Wrapping Up Barcelona: A Little of Everything

Light show at the Magic Fountain.

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  It's the last day of vacation; what do you do?

  Do you get one last day of rest and relaxation? Or one more day out and about seeing the sights? It was our last day in Barcelona, so we planned a little of both.

  Anyone who has been out pounding the pavement, knows how tired your feet, back, and legs can get after just a few days of sightseeing. Who knew being a tourist is almost as tough on your body as playing professional basketball can be?

  So our plan for the last day in Barcelona was to relax, have an easy morning, and then get our final afternoon of sight seeing in on the hillside that overlooks the city, Montjuïc .

Linda and I in the Olympic Stadium!

  Linda and I had found a plaza in the El Born neighborhood the previous nights, that we thought had a fun atmosphere, and still was a little off the beaten path. We wanted to have lunch in this plaza.

  One of the things I try to avoid while traveling are tourist traps. I don't like visiting the TGI Fridays of the world, or settling for 'cardboard box meals' (you know, the meals that look like they could have come out of a box, or heated up in the microwave), or the like.

  Places like TGI Fridays, or the Hard Rock Cafe, are restaurants I used to crave in my first few years in Europe. I don't necessarily miss 'American' food anymore when I'm abroad. Instead I like finding little local restaurants or cafes, where you're more-likely to find some specialty food from the region.

  We picked out a little cafe that had a wide variety of food, and settled in for lunch outside in the plaza. Towards the end of our lunch, there was a group of neighborhood kids playing stick ball. As we finished lunch, we watched as they played. On one of the plays, there was a foul ball, and the ball popped up behind the kids, and got stuck in the window bars about 9 or 10 feet off the ground!

  It reminded me of the days playing whiffle ball in the front yard with my brother, only to lose the ball in the huge hedge that resembled the Green Monster.

Linda rescuing the ball for the neighborhood kids!

  The kids tried and tried to get the ball, but it was out of their reach! Lucky for them, Linda came to the rescue. She ran over, and helped them get the ball, so their afternoon of playing stick ball could continue!

  After a relaxing morning, and easy-paced lunch in El Born, Linda and I made our way up to Montjuïc .

  The hillside to the northwest of Barcelona was the site of most the 1992 Olympic games.

  The '92 games are the first Olympics that I really remember watching as a kid, so it was pretty special being able to see the grounds. We made our way to the Olympic Stadium, which happened to be prepping for a Bruce Springsteen concert.

  I was very tempted to run down onto the track and run a lap on the track famous by Gail Devers, Carl Lewis, and others. I might have made it around, but am pretty sure someone would have hauled me off before I crossed the finish line.

Montjuïc Castle.

  To my surprise, Montjuïc wasn't very busy. It was a nice change from the packed streets of Barcelona. We had a nice walk through the Olympic grounds, and around the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC), taking in the views.

  We took a tram ride further up the mountain to the castle overlooking the Port of Barcelona and the city.

  I had gotten a suggestion to watch the fountain show at Magic Fountain that started once the sun went down. So we had a several hours to kill before the fountain show would begin.

  Here's where the day turned a little bizarre, and definitely memorable. 

Atop Montjuïc Castle.

  There was an arena near MNAC that was shaped like a basketball arena. Naturally, we thought that might have been the arena that the Olympic games were played, and where BCN played hoops. So we wanted to explore. If it was indeed the arena where the Dream Team won the gold medal in 1992, that was something I wanted to see!

  As we approached the arena, it became clear it was not an athletics arena, but a mall!

  On the top of the mall, around the Arena, there were restaurants, and like many of the attractions in Barcelona, areas that provided you with fantastic views of the city. From the top, you could look up towards the MNAC, and see a little different perspective of the city. Not just the view looking down onto the water, like many of the other vistas provided.

  As we looked down, immediately in front of the mall, we noticed a group of guys playing a game on a field below. There was no ball, but it was obvious there was a pattern, and a game was being played. We stood atop the mall, a couple hundred feet above the field and watched. Linda and I tried to figure out the point of the game, but both of us had trouble figuring exactly what was going on.

Snack time!

  So we decided we needed a closer look. We headed down to the field to take a seat on the grass and watch. First, we stopped inside the mall's movie theater and bought some popcorn. We needed something to snack on while we watched!

  There were teams of four or five men. One team would surround an opposing player, and engage him in wrestling-like action. Whether it'd be an attempt to tackle his leg, or just a fake attack. Once a player was engaged in action, the chase was on -- for the attacked player to return to his team's end of the field before being tackled by his opponent.

  The game we were watching had one stud in particular, who was quite the showman too -- he even did a back flip at the end for our benefit. They could see Linda and I watching and marveling at the newly discovered game, so I guess they wanted to make sure we were entertained. Here's a quick video of the action:

  The game is called Kabaddi. Google it. I'm sure there are aspects of the game we misinterpreted. 

Magic Fountain from MNAC.

  Our last dinner in Barcelona was less-than-stellar. We couldn't find anything that looked appealing in the vicinity of Magic Fountain. So we ended up in a hotel sports bar that happened to be showing the EuroLeague Championship (basketball).

  For those of you who don't know, the EuroLeague is considered the second best basketball league in the world (behind the NBA). The Champions League of basketball, if you will.

  While we were eating dinner and watching the game, a group of Americans gathered behind us. They immediately began ragging on the game being shown: insulting the players, the league, and in my opinion, the countries involved. They were very loud and obnoxious about it, and it quickly got on my nerves.

Magic Fountain behind.

  Not only did they have no idea about the particular game being played, or the EuroLeague in general, but they were extremely disrespectful. It's situations like that where I cringe because I know that's how we, as Americans, get our bad reputations abroad.

  I couldn't hold my tongue, and listen to the loud bashing for long. Unfortunately, I don't think my words were really heard, but at least I let my feelings known.

  It was finally dark, so Linda and I made the short walk back across Plaça d'Espanya to Magic Fountain for the light and water show. And what a way to finish our time in Barcelona!!

  The sidewalks and stairways were packed with people, as everyone took in the show. The display reminded me of a Disneyland laser light show combined with a water show in Las Vegas. It was a fun, colorful, unique, and memorable way to spend our last evening in Barcelona!

  Our final day in Barcelona certainly was a little out of the ordinary. If you had told me we would spend a couple hours sitting on the grass, eating popcorn, and watching a game I had never heard of, I would have said you were crazy.

  You can get a little bit of everything in Barcelona, and our last day there proved just that. But it was a memorable one to say the least.

  I enjoyed Barcelona, and all the variety and culture it had to offer. I hope to travel back one day, to further explore the things Linda and I did see, and to visit the places we didn't make it to this time around.

  As always, enjoy more pictures below! If you've been, what are the things you appreciated about Barcelona?

RELATED POSTS:

Finally Barcelona (Day 1) 

Barcelona: Day 2

Pretty palm tree!

MNAC

Montjuïc.

Looking down from MNAC.

Inside Olympic Stadium. The torch!

Linda's turn!

At the '92 Olympic Site.

Looking into Barcelona, from the tram.

Barcelona from the tram.

Barcelona from the tram.

Port of Barcelona, from Montjuïc Castle.

Linda atop Montjuïc Castle.

Looking onto Barcelona from Montjuïc Castle.

Atop Montjuïc Castle.

The Arena.

MNAC from the top of the Arena.

Watching the Kabaddi game from above.

Kabaddi training.

Magic Fountain.

At Magic Fountain.

Magic Fountain.

My Philosophy: Be Versatile

Blogging, the old fashioned way.

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  Last week I had the chance to sit-in on a Trainers Round Table where various professionals discussed their training philosophies. Although I am not a trainer, the topic got me thinking, and thinking broader than just the scope of training.

  Not just, what is your training philosophy? But, what is your philosophy, period?

  How do you live?

  Here's mine: Be versatile. Be well-rounded. Expand. Get better.

  Continue to challenge yourself, your body, your mind.

  While my life may lean heavily towards athletics, and more specifically, basketball. I am working at broadening my horizons, and learn new things. My blogs are a reflection of that. I have variety of topics that I'm genuinely interested in, and continually trying to learn more about.

  Be versatile.

  That's how I play basketball. That's how I train.

Bird & Magic: Stat-sheet-stuffers.

  In basketball, I grew up thinking the more versatile I could be, the better. Partially, because I thought that was the most fun way to play. I thought it was boring to go stand in the post, and wait for a guard to pass you the ball. So I developed guard skills. And didn't have to wait for anyone. I focused on my entire game. Not just shooting, or any other particular aspect.

  I have always admired players who could 'stuff a stat sheet' as they say. Players who could do anything on the floor. Players like that, those are the players you're unable to forget. That's how I tried to play as a kid, and that's how I continue to play now.

  In training your body, if you continually work the same muscles, in the same manner, they wear down, grow tired, and injuries may occur. The exercises become less and less effective. At the same time, the muscles you neglect, weaken. Not to mention, you get bored doing the same things over and over.

  Whereas if you train your body in a variety of ways, you're constantly using and developing different muscles. Your body will hold up better, and be more efficient for day-to-day use, and wear and tear. Take a different class. Go for a swim. Spice your workouts up a little!

Do something out of the ordinary!

  In every regard, it's easy to do what we are good at, and ignore our weaknesses.

  I naturally can run longer distances better than I can sprint. So I force myself to do a sprint workout at least once or twice a week in the off-season in hopes that I will become better at it (as well as reaping the benefits of interval training).

  If there is something you want to learn to do, read about it! If you are curious about how something works, research it!

  By working to become versatile, weaknesses can turn into assets.

  On the flip side, there are times when I come across an opponent on the basketball court who clearly has ONE thing she does exceptionally well. And she's unstoppable at it.

  Just like there are people who are extremely successful in the business world because they can do one specific thing better than anyone else. 

  So sometimes I question, is it better to excel at just ONE thing, or proficient at MANY?

Make yourself anything you want!

  Be a 'Jack of all trades', or specialize?

  With all of my worldly experience (tongue firmly implanted in cheek), I still think it's a no-brainer. The more versatile you are, the better. In every aspect. We don't want our brain, or our muscles, wearing out from doing the same thing over and over again, do we?

  Be versatile. 

  We all have different talents, and different interests. And we're never too old to learn something new, or try something new. We can better ourselves, and redefine ourselves at anytime. Being well-rounded keeps things fresh and new, and exciting (no ruts!). It constantly challenges your comfort zone.

  People may have put me into the 'she's a basketball player' box long ago. And that is definitely true. But I think there are several other boxes I can wiggle myself into as well. Don't be put into one box. Be undefinable.

Barcelona Day 2 -- Las Ramblas and Busy Barceloneta

In front of Las Ramblas.

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  Onto day two in Barcelona!

  What had originally appealed to me about Barcelona was the fact that such a big, lively city can also located right on the shores of the Mediterranean. To me, this combination made Barcelona the perfect vacation spot.

  You have the historic sights of Gaudi Park, Las Ramblas, Montjuïc, while also being minutes away from relaxing on beautiful sandy beaches.

  And even though Linda and I had just spent four days on the incomparable beaches of Sardegna, both of us desperately wanted one last afternoon relaxing on the beach. We thought a Saturday in May would be perfect.

Tree-lined Passeig de Gràcia.

  But before we hit Barceloneta for the afternoon, Linda and I had a few sights we wanted to see first. We jumped on the metro, and headed in the direction of Passeig de Gràcia and Las Ramblas.

  We walked the entire length of Passeig de Gràcia (we affectionately nicknamed it P.G. to avoid and embarrassing pronunciation disasters). You could find a lot of high-end shopping, and more architecture by Antoni Gaudi along the tree-lined boulevard.

  Passeig de Gràcia is also considered the most expensive street in Barcelona. Since I'm one that can never pass-up the swoosh, one stop we had to make was at Nike Barcelona when we strolled by it.

  Passeig de Gràcia eventually runs into Plaça de Catalunya, the square where old Barcelona, and the newer city converge. From Plaça de Catalunya, Las Ramblas begins. The kilometer-long avenue might be Barcelona's most well-known attraction.

  We walked from Plaça de Catalunya towards the harbor, stopped in at a Starbucks, and then continued people-watching and perusing through the kiosks as we made our way through the pedestrian mall.

The entrance of La Boqueria.

  There's a large public market called La Boqueria where we stopped to find some food to take with us to Barceloneta. The market has a long standing history in Barcelona, as it originally dates all the way back to the 1200s.

  Beautiful fruit and vegetable stands, flower shops, and makeshift-restaurants run throughout the jam-packed covered market.

  We were enjoying exploring the maze that was the market, until we came across the meat stand and encountered the lamb head with its eyes peering right at us. That was our cue to take our fresh fruit, and head towards the beach.

  If the Alghero beaches were relaxing and peaceful, Barceloneta was the polar opposite. I have never been on a beach so jam-packed and busy. We tried to find a spot that was off the beaten path, but that proved to be impossible.

Busy Barceloneta.

  Eventually, we settled on a spot smack in the middle of all the action -- since there really was no spot OFF the beaten path. We tried to relax, but the constant hassling from vendors trying to sell cold drinks, scarves, hats, and anything else imaginable, made relaxing a little difficult.

  Linda and I both were quickly annoyed, but we made-do, and tried to enjoy the sunshine and the water.

  That was an interesting beach to sit on for the afternoon. Saw a couple things I didn't care to see, such as both men and women turning Barceloneta into a nude beach. Yikes!

Linda in the water.

  Needless to say, we didn't last too long on Barceloneta, and set back out onto Las Ramblas. I found some pretty jewelry made by a local woman, that I bought for myself and brought a pair of earrings home for my mom as well.

  Evening came, and it was time for dinner! Once again, tapas and sangria were on tap. Linda and I enjoyed the neighborhood we had eaten at the night before, so we head back down to Barri Gòtic to find another restaurant to try out. We wanted to find a place to sit outside, but unfortunately everywhere we went the patios were full.

Got some gelato!

  We settled on semi-hole-in-the-wall, that had a wide variety of things on the menu. I had a traditional Spanish Tortilla and, after days of tapas, sandwiches, pizza, and pasta, a much-needed salad. The sangria, as could be expected, was awesome!

  Linda was determined to taste the Spanish beer, but was having difficulty finding the list on the the menu. She asked our waitress, 'donde esta el beer?' as I died laughing at our attempt to speak a little Spanish.

  We wandered in and out of the streets, looking for a second cafe/bar to stop in, but weren't having much luck finding one that caught our eye. I must have been having a particularly tall night that night, because the constant comments from strangers quickly got on my nerves.

  As we continued walking, ice cream was starting to appeal to me. And since we couldn't find a cafe that enticed us, we settled on some gelato -- never a bad way to end a night!

  Day two in Barcelona was a little wacky, but we saw some fun sights on Las Ramblas, and some unfortunately unforgettable things in Barceloneta. But wacky makes for memorable, which is exactly what you want vacations to be!

  RELATED POSTS:

Barcelona Day 1

 

A short Barceloneta video -- so you can see the madness. And more pictures below!

Gaudi architecture along Passeig de Gràcia.

Plaça de Catalunya

Linda along Las Ramblas.

Inside the market.

Barcelona Harbor.

Sitting on Barceloneta.

Streets of Barri Gòtic neighborhood.

Barcelona at night.

The Happiness Advantage

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  Last week, I came across a blog post that really struck a cord with me. It was based on a TED talk that dealt with positive psychology, how our world or 'reality' is shaped by the lens in which we see it, and how our goal-based, never-satisfied society has it all backwards.

  We all are striving to lead successful/happy lives, aren't we? This video has an interesting take on how we all can affect, and improve, our reality. Take a look at the 12 minute talk from Shawn Achor. I think it will intrigue, and encourage you; it did me.

A Few of My Take-Aways:

• Our reality doesn't shape us, how we view our world (the lens) shapes our reality.
         We assume: our external world (the things we have, where we live, how much money we make, our job, the school we go to, the people around us, etc..) predicts our happiness levels.

                   When in reality: only 10% of our long term happiness is predicated on our external world. Our happiness is based on the way our brain processes the world.

• What we are exposed to (our lens: news, tv, internet, friends), and how we react to it, shapes our levels of happiness.
• Through our lens, our brain trains itself. Having negativity around you all the time, will only breed negativity.  After seeing constant negativity, our brains expect and look for the negative, over the positive. The alternative, surrounding ourselves in positivity and training our brains to look for the positive, is true as well.

My Greatest Take-Away:

  Our society thinks: 'if I am successful, then I will be happy.' But we all know, in reality, when we achieve a little bit of success, we just want more. So the bar is pushed a little bit higher, leaving us still-striving to reach success (and in turn, our brain never reaches happiness).

  What if we changed our mindset to: 'being happy will make me more successful'? When a person's level of positivity is raised, they reach the happiness advantage where you see improved productivity (success) across the board (intelligence rises, creativity levels rise, energy levels rise, etc...).

OUR BRAINS ARE MORE PRODUCTIVE AT POSITIVE THAN THEY ARE AT NEGATIVE, NEUTRAL, OR STRESSED STATES.

How do we become more POSITIVE IN THE PRESENT, and in turn, raise our levels of productivity/success?

  Believe it or not, we can train our brain to be MORE positive. We can train our brains to look for the positive, instead of the negative. Achor goes on to describe how to create lasting positive change, in a manner similar to breaking a bad habit.

For 21 consecutive days, do the following:

• 3 Gratitudes - on a daily basis, write down three new things you're grateful for. This causes the brain to look for the positives first.
• Journaling - write about one positive experience you've had in the past 24 hours. This allows your brain to re-live the positive!
• Exercise - teaches your brain that your behavior matters.
• Meditate - allows our brains to focus at the task at hand. It trains us to get away from our multitasking society.
• Random Acts of Kindness - write one positive email/message to someone in your support network praising or thanking them.

  Is it possible that the key to success and happiness is based on the simple, old adage of the glass being half-full versus half-empty? And then, training ourselves to see the brighter side of life?

  It's obvious that each of us have a natural propensity to be more optimistic or pessimistic. And what makes us happy is specific to each individual as well. So isn't it nice to know we can make a difference, and we should look beyond what makes average person happy, and how the average person measures success? What do you think?

4th of July: My Favorite Day on the Lake

After the parade in LO.

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  If ever you're to spend a day in Lake Oswego, Oregon, may I suggest the Fourth of July? While there might be better, more-extravagant, celebrations and events throughout the country. For me, there's no better day to be in my hometown than on our nation's Independence Day.   

  The 4th of July, is by far my favorite day of the summer. It's where I get the best of every world. Family. Fun. Celebration. Fireworks. Great food. And usually, great weather. All under a beautiful backdrop. I couldn't ask for more.

The parade getting underway.

  It's one day where the city of Lake Oswego really goes all-out. And the celebration of America's independence is as good an excuse as any for an all-day party.

Stella and Sadie looking on.

  This year, my family's day started bright and early (for holiday standards, anyway). At 10AM, the Star Spangled Parade was to get underway in Downtown Lake Oswego. So I ran the 4+ miles down to 3rd and A Avenue to meet my mom, and reserve some seats along the parade route. My brother and his family, who were making the two-hour drive up from the Eugene area, were joining us for the parade.

  During the hour wait for the parade to start, I quickly realized I wasn't cut-out for the world of parades. There are some loud and pushy people in that world! But once my nieces arrived, and the parade got underway, all was forgotten.

  We waved at the floats, cars, unicyclers, dogs, and anything else decked out in red, white and blue that passed by. The paraders threw candy to the crowd lining the streets, so Stella, Sadie, and Sofie had fun trying to collect as many pieces of candy as they could. (And, in turn, eat it all up before auntie had a chance to pick out her favorites.)

Sofie loved the fountain!

  The parade dispersed, and we headed for Millennium Plaza Park. On Saturdays during the summer, there's a wonderful Farmer's Market held in the park. And on the 4th, a smaller market with booths, games, and a band was set up for the afternoon. But we had our sights set on the water fountain.

  My nieces ran in and out of the fountain with huge smiles on their faces, while we soaked up some sun and were entertained by the shenanigans of laughing/screaming kids in the water.

  There's also a Pancake Breakfast put on by the Lake Oswego Lions Club throughout the morning at nearby George Rogers Park, but my family and I have yet to participate. Maybe next year.

  My parents are fortunate enough to live in an old house on beautiful lakefront property. So given the days' events in Lake Oswego, we have a 4th of July BBQ with our extended family each and every year.

Part of Millennium Park.

  Once we had gotten our fill of the water fountain at Millennium Park, we returned to the house to finish prepping for the BBQ, and the arrival of the rest of the family!

  I had a cake to finish decorating (that Sadie and Stella helped put the finishing touches on), and wiener wraps to bake (homemade whole wheat dough with organic hot dogs!).

  As my aunt and uncle, Nana, cousins, other nieces (and nephew) and family members trickled in, we enjoyed the weather and the view outside (and yummy appetizers on the patio). I was entertained by my littlest niece, Sofie, while her sisters, Stella and Sadie went out onto the boat.

Hanging out with Sofie.

  Stella, who is eight, had made it known earlier this summer that she wanted to go inner-tubing for the first time. So even though the 4th is probably the busiest boating day on the lake of the year, she was determined to get out there.

  The lake is a long and skinny body of water, about seven miles around. With all the traffic at once, the water gets choppy, and the ride not-so-smooth. It makes for an interesting time on water skis, or on an inner-tube. But Stella kept her word, and was out there inner-tubing with the best of them!

  Earlier in the day, those on the lake can also take part in a boat parade. Families decorate their boats, and join-in with the rest of the community for a celebratory ride around the lake.

Stella inner-tubing for the first time!

  My family has only boat paraded once, and that was several years ago. That parade turned into a glorified water fight, which we came unprepared for. Even though we couldn't take part in the water fight, we had a pretty good time!

  I've been told the organizers have reiterated that it is not a water fight, but I'm curious to know if they have been successful in keeping the water cannons and water balloons away.

  It was finally dinner time, and we enjoyed quite a spread: ribs, steak, chicken, wiener wraps, potato salad, three bean salad, baked beans...you know, the usual belly ache inducing BBQ fare!

  We killed the few hours' wait til the fireworks on the lake were to start by visiting on the patio, and enjoying the chocolate flag cake for dessert.Yum yum!

Birthday cake for the US, and for my mom!

  Once dusk hits, the people on the lake usually head back out on their boats for a firework display on the water. The Lake Corporation positions a barge towards the west end of the lake, and sets fireworks off.

  As you wait for the official firework show to start, it's always fun sitting on the lake watching everything going on around you. Neighbors are also shooting off their own fireworks, or have bands playing. It's also interesting watching the ducks and birds (and bats) trying to figure out what this invasion is all about, and when their normally-peaceful habitat will be returned to them.

Waiting for the official firework show to start!

  10PM, and the fireworks start! You've found your spot on the boat, and settle in to watch. The Lake Corporation puts on a 20-25 minute show, and it never disappoints. There always seems to be one new 'firework' from the previous year that makes you ooooh and ahhhhh a little more.

Fireworks over the water.

  Once we've all said our goodbyes, the cleanup can begin. The aftermath is something like Christmas morning. Except instead of torn up wrapping paper, there are dirty dishes, empty cans, and remaining food everywhere you turn. It's late, and you're tired. A quick cleanup, then try to unwind and get some rest.

  For some, the party continues all night. This year, I woke up to a series of 4AM fireworks. The Fourth of July is truly a day where the people of Lake Oswego go all out.

  If you've ever been to the Portland area, you know all about the beautiful scenery: the rivers, the lakes, the mountains, how green it stays year-round. Unfortunately, to get those beautiful shades of green, we get (more than) our fair share of rain. The 4th of July kicks off summer for Portlanders, weather-wise, so that is another reason I look forward to Independence Day! Since I've been home, I have been not-so-patiently waiting for the sunny weather to become the norm, rather than the exception. :)

Fireworks!

  The 4th of July also signals roughly the midway point of my off-season. And maybe serves as a pause for me: as I go from focusing on helping my parents prep for their big celebratory BBQ (before the 4th), to bringing my training (and summer travel) to the forefront (after the 4th). Regardless, I'll thoroughly enjoy the second half of my off-season!

    Since my family moved to the lake, I think I've only missed one (maybe two) 4th of Julys. For me, nothing can measure up. It is a day in Lake Oswego that I refuse to miss!