If I had to pick a favorite class from this semester, it would definitely be my conservation class. As an Art History major I had heard of the act of conserving artworks, but I never learned about any of the specifics. This class opened my eyes to a whole other art form. Art conservation is the act of preserving a work of art. The concept of art conservation is amazing in itself, but learning and seeing the techniques first hand made it much exciting. For some reason that I can not figure out, the class is very small.

Anyone who knows me understands me as a foodie. Whenever I am traveling, I am always excited to find the most authentic and delicious local food for the lowest prices possible.  I believe eating is one of the many ways for cultural immersion.

Last weekend IES Abroad took us to Nara, the first capital of Japan. We went by bus, and arrived 3 hours after leaving Nagoya.

We met up with volunteer guides from Nara, and went first to Todaiji, the temple with the largest bronze Buddha statue.

If you’re anything like I am, part of the fun of experiencing a city is nibbling around a bit and finding new places to eat. Lucky for me, Barcelona has plenty of those. A few of my favorite foodie finds from this semester:

Breakfast/Brunch

1) Brunch & Cake- whether you’re craving eggs benedict, a breakfast pastry or simply a warm bowl of oatmeal, this place hits the spot. Offering “non stop comfort food” and “home-made all-day brunch,” Brunch & Cake has something for everyone (and low prices to boot.)

In the weeks leading up to Easter, Easter Markets are set up all over Vienna. They sell a variety of Easter-themed souvenirs and a lot of hand-made crafts. They also have some amazing food. I went with a friend to the Easter Market at Schönbrunn Palace a couple weeks ago and we had some pretty great Käsespätzle and a dessert called Kaiserschmarrn, which is kind of like waffle pieces with plum jam.

One of the things that I have really appreciated about the academics at IES Abroad Vienna is the numerous in-class field trips that we get to do. One of my classes, Vienna: Past & Present, has a field trip to a relevant site in Vienna every Wednesday, and a couple others have used class time to take us to really cool places like the United Nations and the nuclear power plant in Zwentendorf.

I’m very much an “action” person and tend to find looking at animals or beautiful views for more than a few minutes (let alone a few days) a little boring. But the Galápagos was different. I was captivated by almost every wildlife we saw (not to mention, I fell in love with piqueros patas azules or blue footed boobies) and you literally had to drag me away from everything as I went crazy over the ecology and geology of the islands.