April « 2006 « Back on the track

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Barcelona

My last trip in the old continent was to Barcelona. I was unsuccessful in the first time I tried to go there, I real problem with the lastminute.com avoided me to fly. Finally, I bought at expedia a packed including the flight and hotel. To share the expenses with me, the endless pocket money girl…

Barcelona is one of the most popular sights in Europe, and also attracts many young tourists trying to have some fun in the Spanish, or even better, Catalonian “Costa brava”. Since we have traveled in the winter the prices are not so high yet, and the weather, not so bad…

To tell the truth I was a bit tired when I arrived there. Before, in the last 70 days, I was traveling for about 40 days, including Lyon, Germany, Liverpool, and the other places I have talked here before.

I will let the photos talk to themselves. There are many nice places there, specially the the Guel Park, designed by Gaudi. The food is also good, parrilas with sangria… Barcelona is the city of the design!

That is all for now. I do not know if I will keep writing my blog, I will let the time decide to itself. Now I am at home, in the lovely Belo Horizonte. My PhD is to be finished soon, but I do not know yet when… Moreover, I have no idea to define at to do after that…

Cheers;

Douglas

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Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Latvia

The most unpredictable trip I made to Europe was, without any doubt, the one to Latvia (Letonia). I decided to go there because it was cheaper to fly there, and after London than flying directly from Stockholm. Hence, I decided to go to Riga, the Latvian capital. Using her infinite pocket money, Claire, decides to come with me.

For what I remember we spent 4 days over there. The country is in a changing moment, manly due to its integration in the European union. It is living a building process. One thing has come to eyes in this trip, it is a country without a strong national identity. It has belonged to the Nordic empire for a long time, was dominated by the Germans during the wars, and finally was integrated in the USSR, as the other Baltic countries, Estonia and Lithuania. As it has been under the domain of several countries during most of its recent history, the country has a non clear face. They are a bit Russian, due to the soviet regime, but it is still a Baltic country.

It was one of the trips I have enjoyed the most. I want to come there someday, to see how it will change under the European union, or even more, under the European union domain! I could guess they will definitely loose their identity and become “Europeans”, even though they are closer to be Russian today.

The European union itself is a very complex structure. Its motto says “In varietate concordia”, that means “For unit in diversity”. One day I will write a bit about the giant called EU, the experience of one who has traveled in 10 of the 25 states that composed one of the most ambitious political program of the human beings ever made.

That is all for today…

Douglas

Posted by Douglas at 10:13:28 | Permalink | No Comments »

Saturday, April 8, 2006

Sweden

For now on I will write in this blog in English to give plenty access to my non-Portuguese speakers friends. I really do not feel like keeping this blog for very long time, however, I will do it for now, since I still have quite a few stories to write about. Today a bit of my trip in Sweden that has included Stockholm, Vasteras and Nortalije. As can be promptly noticed in the photos it was damn cold, with snow everywhere. I stayed there for about 9 days, I do not remember precisely, with Claire (France), Noemi (Belgium), Muriel (Cameroon), Jonas and Elias (Sweden).

Despite the cold I can say that Sweden is a nice place. The bikes in Vasteras did not have a lock. Most of people, including the ones in their 50s, are capable to speak a good English, proving the well known reputation of the Nordic countries of good education. In Stockholm there is a museum with a ship that capsized a long time ago. They recovered it and it can be seen in one museum over there an in my photos.

In fact it is not the most interesting place to visit, but it was a nice trip. I would like to return there someday, in the summer…

That is all folks;