Around Barcelona

After the Segrada Familia, we wandered around the city in the general direction our hostel to drop off our backback in the lockers.

 The  Lullaby Gardens hostel was very cozy with a large living room, kitchen, and dinning room

After putting most of our stuff in our lockers, we headed towards the beach

Being a lifeguard in California, I took particular interest in the lifeguards I saw. Turns out the two guards I talked to were Argentians studying in Barcelona. They said they loved their job but the pay ok. The 700 euro a month they were paid would probably be enough to cover rent and food but not much more. Still the idea of lifeguarding in Spain would be a great awesome so Ill definitely keep that on the table.

photo by Sarah Z.

On the beach most people were dressed in pants and shirts because the water wasn't that warm. Still that didn't stop me from taking my first swim in the Mediterranean.

photo by  Sarah Z.

That night we went to the Magic Fountains up on the hill part of Barcelona called Montjuïc. I didn't bring my camera but the experience was amazing. We probably could have stayed there for hours listening to the music and watching the colorful sprays of the fountains dance in the night but we ended up going to a great pub called the London Bar. Evidently this place was a popular hang out for Picasso and Hemingway which made the live music and great cider all the more better. Following the London Bar we went to a club with some people we met on the metro. Unlike Madrid the Barcelona metros were open all night so we were able to stay out late dancing.

 The following morning we enjoyed another free breakfast from the hostel before setting for a free tour of Barcelona. The tour focused mainly on Guadi's influence on the city and the guide was very knowledgable about the history. Even though it was his first tour ever we couldn't complain because besides the US Olympic Fencer we met, we were the only people on the tour.

 

The tour guide gave a very patriotic perspective on the Catalunya ( Catalonia) independence movement in defense of successionist sentiments. He believed that Catalunya ( the semi autonomous region of Spain the Barcelona is apart of) had a history of independence and deserved to be separate. It was interesting to see how confident he was that this was the right decision. He vilified the central Madrid government as being oppressive towards Catalunya, even making a seemingly unrealistic statistic along the lines that, "over the last 30 years Madrid as built 300km of rail line while Barcelona as had 2 km." Regardless of whether this claim was true, I imagine he made up a signifiant opinion of young people in Barcelona. 

     To support his statements you only needed to look around and notice all the Catalunya flags. Definitely more than any other city Ive been to in Spain. He also explained that the flags had different meanings. The flags with the blue triangle indicated that person wanted Catalunya to be an independent country. Depending on the color of the star could mean different things as well. The red star meant an independent socialist country while the white meant just independent. The traditional flag of the Catalunya region is the Senyera. Evidently one of the oldest flags in Europe its said that in the 9th century following the defeat of a Moor siege of Barcelona, one of the heroes was allowed to make the flag. Being wounded he dragged his blood soaked hand along a yellow of coat of arms making the yellow flag with red stripes used by cities of the region. Regardless of how you felt about that independence movement you could not help but feel a sense of pride the people of Barcelona felt towards their city and culture.

 As side from this look at Catalunya, our guide gave us insight on Guadi's influence on the city ( which was every where.. including the sidewalk)

 Casa Batlló was a very Dr. Sues like house designed to appease the growing middle classes desire to be more sophisticated. Using nature for inspiration Gaudi designed this building to compete with other architects who were all trying to escape traditional design and consequently forming the modernist art form. These two buildings and another down the street were all built within ten years of each other by separate architects trying to outdo each other.

Casa Millá was another Gaudi piece and was critized by contempary people for its strange design. Both  Batllo and Milla have amazing interior and rooftop pieces however we did not have time to see them. I plan on going back to Barcelona later in the month and hopefully then I can pay for a proper tour to appreciate the inside.

The house was designed by another one of Gaudi rivals. It was made for three sisters by their mother; who wanted them all to live together even though they hated one another. The design gives three equal sections and towers. 

 After the tour. We walked around Barelona trying to find our way back to the beach.

The Arc de Triomf led to a really neat park that had lots of families hanging out enjoying the sun.

 We found a farmers market along the harbor path, where local business were selling cheeses, honey, candies, meats, and toys

 

Next time: Park Guëll

Barcelona- Segrada Familia

Like a dog chasing its tail I am continually trying to catch my blog up with my actual present position on the earth. About three weeks ago I went to Barcelona with three friends from my tutoring program. Our first stop was the Antoni Gaudí's unfinished masterpiece the Segrada Familia.

Any trip to Barcelona is not complete without visiting this giant piece of art. Admittedly at first I believed Segrada Familia to be a glorified piece of dessert art but upon seeing it in person I am ashamed to ever have thought so. 

The outside is open to the public and definitely deserves a walk around to take in the deeply symbolic sculptures and architectural wonder. However, you must go inside to be truly awed. 

Tickets inside are available by reservation online and we decided to take the first slot in the morning to avoid the long lines which rapidly formed up as we waited for the church to open.

The whole design of the Segrada Familia is supposed to use nature as its primary inspiration. Gaudi believed God was the ultimate architect and by following God's example you could achieve the highest form of art. He employed several unique designs he brought out solely from what he saw in the natural world. While on a free tour later on the trip our tour guide showed us how Guadi used nature to reinvent the columns of the Segrada Familia. He was able to keep the architectural integrity of using straight lines while maintaining the artistic expression of the natural world

The massive stairways mimicked twirling vines and the colors of the stain glass windows were much more vibrant than any other cathedral I'd ever been too.

Gaudi was a deeply religious man and ended up giving up all other projects to pursue the Segrada Family. As a result the Segrada is caked with symbolism. The central pillars of the church represent the gosphels, Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John. These pillars also showed off another natural feature of Gaudi design in the tree like supports that connect to the ceiling.

Next time: Around Barcelona 

Leaving Granada- Night photos

 After finishing a long day at the Alhambra the setting sun offered a new prospective of the palace and city.

 Near my hostel, I found the roads blocked because of a demonstration against budget cuts.
 

 This wasn't the first time I'd seen these type of actions. In Toledo we had seen a large demonstation and concert in the lower part of the city, however this was larger and closer. From what I gathered from, my host parent, their friends, and the news the unrest is mainly focused around switch the public healthcare system to a private insurance operation. The majority consensus I received from the teacher, journalist, and doctor I've talked to her is that Spanish healthcare is one of the best things going for the country and they don't want to see it changed.  The make up of the protest echoed the middle class support with most of the protest group being made up families and mid 30 to 40 aged people.

Just like a protest I saw in Tokyo the procession of protesters were followed by a police van and traffic was being regulated by local police. My experience with protests in the USA is limited but what I saw in Spain and Japan contrasted the images I typically see the media represent protests in the US.

Once I returned to my hostel and had dinner I went out to take some night photos of the city. At 9pm the city was just getting started with all walks of life in the streets.

 

My main goal was to try and get a picture of the Alhambra however I didn't feel like wandering the dark alleys to get to the mirador again so I was forced to get these smaller shots. 

The walk gave me a great look at all the places I'd been during the daytime and gave them a new more dark and scary feel to them.

Eventually I returned to my hostel after joining a couple fellow travelers from England and Germany for some drinks at an Irish Pub and a Portuguese bar. The night didn't end till 3am but that didn't really matter to me since  I would not have been able to sleep with all the noise of a nightlife in Granada.

 The last stop I made before leaving was the Capilla Real at the Catedral of Granada. This is the burial site of the famous Ferdinand and Isabelle. Although I didn't have time for the larger catedral, the Capilla Real was a great thing to see. It was pretty simple as far as chapel go but visitors were allowed to go down bellow the a narrow stairway to see the coffins they are buried in. Seeing where the most famous Spanish monarchs were buried was a great way to end my stay in Granada.

Next time: Barcelona