Skirts on Friday - Skirts Abroad!

I don't know where to begin. I have so much to say and so many adventures to report. As it is Friday, I will fall back on my skirts. (One of the things I have learned from this 4skirts project is that it may be boring to wear the same things every day, but it is a bonus when I don't have the energy, desire, or time to put into creative dressing).

I packed a light suitcase and dug through it repeatedly over the course of the month away. The weather ranged from dripping hot to blustery, misty, chill. The scenes went from concrete, urban, chic to country lakes and gardens. With the exception of some shoe problems (of course), I think that, overall, I looked acceptable. My skirts served me well.

I realized on the way home that my year of skirts was about to come to a close - I had almost achieved my goal, I had almost gone a whole year wearing the same 4 skirts (with a few exceptions). I was excited to chuck (maybe burn) the whole pile of skirts and most of my other clothes along with them. I looked at my blog and realized that I still have 16 days left - aaaahhhhhggg!!! Well, I washed everything and got some new tops out of my closet so I don't have to feel so road weary.

I guess I have a few more weeks to figure out who the new me is. Right now, after a month of viewing fashion all over Europe, I have NO idea. More on this later.

(The photos are, from top to bottom: the gothic cathedral in Barcelona, Guell Park in Barcelona; Edinburgh; Lormes France; Bath, England; London, England)

Somewhere in the World - Barcelona Spain

In 1985 my husband (then boyfriend) and I went to Europe. We had studied the cooperative society of the Basque city of Mondragon in an organizational psychology class and we wanted to go explore and possibly live in Spain.

We traveled from London, through France and Switzerland, to Barcelona. It was January and, much to our dismay, wet and frigid when we arrived. The city looked dismal and abandoned as we trudged through the streets trying to find food and our pension (a small, low-cost hotel or home with rooms to let). We got some bread and peanut butter at a convenience store. We left our coats on in our room as we ate, then crawled under the covers to get warm, and fell asleep.

About two hours later, we woke to what sounded like crowds of people outside our window. When we opened the shutters, the streets were bright, bustling, and alive with shops, restaurants, families, young people, old people, dogs, laughing, shopping, strolling. We realized that we had arrived during siesta, and our opinion of the place immediately flipped from bad to good.

We spent about ten days there and didn't get to see everything. It is a city full of spontaneity, passion, creativity and flair. I loved the Gaudi, the Miro, and Picasso's Guernica. I loved strolling and shopping on the Ramblas and eating groceries from the Mercat de la Boquería, Barcelona's gigantic central market. There are stalls with everything from flowers to cheese, to hanging legs of jamon (Spanish Prosciutto). I loved the old narrow winding streets and most of all, the fashion sense of the Spanish people.

When we went it cost $3.50/night to stay in a small but clean and safe room. Dinner was about 2-5 dollars. It was before the olympics were there and before the Euro. It is much more costly now but I think it is still very much worth the experience.

From the bottom up, the photos are:

Check out Annafabo on etsy. She lives in Barcelona.

Don't forget the fashionable children! Here is one from Melimelon.

The Market.

A map of the area around the Miro Museum!!

An overview of The Ramblas.