Barcelona!!!

Plenty of history, fun, strolling, sightseeing, and prostitutes…Yes, yes, yes. Even prostitutes. Barcelona had all of this to offer and more. Our trip to Madrid was two weeks passed, and everyone was ready and excited to explore a new city. This Mediterranean city provided nothing short of something new. We departed Segovia at around 6:30 in the morning on a bus and traveled for the majority of the day. We arrived in Barcelona around 4 or 5 and first went to Parque Gϋell, which is one of the many areas of Barcelona heavily influenced by Antoni Gaudi. The foreseen language barrier didn’t include much preparation. The folks of Barcelona speak Catalan, which is a dialect of Spanish spoken by the autonomous community of Catalunya. Fortunately, a lot of the people there spoke at least some English, so things worked out fairly well. Our “posh” hotel (as described by Gladys) was just that, and included a 24-hour buffet. I like to think that we all got our money’s worth there. We cleaned house on the buffet whenever we were there. The rooms even included pink bedding and drapery, so that added a nice touch. Very Posh.
Our hotel was located on “Las Ramblas” which is a street where, like Plaza Mayor of Madrid, mimics attempt to entertain passersby. However, these people had virtually no talent nor commitment compared to those of Madrid. Also, by day, vendors sell souvenirs, flowers, even live chickens and roosters. It’s the polar opposite by night. Some guys would walk around with six-packs of beer, stand 20 feet apart, and try to sell beer to everyone that walked by. We were also warned upon our arrival that buying from these clowns was illegal, and you would be fined if caught. Prostitutes were relentless in trying to get business…going as far as walking up to passersby, linking arms and trying to convince them to partake. The best method, as we found, was just to avoid those individuals like the plague. This street is also supposed to be one of the most likely places to get pick-pocketed in Europe. Really reassuring for personal safety huh?
We toured “Església de Santa Maria del Mar” and “La Catedral,” which are both Gothic-style Cathedrals from the 13th and 14th centuries. Gladys bought us all ice cream, and then we walked around and saw some of Gaudi’s other buildings in the city, including “La Pedrera.” We planned on going to a park, got about half way there, and then decided it was too far to walk. After walking that much, I guess it didn’t make much sense to finish it out. But we got a free remainder of the day out of it, of which I definitely invested in a siesta. Later we found a Hard Rock Café, and took advantage of some American influence, not only in food, but music too. It was a nice getaway.
Nightlife in Barcelona was kind of a drain, unless you wanted to pay a lot. We took it easy the nights we were there, but still had a lot of fun. It was hard to leave the hotel at night, unless we had a plan, just to lower the risk of getting lost or mugged. That didn’t stop us though. David, Adam and I actually were lost for a while the first night, wandering in what seemed like the right direction, but nowhere near where we needed to be. We eventually got back after asking for directions and the route we took wound up being just a more “scenic” route, but we saw some cool architecture along the way. It was like when we were lost in Madrid, which ironically enough, was also a night when I wasn’t wearing my cap. I think it’s fair to say that I won’t be traveling in an unknown city anymore without the proper headgear. One of the nights we went to a small bar where we ran into a Canadian guy with a Toronto Blue Jays hat on, and we talked with him for a while. This guy seemed neat, until as he was leaving, he made sure to mention that the Twins sucked. Since we were offended, we stood up for our beloved team, and he started throwing punches. We eventually got kicked out of the place and the owner called the cops. …Okay, so that was a lie. But it made it more interesting! That story REALLY ended with the Canadian bashing the Twins, and we just rolled our eyes. The hotel has glass automatic doors near the front, and one of the nights as I was stepping out of the hotel, I ran into the door with my foot and head because I thought it was open. I essentially ‘kicked’ the sliding door open, and it opened up to the outside on a hinge. Adam followed closely behind me, but didn’t see it happen…but he tried to fix it. My big toe killed for the next two days. I felt really smart after that one.
The next day, we toured some visual arts museums including “Museu Picasso.” We also went to Montjuϊc , where we saw the Olympic village from when Barcelona hosted the Olympics in 1992. Castell Montjuϊc, which is on a mountain overlooking the city, provided a great panoramic view of the city and the Mediterranean Sea. Gaudi’s Segrada Familia, which is often regarded as his most important and renowned work, is a Cathedral that Gaudi spent the greater part of his life planning. Construction started in 1883 and continues today. Gaudi was only able to complete one tower before his death. We returned to the hotel for a late lunch and then went on a self-guided tour down “Las Ramblas” towards the pier. At the end of the road near the wharf is a 50-meter high statue of Columbus. Since it was Super Bowl Sunday, we were unsure if it would be aired at the hotel, so we had planned on going to find it elsewhere. Little did we know, a lot of places were charging a 15€ cover charge or more to enter, so I made peace with myself to miss my first Super Bowl for as long as I can remember. I mostly missed watching the commercials.
It was good getting back to Segovia and the still and relaxing lifestyle we have come to know quite well. I walked into my house with my host dad cheering “Rafa! Rafa! Rafa!” because of Spaniard Rafael Nadal’s win in the Australian Open. They love their athletes over here…they show NBA highlights, but only for the Lakers, Grizzlies, and Trailblazers, because they have Spaniards on those teams. I guess there’s also a movie about a chihuahua named Tito, so whenever my Spanish dad sees me, he sings a tune that goes “Tito, Tito, Ti… Chihuahua!” and has a blast with it. It might be an American movie, but I’m not quite sure.
Things are still going great. My Spanish is getting much better, which is a definite plus. I have a much greater appreciation for Castilian Spanish after this weekend. Classes are going well, much easier than if I was at CSB/SJU, but I’m still learning a lot. We have a really good group too, everyone gets along great and I’m getting to know everyone very well. I love my family… I’m really happy I can have relatively decent conversations with them, and laugh with them. And we laugh a lot. My host dad continues to teach me every “palabra fea” in his word bank…and I think I’ll end on that note.