MARKETS in Barcelona--A fascinating difference

Food--Markets--Around the World.

     When all else falls to ruin, we will all still need to eat.  Karen, farm girl that she was, reminds me of this regularly as the stock price goes up and down on the latest company selling things we do not need. One does not grow up in Mendota, Illinois without understanding that most basic truth.
    So too, the buildings of this marvelous city of Barcelona, will someday be no more--like the Roman Walls of the Old City here are only remnants. But, people will still need to eat.
     Yesterday, when we chose to visit La Rambla (the city street of tourist shops and restaurants visited by everyone--cruise boat, tourist, you name it) we stepped aside to an area in an alley where the real market for food is carried-on.  And there we learned that this is indeed close to France, where food preparation is an Olympic Sport. Karen (Jeanblanc) Troupis was in Seventh Heaven examining the meats, fish, cheeses, spices, breads, pastries and all things essential to a great Spanish/French/Anyplace on the Planet meal. 

     We've come a long way on this voyage around the world and have seen markets in every variety. The contrast from Hong Kong street markets and its splendid malls of tomorrow, to the rural markets in Bagan in Myanmar/Burma, to the markets here are a wonder to behold and experience. 

     And then I recall the markets of Amazon--just a few months ago as Colin Campbell and I visited Manaus, Brazil.

      WHAT A MARVELOUS AND EXCITING WORLD WE LIVE IN. The risk of travel is made so very worthwhile by looking at those things that are universal.

BARCELONA--Disney's Dream European City

OF COURSE EVERYONE LOVES BARCELONA.

    It was a mystery to me why everyone said they loved Barcelona. I mean EVERYONE! What could it be that made this place so magically delicious? So, after a full day of touring, I am ready to make that peanut gallery, off-the-cuff, purely American, judging a book by its cover, likely to be second-guessed conclusion. Here it is: It's all about Disney. 
    I know, you're thinking, if you've been here, that such a claim is sacrilegious. A great capitol of Catalonian Spain compared to Disney? The New York Times travel editor is prepared to send a hit squad to my hotel room for such a claim.  The University of Wisconsin professors guild is preparing to throw a  cappuccino in my face in disgust. I'll be drummed out of the "We should be more like Europe society."
   But the proof is right here. Pictures don't lie. I mean if Walt Disney were reborn and decided to create the perfect European city--that is, 'perfect' in the wonderfully American-centric, mouse with big ears way--he would simply take us all to Barcelona. 
    To begin with, there must be cleaning people on the streets. Always aware of that discarded tissue and sweeping even when it's already clean.

And those simple sweeper-uppers would be so nice they would even help the wayward stranger with a question.

    Because this is an American park, it would, of course be essential to pay tribute to the founder of the continent, Christopher Columbus, with a statue in a public square.

     Then, of course, it would be important to remind people of what it was like before this marvelous city came to life by building a village just like it was hundreds of years of ago. A Spanish town of yesteryear.

     This is a Spanish city that Disney has founded so there must be bullfighting. BUT, the children ought not see those horrific games played out (PETA has objected), so the bullfighting ring can be seen now converted into a shopping mall.

     Fountains, fountains, everywhere to add that important 'water' effect and show-off the marvelous sculptors of the Disney studios.

     Ah, the whimsy of it....a giant fish sculpture is not enough.

     There needs to be a falling ball and a pyramid to make the whimsy complete.

     Ah, a spaceship building to remind us of the NASA launch-pad so close to the other Disneyworld.

     And everywhere you look, the architect Gaudi  (or is it just 'gaudy') makes this fairy-tale city come to life. Sometimes a smile, sometimes a bit scary.

     Every Disney smile deserves a bit of dance--traditional Spanish in a small café.

      And, AT THE END OF A LONG DAY,no trip is complete without a few Disney souvenirs to take home.

Of course WE LOVE BARCELONA.  It's Europe by Disney.

TRAVEL--THE WAY WE WISH FOR

YOUR PETROLEUM DOLLARS AT WORK.

      I think everyone in the US should get one free voucher from the Saudi's for a flight on Emirates Airlines. After all, we all paid for it, right?
      So, once upon on a time, in a far-away land, (Dubai) taking a flight was a marvelous and exciting adventure filled with joy and happiness. In that far-away land you are greeted by a beautiful stewardess (a noun still allowed, with an adjective that does not constitute harassment) at the door to the air terminal, as you depart a car that picked you up at your hotel, courtesy of the airline you are about to fly. That marvelous lady escorts you thru a glass and marble hall with towering ceilings, lit like the morning sun, to a marble counter with a smiling young woman who kindly asks for your passport so she may happily check you in. No amount of luggage is too much and so, as you are handed your boarding pass, multiple young people (everyone is young to us these days) asks if they can help as they direct you to your next stop.
   And, there, in front of you, are those nefarious metal detectors. But, not to worry, a carrier is instantly placed in front of you and the person on the other side asks if they can help you. You're stunned--aren't they supposed to scowl, demand you remove your computer, your camera, your phone, your hearing aid, your belt, your pacemaker, your underwear? No, because this is a far-away land where airport dreams come true. They ask to "assist" you in this unfortunate process which they lament as much you.
   Then you amble past yet more people, clad in shirts that say "Can I help you", each one quick to point you in the right direction to the glass enclosed, marble and steel, elevators that whisk you to the fifth level where you are greeted again and told, "You must be Mr. and Mrs. Troupis. Welcome to humble airline. Simply pass through "those doors" to the lounge area where you will not be bothered by anyone and you can then walk at your leisure down a private corridor to your plane when the time comes."
    As you pass thru those magic doors you see this is no ordinary lounge. No, this is a fairyland lounge of endless buffets of food, drink, TV's, newspapers, computer screens, fruit and honey, and marble and glass as far as you can see. 
Welcome to the Emirates Airline Fairy Tale.

    But, of course, you would not go to this Fairyland terminal without a plane to match, and so you cross a double decked bridge to the second level of an "airbus"-- but this is a "bus" like no other. Every seat has its own bar, two televisions, a seat that folds into a bed, a private portal to the outside with automatic shutters. A phone, noise cancelling earphones and you are introduced to your own personal steward(ess) who you may call at any time with the push of a button.

The movie selection -- 1200 movies and shows. Camera's--you can watch the progress  of n your trip from a tail camera mounted on the outside of the plane.

Food/Drink--champagne is offered before take-off, breakfast or lunch, whatever you prefer, endless drinks, fruits, olives, and did I say drinks.  Even in Fairyland they need an introduction to Wisconsin--that frozen tundra, fairyland now to the Eskimos--They need a bit of help on making a Brandy Manhattan, which I am more than pleased to provide as they open the bar to anyone for anything--service is the only standard. (But now all fellow Badgers can look forward to their trip as I am sure the recipe for a Manhattan will be communicated throughout the Emirates Kingdom.)

So, when they say air travel is a drag. That a proctology exam is more enjoyable than a trip to "OHare" or any other American airport. Remember what your petro dollars have bought for the rest of the world--Emirates Airlines. Proof certain, that infinite amounts of American cash can build an airline that works.

SAND STORMS

White-out at Home, Sandstorms in the Desert.

   You gotta hand it to us. We come to the desert and it's raining. Yep, raining. In fact raining every night. Then, because the maelstrom of showers in one of the driest places on the planet is not enough, today there was a real live Sandstorm. Lawrence of Arabia stuff. Little sand drift in the room, marvelous pool filled with sand and I suspect we will be pouring sand out of our clothes for the foreseeable future.
    No luck in uploading pictures. Sorry, perhaps it will be better at our next stop--Barcelona, Spain. We leave here at 4:30 a.m. (up several hours earlier) for an early flight.  I must admit, this was my mistake--Karen is not a morning person so most of our flights leave at mid-day. Then, to make matters a bit worse, I seem to have come down with a bug of some type.  Hopefully I'll be able to eat more tomorrow, because since late yesterday it's been a bit of a struggle.
    This is, of course, wildly ironic. We spend 12 days in a third world country, and as soon as I get to a first world + country I come down with something. Maybe I was just meant to travel to the most remote places on the planet and skip the luxury resorts?
     P.S. Really glad I was out of the country for the Super Dooper Pooper Scooper Bowl.

LANGUAGE & CULTURE--IS IT DISCONCERTING?

SOME THINGS ARE THE SAME ALL OVER THE WORLD.

      Picture this. You are standing in a crowded airport, or perhaps on the street or you're sitting in a restaurant, or standing in a hotel lobby. All around you there are families--wives, husbands, sons & daughters--dressed in a host of different colors, some with headscarves, some without, some in long flowing dresses, some in shorts. Skin color varies from white (you) to darker and not-so-dark. The eyes vary from Western to Oriental. The hair color is uniformly black or brown. The men often have heavy black beards, while other men appear simply to have decided this is the week they won't shave. And, not a single person is speaking English. None, zero, nada, nothing. The airport board reads like a geography lesson--the one you skipped in High School.

     A bit disconcerting? Answer honestly. It's not just disconcerting, it is a bit terrifying. You are alone in a crowd.
     At some point in our journey this repeated setting became commonplace. In fact, it has become exhilarating. It's life in the "real" world... and while we sometimes feel it perhaps on the street in LA or South Phoenix if we do not speak Spanish, it's not the same as being in a foreign land. No recognizable street sign, no one or thing in sight that is recognizable. Sink or swim on your own; there is no life preserver at hand.
    I know the reason many people find the thought of travel to the locales of this Troupi' adventure terrifying. It would take them far outside their comfort zone (and I will admit to that marvelously exhilarating terror on occasion, as well), and it certainly has done that for us. It's not a slog so much as a jaunt. A happy gait, enjoying the people even as we do not understand a word they are saying.
    Which brings me to the real point I hoped to make, and that is the universal nature of kids. Wherever we have gone, there have been children. Playing, laughing, crying, shouting, pushing, pulling, jumping. Holding on to their parents, cradled in a parents arms, running away from their mom and dad, beating up on their brothers and sisters--you name it, we've seen it.  And for that there is no need of language. It's such a great joy just to see such marvelous humanity--everywhere.

DUBAI--Living like a Sheik

LUXURY

I know I'm supposed to feel guilty. Really, I know it. A good (or not so good) Catholic boy learns at an early age the value of guilt. It's the reason we study at night--" Don't waste a God-given talent." It's the reason we never drink too much--oh, wait, scratch that--the Irish are Catholics. It's the reason we never spend too much on trips around the world--oh, scratch that too.  OK, maybe I don't really feel guilty as much as I feel I should feel guilty. Like we all know we shouldn't watch that reality show about conjoined twins but we can't help ourselves. I mean, really, how do they ride a bike, drive a car, drink too much (Must be Irish twins....)

Anyway, the point I wanted to make is after Burma, we

needed a break from the Third World. Lovely though it is, we are from the good old USA and that means something, doesn't it? Classy--like the Wisconsin Dells. Sophisticated--like NASCAR. Never too gaudy -- Like Las Vegas.  We decided our next stop would be the home of the tallest building in the world, the world's largest mall (with a downhill ski hill), with a floating hotel.... But, in addition to all those man-made thing a  ma doodles, I decided a bit of quiet time was the best thing and so...


We are at the Al Mahan Desert Resort and Spa. Rather than another city, this is the home of Bedouin tribes. The great Sheiks of the Middle East call this spot in the desert their ancient home and one of those Sheiks has preserved it and built 42 "Bedouin Tent" Suites, each with an infinity pool and it's own private view of the desert.  The reserve is home to the White Arabian Oryx. (Ironically, made possible only because the San Diego Zoo was able to breed them successfully for this Sheik in the 1990's and thus save them from extinction.) As well as gazelles--all over the place.
Here by the suite.

All meals are included by a staff of French chefs--lunch desert today .

Each day includes activities such a falconry, archery, camel treks and of course the ever popular to those of us from the USA--4 wheeling in the desert.
In other words, I know I'm supposed to feel guilty, but here I am typing a note next to my own swimming pool that I was in for the morning, headed shortly to the Spa for a Massage and about to share a bottle of fine red wine with my lovely spouse while watching a desert sunset, and I just can't get up the energy to feel guilty. Decadent, Yes, but I wish everyone could have a few moments like this in the short time we are given in this ever so intriguing world.