My second weekend in Spain is halfway over. Time is flying. Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. This week I spent quite a bit of time at school and working on homework. I know part of the reason I'm here is to go to school, but IES doesn't make it too hard on us. Yes, we have tests, presentations and quizzes, but the workload is pretty conducive to traveling, seeing the sites, and going out.
It looks like I'll be going to Rome next weekend, Prague in a few weeks and hopefully 1-2 more trips, either to London, Paris, or Madrid. This weekend the entire IES program went to Tarragona which is about an hour away from Barcelona. The city is located on the Mediterranean and has about 130,000 people. We toured the Roman ruins in the city and a monastery nearby. We also learned all about the Human Castells that are built in Spain and even made one for ourself. Our tower was four levels, but some have been as high as 11. The hotel IES put us up in was really nice, and we ate well for the most part.
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| Roman Amphitheater on the coast of the Mediterranean in Tarragona. |
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| Roman Circus ruins (that have been restored) in Tarragona. |
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| Here is our Human Castell. I was part of the support team on the lower level. Photo: Sara Abrams |
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| Outside the monastery we visited |
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| Outside one of the buildings that helps make up the monastery. |
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| Inside the chapel within the monastery. A weekly church service and weddings are still held here today. |
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| Sunset over Taragona |
I didn't see as many sites as I would've liked to this week. The eating schedule is pretty weird here. I eat breakfast between 9-10, have class from 1-5, and dinner is usually around 8. It makes fitting lunch in pretty confusing. Sometimes it's before class and sometimes it's tapas after class. Just depends on the day I guess. I was going to go to La Sagrada Familia on Wednesday, but went to eat tapas after class instead.
I made sure to eat lunch before class Thursday, and ended up making it to Sagrada Familia that day. It was unbelievable. This basilica is massive and another one of Gaudi's designs. I was surprised when I arrived because it is still under construction. However, many critics say there is no piece of architecture like Sagrada Familia, and I would probably have to agree.
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| Sorry for the poor photo quality, but here you can see the cranes working outside La Sagrada Familia. It has been under construction for decades. |
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| This is the ceiling inside Sagrada Familia. It is absolutely incredible, and this photo doesn't capture the magnitude and detail of the arches. |
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| Some of the stained glass windows in Sagrada Familia. Not all of the windows are painted, but it looked like they were beginning to paint some. |
I'm looking forward to watching the Barcelona futbol game on TV tonight, visiting Park GΓΌell tomorrow, and heading to Rome at the end of the week. Coming up this week I'm planning on posting more about the city of Barcelona. about where and with whom I'm living, and more about the program I am in. I might even break out a video blog at some point. Stay tuned.
