Re: Barcelona

Please forgive me if this post is a little nondescript, it isn't meant to be so but I've written and done so much school work this week (I know you don't believe it, do you?) that I'm finding it difficult to write when I'm not obliged to. However, Barcelona deserves a small write-up, infact it deserves a big write-up but let's not get too over-zealous. Here is a breakdown of my voyage:
Thursday night: Left Sevilla, via Vueling Air which is my new favourite airline, for Barcelona. Upon arrival, I caught a bus that comes every six minutes and took me within minutes to a five minute walk to my hostel. I was shocked at the efficiency of this operation. Got to the Hostel, which other than the 11 people I was sharing a room with, was pretty decent.

Day 1: I met some American gents that morning for breakfast who were planning on seeing the same sights as I was, so we decided to go together. We went to the Sagrada Familia Temple, whose photos don't even begin to do it justice. It is Gaudi's living, unfinished masterpiece. It's history is too intense to go into here, let's just leave it at the fact that he got hit by a tram and killed in 1926 and construction began in 1888 and in 2007 it is only half finished. Then we went to Park Guell, which was another Gaudi built masterpiece. We finished the evening in the blistering cold discussing whether or not China is going to invade the US. No one could believe that I was not worried about this. I was the only one there who didn't own a gun. Interesting.

Day 2: I decided to go it alone that day and left my American companions to themselves. I went to see Casa Batllo, which coincidentally ended up being on the same block as my hostel. This was my favourite Gaudi work that I saw and it is a house that he redid for a wealthy landowner in the 1920s. It is absolutely bizarre/wonderful/organic and I bought several coffee table books, which is truly how we must judge a good tourist trap. I thought of Jamie the entire time, with the wild wood work and lack of straight lines. The ceiling is the piece de resistance, with it's dragon-like roof line and mosiacs imitating scales. I spent the rest of the day walking around Barcelona, though it was bit chilly, I walked through downtown and to the World Trade Centre building at the harbour. Barcelona, like many cities in Spain, is a city of contrasts. The striking modernist architecture coupled with some of the oldest traditional buildings along the Mediterranean makes for an interesting skyline. This city fascinates me, also with the Catalan language and mild separatists sentiments, it was almost like being in another country.

Day 3: I made the trek to Montserrat. I left pretty early in the morning to take the Metro, then the train, then the cable car up the mountain to Montserrat and let me tell you it was a VERY CHILLY 10 degrees up there. I hiked by myself up into the rocky caves where the monks used to trek around. The Basilica was incredible and has one very famous Virgin Mary statue, famous because she is black in skin colour and we went like masses of herded cattle to the second floor of the Basilica to rub/kiss her appendages. Me, not so into that. It just doesn't seem sanitary to me but to each his own. By the end of the day I was frozen solid and I made my way back to Barcelona.

Day 4: I made my way back, early to Seville and just about missed my plane. Apparently going back, not so simple. Apparently early Monday morning everyone and their dog is going to the airport and though I was there an hour early I just made it to the airport in time and because so many of us were late, they made an exception and took us after the gates had already been closed. Needless to say, the plane was late and I didn't make it to class. Instead, I spent the afternoon talking jive with my roommates (which are another blog entry in and of themselves) on our new couch that our landlord bought us so that we don't have to sit around a dinner table and hold high court every time we're all in the kitchen. This makes us all very happy. The roommate's dog however, doesn't make me so happy at all. I'll get into that one next time.

So, that is all for Barcelona. Next bat channel: Tuesday I leave for Italy. I must remember to email the rents all the information re: hostels and contacting me. The Jude, she worries, don't cha know? I can already see Jamie shaking his head.

Until next time, hasta la proxima!