This week so far has been the most hectic yet! Over the weekend  (July 2-July 4), my roommates and I didn’t really do much except for catch up on work for the next week and go out to dinner. On Monday (July 5th) we had a free day after class and ran a few errands like putting minutes on our phones and laundry. The next day in class we began talking about one of my favorite architects/artists, Antoni Gaudi! We visited his Casa Mila, which is a magnificent house in Barcelona that Gaudi had built. Gaudi was a very religious person and was a devote Catholic. During the 1880’s when the anarchist movement began most of the working class in Barcelona were against the bourgeoisie and the church because church and state were not separated. The region of Catalonia wanted, and still does today, to seceded from Spain and become it’s own nation, but the government in the capital of Madrid refuse to let it because Catalonia is an important shipping area where they distribute and receive from other countries.

Gaudi wanted to put images of the Holy Mother Mary on the outside of the house, but the family that commissioned for the house to be built told him to take off any religious symbols and/or figures because they did not want anarchists to burn their houses down. He eventually left the project and had his assistants finish the project because he felt as though they were turning away from God and that they were restricting his artistic ability.

On Wednesday we went to Gaudi’s Parc Guell and Casa Museu Gaudi were he lived. The park was magnificent and full of asymmetrical structures and tiled pillars. This is where the famous tiled lizard is located. I took about 300 pictures of Parc Guell  and the Casa Museu Gaudi.

Last and certainly not least we went to La Sagrada Familia. Gaudi died before this structure could be finished and is still not finished today. I went into one of the towers and walked all the way down a spiral staircase. I felt as though I had vertigo for the first few flights, but once i got closer to the ground level I was fine. La Sagrada Familia is being finished now by a new architect and the new section slightly disappointed me because it is not the way Gaudi would have finished it,  which made me dislike the new section. I wish they could just leave it the way it is and not tamper with History.

The magnificent Sagrada Familia

So for the past 3 days I have been taking walking tours all over Barcelona. My class and I went to the Old Gothic Quarter of the city and went to the top of the Barcelona Cathedral to see all of the city. We saw the Crypt of Saint Eulalia, a 13 year old martyr that was tortured to death, and the Cloisters which is an area that is dedicated to all the different saints. In order to walk through the Cathedral you needed to have your shoulders covered and no one remembered to were short sleeves shirts instead of tank tops and spaghetti straps, fortunately the Cathedral sold shalls or 1euro each and then asked for donations to restore a sacred room in the basement. I wonder what they do with the shall money? The next day we wandered the streets of Barcelona and walked down La Rambla which is equivalent to New Orleans’ Bourbon Street or our own Times Square. Lots of people go there to shop, dance, and be entertained but the street performers, but La Rambla is also the most dangerous place for pick-pocket experts, so we all had to be careful of out things. We stopped at a large market place called La Boqueria where everyone can buy fruits, vegetables, candy, and spices for very low prices somewhat like a bazaar. The next day we went to Museu d’Historia de la Ciutat which translates from Catalan to the City History Museum. Unfortunately we were unable to take pictures inside of the museum, but you could see remnants and well kept ruins of the Roman empire. All of the things we saw in the museum were things that we spoke about on our walking tour of the Empuries, but it was still interesting to see the real ruins first hand.

Me posing with my security provided shall at the top of the Cathedral

Muchos abrasos y besos

My first post from Barcelona! These past three days have been so hectic and fascinating I could go home now and feel completely satisfied, but of course we have 22 more days left here. We just moved into our dorms, which are fabulous by the way and I couldn’t be happier that we are staying here for the duration of the study abroad.

The first 3 days we went of different excursions to different parts of Catalonia. Our first day we went to Girona, a historical town in the heart of Catalonia with remnants from the Medieval times. We explored the history of the Cathedrals and the history of the influences of the church and our tour guide explained the wonders of Catalonia and the oppressions of the people . Afterward we had a group lunch at a quaint restaurant and I had the most amazing Paella! The cuisine here is so simple, yet so delicious! We then had time to shop and wander around before heading back to our hotel. The next day we went to an archaeological site called the Empuries, where they have relics from the ancient Greeks and Romans that settled in Catalonia. They introduced roads and sewer systems to the indigenous people and helped them become more “civilized”. Our tour guide, who was originally from Vermont and had lived in Catalonia for 24 years, explained to us that the without the influences from the Romans and Greeks, Catalonia would not be what it is today. Later that day (and my favorite part of the trip) we went to the famous Dali Museum in Figures. it was such an amazing experience and we had the opportunity to see many of Salvador Dali’s works. My favorite piece was Galarina- 1945, a portrait of his wife Gala that shows her in a simple, yet very sexual way. Gala was Dali’s muse until her death in 1983. The last day of our 3 day excursion we traveled 3 hours to Montserrat where the Mare de Deu de Monserrat also known as the Black Madonna is located. The views from the top of the mountain were gorgeous and the Cathedral was absolutely beautiful. Today we will be our first official day of class and we will be taking a tour of the Gothic City Quarters. I’m ecstatic and cannot wait! I’ll let you know how it goes!

Muchos besos!

Melissa W.

Hello Everyone!,

This is my first post on my lovely blog before I embark on my study abroad to Barcelona. I am super excited and can not wait to get there. Only 8 more days until my journey begins and I absolutely cannot wait. Lots of things need to be done before I go, such as buying supplies for class and the textbooks, as well as shopping for new clothing to bring. A fellow Macaulay student at Hunter College (Yasmin Zakiniaeiz), who is my dear friend, will be accompanying my on this trip, Yay! I hope we have tons of fun and learn a lot about the culture, history and art of Barcelona.

The course that we will be taking is Art, History and Culture of a Mediterranean Jewel, (doesn’t that sounds awesome?). We will be taking lots of tours of museums and other historical monuments of Barcelona and read historical text on significant cultural artifacts. I cannot express into words how excited I am, but I’m sure you all get the message by now.

Muchos abrazos y besos,

Melissa W.

This is a blog about my Study Abroad in Barcelona, Spain. I hope you all enjoy reading the many experiences I go through on my journey across the Atlantic to an entirely different way of life and get to  know me better through my intimate thoughts and feelings.

Hello world indeed! My name is Melissa Williams and I am an Accounting major and History minor at Hunter College. I am currently enrolled in the Queens College Study Abroad program to Barcelona, Spain to study the art, history and culture there. I have taken a few History courses and I have enjoyed them all and expect nothing less from this course. I chose to study abroad in Spain because I have always dreamed about going there and want to practice my Español. Me gustaría aprender muchas diferentes cosas y encuentro personas nuevas.

Muchos abrazos y besos,

Melissa W.

I hope I’m this cool on the beaches of Barcelona (my brother and me in Jamaica when I was 4 yrs old)