Camels and Tacos: Taking IB art students to Barcelona.

Last year I submitted a proposal to take IB visual art students to Barcelona as a way to supplement their learning in the classroom. The idea is to immerse students in a setting that will stimulate their thinking and creativity. The principals were supportive of the idea and I spent the next several months solidifying the itinerary. The outcome was better than anticipated. Everything went smoothly from the flight to navigating the city and beyond. The students hit the pavement running and really embraced the experience.

There are several behind the scenes individuals to thank for making the magic happen: Principal Redmond (and Joyce) for the green light, Nate and Mick in the Athletic Department for doing all the paperwork like visas and such, the other chaperone-Ms. Blue Waters, Ana was supportive about spending our break with 5 students (Call it training in raising teenagers) and helped out a little here and there and even our friend Monica tagged along for a couple of our outings. Below is the evidence.

We arrived in the late afternoon. After dropping our bags off at the apartment, we made a quick exit to the Gothic Quarter for a walking tour. It was by chance we found a gastronomic festival in front of The Cathedral, though the kids called it the "bread festival" due to all of the loaves of artisan bread they consumed.

One of the stops on the walking tour was a school bombed by the fascists during the Spanish Civil War. Note the pockmarks on the wall.

We visited La Sagrada Familia the following morning.

The students were in awe of Gaudi's vision.

Students had mixed feelings and reactions on deciding if they preferred the aesthetics of La Sagrada Familia or The Cathedral from the previous evening.

We decided to walk back to our apartment via local neighborhoods. Good thing we did as we encountered a street fair with lots of food, vendors, and activities.

This looked like fun.

"Ara es l'hora" The rallying cry for the Catalan separatist movement that marched in front of our apartment.

Since almost everything was closed on Sunday, the beach sounded like a way to spend a late afternoon.

At the metro.

A dose of Flamenco culture was needed.

At the bottom of Ramblas.

The Palau Robert has several nice exhibits.

The Suñol Foundation was kind enough to give us a tour of their most recent exhibit: Perfect Lovers.

One of best ways to see is a city is on a bike. Several students stated biking was their favorite part of the trip.

Riding along the beach provided ample opportunities to throw a frisbee around and do some climbing.

Bikes can also take you through alleys.

Agbar Tower near Glories. The surrounding buildings make the area an architectural hotbed, a must see for aspiring architects.

Mercat Del Encants in Plaça de les Glories Catalanes has mirrored ceilings and is basically like what you would call a swap meet, flea market in the states.

Installation street art.

One day was dedicated to Figueres in the north-about a hour via the fast train. The Dali Museum is located there and it was the perfect opportunity to get out of Barcelona and experience the Costa Brava.

The museum has several floors and much to see keeping visitors engaged.

The Catalonia Toy Museum down the street from the Dali Museum has a decent collection of creepy dolls.

A thirty-minute bus ride from Figueres will take you to the quaint beach town of Roses.

Ciutadella of Roses is worth a peek.

They might not let you take photographs inside the Picasso Museum, but they will in the gift shop. One of our student's unintentionally wore her own Picasso shirt.