De la casa de Visi y Tito

Hey guys!

Maya and I are currently sitting in a special place–our official bedroom in the home of our host family! Yes, we have finally arrived at our new Spanish residency after days of traveling. You can now consider us the second-daughters of Visi and Tito. First impressions? They’re SO down-to-earth. They’re very open, talkative and accepting. They don’t know a lot of English but the barrier has not been a problem. We’re just excited to be in such a great place with such outgoing people. Plus, our proximity to a shopping mall and pool aren’t bad either.

So, while we get adjusted to these drastic changes, here’s what we did in the stunning city of Bilbao, the heart of Basque country, yesterday.

Bilbao was founded in 1300, but has grown to be quite a modern city. It takes a lot of its architectural inspiration from the French (their neighbors), but also features many works from famous international architects. Our morning consisted of a walking tour through parts of the city, during which our lovely tour guide Ricardo told us about the many buildings and their creators.

The most stunning part of Bilbao is the well-known Guggenheim museum of art. It’s loaded with beautiful works of modern art, but it’s the outside that made it stick out for me. It was designed by Frank Gehry, who’s style can be seen in other parts of Basque country. Check out the titanium plates and how they mesh with the European architecture around it. It was definitely cool to see.

And don’t forget the famous puppy-made-of-flowers that stands in front of it. SO cute–reminds me of Sparky back home.

After the Guggenheim, our group walked around and got lunch (eh). After, we headed back to our hotel along the river, passing by other gorgeous bridges and buildings. Upon our return, a 3-hour nap was in order (our first all week!).

Later, our seminar group had our last dinner together. It was definitely bittersweet. Our program leaders and professors have been nothing but encouraging, enlightening and hilarious throughout this entire trip. We can’t thank them enough for teaching us about Spain and what this beautiful country has to offer. Now that we’re in Madrid, we’re eager to get started and learn even more.

Until then,
Maddy

“Locks” of love

A little Dali, a little Barcelona.

Attention, readers…

Maya and I have officially arrived in Barcelona–the popular party (and pick-pocketing) capital of Spain. Before anyone gets curious, no, we have not had a chance to experience the crazy, out-of-this-world life that is downtown. We had time to grab dinner and check it out before bed, but not before admiring some awesome artwork.

After saying goodbye to lovely (and small) Gerona, we headed to Figueras, the birthplace of famous Surrealist painter, Salvador Dali. We had been prepped on his work during a lecture in Gerona, which was actually really eye-opening. I had no idea the guy was this creative in his use of symbolism and detail. This shock was only amplified after seeing some of his painting in real life. Talk about a tortured artist.

Dali’s tomb.

This may sound cheesy, but I was actually floored by how Dali used his sheltered childhood and sexual frustration to make amazing art. I learned so much by viewing the real deal, and applying the symbolism I had been taught before. His depictions of women, impotency and grief were so powerful. I’m definitely not an art person, but I was seriously moved by his work.

(Also, I think all classes should be taught where you learn background information on a subject and then go do/look at it. It makes learning SO much more fun, interactive and helpful.)

An optical illusion of Dali’s. What do you see?

After checking out some popular Dali art, we got lunch in Figueras, then headed to Barcelona! On the way, however, a funny cultural problem occurred…

The drive to Barcelona was two hours, but I drank a bit more Coke during lunch than expected (it had been a while since I last drank the good stuff). So, an hour in, I had to go. With a bathroom on our charter bus, I did not think this was a problem. However, when I asked if I could use the bus’s bathroom, I got a stern “no.” Why? Because apparently, in Spain, the bus driver owns the bus and everything in it. So, literally, the bus bathroom was property of our bus driver and no one could use it. Apparently this is a special rule for all bus drivers in Spain. So, we had to stop just for me. But what’s a girl to do when a charter bus bathroom is only for its driver?!

Anyway, Barcelona is HUGE. The top shot is of Barcelona, but only one part of it. Our friends and I tried to compare the size to that of a U.S. city, and we determined it was a lot like Philadelphia, downtown NYC or Dupont Circle in D.C. Our hotel is right in the heart of the city, down the street from La Rambla–one of the most famous commercial streets in Barcelona. It’s also a pick-pocketer’s heaven. Everyone there was gripping their purses because in all honesty, it’s a serious problem here. Thankfully, we were able to walk up and down and through some back streets without being touched. It was fun and awesome to see another side of Spain. Seriously, this is not a village. This is a metropolis of parties, food and crazily-clothed people.

(Seriously, Barcelona has some of the most interesting-looking people. It’s a very free-spirited area. Also, Maya has a great story about La Rambla, but maybe I’ll let her tell you that. Also, I don’t have a picture because I was scared someone would snatch it, lolz. Soon, though!)

After dinner, our group tried to find a bar but the Sunday night scene isn’t too exciting and slightly sketchy. So, now we’re in bed soaking up all the wi-fi. Tomorrow night, it’s ON.

Bring it, Barcelona,
Maddy