Barcelona Blogs

I’ve seen a lot of beautiful architecture in Barcelona on the tours we took, but nothing compares to what I experienced walking through Park Guell and La Sagrada Familia. At first, I was just struck by how weird and fake everything felt. The architecture didn't look like something that could have been made out of rocks and tools. But the more I learned about Gaudí’s work, the more I realized it wasn’t just his creativity that drove his ideas, it was kinda political. Even though he wasn’t a politician, Gaudí’s designs reflect deep ideological beliefs, and they tie in perfectly with what we’ve been learning in POL 150 about conservatism and liberalism. At the Sagrada Familia, everything feels overwhelming. The massive columns, the religious carvings, and the light streaming through colored glass. The Sagrada Família feels like a symbol of tradition and structure. Gaudí clearly believed that faith and order were central to society, and he built a space where everything points toward r...

While walking through Girona, I couldn’t stop staring at the streets. The alleys, stone walls, and endless staircases felt like something out of a movie. Turns out, I was right, parts of Game of Thrones were filmed here. The cathedral and surrounding areas have an otherworldly feel. However, I learned on the tour that Girona isn’t just a film set; it’s a city that holds layers of history, and being there helped me connect many of the concepts we’ve been learning in POL 150 and POL 399.  One of the most interesting places I visited was the Jewish Quarter, which dates back to the Middle Ages. It was once home to one of the most important Jewish communities in Spain, until they were forced to leave. The area is full of narrow, curvy streets that were designed for protection, and walking through them really made me think about how space can reflect how the purposes of roads and walkways really fit a different narrative than it does today. As cars can hardly drive through them, and even...

In the last few days in Girona, I visited two very different but equally interesting celebrations: the traditional Corpus Christi festival around the city’s cathedral, and the bonfire-filled chaos of St. John’s Eve, also known as La Nit de Sant Joan. Both were fun and intense, but they gave me a look into how culture, space, and community identity come together in public celebrations. From a class perspective, these moments connected perfectly to POL 150’s discussions of citizenship and nationalism, and POL 399’s exploration of urban space, regulation, and public safety. The first festival, Corpus Christi, took place at the Girona Cathedral. The area was filled with intricate flower carpets, traditional Catalan music, and even a procession featuring a metal rooster that marched ceremonially to a nearby church. It was colorful and very religious, but open to anyone. I learned that Corpus Christi is a Catholic feast celebrating the body of Christ, and the procession and floral displays a...