A Tale of Two Cities: Barcelona and London

It seems like I haven’t had a moment to sit down and write this blog entry since returning from spring break on Sunday, but right now Microsoft Word is my only option on this laptop. The finicky Internet in my apartment is deciding not to function. No better time to finally update you all on my travels in Barcelona and London!

Rather than going through a run-down of every single thing I did over the course of my 10-day break, I’ll give you my general impressions of both cities and then some personal highlights of my time in each of them. And of course I’ll post some pictures to illustrate my adventures!

I can now say I 100% understand how and why Melissa fell in love with Barcelona. When she first told me she was studying abroad there, I had such a vague impression of the city. To be honest, I’d never really heard much about it. I didn’t picture it being all that beautiful—Gaudi architecture, from what I’d seen of it in photos, could never compare to the Etruscan archways and Roman ruins in Italy, I thought. To me, Barcelona was just this random city on the map, and nowhere I had any specific desire to visit. This is why I now say, thank you Melissa, for studying there. Otherwise I may not have ever chosen to travel there myself. The most amazing and unique thing about Barcelona is how versatile it is; it’s a city with multiple, distinct personalities, each charming in its own way.

There’s the Gothic Quarter, with winding alleyways and stone walls and laundry hanging from verandas. This section is very reminiscent of Italy. Then there’s Mount Tibidabo, near Melissa’s homestay. I didn’t climb the mountain like Melissa has done, but we walked up the hillside to a cocktail bar overlooking the skyline from this section of the city. The mountain area is filled with huge, beautiful homes, lots of trees and open land. Melissa tells me when you’re climbing the mountain, you could completely forget you’re anywhere near a huge city. Barcelona also boasts its own magnificent shoreline, with a sandy beach that I’m sure fills up with tourists during the summer. There’s also a boardwalk and port area that felt a little like the Baltimore Inner Harbor to me. But there were palm trees everywhere, so in a way it felt like Florida or California. And speaking of California, some of the city’s parks, especially Parc de la Ciutadella had a total San Diego vibe going on. Beachy, relaxed, green grass and palm trees and the sun shining…what more could you ask for? And besides everything else I’ve just described, there’s the main downtown area near Plaza Catalunya. From there heading down Passeig de Gracia, where my hostel was located, it was like a Spanish Champs Elysee—tons of high-end shops and restaurants. I love the energy you can feel pulsing through that part of the city…it’s an energy you can feel in any big city, and it’s something I miss living in a smaller town.

I had four full days in Barcelona, and I’m so glad to have had that kind of time (though it doesn’t sound like much) as opposed to trying to fit the whole city in during a two-day weekend trip. I really saw everything a tourist should see when visiting Barcelona. Hopefully one day I’ll get to go back and see even more than the usual tourist sights—I envy Melissa that she can experience what it’s like to LIVE in this city rather than just visit it as an outsider.

Though I’ve gone on about how much I loved this city, I will point out a few negative impressions I formed while I was there: First, I never felt truly safe. Even during broad daylight, and especially during the few times I was by myself, I always had my guard up. I know Melissa’s recent pickpocketing incident had a lot to do with that, but her incident wasn’t an isolated one. She told me one of her friends has been pickpocketed three times so far this semester, and everywhere I went there were warnings about it. In the Metro they kept playing a recording telling everyone to look out for their belongings, and Melissa’s homestay mom, Antonia, kept repeating how we needed to watch our bags. The first day in Barcelona, some random lady came up to me and tried to grab my umbrella away from me. Compared to Perugia, where for the most part I feel very safe, this was discomforting. I also found that people in Barcelona tended to be cold and had very bad manners. On the Metro, people would push and shove into me without saying excuse me. Melissa said Barcelona has a reputation for this and that it’s totally normal, but normal or not, I found it very rude. Also, walking in shops or cafes, people would completely ignore us or stare coldly without saying hello. What a contrast to the warm “Buongiorno!”s and “Arrivaderci!”s I’m used to in Perugia. Everything in Barcelona was all-business, and I guess that’s a city way of life…but still, how hard is it to say excuse me when you bump into someone??

In contrast to Perugia, though, I did appreciate that Spanish men were much less aggressive (the British men were similarly normal) in comparison to most Italian men. I didn’t have to worry about guys gawking at me as I walked down the street and muttering “Bella!” while creepily staring for way longer than necessary. There wasn’t one instance in Barcelona where the Spanish men on the street made me feel queasy the way the Perugian men do. I’ll describe the culture of guys on the street in Perugia in a later entry, but believe me, Barcelona was a breath of fresh air! The weather in Barcelona was also a pleasant change—it was partly cloudy or sunny the whole time I was there, and in the mid-60s. I wore a tank top and flip flops on some days.

Without further ado, here are some of the highlights of my time in Barcelona:

 Seeing Montjuic Park with Melissa. It’s made of several gardens overlooking the city, and it was a very tranquil respite from the hustle and bustle of the downtown area. I also saw the Olympic stadium. At night, from Plaza Espanya we saw a great fountain show with lights and classical music—kind of like Longwood Gardens, except free for everyone and cooler because we were in Spain!

 Barcelona nightlife. Without a doubt, this is something every college student/20-something in this city must experience. Whether you drink or not, anyone would be able to appreciate the unique ambiance of Barcelona bars and clubs. The night I arrived we went to a fairy-tale themed bar, complete with random miniature antique furniture, waterfalls, and tree branches hanging from the ceiling. Saturday night we went to CDLC, a lounge right on the beach. This was my favorite night spot…I don’t know how to put into words the feel of this place. I told Melissa I felt like a celebrity being there, and that’s only way I can describe it. You sit on plush cots with pillows all around you, and you’re served drinks while techno music is playing and everyone in sight is gorgeous and dressed to the nines. All I could think was, who are these people?? Everyone there seemed to not have a care in the world. Being there was just a surreal experience, and I hope there are lounges and clubs in other cities I’ll visit in the future that will compare. After CDLC we headed next door to Opium Mar, a similarly posh club with more of an emphasis on dancing. Once again, another surreal experience. People know that I’m not huge on going out, but at clubs and bars like this, you can’t help but want to stay out all night and “seize the day” (or night—CDLC’s name stands partially for ‘carpe diem’”).

 Eating tapas. I ate at tapas restaurants three times during my stay, and all were delicious and relatively inexpensive. These small appetizer dishes were a refreshing change from the Italian pizza and gelato diet, and I gorged on smoked salmon, brie cheese, seafood salads, and patatas bravas.

 Parc de la Ciutadella. Melissa sent me here on my own while she was in class, and it was filled with palms trees, a quaint pond with paddle boats, and a magnificent fountain with golden sculptures that I couldn’t stop taking pictures of. It was also near Barcelona’s Arc de Triomf, Paris’ counterpart.

 Catching up with my friend Nikki from Maryland. She is studying in Barcelona this semester and we hung out twice during my stay. It was so wonderful to see a familiar face and to exchange study abroad stories! We had a lot to catch up on, and we were each able to share insight on our experiences abroad so far.

 My hostel experience. Rather than being scary and disgusting like I worried it might be, staying in the hostel by myself was just fine. During my stay my five random roommates changed a few times, as people came and left, but everyone I stayed with was friendly and interesting to talk to. I had roommates from Argentina, Brazil, Germany, England and Japan. I particularly liked my British roommate—she was the most social out of them all, and we had a lot of fun discussing study abroad experiences and travel!

 Parc Guell, Sagrada Familia, and the beach and port areas. All of these are top spots on the tourist itinerary, and I was able to spend ample time enjoying each.

 The celebratory dinner Antonia hosted for me at Melissa’s homestay. She cooked what Melissa says is her signature potato omelete dish, along with a ton of other food, champagne (cava, I think she called it?) and dessert. She was such a cute little old lady, and I was surprised at how much of her Spanish I could understand! Even though I can barely speak a word of it, my high school Spanish knowledge is still lying dormant somewhere in my brain.

 Seeing Melissa!!! After being away from all things and people familiar to me for two months, it was amazing to finally spend time with my sister. She was a wonderful tour guide and took time out of her busy midterms week to show me the “real Barcelona.” I was sad to have to leave her at the end ☹ but we will see each other again in less than two months!










I could go on more about Barcelona, but then no one would ever have the patience to read about London. If you’ve read this far as it is, I’m grateful. Just as I am with writing assignments in school and for internships, it’s so hard for me to pick and choose what to say and what to leave out. I just want to include everything! But in this case, I really can’t! So London…being in London, it was like I got my “fix” for almost everything I’d missed from home. First, I got to see Erica, one of my best friends from school who I had missed incredibly. I got to stay at her (what I think was) luxurious downtown apartment and she got up bright and early with me every day to show me the top sights in London, some of which she was seeing for the first time! I basked in the glory of a world where English was the common language. It was so strange but amazing to be able to go up to a counter and order my coffee in English—and at a Starbucks no less. I ate almost all of the food I’d miss from home (see details below) and at times felt as if I was walking through Georgetown in D.C. The parts of the city I saw were very clean, wealthy and just overall classy. With “tube” stops with names like “Piccadilly Circus,” “Paddington,” “High St. Kensington” and “Notting Hill,” how could London be anything but proper and adorable?

The city as a whole felt much, much safer than Barcelona. Like any city, you’ve got to have common sense, but here I felt like I could relax and not have to clutch my purse to my chest for dear life. There were two strange quirks to London, though: first, everything closes early. If you want to go shopping at 7 p.m. on a Friday night, you’re out of luck. Even in the busiest, most touristy sections of town, the lights are out. And if you’re hungry for something to eat at 11 p.m. on a Saturday, your best bet is McDonalds. There are pubs open then, but they don’t serve food at that hour. And even the pubs shut down by midnight. Quite a contrast to Barcelona, where people as a general rule eat dinner around 10 or 11 at night. Another odd quirk in London was the quiet demeanor of the locals. In a crowded tube car during peak traffic times, you could hear a pin drop. People don’t speak. And if they do, they whisper. Erica told me her orientation director warned people about this in the beginning of their program, because it’s such a contrast to American (and of course, Italian) loudness in public places. With my naturally loud volume, I had to remember to keep myself in check ;-)

Some highlights from my three-day tour of London:

 The London Tower Museum. Erica and I paid 15 pounds to get in here, but it was well worth it. The museum is the remains of a castle and fortress that’s been in use for somewhere around a thousand years, maybe more. Kings and queens and all kinds of royalty have slept there and done all kinds of crazy things. Scandalous murders and disappearances have taken place on the property, and people were held political prisoners in some of its towers. Inside the castle we also saw the “crown jewels,” the magnificently glittering crowns adorned by kings and queens of the past, and the diamonds and other precious accessories that went along with them.

 Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, and a view of the London Eye. The must-sees of London, easily within walking distance of one another.

 Covent Garden and Portobello Road. Erica took me to these two quaint shopping districts during my visit, and unfortunately they were both closing down in typical London fashion when we arrived, but I still got a feel for the ambiance of the neighborhoods. They were charming, Georgetown-esque districts with cute little boutiques, vintage stores and some high-end clothing shops mixed in next to English pubs and restaurants.

 Harrods. This is the mega-department store filled with every item a person could ever want, including Maine Coon kittens, a 1 million pound (money pound, not weight) pool table, and dozens of restaurants, along with clothes, furniture, washing machines and who knows what else. Nothing cheap, of course, but it was an experience walking through it. Like a modern day museum. The inside reminded me of what the Cheesecake Factory tries to be. The highlight of our trip to Harrod’s was afternoon tea at the fancy restaurant on the top floor. Our four-berry tea, scones with jam, tea sandwhiches and pastries were absolutely delicious and necessary for the full British experience.

 Borough Market. London has lots and lots of weekend markets to choose from, and this one was fantastic. Tons of free samples that Erica and I took full advantage of, different kinds of cheese, bread, dipping sauces, jams and desserts. It was an experience for all the senses, just taking in the scent of barbecue and fresh food and watching the crowds of people make their way through the different stalls. I bought myself a huge, fudgy brownie.

 Speaking of food, I got my fix for Chipotle (well a Chipotle knock-off, but it did the trick), Chinese food, a good hamburger, buffalo wings (at Rainforest Café, where I got to meet up with Karina from UMD…once again, great to see a familiar face!), Starbucks, Whole Foods (Erica and I shamelessly devoured every sample available) and I don’t even remember what else. I also got my fix for American television and movies…and got a sampling of British TV, which is a cultural experience in itself. I thought American reality TV shows were bad, but reality shows in the U.K. are an all-time low. I’ll never forget “Hotter Than My Daughter,” “Snog, Marry or Avoid,” or “How to Look Good Naked.”

 The Tate Modern Museum and Kensington Palace and Gardens. Two very different sights that I saw at different times, but they were both cooler than I expected. Erica and I thought we’d walk in for five minutes since it was free admission to the Tate Modern, but we stayed a lot longer. The art by Monet, Matisse, and other top-notch artists of their time was a sharp contrast to the medieval and renaissance art I’ve seen in Italy and Paris. And it was refreshing, in a way. Kensington Palace, the former home of Princess Diana, was beautiful and surrounded by a big park with a pond full of geese and lots of paths for running and biking. If I were studying in London I’d be there all the time once the weather got warmer!

 Last, but not least, Erica and I saw a show in Piccadilly Circus called “39 Steps.” We got discount tickets less than an hour beforehand, and our seats were great—what a deal! The show was a comedy spin-off of Alfred Hitchcock movies, and it had references to Rear Window, Vertigo and Psycho. Some of you may know that I’m a big Alfred Hitchcock fan, so it was the perfect show for me!











After an incredible spring break seeing friends and my sister, all who I’d missed so much, it was tough leaving and coming back to my quiet Perugia apartment! But in some ways it was nice returning to the familiarity and comfort of Perugia, where shopkeepers recognize my face and greet me with a hearty “Buongiorno!” every day, and I can sort of get by speaking the language, as opposed to my Spanish in Barcelona. I discovered a once-a-month organic market in the town center Sunday, and I had fun chatting with people at the booths in Italian, and buying locally made ricotta cheese, bread and bruschetta. This weekend I’m going to stick around the area and maybe do some day trips. I’ll keep you posted!