Glories is a fascinating section of Barcelona to walk through because of its architecture. The formerly industrial area between El Clot, Poblenou, and the right of the Eixample is going through a complete makeover, with old industrial lots being turned into luxury housing, office and university spaces, and museums. Companies are either buying the land to demolish the existing structure and construct something new or are engaging in a process known as adaptive reuse.

It took me until my last week in Barcelona to discover the beautiful area of Sarrià-Sant Gervasi. Located next to Gracia and between the mountains and the Left Eixample, the area is one of the richest in Barcelona. Some areas are more typical dense development, with mid rise apartment buildings and local shops below. Others have setbacks from the sidewalk, with a row of trees, grass, or even hedges in the least dense areas. And even others have full walls around their large estate properties, with their own gardens and large houses inside.

Gracia is a neighborhood that many Barcelona students might know well for its smaller bars, great restaurants, and beautiful public squares. The neighborhood is a rapidly gentrifying section of Barcelona that is close to the mountains as well as well connected to Plaza Catalunya by Passig de Gracia.

If your Instagram feeds have been dominated by college students galivanting through Europe, stories featuring foreign cuisines, and TikToks rating trendy cocktails, you might have delved into the controversial world of study abroad.

While study abroad is an ever-growing phenomenon for college students, many question the validity of its practice—does it actually help students to gain independence and learn about other cultures or is it just a 4-month excuse to party?