This weekend we kept it low key because we're trying to catch up on homework and sight-seeing. On Saturday we all just cleaned and did laundry. Not really eventful. We went to dinner at a gourmet pizza plaza called la Veronica. Yum.
Sunday packed in a lot more. Jessie Euler, one of my roommates, and I went running in the morning. Considering I haven't run in weeks, I didn't do too shabby. We ran down to the water and looped around. It was probably between 2 and 3 miles. Jessie wanted to "look around" about halfway through so I ran back to studio. During the run, the sun glared in my eyes and the smells of Saturday night, made the whole thing pretty unpleasant. I'll go again shortly, but until then I'll stick to my in-house ab and plyo routine.
After getting some studio stuff out of the way I headed back to the apartment to catch a shower before we headed out for out History/Theory project. By late afternoon we were at the site near the Cathedral Maria del Mar. There were street performers and people walking and enjoying the beautiful day. It was so pleasant and blissful....getting a gelato made it even better :) We had to document a pattern or record something interesting about the preset area. I chose to investigate the sedentary activity and the dialogue it creates with the urban spaces. I looked at things like people gather to talk, people lounging, people dining in outdoor cafes and crowds around performers. All these people affect the mood and experience of a space because they don't just pass through it, they occupy it. I think its kind of interesting....it might be bs.
After returning home (I'm starting to call it home! uh ooo) I finished straightening up until it was time to leave for 7:30 Spanish Mass at Maria del Mar. Since everyone else was either uninterested or just trying to finish work before our group date at Hard Rock Cafe, I went alone.
When I got to the metro platform the train had just left. As some people filtered by me on their way out, one man stopped a few yards away after making brief eye contact and started talking in Spanish. I was intently staring at the metro map until I realized he was talking to me. All I had caught was "muy guapa," which means very beautiful. I looked slightly confused and said "gracias" before returning to my intense studying of the metro lines. He began talking to me again, and I looked utterly confused. I responded in his tongue that I did not speak Spanish. He first asked if I was French. I laughed and said no and said I was American. Over the next 3 minutes I conversed in abrupt Spanish and charades that I was a student, although I was "solo" I had someone in America, and that although coffee sounded wonderful I was Catholic and needed to pray. It was entertaining to implement my Spanish until my train came and I hopped on to head to church.
I got off the metro and everything looked different in the dark. Shortly I realized I had headed out in the wrong direction so I asked an older Spanish couple where the cathedral was and they looked at me like I had 2 heads. Through the crowds I heard a "yeaaa. Whatever." Hooray. Americans! I went over to them, a group of 3 girls my age dressed very stylishly. After describing my inability to navigate, the invited me to join them since they also were headed to Mass. Since I was from Maryland they flagged down one of their guy friends that I didn't notice as park of the group, since he was a fellow "we love crabcakes and football" kid. I quickly found out that Alex was from Luthium (I think that's what he said) and was studying business in Barcelona. Most of the people in their group, the 3 girls (Ryhan, Danielle, and Erin) plus Alex and his housemate Andrew and their host "Mama," where going as an educational experience.
At the Cathedral I was surprised to see the immense interior stuffed with people. I looked up to the altar and was also surprised to see 70 or more priests flanking the altar. As the Mass began we soon realized we were to witness the ordaining of 3 priests. Andrew and the host mother were practicing Catholics so they enjoyed the experience. I felt like everyone else would've appreciated an abbreviated version. The ordination and mass lasted almost 3 hours. The music was amazing and most of the prays were sung as well. One thing that caught me off guard was when they began playing Free Bird and sung a hymnal by its tune. I don't know how I feel about that hybrid. By the time I left, I was more than a little late to meet everyone at Hard Rock, but I was okay with it. I also have some new friends :)
I arrived at Hard Rock to tell them I was alive and well. Since they were almost done, I joined the table until we went home to finish some studio work. I ended up finishing right before studio on Monday. Our final pin-up is on Thursday for our first project. And then we leave for our touring of Spain!!!
Tuesday we met at Placa de Jaume for our weekly sketching class. We sketched some of the urban environment around the back of the Cathedral la Seu that connected to Placas together near Jaume. The second plaza we came to was Placa de Sant Felip Neri, which contained a civic building from the Catalonian government. It had huge pock marks in it from its battle with Franco's (oppressive ruler of Spain until the 70's) army. The whole area felt quiet and revere, it was very peaceful. I sat down to sketch on the edge of the fountain.
Suddenly, there was an eruption of noise and laughter. A school had let out for recess and a few dozen children poured into the placa to play. Most of the children decided to engaged in a feisty pseudo soccer game. They laughed and played and seemed so unconcerned with the war scarred building that towered protectively over them. The happiness that had exploded in the previously serene square, seemed so right. I found myself laughing at the children's antics. A few curios ones would approach me, glanced at my sketching and then run away giggling. One of the braver ones came up to me a stood watching intently. I looked up and said "Hola." He asked me who I was drawing, since I had started to sketch one of his classmates. I responded that I didn't know, since I don't like pressure, even from a 10 year-old, to cast a reliable portrait. I told him my name and he told me his was Franches. Exhausting our conversation options considering the age difference, he ran away to join his classmates. After a while, one of them tried to get me to play, but when I kicked the ball I launched my shoe as well. Laughing, I pick up my shoe and motioned that I should just continue drawing. All too soon their recess was over. I realized how much I missed Loretta (Hey baby sis!) and my family....so I continued my sketching assignment until I back in the grander plaza by the History Museum.
After comparing our perception of the spaces, we went to go into the museum. The museum actually takes you below street level to the excavated Roman ruins of the city. It's pretty awesome since some of it predates the birth of Christ. We were able to see ruminates of laundry services, wineries, seafood houses, and palaces, as well as art and pottery from various ages of Spanish development.
I'm standing over part of a winery from 12 BC!
Kristin Clancey and I came out of the exhibit enthused, but very hungry. Since class was over we headed down the street in search of something to set our appetite. There was a line out the door of a little sandwich store, so we decided to join the locals. I got a bratwurst sandwich with mustard, grilled panini style and split a small bottle of red wine with Kristin. We stood crowded with the locals and obviously not blending, eh, still delicious. Walking homeward we were distracted by a tasty looking display of gelato and gave in to temptation. We had to pool in all our change to buy the cones, but it was absolutely delicious. It was turning into a perfect day.
We stopped into the Boccario market and now too broke to buy anything, we just wandered. We popped out the back and while wandering down the street passed a store that looked kinda like a dollar store. Alleluia. Cheap, Chinese produced stuff. It was a perfect day. I picked up some necessities (i.e. a whisk, clothespins) that would have cost an arm and a leg at the stores we had been going to. By the time we got back we had to head out to Spanish.
Wednesday- Trying to be done for our first Jury!!! Hooray!
