So the weekend kind of started badly, but it ended up being a lot of fun and I got to see some great things!
I met a really great catalan guy named Jordi who has bringing me around to some awesome local secrets. On Saturday he brought me up in the mountains near the beach castelldefers. The view of the ocean was magnificent! In the middle of the mountains was a small town with a monastery similar to the ones in Tibet. Jordi spent last summer studying in China and traveling in Tibet so he was excited to show me it. The monastery was really beautiful and it was such a relaxing break from the city.
Saturday night my roommates and I went to the Harlem Jazz Club in Barri Gotic to see a Cuban group. The group was absolutely amazing!!!! They didn't come on until 11:00 and ended around 2:00 so it was still a late night but it was such a refreshing break from the discos and the music was really quite impressive.
Yesterday was a great day as well! Jordi and I met up with his friend, Dosta, and his friends girlfriend, Merrii in their hometown Vic. There was a medieval fair going on so we walked around through all of the various stands selling meat, cheese, jewelry, and other crafts. The town was small and old, and much more of a traditional catalan town.
After the fair we took a drive further into the mountains (we could see the Pyrenees!) to a lake where Dosta practices wake-boarding (He was the European wake-boarding champion this year!). We had lunch right by the lake and then went to Dosta's mountain house to say a quick hello to his family. The scenery was absolutely incredible!!! It was by far one of the most relaxing days I've had here and I didn't want to leave.
I realized that living here if you never really get to know the local people you are only going to see the main tourist attractions. But there is so much beauty beyond what the tourists see! One of my goals coming here was to make friends with locals and I'm proud that I have been able to do so. My only regret is that I didn't separate myself more from Americans, but everything here is truly a learning experience!
I met a really great catalan guy named Jordi who has bringing me around to some awesome local secrets. On Saturday he brought me up in the mountains near the beach castelldefers. The view of the ocean was magnificent! In the middle of the mountains was a small town with a monastery similar to the ones in Tibet. Jordi spent last summer studying in China and traveling in Tibet so he was excited to show me it. The monastery was really beautiful and it was such a relaxing break from the city.
After the fair we took a drive further into the mountains (we could see the Pyrenees!) to a lake where Dosta practices wake-boarding (He was the European wake-boarding champion this year!). We had lunch right by the lake and then went to Dosta's mountain house to say a quick hello to his family. The scenery was absolutely incredible!!! It was by far one of the most relaxing days I've had here and I didn't want to leave.
I realized that living here if you never really get to know the local people you are only going to see the main tourist attractions. But there is so much beauty beyond what the tourists see! One of my goals coming here was to make friends with locals and I'm proud that I have been able to do so. My only regret is that I didn't separate myself more from Americans, but everything here is truly a learning experience!
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