Vivendo el suerte Espanol!

So you may or may not have been wondering where my blog posts have been as of recently, and well I guess I have been a little busy so my apologies!  But I will give you all a quick highlight of some of the highlights as of recently…

The past 2-3 weeks/weekends I have spent right here in the beautiful city of Barcelona.  The past 2 weeks have surprisingly kept me fairly busy in terms of academic work.  Yes I know your probably think “Eric , I didn’t think you actually had class and school work while you were abroad?”  Unfortunately, that is not true, but after several midterms and presentations things are looking good again!

So during the week I go to my classes, grab lunches and cafes with my friends and try to take it pretty easy.  On the weekends my friends and I have been going to an area called the “Gracia District” this area is really sweet!  It consist of a large area that has many local bars, which are filled with local people and well local beverages.  Not only that drinks are actually quite reasonable, and all of the bars deliver a different and interesting atmosphere, and also allows for us to attempt to use the Spanish we have been learning in class during the week.  So most weekends this is the area we frequent and have a nice time out.

If you remember awhile back I posted about a place called Ovella Negra… Well in the past we had been going to the small hole in the wall one, and recently discovered they have a LARGE one in another area.  This is also another great spot to go with a group of friends and meet other Americans, Spaniards, and foreign students.  It’s also really cheap you can get a giant tower of beer w a tap to share at your table for only 16 euro, not bad!  What makes this place so cool is it’s like a warehouse, with really high ceilings, long wooden tables, and ping pong and foosball tables.  Always a great time, especially when no one is able to agree on what to do that night.

Sooooo last Sunday was a big night its was Carnival De Sitges.  Sitges is a beautiful, beach, resort town about a 40 minute train ride from Barcelona.  Often times known as a very well friendly city for gays and lesbians to do there thing.  It is also host to the premier carnival of Spain, and well my friends and I just couldn’t pass this up.  And let me tell you neither could the Barcelonans, Americans, and other tourist, it was a PACKED city with people  from all over the world.  Unlike the French Riviera Carnival, this one was definitely much more intoxicated and rowdy, its more known as a giant party.  It definitely lived up to its reputation as such, from the bars before hand, the actual carnival parade, and the bars and clubs afterwards it was pretty out of hand.  Getting home was another story the lines for the trains and buses back to Barcelona were massive many people waited 1-2 hours just to get on, and if your not one that likes to be crammed into a tight spaced moving object you were in for some problems.  Let’s just leave it at my buddy and I did not get onto the train until after 7am and I was not back to my apartment until 815am, Crazy fun memorable night but glad I was able to partake in the carnival festivities!

Other things I have been doing is when the weather is nice we like to go down to the beach after class and just hangout, people watch, and relax to the ocean breeze and waves.  It’s even more entertaining when the infamous “Naked Man” walks up and down the beach…  Other days we will just walk for hours through the city and see the many different offering of Barcelona perfect on a nice day and FREE J  I also purchased a 7 museum pass so I can check out all of the main museums while I am here.  On Saturday my friend and I went to  MACABA which is the main Contemporary art museum in Barcelona. http://www.macba.cat/controller.php  Personally, I found it quite confusing and weird, the works were very strange and just hard to follow, but you have to respect the many forms of art and its obvious there are plenty of people out there that do enjoy it.  

This weekend on Saturday is Las Fallas which I will tell you more about next time I blog, the following weekend I will be going to Florence for the weekend.  Again sorry for not keeping you more updated, hopefully I will get a little better!  Hope all is well for you all back in the states, and in other countries, be safe and enjoy life!

Regards,

Eric

Francia Riviera, Nice, Cannes, Monaco good times! CARNIVAL

Well the French Riviera journey has came and gone, and let me tell you it was a GREAT time!!  Let me start by saying a few thoughts I had before going into this trip...

1. French people are rude and hate Americans..
2. The French Riviera is a small area and nothing too spectacular..
3. I would win abunch of $ at the Monte Carlo hahaha..

I will be honest and admit that the negative connotations and stereotypes I had about the French and their country was completely inaccurate.  For me this just goes to show even further that you can't believe everything you hear, and you truly need to be open to many different cultures and people, especially in today's increasingly more globalized society.  So here is what I did learn FOR the most part especially in the French Riviera area, the locals are actually extremely nice and polite to Americans, not only that a vast majority of them even speak English!  Having been in Barcelona for more than a month now, I will say that it is very uncommon to ever have a local know English so that was a nice change of scenery for a few days.  And in terms of the French Riviera well it was AMAZING so here we go.

Day 1:  Woke up at a reasonable hour and we would depart for Monaco which is a very wealthy beautiful city which is also home to the world famous Monte Carlo Casino.  The train ride from Nice to Monaco was about 30 minutes and was extremely beautiful, the train line runs right next to the ocean and offers great scenery of the beaches and the beautiful homes and buildings built right along the coast and up into the mountains.  Once we got into Monaco we started off by doing some exploring and would see the oldest church in the city, the Queens Palace, the exotic gardens, and greats views of the lower city.  Unfortunately none of the following were actually open to see inside which was a bit upsetting, but still beautiful from the outside.  After spending most of the day seeing the sites of Monaco it was time to venture to the Monte Carlo Casino, which is a main attraction and world renowned.  Inside was BEAUTIFUL artwork, and architecture, and plenty of high status people.  Now for myself I am not a big gambler and if I am going to gamble I prefer blackjack or poker... That was unfortunately not a possibility for me as minimum bets were $25 euro and well I am just not quite to that level yet.  So I was forced to play Roulette for $5 minimum bets and I'll let ya in on a little secret I have no played and had no idea how to play...  Within a few hours let's just say I had lost/donated alot more $ than originally intended, but it was fun.  My buddy Travis on the other hand won $175 on his final chip when he bet on 32 lucky SOB, but atleast someone came out on top!  After a bit more exlporing of the city and getting some night shots of the city we decided to head back to Nice and grab dinner.  We had some AMAZING pizza I mean it was good stuff, rumor has it that Nice may or may not have better pizza than Italy...

Day 2:  Today we would make the journey to the beautiful beach town of Cannes, yes the same one you have probably heard of for the world renowned movie festivals and a place where many actors and actresses frequent.  We saw the giant screening auditorium and all of the tiles with actors and actresses names and hand prints, but were not able to go inside :(  We also spent some time walking around the town and along the beach, which was one of the few sand beaches in the Riviera.  For lunch again we had pizza and again it was excellent!  That day we would head back a bit early and rest up for the night of Carnival festivities!  Carnival was awesome, the floats and the insane amount of people on the streets was crazy.  The floats were extremely detailed and just overall alot of fun to watch.  Carnival is quite an experience and I would love to to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and carnival in Rio de Jinero in the future, let me know if your interested!

Day 3:  We would explore Nice and see the afternoon version of Carnival.  Nice was extremely beautiful although it was rainy and cloudy we were able to see the beach and climb to the top of the castle which overlooked the entire city, it was well worth the hike and I think I may have some great calves by the end of this semester watch out Johnny Drama!  The top of the city was absolutely gorgeous and it was amazing to see all of the coast line and city from such a great point.  At the end of the afternoon Travis and I went into the old city to watch more of the Carnival parade this time with the day light.  It was just as exciting as the night before and we were able to see even more of the floats.  Later that evening we would make the lonnnngggg bus ride back only 9 hours...

Well that was my trip and obviously it was a blast and I was extremely glad I went I should probably thank my family, Sallie Mae, and whomever my future employer is for making it a possibility.

This week I plan to relax, catch up on sleep, and study for my 1st midterm exam in Spain, wish me luck.  As always I hope everyone is doing well back in the states, enjoy yourselves and be safe.  Thanks!

Regards,

Eric

Montjuic ,The Scipt, y mas!

 

Well this week was much better than the last, finally feeling good again after the unfortunate sinus infection and infamous food poisoning.  So after a long week of classes I decided it was time to go out and have some fun!

Saturday was a jam packed with fun and lots was seen, we started the day by heading up the Montijuic Mountain home to the 1992 Olympic Stadium and square as well as breathtaking views of the entire city of Barcelona and the surrounding Mediterranean Ocean.  Getting to the top of the mountain is actually quite easy, one really needs to appreciate and respect the investment Barcelona has made in their infrastructure notably their metro and bus systems.  I was able to take a 20 minute metro ride to the base of the mountain and walk directly to the funicular railway which then takes you to an area that you can either walk, bus, or for a more scenic fun route pay the extra $ for the gondola lift.  The top of the hill/mountain features a palace in the center and all around it you can take in the amazing city views.  Unfortunately Saturday was NOT a crystal clear day so it wasn't perfect but it was damn close!


Further down the mountain you can see the 65,000 person Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys host of the 1992 Olympics.  Its an amazing venue and the surrounding square and addition architecture are extremely impressive so much packed into that mountain its great!  Check out the attached pictures to get a further appreciation.

That night my buddy and I went and saw an AMAZING concert The Script you should know their songs "Man Who Can't Be Moved" and "Break Even" unless you have been hiding under a rock, or avoiding pop culture in 2010...  The concert was a great experience not only did I see a band I enjoy, but they performed great, the venue was perfect, and the crows was INTO IT, I know sometimes back in the States it's like 50/50 for crowd interaction well here in Barca they are 110% into the concert singing along, waving their hands, clapping etc the way it SHOULD be!  Needless to say we plan to attend more concerts the next 3 months here.

Well That's it for this week next week shoudl hopefully have some memorable experiences French Riviera for Carnival it's going to be an experience should see some beautiful cities, art, and interesting people, and experience another culture.  I plan to spend some time in the Monte Carlo may wager the rest of my funds while I am there, don't worry my trip back to the states is already paid for so it's not that bad right? JK JK but I am looking forward to updating you all next week!

As always hope all is well for you enjoy life stay safe.

Regards,

Eric

Bar/Club Song of the week
Peter,Bjohn, & John-Lay it Down
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yxtA8HoPlY&feature=channel

Been a rough week...

Well I have officially been in Barca for a month now and I love it I really do such an amazing place and different culture.  Plus the weather is 837x better than DSM right now and well even PHX so what is there not to like?

Well there are a few things... Firstly I have been sick w a sinus infection since last Sunday and well it sucks, and yesterday it finally started to work it's way out of my system, well until the Infamous "American Student Food Poisoning Plague" struck me last night around 1am! The story begins with a large group of American students watching the Superbowl at the Travel Bar Port, with a night filled with nachos, chicken wings, cervaza y sangria. Most of us felt fine on Monday, BUT then starting Tues evening the plague struck like clock work taking out a total of 15 students to my knowledge, including this guy :( Let's just say I never want to experience such a thing again...

But enough with the negative there were a few good things from the week and future plans made!  Firstly Saturday night a group of us discovered a great hole in the wall local bar call  L'ovegra negra(Black Sheep) it's a perfect central meeting spot, and a great place to meet many local spaniards and other Europeans, and if your the Black Sheep of the family you have no excuse but to stop in!

Other good news is I booked 2 trips 1st. Next weekend French Rivera for Carnival thats right!  Please feel free to send any $ you would like to get doubled as I am practically a sure thing when it comes to gambling... Seriously!

I also booked my Italy trip in late March, beyond excited for that as I have wanted to go to Italy my whole life now.

Depending on how I feel this weekend we are planning to see "The Script" in concert here in Barca Sat night, should be a fun time and I am interested to see how much different concerts are here.

Well that is it for me this week, hope your all doing well, and enjoying life, take care!

Regards,

Eric

No song this week sorry :(

Southern Spain... Fun times!

Fishies :)

Part of the church.

Beautiful alter

Eating that Calcote!

Get that perrón on!!

Well people it’s already been 3 weeks CRAZY!  And let me tell you this was quite a fun filled week for myself and well my entire IES abroad classmates.  Lots of fun experiences, memorable sights etc were had this past wed-fri together.  This is rather long post fyi…. Its worth it though!

As part of our Spring semester fees our program IES set up a 3 day field trip for us all to go on, in total there were 360 students, plus Ra’s and faculty that attended this journey.  We took a trip from Barca to Southern Cataluña with a final destination of Valencia, Spain’s 3^rd largest city.

Day 1:  We all met at the Hard Rock Café building at 830am, and departed at 9am.  In total there were around 10 buses or so filled to max capacity.  Our 1^st stop was about and 1.5 hours outside Barca, and would be Torres Winery.  Such a great experience!  Torres was named the “Best Winery in all of Europe in 2006” and is known as one of the best wineries in the entire world.  We were able to do a tour of the winery which required a ride THAT’S how big it is!  The buildings are literally state of the art, and truly sustainable.  They have invested a lot of time in money in both research and construction to both keep the superior quality of their wines up, as well as protecting the environment and getting the most out of all the resources they used.  This winery was literally AWESOME, and it was amazing to hear how 5 generations of the Torres family have kept such a respectable world class operation going.  Any of you back in the states I would highly recommend buying and trying a bottle of Torres Wine its great tasting and  they sell some bottles as cheap as $10.

Our journey would continue another 3 hours into Valencia, minus the lunch stop we made which was the WORST ever if you ever travel through Europe I highly recommend not stopping at Auto Grill, unless you want to drop at least 13 euro on some of the worst food ever…

Well we did finally get into Valencia and to our hotel our 530 pm, BUT the weather was horrible and would suck for the rest of the trip, it was cold and rainy all weekend L we made the best of it though!  That night we would have dinner at the hotel, keep in mind it was 2 buses to a hotel so nothing too crazy.  I FINALLY got the chance to try Paella, if been complaining about not having it yet for awhile so I got some!  Honestly it is nothing too special but its good, ill have it more often for sure.  That evening  a most of us went out to some local bars and had a fun night together, and with the local Spaniards.

Day 2:  Wakeup call at 830 breakfast and on the buses by 10am… Rainy and cold of course still.  But we were able to take our bus around the city and see some of the various sites.  Valencia is known for its Arts & Sciences District in the center of the city.  It consist of a stretch of 5-6 state of the art, unique, abstract architecture of buildings, truly awesome.  Google it I think you will be very impressed by it all!  We got free passes to go to the aquarium which is part of all these buildings, it is said to be Europe largest aquarium, it was awesome, I honestly don’t remember the last time I went to an aquarium, but I would like to go more often, new hobby maybe??  After that we had a few hours for a break, and it was off to another bus tour/walking tour…..  This one took us around the city and showed us the many many many beautiful , clean gardens throughout the city and the main shopping districts etc.  Then we were out and taken on a tour of the city mainly various churches, and landmarks.  I should be able to upload a few pics I was able to take on my phone of the churches.  The architecture, and art is truly mesmerizing, soooo much history I love it, and being catholic I know my family would be proud I actually went and saw them all.  Truly a great time even with the rain glad we were able to go our tour guide was knowledge and only said “hmm” or “huhh” at the end of every sentence a a million bijillion trillion times, but it was okay.

Day 3: 7am wake up call, on the road back to Barca at 8am….  We drove about 2 hours to a small, old Muslim city of Tortosa.  It was especially cold and rainy this morning and I didn’t have an umbrella, and of course we had another walking tour…  Honestly I didn’t even attempt to see that much I just wanted to stay warm or dry!  We saw some cool old building and churches but nothing that stands out compared to Valencia.

Another hour and we were going for a feast of in Valls for the Valls Calcotada, AWESOME experience!  It starts with Sweet Green onions that are bbq you then take off the skin and eat only the inside white part and dip it in a very yummy dip, its messing fun and tasty and well different.  Next is freshly toasted bread and fresh garlic, tomatoes, and mayonnaise that you take your hand and spread onto the bread, messing again but delicious! Then the main course of grilled pork, chicken, lamb artichoke and some sort of white beans is served.  All again were awesome, although I don’t do artichoke ask my mother why…  Finally the real FUN begins red wine is served, and no not in your typical wine glass this is a vase with an end to it and you pass it around and hold it up and drink up, pretty sure everyone had a fun time doing that, check out the picture of my buddy doing it!  Then we departed for the final 1.5 hours back to Barca, and guess what…..?  It was raining here too!!!

Well people that is it for this week enjoy the photos and I hope you enjoyed my week.  Hope you all are doing well, and enjoying life, have fun be safe, talk to you all soon.

Regards,

Eric

Club/Bar song of the week:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK42LZqO0wA&feature=related

Martin Solveig & Dragonette - Hello

Things I've noticed about the locals...

So it’s already been 2+ weeks in Barca, kinda crazy if you ask me!  This week I would like to put a focus on some things that I’ve found quite interesting in terms of the locals here…. Do realize I have only been here for 2 weeks so please don’t base my experiences on your opinions of Spanish people.

But here’s what I’ve noticed, and also please feel free to comment back what your experiences have been while in Europe, as mine may be different. 

1.       The smoking culture, In the US in my opinion smoking cigarettes is not something a majority of people pursue especially after all of the law suits, and health warning in the past 20+ years.   There is definitely your percentage  of people that may smoke only when out drinking etc, and some that smoke because it is quite difficult to quit, and many former smokers that have overcome the addiction of nicotine. But I would say its safe to say most Americans are non smokers.

·         In Spain and from what I have been told of most of Europe, everyone and their mother smokes cigarettes and it is common pastime.  It doesn’t really add up to me, the exact reason why…. Within the past few months the Spanish Gov’t has outlawed smoking in public places i.e. restaurants, bars, subways, taxis, basically you can only on the streets and in the privacy of your own home( Sounds like America know right?) When I get off the metro and out to the street I almost always witness adults and yes even kids I swear they are like 10 all light up a cig, my question is why is it so popular?   

      Well today I went and had lunch and beers at a small local bar/café in my neighborhood, it was all locales, after chatting my best in Spanish with a couple about Spain and telling them I was an American studying here, I finally asked why do Spaniards smoke as much as they do(Keep in mind I witnessed this lady smoke a pack in an hour), The female told me “ It’s the culture we have and have always had, just like American’s like to drink a lot.”  I told her” I guess I agree, but Europeans do drink anytime of the day on a daily basis, but Americans drink more in one sitting is true BUT after 5pm.”  My only ? is what started this culture, and why is it so much different elsewhere in the world.

2.        Second thing I have noticed is style is very different here from young to old there are some definite things I find much different then the US.  Firstly, yes I will admit for the majority of locals they dress quite well a button down, with a nice coat and scarf is common, as well as nice slacks or expensive designer jeans, ooo and lets not forget the extremely common leather dress shoes.  Women as well wear similar clothing.  So yes Americans apparently dress far more casually then Europeans, if your buddy or for the ladies one of your girlfriends dressed that way often you would probably say “Damn looking classy today, whom are you trying to impress?”

·         Piercings….. I have nothing against piercings at all, I think they can actually look quite decent at times on both women and men.  BUT in Spain I swear many people young and old has something on their body pierced.  In America, I would say it’s more than acceptable for women to have a small nose piercing, belly button, and for guys to have their ears pierced, that’s just the type of society we have grown into.  In Spain though it seems like many people regardless of age have not only their ears pierced, but it is common to see more than one piercing on their eyebrows, lips, nose(or at least a ring in their nose) and who know’s what else they may be concealing!  I am thinking of joining the trend and going  all out this one.. JK. But really I find it very unique that body piercings are so popular.

·        

My Next favorite thing is the rocker look… I don’t have pictures yet but I will soon hopefully. But if any one has been wondering where all the Kiss, Van Halen, and other classic rock band members have went, Spain is a safe bet for a spot to look!  Crazy permed long hair, tight jeans, black leather jackets and all!

Well that is enough about my  observations for know, I hope to hear your experiences of such in Spain or other Europeans countries, AND I hope I didn’t offend anyone, we are all unique which is what makes the world go round and round.

That is it for me for this week people!  Tomorrow- Fri sometime I will be traveling to Valencia, Spain with my study abroad program, doing a tour of Europe’s largest winery, a paella meal(FINALLY), and various other tours, as well as seeing the culture and nightlife in more of Spain.   

I will update you all next week, take care, be safe, and enjoy life!

OOO almost forget here is a link to a hit song in Barcelona especially in Bars/Clubs it’s catchy I will try to give you all a new one weekly!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXXzuQw5OIs&feature=related

Regards,

Eric

Mi primer semana en Barca

Well let me start with a WOW, such an amazing city very beautiful and plenty to do!

Things started out a bit rough for me arriving though.... Firstly my suitcase with literally ALL of my clothes got lost, and I didn't get it back for 3 days, definitely wasn't ideal but I survived.  Then I was not able to actually figure our where my Senora lived, and my phone wasn't working soooo needless to say I was starting to panic! But using the minimum Spanish I had some kinda gentleman called her and had here meet me outside, thanks random stranger! Ooo and I forgot my camera in AZ so noo pictures for atleast 1-2 more weeks sorry!

I am sure you are wondering about my host family, I live with a senora and she has an adult daughter that lives here is well, my senora speaks NO english so it is a bit difficult to communicate, when the daughter is there its much better.  Their apartment is actually quite nice no complaints at all.  I also have a roommate Ryan who is also a Junior and attends Lafayette College, hes a cool guy and we've been hanging out alot.

Getting to class is pretty simple thus far basically 30-45 mins of walking and metro rides depending on which campus I am on that day, the metro here is easy, and much nicer than any back in the states.  Next week I will plan on giving you more details on classes in Spain and some differences etc.

Besides class we have been checking out some of the local bars and clubs, nightlife is much much different here as no one young or old goes out until atleast midnight and usually stays out until 4-6am....  As much fun as it is with classes, and finances, I won't be partaking too often, also the fact that alot of the places we have gone to end up being primarily other american students takes some of the fun out of it.

But overall it is safe to say I really enjoy Barcelona alot, the weather is mid 50's yep be jealous! The architecture and art is phenomenal, ive really only been to Parc Guel those far too. And there is just so much to do I have decided that Spaniards are very much into socializing and eating tapas and drinking vino and cervaza as much as they can.

Well thanks again for following me, hope things are going well back home for you all, enjoy life and be safe!

Adios amigos y familia!

Eric

Well the count down begins...

Its officially 1 week, 7 days, or 168 hours until I depart from the beautiful, warm, sunny Scottsdale, AZ to the EU specifically Barcelona, Spain for the next almost 5 months!  Its both exciting and scary at the moment for me.

About me: I am a Junior at Drake University in Des Moines which is located in an extremely warm state of Iowa(Insert Iowa Jokes Here) I am studying International Business w an Insurance Concentration and plan to work in Insurance or Consulting after graduation, and hopefully work or do business abroad.  This semester I will be pursuing my studies among other things in Barcelona, Spain through IES Abroad and taking classes at

Universitat Pompeu Fabra.

Well... This Blog is my way of doing 2 things
1. Keeping in touch and giving updates to family, friends, and well maybe strangers., and hopefully a lil entertainment.
2. Keeping track of the many many memories and experiences I will have while I am abroad!                                      

Plans I have while abroad are firstly to get a solid grasp on the Spanish language, and hopefully be able to effectively communicate in Spanish.  I will also plan to network as much as possible, in hopes of future business opportunities in the EU.  For trips I am hoping to get to Italy not sure on city yet, Prague, London, and Amsterdam.  Any suggestions on cities, sites, restaurants, or bars to check out will be appreciated! I also would like to get in on some cooking classes if possible, one of my many hobbies.  Well thats all for now!

Thanks for taking the time to follow me on my trip, I hope you enjoy my posts.  I will plan on doing one just about every week if all goes well, no promises though...  Feel free to leave comments, and contact me at any  time on places to go or things to do, or just to say hi.  Take care!

Regards,

Eric Griffith