Pizza and Pasta!

Oh Italy! I don’t think I’ve ever eaten that many carbs in one weekend in my entire life. Three full days of pasta and pizza…heaven on earth. We arrived in Milan Thursday night and couldn’t wait to try the food. All that was open was a tiny pizza place close to our hotel, which turned out to be pretty good! The waiter was an old Italian man who might have been the peppiest person I’ve ever met. Every time he brought us something he did it with pep in his step! He was so cute! After a delicious dinner of pizza we went straight to bed. The next morning we woke up with the intention of seeing di Vinci’s Last Supper. We took the metro to the Santa María de Grazie where the Last Supper is painted on the outside wall of the church. Unfortunately, we didn’t know that you had to make reservations in advance to see it! Luckily there was an opening at 4:15 so we were able to return to see it! I must say it is absolutely incredible in person. Pictures just don’t do it justice. I fully recommend for everyone to go and see it sometime in their lives. Di Vinci didn’t paint is as a fresco, but instead he used a technique which didn’t preserve as well as a fresco so it’s a little faded but still incredible. From there we went to the Sforzesco Castle, but we didn’t actually go in. It was pretty impressive from the outside! We took a walk down the Dante Street and shopped a little. We then went to see the Duomo (the Italian cathedral). It’s beautiful!! I tried to get in to see the interior, but apparently you can’t go in if you’re in shorts! How horrible!! Once I googled what the interior looks like, I’m so sad I missed it because it is incredible! If only I had known that I needed to wear pants! We then took a 2.5 hour train to Venice!

As soon as we got to Venice we took a waterbus to our hotel. It was kind of like the metro system but on water! It was very cool! I just love that everything is on water. There are 420 bridges in Venice so you can cross all the canals. Amazing! When we woke up the next morning we went to the Rialto Bridge and saw the Grand Canal. From there we did some shopping and “got lost” in the streets of Venice. It was really fun to just walk the streets and find open air markets that you could shop at. We found a little bridge and decided to take a gondola ride with Georgio. Georgio sang to us as we rode through the little canals and into the Grand Canal. It was definitely an experience! I loved it! We ended up having a delicious dinner in a restaurant that had an inside garden. After three courses we were definitely full! It started to rain so we had to run to our hotel in the rain because since the city is on water, there weren’t any street taxis to take us to the hotel.

The rain continued as we got up early to take the train back to Milan on Sunday. We were able to tour Milan a little more before we had to go to the airport. Once we stepped into the airport it was chaos! People were everywhere trying to check their bags! We all had a backpack and shared a suitcase that held all of our purchases from the trip (pasta takes up a lot of room!). Once we had the bag checked we made it to our gate only to see that our flight was delayed an hour due to the rain. We waited until we were able to board, but then we had to run through the rain onto the tarmac so we could board the plane. Que horrible! Once we were on the plane we had to wait for traffic control to let us take off. I fell asleep immediately, but once we got to Madrid traffic control told us there were too many planes in the Madrid airport and we had to wait for it to clear before we could land. This caused us to circle Madrid for an hour before landing. By the time we landed it was 1:00AM and we knew the last bus to leave was at 1:45AM from the other airport terminal. Once the bag appeared from the baggage claim we were out of time and stuck in Madrid! We ended up having to stay at a hotel in Madrid for the night before returning to Valladolid in the morning. It was a disastrous day! In the midst of it all, I realized I left my phone on the plane because we were in a rush to try and make the bus back to Valladolid. I’ve checked many times, but the airline can’t seem to find my phone even though I know I left it on the plane. Que triste! Excluding Sunday, it was a wonderful trip! I really enjoyed Italy and now I would love to explore it some more. There are so many more places to see!

Tonight is the final group dinner before we leave. It’s sad that I’m going to be leaving my home for the last six weeks. I really enjoyed my Spanish host mom; she was so sweet! Only 2 more days until I reunite with my family; they landed in Spain this morning! On Friday I take a train to Sevilla and explore a little of southern Spain. I can’t wait!

Barcelona in a Nutshell

Barcelona: Gaudí’s dreamland. Whatever he imagined, he made. Everything he created is wonderful in it’s own crazy, unique way. I’ve never been more impressed with a church in my entire life. Spain is full of churches. In fact, a city is not recognized as a city until it builds a cathedral (a little fact I learned in my Art History class here). Once you’ve seen five churches it seems like you’ve seen them all. La Sagrada Familia is nothing like that. Gaudí wanted to create a Basilica that demonstrated the life and history of the Holy Family. Work began when Gaudí was still alive and it’s still unfinished. Each façade represents something different and significant in Jesus’s life. The inside is just as amazing as the outside. I can’t even put into words how much I loved La Sagrada Familia, but I’m sure once I get back I’ll discuss it with everyone I see!

Barcelona was definitely event filled. We visited La Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, FC Barcelona and Las Ramblas. Everything was wonderful! We rode a tourist bus around the city to get the full picture of Barcelona and it was definitely worth it! Park Güell is another one of Gaudí’s creations. If you’ve ever seen the finale of America’s Next Top Model Cycle 7, it takes place in Barcelona and specifically the Park Güell (this is the one where they are deranged brides for the final runway show!). The whole park is funky and the entrance buildings slightly resembled gingerbread houses, but it was so neat! Gaudí was inspired by nature, so this was an easy thing for him to create. FC Barcelona is the “fútbol” stadium (for the English speakers: fútbol is their word for soccer). It was very expensive for us to take the tour so we only saw the outside, but the Spanish really love their soccer!

Of course knowing my luck with trips in Europe it started to rain on Saturday. When I say rain that’s a complete understatement. I was shopping at the market on Las Ramblas when the sky started to turn VERY dark. I figured I had some time before the rain hit, but I was so wrong. We had just finished walking around the stalls when the sky opened up and poured rain. We immediately ran to the street corner and tried to hail a taxi, which proved fruitless. Not one taxi would pick us up since we weren’t at a specified “taxi stand.” Thanks Spain! Once we finally made it to the taxi stand it took another 20 minutes to get a taxi to stop! By now I’m utterly drenched and miserable. I couldn’t see anything around me because of the downpour. Finally, a cab picked us up and took us back to our hostel (I’ll get to that part!). When we got out of the cab the water was up to mid-calf and it was hailing. This was not little hail either, but hail the size of a ping-pong ball. Not only did this hurt, it made it impossible to get into the lobby of the hostel. The whole downstairs of the hostel was flooded, but thankfully we were staying on the second floor. What a disaster! My Spanish mother told me about a similar experience she had in Barcelona before I left, but she assured me it wouldn’t rain. She seemed to think it doesn’t rain in July, only in August. Needless to say, once I returned to Valladolid I told her the whole story until she was almost crying she was laughing so hard. Oops!

 One of the girls here knows a friend who staid in Barcelona for a period of time. Apparently she recommended this hostel, which turned out to not be that bad. It was more of a hotel than a hostel. Sarah and I were able to have a room to ourselves and it was clean, so I was happy. The funny part was the bathroom. It was TINY! I’m pretty sure you could use the bathroom, put on makeup and shower at the same time. Sarah said it compared to the bathroom she had on a cruise. Don’t worry, I’ll post pictures! This fancy hostel even had a pool on the roof, which we never got to use due to the rain, but at least it was well equipped!

Looking back on it, it was a wonderful trip. I definitely came out of it with many stories to tell and a new favorite building! I don’t think I got to fully experience all Barcelona has to offer, so I’d love to return in the future. As for now, I leave for Milan and Venice tomorrow. I can’t wait! It’s surreal that I’ve already been here five weeks. Time flew by! The family arrives in exactly a week and I can’t wait to see them! It will be really fun to spend time with them in a country I love. 


We were just a little wet!

The Great Train Debacle

So I forgot to share a story that happened to Sarah and I a couple weeks ago in the train station here in Valladolid. We decided it would be best to go and buy all of the train tickets we would need for our weekend trips all at one time. Seems smart right? We were planning in advance and not procrastinating! We’d previously purchased train tickets for Madrid with our whole group in the train station before so we figured this would be pan comido (piece of cake). We were SO wrong!

We entered the train station and immediately walked up to the counter we had used the previous time, not noticing the line. Before saying anything, he pointed to the line behind us so we walked away and waited our turn. After that, we walked up to him again saying that we needed train tickets to Madrid and the specific days we needed. He looked at us like we’re dumb and pointed to the left muttering something fast in Spanish. We figured he was pointing to the train ticket machines scattered around the building. Okay, easy. As soon as we tried to pick the date and time we wanted it didn’t show that option. We’d already researched the times and knew they were available! Of course, it turned out to be the wrong machine: the one that works for the other line of trains. Perfect. We walked back over to the counters and noticed that each counter had a sign above it. The one we had originally tried to use was for trains leaving within 24 hours. We saw the area for pre-purchase tickets so we waited for a counter to open. After explaining what we wanted he asked for our number. Our number? We were very confused until he picked up a paper ticket with a number on it. Oh! We had to pull a number from a machine. Apparently that’s what the first man had told us and we just didn’t understand. We pulled our number and then realized that the annoying bell sound was telling the people waiting around that another number was called. Above each counter was a number and we’d apparently missed the memo that you had to have a number.

Eventually, our number was called and we were able to purchase all of our tickets easily. I guess the first time we went to the train station the man at the counter was so overwhelmed by the fact that 12 college students were talking to him that he just let us continue to purchase tickets even though he was only supposed to tell tickets for that current day. This led to our immense confusion in the train station. It was definitely a comical experience for everyone in the lobby. They watched as we went from the counter to the machine back to a counter to a different machine until we were finally correct. We’ve definitely learned that the purchase of train tickets is more complicated than we thought! 

Croissants, Champagne & Crepes!

I LOVE PARIS!!!! Paris is incredible! Every building is beautiful and it's surprisingly a really clean city. I'm not joking when I say that we saw every major sight in Paris in two days. I've never so exhausted, but at the same time I can't say that I didn't love it!

My major problem was the language barrier. I study Spanish and obviously I know English, but French is a whole different story. I know bonjour, merci, au revoir, and i can count to three. That's the extent of my French knowledge. Apparently I look like I would know some French because every time I said bonjour to the waiters or cab drivers they continued to speak in French to me. Problem. I just stared back with a blank face until they switched to English. Although, the language issue provided plenty of amusing stories! Our last night in Paris we ate at a cute little French restaurant in our neighborhood, but the whole menu was in French! When we began to order we had to ask what everything on the menu was. The waitress tried to explain everything but when she got to shrimp she had to act it out and she kept saying “ocean” and “pink” over and over again. Very entertaining!

The food was definitely something I enjoyed! I can’t even explain how much I love crepes. Bananas, nutella, sugar.. I can’t really find anything bad about them except that they’re not exactly healthy. Every single pastry was delicious although that provided a funny experience when we tried to order something. Croissants, those I recognize but one of the labels said “escargot.” It took me a good five minutes to realize that they were not actually made out of snails but they were croissant-like pastries shaped into a spiral to look like a snail. Although I did step out of my box and actually order escargot when we were in the French restaurant. The menu was set up so that you got an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert for a set price and you got to choose what you wanted from each category. I figured that since I would get an appetizer anyways I should go ahead and just try the escargot (I was the only one brave enough!). When they came out I almost gagged…They look a lot scarier in person! Eventually I worked up my courage to pluck them out of their shells and try them. Surprisingly, I actually liked them! They’re covered in butter, garlic and pesto so what’s bad?? I’m very glad I tried them, although I don’t know if they’ll be on my favorites list.

Everything in Paris is GIANT! I never expected the Eiffel Tower to be so big! Standing underneath it was incredible and I don’t think I’ve ever felt so little in my life! Not only did we visit the Eiffel Tower, but we went all the way to the top. It was definitely worth it because the view was amazing and I was able to see almost all of Paris. We also managed to climb the 292 steps of the Arc de Triomphe to stand on the top of it. Unfortunately, once we’d conquered the spiral staircase it was pouring outside…that’s an understatement. I could barely take pictures because I was getting water in my eyes and it was coming down so hard I thought I’d drop my camera. Good thing Dad lent me his waterproof and shockproof camera! Notre Dame was awesome considering that I had just finished learning about Gothic cathedrals in my Spanish Art History class so I felt like I could intelligently talk about the architecture (although only in Spanish!). We walked down the Champs-Elysees and managed to make it to the Louvre. We didn’t actually go inside the Louvre because the line was so long, but someday I’d love to return. We were so busy, but we made it to the site of the Bastille although the prison isn't there anymore. 

Oh! I've also posted a picture of the Pont de las Artes. This is the bridge where couples come and place a lock on the bridge and then throw their keys into the water. Legend is that if your lock withstands time then so will your love!

What an amazing trip!

My snails!

Vamonos a Madrid

Madrid was wonderful! Sarah and I left Friday afternoon on the 1:30 train to Madrid with only a backpack full of clothes and our homemade sandwiches in hand. Every time we make a trip our host families make a “picnic lunch” for us to take with us. This time it included two sandwiches, a juice box, an apple, a water bottle and of course a chocolate pastry. I don’t think she’s realized that I can’t eat all of that no matter how many times I try to tell her! It’s also pretty impressive that I was able to pack all of my things in a backpack! I’m practicing for the airports here. The airlines won’t let you carry on a bag that’s over 55 centimeters long, which excludes everything except a backpack. It’s more difficult than it seems!

Once we arrived in the Madrid train station we had to figure out how to navigate the metro station! There are a lot of metro rails in Madrid, but thankfully we’d already googled which metro to take. Unfortunately, we forgot to write down which stop was ours, but thankfully we picked the right one. The atmosphere above was crazy! The buildings are incredible and there were so many people! Life in Valladolid is very slow and relaxed, so this was a bit of a culture shock. We immediately found our hotel and prepared to explore. The hotel gave us a map that had four sets of preplanned tours that would take you to see the important sights of Madrid. We tried to do so but failed miserably. The streets in Madrid are very poorly marked and the map doesn’t seem to label all the streets either. Nonetheless we ended up looking for a Monastery for 30 minutes before giving up convinced it didn’t exist. We decided to skip the Monastery and find the palace, which proved to be a lot easier. The tour of the palace was amazing! We were able to see lots of the rooms and the courtyard was beautiful! From there we continued touring until we were ready for dinner. Nights in Madrid are a little scary. There are too many people out and it just didn’t feel safe so we stayed in the hotel both nights watching movies and taking advantage of the free wifi.

All in all, the trip to Madrid was worth it! We managed to see almost all of the tourist sights in the two days we were there. I loved Madrid, but I’m so glad that I’m studying in Valladolid. There may not be much going on in Valladolid, but it’s definitely safer here!


This is what the crowds were like!

More pictures are posted under the Madrid Photos tab!!

Topless Beach??

Today, I thought it would be a great idea to take my siesta at the beach. There aren't that many people there and it was so pretty outside. The weather was in the high 70s and sunny! Perfect tanning weather. I get to the beach right after my class ended at 11:30 and laid down in the sand. (SIDE NOTE: this is not a real beach. I'm pretty sure the Spaniards just threw some sand on the side of a river. Not to mention everyone in Spain smokes so there are cigarette butts in the sand, but it's the closest I can get to a real beach.) Sarah, Baxter and I were all asleep when suddenly a woman walked up and started poking me. She bending over me and saying something in rapid spanish while picking up her papers that seemed to have blown away and stuck in my sunscreen. No big deal. Until I realize she's completely topless. I was so shocked I just mumbled "lo siento" and stared at her. Lesson learned: spanish women sunbathe topless on the beach and then come and chat with you. Realize they are topless before you let this surprise you.

Weekend in Santander

For our weekend trip, we all took off to Santander, a city on the northern coast of Spain known for its rain and cloudy weather. When we arrived Friday evening we just toured the city and figured we didn’t have much time to lie on the beach. Keep in mind that it’s sunny and warm outside at this point. Our plan was to wake up the next morning and just stay on the beach all day. Not such a great plan. We woke up the next morning to gray skies and drizzling rain. Instead of going to the beach, we took a bus tour around the city and weren’t allowed to get off the bus! The only time we got to get off was to see the Santander cathedral. As soon as we got back to the hotel we quickly changed into our swimsuits and headed down to the beach. At 3:00 in the afternoon it felt like 50 degrees as we tried to tan in the cloudy weather. After an hour and a half of waiting for the sun, it never got better and I just got colder and colder. In the end, I was sitting in the sand with my towel wrapped around me. I returned to the hotel without a tan or even a hint that sun touched me. According to my host family here, she thinks I didn’t go to Santander because I came back the same color. It’s that bad. Not only was it not a beautiful day for the beach, but to send us home on a bad note the whole northern coast decided to have rain.

The original plan was to stop in Santillana del Mar on the way home. On the outside of each house, the family’s crest was carved into the stone. It used to be the place where the wealthy landowners reside. The cathedral was gorgeous (no photography allowed!), but the whole tour was experienced in pouring rain. I chose to wear my dark brown rainbow sandals, which in turn died my feet brown. The brown won’t come off my feet, so now it looks like I have a fungus. Gross! Even though it rained most of the time, I really enjoyed getting to leave Valladolid and see another area of Spain!