As I have mentioned previously in the blog, I live very close to the main local government building. Demonstrating is a human right, which we saw with both Greta Thunberg, the strike for climate and also during the corona pandemic with the big Black Lives Matter demonstration in Copenhagen (and many other places) earlier this year (among many more).

I have never really been at a demonstration about anything, but I can say, for sure, that the Catalonian people have. My room is currently my home office. My window faces the streets, and almost every day between 10 and 14, I’ve been hearing demonstrations. I do believe most of them are peaceful, but after Barcelona shut, almost everything down at the end of October, things have escalated a couple of times, with small riots and a major police presence in the city.

As you might be able to guess, I haven’t participated in the demonstrations. Me showing up, not understanding what they’re saying in Catalan wouldn’t really do much good, but passing the government buildings afterwards is quite interesting, and this picture will explain why.

(Photo by Marv Møller)

This is a picture of the Catalonian government building after a demonstration where what looks like red paint has been thrown at the walls (a metaphor for blood, probably).

I’m not exactly sure what this specific demonstration was about, but the common topic has been that people wanted a plan for when things would reopen again, since many people are losing their jobs at the moment. I just think it’s odd that a group of people have actually thrown paint at a government building.

Another thing that I have learned from being in Spain in November is that I must now admit that Danish autumns/falls and winters are not my cup of tea. In Denmark at the time of writing this (18th of November), I would be wearing the biggest jacket I could possibly find with a very thick layer of clothes underneath, something to keep my head warm, and gloves.

Down here, I’m hiking up a mountain in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and eating an ice cream afterwards. This is from a mountain called Tibidabo, which is very easy to visit if you are ever in Barcelona, and overall a very nice experience! Point being; it’s nice to experience a warm sun in November.

My Danish friend from Copenhagen University who attends the same university as me. (Private photo by Marc Møller)

To end off my exchange blog posts, I would like to do one final thing, and that is to advise you all to go on exchange. Barcelona is a great possibility and is probably an even greater experience when things are open once again and we can talk about Covid-19 in the past tense. But I think that with the right attitude, everywhere is a cool place to do your exchange. If/when you go on exchange, enjoy it, and have fun.

I’ll leave you with a photo of me on our terrace with a pretty cool view of the Barcelona rooftops.

Enjoy the rest of the semester, stay safe and I will see you all at Nexus next year! 🙂

(Private photo: Marc Møller)