Candy, Calçots, and Culés

Today I woke up around 7, (groan) but it was well worth it because I got to go see Núria play in the marching band! we went to a small "pueblo" outside of Barcelona and there were 70 horses and carriages in a parade. The parade went around the pueblo three times. The first time the animals were blessed with holy water, which was interesting to see. People were throwing candy, but only hard candy and I got hit in the face a few times. The only kind I tried was brown and I'm still mulling over what flavor it could have been. Well, after that the only possibly logical thing to do would be to eat long burnt onions, called calçots. Well we did that and they are AMAZING! They don't taste anything like any long burnt onion you've had before. (not that I've ever had a long burnt onion before)

Calçots

After that, we ate a lot of meat, because who doesn't like meat except vegetarians and people who don't like meat. I ate thumper the rabbit. (Rabbit is DELICIOUS). So, three cups of coffee later, Núria and I rushed to the stadium to see the FCB game. I'm not sure who it was against to be honest but the opposing players were not on their game. Barca scored 7 times. They scored zero. This is why Catalunya should be its own country. Well, the game to put it lightly, was epic. I could see the individual blades of grass on the field. Okay maybe I wasn't that close but I'm just trying to get my point across. Anyway, we returned to the house after a long day, and now I'm going into hibernation until next May.

Messi and Iniesta: Combined for 4 goals!

March 15th

Today, I woke up just in time for lunch. We ate risotto with foie, and it was so good until I googled foie and realized that it's duck liver. Although my appetite died down after that, I actually think it's really good. It's creamy and tastes like cheese. 
Then, Maria and I met up with most of the group at the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) to see the fountains. They were so beautiful, and the different water formations were coordinated with the music. 
After, we walked around for a bit and then Maria and I went home and ate more bread and foie for dinner. Overall, today was a nice change of pace from the busy week I've had. 

Today we spent yet another morning in classes. We first had Physics, and then what Ben and I like to call "Spanish APES," or their environmental science class, in which they often watch movies. We visited el Parc Güell, where we were able to relax with one another, and see the incredible views.

Antoni Gaudi's undulating, ergonomic benches at Parc Güell

Walking around Barcelona was hard at first, but it is safe to say that we have all developed immunity to the blisters and foot cramps. Therefore, walking around the park climbing all of the stairs was truly a wonderful experience. Although it was great to experience all of the sights, the Spanish culture, and especially the food, it would not be the same experience without the wonderful teachers and friends that have accompanied me on this trip. Spending time with the students on this exchange is a once-in-a-lifetime experience in which I get to see Chad sliding across the dirt in an action camera shot while everyone looks at us as the Americans we are, or Ben partaking in the same eccentric poses while taking a picture, or even a restaurant owner joining in on Reese's and my rhythmic clapping. The best part was watching Griffin yelling to different groups of people the name "Xavi," and always seeing someone turn around in response. All in all, this experience has been amazing, I have learned that in Spain you get little to no hours of sleep, every meal is delicious but consists of so much food that you can't help but hate yourself when finished eating, and that the spanish kids love to call me "Keyaan" instead of "Key-on." However, after this experience I 100-percent see myself moving to Barcelona in College for at least one year. For the few of you who actually read this post, thanks so much for logging on and reading my post. Go Barca!

I posted about my experience at the Barça game last night on my blog:
http://peanutscorner.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/the-barca-crazies/

You can read it there or here is what I wrote:

The Barça Crazies

I have been to a Bruins-Habs playoff game.  I have been to a Patriots game ending with a Tom Brady game-winning drive with 22 seconds left.  I have been to a Red Sox playoff game in which David Ortiz belted two home runs. But nothing compares to the atmosphere of the FC Barcelona game I went to last night.

Walking to the stadium, I knew it was going to be a breathtaking experience.  There was energy in the air as Barcelona was about to take on Manchester City in a Champions League match.  People were yelling all the way from 10 blocks away.  The Man-City faithful were drunkenly singing about their beloved team.   But their cheers were drowned away in the thousands of Barça fans funneling their way into Camp Nou, the Barcelona stadium.

The view after stepping into the stadium was jaw-dropping.  The Barça fans filled in the seats.  By kick-off, the stadium was packed with some 85,957 people, more than twice the size of Fenway Park.  I was surrounded by all Barça supporters.  It seemed like the whole stadium was, except a few sections in the highest seats filled with Man-City fans.  Those fans seemed helpless; cornered way up high with no where to go, no one to help.

The first half of play was relatively uneventful.  A few yellow cards for Man-City, but no goals for either side.  But a little into the second half, in the 67th minute, Barça star, Lionel Messi, fired one past Man-City goalie, Joe Hart, to go up 1-0.  Camp Nou exploded.

Here is a video I took of the goal:

The stadium stayed electrified for the remainder of the game.  At every close call the referees missed the stadium would erupt with whistling, which I figured to be the equivalent to booing in US sports.  Every time Barça would make a poor play the fans would toss their arms up in the air in disbelief that their players could ever make a mistake.

The stadium stayed glued to their seats until the final whistle, Barça taking a good match 2-1 and winning aggregate 4-1.  The game was a spectacular experience.  ¡Vamos Barça!

More photos and one vid: Last Two Days

Después de nuestra visita a Poble Espanyol, fuímos al Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (visto aquí desde el techo del transformado Plaza de Toros.)  Ambos sitios formaron partes de la Exposición Mundial de 1929 (3/12)

Hicimos un tur del Modernismo (3/13) que empezó con la Sagrada Familia, filigrana increíble de Antoni Gaudí.  Con el 75% construído, piensan que cumplirá su estado completo en 2026.  

¡Qué columnas!  ¡Qué techo!

Dentro de la Sagrada Familia, encontramos el imagen del primo de Pingree, el "Pegasus Catalan!"

La Casa Batlló, un proyecto residencial de Gaudí.  Los locales le llama "la casa de los huesos" (House of Bones.) 

Finalmente, un video.  ¡Qué maravilla es la creación e inspiración de Gaudí!

¡Muchísimas gracias a Natalia y Joan por ser guías tan fantásticas estos dos últimos días!

Champions' League Fútbol: FC Barcelona against Manchester City

Hola,

What an adventure!  Yesterday we got back to Pare Manyanet and I was in for a big surprise.  I thought that we were going to the Osasuna vs. Barcelona on Sunday.  Instead I returned to the school and was surprised to find out we were going to the Champions' League game.  I thought I had misheard or I had translated wrong, but after five minutes of discussion I found out that the surprise had been planned for over a month!  I am an avid soccer fan and this was a dream come true!  We took the bus to the game and it was crazy to see the bus fill up with passengers wearing Barça shirts, jerseys, scarfs, etc.  Then when we got to the Camp Nou I couldn't believe my eyes.  There were tens of thousands of people shuffling around the outskirts of the Camp Nou trying to enter it.  The atmosphere before the game was incredible and there was never a moment without noise.  Then we found our seats and waited for the game to start...


Then the game started.  The noise level rises along with my adrenaline.  You can feel the passion in the air, willing the Barcelona players to score goals.  Attack and counterattack, the game moves at incredible speed that only a few teams are capable of playing.  Then a Barça attack, a Man-City player bobbles the ball and Messi pounces.  Messi picks up the ball and takes a few steps before gracefully chipping the ball over Joe Hart. An EXPLOSION of noise follows the goal along with a lot of flag waving by the 86,000 people in the crowd.  There is a reason he is considered one of the best in history and after seeing Messi play soccer in person I completely agree.  Then, a dreadful moment... a corner kick for Man-City.  The ball is crossed in and a Man-City player heads the ball across from the far side of the goal to a waiting Vincent Kompany, who proceeds to make an acrobatic kick to score a questionably offside goal.  The goal stands but the Barça players cannot believe what they have seen and protest the referees for a long time about Kompany being offside.  The mood is darker after the Man-City goal, but soon the temporary fog will be lifted.  In the fading minutes of the second half, with a tie looming on the horizon, there is one last Barça attack.  Andres Iniesta brings the ball down the line and beats his defender.  Crashing into the goal box, Iniesta beats another defender and Joe Hart, but finds himself barely in bounds.  Rather than attempting a shot from an impossible angle, Iniesta looks up and finds his teammate, Dani Alves, in the box unguarded.  Alves does what he is now trained to do and slots the ball into the net after a last-minute deflection from a Man-City player.  The crowd goes wild, for the game has been won and Barça are into the next phase of the Champions' League.  A crazy night and one that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Yesterday (March 12th) we woke up to another opportunity to experience a typical class here in Barcelona, starting out with a physics class about force. Afterwards the teacher was very interested in what we would be doing after college and what each of us loved to do. Then we got a taste of what it means to be from Catalonia and not just from Spain. Here in Catalonia they are striving for their independence from the Spanish government. This class gave us more insight as to how different Catalonia is in its language and culture and what efforts they had undergone in order to have themselves recognized independently.

Then we found ourselves at Pobles Espanyol for the afternoon. This was a truly beautiful place with many shops and small cafes to sit in the sun and enjoy lunch. Us kids were given over an hour to explore the beautiful views, quaint cafes, and shops full of handmade artistry, ranging from blown glass to guitar building. It was also quite interesting watching some of the craftsmen in action as the blown glass mesmerized some, while the leather bounding surprised others. The view was amazing as well, giving a whole view of the city. Then we made the perilous journey up to the top of Palacio Nacional, a truly amazing building with a breathtaking view that was well worth the climb. We took in the view for a while at the top and then continued our descent.

At night, some were taken to the FC Barcelona soccer game where they had the pleasure to see the team win 2-1. I personally had a chance to get together with the girls at a local restaurant to enjoy some pizza and burgers and celebrate the win with some locals as the entire restaurant burst with excitement after the goals. Once home I could not wait to go to bed so I could get enough sleep for the next exciting day in Barcelona!

March 13

Captain's Log: Chad Tokowicz

Per usual, our day today started with class time, however this morning we had a special class which focused on Don Quixote, the classic Spanish novel. After a brief explanation of the book, we were divided into groups and given a sort of quiz, asking questions based on basic life in Barcelona and Spanish culture. Out of forty questions my team, The Sox, won with a score of 28/40 and received a celebratory flash drive. Boy was I proud of our team! Good Work! After our time in class, we regrouped and navigated our way through the lively streets of Barcelona, making our way to the metro, to take us to our final objective, La Sagrada Familia. La Sagrada Familia is the brainchild of the famous Catalan Architect Antoni Gaudí and is simply breathtaking. Designed as a Roman Catholic church, La Sagrada has an immense inside with tons of stained glass windows and statues. At the time of his death in 1926, La Sagrada Familia was still under construction and to this day is still being completed and is expected to be finished by 2026. My favorite aspect of La Sagrada Familia is the naturalist aspects included in the architecture.  Gaudí said there are no straight lines because they cannot be found in nature. Also included within are plenty of statues of animals as well as saints and religious figures.

After viewing, we were granted free time and in which me and a group of students made our way to the park adjacent. Here I was able to step out of the tourist-filled world of La Sagrada Familia and truly immerse myself with real people living. As we entered the park, Kian and I noticed a man sitting on a bench with his guitar. I could tell Kian was itching to play. "Why don't you go ask him to play?" I asked Kian, who responded with some excuse that told me he wouldn't go, so I took the matters into my own hands and asked the man if Kian could play.  He said "yes" happily. Once Kian started playing, the conversation started to flow. The man with the guitar had just moved here from the Czech Republic with his two friends, whom I was able to talk hockey with while Kian played sweet Spanish melodies. Although we didn't talk for long or about much, it was still a great experience, as almost everyone knows I can make friends anyplace. And of course, this wasn't the first time I had talked to a random person here and for sure won't be the last, for talking with people who are here to live will teach you things that you can't find in any museum.

Photo Gallery: First Few Days

El grupo al Camp Nou

(Con Carles Puyol, Lionel Messi, y Gerard Piqué, 3/9)

Las Ramblas

(A través del Metro, 3/10)

El Ayuntamiento (3/10)

Kian, Picasso y Chad (3/10)

El Born (3/10)

(Ruinas de casas catalanas destruídas en 1714)

Columnas Romanas de hace 1900 años! (3/10) 

Tiff y Haley: retrato fotográfico muy artístico (3/10)

Catedral de Santa María del Mar (3/10)

Y, en fin, increíble ópera en la calle del Barrio Gótico (3/10)

¡Mil gracias a Xavi y Anna por ser nuestros guías tan extraordinarios!

Day 4: March 11 (Part II)

Today was another exciting day in Barcelona! After spending time in class with our students (as Gina talked about) we traveled to another part of the city, called “El Barrio Gótico.”  The architecture here is absolutely beautiful, and it is also one of the oldest parts of the city.  We got to visit the “city hall” of Barcelona. I think its safe to say it is the more beautiful than any city hall in the states.  This is the location where the 100 representatives of Barcelona meet to discuss political matters.  The rooms were filled with beautiful architecture, and spectacular paintings.  One room, for example, “The Hall of Chronicles,” depicted the history of Roger de Flor’s expedition in the 14th century.  (I also happen to think many of the rooms looked like they were straight from Hogwarts) Tons of photos were taken everywhere we went, so be sure to check them out! (Here's one I took...) 

Later in the day, after the Picasso museum and El Born, we went to Santa Maria del Mar, a cathedral in el barrio Gótico.  It was built close to 700 years ago, but it is easily the biggest and most beautiful cathedral I have ever seen. The huge stain glass windows and the music were a beautiful backdrop for some tranquility in the craziness of the city. After touring the area of Las Ramblas a bit more, we got to walk around and spend some free time shopping and taking in the city. Everyone is a bit tired, but having a blast nonetheless! Buenas noches! 

Day 4: March 11

Today we started off  the day by going to a class with our host students. Kelsey, Isabel, Haley, Nora, Kian, Reese, Chad, Ben, Griffin, and I were all in one class where we learned about spanish history. Thanks to our teachers we could understand what the professor was saying! It also helped that we already learned what they were talking about. For example, we discussed about La Guerra Civil y surrealismo. Then, we all walked and took the metro to see  many gothic buildings. It was incredible to see such beautiful designs that were made a very long time ago. Kelsey will be talking more about this in her post. We also visited El Born. It is an archaeological site that depicts a very detailed picture of Barcelona in the 14th to 18th centuries. It shows us some of the effects that occurred in the events of 1714 when the siege devastated the city.  During our adventures, we stopped at a local cafe. I as well as some others tried the popular drink called Cacaolat. It is like American hot chocolate, but it tasted very different! We also visited the Picasso Museum. My favorite picture was Mujer con mantilla.  Overall,  I really enjoyed the museum and  Picasso's ability to portray the beauty of imperfection in his paintings. It was incredible  how we could see the  progression of his artwork, so we saw paintings that he painted when he was  very young to when we was very old.  It was interesting to keep in mind that Picasso  said that it took him a lifetime to learn how to draw like a child.  At the end of the day, we enjoyed some shopping and took the metro back to the school.

Day 3: March 10

Today was the first time we saw el Colegi Pare Manyanet. After a group breakfast, they took us on the exclusive VIP tour, showing us how they manage to fit almost 1500 students inside a relatively small area by expanding vertically. We saw some of the smallest toilets in existence in the new facility for kids of ages ranging from a few months to 4 years old.

For the rest of the school day, we got a taste of the tourist experience, walking all around the center of Barcelona to the Camp Nou (Stadium of FC Barcelona). Our guide Xavi, which by the way seems to be the only male name available in Barcelona, got us as close as he could, although we couldn't get inside the actual stadium. @JayEsty1 posted the group picture on twitter, and my iPad won't let me post it unless I download an app, which is just not happening at this point.

In other news, the basketball team was very welcoming to "Los Americanos" (Kian and I) and their coach, whose name you can probably guess by now, even let us play 5 on 5 with them. Los Americanos scored nearly all of their team's points, and have been invited back for tomorrow's practice at 7:00 in case you missed it today. Or just catch the replays on Sportscenter when we get back to the states. Buenos noches a todos, nos vemos mañana.

Day 2: March 9

Today as we were leaving the airport, I think the only thing we all wanted to do was to get home and be able to sleep. As we were leaving the airport, Anna's mom's tire got punctured so we had to sit and wait for a mechanic. The weather was gorgeous so it wasn't to bad.  I think we all have some adjusting to do seeing that they have lunch at around 2:00 in the afternoon and we eat dinner so late. Another big difference between here and back home is that the cars and houses are probably smaller than what we are used to seeing.

This afternoon around 5:00, we all met at Starbucks. I thought we had a lot of Dunkin Donuts around, but they have about 4-5 Starbucks on one street here. While we sat outside' there was a noticeable change in the temperature, yet still much nicer weather than back in Boston. I'm sure we are all looking forward to visiting the school tomorrow and getting out into the city. Buenas noches, todos!

Monday Preview

Hi all,

As Nora posted so eloquently earlier, we've arrived and headed our separate directions today with host families and friends.  Tomorrow, we start early at Col-legi Pare Manyanet, get oriented a bit, meet new folks at the school, then head out to one of the destination attractions in Barcelona -- especially if you're a fútbol aficionado!

The Fútbol Club de Barcelona was founded in 1899 and has long been considered one of the finest athletic clubs in the world.  Though this year's men's soccer club has looked a little shakier than in recent years (though still within one point of first place in La Liga), the team and organization symbolize excellence and are a source of enormous Catalan pride.  Tomorrow afternoon, we'll head to the iconic FCB stadium the Camp Nou (literally, "New Field") for a tour, indoors and out.

I'm very much looking forward to feeling "like a Barça player" and imagine that sensation will do us all some good!  The stadium presently seats 100,000 spectators and reliably sells out its home games.  A long-held tradition at Camp Nou is the "mosaico," or mosaic, which fans form before every game by each holding up a colored placard and delivering a unifying message of inspiration to the team and the region.  Below, the message, in Catalan, reads "we are a team" within a field of "blaugrana," the home colors.  Flanking the center mosaic below are the red and yellow stripes of the Catalan flag.  During the last few years, there's been a growing independence movement in Catalunya, one of Spain's strongest economic and cultural centers, and the Camp Nou has been the the epicenter of one of the movement's most dramatic statements of the independentista sentiment.  At home games for about the last two years, when the game clock reads 17:40 on the scoreboards, the crowd erupts into the movement's anthem.  1740 was the year Catalunya won its independence (briefly) after a century of revolts against the Castilian crown.

  

The senyera, or flag for Catalan independence is ubiquitous throughout Barcelona (from the window of Anna Buñuel's apartment this midday, I counted 6 flying) and the team's away uniforms (for the first time in FCB history this year) reflect the popular pride and sentiment.

The Camp Nou is preparing for major renovations that reflect much regional pride around soccer, arts, architecture, and innovation.  Once completed, the "Nou Camp Nou" will seat 120,000 and have few aesthetic rivals around the world.  We're all looking forward to our visit tomorrow, and some of us will be attending the Champions League (Barça vs. Manchester City) match this Wednesday or the Liga tilt a week from today vs. Osasuna.

Visca Catalunya!  Visca Barça!

Day 1: March 8

Today we arrived at the airport promptly at 3:30. I arrived at not so promptly 3:30, because I finished packing at 2:30. We went through security to our flight to London. We flew from Boston to London to Barcelona.

On our flight to Barcelona, we flew over the Pyrenees mountains. We could see them out of the window. The weather was very clear so the view was beautiful. Arriving at 9 am Barcelona time, it still felt like 3 am to us. Everyone was exhausted but happy to be in Spain. All the Spanish students were there to greet us. My exchange student, Carla, was there with her parents and brother to take me home. I am beyond excited for this trip, but I am also a little nervous. I hope that I can truly communicate in Spanish. I am looking forward to seeing the Picasso museum and the Catedral de la Sagrada Familia. I cannot wait to see what this trip has in store for us. I want to try new things, new foods, and throw myself into this new experience. ¡Adiós Boston, Hola Barcelona!


- Nora