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I’ve been home for a month now and I’m missing Barcelona more with every passing day. I didn’t think I could miss it more than I did when I first left; but sometimes, absence does make the heart grow fonder. It’s weird being home. It wasnt long before I started feeling like it was all just a dream. On the drive home from the airport I felt like I had never left at all. Nothing has changed, at least nothing of any consequence (besides maybe gas prices). People grow a little, cut their hair, have babies, and get married but the town still looks the same. I still take the same road to get home, all the same stores occupy the same corners; yet, in some ways, I feel like my life has been turned upside down.
I have missed Oregon, I’ve missed my family and friends. I’ve missed all the trees and grass, pizza, sushi, and hamburgers. But now, while I’m not missing pizza, I miss pan con tomate and Spanish tortilla. I miss the city sounds and lights, I miss El Prat (even though it took me quite some time to get on its good side), Sant Pau, the Medeteranian sea, and the metro. I miss Catalunya. I miss Barcelona, and I can’t wait to go back!
Life is good… life is great! I am blessed beyond belief to have had this experience and to come home to many more adventures. As much as I miss Barcelona, it doesn’t do well to dwell on the past and forget to enjoy today, and make the most of tomorrow! To all the adventures yet to come, may each be as wonderful as the last… in their own special way.
In three weeks I will be home with my family! (I MISS YOU!!!) I can hardly wait to give them all big hugs, sleep in my own bed and take a bath. I can hardly wait to get doggie kisses from Dexter and Kico and get cat hair all over my clothes. I can hardly wait to be back in Oregon. Honestly, I’m actually even excited to go back to school in just over a month. WOoooU!
I am in love with Barcelona; the people, the culture, living by the beach, and big city life. I’m going to miss all the walking, (Spanish) tortilla, and my new friends. I will miss this city. I’m going to miss going new places every weekend, cheap flights to London and the thousands of years of history found in Europe. Sometimes, I just might even miss the crying baby and barking dog that live next door. As much as I am going to miss it here, I miss my family more. I can’t wait to see you guys!
Someone just hurry up and figure out teleportation already! (and make it cheap, please)
This week I bought the most expensive shirt of my life to date! I had the privilege of attending a Barça game at Camp Nou on Tuesday and I had to be properly dressed for the occasion. Though this wasn’t my first professional sports game, and it certainly won’t be my last, it was definitely one that will stick with me forever! We got our tickets from a vendor on La Rambla and with that came a ride to the stadium from one of their local sports stores. They told us that a bus would come for us in five minutes, but as five minutes passed the group of anxious fútbol fans grew, and no bus showed up. By the time a bus finally did show up to take us to the game 20-30 minutes later, the crowd was too large to fit in one bus. Our coordinator assured the impatient tourists, because let’s face it, natives avoid La Rambla at all costs – even for fútbol tickets, that another bus would come in just five minutes. We finally catch a bus and are on our way, you can feel a buzz in the air, WE’RE GOING TO CAMP NOU! I tell you all of this because I want you to know that at this point we are in a bus full of extremely excited and impatient fútbol fans, so when we are turned around at the entrance and our bus driver, who is forced to take a different route, heads away from the stadium, things get rowdy. After a minute or two of unanswered questions being hurdled forward from around the bus, people begin to rush towards the doors and demand to be let out in the middle of the street. By the time the bus driver is able to pull over we’re pretty far from where we want to be and walk/run towards the stadium with the rest of the baffled and angry fans. We make it to the stadium a few minutes before the toss and after grabbing a hotdog, yes they have hotdogs in Spain too, we head to our seats in the nosebleed section. It was an amazing game and not even our cheap seats could detract from that. I think I would have had a blast even if we hadn’t won 3-1 against Ajax! I think my favorite part was watching a man several rows below us, who was listening to a commentary on a little portable radio, stand up and scream Spanish protests and complaints at the refs every couple of minutes!
On Friday a group of students and I went to Porto for the weekend. This was my first weekend trip outside of Spain, and what a way to start! First off, our hostel was the best I’ve ever been to! I wouldn’t say I’m an expert on the matter, but this was my fifth hostel and it greatly surpassed all the others in every category. The staff was the best, the rooms were amazing, the showers were fifty times better than my shower in Spain and ten times nicer than either of my showers in the US. We even ate dinner at the hostel two nights and the food was fantastic! Needless to say, if you’re ever in Lisbon or Porto definitely get a room at one of the YES! Hostels. We ate lunch at a place the hostel recommended and had a Francesinha, famous Portuguese sandwich, which I thought would be the death of me… meat, meat, and more meat between slices of bread covered in cheese and a “spicy” sauce. The Portuguese must eat as much spicy food as the spaniards, ninguno! The city was so beautiful, right by the river and the ocean, and the weather sure didn’t give us anything to complain about! We did a pub crawl (my first “official” pub crawl!), and a wine tasting. I love Port wine! I never have been a big fan of alcoholic drinks, my favorites being the ones that are full of sugar and fruit, but Port wine I do like, probably because it’s super sweet! Yay sugar! I went on two walking tours of the city and learned that J.K. Rowling lived in Porto for a couple of years and it is there that she started the first draft of Harry Potter! (Big PotterHead here :)) There are things all over the city that they claim are the inspiration for book elements, like a little house squashed between two churches that may have been the inspiration for Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Pretty silly story as to how the house got there, but you’ll have to go there to find out (or just Google it). Livraria Lello is now one of my favorite bookstores in the world, second only to Powells. Google it (I don’t have time to describe everything in detail for you. Sorry, I’m not sorry) if you want to see how pretty it is, normally I don’t follow the “no photo” signs but this time there was a camera nazi walking around the whole time. That’s his job. What a way to make a living. Anyway, Porto was beautiful and I can’t wait to come back someday, and fill my suit case full of Port wine 😉
Big city life (or rather European life in general- I’m talking to you Spain and France): I have seen more PDA these past 3 months than in my entire 21 years of life in the states combined! I don’t know if this is something that happens in big cities in the states or rather more likely is simply a result of past oppression and a renowned sense of freedom of expression, but it sure happens a lot here. It’s not just that people make out on the streets, though I see plenty of that, it’s the fact that it is followed by booty grabbing and other kinds of touching that I don’t appreciate seeing. Today, while waiting to cross the street, I saw a man reach down his girl’s pants and squeeze her butt… under her pants… his hand was between her jeans and her butt, in plain sight of the five or six of us waiting at the crosswalk. A few weeks ago in line at the airport I saw a man unzip his lady friend’s jacket and “honk” her boob… several times, while we waited to board the plane. I understand you’re stoked that you can now hold hands and kiss in public but do you need to do more than that outside the comfort of your homes? Seriously, take it inside. Let me clarify, when I say inside, I mean YOUR OWN HOME! Inside does not mean a crowded airport full of people. I’m sorry if this was too graphic for you but they don’t seem to think it’s too graphic for the streets so I will write it here for the twelve of you that read this blog.
Hola, I’m back! Still soaking in the sights, reading, napping, eating, and doing a little studying on the side. Still in love with Barcelona, still missing home. I can’t believe its been over a month, time sure does fly when you’re having fun… it would seem I have a lot of catching up to do! Needless to say, a lot has happened since I last wrote. I think I’ll just try and take it one weekend at a time…
October 13-19 : There is a saying in Spain, “Si no has visto Granada, no has visto nada;” which means, if you have not seen Granada, you have not seen anything. I went with my program to Granada (17-19) and from the moment I stepped off the plane, I knew it was the truth. Back in October it was still quite hot and humid in Barcelona, Granada’s cool crisp morning air was a nice change of pace and reminded me of fall back home. I’m a mountain girl; I don’t snowboard or ski, but I sure can appreciate a good view and I’ve missed the snow capped mountains in Oregon. Granada’s view of the Sierra Nevada Mountains (the original ones- no, Granada is not in California) did not disappoint! When the sun came up, it was a nice heat, one that warmed your skin without the sticky, sweaty heat you get in Barcelona. Granada is beautiful, I could spend hours telling you all about each and everything that makes it special; the unique street lamps, wide side walks, narrow alleys, fountains, parks, green grass (quite possibly my favorite thing about Granada!), old buildings, beautiful architecture, and the Alhambra – just to name a few. Not to mention the food was fantastic! I love that in Granada you can get a Menú del día for under 10 euros, I have grown accustomed to having a starter, main dish, dessert and coffee for lunch. While in Granada we took a tour of the Alhambra, several neighborhoods, and the cathedral, we saw a flamenco show, took a dip in the arabic baths, enjoyed a tapas dinner and had the most amazing arabic tea; and of course we did some shopping, you can’t leave Granada without getting a pair of harem pants!
I’m so glad that I got the chance to travel to the south of Spain, the culture is so different from that of Barcelona. The Arabic/Muslim influence is prominent in Granada, making it feel almost like an entirely different country! Also, in Andalucía (the southernmost autonomous community/region in Spain), when you order a drink at the bar you get free tapas! I wish I had more time to travel to every region in Spain, they’re all so different, each so unique. Though I absolutely loved Granada, I was glad to be back home in Barcelona on Sunday!
Big City Life: I’m going to take this moment to come back to the present because big city life is something new to me and funny things happen almost everyday – if I don’t share now I will probably forget later! My commute to school in the morning consists of walking, and taking the metro. Tuesdays and Thursdays I just take the metro two stops, get off and walk to school. However, Mondays and Wednesdays I have class at the Sant Pau campus and I need to change lines. Last week I forgot it was Monday and almost didn’t get off in time (I only transfer after one stop!). Today I remembered it was Monday when I got on the train but somehow forgot that I needed to transfer at Diagonal and completely missed it. Yes, I have been taking this same route to school for over two months now! This has happened before but last time I had a partner in crime and we had a good laugh, so did the ladies sitting across from us. Anyway, already running a little late because of this I finally make it to my final train and by the time I get on it’s so packed there is no room for me and the doors start to shut, but I made it! Close shave. One guy gave me a knowing smile because stuff like this happens all the time, crowded metros are nothing new. However, when I tried to turn around and face the doors, I realized that my hood and hair were trapped in the door! I don’t know if anyone else noticed, but I had a good laugh to myself and waited patiently for the doors to open at the next stop so I could be released.
How is it possible that I have been in Barclona for six weeks already, and in Europe for over eight?!
This week, among other things, I visited the Santa Caterina Market (fish photo) with a group from my program. Having already seen Mercat de Sant Josep (La Boqueria), one of the most touristic places in all of Barcelona, it was fun to see a market where locals actually shop. We tried cured meat, olives, and cheese. It’s places like these were I truly feel like I’m in Spain. When I’m surround by locals talking about their day, what they’re making for dinner, and this strangely warm fall weather. You can buy almost any food item you need here, all as fresh as they come.
This last week I also visited Park Güell, Cementiri de Montjuïc and went to the top of Cúpula las Arenas. Park Güell, the photo of the mosaic salamander, is a park that was designed by Eusebi Güell and architect Antoni Gaudí as a sort of community. However unsuccessful as a housing development, it is now one of Barcelona’s many famous historic architectural sites and brings in many tourists year round. Cementiri de Montjuïc, photo of the grave, is a large cemetery in the south of Barcelona. It is the resting place of over one million people, most of which are in plots nestled in the rocky hills of Montjuïc. It opened over 130 years ago, and many graves are showing their age. It was amazing to see all of the large statues and monuments that represent the families buried there, or sometimes just a single person. Cúpula las Arenas, is an old bull fighting arena that was converted into a shopping mall since the outlaw of bull fighting in Catalonia. From the top you have a 360 view of most of Barcelona. Directly below you can see Plaça España and beyond that Font Màgica, and the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya.
While may students traveled to Germany over the last couple of weeks for Oktoberfest, I stayed in Barcelona and discovered our very own beer festival in town. Some friends and I joined in the festivities last weekend. I’ve never been to Oktoberfest in Germany but I imagine it would be somewhat the same, only much much bigger. I even saw many people dressed up in the traditional Dirndl dress or Lederhosen. We rode rides, drank beer, and I saw my fair share of completely hammered people, old and young. We even practiced our spanish a little with a group of kids from Barcelona, Argentina, and Ukraine. Our conversation was broken up frequently by the many spontaneous outbursts of song or by shattering glass as one of the many mug towers, being stacked by people too wasted to walk straight, crashed to the floor. Inside the beer garden tent, tables are filled with people drinking, dancing, and singing… and some pretzel eating. I had a great time, it was fun to see a German festival being celebrated by people from all over the world gathered in Spain!
Wednesday was the last day of Festes de la Mercè, a festival held annually in Barcelona. Activities for all ages can be found in the streets, parks, and plazas throughout the city. I saw Castells and one of the many Parade of Giants that went on this week. It baffles me to think just where all these people come from! The entire population of Barcelona, along with the many tourists, gather in these plazas. I felt like a duck heading into the metro, waddling and taking baby steps to avoid stepping on the toes and heals of the people inches in every direction.
Wednesday night I went to the firework show and projection at Plaça de Espanya where even more people crowded in to see a, mostly political- as everything in Catalonia is, musical video depicting Barcelona’s history. I think I sometimes forget that I’m living in a big city. I’m living in a city that has one million more inhabitants than Oregon’s biggest city! Just walking down the street on any regular day in Barcelona I don’t feel like it’s that big. Sure it has it’s moments, usually when I walk past the Gaudi museum, or wander into Plaça Catalunya, and see all the tourists bustling about with their shopping bags, backpacks, and cameras. It is going to be so weird to come home and drive ten minutes to get to town, a town that is one thirty second the size of Barcelona. I’m grateful for game days, festivals, and crowded tourist attractions, they remind me where I am. When I get onto an exceptionally crowded metro car I remember that I am living in Europe. This is my home for the next twelve weeks.
Okay, enough about festivals! That’s not all we do in Spain, though it sure does seem like it 🙂 This week I went to Sitges, a city on the sea twenty miles south of Barcelona. It was beautiful! The sand was smooth, just like it is back home, but the day we went, the water was about like it is back home too; needless to say, our sun bathing was unsuccessful!
Friday morning I went, with some of my study abroad group, to Zaragoza. Zaragoza is a city almost two hundred miles west of Barcelona in the Aragon community. On our overnight trip we took several tours of the city and its Roman ruins. I ate too much, made new friends, and saw the worlds third largest fresh water aquarium. I love big cities. I love the easy public transportation, good food, culture, and entertainment. However, there is something about smaller towns that makes them special. I don’t know what it is, if you have any ideas let me know ;). Not that Zaragoza is small…. it still has sixty seven thousand more people than Portland! It just has that smaller city feel compared to Barcelona. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Zaragoza and I can’t wait to see more cities in Spain! I never have been good at conclusions… so, the end. El Fin, Elani
This weekend/week is La Mercè festival in Barcelona. The big day will be this Wednesday, most people get the day off and there are concerts, performances, traditional dance, and more castells! These events have been going on since Friday. It is such a different feel to be out on the streets this week. Normally the metro closes at midnight and all but a few of the restaurants and shops are closed by then, but this week the metro is open all night and there are people everywhere! It’s not hard to find food at 3am and the streets are filled with music. Every night they do a firework show by the water, I haven’t had the chance to see it yet but I’m sure I will tomorrow. I know every night when the show starts because my neighbors dog is not a fan!
Each week I see more of the city, and I’m beginning to realize how walkable it is. On Sunday I went for a stroll and I found a street with several Mexican restaurants! I cannot tell you how ecstatic I was to finally find a burrito!! They even sold hot sauce there, which is not so easy to come by in Spain. They don’t eat a lot of spicy food or sauce here, so hot sauce is nearly impossible to find! I have really enjoyed trying all of the food here, especially our home cooked meals. Even when I don’t like something I’m glad I had the chance to try it. That being said, it sure was nice to have a little taste of home yesterday!
Last Thursday, September 11, was the National Day of Catalonia. The day long festival pays tribute to the defeat of Catalonia during the war of Spanish Succession. Three hundred years ago, Catalan lost its independence to king Philip V of Spain. This year they gathered in the shape of a V up two main intersecting streets, they want the right to vote in November for their separation from Spain. I had the pleasure of joining in the festivities, it was amazing to see so many people from all over Catalonia gather in Barcelona to show their support. It is inspiring to see so many people standing up for themselves and their freedom as a nation. Ara és l’Hora, Now is the Time!
If you want to read more about the day and their fight for freedom click here.
The view from where we ended the day, where the two roads met forming the bottom of the V.
I must say I did feel like an impostor most of the day, wearing my red and yellow flag cape along with the rest of the natives. I suppose as long as I kept my mouth shut nobody had to know I didn’t really belong.
School starts Monday! I feel like it’s the first day of college all over again. In a new home, in a new town with new roommates… starting at a new school with all new classmates. Which is crazy enough on its own, without the added bonus of being in a country where I don’t speak the language! (Please excuse the excessive use of exclamation marks… I can’t help how I feel :))
I arrived on Monday night with my friend from back home and stayed in a hostel. Tuesday I met my host mom and roommate, Katie from Ohio, at our new home in Barcelona! From the get go I realized I probably should have listened to a few more lessens of spanish before leaving home. Like, maybe all of them! Everyone is so friendly though and willing to communicate using mime and body language. It’s been a crazy week, but so far all is mostly as expected, surprisingly. I guess the one difference is that I wasn’t expecting to be able to understand or communicate so well. Don’t get me wrong, communication is tough; my host mom doesn’t speak english and my spanish dates back to two years in high school. Miming can only get you so far :). However, we get by just fine! She is so sweet and willing to slow down just a bit and chuckle at our poor attempts at conversation. Each day gets easier, and I grow more comfortable speaking the little spanish that I remember.
Today was our last day of orientation and we took a day trip to Tarragona (photos attached). Spain is so beautiful, I’m so glad that I didn’t let my fears (mostly of the language barrier) get in the way of coming here. There is so much history in all of these cities! I forget, when I’m in the US, that some places have such a long and diverse past. Tarragona is a city that was built on top of Roman ruins. New ruins are still being uncovered as the city buys old empty houses and takes them down to see what is underneath. Back when the houses were built they just reused what was already there, turning old roman walls and floors into part of the new construction.
I’m looking forward to seeing more of the sights in Barcelona and around Spain for the next three and a half months. I just hope that I don’t forget to do the touristic things while I’m here, as I already feel at home.
New friends and me at the beach in Tarragona. The sand is similar to our Oregonian sand but the water is much warmer 🙂
In Catalonia, the region where I am staying in Spain, they build human towers called Castells. This was a statue of a castell in Tarragona, the man in the foreground is playing music while those in the background form the base for a human tower, sometimes reaching nine bodies high. Children climb to the very top and wave to the crowd. I’m hoping I will see one at one of the several festivals that takes place in September here in Catalonia.
