 |
Sindicatos = Labor Unions |
While classes went on as normal with my study abroad program, most Sevillano students at the University of Sevilla had the day off on Wednesday due to a general strike that was taking place across Spain, Portugal, and Greece. The entirety of Sevilla shut down for the day. Stores and businesses were closed, public transportation was down, classes were cancelled, and thousands upon thousands gathered in the center of Sevilla to protest against the government.
Why such protests? Spain is currently in the middle of a serious economic crisis.(Warning: I really am not that knowledgable when it comes to economics; these are just my understandings from having talked to people here and watching the news) Many people have blamed the crisis on the banks, which have been giving out loans to people who could in no way afford to pay them back (remind anyone of the US in 08?) When the banking system started to fail, everything went awry, and people have become upset for a number of reasons. Large spending cuts have been made in education, healthcare, and general welfare. When considering the fact that Spain's unemployment rate is at 25% right now, 50% of that being young people under age 35, it is understandable that people are upset with these programs being cut or taken away. People can't find work, and therefore refuse to spend, which is a terribly hard cycle to break out of. People have come to blame the capitalist system in general and are demanding the resignation of the government.
Here's a short video that explains the crisis much better than I can. This video is about a protest that occurred in Madrid in September, but it explains the economic crisis and people's concerns well:
On Wednesday people surrounded Sevilla's government offices, protesting against all the recent cuts that have been made. I didn't really get to see much because I had classes, but I could see the damage that had been done throughout the city. New graffiti was everywhere. Many banks are covered with "fuck capitalism" graffiti, and stores that decided to stay open were also heavily vandalized.
Here's another video of the streets of Sevilla during the day of the strike:
Apart from Wednesday, the rest of the week in Sevilla was calm and went on as normal. On Friday I woke up to go to Barcelona for the weekend with my interest group "Other Realities of Spain," the same group which took me to Gibraltar! Barcelona, which lies on the coast of northeast Spain, is the capital of the province of Catalonia. The language of Catalonia is not Spanish but Catalan, a Romance language that sounds like a bit of a mix between Spanish and French. While the majority of the population is bilingual with Spanish, currently many people in Barcelona are unwilling to speak it due to the Catalonian Independence Movement.
Another big story in the Spanish news is Catalonia's desire for independence from Spain. Catalonia has desired independence for a long time, but the sentiment grew much stronger after Franco's regime, which largely oppressed Catalan culture. Coupled with the economic crisis, the desire for Catalonian independence is at a significant high point. While Catalonia would be free from Spain's economic troubles, they would no longer be part of the European Union if they became independent, thus losing all of the benefits (the euro, free transfer of goods, etc). It is an interesting story, and all of Spain is anxious to see what will become of Catalonia.
 |
| CiU, a political party campaigning for independence As you can see from the graffiti, not all are in favor. |
Friday en Barcelona:
We got to Barcelona around 10am and after grabbing some lunch and getting settled in at our hostel, we pretty much immediately started exploring the city. One of the first things we saw was the Olympic Stadium/Museum. Barcelona hosted the Olympics in 1992 It was hard to believe I was just a newborn when these Olympics took place!
 |
| 1992 Olympic Stadium |
 |
| Castillo Montjuic |
After the Olympic Stadium we took the bus over to Castillo Montjuic, a fortress built in the 1600's that has been used throughout the centuries. The views of Barcelona were beautiful, even though it was a fairly blustery day.
After leaving Castillo Montjuic, we commenced on a walking tour of the city. Compared to Sevilla (population around 700,000), Barcelona (a little over 1.5 million) felt HUGE. We first walked around the modernized part of Barcelona, which started being built in the late 80's, early 90's, as Barcelona was getting ready to host the '92 Olympics. I kind of felt like I was back in Chicago when walking through this part. It felt very modern, and the street that our hostel on was essentially the Michigan Avenue of Barcelona, with all its fancy shops and restaurants.
We eventually made it into the old historical center of Barcelona, which was definitely my favorite part of the city. We toured the two old cathedrals in the center, The Cathedral of St. Eulalia, and the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Mar.
The Cathedral of Santa Eulalia always keeps 13 geese in their cloister because St. Eulalia was martyred at the age of 13.
Santa María protects all
seafarers.
After the walking tour, we had the rest of the day to tour at our leisure. My friends and I went to the Picasso Museum of Barcelona, which was absolutely fantastic. Picasso lived in Barcelona in his early teens, and it was here where he completed most of his early work under the training of his father, an art instructor at the fine arts school.
Alright, I'm about to go on a slight art tangent about my two favorite paintings in the musem:
Ciencia y Caridad (Science and Charity)
This was Picasso's first painting which was well received by the public, and he painted it with only 15 or 16 years of age! The scene is of a dying woman surrounded by a doctor (science) and a nun (charity). It is kind of a depressing scene, but it was interesting to see nonetheless. It was much bigger than I expected!
Las Meninas:
Las Meninas is actually a series of 58 paintings done by Picasso, who was inspired by Veláquez's world renowned painting, Las Meninas. Velazquez was a baroque painter who painted for King Philip IV. This is probably one of the most famous works in Western Art. (I need to get to Madrid to see it!) Picasso, influenced by Velazquez recreated and reinterpreted this scene, invoking his style of cubism.
 |
| Las Meninas de Velázquez |
 |
| Another Las Meninas de Picasso |
Saturday's Gaudí Tour:
We woke up fairly early on Saturday for a tour of Antoni Gaudí's Barcelona. Gaudí is a Catalan architect who is famous for developing the style of Catalan Modernism, which is marked by the use of iron, ceramics, and the mimicking of nature.
Not even a block away from our hotel was Casa Batlló, which was built in 1904. People often call it La Casa de los Huesos, or "the House of Bones" because a lot of the architecture looks skeleton like. To me the facade looked a lot like mushrooms, with a super awesome dragon roof on top.
We then visited Casa Milá (1905), also known as "La Pedrera" or "The Quarry." This one was a lot simpler than Casa Batlló, but very cool. In Gaudí's work, there is no such thing as straight lines; everything is curved.
We didn't go inside either of these houses because it's fairly expensive to get in, so after looking at the outsides we hopped on the bus over to Park Güell, Gaudí's famous park, which is free to everyone!
Park Güell, (built 1900-1914) was originally going to be the house of the Count Güell, but it failed as a housing site and was converted into a park, which is fantastic because everyone now can see it! Gaudí's use of mosaic and ceramics is very prevalent, and it feels kind of like you entered a gingerbread wonderland. It was a lot of fun to walk around, although I wish we had gone earlier in the day because it was getting dark and we didn't have a whole lot of time to explore. This park is definitely a must if you are in Barcelona!!
Sunday at La Sagrada Familia:
On Sunday we concluded our Gaudí tour by visiting La Sagrada Familia, Gaudí's magnum opus. Believe it or not, the construction of this church began in 1882, and guess what? It's STILL not finished! That's right, construction has been going on for over 130 years. A lot of things have delayed the construction of this church. Firstly, it has mostly relied on private donations. It has been delayed throughout the years by WWI and II, the Spanish Civil War, Franco's regime, and other economic crises. The goal end date is 2026, which would be the 100th anniversary of Gaudí's death.
 |
| drippy sandcastle outside |
 |
| cool forest ceiling inside |
La Sagrada familia is a radical reinterpretation of Gothic architecture. When you tour it, you can definitely see the inspiration of ancient Gothic cathedrals, but it is done in a way that looks entirely modern. You would never guess that this was a project that got underway in the 1800's! My favorite part was the stained glass. The colors refracted everywhere throughout the building, which made the whole building bright and colorful.
After La Sagrada Familia, we had a quick lunch, and then headed off to the airport to fly back home! Barcelona was definitely a cool city to visit, and I'm so glad I got to go there with my interest group!
No comments:
Post a Comment