Barcelona/Sitges 2/22

Our trip to Spain was incredible. I wasn't planning on going to Spain while in Europe but I am glad I did. We left Thursday afternoon and had a direct flight to Barcelona (well sort of). We flew into a town called Girona which is an hour and a half outside Barcelona. We were unaware of this of course, but we were able to take a bus into the city. Lindsay, Emily and I went ahead of Yasemin, Kate and Zoe who came on a later flight. I thought we would be ok finding our hostel because I am getting better at Italian....but then I realized we were in Spain, and they speak spanish. In Italy, most people speak a little English but in Spain, no one speaks English. We decided this was because so many countries speak spanish that they don't need to learn another language. I used my newly developed hand gesture language (Thanks to the Italians) and got directions to our hostel. It was much warmer in Barcelona than in Rome. Barcelona is north of Rome, but as Yaz explained to me,(and to my disappointment) the currents of the ocean make up the temperature difference, not the latitude. We decided to walk and find our hostel. While we were looking online to find a hostel for Barcelona, we picked the cheapest one, but it ended up being in the best spot. We only paid 12 euro a night, and the hostel was on the main street in Barcelona! Our room the first night was really big and it had a bay window over looking the street!

After we got settled in, we went and had dinner at a place that made tapas. These are little dishes, almost like appetizers, that you pick a few different ones for your meal. Everyone chooses a few and then you all share to get a taste of many things. I unfortuantely burned the roof of my mouth on a type of potato and couldn't eat anymore. After dinner, Emily's friend who is studying in Barcelona, brought us to a Sangria bar. Sangria is a specialty of Spain. It is wine mixed with fruit juices and is very good. The place we went to was in the basement of a building and looked like a rustic cove. There were big wooden barrells as cocktail tables, and many other picnic tables around. It was very loud and packed but it is said to have the best Sangria in Barcelona. The Sangria is drank so much there, that it is on tap. We didn't stay out too late because we wanted to get a good start the next morning at the city.



Barcelona is known for many of Gaudi's works. He has many houses around the city. We visited the Sagrada Family Temple, which is the temple that has been being built for over 200 years. It is not even close to being done either. Gaudi started this temple and drew out the blueprints for the entire builidng. He knew he would die before it was finished so he made sure to leave very detailed instructions. Today the construction is founded entirely by private donors (and our entrance fees). We were able to take an elevator to the top, and see the enire city around us! Barcelona is right on the water and it was beautiful out, so we were glad we waited the hour and a half to get to the top.



After the Gaudi temple, we walked around the city for a while. There is a big market in the center of Barcelona. I have to admit, I was a little intimidated by it. Everything was so fresh that most of it was still alive!! The colors were amazing. There were all sorts of candies, fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, and wines. Each type had a different stand. The place smelled rather bad but it was a great thing to see. They had stands in the back of the market for authentic Spanish meals. We got to taste spicy paella which is like risotto, and also potato tortillas which were very thick.

Kate's friend from home was also studying in Barcelona and she told us about a fountain light show on Friday nights. We made our way over to the fountain which was huge and had many different jet streams on it. They play loud music and have many different lights going all at once. We sat for about an hour, not even saying a word. Something about it was very soothing.

Later that night Kate's friend took us to a club that allowed over 10,000 people in. There are 5 different rooms/clubs all in one and each one plays its own type of music. Most of the music was techno or spanish. It was a lot of fun but we are thankful for our small clubs in Rome!

Saturday morning was very warm. It almost hit 70 degrees! We walked over to Gaudi's park on top of a large hill looking over the city. We were walking around for a while and realized that one of the tunnels he created, was the spot where America's Next Top Model filmed a show. We pretended to be models for a little while and got some great looks. The park and the weather were so nice that we layed our coats down on the grass and took a nap. After about an hour or so of relaxing, we decided we were hungry and walked down the hill. We went to check out of our hostel and grab our bags so that we could head off to the next stop....Sitges for Carnevale. On the way to the station, we got lunch at Dunnkin Coffee, yes Dunnkin Coffee, not Doughnuts. It is the same logo and everything, but they call it something different.

We took a half hour train ride to Sitges and another 2 hour walk to find our hostel. When we walked up to the hostel, we realized that it was actually a resort! We had once again searched for the cheapest place, and came up with a great room. There were 6 of us but 3 in each room. The rooms were very large and each had their own bathroom, balcony, kitchen, and two bedrooms. Mind you, we have been roughing it lately in our hostels. We weren't even afraid to sleep on the sheets lol. Sitges is right on the water and it is a very little town. It is known for its Carnevale festival and reminds me of pictures I have seen of Greece. The buildings were all white with some blue accents and the streets all seemed to wind together and lead to the ocean. We were going to try and take a nap, but we were so excited that we rushed back to the hotel and started to get ready. During Carnevale, people dress up in masks and other costumes. In Venice, most of the costumes are very 18th century and elaborate. Sitges was a little different story. We had boughten masks and wigs to wear for the festivals, thinking that we would fit right in. We headed out of the hotel and into town. We found a restaurant right on the water and treated ourselves to some Sangria and dinner. We all decided to get paella since it is their specialty. I really wanted seafood since I knew it would be fresh, but I also wanted to taste the paella, so naturally I got paella with seafood in it. I was a little skeptical about my decision because I really wanted to try some fresh fish, but after seeing the waiter bring out the whole fish to the customer and cut off the head right in front of them, I knew i made the right decision. When the waiter brought out our dishes, our eyes all got really big. The platters were HUGE!! We probably could have split two between the 6 of us! My seafood platter was a little surprising. I thought that they would cut up all of the different types of seafood and mix it in, but the chef must have known how much I love to cut up my own fish (NOT) and put it all on my platter. There were whole crayfish, eyes and all, on the dish. The squid was looking at me while I was trying to cut it up and the muscles were hidden throughout the dish. Don't worry Mom and Dad, I didn't gag. I actually did a really good job of cutting everything up and eating it. The crayfish were a little hard because they didn't have much meat on them and they have so many little legs, but I managed. After our great meal, we decided to go experience the festivities.

The streets were all blocked off, and there were police everywhere. It turns out, that our costumes were made for the wrong country. In Spain, everyone dressed up in costumes like we do for Halloween. The difference though is that they dress up in groups. They get 5 to 10 people together and dress in themes or all the same. We saw groups like the Simpsons, Adams Family, Bumble Bees, Geishas, Cave men, mop heads, Sangria bottles, and many more. Also their costumes were very intricate. Nothing was cheaply made and they all stuck together the whole night. I loved this concept. It made everything so much more fun. The streets were so packed that you could barely get through, but the beach was very open. They had a DJ playing on a stage, and the beach was the dance floor. We had no clue what any of the songs were or what they were saying, but they were all great to dance to. The water kept creeping up as the night went along, so we always made sure we weren't getting close getting wet. Barcelona is the pickpocketing capital of Europe, and of course Sitges was a prime target since people from the city go there for Carnevale. Unfortunately, Emily got her camera, money, and credit card stolen from her wristlet. She had her wristlet on her the whole time, and didn't feel that someone was taking it from her!

The next day we headed back to Barcelona and explored some more. We went to the Port and sat on the docks for a few hours. People watching is very calming. We were very content watching people, birds, and fish, until some guys came and sat right next to us with bags of bread. They started feeding the birds and they swarmed around us. The birds are so used to people that they were actually flying right up to the guys and grabbing the bread as soon as they let it go from their hands. We were all a little uncomfortable by this because our peaceful moment was interrupted. Of course my bag was the only one that didn't escape the bird poop. I had a big spot right in the center of my bag. We were resting our heads on our bag, so the poop missed my head by an inch! The girls made fun of me the rest of the day. We had a late flight out of Barcelona and didn't get back to Rome until after midnight, but overall the trip was the best weekend we have had yet!

2/15- Weekend in Roma

This weekend was cut short because John Cabot required us to have a make-up day on Friday since we get Easter Monday off.  I have to admit it was kind of nice to stay in Rome.  It has been unusually cold here the last week and a half so we didn't do much exploring this weekend.  I finally caught up with school work ( and sleep ;-)  ) while managing to have a great time.  As you all know Saturday was Valentines Day.  It was really cold but the sun was out so we thought we would try and go to the top of St. Peter's Dome.  But naturally all the love-birds were trying to do the same thing and the line was way too long.  It worked out for the better though because we stumbled upon an exhibit in one of the Vatican's side buildings.  I guess it is the 80th anniversary of Vatican City being a separate state.  The official date was Feb 11, 1929.  We went inside and were able to see many of the original drawings for Vatican City, and some cool things used by the previous Popes.  

Later I got ready for my big Valentines Day date.........With the girls!  We treated ourselves to a nice dinner in Piazza Navona.  It was the first REAL Italian dinner I have had.  We had bread and olive oil, wine, appetizer, pasta, meat, vegetables, dessert, and espresso.  These all came in different courses!  It was amazing.  Afterwards we were going to meet up with some friends at a club, but we stumbled upon a random club(while getting lost trying to find the other one).  It was different from any other club we had been to, mainly because everyone else were all Italian, and the crowd was slightly older than us.  Not many people spoke English, but all the songs they were playing were English songs.  We had the best time there.  The DJ started playing oldies songs like the Beatles and transitioned into present day music.  I just kept thinking about how much my dad would like the club LOL.

Sunday morning I got up and went to mass at the Vatican!!  No unfortunately Benny didn't say the mass, but it was still very nice.  It was in a side room(chapel) that was rather small.  The mass was all in Italian but since this is my 4th Italian mass, I am getting better at understanding.  What's really weird to me though about Italian masses here, is that none of them have given out wine.  I don't know if they think we get our fair share daily, or what, but it is kind of strange to me.  After mass was the best part.  Pope Benny was out of his window speaking to the crowd!!!  I got some pictures and video, but they have him in the highest window that you can barely see him!!  He spoke in many different languages and people brought big signs and banners like they were at a concert or something.  

I am starting to hang out more with degree-seeking students, or students that are going to John Cabot full time.  They are helping me with my Italian and are showing us around to places that the tourists don't go.  We go to lunch almost everyday at a place called Insalata Ricca.  It has about 40 different types of salads and about 20 types of pastas along with soups and meats.  They have the best focaccia bread and the wine isn't bad either lol.  Being around them is really helping my Italian because even though I can't join in the conversations too much, I am improving my listening skills!

This upcoming weekend we are going to Barcelona, Spain for Carnevale which is like Martigras.  Along with Barcelona we are going to a beach town called Sitches.  I am looking forward to eating some tappas and seeing the ocean!!  We bought masks and everything for Carnevale.  I am sure we will have a great time.

PS I just recently put up some new pictures from Tivoli, Milan, and Lake Como

Milan/ Lake Como 2/8

We took our first weekend trip up to Milan to see the Duomo and do some shopping.  We gave ourselves plenty of time to get to the airport (YES, we are learning).  Once we got there we decided to go get a panini before the 45 min flight. ( a very long flight)  We were doing the italian thing and taking our time making it back to the terminal.  We got to the terminal and realized that no one was there!  Two flight attendants were standing at the gate waving for us to hurry up!  We ran up to the gate with our panini in one hand and our carry on in the other.  We hurried to get out our tickets and slammed the panini down on the counter to free up a hand. (We got some interesting looks from the attendants to say the least)  Little did we know, we had to take a bus to get to the plane so we couldn't arrive 10 min before the flight like we had planned!  Like I said earlier, the things you want to be on time aren't and the things you want to be late are on time!  We can never win!

Once we got to the airport we had to take a 30 min bus ride into the city.  Yasemin, Emily and I were the only three on the bus and had a blast dancing around.  The main central station was our destination and from there we had to take a metro to a bus stop.  Somehow we got on right bus, but it was going the wrong way.  The directions to our hostel just said to take the bus 5 stops so we were 10 stops in the wrong direction.  Of course it was down pouring and 20 degrees cooler in Milan.  We walked around for a while thinking that we could find the place, but gave up after about half hour.  We hopped in a cab ( that started at 7 euro!!) and made it to the hostel 25 euro later.  We decided to get a private room in the hostel so that we could leave our things in the room during the day.  We didn't know that we were getting such a great deal....NOT!!!  As we opened the door, we came to see our beds/cots had US army comforters.  The room didn't have its own bathroom but don't you worry.....we had a bidet!  The bathroom was down the hall so we ventured down to see what we were in for.  There were two bathrooms but only one was in use.  The sign on the door said "Non chiudere la porta"  or Dont close the door.  We were a little confused at this point because that was the only bathroom available.  It turns out that we could shut the door from the inside but it couldn't be opened from the outside.  

Friday morning we woke up early to make sure we had enough time to see all the sights.  Our hostel said that breakfast was included in the price so we ventured downstairs before we headed out.  The desk assistant gave us a glass of orange juice and a prepackaged croissant.  We told ourselves we would get some real food later.  

We made our way to see the Duomo, which is Milan's big Catholic church.  It is the second largest church in the world next to the Vatican.  It is a Gothic style church which means that it was very dark.  All the windows were stained glass which were amazing, but it was freezing inside and gave off a very cold feeling.  They have daily mass and it was going on while we were there.  Below the Duomo was the catacomb of the Cardinal Arch Bishop Bartholomew.  The other side was where St. Augustine was believed to be baptized.  There was also a little museum where old artifacts of the church are.  Everything was beautiful as expected.  

We made our way over to the famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele which was the first known shopping mall.  It is considered outdoors but it has a glass ceiling connecting the buildings.  The Galleria is in between the Duomo and the most famous opera house in the world, La Scala.  We entered into the opera house but pictures weren't allowed so unfortunately I don't have any.  The opera house was very elegant.  It was much smaller than I thought, but I guess that is why the acoustics are so good.

Milan also has Leonardo DaVinci's "The Last Supper".  Unfortunately you have to make an appointment to see it A MONTH IN ADVANCED!!  So we couldn't get into see it.  Milan is much different than the rest of Italy.  They say that Milan is more European than Italian.  The city is very industrialized and very rush rush.  Unlike Rome, there weren't many pizza or gelato places.  Every restaurant was either Chinese, Japanese, Turkish, or some other type of Arabic.  I guess Milan has the largest population of Asians in Europe.  (Random fact)  The style is much different than in Rome.  We didn't really feel like we were in Italy (except for the shopping).

Milan is known as one of the fashion capitals in the world.  It has the highest concentration of shops in Europe.  Which basically means that there are shops everywhere.  And these are not just typical shops.  They are Dolce & Gabbana, Armani, Versace, and Gucci, everywhere.  The shops were also a lot bigger than they are in Rome.  It is more like a outdoor mall than little boutiques.  We shopped the rest of the day on Friday, but only managed to find clothes from H&M which is an American store!  I guess this is ok though because it was probably the only store in our price range.  Some students that go to my school full time, were also in Milan for the weekend so we met up with them for a VERY expensive sushi meal and then they showed us the night life in Milan.  Everything in general is more expensive in Milan, but that is part of the Milanese experience so we accepted it and just had fun.

Saturday morning we got up and headed off to Lake Como, which is the lake that George Clooney has his summer home on.  It was even colder there because we were up in the mountains.  I would love to see this place in the summer.  The lake is down at the bottom of the big hills and the houses are all around the outside and up the hills. Lombardia is the region that Milan and Lake Como are in, but there are also two other large lakes that are in this region. Since Italy gets very hot in the summer, many people have their summer homes on these lakes.  I am very glad that we went and saw Lake Como.  When I come back to Italy I will definitely return to Lake Como.  We were able to get a few pictures but it was pouring and really cold so we only stayed a little over an hour.  We took a trolley up to the top of one hill and there was a little town at the top.  The pictures from up here were the best.  Since it was so cold we stopped at the only caffe open this time of year and got a hot chocolate which is the BEST hot chocolate I have ever had!  I of course forgot my umbrella in the hostel and was too stubborn to buy another one because I have already purchased 3 in Italy thus far!  Yasemin and Emily were also refusing to buy new ones so they had about one umbrella combined.  We are pretty sure that their umbrellas could be considered weapons because there were more points without fabric than with.  I was naturally soaked and ringing out my hair by the end of the trip, but I am glad that I held off buying one because once we got back to Milan I bargained with a man for a really nice golf-sized umbrella for 7 euro.  The three of us shared my nice new purchase the rest of the trip.  We attempted more shopping Saturday after Lake Como, but we were just too cold and wet so we headed back to the hostel.  After a quick nap ( I am getting used to these which is not good) we went out for our last night in Milan.  

Of course when we woke up Sunday morning to catch our flight, there was not a cloud in the sky and it was 8 degrees warmer.  It made for a great 45 min plane ride home but we wished we could have had sunshine for our trip.

I don't know if I will ever go back to Milan but I am happy that we experienced it.  Lake Como is definitely on my list of places to return to though (and maybe Milan for a day of shopping).

This week was my first week of exams at John Cabot.  They definitely not as intense as back home which is good because then I can still see everything I want.  This weekend we are staying in Rome.  I am actually really happy for this because there are still many things I would like to see here.  Hopefully I can get the pictures up on the slideshow soon.  All my roommates are doing great and I am really excited we are all getting along and all want to do/see the same things! 

Thanks again everyone for reading about my adventure!!

Tivoli 1/31

On the 31st we made a day trip out to Tivoli which is just east of Rome.  As usual it took us over an hour to figure out the transportation but we got there!  We had a little bit of a late start so we didn't arrive in Tivoli until about 3pm.  It is a VERY small town and the two main sights take up over half the town.  They are both Villas and are known for their gardens.  The Emperor Hadrian has a Villa there as well as a very wealthy family the D'Este's.  Because the Villas closed at sunset, which is about 5pm, we decided to go to Villa D'Este.  We went inside a Tabacchi and bought a ticket for the bus.  After about 10 min of waiting, a bus pulled up.  Since it is such a small town, not many people can speak english, which is an adventure in itself.  So i decided to do some practicing and asked the driver if it was the right bus for Villa D'Este.  He said of course and we hopped on anxious to go, only the driver hopped off!!!  We sat on the bus for 20 min before the driver came back with his coat and briefcase.  He summoned me to the front so that he could show us where to get off.  As we were on our way, he stopped at a location to let a woman on.  He decided to play the game with her that when she walked up to the door, he pulled forward.  Mind you this is a full-sized city bus!  We were all laughing but the woman was getting so frustrated!!  He finally let her on and she punched him in the arm!!!  Well since there weren't many of us on the bus, or because this is just how they do things in Tivoli, he took a different route to let us off in front of the Villa!!  It was very nice of him but funny at the same time.  We got to the Villa and paid our entrance fee to get in.  They gave us a map of the Villa since it was so huge!!  The house(mansion) was at the top of the hill and the gardens wound down the hill.  There were over 500 fountains throughout the gardens and even some that played music!  We only had a little over an hour there, but it was enough time to see the sunset over the hills.  Tivoli is very hilly and it made for some beautiful pictures.  When it gets warmer and the flowers blossom we are going to take a trip back.  We walked around the town after the Villa closed, and found a little place for dinner.  It was overlooking one of the Valleys in Tivoli, and was very typical Italian dining.  

School is getting a little more intense unfortunately, but it is still no where near the schools in the States.  I am loving being in Rome, and all my roommates are amazing.  I am nervous that I am not going to want to live a fast-paced lifestyle when I return home.  Everyone just seems so much happier here.  

Heather....I have been to Trevi fountain and it is absolutely beautiful!!  I tossed a coin in.  You  are supposed to do it over your left shoulder and stand with your back to the fountain.  If you give me your email, I can send you my photobucket album and you can see all of my pictures!

I hope everything is going well for everyone.  I miss you all and I can't wait to share my trip with you.