Barcelona: The Easy Choice for Study Abroad

Hey friends! My little brother, Joey, agreed to take on a guest post to write about his experience in Barcelona. Joe went to Spain for his junior Spring semester at the University of South Carolina. I was lucky enough to get to visit him during his time there, but I felt it would be more authentic for him to share his thoughts, since he obviously spent a much longer time there than I! Enjoy.

Why Barcelona?

Studying abroad may have been the easiest decision of my life- four months on a different continent, cheaper tuition, and an abundance of experiences all loomed in my head. The part that I struggled with initially was narrowing down and figuring out where I wanted to spend my semester abroad...did I care most about traveling around? Location? People I would be with? Ultimately, I decided I wanted to be in Europe due to the easily accessible and cheap forms of transportation throughout the continent. But where exactly would I want to be? Western or Eastern Europe? Would weather conditions matter during my time? Luckily, I had friends who previously studied in Barcelona, Spain, the year before. They couldn’t stop raving about the place. When making my selection, I knew I wanted a mixture of culture, nightlife, activity, and beautiful weather. Barcelona could not have been a better fit.

When I landed in Spain I knew maybe a total of 25 words and phrases in Spanish. I tried my best learning beforehand, but never had any luck in the past with second languages. Although this played a decent barrier during my tenure there, all who I came in contact with were completely accepting of my limited Spanish, and instead embraced the conversation so that they could better learn and understand English. The people of Barcelona are some of the kindest I have ever met. They always seemed to be positive and enjoying life no matter what was happening around them.

I know everyone probably wants to hear about food and what I recommend, but I often visited the same few places. George Payne is an irish pub right off of Diagonal and was by far my most frequented place. Buy one get one lunch was always a good option and great for a college budget abroad. Da Greco is a restaurant that looks like it should be 4 stars and probably is, but it’s fairly cheap and gives two plates of every meal ordered. That’s about all I got for food, sorry. I like what I like, I guess!

Throughout my time in Europe, I visited and traveled to 21 cities and 11 countries. I can say with conviction that the nightlife Barcelona has to offer is second to none. Exotic clubs to beer halls to rooftop bars to unique speakeasies, the city has it all. De Lis Group runs a three day event called Abroadfest throughout the city that bring in some of the worlds best DJ’s which makes for one of the best weekends of your life. DLG also continuously hosts events at clubs with these DJ’s throughout the semester.

There was no shortage of things to see and do when we had down time- tour classic churches such as Sagrada Familia and the Cathedral, explore markets such as La Boqueria, get lost within the thin walls of the Gothic Quarter, reminisce history at art galleries or ancient castles...the list goes on and on and on and on. Whenever I was at home resting (which was not often), I would feel guilty for not using every second to my advantage to explore more.

The steady weather was the most pleasantly surprising aspect of my time in Barcelona. From February 1 and on, we could do whatever we wanted to do outside. We went to Barceloneta Beach probably 100 times, hiked Park Guell about twenty times, watched the sunrise and sunset at at Bunkers nine or ten times, and were able to experience Barcelona’s highest point at Mt. Tibidabo at any time throughout the Spring. My favorite part about the city and region as a whole is the diverse array of activities to take part in. You can swim in the ocean or you can hike one of Catalonia’s highest points, the opportunity is endless.

Public transportation was bar none the most simple of it’s kind that I have ever experienced. You can travel anywhere using the metro, including Girona (city where GOT has been shot), Montserrat (one of the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen) and even to the Pyrenees mountains to ski, snowboard, or hike.

I can go on and on about why Barcelona will always be my favorite place in the world. I’m writing this for my sister and tried satisfying her requests on what to write about, but if anyone would like to reach out or learn more about the city as a whole, feel free to reach out to me individually. I would recommend to anyone at anytime to get to Barcelona the next time you’re planning a trip, or especially as the choice for studying abroad.

(To watch our video from our trip, click here)