Mykaela Scarpace

     Going from sunny 65 degree weather to cold and rainy Berlin isn’t exactly ideal BUT it was certainly worth it. All ten of us went together for 4 days and were even able to see the other students from WIT studying abroad there!

     My favorite part of the trip was the day when we aimlessly wandered around the city, discovering cozy cafes, small parks and unique facades. Our wandering eventually led us to Mauerpark, a large park that still has a large section of the Berlin Wall (which is covered in graffiti, something that has become very prominent on the streets of Berlin). The park was filled with people playing music, relaxing and drinking (open containers are permitted in Berlin). There was even a flea market going on at the time, which had an abundance of vintage jean jackets (a very popular article of clothing for Berliners in our generation). So I bought a 15€ jacket, grabbed a beer and headed to the graffitied wall to fit in with the rest of the crowd!

      That night we were lucky enough to be able to go to the Berlin Philharmonic and see the orchestra. The music was lovely, but my favorite part was the building. The outside was abstract and bright and the inside was grand, but inviting! The photos below show some of my favorite experiences from the trip!

                    Volkswagen Factory                                      Berlin Philharmonic Concert Hall

                 Berlin Wall, Mauerpark                                                 Reichstag Dome

     Wednesday’s are super super tough days for us here (I’m only kidding)… we take the train to Barcelona for the day as a class. The morning consists of classroom time where we learn about important architecture in the city. We then have a break to enjoy a two hour lunch together – long lunches with friends are part of the culture here and we’ve adapted quite nicely!

     The second half of the day is spent walking around the city experiencing the streets, plazas and buildings that we learned about in the morning. Once the day is over, we head back to Girona. On the train, I go back through the photos and notes I took and sketches I drew. We learn and see so much that I reflect on the day in order to remember as much as possible. We’ve already learned so many things that just can’t be taught sitting in a classroom!

                           Casa Batlló                                                       Barcelona Cathedral

                Passeig de Lluís Companys                                                 Plaza Reial

      My mom texted me one Saturday and said “how is your day today?” I responded saying “well, I’m actually in Florence so my day is going pretty well!” I guess I had forgot to tell her I was going to Florence, Italy for the weekend! My two friends and I flew out Friday night and booked a hostel until Monday before flying back at night.

      Florence was absolutely amazing. We all fell in love the second we got into the city. There was pizza, pasta, paninis, gelato and wine EVERYWHERE – not to mention the gorgeous architecture. I think the best way to show the beauty of Florence is by sharing these few photos…

     Skiing in Europe was one of my main priorities for this semester and I decided to go the first free weekend I had! My friend and I bought tickets for a ski bus to a nearby mountain range. We woke up at 6:00am and went the the bus station. We couldn’t find the right bus and worried that we weren’t going to be able to go. A bus driver, who sensed that we were confused, pointed us to the correct bus – everyone here is so helpful and nice!

     When we got to the mountain, we rented skis, poles and boots, but didn’t have a way to rent snow pants. Luckily we both had winter jackets, hats and gloves to keep us warm enough. The weather was perfect for skiing, the view was absolutely beautiful and the conditions were better than anything I had ever experienced in New England. It was definitely worth the stress of almost missing the bus as you can tell from the photos below!

     I think that packing for three months in just a large suitcase, a carry-on and a backpack may have been one of the most difficult tasks I have ever completed. Until the morning of my flight, I was packing, unpacking and repacking my suitcases. I was finally able to fit everything in my suitcase with little time to spare before I had to leave. As my parents drove me to the airport, I sat in the back seat silent almost the entire way. I didn’t have any nervousness, sadness or excitement. I truly didn’t know what to feel. The idea of spending a semester abroad had always been a dream and now it was becoming reality, and I was left speechless.

     My nine classmates and I have officially been in Spain for ten days now and we are still asking each other if the reality has set in yet. It certainly has not. We unpacked and settled into our apartments in Girona, Spain, but were only there for a few days. We’ve been lucky enough to spend some time traveling before classes start. We’ve been to four different cities other than Girona in 10 days including Cadaqués, Seville, Córdoba and Granada.We have been so many places and seen so much already that we can’t imagine what more we will experience in the next three months. It impossible to capture all the beauty of these places in just a few photos, but I’ll try my best!

   El Paratge de Tudela – Cadaqués, Spain                     Metropol Parasol – Sevilla, Spain

        Seville Cathedral – Seville, Spain                         Alhambra Palace – Granada, Spain