Inside Student Blogs

I would definitely have to say one of the best things about studying abroad is the ability to travel all over Europe.  Barcelona is a centrally located city and transportation to many of the common tourist destinations is extremely easy.  In two weeks I have traveled to Interlaken, Switzerland and London, England.  Two completely different trips but nonetheless an unreal experience unique to each city.

Interlaken

I never in a million years thought I would decide to go skiing in the Swiss Alps during my four-month stay in Europe.  On my mind were places like Rome, Paris, and London… basically the typical tourist traps.  However, when the idea of visiting Switzerland was suggested I knew this was a trip I had to do.  Interlaken is about a two -hour drive away from the Geneva airport.  I didn’t really mind this because it gave me an opportunity to see a little bit of Geneva (although being in the dark and absolutely freezing made this a tad harder).  A lot of students go to Interlaken to participate in crazy activities.  Canyon jumping, paragliding, and skydiving just to name a few.  Lucky for my nervous parents I am a total chicken and would not go anywhere near a situation that required me to be in a harness of some sort!  Over the course of the weekend we became acquainted with the little city of Interlaken and went skiing for a day up in the Alps.  My time in the Alps was one of the best experiences I have ever had.  I am not lying when I say the air literally sparkled.  For any Twilight fans out there – I am talking how Edward sparkles in the sun status.   Also, there was the coolest little bar on the very top of the mountain in a tepee tent.  This was such a fun thing to visit after a day on the slopes.  Speaking of slopes and my main reason for hitting the Alps in the first place, the skiing is wayyy more difficult in Switzerland than what I am used to.  I tumbled down a few mountains but I still returned to Barcelona without any broken bones and my body intact.  Looking back on the trip I can definitely say Interlaken was the best trip ever (and everyone who goes abroad needs to go)!

London

London was probably the place I wanted to visit most upon coming to Europe.  I really don’t know why I had such a huge desire to travel there over all the other locations available to me.  Maybe because London is Harry Potter’s homeland, it is a fashion capital, Chipotle (my favorite) exists, or probably most likely is that Prince Harry is single and resides there!  There are numerous sites to see and I feel like we did a successful job of visiting most of them.  Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Camden Market, Tower Bridge, and the government offices are just a few to name.  Equally as fun is the nightlife.  I can’t say it compares to Barcelona but still we had a great time.  There is a club called Ministry of Sound that has numerous rooms with different types of music playing.  Also, for anybody who tells you the food is bad in London I truly have no idea what they are talking about.  Personally I thought the food rocked and ate much more than I ever get in Spain!  Another wonderful thing about London… the shopping.  I only purchased two dresses (that are super cute if I say so myself) but this was with serious self-control because I honestly could have bought out the store.  Once again, another great trip completed and still so many more to come.

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