Mountains, Dragons, and Magic Fountains

I probably say this every week, but this past week has been the best week ever in Barcelona. In between final papers and exams, I have climbed a mountain, experienced Catalonia's biggest holiday, seen magic at a fountain, soaked up the sunshine, lived it up with friends, and loved Barcelona more than ever.


MONTSERRAT

Last Saturday I went on an excursion with IES to Montserrat Mountain. Montserrat, which literally means "saw-tooth mountain" is about an hour outside Barcelona. This national park is not only gorgeous with unique rock formations and expansive views of Catalonia, but a place sacred to Catalonia and Christians. The mountain holds a Benedictine Monastery as well as the miraculous Black Madonna statue. Although our tour guide said the story of Mary's apparition at Montserrat is legend, I believe in miracles. The story is that Mary appeared to small children in a cave, and in bright light, a statue appeared. Montserrat is also sacred to Catalonia history; during times of repression of Catalan, Montserrat was the only place where it was allowed to continue being spoken, and the monks in the monastery there preserved the language.



SANT JORDI'S DAY

Sant Jordi's Day (or Saint George in English) is the biggest holiday in Catalonia, probably even bigger than Christmas. Lucky me, I got to experience it first hand. The day is a celebration of love, literature, and Catalonia. As I mentioned in some of my previous entries, Barcelona is in the Catalonia region, where there is great nationalism and the sense that Catalonia is it's own unique entity, apart from Spain. Sant Jordi is the patron saint of Catalonia. Legend has it that Sant Jordi slayed a dragon to save a princess, and where the dragon's blood was, roses bloomed. His feast day, April 23, is also the same day Shakespeare and Cervantes died. Now the holiday is like Valentines' Day, but the Spain version and wayyyy cooler! It's tradition that men give women a rose and women buy their sweetheart a book. Books and roses lined the streets of Barcelona and the streets were PACKED. You couldn't get anywhere in a hurry, with people crowding the streets gaggling at thousands of books and rose everything. There was live music, authors signing books, and happy faces everywhere. I spent the day walking around blissfully in the sunshine, stopping in parks and plazas. More photos here.


MAGIC FOUNTAIN SHOW

It's certainly called "magic fountain" for a reason! Built for the Exposition of 1929, Plaza Espanya is at the base of Montjuic Mountain, and it's one of my favorite parts of the city. The grand fountains are turned on every Friday and Saturday night, timed with music, and lights once the sun goes down. I took lots of pictures and some video, which you can see here. I loved it so much I'm going again tonight!


It's hard to believe this is my last week in Barcelona, and I have lots of mixed emotions right now. I feel like I finally have my place, made my group of friends, know the city and become a part of it, and had a truly authentic experience. I'm so blessed to have this opportunity, and in my time remaining, I'm going to soak it up as much as I can.