Something Stuck

Well, it’s not easy. It’s been two or three months since I’m back in Brazil and things are back to “normal”. Europe was a journey of six months and I have lots of material to post here, but I’ll leave that to time.

Blogging has always been fun to me. Writing my thoughts down has helped ease my mind since I was 8 or so, so nothing would make more sense than to make it in a way that could also help others as me. And since I started reading about philosophy and putting it to use in my life, things just kept getting more complicated – and, interestingly enough, simpler too.

Then, I started drinking. I never smoked because the idea never got to me, but I also learned not to prejugde whoever did so. But beer became my passion because, much as wine but cooler than that, it lights up all that’s good in a person, it makes life a lot more bearable and people gather in joy, not in sorrow or for status. Besides the fact that it’s a very important and beautiful part of mankind history. And that it’s good for your soul.

What the hell does that has to do with Europe?

Everything, to me at least. Since I came back, I was avoiding this post. Because something was stuck in my mind, a single and simple question: “What did you think about Europe?” It had it’s ups and downs, sunny and snowy days, but after all I was afraid to realize that it was good. Simple as that, “good”.

By “fact” I mean something of quantitative and qualitative aspects that simply exist. It’s a judgement over something that it’s not “right” or “wrong”, “good” or “bad”, but just simply exists as such and “it is what it is” – an element that possesses a reality. The subjective judgment over a fact involves the comparison of you with your line of thought on that fact (adding your logical thought, emotions, whatever resource you may use to do so – that may or may not change). For example, the clothes you wear they are made of some fabric, made by someone, in some colour, etc, that you think (judge) that look good on you and that’s why you bought them (in a very simple but nice example).

So, going to Europe was a “fact”. Had its financial cost, a winter-ish weather, oportunities, some risks, consumed some considerable time, involved lots of planning, an overall structure of daily worries that never crossed my mind, the use of different languages to survive, and eventually, me.

Well, “good” is subjective. And to judge a fact subjectively, you need to accept your reality in order to know what you think of that fact. So, that’s why it was so difficult for me to accept what Europe ment to me at this time of my life and what was my judgement over that.

After all, I got to the thought that what I thought about europe it didn’t actually matter. The thing that was stuck in my mind was way beyond that, it was to accept my “reality” (who I am, from toe to the last belief) and not Europe as a life experience. So, that’s why it took me a while to get back on track.

Learning to live it’s not that hard, but learning to live with yourself… that’s the thing.

Back

Dear Readers,

If any left, I’m still alive. I have been just busy and the posting will continue soon enough hopefully.

Sorry for the absence and you’ll be hearing from me…

P’a Picar

I don’t know if it’s just the sun. Or if it’s just the blue skies, the buildings, the sea, the girls, the food, the wines, the craft beers or all of it together at the same time. Probably it’s this last alternative. But after 5 months without the sensation of having one complete day with warm sunlight in my skin and blue skies, Barcelona had quite an impact over me.

I have to say that I wasn’t expecting much. I booked a hostel for 9,50 euros the day, got a somewhat cheap plane ticket in a decent departure-arrival time and would get to meet up with some friends that I hadn’t seen for a while. All of that made me think that it would at least be nice to spend a week in this Spanish city, but I guess I wasn’t quite ready.

Surprises are always along the way, for those who keep on walking. I arrived on a Tuesday night, and later on, to this old building in the Barceloneta district. I don’t know if honestly I would recommend this hostel, despite the fact that I enjoyed myself a lot over there. I got a bed in a room for 4, during five days at an excellent price and, amazingly, stayed there the whole period by myself. The thing is: the reception only opens for 2 hours and if something happens you just have to deal with it somehow, and no breakfast is included, though a small café is just under the hostel. If you’re like me that don’t bother much with those things, go ahead and book yourself a room, you’re going to enjoy it.

On the second day I met my friends. This may sound as the “what I did in my last vacations” type of text, but truthfully those five days were like going to another world inside Europe. The architecture of the city is very interesting, the Spanish people are quite “sui generis” and it just feels like good times wherever you go.

Especially if you’re like me, a hungry, thirsty and walking man, it’s your type of town:

- You eat very well. From those fancy places up in Passeig de Gracia to simple restaurants in alleyways to those obscure… things… in the gothic area, you probably will find decent food in a very honest price. Especially if you go to somewhere with local food, such as a ‘bar de tapas’, where you serve yourself in sort of a buffet and eat different snacks: from olives and cucumbers to a type of bruschetta with goat cheese, tomato and ‘jamon’.

- You drink very well. In this aspect it goes along the lines of Rome. The wine isn’t as famous as the french but they still manage to present quite interesting stuff for a very honest price. And caves, the Spanish champagne, is a must if you’re into some nice drinking – this place from the photo is awesome, for example. And look out for some beer places such as Cerveteca! The craft Spanish beers are on its babysteps towards something interesting, I tried some local Barley Wines and Porters, everything pretty robust and different.

- The subway is a bless. It will take you to everywhere from everywhere. The geography of this town is a little different and the subway covers it very well. Making it the perfect allied for those who like to wander around without much care, knowing that there will always be a quick and efficient transport alternative around to take you home. And besides, usually there are some good musicians in the subway, especially some “señores” playing the accordion. Totally worth it.

- Don’t plan too much. Think of three or four things to do per day, but don’t rush to do all of them and use public transportation as often as you can, and take it easy. It’s that type of town that you can spend hours on some café watching people going by.

I would easily spend a month there. But that’s me. Some people think that a week or two it’s enough, but as I realized, if you wanna fully enjoy Barcelona – and by that I mean, from going to clubs at night, to buying a “pata negra” down at La Boquería, to just chill in front of Barceloneta’s beach – I would definitely recommend a month or so.

Food Trucks

Sou muito a favor de tudo que é de bom gosto. Literalmente, principalmente.

No exterior é muito comum ver food trucks por aí. No Brasil, país onde leis datam do século XVI, não há regulação referente a isso nem menção a tal coisa. Daí você vê aqueles tiozinhos nas kombis servindo comida… suspeita. A não ser quando o cara faz direito e com o mínimo de higiene possível. Mas na verdade estamos, com essa petição, fazendo outra coisa e levando o nível pra cima.

Primeiro porque me parece ser um negócio simples e sustentável. Baixo custo, produtos simples e que podem ser de uma qualidade de mediana a ótima, trazendo um retorno muito bom, dependendo do giro. Mas a grande vantagem é a localização: você pode ir de pontos em pontos da cidade atrás de clientes.

Então o que você está esperando? Assina aí!!! Demora menos do que o tempo de ler esse texto.

http://www.avaaz.org/po/petition/Regulamentacao_comida_de_rua_profissional_em_Food_Trucks/?cTykTdb