Photos of Figueres - Girona Excursion

some more shots of our outing Saturday, Feb 18:

Figueres - Girona Excursion

What does Figueres offer to the open-eyed traveller?
With out a doubt, the answer is the Dali Museum, the home of 20th century surrealist legend Salvador Dalí, and his finest works. Fitting because it was his place of birth and home for the first and latter parts of his life. What about Girona? It is the location of one of Spain’s best-conserved medieval quarters, amidst lush green forests in the immediate surroundings, and with spectacular views of the Pyrenee Mountain range to the north. Together, they make for an ideal day-long excursion due to their proximity, and the fact that they are but a stone throw away from Barcelona. Seizing the opportunity, BCEA staff and students enjoyed a beautiful spring day, Saturday, Feb 18, between the two places.
Scraping ourselves out of bed, early Saturday morning, we met in front of the center where we had a bus waiting for us, and we quickly made our way to the Dalí Museum in Figueres. Once there, we met our guide, had a stroll through central Figueres, where the guide informed us of the eccentricities the great artist in his youth (did you know that Dalí used to stroll down La Rambla of Figueres, in the glaring heat of summer time at noon, dressed in suit, tie, jacket and trench coat? For his pañuelo(handkerchief) he would stuff a tortilla española(flattened egg omelette) in his coat jacket. Hmmm, by many standards Dalí was, indeed, crazy, insane, maybe even from another planet. In his own defense, Dalí responded, “the only difference between and a crazy person and myself is that I’m not crazy”. I would have to agree… Dalí did know, after all, what he was doing. His museum reflects a precision of artistry unparalleled in the world of realist and surrealist painting, sculptures, metal work, and the play of mirrors and reflections (behold his portrait of Abe Lincoln with and without a camera lens and you will understand my point). Was there anything this guy couldn´t do? One could easily spend hours lazily wandering around the museum, taking in the mirage of sights and letting the mind marvel at the genius; and genius Dalí was without the hint of any doubt. Was he human? I don’t know. If he was human, I don’t know what I or the majority of people are. Our two plus hours came to an end quickly and it was time to go to Girona!
Pulling into the peaceful city of Girona, it was lunch time and so we took the time to eat, relax in the sun, and off we went to explore the medieval quarter of the city. “Civilisation” came to Girona with the Romans before the birth of Christ, and from there, the city has seen a melange of culture and societies pass through its streets through the ages. Walking through the old quarter is definitely a treat, and one can actually feel the history that lies in the stones streets and buildings. La Catedral was a fascinating story in and of itself: it is the single largest Cathedral in all of Europe that is made from only one knave (I’m no architect and so I cannot tell you why that’s important, but, rest assured, the church is big!). With each ruling people that came to power, they decided to upgrade the place of worship, utilizing the original structure, or, in the very least its foundations, and making it still bigger. The huge Cathedral is the end result, and it was quite fascinating to learn that its life started as a Roman temple dedicated to pagan gods. Spring gave us her finest with a bright sun and cool breezes keeping us moving as we made our way along the ancient fortress walls (that surround the old quarter and used to mark the city limits) and through botanical gardens located behind the cathedral. Before long the day winded to a close and we strolled slowly back to the bus.
At around 7 pm, we piled onto the bus and made our way home, to Barcelona, as the sun set and some of us drifted off napping from a day of full travel. Shared experiences such as the one we had always unites people, and I felt happy for having shared the day with the students. It was a good excursion.

by Trevor Edmunds

Photos of the Magical Fountains

The Magical Fountains of Barcelona

-That was a great recommendation! Thank you very much!

Elijah Katz, Microbiology major from the University of Iowa, came into my office Tuesday afternoon, beaming with enthusiasm.

-Huh?

I couldn’t remember what recommendation I had given him (normal when you have nearly forty students asking for advice concerning things to do in Barcelona).

-Yah, you know, the Magical Fountains….AMAZING...incredible!, definitely a point of interest for anyone visiting Barcelona.

As it turns out, Elijah and some other students on the program at BCEA were at the Museu Nacional d´Art de Catalunya, located in the foothills of Montjuïc, which lie near the South-East border of Barcelona city, where the city meets the Mediterranean Sea. Home to the Olympic Stadium (Home to the Olympic Games of 1992), several museums, a formidable military base from years back, not to mention other tourist sites, Montjuïc is a great place to visit. Not only does it have cultural points of interest, but it also has great views of the city to the west and expansive views of the Mediterranean Sea to the East. Perhaps most importantly, one can find peace and quite in the green botanical gardens going up the mountain. Amidst a city always humming with energy and activity, one learns to value this.

Elijah and the gang were heading out of the museum at dusk, descending the many flights of stairs that lead to Plaza España down below when something unexpected happened. The smaller water fountains along the water canals that descend parallel the stairs came to life, gurgling and beginning to shoot water up in the air. Classical music began playing out of hidden speakers – what was going on here? As sort of a gut reaction, Elijah whipped out his camera - one never knows what will be encountered in a new country. As ready as he was, the sight that he encountered next put him on his heals, and made his eye brows, such was his disbelief at what he was seeing. Down below the biggest water fountain, located at the base of the Montjuïc, the BIG BERTA of the water fountains, erupted into life, shooting gallons upon gallons of water high up into the air (25, 30, 40 feet?), creating different shapes and patterns. Vibrant colours – blue, green, violet, among others – shined through the water, illuminating the fountains´play. Adding still more to the effect of the show, the fountains seemed to actually dance with the classical music that was blasting from God knows where.

-It was unique and impressive…all the engineering that must have gone into it, with the lights shinning through the water,...and everything!

It was rewarding to see such enthusiasm, and I was happy that some of the students had so quickly taken the initiative to go check out one of the most beautiful sights of Barcelona. Pictures always speak much louder than words, and so, I have posted here a few from the 50 -60 that Elijah took in that spell-bound state.


Trevor Edmunds

Students arrive and kick-off the Spring 2006 semester

Students Fall into the Swing of Things Quickly
Students everywhere from New York, California, Missouri, among many others, arrived to Barcelona January 23rd for the Spring 2006 semester. From the staff point of view, it´s going to be a fun semester working with a great of group of students! Students have quickly opened up to one another, from the appearance of things, and are already getting to know the various plazas, bars, cultural facilities and other hang-out spots of interest around the city.