Saturday, December 9, 2017
Aviñón -> Barcelona. Day 1: Plaza Espanya—Magic Fountain light and music show
We started off the day with a briochette, then had blackberry yogurt and soft and chewy brioche rolls on the train ride from Avignon to Barcelona.
The countryside seemed to change, with the Mediterranean Sea on one side and rivers and hilly landscapes on the other as we entered Spain.
Barcelona!!
It was nice being able to understand some of the words I was seeing (unlike in France), though a lot of it was Catalan, which I didn’t understand. We came out of the train and metro station and onto Las Ramblas, the main street of Barcelona, which was bustling with people. Passed by a few human statues and several small restaurants.
At the end of the street we came across a large roundabout with a tall, imposing statue in the center, which I later found out was the Columbus Monument.
Observation #1: Wide sidewalks dividing the wide streets (pedestrians can walk on the sides of the road or in the middle of the road)
Our Airbnb was in the city center, not far from Las Ramblas. After dropping off our luggage (and listening to our host talk on and on about recommendations and such), we had a late lunch of tapas.
Random note: I kept seeing the word “Nadal” on ads and billboards; I didn’t realize until later that it was referring not to the tennis player but to Christmas!
We went inside the Arena shopping center, where we got churros con Nutella (I later found out we were ripped off by a euro; most places charge 3 euros rather than 4) and wandered around some stores, but I was a bit frustrated—we didn’t come all the way to Barcelona to go shopping.
Dinner at Bodega Monumental (decision based on Yelp reviews + people eating inside): seafood paella—large shrimp and lots of seafood. Expensive but yummy and filling.
Walked up the steps in front of the Palau Nacional, a grand art museum with scenic views of the city:
Saw a lights show at the Font Mágica (Magic Fountain), which was spectacular and I loved the classical music, though I wish it was louder and more amplified like the World of Color at California Adventure.
I spoke Spanish wherever I went, but many people answered in English, which was a little annoying. Still, it was nice to be able to get around and do basic things like order food and get directions in Spanish.
Pretty tired by the end of the day, even though I felt like we didn’t walk much. But according to my phone, we walked 11 miles!
Sunday, December 10, 2017
Barcelona Day 2: Ciutat Vella (Old City)—Santa Maria del Mar church, La Sagrada Familia, Park Guell
Santa Maria Del Mar cathedral
La Sagrada Familia: the famous basilica designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Construction began in 1882, but at the time of his death in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete. The building is anticipated to be completed by 2026—the centenary of Gaudí’s death.
The outside was quite a spectacular sight despite the construction, but the inside filled me with awe. The ceiling was so high up, I was instantly amazed by how grandiose and magnificent it was.
On the non-touristy, less busy streets, we experienced the “local culture” and walked into a random restaurant called Rodica’s Restaurant and Bar with a few people sitting inside (that is how we’ve decided where to eat). Dad and I shared a bocadillo frío de jamón ibérica as well as two tapas of fried Roman calamari and olivas rellenas (pitted olives filled with what I think were more olives). Super salty, but delicious!
Then we saw another one of Gaudí’s major works: Park Guell, a once residential estate turned into a public park because it was a commercial failure. Eusebi Guell assigned Gaudí to design the park, which was built between 1900 and 1914 and officially opened as a public park in 1926.
Surrounding the monumental zone was a large expanse of green-covered hills. We hiked to the top and were rewarded by a gorgeous view of the city, the hills, the sunset, the red orange and white buildings, and the ocean in the distance.
Things I noticed about Barcelona:
- The streets are wider, with many lanes. This includes the sidewalks, where it is not uncommon to see restaurants put tents with outdoor seating on the sidewalk and posters advertising their restaurant
The street signs are super helpful to get to landmarksLike France, traffic intersections consisted of roundabouts. Which makes sense in decreasing risk of accidents since you only have to pay attention to one direction.They seemed to make good use of roads. Many streets were divided in the middle with a park or sidewalk for pedestrians or bicyclists. One particularly large roundabout had a park in the middle, with a playground and statue of Bartomeu Robert, a Catalan doctor and politician. 
Walked 13 miles today! We managed to avoid the metro all day.
Ended the day with delicious fresh pasta: tagliatelle espinaca (spinach tagliatelle) con pomodoro tomate (tomato sauce), botifarra (Catalan sausage) y champiñones (mushroom). It seems people here like to eat in small bites (ex. tapas); I constantly felt like I was always hungry. But after this meal I was finally full and satisfied for the day.
Monday, December 11, 2017
Barcelona Day 3: Boquería Market, Museu Marítim de Barcelona, Barceloneta—fisherman’s quarter and beaches, Placa Catalunya—Free Walking Tour of the Gothic Quarter
Light rain in the morning as we walked along Las Ramblas street once more towards Boquería market, a farmer’s market with tents selling seafood and cured jamón and cups of colorful fruit juices and fruit for one euro a cup. Had breakfast at one of the seafood places: 2 fried eggs with patatas bravas (potatoes drenched in a spicy sauce) and café con leche. Almost 10 euros, but the food was good.
I would highly recommend visiting the Maritime Museum (Museu Marítim de Barcelona), as it is unique to Barcelona’s history of naval dominance:
- Model of the Royal Galley: built at royal shipyards of Barcelona in 1568. Designed as a flagship for the Holy League (Spain, Venetian Republic, Papal States, Malta) to halt the expansion of the Turkish empire.
- Galleys remained the dominant types of vessels for war and piracy in the Mediterranean Sea until the last decades of the 16th century. The zenith of galley usage in warfare came in the late 16th century with battles like the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, one of the largest naval battles ever fought.
- Life at sea was hard. Lack of hygiene meant a ship’s stench could be smelled before galley came into sight, making surprise attacks impossible. The rowers, who were both freemen convicts and slaves, often Muslim or Christian prisoners of war, were treated like slaves. Each rower received a kilo of ship’s biscuit (bread baked twice to last longer) plus a small ration of bean and chickpea stew, while the rest of the crew (soldiers, sailors, priests) enjoyed meat, cheese, and fruit. Also, rowers couldn’t move from their seats—they stayed in the same place to eat, sleep, and yes, urinate (but don’t worry, there was constantly water sloshing around, washing their feces away).
I tried to capture pictures of “normal” things like the wide main streets and the long narrow side streets as we walked towards the port.
We had lunch at the port, at a place called Cervecería La Sureña.
Took a stroll at the beach after lunch:
Walked up Las Ramblas (again) to Placa Catalunya, where we came across a sh**t ton of plump, ugly pigeons. They were even invading the trees! It gave me the shivers. Every now and then they would all fly up at once and whizz right by our heads. They were mostly gray, though I saw a couple brown ones and a green bird that looked like a parrot.
I was sitting on a bench eating bread, ignoring dad, who kept telling me to stop eating bread because it makes you fat. And then it was my turn to get annoyed—he broke the bread into pieces and started throwing them to the pigeons! Aren’t they fat enough??
Did a free walking tour of the Gothic Quarter—the El Gótico, El Born and Barceloneta neighborhoods—where I learned about the history, architecture, and legends of Catalonia. My notes:
- Catalonia: border between Moorish and Christian Europe
- Legend of the flag of Catalonia: blood = official. The four stripes on the flag are the blood of the King of Catalonia (Wilfred the Hairy)
- Golden age 13-15th c. when they started trade and prospered
- La decadencia 15th-19th c.: characterized by the 1469 wedding of Ferdinand and Isabella, who started the Inquisition and financed Columbus, who discovered America. The Catalans were forbidden to trade in the Atlantic under fears that they were becoming too powerful
- Spain’s time zone should be London GMT time, but a fascist dictator wanted to stay with fascist Italy and Germany time, hence Spain is in Central European time
- La siesta is from 1-4pm, after which it is common to have a merenda (snack) of melted chocolate and churros
- Las Ramblas, the famous main street of Barcelona, is nowadays just La Rambla because it used to be 5 separate streets and now is one long street
- Architecture:
- Romanic: simple—no elaborate statues or decorations
- French Gothic (medieval ages): covered with statues and decorations. Colorful windows—the light gives joy, and the movement of the facade is vertical (eyes automatically shift upward to the ceiling)
- Catalan Gothic: Romanic (simple) + French Gothic
- Neo-gothic: late 19th century—revival of Gothic
- Santa Maria del Pi cathedral (pine tree symbolizes God’s grace)
- A random wall with ancient Hebrew on a few of the rocks: associated with a sad story—the rocks were stolen from tombs and sold to the black market (stone was highly valued)
- Cathedral of Barcelona: built 1888. Where Barcelona hosted a global exposition. The only church in Europe with two facades (Catalans stereotypically like to save money: only the Neo-gothic side faces the plaza; the Catalan Gothic, cheaper facade is out of sight) and live animals (13 geese—geese are white and pure)
- Walked past Granja la Pallaresa, the oldest and best churrería in Barcelona (with what is known as the second best right next to it), and Sala Parés, the first art gallery of Barcelona in 1877. I learned that most churrerías charge 3 euros—the ones that charge more are ripping you off, unless it’s the Granja
- Ended the tour at Plaza de Sant Jaume, where Catalans display their opinion and where political discussion occurs—inevitably where the protests for and against Catalan independence took place
- In lieu of Valentine’s Day, they celebrate St. George’s Day on April 23. Traditionally, the guy gives the girl a rose and the girl gives the guy a book. Due to protests for this tradition being sexist, the tradition is now a rose for a rose or a book for a book. This goes to show that Barcelona cares about tradition but is also ready to change it when the people find it unfair. This also explains why Barcelona is known as the progressive capital of Southern Europe
- I also met a super sweet and adorable Indian couple, both of whom were doctors (and their children too)
Dinner: Tapas at Ciudad Condal! Ham is a savory specialty in Barcelona
Walked through Las Ramblas one last time on the way back to our Airbnb.
I had a long conversation with our host once we got back (she loves to chat): we talked about things from the weather and education to raising children and Italy. She told me about how today was unusually cold for Barcelona (60s and rain) and how the university here is more chill and relaxed, and how Barcelona is the place to go if you’re seeking a social life, which revolves around the streets (chatting in cafés, hanging out in bars). I was surprised to hear that most people prefer not to have the siesta, since you can’t go back home or do much in a 2-hour window, and it means that the typical worker will leave work at 9pm as opposed to 7. I agreed, but I also think it is beneficial to take longer breaks. The city centre is the exception since it is a touristy area, but in local areas it is against the law to open shop during the siesta (2-4pm).
Walked 12 miles today!
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Home, sweet and familiar home
Hasta luego Barcelona! Three days was the perfect amount of time to explore the city. We went to all the places we wanted to see, ate all the Barcelona specialties (churros con chocolate, tapas, and paella), and walked up and down Las Ramblas more than enough times. It is a beautiful city with really friendly people, and I would love to come back (not just to improve my Spanish).
Flight at 12pm—after a 7-hour flight, it was 3pm when we landed. The flight was super long and turbulent at times but the meals were pretty fancy compared to what I was used to: pretzels and almonds for snack, followed by a lunch of hot chicken with veggies and rice, with cheese & crackers and bread & cheese and orange chocolate mousse. Then a light dinner towards the end of the flight—turkey wrap with chocolate, and mints. And drinks 3 times (OJ, tea, and coffee). This was much improved from my Norwegian Airlines flight from NYC to London in September. I watched 2 movies—Wonder Woman and How to Be a Latin Lover.
The customs line wasn’t too bad in the JFK airport. The restaurants turned into American ones: we passed by a couple Shake Shack’s, burgers and wraps, sushi. I found myself missing Chinese and even American food (can’t remember the last time I had a burger!).
At 5pm, we got on another 6-hour flight to LAX and arrived at 8pm. I watched Titanic and cried. As I was wiping tears from my eyes, or (later) just letting them flow down my cheeks, I wondered if the person next to me noticed, and thought about how strange it must be for people walking down the aisle to see this girl in tears on the plane! I fell asleep during Good Will Hunting and soon after, we were in LA! We listened to radio on the way home (how exciting)! Driving on familiar roads again, I felt like I had woken up from a long dream. A very long dream…
This has been a long day of way too much sitting, but I am really glad to be back home.
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