Something I really appreciate about my program, Spanish Studies Abroad, specifically is the importance that is placed on being immersed in the Barcelona/Catalonia history and culture. While other programs have study trips to other countries and allow their students to live in apartments with each other I am personally really glad that the study trips through this program are in and around Barcelona and that a home stay is greatly encouraged. These aspects have made me feel like I am getting the most out of my time here because I get to see authentic parts of the daily culture that normal tourists likely do not.
During orientation back in January when we were given an overview about the trips we would be taking together we discussed our overnight visit to Figueres and Cadaques to follow in Salvador Dalí’s footsteps. From that moment I was so looking forward to this trip and after learning a lot about Dalí’s historical significance to Barcelona and Spain through one of my courses at Universitat Pompeu Fabra I became an even bigger (and more knowledgeable) fan of Dalí’s work.
The museum itself was art, with mazes and interconnecting rooms and Dalí’s work lining every wall and corner. These were paintings, sketches, 3-D forms of design, furniture, photographs… just about everything you could think of. But, because he’s Dalí, of course, everything was much more obscure than its normal form. It was one of those tourist sites that is so intriguing that you aren’t even sure what to take a photograph of because all of it is all just that cool.
Having the background from my course at UPF, “Barcelona the Rise of a Design City” made it all the more rewarding because I was able to see concepts from the classroom in person. Next, we visited Dalí’s house and estate which was absolutely (pardon my pun) surreal. His house itself was an intricate piece of art and looked like a playground mixed with a mansion mixed with an episode of that weird, old cartoon Courage the Cowardly Dog (you know the one).
These comparisons might sound crazy to most, but it’s human nature to compare the unfamiliar to something comfortable, even if that means comparing a famous artists home to a weird Cartoon Network show. Nonetheless, I loved every part of this trip. The weird intricacies of design Dalí put into every inch of the house and land, the potent smell of the salt water in Cadaques, trying to learn how to skip rocks with my program director. It’s visits like this one that make me so thankful that I chose Spanish Studies Abroad over any other program. I feel like my experience in Barcelona is being wrung out for all that it’s worth because of it.
Europe, Alexis & A Blog 