Travelling rule #3: don't get involved in political demonstrations in foreign countries. There are good reasons of course - even if the demonstration is totally peaceful, there's the question of making an intelligent decision on an issue without knowing the full background. This one really seems like a no-brainer though: big dam on the Ebro, take water from poor area and send it over to rich area, drown historical and archeological sites, upset the Aragon Pyrenees ecology, forcibly displace villages. People I've talked to are united against it, across class and political lines. Even the EU gave it a resounding "stupid" vote. According to editorials, if the water is going to agriculture (like the government says) instead of golf courses (like the opposition says) the numbers don't work out to any economic advantage.
Unfortunately the massive street demonstration didn't make the "Barcelona Weekend" handout so I slept through the main event and just got to be part of the masses afterwards, by accident at first and on purpose afterwards. The snappy red and yellow "Trasvase No" hats gave the crowd a festive air and the musicians and street performers just kept going. Half of the buskers in Europe appear to inhabit Las Ramblas in any case. Old city is interesting enough to make walking around sufficient entertainment for a normal afternoon, so the additional people and performers just made it more so whatever it is.
Barcelona is fun but the beautiful spring weather here gave me itchy feet, so I headed out only to get snowed out of all the mountain hiking and rained out lower down. I did walk a couple days on the Camino de Santiago, a medieval pilgrim route that was all the rage about 1000 years ago. It was interesting, historical, and will be much prettier with leaves on the trees than it is now. Not a waste of time, but not enough to keep me on the trail through day after day of cold mean spring rain. This is Spain, fer crying out loud, not Washington. So I bailed in Pamplona and got back to...more beautiful spring weather. Dang it.
I had a lovely week in Austria with my friend Pam (hi Pam!) and her sweetheart (hi Julius!), and got to meet the in-laws. Mom cooks a mean Topfenstrudel. Austrians really do wear those little hats with feathers in 'em. And just when I was getting worried that I would go the whole week without seeing lederhosen, we pulled over for a funeral procession headed by a marching band in full traditional outfits. More lederhosen than you could shake a stick at. Now I've been to Austria.
I'll be home soon, anybody want to sell me a car?
Best,
-Sarah