It's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring Barcelona 2010.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Oh My Gaudi...
Since a lot of the sites in Barcelona are far away from each other we decided to do the Bus Touristic. Our beginning point was the Sagrada Familia, a Gaudi building. Barcelona is know for its incredible architecture. Antonio Gaudi built so many works throughout this city and this cathedral is incredibly grand. I didn't have the opportunity to go inside but the 4 columns on the outside and all the stone was so cool. However, the Sagrada Familia is an unfinished work. They began building it in the late 1800's and lost the plans after Gaudi died. It is unfinished and won't be finished until I'm at least 60! There are a ton of cranes around it, the inside is unfinished, and it is supposed to be massive when it's finished.
Next stop on the bus was Parc Güell. Another Gaudi creation that was composed of buikdings, sculptures, towers, arches and tons of amazing pieces. It was like a jungle play ground with breathtaking views of the city. The colors used in the mosaics were beautiful and the sculptures like the famous lizard were so fun. The hall of 100 towers had mosaics on the ceilings and the Catalan arches were so unique and amazing. I never thought about an architect making a park but after seeing this is was spectacular.
We hopped back on the bus and then headed up Tibidabo by tram. It had great views of the city and it was fun to see its amusement park and the rides. Later on we went to the top of the bus and rode around the city. My favorite site was the FC Barcelona stadium. It was HUGE. I wish I had time to go to a game there because it would be crazy being in a stadium that holds almost 100,000 people.
Our last stops were Gaudi's Casa Batllo and la Pedrera. I went inside the Casa Batllo and I was astonished to see the creativity and imagination that Gaudi had. The house is now a UNESCO World heritage site, and I could see why. Everything I saw was pure whimsy. I was looking around and it was as if I had entered wonderland. I need to read up on this genius of a man. La Pedrera was also a work of art with its curved facade and unique corner building.
Overall I was in love with the architecture of Barcelona. I really found everything about the city magical and I am desperate to go back!
Next stop on the bus was Parc Güell. Another Gaudi creation that was composed of buikdings, sculptures, towers, arches and tons of amazing pieces. It was like a jungle play ground with breathtaking views of the city. The colors used in the mosaics were beautiful and the sculptures like the famous lizard were so fun. The hall of 100 towers had mosaics on the ceilings and the Catalan arches were so unique and amazing. I never thought about an architect making a park but after seeing this is was spectacular.
We hopped back on the bus and then headed up Tibidabo by tram. It had great views of the city and it was fun to see its amusement park and the rides. Later on we went to the top of the bus and rode around the city. My favorite site was the FC Barcelona stadium. It was HUGE. I wish I had time to go to a game there because it would be crazy being in a stadium that holds almost 100,000 people.
Our last stops were Gaudi's Casa Batllo and la Pedrera. I went inside the Casa Batllo and I was astonished to see the creativity and imagination that Gaudi had. The house is now a UNESCO World heritage site, and I could see why. Everything I saw was pure whimsy. I was looking around and it was as if I had entered wonderland. I need to read up on this genius of a man. La Pedrera was also a work of art with its curved facade and unique corner building.
Overall I was in love with the architecture of Barcelona. I really found everything about the city magical and I am desperate to go back!
Viva Barca!
After some anxiety due to the stupid volcano, I was able to leave for Barcelona. I went to visit Naomi from school and I stayed with her in the residencia. I loved the concept of the residencia, which was 300 students from Spain and America living dorm style. Equipped with study rooms, party rooms, and a pool...what a life! Naomi took me town to Placa Catalunya and Las Ramblas to see the city and all of its activity at night. We stopped for tapas, sangria, and paella. Basically everything Barcelona is know for in terms of food. It was absolutely delicious and the mugs of sangria were HUGE. We took the always convenient Barcelona metro home and then got ready and hung out with some of her friends in the residencia.
Side note: Barcelona is of course famous for its night life. But the crazy part about it is the schedule. Dinner at 9, get ready at 12, leave the house at 1am, stay out until 430. It's downright exhausting! You sleep until noon, go out by 2 and lose track of time in the beautiful city.
We went to a fun club called Oshum, got home late late late and slept in the next day. We walked through Parc de la Ciutadella, saw the Arc de Triomph and got sandwhiches and smoothies. Walking through the city in the sunshine made me so happy (got to love that Vitamin D!). Next we walked along the water and watched the fish and boats. There isn't a "real" beach in Barcelona. Although its a port city on the water, the sand was brought into the beach for the 1992 Olympics.
We spent more time on Las Ramblas and perused the jewelry market. Everything was really unique and special there. One of the greatest sensory experiences though was La Boqueria. It was a large market with candy, fruit, vegetables, seafood, meat and tons of treats. The colors were brilliant, the smells were so fresh and the fresh squeezed fruit juices (strawberry guava for me) were out of this world. We went shopping at a mall on the port and I shopped in tons of cool shops. For dinner we went for Chinese food, which seemed to be never ending portions that refilled themselves.
We met up with some friends and by 12:45am we were out for the night First stop was L'Ovella Negra (Black sheep). It was basically a beer warehouse, table after table of college kids, pints, and pitchers. It was HUGE. The atmosphere was really fun and I think it would be something fun to be in America. Next and last stop was Razzmatazz. Razz is a 5 story room with tons of different rooms playing different music and TONS of people. We got into the club at 2 and when we left at 5 it was still packed. I love this crazy town! We stopped on our way home for patatas bravas and chocolate covered churros and then went home to sleep.
Barca was an amazing and unique city. It is one of the only cities I've experienced the night life but nothing could compare to it. I loved the clubs, the culture, the food it was all incredible and I cannot wait to go back...
Side note: Barcelona is of course famous for its night life. But the crazy part about it is the schedule. Dinner at 9, get ready at 12, leave the house at 1am, stay out until 430. It's downright exhausting! You sleep until noon, go out by 2 and lose track of time in the beautiful city.
We went to a fun club called Oshum, got home late late late and slept in the next day. We walked through Parc de la Ciutadella, saw the Arc de Triomph and got sandwhiches and smoothies. Walking through the city in the sunshine made me so happy (got to love that Vitamin D!). Next we walked along the water and watched the fish and boats. There isn't a "real" beach in Barcelona. Although its a port city on the water, the sand was brought into the beach for the 1992 Olympics.
We spent more time on Las Ramblas and perused the jewelry market. Everything was really unique and special there. One of the greatest sensory experiences though was La Boqueria. It was a large market with candy, fruit, vegetables, seafood, meat and tons of treats. The colors were brilliant, the smells were so fresh and the fresh squeezed fruit juices (strawberry guava for me) were out of this world. We went shopping at a mall on the port and I shopped in tons of cool shops. For dinner we went for Chinese food, which seemed to be never ending portions that refilled themselves.
We met up with some friends and by 12:45am we were out for the night First stop was L'Ovella Negra (Black sheep). It was basically a beer warehouse, table after table of college kids, pints, and pitchers. It was HUGE. The atmosphere was really fun and I think it would be something fun to be in America. Next and last stop was Razzmatazz. Razz is a 5 story room with tons of different rooms playing different music and TONS of people. We got into the club at 2 and when we left at 5 it was still packed. I love this crazy town! We stopped on our way home for patatas bravas and chocolate covered churros and then went home to sleep.
Barca was an amazing and unique city. It is one of the only cities I've experienced the night life but nothing could compare to it. I loved the clubs, the culture, the food it was all incredible and I cannot wait to go back...
Monday, April 19, 2010
Jesus and Clooney, what a week!
The famous and controversial Shroud of Turin has been taken out and is currently on display at our Duomo in Torino. For those of you who don't know much about the history of the Shroud, it is a cloth that was believed to be the one that Jesus was wrapped in after his crucifixion. There is no documentation to prove this correct and the Vatican has not officially accepted or denied the Shroud. Scientists have been working to figure out exactly what it is and how the image was formed. After reading up and watching some shows, it seems like it may actually be a true miracle especially since science is not even close to proving exactly what it is.
So for my Italian Culture class we booked an appointment to see the Shroud. In true Italian fashion we inefficiently walked away from the Duomo in a few different ways before we reached another series of twists and turns and entered into to Duomo. When we arrived at the shroud there were guard in front of it, a huge case and a big silver frame all protecting it. It was an incredible site to see, one of which I highly recommend to anyone for the next time it's unveiled.
Later on in the week I spent more time discovering different parks around the city and on Thursday played a game of calcio in the park. Inter vs. Barcalona is the week and I am so excited to see that match!
On Friday we took a field trip to the castle Rivoli. It was a medieval castle and then a castle for the Savoy family. A lot of it was also destroyed in world war 2. The craziest part was there was all this old architecture and then they brought new elements into the building. Inside the castle there was a contemporary art museum. I loved the blending of all the different elements in one castle. We got to make a print of a cow too which was odd but pretty fun.
Lauren came in from Florence that night and we went to a great appertivo and then to Murphy's. We headed home early so that we could wake up early to go to Lake Como! We arrived at the center of the lake in Varenna. We took a ferry from there to Menaggio to meet Diego and then we took another ferry and spent to day in Bellagio. Bellagio was super cute and posh with a million jewelry shops that Laurena and I drooled over. It was nice to walk along the lake and see all the pretty flowers in bloom. Later we went back to Menaggio and got pizza. Sunday morning Diego took us on a drive through the coast of the lake and we saw so many beautiful and famous villas. My personal favorite was Villa L'Oleandra which is the fabulous home of George Clooney. We got out and took lots of pictures. I mean of course I had to, it IS my future home. We had a great day driving around and when it was time to say goodbye to Lauren at the train station it was sad.
I'm rapidly approaching my departure date. My time here has been so fabulous especially with the spring weather here now. I have school work to focus on now and soon it will time for dad to come. I hope all of the volcano nonsense ends so he can get here safe and sound and I can go to barca this weekend!
So for my Italian Culture class we booked an appointment to see the Shroud. In true Italian fashion we inefficiently walked away from the Duomo in a few different ways before we reached another series of twists and turns and entered into to Duomo. When we arrived at the shroud there were guard in front of it, a huge case and a big silver frame all protecting it. It was an incredible site to see, one of which I highly recommend to anyone for the next time it's unveiled.
Later on in the week I spent more time discovering different parks around the city and on Thursday played a game of calcio in the park. Inter vs. Barcalona is the week and I am so excited to see that match!
On Friday we took a field trip to the castle Rivoli. It was a medieval castle and then a castle for the Savoy family. A lot of it was also destroyed in world war 2. The craziest part was there was all this old architecture and then they brought new elements into the building. Inside the castle there was a contemporary art museum. I loved the blending of all the different elements in one castle. We got to make a print of a cow too which was odd but pretty fun.
Lauren came in from Florence that night and we went to a great appertivo and then to Murphy's. We headed home early so that we could wake up early to go to Lake Como! We arrived at the center of the lake in Varenna. We took a ferry from there to Menaggio to meet Diego and then we took another ferry and spent to day in Bellagio. Bellagio was super cute and posh with a million jewelry shops that Laurena and I drooled over. It was nice to walk along the lake and see all the pretty flowers in bloom. Later we went back to Menaggio and got pizza. Sunday morning Diego took us on a drive through the coast of the lake and we saw so many beautiful and famous villas. My personal favorite was Villa L'Oleandra which is the fabulous home of George Clooney. We got out and took lots of pictures. I mean of course I had to, it IS my future home. We had a great day driving around and when it was time to say goodbye to Lauren at the train station it was sad.
I'm rapidly approaching my departure date. My time here has been so fabulous especially with the spring weather here now. I have school work to focus on now and soon it will time for dad to come. I hope all of the volcano nonsense ends so he can get here safe and sound and I can go to barca this weekend!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Buona Pasqua!
I had a fantastic Easter week. The weather in Torino was so nice the past two weeks. I love how the city transforms in the bright and sunny weather. I've been sitting in the park during my free time and trying to read and soak up the sun. Last weekend I played soccer twice in Parco del Valentino with some other students. It was an interesting experience especially since I haven't played since before high school.
On Saturday I went to Cinque Terre on the Ligurian Coast of Italy. It's 5 towns along the coast and you can only get to them by train or hiking. We decided to hike. The route we decided to take was to do the 2 hardest of the 4 hikes first so it was nice and easy by the end of it. The views from the hikes were absolutely amazing. Sadly the weather was a little gray which made it perfect to hike but not so much to enjoy the scenery.
This week has been nice again and I've been enjoying spending time with Erasmus students and if theres a match on I'm most likely at the pub. A funny thing I've noticed about Italians is the way they react to the weather. They're now out and about but still quite bundled up. I feel so silly in 70 degree weather in a short sleeve top because the guy next to me on the bus has on a leather jacket and a scarf! Silly Italians.
In my last month here I've been trying to blend with the culture. I love getting gelato and walking around the piazza. My favorite people watching spot is sitting on the steps of the statue in Piazza San Carlo. Nothing beats fresh gelato from Grom, good friends, and a lovely day in Italy.
On Saturday I went to Cinque Terre on the Ligurian Coast of Italy. It's 5 towns along the coast and you can only get to them by train or hiking. We decided to hike. The route we decided to take was to do the 2 hardest of the 4 hikes first so it was nice and easy by the end of it. The views from the hikes were absolutely amazing. Sadly the weather was a little gray which made it perfect to hike but not so much to enjoy the scenery.
This week has been nice again and I've been enjoying spending time with Erasmus students and if theres a match on I'm most likely at the pub. A funny thing I've noticed about Italians is the way they react to the weather. They're now out and about but still quite bundled up. I feel so silly in 70 degree weather in a short sleeve top because the guy next to me on the bus has on a leather jacket and a scarf! Silly Italians.
In my last month here I've been trying to blend with the culture. I love getting gelato and walking around the piazza. My favorite people watching spot is sitting on the steps of the statue in Piazza San Carlo. Nothing beats fresh gelato from Grom, good friends, and a lovely day in Italy.
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