A final trip through Barcelona

Hola amigos!  The time has finally come for me to explain to you about all of the beautiful and jaw-dropping places that I had the chance to visit here in Barcelona, Spain.  Let's start with the most exciting, being Park Güell.  This park was designed by Antoni Gaudí that was built between the years 1900 - 1914.  It was actually inspired by the English Garden City Movement  and to be part of a commercial housing site.  Sadly, only two houses were built (as you can see in the pictures provided) but neither one of them were actually built by Gaudí.  

 This (rather large) beautiful piece of work is titled "el drac" meaning "the dragon" being a multicolored salamander sitting at the entrance to the park.  You have to be quite agile to score a picture with it because so many people are wanting to get pictures with it!  This turned out pretty well, in addition to having about 30 people taking the same picture with you in it (if you don't mind).  Around the park, is more designs and pieces of work similar to el drac, but rather, benches and pathways to explore with hidden gems within each corner.  As touristy as the area was, it was quite nice, quiet, peaceful, and fun as children and other tourists from around the world were in awe of the majesty that Antoni Gaudí did.  Okay, enough of me yappin' about this, here are some more pictures!

Moving on to another beautiful piece of work that is still in the process of being completed is Gaudí's Sagrada Família.  Otherwise known as "Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família" in Catalan, it is said from different sources that this may be completed in 15 to 40 years, or maybe even never be finished.  However, regardless of when it may be finished, at the state of where it is now in the construction, it's so ridiculously beautiful and unique, it's hard to explain in one word, so I'll just show you in pictures and attempt to tell you what I know about it.

The construction of the Sagrada Família started roughly in 1882, but Gaudí became involved about a year later.  He literally dedicated his life into working onto this project, until he passed away in 1926 when he passed away and only less than a quarter of it was completed.  Gaudí has been known to have said "My client is not in a hurry," considering the lengthy time for the construction.  That is in a nutshell the history behind this building.  According to Gaudí's blueprints, there are to be a total of 18 Spires, that are to represent the 12 Apostles, the four Evangelists, the Virgin Mary, and Jesus Christ (standing as the tallest).  After the spires are completed, this will become the tallest church building in the world!  

There are 3 facades:  The Nativity, The Passion, and The Glory.  

• The Nativity Facade (First Picture)

• This was the first facade to be completed.  This side was dedicated to Jesus's birth using scenes from his lifetime.  For example, there are two pillars that stand at this entrance with a turtle under one and a tortoise under the other, one representing the land, the other representing the sea, being symbols of time of something set in stone and unchangeable.  The facade faces NE with the rising sun, symbolizing the birth of Jesus Christ.  (Do not mind the woman, as she decided to be in every single one of my pictures and didn't mind at all, so now she will become famous).  We will call her, "Miss Lady."

• The Passion Facade (Second Picture)
• This was dedicated to The Passion of Christ, being his crucifixion  and suffering of Jesus.  This side actually faces the sun, symbolizing the death of Jesus.  Each of the four towers on this side is dedicated to an apostle (James, Thomas, Philip, and Bartholomew).  There are essentially three levels to this facade.  The lowest level is a scene of Jesus's last night before his crucifixion including the last supper.  The middle level dictates a hollow-face illusion of Christ.  And the final level includes his death and resurrection.  I wish I could have gotten a better picture of it, but I couldn't...sorry.

• The Glory Facade (Third Picture)

• The construction of this facade has only just begun in 2002.  This is dedicated to the Celestial Glory of Jesus.  In other words, it represents the road to God: Death, Final Judgement, and Glory.  Gaudí only made a quick sketch of what Hell is supposed to be like.  Let's give it up for Miss Lady.  A round of applause, please?

Although there is so much more to Barcelona that I wish I could tell you about, I'll post my pictures and set up a link to the information on the sites through Wiki.  Adios!  Next stop:  POLAND!

Palau de la Musica Catalana

Casa Batllo

Casa Milà

La Catedral

La Rambla

Oh Catalonia!

What you're looking at right now is the flag of Catalonia, Barcelona.  This is actually considered a nationality, and a autonomous community of Spain.  It is divided into four parts being:  Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona.  The Catalan culture didn't actually start really developing until the Middle Ages.

Catalonia achieved more autonomy (or self-governance) in 1979.  It has always been some part of Spain, but it is such a large economic part of the country of Spain.  However, a large population of Catalan support the idea of Catalanism in which promotes its independency from Spain and is a separate nation.  But just until recently (about 2007), the rise of Catalan independence has been highly promoted by these independents.  As a matter of fact, according to sources, about two thirds of Catalans believe that Catalonia should have a higher level of autonomy, but only a mere 16% want full independence from Spain itself (Yes, this is a little confusing but I'm trying).

If you haven't been keeping up-to-date with European news, let me give you a brief detail of something that has happened very recently.  Actually, on September 11th of this year (2012), the people of Catalan pulled together a march of about 1.5 million people that supported the separation from Spain as a whole.  Unbelievable.  The reasons of this was because of:

• Spain's Court decision to declare the Autonomy of Catalonia being unconstitutional
• Catalonia contributes almost 20% of the government's tax revenue, and only receives 14% of federal spending.  Source

These marches are NOT violent, nor are they out to hurt anyone.  They just want to be heard.  For example, the first day I was in Barcelona, there was actually a movement outside of Cameron's school where people came together screaming, chanting, blowing horns, and setting off fireworks.  These sounded like gunshots, yet people still just walked by as nothing was happening...but why?  Well, even before the recent movements, Catalonia has been attempting this for years and it's just normal every-day activity.  Nobody thinks of it anymore.  However, if you were a tourist (like ourselves), you would immediately think to yourself (gunshot...run)...but nobody seemed to really care.

The Catalan people actually have their own language.  So could you imagine what it must be like for the students studying abroad?  Not only do they need to understand Spanish, but they need to know the and be able to distinguish the difference between Spanish and Catalan!  It actually wasn't until about 2005 where it was distinguished as a major language and websites needed to serve the needs of the Catalan language.  

Hello from Barcelona!

Hola amigos, desde Barcelona!  The time has finally come for me to get a hold of a computer and be able to get you caught-up on everything that has happened!  Sorry about not updating, last week was Mid-Term week and I didn't have much time to do this.  Have no fear, for I will make sure I give you enough reading to keep you entertained for a while!

I have arrived in Barcelona (Catalonia) Spain last Friday evening, to visit Cameron!  For those of you who may not know, she is studying abroad here and traveling a whole other part of Europe!  Incredible how large our world is.  Luckily, she is my own personal free tour guide for around the city.  She has been showing me all of the sweet-spots and been showing me the Catalan way of life.  I will get into the Catalan vs. Spain debate in another post.  Although we've only traveled 2 countries due North West of our home-country of Italia, things are very, very different here (believe it or not.  We'll start with something easy:  Like FOOD.

First of all, the coffee here is much more mild than the coffee in Italy.  In other words, the coffee does not have a bitter taste, and is actually not quite as consumed as much as it is in Florence, Italy (or at least to my witnessing).  Breakfast is usually a lighter meal involving bread, eggs, or some type of light meat.  This is not a large meal, but something to just kick-start your day.  Moving onto lunch, this is the largest meal of the day.  Why?  Because it's the time you can digest your food throughout the rest of the day, without having a full belly before bed. This is served in three courses (La Comida).  The first dish is usually a very light, healthy helping of salad, followed by a main dish involved meat, eggs, bread, or fish.  This is the larger meal.  Then, followed by a nice little dessert to satisfy that sweet tooth of yours (and coffee of course).  This usually runs about €8 - €13 (which isn't bad for the amount of food you get).  This is meant to hold you over until dinner time which is around 10 at night (22:00).  Dinner usually consists of something called "Tapas," which are small plates full of a dish of your liking.  When you get your first few dishes (as you are new to this), you look at it and laugh because the portions are so tiny, but these are meant to be eaten slowly, with other people.  Between two people, we usually but 4-5 tapas, which fills us up!  And of course, the sangria is plentiful and delicious.  So wine + food = happy Tyler.

Now, time for the exploring part of Barcelona!  First stop, Plaza de Cataluña!  This is also known as Catalonia Square in English.  We can essentially consider this to be the city center of Barcelona, as it, (well of course) sits in the heart of the city. There are fountains, cafes, stores, and people from all over the world roaming these streets!  If you look to the picture on your left, you will see....upside-down stairs?  The world has completely turned crazy?!  No, it's okay, we can all take a deep breathe and appreciate this lovely monument, as it is actually a monument dedicated to Francesc Macià:  The first President of the Generalitat de Cataluña during the second Spanish Repbulic.  And in 1931, he proclaimed the Catalan Republic.

Moving on to some more exploring, I happened to stumble upon La Boqueria, or, The Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria!  Within this main gate, it conceals fruit, meat, juice, vegetable, nuts, and any other type of food stands that you can think of for a VERY reasonable price.  The colors are outstanding and the energy of the interior is ecstatic.  This actually dates back to 1217 of which it was originally made to sell meat.  It wasn't quite as "popular" as it is now per se, but it has increased to become quite a large tourist attraction.  You can actually get freshly squeezed juice right from the machine (they do it right in front of you) and the best part, NO SUGAR ADDED.  Why would you want to add sugar to a fruit, which already contains sugar!?  Better yet, why not just pick up some candy and food on the way out with your delicious orange juice or pineapple, strawberry, mango medley of deliciousness?  Okay, we'll talk later after you digest the wonderful food.  Thank you so much for reading this blog post, keep a look out for my next blog post about Catalan!  Probably one of the most interesting discussions to have with the people here...

As new thoughts begin to arrive...

*Disclaimer* This post does not necessarily reflect my study abroad in Italy.  However, the idea behind this post is my current belief(s) and possible ideas based on what I have learned while living here for almost two months.

I guess we never really value how important it is to have a travel buddy with you regardless of where you go.  Many times you'll find that they will point out things that you haven't seen!  This would be something similar to the saying "two heads are better than one." This may not be in just standard traveling situations, but in any situation.  I don't think that we should ever be afraid to ask for help or companion when it comes to conquering a new goal.  Sure, we could probably do many things alone, but it isn't as fun and exciting, is it?  Henry Ford's Assembly Line wouldn't have worked if it wasn't for the help from a number of people.  They were able to accomplish something so innovating and new at such a quicker pace, more efficiently.  What if we were to become more connected, rather than striving to be an individualist country?

Assembly Line

Italy is an individualistic country, but much more collectivist than the United States will probably ever be.  It is very important to fully utilize all of your networks, connections, and tools given to you by others.  Reason for this is people are able to share, collaborate, and get things done much easier.  For example, shopping at almost any super market:  If you consistently go to the same producer / provider, they know that you are loyal to them and probably recommending them to your colleagues.  In return, they do you favor.  So you are exchanging favors with somebody.  Italians (generally speaking) usually expect some type of return of good or service from a gift.  Nothing is not returned.  People know each other, help one another out, and are there to support each other.  Ever noticed how in America people usually just fend for themselves and are only worried about the self?  Let's think for a minute if we decided to do somebody a favor for once without expecting anything in return?  Hmmmm......

What if America worked to help one another out?  What if we started becoming more of a collectivist country, rather than having everybody working to be so much different than one another.  Sure, we can continue to have our own unique individual selves, but look where the country is now.  How many political parties are there besides the main two (Red vs. Blue)?  People are constantly arguing over who is right, and who is wrong.  What if we took a minute to sit and listen to what the other party has to say, and maybe try to interpret in our own minds on why they would think the way they do?  Okay, we don't agree with everything they say, big deal?  It's their decision, not yours, and there is absolutely NOTHING you can do about it.

With the elections coming up, is there anybody that truly fully 100% supports either one of the two gentlemen running?  From everybody that I've asked recently, people are either: A.) caught in a dispute on who they want to vote for, B.) Don't care anymore, or C.) supporting either one but still have doubts.  Now, I am not giving away my political point of view, but I'm sure you may or may not have an idea of where it could be heading.

Personality Not Included...

I almost forgot to tell everybody about the Iggy Pop concert that was here a couple of weeks ago.  You think you've been to a crazy concert (I'm talking to you hardcore-rock listeners)?  Well, let me tell you that a true European concert is something like no other.  But before I go into detail, to the left is a picture of some friends that I've met.  (From left to right) There's Jess from South Carolina, Amy from Wisconsin, and Emily who is also from Wisconsin.  So as you can see, there is quite a diverse group of American students who are abroad!  We all laugh at one another because we each have our own dialect and accents of the American English language.

 To start off, the picture you see here was taken by another individual of whom I cannot find, so they will remain unknown.  But this is not my picture.  However,if you look at the little yellow box highlighted, that is the general area in which I was.  The concert was held by the Hard Rock Cafe of Firenze, Italia (Yes, they have a Hard Rock Cafe out here).  The organization held a competition for local bands and artists to play and open for Iggy Pop, so they opened up.  Everybody (well maybe not everybody, but 90%) had a bottle of wine, beer, a smoke (or 10) and some other drugs that should not be mentioned.  Hearing the crowds scream and yellow in the Italian language was beautiful, interesting, and confusing.  However, Amy (the middle girl in the first picture) was a dare devil and decided to see how far she could get us to the front of the stage!  Wow, I would have to say that she was braver than I was this night.  However, it got a little too rowdy for us, so we broke for gelato.

As times have been passing recently, I'm starting to feel more "at home."  There's been a number of times where somebody has asked me for directions to somewhere or had me help them order something (or purchase).  Good news for me, right?  Sure, I haven't been able to explore many parts outside of Florence, Italy before, but I've seen many parts of Italy.  I have had fun every single day I've been here, even if it's just a lazy day at the flat.

  I've been getting a lot of questioning on why I haven't traveled that much outside of the city.  My reason is the same for everyone: I want to know the culture, the lifestyle, and figure out how different it is from ours.  I'm more interested to see cultural differences and similarities between not only Americans and Italians, but all of the other abroad students who have come from other parts of the world.  Not only that, I will become a master of the city!  (hehe).  Don't worry,  I have plenty of trips coming up including: Siena, Assisi, Rome, Krakow (Poland), Auschwitz (Poland), and in 2 weeks, Barcelona (Spain) to visit Cameron!

As the Fall season starts to kick in, the first thing I notice is that Italy does not promote the season and holidays like America does.  For example, I'm sure that stores (and some people) have already started putting out Thanksgiving toys, Halloween decorations, and maybe even some Christmas already!  However, there's not a single sign of anything Fall here.  There's no pumpkins, leaves, flannel, hot cocoa, apple festivals, or anything!  It makes me miss home all the more, alas, I still have many many things that are unanswered here! 

I know that for a fact when I come home,
I'll have a different perspective of the world.  And maybe not only the world, but certain values (being family, friends, and work).  These things are very important to the Italians.  In addition to being able to make room for all of these activities, they make sure that life is not rushed.  Time is not wasted here.  Time is not valued as something that will never happen again.  Sure, once time is gone, it's gone; However that doesn't make it the end of the world now, does it?

Changing Thoughts

We all knew that this post was coming.  This is the part of the trip (when we're almost halfway through) when our eyes are opened up to what the world is really made up of and how the people inside of it live.  Although I have not visited many places (yet), the best has yet to come!

I've met countless people from all over the world including: South Korea, Ukraine, Italy (obviously), other parts of the U.S., England, France, Mexico, Canada, China, and more!  Wow, this may sound silly, but who knew how diverse our world REALLY is.  Sure, we have international students at our home institutions back in the states, but we never really can grasp what the world has to offer.

The appreciation for food and time is highly valued here in Florence, Italy.  There is no reason for anybody to be rushed for anything, whatsoever, regardless of who you think you are or what you're doing.  The dinner table or the cafe that you're at is your temporary sanctuary where you enjoy yourself, the food, and your company.  Otherwise, you're wasting everybody's time, not yours.  Food, coffee, wine, pastries, desserts, snacks, or anything that has to do with food is such of great importance here.  Why can't we (as Americans) enjoy food without having to feel rushed?  We know the reason why.  We feel as though sometimes eating is a chore, rather than a stress reliever and re-fueler.   We need to have our food fast and in LARGE portions.  Sure, you may pay a lot for a little here when you're eating out at restaurants, but you know you're getting quality food and service.  Oh yeah, and no complaining about the food or its portion, or you can just get out.

Meeting people is always an exciting new thing.   If you haven't been exposed to CouchSurfing, I think it's about time you have a looky.  In a nutshell, it's a website where people open up their couches to travelers to stay with them for free, in order to make connections and allow for free places to stay for 1-2 nights.  However, if you don't have a couch to lend to a stranger for a night, you can always put your profile up for letting people "hang out" with you.  Usually, this is for people who are in the town or city for a day and want somebody (a local) to show them around.  For example, a student here from S. Korea is studying media and music here in Florence.  She flew in about a week ago and hasn't really had any chance to communicate with anybody.  She messaged me and asked if I could show her around.  We briefly met and I showed her around town.  We discussed cultural difference between S. Korea, America, and Italy.


Cameron gave me a card before we parted ways to expand our horizons.  It read "...it had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them.  They went out and happened to things" -Leonardo da Vinci.  Funny, he's Italian.  It kind of fits the equation here, doesn't it?  Anyways, she told me that this quote fits the kind of person I already am.  And, whadaya know?  It's true.  We will never know exactly what is out there until we go out and find the happening.  It's not going to come to us, we need to work for it.  However, we usually complain that the work is too hard or time consuming.  Well, see what happens when you sit back and wait?  You miss the train.  Sure  there may be other trains, but you just have to wait longer, and waste more of your time.   So what are you waiting for?  Go out there and do something!  So what if you're unfamiliar with a group of people, an area, restaurant, food, concert, band, etc?  Go out there and see for yourself, friend.  Promise, if it is that bad, you can at least say you tried.