after a delightful time at k77 in berlin, we moved south to prague. in 2 words: freezing and beautiful. we were staying with paxus' wife out-law on the total siberian end of town, a long and bumpy tram ride to the edge of nowhere...it certainly never got higher then 32 degrees the whole time we were there. we did lots of walking around, saw beautiful palaces and cathedrals, ducked into cozy restaurants and cafes, and tried to stomach chzek food (still more potatoes and cheese). prague is hopelessly touristy, even in the bitter cold of late november. its also unbelievably beautiful. we took a day trek out to kutna hora, a small village an hour south that is also cute and beautiful, and features a giant cathedral and a church that is decorated with human bones from their cemetary!
we rode the night train (with sleeper beds! and unfortunately, no heat!) to paris. it was our cheapest option for getting to the other side of europe, and a good opportunity to visit my (favorite) uncle, saied. he's the youngest of my dad's brothers, and i hadn't seen him and his family for 15 years. he's a total sweetie, laid back, good-natured, and generally fun to be around. his 3 daughters were around some, too, and my aunt cooked us lots of yummy persian food. 3 more days of tourism, wandering around the louvre, monmart, more cafes (unavoidable in paris), and the eiffel tour by night. the subway was totally overrun by buskers, but i tried anyway and did alright, in the station and on the train itself (always a bit nervewracking...). i tried again on top of monmart, in front of the cathedral overlooking the city, and became a photo-op for many passing tourists. some even posed with me!
and now, we're at our final stop, Can Masdeu. Its a formerly squatted community on the edge of barcelona. they squatted it 7 years ago in a dramatic action in which they hung chairs, tables, and bathtubs out the windows with ropes, and then "hung" themselves there for 3 days (sitting in the chairs, bathtub, etc.). after 3 days with no food, water, or proper clothes, and massive protests and support in barcelona, the judge ruled that the right to life was more important than the right to property! they're still a bit nervous about being evicted, but in the meantime have created a beautiful and bustling community of 28 folks, lots of gardens, communal meals, regular community work days in the garden and in their bakery, and weekly sunday open-houses with workshops, food, and a bar.
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minor correction. Can Masdeu continues to be squatted and under some threat of eviction. But the financial crisis is not just good for the anti-nuclear movement, but for squatters as well. The estimate is the that the credit crunch will evict 200,000 families in Spain. The police are responsible for evictions and they will focus on easy ones first. Can Masdeu with quite some history of resistance, will be very low on the list.
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