Hola from Spain!
Would I say the 9 hours plane ride was worth it?! Heck yeah! My first impression of Barcelona, Spain was that it was chilly, Texas winter could not compare. In Spain, the bus that takes us on long trips is a whole Mercedes and it has a funny design where the rear-view mirrors make the bus look like a bug. The seats are also very comfortable and are much nicer than our charter buses in the US. We also use the Barcelona Metro often if not every day and it is much easier to use and understand than the ones in New York. But my favorite part is walking by the tickets station to see their tickets sign cause tickets is spelled ?tiquets? in Spain which is so funny to me hearing it in my head.
We also visited the La Sagrada Familia, which is soon to be the tallest church spire in the WORLD! So cool to see all the details that artist Gaudi put into his design and the first step inside the Basilica will knock your socks off, I had to walk back in and out for a double-take. Finally, the food! Just like any other big city, Barcelona offers a variety of food to try from all different backgrounds. My favorite food memory was after a meal on the 2nd day, the waitress brought us a plate full of gummy bears, she probably could tell we were from the US. Overall, my first impression of Barcelona, Spain was to be open to learning open to a new culture but to also be aware of my new surroundings and to take in every new moment and experience. So excited and so lucky to be on this Spain Faculty-Led Entrepreneurship Program!
