But now I'm healthy, and we're leaving for Valencia on Thursday for Las Fallas! So get ready!
Monday, March 14, 2011
The next week...
On the last night in Venice, Nora started to feel sick. She got a fever once we were back. On Wednesday morning, I ended up having the flu and didn't recover until Sunday. Anna ended up getting sick as well, and since Mel lives with me, she was unfortunately a victim as well. We didn't go anywhere, and it rained. Not a great week in Spain. I did watch some great movies in bed and ended up not spending any of my budget, so good news for Italy!
Rome and Venice
After staying in Madrid for the first weekend since I got here, I couldn't resist the urge to travel once again. I went to Rome and Venice with 2 other girls in my program, Anna and Nora. Let me just start off by saying, BEST TRIP SO FAR! Super expensive, definitely went over what I budget for a week, but who cares? Its Rome and Venice! Luckily, my brother Brian also gave me some money so we're gonna say he paid for all the fun. Thanks Brian!
I visited Brian when he studied abroad in Italy 4 years ago, and he took Ashley and I to Rome, Florence, and Venice while we were there. I loved it, and have been itching to go back. In Rome, I ate gnocchi and had some wonderful house wine. We had pizza by the slice, and by the pie. We ate gelato like it was our job. I loved everything I ate there, and normally don't care that much about food. But in Italy, it was all so good! Plus, you know me, I'm the "bread queen" so I was quite happy being in Italy where they have great carbs all the time.
I think my favorite part about going back to Italy, was the familiarity of it. Brian had already given me a tour of St. Peter's, the Vatican, the Colosseum, the forum, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, and the Trevi Fountain. Already having an introduction, I didn't feel overwhelmed like last time, and was able to finally understand some things that Brian had explained years before. I finally picked up on St. Peter being buried in the basilica and that he was the first Pope. I understood the general layout of the Vatican and St. Peter's square. Before I was moreso blindly following Brian (or as we called him Tour Guide Barbie).
The only thing that threw me off was the Colosseum. For the first 20 minutes of our visit, I confused it with the Arena in Verona and I thought we could climb it and sit around and hang out, so I was a little disappointed when we couldn't do that this time. Also, much like last time, I actually was not impressed by the interior of the Colosseum. I know it was built in 72 AD, held 70,000 people, and was home to exciting 'life and death' shows, but it just never grabs my interest. The outside however, is beautiful. And at night? It's even better! Our last night in Rome, we went there and enjoyed a glass of wine (in plastic cups of course, and not really a glass, but a carton of wine lol) while sitting on some ruins and watching the Colosseum shine! Now that was enjoyable.
My favorite part of Italy, surprise surprise, isn't the Colosseum, but is the Trevi Fountain. I could sit there for hours and just watch it and people watch. And next time I go to Rome, that is exactly my plan. I love the story of the fountain (which can be found in my facebook picture captions) and I love the beauty of the white stone contrasted with the soft blue water. It's perfect.
After Rome, we took an overnight train to Venice to save on getting a hostel. Word of advice: DON'T DO THIS! The train is freezing, is not comfortable, and when you get into Venice at 5:30 am, you are homeless... Once you get over that, you realize, you're in Venice and its Carnevale! As if a fantastic weekend in Rome isn't enough, I now got to dress up in a mask all day and see gorgeous costumes (also on facebook) and drink champagne. Great day! The best part was when we were eating lunch on the canal, and a tourist actually interrupted our lunch to ask if he could get a picture of us! People are wearing luxurious gowns and wigs and masks, and here we are three American girls in masks, one also with a wig, but no costumes, and he wanted our picture. We were so flattered and excited. The only thing I could want more, is someone getting a picture of him getting a picture of us!
Venice was beautiful and so much fun, but I definitely want to squeeze in another trip this semester. Going during carnevale is 100% different than going normally. Carnevale is crowded, loud, crazy, and did I mention crowded? Normally, it is calm and peaceful. I have done both and loved both, but there is one thing I have been wanting to do for at least a year, that I couldn't do with the crowds. Therefore I want to go back. When I went to Venice 4 years ago, we went to St. Marcos square and fed the pigeons and I got a picture. While I love this picture and the moment, I don't look that great. No blow dryer makes for a bad hair day. I want to go back, completely enjoy the moment like I did those 4 years ago, and get a marvelous picture of my perfect moment. I am going to enjoy it, and I will probably buy some Venetian glass while I'm out there. (There wasn't time or space in my carry on this time).
Also, this weekend was UnOFficIal!!! For Friday, we had an honorary Harp Beer at an Irish Pub before hitting up the ice bar. While at the ice bar, some of my friends decided to dispose of their glasses (which were made of ice, as was everything else) by throwing them on the ground - when no one was nearby. We were chastised and asked if "we thought it was normal". We responded by saying that no part of being in a bar made of ice is normal, so we had no idea what is ok. He didn't appreciate that, but we all got a nice laugh.
While in Illinois, the holiday was 2 days earlier, I decided that my UnOFficIal was on Sunday! I wore green, bought a green carnevale mask, and we drank all day in the streets. That's UnOFficIal if you ask me. And it was wonderful! I'll just have to do it again when I go to Ireland. (And I'll be wearing the lovely UnOFficIal shirt that my Brian (Cerier this time) designed).
This trip was perfect. Rome fulfilled my beauty and educational fix. It had old ruins and wonderful people, and even an ice bar! And Venice had fun and crazy college entertainment. I couldn't be happier with a trip! It was magnificent! I will definitely be going back before June 20th, you can count on it.
I visited Brian when he studied abroad in Italy 4 years ago, and he took Ashley and I to Rome, Florence, and Venice while we were there. I loved it, and have been itching to go back. In Rome, I ate gnocchi and had some wonderful house wine. We had pizza by the slice, and by the pie. We ate gelato like it was our job. I loved everything I ate there, and normally don't care that much about food. But in Italy, it was all so good! Plus, you know me, I'm the "bread queen" so I was quite happy being in Italy where they have great carbs all the time.
I think my favorite part about going back to Italy, was the familiarity of it. Brian had already given me a tour of St. Peter's, the Vatican, the Colosseum, the forum, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, and the Trevi Fountain. Already having an introduction, I didn't feel overwhelmed like last time, and was able to finally understand some things that Brian had explained years before. I finally picked up on St. Peter being buried in the basilica and that he was the first Pope. I understood the general layout of the Vatican and St. Peter's square. Before I was moreso blindly following Brian (or as we called him Tour Guide Barbie).
The only thing that threw me off was the Colosseum. For the first 20 minutes of our visit, I confused it with the Arena in Verona and I thought we could climb it and sit around and hang out, so I was a little disappointed when we couldn't do that this time. Also, much like last time, I actually was not impressed by the interior of the Colosseum. I know it was built in 72 AD, held 70,000 people, and was home to exciting 'life and death' shows, but it just never grabs my interest. The outside however, is beautiful. And at night? It's even better! Our last night in Rome, we went there and enjoyed a glass of wine (in plastic cups of course, and not really a glass, but a carton of wine lol) while sitting on some ruins and watching the Colosseum shine! Now that was enjoyable.
My favorite part of Italy, surprise surprise, isn't the Colosseum, but is the Trevi Fountain. I could sit there for hours and just watch it and people watch. And next time I go to Rome, that is exactly my plan. I love the story of the fountain (which can be found in my facebook picture captions) and I love the beauty of the white stone contrasted with the soft blue water. It's perfect.
After Rome, we took an overnight train to Venice to save on getting a hostel. Word of advice: DON'T DO THIS! The train is freezing, is not comfortable, and when you get into Venice at 5:30 am, you are homeless... Once you get over that, you realize, you're in Venice and its Carnevale! As if a fantastic weekend in Rome isn't enough, I now got to dress up in a mask all day and see gorgeous costumes (also on facebook) and drink champagne. Great day! The best part was when we were eating lunch on the canal, and a tourist actually interrupted our lunch to ask if he could get a picture of us! People are wearing luxurious gowns and wigs and masks, and here we are three American girls in masks, one also with a wig, but no costumes, and he wanted our picture. We were so flattered and excited. The only thing I could want more, is someone getting a picture of him getting a picture of us!
Venice was beautiful and so much fun, but I definitely want to squeeze in another trip this semester. Going during carnevale is 100% different than going normally. Carnevale is crowded, loud, crazy, and did I mention crowded? Normally, it is calm and peaceful. I have done both and loved both, but there is one thing I have been wanting to do for at least a year, that I couldn't do with the crowds. Therefore I want to go back. When I went to Venice 4 years ago, we went to St. Marcos square and fed the pigeons and I got a picture. While I love this picture and the moment, I don't look that great. No blow dryer makes for a bad hair day. I want to go back, completely enjoy the moment like I did those 4 years ago, and get a marvelous picture of my perfect moment. I am going to enjoy it, and I will probably buy some Venetian glass while I'm out there. (There wasn't time or space in my carry on this time).
Also, this weekend was UnOFficIal!!! For Friday, we had an honorary Harp Beer at an Irish Pub before hitting up the ice bar. While at the ice bar, some of my friends decided to dispose of their glasses (which were made of ice, as was everything else) by throwing them on the ground - when no one was nearby. We were chastised and asked if "we thought it was normal". We responded by saying that no part of being in a bar made of ice is normal, so we had no idea what is ok. He didn't appreciate that, but we all got a nice laugh.
While in Illinois, the holiday was 2 days earlier, I decided that my UnOFficIal was on Sunday! I wore green, bought a green carnevale mask, and we drank all day in the streets. That's UnOFficIal if you ask me. And it was wonderful! I'll just have to do it again when I go to Ireland. (And I'll be wearing the lovely UnOFficIal shirt that my Brian (Cerier this time) designed).
This trip was perfect. Rome fulfilled my beauty and educational fix. It had old ruins and wonderful people, and even an ice bar! And Venice had fun and crazy college entertainment. I couldn't be happier with a trip! It was magnificent! I will definitely be going back before June 20th, you can count on it.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
First full weekend in Madrid!
Traveling every weekend is so much fun, and you get amazing experiences and pictures and stories, but let me tell you, its exhausting! I am so relieved to be staying in Madrid this weekend and having a low key few days. Not needing to pack anything up or sleep in linoleum floor, its a beautiful thing.
While staying in town this weekend, my friends and I went to most of our usual sights: El Parque de Retiro, El Rastro, El Palacio Real, a tapas bar. We'd already been to each place, but we did some different things and actually got to enjoy them, no rush, with a larger group of people. For Retiro, its pretty much like Madrid's version of Central Park. Its gigantic and has art exhibits and playgrounds and grass to hang out on and a mini pond to paddleboat in. Its really fun, I just can't wait for everything to be in bloom! But this weekend, a dozen of us went there and played games and hung out. One of the people that I met there, Phillip, he is a camp counselor, so he had plenty of games up his sleeve for us to fill our time with. He spoke like the truest American, knowing slang and having a great East coast accent, but insisted that he was from Austria and does in fact still live there! Anna and I didn't believe him for the longest time, and if you heard this "Austrian" speak you'd understand why, but turns out he's been going to the states for over 10 years to attend this camp, and the last 4 he's been a counselor there. So I guess learning the language intensely for 8 weeks a year for 10 years might add up and give you no accent. Very weird and very cool though!
I was also introduced to a new tapas bar. I'm sure I have mentioned the famous "El Tigre" to you all. It's supposedly the best tapas bar in Madrid. Well I went there a few weeks back and didn't have a good experience, so I'm not that interested in going back there. But this tapas bar is actually right next door, and is the exact same thing, just with better drinks! So how it works, for those of you like me that had never had tapas before, is that the bar has no tables, but instead is lined with a shelf for you to rest your drinks/tapas on. This place actually has stools for people to sit on as well (when its not packed) which is greatly appreciated by the end of the night. The beauty is, when you order a drink, you get a FREE plate of tapas! So if I get a small beer for 1.60 euros, I also get a plate of paella, or sausage and french fries, or fried mushrooms, or tortilla de españa, or whatever it is they serve you. Oh yes, that's right, you don't pick your tapas, they chose it for you. So you always get a random selection and something different! Its pretty cool and forces you to try new things.
Also, on the first Wednesday of each month, Palacio Real has a changing of the guard ceremony at noon. Since the following Wednesday was just that, we of course had to go. I had probably too high of hopes. I thought there would be a mini parade and music would be played and they would switch formations and move around. This is how it went down:
1) 29 men and 1 woman (yay) walked out in uniform with their fake guns and stood in formation (3x10). So far, so good.
2) 20 men on horses pranced out to join the formation behind the 30 people before hand. First problem arose: one of the horses is seriously foaming at the mouth. Very impressive lol.
3) They stood in formation while 2 of the horses took a dump.
4) The remained in formation. No music, no talking - unless you count the mumbling going on amongst the "guard" to one another. Very professional.
5) The still stood there! They stood there for 20 minutes doing absolutely nothing.
6) One of the men played a short note on his trumpet, everyone lifted up their weapons and turned 90 degrees to their right.
7) They stood like this for another 5 minutes.
At this point my friends and I are wondering if this is all it is. Every 20 minutes they turn! And to think there are at least 200 tourists watching this crap.
8) Finally something happens. 2 horses prance by in the back. Then 2 black Clydesdales prance by pulling a wagon.
9) Another guard in a different uniform comes out of the palace, playing a tune. And the entire guard leaves.
Yup, that as it. So, all in all, I highly recommend not going to one of these things unless its in London. Every tourist there that has actually been to London said the same thing. I'm assuming this is kinda like the Igleja de Santa Maria vs. Notre Dame experience.
Even though the changing of the guard was a bust, it was free and really I didn't have anything else I needed to do with my time, perfectly fine with me to see that so I can tell all you fine people about it. Besides, the rest of my weekend was perfect, and filled with parks and shopping down the main street Gran Via and at El Rastro. What more could this American girl want?
Well next weekend I'm off to Rome and Venice!!! I know I've already been to these places to visit my brother Brian when he was studying abroad, but that was 4 years ago and he was the most informative tour guide I've ever had, so I was a little overloaded with information. Going back again will be perfect! Hasta luego.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Off to Portugal!
Once again, I am quite behind on my blog entries, but my trip after Paris was the following weekend to Lisbon, Portugal. We flew out on Friday morning, so once again I slept at the airport. I think I'm learning a few tricks to the act:
1) Since they don't let you through security until around 4:00 am and there are no chairs or carpetted floors in the entrance area, bring something to sleep on because the linoleum floor gets mighty cold.
2) Eye masks are key. They help you just relax and sleep!
That's about it. Honestly, I don't think sleeping in airports is the end of the world, but I'm sure I'll change my mind once I'm not a college student trying to pinch every penny I have!
Once we arrived in Lisbon and had checked into our hostel, we went exploring. We walked through Lisbon on our way to Castelo de San Jorge. While on the way, we saw some really cute shops, well 1 really great shop: a purse store! The store was filled with boxes and boxes of purses for 15-25 euros, all made of leather! I'm pretty sure they were all made in China and just brought here since the store owner didn't speak a lick of English or Portugese, but either way, Anna and I decided we needed to come back the next day!
After that, we went to Castelo de San Jorge, which was beautiful. The castle was really more of a fort now. There wasn't an interior that we saw, just plenty of places to stand guard and watch for intruders. Still, since Lisbon gets rain ALL THE TIME, the trees and plants were gorgeous. All green!
Then for lunch we went to Lautasco, per Nora's request. Let me tell you, it was excellent! I got this Portugese dish that is a bread/seafood dish. It looked a little like mush, but tasted so good. Portugal is also known for its green wine, so of course we had to try a bottle. It is said that green wine is the most misunderstood wine in all of Europe, and I understand why. I didn't like it one bit, but a bunch of my friends did and reordered it during the weekend.
As you know, I went to Paris last weekend and saw Notre Dame. If you have ever seen that cathedral, you know its one of a kind and beautiful. Well, unfortunately for Portugal, I saw the mini version of Notre Dame 1 week after seeing the real deal. Igleja de Santa Maria is a church that seriously looks like a small town version of Notra Dame. So if you are ever going to see them both, do Santa Maria first, because otherwise you don't really appreciate it.
On Saturday, our group split up. Half of the group went to Bellum, while Anna, Mel, and I stayed to go shopping. Anna and I are coming back to Lisbon with our families and we figured we could go to Bellum then, but in the mean time we had a shopping fix to settle. Luckily, our plans were inside all day because Lisbon held up to its stereotype and rained all morning. We stayed in the stores and bought some really cute purses and other items. The man that works at the hostel poked a little fun at us saying how much American girls love to shop. Oh well, I can handle that stereotype!
That night we went out with a group of people from the hostel. Let me tell you, if you have never met Brazilian people, you're missing out. They're so much fun and so nice! Obviously there were a bunch of Brazilians in our hostel and just in Portugal in general because they speak the same language. Easy place to travel and study abroad. We all hung out in the hostel and cooked dinner together and played a Polish drinking game and then we went out to the erasmus corner (erasmus is the term for European study abroad students). Its an area with plenty of bars and music for young people, and most of them speak English!
I think the moment that I realized just how much nicer Lisbon is than any other place I've traveled was when we were trying to find our way back to the hostel. My friends and I decided not to join everyone else that was going clubbing, so we just headed back to the hostel. Only problem was, we didn't really know where it was. So we started walking and asking people to point us in the right direction. Every single person that we asked was happy to stop and look at our map and give us advice. One man even started telling us which streets to avoid for safety reasons and offered to drive us back. Of course, we were thinking stranger danger and didn't take him up on the offer, but it was a sweet thought. I didn't find Paris to be rude or anything, like people say, but I could see thinking that Paris is a bit snooty after visiting a place like this. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly, it really was wonderful!
The last day there, we traveled to Sintra and Cascais. They are 2 cities outside of Lisbon. Sintra has a beautiful castle that is the kind of thing you think of when you hear the term "castle". They even have rooms on exhibit so you can see where the Queen and King lived. Very cool! Then in Cascais, there is a beach which we walked along and relaxed. Unfortunately in February, it is most certainly not warm enough to wade in, which one of my friends learned the hard way! But walking along the beach and looking at the stars was a great way to end the trip. Looks like I'm headed back to Madrid, and won't be traveling next weekend! Its the first weekend I'll be in Madrid the entire time, look out!
1) Since they don't let you through security until around 4:00 am and there are no chairs or carpetted floors in the entrance area, bring something to sleep on because the linoleum floor gets mighty cold.
2) Eye masks are key. They help you just relax and sleep!
That's about it. Honestly, I don't think sleeping in airports is the end of the world, but I'm sure I'll change my mind once I'm not a college student trying to pinch every penny I have!
Once we arrived in Lisbon and had checked into our hostel, we went exploring. We walked through Lisbon on our way to Castelo de San Jorge. While on the way, we saw some really cute shops, well 1 really great shop: a purse store! The store was filled with boxes and boxes of purses for 15-25 euros, all made of leather! I'm pretty sure they were all made in China and just brought here since the store owner didn't speak a lick of English or Portugese, but either way, Anna and I decided we needed to come back the next day!
After that, we went to Castelo de San Jorge, which was beautiful. The castle was really more of a fort now. There wasn't an interior that we saw, just plenty of places to stand guard and watch for intruders. Still, since Lisbon gets rain ALL THE TIME, the trees and plants were gorgeous. All green!
Then for lunch we went to Lautasco, per Nora's request. Let me tell you, it was excellent! I got this Portugese dish that is a bread/seafood dish. It looked a little like mush, but tasted so good. Portugal is also known for its green wine, so of course we had to try a bottle. It is said that green wine is the most misunderstood wine in all of Europe, and I understand why. I didn't like it one bit, but a bunch of my friends did and reordered it during the weekend.
As you know, I went to Paris last weekend and saw Notre Dame. If you have ever seen that cathedral, you know its one of a kind and beautiful. Well, unfortunately for Portugal, I saw the mini version of Notre Dame 1 week after seeing the real deal. Igleja de Santa Maria is a church that seriously looks like a small town version of Notra Dame. So if you are ever going to see them both, do Santa Maria first, because otherwise you don't really appreciate it.
On Saturday, our group split up. Half of the group went to Bellum, while Anna, Mel, and I stayed to go shopping. Anna and I are coming back to Lisbon with our families and we figured we could go to Bellum then, but in the mean time we had a shopping fix to settle. Luckily, our plans were inside all day because Lisbon held up to its stereotype and rained all morning. We stayed in the stores and bought some really cute purses and other items. The man that works at the hostel poked a little fun at us saying how much American girls love to shop. Oh well, I can handle that stereotype!
That night we went out with a group of people from the hostel. Let me tell you, if you have never met Brazilian people, you're missing out. They're so much fun and so nice! Obviously there were a bunch of Brazilians in our hostel and just in Portugal in general because they speak the same language. Easy place to travel and study abroad. We all hung out in the hostel and cooked dinner together and played a Polish drinking game and then we went out to the erasmus corner (erasmus is the term for European study abroad students). Its an area with plenty of bars and music for young people, and most of them speak English!
I think the moment that I realized just how much nicer Lisbon is than any other place I've traveled was when we were trying to find our way back to the hostel. My friends and I decided not to join everyone else that was going clubbing, so we just headed back to the hostel. Only problem was, we didn't really know where it was. So we started walking and asking people to point us in the right direction. Every single person that we asked was happy to stop and look at our map and give us advice. One man even started telling us which streets to avoid for safety reasons and offered to drive us back. Of course, we were thinking stranger danger and didn't take him up on the offer, but it was a sweet thought. I didn't find Paris to be rude or anything, like people say, but I could see thinking that Paris is a bit snooty after visiting a place like this. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly, it really was wonderful!
The last day there, we traveled to Sintra and Cascais. They are 2 cities outside of Lisbon. Sintra has a beautiful castle that is the kind of thing you think of when you hear the term "castle". They even have rooms on exhibit so you can see where the Queen and King lived. Very cool! Then in Cascais, there is a beach which we walked along and relaxed. Unfortunately in February, it is most certainly not warm enough to wade in, which one of my friends learned the hard way! But walking along the beach and looking at the stars was a great way to end the trip. Looks like I'm headed back to Madrid, and won't be traveling next weekend! Its the first weekend I'll be in Madrid the entire time, look out!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Paris!
This past weekend, the weekend before Valentine's day, Mel, Anna, and I went to Paris. It was wonderful! A girl on my dance team, Sarah Erxleben, is going to grad school in Paris and speaks French fluently. Luckily for us, she was more than happy to show us around and take us out and such. It was perfect!
We saw the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe on Friday. Apparently Paris has a nasty habit of being overcast, much like London, but knowing that Mel and Anna and I were coming, she opened up the skies and it was blue and beautiful all day on Friday. I didn't even need the coat that I carried around all day. So we climbed up the stairs of the Eiffel Tower; our workout for the day. It was amazing. The view was incredible, and we got an idea of where everything was and where we would be going.
That night, Sarah took us to Sarce Couer, which is a basilica near our hostel. It was beautiful, and of course had steps leading up to it. We drank wine and ate cheese and it was really fun. Sarah brought brie and Camembert cheese, both of which I had never had before. The brie was so tasty! I'm going to have to work my way up to the camembert though, its a real cheese and I'm still a noob.
The next day, we went to Notre Dame. It is the most beautiful cathedral I have ever seen. I know I loved the cathedral in Toledo, and then I loved the cathedral in Burgos and for each one I said that it was the most beautiful one I had ever seen, however, I doubt this one will be topped for quite some time/ever. The arched ceilings and stained glass were stunning. And both of the other churches I saw were over the top. They had gold plated walls and their jewelry on display, and everything. I found Notre Dame to be beautiful with amazing detail, but to still be humbling. It was the perfect combination and definitely my favorite classical European aspect of my entire study abroad trip thus far. I would say the only thing that beats it in any aspect, is the Eiffel Tower, cause I mean, come on... its the Eiffel Tower!
We also went to the Louvre, and it was astonishing! I had no idea the Louvre used to be a palace and I had no idea how big it is. People say that it is large and you could spend days in there, but honestly, you could spend months, maybe years! It is incredible. Unfortunately, I'm not much of an art fan myself, so it was a bit wasted on me. But, I did see Napolean III's apartments, and they were luxurious and by far my favorite aspect of the Louvre. I guess the good thing about it being so big, is that of course it will have something for everyone.
All in all, it was a wonderful weekend. The not speaking the language part was a lot more difficult than I imagined, but we got by. We also learned that we are going to learn some key phrases each time we travel, such as "do you speak English" "where is the" "bathroom" and "thank you".
It was an amazing trip, and I can't thank Sarah Erx enough for everything she did!
Au revoir!
We saw the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe on Friday. Apparently Paris has a nasty habit of being overcast, much like London, but knowing that Mel and Anna and I were coming, she opened up the skies and it was blue and beautiful all day on Friday. I didn't even need the coat that I carried around all day. So we climbed up the stairs of the Eiffel Tower; our workout for the day. It was amazing. The view was incredible, and we got an idea of where everything was and where we would be going.
That night, Sarah took us to Sarce Couer, which is a basilica near our hostel. It was beautiful, and of course had steps leading up to it. We drank wine and ate cheese and it was really fun. Sarah brought brie and Camembert cheese, both of which I had never had before. The brie was so tasty! I'm going to have to work my way up to the camembert though, its a real cheese and I'm still a noob.
The next day, we went to Notre Dame. It is the most beautiful cathedral I have ever seen. I know I loved the cathedral in Toledo, and then I loved the cathedral in Burgos and for each one I said that it was the most beautiful one I had ever seen, however, I doubt this one will be topped for quite some time/ever. The arched ceilings and stained glass were stunning. And both of the other churches I saw were over the top. They had gold plated walls and their jewelry on display, and everything. I found Notre Dame to be beautiful with amazing detail, but to still be humbling. It was the perfect combination and definitely my favorite classical European aspect of my entire study abroad trip thus far. I would say the only thing that beats it in any aspect, is the Eiffel Tower, cause I mean, come on... its the Eiffel Tower!
We also went to the Louvre, and it was astonishing! I had no idea the Louvre used to be a palace and I had no idea how big it is. People say that it is large and you could spend days in there, but honestly, you could spend months, maybe years! It is incredible. Unfortunately, I'm not much of an art fan myself, so it was a bit wasted on me. But, I did see Napolean III's apartments, and they were luxurious and by far my favorite aspect of the Louvre. I guess the good thing about it being so big, is that of course it will have something for everyone.
All in all, it was a wonderful weekend. The not speaking the language part was a lot more difficult than I imagined, but we got by. We also learned that we are going to learn some key phrases each time we travel, such as "do you speak English" "where is the" "bathroom" and "thank you".
It was an amazing trip, and I can't thank Sarah Erx enough for everything she did!
Au revoir!
Madrid
So after going to Burgos, I realized that I keep traveling elsewhere, but haven't really enjoyed Madrid yet.
For that reason, a bunch of friends and I went to some plazas around Madrid, and we went to the Rastro, which is this shopping event that goes on every Sunday. The Rastro has everything. It is just booths that are set up in the street and it goes on for miles it feels like. It seriously just takes over. People crowd there to buy things from purses and gold trinkets, to rubberbands and magazines. It is such an odd compilation, I can't do it justice. Some of the booths seem legitimate. They are themed and maybe even hand-made. Others look like someone cleaned out their attic and brought all of their crap to the Rastro.
I think the biggest surprise was the people selling their items. I expected people to be in your face, bargaining, pulling you over to their booth. It was exactly the opposite. They would sit their, sometimes with their back to you. Which is especially surprising because Spain is at a 20% unemployment rate right now... And when you wanted to buy, no one would bargain. The price listed was it.
It was still such an experience and I got my first satchel bag. Anna recommended it, and she was right, once you get a satchel bag, you never want to go back. It is the most convenient thing!
Well I hope everyone is having a blast! Keep reading for Paris!
For that reason, a bunch of friends and I went to some plazas around Madrid, and we went to the Rastro, which is this shopping event that goes on every Sunday. The Rastro has everything. It is just booths that are set up in the street and it goes on for miles it feels like. It seriously just takes over. People crowd there to buy things from purses and gold trinkets, to rubberbands and magazines. It is such an odd compilation, I can't do it justice. Some of the booths seem legitimate. They are themed and maybe even hand-made. Others look like someone cleaned out their attic and brought all of their crap to the Rastro.
I think the biggest surprise was the people selling their items. I expected people to be in your face, bargaining, pulling you over to their booth. It was exactly the opposite. They would sit their, sometimes with their back to you. Which is especially surprising because Spain is at a 20% unemployment rate right now... And when you wanted to buy, no one would bargain. The price listed was it.
It was still such an experience and I got my first satchel bag. Anna recommended it, and she was right, once you get a satchel bag, you never want to go back. It is the most convenient thing!
Well I hope everyone is having a blast! Keep reading for Paris!
Burgos!
Sorry I haven't been keeping up with this, I didn't realize before how much time is involved in documenting a trip... The last place I had left off was I had moved into my apartment with Mel, but we had no internet, and my classes were all screwed up. Obviously, my first priority was the internet; I mean who goes abroad to learn?! So Mel and I delved into finding internet. We tried asking anyone and everyone for help and worked on this for a few days. Finally we had a brilliant idea! We just went over to a neighbors and asked them if we could pay them to use their internet for the next 5 months. The woman that lives above us was so helpful and said yes! Sooo on February 1st a 9:32 pm Mel and I got internet. I don't think we had been so excited in a really long time. (If you want confirmation, you should look at our facebook statuses that day.)
Then the next thing I needed to worry about was classes, which you will all be glad to hear worked out. I now have classes Monday, Tuesday, Thursday. That's right, no class Wednesday and no class FRIDAY! Now I have 3 day weekends, along with most of my friends so we can travel together. And Wednesdays are a nice break in the middle of the week to get me away from the "oh so demanding" school work I have.
With all of my classes and my apartment all taken care of, Mel, Anna, and I decided to take a little trip. I should probably rephrase that, Anna decided to take a little trip, and Mel and I invited ourselves...
Anna met a woman on her flight over to Spain that lives in a city 2 hours north of here, Burgos. The woman was ecstatic for Anna to come visit, and naturally Mel and I asked if we could tag along. So, on Saturday morning, bright and early, we took a bus over to Burgos. Let me tell you, this trip was so much fun! The woman, Laura, picked us up and took us out to breakfast, her treat, and then started showing us around. We saw Plaza Mayor (main plaza for the city) and their cathedral, which is gorgeous - completely Gothic and over the top - and another church, and she drove us around the city. It was great. We learned that all older Spanish cities were fort cities and were surrounded by "Muralla" or a big city wall, so we also saw that. (Pictures of all of these things are on my facebook by the way, you should check them out if you haven't).
The best part of the trip was after sight seeing though. See, Mel and I live in an apartment, just the two of us, so we don't get the typical Spanish dinner experience like Anna does. Apparently the dinner we had is what Anna gets EACH NIGHT! But, it was great. Laura, the host, made us tortilla de patatas (an egg, potato, and onion dish. Very traditional for Spain), sandwiches with avacado (my favorite!!!), her home made jelly, her own orange cake, a bunch of fruits from her family's farm. So much great food it was unbelievable.
The most interesting part wasn't that she made all of this food for us, it was more the presentation. She just wanted to give us everything. She brought out a sweet food that looked exactly like green olives if you ask me. They were in a jar with juice, same color, maybe a little bigger, but then we tried one and they were not olives, they were so sweet and amazing! So we asked her what they were, and she told us but problem was she didn't know the name in English and we didn't recognize the Spanish word. So we talked about it and she then brought out prunes and said that the green things were prunes before they're dried. I got all excited, because I had just talked about this last week with my dad and was like, "They're DATES! I know it, I just talked about this with my dad, THEY'RE DATES!". Well I was wrong. Laura immediately shot me down. She then brought out some dates, and showed me the difference. So then we talked about these green things some more, and finally Laura's husband whipped out the dictionary. Turns out they were plums! I still don't know why they were green, but they were amazing!
But all of dinner was like that, we mention something, and Laura goes and gets it and force feeds us this amazing food. It was wonderful and I was so full. Good thing we had breakfast with her in the morning too. She made us crepes with her home made plum jam and hand squeezed orange juice. Let me just say, going back home to the apartment where I would be eating pasta and sandwiches wasn't as exciting as one would imagine...
Oh and I forgot to mention another type of food you must get if you ever are in Burgos: Morcilla. It is so good, its a type of sausage that is moist and sweet and if you put pickled red peppers on top of it (all of which Laura sent us home with), it is superb.
All in all, The trip was beautiful and fun. I got the true Spanish experience an a part of me wishes I had chosen a host family now... Oh well, I'll have to just enjoy my freedom and enjoy all the money that I'm saving :) What a rough life lol.
Then the next thing I needed to worry about was classes, which you will all be glad to hear worked out. I now have classes Monday, Tuesday, Thursday. That's right, no class Wednesday and no class FRIDAY! Now I have 3 day weekends, along with most of my friends so we can travel together. And Wednesdays are a nice break in the middle of the week to get me away from the "oh so demanding" school work I have.
With all of my classes and my apartment all taken care of, Mel, Anna, and I decided to take a little trip. I should probably rephrase that, Anna decided to take a little trip, and Mel and I invited ourselves...
Anna met a woman on her flight over to Spain that lives in a city 2 hours north of here, Burgos. The woman was ecstatic for Anna to come visit, and naturally Mel and I asked if we could tag along. So, on Saturday morning, bright and early, we took a bus over to Burgos. Let me tell you, this trip was so much fun! The woman, Laura, picked us up and took us out to breakfast, her treat, and then started showing us around. We saw Plaza Mayor (main plaza for the city) and their cathedral, which is gorgeous - completely Gothic and over the top - and another church, and she drove us around the city. It was great. We learned that all older Spanish cities were fort cities and were surrounded by "Muralla" or a big city wall, so we also saw that. (Pictures of all of these things are on my facebook by the way, you should check them out if you haven't).
The best part of the trip was after sight seeing though. See, Mel and I live in an apartment, just the two of us, so we don't get the typical Spanish dinner experience like Anna does. Apparently the dinner we had is what Anna gets EACH NIGHT! But, it was great. Laura, the host, made us tortilla de patatas (an egg, potato, and onion dish. Very traditional for Spain), sandwiches with avacado (my favorite!!!), her home made jelly, her own orange cake, a bunch of fruits from her family's farm. So much great food it was unbelievable.
The most interesting part wasn't that she made all of this food for us, it was more the presentation. She just wanted to give us everything. She brought out a sweet food that looked exactly like green olives if you ask me. They were in a jar with juice, same color, maybe a little bigger, but then we tried one and they were not olives, they were so sweet and amazing! So we asked her what they were, and she told us but problem was she didn't know the name in English and we didn't recognize the Spanish word. So we talked about it and she then brought out prunes and said that the green things were prunes before they're dried. I got all excited, because I had just talked about this last week with my dad and was like, "They're DATES! I know it, I just talked about this with my dad, THEY'RE DATES!". Well I was wrong. Laura immediately shot me down. She then brought out some dates, and showed me the difference. So then we talked about these green things some more, and finally Laura's husband whipped out the dictionary. Turns out they were plums! I still don't know why they were green, but they were amazing!
But all of dinner was like that, we mention something, and Laura goes and gets it and force feeds us this amazing food. It was wonderful and I was so full. Good thing we had breakfast with her in the morning too. She made us crepes with her home made plum jam and hand squeezed orange juice. Let me just say, going back home to the apartment where I would be eating pasta and sandwiches wasn't as exciting as one would imagine...
Oh and I forgot to mention another type of food you must get if you ever are in Burgos: Morcilla. It is so good, its a type of sausage that is moist and sweet and if you put pickled red peppers on top of it (all of which Laura sent us home with), it is superb.
All in all, The trip was beautiful and fun. I got the true Spanish experience an a part of me wishes I had chosen a host family now... Oh well, I'll have to just enjoy my freedom and enjoy all the money that I'm saving :) What a rough life lol.
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