Sunday, April 5th 2015
It was a very early morning as I gave Alison a hug goodbye and made my way to the airport. Finally, I was going to make it to Spain!! It was still morning when I arrived and met Hannah at Place Espanya, the plaza right near her house. We went back to her place and put on bathing suits. Vamos a la playa!!
We took the metro to Barceloneta, which used to be an island and now is very much integrated into the city (but those who live there still think of themselves as separate). We found a restaurant right on the beach and ordered seafood paella and a tapa of bravas potatoes. The paella was fantastic and everything I had hoped for. The potatoes were also very good. We had a lovely view of the sea and were very relaxed. After lunch, we spread our towel out on the beach and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon catching up. It is so nice to have such great friendships that even though Hannah and haven't talked much in the last few years, we still get along very well and can enjoy each other’s company. We walked around the beach and enjoyed the beautiful views. While walking around, we met up with two of her friends, Joanne and Kate. We sat on the beach and enjoyed some boxed wine and sangria and chatted. They were really fun to talk to and hangout with. This is the first time I have met up with my friends study abroad friends and felt welcomed and fully included and that they were excited to meet me. It was amazing! We chatted the afternoon away before deciding to get the very popular choco and churros. They took me to their favorite place and they were delicious. The chocolate was rich and creamy and the churros was yum! It was Kate's birthday, so we made plans to meet up later to go to a club.
Hannah and I made our way home and picked up kebab for dinner, because nothing else is open on Easter Sunday! But it was very good, it was chicken and beef with queso. Yum! We relaxed for a bit to gain energy for the night.
I Facebook friended both Joanne and Kate so that we could communicate while out if we needed to. I had a few mutual friends with Joanne, and the first thing that she asked when she walked into Hannah's apartment was how do you know Arielle Sherman? I said that she was my cousin, how did she know her!? Joanne was Arielle's freshman roommate ad good friend! We called Arielle to tell her and she was shocked! Then I noticed that Arielle referred to Joanne as Jojo, and instantly I recognized her from previous stories from Arielle! The whole coincidence was hilarious and it was all we could talk about for awhile! We instantly felt closer. We had a few drinks and played Kings Cup before rushing out to the club.
In Barcelona, the metro closes at midnight and it’s a struggle to make it to the club before it closes! Clearly Barcelona is a late night city. The club was underground, and thanks to Kate's fabulous recruiter, we all got in with no cover. We danced for quite awhile on the floor. The music was so good and the DJ did an incredible job mixing it together. Two men climbed up on the bar. One played the drums and the other was talking with the music. They were very good and really brought up the energy of the club. At some point, we went up to the VIP section to celebrate Kate's birthday. We sat and waited for a bit, but then they brought us to a table with a bucket of mixers and a huge, like huge, bottle of nice vodka. Then the recruiter came over with sparklers and a cake and we were all singing and celebrating! It was truly so much fun and a very princess-like experience. I have never been treated so well and it was so surprising. It was great fun chatting with Hannah, Joanne and her other friends. One was actually studying abroad from Belgium. We went back onto the dance floor for awhile before heading home for the night. The shocking part of it all was that I didn't pay for anything other than my share of the taxi ride home. I looked at Joanne with surprise and we agreed, 'it's all because we’re pretty!'. There really is no other explanation. I have to say I couldn't have had a better welcome to Barcelona or a more special and amazing clubbing experience. No club night will ever match up, so I was very happy. What an incredible, 24 hour long day!
Monday, April 6th 2015
Hannah woke me up quite early the next morning because she wasn't feeling well and had made an appointment with a doctor. We got a taxi and went to the doctor’s house. It was an American that had moved to Spain for her husband. She was very nice and it was pretty interesting to see how they approached medicine there. There were definitely some differences from how the US works. One of them was that when putting in some information for the prescription she said "I like to put in gibberish, but at least you know here the gibberish comes from". In general things were not as rigid as they are in the US from what I could tell. I brought Hannah back to her place and made sure she was set up with some food before heading out for the day. Today my plan was to do a Gaudi tour. So I started my day by passing Casa Milá. It was beautifully colorful building in the middle of the city full of normal buildings. It looked quite cool. I then made my way to Casa Mila and once I got in, the tour started on the rooftop. From the roof everything is wavy and curvy and you have no clue why. It has some very cool statues and structures. The arches on the building framed two very important parts of the city, Sagrada Familia and Montjuic. Being up there felt like I was in a fairytale land. It was not until I went one floor down that I understood why to ceiling was so wavy. The supporting beams were actually curved wood arc and they were all different sizes, which made the ceiling and therefore roof wavy. Gaudi has some really interesting techniques for creating his buildings. He used string and weights to design the roofs of his buildings, just upside down. In the exhibit they placed a mirror across from the exhibit to show what it would look like. The tour then brought you through an apartment designed by Gaudi. I loved the door handles and how it matched your hands and the other little things that Gaudi did which makes sense but took making the extra step.
In some spare time, I decided to get gelato. I have to say it was very good. There were nice fruit pieces in it and it was an enjoyable break. Also, there is never a bad time for gelato. I actually enjoyed the peaceful moment sitting by myself and relaxing with no need to talk or think about anyone else’s needs. It was very refreshing (how unintentionally punny).
I next made my way to Sagrada Familia. I have to say the experience was absolutely breathtaking! Each side of Sagrada Familia had a different story to tell and used statues to show it. My audio guide was incredible in walking me through the design in the building and I was constantly pushing to hear more because it was so great. The way the light hit the stained glass was breathtaking. Each aspect of the building was unique and mothing was just a wall or just a pole. Everything was decorated and had a reason. Also he used a lot of math and ratios when designing the church, which made it even more intriguing. I have to say I’ve never been so taken aback and overwhelmed by any building, particularly a church. I think what was so interesting was even though it was a church and had many religious symbols, there was so much beauty and finesse that it didn't push me away. It felt very welcoming and open to everyone. Although it was a religious building with religious symbols, it didn’t overwhelm me and get in my face. The space had a very peaceful, meditative and open feel. I have never felt so comfortable, welcomed and excited by a church. I truly enjoyed it.
I then took a short walk to an Industrial Garden, but the coolest thing about it was truly the views of the Sagrada Familia that you got going back and forth. Although it was getting later in the day, I went to finish my Gaudi tour by heading to Parc Guell. There is a part of Parc Guell that has a bunch of Gaudi's work in it that you have to pay to get into, but if you go in at 8:30 it is actually free. Since I wanted to see the rest of the park anyways, I decided that I would come back after exploring the rest and killing some time. So, I decided to just start heading up the big hill.
As I'm walking I see a beautiful gateway with these gorgeous purple flowers. It was spectacular! I was amazed by the beauty, so of course I did a mini photo shoot with myself. I continued to climb up and found someone playing guitar and someone drawing. The atmosphere was beautiful and very lovely. I kept climbing and wandering, until I found the park exit gate. I was about to turn around to see more of the park, but then I peeked out and saw another set of steps that went up the mountain. Looking for the best view, I of course followed them up. I reached the top of the stairs and there was a beautiful outlook of the whole city. I then turned around and saw a pretty sizable hill right behind me. It looked like a very fun hike, but I was alone and at this point quite hungry. I walked into the neighboring town while deciding and although I got a nice view of the other side of the hill, didn't find much. I walked back to the viewpoint and decided carpe diem, let's climb it. The climb up was super fun, lots of steep inclines, dirt paths and rocks. I met a nice man on the way up who told me about the amazing view I had ahead. I didn't comprehend until I truly reached the top. I had a 360 degree view of the entire Barcelona area. I could see the places I had been earlier in the day, the beach, the mountains and the places I was planning on going. I was so happy up there, not just because of the view but what I had accomplished to get there. This is the first moment where I felt so spontaneous that I saw something I wanted to do and did it alone. I felt accomplished, proud, independent and most importantly freed. What I mean by that is that I am freed from my codependence, from relying on others to do things. I now know that if I want to do something I can and it is ok to do it alone. If you check out the picture you truly can see real big smile that was all over my face, so the experience really did make me very happy. I was thrilled with myself and with the amazing experience
I met an incredibly hilarious family on the mountain. They had the fun family arguing but mostly the strong bond that I feel about my family. It made me feel so happy to watch them but also made me miss my family and wished I could show them the cool places and experiences that I am having. Hopefully my parents will buy their plane tickets to come visit me soon so that I can have that experience with them and my siblings.
I then walked the rest of the way around the park, finding some great viewpoints and beautiful nature, although none of it compared to the view I had from the top of that hill. I then made my way back to the Gaudi part of the park. The tile mosaics were cool but nothing crazy. The sunset was beautiful over the city. I made my way beneath the mosaics and it was pitch black. I was walking around with a flashlight so I could see the exhibit. It was actually quite fun! I saw the well known mosaic alligator and other parts of the park before leaving.
On my way home I finally picked up some dinner. In the restaurant, the waitress knew no English. Fortunately, my Spanish was starting to come back to me, so I was very well able to communicate with her.
For the first time in my life I truly feel like my Spanish is really useful. I felt very excited to be able to use it and pleased that after all these years it was coming back to me. I found throughout these five days that I can comprehend quite well although have a much more difficult although not impossible time speaking. I also found that I really felt like needed the Spanish. Compared to everywhere else that I’ve travelled throughout Europe, I feel like I would have been somewhat lost and had issues if I didn’t know some Spanish. I used it so much and talked to so many people where knowing Spanish was the only option. One example is this morning to Casa Milá, I asked a man for directions. He explained it all to me, and in the middle he asked if I understood. I instinctively responded with yo comprendo (I understand) because the Spanish didn’t even phase me, I was understanding mostly everything he said perfectly. It gave me a good confidence boost!
By ten pm, I finally made it back to Hannah's apartment to enjoy dinner with her.
For the first time in my life I truly feel like my Spanish is really useful. I felt very excited to be able to use it and pleased that after all these years it was coming back to me. I found throughout these five days that I can comprehend quite well although have a much more difficult although not impossible time speaking. I also found that I really felt like needed the Spanish. Compared to everywhere else that I’ve travelled throughout Europe, I feel like I would have been somewhat lost and had issues if I didn’t know some Spanish. I used it so much and talked to so many people where knowing Spanish was the only option. One example is this morning to Casa Milá, I asked a man for directions. He explained it all to me, and in the middle he asked if I understood. I instinctively responded with yo comprendo (I understand) because the Spanish didn’t even phase me, I was understanding mostly everything he said perfectly. It gave me a good confidence boost!
By ten pm, I finally made it back to Hannah's apartment to enjoy dinner with her.
Tuesday, April 7th 2015
Today I started the day with a walking tour around the city. The tour taught me a lot of history and told me lots of stories about the city. I am really starting to feel the magic of this city. Our tour guide is an American who moved to Barcelona and can't leave. I can really see how once you are here, the city really sucks you in. He walked us around all parts of the city and I think am finally starting to have a feeing as to how to get around. He waked us through many old ruins, and exhibits that were integrated into the city. On the tour I met four girls who were studying abroad in Germany but from America. We decided to spend some time together after the tour. The tour ended in Cituadella Park, so we decided to take some time to walk around the park. It was quite nice, but then we were blown away by a beautiful water fountain that was in it. There was a grand structure topped by a golden statue. Thew ater fountain was full of nature and quite beautiful. In the park there was also a manmade pond and a giant elephant (supposedly they were going to fill the park with animals but they stopped after the elephant).
We also visited the Arc de Triumph. It is a very cool Arc, but doensn’t actually celebrate any Triumph. It was made to distract while the rest of the city was still being built! We then all went to get lunch before heading to Montjuic. At lunch, I talked to the waiter and servers in Spanish. The girls that I was with spoke no Spanish at all, and when I talked to the waiter they were amazed and thankful. It surprised me that the such basic conversation the I was having was so impressive to them. I guess that Spanish actually went somewhere!
I was surprised as to how welcoming they were. It was fun to just meet people randomly and then decide to become friends and spend time together. This is a trend you will start to notice in many of my trips during this spring break. It is a cool feeling, to just meet people and get along and for the common good spend time together. I really appreciate it and enjoy the experience. But as my mom would say, I’ve always been like that.
We climbed up the mountain to get the amazing view from the top. I have to say, I have never more appreciated traveling alone before this experience. Their company was great and I really got along with them but listening to them try to plan and figure out how they will all meet or what they will do was hilarious to me who has been travelling completely by myself. I am certainly proud of this new independence. So, we hiked up to the top and had an amazing view over the city and the sea. I went into the castle with two of the girls. I really enjoyed their company, so much so that we got distracted from looking at the castle. When we realized that we’d been distracted, we got up from our great view to explore the rest of the castle. We went up onto the roof and then into the museum. The museum actually had alot of translations in Hebrew, which really surprised me. I mean we were on the Mountain of the Jews, but it was very surprising to see the Hebrew. I then noticed the time and raced down the mountain to meet Hannah at the Olympic Museum. |
The Olympics had a large effect on the city of Barcelona, so it was great to see the area which they took place. The museum had many cool exhibits, my favorite of which was a set of many of the Olympic torches that lit the caldron to start to Olympics. We also got to see the Olympic stadium from the inside. The grounds around the stadium had also been made for the Olympics and they were gorgeous. At the end of the day, I brought some tapas back to Hannah's apartment, a Spanish omelet and assorted croquettes, to have for dinner along with my super long green beans that I had bought the day before and were so awesome and delicious. They were like snap peas except very long. Croquettes are something that seems to be a food eaten all over Europe, but in different forms. I have had them in the Netherlands, Belgium and now Spain. They are all a bit different, but quite tasty.
Wednesday, April 8th 2015
This morning, I enjoyed a lot of the city’s old religious culture. I walked into the Cathedral. It was very amazing, although all of the churches are starting to blend together in my head. They did have the tomb of Saint Eulia. I learned about her on my walking tour. She was a little girl that when they tried to get to convert she didn’t and somehow managed to survive all of the torture that they put her through. I found the story so inspirational, because the girl was so young but so dedicated to what she was brought up believing.
I had the opportunity to wander the Jewish Quarter in Barcelona. It was a fantastic neighborhood of windy cobblestone streets that had lots of old buildings and cute shops. I found the Synagogue major and wandered in. They gave me a history of Judaism in Barcelona, which I found very interesting. It is an awesome effort that they are making in Barcelona to keep these ancient synagogues in good state and not get built over. They own one of the four that exist in the city. You knew it was real because you actually had to walk down to get into the synagogue (that’s how I missed it the first time) the level of the city was actually quite a bit lower back then. Walking in, I felt like I was in a different world. The building is so original that it feels real. I was sitting in an incredibly old synagogue and I felt incredibly connected to many generations before me and my religion. It actually felt special to sit in that room. It gave me the feeling that I am a part of something greater that dates back so many years in history. It was very empowering. They had a very old Torah that was found in a flea market in Morroco. Hearing that story made me think that from now on, I need to pay more attention in flea markets. Maybe I’ll find some cool things! I then wandered into the Jewish museum to learn more about the history.
I met up with my friends from yesterday (again entertained by the effort that they need to make to meet up with each other) and Hannah to go to La Boqueria, a huge market in Barcelona. It was incredible, something I really enjoy, although it was covered, so not as fun as the completely open aired markets. We got fresh fruit juice, which was so amazing. Mine was kiwi mango and incredibly fantastic.
We then had a relaxing lunch in Plaza Real. The main course was grilled squid with a pumpkin puree. The squid was yummy, and really was just grilled squid (something you don’t see much in America). I then had flan for dessert, and it was incredible! I have heard so much about it, and now I really got to taste a delicious one. I very much enjoyed it!
That afternoon, Hannah and I went shopping. It was fun to wander in and out of stores. I found a fun colorful dress that I would never be able to find anywhere else. I also found a artist’s market, which are my favorite. This is when the jewelers or artists are there selling the things that they made, some of them making more behind the counter. I love talking to them and getting to know them, because it makes buying their jewelry so much more meaningful. I met one lady who was fun to chat with and made beautiful things. |
Hannah and I then took the metro to a labyrinth. It was a very pretty park to walk around, and the labyrinth was fun to get lost in. That evening I met two of her friends at a bar to watch the football game. When Barcelona scored, you could hear the screaming and excitement on the streets. Barce of course played an awesome game and it was a great time watching. We then enjoyed some more Sangria and chatted to enjoy a nice evening in Barcelona.
Thursday, April 9th 2015
I spent a few hours organizing my things before heading out for the day. Today I was doing a bike tour of the city. When the bikes were assigned, I was overjoyed by my bike. I got to ride Lazybones!! (Lazybones is what my Grandmother calls her yellow car, and I got a bright yellow bike!) It was perfect for me. The tour guide was awesome. I enjoyed just chatting with her and getting lots of information from her. I heard lots of stories about the city, which I think is so much fun and the best part of the tours. I saw some new places, but also got to learn more about places that I’d seen already. It was a great way to see lots of the city, recap my time here and not do too much walking. There was a lot of weird art around the city from the Olympics that we saw on the bike tour. It was quite interesting demonstration, and they had a weird taste of artwork in the 90s.
One big difference between Belgium and Spain is the manner of which people bike. The rules in Belgium are very strict about biking. I spent lots of time learning about the proper ways to bike and where I had to be and make sure I’m not breaking any of the rules. On the other hand, in Spain we biked on the sidewalks, going in the wrong directions, through parks and wherever was convenient to us. It felt so wrong but fun!
At the end of the bike tour, two of the girls on the tour invited me to join them for lunch. At that point I was pretty exhausted and walking around didn’t sound desirable to me, so I decided that a nice restful lunch would be perfect. We took the tour guide’s recommendation, and I am so glad we did, because this lunch was fantastic! Certainly one of my favorites (although my favorite meal is yet to come) of my entire trip. It was a three course meal. The first course was a black lentil salad. The salad was delicious and the lentils were crispy and yummy and had great flavor. The main course was a piece of fish with a tomato sauce with a pumpkin gratin on the side. I love the way they make tomato sauce in Spain. It is always incredibly flavorful and robust. Doesn’t only taste like tomatoes (like in Italy, its about tasting the tomato). The pumpkin gratin was also amazing! So much better than yesterday’s. It was thinly slivered pieces of pumpkin that was layered with a ricotta. Everything tasted amazing. I was so happy. For dessert, I had strawberries with a pudding like cream. Yum!
After lunch, I went with the two girls to relax on the dock. We walked across the water and found a nice place to sit on the dock, right under where Christopher Columbus was pointing. I think I fell asleep for a little, because I had a nice tan line from my pocket book across my chest when I came back to Hannah’s a long while later. As we were sitting there, I saw/heard a marching band and lots of balloons. I decided to go find out what was going on. I went over and got my own balloon. There is a ship sailing across the world, and today they were stopping in Barcelona, so the band was celebrating that. The band was excellent. They were dancing and singing and having a great time with their music. I followed them around for quite a bit, enjoying the music and the fun. After awhile, I said bye to my new friends and walked to La boqueria to enjoy some strawberries (and save some for later!). I did some shopping for gifts and then headed back to Hannah’s apartment. |
Sephardic synagogues are much different from Ashkenazi, so I decided that I wanted to visit one while in Barcelona. Hannah and I went to an Orthodox synagogue for the evening service. I of course had to sit on the balcony, which I hate so much, but that is part of the culture. The first part was very chanty and the second was much more songy. Every passionately stated AMEN when it was time. Hearing the prayers and hymns that I knew so well but in totally different tunes was fun. I could decently keep track of the page even though the books were in Spanish and Hebrew. It was nice to know that wherever I go in the world, I will always be able to find some Jewish community and have a feeling of home and be welcomed in. Hannah didn’t like it so much, but I thought it was a nice cultural experience. We went home and changed before heading to Gracia for dinner. Hannah and I enjoyed a delicious tapas dinner. We got the Spanish peppers (pimientos padronea), fried artichokes, spinach croquettes, salad with warm goat cheese and my favorite of the meal prawn sewers. Hannah said it was her favorite meal in Spain, so I was so glad to spend it with her. Kate joined us and we enjoyed a delicious pitcher of Sangria. It has been great staying with Hannah! I treasure our friendship since we’ve been friends for so long, since preschool. It was amazing to spend time with her and I can’t wait to see her back in the states. |