Rainy Day in Barcelona

Today it rained all day and so after class, we went to take pictures of La Boqueria and explored the side streets of Las Ramblas.

Entrance to La Boqueria.

We were told by vendors at La Boqueria that we didn't stick out as American tourists!  We are getting this down!

 My Heaven = Candy!!

 Sausage and cheese!

Every body part of the animal you can imagine - sick.

I love churros, and they are everywhere in Barcelona.  Camille found a good churro spot where the locals hang out in her Rick Steve's book right off of Las Ramblas.

Churros with Swiss chocolate!

Camille and Sarah got tapas while we tried to avoid the rain.  It was our first tapas experience!

Yummmyyyy!

Fun Pictures

Here are some pictures from other people's cameras that are fun!

 Camille  and me on the Fat Tire Bike Tour!

After the big win on the streets of Barcelona!

My First Discoteca Experience

Last night all of us went to Pippermint, a place recommended by all of our friends' Barcelona guides.  The drinks are HUGE there and are really easy to split, although I'm still trying to do the math to see if it's actually worth it.

We then headed to Apollo, a discoteca that is apparently the place to be on Monday nights in Barcelona.  As I guessed, it was not my scene - at all.  I don't like super crowded places with strobe lights, loud techno, and really sweaty (and smelly) people I don't know.  And I am not a dancer.  I'm glad I went and got to experience Apollo, but I am 99% confident I will be staying in next time everyone is in the mood for another discoteca night (and it will save me a 13 euro cover fee - so not worth it).

Bo de B's

I have heard from every single person who has studied in Barcelona that Bo de B's is their favorite place to eat.  Camille, Aly and I finally went today!!  We will definitely be visiting again.  I got a bocadillo con pollo with avocado, tomato, lettuce and corn.  Yummmmmm!!

My Chicken Sandwich

Aly's Chicken Salad

Sarah and Hutton came to Barcelona yesterday!  Last night Camille and I met them at The Magic Fountain of Montejuic for a light show.

They showed us pictures from their trip to the South of Frances and Geneva, Switzerland.  Their trip sounds unreal; they saw so many stars (Kirsten Dunst, Ryan Gosling, Robert de Niro, and Uma Thurman) on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet, stayed at an amazing hotel in Saint Tropez (Saint Amour La Tartane), and got to party on a yacht in Switzerland.  Not fair.

Parade for Barcelona Fútbol!

Right after we got home from Sitges, our Señora told us about the parade going on for the Barcelona fútbol team.  The stadium is only three blocks away from us, so we walked right back outside and followed the huge crowd of people towards the parade.

Of course right when the team came by, my memory card was full so I didn't get any shots of the bus...

A Day Trip to Sitges

After the big win, Emily, Aly, CJ, Camille and I went on a day trip to Sitges, a small beach town just outside of Barcelona.  The town reminded me of Vail Village, just not as expensive!  We will definitely be visiting again.

A balcony in Sitges  just after the big game. 

Emily got her nose pierced!

My First Doner Kebab!

One of my friends studied in Barcelona last summer and sent me a really helpful travel guide.  I am trying to check things off the guide every day.  One of her favorite foods in Barcelona were doner kebabs, so on the day of the game, Camille and I found a really good doner kebab place just off of Las Ramblas called Luna de Istanbul.  It was only 3.50 euros and sooo good!

My camera has a setting just for cuisine!  Yall will be seeing a ton of food pictures!

Another Day in Barcelona

Before the big game Camille and I headed to La Plaza de Catalunya to go shopping and check out the Picasso Museum (which never actually happened).  Right by our metro station we found a cute market that sold anything and everything.

Buying chocolate at the market.  Apparently it's not as tasty as it is in the US.

We are hoping to run into more of these markets.  Our Senora told us that there is one just down the street from us.  I think I saw it today on my run (my FIRST one of the trip - oops!).  If we find anymore I will post pictures!

¡UEFA Championes!

Barcelona won the UEFA Champions League, beating Manchester United 3 to 1.  A group of us watched the game at George Payne's Irish Pub.

I think I found TWO potential Spanish lovers on the team...

We won!!!

The streets were INSANE after we won.  It's crazy how much pride the people of Catalunya have.

A Day in Borne

To avoid the craziness caused by the protest in the main plaza, a group of us got lunch at a good lunch spot, Sandwich and Friends, and spent the day in the Barcelona neighborhood, El Born Barrio.  This is by far one of my favorite barrios in Barcelona.  There are tons of cute shops, bakeries, gelato shops, bars, and restaurants, and is located right next to the Parc de la Ciutadella and the Arc de Triomf.

Cupcakes in El Born!

 Mexican food in El Born.  We are planning on trying it out Wednesday night!

 In front of the waterfall.

La Catedral del Mar in El Born.

There was also a fun candy shop called "Happy Pills."  You can fill up a clear, "medicine bottle" of candy, and there are fun stickers you can put on the bottles that tell you when to use the medicine/candy. I didn't really get a cute store front picture of it, but I'm keeping the bottle as a souvenir!

Protest in La Plaza de Catalunya

Since May 15th, tens of thousands of youth have set up around-the-clock protest camps in cities and towns across Spain to complain about the government's handling of the economic crisis and future of Spain.  Through social media, the protest is now known as "The 15-M Movement," and even as "The Spanish Revolution."  The camp set up in Barcelona is in the main square, La Plaza de Catalunya, which happens to be right next to my school.

These are pictures of the protest  from my first night in Barcelona.

This morning, I woke up to an email from the IES Abroad director informing all IES students that the Barcelona Police were moving the protesters out of the plaza and that we should be careful and avoid any conflict with the protest while walking to school.  Sure enough, Camille and I walk out of La Plaza de Catalunya metro stop to a police helicopter hovering above the plaza and hundreds of cops controlling the streets in SWAT gear.  As we head towards school, the first gun shots (rubber bullets) start going off and police start charging the protestors.  Camille and I rushed towards school, where there were ambulances and police cars lined down the block.  From the balcony in the classroom, my class watched and talked about the protestors and police.  The director of IES came to our class to make sure everyone was safe and contacted everyone who was missing.  We got out of class early and were told to avoid the area all today and tomorrow.

View from my classroom balcony.

According to the latest news, over 100 have been injured from today's riot.  After lunch, I saw one man with stitches on his eyebrow and a huge red welt on his back with a black and purple bruise-outline.  Tonight's news aired policemen beating and shooting rubber bullets at the protestors who tried to re-enter the center of the plaza.

Police interfered with the protest because the plaza had to be cleaned before soccer fans gather there tomorrow night after the Barcelona vs. Manchester United UEFA Champions League game.  It is a tradition for the people of Barcelona to watch the game on big screens and celebrate wins in La Plaza de Catalunya.  Now, however, the plan is to move the big screens to the Arc de Triomf to avoid massive crowds of fans and protestors.  Protestors were allowed back into the main square after it had been sanitized.  My friends and I plan to avoid the square tomorrow night.  Hopefully no conflict will arise again.

Performers at Parque Guell

Barcelona has a ton of street performers.  There were two at Parque Guell that were really fun:

This guy was performing at the cross at the Park.  I took a really funny video of him.  He was meowing and purring to all the girls who walked by while singing "I love you, I love you, I love you."  

I saw a guy like this on Las Ramblas earlier today as well.  I don't know how they do it.  One, it looks so hot; two, there is no way is right quad is that strong/isn't in a huge cramp; and three, he doesn't move at all.  They have to be sitting on something or have something in their pants?  Pretty cool though.

Yesterday some of us were walking down Las Ramblas and Emily accidentally kicked over a street performers tip jar.  He was one of those performers who don't move at all - and he actually stayed still.  Oops.

Barcelona so far...

I've had a really good time so far in Barcelona.  There is so much to see and do here!

My first night was fun.  Camille, Aly, and Emily and I went to L'Ovella Negra off of Las Ramblas for a huge jug of sangria for only 20 euros.  We meet some friends from UT at L'Ovella who brought along other IES kids from all over the US.  After sangria we ended up in some club-like spot of Las Ramblas that was not all that great.  Francisca told Camille and I about the NIT Bus that runs all night, which sounded great because the metro is closed at night and it's cheaper than cabs - wrong.  We ended up going the wrong way, we were the only Americans and only girls on the bus (the men in Barcelona are much different than the men in America...).  It took us two hours to get home after we got off the bus and took a cab.  We are never taking the NIT Bus again.  Cabs are more expensive, but so much safer.

On my first full day, I had orientation for my Spanish class and then Camille and I went on the Fat Tire Bike Tour.  We rode all around Barcelona for four hours and ended up at a cute restaurant/shack with good sangria and food on the beach.  I'm really glad we went because I feel like I got to see so much of Barcelona.  Here are some pictures:

 Plaza Sant Jaume

 Plaza del Rei

 La Catedral

 Palau de la Música Catalana.

 Arc del Triomf

 Parc de la Ciutadella

 Plaza de Toros

 La Sagrada Familia

Statue of a woman's legs 

 Barceloneta Beach

 Vila Olímpica

  Barceloneta Beach

 Camille at Barceloneta Beach

That night we celebrated Camille's 21st birthday (at midnight) at Ryan's Irish Pub, which was recommended to us by several of our friends and by some Aussies our friends had met at the beach while Camille and I were on the bike tour.  We then headed to a big discoteca on the beach called Opium, which was a favorite of my friends' who studied in Barcelona this Spring.

Yesterday, we had Spanish, ate fresh fruit from the La Boqueria off Las Ramblas, and headed to the beach to celebrate Camille's birthday.  We had a relaxed night at another Irish pub near Plaza Catalunya called George Payne's.  All of us were exhausted and headed home around 1:00, usually when people start going out.

Celebrating Camille's birthday at  George Payne's

Today after class, Aly, Camille and I went to Parque Guell by Antonio Gaudi.  We all wore the wrong shoes and clothes, but it was really neat to see.  We want to go back in work out clothes and have a picnic.  Here are some pictures from today:

Camille and Aly, and Aly and me at the entrance.

House designed by Gaudi.

 View from the top of the crosses at the park.

Crosses at the park.