Posting poems

Let me introduce you guys to something I love, but not really skillful at: fascinating literature and poetry!

Last year, I carried around a leather bonded notebook, everywhere I went. When interesting thoughts or lines or stories or... poems would pop into my head, I'd wright them down inmediately. Also, if I heard people say something real inspiring, I wrote it down to remember it always. Little pieces of engaging philosophy.

In a certain way it helped me deal with some difficult stuff. I could shake struggles off in a creative way. I needed to think of ways to put it into words, which forces you to really think about the stuff you're dealing with. To analyze every single thing about it.

Let me offer you a little peek into my thoughts:


Give me your attention
Give me just fair

Enough
Like it should
Please
If you could

Do me this favor
Every day
So I don't wonder
Whether to stay

--------------------------------

What if I told you
Truths are twirled
'Cause if not
There'd be hurled

Bended
To what we want to hear
Sugar
Coated words for our ears

Would I
Lie to you
About the lies
That truths are true

What would you say
If it were that way

Paradox 'n contradiction
Life's becoming fiction

--------------------------------

Drops of liquor
Burn my throat
Gramophone plays
Hall & Oats

Shots of vodka
In my veins
Cells are dying
In my brains

Glasses of wine
Warm my soul
Life is fine
Pleasure is all

--------------------------------

Silky drawers
On my hips

A little kiss balm
On my lips

Breasts held together
By pretty lace

Hands hold tight
My pretty face

Push my buttons
Pull my strings

Say to me
Such lovely things

--------------------------------

Sing to me
My melody
When I cannot play

The lyrics
And the limericks
When I cannot say
The thoughts in my head
Pages unread
'Cause I can't get

Feelings on paper
I cannot hide
But I'm a shaper
Of poems inside

--------------------------------


So, these are a few examples. There's a real process in it, I think. Some of the things I wrote in my notebook are pretty damn bad. But...... sometimes, when I look back at it after a while, I find little jewels of poetry. 
The last few lines of the last poem are my favorite.

What I wanted to tell you, is that just a little notebook can help you deal with things and can also help you stimulate your creativity within! After all, aren't you a shaper inside, too?!

Grab that pen, set your mind free and start writing! Don't think toooooo long about things like: "Is that line good? Should I change it?" Just write down whatever comes to that crazy mind of yours! You can adjust it all - later!

Let the ink and think flow
And ofcourse let me know
If your mind did blow
Up from all you let go

Fo sho.

Haha, but no kidding. If you have written something too, don't bother to share it with the world!

Much love, Yasmae.

Lloret

How to survive and live life to the fullest in Lloret de Mar

Hello everybody! My name is Peter Lafranca, I'm 17 years old and I'm one of those guys who's going to visit Lloret de Mar. Yasmae asked me to write something about the trip, and of course I said yes. It will be my first trip without any adults, so you can imagine I'm pretty excited. I will try to show you the different sites of Lloret de Mar, like the clubs, the hotels, the restaurants and tours and everything with my own personal vision on things. I will try to take you with me on a journey like never before and show and tell you everything, no exceptions. With my sweet words and magnificent looks ;) I expect lots of excitement, so be prepared, take a deep breath and, most of all, enjoy!
- 02-08-2014-  

-15-08-2014 -
It's important to notice the text above was written BEFORE I visited Lloret :'). I'm back now for three days already and Lloret was amazing! I will describe an “ordinary day” in Lloret de Mar and give you in this way all the options to spend your day. An important thing to know is that a “day” in Lloret starts about 1 P.M. till approximately 5 A.M. If you’re in a shock at this point, stop reading and don’t visit Lloret, just don’t. But I think most of you guys already had foreseen this. Lloret de Mar is not known  for its calm nights, right?

The “morning”

Imagine you arrived last night in Lloret and just woke up. You had a shitty bus trip and you´re starving from hunger. You can only think of one thing: BREAKFAST. I was lucky enough to have a Spar[1] next door. So I would always buy some breads for a small amount of money and eat them with my friends in our room.

For the breads the Spar or any other supermarket in your area works out perfectly. Bread never gets really expensive. For spreads and other ordinary groceries I strongly advise you not to buy them at the Spar. You pay like 3 or 4 times more for the same stuff. My friends and I found a really cheap supermarket 5 minutes by feet from the city centre. It’s called Mercadona. To give you an idea of the difference price, a medium jar of Nutella costs at the Spar 4,50 euros, at the Mercadona only 1,50 euros. This may seem almost unrealistic, but this is also the case with all the other products. You can save lots of money by visiting another supermarket than the one you know. Click the link to see Mercadona on maps. 

Mercadona Maps

To buy alcohol under the age of 18, you should go to a liquor store, because the supermarket asks you to show your ID. The one we found was next to the Mercadona, and was called the ‘Wine Palace’. A 24-pack Sant-Miquel beer was for example only 11 euros, so that’s a fair price. And you don’t have to show your ID.

The afternoon

In the afternoon we always went to an ATM first. When you’re doing this, you should take an ATM next to a bank, because it’s possible the ATM won’t give your card back and the people at the bank can fix the problem faster in this case. Also, you have to realise it’s sometimes only possible to withdraw money once a day. This means you always have to take enough money for the rest of the day, including the nightlife, since you only can pay with cash money in clubs.    

After having collected enough money for the rest of the day, the afternoon can start! You may be asking: What to do? Well, lucky enough for you, there are lots of activities you can do.

Beach

I always went to the beach. I would just find a spot with my friends and go swimming and enjoy the sun. Most spots are for free, and spots with chairs are about 6 euros. When you’re looking for some more action, Lloret offers lots of other activities at the beach. You can take a tour on a catamaran, with the possibility to go to a remote cliff, where you can enjoy an all-you-can-eat dinner. A group of girls I know did this and they said this was amazing. This trip is mostly offered by your travel organisation.

There are also activities more close to the beach. Some I saw were renting a little boat, getting torn by a boat while wearing a parachute and a jet ski tour of the Costa Brava. I’m sure there are even more activities. These activities are really cool, but also really expensive. If you want to do such an activity, don’t take the price given. Some negotiating should be possible, especially when you’re with more than one person. But also remember: everything in Lloret is expensive, so if you really want to do it, just do it, don’t hesitate too much because of the price. 

The beach is close to my hotel, and the Spar!

City trip

This is an activity mostly offered by your travel organisation, but also offered by some particular organisations in Lloret. Although I didn’t do this activity, I would prefer to go with my travel organisation, because then there will be guides with your mother tongue and the other people in your group are also from the same country. This cause a better atmosphere, I believe.

Most City trips will be to the beautiful Barcelona or to a random old village nearby Lloret. I visited Barcelona in another vacation and if you didn’t visit it yet, it really should be on your to-do list. The guide will take you to some of the sights like the Sagrada Familia and Camp Nou. If you have some spare time, make sure you visit the different buildings and the park designed by Gaudi. His art has mysterious shapes and really fits the atmosphere in Barcelona. I’m a real fan of Gaudi and probably you will become too when you see these buildings and the amazing park. In the end, you can ‘shop-till-you-drop’ at the Ramblas. You should realise most of the prices are really high but you may be able to find some cheap clothes. Although in my opinion shopping in a city like Barcelona is a waste of time, but some girls may disagree on this with me. ;)   

Water World Lloret de Mar

If you don't want to waste your last day in Lloret, you should definetly visit Water World Lloret de Mar. It is said this is Europe's biggest water park and after visiting I can guarantee it's big. Really big. The entrance is something like 30 euros and that's a fair price. The atmosphere in the water park is really nice, because almost everybody is about to leave Lloret. No fighting or swearing, just having fun and enjoy your last day in Lloret.

Other activities

Beside the beach, there are lots of other activities in Lloret de Mar. Some examples are paintballing, karting, laser gaming and so on. The proppers[2] on the street can tell you all about it.

Relaxing

Last but not least you can also just relax and think about all the crazy shit you did last night. Just visit one of the café’s and you will be settled for the rest of the afternoon. You should be aware of the fact that some of the café’s on the main street, afraid of fines, don’t sell alcohol under 18.  But boy, you already had enough alcohol last night, take it slow for a moment. ;) 

What did i say again...

The night(life) 

We reached the point where we all came for: The nightlife of Lloret de Mar! With more than 400 bars and clubs getting the night of your life should be no problem in Lloret. Travel organisations will try to sell you all kind of party trips. My advice: buy some if you think you like them, but leave some nights unplanned so you can discover Lloret on your own. I did this too and the best parties were the ones I booked without the travel organisation. It’s not hard to buy tickets for a club and also not really expensive, although travel organisations may tell you it is. 

Restaurants

Probably a night in your normal life would end with a dinner. But this is not your normal live, this is Lloret! You will need some food to keep on raving til 6 A.M. I've selected some restaurants for you to start your night right. Let's get right in to it!

Orient Express 

With it's view on Lloret de Mar's boulevard, the location of this restaurant is near perfect. The staff is nice. The price is all right, especially when you get discount because of your travel organisation. The atmosphere could be better, but is not really bad. I took a pizza and a friend of me took some spareribs. Both were fine, but I would not say excellent. This restaurant offers a big range of dishes and that's a big advantage. Everybody can take a dish he likes. Their facebook page offers more information.

Pizzeria close to Bumper's

This is the best restaurant I could find in Lloret, but I forgot the name... I'm sorry guys but I´m sure you will be able to find the restaurant. I´ve included a map with Bumper´s on it. When you walk to Bumper´s you will pass the restaurant. I´ve included some photo´s too so you will be able to recognise the restaurant. The atmosphere in this restaurant is really good. Lots of other groups of youngsters eat at this restaurant. The staff is all right, location is not on the boulevard, but fairly good. The price is the best part of the restaurant. You pay about 8 euros for a pizza, right from the biggest pizza oven i´ve ever seen. These pizza's are reallyyyyy good! This restaurant should be on your to do list!  

Mix Burger

Although the name of this restaurant suggests it´s a burger restaurant, it´s more a döner restaurant where they sell burgers too. It's a kind of fastfood restaurant, but there are lots of seats and the food is good. It's on the main boulevard, so the location is perfect. The staff is all right. The atmosphere too, because you will be surrounded by youngsters ready to party. The price is really cheap, but the quality is not the best ever seen. But for some fast food, this is a great place. Here's the streetview of the restaurant.

Bars/pubs

Before we enter the big clubs of Lloret, which get busy at 11 P.M., we can warm up in some of the bars of Lloret. I've selected a few. An important detail: in clubs or bars are never ID checks!

Texas

A nice bar. The atmosphere is really good, the people are mostly German or Dutch. Their is a special dancing floor and I would recommend to enter this floor, even if it's empty. I did this too and in no time the whole dancing floor was crowded with people ready to party. The music is top 40 and not perfomed by famous DJ's. The location may be a bit away from main street, but it's not a big problem. Maps 

Rockefeller

I would describe this place as a bar/club. It's a nice place, the music is good (top 40/electro house), the people are nice. The location is also quite good, since the big club Revolution is only a few steps away. Rockefeller is a perfect place to start your night. I recommend the Desperados at Rockefeller. Cold and refreshing, just the way I like it! Facebook

The Box

When you're Dutch, you will really like this place. The music is Dutch top 40 and some famous Dutch carnaval hits. The people are only Dutch, but really nice. Every wednesday their is a performance of the famous 'Matsoe-Matsoe' from 'Oh-Oh-Cherso'. The location is a bit shitty, but you won't stay here for the rest of the night, so don't worry! Facebook

The clubs

Finally, let's discover the real thing. It's about 11 P.M., and we're ready to go hard. There are lots of clubs in Lloret and I've only selected a few, so feel free to visit other clubs. The following clubs are, in my opinion, the best clubs in Lloret de Mar.

Moëf GaGa

When I heard the name of this club for the first time, I expected a kind of hippy club. I went to the club because our travel organisation had organised a party there. When I entered the club, I was in a shock. This place was sick! The atmosphere was really good, the people were nice and there was an even number of boys and girls, which is extremely rare in Lloret. The music is again top 40 or electro house, but that's fine. There are different theme night and I visited for example the neon splash at Moëf GaGa too. That night ended at 6 A.M. Some girls from Greece were there too and we had a little chat haha. Let's say it was a great night... :p Here's a link to their site.

Privé de Magic

When you want to visit a really big club in Lloret, visit Privé Magic. You may be in a doubt between Privé Magic and Colossos. When you are, definetly choose Privé Magic. Colossos is really old and taken by people from Spain. The drinks in Colossos are really expensive and of the lowest quality one has ever seen. Music is really normal again, top 40 and electro house I guess. This club has some theme nights too, and semi-famous artists. Website

Tropics

Yasmae already told you: 'Tropic like it's hot!' This is the best club of Lloret, I believe. Weekly world famous DJ's like Showtek, Deorro, Quintino, Afrojack, New World Sound, The Partysquad, Mr. Polska (Dutch people will know) and Snoop Dog (yeah, he is a DJ too, don't ask me why...). There are also lots of theme nights and music depends on the performing artist. There is one big disadvantage of Tropics: 80 % of the visitors is a boy. As a girl you may like, but I think you rather will be scared. But hey, when you're a boy, never mind.  

Visit Tropics at this website. 

Hotels

I will tell you about my own hotel, cause that's the only one I visited. There are many other hotels in Lloret but I didn't visit them, so I can't say anything about them. My hotel is called Dosjoimi and it's close to the main street.

Outside

When you're outside the hotel, you will notice two things: St. Trop is next to the hotel (niceeeee!) and there are lots of iron bars in front of some windows. St. Trop next to your door is no problem, because you won't hear a word of the club (maybe some rumour, but you will be so tired every night, trust me, you won't notice). The iron bars are nice too, because you will be save in your room, espescially when it's located on the basement. Savety is important in Lloret, because there will be lots of important things in your room you don't want to be stolen. 50 metres to the beach, 100 metres to the city centre.

Inside

The photo's say it all. Not top notch, but I was really satisfied. Notice this is a 4 person room.

Atmosphere

A nice atmosphere. People will start conversitations with you about Lloret. I was invited to drink some beer with some boys. No complaining or fighting. Only people from your age (17-20). Most people will start sleeping at 4 A.M., but when you're in your room, you won't notice any rumour. Perfect.

Night guard

There is a night guard at the hotel and he's not a really nice man. But don't worry, you can take people from outside to your room. They should leave their ID at the night guard and leave the hotel at 4 A.M., but you can take people! (yeaaaaah) The night guard also is a protection to keep thieves out, so you can easily leave some important stuff at the hotel, which is a big advantage!

After all

After all this hotel is a really good hotel for a fair price. You can sleep really well, you have a balcony and the street is calm. If you're satisfied with the basics, take this hotel!

Website  


The Art-Part

This whole blog is about art, and you may think, what is the relation between a trip to Lloret de Mar and art. I can imagine you think this, but you forgot something really important: Art is everywhere! And especially in Lloret de Mar. All the different types of music, art! All the different ways to dance, art! All the different types of people, art! I believe you learn in Lloret the most important things about yourself and your art. You’re finally on your own: how do you react to specific situations? What music makes you feel the way you wanna feel? Which moves on the dancefloor are totally awesome? What type of people can you trust? You will find out in Lloret de Mar. Besides the massive parties this is one of the main reasons to visit Lloret de Mar.

I've said enough and now it's your time to shine. Discover Lloret on your own and tell me if you think some things are missing in my blog. I hope you liked my blog! Here's a link to my Facebook. Feel free to leave some comments! Maybe till a next time! 


~ Peter Lafranca

Special thanks to Yasmae for giving me the opportunity to write my story for this blog.

---

[1] The famous supermarket chain

[2] A propper is somebody who invites you for activities or clubs. He can approach you on the street and sometimes in your hotel. Some clubs only accept people who are invited by such a propper, or give your discount when you’re invited, so don’t always ignore the proppers.