Alexandra Gardner :: composer
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barcelona updates
barcelona update #1
- october 2002
Dear
Friends,
Hola desde Barcelona! Made it through the first month - quite an adventure! I am happy to say that I have rented a flat in a neighborhood called Gracia, a mere 5-minute walk to Parc Guell, where there are many works of the very fabulous architect Antoni Gaudi. The address and phone number are listed at the end of this message, and my email remains the same.
As far a good stories go, I'm sure you will find the very first one to be the most amusing! Here it is: I reserved a room in a hostel over the internet for the first few nights here - easy, no? No. Got off the plane, jumped in a cab, and when we arrived at the given address there was nothing at that number but a big flea market!! So there I am wandering the streets with my very large heavy bag, in the Land of Pickpockets, asking vendors if they know where this place is.finally the ice cream man said that 3 other people had asked the same thing this week and that there was no hotel, no hostel, no nothing there. I hopped in another taxi and asked the driver to just take me to a hotel, any hotel, which he very kindly did - nice but not too expensive and they even had room for me that night. All I could do was laugh!
Since then, life has been mostly about figuring out how life happens here - finding and renting a flat, how the banks work, the phone system and various other utilities, where to buy a coffee maker, etc. Pretty much everything is completely different, and it has been quite a challenge to decipher it all in a different language! But my Spanish improves every day, and my vocabulary for all things household-related has become quite good!
Now that things are settling down I am working on music - currently a piece for trombone and electronics - and taking some time to explore. The city itself is lovely (great for walking), the people are friendly, the food is good, and there appears to be a lively art and music scene! Good stuff!
barcelona update #1
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