"You Can't Tell God to Delay the Sunset" in Barcelona

In this day, people might think of Barcelona more than Madrid when Spain is mentioned. The 'second city' of Spain has come into the global eye over desires of Catalonian independence and, more notably, the recent fame of the Barcelona football club.

On a bus...

The trip was organized by the ever wonderful Erasmus Student Network, but this time it included all of Spain. This trip was the National ESN Event with students from every university in Spain. Being student organized, things were also planned on the cheap.

Lets start with the bus ride. Departing around midnight on Thursday evening, the 60 plus students from our university were fit into one large two-level bus. From the departure near the Atocha train station (traveling from Sol with my new roommate Audrey), we began our estimated eight hour ride. An eight hour ride is tolerable when you are trying to sleep throughout the night. Of course, this was easier said than done. Making a pillow out of my sweatshirt and the window curtain of the bus, I tried to sleep in a variety of different positions. Without a toilet on the bus, we stopped at a gas station two hours into the trip only to find everything closed. Another hour later, we found an open gas station with a 24 hour restaurant. We spent 45 minutes here, with the majority purchasing some overpriced bocadillos or other food. For me, some rice cakes and apricots made my snack. By that time in trip, we were in Aragon, which just sounds cool.
Sleeping on a bus is just like sleeping on a an airplane. I was prepared with my eyeshade but could only manage a few continuous hours actual sleep.

Waking up in Barcelona with voice of the student coordinator over the slightly too loud bus speaker, we were on the southern outskirts of the city. We passed the stadium of Espanyol FC, the second most famous team of the city (by a large margin) and proceeded to drive along the coast looking at the shipyards. Inland, we passed the Montjuic, the hill that houses the facilities from the 1992 Olympics. Easy to notice was the large TV tower from the games, one of my favorite structures from the city.
Finally arriving at the hostel, we had made room arrangements on the bus. A few rooms were allocated to us with between 8 and 14 occupants. My room was the 14 person room with a total of 12 beds, two of which are double beds. So, four students would end up sharing two beds. Luckily, my bed was on the floor level and a single (the bed allocation was random). A few minutes to unpack and freshen up, we had had not actually checked in but had to leave our bags in one room until later in the afternoon. Not really eligible for the complementary breakfast, a group of us from the bus went to eat at a coffee shop near the hostel. The hostel is located in the old gothic portion of the city, 20 minutes walking from the beach.

Breakfast!

Eating at the cafe was a mini introduction to the differences of Barcelona. First, everything is very expensive here. A coffee with milk and focaccia sandwich was 6 euros and we all ordered the same thing. The focaccia sandwich was probably the most expensive thing on the menu but we all were so hungry. Secondly, the menu was written in Catalan, the language of Barcelona and Cataloyna, the province of Barcelona. Catalan is a mixture of Spanish and French, given the influence of close proximity. If not for the pictures on the menu (which even at some nicer places I don't mind here), we might have been completely lost ordering. Luckily, you will find that everyone speaks Spanish also.

Beginning our hastily arranged day, we formed a large group and started walking around the city. Led by one of the coordinators from the University of Barcelona, we first walked past some buildings designed by Gaudi (if you do not know Gaudi, I suggest you look into his beautiful architecture). Then, a small cathedral built in the gothic style. For myself, given the multitude of cathedrals I've seen, it's design was distinct enough. We continued walking toward the large prominade, which begin with Barcelona's own version of the arc de triumph. Walking down the promenade and past the zoo building also designed by Gaudi, we returned in the direction of the hostel. The first half of the tour was the best opportunity to meet people from the group. You were not at a lack of conversation in this tour. So, there were parts of the tour where the tour information was a little less interesting than what you were talking about.

Arc de Trimof

Walking in the opposite direction than we started, we then walked to the old city center highlighted by the cathedral of Barcelona. Once again, the cathedral is distinct in its very French Gothic influences, but I have seen too many cathedrals to place it among the best. Following, we continued walking, much to the disdain of most of us still tired and now getting hungry.

Cathedral of Barcelona

The next walk was down the most famous street of Barcelona: Las Ramblas. A large pedestrian walkway flanked by city streets, the walkway is famous for its mini markets and specialty shops. We were not the only group with the same idea, so we encountered multiple groups if people, in particular other groups of Erasmus students. Every time we encountered a new Erasmus group, we began chanting the name if our university in unison (CARLOS TERCERO OH OH OH OH!!) and they responded with their name. Getting hungrier, many students were tempted with the small desert shops along the Ramblas. The specialty item (which I must get next time) are Belgian waffles covered in chocolate.

Las Ramblas

The destination of this part of the walk was the most famous monument of the whole city: la Sagrada Familia cathedral. But, we still had to get there.
I will remind everyone that there was a schedule of events and we did try to follow the schedule properly, but many things were changed throughout the day. The only thing that could not be changed was our guided tour of the cathedral.

Casa Batllo

Still walking, we walked past the Casa Batllo, the most famous of Gaudi's residential works. Though I wanted to visit the inside, the long line derailed any chance I had of visiting. Still walking, we were lucky to still be together as stragglers started forming and our group segmented into three small groups. We turned toward the Sagrada at another famous Gaudi building, the Casa Milo.

Casa Milo

My main opinion of the 'look' of Barcelona having walked through the gothic/old city (near the hostel) and the new city (near the Sagrada) is how 'unspanish' the city is. Having never been to France, the buildings have a distinct French feel at least from pictures I've seen. The old city has the small misaligned streets of a typical Spanish city, but a little wider. The new city is set to a grid and very wide.
Arriving at the Sagrada Familia, we still had an hour for lunch before our tour at 3. Left to our own devices for lunch, the cheap food instinct of university students took over. A large group went to KFC while I joined a group eating at an all you can eat buffet. The food quantity was appealing with my hunger. Eating more than I should have while leaving too much on my plate, we finished and made our way to the cathedral.

La Sagrada Familia

Now, I've seen a lot of cathedrals; some of the most famous in the world. The Sagrada Familia deserves its place among my favorites. The distinct towers complemented by construction cranes of the still ongoing construction are visible from far distances. Skipping the longest lines, we were given a guided tour of the exterior and interior. The present 'front' of the church is not the front. The front is still under construction. The two distinct complete sides of the church are decorated to represent the birth and the death of Christ. The organic influence if the church is apparent everywhere. Inside, 'tree trunks' support the weight of the ceiling. With half of the stained glass windows still missing, you almost feel like you are walking inside a well light forest. Surprising to me was the modern feel of the interior, a contrast to the old and dark exterior.
Now, it is still baffling how this place is still under construction. Started over one hundred years ago, Gaudi himself spent 30 years dedicated to the church. He left behind many models and drawings so other could finish. Still, some aspects have been changed due to the artistic influence of modern architects. Money has stalled the construction. Funded only by donations, the church is expected to be completed in another 30 years with four more towers and a central spire that would make it the tallest church in the world.
The weather all day was cold and grey. An occasional gust of wind would make it really chilly. When we finished the 40 minute tour, it started raining and we all agreed to take the metro back.

A model of the anticipated design of the church

With time now to check in and move into our rooms, everyone was tired and I need of some freshening. After a shower as one of the first people to move in (no shower line!), a nap followed until dinner. Taking the bus, the 'traditional dinner' was held at a bar mostly reserved for us (though I don't know many people who would find a group of college students adding to the atmosphere). The dinner consisted of platters of a variety of food: Spanish omelet, chorizo, potato chips, sausage, pasta, olives, other fried stuff. The most Catalonian part of the meal was the sardines on bread with cheese, which is good to a point. We still spent around two hours for dinner, some of us standing for most of the time due to the uncomfortable seating.

"I see America... and Sun!"

The next day was markedly better. First, it was sunny! Catching the last part of breakfast, we departed at 11 for the piers and the beach. Not really something very historic of the city, but perfect for some lazy students on a nice day. We took the bus to the famous statue of Christopher Columbus upon his return to Barcelona after finding America. I have yet to see a beachfront similar in Europe. We walked down the piers, overlooking the yacht docks. In the distance were the distinct towers of the cable cars that take you over the harbor and to the Olympic area. Walking and talking occupied most of the day. I was joined by my to Austrian friends and my other American friend. Along the way, we were joined by two English girls, a few Austrian girls, a Turkish girl, and some others. We eventually separated ourselves from the larger group by sitting and listening to a guy playing guitar. This was the best place to chill for some time listening to Beatles songs, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin (he only knew the first verse of stairway). We enjoyed watching a variety of people pass by: runners, tourists on segways, people on rented bikes, and locals on a stroll.

This guy is everyone's 'type'

Far away from the group now, we proceeded on our own to the beach. Having not been to a beach in a long time (besides the shores of Lake Michigan in the winter) it was a wonderful sight to behold. A number of people were out on the 60 degree day lounging on towels. A surprisingly high number of surfers were out riding the low rolling waves. We spent most of our time taking photos together. In my attempt to get close to the water, the next wave came and soaked my boots! We spent half an hour here just relaxing and trying to get the perfect 'jump' photo.

We had to keep in mind the schedule and the next event was a tour of the Park Guell, one thing we all wanted to see. With only the phone number of one of our friends, we called him to learn the whole group was eating between two towers, nearly five kilometers from our location! We then proceeded to walk along the boardwalk, stopping to listen to a street band with singers of a classic raspy French voice. We took more pictures and generally goofed off along the way.
Arriving at the towers, we joined the rest of the group, ate at a hotel restaurant (a rather greasy focaccia sandwich and beer for me), and waited for the bus. Near the bus stop, there was a film group filming a music video with break dancers. Some of the girls also decided to take a picture in the street posed in front of cars waiting at the red light.

Park Guell

Views of Barcelona

Main Entrance

Next the park, given around two hours to wander around, we climbed nearly the full height of the park. Having seen the famous gates, the dragon fountain, and snake terrace, our final sight was the Gaudi house. We passed a museum near the entrance with my guidebook telling us that the museum is 'very skipable.' Having climbed to the top only to find the wrong house, we were reduced to asking people. At least we could ask if they spoke English, Spanish, or German. We found a group who were actually looking for the same thing. To complement our representation of USA, England, and Austria, the other group had French, Italian, German, and a Turkish guy. The Turkish guy immediately asked for a photo of us with a scarf he had for a Turkish soccer team. We obliged, with him saying the scarf was for his home team. Following the advice of some of the questionably legal street vendors, we did find the house only to find it closed and something we had passed when we got the from the bus. We enjoyed the views of the park. Overlooking all of Barcelona, the views with the low sun were incredible. We enlisted the help of some very confused guy to take group pictures of us.

Sagrada Familia

The earthen-esque supports of the park

With our free time exhausted, we boarded the bus again for some unknown location. We got a swift yelling from the ESN coordinator when five people ended up late. The memorable line was, "I just can't tell god to delay the sunset because some of us are missing." So that's where we were going, to see the sunset from one of the hills overlooking the city.
Though a view from the park would have sufficed, we proceeded on the most interesting bus ride in my life. I sat near the front of the bus, the second row behind the large windscreen on the upper level. It was a nice view. So, imagine a top heavy, two story bus, navigating the curved roadways leading to the top of the hill. For every corner we turned, on single lane roadways, we would cut into the opposite lane, nearly colliding with cars going the opposite direction. With our size, we nearly hit dozens of signs, low overhangs, and buildings. The funniest moment (in a sadistic way) was turning a corner and straightening out slightly, driving straight toward a car in the other lane. The driver was scared out of her mind; we could see her face from out the window. Luckily, thanks to the pro driving skills of the driver, we hit nothing. At one point we pulled along side a city transport bus; from my point of view, we were actually talking with the driver of the bus. With the city bus taking the lead, we started a bus convoy with bus following bus. Turns out we were lost and for some reason the other bus offered to guide us. After an hour since we left the park, the ESN coordinator announced that we could not find the top of the hill and that our only chance to see the sunset was when we made a u-turn. So much for that. Still, the most interesting bus ride of my life. I spent the remainder talking with my English friend and a few other Americans (+ Canadian).
Dinner was on our own. We ate at a small restaurant near the hostel spending 8 euro for filling paella and house wine.
That evening, ESN had organized a party for all of the students visiting. It was held on the concourse of a soccer stadium under a tent. Overall, very enjoyable and we were able to take the metro back even late at night (unlike Madrid).

Sunday was an abbreviated day with everyone tired from the party the evening before. After waiting for the bus late by half an hour, we departed the hostel in full to the athletic fields of the University of Barcelona, the host university of this whole trip. There, we spent the next few hours eating a picnic in the fields and mingling with all the other university students from Spain. Unfortunately  most were like ourselves: very tired, hungry, and not too talkative at the moment. I found a group kicking a soccer ball around and tried to show off my 'American' skills. Our entertainment was a group of acrobats who specialized in constructing human towers. Every half hour or so, our attention was drawn to the rhythmic kazoo players who signaled the start of another tower. For support, they recruited some students to form a giant group and help push people upward. I volunteered for this craziness and helped push in the general direction of up as three people climbed on top of each other. I was able to meet many new people from almost every major country in Europe, including a few other Americans.
After a few hours, the sun and tiredness got too everyone and we agreed to depart early. For the next eight hours, we returned to Madrid.

Some human stacking in progress...

Overall, there is so much I need to see when I return to Barcelona in April (yes, I'm going back). I could have probably seen more on my own, but the schenagans of our group made the experience truly memorable.
Who knows what I will do next weekend... but Barcelona will live on forever!

Beach with the girls.