The street art in Seville was very impressive. It was mostly concentrated around the Guadalquivir river area. Below are a few of the many photos that can be found on my Flickr page. Other Seville photos to follow.
More photo on my Flickr page.Top stencil artists from all over Europe gathered in Barcelona for the premier Difusor stencil summit. The results are remarkable. Below are some photos with a lot more on my Flickr page.
More information, along with some videos are on the Difusor site.
I arrived just a few hours ago and I'm leave for Ibiza in 4 hours. Just two quick days of craziness. I'll be back in Barcelona on Friday afternoon. See ya'll then.
**UPDATE**: I changed my flight to leave tonight at 22:30 and I now return late Saturday night. 4 days, 3 nights allows for more time to relax, party and maybe get in some trouble.
...and really enjoying it. Unlike Barcelona, Seville exudes everything Spanish. At the same time, I´m instantly transported back to Lisbon as I wander the narrow streets lined with mouth watering tapa bars and fun shops. The architecture is similar and the same colors are used. It´s absolutely stunning.
My initial impressions...
Photos and more info later.
Barcelona hosts A LOT of trade shows. The biggest and most well known is Bread & Butter, the premier European fashion trade show held in Barcelona biannually. Jose seems to know a lot of people in Barcelona and he was lucky enough to get two tickets for one of the parties during the night. It was held in a castle on the hills of Montjuic. Oh, the beautiful people. What an amazing time.
Below are a few photos. You'll find a lot more photos here. Enjoy!
More photos hereIguapop has quickly become my favorite art galleries in Barcelona. You may recall my scandalous photos from the Sergio Mora exhibition. The current exhibition is entitled "Bestial" and is curated by one of my favorite artists in Europe, Miss Van. You may recognize her other works in my numerous street art photos.
Below are a few of the pieces on display. View all of the Bestial exhibition photos here. Wow...
More photos here
Penelope Trunk of Brazen Careerist fame nailed it in a recent article where she discusses the shift in the American dream, as it pertains to work and life success. The following paragraph summarizes the article very well:
"The new American dream is about time. It's not a race to earn the most to buy the biggest. It's a dream of personal growth and quality relationships. And, despite the declarations coming from Pew about unreachable dreams, our dream is not about accumulating money to do what we love at the end. We are hell-bent on doing what we love the whole way."
Now, I have no issues with working 60 hours or more per week if it's for something you are passionate about. Sadly, that is not the case for most people. In most cases, it is a direct exchange of time for money. Even worse, this exchange occurs during what could be the very best years of your life. It's pretty sad. I've discussed this topic with many of my college friends and far too many have fell into this trap. It's a cycle that becomes increasingly difficult to break. It's far to easy to get used to the power, money...to the lifestyle.
Part of my reason for taking this time off was to explore. It's amazing what you discover when you take a detour in the game of life. Some may think I'm lost (the ones that typically think that have never experienced a "gap year" themselves...go figure). But I'm not lost. Their are still many questions that need to be answers, but I've never felt so focused.
Read more at her blog.
Back in Barcelona after an amazing weekend in Madrid for Orgullo. Watch for a post with photos and more details sometime before I leave for Seville on Sunday afternoon.
Side thought: Are the 80s and early 90s clothing style very popular in the United States this summer? The casual sport/street look is huge in many parts of Europe. Blocks of bold color, checkered patterns, huge prints on t-shirts and all shades of neon are just a few examples of styles that dominate a lot of clothes this summer.
The countdown begins. I didn't think I'd have the money, but thanks to a Vueling airline sale, I will be traveling 17 of the 31 days in July. To view my July travel plans, see the list below or click on the calendar image below. Notice how I intentionally kept 3 of 4 weekends free. This will allow me to enjoy my remaining weekends in Barcelona, while traveling during the weekdays.
Are there certain truths that are absolutes in life? I recently saw the list below. I wish I could remember where so I could give credit where it is due. Feel free to add any of your own "life truths" in the comments.
Today I saw a grown woman cry in front of me because someone touched her bananas. Let me explain. In Spain, many of the fruit stands, know as fruterias, don't allow you pick your own produce. You tell them what you want and they run around it get it for you. The store owner was in the process of getting my fruit when a guy walked up, picked one banana and asked he how much. Big mistake. At this point, she started crying and said "you can't touch the fruit", "the bananas are ruined", etc. I was shocked at her reaction, especially since had this particular guy touched my banana I most defiantly would not have cried.
Girona is a very small town 1 hour outside of Barcelona. I have been to the Girona airport several times, but never in the city center. Multiple people suggested that I visit, so Annette and I took a day trip. Girona has some nice parts, but overall I was a bit disappointed. Below are some photos.
This weekend was the first time that I was worried about my safety in Spain. This weekend was St. Juan, which is similar to the United States 4th of July, but on crack. All of Barcelona flock to the beaches to drink, dance and blow off their fingers , er, I mean light fireworks.
The first thing I saw as I approached Bogtell beach was an ambulance speeding down the road with its lights flashing and siren roaring. Not a good sign.
I was stunned as I watched young children light massive fire works as their parents smiled with approval from a safe distance. In typical Spanish fashion, there were no police anywhere.
I felt like I was in a war zone. The large fireworks exploded like bombs while smaller fireworks reminded me of machine gun fire. Airborne fireworks lit the sky, giving it an eerie glow. It was like this for at least 5 hours. The world could have ended and no one would have noticed.
As it got later, more people filled the beaches and the fireworks (thankfully) slowed. Around 6 A.M. many people got naked and jumped into the Mediterranean. Everyone was having fun dancing and partying to the thumping house music that filled the warm night time air. It was Spanish beach partying at its best.
Next up? My countdown until my departue on July 31st. More on my crazy travel plans soon...
After the Sonar craziness, my friends and I went to a beach party at Marbella. Below are a few photos with more here. As you may be able to tell, I really enjoy Barcelona during the summer.
Kris, Sandy, Jose, Keyan, Me
Me, Jose
Kris & ChrisBelow are some of the Sonar night photos. View the full photo gallery here.
P.S. No, I have no idea why I was making the peace sign all night. 
My good friend Keyan plans events and parties in Barcelona. His company held a 2,500 person dinner in Parc Guell last Friday. Apparently it was last time the city allowed a private company to rent the parc. He was kind enough to get me a ticket. Free food, drinks and live entertainment contributed to a fun night. Below are a few photos of the entertainment. Thanks again, Keyan!
P.S. Yes, that women is naked. This was a business party. Yes, it's normal. Welcome to Europe.
I’ve learned to embrace the randomness in life. It’s amazing where it can lead you.
One recent example led me to score a free ticket to Sonar, an annual festival of progressive music and multimedia arts. This saved me $50, provided an opportunity to meet several interesting people, hear cutting edge music and see some remarkable art. I now understand why people rank it as one of the best music & art festivals in Europe. Photos to come soon…
I’ve had some amazing experiences by putting myself in situations that allow randomness to occur. Embrace the randomness in life's interactions.
Del Meson de Sant Antonio is one example of the many streets that you can hastefully walk past without noticing when unfamiliar becomes familiar.
More photos taken while walking through the streets of Barcelona. Remember, you can see all my photos by clicking on the links on the right side of this page. You can also view all of my photos by clicking here.
