Saturday, May 7, 2011

Wild Pigs and Sleeping in the hills of Barcelona!

I had no home and no cash to waste. I arrived in Barcelona really early, my friend and I were going to meet and head to France but he wouldn't be there for days. Instead of paying for an expensive hostel I opted to stay in the woods. I figured it wouldn't be so bad.

The first day the heat was stifling. My pack weighed over 30 pounds and the hike up the hill was strenuous. I finally found a place that leveled out with an amazing view of the city. I stored my bags in a bush, took out my yoga mat, and sat down with my back against a small shrub. It was here that I watched the sun melt over the city into the ocean. The buildings glowed a ruby red and lights slowly started flickering on across the city.
The next day I headed to the beach for a shower, read a book, fell asleep in a park, walked around the old buildings, and headed back to hill. That night the sky was darker and as I tried to sleep the wind started. The sky started to growl and I could see large strikes of lightning in the distant hills. That night I slept terribly with occasional spurts of rain and loud thunder.
The following day I was told I couldn't use the showers at the beach, I was really becoming a bum. I took some crackers and salami back up to the hill and attempted to build a tarp in case in rained, at the time I didn't know what would awake me in the morning and I assumed Id stay a little longer.
I woke the next morning to a crash. Not 30 meters away something tromped through the low brush. It came out within 20 meters of me, at first I thought it was a rhino! It was huge, grey, and moving quick! We saw each other at the same time, man vs pig, we both dashed at the same time. I was sure he was coming after me and jumped into the nearest tree. Minutes later it was all quiet again. I cautiously packed my bags and headed for a hostel, screw sleeping outside.

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