Hello Mates!
After spending the last week on spring break, we have finally arrived in London town. During the next seven weeks, we will study theater and London architecture. Since we were apart for spring break, we will share our individual experiences with you.
Spring Break (as told by Carmen):
I began my spring break in Barcelona. I was sad to leave Florence and my host family, but as soon as I got off the plane, I knew I was going to love Barcelona since it is such an energetic and alive city. The beach was beautiful, and of course, that was the first thing I had to see! I also had a dinner at small, family-owned restaurant. My friends and I shared paella (rice and seafood) and a pitcher of sangria. The owner bought us flowers during dinner and offered us free chupito shots at the end (supposed to help with digestion). Another highlight of the Barcelona portion of the trip was a walking tour of the Gaudi architecture in the city. Guadi was a famous architect from Barcelona-his work is crazy! We saw the church of Sangrada Familia and Parc Guell. Absolutely beautiful!
[My friend Carrie (left) and I in front of the Reichstag in Berlin – Carmen]
During spring break, I also visited Berlin. My favorite moment was going on a 6-hour bike tour of the city. The weather was beautiful and it was so great to learn about the history of the city. We saw the Berlin wall, Hitler’s bunker, the Reichstag, the Holocaust Jewish memorial, and many other places. The story that stood out to me most was the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Surprisingly enough, it was sort of an accident. A politician, who had missed the meeting in which the topic was discussed, made stuff up when he was interviewed on TV; he basically said that everyone in East Berlin had access to West Berlin. People started leaving East Berlin that night because it was the first night that they experienced freedom. I can’t even imagine how it would feel to finally have freedom after being imprisoned for so long. The city has changed so much since its dark, politically strife-filled past. Now it is a vibrant, quirk, and trendy community. The new mayor, a homosexual, described the city as “Poor but Sexy.” It is approximately 62 billion euros in debt. But the people are sexy and fun.
Spring Break (as told by Katie):
I had a fabulous spring break! My cities of conquest included Madrid and Barcelona! My group of traveling buddies included myself, Lauren (a friend from our ACM program), Kristin (Lauren’s from from Hope College) Jane (a fellow Ole!) and Lisa (my friend from high school who is currently studying abroad in Florence for the semester). The five of us set out to Madrid first where we stayed at “Hostel One” for two nights. Madrid was amazing and had great weather! Between the two days we were there we were able to go to The Prado Museum of Art, The Royal Palace of Madrid, the Retiro park, and the enclosed market. One night we were also able to go to the “Motorcycle Club” which is the largest club in Madrid (seven floors!).
[My friend Lauren (left) and I in Barcelona – Katie]
After our Madrid adventure, we flew Iberia airlines to Barcelona where we stayed at the Sant Jordi Alberg hostel. We had an Australian roommate named Jiske (jiz-kah)! He told us that he used to have a pet kangaroo! Our first day in Barcelona was slightly unproductive due to the rainy weather. However, Jane and I were able to go to a traditional Flamenco show that included music, dancing, and opera. It was definitely one of the main highlights of my experience. We also went to an open-air market, an old bull fighting arena, the beach, Sagrada Familia, and saw many traditional Gaudi designed buildings. Although we tried our hardest to see as much as we could, there are many parts of Barcelona that we weren’t able to get to. I would love to go back one day! In addition to all of our sight seeing we were also able to eat delicious tapas for dinner in both Madrid and Barcelona!
We are now both settled in at our new flat in Earl’s Court, London! We hope you all had a great spring break!
Cheers!
Carmen and Katie
*Katie Caffrey is a junior psychology major with a linguistics concentration from Oak Park, IL. She is currently splitting her semester abroad between Florence and London where she is studying both art history and theatre.
*Carmen Stubblefield is studying abroad in Italy and England on the ACM Arts in Context Program. She is a junior psychology major from Oregon, her favorite foods are pizza and ice-cream.