Popular Café Off Casp!

The coffee shop by our school is flocked with students from CEA.  It is where everyone goes and chats before, between and after classes.  I often see people eating croissants, ham and cheese baguettes and grilled chicken sandwiches.  I go here every Monday and Wednesday morning before class and get a “café con leche y sacarina para llevar”.  It only costs a euro and thirty-five cents and it is quick and good.  It is a place that I associate with studying abroad since I see the other America students on my program there each day.  The only bad aspect about the place is the theft.  I have heard on multiple occasions that my American friends and other students have gotten their phones and computers stolen while they are sitting at this café.  It is unfortunate that the crime and pick-pocketing in Barcelona is so frequent.  I have heard on multiple occasions that people have been robbed in Barcelona.  In fact, I had my phone stolen from by pocketbook once.  It is a scary and upsetting experience.  However, it is not the end of the world.  While studying abroad you must be prepared to encounter many difficult situations and you must always be aware of your surroundings.  

Dow Jones!

My favorite Bar in Barcelona is called Dow Jones.  It is located on Carrer de Bruc, 97.  The bar is decorated in the style of an Irish pub.  I like this bar because it always has a good crowd, the bar tenders are friendly, and it is a bar so it give you the ability to have a conversation rather than being in a crowded and loud club.  The prices of drinks go up and down according to what people in the bar are drinking.  When the price changes and if the “stock” or the drinks crash then all of the drinks go down and everyone at the bar cheers and buys rounds of drinks at a low and reasonable price.  Sometimes the bar tenders will make me a special drink and give it to me for free or for an extremely good price.  I have noticed that bar and restaurant owners in Barcelona become friendlier as you come to their bar or restaurant more frequently.  Since the bar tenders at Dow Jones now know me and like me, they help me out with a free drink here and there.  In the United States although you might go to a bar every single night and the bar tender may know you on a first name basis, he or she will probably never give you the drink for free or for a better price.  However, the bar tender will still probably enjoy a good conversation with you.  

Zara!

My favorite store in Barcelona is Zara.  Amancia Ortea Gaona founded it in 1963 and he is one of the richest people in Spain today.  It is one of the largest fashion brands in Europe right now and here are over three thousand Zara stores in the world.  The stores carry clothing for people of all ages.  Before coming to Europe, I did not like Zara.  In fact, I went to Zara several times in New York City and I have never bought anything.  Now, I cannot go into Zara without wanting to buy something.  There is such a wide range of styles and very unique apparel.  I think the Zara stores in the United States should be just as good as the one in Barcelona.  However, Zara is great all over Europe.  I have traveled to many different cities while studying abroad and I have seen at least one Zara store in every city I have visited.  There is a large Zara store located on Passeig de Gracia, which is one of the most beautiful streets in Barcelona.  This street houses the top designer international and Spanish brands.  I walk on this street all the time and pass Zara.  It is difficult to not run inside and see the latest trends and styles featured throughout the store.  I will miss Passeig de Gracia, Zara and everything this part of Barcelona has to offer when I return to the United States.  

Malaga/Marbella!

Over my Spring break I was able to travel to Malaga and Marbella.  My two best friends Jillian and Elan traveled from Israel and met me in Malaga.  We spent Tuesday April 3^rd in Malaga.  After we arrived, we put our luggage in the hotel and then, went for a walk to roam the streets of Malaga.  We walked for about two hours.  We walked all the way down to the port area, which was very clean and beautiful.  Everything was going great until, on our way back to our hotel, we noticed a very large crowd of people throughout the streets.  Then, we noticed that it was some sort of holy parade going on.  It turned out to be Semana Santa de Malaga, which is a very big holiday in Malaga.  Throughout the streets stood people in long cloaks carrying candles and parading with large statues of Jesus.  We were certainly shocked that we were caught in the middle of this and that we were in Malaga at such an important time.  Although it was not what we were expecting, it turned out to be very interesting.  We learned about a new holiday that we did not even know existed.  Finally, we made our way through the crowd and made it back to our hotel.  The next day we went to Marbella.  Marbella has the most beautiful beaches and it is a great place to vacation in Spain.  We were able to walk around and go to several restaurants and shops in Puerto Banus.  Our trip was very relaxing and enjoyable.  

Carnival!

I took a trip to Sitges in February with my friend Mattie Kramer.  We decided to go to Sitges last minute to celebrate carnival.  Although we were not prepared to go because we did not have or buy costumes, we managed to find masks in my apartment and wear those.  Since it was only our second month being in Barcelona, we were not very familiar yet with the trains or how to go about traveling to Sitges, a beach town in Spain.  However, after getting lost several times and trying to communicate and get directions from multiple people, we ended up making friends with a local couple who allowed us to tag along on their journey to Sitges.  We went to the Renfee train station and took a train that was about forty-five minutes.  Everyone on the train was dressed up, celebrating and drinking.  When we arrived in Sitges at carnival, the streets were pact with people dressed up in costumes.  People were drinking, smoking, dancing, and celebrating this holiday.  There were huge parades throughout the entire beach town.  The parades and crazy amount of people was fascinating to watch.  If I had to compare it to a holiday in America, I would compare it to Halloween.  However, carnival is much more wild.  We stayed in Sitges until about two in the morning.  At two o’clock am, we got on a crowded line to take the train back to the Barcelona.  The train was as much of a scene on the way back as it was on the way there.  Overall, it was an awesome experience and a great way to immerse ourselves into the Spanish culture.

Go Barca: Football Game!

            Football is a huge part of the people who live in Barcelona’s lives.  I have always heard about the football games in Barcelona and I always saw all of the advertisements and clothing around Barcelona but I did not know or understand what a Barcelona football game was like until I experienced it.  I was fortunate to go to two different Barcelona football games this semester.  The first game I went to a game was in March and Barcelona won obviously!  I went with five of my girl friends and we bought tickets in Las Ramblas at a booth on the street.  Our tickets ended up being the farthest seats away from the field you could possibly be.  The players looked like ants.  However, it was so cool to watch it from that perspective.  I was able to see the entire stadium and all of the fans cheering and celebrating the success of their team.  A Barcelona football game is more than just a game it is part of the culture of Barcelona.  The amount of spirit and excitement present in the crowd was incredible.  People were chanting, singing and screaming.  Most of all the people there were supporting Barcelona and Catalunya as a country.  This sport is more than a sport; it is political.  Barcelona is an amazing team and football is a huge part of the Spanish culture.  The second time I went to a game was last Tuesday night.  My family was in town and we were able to get great seats to the game!  This time, I was able to watch the game from a seat that was much closer to the field.  Unfortunately it was raining but luckily we had seats that were located under the overhang and we did not get wet.  Even though it was raining, each player still played his hardest and the fans continued to cheer and support their team while getting wet.  The people of Barcelona are very spirited and the players of the Barcelona team are very talented.  I am so glad I was able to see these games while I was studying abroad in Barcelona!

El Born: The Stylish Part of Town!

El Born is located very close to my house.  I walk to El Born every night for dinner and I know the area very well.  Many people are afraid to go to El Born at night because there are many small alleys way street and it is very easy to get lost.  It is sometimes scary at night because there are people who will come up to you and try and bother you and say hello but you need to know how to respond.  It is vital to make sure you are always aware of your surroundings and to travel with another person if it is late at night.  My teacher Xavi Alcon once told us a story about how he was mugged in a small ally way that only had one exit.  Luckily, he was okay but it can be scary at night.  A person should never go into a dark ally way alone at night here.  Aside from that, I usually feel very safe and comfortable in the area I live in.  There are also many shops I love in El Born.  There are small local stores and there are also stores such as Custo that I enjoy going to.  There are many cafes in El Born that you can go to and have some food and a coffee and sit outside.  The style of this area is very diverse and there are all different types of people.  This area is not where you will find the clubs and the crazy nightlife but there are some bars and great restaurants.  I even found a place to get my haircut in El Born.  It is called Anthony Llobet, which is located on Calle Carders, 34.  A nice Scottish hairdresser did my hair great and he even spoke English!