Spain 2011 - Day 3 - Lessons Learned

     Day 3 started with our first breakfast at the hotel. Quite a spread, too. They had staples like eggs, bacon, mini smokie link type sausages that we're used to in the states. They also have cold cuts, like ham and turkey and salami meats and cheeses as well. I remember seeing this kind of thing when I went to Sweden the first time and wondering what meal I was supposed to be eating. It has come in handy though, so that we can stash sandwiches in our room for our lunch and save some money since eating here is a bit on the expensive side!

Church view on our way to IQS

     Then we started walking, walking, walking to our class location at IQS. This entry is titled lessons learned because I learned a very important lesson on this walk: comfortable walking shoes by American standards are not necessarily what you need here to do the walking on uneven cobble stone pavement. Our initial walk over to the school was about 15 minutes and I had worn what I thought were some practical heels only to find out that I was sorely mistaken (literally). I had blisters starting by the time we arrived at the school for class.
     Dr. Carlos Moslares was our instructor for the morning as we discussed an overview of Spain and the European Union and the interconnectedness of it. Our class discussion lasted the morning, and then we were off walking again to the train station and then to La Rambla again to go to the Barcelona City Hall. More cobblestones, my feet were killing me and those blisters only getting worse. While at City Hall, we saw where meetings were held and some beautiful artwork and learned some of the legend behind the symbols used in the ornate decoration. Our tour was changed up a bit, due to photography happening at the main entrance of city hall due to the Feast of the Three Kings. This is a celebration of the three magi bringing gifts to Christ as a continuation of the holiday celebrations. People dressed up as the Three Kings pass out sweets to excited children and there was a big display at City Hall where photos with the Three Kings were being taken, much the same way American children get their pictures taken with Santa. The Three Kings represent the three kings in the Bible who brought gold, frankincense, and myrhh to Jesus. I'll talk more about this as our time goes on. The actual holiday is January 6 and everything shuts down for the parade and celebration.

     

One of the many side streets,
with all kinds of fun hidden treasures.

  
  
     After our City Hall tour, we were on our own to explore more of thee of the city. My first priority was to find a new pair of shoes... Danelle was kind enough to humor me and come with me. The Spanish and Italians make a very nice shoe, and the heels I was wearing weren't cutting it on those cobble stone roads. We stopped into a couple of places and I ended up getting a cute pair of Spanish shoes that felt like Heaven to my worn feet.  We could go on now. We walked through the streets and checked out the gothic section of the city.

Loved the red stripe down the back.

      The Europeans don't seem to be in a hurry to get anywhere. In fact, I find myself having to consciously slow down so that I can enjoy the experience. It's not just about getting to my final destination.

I have a thing for beautiful doors.

     Once we had walked through the gothic section of the city, we were headed back to the hotel for our siesta. On our way we stopped at a farmacia for something for those blisters on my feet and stopped in a couple of shops on the way. Then, back to the hotel where we ate sandwiches and took a much needed nap. 

     In the evenings, everyone comes out. Dinner starts around 9 pm and this evening we went out with a group