Montserrat is the most famous mountain in Catalunya where there is a monastery, the “Black Virgin”, and a school for young boys that specializes in music and religion. It’s very famous among tourists and it’s just a short trip outside Barcelona. It’s also a pretty funny looking mountain – it’s nothing like the rolling hills of the Appalachian Mountains or the pointy peaks of the Rockies.
Carnaval is a very popular holiday celebrated here in Spain. Spain is home to some of the best celebrations in the world – particularly in Tenerife and Sitges. I did not see either of these carnavals, but I did get to see how the average family in Spain celebrates carnaval in their cities. I saw two different celebrations: Cos Blanc in Salou and Carnaval in Tarragona.
I haven’t gone on any amazing trips yet, but I did do something pretty cool. Everyone knows that Spain is known for its tapas: little bites of food like appetizers. My friend and I went on a tapeo: going from restaurant to restaurant eating tapas. The city I live in, Tarragona, hosts “Tarraco Tapes” every spring and fall, perfect for bingeing on tapas.
Over these past nine months, I have been to many different cities and countries, which has been an unbelievable experience. However, I have also seen some really breath-taking places right here in Catalonia. These are the places that are just day trips, but have really awesome scenery and fantastic backstories.
Some people take their time off for Christmas to go home or travel around Europe. After my parents caught their plane back home to the US, I caught a train back to Cambrils. At first I was super upset. It was even harder when I walked into my host family’s house and they were having a huge family get together. It was also Spain’s version of April Fool’s Day, when I didn’t feel like smiling. Although I was upset to leave my parents, I ended up experiencing some unique traditions only seen in Spain.
For me, Tarragona is definitely one of the most underrated cities in Spain. Of course Barcelona steals the Catalan thunder because of its size, but even Tarragona’s northern counterpart, Girona, gets more fanfare. (Especially since Game of Thrones films there, too). But Tarragona is so filled with history and culture. It was the Roman capital of Spain at the height of the empire. Tarragona was one of the most important city along Spain’s Mediterranean coast, and much more important than Barcelona.
I could write so many posts about Tarragona. I did live there for two years and it’s basically my second home. For Christmas 2014, my parents came to Spain. We visited Madrid, Barcelona, and Tarragona. Because I was a resident, I didn’t take many pictures while we were there. And then my mom left her camera in the backseat of a cab in Madrid, so unfortunately, I don’t have much to show from that trip.
Catalans are a very proud people. They have many traditions you can’t find anywhere else. They claim they created the first pa amb tomàquet, they build castells, and they speak their own language. But there is one tradition that is different than anything I have ever seen: Caga Tió.
Only have a short time to visit Barcelona? Let me start off saying it’s impossible to get a full grasp of the wonder of Barcelona in just a few short hours, but it’s also possible to see many important sites in just a five hours. The transit system is fantastic and cheap. It’s easy to see a lot in a small amount of time.
I live just an hour from Barcelona. Trains leave every hour from my city to Barcelona. It’s really easy to make a day trip to Barcelona. One day, a friend and I decided to take a short trip to the city to pass the time. After dealing with a screaming toddler for the duration of the train trip, we arrived in a cold and rainy Barcelona.
As of today, I have finished my fourth week of school. After a very emotionally overwhelming first week where I just wanted to quit, things have settled down and the students have become more used to me. The second ESOs even beg to go with me! (And I love them, too!) I’ve almost been here for as much time as last time I was here. Although times definitely get trying and school can be overwhelming, I would say I’m overall enjoying myself. (Thanks, mom, for making me stay). So to celebrate one month, I’ve developed a list of unusual and surprising things from my time here.
On Friday, my friends and I decided to meet up in Barcelona for a fun weekend after a long week of classes. Chelsey came from Andorra with a ride from a teacher from her school, Erin lives just outside of Barcelona and was able to take a bus and a metro, and I decided to take the train up there.