Illinois, USA: Northern Illinois Univeristy in Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University (NIU) in DeKalb, Illinois is going to be our home away from home for the next four weeks. A public university founded in 1895, it has 25,000 students in seven degree-granting colleges that together offer 54 undergraduate and 74 graduate programs, and 12 doctoral programs.

DeKalb is about an hour and 30 minutes (104 kilometers) west of Chicago. Sad to say, there is no train service to DeKalb so we couldn't sneak out to Chicago that easily. Oh well!

Anyway, We got to tour campus today and visited some of its older buildings, including Altgeld Hall which houses the administration, and the East Lagoon where some wild Canadian geese can be found. NIU was in the news early this year being the site of another campus shooting incident in February. But all is well here and life has moved on. As the motto of NIU goes: "Forward, Together Forward."

Cultural Citizens & North-South Dialogue 2008

As soon as I arrived from Spain (and after speaking at R.O.X. about backpacking), I went straight to our Pre-Departure Orientation for the Cultural Citizens Program and North-South Dialogue 2008. I didn't even have time to rest and get some sleep! The program is sponsored by the US Department of State, Northern Illinois University and IVP Philippines. And thirty young Filipino leaders were selected nationwide from close to 200 applicants to participate in the first batch.

Part of the activities were out-of-town trips hosted by our colleagues. Last Thursday, we were in Lipa City, Batangas. Most of the day was spent at the Summit Point Golf and Country Club. We passed by the farm and stables of the Leviste Family called Levely Manor, before proceeding back to Manila. This was the location of the now defunct Charley's Farm Dining.

One lucky person will win six SEAIR gift-certificates to Busuanga!

We are giving away not one, not two, but six SEAIR gift certificates to Busuanga to one lucky person! This is the biggest give-away of Ivan About Town and the SEAIR Adventure Club ever! You and five friends can fly from Manila to Busuanga with six SEAIR airfare gift certificates up for grabs!

SEAIR has been providing the longest-running uninterrupted service to Busuanga, and now provides the fastest flights with its Dornier 328 aircraft.

So how do you join? All you have to do is tell us why you want to go to Busuanga via SEAIR, by Friday, 20 June 2008, at 8:00 p.m. You can use your personal blog, Multiply, Friendster, or any other social networking site, or any website for that matter for as long as your entry has a link to the SEAIR website. The entry which best captures the attention of our judges will get the 6 gift certificates!

To let us know you joined this contest, post the link of your entry as a comment in SEAIR starts 35-minute flights to Northern Palawan. Like the previous raffle, make sure you place your full name in the name field since you will need a valid ID to claim the tickets if you win. The winner will be notified by e-mail so make sure you double check your e-mail address before submitting your comment. Tickets will be valid from now until 15 October 2008. Good luck!

4D 3N Baler surfing packages for as low as P9,034
For as low as P9,034 per person (double/triple sharing), you can enjoy a 4D 3N surfing trip to Baler, Aurora. All packages include round-trip airfare via Seair (Manila-Baler-Manila); 4 days/3 nights accommodation at Bahia de Baler, Bay's Inn or Amco Beach Resort; daily breakfasts; a half-day surfing lesson; round-trip airport transfers and 12% EVAT. So what are you waiting for? Book now!

For reservations, please call SEAIR-LEP at (632) 843-7308. Rates are subject to change without prior notice.

SEAIR P2,999 all-in promo tickets available until June 2!
SEAIR is offering a special rate of P2,999 roundtrip all-in for flights to Boracay, Busuanga, Baler and Daet from June 16 - October 12, 2008. Selling period is from May 26, 2008 to June 2, 2008.

For inquiries and reservations please call SEAIR reservations at 8490100.

Spain: Crossing the Greenwich Meridian

All good things have to come to an end. I took this photo of the arch marking the Greenwich Meridian while on the way back to Madrid by bus from Barcelona. That's the end of our Spanish adventure. We're now in Doha, Qatar for an eight hour layover before flying back to Manila. But I won't be in Manila for long because in a few days, I'm flying to Chicago!

Spain: Girona along the Riu Onyar

On the way back from Figueres, we made a stopover in Girona, a charming old town along the Onyar River. One of it's imposing landmarks is the Catedral de Santa Maria Mare de Déu said to have the widest Gothic nave in the world at 22.98 m (75.39 ft), and the second widest nave after the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Sad to say, we didn't go inside. It just irks me when they charge an entrance fee to visit a church.

It was a pity we only had an hour to explore the city. Add to the fact that it was raining. And since we arrived during siesta, shops were closed and there was nothing much to see. But it was a well-preserved old town, very much worth the visit.

Spain: Dalí Theatre and Museum in Figueres

If you plan to do an out-of-town trip while in Barcelona, the museum of Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí i Domènech in Figueres is at the top of the list. So for our last full day, we made sure to visit. They say that the Dalí Theatre-Museum is the largest surrealistic object in the world. And inside, one would find the the striking and bizarre images Dalí is known for in his surrealist work

The museum was created by the artist himself while he was still alive in the former Municipal Theatre of his hometown Figueres. The building was destroyed at the end of the Spanish Civil War and on its ruins, Dalí built his museum.

Indeed, a trip to the museum was a unique experience for me. I got to experience and enjoy the unusual work and thought of this artistic genius. As Dalí himself explained: “It’s obvious that other worlds exist, that’s certain; but, as I’ve already said on many other occasions, these other worlds are inside ours, they reside in the earth and precisely at the centre of the dome of the Dalí Museum, which contains the new, unsuspected and hallucinatory world of Surrealism.”

The museum opened in 1974. He was later buried in a cryot in the museum after his death in 1989. Entrance to the museum is 11€ which includes the Dalí Jewels exhibition. The trip from Barcelona to Figueres is about two hours. Trains leave the Passeig de Gracia and Barcelona Sants station and start at 8,55€ depending on the class and type of train.

Spain: FC Barcelona's Camp Nou

Since we were in Barcelona, I made sure to visit Camp Nou, the home of FC Barcelona. Completed in 1957, this UEFA 5-star rated stadium is the largest in Europe with its capacity of 98,772 people.

In Camp Nou, one can find the FCBotiga Megastore where you can find tons of FC Barcelona paraphernalia and items. If you're a big football fan, make sure to get tickets for the Camp Nou Tour and Museum which cost 13€.

The Barcelona Bus Turistic conveniently stops in front of the stadium. While the Collblanc (L5) and Palu Reial (L3) Metro stations are 8 minutes away.

Spain: Montjuïc and the 1992 Barcelona Olympics

Barcelona hosted the 1992 Olympic Games. The Opening Ceremony is still vivid in my mind, especially the archer who shot a flaming arrow immediately over the cauldron high above the stadium to light the Olympic Flame, the first time the lighting of the flame deviated from the usual torch run to the top. Thus, seeing the Olympic Stadium, the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, and the cauldron on top when I visited Montjuïc was exciting.

Montjuïc (or Hill of the Jews) has a storied past having been selected to host the 1929 International Exposition (World's Fair). The surviving buildings from this event are the Palau Nacional, a grand structure which now houses the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC), a museum that holds the largest collection of Catalan art in the world; Estadi Olímpic (the Olympic stadium); Font Màgica fountains; and the Poble Espanyol, a showcase of architecture from all over Spain (just like Nayong Pilipino without the cheap and ugly replicas), among many others. The Olympic Stadium was said to be poised to host an anti-fascist Olympic Games as an alternative to the 1936 Berlin Olympics when the Spanish Civil War erupted.

For a time, Montjuïc also hosted Formula One racing. The Spanish Grand Prix was held there for four times until a terrible car crash in 1975 that killed four spectators. After the 1992 Olympics, the Olympic Stadium has been the home of RCD Espanyol football team since 1998. The Miro Foundation can also be found in Montjuïc.

Barcelona Bus Turístic
For two days, I got to ride on the Barcelona Bus Turístic, a tourist bus with an open-air second floor. It was a really good decision. It may seem expensive at first (it's 20€ for a day pass and 26€ for two days), but it is very convenient and a good deal! The bus ticket allows you unlimited rides on the three lines (Blue, Red and Green). The bus stops within meters of all major tourist attractions so it saves you a lot of time from walking. Although the Metro may be cheaper, the some stations were quite a distance from major attractions. So this is highly-recommended especially if you have a limited time in Barcelona.

Spain: Picasso's Barcelona and La Ribera on the Picasso Walking Tour

Museu Picasso is another must visit when in Barcelona. Although there are several Picasso museums, the one in Barcelona is the first and only one established on the express wish of the artist. But as an introduction to the museum, I decided to join the Picasso Walking Tour in order to experience and understand Picasso more by visiting places he frequented in Barcelona during the many years that he was there.

Discovering the bohemian Barcelona where Picasso lived, walking its streets, hearing anecdotes of the famous painter's friends as well as the events that influenced his life and artistic career was a great way to understand the Picasso story.

We visited Els Quatre Gats, a restaurant in a modernista building frequented by Picasso and intellectuals of his time; the friezes on the facade of the Col-legi d'Arquitectes, his only piece of public art in Barcelona; as well as the Llotja de Mar, the building which housed the art school where he studied, among many other sites.

We were also brought deep into La Ribera, a district which hosted Picasso's last studio before he departed for Paris. The district has a beautiful basilica namely the Santa Maria del Mar. We also got to pass by another basilica, the Mare de Déu de la Mercé, in Barri Gotic. Stops are quick so you can opt to come back if you want to explore the interiors.

The last stop is the museum which contains the world's most important collection of works from Picasso's youth and formative years. The whole cost of the tour is 15€ and this includes entrance to the Museu Picasso. And since tickets to the museum are given to you, there is no need to join the long lines to get one!

But if you just want to visit, a ticket to the museum and the temporary exhibition would cost 9€. Entrance to the museum is usually free on the first Sunday of each month.

Barcelona Walks
Aside from the Picasso tour, there are three other walking tours offered by Turisme de Barcelona (Barcelona Tourism Office). These are Barri Gotic, a tour of Barcelona's Gothic Quarter; Barcelona Modernista which takes you to the works of modernist architects Antonio Gaudi, Josep Puig i Cadafalch and Luis Domenech i Montaner; and the Gourmet Walking Tour, where you can experience Barcelona's cuisine. Check the tourist information kiosks for schedules.

Spain: Hospital de Sant Pau & Palau de la Música Catalana

The world has taken notice of Lluís Domènech i Montaner, another Catalan Modernista architect, whose works have also been inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Just a few minutes from the Sagrada Familia is the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, a sprawling hospital complex built between 1901 to 1930. It is in fact a functional hospital up to today.

Another work of Domènech i Montaner is the Palau de la Música Catalana, a concert hall built in the Modernista style with rich decoration on its facade. There are guided tours to the grand Modernist Concert Hall and other smaller halls at 10€ per person. But tickets have to be purchased at least one week in advance because there is a limit of 55 persons on each tour.