Living life the Spanish way...well trying

Buenos Dias,
 Sorry I haven't posted in a while.  I've been very busy exploring, traveling and with school.   Well I think last i left off I was about to go to Valencia for my study journey with IES.  Valencia was awesome...well minus the awful weather.  The town is really pretty and it seems like it has a lot of offer, but since we were only there 2 days I didnt really get to see much.  But we went to Torres vineyard first...which is more like a giant bottling factor than a vineyard.  Its such a huge place and the tour felt like I was at disney world.  Then we drove down to valencia...there were 8 buses of students and we were all split between 4 different hotels.  The next day we went to the City of Arts and Sciences which is a huge complex in Valencia that was built a few years ago.  It is beautiful and the buildings look like something from star wars.  We went to the Aquarium (which is the largest in Europe)  It was fun except a lot of the things were outside so by the time we were done we were soaking wet.  So what better to warm you up than the best Paella in Valencia...it was amazing and the restaurant was right on the beach.  Then I made my friends walk around all of the America's Cup buildings...I knew James would ask about it later.  The next day we left Valencia and were supposed to go on another tour but it was just too cold and rainy so it got canceled.

The best part of the trip was the Calcotada...it is a traditional Spanish meal where they eat Calcots.  Calcots are a very unique type of onion that are only grown for about 2 months out of the year.  The onions are charred over an open flame and then rolled in newspaper and steamed.  To eat them you peel off the burnt outer part and then dip them in this amazing romesco sauce.  The calcots are just the started for the meal and you are later given a whole plate of different types of meats and beans.  It was an amazing experience and I would recommend going to a Calcotada if you are in Catalunya in the winter months.

After Valencia I started school again.  My friend from GWU, Lexi, who has been studying abroad in Tel Aviv since July came to visit me for a few days.  It was awesome to see her and have a familiar face from School around.  We did all the touristy things and I took her out to all the fun bars.  After lexi left I got Pink eye so I was sort of out of commission for a few days.

This past weekend My friends and I went on an option trip to Monserrat with our program.  Montserrrat is a mountain outside of Barcelona that is famous for its monastery really high up the mountain.  We took the funicular up and then hiked all the way to the top and the view was incredible. We had an amazing view of the Pyrenees and then off in the distance could see the Med.  We hiked back down to the Monastery where they have a really interesting art museum and a famous Cathedral.  The Cathedral is home to the Black Madonna.  A very famous sculpture of Mary, but she is painted black, and people rub the orb she is holding for good luck (and other things but I dont remember what).  Monserrat is beautiful and a very unique place.

I'm sure your all dying to know if I watched the superbowl all the way across the ocean in Barcelona...OF COURSE! It was probably one of the funniest experiences of my life.  We reserved tables at a bar that was playing that game, which started at 12:30am here.  Well at around half time or like 2:30am here the bar legally has to close.  So they gave you the option of A. Staying and watching the game all the way until the end or B. Leaving now and you wont be able to get back in.  Well of course the game was just getting exciting so I decided to stay.  They locked the front doors and closed the bar down.  It felt like something out of prohibition.  We had to sneak out the backdoor into the alley way when the game was over.  I was soo excited and happy the Packers won the Superbowl but by the time it ended I was half asleep...so the celebration was limited.  Even though I only got about 4 hours of sleep that night it was so worth it and probably one of the best nights of my life!

That pretty much explains my last two weeks here in Barcelona.  These next two weekends i'm going to be traveling.  I'm going to Madrid this weekend and then Venice next weekend.  I love being in europe...flights and trains are so cheap.  Why can't americans figure out how to make a flight cost $45?
Anyway I miss everyone at home and i'm starting to miss those silly american things...mostly food!   Love you all and hope your all enjoying the freezing cold snowy weather in the US.
xoxo
Love

Hannah

Still Exploring...

I think that i've been here almost two weeks.  Wow time flies...i still cannot believe that I will be here for a whole semester! I've been doing a lot of exploring around Barcelona and still doing all of the touristy things.  On Sunday the 16th Rob and I went to an FC Barcelona soccer game, which was incredible.  They are probably one of the best soccer teams in the world and there fan base is HUGE! They played a team from Malaga, who arent very good, but it was fun to see Barcelona win.  The game was amazing but I think it's the place in Barcelona where everyone goes to smoke.  Everyone either had a cigarette or a cigar so I smelled awful after the game but it still was still an amazing time! Rob was in Heaven! 

I started classes at IES yesterday and I loved both of the ones I had.  One is called food as an expression of culture (right up my alley) and the other was Catalan cultural studies.  I'm so happy to be taking these classes because I feel like they willa help me immerse myself into the culture of Barcelona more than I would be able to do myself.  The great thing about these classes is that we get to go on a few field trips throughout the semester to certain places around the city. I'll have to let you all know how they go.  I don't have classes on Tuesday's and Thursdays until January 31st because I'm taking them at a UPF (a university in Barcelona).  

Since I didn't have class today Rob and I went to Park Guell.  It was really beautiful and the views of Barcelona were amazing.  Gaudi really was an incredible artist...the mosaic tiles are amazing. Check out the pictures that I posted of the park.  

I've been eating some really interesting food. A lot of ham and cheese.  I havent really had any amazing Tapas yet but I'm still searching! The Patatas Bravas are excellent! They are potatoes with like a red spicy tomato sauce or a white garlic sauce.  I am going to Valencia next week and am so excited for the amazing Paella and these weird grilled onion things.  I'll keep everyone updated on any amazing spanish food I eat, but I havent had anything life changing yet.  

xoxo

Hannah

BARCA!!

I have arrived and I am loving it.  It got to Barcelona on Sunday afternoon after and extremely long day of traveling! I got to spend some time with Rob's mom Belinda and her friend which was nice and Rob and I did a little preliminary exploring of our own.  The next day I moved into my new apartment.  I am living in an apartment building right on Gran Via de les Corts Catalan which is a main road in Barcelona.  The location is absolutely amazing! Its a 3 minute walk to the metro and only a 20 minute walk or a 8 minute metro ride to the IES center (where most of my classes are).  I have four roommates who are all IES students and an RA living with me in the apartment. The roommate i share a room with is Christina and she is from Westport CT.  Its such a small world, our parents know each other from back in Rowayton. The other two girls I live with are from Philadelphia and New Jersey and they are also really nice.  The apartment is really wonderful and its huge but its not decorated the best...i wish we were allowed to Feng Shui a little bit.  Its strange having an RA living in an apartment with me because its sorta like we are at camp...she keeps scolding us for talking past 11pm.  But she is an excellent resource and works all day so we hardly ever see her.

I have had IES orientation these past few days at 9am so i've been really exhausted.  I'm too excited and ready to explore which doesn't leave much time for a "siesta," and then I'm exhausted at 9:30 which is dinner time here.  The timing of everything is going to take a lot of getting used to. Orientation was somewhat helpful but its not much I did not already know.  Today for an activity we had to go on a scavenger hunt around a certain neighborhood of Barcelona.  My group was assigned to the waterfront area which was really pretty to walk around and look at the boats and the beach.  I keep going places and being more and more surprised, the city seems to be getting prettier by the hour.

Today Rob and I visited La Sagrada Familia today and all i have to say is WOW.  For those who dont know, (first look it up on google images) Gaudi was head of the  construction of the church however when we died the church was only 15% complete.  Today it is still under construction and it is now esimated it will be totally complete in 2020.  The outside may look a little strange to some (that Gaudi for ya) however the inside is so incredibly beautiful and unique.  I never thought it was that pretty looking in the pictures but in real life it is AMAZING! Rob and I decided we'd pay the extra money and take the elevator ride to the top of one of the towers...if you visit its a must!  The view of Barcelona from the top is amazing and you get a real birds eye view of the construction and the other towers.  La Sagrada Familia exceeded Rob and my expectations and it truly is a masterpiece.

Barcelona is an awesome city so far and I cannot wait to do more exploring! I feel like i have so much to see in so little time so I want to get it all done.  Oh and as for the food i've been eating, well thats has to be another blog post in it self so maybe next time.

ENJOY THE PICS

La Sagrada Familia

Rob with the Passion

The Altar

The Nave

Me inside

The view from the top of the tower

The other towers

Lots of construction

THere are eventually going to be 18 towers

Sleepy from all the walking

Off to Barcelona

Only 3 more days left and I will be jet-setting across the globe to beautiful Barcelona, Spain.  Wow I cant believe it is almost here...it seems like I've been waiting for this forever.  I finally got my okay to go from GWU. I've been running around Bozeman like a mad woman running lots of last minute errands, and doing a little shopping here and there.  Now i just have to pack...what do I bring?  Can I really live out of one suitcase for a whole semester? Wow thats going to be very difficult!  It just gives me more incentive to pack less so I can buy more in Europe. Mom's already cut out a bunch of articles about places to eat, shop, visit etc... typical Carol.


I am so excited about this trip.  Its going to be such an amazing experience and I cant wait to perfect my Spanish and maybe pick up a little Catalan.  As sad as I am to leave the comfort of my home in Montana and my routine in DC I could not be happier about being able to spend a semester learning a new culture, language and eating new food.  I will start one class at Universitat Pompeu Fabra the day after I arrive so i'm really getting thrown right into it.  I'll be living in an apartment with 3 other girls in my program, who are all from the U.S.  People keep asking me where I plan on traveling while i'm abroad and I've been having a really hard time deciding which places to go to...so i'm composed a little list of where I want to go:


-Obviously travel all over Spain.
-Venice, Italy
-Amsterdam
-Portugal
-Seville, Spain
-Greece
-Malmo, Sweden (so i can visit Alex Wugk and eat some yummy food)
-Croatia...maybe after i'm done with my program or for spring break
-Paris, France
-And just to say I did it I may have to squeeze in a Ski trip in the Pyrenees

Feel free to comment if you have any suggestions of fun and different places to visit.  Just to let you all know I plan on blogging about amazing meals that I have while traveling so all my readers (and my mom) can vicariously live through me.  Hopefully next time I post I'll be living it up in Barcelona!!