J.08 Update: The Scholar Ship docks in Barcelona

Mercredi 9 avril 2008

" A welcome respite following the long leg at sea from Cape Town, we stopped in the Cape Verde Islands, an archipelago nation off the coast of Western Africa, on 15 March. About 60 people participated in a morning tour of Sao Vicente before gathering at local beaches and restaurants in the afternoon. The ship set sail at about ten that evening, soon to begin its approach into the Mediterranean Sea.

As we passed through the Strait of Gibraltar a few days before our arrival into Spain, our Moroccan students waved to their home country from one side of the shop while our Spanish students waved from the other. On 21 March, the ship pulled into its new home at the World Trade Center dock in Barcelona. Because of the Easter holiday weekend, the wity was quiet for the firts few days of our visit. Undeterred, we set off for local must-see sites in Barcelona, including Sagrada Familia, Parc Güell, Montjuic, Las Ramblas, and the dozens of fabulous museums trhoughout the city.

Organized in cooperation with Universitat Pompeu Fabra, The Shcolar Ship's in-country academic partner, academic field programs began on 24 March and brought students to local sites such as the Catalunya Departement of Education, Parliament, Castello d'Empuries and the Iberoamerican Leadership Congress 2008, as well as to local businesses.

Students also engaged in independent travel, some venturing to Morocco, while others went skiing in andorra or to see the beautiful mountain of Montserrat. It wasand action-packed week, with little time to rest before our arrival to Istanbul on 1 April, just four days after our departure from Spain. "