Hola, Barcelone! Now, for those of you wondering how well we speak espangol, I can save you the trouble - nada. However, we are glad to say that at the beginning of the second semester, we can both parlons un peu plus de français! So to celebrate the beginning of the second half of our exchange in France, we adopted the Toulousienne way and headed off to Spain for the weekend! We are not kidding, this is a normal past time for the French because Barcelona is only a few hours away from Toulouse. So, hasta la vista! Oh, Spain, you historical powerhouse you. To be honest, I don't think I can justifiably do a overview of their country, so let me leave it at this. It is located on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe, banked by the Atlantic ocean and Mediterranean Sea just like France and Morocco. It is a constitutional monarch with a parliamentary democracy (just like Canada), and the current monarch Felipe VI. Barcelona is the capital of autonomous Catalonia with a population of 1.6 million. It was originally founded as a Roman city, but is now one of the world's largest touristic, economic, trade fair and cultural enters, with huge influence in entertainment, media, science, and arts, all contributing to the status of on of the world's major global cities. Let's see what it has in store for us! DAY ONE: Today is the day we decided to walk the entire city - in four hours. Honestly, guys, we went a little crazy. We began from our hostel, hit up Starbucks (by now are you surprised?), and then tackled the first hurdle: the massive hill to get to Park Güell. A UNESCO World Heritage Park, this area is filled with gardens and architectural art in homage of Antoni Gaudí with a massive serpentine bench, terrace walls with birds nests, Doric columns, tiled mosaics and more. Passionate about architecture, Güell interpreted nature and religion into his work and is most famously known for his creation of the Sagrada Família (more on that later). After we got our fix of this Spanish masterpiece (including live guitar and dance performances), we walked through a difference historic town called Garcia, an area previously part of old Barcelona. We soon got lost, but managed to find our way towards food! Next, we stopped in Museu d’Història de Catalunya (Catalan History Museum), a very well done interactive exhibit featuring all of the areas rich history. We thoroughly enjoyed this museum, and would recommend it entirely to anyone stopping through. Or anyone who enjoys taking goofy photos (see evidence below). To finish off the day, we hit the Barcelona beach and sat along the water while the sun dipped lower in the sky. DAY TWO: Today we managed to walk a marathon (again). We began by hitting up the Arc de Triumf (Spanish edition) and strolled down the boulevard through the park. We stopped to get Calippo popsicles (a Beci European tradition) in the harbour, where we stopped an admired Christopher Columbus and his column pointing to conquest. As only the history students we are, we stopped in at the Museu Marítim de Barcelona (Maritime Museuem) where we got to see another really well put-together exhibit about Barcelona and it's history with the sea (seriously, this city knows how to get people interested in history! Or is that just natural for us?). Continuing with classic Beciffer fashion, we hit the Museu Picasso (Picasso Museum) for the perfect blend of art history. Also, free for students, so that's a total bonus. Next stop: the Catedral de Barcelona, a gothic cathedral and the seat of the Archbishop of Barcelona. Built in the fifteenth century, this work of art gave us the unique opportunity to take an elevator onto the roof and get the perfect birds eye view of Barcelona. To end the day, we managed to buy mangoes, kiwis, apples, bananas, and oranges at a small corner shop for just two euros to make a massive fruit salad dinner. Barcelona, je t'adore. DAY THREE:
Our last day in Barcelona (and really half of one at that before catching our ride back to Toulouse) we hit up the Sagrada Família. Of course we stopped at Starbucks again (we know we have a problem) where our server gave us the best names we could possible ask for as our new alias' - Berca and Jhan! But back the Sagrada Família! A little quirky on the outside - not many can understand what the hype about such a building really is. And I can understand why, it's certainly not orthodox and it's not even finished. However, one step inside and suddenly everything clicks. It's I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E. Also a UNESCO site, this cathedral is unlike any on this Earth; Gaudí has combined his love of nature, it's smooth lines and inexplicable patterns, into the framework of the building. Every aspect of the cathedral has some relation to the world, animals, insects, flowers, etc. Not to mention Beci's favourite part - the stain glass windows. Needless to say I lost sight of her after walking in. This is definitely worth the money and wait to get in (but preordering online helps you skip the wait and costs the same price). To end it all, we headed back to the beach to catch some sun (or for me - to hide from it). We lounged around for an hour or so before heading back home. Well, Spain, you definitely lived up to all expectations with this city. Time to go home (and the start of the new semester). Adios, Barcelone! - Jen Quote of the post: "Are we to paint what's on the face, what's inside the face, or what's behind it?" - Pablo Picasso
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