The Great Enchantress

Biblioteca de Catalunya

In a recent book, Robert Hughes calls Barcelona an "Enchantress". With its rich mélange of languages, foods, architecture, and people, the city captivates visitors and offers many opportunities to discover and learn about Catalunya and about its largest city. Most people come to Barcelona looking for monuments, artworks, food, and nightlife.

Plaça del Rei

My first experience of Barcelona was scientific. I was finishing an edition of a 13th cent. text and needed to consult an important witness housed in the Biblioteca de Catalunya. Tedious, practical, extremely meticulous work with no time and money for frivolous tourism. I spent days in the library, but at night I would venture to the area near Plaça del Rei to soak in the history and culture. In the course of those few days, I discovered rich traditions, history, language, and energy. And this splendid city changed me. When I return to the plaças and ramblas of Barcelona, I again seek to discover the various facets Barcelona..

What will you discover?

Botero´s Black Horse at the Barcelona Airport

Barcelona

The traditional meeting point in the Barcelona Airport is the Black Horse by Botero located in Terminal 2. It is an imposing figure that greets travelers as they enter main gallery of the Terminal. Although it is difficult to miss, many visitors to the Airport seem to ignore its presence and walk right past the sculpture without stopping to take note of this impressive sculp,ture.

The most striking aspect of this piece is its exaggerated, corpulent proportions. Most representations of horses emphasize the sleekness and speed of the animal. Fernando Botero is the exponent of figurative art and  has chosen to represent a powerful workhorse with muscular, almost giant-like dimensions. The color and dimensions also add a level of mythicalness to the piece. Botero, like many of his contemporaries, is exploring the magical realism of this animal. Botero has other versions (see below) with a similar expression of his fascination with this animal´s power and dimensionality.

When you arrive at the Aeropuerto de Barcleona. don´t walk by this magnificent sculpture. Take a moment to examine Botero´s horse.

Horse Caballo

Horse, at the Brandenberg Gate, Berlin

Pulpo a la gallega

Pulpo á feira: Es un plato tradicional de Galicia y básico en su gastronomía. El plato origina en las fiestas, ferias y romerías de Galicia y El Bierzo (León), de ahí su nombre "á feira". Y ha pasado como plato tradicional en la cocina española.

El pulpo se cocina en el agua hirviendo según el origen del pulpo y su peso. Luego se le rocía con abundante aceite de oliva, pimentón y sal gorda. En algunas ocasiones, se acompaña con patatas cocidas con piel.

Sant Jordi

Established in 1953, the Col·legi Major Sant Jordi is affiliated with the Universitat de Barcelona, one of the premiere public universities in Spain. In most Spanish universities, a col·legi (colegio in Castilian) is associated with a university and offers housing, cultural activities, professional development, and other academic and social activities. Historically, these units formed an integral part of the academic life of the university.

Sant Jordi located in the Sarrià neighborhood of Barcelona is an academic complex with housing for 215 students, classrooms, dining hall, café, and an indoor sports area. In the summer, the Sant Jordi complex offers residence and academic space for visiting University programs and students.

The Sant Jordi campus is served by the L3 metro, station María Cristina, and Tramvia lines on the Diagonal.

US DONEM LA MÉS CORDIAL BENVINGUDA

Ceramic from Parc Güell

Founded over 2,000 years ago, Barcelona with a population of 2.3 million lies between the shores of the Mediterranean and two imposing hills on the Costa Daurada in northeastern Spain. Barcelona's active port area is a reminder of the region's beginnings as a Roman trading center. Over the centuries, the city's waterfront has evolved and given way to a vibrant urban landscape. The city's landmarks are plentiful, spectacular, and welcoming. The Ciudat Vella houses many structures from the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The Eixample, an area developed during the 19th-century, is lined with wide boulevards, spectacular Modernisme buildings, and imposing monuments to the city's emergence as a strong industrial center. The neighborhoods of Sarrià, Gràcia, and Pedralbes form la parte alta and lend a small-town flavor to the city. This exuberant mix of history, cosmopolitan art scene, and cultural identity gives the city a distinctive flair.

City Flag of Barcelona

The Summer Language Institute in Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain, is designed for students with intermediate and advanced levels of Spanish proficiency. Faculty from the University of Kansas and native instructors from Spain teach these courses and during the Institute orientation and support. The program plans group visits to the various regions of Spain. Excursions to important cultural, geographic, and historical sites in the Barcelona area are also part of the Institute activities.