The goal heard ´round Spain

In case you´ve been living under a rock (or in the US hehe), Spain won the Eurocup last night! It had been 44 years since Spain last won the Eurocup, and 24 years since they last made it to the finals. I´m pretty sure Germany was the favorite to win, but Spain wanted it, and they sure got it!!

I went to a pub with my roommate and a ton of other people to take part in an enduring European tradition, futbol. The pub was full to the max of people from all over, watching and cheering on Spain from a huge projection screen and about 10 other plasma tvs all over the bar. I have to say I´ve never felt so much excitement and spirit in once place like when that first goal was scored. Everyone was on their feet, yelling and chanting, as if the players could somehow hear us cheering all the way in Vienna.

While the Catalans are usually prideful of their own culture and have been trying to get their own national team for years, there was plenty of celebrating last night. I don´t know if it was people who weren´t Catalan, Spanish from other parts of Spain, or foreigners like me, but the honking and fireworks lasted late late late into the night. Everyone on the streets waving their Spanish flags, again weird because Catalans will fly the Catalan flag before the Spanish flag. They showed Madrid on tv and all of the celebrating going on there--it definitely looked super intense. Of all the things I´ve done and experienced while in Spain, last night was probably one of my favorites, and definitely the most exciting.

Of course the España jerseys are selling out fast everywhere, but the guy at the Adidas store tipped me off when their shipment of the championship tshirt would be coming in. Pictures to come soon, but here´s one courtesey of El Pais.

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/deportes/gloria/mejor/elpepudep/20080629elpepudep_11/Tes

¡Podemos!

I haven’t updated in the past week, because well, I haven’t done anything. I was pretty much stuck in the apartment for a week. It sucked. I missed all the San Juan craziness, but could hear the fireworks all night long. However, on Wednesday I went to an ankle specialist who took off my cast and checked out my ankle. My foot and ankle are pretty disgusting , all purple and black (I’ll spare you the pictures), but he told me I was going to be just fine, gave me an ankle brace and compression socks (the socks are soooooo dorky), and told me to enjoy my last week in Barcelona. Needless to say I was ecstatic and ready to get going and have some fun. I even enjoyed going to class again, because at least it got me out of the apartment.

So what have I done since I’ve gained my ability to walk (slowly but surely) again? On Thursday I went on a field study with my history class. We went to El Refugio 307, a bomb shelter from the Spanish Civil War. Sidenote: The Spanish Civil War was fought from 1936 to 1939. It was brought on by a failed military coup led by General Francisco Franco. The two sides fighting were the Left (communists, anarchists, socialists, workers, etc), and the Nationalists (the conservative right, the Catholic Church, the military, etc). The Nationalists also had support from the Fascists in Italy and the Nazis in Germany. The Nationalists ultimately won in 1939, largely because the Left was divided internally. Franco was dictator for almost 40 years, until his death in 1975. During the war, there were a lot of bombings and Barcelona was one of the cities hit pretty hard. The bomb shelter we visited was built into the mountain of Montjuic and it was done by pico y palo—meaning it was dug entirely by the people using picks and shovels and such. The shelter is huge---it could accommodate 2,000 people. It was really cool inside, a nice refuge from the summer heat and humidity, but I can imagine the people who had to go into the bomb shelter to avoid getting killed didn’t feel the same way. In some parts, you can actually see the pick marks from construction.

Later on Thursday, Danielle and I finally used our tour bus tickets. It wasn’t all that exciting, plus we had seen most of the places that it drove by. We just sat on the bus and baked under the sun, but at least we used them. Thursday night, Spain played Russia in the Eurocup semifinals. Spain kicked Russia’s ass—3-0, and the final game is tonight, Spain v Germany, it should be a great game! As usual, as soon as the game ended, the honking and the fireworks started. It’s always so exciting. I don’t know exactly if Spain has ever won a large championship, and if they have I don’t think it’s been for a very long time. ¡Que emoción, podemos!

Friday was a day for the beach. About ½ hour outside of Barcelona via train is Sitges, a small coastal town. It’s beautiful with small beaches and coves. It was nice and hot and the beach was wonderful. I was dying to get in the water, but I felt a little nervous going in without my ankle brace on and I can’t get it wet, so I stuck my feet in the cool water. Of course, there are vendors walking up and down the street peddling coconut, bracelets, sunglasses, purses, and women who want to braid you hair. You can also rent paddle-boats that have slides on the back. There were a ton of people, all enjoying the hot sun and the cool ocean. The town had a nice laid back vibe to it. I would have loved to spend more time there.

Sitges

It’s gotten pretty hot here, and while I’m well accustomed to the heat, I’m not a big fan of humidity, and we don’t have air conditioning—a luxury I really miss. But hey, It’s all part of the experience.

Yesterday was a day for the market. We hit up the flea market in Plaza de Las Glorias. I’ve come to the conclusion that flea markets all over are all very similar—a ton of vendors selling clothes, tools, electronics, antiques, etc. I love them, though. I think it must stem from when I was a kid and my mom and grandma would wake Julian and I up really early to go find garage sales. There’s something really fun rummaging through others’ trash to find your own treasures. And I love knowing that what I’m buying has a story before me. I bought some old keys to turn into a necklace, some old photographs (I LOVE old photos), and a small little painting and drawing. There was a great array of old stuff, pocket-watches, lighters, old coins, turn dial telephones, jewelry. It could take all day to really rummage through stuff properly, but the heat catches up with you quick.

The flea market in Plaza de las glorias. The odd shaped building in the background is the water company's building. The locals have a funny nickname for it...if you use your imagination I'm sure you can figure it out.

Today was another fabulous day for the beach. The beaches in Barcelona are kind of dirty and PACKED with people, especially on a day like today. We opted to take the train about 15 minutes north of the city, just to get to a cleaner/ less crowded beach. We ended up in Ocata. The beach was definitely cleaner, but not any less crowded, but either way, it was nice to just lay on the sand and soak up some vitamin D.

The crowded beach

I’ve got to work on a paper today (really summer school just kills me), but at 8:45 I will be parked in front of a tv, watching the game. Go Spain!

Just a quick note...

Italy v Spain --- Quarter finals ---EuroCup 2008

My street is normally pretty noisy, but during the game, all you could hear were a few passing cars now and then. As soon as the penalty shots started, so did the honking and the fireworks. The parties for San Juan are starting early! ¡Viva España!

Thursday Semifinals Spain v Russia

Spanish experiences

Flamenco! Whenever I use to think of Spain when I was younger, I use to think of Flamenco. It might have to do with the fact that I have a million of those flamenco dancer dolls from here, but anyways...I love dance--I'm not exactly a fabulous dancer (I lack rhythm and coordination), but I love watching dance. Our cultural activity for the week was going to see a flamenco show. It was in this tiny little theater in Plaza Real. First, the guitar played came out. I loooooove Spanish guitar--there's just so much passion in the music. Then, the singer and the clapper guy came out. And finally the guy with the box and the dancer came out. I was blown away by the intensity and beauty.

My other Spanish experience this week wasn't so fun....

I went to La Boqueria during my break from classes on Wednesday to get some fresh fruit and juice. I had enough time to drop off my purchases at the apartment and then head to Montjuic for my architecture field study. I didn't quite make it back to the apartment as planned or to my field study. While walking down the stairs in the metro station, I tripped and fell on my ankle. I knew I had hurt myself because I was certain I had felt something in my ankle snap and it had immediately swelled up to the size of an orange. So there I was, stuck on the metro floor with every passerby staring at me. One of the metro workers called an ambulance (because there was no way I could walk) and I had to call IES (the program I'm here studying with). Someone from IES came to go to the hospital with me. I got to ride in the ambulance, sans sirens (that would have been really cool).

Now this just be my take on it but I felt like the paramedics (who actually bickered who got to push the wheel chair), the hospital workers, the nurses, and doctors all had a pretty laid back attitude. But that could have been because I was in pain, my ankle looked like it was ripe and ready to be juiced, and every time I asked for a pain killer, they told me later.

I got xrays and had 3 different people come in and poke and pull and push my ankle and foot to see if it hurt (UH yeah it hurts, do you not see the orange that has replaced my ankle?). I was finally told I hadn't broken my ankle, but I had torn the ligaments in it. The nurse wrapped my foot up in a cast (not a hard one, but unremovable and uncomfortable). I was kind of over the hospital thing at this point because it had been a couple hours and I was tired and hungry, in pain, and just wanted to go home. The doctor came in to tell me what medicines he had prescribed me. I wasn't really paying attention when all of a sudden my I heard "inyección." The Spanish translator in my head switched back on and I asked him what the hell he was talking about. He told me that I was going to have to get a shot to prevent blood clotting because the compression from the cast and my immobility could cause a clot (I don't exactly buy that, but whatever). I calmed down for about a second (a shot, I can handle a shot), but then he said I would have to get a shot once a day for the next 5 days. When I asked who was going to give me this shot, he said I would have to give it to myself. And that's when I flipped the hell out. I was pretty much hysterical and kept insisting that there was no way I could give myself a shot. No way. Nope, not happening. The doctor and nurse insisted I would have to. Still hysterical, the nurse came over, stuck a needle in my stomach and told me that was all I had to do--not comforting at all.

The hospital did not have crutches--so the person I was with ran out to an orthopedic store to buy me some. Theyre not normal crutches either. They're weird Spanish crutches--I don't really know how to describe them. They work fine--I'm going to get super buff hoisting myself around on them.

I've been instructed to do nothing for 5-7 days, which means no class, no sightseeing, no shopping, no going out at night, and no hiking Montserrat on Saturday. Also, San Juan is on Tuesday, but the parties start on Monday night. I really want to go, but I don't know if I'll be able to. I have to go back to the doctor next week to get this cast off and see if the swelling has gone down. I hope I gain some mobility, because I really don't want to be stuck in this apartment for the last two weeks.

So after that 4 hour ordeal, I finally made it back to the apartment and have pretty much done nothing since. I'm pretty bored since my roommates are all in class. In the grand scheme of things, I'm totally fine and it could have been much worse--at least I didn't break it, or fall and hit my head or my back. However, I would like a cooler story than just falling down the stairs at the metro--so any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

"We'll always have Paris..."

Oh, Paris!! What can I say about Paris? There really is only one word to describe it---beautiful. Paris has to be the most beautiful city I have ever seen. Haussmann did his job well.

My trip began on Friday morning at 2 am. Yes, that’s right 2 am. To get a cheap flight, we (my roommate Danielle, our friend Kris, and I) booked through Ryanair (For the record it’s not that cheap. They tack on all these ridiculous fees, etc). However, Ryanair does not fly out of El Prat in Barcelona. It flies out of Girona, about an hour outside of Barcelona. To maximize our time in Paris, we decided to take the earliest flight out of Girona on Friday morning—6:50, which meant taking the bus that left Barcelona at 3:30 am, leaving the apartment at 3 am, and getting up at 2 am. But, hey, we were on our way to Paris—functioning on only an hour of sleep was a minor detail. We finally arrived in Paris at 10:30. The bus ride from Beauvais (where Ryanair flies) was only supposed to be an hour, but thanks to an accident on the freeway, our travel time was doubled. But, it’s cool—we were in Paris!!! We took the metro to our hotel (at this point, I’m a pro at public transit), which happened to be in the Indian neighborhood. Hostelworld.com left out that tiny detail when we booked. I’ve never seen so many curry restaurants in my life. We couldn’t check in until 2 and were pretty much ravenous, we had to find somewhere to eat lunch. Our lunch wasn’t that great and it was expensive, we vowed after that to stick to pastries, baguettes, and crepes. Note: Lunch was not at and Indian restaurant.

For those who have seen National Lampoon’s European Vacation, remember the tiny hotels they stayed at, yeah, that was us—minus the silly berets. It was nice, clean and safe, just European style small. After checking in and dropping off our stuff, the first thing on our list was to get out of the weirdo neighborhood we were in and go see St. Chapelle and Notre Dame. St. Chapelle is unreal. It’s a gothic chapel built during the 13th century. If you can imagine gothic arches and vaulting, blues, reds, and yellows, and almost floor to ceiling, wall to wall stained glass, that’s St. Chapelle. I just can’t help but think about these old churches and building that have stood for hundreds of years. They’ve stood through years of war and war and war, and yet they’re still here for us to see.

St. Chapelle

Not only is St. Chapelle beautiful, it’s located right next to the Seine, St. Michael’s Fountain, St. Germaine, and Notre Dame. Ivana, a friend from USF and Vegas who’s been studying in Paris all semester, met us at Notre Dame. Notre Dame is enormous. Construction began in the 12th century and it was completed in the 14th century. The highlight of Notre Dame was climbing to the top—some 400 odd stairs—and seeing the view of Paris and seeing the famous bell. There were no hunchback sightings, but I did get to see the gargoyles up close—my favorite part. Again, it’s crazy how long Notre Dame has been standing. Walking up the steps, you could see where they dipped, where who knows how many thousands of other people have stepped.

Sitting on the steps of the Palias de Justice

Me sitting by the Seine

View from Notre Dame

After Notre Dame, Ivana took us to have some super tasty crepes (I love nutella), and then we were off to the Louvre. It was free after 6 on Friday, so of course we had to take advantage of that. Of all the things I saw in Paris, the Louvre was probably my least favorite. It’s too massive and too crowded. It’s overwhelming. I find it difficult to appreciate art like that. However, you can’t go to Paris and not see the Louvre. We did a really quick sweep, seeing the Mona Lisa (the lamest thing I have ever seen),
and the Venus de Milo.

My favorite part of Paris came after the Louvre—seeing the Eiffel Tower at night. It gets golden as the sun begins to set (as a note, it doesn’t get dark in Paris until about 10:30 at night), and then once it’s dark, it begins to glitter and strobe. We sat on the Champs de Mar, drinking wine, and just watched the tower sparkle and glow. There was a marching band, well more like a couple of tubas, a trombone, some trumpets, and a drum set, playing pep tunes and having and impromptu dance party right next to us. Like the beaches in Barcelona, people walk by trying to sell you wine and champagne (although no one offered massages for 5 euro). It was unreal, totally unreal. After the wine ran out, it seemed like a good time to head back to the hotel. It was really late and we were exhausted. But our first day in Paris was amazing.

Day two started out with French pastries for breakfast (mmm croissants). First, we checked out Montmartre, which was about a 2-minute metro ride from our hotel. The sight to be seen in Montmartre is La Basilique de Sacré Coeur. It’s built on a hill—the highest point in Paris. It’s spectacular. After the Eiffel Tower, Sacré Croeur is my favorite thing in Paris. It’s huge, but it doesn’t feel cold and ominous. It’s incredibly beautiful on the inside. It’s amazing how these massive churches were built in a time without modern technology, how faith can inspire people to build such massive monuments to their beliefs. Although I don’t think of myself as religious, I love old churches. And as a little fun fact, the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) was founded in Montmartre, where the Sacré Coeur is. It’s kind of cool, since with out the Jesuits, USF wouldn’t exist.

Basilique Sacré Coeur

We hit Moulin Rouge next, located in the red light part of Montmartre. I’m sure it’s way cooler at night and if you actually go to a show there, but we had to see the famous Moulin Rouge. I felt tempted to break into song, but decided it would not only embarrass my friends but also me. We took a few pictures and got on the metro. Next stop, the Arc de Triomphe. Not too much to say about the Arc. It’s the second largest triumphal arc in the world, but it’s probably the most famous. After the Arc, we walked to the Eiffel Tower, and had panini’s for lunch. We were going to go up, but the line was ridiculous. We decided to go back later that night. Danielle had built a model of some house for one of her final projects at school, so she had to go see this house that been the bane of her existence. The house was done by Le Corbusier. It was pretty ugly from the inside and modern on the inside. Not my favorite thing ever, but pretty cool. Le Corbusier had been a collector of Picasso. He had done some cubist work himself, so a few of those pieces were hanging in the house.

The Pantheon was our next stop. Some of France’s greatest figures are entombed in the crypt there—Voltaire, Rousseau, Hugo, Dumas. It was a little eerie. In the middle, there is a huge pendulum that swings back and forth. I have no idea what the pendulum symbolizes. Ivana met up with us again at the Pantheon and took us through Luxembourg Gardens.

Ivana and I in Luxembory Gardens, and Me in the Gardens

There was a wind ensemble playing in a gazebo, a huge pond with little sailboats and children playing with them, and beautiful greenery. We walked past the playground, men playing bocchi, and a tiny statue of liberty. She also took us around the area by her school. The shops were adorable, expensive, but adorable, and everyone always looks super chic. Next was the Opera house, gorgeous. I would have loved to go in, but we couldn’t, and then we tried going to Printemps, the department store (think Harrods), but it closed at 7 and it was 7:45.

The Grand Opera House

Ivana had talked to some of her friends, and they were at a park having a little picnic dinner. We grabbed some baguettes and sandwiches and met them there. The park was very serene. It was nice sitting and chatting and just enjoying the park, and when the sun started to set, the trees started to turn gold.

The last thing on our list was to go up the Eiffel Tower. It closes at midnight and we got there at about 11. Unfortunately, they weren’t selling tickets to the very top anymore. I was pretty disappointed, but c’est la vie. We did go up to the second observation deck, and the old man security guard fell in love with me. Our conversation goes as follows:

Security Guard: (Heavy French accent) Where are you from?
Daniela: Las Vegas.
SG: Oh Las Vegas!!! (Calls over other security guard and says in French) She’s from Las Vegas!!
SG2: Oh Las Vegas! You have one of these there, no?
D: Yes, but it’s absolutely nothing like this.
SG: How do you like Paris.
D: Oh it’s beautiful! C’est belle, c’est magnifique!
SG: Oh your French accent in beautiful (hilarious because I kept getting made fun of for my crappy French, then they start talking in French)
D: Sorry, I don’t understand French (I hear them say Bush a few times) Oh no Bush, no Bush!
SG: Oh no Bush!! Yeah! Obama?
D: Yeah Obama!
SG: Obama!! Democrat?
D: Democrat!
SG: Enchante!! Sarkozy!!

After all this goes on, and a line has started to form around me, we finally get in the actual line. The security guard comes up to me and starts speaking in French again. I finally figure out he’s telling me I have a beautiful smile. I thank him, and finally move along in line. But he really loved Las Vegas…and Obama.

Even though we only got to go up to the second observation deck, seeing Paris at night was pretty spectacular, and the perfect way to end our trip. Once we got down, I said goodbye to Ivana and we went back to the hotel. The next morning we got up early to do a little souvenir shopping—for the record Tour de France merchandise is super expensive—and then started on the trek back to Beauvais.

Danielle and I

I really loved and enjoyed Paris. I have to go back one day, if anything just to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, the one thing I really wish I would have done. It’s funny though, getting back to Barcelona felt so familiar and normal. But Paris, oh Paris, there is nothing quite like it.

Days go by

I´m on my break in between my classes, and it occurred to me that I haven´t really said a whole lot about my typical day. I´ve talked a lot about sightseeing (which is usually part of my typical day), but not so much about my routine.

Monday through Thursday, I have class from 9:00 - 10:30 and then from 14:30 - 16:00 (ha I´m finally getting use to military time. My early class is Contemporary History of Spain. Not going to lie, it´s pretty boring, especially at 9 in the morning. After class, I have a nice long 4 hour break. Usually, I try to get some sight seeing in--I´ll meet my roommate Danielle and we´ll do a bit of exploring. Today we went searching for a jewelry designer´s stuido, but it was closed. However, we did get to walk through the Barri Gotic and the Borne neighborhood, both really really beautiful places. Narrow little streets and cute little stores. We also checked out the Cathedral. Very beautiful. After, we walked back towards school and had lunch at this fabulous little cafe, Farggi, on the corner by the plaza. It has the BEST gelato and pretty tasty sandwhiches. It´s kind of like a Spanish version of Starbucks, except with gelato! They also have fancy coffee drinks, but they´re pretty pricey. For regular coffee there are a few choices: cafe solo, cafe con leche, or un cortado. Cafe solo is just plain black coffee and is tiny. Like really tiny. Like less than a shot of espresso, but waaaay stronger. Cafe con leche is half coffee, half milk. There´s definitely more of it because of the milk. I´ve had it a couple times, but I´m not too big a fan of the milk here. A cortado is coffee with just a little bit of milk. I haven´t tried it yet, but I´m guessing it´s probably a happy medium between the other two. Although, drinking a cafe solo is definitely enough to keep me awake during my afternoon class. I can´t talk about food without talking about pastries and bread. The bakeries here are soooo fabulous. The sandwhiches are made on fresh baguettes. I´m sure it will only get better in Paris.

Also while on the topic of food, currently there is a transportation strike in Spain. Gas prices are super high, and truck drivers want the government to help pay the outrageous cost because their livelihoods are in jeopardy. What does this have to do with food? Well, there are no truck drivers to deliver food to the grocery stores or restaurants. I went to the grocery store on Monday and there were very very few fruits and veggies, and almost no meat left. Should be interesting to see what happens in the days to come and whether the price of food goes up. There´s also no gas because the gas trucks aren´t delivering. And the border has been closed to transport trucks, so nothing can come in from France. I guess western Europe is also affected by the high cost of oil.

Back to my day. Usually after class, I´ll do some more sightseeing with my roommates or we´ll hit up the beach. However, the weather is a factor. Last week it rained quite a bit, but this week has been gorgeous. We make it back to the apartment in the evening, do homework, have dinner, and sometimes go out. And that´s pretty much a typical day for me.

I´m leaving for Paris tomorrow!!! I´m so excited!! We´re staying at a cute little hotel called Hotel Bellevue. It had a good rating and it looks safe and clean. The best part is it´s cheap and the location is great. I´m excited to see Ivana, too. So far the list of places to see is: The Louvre, Notre Dame de Paris, St. Chappelles, Arc de Triumf, Eiffel Tower, the Seine, the Pantheon, Moulin Rouge and just walk around. Of course we´ll be doing some shopping (duh, it´s Paris), and hitting up the bakeries. We figure food is probably expensive, so I think we´re going to stick with baguettes, cheese and wine. I´m also looking forward to the crepes, french fries, and pastries.

None of us know french, besides a few words (Bonjour, Au revoir, etc) and one inapporiate phrase (I know everyone remembers that music video), so it should be interesting, and if anything an adventure! I´ll be sure to update on Sunday night or Monday about my fabulous weekend in Paris!

oh the coast..pictures

These are a few pictures from my wonderful weekend spent on Costa Brava...

This is Mae West from the Dalí Museum in Figueres. It's all one big room, then you climb up these stairs and look through this glass and you can see the whole room come together as Mae's face.Cadaques


Swimming in the Mediterranean. Pretty chilly, but I don't think it's as cold as the Pacific.

This is not from the beach. I just think this is a cool picture taken at Montjuic today. It's me and the Palace (also MNAC- museo de historia de artes catalanes)

Costa Brava

La Costa Brava lies along the coast of Cataluña, extending north from Barcelona. It's absolutely beautiful. Quaint little towns dot the coast, and there are plenty of gorgeous beaches. I was lucky enough to spend my weekend enjoying the Mediterranean.

Saturday: I took a day trip with my program to Figueres and Cadaques. Figueres is about an hour outside of Barcelona and is where Salvador Dalí was born. He built a museum there in an old theater. He considered the museum to be one of his greatest works. The museum itself is a work of art. Dalí wanted people to get lost in his museum, so it's a bit of a labyrinth. Also, he knew that if people saw a line they would get in it. So all over the place there are places where you can make lines. It's a little bit bizarre, but then again so was the whole museum. Anyone who knows Dalí, knows he was a fan of optical illusions. This is a painting of a nude woman, but far away it's Abraham Lincoln. The reason for a painting of good ol' Abe? Well he was killed in a theater, and the museum is an old theater. The museum also has the Mae West room. The whole room is Mae West--and then you walk up these stairs and look through a glass and you can see that all the pieces make up Mae West. I'm not the biggest fan of Dalí, but his stuff is interesting. It's a cool museum, and I highly recommend it.

We continued on from Figueres to Cadaques, the cutest little fishing town about 2 hours outside of Barcelona. I felt like I was in another world. All the buildings were white and the towns hugs the Mediterranean in a U shape. The ocean was super blue, contrasting the white houses. We had lunch by the water and then walked around. There were a bunch of little tents selling all kinds of goodies--a million varieties of olives, wine, bread, jewelry. I picked up some olive spread that is superb. It was nice just sitting on the beach, albeit rocky, and enjoying the sea. Unfortunately, we had to make our way back to stormy Barcelona, but it was a relaxing afternoon.

Sunday: My roommates and I are super lucky to have such an awesome RA. Her parents have a beach house about a half hour outside of Barcelona, and invited us for the day to enjoy the beach and some tasty paella. It was absolutely perfect weather, and a nice break from all the rain and gray. We arrived and promptly made our way to the beach. The sun felt so wonderful. The water was chilly (I don't know why I always thought the Mediterranean was warm), but two of my roommates and I got in anyways. It was cold at first, but after those first 5 minutes, the ocean water felt good. As I sat on the beach, watching the waves go in an out, I sat in wonderment of how the ocean is what connects us all, and water is what keeps us all alive. The sea I was seeing was the same sea that someone else in the S. of France was seeing. It's the same sea that melts into the Pacific--that reaches all the way across the world. Water is beautiful--in its plenitude and scarcity.

After enjoying the beach, we headed back to the house, where Laura (our RA) has ordered us some delicious paella from a tienda close by. I had yet to try to some really yummy paella, and was glad to finally have some. It was the perfect meal for our perfect day spent in the sun. After the paella, we lounged by the pool, went swimming, and took in more sun. All in all, a perfect day.

Time works so funny here. It stays light for so long that it never feels late. Then I look at my watch and realize how much time has actually passed. The summer solstice is coming up. The Spaniards celebrate it as San Juan. It's supposed to be one crazy party, plus we get the day off school (yes!).

I'm off to bed. It's past 1 am, and I have class at 9 (really, what was I thinking?).

Hasta luego.

In a garden

I'm exhausted. I don't know how anyone gets anything done here--going out super late and staying out until super early in the morning....

I'll guess I'll pick up with the Palau de la Música Catalana, my field study for my architecture class on Tuesday. As the name would suggest, it's a music hall. The Palau was built in the early 1900s and was built for the Orfeó Catalá. It was built from public donations, and enough money was raised to hire Domenech i Montaner. Fun fact: Domenech i Montaner and Gaudí are considered the fathers of Modernisme in Spain. It is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL building. I don't have any pictures because pictures aren't allowed, and it was raining (seriously, what drought), so I don't have any of the outside. The entire building, inside and out, is designed to be a garden. Why? Because the Palau was built in what use to be a super industrial part of Barcelona, so the Palau was to be a garden in the center of all that industry. The columns are done in mosaics of different flowers and plants, each column different.

All the details from the main theater evoke some natural element. The most breathtaking part about the main theater is the chandelier/skylight. I think it's probably more appropriate to call it a skylight because it is all natural light. The whole thing is done in glass and it looks like a sunflower (my description really isn't doing justice to its beauty). It drops out of the ceiling like a water drop--to nourish the garden, and the sunflower represents the sun, also to nourish the garden. As the chandelier uses only natural light, there are stained glass windows all around the top of the theater. The idea was to use only natural light for the theater.

The amount of glass work is interesting, especially for a theater. Glass isn't really the best material to use for good acoustics, since it doesn't really absorb sound that well. However, there is a ton of padding and wood in the seats to help absorb some of the sound. At point, the Palau was going to be torn down. I think one of the reasons was because of the bad acoustics and all the noise you could hear from the outside because of the glass windows. Luckily, the Palau was saved. The windows have since been reinforced, so I don't think there is much noise from the outside. I don't know how great the acoustics are though. Either way, the Palau is GORGEOUS.

The back wall of the main stage hosts muses-I think 12, but I don't remember. Each of the muses is dressed differently and playing a different instrument. They represent and welcome all genres of music. In the theater you can also see the Valkries from Wagner. Wagner was considered a modern composer, so it's a nod to modernism. There is also a bust of Beethoven, and classic columns, a symbolizing the classical. It's a beautiful fusion of past and present, welcoming all music. Fun fact: The Palau was spared during the Spanish Civil War (Franco sought to get rid of all kinds of regional nationalism). The name was changed from the Palau de la Música Catalana to just the Palau de Música.

The other field trips this week were pretty lame. Thursday I went to the Museum of Catalan History with my History class. I love history and museums, and I thought it was pretty boring. I don't care for guided tours of museums. I like to walk around on my own Even if I had just been able to walk around, I wouldn't have gotten much out of the museum--everything was written in Catalan.

On Thursday afternoon, I went on a walking tour on Passeig de Gracia, a posh shopping street right next to school. There's a couple of Gaudí's works on the street, as well as some by other Modernist architects. The walk would have been great had it not POURED. Of course, my umbrella was in my other bag. I did have my beach towel with me because I was planning to go to the beach after glass (I bet you can guess how that worked out). I wasn't really paying attention to the architecture, but I do remember seeing Casa Amatller and another house (I don't remember who did it though).

The only mention I'm going to make about nightlife this past weekend is techno music and how much I hate it. And smoking inside. Not a fan. Febreeze was one of the best, most useful things I packed (thanks Greta!).

I have more to say about Costa Brava, but I'm going back today!! Our RA has a beach house there, and invited us for the day, so I'm off to enjoy more of the beautiful Spanish coast.

my favorites

These are just some of my favorite pictures that I've taken so far. I also really love the pictures
I took of the Gothic church, the street musician, and the Parque Güell guitarist, but I posted those in other posts, so I didn't want to upload them again.

This is an accordion player in Valencia. I love love love the street performers and the street musicians. Especially the accordion players.

This is also in Valencia. These are some of the figures (I believe they're of the saints and apostles) that are on the cathedral. The one on the corner is of King David.

Also in Valencia.

This is a tree in the Parque de la Ciutadela. I just really thought it was pretty.

Picasso, the Metro, and Gaudí

Who knew I'd be back so soon to write another blog! I guess I'll start with a recap of the past couple days...

Sunday: The first Sunday of the month is free museum day (love it)! Although it was wet and rainy (what drought?!), my roommates and I headed to the Barri Goti (Gothic Neighborhood) to check out the Picasso Museum (free!) and the Chocolate Museum (not free). Gothic architecture is probably my favorite. This is from the inside of a BEAUTIFUL Gothic church. I wish I had enough time and money to make it up to Toledo, the capital during Spain's Visgoth period, to see some really cool stuff. Oh well, as I keep telling myself, reason to come back. The line for the Picasso Museum looked really long, so we decided to come back in a bit and go to the chocolate museum first. I have to say, it was probably the one thing I've been disappointed with so far. It's just different scenes and sculptures out of chocolate (Don Quijote in Chocolate, FC Barcelona in Chocolate, Arc de Triomf in Chocolate), and really you can see all that stuff on the food network. We didn't even get free samples and the so-called museum store was also pretty lame. They didn't even serve churros y chocolate!!

After lunch, we got in line for the Picasso Museum. The line is through this tiny little street/alleyway. There are shops and a million people passing through. As in every major city, Spain has no shortage of street musicians. While waiting in line for Picasso, there was a really awesome guitarist serenading the line. One of my roommates bought his CD, and his music is super chill and relaxing. It was only about a 15 minute wait to get into the museum, although it was PACKED. I'm not sure I like museums when they're that busy. Sometimes it's nice just to stare a painting for a long time, and it's kind of hard to do that when there is a ton of people all trying to see the same thing.

The museum has a lot of Picasso's earlier works, before he got super cubist. I actually had no idea how many different styles Picasso had. While I didn't really care for his earlier stuff, I really appreciate his talent more. You can really see how his super abstract stuff morphed from his super realist stuff. I think the museum did a good job of showing that transition. The temporary exhibit that was at the museum was the collection of Picasso's abstractions of Velasquez's "Las Meninas." Picasso did some 50 odd interpretations of Las Meninas.

After Picasso, the sun had finally come out, and it got ridiculously humid outside, so some gelato was in order (have I mentioned that I love how there are gelato places on like every corner?). We wandered around and found ourselves at the Parque de la Ciutadela. There used to be a fort there (citadel--ciutadela). The park is really gorgeous and green. We didn't walk around it too much, but we're definitely going to go back. Also right around there is Barcelona's Arc de triomf. The Arc was not actually built for a military triumph. It was built for World's Exhibition in 1888. I'm excited to compare this Arc with the one in Paris (only 9 days!!).

Monday: I have to make a mention of the wonderful metro system here in Barcelona. I take the metro to school, but I have to switch lines at one of the stops. Well, that passageway is under construction, so to switch lines, I have to walk out of the metro station and all the way to the other entrance and re-enter. It's a pain and it adds about 10 minutes to my commute. Yesterday, I get off the metro and do the whole walk to switch lines, but once I get to the other metro station, I'm informed that the line I need to get on is not working. I only have 10 minutes to get to class, and I absolutely cannot be late for class because we were going on a field study. I was a good 15 minute walk from school--so I start running, mind you its god awfully humid out. I can't get a taxi to save my life. Finally, at 3 minutes until 9, I get a taxi and make it to school 5 minutes late. Luckily, my class hadn't left yet. Oh the beauty of public transportation.

The field study was for my history class. We walked to a few statues. But the really cool part was this public library we went to--La Biblioteca Pública Arús. The guy they built it for or who built it (I can't remember) was a Mason, so there are all these masonic symbols all over the library. The library is super old looking, with these dark wood shelves with glass doors, filled with really old looking books. There was also a bunch of Masonic artwork on display and some Masonic medals, pictures, etc. It was pretty cool--a little creepy. The library was closed during Franco, but luckily it wasn't destroyed. I guess it houses a large collection on Spanish Anarchism, as well as a bunch of information on the Freemasons.

I also visited Casa Milá, one of Gaudí's houses, yesterday. My camera died, but I'll be going back, so I'll take pictures then. It's pretty spectacular. Gaudí didn't believe in using straight lines. According to him straight lines were man made, curves were of nature. So you can imagine this large building with very few straight lines. You can't go throughout the whole building, but you can go up to the attic where the servants lived, and to the roof. Gaudí was also really big on the self supporting arch. If you were to take a chain and pin it in any two places, it would form a self supporting arch. The arch in St. Louis is self supporting. In all of Gaudí's work, you really see his use of arches. Another interesting fact, in Sagrada Familia, each column is made of a different type of stone to support the structure underneath it so that he wouldn't have to use steel support--truth to materials. Although now, they're using steel supports inside the columns. In Casa Milá, there are also some of Gaudí's chairs on display. I had no idea he was a carpenter of sorts. The chairs are really really beautiful.

Monday night we had Spanish cooking class!! We learned (and got recipes for) chupitos de tomate, tortilla espanola, paella, and crema catalana. Everybody helped with one dish. I got to help with the paella! And after we cooked, we got to enjoy the meal. It was all very delicious. I don't know if I would be able to make any of it again, especially the paella. The teacher definitely did and added stuff to all the dishes once we were finished. Either way, it was tasty and a fun experience.

I've got to head back to class. I'm going on a field study today for my architecture class. We're going to the Palau de la Musica Catalana. It was done by Domenech i Montaner--a rival of sorts to Gaudí. I've seen the outside, so I'm really excited to go in an take the tour. If only every class involved field trips...