Spring Break

Spring break was awesome! I first went to Sevilla for two nights with two girls from my program. One I had met before Sevilla, and the other one I met once I got to the airport. Sevilla was a gorgeous town filled with lots of energy and beautiful buildings. Sevilla is known for their tapas so we took full advantage of this and ate our way through town. I personally am not a huge tapas fan, but I did my best to try to enjoy what the town is known for. We spent the two days touring around the city and got a free walking tour from our hostel. Unfortunately, it rained both days we were there, but we did not let that get in the way of trying to have a good time. The first night, our hostel guide took us to a flamingo show, which is also what Sevilla is famous for. It was very interesting to partake in such a cultural activity and one that is close to the traditions of a town we were visiting. The following day, we headed off to Morocco and had to meet our bus at 4am! I went with about 30 kids from my program, 5 of whom I knew from previous events.

Once we were on the bus for a couple hours, we got off and took a two hour ferry ride to get closer to our destination. At this point, we were all zombies and could barely keep our eyes open…but we had a whole day of traveling ahead of us. We then spent the rest of the day on a bus where we ended up in Fes, nearby the Medina of Fes. I definitely had a little bit of culture shock once we finally got settled. I realized that I was out of Europe and placed into another society that I felt less comfortable in. The following day, we had a tour guide who took us into the impressive Medina. This was a different world…my oh my was it something else! The Medina consists of 9600 alleyways with 40% of them being dead ends. Most of the alleyways were narrow and consisted of stores or food stands lining the edges…this is somewhere where you would never ever everrrrrr want to get lost. Our guide told us that if we were to lose the group at any point, to not move because the chances of finding the group were slim to none. Every alley looked the same, and bustled with locals.

Our guide took us to a few special shops where we got to sample goods and make some purchases. We first went to an all-natural spice and oil shop, which reminded me something of what Harry Potter might be like. The spices and oils were in tall jars that lined that room and we were lucky enough to be able to sample a majority of them. I even was able to bring some spices back home to Mom…even though they stunk up my whole suitcase! Next, we went to a turban store where we were taught how to tie the turbans on our heads and purchase some if we wanted. This was fun! We then went to a leather shop that sat above an outdoor location of where they actually dyed the leather…it was SOOO SMELLY!!! I never knew leather could smell this bad, but it was awful. The shop was beautiful with bright, natural colors of dyed purses and shoes, but it was surprisingly very expensive, so I decided not to get anything…plus I couldn’t stand the smells! We then took a break and had lunch in the Medina at a local restaurant. It was delicious…we had couscous, chicken, and steamed vegetables…a very standard Moroccan meal. We then got out of the Medina (how?...I have no idea) and took our bus to a textile factory. This was very interesting and we got to see some beautiful pottery. I wanted to bring some pieces home, but couldn’t help but think that they would probably break in transportation. At night, we went to see belly dancers, which was a lot of fun. This lasted about two hours and by this time, we were all exhausted from a long day of activities.

The following day, we headed into the Sahara Desert. This was a crazy experience. We rode on 4x4 jeeps into the campsite at night through the sand dunes. It was so much fun as we went speeding through the sand, playing Moroccan music from the radio. Once we arrived to the campsite, we had another standard Moroccan meal and went to bed. There were no working toilets, showers or sinks….fyi. We woke up the next morning and went on a camel ride into a small town. The camels were sooo neat. While they smelt bad, it was lots of fun riding through the Sahara…how many people can say they have done that in their lifetime? I tried to take it all in and realize what an incredible experience I was partaking in. Afterwards, women came to the campsite and gave us hennas wherever we wished. The workers at the campsite were very friendly and taught us parts of the Arabian alphabet. It was fun trying to learn how to spell my name and learning that they read backwards compared to the standard way.

By day two, I was ready to wash my hands, sleep on a bed, have electricity, and most importantly shower! After a full day of travel, we finally got back to Sevilla, where I stayed in a hostel for only five hours as I had to wake up at 4am to catch a flight back to Barcelona. By this point, I was so ready to go back home to my room and close friends. Once I got back to Barcelona, the “Moroccan sickness” hit me. I was in bed for two full days with stomach problems…no bueno! Good thing I was able to be sick in my own bed and not in the middle of the desert.

I signed up for this excursion months before my program began, and if I could do it again, I think I would have done this differently. I enjoyed meeting new people of course, but I really missed my close friends that I had formed in Barcelona. Most of that crew headed off to Croatia for spring break…tough lives. In the end though, it turned out to be a great experience and I am glad I went.

The final weeks in Barcelona were some of the best weeks of my life. I cannot believe my time in Barce has already ended and it feels like just yesterday I started my study abroad application. I knew studying abroad would create some memorable experiences and some great friends, but I never knew it could be as special as it was. I created lifelong friends that I feel like I have known for years and not just a short four months. My time abroad was the most incredible experience I have ever had and just wish it could have not ended as soon as it did. I will cherish these memories and friendships for the rest of my life and just hope that something this amazing comes along again soon. As for now, I can only appreciate that I was given the opportunity to study abroad and make sure I never take that for granted.

 Walking through the Medina

 Leather store in the Medina

Turban store 

 Walking through the Sahara Desert

 All of us on our camels 

My camel for the day!

Portugal

So Sorry I haven’t written in ages….to be honest I have just been having way way way too much time and the fact that I only have less than a month left is freaking me out. I have wanted to spend little time in my room on the computer, and more time out with my new friends! Let’s see where did we leave off…Portugal was amazing!!!! I went with 5 other girlfriends: Laura, Natalie, Danielle, Shyia, and Dana and we all had a blast!! We landed Friday morning at 8am in Lisbon where we got settled into our great hostel called Lisbon Hostel Living. It was so adorable, clean, and a great experience. We had a tour scheduled with We Hate Tourism Tours (which I HIGHLY recommended if you are going to Lisbon) at 9am so we had to hurry to our meeting point. Here we got in a van and took off with 2 tour guides and had a wonderful day. We went exploring through the town of Sintra and had delicious tasting pastries that originated from the town Sintra itself. We went exploring through the countryside of Sintra and outside areas of Lisbon, blasting music with the windows rolled down. It was as if we were on a road trip going up the coast of California…it was gorgeous. We stopped midway for lunch (not sure where we were to be honest) and had some delicious soup, sausage, and cheese and bread. We then made our way to Cisscach (not sure on the spelling), which is what they refer to as “little Monaco” because it is a small, ritzy beach town. It was fun and adorable! Here we had AMAZING, maybe some of the best gelato I have ever had. It is a chain, but you would never know because it so so sooo delicious. We then made our way back to Lisbon…and of course stopped for more famous pastries, but please forgive me…I cannot even explain what they were or the name of the name. What good am I right? They were puffy on the outside and had some type of cream filling in the middle…all I know is that I could have eaten about 10 more. Our tour guides then took us up on a hillside to watch the gorgeous sunset over Lisbon. This was a sight to see and I will never forget how gorgeous it was. We then got dropped off back at our hostel for a home cooked meal. I guess our hostel has a well-known chef so people who aren’t even staying at the hostel come in for dinner. We had delicious chicken, couscous, and chocolate mousse. It was soo tasty and reminded me of a meal my mom would make. The chocolate mousse was unreal, unlike anything I have had before..mmmmmm soooo good! We then woke up the next morning and went to the flea market in town. It was a lot of fun and a lot of random things…from books to jewelry to old clothes. I got a ring for 2 euro and that made it a successful trip for myself. We then took a four hour bus ride to w beach town called Lagos. Look up pictures…it was beautiful!!! The tourist season had yet to start, so the town was very quiet, which was nice. We stayed at a hostel called the Rising Cock and word on the street is that it is something like the 3^rd best hostel in Europe? Anywhooo….it was great and the people there were so friendly and accommodating. There was a hostel mom who everyone calls Mama who makes unlimited crepes in the morning for us…uh oh…I nearly had about 6 every morning. They were so delicious and just could not say NO. I am paying the price for it now. We ended up laying out one day on a private cove that no one really knows about except for locals. We had to literally climb down a cliff to get here, but WOW was it worth it. It was something out of a movie and reminded me postcards that you look at and say “I wanna go there!!!!” It was a sight to see…absolutely amazing!

On another note, Mom and Dad have been visiting for the past week and a half so far. It has been wonderful having them see my life here and meet my friends. They have been doing the usual touristy things during the day and we usually meet up in the afternoon to hang out and have dinner in the evening. It was has been a treat having them here and I hope they have enjoyed it as much as me. I was really excited to show them my living, and have them meet my friends. My friend Vinny had his parents in town this week as well, so all of us and many kids went out to dinner one night, which was a blast. My parents also got to see one of my soccer games here…who would have thought they would get to see me play one last game in a foreign country!! I am off to Morocco, Granada, and Sevilla tomorrow morning at 6am for spring break. I am so excited but a little anxious. A lot of my friends went to Italy and Croatia for spring break and I am going with my program and about 30 other kids to Morocco. It should be a blast, but I am already missing my friends…time to meet some new ones I guess! I will try to write after Africa, but seeing as I will only have about 2 weeks left in Barca…I might be a little occupied with the social scene and will finish this upon my return in boring Santa Rosa…

 So Delicious!!!!!

Sunset over Lisbon

cliff we had to climb down to get to the private cove

Golden Gate Bridge look a like!

we had a great time!

This last weekend was fun and relaxing! A lot of our guy friends went traveling this weekend so it was mainly a girl’s weekend. Thursday and Friday night we went to this bar called Cyranos, where you get to be your own bartender and make your own drink…haha so illegal in the states, but here I guess it is ok?!? They also have unlimited amounts of the BEST popcorn…so random, but delicious! It is super super salty, but I think it is a way for you to get thirsty and buy more drinks! Afterwards, we went to do the usual club scene along the beach, which is always a good time. On Friday afternoon, some of us went down to the beach and enjoyed a lazy afternoon. It was a little windy, so we did not stay for too long, but it was still beautiful! On Saturday, me and two other girls went to Parc Guell, which is what Guadi may be most famous for. It is an incredible spot located above the city (you can get great views from here) with lots of Gaudi’s work dispersed throughout the park…you feel like you are in Jurassic Park or something of that nature. It is a very touristy spot, but definitely worth spending an afternoon there! Before the park, we got sandwiches at Mendezibal, which is a fresh sandwich place located off of La Rambla. I got a warm mozzarella cheese, mango, and avocado sandwich…different, but good! We then went back and rested for a night out on the town at one of beach clubs Catwalk. Today is Sunday and we are just using it to rest and catch up with friends…and maybe do a little homework. The next four weekends straight we are all traveling, so now is the only time to rest!!

 Friends at Parc Guell 

Main entrance Parc Guell 

Out with Friends!

It has been a busy and fun filled last few weeks! I have gotten a little lazy with my blog so I guess it is time to write away! I went off to London to see Zach and we explored the usual touristy spots and of course went to some great food choices. It was a lot of fun and great to always see London. We went to the London Ice Bar, which was a very neat experience…everything was made out of ice including the furniture and the glasses of the drinks! We also went to a few shows. We saw the Michael Jackson show and Ghost. I loved Ghost and would see it again! We then headed back to Barca and I got to show him my life here and my favorite spots in town. We took a bus tour around Barcelona, which was great for me because there were still some sight seeing spots that I had not gotten to yet. We went to the top of Montijuic, which is a mountain alongside of Barcelona. Here we got to see great views of the city and got to visit the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games site…that was pretty cool! The following day, we went to Montserrat, which is a very popular tourist destination about 30 minutes away from the center of Barcelona. It was a huge mountain with amazing, beautiful rock formations that I definitely recommend seeing if you visit! The following weekend, my friends and I went to Tibidabo, which is another mountain alongside of Barcelona. It was a gorgeous view of the city and was the highest point in the city. The following night, my friends and I went out to a club until 6am and then headed over to our friends apartment by the beach and watched the sunrise. It was GORGEOUS and was something we have wanted to do ever since we arrived here in Barca. At this point, I had reached the “awake for 24 hours” mark and was exhausted, but kept going because we were just having so much fun!! We came back and took a nap until 2pm and then headed out for a very good and much needed burger at Pim Pam….sooo good! It was like a meatloaf burger…so good! Last night, Afrojack came to the best club along the beach called Opium, and it was insane! There are many celebrities in town and Akon, Shakira, and Paris Hilton were there…people said they saw them, but I didn’t. This weekend, I am staying in Barca and very happy about that…I have realized that there is no time for sleep in this city for me…Last night I got an hour of sleep in between coming back from the club and my 9am class. So much to do, with not enough time. My friends and I cannot believe how fast this is going and are so depressed we are half way done…I am excited to try and get some sleep this weekend and do some Barcelona touring!

 Montserrat

Zach and I in London

Zach and I at the 1992 Olympic site on Montijuic

Weekend Trip to Paris!

Bonjour!!! This last weekend, a group of my friends and I took off for the beautiful, romantic city…Paris! To say it was freezing was an understatement…no words could explain how cold it really was. Coming from living in the snow for the past 2.5 years, one would think I would be able to deal with it, but all of us Boulder kids said we haven’t experienced something this cold…ever! The first day we were there was the coldest day in HISTORY in Paris. Can you believe that!?!? Ahhh SO COLD. I wore 3 pairs of socks and still could not feel my toes. Once we arrived to our hostel, St. Christopher, we had lunch down the canal. Our hostel was great and so much fun. We got an 8 person hostel room, which was huge and very spacious for all of us. We went to lunch at this great local restaurant, where I had THE BEST tiramisu. It was OUT OF THIS WORLD. AMAZING. UNREAL. It was the best tiramisu I have ever had and just wish I could have it again in my lifetime. After lunch, we went to nothing else but, the Eiffel Tower. Luckily, I had been to Paris before and got to go to the top, but this time..due to the weather, the very top was shut down due to “freezing.” Bummer! Oh well…we went up anyways to the midpoint (2^nd level) and it was just as good as a view! We climbed up all the stairs (my found counted going down and I believe it was around 685 stairs). Climbing up this was challenging seeing how unbearable the weather was to begin with and now having wind hit against our faces. I was surprised how many people were in line/climbing up due to it being off-season and freezing temperatures. After about 30-45 minutes at the top, we watched the sunrise set and the lights turned on throughout the city and on the tower itself…so beautiful. We made it down to the bottom and walked across the street for a direct view of the light show that takes place every hour for 5 minutes. It was fun to see this in person and felt so surreal that I was with all my friends standing in front of the Eiffel tower on a casual Friday night…it was too good to be true. Afterwards, we went back to our hostel and headed out for a night on the town. We ended up at a club along one of the canals, which was fun! Saturday morning we woke up and went on a free 3.5 hour walking tour through parts of Paris. This was a lot of fun, but very miserable at the same time due to the weather. We got to see Notre Dame, Tuileries Gardens, local squares, the Louvre, Champs Elysee, Arc de Triomphe, and more. It was a great way to see main parts of the city, given only the weekend. It was somewhat of a tease going to Paris, because there’s so much to do there and we only had about a day and a half to explore. After the tour, we headed to a little café for lunch that was recommend by our tour guide. Guess what I had…Frog Legs!!!! I thought I had to go all out because you only get to go to Paris how many times in your life? It was surprsingy really good and tasted like crab. I was just proud that I went for it! Afterwards, we went back to our hostel for a little nap and headed back out on the town for a Pub Crawl! This was my first Pub Crawl ever and it was a lot of fun!! It took place in Paris’ red light district and was led by the same people who led our walking tour earlier in the morning. This area was where the Moulin Rouge was as well. This part of the city was bustling with lots of people…sooo cold, but very fun! We went to three bars and then a club to end the night. We went back somewhat early (1-2am) because we had to wake up at 6am for our flight back to Barca…I probably got a total of 9 hours of sleep in the last 3 nights, but it was all worth it. Absolutely loved Paris, but didn’t have time for the most important thing…Crepes! Excited for this week because Zach comes to visit and off to London!!! This experience has been unreal so far, it still feels like I am living a dream…I never want this to end. 

The group climbing up the Eiffel Tower

We made it!

Group at night during light show

Pont des Arts Bridge (Love Padlocks)

The Louvre 

Frog legs for lunch

Lia and I in front of Moulin Rouge during the Pub Crawl

This last weekend was the coldest weekend in Europe since 1962 (I think I have that date correct). It has been soooo cold! Luckily, I’ve had some great meals to make up for this unnecessary weather. Yesterday, my friend Vinny and I went to this homemade pasta restaurant/store. It was DELICIOUS! We had Lasagna Bolognese and it was the most homemade tasting lasagna I may have ever had. It is called Taller de Pasta and it is only a block by our school…uh oh. I have a feeling we will be going back too soon. Tonight, Lia and I made our way to find some necessary Mexican food. I have been in need of a burrito since I have arrived and it has taken up until now to finally find something of that nature. Teicawey, which is down a little alley in the neighborhood of Gracia was a delicious request that was given to us by our program ISA. Thank god! Only 2 metro stops from campus…I can see this being a weekly occurrence as well. Other than food (not surprising), I don’t have much else to report other than I and many others are going to Paris this weekend! It is going to be freezzzzzing, but maybe if we climb the Eifel Tower, we will warm up a bit. 

On Friday, it was bitter cold out! I guess this was the coldest weekend in all of Europe for the past several years. ISA organized a walking tour through the neighborhood of Gracia, just outside the city center. I have heard a lot of great things about this neighborhood and have wanted to check it out for some time. When we arrived outside of the metro stop, it was soo cold and we did not know how long we would be able to last on this tour. My friends and I lasted about ten minutes and decided that we were too miserable and wanted to head back. Luckily I am here for three more months, so I will have more time to explore! Later in the evening, my girlfriends and I went to this “fairy bar” held in the wax museum right off of La Rambla. El Bosc de Les Fades, felt a little bit like a mix between a Disneyland ride and Rain Forest Café. It was sooo neat!!! Unfortunately we got there at 11pm and by then, all the tables were mostly taken. Also, this was definitely a local place and the fact that eight girls came in and started taking a bunch of pictures did not help us either. Next time we know to show up earlier!! We then took a cab down to the bars along the beachfront. These were really fun because there was a strip of about ten bars with loud music, flashing lights, and a bunch of people in them. After, we walked to Shoko, a beachfront Japanese club. It was huge and a ton of fun! I had never been there before, so it was fun to experience something new. Last night, some friends and I went to Camp Nou to watch the BARCA vs. Real Sociedad game…this was definitely an experience of a lifetime. The only downside was that it was about 30 degrees out and we were all FREEZING. We couldn’t feel our toes or hands, so we decided to leave at half time, which was a bummer…at least we get to say that we’ve been to a Barca game at Camp Nou! I would recommend going on not the coldest weekend in centuries…tonight is the super bowl, but it starts here at around 1am so I doubt I’ll be making it because I am feeling a bit under the weather. I wish I could go because I know it’ll be a lot of fun, but this is one of the first things in Barca that I have had to say no to…es muy dificil!!!  

 On our way to the Wax Museum/ Fairy Bar

El Bosc de Les Fades

It was FREEZING

Messi Jerseys 

SO AWESOME!