My neighborhood

While living and studying in Barcelona, Spain I lived in a four bedroom, two bathroom apartment with five girls. We lived in the perfect location! Our apartment was located on Consell de Cent which is two blocks from the infamous Sagrada Familia and a block from the bull ring. Our neighborhood is called Eixample. The neighborhood of Eixample consists of a lot of elderly people and families. There are always friendly faces walking around but there is never much noise or traffic. There are tons of little restaurnats and cafes with outside eating that are always full. The street that the bull ring is on and Sagrada Familia tend to be busy during the day because of the touristsm, but the street our apartment is on is all locals. There are quite a few little fruit type stores and grocery stores all within a couple blocks. That is where my room mates and I tend to do most of our shopping, but there is a large market not to far from our apartment right near Sagrada Familia. The Eixample market has a civic center and public library above it, and right down the block there is a 24 hour farmacia. There is a school located right across the street from our apartment, and even with school being over there are a lot of people who go everyday to play soccer and basketball. There is a metro stop (L2 purple line) around the corner from our apartment so it is very convenient to travel around the city by metro. Our location is so central that a lot of times we walk to a lot of places. We are a twenty minute walk from Plaza Catalunya and a twenty minute walk to Port Olympic! Our street name, Consell de Cent, has a lot of history. Consell de Cent is Catalan for "council of the hundred" which was an institution of government in the city of Barcelona established in the XIII century, lasting until the XVIII century.

National News

There will be different measures for Primary and Secondary schools...they are taking out the sweets in the vending machines...
The Ministry for Health is to remove food and sweet vending machines from primary schools and will also ban the sale of drinks containing caffeine.
A list is being drawn up of foods which will be allowed to be sold in secondary schools, which have low fat, sugar and salt content, in the measure which comes against a backdrop of increasing child obesity in Spain.
Currently 17% of primary and 60% of secondary schools in Spain have such vending machines.
Minister for Health, Trinidad Jiménez, said it was not about banning anything, but rather not facilitating their consumption. She said the measure would not affect items which are not pre-packed – such as the typical bocadillo.
The law will be administered by the regions who all agreed it at a meeting of the Inter-territorial Council of the National Health Service.
.

National News

A horrible accident happened in Spain at the end of June leaving many young dead. Twelve people were killed and 14 others were injured after a train hit a group of young revellers crossing tracks instead of using an underpass here in Spain. The accident happened as a group of about 30 people who had gotten off a commuter train at the Castelldefels Playa station, south of Barcelona, attempted to cross the tracks. The kids were taking part annual Saint John's Day celebrations which was on June 23. The accident scene has been sealed off and there is a large presence of police, firemen and rescue workers working on the case.

International News

An international headline for most magazines in early July was the wedding between Victoria and Daniel Westling of Sweeden. On 24 February 2009, Westling and the Crown Princess received official permission to become engaged from King Carl XVI Gustaf and the Government of Sweden. Permission is necessary according to the terms of the Swedish Act of Succession.The wedding took place in Stockholm Cathedral on 19 June 2010, the 34th anniversary of her parents' wedding.

After their wedding on 19 June 2010, the Duke and Duchess of Västergötland moved in to Haga Palace.

International news

Some international news that everyone in the world is aware of is that Spain won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Spain are currently the reigning World and European champions, having won the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship. Spain also won the 1964 European Nations' Cup and reached the UEFA Euro 1984 Final. In July 2008 Spain rose to the top of the FIFA World Rankings for the first time in the team's history, becoming the sixth nation to top this ranking, and the first nation to top the ranking without previously having won the World Cup. Between November 2006 and June 2009 Spain went undefeated for a record tying 35 consecutive matches before their loss to the United States, a record shared with Brazil, including a record 15-game winning streak and thus earning third place in the FIFA Confederations Cup.

Field trip to Santa Maria del Mar

On our second field trip, Xavi took our history class to see Santa Maria del Mar. Much like our first field trip, Xavi walked us around old Barcelona and around the area near Santa Maria del Mar. I learned so much on the walk to Santa Maria del Mar about Barcelona and the period much after the Roman times and how Barcelona was changing and evolving. Xavi spoke about how Barcelona was begining to expand and changes were being made in the city becuase of it. The history behind Santa Maria del Mar was very fascinating, but nothing compared to actually seeing it and going inside. The sheer mass and detail BLEW MY MIND. I would be hard for me to go to mass in Sanata Maria del Mar becuase I would be looking around the whole time at the arches and the windows and statues. It was breathe taking. After our field trip was over I wondered around the area near the church for about two hours taking in the beauty and the culture.

(unfortuantly no photos...see previous note on field trip 1)

Field trip to museu historia ciutat barcelona

During the month of July I took a history of Barcelona past and present class. During this class our fabulous teacher, Xavi, took us on a couple field trips. You can only learn so much in a class room and the rest you have to see for yourself. I really like the fact that Xavi would take us on field trips and he would walk us all around the older part of Barcelona and talk about the history of the streets and the buildings. I learned a lot about what living conditions were like and that there were no inside bathrooms, so people had to throw their "waste" out the window and there were no washing machines so the women would carry loads and loads of laundry down many flights of stairs to wash it in a community area of water. It was fascinating to see how narrow the streets were and how little the doors were and many of the old stairwells in the apartments couldn't even allow for two people to walk up next to each other because they were so narrow. Xavi pointed out how the windows got smaller as the buildings got higher and how many times the people lived and worked all in one building. We were able to see the differnce in style and architecture and the huge influence the Romans had on Barcelona. Xavi would point the boundries of what Barcelona was so we could see how much has been added. It was fascinating to see the affect the Romans had on the city. Their plan, map and idea is the reason Barcelona is such a successfull city now. They were innovative and practical and left a mark on Barcelona. On our field trip Xavi took us to the museu historia ciutat barcelona where we were able to see and walk through old dug up Roman ruins. We were able to see examples of the floor plans of their home and what the public baths were like, as well as many of the toiletires that women would use. (unfortunatly my camera is broken and I am able to view my pictures on my camera, but it wont turn on and it wont allow me to update any of my pictures so none of my pictures from the past couple of weeks and either of the field trips were uploaded before it broke and pictures of things I saw while walking around are not uploaded...)

San Sebastian, Amsterdam, Ibiza, and Madrid

During my stay abroad I was able to travel on four different weekend to four totally differnt and amazing places. The first place I visited was San Sebastian. Unfortunatly the weekend we went it was still a little chilly and rainy, but I was still able to see what a fun and cute town it was. The beaches were absolutely amazing. It was very family friendly and clean. The landscape was beautiful becuae it was so hilly and lots and lots of green. There were a lot of trees on the hills and beautiful homes built up on the top that over looked the beaches and the water. The second place that I visited was Amsterdam. Amsterdam was all around an amazing city. The food and the people were amazing and it was so cool how there were so many canals. It was very interesting for me to see because it was so differnt from Spain. The third trip I went on was to Ibiza. It think just the fact I said that I went there speaks for itself as to my experience. It has quite a reputation and it was everything I hoped it would be and so much more. You have to go there at least once in your life. The final trip I took was to Madrid. Madrid took me totally by surprise. It was nothing like I thought it would be. Madrid was amazing. It is very beautiful and ritzy and classy and sophisticated. The city in itself is much more spread out than Barcelona and has a lot more green areas and parks and gardens than Barcelona...and it has much less humidity!

Sitges

My friends and I would take a 30 minute trade ride to go to Sitges on a lot of the weekends that we stayed in Barcelona. It is a beautiful town right outside busy Barcelona. It's a quaint little town with beautiful homes and buildings and lots of restaurants on the beach. The water and beaches are breath-taking. Sitges is much classier and much less touristy in comparison to Port Olympic. You could tell that it was a lot more locals and families.

FCB

During the sports and culture class that I took in June we got to go to the FCB staduim. It was magnificant. I was very sad we came just after the season had ended. I could only imagine what it would be like to be present at a game in the stadium, you could feel the energy from just seeing pictures of the full stadium during a big game.

Park Güell is a garden complex with architectural elements situated on the hill of el Carmel in the Gràcia district of Barcelona. It was designed by the Catalanarchitect Antoni Gaudí and built in the years 1900 to 1914. It is a famous Park in Barcelona and one of the most popular tourist attractions. You cant go to Barcelona and not visit the Park Guell. It is full of very abstract, interesting and beautiful architecture. Gaudi was truly one of the 20th centuries most innovative artists.

World Cup 2010 Final Spain Vs. Netherlands

Hands down one of the craziest and most exciting nights of my life was watching the World Cup final in Barcelona at Plaza Espana. There were 3 huge screens set up in Plaza Espana for everyone to watch the World Cup final. Ten of thousands of people showed up in there red and yellow attire and the spain flag painted all over their bodies. We all crammed into the streets to get a glimpse at the screens. I have never seen so many people gather together for something. Everyone was excited and pumped up for the game. After it was over it was mayhem. People were screaming and laughing and crying and jumping in fountians and climbing light posts and etc. It was an undescribable experience. I will never forget that night!

Mellow at the W

Two of my room mates and I were invited to go to the opening of the new outdoor club and lounge area at the W hotel called Mellow. We went on Saturday afternoon and it was such a beautiful beach day. The W hotel in itself is beautiful, but they set up cabanas and beds and tables and umbrellas on the beach right outside the hotel right on the water. People were eating lots of fresh fruit and sushi and sipping on champagne. The bar was beautiful and it was a covered. There were crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the sides of the bar had lots of mirrors. It was one of my favorite beach days in Barcelona.

San Juan

The night of San Juan is a celebration that is usually held on the beach with roaring bonfires, drink, food, and friends. My friends and I had a big party at one of our friends apartments and then headed down to the beach for the night festivities and watched a lot of fireworks and drank till sunrise!

Las Ramblas

One of the main things that Barcelona is known for, and has been a trademark for a while is Las Ramblas. Las Ramblas is where the sailors coming in would stop and have a "good time" in Barcelona. Today there are many restaurants, cafes, shops, and small vendors that make up Las Ramblas. The food market located in Las Ramblas is a famous tourist attraction. Las Ramblas is always has a lot of foot traffic. People are constantly walking around. A down fall of Las Ramblas is the pick-pocketters and muggers. You have to be very conscious about your belongings, but it is a beautiful street to walk around during the day. The market is full of fresh fruit, veggies and fish and there are people along the street that sell small animals and vibrant flowers.

Bobby Frees

I went with my room mates to get dinner and sangria at a restaurant called Bobby's to watch Mexico play one of their World Cup games. Bobby's is owned by a Mexican and we all split nachos and some pitchers of sangria. It was the best sangria that I had during my time in Barcelona. They had mango, raspberry and strawberry flavored sangria, and I personally think that the raspberry sangria was the best! Bobby's was a very long skinny bar and restaurant. It had a very comfortable and friendly atmosphere. There were a lot of flat screen T.V's hanging on the walls and all the booths were red which made it very swanky looking! It was good food, amazing sangria and a fabulous atmosphere!

CDLC

CDLC is a restaurant located at the beach at Port Olympic, next to Opium. CDLC is a five star restaurant that serves lunch and dinner, and then after dinner it turns into a popular bar. It is very swanky and ritzy. People can sit and dine at tables or at the bar or can eat in real luxury on lounging beds. Woman walk around and offer wine and massages while you wait for your food and there is a magician who provides after dinner entertainment. The menu is a little on the pricey side, but the food is worth every penny.

George Payne

For many people in Barcelona, in particular the people in the CEA program, George Payne Irish Pub is the place to be on Sunday nights for Karaoke. George Payne was busy any day of the week that a World Cup game was being played. George Payne is also conveniently located one block from the CEA building!!

Chupitos

CHUPITOS is a shots bar in Barcelona that has hundreds of different shots you can order for just 2 euros each! They are not just any kinds of shots though, many are on fire or have multiple layers of colors or you have to eat candy with them...all kinds of crazy things like that! It is definitely a place to visit with your friends before you go out one night! The presentation of the shots are amazing. But don't go if you are in a hurry, it is very popular and always crowded and it is a small little bar but has a fun atmosphere!

Shoko

Our Tuesday night hangout is typically SHOKO which is located right next to Opium at Port Olympic. It is also very trendy but has more of an oriental vibe to it. It geared more towards tourists and people in their 20's. Drinks are always really expensive, but the bar tenders pour very strong drinks for sure. There are always "circus-like" men on stilts that stand outside the main door of Shoko and once the club starts getting busy they come in and walk around the crowd. There is always a good D.J at Shoko and a lot of times they have people play electric instruments, like electric piano and violin, along with the D.J's music.

Opium

Our most frequented bar for Monday nights is Opium which is located on the beach at Port Olympic. Opium is very modern and trendy with many lounge areas, an outside bar and porch and VIP sections that overlook the dance floor. One of the first nights that I went to Opium with my room mates we got to sit in VIP with the players from the Holland futbol team!

Post bus tour

After we took our bus tour we decided to take a break from the site seeing and grab some cold beers and chicken fingers and fries at George Payne Irish pub where we also got to watch the US play a practice round game before the world cup kicked off! George Payne was a great place to grab some American-type food with a dark, mid-evil atmosphere. All the waiters spoke English and they had great deals on buckets of bears! There were a lot of other Americans in George Payne as well as people from England. It is a definite tourist spot.

Bus tour of Barcelona

Living and studying abroad in Barcelona during the summer allows people to experience a wide variety activities because of the warm weather and busy night life. There is always much to do in Barcelona and it is a city full of culture. In the short amount of time that I have been here, I have been able to see some wonderful sites and experienced much of the old and new culture. During the month of June I had many friends who were studying abroad in Italy and they came to visit me for the weekend. The first day they were here we ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe in Plaza Catalonia and went on a double decker bus tour of the city where we got to see and get familiar with the beautiful city of Barcelona. During part of the bus tour we by Plaza Espana and got to see the Olympic stadium, which I was very excited to see!