130 Days Later: Cheers, London!

130 days ago, I arrived in London for the start of my semester abroad. It's easily been the quickest 130 days of my entire life.

It's been a fleeting 3 days in London after returning from my final trip abroad. I can't believe it, but this will be my last blog post for my semester in Europe. Before I write down some final thoughts about my experiences, let's play catch up.

On Sunday, after unpacking, blogging, and doing laundry, Eric and I headed to the evening prayer service at Westminster Abbey. I had passed by the outside of this famous church numerous times, but had not yet stepped inside. Usually visitors are charged an admission fee of 10 pounds (a bit pricey if you ask me), but if you go for a worship service, you are allowed to enter for free. The prayer service was a great way to see the inside of this gorgeous church! Afterwards, Eric and I headed to one last traditional English pub meal at one of our favorite London spots, The Blackfriar. It was as great as ever!

Side of Westminster Abbey

Entrance to Westminster Abbey

Yesterday, Eric and I had one last day of fun in London. Of course, it rained for a good portion of the day, but it wouldn't be London otherwise! We started the day with one last English breakfast at one of our favorite restaurants, Big Chill House, just down the road. After that, we hopped on the tube and headed to Kensington Gardens, which is attached to Hyde Park. We walked through the gardens outside the palace, and then took a short tour of Kensington Palace. After seeing Windsor Castle, everything else seems to pale in comparison, but apparently William & Kate still live in Kensington Palace for part of the year, so that's pretty exciting!

Kensington Gardens on a gloomy day

Kensington Palace

After visiting the palace, Eric and I rented Boris Bikes (Barclays rental bikes, a program started by Boris Johnson, the mayor of London) so that we could bike through Hyde Park to Oxford Street. Although it would have been nice to have a warmer and sunnier day, Hyde Park is still beautiful!

Biking through Hyde Park on a Boris Bike!

Eric and I made it to Oxford Street and stopped at Primark, a huge (and cheap) department store, to make some last minute purchases. After that, we hit up Cool Britannia one last time to get some last-minute souvenirs, followed by dinner at Inamo, an Asian-fusion restaurant near Piccadilly Circus, with our friend Dave. It was a great way to end a great day! 

Today I spent the majority of the day packing, which was surprisingly not as much of a challenge as I had anticipated. I didn't really accumulate too much during my time abroad, partly because most of my money was spent on traveling. For dinner, I joined by fellow BC London students for the Boston College Farewell Dinner at Fire and Stone, an Italian restaurant in Covent Garden. It was a great last meal in London! I met some really great people from BC this semester and look forward to continuing those friendships back home.

Last tube ride!

With that, I have a little over 12 hours until I board my US Airways flight back to Philadelphia. I truly cannot believe that the time has already come for me to return home. In some ways, it feels like I've been away for a year. In other ways, it feels like I just got here last week. Though I know I'll miss London, I am definitely ready to return home to my family and familiarity. Especially in light of all of my recent traveling, I am absolutely exhausted. 

During my four and a half months abroad, I managed to make it to 3 continents, 11 countries, and 14 cities. I cannot express how grateful I am for the opportunity to spend a semester studying in Europe. I recognize that many people never get a chance to explore the world like this, and my experiences here will undoubtedly stay with me for the rest of my life. I was also so lucky to be able to share such incredible experiences with my boyfriend, Eric, and I know we'll always cherish the memories we made here.  

During my time abroad I definitely learned a lot about myself. I had a lot of ups and downs, as I adjusted to a new country, a new school, and new people. But, after 130 days, I can wholeheartedly say that London has become another home to me. I'll miss heading to Piccadilly Circus for dinner, riding the tube all around the city (mind that gap!), shopping for my groceries at Tesco and Sainsbury's, hearing "Cheers"on a regular basis, having a pint of beer at an old-fashioned pub, and so much more. 

To anyone who has followed by blog during my semester abroad, thank you. Writing this blog was a way for me to not only share my experiences here with friends and family back home, but also a way for me to reflect and remember for myself. 

I'm already looking forward to being able to return to London in the future, and walk down now familiar streets. But for now, it's time to head back to America for a Philly summer full of family, friends, internships, and most importantly, my puppies, Sade and Coop. 

So, until next time: 

CHEERS, LONDON!

Barcelona: Beaches and Sangria

After a quick flight from Marrakech, Eric and I arrived in Barcelona, Spain for the second half of our trip. After a scorching few days in Morocco, it was a welcome return to milder weather. We took a quick taxi to our hostel, which seemed like a 4 star hotel after our disaster in Marrakech. We ended up staying in an absolutely fantastic location, and were in walking distance of many different Barcelona attractions, including the gorgeous beach!

After settling into our hostel, Eric and I explored the neighborhood a bit. There are a lot of pedestrian-only streets, which adds calmness to an otherwise bustling city. We came across the Barcelona Cathedral and stopped inside. It was absolutely stunning!

Exterior of Barcelona Cathedral

Interior of Barcelona Cathedral - such gorgeous gothic architecture!

We then ate a delicious first meal at a restaurant called Arcano, where we enjoyed our first Sangria of the trip!

Nothing like enjoying a glass of Sangria in Spain!

One thing I learned very quickly about Barcelona (and apparently the rest of Spain in general) is that people stay up very late. This is in part because they don't eat until 8:30 or 9 at the absolute earliest. This also means, though, that the city has a late start each day. When Eric and I were walking around at 9 in the morning, we often only saw other tourists, and many shops weren't open until at least 10.

On our first full day, we took a free walking tour of the Gothic section of Barcelona. Our guide was an Australian man named Chris, who basically studied here five years ago for his master's degree and never left. After a few days in Barcelona, I could understand why. It was easily the best walking tour we'd taken during our semester in Europe, and we learned a lot about the city and its history.

One of the reasons a walking tour through Barcelona is a good idea is because there are so many things to see that you might not notice were you just passing through by yourself. Within the first couple minutes of the tour, Chris pointed out this small shrine located a few meters above the street, to the co-patron saint of Barcelona,  Saint Eulalia, who was a 13-year old Roman Christian who was tortured and killed in Barcelona during the persecution of Christians during the reign of Emperor Diocletian.

We then walked to a quiet square with this old church that was heavily bombed during the Spanish Civil War.

The square is very peaceful and quiet, which is quite a change from the otherwise bustling city of Barcelona.

We then made our way toward the Barcelona Cathedral, and stopped to look at this aqueduct that was built during the time of the Romans.

Though we wouldn't have realized it without our tour guide, these were actually the original Roman gates to the city of Barcelona.

The side of the Barcelona Cathedral

We then stopped at the Palau de la Generalitat, which is home to the government buildings of Barcelona. This building is the office of the president of the region of Catalonia. It is one of the few buildings from the medieval period of Europe that still functions as a seat of government and houses the institution that originally built it.

One aspect of Barcelona I didn't really understand before visiting and taking the walking tour is that many people in Barcelona don't consider Barcelona to be part of Spain. Catalan is the spoken language of Barcelona, and it is in the region of Catalonia. To this day, there are many residents of Barcelona who support an independent Catalan nation. In fact, our tour guide explained that the percentage of people who support independence has risen to above 50% in light of the recent economic crises plaguing Europe.

This flag on the right balcony is actually a secessionist flag, and is technically illegal in Barcelona, though the law is not enforced. The red and yellow stripes without the blue triangle and star are the flag of Catalonia. The balcony on the left has a sign that reads "Language is a Right and Culture" in Catalan. Our tour guide explained that there have been recent proposals to return the language of teaching in Catalonian schools to Spanish (it has been Catalan for years). This sign acts as a protest to such proposals. Clearly, this is an extremely heated debate in Barcelona right now. 

We then headed to Placa Reial, which is filled with palm trees that were apparently imported from Hawaii for the 1992 Summer Olympics!

Our tour guide also pointed out the Barcelona is a city with tons of street art, like this space invader that can be found all over the world, done by a famous street artist from Paris who goes by the name of The Space Invader (how fitting!).

After our walking tour concluded, Eric and I wandered over to Las Ramblas, one of the main streets of Barcelona. On Las Ramblas sits La Boqueira, a huge marketplace that Eric and I visited numerous times each day.  

Entrance to La Boqueira 

Our favorite part of La Boqueira was all of the fruit stands that sell fresh fruit juice for 1.50 Euro. Many stalls had deals so that you could by 2 juices for 2 Euro, which was perfect for us. There were endless mixes of different fruits, and I'm pretty sure that between the two of us, Eric and I tried almost every flavor! 

Enjoying some fresh coconut and banana juice - possibly one of the best things I've ever tasted!

La Boqueira also had chocolate and candy - what's not to love?!

So much fresh produce!

Peppers galore

Our walking tour was run through a company called Travel Bound, and they do much more than walking tours. Because we were so impressed with the walking tour, we decided to sign up for 2 more events/programs run by the organization. The first was a Paella Cooking Class! As part of the class, we traveled back to La Boqueira to learn about the different types of ingredients needed for Paella. 

There is a huge seafood section in La Boqueira, where you can buy live crabs and lobsters. Literally, as fresh as it gets!

For our paella, we needed clams, mussels, prawns, and shrimp.

We also learned about the different spices needed for paella! Fun fact: saffron (the most expensive spice in the world) is cheaper in Spain than it is anywhere else, because it comes from the southern regions of the country.

We also stopped to learn about some of the more unusual types of food you can buy at La Boqueira. I'll spare you the details of what all of this stuff is and let you use your imagination. Thankfully, none of this was going anywhere near our paella!

The Paella cooking class was also a great way to meet new people. Eric and I sat next to a girl from California and Canada, who are traveling around the world for the next few months. We got to know each other over pitchers of Sangria and plates of tapas while our chef cleaned the fresh seafood from La Boqueira!

Paella cooking in action!

Another part of the course was learning how to make Sangria. Red wine, orange juice, lemon Fanta (or lemon juice), brown sugar, fruit, and 2 types of liquor make the perfect glass.

Prepared paella!

Eric and I both had a great time at the paella cooking class, and was probably one of the highlights of our trip. It was the first time we had done something organized through a specific travel company while visiting a city, and is definitely something I'll do again!

Though I don't normally consider myself a club person, Eric and I decided that while in Barcelona (famous for its clubs) we had to give one club a try. We went to arguably the most famous club in Barcelona, called Opium, which is directly on the beach. Clubs in Barcelona don't even open until 11:45 at night, and people stay until 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning. Needless to say, Eric and I didn't go that crazy, but we still had a great time. However, drinks at these clubs range from 12-20 Euro, which is quite a high price tag! I got one drink for 12 Euro, and didn't return to the bar the rest of the night. 

Slowly sipping my one drink on the beach! We really did have a great time at the club, which has places to lounge and sit with friends, and a big dance floor with numerous DJs! They really do know how to have a good time in Barcelona!

The next morning, Eric and I took advantage of another event run by Travel Bound - a free bike tour! You have to pay 5 Euro to rent a bike, but other than that, like the walking tours, the bike tour is tip-based. This was a great way to see the parts of Barcelona that are farther away from the main parts of the city. 

I was honored to have the Hello Kitty bike - so trendy!

Biking through Barcelona! Luckily, there are a lot of bike lanes throughout the city, which makes things a little easier.

Our first stop on the bike tour was Parc de la Ciutadella, a huge park in Barcelona with this absolutely gorgeous fountain. Though it was a gloomy day, it was still beautiful to look at!

The Arc de Triomf of Barcelona (less famous than the one in Paris, but still stunning!)

Casa Batllo (unfortunately couldn't get a great picture because of where we stopped on the bikes), designed by Gaudi, a famous architect who was the figurehead of Catalan modernism, seen everywhere in Barcelona.

The roof of Casa Batllo is designed to look like a dragon - see it?

Windows of Casa Batllo

Balconies and walls of Casa Batllo

A couple of blocks away was Casa Mila, also designed by Gaudi

People still live in Casa Mila, even though it is packed with tourists every single day!

Such interesting architecture; I was really mesmerized by it!

Our next stop was La Sagrada Familia, which has been being built for more than 100 years, and was/will be Gaudi's biggest masterpiece. 

Standing in front of La Sagrada Familia - unfortunately, we did not have the time to go inside during our stay in Barcelona, because it is difficult to get tickets and you must get them in advance.

But, at least we were able to enjoy the exterior of this stunning church!

On our way back to the beach, we passed this building, which was the bull-fighting ring of Barcelona until bull-fighting was banned in the region 2 years ago. I asked our tour guide why it was banned, and he said that it was not banned because it is horrible for the bulls, but because bull-fighting is Spanish. Huh.

We then made our way to the last stop of the bike tour, Barceloneta,  the neighborhood of the Barcelona beaches. Apparently, the sand was imported from Egypt!

After taking a break for lunch after the bike tour, Eric and I took the metro to Parc Guell, a garden complex designed by Gaudi and built in the early 20th century. It is one of the best places to get great views of Barcelona, because it is up on a pretty large hill...

But luckily, there are escalators! Kind of ridiculous but awesome at the same time.

The streets to get up to Parc Guell are pretty steep, so after a few minutes I understood the need for the escalators.

This structure with the cross stands at the height of Parc Guell. Eric and I later climbed up to where all of those people are standing to get an incredible view of Barcelona.

Gaudi designed these incredibly colorful benches that run all throughout Parc Guell

Parc Guell

Standing in the center of one of the main areas of the park

The influence of Gaudi can be seen all over the park

Crazy shapes and colors are definitely his signature!

Though it was a cloudy day, the architecture was still gorgeous to look at!

Enjoying Parc Guell!

This mosaic lizard is one of the signatures of Parc Guell, and of Barcelona! 

In its full glory!

The entire park is colorful and unique, and I had a great time exploring it!

As I said, Parc Guell is a great place for some awesome views of Barcelona

When Eric and I climbed to the top of the park, we were able to get a really cool view of the city. If only it had been a nicer day!

After leaving the park, Eric and I had another delicious tapas dinner and headed back to our hostel. The next day, since our flight back to London was not until 9:30 p.m., we spent the day relaxing in the Parc de la Ciutadella and at the beach. We lucked out with an absolutely gorgeous day!

Parc de la Ciutadella with the Arch of Triumph in the distance!

Woolly Mammoth in Park de la Ciutadella!

Truly the most stunning fountain I've ever seen...

Feels like summer!

After spending some time in the park, we headed back to Barceloneta, where we enjoyed burgers and one last glass of Sangria at Maka Maka. After that, we relaxed on the beach. I even took a short nap!

Not ready to say goodbye to Barcelona!

I could get used to this...

Leaving Barcelona for the airport, we passed by this demonstration for Catalonian independence. Maybe one day Catalonia will become its own country - only time will tell!

I really enjoyed my time in Barcelona. In fact, thinking back on all of the cities I visited during my time abroad, Munich and Barcelona were easily my favorite. Barcelona was full of history and exciting things to see, but at the same time, it was one of the most leisurely cities I've ever visited. I'm already excited to return (hopefully) in a few years. 

After a great final trip to Morocco and Spain, I am in London for my final 3 days abroad. I can't believe that the next flight I'll board will take me back to the United States. Leaving London really is the definition of bittersweet. I have one final day of London fun planned before it's time to get packing (which I've literally set an entire day aside for). Stay tuned!