Barcelona 1

Blog Post 7

11/17/2022

48O50’53” N 2O21’5” E

We arrived in Barcelona after a seven-hour boat ride, and the first things we saw were the thousand-foot-tall cranes and industrial mountains of cargo containers holding up the world’s supply lines. But immediately after that striking vision of “progress,” we were met with a relic from a hopefully outdated school of thought: a grand column rising from a filigree base with the “noble and strong” countenance of Columbus pointing out towards India. I would find, though, that it was likely the values represented in the statue of Columbus were also upheld in the beliefs of the people.

The next day we took a cooking class, where we learned how to make tapas from all over Spain. As we made these bite-sized bursts of flavor, I got some insight into the stereotypical views of different regions of Spain. As our instructors made the tapas, they told us about how friendly or reserved the people were from each region from which the different tapas came. This simple stereotyping was just the beginning of the Cataluña iceberg, which was a divide between separatists and loyalists. As I walked through Barcelona the next day, taking the Jewish heritage tour and learning about all of the horrible things that happened to Jews in Barcelona, I couldn’t help but notice the myriad of Catalonian independence flags sprinkled all over balconies. I was glad that we would be going to Madrid the next day so I could see for myself if all the stereotypes I had heard were accurate or not, and also so I could see what the cohesive Spanish identity looked like. As if to fully embody that point of view, our apartment was directly across from the palace.

Over the next three days, I went to the world-famous Prado museum and saw the striking dark Goya paintings, which I highly recommend seeing in juxtaposition with his earlier works. I also saw the famous anti-war painting by Picasso: La Guernica. To continue learning about the Inquisition that I had gotten a taste of on the Jewish heritage tour, we spent most of our time in the MadridNational Archives. There, I researched the Spanish Inquisition, and I was able to find some firsthand accounts of trials that were invaluable resources to my Spanish Inquisition presentation, which you can find under the “Projects” tab.

Which brings me back to the issue of Columbus: I did not directly see what people thought of him, but I did see what they thought of the Spanish Inquisition and of Isabela and Ferdinand. In a brief summary, Isabela and Ferdinand came to power at a time when Spain was fractured into pieces. They were the first monarchs of a unified Spain. So to secure their throne, and because they were deeply pious Christians, they started an Inquisition to paint Jews as the main enemy and use them to rally the people around their persecution. Additionally, they sent Columbus to the New World, where they performed yet more Inquisitions and forced conversions.

The very headquarters of this Inquisition was in Barcelona, and we had walked to it on the tour. But inside the building where so many orders were given to torture, kill, and expel, there was not a single mention of the Inquisition—no placard, no memorial. Not a thing. As I walked through the streets after that frankly chilling experience, I began to notice on some shop windows selling patriotic souvenirs the “noble” countenances of Isabela and Ferdinand. I think Spain, and particularly Barcelona, is a beautiful place, and I loved seeing the rampant youth culture full of rebellious dyed hair and a vivacious nightlife. But at the same time, the blatant willful ignorance of mistakes made in the past disturbed me.

Mallorca 2

Blog Post 6

11/11/2022

48O50’53” N 2O21’5” E

We were going to stay in Majorca for another week and live in a small port town by the sea but we did not know quite how ‘out of the way’ the town would actually be. I spent the days of my time there working in a pottery shop on a farm called San Moragas. San Moragas was a company that produced bespoke designer products, like pottery made on site with natural glazes, clay, and a simplistic, almost rustic aesthetic. They also acquired fabrics that were carefully sourced from sustainable and high-quality suppliers in the region and then dyed with plants from their land. Not to mention other cool and somewhat niche products. The pottery shop was relatively new, and they were still in their testing phase trying new types of clay, glazes, and designs, so I helped mold and produce multiple rounds of pottery to glaze and then show to prospective clients. I spent my time pouring clay into molds, pouring clay out of molds, and cleaning molds, which does sound boring, but I guarantee it was fun.

After three days of work, I got in my father’s rental stick shift car (which he tried to teach me to drive but which ended in him screaming at me “ENGAGE THE CLUTCH, ENGAGE THE CLUTCH, ENGAGE THE CLUTCH!”). We drove through a bustling town and stopped at the edge of a cliff overlooking the small port that would be our home. We started down the small road which had a white line in the center that was supposed to denote the two-lane nature of the road, but as we went further, I realized the one who painted the line was clearly insane because in certain sections, the whole road itself was at most seven feet wide, leaving each lane only 3.5 feet. I don't know about your car, but ours certainly couldn’t fit in the lane. All of this is not to mention that the road is at a steep angle, there are sharp switchbacks, and there is constant traffic.

The port town was beautiful, but I don't know if in good conscience I can recommend that drive, especially in a stick shift. Whatever your mode of transportation, it was beautiful, but I don't recommend you go because I believe if only five of my readers went, the town's infrastructure could not supply such an influx and there would be a catastrophe.

Mallorca 1

Blog Post 4

10/27/2022

39O43’3” N 2O35’18” E

We had arrived off a short flight from Venice to Mallorca. After getting a rental car, I spent the long drive thinking about what this new place had in store for us. By this time, we had already stayed in at least four different accommodations, and so I assumed it would be just like the rest. Probably—hopefully—it would have two bedrooms, and most likely, it would be in a building with other tenants in a charming town or city. But as we turned off the main road and started heading up a hair-thin, practically gravel path with jagged switchbacks that the car could barely fit down, I started to question my preconceptions.

Suddenly, the trees opened up to a beautiful, sprawling valley cradled in between jagged grey-black mountains. Wherever the gaps in between the mountains dipped enough, you could see the sea sprawling out infinitely in every direction. I was so enthralled by this beautiful and very familiar sight (as it reminded me of Colorado, in a way) that I didn’t notice it until the car stopped: a beautiful medievelesque complex, with a 16th-century tower rising high above the courtyard. I was, suffice it to say, in heaven, as I learned we would be staying in a 16th-century house that was initially built as a lookout to watch for pirates.

I was “presented” (introduced) to a man named Pera, which is Mallorcan for Peter. He was the foreman of all goings-on on the property, which basically meant being a shepherd. He was to be my teacher for the next week. And so, every morning, I woke up, walked down into the valley, and started chainsawing logs and hauling them across the land, rebuilding fences high on hilltop, herding shep, and chasing after a mother and her lamb. It was total pastoral paradise, even though I was left exhausted at the end of each day.

There was one catch, though. No power or cell service. We had no prior knowledge of this, so we didn’t come prepared with plans to change the time of my online school or any location to do it. So, over that week, every day after feeding vultures, herding sheep, and building fences, we rushed into town to find a restaurant, plaza, or really any location that wasn’t obnoxiously loud and had WiFi.

We were effectively living like they did in the 16th century, and it was so cool to get insight into what life was life back then, as that’s the time period I am studying in school. (I just did a research project on the inquisition. It’s under the projects tab; go check it out!) In a way, I think the lack of service and power was a really helpful and interesting insight into modern-day technology and our reliance on it. Mallorca is a beautiful place, and I recommend it if only for the hundreds of German tourists clogging the roads with biking tours. But if there is one thing I most recommend doing in reflection of this post, as cliché as it is, I’d recommend trying to live without power or reception for a couple of day, only using candles, going to bed when the sun sets, and turning your phone on airplane mode. I know it’s tricky in this world where we’re so reliant on it, but if you have a spare weekend, it’s certainly an enlightening experience.