7 Counties, 4 Months, Not Too Shabby

I've finally uploaded all the pics from my 3 weeks of adventuring. Enjoy!

Inshallah . . . Ciao

So this might be a superfluous last blog post as I will be back in Tulsa in approximately 4 days, but oh well. Umm since I last posted a lot has happened, most exciting being that I survived a sandstorm in the SAHARA and road a camel. No big deal ;) I also had a lovely Easter with my friends in Sevilla and am now chillin in Italy. No worries guys, I have tons of pics and stories for when I return. But for now I'd like to reflect how perfect it is that I'm ending in Italy where they use ciao for both hello and goodbye. So in 4 days I will say ciao Europe and ciao friends and family
Has it really been 4 months already?

Slainte!

Oh btw, I'm still alive! Yay! There were a few close calls . . . nah, it's been really good. I left the parents on Monday to begin my long journey northward. Made it to London in a very timely manner. Saw a few sights before eating delicious fish and chips (even on a budget I couldn't skip that). We went to see Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre. SO good. We adventured London and stayed at Terri's house . . . man am I excited to have a home bed again. Next was off to Dublin. Mmmm . . . Guinness. And small world, ran into Ben Shroeder at the hostel. Crazy! Galway has been really nice but we are headed to new places! Adventure awaits . . .

Verano . . . y PADRES!!!!

After my last week in Santander, it appears that I am on summer vacation! So crazy I know. . . but that's definitely part of the reason I chose my program. So nothing really exciting happened after all the busy-ness on Monday, I mean technically I still had class on Wednesday and Thursday, but really. . . I was pretty much done. I was real sad to leave my host family on Friday, but life must go on, and it definitely helps that when I got to Madrid my parents were there waiting for me. Such adventures with the padres! Apparently before I made it to Madrid, they managed to super get themselves lost (like 2.5 hours trying to find the hotel from the airport; it only really takes 5 min). But they practiced a bunch after that trauma and managed to come get me at 430 on Saturday morning. YAY for parents and a rental car, no airport sleeping that weekend for me!
So a break-down of what we've been up to so far. . .
Saturday: We slept in super late thanks to the 430 airport visit, but we managed to find a restaurant open around 100 for a "brunch" which was real tasty (especially since the parents hadn't had a good meal since they left Wichita). We then travelled into actual Madrid (our hotel was on the outskirts) and visited the Museo de Sorolla and saw the Prado. We wandered around a bit before heading back to the hotel, then out to dinner. We had some tasty raciones on a teraza and headed in fairly early since we were off to Toledo on Sunday.
Sunday: We got a later start than expected (the parents didn't realize that the sun doesn't rise until around 9 up here). We had some tasty fruit for breakfast as well as a cup of cafe con leche, claro! We headed out to Toledo after that and found our hotel relatively easily (thanks to my amazing ;) Spanish skills and the nice man at the gas station (that had fresh bread; dad couldn't stop raving)). Also, dad could not stop raving about our hotel in Toledo (mom on the other hand didn't like being sneaky: we only reserved the room for too people). We visited the old part of Toledo and saw the Cathedral, but quickly headed back as it started raining and we had walked. We went to a super fancy pants restaurant for dinner. We went to bed in order to hopefully get a sooner start on our journey to Córdoba on Monday.
Monday: So ya, the whole "early start" thing didn't really happen and we barely got out the door in time to get to Córdoba by lunch time. This unfortunately meant skipping breakfast :( But we got to Córdoba in time for lunch(ish) but the hotel it turns out was right next to the Mezquita and thus was kinda tricky to park. We ended up driving around for like an extra half an hour just to go down the street we were practically already on (in our defense, it said you weren't sposed to drive up it). We eventually got a lunchtime meal (at like 400). Then we did our lil tour of the Mezquita--so amazing (I might get some pics up soon). And we did a lil shopping (or rather I). And we ate dinner at a lovely place with tasty sangria and olives (as well as fried eggplant, tortilla española, and gazpacho esque soup).
Tuesday: For realz, we were gonna get an early start. I got up at 800 in order to shower and be ready to go. We ended up leaving about the same time as the day before (I just don't understand), but at least this time we had a big breakfast at the hotel buffet (not free, but tasty). And we headed down to Cadiz. So far, it's not the best city, but at least it has the ocean. We shall see what I think after dinner (lunch was less than impressive).
Anyways, I still have about a week left with the parents and I know we will have tons of fun! Plus, I get to eat well for a whole 10 days! But, I think this might be my last big blog post. I'll try to still write something about my travels but the laptop will be headed back to the US with the parents. So. . . hasta luego!

"En un ciclo sin fin . . ."

So I guess I´ll let you see and hear what I´ve been up to for the last month. . .
But back to what's been goin on. . . I'm sitting here in my room with the sun shining down on me (windows thrown open) and basking in the wonder of being done with finals! How this semester has flown! Although I still have a presentation for one of my classes on Thursday, I am basically done with classwork until August. ¿Qué? Ya, I'm not sure how that's possible. Last week was rather uneventful, I went to class, procrastinated writing my paper, eventually wrote my paper, then headed off on another whirlwind adventure. All in a week's work.
So on Friday, in the morning, I cranked out a 2000 word essay for my art history class that was due on Monday (I also had 2 finals and a presentation over a book I finished Thursday night). Then it was off to Barcelona for me! It probably wasn't the best choice considering what all happened on Monday, but how could I study in Spain for 3 months and not make it to Barcelona? So. . . as a side note, Spanish people don't arrive at the airport til their flight is like about to board. I got there 1.5 hours early and maybe 1 other person there ended up being on my flight. Qué ridiculo! But ya, made it to Barcelona and barely caught the train into the metro station (if I missed it, would of had to wait another 30 min). Hopped on the metro to Horta (el barrio con mi hostal) and found Jordan waiting for me in the lil plaza. . . fun lil note, there was also a piano just chillin in the plaza. We dropped my stuff off then headed to Park Güell designed by Gaudí. It was real pretty, but also so busy. So then we wandered around a bit before heading back to hunt for dinner at a supermercado near the hostel. It was crazy trying to find peanut butter, until we decided that Barça doesn't believe in it, so we settled for fake nutella. We had a lovely dinner on the roof-top terrace of our hostel with Barça shining in the background. Ended up watching Spain vs. Czech Republic futból game and trying some cabeza de conejo with the hostel owners(?). We also enjoyed free sangria and olives. Yum! After that we hit up La Rambla (main street in Barça). It seemed like night life was about to start hoppin, but the metro only ran til 2 so we headed home early.
On Saturday, we took our time to get ready and head out. Jordan hadn't slept much lately. After having a lovely breakfast out in the sun, we headed to the Sagrada Familia (another Gaudí work, but this one has been butchered by people trying to finish it without the original plans). It's impressive nonetheless. We then commenced wandering to see some of Gaudí's other works, considering Barcelona is Gaudíland, it wasn't too hard. We saw La Rambla by day which was super fun, thanks to all the street performers (most were like statues but Jordan couldn't help but watch for them to move). We chilled in Plaza Real a bit and got to see some super cool Brazilian dancing, which I really can never remember the name of. Back on La Rambla we ran into some of Jordan's Alicante friends (loco!) who were also visiting. I had the best juice of my life from a market: fresh mango and coconut. SO YUM! We found our way to a nice little park where we enjoyed some more nutella sandwiches for lunch and chillaxed. On our way to the hill/mountain with a view of the Gothic center of town, we found a playground. With swings! ¡QUE DIVERTIDO!! Travelling with Jordan was definitely a great idea! We then headed up the hilltain. Lots of nice gardens and great views of la ciudad or ciutat if we goin with Catalan (language/dialect of the region). (Random side note: I don't know how you could learn Spanish if studying in Barça, so much English plus Catalan = very lil Spanish). We found the fancy pants Museo Nacional de Barcelona and Olympic Stadium. Yay for wandering! Then best discovery of all the Fuente Mágica! We saw the horario then headed on yet another search for a supermercado. This time just finding the store was long, but when we did find one, it was awesome! Two stories! Grabbed our 1.45€ bottle of wine along with bread and cheese and headed back to the fountain. We ate and drank and watched. So much fun!!!! Distinctly different shows for each half-hour display (classical. . . alright to be expected, 80's American music. . . strange but I dig, Disney (in Spanish). . . OH MY GOSH. . . SO GREAT!!) So after watching all these and finishing our wine we decided to head back to the hostel since Jordan had to be at the airport at 5am. I decided to accompany him since I didn't want to travel Barça by myself. So I got to sleep and study for 8 hours in the aeroport. More fun than I would have guessed. Got home, went to Mass, had some Regma (ice cream), edited, threw pics together, bed.
Monday came sooner than I would have liked, but it all turned out pretty well I think. (I can't say definitively since I am yet to receive my grades) Anyways, sorry this was so long, but since I will be very limited when I get on my own (without a computer) I thought I should make it count!
Can't wait to see the parents in 4 short days and show them all Spain has to offer!

Boom! . . . follow the crowd? . . . !

Well. . . it appears that another week has passed and not without a whole load of new life experiences and exciting stories. Last week was fairly uneventful as weekdays rarely are. Went to class, blah blah blah. I did make some peanut butter galletas for the fam. They loved 'em of course. They keep telling me that I´m gonna make 'em all fat. Oh well ;) So this past weekend was Las Fallas in Valencia. . . WOW (I don´t think this word is strong enough, but it´s the best I got)
A little history on the fiesta before I divulge my personal experience with it. It goes like this. . . St. Joseph´s feast day is March 19 and as you might know, pretty much all of Spain´s fiestas pretty much are tied to saints or other holy days. St. Joseph was a carpenter and as such would, apparently, save all his scraps and mess-ups for a year. Then once a year, he would set all these scraps on fire. Kind of an out with the old, in with the new thing. So artisans in Valencia took this to heart and would burn their scraps on Mar 19. This somehow morphed into what is Las Fallas today (in case you were wondering las fallas means the faults/failures). It is a week-long celebrations full of fireworks, food, and of course drinking. Every day they have what is called a mascleta (basically the loudest firework display possible) in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento (they have a special cage and everything for them). In addition to the mascleta, pretty much everyone in the city gets in on the firework fun by randomly lighting and dropping firecrackers. You get over the booms pretty quick. The last day of the week-long celebration (Mar 19) is when they do the biggest partying. They light on fire these enormous structures that they have been working on all year (each bario has one at least). Anyways. . . my side of the story
I got to Valencia Friday afternoon with my dear friend Emily in tow. We planned on meeting our other dear friend, Elizabeth, at the fountain in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento (it was the most specific location I could come up with that was close to both of us). For starters, people start pickin spots for the mascleta around 1200 (it doesn´t start til 200). Also, it´s not good when cell phones don´t function properly. No worries, we found each other, if a lil later than expected. The mascleta, by the way, was super intense and increíble. No words. We then had the joy of finding our hotel which happened to be in a suberb of Valencia. I had looked up some directions to get there, but silly me, didn´t write them down. This led to 2 hours of adventuring in an industrial wasteland, making 3 new friends who didn´t know what we were talking about, and finally getting good help from some nice men in a cafetería. The hotel was super nice (free hard candies in the lobby, best). We ventured back to Valencia for dinner and the Nit de Foc (night of light). Crowded bar and crowded streets. But the fuegos artificiales were the best I have ever seen. Super close, a ton, so loud, AMAZING! Unfortunately the crowds were so big and so tightly packed that I had my first pick pocket experience (no worries I was gonna get a new phone when I returned anyways). Overall incredible day.
Saturday (the big day!) we slept in (after a 130 fireworks show, I think we deserved it). After about 5 full buses passed us and the nice old couple we made friends with, we finally caught a bus into Valencia. We were meeting up with Jordan (in town for the day with 400 other Alicantinos) so we went for the same meeting place, luckily he got our call and found us just fine. And exciting! Elaine was with him too (another TU kid in Spain right now). So today´s mascleta was even better (I know, hard to believe) but ground shakingly, chest poundingly better. Our day was filled mostly with wandering around town (had my first Döner Kebab for lunch). We met up with Emily´s fam, then chilled in a nice little parque until dinnertime ish. More exciting! we stumbled into Mass at the Catedral. Afterwards, we picked up some paella from a sketch stand (and graciously paid for by Emily´s dad, thanks!). So the crema doesn´t start until 1000 for the lil fallas and not until 1200 for the big ones. This allowed us to sit in another lil parque for a bit and just catch up while watching small children play with fireworks (no adult supervision, mind you). We found the little fallas burning when we began wandering again. Then we hung out in front of a big falla until 1200 and got to see it lit on fire. WOW!!!! It was completely gone in less than 5 min. You have to see the pics to realize the intensity of this. Us girls went back to the hotel after that since we all had to get on trains/buses early in the morn.
Sunday was all travel interspersed with wonderful conversation and a fresh baguette (yum!). Got home and slept very well. This week will be full of actual work, bleh! But that´s what happens when next week is my last week here! (Santander of course, not Europe). Oh ya, I´ll be off to Barcelona in 3 days. . .

Picos y Tortitas

Another week has come and gone. . . I don´t quite understand how it goes so fast. But, such is life. Classes are continuing as normal. No Art History last lunes thanks to Carnaval, but other than that, normal. I forgot to mention last time, that despite our two week break, we once again have franceses. Last week it was 3 older boys (17 & 18) (one was kinda cute, but don´t tell Allen). This week we have 3 girls, haven´t had the chance to chat with em yet, but I´m sure there will be fun had. The most exciting thing from the weekdays had to be receiving Janine´s paquete. NEW CLOTHES!!!! What living out of a suitcase will do . . .
Anyways, on sábado we headed out to the Picos de Europa. These are the montañas that are south of Santander. Our natural border from the rest of Spain (we are a lil different up here). I can´t begin to describe how gorgeous it was. But, take my word ¡que increíble! Also, there was a nice coat of snow up there. This ended up being to our disadvantage as we weren´t able to actually hike down the mountain. (Not prepared and kinda dangerous). The views we did get we still impresionante. And there was a bit of hiking. With our unexpected free time, we visited the lil pueblo of Potes (biggest town in the Picos). It was preciosa. It was all old and cute and stuff. We also got to see a church from the 10th century. ¡Qué antiguo! It was cute and lil too.
On Sunday, I made tortitas (pancakes) for the fam. They seemed to quite enjoy them (as a dessert). Yum. . . no syrup but caramel sauce and chocolate sprinkles. I´m really starting to take to heart this whole cooking by sight thing. And cooking everything from scratch. . . o dear! 50s housewife here I come! But ya, went to Mass at another church here in Santander, Santa Lucia (which happens to be next to the biggest night scene here). I do love irony. Pretty church, but really it´s hard to find a non-pretty, non-old church around these parts. Spent the rest of the day studying and working on my presentation for Monday. Now that that´s done I get to look forward to Friday. ¡¡¡LAS FALLAS!!!