*I awoke at 7am and headed downstairs for breakfast at the hotel. The staff was very welcoming and patient with my Spanish attempts.

*After sitting out on the balcony, I noticed how compact the housing across from us was. Barcelona really optimizes space in terms of apartments and condo structures. It kind of reminds me of the housing setup in Charleston(only slightly)

*After about 30 minutes of searching for the company we’re touring, we finally persevered!

*My Study abroad group arrived at a local Catalonian logistics company named “Estoko”

*Upon being here, I talked briefly with several logistics companies.

*Estoko is a very flexible/disposable warehouse supplier with 400+ active warehouses in Spain’s mainland

*The company’s owner was kind enough to talk with us about possible company expansion to other European countries and the efforts being made to help “green logistics”. The company prides itself on reducing CO2 emissions and avoiding unnecessary new logistics infrastructures.

*We later had lunch as a group which was great. 

*After lunch we explored the biggest market in Barcelona. This market was full of both locals and tourists.

*Lastly, we went to La Sagrada Família. The sacred church has been being built since the 1800s. Such a beautiful eye-opening experience as our guide Margo explained the religious meanings behind each sculpture!

July 6, 2023

After, arriving in Barcelona I was beyond happy to see people related to home. After being sick the past few days, alone in a foreign country, it was a HUGE relief to meet people I had never met. Oddly enough, everyone felt familiar at the same time solely because they were a connection to home, something I hadn’t had in the past 2 weeks. After arriving at the hotel, we had the opportunity to meet Marga who seemed very passionate about our tours and cultural immersion in Barcelona. Afterwards, we decided to wander around and shop a good bit. We had to figure out the way of the roads and as a group we were a bit confused even with apple maps. Eventually we went shopping at HM, Zara, and a large designer mall. It was a fun way to spend our free time while walking around and getting to know each other. We parted ways to allow us all to fit in taxis and Matt and I ended up heading straight to the restaurant which allowed us to take in the scenery, streets, and historical buildings surrounding the hotel. Dinner was amazing and the company was even better! I particularly enjoyed walking around with Dr. G and telling angry men to high five each other, probably the highlight of my day. I am so excited to spend more time with this group and for the amazing experiences to come!

On this fine Saturday in Barcelona, we woke up from our night out late in the morning and went to a local cafe for some café. After we got ready for a beautiful park visit. We went and enjoyed our time, exploring more and more of Barcelona each day. After we took a nice rest and got ready for dinner with Nik, Elizabeth, and Mae. We went to a club after to explore more of Barcelona nightlife.

Day 1: 7/6/2023

After a long plane ride of unfortunately no sleep, Mae and I arrived in Barcelona around 8:30am this morning. We then took a cab to our hotel where we checked in and quickly showered before our orientation. At orientation we met our personal tour guide Marga, our professors both named Dr. G, and the rest of our student group. Since we had some free time before dinner, we spent the afternoon getting to know each other and shopping downtown. We then met up with our tour guide and took the metro to have dinner at a delicious local restaurant named My Way. Our tapas courses included mushroom risotto, salmon, and a brownie with ice cream dessert. To top it off we washed it all down with some tasteful champagne and white wine. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect first day!