Spain
Why go? My Spanish teacher in eighth grade always painted a beautiful picture of Spain - the cafes, discotheques, and beautiful beaches. It had long been on my list to visit, and we wanted to focus on two areas - the northern Basque Country and the southern Catalonia.
Speak the language. After being in France for almost a month, I was excited to be in a country where I spoke the language - in a very loose usage of the term spoke. The phrase I used most was "mucho gusto," which means "nice to meet you." (Although, 'lo siento' or 'sorry' was a close second).
Get there. We took a train from Bordeaux to San Sebastian as one of our Eurorail pass trips - the ride was easy and scenic.
Read before you go. In preparation for the trip, I read "A Concise History of Spain," by William Phillips which gave an extended overview of the varied conquerors of the Iberian peninsula - and there were a lot (Romans, Greeks, Moors, etc). This is because Iberia's "position between two continents and bordering two seas has meant that human populations have had relatively easy access to the peninsula," according to Phillips. Further, Phillips goes on to illustrate the point that Spain as we know it today as a fairly recent phenomenon - starting with the marriage of Isabel of Castile and Fernando of Aragon in the 15th Century (around the same time that they financed Columbus' journey to America).
Weather advice. Spring in Spain is amazing. We had beautiful weather - although not quite hot enough for the beach in San Sebastian, it was hot enough in Barcelona.
Expenses. Spain ended up being a bit over 2% of our budget and about 4% of our time - which made it really reasonably priced. We did not have any big excursions or splurges in Spain.
Teachable moment. Spain challenged my broad cultural assumptions. I tended to think of Spain as one entity, but it is made up of a variety of distinct cultures - perhaps even more exaggerated than in America or other places that I have visited. I was glad that we got to experience San Sebastian in the north and Barcelona in the south. Both showcased their different cultures with unique foods, traditions, and languages.
Three “Must Do’s”
- Must eat. If you visit San Sebastian, you cannot miss the pinxtos. They are little appetizers that typically have sticks running through them, and sit at the top of the bar. I am not sure how Ihavelived this long and had never had one. We stopped at two different places, and were blown away at both the affordability and the amazing flavors. (Seriously, I'm not sure what you're doing right now, but get up, go to an airport, fly to San Sebastian, and go get some).
- Most impactful experience. I did not know much about Antoni Gaudi before visiting Barcelona - he exists almost like a fictional character in folklore and legend. Each of the places we toured was unique, with its own construction innovations (he loved parabaloids and hyperparabaloids), and its own metaphorical connections to Christianity. We toured Park Guell, Casa Batllo (pronounced "Bayoh") and the Sagrada Familia. Each was pricey, but worth it. The most impressive thing that I learned about him was one of the methods he pioneered, as explained by Robert Hughes: "Gaudi's design method was an inspired piece of inverted modeling with string and weights. Drawing out the ground plan of the crypt, he hung a string from each point where a column would stand and transmit the thrust of the structure into the foundations. Then he joined the hanging strings with cross strings to simulate arches and vaults, attaching to each string a little cotton bag of bird shot, carefully weighted to mimic the compressive load on each column, arch and wall. Gaudi then photographed the string model from all angles and turned the photos upside down. Tension became compression. He could measure the compound angles and build the right scaffolding and forms. No on in the history of architecture had gone about designing a building in this way." It was truly inspiring to see these models in the museum of the Sagrada Familia, and it will no doubt influence the way that I think about approaching problems in the future.
- Must Visit. If you visit either San Sebastian or Barcelona, you seriously have to visit their respective markets. The Mercado San Martin is a grocery store on top of a grocery store on top of a butcher shop with a farmer's market. We were able to get all sorts of delicious jamon iberico and fresh vegetables to make food at our apartment. On the other hand, Mercat de la Boqueria, should be on everyone's bucket list. It is a covered market with lots of stalls selling fresh fruits, smoothies, and varieties of meats and vegetables. My wife and I would walk here, spend eight euros and leave full of fresh juice and ham. Seriously, visit the markets in Spain, you will not be disappointed.
The Wrap. Spain met our expectations beautifully. The food was the best that we have had on the trip so far, and the people were almost overly friendly (perhaps our perception is a bit skewed due to the demeanor of the French). Although this post has a lot to say about Barcelona, our favorite place on this trip so far is San Sebastian. If we could have navigated the EU visa process, we probably would have stayed there. We loved every second of it - the beaches, the food, and the people.
One last thing of note, Barcelona wrapped up almost two months on the road for us. Upon seeing the Mikkeller Bar on the way from the train station, we decided to stop by for a little taste of home (ok - twice). I have to say, it was very nice to be able to get a hoppy imperial IPA, and to discuss (at great length) the beer scene in Barcelona with the friendly bartender (in English, no less). It made us a bit nostalgic for home, and perhaps cured a bit of homesickness that had not previously registered. As we move on to different countries, I imagine we will continue to enjoy finding little touches of home that help remind us of who we are, and of our friends and our lives back in the States.
Hanging out in Park Guell (another of Gaudi's masterpieces).
