Aventura 11: Frankfurt

Wednesday night was an incredible adventure if there ever was one.  One of those totally unexpected moments, unexpected nights, that you will always remember with a smile.

So Wednesday night, for those of you who don't know, was the semi-final round of La Copa del Rey tournament for La Liga (Spanish footy league).  This semi-final game meant even more though because of the match-up.  Barcelona vs. Real Madrid.  An unexpected Clásico game.  Madrid has been in first place en La Liga for a good few weeks, but Barcelona has almost always won in the most recent Clásico games. So this game, this game was a great test, let alone a semi-final.

http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2012/1/18/2715798/real-madrid-vs-barcelona-2012-el-clasico-copa-del-rey-quarterfinals

I've bonded with my padre over fútbol, so we'd basically been talking about watching this partido for a week or so.  Come 22.00h on Wednesday night, we turn the television on to La Barca channel and see the two teams walk out.  The take their positions on the field, the ref is about to blow the whistle, and then the screen shifts to the commentators.  Okay, just a second, that's okay.  But no, it stays on the computers.  For five minutes I watch the commentators talking to each other furiously, watching something that's not the audience.  That's when I realize that they are watching the game....without us.  We are sitting watching people EXPLAIN the game to us.  I guess my family hadn't paid for the actual game channel....

The green Frankfurt.  If the DHL in google street view wasn't in the way....

Refusing to watch people watch the game, I went down the street to el Frankfurt (there are many Frankfurts here).  I look in the windows and it's packed with people - I am 7 minutes late.  There's a TV above the doorway and a table right in front.  Two people are sitting in the prime seats, but I sit down in the open seat closest to the TV, akin to sitting in the front row of the movie theater.  I'm craning my neck, man is it going to be sorry tomorrow (it is), but I forget about it and fall into the game.  

Madrid score's first, in the first 11 minutes, but the rest of the game is Barca's.  So many amazing opportunities, passes, touches, headers, tackles, more beautiful touches and dribbling - it was an incredible game.  And everyone I was watching it with was super passionate about fútbol and Barca.  In the second half, the girl across from me left.  I switched to sit across the table, in those prime seats, and I talked to the boy sitting next to me.  We talked about footy, rock-climbing, footy, Barca, Barcelona - all in spanish.  And then the second half, and this time, I had someone to high-five when Barca scored twice or someone to shake my head with when Pepe on Real Madrid was being a HORRIBLE sport and stepping on Messi's hand or being overly dramatic.  I had someone to shout with when Barca won at the end, along with a whole restaurant of fellow fans to celebrate with when Barca pulled out the win, 2-1, at the end.

http://search.espn.go.com/barcelona/

I left the restaurant and walked one block to my apartment.  Totally not expected, but this night was awesome.  

Aventura 10: All You Need is Color

We were really paseando on a street.  I wasn't feeling very well, so I really got the hang of walking slowly and admiring everything around me.  After a té, we wandered down a street, and found the most amazing surprise.  This art gallery tucked away on an unassuming cobblestone street.  We catch a glimpse of some bright colors from across the street, and then walk closer and are filled with more and more color, until I am standing in front of a huge painting dashed with amazing amounts of color and emotion.  This gallery and these paintings are unlike anything I've seen in a long time.

http://www.galeriamaxo.com/exposiciones-anteriores/all-you-need-is-color-by-maxo-rennella/

At first it seems set up like a normal gallery.  A few paintings on the off-white walls.  We take a closer look at the paintings, and they are full of color and wonderful feelings.  I look up at the ceilings, and there are colored pencils poking out from the ceiling everywhere.  Hanging down are orgami birds of all different colors.  In the back of the gallery is a studio space with unfinished paintings and paintings waiting to be hung.  And on the wall, to the right, was an artist statement that just lit me up with joy.

http://www.galeriamaxo.com/

This exposition was called "All You Need Is Color."  His statement began with, "Hay tierras sin pan, pero también hay tierras sin color"...."There are lands without bread, but there are also lands without color." He continued the story of how we go about life many times just in mute or unbrilliant colors.  That colors are all around us, but we don't find them or choose not too.  But once we do, our life brightens, our life has meaning again.  All we need is color in our life, all we need is that little bit of happiness to cheer us up on any day.

And I kid you not.  I left that gallery feeling a million times better, mentally and physically, then I had in two days.  I left a note in the guestbook before I left: "I can't imagine my life without color.  Thank you for my remind me how important it is." And I left the story with new eyes seeing the color in all the buildings, the sky, the trees, the sidewalk barriers....

http://www.galeriamaxo.com/

http://www.galeriamaxo.com/

Aventura 9: La Maleta Mexicana

On the same day as the trip to the top of Montjuic, I explored more of the mountain, but this time the base of it, at the Museo Nacional de Catalunya.  And I even continued with el tema de la Guerilla Civil de España when I went to this exhibit:

http://ago2.com/blog/index.php/la-maleta-mexicana/

This was really an incredible, incredible exhibit.  The Mexican Suitcase recounts an amazing adventure, a larger one than I could ever account for on this blog.  This suitcase, discovered in Mexico in 2007, that contained over 4,500 photo negatives during the Spanish Civil War.  The three photojournalists that took all these photos were Robert Capa, Chim, and Gerda Taro (Taro was one the first well-known female photojournalist in Spain).  Capa rescued these negatives, fleeing Spain in 1939 to Mexico, yet it wasn't until decades later that it was discovered.

http://espaciocusachs.blogspot.com/2011/11/la-maleta-mexicana.html

http://www.railowsky.com/fotografia/3541-la-maleta-mexicana-de-robert-capa-2-tomos-.html

Many of these photos had turned up in magazines during the war, in Life magazine in the United  States or in other magazines and newspapers around the world.  But what's amazing about this exhibit is how the negatives provide a sequence, a power that these individual photos alone don't have.

http://coberturaphoto.blogspot.com/2011/11/libro-del-mes-cobertura-photo-la-maleta.html

This power of the narrative and of the sequence was amazing for me to see.  But the power of what these photo journalists did, of seeing these photos in Spain, was amazing.  But I really cannot imagine being someone who lives in Spain, who had family living in Spain during this time or having lived through this time, and looking at these photos.  I really cannot imagine it.  What would it be like having this terrible time up in a museum? Where some people see it as a spectacle, others as a memory, but of a time period that was for the first decades after the war wanted to be forgotten? This exposition shared an incredible adventure, but I think it's only started many for me. 

Aventura 8: Walking to Condis!

http://www.bertinosbornealimentacion.es/blog/?p=288

Now walking 6 minutes to Condis around the corner might not seem like an adventure, unless you have been inside for the past 57 hours and have just for the first time breathed fresh air, felt the wind, enjoyed the beautiful sun, and seen the wonderful colors of the neighborhood around you.  That's kind of what happened to me just an hour ago, because I have not been feeling so great.  But I just got to go to Condis, the grocery store, to buy some Acuarius (water-like Gatorade) and it felt amazing!

http://twitter.com/#!/creublanca

But I can actually add to this adventure going to the doctor's here in Spain.  It might not seem like that big of a deal, nor like a very fun deal, but now that I'm done going to the doctor's (twice) I can actually say it was pretty cool! I had my host mom with me both times, but I talked in Spanish the entire time with the doctors, even this morning when the doctor asked if he should speak in English.  I learned many new words (fiebre, gastronómico, receta, pastilla) and feel more like I'm living here now that I've gone to the doctor's here!

And glad to report that I'm feeling much better - I'm hoping for school tomorrow!

Aventura 7: Montjuic

Yesterday I went with my family to the top of Montjuic, a hill that is home to so many things, from el Museo Nacional de Catalunya, the Olympics Center, el museo de Joan Miró, and a castle at the top.  We visited the castle by taking the funicular (gondola) up to the top.  

This castle has quite the history.  It was a fortress than a castle.  It held political prisoners during a political uprising.  The president of Catalunya was executed here:

The castle was used against Barcelona, bombing the city to quell political uprisings.  If you want to know more about the history, look here: http://www.bcn.cat/castelldemontjuic/en/welcome.html.

Now, it's a museum and tranquil place that just has the markings from history.  There are beautiful views:

I tried to put all these photos together, so you could see what it's like!

 And you can see almost all of Barcelona (here's la Sagrada Familia!):

And it's a wonderful place to sit and enjoy a café and the scenery...

Aventura 6: Chocolate Caliente

So.  The chocolate calientes here? That is to say the hot chocolates? Well, these aren't any hot chocolates I've ever seen.  See for yourself:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/asli_aydin/4664696678/

These chocolate calientes are actually melted hot chocolate.  It's incredible.  It's amazing.  And an adventure in itself.  But the real adventure today came with the chocolate caliente.  So yesterday I had an intercambio, where I meet with a UB student and we talk a little in english, a little in spanish, to practice both.  So I met with Belén, a student at UB, and today I met with her again, but travelled 40 minutes outside Barcelona en train to Mataró, a city in the afueras (cities and villages outside the city).  We went to this amazing cafe shop, drank (more like ate?) chocolate calientes, and just talked and talked! And her friends came at the end, and I met them and we just talked and laughed - and it was wonderful.  It's so cool to get to know someone from España, because we can study here and be here as much as we want, but until we get to know the people who live here, we'll never really get to know the city and the afueras.

Aventura 5: Pasear

Pasear.  This is a very important verb here in España.  In english, the closest verb we have is to walk.  But really here, it means much more than that.  It means to walk as an activity, passing time with friends, relaxing, enjoying the views, walking slowly and not being in a rush, exploring the side streets.  Paseando is what I have been doing A LOT here in, walking many places, constantly finding new routes and new things around the corner.  But I definitely have a little to work on - especially the walking slow part.  I feel like I'm walking slow, and yet I'm still passing everyone paseando beside me!  But here's some of the cool things I've come across while my pasear excursions:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Camp_Nou_FC_Barcelona.JPG

El Parque de Joan Miro: A wonderful park, as mentioned before, and I saw two old men relaxing by the water garden, with remotes in their hands that controlled these great sailboats in the water!

Camp Nou: Running to Camp Nou, where Barcelona plays, and also walking by one day.  And walking by the second time, we walked in and got to go right up to the stadium and see through the cracks the beautiful green field! Can't wait to get there for a game.

La Placa de Sants: I found the library.  6 stories up in this building, but all these amazing books in spanish! Especially this children's book about a guisante (pea) who wanted to be different, so he jumped out of the pea tree and went to find an elephant, tiger, and peacock, and he took parts of them, so he looked ridiculous when he went back to his home.  But he stayed true to his differences, he planted himself, and when he bloomed - it was a beautiful pea plant where no pea was alike!

http://www.flickr.com/

El Parque de Cervantes: While walking to the centro de Deportes de la UB (Universitat de Barcelona) we passed a park.  After, we went to explore this park by this famous author - the author of Don Quijote.    But it didn't at first seem to be Cervantes' park.  The bushes were trimmed to form squares, everything was in perfect order, the trees were unnatural shapes.   Yes, it wasn't reality because it wasn't natural, but it also didn't seem to reflect Don Quijote's fantastical world apart from "reality."  Not until the sun went down and the stars came out did we discover Cervantes' park.  The weirdly cut trees turned into giants.  The strange bushes turned into fantastical mazes.  And the terrace turned into a castle.  It truly felt like a world from Don Quijote.

L: Sculpture at Parc de Joan Miro;
R: Balconies at Placa del Mar

Placa del Mar: While wandering around on my own, nearing La Comida time, I was trying to find a resto (restaurant) or something where I could eat nicely and quietly.  I happened upon a restaurant that was one street away from the busy, touristy street next to the sea, but instead it was wonderfully peaceful and quiet in this secluded plaza.  I spent two hours eating these amazing robos de toro, patatas fritas, and drawing.

Estadio de Barceloneta: Eating sandwiches in an amateur fútbol stadium in the stands and looking at the beautiful fútbol field in front of us - nothing can really beat that for a picnic.

http://www.carto.net/
Yes, this is the slide.  This monster-like thing.

Placa España Industrial: A really interesting park.  As it sounds, it's industrial.  Very little grass, lots of cement, but it has a huge pool of water (albeit polluted) with a fountain, lots of chairs, balconies, seats, cool stairs, and the best? The coolest slide I've ever seen!!!!!!!

La Playa: The beach is incredible.  But it's especially incredible when, at sunset, you climb to the top of a huge red spider net made out of rope, and you are sitting at the top over the ocean, watching the sky change form light blue to pink to purple to dark blue with stars.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/asli_aydin/4664696678/