In my entire time at Wellesley, I've only had class canceled once. This past week alone, I had two classes canceled. Study abroad is awesome. Since my only Friday class was canceled, on Thursday night Nikki, Grace, and I decided to go to La Oveja Negra, an old Barcelona tavern that Nene, my host mom, used to frequent when she was in college. It was really laid back, had a great ambiance, and was fully of a mix of foreigners and locals. One CIEE girl was celebrating her birthday and a friend of Nikki's from Boston joined us, so we had a good size group with us. After being in Barcelona for about a month, it's now starting to feel like less of a vacation (with homework?) and more like our current reality. And really, what could be better right now?
Since my Friday class was canceled, I took advantage of my three day weekend to do some exploring. I got up early, ran, did some errands, then met up w/ Grace to wander around Barri Gottica and explore a bit. Later, we met up with Nikki and her friend from high school for drinks in a funky cafe between Las Rambla and the water. After we had enough of wandering around and chatting, we all parted ways for dinner with our host families. The plan for the evening was a low key night that would have us in bed fairly early. This didn't end up happening. For the past few weeks, we've been searching for a bar in El Raval, one of Barcelona's barrios, called Bar Marsella. We were particularly motivated to spend an evening at Marsella because it's probably one of Barcelona's most historic and authentic bars. When Hemingway would visit Barcelona, he would frequent Marsella to enjoy their famous house beverage: absinthe. When we arrived at Marsella, we were blown away by the interior of the bar. In its hay day, Marsella was probably a very fashionable and posh place to go. However, the bar clearly hasn't been renovated (or probably even cleaned) long before Hemingway's time. Despite the peeling paint, cobwebs on the ceiling, and limited menu (absinthe and beer), we loved it. It felt authentic and like old Barcelona. As it got later, more and more locals began trickling in, giving the bar a lively and warm feel. Our waiter and one patron helped us prepare our absinthe properly; using the sugar, fork, and water. It was quite the scene watching three American girls have multiple Spaniards help them figure out how to drink absinthe, then struggle through the ROUGH taste. Good work team.
After Marsella, we decided that our ultimate plan to make it an early night wasn't going to happen, so we went back to La Oveja Negra, the tavern from the night before, to mingle with the locals and enjoy some Sangria.
The next morning, Nikki, Grace, Nikki's friend Paige, and I met up to wander through Gracia, another one of Barcelona's barrios. Gracia is quieter and a little more upscale than Barri Gottica, so we enjoyed a leisurely afternoon of wandering, window shopping, normal shopping (remind me to show you my adorable black booties!), and eating lunch in Plaza del Sol. It was a nice day, so we sat outside in the Plaza and watched some young kids play soccer and listen to guitar music. I love this city.
On Sunday morning, I got up and decided to go for a loooong walk around Barcelona while I waited for Nikki and Caroline, a CIEE student from Vanderbilt, to meet up w/ me in Old Town. It was a beautiful day, so I decided to stroll around and take pictures around El Born, another old barrio in the city I hadn't explored much yet. As I was walking through Plaza Sant Jaume, where the Parliament of Catalunya and Barcelona City Hall buildings are, I came across a celebration of some kind. There was a stage set up, a huge crowd, and a human pyramid in the middle of the Plaza. When I say "human pyramid" I don't mean a bunch of cheerleaders kneeling on each other's backs. I mean this: (http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_14725.shtml). What a surprise to come across on my leisurely Sunday morning walk! After meeting up with Nikki and Caroline, we sat in a nearby plaza and had some tea and watched the festivities of the day. As we were leaving we ran into a parade of drummers, ranging in ages between around 4 to 65 or so, that lasted about 20 or 30 minutes. I asked my homestay family tonight what the celebration was about and they said they didn't know. The research continues.
After we grabbed a bite to eat, Nikki, Caroline, and I met up with Nikki's friend Juan and his friend at a nearby bar to listen to live music. It ended up being an open mike night so locals got up on stage and performed a mix of Spanish and American rock songs. We were CLEARLY the only non-natives there, but everyone was nice and welcoming. Rumor has it that Wednesday night is Flamenco night. You can bet to see me there!
Today was a usual Monday: class, nap, class, Skype with Sooz, dinner, work.
This weekend made me appreciate Barcelona so much. Between wandering around and finding Gaudí buildings and sculptures, like the light posts in Plaza Reail, his first commission in the city, to coming across beautiful and exciting cultural events, like the parade and the human pyramids, I've gained such an appreciation for the life, color, and vibrance of this city.
Up next: My first paper, getting back into running after being sick for the past few days, and MOROCCO.
Current obsessions: napping, mint tea, hanging out with my boy Antoni (Gaudí), counting the days until MARI'S VISIT TO BARCELONAAAA!!!
Hasta.
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