Two scenes from Barcelona yesterday--if you REALLY have nothing else to do for ten minutes. [View all]

[DFW]

One--yesterday, I woke up in horror to find that I had left the charger to my cell phone in Germany, and I'm here in Spain until Sunday. My cell phone is an antiquated, very unsmart Nokia that would probably be confiscated in Finland under their Antiquities Protection Act (if they have one).

I was bemoaning my plight to a local friend, who said a mutual friend of ours knew guys who had shops with old phones and accessories. I went to see him (speaking Catalan as an American makes people remember you here). He told me to give him my phone. I did. He ran out the door and returned four minutes later with a compatible charge cable. I asked him what I owed him, and he said the guy who had it was going to throw it away anyway when he got around to it, so his guy just gave it to him, so he just gave it to me. He wouldn't even take a euro for it.

Two--last night there was a big demonstration here, and my part of town was blocked off from taxis. I had rather far to go, and couldn't see walking it to my 8 PM appointment. So I popped down into the nearest Metro stop. BAD mistake. It was crowded like a sardine can with about a thousand people with the same idea. The first train came after 15 minutes, and it was so crowded I couldn't even get on. Fifteen minutes later, the next train came, and I squeezed myself in. Pickpockets' paradise, I thought. Not just me, it turned out. Suddenly, next to me, a well-dressed Chinese man was grabbing what turned out to be his wallet back from a nasty-looking character with Balkan features who had just lifted it from the Chinese guy's bag. The thief wasn't giving up without a struggle even though everyone around him was yelling "ladrón (thief)." The thief had picked on the wrong tourist, though. The Chinese guy happened to fit a certain stereotype, and with his free hand was pulling some lightning martial arts moves on the thief, who gave up when the train pulled into the first stop. He took off as soon as the doors opened, somewhat more bruised than when he had gotten in.

So much for a routine work day for me. I think and hope today will be more tranquil.