Angela Erickson

What are you up to these days? Have you graduated? Are you working? How did your experience in Barcelona have an impact on your life?

Barcelona has made an impact in my life but not in a way that I thought it would. The people in Barcelona showed me that it will always be worth it to be kind and loving towards others, and I have never seen that at home in the U.S.

What was your favorite place to eat in Barcelona? Favorite food?

Food is very important to me. I love finding new restaurants and trying new things. Out of the many places that I went to eat in Barcelona, I loved going to NAP. I have never really been a big fan of pizza, but this places always had me going back. They had a ton of food that I could each which was nice because I´m a vegetarian. I could eat that vegetarian pizza everyday. I could also eat churros everyday, but that is a whole other discussion.

What was your favorite tour, day trip, or cultural activity? Why?

My favorite day trip was to the Dali Museum and Besalu. I have never been to a museum where the whole building was specially created for by and for a single artist. It was an absolutely stunning building, and I hope to be able to go again. Besalu was also amazing. I have never been somewhere that was so cut off and beautiful. The town was amazing but I wish we just had a little bit more time to spend there.

Is there a site in Barcelona that you would recommend to future students that may be a little more “off the beaten path”?

This may not be “off the beaten path”, but it’s not something that Barcelona is necessarily known for. The beautiful “Parc del Laberint” that was recommended to me by a professor back home, was absolutely amazing. I could spend all day in that park and be consistently finding something new to appreciate. As if the beautiful gardens weren’t enough there are beautiful sculptures that are in every corner, I would recommend this to anyone that is looking to have a relaxing day.

What was something you were surprised to learn about Barcelona or Spain? Or what aspect of the country or city were you least expecting?

I didn’t realize that Catalonia had a culture within itself. I knew that obviously it would different than Madrid, but Spain and Catalonia are nearly two different counties within one. I didn’t think people would speak Catalan as much as they do, so you could guess how surprised I was when I saw that so many signs had Catalan on them.

What is one piece of advice that you have for future students coming to Barcelona?

I think my advice to people coming to Bacelona would be to continue doing the things that you love, but maybe do them the Spanish way. Embrace the culture, but don’t lose yourself in them. When you do things that you love but maybe in a different way you still get to enjoy yourself and you get to try something new. You still feel that satisfaction of trying something new but you don’t feel so uncomfortable that you didn’t have a good time.