So it has been a week since I arrived in Barcelona, Spain and I am just getting a chance to write. I apologize for the delay in an entry, but literally all of my free time has been consumed by an exploration of the beautiful city. In this past week, I think have walked (and ran) more than I have in my entire life. What a great way to get exercise! Instead of staring at a plain white wall and running in place on a treadmill, I get to run along a beach on the Mediterranean under a full moon and through the streets of the marvelous Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. But before I get ahead of myself, let me back up and explain my pre-departure anxiety and my first impressions of Barcelona.
Pre-Departure Problems
I had scheduled my flight months in advance of my arrival date. I was to fly from Pittsburgh, Pa to Atlanta, GA to Barcelona, Span. I chose to fly through Atlanta because I thought the weather in mid-January would be much more desirable for flying in Atlanta than in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately Atlanta was scheduled to encounter a large snowstorm on the date of my departure (Jan 10th) so they cancelled my flight. I did not find this out until 8 o clock the night before I was supposed to leave. The night continued to be a rollercoaster of emotion. After having my flight cancelled, I was able to get a seat on a flight through Newark to Barcelona leaving on the 11th, a day later than I was supposed to depart. Just as I had mentally processed the fact that I was going to have another day of anxiety, walking around the house with my stomach in knots hoping I didn’t forget to pack anything, my dad was able to get me a last minute seat on a flight on the 10th, the day I was originally supposed to leave. At that point it hit me that in 12 short hours I would be on another continent, miles and miles away from everyone I know and love and light years away from my comfort zone.
On the morning of the 10th, I couldn’t even concentrate on the way to the airport. So many things were running through my head, and looking back on it, I guess I was more nervous than I should have been. I didn’t know exactly what I was nervous about, it was more the unknown that troubled me. When I got to the ticket office at the airport, the lady at the desk told me I had no flights booked. I looked at her like she was crazy as I held the ticket confirmation in my hand. After some time and confusion on the part of the inept airline employee (at one point she had me flying into some city I had never heard of before), I walked away holding the tickets that I had booked the night before. Holding those tickets was both a huge sigh of relief and a shocking reality that departure time was near.
My dad, my mom, and my girlfriend Megan stayed with me as far as they could which was to the security checkpoint. My younger brother decided skiing was more important than going to the airport with us. It was tough saying goodbye. I waved goodbye for a final time and stepped onto a tram. It was the bittersweet beginning of a new adventure.
Flights
The flight to Newark was very relaxing. I really like flying. The take-off and landing are my favorite parts, even though I get nervous each time. On the flight I had a window seat in an aisle all to myself, so I could stretch my legs out. The flight to Barcelona was a completely different story. I was lucky enough to get a window seat, but unfortunately it was in an emergency exit aisle, so by airline regulation, my seat was restricted from reclining at all. To make matters worse, the overhead compartments were full, so people were forced to stuff carry-on luggage under other peoples’ seats. So I had no room to move my legs and no room to recline. It was the most uncomfortable ride of my life, but it was not as bad as I thought it would be because the flight had over 50 On Demand movies to choose from on a touch screen on the back of every seat.
Barcelona!
After the 7 hour flight, I got my bags, made my first steps on European ground, and took in my first breath of the Mediterranean air. I caught a taxi to my homestay and was greeted at the door by Bernardo, el papa. I decided to live in a homestay with a local Spanish family for many reasons. I wanted to experience the culture first hand and actually live like a normal Spanish person would. I have no idea how to cook in general, so cooking genuine Spanish food was completely out of the question. I also wanted to learn the language, and I thought that living with a family was the best way to do that. I was hoping to ease into the language and that the family I was living with could be good teachers. However, neither of the parents knows any English, and Travis and I hardly know any Spanish, so conversation is a bit of a struggle and often consists of many hand gestures and “Spanglish”. However, they have a 27 year old daughter, Ana, who has the lucky job of translating both sides of the conversation. Their 30 year old son does not live with them, but when he visits, he speaks English with my roommate and me.
My roommate Travis arrived a few hours later and Adela, la mama, took us on the metro down to the city. My first impression of the city was how big it is. The streets near the metro station were so wide and the buildings were huge. The buildings weren’t as tall as the buildings in NYC or even Pittsburgh, but there were so wide and looked gargantuan! I also realized that there weren’t many cars on the streets, but there were a TON of taxis and motor scooters. We walked down the famous pedestrian street called Las Ramblas, which has tons of shops, or “tiendas” on each side of the road. It was so cool to walk down this street and see all the different types of people walking around me. There were even street performers!
Then came time for the part of the Barcelona experience that I was most nervous about, the food. For those of you don’t know me, I am a terribly picky eater. However, I told myself I was going to try any new food that is placed in front of me. Adela made a delicious soup and bikinis (the Barcelona term for a ham and cheese on toasted bread). I find it easier to eat the foods if I don’t know what I’m eating. The thing that surprised me the most about the food is that although we have bread as an appetizer for every meal, we never use butter on the bread. Adela always rubs tomato over the bread to make a type of bruschetta, which I am going to have to get used to.
After my first day, things started to become easier. I picked up the language pretty quickly. I had taken up to Spanish 3 at Penn State, but I had taken that class first semester of freshman year. Needless to say, I was a little rusty. My favorite part about the first week was being in an area that was completely unfamiliar to me and venturing around the city. The city is marvelous! Every street has something new and interesting on it, and the Barri Gotic (the Gothic Quarter) has fascinating architecture and extremely narrow streets with buildings that loom high above. Its eerie even in the daytime.
Many of you have probably heard about the lively nightlife scene in Barcelona, and let me tell you everything you have heard is probably true. Barcelona has literally hundreds of bars, each offering something unique and interesting. The nightclubs are top-notch, to say the least. It is quite an experience with the flashing lights, techno music so loud it could explode the ear-drums, and thousands, yes thousands of people dancing and having a good time. Its like the clubs in the United States only bigger, better, classier, and more exclusive. Another interesting thing about the nightlife at Barcelona is that it literally lasts until dawn. I don’t think the city ever sleeps. However, most people don’t leave to a bar until around midnight because the clubs do not start to get crowded until around 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning.
My favorite place to visit so far is Parc Guell, Atoni Gaudi’s beautiful and trippy garden landscape that was originally designed to be a garden town. The designs are so interesting, it is like something completely original. I had seen pictures of it before, but it is completely different to actually sit on the snake-like bench and feel the cold, colorful tiles and my hands as I look out to the Mediterranean. Luckily, Parc Guell is only a 15 minute walk from the apartment where I am living so I will definitely be making return visits to take pictures or people watch.
I will be more prompt with my blog posts in the future. Now that classes have started, I don’t have nearly as much free time to spend experience everything the city has to offer.
Hasta luego!
~Sean
Location: Barcelona, Spain
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