The Block of Discord
The following story is my attempt at being clever, as I merge history, art history, myth, and nicknames all into one.
Aflame in Alicante – June 23-25, 2015
It was a last minute decision, but on Monday, June 22, I bought my tickets to visit my Tita Cristi and Tito Curro in Alicante for el dia de San Juan. I had only heard about this crazy festival in passing: bonfires, effigies, fun! And why waste a perfectly good day off from class sleeping in my residencia when I could witness the festivities first hand, in the city most known for the celebration!?!? § Read the rest of this entry…
Best Builders, Baddest Buildings – June 25, 2015
*I acknowledge that the job descriptions of builders and architects differ, but for the sake of alliteration…
The Melon District Marina Residencia is located near the 22@ District, near two main streets – Glories and Diagonal. The reason I mention this is because one of the first things that everyone on my study abroad trip noticed about Barcelona was a neighboring tower, about a 15 minute walk away from us, nicknamed “The Dildo” or “The Penis.” I didn’t make the phallic connection, but I recognized it as being similar to London’s Gherkin. In reality, this tower is named Torre Agbar and was designed by a famous architect named Nouvel between the years 1999 and 2004. § Read the rest of this entry…
La Sagrada Familia – June 16, 2015
One of the main attractions and pulls to Barcelona tourism is the immense amount of Gaudi architecture and design in the city. Perhaps the most well known example is La Sagrada Familia, a church dedicated to the Sacred Family. Four years ago, visiting the Catalonian capital with my mother and siblings, we stopped by the immense project, walking around all four facades and reading from our photocopied tour book about the main elements of the massive undertaking. We didn’t dare to go inside, however, due to the snaking line around the block. Luckily, being part of a school group helps to shorten the wait, and this time, four years later, I was able to skip the line and walk straight in the East Facade. § Read the rest of this entry…
Roman and Gothic Barcelona – June 4, 2015
Today was my first content-filled day of class – The Arts of the City. I am very proud to say I am the only Art History major in the room, so I feel very knowledgeable and ready to help those in need! The course starts off with the beginnings of the city of Barcelona. We learned the basics, and then our professor, Judith Urbano, took us out into the streets to experience for ourselves! § Read the rest of this entry…
Macaulay is in Barcelona!!! – June 1, 2015
Anyone who has spoken to me throughout the Spring 2015 semester was familiar with me complaining that I was clueless as to what I was going to do this summer. I had applied to countless internships in both New York City and Washington, D.C., and as my fallback plan, signed up for Macaulay Honors College’s first ever study abroad program to Barcelona, Spain! Well, you guessed it – I’m here! § Read the rest of this entry…
Spanish Art History: Velazquez to Picasso
It is the last day of classes, and all that awaits me tomorrow are finals and goodbyes. I thought it would be a good opportunity, as I have finished all of my coursework, note-taking, museum visits, and presentations, to reflect on my experience in the most enjoyable class of the three in which I enrolled: Spanish Art History II – 1700 to the Present. § Read the rest of this entry…
El Escorial y El Valle de los Caídos
The second organized trip on which my program took us was to a small town outside of Madrid, San Lorenzo de El Escorial (the town simply named El Escorial is a neighboring village). Within this small area resides a humongous palace, built by King Philip II of Spain. Within the large complex there is a school, a monastery, a library, a church, and the old king’s residence (until the mid-19th century). Today, the monastery and school are still functioning, though the monastery only holds 21 monks as opposed to 200 at its peak. The original library of El Escorial was so large, it was second only to the Vatican. Unfortunately, most of the books were destroyed in a fire. But, let me give you a brief overview of my time in the austere edifice.
Segovia
My study abroad trip includes two weekend excursions! Our first journey was to Segovia on Saturday, July 12. All I knew about the small, historic city was that it featured a very scenic, fairy tale-looking castle, so I was pretty excited to go learn some more! I woke up at 6:30 AM, a full thirty minutes before my normal wake-up time, because the bus was set to leave la Universidad Rey Juan Carlos at 8:45. Like usual, I awoke before my roommate and left as she was emerging from her room with sleepy eyes. The bus ride is only about an hour long, but I’m not exactly sure the true duration as I slept all the way there.
Itinerary:
El Alcázar
Plaza Mayor – Free time
(I went to the Gothic Cathedral, watched a dance performance in the plaza, and visited the church in which Queen Isabel I of Castille got crowned the Catholic Queen)
Lunch – Cochinillo
Roman Aqueduct
Espacio Telefonica Fundación
As I mentioned the other day, I went to the International Student Identification Card office to receive my ISIC card this past Tuesday. While I was there waiting for the woman to get off the phone, I looked around the office and found a lot of information for tourists and travelers in Madrid. I picked up a book with information on museums, shows, restaurants, and parks, and decided to take it with me. Along with a list of the above mentioned attractions, there were also pages dedicated to current exhibitions. I bookmarked several pages that interested me, and planned a solo-journey to one of them for later that day. § Read the rest of this entry…
