Exploring Barcelona

Submitted by Zachary Jones on the 2015 summer session program in Granada, Spain sponsored by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures…

Wow… just wow. There is no describing my experiences here in Barcelona. I decided to fly out to Barcelona for my free weekend and am staying here alone in a hostel for four days.  I definitely expected a difference,based on the divisions of autonomous communities in Spain, but Catalunya is like a whole different country.

From the time I stepped off the plane, I immediately noticed changes in my surroundings. First of all, the language, or languages, here are a mix of Catalan, Spanish, English, French, and everything else under the sun. Barcelona is a very English friendly city though, because 90% of the time, I have seen a translation (though I attempt to follow the Spanish translation for practice). I would even go so far to say that English is the most frequent language here, most likely because of the influx of tourism. Meanwhile, Catalan is very interesting to me. From what I can understand, it is a mix of Spanish and French. It amazes me that there could be a whole other (un)official language when the majority of Spain speaks Spanish, especially when I have heard only a handful of speakers here, and so much English.

In the two days I have been here thus far, I have had so many experiences. I am so glad that I am able to travel alone, because I really feel I can get the most out of my trip. There is no waiting around to make plans, no debating on where to eat, and no raucous noise that Americans typically make. Instead, I go where I want, eat whatever, and am an interested observer, taking in the whole of my surroundings. Since arriving, I have learned how to navigate the metro (so important here), avoid tourist traps, stay in a hostel, identify nationalities with pretty good accuracy, decipher a bit of Catalan (I wish I knew basic French), and just be an independent traveler.

In case I haven’t been entirely clear, I love Barcelona. Granada has less tourism and is more homey for me, but it is nice to see a different part of Spain independently. First of all, every single park here is amazing. I went to the park near the Arc de Triomfe today, and there were giant statues and lakes and performers and random mammoth models… but others have been just as great and strange. They are all in the middle of the city, but once you are amongst the trees, you can’t even tell.

Arc de Triomfe Barcelona  Zachary Jones 15J Granada FLLT sm

Another great place I visited was the Magic Fountain of Montjuic. The fountain itself was massive, and the National Museum/Castle behind it made the view perfect.  I haven’t even done half of the many things to do here in Barcelona, but I am very much enjoying my time here in this completely different world from Granada.

Magic Fountain Montjuic Barcelona Zachary Jones 15J Granada FLLT sm

How on Earth has it been a month already? Today, I am finishing my trip to Barcelona, and returning to Granada where shortly following, I will be coming home to the United States. If anything, I am expecting a reverse culture shock as I have become accustomed to the way of life here, and do not want to give it up.

First of all, the rest of my time in Barcelona went fantastic. Today, I entered the Sagrada Familia, and got to truly take in some of Guadi’s strange, but impressive works. The cathedral used light in a way I had never seen, and was not a typical cathedral, but actually much more religious from the inscriptions on the walls to the towers which were the fruits of God to the elaborate facades.

La Sagrada Familia Barcelona Zachary Jones 15J Granada FLLT smSelfie Sagrada Familia Barcelona Zachary Jones 15J Granada FLLT sm

However, a building even stranger than most of Gaudi’s was built by Lluís Domènech i Montaner , an architect who at the time was even more popular. The edifice is called the Palau de la Música Catalan, and it holds the majority of the cities concerts, sans operas. This concert hall is extremely strange, but also wonderful to observe. There are sculptures coming out of the walls to inspire the musicians, a “glow worm” sun gives light to the whole theatre, and there are entire walls made of glass.

Palau Musica Barcelona Zachary Jones 15J Granada FLLT sm
The “Glow-worm” – the sun that gives natural light to the Palau Musica

 

Everywhere in Barcelona, there are sights to see. Even the hostel I stayed at had a very Vienna-esque look, while mere shops and apartment buildings had the look of Gaudi. For some reason, Barcelona simply was a center for innovative, though slightly strange, architecture. By strange, I mean unlike anything I have ever seen.

In terms of the reverse culture shock, I believe the majority lies in the lack of business and lack of hurry here in Spain. Only the tourists seem to rush, and the Spaniards just go with the flow. Overall, I will miss the lack of stress, the food (oh goodness the food), the sights, the sounds, the undeniable culture that is omnipresent, and of course my new family here in Spain. I am very sad to be leaving, and I certainly hope to return, for this trip has given me a will to travel much more in my lifetime.