Day 9
When we got up in the morning, we had to find the bus to get to the airport because OF COURSE the metro line that goes out to the airport was out. So we arrived at the airport with plenty of time - in fact, there was practically no one there & we were only the only ones in line to go through security. The people working couldn't seem to understand why we were there so early. I also saw a Gloria Jeans which made me think of home ;o)
We landed in Paris & thankfully our hostel was in my Rick Steves' travel book. He had specific directions how to get there; however, there was a little bit lacking in the map. We wandered around a bit & saw a protest in the process. The hostel was fairly decent; I had heard horror stories about hostels in Paris, so I think ours was pretty good in comparison. They did charge extra for sheets though, and since I'm cheap I didn't rent them, sleeping on a bare mattress w/ a blanket was a nice experience. We also met a sweet Canadian girl who was traveling Europe for 3 months by herself. That is crazy intense! I don't think I could ever do that. She was planning on being in Valencia, so we were going to meet up later, but she ended up not going until I had left for the States.
Since it was still early, we started our sightseeing. First we hit up Notre Dame Cathedral and then the Louvre. Notre Dame was huge and incredible. I love European churches; there is nothing like them. The stained glass was so beautiful! After a tour of that we headed to the Louvre. I have read about this museum before, and heard it was huge, but honestly it blew my mind! You could get lost SOO easily in there. The fact that someone used to live there is nuts. The highlight of course was the Mona Lisa. It's interesting that this painting is so famous. By this point, everyone knows coming in it's small & not to expect much and yet the hordes of tourists still existed. Personally I was impressed because heck - it was the Mona Lisa! So we wandered around the museum for a bit, and when it tired us out, we headed to our next destination.
We planned to walk to the Arc du Triomphe next not realizing how long of a walk it REALLY was. I thought we would never make it there. It was really neat to walk the streets of Paris at night though. The lights and the people... so Parisian! Then once we got there we had to climb all the stairs to the top. Yes, more stairs! It was worth the climb though. We saw the city lit up - truly is the city of lights!! We had unintentionally timed it perfectly too - the Eiffel Tower was gearing up for its hourly light show. It was fantastic!
At this point, it was 11ish and we were tired and hungry - as we hadn't eaten dinner yet. We decided to take the metro home. So we were down in the metro station & reading the maps trying to figure out which line to take where (the metro system in Paris is COMPLICATED - definitely the most complicated that I saw in all of Europe) and this Parisian came up to us trying to help. He was so funny - he was acting like it was do or die & we had to hurry, hurry, hurry! The funny part was he had us going here, switching lines, going there, switching lines - all over the place. I looked at the map & asked if we couldn't just take this simpler route & he looked at the map and was like - ooo yeah. He was so friendly & nice, not the stereotype of French I hear about.
When we got back we found our street full of people & restaurants open! We got crepes - yum! And then had flower shaped gelato for dessert! All in all - great night!
Day 10
So unfortunately, we woke up to rain on our first full day in Paris. The plan was to wander around in the morning checking out different areas such as: Bastille, which is an obelisk monument la Marais and Les Vosges. Lauren had it in her head that she wanted to find Victor Hugo's house which proved to be wayyy more of a challenge than bargained for. We wandered around in the rain for quite a bit, and I never did see that house. Then we saw the Moulin Rouge - which I have never seen the movie for, so it didn't mean as much to me as Lauren, but I think I'll have to watch that now.
The big goal of the day was go to see Versailles. After a little confusion with switching trains, we finally figured how to get there & it was pretty incredible. I can't get over the amount of gold purely on the outside of the palace. These palaces that people actually used to live in are amazing; it was really cool to be standing in some much history! When we got back into the city, we had dinner at a cute little restaurant recommended by Rick Steves'. The food was very tasty, especially the chocolate cake (yum!) and Lauren was happy with her escargot.
It was time for the must see monument of Paris - the Eiffel Tower! We decided to save money and actually climb the stairs to the second platform (400 ft.) rather than take the elevator. Woo more exercise! I was disappointed it was cloudy & rainy, but the city was still great! We hung around up there for a bit & saw the light show from within the tower! Then we headed down for a photo op and started walking back to the hostel. However, we misjudged a building - thinking it was one it wasn't and ended up in the wrong direction. So we had to take the metro home at that point. We feasted on some more crepes & went to sleep!
Day 11
The last day of spring break! It was hard to believe it had already come & I'd seen so much of Europe. My flight wasn't until later, so Lauren and I had some time to do final sight-seeing. We started out the morning with Mass at Notre Dame. Mass was in French, which I understood ZERO of, but it's cool to be able to go home and say I've heard Mass said in Spanish, French, Italian & Latin; I feel so cultured! When Mass was done we headed to another museum - D'Orsay. I was kinda "museumed" out by this point, but it was supposed to be impressive so I hoped for the best. The art was cool & we ended up spending a couple hours there.
At this point, I had a little time left before I had to get ready to catch my flight & Lauren wanted to look for Victor Hugo's house again. We wandered around some more (at least it wasn't raining this time ;o)) and I never did see the house. I had to leave to get my flight & Lauren stayed to search for this house. So we said good-bye! I headed back to the hostel to grab my bags. Then I took the metro to a bus, to the airport. The Paris airport I was at had 2 terminals and my ticket didn't say which one I needed to be at. So of course, I ended up at the wrong one & had to take a shuttle, luckily it was quick and easy. After waiting around in the airport for a couple hours, we landed in Valencia, and I took the metro home!
It was certainly an experience of a lifetime! I will never forget my "mini Eurotrip!" It was incredible! Since then people have asked me to pick a favorite city and every time I say the same thing - I can't! It's hard to describe with words the atmosphere of each city, but it's uniquely wonderful to that location. Rome, London, & Paris would have be my top 3 favorite cities and I can see why they are some of the most visited cities in the world. Greece is GORGEOUS and its shores blow all the other countries out of the water! I would love to go back to anyone of the cities I visited (except maybe Naples) and explore more because there is always something new to see and discover. That's what is so great about Europe with so much history and character, I never get bored!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Day 5
So the main reason we were in Naples was because Lauren wanted to see Pompeii. I'm not as much of a history buff as she is, so I wasn't as excited but I went along for the ride. It took longer than I thought to get there. However, half the problem was the metro in Naples. It was slow & took forever the trains to arrive. Finally we made it to the train station & then had to figure out how to get to Pompeii. We opted out of taking a regular train there because it was more expensive, and took what was like their metro, but not underground went to local cities in the area. Now we weren't sure what stop we needed to take and almost missed it! Thankfully the girl sitting across from us was reading a Rick Steves' book on Pompeii, so we knew she was going there. When I saw her get off - I ran for the door & we literally squeezed through and jumped on the ramp before the train left again!
Then we spent the day walking around Pompeii which was HUGE. Definitely way bigger than I imagined it to be. It is pretty cool how a city like that can be preserved for all these years due to a natural disaster and then one day someone just stumbles upon it! The day started to get a little long for me, but I know Lauren was enjoying every minute of it!
We headed back for the train, but on the way stopped for some food. I couldn't decide what I wanted to eat, but in the end had some more pizza! Ooo yum - Italy! When we got back to the train station, we had to figure out our plans for the next day. We were taking a ferry from Bari, Italy to Patras, Greece. Bari was on the other side of Italy, so we need to find a bus or train there. We looked at train prices and times, and decided to go with the bus. It left at 8:20 the next morning, which was earlier than we had planned, but it was what worked best, so we went with it. We had to go buy the bus tickets from the booth which was on the street in the local plaza. I noticed there were quite a few homeless people there, in fact one that came up to us and was begging for money the whole time we were trying to buy our tickets. Then another man started following us on the way back to the hostel. Thank goodness it was day light & I wasn't alone! Nonetheless, I wasn't impressed with Naples, and didn't feel that safe - so I was glad to catch a bus outta there the next morning.
We went back to the hostel to take a break, as we had been walking all day long. The whole time we were in Italy - the goal had been to find a nice place to have an authentic dinner. The problem was things were still closed from Easter, and that made it really difficult! We ended up stopping a small market where Lauren bought materials to cook for dinner & I went back to the cheap pastry shop and bought my dinner. Lauren attempted to concoct an Italian dinner, which turned out pretty good in the end! I was pretty exhausted after that, so it was bedtime ;o)
Day 6
We got up really early and decided to walk to the bus stop because the metro had proved to be more trouble than it was worth. The bus stop was literally just on the street and not a bus terminal we were used to. So I started getting a little nervous because it started getting closer and close to the time to leave and still no bus! In the end, it ended up showing up at the exact time, opened the doors - we got on & it left! Thank goodness we weren't late! So then we sat back and relaxed for the next couple hours as we traveled across Italy! When we got to Bari, we had no idea how to get to the port. We stopped several times to ask for directions & finally got a map and walked there. Thank goodness it was a beautiful day! We bought some french fries and sat by the water for awhile to rest. Then we went to find our check in point & got our boarding passes. We had a lot of time to kill & still wanted our authentic dinner, so we wandered around Bari for awhile. The restaurant we stopped at seemed to only offer one item, which confused me, but it sounded good so we went with it! It was orrechiette pasta - apparently a specialty of the region - with a red sauce and mushrooms. Yumm! We walked around a bit more & had our last gelato of Italy and headed back to the Port.
Boarding the ferry was pretty sweet! I have never been on a cruise before, so this was the closest thing to it! We took 2 escalators up (escalators on a BOAT?!?!) and then found the lobby, and continued onto our room! Our room was really cute - it had four beds & a tiny bathroom, with shower & hot water! We ended up getting one roommate - an older lady who didn't speak any English, so that didn't work very well, but luckily she wasn't around much! Lauren wanted a hot shower & then we went up on deck to watch the ferry leave the port! Ciao Italy - only a 16 hour ride and we would be to Greece!
Day 7
I was woken by the PA system announcing breakfast would be served for an additional 15 minutes. Followed by a knock on our door saying we needed to get out because they needed to clean before we got to the port in Greece! It threw me off because I was planning on showering and taking my time, but alas, change of plans. So we got dressed quick & went to hang out in the lobby as the boat docked. Coming into Greece was incredible! There are not even words to describe how beautiful it was; I would go back in a heartbeat! We got off the boat & after a lot of waiting around, caught a bus to Athens. Another couple hours on a bus and we would be in Athens!
So the bus in Athens left us off on a random street with no map or anything to guide us. We walked around for awhile and could not find our hotel, so we finally stopped at a travel agency and got a map. Turns out it was very close to where we started! We got settled and then went in search of food & shopping. We stopped at this cute restaurant where I ordered a chocolate milkshake! I know, not authentic, but I had been craving one the whole time I was in Europe. It was delicious & I also tried Lauren's gyro which I loved. It was my goal for the next day to find one for dinner! Not too much sightseeing yet, but LOVING Greece!
Day 8
First thing in the morning we set off to see the Akropolis. I looked way up there & thought there is no way I'm climbing all the way up there! But the climb wasn't really that bad. The hard part was finding the actual entrance. Surprisingly enough, they let us in free! Yes, I love free things! It's pretty incredible to see ancient Greek architecture. I can never wrap my mind around how OLD this stuff really is. Then we wandered down to see the Agora. Again, incredible stuff! We had some lunch & then did some souvenir shopping & checked out their market/fair. O how I loved Athens! We had to go back to the hotel to meet Lauren's friend who was coming, and on the way back we picked out a cute little place for dinner (they had gyros!) and we promised the manager we would be back. We sat in the National Gardens while I wrote my postcards and then went back to the hotel. Once Lauren friend got there, she wanted to go with her to meet some other girls from their program. Then we headed to the Olympic Stadium, which is what I picked out to do that day! I thought it would be cool to see the stadium in the city where the Olympics started - even if it was the brand new one! It was really cool to walk around & just imagine all the people who had been there. I sooo want to go to the next Olympics that are in the States; it's fun to people watch and be part of a historic world event!
So we took the next metro back in, and found our restaurant for dinner. The manager recognized us and was so excited we had kept our promise and came back! I had a delicious gyro, which I'm so glad I tried. And another day was over.
I absolutely loved Athens. There was something about the city, it was clean & friendly. An interesting aspect were all the dogs roaming around. They didn't hurt anyone or look scuzzy; they were just hanging out ALL over town. Nobody was phased at all. I was really glad they had picked English as the roman letter language to put their signs in. I tried looking at the Greek alphabet, but it was hopeless. If not for the English street signs, it would have been awful trying to maneuver around! I was disappointed though, because I wanted to see what they show in the movies - the little towns, built on the hills with the donkeys riding up & the white houses w/ blue roofs. I guess you have to go out to the islands to see that. So someday I will go back and see that!
So the main reason we were in Naples was because Lauren wanted to see Pompeii. I'm not as much of a history buff as she is, so I wasn't as excited but I went along for the ride. It took longer than I thought to get there. However, half the problem was the metro in Naples. It was slow & took forever the trains to arrive. Finally we made it to the train station & then had to figure out how to get to Pompeii. We opted out of taking a regular train there because it was more expensive, and took what was like their metro, but not underground went to local cities in the area. Now we weren't sure what stop we needed to take and almost missed it! Thankfully the girl sitting across from us was reading a Rick Steves' book on Pompeii, so we knew she was going there. When I saw her get off - I ran for the door & we literally squeezed through and jumped on the ramp before the train left again!
Then we spent the day walking around Pompeii which was HUGE. Definitely way bigger than I imagined it to be. It is pretty cool how a city like that can be preserved for all these years due to a natural disaster and then one day someone just stumbles upon it! The day started to get a little long for me, but I know Lauren was enjoying every minute of it!
We headed back for the train, but on the way stopped for some food. I couldn't decide what I wanted to eat, but in the end had some more pizza! Ooo yum - Italy! When we got back to the train station, we had to figure out our plans for the next day. We were taking a ferry from Bari, Italy to Patras, Greece. Bari was on the other side of Italy, so we need to find a bus or train there. We looked at train prices and times, and decided to go with the bus. It left at 8:20 the next morning, which was earlier than we had planned, but it was what worked best, so we went with it. We had to go buy the bus tickets from the booth which was on the street in the local plaza. I noticed there were quite a few homeless people there, in fact one that came up to us and was begging for money the whole time we were trying to buy our tickets. Then another man started following us on the way back to the hostel. Thank goodness it was day light & I wasn't alone! Nonetheless, I wasn't impressed with Naples, and didn't feel that safe - so I was glad to catch a bus outta there the next morning.
We went back to the hostel to take a break, as we had been walking all day long. The whole time we were in Italy - the goal had been to find a nice place to have an authentic dinner. The problem was things were still closed from Easter, and that made it really difficult! We ended up stopping a small market where Lauren bought materials to cook for dinner & I went back to the cheap pastry shop and bought my dinner. Lauren attempted to concoct an Italian dinner, which turned out pretty good in the end! I was pretty exhausted after that, so it was bedtime ;o)
Day 6
We got up really early and decided to walk to the bus stop because the metro had proved to be more trouble than it was worth. The bus stop was literally just on the street and not a bus terminal we were used to. So I started getting a little nervous because it started getting closer and close to the time to leave and still no bus! In the end, it ended up showing up at the exact time, opened the doors - we got on & it left! Thank goodness we weren't late! So then we sat back and relaxed for the next couple hours as we traveled across Italy! When we got to Bari, we had no idea how to get to the port. We stopped several times to ask for directions & finally got a map and walked there. Thank goodness it was a beautiful day! We bought some french fries and sat by the water for awhile to rest. Then we went to find our check in point & got our boarding passes. We had a lot of time to kill & still wanted our authentic dinner, so we wandered around Bari for awhile. The restaurant we stopped at seemed to only offer one item, which confused me, but it sounded good so we went with it! It was orrechiette pasta - apparently a specialty of the region - with a red sauce and mushrooms. Yumm! We walked around a bit more & had our last gelato of Italy and headed back to the Port.
Boarding the ferry was pretty sweet! I have never been on a cruise before, so this was the closest thing to it! We took 2 escalators up (escalators on a BOAT?!?!) and then found the lobby, and continued onto our room! Our room was really cute - it had four beds & a tiny bathroom, with shower & hot water! We ended up getting one roommate - an older lady who didn't speak any English, so that didn't work very well, but luckily she wasn't around much! Lauren wanted a hot shower & then we went up on deck to watch the ferry leave the port! Ciao Italy - only a 16 hour ride and we would be to Greece!
Day 7
I was woken by the PA system announcing breakfast would be served for an additional 15 minutes. Followed by a knock on our door saying we needed to get out because they needed to clean before we got to the port in Greece! It threw me off because I was planning on showering and taking my time, but alas, change of plans. So we got dressed quick & went to hang out in the lobby as the boat docked. Coming into Greece was incredible! There are not even words to describe how beautiful it was; I would go back in a heartbeat! We got off the boat & after a lot of waiting around, caught a bus to Athens. Another couple hours on a bus and we would be in Athens!
So the bus in Athens left us off on a random street with no map or anything to guide us. We walked around for awhile and could not find our hotel, so we finally stopped at a travel agency and got a map. Turns out it was very close to where we started! We got settled and then went in search of food & shopping. We stopped at this cute restaurant where I ordered a chocolate milkshake! I know, not authentic, but I had been craving one the whole time I was in Europe. It was delicious & I also tried Lauren's gyro which I loved. It was my goal for the next day to find one for dinner! Not too much sightseeing yet, but LOVING Greece!
Day 8
First thing in the morning we set off to see the Akropolis. I looked way up there & thought there is no way I'm climbing all the way up there! But the climb wasn't really that bad. The hard part was finding the actual entrance. Surprisingly enough, they let us in free! Yes, I love free things! It's pretty incredible to see ancient Greek architecture. I can never wrap my mind around how OLD this stuff really is. Then we wandered down to see the Agora. Again, incredible stuff! We had some lunch & then did some souvenir shopping & checked out their market/fair. O how I loved Athens! We had to go back to the hotel to meet Lauren's friend who was coming, and on the way back we picked out a cute little place for dinner (they had gyros!) and we promised the manager we would be back. We sat in the National Gardens while I wrote my postcards and then went back to the hotel. Once Lauren friend got there, she wanted to go with her to meet some other girls from their program. Then we headed to the Olympic Stadium, which is what I picked out to do that day! I thought it would be cool to see the stadium in the city where the Olympics started - even if it was the brand new one! It was really cool to walk around & just imagine all the people who had been there. I sooo want to go to the next Olympics that are in the States; it's fun to people watch and be part of a historic world event!
So we took the next metro back in, and found our restaurant for dinner. The manager recognized us and was so excited we had kept our promise and came back! I had a delicious gyro, which I'm so glad I tried. And another day was over.
I absolutely loved Athens. There was something about the city, it was clean & friendly. An interesting aspect were all the dogs roaming around. They didn't hurt anyone or look scuzzy; they were just hanging out ALL over town. Nobody was phased at all. I was really glad they had picked English as the roman letter language to put their signs in. I tried looking at the Greek alphabet, but it was hopeless. If not for the English street signs, it would have been awful trying to maneuver around! I was disappointed though, because I wanted to see what they show in the movies - the little towns, built on the hills with the donkeys riding up & the white houses w/ blue roofs. I guess you have to go out to the islands to see that. So someday I will go back and see that!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Day 3
ROME. I had only ever dreamed of visiting this magnificent city, so actually being there, and on Holy Saturday & Easter Sunday nonetheless - was incredible! The first stop on our 2 day tour of Rome was the Vatican Museum. The Museum was pretty impressive filled with old artwork and sculptures, but the highlight of course was the Sistine Chapel. It wasn't very "chapely" for a chapel, but then I suppose most chapels don't have 100's of tourists in there staring at the walls & the ceilings. The artwork was absolutely stunning. I cannot imagine how they painted the images they did on the ceiling like that - talk about an awkward position to be in! After the Vatican Museum we ventured over to St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square. We had to get in line to go through security & the metal detectors - who would have thought metal detectors to get into a CHURCH of all things. The inside of the Basilica is beyond words! I can't even wrap my mind around the way they could build back in the day. It's like nothing you find that has been built in modern times and far more impressive! There was supposed to be a door leading to where St. Peter was buried, but I couldn't find it. I was disappointed; that would have been cool to see. After St. Peter's we set off to find somewhere to have lunch. We were really hungry, but didn't want to eat anywhere too expensive. It was probably a mistake to walk down the street we did, as it was clearly a tourist trap. And we got tricked into sitting down to have a sandwich - which cost 3 euro more simply because we sat! I was mad & vowed to learn from that lesson. However, afterwards I did try a cannoli from the restaurant which was pretty great! I LOVE italian food. Definitely the best with pasta, pizza, pastries, & gelato... yum!
Next we wandered in the direction of the Pantheon & Ancient Rome, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, etc... On the way we discovered this cool looking castle on the river. It's so cool to just stumble upon things so ancient and grand. We wound our way through the streets and found the Pantheon. Just as we entered, my phone rang. I answered, not having any idea who it was & it was a good thing I did because it lead to what was probably the biggest highlight of Spring break. It turned out it was Ryan Stark, a friend of a friend from back home who was studying in Rome for the semester. He is in the seminary, so it turned out his group got 2 extra tickets to the Easter Vigil Mass in the Vatican, presided by the Pope! He wanted to know if we wanted to go & wanted to meet us in 1 hour! Being on vacation, we had no set plan so we said OF COURSE and walked over to meet him - stopping for the "best gelato," according to Rick Steves, on the way.
We ended up having to stand in line for like 3 hours, but during that time we met a bunch of Ryan's friends who were studying in his program. It was so cool to meet these people from the States all the way over there in Rome. They were truly some of the nicest people I have ever met and made us feel welcome right away. At one point some of the guys went off to a pizzeria and brought back 3 pizzas for us all to share! We also met of the girls who was asked to do a reading during the Mass - she was so nervous, but did an amazing job! We finally got in and sat down waiting for the Pope to arrive. The Basilica was even more incredible the way it was lit up and filled with people. The Pope finally arrived and the Mass started. He is just a little short man with the whitest hair ever! The coolest thing about the Mass was that all the readings were done in different languages, English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, etc. It lasted about 3.5 hours & then we maneuvered our way out of the church. The Vatican was really pretty at night all lit up - so picture perfect! The group invited us back to their house for cupcakes, so we decided to check it out. On the way we stopped for gelato; Ryan bought because we were the guests! So nice! Then we walked back to their house. I was impressed that they lived in this nice house, in a more residential area of Rome. It was really cozy and had everything they would need! When we got our cupcakes there was supposed to be a prize baked into one of them. I started eating my cupcake & felt something hard in there - I had the prize! I then had to redeem it for a chocolate candy bar! It was pretty cool, but I felt bad winning their prizes as I was only a guest in their house. By this point it was pretty late, so Ryan helped us get a taxi and we went back to our hostel.
Day 4
On Day 4 we knew we wanted to stop by the friends we had made yesterday - house at 2 PM because they had invited us for Easter lunch! This meant cramming the Colosseum, Spanish Steps, & Trevi Fountain into the morning. We started off that morning by heading towards the Colosseum. Lauren had already been inside, so she didn't want to pay again. I didn't really want to pay the money, or go in alone, plus I wasn't sure we had time, so I checked it out from the outside. Nearby the Colosseum is the Roman Forum, which Lauren was sure was free, so we tried in vain to find the entrance. After awhile though, we came to the conclusion that we would have to pay. In the end we took a path around to the top and got kind of an aerial view of the whole area. It was a pretty cool sight - all that history in one area. We continued walking through Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II onto the Trevi Fountain. That is definitely the most magnificent fountain I have ever seen, although the square it's in is a lot smaller and less impressive than the movies make it look. That is where we met Ryan and he walked us back to his house. On the way we stopped at the Spanish Steps and Piazza del Popolo. The lunch they made at their house was truly an Easter feast! I couldn't think of a better way to spend Easter while abroad!
After lunch, we stopped back at the hostel & picked up our bags on the way to the train station. We caught the next train down to Naples - our next destination. We arrived safely in Naples & tried to follow the directions the hostel had posted online. We got on the metro - which took forever to arrive, and got off at our stop. But of course the exit we needed to take was closed, so we ended up walking around in the rain, cold, and darkness for a good half hour trying to figure out where we were. Thankfully I eventually took a guess and we found the hostel. This was by far the nicest hostel we had stayed in the entire trip. It was clean, safe, and modern. I felt very comfortable there. After we got settled, we went on a food hunt. We were so hungry & there was almost nothing open at this point in the night. Eventually we found a little family run shop that had cheap & fresh pastries! I ended up with a 1 euro pizza & 1 euro chocolate covered waffle; I was satisfied. We went back to the hostel and called it a night.
ROME. I had only ever dreamed of visiting this magnificent city, so actually being there, and on Holy Saturday & Easter Sunday nonetheless - was incredible! The first stop on our 2 day tour of Rome was the Vatican Museum. The Museum was pretty impressive filled with old artwork and sculptures, but the highlight of course was the Sistine Chapel. It wasn't very "chapely" for a chapel, but then I suppose most chapels don't have 100's of tourists in there staring at the walls & the ceilings. The artwork was absolutely stunning. I cannot imagine how they painted the images they did on the ceiling like that - talk about an awkward position to be in! After the Vatican Museum we ventured over to St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square. We had to get in line to go through security & the metal detectors - who would have thought metal detectors to get into a CHURCH of all things. The inside of the Basilica is beyond words! I can't even wrap my mind around the way they could build back in the day. It's like nothing you find that has been built in modern times and far more impressive! There was supposed to be a door leading to where St. Peter was buried, but I couldn't find it. I was disappointed; that would have been cool to see. After St. Peter's we set off to find somewhere to have lunch. We were really hungry, but didn't want to eat anywhere too expensive. It was probably a mistake to walk down the street we did, as it was clearly a tourist trap. And we got tricked into sitting down to have a sandwich - which cost 3 euro more simply because we sat! I was mad & vowed to learn from that lesson. However, afterwards I did try a cannoli from the restaurant which was pretty great! I LOVE italian food. Definitely the best with pasta, pizza, pastries, & gelato... yum!
Next we wandered in the direction of the Pantheon & Ancient Rome, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, etc... On the way we discovered this cool looking castle on the river. It's so cool to just stumble upon things so ancient and grand. We wound our way through the streets and found the Pantheon. Just as we entered, my phone rang. I answered, not having any idea who it was & it was a good thing I did because it lead to what was probably the biggest highlight of Spring break. It turned out it was Ryan Stark, a friend of a friend from back home who was studying in Rome for the semester. He is in the seminary, so it turned out his group got 2 extra tickets to the Easter Vigil Mass in the Vatican, presided by the Pope! He wanted to know if we wanted to go & wanted to meet us in 1 hour! Being on vacation, we had no set plan so we said OF COURSE and walked over to meet him - stopping for the "best gelato," according to Rick Steves, on the way.
We ended up having to stand in line for like 3 hours, but during that time we met a bunch of Ryan's friends who were studying in his program. It was so cool to meet these people from the States all the way over there in Rome. They were truly some of the nicest people I have ever met and made us feel welcome right away. At one point some of the guys went off to a pizzeria and brought back 3 pizzas for us all to share! We also met of the girls who was asked to do a reading during the Mass - she was so nervous, but did an amazing job! We finally got in and sat down waiting for the Pope to arrive. The Basilica was even more incredible the way it was lit up and filled with people. The Pope finally arrived and the Mass started. He is just a little short man with the whitest hair ever! The coolest thing about the Mass was that all the readings were done in different languages, English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, etc. It lasted about 3.5 hours & then we maneuvered our way out of the church. The Vatican was really pretty at night all lit up - so picture perfect! The group invited us back to their house for cupcakes, so we decided to check it out. On the way we stopped for gelato; Ryan bought because we were the guests! So nice! Then we walked back to their house. I was impressed that they lived in this nice house, in a more residential area of Rome. It was really cozy and had everything they would need! When we got our cupcakes there was supposed to be a prize baked into one of them. I started eating my cupcake & felt something hard in there - I had the prize! I then had to redeem it for a chocolate candy bar! It was pretty cool, but I felt bad winning their prizes as I was only a guest in their house. By this point it was pretty late, so Ryan helped us get a taxi and we went back to our hostel.
Day 4
On Day 4 we knew we wanted to stop by the friends we had made yesterday - house at 2 PM because they had invited us for Easter lunch! This meant cramming the Colosseum, Spanish Steps, & Trevi Fountain into the morning. We started off that morning by heading towards the Colosseum. Lauren had already been inside, so she didn't want to pay again. I didn't really want to pay the money, or go in alone, plus I wasn't sure we had time, so I checked it out from the outside. Nearby the Colosseum is the Roman Forum, which Lauren was sure was free, so we tried in vain to find the entrance. After awhile though, we came to the conclusion that we would have to pay. In the end we took a path around to the top and got kind of an aerial view of the whole area. It was a pretty cool sight - all that history in one area. We continued walking through Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II onto the Trevi Fountain. That is definitely the most magnificent fountain I have ever seen, although the square it's in is a lot smaller and less impressive than the movies make it look. That is where we met Ryan and he walked us back to his house. On the way we stopped at the Spanish Steps and Piazza del Popolo. The lunch they made at their house was truly an Easter feast! I couldn't think of a better way to spend Easter while abroad!
After lunch, we stopped back at the hostel & picked up our bags on the way to the train station. We caught the next train down to Naples - our next destination. We arrived safely in Naples & tried to follow the directions the hostel had posted online. We got on the metro - which took forever to arrive, and got off at our stop. But of course the exit we needed to take was closed, so we ended up walking around in the rain, cold, and darkness for a good half hour trying to figure out where we were. Thankfully I eventually took a guess and we found the hostel. This was by far the nicest hostel we had stayed in the entire trip. It was clean, safe, and modern. I felt very comfortable there. After we got settled, we went on a food hunt. We were so hungry & there was almost nothing open at this point in the night. Eventually we found a little family run shop that had cheap & fresh pastries! I ended up with a 1 euro pizza & 1 euro chocolate covered waffle; I was satisfied. We went back to the hostel and called it a night.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Spring Break 2009
Wow. How time flies. I cannot believe it is May and I am home for the summer! I'm loving not having to stress about school and such, but before I get to the end of my semester in Valencia, I want to go back and write about Spring Break. So it was 11 days, 6 cities and probably the best vacation of my life! Realistically, I'm not going to be able to write about all 11 days in one post, so I'll start at the beginning and do the rest in installments!
Day 1
I started out the trip by taking a 2 AM bus to Barcelona to meet Lauren. That is one nice thing about Europe, the public transportation is amazing, you can get just about anywhere at any time of day or night. So I either looked at the bus schedule wrong, or the time was posted wrong, but I got into Barcelona an hour before I was supposed to. I hung out in the bus station for about an hour waiting, and it was a little creepy. There were lots of homeless people sleeping in there and I had heard many stories about Barcelona being the #1 pickpocket city in the world, so I was a little worried. Everything was fine though, and I met Lauren a little later.
Our first goal was to walk to the Sagrada Familia, a church designed by Gaudí which they started building in the late 1800s and is still ongoing. The projected completion date is 2028. Well we started walking the complete wrong direction, of course and ended up near the beach - which was gorgeous! When we got on the right direction, we eventually found the church. It was pretty incredible to see - the architecture is amazing! We paid 9 euro to go inside, and I have to say I was disappointed. There wasn't much to see for the price we paid.
Our next stop was Guell Park - more Gaudí! We got there and walked around a bit, looked at the statues and sat on this huge bench that stretched around an open area, with a spectacular view of the city. After that, we decided to head for the beach. So we took the long walk down Las Ramblas, a huge touristy street with vendors and attractions. On the way, we stopped at the Central Market. The amount of fresh food there is so cool - nothing like the markets at home. They have fun stuff like fresh squeezed juices!
We sat at the beach for a couple hours & I wrote some postcards. It was very relaxing and a gorgeous day. Great way to spend the end of the trip in Barcelona. Then we walked back to the bus station to catch a bus to the airport. That night we flew from Barcelona into Rome. From the airport in Rome we took another bus into the city. I was already starting to get sick of all the transportation and it was only day 1! Luckily the hostel was very close to the train station (where our bus dropped us), so it was a short walk to the hostel where we crashed for the night. The Rome hostel wasn't the nicest. It was old and rundown, but i felt safe & it was clean for the most part. So I could live with it for the next 3 nights.
Day 2
We started out Day 2 by taking an early train to Florence. It was only 1.5 hours on the fast train, so we got there right away in the morning. We walked from the train station into the city & stopped to get 1 euro croissants on the way - oo yum! Then we decided to climb the tower next to El Duomo, the cathedral in Florence. It was nearly 500 stairs up to the top - talk about a work out on spring break! The view was gorgeous of course! You could see the entire city from up top. I'm so glad we climbed all the stairs!
After that, we went inside El Duomo to look around. The inside of the church was pretty too, but I have to say there is something about the outside of Italian churches that is just breathtaking. I think it is their use of marble. There is nothing like it in all the rest of Europe. We wandered around for a bit after that and then got in line to see Michaelangelo's David - the REAL one. We thought the line would take longer than it did, so that was a relief. It was really cool see THE statue carved 500 years ago. The same statue talked about and shown in pictures, I can now say I have seen in live person. I was pretty excited to say the least!
We spent the rest of the day wandering around the city. We got some lunch at a cute little sandwich shop, and when we were done I went upstairs to use their bathrooms. Now I have heard stories about Italian bathrooms, but I didn't think I would actually experience this in my 5 short days in Italy. The toilet was basically a hole in the ground. There was a toilet seat around it - but it was on the ground. At first I thought I was in the wrong bathroom, so I went back out to check the door. I discovered that I was in the right place, and then could not imagine attempting to use the toilet in that awkward position, so I left. I really didn't need to use the bathroom that bad!
Then we wandered down to the Ponte Vecchio where they sell all the gold, and walked through a market. One young guy tried to sell Lauren a t-shirt by telling her she would get a free boyfriend! That was pretty hysterical! Pretty sure that relationship would be illegal, as the kid looked like 16! Later we walked back to the train station to check out tickets for the ride back to our hostel in Rome. We had originally wanted an authentic Italian dinner, but found we didn't have time for that, so fast-food pizza it was. Mine had spinach instead of tomato sauce, which I was disappointed because the sauce is my favorite part. It was an interesting choice though and I enjoyed it. Then we took our long train ride back to Rome. We wanted the cheaper ride, so of course it was like 4 hours long - stopping in every other city. By the time we got back, it was late so we walked to the hostel in Rome and crashed again for the night!
Day 1
I started out the trip by taking a 2 AM bus to Barcelona to meet Lauren. That is one nice thing about Europe, the public transportation is amazing, you can get just about anywhere at any time of day or night. So I either looked at the bus schedule wrong, or the time was posted wrong, but I got into Barcelona an hour before I was supposed to. I hung out in the bus station for about an hour waiting, and it was a little creepy. There were lots of homeless people sleeping in there and I had heard many stories about Barcelona being the #1 pickpocket city in the world, so I was a little worried. Everything was fine though, and I met Lauren a little later.
Our first goal was to walk to the Sagrada Familia, a church designed by Gaudí which they started building in the late 1800s and is still ongoing. The projected completion date is 2028. Well we started walking the complete wrong direction, of course and ended up near the beach - which was gorgeous! When we got on the right direction, we eventually found the church. It was pretty incredible to see - the architecture is amazing! We paid 9 euro to go inside, and I have to say I was disappointed. There wasn't much to see for the price we paid.
Our next stop was Guell Park - more Gaudí! We got there and walked around a bit, looked at the statues and sat on this huge bench that stretched around an open area, with a spectacular view of the city. After that, we decided to head for the beach. So we took the long walk down Las Ramblas, a huge touristy street with vendors and attractions. On the way, we stopped at the Central Market. The amount of fresh food there is so cool - nothing like the markets at home. They have fun stuff like fresh squeezed juices!
We sat at the beach for a couple hours & I wrote some postcards. It was very relaxing and a gorgeous day. Great way to spend the end of the trip in Barcelona. Then we walked back to the bus station to catch a bus to the airport. That night we flew from Barcelona into Rome. From the airport in Rome we took another bus into the city. I was already starting to get sick of all the transportation and it was only day 1! Luckily the hostel was very close to the train station (where our bus dropped us), so it was a short walk to the hostel where we crashed for the night. The Rome hostel wasn't the nicest. It was old and rundown, but i felt safe & it was clean for the most part. So I could live with it for the next 3 nights.
Day 2
We started out Day 2 by taking an early train to Florence. It was only 1.5 hours on the fast train, so we got there right away in the morning. We walked from the train station into the city & stopped to get 1 euro croissants on the way - oo yum! Then we decided to climb the tower next to El Duomo, the cathedral in Florence. It was nearly 500 stairs up to the top - talk about a work out on spring break! The view was gorgeous of course! You could see the entire city from up top. I'm so glad we climbed all the stairs!
After that, we went inside El Duomo to look around. The inside of the church was pretty too, but I have to say there is something about the outside of Italian churches that is just breathtaking. I think it is their use of marble. There is nothing like it in all the rest of Europe. We wandered around for a bit after that and then got in line to see Michaelangelo's David - the REAL one. We thought the line would take longer than it did, so that was a relief. It was really cool see THE statue carved 500 years ago. The same statue talked about and shown in pictures, I can now say I have seen in live person. I was pretty excited to say the least!
We spent the rest of the day wandering around the city. We got some lunch at a cute little sandwich shop, and when we were done I went upstairs to use their bathrooms. Now I have heard stories about Italian bathrooms, but I didn't think I would actually experience this in my 5 short days in Italy. The toilet was basically a hole in the ground. There was a toilet seat around it - but it was on the ground. At first I thought I was in the wrong bathroom, so I went back out to check the door. I discovered that I was in the right place, and then could not imagine attempting to use the toilet in that awkward position, so I left. I really didn't need to use the bathroom that bad!
Then we wandered down to the Ponte Vecchio where they sell all the gold, and walked through a market. One young guy tried to sell Lauren a t-shirt by telling her she would get a free boyfriend! That was pretty hysterical! Pretty sure that relationship would be illegal, as the kid looked like 16! Later we walked back to the train station to check out tickets for the ride back to our hostel in Rome. We had originally wanted an authentic Italian dinner, but found we didn't have time for that, so fast-food pizza it was. Mine had spinach instead of tomato sauce, which I was disappointed because the sauce is my favorite part. It was an interesting choice though and I enjoyed it. Then we took our long train ride back to Rome. We wanted the cheaper ride, so of course it was like 4 hours long - stopping in every other city. By the time we got back, it was late so we walked to the hostel in Rome and crashed again for the night!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Sangre, Fútbol, y Un Corte de Pelo!
Hola! SO there's been a bit of excitement in the last week or so! I thought I would update you all before I leave for spring break tomorrow morning!! I'm so excited by the way - 3 countries in 11 days!!
Anyways, last week we got an e-mail from the program saying that if we donated blood we would receive a free ticket to a Valencia fútbol (or soccer in english) game. I have wanted to see a soccer game since I've been here, especially since my brother is such an avid fan - I thought I should go for his sake! He suggested the Valencia vs. Barcelona game because they are some of the best teams in the country, but after some investigation, I discovered tickets to a Barcelona game would be much more expensive - plus this was free! So I went to the Mestalla (or stadium) with another girl, Kerrie, from our program, who is also from SNC. It was a little more intimidating than I initially thought, because I forgot I had to fill out paperwork and answer medical questions in Spanish! The people there were very helpful though, and I got through it easily! The two things that I noticed were a lot different from giving blood in the USA is that they were a lot less intense about checking your iron level - aka they didn't need to fill up a tube of your blood, just one drop sufficed and they also didn't feel the need to almost scrub the skin off my arm sanitizing it before before the needle in... haha. Now these could be good or bad things, depending on your perspective, but that's how it goes in Spain. When I was done I went to a room where they had boxes of bocadillas and coolers of soda. You could eat & drink whatever you needed to recuperate. They are definitely more concerned about that than blood drives at home. So I got my free ticket and that was that!
On Sunday, Kerrie and I used our free tickets and went to the soccer game - Valencia vs. Getafe. Valencia won 4-1. Now, I'm not a big sports fan, but this was pretty cool to see! Just the atmosphere and all the people was incredible. They were all so invested in the team and got excited or mad about all the calls and plays! During half time there was a marching band that came out and walked around, and when the Valencia team would make a goal - the players would all jump on top of each other in this big pile, & just lay there for a minute! It was definitely cool to be a part of and I'm glad I got the chance to go (and that it was free!)
Yesterday, my roommate Amanda told me she was going to get a haircut. This is something that I have been talking about for awhile, but I couldn't make up my mind because I was afraid what they would do to my hair. But after thinking about it, I decided to call and make an appointment - I mean you're only in Spain once, right? So we went yesterday to the salon & I tried to explain to this guy in Spanish that I wanted something different done, but I didn't know what - but I didn't want anything too extreme. He must have thought I was nuts because I would say I didn't know what I wanted, but I didn't want this, that or the other thing... haha. In the end it turned out good! It's not drastically different, but just enough - I'm happy with it & I'm glad I decided to throw caution to the wind and go with it!
So that's all I have to update for now! I'll be back in 11 days & have a lot to report then, but for now - hasta luego!
Kristin
Anyways, last week we got an e-mail from the program saying that if we donated blood we would receive a free ticket to a Valencia fútbol (or soccer in english) game. I have wanted to see a soccer game since I've been here, especially since my brother is such an avid fan - I thought I should go for his sake! He suggested the Valencia vs. Barcelona game because they are some of the best teams in the country, but after some investigation, I discovered tickets to a Barcelona game would be much more expensive - plus this was free! So I went to the Mestalla (or stadium) with another girl, Kerrie, from our program, who is also from SNC. It was a little more intimidating than I initially thought, because I forgot I had to fill out paperwork and answer medical questions in Spanish! The people there were very helpful though, and I got through it easily! The two things that I noticed were a lot different from giving blood in the USA is that they were a lot less intense about checking your iron level - aka they didn't need to fill up a tube of your blood, just one drop sufficed and they also didn't feel the need to almost scrub the skin off my arm sanitizing it before before the needle in... haha. Now these could be good or bad things, depending on your perspective, but that's how it goes in Spain. When I was done I went to a room where they had boxes of bocadillas and coolers of soda. You could eat & drink whatever you needed to recuperate. They are definitely more concerned about that than blood drives at home. So I got my free ticket and that was that!
On Sunday, Kerrie and I used our free tickets and went to the soccer game - Valencia vs. Getafe. Valencia won 4-1. Now, I'm not a big sports fan, but this was pretty cool to see! Just the atmosphere and all the people was incredible. They were all so invested in the team and got excited or mad about all the calls and plays! During half time there was a marching band that came out and walked around, and when the Valencia team would make a goal - the players would all jump on top of each other in this big pile, & just lay there for a minute! It was definitely cool to be a part of and I'm glad I got the chance to go (and that it was free!)
Yesterday, my roommate Amanda told me she was going to get a haircut. This is something that I have been talking about for awhile, but I couldn't make up my mind because I was afraid what they would do to my hair. But after thinking about it, I decided to call and make an appointment - I mean you're only in Spain once, right? So we went yesterday to the salon & I tried to explain to this guy in Spanish that I wanted something different done, but I didn't know what - but I didn't want anything too extreme. He must have thought I was nuts because I would say I didn't know what I wanted, but I didn't want this, that or the other thing... haha. In the end it turned out good! It's not drastically different, but just enough - I'm happy with it & I'm glad I decided to throw caution to the wind and go with it!
So that's all I have to update for now! I'll be back in 11 days & have a lot to report then, but for now - hasta luego!
Kristin
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Family & Fallas
Well it has been a couple of weeks since I've updated this - a lot has happened, and yet not much has changed here. I cannot believe we are at the end of March already! The weather certainly does not feel like normal March weather - 70's and gorgeous :o) Although, it is supposed to get colder next week, which is sad. I have 1.5 weeks of classes before Spring break and I am SOO excited. I am leaving April 9 to embark on my whirlwind tour of parts of Europe. Lauren and I are going to Barcelona - Spain, Florence, Rome, and Naples - Italy, Athens - Greece, and Paris - France. It is going to be absolutely insane and probably super rushed, but totally incredible at the same time! We're doing it all in 11 days & the best part is we're going to be in Rome on Easter Sunday! The goal is to see the Pope give mass! When I return from that, I have less than 2 weeks and then home! I am excited to get back! Don't get me wrong, Spain has been an incredible experience & it is so cool to be able to travel and see Europe like this, but I miss my family & friends, and I'm ready to get back to "normal" life!
So let's see what has been happening lately... Last week we had vacation for the entire week due to the festival here in Valencia they call Fallas - hence part of my title. Fallas is a celebration of Saint Joseph. It originated because the carpenters back in the day wanted to give tribute to their patron saint, so that's where all the elaborate statues come into play. The artists spend ALL year long building these statues which are made of wood & paper mache. They are absolutely incredible & intricate. Then the last day of the celebration they burn them all to signify the coming of spring & purifying the city. It really is sad to see all that work go up in flames - literally. Another huge aspect is the fireworks. They have want the call Mescletas at 2 PM everyday from March 1 - 19. They are basically fireworks for the noise. We went to one & unfortunately due to the number of people couldn't get close enough to actually see, but we heard them & they are loud! They have the firework display at night during Fallas - 2 AM & it puts our 4th of July fireworks display to shame. They have invented these new fireworks like anything you have ever seen before. They also have ofertas - which are parades in which girls offer flowers up to the Virgin Mary & they all become part of her Fallas (see my picture). The number of people who show up for this festival is unbelievable! The population grows from about 1 million to 3 million - it's nuts!
So because I had this week off - part of my family came to visit, my mom, grandma & Spencer. I was SOO excited to see them! It had been 2.5 months - that's the longest I've ever been away! We traded my grandma's timeshare for a condo in Oropesa del Mar - which is about an hour on the train, north of Valencia. On the beach! It was a great week! We didn't do anything too exciting, but just hung out with each other. When we got off the train, we didn't know how to get to the condo, so I had to call the condo & they gave us a taxi service number - luckily there was a nice man at the train station that just gave us a ride there. Then once we checked in, we had the hardest time finding how to get up to our condo. We wandered around for a good 20 minutes before we finally figured it out.
They are VERY big on ratings there. We were right next to a hotel - which they made sure you knew was the 5 star, not the 4 or 3. It became a big joke by the end of the week... haha. We had to stop in there the first night because we needed matches to start the stove & they informed us they were the 5 star hotel. La de da! We also did not have internet in our condo, so we went to ask if there was some place we could get it - the man told us the lobby of the 5 star. So we went over there & the woman was like nooo - it's only for clients. But come back later & I asked how much later - she said, just later. So we came back & she gave us the password. Every night from then on we snuck back in after 9 PM to use the internet, we were always afraid we were going to get caught - but nope!
We rode the bus into town one day to go to the library because they had free internet. So we get to this library - which is like a hole in the wall & we sat in the children's area because the rest was silent. And after awhile all these kids started coming in & mom thought there was going to be story time or something. So we left - she didn't like it there much, so we never went back... haha.
The whole time we had been planning a trip back to Valencia to see Fallas, originally it was for Thursday, the last day, but then we changed our minds and decided Wednesday. So we looked up bus/train times and got up early. We walked out and caught the bus into town and then walked to the train station. When we got there - the train we were supposed to take wasn't on the departure board, so I had to ask what was up? Come to find out that train only ran on Saturdays & 1 weekday like every 2 months. The next train wasn't for 4 hours, so we decided to postpone the trip to the next day. So the next morning we get up early and go to catch the bus & we sit there & sit there - the bus never comes. So we start walking into town - now the train leaves in 40 minutes & we didn't know if we would make it because it was a long walk. We started booking it & grandma was even running - mom says she hopes she can walk like that when she is 69...lol We made it! But barely! Luckily the trip was a success & we made it back safely - decided not to walk, but called a cab. Mom & grandma were excited about that.
The people at the condo told us there were services we could use - such as the indoor & outdoor pool & miniature golf course. The outdoor pool was empty - as in no water. And the indoor was so deep - Spencer would have not done well in there. There was this HUGE grand outdoor swimming pool - that would have been so much fun, but of course we were not allowed to use it because it belonged to the 5 star hotel. So we settled for the miniature golf, which of course Spencer was excited about because it was golf. So we went to rent clubs one day & the guy was like we are closing for siesta in 10 mins. come back in 2 hours. Spencer was not happy about this. So we cam back & the guy gave us clubs (after we put down a deposit of 10 euro for each club - ridiculous) and went over. Well the gate was locked. So we walked back and told him - he said he was sending someone over to unlock it. So we went back and waited. and waited and waited. After close to a half hour of no one showing up - we went back. The guy then explained the key had been lost! But they found it, so someone was unlocking it now. So an hour after all this started we finally got in. Now, I'm no golf buff - but I've learned enough from living with 3 golf obsessed boys, and this course was definitely lame. It was made of concrete for greens & there were 8 holes (8?? where's the 9th?) Some of the holes were impossible too - especially because the ball would just bounce right off the concrete instead of rolling. I'd had enough after one round, but Spencer loved it & we had to go back another time!
We also had to make many trips out to the grocery store. Spencer lost his hat there one trip. Now who in Spain would want a little kids Cubs hat?? I guess there are fans! We didn't really know what we were looking for food wise, but we found enough to make good American food for a week. It wasn't quite the same as home, but a good substitute until I get back. It was nice to have grandma's cooking for a week ;o)
After our week in Oropesa was over, we came back to Valencia for one night. On their last day we went to the Oceanografico - which is the largest aquarium in Europe. It is really - most of the animals are underground, so it's a lot bigger than it looks from the outside. Spencer had a great time & I learned he was this fascination with sharks. He kept wanting to go find them & see what they do. He loved the dolphins and their show. And the penguins. He just wanted to see more and more animals. And then eventually the day was over, and it was time to go home. We came back to the apartment and got their bags & I took them to the airport. It was very hard to say goodbye, but I'm soooo glad they came to visit! It was a great week!
So now you know what I've been up to. It's just been back to classes & counting down until spring break! I've posted my pictures if you'd like to take a look! Ciao for now.
Kristin
So let's see what has been happening lately... Last week we had vacation for the entire week due to the festival here in Valencia they call Fallas - hence part of my title. Fallas is a celebration of Saint Joseph. It originated because the carpenters back in the day wanted to give tribute to their patron saint, so that's where all the elaborate statues come into play. The artists spend ALL year long building these statues which are made of wood & paper mache. They are absolutely incredible & intricate. Then the last day of the celebration they burn them all to signify the coming of spring & purifying the city. It really is sad to see all that work go up in flames - literally. Another huge aspect is the fireworks. They have want the call Mescletas at 2 PM everyday from March 1 - 19. They are basically fireworks for the noise. We went to one & unfortunately due to the number of people couldn't get close enough to actually see, but we heard them & they are loud! They have the firework display at night during Fallas - 2 AM & it puts our 4th of July fireworks display to shame. They have invented these new fireworks like anything you have ever seen before. They also have ofertas - which are parades in which girls offer flowers up to the Virgin Mary & they all become part of her Fallas (see my picture). The number of people who show up for this festival is unbelievable! The population grows from about 1 million to 3 million - it's nuts!
So because I had this week off - part of my family came to visit, my mom, grandma & Spencer. I was SOO excited to see them! It had been 2.5 months - that's the longest I've ever been away! We traded my grandma's timeshare for a condo in Oropesa del Mar - which is about an hour on the train, north of Valencia. On the beach! It was a great week! We didn't do anything too exciting, but just hung out with each other. When we got off the train, we didn't know how to get to the condo, so I had to call the condo & they gave us a taxi service number - luckily there was a nice man at the train station that just gave us a ride there. Then once we checked in, we had the hardest time finding how to get up to our condo. We wandered around for a good 20 minutes before we finally figured it out.
They are VERY big on ratings there. We were right next to a hotel - which they made sure you knew was the 5 star, not the 4 or 3. It became a big joke by the end of the week... haha. We had to stop in there the first night because we needed matches to start the stove & they informed us they were the 5 star hotel. La de da! We also did not have internet in our condo, so we went to ask if there was some place we could get it - the man told us the lobby of the 5 star. So we went over there & the woman was like nooo - it's only for clients. But come back later & I asked how much later - she said, just later. So we came back & she gave us the password. Every night from then on we snuck back in after 9 PM to use the internet, we were always afraid we were going to get caught - but nope!
We rode the bus into town one day to go to the library because they had free internet. So we get to this library - which is like a hole in the wall & we sat in the children's area because the rest was silent. And after awhile all these kids started coming in & mom thought there was going to be story time or something. So we left - she didn't like it there much, so we never went back... haha.
The whole time we had been planning a trip back to Valencia to see Fallas, originally it was for Thursday, the last day, but then we changed our minds and decided Wednesday. So we looked up bus/train times and got up early. We walked out and caught the bus into town and then walked to the train station. When we got there - the train we were supposed to take wasn't on the departure board, so I had to ask what was up? Come to find out that train only ran on Saturdays & 1 weekday like every 2 months. The next train wasn't for 4 hours, so we decided to postpone the trip to the next day. So the next morning we get up early and go to catch the bus & we sit there & sit there - the bus never comes. So we start walking into town - now the train leaves in 40 minutes & we didn't know if we would make it because it was a long walk. We started booking it & grandma was even running - mom says she hopes she can walk like that when she is 69...lol We made it! But barely! Luckily the trip was a success & we made it back safely - decided not to walk, but called a cab. Mom & grandma were excited about that.
The people at the condo told us there were services we could use - such as the indoor & outdoor pool & miniature golf course. The outdoor pool was empty - as in no water. And the indoor was so deep - Spencer would have not done well in there. There was this HUGE grand outdoor swimming pool - that would have been so much fun, but of course we were not allowed to use it because it belonged to the 5 star hotel. So we settled for the miniature golf, which of course Spencer was excited about because it was golf. So we went to rent clubs one day & the guy was like we are closing for siesta in 10 mins. come back in 2 hours. Spencer was not happy about this. So we cam back & the guy gave us clubs (after we put down a deposit of 10 euro for each club - ridiculous) and went over. Well the gate was locked. So we walked back and told him - he said he was sending someone over to unlock it. So we went back and waited. and waited and waited. After close to a half hour of no one showing up - we went back. The guy then explained the key had been lost! But they found it, so someone was unlocking it now. So an hour after all this started we finally got in. Now, I'm no golf buff - but I've learned enough from living with 3 golf obsessed boys, and this course was definitely lame. It was made of concrete for greens & there were 8 holes (8?? where's the 9th?) Some of the holes were impossible too - especially because the ball would just bounce right off the concrete instead of rolling. I'd had enough after one round, but Spencer loved it & we had to go back another time!
We also had to make many trips out to the grocery store. Spencer lost his hat there one trip. Now who in Spain would want a little kids Cubs hat?? I guess there are fans! We didn't really know what we were looking for food wise, but we found enough to make good American food for a week. It wasn't quite the same as home, but a good substitute until I get back. It was nice to have grandma's cooking for a week ;o)
After our week in Oropesa was over, we came back to Valencia for one night. On their last day we went to the Oceanografico - which is the largest aquarium in Europe. It is really - most of the animals are underground, so it's a lot bigger than it looks from the outside. Spencer had a great time & I learned he was this fascination with sharks. He kept wanting to go find them & see what they do. He loved the dolphins and their show. And the penguins. He just wanted to see more and more animals. And then eventually the day was over, and it was time to go home. We came back to the apartment and got their bags & I took them to the airport. It was very hard to say goodbye, but I'm soooo glad they came to visit! It was a great week!
So now you know what I've been up to. It's just been back to classes & counting down until spring break! I've posted my pictures if you'd like to take a look! Ciao for now.
Kristin
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
London!!
Mmm, so it's a perfect day to update this - it's been raining cats & dogs outside all day. Two of the girls from the program and I were standing under the bus stop waiting to take the bus back (because really who wants to walk 1.5 miles in the rain?), and the drainage system could use some work here - so there was a ton of water in the gutter by the curb. So this taxi drives by, right through the water of course and we get completely drenched! It was like a wall of water splashed in our faces. It was quite the enjoyable experience ;o) It's probably one of the worst weather days since I've been in Valencia! Which isn't saying much because I've been here 2 months & it's been gorgeous most of the time! That has got to be one of my favorite things about living here - the sun always makes you feel better about the day!
Well last week, I made it through midterms. They are so much more intense than St. Norbert and definitely different from all my education classes. It's been awhile since I've had so many tests & papers. And the first time that I'm taking more than one Spanish class at a time. I knew it was going to be challenging, but it is proving to be much more difficult than I anticipated. I really have to push myself to work and study harder in order to get through my classes. I'm sure in the end, it will be worthwhile - the experience, knowledge & hard work will be beneficial in my future!
Last weekend, I went to visit London - or Londres in spanish. The city was INCREDIBLE. There was just something about it - so lively & animated. I don't know to explain it, but it is by far one of my favorite cities in the world. That may change, as I have a lot of traveling left to do, but thus far! I was nervous leaving because I was traveling by myself and meeting a friend from home there. Everything went well though - I took the metro to the airport & flew to Madrid, where I proceeded to waste my day sitting in the airport. Then I flew into London & took the tube to the city. When I was looking at the tube maps - it was pretty intimidating because it's a huge system, but I have to say it was really easy to use.
On Friday night, Lauren & I saw Avenue Q. The actors did a great job & the play itself was interesting. It was well as Lauren put it, "Sesame Street for adults." Hah. There were actors & puppets and definitely adult content. But it was really cool to be able to see a musical in London! Almost as good as seeing Wicked in New York ;o).
We checked into our hostel that night & things got mixed up, so I was placed in a random room without my friends. So it was a room for 8 people & the beds were like boxes. Let me tell you - if you are claustrophobic it would have been a long night. The hostel was safe & clean, but not as nice as the previous ones I stayed in. The funny thing about the showers was you had to push a button to get the hot water, and it would stop every 30 seconds - so you had to continually hit the button. That would get annoying if it was on a daily basis thing.
On Saturday we attempted to get in all the tourist attractions because it was my only full day there. We saw Buckingham palace, where they didn't do the changing of the guards like the hostel told us! Also the guards are way behind the gates, not close up so you can take pictures like the movies show you! AND they weren't wearing their red coats. They were in gray, for their winter uniform. It's funny the little things you learn traveling that Hollywood has mislead you to believe.
From there we saw Westminister Abbey where most of the Kings & Queens of England have been buried since 1065. It was really cool to see the history, and all the popular people that we have studied in history classes. Then we saw Big Ben & Parliament - well we saw the outside & took pictures. It would have been cool to go inside, but we didn't have time & I don't know if Parliament was even open. Then we took a ride on the London Eye - which is similar to a giant ferris wheel with glass cabins attached, so you can see London from a birds eye view! It was great!
Then we had lunch and went over to see the Tower Bridge - which we learned is NOT the same as the London Bridge. I've always heard the song about the London Bridge and thought it was the big, impressive looking one. Apparently not. Then we went onto the Tower of London where the crown jewels are held. Unfortunately, it was closed by the time we got there! I was disappointed because that was something I was excited to see. O well - I guess it just means I'll have an excuse to go back someday!
Then we walked on to see St. Paul's Cathedral - which was incredible in itself. It was SO huge & the architecture was simply amazing. We walked over the Millennium bridge and saw the outside of the Globe Theater. I expected that to be more impressive, but I suppose if it's been conserved all this time, it's pretty cool. We stopped by Trafalgar Square, where they were shining some artwork on a big white building & then went to Piccadilly Circus - which is like London's version of New York's Time Square. By then we were completely exhausted and decided it was time to be done sight seeing. So we had dinner and called it a night.
Overall, it was a fabulous trip & I am SO glad I got the opportunity to go!! If you would like to see my pictures, I uploaded them - just click on the link to the right!
Ciao. Kristin
Well last week, I made it through midterms. They are so much more intense than St. Norbert and definitely different from all my education classes. It's been awhile since I've had so many tests & papers. And the first time that I'm taking more than one Spanish class at a time. I knew it was going to be challenging, but it is proving to be much more difficult than I anticipated. I really have to push myself to work and study harder in order to get through my classes. I'm sure in the end, it will be worthwhile - the experience, knowledge & hard work will be beneficial in my future!
Last weekend, I went to visit London - or Londres in spanish. The city was INCREDIBLE. There was just something about it - so lively & animated. I don't know to explain it, but it is by far one of my favorite cities in the world. That may change, as I have a lot of traveling left to do, but thus far! I was nervous leaving because I was traveling by myself and meeting a friend from home there. Everything went well though - I took the metro to the airport & flew to Madrid, where I proceeded to waste my day sitting in the airport. Then I flew into London & took the tube to the city. When I was looking at the tube maps - it was pretty intimidating because it's a huge system, but I have to say it was really easy to use.
On Friday night, Lauren & I saw Avenue Q. The actors did a great job & the play itself was interesting. It was well as Lauren put it, "Sesame Street for adults." Hah. There were actors & puppets and definitely adult content. But it was really cool to be able to see a musical in London! Almost as good as seeing Wicked in New York ;o).
We checked into our hostel that night & things got mixed up, so I was placed in a random room without my friends. So it was a room for 8 people & the beds were like boxes. Let me tell you - if you are claustrophobic it would have been a long night. The hostel was safe & clean, but not as nice as the previous ones I stayed in. The funny thing about the showers was you had to push a button to get the hot water, and it would stop every 30 seconds - so you had to continually hit the button. That would get annoying if it was on a daily basis thing.
On Saturday we attempted to get in all the tourist attractions because it was my only full day there. We saw Buckingham palace, where they didn't do the changing of the guards like the hostel told us! Also the guards are way behind the gates, not close up so you can take pictures like the movies show you! AND they weren't wearing their red coats. They were in gray, for their winter uniform. It's funny the little things you learn traveling that Hollywood has mislead you to believe.
From there we saw Westminister Abbey where most of the Kings & Queens of England have been buried since 1065. It was really cool to see the history, and all the popular people that we have studied in history classes. Then we saw Big Ben & Parliament - well we saw the outside & took pictures. It would have been cool to go inside, but we didn't have time & I don't know if Parliament was even open. Then we took a ride on the London Eye - which is similar to a giant ferris wheel with glass cabins attached, so you can see London from a birds eye view! It was great!
Then we had lunch and went over to see the Tower Bridge - which we learned is NOT the same as the London Bridge. I've always heard the song about the London Bridge and thought it was the big, impressive looking one. Apparently not. Then we went onto the Tower of London where the crown jewels are held. Unfortunately, it was closed by the time we got there! I was disappointed because that was something I was excited to see. O well - I guess it just means I'll have an excuse to go back someday!
Then we walked on to see St. Paul's Cathedral - which was incredible in itself. It was SO huge & the architecture was simply amazing. We walked over the Millennium bridge and saw the outside of the Globe Theater. I expected that to be more impressive, but I suppose if it's been conserved all this time, it's pretty cool. We stopped by Trafalgar Square, where they were shining some artwork on a big white building & then went to Piccadilly Circus - which is like London's version of New York's Time Square. By then we were completely exhausted and decided it was time to be done sight seeing. So we had dinner and called it a night.
Overall, it was a fabulous trip & I am SO glad I got the opportunity to go!! If you would like to see my pictures, I uploaded them - just click on the link to the right!
Ciao. Kristin
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