As I begin what will be my last seven days in Barcelona, I feel like I know the city pretty well. I’ve been living in the Pedralbes area for almost two months, and I’m confident in my ability to give directions to any of the major tourist attractions of the city, including la Sagrada Família, Parc Güell, el Palau Nacional at the top of Montjuïc, la Boqueria, and my personal favorite, el Palau de la Música Catalana (picture below).
Despite all of this newfound knowledge, one of my favorite parts about spending time in Barcelona is that I’m constantly discovering new things about the city I thought I knew so well. A few days ago, on one of my many runs through the Ensanche (the part of Barcelona just outside the Old City, organized into perfectly square blocks), I decided to take a new route, moving away from the comfort of the main running path on a street called Diagonal. Less than a mile or two from where I’ve been living this summer, I stumbled upon Camp Nou, the stadium that plays host to F.C. Barcelona soccer matches. Apparently, I’ve been all but walking right by it every day. Needless to say, a tour of the stadium is definitely on my makeshift “bucket list” for the next week.
Camp Nou hasn’t been my only recent discovery: a few blocks from the University, hidden among stores that close in the early evening, there’s an adorable little bar that plays only salsa music. A few of my classmates and I were the only non-locals on the dance floor, and my limited salsa skills (I learned the basics a few weeks ago in an overpriced lesson at a touristy version of this place) paled in comparison to nearly everyone in the room. The atmosphere was really fun, and I had a lot of opportunities to practice my Spanish, which is always a treat. After about an hour of me dancing around like a fool, one of the bartenders came out onto the floor and brought everyone in the room together for a line dance and group sing-along. The steps were a little tricky to follow at first (though strangely everyone else seemed to know exactly what was going on—I felt like I had walked straight into a Salsa Flash Mob), but luckily most of the words of the song were either “arriba” or “abajo” so I don’t think I stuck out too much.
This week, we studied the Postmodern period of Barcelona art and architecture in class, which led to a few interesting fieldtrips—including a lot of modern-art viewing. It still amazes me just how many museums there are in Barcelona and I was able to add two more to my list this week: the museums dedicatd to Joan Miró and Antoni Tàpies. Though I admit I’m not usually the biggest fan of modern art, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed both exhibits: the colorful intricacies of Miró (example pictured above) and the violent strokes of Tàpies. Our class discussion definitely helped me appreciate and understand the works better than I would have on my own.
Another class excursion led us to Passeig de Gracia—a street I frequent because it’s full of fun shops and beautiful modernist architecture—to study the history of fashion and design in Barcelona. The coolest, most unexpected part of our tour was a stop at a store called Vinçon. Though it looks pretty similar to any interior design/furniture store, there were some really cool items for sale: a tire swing cut and molded into the shape of a horse but still fully functional (I may or may not have tested it personally), a collection of wicker bull heads to hang on your wall, rock-shaped candles the size of small children, a table made of rolled-up magazines, etc. There was even an art gallery on the second floor, giving the store itself a museum-like feel.
Art seems to be everywhere in Barcelona. The beaches here stretch for miles and are punctuated by sculptures every so often, prints and hand-made jewelry are sold on street corners, and parks throughout the city are filled with discreetly placed sculptures. In fact, I’m looking at one right now as I write this blog entry outside of the Palau Reial.
Although I’m excited to head home soon, I can already tell that saying goodbye to Barcelona will be bittersweet. My classes ended yesterday and all that’s left now is an oral exam on Thursday and plenty more exploration. I’ll let you know how that goes at the end of the week. Hasta luego!