NOV 18-24

ON BARCELONA

The days are getting shorter (so are my blog posts…yikes!). But really, the days in Copenhagen are really really short. The sun sets around 3:30 pm, so it was nice to travel a bit more south where we were under the sun for 2 extra hours. I hadn’t see such vibrant, blue skies in a while. I think all of us just walked down the street with our eyes fixated up towards the sky, kind of mesmerized by how blue it was. It was also much warmer…and by warmer I mean like 5-7 degrees warmer, but it really makes a difference. We gawked when it reached the high 50’s, and we boldly walked out without any jackets while the locals walked around in their puffer jackets and heavy coats. I briefly wondered if this is how people view Californians. I felt sort of immune to the cold after Copenhagen.

Like mentioned before, I don’t find much value in hitting big landmarks, but I was absolutely floored by La Sagrada Familia. Gaudí ??!?! Hello ??! It was just insane. I was overwhelmed by its sheer size and detail. There isn’t a single thing on… or in/out/attached/under/in whatever proximity to the building that does not serve any intentionality. Except for the pigeons flocking around the masterpiece. I think we were all left speechless when we went inside. As my professor would say it: I was experiencing an overflow of phenomenality. I can’t put it into words.

Every time I travel somewhere, eat something delicious, or experience something, certain individuals always pop up in my mind. They are usually my mom and dad, and I started taking mental notes on places I want to take them around, things I want to share, and parts of the experiences I am having right now, I hope they can have too in the future. I didn’t feel really strongly about any of the experiences I have had so far during my study abroad, or anywhere else, really, but La Sagrada Familia is something I want to share with my family because I think this is definitely worth seeing, definitely something worth visiting.

I won’t post any pictures because 1) my cover photo is the floor of La Sagrada Familia with light shining through the stained glass, and that in itself already is very beautiful 2) photos won’t really do justice…even if you look at all the professional photos online, they are so different from actually being there under the serene grandeur of the place. So you should go.

This trip made me appreciate mosaics, drying laundry under the sun (something I definitely miss doing in Claremont. I have been using the dryer here and it is noisy and damp and takes almost 2 hours), blue skies, and made me realize that some landmarks are seriously worth visiting.

This was my last official trip before heading back to the states. In fact, I only have 18 more whole days until I go home. Kind of wild. Still a lot of do, and loads of loose ends to tie. We’ll see how this semester wraps up.

Badum! list, of course:

• Jiwon lent me her book, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. I finished about half of it yesterday. I am unsure how I feel about this book, or how this book will end, but some parts are really hilarious.
• I finished another roll of film. Now I have 2 complete rolls finished to develop. I am really excited to see how they turn out.
• I started a new journal because I finished the blue one Anam got from India. Now I am using the yellow one that he also got from India. Kinda crisp, and gives me a different vibe from the blue one, although it is basically the same notebook. There is always something exciting about starting fresh.
• I have been tweaking around on adobe illustrator, making new things during my very rare downtimes. I hope to be at Sophia’s level…someday…!
• Also, a major shoutout to Jiwon because I had some really heartfelt, genuine conversations with her during the trip (I mean I always do, but this time, especially more because we were with each other 24/7). I am going to miss her very very much when we leave.
• Jiwon and I also had bomb Korean food, but we ended up ordering so much food, probably bordering like 3 servings and the waiter kind of looked at us like we were crazy, starved children. All good though.
• I bought 4 bags of Takis and finished half of it before coming home to Copenhagen….ah. (There is a new flavor though! Excited to try).
• Jiwon and I found this really yummy lemon beer called Damm Lemon Clara Mediterránea. We had it three nights in a row oops.

That’s all folks!

Until next time,

Eileen