Hola Student Card

Two months after applying for it, my student card finally turned up this week. I showed it to my flatmates and mentioned that had I been in Leeds I would have got it the day I asked for it, to which they replied "Well, you are in Spain". They're right, in general things do seem to take longer here... so I guess the fact they spelt my name right and resisted the temptation of turning my middle name into another surname means I shouldn't complain.

Gardens at Uni

While I'm on the topic of Uni, here's a photo of my university diary! Each year there's a competition for the design and the winning design gets printed on the diaries and folders which students are given in September. This year the winning design is of the Barcelona skyline!

Rupit: 25N

Outing with my adopted Catalan family to Rupit - an adorable little town in the North of Catalonia:

Independentist Catalan flags hung proudly throughout the little cobbled narrow streets and in the main square there was a sign by the town hall: today was election day. Next to the church there was man busking with a guitar underneath a house with lopsided balconies and laundry hanging down to dry. Over the river hung a bridge with a sign: "No more than 8 people at one time. No swinging". The bridge felt like something from Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan, or a playground - and with ropes on either side to hold on to was precariously made of planks of wood. 

Íngrid, her parents and I enjoyed had a delicious lunch in a beautiful little square with traditional dishes including pa amb tomaquet, escalivada (oven cooked pepper, onion and aubergine), and bolets (seasonal wild mushrooms), before proceeding on a relaxing walk around the town. The stone houses were all beautifully unique, and the uneven winding streets felt worlds away from the perfectly squared road system in the centre of the Catalan capital.

We peeked into some of the souvenir shops and I am now the proud owner of a Catalan barretina, a traditional catalan red hat. We also stocked up on some traditional food: "pets de monja", little tiny biscuits whose name literally translates as "nun's farts". The lady the tourist shop was pleased to tell us there was an american tourist in the village that day too, and then - finding out I was from London - she insisted on sharing a little story of her 'happy memories' of London, a trip which had supposed to last 3 days, but ended up being 8 due to the Iceland volcano in 2010. 

And finally, a photo of a caganer* display in a shop window

*Caganer: Figurine of a man squatting; a traditional part in the Catalan Christmas nativity scene. 

Choose between traditional version with a traditional barretina (red hat)...

or alternatively versions of famous people.

Breakfast at Bellmunt

The heavens declare the glory of God,

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

- Psalm 19:1

Los cielos cuentan la gloria de Dios,
el firmamento proclama la obra de sus manos.
- Salmos 19:1

This Sunday started with an early morning hike up a Bellmunt, the mountain near Íngrid's house. We hiked up along the shortcuts, through the trees, along little paths, climbing up rocks, kicking the deliciously crunchy leaves, surrounded by the beautiful autumn colours. 

Having arrived at the top, we could see for miles, with a sea of mist covering the towns. To one side we could see the Plana de Vic and to the other side we could see another plain and the foothills of the Pyrenees. 

Once at the top, we stood for a while enjoying the panoramic views, before joining fellow mountaineers for breakfast in the warm and cosy restaurant perched at the top. The restaurant was packed, so we shared a table with two catalans who had cycled up. The food on offer was the Catalan equivalent of a full english: warm and filling food. 

The guys next to us did it properly and ordered a "porró" of red wine (a porro is basically a glass watering can which you fill with up and then pour the drink directly into your mouth from the spout. For food, one of them had pa amb tomaquet (the traditional Catalan bread with tomato and olive oil) with truita (omelette), and the other, a massive platter of cooked meat. Íngrid and I opted for coffee and toast with jam, which sounds simple compared to the feast our neighbours were devouring, but it was delicious and definitely did the job of filling us up! 

Sketching

A sketch my friend Ingrid did of/for me!

Weekend with Maite!

This weekend I went to Maite's! On the Sunday we were supposed to climb the nearby mountain - Bellmunt. 

We got all prepared and had breakfast early, only to look out the window and find it raining, so we went out for a second breakfast with another friend, Judit!

Coffee and toast with ham!

Attempting phonetical writing

2nd Breakfast!

And on the Saturday we'd gone out for a relaxed supper at the local creperia - a restaurant where basically the whole menu is crepes... Yum!

Dinner at the Creperia in Torelló! 

Bailando por ahí

Uns amics m'han demanat perquè sempre escric en anglès per tant faré aquest commentari curtet en català per vosaltres.

Aquestes fotos són del campament de GBU on vaig anar fa unes setmanes i estem aprenent aquest ball. Mireu el vídeo si teniu temps - és bastant guai! 

---

[Learning this dance at the GBU weekend away]

(Photos copied from the official GBU photos.)

The Cathedral Roof

This Monday morning, Maite and I went on a spontaneous touristic expedition to the gothic quarter of the city. Although at the time we didn't know where we were going, I can tell you in retrospect that our main destination was the Cathedral roof. Walking through Plaça de la Catedral, we decided to pop in for a quick nosey about and, as we were walking around the inside of the Cathedral, we stumbled across a sign saying we could get a lift up to the roof, so, of course, we did.

One thing I love about Barcelona abundance of balconies: they're literally everywhere. For me, the luxury has still not worn off and I love sitting outside for breakfast when it's warm enough, hearing the constant buzz of traffic and and watching the world pass by. I think balconies are even more exciting though when you find yourself in a place like the roof of the Cathedral, which offers panoramic views of the city and also allow you to glimpse into dozens and dozens of balconies, participating in the beautiful irony of watching people who naïvely think they're the ones watching, that they're the invisible spies.I love observing their choice of decor while sneakily watching the odd person hanging around lost in thought. I love looking at the different shutters on the windows, the odd bike hung up on the wall, the architecture and the vibrant mediterranean colours of the walls. The Catalan flags hanging down alongside the displays of exotic plants, the cacti, the little lemon or orange plants. The laughs of children running around enjoying their break time on a nearby rooftop terrace, and the hustle and bustle of tourists below marching through the maze of passageways that define that part of the city trying to see everything before their time runs out. The sun, the blue skies, the hills and the sea.

Observant Advert

"The only way to speak English is (by) speaking English"

Good advert - apart from the grammar mistakes, that is.
(In Spanish, names of languages aren't written with capital letters.)

A Yorkshire Visitor

This weekend my friend David from Leeds came to visit! He'd only been to Barcelona once before for a day trip so we went around all the main sights. I've summarised the weekend in 9 pictures and descriptions to go with them which go from top left to bottom right.

1. Monument a Colom
We started off by walking down the Ramblas, past the famous Boqueria market and the beautiful Plaça Reial towards the Port. At the end of the Ramblas stands this monument of Christopher Columbus which is 60 metres high, and has a statue of Columbus on top, pointing out to sea. It's normally possible to go all the way up the monument in a lift, but unfortunately it was closed for repairs that day. In the photo we're sitting on the lions at the foot of the monument.

2. Bombers
Here in Barcelona it is quite common to see bombers around the city. Fortunately, however, the Catalan word bombers does not refer to people who drop bombs, but rather firemen. Everytime I see a sign, or a bomber-mobile here it makes me chuckle, so I thought it relevant to include a photo is of one of their Barcelona headquarters.

3. Las Arenas
Although the ban on bull fighting in Catalonia only came into action at the beginning of this year, the last bull fight in this bull ring in Plaça Espanya took place over 30 years ago, in 1977. In the 1990's it fell into disrepair and was then converted into the shopping centre it is now. For €1 you can to take a lift up and walk around the top of the ring which provides a lovely panorama over the whole city.

4. Montjuïc
In this photo Íngrid and I are standing outside MNAC (the Catalan National Museum of Art), looking down over the city. The atmosphere was lovely and although it was a little bit chilly, we sat on the steps for a while, listening to a guitar player who was busking. The MNAC is located in a building called the Palau Nacional, and in order to get there you take escalators up the hill. As far as I know, in England escalators are an indoor thing so I am continually amazed at the utter brilliantness of Barcelona for building outdoor escalators to transport the tourists up and down hills to tourist spots.

5. La Font Màgica
A feature on many of the postcards, the Magic Fountain at Montjuïc is popular among the city's tourists. A few evenings a week, the fountains turn into a beautiful display of water, lit up in numerous colours and accompanied by music. Today the fountains stayed red for the whole display in order to raise awareness of the need for blood and tissue donors in Barcelona and Catalonia.

6. Anella Olímpica
Barcelona was the host city of the 1992 Olimpic games, and it's Olimpic stadium sits on Montjuïc, a hill in the south of the city. We learnt that the stadium was actually built in in the 1930s for some games which, due to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, didn't end up happening. Then in 1992 the old stadium was preserved for the Olimpic games, with builders digging further down in order to create enough seating for the events. Here we're standing in front of the fountains beside the stadium.

7. Catedral
In contrast to most of the city on a Sunday, Plaça de la Catedral was relatively busy. A band on the steps of the Cathedral had attracted a crowd, there was a stand with information about diabetes in honour of diabetes day on 14th November, and other people like us who were just on a Sunday morning stroll. Despite having seen the Cathedral from the outside on numerous occasions, this was the first time I'd actually been inside, and our visit happened to coincide with a mass.

8. Extras
After the Cathedral, David and I headed out of the gothic quarter and towards the coast. As we approached the port, we stumbled across on a film set and within minutes we had been invited onto the set to take part. There was a big black stallion, police men, bandits and a foreign police car: our job was to join a crowd of protesters and to shout as the policemen and the bandits fought and then drew away with fake blood on their faces. We weren't the best extras as we left the scene soon after, but it was an interesting experience I guess.

9. Barceloneta
Sunday stroll along one of Barcelona's 7 beaches. I love the fact that palm trees are native to the city, and that I get to walk past them every day on the way to Uni. I've been here for two months now, but they still make me feel like I'm on holiday when I walk past them!

Pistanaga: Photoshoot

Picnic: Ciutadella

Just a few snaps from the GBU picnic in the Ciutadella park:

a lovely chilled evening of guitars, food, frisbees, friends and singing.

And here's the flyer designed and painted 

by my lovely australian friend, Indi!

Family Time...

It's half term in England, which means it's time for the family to visit! After months of me boasting about how much warmer Spain is than England, their arrival naturally saw the weather take a turn for the worst. Geared up for a second summer and excited about a week of warmth, my sister Hannah and my parents were greeted by rain, clouds and cold. Prior to their arrival, I'd thoughtfully planned out an itinerary to show off Catalonia's capital and I refused to accept this unexpected temperature change. As we left the flat on their first day here, I confidently reassured the family that it would be warm by midday. It wasn't, which meant not only did we end up shivering our way around the city, but also made us stand out even more as tourists among the locals who looked more as if they might be heading to Antarctica. 

Barcelona with the Clan

Apart from the tourist hot spots, I showed my family the markets, my favourite cafes, my local bakery and, of course, where I'm studying. As we walked through the courtyard, corridors and cloisters of the almost deserted university building at 2pm my dad pointed out the huge contrast from the campus in Leeds which is always bubbling with people, and he asked me where everyone was. Unless the cafeteria counts, my University here doesn't have a student union*, and the nearest thing to a society that I've found would be my Bible study group - GBU. The lack of student union, and the appeal of a busy city just outside the university doors mean that there seems to be a lot less people hanging around the university than at Leeds.

*as far as I know.

Family day out - Montserrat

The beginning of November conveniently provided yet another bank holiday, this time due to the 'La Castanyada'. This Catalan tradition is celebrated on November 1st and over the last few weeks little stalls have been popping out all over the streets of the city with people selling cooked walnuts and sweet potatoes. In addition, panallets - the other speciality typical of the Castanyada - have taken over the window displays of bakeries everywhere. The most typical panallets are made with a smallish ball of chestnutty tasting marzipan covered in pine nuts and then cooked lightly having been painted in a bit of egg white. Apart from the pine nut ones, I've so far found almond, chocolate, coconut and strawberry ones to try!

Panallets, Moniatos (Sweet Potatoes) i Castanyes (Chestnuts)

My family and I didn't stay in Barcelona celebrate the Castanyada; instead we bought a bag of panallets to have as a mid-morning snack and we headed out to Montserrat, a mountain and a monastery about an hour out of the city. We couldn't have chosen a nicer day to go: the warm and sunny weather complemented the clear skies which enabled us to see as far at the coast with perfect panoramas! The warm weather continued the next day too meaning that their last day was a brilliant mix of sun, sea and sand! Sitting down in the beautiful 22 degree heat next to the Port Vell with a huge pan of paella in front of us, we could have easily mistaken ourselves for being on a Summer holiday - not 3 days before Bonfire Night.

November Sun