August 4 - Blogging in Barça

My sleep schedule has been quite out of sync these past few weeks but I am holding on strong for these last few days. I woke up early to get up and get breakfast before going out for our group activities. Our fun event for the day was a museum double feature with a break in between. Our first stop was at the Picasso museum. This museum was in the heart of the city so of course we had to hop on our favorite metro line to get over there. We arrived at the museum, set our bags down, and got to exploring. The museum was truly unique as it documented Picasso’s life and the ways in which his art style developed. I was able to see some absolutely incredible paintings that I had never seen before. In his early days as an artist, Pablo Picasso was a realist painter and created lifelike portraits and incredible still life paintings. Many people don’t even know about this side of him. Of course, as we progressed through the museum we were able to see this progression in his art style. These detailed portraits evolved into rough sketches and finally into the abstract style he is best known for. We were even able to see different mediums that he used such as pottery he created and unique photographs as well. This museum was a truly incredible experience and I loved seeing the works of such a famous artist.

After the Picasso museum, we were able to have a few hours of free time so I used this to my advantage. I went with a few friends to La Boqueria (the famous market) to grab a wide assortment of fun things to eat. I had some delicious fruit and juice as a refreshing snack before we explored the area some more. We went around the area called La Rambla to find some cute outfits and fun trinkets to bring back home. I found an adorable pink skirt for myself that I am sure will become a staple of my wardrobe back at home. We wandered around the area for a little while before deciding to head back to the hotel and be productive.

If you have paid any attention to the dates on my blog posts, you might have noticed that I was a bit behind for a few days but I finally caught up! I laid in bed for about three hours just catching up on posts and class projects that way I am not rushed at the very end (even though I definitely will still cram). I blogged and blogged for a few hours and truly dedicated myself to my website. I am looking forward to how this turns out at the end and I know this will be something I am proud of in the future.

I worked up until I had to leave for my next event and rushed to meet my group. Our second museum of the day was the National Museum of Catalonia which featured art from around the region. We made our way up the famous Montjuic hill behind our hotel and breathlessly entered the museum. It was MASSIVE. The first and most fun exhibit we encountered was a giant inflatable tube set that you could climb into. That was my favorite part of the whole thing. The rest of the museum was a bit less hands on. We were able to see art from the Renaissance, from the Roman age, and unique pieces of modern art. We didn’t even get to see everything there since it had so many pieces and we were all a bit museumed out. It was still a nice time to explore and I was really interested in the vast amount of art in one space.

Once we all decided to head out from the museum, a few of us went back to the hotel to rest. I laid in bed for maybe ten minutes before getting an invite from some friends to grab dinner and drinks. We grabbed takeout from a nearby Asian restaurant and had a floor picnic in our hotel. It was great to just relax and eat and chat about everything. After dinner, a few of us decided to go out for drinks like we had said. We ended up at a place called Dow Jones that we had found online and it was so much fun. The place was themed like the stock market and drinks would fluctuate in price all night depending on the drinks being ordered. We were only there for a little while but we had so much fun just hanging out and talking. This whole trip has been the best experience. I love this newfound sense of independence and of course all the bonds that I have formed with my classmates.

♡ Katie