Last week was Trinity’s reading week, five days without class that leave students free to catch up on assignments and prepare for exams. Naturally, I planned to stay in Dublin, saving money and enjoying some leisurely schoolwork.

And then I discovered the Ryanair website.

I was standing at the Jemaa El Fna  market when I suddenly recalled watching a show on travel channel about the exact same place. I can’t believe I am finally here.

My day started at 7:30 AM when my alarm clock told me it was time to take my littlest brother Rhys (pronounced ‘Reese’) to the bus stop. It was my last chance to see him before he went to school and I, to the airport. It was tough, and with an 11 year old goodbyes are never easy. I was almost thankful when the bus came because it meant an end to a long/hard goodbye (he knew it would leave without him if he did not hurry). After that I made one last trip to the Bank to deposit money and then to Target for a charger.

March 3rd is the day of Hinamatsuri (Doll’s Festival, also called Girls’ Day) in Japan. On this day dolls of the Emperor, the Empress, and nobles of the Heian court are displayed inside the home, and the day is celebrated in hopes that the girl of the house grows up healthily.

This weekend I had the opportunity to partake in what I have to say is the most wonderfully peculiar experience I’ve had so far. It was called the Battaglia delle Arance (Battle of the Oranges). This celebration is unique to Ivrea, a small city in the northeastern region of Piedmonte. At its most basic level, the event is a three-day food fight using leftover oranges from Sicily’s winter crop. However, this description is like saying the Superbowl is a four-hour attempt to run an oddly shaped ball from one end of a field to the other.

A group of IES students took a trip to Cuenca (another Ecuadorian historical city) for the long weekend. We took a night bus there, but it was much shorter than anticipated. Honestly, I thought arriving in an unfamiliar city at 5am was a great adventure! We found a park to hang out, told stories and had multiple hours of quality bonding time.

Despite Barcelona’s multitude of restaurants and general reputation for culinary excellence, I haven’t completely immersed myself in the restaurant scene. Since we eat toast for breakfast each morning, dinner with our host family in the evenings and generally make lunches at home, I haven’t tried as many new places as I’d like to. This past weekend in Barcelona offered ample time to sample a few delicious offerings around the city.

Friday lunch: Da Greco