Impressions of Barcelona

Hola chicos!
First of all I want to say that this weblogg is a great opportunity for us students to express ourself, and tell about our experiences in Barcelona. It is also a perfect way for you as a teacher to inform us about the course and happenings in Barcelona.

What kind of expentation did I have??
At our hotel management school in Stavanger, erasmus-exchanges to Barcelona started last year. Therefor we had lots of preperations before leaving to the catalan capital. Because this is my first time, the biggest expentations came from students who were here last year, from internet, brochures given about barcelona and the school at Sant. Ignasi. From last years students, I got a little guide living in barcelona. Theyre experiences from Barca were only positive and the most negative thing was the return back to cold Norway in December.
They told me about the city, the spanish livingstyle, food, the catalan culture, and things we had to discover. I am not sure what my biggest expentation was when I landed at the airport in Barcelona 1.august, but I´ll guess the nice weather, style of living and to live in a big growing city in Europe was one of them...

Now, 2 months later, I´ve got different experiences about Barcelona. I´ll guess my first week was little frustrated. No one was speaking english, I was always taking the wrong metro, and there was hundreds of things to fix with the apartment ( contract etc). After a couple of days the metro became easier, the apartment was fixed and it was time to explore the city - I became "the tourist". With my map on the left hand and the camera on the other, I at least found the beach and a couple of bars... Of course, I have also discovered the most common sights of the town like Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, Tibidabo, Montjuic, and a couple of museums.. What was Gaudi thinking when he came up with the idea building Sagrada Familia?? It´s the most fabulous construction I´ll ever seen. With all the sculptures, themes and paintings it´s just amazing. After the visit he became my biggest idol! It´s not only Gaudis archetecturs who are great. The whole city are full of old buildings, sculptures, and plazes. There is always something happening, and every week are fulled with festivals, conserts and other happenings. It´s a huge different from Norway... In Barcelona tourists are coming to see all those architecturs and Barcelona as a metropolitan city. In Norway they are coming for fjords, mountains, glaciers and the landscape. It´s wreally to unlikely attractions. One made by the nature, and one made by people...

I have just explored a little bit of this beautiful city yet, and I´m afraid that 5 months are to little. But I´m looking forward for the next 2-3 months, to explore and see new things in the city and to learn about it in the school. I´m also looking forward to know the people in the class better, and to share our experiences from Barcelona.

Hasta luego!!
-Eivind-