Europe Day 1: Thursday, May 10
Okay, so a little backstory first*—
As a graphic design student at Bob Jones University in South Carolina, I am offered many opportunities to develop my skills and further my education. Last summer, a group from my department traveled to the UK, while I sat in my great aunt's house in Florida (totally not complaining, though😆). My relatives had recently just gone to Africa, and I was asking them about their travels since they frequently toured around the world. As I sat at their dinner table, I was encouraged to pursue my own dreams of traveling. But, it all seemed "impossible," at least for now. I shrugged off my imaginations and put it off for "when I get older."
Fast forward to now, five days after getting back from studying art abroad in Europe🤭!!! After the posters advertising the trip were put up, God worked everything out smoothly, including booking flights with two other students and joining the trip as a three-credit class (#bjustudyabroadartdesign). The itinerary was to land in Barcelona, Spain and then travel to Italy and France.
During our trip, although I was exhausted by the end of each day, I made sure to journal even just a little bit to remember what exciting ventures and amazing works I encountered. Starting today, I'll be sharing my entries and photographs on this blog, but not so I can boast and pretend like my "life is good." No, I'm writing in order to relive the moments God was gracious enough to let me experience what I thought was impossible. As you read, I hope to inspire you to reach for your dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem!
*(Jump here if you get bored by long intros😅)
2:20 pm: Departure time from GSP the day before was delayed an hour or so but oh well!
8:00 am: Arrived at the BCN airport
I'm so thankful I have Lauren and Hannah traveling with me! I've never flown without my family before so having two companions makes it a bit easier. I'm honestly so proud of us for not getting lost and being able to buy metro tickets in a non-English speaking country. We arrived at the ANT Hostel at around 9:30 am. I'm not positive why it's called that, but the rooms are kind of small, so that might be it😬. It looks pretty clean (no food allowed in the rooms—to prevent ants, I guess?😏) and very modern/hipster.**
After meeting up with our professors, the Radfords, and putting our suitcases away, we walked to Arc de Triomf and a park right across the hostel. For lunch, we went to the grocery store Sorli, where I got in trouble for touching the fruit scale (oh, us Americans)! When I tried ordering a sandwich, I couldn’t understand the employee, so I said yes to a not-so-good first lunch in Spain, a potato sub😥. But it's fine; this trip will have many more eating opportunities! During lunch, most of our crew of girls arrived. We visited El Born CCM where part of the old ruins underneath the city was displayed. We walked around Barcelona, and it was gorgeous! You probably know what it's like to visit a different place—if you live in the city and visit the countryside, it's eerily quiet yet relaxing, and if you live in the countryside and visit the city, it's loud yet full of possibilities. Coming from quiet, little Greenville, Barcelona seems like another world altogether. Old, colorful buildings line tight alleys with flower stamped cement tiles and cobble stones which open to wide plazas of bustling tourists and locals. Surrounded by music, giant bubbles, and vendors making weird noises with a small instrument to get you to buy selfie sticks, we visited a flea market, in front of a church, which sold everything from vintage cameras to vintage thimbles. Despite Dr. Radford's offer to keep my giant backpack at the hostel, I kept it with me for the day and I regretted it—why did I bring so much? Tomorrow, I’ll definitely be using my purse.
For snack, the girls got gelato, but I really wanted a croissant so I purchased a chocolate napolitana and ahh, it was such a great choice!!! I asked the guy to warm it up, and it was amazing. Okay, random awkward story— I had to go to el baño (very nice—photos as proof, haha), so I slipped into a bar, past a waitress, and afterwards she started asking/demanding in Spanish if I was ordering anything. I really didn't know how to respond and had no intention of ordering anything from a bar, although tapas are commonly ordered. I froze for a second but I'm thankful for the years of elementary school Spanish and one year of university Spanish to have remembered one phrase, "lo siento" before I made my grand exit😅.
Besides seeing all the beautiful sights and eating delicious food, we're on this trip for an education😉. The Radfords purchased a pass to six art museums for each one us, and the first one we went to was the Picasso Museum. . . which had protestors at the entrance saying it was closed. However, it wasn't, and I'm glad because I never would've realized that Picasso initially painted realistically. I loved seeing the changes he had in his brushstrokes across his works. He traveled a lot so he frequently enjoyed experimenting with other styles he encountered. With impressionism, he became a bit more sloppy. He also had a moment with pointilism and abstracted more later in life, as we all know. I'm such a weirdo, but from his abstract pieces, I liked the one with a colorful smiling girl without a head (hard to explain since we couldn't take photos, lol). It looked fun and carefree. Picasso said that since his dad was his teacher, he was strictly taught to be a proper artist when he was little. When he grew up, he wanted to paint just like a child would. I also enjoyed his bird paintings and how he had different versions of the birds during different seasons. There was even a photo of him and his wife with the birds—I forgot that photography already existed! This was around 1905-20s; photography was invented in 1839. If Mrs. Radford hadn't pointed it out, I would've missed Picasso's rendition of Velasquez' Las Meninas which I had studied in Art History class under Mr. John Nolan! It was really cool seeing Picasso's style compared to the original double portraiture.
Back at the hostel, I bought a salad and peach from the market for dinner, because Spain is all about them breads and carbs😬. I'm sleeping early because tomorrow is officially our first full day in Spain!
TTYL,
Made with Joy,
Abby Joy
**If you're looking for cheaper accomodations in Barcelona, I highly recommend the ANT Hostel!
