On the night of Friday, November 6th, my friend and I arrived in Barcelona with plans to go to Paris the following Friday. On Saturday morning, we woke up to emails and texts from classmates and family members wanting to make sure that we were okay. During breakfast, we read the news to get more details on what happened in Paris and to discuss our travel plans. With a deep gratitude that we were in a safe city, we decided to cancel our plans for Paris.
On Saturday, after walking over half a dozen miles throughout the city, we walked toward the Plaza Catalunya in order to return to our hostel. I noticed hues of reds, blues, and oranges lining the fence surrounding the purple lit fountain. As I approached, the words on the pages became clearer. These were messages that the people of Barcelona wrote in response to the tragedy in Paris. A single candle in the center of the display, to me, represented the unity of people across the globe taking a stand with Paris. We stand opposing violence, terrorism, and the misuse of religion to justify wicked acts. This array of colors and words represented a stand for peace- a beautiful response to a tragic event.
On Saturday, after walking over half a dozen miles throughout the city, we walked toward the Plaza Catalunya in order to return to our hostel. I noticed hues of reds, blues, and oranges lining the fence surrounding the purple lit fountain. As I approached, the words on the pages became clearer. These were messages that the people of Barcelona wrote in response to the tragedy in Paris. A single candle in the center of the display, to me, represented the unity of people across the globe taking a stand with Paris. We stand opposing violence, terrorism, and the misuse of religion to justify wicked acts. This array of colors and words represented a stand for peace- a beautiful response to a tragic event.
Before arriving in Barcelona, our class spent a week travelling through Rome, Pompeii, Naples, and Herculaneum for our archeology class. It was a truly incomparable learning experience to study ancient Rome in Rome- especially with having one of the top archeologists in the field as our professor.
A highlight of the trip for me was giving a presentation on the Vestal Virgins in the Roman Forum! A quick synopsis of the Vestal Virgins: they were 6 girls/ women in charge of keeping Rome's sacred fire lit. They held one of the few powerful positions that a woman in ancient Rome could hold! Here are some pics from Rome:
A highlight of the trip for me was giving a presentation on the Vestal Virgins in the Roman Forum! A quick synopsis of the Vestal Virgins: they were 6 girls/ women in charge of keeping Rome's sacred fire lit. They held one of the few powerful positions that a woman in ancient Rome could hold! Here are some pics from Rome:
ROME
BARCELONA
MADRID
I hope you enjoyed these photos from my recent trips! We have 18 more days on this side of the Bridge to Venice!! This week and next, I'm going to try to finish checking everything off of my Venice bucket list!
Have a great first week of December!
Saluti,
J McKoy
Have a great first week of December!
Saluti,
J McKoy