Europe for the Summer

I just finished my second week of classes in Paris and have less than two weeks left in Europe. In Paris, our class has been meeting at different parks and important places around Paris. This blog shows three of the areas that I have gone by while going to class. I am starting with the 5th arrondissement which is called cinquièmen in French. This area is on the left bank of the Seine river and includes the Latin Quarter. This neighborhood has a lot of Roman history and is the oldest arrondissement in Paris. It is currently full of universities, colleges and high schools. The 5th arrondissement has population of 61,531 with 24,225 inhabitants per square kilometer. Tourist Attraction- Pantheon. This building was originally a church dedicated to St. Genevieve but now contains the remains of many prominent French citizens. Tourists can walk up to the dome and enjoy beautiful views of the city. Architectural Object- Fontaine Saint-Michael. This fountain was finished in 1860 and was ...

Bonjour from Paris!  I have been looking forward to coming back ever since I left Paris 3 years ago. When I was 15, my brother first went to Europe with University of Utah Business Scholars program for 10 days. The next year he studied in Paris for 8 weeks, and I was lucky enough to meet him in Paris at the end of his classes. I was in Paris for 4 days when I first came. It was enough to visit the most popular attractions, but it is not long enough to see and really enjoy Paris. While I finish my first week here, it is nice to be able to spend time doing things away from the main attractions. Before class today, I looked up free things to do and found a beautiful park that is in the 19th arrondissement. It was full of people working out, kids playing and locals relaxing. The pictures below are from this park. I am looking forward to exploring each area of Paris during the rest of my time here!

On the last weekend before going to Paris, I took a solo trip to Montserrat to hike for a day. It is an hour train ride with a transfer. I ended up getting off a stop early and walked a mile to the next train stop before reaching Montserrat. While many tourist go to Montserrat for the monastery, I only spent a few minutes in it but spent hours hiking the surrounding trails. I started hiking with no plan and followed a trail to Sant Jeroni. Sant Jeroni is 1,236m above sea level which is 4,055 feet. I hiked to there from the monastery and then walked down a different way to get a longer loop.  I ended the day relaxing on my Madera Outdoor Hammock. It was a beautiful place and I highly recommend anyone traveling to Barcelona to take a day trip here. It is a great place to hike, climb and enjoy some peace in the mountains!   View from the top of Sant Jeroni  Ending the day hammocking

Time really does fly by when you are having fun. As I am finishing the last Barcelona blog, we just arrived in Paris. I cannot believe that I spent four weeks in Barcelona and am beginning the next experience in Paris! Leaving our apartment this morning was more sad than I thought it would be. Every other place I have stayed for over a couple weeks, I have always known that I will be back there soon. However, with Barcelona it is sad because I do not know if or when I will be back in this amazing city.  While the districts in this blog have popular tourists attractions, there are many calmer areas that are more local. The Gràcia neighborhood is one of my favorite places around Barcelona. This area is full of neighborhoods with locals and small shops on every street. There are many squares and park areas with places to relax and enjoy the culture.  Tourist Attraction- Park Guell. This park is a beautiful area that is built on a hill with viewpoints of Barcelona and...