What's Been Happening These Last Few Months?

I have lapsed in writing on my blog site for the last few months.  I will provide some highlights of what I've been doing during this time.  I'll also refer to Chris' blog site for some details about our Paris trip.

May/June

Upon coming back from an amazing trip to Istanbul with Chris, the very next day I went with friends to the city of Girona, to see their annual Temps de Flors (literally Flower Time).  During that week, the city puts on a beautiful, creative and unique display of flowers and art that one can discover in the patios, corners, steps, and even streams and river throughout the center of the city.  It's an event that is becoming more and more popular with each passing year and is very close to Barcelona.

Another popular one day flower event in the beach town of Sitges is Corpus Christi.  Traditionally, this festival was the Catholic celebration of the Eucharist, which represents the body of Christ (the literal meaning Corpus Christi). It is generally celebrated 60 days after resurrection Sunday, but there

is a convoluted way to calculate it.  It is the Thursday after the 9th Sunday after the first full moon in Spring in the Northern Hemisphere.  Whew!!  I just let them tell me when it is.  In Barcelona it is celebrated over a few days with flowers and an egg that is dancing and held up by a fountain stream of water, representing the fertility, regeneration and vitality of life in Spring.

In Sitges you don't see the dancing egg, but for one day you see carefully laid flowers displayed on small streets in the center of town.  It is quite a sight to behold.  Due to the fragility of the flowers, it is held on just one day.  At the end of the day an outdoor Mass is said and the temporary fencing around the flowers is taken down for the people to walk on this very impermanent show of beauty.  The city workers clean up during the night and the next day there is little evidence of what was there the day before.

On the 23rd of June is the eve of Sant Joan (Saint John) festival, which in many Mediterranean towns, including Barcelona, is celebrated with fire.  In fact one of the designated places in Barcelona is on the corner next to my building.  It is quite a sight and the ferocity of the flames can bring a chill down my back in spite of the hot day and the even hotter radiance of heat from the fire.  I celebrated the evening with some friends and we had an outdoor picnic of sorts after the bonfire on the grounds of Montjuic, a very large hill near the center of the city.

I celebrated my birthday soon afterwards at my favorite wine bodega near my home.  I invited about 30 of my friends for a glass of wine and champagne (called cava here) and then had a large dinner group at a local restaurant.

But the highlight of June was flying to Kiev to be with Chris for a short four days.  We really didn't do anything special.  But it was perfect just spending time together in his apartment, going out to dinner, doing some window shopping, and basically sharing more of our lives together.

July

After a two week stay in the U.S., Chris came to Barcelona and the very next day we flew to Paris for 10 glorious days discovering this incredible city.  Chris really goes into some delightful details of our trip and what we got to see (http://travelguychris.blogspot.com/2016/07/summer-part-2-highlights-of-paris.html).  I'll just add a few things from my perspective.

This is my second time to Paris.  I was here three years ago. Since this was Chris' first time, we went

to some of the same places I had already visited, but it was very enjoyable to visit these sights again with the man I love.  I found that using Paris Pass was a great way to visit both well-known and some off-the-beaten-path tourist places.  We did a 6 day pass, which seemed expensive, but we got our money's worth with the number of museums and tourist spots we visited, the quick access, the unlimited use of metro and bus services, etc.  Having visited these places, I wouldn't use the Paris Pass again, but if it's your first time to Paris, I would highly recommend it.

I wish we knew French, but we don't.  However, my knowledge of Spanish and exposure to Catalan helped me to discern and understand some of what I read and heard in French.  It's a beautiful language and so pleasant to listen to, even if I couldn't understand much of what was being said.  Contrary to the stereotype of Parisians as being snobby and unhelpful, we found the people in Paris to be quite helpful and friendly.

I find Chris to be an excellent travel partner, always accommodating, positive, and adventurous. We

had a fantastic time exploring the streets of Paris together and we make a great team!

After Paris, we flew back to our home in Barcelona where we are spending relaxing days together and visiting with our many friends here.  Although he will be going back to Kiev on Aug 10, he will be back again for a few days in Sept 7 for a weekend in Sitges.  I look forward to the day when he will be staying here in Barcelona for good.