Nov. 21st, 2009 Zaragoza is a city in the middle of a desert. It only rains about 300 mm per year and windmills for electricity are the most common crop growing up in these fields. However, it is only two hours drive from the Pirineos, the mountain range that divides Spain from France, where Ordesa National Park is. I went up there only for a one day visit. I wanted to be alone in the middle of an impressive place, I wanted to walk... to think... . Sometimes, being alone is not a way for avoiding somebody but a way of [View Full Entry]

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Hi everyone, sorry for the lack of blogs recently but we have been just a tad busy getting ready to cross the Atlantic. We have been in Las Palmas on the island of Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands for the past 12 days. There are 218 yachts and crew here and everyone has been running around like blue a#@^ed flies getting their boats ready to go. We leave here tomorrow at 1.00pm for the official start of the crossing. The "Canaries are sensational and I will post more about our time on the islands of Isle Grasciosa and Lanzarotte when [View Full Entry]

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“Did you have any fruit?” It’s a common question after our meals, since fruit is eaten often as a dessert. Today, however, I had already brought two clementines with me to school to snack on between classes, so I didn’t really feel like having another. “No,” I replied, then tried in vain to explain the situation, but Lola is impatient and if I can’t talk quickly, I don’t get to say anything. “¿¡NO!? Pues estas son muy buenas. Son muuuy buenas. ¡Toma, toma, toma!” She was waving one in my face, telling me that they were very good and s [View Full Entry]

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Barcelona was crazy! You definitely need to have a lot of energy for that city! Our entire visit it was in the 70’s and sunny, so we completely lucked out weather wise. We hiked up a lot of hills (sadly we weren’t able to hike through the foothills of Mount Tibidabo and see a woman…. and she was crying…) and we were completely exhausted at the end of each day, but we still experienced the nightlife Barcelona-style! Our first day we climbed Montjuic (part of the way!) where we then took a funicular to the top of the mountain to explore [View Full Entry]

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I was watching TV last Tuesday, and a commercial popped up about “The Greatest Show on Earth,” Barnum and Bailey’s circus. Málaga, November 14-15. WHAT!? “How great would it be,” I thought, “if I could get some people together to go the circus.” And I did! Raquel and Kate answered my request for fellow circus-goers, and we met at the train station Saturday morning. I realized it was the first time this entire semester that I’ve gone on a trip not organized by ISA. It was fantastic. When we arrived in Málaga, we checked in at our hostel and did [View Full Entry]

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There are just some things that you have to do once in your life. No, I don't mean the classics, get a good job, car, a mortgage, a spouse, have kids etc, but a list of things that aren't as widely spoken of, yet still have an everlasting impact on your life, sort of like a really great B-side album or track. An example of such things are staying awake all night under the stars with only a woolly tartan blanket for cover (that's so small, your legs stick out the end)-check, going to a live concert- check, going to a [View Full Entry]

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Bonjour á tous, je suis arrivee á Madrid hier. Quel choc, cette ville est vraiment etourdissante. Les gens font la fiesta toute la nuit c¨est á croire qu¨ils ne dorment jamais. Mais comme á chaque fois on doit bien s¨adapter. Ce matin je prends connaissance du coin oú je suis installee. L¨hôtel est assez ordinaire mais il faut s¨y faire. C¨est un hostal de séjour bien situe et est central prés de la Puerta del Sol. Pour ceux et celles qui connaissant Madrid cet endroit est le point zero pour localiser tous les endroits en Espagne. Je vais toujours trés bien [View Full Entry]

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Alicante Saturday morning I woke up and quickly threw together the things I needed for the week into my backpack. Taryn came to my door and we only had a few minutes left to catch our bus when she realized she was still wearing her slippers! After throwing on shoes, we then rushed out of our rooms to catch the bus to meet Katherine (we almost missed it, but didn’t thankfully!). Nothing like a rushed beginning to our trip! From there, the three of us headed over to the train station to take a train to Basel, Switzerland where we next [View Full Entry]

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Not sure why this site isn´t accepting my additions to the last blog - so here is the new stuff again just in case: Last thing I did was go watch the Magic Fountain (the fountain does a pretty awesome music and light show) and do a last wander around the Plaça Espanya area. What a great way to end my stay here! I feel like I´m forgetting a lot but you really have to see the city for yourselves if I´ve piqued your interest at all. Got to make sure I´m up early for my flight to Warsaw tomorrow. I´ve [View Full Entry]

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I guess I didn´t really explain why I came to Barcelona of all places. Most of you probably know, but just in case some don´t, here it is. In the fall of 2002 I came here with my classmates (about 25 of us) from the University of Calgary to study planning and architecture for a semester. We all lived here for 4 months and I had an apartment with 3 girl friends. We got to know the city quite well - after 4 months it felt quite like home. It was an amazing time and an experience I´ll always cherish. So [View Full Entry]

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