And after four whirlwind days in Barcelona, I'm back and the semester is already underway. Barcelona was just what I need though, if not what I expected. I'm not sure why but I somehow naively was under the impression that Barcelona was a nice resort town, with not so much to do except shop and sun bath. I fully intended to kick back in a cafe and read for the weekend and walk in the parks and the old city. I couldn't have been more wrong and spent the whole four days zipping from one amazing thing to another, and crashing totally exhausted each night, though I did find a little time to read and relax. Just the same, Barcelona turned out to be one of my favorite cities so far and I would love to go back some day. The deep Catalan culture, they even speak Catalan, and the levels of history: Pre-Historic, Roman, Colonial Spanish, Modern Art and Literature, and Contemporary Architecture made for a really interesting experience. I would wander through Roman remains from the time of Christ and the next morning would be walking through a Modernist building from the 1920's. I won't go into much detail about all the things I did because for one, it would take forever, and two, you could learn just as much by googleing them yourself.
Some of my favorites were the Picasso Museum, which was maybe 500 meters from my hostel, and housed in five ancient mansions from the XIII to XVII centuries. In addition to their outstanding collection of his early work from around the time he live and studied in Barcelona, they also had an outstanding temporary exposition on his personal art collection. Though I do not particularly like Miró, I visited his foundation on Montjuic Sunday morning, it was worth the visit if for nothing else than to see a few of his works in Bronze. They were quite good. Most interestingly it was fascinatly to see how the works of Picasso, Miró and even Gaudi are all connected, though Picasso hated Gaudí. I even stopped for quick drink at the London Bar, an old hang out of Picasso and Hemingway.
The Palau de la Música Catalana was an accidental find, I had crossed it out in my book as not interested, but since I had time and a picture of it was pretty I visited on Saturday afternoon showing up five minutes before the next English tour, the only way to see the inside. It's an incredible music hall designed by Gaudí's Modernist contemporary Lluís Domènech i Montaner. The philosophical implications of unity and nature behind the architecture are almost as beautiful as the building itself. I was so impressed that I stopped by the box office on my way out and ended up with a front and center ticket to a performance of Vavaldi's Four Seasons with an introduction of Bach, Corelli, Pachelbel, and Albinoni by the Sinfonietta de Sofía the following night. It was the perfect way to finish my weekend in Spain.
Honestly, I really enjoy traveling by myself, granted it can be lonely at times, it gives a unique experience. First of all, it allows you to be completely selfish with your time; you get to go where you want and do what you want whenever you want. If you feel like taking a nap at 3:30, you can, and there is no one to disappoint if you decide you'd actually rather not visit the Museum of Geology. You can also eat at hoighty toighty restaurants without anyone complaining about the price or that you had to take three metro lines to get there, just because you wanted to experience the cuisine. I noticed it changes people attitudes towards you as well, and most people are far more inclined to approach you when you're alone; for better or worse. I spent more than one meal chatting amicably with the waiter, sometimes over the bar where I was eating tapas. On several occasions my wine glass was filled and then "top offed" with a smile, I had one glass of Cava, the local "champagne", that was almost spilling on the table. Unfortunately, you also get the creepy men that believe that since you're eating breakfast by yourself, you could love nothing more than to be pestered by personal questions at eight in the morning. Somehow men like this never get the hint. I'm learning to be just downright rude when I need to be and to smile less, but I think that's just sad and not something I enjoy. I also found a little time to shop found some cool places, like a shop that sells more nuts than you've ever heard of. But more than anything, it gives plenty of time to contemplate and in my case curl up with a book or my notebook in a tea shop for rest in the afternoon; something I love. I've scribbled the notes to several essays on traveling and my experiences. If they take a more solid form, I might share.
My last meal in Barcelona. Snails are a specialty here and prepared quite differently than in France, but with outstanding results.
And after four whirlwind days in Barcelona, I'm back and the semester is already underway. Barcelona was just what I need though, if not what I expected. I'm not sure why but I somehow naively was under the impression that Barcelona was a nice resort town, with not so much to do except shop and sun bath. I fully intended to kick back in a cafe and read for the weekend and walk in the parks and the old city. I couldn't have been more wrong and spent the whole four days zipping from one amazing thing to another, and crashing totally exhausted each night, though I did find a little time to read and relax. Just the same, Barcelona turned out to be one of my favorite cities so far and I would love to go back some day. The deep Catalan culture, they even speak Catalan, and the levels of history: Pre-Historic, Roman, Colonial Spanish, Modern Art and Literature, and Contemporary Architecture made for a really interesting experience. I would wander through Roman remains from the time of Christ and the next morning would be walking through a Modernist building from the 1920's. I won't go into much detail about all the things I did because for one, it would take forever, and two, you could learn just as much by googleing them yourself. 
Some of my favorites were the Picasso Museum, which was maybe 500 meters from my hostel, and housed in five ancient mansions from the XIII to XVII centuries. In addition to their outstanding collection of his early work from around the time he live and studied in Barcelona, they also had an outstanding temporary exposition on his personal art collection. Though I do not particularly like Miró, I visited his foundation on Montjuic Sunday morning, it was worth the visit if for nothing else than to see a few of his works in Bronze. They were quite good. Most interestingly it was fascinatly to see how the works of Picasso, Miró and even Gaudi are all connected, though Picasso hated Gaudí. I even stopped for quick drink at the London Bar, an old hang out of Picasso and Hemingway.
The Palau de la Música Catalana was an accidental find, I had crossed it out in my book as not interested, but since I had time and a picture of it was pretty I visited on Saturday afternoon showing up five minutes before the next English tour, the only way to see the inside. It's an incredible music hall designed by Gaudí's Modernist contemporary Lluís Domènech i Montaner. The philosophical implications of unity and nature behind the architecture are almost as beautiful as the building itself. I was so impressed that I stopped by the box office on my way out and ended up with a front and center ticket to a performance of Vavaldi's Four Seasons with an introduction of Bach, Corelli, Pachelbel, and Albinoni by the Sinfonietta de Sofía the following night. It was the perfect way to finish my weekend in Spain. 
Honestly, I really enjoy traveling by myself, granted it can be lonely at times, it gives a unique experience. First of all, it allows you to be completely selfish with your time; you get to go where you want and do what you want whenever you want. If you feel like taking a nap at 3:30, you can, and there is no one to disappoint if you decide you'd actually rather not visit the Museum of Geology. You can also eat at hoighty toighty restaurants without anyone complaining about the price or that you had to take three metro lines to get there, just because you wanted to experience the cuisine. I noticed it changes people attitudes towards you as well, and most people are far more inclined to approach you when you're alone; for better or worse. I spent more than one meal chatting amicably with the waiter, sometimes over the bar where I was eating tapas. On several occasions my wine glass was filled and then "top offed" with a smile, I had one glass of Cava, the local "champagne", that was almost spilling on the table. Unfortunately, you also get the creepy men that believe that since you're eating breakfast by yourself, you could love nothing more than to be pestered by personal questions at eight in the morning. Somehow men like this never get the hint. I'm learning to be just downright rude when I need to be and to smile less, but I think that's just sad and not something I enjoy. I also found a little time to shop found some cool places, like a shop that sells more nuts than you've ever heard of. But more than anything, it gives plenty of time to contemplate and in my case curl up with a book or my notebook in a tea shop for rest in the afternoon; something I love. I've scribbled the notes to several essays on traveling and my experiences. If they take a more solid form, I might share.
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