Rediscovering Barcelona . . .

I'm happy to say that after my post last Sunday, I've already started to rediscover Barcelona! Our friend Brendan reminded us that the first Sunday of every month means free admission to all museums. So, he, Tessa, and I visited Caixa Forum, near Montjuic, to see a few art exhibits (perfect timing with our current Meet the Artist project in 5th grade!). After that, we wandered around some neighborhoods I'd never been in, discovering new streets and delicious empanadas and gelato flavors. It was a fantastic "cultural" Sunday!

On Thursday, we had a field trip to  Poble Españyol - a little village created to showcase the different styles of architecture, foods, and crafts from each of the regions of Spain. I loved visiting this place last year, but learned even more this time. For example, cities in each of the regions of Spain were built for specific reasons. In Aragon, the buildings, particularly the doors, were built to represent the different religions living there - Jewish, Muslim, and Christian. In Andalucia, cities were constructed to stay cool - white buildings, narrow streets for air flow, arches to provide shade. What I didn't know was that Catalonia, especially Barcelona, was constructed for the artisans and tradespeople. The streets were named based on what was sold on them - Carrer de Pescadores (fish), Carrer d'Argenteria (silver), Carrer Rubi (rubies), etc. I had no idea! Learning this has made me pay even more attention to street names. (And it makes so many details from The Cathedral of the Sea even clearer!)

Learning about Aragon

Trying to stay cool in Andalucia

Learning about Catalonia

Yesterday, I went on a bit of a climb up Montjuic. Tessa and I went on a big walk here last week and I was shocked to see just how much is there! I decided to explore a bit more and came across so many beautiful gardens, statues, and fountains. The views from the top are incredible as well.

Old City Wall

Statue near Hotel Miramar

Fountains in the Botanic Gardens

I love this! Also near the Botanic Gardens.

View of BCN - you can see Sagrada Familia in the distance

I have a feeling rediscovering Barcelona is going to be great both for me and upcoming visitors. I'm already starting to plan visits to a few places off the beaten path. I can't wait to keep finding the hidden treasures of Barcelona!

Sweet Disposition

A song I'm loving at the moment!

Hoping to become a tourist again . . .

It's hard to believe that once August arrives, I will have been living in Barcelona for two years - how quickly the time goes! When I first arrived, I made it a point to explore the city whenever I had the chance. However, in the past few months, I feel like that has changed. I don't know if it's been due to the number of visitors we've had, the weekends away, or just the need to relax, but when I've had nothing planned for the weekend, the first thing I've wanted to do is absolutely nothing at all! For those of you that have known me a long time, this is pretty surprising! Relaxing and doing nothing has never been one of my strengths, yet I've found it much easier to do here, especially after a late night out.

I was reading some FB posts by ASB new teachers this morning and it was fantastic to see all that they are discovering in this city. It made me think that although a weekend of relaxing is much needed at times, I want to be careful not to get too lazy. So, I've decided to think about being a "tourist" again in my city. Although I've seen all of the major sites in BCN, there are plenty of smaller ones I haven't. In the upcoming months, I hope to check out the following, either on my own, with friends, or with upcoming visitors. Let me know if you're interested in joining me! :)

*Fundacio de Joan Miro

*History of Catalonia Museum

*Pedrables

*Tibidabo

*Concert at Palau de la Musica

*More of Montjuic - gardens, museum, etc.

*Drink at El Quatre Gats

*Show at L'Auditori

*MACBA

Menorca

Tessa, Marybeth, and I just got back from three fabulous days in Menorca - what a tropical paradise! We had a long weekend due to May Day (how is it already the first of May?!) and thought it was time to check out another of the Balearic Islands. I'm so glad we did - three full days of sunshine, beautiful beaches, and relaxation is just what we needed.

Tessa and I visited Mallorca in September of 2010 and loved it - beautiful coasts and beaches, great food, and lots to see. However, we both enjoyed Menorca even more. For me, the size, lack of people, and tranquility made it an even better vacation destination. You can drive across Menorca in about an hour, which is pretty fantastic. The highway was great, but we really loved driving along the narrow, windy roads, surrounded by stone walls. It was so picturesque!

Although there are sights to see, the main thing to do is drive from cala to cala, enjoying each beach for hours.  As far as relaxing goes, it doesn't get much better than that for me. We stopped and had lunch at a tiny restaurant, sitting at a table that overlooked the Meditterranean. We enjoyed lunch and three beers, but could have easily stayed so much longer! It's just so easy to sit and relax there. As the Spanish man we were talking to confirmed, it's just so quiet in Menorca, even when it's full of tourists.

For all of these reasons, I look forward to visiting Menorca again - as soon as possible!

Cañas - always delicious!

So beautiful!

A little piece of heaven!