The coolest thing I saw in nature this week was the botanical garden tucked away behind the University of Barcelona (UB). I actually stumbled into this garden on accident as I was waiting to meet up with some friends for dinner. Because we were meeting near the UB, I decided to check out the famous university from the inside. Little did I know that, just on the other side of the entrance hall was a giant garden, filled with stone staircases, lushly framed fountains, and best of all, local plants from all over Catalonia (the region of Spain where Barcelona is located).
My favorite plants in the garden were the cacti. One type was 20 feet tall! You can also see lots of local cacti in my neighborhood, Horta. Horta in Catatlan means huerta in Spanish, or garden in English. This is because there is so much greenery in this neighborhood!
One thing I love about Barcelona is the topography of the city. Topography is a fancy way of saying “lay of the land,” or the way the land is physically. For example, Barcelona is well-known for its beaches and also its mountains. This means it has both a hilly topography the land runs downhill toward the beach. People living in Barcelona say that you can always know what direction you are facing by the hills – if you are walking downhill, you are facing the beach (southeast)! On the other hand, if you are walking uphill, you are facing the mountains (northwest).
While this is not always true, it can help in a pinch. Yesterday, I went for a run around some of the parks in my neighborhood, which led to some pretty cool views of the city’s topography!
