Rome, Italy

Rome, Rome, Rome. It was a lot bigger than I imagined!  When we got out of the bus station, I felt like I was in NYC. It was kind of grungy and hard. Annie and I stayed in a bed and breakfast with a few other girls from school. The b&b was really nice and for a night we even had the place to ourselves. The kitchen was open to our use and fully stocked with teas, breads, jams, and cereal. The owner was even sweet enough to give us a free dinner at his Italian restaurant! I ordered a plate of seafood spaghetti and it came with lots of yummy clams and prawns! Our first day there Annie and I split from the other group and went to the Colosseum and the Roman ruins. Then we got lost in a suburb a bit out of the way. But it lead us to our first pizza! Pizza in Italy is very, very thin and it is always fresh. The toppings are not as heavily piled on as in the states, but the taste is very unique and simplicity always reigns over quantity! The second day we went to Vatican city. We spent lots of time in the main Basilica because the other girls attended mass there (although none knew a stitch of latin. lol). Anyways, we then went to the Vatican museums where there were rooms and rooms of splendor. Wall to wall paintings by Raphael and his followers. We were so close to the Sistine Chapel, but could not see it because we were there during the conclave and they were in the process of choosing the new pope! We were really devastated that we couldn't see it, but the other rooms were very similar in design and we got a feel as to how it would be in the sistine. We also went to the Pantheon which is unbelievable because it is plopped in the middle of the city. It was so hard to find because there are just a bunch of restaurants and other normal, newer buildings stacked around this ancient Roman temple. Then when you finally see it, it is massive!! I was definitely in awe. The last day in Rome, was quite interesting. We switched hostels and said goodbye to the other girls who were leaving a day ahead of us. Annie and I roamed around the city for a while trying to find this quaint little neighborhood with itty bitty streets. When we finally arrived, it was the perfect image of what I thought more of Rome would look like. We went to a fabulous restaurant where it felt like we were really in Italy. We even had a three course meal for only 10 euro!! After, we headed back into the city (by the way all this was done on foot, without use of public transportation!) and we tried to go to this big street where all the famous Italian big stores were, but we couldn't find it in the rain! We went into a small cafe to escape the storm for a while. We ended up ordering hazelnut coffee and it came in this teeny tiny cups  (basically expresso shot glasses, though it wasn't an expresso). It costs like 3 euro which is almost 5 dollars. Though it was pricey, it was a truly remarkable flavor! 

      So after we left the cafe thinking that the rain was over, we tried to find the Trevi fountain. Unfortunately, it started pouring even harder and of course we had NO umbrella. We bought one, but we were still completely drenched and couldn't even navigate with the map to find the trevi. We spent time in Sephora trying to wade it out. Then, when it got a little more bearable we went out to find the trevi and asked different random people, but they all pointed us in different directions!! It was sooo frustrating because we spent like two hours trying to find that darn fountain in the RAIN! Finally, we got there at like 8:00 pm, but God was kind and stopped the rain so we could take pictures. We made our three wishes and tossed our coins (Lizzie Mcguire moment! lol). The rain literally stopped for like fifteen minutes while we were there and then started again!!  We walked by this adorable little restaurant called "That's Amore" and split a huge thing of fettuccine and pizza with blue cheese and apples!! The restaurant was so memorable because it was cozy and the waiters were so, so kind! They really represented with their "amore!" The best part was that we were seriously soooo stuffed from the meal because we had been eating a lot all day and weren't that hungry. We then, found the spanish steps and John Keat's (the British poet) home and then we called it a night and took the metro back to the hostel. It was sooo much fun because by that point of the night, we were wet, exhausted, super full and ready to go home, but we were also very jubilant and happy to be in Rome!  :)

Vatican City

St. Peter's Basilica

Eggplant pizza

Vatican Museums

Colosseum

Colosseum

Roman Ruins

Trastevere neighborhood

Pantheon

Trevi Fountain

Barcelona

Barcelona was in short-- AMAZING! It isn't enough to simply go through all the adventures there. I will give a brief explanation of what our days consisted of. Day 1: we arrived late Thursday night and checked in a fabulous hostel. It was my first hostel expereience. My three other friends and I rented out a room just to ourselves. The hostel was clean and they provided us with free breakfast food (at any time of the day!).That night we were exhausted, but starving, so we went out for a quick meal. It wa Is the first time we found out that Barcelona does NOT give free water! You HAD to order the bottle of mineral water and be charged an arm and leg for it! Day 2: We had a hop-on-hop-off tour bus and we visited many, many wonderful sites like the Sagrada Familia which was one of the great creations of Gaudi (famous Spanish artist!) I had never heard of Gaudi before I went to Spain, and I must say I am quite shocked. His work was incredible! It is strewn throughout Barcelona. Went all over the town and saw beautiful gardens, old olympic stadiums, art exhibits, visited a great little neighborhood and ate delicious nutella filled pastries, and went ot an old castle. We ended the night by getting dressd up in pretty clothes and eating tapas! Day 3: We went to a different hostel that was cheaper than the last because we would only be there for a few hours anyways (flight at 6 am). The last day in Barcelona we went to the Picasso muesum where we saw all his early works as a child, and young adult. Then we went to the famous big street called "Las Ramblas" where there was a huge outdoor market. They had a great display of chocolates, fruits, meats, nuts, and just about anything delicious you could imagine! I bought dried bananas (which I now try to buy in every city), and of course I fed my sweet tooth with chocolate!! We also went and did a bit of shopping on the big streets that had Louis Vutton, Gucci, and all the rest. But of course we hit the sales at places like Zara and H&M. We ended the lovely day at a restaurant suggested to us by the hostel owner. It was like a Soup Plantation where there was a huge healthy buffet. I believe it is one of the few buffets in Spain! Fue delicioso!! Then when we got back to the hostel, where we hadn't been given our rooms when we went in the morning because they weren't ready, the owner said they screwed up on the room and he ended up giving us a room for free! It was great because this one we were actually supposed to share with two other random girls. The entire trip was perfect. We never really got lost, or had trouble with anything. The bus worked out exceptionally well because we were able to see everything in an efficient way. I love Barcelona because of it's creative streak and thr resaturants! They have these things called "pinxchos" which are toasted baguette slices with different toppings on it. It is perfect for bar goers or people who want a selection of different tastes! I definetly think Barcelona is on my top list of fave cities and I would ABSOLUTELY go again!!

La Sagrada Familia

La Sagrada Familia

Gaudi's Park

La Boqueria Market

Candy!

Yum!

Pinxchos

Picasso Museum 

Ronda & Cadiz

     As I write to you now, I am sitting at a cafe drinking tea and a chocolate tarta or cake (this is rare b/c I ALWAYS have cafe con leche!) I have to eat this dessert at this unusual time of 6:00 pm BEFORE dinner, because we don't eat until 9:00. And then after we finish eating I never want to go out again for dessert. So my food intake here is really all screwed up. There is so much to write about now, but I do not have enough time or the energy to tell you all that has been happening! I love, love, love the city. It is beautiful and big, but  when you are in the center in the older historic areas with the twisting little streets, it feels small and quaint. School is interesting. I have definitely warmed up to all my teachers and the workload is bearable. The journey to school is long and we have early days on Mondays and Wednesdays. Then I get to sleep-in late on Tues/Thurs and eat cereal while watching Spanish tele. Last week, Annie and I went with some friends to see a flamenco performance in an old bar. It was incredible. The singers and dancer were captivating! (videos to come later!)

    Another thing we have been doing here is SHOPPING! Spain is currently on "rebajas" which means "sales." Like our after xmas sales, except they have a two month sale period where everything is dirt cheap! Annie and I are accumulating so much stuff too quickly!! At least we brought an extra bag for all our findings! One thing that has been terrible was trying to adapt to walking everywhere. My feet went through a period of death and  were reborn when I finally purchased some sneakers. While I have supportive tennis shoes back home, I neglected to realize how much walking I would do here and didn't bring them. Now, I am stuck wearing sneakers with all my cute outfits! I attempted to solve this problem by purchasing other "walking" or causal shoes, but to no avail. Apparently they don't have a lot of size "42" which is a 10. So, then I attempted to buy some online, but of course when they finally came they were too big!! I have now ordered another pair of shoes...hopefully this time "41.5" works out.

     Other experiences have been figuring out how to go out in a cafe and then pay. Learning not to walk on the bike paths that are EVERYWHERE in the city. And my favorite, learning military time (WHICH I LOATHE). The positives so far have been the trips we have taken around Seville. Last weekend we went to Ronda. It is a city a few hours from Seville up on the hills/mountains. Hemingway was said to have named it "the most romantic city." The view was beautiful and we hiked down a very steep trail and ended up seeing a ONE MILLION DOLLAR VIEW! It was absolutely gorgeous (pics below)!
     Another city we visited was Cadiz. They are having their annual week long celebration in which they dress up in colorful, creative costumes and form musical groups/choirs. We went on Saturday the main day of the celebration and there was lots of festivities. We took a coach bus there and stayed for most of the day. We ate our first paella with seafood and saw the Atlantic ocean as it is a city on the coast. We also went to this wonderful bakery where I bought these almond pastries that were to DIE FOR!!
      Speaking of food I found a couple of restaurants that sell HALAL food! There are lots of Moroccans that visit/live in Spain, so I guess some are catering to Muslims. I have tried one sandwich and it was pretty good. Possibly not as good as home, but close to it.    
     A note about Spanish people. They are overall pretty nice. Everyone looks like a movie star or model and everyone dresses impeccably well. They are extremely family oriented too. Dinners are always together and children seem to get more one-on-one time with their dads. Annoyingly, most of the stores here in Seville/ Andalucia (the region) abide by the "siesta" closing time. For example, they close at 2:00pm and reopen at 5:00pm. On Sundays its even worse because EVERYTHING is closed. The only things open are a few restaurants and lots of cafes.( Spain is a very religious country so they take their resting day seriously.) It's frustrating b/c we have to do all our shopping and fun activities on friday and saturday. But I guess it's kind of to our benefit as we are prevented from spending all our money on things in REBAJAS!

      I'm still struggling with my spanish. Not so much in class, because the teachers are very nice and understanding-- but in everyday life. Sometimes people cannot understand my accent and they treat me as if I were unintelligent or a child. I absolutely hate it. Not being able to express myself with my host-mom is extremely frustrating. 
     Most important news of all. Annie and I are OFFICIALLY going places!!! We have tickets booked for Barcelona, Rome, London and Paris. Add that list to the names of the countries ISA is taking us to (Morocco and Lisbon) and that's FIVE OTHER COUNTRIES!! We are going to Barcelona the weekend of Feb 21st. Italy is in March along with Morocco and London. Paris and Portugal are in April! Super exciting stuff!! Hopefully I can write again before we go to Barcelona, but if I don't you will hear from me after that trip!!
(Also, all those with a smart phone get the app "kik" or skype or tango so we can talk for free!!) 
**Please excuse the weird sentence structures and superfluous words!! I have been writing all my blogs super quickly b/c my free time is VERY limited!!***

RONDA

Ancient Bull Fighting Ring in Ronda 

!!!Cadiz Carnival!!!

Adios....