Italia! Last trip of the semester!!

Italia, was the perfect end to the perfect semester!

I cannot believe that I am writing about my last trip of the semester... but wow was it a good trip, and a great semester.  We had the week off of school this week for a Spanish holiday... well actually not the whole week we have our classes today (Thursday).  I left to Rome on Friday, and then we caught a train to Florence. We were in Florence for two nights, and then back to Rome for two nights, and I returned to Barcelona on Tuesday morning.  It was a whirlwind weekend, but it was amazing.  Italy is seriously the best place in the world, I loved Italy when I was there before with my Dad, and just as much this time around.  The people were friendly, and welcoming.  The food was amazing, the sights were unbelievable.  To be standing in the middle of history that is over 2000 years old is truly remarkable.

Alright, so Florence.  On Friday night we just went to dinner and a few little bars, but were in bed fairly early.  Saturday we were out and about all day.  We went to the Duomo church, which was incredible.  This church is the center of all of Florence, and it can be seen by everyone everywhere.  The dome in the church was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.  We took a tour of the church so we were able to see a lot of really cool things... including going on the top of the church.

 Here we are in front of the church.  Leonard is on the right, and Jack is on the left.  (Jack is from Kansas City as well, and he is studying in Barcelona in a different program).  The church was made of marble and is gorgeous.... it is pink and green.

 Here is the dome.  The dome shows the 7 layers form hell to heaven.  It is so detailed and very graphic.

 Here is a picture of me looking over Florence from the church.  As well as a picture of the inside of the church.

Here is another picture of me in front of the church... The sun was hitting it perfectly.  The rest of the day we just wandered around, went into some museums, hit a few Christmas markets.  That night we met up with 3 other girls in our program and went to dinner/bars.  It was really fun!  The Penne all vodka was to die for!!

The next morning we went to the Michael Angelo look out.  You could see the whole city from this lookout.  On the far left is the Duomo, which is the church I was talking about.  We met up with one of Leonards from Duke and he helped show us around the rest of the day.

Here is Santa Crotia which is where many important people are buried...

That night I had pear tortellini for dinner, it was interesting and very good.  After dinner we were off to Rome.. it is about an hour and a half train ride.  We got in around midnight and went to bed, since we were going to be up sight seeing all day Monday.  Monday morning our first stop of the Coliseum.  Wow, is it amazing.  Then we went to Palentine Hill, and the Forum, all of which we had a wonderful tour guide named Jason.

Here is me with Jack outside of the Coliseum. 

 Me standing inside the Coliseum, talk about history.

 A view of the Coliseum.  One of the most incredible things I have ever seen. 

 The group!! <3 them.

 View from Palentine Hill.

View of the Coliseum.

More of the Forum.

After all of that we went back to our hotel to regroup for a few mintues, then we met Jason again for a night tour.  Here we saw the rest of the big sights including the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, the main plaza, etc.  The Pantheon is incredible, especially since it is open air.

 Here are two pictures of me making my wishes in the Trevi Fountain.  I threw in 3 coins, which means I want to fall in love.  So cliche.  1 coin means you will come back, 2 coins means you want to meet someone, and 3 coins means to fall in love.

Here we are with the group again, I forget what this is called, but it is in the main plaza of Rome.

Well that is all for now.  I just went to our favorite little lunch spot, and am off to my last class of the day.  It is so weird to think a week from right now I will be done with school, and finishing packing to come home!  There is still sooo many things I want to do in Barcelona, so the sight seeing will be at an all time high this week, on top of studying for finals (yes, I do go to school, and I do study, and I do have good grades-MOM AND DAD).  I cannot wait to see you all in just a few short days!! xoxo.

Barcelona adventures, Interlaken, and El Classico!

Hello Family! 

WOW... my life has been in the fast lane the past two weeks!  Seriously... with the end of the semester right around the corner, the school work has progressively picked up.  I have had 4 huge papers this week, as well as lots of presentations, and preparing for finals!  On top of all that we are starting to freek out and realize there is still so much left to do in Barcelona... So we have been busy, busy girls!

Last week, we were all sitting in our apartments (I was upstairs with the other girls), and we realized, we are in BARCELONA, SPAIN what are we doing sitting in our cave apartments doing nothing.  So we threw on our jackets and went for a long walk for over an hour.  We stumbled up...

Our very first hotel!!  Remember at the beginning of the year we were in a hotel for the first two nights... well here the Hotel Catalonia Berna! It was really fun to just wander the streets and enjoy the fresh air.

On Thursday night we were off to Geneva, Switzerland.  Once we got to Geneva, we took a bus up to the Swiss Alps.  We stayed in Interlaken, Switzerland.  We signed up for a program for study abroad students, so they organize the transportation, hostels, and what not.  It made the trip a lot easier!  I went with 4 other girls, and we knew 3 other guys going as well.  There were over 200 college students, so it was a really fun weekend.  We were in a room of 10 girls... 5 other people from Barcelona!  We ended up becoming really good friends with the other girls, so it was a great time!  Our room was sooo fun/small! LOOK!

There are four beds at the very top, then two beds bunked, with two beds under the bunk, and I am sitting under my bed which is in a little corner (I hit my head on the beam about 100 times!), and there is another bed across from me!  It was pretty cramped to say the least.

Here is a picture of me and AK on the left, and Ashley on the right.  Ashley is one of AK's friends from school who is studying abroad in Paris.  This is just a pretty picture, with the gorgeous Swiss Alps in the background.

So we stayed a hostel named Balmers... it is kind of known for being a party atmosphere totally for the young kids.  It was great, awesome staff, everything... BUT we needed to escape so we went to the Hotel Victoria (this hotel was pretty magnificent) and had coffees and swiss chocolate!  (Ashley, AK, Hannah, Me, Taylor).  All the girls besides Ashley live above me.

All of Interlaken has tons of rivers and canals.  Here is a picture of me with the Swiss Alps in the background... I love this picture!

The program we went with had a lot of activity options... you could sign up/pay for which ever you wanted.  On Friday night they offered a Thanksgiving dinner, so we signed up!  Here we all are the table.  It was SO much fun, definitely a highlight of the trip.  These people really have become my family abroad so it was great to spend it with them! :)

On Saturday night we signed up for NIGHT SLEDDING.  We first went to a traditional Swiss dinner.  We had some roast-beef type stuff with a mushroom sauce and hash browns, followed by cheese swiss fondue.  Then we proceeded to go to the Mountain to night sled.  It was not a joke... we went all the way to the top of a mountain, and then took a gondola up that they use to transport cows!!  It was quit the adventure.  We went for an hour down hill sled ride.  It was twisty-turny.. kind of felt like I was in Mario Cart.  There were a few parts I literally could have fallen off the side of the mountain!  But its ok we survived!! (Hannah ran into a wall or something though!)  The mountain didn't have any lights, so our eyes had to adjust to the darkness.

Interlaken was a great weekend.  Filled with great friends, and a lot of wonderful memories!  It was very nice to have no pressure to sight see or anything, we could just enjoy the time being there and wander around town.  We arrived back in Barcelona on Sunday night.  

On Monday night was one of the best nights here in Barcelona.  It was the El Classico game, Barcelona vs Madrid in futbol (soccer).  BARCELONA WON 5-0!  We went to the local cafe under us, where we go all the time to watch the game with all the locals.  It was packed!!  After the game there was a huge celebration in Plaza Catalunya, which we went to!  It was seriously one of the most insane things ever.  People were climbing the light posts, rioting, singing, chanting... so much fun!  A total moment of being immersed in the culture of Barcelona!!

 Here we are with Yague!  He is seriously the best ever. We live right above his cafe so we see him everyday.  He always gives us snacks, and loves to talk with us!! :)

 Here I am with AK and two of her roommates in the celebration on Las Ramblas!

 Me and Felipe YAGUE!

 Love this girl! Ak and myself... we are definitely regulars at Cafe Yague.  At first we got weird looks from the locals, but now we are pretty welcomed... especially since Yague and his brother have taken the two of us under their wing.

 Yague, his brother, AK, and myself behind the counter just having a photo shoot.

A view of the celebration.  Notice the people up the lamp post.

Well that is all for now.  Two weeks from today (Friday) I will be on a plane back to California!  It's crazy think that this semester is almost over.  4 finals and one presentation left... so it is going to be a fun two weeks!! I am off to Florence in the morning until Sunday, then I am going to Rome until Tuesday.  We have all of next week off of school for a holiday here in Spain!  One week left of school!!

I will be back next week with a post of my adventures in Italy!! LOVE YOU all.  I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. XOXO.

Going around the world...

Hello FAMBAM!

One more trip down, and only three weekends left in Europe... WOW has time just flown by.  I cannot believe it is already Thanksgiving time.  It is so weird not being home for Thanksgiving... But I guess I can't complain too much!  Well this past weekend I went to Amsterdam with my friends Leonard, AK, and Leanne.  It was really fun!!  We stayed in a Marriot (Thanks JJ), and the hotel was amazing... the beds were heavenly.  It was a really fast weekend, since we got there Friday night and left on Sunday... BUT we were able to get everything done that we wanted to.

On Saturday morning we went out for Breakfast in a really cute square.  Our hotel was right in the middle of everything so it was so convenient to get anywhere.  This is my and AK.  We had coffees while we waited for Leonard and his friend Max to get ready.  Then we met them for real breakfast.

After breakfast we went to the Heineken factory and took a tour.  Amsterdam is the home place for Heineken.  The tour was very fun, and they gave us free bear! Wahoooo!

The top picture is of bikes.  In Amsterdam they use bikes for everything.  We didn't rent bikes, but seriously they are everywhere.  And the bikers are vicious... they will run you over, run into you, anything if you are in their way.  Hundreds and hundreds of bikes are on the streets at all times.  The bottom picture is of me with AK and Leanne.  In Amsterdam there are TONS of canals.  It is such a pretty place.

On Sunday morning we went to the Anne Frank Museum.  It was honestly one of the coolest things I have ever done.  Out of all the touristy things I have done in Europe, I think this was my favorite thing so far.  The top picture is a picture of the stars that the Jews had to wear at all times.  The middle picture is me with Leanne in front of the Anne Frank house area... we are facing it.  The bottom picture is the Anne Frank house.  Learning about this was so surreal.  I have read the book, so it really caught my interest.

Here is one of me just in front of a canal...  

Here is a group picture from the i amsterdam sign.  Leonard, Leanne, me, AK.  This is just a famous sign that tourist take pictures in front of... nothing to important.

This is one of my favorite pictures.  It is Ak on the left, me in the middle, and Leonard on the right.  These two have been my family here in Barcelona!  It is going to be SO WEIRD not having them in my life everyday... and not being able to just crawl into AK's bed when I am bored (she lives above me)... or be silly with Leonard.  Seriously, I do not know what I would do without them here, and I am so excited to have them be apart of my life forever and ever!  We call each other the three nuggets! 

Here are the three of us again in front of the Van Gogh Museum.  We didn't go through the whole thing because it was 15 euro, but we did some of it...

Here is a picture of me in front of Vondel Park.  It is a huge park in the middle of Amsterdam.  It is really big and really pretty inside.  Very cool.  

This would a picture from the wonderful redlight district of Amsterdam.  If you don't know already, Amsterdam has one of the most famous red light districts.  We went to wonder it on Friday night as well as on Sunday day.  It was very... interesting... it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be.  

We almost missed our flight home... it was scary.  We got to the airport in time and there was a three hour delay.  In Europe you can't go to the gate until it is your time to board, so we just made an area in the waiting part with a bunch of other kids we knew.  One guy went to the bathroom and saw that we had a gate so we wandered over there and the whole plane was loaded, and about to leave.  They weren't going to let us on the plane... we started crying, freeking out, you know the whole ordeal.  Me and Leonard were stuck talking to the people, for our group of 8.  FINALLY the captain said fine because he could see us all freeking and let us on even though the company told him not to.  Soooo we made it back... THANK GOOOODNESS!

Well that is all for Amsterdam.  I am off to Interlocken, Switzerland on Thursday for a Thanksgiving trip.  We don't get to celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday but we are celebrating on Friday night with the whole group going... over 200 college students!  HOPEFULLY I WILL BE ABLE TO SKYDIVE... I am trying to convince my mom to let me (PLEASE MOMMMMMMMMY).  But this week is going to be a tough week because I have a TON of school work due next week.

XOXO. LOVE You all! Happy Thanksgiving!!

Relaxing in Lisbon!

Hi there!  Last weekend I went with two of my roommtes (Lindsay and Betsy) to Lisbon, Portugal.  We left on Thursday night, and came back to Barcelona early on Sunday.  It was a very nice and relaxing weekend which we all were in need of!

Betsy and Lindsay were on an earlier flight then me to Portugal (I had class).  When they arrived in Portugal, there was a bomb threat.  Somebody had left a suitcase in the middle of the road, and the whole swat team, fire, police, everything were called in.  I did not have to deal with any of this, but they said it was pretty chaotic.

On Thursday night we went to a very local kitchen.  It was Portugeese food with a kitchen fusion twist.  I had pork with peaches, apricots, and nuts, salad, and potatoes.  It was great!  There was over an hour wait for the restaraunt, and some men invited us to come sit with them.  We sat with 7 guys who were in their early 30's.  It was really fun, and after they took us out for drinks!  We tried the traditional drink of Portugal, which was an almond liquor... IT IS SWEEEET!  A little too sweet for me.  We were in bed early, and slept in late the next day!

On Friday we did some sight seeing and went to see the Castle of Lisbon. 

 These are pictures from the main square in Lisbon.  If you look up from the bottom picture the castle is nestled into that hill.  Lisbon is made up of 7 hills.

These are pictures from the top of the castle.  In Lisbon there is the sister bridge of the Golden Gate bridge.  It was designed by the same person.  It is obviously a LOT smaller then the Golden Gate bridge but it is still very beautiful.  It really made me feel at home! :)  Those are my two roommates, Betsy on the left and Lindsay on the right.

Here is a picture of the castle! It was a very cool thing to visit, especially since there were such great views from the top.

After the castle we went to the other side of town and went a famous bakery.  We got these little desserts, that were crust with custard in the middle... they are the popular dessert in Portugal....  I WENT NEXTDOOR THOUGH (GRANDPA) and HAD A STARBUCKS!

It was a very cold day and all I wanted was a warm coffee!  The Christmas cups are out and all the Starbucks are decorated for Christmas, which I LOVE!

After that we went to the famoue tower on the river.  Here is a picture of us infront of it!  We couldn't go in it because it was closed/costed too many euro's for my budget.

On Friday night we went to a REALLY local restraunt that our hostel recommended to us.  It is in the top 500 places to eat in the world by the National Geographic.  I did not love my meal, but its because we could not read the menu and we knew it was chicken!  They had fish, tuna and seabass... they said it was the best fish they have ever had!  A man sitting next to us bought us each red roses, and invited us for wine after dinner.  He was nice... but old (48).  My roommate Betsy loves to talk with old people... its weird. Not my jam.  So me and Lindsay just giggled in the corner.  

On Saturday we went out to Sintra.  Sintra is a fairytale type town about 40 km from Barcelona.  It was beautiful.  We were going to go into the castle, but it was 11 euro, and not in my budget.  So we just wandered the town.  I got a really cute new bow headband that is handmade by a local.  The town was pretty and very quaint.  We sat in a cafe for a while and just enjoyed the day.

Here are some pictures from my hostel!!  My hostel was soo cool.  It was in an apartment, and there was only one other person staying there until the last nigt a few american boys checked in.  The staff was awesome, and we had our own room which was very nice.  It was like a tree fort!  I really enjoyed this hostel because it felt homey, unlike my hsotel in Paris, it was very big/kinda like living in the dorms again.

Our room.

The kitchen area (my roommates).

Other hang out area, front door.

Well that is all for Portugal.  Tomorrow I am off to Amsterdam with AK, Leonard, and we are meeting Leanne (friend from high school).  We will be staying in a Marriot (THANKS JJ!) in the middle of the city center!  I am very excited!!  Especially since it is going to be with my three best friends!  This week was a rough week, I am so sad that we are all moved out of Savory Drive.  That wil always be my home, and it has made me very homesick this week!  Yesterday (the 17th) was my one month mark... I cannot believe that I am coming home in less then a month!  I really am starting to miss everyone, so it should be exciting to come back, but also very sad.

XOXO! LOVE from Barcelona.