Spain

Monday 27:

After 9 long days at sea we finally have reached our first port—Barcelona, Spain! In the morning I had to attend a Faculty Directed Practicum (FDP), which are essentially field trips with professors. We are required to complete FDPs while in port in order to get enough class time hours to be approved for credit. The one I attended was called “Traditional Islamic Clothing.” Last summer, Barcelona became the first major Spanish city to ban the use of face-covering Islamic veils in municipal buildings. A representative from Amnesty International came on board and discussed the government’s rational for the ban and the organization’s opposition to it. It was a very interesting lecture and now I have a better understanding of the significance of traditional Islamic clothing.

As soon as the FDP was over we rushed to debark the ship, eager to be on land again and see the country. Immediately I was able to test my Spanish when we hopped on a bus to take us to La Rambla, the main drag in Barcelona. The driver didn’t speak any English so I had to be the translator. He mixed a lot of Catalan with Spanish so some of the words he used I was unfamiliar with but I was able to decipher enough to get us to the right spot. While we were driving, he called me up to the front of the bus and taught me some basic Catalan words that I would probably hear often.

When we got off the bus we explored La Rambla before stopping for lunch at a restaurant called Patagonia. I had the most amazing paella, sangria and a nutella crepe with strawberries and coconut! When lunch was over we walked around the old town and did some shopping before stopping by the Gothic Cathedral. Dakota (another Vandy SAS student) and I had to get back to the ship at 6:00 PM to do another FDP. This one included eating a traditional Spanish dinner while watching a flamenco dance show. Again, another good meal! It was quite an experience seeing the colorful costumes and watching the unique dance style of flamenco, which includes heel stamping (Taconeo), hand clapping (Palmas Sordas) and finger snapping (Pitos). Later on in the evening I met back up with everyone and sat with them for dinner and drinks at this really cool restaurant called The Attic. LD (a friend from high school who is studying abroad in Barcelona right now) even met up with us! We all then headed over to a bar called Ovejas Negras in an alleyway that reminded me a lot of Diagon Alley from Harry Potter! A lot of SAS students were there and we had a few more drinks before heading to a bar/club for the rest of the night. We got back to the ship a little after 4 am. First day in Barcelona= success!!

Tuesday 28:

Today we went to the city of Sitges which is about 2 hours away from the ship. It is a really cute and quaint little town known for its gorgeous beaches. We got in around 2:00 PM and after eating lunch outdoors at a restaurant we headed for the beach! The ocean was gorgeous and it was such a beautiful day. We were some of the few girls, however, wearing full bathing suits. Most of the women there were completely topless which was kinda weird, especially when we saw old ladies in the nude. Gross! Haha

Katie Bradley (a KD at Vandy with me) studied in Barcelona last summer and stayed with a host family. Tonight for dinner we ate at her host mother’s home. Her name is Rosa and she is absolutely fantastic! She is a single woman living alone in Barcelona so she enjoys hosting foreign exchange students. Currently she has two American girls who are my age living with her. Rosa cooked a full homemade meal for us that was hands down some of the best food I have had yet! She is definitely a food pusher and insisted that we eat everything on our plate. It was an easy request to fulfill though! Because Rosa doesn’t know any English, all of dinner was spoken completely in Spanish. I have to say that I’m pretty proud of myself for how well I have been communicating with all of the locals. Other than talking to other SAS students, I have only spoken in Spanish since being here. So far the majority of what we have seen and done has been very touristy. Because of this, it was awesome to get a taste of the typical life of a Spanish local in their own home. Eating at Rosa’s was truly a special experience.

We didn’t leave her apartment until 11:00 PM. Afterwards we headed to a bar called the Dow Jones. Here the prices of the drinks rise and fall depending on its demand. Then all of a sudden the “stock market” will crash and everyone will rush to the bar to buy a drink when it’s cheap. I met up with LD for a little while here and met several other Aggies on her program. While we were at the bar I also ran into a guy who goes to Vanderbilt. I had no idea he was studying in Spain and it was just a total coincidence that we ran into each other that night. What a small world!

Wednesday 29:

Today we devoted our time to sight seeing. We started off by walking through la Boquerìa market. It was packed with vendors selling all types of food and spices. After a quick lunch we made our way to Casa Batlló, an apartment designed by Gaudí. It was some of the most amazing architecture I have ever seen before. It was designed to utilize natural light. There was not a single straight wall in the house and it sort of had a whimsical feel to it. Next we took the metro over to La Sagrada Familia, probably what Gaudí is most famous for. It was the most breathtaking cathedral I have ever been in. It remains incomplete but in progress since Gaudí’s death. From there we traveled to Parc Güel (yet another unfinished work by Gaudí), stopping along the way for gelato. The park overlooks all of Barcelona offering spectacular views of the city. Afterwards we rushed back to the ship to get ready to go out. While heading back into the city, me and my friend Clara “iced” our other friend Robbie on La Rambla.  All Americans on the street recognized what we were doing and rushed over laughing and cheering Robbie on. Then back on the metro we had another memorable moment when we all hopped off at our stop to turn around and see another friend Molly trapped inside the metro. The doors had closed on her before she could get off and we literally peed our pants laughing and crying as we saw her face pressed up against the glass window when the metro pulled away. It was no big deal because she just got off at the next stop and onto a returning metro to meet back up with us. When we finally got to the beach, Clara and I decided to pull another prank and hid Molly’s shoes, putting her sandals in Robbie’s back pockets. She was totally convinced that a pick-pocket had stolen her shoes! Ahh it was too funny! We ended our night at the Kaskade concert at a club called Opium that is located along the beach. We hit up McDonalds at 4:30 am before heading back to the ship. What a productive day! Haha

Thursday 30:

Our last day was another site seeing day. First we stopped by la Boquerìa for some sandwiches to go before catching the metro to the Catalonia Museum of National Art. Afterwards we walked over to Montjuïc Hill, the site of the 1992 Olympic Stadium, which was pretty interesting to see. Afterwards we made our way over to the Picasso museum. Unfortunately I couldn’t find our painting though! From there we stopped by a grocery store quickly to stock up on more food. The ship sails at 6:00 PM so we had to get back kind of early. Tomorrow we are at sea all day but will only attend our Global Studies course. The rest of the day will be spent participating in Sea Olympics, which is when decks compete in a series of games, races and challenges. I’m in the Red Sea, so wish us luck! I had an amazing time in Barcelona and am determined to come live here one day. While I’m bummed to already be leaving, I’m excited for our next port—Italy!

Pictures: 1. Gothic Cathedral 2. Sitges 3. Dow Jones Bar 4. La Boquerìa market 5. Casa Batlló 6. La Sagrada Familia 7. Parc Güel 8. Museum of National Art 9. Picasso Museum