Calcots

Sunday, January 29, 2012

On the third weekend of my study abroad experience, all IES students were required to attend a study journey to Tarragona and Valencia.  On Sunday, January 29th, while returning from Valencia we stopped to have a traditional Catalan meal called Calcots.  The Calcot, a less bulbous and milder variety of onion than the standard one, has become a staple tradition in Catalan lands in the spring.  Calcots are barbecued over a wood fire until the outside is blackened and then served with an almond and red pepper-based cause called romesco.  The romesco sauce was one of the best sauces I have ever tasted in my life!  To eat the calcot we were instructed to pull off the outer skin, dip and lower into your mouth.  It was a very messy meal, but a truly delicious experience!

Here's a picture of us before the feast!

This is a shot of the whole group getting prepared for the meal.

Below is a picture of the Calcots with the romesco sauce!

We also had the chance to drink out of a Porron which is a traditional Catalan wine pitcher.  Here is a picture of me drinking red wine out of the Porron.

After finishing our meal we were treated to some delicious Cava.

This is the view from the restaurant we ate at, very pretty scenery.

Overall, Calcots was a great Catalan cultural experience and something I suggest for everyone who visits Barcelona to do once!  It is definitely a unique and delicious Catalan experience adopted by the Catalans.

Montserrat

Saturday, March 3, 2012

On a Thursday (March 1) afternoon, my roommate and I didn't have any plans for the weekend and we decided to sign up for the IES trip to Montserrat.  I am studying abroad through the program of IES.  We signed up for this day trip to Montserrat because we heard about the amazing views and mountains, and the monastery in Montserrat.  Montserrat translated means serrated mountain.  To get to Montserrat we took a bus from Barcelona with other IES students.  Montserrat hosts the Virgin of Montserrat and a publishing house which is one of the oldest printing presses (first book published in 1499) in the world that is still used today.  The Virgin of Montserrat (the black virgin), is Catalonia's favorite saint.  The monastery is considered Catalonia's most important retreat and groups of young people from Barcelona take overnight hikes to watch the sunrise.  After winning the world cup for Spain, Carlos Puyol, captain of FC Barcelona, walked to Montserrat from Barcelona to give thanks for winning the world cup for the country of Spain.

Once we arrived we were on the level of the monastery.  Here are a couple of pictures of the monastery in Montserrat.

As you can see from above, words do not do justice to describe the beauty of Montserrat, you have to be there to believe it.  We were permitted about thirty-fourty-five minutes to walk around.  After walking around the main level of the town, we took a trolley up to the top of the mountain.  Below you can see my view on the way up the trolley to the top of the mountain of Montserrat.

After arriving to the top of the mountain we were permitted time to explore and walk around.  My roommate and I just walked around to see the gorgeous views from the mountain.  Below are a couple of photos that depict what we saw when walking around.

We were then matched up with a tour guide who took us to the top of the mountain and provided us with valuable information about Montserrat.

If you look closely at the picture above you can see an outline of an elephant and a pharaoh on the mountains.

One of the churches throughout the town of Montserrat.

A better picture of the elephant (left) and the pharaoh (middle).

The Basilica at Montserrat houses works of art by many prominent painters and sculptors inluding: El Greco, Dali, and Picasso.  

Inside the Basilica of Montserrat.

Below I have include some pictures of the breathtaking views of Montserrat.  At 1236 meters above the valley floor, Montserrat is the highest point of the Catalan lowlands and is central to the most populated part of Catalonia.

Carnaval

Tuesday February 21, 2012

Choosing to live in the dormitories, has been one of the best decisions I have made thus far.  In our residence hall, there are eighteen American students; six guys and twelve girls with many Spanish students.  All of the Spanish students are very friendly and try to include us in their activities whether it be playing basketball or soccer or going to a Spanish club with them.  One activity we chose to accompany the Spanish students was Carnaval in Sitges.  Carnaval is equivalent to Fat Tuesday in New Orleans for Mardi Gras in the United States.  There is a parade during Carnaval but we missed most of it because the bus with the Spanish students did not get us to Sitges until about 11:30 P.M.    The majority of people attending are aged 18-25, so it was definitely a younger crowd.  Almost all the people who attended Sitges wore a costume.

As you can see below this is a picture of some of the American students who attended Sitges from the dormitory.

Here is a picture of a float during the parade, I really wish we would have arrived earlier to see the parade.  The part of the parade we did get to see was amazing!

More pictures from the end of the parade....

A picture with the American students near the beach during Sitges.

A picture during the night of the beautiful town of Sitges.

Sitges was absoultely packed with people, definitely one of my favorite experiences in Spain thus far.

Below is another picture of what the streets of Sitges looked like during Carnaval.

Overall, Sitges was a great experience and I am really glad I participated in Carnaval even though I had a midterm the next day.  Sitges was definitely one of my favorite experience so far since being in Europe.  I have never been to New Orleans for Fat Tuesday during Mardi Gras, so I had no idea of what to expect...safe to say we had a great time at Sitges!

Roman Barcino

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

For our first class field trip, we visited the ancient town of Barcino to discover the underground Roman city of Barcino, that has been discovered in Barcelona.  The area was excavated from 1930-1960 and turned into a museum for people to visit.  During this field trip we saw many things that have been preserved since the time of the Roman empire.  During the Roman Empire, Barcino was established to distribute land among retired soldiers.  Barcino's strategic location on a branch of the Via Augusta allowed its commercial and economic development to prosper and Barcino also enjoyed immunity from imperial taxation.  Throughout the years Barcino has been damaged through wars, but still has a strong presence with the underground city and other artifacts such as the single remaining aqueduct.

We began our journey in front of La Catedral very close to Plaza Nova, which shows where the Roman Aqueduct entered the city of Barcino.  

The picture above of Carrer de Duran i Bas depicts one of several arches of the original Roman aquedcuts in Barcino. 

The main focus of our field trip was to visit the underground ruins or remains of the Roman city of Barcino founded around 10 BC by emperor Augustus.

As you can see here, these are the four remaining columns of the Temple of Augustus, which were located on Barcino's Roman Forum.  The columns are 9m high and were built in the first century BC and dedicated to Emperor Augustus. 

This picture here shows a depiction of what the Roman forum in Barcino used to look like during the Roman Empire.

The picture above depicts a typical Roman house during the time of Barcino in the Roman empire.

As Xavi, stated during our field trip, the item above during the Roman empire was equivalent to our iPhone today.  During the Roman empire this tablet allowed Romans to write stuff then erase it and write new stuff, an important invention during the time of the Roman Empire.

In the ruins of the undeground city of Barcino you are able to see the remains of a laundry and dying workshop from the second century, a salted fish and garum factory and a wine making facility from the 3rd century AD.  As you can see, the ruins of Barcino are maintained extremely well to allow tourists to see how Romans lived and prospered during the Roman Empire.

We concluded our field trip at the St. Agatha Chapel (Reial de Santa Agata) which was built in 1302 on top of the Roman wall that surrounded Barcino.  If you look closely you will notice the wooden ceiling of the Chapel.

Overall, I really enjoyed participating this field study and learning about Barcino during the Roman Empire and suggest a visit to the ruins of Barcino to anyone visiting Barcelona.

FC Barcelona vs. Real Betis

Sunday, January 15, 2012

On a whim, during our first weekend in Barcelona, my roommates and I in the residence hall decided to purchase tickets for a FC Barcelona game.  We purchased this ticket after returning late in the morning from a fun night out on the town.  Needless to say, this was an unbelievable experience and something none of us will ever forget.  The fact that it was a night game made it even more special.

This is the view from our seats prior to the game, we made sure we got there early to see both teams warm-up.  We found it pretty interesting to see the different warm-up routines of each team.

My roommates and I taking a picture using the beautiful Camp Nou as the background.

Here you can see the two different types of warm-up routines both teams went through to prepare for the game...Real Betis is in the green kits and FC Barcelona is in the light blue kits.

We were lucky to see history the night we attended the FC Barcelona game.  Lionel Messi, arguably the world's greatest soccer player was awarded the FIFA Ballon d'Or litterally translated as "the golden ball" and is given to the player who is considered to have performed the best in the previous season.  Messi has won the award every year since 2009.

A chant started by FC Barcelona fans after a goal by star player and fan favorite Xavi.  The reason Xavi is so beloved by fans is because he has spent all of his soccer career at Camp Nou, having joined Barcelona when he was only 11 years old. 

Even though we purchased the "nose-bleeds" or cheap seats, as you can see by the ticket stub, my roommates and I had an unforgettable time at this game which Barcelona ended up coming out victorious by a score of 4-2.  Overall, this was a great experience and as a sport fan I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.