Okay, so it's not technically part of the program, but a lot of students in my class planned to travel before or after the actual program dates, so it's relevant! Right? Right?!
Fine, so maybe I just want an excuse to talk about Barcelona because it is THE BEST PLACE I'VE EVER BEEN. I know that's not the most difficult comparison since I've only ever left the US once when I went to live in an ashram and study yoga in India at the ripe age of 18, but seriously, Barcelona is heavenly. I got in two days ago, and I'll be leaving tomorrow morning for Paris, but the time here has been phenomenal. The first night was a bit rough, as I arrived sticky with sweat and exhausted from jet lag at midnight to an eerily quiet and dark hostel. I had no idea where I was, but the streets outside (which could be better described as alleys or corridors since they were narrow and cobbled) were full of loud, fully awake people. Where the hell was I that people were this energetic at this hour? Had I already become such a fuddy duddy 9-6-er that partying at midnight was out of the realm of possibility? I decided to just lock up my luggage, take a shower, and sleep on these (de)pressing questions.
The next morning I woke up at the awful hour of 9 am, cursing my decision-making all the while, to catch the hostel's complimentary "breakfast" of stale cereal and warm milk. Free calories are free calories, right? I decided that the best way to meet people and not spend my three days hopelessly lost and alone would be to attend the free tour taking place at 10 am from the hostel, and let me tell you, I highly recommend you do the same when you travel. Within the first ten minutes I had met two energetic sisters from San Diego whose banter with each other was enough to make any passerby laugh, and a perky Aussie nurse who was as sweet as she was silly. Our tour guide was an incredibly knowledgable expat from Britain with stories to tell about everything we saw, and his love of Barcelona was incredibly infectious. Can you tell?
The three of us ended up sticking together for the rest of the trip since we all leave tomorrow. We bought tickets through Sandeman's New Europe, the tour company that hosted the free tour, for a few other events that weekend. First was a "Tapas tour," which is like a much more relaxed pub crawl where you visit Barcelona's best tapas bars and get free tapas and beer or sangria and meet a bunch of cool people as you go. We ended up meeting a couple of really cool guys from Brazil, who took us out dancing on the beach after the tour ended. We all walked along the shores until the wee hours of the morning, kicking up sand with our stumbling feet and sharing our histories with each other. It's incredible how quickly you make friends when you're traveling; it had been less than 24 hours and it felt as though I had known these people for years.
The next day was just as exciting. We all woke up reasonably late and got brunch in my favorite square in Barcelona, La Plaça de George Orwell, which, ironically, is now under 24-hour surveillance. That's not why it was my favorite place though - I loved it because it was the vegetarian foodie mecca of the city, packed with vegan delis, organic tea shops, and almost 100% meat-free eateries. I know, I know, I'm one of those LA people. Sue me, the risotto was delicious and only cost roughly $8. Score! The rest of the day we spent touring Gaudi buildings, including the infamous Sagrada Familia (pictured, with a very sweaty me. Sorry.) Our tour guide, the same one from yesterday, was explaining that everything that went into the construction had a symbolic meaning, from the placement of one stone to the tiny carving of an apple on a column. I wish I could remember it all, because it was so fascinating.
I feel like this bodes well for the rest of the program, considering how much I've already learned here just by wandering and exploring and talking to people. I know I'll leave this trip, leave Paris and Brussels and the UK after them as a somewhat changed person. It sounds all mushy-gushy and cliché, but how could it not? I've been keeping a journal, a personal one in addition to this blog, where I try to recount everything that's happened each day and fill it with sketches of people I've met and stories I've been told along the way. It feels good to read and write just for pleasure, for art, for catharsis. It's something I haven't been able to do much the past four years in school. This city makes me feel alive...
Anyways, long story short, I love Barcelona, and traveling is good for the soul. Onwards and upwards, friends. The next time we speak I'll be in the city of love - PARIS! AH!
Fine, so maybe I just want an excuse to talk about Barcelona because it is THE BEST PLACE I'VE EVER BEEN. I know that's not the most difficult comparison since I've only ever left the US once when I went to live in an ashram and study yoga in India at the ripe age of 18, but seriously, Barcelona is heavenly. I got in two days ago, and I'll be leaving tomorrow morning for Paris, but the time here has been phenomenal. The first night was a bit rough, as I arrived sticky with sweat and exhausted from jet lag at midnight to an eerily quiet and dark hostel. I had no idea where I was, but the streets outside (which could be better described as alleys or corridors since they were narrow and cobbled) were full of loud, fully awake people. Where the hell was I that people were this energetic at this hour? Had I already become such a fuddy duddy 9-6-er that partying at midnight was out of the realm of possibility? I decided to just lock up my luggage, take a shower, and sleep on these (de)pressing questions.
The next morning I woke up at the awful hour of 9 am, cursing my decision-making all the while, to catch the hostel's complimentary "breakfast" of stale cereal and warm milk. Free calories are free calories, right? I decided that the best way to meet people and not spend my three days hopelessly lost and alone would be to attend the free tour taking place at 10 am from the hostel, and let me tell you, I highly recommend you do the same when you travel. Within the first ten minutes I had met two energetic sisters from San Diego whose banter with each other was enough to make any passerby laugh, and a perky Aussie nurse who was as sweet as she was silly. Our tour guide was an incredibly knowledgable expat from Britain with stories to tell about everything we saw, and his love of Barcelona was incredibly infectious. Can you tell?
The three of us ended up sticking together for the rest of the trip since we all leave tomorrow. We bought tickets through Sandeman's New Europe, the tour company that hosted the free tour, for a few other events that weekend. First was a "Tapas tour," which is like a much more relaxed pub crawl where you visit Barcelona's best tapas bars and get free tapas and beer or sangria and meet a bunch of cool people as you go. We ended up meeting a couple of really cool guys from Brazil, who took us out dancing on the beach after the tour ended. We all walked along the shores until the wee hours of the morning, kicking up sand with our stumbling feet and sharing our histories with each other. It's incredible how quickly you make friends when you're traveling; it had been less than 24 hours and it felt as though I had known these people for years.
The next day was just as exciting. We all woke up reasonably late and got brunch in my favorite square in Barcelona, La Plaça de George Orwell, which, ironically, is now under 24-hour surveillance. That's not why it was my favorite place though - I loved it because it was the vegetarian foodie mecca of the city, packed with vegan delis, organic tea shops, and almost 100% meat-free eateries. I know, I know, I'm one of those LA people. Sue me, the risotto was delicious and only cost roughly $8. Score! The rest of the day we spent touring Gaudi buildings, including the infamous Sagrada Familia (pictured, with a very sweaty me. Sorry.) Our tour guide, the same one from yesterday, was explaining that everything that went into the construction had a symbolic meaning, from the placement of one stone to the tiny carving of an apple on a column. I wish I could remember it all, because it was so fascinating.
I feel like this bodes well for the rest of the program, considering how much I've already learned here just by wandering and exploring and talking to people. I know I'll leave this trip, leave Paris and Brussels and the UK after them as a somewhat changed person. It sounds all mushy-gushy and cliché, but how could it not? I've been keeping a journal, a personal one in addition to this blog, where I try to recount everything that's happened each day and fill it with sketches of people I've met and stories I've been told along the way. It feels good to read and write just for pleasure, for art, for catharsis. It's something I haven't been able to do much the past four years in school. This city makes me feel alive...
Anyways, long story short, I love Barcelona, and traveling is good for the soul. Onwards and upwards, friends. The next time we speak I'll be in the city of love - PARIS! AH!