Travel Journal

May 22nd, 2024

I arrived in Barcelona. Excited but was tired from the flight. Was overwhelmed when I was in the airport until I saw the rest of my group and got to know everybody. We took the metro to the station nearest to our hostel. We then made it to the hostel which is called Twentytu. The rooms were very small, luckily there would only be 2 of us and since there is much to do here, I wouldn't be in the hostel for the majority of the day. After settling in we walked to a restaurant where we had our first taste of the trip. I really enjoyed the pasta. After wards we went to a nearby market where we looked around to see what was different from home. I saw ham attached to the hoof and fully skinned rabbits. At the end of the day, we had to listen to an introduction on the workings of the hostel. Each shower and sink are operational by button which turns it on for 20 seconds thus for my shower i had to press the button 3 or 4 times. After my shower, I went to bed. I only had one roommate which was good because there wasn't much room for 4 people.

May 23rd, 2024

The first full day in Barcelona and I felt much better than yesterday and ready to explore. First, I went downstairs to the lower floor to eat breakfast. What's funny is that I was the first one down there. I wanted to get their early so I wouldn't miss breakfast. After breakfast we all went to the Barcelona History Museum. In it are the ruins of Barcino, the Roman settlement which grew into Barcelona. Besides Roman artifacts there were artifacts from the Visigoths and the Rennaissance. After the museum, I had a traditional Spanish sandwich with ham for lunch. We then went on a tour of the surrounding area where we stopped at the La Ribera, an old market which is now home to an archeological site. We then walked through the Parque de la Ciutadella. It is the city's main park where people can walk around. There is a fascinating looking fountain there. We then ended our tour next to the Arc de Triomf. Around sunset, I visited a cathedral we passed by earlier and went inside. Overall, I would say this was a perfect start to the trip and looking forward to what's in store for the next few weeks.

   

May 24th, 2024

After breakfast, my roommates Jacob, David, and I walked to the beach. We met with the others in my class who went there earlier and stayed. I decided to get myself a zero alcohol pina colada and it tasted like a smoothie. I decided not to bring my swimsuit because it was early in the day meaning that the water would be cold. This day was the first day of class. I was very nervous because the Wi-Fi at the hostel was very spotty. In a way it was similar to someone being revived but constantly going back into shock. Professor Yuly, who was back in the states, assured me to not worry about schoolwork and to enjoy my time on the trip. I thought to myself "is she serious?" but at that point I didn't care. I now have to live in the moment. It was kind of weird doing a study abroad class via Microsoft Teams, but this had to do and luckily only for the first half of the trip as Professor Yuly will meet us in Berlin. My class: cultural communication goes from 2:00 to 4:00 and there is another class she teaches on the same day but I'm only taking one. After class, the whole group went to go see a flamenco show. It was in an old theater where dancers would take turns dancing to the guitar, claps, and singing. Although my seat was in the back, I was able to hear the sounds of them stomping on the hard wooden floor. Afterwards, we split into multiple groups and my group decided to get dinner at a nearby restaurant. I got fried langostino tapas which were so good I chowed them down in minutes.

May 25th, 2024

We went to the National Museum of Catalan Art. To get there we had to take a metro and walk up multiple flights of stairs to get to the top of the hill the museum sits on. Whenever I made it to the top, I raised my fist as if I were Rocky Balboa during the scene when he trains for the big fight against Apollo Creed and runs up a long flight of stairs. The most American thing anyone could do. The museum consists of artwork from wooden statues of Mary holding baby Jesus to propaganda posters from the Spanish Civil War. The most famous piece I recognized was a painting by Pablo Picasso. I forgot where I first saw an image of this painting, but for some reason it looked familiar which I thought was really cool. I was also amazing to see some of Salvador Dali's work as well. Both Dali and Picasso are 2 of my favorite artists. I always take my time when visiting museums, but was shocked when I figured out, I wasn't the last one out. I spent my time walking the area surrounding the museum getting my steps in looking at the view from the museum. I also saw two musicians playing on top of the hill including a saxophone player and a guitarist. I sat down to enjoy the view while listening to the music. It gave me a sense of peace. At night a few of us went to a restaurant near the hostel called Sanora, an American themed sports bar. I never expected a restaurant with this kind of concept in Spain, but I enjoyed my time there. There were sports memorabilia from teams such as the New York Yankees, Green Bay Packers, and other teams back home in the U.S. They also had music by American bands such as Credence Clearwater Revival and Blink-182. The one thing which stood out was on the big tv screen, LaLiga soccer was on, yet it felt like I was back in the U.S. The food was great, I had pulled pork nachos. 

May 26th, 2024

Since this was a Sunday, I decided to go to mass although it was in Catalan. Despite this I understood the cues such as giving the sign of peace and when to stand up. It reminds me how religion especially Christianity is a universal religion with followers from around the world, but the message is still the same. The church was beautiful with its stonework and mosaics. After mass I accompanied a small group and had lunch at a nearby restaurant. I ordered a Spanish tortilla which is basically an omelette, but when it arrived, I wasn't expecting it to look like a piece of cake. It was delicious which is the important part. We walked around a bit and visited nearby souvenir shops, but I didn't want to get anything just yet. After a while we went to the Frederic Mares Museum. Frederic Mares was a sculptor and collector of many objects such as crucifixes from the Middle Ages, walking canes, and even pipes for smoking. There is also a room with some of his sculptures which was really neat. Afterward I walked around the port area where a small market was set up and rows of yachts floating along the docks.

May 27th, 2024

The day wasn't what I expected or even wanted. The Art History class left to go on a tour leaving the rest of us at the hostel. I really wanted to get out of the hostel, and I even asked the others if they wanted to walk around with me. They said they wanted to get some work done so I did the same. I really wished I had the guts to go by myself but was afraid I would get in trouble for going alone. It wasn't until 6 or 7 PM where I accompanied a small group of students to dinner at a restaurant a few blocks from the hostel. The food was anything you could get back home such as burgers and fries. Wasn't excited about the choice for dinner but the burger I had was amazing. We also went to get gelato and I ate mine while walking back to the hostel. On Monday nights is karaoke night at the hostel. Some of us went to watch each other sing along with a group of Austrian kids. Everyone who sang did great, my roommate Jacob along with Lauren sang John Denver's Country Roads and everyone also sang along. My song I decided to sing was Viva Las Vegas by the King himself: Elvis Presley. Despite the difficulties of the day, karaoke night was the highlight of the day and got me in a better mood.

May 28th, 2024

Since I didn't have class until 2:00, I decided to visit the FC Barcelona Museum on my own. I wore my FC Barcelona jersey for this day. Took a metro and walked a bit but it was worth it. The museum contains items from the team’s history such as old shoes, jerseys, and other memorabilia. They also had a large trophy room with all of the team’s trophies from La Liga titles to the UEFA Champions League. There was even a display case just for Lionel Messi containing his 8 Ballon d'Or (Golden Ball) awards and 6 European Golden Boots. The museum is next to Camp Nou, FC Barcelona's stadium, but the stadium is under renovation and so the team has been playing in another stadium in Barcelona. There was a vantage point to see the stadium and I didn't expect the renovations to be huge. The team store was neat, they had the new jerseys for next season along with those from previous seasons. This was something I really wanted to do in Barcelona.

                                                                                                                                                    

May 29th, 2024

The entire group went to visit Palau Guell, a mansion designed by Antoni Gaudi. It consists of multiple rooms with extravagant interior designs, and you can even walk on the top of the building which has colorful sculptures that resemble trees and a neat view of Barcelona. We went to a nearby market to look around at what was there. There was a seafood stand with fish, squid, and mussels fresh from the sea along with bakeries, delis, and a gelato stand. We continued on with the tour of a few of Gaudi's other buildings he designed including one with a bizarre exterior which resembles bones and scales of a dragon. There is a spire which looks like a hilt and pommel of a sword which I thought was interesting in relation to the building's skeletal appearance. It looked as if the building was a dragon being slayed as in the story of St. George. When we all got back to the hostel, I decided to walk around a bit to find something to eat for dinner. There was a place with outside seating where I ordered fried squid. If you squeeze the juice from a lemon on to the squid, you get this tangy taste. Not only was the food great the server there was very kind and outgoing. He asked me to give his place a review which I did. 5 stars.

May 30th, 2024

Nothing was really going on for the day. David asked me if I wanted to join him in helping him find some clipboards for a project for one of his classes. I said yes because I wanted to get out of the hostel. It was a very smooth walk with little traffic. After David found what he was looking for we walked back to the hostel while enjoying the moment of being in Barcelona. I enjoy walking as it not only is good exercise, but you also get to discover places along the way while everyone else is doing their own thing. In the evening, I joined a few students to get dinner, I wasn't really hungry, so I got myself a salad. We then went to a bar called Bar Marsella. This establishment has seen its share of famous customers including Pablo Picasso and author Ernest Hemmingway. From the look of the inside, you can see Bar Marsella has seen a lot over the years, and it is still a popular spot to drink and mingle. We made it back to the hostel at midnight where I crashed.

May 31st, 2024 

I started the day off by going to the park with a few classmates where we walked around enjoying the scenery. It was so nice out, people were rowing in the pond, having picnics, and playing fetch with their dogs. We then met with the rest of the group where we did a guided tour of the Sagrada Familia. The Sagrada Familia is a church designed by Gaudi, which has still been in construction since 1882. You can see cranes hovering over the church. When seeing it up close for the first time, it felt a little intimidating seeing something so large, yet it was a magnificent site to behold. The stone had incorporated elements of nature such as pillars on top of tortoise sculptures and vine like foliage on the walls. The interior was impressive as well as the mosaics when in contact by the sun creates this prism like scenery inside. You can see the rays of blue, green, and red light. There is also a museum dedicated to the building of the Sagrada Familia with miniature scale models of the church and its features. After the tour and museum, a few of us went out to get dinner. I decided to finally get paella, a popular seafood dish consisting of mussels, squid, and prawns on top of rice. I've read that Spain is known for their seafood and as someone who likes seafood, I couldn't resist.

June 1st, 2024

A few days ago, Sydney asked me if I wanted to accompany her on a day trip to Morocco and I said yes. The day started really early in the morning, probably around 4:30. We had to take a metro and a bus ride to get to the airport for our flight. I only brought myself one pair of clothes in my adidas drawstring bag because we would leave early the next day. After a short flight we landed in Tangier, a city on Morocco's northwestern coast. I was really excited because this was my first time visiting Africa, a continent I never thought I would've visited in my lifetime. We took a taxi to a restaurant on the coastal cliffs. The ride was beautiful as I passed the rugged coastal terrain and even saw a few herds of camels near the beach. We sat facing the Atlantic and saw people fishing with long fishing rods along the rocky shore. We shared a dish called tajine which consisted of a whole fish, peppers, onions, and potatoes. The traditional Moroccan bread with honey was also great. The least favorite part of lunch was the wind pushing the plastic chairs and napkins towards the water. After lunch we walked a bit uphill toward the lighthouse on Cape Spartel. We first walked toward this small cave where other people were next to. When we got there, I see a guy holding a falcon, he asks me if I want my photo with the falcon, I said yes, and he took a few awesome photos of me with his falcon. We then continued with our walk towards the light house where we walked past a small military installation with a few soldiers on guard. They seem really nice as they smiled while we walked past them. We made it to the light house. Although we were not able to go in the light house, the view of the ocean from Cape Spartel was a sight to behold. Also, there were multiple souvenir stands, one of which was selling traditional Moroccan daggers which looked cool, but I wouldn't be able to bring them home. After some time, walking around Cape Spartel, we took a taxi to our hotel where we checked in. I actually had to pay upfront for my room which was 350 dirhams, if you convert that to U.S. dollars its only $35, a bargain.

      

June 2nd, 2024

I had to get up early in order to make a flight back to Barcelona. I wish I could've stayed a few more days in Morocco. We didn't have much time which stunk, but it's better than doing nothing. After a short flight, I was back in Barcelona, which was our final full day here. To end my time in Barcelona with a bang, I decided to walk around the beach. For summertime, the temperature was nice, not too hot. I even got myself gelato, My time in Barcelona was amazing, I think I would have needed another week in order to cover the whole city, but I still have Berlin to visit. Maybe sometime in the future.

June 3rd, 2024

I had to get up around 3:30 as we all had to be out of the hostel by 4:00. Outside were about 3 taxis which would take us to the airport. The taxi I took was a mercedes minivan which could hold up to 8 people. After the flight we took a train to the central station and took a tram to our hotel. Kyle, Jacob, David, and I, the only guys on the trip were all going to share a room. When I went into the room, it looked very neat. You had bunkbeds, 2 normal beds, a bathroom with a "normal shower" unlike in Barcelona, and a TV which we didn't have in Barcelona. The hotel also had 2 arcade machines in the lobby which contains multiple classics such as Pacman, Dig Dug, and Galaga as well as a foosball table. Our first group activity was to get into small groups and go on a scavenger hunt to find any differences we see between Germany and the U.S. As this is my second time in Germany, I had no trouble finding any differences. One of which is in Germany they use the metric system so the speed limit signs are in km/h instead of mph. Afterwards I decided to continue to explore the surrounding area. Our hotel is in the neighborhood of Moabit, there is a tram stop next to the hotel as well as a U-Bahn station a few blocks away, which are both useful if you want to venture out in Berlin. Something I noticed about Moabit is that there is a large population of people of Turkish origin, and you can see because there are also a few kebab restaurants in the area. After I did some exploring, I decided to call it a day and go straight to bed in order to feel well rested for the next day.

June 4th, 2024

I slept well on my first night in Berlin, after I took a shower and got dressed, I went down to the lobby to have some breakfast, here I saw Professor Yuly who was excited to finally see everyone in person. I had a bowl of yogurt which filled me up within minutes. After breakfast we took a metro to meet with our tour guide for a group tour. The guide was a middle-aged man with a distinctive German accent. Our tour consisted of Museum Island, the Berlin Cathedral, Checkpoint Charlie, remains of the Berlin wall, and Brandenburg Gate. As this wasn't my first time in Berlin, I still felt I have never seen these places before although I've had. In the last few days my ring finger was swelling up and, on this day, it got worse, so I decided to take a taxi to a hospital. I was very nervous because I though my finger was infected, and I just arrived in Berlin the previous day. Fortunately, the doctor, a young man about 10 years older than I am who spoke fluent English cleaned up my finger and provided me some antiseptic and bandages to wrap my finger. What a day.

June 5th, 2024

Before class, Professor Yuly invited David and I for a walk in the middle of the city. Since being in Berlin, the weather has been a little chilly and mostly cloudy, so I had my light jacket on. We walked past the large tv tower which stands there like a sore thumb. During class we all met in the lobby, I would consider this my first real class since Professor Yuly was with us in person. In Barcelona, it was tough not having someone who could guide you along the way and willing to answer questions regarding homework. From here, it seemed like smooth sailing, and she still told me to live in the moment and not to worry too much. After a successful day of class I walked around a bit admiring the architecture and the overall atmosphere. Later at night I decided to have dinner at this barbecue restaurant, and I ordered myself currywurst, a bratwurst smothered in curry ketchup which gives it a tangy taste. It was raining a bit and dark out so I decided to head back to the hotel after a day of venturing solo.

                                

June 6th, 2024

After breakfast we visited multiple memorials in relation to the Holocaust. These were very sad, but also very important to see. The first was the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. The memorial consisted of multiple blocks of a variety of heights and as you walk past them it starts to feel like a maze and a little claustrophobic. There is also a museum underneath which talks about the lives of multiple families who lost their lives during the Holocaust and descriptions of what it was like according to victims. We then walked through the Tiergarten to get to the Memorial for the Roma who were persecuted by the Nazis. It consisted of a reflecting pool along with stories of those who were killed. We also visited the memorial for the disabled. Here there were reading displays talking about the Aktion T4, the mass euthanasia of the disabled by the Nazis.  After reading about this, I felt angry inside because why would anyone do that to someone especially someone who is disabled. We then ended our tour at the Soviet war memorial in honor of Soviet troops during the Battle of Berlin.

June 7th, 2024

I just stayed around the hotel because we had class, and I didn't want to miss it if I got stuck on a tram on the other side of the city. Got some work done and walked around a bit. For class we all went to a nearby park and talked about our thoughts from the previous day after visiting the memorials of those who were persecuted by the Nazis. It was an interesting class as we talked about why so many Germans fell for the Nazi's propaganda and conformed resulting in the deaths of millions and a devastating war.

June 8th, 2024

I went to the world's largest indoor water park, Tropical Islands which is about an hour outside of Berlin in the State of Brandenburg. About 9 of us went as this was our free day during our time in Berlin. To get there we took a train to the nearest station to the waterpark. There is supposed to be a shuttle to take visitors from the train station to the waterpark, but we just missed the shuttle, so we decided to walk to Tropical Islands. The waterpark is inside a retired airship hangar thus a huge dome in the middle of the countryside. It was totally worth the walk as there are waterslides, restaurants, a minigolf course, shops, a large pool, and an indoor beach. It was nice to get in the water as I have been walking a ton during this trip and need to rest my muscles to avoid cramping. 

June 9th, 2024

I decided to go to the Berlin Zoo on my own. A very simple train ride, a short walk from the station, and I made it. The first thing I saw was a small mountain and sitting on it, an ibex with long horns which I though was cool just chilling while having a good view. I also saw a panda for the first time as well as the one horned rhino habitat which was designed as an ancient Indian temple. Many of the habitats had some sort of house such as the peccaries who sunbathed outside although they had a large indoor shelter which looked like a house. There is a petting zoo with goats walking around freely along with little children. I believe I was there for about 6 hours and if you like going to zoos then the Berlin Zoo is a must. Afterwards I took a train to Alexanderplatz to walk around and see the TV tower up close.

                                          

June 10th, 2024

For class we went on 2 excursions. Grad students including myself have to lead in an excursion to a sight and explain how it correlates with the concept of intercultural communication. I chose my excursion to the Olympic Stadium which was built for the 1936 Summer Olympics. These games were controversial because Hitler used the games as a way to prove that his Aryan race is superior in athletics than everyone else. It was Nazi propaganda at its finest. This is the stadium that Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals for the United States. Despite its controversial past, the stadium was being prepared for the 2024 UEFA Euro championship and the signs with everyone from all backgrounds cheering is a far cry from 1936. 

June 11th, 2024

The entire group and I visited the Berlin Wall Memorial which is home to a museum along with a viewing point of part of the remaining wall. It was crazy seeing how a physical barrier with watch towers and armed soldiers stood in the middle of a city decades ago. We had the opportunity to see the Eastside Gallery which is a stretch of the wall with murals painted on it. Many of these murals focused on how the wall affected everyday life and a way to express a variety of thoughts.

  

June 12th, 2024

My class went to the Museum of Communication, which focuses on the various forms of communication such as by telephone, mail, and even morse code. They even had a few interactive displays such as a spotlight which you can click on and off in a variety of patterns to spell out words. There was also a typewriter you can use to type anything you want. After the museum we went to the New National Gallery. If you are interested in modern contemporary art, I would recommend this, although I wasn't interested myself. I decided to visit a small museum about the Berlin Wall and go to the Mall of Berlin which was across the street. There were a variety of shops including a Tesla dealership.

June 13th, 2024

I saved this day to go to the Stasi Museum. The Stasi was the name of the East German secret police who cracked down on any dissent towards the communist government. This governmental agency was cunning when it came to its's mission. For instance, agents would break into the homes of suspected dissidents and look around for evidence without making a mess. The Stasi also used surveillance technology in unique ways such as disguising a camera as a bird house. Something also interesting is that Stasi personnel were mostly on duty in normal attire and could be anyone you know such as a friend or family member. Afterward I went with the rest of the group to the night market which is home to many small shops and stands to get food. For dinner I had smoked trout from the fishmonger there.

June 14th, 2024 

My class went to the DDR Museum. This museum is all about East Germany such as its politics, economy, and the average life of the citizens. Here there is a Trabant driving simulator I tried and really enjoyed as well as life size displays of what an average East German household looks like. It was also the first day of the 2024 Euro Tournament. I decided to buy myself a Germany t shirt and scarf so I could look the part and go to a viewing party for the Germany vs. Scotland match. There was a viewing part near Brandenburg Gate, but no one was able to go in because it was already full. I asked a police officer if there are any other viewing sites and he mentioned something about Potsdamerpltaz which was fortunately not a long walk. I was able to watch the game on an outdoor TV where Germany obliterated Scotland 5-1. After the game I made my way back to the hotel by around midnight while everyone was celebrating the victory.

June 15th, 

The last full day before heading back home. I mostly packed up my stuff so that I could leave early the next day. Our final group excursion was to the Bundestag, Germany's Legislature building which visitors can go on the top and get a neat view of Berlin. Afterwards we went to a biergarten a few blocks from our hotel where I had bratwurst and afterwards took a final walk around the area. Overall, my time in Europe has been great despite ups and downs I am still grateful for this opportunity.