Barca and Beyond 2016
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| Les Glories, Barcelona |
Part 1: A Month in
Review-Highlights of Barcelona
A lot of factors ultimately played into my decision to spend
my semester abroad. Perhaps the largest influence came from my two older
brothers, who each had the opportunity to spend an extended time overseas in
Spain and Vietnam, respectively. Between the hours spent listening to their
stories and reading about their experiences, I always figured it would be
foolish not to take my own chance at something similar. And I could go on and
on about the “having the once in a lifetime opportunity to truly immerse myself
in something new” speech, but I’ll try to avoid redundancy on here. Not to say
it’s not true, because it really is
important, but I feel like that’s the start of every blog ever.
Personally, I also view this semester as a shot at personal
redemption in a sense. The first time I went to Europe was a two-week stint
back with my high school, and in retrospect, I didn’t have the perspective to
really take it all in. I didn’t take enough pictures, and definitely didn’t try
enough food or participate in activities out of my comfort zone despite
countless opportunities to do so. And worst of all, I never went back and
documented all of the places I traveled and the memories I experienced.
So with that in mind, here I am back in Barcelona, which was
the final stop of a 6-city tour the last time I was in Europe. Why Barcelona? Well, there isn’t much the city doesn’t have. Huge diversity, a traditional feel
despite being a modern-paced city, an amazing coast, an even-more-amazing
soccer team, and festivals and traditions beyond anything I’ve seen before.
In no particular order, allow me to elaborate on all that’s
great about being over here…
The Homestay
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| Not a bad view to wake up to every morning |
Upon arriving from the airport on my first day,
I hauled up my two oversized suitcases (it’s ok mom, I know you mean well) to
the fourth floor where I would be spending my next three-plus months. Stationed on a
street corner of Carrer de Lepant, the apartment is directly across from the
Plaza de Toros stadium with a brilliant view from the balcony.
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My homestay is with a single mother, Marta, and I’ve met very few people as genuinely kind as her. While her English isn’t strong, it’s given me the opportunity to practice my Spanish en route to (hopefully) become relatively fluent by the end of April. She’s always eager to tell us about things going on in the city, and we’ll talk on and on about her favorite parts of Europe and the places she recommends us traveling.
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| Marta graciously accepts a selfie as I interrupt her cooking dinner |
Living with two other roommates and sharing a
room with one, we all felt fortunate to have a lot of common interests and a
similar desire to check out the city as much as possible. One of my initial
concerns was the uncertainty about who I was living with, but with my roommates Charlie and
Taylor, that concern was very quickly squashed. I’ve lucked out with that,
especially considering I’ve heard some roommate horror stories.
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| As long as I make it back here, the night was at least relatively successful |
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“Sharing an undersized bathroom with two other
grown men builds character”-Someone probably
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The Classes
Despite a tacky orientation session where they
referred to the beer sold by street venders as “sewer beers” (I get it, they
want to dissuade it, but “sewer beer?") the IES program overall really
has lived up to the billing (insert relatively steep semester cost here). For
the first time in years, I can actually say, without sarcasm, that I enjoy each of my
classes. I think the fact that 3 out of the 5 are sports-related courses I
still get credit for at UW has a lot to do with it.
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| Most classes consist of either sports debates or watching soccer highlights, not too shabby |
Since I came in wanting to become at least close
to fluent, the International Spanish
Business class I’m taking allows me to not just practice conversations, but do
so through realistic activities like job interviews, business ideas and
pitches, and reenacting office scenarios. Since we meet four times a week, I’ve
gotten to know all my classmates really well, and many of them have since
turned into my core group of friends out here.
While I typically get breakfast and dinner for free at the homestay, my time in between classes is usually when my
friends and I like to walk through the streets and check out an array of
tapas restaurants, buffets, pasta shops, Mexican restaurants, and almost anything else
you can think of. My favorite spots are the tapas bars and basically anywhere
that has pints of Spanish beer for under 5 euros. I’m a lot less picky here
actually, which will probably shock my parents.
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| One of the prime spots if we're feeling like some post-class pizza or pasta |
The Sights of the City
While it’s great to explore the city in groups, some of my favorite moments out here thus far have been during the runs I’ve taken on my own over the past few weeks. Not that it would matter if I had a route because my sense of direction is a joke, but I’ll just head out without a set path and wind up somewhere amazing:
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The markets of Las Ramblas aren’t overhyped.
One of my favorite spots in particular is the Font de Canalates. The legend
says that if you drink from it, you will always find a way back to Barcelona
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Torre Agbar, a 38-story skyscraper valued at an estimated $165
million, is capable of producing 16 million different colors and is the 4th
tallest building in Barcelona
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| ...that thing. |
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A fraction of the massive harbor stationed
nearby the top tourist beaches along the coast.
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I know what you’re thinking, and no, I didn’t try to hop
from rock to rock like a frog. I definitely thought about it though.
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W Barcelona marks the end of an amazing coast of clubs,
markets, and a massive harbor. The 5-Star hotel charges upwards of 350 Euros
per night for its finest suites. Or in other words, about half of a cheap El
Clásico ticket.
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The beaches outside of the clubs, where we spend some Saturdays playing pickup soccer.
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The markets of Port Vell, where I often end up after runs along the beach.
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Stumbled across this gem after taking the wrong route to the
gym one night: The Arc de Triomf, originally constructed in 1888 as the main
entrance to the Barcelona World Fair.
Gothic Quarters
Some friends of mine spent a Saturday touring around a
series churches and synagogues, all with unique designs constructed over
hundreds of years ago.
A bunch of other interesting and probably cooler sights that should've made this blog instead can be seen on my Barca
2016 Facebook Album
The Metro
Ohh the metro. Is is always there when I need it? Nah. Is it the most enjoyable ride in the world? Hell no. But does it get me to the places I need to go for little to no money? You betcha. As a Wisconsin kid, riding the metro has been an adjustment. But it saves me from overpriced cabs and long walks. So cheers, metro.
The Nights
While the nights in Madison are equally great,
Barcelona has a lot of differences. For starters, the average night doesn’t
really pick up until around midnight here, and on a typical night out, you won’t
get back home until around 5AM. In Madison, the night is just about wrapped up
around 2 or 3 usually. Here? That’s when people head to clubs to start the
second half of their nights
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| At the bar watching Champions League with some of the squad.
Another difference is the venue in which nights start and
end. In Madison, we usually pregame at apartments or a friend’s house and then
move on to either a bar or another party, depending on the night. Here, we
typically start our pregame at the bars and move on to clubs, which I’ve rarely
been to before arriving here. As long as they aren’t too packed, or the music isn’t too awful, clubs are usually an amazing time, especially if you roll in with a
deep group. You won’t be able to have a deep drunk conversation about the meaning of life,
but you’ll have a hell of a time dancing like a moron instead.
First Barca Game
I kept thinking I almost forgot to add something
before posting…and I definitely did. After spending a couple days admiring the
stadium and taking a tour of it back in 2012, I finally completed the process
and watched my first official game at Camp Nou. In a Copa del Rey quarterfinal
against Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona crushed them in a convincing 3-1 fashion.
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We picked the right side of the stadium to watch it on, as
all three Barca goals from Suarez, Pique, and Neymar were scored just 50 yards
away from us.
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And that just about wraps up my highlights of the first
month here. Needless to say, the first 30-plus days or so have lived up to my lofty expectations, and I’m beyond happy with the decision to come back here for a
second run!
Thanks for reading, ¡hasta la próxima!
