Stumbled upon a movie shoot

I was walking around the city today and stumbled upon a movie being filmed!  I think it's about the Second Spanish Republic-- I had to look up the flag the crowd was waving online to see what it was.  The filming took place at Plaça Sant Jaume.  Here are some photos and a video:

Torre Agbar

Finally I got a photo of what this tower looks like at night.

Crazy!  It's like a disco ball for the city.  Its shaped weird and it REALLY sticks out on the skyline.  Its main occupant is the Barcelona water company.

Mercat Del Encants

So one of the girls on my program had done a little research online and found this flea market that's only open 4 days a week.  Yesterday, after classes, we went to have a look around and I have to say it's one of the most bizarre markets I've ever been to.  You've got fabric, lamps, cosmetics, piles of antiques, radios, and just about every kind of 'junk' you can think of.  It was certainly not what I expected  And if anything, it reminded me of a terrible garage sale.  The antique vendors just left everything in a pile-- no sense of organization whatsoever.  Needless to say I did not make any purchases.

View from the top of my building at night

I took some long exposure night shots from the roof of my building.  They call this area the "solarium."  It has a pool and a bunch of reclining beach chairs that are eagerly awaiting use in the coming late spring and summer months.  The blob shadow at the very bottom of the photo is my shadow.

Barça vs. Racing Santander

Today I went to a futbol (soccer) game at Camp Nau (their stadium).  Overall a good experience, but I don't think I'm going to go again.  Once is enough.  And we won 3-0!  Here's my ticket:

Taller de cocina

Yesterday we had a "Taller de Cocina": We went to a store similar to Cook's Corner in Wilmette where you help to cook the food then after you get to eat what you cooked.  We made a few dishes and I'm going to put the recipe below for my favorite one which is basically a gazpacho soup.

The biggest differences between the US and Spain

Because I've been here almost a week, I thought I'd write about the biggest differences between Spain and the United States (aside from the obvious time zone change) that I've noticed so far.

1. Everything is done later in the day.
They wake up later, they eat later, they party later, and they sleep later.  Lunch takes place between 2 and 3, dinner between 9 and 10, and I have no idea when or if anyone eats breakfast.  They go out to clubs at 12 and the 'coolest' time of night to party, i.e. when the clubs are most crowded, is around 4 or 5 in the morning.  I have no idea how they pull this off, but I don't think I'm going to try it.

Walking around the Melon District Marina residence

I live at the Melon District Marina towards the right of the main part of the city and about a 10-15 minute walk down to the beach.  Upon arrival, I received my key which functions the same way as any hotel key.  It's white, about the size of a credit card, and it has a photo of me that the reception took with an external webcam.  When I enter my room, I have to put the key into a slot by the door that allows me to turn on the lights, heating, and air conditioning.  This place is very "green".

Here's the entrance where I also have to swipe my card to get in and out.  Towards the left is the reception.  I'm allowed to have guests during the daytime, but I only have 2 free guest sleepover passes a month.  So if you want to visit me, don't stay more than 2 days otherwise you'll be paying a little more than 20 euros a night.

Moving in

I've arrived!

CASB Barcelona (my program) consists of about 30-40 people.  12 of those are from last semester and continuing on for the full year.  The rest are newbies like me!  The group is also mostly girls-- just like all my Spanish classes have been at Cornell.  I'm so awful at memorizing names so even 38 people (or however many there are, I forget exactly) is going to be difficult.  However, there is another Zoe! And I roomed with her in the hotel we stayed in last night, so I've definitely got her name down.

An Introduction

Hello world!  This is where I will be blogging about my adventures in Barcelona for the spring 2011 semester.  I leave from Chicago on January 13th and arrive in Barcelona on the 14th.  Check back then for updates!