Strut Like You Mean It

First Barcelona post is finally here! We arrived on the evening of Monday, July 21st, and stayed until the end of the program on Friday, July 25th.

First, we went on a tour of the old Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. The gothic style is pretty important in Barcelona. First, we visited the Barcelona Cathedral, which is very impressive and obviously very gothic. The actual building was finished in 1448, but the front facade was not built until the late 1800s (completed in 1913).

Front facade of the Barcelona Cathedral

From there, we continued to walk around the old neighborhood. As usual, I loved walking through the narrow streets and seeing people just going about their lives. One thing I noticed in the neighborhoods of Barcelona (and in Catalonia in general) is that a ton of people hang the Catalonian flag from their balconies. Its literally everywhere. This is worth noting because many people in the autonomous community want Catalonia to become its own independent country, so they like to show their catalan pride.

The flag of Catalonia hanging from a balcony

Continuing through the neighborhood, we continued to the Santa Maria del Mar, another church in the gothic neighborhood. It was built between 1329 and 1383, and during this period Catalonia had lots of maritime might. Its also a great example of the Catalan gothic style, with a more basic exterior facade than those of traditional gothic churches, and lots of space inside (Catalan gothic churches feel pretty airy and spacious inside).

Exterior of Santa Maria del Mar

Statue inside Santa Maria del Mar

After walking around the gothic neighborhood, we had the rest of the night free. My friends and I were pretty tired, so we ended up eating dinner at a Mexican restaurant near the neighborhood. Although I would have rather eaten at a Catalan restaurant, the fajitas I had were really good!

The next day, we started out with a bike tour of Barcelona, like the one we did in Madrid. It was really fun to get to know the city while getting a little exercise at the same time. We biked from parks to the beach to other landmarks via the tiny cobblestone streets that we all already know I love.

My biking group at the Cascada at the Parque de la Ciudadela

 After seeing the beach during the bike tour, my friends and I decided to pack a picnic and go after the bike tour. A group of around 10 kids piled into the market across the street from our hotel and bought a mountain of food - but only for 27 euros! Then we all taxied to the beach and enjoyed the sun and each other. Although the beach wasn't as pretty as the one in Calella (and a lot more crowded), it was really fun to see that aspect of Barcelona! Before the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, it was like the beach wasn't even there. It was surrounded by extremely poor neighborhoods and no one really went there. However, when Barcelona got the games, the city decided to revamp the beach front and turn it into a popular destination for tourists and residents alike. Seeing how busy it is now, it was hard for me to believe that before the Olympics nobody went there.

After our afternoon at the beach, it was time for the activity everyone was really looking forward to: the visit to the famous Sagrada Familia. Construction on the Sagrada Familia began in 1882, but it is still under contraction. It was designed by the world-famous architect Antonio Gaudí, who died in a tram accident in 1926, when the project was less than a quarter of the way finished. During the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s construction on the Sagrada Familia slowed down, but picked up again in the 1950s, and passed the midpoint in 2010. It is expected to be finished in 2026, 100 years after Gaudí's death. 

The design of the Sagrada Familia fascinates me. There is truly nothing like it anywhere else. In Europe, I have visited tons of churches from all different periods, and although they are all impressive and unique in their own ways, there are always other churches with the same general style. However, the Sagrada Familia seems to be in its own league in my opinion. The exterior reminds me a bit of the sand castles I used to make with dripped wet sand, which starts to show the element of nature present all throughout to church. 

The exterior of the Sagrada Familia

 The interior of the Sagrada Familia is probably favorite part. The ceilings are really high, creating really cool elements of air and space. The church has a ton of natural light streaming through bright, rainbow-colored stained glass windows. The ceilings also had a geometric feel to them, which give the church a bit of a modern feel while also reminding me of the geometry in the Muslim art that has influenced Spanish art during their occupation of the Iberian Peninsula.

That night, we went out for a group dinner at a Catalan restaurant, and then I walked home on one of the main streets in Barcelona. In order to not bombard people with one super long post about all of Barcelona, I've decided to split it up into two. I hope to post about the second half of my trip to Barcelona before I leave Spain (only two days left!). ¡Hasta entonces!
(PS: Kudos if you got the Cheetah Girls reference in the blog title - the second movie is about Barcelona so I couldn't resist)