Field Trip to Medieval Barcelona/El Born

     The second field trip I took with my Barcelona Past & Present class was to the medieval area of Barcelona known as El Born. The architecture that remains there from the medieval period is stunning. On the field trip, I saw the stone foundation of the city of Barcelona, built atop Mont Taber.

    I also saw the columns of Augustus (pictured below). These neo-classical Greek-Roman columns, which are two thousand years old, provided the basic design for columns built all over the world, including those of the White House. I learned on the field trip that this is because the Romans that established the city that originally stood where Barcelona stands today formed the first ideals of democracy. Western culture has utilized Greek-Roman architectural designs in order to reflect its use of the democracy system of politics. I found this very interesting since I go to school close to Washington D.C. and see the White House often.

     I was able to see the Jewish quarter of Barcelona, as well as the outside of the Catedral and some amazing masonry still standing from Roman times (shown below). I found it interesting that each of the various gargoyles, animals, and angels carved into the masonry represented a different family.

Leisure Activity: FCBarcelona, Més Que Un Club

     Anyone that has spent time in Barcelona knows that, as the team's slogan says, Fútbol Club Barcelona is "more than a club;" it is a way of life. During big games, the streets are empty as die-hard fans pack all the local bars to watch their beloved team play. During my semester in Barcelona, I was lucky enough to be able to attend a game with my program. The FCB game that I attended took place on February 20th between FCBarcelona and Racing, the team from Santander. The game took place in Barcelona at Camp Nou. Before the game, my friends and I decided to purchase FCBarcelona jerseys. I got an Ibrahimovic jersey.
     When I arrived at Camp Nou, many people had not arrived yet so I got to see an amazing view of the stadium. When I saw FCBarcelona spelled out on the seats in the giant stadium, I could feel the sense of excitement that comes from watching a great sports team play live in its home stadium.

     The game was very exciting. In America, soccer (as Americans call it) is not a big sport. Most Americans are die-hard fans of football, baseball, basketball, or hockey. Being from Massachusetts, I have been going to Red Sox baseball games, Celtics basketball games, and Patriots football games since I was very young. I had never been to a soccer game, so it was a very exciting experience for me. Since I do not know much about soccer, I did not always know what was happening, but I could tell when something good happened because the crowd went wild. 

   In many ways, the FCBarcelona game was similar to sporting events I have attended at home in America. People were cheering and waving team flags, and everyone was wearing team colors and jerseys. In the end, FCBarcelona won the game with four goals; Racing scored zero goals. After the game, my friends and I went to a bar called Oveja Negra to celebrate FCBarcelona's victory. I would love to attend another FCBarcelona game someday!

Field Trip to El Museu d’Història de Barcelona

     My first field trip with my Barcelona Past & Present class was to El Museu d’Història de Barcelona. I met my class in Placa Sant Jaume. Outside the museum I was able to see the walls of the ancient Roman city of Barcino

as well as the statue of Ramon Berenguer III (pictured at right) who was the Count of Barcelona in the late eleventh century. Since the establishment of Barcino signified Roman power, these two high walls were an important city symbol. The walls also helped protect the city.

Inside the museum, I saw a model of a Patrician home with dozens of rooms like one that a rich family would have lived in during Roman times. The rooms were extremely elegant. On display in the museum were personal objects that belonged to these types of families including rings, earrings, wine glasses, bowls, utensils, and a laundry tub.

     After seeing the Patrician home and domestic objects, my class and I took an elevator to the museum's basement. A screen in the elevator flashed "2010" when we were on the first floor and the number dropped as we descended, to signify that we were "traveling back in time." When we stepped out of the elevator, we were in an underground ancient Roman city. I got to see what a Roman city looked like at the time when Barcino was established. The underground

city included Roman baths where the ancient people would congregate to bathe and discuss their private lives. I also saw instruments for wine making. As soon as the first grapes of the season were ripe, the Roman kids would stomp them to make wine. Wine was very important to the ancient Roman people. They often had long conversations over wine and food. To them, wine symbolized a way of bonding with friends and family by sharing something special:
good food, good wine, and good conversation. The museum displayed Roman wine glasses, which were specially sculpted to allow the drinker to taste the wine's flavor. The Romans would never have approved of drinking wine out of plastic cups the way American kids sometimes do!

The museum was a very interesting thing to see and definitely helped me to visualize the ancient Roman culture that I had been reading about in my assigned class readings!

Cultural Activity: Carnival in Sitges

     When I decided to study abroad in Barcelona, all my friends who had studied abroad there last year told me that one event I absolutely must see while in Spain is Carnival in Sitges. The event, which is similar to the American Mardi Gras, is held in February of every year and lasts from the Thursday before lent until Ash wednesday. Mobs of people dress up in costumes and head to the beachside village of Sitges to drink, dance, and celebrate in the streets. There is music and a parade is held with floats carrying people in outrageous masquerade costumes. When I heard that buses were being organized to transport CEA students to Sitges for Carnival, I jumped at the opportunity to check out this famous event.
     On Tuesday night, buses picked up hundreds of CEA students in Placa Catalunya. My friends and I wore butterfly wings and decorated our faces with face paint. Students were dressed in sequins, bright colors, wigs, feathers, and masks. After a short bus ride, we arrived in the town of Sitges. It was surprisingly warm out for February so I was happy to make the twenty minute walk to the other side of the town where the festivities were being held. Sitges is a picturesque town right on the beach with winding roads and beautiful churches. After a quick scenic walk, I began to hear music and I could see the lights of Carnival.
     When I arrived, a parade of floats was passing through the streets. Women dressed head to toe in feathers and sequins and men dressed in drag rode atop the floats. Loud music blared from each float. People were drinking champagne and dancing in the streets.
     As soon as the parade ended, everyone made their way toward the beach where the party continued. DJs played music and everybody danced on the sand. It was beautiful to see so many people enjoying themselves in such a beautiful location next to the ocean. I am so glad that I got to witness this traditional celebration. I stayed on the beach until very late and then caught the bus back to Barcelona. I would definitely recommend this experience to anyone studying abroad in Spain!

Bienvenidos

Hola! Welcome to my Barcelona blog. Here I will share all of my adventures in the wonderful city of Barcelona. This photo of a beautiful view of the city was taken from Parc Guell during my first week in Barcelona. The view, which displays much of Gaudi’s fantastic architecture, is one of the most famous views of Barcelona’s skyline. I look forward to sharing all of my stories and photographs with you!