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Ode to Tomorrowland You will always be remembered as ‘this crazy festival I went to in Belgium’. I was 18 years old when I went to Tomorrowland, not having any idea in hell what it was. Immediately I fell in love with the unique and charming atmosphere. It was probably the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. It was our little secret. I left my heart in Boom, Belgium.

Ode to Tomorrowland

You will always be remembered as ‘this crazy festival I went to in Belgium’.

I was 18 years old when I went to Tomorrowland, not having any idea in hell what it was.

Immediately I fell in love with the unique and charming atmosphere. It was probably the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced in my entire life.

It was our little secret.

I left my heart in Boom, Belgium.

Belgium “You become like the 5 people you spend the most time with. Choose carefully.” The other weekend I flew to Belgium to spend a few days with family and close friends. It was mostly a weekend to relax and enjoy each others company. During the day we went bar hopping in Gent, which carried into a night of roaming the streets, laughing, talking, and having a good time. Being around people who protect you and make you feel at home is, I think, vital to one’s being and definitely a necessity during my time abroad. Being around happy and wonderful people has a way of rubbing off on you. You take the qualities you seek, and I was appreciative to be around adventurous, open minded go-getters who are keen on traveling and living life. I have come to find that the best type of people to be around are the ones who are up for anything.

Belgium

“You become like the 5 people you spend the most time with. Choose carefully.”

The other weekend I flew to Belgium to spend a few days with family and close friends. It was mostly a weekend to relax and enjoy each others company. During the day we went bar hopping in Gent, which carried into a night of roaming the streets, laughing, talking, and having a good time. Being around people who protect you and make you feel at home is, I think, vital to one’s being and definitely a necessity during my time abroad.

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Being around happy and wonderful people has a way of rubbing off on you. You take the qualities you seek, and I was appreciative to be around adventurous, open minded go-getters who are keen on traveling and living life. I have come to find that the best type of people to be around are the ones who are up for anything.

“The key to having it all is realizing you already do.” Reflection: Day 54 of Being in Barca Now that I am over halfway through my program, I am taking a bit of time to reflect on my experience so far and figure out how I want the rest of my semester here to go. Studying abroad is not always easy; I have faced many obstacles and landmarks along the way that have been a true marker as to who I am as a person. Especially coming here alone, you can tell a lot about yourself by the things you attract in your life and the things you stay away from. I am also able to observe the influence of others back home or in my past based on my surroundings here: even in a country thousands of miles away with people who were complete strangers several months ago, I have found a way to make myself comfortable and feel at home. I could not be blessed enough to have had this opportunity. Everything I do here, even the act of walking to class in the morning is filled with such privilege and a sort of prerogative that others may not have had the chance to do. Whether those reasons may be money, fear, or other preferences, I chose this as my path and I have had the wonderful opportunity to fulfill it. Looking back on this in 20, 40, 60 years, I will solely remember this as a time of self-enlightenment, as a time when I did something for myself and myself alone. Not for others, school, work, jobs, or any external factors. This experience was meant to better myself as a person just for the sake of being a person, and that is something that I can carry out in all aspects of my life. I urge you to look at your life now and count your blessings. Each and everyone’s life is filled with privilege that you should feel absolutely guilty for having. Relish in these factors, you have every right to brag about your family, your friends, your education, your experiences. You are a truly lucky human being to be placed on this earth with everything that you have, and the second you realize you have it all, will be the second that you actually do have it all.

“The key to having it all is realizing you already do.”

Reflection: Day 54 of Being in Barca

Now that I am over halfway through my program, I am taking a bit of time to reflect on my experience so far and figure out how I want the rest of my semester here to go. Studying abroad is not always easy; I have faced many obstacles and landmarks along the way that have been a true marker as to who I am as a person. Especially coming here alone, you can tell a lot about yourself by the things you attract in your life and the things you stay away from. I am also able to observe the influence of others back home or in my past based on my surroundings here: even in a country thousands of miles away with people who were complete strangers several months ago, I have found a way to make myself comfortable and feel at home.

I could not be blessed enough to have had this opportunity. Everything I do here, even the act of walking to class in the morning is filled with such privilege and a sort of prerogative that others may not have had the chance to do. Whether those reasons may be money, fear, or other preferences, I chose this as my path and I have had the wonderful opportunity to fulfill it. Looking back on this in 20, 40, 60 years, I will solely remember this as a time of self-enlightenment, as a time when I did something for myself and myself alone. Not for others, school, work, jobs, or any external factors. This experience was meant to better myself as a person just for the sake of being a person, and that is something that I can carry out in all aspects of my life.

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I urge you to look at your life now and count your blessings. Each and everyone’s life is filled with privilege that you should feel absolutely guilty for having. Relish in these factors, you have every right to brag about your family, your friends, your education, your experiences. You are a truly lucky human being to be placed on this earth with everything that you have, and the second you realize you have it all, will be the second that you actually do have it all.

PragueA Bohemian City The only thing I knew about Prague before I visited is that I must go. It was clear the second I stepped out of the cab exactly why. Our hostel was located right at the Charles Bridge, the oldest Prague Gothic bridge connecting the Old Town and the Lesser Town. Charles Bridge serves as a gallery in itself, displaying rich sculptural decoration as you walk along it. With the combination of the staggering gothic architecture in the distance, and the falling snow that reminded me of being back home, the magic of Prague immediately captured me. Our days were spent trodding through the snow, visiting sites such as Prague Castle, Old Town Square, and the John Lennon Wall. We tried many different restaurants and pubs in order to get the full spectrum of what is Czech. The food was hearty, the underground pubs were winding, and the beer was exquisite and made me not want to leave.  We also had the chance to visit a monastery and brewery, both of which allowed us to view the city from great heights. Prague is a smaller city, yet it contains a deep-rooted and peaceful history, which is evident in the tranquil, mystic atmosphere and the people that reside there.

Prague
A Bohemian City

The only thing I knew about Prague before I visited is that I must go. It was clear the second I stepped out of the cab exactly why. Our hostel was located right at the Charles Bridge, the oldest Prague Gothic bridge connecting the Old Town and the Lesser Town. Charles Bridge serves as a gallery in itself, displaying rich sculptural decoration as you walk along it. With the combination of the staggering gothic architecture in the distance, and the falling snow that reminded me of being back home, the magic of Prague immediately captured me.

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Our days were spent trodding through the snow, visiting sites such as Prague Castle, Old Town Square, and the John Lennon Wall. We tried many different restaurants and pubs in order to get the full spectrum of what is Czech. The food was hearty, the underground pubs were winding, and the beer was exquisite and made me not want to leave.

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 We also had the chance to visit a monastery and brewery, both of which allowed us to view the city from great heights. Prague is a smaller city, yet it contains a deep-rooted and peaceful history, which is evident in the tranquil, mystic atmosphere and the people that reside there.

Florence One of the things that struck me most about Florence was the breathtaking beauty of the Duomo, peeking out at you from random street corners. We would be walking at night, turn on the next street, and there it was. As a major icon of Florence, it definitely captivated me each and every time I saw it. Ponte Vecchio is a bridge dedicated solely to jewelry, how perfect. Across the Arno you can take a short climb to Piazzale Michelangelo, where many people like to lay on the grass, drink wine and listen to whichever artist is playing at the time. View from Piazzale Michelangelo The rest of our days were filled with visiting art museums, shopping, or relaxing. It was also necessary to eat as much pasta and gelato as I could! Florence overall was a very enjoyable relaxed Tuscan atmosphere, a place I can definitely see myself going back to one day.

Florence

One of the things that struck me most about Florence was the breathtaking beauty of the Duomo, peeking out at you from random street corners. We would be walking at night, turn on the next street, and there it was. As a major icon of Florence, it definitely captivated me each and every time I saw it.

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Ponte Vecchio is a bridge dedicated solely to jewelry, how perfect. Across the Arno you can take a short climb to Piazzale Michelangelo, where many people like to lay on the grass, drink wine and listen to whichever artist is playing at the time.

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View from Piazzale Michelangelo

The rest of our days were filled with visiting art museums, shopping, or relaxing. It was also necessary to eat as much pasta and gelato as I could! Florence overall was a very enjoyable relaxed Tuscan atmosphere, a place I can definitely see myself going back to one day.

Lone Traveler “I think it’s very healthy to spend time alone. You need to know how to be alone and not be defined by another person.” - Oscar Wilde Yesterday I traveled for the first time out of the country by myself. This consisted of me catching a bus from Florence to Pisa, a flight from Pisa to Girona, and another bus from Girona back to Barcelona. Doing this ended up being 100€ cheaper than if I just flown out of Florence, and I thought it would be a good experience for me to navigate transportation systems on my own and to have the chance to see a couple cities I may not have otherwise. The experience was extremely liberating. While I faced obstacles that could have been extremely stressful had I been with others, I remained calm and tranquil the entire day. Any mistake I made was my own doing, which made any triumph all the more rewarding. I am a social person and enjoy being with others, but it is nice to know that I can enjoy the company of being with myself. As long as you are always with yourself, you will never be alone. Advice for People Traveling Alone: Give yourself enough time to figure things out Don’t be afraid to talk to people or ask questions if you are lost Always be aware of your surroundings

Lone Traveler

“I think it’s very healthy to spend time alone. You need to know how to be alone and not be defined by another person.” - Oscar Wilde

Yesterday I traveled for the first time out of the country by myself. This consisted of me catching a bus from Florence to Pisa, a flight from Pisa to Girona, and another bus from Girona back to Barcelona. Doing this ended up being 100€ cheaper than if I just flown out of Florence, and I thought it would be a good experience for me to navigate transportation systems on my own and to have the chance to see a couple cities I may not have otherwise.

The experience was extremely liberating. While I faced obstacles that could have been extremely stressful had I been with others, I remained calm and tranquil the entire day. Any mistake I made was my own doing, which made any triumph all the more rewarding. I am a social person and enjoy being with others, but it is nice to know that I can enjoy the company of being with myself. As long as you are always with yourself, you will never be alone.

Advice for People Traveling Alone:

  • Give yourself enough time to figure things out
  • Don’t be afraid to talk to people or ask questions if you are lost
  • Always be aware of your surroundings
“All that we are is a result of what we have thought.” Today’s Inspiration: Google Maps. The ability to see an aerial view of any part of the world is absolutely inspiring to me. From caves in Lagos, to the wonderful waterfalls of Krka National Park, we have the ability to see how to get from A to point B at our fingertips. Usually when we are traveling we don’t think about the journey, just the destination. Yet the journey puts things into a completely different perspective of just how accessible some of the most beautiful places in the world are. I urge you to go back over past trips and see how some of the sites you visited are in relation to the world. We often think of some of these wonders as abstract things, places we want to go or see, yet the ability to physically see these places on a map brings them down to a concrete level of possibility - and that’s a powerful thing. The above photo is a Google Map image of Amalfi, Italy. We stopped in this city to transfer boats and explored some caves in the meantime. I was inspired to blog about this while I was trying to locate the exact caves we explored. It’s amazing how Italy can look absolutely breathtaking even as a Google Map image.

“All that we are is a result of what we have thought.”

Today’s Inspiration: Google Maps.

The ability to see an aerial view of any part of the world is absolutely inspiring to me. From caves in Lagos, to the wonderful waterfalls of Krka National Park, we have the ability to see how to get from A to point B at our fingertips. Usually when we are traveling we don’t think about the journey, just the destination. Yet the journey puts things into a completely different perspective of just how accessible some of the most beautiful places in the world are.

I urge you to go back over past trips and see how some of the sites you visited are in relation to the world. We often think of some of these wonders as abstract things, places we want to go or see, yet the ability to physically see these places on a map brings them down to a concrete level of possibility - and that’s a powerful thing.

The above photo is a Google Map image of Amalfi, Italy. We stopped in this city to transfer boats and explored some caves in the meantime. I was inspired to blog about this while I was trying to locate the exact caves we explored. It’s amazing how Italy can look absolutely breathtaking even as a Google Map image.

“I am not so much a traveler as I am an explorer.” Spring break is on my mind, and my plan is to go back to the Amalfi Coast, the most beautiful place in all of Europe. I also want to explore Greece, a place I’ve never been before. I can’t wait for adventure, exploring and wandering. The above photo was taken on the Island of Capri.

“I am not so much a traveler as I am an explorer.”

Spring break is on my mind, and my plan is to go back to the Amalfi Coast, the most beautiful place in all of Europe. I also want to explore Greece, a place I’ve never been before. I can’t wait for adventure, exploring and wandering.

The above photo was taken on the Island of Capri.

Montserrat“The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man.” This past weekend I went to Montserrat, just an hour train ride out of Barcelona. I guess this area is very sought after for rock climbers, because it has some of the best rock climbing in all of Europe. I have been craving a good hike since the second I stepped off the plane, and am so glad I had the opportunity to go on this trip. Montserrat is well known for Benedictine Abbey, Santa Maria de Montserrat, and the Virgin of Montserrat sanctuary. The legend is that if you touch the belly of the virgin, whatever wish you have will come true. I mostly enjoyed Montserrat for it’s scenic views and nature trails surrounding the national park. One of the more fun experiences was the ability to take a cable car from the bottom to top of the mountain, definitely recommended! I learned quickly when I came to Barcelona just how important being outdoors is to me, and am glad I got to experience hiking through Spain so close to my home. Train tickets to Montserrat can be purchased at the Espanya metro station in Barcelona. More photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lauren_wallace/sets/72157632675449661/

Montserrat
“The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man.”

This past weekend I went to Montserrat, just an hour train ride out of Barcelona. I guess this area is very sought after for rock climbers, because it has some of the best rock climbing in all of Europe. I have been craving a good hike since the second I stepped off the plane, and am so glad I had the opportunity to go on this trip.

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Montserrat is well known for Benedictine Abbey, Santa Maria de Montserrat, and the Virgin of Montserrat sanctuary. The legend is that if you touch the belly of the virgin, whatever wish you have will come true.

I mostly enjoyed Montserrat for it’s scenic views and nature trails surrounding the national park. One of the more fun experiences was the ability to take a cable car from the bottom to top of the mountain, definitely recommended! I learned quickly when I came to Barcelona just how important being outdoors is to me, and am glad I got to experience hiking through Spain so close to my home.

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Train tickets to Montserrat can be purchased at the Espanya metro station in Barcelona.

More photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lauren_wallace/sets/72157632675449661/

Madrid This past weekend I took a bus halfway across Spain from Barcelona to Madrid. Madrid is extremely different from Barca in many ways. From my impression of both cities, Barcelona is definitely slower paced, contains more colorful art (Gaudi) and has a Mediterranean feel. Madrid is more business-like, is centered around the royal palace, and a few other things I can’t put my finger on. On Saturday we took a walking tour around the city, went to El Retiro Park (pictured above), and the Prado Museum. From being an art major, I can honestly say that I have a strong appreciation for the arts. It is such an amazing feeling to be able to see a painting in person that you have spent hours studying, and to know the context of what was going on at the time and the influence within the painting. Art has alwasy been a big part of my life, so I am extremely blessed to have seen some of the most famous paintings in the world. Sunday we went to the food market and then the Royal Palace. The inside of the palace was absolutely inspiring, definitely a site worth seeing if ever in Madrid. After that we shopped around and hung out at our hostel, got some Sangria and caught the bus back to Barcelona.

Madrid

This past weekend I took a bus halfway across Spain from Barcelona to Madrid. Madrid is extremely different from Barca in many ways. From my impression of both cities, Barcelona is definitely slower paced, contains more colorful art (Gaudi) and has a Mediterranean feel. Madrid is more business-like, is centered around the royal palace, and a few other things I can’t put my finger on.

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On Saturday we took a walking tour around the city, went to El Retiro Park (pictured above), and the Prado Museum. From being an art major, I can honestly say that I have a strong appreciation for the arts. It is such an amazing feeling to be able to see a painting in person that you have spent hours studying, and to know the context of what was going on at the time and the influence within the painting. Art has alwasy been a big part of my life, so I am extremely blessed to have seen some of the most famous paintings in the world.

Sunday we went to the food market and then the Royal Palace. The inside of the palace was absolutely inspiring, definitely a site worth seeing if ever in Madrid. After that we shopped around and hung out at our hostel, got some Sangria and caught the bus back to Barcelona.