La Boqueria

Me and one of my roommates wanted to try a different market than the one we usually go to on Rocafort and Diputacio so I suggested La Boqueria. I had been there once before during my first week in Barcelona but I hadn't been back since. We took the Metro to Liceu on La Rambla and walked to the market from there. The place is world famous for fresh and exotic foods and the prices aren't too bad. We walked into a crowded mosh-pit of tourists and locals alike all fixated on the variety of cuisine that was before them. A women gutting fish caught my eye. It would take her less than a minute to slice open a ten to twelve pound fish, gut it and clean it before she handed filets to the her waiting customers. Across from her stand was a large meat stand. There were legs of pigs hanging from the ceiling and  full pig heads staring at us from the window display. How do you even cook a pigs head? Past this area the market became more fruit and vegetable oriented. We can never find any strawberries at our local market, therefore we loaded up and got a huge bucket for a small price. We also bought a kilogram of mushrooms for two euros. An area of the market that stood out to me as purely Catalan and Mediterranean was stand after stand of all different types of olive oils. Also there were quite a lot of cheeses displayed and each stand offered a sample. We bought a Catalan brand of olive oil to cook with and a cheese that was from Girona. On our way out we stopped for a big cup of fresh-squeezed juice from a fruit stand. La Boqueria was a success. 

Montserrat

I visited Montserrat on a beautiful day in February. Montserrat (Literally "Jagged Mountain) is located about a forty-five minuted drive away from Barcelona in Catalonia. It currently serves as a monastery for some seventy monks. We arrived around nine in the morning and to views of the Pyrenees Mountains and France in the foggy distance. The mountain itself is extremely unique as it juts out every which way creates a site that anybody who visits Catalonia should see. After exploring the the toursity area at the bottom of the mountain where they sell assorted cooking oils and cheeses, we made our way up the mountain to a tram that went almost vertical bringing to an ideal area for hiking. Our tour guide pointed out an old monastery no longer in use way up in the mountains and we traversed narrow paths to arrive at huge cross located at the top of the mountain. From here we saw the most amazing view Montserrat has to offer. In the distance we could see the tower that sits atop Montjuic and the summits of Pyrenees mountains. We spotted several small towns beneath us also. From there we made our way back to the bottom where we ate lunch and eventually went to the art museum. I came across a portrait of an older gentlemen and couldn't believe the detail and realism. I looked closer and saw Picasso's signature and took a step back as it was my first encounter with an actual Picasso piece. I looked closer at the description of the painting and it said, "Early Pablo Picasso, painted at fourteen-years-old. Could not believe it. From the art museum we went to the cathedral and waited in a long line to see the Virgin of Montserrat, or "the Black Virgin." It was declared the patron of Catalonia, along with Saint Jordi, in 1844 by the Pope. After a long-day of hiking and sight-seeing, we arrived back in Barcelona around six at night, early enough to grab a beer. 

Unrest in the Middle East, Where I Stand

I can't help but constantly follow the revolutions and unrest that are occurring in several of the Middle East and North African states. Political strife and a call for the end of monarchies that have lasted two, three or four decades have flooded international news as the snowball effect of democracy has taken to the streets of the Arab world. The people of Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Morocco and now Libya seek to strike down the monarchical rulers of the past and begin new with a government ruled by the people for the people. Plazas and streets act as theaters of uproar and protests that call for the seemingly delusional leaders to step down from their positions. After 18 days of staunch protests, Hosni Mubarak, the leader of Egypt handed the power over to the military after thirty years in office. Egyptians of all walks and classes showed up to support the oust of Mubarak, even a Google executive who made headlines as he went missing due to an arrest that resulted from protesting in Cairo's famous Tahrir square (coincidently "Liberation Square" in English). Libyans have not been so lucky as their staunch leader of forty-two years, Muammar Gaddafi, has responded with brute force and even bombed his own cities, his own people. This past week, Gaddafi ordered the bombing of a city that was the focal points of protests in a region of Libya. The two pilots of the plane that were responsible to carry out his orders opted to let the plane crash as they ejected from their seats. Libyan's are having a tougher time than their neighbors, the Egyptians, however daily protests continue. I believe these protests for democracy are an outstanding example of a person's need to express himself or herself politically. I hope each country in the region continues to fight for their liberties and revolutionize their governments. There is no other option but to be persistent.

Egypt's Tahrir Square on February 8th, 2011

Libyan Women Protesting

Fountain Show at Montjuic

I live down the street from Placa de Espanya and Montjuic and every Friday and Saturday night they have a spectacular fountain and lights show. I went this yesterday for surprisingly the first time since I’ve been in Barcelona. Every half hour from 7pm to 9pm there is a 10-minute show. I’ve never such coordination between the water shooting, spewing and flowing from the fountains, the multi-colored lights and the music that accompanied the show. I went with my friend Emily and we walked all the way to up to the Museo Nacional d’Art de Catalunya. We ordered dos cervesas and sat at a table that overlooked the entire city from a great vantage point. In the distance we could see Tibidabo, the highest point in Barcelona in the Collserola mountain range. It was lit up and I wondered if anybody was up there right now looking back at us. Beneath us and to the right we saw La Sagrada Familia which was an amazing sight to see lit up at night. We stayed for almost an hour and then walked down back towards Placa de Espanya. I’ll be back next weekend for sure.