Spain and Portugal

Hi everyone! I'm back with a post from my recent adventures abroad. I went to Spain and Portugal with my choir, Schola Cantorum. We had the opportunity to sing in 4 different cities, which was really incredible. We started in Granada, then headed over to Cordoba, then Seville. After experiencing Spain for 5 days, we crossed the border and entered Portugal, where we stayed in Faro and Lisbon. I had been to both countries before during my time abroad, but it was really fun to come back and see different cities. Here a few of my favorite pictures from the trip:

View from Alhambra in Granada

Picturesque street in Cordoba

Mosque in Cordoba

Seville

Sunset in Faro

Church in Lisbon where we sang

Tower of Belem in Lisbon

The trip was really fun! I'm so glad I had the opportunity to go!

Home Sweet Home

Well this is a bit overdue, but I am home, and may I add, with four less teeth. (I got my wisdom teeth out yesterday.) Being abroad was such an amazing experience, but you really don't realize how much you really miss home until you're snuggled up in bed and surrounded by all the people you love again. I can't wait to go back and visit Rome one day, but I have no intention of leaving American anytime soon. Well,  until I go to Spain and Portugal in March with my choir. 

Last Week in Rome

This is one of the journal entries I had to write for my English class. The last journal was supposed to be about saying goodbye to Rome. I thought I would share with you guys what I wrote. It's not my best writing by any means, but enjoy!

Wake up at 8. Eat yogurt with granola and a banana with peanut butter. Get dressed. Walk to school. Go to class. Eat lunch. Go for a run. Do homework. Eat dinner. Go to sleep.  Repeat Monday through Thursday.  But on the weekends, Rome comes alive. This is when I have the time to really experience the city. I can walk to Porta Portese or the Christmas markets in Piazza Navona. I can buy chocolate at the Trastevere chocolate festival or walk into a random church and admire the ornate architecture that is bound to decorate the walls.

            Or maybe I will get out of Rome and go somewhere I have never seen before. Two hours later I can be walking the streets of Monaco, enjoying a crepe in Paris, or climbing to the top of the Duomo in Florence. The weekends are when I can see the world. When I can really take advantage of this amazing opportunity that has presented itself to me. This amazing opportunity that is coming to an end in less than two weeks.

            I arrived in Rome on my birthday. I had no friends, no family and knew nothing about the city except for a few memories that had stuck with me from my trip that here I had taken with my Latin class in eighth grade. I really hated it. I hate change and this was definitely a change from the comfortable summer that I had spent at home. But with each walk I took on the cobblestone streets, with each pastry I tried, and with each person I talked to, Rome started to grow on me. A seed was planted within me and with each day it grew and grew into a love for a city that I had initially despised.

            But even with the love that grew within me for the city, I still found it necessary to leave and discover new places. Each weekend I ventured away from the comfort of my little apartment and saw a new city, embracing the fact that I was the type of traveler that Henry James and Edith Wharton detested. I was taking pictures of monuments that I really knew nothing about. But I loved every second of it. I was always happy to come back to Rome, though, because I had established a home here.

Rome really has become my home.  I have a greater understanding of the Italian culture, as it no longer frustrates me when the buses don’t come or the cashier refuses to break my 50-euro bill. I have accepted it and embraced it. And now I can’t imagine not being here. I can’t imagine not having the opportunities to travel all over Europe and see the some most famous monuments in the world on the way to get my gelato.  Rome has transformed me. It has made me more independent, more secure, and has increased my cultural knowledge. It is everything I could have wanted from this abroad experience. 

Colosseum

This past week I got to go inside of the Colosseum with my Ancient Rome class. It was so nice to finally be able to go inside and I didn't have to pay a dime! My friend, Charlotte, recently sent a picture to me of us from when we were inside the Colosseum back in eighth grade.

How cool is it to see me then and now! Wearing the backpacks on the front of our bodies was probably not necessary, but at least we didn't get pick-pocketed!

Thanksgiving in London

This past weekend I flew into London to visit my friends from Richmond. She goes to Queen Mary's College of London and stays in a dorm on campus which is in east London. I got to her campus around 3:30. We went right out to see the new mall that was just built because of the upcoming Olympics. I also spotted the stadium, which was cool to see. After that, we had to cook because my friend was going to a Thanksgiving potluck. She was in charge of green bean casserole and glazed carrots. We finished those and brought them over to her friend's kitchen. There was a feast waiting for us! It obviously wasn't the same as being at home, but it was nice having a turkey on Thanksgiving and being in the company of such good friends. It would have been miserable if I had stayed in Rome. They don't eat turkey here!

I was so stuffed after dinner, so I went straight to bed! The next morning we woke up and took the tube over to St. Paul's. It really does look a lot like St. Peter's on the inside, which I finally went into the other weekend. We walked over to get burritos after. It had been forever since I had Mexican! After lunch we ventured over to Covent Garden. It was decorated with lights and giant ornaments. It was so nice to see all of the Christmas decorations out! It made me feel like I was home. We met up with my friend's brother, who is doing a year of law school in London. He took us around to Piccadilly Circus, through St. James' Park, and to Parliament and Big Ben. He remembered there was an evensong at St. Paul's at 5, so we ran back over to the east end to catch that. It was so nice and peaceful to hear the choir sing. On the way, we walked through Christmas markets on the South Bank. They were so cute and festive!

After the evensong, we headed toward one of Thomas’ favorite pubs. He ordered us a scotch egg, which is a hard-boiled egg, wrapped in sausage, and deep-fried. It was surprisingly good, although, it certainly is not too good for my arteries.  We met up with another friend who had just landed for fish and chips. Oh my goodness, it was delicious! We walked around London a little more, enjoying the lights on the streets and Christmas trees here and there. Then we took the tube back to Patricia’s school and called it a night. 

The next day was a marathon of sightseeing. We went back to Big Ben, snapped a few pictures of Westminster, headed over to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard, and walked through St. James’ Park to Fortnum and Mason.We were pretty hungry at this point and decided to go for Thai food. Pad thai has never tasted better!! After lunch, we took the tube to the Tower of London and saw the Tower Bridge (commonly called London Bridge). Patricia, Alyssa and I went back to Westminster to hear the evensong there. When we got there we found out the evensong had been at 3 and wasn't at 5. We were pretty bummed, but we walked over to the National Gallery and I got to see some Van Gogh. I was so impressed by his work! I want one!! If only I had millions of dollars...

I found a statue of Winston Churchill. I took a course on him my first year of school and couldn't help but show my love!

We met Alyssa’s brother again and we went to a pub that supposedly has the best meat pies in London. It really was quite good! I got a three-cheese pie. It was so good and perfect for a cold night! We rode a double-decker back to Covent Garden where we walked around and just absorbed the feelings of Christmas. We headed back to Patricia’s school and went to bed so we could get up for our early flights the next morning.

I had such a good time in London! It was one of my favorites probably because it reminded me so much of home, and did I mention they spoke ENGLISH!? That was a refreshing change from Italian 24/7.

 

Day Trip to Florence

On Saturday morning, I caught a really early train to Florence with my roommate, Marielle. We both had been wanting to go for a while. The night before we had decided it would be a good idea to leave the house at 5:50 am, to make our 6:43 train. We didn't end up leaving the house until 6 and then the buses were NOT coming! We didn't think that we would make the train. We got to the train station with 5 minutes until our train was leaving and we sprinted to the FARTHEST track possible. A little exercise in the morning never hurt anyone, right?

When we got to Florence, our first stop was the outdoor market, which has everything from leather goods to scarves. We shopped around for souvenirs and Christmas presents for friends and family. Marielle even got a leather jacket! It was so funny trying to get the best price from the over eager vendors. I was not born to be a haggler, let's just say that much.

After spending more money than I intended, we walked over to the duomo. I had been in eighth grade the last time I was there and it was even more beautiful than I remembered. We walked around the inside and then climbed to the top of the duomo. We had a great view of Florence and got some exercise when climbing the 493 steps to the top. We took some pictures and then made our way back down.

View from the Duomo

After the duomo, we wandered around the streets, walked into the church of Dante, then to the Piazza della Signoria. In this piazza we saw a copy of Michelangelo’s David and other notable statues. Then we headed over to the Santa Croce, which is the burial place of Michelangelo and Galileo. It was also a really impressive building.

Copy of David

Santa Croce

Then we went to a bakery where I got the best pastry EVER. After this, we had to head back to the train back to Rome. It was such a fun day, and it was surprising how easy it was to do!

Paris for the Weekend!

This past weekend I went to Paris with my friends from Richmond. I left Thursday evening and arrived in Paris later on that night. We stayed at a youth hostel in the Latin Quarter, just minutes away from Notre Dame.

We woke up early on Friday morning and went on a free tour of the heart of the city. We saw the opera house, the Arc de Triumph, the Eiffel Tower and many of the wealthiest streets in Rome. Our tour guide was able to point out many significant places in Paris, such as where the guillotine stood during the French Revolution and the last place Princess Diana was before her death. I really enjoyed the tour and I'm glad we knew about it! After that, we walked over to the Eiffel Tower to take pictures and to just see it up close. It is really incredible to just look at. The line was really long to go to the top, so we skipped that. Then we walked to a little bakery for lunch. I got quiche. Delicious! Then we headed over to Notre Dame, walked through the church, and climbed to the top. The view was amazing and we were there just at sunset. Absolutely gorgeous!

One of my friend's Dad offered to pay for our dinner on his credit card and he recommended a really nice restaurant with a prix fixe. I ordered artichoke ravioli, steak tartar and frites, and profiteroles. One of my friends got escargot and I tried it! I'm not sure what I think about eating snails, but they weren't terrible. We walked around after dinner and then went to bed extremely exhausted.

We woke up the next day around the same time with a mission to go to the Louvre. That museum is the biggest thing I have ever seen. We spent nearly three and a half hours in there and I don't think we saw nearly half of what they had inside. Museums are tiring! I did get to see the Mona Lisa though. After that, we headed over to Montmartre to see Sacre Coeur. Before the church, we ate lunch. I got a croque madame, which was delicious! We walked up to the church and through the little shops. Very cute. I got a crepe there, too! Sooo good! Then we came back to around where our hostel was and saw the Pantheon. We rested for a bit after and went to get French onion soup and macarons. Those little cookies are so good!

I was only in Paris for two full days, but I really enjoyed it and can't wait to go back one day!

Greece

Last Tuesday, I left home to meet my mom at the airport to go to Greece! I met my mom at the gate and we flew to Athens and then caught a flight to Santorini. Greece has been a place I have dreamed of going to all my life, so this was truly amazing.

We arrived on Santorini around 6:30 and got to catch the end of a sunset. After we checked into our hotel room in Fira (which was on a cliff looking out onto the sea), we walked asked around the local shops trying to find a good, authentic Greek meal. We ended up going to a Nikolas Tavern. We got mousaka, eggplant dip, a greek salad, and chicken souvlaki. It was such a nice change from Italian food! After I stuffed my face, we walked back to our quaint hotel room and went to bed.

The next morning we woke up, ate breakfast at the hotel, and left to go on a 3 hour boat tour of the volcanic island and the hot springs. We got to walk to the top of the volcano where the view of the island was amazing. Then we had the option of jumping in the water and swimming to the hot springs. It probably would have been a good experience, but the water was freezing so I opted out of it. After the boat tour, I was forced into riding a donkey up 600 steps. I was not at all pleased with this experience. The donkey was not guided and it kept stopping and then to get lunch. We got a chicken gyro, stuffed grape leaves, and a greek salad. Delicious! Then we walked around Santorini. The shops there were so cute. There were a ton of fine jewelry shops, little bakeries, gelato, and souvenir shops. We went back to our room and rested for a little, and then we took a bus to Ia, a neighboring town, to watch the sunset. We walked around there for a little and then took a bus back to Fira for dinner. Dinner was delicious. I got this four cheese pasta, which was not very Greek, but it was absolutely amazing. Then we went back to our hotel and went to bed.

On Thursday morning, I slept in. Then got up and went on a quest for Greek yogurt. We found some in a supermarket just down the road. Then I had registration for classes at Richmond, so I sat on the hotel computer for a while getting all my classes ready for next semester. Then my mom and I went on a walk to the next town over. I took lots of pictures and saw a ton of cats along the way. We walked back to our room to pick up our luggage and then headed to the airport for our flight to Athens.

We arrived in Athens at around 9 and went to our room, watched some BBC news and went to bed. In the morning, we woke up, at the hotel breakfast, and headed out to a marathon day of sightseeing. We saw the Acropolis, the Roman Agora, various temples, and walked around the Plaka. After walking around, we went back to the hotel to get jackets (it got chilly!) and then we went to the new Acropolis museum! It was a holiday so all the museums were free that day. The Acropolis museum was really cool. Then we got gelato for dinner and went back to our hotel.

Our final day in Athens, we took a bus tour of the sights that we hadn't seen the previous day, walked around new neighborhoods, and finished up in the Plaka before heading to the airport for our flight to Rome. I got to show my mom around my neighborhood and all the major tourist attractions in Rome. We also got to see a ballet (La Bayadere) at the Teatro dell'Opera.

It was such a fun fall break! So glad my mom was able to come and visit!

Portugal

Last week, I was reminded of what real studying actually feels like. Midterms at my abroad program really snuck up on me and hit me hard. I was so stressed, getting four hours of sleep a night, and on a strict diet of chocolate and earl grey tea. I was so glad all of the madness was over on Thursday afternoon.

Right after my Italian class, I took a packed bus to the train station and then a bus to Ciampino Airport. I had a while before my flight actually left, so I took advantage of the free perfume samples at the duty free store.  My journey is a little confusing because I took a plane to Madrid and then from Madrid I took a bus to get to Portugal. It seems a little round about, but I was going with my friend Alyssa on a bus trip to Portugal that she had signed us up for.  I was really nervous about making the bus because they said they would only wait until 12:30 and my flight got in at 11:20. Well it was supposed to get in at 11:20 and actually got in at 11:45. So I had to run to a cab and ended up getting to the bus at 12:10. It was a very hectic situation, but at least I made the bus!

The bus ride to Lagos, Portugal was around 10 hours. The bus was extremely uncomfortable and I really didn’t sleep much. We had a few hours in the hotel to rest before we went on a boat cruise of the coast of Lagos. My friends and I walked around and found a café with fresh croissants and a grocery store so we could stock up on snacks for the bus ride for the next day.  After that, we headed down to the harbor. 

The boat took us around to see the caves that are built into the cliffs on the shore. They were so cool to look at. They kind of reminded me of the caves I saw on Iona. The boat stopped and everyone jumped into the water. It was around 75 degrees out and the water wasn’t too cold. I got right out though because I tend to panic in open water. Something that was really noticeable was how salty the water was. I had crystals forming all over my body! The cruise lasted around 4 hours. After the cruise, I was famished. We went to the first place we saw and ordered cheeseburgers and fries. Not the most authentic Portuguese food, but it did the trick. It’s the first burger I’ve had since I’ve been here, and it was definitely not the same. 

We had split up from the group for dinner, so we had a bit of trouble finding our way back to the hotel. It probably took us 1 hour of walking around the small city and asking for directions, when it should have taken us about 20. After that, Alyssa and I really wanted to see the beach so we asked the concierge for directions. It was so beautiful and we hit it just at sunset. The cliffs were blocking out view of the sun, but it was still really stunning. 

We went back to our room and rested. We planned to walk around the city at night later, but I fell asleep at 8 and didn’t wake up until the next morning. Oops! I got a great night of sleep though. There was a great breakfast at the hotel the next morning and then we got on the bus to go to Lisbon. The bus ride took about 4 hours.

We got dropped off at one of the main squares in Lisbon and then headed towards the Castle of St. George, which is a medieval fortress on the top of a hill in Lisbon. It was really amazing and the view out onto the sea was breathtaking. We headed back down towards another main street in Lisbon and had free time to go get lunch. This time, I ordered grilled cod, authentic Portuguese food. It was really good! I just had to watch out for the fish bones. We then got back on the bus to go see the other side of Lisbon, which is very far to walk to. 

This was definitely my favorite part of the whole trip. We saw the Tower of Belem and another statue dedicated to the explorations of Portugal during the 15th century. They were right on the water and just so beautiful. Our bus took us to our hotel, which was not as nice as the first one, but still manageable. I showered and then Alyssa and I went to an Italian restaurant across the street. It was really good! It was a Portuguese spin on Italian food, which was really interesting to experience. We walked around the area after and bought ice cream bars and then went to bed. The next morning we had another nice breakfast at the hotel and then got back on the bus to go back to Madrid. We arrived about 8 hours later. I stayed with Alyssa and then woke up for my flight this morning.

It was a really fun weekend and I can’t believe I’ll be going back to Spain and Portugal this spring with my choir from school!

Madrid

This past weekend, I went to go visit two of my friends that are studying abroad in Madrid. My friend studying in London met me at the Madrid airport on Thursday night and we rode the metro over to the apartment. Immediately after we arrived, my friends wanted to show us the city at night. It was really cool to see the city and I was struck by the differences from Rome (more cosmopolitan and seemed to be a bit more Americanized).

The next morning, we woke up after squeezing 4 people onto 2 single beds and went out for a little brunch/sightseeing. We walked through the main piazza of Madrid (Piazza del Sol-where the protest was the next day) and found a bocadilla/sandwich shop. I ordered a bocadilla de calamares, which is basically a piece of french bread with fried calamari on it. I don't even like calamari, but I felt like it's a food that represents Madrid, so I tried it. I ended up giving most of it away, but at least I made the effort! Next, we walked through this huge market and I had to get some paella, of course. It was delicious!

Piazza del Sol

Then we walked over to the palace (Palacio Real de Madrid) and paid the student price to walk around the rooms. It was so impressive and decadent, and once again, there were no pictures allowed inside. I really enjoyed reading about the history behind each of the rooms and I lagged a little behind the rest of the group because of it. Oops.

We then walked to a little park and just sat and talked for a while. After my time here, I really have realized that this is one of my favorite things to do. It’s nice to just sit and absorb the culture around you. We then walked home for some gelato (obviously not as good as Rome, but still did the trick) and rested for a little before going out to dinner. 

The next morning, we headed over to the Parco del Retiro, which was originally the palace garden. I was able to see my first glimpse of fall! We sat and talked once again and then headed over to the Museo del Prado. I haven’t been to an art museum in a while, so it was nice seeing some of the masterpieces by El Greco, Goya, Rubens, and Valasquez. It was really amazing to be there. There was even a little Picasso exhibit, which was cool to see! We walked back and saw the protest in the Piazza del Sol on the way. Good thing it didn’t get as violent as it did in Rome! We rested in the apartment and then went out for a dinner of tapas.

Parco del Retiro

It was really fun to be in Madrid and I had a great time reconnecting with my friends!