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