El Fin de Malaga & BARCELONA

Okay, here is the long awaited conclusion to the blog:

13.06.08
Tonight was our last night in Malaga with Carmen. She picked us up at the school, and we drove down to the beach for dinner. The water was extremely calm, and the temperature was perfect. We stopped at one of the local restaurants that has a grill right on the ocean for all of the fish it serves. Carmen did all of the ordering, and it was quite the treat! We had salad, calamaries, swordfish, shells, sardines, little fish (cannot remember name), potatoes, and ice cream for dessert. I think we ate more, but I cannot remember everything. The waiter just kept bringing out more and more food!

Afterwards, we drove back towards the school and stopped at a nearby bar. We had a few drinks and then danced with Carmen. It was pretty fun. After an hour or two, Carmen decided to leave, and we said our goodbyes. It was really sad, but we ended our time in Malaga with a bang!

14.06.08
This morning/ the night before blended into one because I stayed awake until the bus ride. The bus did not leave until 5:00. I was not fully awake for the first few hours of the bus ride. I drifted in and out sleep the entire journey. The bus ride was grueling; however, it was nice to see the countryside of Spain. Every once and a while, you would see a random castle or ancient wall on a mountain. People lived primarily in the areas surrounded by the city, unlike the sprawl of America.

The bus made multiple pit stops on the journey. When I sensed we were getting close to Barcelona, I began to look for the amusement park, Port Adventure, because it is located about 70 km south of Barcelona. At our final pit stop, I looked north in the horizon, and, amidst a forest of trees, I saw a large tower in the distance. Instantly, I turned to Steph, and said, "there´s Port Adventura right there." She claimed not to see anything, but I could tell that the tower I saw was their drop ride, "Condor.¨ I kept my eyes vigilant to the area where I saw this object in the far distance. As soon as I started to give up hope, I saw the tower again, and I knew that it was Port Adventura! Finally, after about 15 minutes of anticipation, we finally got a great view of the park. I was describing it to all of the people sitting around me, and everyone thought it was hilarious. After witnessing how far this park actually was from Barcelona, I realized that a trip here would not be practical. The thrill of spotting the park about 25km away was just as satisfying, however.

Finally, around 19:00, we made it into the city of Barcelona. After an hour or two of housing/logistical confusion, we made it to our apartment which is located directly on La Rambla. I cannot imagine a better way to get acquainted with Barcelona than walking down the shoulder-to-shoulder Ramblas on a Saturday night. There were all types of street performers, human statues, tourists, and shops surrounding us. It was thrilling! Our apartment (see map from previous entry for approximate location) has a great view of the Ramblas action below. Our apartment(s) is unique. There are 5 people living in mine, and 4 living in the apartment directly adjacent to us, so it is essentially one large apartment. The rooms are not bad, but they lack in a few areas such as the bathroom and the beds. Also, there is only one key for each apartment, which translated into some minor issues on Sunday.

Later that night, Tyler and I strolled up and down the Ramblas for an hour or so, in order to get a better feel for the city. Other group members traveled to a discoteca entitled ¨Razzzmatazz.¨ The accounts from the club (that can be remembered) were all really positive, but I needed to be alive and ready to go for a full day of sight-seeing!

15.06.08
Since today was the only true ¨free day¨in Barcelona, I needed to see as many sights as I could! This week has classes, two final exams, and travel, so I prioritized the things that I really wanted to experience in Barcelona. Here is a detailed account of my day:

1000- Wake up and bring my friends to life.

1100- Breakfast. I had a cafe con leche and a tortilla espanol. This tortilla was nowhere as good as Carmen´s, but I feel very few, if any, tortillas will be better than hers.

1200- Walking into the Gothic Quarter, we (by chance) witnessed a weekly celebration of Cataloña in which groups of people stand on top of each other. The official term was ¨castling,¨ and it was really fun to watch. The towers continue to increase the amount of people, until the final tower (7 people high with about 3 people on each level).

1300- Went into the Cathedral and explored for a few minutes. There was actually a mass going on while we looked around. The facade was under restoration, but the interior was breath-talking. The ceilings were really high, and I think it was in the Baroque style.

1430- We walked down through the city to Casa Mila, Gaudi´s second most famous work. After waiting about 30 minutes in line, we walk into his building which is often described as a melting ice-cream castle. The most impressive aspect of the building is the roof featuring modernism at its finest. The walls and walkways are all curved. Tiny twisted pillars ascend into the sky. I said it was like a living in a Dr. Seuss book! Perhaps, Dr. Seuss was inspired by Gaudi? There was also an attic, which served as a museum of Gaudi, and an apartment he designed. This was very unique and fun!

1600- After walking a few blocks east, we ate at Dino Pan. It was essentially a little sub-shop, but it had a dinosaur for a logo, so, of course, I needed to eat there. I ordered a chicken sub and a ice cream pastry.

1630- Arrived at Sagrada Familia, the most iconic and famous destination in Barcelona. Essentially, Gaudi started this cathedral in 1888, and it is still not finished today! Everything is being built as cathedrals were in the old days, with local artisans and donations only. It is estimated that it will take at least another 50 years to finish this massive cathedral. Gaudi insisted that it should be built this way. All of Gaudi´s work was inspired by nature, and, in the actual church, the columns and ceilings are supposed to emulate that of a forest. Seeing everything as a live construction site was pretty cool. We waited about 30 minutes to take an elevator to the top of one of the towers. This place was ridiculous. After looking at the view, we had to walk down a hazardous spiral staircase. The entire experience was really exciting. Currently, only 8 towers are finished. I believe there will be a total of 17 when finished (please do not quote me on 17, but I think there will be 12 for the apostles, 4 for the gospels, and 1 for Jesus). The tallest tower is going to be around 500 feet tall! If the Sagrada Familia is completed in my lifetime, I definitely be there for its opening.

1800- I took the metro up north to Parc Guell. This is a park dotted with Gaudi architecture and his very famous ¨dragon¨ which looks more like a lizard to me. This building also has his famous curved benches with great views of the city. I walked through most of the 30 acre park, and it was really relaxing. Besides the dragon/bench area, it was mostly locals just enjoying the park on a Sunday afternoon. I can confirm that the support structure in the park does look like the Ewok Village from Star Wars, as Sr. Gaone taught me in class.

1930- Metro down to Ramblas. I strolled up and down the Ramblas for about an hour. It was not as exciting as Saturday night, but it was still fun.

2030- Returned to the apartment.

2031- Fell asleep.

16.06.08
I woke up early and walked to the school to check it out. Surprisingly, the school is really nice with ultra-modern classrooms and furniture. The computer lab is full of about 30 brand-new Apple computers. The name of the school is the Barcelona School of Business. I would not have minded taking all of my classes here! After studying and completing my morning class, I have been slaving for hours on this essay. I hope you have enjoyed it.

These next few days are going to be quite stressful. Today, I need to ensure all of my post-Spain travel plans are secure. Tomorrow, I need to study for my religion test, but I may do some sight-seeing in the morning. Wednesday, I will be studying for my economics test. And, on Thursday, after taking the economics test, I will be traveling to airport to fly to Paris! Unfortunately, this will translate in less blog posts. Ideally, I will get one up tomorrow and Wednesday. After that, I do not know what type of internet connection will be in Paris or Rome. Please do not worry, loyal readers, I assure you, my keen skills and world-wide appeal will surely enable me to successfully handle whatever type of unforeseen circumstances the future holds.

Adieu!