A bit out of order- Barcelona!

12/12/12- a date that looks the same in the US and the UK!

I'm getting to know the Edinburgh Airport like the back of my hand. I arrived here, flew to Dublin, London and Barcelona. Now I'm back again to go to Paris! It's been a whirlwind. I've been writing papers nonstop, only pausing to pack my bags and travel again. I'm not complaining- it's been amazing. Busy in the best possible way. But it won't be a bad thing to have a month to unwind after my European adventure. I'm pretty culturally confused right now.

Before I take off (literally. I'm in the plane as I write this) for France, I need to recap BARCELONA!!! Alex and I spent 4 days exploring the city, and loving it. My Spanish came in handy, but English signs and speakers weren't too hard to find. The hardest part was navigating the city! Especially in the Gothic Disrict, there's just a web of similarly-named alleys. Lots of hidden treasures: tiny restaurants, craft stores, and churro stops!

Churros and chocolate (under all the whipped cream)

Soup of the Day is whiskey at the Irish pub. Figures.

The food was great, and (typical to how we always travel!), we ate well. Tapas, paella, fresh fruit and cheeses from the markets, chocolate-dipped churros, empanadas, seafood-- all fresh. Eating pineapple and melon was really great- I'd been having separation anxiety!

Rice with squid ink and seafood- just like last time, Nanny

My favorite paella man

But don't worry, we did more than just eat. Our hostel was perfectly situated right by a Christmas fair overflowing with locals. We learned about Caga Tio, a popular Catalan Christmas figure who poops out presents for kids if they whack him- every stall had the little poop figures!

Overflowing. Seriously crowded.

We enjoyed a night show of the Magic Fountain, which played the Spanish Christmas favorites of Jingle Bell Rock and Holly Jolly Christmas.

Our hostel was right next to a gorgeous cathedral with impressive ceilings, tons of shrines to the saints, and views of the whole city.

Catholicism was definitely a theme in Spain, just as royalty and clan disputes have hugely shaped British and Scottish history and landmarks. Lots of castles in the UK, lots of churches in Catalunya. We visited the private collection of Frederic Marès. He owned several hundred figures of Jesus- a bit of a haunting sight. He also collected rare pipes, fans, human-hair artwork, "flower" arrangements made out of seashells, weapons, and stamps. Very eclectic museum, but definitely cool.

Keeping with the religious trend, Alex and I spent a day at Montserrat- a mountaintop monastery just outside of the city. The views from the hike were incredible! And we had fun on the funiculars to various different shrines hidden in the hills. Once again, the cathedral was gorgeous. This one is home to a legendary black Mary and Child statue... people were queuing for an hour just to get near it.

We spent a lot of time on the Metro, which is SUPER efficient. We never waited more than 5 minutes for a train, and we were always within blocks of where we wanted to be. LA needs a good public transportation! You don't realize how terrible it is until you experience how it should be.

On our Metro voyages, we took in all of Gaudi's masterpieces around the city. La Sagrada Familia, though I doubt it'll ever actually be finished, is so stunningly complex and intricate.

La Casa Batllo is very distinct and whimsical- it reminds me of the witch's candy house in Hansel and Gretel. 

And last but certainly not least, Park Guell! I don't know where the heck Gaudi got his inspiration. And I think his work is definitely not overrrated.

The view from the park

Moving from one famous artist to another, I really enjoyed the Picasso Museum. Though his later works are seriously weird, his earlier stuff shows how he was influenced by Barcelona and why his style tranformed into the abstract that he's known for. He was a very talented drawer and painter, and he even dabbled in sculpture.

Montjuic, on the way other side of the city, houses tons of gardens and the Olympic venues from 1992. We strolled through the Jardi Botanic, laughed at oddly-named plants, and walked around the Olympic Plaza. The weather was GREAT- low 60s, high 50s (which is about 20 degrees warmer than Edinburgh right now), and I was jealous of all the runners who were exercising in the (relative) warmth.

The torch

Taking advantage of the ideal December weather, Alex and I went to Barceloneta, the beach just at the end of La Rambla. Barcelona is so rich and dense: a huge market a block from a massive cathedral, from modern shops and restaurants, from world-reknowned museums, from the beach! Alex was MUCH braver than I was and actually went in the water, but just dipping my feet in was enough for me. We people-watched and sunbathed, fighting off incessant vendors and women who wanted to give us a five-euro "very good very nice" massage. No thanks.

Me and Columbus

We encountered vendors and musicians (with accordions, Mom!) on a bunch of the trains, too. And tons of street artists and performers who were completely painted, dancers, sandcastle builders, violinists, and just people with weird stuff, like ducks and trolls (who were actually not performing, but still).

It definitely felt more culturally distinct than what I'm used to. Beyond the food and the building styles, the people themselves are different in Spain. Expressive, romantic, sassy, but welcoming. Brits are far more reserved. It was a fun change.

I've got to wrap this up- I'm looking now at the French countryside, lightly frosted. Hooray for budget airlines that drop you an hour and a half from Paris in an airport with toilet seat-less toilets and too few chairs. But it's been an unbelievably successful semester, travel-wise. I loved Barcelona. The streets, the sounds, the colors, the sea. And now I'm ready (as I'll ever be, I guess) to begin my first solo foreign trip! I guess I'll have to read the map without Alex for awhile... Au revoir!