Hotel Vela

Hotel W, or Hotel Vela as the locals call it, is the huge hotel on the beach that looks like a boat sail. This weekend my roommates and I rented out an enormous suite overlooking the sea. We spent the entire weekend relaxing on the beach and near the pool, soaking up the great weather on our last weekend in Barcelona.

It was a great weekend and we had a party on Saturday night. The party was fun, but the time spent laying in the sun allowed us to think and realize that we would be leaving Barcelona in just over a week.

It was a nice way to end our semester in Barcelona. The time spent here was unbelievable and the best experience of my life. The food, night life, city, culture, and everything I got to experience here over the past 4 months have all made me into a better person.

Barcelona is now my favorite city in the world!

Olé!

Today I went to the opening day of bullfighting in the Monumental de Barcelona stadium. Bullfighting is something that I did not defend or oppose until today. I can now say that this sport should be abolished in Barcelona, and eventually all of Spain.

The bull is tortured throughout the duration of the "fight" and is stabbed repeatedly until it is exhausted and can barely stand. Then the matador stabs the bull in the neck and finally kills it. I saw six fights and could not bare any more.

Attending the fight was an amazing experience however. It is one of the most traditional Spanish events I have attended and was a great cultural experience. It is something I recommend all students do once while studying abroad.

El Raval

For our last class trip we visited El Raval, located on the left side of Plaza Catalunya. It is a very old area that is home to some of the older buildings and less wealthy people, it is also inhabited by a lot of younger people during the daytime.

We saw the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona, which is the museum of contemporary art. The area is also home to the Universitat de Barcelona campus. The campus is currently undergoing some minor construction but appears to be a great area to hang out and go to class.

The area is slowly being redone; there are currently parks under construction and the government of Barcelona appears to be interested in adding much more green space into the narrow and dim-lit neighborhood.

Munich.....Almost

We were on line to board our flight to Munich, Germany on April 16th, when at the last second, our flight was cancelled. My friends and I were really upset due to the fact that we would not be able to attend Springfest, the beer festival in Munich. This was also the last trip we had scheduled this semester, and because of the volcanic eruption in Iceland flights all over Europe were canceled.

However, once we arrived back in Barcelona from the Girona Airport, we stayed at the Hotel W for the rest of the weekend. Although we were still upset over not making it to Munich and being able to spend time with our friends who were lucky enough to get there, we still had a great time relaxing by the pool.

FC Barcelona 3 - 0 Deportivo de La Coruna

For the third straight time, I went to a Barcelona game to see the other side shut out. Maybe I should continue going to every game as a good luck charm.

Today, Bojan, Pedro, and Toure scored. Pedro scored a phenomenal goal off of a bad clearance from the Deportivo goalkeeper. He shot the misplayed clearance from about half field and curved it right into the goal over the head of the retreating keeper. Simply amazing.

As my study abroad experience comes to an end, I am encouraged to soak up as much of the Barcelona culture as I can; to me that includes attending and viewing as many FC Barca matches as possible.

FC Barca 2 - 0 Osasuna

After we enjoyed a great meal at Tapas 24, I took my friends to Camp Nou, this was my second time watching a game live. We won 2 - 0 on scores from Ibrahimovic and Bojan. My friends really enjoyed watching the best team in the world and were really happy that they got to see Leo Messi, even despite not getting to see him score a goal.

Tapas 24

I also took my friends out to a traditional Spanish dinner. They had never eaten Spanish food so I decided to take them to one of my favorite restaurants in all of Barcelona. Tapas 24 is located on Carrer de la Diputacio, right next to Passeig de Gracia.

This restaurant is extremely popular and it is often hard to get a table; it is always packed.

We ordered patatas bravas, carne con chimichurri sauce, alitas de pollo, hamburguesas, ensalada rusa, and much more. Along with a bottle of wine, this is truly one of the best places to eat in Barcelona.

Friends Visit During Spring Break

This week I had several friends visiting me in Barcelona for their Spring Break. We took them to many of the main attractions in the city including Parc Guell and Parc de la Ciutadella.

In Parc Guell we viewed all of the Gaudi sculptures and architecture and went to the top of the mountain to see the city from one of the highest points possible. The top of Parc Guell offers a truly beautiful view.

Poble Espanyol

After visiting the Olympic Stadium and the Olympic museum it made sense to continue on to the nearby Poble Espanyol. It is the Spanish village that was constructed in 1929 for the Barcelona International Exhibition. It is an architectural museum that is meant to model and portray what the many different cities in Spain look like architecturally. Each section represents a different area in Spain and contains many different styles of buildings and materials. It was very interesting to see and I recommend that everyone who visits Barcelona but does not get a chance to tour other parts of the country go see it.

Plaza Espanya & Montjuic

Plaza Espanya is at the base of Montjuic mountain and is one of the nicest areas in all of Barcelona in my opinion. There is so much great architecture and the area appears to be very clean. The area is home to many of Barcelona's greatest attractions including the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, the Magic Fountain of Montjuic and Mies van der Rohe's German Pavilion.

The top of Montjuic Mountain is where the Castell de Montjuic is located. The castle offers gorgeous panoramic view of the city and a great view of the harbor. The Olympic Stadium is also located lower down on the mountain, it is where many of the 1992 Olympic events took place, it was also the home of the RCD Espanyol football team until a few years ago.

Praha

On March 5th my friends and I arrived in Prague. We met up with our friends from Rome in Wenceslas Square and watched the Astronomical Clock show which was pretty nice. We only had two whole days in the Czech Republic so it was important that we did not waste any time in order to see everything we wanted to see.

We walked over Charles Bridge and were able to admire the city and river from the beautiful bridge. We saw the Lennon Wall and made the long trip up to the castle on top of the hill. The castle was so extravagant and large; the amount of detail that went into the building of the castle is amazing.

I was also able to taste some of the great food of the Czech Republic which was very unique given my background in eating preferences; it was very good.

Unfortunately it snowed for most of the second day so we retreated to the Beer Factory which is a huge beer hall that has large tables that have taps that continuously pour beer. After the Beer Factory we went to a club called Lucerna which was quite odd. The club only played music from the 1980's and although it was not my favorite place to spend a night, the fact that drinks were cheap made the night much better.

Prague was definitely fun for the duration of my visit, but due to the fact that its quite small compared to Barcelona I don't think I would enjoy spending an entire semester there. So after my third trip in Europe I can honestly say that Barcelona is the most fun and interesting place I have ever visited.

FC Barcelona 4 - 0 Racing

Finally, thanks to CEA I got to go to my first FCBarca game on the 20th of February. CEA provided tickets for my friends and I and we got to see the famous Catalonian squad demolish their opponent. It was an easy match, but getting to see Henry, Messi, Xavi, and company in action live was amazing.

The crowd at the match was very impressive. I can honestly say that on average the fans are better educated than average fans in America. They are ruthless when protesting a referees call and sing great chants to support the FC Barca team.

I will definitely attend more games this season.

El Born

On February 18th our class took a trip to El Born. The Born district has some of the best and cheapest dining options in all of Barcelona. It also has several pizza places that serve individual slices, which is rare outside of America. Gusto del Born has some of the best and most authentic thin crust pizza I have ever tried.

The Ribera Quarter is located very close to the Bari Gotic. It is a great area to sit outside and enjoy a nice day. There are tons of outdoor dining areas and the entire area is populated by restaurants and eateries.

There is also a new market under construction in the Born area. El Mercat del Born was designed by Josep Fontsere i Mestre. It was built over the ruins of the Ribera district and will have a glass floor to allow people to view the ruins while shopping in the market.

Roma

On February 11th I arrived in Rome, Italy. I was visiting with my good friends from my hometown in New York, USA. After spending the majority of my last trip in bars, coffee shops and doing many other unproductive things, I decided to take advantage of the magnificent history of Rome and soak up as much history and sightseeing as possible.

Over the course of the next four days I visited The Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, The Coloseum, and Estadio Olimpico. Each of the sites was unique and beautiful in its own way. The history and architecture of each structure is truly amazing.

Rome is also home to some of the best cuisine in all of the world. I was lucky to eat the best pizza and pasta that I have ever had in my life. Every single meal was remarkable. I hope that I end up enjoying every city I visit as much as I did Rome.

I Amsterdam

It is the first weekend in February and my roommates and I have finally gone on our first trip away from Barcelona. We arrived in Amsterdam on February 4th and found ourselves in a very nice and private hostel; much nicer than what I had imagined to find myself staying in. We did a lot of walking around and saw a few nice sites. We visited the Anne Frank Museum, the Heineken Factory, and the Van Goh Museum, among other things.

The city of Amsterdam is quite different than what I remember from my last visit. I was only a young teenager then and perhaps was not looking out for all of the debauchery that is clearly prevalent in the city. The Red Light District is the weirdest and freakiest place I have ever stepped foot in; at nighttime the people who visit this area are usually extremely drunk and frequently holler curse words and other obnoxious things.

All in all, the trip was fun because it was much different than what I had grown to expect while living in a residential area in Barcelona. I am now looking forward to traveling a lot throughout the semester and my next trip is to Rome, Italy.

El Museu d'Historia de Barcelona

The Barcelona History Museum is located in the Gothic Quarter; it is different than most museums I have been to. The museum actually contains some refurbished Ancient Roman ruins from the original Barcino area.

The Museum also contains a lot of ancient artwork and household items that were typical in the Domus Romana.

Overall, the museum was a great experience, it also introduced me to the Bari Gotic which is one of my favorite areas in all of Barcelona due to its old buildings and great dining options.

L'Aquarium

It's Friday, January 22nd and I just got back from Barcelona's aquarium. Is that it?!? Were some of the exhibits closed for maintenance, or was that really the whole facility? I don't know, I guess the fact that the last Aquarium I have been to happens to be one of the largest aquariums in the world, but I was a little disappointed by the lack of unique and plentiful sea creatures.

The trip to the aquarium also brought my friends and I to the Barceloneta area for the first time, so the trip was not a complete waste of time and money. Even in mid January the beach looks beautiful; I cannot wait until the weather gets better so that I can spend a lot of time on the beach and the boardwalk.

Parc Guell

Today my roommates and I went to Parc Guell. It is Saturday January 16th and due to our lack of understanding of the metro we ended up walking and taking taxis for over an hour just to get to the base of the large hill. After 20 more minutes of walking up steep, hilly terrain we finally made it the top and well, the view was definitely worth the hour and a half of frustration that it took to get there.

Arrival

I arrived in El Prat (BCN) Airport on January 12th, 2010. Having turned 21 years old less than a week before, I was already extremely excited; adding to this excitement was the fact that I would be studying abroad in Barcelona for the next four months. Needless to say it was a very exciting day, and as I begin to transfer my experiences from notepad to internet blog, I am having a great time reminiscing on all the trips and adventures I have encountered over the past two months.