Well School is much easier than I expected. My last two finals I got a 95 and a 100. I am very proud of this result but I would have to say that GWU is much harder. What I have not gotten from class I have picked up in Spanish. I speak every night at dinner for over an hour with my homestay mother. My homestay mother, Montse, is probably the best part of Barcelona for me. She treats me as a a son and even took me to the hospital late one night when I had food poisoning. Anyways, I went to Brussels and Amsterdam this weekend. I flew out with a group of friends to Brussels. From the airport, in Brussels, 3 of my friends, Hannah, and I rented a car. I was the only driver because I was the only one with an international driver's license. Brussels is an incredible city great food, wonderful bars, and amazing architecture. Along the way, I was able to see the famous Coudenberg Palace and the EU Headquarters. I also remembered to stop at the bar Delirium to have a beer from their expansive, 2,000, beer selection. Later that day we drove to a small town outside of Hasselt. The population of our town was 10,000 people and if you combined that with the 40,000 people of Hasselt that would be the entire population for a very long drive. After a quick nap we got ready for Sensation White, a concert we planned in advance to go to. www.sensation.com All I can say about Sensation is Sensation was an incredible experience. We then woke up earlier to embark on the two hour drive to Amsterdam. Amsterdam is an old city with an incredible culture and history. Needless to say this trip left me exhausted. So for now that is all I have.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
My Trips
My first trip was to Madrid. Hannah and I spend the first day going to see the Royal Palace of Madrid and El Prado. The Royal Palace is stunning. There are lavish rooms, the greatest of which is the throne room. The Palace also had an amazing pharmacy on the grounds. The pharmacy contained hundreds of jars with traditional remedies for seemingly any cure. The Palace also had one of the greatest armories I have ever seen. This armory had battle armor most notably from Charles V, or Charles I of Spain, and Philip II. There were swords from the japanese army at the time, shields and helmets from the Turks they overcame in the Battle of Lepanto, and even guns from the Americas. We then went to El Prado, which I think is the greatest portrait museum in the world. The Prado is home to famous works of Goya, Velasquez, Titian, Greco etc. It was an incredible experience to say the least. I also ate at a a very typical Spanish restaurant. It is actually more tipical of "el campo" or the country side. Hannah ordered chicken on a skewer haha. I was more daring and had the elbow or shoulder of a pig. I am not quite sure. Disclaimer: Hannah is a pretty daring eater most of the time and in this case I don't blame her for getting the chicken haha. The studio apartment we had was amazing. It was right in the heart of one of the city's busiest squares. Overall it was a great trip.
My next trip was to Venice: Venice is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Our hotel room was supposedly flooded the first day so we actually got to stay in a nicer hotel for the first night. Later the next day we had to move our original hotel. We had an amazing dinner at this places called the "Zucca" or pumpkin in Italian. Absolutely fantastic I highly recommend it for anyone that goes to Venice. Everything in Venice is ridiculously expensive however. Also, there are a bunch of hidden fees such as a table charge or a bread charge. We went to the Doge's Palace, which was incredible. It was enormous and was very exciting historically. We also saw the Rialto Bridge and took a gondola ride. Finally, we got to witness the beginning of carnaval. They brought out a fountain and when Venetians called for the opening of carnaval the fountain spewed red wine. They passed out the red wine to everybody in San Marco square free of charge. Venice was gorgeous and extremely interestingly historically.
My latest trip was to Sevilla and Cadiz. Hannah, our friend Genna, and I went to visit one of my best friends from GWU. We got to Sevilla and had drinks on a roof top with some local Sevillians and American students. We later went out to the bars and had a good night. The next day we woke up and went to the famous cathedral in Sevilla. This cathedral is supposedly the 2nd largest in the World and contains the remains of Christopher Colombus. Later that day we went to the Alcazar and had a wonderful time exploring the palace and its gardens. Sevilla overall is much like the vision we have of Spain. It is a city with a large church, a bull fighting rink, narrow streets, flamenco dancing, and tipical Spanish cuisine. It is a wonderful city and I am glad I visited. On the second night of our trip the four of us embarked for carnaval in Cadiz. The four of us for 19 euros a piece booked a trip with discoversevilla. They bussed us to and from Cadiz. Carnaval was one of the greatest experiences of my life. It is a combination of Mardi Gras and Halloween basically. In fact Mardi Gras was based off of Carnaval. Everyone gets completely dressed up, I was dressed as the Pope, and parties on the streets to the early hours of the morning. Incredible.
My next trip was to Venice: Venice is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Our hotel room was supposedly flooded the first day so we actually got to stay in a nicer hotel for the first night. Later the next day we had to move our original hotel. We had an amazing dinner at this places called the "Zucca" or pumpkin in Italian. Absolutely fantastic I highly recommend it for anyone that goes to Venice. Everything in Venice is ridiculously expensive however. Also, there are a bunch of hidden fees such as a table charge or a bread charge. We went to the Doge's Palace, which was incredible. It was enormous and was very exciting historically. We also saw the Rialto Bridge and took a gondola ride. Finally, we got to witness the beginning of carnaval. They brought out a fountain and when Venetians called for the opening of carnaval the fountain spewed red wine. They passed out the red wine to everybody in San Marco square free of charge. Venice was gorgeous and extremely interestingly historically.
My latest trip was to Sevilla and Cadiz. Hannah, our friend Genna, and I went to visit one of my best friends from GWU. We got to Sevilla and had drinks on a roof top with some local Sevillians and American students. We later went out to the bars and had a good night. The next day we woke up and went to the famous cathedral in Sevilla. This cathedral is supposedly the 2nd largest in the World and contains the remains of Christopher Colombus. Later that day we went to the Alcazar and had a wonderful time exploring the palace and its gardens. Sevilla overall is much like the vision we have of Spain. It is a city with a large church, a bull fighting rink, narrow streets, flamenco dancing, and tipical Spanish cuisine. It is a wonderful city and I am glad I visited. On the second night of our trip the four of us embarked for carnaval in Cadiz. The four of us for 19 euros a piece booked a trip with discoversevilla. They bussed us to and from Cadiz. Carnaval was one of the greatest experiences of my life. It is a combination of Mardi Gras and Halloween basically. In fact Mardi Gras was based off of Carnaval. Everyone gets completely dressed up, I was dressed as the Pope, and parties on the streets to the early hours of the morning. Incredible.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Back Again: This is what I have learned
Sorry I am going to try to get into a habit about writing on this blog more.
First of all this is the most incredible experience of my life and I am so glad I did it. Barcelona is an amazing city with a very interesting history and culture. I have gone to mostly all the tourist sites such as Parc Guell, the Sagrada Familia, Mont J'uic, Barceloneta etc. I have found the classes interesting but also much easier than those at GW. I have learned most by experiencing what it is like to live in Barcelona, by traveling in Europe, and speaking with members of these communities. I have traveled to Madrid, Valencia, Seville, Cadiz, and Venice. I have seen the Prado and the beautiful Aquarium in Valencia. I have also experienced the Royal Palace in Madrid and Carnaval in Venice and Cadiz. It has been a whirlwind of a time so far and the forecast only seems brighter.
What I have learned:
The Origins of Tapas: Tapa came from the plate that waiters used to put on the top of their coffee cups to block flies or other particles from falling in. On top of the plate would be a piece of food. Now tapas are served at nearly every restaurant in Spain.
Spirit of Barcelona: I heard before coming to Barcelona that they considered themselves "different" than the rest of Spain and certainly Madrid but I never understood the extent of the nationalistic spirit. It seems that this nationalistic spirit has become so ingrained in the very fabric of Barcelona that it would be nearly impossible to try to understand life in Barcelona without experiencing the sentiment. Every class minus one I have taken there has been a talk of the history of Barcelona and their separate identity from Spain. The soccer team FC Barcelona is the people's military and voice of nationalism. The slogan plastered on the seats of the legendary Camp Nou is "Mes que un Club"Which in Catalan means "more than a club." The team's biggest rival is Real Madrid or Royal Madrid in (English). The game is dubbed "Il Clasico." The people pledge full allegiance to the region of Catalunya and speak of their differences from the rest of Spain. The people of Barcelona feel that they have always been self efficient and a center of commerce. Throughout the history of Spain, Barcelona has prospered while Madrid and the rest of Spain hurt. Many feel that the government of Madrid have enjoyed the prosperity that Barcelona provides but they don't represent Barcelona as well as the people of Barcelona deserve. Most of the advertisements are published in Catalan. Barcelona's citizens believe that bull fighting is backwards and reject the flamenco as their national dance. They even claim to have an independence day although this is illegal in Spain.
The law for pick pockets: It allows pick pockets to steal under 400 euros without a serious punishment. Robbers can avoid jail altogether if they steal under 400 euros and have a grace period until the pay fines. Thus "carrteristas" are all over the place.
More to Come...
First of all this is the most incredible experience of my life and I am so glad I did it. Barcelona is an amazing city with a very interesting history and culture. I have gone to mostly all the tourist sites such as Parc Guell, the Sagrada Familia, Mont J'uic, Barceloneta etc. I have found the classes interesting but also much easier than those at GW. I have learned most by experiencing what it is like to live in Barcelona, by traveling in Europe, and speaking with members of these communities. I have traveled to Madrid, Valencia, Seville, Cadiz, and Venice. I have seen the Prado and the beautiful Aquarium in Valencia. I have also experienced the Royal Palace in Madrid and Carnaval in Venice and Cadiz. It has been a whirlwind of a time so far and the forecast only seems brighter.
What I have learned:
The Origins of Tapas: Tapa came from the plate that waiters used to put on the top of their coffee cups to block flies or other particles from falling in. On top of the plate would be a piece of food. Now tapas are served at nearly every restaurant in Spain.
Spirit of Barcelona: I heard before coming to Barcelona that they considered themselves "different" than the rest of Spain and certainly Madrid but I never understood the extent of the nationalistic spirit. It seems that this nationalistic spirit has become so ingrained in the very fabric of Barcelona that it would be nearly impossible to try to understand life in Barcelona without experiencing the sentiment. Every class minus one I have taken there has been a talk of the history of Barcelona and their separate identity from Spain. The soccer team FC Barcelona is the people's military and voice of nationalism. The slogan plastered on the seats of the legendary Camp Nou is "Mes que un Club"Which in Catalan means "more than a club." The team's biggest rival is Real Madrid or Royal Madrid in (English). The game is dubbed "Il Clasico." The people pledge full allegiance to the region of Catalunya and speak of their differences from the rest of Spain. The people of Barcelona feel that they have always been self efficient and a center of commerce. Throughout the history of Spain, Barcelona has prospered while Madrid and the rest of Spain hurt. Many feel that the government of Madrid have enjoyed the prosperity that Barcelona provides but they don't represent Barcelona as well as the people of Barcelona deserve. Most of the advertisements are published in Catalan. Barcelona's citizens believe that bull fighting is backwards and reject the flamenco as their national dance. They even claim to have an independence day although this is illegal in Spain.
The law for pick pockets: It allows pick pockets to steal under 400 euros without a serious punishment. Robbers can avoid jail altogether if they steal under 400 euros and have a grace period until the pay fines. Thus "carrteristas" are all over the place.
More to Come...
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Parc Guell & Other occurences
Today I went to Parc Guell. Park Guell is home to the house of the famous architect Antoni Gaudi. In the park Gaudi has created some buildings and sculptures in his famous modernismo technique. I also was able to attend a FCB Barcelona game. The Camp Nou stadium is the largest stadium in Europe and you can tell by just the noise level. It is said that the soccer team in barcelona is "more than a soccer team." It is in fact also a political statement of Catalan independence.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Jan 13
Today I finished up my orientation at IES. It was alright but not the most exciting thing. I also went with hannah to the Sagrada Familia which was amazing. The church, although under construction, was one of the most beautiful and most unique churches I have been in. We went to the top by elevator, because I was not climbing over 400 steps, and took in the amazing views of barcelona. Later in the day I completed a scavenger hunt which was given to the students by IES. It turned out to be very exciting and educational as I explored the city with a friend for over 2 hours. Tonight I am going to take a night off from the bars and go to a movie near the port.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Today is the Day
I have finished all my errands that need to be done before I go abroad. I am currently watching TV and hoping that I can somehow watch some of the NFL playoff games. Yes, I know I have a bad obsession. I am a little bit anxious about my trip but I am also excited. I fly from Fort Lauderdale to Newark then to Barcelona. Adios United States.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
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