Barcelona Break

This past weekend I decided to take a trip to another location I've never been but always wanted to visit--Barcelona, Spain. Ever since the 1992 Olympic Games (can you believe it was that long ago...?!), I've admired the beautiful city located along the western coast of the Mediterranean riviera--a city of art, culture, and architecture like none other.

Very much like my weekend trip to Rome, I left on a late Wednesday night, connected through Paris early the next morning and then landed in Barcelona the early afternoon Thursday--just in time to hop on the train, ride into town, and walk four blocks to my hostel. Easy! (You see, it's no mistake that my accommodations are usually mere blocks from the closest train station since all trains run from the airports in Europe... just a little careful planning does the trick :o)

After checking into my teeny little room at the hostel (twin bed, a small desk, no TV, one towel, no shampoo and soap baskets--nothing fancy, just the basics!), I decided to hit the town in my, "I'm so excited to be here I can't wait!" fashion. I threw on a pair of shorts, grabbed my camera and I was out the door. I looked at my map of the city a few times and power walked the city snapping photos of my favorite places and sights along the way. By the time I knew it I was walking home and it was midnight already. What a fantastic first day!

Over the course of the next couple days I just walked walked and walked... I hit the former Olympic Stadium and grounds, visited famous landmarks, lost myself for hours and hours on the winding narrow streets of La Ribera--which totally rocks, btw; and just wandered around soaking up the city. In fact, my favorite part of the weekend was getting lost for hours without my map and not worrying for one moment that I wouldn't find my way around. Plus (for those of you who've traveled quite a bit you'll know what I mean...), once you have landmarks and feel the "rhythm" of a city, you can get around quite easily. The secret is to walk the city (or bike), not ride in a car, bus, or train, unless you are moving from one point to another on purpose... because if you walk the city you will learn it much more quickly--well, at least the areas in the heart of the city. Plus, I find it both fascinating and inspiring as I get to experience so many things that I might otherwise miss (or not explore!) if I wasn't walking on my own time and my own dime.

So between the amazing foods, the beautiful people, the creative and eclectic art of Gaudi and Lluís Domènech i Montaner, I would most definitely visit Barcelona again. Best hits? The Olympic grounds (including the gardens on the way down the mountain); wandering through La Ribera, La Rambla and Rambla Catalunya; the immense but still unfinished church of the Sagrada Família, pictured at the top of this posting (which has been under construction since 1882 and is still financed by private donations. In fact, current completion is planned for 2026--now that's a long project!); and definitely all of the restaurants, shops, and food along the way. Barcelona is, truly, an amazing and diverse city full of life and energy.

Gracias, Barcelona, for a wonderful experience. Muy bueno!

Tale of Two Trips

Last weekend a group of Target expats and my friend Tom, who's been visiting in India for the past three weeks, took a trip to Singapore--time to take a break from India and experience another part of this amazing world. The trip, however, became quite different than originally expected.

For starters, there was a group of us: Michael, Todd, Tom and myself, who flew on Tiger Airways--and Pam and Paul booked their tickets on Singapore Airlines. Two different flights, but going to the same destination at mostly the same time. Since we all took red-eye flights, we all connected in Singapore the next morning and checked into our hotel (the InterContinental Singapore, which I highly recommend!). Tom and I decided to crash for the morning, get up in the afternoon and see the city. Michael, Todd, Pam & Paul went out for brunch and then slept in the afternoon. When we all met up for dinner that evening, we went hunting for authentic Singapore food and found the Jumbo Seafood restaurant--home of the famous chili crab and delicious seafood known worldwide. How exciting, right? Well, there is just one caveat... I had picked up a little "Bangalore Belly" the week before and was still recovering, but felt good as new. Now just imagine what a night of chili crab, shrimp, a pint of beer, and ice cream will do to a "delicate" system... it wasn't pretty. I spent the entire night sick. Oi. Not the best way to start a vacation!

Even though I was in the hotel room all day Friday and ended up having to visit the hospital to get more meds on Saturday, I managed to have energy to walk around the city and take snaps of the amazing sights including the botanical gardens, riverwalk, Merlion monument, and the Singapore Flyer (Ferris Wheel)--Singapore's answer to the London Eye. Since I was laying low and Tom was on vacation to relax, we ended-up having a quiet weekend, which was very nice. We hung out at the hotel pool, took lots of naps, read, listened to music, watched a couple movies... whereas the rest of our group went restaurant hopping, shopping, and had a completely different trip--in fact, we didn't even end up seeing them until Sunday!

All-in-all, despite having two completely different experiences, we all had a wonderful time in Singapore. Whether your trip is crazy or quiet, Singapore has something to offer. As always, check the online photo gallery for more snaps! More about the Kerala houseboat trip and Bannerghatta safari next week, then back to Sri Lanka and off to Barcelona next month so stay tuned!

You Say Dubai, and I Say Hello!

I know, I know--the title is a cheap play on words (but can't you just hear our familiar Target "Hello, Goodbye" song singing through your mind? :o)

Any guess where I went this past weekend? That's right--the "City of the 22nd Century"--Dubai of the U.A.E. (United Arab Emirates)--an amazing city on the grow. Not only is Dubai the fastest growing city in the world, but it is already home to the world's tallest building, the Burj Dubai (which hasn't even been completed yet), and is already touted to be the future home of the world's largest mall, largest airport, tallest this, largest that, and most of everything in between. Seriously! There is so much construction going on in Dubai that over 50% of the world's cranes are currently in use throughout the city, and over 500,000 of the more than 1 million people living in Dubai are construction workers. It is the cleanest, newest, most modern, and most empty city of its size that I've ever experienced. It's absolutely awesome. Now the big question: if you build it, will they come?

Todd, a fellow expat teammate and our sr. marketing manager, joined me for the weekend to shop, swim, relax, and EAT (my favorite part). We flew from Bangalore, through Bahrain, and into Dubai by noon--about 6 hours total. Not bad! We stayed in the immaculate InterContinental Festival City Hotel, which is part of an enormous complex that includes several hotels, a gigantic mall, and many more attractions currently "opening soon" (that became a running joke all weekend...) In fact, the first day we were there we decided to venture out and check out the mall and as we entered the East entrance we looked up and what was one of the first stores we saw? A Caribou Coffee! Our faces were beaming wide with delight and we couldn't run fast enough up the escalator to get our first taste of U.S. coffee in months. Mmmmm! Felt just like home... well, not quite as cold outside, but you get the idea :o)

Throughout the weekend we did all sorts of things: eat yummy American food (hey--a McDonald's with real beef burgers! Not so in India...); took a chauffeured ride and a "construction check" through the different city centers of Dubai; visited Mall of the Emirates (with Ski Dubai--a fully indoor snow skiing hill complete with chairlift! See the slide show); stopped by the famous Burj al-Arab hotel --another amazing work of art; and then off visit the Palm Jumeriah, another stunning display of architecture and design. Our driver took us out to the first development so we could see how the communities are set-up. The building are much bigger than I thought they'd be, and this is only one of several Palm communities they are building in Dubai. It's funny--we were so intrigued by the idea of shaping your neighborhood on the waterfront--just think of the possibilities! (See the creatively revised photo :o)

There was so many things to see and do--we just decided to use the days for sightseeing and the nights for laying low and playing cards--always fun! We got in some R&R, good conversation, and lots of fun with the camera (over 675 snaps!) It was yet another fantastic weekend of meeting people, learning more about the world, and experiencing another country and culture. It's interesting--after you've been away from your "true home" for a few months you really start to appreciate the other different parts of the world... they suddenly don't seem so far away. I believe it's really important to experience the world in whatever way you can--even by just leaving for a weekend. It expands you--and this, in turn, helps you grow. I love it!

The Colors of India

As I approach my third month of living in India, I wanted to assemble a small collection of my favorite images showcasing some of the amazing colors I get to experience in this beautiful country. I used a nifty program called Color Select Studio to assist me with the b&w/coloring effects; however, all of the colors you see are the authentic colors brought back into the picture. For comparison you can find most of these original pictures in my slide shows and/or my Picasa online galleries, so feel free to check them out. If you want to know more information about any of the pictures, please drop me a note (this is the carrot to connect with me :o)

Enjoy the gallery.

Let me show you the world through my eyes.