Another Week

Geesh, another week has flown by. Nothing too major occurred this week. School is picking up pace. It seems like every class involves multiple speeches, group work, and a midterm and final. In addition, a lot of my classes include field studies. Field studies (or mini field trips) are a nice way to break up the monotony of typical class, and also to give us real life examples and experiences of what we're learning in class. That is one really awesome thing about living in a city. You have access to so much stuff to enhance your learning experience.

This Monday was my first field study. It was to El Raval, a district right off Las Ramblas. I had never explored there so it was neat to get to go. The field study was designed to see various important areas and places in El Raval. In order to find them we had to ask people (it was for Spanish class). We were all so worried about finishing in time that speaking to people seemed so easy. It always seems like when your least concerned about speaking and you "just do it" that it is the easiest. After the field study we had to write a composition (in Spanish) about our experience. I had Ana look over mine before I turned it in. I was a little embarrassed because it was pretty juvenile sounding, but it was easier than I expected. Maybe I am getting better at Espanol (or Spanglish at least)

On Wednesday morning I had another field study for my class, Barcelona The City as a Place to Live. We explored the Gothic Quarters. It was very interesting, and although I've already explored it a lot, our teacher explained us some small nuances that I may not have caught on to had I not had a guide. One thing that stuck out from the trip was that although I thought last weekend's trip to Tarragona was unique because we got to explore such old ruins, it turns out the Barcelona has equally as old of ruins. Tarraga and Barcino (as they were once called) were both towns of Roman importance. (although Tarraga had much more importance than Barcino). We saw the columns (which were very well preserved) of Augustus' palace (in Barcelona). I guess it is cool to know that we have equally as old and historic things here too(just not nearly as many as in Tarragona).

I'm really enjoying all the walking I can do here in Barcelona. Unlike back at home where even a simple destination involves driving, here I can get to and from most places without having to set foot on public transportation. I find walking to be very refreshing, and a good time to clear my mind. Also, walking is a good way to improve my Spanish (by hearing bits and pieces of conversations) and also improve my knowledge of the city. I try and take new routes to school when I have time. It is interesting because each new route involves learning so many new stores. There are just so many stores and restaurants, it is unbelievable. Even on the main street that I frequently walk on, I find myself seeing a "new" store each time I walk it.

On one of my excursions home, I was cutting through some back streets and I saw all these huge stores filled with really cool things. I walked in a few of them and was really confused because everyone would greet with "mayor." I thought it was just something nice, so i'd say hola, and peruse through the store. One store I actually purchased a really cool shawl for 3E! The stuff was so insanely cheap, I couldn't resist. After coming home and asking Ana about the area of town, she informed me that it is a wholesale area, where only special buyers (with a card that says they own a store) are allowed to purchase things. I guess that's what the word mayor means. At any rate, I guess that explains why the stores were fairly empty, and people were giving me strange looks. Oh well, live and learn. The woman probably felt bad about my confusion and just sold it to me. That's one thing about being here....I've learned to embrace awkward situations. At home I try and shy away from looking stupid, but here I know I am going to look stupid because there are so many unfamiliar barriers (language, culture, and basic way of life differences) that I'm bound to look like I don't know what's going on. I just go for it.

One night this week we went to a free museum that featured a cool exhibit about Eixample, the area of town I live in. The Eixample is an extension of the city that was planned and designed by Ildefons Cerda. Cerda's design was to make the city very grid-esque. The expansion occurred in the late 1800s after the walls of the medieval city were torn down in 1860. Still today it is considered to be one of the most unusual urban space in Europe. The idea of the community centered around blocks of housing that were octagonal, rather than a typical square. (as to avoid sharp edges, and make transportation move more efficiently). The exhibit was huge, and it was neat to see, especially since we live in Eixample and so we could easily pick out which one our house was in all the models and pictures.

Many of the buildings in the Eixample, were designed by famous Modernisma architects including Gaudi, Cadafach, and Montaner. Yesterday, I went on a walking tour called "Modernisme." It explored many of the modern building and facades that Barcelona has become famous for. Unlike my other tours which featured the central areas of town, it was great to learn more about the outskirts (including Eixample). On the tour one of my favorite buildings was the Palau de la Musica Catalana, designed by Montaner. I only saw the outside (I've heard the inside is even more phenomenal) but even the outside was gorgeous. From unique brickwork to cool sculptures and intricate mosaic tile work, the Catalan Music Palace was beautiful. I definitely want to go see a show there and experience the inside. I also really enjoyed Casa Batllo, one of Gaudi's stunning creations. We also saw Gaudi's Casa Mila. I was less impressed with this, but I heard it is very cool to go inside. Overall the tour was really informational, and helped me learn more about the importance of modern architects and their great and lasting effects on Barcelona.

Last night I went out to two really cools bars. I'll just briefly describe them since this blog is getting long. One was a fairy tale bar complete with a forrest, waterfalls, a wishing well, castles, and chirping crickets. It was pretty cool. Next we went to a bar that was called Hook. It was decked out in a pirate theme (like the movie Hook) and I guess it had some historical significance. I can't recall or figure out what though.

Today we ventured on a day trip to Montserrat, a mountain top monastery about 30 miles Northwest. We took the train from Barcelona.It was a beautiful ride across the countryside and then all of a sudden this seemingly random mountain range just appeared. Later, I read that the range in "just 6 miles long and a result of ten million years of geological upheaval and erosion on a conglomerate that once lay beneath the sea." According to my guidebook, archaeological finds in several of the caves revealed human presence since Neolithic times (4000 BC), but the real story begins (according to legend) in 880 AD when apparently the Virgin Mary appeared in a cave. This claim caused excitement and later 4 chapels were built in the area. Thus began the enthrall with Montserrat. In 1025 the Monastery was founded, and a black wooden image of the Virgin Mary was carved. This image is still on display today and many Catalans make the pilgrimage to see the figure. (In 1881 the Virgin of Montserrat was declared Catalunya's patron saint). Disaster struck this small mountain top monastery twice, once when Napoleon's troops destroyed much of the monastery, and once during the civil war. Fortunately the Monastery has survived and today it is home to about 30 monks.

After arriving at our train stop, we observed the beautiful and dramatic mountains for a few minutes before taking the gondola up to the monastery. The gondola offered fantastic views of the mountains above, and river below. At the top we could see clear to the Sea one way and clear to the snow capped Pyrenees the other way! At the top we explored around for sometime, taking in the spectacular views and unique rock formations. We did a small hike (there were a lot more rigorous and spectacular hikes, but it was pretty windy and chilly today, and I'll wait for my parents to hike to the very top:-)

At any rate it was a really cool and beautiful experience. Very peaceful and nice to get some fresh air! After spending about 3 hours looking around, we headed back down. Before doing so, however, we hit up a local market (where people from the local villages bring their goods to sell. Lots of yummy cheeses, honey, and fig things. I bought one cause it was just so pretty, and I felt good supporting these people.)

Overall it was a great and beautiful day. I'm pretty tired from all our walking, but getting out of the city was a nice change of pace. Tomorrow I hope to go to a museum here(Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya...it's free the first Sunday of the month!) and explore Montjuic. (where the Olympics were).