Barcelona!
Our final week began with a “goodbye” to our host families in Valencia. Then we traveled North up the Mediterranean coast to Barcelona. Barcelona is a multicultural city that is home to the famous architecture of Antoni Gaudí and celebrated paintings of Pablo Picasso. Experimenters had free time to apply their experiences from Madrid and Valencia to explore the city between cultural activities.
Despedidas are a form of “goodbye” parties, to wish you well before your travels. Host families brought all kinds of Spanish food, from traditional dishes to tasty snacks, and served it potluck-style at the beach.
After 10 days of immersion in the daily lives of Valencian families, it was bittersweet for Experimenters to say goodbye.
After orienting ourselves to cosmopolitan Barcelona on the first day, Experimenters visited Gaudís most famous work, La Sagrada Familia.
Experimenters learned that Gaudí utilized concepts and evoked aspects of the natural world in his architecture.
Experimenters were free to roam and soak in the ceramic wilderness of Gaudí’s other famous work.
Park Güell was originially envisioned as a residential community before ultimately becoming a public park.
A trip to culturally-diverse Barcelona would not be complete without a visit to the World History Museum, where Experimenters enjoyed an interactive experience learning about cultures from around the world.
Joseph got really interactive with this exhibit :)
Barcelona was a fun and relaxing way to end the program, with a balance of independent exploration, reflection, and cultural activities.