We love Paseo de Gracia and all the upscale shops here. We came here last week in the evening but many of the stores were closed after we had dinner so Max and Susye arranged for us to return and spend a few hours here to shop a bit more during the afternoon. We picked out gifts for ourselves and for friends and family!
This morning, our teachers from the beginner, intermediate and advanced Spanish classes planned a field trip for us so we can learn about Pablo Picasso. Instead of having traditional classes, we walked as a group through the streets of Barcelona to the Picasso Museum. If you are not an architecture lover, after spending a few weeks in Barcelona, you can easily become one! The Museo Picasso is housed inside a beautiful medieval palace. This palace turned museum contains the most extensive collection of Pablo Picasso's work, including paintings, sketches and ceramics. We learned about cubism and his blue period. Inside this museum, the most famous work are The First Communion and Science and Charity. Due to museum policy, we were unable to take any photos inside so here are some photos we took while outside.
Yesterday we visited La Pedrera, also known as Casa Milà by the locals. This building is named "The Stone Quarry" due to the unconventional rough undulating stone facade and twisted wrought iron balconies famous for the modernistic architecture of Antonio Gaudi. We learned that this building was Gaudi’s last civil project built in 1906 and was completed in 1912. We toured the entire building, including the rooftop. Everything on the rooftop is an artistic expression of Gaudi's practical yet creative view of chimneys and circulatory attic vents. This architectural marvel is nestled in the famous Paseo de Gracia and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the 1920s this building was a living residence for the upper class. We spent a couple of hours walking from the rooftop down through the fire staircases and we saw many interesting features of this living quarter turned museum. The rooftop was a great opportunity for us to take in the breathtaking view of the busy city below.
The Basílica de la Sagrada Familia is a large unfinished Roman Church designed by Catalán architect Antonio Gaudí. The Sagrada Familia is a landmark of Barcelona and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's famous Gothic and Art Nouveau forms of engineering and architectural style makes it one of the most extraordinary personal interpretations of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages. Do you know what distinguishes a Catedral vs a Basílica? A basílica is blessed by the Pope. The Basílica de la Sagrada Familia was blessed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.
For our most recent project, the intermediate class worked on cultural brochures. We learned a lot about the various historical sites in Spain.
On Monday, Arthur Kian, owner of Abbey Road dropped in to visit the Barcelona Program. He brought his friend, Ana, who is a designer and a Salvador Dali enthusiast. She visited with the students and did a short presentation on Salvador Dali. We watched a video about the artist and then we worked in groups to create our own interpretations of the artist's work. Below are a few examples of our creations. All supplies for this project were donated by Ana. Thank you Arthur and Ana for visiting.
Today the advanced language group braved the rain and walked to the Museo de Chocolate for our language immersion class. We had a private guided tour in Spanish and learned about the cacao plant and the entire process of how chocolate is made. The fruit of the cacao plant is the size of a papaya! There are three varietals of cacao plants that are used to commercially make chocolate today. The seed is dried and then grounded in a three step process. The cacao powder is then steamed and pressed into square bars to help separate the chocolate and the oil; the oil from the cacao powder is what makes white chocolate. We learned many other things about chocolate at the museum and then at the end, we were able to sample some of the chocolates from El Museo de Chocolate. It was a fun field trip!
France wins against Croatia 4-2 and are the 2018 World Cup Champions!!! This is France's second win in history. HAPPY BOYS!!!
What a week of excitement! Looking back, we have seen and done so much. Every evening we have visited memorable sites in this vibrant city. On Thursday, we went to watch the spectacular night show of La Fuente Mágica de Montjuic. We took the red metro line and got off at Plaza de España. The light show was spectacular. The fountains were well synched to lights while music from Bruno Mars and Maroon Five played. It was pretty cool. On Friday, we went to the grocery store in groups to buy our breakfast for the next few days. We caught up on laundry and chores and cleaned our living spaces. In the evening, we had some free time to wander the neighborhood but we had an early curfew of 9:30pm so we could rest for the night. The next day was going to be an away day trip and we needed to catch up on sleep. At 10am on Saturday, we took a luxury bus to visit and tour the town of Girona. Girona is a town located on the Costa Brava about an hour away from Barcelona. Once we arrived in Girona and crossed the bridge to get to the city, we learned about La Leona. Every one took turns climbing up the steps and kissed La Leona. According to tradition, in order for travelers to receive good luck, one must kiss her butt. In Girona, we toured the city and visited the cathedral and the old city walls. The Catedral de Girona has one of the largest main rooms with the Gothic peaked arches without the use of any columns. In addition to it being a beautiful architectural marvel, the town and the Catedral de Girona was used for various scenes of the HBO Series Games of Thrones. On Sunday, we were able to sleep in late until 11am. We began our Sunday Funday at the roof top by the pool and had a group bonding activity to unwind and debrief for the week. We then went to the beach to work on our tans and play in the water. After a sunny afternoon at the beach, were returned to the Common Room at the residence and we had pizzas and watched the World Cup Finals. It's been a memorable first week!
We spent the afternoon walking up hill to visit this beautiful public park designed by Catalán architect and artist Antonio Gaudí. It is located in La Salut, a district within La Gracia. El Parque Güell is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The views at the top this free form modernistic natural park are spectacular!!! We had a lot of fun taking photos.
The girls told them they needed to clean their living space so they got working. The Barcelona Program encourages good housekeeping and independence while living away from home!
We meet everyone in the mornings at 9am in the Common Room of the Residence Onix. Our Spanish language class is a combination of traditional classroom time with experiential learning time out in the community. Our Spanish teachers give us activities which helps us engage with the locals in various ways which usually helps raise language and culture awareness. We break for lunch at noon and we get to eat with our friends at our choice of restaurants around the neighborhood. After lunch on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays we have our elective classes. Afternoon elective classes include: Spanish Conversation, Digital Marketing, Sports, Digital Photography, Art History and Drawing. Elective classes are held in cool places around town. We do field trips to interesting places to draw and learn art history, take photos, have informal conversations, learn about the marketing world and/or play sports. Everyday we have two hours of down time between 5pm to 7pm. This is a time when we can hang out at the roof top pool with friends, workout, take naps or do laundry. In the evenings, we take the metro or walk to local monuments and plazas to eat dinner. WE WALK AROUND A LOT: 25,000 steps to 35,000 steps daily according to the Health App on our iPhones. We return back to our rooms at 11:30pm and we are ready for night time check-in. We rest for the night and begin everything again the next day!
If you would like to send care packages, here’s the address:
RESIDENCIA ONIX CARRER DE SARDENYA 101-137 BARCELONA, SPAIN 08013 It's day two and we are still fighting jet lag but it’s getting better each day. We were placed into our language level groups and had class until noon. We broke for lunch until 2pm and then headed out to the Catedral de Barcelona, also known as The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia. This Gothic cathedral was impressive! We were lucky enough that while there a group of choir boys from England were doing a special performance. Afterwards we had some free time to wander in the Born District. In the evening we spent a few hours in the Paseo de Gracia for dinner and some window shopping before heading back to the residence. It was a good day two and we can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.
It's hard to believe that it's only been day 1 of our trip to Barcelona! We have been going non-stop since we've gotten here. The energy is positive and spirits are high and everyone is all smiles. Everything is a new discovery and new experience! We took placement exams this morning, had guided free lunch hour, and attended elective classes. In the evening we split into two groups and we learned to ride the Barcelona Metro and meandered around La Rambla for dinner. It’s been go, go, go since we landed and it’s only been 36 hours! Excited to see what tomorrow brings...
Many independent travelers arrived earlier this morning, as well as, the big group of 25 students. We arrived safely from JFK to Barcelona today. After clearing customs and getting our luggage, Wiz Khalifa graced us with his presence. We found out he had a concert in town. The students have been troopers and super positive as we adjust to the local time and recover from jet lag!
We are waiting for you at JFK by the Delta Counter, Row 1 on the 4th floor by the elevators in Terminal 4. See you soon!
* A LONG SCARF OR PAREO...
We will be visiting some cathedrals and the sites require girls to have their shoulders covered. A long scarf will come in handy. * A GOOD PAIR OF WALKING SHOES... We do a lot of visits walking so it is important to have comfortable walking shoes and/or lightweight summer shoes. * HATS OR CAPS... The summers in Barcelona are hot and it is always a good idea to have sun protection. * A POWER ADAPTER... The electrical current is different in Europe so bring a US adapter plug for Spain with ROUND PRONGS to charge your phone, tablets, computers and other electrical devices. * PERSONAL MEDICINE and/or FAVORITE PRODUCT...? If you have personal medicine and/or favorite beauty product, make sure you plan to have enough to last you during the entire program. BARCELONA HERE WE COME! Five days and counting... Are you ready?
|
Archives |