Join me on my 4 month journey in my ancestral homeland
As my last two blogs have detailed, the architecture of Spain is a very important part of its culture and flavor. The mix of Roman and Moorish influences create buildings that are uniquely built and uniquely beautiful. But, there were more important “flavors” to notice in Spain. The food, obviously (yeah, no buildup, I’m not…
Granada was a beautiful city. So, as I boarded the three hour bus ride through the rolling countryside of Andalusia, my hopes were high that Sevilla, my next destination, and the capital of Andalusia, would be just as beautiful. I wasn’t too sure though, as I had especially enjoyed the stunning vistas and cozy feel…
It took me 7 weeks of being here to do it, but I finally left Portugal to visit a new country (the Azores are technically a part of Portugal). Spain has been beckoning to me ever since I decided to study abroad in Portugal, with one city in particular being of interest: Granada. Kirsten, one…
Okay, yes, the title is definitely an over-exaggeration. There have been problems since I’ve gotten here. For example, in just the past week, our apartment had a gas leak that resulted in our gas being turned off for two days (meaning no hot water and stove access), our sink wouldn’t drain (we fixed it ourselves)…
I cannot believe it! It has now been 7-and-a-half weeks since I made Lisbon my temporary home. Those weeks have been filled with too many new adventures to remember (see my upcoming blog post for a list of my favorites). Making the trek to an entirely different side of the world has been more than…
There are so many words I could use to describe last weekend, spent in Portugal’s second city, Porto. Breathtaking. Idyllic. Also: Inundated. Unimpressed. Porto presented two sides to me this weekend. Its Jekyll: A Utopian town of red roofs stacked in tiers on the steep hillsides above the peaceful Douro River, where its residents sip…
Today, I will take you into a part of Lisbon that is one of its best kept secrets. Hence the title of this post, clandestino, which (if it isn’t obvious enough) means secret in Portuguese. But, it is in fact a necessity that this secret remain so. If this secret were to get out, it…
Football is often considered the world’s sport (and no, I’m not talking about American football, which will never have the impact real football has on the world). Kids around the world try to learn how to keep the ball up at a young age, and then mature to nutmegs and bicycle kicks. Those who are…
Portugal has been an amazingly beautiful country. It has everything one can ask for: islands, beaches, architecture, sunny weather, etc. However, there is one drawback in all of this: I still have to go to school. It is called study abroad for a reason. I have focused intensively on the “abroad” part of the phrase,…
Another weekend comes, another trip happens. My study abroad program, API, has done all of us a service by including excursions into our cost of attendance. Last week, it was the beautiful Algarve, with its shadowed history and sunny beaches. They also take us on trips within the city, such as a cruise on the…