Pics Part II

 Scavenger Hunt - Barcelona 


A hidden gem:


I will always tell family and friends to visit the Olympic Museum when coming to Barcelona. I loved every aspect of it, including all of the history and art. I love seeing the appreciation for sports and how it brings the world together. I especially enjoyed looking at all of the Olympic medalists that I know and look up to, as seen in this image! Tonya Verbeek, my coach, is highlighted for medaling at the 2012 games in London.


A public sculpture:


During one of our walking tours, this sculpture caught my eye. It is El Saltador or "The Jumper" by Jordi Diez. It is a representation of a diver jumping into a map of Barcelona. The diver is inspired by an LGBTI activist, Tom Daley who was an Olympian. It expresses tolerance and courage. 

A famous historical landmark:


Among all of the historical buildings, my favorite in Barcelona has been the Sant Pau Hospital. I have never seen something so spectacular. The intersection of nature, architecture, and medicine was so fascinating to learn about. 


A scenic view:


I took this pic on our free-day trip to Sitges. I loved laying on the beach and swimming in the ocean. The town was beautiful and a perfect spot outside of Barcelona. We were blessed with a perfect day.











Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Walk In The Park

Image
Hola! (admittingly the 1 of 2 words I know in Spanish). With about three days in Madrid, I can now confidently say "Gracias!" as well :) I am learning lots already about Spain's culture by being a full-fledged tourist with about 20 other students. We've enjoyed walking around the city, eating, drinking, and getting to know one another. I guess that is just in my opinion, but I'm sure the others will say the same. I will do my best to take you along on the journey of studying social determinants of health in Spain and share my new knowledge and thoughts. I am super excited about this 😁 (ok these emojis are kind of fun) We had a formal class for the first time today, a lecture about the Mediterranean diet. Before today's discussion, I definitely had the perspective of most Americans on this topic. I thought of this diet as the very specific foods that are being eaten, without a consideration for the other aspects of culture. What I've loved most about colle...
Read more

The Norms

Image
I am back again but with a fresh set of sunburn. Today, we had a free day and spent it traveling to Sitges. It is a beach town about an hour south of Barcelona. I have to say that I am a bigger fan of Barcelona than I am of Madrid because of the water. There is nothing quite like being able to spend the day swimming in the ocean and tanning (or burning) on the sand. The societal rules, including written and unwritten, definitely start to creep out while taking public transport and being at a beach. Women being topless is definitely a difference between the United States and countries in Europe and has been evident throughout the past view days. It is also much more common to see people being affectionate in public here in Spain. These differences are a part of culture, but it has been interesting to step back and try to examine these observations through a health and well-being perspective. Having unwritten rules that allow people living here to be more of themselves and loving may be ...
Read more

The Same, But Different

Image
We are at the one-week mark in Madrid! When looking at the itinerary, today was probably my most anticipated day. It indeed did not disappoint. I have been looking forward to hearing a lecture on the healthcare system in Spain since we arrived. I learned bits and pieces of some of the most popular healthcare systems in my sociology class this past semester, so I was eager to learn more about Spain in a direct context. I had the perception that one of the biggest differences between the United States and Spain, in terms of healthcare, was universal healthcare. My view still stands after our lecture, but my understanding on this topic has grown throughout my experiences today.  We started by touring a private hospital that was a bus ride away from our hostel. It was very nice, featuring a main floor with areas for scans and bloodwork, several floors for various specialties, and an emergency room as well. I haven't been in a hospital in the US that is as new, so it was somewhat hard f...
Read more