Watching the buildings pass on the way to the hotel and walking around, I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful blend of European inspired architecture, modern buildings sprouting between, and lots of greenery throughout. To me, this tells me the history of the city—a story of heavy Southern European migration and a popular trade hub that has continued to take its place in the world throughout its history.

After having an amazing welcome lunch from IES, many of us decided to go exploring together to see what was around the hotel for ideas of more that we could explore later on our trip and look for restaurants to try some local cuisine. While walking, we passed many beautiful buildings, such as the one pictured to the right and above.

While I only got a small glimpse of what this amazing city has to offer. I am very excited to explore it and learn here over the next 2 weeks, and cannot wait for our first professional experience on the trip tomorrow!