The following journal is from TMN reporter Daniel Saenz, as he documents his semester studying abroad in Morocco.
BY DANIEL SAENZ
Spain is one of those cliche countries that every curious tourist wants to vacation in. And honestly, can anyone blame them? It is an ancient country with a longstanding history in world affairs. It is the famous world power that discovered the Americas and fundamentally changed the cultural dynamic of that area, which resulted in the widespread use of the Spanish language that we see today. And what was that other contribution that Spain gave to the world again? Oh yeah, Catholicism.
The Catholic monarchs in Spain changed both the dynamics of the world and the cultural dynamics at home. Fantastic cathedrals decorate the country despite the dwindling number of religious believers. Beautiful music is everywhere, there is great food, and tasty sangria as well. And of course, there is always a nice healthy dose of political conflict as showcased by the showdown in Catalonia and the Spanish government’s never-ending struggle with the Basques — who hope to gain independence.
And, of course, because I am a nerd at heart, there is also the fact that my literary heroes, George Orwell and Ernest Hemingway drew a great deal of inspiration from this country. When faced with all of these interesting aspects of Spanish culture, I just couldn’t help myself. I surrendered to my inner tourist and to decided to spend my spring break in Spain, despite constantly telling myself that traveling to Europe was too mainstream since everyone plans trips to Spain, Italy, France, etc. etc.
I visited three cities in particular: Barcelona, Sevilla, and Madrid. I did not regret my trip for a single second! Barcelona was a very cosmopolitan region where I saw a person from every country that I could think of casually smoking and having coffee in the cafes. I also was able to visit the famous Sagrada Familia Cathedral, a beautiful part of the landscape that lends Barcelona its gothic look. Of course, because I am so interested in global affairs, I was very giddy about being able to experience some of the tensions between Spanish nationalists and the Catalans that was documented by Orwell in his famous Homage to Catalonia in the 30s. Every sign was in the Catalan first, already a huge point of contention in Spain.
There were Catalan flags hanging from at least half of the places that I walked through. I walked by the Catalonian congress where the drama from last summer originally unfolded. And, because everything has to be dramatic, there were signs from Spanish nationalists accusing supporters of Catalonian independence of being Nazis! Of course, this was rather ironic as Francisco Franco, a long-time enemy of Catalan independence, and dictator for decades, was an open Nazi supporter.
Sevilla was less political and more so just spiritual. There were art museums all over the place. And, of course, there were cathedrals on every street corner. I made a point to visit every art museum that was possible, but the best part was being able to visit a museum dedicated solely to Flamenco!
The sound of Spanish guitars is one of my favorite sounds in the world. So naturally, learning about the evolution of the style and how it was influenced by Arabic, Persian, and Chinese culture was truly awakening for me as I was able to see how all cultures give and take from each other as they please. What was truly beautiful was seeing all of the churches and angel statues.
Now, I am going to be upfront. I am not a religious person, but seeing how much work the ancients put into something that they truly believed in made me tear up at how intricate the human imagination can truly be if there is some type of conviction behind it. And of course, seeing the bullfighting rings that inspired Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises made me insanely nostalgic.
Finally, I explored Madrid. Madrid, much like Barcelona, is very modern and cosmopolitan, so there is not much to say on that aspect. What really stuck out to me was the politically charged aspects that I once again encountered here. I was fortunate enough to encounter the Women’s March!
It was a grand spectacle to behold to witness thousands of women marching against victim blaming in regards to rape, among many other issues that women still face today across the globe. And of course, much of the current drama with the Catalan independence drama is taking place in Madrid now to a certain extent.
What did this Spring Break teach me? It taught me that even on vacation, we humans never stop learning. In my case, I tried to escape politics, but politics ultimately followed me.