The Brits say “flat” and the Spanish say “piso” (although that also means floor), but be careful when you say you want to buy someone’s PIS in Catalan, because that’s how they say apartment. I did so on Airbnb this summer. I was remarkably lucky to be right downtown and have a world class view, reminiscent of my childhood when my dad got an apartment on Governor’s Island overlooking the World Trade Center/Twin Towers, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty in panorama…with ZERO rent.
Many of you heard of how I was bragging to other Anglophones on the train from the Barcelona airport how well I knew the city and then when I changed trains to get to Estacio Sants I forgot all of my clothes and a few other non-critical items in the overhead and, despite filing a report with the help of my Airbnb host, I was not able to find it. I only had the clothes on my person and lost all the other clothes I was planning to use during my five weeks of travel, although I was only half way through it at this point. My tablet, my ipod, beard trimmer and various other items were gone forever. Fortunately my documents and critical computer and camera components were all in my briefcase which I kept by my side. I have great friends in BCN who helped me right away to get shirts and another sack. Xavi and his friends also helped me get to a discount store to get a bunch of underwear and socks before things closed on Saturday (as nothing would be open Sunday). I also had a couple of great guys help me out with suggestions of what to see that I had never really checked out up close in my previous trips. Those photos are showcased here. In particular the. I also got in a lot of good relaxation and fun with the great nightlife they have there. The bear beach was fun too. It’s called Chernobyl. As you will see the decaying factory is why it is so nicknamed. It’s just north of the city, although there are great beaches in the city itself.
