This weekend, my three friends and I went to Barcelona! Barca is somewhere that I have always wanted to go my whole life, and I can’t believe that I actually got to go! This whole trip has been so surreal feeling. Every time I go somewhere, I get the feeling that I am just so overwhelmingly small in this giant, amazing world that it out there.
Our adventure began on Thursday evening. We flew from Sevilla to Barcelona, a flight of roughly about two hours. When we got to the airport, I was of course thrilled to walk out to find our bus and be able to see the Joan Miró mural on the wall of terminal 2! This mural has earned the El Prat airport the title of being in the top ten most beautiful airports in the world! We quickly realized upon arrival that although Barca is a part of Spain, that Spanish is not the most spoken language. Barca is in the region of Cataluña, and Catalan is the most spoken language there. It is a mix of Spanish, French, and some other ridiculous thing that makes it very difficult to understand, even for me, and I speak Spanish AND French! However, we were able to make our way onto the bus that would take us to the city center so that we could find our bed and breakfast. After getting a bit lost (of course) we found our new home for the weekend. If we wouldn’t have had the address, we never would have found it, it was a little hole in the wall that looked like someone’s house, which it was, since it was a b&b. Although, small, our private room was nice, with two sets of bunkbeds, a bathroom with the tiniest shower and the coldest water, and a pretty nice patio where we sat and ate dinner. Our host, Tina, was very kind and helpful about the city, and she spoke English, Spanish, and Catalan very well. She told us all about where to catch the metro and get to certain places that we wanted to go see. After getting settled down, we walked to Dominos (I know, so Americana) and attempted to order a pizza, even though the menu was in Catalan and the employees were not easy to understand. It’s amazing how hard ordering a pizza can be! After about twenty minutes, we got our pizza and walked back to the b&b, and passed out from our long day of travel.
On Friday, we woke up early and had a yummy breakfast at our b&b. We then walked about five minutes till we got our first look at La Sagrada Familia (the sacred family), the most amazing church ever built, by Antoni Gaudi. Sadly, it was not finished in his lifetime, since he was hit by a tram in the street and killed. However, the work is still carrying on in his absence. It is being funded entirely by donations now, which I think is amazing. How cool would it be to say that you helped donate to building La Sagrada Familia?! Maybe one day in my lifetime, I hope to be able to go back to Barcelona and see the finished work, without all of the scaffolding on it. After waiting in line, we went inside, and words and pictures will do the interior no justice. You look up and see the most amazing and intricate ceiling, beautiful stained glass windows all around you, and twisting salamonica columns and winding balconies. Gaudi just has a way of making everything twisty, whimsical, and other worldly. His style is unlike anything else, and so modern for his time. We went through the entire basilica and then outside, around the back as well. The detail is so intricate and amazing. Every facet of the church is just mind blowingly beautiful. We also climbed up the towers, which made me very uncomfortable. I am usually not afraid of heights at all, but I think it was the combination of going up and up and up a tiny twisting staircase in a circle, surrounded by people. It was hot and claustrophobic. However, the view from the towers was amazing, and you could see all of Barcelona, and the Mediterranean Sea! After spending the entire morning at La Sagrada Familia, we headed home, ate lunch, and then set off on a bus to Parc Montjuic! It wound its way up a mountain until we made it to the top, where we began the long, slow, and beautiful descent down. We started out by seeing the 1992 Olympic Stadium, and then we walked over to the MNAC, in English, The Museum of National Catalunan Art. From here, there was a beautiful view of Plaza Espana (not the real one like we have in Sevilla!) and the fountains. We walked down and went into Pueblo Espanola, a walled village that is supposed to represent all of the major cities and autonomous provinces in Spain. We walked our way through it tasting wine, sangria, chocolates, cheeses, breads, and olive oil. There was a movie being shot in the Pueblo, so some streets were closed off. Too bad they didn’t tell us what movie it was! There were also lots of feral cats roaming around. So cute and scruffy! After we were done, we caught a bus back to the b&b, ate dinner, and rested for awhile. Since the water in our shower was so cold, Keslie and I helped each other wash each other’s hair over the edge of the tub so we didn’t have to get in and freeze. If that’s not friendship then I don’t know what is! Once we got ready, we headed out to the beach, where we went to “Ice Barcelona”, a bar made entirely of ice! Once inside, they gave us jackets and gloves so we wouldn’t freeze. Even our glasses were made out of ice, and the longer you held them, the meltier they got from your body heat. After spending a while there, we wandered back through the city and eventually made it back home and went to sleep.
On Saturday, we woke up and had breakfast, then walked to Parque Guell, another famous Gaudi masterpiece. It was a beautiful and sunny day, and we spent all morning walking through the park and admiring the architecture and the greenery. We had a picnic lunch in the park, and then headed towards Plaza Cataluña and La Rambla, a famous street in the heart of Barca. We walked past all of the flower shops and went into a huge market where we got some delicious fresh squeezed fruit juices. We also saw some disgusting animal parts, like brains and tongues! After the market, we did some shopping and then took the metro home to get ready for our night out. We had dinner at the Hard Rock Café, and we met some crazy Sicilian people who were professing their undying love for Spain. That night, we lost an hour with the time change, so we only got five hours of sleep before having to get up and check out of our b&b on Sunday morning.
On Sunday, as we were leaving, we realized that it was the day the Barcelona Marathon! We saw them running and zigzagging all over the city and we stopped frequently to cheer them on. I have always wanted to run a marathon, and seeing this one inspired me to do so even more! One day soon, I promise myself that I am going to do it! We walked to see the three Gaudi houses in the center of the city, and then we walked back down La Rambla and sat in the sun in Plaza Cataluña. On our walk to the bus, I somehow cut my toe open and we had to stop at a hotel to get some bandages. Once we got on the bus to the airport, we headed home to Sevilla, tired and happy, and I am getting more freckles from the sun.
This week, I have midterms. Ugh! It is weird to think that I am already over halfway through with my time here studying abroad! It is coming to a close too fast! I don’t want to think about it! Next week, we have our “spring break”, which is really Semana Santa, or Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter Sunday. In Spain, it is a huge deal, especially in Sevilla. People from all over the world will be flooding here to see the festivities. I am excited! However, the first half of the break, I will be going to MOROCCO for five days! Hooray! Tonight I have to tutor and then study study study for exams. Wish me luck!
