Nic Trips

As one of the excursions hosted by AIFS on my summer study abroad trip to Spain, we were taken on a weekend trip to the capital city of Portugal, Lisbon. After a long, 5 hour bus ride from Salamanca, we were rewarded with the first incredible sight of the city: the arches of the Aguas Livres Aqueduct. There are 35 arches that cover the valley across 941 meters, the tallest arch standing at 65 meters, and is considered a masterpiece in engineering for the Baroque period. Our first stop off the bus was the Jerónimos Monastery, a famous Gothic-style church with beautiful, integrate cravings on the outside. Nearby the church, we had our first look at the Atlantic Ocean from the nearby Belem Tower at the mouth of the Tajo River. Also a little ways from the tower was the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, or 'Monument to the Discoveries'. It's a monument to celebrate the Portuguese Age of Exploration. On another stop in the city, we were taken to the Museu Nacional d

In 2012, after completing my sophomore year of college, I traveled to Spain to study abroad for a summer semester. My total stay in Spain lasted 7 weeks, and I took 3 classes at the University of Salamanca: Spanish Art, Contemporary Spanish History, and Advanced Spanish Language. All of the classes were taught completely in Spanish, as there were students from all over the world at this University and not everyone spoke English. (flying into Madrid) I booked the study abroad program through AIFS (American Institute for Foreign Study). They made the trip as easy as can be, arranging every little thing to make it as stress-less as possible. There were even several excursions included where they brought us on tours around Spain and some other countries on weekends. This began with a weekend in London on our way into Europe. From there, the group flew together to Madrid, where we got to spend a day and a night touring the capital city. (Playa Mayor, Madrid) Salamanca is one of

In the summer of 2012, I did a study abroad program in Spain through AIFS. The company offers many excursions throughout the trip to further explore Europe during our semester there, the first of which started before we even got to our destination in Spain....London! We got to spend a few days in London as part of an introduction to our study abroad semester in Europe. After a short nap at the hotel, everyone in the program was quickly making friends and setting out to explore the city. The first place we found in our adventures around the city was Kensington Palace. Behind me in the picture below is a statue of Queen Victoria located in the large expanse of gardens next to the palace. After a walk around the palace and its gardens, we looked for some lunch. On our way, we passed by an old building with this written on its side... For our first meal in London I had the signature meal of fish and chips! We asked a lady in a shop where the best restaurant to get them nearb