El Mare Nostrum: Tarragona, Barcelona, Mallorca

Tarragona 8/27

This morning we completed our Spanish course and hopped on the train, en route to Tarragona. After a three hour train ride we were happy to stretch our legs and take a taxi to our hotel. We got a giant suite with an incredible view of the water. After dropping our bags off, we went to the beach, walking over ancient stones and steps which once comprised a Roman amphitheater. After a dip in the Mediterranean at sunset and our practical hike back up to the hotel, we had dinner with the group. Tomorrow we will be touring the small, yet historic city.

View of the city of Tarragona atop an archaeological site.

Tarragona 8/28

The city of Tarragona was actually is referred to as "Terraco," its Roman name for when it served as a main city in the Roman empire.  We started off our morning with a tour of the (Think miniature coliseum).  Later we climbed through the ruins of what is left of the Roman Circus and the Forum.  It was hard to grasp the enormity of the city, as most of the ruins have been replaced by apartment buildings and shops.  We continued to walk the streets and visit a few stores, marveling in the quaint atmosphere and the unique street/building art.

La Catedral de Tarragona.

A unique tri-colored view of buildings alongside the Plaza de la Font in Tarragona.

That night, some of us decided to venture toward the harbor for a fun night out.  Being it was the middle of the week, the town's "discoteca" area was pretty much dead.  Nonetheless, we kept walking and stumbled across a very local salsa bar.  Picture this: 6 American girls lined up against a bar, jaws dropped in awe at the most amazing salsa, let alone dancing, we had ever seen.  The bartender circled around handing out free ice cream sandwiches as we kept staring at the couples dancing.  I found a funny comparison between this place and the United States.  We often feel obligated to have an ice-breaker conversation before dancing with someone, screaming over the music "WHAT'S YOUR NAME? WHERE ARE YOU FROM?"  But along the harbor of Tarragona, and likely everywhere in Spain, there a is a mutual understanding between the salsa-goers; they are here to move with the music and share a passion for dance, not conversation.  I was lucky enough to brush up my Salsa skills and dance with two very patient young men who endured many a stomp on their feet.  After all I'm not the dancer of the family :).

En route to Barcelona 8/29

This morning we boarded a bus from Tarragona to Barcelona.  On the way, we stopped in a small town  called Vilafranca del Penedes to witness a traditional Spanish fiesta celebrating St. Felix. Complete with a parade of giant fire crackers and sparklers, traditional dances and more, we concluded our visit by witnessing a human castle-building contest.  All year long, the groups practice this age-old art of creating human towers.  Of course there has to be some competition involved, so during the fiestas, neighboring towns come to compete and see who can construct the most successful tower.  The day's events are so very hard to explain in words, so I have resorted to uploading a few pictures.

Fireworks in honor of St. Felix.  Like fourth of July sparklers--- x100.

One of the many traditional fiesta "floats."  Here is a depiction of Queen Isabella.  Ferdinand was a little ways back. 

Another tradition for fiestas like these are the "Big Heads."  Quite literally, they are rather large, but depict and memorialize well-known citizens of the town from 20, 30 or even 100 years prior.

The finale of a customary stick-dance.

I had so much anxiety watching this!  Their arms were shaking, their faces contorted with pain and excitement at the same time! Here is the famed human castle building contest.

From the town, we drove to Montserrat, famous for its monastery atop strange-shaped mountains.  We rode a cable-car up the mountain, marveled at the views, and then trekked downhill (a lot harder than it sounds), passing caves where the Monks used to stay hundreds of years ago.  We continued to the Cathedral to witness the L'Escolania boys choir sing hymns.  An enlightening experience, we left Montserrat for Barcelona, exhausted yet enamored by that day's events.

A view from Montserrat.

Me, atop Montserrat.

Outside the Basilica at Montserrat.

Barcelona 8/30

Today we visited the Gothic quarters of "Old Barcelona," and spent a generous amount of time in the Picasso Museum.  It was amazing how large the collection was.  From the museum, we walked to the "Mercado de la Boquería Ramblas," where I indulged in a fresh coconut-raspberry juice drink and ate the most delicious crepe in my life: fig, goat cheese and honey wrapped up in the most delicious whole-wheat crepe.  After our snack, we walked to the harbor for a Boat Tour.  It was a great rest for our feet. After the tour, we explored the waterside shopping mall, stopping for pictures along the architecturally brilliant boardwalk, which remains to this day one of my favorite modern features in Spain.

Leah and I on the Barcelona harbor. 

That night, our dinner was probably the longest, most filling dinner I have ever had.  Talk about a food coma afterwards!  Four courses later, the whole group mustered up the energy to go to a bar that was literally a forest inside.  After, we went dancing as a group and were a giant American spectacle as per usual.

Barcelona 8/31

We started our morning with a visit atop Mont Juich to marvel at a panoramic view of Barcelona.  In the distance, I could point out the famous La Sagrada Familia.  We started our day of Antoni Gaudí's architecture with his famed "Park Güell."  The park is not finished (much like most of his works) and was actually supposed to be a town complete with 100 homes.  We continued to La Sagrada Familia, a Cathedral that has been under construction for 130 years.  I have developed a love for this building since Sophomore year of high school when i did a project for Spanish class.  Since my first visit in 2010 while my sister was studying abroad here, the Cathedral has made incredible progress.  Nonetheless, this Gaudí masterpiece will not be finished until 2035, if they're lucky.  Here are some images I took of its breathtaking interior.  After a last minute stop to see the outside of Gaudi's famed "Casa Milá" and "Casa Battló," we drove to the airport and boarded our plane to Mallorca.

A view of the ceiling masterpiece. 

Some of the stained-glass reflections.  You can see the incomplete sections toward the back, as there are no colors projecting.

Currently my favorite part of the Cathedral is the main light source above the altar.

Mallorca 9/1

We started our morning with amazing views atop "Castel Bellver," a castle constructed by James II of Majorca.  Then we continued on to tour the small town of Valldemossa known for its Jesuit Monastery.  After the monastery was closed for religious purposes guests would stay for extended visits.  Among these guests was the famous composer Chopin, and his french lover, the author George Sand (Yes, it is a woman named George.  It was her pen name).  We listened to a Chopin concert after our visit to the monastery.  We drove through the narrow mountain paths to a harbor where we ate lunch and laid on the beach to tan.

A view of Palma de Mallorca atop the "Castel Bellver."

Mallorca 9/2
Our second day in Mallorca consisted of a walking tour to the cathedral on the island.  Notice the boats on the altar in this cathedral, highly influenced by maritime design.  Then we visited the "Banyas Árabes," or Arab Baths that are still intact from the 10th century.  After we walked to what used to be the Jewish Quarters, viewing the church that was built over a synagogue after the Inquisition.  To this day, there remains a bloodline of Jewish families once referred to as the derogatory term "Xueta."  These individuals have long suppressed their faith, but are more open to accepting their Jewish heritage of the past.  Even today, they remain in control of the silversmith section of town with the island's most prized jewelry selections.  We spent the rest of the day at a nearby beach, viewing crystalline waters and watching our professor windsurf surprisingly well.

Inside the Cathedral.

A view from the outside of the Cathedral.  Long ago, the ocean used to hit right against the Cathedral's base.

Mallorca 9/3

Today was our free afternoon to explore Mallorca's streets and absorb its interesting mix of antiquity and modernity.  To one side of the street you would see the famous Cathedral, and on the other would be a Prada store.  We caught our plane back to Madrid and made it home to rest after a nonstop week of touring.