My first day of traveling I went with some friends to see
Rihanna in the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona. Rihanna wannabees and tshirts
adorning Rihanna’s face was more abundant than I expected but made the
experience so much better. We finally
made it through the doors after waiting for hours in line then narrowly survived
getting trampled on the way in. The 4
hour wait between the time we entered the stadium and the time Rihanna actually
came on was disappointing to say the least but did cause the crowd to calm down
their trampling energy a bit.
From Helen's camera, i.e. we were THAT close |
Soooo many people |
Dedicated and determined |
It wasn't until that night I was reunited with my childhood friend and soon to be month long travel buddy Brittany and her friend from home, Hailey. We were exhausted and therefore did not want to move but stayed up until 4am anyway talking and catching up on life.
We spent the next day at the MNAC, perusing around la Rambla looking at the markets, and exploring the city. Even though I had lived outside of Barcelona going on 5 months, I still had many sights to see. One of those including Parc Guell, Gaudi's famous park that exhibits his infamous Dr. Suessesque mosaic style.
You know the best way to find tapas or any traditional cheap good local cuisine for that matter? Get lost in the small roads away from the touristy places. We did just that and had some of the best tapas we had had so far. Patatas braves, green peppers, spanish omelete, croquettes, ham and bread, etc. That day I met with some friends back from Igualada as a last "until next time" as opposed to goodbye. In hostels you meet so many people and the conversation always starts out the same: hi, how are you, where have you traveled, where are you traveling. Followed by some ooos and aaaahs then maybe some suggestions of things to do. You see people from all over the world and our first night I was able to practice my spanish again with some new found friends from Buenos Aires. You ever wonder why in Spanish class you bothered to learn two words for the same thing? In this case I was thankful because in South America they tend to change some words, manejar instead of conducir for drive. Computadora, ordenador. Piso, suelo, etc.
We spent the next day at the MNAC, perusing around la Rambla looking at the markets, and exploring the city. Even though I had lived outside of Barcelona going on 5 months, I still had many sights to see. One of those including Parc Guell, Gaudi's famous park that exhibits his infamous Dr. Suessesque mosaic style.
Parc Guell |
You know the best way to find tapas or any traditional cheap good local cuisine for that matter? Get lost in the small roads away from the touristy places. We did just that and had some of the best tapas we had had so far. Patatas braves, green peppers, spanish omelete, croquettes, ham and bread, etc. That day I met with some friends back from Igualada as a last "until next time" as opposed to goodbye. In hostels you meet so many people and the conversation always starts out the same: hi, how are you, where have you traveled, where are you traveling. Followed by some ooos and aaaahs then maybe some suggestions of things to do. You see people from all over the world and our first night I was able to practice my spanish again with some new found friends from Buenos Aires. You ever wonder why in Spanish class you bothered to learn two words for the same thing? In this case I was thankful because in South America they tend to change some words, manejar instead of conducir for drive. Computadora, ordenador. Piso, suelo, etc.
Our tour of Barcelona the next day was my second Fat Tire
Bike Tour and it proved to be just as good as the first! So entertaining and
unless you don’t like bikes, I would highly recommend it. Our first stop was Sant Jaume square and our
Australian tour guide pointed out four flags.
These included the Spanish, Catalonian, Barcelona, and another found on the
balcony of an apartment, the Catalonian Independence flag. As I have mentioned before the desire for
independence is quite prevalent in Catalonia, more so however in the surrounding
smaller towns.
Our hipster Aussie guide who did a fabulous job |
Everyone seems to want to claim Christopher Columbus as
their own. Well, according to the bike
tour, he was Spanish and may have had a little romance going on with Isabella,
the Spanish Queen at the time. She had a
baby who lacked the common ailments brought about by royal incest. The baby also had a slight resemblance to
Columbus but eh who knows? Isabella was
a decisive and powerful woman and when she approved the trip for Columbus to
explore the world, it’s possible she had some mixed feelings and hoped to never
see him again. Well all turned out alright
in her favor when upon his return with the good news of a new world, she was
able to take the credit. She preferred
the Spanish state, as opposed to Catalonia, and so began the oppression of
Catalonia.
He does root for Barca though (Large Columbus statue with Barca jersey) |
The steps shown below are the original steps in which
Columbus told Isabella his discoveries upon his return.
Placa del Rey steps |
Jews always had it rough back in the day. Around the same time as good old Chris, Jews
were being prosecuted because they were thought to be using black magic. It was common practice for Jews to wash their
hands before meals while Christians did not do so. The “black magic” that prevented them from
becoming sick and dying off was simply the result of good hygiene. Fun fact: Some Hebrew is found in Christopher
Columbus’ letters to his father suggesting he may have also been secretly
Jewish.
Catalonia didn’t fare much better in the later years during
the reign of Franco (1936-1975). To put it
lightly, Franco did not like Catalonia and the Catalonians didn’t fancy him either. If you’re interested in knowing a little more
you can find a longer description in my Catalonian Independence blog. A famous theater in Barcelona was adorned
with statues of Sant Jordi, a typical Catalan symbol. They covered the statues with sheets, invited
Franco to a show and when a pro-Catalonian song was skipped over by the order
of Franco, members of the audience stood up belting the song. Great moment in history for the Catalonians.
Theater. Hard to see from this angle but the man standing above the shaded area leaning on his sword is St. Jordi |
Barcelona is very pro-Gaudi and while he was a great architect,
our tour guide gave the analogy: Gaudi was the architect of the time as what the
Beatles were to the 60’s. No doubt,
amazing yet other talent existed. This
particular fountain is sometimes referred to as Gaudi's Fountain, yet in
reality, Guadi was only an apprentice.
Let’s face it, apprentices are the go getters for coffee. Or maybe tea.
Our next stop: the previous site of bull fighting, which was
recently stopped and now prohibited throughout Catalonia. The building still stands however and has yet
to become something else.
Sagrada Familia: the churches of all churches. Not, however, a cathedral. It cannot get this designation because there
is no bishop seated at the church. It
was never actually approved by the Pope, but Gaudi was so determined, he funded
it through begging and his earnings from his other projects. Gaudi was a very religious man and made it
his life goal to create the best church.
As the oldest construction site in the world, it is still in the making
to become the best and has a finish date of around 2080. The economy and the fact that anarchists
burned the original plans after Gaudi died, contributed to the slow
construction but poco a poco. Gaudi also designed the tram system in Barcelona
and ironically died from injuries after being hit by one. He had let himself go a little bit, wearing
dirty clothes with a long beard and after being hit, passerbyers simply moved
him to the side of the road thinking he was homeless. A nice taxi driver brought him to the low
quality hospital the next day. Once found by is architect friends, he
refused to go to another hospital and consequently died of his wounds.
Light coming through the stained glass made the walls of the church look gorgeous |
You can see the old and the new Sagrada familia really well in this pic |
Yet another Arch in Europe.
Originally, the Eiffel Tower was supposed to sit in that spot but the
people decided it wasn’t very pretty so an Arch was a good substitute.
Hailey and I biking |
That night, I was able to introduce my friends from Igualada to my friends from home because we all went to a club together. It was great to have one last hurrah. The night was filled with not so clubby music, including part of the soundtrack from Grease and other alternative typish songs, along with smoke from dry ice and confetti. It was a fun night except for the small fact that my phone was stolen that night. Barcelona is one o the biggest pick pocketing capitals of the world and one of my last nights here I was a victim. There are worse things.
Next day we meandered some more. We stopped by Casa Batlló and Pedrera, more Gaudi things. This is when the adventures with my shoes began. I was currently walking around in shoes with no soles and the replacement shoes I got throughout the trip were no better…Thanks to Brittany my feet survived the rest of the trip.
Casa Batlló |
La Pedrera |
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