My Travels

Prague, Dublin, Edinburgh, London, Lisbon, Faro, Vienna, Sitges, Valencia, Madrid, Galway

 Bath, Montserrat, Andorra

My travels have been many and far and I have enjoyed them all.

Favorite Cities: Dublin and Lisbon

Least Favorite: Faro

Best Nightlife: Prague

Most Beautiful: Edinburgh

Raval and La Ribera

What I will remember most in Raval for all of my lifetime has to be Ovella Negra.  But, I know there is more than awesome bars and immigrants.  There is history and beautiful, maybe the most beautiful architecture in Barcelona.

Walking through Raval is like walking in Medieval times and it makes you feel like you came from somewhere.  The narrow cobblestone streets and the stone buildings are very daunting and are reminiscent of a modern haunted house.  At night, walking through Raval is eerie and almost like an obstacle course as you have to avoid the immigrants selling cocaine and marijuana, or 1 euro beers that is probably controlled by the mafia; or so I have been told.

Anyway, Raval is a very intriguing place as it is preceeded by cultural sites such as the Boqueria and various museums and ancient palaces.  It was one of the first places I visited when I came to Barcelona so it is one of those things I automatically think of when someone mentions Barcelona.  I imagine that it has a lot of meaning for the people of Barcelona because it partly symbolizes their heritage and their history.

To me it is like the North End in Boston because it is an original settlement and is where many immigrants made, and continue to make their homes.  It is a place of culture, history, and beauty, which as an anthropology major and photography expert is a perfect place to walk around and explore.

I have taken my friends and family there and did a similar tour with them as they were fascinated as it compares to nothing in the United States.  Unfortunately, I haven't gotten any pictures yet, but hopefully I will in the future, and I will surely be back to Ovella Negra...aka my favorite bar en el mundo.

La Ribera was one of the more interesting places I have been as well because of the history and culture that still exists.  From the guilds, workshop houses, Santa Maria del Mar, and Canvis Vells, the area is filled with aspects of Catalan culture that have given it identity throughout history and continue to live and flow today.

After being inside Santa Maria del Mar, I have to say that it is the prettiest church I have seen in the world, and after this semester, I think I have seen 50 pus churches at least to compare it to, including the Sagrada Familia.  The architecture and location of the church make it, to me, even more important and magical because it is not a huge tourist attraction and represents true Catalan history and true Catalan culture, which as a tourist, is often hard to find.

By far my favorite area in Barcelona for the uniqueness and history combined with the culture and meaning behind the places we visited.

Local News Story

http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/deportes/getafe-confirma-venta-del-club-grupo-empresarial-dubai-984307

Getafe was sold to a company in Dubai.

Well we may son have a third power house in La Liga after Getafe was just sold to Dubai.  Once clubs get rich, they can buy players unlike in the United States which has salary caps for most sports.  

Look at Manchester City who recently sold the team to a billionaire who proceeded to buy Tevez, Lescott, David Silva, Yaya Toure, and others, who instantly made Man City a top flight contender for the title.  Chelsea's owner is a Russian billionaire who has known ties to the KGB and has free reign with the money he has to buy players in recent years such as Ballack, Torres, David Luiz, as well as continue to support high profile players like Lampard, Drogba, Terry, Cole, Czech, Essien, and Molouda.

In futbol its all about who has the most money and if Getafe now has rich ownership the future looks bright.  The only problem they face is location because it is not centrally located as Madrid and Barca are.  It is close to Madrid, but still, the fan base and area is not conducive to creating a "Mega Team."  They have made the first step, but it is going to be hard for anyone to ever reach Madrid or Barca because of the resources they have and the international prowess they have and have built over there century long existence.  However, any team that makes it harder for Madrid has my blessing.

Local News Story

http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/barcelona/siete-especies-peces-vuelven-besos-tras-anos-ausencia-983384

Seven Species of Fish return to the river Besós after years of being gone.

I found this article most interesting because usually in El Periodico and other newspapers, the articles that are headlined include sports, politics, international development, disasters, or things that affect a wide range of people.  The headline of this article caught my eye because this type of development usually receives little media if any.

Environmental issues are usually looked passed unless they deal with global issues such as pollution or global warming or something of that nature.  However, the fact that the University of Barcelona biology field team discovered recently that seven species of fish have returned to Barcelona is something that is so arbitrary in the realm of things, I was shocked to even see it mentioned.

As an anthropology major, this article intrigued me, but I know that for many, especially those who read the paper, do not care about things like this and instead read the newspaper for other reasons.  I doubt many people stopped to actually read this article, but I still think it is good to see in such a big newspaper.  In local newspapers in the US you can find these types of articles, but not in newspapers like the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, or even the Boston Globe, so to see it in such a reputable paper as El Periodico was a sight for sore eyes.

As far as the article is concerned I think it is a very interesting topic and I know that this is actually a big deal because it means Barcelona is not becoming so miserable environmentally that it is driving away or killing all marine inhabitants.  It says a lot about the city, which I don't think people even realize.  I am very surprised that this has occurred because it is not often that a species leaves its habitat for years and then returns.  Very interesting article.

International News Story

http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/internacional/cerca-500-presos-talibanes-escapan-una-prision-kandahar-por-tunel-983756

500 Taliban escape from Kandahar prison.

After 500 Taliban escaped from a Kandahar prison after reportedly tunneling a 360 meter escape route, I am left feeling a little uneasy.  If these guys can brea out of a PRISON that has GUARDS, they really have skills, and better yet, now they have a second chance to do what they either did or were planning to do, which means there are 500 more huge threats out there....perfect.

I can't say that I am surprised that they managed to escape because they probably had inside help, as usual, and were able to keep the operation under wraps.  The world is becoming so dangerous and so corrupt that we have to be ready for things like this and know how to respond.

I just read in TIME magazine that 3 of the most dangerous extremists in the world control militia and other forces that make it nearly impossible to find them and or kill them.  However, I think that once we find them, or 500 of them, we should do our very best to keep them locked up.  This news is very disturbing I must say, but not unexpected.

Local News Story

http://www.suite101.net/content/el-real-madrid-gana-al-barca-la-final-de-la-copa-del-rey-2011-a49677

Barca Loses 1-0 in Copa del Rey Final against enemy Madrid.

With a 5-0 defeat at Camp Nou in November, and a sweep of last years trophies, Madrid finally had its glory with a Cop del Rey victory against Barca on a Ronaldo header in overtime.

First of all, I am not happy, but I feel that this is good for the team as they approach the Champions league semis against Madrid.  I would much rather take Champions League than Copa del Rey because I knew that they wouldn't be able to take all four Clasicos so close together.

A tie at Bernabau was a good result away from home last week, and I think the final loss will spark the team to perform better in the Champions League.  Psychologically, I think Madrid thinks they are better than they actually are at this point and are probably too pumped about the Copa del Rey title.  I think it will make them more prone to mistakes in the CL and I really do think Barca will take them down.

Barca is clearly the much stronger TEAM as per usual and as history shows us.  Even when Franco was in power, the nation or TEAM of Catalonia stuck together, worked hard, and overcame the ordeals.  This is why I feel and know that Barca will come back on Wednesday and show why they are the best team in the world, just as they fought for there freedom decades ago.  

To me, Real Madrid is a unch of very talented players who don't get it wrong, play very well together, but they just don't have the genuine passion and TEAM that Barca has.  It is almost impossible to have that with the likes of Ronaldo, who, after being in Lisbon this passed weekend, I can truly say is a pre madonna and although is an unbelievable player, would never be accepted in a Barca uniform because of the way he acts and cries.  Do you think the Catalan people whined and complained when Franco was in rule?  No, because if they did, they would be killed.  They simply went along with their business while knowing inside who they truly were, and even after 35 years of suppression, emerged victorious as a culture and as a nation, and most importantly, as a team.    BARCA

Parc Guell

My trip to Parc Guell was one I began with limited expectations due to a lack of knowledge surrounding Gaudi besides Sagrada Familia and a few other buildings of his creation.  I went on a nice day knowing that it would be crowded as I hoped to enhance the experience.

As I walked up what seemed like miles and miles of hills, I finally reached the famous Parc Guell.  As people flooded the area and pictures were being taken from every angle, something that people usually don't say suddenly hit me.  What is all the hype about?

Not to say his work is unimpressive, but I was sadly unimpressed.  The combination of hype and everyone constantly saying, "How have you not been to Parc Guell yet??" all culminated in my mind and I thought, "Well apparently I wasn't missing much."

I walked the park trail up to the top where the cross overlooks the city: still unimpressed.  The view was decent, but as I looked to the right I saw an even better view from Tibidabo.  Personally I found Montjuic a much better view, and can imagine that if Tibidabo is that much higher, it must be more spectacular.

I continued to walk around looking for art and what not, but from what I could tell, most of the park consisted of trees and paths rather than sculpture and art.  As I walked through the main structure, I enjoyed looking around and seeing the tiles and colors, but it was nothing jaw dropping.  I was thinking that I had missed something, but apparently not.

It isn't that I don't like Gaudi or don't think his work is legitimate, I was just simply bored and have been wowed by many other things in Barcelona and elsewhere that I have thought, "This is something to remember."

I know many people would say, "You don't enjoy art," or, "You don't know how to enjoy art," but honestly, it is my opinion that Parc Guell is all hype and if it had been created by someone besides Gaudi, it would not have the prestige it does today.  Just like any artist, once Gaudi became recognized and the popular society reveled in his work, everything he did was praised, maybe incorrectly.

I am not trying to disrespect Catalan or Spanish culture because I sense that Gaudi has a big part in its recognition, but as a site, and as a place where all of the travel guides peg as a must see, I think it is highly overrated.


My opinion, Parc Guell is all hype.

Spanish Food

So, instead of just choosing three spanish meals I decided to take many spanish foods that I think are typical to Spain and are things that I have never seen or eaten before. 

Here I have pictures of churros and chocolate, strawberry pastry, jamón chips, pig legs, calamari sandwiches, paella, bocadillos, and one full meal including lamb, tomatoes, artichokes, beans, potatoes, and sausages.

I think that these pictures are great representations/delicious representations of spanish cuisine and the recipes are quite obvious.  I know after I return to the United States, I will probably never see these foods, so I plan on consuming as much as possible while I am here.

Almost every country has "typical food," and since I have been in Spain for only three months, I am quite sure I have not experienced all the food it has to offer, however, I think these pictures give a great example of what it means to eat in Spain.

Sitges

When Carnival rolled around in March, I was told that Sitges was the best place to go in Catalonia.  I decided to make the 30 minute train ride and I was not disappointed.

The train ride down the coast was one of the most beautiful places I have seen in Catalonia and because it was such a beautiful day, it was even better.  I was presently surprised by the town itself as it was actually what I had imagined Spain to be before I came over here.  White houses and buildings on mountains overlooking the beautiful coast were a beautiful sight to see and walking along the beach, I really felt like I was in paradise.

By the time we arrived in Sitges, there was already a parade going on directed towards the kids and the streets were already packed.  Individuals and families were in matching costumes and confetti was everywhere, which made it an even more festive atmosphere.  As the sun went down, the coast reminded me of a tropical island in the Caribbean, which I didn't think was even possible.

When the night came around and the real parade started I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  Some of the costumes I saw would have been highly inappropriate in the United States, but no one blinked an eye.  The amount of people in the streets was unbelievable and it was hard to move even five feet, which was fun, but after a while it got very annoying.  We couldn't even make it into the deep center of town, which was a bit disappointing, but the experience was more than enough.


I had never experienced any type of Carnival before anywhere in the world before Sitges and I think in retrospect that it was a great place to start.  The wildness of the night was all I had heard it would be and the costumes lived up to the hype as well.  I saw Santa's, black faces, all sorts of animals, and a random assortment of genitalia, which were hysterical, and the amount of drunkenness was unrivaled by anything I have seen before.  It was like an oversized college costume party taken to the next level and for me it was an experience that will be hard to top.

Rua Parade and Carnival

The Rua Parade was my first Carnival experience on any level and in any country.  It was a cultural parade celebrating the different barrios of Barcelona, as well as the varying hispanic ethnic groups that live in Barcelona.

Involved were: Colombia, Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Peru, Honduras, and Ecuador, and each had there own float, dance, song, and cultural aspect to represent their country in the parade.  It was awesome to be a part of and it was interesting to see how many spanish speaking cultures inhabit Barcelona, and I am sure there are some from even more of the spanish speaking countries around the world.

The most well put together and festive section for me was the Colombians.  They wore extravagant costumes and had clearly rehearsed their routines and dances to perfection.  Each country clearly had pride in their nation, however, some seemed to take it more seriously than others.  This may have been because of the sheer numbers that each country had, but it seemed as though the Colombians were far and away the most prepared.

Thousands of people lined the streets and I was surprised at how festive the mood was.  Parades where I am from are usually calm and people wave and cheer, and often times there isn't even music, but this was not the case for Rua.  The majority of people wore costumes and danced and yelled at the floats, and people from the crowd were even joining into the parade.

I have never seen such a multi-dimensional celebration where so many nations are represented, which was cool to see.  One other thing that I found interesting was that I did not once see a Spanish flag.  Whether I missed it, could be, but if I am right, that says a lot about the attitudes of Catalonians.  Especially because they were so embrace to the other spanish speaking countries, yet they refused to acknowledge Spain.  A very interesting concept, and one that I do not think can be equated to something similar elsewhere in the world; it is truly a unique situation due to history and politics.

Overall, the Rua parade was a fantastic celebration of culture and diversity and was what I had pictured Spain to be like before I came.

Montserrat

Our visit to Montserrat was one of the best days I have had so far in Barcelona.  The views were spectacular and the knowledge I gained about the history of Montserrat, Barcelona, and Catalonia was deep.

The bus that took us near the top of the mountain looked like it was going to tip over and kill everyone as we went around every corner, and the 80 degree angle we took on the trolley to the very top was more than frightening.  However, when we got to the top, the views and history was worth every second of terror.

We could see the Pyrenees Mountains, and overlooked the outskirts of Barcelona.  The weather was perfect and we were able to learn about the history of the hermits of Montserrat and the legend of the Black Virgin, which both surprised me, and was something I had never heard of before.

As we walked into the Monastery that held the original Black Virgin, I got an eerie feeling of importance and mystic.  I am not religious, but when I saw the Black Virgin and saw the way other people were looking at her, it made me feel a little different.  I realize that in order to believe the story you have to have faith, but even without it, there was something about it that gave me the chills.

The art gallery inside the monastery was interesting as well.  I normally am bored by art and hate going to art museums, but the one thing that caught my eye was the Picasso painting from when he was 13 years old and had had no prior training.  The painting was of an old man and the detail was unbelievable.  We weren't allowed to take pictures, but to see it in person was enough to understand how talented Pablo was.





The trip to Montserrat was great and I really enjoyed the views and the hiking.  I learned that "Montserrat" is a very common name for women of Catalonia and can see why.  The mountain is beautiful and although it is a little nerve racking to get there, it is truly a sight to see.

Olympic Stadium and Montjuic

The Olympic grounds and Montjuic provided some of the best views I have seen of Barcelona.  The olympic area was fascinating because the 1992 olympics were a turning point for Barcelona and Catalonia as a whole.  Seeing the monuments and the architecture of the area, caped by Montjuic's beautiful views, this area is somewhere special.  

After learning about how the 1992 olympics was such a huge success and a way for the Catalonian people to see the outside world after decades of dictatorship, it was cool to see the area where it all unfolded.  Luckily I went on a beautiful day so the sky was clear and as the sunset on the cit, it made a nice red and pink overtone over all of the buildings.  

Although we didn't know that you could take a trolley to the top and ended up walking the entire mountain, it was a great experience.  To see the castle that overlooked the ocean at the top of the mountain was spectacular and just another place in Barcelona where I felt like I was experiencing history first hand.  This is where Barcelona defended their city and it was another place in the city that distinguished the pride the city has and the pride that Catalonia has as a "nation."

The views were unlike any I have seen and the city looked as "European" as I had imagined before I came.  Great day.

Estadi Cornellá-El Prat

Last week I visited Estadi Cornellá -El Prat to see the grounds and experience the stadium and the history of the less well-known Barcelona fútbol club, RCD Espanyol.

Unlike Camp Nou, which holds nearly 100,000 spectators, Cornellá is a much smaller stadium holding around 40, 000, which can often mean that the fan base is more dedicated.  The tour of the stadium was awesome nonetheless as we got to see the locker rooms, press area, and even go on the field.  Because Espanyol's history is not comparable to FC Barca, and because the stadium is brand new, there was less to see on the tour, but the experience was just as amazing and in fact more intimate because the players and team are not as world renowned.

The stadium was beautiful and the facilities were amazing.  The architectural design of the stadium itself was very modern and after walking around the entire place, I can say that there are no bad seats in the entire stadium.  After learning the history of the team, it seems just as rich as FC Barca, but without the success to go along with it.

The tour was great and being a fútbol fan I always enjoy learning more about teams and seeing how the professionals overseas are treated like royalty.  It was a great experience and I plan on seeing the atmosphere of a game in the near future.

Camp Nou

Soccer or fútbol has been my life since I was 5 years old and to have the chance to visit one of the most famous stadiums in the world and see arguably the best team in the world was awesome.

On January 22nd I saw FC Barca beat Racing Santander 3-0 in a relatively dominating performance by the home team.  However, it wasn't just the game that I enjoyed, it was the entire experience.  From the time I got off the metro I knew I was in a special environment and at a special place.  People from all over the world to watch FC Barca play at Camp Nou and just the sight of the stadium is exciting.

When we arrived outside of the stadium, there were hundreds of people lined up on the street waiting for the players to arrive, proving that everywhere outside the United States, fútbol is king and the players are of the highest celebrity.

When it was time to go into the stadium and watch the game, the atmosphere got even more electric and when the players were announced the entire stadium saluted them in chant.  It kind of reminded me of communist Germany in the way that all of the fans chanted at once.

The game itself was amazing as we watched Messi, Villa, Xavi, and company at their best and Racing had no chance.  Pedro scored within 2 minutes of the starting whistle and the game was always in their hands.

Growing up in an area where soccer is nothing, it was great to be in an atmosphere that appreciated the sport for how amazing it truly is.  It was also awesome to see how sport can unite people and bring people together from all over the world.  Fútbol is truly a universal language.

Last week I also did the "Camp Nou Experience," and got to see the locker rooms, trophies, history, and field of Camp Nou and FC Barca, which was actually worth the 19 euros I paid for it.  I got to see the press room, press boxes, and media section of the stadium, which was also cool to see up close after seeing it so often on TV.   Overall, my Camp Nou experience has been awesome and hopefully I can catch another game in the upcoming months.