Hitting the Pavement

Monday, September 8, 2008 – Sunday, September 14, 2008

This week began with my first few interviews for teaching positions, all of which were located a little ways outside of Barcelona. These provided good practice for interviews to come, but they were not really the location nor jobs that I would prefer. One interview left me with a new friend, so that part was good:) The job hunt continues…

I spent the evenings with friends running in different parts of the city, trying new restaurants and pubs, and touring through new neighborhoods. Although I have yet to make it to a live futbol game out here, we were able to catch some of the World Cup pre-qualifying games and other futbol games throughout the week.

This week also featured yet another holiday, Thursday 11 of September is the memorial day for when Catalunya lost its independence, so there were many demonstrations in the streets and especially in front of the Spanish government buildings. There is still a lot of Catalan pride and many see themselves as separate from Spain and would like their independence. We took advantage of the holiday by walking through the plazas and witnessing the different demonstrations.

Over the weekend, we rented bikes and biked up Montjuïc and admired the views of the city and took a look around the castle. When trying to bike around to check out the Olympic Stadium and the many other attractions of the area, my bike got a flat tire, so after returning to the bike shop for a new one, we biked along the port and then through an area called Barceloneta, which runs right next to nice sandy beaches and the water. It was a great way to see the city! Biking through the crowded plazas, then up a mountain, and then along the coast…all in one day:)

We ended our weekend watching an American football game, the Broncos vs. the Chargers, and surprisingly, there were a few additional fans alongside us:) The game had a good ending for my friend, as he is from Denver and was happy to see them prevail in a tight game!