We started out our day from the Best Western Hotel and hopped a bus to the city center. Our ride was fart filled, with some Spaniard storing up a weeks worth of farts to pass on our trip alone. I thought it was an anomaly but later learned that it's a thing in Barcelona. Lots of serial crop dusters on the metro, buses and taxis. What a perfect opportunity to gas it up? A small confined space where no one knows you? Let it all out, all of it. Every last bit. Can't beat three euro though to get from our door to the city center. I'll endure six noxious farts for that any day. We walked to the coastal entry and scoped a large pillar monument beautifully adorned with statuary (statues are huge in Barcelona- covering most buildings with figures which delights me to no end) where we took pictures and started a lengthy stroll on the famous Las Ramblas, a promenade that allows a middle steet view of day life in the city and apparently has a night life with lots of hookers. I missed out on the hookers sadly. PDA is also a thing here. Long lingering tongue kisses and butt/booby/ham gropes are everywhere. It's a very performative thing that makes all of us gawk but judge puritanically. Fun stuff to watch the students grow accustomed to. We stumbled into the most amazing open air market with absolutely spectacular arrangements of everything your heart might desire. We snacked on fresh juices while gazing at fish, butchers, candy, fruit, tapas bars and everything else it had to offer. My inner twelve year old kept repeating, "coooooool." Actually, I probably said it out loud at least ten times. Little things put me in awe here, not so much the big.
Strolling the Ramblas we spied Art Nouveau buildings when I spotted a beacon that called to me. Starbucks. Holy God I miss my dear Starbucks. I ordered a disappointing and flavorless mocha. Sadness. But any Starbucks is better than no Starbucks. It was the first I had here. I'll stick to the cafe con leche. I'm a convert. For lunch we munched on tapas that were overpriced but enjoyable while we hashed out a plan. We decided to make way for the contemporary art museum and follow up with a trip to the aquarium. We took at least an hour and a half to find a building a quarter mile away, but we stumbled into both the Arab and Asian neighborhoods which provided interesting visuals and a bit of that familiar frustration. When you don't really speak Spanish or Catalan it's especially intimidating to ask for directions. We found it hidden away on a side street though. The contemporary art museum was an exhibition that simultaneously irritated me and perplexed my students. I won't get into a diatribe about it but it did end on a good note with a compelling and beautiful video focusing on the life of shadow in the city and in 3D! There were even those glasses. Gotta love it. We gassed up with some cafe con leche, hummus, pizza in an upstairs cafe near the university and had the most lovely server who we all fell quickly in love with. It's always funny to see the impact of a kind and understanding face on the group. They become a beautiful unicorn for us to dote over. I vow to be equally helpful and patient to every foreigner in the States upon my return home. Think I was before, but now I REALLY know why.
We gathered our wits about us, lifted our sore feet and carried our heavy legs all the way to the aquarium. The docks were littered with gorgeous sailboats and had the most pedestrian friendly promenade with outdoor art and palms. I love that about Europe, so very walker friendly. What can I say, the aquarium was full of fish. Fish, fish and more fish. But the Sharks didn't disappoint. It was relaxing and intriguing. I've never been to an aquarium. We ended the night fairly early taking a taxi back to the hotel, the cabbie getting lost along the way ending the evening in the hotel restaraunt with seven Euro whiskey sours that were so strong we had to choke it down in shot form. We struggled through it because damn it, that thing cost seven Euros. Seven freaking Euros. No waste in Europe. No sleep til Brooklyn.
The morning led us back to the bus and more fart filled adventure to the National Museum of Art of Catalunya. That building exemplified the cultural accomplishments of the Western world. What a building. I've never had to walk up more steps or seen a more amazing facade in my life. The fountains had a waterfall feature that dropped in tiers at least two hundred feet. It seemed like an absolute beacon, an emblem of the triumph of Western art. Like, beat. Us. Over. The. Heads. This museum collection though? Something else. The Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque dropped the mic. I was satisfied and my students really enjoyed it I think. It made up for the dissapointing art experience of the prior day and then some. From there the students spotted a mall across the street and God does a mall call to them like a siren. So, we went to the mall. THE MALL. Here I am in EUROPE, and I've been to several malls. Like three so far. It's like crack to them. We look for comforts that are familiar I guess. For me? It's a Starbucks and English speaking TV. They love malls though. The food court, the people, the clothes. I'm a good sport, let's just end it there. I suffer through it quietly before I write about it on the blog in judgement. Thankfully though, the several hour experience led to viewing the diverse cross section of locals, a great fresh pasta lunch with a Nutella crepe and a human body exhibition. Yeah, a real deal plastination cadaver exhibition in a mall. Boy, those folks shrink right up like raisins. It's jarring to see the little hairs on the eyelashes and genitals. The folks who prepared the bodies are very considerate of what hair they choose to leave behind and to great effect.
We hopped on the underground metro being warned about pick pockets from a proactive and concerned Spanish woman (thank God for these Angels btw) and headed to see a Gaudi church. It was spectacularly ugly, sorry Gaudi fans but it's true. I mean, wretch... What were they thinking? I popped into a cafe when it started to pour rain and had the most delicious chai latte I've ever had. I think I'll just move to Europe and write a guidebook for coffee house lovers. No tenure for me. Become the Sister Wendy of the Cafe world. We took a taxi back to the hotel where a few of us stayed put having dinner in the restaraunt and hitting the sack early. I spent both evenings chatting about life and friendships with easy, eager to laugh students.
I write this as we descend on the beautiful city of Granada on a flight where we are packed in like sardines. I look forward to a three euro, fart free bus ride back to my comfortable bed in Lanjaron.
P.S. 1. I've had so much ham on this trip I don't think I'll partake again back in the States for a long while. The potato chips are even ham flavored. I've started to think of human flesh every time I nosh on a tough piece of Jamon Serrano or Jamon York.
2. Trendy showers without curtains or doors should not be a thing. I flooded our bathroom the first day with my jeans on the floor. I had to walk around with soaking wet pants for a day. Curse that.
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