Barcelona, Spain: Adventures with Gaudi

Andrea, Leonardo and I have all been to Park Guell and La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain.
For Andrea, he traveled to Barcelona by ship on a journey that stopped in Malta, Tunisia, Palma De Mallorca, Palermo and Genova. He went with his grandparents and sister, spending 3 days in the city. At Park Guell, he walked around for 2 hours and played soccer with locals. Some locals spoke Italian and some spoke Spanish, but those that spoke Spanish talked too fast and made it hard for him to understand. Afterward, Andrea and his family rested and enjoyed snacks. He also saw a mime performing which interested him. He was nice enough to give the performer some money. At La Sagrada Familia, Andrea could not go inside because of the construction. The church continues to be worked on, even after Gaudi's death. He was still happy to take pictures outside.
When Leonardo went to Barcelona, he flew with his parents, brother and sister over Easter break last year. He stayed for one week in a hotel and visited Park Guell one morning. He explored the park with his family and walked all over. He saw a musician playing at the very bottom of the park, near the steps by the fountain. The music echoed and sounded very good. He played an unusual string instrument. He also saw lots of squirrels running around. Leonardo bought souvineers with his family. They have a tradition where they buy a magnet at every country they visit. He got one from Park Guell. Leonardo also went to La Sagrada Familia with his family and they were able to go inside but it wasn't too special because of all of the work still being done. He did get to go to the Gaudi museum and learn all about his life. He learned how La Sagrada Familia was built. Leonardo reminds me how Gaudi died. He was hit by some form of transportation on the street and people mistook him for a homeless person because he had grown a long beard and was very dirty from working all day on the church where he basically lived. He arrived at the hospital only to be identified as THE Gaudi.
My personal experience with Gaudi architecture in Barcelona was both similar and different to that of the Italian students. At Park Guell, I too witnessed musicians playing near the fountain and other people performing their various talents. I climbed to the top with my friends who were studying in the city and took a lot of pictures of the 360 views. My friends and I also fed some stray cats we met, along with large green birds. We sat and ate lunch with our animal friends while listening to the music play as we relaxed in the newfound sun. Earlier that morning, we too had visited La Sagrada Familia but did not have time to visit Gaudi's museum. At the church, we took more pictures and learned about the different styles Gaudi used on each wall. We laughed at the elaborate fruits on the towers that seemed so out of place and longed to go inside, but the line to enter would've taken about 4 hours. My time in Barcelona was followed by a trip to Seville and Granada, where we traveled by train and plane.
All three of us vividly remember the beautiful mosaic benches at Park Guell the most. We enjoyed listening to the music and admire Gaudi's skill and talent, seen at La Sagrada Familia and in his famous park. Although Andrea, Leonardo and I come from different places, we all still appreciate the city of Barcelona and will always share that common experience.

The End...

Last night, my 4 friends and I were exchanging photos. Pictures print in a much higher quality when they are transferred directly from a memory stick rather than by e-mail or Facebook. We gathered in a circle in my friend's room, passing laptops periodically one person to the right. As we made our individual folders for the pictures we wanted, we took a long look back on the past 3 months. All that we've done, all that we've seen and all that we'll take back home with us. These four people I had never met before 3 months ago started out as mere aquaintances. Now I can't imagine a day going by without seeing them. But I guess that's the sacrifice of studying abroad. You're basically thrown into this situation where you're forced to make friends as fast as you can to start planning your first travel break. Before you know it, those friends have become your family. My time in Italy has been so much more than a mixture of different cities and classes. It is a collection of memories, growth and people I can rely on, not only in my hometown or college town but all over the United States. I will return to America with a close friend in every time zone. I will return with the experience from different cultures found in: Spain, Holland, Italy, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and Greece. Three months...8 countries in three months. I feel lucky beyond words that I have had this opportunity and know that I will return home with an evergrowing curiosity about the world. I hope that future "CIMBites" will take advantage of the opportunities they are given here and do everything in their power to live every moment to the fullest. Do nothing to risk losing this privelidge. Some of my peers lack this knowledge and I hope, for their sake, that they have learned SOMETHING from their time here. I'm lucky to have found the friends I did in Italy and look forward to building future relationships with them back in the United States. This is not the end, for Italy and I. I will return someday. It will always feel like another place I can call home.