My Fantastic Weekend in the Beautiful Catalonian City of Barcelona

I spent this past weekend traveling to the marvelous city of Barcelona with six other from my group studying here in Alcala de Henares. This trip has definitely been one of my favorite trips thus far, and I had an amazing group of people with whom I can forever cherish it. Barcelona is located in the northern eastern coast of Spain, touching the Mediterranean. The place was absolutely beautiful. We left Thursday night and took the midnight bus to arrive in the morning. We did not obtain the best sleep but it was worth it. We began our day by walking Las Ramblas, the antique and famous street of street performers and vendors, then making our way to the coast and seeing the water, and finally back to our first reserved hostel. We ended up leaving because of an issue with cleanliness, but we found another place after walking in and out of various places trying to see if they had room for the night (at least it wasn't midnight in Morocco with sketchy hagglers approaching us, and we had no where to stay). That night I saw one of the most impressive shows I have ever been: an Opera and Flamenco Show right on the street of Las Ramblas in its Teatre. The show blew my mind with how incredible the man and woman could move with such precision and passion at the same time. Just another aspect of the Spanish culture to fall in love with...
The next day we had a great time getting the day started at the Boqueria (the Spanish Market off of Las Ramblas) and having fresh squeezed juice, visiting Park Guell and its beautiful landscape as well as its plaza, el Catedral de La Sagrada Familia, la Casa Pedrero, la Casa Batllo, and finally during the night the Magic Fountains of Barcelona. All of these places were incredible, and the fountains were probably one of my favorite places I have been to. The beautiful array of colors, the music, the hundreds of people gathered from all over the world to witness this show, everything was beautiful about that place. Sunday, we visited the Olympic Stadium where the 1992 Olympic Games were held in Barcelona which was a really cool landmark to see, and then we spent the next 2 or 3 glorious hours at the beach. I felt like a little kid again running into the frigid waters, gathering sea shells and relaxing in the warm sand. That day was one of the best days I have spent since I have been in Spain. A great time in Barcelona, and it is crazy to think that I have been blessed with this oportunity to see these great cities of Spain (and of course Morocco) during the weekends and still have class Monday morning. I am seeing so much and loving every minute of it. Also, since we are now half way done with the semester, we all signed a contract to speak in only Spanish with one another for the rest of our time here. It is going great and it is very interesting to see where our language skills are going with our experience here. Viva Espana! Pictures from Barcelona are coming!

...Half Way!

I have difficulty processing the fact that it is already March...It felt like yesterday I was getting searched by customs in DIA just getting ready to embark on an experience that will change my life forever. Spain has certainly welcomed me, and it has allowed me to discover new avenues in which I intend to pursue. In just two months time I have gone from the person not knowing what to expect about living in a different to someone who is living among the Spanish people, speaking the language, and becoming very acquainted with the Spanish culture. I have seen over 5 different cities throughout Spain and very much intend to seeing many more, I have conquered the continent of Africa and the surprise that was in store for us in Morocco, and now I have just finished midterms. I am truly blessed to be in this place, and I am doing everything I can to take advantage of anything I can in order to get the most out of this opportunity. It is surreal for how much that has happened in the last two months, and now midterms are already over. I am in absolutely no rush for the next two months to pass; however, I remain eager to see where the next few months will take me..."The greatest use of life is to use it so that it outlives you. Live and give yourself to a cause greater than yourself."

Morocco: A Place of a Different Culture thus Pictures Cannot Do this Trip Justice

We were never so happy to be back in our home Alcala de Henares, Spain. We managed to pass all of our "barba" tests which did get a little hairy at times but we survived. We thought communicating in Spain seemed difficult at times...Now speaking Spanish in Spain feels so much more familiar.

Here I am enjoying a lovely Moroccan breakfast with Noah in our hostel outside of Meknes (which we had to take a midnight taxi ride through the Moroccan country side with two men we never met before).
















Here we are (above) enjoying our time on the beach of Tangier where one can see Spain in the distance.













































































































Our lovely room in the Marco Polo Hotel of Tangier where we ended up staying for two nights because the other hostel we reserved did not exist...scary.





Yea that's right...We totally took advantage of running into Med. Sea. What a great time.
















































































































The town of Asilah was absolutely fantastic. It was right on the beach facing the Atlantic and was so tranquil, and we were able to try the mint tea (delicious), various pastries, and some Moroccan food, and enjoy the Medina without stress. A beautiful place.










































































































































































































































The gates of Fez and the entrance into the Medina which is like a labyrinth to try and navigate its thousands of little streets. Without maps or anything we managed to conquer the Medina and continue on our adventure.