I'm back and blogging again! Time to talk BARCELONA!

Hello family and friends!  I am now home, graduated, and my computer is fixed (if you are my facebook friend, you probably already knew that by the influx of photos I’ve added in the past two days!)  Anyway, it’s time for me to finish this blog. 

The weekend after I went to Morocco I traveled to Barcelona with some friends.  What a unique and fun city!  It is so different from Seville because it is large, cosmopolitan, diverse, and very touristy.  Touristy isn’t necessarily a good thing, but it was great to see people of different ethnicities and orientations.  When we first got there, we dropped our stuff off at the hostel and went to the city center to get tapas.  I shared my delicious go-to tapa Patatas Bravas with my friend Rachel and then took a chance on ordering a salad.  It was actually delicious!  Props to Barcelona for making the only good salad I had in Spain the entire semester! 

            After lunch we walked down La Rambla, a famous street lined with shops, restaurants and bars.  Our first stop was a beautiful market called La Boquería.  We tried EVERYTHING. (Well, I didn’t try any meats but my friends all did.)  We had cheese, fruit, candy, pastries, vegetables, and chocolates. I tried so many fruits that I’d never had before!  My two favorites were Dragonfruit and Passion Fruit. 

            At the end of La Rambla we went to the Picasso Museum.  At first I was reluctant to go because I felt “museumed-out” after having gone to so many in the weeks prior, but I am so glad that we went.  The museum displays his earlier works and formative years.  It shows his raw talent from the very beginning and I loved experiencing his development as an artist.  My favorite exhibit was the Blue Period.  There was also an exhibit of his ceramic works which were stunning, and frankly, I did not even know that they existed before that trip. 

            After the museum we went to get dinner and then headed back to the hostel.  But the day went sour after my friend got pick-pocketed on the subway.  It is so scary how skillful this pickpockets are.  She had her purse close to her body and still, they were able to get into her wallet.  Another one of my friends got pick-pocketed in Madrid.  It is disgusting that it occurs but it is fact, and one must be so careful when traveling, especially in Barcelona, which is known for its pick-pocketing.   

Barcelona is filled with landmarks designed by the famous architect Antoni Gaudí.  He was inspired by his religious faith, love of nature, and deep connection to the Catalonian culture.  His most famous piece is the Sagrada Familia.  It is a Christian Cathedral that was begun in 1882 by Francesco de Paula del Villar i Lozano and taken over by Gaudí in 1883.  However, he died before finishing it and to this day, it is still unfinished.  George Orwell called the Sagrada Familia “one of the most hideous buildings in the world,” but I thought it was fabulous.  The mere fact that it is so unique filled me with a love and appreciation for Gaudí’s work. 

My friends and I also headed out to his Park Güell, which was my favorite part of the whole trip.  It is filled with famous mosaic pieces, the most beautiful benches I’ve ever seen, two gorgeous buildings that look like Gingerbread houses, and the Gaudí House.  The whole park was like nothing I’d ever seen before.

I truly wish that I had spent more than a weekend in Barcelona, but I am thankful that I got to see the city.  I know that I have so much more to explore of the city, and I hope to make it back there one day. 

Thank you so much for reading and don’t forget to check again for posts about the rest of my semester. 

Elyssa :)

Unfortunate Occurances Keep a Girl from Blogging

Dear loyal blog readers, As luck would have it, my computer broke the week of finals and I will not be able to post here until it gets fixed. Know that I am doing well and enjoying my last week in Spain. Right now I am on a friend's computer and can't keep it for too long because she needs to write a paper. At this point, all blogposts are written in a journal and once I get home I will transfer them here and add photos. Thank you for being patient and still reading when I actually DO post! Don't forget to check back this month! Elyssa

Trip to Morocco

Hola familia y amigos!  Lo siento, it has been much harder to keep up with this blog than I’d imagined!  I have so much catching up to do that it’s overwhelming, but my time here is almost up so there will be many blogposts coming to you in the next couple of weeks! 

Anyway, a few weeks ago I went to Morocco.  It was definitely the most different and interesting place I’ve traveled to.  I went with Discover Sevilla, a touring group of American students, figuring that would be the safest way to visit Northern Africa.  Morocco is a rich place with a culture thousands of years old, and highly Arab-influenced.  We were told by Discover Sevilla before going to dress conservatively due to local customs.  My program director, Michael, warned me that part of this is because men in Morocco think that all western women are prostitutes, and if a woman even so much as looks them in the eye they think it is an invitation for sex.  Having been there I'm not sure if this is true, but then again, I wasn't exactly making eye-contact with the locals.  We were also told not to take photos of women or children because it is not only a sign of disrespect, but if we did it, we'd be asked for money.  Michael asked me not to wear my Star of David necklace and to not discuss politics with ANYONE.  He said that many Moroccans are critical towards American government policies, especially since 9/11, so it is best to avoid talking about anything remotely controversial.  I was also warned not to drink the water or even brush our teeth in it.  I was buying water bottles all weekend. 

  Morocco wasn't as scary of a place as I felt like it had been made out to be.  We began with a tour of Medina (old town) in the city of Tetouon.  We had a very personable tour-guide that spoke beautiful English, and was so passionate about what he was talking about that he was really fun to listen to.  A few girls expressed that they were nervous about being in Morocco and he said, “If anything happens I will protect you.”  It was very sweet.  He showed us the royal palace and we walked all around the city and saw people performing their crafts and selling traditional Moroccan goods.  During the tour we passed by a few women folding traditional Berber garments.  The guide asked for two volunteers, and soon enough the women were dressing up girls in our group!  I didn’t originally volunteer because I didn’t know what I was volunteering for, but now I wish I did.  I love playing dress-up!

            After touring the city for a while we went to a Pharmacy where one of our guides showed us a plethora of Moroccan oils, spices, and teas.  We got to smell every spice, try every oil, and try out a sinus-clearing herb.  I got an AMAZING massage with this incredible oil.  I bought the sinus-clearing herb because it totally worked, and a bunch of spices for my Mom and Aunt to cook with.  After that we went to get lunch, and I had the most delicious vegetable cous-cous and tea.  There was a man performing for us… dancing with a plate on his head, playing with fire, and break-dancing on the floor.  While he did that, men in the corner played some Moroccan music on the drums.  It was such a fun way to dine! 

            After that, we hopped on the bus and took a two-hour ride to Tangier for the long-awaited camel rides!  When we arrived the camels “weren’t ready yet,” which I think is hysterical, so we hung out on the beach.  The weather was absolutely stunning.  We played soccer and took off our shoes, enjoying the sand and the crisp blue ocean.  Finally, the camels were ready for us, and we headed over for our camel rides.  It was a little anti-climactic after having gone on much longer camel ride in Israel a few years ago, but it was fun nonetheless.  There were two baby camels on the side and they were so cute! 

            The following day we had a buffet-style breakfast at the hotel before heading off to Chefchouen.  Chefchouen is really striking because all of the houses and shops are shades of blue.  We had a tour of the city and saw typical public Arab baths from the outside, which are heated with firewood.  After touring the area we had another delicious lunch at a restaurant that overlooked the city.  Then our trip leaders set us free to roam the marketplace and do some bargaining with locals!  I was looking for a purse for my mom but didn’t see anything that I thought would strike her fancy, so to speak, so I just watched some of my friends practice their bargaining skills.  The only thing I ended up buying was a traditional looking Moroccan candle-holder.  While roaming the streets, tons of beggers came up to us, and they were relentless.  Even if we said no to someone 5 minutes before, they would come back and beg us again 10 more times.  I understand that beggers and poverty are unfortunate realities in the third world, but I was shocked to see so many children begging.  It made me think of the innocence of my childhood and how it seemed to be lacking there.  It broke my heart that they were begging in the streets when they should be playing.  The saddest thing I saw was when two kids, not even 12 years old ran after our bus and tried to get under it to get our luggage.  The bus driver had to stop short in order to avoid hitting them at one point.  It was a little scary, and the thought of kids doing that blew my mind a bit.  But that was one of the many things that Morocco opened my eyes to.

            After shopping in Chefchouen, we headed to the busses to get on the Ferry back to Spain.  (Did I forget to mention we took a ferry?  Yeah, we did.)  When we were entering the ferry we saw two men hiding in the rocks, and eventually they ran and tried to sneak onto it but the police managed to get them away.  Anyway, after a rocky ferry ride, I hopped on the bus back to Sevilla.  I was so sad to say goodbye to my new friends and tour guides, but I couldn’t wait to get to a place with real toilets and toilet paper instead of holes in the ground. 

            I hope to visit other countries that open my mind and my eyes the way that Morocco did.  It was such a cool experience and I’m so thankful that I was able to go. 

            Now I am off to cook dinner, but check back here every few days for new blogposts!

Hasta luego!

Elyssa