Wow! It’s been 11 days since I last made an update. Did you get withdrawal symptoms? This blog’s title is based on an upcoming movie called “Vicky, Christina, Barcelona”, by the way. It stars Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz, and I’m excited to watch it.
Barcelona
First, we went to Barcelona last weekend to soak up the sun, the shops, and see the Sagrada Familia. The city is absolutely wonderful, and is easily my most favorite city so far. When we arrived at the station, we all felt this weird sensation as if we were coming home. Spanish culture is much like Filipino culture and the people are just as noisy and just as rowdy! We were surprised to find that a lot of the names for streets and places are similar to Manila’s street names.
When we arrived late at night on Friday, Darene’s family decided to take us in and treat us to dinner at their house. It was nice being able to eat paella again, and we felt very welcome by the warmth of our sponsors.
Juan Miro and Darene’s family:
On the morning of our first day, we went around Sagrada Familia which was breathtaking. It was enormous, and the stone carvings were utterly intricate. The fact that it’s been under construction since the 1800s contributes to its overall appeal. Little artifacts and cathedral walls are continually built using the original design of Gaudi, the Sagrada’s architect.
Sagrada Familia:
Plaza Ramblas, Metro, blurry beach picture;
Museo Taurino and more Plaza Ramblas:
The best part of Barcelona, however, were not the sites but the shopping. The whole country is cheaper than France, and all of us girls were rushing to the Mango outlet as soon as we saw it. Zara, Mango, Stradivarius, Berschka. Oh Espanya, we love you! I bought a truckload of clothes and other stuff in Barcelona and was feeling my pockets slowly emptying. I could never shop as much in France or other parts of Europe, so I decided to just spend in Spain when I can, and skimp on extra scoops of ice cream for my crepes in Nantes.
In the evening of our Saturday in crazy Barcelona, we decided to stroll along the seaside. We were absolutely floored when we arrived. The stretch is so lively and dynamic; it makes Boracay look like a small choo-choo train next to a high-speed TGV. The bars are phenomenal, there are a few hundred private yachts on the dock, and the girls look like those Hed Kandi album covers.
And perhaps what was most interesting about our little trip to Espanya was how we felt more at ease speaking in our broken Spanish than we ever felt trying to speak French. Directions given by locals were easy to understand, and pronunciations did not give us head trauma. At the end of the trip, I was even able to joke around with the waiter in the airport…in Spanish!
Filed under: JTA
