Off to Espana

This past week I ventured off to Spain to meet up with my friend Jonny, who is currently studying in Madrid. Jonny and I have been close friends since freshman year when we were randomly assigned to the same team for one of our business classes. He’s a top-notch person so naturally I was excited to see and spend the next five days with him.

After flying into the Madrid airport, I met up with Jonny near my hostel in the center of the city (The hostel was definitely on par with its $15 a night value). Similar to Boston, Madrid is a walking city, a mix of old and new, connected by short, spontaneous roads. However different than Boston (as well as London and Paris), Madrid’s sales pitch isn’t its monuments, architecture, or shopping. Instead it’s the culture of Madrid that defines your impression. That’s not to say that other cities solely rely on their trademarks, but the Madrid experience is more subversive, hidden in tight tapas bars and pastry shops. Furthermore, English is not as widely spoken there as you might think, so a lot of visitors become intimidated, go to what they’re comfortable with (museums, sites, and starbucks) and then leave after a day. Fortunately I had Jonny to show me around (and do most of the translating), so I was able to get a real, Spanish experience.

Jonny brought me by the Palace in Madrid. Gorgeous building, gorgeous location, and gorgeous day.

The Retiro is the main park in Madrid. Above you can see that part of the park is incredibly manicured, but turn around and you’ll find a much freer landscape. The differences in design themes and layout made for a nice walk.

At the foot of the Retiro, you can find the botanical garden (terrible picture, but you get the idea), which is laid out across four tiers. Although it wasn’t in season, just the landscape and layout of the garden was incredible.

After two nights in Madrid, it was off to Barcelona. Both Jonny and I had no pretenses or expectations for Barcelona. Lets just say that we were both amazed. We couldn’t believe how international, and “un-spanish” it is. The city is incredibly modern in design and layout. Unlike Madrid, the mixed up culture of Barcelona is apparent on every street. It felt great to be in the sun and on the water (the Mediterranean isn’t bad, right?). Other than the food, Madrid and Barcelona could not be more different.

The food! Oh what can I say about the food? Well, it defined the trip. In Paris it was about what you ate, where as in Spain it was about how you ate, where you ate, and at what frequency you ate.

Jonny and I had enough pork, potatoes, eggs, and coffee to last a life-time. The meal above was from a counter at an outdoor market off of La Ramba (a touristy street in Barcelona).

It seemed as though whenever we were hungry we would wonder back to the market and just peruse its offerings. All the time we spent eating was really refreshing. In London, food is treated as just an obligation of a living being, meant to be fast, convenient, and in most cases, mediocre in quality. Where as in Spain, you stop what you are doing, sit down and eat for enjoyment.

In the same sense Madrid is defined by its authenticity, Barcelona is characterized by its spontaneity. The architecture, public spaces, art installations are all so out of the ordinary. When you’re walking you’ll find yourself interacting with spaces that are unconventional and surprising. Just walking around Barcelona is exciting. The monument above is in the back of a small park, but it looks like it’s out of Disney World. Jonny and I kept saying to each other that we felt like we were in Disney.

The art installation and big head store above epitomize the creativity, and out-of-the-box way of life you find in Barcelona.

Perhaps my favorite part of the trip was when we went to Park Guell, which was designed by Antoni Gaudi. Barcelona is filled with Gaudi’s buildings, but to me the park was the most impressive.

Naturally the park was jammed with tourists. However, as we continued further up the hill, the paths became less crowded and we were able to find some spectacular views.

When we reached the highest point of the park (see above), we decided to go off the trail, scale a few rock faces, and climb up a hill to get a better perspective. Not a bad decision (see below).

From atop this hill we had a 360 degree view of the city. It was just one of those moments…

Overall, Spain was incredible. The culture, food, geography, architecture, and people are distinct and unforgettable.