Hola otra vez! Well, we’re sitting in the Barcelona bus station after missing our bus by 30 seconds (As we ran to the bus the bus driver pulled out and shrugged and pointed to his watch) and thought it’d be a good time to write a blog.
We’ve made it halfway through our trip and have seen a lot of beautiful places and realized a lot of things. Since our last blog we’ve been to Salamanca and Barcelona, which are both gorgeous. The University of Salamanca is Europe’s oldest university, constructed during the 1200s. When the first classes were given, students didn’t have paper to take notes so they merely listened to lectures and took an exam at the end of the semester. Since there were no desks or seats, the servants of the students came early to sit on the floor and warm it for them. Katie and I wandered around the “newer” campus a little bit and it felt like we were walking through Hogwarts. If only…
We spent this weekend in Barcelona and visited the Sagrada Familia and the Picasso Museum. The Sagrada Familia is a very modern Cathedral designed by Gaudi and is still under construction. The cathedral is designed to look like a forest, with pillars that look like trees and flowers lining the ceiling. The main language in Barcelona is Catalan rather than Spanish, but luckily most people spoke some English. Interestingly there were signs everywhere in English telling people to not urinate or deficate on the streets, as Barcelona has 300 public toilets…
We also spent yesterday at the beach!! The Mediterranean Sea is beautiful and the perfect temperature. However, I’ve never seen so many topless women in my life. Women of EVERY body type shamelessly stripped their tops. Just another part of the Spanish way of life that I don’t understand. At least there weren’t any naked men…
After spending two weeks in Spain, I’m trying to wrap my head around the culture. Spain is a beautiful place and has a fascinating history. However, right now I’m sitting in the bus station looking at a shirt that says: “Spanish Triathalon: Drinking, Eating, and (explicative suggesting VERY inappropriate behavior…)”…complete with pictures. In my short stay here it seems like people my age stay out all night drinking and going to clubs. There are cathedrals everywhere but most are just museums. Maybe just being here on Gay Pride day and watching our bus driver drive away and shrug has influenced my perspective a little bit, but after living in the Bible belt my whole life it’s hard to imagine living this way. However, they say Spain is still recovering from the harsh, conservative, 40 year dictatorship of Franco that just ended in 1975. The people seem to be rebelling and seriously embracing liberalism. Of course not all Spaniards fall into this category, and of course there are people like this everywhere, but it’s just very hard to miss here.
But I’m so thankful to be here, I’m still enjoying our last two weeks! It’s still difficult to understand the Spanish accent, but for the most part people are patient with us. We actually passed a group of Mexican tourists the other day and we could understand pretty much everything they said! It was very exciting. Another positive thing about Spain: ICE CREAM and bread. Both are amazing here! We’ve made friends with the waiter at one of the local cafés.
Well our bus to Madrid leaves in an hour and a half and my computer battery is dying, so that’s all for now. We’re going to find some ice cream. Miss everyone from home and hope all is going well! Ciao y hasta pronto
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