Czeching out Eastern Europe

Feeling quite burnt out and completely exhausted, a group of 6 other girls and I took a grand finale weekend trip to Prague. Though it was freezing cold, compared to Madrid at least, and we were all feeling fairly drained from months of travel, study, and trying to keep up with our foreign surroundings, Prague was one of the most uniquely beautiful places I’ve ever seen.

In its own creepy, gothic way, Prague packs a ton of history into a tiny little area. From the famous Prague Castle (adorned with ancient looking gargoyles and notorious for being the landmark for the beginning of many European tragedies) to the more recent controversial Lennon Wall (began during Czechoslovakia’s communist era, as a symbol of peaceful youth resistance), the people of the Czech Republic are hardened, yet proud, of their history.

Though an excellent place to visit, I was extremely happy to return to Madrid home on Sunday morning to my familiar settings. With each new place I see, I realize why it is that I’m so enamored by the unusual kindness and openness of Spanish culture, and I am SO thankful to be living and learning all about it first-hand.

Italia!

Over the weekend, Kate, Patrick, and I took a little adventure to Italy to view the ancient sights, visit friends from our freshman dorm high school, and EAT!

We began our adventure late Thursday night in the Eternal City, where we viewed the Trevi Fountain by moonlight. The next day we were able to cover the Colosseum, the Vatican, the Pantheon, and tons and tons of pizza and pasta all within about 10 hours, thanks to Matina–our awesome friend and tour guide!

A quick and comfortable train ride north to Florence, and we were enjoying the “world’s best pizza” right at dinner time. Florence was just as beautiful as the rumors claim it to be. Only complaint is I wish I could’ve stayed longer and seen more.

I prepared for my Italian adventures by watching Under the Tuscan Sun, and I literally cannot wait until I have the money and bravery to make Diane Lane’s life my own. Should probably pick up a good work out routine somewhere along the way, so all that pizza, pasta, gelato, and wine has somewhere to go!

A Spanish Thanksgiving?

My final weekend in Madrid was very fun and successful! Kicked it off by going to the Real Madrid football game! The opponent didn’t provide us with a very exciting match, but the stadium and environment still made it special.

This Thanksgiving  Dia de Accion de Gracias was the most unusual, yet surely one of the most memorable that I have ever experienced. The day began with a 45 minute discussion with my Spanish professor (a native Spaniard) about traditional Thanksgiving customs and traditions in America. He was completely understanding of the turkey and cranberries, but definitely lost it when we tried to explain how American football–both watching AND playing–was a big part of the day for most families.

“Don’t the children end up getting really hurt?”

“Do you have family sets of pads and helmets?”

…keep in mind this is entire conversation was in Spanish.

After classes finished up for the week, we headed over to the apartment of a few girls in our program for a communal feast with fellow USAC-ers, and helped our Spaniard and Brazilian friends celebrate their first (though nontraditional) Thanksgiving! We kept some things standard: we dressed up, held hands and went around the table saying what we’re most thankful for, and everyone brought a dish to share. These food dishes though, included a bucket of KFC, chorizo sausages, a bag salad, sangria, and a 1-euro bottle of champagne. All delicious, but very different from the norm. I wrapped up my weekend by seeing the movie “El Gato con Botas” (Puss in Boots) with a few friends from my program. HILARIOUS movie, and I’m very proud of myself for being able to understand about 90% of it!

The Christmas lights were lit up in Madrid this weekend, but it’s still looking a lot like fall to me.

Lisbon & Sintra

Arriving in the middle of a thunder & lightening storm DOWNPOUR after the sun had already set by 5pm, I wansn’t so sure I was digging Portugal too much, and thought it would probably be for the best that it was only a two night trip.  But, as the hostel’s name itself should have implied, we finally found our Oasis in the storm, and were soon cuddled up in the cozy hostel, chatting over the free “welcome drink” with 20-somethings from around the globe.

Following the recommendation from our new friends at the hostel, we headed down the street to the “Mustache Restaurant” (or so the locals call it…) for a traditional Portuguese dinner. Since, clearly, we don’t speak a work of Portuguese, we asked our waiter for some suggestions from the menu. Instead of the standard answer (recommending the priciest option on the menu), he brought us over to talk with the Head Chef himself, who in turn, prepared the best meal I’ve had while in Europe.

Over dinner, we made friends with a few locals who gave us some GREAT tips on Portuguese wines, attractions, and nightlife. Later on, we got a little taste of the Lisbon nightlife and tried some traditional Portuguese liquors, for example: “Ginja” which tastes like liquid gingerbread with a hint of cherry extract.

The next day began with an early and extremely jerky bus ride through the hills to the town of Sintra. The only way to describe this little town is that it is straight from a fairytale. With colorful palaces sprinkled all over the hills and overlooking a beautiful coastline (the most western point in continental Europe–SO CLOSE America!!), I could easily have spent an entire week exploring here.

Our tour made it back to Lisbon just in time for the BEAUTIFUL sunset overlooking the river. We were too late to tour the famous tower, but were able to make it into the Monastery and to taste some famous Portuguese pastries, made by the nuns in order to bribe people to come to church.

We also spotted the Golden Gate’s little sister…

Overall, my trip to Portugal was a little taste of fantasy…the food, the people, the sights were all better than I ever could have imagined!

Drawing Madrid

Midterm critiques just finished up in my drawing class. Here are a few of mine:

Though I’ve never taken a drawing class before this one, I’m really liking this whole art thing these days!

BRB….Europe?

Just when I thought I’d seen it all, Marrakech destroys every preconceived notion about 21st century societies.

My most important take-aways from Morocco include:

• You know you’ve been away from home for a long time when the sight & sound of Spanish bring you comfort in a plaza full of Arabic
• Have blue eyes or blonde hair? Prices are about to triple.
• It is legal–and quite possible–to be slapped with a snake
• Arabic is a complicated language (and Berber is even crazier)
• Brushing your teeth counts as drinking the water (thought after El Salvador I’d have that down…)
• Not all dark tunnel-like alleys are creepy…
• Camels actually can will spit. They also have exceptionally large tongues.
• Never underestimate the power of a grilled pepper
• Cats are squirrels and monkeys are dogs
• Always walk away.

And most importantly, this whirlwind, dream vacation made me SO excited for my graduation trip to Kenya & Tanzania next year!

Oh, what a night.

Amsterdam!

If it is culture shock to live in Madrid, going to Amsterdam is basically flying to the moon. Maybe it’s because I got to see some of my lifelong best friends, or maybe the place really is magical, but Amsterdam is really a fantasyland. Disneyland for adults? Not sure what it is, but I’m legitimately at a loss for words.

I guess the beauty, insanity, and culture are best expressed through photos:

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

El Pais Vasco (The Basque Country)

Though I was skeptical at first about the one-unit, seemingly too expensive, “Field Study Trip” to northern Spain to visit San Sebastian and Bilbao, I am SO happy I decided to go through with it. While we were technically still in Spain, the Spanish Basque Country looks nothing like the Spain that I’ve come to know. Green hills, cold weather, and quaint villages-type houses are nothing at all what I expected.

Our first stop was in San Sebastian, where we got our first taste of the “Euskadi” language (which is NOTHING like Spanish), tried traditional Basque foods at a Michelin-ranked restaurant (never eaten SO MUCH fish in my life…), and treked to the top of a hill to get a view of la Playa de La Concha,  or Shell Beach:

Our next stop was the historically dismal (and recently “modernized”) city of Bilbao. The city has undergone massive projects by world renowned architects, so it’s a very strange mixture of over-the-top buildings with regular gray industrial sites. Of course, the world famous Guggenheim museum was the most spectacular of the architecture, though the art inside was nothing I’d go back for.

We also saw a giant flower dog that the locals call “Poopy” (Puppy….):

The perks of exploring the Basque Country with USAC included many unusual things in Bilbao:

A private tour of Bilbao’s Division One soccer team

A dinner at a private men’s club (our program director is a member) where we got a taste of Basque food, music, dancing, and walnut cracking (I can now break open a walnut with my fist in one try….not kidding).

And finally we were able to watch a demo of Pelota (a Basque sport that used to be in the Olympics! A long time ago) by a past World Champion….who also gave us one-on-one lessons after the match!

I’ve been across the world for almost two months now…and I must say, with my Cardinals in such an intense World Series, I’m getting a teeny bit homesick for the first time!! But, within the next four weeks, I’ll have set foot in 6 countries, so time is gonna fly!

Andalucía

In the past two weeks, I’ve visited two very popular, but very different, cities in the Andalucia region of Southern Spain. Quick history lesson: this region has lots of Arab influence and is also the biggest of the many regions of Spain.

Sevilla

With my parents visiting (miss you guys already!) Spain for a week, we decided to spend their weekdays in Madrid and zip down to Seville Sevilla on the high-speed train. Everyone you’ve talked to who has visited this city–native Spaniards, European visitors, and American tourists–all agree that this is charming town is the most “Spanish” big city in the country. In other words, when you imagine what Spain will look like, this city is it. Highlights include: Europe’s BIGGEST Cathedral, Christopher Columbus’s tomb, and Flamenco!

Dad and I went to a Flamenco show!

Buenas noches, Sevilla!

Cádiz

This past weekend, 4 of the girls in my program and I took two 8-hour long night buses back and forth to Cádiz, a beauuuuutiful beach town on the Atlantic coast of Spain. This is the third oldest city in the world (behind Lisbon, Portugal and Athens, Greece) so it has tons and tons of ancient walls, buildings, and structures, all mixed in with the most gorgeous beach backgrounds.

Sunrise as we arrived

 

One of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen

La vida en Madrid

I call this place HOME:

Well after this week, I will have been in Madrid for a MONTH and I cannot believe how fast the time is going. With less than 3 months left, I’m feeling like I have a lifetime of things left I want to do in Spain (and Europe) on my ever-growing to-do list.

Throughout the past two weekends I’ve tried to knock a few of them off the list, including taking the “Teleferico,” an aerial transit from Madrid into Caso de Campo (Madrid’s largest park, located just outside the main city), getting churros con chocolate once  twice at Madrid’s most famous Chocolatería, going to “El Rastro,” a weekly street market where I bought Aladdin-esque pants, and exploring the beautiful Gran Via area in the heart of Madrid.

The remnants of our first “churros con chocolate” experience at

San Gines Chocolatería

As far as school goes, I only have one week left in my first Spanish class…which means I only have a week to finish the last 50 pages in a Spanish novel. Still cannot believe I’m actually reading a real BOOK in another language. In my art class, we’ve gone to the Palacio Real and the Botanical Gardens to draw so far. Really can’t complain about getting to draw in some of the most picturesque places I’ve ever seen!

I haven’t been able to get this song out of my head since the first time I heard it about a month ago. It’s topping the Spanish Billboard charts right now, and it’s just about time this little gem hits American soil:

Danza Kuduro by Don Omar

Time to get cracking on yet another Spanish essay!