Obsessed With Picasso

The other day, I visited the Picasso Museum in Barcelona. Of course I had heard about Picasso's artistic fame in the past, but I had never learned the details of his career nor why he is so extraordinarily famous. Well, now I know. HE PAINTED AMAZING THINGS WHEN HE WAS IN HIS TEENS THAT MOST PEOPLE CAN'T PAINT UNTIL THEIR 30'S!!!(or that most people can't paint at all...) I was amazed when I saw his perfect sketches and paintings realistically depicting complicated scenes that he had created when only a little boy. I guess it helps that his father was a painter and taught him his ways, but still. PICASSO WAS AN ARTISTIC GENIUS. I still can't get over it. Not to mention his creation of Cubism, which I now can sort of comprehend thanks to history and culture class!

Tap Water Please??

Note– Spain's water is fine to drink! Especially if it's filtered. My host parents' house has a filter, so I can drink the tap water thank goodness. Most restaurants have filters as well; however, they will pretend that their water is the dirtiest thing on earth to get you to buy bottled water. Every time I go to a restaurant and ask for "agua de grifa," the waiter looks at me with annoyance, and after discussing that yes, the tap water is fine, reluctantly brings me a free glass of water. So different from the U.S. where tap water is expected!

Barcelona Weekend

 The weekend after our tour of southern Spain, we had planned to travel to San Sebastian in the north to see the pretty beaches and soak up some sun. However, it was just our luck that that weekend was the one weekend it decided to rain in pretty much all of Spain. We couldn’t picture ourselves enjoying beaches and walking the streets amidst 55-degree wind and rain, so we sought out other options. Some of the group ventured to the sunnier island of Mallorca, but I decided to stay in Barcelona to see more of the city as well as figure some things out with my normal life back at Dartmouth (at home, with my computer and semi-functioning internet!).  Despite missing out on a tropical beach weekend, I still managed to have an amazing time in Barcelona.  Some other girls stayed along with me, and we explored the city.

One day that weekend, the sun peeked out from behind the rainclouds and my friend Hayley and I headed to Barceloneta for some beachin. Just when we thought we had outsmarted the rain and were about to set foot on the sand, it started pouring. However it was nothing that couldn’t be remedied with some gelato. My friend and I also met up with one of our intercambios (Spanish students learning English who we’re paired up with for the program). She invited us to her apartment, and we hung out at her rooftop pool (so cool!) and played with her PET PIG!!! Georgina, the intercambio, is very hipster and alternative, so it makes sense that and her and her boyfriend decided to purchase a pet pig. Apparently it’s going to be a growing trend in Spain…she told me of one other friend of hers with a pet pig. I have to say the pig was not as cuddly to hold as my golden retriever back home. After seeing Georgina’s pool and pig, she took us to lunch at a restaurant she had picked out. Upon arrival, I laughed to see that it was a Spanish version of Johnny Rockets. Of course she would pick the “American” restaurant just for us!

That night, Hayley and I decided to check some more Barcelona must-sees off our list, so we went to the famous Las Arenas shopping mall to get a view of the city from the top floor sky deck. Afterwards, we went to the popular Dow Jones Bar where the prices of drinks go up and down with supply and demand like the stock market– pretty interesting for two Economics majors! To finish the weekend off, Hayley, Georgina, another intercambio Elena, and I went to hear our favorite Barcelona DJ (called “Nasty Mondays”) at a club near the beach. It was a pretty ritzy club, particularly that night as the club was hosting an after party for the X-Games that Barcelona had hosted that weekend. The club sported tables of sushi as men and women chatted in cocktail attire– very classy. The best part about that night was meeting Joe Ingles, a 6’8” Euroleague basketball star who plays for the FC Barca basketball team! I’m putting that one down on my list of celebrity encounters for sure.

 Another highlight of the weekend was getting to see my friend Ashley from back home in Winnetka. She had studied in a Sevilla, Spain for the semester and was finishing her time abroad on a cruise with her mom! They both took my out to dinner and we caught up. It was a great to see a friend from home in Barcelona. 

Granada: La Alhambra

 We had learned a lot about the Alhambra and its artistic merit in History and Culture class at the University of Barcelona, so we decided to take not only one but TWO tours of the Alhambra– one at night and one during the day. It was even more beautiful and grand than the photos suggested. The night tour was shorter and smaller, but seeing the gigantic structure lit up with fountains splashing and buildings reflected perfectly in its large pools was a gorgeous scene. The day tour was longer and included not only the main section of the Alhambra with the famous Lions Fountain (fuente de leones), but also the expansive rose gardens and other stone towers of the palace. The rose gardens were absolutely stunning with their huge, multicolored blossoming roses intermixed in arches of greenery. If you’re going to Granada, the Alhambra is a must-see.

Granada: Albaicín Neighborhood

After getting some rest after our late night out, we ventured back to the Albaicín neighborhood for some amazing Moroccan cuisine. We walked up the steep hill once more and searched until we found a cozy Moroccan/Arabian restaurant furnished with pillows, colorful tapestries covering the walls, candles on the small wooden tables, and colored crystal light fixtures hanging from the ceiling. To complete the ambiance, some tables indulged in hookah while incense perfumed the air. I had the best hummus I’ve ever tasted, a spinach and cheese empanada concoction called “briwat,” and some Moroccan sweets for dessert. It was possibly one of the best meals I’ve had in Spain, as it was something new and different I had never tried before. After our breakfast/lunch/dinner, whatever it was, we explored the neighborhood shops that lined the streets. Each shop sold pretty much the same things, like Arabian scarves and ceramic elephants, and I was surprised they could all stay in business. We literally looked in every shop and compared prices to find the best deal (I bought a paisley pashmina scarf for 10 Euro and later found some for 8 Euro and others for 12 Euro, quite the pricing scheme). We even made friends with one of the shop owners, and he gave us all small free gifts. He gave me a bracelet, and explained (all in Spanish of course) that he loved making new friends and making people happy with the lowest prices and supplementary gifts. He asked us our names (first names only of course), and later managed to find one of my friends on Facebook! (Kind of creepy actually, there are a lot of “Kelseys” with brown hair on Facebook, not to mention he had no idea where she was from). He was harmless though, and it was nice to talk to locals and practice our Spanish. The Albaicín, while a bit scary for me because of its exotic nature, was actually one of my favorite experiences in Spain.

Granada: Camboria Club

One night we went to a discoteca called La Camboria– it had an outdoor patio with an amazing view of the Alhambra, lit up bright white with spotlights in the night. The club also had an underground sector made of caves. We didn’t make it into that part, as it seemed a little sketchy, but we did end up somehow crashing what appeared to be a high school birthday party on the patio level, as girls were going around handing out goodie bags full of birthday hats, party horns, lays, and streamers. Us crazy Americans made the party for sure. Getting home that night was another adventure. The Camboria Club is in the Albaicín area of Granada, which is up a steep hill and far away from our hostel. Taking a taxi home would have cost us a fortune, so we decided to walk home together in our safe group of ten. After about half an hour of walking, we split off to go to our various hostels. However, the hostel where three of my friends and I were staying was located on a small side street that we somehow always failed to find. After walking through the narrow, winding streets of Granada for about another forty-five minutes, we came upon the one open coffee shop (Yes, there are very few 24-hour restaurants and shops in Spain. Where are my 24-hour CVS and McDonalds when I need them??) and asked for directions. We finally made it home around six thirty in the morning, just in time for the start of our free hostel breakfast! I was starving by that point in the night (or morning…), and the free breakfast was the perfect end to the night before sleeping until around 3pm that afternoon. It was quite the Spanish experience. I still can’t believe Spaniards can survive staying out so late every weekend.

Granada: Cheap and Delicious

At most restaurants in Granada, if you buy a drink, you get a free tapa!! BEST DEAL EVER. Plus the drinks aren’t bad at around 4 euro. AMAZING. But actually, in general, Granada is much cheaper than Barcelona-sadly because they are having a rougher time economically. But still, it was nice to be able to eat out and not break bank.