Back home ... final blog entry!

[I wrote this Wednesday on the plane ride home but am just now posting.]

[See By the Numbers below!]

I returned home Wednesday evening after being on the go for the past 32 days. It actually seems like I've been gone longer, as I was in Puerto Rico with my students and colleagues for eight days just before leaving for Spain. Speaking of school, I saw a group of students from Texas at the airport in Madrid this morning. They were returning home after an adventure through central and southern Spain and were so excited to tell me about the places they had visited in Madrid, Sevilla, Granada and along the coast. They reminded me of how I felt when I came back from Spain in June 1997 following my first trip out of the country to a Spanish-speaking place. I hope their enthusiasm will be contagious when they go back to school in a few weeks!

Seeing those students today and chatting with them for a bit has got me excited to return to school in a little more than one week. Even though I haven't done much planning yet for the first couple of weeks of classes, I feel as prepared and as excited as ever to return to the classroom and incorporate my experiences in Spain into our everyday class activities. While we talk about Spain in my Spanish IV classes for the first nine weeks of the school year, I have always preferred to teach about Latin America because I have been fortunate to spend a combined year there visiting 15 countries since 2001. I love everything about South America and could spend hours talking about my travels through the Andean nations to backpacking through Patagonia and drinking water directly from the river because it was so clean. Spending time in these places has allowed me to grow extremely found of them, and I treasure sharing these stories and pictures in class that my friend Jason and I took while there. I always hope that my pictures will come to life through the stories I tell about South America, Central America and the Caribbean.

I really haven't been able to do this with Spain, as I was only 16 when I visited -- before digital cameras were the norm and long before I thought like a teacher and collected items I could use in class. I have thought for some time that I do my students a disservice when I teach about Spain because my knowledge was limited to what I learned during my one visit there and in textbooks.

After spending the last four weeks in Spain, however, I feel so much more prepared to teach about the Iberian Peninsula. I've learned so much about its history, geography, culture, foods, politics and people. This trip has reawakened in me a passion for Spain that had been dormant for too long. In fact, I feel as excited, energized and rejuvenated as those students I saw this morning.

I have so many ideas racing through my mind about how to best use my experiences from the last four weeks. I took 1,549 pictures, and I'm planning to create 10 to 15 slideshows that will show everything from the different regions of Spain to the Juanes concert I attended. I also have 33 short video clips that I will be able to incorporate into the slideshows. I was hoping to capture more video by interviewing people at some of the sites I visited so they could explain the history behind the location. Perhaps I had bad luck with the people I asked or perhaps it was because of something else, but people in Spain were reluctant to be videoed. But, I'll be able to do voiceovers on parts of the slideshows to incorporate some audio into the videos. Working with the pictures and video will be my main focus throughout the next few months.

I would also like to create another blog about my trip to Spain that I will use in the classroom. I'm planning to edit and condense what I have written so far and put it into another blog or Web site that is both educational and narrative. I want to add links and make the site more interactive. It will probably take me most of the upcoming school year to complete the Web project and I'm looking forward to the challenge. I hope it will be a great tool in the coming years.

Incorporating all of this technology into class will be great, but it will be no substitute for the anecdotes and experiences I'll be able to share after actually traveling through 17 different cities across central, northern, southern and eastern Spain. I am so fortunate to have had this opportunity, and I can't begin to express how much I appreciate what this grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc. has done for me. The foundation's generous grant turned my 14-year dream into a reality, and I'll always be thankful for this unique opportunity.

Thanks for coming along with my on this Spanish sojourn! I had 1,173 page views on my blog, so thanks so much for your support!

Here are a few facts I found interesting as I looked back at the past month:

• I was gone for 32 days.
• I wrote about 28,000 words on my blog.
• I took 1,549 pictures and 33 short video clips.
• I stayed in nine different hostels / hotels in the 17 cities I explored.
• I journeyed 1,759 miles on buses ... from Madrid to Segovia and Avila, from Madrid to Toledo, from Madrid to Salamanca, from Salamanca to Leon, from Leon to Oviedo, from Oviedo to Sevilla, from Sevilla to Cordoba, from Cordoba to Madrid, from Madrid to Granada, from Granada to Murcia and from Murcia to Barcelona.
• I spent 52 hours on those buses to cover the 1,759 miles, or a little more than two full days.
• I walked about 185 miles to visit monuments, cathedrals, mosques, gardens, ruins, universities, parks cities and more, an average of 6 miles per day.
• I traveled 8,988 miles on planes ... 156 miles each way from Fort Wayne to Chicago, 4,188 miles each way from Chicago to Madrid, and 300 miles one way from Barcelona to Madrid.
• I spent nine hours on trains to travel 260 miles

Adios,

--Justin

Last day in Spain

Today was my last full day in Spain, and it turned out to be an excellent end to this journey. We visited Barcelona's most famous church this morning and returned to the beach in the afternoon.

We began the day with a trip to the Sagrada Familia church. Work has been under way on and off for more than 100 years on this awe-inspiring church. It's expected to be finished sometime this century, perhaps by 2050. Modernist architect Antoni Gaudi dedicated the later part of his life to working on this church that is 312 feet long and 197 feet wide. The church can seat 13,000 people. We began by taking the elevators to the top of one of the church's towers. Since we arrived at 9 a.m. and already had our tickets, we were among the first inside the church. We were also the first to ascend the tower. The views from the top were incredible as we looked at Barcelona. You also get amazing views of the church from the towers, as there are a plethora of lookout points. When I was here as a student, we also went to the top of the towers; however, we were able to climb up the narrow staircase instead of taking an elevator. I discovered that they no longer let visitors climb up to the top, as too many people started the journey up but then couldn't make it. Now, you take the elevator up but walk down. I'll post some pictures from the towers. When the work is completed, the church will have 12 towers in all, representing the 12 apostles.

We then came back down and spent more than an hour exploring the inside and outside of the church. The northeast side of the church, the Nativity Facade, depicts the birth of Christ. Gaudi supervised this part of the work before he died (On June 7, 1926, he was run over by a tram at an intersection in Barcelona.). The southwest side of the church, the Passion Facade, shows the death of Christ. This side of the church has been built since the 1950s. I'll post more pictures below from inside and outside the church, along with some explanations under the pictures.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach. We visited Sitges last Friday and decided to return today since it was sunny outside. The beach was full of people! It was so full that it was hard to find an open spot! We stayed for about two hours and then returned to Barcelona around 5 p.m. to pack, have dinner and walk along the Ramblas one last time. My flight leaves at 8:40 a.m. Wednesday. I have to switch planes in Madrid and then fly straight to Chicago before catching another flight back to Fort Wayne. I should be in Fort Wayne around 6 p.m.

This will be my last entry from Spain, but I am planning to write another post or two to summarize my experiences in Spain. This trip has been incredible and has allowed me to fulfill my 14-year dream of returning to the country that first introduced me to Spanish.

Thanks so much to everyone who has been following my blog for the past 31 days. I have really appreciated the comments and e-mails, as they have been great motivation to keep posting every day.

I've had a marvelous time here but am excited to come home tomorrow to see my family and friends and begin preparing for another school year. I can't wait to get back in the classroom. My hope was that this trip would rejuvenate me as I teach my students Spanish and as I help them make connections between their culture and others. It has done just that and more, and I can't wait to share all of my experiences with my students in just a few weeks. It's going to be another great school year, and I am so thankful that I had this opportunity in Spain. I will forever be grateful to the Lilly Foundation.

Hasta pronto,
--Justin

Southwest side of La Sagrada Familia church --  the side showing the Passion Facade, or the last days of Christ's life and his death. The four bell towers are dedicated to the apostles James, Bartholomew, Thomas and Philip. The tower on the right is the one we ascended.

A view of Barcelona  from the top of one of the towers. Gaudi designed the church with 18 towers -- 12 bell towers and six higher towers to symbolize the approach between earth and heaven.

From the top of the tower. 

From the top of the tower. 

The spiral staircase leading down from the towers. 

Inside La Sagrada Familia.

Inside La Sagrada Familia.

Inside La Sagrada Familia.

The central part of the church's bronze door contains the entire text of the Paternoster in Catalan. On the two sides, in 50 different languages, the phrase "Give us this day our daily bread" appears.

It took some searching, but I found it in English. 

The northeast side of La Sagrada Familia is known as the Nativity facade. It shows the birth of Jesus. Work began in 1892 under Gaudi's direct supervision. The bell towers are dedicated to St Barnabas, Jude, Simon and Matthew.

The birth of Christ, as seen on the church's northeast side. 

The death of Christ, as seen on the church's southwest side.

Climbing a mountain

We took a daytrip from Barcelona today to visit Montserrat, a mountain located about 31 miles northwest of Barcelona. Montserrat, which means Serrated Mountain, is 4,055 feet high. It's is a very interesting mountain, and I'll post some pictures below so you can see what it looks like. It is more round shaped than most mountains. The mountain is home to one of the most important shrines in this region of Spain. The monastery dates back to 1025. It was put there to honor a vision of the Virgin on the mountain. There are some 80 monks that live at Montserrat today.

We began our trip by visiting the Montserrat Museum, which is home to a variety of art, including works by Picasso, Monet and El Greco. After spending about 30 minutes in the museum, we visited the 16th Century basilica. Normally, the Montserrat Boys' Choir plays each day, but since it is summer, they are on vacation. The choir is said to be Europe's oldest music school. While at the basilica, I was able to light a candle in memory of my 3-month-old cousin who passed away this week from spinal muscular atrophy.

From there, we ventured back outside and began a hike up the mountain. A tram carried us up the first 820 feet and we hiked the rest of the way. I'm not sure how high we climbed, but I think we reached the second highest point on the mountain. There were some amazing views of the basilica and surrounding area from the top. Shortly after we arrived, however, fog began to set in and the stunning views soon disappeared. It was a great hike up. I'll post a few pictures of our trip up.

After hiking back down, we visited one more museum that showed a video about the daily life of the monks who live at Montserrat. We then returned to Barcelona before going out for another great dinner. The owner of the restaurant in which we ate Saturday invited us to another place he owns, La Luna, so we had dinner there tonight. It was just as tasty as Saturday night!

It's hard to believe, but tomorrow is my last full day in Spain! My flight leaves Wednesday morning to return home! We are visiting the Sagrada Familia tomorrow and then returning to the beach for a couple of hours. It should be another fun day both in and away from Barcelona. I'll have one more update from Spain tomorrow night!

Hasta pronto,
--Justin

Montserrat

The facade at the basilica, which has carvings of Christ and the 12 Apostles. It was added in 1901. 

Inside the basilica. 

On the hike up Montserrat. 

Sant Joan chapel 

View of the basilica from the climb up Montserrat. 

Some stairs we climbed as we hiked up Montserrat.

On the move in Barcelona

Today turned out to be our busiest day in Barcelona so far, as we were on the go from about 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. with only a quick stop back at the hostel to shower and change clothes!

One of today's highlights included a visit to Montjuic, the large hill that overlooks Barcelona. Montjuic is home to museums, gardens, a castle and also the main location of the 1992 Olympic site. Montjuic means "Jewish Mountain," as the hill was once a Jewish cemetery.

We began our visit by stopping by the Olympic Stadium, where we saw the buildings and fields that were home to the main events from 1992. I'll post some pictures below so you can see the impressive Torre Calatrava telecommunications tower.

From there, we took a bus up to Montjuic's castle. The castle has traditionally been used to watch over Barcelona, but it was also used as a political prison during Spain's civil war. We were able to walk around the castle and climb up to the top to get a great panoramic view of Barcelona and the port. The castle is also home to a military museum but we weren't able to see it. I'm not sure if it was closed or has been closed but all the rooms were shut. The views from the top of the castle, however, made the trip well worth our time.

On our walk back down, we stopped at the Ethnology Museum, which contained a variety of displays from across the world. The museum had everything, from swords to gourds (what you use to drink yerba mate tea in Argentina). It was probably the most unique museum I have visited. We also had a long chat with a Spanish woman we met at the museum. She explained how a lot of the young people in Spain are frustrated right now because the unemployment rate is nearly 20 percent. There have been a lot of protests across Spain during the last couple of months because of the high unemployment and young people's frustration with the government.

We returned to Las Ramblas around 1 p.m., had lunch and walked around for another couple of hours. This pedestrian street is such a fun place to explore. Today, for example, I saw the following:

• Several men sitting on a bench having a heated debate, probably about politics
• Several men selling these little devices that are about 1 inch long and shaped like a tube. You put them in your month and use them as whistles. They make the most annoying sound in the world!
• Several people set up with the ball and three cups game where you try to guess under which cup the ball is located after the man has moved them around. It definitely looked like a set up!
• People dressed up as wizards, dragons, princesses, skeletons, etc. -- complete with make up, face paint, glitter and costumes. They find a spot on the Ramblas and stand as still and as quiet as one of the Queen's guards ... until someone drops a coin in the collection box they have sitting in front of them. Afterward, they do something. The dragon, for example, makes a quick move and flaps his wings toward the person who deposited the coin, often catching the person off guard and causing him to jump, scream or scurry off. I'll post a short video when I get home.

While we were on the Ramblas, we bought tickets for a Spanish guitar concert at 9 p.m. Ekaterina Zaytseva played a variety of songs for nearly an hour. She was such a talented musician, and we both enjoyed the concert. Afterward, we returned to the Magic Fountain to see another display of the water, lights and music. It was different from last night and probably a better show.
　
Tomorrow, we're taking a daytrip to Montserrat, located about 30 miles or so from Barcelona. I'll write more about this mountain tomorrow.
　
Buenas noches,
--Justin

Torre Calatrava telecommunications tower at Olympic Stadium. 

Barcelona's busy port, as seen from the top of Montjuic's castle.

Resting at Montjuic!

Ekaterina Zaytseva plays the guitar at the Spanish guitar concert we attended tonight. It was a great show! 

Magic fountain light/water/music show! 

Magic fountain light/water/music show! 

Smurfs, mosaic lizards and a magical water fountain!

 The Magic Fountain of Montjuic ... more pictures below!

My day began at a park that is home to a mosaic lizard. A few hours later, I was surrounded by Smurfs. I was having the best dinner I have had since I arrived in Spain by the time the sun went down ... which was followed up with an invitation to come back tomorrow night. And as the night came to an end, I was treated to a magic water fountain show where the water changed colors to the beat of music.

 What's not to love about Barcelona? It's true that it is very crowded here since this is the high tourist season, but it's easy to overlook that because of the beauty of this city. It's a magical place.

 We had planned to begin our day with a trip to La Sagrada Familia church, designed by Modernist architect Antoni Gaudi. When we arrived, however, it was cloudy and drizzling and we discovered the church's towers were closed because of the weather. So, we decided to delay our visit and come back Tuesday, as one of the highlights is going to the top of the church. So, I'll write more about the Sagrada Familia later.

 We left the church and headed to Park Guell, a 37-acre park. Gaudi was given the job of turning it into a city garden around 1900. He worked at the site for 14 years until work was stopped. It became a public park in 1923 and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. We walked around the park, starting at the top where we saw some amazing views of Barcelona. We made our way down the trails and eventually arrived at the part where several benches designed in Gaudi's style decorate the landscape. I'll post some pictures so you can see below, including a shot of the mosaic lizard.

 From there, we returned to the hostel for a bit before going to see Los Pitufos (The Smurfs) in 3D. It was so fun to watch the movie in Spanish and was a great way to spend the afternoon. A strong storm that downed branches hit Barcelona while we were inside but the rain had mostly stopped by the time we left to take the metro to dinner.

 We had dinner at la Fianna, and it was the best meal I have had in the last month. My friend and former colleague Gregory recommended this restaurant, as he had dined there a few years ago and knows the owner of the restaurant. I had a caesar salad and salmon, and it was delicious. As we were preparing to leave, the waiter introduced us to the owner, and I mentioned Gregory's name. The owner of course remembered Gregory, and we had a nice chat with him for about 15 minutes. We found out that he owns another restaurant nearby called La Luna, and he invited us to have dinner there tomorrow night. He even made reservations for us at 8 p.m., so we'll be having another wonderful dinner tomorrow night!

 Before returning to the hostel, we took the metro to the Plaza Espana to see The Magic Fountain of Montjuic. Here, we saw a light, water and music show that lasted 15 minutes. It was like watching the fireworks at Disney Land, as it's a magical environment. I'll post some pictures so you can see these bright, amazing colors at the waterfall.

 Tomorrow, we're planning a visit to the Picasso museum, as well as Montjuic. Montjuic is a big hill that overlooks Barcelona from the southwest.


 Hasta luego,

--Justin

Park Guell in Barcelona.

Park Guell in Barcelona.

Park Guell in Barcelona.

Park Guell in Barcelona.

Park Guell in Barcelona.

Antoni Gaudi's house at Park Guell.

Dinner at La Fianna ... excellent meal!

The Magic Fountain of Montjuic.

The Magic Fountain of Montjuic.

The Magic Fountain of Montjuic.

La Sagrada Familia church.

Beach day at Sitges

Sra. Bills and I met up with our friend Tish and her friend Tash this morning and took the train 45 minutes south to Sitges, a city of 26,000 people located along the Mediterranean Sea. After a short walk from the train station, we set our eyes on the beautiful Mediterranean and walked along the beach for about 10 minutes before finding the perfect spot to spend a few hours. Even though the sun was behind the clouds most of the day, the temperature was still ideal. The sun peaked out every now and then, but we still had a great time. The water was chilly at first but we soon got used to it. The beach wasn't too crowded, and it was a relaxing day along the sea. It was my second trip to Sitges, as we also visited this beach town when I came to Spain in 1997.

When I was here 14 years ago, we discovered this great restaurant called La Oca that served rotisserie chicken. I went back there today for lunch with Sra. Bills, and it was just as delicious as I remember it! I'll post a few pictures of our lunch below.

We returned to Barcelona around 5 p.m., did a little shopping and called it a day around 9 p.m. We're planning to visit the Sagrada Familia and Parque Guell tomorrow, as well as have dinner at a restaurant one of our friends and former colleagues from Fort Wayne recommended. It should be a fun day around Barcelona ... and I'm looking forward to writing about the places we're going to visit and sharing some pictures.

Hasta manana!
--Justin

A tall can of Coke in Spain that shows the Sagrada Familia.

Lunch at La Oca in Sitges.

Sitges!

Lunch cooking at La Oca.

Barcelona ... and peanut butter!

My colleague and friend Sra. Bills arrived in Barcelona today after her six-week trek across northern Spain on the Camino de Santiago trail. I met her at the airport this afternoon and we returned to the hostel to drop off her bags before heading out to see Barcelona. We visited the Ramblas (Barcelona's most famous pedestrian street) and walked down to the port. It was sunny and in the upper 70s again here today with a nice breeze blowing ... a perfect day! There were just as many people out and about this afternoon as yesterday. Barcelona is a very popular summer vacation spot, and I've seen just how busy it can be these past few days. We visited the Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, a famous public market in Barcelona that is located on the Ramblas. The vendors sale fruit, meat, seafood, candy, flowers and more, and it was very busy as people were walking through and snapping pictures. We bought some fruit and a fruit smoothie and then walked around to see everything that was for sale. I'll post some pictures below so you can see just how colorful of a place this is. I visited this market when I was here in 1997, and my friends and I at the time couldn't believe that vendors were selling fruit, meat and seafood so out in the open. We had only seen grocery stores before, never a public market. This time, however, I couldn't wait to go back and walk through the maze of a market to see all the sights!

On our way back toward the hostel, we found a grocery store on the Ramblas and decided to go in to get some water and food for breakfast for the next few days. We stocked up on juices, fruit and some croissants but couldn't find any jam. We decided to visit the Corte Ingles (the big mall in Spain that has everything from groceries to computers) to see if we could find any there. I was also hoping to find some peanut butter, as I haven't had any in a couple of months.

Not only did we find some peanut butter, but we found Peter Pan, the brand that I always buy at home! We also bought some strawberry jam and bread and are now have enough breakfast food for our last six days here. I'll post a picture of our little pantry below. It's always fun to walk through grocery stores and markets in Spanish-speaking countries to see how many different products they have.

We had some Italian food for dinner and then returned to the hostel for the evening. We are planning to visit Sitges tomorrow, a city of 26,000 people located along the Mediterranean Sea. It's about a 45-minute train ride from Barcelona to Sitges, and the station is only about a two-minute walk from our hostel. Tomorrow will be a beach day. We visited Sitges in 1997 and I'm excited to go back again. I had to buy a towel today, too, as I didn't bring one with me since I knew I would only be at the beach for a couple of days at the most. It took some searching to find one, as the ones I saw at the Corte Ingles cost almost $25! I eventually found one at the grocery store for 9 euros, about $13!

I'll post some pictures from the beach tomorrow!

Chau!
--Justin

The Smurfs in Spanish!

Smoothies at  la Boqueria market.

Fruit at  la Boqueria market.

Meat and cheese at  la Boqueria market.

Peppers at  la Boqueria market.

More meat and cheese at  la Boqueria market.

Fish at  la Boqueria market.

Dulces at  la Boqueria market.

Our breakfast for the next few days ... and peanut butter!