aerialovely

  • ← back to tiffany julia
  • the lovely shop
    • Cut Files & Templates
    • Printables
      • Cards & Ephemera
      • Full Journaling Kits
      • Journaling Printables
      • Papers
      • Stickers
    • Ebooks + Zines
    • Music
  • courses
    • view all courses
    • free classes
  • journal archive
  • Login
0
✩ wanderlust

citylove: barcelona, spain

October 6, 2013
barcelona


barcelona, spain

I was thinking about Barcelona recently and realized I hadn’t written about my time there yet! It was fantastic and one of the best decisions my friend John and I made on our Eurotrip. We were initially going to go to Barcelona for about three days then go to Madrid and stay there for about four or five days, but something in me decided to do a bit of research on both cities, just to see which one had more to do and see. It ended up me switching the days around so we got four or five days in Barcelona and three days in Madrid. Then sitting around with John and discussing train travel, we decided to just spend eight days in Barcelona (the fact that it had seven beaches and Madrid none was the end determinator) and maybe take a day trip to Madrid. An amazing decision it was! Barcelona is stunning, the beaches are beautiful, and there’s just so much history and art about the city, we were practically in love.

We stayed in a hostel–Equity Point Centric–which was on Barcelona’s main avenue of Passeig de Gràcia. We were walking distance from everything! Literally, a few minutes away from the Gothic Quarter and La Rambla, a twenty minute walk from the beach and Casa Batlló was just right down the block. We had to take the train to Park Güell and Montjuïc, but it was all well worth it, for both places are simply stunning and the Poble Espanyol was right on the mountain. We didn’t get to take the funicular either to or from Montjuïc, but that is definitely going on our list for next time! We made a handful of friends at the hostel and since we were in Barcelona for a little more than a week, it almost felt like we were just hanging out and not really travelers to a new place. It was very nice and very welcoming.

But the sites weren’t really the most memorable part of this trip to me. When checking in, we were told that we picked an interesting time to be in Barcelona. We stayed in Barcelona from September 7 through the 14th of 2012, due to it may being a bit off-peak tourist-wise, but still maintaing decent beach weather to enjoy. So it was a weird statement, but we sort of just let it slide.

Until September 11th.

We went to the beach that morning with a few of our friends and after spending the early part of the day there, John and I decided to head back to the hostel, but not after stopping by a few shops we wanted to hit again in the Gothic Quarter. We were going to meet up with our friends again that evening for tapas and told them we’ll see them later that night at the hostel. Getting to the shops was fine. We purchased what we wanted and were heading back to the hostel when we got to the crowd. The really huge crowd. 

barcelona

We had stumbled across a demonstration of sorts, but really we had no idea what was happening. There were people wrapped and/or holding the flag of Catalunya (as I found out later), chanting something in Catalan and walking at a slow crawl through the streets of Barcelona. There was orange and red everywhere. We tried going around, but overshot the hostel by a block and was stuck in the crowd a block away from our hostel. We were a bit frustrated, but in the end, I approached one of the guys handing out independence flyers and asked for one, then proceeded to follow the crowd and chant what they were collectively chanting, as I weaved my way down the block to the hostel, with John not too far behind.

citylove: barcelona, spain
This is the flyer that was being handed out. This is actually my flyer I was marching with (I had to bend it to put it into my scrapbook). I believe it reads “Proclaim Independence Now!”

It wasn’t until we got to the hostel and I was able to shower and change, did I sit on my top bunk and stare out at all of the people from the window in our room, while going on Google to find out what was happening. I think I managed to read every Wikipedia page and more on the significance of the date in Catalonian history and before I knew it, I knew what was happening and I was proud I did.

We had landed ourselves right in the middle of history in the making. September 11, 2012 was marked as one of the biggest Catalan independence demonstrations ever to occur in Catalonia (except for maybe the Human Chain, which occurred this past September 11, 2013). September 11 is known as Diada Nacional de Catalunya  or the National Day of Catalonia, and lately it’s usually the day in which many Catalonians from all over the northeast region of Spain known as Catalunya, gather together to protest against the Spanish Monarchy and demand that their government vote for independence from Spain.

Apparently, Catalunya once had great autonomy prior to King Philip V of Spain conquering it with the fall of Barcelona on September 11, 1714, in his attempt to unify Spain under one rule. Catalonia culture was suppressed even more under Francisco Franco’s dictatorship, that after his fall, a great Catalonian Independence movement emerged that is still prominent and even stronger today. From what I understand, Spain’s system of government now is one of the most decentralized governments I’ve ever seen. Spain is consisted of different states and each state has its own form of government. So even though Catalunya has some sort of autonomy from the Monarchy, it wasn’t what it once was. My understanding of it is a bit vague, and to me, it doesn’t really make sense, which is why I can agree with the state of Catalunya wanting to run its own government apart from the failing Spanish monarcracy.

I apologize for the semi-history lesson, but this day and what happened to John and I really impacted my thoughts and feelings of this trip. It was all very cool to experience. I’ve never been so immersed in another culture in my life. Being trapped in that crowd had me learn Barcelona’s history, Catalunya’s history, and apply it to real life in a completely different way than just going to a museum and seeing and reading stuff about it. I was physically in a cause and effect moment of history. It was quite amazing.

barcelona2

TAGS:eurotrip 2012travel

Leave a Comment Cancel Comment

Previous Post
2013 medieval festival at fort tryon park
Next Post
just a thought
tiffany julia
Get To Know Me

Get To Know Me

Hi! I'm Tiffany, an art deviant living in New York City. Welcome to my site of life, crafts and love.

Current Location

Current Location

new york, ny

Currently Reading

sometimes i fall asleep thinking about you

Catarine Hancock

.
29%

The Enneagram & You: Understand Your Personality Type and How It Can Transform Your Relationships

Gina Gomez

.
14%

Writing Down Your Soul: How to Activate and Listen to the Extraordinary Voice Within

Janet Conner

.
42%

Life

Journaling

Memory Keeping

Unraveling

Wanderlust

site information

Please do not take anything from this site. All content is © Tiffany Julia at aerialovely.com, unless otherwise stated. Please read my site policies for more information.

buy me a sweet treat

Follow on Feedly

View
Open
I made a new snippet journal. This one is 6x6 and I'm going to use it as an art journal. I really really want to get back into art journaling. Like, it has been calling me for most of this year and I just haven't gotten back into the flow of it. I've been enjoying my time (writing) journaling, but there's this nagging feeling deep inside of me that wants to get messy but for some reason refuses to begin. So I think I'm just going to make myself begin. Just start and see what happens. I'm gonna make a lot of shitty art but if that's the means to begin then so be it

 Let's go make some shitty art. 

I hope I can begin this weekend. Process video of me creating this journal is up on my Youtube channel, if you're interested.

Happy Friday lovelies! xx
View
Open
Still working through @lizelayne’s Water Your Soul course in my WYS journal. This little binder is getting so chunky! I still have lots to work through and am just merrily bouncing back and forth between lessons, anchoring myself in whatever practice my heart needs right now.
View
Open
Today’s Flip-Through Friday is my Summer Stories 2023 journal.

This is sort of a hodge-podge journal of all sorts of bits—memories, junk, photos, art journal spreads, and lots of journaling. I've kept it all summer and it's now filled and completed and ready to share.

Here's just a quick flip-through. I've got a full chatty flip up on my Youtube channel if that's more your speed.

Happy Friday loves! xx
View
Open
I finally finished filling up my 2023 Summer Stories journal. I had originally intended to only keep this one from June to July, but I didn't journal as much as I thought I would in here this summer, so it has lasted me through to the first few days of September. I'm not mad about it. I prefer a filled journal to a half-filled one. I personally hate leaving too many pages blank at the end. I'm hoping to have a flip-through up on my Youtube channel tomorrow. Just have to film it! 😆
View
Open
Just wanted to share a little look at my Water Your Soul journal that I've been keeping this year for @lizelayne's class. I'm finding that I tend to dip into the course whenever I have the time and it's never consistent. But I am so surprised at how much I've actually managed to fill in this journal!

It is mostly a mixture of the class printables and my answers to the questions, magazine clippings, quotes, and lots and LOTS of journaling, but it's been a lovely place to return to over and over again.

I was able to explore more of the lessons this past weekend when I had some time thanks to the holiday. But I think that the joy of this particular journal—and course really—is that I can return to any part of it at any time and pick up where I left off. I can work out of order and move stuff around—love the binder for this! I get it, Liz! I love how this journal is growing as I move and grow through all of the And Spaces we've been exploring—and even some other And Spaces that showed up for me too!

I can't wait to see how this journal ends up looking by the end of the year. xx
View
Open
I had one of those days today where I was so exhausted from the week but at the same time wanted to go out and do something. Ever feel that way while also knowing that you just need to rest?

I really wanted to sit in Central Park and catch up on all of my journals but I just couldn’t motivate myself to actually walk to the park. So I took myself (and the dog) down to our building’s courtyard and set up shop on the tiled patio. While there was no grass, it was very quiet out there and I was able to catch up on some journaling and continue in my Water Your Soul binder from where I left off months ago.

Past me had printed all the lovely printables @lizelayne had for every lesson that I had yet to complete, so I spent some time getting all of them into my journal. This quote in particular stood out to me today. This is me. I've dealt with perfectionism all my life and for the last 10 years, I've slowly been coming into my own person separate from the need to "be perfect."

There is no such thing as perfection. The reality that we're all so beautifully imperfect is the real truth we should all strive for.

Anyway, I hope you've all had and are having a wonderful Sunday. xx
  • privacy
  • terms
  • about
  • contact
  • treat me

© 2022 aerialovely is loved and cared for by Tiffany Julia