Today, some friends and I decided to visit Park Güell. It was so beautiful, once you got all the way to the top of the Park you had the perfect view of the city.
This Park was designed by Antoni Gaudí. His creations are so unique and different! A little hard to explain, so enjoy the pictures!
Well, literally feria del vino means "wine fair" but pretty much the same thing as wine tasting!
My friend Calli and I met up with our friend Pepe and also a few of his friends at the wine fair. We first had to buy wine tickets where you would pay anywhere from one to four tickets for a glass of wine, depending on how "good" the wine is.
There were tents set up everywhere with all different kinds of wine to choose from. There were also tents that had meats and cheeses that complimented the wines!
We first started off with vino blanco (white wine), then vino rosado (blush wine), then kava (the Spanish champagne), and lastly vino tinto (red wine- my favorite!). It was such a wonderful evening. We got our wine, cheese, bread, andjamón (they don't call it prosciutto over here) and sat outside by the Mediterranean while sipping our wine and munching on canapes.
This past weekend, my study abroad group and I went to Madrid and Segovia (a small town about one a half hoursnorth of Madrid) for the weekend. We left Friday morning at 8:30 am and got to take the AVE! We arrived in Madrid around 11:30 or so, checked into the hotel, and got right into visiting the sites!
We first visited El Museo del Prado, which had a ton of artwork from El Greco, Goya, Velázquez (all from Spain), and other artists such as Tiziano, Rubens, and Rembrandt (I'm very much a fan of the art between the 12th and 18th centuries!) After, we went to lunch and then El Congreso de los Diputados, and also El Palacio Real, which was one of the official residences of the King of Spain. Very interesting, but a lot of information! We spent a few hours at each place. Then we walked around the city where our guide talked about the Austrian influence within Spain. Then some friends and I walked around the city and had a meal of churros and chocolate (healthy, huh?) and later we went out for a glass of wine! Segovia Saturday morning, we got up at 7:45, had breakfast (of chocolate croissants and cafe con leche- so delicious, I had to stuff a couple extra croissants in my purse!) and then we got on a bus and headed to Segovia. The ride to Segovia was amazing, the country side was so beautiful, it was nice to get away from the big cities for a day! Note: Listening to Pavarotti on an iPod and admiring the countryside is the perfect combination.
I fell in love with this city. It's a small city (about 60,000 people- so compared to Madrid and Barcelona it felt tiny!), but it's full of so much history! There was so much Roman and Jewish influence! We first visited Alcazar de Segovia , which use to be an Arab fort then a residence of the kings of Castile. After, we had lunch and then walked around the city for awhile. Our guide was describing each part of the city, but I have to admit that I was off in my own world because the city was so amazing! I was lagging behind everyone because I was taking so many pictures! We then got back onto the bus and arrived in Madrid around 7:00 pm. At 8:00, we all had dinner together and then returned to the hotel to prepare for La Noche en Blanco where everything in the city was open until the early morning! Our two professors who were on the trip with us encouraged all of us to go out and enjoy the city. Well, we did (and it was a lot of fun I might add). But the next morning we had to get up 7:45 am and see more of the city! (I had about three cafe con leches at breakfast). We were all so exhausted! We visited El Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Reina Sofíawhich was cool to see, but I have to admit I enjoyed the other museum better. After, we headed back to the hotel, grabbed our things and went to the train station to board the AVE back to Barcelona.
Today, my friend Calli and I went to the famous food market called "La Boqueria". I've walked passed it many times, but today we actually decided to go in, walk around, and see all the fresh food (after having a cafe con leche and a chocolate pastry this morning of course!).
It was amazing, but a few of the meat sections were a little much to see. They had meat that they basically butchered right in front of you, so seeing sheep's head, tongues, brains, and pig parts were a little more than I was used to!
Other than that, fresh fruit, cheeses, homemade candies, and nuts were other things in La Boquiera. They also had fresh juice everywhere! You can buy a decent size cup for only a euro, so Calli and I decided to try one. It was probably one of the best things I've ever drank. I hadzumo de piño y coco (pineapple and coconut juice) which was heavan in a glass! I would love to go there every morning before class and have fresh fruit and cheese. I'll have to get myself out of bed early one morning and walk down there... a perfect way to start the day!
One of my new favorite things to do: Cafe + friends + cafe con leche + chocolate croissant = good times! Not saying that I haven't done that a million times before back home, but here it's different. Two of my friends and I went to a little corner cafe after class this morning and sat there for awhile. It was wonderful. We were there for at least 2 hoursjust talking and relaxing. At home, you go to a cafe/bar (which we really don't have many cafes- Starbucks and Caribou don't count!) and order a coffee. About 30 seconds later, the waiter brings you the check! It's so rushed.
Here, I'm still getting used to the fact of actually sitting down and taking my time. Sometimes I feel Iike after I am finished with my coffee it's time to leave. Not here though! It was nice sitting down and enjoying our cafesand just talking long after we were finished with our drinks. We actually had to ask for our check! It would have been the perfect afternoon if my friend didn't lose her necklace. It was a gift from her grandmother. We found the chain, but not he pendant. I felt horrible for her. But that's why I didn't bring anything of real sentimental value with me.
Other news: I might be going to Milan in the middle of October! Some friends and I have it all planned out, but we just haven't booked it yet (so hopefully it doesn't fall through!). I've done some research online and I am going to try and find the relatives in Cuggiono. I found a great website. For anyone who is interested, the link is:
http://www.cuggionogenealogy.net/
I am also going to try to make it up to Wales, which will be more difficult. It'll be harder to get there (inexpensively at least!). But I am doing everything in my power to make it happen. Wish me luck!
What a fun afternoon! The day started out with class, then four girls and I went to the beach for a few fours.. We walked down to a different part of the beach where it is a lot less crowded and no one was walking around selling things. The water is so beautiful here. I walked in all the up to my shoulders and I was still able to look down and see my feet! Ahhh.... the Mediterranean!
After the beach, we went to the Chocolate Museum with our group, which was a lot of fun. We started out by tasting a bunch of different chocolates and discussing what was in them and where the cocoa bean came from (mostly from Central America/Caribbean, South America, and Africa). It was similar to a wine tasting. We smelled the chocolate first and "tasted" the aroma, then we broke off a small piece and let it melt in our mouths and we savored all the different flavors. In some you could slightly taste hints of vanilla, caramel, and/or citrus fruit. We also got to try them in hot, chocolate drink. It was so delicious! After, we walked to where they had all different kinds of chocolate sculptures. And to get into that part of the museum they gave us chocolate tickets (which I am eating right now as I'm writing this)! Anyone who travels to Barcelona definitely needs to visit this museum!
Today was a lazy day. Caroline and I woke up around 1 pm and our friends Mike and Nate wanted us to go with the beach with them. We met them at the metro station and then met up with more people once we got to the beach. It was very nice and relaxing, except that the beach was crowded, tourist-y, and a little dirty. A lot of vendors walk up and down the beaches selling water, soda, beer, massages, and food. I was talking with my friend Mike and all of a sudden we saw all the vendors take off running towards the water and ducking down. We looked behind us and we saw the police driving by. About a minute later we saw them peek their heads up and when they were in the clear, they began walking around again yelling, "Cerveza! Agua! Coca-Cola!"
After a few hours, Caroline and I walked home and got cleaned up and we met up with two friends, Kirtha and Kyra, at a local bar for karaoke. And we actually sang! The girls kept pestering me to go up there with them so I finally gave in. We all sang a Spice Girls song. (Lame, I know! I don't care though, I still love the Spice Girls!) It was a lot of fun to watch other people sing, some where really good, and others were horrible, which of course was hilarious. But it was all in good fun! We'll definitely be going back next week for karaoke again.
Wow! What a day! Where do I even begin? Well, Saturday started out exploring the city, how we usually start out our days. Our resident advisor, Magda, called us and wanted Caroline and I to meet her for a drink (with the other girls she is a resident advisor to, about 12 of us total) so she could see how we are adjusting to everything and if we had any questions. She took us to an amazing little place called La Oveja Negra (The Black Sheep) and we had amazing sangria! It was also nice to meet more girls who are studying abroad and we all exchanged phone numbers.
Later on, Caroline, some of the girls in our group, and I met up with the only two guys that are in our group (Nate and Mike). Mike actually met a guy, Gustavo, from Barcelona that is about our age on his flight over here and they exchanged numbers. So, Gustavo brought his friend Boris to this bar where we all hung out and were able to practice our Spanish with them!
However, I did something very embarrassing. Gustavo and Boris are very good friends. They would graze each others arm and even rub the back of each others neck and run their fingers through the others hair. So, they had to be gay and dating each other right? WRONG! I asked them if they were boyfriends and they looked confused. Then they laughed at me (and gave me a little bit of a hard time) and said that is the norm in Spain with friends. I tried to tell them that the relationship between men in America is not quite as "intimate." They were very nice about it (probably because they could tell I was extremely embarrassed) and we all had a good laugh!
After that bar, they took us to a nightclub so we could really experience the Barcelona night life. Techno music is very popular in the European bars. After dancing and drinking for hours we finally left because Caroline and I were fighting to keep our eyes open. Being a little confused on where we were, Nate and Mike offered to walk us to our apartment to make sure that we got home safely. So we finally arrived home at 5 am and we collapsed on our beds! We'll see what next weekend is like...!
Friday was our second day of orientation. It wasn't much of an orientation though, it lasted about two hours which was spent just walking around the city. It was still fun though, we got to see some of the old medieval buildings and Roman buildings in the area. We also have two guys in our group now! It would be nice to have more though, some of the areas around here can get pretty dangerous at night and it would be better if we had more guys with us.
After orientation, Caroline and I had lunch again with Veronica and Calli. After we ate, they had to return home because their host mom was taking them to the beach, so Caroline and I walked around for rest of the afternoon. A few hours later we were starting to get really hungry so we went to the grocery store and bought bread, wine, prosciutto, and cheese. We walked to one of the plazas and made sandwiches and basically people watched. It was funny trying to buy wine though... we obviously didn't have a wine opener on us so we were able to find little tiny boxes of red wine (they came in packs of three), it basically looked like a juice box!
We kept walking around and then had dinner with our host dad. Over dinner we talked about music, the Spanish language, and what life is like in America. He doesn't like big cities, he said he didn't like Los Angeles or New York when he visited America. He doesn't even like Barcelona! It was nice practicing our Spanish with him because he corrects us more than our host mom does, which I like a little better.
After dinner, Caroline and I went to the same Irish pub! (Sad, I know). Our host dad was telling us about some of the fun areas to go to at night, but since we didn't exactly know where we were going (and we would have to walk around some of the more dangerous areas) we didn't think it was a good idea for two girls to try and find a bar in the area he recommended at night. So we just walked the block and a half to the pub. We were hoping to meet some locals there, wanting to practice our Spanish. Well, we didn't. But we did meet some guys from Australia and Denmark! The guys from Australia were traveling around all of Europe for a few months, just basically having a good time. The three guys from Denmark are living here for a few months, trying to become fluent in Spanish. (One lived here permanently, while the other two were friends of his only staying here until the end of October). It was fun talking with them, but after awhile we started to get tired (we stayed out 'til three!) and decided to go home.
Today was our first day of orientation! It was really nice to meet some of the other students in our group. However, there is one small problem... It's all girls! It's like being at St. Kate's again! It's not that big of a deal though... Caroline and I were discussing earlier that it would be nice to have some guys in our group so when we would go out at night we would have some extra "protection" at bars and clubs.
Orientation was a little boring though. We basically discussed expectations, rules, and safety. However, the safety part really freaked out me and Caroline! The director of our program talked to us about going out with a group of people at night (night just two) and that it's important to take the bus or a taxi once it gets really late into the night. He told us a story of how a young man and his girlfriend were exchange students and they were coming out of the metro station and the girl got robbed! The boyfriend chased after the thief and started to beat him. However, the thief had about 4 other "thief friends" in the metro station and the boyfriend got stabbed! (He ended up being okay though). I know our professor was just trying to tell us it's all about common sense... but it really did scare us! After orientation, Caroline and I had lunch with two of the girls in our group. They were really nice. We spent most of lunch getting to know each other and talking about our families and our hometowns. We all really want to go to Paris so we are going to try to plan a weekend when we can all go together!
After lunch, Caroline and I walked around more then we returned home for dinner. We talked about safety with hour host mom too and she gave us tips on what to do and what neighborhoods to stay away from once it gets dark out.
Caroline and I went to that Irish pub again for drinks tonight after dinner. The pub is only about a block and a half away from our apartment... and after our "safety talk" today at orientation we did not want to venture out further! It was a lot of fun though, we stayed for a few hours and got to know each other even more. Tomorrow is our second day of orientation and our director is going to take us around the city. Goodnight and I miss you all very, very much!!
Today, Caroline and I explored the city more. It was really nice, we walked more "downtown" Barcelona and saw where all the designer shops are. We stopped in H&M so she could buy a pair of sunglasses (and may I say, it is a lot better than the one we have back home!). After walking around for a few hours, we stopped at a small cafe and had cappuccinos and we split a sandwich. It's really fun to people watch here. I've noticed a lot of the men carry "man-bags" or "satchels" and also, people who are dating are very much into PDA! We saw a few couples making out on some of the benches! We sat there for awhile and then came back home and had dinner with our host mom. We talked about religion, our families, and some of the history of Spain. She is really helping us with our Spanish, she is very patient and likes us to figure out words on our own. After dinner, Caroline and I walked about a block and a half away to an Irish Pub and had a drink (we don't know where all the "cool" bars are yet!). We both had Heineken on tap... and it was amazing! It was so good that it upsets me that we are unable to have it on tap in the U.S.! Tomorrow we start our orientation and I am eager to meet the other students in our group. Caroline and I want to try to make it to the beach tomorrow afternoon sometime. I hope you are all doing well, and I'll try to post some pictures soon! Buenas Noches!
Wow, I can't believe how hot it is! It is very humid here and my hair is super curly! I really don't think I'll be able to straighten it until November! (Not that anyone cares...). Anyway! I just spent my first night at my host family's house and I hate to say it, but I did not get much sleep. There really isn't air conditioning or a fan in my room, but we do have a small balcony. Caroline and I were debating whether we should keep the doors to the balcony open to get a breeze flowing through the room, or keep them closed because we live in a condo on the third floor in downtown (I don't know if we are "technically" in downtown) Barcelona because it is so noisy outside! Well we kept the doors open and I kept having cycles of sleeping for an hour, then being awake for an hour, sleeping for an hour, etc. All night I could hear the buses, cars, and noisy people coming home from the bars outside! I learned that the buses keep running all night long, which is good to have I guess. Well, Caroline and I are going to venture out again and try to get cell phones! I miss you all and the cooler weather!
Hello all! I have finally made it to my host parent's house! But getting here was not fun, from my hotel I had to go to the IES Study Abroad Center and my taxi driver dropped me off at the wrong place. I asked for directions and luckily where I needed to be was only two and a half blocks away, however carrying my two big suitcases were no fun. My roommate, Caroline, is very nice, and so is my host family. They have two young children, Lilian and Niel. After Caroline and I unpacked and got settled in a bit, we played "Uno" with the kids. Afterwards, we walked around the city and visited just a few of the shops. Orientation doesn't start until Wednesday, so tomorrow I'll explore the city more and try to get a cell phone.
I miss you all very much and I hope everything is going well back home!
