Awesome ... He is not.

Barcelona, 2006

"Bon Dia! Como esta tu familia?", each day he asks. His name is Stanciu Ilie Nelu, from Romania and he's been in Barcelona 4 1/2 years.

I came to "know" Stanciu a little over 2 1/2 years ago. He sat where you see him sitting now, in front of a mercado playing either the guitar or piano and entertaining the masses.

Today, because of some regulations, Stanciu is unable to play his instruments and now just sits all day greeting anyone who gives him a smile.

At times, we provide him with a "beverage" and a sandwich. And more recently he seems to be in his own world.

Stanciu is generous. As we were walking down the street this past winter, he called us over and gave US food. What a twist!

Stanciu is loving. He has a black dog that gave birth to three pups early part of this year. Oh how cute they were! I heard that he was hoping to sell them after they had been weaned and house trained.

But life can be cruel. One pup was eventually sold to a German tourist, the second pup STOLEN and the third pup has yet to find a home.

So, each day Stanciu comes to the market, sets up the bed for his dogs, his chair and money box, not playing his beloved instruments, and reads the newspaper, smiling at the passer-bys and exchanging greetings.

Oh, he is not someone important like Osama Bin Laden, President George Bush, or awesome like Tom Cruise and Brittany Spears, but he has created his own little world.

And I am part of it.