Last week, I had a lot of deadlines for work to meet, so I didn't have too much fun exploring London. Luckily, I have the time now!
I flew to Barcelona on Sunday morning, and will be here until tomorrow. I booked my flight here on Friday, so this entire week is complete improvisation. I don't know when I'm going to go tomorrow - I just have to be in Sicily on Saturday to meet up with friends. The lack of a schedule, and lack of my surroundings is really invigorating. Unlike London, where I was familiar with before arriving, I had no idea what Barcelona is like.
I flew into Girona Airport and took an hour bus ride to Barcelona. And while it may sound stupid to say, Spain is completely different from England. It's like it's a different country or something. The ride brought me through farmland with rustic terracotta houses. While there is countryside in England, it is not farmland and is covered in hedgerows. I noticed some graffiti on some abandoned farmhouses saying "Catalonia
Upon arrival to the city at 1pm, I grabbed my bags and headed off in a random direction. I had to check into my hostel at 4pm, so I had some time to explore. The weather here is fantastic - sunny and 68 degrees. I walked by many outdoor seating areas for restaurants, full with people clearly enjoying the outdoors. While I'm obviously in a city, it somehow feels like it is a quiet village.
The stereotype of Spanish "calmness" is quite prevalent. People move around without a rush, and the food service is much slower. Not that I don't like it, it's just a marked difference from London. I went on a tour yesterday around the Gothic section of Barcelona, and I could hear the pride the tour guide had of the area. Saint Maria del Mar (A massive, beautiful cathedral) was built in 54 years - quite quickly for a cathedral of that size. She pointed this out to compare it to how long other buildings in the area took to construct, noting "We're in Spain, so it makes sense" when it took over 100 years for another cathedral. This sort of liberality with time is quite a crucial component with the area. I woke up this morning around 7am to the sunrise, and found that the street were almost completely empty. The only other people moving around were tourists as well.
I still haven't seen a lot of the businesses near my hostel, because they are quite frequently closed. Some cafes open from 9-11, then close until 5pm. I don't know how they can make money with those hours, but somehow they do.
For the first time on this semester, I've encountered something that is out of my previous comfort level. I'm surrounded by people speaking Spanish or Catalan, and I don't frequently hear English. My Spanish is quite rudimentary, so I feel a bit isolated. Because I've never been here before, I stare at the map for quite a while to figure out what direction I want to head next. But there is something exhilarating by traveling alone, having no set plans, and being completely anonymous in a city. I literally woke up this morning and decided to stay in the city for another day instead of hopping on a bus or train to another city. The lack of responsibility is fantastic, especially compared to last week when I had multiple essays and presentations to do. I suppose you need the lows to fully enjoy the highs.
Some Things I saw yesterday:
La Rambla
Parc de la Ciutadella
La Pedrera
Saint Maria del Mar
Carrera d'Avinyo
Barcelona School of Fine Arts (Picasso)
Piccasso's art school
SPACE INVADER paste
Banksy stencil
Placa de George Orwell (aka Placa Tripi - previously notorious for addicts)
2000 year old walls of the original city
Placa St Felip Neri (Spanish Civil War)
Cathedral de Saint Eulalia
