¡ESPAÑA!: First and Lasts...One more month to go!

Sorry about the blog from yesterday...I had to wake up early this morning for the flight back to Barcelona. So this will be a "two parter". On another note today marked a month until my flight home...time is flying by!

MONDAY:
My free day in Berlin was very nice….

I woke up at 10 instead of 7, this was a nice break from waking up so early. A small group of us went to the Olympic stadium; the stadium has been vastly renovated since the 1936 Olympic Games. The stadium is not that big when compared to the monster stadiums of today, but the design of the building makes it seem much larger. The large “rally” ground that was used during Hitler’s reign is still in existence and it was very eerie to stand in it. The field has a large central tower which gave off a "George Orwell dis-utopia, Big Brother is watching you feel". Overall the facility is a very beautiful stadium and it is obvious that the coliseum in Rome played a huge influence on the design.

After we explored the stadium we surprisingly “happened” upon an apartment complex designed by famous modernist architect Le Corbusier; we wandered around the premises for a moment and then made our way to the Tiegarten Park. The park is very large and we did not have enough time to see the whole thing, but the parts we did see where magnificent. We needed our passports for the days only organized meeting at the parliament building. There is a large Cupula designed by Norman Foster that rests on top of the building. Citizens and visitors are allowed to go into the Cupula (almost like a large open glass atrium) and view the parliament below. The purpose behind the structure was to represent the idea that the people are always above the government and that the government should remain transparent; during important discussions, or meetings people are allowed to go into the Cupula and observe from above. The structure was very complex and ingenuitive...I thoroughly enjoyed it! We had dinner at a restaurant that used to be a ballroom house; the restaurant was very neat because all of the tables surrounded a central dance floor where salsa, waltz, tango and other dances were taught and people were free to dance. What a great way to end my stay in Berlin!

TUESDAY:
The flight was early, but thankfully it was smooth and enjoyable; ever since my mid-air "fair mega drop" with Ryanair I have been a little nervous during flights whenever there is turbulence. It is weird, but it feels good to be able to converse with people again; in Berlin I knew little German so it was troublesome to order food and other small activities, but here in Barcelona I can somewhat speak to people again!

After spending the afternoon unpacking and preparing for class tomorrow a group of us went to our first (and probably last) FC Barcelona futbol game! I knew the stadium was the 11th largest in the world but the size of it did not hit me until I was standing inside...it makes Death Valley seem so tiny! The game was incredible, the players are very talented and "we" won...5-2. The best way to describe it is like a Charleston Battery soccer game on steroids...I got to witness Barcelona futbol history tonight as well. Lionel Messi, a forward on the team broke the record for the most goals scored in a career for the organizations history. My seats where all the way at the top so the wind (and unfortunately a little bit of rain) wreaked havoc on my body but the view and the win was well worth it!

Hasta Luego!