Travel post a little late: Paris, part 1

Paris, in all its majestic and historically-rich glory, is one of the most breathtaking places in the world. And it is personally my favorite place. Beneath the abundance of cigarette smoke and funky odors drifting around the metro is a city like no other. Paris does get some schtick for being a hoity-toity, pretentious metropolis (and in MANY ways, it certainly is) but it only seems so if you are consumed in all the stereotypes too much. When you are enriched in all the culture and history and are opened to what the city has to offer, it truly is a wonderful city. Simply wonderful.

Like any big tourist-attracting city, the locals may get a bit snobby towards visitors. Some people still don't pick up their dogs' crap from the sidewalks. And of course, you can never ever be too mindful of your belongings. But all the cobblestone streets lead to such great adventure. You can strip away all the bad and have an amazing experience.

I spent six days (!!!) in Paris, which gave me time to explore many things that I haven't seen before. I've been to Paris a few times before, but certainly not like this. The first two days were spent with a family friend, and the last four were spent with a cousin (whom I hadn't seen in almost 15 years!!).

My stay with the family friend was spent seeing all the big touristy hot spots. Sure, I've been all of them before...but Paris can't be complete without the Eiffel Tower!

I started my day at Musée D'Orsay, one of the famous art museums in Paris. I had visited D'Orsay the last time I was in Paris, but did not have enough time to see all the art. After some time at the art museum, we spent some time relaxing on the lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower and then visited Paris Plages, which is a strip of "beach" right by the Seine. There is a stretch of sand by the river so people can sunbathe or kids can play in the sand. There's also many activities and events that happen on Paris Plages, like water aerobics (did I mention there is a pool right by the Seine as well?).

The second day started off in Montmartre to see the Sacre Coeur, which is the second highest point in Paris, the Eiffel Tower being the highest, of course. Then we took a waterbus up and down the Siene, making stops at many points throughout the city, including the Champs Elysees.

It was nice seeing all the familiar places, but I think that I'm done with all the touristy things for a while. Luckily, I explored some fresh, new places in Paris during the remainder of my stay. Until the next post!

Travel post a little late: Tortosa

On Friday (July 22), I took a day trip to the lovely village of Tortosa, which is a Catalan town roughly 170 km away from Barcelona. The village is rich in culture and is a landmark of the Spanish Civil War, as well as the medieval times.

I happened to visit Tortosa during their annual festival, which lasts about four days. There were many vendors set up throughout the village streets and people were dressed in Renaissance attire. Children with drums and costumes paraded through the streets for the celebration.

Tortosa is right by the river, so there is always a cool breeze wafting through the narrow roads.

It seems that further into my stay in Spain, my Spanish became more “accepted” by the locals. Of course, I’ve had my “boba” moments where I misplace “cual” with “qué” but I pretty much seem to get my point across most of the time. I also watch cartoons dubbed in Spanish with my little cousins, and I suppose my Spanish comprehension is improving as well, and the cartoons are enjoyable. Well, perhaps they are just more enjoyable after some Sangria.

Friday was my last full day in Spain, and I left for France on Saturday morning. Even though I was only there for a few days, I felt as if I was there for ages. Being in this country made me even more excited to study in Oviedo next Spring.

Travel post a little late: Barcelona

I arrived in Barcelona early Wednesday (July 20^th), and before you could say “bienvenidos,” I was already whisked off to see much of the city with no time to tidy myself up after a long flight.

Like a smart traveler, I wore jeans on my flight. Unlike a smart traveler, I didn’t think to change into something more comfortable; thus I trekked throughout Barcelona in jeans with my hair and makeup a mess. Luckily, the city isn’t as hot as it usually is during the summer, but I would have much preferred a pair of shorts to jeans. Despite the heat and the blisters on my feet, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Catalan capital. And I saw QUITE a lot for one day. Since I did not take a bus tour, most of my travels on Wednesday were on foot, so it was much more walking than I anticipated. Needless to say my feet are incredibly sore!

The city was bustling and lively, not only with tourists like me but also with locals. I started off my day at La Rambla and the Christopher Columbus statue, and wandered through tiny alleys and walkways to see quirky little stores. Of course I saw the big landmarks, including the Cathedral of Barcelona, Casa Batlló, La Pedrera, and La Sagrada Familia. But perhaps my favorite part of Barcelona was Parc Güell. Even though the long walk to get there hurt like hell, the view of the city and the Mediterranean was just…simply breathtaking. I had to pinch myself to see if it was actually real (as queso as it sounds) because quite frankly, I still couldn’t believe that I was in Barcelona. I loved sitting on the swerving mosaic bench and looking at the gorgeous view. Since Parc Güell is located up in the hills, the wind was just perfect and cool.

Of course, the food was FANTASTIC. We did stop at La Boquería early in the day, and it was buzzing with foodies and tourists alike. I enjoyed a fresh jugo de fresas y piñas and snacked on some delicious jamón Serrano. The first thing I saw upon entering La Boquería was all the jamón hung up throughout many of the meat shops, and I knew I had to have some. I’ve eaten so much of it in Spain, and I honestly can’t get enough of them. For lunch we enjoyed some tapas, which included more jamón, some salted fish, mussels, cheese, and a Catalan “pizza” of olives, eggplants, and peppers. Tapas in Barcelona cannot go without a classic: a dish of bread slices that are drizzled with olive oil and rubbed with fresh tomatoes. All were so delicious that naturally my aunt had to order us seconds!

Even though Catalan is considered the “main” language in Barcelona and the rest of Catalonia, I took whichever opportunity I could to practice my Spanish-speaking skills. I have been studying Spanish for about six years, so I suppose that I’m somewhat proficient in the language, despite not having anyone at home to practice with. My Spanish may not be perfect, but I thought that perhaps my effort would be enough to endear some Spaniards. In reality, I wasn’t treated as nicely as my French-speaking relatives were, and truth be told, I don’t know why. Is it because I’m a tourist? Not just a tourist, but also a try-hard tourist? I personally don’t think trying to speak the native tongue in a certain language makes me a try-hard, but perhaps that’s just how they see me. Even the man who sold me the Spanish flag that I bought was very rude. I cannot lie; I was a bit hurt at how cold some people in Barcelona were to me. I even got uncomfortable glances from locals on the metro. Maybe I smell bad? I guess I’ll never know.

Though so far I think that Spaniards outside of Barcelona are much nicer to me. On Thursday I spent some time at the marina in Delta de l'Ebre, which is a town about an hour and a half away from Barcelona. People there were much more accepting of me (and my Spanish), which comforted me a bit. The area around Delta de l'Ebre is known for their rice fields (fit for paella!) and it is also home to great wildlife like flamingoes (and mosquitoes…I have the bites to prove it!)

Barcelona was absolutely wonderful, and I hope that I’ll be there again in the future! There is still a lot to see and explore.