26. Memorias

Well, another week gone, one full of activities and all sorts but especially activities related to food, but I am not going to complain as these are the things that make up memories.

To start, I have learnt a very important lesson this week, one that I think I already knew. I have learnt that it is definitely not a good idea to go on an excursion the day after being out all night, especially ones that involves trains, cables cars and just any form of transport as with a hangover from hell, it just isn’t fun.
So basically, my flatmates and I had a party to celebrate their upcoming birthdays and the next day we headed to Montserrat. It was an experience being on a cable car, feeling like I might be sick any minute, but I guess I can tick that of my ‘experiences in Barcelona list'.  I had already been to Montserrat before, but it is such a lovely place that I didn’t mind one bit venturing there again. It was a lovely day, and to be honest it did cure my hangover, either that or the sun soaked the alcohol from my body.
Also, as I had previously stated, I have started my arts internship at RelevantBCN, and now a few of my articles are up on the website, my articles range from reviewing cafes hidden away in Barcelona to some of the most interesting exhibition on show at the moment and so I feel now wherever I go I feel inspired to write an article.

On that same creative note, here is  quote from the exhibition I saw the other week and to follow, a few of my memories that make up my experience in Barcelona so far, that don't need words.
“An image is only worth more than my words when it is so powerful that it can create an opinion. When it is really useful” – The diary of Colita, 11^th of August 1999

25. Holi Barcelona

(Español en los comentarios)
Well, what a weekend full of sun, lots of colour, and a bit of culture.

This weekend, I headed to a wonderful exhibition of COLITA, a well known Catalan photographer, and her photos from the past took me into a black and white journey of the life that once exisisted in Barcelona.

However, the highlight of my weekend was HOLI Barcelona, a colour festival with a bollywood theme in the mountains of Barcelona. The rule was to wear a white t-shirt and just turn up. We headed there early Sunday morning, and after not long we were throwing colour powder around and after an hour, you couldn’t even see my skin, I looked like a walking rainbow. But it was so much fun, to be in the fresh air, dancing around and watching bollywood dancing. The atmosphere was amazing and the crowd didn’t stop growing. It was a great way to celebrate the beginning of spring, in a city I still can’t get enough of.

Now, I can’t wait for the Colour run in May, running and colour, what more could a girl want.

24. Chocolate Caliente

(La versión español está en los comentarios)

Well, the last time I wrote on this blog was about Valencia, and what an amazing weekend that was, but since then I have finished my exams and the University of Pompeu Fabra, had a little visit home to do some house hunting and started my work placement. How times flies. I have also found it the right time to distinguish the difference between hot chocolate in the UK and Spain (well, Barcelona), but before I ramble about this very important issue, here is what I have been up to for the past few weeks:

Firstly, I have finished the University of Pompeu Fabra of which I spent six months in the faculty of translation, and although I am ready for something new, I will miss the university and the routine I had got accustomed too. It will also be a shock when I return to the UK, with the strict university rules and regulations once again taking over my life. But anyway, once my final exams were done I headed back to Manchester in order to find a house in Newcastle for next year. House hunting for university is definitely more stressful in the UK, unlike when I came to Barcelona and I had a flat in less than a week. If only the UK had this mentality.  Luckily for me however, I managed to find a place for me and friends and therefore I can breathe easy for the next few months. Not only did I do some house hunting, but I also managed to see a few friends and squeeze in a night out. I also managed to stock up on all foods British, such as, ‘full English’ and a ‘roast’ which I do miss in Barcelona. One of my favourite things of my visit was that I went to one of my favourite places for hot chocolate, which Is something that everyone who knows me knows that I can’t live without in life. It is a chocolatier place called Slattery’s, and I cannot recommend it enough. The hot chocolates are simply delicious. 

Now back to the reasoning behind this post, hot chocolate. The one thing my journey to the UK meant is I am yet to decide whether I prefer the hot chocolate in the UK or Spain, and I am a firm lover of all things hot and chocolatey. But first let me distinguish between the two:

In the UK when we say hot chocolate we mean: Chocolate powder with hot milk or water.

In Spain when you say ‘chocolate caliente’ which is the literal translation for hot chocolate you get: a cup of actual melted chocolate.





The only way you can get some form of our version in the UK is saying-

Colacao: which is the chocolate powder you put with hot milk, similar to the UK.
Or
Cacaolat: Catalan chocolate milk which is usually heated up.

So, I am just saying beware when you come to Spain as you may think you’ve asked for hot chocolate and you just get a spoon and a cup of melted chocolate. However, I am not complaining, as it is delicious but slightly sickly after a whole cup.

Moreover, It is now April and a turning point in my year abroad as I start my second part, a work placement. I am interning in an online magazine of arts and events called Relevant BCN, so my blog may be full of gallery reviews and events in Barcelona, just the way I like it. I am excited to start something new. Below is a link to the website, so watch out for my articles.

http://www.relevantbcn.com/