Author Archives: amg5366

Athens

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Two weekends ago, I took my final trip in Europe to Athens, Greece.

To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect for this trip. I had booked my flight with a friend from Penn State in the very beginning of the semester, before the economy took a turn for the worse. I was slightly afraid of a riot starting and me being caught in the middle of it. However, I kept my eye on the news and when the weekend came along, it looked like it was going to be fine in the country.

I didn’t get to my hostel until late in the evening, and my friend Juliana had arrived before me. We decided to get dinner and do a night walk through the main part of the city. I didn’t realize how much I had missed feta cheese until I started eating my Greek salad. I eat it all the time at home, but since coming to Spain I haven’t had any at all. So, we happily ate our dinner and then walked through the city planning what we wanted to do the next day.

On Saturday, we woke up early so that we could get as much packed into the day as possible. The first thing that we did was take a bus to Cape Sounion to see the Temple of Poseidon. Although the ride took over an hour and a half each way, the few hours that we sacrificed in travel were definitely worth it. The view from the top of the mountain was absolutely stunning, and I was able to see for miles in every direction. Juliana and I were alone on this mountain for awhile, and it blew our minds to think about how we were the only people at that point in time who were standing on a piece of serious ancient history.

After we got back to Athens, we took the journey up to the top of the Acropolis to see the legendary ancient remains of the Parthenon and Temple of Athena. Although the ruins were seemingly just a bunch of giant rocks, I find it incredible that what remains from the original buildings is actually still there. These buildings are thousands of years old, and (though with the help of modern supports) parts of them are still standing! It is just amazing to me.

Not only were the buildings cool to see, but also the view of the city beneath us was spectacular. We were able to see the whole city, all the way out to the Mediterranean Sea. We could also see other sites around the city from so high up, such as the Temple of Zeus and the Olympic Stadium.

The next day Juliana had an early flight back to Paris, so I was on my own to explore the city until my flight later in the afternoon. Because Juliana had done it before I arrived on Friday, I decided to visit the Ancient Agora and the Temple of Zeus. The huge area of the Ancient Agora had been the center of the Athenian government thousands of years ago. Unfortunately, it is not quite as intact as the temples at the top of the Acropolis, but it was still fascinating to see the ruins and read the information cards telling what every single building was used for. There wasn’t much to see at the Temple of Olympian Zeus except for the few columns that are still standing and the Arch of Hadrian, but just like the Acropolis, it was interesting to see the ruins while knowing how important the areas once were way in the past.

I have mixed feelings about Athens. I loved seeing all of the ancient ruins because I am really interested in the Greek Empire portion of history. I always find it fascinating what they were able to do with so little technology, such as building all of these monstrous temples. However, I did not like the city itself. It felt very dirty and lifeless to me. The buildings all looked the same, and that look was a very dull, grey sight. I know there are beautiful parts of Greece, such as the island Santorini, and some day I hope to travel there so that I can get a better view of the Greece that I was hoping to see.

Location: Athens, Greece

Paris

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Last weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting two of my best friends from Penn State who have been studying in Paris for the semester.

When I arrived in the city on Thursday night, my friend Jenny met me and showed me some of the main sights at night, such as the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre museum. She took me on a long walk through the city, and I was able to map out in my head the places that I wanted to be sure to visit during the rest of the weekend. Unfortunately, however, Jenny was leaving early the next morning to go to London, so I was not going to see her again until Saturday night.

The next morning, I met my other friend, Juliana, at the beautiful Eiffel Tower. Although I knew that it would be incredible, I was still amazed at exactly how breathtaking it really was. The monument was colossal and unbelievable to look at with its intricacy and height. For the rest of the day, we toured the streets and Juliana showed me other important landmarks, such as the Dome des invalids, the Arc de Triomphe, and of course, the famous shopping street Champs-�lys�es.

The next day, Juliana and started our day in the early afternoon at the Fontaine Saint-Michel to have lunch and wander the little alleys of shops. We even came across a church that Juliana had never seen or heard of before, tucked away behind the various shops and restaurants.

Then, finally, we went to see the Notre Dame. Although I had seen it at night with Jenny, I wanted to see it in the daylight and go inside. The cathedral was beautiful, and it was exciting to go inside and see all of the famous architecture and sculptures. After we went though the whole thing, we were excited to climb to the top and look out over Paris. Sadly, however, there were too many people in the line, so we were turned away. Still though, it was great to see such an important part of history.

After the Notre Dame, we took a long walk through the city during which Juliana showed me some more interesting sights. One of these was the Pont de l’Archevech� bridge, on which lovers go and attach their “love padlocks” to symbolize their everlasting love (aww!). She also brought me to see the Louvre in the daylight, which looked so cool because of all of the pyramids outside that it is known for. I did not get the chance to go inside of the museum, but to be honest, I did not want to go in because I would have wanted to see the entire museum which is impossible to do in just a few hours. It is probably even impossible to see it all in a few days because it is so enormous!

When it got dark out, Juliana and I rode the Roue de Paris, an enormous Ferris when that was set up at the enf od Champs-Elys�es. From the top of the ride, I was able to look out and see all of Paris, which was really a beautiful sight. Afterwords, we went to Pigalle to see the Moulin Rouge cabaret. As a fan of the movie, I decided that I could not leave Paris without seeing it. This area of Paris was very interesting and reminded me a lot of the red light district in Amsterdam (only not quite as intense, if you know what I mean).

Finally, at the end of the night, I met up with Jenny again to spend my last night with her. I met one of her friends from her program, and the three of us had a nice relaxing night. This was just what I needed, because I was tired after such a busy weekend, and my flight was leaving early the next morning.

I enjoyed my trip to Paris. It was great to see my friends, and it was so much fun to see all of the major touristy sights with what seemed like my very own personal tour guide. However, as far as a big city goes, I have to say that I like Barcelona better. It’s so scary to think about how I have less than three weeks left!

Location: Paris, France

Sevilla

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The same weekend that I traveled to Granada, my friend Ana and I took a day trip to Sevilla on that Saturday. Sevilla is a city located in Andaluc�a, like Granada.

We arrived in the late morning, and immediately decided to go on a hop on/hop off tour of the city. These tours take a double-decker bus that has an open top, and bring you on a tour through the streets of the city past all of the major attractions. There are stations along the route that allow you to “hop off” of the bus and explore the attractions around that stop, then you can go back to the stop whenever you want to continue the tour and “hop on” the next bus that comes by.

I had done one of these tours before (around Barcelona) and I think that they are a great way to see a city, especially if you are only there for a short period of time. Since we were only going to be in Sevilla for a couple of hours, this was perfect for us.

We were able to see all of the points that we wanted to see, including Plaza de Espa�a and Plaza de Toros.

One of the most interesting spots that we stopped at was Monasterio de la Cartuja, a monastery from the 14^th century for Carthusian monks. We didn’t know what it was when we first walked up to it, so we decided to explore. First, we walked through a small room, which we thought was an area for religious services, then we walked out into a beautiful garden. In the building behind the garden, there was a multitude of different things. There were exhibits of contemporary art, rooms of sculptures and tombs, and various patios. The building was a bit confusing to us, because we did not know what it actually was, but it was interesting to explore.

My favorite stop on the tour was the Catedral de Sevilla, also known as Catedral de Santa Mar�a de la Sede. It looked beautiful from the outside, but I was speechless when I saw the inside. It was, without a doubt, the most beautiful cathedral that I have ever seen in my life. It was enormous, with various extremely intricately designed rooms for services.

I really have to say that I don’t think I have ever seen anything so magnificent in my life. Rooms that were off of the main area housed old relics, such as religious treasures (lots of gold) and beautiful paintings. Christopher Columbus’ tomb is also located inside of this cathedral. The cathedral is so incredible that I really do not think that the pictures that I have of it do it justice.

This cathedral also has a bell tower attached to it called the Giralda, which visitors are welcome to climb to the top of in order to get a great view of the city. Ana and I decided to do this, and aftera greuling climb up quite a few levels, we made it to the top. Just as we were told, the view of the city was beautiful, and you were really able to see everything such as the Plaza de Torros and beyond.

After the cathedral visit, we got lunch and then returned to Granada. Earlier in the morning, I had been skeptical about going for this day trip. However, just as I am happy that I decided to travel to Granada at the last minute, I am also very happy that we went to Sevilla. Although it is a small city and we were able to see everything that was important, it was beautiful, and I hope to return some day for an extended visit.

Location: Sevilla, Spain

Granada

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Last weekend, when my friend Ana’s travelling companion bailed on her at the last minute, I decided to book a spur of the moment trip to Granada for the weekend. Granada is a city in the southern part of Spain, located in the region of Andalucia. It is known for it’s strong Arabic influence, the Alhambra, and tapas.

Ana and I arrived early Friday morning, and right away we met up with her friend Katie, who is studying there this semester, and she told us what to do for the day. After a quick breakfast, Katie led us on a tour of the main parts of the city, showing us some beautiful views of the mountainsides and even a great little marketplace area with a tea and spice market. The tea market must have had over 150 different types of fresh teas!

After leaving Kaite, Ana and I made our way up to the Alhambra, an enormous complex built by the Moors in the 14^th century, that served as a fortress and a palace for various centuries. It is made up of three large sections: the Alcazaba, which was the fortress area, the Generalife, which was the beautiful garden area, and the Palacios Nazar�es, which was the area that the palaces were located in. Famous historical figures have passed through the Alhambra, including Christopher Columbus and Washington Irving. At the topmost tower of the Alcazaba, I saw the most breathtaking view of the city below me, all the way out to the snowcapped Sierra Nevada Mountains.

After the Alhambra, we met up with Katie and her friends, and headed up to a plaza atop another mountain and looked out on the lit up city at night.

For dinner, people living in Granada do not eat a large meal. Instead, they eat what are called tapas, which are small portions that are similar to appetizers. People go out at night to get drinks with friends and tapas come complimentary with the drinks. This makes for an inexpensive and fun way to hang out with friends and end one’s day.

After tapas and drinks, Ana, Katie and I decided to go to a flamenco show. Flamenco is a genre of music and dance and is an important part of Andalusian tradition. This particular show was in a small cave that was beautifully decorated with photos of flamenco dancers and filled with a circle of chairs for the audience. There was a musician playing guitar accompanied by a woman singing, and the dancers danced on a metal stage type of thing on the floor in the middle of the circle. The singing was extremely powerful, and the dancing was absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, we were not permitted to take photos or videos of the show, so to get an idea of what it was like, please click the following link to see a video of another performance on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqxJMCQxb_Q

On Saturday, Ana and I went to another city in Spain called Sevilla for the day. However, it was so beautiful and we saw so much that it deserves its own blog post instead of being included in this one.

On Sunday, we spent the day roaming the streets of Granada with Katie and another one of Ana’s friends named Anne. We had some delicious churros with chocolate, a sweet delicacy that is common for breakfast in southern Spain, and some of the best tea that I have ever had. Finally, we left Granada on Sunday night to return to Barcelona.

I really enjoyed my trip to Granada. After going, I can’t believe that I almost missed the opportunity. When Ana asked me if I wanted to go with her, I realized that it seemed blasphemous for me to be studying in Spain and not travel to see other parts of the country. I liked that the city was smaller than Barcelona, which made it seem more “homey” to me. This is a place that I definitely want to go back to visit again, and I would absolutely recommend this trip to anyone and everyone.

Location: Granada, Spain

Dublin

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This past weekend, I went on my second trip out of the country, to a place that I have been longing to go to for years… IRELAND!!!

I am 50% Irish and I was an Irish Step Dancer for almost eight years, so naturally I had to go visit the homeland. So, my friend Phil and I left a rainy Barcelona early Friday morning and arrived in sunny, beautiful Dublin.

As soon as we checked into our hostel, we decided to head to the center of town to get some lunch. As luck would have it, we happened to choose the same restaurant that some of our friends were at, so we ate with them then decided to go to the Guinness Storehouse together for a tour of the factory. It was very similar to the Heineken factory that I went to when I was in Amsterdam, but interesting itself all the same. The best part was the 360-degree view of the city that was at the end of the tour of the storehouse. It was the top most floor of the building, and offered breathtaking views of the entire city.

As we made our way back to the hostel, we passed the beautiful Christ Church Cathedral, which was founded in 1028, and St. Audoen’s Church, which was built in 1190 and is Dublin’s Oldest Medieval Parish Church. After a quick nap at the hostel, we went out for the night with our friends on a pub-crawl, and had a fabulous first night in Dublin.

The next morning, Phil, our friend Hendrik and I set out on a mission to get to Kilmainham Gaol, a jail from 1796, but on the way found the National Museum of Ireland of Decorative Arts and History, so we decided to go in a look around. This museum is housed in an old army barracks, so it was HUGE! Inside we saw some cool things from the history of Ireland, such as old army uniforms and equipment, old scientific instruments, furniture, and clothing. My favorite part was the exhibition of ancient stone crosses, which had crosses that were over 1,000 years old.

After the museum (and quite a lengthy walk), we finally made it to Kilmainham Gaol. This old jail housed many common criminals, but also those that were involved in rebellions against the British when Ireland was owned and controlled by Great Britain. Although some parts such as the floorboards and metal grates have been restored, it was really interesting to see a jail from so long ago.

After visiting the jail we made our way to Trinity College, whose beautiful campus sits in the middle of the city. We then made our way through the city center to the incredible Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, a sight that I refused to leave Dublin without seeing. Unfortunately it was quite dark once we finally got there, but this glorious cathedral was mighty and beautiful all the same. Afterwards, we met friends at Ireland’s oldest pub, The Brazen Head, which has been there since 1198!

Although it was short-lived, I loved my weekend in Dublin. If I would have known how much I was going to love Ireland, I would have planned my trip for a longer weekend, and I would have travelled to other areas of the country such as Galway, Belfast, and Cork. Since I didn’t get the opportunity to see these places, now I have an excuse to go back again!!

Location: Dublin, Ireland

Chorizo

Since I have been in Barcelona, I have been introduced to many new types of foods and various dishes that these foods are included in. One of the most important raw ingredients that I have noticed is the Spanish sausage chorizo. In one of my classes, Food as an Expression of Culture, I did a presentation on chorizo, so I would like to share the history of this Spanish necessity with you.

Chorizo is a pork-based sausage seasoned with garlic and paprika (Spanish call it piment�n). It is known for it�s red color, which can be attributed to the piment�n. It has been a part of Spanish culture for centuries, even before the red peppers that make the piment�n were brought to Spain from the Americas. Although recipes vary, all at least contain the same basic ingredients chopped pork, salt, piment�n, garlic, and white wine.

Pork has always been an important part of Spanish cuisine. Centuries ago, each family had their own pig. In the late autumn/early winter season, the pigs would be fed until they were ripely plump, until the time of the matanza. The matanza was when village families gathered together and slaughtered their pigs to make hams, sausages and other pork products. The hams would then be salted, and the rest of the pork was chopped together and fermented with spices for one to two days. Then the meat was stuffed into casings made from the intestine of the pig, tied into links, and hung in the drying room where the cool, dry outside air could circulate through gaps in the tiles and windows and draw out excess moisture from the sausages.

Nowadays industrial production is able to replicate the conditions of these mountain drying rooms, with constant temperatures and controlled humidity, so that chorizo and hams can be produced year-round in optimum conditions, but many of the best chorizo are still produced using the age-old artisan methods and hung in the traditional drying rooms in the mountain air to cure.

The length of time that the chorizo is cured for depends on the size of the sausages, and also depends on if the meat is to be cooked or eaten sliced. Small, soft chorizo (used for cooking) needed to be cured for about a week, and larger, thicker chorizo could take a couple of months to dry out.

Variations of chorizo include dry cured, fresh or �soft�cured, and semi-cured. Dry cured is intended to be sliced, and when purchased can be eaten immediately. Fresh cured, also known as �soft�chorizo, must be cooked before consumed. Semi-cured is not as cured as the dry one, and not raw like the fresh one, but it can be either consumed immediately or used for cooking.

I see chorizo in everything here. In my dorm, they serve it at breakfast with cheese, at lunch on sandwiches, on pizza, in tomato sauce, mixed in with vegetables, and so many more ways. They even have chorizo flavored chips! I have to admit, I’m not a huge fan of pork, but I really do enjoy this Spanish sausage.

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Amsterdam

My friends here have been traveling for weeks already. They have been to places such as Munich for Oktoberfest, Valencia, Mallorca, San Sebastian, Paris, and many other places across Europe.

Well, this past weekend, I finally went on my first big weekend trip… AMSTERDAM, the capital of the Netherlands!!!

I have always wanted to go to Amsterdam because of its reputation for having beautiful architecture, and by no means was I underwhelmed when I saw it. The buildings look like they are right out of a storybook, painted vivid colors and designed to whimsically. Even more amazing than the fabulous buildings were the canals that wind intricately throughout the city. I think there was a canal running down or through every street! Lots of people have their own boats that they take out on the canals as they please, and canal tours are offered by companies to show visitors the city from the water. I didn’t go on a canal tour, but one of my friends that I traveled there with did and she said that it was very nice, and that she saw a lot of things that she would not have seen on foot.

Throughout the weekend, we visited a lot of attractions that the city has to offer.

First, we visited the Anne Frank Huis (Anne Frank House), where the now-famous WWII victim Anne Frank went into hiding with her family when the Jewish were persecuted during the Holocaust. Although it was a bit depressing to see the house after already knowing what the Jewish were put through during this awful time in history, at the same time, it was very interesting to see the small hidden annex that eight people were confined to live in for two years. This is an important part of our world�s history, and I highly recommend that anyone who visits Amsterdam goes to visit this.

Another attraction that we made a priority on our list was the Heineken Experience. Heineken makes it a point to let everyone know that learning and understanding how they brew their product is not just something to see, but something to really experience, and an experience it was. We saw the entire process that brings the end result of the beverage Heineken beer, from what it�s made of (did you know that it is 96% water?!), how it is made, how it is bottled, and how it has progressed through the years. This interactive journey through the Heineken Brewery is something else that I would definitely suggest to anyone that goes to Amsterdam, purely because of the enjoyment that it provides.

As anyone would when visiting a new place, we spent a great deal of time exploring the city. We saw almost anything that anyone could possibly see, from the beautiful Vondelpark, to Dam Square, to Leidesplein, to the notorious Red Light District. Dam Square had a fair going on this weekend, which was refreshing to me because it reminded me of being home.

This weekend in Amsterdam was also the Amsterdam Dance Event weekend, an electronic music conference and the world’s biggest club festival for electronic music. The conference was something for people in the music industry, but it was accompanied by a nighttime music festival which took place in 52 venues around the city. On Saturday night, my friend and I went to one of the shows and it was so much fun, very different from the clubs that we go to in Barceona.

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was when I got to see my cousin, Marisa. She studied abroad in Amsterdam while she was studying at Susquehanna University, and she loved it so much that she now lives there and is attending grad school there. It was really awesome to see her, because I haven�t seen her in awhile, but what was really interesting was to meet her Dutch friends and talk to them about the area and what it�s like to live there and everything.

So basically I had an amazing weekend, and I’ve decided that Dutch people are my favorite group of people in Europe that I have come across thus far because of the fact that they don�t treat tourists as tourists. All of the people that I met were genuinely friendly and wanted to get to know me. The people that I met at the dance event that I went to were all fun-loving people that just wanted to make sure that I had the best time possible during my trip. In the future, I definitely want to go back and visit again!

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Montjuïc

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Recently, while many of my friends went travelling during our first three-day weekend, my roommate and I decided to take a day trip to Montju�c, a mountain in Barcelona that looks over the old part of the city. Located in Pla�a d’Espanya, Montju�c is home to many important sites of Barcelona, including the Montju�c Castle, the Montju�c Cemetery, various museums, and the Olympic Ring. As soon as I got off of the Metro in d’Espanya, I was met with the breathtaking sight of Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, which houses over 1,000 years of Catalan art.

As we made our way up the mountain, we were met with many other beautiful sights. Fountains, gardens, and glorious views of the city were everywhere to be found.

As we climbed closer to the top, we heard live music playing, so we followed the sounds to check it out. What we happened to stumble on was celebration for a marathon that was being run. The starting and finish lines were there, and while waiting for the runners to some through, people were able to watch tightrope walkers, listen to live music, ride down a zip line, and some other cool outdoor things like a hot air balloon.

When we finally got to the Olympic Ring, which was the venue for the 1992 Olympic Games, I couldn’t help but feel amazed to be able to see a serious part of sports history right in front of me. The Olympic Ring includes the Estadi Llu�s Companys stadium, the Palau Sant Jordi sports palace, and a telecommunications tower designed by Santiago Calatrava. The shadow that this tower casts serves as a gigantic sundial (when the shadow hits the square).

Finally, the real reason that we wanted to go to Montjuic: The Magic Fountain. Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night (time varies depending on the season), this fountain puts on a free show with beautiful colorful lights, really awesome water acrobatics, and it has music accompaniment that varies from classical to modern pop or rock. All of the bells and whistles that this show utilizes make the fountain come alive. This show was really something to see, and I definitely recommend to anyone that comes to Barcelona to check it out one night.

Location: Montjuic, Barcelona

Girona Study Journey

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Two weeks ago, my IES program took all of the students in my program on a weekend “study journey” to Girona, Spain. We left at 8 am on Friday, September 16^th, and our first stop was the Teatre-Museu Dal� in Figures. The Teatre-Museu Dal� was built on the remains of the former Figueres Theater, which was partially destroyed in a fire. It displays some of the most amazing range of works from the artistic career of surrealist artist Salvador Dal�. Because Dal� built the museum, it is only his work that is contained. He did a lot of amazing things with the architecture of the walls to create sculptures and art within the framework of what was left of the building. This museum is possibly my favorite one that I have ever been to, because I believe that Dal� was an artistic genius, and his work is magnificent and never ceases to amaze me.

After a tour of the museum, we went to Cadaqu�s, where Dal�’s house is located, for lunch and free time to explore the beach that was there before heading to Girona for the night.

The next day, we went to La Jonquera to visit the Museu de l’Exili, the exile Museum that commemorates the Republican exiles from the Franco dictatorship era. Although quite depressing, this museum was a very important part of our study journey in that it taught us a little bit about the Spanish Civil War, which happened from July 1936 to April 1939. I had never heard about this war between Franco’s supporters and the republicans of Spain, so it was interesting to learn about it.

After La Jonquera, we took a ride to Collioure, France, a small town on the coast of the Mediterranean bay. Here, we visited an important graveyard and were given a few hours to explore the alleys of the town filled with various shops and restaurants. Most of us, however, decided to take advantage of the gorgeous, crystal-clear bay for the afternoon before returning to Girona again for the night.

On the last day, we went on a walking tour of the city of Girona. It was rainy and probably the last thing that I wanted to do was walk around the city for four hours, but we got to see some beautiful buildings and glorious works of architecture, like the old Jewish quarter, The Cathedral of Saint Mary of Girona, and a really beautiful area behind the church with centuries-old stone walls and the best view of the city.

Location: Girona, Spain

Hola de Barcelona!

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Hola! My experience in Barcelona so far has been crazy since I got here!

After my first ever flight to Europe, I arrived in Barcelona on September first to the welcoming, smiling faces of the IES staff and my fellow study abroad students. After a quick meeting telling me where I was staying, I jumped in a taxi with my newest friend at the time and we were on our way to our dorm, Col.legi Major Sant Jordi. Our RA Tatiana was waiting at the front door to greet us and bring us up to our rooms, and what did you know, my new friend and I were neighbors!

I quickly became acquainted with my fabulous roommate and the rest of the IES students that live in our dorm, and I am happy to say that I love every single one of them! We all get along really well, so it’s been awesome going out together.

My first weekend here, my friends and I decided to be as touristy as possible and go on a bus tour. We went all over the city, seeing amazing sights such as artist Antoni Gaudi’s Parc G�ell (an amazing park) and Sagrada Fam�lia (a church still being built even after his death), the Barcelona futb�l stadium, Palau Reial (the Royal Palace), among may other amazing sights.

On the first day of class, I did not have all of my normal classes. We started the first Monday of classes with only our Spanish language class, and that lasted through Wednesday. Our area studies classes then started on Thursday, and this week is the first full week of all of our classes. So far, I am really enjoying all of mine. I am taking two Psychology classes, a class on the history of Barcelona in which I will have the opportunity to travel around the city and explore with my class, and a class about the food and culture of Spain, all along with my Spanish class.

The nightlife is absolutely insane. Club promoters are constantly sending out emails trying to get you to come out with them every night, but it was easy to quickly learn how to balance the nightlife and my daily class life, just like it was easy to learn at Penn State.

So far, I have been to two of the beaches that are here. During my first week I went to Barceloneta after my class, the coastal area of Barcelona. The beach was beautiful, with crystal clear blue water and a long, beautiful beach. The only downside was that it was extremely crowded so it was difficult to find a decent size spot for the group of seven of us. The second beach was Sitges, a town only about a 45-minute train ride from Barcelona. This was probably the most beautiful beach I have ever been to, with perfect water, perfect sand, perfect space, perfect everything!

Also located in Sitges is the Church of Sant Bartolomeu i Santa Tecla, a gorgeous 17^th century Gothic church located right on the beach.

On Sunday night, I went to the Festival for Catalan Independence at the Arc de Triomf, located near the Born District barrio in the city. This celebration recognizes the battle that Catalan fought against Spain to become an independent state. Although the Catalans lost the battle, this festival recognizes their fight to separate themselves in the past and their efforts to continue to do so in a non-violent way.

I have only been here for eleven days, so I am excited for what is still to come!

Location: Barcelona, Spain

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