Spain and other July adventures

Due to the H1N1 (aka the Swine Flu), we had some unexpected changes this summer. Originally we were supposed to be headed to Mexico for the first part of the Summer Immersion, but due to Swine Flu fears the first month was changed at the last minute to Argentina. Fortunately, Lauder had previously done the Summer Immersion in Argentina and had some wonderful connections there.

Unfortunately, we were thrown another curve ball halfway through the immersion. Our partner university in Madrid chose to cancel our program because of the swine flu which many of us had contracted in Argentina (ironically). After some debate, Lauder decided to send us to Madrid but with a slightly improvised schedule and a new partner university. We had a great time in Madrid thanks to the sacrifice and hard work of our language professors and program coordinators. We were able to do around 8 corporate visits in Spain to companies like McKinsey, Bain, Afi, Magnum Capital, Grupo Vips, Caja Navarra, the Bolsa de Madrid, and FCC. We visited outstanding museums which boast works of Picasso, El Greco and Dali. On top of it all, we were able to take Spanish classes every day, wooohooo.

After the first week of classes, a few of us went off to Pamplona to participate in the Running of the Bulls. Pamplona was an amazing little city with a ton of character and certainly knows how to throw a party. As soon as we arrived in the city, we noticed everyone (from the old to the young) was wearing while outfits with red neckerchiefs and sashes. I slept a few hours in the car that night, but the rest of the crew pulled an all-nighter in the crazy streets celebrating San Fermines. Early the next morning we battled for street position in the running, but after an hour of pushback from the police, we were forced off the street. We later learned that the only people that start at the course are allowed to participate in the running. Regardless, we had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.




We spent the rest of the weekend in San Sebastian, a city on the north coast of Spain near the border of France. It is a beautiful city with a gorgeous harbor and beach. I was able to attend one of my church congregations in the morning with one of my traveling companions and was able to see some of the sights, castles, fortresses of San Sebastian.



Our second weekend in Spain was a couple days longer than normal, so we headed down to the Andalucia region of Spain. We visited the Alhambra in Granada, the oldest bull fighting ring in Spain in Sevilla, and the Straight of Gibraltar in Tarifa. I spent one afternoon on my own in Tangier, Morocco, which was a fun experience. I listened to the call to prayer and stood in front of a mosque as people entered, washed themselves and prayed.

Christopher Columbus' tomb

My first and last bullfight

Straight of Gibraltar

Alhambra, Granda

Plaza de Espana in Sevilla

Tangier, Morocco

The third weekend our entire group went to Barcelona on one of few Lauder sponsored trips. Barcelona is a beautiful city on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. We did a fun walking tour of the city and visited several several places that Gaudi designed including a beautiful home, a spectacular park overlooking the city, and the infamous Sagrada Familia which has been under construction for nearly 100 years.

Carriages wheels once scrapped across this corner

The Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

The last day in Barcelona, I left early in the morning with Greg to visit Andorra, one of the smallest countries in the world, which is nestled in the Pyrenees Mountains. I don't know that I had high expectations of Andorra, but I honestly loved it! The drive was absolutely beautiful and Andorra La Vella was charming and quaint.

The dangers of making a wrong turn in Andorra ...

After Barcelona, we were all given 4 days of free time to either work on our summer projects or travel. Five of us headed to Marrakech, Morocco to experience a little bit of Northern Africa and the Sahara desert. It was amazing to me how similar the architecture in Southern Spain (Sevilla/Granada) is to Morocco's. Looking at pictures, it would be difficult to tell one from the other. The Arabic influence in Spain is more apparent to me than ever after visiting Morocco.

Marrakech was a different experience for me. The first thing that has to be mentioned when discussing the city is the heat. With temperatures of about 115 through out the day, it is incredibly difficult to feel comfortable. Air conditioning is all but non-existent, so there is no way to escape the heat. I had been sunburned pretty badly in Barcelona, so I bought a typical Arab outfit that covered my arms, neck and head (plus it just looked so cool that I was practically looking for an excuse to buy it). After a long hot day, we returned to our hotel to recover. Three of us decided to hit the town again that evening and we found the secret to Marrakech. Everyone comes out at night! No wonder the streets seemed empty when we were walking around all afternoon. The streets and markets were packed with people. Outdoor food kiosks, traditional music and spice vendors filled the main square and created an intoxicating atmosphere. The snake charmers and monkeys were also out in full force.

The next morning we woke up early to begin our 7-8 hr drive to the Sahara. We first climbed the Atlas mountains and then dropped into the Sahara. We waited an hour or two for the heat to dissipate before mounting our camels and heading for the Berber camp which would be our place of rest for the evening. After a two hour camel ride and some incredibly sore behinds, we arrived at the Berber camp. We ate a typical Berber meal and then pulled our mattresses out of our tent to enjoy a star-filled night in the Sahara.






My month in Spain was a blast. Madrid was an amazing city that I hope to get to know better in the future and Spain and its surrounding countries are filled with natural beauty, wonderful cultures, and brilliant histories.