alexalbelo@hotmail.com
As you may or may not know, I am currently at tail end of my MBA degree at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University – Bloomington. I decided to do my last semester as an exchange student at ESADE Business School in Barcelona (BCN), Spain.
Here is my attempt to chronicle some of the Albelo family adventures during our three month stay in BCN. Here you will also find a link to pictures I’ve taken while here as well as links to key web sites that will familiarize you with some of the important resources in the city.
Part I (The Arrival)
Having repeatedly heard the advice, “don’t rent an apartment until you see it with your own eyes” from both locals and former exchange student, I surely wasn’t going buck popular wisdom. Our first four days in Barcelona were spent at the Hotel Barcelo Sants. A great hotel centrally located above the Sants train (subway) station which connects you to all major points in Barcelona as well as Spain. I know, “above a train station!?” yes, above a train station. Security was top notch with national and local police patrolling the station 24 hours a day. There was also the convenience of having a multitude of eating establishments (including McDonalds) in one location.
Maybe now is time to recommend Travelocity.com. Through them, I was able to get a great hotel at a great price without any headaches. The going rate for decent hotels in BCN is north of $120 a night; I was able to secure a rate of $79 a night for the four of us. As a matter of fact, I also obtained my airline tickets through them at an awesome price.
Once we were settled, it was time to set about the business of securing an apartment. Not an easy task considering we only had three days to do so - we were leaving for Paris to visit my sister at week’s end. Bear in mind that apartment hunting in BCN, or Europe for that matter, is no easy task. The rules are definitely different here. Add that fact that we’re a foreign family of four looking for a short term lease, and, well, you get the picture.
Armed with comfortable shoes, a map, water, and full stomachs, we hit the streets of BCN in search of our new home for the next three months. A number one criterion was finding a safe neighborhood. Solo, well those of you who know me can image the pit I would have settled for if the price was right, but I’m with the family, so safety and cleanliness were top considerations. Proximity to ESADE followed by price and size reflected the rest of the batting order.
“Catalan?!?” Although we are in Spain and Spanish is the primary language of the land, in Catalonia, Catalan is king! For those of you from Miami, just think of the English/Spanish condition in Miami - entiendes?
Finding apartments for rent was easy. We found tons. Finding an apartment that fulfilled our criteria and had a short term lease, well, that was a real headache. Understanding some of the local jargon was a bit of a challenge – yes, even for yours truly, “Communicator Extraordinaire.” Things got easier when I finally realized that “piso” meant “apartment” in these parts, not just “floor” as I was accustomed to. Ultimately we found a nice two-bedroom piso walking distance to ESADE and in one of Barcelona’s nicest neighborhoods – Sarria Sant Gervasi. The damage: a hefty 1,150 euros a month, negotiated down mind you from 1,200. Realize that smaller pisos in not so nice neighborhoods could be secured for about 700 to 800 euros a month, but I figure since it was only three months; it was a small price to pay for peace of mind.
The neighborhood is great. It is very safe where you’ll find elderly ladies taking midnight strolls without a worry. We have three U.S. style supermarkets nearby, but at the same time are surrounded by scores of specialty markets that dot the narrow streets that make up Sarria. There are also small clothing shops and taverns on every street. At first the streets reminded us of a movie set. There were people sipping wine and drinking beer in sidewalk cafes, children being tended to by their “abuelas.” It was truly surreal. Ham shoulders (“pernils”) hung everywhere, hooves still attached thank you, oh yes, and can you please do something about the nice plump chickens with the HEADS STILL ATTACHED! My daughter may never eat another McNugget. All kidding aside, this place has the feel of a true “the Old World.”
No time to enjoy it now however, we’re driving off to Paris tomorrow at the crack of dawn to visit my sister.
Part II (The Paris trip)
Alright, it’s 1:30 p.m. and we still haven’t hit the road. I guess we got into the local rhythm sooner than we thought. I was pleasantly surprised by the European subcompact (I had imagined a Hot Wheel) we reserved. We actually received a nice five passenger Citron Xsera, A very cool ride that cruises easy at 140 kph.
Two hours into our fruitless attempts to navigate the maze of roads that make up Barcelona while competing with the thousands of people who were also getting out of town for holy week, we were thrown a lifeline by a very kind Italian gentleman. He took thirty minutes out of his day and had us follow him to the highway that would eventually take us to Paris. Thank you!
I love road trips and this was a great one. We made it through northern Spain in about an hour were we were welcomed into southern France by the Pyrenees mountains. The views were incredible. The pictures I took do not accurately reflect the beauty. The contrast of mountains to the left, the sea to the right while surrounded by small vineyards made us feel as if we were in someone’s dream. It was truly one of the high points of the trip.
The discovery of Millau was another prize from this trip. Buried deep in a valley with a stream cutting right through the middle of it, this place looks like something out of a fairytale. Small shops abound as do eateries, and fancy bakeries. The city offers a ton of outdoor activities including mountain biking, caving, whitewater kayaking, rock climbing, and hiking. It was a neat little town that we will surly revisit on the way back. Oh yes, and they have a McDonalds too!
The rest of the trip provided us with more scenic views where we made every effort to absorb them. We discovered a chain of restaurants call Buffalo Grill which served great American style food at reasonable prices and where open late. These things are all over France and quite popular.
We stayed overnight in a motel built on the mouth of a volcano! We were too tired to be worried about an eruption. The price was right and views were majestic.
A brief note about the people we met on the road trip. They were all extremely friendly toward my family and me. There were lots of smiles and they made every effort to communicate with me in either English or Spanish. Now enter Paris.
Part III (Paris)
Overwhelming best describes our initial feelings as we entered the outskirts of this enormous and congested city. It seemed as if within minutes we went from a stroll to a marathon. No one seemed to realize that it was Sunday, for there were more cars on the road than at rush hour, ok rush hours, in Miami. Oh yeah, all the signs were in French, and our map would have been better suited for tinder. Eventually though, we were able to find my sister’s place and be in bed by 1:30 in the morning.
I was surprised, expecting more of the anti-war protests that we saw in Barcelona, but to be quite frank there were none. Even the one in BCN was very weak. It seemed that it really didn’t matter to them. In fact, most of the people I came in contact with were friendlier to me when I spoke English rather than Spanish.
A quick note about the BCN protest: I being the “moth” that I am, decided to go into the meat of the protest and see with my own eyes what was going on. It centered around a Burger King located on “Las Ramblas,” (the most touristy section of Barcelona – imagine Coconut Grove or Kirkwood, but 1000 times larger -10,000 for Kirkwood) To my surprise, what looked to be an enormous band of protesters from a far was nothing more than curious onlookers surrounding a small puddle of tambourine banging, whistle blowing, spray paint toting kids with a certain “Rage Against the Machine” or “Korn” look to them (if you don’t know, ask your kids). They succeeded in shutting down one of three Burger Kings on Las Ramblas and doing a bit of graffiti damage to several banks. Life went on all around with people shopping, enjoying wine and beer in sidewalk cafes, and the street performers doing there thing. At night though, some would show their displeasure with the war by banging on pots and pans outside their windows.
Enough said, back to Paris.
Being on a tight budget provided us with the benefit of seeing both sides of Paris: where the tourists go and where the “regular folk” live. Let me just say that the contrast is great. We did all the biggies, climbed the Eiffel Tower, walked the Champs-Elysees, awed at the Louvre, prayed in Notre Dame, winced at the Modern Art Museum (Pompidou), and explored a host of other cool places. Number one: definitely the Louvre, definitely the Louvre. I could go there once a week for the rest of my life and still get excited about going. There was just so much to see and appreciate. It was like traveling through time. To be within a few feet of the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, felt somewhat surreal.
As in BCN, we made great use of the public transportation system and our feet. Here is where we were able to see the other Paris. It is a very hectic and chaotic place. The density of people here is stifling. The trains seem to be always packed to the rafters as were the buses. There were people from all over the world many in traditional dress. Sometimes I thought we were on a tram at Epcot.
It was a bit unnerving to have all these people around me and not being able to understand what they were saying, but soon I adjusted. Often times if someone near me was having a loud and animated conversation and we happen to make eye contact, I would just smile, nod, mimic some of their body language and pretended to know exactly what they meant. Generally, they would smile back, mumble something and go about their business. We never had a problem with anyone.
We stayed at my sister’s place in the north east corner of Paris, near the Guad de Nord station. It is a working class neighborhood replete with immigrants from the all over the world. There were small Indian markets dotting the streets, a Buffalo Grill down the street, and although we never found a McDonalds within walking distance, there was a Pizza Hut.
What is this love affair with McDonalds? Simply put, it is the friend of the family of four on a budget. They have the dollar, err, euro menu, and that my friends is about the best deal we found. Although I must admit that the cashier would look at me funny when I would order twelve hamburgers and a single Coke Light (Diet Coke), it was better than spending 40 euros for two shots of espresso and four jambon baggets (ham sandwich). And as an added bonus, you can get the vanilla ice cream cone at Mickey-Ds for only 50 cents!
The high point of the trip for us was spending time with my sister, Anna, internationally known independent film producer, party promoter, and occasional MC. She’s been living in Paris since she graduated from FSU over ten years ago. Her apartment is huge and very, as she puts it “chic.” It blends the historical architecture with some modern furnishings, and dabs of 1940s circa compliments. One night, Anna and a friend made us a fantastic dinner of greens, cheeses, meats, and wine. And for my benefit, American portions! It was nice for my kids to spend time and bond with her. Anna was a big hit with all of us. We can’t wait to hang out with her again.
The road trip back to Spain went via Millau where we spent the night. We enjoyed walking around town the next day and capped off our visit with a nice meal at...McDonalds! It was Easter Sunday and somehow the bunny found our car and left the kids some chocolate eggs and gifts…that rabbit is incredible. As an added bonus, Anna decided to join us for the next week.
Part IV Back in BCN – (Reality Hits)
While Sheila, Anna, and the kids went off exploring BCN, I started my classes at ESADE. The building is a work of art from both the outside and the inside. The outside gave me the impression of modern Roman blended with Japanese, but that’s just me. Take a look for yourself. The main entrance leading into the building gives the feel of a ship, but a very modern one.
The way classes are structured here is unique. They are in three hour blocks many times twice a day! On the plus side, each one lasts for about a week or two. You also get a long 20 minute break between each three hour block and a three hour lunch break! It makes for very long days.
There are two eateries in the building. The first one is a cafeteria, a nice simple place with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. They serve a nice assortment of breads, bocadillos (baguette sandwiches filled with your choice of meats, eggs, tuna, etc.), espresso, oh yes and beer! Beer is a staple in Spain. Many of the students and professors have some during the breaks as well as lunch. The other eatery is more like a restaurant. The food is set up buffet style and for 7 dollars; you get a full course meal. I guess that’s why we get the three hour lunch. Generally though, I hit the 3 euro salad bar and leave very satisfied.
The classes themselves have been very interesting. The approach is more hands on than theoretical. Team projects are the rule. The professors are very insightful and seem to really enjoy interacting with the students. I have been very fortunate to have met some great people here and have gained valuable insight into the way problems are looked at by other cultures. In addition to ESADE students, we have representatives from schools throughout North and South America and Europe.
Part V Living Here
Yes we are living here like locals, not tourists (well, for the most part). We shop at the neighborhood grocery store, buy medicine at the pharmacy down the street, drink beer at the corner tavern, play in the city park, have our “cafesito” at the, well, corner tavern (yup, one and the same), basically we have merged into our environment. For entertainment we’re able to check out movies from the library in DVD and VHS format. There are more VHS tapes, so I bought a cheap (60 euro) VHS player to give us our English “fix” – did I mention that we have mainly Catalan TV stations with only two Spanish options?
We’ve walked more here in one month than probably in the last decade. Barcelona invites the foot borne journey. We’ve explored all the neighborhoods between the train station and Pedrables, Sarria and the ramble, Parc Guell and la Sagrada Familia, the Barceloneta and Montjuic…yes, I know some of these names mean nothing to you right now, but if you click on the site listed as City of Barcelona, change the setting to English, and look for the map link, you’ll get a good idea of what I’m talking about. By the way, if you put our address, 56 Benet Mateu in the map dialog box, you’ll be able to see exactly where we live. The obvious takeaways have been the museums, the architecture, the food, the learning, and all the wonderful sights. We’ve also been exposed to a different culture and have met some great people along the way. I’ve joined a small, but well equipped gym and already found a workout partner! I've also had beers with and befriended a local police officer.
But I must say that the greatest part of this adventure has been all the quality time I’ve been able to spend with my family. Together we tamed the streets of BCN and Paris. We explored out of the way places and had fun doing it. Dinner together has been a reality every night! Quite frankly we’ve had more dinners together in the last six weeks than in the last six years! We only watch one movie a night…maybe. We play games like poker, parchese, chess, etc almost every night. We have bonded tighter than I expected, albeit not without some bumps. The kids have only had each other as peers, and well, that can provide certain pressures, but all in all they’ve done great. Alex (Quinn) has become the family’s guide and translator during my school time absence.
The other great takeaway is the realization of how much we love America. Don’t get me wrong, this place is awesome and we could even see us living here on a high salary, but America is home. We are a product of the American way. We love 7-11s, Taco Bells, and the mall. Yes, I need large and clear street signs and lane markings. Keep the traffic circles in the suburbs thank you! The idea of free phone calls and abundant internet access make me do the happy dance. Give me 24 hour everything – Wal-Mart, Eckerd’s, Kroger, Wendy’s, oh yes, anything for a triple with everything and a Super Big gulp…please super size everything and with free refills!
The bottom line, we are proud to be Americans. We’ve learned to appreciate and admire her a lot more. No longer will we take for granted all the she has to offer and all that she has given us. Where else can a “ham and egger” like me made all this happen…only in America!
