"The rain in Spain..."

stays mainly on the plain" is a FALSE statement. It has been raining in torrents the last few days, and this whole week was cloudy and overcast. Therefore it has been over a WEEK since my last trip to the beach, and there probably won't be another in my near future. In honor of the end of Summer and the beginning of Fall (which occurred a week ago today), here are some pictures I have accumulated the last two months of the Mediterranean! 

As you can see, the coastline along the "Costa Dorada," is quite rocky. Costa Dorada (or Costa Daurada in Català) means "Golden Coast" and describes the coastline in the province of Tarragona.

 This picture reminds me of the cliffs of Del Mar, with all the warning signs posted that they are in danger of falling. I took my chances and walked under these to continue walking south along the coastline.

There are some nice hiking trails around here, and one or two will lead you to a remote beach that isn't packed with locals and tourists during the summer months. 

 At this point I'm just showing you guys my mad photographic skillz...

 

The only surfers I've ever seen in Spain...they are those two dots you may or may not be able to see. Neither of them was very successful in their endeavors.

  

View of the port of Tarragona in the middle of the picture:

View of the Roman amphitheatre:

With Summer over and the rainy Fall upon me, time to bust out my rain boots! Too bad I left those in San Diego thinking I wouldn't need them here...Ah well, shopping I must go. 

Hope you guys are having a good weekend and are staying dry! 

One of the big news items in Spain, besides "la crisis económica" and the latest government layoffs and austerity measures, is that many people in Catalunya want it to secede from Spain and become an independent country. September 11, while having a very different meaning in the US, is a holiday in Catalunya (not the rest of Spain). It commemorates the defeat of the Catalan troops during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1714. 

Every year, there is usually some sort of nonpolitical rally or parade in Barcelona to express support and pride for Catalunya. However, this year one of the most active political organizations, Assemblea Nacional Catalana, organized a huge rally for the independence of Catalunya from Spain.

This is the official poster for the rally, which was posted in many storefronts in Barcelona and Tarragona. 

I decided to attend the rally because it was a great excuse to go into Barcelona and spend time with my friend Mònica, who is a fervent supporter of  the independence movement. (Fun fact: her Facebook account is in Catalan and every time we travel together she introduces herself as being from "Catalonia" instead of Spain). Most reports concluded that over 1.5 million people participated, and it generated a lot of news coverage in Catalunya, the rest of Spain, and even the world. See the article published in the New York Times which is a nice summary of the event and its implications: "Protest Rally in Catalonia Adds a Worry for Spain"

Even though I participated in the demonstration, I don't consider myself a proponent of this movement and actually feel fairly neutral about the situation; as I think the people best suited to make this decision are the ones who live here permanently, and I am not nearly informed enough about the Spanish and Catalan political systems as I should be. But I really enjoyed being a part of the atmosphere and seeing so many passionate people express their political beliefs. Here are some more pictures:

The sign below says:"Catalunya, new European state," which is the newest slogan the supporters of the independence movement has been using. There were also many European Union flags in the crowd, expressing the Catalunyan desire to still be a part of the EU if it seceded from Spain.

This is the flag representing the independence movement. The flag of Catalunya is a series of red and yellow stripes, and the flag for the independence of Catalunya adds a blue triangle with a white star, said to be inspired by the Cuban flag, which is a country that won its independence from Spain.

We passed by a Volkswagen dealership on our way to the beginning of the rally...and I couldn't resist taking a picture. This is for my Jetta waiting for me in San Diego!!

Some of the groups that do castells (human towers, see my first blog post for more pictures) also participated in the demonstration and performed them in the middle of the crowd. It is hard to see but the girl on top is waving the Catalunya independence flag. 

People brought their own drums and instruments to lead the cheers! I cannot imagine carrying those heavy drums for all those hours... 

The below pictures were not taken by me...but I think they do a good job of showing the massive quantities of people that participated in the rally.

All in all, I'm really glad I went. I love visiting Barcelona and getting to know the city a little more each time I go, and I love hanging out with Mònica, who I have been friends with for 12 years! We made crêpes for dinner that night, both sweet and savory...super easy and delicious!

Cheers! Or "Salut!" as you would say here :) Thanks for reading! 

It's been a little more than four weeks since I've been in ESPAIN! The first few days were rough, what with the jet lag and the first shock of being in a "foreign" country and the realization that I wasn't going to be back in California for a while, but flying over with my dad and having the rest of my family waiting for me here made the transition much easier. They left about two weeks ago, and I've now settled into my grandparents' house.

Some highlights of my first month here (in no particular order):

1. Celebrating Sant Magí in Tarragona and seeing castells (human towers/castles) being constructed/performed/made? One of my uncles was a part of the Colla Jove (the people dressed in purple, in the middle picture) and his son is now in the same one. Scary to watch!!! In Tarragona, there are four groups that compete against one another, typically with three rounds of castles in each competition. The castles are supposed to get progressively more challenging with each round. I saw three fall, and it reallllly stressed me out! 

2. Hanging out with my fambam. It's nice to still be able to go on family vacations!!

My sisters and I in front of the Roman ruins of the amphitheatre in Tarragona.

This is my family at the end of the Rambla Nova, which is a wide pedestrian walkway in Tarragona that overlooks the ocean. 

This is a (very blurry) picture of my mom and I in front of a HUGE sandcastle in the town of 

Peñíscola, which is in the the autonomous community of Valencia. (It is south of Catalunya, also on the coast).

3. Going to Port Aventura (theme park) with my cousins and my uncle and riding the tallest roller coaster in Europe--twice! I have to confess I was more scared than anyone else and surprised that I made it on. I guess there is no turning back once it starts moving right?

4. Learning how to drive stick shift. My dad has been so very patient with me, as I can't seem to start the car smoothly, even though I'm really, really good at reversing. Too bad you only do that 5% of the time. Highlight within a highlight: stalling the rental car 8x within 5 minutes trying to get out of a parking garage.

5. Walking to the beach whenever I want. It's a 7 minute walk down, the beach is small, and so peaceful. I'm pretty sure I have gone to the beach here more in the last month than in California the last two years.

6. Kayaking down the river Ebre, which flows through the town my mother grew up in (Amposta). The wind was going against us so it was really hard work but the meal at the end of it was worth it :) Didn't bring my camera for fear of getting it wet!

7. Delicious, delicious food. I especially love the fish, shellfish, meats, and cheeses.Yummm. Also notice how both pictures feature sangria :)

8. Traveling to SERBIA!!!

Entrance to a Serbian Orthdox monastery. The mosaic on the left is of St. Sava, (1174 – 14 January 1236) was a Serbian Prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, the founder of Serbian law and literature, and a diplomat. (That was obviously taken from wikipedia).

The city of Novi Sad, which is the second largest city in Serbia, and is on the Danube river. 

Serbian boyfriend and I :)

Serbian Orthodox church in the town of Šabac, where Branko is from. 

On the banks of the Sava river, which flows through Šabac.

Belgrade! This is the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers.

Pedestrian walkway in Belgrade.

Just for the record--we didn't realllly intentionally seek out the Deloitte office in Belgrade; we kind of stumbled upon it! 

So much good food and drinks!!! Serbian food features a lot of smoked meats, cheeses, beer, and a brandy called rakia. 

This was breakfast in Belgrade with one of Branko's friends from childhood, Ljuba. Coffee and two shots of rakia :) I had a very girly raspberry-flavored one...deeeeelicious!!! One of the best liquors I've ever tried.

Hope you enjoy reading and seeing pictures :) I am having so much fun here but I miss you all so much!!! Please keep in touch and let me know what you are up to. I'm always down to have a google hangout sesh, skype sesh, or whatever else!