For some time I have been without wifi in my apartment and although this misfortune was initially very stressful, I am coming to develop an appreciation for the encouragement of exploring it placed on me. Because I have been without wifi, I have not been able to stay inside and spend time on my laptop as I would normally spend a portion of the day doing. Instead, I was forced to allocate that time to wandering around itinerantly in Barcelona, a place that is one of the best fit for such a task!

While exploring I was able to meet people, try completely new cuisines and see some of the beautiful imbedded art that Barce has to offer.

One of Barce’s biggest tourist attractions is Park Guell, known for its reflection of Guadi’s creative genius shown through his designed architecture, rose gardens, and other forms of art. The popularity Park Guell has can be revealed just by taking a second to listen to the conversations going on around you; for a city where the dominant languages are Spanish and Catalan, you will hear a wide variety of languages, accents and dialects going on around you, showing you how people have travelled from all over to arrive here. Not only is Park Guell considered a view itself, but the neighborhood it resides in offers an additional must-see view that sits at high altitude and allows one to have an overview of practically all of Barcelona.

Relocating to Barcelona has been quite the hassle, but it was well worth it! Because Barcelona is such a popular city, especially in the summer, trying to find an apartment for the month of July is a tough task. Fortunately I was able to find one located in the heart of the city.

I share my new apartment with two other young adults from Italy, in Barcelona for their new jobs. One works with artificial intelligence while the other works in Human Resources. I mention this because it goes to show how popular Barcelona is, not only as a vacation destination, but also as a hub for those upcoming in the workforce.

Coming from Zaragoza, adapting to the social aspect of Barcelona is thankful painless. Although the main language here is Catalan, one that I am unfamiliar with, the use of Spanish is present enough to where I can communicate without any problems. One of the most noticeable differences between Barcelona and Zaragoza (and anywhere for that matter) is the cultural presence and beauty the city has to offer. It’s hard to not want to take a picture of every building, every church, every courtyard or every statue. The architecture of the city is extremely well preserved even though the city has an up-tempo, urban feel. 

Because Barcelona is such a popular tourist attraction, you can commonly see workers at restaurants, stores, etc. that speak English as well. Because of this, I do not feel the same degree of immersion (regarding to Spanish language) as I did when in Zaragoza, but I nonetheless am still able to practice. I am extremely excited about the improvement I have been noticing about my Spanish skills. Although my speaking ability could still use improvement, I am now at a point where, when listening, I no longer have to mentally translate from Spanish to English. Instead, when spoken to in Spanish, I naturally process what is being said to me. In contrary, when it comes to speaking, I am still at a point where I think about what I want to say in English and then translate it to Spanish, and then say verbally produce it in Spanish. Nonetheless with the time I have left here and with constant practice I believe I will see great improvement.

 Akartegi

This week has been full of adventuring! This past week in Spain I was able to visit Donostia-San Sebastian, Vitoria, Salou, and La Rioja. In between traveling to different wineries, as a group we were able to make several stops to soak in the differences in sceneries and just how much a cities can differentiate despite the close distance.

Vitoria

Spending the night in Vitoria was refreshing because the city is alive with shopping centers, restaurant strips, and encourages both a young and older crowd. I was lucky enough to visit on a weekend so I was able to get the full effect of just how vibrant the are could be. It was easy to sink into the crowd because of all of the foot traffic, people shopping, and people socializing and simply enjoying themselves.

Donostia-San Sebastian

San Sebastian is an amazing, vivid place that is hard to compare to anywhere else. It has all the makings to mark it as a must-visit when in Spain. Not only does it have a beautiful beach, but also offers a plethora of restaurants, markets, bars, clothing stores, local-bakeries, you name it. One of my favorite aspects of San Sebastian is despite being such a popular city, it nonetheless holds appreciation for local producers/businesses; as you walk along the streets you will notice very little chains and more so family-owned establishments, whether big or small. Because of its proximity to France, it isn’t uncommon for you to hear a couple speaking in French while passing, and because it is such the city itself is such an attraction, don’t be surprised if you hear a few other languages as well.

 

Food of the Week: Grilled steak resting atop a bed of alioli-smothered potatoes and of course, olive oil. On the side lies a bowl of oil-based sauce (parsley, garlic, pepper), a bowl of red pepper, and chips. In Spain, especially in the summer, there are a lot more cold-served dishes as compared to the U.S. Furthermore, in my host family house hold, large portions of meat are rarely the center of a meal. As I responded with this at dinner one night when my host mother asked me how food here compared to back home, as well as admitting that I do miss it a bit, my host prepared this dish for me the next night! It was such a nice gesture and not only that but it tasted amazing!

Song of the Week: C. Tangana – Llorando en la Limo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?

This week I was able to visit one of the top producers of one of Spain’s most prominemt products–wine. Campo Viejo is a popular wine-making company located in Rioja, Spain and is well known for the quality of their wine which they achieve by taking advantage of their unique location. Because of their location (altitude, humidity, climate, etc.) they’re able to make use of a variety of grapes, and hence produce many kinds of wine.

 Tempranillo Grapes (The King of Grapes)

 

During the tour at Campo Viejo, we were invited into the cellar where they store the wines to allow them to mature for one year minimum (the right) and storage rooms where wine is held before being bottled or barreled (left) where the wine can also be mixed in small amounts.

 Vianco Wine Museum

Reflection: By now I am well aware of how integral wine is in the Spanish community which has taken some getting used to. One of the biggest realizations that I have had here, that has allowed me to genuinely experience wine from a Spanish perspective as opposed to an American, is the purpose of wine. In Spain wine is not seen as a sole luxury product or a product used only for celebration but instead is product where its production is just as important as its consumption. Wine in Spain is used as a major contributor to Spain’s economy and also a cooking product, a product made to be understood and a product that you can find anywhere.