Our Peak Event report begins a good few days before the actual Peak Event. In fact, it begins on a relatively cloudy, cold and (thankfully) rainless Tuesday morning in front of our Faculty in Ljubljana, where we, each armed with a suitcase and a backpack, filed onto a shuttle van which was to take us to Trieste airport. And thus, at seven in the morning, our great 10-hour odyssey to Barcelona officially began.
We made it to our destination with minimal difficulties, which - for the stretch of Slovenian highway leading us there, which is notorious for traffic jams - was an incredible blessing. We got there so early, in fact, that the check-in counters weren’t even open yet, so we used up our wait-time to eat pre-packed sandwiches and chug from our water bottles before we had to go through security. Luckily, Trieste airport is quite small, so once our bags were tagged and taken away we got through the metal detectors and to our gate in no time. We then collectively decided it was time for a coffee break; which, as you will see, turned out to be first of many.
Our first flight took us to Rome, where we had a two hour layover before flying out again, this time to our final destination, Barcelona. There, after rejoicing over the fact that our bags arrived with us and didn’t get lost in the void of luggage storage on our connecting flight, we separated from our professor (who was staying at a hotel close to us in the city) and took a taxi to our apartment a short walk away from Plaça de Catalunya. After settling in, it was already almost seven in the evening, so we met up again at the restaurant at the top of El Corte Inglés and devoured our well-deserved dinner whilst looking down at the beautiful city that we were due to explore in the following days. Before returning home, we briefly stopped at the basement floor of the shopping mall to grab a few breakfast essentials, and then, we were off to a good night’s sleep back home.
Day 2
We started our first real day in the city with a cup of coffee in a coffee shop in the beautiful Palau de la Musica Catalana, a building built in the enticing style of Catalan modernism that serves as a concert hall. While enjoying the delightful atmosphere of the dynamic shapes and organic motifs, we made plans to explore some of the more popular tourist attractions in the city. But the first stop on our itinerary was Ciutadella Park and the corresponding La Ciutadella Knowledge Hub.
After a short walk through the picturesque streets of Barcelona, filled with tiny shops and lively balconies, we unexpectedly stumbled upon the glorious Arc de Triomf that was built for the World Fair in 1888. After admiring the intricate details that display the coat of arms of the city of Barcelona and of the 49 Spanish provinces, we continued on our path and once again incidentally discovered a beautiful sight before us: Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia, Social Chamber. In a true jurist matter we took some pictures in front of the court to show our Law School friends back at home.
Finally, after taking numerous pictures and observing parakeets building their nests in the Citudella Park, we decided to enter The Citudella Knowledge Hub hosting an exhibition on time that took us on an interdisciplinary journey through physics, history, psychology, biology and literature and the different viewpoints with which each of them addressed and perceived time.
All this new knowledge made us hungry so we went on a hunt for some traditional Catalan food. Luckily for us we discovered a tiny local restaurant where we indulged in escudella, paella and traditional Catalan cream.
Still hungry for adventure, we continued our journey to Barcelona's most popular sight: Sagrada Familia. The timeless cathedral that, after 142 years, was finally finished just days prior. Needless to say that we all took our time to bathe in its glory. Unfortunately we did not plan ahead and book tickets to see its interior. Saddened, we continued our feat and made our way to see the Gaudi buildings. On our path we admired the scenery of Barcelona, its narrow and bustling streets. Alas our long day finished with the night view of Catalonia's capital city.
Day 3
After having made good use of the rather serene Thursday morning for a slow breakfast and productive work on our presentations, we headed to the Gothic Quarter and met our Professor Katja Škrubej. This year’s host Professor Alfons Aragoneses kindly invited us for a cup of coffee, followed by a tour of the Quarter that likely no other tour guide could offer. The Professor did not focus on dry historical facts, but rather presented them dynamically through the lens of legal history.
Taking the subject close to our hearts as a starting point, he did not only show us how law has been used as a powerful symbolic tool throughout the history of Catalonia but also how different political movements influenced the creation of the Gothic Quarter, which actually is not gothic, but only looks as such on the outside. The Quarter was namely constructed to mimic gothic architecture elsewhere in Europe only centuries after this style had been mainstream. As it turns out, the decision to make the streets and squares look much older had little to do with aesthetics and much more with politics and law.
With these precious insights into the history of Barcelona and the symbolic power of law, our group took a short lunch break at El Corte Inglés, followed by a metro ride to the Park Güell. Blessed with warm temperatures and clear skies, we indulged in a slow-paced stroll, passing by the magnificent architectural creations of Antoni Gaudí, admiring the view of the entire city below us while bathing in the sweet scent of the Mediterranean flora and listening to the warbling of various birds around us. As the Sun was setting, we made our way back to the city centre.
In the evening, the hosts warmly invited us to the harbour for a welcome dinner, where we finally got the opportunity to meet our peers from Barcelona, Brussels, and Paris, grab a bite with them and get to know them.
Day 4
We bravely faced the pinnacle of our stay in Barcelona in various stages of restlessness- with some of us wriggling in beds and worrying our heads late into the night while the others were left to nervous pacing around the flat and perfecting (the already well polished) speeches. Nonetheless, the loud and very unexpected, dare I say even spine-chilling banging from a stranger on our apartment doors in the middle of the night, perhaps a deus ex machina at work, made some of us come to the conclusion that maybe it was indeed time to keep our perfectionisms at bay and get some well-deserved (beauty) sleep. May the crazy ones, fuelled by sheer desperation and one too many cups of coffee, have their fun until the morning, thank you very much.
And finally, D-Day has dawned upon us. With sun rays already shyly peeking through the hastily opened curtains and the bustling sounds of the Catalonian streets waking up to a bright new day it was a clear enough sign to button up our suits, quickly drown the morning coffee and rush outside to meet with our Professor Katja Škrubej at the already familiar Plaça de Catalunya metro station. The commute to Universitat Pompeu Fabra campus, this year’s Eutopia CoLeCo Peak Event organizer, went by in a very swift and comfortable manner.
Inspired by the idiom “the early bird gets the worm” the first panel’s presentations began without further ado. In comparison to the last year’s edition the panels were divided by thematic periods rather than delegating universities. Starting with the pre-WW1 period panel, amongst the speakers was Ljubljana’s Nives Košnjek whose presentation focused on the Ljubljana Congress of 1821 as the international forum for the mighty and powerful forces who cradled in their hands the fragile future of the post Napoleonic Europe. Following the first panel’s successful presentations it was about time to reach for (at least) the second cup of coffee of the day and finally speak to and connect with other students.
The inter-war period panel saw two back-to-back Slovenian presentations, opening with Vito Grilc’s lecture on the establishment of the one Radio Ljubljana and the persistent question of the first Yugoslavia’s public official language(s). Not leaving the world of (tele)communication yet it was Klara Babič who took us on the exciting journey of telecommunication’s significant role in establishing the new Slovenian National Government’s authorities amidst the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the formation of the new Serbo-Croatian-Slovenian state.
Before facing the heavy-themed post-WW2 period panel, our wonderful organizers had surprised us with delicious canapés and snacks (and more coffee, of course). With different opinions exchanged and new friendships forged the conversations flowed easily between the mouth-watering bites. The surprises, however, did not end there. Having borne in mind that many a law student exchanges physical exercise for uncomfortable library chairs and heavy textbooks, our lunch break was followed by the guided tour of the beautiful La Ciutadella Campus. The crown jewel of the campus is without a doubt its library, located in the water tower of La Ciutadella Park. With its charming medieval-like interior coupled with high ceilings and numerous study corners studying for exams there would hardly be considered unbearable.
Seated and with our batteries refuelled, it was high time to approach the last two panels. Two of the Ljubljana students delivered their lectures at the post WW2 period panel with Luka Držić’s lecture on the formation of TANJUG Press Agency’s Slovenian branch during the last two years of the war, followed by Jožef Krnc who presented the role and the impact of the film technology on the Yugoslav criminal law during post WW2 war criminal trials.
The last panel revolved around Europe's post war rebirth in between its unification projects and wars. Concluding the Peak Event presentations was Izabela Letonja’s lecture on the status of constitutional values in the newly independent Slovenia, with focus on reproductive rights and the right to abortion.
Thus the 2026 Eutopia Peak Event edition came to an end. We would sincerely like to express our gratitude to Pompeu Fabra’s Professor Alfons Aragoneses and his students for their warm reception, responsiveness and efficient organization.
Day 5
Unlike the previous day, Saturday was reserved purely for leisure and exploration of the Catalan capital’s historic sights. Firstly, after a short jog, we arrived at The Mercal del Born. There we saw the city that once was Barcelona, perfectly preserved. Ironic that that authorities desire to destroy the quarter instead preserve it. We walked on the narrow streets which were once the center of urban life, saw shops and villas as well as the former riverbed, or at least what was left of all these things. The ruins inside the Mercal present a staggering insight into 18th century life. While many objects spoke of affluence, some spoke of destitute and the everyday struggles of the men and women who inhabited the now desolate quarter.
The glory of the past was overshadowed by the beauty of the new as we walked through the gothic quarter to our restaurant which served authentic catalan dishes. While the vastness of our group could have proven to be difficult for the waiters, they skillfully managed to combat this and confirm their professionalism. The same cannot be said for their mathematical skills.
The Barcelona Underground took us to the MNAC, which was our final destination, as well as the final destination of many authentic Catalan frescoes from the middle ages. A neoclassical building, unlike the gothofillic old city, it housed many brilliant artworks from the Middle ages, Classical period, Art Noveau and so on. The MNAC is also the seat of a cute gift shop. The beauty of the artwork had a strong competitor in the view from the top of the hill where the MNAC is located. From there we could see the city and all it's surrounding hills which combined with the sunset presented a glorious spectacle.
Though this would not be our final destination in Barcelona, it certainly felt as a fitting end to our great journey.
Day 6
Our final day in Barcelona began much earlier than any of us would have liked. After several days spent exploring the city, presenting our work, and enjoying the Catalan capital, it was time to pack our suitcases once more and prepare for the journey home. Early in the day, we made our way to the airport, saying goodbye to the streets around Plaça de Catalunya that had briefly become so familiar.
Fortunately, everything at the airport went smoothly. Check-in, security, and boarding proceeded without any complications, allowing us to begin the first part of our return journey in a relaxed mood. Our flight first took us back to Rome, where we had to wait a few hours before catching our connecting flight to Trieste. The layover gave us time to rest, reflect on the past few days, and, of course, enjoy another cup of coffee together.
Later in the evening, we boarded our final flight and eventually landed in Trieste late at night. Although the long day of travelling had left us tired, there was also a sense of quiet satisfaction that our journey had gone as smoothly as it had begun.
From Trieste, we still had one final stretch ahead of us - the drive back to Ljubljana. When we finally arrived home at around one in the morning, our Peak Event journey had truly come to an end. Tired but full of memories, we parted ways knowing that the past few days in Barcelona had given us far more than just academic insights: they had given us an unforgettable experience.
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