Excerpts from Barcelona - 09
A weekly glimpse into my Catalan adventures
This week felt relatively short and I feel like I didn’t get up to much. That said, everything I did get up to I thoroughly enjoyed.
The weekend was quite rainy, so I spent most of it indoors and with my host family. I also babysat both Saturday and Sunday evenings so that definitely “shortened” my days.
The beginning of the week was quiet as well, with my only outings consisting of school runs and actual runs. I ran to an amazing cafe, Taulat 44, situated in El Poblenou, which you can read more about below.
Thursday was Labour Day in Spain and some other European countries, so most things were closed, including schools and shops. Although I wasn’t on au pair duty, since everything was closed, I spent the day with my host family and we enjoyed a picnic in a nearby park.
By Friday, I felt like I had to redeem myself… so I crammed my morning with activities. First, I headed to La Barceloneta, roamed around a bit and also enjoyed a (very picturesque) coffee at La Roseta.
Afterwards, I headed to the Museum of Catalan History. I had already been previously for their permanent exhibition, however during my initial visit I didn’t have enough time to also visit their temporary exhibit En Fugida. Refugiats.
Though short, the exhibition was interesting and insightful. As someone who is very interested in refugee and migration studies, I enjoyed the way they approached the topic. The exhibition was centred around the refugee crisis, specifically in Europe, and aimed to shed light on the various reasons that cause people to have to leave their home countries and flee to Europe (usually Greece and Italy, as their coasts are most easily accessible by boat.)
I was particularly fond of the end of the exhibition (pictured above, propaganda/posters on the orange wall and on the blue wall) which showed the two opposing perspectives on refugees, specifically in Catalonia. One wall (orange) shows real posters aimed at welcoming refugees - and those who’ve been forced to migrate from their homes - to Barcelona and Catalonia. The other wall (blue) showcases another side, also with real posters, of the residents of Catalonia who are opposed to refugees and migrants moving to Catalonia.
I thought it was interesting that the museum and curator included both viewpoints and reactions. I feel that it is quite rare that two sides are demonstrated, especially by a government institution.
Highlights of the week
Taulat 44
Surprise, surprise! Another cafe favourite. This week, I visited Taulat 44 in El Poblenou and had a great experience. I had a cortado made with Nomad coffee and a vegan banana bread. All I have to say is… I didn’t know vegan banana bread could taste so good. It might just be one of the best banana breads I’ve ever eaten.
It was super fluffy, and topped with nut butter and cacao nibs. All the sugar, chocolate, and caffeine I needed after a 12km run!
A glimpse at next week…
Join Running Club Barcelona for another social run x coffee party. I’m excited for this one because the weather is supposed to be great and the run will be along the beach!
Exploring the cafes of El Poblenou. For the past two weeks, I’ve run to cafes in El Poblenou and I spot new ones along the way everytime. This week, I’m thinking of trying either Casa Taos or Bricks.