Casey's Semester Abroad in Europe

When Emily's dad was here he took us on a weekend trip to Gibraltar. My brother had been to Gibraltar before so I was very excited to go and tell him about my experience there too! We drove down to Gibraltar because Mr. Lipe (Emily's Dad) had rented a car for the week he was here. It took us about 2 1/2 hours to get there. We stopped a few times on the way to grab a drink and take a bathroom break. While we were driving I couldn't help but keep staring out the window. The countryside of Spain is so beautiful. It almost reminded me of the drive from San Jose to Los Angeles yet way prettier. Not much out there but green fields, windmills and random rest stops. After awhile I dosed off in the car. Emily and Mr. Lipe got a kick out of how easily I could fall asleep in a car and managed to snap a few shots of my great napping faces.
We arrived to Gibraltar before I knew it. As we approached the city we noticed that there were border patrol people. Little did we know that Gibraltar was a different country. We rolled up to the police and they asled for our passports. Luckily I had mine and so did Mr. Lipe but Emily unfortunately forgot hers. The border patrol lady said there was no way to cross over unless everyone had their passport. We tried to get through with Emily's photocopy passport she kept in her wallet but it didn't suffice. We drove away with frustration and disbelief that Gibraltar was a different country. Mr. Lipe wasn't too upset because he realized there was nothing we could do. We went to a little coffeeshop to grab something to drink and to figure out our new game plan. These two men there who I think owned the shop tried to help us out but they pretty much said it was impossible to cross without a passport. "Three people, two passports, impossible!" They were very funny and very nice. They even called our hotel to cancel our first nights stay. We decided to drive back to Seville and head back down to Gibraltar early the next morning. Luckily it wasn't too long of a drive.

Once we arrived to Gibraltar the next morning we were eager to show our passports and get our adventure started. We checked into our hotel which was beautiful by the way. We encountered monkeys the moment we got there. They were outside playing on the hotel overhang and cars. I knew there were monkeys in Gibraltar but seeing them was surprising at first. Mr. Lipe got Emily and I an upgraded suite with nice balcony view of the ocean. Our first day was spent shopping and exploring the downtown. I did not know that Gibraltar was British territory. Everyone there was white and spoke english. You heard very little spanish, I was very surprised. The city was kind of weird and reminded me a lot of the Canary Islands. A lot of different people, kind of dirty and touristy. Mr. Lipe really wanted to buy Emily and I something from a store but we literally didn't find anything worth buying which is VERY shocking for me and Emily. That night we ate dinner at our hotel. It was so delicious!

The next day was our adventure day. We were anxious to explore the Rock of Gibraltar! We grabbed a taxi (tour guide taxi) at the bottom of the hill and started our tour. We first went to see the lighthouse. There is a lookout point where we could see North Africa and the Gibraltar Straights. Next we went to the St Michaels Caves. I had no idea there were caves inside the rock. the caves weren't that extensive but it was still pretty cool to see. Huge stalagmites everywhere! After that the cab took us up to the top of the rock. Here is where they have the monkeys and the best views. The monkeys were a little intimidating. Some people were holding them but I refused, plus our cab driver said not to touch them. There were climbing all over the taxis and even jumping on people. We saw about 12 at the top of the mountain. Some were really small and cute and others looked like fat grandpas. After taking some pictures and trying not to get attacked by the monkeys we headed down the rock and stopped at the tunnels. The tunnels are where they had WWII remnants. It was really cool to see cannons, carved out rooms for hiding and storage and the holes in the rock for lookout. Mr. Lipe is a huge history buff so he really enjoyed it. Our last was a castel. It wasn't to fancy or impressive to be honest. That was the end of our tour.
We were pretty tired after that so we went back to the hotel and took a nice nap. Sleeping with the balcony window open was great because the sound of the waves crashing put me right to sleep. Once we woke up all refreshed we got ready for dinner. We tried to go to a famous place our taxi driver suggested but it was booked for the night. We found a great place along the water anyways. The next day we packed up and headed back to Seville. It was a great weekend trip with Emily and her dad. If it wasn't for Mr. Lipe we probably wouldn't have seen Gibraltar. It was a great city to see once in your life!

gibraltar!

view from the balcony

cute bathroom

monkeys huddled at the top

tunnels

cocktails

stuffed chicken with caramelized onions and veggies

tiramisu

selfie with Mr. Lipe and Emily

salmon and potoatoes

lemon meringue

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!