Day off at the beach

By Teresa Crawford

“The truth may be stretched thin, but it never breaks, and it always surfaces above lies, as oil floats on water.” – Don Quixote

For the day off, a group of us from ICRPS decided to head into Barcelona for a beach day. We hoped on the Metro from Bellaterra, successfully navigated switching trains and ended up at Platja Nova Icaria. Since it was a Sunday, we were not surprised to find the beach crowded with families enjoying the beauty of the Mediterranean Sea. It was a slightly windy day moderating the sun that poured down and illuminated the vibrant green-blue sea. The water was slightly cool and extremely salty. We spent hours simply gazing at the sea, the families around us playing in the sand and water, and sharing stories about our different countries.

There were a couple of factors that helped us decide, as a group of foreign students, which beach to visit. One main factor was the ease and convenience of public transportation from the dorm rooms at Bellaterra to the beach in Barcelona. Another reason we went into the city was because an ICRPS student who has been living in Barcelona invited us to join her there. However, we could have taken the train to one of the rural beaches recommended to us by our local hosts.

This past week we have examined rural entrepreneurship, eco-tourism, and local government policy strategies to utilize natural resources like ocean access. After experiencing the crowded beach at Barcelona (that we were told often has a buildup of trash in the water), I can’t help but wonder if my Mediterranean Sea experience might have been different if we had taken the train to a rural spot farther out from the bustle of the city.