Time flies!

 First month in Barcelona is over,

  Almost impossible to believe I've been here for a month. Coming to Barcelona is the best decision I ever made in my life. Easily the most cosmopolitan city in Spain, something to offer to anyone who visits whether is the rich culture, the intense nightlife , festivals all year around, exhibitions, interesting architecture, Barcelona is a city that never sleeps!

  Went to magic fountain last week in Placa Espanya. Should be one of the best places I've been to. The water,light and music show are spectacular and an absolute must see for those visiting Barcelona. This place is like the heart of Barcelona, vivid ,beautiful, joyous. I was also lucky enough to be there when a man proposed to his girlfriend in front of the fountain. Thousands of people started clapping and it was something absolutely amazing and romantic.
  There were also some street performers who danced before the fountain show, so the environment was quite cool and inspiring.

We also went to Montserrat last week, we hiked for a couple of hours and enjoyed some spectacular views from the top. Needless to say that my legs were hurting for the next few days! But highly recommended to go If you like scenic views and a bit of adventure! 

This week, I am supposed to deliver my first assignments, time runs out... TIK TOK TIK TOK, I admit I chilled a bit too much on my first month but I really want to pass all of my courses therefore I am back to studying! 

So after a month as an Erasmus I managed to meet tons of new people from all over the world. Surprisingly, I almost didn't meet any locals! Also, I managed to walk 322km in a month compared to 135km I've done back in Cyprus-quite an achievement! (thanks to Pedometer). 

I've mastered a couple of recipes, including carbonara & chicken panorama and some really nice nuggets! I have done laundry successfully, got lost many times but found my way back home which is quite satisfying. Had a food exchange with my sweet Korean Friends, I'm madly in love with Asian Cuisine so it was really awesome! Had some great nights with amazing people, unforgettable moments. 

Who takes a selfie with the bakery guy at 5am?! 

And a photo with my amazing new Irish friends! 

Finding my way...& making new friends

   So second week in Barcelona and it got much more interesting ! The thing about living in Barcelona and being an Erasmus is that you absolutely never get bored - there's always something going on! Which could sometimes be bad, because let's not forget we came to "study"!!  So "study hard,party harder" is the motto but there's always the fear of missing out.

  First nights out in Barcelona have been fantastic and memorable.One could never forget the crazy weird guy who was following the group outside the club ,doing some major psychoanalysis of each of us and pointing how insecure we all are. He almost followed us home but gladly he got distracted and then some army of crazy girls were running like Naruto and police were running after them.
Such a crazy night yet will always be unforgettable.
  Was almost impossible waking up the following day but I really wanted to visit Bunkers in El Carmel. There was this ESN Meeting so many students from all the universities went there. The views from the top were amazing , you could easily see the whole barcelona from up there. Would actually be quite interesting to enjoy a chilling afternoon with some friends and have this spectacular view of this gorgeous city. Also went to the Picasso Museum which surprisingly was very nice, as the collection is sorted by years and you could see the progress of Pablo Picasso. Do not forget on Sundays it's free!

 It also feel like we are almost like a big family with the fellow Erasmus people in Vila. We all go out together, come up with something nice to spend the days or nights and the atmosphere is really friendly and it comes from a really shy&reserved person! And honestly, it's great to be on this journey with these amazing people and the way our cultures blended together was really awesome! 

   

  

 The photos posted above are from the trip to Bunkers (If you want to go there make sure you are in good mental and physical condition and that you are not having a hangover) as it requires some major hiking skills and water is essential! 

Also went to sala apolo, which pretty much sucked but even if the music was TERRIBLE we absolutely had a fantastic time, that shows that it's not about the place but the people that surround you! I am really positive that these months are going to be the highlights of my life as already having some absolutely fantastic time meeting great people , making memories and experiencing life at all its aspects. Already worried that only 4 months left!!! Time flies, 18 days have already gone by?! I wish we could freeze in time! I really wish my sweet friends,( i know you are reading this) I wish you guys take this once in a lifetime opportunity and get inspired! Talk to you soon! 

Exploring Barcelona-Part 2

     On the 7th of February I finally went to the first event organized by Vila(UAB'S campus). Arrived to the meeting point really awkward and shyly introduced myself to the others. Was quite interesting that the majority Erasmus students are people just like you, left their countries for a semester to experience life and explore and only a few came in groups rather than alone. So we all felt the same way, and could understand each other. Apparently we all found it hard to get to Bellatera and the first day was quite exhausting for all.
   There are so many international students from all over the world, Europe, Asia,America and Australia, loved the cultural diversity! I think what connects us the most is the adventurous spirit and the thirst to explore as all are fans of travelling!

First of all, we visited Sant Pau(first Sunday of the month entrance is free!), a must if you visit barcelona!

And a group photo of all of us! 

Therefore we made our stop at Sagrada Familia (although we didn't get in). There is entrance fee in Sagrada Familia and a very long queue so If you ever plan to visit, make sure to book in advance online! 

Afterwards took the train and arrived at Placa Espanya, there is a show where the fountains are but we were unlucky as it was under construction.

In placa Espanya, we "visited" the art museum("visited" as I was really hungry and pretty much ran away to the mall to had my lunch right after the photo was taken-GUILTY!) 

In the photo below you could see my new Korean beautiful friend Yie Rim, at the top of the Mall "Las Arenas". Las Arenas used to be a bull ring, but it's now forbidden in Catalonia to have full fights as they respect animals so they turned it into a commercial centre! 

Afterwards we visited Montjuic Hill and had some great views. Below a photo with my friend Lisa from Austria! Will never forget how so many people were stuck in a bus.! Had to stand on the tip of my toes and hold my bag on top of my head because we took over a whole bus!

And lastly, we visited Olympic Stadium in Barcelona and enjoyed the sunset! Had some great views once again and had a really nice time!

Overall, the trip was quite interesting, we were walking for so many hours but was totally worth it! In just a few hours we explored so many places in Barcelona and got to know each other! So If there are any tours when you go Erasmus do not miss the opportunity!

Exploring Barcelona-Part 1

  First week was all about exploring beautiful Barcelona.  Doing some basic sightseeing and visiting the highlights of the city. 

Do not hesitate to wander around the beautiful streets of Gothic Quarter and admire the beautiful authentic architecture of 19th-20th century. 

Strolling around, do not hesitate to visit the Cathedral as it is not so far away. Sometimes some festivals are going on there If you are lucky but I guess there are usually street musicians to entertain you making it a very nice and pleasing cultural environment.

Also, you have to be really careful with your belongings as there are numerous pickpockets in Barcelona and the extreme waves of tourists make it very easy for them to steal from you without even noticing!



Moreover, what I also really enjoyed in Barcelona is the beautiful natural environment and the huge parks. I haven't been to all of them yet, but Ciutadella's Park is extremely beautiful, you can't miss it!

       Heading to Ciutadella's Park  and passing from arc de triomphe, many palm trees around!

All in all, it was a really nice first week and I fell in love with the city really fast. The vibrant and stylish city of Barcelona is so amazing, there are always things going on and it's quite hard to not have anything to do or even get bored!

Tips:

1. Let google maps be your friend! Purchase a prepaid simcard from Movistar which also includes internet(you're going to thank me!!) It will find the shortest ways to your final destinations so you save a lot of time. 
2. Personally, my kind of way on saving up money is eating home, as it is much cheaper to cook on your own or even take a sandwich with you. You could easily pay minimum 15-20 euros  a day eating out rather than just 2-5 eating at home. And the supermarkets are reallyy cheap! 
3. Purchase a t-10 train ticket rather than a single one. 
4. Many museums of Barcelona are free on the first Sunday of month so check it out! 
5. Foursquare is also your friend!

Intro- Erasmus Experience in Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona UAB

       I started writing this blog as a way to keep record of my journey as an Erasmus Student at Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona and to share with my friends and to all those who are interested to join Erasmus.

  Ever since I started university, I got really amazed by "Erasmus+:" program as I've always wanted to experience living abroad and I have a really adventurous spirit and a thirst for exploration. So taking the risk to study for a semester abroad was certainly a huge challenge that I couldn't resist not taking it. If you are planning to study at UAB, I will also try to give as much advice as possible so you would know in advance what to experience and how to get started.

Travelling from airport to Bellatera-Barcelona

   After arriving at El Prat's Airport in Barcelona, we decided to take the Aerobus from airport's exit and headed to Placa Catalunya.  Placa Catalunya is a large square in the center of Barcelona and the main transport hub for many journeys. From the stop, you should reach the café called Cafe Zurich (just 2 minutes walking). From there, you should take the FGC train (the entrance is in front of Cafe Zurich). Once inside the FGC train station, look for the line S2 train direction Sabadell, and stop in Bellaterra (35 min) If you are planning to go to Vila Universitaria ( campus of UAB), otherwise If you want to go directly to UAB stop at Universitat Stop- 2 mins after Bellatera. The ticket that you need from Plaça Catalunya to Bellaterra is a single ticket 2 zones. It costs 3 euros aprox. You can buy the ticket inside the station; there are some authomatic machines very easy to use (you can pay by credit card). From Bellaterra stop you just walk 10 minutes following the wooded way and you will at the reception desk.

  Personally, I have to admit that I don't really have much experience with trains, as Cyprus is a tiny island and we don't really have any trains, so I am still learning to use the tickets and which zone for each ticket. It could be quite confusing.

Recommendation: It's advised to use a T-10 2 zones ticket which costs 20euros , which saves you 1 euro per journey and anyway you get to use it eventually for 10 times.

Some difficulties we have experienced with the journey was that we got in the wrong train station,so make sure the stairs face Zurich Cafe, otherwise just don't bother going down a hundred stairs with 30kilos of baggage. Highly NOT recommended. We went to the wrong train station firstly, fortunately a very kind guy went out of his way and helped us lift all the baggages up and down again and guided us to the right train station.

Well, I have to also admit that Spaniards(all that I have met so far) were very polite as none of them hesitated to help us in any way possible. It was also surprising that the majority of them do not speak English at all, but you could easily get the meaning of their words. So asking people around we managed to get to Vila's Reception.

Arriving at Vila

After arriving at la Vila after a tiring journey, I managed to get my room. I could say it was quite up to my expectations, spacious, and practical. The only thing that I would complain about is that there is not oven! ( so there goes the 99% of the recipes I know- chicken in the oven,pork chop in the oven, salmon in the oven and all the hardcore recipes I got to learn through university that include throwing a piece of meat in the oven!!). Also, the internet could be quite annoying sometimes. I did not borrow the equipment from Vila, ( It's 9euros for bed sheets,towels etc. per month) and I brought everything from home and I preferred to buy the things I needed.

Before arriving in Barcelona, I've been really hesitant about staying either in Vila or renting a room in the city centre. For those who know me, they know how much I over-analyzed this subject.Therefore I could write a list of advantages and disadvantages of living in Vila and city centre!

1. It's  really close to UAB so you could walk to it on your own so no transportation FEES!  Bonus: There is a free bus that goes around campus and vila, so you could even come by bus back./You need a monthly transportation ticket which costs approx €71 + a lot of time for travelling. 
2.  Bellatera is a very peaceful place to live. So the environment is quite inspiring for studying and oh well,,, sleeping! / It is not guaranteed that you are going to live in a quiet neighborhood or around respectful roommates!
3. 5 minutes from UAB, there's a supermarket named "Condis", it is much cheaper than the supermarkets in Vila, and also a bank & a  very cute bakery-but you could take the train to shop from nearby areas./ Perhaps many more options for shopping, Mercadona is probably the best one
4. The majority of Erasmus students live in Vila, so If you don't know anyone , it's a fantastic place to meet new people!/ You are only going to live with a certain amount of people so you have to chase socialization. 
5. It's nice to know that in buildings around you only  live students/Very uncertain in city centre.
6. Reception is in charge 24/7 and there are always security guards/ Not sufficient protection 
7. It could cost from 240-750 to live in vila, for an individual's use studio for one semester , it costs me 545eu./ It could cost anywhere between 150(if you are living in cerdanyola) to 600(in central locations) for a room.
8. It takes about 40 mins to get to city centre/ You are already there!

Final words: I am very satisfied with the decision I made to stay in Vila. Barcelona is a very nice city centre but let's not forget it could be really tough to concentrate on your studies If you are going to have to travel 2 hours a day, and If you live on a busy road, it could be tough to focus. So anyway, city centre could be your weekend's escape and something to look forward to and in the meantime during the week, there are many ways to spend your days as there are many activities (gym,salsa,yoga,zumba,football,) so you are still enjoying university life. 

I also wish I didn't bring as much stuff as I did, as you will anyway get to shop around from city, and I am already wondering about the trouble of bringing all these stuff back to my country! Oh dear!