Beginning of Week 3: Field Trips and Landmarks

We’ve gone on plenty of excursions as a group on this dialogue thus far. Some of them have been more on the educational side, while others have been just for fun. We came to Tarragona specifically for the thriving chemical industry here, so we have gone to a different chemical plant each week. The first week, we visited BASF, an international chemical producer, and this week we went to Repsol, Spain’s major petroleum company. These have given us a great opportunity to see what it would be like to work in a large chemical plant in Spain or the US. They’ve been interesting, but I think I will probably end up working at a much smaller company such as the company I worked at for my first co-op. We’ve also had a lot of more exploratory trips such as tours of Tarragona and its sister city Reus, a trip to PortAventura to see a Cirque du Soleil show, impromptu class beach trips, group meals, and going out together to enjoy the nightlife of nearby cities.

My favorite cultural excursion so far was when me and two of my friends invited our professor along to take the train a few towns over to see the human tower building competition, locally known as castelling. Large teams of 50-75 people literally build a tower out of their bodies, standing on each others’ shoulders. It is the most nerve-racking sport to watch. It can be quite dangerous – luckily no one fell at the competition we went to. They have a referee who observes the tower as it begins to form and halts the process if any part is not sufficiently stable. I’m really glad we went to this because it is unique to this region of Spain. It’s a huge part of the culture here – there’s a statue of a castel a few blocks from our dorm. It seems to be an honor to represent your city on its castelling team, and the team spans multiple generations. Certain Catalonians are on the team for many years, yet they also need some small bodies to form the top of the tower. If you are ever in this region, I highly suggest seeing a castelling team; it is unbelievable to watch and you won’t find it anywhere else!

My favorite landmark would definitely be the Cathedral of Tarragona. We visited this on our organized tour of the city. It is one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen – massive roman arches, breathtaking stained glass windows, and glorious shrines to the many Roman Catholic saints surround you. We actually got to go to a mass there in Spanish last Sunday. During our tour, we also climbed 189 steps to the bell tower on the top of the cathedral. 360 degree views greeted us at the top, and we took plenty of pictures to document the experience. I can’t imagine ever seeing a more beautiful sight!