First Impressions of Barcelona

What a beautiful city! I mean, it’s actually just remarkably aesthetically pleasing – the architecture, the weather, the people. For such an urban location, it’s not at all as dirty as New York and it caters to an outdoor, pedestrian lifestyle from the Mediterranean all the way to Mount Tibidabo. Despite the foreign food, language, and customs, I immediately feel at home here, and I’m so sure that choosing to study abroad in Barcelona is the best decision I’ve ever made.

It hasn’t been all gravy, though.

Comida. Okay so I know that jamon serrano, among other meats, is like THE THING in Spain, but I have to admit I’m not feeling it on this one. I’m not a pig person, yet the sliced “turkey breast” here has a freaky gelatinous texture to it that represents that floppy foam paper from craft stores you used to buy for elementary school projects. So, never one to compromise or settle, I moved onto another lunchtime staple: peanut butter. Evidently, good ol’ PB is an American thing. So no more of my absolute favorite PB, banana and honey sandwiches – very unfortunate considering the bread here is fresh and cheap and practically made for a panini press. The produce is also divine – fresh, flavorful and very inexpensive compared to NYC prices, at least as far as I can tell with both the kg to lb and euro to dollar conversion. I should really keep a food diary while I’m here; the last couple of meals have made a mockery of my normally clean and veggie-ful diet, at the risk of making me a little bit hungrier, crankier, and itching to work out. So that’s what I went looking for next.

Gimnasio. I’m sure I had seen neither a fitness center nor a running Spaniard since I started walking the streets about 72 hours ago, but I had heard talk of a city-run civic center located near my school campus in Sarria where I could get a student discount. It’s too cold to run outside right now, and I can’t be certain my running shorts won’t mark me a tourist in my labored effort to fit in as a ciudadana. So onward and upward, literally, to Sarria we went to find this promising fitness center known to locals as Can Caralleu.

I was expecting a local YMCA-like operation for the prices quoted on the Internet, but this place knocked that out of the water. This was like a swanky health club with a jam-packed schedule of spinning, pilates, yoga, and strength-training classes, a pool, a track and field, a café, and an indoor fitness center to boot. So I just put in a few minutes on the elliptical overlooking spectacular views of the Mediterranean. NBD.

Here’s a pic of the rents from a street in Sarria with Mount Tibidabo behind them:



Residencia. Unfortunately, I may have to spend a lot of time at my little home gym away from home, as I am still homeless in Barcelona – I send, once again, a hearty “thank you” to the Fordham ISAP staff as well as IQS here in Barca for their overwhelming assistance in this matter. Please pray for me as I continue the search once again tomorrow. You’ll be the first to know when I’m all settled in.

Until then, abrazos y besos from Spain. And thank you for reading.

<3

P.S. - Lemme know if the Bridget's Sexiest Beaches title links get old. I probably won't do anything about it because they tickle me to death, but I'd be glad to know you're are watching them.