Adventures in Baaarçe

I´m baaaaack...

Thanks to Saint Thomas (always knew he was a good guy) and his self-named holiday, we had a 4-day weekend and I took full advantage...I took a flight out to Barcelona on Wednesday night and didn´t come back until Monday morning! I should first admit to my travel naivete...I had expressed worry about not having enough to do in Barcelona to fill four whole days.

Yeah. That was dumb.

Barcelona is a great city! There was tons to do and see...I could literally write pages and pages. But, alas...I won't. Here are a few things worth reading:

1. Running in a new city is by far one of the best things in the world. It combines exploring, tourist-ing, and the love of my life (that'd be running, not to be confused with Jon McLaughlin) all in one. What's more, the distance feels like nothing because you spend the entire time taking in the sights - in my case, the old cathedrals, the beyond lavish Sagrada Familia, playa (beach) Barceloneta on the Mediterranean Sea, and some of the most beautiful architecture I've ever seen.
I once had a conversation with a professor about running while abroad. He told me, "You don't really live in a place until you've run there." I couldn't agree more. When you run somewhere, you integrate something routine about your life with something completely new. It creates a sense of familiarity.

2. My favorite place by far was La Rambla, the kilometer-ish-long (look at me, using the metric system!) pedestrian street filled with...everything. Street performers, scummy food joints and five-star restaurants, shops that spill over into the side streets, and my personal favorite - the street vendors. La Rambla has more than your average postcards and cracker jacks. We're talking about flowers, hamsters, clothes, goldfish, roosters, books (I even spotted some erotic photography books??), and your staple of tacky tourist souvenirs. To quote another in this post, a Spanish poet once said, "La Rambla is the only street in the world that I wish would never end." Well said, man. There is always something to look at. My fascination never ceased.

3. As great as La Rambla is, it´s also pickpocketing capital of the world. They aren't kidding when they tell you to watch your wallet. Thankfully, I'm still going strong in the personal possession retention department (much to my own surprise, and anyone who knows me)...but I know FOUR students that went to Barcelona this weekend who got their wallet or purse taken. Maybe I shouldn't have ditched mom's money belt after all.

4. La Boqueteria is THE COOLEST PLACE EVER. It's a GIANT open market in La Rambla that sells literally any food you can possibly imagine. It's world renowned and indisputably one of the best markets in all Europe - it's probably the same square footage of about 2 football fields! It's packed with vendors selling anything from fresh-squeezed juice (my personal favorite was strawberry-coconut. Oh. My. Lord.) to stingray, cactus fruit, dozens of chili varieties, hand crafted chocolate roses, and some animal's head at a meat stand that definitely still had its eyeballs. Gross. I think I learned more fruits, vegetables, spices and meats there than I did in my childhood! What's more, the vibrant colors and personalities in this crowded marketplace are any photographer's haven. For that matter, it's really a haven for anyone that appreciates beauty or the simple relations we form in our daily lives. Here, shopping for your groceries is social and enjoyable. Nobody is rushed, people stop to enjoy a tapa on the outskirts of the market or drink a fresh juice and continue on their way, and every vendor seems to be smiling and patient. Every time I left, I couldn't help but be in a good mood. Then again, it could have just been the strawberry-coconut juice. It was THAT good.

5. Hostels are great (not to mention CHEAP! 15 bucks a night!). The first one I stayed with was really shady - it smelled weird and there was no way I would leave the room without locking my bags up - but at the same time, it was one of the most interesting places I´ve ever been. On the first night, we wandered up to the kitchen around 10 or 11, and encountered people from all corners of the world...listening to music, drinking a beer, playing cards. Everyone was so interested with everyone else´s origins, why they were in Barcelona, what they did for work. My group quickly befriended a few guys travelling from Mexico (we bonded over our North American origins) and got into some interesting conversations about the differences between Latin American Spanish and Castellano (Spain Spanish). Small world...I didn´t see them after that (I switched to another hostel to meet up with some kids from U of I), and then randomly ran into them on my way to a supermarket to get dinner on my last night! The hostel I stayed at the rest of my time was a little cleaner and safer, complete with a wonderful staff, doors that actually lock, and a teeny-tiny free breakfast. It´s fun to share a living space with young people from all over the world, just as excited about travelling as you are. Not to mention, my own travel companions were the best company I could ask for!

6. Flaming shot consumed from a straw (from a safe distance, surely). Not something I plan on doing again, but definitely worth being able to make that claim about my life.

7. As amazing as Barcelona was, one of the best (and unexpected) parts for me was coming home...for several reasons. At the beginning of the weekend, I found myself a tiny bit jealous of the students that got to study in this city all semester long. There is so much to do and see! But as time went on, I began to miss things about Bilbao, and I started to realize the difference that Barcelona´s status as a big tourist city makes. Anyone that realizes you´re American speaks to you in English, and Spanish customs don´t shine through as brightly when the entire city is really an international melting pot. The more I enjoyed Barcelona, the more I also grew to appreciate Bilbao´s down-to-earth reality, its Basque pride, serene mountains, and my ability to integrate myself into it.

The best part? As my plane pulled in early Monday morning, I re-lived the arrival I had made just 3 short weeks ago. Then, I was in an entirely new city, weary with travel and scared to death. I was stunned when I realized, peering out my window at the familiar Bilbao airport, that I was...relieved. Relieved to finally be...home(??) after a long weekend. I was excited to see my host family and couldn´t wait to sleep in my own bed. Until that moment on the plane, it hadn´t hit me that Bilbao was finally starting to feel like home.

What a great way to start a Monday.

:)