It is clear to me in my time in Barcelona, that parks and green space are just as important to the people as is the urban environment. It seems that everywhere I look I see examples of green space throughout the city, not just in the vast and beautiful parks, but glimpses can be seen everywhere. Whether it is tram tracks laid out on beds of grass, or slits in concrete where grass can grow through, the greenery can be seen throughout. However more notably are the vast green spaces provided by Ciutadella Park and the botanical gardens at Montjuic.

            Both parks are very similar in several ways. They are both vast parks built upon ruins, Montjuic on a defensive encampment, and Ciutadella Park on a medieval building. They both attempt to create spaces in which denizens of the city can escape the bustling lifestyle of Barcelona, and find a quiet place to relax.

            The execution of both parks however, varies greatly. Ciutadella Park is closer to the heart of the city, surrounded by streets and buildings. It holds a strong axis leading towards the beach, but the park itself is large enough that there is plenty of space created in spaces surrounding the central axis. There is plenty of vegetation and areas for dogs and people alike to run free. The botanical gardens in Montjuic, however, have a very different feeling. The botanical gardens are situated up away from the heart of the city, and therefore can be much more expansive. It seems almost French in the way that nature is sculpted to fit the needs of the people as pathways wind and zig zag across the space. In my opinion the botanical gardens are the much more beautiful place, in that they offer more serenity and variety of vegetation.

 Southern Spain vs. Barcelona

     In my adventures throughout southern Spain, it became quite clear to me that Spain is as diverse a country as any.  And the differences between the city of Barcelona and the cities of the south of Spain are many. While Barcelona gives the feeling of a bustling metropolis, the town of Seville reminds one of a small town frozen in time. The tiny meandering streets are all dwarfed by the grand cathedral, which lies close to the center of the town.  Here, bullfighting is the sport of choice, and gypsies stroll the streets selling their goods. Toledo could not be more similar to Seville. This too is a town frozen in time. A large castle-like wall surrounds the city, with a grand cathedral in the center, with nothing but small shops and homes standing throughout the rest of the city. Knife and sword making is still one of the local pastimes, and the views from the top of this mountainous town are spectacular. Progressing north, the town or Cordoba seems to be a small Muslim city surrounding a grand mosque. Similarly, Granada seems to be simply a town built around the great mountainous fortress that is the Alhambra. The Alhambra was a highlight of the trip. It consists of a mountaintop fortress, sprawling with buildings from several centuries of construction, also affording wonderful views of the surrounding snow capped mountains. Madrid, the capital of Spain and the first stop on our trip, was the city most similar to Barcelona. Though the two cities hate each other, and duke it out on the soccer field each year for superiority, the cities themselves are both very similar. They seem to be the two most modern cities in Spain, both boasting tall office building, and taxi lined streets. They are the two largest cities in the country, and it is evident not just in their size, but in the number of people that walk the bustling streets everyday.