by Isaure Cointreau

People keep asking me the same question when they come to Spain:

-What do you like about it so much?

I guess I never knew what to say but honestly what are the good and bad sides of this place? When thinking about it, the relaxed pace of life is the first idea that pops into my head. As if holidays were around all year, the feel is part of the everyday life. People just take their time to do their thing, what else could explain the siesta and the slow reactions of the shop assistants, the relaxed walk of the crowd down Gran Via and then again the outraging number of bars in Madrid? Spain has its way and to any foreigner, used to a more tensed lifestyle, this comes as a shock. Although all the newcomers aren’t used to this southern rhythm, they accommodate themselves well and pretty fast.

However, it can be seen as very frustrating when the two different visions of life confront each other. Firstly, if people are used to live on a high speed level they’ll find a little cankiness take over them when encountering a slow response to their enquiry. Secondly, if one is in a rush or on a crisis, he’ll just have to cool off or plan ahead. Let this be a lesson to us all as there is no need to panic; the world is not falling apart. Therefore, patience is the key to prevent from any nervous breakdown.

The friendliness and the good mood of people appears as another factor that makes Spain an enjoyable place to live. Think about it, even Madrid shows off a tranquil lifestyle. Comparing it to other capital cities such as Paris or London is an outrage as it is like pointing to another direction; it has nothing to do with the pace of life in these countries. Therefore it feels good to be a Spaniard, even a temporary one.

However, because there is always a flipside, one shouldn’t be surprised by the much less enjoyable edge to the character of these people. Yes, they are loud and that is a fact, but to add a little more to the picture they also have a little tendency towards egocentricism, or should I say excessive pride. Not that they won’t welcome you into their home and gladly show you around, these warm people just like things done their way. Don’t get offended if while walking you happen to get in someone’s way and they just push you away with their predominance. It’s just how things are.

The qualities required to a country for us to fall in love with it are “Good people, good food, good culture and good access”. Well for the most part I guess Spain succeeds into having every single one of these appealing characteristics. People’s warmness is undeniable, but let’s find out about the rest. Referring to culture, I would mean to target the historical heritage and the modern inclination towards Art in the general sense. Spain offers a cosmopolitan grasp of cultures as the Mediterranean civilizations made it a principal destination to invade. Therefore the Moors, the Romans, the Greeks, the Christians have left throughout the centuries an incredible amount of architectural and artistic leftovers from their different regimes. So wherever you will go in Spain you will find a necessary sightseeing tour.

However in our more modern times Spain appears as to have its place next to the main cultural spots such as Paris & New York. Madrid holds every international exhibit such as Bacon, Rembrandt or Max Ernst in its museums or foundations. Bilbao has its own Guggenheim and Barcelona other than its Picasso museum has a wide variety of places that are worth a detour. However the little plus appears to be the access these cultural centers offer. Most of the exhibits are free or of a very reasonable charge. Even if they occur in a variety of places in Spain, they are never more than a few hours of train or bus ahead. Who could want more? The cultural horizon in Spain is endless.

How about food? Internationally renowned it however shows a wide variety in terms of quality and diversity from one end of the country to the other. Because there is something else than the Spanish comfort food known as the famous and trendy tapas, the cardinal points change a Spaniards habits to food although they all cherish their ham. The gourmet side of the Iberian soil appears to be up North around the French border where San Sebastian has more Michelin Stars per inhabitant than anywhere else in the world. Down South the food is more inspired by the Sea side and always accompanied by the strong Rioja Wines and up East however Valencia’s Paella is a wonder. However, the only critic I would make is the emphasis on oil and its outraging quantities in every plate, is it really necessary?

Other than that, if you ask me why I like this place? I’ll just ask you: What is there not to love?

by Kameryn Westling

Last weekend some girls from my program and I went to Barcelona. We had heard so many great things about Barcelona from people all around the world. But while I was there, I couldn’t help but wonder many times “Why does everyone love Barcelona so much?”

We took an eight-hour bus overnight, which was miserable because it was like sleeping in a freezer, both because of the cold and because of the hard, icy surfaces. When we arrived the next morning we were sore, exhausted and starving. We checked into our hotel on the famous “La Rambla” – one of the dirtiest and run-down hotels I’ve ever stayed in. The water smelled like liquid shit and the tub was rusting, I thought I was going to fall through the floor while I showered. I realized that my own stench smelled better than my skin after showering there.

After dropping off our bags we went to an outdoor restaurant on La Rambla for brunch. The prices were not listed on the menu (a marketing tactic to trick tourists). It turns out that eggs and toast – 15 euros, a glass of sangria – 12 euros and a glass of orange juice – 8 euros! Outrageous! And it wasn’t even that good. Our waiter clearly didn’t like us and we waited for our bill for 45 minutes.

Next we bought tickets for the double-decker, narrated, hop-on/hop-off tourist buses. We took the northern route of the city and went to La Sagrada Familia, the famous unfinished church of architect and artist Antoní Gaudí. This was breathtaking. It’s 9 euros to enter with a student I.D. but well worth it and the profits go directly to the restoration of the church. We took the elevator up in the tower and then walked down the stairs, circling in the tower all the way to the bottom. From the top of the tower you can see the Mediterranean and the ports of Barcelona. We continued to ride the bus back to the beginning of the route. It was relaxing and refreshing after our overnight journey by bus. I must say Goudí’s architecture is phenomenal and definitely worth seeing.

The next day we went to the beach for the majority of the day. It wasn’t anything too special, a lot like the beaches of the East Coast/Mid-Atlantic region of the US (dirty and artificial), with the exception that you could take your top off. The water was refreshing and I felt cleaner in the sea than the shower in the hotel, despite the floating diapers, band-aids and plastic bags I was swimming with. The highlights of the day were the men selling beverages saying “sexy cold beer,” the women selling massages saying “masaje-massage, masaje-massage” and a man selling pieces of coconut with an unidentifiable slogan that sounded like “Da-do-da-do-da-do-da-do” to advertise their products. We also spent hours trying to find a specific tapas restaurant that we heard about and tried to ask for directions with no avail. Every person we asked purposely gave us the wrong directions in order to screw us over. We ended up walking in circles.

After the beach we went to the “Magic Fountain of Montjuic” (La Fuente Mágica de Montjuic). It was this giant fountain with changing heights, shapes, colors of the water all choreographed to music including anything from opera to songs like “Apologize” by Timbaland and One Republic. It reminded me of something you’d see at Epcot Center at Walt Disney World. It was absolutely mesmerizing. We ended up staying there entranced for three hours.

We asked the man at the front desk of our hotel for suggestions of restaurants to eat at he spoke both Castellano and English. He suggested some places in Port Olympic along the water but we got lost on our way there a couple of times. We started asking for directions in Castellano and every person was hostile towards us, laughing and pointing us in the wrong direction. We were able to get a little farther by using English but we were still lost and ended up settling on the first restaurant we found because we were starving. Now I know that customer service in Spain isn’t great but the waiter at this restaurant was terrible. He didn’t bring us utensils or plates for our tapas. When we ordered most of the people I was with ordered paella, I ordered salmon. He said “Why salmon?” I said “Why not salmon? I like salmon.” He said “The paella is better you should get that” and then continued to give me a hard time about ordering salmon, which I was adamant about and it turned out to be delicious! But later in the evening, I went to the bathroom inside and he was sitting at the bar as I walked by and proceeded to whistle at me, wink, and yell “Guapa!” while making kissy noises! He’s got some nerve!

The rest of the night included us being screwed over by a cab driver who took us out of the city and back in to go only five blocks away from where we were staying and then charging us 15 euros. Then, us trying to get into a club where our Venezuelan friend got in an argument with the bouncer because he called her an ignorant, Venezuelan whore completely based on her Venezuelan-Castellano accent.

We made our way back to La Rambla on our way home where we came across swarms of prostitutes of African decent ranging in age anywhere from 13 or 14 to late 20s. It was such a bizarre experience, which broke my heart. It was very primitive like a pack or lions or wolves hunting their prey. They would literally chase down and cling onto any male in the vicinity, even if he was with his wife, girlfriend, significant other. It was so sad and pathetic. We counted 29 prostitutes in matter of five minutes. Seven of them tackled this one man and stole everything out of his pockets. He responded by running down the street shouting for the police and yelling “Putas! Putas!”

We were getting ready to give up on the night and head back to our hotel when we heard a male, British voice say, “Where are you going and how many of you are there?” We told him there were seven of us and he said “Perfect! I was sent to find six girls and now I’ve found seven. Follow me!” We were a little worried but intrigued at the same time. He lead us to this café-bar that he worked at which was already closed for the evening but him and his friends, including the bartender/owner – a Brit, two Argentineans, two French and a Spaniard – were just hanging out listening to music and talking. So we joined them, had a few drinks and all went to the beach to talk and watch the sunrise. It was GORGEOUS – a huge ball of fire laying on top of the water!

Then we got on our bus back to Madrid. It was the best experience, but it was an experience nonetheless. We learned that we were better off speaking English than Castellano because the Catalanes despise Castellano because of their separatist feelings towards the rest of Spain. But they don’t like English with an American accent either. They love tourists and any other English accent, besides American, is fine. But as soon as they hear Castellano or English they are ready to screw you over. Someone commented that they are like New Yorkers but I completely disagree. New Yorkers aren’t mean, they are focused and busy and know where they’re going but they don’t purposely try to screw you over or have mal intent. If you ask a New Yorker for directions they’ll gladly give them to you and be on their way. Catalanes, clearly do not embrace the “no pasa nada” lifestyle, probably because it’s Castellano.

So here is a message for the Catalanes: Calm down, “go stick your heads in the fridge.” There’s no need to be this hostile towards anyone. It takes too much energy. You’ll be a lot happier just letting it go.

Finally, back in Madrid – clean water, nice people, Castellano! So long Barça, hopefully next time will be better!

by Kika Patrick

So on Wednesday morning I was planning a nice early start. Unfortunately I overslept so that wasn’t what I got. Obviously recovering from the horrendous night’s sleep before. A quick breakfast later, I was up and about walking in the fresh morning air of Barcelona on my way to Casa Milà, Gaudi’s last apartment block he designed. At the till to get in, which I was surprised to find not many people in line for at 11am, I flashed my Bus Tour coupon and my ISIC card and the lady pointed to which one I could use. Inside, audio guides were included in the price and thank God too. What I’ve noticed about Spanish sites of interest is they’re not overly keen on giving you info as you walk around. There is usually nothing labelled or anything to read up on in the particular place you’re in. So if offered an audio guide and it’s not included, I’d recommend you’d go for it to get the best out of your visit.

At the Casa Milà I found more out about Gaudi himself and other things he designed such as furniture. This information is mostly given in the loft of the building. Then you are guided down to a typical recreated apartment of the period in which it was completed. And this is the overall sense of the museum I got–not something completely on Gaudi but more about life and arts of the period. This is heaven for me as I love anything Art Nuevo and turn of the century. In the gift shop (a must of course in capitalist tourism) I found a print book of Alonso Mucha’s work which I had been looking for. That was purchased along with a book of Chanel Turn of the Century designs.

That museum took up until lunchtime and I had planned on taking a bike to the next one to save time as I knew I wanted to do a lot that day. I had noticed, from the bus tour that along with a fantastic looking tram system, Barcelona offered another unique form of public transport. As you explore the city you come across several handily situated bicycle stations. Here you swipe some sort of a card at a post which then unlocks a bike from a bar at the side of the street where many bikes are docked. However I was told at the hostel that I would not be able to use the system as I was not a local resident. Barcelona has many bike lanes making getting around the city this way incredibly easy and safe. When the system was first introduced a few years ago, local bike tour companies wanted tourists to be banned from using it for fear of competition. Personally I feel it a bit of a swizz but one sees the point.

So I walked to my next destination as I didn’t want to spend money on Metro tickets. I hadn’t invested in the 10-ride ticket as I thought being overland I’d see a lot more. Singles are more expensive than Madrid costing a Euro and 35cents. Although I probably should have taken the Metro to the Joan Miro Foundation Museum because it was up in Montjuic Hill overlooking the city. By the time I got up there after lunch I only had little over an hour to smooch round. Worth it though if you are into Modern Art. Though the guy at the hostel thought going to Barcelona’s official modern art Museum, MACBA, was a better option. It was centrally located also. But it was a good walk round for me, no audio guide I’m afraid. But there were the odd info boards in English. The museum is situated just down the road from the city’s overhead cable car system that gives good views of the city and park. Here I decided to splash out on the Metro back. Bit of a treat down to the city – the Metro carriages are on a slope and I think cable operated.

That evening I crashed out in front of Barcelona vs Athletic in the Spanish football cup final in the common room with other guests. Barcelona won and the city didn’t sleep that night. I did however and the next day rose, on time, and dashed out for brekkie on the run. I was on my way to Pueblo Espanyol. This is a faux Spanish village that was built for the 1929 International Exhibition. It’s aim was to show visitors examples of architecture from across Spain’s different regions. Now it plays host to many artisans’ workshops where they sell their wares and numerous places to eat. I had breakfast here in a café overlooking its Plaza Mayor. Again, with audio guide in hand, I spent near on 4 hours ambling around, taking in the various info about Spanish building styles and checking out all the things being made in the little shops. By the time I had finished I hadn’t much time left before I had to catch my bus back to Madrid. I caught the Metro back to the Gothic quarter of the city which is the oldest part and very atmospheric. I walked from here back up to the hostel though of course it was then that it decided to start raining. How terribly British.

I checked out, managed to leave my towel there in the process and took the Metro back to Estación Nord. Barcelona’s bus station isn’t bad, if a bit tatty. Bus was practically empty back and apart from a rather uptight driver and a man who missed his stop because the driver didn’t announce it properly, the journey passed fairly quietly. I had remembered to bring the earphones from the bus tour to plug in as Alsa busses have personal earphone things that I wanted to check out. Unfortunately, out of 8 channels, only 3 worked and when the film did eventually pop up on screen, none of these channels offered the soundtrack. This annoyed me a lot as it was Something About Mary being shown and I’d never seen that. Mind you, it probably would have been dubbed anyway. I could lip read well enough.

Barcelona: Great for Architecture, playing volleyball on the beach and remember your Audio Guides.

by Kika Patrick

Let’s start at Avenida de America bus station in Madrid. I arrived at 10am on a Monday and the place was practically a ghost station. First of all, amazingly tiny screens makes finding right platform number for the bus extremely difficult. Secondly, venturing out to platform–not a soul to be found anywhere. Hanging around, 5 mins before departure, found someone who resembled a driver who told me to go a couple of platforms down, different to one on screen that hadn’t changed. There, a small group of travelers waited in mild confusion only to be collected by another driver person who took us to a completely different platform at the other end of the station. Result–not impressed, Estacion del Sur at Mendez Alvaro still the best bus station in Madrid for ease and facilities.

7 hours and two motorway stops later, I had arrived in Barcelona’s Estacion Nord. First task–find hostel. I had booked into Sant Jordi Hostel off Paseo de Gracia via hostelworld.com. Very good website, trusting traveler reviews who have actually stayed there so no nasty surprises. Instructions from hostel were detailed about which metro to catch and what exit to take and other than a short debate with a metro employee who didn’t agree with the instructions, I found the hostel relatively quickly. I was tired from the journey and wanted to settle in as soon as possible and find something to eat.

Sant Jordi hostel is small and friendly. It is freshly decorated with a well kitted out kitchen and common room. They are so accommodating here that they organize socials each night. That evening was named ‘Nasty Mondays’ on the walls of the common spaces. The international set of Australians, Canadians and Americans gathered in the kitchen for drinks before heading out to a club one of the hostel workers knew which did great Mojitos. Once back at the hostel at something O’Clock in the morning I was ready to crash out. Unfortunately the room I was put in was a) at the front overlooking a busy main street, b) right next to the kitchen and topping it off, c) my bed was pushed up to a set of doors connecting  into the kitchen where at 5am I was awoken by a couple of Germans. It all amounted to a very bad night’s sleep.

In the morning I was delighted to find, for only €2 an amazing spread for Breakfast. Just what I needed to start my day’s exploring. I decided to do the traditionally touristic thing of taking an official bus tour round the city. Bus tour views vary from a waste of time and money to an informative way to orientate yourself. I took the latter view and spent nearly the whole day on three different tours. Of course it was hop on, hop off type but at €21 for a day ticket (27€ for 2 days), I was going to make the most of it. I had a fantastic lunch by the harbor and gained some great ideas of what to see in Barca. However because there really is no point sitting on the bottom deck due to the amount of wonderful buildings the city has to offer and constantly looking up, I was on the top in the sun for near on a day. This amounts to one thing for a girl of Celtic roots–an amazing sunburn even in May when it wasn’t especially hot there.

With a little time in evening before I ate, I visited the Casa Batlló which was just on the corner of the street from the hostel. This house was designed by Gaudi for a Textile Factory owner and, Oh My God! I am completely in love with Gaudi architecture now. You either love him or hate him but you can’t visit Barcelona without exposing yourself to at least one of his works. One comment was that the house is a bit expensive to visit but with the bus tour, I got discount slips on nearly all the places of interest. Also if you have the ISIC card, which I really recommend, discounts are abound on all these types of places. At the sites I visited, I asked which discount would be best as the amount discounted varied.

That evening I asked to change rooms as I was not up for another night of light dozing. The lady behind the hostel desk was very nice and jiggled a few things so I could spend my last two nights in a quiet room at the back. That evening’s activities were Sangria drinking with the guests at the other Sant Jordi Hostels. Or ‘Crazy Tuesdays’ as it was labeled. After some crammed socializing in the kitchen everyone was invited to a club with free entry and a free drink. I wasn’t up for it as I wanted an early start the next day and also the club played House and Hip Hop music and that’s not my thing.

by Tim Anderson

Football storms into the El Clásico weekend with Real Madrid nine points behind their La Liga leading Catalan rivals Barcelona. After last weekend´s 4-3 loss to Sevilla, manager Bernd Schuster threw himself to the lions when he said in the post match press conference, “ It will be impossible for Madrid to beat Barcelona next weekend”. The lion, owner Ramon Calderón didn’t wait much longer to finish him off, and promptly installed recent Tottenham sacking, Juande Ramos, to the managerial post the following day.

Barcelona on the other hand, continue to fly high. This month’s fixtures were meant to be the testing time for Pep Guardiola’s men, but they are sweeping all aside, a convincing 3-0 win over Sevilla last weekend was followed by a 4-0 thrashing of Valencia. That leaves the Catalans 6 points clear of second placed Villareal, having conceded just 9 goals in 14 games, while banging 44 in at the other end.

As if the presence of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta wasn’t enough of a threat, long-winging frog maestro Thierry Henry bagged his second hat-trick of his Nou Camp career to make every Madrid fan tremble with anxiety. With their own strike force spending extra time on the recouperation table, anything less than an embarrassment might be considered a success for the Bernabéu boys.

The atmosphere will still be electric, even if this round will be played in Barcelona. The bars will be buzzing, crying, cheering and jumping and it will only get better when the game actually starts!! Stranger things have happened than a Madrid win, and if there is a game to bring out the passion in the players, to test the nerves and to typify the Spanish passion for football, this weekend is it.

The last 5 results:

FC Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid 2005-6
Real Madrid 4-1 FC Barcelona 2006-7
FC Barcelona 3-3 Real Madrid 2006-7
Real Madrid 2-0 FC Barcelona 2007-8
FC Barcelona 1-1 Real Madrid 2007-8

By Khilen Mehta

If watching their arch rivals stride to their 31st league title with three games to spare wasn’t humiliating enough for Barcelona, then being forced to form a guard of honour at the Bernabeu will be heartbreaking. Some newspaper reports even went as far as to say that Eto’o and Deco sought yellow cards at the weekend just so they could avoid the shame of being present in the victorious guard!

Having to applaud their fiercest enemies onto the field on Wednesday night will just be the start of a turbulent few weeks for the club as they prepare for some high-profile departures. Barcelona are also struggling to overcome Villareal into second place as they seek a morale boosting victory on Wednesday night. Victory over Real Madrid may salvage what little pride there remains this season but many key players have already stated that they may look for fresh pastures if the current instability continues.

For Real Madrid, there could be no better way to continue their celebrations. Although many fans would have secretely hoped that they could have won the league against Barcelona, watching their rivals squirm during the guard of honour will provide immense satisfaction. It has been a fantastic season for Bernd Schuster’s team. They have been dominant in the league and most impressively they won it in style, an important attribute which contrasts with the previous stress on unity of the Capello regime.

The fans will have been most impressed with the never say die attitude of the team, especially visible at the weekend. Down to 10 men and a goal down with 6 minutes to go, Real fought back magnificently to reclaim their title. Madrid is known as the city that never sleeps and it was easy to see why. The party started almost immediately in Plaza de Cibeles as thousands of fans flocked down to the square till the early morning and with the help of music and alcohol, gave their team an almighty celebration to commemorate their achievements. The fans may have left in the early hours but it didn’t stop there as the cleaners got to work on the estimated 10,000 kilos of rubbish that had been left behind in the process!!

So El Clásico descends upon us again. There may be no trophies at stake this year but the battle for pride and bragging rights remains as fierce as ever.

By Khilen Mehta

Since missing out on the Champions league final due to suspension in 1999, Paul Scholes has been itching to play in another one for 9 years. After his special strike last night, his name has already been guaranteed a spot on United´s team sheet for the final in Moscow. Last night had all the makings of a great Champions League semi-final. Two teams with so much to play for…United hungry for success, Barca trying their utmost to restore pride. In the end the game might not have provided the goals or the thrills but it kept fans on the edge of their seats and sent United on their way to a potential double.

With United missing arguably two of their most important players, many fans could be forgiven for thinking this tie could have been a lot closer than it eventually turned out. But as has belied United all season, in the absence of one superstar, someone else invariably steps upto the plate. Last night was the turn of Wes Brown and Park Ji Sung who propelled United to the first all English champions league final in the history of the competition.

Barcelona, for all their sexy football and poetry in motion, rarely threatened the United goal. They looked menacing, they attacked with flair but were just let down far too often in the final third. Lionel Messi was a joy to behold once again, and if anyone looked like providing a scare it was him. But he was also let down far too often by his teammates and in truth Edwin Van Der Sar had very little to do, much like the previous leg in the Nou Camp. Barcelona, of course, had the talent to make things tense as the game progressed but United looked comfortable and with the much maligned Wes Brown having the game of his life, it was Scholes who grabbed the headlines.

And what a beauty it was that won the game. It may have been a scrappy build up, but the finish was a moment of genius. As he picked up the ball 25 yards out, there was almost a collective shout of encouragement for him to shoot, and boy did he deliver. The ball flew into the top right hand corner, leaving Victor Valdes no chance.

And that was it all it took. It has been a long 9 years for United fans. A time period in which they know they have underachieved in Europe. But now they head to Moscow for the chance to make things right…

By Khilen Mehta

As Barcelona stumbled again this weekend, Real Madrid took advantage of this slip up to move ten points clear at the top of the table. With just five games left this season, Real could mathematically seal the title next weekend if results go their way.Real sealed a 2-0 victory at Racing Santander at the weekend with goals coming in each half from Raul and Gonzalo Higuain in the final minute. Reports say that the home team threatened the Real goal many times but were thwarted on each occasion by the impressive Iker Casillas. In the end, Real’s class showed through and few can now bet against them clinching the title before the end of the season.This was a far cry from events in the Nou Camp, where Barcelona could only manage a 0-0 draw at home to Espanyol. At the end of the game, a group of 30 violent Barcelona supporters attacked the presidential box after the game and demanded changes to be made for next season. It seems time could be up for Frank Rijkaard and a host of players as the supporters brought out the white handkerchiefs at the end of the game, signifying their disapproval at the performance. Samuel Eto’o came out publicly and threatened to leave the club if the club experience another season like this one. He told RAC1 radio station, “in Spain my cycle has finished. I have touched the ceiling in Barcelona, so if I leave I will go abroad. I will go to whoever pays the most.”With a massive Champions League double header to come against Manchester United, it seems not even victory in the European Cup will be enough to convince some of the major players that this is not a club in turmoil.