I don't even know where to begin! This country is so amazing, why didn't I study abroad here?! (Hehe just kidding... kind of!) I left Friday morning with my friends Hana, Veronica, and Elsa and flew RyanAir into Dublin. We arrived around 12:30 p.m., and right away stopped at an Irish Pub for a hearty meal and a beer! The food here is so delicious, meat and potatoes are so simple, yet the Irish know how to put their own unique twist on it and make it into one of the best things I've tasted! (Hana and I in our room at the hostel)
After we checked into our hostel, we walked around the city and signed up for a bus tour for the next day that took us to the countryside. Next, we walked along the main streets and around Trinity College. After awhile, it started to get late and the pubs started to get lively. We went to The Temple Bar (one of the bars Dublin is known for) and immediately met some of the l locals! And I must say, the Irish have such a great sense of humor and are some of the nicest and friendly people that I have met! We met a group of guys that had us laughing the whole night! The next morning, we got up early since we had to meet at a place called "Paddy Wagon's" and get onto to the bus that took us out of the city. We first stopped at a small city called Glendalough, which is about 45 minutes or so from Dublin. We got off the bus and immediately stopped for tea and fresh scones! (It was so cold out, we needed something to warm us up first before exploring!)
Enjoying Irish Breakfast Tea while waiting for the scones to come out of the oven!
Glendalough was one of the most beautiful cities that I have ever visited. I absolutely love Ireland's countryside! Our guide was really nice and knowledgeable and gave us a small history lesson on the Celtic Cross. It's symbol of Christianity (obviously) and the circle in it represents the joining together of Paganism and Christianity since Ireland was mostly Pagan before Christianity arrived. Oh and another fun little fact: 80% of the movie "Braveheart" was filmed here!
The next city we stopped at was Kilkenny, and it was just as beautiful as Glendalough. We had lunch at a place called "Paris Texas" (don't judge the name!) and had another wonderful, traditional Irish meal. We also had the "Kilkenny beer" which apparently isn't very popular in Ireland, but more so in Australia (random). I thought it was really good though. We walked around the city again and took in the breath-taking scenery. We returned to Dublin shortly after and then hit up the pubs again to go out for the drink that Ireland is famous for... Guinness! I had such blast here, I enjoyed every second of my time in Ireland (except going back to the airport), I know that I will be returning to Ireland in the near future! Dublin at night... the picture does not do justice for how it actually looks though!
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!
