Needless to say, my first week in Barcelona was a bit of a whirlwind. Between settling into my new apartment, orientation meetings and trying to explore the city, this is really the first chance I am getting to update my blog. So, I will try to give you a quick recap of the past week. I arrived on Tuesday morning and was picked up at the airport by a service that is arranged through Richmond. There were 12 of us who landed all around the same time so the three vans they had sent were completely packed with luggage and students. I ended up being the last to be dropped off which was ok because I got to see my first glimpses of Barcelona and the different neighborhoods. I will be living with two other students from Richmond (Ryan and Eric) as well as two other students from a different program (Andrew and another girl who is moving in soon), in the Gothic Quarter, which is said to be the heart of the city. Our apartment has a lot of character with its high ceilings, tile floors and little balconies. It is across from a beautiful marina and a short walk from the beach. It is also close to loads of restaurants and bars and other little shops. Tuesday night, like most nights so far, we just walked around our neighborhood and stopped to eat at a place nearby that looked good.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we had orientation meetings and a placement test all of which were relatively uneventful. We learned some more basic information about the city and our school. Our intensive Spanish language course starts tomorrow. The class is two and a half hours a day and meets for about two and a half weeks. Real classes don’t start until the end of the month. Having this slow transition is so nice because it leaves us free time to adjust and explore. Yesterday I went with some other students from Richmond and a group of students from Bentley to Sitges, which is a beach town that is about an hour train ride south of Barcelona. It is said to have some of the best beaches in all of Spain and they were definitely beautiful!! The town itself had narrow streets and really quaint, and neat looking buildings. It is hard to describe, but I felt like I was on the set of a movie—especially when a guy in the street started playing his accordion. After soaking up the sun for a few hours, we grabbed some lunch. I had my first paella, which is a traditional rice dish that can have vegetables, seafood, meat or all of the above, since being in Spain. It was really good and definitely exceeded all my expectations. After lunch we walked around some more before taking the train home. Here are a few pictures from the day:
Barcelona is seriously the most fascinating place I have ever been. The city has everything you could ask for--beautiful beaches, tons of history and culture, and indescribable nightlife. In addition, the people all seem generally happy and relaxed, which is definitely a big change from the US. When everyone asks what I think so far, I really don’t know where to begin. I am just so excited to spend my semester here and learn more about this captivating city.
Besos,
Jess
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