Thursday, April 12, 2012

Ringing in 2012 in Barcelona



What better place than Barcelona to ring in the New Year. A bunch of us studying abroad came in a few days early to check out the city before the celebrations. I had visited Barca last summer, and quickly realized that there was so much I hadn’t seen. In particular, the Picasso Museum was fascinating as it showcased many of his paintings at a young age, which were mainly portraits of his family. Here you get to see the evolution of his paintings, with the influence of Velazquez, Picasso created over 44 interpretations of the former’s Les Meninas, housed in Madrid.  Some of Gaudi’s wonders that I had missed on my last visit, Casa Mila and Casa Batlo are equally stunning. Casa mila showcases Gaudi’s love for nature, and how he experimented with architecture. Casa Batlo is an underwater wonderland which no straight lines for walls. You can see traces of waves, turtles, and other matters from below the sea within the building. If one is need for inspiration, anything built by Gaudi is the place to go. 

This is by far the craziest New Year’s celebrations of my life. We start with dinner near our apartment, then bottles of champagne, cigars, and grapes in Placa Catalunya. In Spain, you have to put 12 grapes in your mouth when the clock strikes midnight. The square was packed with fellow partyers; people started to spray champagne everywhere and hurl bottles into the middle of the square. Now it’s about 1am, and time to head over to the club. Only in Spain do clubs open at 1am. We party all night at one of the hottest clubs in Barca, Sutton Club and roll in at 6am. They definitely know how to party in Barca!

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