Barcelona was as great as I expected it to be. When we got to the city (around 4pm), we took the subway from the airport straight to the Clemson dorms we would be staying in (since the other Clemson program is in Barcelona). I was lucky to be traveling with three other people who were friends with some of the Clemson students in that program, so we got a free place to stay for three nights. After we settled in, we went to the Boqueria, which is a big market selling many different goods- a lot of fish (some of it alive still), cheeses, drinks, candy, etc. This market was full of character and very crowded, making it a fun atmosphere. Afterwards, we went towards the beach, which was very pretty (if only it was warmer out), and we saw some more modern buildings. To finish our quick tour of Barcelona that night we went to a late dinner in one of the many piazzas in the city.
the beach in Barcelona
The next day we woke up and one of the girls made me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast. This was a real treat… You don’t realize how much you like peanut butter until you don’t have it for months. For some reason they don’t sell it in Italy! The first thing we visited was the Hospital de Sant Pau which is a famous hospital complex done by architect Lluis Domenech I Montane. Most of the complex was under construction and renovation, so it was kind of hard to see the whole structure together, but it was very impressive none the less. The church in the complex was especially impressive (for a hospital church that is). The inside was full of blue tile and windows so it seemed to glow blue! Next item on our list- the Sagrada Familia! After grabbing a quick lunch at a nearby café, we walked down the street (maybe five blocks) to the Sagrada Familia(by Gaudi). Upon approaching it, I was amazed at how massive it is. A lot of buildings you study, you imagine to be huge and when you visit them they let you down, so I went into this thinking that people had hyped it up to be something grander than it was, but it ended up being pretty amazing. The whole building is based off of shapes from nature, so all of the columns and window openings and every other detail (there were quite a few) are derived from something in nature. The inside of the church is designed to be like a forest, with the many structural columns acting as tree trunks and the ceiling being the canopy of trees. Once I knew this fact, the building really made a lot more sense to me. I have to say, this is probably the most impressive building I have seen… ever...and it is not even close to being completed! It is hard to fathom what it will be like when it is complete, which I doubt I will be alive to see the day. After the Sagrada Familia, we went to see some more of Gaudi’s works, the Casa Batillo and the Casa Mila. We decided not to go into both buildings because they were a little pricy, so we split up, three people went into the Casa Batillo, and three went to the Casa Mila. The Casa Batillo is smaller but more detailed inside, and the Casa Mila is famous for its roof. I decided to go into the Casa Mila. We bargained our way down to a student price even though we don’t have the international student cards, and made our way up in the apartment complex. The roof of this building was really cool. It was like giant waves with stairs going up and down the waves, along with huge circular holes that serve as courtyards for the building. After exploring the roof, we went through the attic (which was a really neat, and large area) and went down to visit one of the floors of the building. When we got back to the entrance, I realized that we had barely touched a lot of the building so I asked one of the workers if people still live in those apartments and to my surprise they do! I thought aloud that it must be really expensive to live in Gaudi building, and the lady said actually it was quite cheap for them now a days, since they had been living in the building since it was built. Apparently, no one would be able to buy their apartment if they sold it. After seeing all these Gaudi buildings, we walked back to the dorm area and went a local bar to watch the Clemson Football game which they always play for the Clemson students! Afterwards we grabbed a quick bite to eat and went back to the dorm to rest. Later that night, and I mean much much later (1:30am) we went to a discothèque (which apparently you have to do when you are in Barcelona) and we ended up staying there until about 5:30am. It was quite a late night, but it was fun!
the hospital
inside Sagrada Familia
on top of Gaudi's Casa Mila
Casa Mila from the outside
The next morning, we woke up around 10(not a lot of sleep this night) in order to get a few more sights in. A few of us went to a local church which was built more than 1000 years ago. It had a different feel than most churches I have seen. It was less ornate, but grand just the same. For lunch, we were craving Mexican food, so everyone went to a Mexican restaurant! It is amazing how much you miss variety in your food choices when you are stuck in one country. Barcelona is quite a large city, so it was nice to have this variety of food! After lunch, we strolled around the streets and La Rambla (which is a busy shopping street in Barcelona full of vendors and street performers) before making our way to Montjuic. Montjuic is where the Olympic complex was back for the 1992 Olympics. We also saw the Barcelona Pavilion by Mies Van der Rohe (a famous architect). I had never heard of this building (or studied it) so I had no Idea what I was going to see. It’s funny though, because two days after we got back from Barcelona, the building was brought up in one of the history classes I am taking in Genoa! Now I know! For dinner that night, we got Vietnamese food (once again mixing it up)!
The next morning, we woke up bright and early to catch our plane back to Genoa. I have to say, overall Barcelona is probably my favorite city I have visited thus far!
Barceona Pavilion
sunset on Montjuic
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