Week of 01-05 February 2010 was filled with a series of normal, typical, average days. So instead of posting for each day, I’ll give an overview of what my normal day would include.
The morning begins with a series of iPhone alarms which eventually get me out of bed, showered, and ready for the day by 8. I run out the door, down 3 flights of stairs, walk to the Avinguda Tibidabo FGC stop and catch the next L7 train into Barcelona’s center, the Placa Catalunya station. The FGC stands for Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya, or the government railroad company for the Spanish Catalonia territiry, similar to a US state. The FGC runs metro lines from Barcelona inland to many outlying towns and features, including Montserrat. The FGC is different then the TMB, or Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona, whe city run transportation company. They run the metro lines within the city and also run the extensive bus network. Both are included in the ATM integrated transport card system which means I only need one public transportation card in Barcelona.
So, I take the FGC run L7 train from it’s end station at Av. Tibidabo to it’s other end at Pl. Catalunya. The train is nice, all padded seats and usually never has people standing. Once I breach the surface, I am presented with Barcelona’s Placa Catalunya, the unofficial center of the city. I walk towards La Casa II, where I take classes following the famous Passeig de Gracia to the school. If I am feeling adventurous, I will generally get off at the Provença stop instead and walk to the school passing Antoni Gaudí’s Casa Mila, Casa Batllo, and a series of other famous architectural works which I used to know of from architectural history textbooks and wikipedia featured image galleries.
The streets are pretty quiet (for the busy city of Barcelona) at 9 in the morning, and all of the sidewalks are clean from the early morning daily cleanups the city has to keep the city beautiful. Classes start with Spanish, which is my easiest and hardest course. Depending on the work load of the other classes I take, Spanish may seem easy (reasonable amount of simple homework) compared to the studio with large workloads but sometimes spanish changes pace as it is now, mas dificil.
Spanish is followed by our class on Gaudi which is either a lecture on the man or other works of the Modernisme style, or an adventure in the city to experience his works. We will visit his building, and take a tour with our instructor, Magda, as our guide. After Gaudi fascinates us, we generally wither hit up some catalan restaurant with a tasty sounding Menu de dia or head out for some other part of the city. The concept of the “Menu de Dia” is different from what the travel guides will tell you. Although Rick Steves will tell you menu in spanish is la carta, what you want is el menu de dia. This is a 3 course meal generally in the 10€ range consisting of the day’s fresh menu. It includes wine and bread and is the opportunity to enjoy a large lunch with friends.
The afternoon is the time to work on studio, explore a new part of the city, or the perfect time to hit up one of Barcelona’s numerous museums. This week included a visit to MACBA, Barcelona’s museum by Richard Meier. The white building of squares sits in the old city and houses Barcelona’s collection of contemporary are along with other exhibits.
The day usually ends with a quick excursion home for dinner around 9pm or a visit to a bar for some beer. Some nights include a trip out to the clubs (nasty mondays at the apolo) or the blue bar we now love in Gracia.
Thats a pretty basic summary of a day here, but just as no 2 snowflakes are alike, my days here vary.
» Pictures from a typical day
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