The Picasso Museum, tucked away in an alleyway in Barcelona’s gothic district, seemed at first glance to be an as of yet hidden gem in a sea of tourist traps. Unfortunately that pleasant fantasy was seemingly disintegrated when my companions and I arrived at the Museum proper — the site was swamped in tourists. While we were discouraged, I could make out what appeared to be a number of well-cultured locals scattered amongst the crowd. Surely they wouldn’t be attracted to the saccharine “local flavor” that the countless other “landmarks” around Barcelona had fallen prey to.

The Proctor en Segovia Winter 2016 group’s first week in Spain is full of activity. Students start building relationships with their host families, discover natural spaces along the border of the city, participate in a diverse array of afternoon activities and begin their study of Spanish language, history and literature!

Enjoy poetry by AnnIe, reflections on modern art by Zack, and Grace's thoughts about cheese!

In this final Proctor en Segovia post travel with us to Barcelona, watch a Real Madrid match at Santiago Bernabeú, and, finally to Sevilla and Andalucía’s Costa de la Luz. Enjoy a short film by Gray with student reflections on life in Segovia and footage taken throughout the term. Also contained within are captions by Gray and Sydney, and short pieces of writing by Will, Jaz, and Sydney!

While excursions to other regions and cities of Spain are an integral part of the Proctor en Segovia experience, there is something comforting about returning to Segovia. Host families welcome students with warm, home-cooked dinners and are eager to hear of their adventures in Andalucía or on the Camino de Santiago. The granite and sandstone of the two-thousand-year-old Roman aqueduct and UNESCO World Heritage Site old town glows in the illumination of street lights. Inevitably, we have grown somewhat used to them, despite their grandeur, but they appear breathtaking again after a few days of absence. The return to our daily routine of meals with host families, classes at school on the Plaza Mayor and afternoon activities scattered throughout the city is reassuring. Estamos en casa, we are home, en Segovia.

Proctor en Segovia traveled to Portugal's Alto Douro region and second city, Porto, for the first time, and students were captivated.  Porto is, of course, still on the Iberian peninsula and only a half day's drive from Segovia, but we felt as if we had entered another world.  Students were captivated by the richness and contrast of the colors, and the contrast of modern and ancient, land and water, world languages, and Spain and Portugal.  Enjoy selected journal entries from Jaz and Eva!

Students trekked, climbed, hiked, wandered, skipped, leaped, walked, and ran (yes, many of them RAN most of the way) nearly 50 miles across Galicia on el Camino de Santiago. First, enjoy Jaz's "portrait" of one backpacker on the Camino de Santiago. Tales from our "pilgrimage" by Will and Jaz follow.