'll take some more pictures and have a real unveiling of the apartment.

Unfortunately the building next to us is covered in scaffolding which blocks our view of Santa Maria del Mar. Our apartment is at the very tip of a block shaped like a V that ends on a popular walkway, Passeig del Born. The walkway is pretty short and ends at the cathedral Santa Maria del Mar. It's a beautiful area. Slightly younger, hipper, and less touristy than the Gothic area we were going to live in. However, part of being a "young" and "hip" area is being a loud area. We are right at the convergence of three very popular bars that are open very late. And for those who want to carry on the party after 3am when the bars close, there are some wide steps right outside our bedroom window that are perfect for gathering on and singing drunken songs or having a drunken argument. But really, everyone should come visit (the guest bedroom borders our quiet street).

4 comments:

Mom said...

Hi,
so good to hear your insights on life in Spain, Marie. It sound like party central. You have discovered that the old adage must be true: "if you can't beat them (or at least sleep thru them), JOIN THEM."

It will be a highlight of my day to read your posts.

MOM

Andrew and Marie Benson said...

Oh, I was so excited to find a comment. Thank you so much. I told Andrew we needed the Bensons viewing this blog so that we could get some comments going and stop feeling like losers.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the description of your area. But when do these people work? Or, are there two classes - the partyers and the non-partyers? The relative quietude of Concord seems pretty nice. But maybe you've learned to sleep through it all.

Love, Dad

Andrew and Marie Benson said...

Now that summer is starting again Andrew and I find ourselves talking a lot about where we're going to live next. Some neighborhood away from tourists with better air conditioning and an elevator. I find myself getting really impatient with the tourists but at the same time being jealous that they're travelling and are excited to be seeing a new place. We actually stood next to some tourists on our way to church last week that were talking about Salt Lake City and Provo and mormons. You just don't hear any of that mentioned onthe street here.