First Month in Barcelona & My Crazy Week

      I have officially been in Barcelona for a  month and while the time is going by so quick, I feel like I have been here for even longer. I have been so many places here and in Europe already, but at the same time there is so much to see. This past week in Barcelona I saw and did so much in and around Barcelona.   

                 To start off my crazy weekend in Barcelona, on Thursday night my friend Owen, roommate Julia, and I went to go see the start of the Carnival in Barcelona. We went to a Parade for the King in the El Born district of Barcelona. It was so crazy and all the costumes were so colorful. The King and Queen were actually these big porcelain doll type things that people went into to move and dance. There was also a court jesture and this whole story that was being told that we did not know. Afterwards, we went to a real Tapas bar called Golfo de Bizkaia, which was delicious and cool because you literally got to go pick which ones you want and only pay a euro for them.  Then we decided to go to a Gastronomy Bar called Ohla for some funky drinks. I ended up getting a Margarita with a passion fruit on the side and it was made with all these different things including jelly. So interesting! 

          On Friday I went on a CEA trip to Tarragona and to the Torres Winery in El Penedes. The picture above is from Tarragona and it is seriously one of the prettiest I have been to and has so much history attached to it. The old quarter of the city, where we went is surrounded by Roman walls and has a Circus, Praetorium, and a Amphitheater. We got to go to the top of one of the old Roman towers, which had sweeping views of the Mediterranean. Afterwards we went down to the Amphitheater, which can be seen above in the lower left-hand quarter. It is so completely different than the Colosseum in Rome, even though they may look very similar and be used for the same purposes. We were able to go into the seated area and walk around the seats and go into the arena part as well. We basically had the run of the stadium, which was so insane for me. 

         After we went the Circus, which is where the chariot races were in Ancient Roman times and then we went to eat some yummy Catalonian food. We ate sausages and fries and something called Calcotada, which is a spring onion that is cultivated only in this region of Spain. It almost looks like a celery stick, but you have to peel the first layer of the onion rod and and then dip it in this special sauce. It was an interesting taste, and not bad, but not amazing at the same time, just different. It was exciting to eat though because it literally is a once in a lifetime opportunity.   

      

          From lunch we finally went to the Winery, which was literally an experience. I have gone to other Winery's in NY (as many of you reading this know), but this one was intense. They take you on a train ride like in Disney and then take you into this tunnel that is literally right out of Willy Wonka. There are no lights and then all the sudden you start to drive and they start to play a video on the walls, it is so strange, but cool. Afterwards we got to tour the actual winery and then have a glass of wine, which was actually yummy! I ended up buying 4 bottles of wine because they were so cheap and yummy! During this trip also, I got to meet new people and hung out with them afterwards, so I am expanding my friends! Yippee!

 

        After the winery, I actually went out with some of the people I met on the tour, along with my friends Lior and Owen. We went to this bar called Marsella, which is where Hemingway used to come and drink absinthe and then write his novels. The original ceiling is still in the bar and is literally falling off at certain points. Since we were there we decided to be like Hemingway and all order absinthe (which can be seen above). The whole idea of absinthe is fun, especially for Americans, but I don't know how people drink more than one. It was not bad and fun because we got to light sugar on fire, but I had to always chase it with water. And no sadly I did not see the green fairy. They don't serve that kind of absinthe there. 

         The following day I went to Parc Guell with my friend Lior and we just walked around there. While we were there though, we met these guys who go to St John's in the City, but are studying in Sevilla. They were really funny and we hung out with them for a while and told them where to go and what to see in Barcelona. We also got to witness the people who illegally sell things around the Parc get chased by this guy with a cane. He was like a pimp or something, he did not look like a cop at all. We decided that he was just a concerned citizen who took it upon himself to chase these people with a can. It literally was like Tom and Jerry, it was so funny.
            That night we ended up going to eat on top of a Mall called Arena Madre. It was right at the entrance of Monjuic and had sweeping views of Barcelona. We got tapas that were pretty good and awesome Gelato. Afterwards, Lior and I met up with our new friends from the night before and went to this bar called Peppermint where they serve you a 13 liter drink for all to share in a huge glass that is probably the size of a helmet. It was huge. It was crazy trying to finish the whole thing, and I am happy I came late because I don't think I could have made it if I was there from the beginning. Even so, it was a lot of fun. 
 

      On Sunday, I woke up and went to an FC Barcelona game with CEA and met some more people, but I didn't really hang out with them a lot, only during the game. The way they do things is so different than American sports, I was not used to it, but there weren't as many distractions. For instance, there are only two boards in the whole stadium and they only tell the score. There is no play backs or announcers telling the fans what it is going on. Also, if you get out of your seat during the game people stare at you and on top of that alcohol is not served. They come solely because they love the team, nothing else. It was a fun experience though, better than football for me because at least I like soccer.

          That night I went to Carnival in Sitges, which is a little shore town about 45 minutes south of Barcelona. It was insane and so much fun. I went with Bus2Alps and actually met someone from Marist who worked for the company. The bus was fun, but once we got to Sitges we got to do whatever we wanted. The whole town had a constant parade going through it and you could literally go dance in the parade, which my friends did. I ended up making friends with some British girls from New Castle and hung with them for a lot of the night. I also went and hung out on the beach and literally just wandered because the whole thing is outside. The majority of the people were wearing costumes of all different kinds and it was just a fun atmosphere. I have heard Venice is the place for Carnival, but Sitges sure was fun. I guess I'll have to compare eventually.

Barcelona - Jewish Quarter - History Class

          For my History of Barcelona class we had a field trip to the Jewish Quarter, which made me feel right at home. It looks amazingly like Fair Lawn. All kidding aside, El Call, which is what the Quarter is called is actually a beautiful area of Barcelona with narrow maze streets. 

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            The Jewish Quarter dates back to the 9^th Century when, before the Jews were expelled and killed, they were important members of society. The Jewish people during this time were very important in the trading community and were the only people allowed to trade with Africans.

           Above is a picture of the oldest Synagogue in Europe, apparently it has only been up and running for a few years now, after being used over the centuries for other things. It is pretty interesting because you could see all the old stone walls and artifacts. The whole Jewish Quarter, along with the rest of the Gothic Quarter is just an interesting area because of all the history associated with it. As we were walking we would randomly see parts of the old Roman walls, which can be seen below. 

         The picture below is of Plaça Sant Felip Neri, which may just look like a door and an old crumbling wall, but in reality those holes in the walls are remnants of a bomb. During the Spanish Civil War a Fascist Bomb killed many people including 20 children that were seeking shelter in the church in this square. The strangest part about this story is that nowadays there is a school in this square.  

             This last picture below is of the City Hall of Barcelona, which is directly next to the Jewish Quarter. Since the Jewish People in the 9th Century were the bank rollers and in charge of trade, they needed to be by the King and rich in the community. Something else that is really interesting about the building is that the three flags on top are the Catalanian flag, Spanish Flag, and then another type of Catalan flag, showing how independent Catalan actually is. 

 

Ireland

This past weekend I had the best trip and went to go visit my best friend, Corinne in Galway and made a few other trips while over there. I was picked up at the airport by my cousin Dervla and from there we went to eat at a restaurant called Farmer Browns, which was so cute and the food was amazing. I had a chicken breast and the chicken was so delicious, I loved it! Afterwards Dervla took me to a bar for a comedy show, but it ended up being a Jazz show, which we seemed to be the only ones who thought the band was not that amazing! Derv is going to Australia for a year or so, so it was nice getting to spend some time with her!

The following day I took a bus from Dublin to Galway. I read, slept a little and stared at the beautiful green hills and valleys. It was just so beautiful I love the random rock walls and old buildings everywhere, it is amazing. When I got to Galway Corinne found me waiting at the bus stop and then we immediately went to eat at a placed called The Cellar. It was delicious like all Irish food that I love. After she took me around Galway and around her campus, which was beautiful of course!
We then went to Thomas Dillon, which is the original store claddagh jewelry, and I got my ring shined for free. I love talking to the people their and just to all people in Ireland they are so fun and just so nice.

That night we met up with my daddy. I was so so so happy to see him, it was just icying on top of my weekend haha! He took me and Corinne out to dinner, which was so good of course and I had dessert! After we went for a drink and then ran back to Corz for an ABC party, where I actually wore clothes, two scarfs together if that counts. It was a lot of fun and her friends were fun as well. Afterwards we went to a club called Karma and I literally thought we were in the Jersey Shore it was so funny and ironic. We danced and drank and just had fun!

The following day my dad and I went up to Ballina to see my cousin Olivia's pharmacy, which was so cute! It was unlike other pharmacy's and more open and unique! I loved it! After we met up with my cousin Conal and Jim for lunch and then headed back to Galway. When I got back we were all tired from the night before, but went to eat at Corz's friends house and then went to a pub where I got Hot Whiskey, and liked it. I don't like Whiskey in general, but Hot Whiskey is actually really good.

  Before I left to go back to Barcelona my dad took me and Corz Falconing at Astor Castle in Cong, where Quiet Man was filmed. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done. I wish I could post a video, but it won't let me! Basically we got to have pet Harris Hawk for an hour and feed them and have them fly to us and off of us. They loved Corinne (it was weird). It was such an amazing experience. Thanks Dad!  

I cannot wait to go back to Ireland for Easter! And to add another place to the list of places I have been for Easter!

Barcelona City Museum - History Class

 

For History Class I had to go to the City Museum of Barcelona and look at the Roman Architecture that was their long before Guadi was even a thought in someones mind.  It was actually really interesting because I got to see the original foundations of what Barcelona was and how the Romans built their cities. While I was also by the museum, I went to the Cathedral, which was amazing because you could go on the roof and just relax and take pictures. That was probably my favorite part about the cathedral. 

 For the Field Assignment I had to look at the original foundation that was their during the Roman times and compare it with modern Catalan architecture. What is so insane is that randomly throughout the city, specifically in the Gothic Quarter, Roman architecture is still prevalent as seen above with a part of the Roman wall (Right) and Column (Left)
 














Another intersting part of the Roman section was the Roman sewage system, which seemed pretty advanced for the time period. The pictures above show two examples of what the sewage system looked like and were pretty much drains that look like the ones we have today. 

 The two pictures above are examples of everyday items that people would use in their households. The first is detergent and bleach, which would be used in the laundry mats. The Laundry mats were so interesting and it was amazing to me that they existed over a 1000 years ago. The picture below that is perfume bottles, which were used exactly like perfume is used today, to make people smell good.

 

These two pictures above are religiously based pictures. The one to the left are columns from an original Church, when the Roman Empire was first becoming associated with Christianity. The picture to the right is a funeral head that was used in ancient times as a burial statue for a tomb if someone was to pass.

This last picture is probably one of the most interesting things about the tour. This is a picture of the wine cellar of a Winery that was used in Roman times. It shows just how important wine was thousands of years ago, just like it is today. Wine is still made in this regions of 100s of centuries.

Amsterdam

For my first trip out of Barcelona I went to Amsterdam, which was amazingly beautiful, but also freezing cold. It truly made me appreciate the Barcelona weather! I got there a day earlier than the rest of my friends and got to explore the city and get to know how to get around rather quickly. 

The first day I went to Rembrandt Huis and had the most amazing sandwich across the street at a Cafe called Cafe Tisfris. It was a bri, walnut, spinach, and chicken sandwich and when I say it was one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten I mean it! In love with it. My favorite part of the Rembrandt Huis was the beds, which were in cupboards and the tiny spiral staircase, which was similar to the one in the Anne Frank Huis. 

That first day we basically walked everywhere, passing the Royal Palace in Dam Square and walking through the Jordaan. We ended up that night by Leiden Square and ended up eating at a local restaurant. I had mustard soup, which is literally what it sounds like, but tastes really good! 

 The following day I met up with my friends and we went to the Anne Frank Huis, which was so interesting. I was surprised and amazing at how big the secret house actually was and the fact that the Frank's and other families were able to stay in hiding for 2 years. It is also amazing that only one person out of all of them survived. Afterwards we went to the I AM AMSTERDAM sign, but it was so so cold we could not stay for long. We went back to the Hostel, which was really nice, but far and had Guhlwein, which is Port Wine and was delicious. 

 That saturday we woke up and went to Bagel & Beans and then went on a canal tour, which I think was really cool, but don't think the others enjoyed it as much. It was snowing and freezing that on some canals people were ice skating! After we walked to the Heineken Experience, which was so much fun and I took two glasses from it. We ended up going to Leiden Square for dinner and then to the Red Light district after and I saw some Prostitutes in the windows. It was so strange and weird to think that people actually go to these women. 

The next morning we went to Van Gogh Museum, which was interesting and I liked that I got to see all of his self portraits because each was done differently with him wearing a different type of hat or outfit. 

It was a great, but cold start to my travels!