As soon as you take get to walk around the unique town of Boulder, CO you get the feeling that you are somewhere special. Is it maybe the mountains in the horizon? Is it the fact that we had deep blue skies during our stay? Is it the happy and healthy environment that is made possible by the energetic Boulderites?

Since our first day, I never had a moment that I could not find something new and exciting to see or do in Boulder. Our first morning some of us had the chance to go to BIFF, Boulder International Film Festival. We watched a series of short films from around the world (UK, South Korea, etc.). It was a great experience that was made better by the environment and design of the Boulder Theater.

There is a saying that goes: “Where you go, act like the locals…” or something like that. So we decided to be like a Boulderite in Boulder. And what do Boulderites love to do apart from having coffee and snuggling puppies? Running. Therefore we ran, next to the Boulder Creek, through a great trail surrounded by nature with the sunrise behind us. Another thing we did a lot: go to coffee shops, because they are everywhere and they are great for the most part.

After meeting with faculty at Colorado University (CU), we decided to take a walk. It’s an incredible how serendipity happens, with just taking a walk into the unknown and talking to people without fear. We happened to stumble upon the Fiske Planetarium of CU. There we met the self-appointed Lead Operator Nicholas. He is in charge of managing the only 8k screen in the world, the highest resolution screen open to the public in the world (there may be one in China but we are not sure). He showed us incredible videos and introduced us to his work (and got Rick Roll’d on the process. No complaints though…).

I was sad when the time to leave came, but my sadness was watered down by the sight of the mountains and eventually replaced by excitement when we found ourselves in a little town called Estes Park. The best part of Estes park, other than having a bunch of delicious Taffy shops? The Stanley Hotel. What is special about this hotel you ask? The Shining. Stephen King. Stanley Kubrick. Dumb and Dumber. Yes, I cried with happiness when I found out too (not really, I just shed a tear). The blue sky covered everything your eye could see, the hotel set against this backdrop, still in a very good state, taken care of. The design was accentuated by the lively staff and all the memorabilia from the movies. This was the perfect goodbye to Boulder and Colorado in general. I’ll go back one day; the mountains call me in my sleep.