Day 6: On Top of the World

No, I know what your are thinking, but I am not referencing On Top of the World pertaining to being so happy that nothing can bring you down. I am talking literally On Top of the World. Thousands of feet up in the air, looking down, with nothing except clouds blocking your view for miles.

That is where we were.

This past Saturday we took the advice of one of our Professors and took the 1 hour train ride out of Barcelona to an old monastery town and basilica called Montserrat.  It is a very beautiful town that is isolated up on a Mountain. You definitely feel like you are on top of everything!

We also road a cable car from the train station to the top of the peak. That was an adventure. haha

View of Montserrat from the bottom cable car station

View from the top cable car station...that is a long way down...

The mountains outside Barcelona

When we got to the village we walked around for awhile, hiked up some trails, tried some of the local cuisine and went inside the basilica. It was a relaxing but amazing day.

Village of Montserrat

Village of Montserrat

Part of the hiking trail

View of Spain from the trails on Montserrat

Another view...the sides of the mountain were steep!

Village courtyard in front of the basilica

Inside the basilica...AWESOME.

Prayer candles outside the church

More prayer candles

Later that night, after we had returned to Barcelona, we went to the free fountain show that they have on Monjuic. It was so amazing, probably better than the Bellagio in Vegas....

(Sorry if some of the shots are spotty, water was going everywhere. haha)

So many fountains!

Walking up to Monjuic

Kayla and Coleigh in front of the main fountain

The fountains went all the way down the street

Waterfall in front of the museum

The trip to Montserrat was a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of Barcelona and reflect on the trip so far and the fountain show was just a fun time. I have met a lot of great people already, done a lot of amazing things, and God has opened my eyes to a lot of situations that we don't often encounter back home. I have been so blessed with such an amazing opportuinty. :)

Until next time...

Un abrazo,

Seth

Micah 6:8

Days Three-Five: So Much to Blog, So Little Time

I know it has been a few days, but hey, look at it as you get to look at a lot more pictures all at once instead of spreading it out. haha More bang for your buck....even though you aren't paying....

Anyway, Here is what I have been doing the past few days... Enjoy.

So there is this little thing we like to call soccer in America which is called football (futbol) in Spain. And it is as big if not bigger than North American football. Camp Nou, which is FC Barcelona's stadium holds around 99,000 people, and although it wasn't full for this match, it was definitely a lively atmosphere. Especially when Barca put a few balls in the back of the net.

Camp Nou- Pregame

Messi had a hat trick that night!

During the match

Now I know most of you probably think all I do is go see amazing sights in Europe and I am on one big vacation, BUT I actually have this little thing called class Monday thru Thursday. It has actually been enjoyable so far, and on Thursday one of our studio professors showed us residences he designed. Here are the photos to prove I have scholarly activity while i am here. ;)

Residences in 22@ District

Side View

Later on that day, we visited the coast. On the way we found a huge statue/memorial dedicated to Christopher Columbus and his discover of America. In a way it was a beautiful moment of Spanish History and American History coming together as one....haha I'm just joking, but it was cool. There was also an endless amount of boats, a waffle covered in chocolate syrup, and a beautiful sunset.

Christopher Columbus Statue

Port of an Endless Amount of Boats

Sunset on the bay

The next day we got up and went to a park district in Barcelona called Monjuic. It is up on the hill in the middle of the city and has museums, acres of gardens, and the Olympic Park. There was also this amazing fountain that we took pictures by (we went back later for a fountain show also which you will see in the next blog). It was very beautiful!

Walking up to Monjuic (Museum of Art/Archaeology) 

Hanging Out by the huge fountain

View of the city from Art Museum steps

Gardens on Monjuic

Santiago Calatrava's Tower in the Olympic Park

View from below (definitely caused a little bit of vertigo)

That night, we explored the city and the coast. We returned to Monjuic to get some night shots of the city, and then we went to the beach. No, we didn't swim, it was slightly frigid. haha

All the Undergrads that are in Spain

The Beach and Boardwalk

It had definitely been a successful start to the semester, but I still got a long way to go! My favorite parts of this blog were the futbol match and the fountain. The game was just so much fun, and the fountains were so beautiful. Hopefully (and I know there will be) a lot more fun adventures to come. :)

Until next time....

Un abrazo,

Seth

Micah 6:8

Day Two: Old Barcelona Seen Through My Eyes

Before I start the second day, the night of the first we went to a more modern part of the city and saw the iconic Agbar Tower designed by Jean Nouvel. SO COOL, especially with the nighttime lighting.

Agbar Tower

Agbar Tower

The morning of the Second day, we had a class on Themes in European Architecture. I think I am going to like this class because we basically walk around the city or go on tours of historical buildings. So this day we decided to take a brisk walk through Old Barcelona. And when I say brisk I mean about a 3 hour walk. Apparently Texans have no concept of walking. :)

Squatter Residence

The picture above is of a building in the Rambla de Raval right down the street from our residence. It was abandoned, so some people took it over and made it their own. The mural was pretty crazy, but cool. Below are pictures of the fresh market down the street, La Boqueria, one of many in Barcelona. The fruit and vegetables are amazing. So is the beef and fish, if you like seafood. Maybe they will break my strong dislike of sea creatures? Although I am not sure the smell of the fish helped any haha.

La Boqueria

La Boqueria

La Boqueria

We walked to the Mocba, a modern art museum design by Richard Meier. It was right in the middle of the buildings of the old city, so it definitely made a statement. It has also caused other art pieces to pop up on surrounding buildings, along with a design school.

Mocba- Richard Meier

Modern Art

Entrance to the Design School- fad

Around that same area was a gallery space that had a wall of windows that faced a courtyard. The windows were angled down at the top so if you were standing at a certain point you could see the reflection of the Mediterranean Sea and the skyline.

Courtyard with glass wall

Reflection of the Mediterranean

We also went to a neighborhood church called Santa Maria del Pi. Not a very famous church, but still beautiful.

Santa Maria del Pi

Barcelona is such an old city that it has ruins from when the city was under the Roman Empire rule. Not the acropolis in Greece, but still cool.

Roman Temple Site

Roman Temple Ruins

And last, my favorite part of the day! We went to another market, Mercat Santa Caterina, further away from where we live, but the architecture of the building is very cool. It stands on the ruins of an old convent, which can still be seen behind it, and the original walls of the market are still intact. But they entirely redid the roof into a colorful wave shape. The colored material on the roof is a tile mosaic that is supposed to look like a pixelated picture of fruits and vegetables.

Mercat Santa Caterina

View Inside from Front Entrance

Back Entrance

Well that was just a few of the places from day two. We have only seen a part of the old section of the city so I am very excited to see all the places we have left! PLUS we are all going to an FC Barcelona match tonight (soccer for those of you that don't know). So pumped! :)

Until next time..

Un Abrazo,

Seth

Micah 6:8