Vistas y la Arquitectura Modernista

Hola from Barcelona!

This city is absolutely made for walking, and I've been enjoying wandering the streets to find hidden gems and new spots to hang out! Yesterday (Monday), we had our academic orientation for the program where we received our schedules for the semester and discussed policies. I'll be taking 5 classes in Spanish and plan to use this challenge to become fully fluent by the time I finish the program! After the orientation, I got lunch with another student in the program at my favorite tapas restaurant from my first trip here. It's called Cerveceria Catalana and it's in the Eixample district. Although it was busy for lunch, we were able to get in after a 15-20 minute wait. (The food was so delicious that we ate it before I remembered to get a picture...)  I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the city with two students before returning for dinner. I really enjoyed getting to know them and continuing to get to know Barcelona!

This morning, I went to the Recinte Sant Pau Modernista, a former hospital close to the Sagrada Familia. We looked at going on our last trip, but we couldn't fit it in. I'm really glad I stopped by today, as it's a beautiful complex and I can't believe it used to be a hospital! My host mom told me today that both of her kids were born there and that her spouse worked there for 35 years as a physician's assistant!

As I wandered through the facility, there were a variety of signs that this building has been an important medical center for a long time. Exhibitions along the way included a visual history of the building and design of the complex, some biographical information about Lluis Domenech i Montaner (the architect), informational signs, and visual representations of the former activities. Some of the buildings on the campus now host governmental and medical institutions, and the current hospital has been moved further down the street. There were too many beautiful details to capture along the way! I really enjoyed walking through and learning about the history.

I continued down the Avenida de Gaudi until the Sagrada Familia, where I found a small lake and park with a view of the basilica. I admired the facade and towers for a few moments before continuing onto my next destination.

 After my morning adventure, I attended a session on Adjusting to Life in Barcelona offered by my program. This provided some helpful information about city life and using the metro system, and taking advantage of everything the program offers while we're here. Per a recommendation, I went to Bo de B sandwich shop for lunch. It was relatively inexpensive and very tasty! I'll definitely plan to go back throughout the semester :)

Because of all the walking over the last few days, my legs are pretty tired. I went back to my homestay to take a siesta and plan to head out again a little later to keep exploring!

Hasta luego,

Amy