WHERE'S PHIL? HAVE YOU SEEN PHIL? PHIL?!

For those that don't know, "Holiday in Spain" is a song by the Counting Crows, one of my all time favorite musical groups. It's about leaving your worries behind and all that seems impossible to overcome at that very moment. Its about a new start to new life, hence it's the link to this blog (yes I know it's corny so I'll refrain from further cliches). Anyways, it mentions packing up your bags and heading to Barcelona, something I was just able to do at the first sight of winter's gloom here in Madrid.

Barcelona differs from any other European city I have been to, mostly because parts of it resemble southern California! People are noticeably more laid back, the youth is obedient to surfer culture, and the seafood is unmatchable to any Madrileño attempt of paella. There is space, the city is oriented to the outdoors, and the weather is ultimate. People speaking Catalan threw me off a bit, but no permanent damage was done.

Climbing the play structure at the beach, I don't know how those kids are so brave, I was having some difficulties...

Self-portrait, always the best

Sandy sunny beaches!


Antonio Gaudí is my new obsession. I will be presenting on him for my art history project, so I guess I'll enlighten you guys with a few facts. Fascinated my nature, he incorporated its angles and curves perfectly into his works. His most famous piece, La Sagrada Familia, is obviously inspired by trees and flowers, stamping his architecture with a chilling uniqueness, distinct from any other artist even in his same school of thought. In addition to this one-of-a-kind cathedral, stand many other Gaudí works all over the city, of which all are aesthetically pleasing to their spectators.

La Sagrada Familia, in construction since 1882

Group shot in Park Güell, Gaudí's work that overlooks the entire city its beaches, especially stunning at sunset


Our trip to Barcelona was not managed by any binding schedule. Sagrada Familia and Picasso's Museum were on the list, but other than that, our time would revolve around pure relaxation on the beach along with a side plate of exploration and discovery. We managed to come across live music performances every single night, ranging from a holiday ensemble accompanied by a special seasonal dance, to a reggae festival celebrating Arab-Spanish identity, to an underground jazz hub that served as a harmonica player's sanctuary the night we showed up. We also found ourselves meandering down a gay nude beach, quite the surprise...and I tried roasted chestnuts and scallops for the first time, separately of course.

I didn't know Sydney too well, but we had a fantastic time together!


We found a great outdoors market with the catch of the day, fresh fruit, and of course candy!


Lastly, I'd like to take a quick moment to explain this entry's title. As Allie, Sydney and I were touring through Sagrada Familia, we heard a few English speakers talking amongst themselves. It is still so easy to drown out Spanish and remake it into incomprehensible gibberish, but English now stands out more than ever, as we rarely hear it in Madrid. So these people were unmistakably Americans: Hawaiian shirts, cameras around their necks, a clear cut east-coast elderly accent... At first, it was just a few women and one man, cute, identical to your bubbies. They had a worrisome tone in their voices, concerned about some man by the name of "Phil"... and so the drama begins...

"Doris, have you seen Phil? Where did Phil go?"
"I don't know Sylvia. Roger, have you seen Phil?"
"Phil? No, where'd he go?"
"Phil? Oh no, we lost Phil. I told him to stand right here," said a woman who looked like she could easily be a Gladys.
"Well, Phil isn't here. Who knows where Phil is?"

This all became pretty annoying after a while, and became even more agitating as it lasted all through the entire walk-through of the cathedral...continued into the gift shop... and then outside the gates... Just as we thought we had escaped the "finding Phil" nonsense, the disquieted bunch, now around 15 to 20, made there way across the street to where we were looking at trinkets and gadgets on a street corner.

"Oh gosh, what could've happened? Poor Phil!"
"Phil!" one lady screamed, pointing at someone.

All looked hopeful, but a second later the man replied:

"I'm not Phil..."
"Oh," said the woman, puzzled.

Then, all of the sudden a man's voice said:

"Uh guys, I'm right here..." said Phil (apparently), but in a tone of voice that hinted that maybe he didn't want to be found; this making complete sense, especially after having witnessed how worked up this whole group can get.

I was so relieved, and without thinking I turned around and shouted, "YES! Someone found Phil!" They looked at me confused, but this awkward moment passed as we all started in a slow clap which soon lead into a full on applause upon finally finding Phil. It was a kodak moment for sure and a potentially very clever short film.