Undiscovered Andalusia
FRIDAY
The Minor class of 2010-2011 went at the end of their year to the great city Barcelona in Spain. We started our journey at Schiphol Airport. Unfortunately I had caught the flu a few days earlier, nevertheless I joined the group with a bunch of medication in my pocket.
The journey started off with a delay of our flight. Two hours later we could finally board the plane towards Southern Europe. Arrival in Barcelona went smoothly, we got our suitcases and took the bus to the city and the subway towards the hotel.
The first evening we walked for two hours to look for a certain restaurant. Every step we made, made me feel more sick. When we finally stopped at Piazza Real to have tapas, I couldn’t handle it much longer and went back to the hotel.
SATURDAY
The day after I woke up around 10 o’clock and the group already left. After a shower and something to eat I felt better and called the group to join them. At around 1 pm we met at Casa Batllo. This building was made by Gaudi and was extraordinary to see. All the strange curves made it something really special. I especially liked the rooftop, the sun was shining and since I was one of the first that made it to the roof it was time to take a break and relax underneath the afternoon sun.
When we went down I checked out the VIP lounge that had different types of furniture made by Gaudi. Some were quite relaxing to sit upon while others weren’t that comfortable. My favorite was the chair against the wall that could fit two people. It was comfortable but it made either person look at a different direction and not at each other.
After Casa Batllo we checked out a museum that had works of clay and random object of the past few decades. Tim, Matthijs and I checked it out while Tim and myself were being barbaric by criticizing the awful pieces of art. The good thing about this museum is that it was surrounded by a beautiful garden.
Now it was around 5 pm and time for a drink. Tim, Philippe, Patrick and myself took the subway to the beach to check out the view and have a beer. Well, they had a beer while I tried to fight the flu with a glass of orange juice. At this moment I was feeling quite well again and the relaxing atmosphere at the beach made it all the better.
At first I wasn’t planning to join the group for dinner but since I was feeling fine and dandy I decided to come along. We went towards the harbor to visit a nice but also a well known restaurant. They served an excellent meal and some of my classmates even spotted a famous soccer player and asked for his signature. After the delicious meal it was time to went out. The group divided into smaller groups and I went to Plaza Real with Tim, Saskia and Marisca.
At the Emo bar where I forgot the name of I ordered a mojito that turned out to be quite strong. But for €6 I couldn’t resist. We had a lot of laughs and it was a great evening.
SUNDAY
Sunday started out with a trip to the Miro Museum, a great artist who was known for its drawings with small lines. The work of Miro was fascinating to see, I mostly liked the room with the pshycedellic music and huge white wall where they showed indescribable objects.
The next museum we visited showed a lot of rooms with different movies. I wasn’t sure what the meaning was of this display but I surely like the architecture of the building. After all these strange impressions it was time to get a bite to eat. Everyone ordered tapas, but since I’m not into all the strange greasy food items I had a nice pizza pepperoni.
While we had the afternoon off I went to visit the La boqueria only to find out it was closed on a Sunday. We used to time to check out souvenirs and a few fun stores.
In the late afternoon we all came together at the Picasso museum. The location of the museum was gorgeous. Walking through medieval streets gave me the impression if I was in the game Assassins Creed.
Although I’m not that familiar with the work of Picasso or any other artist I could appreciate some of his paintings. You definitely was the difference between the eras of his life.
MONDAY
The weekend is over and it’s time to visit similar schools in Barcelona. The first school was in an old industrial building which they fixed up. The location was really inspiring and the person that gave us a tour told about the exchange possibilities. Unfortunately you have to speak Catalonian. The students of this school also reminded me of those that you see at the Willem the Kooning in Rotterdam, pretty alternative.
With the afternoon off, Matthijs and myself decided to go to Parc Guell. This beautiful park was situated North from the centre and took us quite the climb to get there. When we arrived we took a walk through the trees and came upon a wall that had a magnificent few of Barcelona. We climbed up the wall and passed the fence and enjoyed the view with the sun shining upon us. This one of the better moments of this trip. While Matthijs was a bit nervous about trespassing I enjoyed every minute of it.
It was time to head back to the centre to visit the next school which was situated next to La Rambla. The people from this school were really nice and hospitable. With great enthusiasm she told us about the school and gave us a tour. The building wasn’t as impressive as the previous school but I liked how enthusiastic she was. At the library I saw a magazine called Luerzers Archive that caught my attention because of the pink cover with a shoe on it. While browing through the magazine I really enjoyed the photograph I saw. I took a picture of the magazine and when I got home I Googled it and ordered my very own copy.
TUESDAY
This was the last day before we returned back home. Fortunately we visited the Sagrada Familia, an amazing church made by Gaudi. We got there when they opened and immediately could enter the building. We took the elevator upstairs from which we had another amazing view of Barcelona. It was typical to see that the city was divided into blocks which is very American.
The Sagrada Familia is still in progress to be finished but it’s amazing to see it. At one moment we visited a staircase that spiraled down. With no railing you could it was quite scary to walk down. I have absolutely no freight of heights but this was pretty intense. I took a photograph of everyone looking upward and then slowly walked down with both hands tight on the outer railing. When I was down I took a picture of the staircase looking up which turned out pretty amazing.
The inside of the church was also beautifully made with fantastic architecture. I could advice anyone to go to Barcelona and check it out for themselves.
With a few hours before we would leave to the airport I also got to visit La Boqueria again. This time it was open and it was amazing to look upon. All the fruit stands that had their products on display and all types of amazing drinks that they sold. I bought two drinks from different exhibitors and they both tasted delicious. I also took this moment to photograph the market and it’s patterns and got me a few amazing photos.
Every journey comes to an end. We took the flight back to Amsterdam. Inside the plane, Ties was looking for a lost iPad and found a small knife. He reported this to the flight attendant and even the pilot came over to check it out. I wonder how many flights it has been laying there. At Schiphol we said our goodbyes. It was a fun journey and I’m glad that I came along for the experience.
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