Barcelona

So after a mix up of trains on Saturday, Rayni, Nancy and I were off to Barcelona.  Barcelona is toward the north of Spain, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and is part of the province Catalunya.  It is the second biggest city in Spain and addition to speaking Spanish, they have a dialect called Catalan.  It is a mix between French and Spanish.  All of the signs in Barcelona are in Spanish and Catalan.  The train ride was beautiful.  It took us up through the hills and along the edge of the Mediterranean Sea.

After we arrived in the station and settled into our hostel, we went into downtown Barcelona.  There, we saw the outside of the Sagrada Familia, a large basilica designed by Antoni Gaudi, a famous Spanish architect known for his abstract designs and his use of mosaic tiles.  The outside was unlike any other basilica or cathedral that I had ever seen.  The outside was so abstract, even though it was under restoration.  However, we weren't able to go in on Saturday.

Following the Sagrada Familia, we went to the museum dedicated to Pablo Picasso, the Spanish artist who helped to create cubism.  The museum was full of years worth of paintings and sculptures.  You aren't allowed to take any photos.  I made the mistake of pulling out my phone to write down a note for my blog and a security girl saw me.  She called something over the walkie talkie and I don't think that she knew that I knew Spanish.  I overheard about half of what she said and my suspicions about what she had said were  confirmed when Nancy and I were obviously being tailed by the security people.  Everywhere I went, I was being watched by security people.  And we made it obvious that we knew.  The one guard, not much older than us, knew that we knew and he just looked at us, smiled and laughed.  Leave it me to cause trouble in an art museum.  We did see some incredible art and did get in for free because we were students.

After the art museum, we went to the Plaza de Espanya to see a fountain show.  We walked around the plaza, which was on a hill.  At the top was what appeared to be a palace and then the fountain.  Going down the hill was a line of smaller fountains.  The show was pretty awesome.  The water looked like smoke and fire.  They lit it up in a variety of colors and varied the height and type of water jet.  It was amazing.  I didn't know it was possible to do something like that with a fountain.

Later, we met up with a friend in Rayni's from South Africa.  He studies at International House Valencia but before he had studied in Barcelona.  He had plans to meet up with some students and teachers from the International House there.  So we went with him and I saw another Flamenco show.  This one was pretty good but the one I saw in Valencia was better.  We ordered an array of tapas for the table.  I think I may have eaten squid.  The food and the sangria were really good, even though I didn't touch the mussels.

The following morning, we woke up and headed back into the city center for breakfast.  To my surprise, they were playing football highlights on the big TV screen.  And I don't mean "futbol" or soccer.  It was real American football.  I even got to see the bills playing in the Ralph.  It made me miss home so much and it was awesome to see a little bit of it.  After breakfast, we walked around the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona.  It is full of old beautiful buildings, some dating back to the Roman Empire.  We also walked down Las Ramblas, a famous touristy street.  I didn't see what the big deal about it is but it was nice to see.  On our walk through the Gothic Quarter, we saw two buildings built by Gaudi.  The one was supposed to model the bone structure of the human body.  Both buildings were beautiful.

After our walk, we finally saw the inside of the Sagrada Familia, the large basilica built by Gaudi.  It was unlike any church, basilica or cathedral I had ever been in.  There was stained glass everywhere, flooding the open worship space in red, blue, green, orange and yellow light.  The ceiling was all made of mosaic tile.  There were carvings of leaves in one entrance and another had the story of Jesus from the book of Matthew engraved on it.  There was also a wall full of different languages.  It was beautiful.

Next, we hiked up a hill for a good half hour to see Park Güell, a park completely dedicated to Antoni Gaudi.  It was nice to see and walk in.  He was an architectural genius.  His work is unlike anything  I have ever seen.  He constructed this giant platform that overlooks the city and it was absolutely beautiful.  As great as it was to go there, I was expecting a lot more.  There really wasn't much to do there.

Later, we met up with the guy from South Africa and he took us up this hill in the middle of the city.  From the top, you could turn 360 degrees and see the whole city.  We went at night and it was absolutely beautiful. You could see all of the twinkling lights and, in the distance, the Mediterranean.  While watching, a guy pulled out a guitar and started singing.  It made everything feel so surreal.  We then hiked own the hill and went to a Vietnamese restaurant for dinner.  I tried a traditional dish called "pho" which is a beef and noodle soup.  It was really good.

It was a wonderful trip and I highly recommend a visit to Barcelona, if you are ever in Spain.  However, I definitely prefer Valencia.  It is a much better place to learn Spanish since in Barcelona, most people use Catalan instead of Spanish. Also, Valencia is smaller and less touristy.  I am used to a smaller city so Valencia is perfect.  During these two days, I have missed my Spanish home.

Fun Facts:

"Nevar" means to snow in Spanish. Could Nevada, which has snow covered mountains, possibly named because of that? It did used to be under Spanish control.

We saw a tourist hater in a square.  He had a paper hat that said "go home." Funny thing was that he was speaking in heavily accented British accent.

Europe values education.  If you have a student card, you are given a discount.

The metro in Barcelona reminds of the New York City subway.  It is very old and sketchy at times.  Also, when two lines meet up, they aren't in one station.  You literally walk to that line's station but underground.