First, my parents came to visit in mid-October. They say it was to confirm their daughter was still living, but I think they just wanted an excuse to go to France. My Aunt Pam and my Uncle Mike came as well.
The plan was that I would take the TGV from Montpellier to Barcelona. It’s a simple, fast form of transportation that rarely has problems. That night, however, was one of the infrequent but heavy rain days in Montpellier. Both the primary school and the university classes cancelled. Many of the tram lines were out throughout the day and people were encouraged to stay home. The TGV isn’t usually as affected by the rain, but my train was delayed and stopped several times throughout the voyage with the rain in mind.
When I finally arrived in Barcelona, it was late, my phone data wasn't working and everything was in Catalan. Needless to say, I felt a little stranded. Luckily, taxis are a universal commodity and I was able to get to our rented place in town with no further problems.
Seeing my parents (and my aunt and uncle) for the first time in months felt pretty bizarre. I have long breaks from seeing them when I'm in school at the U, but being a continent away makes it seem like a much longer amount of time. A bit of home was great after several months abroad!
Day 1 we set out bright and early for sight seeing. First we visited La Catedral de Barcelona, a cathedral built over a period of 150 years and thus an example of several architectural styles:
From there we moved on to the Barcelona History Museum, which presented the history of the city from as far back as 2000 years. It was quite a bit of information and pictures were not allowed, so you can read more about it here: www.tourspain.org
Next stop was the Mercado de La Boqueria, a market that features all types of fresh foods:
Everything from mushrooms:
To seafood:
To types of meat you’d never want to be served at a dinner party:
Later we ventured out for a cultural night of tapas and flamenco dancing. Tapas are a traditional Spanish type of meal that includes lots of appetizer-size dishes that a table shares. Restaurants advertising tapas are everywhere in Barcelona, but we were very satisfied with the one we chose. Perhaps this was due in part to the fact that they weren’t serving the cuts meat we had seen at the market earlier. The sangria, red wine mixed with fruits, sugar and orange juice, was also very good:
After we were well fed, it was off to the Palau de la Música Catalana for the flamenco dance performance. Luckily we didn’t have to go far – it was right across the street! The interior was gorgeous:
The performance itself was also a delight; the singers and dancers portayed a great passion in their performance. I think I was going in expecting more of a salsa style dance, so I was surprised how closely flamenco dancing resembles tap dancing. Nonetheless I was very impressed by their mastery of the dance.
Day 2 was all about the architect Anthony Gaudí. You can read more about him and his works here: barcelona.de
Basically, he’s a very smart man and the reason we have the word “gaudy” in English. Perhaps one could think of him as the Dr. Seuss of architecture?
We first went to Casa Batlló, a house designed by Gaudí to look like no other on the affluent Passeig de Gràcia:
Even the handles were specially designed by Gaudí to fit the hand
The dragon of Saint George's legend guards the top of the building
Day 3 we caught a very early train to Carcassonne, France. This is not only the namesake of the popular strategy board game, but home to a fairytale-like castle and town:
For lunch we went to a restaurant recommended by my mom’s friend. Not only was the food excellent, but we also had a view of the castle as we ate:
Entrée: Pumpkin Soup
Plat principal: Cassoulet, a traditional dish of the area
Dessert: Crème brulée
After lunch we explored the town more:
And got on a Montpellier-bound train.
Days 4 and 5 were spent in Montpellier, the location of my program these last few months. For much of the time they were on their own, but I was able to spend time with them between classes and show them around Paul Valery and the Bureau.
One night we had dinner with one of the families I visited before the program, Lucie and Thierry. It was very fun to show off how much I've improved in my French since I saw them last, and of course help them get to know my aunt and uncle.
The last night my folks were in Montpellier, we all went to my host family's house to eat dinner. It was great to have my real parents meet my host parents, and both my mom and my dad showed off the French they were learning. My mom is actually quite progressed, and uses complex phrases in the past and near future tenses as well as the present. My dad is just starting Duolingo, but he's learning. At the dinner with Thierry and Lucie, their daughter Leonie was helping him out with color and food vocabulary. My aunt and uncle also found common ground with my host parents in their love of biking. They participate in a bike ride across Iowa each summer called RAGBRAI, and Jean-Luc of course loves riding and repairing bicycles.
Both nights I did a lot of translating from French to English and English to French, which was great practice for me and made me consider translating as a job more seriously. Only time will tell, but I loved the mental exercise!
I loved having my family come to visit. It was fun to be able to share my life here with them and spend time together after being apart for so long. At this point, only a month remains until we are once again reunited!
I'll be working on more travel blogs this week, so until then!
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