The days here blend into each other so I have no clue what day or time it is but we are having an amazing time. Here’s a short excerpt from my journal entry from earlier today, just to give you a taste:The shock and awe of travelling sets in sometimes like a heavy fog. Yesterday I woke up in Carcassone, France. Two days ago I was in Barcelona, Spain. Tonight I will be sleeping in Florence, Italy. I had a chocolate crepe for breakfast this morning while overlooking the French Riviera in Nice, France and last night I swan in the Mediterranian Sea. Now we are driving through a series of over 100 tunnels on our way to Italy.
It’s been a whirlwind of events. Highlights have included The Dali Museum in Figures, Spain, wine and cheese and chocolate and olives at lunch, drinking Sangria on Las Ramblas in Barcelona and seeing Parc Guell (designed by Antonio Gaudi). The Passion Facade at the Sagrada Familia, a huge cathedral also by Gaudi was amazing too. We weren’t in Southern France for too long, just transiting though but we will be returning to Paris and the surrounding area later in the trip. Tomorrow we’ll be going to the Accademia in Florence and seeing the David by Michelangelo along with many other icons of Western art and history. Florence (or Firenze in Italian) was the center of the Italian Renaissance during the fifteenth century. It’s been amazing to learn as we travel. I don’t think I would have remembered the half the things we’ve learned if I hadn’t been seeing it right there. The thing that has impressed me the most has been the Passion Facade at the Sagrada Familia – designed by Antonio Gaudi. Building began on the cathedral in 1882 and there is a projected completion date of 2026, 100 year anniversary of Gaudi’s death. The Passion Facade was described by Sam as blockade design, which is fitting. I’ve never seen a depiction of the Passion like this before. The thing that struck me the most was the pillar in the center of the two doors to which a sculture of Chris is tied. The expression on his face can’t be described. You should just come see it for yourself.
Art possesses the ability to continually surprise you. I´ve realized this in this first week on the trip. This may not seem overly profound but there is a distinct difference between reproduced art in a textbook and the original work. I cannot truly judge art as I see it on a glossy page that I quickly skim over. I only get the bare bones of what it is about when I do that. But I´ve brought that skeletal structure with me to Europe and this last week of visiting art museums and world famous sites has put some flesh on those bones. One piece in particular was Picasso´s Guernica in Madrid. The artist painted it in protest against the atrocities committed by Hitler in his bombing of the rural Spanish town of Guernica April 26, 1937. I stood in front of the mural for a half hour letting myself slowly ingest what I was seeing. The end result was a very emotional response to a incredibly impacting piece of art. It left an indelible impression on me, one that helped to defribrillate my preconceived notions of art. I really hope that this process continues throughout the trip.
Despite another day of grey and showery weather, everyone headed into the city today to explore Barcelona.
Our first stop was the Sagrada Familia, an incomplete cathedral and famous Barcelona landmark that was designed by Antonio Gaudi. The SSU Europe Faculty noticed that there were far more teams of labourers working on the Sagrada Familia then they had noticed in past visits, and were encouraged to believe that the cathedral would be completed by the 100th anniversary in 2026. Somewhat disappointing however was the outfitting of all the cathedral tower entries with 2 € elevators rather than the “plain” old spiraling stairs that worked your legs but cost nothing to explore.
Next the group went to Park Guell, originally intended as an idyllic community for the rich, but now a lovely public park. The group prepared lunch at Park Guell while being serenaded by SSU musicians, and then explored the grounds while listening to busking musicians and chirping parrots.
Lastly the group explored las Ramblas, the heart of Barcelona´s urban life. Zoe Fitch wanted to bring back a baby rabbit from one of the many bird and cuddly animal vendors along las Ramblas, but it seemed a bit impractical. Student´s are already making plans to return there this evening after a chili supper for a taste of the night life.
We made it to Madrid! We were delayed in Montreal for two hours, but luckily we did not miss our connecting flight from Frankfurt to Madrid. It has been rainy and cold every day since we arrived, but we leave for Barcelona tomorrow so hopefully it will be dryer and warmer there. However, the rain has not stopped us from visiting lots of places. Friday we went to Valle de Los Caidos (Vally of the Fallen) which is a complex built on a mountain outside of Madrid built by General Franco to commemorate all the Spaniards who died in the Spanish civil war. It has a cathedral built into the side of the mountain, a monastery and a giant 500 foot high cross that is the largest free standing cross in the world. Then Saturday we went to Sorento Segovia which has a old Roman aqueduct, another cathedral and a fortress. The aqueduct was really cool to see. That day we also went to Avila which has a preserved medieval city with a fortifying wall surrounding it that you can walk on. Today we are in Madrid it self and have gone to the Prado Museum where there are many famous paintings by artists such as El Greco, Goya, Raffealo, Botticelli and Bosch. We have done a ton of walking the past few days so I am exhausted right now, we are all looking forward to tomorrow when we will be spending most of the day traveling to Barcelona.
After packing up our wet tents and belongings in our first real stretch of sunshine this morning, the SSU Europe group made the long drive from soggy Madrid to sunny Barcelona. Drivers Chris and Nell took our bus through rugged countryside that reminded some students of the Badlands in western Alberta. Along the way, students continued to make in transit presentations based on research they had done previous to the trip. Dana VanVeller and Jason Bautista did presentations on the works of Goya and Staff member Matt Frise provided an overview of Spanish political history. Students are wrestling and unpacking interesting ideas about the role of the artist in politics as we travel so far.
Today happens to be Europe Faculty member Dr. Margaret Anne Smith´s birthday, and we celebrated in a Carrefour parking lot with Spanish pastries for everyone and birthday treat for Margaret Anne. Another cause for celebration was trip coordinators Kendall and Shelley Kadatz´official graduation from their Masters programs at UNB. We celebrated again with Shelley and Kendall on the beach in “sunny” Barcelona (becoming steadily more overcast after we arrived) while avoiding the “Sand-bonis” that were levelling the beach for the next day. Unfortunately, the party ended in a mass retreat as the rain caught up with us once more. We have hopes for clearer skies soon.
After 24 hours of connecting flights from Saint John through Montreal and Frankfurt the tour group finally arrived in the Spanish capital of Madrid. We already experienced a few small miracles. Student Zach Smith had his video camera returned to him in Montreal after leaving it on the plane from Saint John, in part because our next flight was delayed due to needed repairs. Travel leaders Walter and Carol Thiessen also managed to join the rest of the group on the final flight from Frankfurt against significant odds because of our flight delays. And the group is very thankful for the small window of sunshine in Madrid that allowed us to set up the tents before three steady days ranging between sprinkling and full on down-pouring rain.
Students have been learning much about Spanish political history, in particular about the Civil wars. They have seen contemporary and ancient pieces of architecture ranging from General Franco´s Valle de los Caidos to the Roman aqueducts of Segovia. Art pieces by Velasquez, Goya, and Picasso have also been student favourites as they have been exploring Madrid galleries such as the Prado and the Reina Sophia.
We have already had our first injury. Student Hannah Beck lost a significant portion of the tip of her left big toe while playing frisbee in a Carrefour parking lot during our first grocery trip. She has an amazingly positive attitude and is still hobbling alongside the rest of the group, but we are concerned that the wound may become infected from its constant exposure to mud and polluted rain water on the streets of Madrid. I´m sure she would appreciate prayers for a quick recovery.
Today we are taking in the last few lectures and making final preparations before the SSU European study term departs tomorrow at 8am! Students have been completing assignments and attending pre-Europe lectures this past Friday, Saturday, and Monday on topics ranging from art history to the European Union in order to prepare for the experience. This morning, Dr. Margaret Anne Smith delivered her final pre-Europe lectures on Homer and the foundations of Western mythology, followed by Brieanna Lebel, who has been guiding students through an overview of the History of Western Art.
This evening, students will all pitch in to clean Park Hall, pack lunches for tomorrow, and to weigh in their luggage so that our times in the airports of Saint John, Montreal, Frankfurt, and Madrid run smooth.
Of course, being the Victoria Day long weekend in Canada, we also managed to throw in a BBQ or two and a campfire down by Lake Digdeguash in spite of the rainy weather.
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