Bus trip and more of the city

So, yesterday we took one of those double-decker tourist bus rides (we got really cheap ticket through the program) and got some good views of the city. We ended up doing the bus for about an hour and then we wanted to get to the beach. It was beautiful, and we went back today for a couple hours. The pictures below are all from the bus trip (sorry, no beach pics yet). Most are just of the city or the National Palace. That was the main stop we made, there are lots of shots of the actual palace (which sits on a hill overlooking the city) and of the views from it.

Observation of the day: Trees
There are trees lining 95% of the streets here--on all the downtown streets everywhere. I tried to get a couple of just normal streets in the pictures so you can get an idea of what it's like. They aren't like the little trees in subdivisions by us, they are enormous, old, huge trees that sometimes grow over the street and make canopies. It's really amazing.

Cruise up the coast

Hola,

Sorry for the wait, but I haven't really had that much to talk about. We had two days of orientation in our Spanish classes on Thursday and Friday (mine is two hours long. . . should be fun) and other than that, I have been sleeping a lot--trying to get over the jet-lag. I think I'm doing better now, so there should be more activity.

Friday evening, we took a short cruise up the coast of the city and back. It gave us some great views of the city and the surrounding mountains. The pictures are below, but I figured I would narrate them a bit for you.

First, there is the monument to Cristobal Colon (that's Columbus for all you gringos). The really ornate building is some sort of trade or customs house, since we left from the main trading port. Next are the tallest buildings in Barcelona. They are at the very north end of the city, and most are residential. The last several pictures are all shots of the city and the surrounding mountains as the boat moved south. The very last shots are of a hill at the very south end of the city with an old castle on top (you can barely make it out in the pictures). We didn't get too much info. about that, but I will try to find out more soon.












Observation of the day: Fat people
I guess what everyone says about the US is true, because there aren't very many fat people here. It probably has to do with all the walkers, runners, bikers and roller skaters I see everywhere. On one of the busiest streets in Barcelona (La Diagonal) there is a separate path that has two lanes for bikes and runners only. Maybe America could learn a thing or two. . .

More info. about the dorm. . .

I thought I would tell you all some more about the dorm, because there isn't much going on so far. The dorm (Sant Jordi) itself is very nice and relatively new. I am one of 10 American students in the whole place, so we are kind of on an island here. I eat meals with my roommate (Ryan) or other kids from the floor, and everyone can tell instantly that we are Americans. It kind of funny, the staff comes and tells us about all the food, but they are speaking Catalan which I can barely understand . . . I say gracias and nod a lot! We get three meals a day, which is very easy and convenient and the food is pretty good, even though I don't know what most of it is. I'm beginning to understand what everyone means when they say the Spanish eat late-- dinner does not start until 8:30!! In the dorm there is a multi-purpose gym, a workout room, private study rooms, pool table, and ping-pong. It is actually really cool. The location is in a really nice and quiet neighborhood. We are a block away from a grocery store (which sells really cheap booze!!) and three blocks from a decent sized mall. Then the bus which takes us downtown is right in front of the mall. It has been really easy to get around so far, and once I get a routine down for my classes everything should be good as gold.

I thought I would start making one or two observations about the city every time I post to give you all some insight into where I'm staying.


Observation of the day: Cars

I have yet to see an American model car here. All are European, ranging from Peugeot to Mercedes, with the exception of the taxis. About a third of the cabs I have seen have been Prius's. There are also tons of mopeds and motorcycles. People park them on almost every sidewalk next to the street during the day. The rules of the road are just like the States: driver on the left side of the car, drive on the right side of the road. Except the mopeds--they scoot in between lanes of traffic like they have a death wish.

Hope all is well state-side,

Evan


P.s. The picture below is aimed mainly at Dad. They have recycling receptacles for paper, cans and glass, and organic waste on every floor of the dorm.


Hello all,

I have arrived!!

Hello all,

I won't keep you in suspense any longer, I made it just fine. The flights and cab ride to the dorm were all very easy, although I feel like we have very little direction or supervision from IES. They basically told us what to tell the cab driver to get to the dorm and said we were on our own today. . . So my roommate (Ryan) and I took the bus down to La Plaza Catalunya and walked around before dinner for about an hour. We finally stopped at a tapas bar and had some dinner. I got a small bowl of chick peas and chorizo, some French bread with Spanish ham on it, and some more French bread with a fried ball of mashed potatoes filled with a meat ball. Suffice it to say they were all delicious. I washed it all down with my first legal beer of my life (and didn't even get carded). The dorm is very nice and seems pretty new (see the pictures below), but it is a little far from where my classes will be. The bus ride takes about 20 minutes each way for 1.40 Euros. Other than that, I haven't really gotten much opportunity to look around for art and architecture yet, because today we really just wanted to get out of the dorm after being on airplanes all day. I will be sure to update with more details about the city as I explore more of it.

That's all for now. I have orientation starting tomorrow for the next three days, so I will let you all know what that consists of. Other than that, hope all is well state-side.

Adios,

Evan

Ready to go!!

Welp, packed the bags, got the hair cut, renewed the passport, bought the adapters, charged the camera (and I-Pod). . . I think I'm finally ready to go! My flight leaves tomorrow from O'Hare at 2:00pm, then I make a quick visit to lovely Philadelphia and arrive in Barcelona at 8:35am local time on Tuesday. Should be a fun day. In all seriousness I can't wait to get there and get settled so I can get out into the city and see the sights. I will have to buy a prepaid cell phone once I land so that I can call my anxious parents and let them know that my plane didn't get blown up by a volcano over the Atlantic, but then I'm free as a bird. My first week there will be mostly orientation, which consists of guided tours of the city so we can get a sense of the place and team-building exercises with the other students and instructors (any guesses as to what those might entail?). Then my classes start. . . Liz and Jake I hope you are reading this because these will be the first and only summer classes I will take and I still plan on graduating in 4 years. I'm afraid I don't have that much more to write about right now, since I am currently in bed in Saint Charles, but I promise to update as much as I can. That's all for now.