Primavera Francòfona

{{Ca sera moi la plus belle}}

Last night, the French Institute hosted a big festival, "Primavera Francòfona" (Francophone Spring) to celebrate the turning of the season and Francophone culture throughout the world. The outside of the building was turned into a giant piece of art (with groups of different colored tents with lights inside of them) and a concert hall and inside each level was dedicated to different parts of the Francophone world. The Switzerland level was my favorite; they had free samples of amazing cheese and chocolates, along with lots of recipes for Swiss cheese varieties (made me hungry just to look over the recipes!). The Africa level was very cool as well; they had pictures of various former African colonies, and inside one of the classrooms, performed African dances. A woman also told several traditional African legends in both Catalan and French (got to practice both of my new languages!). Next came the Caribbean Islands, where they had promotional information about why you'd want to come (umm sun, sand, beautiful scenery...why wouldn't I want to come?!). And above that there was a fine wine tasting (you had to pay quite a bit for it, so I passed, though I did get to enjoy a bit of nice French white wine). Finally came Morocco, all set up with carpets and wall hangings and amazing-looking catered food. That all went super fast, however, so I didn't get to try any! (Just went back to Switzerland for more cheese; they came well-prepared with plenty for everyone!).

Outside there was more food you could buy if you so desired, a big outdoor concert, an artesian market of cool jewelry, accessories, and clothing. The concert was really fun; the best group by far appears in my photo above. They said they were the "Representatives from the French colonies in outer space" here to show us what French-space culture is like through music. The songs all had absolutely hilarious titles and they used literally anything they could to make their instruments (from real guitars to a kazoo inside a watering can to pots and jars to two phones against a microphone to kids' bicycle horns). They were a show just in the way they dressed and acted and everyone wanted them to keep playing all night long.

But the French Institute had something else planned: turn the entrance level of the Institute into a discotheque, complete with French DJs and everything. They even traded out the normal lights in the ceiling for colored lights! It was hilarious and way more fun than I had expected it to be when I first decided to go with a friend from Catalan; they really pulled out the stops!

Unfortunately, the Primavera Francòfona corresponded with the end of my French class. Today we had the oral part of our final exam and then went for a final coffee together in the French Institute cafe. After spending two hours every day with this great group of people, I am really going to miss them all. Our teacher was very funny (and very French!) and the other students were fun to get along with and neat people from different walks of Barcelonan life. Definitely going to miss everyone quite a bit! It's going to feel strange on Monday when I don't go to French for the first time in...two and a half months!

Basic 2, Prepare Yourself...Here We Come!

{{Què hi ha entre nosaltres}}

On Tuesday we had a party in my Catalan Basic 1 course to celebrate the completion of the 1st level of learning Catalan and as a goodbye get-together before Semana Santa next week (when we don't have class). We all get to reunite for Basic 2 in early April, continuing through the end of May, which makes me quite happy. I probably couldn't have asked for a better group of people for my Catalan class. The other students come from all over South America, from other regions of Spain, from Morocco, Italy, China; we're a nice little cross-section of the world! And the students are a great mix of ages and interests that are open to meeting other people and sharing about themselves. Our professor is very funny and easy to relate to, along with being a good teacher. We spend about half of the class just laughing with her and each other.

For the last day of class, we organized a potluck lunch, where everyone brought in specialty dishes from their native country. We had great burritos with homemade guacamole and salsa from Mexico, cheese rolls from Brasil, papa huancayo from Peru, empanadas from Chile, Galician crepes, a spectacular Italian chocolate torte, Moroccan green tea...the list goes on and on. I brought Piedmont Bell Peppers, a family favorite, and everyone was impressed that the American didn't only eat hotdogs and hamburgers (though one of Chilean friends kept saying he wished I had brought hot dogs because he likes them; now I know what to make for the Basic 2 party!). Everything was spectacular, and, as much as there was, we somehow managed to eat it all (or fill bags and purses with more for later...quite a bit made it home to be my dinner!). All of us just talking and laughing the entire time, enjoying being with each other; poor students in the classroom next door who were taking an exam!!

Cerdà + Barcelona

(Cerdà's original plan; the final has only one diagonal street and several other small changes)

{{The invention of a capital}}

This year in Barcelona is Cerdà year, in honor of the civil engineer and architect, Ildefons Cerdà i Sunyer, who redesigned Barcelona in the mid-1800s into the city it is today. On Thursday I went to a very interesting exhibit at the Museu d'Història de Barcelona about the redesign process and how Barcelona was transformed from a closed "military" city with dividing walls to the open, pedestrian-friendly metropolis that it is today. When the civilians finally won out against the military councils to gain approval to tear down the walls, he realized that he had to plan the expansion of the city so it would be a livable and enjoyable place to be, instead of the congested and epidemic-prone town it was before. Inventing completely new ideas and also drawing from the plans of already-successful metropolises such as Paris, he architected the Eixample district of Barcelona, helped to facilitate the integration plan for the surrounding small communities (with connecting streets and tramways), and created an entirely new documentation in Spain about urbanization and city planning.

Cerdà had several key needs in his redesign project. He believed strongly in the need in people for sunlight and ventilation in their homes, the importance of green space in people's surroundings (for him, the ideal house configuration would be a cube with a garden in the center, but of course that would not be possible for most citizens), the need for effective waste disposal to eliminate the danger of diseases, and the necessity for the seamless movement of people, goods, energy, and information. With these concepts in mind, he created the grid-shaped Eixample district, defined by four main roads: Avinguda Diagonal, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, Las Ramblas, and Passeig de Gràcia, and dotted with beautiful plazas and open green spaces such as Plaça Catalunya to unite people in space. Plaça Catalunya is unique in that it unites three of the main roads of l'Exiample--Passeig de Gràcia, Gran Via, and Las Ramblas--making it a hub for information and a meeting-point.

Cerdà's made two main plans for the redesign of l'Eixample, and it is the second one that is still seen in the Eixample of today (though, of course, the low buildings are now not all so low). Cerdà faced great opposition from most of the Catalan architects of his time, who even went so far to accuse him of socialism, though they were also the ones who, in the end, designed the spectacular modernist façades of the buildings that made the area particularly famous to tourists.

Nametwins in Barcelona!

{{Muertos de risa, vivimos la vida}}

Early this morning, I had to see off and say goodbye for the second time to Vicky, one of my closest friends from Peru. She was one of the Germans who worked with Munaychay and we got to be very close while I was working there. She's funny, fun, creative, adventurous, and a total sweetheart. She stayed in Urubamba until early February and returned just a bit after the big floods hit the Sacred Valley.

She came to Barcelona this Wednesday and we enjoyed a whirlwind three days together. It was amazing having her here, showing her around my city, wandering the narrow streets of el Raval together, exploring various tapas restaurants, reminiscing about Peru, making new memories together. It's so special that I was able to see one of my international friends from Peru again; it's going to be so hard for us, as we're spread out across the world, to see each other, and it's so hard to think that after making such amazing friendships in such a short time, it would be possible to not see that person again. Peru was so perfect in that respect, and I can never fully believe how I made such strong friendships with such special people there, and at times I wish I could go back and live it again, be there, watch the time go by more slowly, just so I wouldn't have to say my goodbyes. But seeing Vicky again in another country, another city, laughing together again, making new memories together, all of that reminded me that it is possible, that we can see the people we truly love again, no matter the distance that separates us, we simply have to never lose the contact with those who are important in our lives.

All in all, I couldn't be happier that my darling nametwin came to Barcelona to start off many more years of post-Urubamba fun together!

Snow! Nieve! Niege! Neu!

{{Walkin' in a...winter wonderland...?}}

This Monday, Barcelona was hit by one of the last things I expected to experience while here: a snowstorm. When I left for French class, I was completely surprised to find big white flakes drifting down from the sky above me. But I didn't have much time to think about it then because I had to get to the French Institute quickly to not be late for my exam. Everyone in class was slightly distracted by the snow; we kept looking out the window, or wandering over to look at the cars below growing increasingly whiter, as we waited for the oral part of the exam. And by the time I left French around 4, it was blowing quite strongly, with even thicker flakes, cold cold temperatures, and a chilly wind.

I went down to one of my favorite cafes to drink a coffee and escape the cold for a little bit; I didn't want to go home and miss the spectacle of snow downtown, but I needed a bit of warmth in my bones first. In the little time I was there, the snow started to fall even harder, completely coating the street and parked cars and slowing traffic to a crawl. But the human traffic around Las Ramblas had increased exponentially; it seemed that every Barcelonan was out enjoying the snow--taking photos, staging impromptu snowball fights, lovers wandering hand-in-hand and smiling at the phenomenon. I wandered down Las Ramblas to Plaça Catalunya, taking it in, but noting the increased wind and thicker snowfall the further downtown I got. The Plaça was absolutely gorgeous in the snow, with the fountains coated in white, the sky heavy with silver clouds, the surrounding buildings draped in a cold, fluffy blanket.

It was darkening and I wanted to take some photos in Clot, so I took the metro back home, just in time I believe. The metro was absolutely overflowing with people; we were packed together more-or-less like sardines in the train, and people who didn't move fast enough had to wait for the next train and hope that it was full of people who lived around Catalunya. When I got home Carla told me that it was lucky I had taken the metro home, as the tranvía and bus lines had been discontinued because they couldn't make it through the snow. Clot was quiet and peaceful in the snow, with the sound of laughing children, falling flakes, and honking horns on Carrer Aragó.

That evening, the Catalonian news channel, TV3, was filled with stories about the surprise snowfall. A full 30 minutes of the regular news were devoted to it, and after Crackòvia there was an hour-long special on the snow. Barcelona ended up with about 12 cm of snow, which completely paralyzed the city's transportation system. The government of Barcelona had to look for places to put up people caught at the bus stations, train stations, and airport. In other parts of Catalunya as many as 40 cm of snow fell. It all melted fairly quickly in Barcelona, thanks to above-freezing temperatures during the evening and sun Tuesday (though still cold temperatures), but my friend Vicky, who flew into Girona on Wednesday, told me it was still white around the airport there and she had been unsure if she would be able to make it in.

A short day of a Barcelonan winter wonderland, the first snowfall in the city in some 20+ years, and I was here for the snowfall of 08/03/10!

Paris, City of Light

{{Vuelve a sonreír, a recordar París}}

Last weekend I went with Guillem and his parents on a whirlwind tour--my first--of Paris, which was amazing and absolutely beautiful. It's a city absolutely full of history, of grand and impressive buildings, fashionably dressed people roaming the streets, years of culture and art--in its written form, with paintings, statues, architecture, theater--, and excellent food. We saw a little bit of everything in a full day and a half, plus a night, and I left with a great first taste of one of the most talked-about and referenced cities in the world. I can't wait to be able to return someday and wander its streets even longer, get to know it in greater depth, experience the full magic of Paris.

We walked under the amazing creation that is the Eiffel Tower, wandered along the banks of the Seine, over the Alexander III golden bridge, past the Mona Lisa, a statue of Nike, Napoleon's coronation, and innumerable priceless works of art, the heritage of the world, in the Louvre, marveled at the spectacular detail work of the stained glass in Saint-Chappele, stood under the gargoyles of Notre Dame, looked over all of Paris from Montmartre, saw the lights of Moulin Rouge at night, and wandered the artistic, creative, student-filled Quartier Latin, imagining how it would be to study at the Sorbonne. We also took a tourist bus to escape the freezing wind and passed along the Champs-Elysees, around the Arc de Triomf, by Napoleon's École Militaire, next to the gilded Opera, all of this giving us even more of a taste of Paris than what we could experience only by walking.

As beautiful as Paris was, and as much history as there is there, I have to say that I prefer Barcelona. The architecture of Paris was all so cold, built only to impress, strong, straight-edged, hard, grand, classical. Barcelona's feels, to me, more beautiful simply for beauty's sake, lighter, more relaxed, impressive because of its ingenuity and creativity, colorful, timeless in its ability to balance modernity with classical styles. Barcelona, to me, feels like an architecturally more welcoming city, with grand pedestrian avenues, small little alleys winding through old houses with the wrought iron balconies, fanciful, curving buildings, bright colors. I simply love walking through Barcelona, losing myself in the little streets, sitting and people-watching in Plaça Catalunya. But Paris is one of Europe's centers, and I loved every moment there. I'm just a bit Barcelona-biased! ;)