Casey's Semester Abroad in Europe: April 2013

Segrada La Famiglia

Last weekend I had the privilege of going to Barcelona. It was a spur-the-moment kind of trip that Emily and I booked two nights prior to leaving. We tagged along with out friend Armann and planned to meet up with some friends that we studied in Italy with. We had a flight bright and early on Friday and got into Barcelona around 10am. Once we got to our hotel and figured stuff out with the mean receptionist, we were ready to be tourists of the great city!

The only way to see Barcelona in a weekend is to take one of the city hop on/hop off tour busses, so thats exactly what we did. We caught the bus around noon and finished around 7pm. There is SO much to see in Barcelona, it is unbelievable. One of the first main stops we got off at was Segrada La Famiglia. It is one of the most famous churches built by Gaudi who is the most famous architect of Barcelona. Segrada la Famiglia is always under construction so it doesn't make for nice pictures, but it is still very cool. It is one of the most elaborate churches I have ever seen. Next we went to a famous park modeled by Gaudi. This park was unlike anything I have ever seen before. The views of the city, plants, wildlife, and architecture were all stunning! What is also special about this park si that they had an episode of America's Next Top Model filmed there. So of course we had to check out the exact runway spot where they filmed. I could have easily spent my whole day exploring the park!

Next on the tour we got off at the FC Barcelona Stadium. This is the famous soccer team of Barcelona. Unfortunately I didn't get to see a game but it was still awesome being on the premise of such a famous European organization. After that we visited the Olympic Stadium where the 1992 olympics were held. It was amazing to see all the official fields they used. We made a few more stops like this famous art museum, Plaza de Espana, the marina and other cool landmarks. We were too tired and hungry to stop at every place so we just stayed on the bus for the last few stops.

After the tour bus we went and got dinner at some random restaurant we found. It was soo delicious. Spain is known for their tapas which is basically small portions of food. It is nice because we can order a lot of little things and try different foods! We also ordered Sangria wich is my favorite drink here. It was very refreshing. Hopefully I can convince my mom to let me make some when I get back! That night after dinner we had to check out the night scene since Barcelona is known for having great night life. They have the main strip of clubs right on the beach that are very well known. We went into one and had a great time with all of our friends!

Park by Gaudi

They next day we decided to take it slow since we had a fast-paced day before. We walked down to the Marina and checked out all the cool vendors and what not. I most liked walking along the pier by the beach. There were so many people out on the beach tanning and playing volleyball. Nobody really goes in the water there, probably because it's still too cold. But I can officially say I have touched the Mediterranen Sea! Later that day we grabbed dinner and went out to a club that Emily's brother suggested since he had been to Barcelona before. It was a very interesting club. I guess you could say that is was very European. Different music and a different crowd that any club I have ever been to. It was a cool experience though! On Sunday morning we left back to Seville tired as could be.

Overall barcelona was one of the most amazing cities I have visited. It was a mix of an urban city and a cute beach town- the best of both worlds. It was very touristy but not in a bad way. There is so much to do and see. they really keep you busy there. I also love how they say Barcelona..they pronounce it as BarTHelona. It sounds like every one has a lisp there but its just the way the Catalonian dialect is there I guess. I would LOVE to go back to Barcelona one day!

America's Next Top Model Runway

Band we found in the park

FC Barcelona Stadium

famous art museum

Olympic Stadium

Place of the Olympics in 1992

Marina

me armann and emily

Me and Armann

Man walking his Ferret

The Pier

I touched the Mediterranean Sea!

From the moment I got to Sevilla (As the Spaniards say it) I was pretty much in love with it. The weather, people and atmosphere was completely overwhelming. We arrived pretty late at night so it was hard to see where exactly we were when driving to our campus. We are staying in a hostel since St John's doesn't have an official campus in Spain. It sounds like it would be a crappy living situation but it actually is very nice. Emily and I are roommates yet again. We have the largest room :). All rooms have private bathrooms, un-bunked beds, and a private balcony. Its pretty much like a hotel I cant complain. One thing I didn't like off the bat was the location of our residence. It is about a 25 minute walk from the city center. There is one main road we live by that has a lot of convenience stores but nothing like city center. We often walk or rent bikes to go into town. There is a beautiful park close to us, Maria Luisa Park which has Plaza de Espana inside.

On our first day of classes the girls decided to go for a walk tot the Park. We rowed boats in Plaza de Espana and had a great time! The park is huge and you can always find people hanging out with friends, taking pictures and running there. Spanish people love being outside and staying active. The weather upon arrival was pretty decent. Low 60's to high 50's. It was rainy the first few days but oh how that has changed in just one week. This week in Spain in drastically hotter. It was been in the 80's! Usually that's not too hot but since I haven't been in warm weather for awhile my body isn't used to it.

I really couldn't have been any luckier with my timing in each country. I hit the jackpot with Spain! Our first week here was a huge Easter celebration. Although we weren't here for Easter we did see a few days of the week-long celebration. They have this celebration called Semana Santa or Holy Week. People coem in masses to the city center and celebrate with traditional music, dance, parades and costume. The traditional costume is very shocking to the eyes of Americans because it looks like the KKK. They wear tall point hats and big cloaks. It is very odd for us to see but very traditional and religious for them.
This week in Sevilla is especially cool because it is La Feria de Abril. La Feria is a similar to a county fair. In the olden days it was a livestock fair but now it is all about drinking and dancing. Women dress up in traditional Flamenco dresses and the men wear sports coats, button downs and slacks. It is really a sight to see.It is hard to describe the enormity of the festival. People flock in thousands to La Feria. They all party in Casettas which are like little houses or tents. Families or companies own these casettas. People eat and dance all week long in them. There are also public ones that anyone can go to to dance and grab drinks. They also have a carnival at La Feria with games and rides to go on. It is a really fun atmosphere and such a huge deal to the people of Sevilla. It has been a special treat to witness La Feria in Sevilla.