¡Bienvenidos a Barcelona!

From the very first Spanish class I walked into, my goal was always to travel to Spain. Why Spain? To be honest, I really have no idea. I mean there are lots of other countries that speak Spanish and why I had this ingrained fascination with going to Spain specifically never had a defined origin. I hadn’t studied much of the history or culture other than what tiny fragments or bits were in the margins of my grammar books or from movies in class. All the years I’ve studied the subject, it was kind of an unspoken rule that if you studied Spanish then you went to Spain. Studying abroad was the mark of true commitment to a language and for Spanish, Spain was where you were supposed to go.

I did my best, studied hard, and did go to Costa Rica in high school but things changed and other things got priority and Spain came and went. So, when I found out that there was a study abroad program in Granada at Gonzaga I thought that it was meant to be – I would have a second chance. Again, priorities changed and I did go to Africa but once again Spain came and went.

When we started planning our big trip and naming off countries to visit one of the first things out of my mouth was, “I want to go to Spain.” Matt’s response of was, “Why? What is there you want to see?” My response, of course was, “I don’t know but I want to speak Spanish. Because I’m supposed to.” And he said OK.

So, we made seeing just a bit of Spain a priority so that I could cross #50 off my Bucket List and Speak Spanish in Spain! We had heard that Barcelona was a pretty neat city but didn’t really have any plans of  where we were going to go or what we were going to see. But, some of the best adventures are found when you lose your map, delete your schedule, or make up your plans as you go. I did know that I was going to be able to speak Spanish and that’s all that really mattered to me! Everything else was a bonus!



When we boarded the train from Monte Carlo to Barcelona we met a rather odd train passenger. We’re not sure how long this pigeon was on the train but from the looks of the car it had been a while. The doors were automatic so he must have flown in and got stuck. We watched a few other passengers walk in look at him with both surprise and disgust and then just leave for a different car. As you can see, the train car was empty except for us and Trainy (that’s what we named him). So, we did our duty as we thought it, and helped him get out (plus we didn’t really want to travel with him anyways). It took a while and a few window slams but we ultimately let him loose. It looked like he was pretty happy and excited as he didn’t hesitate once he realized he could spread his wings and take off without glass in his way. All I could think of as he flew away was him yelling, “FREEDOM” Braveheart style as he vanished in the distance.

Looking down La Rambla – one of the major streets of Barcelona

  

Top: Apparently if you rub the turtle it is supposed to be good luck. I didn’t hesitate. I mean who doesn’t need a little luck.

Left: The statue says Barcino – Latin for Barcelona

We didn’t really know what to do at first so we took advantage of a free walking tour that was being advertised by our hostel. Seeing that neither Matt nor I knew much of the history or stories of the city we thought it might be fun since we wouldn’t really be missing out on anything. Often we’re usually anti tour people as we don’t really like being told where to go or how long you have to be there. Plus there is this feeling of being herded like cattle or roaming like a pack of zombies that just doesn’t settle with me. But this was a really fun way to learn more about the hidden details of the city plus it gave us ideas where to come back the next day. Some of the places we went to included The Gothic Quarter, The Barcelona Cathedral, the Jewish District, the Born, and the square with all the government buildings.

Some of the streets and back allies we explored on our walking tour

The Cascada at the Parc de la Ciutadella

In a park at the end of the tour is a great big fountain with an archway and waterfall. It is kind of Barcelona’s version of the Trevi Fountain in Rome. The beautiful big park is right near the heart of the city.

Top: Statue of St. George and the Dragon – Patron Saint of Barcelona (George, not the dragon)

Left: Some fun art we saw on our street tour

One of my favorite thing was all the street art. Once all the businesses close at the end of the day they would pull big metal doors over there door fronts and they were always painted. Usually it would have a theme that was closely related to the store. It made it feel like you were walking around in a whole new part of town. It was so much better than all the graffiti and tagging that we’ve seen all over.

We also made sure to visit the Museu Picasso which was great but didn’t hold a candle to the Van Gough Museum in Amsterdam.

I liked the one top center…didn’t have the guts to go through with a tattoo though

After our tour we decided to walk down La Rambla where we stumbled into a really amazing market. All the different varieties of fruits, veggies, meats, seafood, spices and all their colors made this one of my  favorite places in the city.  Markets are one of the places I look forward to seeing when I visit a new place. There is so much to learn from a culture about the smells and flavors of their food.

 



 

Yes, those are rabbits. And if you look close you can see the cute little picture of the bunny so you know what it looked like before it was skinned. I apologize for all you PETA people or bunny lovers but they are quite tasty

Some of the fun architecture in the city and Gaudi's Casa Bastillo

The continued construction of La Sagrada Familia  - Gaudi’s monolithic cathedral

I had my initial thoughts about Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia before we came. I had seen it in pictures and travel books and knew that it was one of the highlights of the city but that was all I really knew about it.
When we first walked up to it I initially thought it was an eyesore. I’m not going to lie… I thought it was really quite ugly. But, I was going to give it a fighting chance. They always say you can’t judge a book by it’s cover – maybe you can’t judge a church from it’s exterior. This hadn’t been the case so far but I thought what the heck.

To be honest, it makes so much more sense once you walk inside. All that Gaudi was trying to do with the architecture just comes together the moment you enter.

And although it maybe a little odd and untraditional, which I think is what jaded me initially, it has this organic nature. It’s really quite spectacular once you really take the time to take it in, appreciate it, and understand what he was doing.

It pays homage to all the beauty that we find in nature. It highlights, focuses on, and puts on an extremely large scale to all the subtle or seldom noticed intricacies of the geometry that we find in our world.

I’d love to return to see it when it is finished.

The sunlight through windows splash color on all the white marble pillars. It is breathtaking!

When all the windows are finished, that place will radiate with color. Absolutely beautiful!

I did speak Spanish as much as I could and ordered all our food, including tapas for dinner one night and paella for another night. I learned that sparkling mineral water is agua con gas not agua con bubullas (with bubbles) but the waiter gave me credit for trying.

Our 10 euro beer and paella on La Rambla. Word to the wise don’t order beer when it’s not on the menu with a price… It will be expensive.

Overall, our time in Barcelona was a great experience but it was really just a taste. We didn’t really spend enough time to really see Spain and I’d love to see more of the country in the future. The only downside was, it being in Europe, everyone spoke English. You really didn’t have to try if you didn’t want to.

I’m happy that I finally made it to Spain, however my experience living and being immersed in the countryside of Costa Rica with the people in their community and in their element is the way to learn. It was great to be  where you couldn’t resort to English when you got scared That’s where I really spoke Spanish.

If I learned anything from my trip to Barcelona that I’ll keep with me, it was that going to Spain didn’t validate my Spanish education and that I didn’t have to go to Spain to really learn to speak.