Hola, Hola, Hola! Currently, I am sitting on a train to Valencia and thought I?d update y?all on this past week in Barcelona. First of all, this is my first time riding a real train and I am so impressed with how nice it is. The seating is super spacious and there is a full-blown snack bar on board. The view is beautiful with beaches to my left and mountains to my right. I don?t think I could ever get used to the amazing views here in Spain.
We finished school this week! What a relief. Our classes were always interesting, and I learned a ton, but now we have no stress and so much free time. We also would always get annoyed because we would want to go walk around and shop after class, but everything would be closed! Our classes ended at 14:00 and everyone locks up for ?siesta? around this time. Siesta (nap in Spanish) is literally the Spanish naptime when everything stops, and people go home to rest. I was pretty thrown off by this at first, but my roommates and I adapted by using this time to go home, freshen up, and get some homework done. You may have noticed how I referred to 2:00 pm as 14:00. That is because military time is more commonly used here, and I am finally getting the hang of it. I discovered that I could turn my digital watch to this setting so that has been helping me learn.
Probably the most memorable event of this week was earlier today when I got my leg caught in between the closing doors of the metro. I don?t think I have ever felt such fear or panic as multiple people were trying to pry the doors open and I was aggressively yanking at my leg, but no worries, I made it out alive with all my limbs intact. I guess I should be more careful when trying to hop off the metro at the last second. Another learning moment this week was getting yelled at by a street artist for taking pictures of his work. He makes his own paper and prints photos he takes on it. I had seen this guy?s art before and loved it so much that I mentioned it to someone else on our trip who said they would like to purchase. I happened to pass by the artist?s booth again while on my way to the Picasso museum and thought I would snap a faraway picture of all of his work to send to my friend so they could pick one out for themselves. Well let?s just say this made the guy mad. He proceeded to yell at me and wouldn?t sell me anything once I tried to explain to him the purpose of me taking photos. I understand that he didn?t want me duplicating his work or posting it anywhere on the internet, but that wasn?t my intention at all. It was a total misunderstanding, but now I know to ask before I take pictures and to be aware of aggressive locals who get easily frustrated with American tourists.
On a more positive note, this week was awesome and full of adventure including seeing Park G?ell, touring the Port of Barcelona, having delicious Italian food, and the best dark chocolate gelato ever! My love for Barcelona and its culture grows every day!