The Gothic Area and The Jewish Quarter

The second field trip that we went on, gave the us the opportunity to explore the surroundings and neighborhood of the Cathedral.  Prior to this field trip, I had never been to this area before.  Little did we know, this field trip would bring us through the dark narrow streets bordering the Cathedral, in a complicated maze.  This field trip allowed me to expereince a new part of the city that I was not aware of.  I cannot forget my immediate reaction to the design of the streets.  The area around this massive building is comprised of small-narrow streets not wide enough for even a car to drive through.  Not only did I enjoy the cobble stones and uniqueness of each street, but each street had its own identity decorated in graffiti and "artwork".  As this trip progressed, we found ourselves in the center of Plaza Jaume where we also saw the Capitol building.  

Our first stop was the ancient Synagogue that has now been restored into a museum.  This was the meeting place for all the Jews to reconvene and pray.  This is known to be one of the oldest synagogues not only throughout Spain but also throughout Europe, with only the bottom floor open to visitors.  This building had an incredible significance to those who lived throughout the neighborhood during this time and is now known as a major symbol to its visitors.  From what we saw, the museum was incredibly tiny, underground, and secluded from everything else.  Upon during further research online about this area, the massacre of the Jewish people occurred in 1391.  The building was restored in 1995, and opened to the public in 2002.  Upon leaving the synagogue we were brought to this courtyard located outside of an elementary school.   When looking at the school walls, one can see the bullet holes.  This was the building that the Jews hid in in order to escape from the massacre. This building is a clear reminder of the Jewish Massacre and the intensity of it.  When looking at these walls and listening to the story, I was given goose bumps.  It is so unfair for the Jews in Spain to be so secluded from the rest of the community and treated this way.  The riots occurred in 1391.  This was a time where no Jews lived in Barcelona because most of them were killed during this time.  Those who decided to stay were required to either convert to Christianity or decided that the best thing to do was to flee the country.  There are only a limited amount of Jews in Barcelona today, hundreds of years later.  

Sitges Carnival

On Tuesday February 12th, 2013 I was able to experience Carnaval in Sitges, Spain, 35 kilometeres, a 45 minute bus ride out side of Barcelona.  From February 6th to the 13th, this small neighborhood comes alive with a series of events that attract 300,000 people.  This is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent, taking place in the six weeks before Easter. Sitges is now known to be the Mecca of the gay community. Carnival has become a highpoint on the international gay calendar that helps add a unique flavor to the exquisit festivities.  This Carnival is known to be one of the most famous Carnivals in Catalonia.  Tuesday night is known to be the Rua de l'Extermini where around 40 floats with more than 2,500 participants parade in Sitges.  Each person is dressed in colorful, wild, and fun costumes combining some elements of circus, masks, and public street party.  Many coming and dressing up in masquerade, which marks an overturning of daily life.  Costumes also ranged from devils to even cowboys and indians. Each float had a different theme with elaborate costumes, blasting music, and it's own choreographed dance.
This was a very interesting experience for all of us.  It was crazy to see the amount of people that continued to fill the streets as the night progressed. It was nothing like what we imagined it to be. I had minimal expectations about what I was about to encounter.  At times it felt incredibly dangerous, from the amount of people walking through the streets drunk, to the amount of people that got pickpocketed that night.  In the end, we had the best time with all of the friends that we have made here in Barcelona, and will definitely be an experience that I will never forget.  This Carnival experience was one of amazement to me, and I would recommend any student who studies in Barcelona in the following years to attend this spectacular event.  It isn't everyday that you get to listen to music, hang out on the beach, dress up in crazy elaborate costumes and parade in the streets with your friends.

The Old Roman City

For our first class field trip we went to the old Roman City of Barcelona.   This field trip forced me to take a step back to almost 2000 years ago and placed me into this historic Roman time period.  When we first got there we walked through the various closely nit streets.  We were told about the Roman symbol that is noted as the cross, which helped deflect how the city was mapped out.  When you look at the entire Roman city on a map, you can see that the forum is located at the middle of the cross and expands outwards.  The forum was made up of Roman columns, three that are still intact, located inside of a building in order to preserve them.  When looking at this structure, you are able to see the strength of the architecture along with the skill and artisanship that was put into each column so many years ago.

After we saw this structure, we went into the City History Museum (Museu d’Historia de la Ciutat).  This museum is located next to the Cathedral.  When we first got into the museum we were brought to see the Barcelona Foundation Stone that used to be placed outside of the city.  After, we were brought to the basement of this building, where one can see the Roman remains of the Roman city of Barcino.  We walked through these remains across a glass walkway hovering over the archeological ruins of the city.  You were really able to see where people used to walk, live, make wine, go to church, do laundry, their sewage system, a fish factory, and so much more.  Everything that was uncovered in the initial archeological dig was displayed within the museum.  It was unbelievable to see these remains still here and being so nicely preserved.  This was a great experience that I would definitely recommend checking out when coming to Barcelona.  Although it is not widely known as one of the famous landmarks within this amazing city, it gives you an understanding of why it is the way it is today.