Barcelona!!

I’m just about to leave Barcelona, Espana and make my way to Civitevecchia, Italia- right outside of Rome.



I am having the time of my life. We started out the first day in Barcelona walking the entire city. We probably walked a total of ten miles the first day! The architect Gaudi made many beautiful buildings in Barcelona, including, La Sagrade Familia, a megachurch that began construction in the late 1800’s and won’t be finished until 2030. We were able to climb the tiny staircases in the giant spires, where we took great photographs of Barcelona. We saw many Gaudi buildings and had excellent tapas and wine- wine, by the way, is super cheap in Spain. A glass of wine was usually complementary with tapas, and if it wasn’t, you could buy a bottle for 5Euro. We then had an amazing meal (dinner in Spain starts around 9:30) after more exploring of the city.



Day 2 in Spain started out with a trip to the Museu de Picasso. He had a really interesting Parisian stage- lots of soft lines that I had never seen of Picasso’s. Then we settled in to watch the Spain v. Chile game, where Spain won. The European’s love them some football. Also, we continued eating and drinking wine every five steps. Spaniards have breakfast, then tapas at 11:00, lunch at 2, more tapas at six, and then dinner from usually 9:30 to 2:00. I loved their schedule. We went out to a few bars as well- everyone here is so nice and just takes life slow.



On the third day, my favorite, we took the train about an hour outside of Barcelona to a vineyard where Cava, Catalonian champagne, is harvested, pressed, and distributed. This vineyard had 30 kilometers of underground cellars that go 5 stories down. It was built in the 1500’s, and then expanded upon on at the turn of the century. The tour was 6 Euro, and felt like a private tour. We took a mini corporate train through the cellars, where over 8,000,000 bottles of Cava are being aged. The tour was 2 ½ hours, including the tasting at the end. A magical, tucked away place that seemed like a dream to myself and three friends. After spending the day in the tiny town nestled in the wine country, we headed back to Barcelona. That night, my entire SAS “family”, the 10 teachers and my friend Serena, went to a Flamenco show and then out for Paella.



On our final day, I got up early and wandered to Gaudi’s public park, Park Guelle, and strolled through the mountainside neighborhoods. After that, we hit the beaches, where about ¼ of the people are nude, and the water is a beautiful turquoise. We sprung for a ride in the gondola (sky car) over the city to the mountains and back…. Then back to the ship. These are just the highlights, I fell in love with the city the first day.



Chrissy and I are breaking away from the group- we take turns traveling in 3 and 4’s anyway based on what we want to do, and are planning our backpacking trip around Italy. We are now shortening our time in Venice and heading to a town called Cinqua Terre- five cliff side villages on the Western coast of Italy. Then to Naples where we plan to hike Mount Vesuvius and explore Pompeii.

First Blog Entry!!!

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This is the story of my summer 2010 Semester at Sea onboard the MV Explorer. This summer, I will be taking graduate classes on a floating university that sails from Halifax, Nova Scotia to eight countries around the Mediterranean on three continents. I am taking this trip with my best friend, one Chrissy Young. If anyone actually reads this blog, please excuse its unoriginality, dryness, or unintended lack of entertainment value; I have written neither academically nor for leisure in almost three years. I hope to inform you of what I am doing this summer, but also hope to inspire you to embrace irresponsibility and travel to some of these destinations in your future.

June 11^th- Arriving in Halifax

Met my dad and step-mom, Paula, in Halifax- a port city in the beautiful province of Nova Scotia. We drove into the city over a spectacular suspension bridge to their condo on the waterfront. The bay there was beautiful- lots of wooden sailboats, deep blue water, and green rolling hills. What a place to start the adventure of a lifetime! The first night we grilled up some halibut and veggies, drank some great Portuagese wine, and enjoyed one another’s company.

June 12^th- Go to Halifax’s Farmer’s Market!

Dad, Paula, and I started the day at the Halifax farmer’s market in the old brewery. This is by far the best farmer’s market I have ever attended. Delicious breads, fresh fruits and veggies, and homemade meat dishes are around every corner. We bought some locally distilled sparkling cider (alcoholic of course) and some Cornish pasties just like the ones in Butte. We headed to the citadel once we had our fill of local flavor and continued to the public gardens. Why is it that Canadians and Europeans have the best parks? A well-kept park in New Orleans was one where hypodermic needles were not prevalent and trash was only on the ground after weekend events. The day then called for some drinking, so we discovered an authentic Irish bar called the Old Circle- I knew it would be good because its Celtic knot symbol is the same one that I had permanently placed between my shoulders. We went in for a pint, and accidentally spent over six hours listening to live Irish music from three talented groups, drinking Guinness, and eating some great Halifax seafood appetizers. I looked forward to sharing this new found watering hole with Chrissy, as she was expected the next day…..

June 13^th Bay of Fundy

If you have never heard of the Bay of Fundy, look it up on google. This bay borders Nova Scotia to the north and Prince Edward Island to the south. It has the largest tides in the world because of its funnel shape- over 54’ in some areas. Entire lands are covered in navy blue water during the first six hours of the day, and are then completely drained of the water during the other six (Yes, I know there are 24 hours in a day, a tide comes in twice a day). We spent the day driving from small village to small town in Northern Nova Scotia exploring this natural wonder. Native tribes explained the phenomenon with a folk story- this story attributed the waves to a giant whale splashing in the ocean. J After exploring the bay, I found Chrissy’s flight delayed until 2:30 in the morning. As I drove the 40 minutes to the airport in oppressively thick fog, I knew her plane would have trouble landing- I talked to a security guard when I got there. He told me that her plane had been sent back to New York after traveling two hours to Halifax…. I was worried she wouldn’t make the ship embarkation.

June 14^th The MV Explorer!!!

This ship is ridiculous. Although it pales in comparison to most luxury cruise ships, my non-cruised, sleep in Motel 6 ass couldn’t be happier on this floating resort. On the aft of the ship (that’s the back for you land-lovers) is a pool, pool bar, 4 sun decks, and fitness center. On the for (front) is a lounge area reserved for grad students (me) and faculty, and a large lecture hall. The ship also has a bookstore, spa, two dining halls, 9 classrooms, a library, and basketball court. Not too shabby. Although the room seemed like a tiny pressure cooker that would inevitably destroy a three year old friendship, our lovely cabin on the fifth deck port side seems large and luxurious now. Chrissy finally made it to Halifax this night- where the two of us wined and dined with Dad and Paula on the top deck of the MV Explorer. I was so sad saying goodbye to them; they are so fun- I love them a lot. After exploring the ship, we unpacked and delighted in the reality of our trip, broke out a bottle of cider, and fell asleep to Fantastic Mister Fox. Good Day.

More coming soon!!