Barcelona and Oslo Travels

Headed to Berlin in about 4 hours, but I really wanted to share my travel experiences before I am off again. My goal for this year is to travel to 10 different countries. So far I've got Denmark, Spain, and Norway. I will be going to Germany tomorrow(or later today :P) and detouring to Italy before I come back for non-stop classes for a month and a half. That's five, then I am taking a trip to Brussels, Belgium. Hope to go to Sweden. Will be in Hong Kong, and Japan for a study trip. Throw in a hopeful trip to Korea and I've got it made :)

So, highlighting my recent travels, I'll start with Barcelona...AMAZING. I spent 6 days there, and am shocked by how much there was to see and experience. It's a beautiful and eclectic city. The architecture was one of my favorite observations. I traveled with two American girls, Caitlyn and Theresa. We spent a lot of time wandering the city, and I feel like we got a pretty good feel for the overall atmosphere of the city. Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, so they speak Catalonian primarily rather than Spanish like the rest of Spain. It's very unique because they are very prideful of their Catalonian culture and differentiate themselves from other Spaniards. I very much enjoyed learning the history embedded in the city and also the food (which is very dissimilar to Mexican food).

On the free gothic walking tour with an American tour guide, I learned a lot about the history of the buildings around Barcelona. I found history to be a lot more interesting when you are standing in the exact location it took place. The stories really begin to come to life when you see the buildings, monuments, and statues associated with it. I learned about the beginnings of Gaudi's works- a lamp post in Placa Reial, how George Orwell became famous in Barcelona for his book about his experiences in the Spanish Civil War, and the story behind the famous Saint Eulalia.

I feel like I was able to cram a lot of memorable sites and experiences into 6 days. I saw the many famous Gaudi works including Casa Batlio-which I went into, it was a crazy house like no other I'm sure, La Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila, and the Barcelona Cathedral. I went to the Picasso Museum, which I think was awesome. I loved being able to see him transform as an artist, they displayed his art based on periods within his career from beginning to end. It definitely made me appreciate his later works by seeing his talent through his earlier, more standard art such as portraits and landscapes. I saw a flamenco show live, she was very good and the live music was a great complement. I bought a bag from the Barcelona based store, Desigual- which mean "different", it was a cool store that had clothes and bags with crazy designs that were super colorful. A native Spaniard, a friend of Caitlyn's drove us up to the mountain top where Montserrat, where we experienced an amazing view of Barcelona.

Food was very much a part of experiencing Barcelona. Tapas and sangria are the famous food and drinks of choice. Ham is a very popular dish in Barcelona. On the first night we had a traditional Spanish meal, which includes a lot of ham, potataoes, and eggs. My favorite dish of the trip was the Spanish tortilla, which is egg-based, so very much like an omelet. The coffee and pastries were also delicious. I had a cup of coffee everyday with a different pastry, a great way to start off your day :) Another amazing meal was a fresh seafood dish and paella from shops in La Boqueria Market. They had everything from fresh fruits, to seafood, to meat, to candy in that market. Everytime we went I would get a freshly made fruit smoothie for 1 Euro, the best deal in Spain!

Spain was the first big trip I had taken by myself. I am so glad it was such a positive experience, it has really set the bar for the rest of my travels. I look forward to learning and seeing as much as I have in Barcelona, and really being able to experience the different cultures.

Oslo was not as much of a vacation as Barcelona, rather just seeing Norway and exploring the city of Oslo-the most expensive city in the world, though after living in Copenhagen, the prices were not shocking. Oslo was all about seeing the museums, Viking culture, art, and architecture.

After visiting 3 art museums in Oslo I saw some very famous works, including Degas, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Edvard Munch's "The Scream" and my personal favorite of his "Madonna." The art museums also had some great landscape works of Norway. My biggest regret is that I missed out on seeing the countryside of Norway because it is gorgeous. I stayed in the city the entire time, but was well occupied with everything to see there. I enjoyed seeing the Oslo Opera House, which is one of the World's Most Amazing Buildings, a must see. It was an awesome building because you could walk up the entire roof and get a view of the entire city. Another great site in Oslo was the Vigeland Sculpture Park. The park was absolutely beautiful and I've never seen so many sculptures of naked people in my life, definitely a common them in Oslo. I thoroughly enjoyed Oslo as a cultural experience, but the trip really showed how you can't fully experience anything in two days.

I am super excited for this upcoming Berlin trip! It'll be my first study trip, so all 45 of the Globe students will be going. And shopping in Italy.....ACK!!! I'm headed to Milan, Venice, Florence and Pisa. I will update you guys on those trips when I get back. Peace for now!