Barcelona SAE

The day I’ve been dreading has finally arrived—the last day in Barcelona. Back in January when we arrived, April seemed so far away. Four months seemed like an eternity, and I thought that maybe I’d be ready to go home by the end. I couldn’t have been more wrong. These last four months have flown by and I’d give anything to be able to stay here even for just one more month. It is so weird to think that only four months ago I was standing with a group of strangers in the entrance to O’Hare airport and now those strangers have become my family. Looking back on th...

Barcelona, and Spain in general, is all about the festivals.  If there's something to be celebrated, there's gauranteed to be a festival with a giant parade and some of the weirdest things you wouldn't expect to see on the streets (like children strapped with fireworks).  Carnaval was no different, and we all decided to trek down to Sitges, a smaller town right outside of Barcelona, for the crazy party we heard was going to be going on there.  And it was crazy.  A few of us girls decided to take the trip with a bar called Stokes, for the convenience of the bus, and when we arrived...

On Mondays in February I took a salsa class.  It was by far one of the best decisions I had made.  I got to learn a lot and hopefully I can bring some moves back to the states.  It was so much fun getting to learn and dance for an hour.  We got to switch partners and we moved quickly so we could move as much as possible.  If I could, I would definitely take more classes to enhance my so-called skills.  I can't wait to salsa again and the little bit of what I have learned about dancing in Spain.

One Friday morning we took the train to Monserrat to see just what was there.  We were absolutely amazed at the views and the overall beauty of the mountains themselves.  It was truly incredible to get to hike up the mountain and relax on such a beautiful day.  The monastery was also beautiful.  Everything from the hiking to the walking to just sitting and relaxing made the day very enjoyable. I recommend visiting Monserrat to anyone who has yet to see it.

A few weeks ago I had a friend come visit who was studying in Milan.  I decided to take him to a nice paella meal on the Barceloneta strip.  The food was absolutely delicious, and it was my first Spanish paella in the city of Barcelona.  It was great to go with friends and share a cultural experience.  He said he loved the food and wishes he could come back for it.  It was an overall great meal!

Going to the Barca game was an awesome experience.  I have never really been a fan of 'futbol' but seeing the best team in the world completely changed my perspective.  The atmosphere was incredible and it was amazing to see how dedicated the fans are.  I can't say that I will ever go to an MLS game again, but I do have much more respect for the sport.  The stadium was also unreal. It was like nothing I've ever seen.  By far the biggest, and loudest sporting even I have ever been a part of.  If I get the opportunity to ever go back, I will take that up in a heartbeat.  ...

            The weather for our last weekend in Barcelona has been great, so I’m celebrating by doing as many things as possible and continuing my favorite activity of wandering aimlessly around the city after classes. This week I finally went to see Casa Milá from the inside, which was actually pretty cool. The roof has a bunch of chimneys that are shaped like masked figures. Kind of creepy, but definitely cool. Then there’s the attic or the “Gaudi Space” which basically just told about his life and his archite...

Let's talk about paella. Wow. Willl definitely miss that from Spain. The one we made in the cooking class was really good but I much prefer the seafood paella. I still think the one in Tarragona was the best I've had, but the one we had on Barceloneta was fantastic as well. Although, I will say I wasn't particularly happy about the extra charges for bread and some ridiculous other charge that they made up because we were tourists. We ordered seafood paella, a meat paella, and fideua, which was ok but the seafood paella was definitely the best thing going. 

Montserrat was an incredible experience. I am not a religious person but that mountain was incredibly beautiful. I enjoyed our hike to the top more so than the cathedral, but the cathedral was still incredibly beautiful. The stained glass was stunning and the view of the cathedral from the one courtyard was simply majestic. Journeying there with Parker, Alex, and our other roommates was definitely an unforgettable experience. The light streaming between the strange rock formations was mystical; if I recall correctly, those same formations inspired both Gaudi and Dali and I can totally see why. Awesome tri...

Just got back from a 5 day trip to Morocco on Sunday (well, technically Monday morning at 2:30am). It was a great experience and I’m so glad I went. We flew into Marrakech last Wednesday and spent the day getting acquainted with the city. We went to the square and changed money, shopped a little, had tea, and talked to local university students. The second day in Marrakech we walked around with more of the students and got to know them. They were really interesting and very friendly. They didn’t seem all that different from US students except for how much more work ethic they have. So...