Toledo!

Today we visited the historical city of Toledo! It’s a little town just outside of Madrid full of castles, art, and churches. Since it was so small we were able to wander around their winding streets (getting lost most of the time) and take plenty of pictures. It’s a very hilly city so it was a lot of walking up and down again to get anywhere.

We saw a beautiful cathedral, which had over 20 chapels, and the artwork was breathtaking. We were astonished by the amount of detail that was put into every inch of the church. It included works by Goya, Greco, and even a few by Raphael and Titian (who we know too well thanks to Art History!). It started to rain as we explored more in the afternoon, but we made the best of it and took plenty of silly pictures. We took shelter in a boot store and Kate and I each came out with a new pair (which were necessary considering it’s no longer sandal weather here).

We took the train back and rushed to see the Reigna Sofia museum before it closed at 9. We got in for free and pushed the first elevator button we saw. We had less than an hour but we were able to see both Picasso and Dali so we were happy about that. Tomorrow we end our Spanish adventure and move into our Greek apartments! Let’s hope they let us into the country!

Madrid!

Hola from Madrid! This city is much busier and more chaotic than little Sevilla was. There are more restaurants and bars here than all the other capital cities combined (apparently… according to our tour guide). Everything is open until like 6 in the morning making it a city that never sleeps.

For our first night here we met up with a family friend of Dana’s named Francisco. He was wonderful and took us out for authentic Spanish tapas at a really classy restaurant (which we learned later it’s one of the best places in Spain). He ordered for us and then wouldn’t tell us what we were eating until after we’d tried it. All of it was delicious and we were so thankful to have someone who knew exactly what was good there.

The next day we tackled Madrid all on our own. In the morning we did another free walking tour (3 and a half hours long) around the city to all the major cites. It was kinda chilly but we were prepared with layers and jackets. We learned a lot about the history of Spain and the stories behind their culture. We went to a famous churro and chocolate place that had been visited by several celebrities and is open 24 hours a day. We then did a little window-shopping at “El Cortes Ingles” which is a HUGE department store here that we’ve been seeing bags for all over the place. Then we ended our night with kebabs (our Florence favorite). Next stop Toledo!

Sevillaaa

We finished up Barcelona by heading to Gaudi Park, which was well worth the trip. It was essentially a sculpture park full of mosaic art everywhere. It was a lot bigger than we had anticipated on the map, but I think we covered a lot of ground in the time we were there.

We were able to make our train to Sevilla and we fell in love with the city the minute we got out of the cab. It’s full of tiny streets and alleyways that go in every direction. They were lined with shops, restaurants, and bars in assorted colors. Sevilla is known for it’s red and yellow-orange colored buildings specifically. We explored for a little while before going to get tapas. At the restaurant a man placed a one-month puppy right on our table. It was precious! We ordered paella (a typical rice dish, with seafood looking right at us…), meatballs in orange sauce, and stuffed eggplant. After dinner we got quite lost wandering the streets without a map but we were able to find our way back eventually

The next morning we went on a free tour of the city (much like the one we did in Barcelona). Our guide Brian was a slightly awkward redhead who was still new to Sevilla. We learned a lot but it wasn’t the greatest tour. After that we found another restaurant where we ordered a fried ham and cheese roll, croquets (fried potato balls), and a Spanish tortilla (kind of like an egg bake potato thing). After our feast we ventured up the Giralda Tower. I took a few shots of Dana and Kate standing on the edge (heights still aren’t my thing) and we wandered around the beautiful church below. It’s the third largest in Europe, coming behind St. Paul’s in London, and St. Peter’s in Rome.  

           

At night we got some food to make sandwiches to eat on our hostel’s terrace. It overlooked the whole city (think Agraba’s roofs from Aladin). Then went to find churros, but somehow ended up finding dessert instead. I got a frozen chocolate cake, Kate got a vanilla chocolate cake, and Dana of course got gelato. Our hostel offered various activities for pretty cheap so we did one that included a Flemenco show and a bar crawl.  The Flemenco was incredible; she was extremely talented as were the singer and the guitarist. There was so much passion and intensity, it was fascinating to watch. Then we went to three separate bars across Sevilla to end at a nightclub, which was another fun cultural experience.

We checked out in the morning and headed to the train station. Next stop Madrid!

"Grazi-as?"

We arrived in Barcelona last night and had the first of our adventures in Espana! After trekking through the city we were somehow able to find our hostel which is a little outside the city. We expected to be able to read the native language of Catalan (with minimal sucess). It looks like a combination of many languages with a bunch of symbols we've never seen and random letters like "x" thrown in occasionally. I also discovered my true calling to become an advocate for Catalan independence (Google it).

When we got up to our hostel room we met one of our roommates who loved to "Compre compe compre... mamma mia!" She was frantically trying to fit three pairs of boots into her suitcase (all of which she bought new). We went to find a place to eat dinner and stumbled upon a little mall across from our hostel. We attempted to find tapas but with no luck (it was pretty late so most things were closed), and somehow ended up at a German restaurant. After we explored our neighborhood before heading to bed so we would have energy for the next day.

Today we started our day with a free tour of the city we discovered. Our British tour guide took us all over the city to see all sorts of churches and neighborhoods. He was surprisingly entertaining for the whole 2 and a half hours and we learned a lot about Spanish history. After the tour we attempted to find tapas again. We thought we found a decently priced one, but it turned out their "Daily Special" included pasta, steak, and wine (sounds awfully familiar doesn't it?) ... because they were out of paella. It was still delicious and was a great deal for the amount of food we got. We then went to La Sagrada Familia which is a huge gothic church that looks like it's melting. It was a strange site, but is considered a must see in Barcelona. 

We ended our night seeing "The Magic Fountain" which was a free water and light show in the heart of the city. We all got a little homesick when they did a Disney medley in Spanish. And then went to a GIANT mall that was converted from a bull fighting arena. You could look off the very top of it (which was open outside) and could see the whole city. Everything was brand new and resembled MOA. Not gonna lie, it was kinda great seeing two malls in two days after going two months without one. So overall I'd say Barcelona is a little strange, but definitely worth it.

Colosseum and Finals Week

This morning Kate and I got up early to have our obligatory tour of the Colosseum. We'd seen the outside of it many times but never got to actually go inside because we aren't enrolled in the history class. There was no one there when we got there so we took a few pictures and rome-d around for a bit (sorry bad pun). We didn't have a tour guide or an audio headset but we made due the cheaper way by reading the signs as we walked around. It reminded me of a giant baseball field the way it was set up like a stadium. I'm really glad I got to see it up close and personal finally and it was well worth the 12 euro we paid to get in!

Afterwards we found this adorable Italian bakery where we got delicious chocolate filled pastries. They were folded in half and were coated with an almost crunchy sugar glaze and had a nutella filling. Such a great find.

In other news, it's officially finals week now. We had our LAST class in Rome on Thursday which was a sad day for everyone. Theology final is going to be rough seeing as we've only had four class periods that were three hours each. Our professor isn't much help either, having a teaching style resembling that of Professor Snape (his British accent doesn't help) but I'm sure I'll survive. Lots of cramming these next few days though as well as trying to fit in everything we still need to see in Italy. I thought studying for finals in St. Joe made things difficult to focus, but Rome is a thousand times more distracting. I should probably stop procrastinating now and hit the books. I just keep reminding myself, less than a week and I'll be in Spain!

Vineyard and Wine Tasting

We had unique experience this week in that we got to take a trip to an Italian vineyard. We were taken through the rows of grapes and were shown how to tell based on the leaves what the final product would be like. Then they brought us to where they make the wine in giant holding tanks each kept at a specific temperature. This vineyard also grew hazelnuts so we made sure to collect some of those along the way.

CEA provided us with a massive lunch which was delicious (as most Italian foods are). It was complete with homemade pasta, fried vegetables, and a fancy bruschetta mozzarella side. Then there was a course of potatoes and meatballs, and we finished with a cream and chocolate dessert. There were five different wines served with lunch, two white and three red. We got to try each of them and see which we liked and didn't like.

After lunch we had an hour to ourselves before we had to get back on the bus. We were all pretty sleepy from the wine so we just napped in the fields out back. It was a beautiful day for it too, cooler in the countryside than it was in Rome. I bought a bottle of my favorite white wine we tried and Dana bought her favorite red wine (both of which they gave to us for a pretty good price) at the end of the day. It was definitely something I wasn't planning on doing until I was in my 40s, but it was a great experience I would love to do again someday.

A weekend in Florence

Florence is the most beautiful city I think I’ve ever been to and is officially my new favorite. We saw so much in the first two days it was insane. We took the train right after class on Thursday afternoon, which was only 2 and a half hours from Rome. We arrived and then headed straight to a museum to see The David by Michelangelo (so we could write our assignment on it).  After that Kate, Dana and I headed to a Kabob shop, which was easily our favorite food for the weekend (not to be confused with American kabobs on a stick). We sat on a bench while we ate and people watched for a while. A drunken man approached us and started yelling at us in Italian saying we were stupid and unintelligent Americans for getting Kabobs. He was saying we should be eating pasta or spaghetti not Kabobs because they aren’t Italian and stormed off in a huff. (Although this did not deter us from purchasing them three more times over the weekend...) After our little dispute we headed back to the hotel to get ready before going out.

            The next day in Florence was just as great as the first day. In the morning Kate and I walked down to the river to find a coffee shop and see the city before we had class at 11. We got two iced coffees and a fancy looking orange pie pastry thing. We checked out one of the street markets and just looked around to see what there was. There wasn’t much time though so we headed to class. We went to more museums and looked at the architecture of Florence. Our professor explained the Duomo, which is literally right next to our hotel. That night we went out for dinner with Paulo (or professor) and I got a lovely dish of spaghetti and clams in a white wine. It was delicious and gave us an excuse to get all dressed up.

            No surprise the next day we went to a few more museums and took notes all day long (but of paintings this time). Then later we found a little place by our hotel for dinner. We decided to check out the nightlife in Florence after hearing that’s where they filmed this season’s Jersey Shore. We found a nightclub called Space which was really modern looking and was packed full of people.  The whole group of us went out which was a lot of fun. We somehow managed to get into the VIP section on the third floor, which was really fun to see.

            Our last day in Florence was spent checking out some last minute stops. We had to go back to the leather market (because Florence is known for their leather) so I could replace my second purse that broke. I got a cute black leather cross over purse that says ‘Made in Florence’ right on it. Then I also got a little red clutch for times when I don’t want to carry my whole purse with me. We then made our way to the gardens of Florence were we got in for free with our museum passes. The gardens had amazing views of the city and were HUGE! They had fountains and grottos and seemed to go on forever. We took a  quick nap in the park and then decided to make our way back to the market one last time. I got my final Florence purchase that was a hardcover journal with a beautiful Florentine cover decorated with gold and colorful swirling flowers. It was my favorite thing I got there by far. We took lots of pictures by the river and of the city itself before boarding the train. We got back pretty late at night and we were all exhausted. It was by far one of the best weekends I’ve had here in Italy. I will come back to Florence someday, that I know for sure.