Barcelona
After hearing so much about the
city, I can finally say that I’ve seen Barcelona. I have several friends who
have studied abroad there and they had nothing but great things to say about
it. For me the city was full of pros and cons.
Barcelona
is the second largest city in Spain (the first being Madrid and the third being
my city, Valencia). I was only there overnight and I saw the highlights but I
will definitely be making a return trip in April to dance and to make sure I
get the full Barcelona experience. Barcelona is huge. They say it’s the least Spanish
city in Spain and the most European. They speak mostly Catalan followed by
English and even though my friends and I insisted we spoke Spanish, we were
normally spoken to in English. This was pretty frustrating but confirmed what I
already knew; that I made the right choice in choosing Valencia. The city was
also too big for me to have considered it a home for four months like I do
Valencia.
I toured
the gothic neighborhood which was the seat of the Crown of Aragon prior to its
union with Castilla. I had a great tour guide and enjoyed learning about all of
the history. I saw the Gothic Cathedral and the Cathedral of the Sea as well as
the seat of the government.
I also went on a modernism tour where we looked at
a few of the works of Antoní Gaudí including La Sagrada Familia (which is under construction until 2026). I was blown
away by Gaudí’s works. He was incredibly innovative and truly thought of
everything.
I felt really nerdy during this weekend as I soaked in everything.
I also spent some time wandering down Las Ramblas (an open street market) and
enjoying the port. Then I bid farewell to Barcelona for the time being.
Sagunto
With my Spanish
culture class I went on a field trip to the town of Sagunto. Sagunto was the
most important port city on the Mediterranean during the time of the Romans. It
is still well known for its remnants of the Roman way of life and fortunately
for me, it sits just 20 minutes north of Valencia by train.
There is an
amphitheater which is still in use today, a museum that showed the daily lives
of the Romans, and castle ruins up on the hill that dominate the landscape. On
our walk up the hill I saw my first Spanish squirrel. It was a big moment for
me.
Once at the top, my adventurous side took over and I climbed to the top of
the castle. It was very peaceful and the sprawling views did not disappoint. On
one side I could see the mountains and the quaint town and on the other side,
the industry of the port. It was definitely worth the trek and the trip to the
town.
The Fallas Museum and La Crida
Valencia
has the third biggest party in the world after Carnaval in Brazil and Mardi
Gras in New Orleans. This party is called Fallas and it is the first thing
people talk about when you mention Valencia. No seriously, it’s the first thing
I’m normally asked when I say I’m new to Valencia. “Are you excited for Fallas?”
Yes, I am super excited but I get the feeling that it’s one of those things
where you truly don’t know until you experience it.
This week I
went to the Fallas museum. A Falla is a huge sculpture (made of wood,
paper-mache, textiles, etc.) that serves as a criticism important for that year
and one is made by each neighborhood. At the end of the week of Fallas they are
all burned but one. A piece (called a Ninot) of that one goes to the museum. It
is interesting to see the evolution of the Fallas and I can’t wait to see this
year’s in person.
This
weekend was also La Crida or the kickoff to the Fallas month. They had the
first mascleta, a big firecracker exhibition in the town square, and a ceremony
at the Towers (Torres de Serrano) to welcome in the season. This was also
followed by fireworks. That is going to be a common theme this month. There will definitely be a big post to come once the craziness of Fallas begins.
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