Epilogue

     As my semester in Barcelona comes to a close, I cannot believe how quickly my four months in this wonderful city flew by. I came to Barcelona with apprehensions--I was nervous about the extreme differences in culture between Spain and America and I thought that I would be homesick. In retrospect, the last four months have honestly been the best months of my life. I cannot believe how lucky I am to have been able to enjoy this experience. So many things have contributed to my incredible semester, from my travel experiences, to the people I have met, to the amazing city I lived in.
     One reason why I chose to study in Barcelona was because it is in a good location central to Europe and close to many other amazing cities. Traveling from Barcelona to cities all over Europe is very easy and during this past semester, I have gotten to experience more world-famous sights and cultures than many people get to see in their lifetimes. I have stood at the Berlin wall, explored Amsterdam, ridden a gondola in Venice, toured the Colosseum in Rome, skied in the Swiss alps, and watched the waves crash against the shore in beautiful San Sebastian. I shopped in Milan, ate pasta and gelato in Florence, and lounged on the beaches of Ibiza and Formentera, and I plan to make one last stop in Greece before heading home to Boston, Massachusetts. Through traveling, I have learned so much and grown as a person. Not only have I learned how to achieve the physical aspects of traveling, such as budgeting, planning my own transportation and accommodations, and getting myself from place to place, but I have also learned how to mentally adapt to different cultures and keep an open mind. After all of these wonderful trips, I definitely feel that I have developed a great passion for traveling that will stay with me throughout my life.

     Although I have loved traveling, I never needed to stray from Barcelona city in order to learn, grow, and have a wonderful semester. I have had so many great experiences within the city. In addition to the cultural and leisure activities I have described, I have visited the famous and breathtaking Parc Guell, the famed Gaudi apartment Casa La Pedrera, eaten fresh fruit from La Boqueria market, layed on the beach by the Mediterranean sea, discovered the wonders of trendy El Born and the medieval Gothic quarter, viewed famous art at the Picasso Museum, picnicked at La Ciutadella park, and so much more. I have discovered so many great restaurants in addition to the three that I blogged about. I have sampled traditional Catalan food like tuna croquettes and patatas bravas and enjoyed fun Mexican food at Rosa Negra, Asian fusion tapas at Mosquito's, and Greek specialties at Ugarit. I have been able to accomplish one of my main goals in coming abroad, which was to improve my Spanish language skills. I have learned how to truly live on my own independently and how to adapt to another culture.

     After spending four months living in a place with a completely different language, different food, and a different daily schedule, I feel that I could adapt to any conditions that I may come across throughout my life. I found the culture in Spain to be much more laid-back and less fast-paced than American culture, and I think that living in Barcelona has enabled me to learn how to slow down, relax, and take a moment to enjoy the little things in life. I will take this new attitude back to the United States with me. In addition, I have met so many great people that I will not soon forget. I am so thankful to have had this experience and I will miss Barcelona so much. I know I will be back someday so for now I will say Barcelona, hasta luego!

Local News: Barcelona City to Work on Nudity Laws

     A local news article that I found extremely interesting and relevant is one that described how the Barcelona Tourism Board wants to spread a message warning tourists not to wander around the streets of the city semi-nude. The article went on to say how Barcelona locals consider it common courtesy to walk around their historic city dressed conservatively, rather than in beach attire. The article stated that the reason for this is because there are so many historical places in the city that deserve respect, such as the Picasso museum and the Cathedral. The Tourism Board says they will not create sanctions forcing tourists to dress more conservatively in Plaza Catalunya or Parc Guell, but will do so for some of the more historical parts of the city center, saying that they do not want to prevent locals from attending tourist-infested areas for fear of being offended or bothered by the tourists' attire. 
     El Periodico has been covering this issue recently and has been biased on the side of the Catalan political party that is asking tourists to cover up outside of areas close to the beach.
     I found this article interesting because just last week I saw a nude man riding a bicycle on Ramblas! I found this somewhat disturbing, but I am surprised by the idea that it is frowned upon to walk through the city in a bathing suit and shorts. Today, as I was walking to the beach with a friend, I commented that we were getting funny looks from many people. Our walk consisted of leaving our apartment and headed straight down Marina, past Sagrada Familia, and to the beach, with a quick stop for coffee. I even made a comment that I was surprised to notice that locals wear very conservative clothing to the beach, only taking it off when they arrive. If I had realized that it was offensive to locals, I would have thought twice about dressing this way when walking through the streets, especially near the historic Sagrada Familia. I never would have realized the issue, as in America it is quite common for people to walk to the beach wearing beach attire and sandals during the summer months. It is good that the tourism board plans to distribute brochures if they want to enforce this sanction, because most Americans would not realize the offense that they could cause.

Local News: Sad Night for FC Barcelona

     Tonight was a sad night for FC Barcelona fans. After this evening's game against Inter Milan, FC Barcelona will not advance to the Champions League final. Minutes after the game ended, websites like BarcelonaReporter.com were already posting news articles about the game's highlights. The article described how Camp Nou was packed and radiated with energy from excited fans. Barcelona's only goal was scored by Gerard Pique. 
     Although Barca beat Milan 1-0, Barcelona's team needed to win by two goals in order to qualify for the finals, and therefore Milan will advance to the finals instead. Milan will play Bayern Munich in the Champions League final. I loved following soccer this semester while I was abroad, and I am disappointed to see Barca knocked out of the series!

National News: Fight Breaks Out at Cordoba Mosque

     A recent La Vanguardia article described a situation that occurred in a mosque in Cordoba. A ban on Muslim prayer is in place in mosques in Cordoba that have been turned into Catholic Churches, as enforced by the Roman Catholic Church under current bishop Demetrio Fernandez Gonzalez. When a group of tourists broke the ban and tried to kneel down to pray in one of the mosques, police sprung into action to stop them. The mosque is open only as a tourist attraction, and the men were asked to leave as they would not be allowed to pray inside. Two of the tourists were taken to the police station and two police were hurt in the brawl that ensued. Since the incident, the bishop's office has stated that this is an unusual incident and that people of the two religions usually coexist in peace.
     I found this article interesting because adversity between Muslims and Catholics often makes news headlines in America, but I was not aware of a similar situation in Spain until I read this article. The article made me realize that adversity between religions is a worldwide problem for which a solution will not likely arise in the near future.

Field Trip to El Raval

     The third class field trip that I went on with my Barcelona: Past & Present class was to the El Raval neighborhood of Barcelona. This is an area that used to be a very dangerous, bad neighborhood, but it is now improving. The first reason for the improvements is that public areas have been created. This attracted many young people who go there to have fun and enjoy themselves. The public areas of El Raval are especially popular with young skateboarders. As young people migrated to the area, schools and museums were built and families began to move there as well. The second effort to improve the El Raval area was the recent construction of a luxury hotel. The hotel was built in an effort to make the neighborhood into a more wealthy area. It is still unclear whether the hotel will have the desired effects on the neighborhood.

     Museums and cultural spaces created by the Barcelona City Council and located in El Raval include MACBA, Barcelona's contemporary art museum and CCCB, Barcelona's contemporary culture center, which displays the work of independent contemporary artists in the forms of exhibitions, concerts, festivals, and film screenings. El Raval is also home to the Barcelona Anarchist's Library.
     Young people who moved into El Raval have opened up lots of funky art galleries and shops. Because of this, the area is becoming a desirable place for young people to go to spend time walking around and shopping.
     The field trip to El Raval was my favorite class trip. Although I loved learning about the early history of the old parts of Barcelona city on the other trips, I really enjoyed walking around El Raval and seeing new parts of the city that are being developed today. There were so many interesting restaurants and shops that I plan to go back to and explore during my last week in Barcelona. I also saw interesting architecture, including the glass building pictured below, which shows a reflection of a Barcelona skyline. As can be seen in my photographs, the modern glass building placed directly next to an older-style building exemplifies the synergy of old and new that runs throughout El Raval. El Raval reminded me of hip, funky, and youthful American neighborhoods that I have been to, such as SoHo in New York City and the South End in my home city of Boston. I am excited to go back and spend more time exploring El Raval.

International News: Icelandic Volcano Eruption

     In the past couple of weeks, every newspaper and news station in the world has been closely following the development of the story of the volcano that erupted in Iceland just weeks ago. A recent El Pais article by Alicia Rivera covered the natural disaster.
     The article described the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjall volcano, after which the surrounding area had to be evacuated. The article also stated that the volcanic eruption was not surprising for meteorologists and did not affect the climate. The biggest problem that the volcano caused was that it spewed ash clouds that cause issues with air traffic safety. Airports all over Europe, including Barcelona's El Prat, had to be shut down and a large amount of flights were canceled due to the unsafe conditions caused by the volcano. Airlines lost huge amounts of money and many people were stuck in foreign countries to which they had traveled. Airlines have now started operating again, but there is still a possibility that another Icelandic volcano close to Eyjafjall could erupt. Volcanoes that could erupt include Hekla and especially Katla, which has been dormant since 1918 and is suspected by meteorologists to be due for an eruption.
     This major news story is very interesting to me after being abroad in Barcelona during the eruption. I saw firsthand what a large effect the volcano had on all of Europe--many of my friends could not get out of the city and many others got stuck in places to which they had traveled or had to spend dozens of hours on buses and trains making their way back to Barcelona. My program had to cancel classes for students who were stuck in foreign countries. Additionally, my grandparents, who had been visiting from America, were stuck in Barcelona for an extra five days because of flight cancellations and delays. It was a very interesting experience to see firsthand the chaos that a sudden natural disaster can cause. I began to wonder if I would be able to get home to America after the program, but since some ash has cleared, it looks as everything will be fine in terms of my travels home.

Restaurant Experience: 7 Portes

     One of the nicest restaurants I have been to in Barcelona is 7 Portes, located by the sea at Passeig Isabell II 14, right across from the Barceloneta metro stop. The restaurant is very fancy and features walls decorated with fine art and waiters in white jackets. The waiters were very attentive as soon as my party arrived. We were immediately served bread and ordered a delicious house red wine. I did not even have to look at a menu as I was at 7 Portes for one very specific reason: I had heard multiple people rave about the paella. I had never tried paella before and felt that a nice restaurant in Barcelona right by the sea would be the perfect place to try it.
     Three of my friends and I split two paella dishes, a vegetable paella and a seafood paella. We ordered the seafood paella "fisherman's style," meaning that the chef removed all of the bones and shells from the seafood, which made it easier for my friends and I to dig right into our meal without having to worry about removing anything. The rice dishes came out steaming hot, served in the traditional large black pans from which we served ourselves. The vegetable dish consisted of rice and vegetables and was decent, but the seafood paella, which included rice, fish, prawns, and mussels was delectable. I love seafood, so the dish was right up my alley and definitely lived up to its reputation. I thoroughly enjoyed the taste and the dish was very filling. I also enjoyed the experience of trying a traditional Spanish food.
     Other members of my party ordered the sole, which the waiter displayed raw under a bed of salt. He then took the large piece of fish to the kitchen to be cooked and then de-boned it at the table. This proved just how fresh the fish was.
     Other dishes on the 7 Portes menu include traditional cannelloni, meat paella, and many more seafood options. I would recommend the restaurant to anyone visiting or living in Barcelona who enjoys seafood. 

Cultural Activity: Mies van der Rohe Museum and Magic Fountains of Montjuic

     

     One cultural activity that I experienced while I was in Barcelona was the Mies van der Rohe Pavillion (pictured above) and the Magic Fountains (pictured below) of Montjuic. Both sights are located near the Museu Nacional d'Ar de Catalunya, right by Montjuic at the Espana metro stop. While both of these sights were very interesting and thought-provoking on their own, they were made even more fascinating because I later learned about their development in my Barcelona: Past & Present class.

      The Barcelona Pavillion was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe as the German Pavillion for the 1929 International Exhibition in Barcelona. The building is a basic structure made up of clean lines and is made out of glass, onyx, and white marble. The building includes pools of pristine-looking water and a statue, George Kolbe's Alba. Van der Rohe's original building was town down in 1930, but was reconstructed by Spanish architects in the 1980's. The reconstruction was based off of Mies van der Rohe's original designs as well as photographs. The building houses some of Mies van der Rohe's famous furniture, including modern-style chairs made out of metal and padded leather. The building was created in the Bauhaus style, exhibiting functionality and rationality. When I first entered the Pavillion, I was disappointed to find that I had paid to enter what is basically a museum housing only one statue. However, after walking around the Pavillion for a few minutes, I realized that it was an architectural masterpiece, and I appreciated the work even more after learning about it in class.

     After visiting the Pavillion, I walked to the nearby Magic Fountains of Montjuic. As I learned in class, the Magic Fountains were created for the 1929 International Exhibition in Barcelona. They were designed by Carles Buigas, an architect from Barcelona. Today, they still function as a beautiful sight and a major tourist attraction. Every Fridays and Saturdays from 7:00 PM until 8:30 PM, and more often in the summer months, the fountains light up to music for approximately ten minutes every half hour. The water, lights, and music create an amazing spectacle. My favorite song that was included in the light show that I saw was "Forever Young." I saw the show at 8:30 PM on a warm Saturday night, just as the sky was beginning to grow dark. It was so beautiful and there were many families, children, and couples watching the show. When the light show ended, many of the people stayed in the area, laughing and enjoying the spring evening. I think it is a beautiful thing that this amazing piece of art that was created for the International Exhibition in 1929, in a time of innovation and change, is still able to bring so much joy to people today.

Restaurant Experience: Botafumeiro

     One of the best meals I have had during my time abroad in Barcelona, and probably one of the best meals of my life, was the dinner I had at Botafumeiro, a fish restaurant located at Gran de Gracia 81. I went with my grandparents during their visit to Barcelona on a recommendation from their hotel's concierge. Everyone says that Barcelona has amazing fish, which of course is a benefit of being located right by the sea. Botafumeiro definitely upheld this reputation with its amazing seafood dishes.

     The restaurant has great ambiance. It is decorated with nautical decor. It is very old-fashioned looking and very nice and upscale. As soon as we sat down, waiters in white coats rushed over to bring us water, olives, bread, and potato chips. I ordered Sangria, which was delicious. 
      The menu options included Catalan specialties, such as ham croquettes, and seafood dishes like lobster, crab, and calamari. My grandparents and I split a Russian salad, a dish that I have seen often on menus in Barcelona. The salad included vegetables, tuna, and potatoes, all mixed together with Russian dressing. For dinner, they both ordered the grilled turbot and I ordered sea bass with mushrooms, potatoes, and spring onions. The waiter brought all of the fish out when it was ready and showed it to us before de-boning it at the table. I was so impressed with his skill in preparing the fish! My dish was cooked perfectly and tasted so fresh. 
     For dessert, we ordered a chocolate volcano, which was chocolate cake topped with chocolate ice cream. The waiter set the cake on the table and then poured steaming hot melted chocolate on top. He also brought us a complimentary dish of chocolate truffles, cookies, and sponge cake.   
     In addition to amazing food, Botafumeiro has great service. I have found at a lot of restaurants in Barcelona that the waiters choose not to come over to the table very often, so as not to disturb diners. Usually waiters will not come to the table unless they are summoned. In the United States, waiters often check on the table frequently to make sure that diners do not need anything, to check that the food is okay, and to refill water and wine glasses. The service at Botafumeiro reminded me of the service at home in America. While some Catalan people might not like this style of service, I am used to it from home and I appreciated it. My grandparents and I loved our dining experience at Botafumeiro so much that we went back again later the same week!

Cultural Activity: La Sagrada Familia

While my parents were in town, I went with them to visit the Sagrada Familia church. Although I live only a few blocks away from this world-famous landmark, I had never been inside and was excited to see what the interior of the church looked like.

Before going inside, I took some time to wander around the outside of the church and look at all the different facades. The Nativity facade (pictured at left), the only one finished by Gaudi before his death, is my favorite part of the church. I pass Sagrada Familia every day on my way to my metro stop, but I can always notice new details in the sandcastle-like architecture of this facade. The newer and more modern Passion facade (pictured below), in my opinion, is less aesthetically appealing. However, I do like to notice the contradictions between the older and newer parts of the building. The Glory facade, which is presently being constructed, will be the last facade to be completed. I find it amazing to see this famous landmark being constructed before my eyes. I have visited so many ancient churches in Italy and the rest of Europe, most of which have been standing for centuries. It is so interesting to actually be able to see a landmark of that caliber being built. Twenty or thirty years from now, when I have children of my own, I hope to be able to bring them on a trip to Barcelona so that I can see how different Sagrada Familia looks in the future.

After touring the outside of the church and telling my family all the facts I could remember from making my Sagrada Familia neighborhood presentation in Barcelona: Past & Present, we bought tickets and audio guides and entered the church. I was very surprised when I first saw the interior of Sagrada Familia. Although I knew that the church is still under construction, I expected the interior to look like all of the ancient churches I had seen in cities like Rome, Milan, and Florence. While these churches contain rows of pews, giant panels of stained glass, and antique-looking altars, the inside of Sagrada Familia looks like a construction site. There are tubs of concrete, piles of stones, and metal rods sticking out of the floor. I was disappointed at first, but when I began to listen to the audio guide and learned about the architecture and what the church would look like when it was completed, I could visualize what the completed church would look like. After hearing about where the choir is to be placed, what each and every column will look like when it is finished, and how the rest of the church will be decorated, I could imagine Gaudi's vision for this amazing building.

     One thing I really enjoyed was that at the end of the audio tour, there was an exhibit pointing out how Gaudi was inspired by nature. Pictures compared his architecture to photographs of animals, plants, and trees. When I went back outside, I was able to see how pieces of nature inspired the designs Gaudi chose for the church's facades.

Local News: Pope Benedict XVI to visit Barcelona

     An article that was recently published in La Vanguardia discussed Barcelona's preparation for the upcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI on November 7th of this year. Catalan president Jose Montilla and Vatican secretary of state Tarcisio Bertone are both serving on the committee responsible for organizing the details of the Pope's visit to Barcelona. The two met to discuss government involvement in the visit. They discussed the positive relationship between the Catalan Generalitat and the Catholic Church. More details of the visit will be discussed at upcoming meetings. At the end of the recent meeting, Montilla gave Bertone, who is a big football fan, a jersey signed by FC Barcelona players!

Restaurant Experience: Lonja de Tapas

     Anyone who travels to Barcelona must try tapas, a traditional food made up of small plates of various items. The idea behind tapas is that a group of people orders a bunch of small dishes to share so that everyone can try a little of each dish and enjoy a light meal over good conversation. My favorite tapas restaurant that I tried while in Barcelona was Lonja de Tapas. The restaurant has two locations, one in El Born at Placeta Montcada 5 and one closer to Barceloneta at Pla Palau 7. The El Born location was too small to accommodate my large party, so the host was kind enough to walk my group all the way to the nearby larger location and make sure that we were seated at a large table upstairs in the two-story restaurant.
     I have been to tapas restaurants whose decor I liked more than that of Lonja de Tapas. For example, Divinius on Passeig de Gracia has nice tables outside and Taller de Tapas in El Born has a traditional-looking atmosphere with a nice ambience created by natural stone walls. Lonja de Tapas is brightly lit and lacks the same traditional feeling. However, it quickly became my favorite tapas restaurant as soon as I tasted the food.
     To start, my group ordered pan con tomate, traditional Catalan bread with tomatoes and olive oil. For tapas plates, a couple of my friends and I shared tuna tataki, grilled vegetables with romesco sauce, seafood paella, and beef. The grilled vegetables, which included eggplant, potatoes, and zucchini, were served with romesco sauce, a Catalan-style red pepper sauce that I have seen on many menus in Barcelona. The seafood paella consisted of paella rice with large prawns resting on top. Some of my friends decided not to eat the paella after seeing the prawns with their heads, eyes, and tails still on, but I ate the dish and it was delicious. The beef consisted of small pieces marinated in a brown sauce. It reminded me of what American restaurants would call "steak tips." Although all the food was excellent, the standout dish for me was the tuna tataki. It was made up of three small cubes of seared tuna crusted with sesame seeds. The tuna was served in a tasty sesame soy sauce. I would go back to Lonja de Tapas any day just for this dish!
     The only problem with the food arose at the end of the meal. Being Americans, and therefore being used to large dinners, most of my party was still hungry after the meal! We decided to take this as an opportunity to try some of the restaurant's tempting desserts. I ordered chocolate-hazelnut ice cream that satisfied my sweet tooth for a perfect ending to a great traditional Catalan meal.