My time in Barcelona has been an experience almost too good for words (which is somewhat problematic considering I am the blogger!). Last time I wrote about the four trips I took in one month exactly. Since then I have visited even more places and as always brought a little piece of the University of Michigan with me.
One of my favorite trips so far was Paris. It definitely is a tourist trap for a reason. I only had 48 hours there but felt like I conquered the city despite the time constraint. My friends and I visited the Eiffel Tower three times. We ate way too much cheese and drank wine… lots of it. I even met two incredibly nice Americans who took a photo for my friends and me. They were so cool until I found out they were from Ohio and major Buckeye fans. Good thing I had my “Vamos Azul” t-shirt to put them in their place!
I returned home to Barcelona and had 3 days to get ready for my spring break vacation. We had 12 days (yes it really was that long!) and 9 destinations on the agenda. The first stop was to the Canary Islands where we stayed in Tenerife. The island literally sits 60 miles off the coast of Africa. I could not wrap my head around that! We took 5 days to relax, eat, drink, and soak up the sun to become cocoa bronze goddesses. Also, the entertainment crew at our hotel quickly became our new European best friends. I wish I could bring them back to the USA with me!
We flew back into Barcelona and had exactly 10 hours to unpack, do laundry, repack, shower, and sleep before returning to the airport. The remainder of our spring break was spent in Italy. The first few days we explored an Italian college town called Bologna and Florence. Both were very cool and offered a great combination of site seeing, shopping, and eating. We were total Americans and made a special stop to Pizzeria O’Vesuvio just to see where the Jersey Shore cast worked last summer. The pizza was actually the best I had in Italy though so the trip was not a complete waste! Speaking of the food – it was amazing. My waistline is seriously thanking me right about now that I did not choose to study there for an entire semester. I think I would have rolled out of that country and back into the USA!
Our spring break ended with a long weekend in the Amalfi Coast. Unfortunately the weather was pretty awful but the views of the Italian coastline were still breathtaking. Our day on the island of Capri was luckily nice. The water along the coast is crystal clear and the prettiest teal color. I was able to take a chair lift to the peak of the mountain on the island. We were literally above the clouds and looked down on gorgeous views. Some other places we visited included Positano, a city completely situated in the cliffs, Pompeii, and Mount Vesuvius. How many people can say they have climbed up the side of a volcano?! Our trip ended in Naples, home to the “best pizza in the world,” and enjoyed lunch. From there we took a bus into Rome and flew back to Barcelona.
Spring break and these past three months have been a whirlwind. As the semester draws to a close and final exams are approaching, I cannot believe where the time has gone. My family comes in less than two weeks to visit and then take me home to the USA. This semester abroad is one I will never forget and something every student should experience if possible. So really – GO ABROAD! And forever, GO BLUE!