Heather – Spain

May 23, 2024

Day 2-5

The past several days have been very fun. After arrival we were led on a guided walking tour around Madrid and a hop-on/hop-off bus tour. On day 2, we went to Atletico Madrid FC Academy where we listened to two lectures about technology and its influence on athlete development and how it is perceived in the community. Later that day we sat through a lecture at the Global Sports Innovation Center, this lecture was about the role that the Microsoft Global Sports Innovation Center has in the global sport science community.

We also toured the Prada Museum on day 3. Prada has the most unique collection of art in all of Europe and it is located in the heart of Madrid. After leaving Prada we had the rest of the day and all of day 4 to ourselves. My roomates and I went to the Market (a 30 minute walk, so you will get your steps in!) and we got lunch near the Temple of Debod.

On day 5 we started the day traveling. This is the day we fly to Barcelona for the second part of the trip. Upon arrival, we meet the tour guide and hop on the bus to head to Montjuic for lunch and a cable car ride. It is one of the most beautiful views you will ever see. Surrounded by the water and looking off into the distance you can see the Sagrada Familia.

May 19, 2024

Day 1

¡Hola! My name is Heather. I am a senior at ECU majoring in Exercise Physiology with minors in Sports Studies and Communications. I will be studying abroad on a 2 week program in Madrid and Barcelona. I will be uploading my experiences in this blog with plans and a “day in the life.” I finished packing last night and I am currently in the airport. We were told to pack light but you never know what can come up! I am very exited to start this journey, thankfully I am not new to traveling abroad and navigating through airports. I am still a little overwhelmed and nervous.

In this trip we are going to be exploring the streets of Madrid and Barcelona and immersing ourselves in the rich culture of Spain while also touring famous stadiums and museums. We will be attending Ramon Llull University in Barcelona to attend several lectures about the sport and its social and cultural impact on Spain.

It is always nerve wracking going to a country that you don’t know much about or speak the language of but I hope to walk away from this experience with a new found confidence in myself and my career. I am most excited about touring all of the famous structures that are planned for us.

Arrival!

After a long day of traveling, I finally made it! Once I met up with the rest of the group and our tour guide we got on a bus to go to our first accommodation of the trip. It was in the heart of Madrid not far from the Royal Palace. Surrounded by many restaurants and the opportunity for shopping. The plan for the rest of the day was to enjoy the hop-off hop-on sightseeing bus. After, we walked around and checked out some souvenir shops and tried some spanish food and desserts from stores on the side of the road. To end the night we went to dinner and got frozen yogurt before heading back.