CAPA WORLD

Beyond the opportunity to take academic classes at a local university, complete an internship in a diverse global city with a rich history and explore through My Global City events, our local team shares five reasons to consider fall for your semester abroad in Barcelona.

The application deadline is June 7, so there's still time to apply!

1. IT’S A SEASON OF CELEBRATION. Catalan National Day brings processions to the city in September. Barcelona’s biggest street festival, Festes de la Mercé in honour of the patron saint of the city, Our Lady of Mercy comes next. Prepare for a week of fireworks, decorations, music, a fire run, costumes and parades. Then, a beach festival in Barceloneta. Changing pace, there’s Halloween and All Saints’ Day - together known as the Castanyada. On November 1, people head to cemeteries to pay respect to the dead, sprinkle holy water on graves, leave flowers and pray. If you study abroad in Spain in the fall, you’ll also experience the festivities leading up to the Christmas season.

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Rachel is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2018, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Business Administration major at Merrimack College, she is studying abroad in Florence this semester.

In this week's post, Rachel shares how she went to Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, and Barcelona for spring break and how it compares to her experience in Florence.

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For spring break my friends and I decided to book a trip through a student travel company located in Florence. This trip took us to 5 different cities in Europe: Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, and Barcelona. We had the option of traveling on our own, but because we wanted to see as many cities as possible in a short period of time this trip was the best option! Although we had help from a travel company, we were able to navigate through each city on our own and overcome a few challenges along the way. Follow along as I take on my European spring break… first stop is Berlin!

Berlin, Germany

As we arrived in Berlin I was amazed how modern the city was. We started our day by doing a free walking tour which took us all around the city. Although Berlin was very modern I enjoyed how much history there was within the city. Doing a walking tour gave my friends and I the chance to learn more about Berlin’s history and a new understanding and appreciation for this city.

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Thaddeus is an official CAPA blogger for fall 2017, sharing his story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A BFA major at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, he is studying abroad in London this semester.

In this week's post, Thaddeus pays special attention to the architecture and culture in the cities he visited over his fall break abroad.

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After my fall break, I wanted to expound a bit more on some things I have learned as an American (or U.S. Citizen) abroad. While being in London has definitely been a culture shock, I have always felt as though this city, in particular, is still rather familiar to me as if I was traversing a city in the United States.

While Amsterdam is typically known for being a safe haven for more "adult activities," one friend of mine referred to it as an "adult theme park," the city itself still has a historical core that can be found in its architecture. The U.S. has had much more opportunity to expand rather than centralize due to the vast space the country encompasses. However, visiting a city where efficient use of space is of vital importance was an extremely eye-opening observation for me.

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Danya Carithers is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A marketing major at the University of Pittsburgh, she is studying abroad in Florence this semester.

In this week's post, Danya shows us around Barcelona in a short visit.

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While studying abroad leads to many opportunities to travel and explore other parts of Europe, there is only limited time to do so. My most recent trip was to Barcelona, Spain.

Overall, Barcelona was full of surprises. I didn’t expect the city to be that big, I didn’t expect the food to be so amazing, and I definitely didn’t expect to be standing in the pouring rain for 30 minutes trying to get a taxi. I learned a lot about the big city in only a small amount of allotted time. With the suggestions of my friend, Megan, who studied there last semester, I was able to hit all the touristy areas and get insider advice on the best cafes, restaurants, and clubs all under 48 hours. It was helpful that I’m a obnoxiously fast-paced walker, but it most, most helpful that I planned my trip out in advance.

Thursday

9am: My hostel, called Casa Barcelo, was located near the Gràcia neighborhood where a lot of the new and trendy restaurants are located, making it quick and easy to find a nice café. After walking down a few blocks, I ran into a cute, beach-themed café called Brunch & Cake. I recognized the name from the list Megan sent me and was instantly sold when I found out they served smoothies.

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Felipe Perea is an official CAPA vlogger for fall 2016, sharing his story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A business management major with a minor in communications at Rollins College, he is studying abroad in London this semester.

In this week's video, Felipe takes us to Barcelona where he went with a few CAPA friends to celebrate a 20th birthday. 

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Thanks Felipe!

Felipe's journey continues here on CAPA World every Tuesday. Bookmark his profile and stay tuned!

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Stefanie Mandel is an official CAPA blogger for fall 2015, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Writing for Film & Television at Emerson College, she is studying abroad in Florence this semester.

In this week's post, Stefanie recalls her Halloween adventures in Barcelona, Spain. 

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This year, I left my trick-or-treating pillowcase in the States, and pulled together the best costume I could with €10 and a set of children's scissors. This is the extremely original, least stereotypical Halloween costume I ended up with: 

A biker chick. I know, I'm disappointed in myself too. 

Being that Halloween is "our" holiday, it's a bit of a challenge for an American study abroad student to get her annual dose of spooky fun. Rumor had it that Spain put up with Americans on Halloween, so I packed my space bags and traveled to home of the Cheetah Girls II: Barcelona. 

If I were a city, I'd most likely be Barcelona. It's fairly modern, is filled with guacamole, and has some parts of the city that will make you involuntarily say "what?". It starts with the architecture, specifically by a famous architect who goes by Guadi. You can spot his work in several different parts of the city, and you don't have to know much about his style to know what's his. A lot of his work looks like a Pixar fairytale.

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Emily Schoepflin is CAPA's Official Vlogger for Summer 2014, sharing her story in weekly CAPA World videos. A D'Youville College student from Buffalo, New York, she is studying abroad in Dublin this term.

In this week's video, Emily takes us along on a weekend adventure from Dublin to Barcelona where she gets to practice her Spanish (her minor) and enjoy some delicious food. She stresses the importance of exploring your study abroad city before venturing off into neighboring lands and lets her roommate say a few words about their Barcelona experience as well.

Emily’s journey continues next week… stay tuned!

TODAY is the deadline for applications to become CAPA's Official Vlogger for Fall 2014. Fill in an application!

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Anna Gale is CAPA's Official Blogger for Spring 2014, sharing her story in weekly CAPA World posts. A University of Colorado at Boulder student, she is studying abroad in Florence this semester.

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The first couple of days in Florence are one immense dream-like blur. Cobble stone streets, mustard colored buildings, spectacular churches, and slabs prosciutto staring at you in storefronts. Without knowing the history behind these hidden gems we so often pass by, they go too easily unnoticed for their true beauty and significance.

This semester I have been lucky enough to better understand my global city through classes like the "History of Italian Art from Antiquity to Baroque". With the guidance of our buoyant art enthusiast of a teacher, Silvia Giorgi, my class and I were toured around Florence for the sole purpose of understanding these amazing sites. We were taught to look deeper into the seemingly repetitive jagged stones and weathered marble, to see the time period behind each building. With my new-found knowledge on specific era’s architecture, as well as their cultural influences, I began my weekend trip to Barcelona with an open mind.

As I toured through the streets of Barcelona I tried to pick out the influences that each building presented. From Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, to the hexagonal apartment buildings at almost every intersection, the Spanish mixed with Romanesque influence was rampant. The colorful Spanish pieces that Gaudi gave to this town were spectacular with every pigment of the rainbow glistening in the carefully pieced mosaic wall of Park Guell. These styles differed immensely when compared to the Romanesque and Eastern European influenced buildings that I had grown use to back in Florence. While my bias may be due to the fact that knowledgeable teachers had guided me (as opposed to my friends studying in Barcelona), I didn’t feel the history through the streets like I had back in Italy.

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