I once complained to Toots about how much I hated it when men leered at me; when my every move was captured by their eyes. He replied by telling me, "S, that's a load of shit. When men stop looking at you we'll be having this conversation again, this time with you complaining that men aren't looking anymore". I was convinced that he was wrong and being in Barcelona has proven this.

I have been more comfortable in my skin here in this city than I've ever been before. No one, NO ONE looks at you here. No one analyzes what you're wearing, whether your toes are painted or not, what your hair looks like, whether your bra strap is showing or not. I'm sure this exists among the elite, but when you're walking down the street and engaging in everyday behavior you're free from the superficiality you find in New York (my best friend just told me how she was listening to some announcers on a local radio station commenting that women who don't paint their toes shouldn't be out in public). I feel freer here. I can walk down the street without hearing sleazy comments about some part of my body, without men checking me out. And you know what...I don't miss it at all.