Hi everyone! 2 weekends ago I went to San Sebastian, which is a beautiful costal city in the north of Spain, specifically in the Pais Vasco (Basque Province) only 11km away from the French border. Driving up there took about 7 hours, but it was gorgeous outside, and kind of looked like Ireland or New Zealand pictures with all the green and hills around. I went with my program, and it was so nice to stay in a 4 star hotel which just happened to house a French rugby team the same weekend ;). The coast of San Sebastian is a large cove and has an absolutely beautiful island in the middle of the water, and is a major desination vacation spot for many French, Spanish, and royal families. We all got really lucky and had gorgeous sunshine most of the trip and it only rained at night. Usually, spring is when it rains a lot up there. It is city, but it definitely had a more laid back vibe, and it was nice to not have to feel pressed for time to see everything and just sit on the beach and shop. As part of the program's city tour, we were able to go up the funicular and see some awesome views of the cove and the city. Some of my favoritie memories of San Sebastian are from the food. The have pinchos there, which means that food is on a small bread, and the food varies from spanish tortilla, crab, other seafood, tomatoes and cheese, or pretty much anything. Up there the pinchos are artfully arranged on large plates, and easily 20 or more large plates take over the bar space, and you just go pick up the ones you like and stand and eat. Good places to eat have standing room only, and everything is very cheap, at least compared to Barcelona. Overall, a very relaxing weekend filled with good weather, a beach, and great food.
Last weekend I went to see 3 cities in the south of Spain in the Andalucia provinces: Granada, Cordoba, and Sevilla. I spent a day in each city, which was actually very manageable because they are small. In Granada the highlight of the city was definitely seeing the Alhambra, which is a large and beautifully conserved moorish palace from the 12th century. The walls have intracite preserved writing and decoration from top to bottom, and a common misconseption is that the writing and decoration was all carved. Instead, everything was molded out of stucco. Pictures can only convey so much; this monument is a must see if you ever find yourself in Spain.
After Granada I went to Cordoba, which is well known for it's Mezquita. I actually had some trouble finding the moorish mosque. It turns out I went to to right place in the beginning, but because the name "Cathedral of Cordoba" was everywhere, I walked around for another 30 minutes trying to find the Mezquita. I eventually went back to the Cathedral, and in very fine print on the bottom of posters, I found "formerly the Mezquita." Ha ha. But that does perfectly preface what I was going to see inside. I only expected the typical moorish arches with red and bone altering colors in a dark mosque, which I found, but I wasn't expecting a huge, light filled, and ornately decorated cathedral in the middle of the mosque. It turns out the mosque was converted into a cathedral after the moors were forced out of Spain after 8 centuries. The mosque is older than the Alhambra and the cathedral dates back to the 17th century. After the Mezquita/Cathedral, I saw the Real Alcazar (Royal Gardens) and walked around the city. It was very hot and sticky out, especially since the city was right by a river.
After Cordoba, I went to Sevilla, and out of the three cities Sevilla was my favorite. It was so pretty and colorful! I saw the Giralda, which started out as a moorish building, but the construction was finished by the Christians. The result is a beautiful and unique building, with moorish windows and large gothic bell tower. Inside it looks like any other cathedral; the outside arquitecture was more interesting. I also saw the Real Alcazar of Sevilla, some more royal gardens, but this Real Alcazar had a moorish palace too. It was pretty, but not a grand as the Alhambra. The gardens were beautiful! Then it started to rain so I hid out in a bakery for a bit and after it stopped I walked over to Plaza Espana. Sevilla's Plaza Espana is huge and it served as the Planet Naboo in a StarWars movie. I haven't watched StarWars for long time, so I couldn't picture the scene where Plaza Espana was featured, but I'm sure if I watch it again I could see it. I also saw flamenco in Sevilla, the traditional Spanish dance, and it was great! Very intense, but good.
That's all for now! This weekend is my last weekend in Barcelona (very scary; I don't want to leave!), and then for Spring Break I'm going to Italy and Greece, and then I have finals and then home. Which means, my last update about Italy and Greece won't be for another couple weeks, maybe even on my way home! I'll see you all soon!
Friday, April 8, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The last three weeks
Hey everyone! I know i've been slacking with the blog for the past few weeks, so here's my travel update! The weekend after Paris I celebrated my 21st birthday and stayed in Barcelona for the weekend. It was so much fun, and I think it's best if we leave it at that! :) Then the next weekend, my family came in town for 5 days! It was so nice to have them here, but unfortunately, they got to experience just how much Barcelona can pour. The only really good day was Sunday, and we all did a bus tour around the city. It was actually very interesting for me to experience because they went to places I hadn't even thought existed in Barcelona. It was well worth it to get out of my normal paths and see some parts of the city I would have otherwise missed. We got off the bus to eat lunch, and then from there we went to Casa Batllo, one of Gaudi's many houses in the city. Later in the afternoon on Sunday I took the family to Park Guell, which is Gaudi's park. It looks like a candyland with the different architecture and different colors. We took pictures by the famous lizard, and it was so nice to be outside when it wasn't raining.
My family arrived late Friday night and we all went out for tapas across the street. Some members of the fam weren't exactly thrilled with tapas, but I think that's because they are usually used to eating large dinner-like meals 6 times a day. It rained all day on Saturday, so we went to see the Picasso musuem. It was very interesting to see Picasso's work from before his well-known stuff, and I liked the paintings from the blue period the best. His more famous works, like Guernica, is housed in La Reina Sofia Musuem in downtown Madrid. Then I took everyone grocery shopping through La Boqueria, a must see for any tourist. It wasn't as crowded as it normally is (again, probably due to the rain), and we were able to get fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese, and sample of jamon serrano. Dad was funny; he wanted American-style bacon (which I have yet to see in Spain), so instead of using the jamon serrano like a lunch meat you just put on a sandwich, he tried to fry it up like bacon. It was a different flavor, but he was happy because it was warm like bacon! lol. I decided to make Saturday a Picassso Day, and since we had already seen his musuem, I took them out to dinner to Les Quatre Gats (The four cats in Catalan). This restaurant was Picasso's and Ernest Hemingway's favortie hideout, and I've heard the restaurant has glasses and bottles that Picasso drank out of displyed in glass case in the main dining room. We didn't make reservations, so we were outside the main dining room, but the bartender and waiters put on show for us later that night with all their arguing. It entertained the family to say the least!
After the bus tour on Sunday, everyone was able to see what they wanted to come back and see later on Monday. We first saw La Sagrada Familia, the huge church designed by Gaudi and is still under construction. The place is huge inside, and I think everyone enjoyed seeing it. In the afternoon, we went up to Plaza Espana, which has a huge, beautiful fountain and column in the center, and then walked up Montjuic. Montjuic has the Palau Nacional de Cataluna on top, as well as Poble Espanol and the Olympic Stadium. We were able to take pictures around the National Palace (which houses an art museum), but then walking to the Olympic Stadium and Poble Espanol, the rain decided to downpour on us. We has umbrellas, but everyone ended up soaked anyway. We took the bus back to a metro station, and from there went home to dry off.
Tuesday I had class, so the family was left on their own to explore. I can't remember exactly what they did, but I know they tried to go back to Montjuic to see the Olympic Stadium, but it was pouring again and they decided to just turn around and come back to the apartment.
On Wednesday, the fam left early to catch a flight to London. I joined them later on Thursday, after I finished a presentation for one of my classes. Thursday night we saw the Wizard of Oz play in the Pallidium Theatre. It was a great play, very well done and with the cutest dogs playing Toto. Friday Emily and Matt had a mid-afternoon flight, so we went to see the Tower Bridge in the morning. It was cool to tour the bridge and get some good views of the Thames and surrounding buildings. Friday was one of the many rainy and cold London days, so while Emily and Matt and Dad went to the airport, Mom and I took a bus tour around the city and got off to see Westminster Abbey. Right by Westminster Abbey is the house of Parliament and Big Ben, but we couldn't go inside because Parliament is currently in session. After touring Westminster for a bit, we got back on the bus and finished the tour. Later that night Mom, Dad and I went out to dinner at Whit's, a very chic and modern little place for dinner. Saturday was absolutely beautiful and sunny. The three of us went to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, St. Paul's Cathedral, and then Dad and I went to see the Tower of London. After Mom and I went on the London Eye (which is a huge ferris wheel type structure with viewing pods to see the city), Dad took us to a wine, cheese, and food festival he found while waiting for us.We ate lunch here by buying food from a couple different vendors. Then after lunch, we all went to St. Paul's Cathedral, a huge and beautiful church. I really liked the Tower of London, and especially seeing the crown jewels. Definitely a must-see when you travel to London. Sunday was a traveling day: I came back to Barcelona and Mom and Dad took the Chunnel to Paris, where they are currently.
Whew! I think that pretty much covers the past three weeks: Birthday, Family in town, and London! Thanks for being patient, and my next post will come a lot sooner than this last one did! Take care!
My family arrived late Friday night and we all went out for tapas across the street. Some members of the fam weren't exactly thrilled with tapas, but I think that's because they are usually used to eating large dinner-like meals 6 times a day. It rained all day on Saturday, so we went to see the Picasso musuem. It was very interesting to see Picasso's work from before his well-known stuff, and I liked the paintings from the blue period the best. His more famous works, like Guernica, is housed in La Reina Sofia Musuem in downtown Madrid. Then I took everyone grocery shopping through La Boqueria, a must see for any tourist. It wasn't as crowded as it normally is (again, probably due to the rain), and we were able to get fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese, and sample of jamon serrano. Dad was funny; he wanted American-style bacon (which I have yet to see in Spain), so instead of using the jamon serrano like a lunch meat you just put on a sandwich, he tried to fry it up like bacon. It was a different flavor, but he was happy because it was warm like bacon! lol. I decided to make Saturday a Picassso Day, and since we had already seen his musuem, I took them out to dinner to Les Quatre Gats (The four cats in Catalan). This restaurant was Picasso's and Ernest Hemingway's favortie hideout, and I've heard the restaurant has glasses and bottles that Picasso drank out of displyed in glass case in the main dining room. We didn't make reservations, so we were outside the main dining room, but the bartender and waiters put on show for us later that night with all their arguing. It entertained the family to say the least!
After the bus tour on Sunday, everyone was able to see what they wanted to come back and see later on Monday. We first saw La Sagrada Familia, the huge church designed by Gaudi and is still under construction. The place is huge inside, and I think everyone enjoyed seeing it. In the afternoon, we went up to Plaza Espana, which has a huge, beautiful fountain and column in the center, and then walked up Montjuic. Montjuic has the Palau Nacional de Cataluna on top, as well as Poble Espanol and the Olympic Stadium. We were able to take pictures around the National Palace (which houses an art museum), but then walking to the Olympic Stadium and Poble Espanol, the rain decided to downpour on us. We has umbrellas, but everyone ended up soaked anyway. We took the bus back to a metro station, and from there went home to dry off.
Tuesday I had class, so the family was left on their own to explore. I can't remember exactly what they did, but I know they tried to go back to Montjuic to see the Olympic Stadium, but it was pouring again and they decided to just turn around and come back to the apartment.
On Wednesday, the fam left early to catch a flight to London. I joined them later on Thursday, after I finished a presentation for one of my classes. Thursday night we saw the Wizard of Oz play in the Pallidium Theatre. It was a great play, very well done and with the cutest dogs playing Toto. Friday Emily and Matt had a mid-afternoon flight, so we went to see the Tower Bridge in the morning. It was cool to tour the bridge and get some good views of the Thames and surrounding buildings. Friday was one of the many rainy and cold London days, so while Emily and Matt and Dad went to the airport, Mom and I took a bus tour around the city and got off to see Westminster Abbey. Right by Westminster Abbey is the house of Parliament and Big Ben, but we couldn't go inside because Parliament is currently in session. After touring Westminster for a bit, we got back on the bus and finished the tour. Later that night Mom, Dad and I went out to dinner at Whit's, a very chic and modern little place for dinner. Saturday was absolutely beautiful and sunny. The three of us went to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, St. Paul's Cathedral, and then Dad and I went to see the Tower of London. After Mom and I went on the London Eye (which is a huge ferris wheel type structure with viewing pods to see the city), Dad took us to a wine, cheese, and food festival he found while waiting for us.We ate lunch here by buying food from a couple different vendors. Then after lunch, we all went to St. Paul's Cathedral, a huge and beautiful church. I really liked the Tower of London, and especially seeing the crown jewels. Definitely a must-see when you travel to London. Sunday was a traveling day: I came back to Barcelona and Mom and Dad took the Chunnel to Paris, where they are currently.
Whew! I think that pretty much covers the past three weeks: Birthday, Family in town, and London! Thanks for being patient, and my next post will come a lot sooner than this last one did! Take care!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Paris!
Hi everyone! I just got back from Paris, and it was absolutely amazing! Such a pretty city. I saw pretty much everything I wanted to see, with the exception of Versailles. It would have been cool to see it, but I didn't have enough time. But everything else more than made up for that! The first monument I saw Friday morning was Norte Dame. So beautiful! The stained glass inside was beautiful, and there was so much detail on the outside as well. I didn't climb up the bell towers, but I heard the bells! From there we went on a free walking tour, and our guide was hilarious as well as informed, and I got to see all the major monuments and things I would have never even thought to look for in only 3 and half hours. If you ever go to a foreign country, definitely do some type of tour, because they can add so much history and depth to your visit. I saw the Eiffel tower, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Tuillerie gardens, Musee de Orsay, the Petite and Grand Places, the oldest stone bridge in Paris, the Seine river, Notre Dame, Saint Chapelle, Sacre Couere, the royal academy of the French language, Saint Michael's square and fountain, a statue of one of the famous Kings, the old royal palace where King Louie (either the 14th or 16th) grew up before moving to Versailles (now a city/government building), Napoleon's Arc, Las Invalides (the palace where Napoleon is buried), and famously expensive hotel (the winner of the Tour de France gets to stay there for free for a night), and Egyptain obelisk that France said Eygpt "gifted" them (in reality, Napoleon stole it), and some more fountains and statues.
After the tour where I saw pretty much everything, I went back to the ones I wanted to see up close or museums to go into for the rest of the weekend. What was so nice was that I got in free to the major musuems because I am technically a resident of the EU, and I just had to show them my visa. I saw the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. The picture was not as small as I had imagined, but still on the smaller side with tons of people crowded around her! I was glad I was able to see it (my height helped!) I didn't spend too much time there, because I knew it was huge and the impressionist era paintings I wanted to see were over in the Musee de Orsay. I went over there and saw a lot of Monet, Renior, Van Gogh, and more paintings! I don't know much about art, but I know I do like the impressionist type paintings, and Monet and Renoir are my favorite painters (of the few I've seen/know about). I tried to go up the Eiffel tower, but I bought the wrong tickect and had to climb a good amount of stairs before I could get to an elevator. I made it to the first floor, and then decided to go back down and see more things before I had to catch my flight.
Now for the amazing food! My friend and I went out for a typical French meal to a restaurant recommended by her tour guide. There were no tourists there, and the food was so good and at a decent price, at least by Paris's standards. I ordered frog legs and duck breast, and she ordered S-cargo and foie gras (duck liver), a bottle of French wine and dessert. We tried all of the dishes, and it was so good! I never had s-cargo, frog legs or duck before, and I got it all in one meal! Crepes are popular too, so of course I had to have more than one! My favorite crepe was with nutella and banana. Also, I love the french macroons! These are not the chocolate and coconut kind you find in the states. These are like biscuit/cookie/brownie/frosting type of things. I can't really explain what it is, but if you are ever in France, try the macroons!
I could go on forever about Paris, but I think the word to describe it is amazing! Such a good weekend and a must see if you are ever in Europe.
After the tour where I saw pretty much everything, I went back to the ones I wanted to see up close or museums to go into for the rest of the weekend. What was so nice was that I got in free to the major musuems because I am technically a resident of the EU, and I just had to show them my visa. I saw the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. The picture was not as small as I had imagined, but still on the smaller side with tons of people crowded around her! I was glad I was able to see it (my height helped!) I didn't spend too much time there, because I knew it was huge and the impressionist era paintings I wanted to see were over in the Musee de Orsay. I went over there and saw a lot of Monet, Renior, Van Gogh, and more paintings! I don't know much about art, but I know I do like the impressionist type paintings, and Monet and Renoir are my favorite painters (of the few I've seen/know about). I tried to go up the Eiffel tower, but I bought the wrong tickect and had to climb a good amount of stairs before I could get to an elevator. I made it to the first floor, and then decided to go back down and see more things before I had to catch my flight.
Now for the amazing food! My friend and I went out for a typical French meal to a restaurant recommended by her tour guide. There were no tourists there, and the food was so good and at a decent price, at least by Paris's standards. I ordered frog legs and duck breast, and she ordered S-cargo and foie gras (duck liver), a bottle of French wine and dessert. We tried all of the dishes, and it was so good! I never had s-cargo, frog legs or duck before, and I got it all in one meal! Crepes are popular too, so of course I had to have more than one! My favorite crepe was with nutella and banana. Also, I love the french macroons! These are not the chocolate and coconut kind you find in the states. These are like biscuit/cookie/brownie/frosting type of things. I can't really explain what it is, but if you are ever in France, try the macroons!
I could go on forever about Paris, but I think the word to describe it is amazing! Such a good weekend and a must see if you are ever in Europe.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Portugual
Sorry this took so long to update (midterms!), but I went to Lisbon, Portugual 2 weekends ago. It was such a pretty city, very tropical. Lisbon has similiar architecture to the rest of Europe, but the weather and greenery reminded me a little of Costa Rica. My friend and I were on an early flight together before the rest of the group came later, and the taxi ride was an experience. The hostel's website said that the ride shouldn't cost more than 6 to 7 euro, but the driver wanted to charge us 18 euro!! We were obviously americans, but I think what did us in was that we were speaking Spanish to the driver, which we didn't know at the time, but that is seen as very rude in Portugual. We ended up only forking over 10 euro, but lesson learned: don't be afraid to bargain with the taxi drivers, and always, always check the meter. The meter when we stopped only said 7.50 euro, but then the driver charged us 2 euro more per bag. At least it wasn't an 18 euro trip!
Our hostel was very cool when we got there and it was fun to meet and get to know other travelers, some who were in the same study abroad program as me. They gave us free breakfast and cooked us a huge meal at night. They then took us out to the bars. In Portugual, you go to the bars to get your drink, but then you go outside and hangout in the streets. So much fun!
The next day was our big tour day, and we saw a monastery, and then next door we went to get lunch at the famous pastry shop. Because of this one little pastry shop (now huge and serves real food too), a pastry called pastrie de Belem (I think that's the name) spread all over Portugual and then Europe. It was amazing, especially for me the sweet tooth! It had a very flaky thin crust (think baklava thin and crunchy) and filled with some kind of sweet filling. I don't know what it was, but it might have been a light cheese/jelly-like filling. Whatever it was, it was good! We then tried to go to the San Jorge's Castillo (Saint George's castle) but we got a little lost and of course, it started to rain. We walked in the rain for a bit, and when we finally found the castle, it was closing early because of the rain. We went back to the hostel to hangout and wait for dinner. The next morning, my friend and I were on the same early flight, so we got up early and went to the castle. It had great views! It was cool walking around in a real castle, my first since I've been in Europe. We also a lot of wild turkeys and a peacock just hanging out on castle walls! After seeing the castle for an hour or so, we left so we could catch our flight. I was so happy to finally be walking downhill too! Lisbon was built on top of 7 mountains, so lots of steep hills to climb just walking around the city.
That's all for now. Wish me luck on my midterms this week, and then I'm off to Paris right after!
Our hostel was very cool when we got there and it was fun to meet and get to know other travelers, some who were in the same study abroad program as me. They gave us free breakfast and cooked us a huge meal at night. They then took us out to the bars. In Portugual, you go to the bars to get your drink, but then you go outside and hangout in the streets. So much fun!
The next day was our big tour day, and we saw a monastery, and then next door we went to get lunch at the famous pastry shop. Because of this one little pastry shop (now huge and serves real food too), a pastry called pastrie de Belem (I think that's the name) spread all over Portugual and then Europe. It was amazing, especially for me the sweet tooth! It had a very flaky thin crust (think baklava thin and crunchy) and filled with some kind of sweet filling. I don't know what it was, but it might have been a light cheese/jelly-like filling. Whatever it was, it was good! We then tried to go to the San Jorge's Castillo (Saint George's castle) but we got a little lost and of course, it started to rain. We walked in the rain for a bit, and when we finally found the castle, it was closing early because of the rain. We went back to the hostel to hangout and wait for dinner. The next morning, my friend and I were on the same early flight, so we got up early and went to the castle. It had great views! It was cool walking around in a real castle, my first since I've been in Europe. We also a lot of wild turkeys and a peacock just hanging out on castle walls! After seeing the castle for an hour or so, we left so we could catch our flight. I was so happy to finally be walking downhill too! Lisbon was built on top of 7 mountains, so lots of steep hills to climb just walking around the city.
That's all for now. Wish me luck on my midterms this week, and then I'm off to Paris right after!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Madrid Trip!
I went to Madrid this weekend with my program, and it was awesome!! We took the high speed train from Barcelona, so it was only a 4 hour trip, which I slept through. Once we all got there, we checked into our hotel and had freetime for the rest of day, so a couple of girls and I went out to lunch. Note/tip: in Spain, get El Menu del dia, or the menu of the day. It's usually comes with 2 courses of food, a drink and dessert all included for around 10 euro. So good! Then we wandered around for a bit, and came across Plaza Mayor, Plaza del Sol, el Palacio Real (the royal palace) and some cool statues and parks.
Friday night we went out to celebrate my friend's 21st birthday. We started "boqueoning" (drinking in a public place ~ very common for Spain) in a park and then went to bar that looked like a cave on the inside. Very fun!
Saturday morning I went on the bus and walking tour for 3 hours, and it was very nice to see the city. I was surprised at how condensed it was compared to Barcelona, which is very spread out in comparison.
Later on Saturday we got into two famous museums for free. I first went to the Contemporary Art Museum of La Reina Sofia, which houses the famous Guernica painting by Picasso. I took a picture of it, and then was promptly yelled at for doing so, oops! No fotos aqui! I still have the picture of the world famous Guernica though!
Next we went to the Prado Museum, again, another very famous museum in Spain and the world. I saw Las Meninas by Velazquez and a few paintings by El Greco. I didn't stay too long there because we were all exhausted and 4 to 5 hours of musuems were plenty for the day.
Later that night we continued celebrating my friend's birthday, and we went to Kapital, which is a 7 floor club that plays different music and has dance floor on each floor. Very cool, but very hard to find people if you get separated from them.
On Sunday, my group of friends and I paid to see El Palacio Real, or the Royal Palace. Centuries of royal families lived there, and it is still used as a formal greeting area for heads of state, presidents, political leaders, etc. The current royal family doesn't live there, but it's kinda nice because the public gets to see it. It was absolutely gorgeous inside - everything very ornatly decorated with gold, silver, and crystal. After the tour of the Royal Palace, we walked down to a flea market, but on the way we stopped at huge bascillica. It was open and I got go inside and see a catholic mass in Spanish. I only stayed for 2 or 3 min, but it was enough to see the inside of the church and hear some of the service.
Then we went to the largest flea market in Spain - how cool! It literally shuts an entire city block down. I only bought a bracelet, but literally, you could buy anything there. After the flea market, we took the train back to Barcelona. Such a fun trip!
This upcoming weekend: Portugual!
Take care and adios for now :)
Friday night we went out to celebrate my friend's 21st birthday. We started "boqueoning" (drinking in a public place ~ very common for Spain) in a park and then went to bar that looked like a cave on the inside. Very fun!
Saturday morning I went on the bus and walking tour for 3 hours, and it was very nice to see the city. I was surprised at how condensed it was compared to Barcelona, which is very spread out in comparison.
Later on Saturday we got into two famous museums for free. I first went to the Contemporary Art Museum of La Reina Sofia, which houses the famous Guernica painting by Picasso. I took a picture of it, and then was promptly yelled at for doing so, oops! No fotos aqui! I still have the picture of the world famous Guernica though!
Next we went to the Prado Museum, again, another very famous museum in Spain and the world. I saw Las Meninas by Velazquez and a few paintings by El Greco. I didn't stay too long there because we were all exhausted and 4 to 5 hours of musuems were plenty for the day.
Later that night we continued celebrating my friend's birthday, and we went to Kapital, which is a 7 floor club that plays different music and has dance floor on each floor. Very cool, but very hard to find people if you get separated from them.
On Sunday, my group of friends and I paid to see El Palacio Real, or the Royal Palace. Centuries of royal families lived there, and it is still used as a formal greeting area for heads of state, presidents, political leaders, etc. The current royal family doesn't live there, but it's kinda nice because the public gets to see it. It was absolutely gorgeous inside - everything very ornatly decorated with gold, silver, and crystal. After the tour of the Royal Palace, we walked down to a flea market, but on the way we stopped at huge bascillica. It was open and I got go inside and see a catholic mass in Spanish. I only stayed for 2 or 3 min, but it was enough to see the inside of the church and hear some of the service.
Then we went to the largest flea market in Spain - how cool! It literally shuts an entire city block down. I only bought a bracelet, but literally, you could buy anything there. After the flea market, we took the train back to Barcelona. Such a fun trip!
This upcoming weekend: Portugual!
Take care and adios for now :)
Monday, January 31, 2011
Bomb Shelter Field Trip
One thing I forgot I saw this past week was a bomb shelter used during the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930's. My Spanish Civilization and Culture class went to see it as a field trip. It's crazy to me that it happened in recent history, as in my grandparents were alive during that time. Albeit, they were very young, but still, very recent. Also, I learned that Franco's fascist regime (his side won the Spanish Civil War) lasted until the 70's, when my parents were young/teens. When we learned about communism, facism, dictatorships, and such in school, it always seemed like ancient history, nothing I have ever experienced. The mentality here is different; they remeber war, the bombs falling for 3 days straight on their homes. During the Spanish Civil War, which lasted about 3 years, Barcelona was the most bombed city. Touring the bomb shelter was a little eerie, but interesting at the same time. Even though Spain has been around for a long long time, it really has only been a free state for less than 40 years. My dreams were a little intense that night, but I'm glad I am learning about the history of Spain and how it affects people today.
Tarragona (again) and La Sagrada Familia
This week I did a day trip with my program. We were supposed to do a Jungle Trek adventure park with ziplining, but the rain caused the park to close and cancel our trip. Instead, the program took us to Tarragona, which we had just seen the previous weekend. Nevertheless, it was fun to go back and actually get into the amphitheater and another museum, which we didn't do last time because we spent our money on other things. Afterwards, we went to a town just outside Barcelona for a huge traditional Catalan lunch. The main specialty was a calcotada which is an onion burned in a fire and then served. You eat them by pulling the burned part off and tilt your head back, and drop the long narrow onion down your throat! Crazy, I know, but it was so good! Your fingers do get messy. The lunch was great (they served us more than onions), and the free champagne was great too! Apparently, Spain makes really good champagne, called cava here, as well as good wines. Later this semester, I would love to go on a wine/champagne tour when the weather is nice.
On Saturday, I went to see the inside of La Sagrada Familia, a famous Gaudi church still under construction. Every Saturday in January it is free to the public to see La Sagrada Familia, and since it was the last day to go, I got there early and got right in! Impresionante! No picture could ever capture the magnitude and attention to detail that Gaudi designed. The church is huge, and so beautiful!
That is all for now, but next weekend is my program's trip to Madrid! Should be fun!
On Saturday, I went to see the inside of La Sagrada Familia, a famous Gaudi church still under construction. Every Saturday in January it is free to the public to see La Sagrada Familia, and since it was the last day to go, I got there early and got right in! Impresionante! No picture could ever capture the magnitude and attention to detail that Gaudi designed. The church is huge, and so beautiful!
That is all for now, but next weekend is my program's trip to Madrid! Should be fun!
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