What an incredible week in Barcelona capped off by a group excursion to Mallorca. We started our week with an incredible tour of Montjuic. Before having this quick experience, I was a little worried because Dr. Panina told us that it was going to be a rough hike. To my surprise, the hike was actually much easier than I expected and was filled with incredible views. Also, there was so much to learn about the history of the mountain and the structures that were built along with it. Perhaps the most fascinating learning point was that Montjuic was selected as the site for a portion of the 1992 Summer Olympic games. Another very interesting fact was something that Dr. Panina had mentioned to me on the hike up the mountain. She told me about the history of the F1 races they used to have in that area. However, they stopped hosting races because of a devastating fatal crash that killed multiple people.
On Tuesday we had a fascinating lecture regarding Catalan independence. The professor who gave us the lecture was in favor of Catalan independence, but he did an incredible job of portraying unbiased independence. There was a lot to learn about the conflict between the Spanish government and the Catalans, and I find it very interesting that this is an ongoing issue. I am encouraged to continue researching and paying attention to the Catalan independence movement in order to see how the situation unfolds.
Friday, we had an awesome tour at Fabrica Moritz. We got to learn about the history of the brewery and the process of making beer. My favorite part of the experience was getting to taste their beer and incredible tapas. It was very interesting to hear that Moritz had a lot to do with the emergence of beer in Barcelona.
My week was capped off with a group trip to the beautiful island, Mallorca. This was my favorite part of the week largely because I got to get away from the stress of school. I spent my Saturday laying on the beautiful beach and swimming in the cool water. As much as I love the beach in Barcelona, I would say that I prefer spending my time on Mallorca?s beach just a little more. Although I still had to worry about my belongings getting stolen, there was more of a sense of peacefulness on Mallorca?s beach. On our trip to Mallorca, we also got to visit Le Seu, a Roman Catholic cathedral in Palma. This place blew me away. The architecture was beautiful, and the size of the building was breathtaking.
I am looking forward to our last week of school here in Barcelona. It has definitely been a grind in the classroom, but I have learned so much. Specifically, my learning regarding the European Union has been awesome. I have never heard anything about the economics or the political structure of the EU, so it has been great getting to learn about it for the first time. Both of my professors have made their classes interesting because I can tell they care about what they are teaching. Also, the stories related to the curriculum each of them tells during class help to retain my attention.