Sorry for not posting in a while, but there hasn't been much going on. I had a presentation for each of my classes earlier this week, and they were both jokes. I talked about the significance of Wimbledon here in Spain for my sports class and then about my four favorite sites in Barcelona for Spanish. Since then, I have been busy "studying" for the finals I had to take today (both jokes as well). Now I have finished all school-work, and all that remains is a farewell dinner tonight with a bunch of the kids in the dorm and a 4:45 wake-up call tomorrow morning.
I think here is where I'm supposed to get poetic and deep to think back on my time here. Sorry, though I do know some English Majors who might want to do that for me. I should at least give my highs and lows I guess. . .
My favorite places (in no particular order): Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, Costa Brava, the beach, just the normal neighborhoods and streets here in Barcelona
Least favorite places (in no particular): Figueres--the Dali museum was excellent, but there wasn't much else going on (or maybe it's because I got to go twice), I think that's it
Regrets: not travelling anywhere but France, not being here during soccer season so I could catch a game at Barca, probably some stuff I did on my birthday that I don't remember
Favorite experience: watching Spain beat Germany then going on a parade through our neighborhood, joined by many people from the dorm and many not, while people shot of fireworks and cars honked like crazy--everyone in Barcelona is a bandwagon Spain fan
I will say that while I have loved Barcelona, I think I am ready to come home. That is unless anyone wants to send me a couple grand so I can fly around Europe and stay in extravagant hotels for a while. Any takers?? No? Ok, I'll see everyone soon.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
La Sagrada Familia
A couple days ago I went to finally see La Sagrada Familia (The church of the sacred family), a.k.a. Guadi's incomplete masterpiece. The outside, which is pretty much complete, is incredible. The detail and architecture are unlike anything I have ever seen before. You can see some of it in the pictures, but it is impossible to capture with a camera. I paid the 12 euros to go inside, and I could tell that it will be amazing some day. At the moment, it looks like a huge, empty, under-construction church. I could tell that the architecture and design of the inside were great, but most of the building was hidden behind screens and barricades so tourists don't get hit with falling boulders or sparks from the welders. I thought it was very worthwhile seeing, but I would like to go back in 50 or 100 years when they finally finish the damn thing.
I will be away from the computer until Sunday, as I am taking a trip up to France and Andorra with Mom, Liz and Jake. Hopefully you will all be able to carry on without me.
Observation of the day: My sports teacher is the coolest person I have ever met.
We spent the last two days in my sports class talking about 'football hooliganism.' Basically, if anybody has seen the movie Green Street Hooligans, it's a lot like that. For those of you who haven't, crazy fans of all the soccer clubs in Britain and throughout Europe kind of joined together into gangs in the 60's and 70's so that they could fight each other before, during and after matches. So Dawn tells us that these soccer gangs are becoming more and more like real gangs--drugs, prostitution, gambling, etc.--and the cops are trying to crack down on them. Dawn, my teacher, was studying for her master's in sports sociology or something like that, and she and three other women were a part of a undercover sting operation to try to bring these gangs down!! Apparently, her job was to become the girlfriend of one of the higher-ups in the gang and then feed info to the police about what was going on. She said she had to shave her head, get some fake Nazi tattoos (a lot of the hooligans were skin heads or neo-Nazis), change her name, and couldn't talk to anyone she knew for nine months!! The best part was that her "boyfriend" ended up going to jail for like two or three years because of the info Dawn provided. And that is why she is the coolest person I have ever met. Pictures below.
I will be away from the computer until Sunday, as I am taking a trip up to France and Andorra with Mom, Liz and Jake. Hopefully you will all be able to carry on without me.
Observation of the day: My sports teacher is the coolest person I have ever met.
We spent the last two days in my sports class talking about 'football hooliganism.' Basically, if anybody has seen the movie Green Street Hooligans, it's a lot like that. For those of you who haven't, crazy fans of all the soccer clubs in Britain and throughout Europe kind of joined together into gangs in the 60's and 70's so that they could fight each other before, during and after matches. So Dawn tells us that these soccer gangs are becoming more and more like real gangs--drugs, prostitution, gambling, etc.--and the cops are trying to crack down on them. Dawn, my teacher, was studying for her master's in sports sociology or something like that, and she and three other women were a part of a undercover sting operation to try to bring these gangs down!! Apparently, her job was to become the girlfriend of one of the higher-ups in the gang and then feed info to the police about what was going on. She said she had to shave her head, get some fake Nazi tattoos (a lot of the hooligans were skin heads or neo-Nazis), change her name, and couldn't talk to anyone she knew for nine months!! The best part was that her "boyfriend" ended up going to jail for like two or three years because of the info Dawn provided. And that is why she is the coolest person I have ever met. Pictures below.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
The Other Football Club and Birthday
So for my sports class we go on a fair amount of field trips to check out some of the local sports culture (i.e. Olympic Museum). Last week we went to see the other football club in Barcelona, RCD Espanyol (Real Club Deportes--Royal Sports Club Espanyol). Our teacher (Dawn Hiscock, and yes that is her real name) explained that this club is the smaller club that gets forgotten about in Barcelona. From a tourist's point of view, I kind of picture them as the White Sox to the Cubs (sorry Sox fans that read this) or the Mets to the Yankees in that every tourist will come to Chicago or New York and want to see a game at Wrigley Field or Yankee Stadium. Here, everyone wants to see a Barca game, and most don't even know that Espanyol exists. Anyhoo, the stadium was brand new and very nice. They designed it so that it could be used all year round for concerts (the Black Eyed Peas are playing there next weekend), corporate events or any other need that people have for a large stadium.
Other than that news, I have been kinda just hanging out since I got back from France last weekend. Classes are still going ok and I have been trying to see more of the city. I will try to get to Sagrada Familia this week (maybe tomorrow), but I also have to go check out the Sant Antoni neighborhood and find a grocery store and wine store I have been told for Mom, Liz and Jake. I love this city and all of my new friends I have made here, but it will be nice to see some familiar faces this coming week. I think that's all for now, and I promise to stay alive whilst celebrating my birthday this evening.
Observation of the day: Spanish students in the dorm
The Spanish students in the dorm are all super nice and seem very eager to talk to us. We learned a couple weeks ago that American students in years past have stayed to themselves and not even approached the locals in the dorm, whereas we have been eating with them, going out with them and talking at every opportunity with them. I find it fascinating to talk to them about their feelings toward the US (I have heard one person say they don't know anything about it, one who hated our policies and another thanking us for being the only nation with the cajones to do anything internationally controversial). I also learn interesting stuff about Spain--such as most of my discussion on the reasons Catalonia hates the rest of Spain and that the 1 Euro bottles of wine we buy to pre-game are usually reserved for homeless people. All-in-all, they are students. They study, they party, they are as curious about us as we are of them and I'm glad we are here with them. Pictures below--and the last picture is of the two girls that live next door, Rachel and Marisa. . . they are in my class as well.
Other than that news, I have been kinda just hanging out since I got back from France last weekend. Classes are still going ok and I have been trying to see more of the city. I will try to get to Sagrada Familia this week (maybe tomorrow), but I also have to go check out the Sant Antoni neighborhood and find a grocery store and wine store I have been told for Mom, Liz and Jake. I love this city and all of my new friends I have made here, but it will be nice to see some familiar faces this coming week. I think that's all for now, and I promise to stay alive whilst celebrating my birthday this evening.
Observation of the day: Spanish students in the dorm
The Spanish students in the dorm are all super nice and seem very eager to talk to us. We learned a couple weeks ago that American students in years past have stayed to themselves and not even approached the locals in the dorm, whereas we have been eating with them, going out with them and talking at every opportunity with them. I find it fascinating to talk to them about their feelings toward the US (I have heard one person say they don't know anything about it, one who hated our policies and another thanking us for being the only nation with the cajones to do anything internationally controversial). I also learn interesting stuff about Spain--such as most of my discussion on the reasons Catalonia hates the rest of Spain and that the 1 Euro bottles of wine we buy to pre-game are usually reserved for homeless people. All-in-all, they are students. They study, they party, they are as curious about us as we are of them and I'm glad we are here with them. Pictures below--and the last picture is of the two girls that live next door, Rachel and Marisa. . . they are in my class as well.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
France
I apologize for the lay-off, but I have been busy and sick. . . a rough combination. We got back from France last Sunday evening just in time for me to wish a certain someone happy Father's Day. We spent our nights and the majority of our time over the weekend in the French town of Carcassonne. We explored there Friday and saw the remains of the old castle dating back a thousand years (I always forget how much older stuff is here than in the States). Then the next morning we took a hike up a mountain to see a couple more castles that were perched right on top of some hills. See the pictures below for the views. During the whole trip the weather was cool, so our boat trip down the Canal du Midi in the rain was not that great--and probably has something to do with the awful sore throat and runny nose I have right now. There canal itself would have been very pretty in the sun so try to imagine that in the pictures below. Then on Sunday, we visited an abbey full of monks and the town of Perpignan. Both were very picturesque (even though we didn't actually see any monks) but again, the weather was not ideal.
Sunday when we got back, we walked over to Kitty's Irish Pub a couple blocks away and watched the Brazil-Ivory Coast game. I had one of the best burgers I have ever had (America included) with cheese, grilled onions and bacon. Anyhoo, tomorrow is the biggest holiday in Barcelona during the summer, Dia de San Juan, during which they apparently light tons of stuff on fire all night and blow off massive amounts of fireworks. Should be fun.
Observation of the day: Pharmacies
I'm sick, so this one has to do with getting drugs in Spain. The only thing you can buy in a grocery store here are vitamin c pills (of which I have a large stash). To get anything from cough drops to ibuprofen to Viagra to medicinal marijuana you have to go to a pharmacy. I just thought that was interesting, pictures below.
Sunday when we got back, we walked over to Kitty's Irish Pub a couple blocks away and watched the Brazil-Ivory Coast game. I had one of the best burgers I have ever had (America included) with cheese, grilled onions and bacon. Anyhoo, tomorrow is the biggest holiday in Barcelona during the summer, Dia de San Juan, during which they apparently light tons of stuff on fire all night and blow off massive amounts of fireworks. Should be fun.
Observation of the day: Pharmacies
I'm sick, so this one has to do with getting drugs in Spain. The only thing you can buy in a grocery store here are vitamin c pills (of which I have a large stash). To get anything from cough drops to ibuprofen to Viagra to medicinal marijuana you have to go to a pharmacy. I just thought that was interesting, pictures below.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
FC Barca and some cool fountains
On last Sunday night we went down the the Plaza Espanya and saw a really cool fountain show right in front of that national palace that there are pictures of in one of my first posts. The best part was that it was free!!! The pictures below don't really do it justice, so I would recommend going to see it if you are ever in Barcelona.
Today we went to the FC Barcelona museum at their stadium, Camp Nou. We didn't really spend much time in the actual museum, we just wanted to see the stadium. It was huge!! And it wasn't too hard to imagine how loud a place like that would get if Barca scored. I'm disappointed we aren't here during the season so we could catch a game, but it was still neat to see. It was a little like the Wrigley Field tour we took (for those readers who were present for that) and we got to go into the locker rooms, press room, down to the field, press box and best of all, it was unguided. We got to wander around and see what we wanted and take all the pictures we wanted. Anyway, tomorrow I leave for the south of France. . . interestingly enough I will be seeing pretty much the same stuff I will when Mom, Liz and Jake come to visit. I'll be able to tell them which places are boring ;) For the rest of you, I will be seeing a couple castles and a canal that runs from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. I will take as many pictures as I can.
Observation of the day: Geography of Barcelona
Barcelona is settled right between the sea and some hills. This makes for great scenery, but inhibits most outward growth. Thus, Barcelona is a very densely populated city, with many fewer suburbs than Chicago. In the time I have spent here, I have never seen a vacant lot or building, or really any space without a purpose. It seems people here have learned how to be very efficient with their space. I thought this was interesting. . . pictures below.
Today we went to the FC Barcelona museum at their stadium, Camp Nou. We didn't really spend much time in the actual museum, we just wanted to see the stadium. It was huge!! And it wasn't too hard to imagine how loud a place like that would get if Barca scored. I'm disappointed we aren't here during the season so we could catch a game, but it was still neat to see. It was a little like the Wrigley Field tour we took (for those readers who were present for that) and we got to go into the locker rooms, press room, down to the field, press box and best of all, it was unguided. We got to wander around and see what we wanted and take all the pictures we wanted. Anyway, tomorrow I leave for the south of France. . . interestingly enough I will be seeing pretty much the same stuff I will when Mom, Liz and Jake come to visit. I'll be able to tell them which places are boring ;) For the rest of you, I will be seeing a couple castles and a canal that runs from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. I will take as many pictures as I can.
Observation of the day: Geography of Barcelona
Barcelona is settled right between the sea and some hills. This makes for great scenery, but inhibits most outward growth. Thus, Barcelona is a very densely populated city, with many fewer suburbs than Chicago. In the time I have spent here, I have never seen a vacant lot or building, or really any space without a purpose. It seems people here have learned how to be very efficient with their space. I thought this was interesting. . . pictures below.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Parc Guell (there's one of those two dots things over the 'u' but I don't know how to do that)
You can't call me a liar. I told you I was going to Parc Guell and I did. It was pretty nuts. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a huge park on top of a hill in Barcelona that was designed by Gaudi. The views were incredible, and the architecture was like something out of a Tim Burton movie. The pictures don't really do it justice, but take a look below and you can see some of the architecture and the views (with La Sagrada Familia in the background). If any of you are ever in Barcelona, this comes highly recommended.
Observation of the day: My neighborhood
The neighborhood that my dorm is in (Sarria-Sant Gervasi) is very affluent. We figured this out in the first few days by looking at the car dealerships. We have a Bentley dealer around the corner, along with Jaguar, Mercedes and BMW dealerships nearby. It is mainly a residential neighborhood, with tons of upscale condo and apartment buildings. We are just east of one of the main streets through Barcelona, La Avinguda Diagonal, which is also one of the main shopping destinations in the city. We are a little far from our classes and the beach, but it is nice to be in a quiet neighborhood and near two grocery stores. Hopefully that will give you some idea of where I'm living. . . feel free to ask questions. Pictures below.
Observation of the day: My neighborhood
The neighborhood that my dorm is in (Sarria-Sant Gervasi) is very affluent. We figured this out in the first few days by looking at the car dealerships. We have a Bentley dealer around the corner, along with Jaguar, Mercedes and BMW dealerships nearby. It is mainly a residential neighborhood, with tons of upscale condo and apartment buildings. We are just east of one of the main streets through Barcelona, La Avinguda Diagonal, which is also one of the main shopping destinations in the city. We are a little far from our classes and the beach, but it is nice to be in a quiet neighborhood and near two grocery stores. Hopefully that will give you some idea of where I'm living. . . feel free to ask questions. Pictures below.
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