Toledo

So I really know that my time in Spain is almost over because today we had our last group trip to Toledo, which is a town in the community of Castilla La Mancha. Again we stopped for coffee before starting the tour because we are all exhausted and Maria Jose now knows she needs to caffeinate us in order to get us moving. The first stop on the tour was the Cathedral San Juan de los Reyes, which was built to be a tomb for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel but then they were buried in Granda because Spain finally regained control of the region. The church had many symbols of eagles, which represent power and also the letter Y and F were found throughout the cathedral as representations of Ferdinand and Isabel (which is sometimes spelt with a Y in Spanish). The cathedral is mudejar style, which means it was built by Muslims in a Christian kingdom so there were may Arab influences. After this Maria Jose bought us Marzipan, which was first made in Toledo by nuns in the 9th century and is a typical dessert in the area. We even saw this amazing Marzipan replica of the cathedral that was insane.

View of the City

Following this I went to go see the famous painting by El Greco that is located in Toledo that is known as the El Entierro del Senor de Orgaz or the burial of Count Orgaz. This painting representing the typical style of El Greco because is uses dark colors and represents both heaven and earth with clear separation between the two worlds. Then I got lunch at a sandwich place with some people. I am looking forward to coming home because I am getting bored of Spanish food because they are obsessed with ham but not ham that like in the States and it is just okay and I am getting tired of it. After lunch I went to the Cathedral of Toledo, which is massive. I got an audioguide to help me understand what I was looking at. The cathedral was not just a religious place but there are some rooms inside that serve as a museum and are home to many painting by El Greco. There are several smaller chapels in the cathedral that are dedicated to various saints. The main alter piece was beautiful and covered in gold and depicted various scenes from the Bible. After touring the Cathedral I got on the bus for the last time to head back to Alcala after a trip, which was a bittersweet. Also, on a side note even though I talked to her already I just wanted to wish my Mom a Happy Mother’s Day. I can’t wait to see you in a couple of days.

Altar in Cathedral

Segovia

On Saturday I finally was able to go to town of Segovia, which is located 1 ½ north of Spain. This was the trip I was supposed to go on when my Mom was here but it was canceled because of the snow. First we stopped at a place of coffee before the trip and Loyola paid for our coffee because our time in Spain in winding down so we have to use up all the money we pay for tuition and such. Then I went to the palace of La Granja, which used to be a palace for the king during the hot Madrid summers but now is a museum. We walked around the garden and saw all these amazing fountains that only run in the summer months because they are supplied water from the snow that melts in the mountains and is then collected in a lake and funneled into the fountains. Also, the gardens go for a while and as you walk closed to the mountains there are less fountains tot symbolize getting closer to nature.

Example of Fountain in the Gardens

Next we took the bus into the town of Segovia to see the Aqueduct. This particular structure carried water from the mountains into the town and was built in the 1^st century and is still standing today. The Aqueduct is made out of granite and because of the arches the granite pieces have nothing holding them together and are just held in place because of gravity.

Aqueduct

After marveling at this structure I headed to the Alcazar, or fortress, of Segovia. A fun fact about this Alcazar is that the castle in Cinderella is modeled after this because Walt Disney was actually born in Spain but adopted by an American family so upon visiting Spain as an adult he saw the Alcazar and decided to incorporate it into Cinderella.

Alcazar

Then Maria Jose, our program director, gave us 10 euro for lunch so me and a bunch of people went to a local restaurant and got the Menu del Dia, which is basically a pre-fixed menu where you choose a drink, 1^st course, 2^nd course, and dessert. For dessert I had a cream filled cake that was typical of the region of Segovia and it was delicious. Then the whole group meet again to go inside the Cathedral in Segovia, which is gothic style, before getting on the bus and heading back to Alcala while enjoying Sherk 2 to entertain us.

Mallorca

This is my last entry about a longer trip because I am leaving Spain in 11 days to head back to the States. For my last plane trip a group of us went to Mallocra, Spain, which is party of the Balearic Islands. One of the girl’s has a timeshare at home and her parents were able to move the timeshare to Cala Pi, Mallocra for the week, which was great because it made the trip really cheap. I arrived in Mallorca on Monday and was a little upset because the weather was not suppose to be great. When I got there it was raining but I was like at least I am near the beach. Also, we all had papers to do so it was okay that it was raining for the day because it forced us all to finish our work because there was nothing better to do. Also, that first day we went to the supermarket and got groceries because the timeshare was more like an apartment so there was a kitchen and pots to cook with. The following day it was still rainy in the morning but in the afternoon it cleared up so we ended up hanging around by the pool and exploring the small town we were in. My friend Courtney and I ended up walking down to the beach and hiking around the mountains over there because the beach was kind of in a canyon. That night the hotel was supposed to have a magic show so we thought about checking it out for the night. However, for some reason the show was canceled so instead there was some type of game show where men competed against women and 2 of my friends were in the competition. Obviously the women won and it was a lot of fun.

Beach at the Hotel

The next morning we had decided to rent cars from the hotel so that we could drive into Palma for the day to go shopping since it was sunny out but not exactly warm enough for the beach. Driving into Palma was so much fun because it was the first time I was in a car other then a cab since being in Spain and it was like a mini road trip. When we got to Palma we just walked around for a bit, got lunch, and did some shopping for pearls and such. Also, we saw the cathedral that was massive.

Cathedral

It was a great day. I went back to the hotel for dinner and we just all hung out for the night. The next day it was finally perfect weather for sitting outside so I woke up early to sit by the pool all day. I bought a book at one of the department store, which was great for sitting by the pool. That night we drove into Palma again for dinner. We went to this great restaurant for dinner that had all these pasta and salad dishes that were delicious. We had a long dinner and then just headed back to the hotel and went to bed. On the last day we just sat outside all day and just enjoyed the last day in the sun. I did not have a flight till 11:30pm so I had a complete day hanging around the pool and time to just relax. I had a great last long trip because it was nice and relaxing and a great time to regroup. I have two more day trips to Toledo and Segovia, which is the last trips before heading home.

Asturias

This weekend we went on our also long weekend trip as a group to an area in northern Spain known as Asturias. This trip was great because there is nothing really to see in Asturias it is mostly a beach area but is cool because mountains also surround it so you are able to get both beach and mountains. We arrived on Friday to the small town of Ribadesella were we had free time to walk around and get a late lunch. Then we go on the bus and headed to the town of Olvedo, which is where are hotel was located. That night myself and a couple of the girls decided to go in the hot tub and sauna to relax for a bit. That night we went to a Italian restaurant for dinner that was right by the hotel. I am turning into a real Spaniard because I did not even consider going out to dinner until 10pm, which is a typical dinnertime in Spanish culture.

Chapel in Cavadonga

The next morning I woke up and had a buffet breakfast before taking the bus to an area known as Cavadonga, who cave of the Virgin Mary. We took mini buses up the mountain to see these two beautiful lakes and breath taking views. Also, on the way up we passed tons of cows that had bells on them, which I found to be hysterical. After going up the mountains we went down to the town and visit and cathedral and a chapel in a cave. The chapel is suppose to be the site where the Virgin Mary talked to one of the men in the town stating that this town would be a holy place and today the town is part of a pilgrimage that people can take throughout Spain. Then we took the bus to a hotel that was right on the beach for our group lunch. For lunch we had this bean and sausage stew that was typical of the area and was actually really good. It was my friend Callie’s birthday so we sang happy birthday to her at lunch. After lunch we just hung out on the beach and some of the guys even went swimming and threw some of the girls in the water…thank god no one threw me in the water. Next we just headed back to the hotel ordered room service for dinner and went out for Callie’s birthday that night.

Chapel in the Cave where the Virgin Mary Appeared

This morning I made sure to eat a large breakfast because we were going kayaking that day, which was an adventure to say the least. We showed up at the place and all go wet suits and life vests to wear. We were in a two-person kayak and given some sandwiches to eat for lunch. The guy showed us how to paddle and told we bridges to use as land marks for where they were going to pick us up and then we were off. In order to get into the water our kayak was put on this chute and pushed into the water, almost like a long flume. Kayaking was really nice and it was so peaceful and beautiful. There were some rapids, which were fun because it meant we did not have to paddle. Unfortunately it started raining part way through the trip so when we stopped for lunch we told a van that was from the place we used for kayaking so they sent more vans to pick us up. Following this we all just headed back to warm up and shower. Some of the boys decided to continue the rest of the journey on the river in the rain so we had to wait a while for them to get back. When they finally got back I got on the bus and headed back to Alcala. Tonight we are going to have a cake for Callie’s birthday and I am going to need to pack because tomorrow I am heading to Mallorca, which is an island on the coast of Spain.

Beach in Asturias

Morocco

Ok so this bog entry is going to be a little different because I actually brought my laptop on my trip to Assilah, Morocco, which is in AFRICA…so my travels throughout Europe have reached another continent. Right now I am writing this blog while sitting on the rooftop terrace of our house overlooking the setting sun and beautiful ocean…I know you’re probably all jealous. So basically I had no plans on coming to Morocco until my friend who studied abroad last year told me about her trip to Assilah, which is on the coast and after seeing picture I knew I had to go. Since there are no hostels or anything like that me and the other 13 people whom came rented houses for the week that are overlooking the water. My house is great. All the rooms are so colorful and every room has tons of cool Moroccan influences. My favorite room this is one room where we just sit on the floor on this really comfortable rug with just tons of pillows. Also, I have a woman who comes and cooks us breakfast and dinner everyday. Basically breakfast consists of bread, jams, Moroccan pancakes, strawberries, and fresh squeezed orange juice, which is amazing. So far for dinner we have had cous cous with chicken and veggies and another night we had some type of fish that was delicious.

Cous Cous

This trip is great because there is no planned itinerary because it is basically a beach trip, which I defiantly need after the whole volcano fiasco that happened in London. So far I have just basically been sitting outside on the terrace and reading some good books or heading down for a store on the beach. The town itself it really cute and there are tons of markets, which is great for shopping. So far I have bought these great flats and four bowls for my apartment at school next year, which should be interesting to get home. It is really great just being able to hang out with everyone and not being stressed about waking up and going somewhere all the time because we actually have a chance to just talk and hang out, which is great. All the Moroccan people are really nice and most people speak either English or Spanish so we are able to communicate. Today while walking around I even got a hena tattoo on my foot and had a conversation with the women in Spanish while she was giving me my tattoo, which is so cool.

Sunset from the Terrace

Today we woke up this morning with plans to go to the this beach known as paradise beach so a couple of us got up early to get food to make lunch with. While trying to find this type of Moroccan cheese we made friends with this guy Abdula who helped us find the cheese and said he would arrange for transportation to the beach. Now when I saw transportation I mean we took these flat carts pulled by donkeys 5 km to the beach. Well all I can say was by the end of the ride my butt was starting to hurt from all the bumps but it was an hysterical experience even though I almost fell off a couple of times. Finally we arrived at the beach and the ride was well worth it. Essentially since it was not high tourist season yet we had the entire beach to ourselves to just hang out so it was basically our own private beach. The day was amazing because we just sat on the beach and hung out with the amazing views of the ocean until it was time to take our bumpy ride back into town. After getting back I shopped around for some souvenirs, which was fun because the exchange rate it great. The last morning in Morocco I just woke up and enjoyed the last couple hours there before having to head back to the airport and make it back to Spain. Overall it was an relaxing and amazing trip.

Paradise Beach

London: Stuck because of a Volcano

Ok so basically after getting back to Spain the next day I left for London. I left Wednesday night and got there at like 2am so I just checked into the hostel, which was located in South Kensington, which ended up being a great location.

Telephone Booth

I woke up the next morning and had breakfast in the hostel before heading on a free walking tour of London. The walking tour was New London, which was the same walking tour company I used in Prague. The tour was great. The tour started at the Wellington Arch, which included a monument in memory of the Battle of Waterloo, which was a big battle the British won against the French. Following this I walked to see Buckingham Palace and then St. James Palace, which is where the Prince William and Harry live. Then I headed to Trafalgar Square and Nelson’s Column and then went to 10 Downing Street that is where many government officials live. Then I headed over to the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abby, which is where the walking tour ended.
After the walking tour I grabbed some lunch before getting on another walking tour that would take us to the Old Part of the City. During this tour we first saw the Temple Church, which was the church in the Da Vinci Code. Next I saw a law school and learned that it is much more difficult to become a lawyer in London then in the United States. Following this I saw a clock that was in the movie Harry Potter along with the Courts of Justice, which is where high influential people get divorced. Also, I saw the statue of a dragon that is the symbol of the City of London. Following this I walked to the river to see the London Bridge, Tower Bridge, and Millennium Bridge that connect the different areas of London across the Thames River. From this point I was able to see the Globe Theater and the Tate Modern Museum. Next I headed to the financial distract of London and saw the Bank of London and the Stock Exchange. Finally the tour ended at St. Paul’s Cathedral, which is one of the largest cathedrals in the world. That night for dinner I went to an Indian restaurant because London is actually known for having a lot ethnic restaurant because it is a place that a lot of people migrate too.
The following morning I woke up, had breakfast, and then headed to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards, which was really cool since it is a tradition that has been going on for decades.

Changing of the Guards

After this I went to ride the London Eye, which is the biggest ferris wheel in the world and took 30 minutes to make the complete circle. The London Eye was a lot of fun and gave me the opportunity to take some great pictures of the London skyline. For lunch I went to this chain restaurant in London called Wagamama’s that had some great Chinese food that I was defiantly missing in Spain. That afternoon I went inside the Tower of London to see the crown jewels. I took a tour with a Beef Eater, who are men who served the British army for 22 years and are now retired and live in the Tower of London. After the tour I saw the crown jewels, which were beautiful, saw the torture tower, and a tour that houses the armor of past kings. Then I headed to Portabella Road of go to the Portabella Market, which was a lot of fun to walk around. I saw George Orwell’s house and got an amazing cupcake at the Hummingbird Bakery. That night for dinner I just went to a local pub and got a traditional chicken pot pie.

London at Night

So the next morning I woke up to find out that my flight was canceled due to volcanic ash from the volcano in Iceland that had erupted on Thursday. This is where the start of our adventure would be. I tried to find out other ways to get out of London but everything looked really booked so instead I just decided to try again later and headed to the British Museum. In the museum there were a lot of cool exhibits but I enjoyed seeing the Rosetta Stone and the mummy of Cleopatra. Then we went to Westminster Abby to go to Evensong mass because it was a way to get inside without having to pay the ridiculous entrance fee. The choir was amazing and the church was really cool. After this I went to another market that was in the section of London known as Camden. Then since we were all stressed we decided it would be fun to go see a movie since it was in English. Before the movie I got Thai food for lunch and then went to go see Shutter Island, which ended up being really great and had an amazing twist at the end. After the movie I just headed back to the hostel and tried to figure out some stuff.
In the morning we woke up early to go to the Eurostar train station to see if we could buy train tickets from London to Paris in order to just get us on continental Europe. The first available tickets were for Tuesday and currently it was Monday so we just decided to buy them. After this I headed to a different area of London known as Parsons Green to go stay the night with my friend’s aunt because our hostel was full and originally we did not know when we were going to be able to get train tickets so we planned to stay with her aunt. My friend’s aunt, Debbie, was really hospitable and opened our home up to us for the night and made us an amazing dinner. It was nice to be able to relax and just hand out for a while.
Tuesday morning we got up had some breakfast and just hung around the house waiting to leave for our train, which was not until 5pm. Finally I went to the trains station and boarded the 2 hour Eurostar fast train to Paris. I got to Paris around 7:30pm and meet with a friend who was studying abroad in Paris and was going to let us stay the night in her apartment. I grabbed some dinner and then we went to see the Eiffel Tower at night and saw the light show that occurring every hour.

Eiffel Tower at Night

I was exhausted from the journey so that night I just got back to the room and fell straight asleep. The next morning I got up grabbed a creep and then headed to the bus station because I would be taking a 15 hour bus ride back to Madrid. The bus ride was not as bad as it could have been because the driver stopped frequently and the French countryside was really pretty. I finally arrived back in Madrid on Wednesday at 7am and by the time I took the train to Alcala I arrived at my apartment to shower, unpack, and then head to class. Even through it was really stressful to get back I did make it back to Alcala in one piece and it gave me a great story to write about.

Prague: The Land of Bagels

This past couple of days my friend Caitlin and I went to Prague, Czech Republic for a trip. We got to fly a real airline to Prague because none of the cheap airlines flew there so even though it was a little expensive it was so worth it because we had plenty of room and got a meal and everything. I arrived in Prague late Friday afternoon and checked into the hostel. Next I walked to Old Town Square, which is where everything happens and is a site in itself. The square was full of all these vendors because it was the last week of the Easter festival, which was really good because we were able to browse different Czech arts and crafts and get some traditional food.

After walking around the square I climbed the Astronomical Clock, which has become a symbol of Prague. The clock was built in 1338. Every hour the clock rings and 12 apostles circle the clock while a skeleton is ringing a bell to symbolize how short life is. Also, there is another part of the clock that is a calendar board of astronomical signs. Finally there is a wheel with 365 names and to this day when a child is born they must be named after the name on the wheel. That night we went to this restaurant in the square for dinner.

Astronomical Clock

The next morning I woke up and went to Bohemian Bagels for breakfast, which basically became my sanction for my time in Prague. Then I headed to the square because I was going on a free walking tour through the New Europe tour groups. I would recommend taking this tour to anyone who is in a city where the company offers tour because it was the best tour I ever took, paid or free. The tour took us to St. Nicolas Church, Church of Our Lady Before Tyn, which is the main church in the square, the statue of Jan Hus, who can be considered the founder of Protestantism, Wenceslas Square, and so many more places.

Our Lady Before Tyn Church

We also saw this statue of Kafka, who is a famous author born in Prague. After the tour we went to some of the churches and such because we did not have time to go inside them during the tour. One of the churches had this dead arm hanging on a chain. The story behind the arm is that a robber tried to steal this piece of jewelry off a statue of the Virgin Mary and she grabbed his arm to stop him and the only way to free him was to saw off his arm. After this I just walked around for a bit and did some souvenir shopping and even bought myself a ring. That night I went to another Czech restaurant and had beef goulash, which was delicious. The night I meet up with kids who are studying abroad in Rome who were also visiting Prague.

The next morning I again went to get a bagel and just hung out around Prague before going on another New Europe Tour but this one was of the Prague Castle and we had to pay a small fee for it but it was totally worth it. The tour took me to the Hradčany and Mala Strana neighborhood of Prague. I saw another St. Nicholas Church, which was built by the father of the person who built the other church on the opposite side of the Charles River. Also, I went to the Domecek, which was home to the Nazi secret police and there are still conspiracy theories about the police still being there. I also saw the Wallenstein Palace, which a duke spent 7 years building and was only able to live there for 1 year because he died and there were also really pretty gardens. Next I saw the Loreto, which is named after the town in Italy that is suppose to have the house of Jesus, which was moved there from Israel. The building is named this because the Czechs constructed a replica of the house in Prague in hopes of converting people to Catholicism. Also, I passed “Mozart’s house”, which was not actually his house but the house that was used in the film Amadeus. Finally, we made it to the Prague Castle, which is the oldest medieval castle in the world. The castle is still where the president of the Czech Republic lives when he is in the country. The castle is also home to St. Vitus Cathedral, which is the part of the castle that took the longest to complete and was not finished until 1929, meanwhile the castle began construction in 870 AD. After the castle tour I went back to the hostel to get ready for dinner and then headed to bed.

St. Vitus Cathedral

The next morning I went to the Jewish section of Prague. The Czech Republic has a high Jewish population so this section of Prague has many historic buildings. I bought a ticket that would gain me admittance to all the various sites in the Jewish Quarter or Josefov. First I went to the Spanish Synagogue, which was done in a Moorish style. Next I went to the Pinkas Synagogue, which now houses a collection of art done by Jewish children while they were in the concentration camps. The next synagogue was the Old-New Synagogue, which got its name because of the misinterpretation of past languages. This synagogue is the oldest synagogue in the world and services still occur there today. Lastly, I went to an old Jewish cemetery were over 10,000 bodies were buried but because there was only limited land the cemetery was built up so some of the graves have up to ten people under the gravestone.

After touring the Jewish section of town I walked across the Charles Bridge, which has become another symbol of Prague because King Charles built this bridge in the same place that several bridges before had fallen but because King Charles figured out mathematical the perfect day to start construction on the bridge this bridge has managed to survive hundreds of year. I walked across the bridge to go to lunch in the Mala Strana area and then went to got check out the love locks and Lennon Wall. The love locks are padlocks put on a bridge to symbolize a couple love for each other. The Lennon wall may look like a bunch of graffiti but someone painted the face of John Lennon on the wall and it is suppose to represent the peace that will be brought upon the Czech population when the country is free from communism. Following this I went back to the hostel because it was raining and for diner tonight we went to this really good restaurant that was right next to our hostel.

Lennon Wall

On my final morning in Prague I got one last bagel and then just spent the morning walking around Prague. Actually completely without planning I ran into Loyola kids who were studying abroad in Ireland who were also visiting Prague. After chatting with them I was finally able to go into the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn, which every time I had visited before it had been closed. After seeing the church I headed back to the hostel to get my bags and headed to the airport. Prague was an amazing trip especially because I had enough time to see everything while still being able to enjoy the city.

Barcelona

This past weekend I went on the second group trip with Maria Jose and the rest of the Alcala study abroad students and we went to Barcelona, Spain, which is located in the south of Spain on the coast. I took the high speed AVE train, which created 2 years ago and reached Barcelona in about 2 ½ hours. Next we transferred to another train to reach the center of town where I then walked for a couple minutes to the hotel. After checking in Maria Jose gave us a quick description of where we were and then we had free time. Myself a couple other students grabbed some lunch and then walked down Las Ramblas, which is the main street in Barcelona that leads directly to the ocean The street leads directly to the port of Barcelona where there are many sailboats docks and is the location where cruise ships come into dock. The street was pretty long so by the time we walked down and back it was getting late out and looking as though it was going to rain so I decided to go back to the hotel room because I knew I had a long day ahead of me.
The next morning I woke up bright and early for a breakfast buffet in the hotel before boarding a bus for the first stop in the city. Maria Jose had hired two tour guides to take us around the city so I was able to learn about the different areas in Barcelona in a smaller group. The first place I went to was Parc Guell, which was designed by Gaudi. This area was originally created to be an exclusive upper class neighborhood within the city of Barcelona. However, because the park was on the side of a mountain there was a steep hill so the wealthy did not want to live there. Gaudi had designed a sample house for people to see what the houses would look like but because no one wanted to live there he eventually bought the house and lived there for 20 years of his life. One family still owns another house in the park but it is not their permanent residence and they only go in the summer.

Lizard at Parc Guell

The park was designed to be a city within a city and there was this columned area for a market place and a water collection area to store the water after it rained. Also, instead of removing dirt from the mountain to build this exclusive city Gaudi just created bridges on the sides of the mountains that served as walkways. Once it was realized that people did not want to move into this exclusive city then it was turned into a park. Parc Guell is also home to the famous mosaic lizard that has become an unofficial symbol of Barcelona and can be found in many tourist shops.
Following the park we took the bus to the Sagrada Familia, which is a church dedicated to the Sacred Family. Gaudi began designing this church and worked on it for much of his lifetime but was unable to finish it before his death and the church is still being finished today, which is a controversial subject because some people it should be finished to become a church while others think it should be left alone to me a memorial to Gaudi. The city is planning on finished the main section of the church for November 7th, 210 when the Pope is planning on coming to Barcelona to preside over the first mass at the church. On the façade of the church there are hundreds of figures representing Biblical scenes. The figures over the main door start with the birth of Jesus, which is closes to the group and go up to the crucifixion of Jesus and his ascension into heaven which is further from the group to separate it from the earth and more towards heaven. Gaudi designed this main section of the church but the back section was designed by another architecture. The back is a similar design that used more straight lines but still portrays various biblical scenes but is easier to follow.

Sagrada Familia

After touring the façade of the church the tour guides took use to Casa Batllo, which is another house Gaudi created. The top portion of the house represents a dragon with the way the roof is shaped. Also, there is a cross on the top, which is characteristic of Gaudi because he was a very religious man. Next we walked along to the town hall and the mayor’s house. The tour guide took us through the Jewish neighborhood to the Roman Temple, which is the oldest part of Spain. Finally we ended up at the Barcelona Cathedral where we had a couple hours of free time. We then meet back up to go to 4 Cats for lunch, which is a famous restaurant that Picasso used to frequent. The restaurant is decorated with various Picasso sketches and paintings. Following lunch I just walked around for a bit before heading back to the room. The night I went to an ice bar, which is exactly what the name insinuates a bar made completely of ice. Everything from the cups to the seats was craved out of ice. I needed to wear this really funny silver puffy coat and mittens to go inside. I was only able to stay inside for 45 min because of the temperature of the room but it was so cool…no pun intended.

Me, Callie, and Elenora at Ice Bar

The next morning I once again had breakfast at the hotel before heading to the Picasso museum. This museum was actually requested by Picasso to be built and he donated many of his early works to the museum. It was interesting to see his early work because it was not life the typically work I think of when I hear the name Picasso. By the end of the museum, which went in chronological order, his works for more similar to the work I was used to seeing. In one section of the museum there was a period when Picasso tried to recreate Velázquez’s Las Meninas, which I found interesting because I had seen the original at the Prado so it was interesting to see Picasso’s interpretation of the painting. Following the museum we had more free time so a group of us walked down Las Ramblas again and just enjoyed the good weather. Overall, I really enjoyed my trip to Barcelona because although it is a major city like Madrid it was fascinating to be able to see all the influences of Gaudi within the city and the early works of such a famous painter.

Milano la Città di Acquisto

The last city I visited in Italy was Milan. I mostly came here because it was the cheapest city to fly out of. I wanted to see the Last Supper but unfortunately I did not think to order tickets far enough in advance so I was unable to get tickets for the day I was there. I arrived late at night to the hostel and checked in before heading to dinner. One of one friends saw a page on places to eat in Milan in the airport magazine so we went to this place called Woodstock 3. The restaurant was amazing and it had the biggest pieces of pizza I had ever seen. After dinner I just went back to the hostel and went to bed.

Duomo

The next morning I just woke up had some breakfast and headed out to a day of shopping in Milan. Obviously before shopping I checked out the Duomo in Milan but then hit the stores. I bought some souvenirs for people and a really cute pair of flats for myself, which I can’t wait to wear. Overall, I just walked around Milan until it was time to head to the airport. However, I was on a different flight then the people who I was hanging out with so I had to go to the airport by myself, which I was worried about a little but it ended up being great and I was proud of myself for getting there. Once in the airport I meet up with the other people on my flight and we had a safe trip back. By trip to Ital was amazing but I was glad to be back in Alcala.

Venezia la Città di Acqua

Venice the city of water…so before coming to Venice I had no idea what to expect but all I knew was that I was sure it was going to be beautiful and I was sure right. I took the train to Venice but first we got off at the train stop on the main land of Venice and when we saw no water we knew we were in the wrong place so I just needed to hope on the train for one more stop. Once I stepped outside this train station I knew I was here because I was greeted by the Gran Canal, or the main waterway in Venice. I was immediately awestruck by how different and beautiful Venice was it was unlike anything I have seen in my life or could have imagined. I took the number 1 waterbus down the canal to the hostel. Before leaving for Italy I had downloaded free podcasts of Rick Steve, who is a travel book writer, onto my ipod and I had one for a Gran Canal tour so I decided to try it out. I would defiantly recommend doing this for all your trips because the audioguide was timed perfectly and it pointed out various buildings to me along the way. Did you know that Venice is home to over 400 bridges or that the city floods on average 100 times a year? I know now you have useless facts but it was nice to actually learn about the city as I was seeing it.

Canal in Venice

We took the water taxi to our hostel stop and got a little lost finding the hostel but eventually found it and checked in Then we went to this pizzeria right next door to get some lunch. I just had a margarita pizza, or plain pizza. There were tons of people outside in the square because everyone was celebrating some university graduation or something. All the girls were wearing wreaths of what looked like ivy around their necks and people were dressed in crazy costumes. Also, some people were having baby powder poured all over them so this provided entertainment for me during lunch. Next I took the water taxi to St Mark’s Square, which is the center of Venice and is where all the pigeons are.

Group in St. Mark's Square

I am not a fan of birds but thanks god there were not too many when we were there. I walked around the square and learned how Venice used to be the trading capital of the world between Europe and Asia, which can be seen in the architecture. By the time we got to the square St. Mark’s Basilica was closed but we took the elevator to the top of the bell tower. The reason there was an elevator is because the tour feel down in 1902 and had to be rebuilt so a elevator was installed. Also, St. Mark’s Square is home to the first digital clock. In the square we meet up with other Loyola students who were studying abroad in Copenhagen but were in Venice for the day. It was nice to see other Loyola students and hear about their semester.
After going around the square Alanna who went to Florence for Carnival told me of the bar called Harry’s Bar, which was where the first Bellini was made. We decided to check it out and Callie and I were the only people to order them because they were kind of expensive but we figured when were we planning on being in Venice again. The drinks were delicious and completely worth every penny. Then we headed back to the hostel to change for dinner. My Mom’s friend who gave us the pasta restaurant in Italy also recommended a place in Venice. Unfortunately it had closed but there was another restaurant it it’s place so we decided to check it out. I got pasta with pesto sauce, which was delicious and then this apple strudel pastry that was amazing. The waiter, Alesandro, was really nice and after dinner bought us all drinks at the bar next door. We hung out for a while but the city of Venice shuts down pretty early and the bar closed at midnight. We took the waterbus back to the hostel but since it was a night bus it did not stop at all the places so we had to get off at a different stop and walk to our hostel. Everyone who went to Venice warned that the streets were really confusing so we were worried. We though we got really lost but were actually only a turn away from the hostel but getting back was an adventure to say the least.
The next morning we woke up and grabbed some breakfast before heading back to St. Mark’s square to go inside the Basilica, which is said to be home of St. Mark’s bones who became the patron saint of Venice after two Christians stole his body and placed it in the church. The basilica was breathtaking with all the influences of different cultures. The outside was made up of elements that had been taken from various other countries, for example of bronze horses stole from Constantinople or the Greek pillars. The inside of the basilica was fully of Byzantine mosaics that depicted various bible scenes. I went to the top to look out on the balcony of a view of St. Mark’s Square.

St. Mark's Basilica

After the basilica we wanted to go to the Dodge’s, or ruler of Venice, palace but there was not enough time. The palace was a pretty light pink and white on the outside and had no surrounding wall to demonstrate that the Dodge was not afraid of his people. Also, the columns on the palace all portrayed stories in the top. The one we saw was a story of a couple falling in love. Next we did what everyone in Venice has to do. We took a gondola ride. It was a lot of fun I though a couple times that be were going to tip over but out gondolier Tony knew what he was doing. We were able to go through all the little side canals of Venice and experience the city. The ride lasted for about 40 minutes and then we made sure to get a picture with Tony before leaving. Then we took the water taxi to Murano, which is where the famous hand blown glass is made. We were able to see a demonstration and it was unreal to watch someone turn an extremely hot piece of melted glass into a horse within a matter of minutes. I bought some really pretty earnings and then headed back to Venice to grab out things before lunch.
We headed to the train station a little early to grab lunch but I guess it was a weird time because most of the restaurants were closed because it was around 4pm. I just grabbed a slice of pizza from some small pizza place that of course was still good because we were in Italy. Then once again grabbed some gelato before boarding the train. So for the train from Venice to Milan we decided to buy regional train tickets because they were cheaper and we needed a little rest so we did not mind the longer train. However, we were unaware that with regional tickets it was necessary to validate the ticket before hand, which proved to be a problem. When the people came around to collect the tickets they said that because we did not validate we were going to be fined 50 euro each. We tried to explain to them that we did not realize this because on our other trains we did not need to validate because there were Eurostar trains. Finally, we were able to talk them down to only making us pay 25 euro each since we explained that we were college students and did not have a lot of money. I was written a ticket for the fine, which I plan on keeping in order to remember this event.

Benvenuto a Firenze

So after a 2 and a half hour train ride I reached the wonderful city of Florence. I had never been here before so I was pumped to finally see the city but I was also so excited to see one of my best friend’s Alanna who was studying abroad in Florence. I checked into my hostel, which was amazing. For some reason the room I was in had it’s own kitchen and such so it was more like an apartment. This was great because we were able to cook eggs for breakfast and such. After settling in one of the Florence kids, Dave came to get us at out hostel and take us to the Duomo to meet the other Florence students. When I saw Alanna I ran across the plaza because I was so excited to see her. After seeing each other for a couple minutes I finally took in my surroundings and realized how massive the Duomo was. This church is the third largest Duomo. The building was beautiful on the outside with all the decorations. I went inside and the inside was somewhat plain with beautiful stain glass windows but the church was massive. I contemplated climbing the 462 steps to the top but decided against it because I do not really enjoy closterphobic staircases.

Duomo

Next Alanna and Dave gave me a tour of Florence. I learned how Florence used to be controlled by a wealthy family and they built a lot of the structures that exist in Florence today to show the city’s wealth. Also, Florence used to be surrounded by walls but these were eventually knocked down but some of the old city gates still exist. During the tour I rubbed the nose of a bronze hog, which is supposed to be good luck. I also walked across the Old Bridge or Ponte Vecchio, which is where the butchers used to live because it used to be full of meat shops, which smelt so bad that no one wanted to live by them. Now the Old Bridge is filled with jewelry stores. Also, for some reason when Germany attacked Italy during WWII for some reason Hitler ordered this bridge not to be blown up because he liked it. The I went to this wonderful panini place where I got turkey, mozzarella, pesto, and tomato sandwich. Following lunch Alanna took me to another amazing gelato place where I got chocolate mouse and the chocolate chip flavor again.

Ponte Vecchio

Since none of us really wanted to climb the steps of the Duomo the Florence kids took a group of us the Piazza de Michelangelo for great views of the city. Even through it was still pretty far uphill I did not mind the climb because it was outside. The views of the city were breathtaking from this Piazza. After hanging around up there for a little we headed back to our hostel to get ready for dinner. In order to get ot the hostel I needed to walked through this massive market called the San Lorenzo Market. It has tons of leather goods so I was able to purchase some souvenirs and presents. For dinner the Alanna took me to one of her favorite restaurants called El Gato, or the cat. I had gnocchi with pesto sauce that was to die for. After dinner we went out with the rest of the kids from Spain and the Florence kids to a discoteca known as Space. It was a lot of fun and an overall great day.

The next morning I had to wake up because I had an appointment at the Galleria dell Accademia, which is home to Michelangelo’s famous statue of David. On the way there I went through the Piazza della Signoria, which is home to the town hall and Neptune’s fountain. There is also a copy of the David that guards the town hall. It was originally built for the Duomo but was too heavy so it was placed the piazza. The hands of David are no properly proportioned because the architect built the statue as if people would be viewing from below. Once reached the galleria I was able to skip the lines since I bought tickets in advance. I headed straight to David, which was unreal. The statue is 14 feet tall and is an impressive structure. I still do not understand how someone could carve such a massive statue out of marble all those years ago. The statue is portraying David right before he killed the giant Goliath. He has a contemplative look on his face and is holding the slingshot he used to kill the giant. After marveling at the statue for some time I wandered around the rest of the gallery and saw some alter pieces that were created by Caravaggio. I learned that alter pieces were such impressive works of art because priests used to stand away from the congregation so they wanted something pleasant to look at.

The David

Following the galleria I went to lunch at the same sandwich shop I had gone to the day before because it was just so amazing. After we just hung out in the Piazza della Signoria for a while before going the Galleria degli Uffizi. This galleria is home to many famous paintings from the Renaissance. The galleria in itself is beautiful because all the hallways have these stunning frescos on the ceilings. I just wandered around the galleria for a while getting lost in the artwork. After this I meet Alanna and she took me to Café Rivoire, which is known for having amazing hot chocolate. It was as through my drink was made out of a chocolate bar and was delicious. I just wandered around the city of Florence for a while with Alanna and we just chatted about life. She took me to the paper store because Florence is famous for this type of stationary so I decided to buy some. Then I headed back to the hostel to change for dinner.

That night we went to this place called ZaZa’s. I had bruschetta as an appetizer and this pasta with mozzarella and tomato sauce that was to die for but the service was bad, which was kind of annoying. After we went to this karaoke bar for a while. I did not get up to sing but I did get to see my friend from home, Brittany. She was also studying abroad in Florence but was in Paris for the weekend and got back Sunday night. She came out to meet me and it was so great to be able to see her. I did not stay out long because I was exhausted for traveling and knew the next morning I had to wake up early for a train to Venice. I absolutely loved Florence and seeing Alanna so I was sad to leave the next morning but excited to see the city of Venice. Also, while I loved Florence it was weird because since a lot of US college students study there I was constantly hearing English, which is weird to me because hardly anyone in Alcala speaks English.

La Città Antica di Roma

Ciao from Italia…this past week was my spring break so I thought what better way to spend it then by traveling through Italy. I left Thursday night for Italy and got into Rome around 9 at night. After checking into my hostel, which was right by the Termini, or main train station in Rome, a group of us went to a Traterria I had pasted along the way for some pizza. This was the first meal of a delicious week of pasta, pizza, and gelato. I had really been missing some good Italian food so I was pumped about being in Italy. After dinner I went to the Spanish steps to meet with the Loyola students studying abroad in Roma. One of my roommates Camille was in Rome so it was great to see her. The Rome kids took us to this place called Campo, which is this plaza with various bars to hang out in. It was a lot of fun being together with other Loyola students. The next morning everyone else had gotten tickets to the Vatican museum but since I just went last year with my family and was trying to save money I instead went to meet Camille and she took me to the Villa Borguese. There is a famous galleria (gallery) in the park but we just walked around since it was beautiful outside and caught up. I got amazing coffee at this cute little café in the park. Afterwards Camille and I headed to St. Peter’s Square to meet the rest of the group.

St Peter's Square

At this point it was time for another delicious Italian meal. Camille wanted to take me to her favorite pizza place that was right near the Vatican, however unfortunately it was closed so instead we just went to a random restaurant and I had really good spinach raviolis. While walking to the metro stop to our next destination I passed Old Bridge Gelateria, which is said to be one of the best places in Rome to get Gelato. I got this flavor that is similar to chocolate chip and chocolate and it was amazing. One of the best gelato I had ever had. Then we went to the Castle of St. Angelo, which is home to a Bernini statue and is a scene in the movie Angles and Demons.

Bridge by Castle

Next everyone wanted to go check out the Coliseum, Roman forum, and Palatine Hill. Since I have been to Rome twice I did not really care what I saw so I just went to with the group because I think the Coliseum is amazing. It was so cool being able to explore the forum and imagine that people built these ridiculous stone structures hundreds to years ago. I climbed to the top of Palatine hill, where it is said that Rome was formed for an amazing view of the city.
Then I went inside the Coliseum and just got lost in the massive stone theater. I was able to see the cages where lions were kept before a pulley system would put them in the ring to fight against a person.

Coliseum

After this my friend Callie had found a free walking tour through this site called New World that meet at the Roman steps. If you are ever in Rome I really recommend this walking tour. For two and a half hours our guide Rich took use around to all the main sights in Rome. I learned about the Spanish steps, the artist Bernini, the Pantheon, St. Ignatius church…Go Loyola, the various obelisks, the Trevi Fountain and various other sights in Rome. I even drank water out of the fountain because it is extremely clean and delicious. The walking tour ended around 8 pm so I went back to the hostel to change for dinner. Last year with my family I went to this amazing pasta place by the Trevi fountain that someone who lived in Rome recommended to us so I decided to take the group there for dinner. I had this delicious pasta with eggplant and mozzarella cheese. After dinner I was exhausted so I just went back to the hostel.
The next morning I had a early train but some people in my group did not have a chance to see St. Peter’s Basilica and wanted to try and see it before we left. I knew it was going to be pushing it but I figured when in Rome. When we got to the square there was a line to get through security but we tried to see if there was just an entrance to the Basilica since we did not need to go into the museum or anything. Unfortunately there was only one line for everything. Some people in the group choose to leave in order not to miss the train but me, Callie, and Greg decided to wait. I am sure glad we did. The inside of St. Peter’s is truly a spectacular site to see. Of course after this we had to run to catch our train to Florence but it ended up working out because the other group accidentally got on a regional train, which takes 2 hours more then the fast train, which is paid for.

Cordoba and Seville

This past weekend I had my first trip with the entire group that is run by our director in Spain. We all went to Cordoba and Seville for the weekend, which is in the Andalusia region of Spain, or southern Spain. The bus picked me up at the residencies early Friday morning because I did not have class because it was Father’s Day in Madrid. The drive was about 6 hours to Seville but I stopped twice. First I stopped at this cute town called Venta de Quijote, which was only for 30 min but I was able to get a coffee. Then the bus took me to Cordoba. This southern town used to be the capital of Southern Spain before Seville. Also, at one point there was a coexistence of Islamic, Jewish and Christian religions, which was very influential in the architecture of Spain. When I first got there I walked around the Jewish Quarter with a group of people and then we got lunch.

Next I needed to meet out director for a tour of the Mezquita or Mosque. The Mezquita was built between the 8^th and 10^th century. When I first walked into the Mezquita I was surrounded by a courtyard filled with orange trees, palm trees and pools. The Muslims were required to wash their feet before entering the Mezquita, which is why there were so many pools. Many of the elements inside the Mezquita were taken from past architecture, for example the pillars that hold by the arches were taken from the Visigoth church. On top of these pillars are white and red arches that were made from plaster and brick.

Arches

The original Mezquita was first constructed in 785 AD but this was only 1/3 the size of what the current Mezquita is. Then in 961 AD an addition was made to the Mezquita, which included a Mihrab, or prayer niche, where the Koran is placed. The Mihrab is supposed to face east toward Mecca but for some unknown reason the Mihrab actually faces southeast. After the Reconquest the Christians did not destroy the Mezquita but left it alone until 1520 when Charles V ordered a building of the Capilla (Chapel) de Villaviciosa within the church but it is rumored that when Charles V saw the Mezquita he stated that he would have never had the chapel built if he knew how beautiful the Mezquita was.

Chapel

Inside the Capilla was a tabernacle that was covered in gold that is carried around the town during hold week. It was massive and looked like it weigh a ton. After touring the Mezquita and Capilla I walked outside the where there was courtyard of orange trees that smelt amazing. After the tour the group headed back onto the bus to go to Seville.

Tabernacle

I reached Seville after about an hour on the bus and got to check into a hotel. It was great being able to stay in a hotel again since I am used to budget travel aka staying in hostels. The hotel was actually really nice and we each got our own bed. I shared a room with my friend Caitlin, which was a lot of fun. After checking in and unpacking a group of us just went to go find somewhere to eat. The city of Seville is divided into two neighborhoods, Seville and Trinna, which are separated by the Triana River. I walked over one of the three bridges to get to the Seville neighborhood and found this pizza place that smelt amazing se we decided to have dinner there. The four people I was with just spilt two small pizzas, which were amazing. After dinner I headed back to the hotel because I was exhausted and needed to get ready for the next day of sightseeing.

On Saturday I woke up bright and early to get breakfast downstairs, which was provided by the hotel. After that we all got on the bus for a tour of the city of Seville. During the tour I learned about how Seville is now considered to be the capital of the Andalusia region. On the bus I passes the main building of the University of Seville that used to be an old tobacco factory, which I thought was funny. Also, we passed many buildings that were used for international exhibition during the 1992 Olympics, which was held in Barcelona. Like many other Spanish cities Seville still has remnants of Arab walls that were built during the 8^th century when Arabs controlled the region. Also, many of the building had burnt orange paint because this is a typical color of Seville and is suppose to represent the sand color of the bullrings.

After the bus tour the entire group went to the Royal Alcazar, or Royal Palace of Seville. We all got audioguides and then were allowed to explore. This Alcazar is the only historic palace that is still used as a private residence for when the King visits the region. The palace is a Mudejar palace, which means Muslims built it when Spain was under the rule of the Christian king; therefore there are many Arab elements to the palace.

Courtyard in Palace

This palace was where Charles V and Isabel of Portugal got married. Every room had really intricate ceilings and a lot of lattice windows, which are typically of Mudejar style. After touring the palace I walked around the gardens, which were filled with orange tress and smelt amazing. Seville is famous for a perfume called agua de Seville that is made from the flowers of orange tress. I did not buy any of it because perfume gives me headaches.

Gardens in Palace

Next I headed to the cathedral of Seville, which took several centenaries to build and therefore is a mix of Arab, Gothic and Roman style and architecture. This cathedral is the largest in Spain and the third largest in the world. The detail within the cathedral amazed me, especially the ceilings because I continue to marvel how someone could paint something that magnificent so many years ago. The high alter of the cathedral is covered completely in gold. Also, it is believed that part of Columbus remains are housed in the cathedral and therefore there is a tomb dedicated to him. Next I headed up 34 stories to the top of the bell tower for beautiful views of the city. While I was up there the bells rang, which made me jump.

Cathedral

By the time I was done touring the cathedral it was lunchtime. Our director took us to this restaurant called Rio Grande, which was on the bank of the river for paella. Then I had free time so my friend Callie and I just wandered the streets of Seville and did some shopping. I got a couple of things. Next I headed back to the hotel to get dressed for dinner. A group of us went to this typical Spanish restaurant and got some tapas for dinner. I have patatas bravas, which is potatoes with a tomato-based sauce, and musaka, which is kind of like eggplant parm but with meat too. At night we all went to this club called Budda, which has really cool Arab decorations inside. Then I headed back to the hotel to go to bed.

The next morning I had breakfast at the hotel and then we all went to the Parque de Maria Luisa, or Park of Maria Luisa. Before going into the gardens I needed to walk across the Plaza de Espana, which was home to the 1929 exhibitions.

Callie and I in the Plaza de Espana

The plaza created the entryway to the park. The gardens were created for Maria Luisa Bourbon, which is part of the family that founded New Orleans. We took bike carts around the gardens, don’t worry Mom I did not go on a real bike because I known that would have ended poorly since I have bad luck with bikes. The director took us on a tour or the Santa Cruz neighborhood, which is the old Jewish quarter. All the streets were all twisting alleyways with a lot of shops and restaurants. After walking around for a bit I needed to get back on the bus for the journey back to Alcala. I really enjoyed my time in Seville and Cordoba and was really happy that my study abroad experience includes trips throughout Spain so I am able to see all the different regions.

Biking in the Park