Tarragona

One of my favorite things to do is travel to the smaller cities surrounding Barcelona, such as Sitges and Arenys del Mar. It is always a nice break from the insanity of a big city. This weekend, I went to Tarragona, which is a little over an hour away. What is special about Tarragona, you ask?

This ancient Roman amphitheater is what's special! I love this picture because of the setting. This enormous piece of history is nestled among modern buildings and normal streets. This was taken from a bridge overlooking the entire thing. It was a truly breathtaking view because just a few hundred yards from this amphitheater lies the Mediterranean Sea. 

After viewing the ruins, we headed off for a hike. Unfortunately, the trail map was only in Catalan; in Barcelona there is nearly always a Spanish translation. Needless to say, we were confused and walked in circles for a while before we actually found the trail. Turns out it was along the cliffs.

It was so worth it!
Hiking the cliffs of the Mediterranean was incredible. While we were sitting down and enjoying the view, it occurred to us that while we were having an experience as incredible as that, everyone we knew back home was most likely at work or in class. It is quite surreal to put your life in perspective like that. Sometimes all it takes is something blue and beautiful to make you really think.