We sail back to Cap d’ Agde. It is a nudest town of over 20.000 people during the summer. I have been here before with my friend Kip. It is mostly a straight crowd. The beaches are broken up depending on your interests. The first part of the beach is reserved for families. Walk a little further down the beach and you run into straight couples. Keep going and you run into couples that are more sexual. You can find pockets of people gathered around watching a couple having sex. Walk a little further and you get to the gay section. Gay boys don’t have sex on the beach, they wander to the bushes and sand dunes behind the beach. You are free to choose what group you want to hang with.
Even in the town wearing clothes is optional. Though I have to say it is a little strange wandering down the aisles of the grocery store stark naked looking at the frozen meat section. The restaurants are also optional though most people tend to wear something while dining. Maybe the most interesting part is what happens at night. There are plenty of clubs bouncing with people. Most everyone is dressed. The women wear the most provocative clothing. Boobs hanging out about tight corsets and tight short skirts. The guys don’t dress up quite so much. While there is a gay bar, we had more fun hanging out at the mixed gay/straight bar.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Crossing the Dotted Line
Yeah we crossed the national boundaries into France. Immediately the bread got better the yogurt more fruity, and we had more choices in cheese, While it is wonderful to be back in France, I already miss not being understood. Everyone is very helpful and most people speak English “juzt ah little”. The winds were still pretty strong and we got some perfect days of sailing in with strong winds that pushed our sailboat faster than if we were under motor.
The Wild Costa Brava
In Spanish, Costa Brava literally means wild coast. It sure did live up to its name. The first couple of days into our journey along the north coast of Spain, the winds whipped up to around 35 knots and the waves kept growing until the height was somewhere around 6 to 8 feet. While the boat did fine, it gets a bit tiring after a while. These winds are known as Tramontana, which are part of the Mistral winds coming from France. The marina we planned to stay in was a little too far and we ended up taking shelter in the protected bay at Cadequez. As soon as we entered the embrace of the bay, the waves calmed down and the winds, while still strong were tamer. We threw out the anchor and made sure it sunk deep into the sandy bottom. It wasn’t long before some other boats joined us. A couple from Germany anchored right near us and later in the evening a large yacht anchored a little further away. For the next two days the winds continued to howl and we continued to hunker down. We awoke on the third morning with relative quiet winds and from where we were, it looked like the seas had calmed down a bit. So we ventured out. It didn’t take long before once again the winds whipped up and waves began to pound. By then, we were far enough to make the marina at Port de la Selva. So with an E ticket rollercoaster ride on the crest of the deep blue waves, we surged into port. There were just a couple of slots opened, but we managed to wiggle between two boats and finally tie up to the quay. All the people nearby helped us with the lines and welcomed us out of the storm. A couple of hours later, the German couple limped into port as well. I guess they tried sailing with the same optimism that we had.
Three Two One, Blast Off
It was hard to leave Barcelona. After so many months living there, it feels like my home away from home. I know my way around, and can find the supplies that I need. My Spanish has gotten just to the point where I can express myself well enough to make my point. Just when things are starting to come together language wise, it is time to say goodbye. My friend Steve came the first part of June and we spent the first couple of weeks finishing up things and gathering supplies for our summer journey ahead. It is not that they don’t have food where we are going, it is just the difficulty in finding all the things that we need. So we visited the big grocery store here one more time and carted it back to the boat. It looked like we were setting out for a ocean voyage to far off lands. Had a nice farewell party with my friends that I have made here in the marina and left the middle of June.
More Canals than Venice
When this port city was first laid out, the city planners decided to dig long canals to aid in the trade and mercantile industry that it would become famous for. Even though the streets are quite narrow, the canals running through make the city very open and the water gives it a wonderful tranquil feeling. There are far more canals in Amsterdam than Venice. It certainly is a very livable city. We rented bikes for the time we were there and were able to get everywhere on them. We even rode to the outskirts of town following the Amstel River, which the town is named after. There are still a few windmills standing after 300 years.
One of the main reasons I wanted to visit Amsterdam is to make a pilgrimage to the Van Gough museum. It is the largest collection of his works. What surprised me the most about the exhibit is how many of his works I have already seen from the traveling exhibits of his work over the years. It was still wonderful to see them all collected thanks to his brother Theo’s wife who still believed in Van Gough even after his death.
One night we went to the famous red light district. It is just kind of bizarre. Women dancing in tiny windows waiting for their customers to choose them like chocolate in a candy box. I personally found it more interesting to see the young guys as they reacted and were enticed by what was going on. Much bravado goes on about which one they would pick. The whole area had kind of a frat house feel to it. Some do get picked because the curtains are drawn in some of the windows, but mostly it is young girls of every size and shape in clothes that revealed about as much as what you would see on any beach. Actually the system seems to work better than having the prostitutes wander the streets. They are kept in just one area of town and if you want to see them, you go visit. It is probably much less violence and better city oversight.
Holland has a reputation for being cold and overcast much of the year. Fortunately for us the weather could not have been nicer. It was shirtsleeve weather in the daytime and just a light jacket at night. When the sun comes out, so does everyone else. The parks were packed with sun worshippers getting in their dose of vitamin E. Everyone speaks English as well as Dutch of course. You should not ask people if they speak English. They would take it as an insult that you thought they were not well educated. Bob’s friend that we stayed with is originally from Portland and teaches English to high school students. He has lived there for years and loves it there. I asked him if the students prefer an American accent or a British accent. He said most prefer an American accent. It is because of all the music and movies that are imported. I guess one thing America does well is export it’s pop culture. Well that and fast food restaurants
One of the main reasons I wanted to visit Amsterdam is to make a pilgrimage to the Van Gough museum. It is the largest collection of his works. What surprised me the most about the exhibit is how many of his works I have already seen from the traveling exhibits of his work over the years. It was still wonderful to see them all collected thanks to his brother Theo’s wife who still believed in Van Gough even after his death.
One night we went to the famous red light district. It is just kind of bizarre. Women dancing in tiny windows waiting for their customers to choose them like chocolate in a candy box. I personally found it more interesting to see the young guys as they reacted and were enticed by what was going on. Much bravado goes on about which one they would pick. The whole area had kind of a frat house feel to it. Some do get picked because the curtains are drawn in some of the windows, but mostly it is young girls of every size and shape in clothes that revealed about as much as what you would see on any beach. Actually the system seems to work better than having the prostitutes wander the streets. They are kept in just one area of town and if you want to see them, you go visit. It is probably much less violence and better city oversight.
Holland has a reputation for being cold and overcast much of the year. Fortunately for us the weather could not have been nicer. It was shirtsleeve weather in the daytime and just a light jacket at night. When the sun comes out, so does everyone else. The parks were packed with sun worshippers getting in their dose of vitamin E. Everyone speaks English as well as Dutch of course. You should not ask people if they speak English. They would take it as an insult that you thought they were not well educated. Bob’s friend that we stayed with is originally from Portland and teaches English to high school students. He has lived there for years and loves it there. I asked him if the students prefer an American accent or a British accent. He said most prefer an American accent. It is because of all the music and movies that are imported. I guess one thing America does well is export it’s pop culture. Well that and fast food restaurants
Bikes, Bikes Everywhere in Amsterdam
Bob came back here and Dui went on to Morocco. Bob had another week here with me so rather than Madrid, we decided to take a quick trip to Amsterdam. He has some friends that live right in the historical part of town, so I only had to pay for the airfare. Seemed like a great opportunity.
When you first step onto the streets of Amsterdam you are struck by the incredible number of bikes. Thousands are lined up near the train station. All are very simple one gear or 3 gear bikes. I haven’t seen this many bikes since Beijing. There are really very few cars especially in the old historic part of the city. Built mostly in the 1600’s these mostly brick buildings have a unique architectural style. They are built very narrow, about 4 stories high with tall roofs and lots of detail. The stairwells are too narrow to bring furniture up so each building has a large hook built into the roof so people can hoist their furniture through the windows. Some of the buildings actually tilt forward a couple of degrees to accommodate furniture being moved it. They are all out of square because of all the canals that surround them have caused the structures to settle unevenly. Thank goodness there are no earthquakes there. The whole place would be leveled in about 10 seconds.
When you first step onto the streets of Amsterdam you are struck by the incredible number of bikes. Thousands are lined up near the train station. All are very simple one gear or 3 gear bikes. I haven’t seen this many bikes since Beijing. There are really very few cars especially in the old historic part of the city. Built mostly in the 1600’s these mostly brick buildings have a unique architectural style. They are built very narrow, about 4 stories high with tall roofs and lots of detail. The stairwells are too narrow to bring furniture up so each building has a large hook built into the roof so people can hoist their furniture through the windows. Some of the buildings actually tilt forward a couple of degrees to accommodate furniture being moved it. They are all out of square because of all the canals that surround them have caused the structures to settle unevenly. Thank goodness there are no earthquakes there. The whole place would be leveled in about 10 seconds.
More Guests in Barcelona
We made it back to Barcelona at about 7 that evening. On the bridge was a friend of Tom's who he had met on the cruise he was on. Holly is a very attractive lady in her early 40's. She ended up coming on the boat and we hung out with her, had a little dinner and talked a lot. She seemed very interested in gay guys. One of the funny things she said to me is that I act so straight, am I sure I am gay. Tom wondered why she didn't think he was straight acting and she told him he is most of the time, but every so often he seemed gay. lol.
A couple of days later John, the kid from Sitges called me and wanted to come over. We talked a little about him doing porn and he wanted me to shoot some photos of him so he could audition. Well who would say no to that. They turned out pretty hot.
Tom was suppose to only stay on the boat for 4 days but ended up staying for a week. That was fine with me. I think he just loved being on the boat and was in no hurry to leave. The last part of his trip he was planning to go to Rome by himself. He left at the end of last week. As he was leaving though, Bob and his friend Dewey arrived. Bob has become a good friend of mine. Dui is also a great guy that I have really enjoyed getting to know. He is from Vietnam, a very smart guy and very sexy as well. The first day we hung out at one of the gay beaches here in Barcelona. They both stayed here for the following week and again, I found myself hanging out with them showing them around Barcelona. In the middle of all of this, my friend Rudigear who I knew from last time I was here was doing some interior design work on the yacht next to me. He was really stressing out trying to get everything done. I ended up helping him for 2 or 3 days, sometimes working until 2 in the morning. The yacht was trying to leave for Croatia but had to get this work done before it left. We finally got everything done. A couple of days later, Bob and Dui left for a week in Rome. Then they come back here. Dui will be here just one night before heading to Morocco for a week. Bob is going to stay here with me. We are thinking about going to Madrid for a couple of days, but haven't finalized anything.
The last couple of days I have been catching up on things. Cleaning the boat and working on a web site I am suppose to finish. I did go to the beach for a couple of hours yesterday. It was just too nice out. Last night I went to a little party at Roland and Mar's place. We just had a little dinner and kicked back for the evening. Then at midnight, three of us went to the movies to see the new Star Trek movie. It was a fun movie. Good story and lots of special effects. What do you expect. Yeah I know it is kinda crazy going to a movie at midnight, but I tell you, people in Spain never go to bed at a decent hour. Since the clubs don't even open until about 1am and don't even get started until about 2, I guess we had an early evening. A lot of people don't even get home until 8 in the morning. Crazy huh. In a couple of weeks, I head back to the Bay Area for the winter. It is a little hard to leave Barcelona. This is really one of my favorite cities in the world.
A couple of days later John, the kid from Sitges called me and wanted to come over. We talked a little about him doing porn and he wanted me to shoot some photos of him so he could audition. Well who would say no to that. They turned out pretty hot.
Tom was suppose to only stay on the boat for 4 days but ended up staying for a week. That was fine with me. I think he just loved being on the boat and was in no hurry to leave. The last part of his trip he was planning to go to Rome by himself. He left at the end of last week. As he was leaving though, Bob and his friend Dewey arrived. Bob has become a good friend of mine. Dui is also a great guy that I have really enjoyed getting to know. He is from Vietnam, a very smart guy and very sexy as well. The first day we hung out at one of the gay beaches here in Barcelona. They both stayed here for the following week and again, I found myself hanging out with them showing them around Barcelona. In the middle of all of this, my friend Rudigear who I knew from last time I was here was doing some interior design work on the yacht next to me. He was really stressing out trying to get everything done. I ended up helping him for 2 or 3 days, sometimes working until 2 in the morning. The yacht was trying to leave for Croatia but had to get this work done before it left. We finally got everything done. A couple of days later, Bob and Dui left for a week in Rome. Then they come back here. Dui will be here just one night before heading to Morocco for a week. Bob is going to stay here with me. We are thinking about going to Madrid for a couple of days, but haven't finalized anything.
The last couple of days I have been catching up on things. Cleaning the boat and working on a web site I am suppose to finish. I did go to the beach for a couple of hours yesterday. It was just too nice out. Last night I went to a little party at Roland and Mar's place. We just had a little dinner and kicked back for the evening. Then at midnight, three of us went to the movies to see the new Star Trek movie. It was a fun movie. Good story and lots of special effects. What do you expect. Yeah I know it is kinda crazy going to a movie at midnight, but I tell you, people in Spain never go to bed at a decent hour. Since the clubs don't even open until about 1am and don't even get started until about 2, I guess we had an early evening. A lot of people don't even get home until 8 in the morning. Crazy huh. In a couple of weeks, I head back to the Bay Area for the winter. It is a little hard to leave Barcelona. This is really one of my favorite cities in the world.
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