La Boqueria

Like any yuppy, I love farmers markets. Even better I love taking photos of food. So when I went to Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria (la Boqueria for short) in Barcelona I was in heaven. The market has existed in some form since 1217 when it used to sell meat at the edge of the city. Throughout the centuries it expanded and by 1840 its current building was constructed. Today, La Boqueria is housed in a massive pavilion off of the most famous tourist (and therefore pickpocketing) street La Rambla. But once you get away from the street performers, you enter a foodie heaven with everything and anything you could ever want to eat...or not.
We mostly stuck in the fruit market and even that was overwhelming. It was sensory overload literally, neon colors you didn't believe actually existed in nature, some of the sweetest and juiciest fruit I've ever tasted, and the noisy hustle and bustle of the crowd searching for the perfect orange (there were many).

Even though it was difficult, I had to just go for it and pick my daily dose of vitamin C in some form so I went for the colorfully cute smoothies. My kiwi coconut juice concoction ran out too quickly and I can't help but think if kids were given these to slurp they'd have no problem getting their fruit and veggies in. I picked up an orange the size of a softball for our upcoming afternoon picnic too.


As a photographer, la Boqueria couldn't have been better set up for intriguing photographs. The juxtaposition of textures, colors, and tastes was almost too fun to snap and in the end I had to be dragged out of the market.This is my final Barcelona post. Despite the delay in posting, I hope you enjoyed them just as much as I enjoyed the trip. Barcelona was one of the most colorful and vivacious places I've had the pleasure to visit. Just being there activated all five senses: the taste of buttery ham and cheese croisssants- a Spanish specialty I couldn't get enough of, the smell of the sea while Hilly and I watched the fifth sailboat come in from the Barcelona World Race in the marina, the sight of tourists being mobbed by pigeons as they foolishly tried to feed them, the sound of the fountains plopping down water on the overheated tourists, and the ache in the arches of my foot as I climbed the steps of Tibi Diabo Cathedral to see the best view of Barcelona (sadly no photos of that adventure because my camera died at that point). In short, I'd recommend Barcelona for some welcome escapism for its a city that offers everything from delicious cuisine to mountains and beaches, what more could you ask for? Thanks again to the lovely and welcoming Hilly for hosting and making sure I tried the best churros in town while getting the lowdown the history to be found down every alleyway.

Only one more exam left. After tomorrow I'll be back to regular and hopefully timely posting!

A Mammoth of a Good Time

It has officially been a month since I left Barcelona and boarded the plane back to Edinburgh and exams (one of which I have the delight of sitting this afternoon), but these Barcelona posts are still going. And you guessed it, this one is about yet another park.

Parc de la Ciutadella was my favorite part of Barcelona. It was only a five minute walk away from my hostel, but when you enter through a line of palm trees and a Spanish version of the Arc de Triumf it's like another world. A world complete with your typical park pleasantries like fountains and gardens, but also mammoth statues (see my friend above) and even more Gaudi. In short, it's the perfect place for tourists with their cameras and sunbathing locals with their blankets to soak up a few minutes of relaxation during the busy day. It wasn't until I returned to Edinburgh and barely heard a peep on my street that I realized just how bustling Barcelona is. Parc de la Ciutadella is a necessary retreat and one that I definitely took advantage of a few times throughout my trip when I needed a break from my jam packed tourist itinerary.

[The greenhouses exploding with ferns on the inside]

[Spain is famous for its oranges, you could play softball with them!]
Parc de la Cuitadella was Barcelona's first park and therefore serves more function than just a nice place to take your dog for a walk. Besides strolling locals you can also find the Spanish Parliament, Barcelona Zoo, and the geology and zoology museums. Lions and politicians right next to each other? They probably have a few things in common.

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This wouldn't be a post about Barcelona if they wasn't some reference to Gaudi and sure enough the most famous part of the park is the Cascada Fountain. You may notice that it doesn't have the mindboggling modernista architecture of Gaudi's typical designs, that's because it was a collaboration between Gaudi and Josep Fonstare. Gaudi was an unknown architecture student at the time, but the dripping cement is now a signature of his.

The fountain may not remind you of Gaudi, but how about Rome's Trevi Fountain? The design was based off of it, but unfortunately there's no running water because the Cascada is currently under-construction.

Nevertheless the fountain is still artistically relevant as you can see the modern dancers leaping around below.

My goal when traveling is not just to feel like some foreigner trying to capture an entire country on camera, but Parc de la Cuitadella had the rare ability to give me a few good photo opportunities and make me feel at home in the city. Being around all of the lounging locals, made it seem like I was really living and not just touristing in Barcelona. For that reason I'd say it's a must-see if you're visiting Barcelona and a regular routine if you're from there.

After this afternoon I'll only have one more exam and Barcelona post left. Start getting excited, I know I am.

A Walk in the Park

I apologize for the delay in Barcelona posts, the exams never seem to end! I've already tackled three, but have two more left to battle. I feel like St. George slaying dragons. Do you think I'll get some modernista architecture dedicated to me for finishing my junior year unscathed? Speaking of modernista architecture, this is another post about Gaudi and his famous Park Guell.

I know that the expression "on acid" is overused, but I couldn't help but think of it when I entered the park which looked like, well, Disney World on acid. When you enter the tiled gates you are greeted by a turret that appears to be made out of saltwater taffy with a crucifix stuck to the top of it. The quest has begun and fittingly the next sight is apparently Hansel and Gretel's gingerbread house. I should've taken note there to get some breadcrumbs out because little did I know that I would get lost in the park for a few minutes, okay, more than a few if you know my demented directional skills.

[If you look in the distance you can see Gaudi's most famous design, Sagrada Familia]

But it was a delightful place to be lost in as you can see. Loss is part of the history of Park Guell because it was forgotten immediately after it was built. In 1900, Gaudi's patron, Eustebi Guell (hence the name), commissioned him to design a living complex similar in set-up to an English garden. This Anglo- inspiration also inspired the name of "park," not the Catalan spelling"parc." Fourteen years later Park Guell was finished, but no one wanted to live there because it was so decentralized. Even with today's transportation, it takes a ten minute metro ride from Barcelona's center and then a twenty minute uphill walk in the blistering heat. This doesn't seem to keep the tourists away, but it did stave the locals off at the time. In the end, just two houses were built and they weren't even designed by Gaudi, however he did live in one for twenty years.

Today, Gaudi's house (designed by Francesc Berenguer in an alarming shade of cotton candy pink)is a museum in his honor. Barcelona tourism loves to capitalize on anything Gaudi even if the only thing he designed for it were the mosaics.

After no one bought the realestate, Guell donated it to the city of Barcelona for tourists to swarm today. Ironically, it is now one of Barcelona's most popular tourist destinations.

Finally I made my way out sans breadcrumbs. Unfortunately, with the confusion I missed the two most famous attractions of the park, the world's longest bench and the mosaic lizard. Despite the detour, Park Guell is definitely worth a visit to appreciate just how odd Gaudi's designs were.

Hopefully I have time to post a few more Barcelona photos. Remembering my time back there is getting me through exams.

Barcelona! (Not an exciting title, but this post is)

Right now I find myself hunched over a computer or a book for more hours than the sun the is up. I wish I could say I was composing the Great American Novel, but because I'm in Scotland composing my brain for the five week period of exam hell I'm in currently. It's a marathon, not a sprint so I thought I had time to update you on when things were much more exciting. Just a few weeks back I was in Barcelona, Spain for five days to visit my good friend Hilly!

[My lovely hostess, Hilly and I in the Labyrinth Gardens, Barcelona's best kept secret.]

Barcelona was my first big destination vacation since I've been abroad. As a study abroad student shouldn't I be on a cheap Ryan Air flight every weekend so I can tour Europe? Instead I've probably been at a different pub every weekend, but at least I've explored Edinburgh, right? Well, it was time to finally get my passport stamped again and because Hilly stopped by Edinburgh for a weekend, the least I could do was pay her a visit. Also, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that churros were an incentive to visit Spain.

[My churro-stache, can't you tell I'm mature enough to be turning 21 this June? haha They were delicious though and tasted like gourmet kitkat bars.]

After nearly a month of rain in Edinburgh, the constant sun in Spain was an invigorating change of scenery. Perhaps a bit too invigorating because the idea of packing sunscreen eluded me and therefore I got a bit burnt with a hardcore watch-tan to boot! When the sun wasn't illuminating just how pasty I've become since settling in Scotland, it was illuminating the crazy and colorful architecture of Barcelona.

The buildings have a life of their own and helped to promote the Catalan identity even when Franco tried to eradicate it turned his regime because it was too separatist. Even to this day, Catalan (a mixture of French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin meaning that despite the fact that I failed to speak Spanish, I could at least read the signs from my high school French knowledge. This was very important to order delicious "fromtiage" or cheese croissants) is the main language of Barcelona. Although Spanish is understood and spoken, it is disdained and some Catalans would prefer to speak to you in English rather than Spanish. The impressive Catalan pride was both exciting and a little overwhelming and who better to exhibit this than Antoni Gaudi.

Gaudi was Barcelona's most famous Catalan modernist architect. Although the city is currently on the contemporary grid system (even I, the directionally deranged, could navigate it!), his unique buildings punctuate the landscape and culture. Gaudi's designs are heavy in religious symbolism and Catalan culture. For example, the building above represents Spain's patron saint, St. George's victory over a dragon. What appears to be a carnival masque on the balcony actually represents human skulls discarded from the dragon that sits on the roof (note his scales). St. George's defeat of the beast is depicted down the walls of the building making it a truly stunning sight. Gaudi's style culminated in his famous Sagrada Familia church reminiscent of a drip sand castle and still under-construction. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of it because I had camera troubles throughout the trip, but its an awe-inspiring sight.

Above is Gaudi's "quarry" building. Although he remains one of Barcelona's favorite artists and is a major pull for today's tourists, Gaudi himself died in obscurity. While he was alive he was relatively reclusive so although many knew his designs they did not know him. He died after being hit by a tram and mistaken for a beggar whereas today it would be a mistake to miss his work. Similarly, Barcelona is an under-appreciated tourist destination but it has so much offer: the sea, architecture, delicious food, friendly people, and more. Its a vivacious city, so radically different from Edinburgh that it gave me just the jump start I needed before exams.

Just like the winding streets of Barcelona's Barrio Gottico (the original city) leave a lot to be discovered, this is only my first post of a few on the city. Expect more soon!

[Yes, that is the Spanish Arc de Triumf, but more on it later.]