Paul Davis in Barcelona Part 2

PAUL DAVIS IN BARCELONA   Part 2

Paul and poetaster went south in late

evening towards the beckoning of
Mediterranean light, the train pulling
into seedy Marseilles at the beginning
        of another October day.
The lady clerk at the hotel spoke no
English (maybe), and the boys knew
no French (for sure); checking in went on
until hell finally gave up and froze over.
Later, Paul lay on a rumpled bed while
smoking a cigarette like in French movies,
the moody protagonist being totally cool.
Stressed from grueling foreign relations
with the hotel clerk, Paul just needed
        a dose of calming nicotine.

Marseilles proved to be no more affable
than Paris. Angry Arabs shouted hostile
words in both French and Arabic as the
boys walked the cobbled, narrow street
to the old light-infused harbor where
elderly men sat fishing off a stone pier.
A feeling of desolation filled the air.
Paul and poetaster in their dismay
later boarded a train heading south

along the coast to the Catalonia capital

of Barcelona in General Franco’s

fascist Spain.

Reviews

[CD Campbell]

I met someone really nice in Hong Kong, and that city is still in my heart somewhat, but before we arrived in Singapore, I and a friend of mine had shaved our heads. 1994 westpac deployment. It was so hot and humid there at that time. Ha, everyone looked at us like we were dirt,(reminds me of Hollywood CA too) This part of your narrative reminds me of that. Great continuation from part 1.

[Dave]

More and more you make it sound like an adventure I'd liked to have been on.

Take care - Dave

[barleygirl]

Still loving this . . . well-balanced with compelling storyline & packing it with fresh thought-provoking details (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Eilis]

The uncertainty of being the stranger. It's well-expressed here.

And always fun to see how people deal with the stress of bumping up against unfamiliar people and places. Seems like these two are keeping on the move!

[kentuck14]

Yeah, we had a hard time dealing with certain attitudes. We felt like the "ugly American."
T

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Indeed a trip so well described as the boys bravely attempt to overcome their deficit in speaking any French
and continue their journey. A very engaging narrative poem which imparts a taste of the continent and how the two interact with it and its inhabitants.

[kentuck14]

At more than one point we felt less engaged and more divorced! Thanks John.
T

[Crowley]

Ok apparently I missed a part...I will comment, but need to back the hell up. I really like the tone and timeless feel of this. The description provides the feel without having to get heavy. I have felt this exact same way when travelling and feeling uncertain of my surroundings and ultimate destination. I have to say this is quite delicious, I will now go and do what I should have and read part one first!!

[kentuck14]

C
Again, thanks for your detailed thots.
T

[jacob erin-cilberto]

like Hemingway...you get us there, but describe so much with few words.
not where they wanted to go...not received well where they were...
I may sound like a nut...but i often wish i could be a character in one of the old movies on TCM...
most of my favorite settings...you got me close, here.
j.

[kentuck14]

J
When I visited my dad before he died we'd sit and watch those old TCM movies. Yes . . . they had a romantic tinge you don't feel in today's flics. At first we thought this trip would be a bust. The French didn't seem to like GI's.
T