to france ... eventually [figueres, spain & carcassonne, france]

We got up early to get going on our road trip northward, but as my Mom would say, it just wasn't meant to be. First I forgot my passport and had to go all the way back to my apartment from Placa Catalunya, a trip that takes over an hour no matter what you do. We finally got to the airport to get the rental car, waited for an hour for the people at the desk to type some information into a computer, and got on the road. After driving for 20 or 30 minutes the dashboard started blinking and beeping and we had to drive back to the airport and get a new car. An hour and a half later, we gave up on trying to get anywhere on time. That's Barcelona for you.

We stopped on the way in Figueres for the Salvador Dali museum. It's an interesting building - He was obsessed with eggs, and so there are eggs all over the roof. I love it. What a great attitude. He really has a sense of humor and an incredible imagination, not to mention a lot of talent. It was a very unique museum and I am very glad to have seen it. Unfortunately half of IES had to show up for a field trip... no matter how far away I go I just can't escape those people.

We continued up into France. They barely even glanced at us when we passed the boarder. Good thing I got my passport. France was instantly beautiful (and instantly cold). The colors were the best part. In one direction the sandy yellow, pumpkin orange, olive green, and black-brown of the stripes of grape vines and low shrubs against the bright aqua-marine Mediterranean and the soft purples, pinks, and blues in the evening sky. In the other direction bright green hills dotted with brick orange farmhouses and lemon yellow flowering trees, the snow-capped Pyrenees parting the gray clouds and filling in the background. I wish I could have taken a picture, but I don't think it would have done it justice anyway.

It started raining the closer we got to our destination, a rain that didn't stop until we left France on Sunday. The wind and the rain sent the chilly air right in to your bones. I felt like I was in Holland again. Luckily, our bed and breakfast, in a small town outside of Carcassonne, had a rather lovely bed with big fluffy pillows and warm blankets. The cold just made it that much more enjoyable to sleep.

praying to the porcelain god [barcelona, spain]

Yes, instead of spending time touring the city with my parents or going to class, I spent the day with my face in the toilet after a dinner of grilled duck, which apparently wasn't grilled quite enough. I would have rather gone to my Spanish class, and that's saying a lot. Food poisoning is seriously underrated.

roman ruins [tarragona, spain]

We slept in a bit, had breakfast, and left the hotel to see some of Tarragona. Just a few steps away was the Roman Amphitheater. Its location was really the best part - the beach dropped down below it. Made a pretty picture. Made me excited for Rome. We continued to walk up through the old city, stopping along the way for some nice views of the sea and some historical sites. We happened upon an outdoor market that was mostly antiques. We found some interesting stuff, including a wind-up watch that I got that you can watch all the little gears moving the hands through the back. I really love it. We also found the old walls of the city and walked up for some nice views overlooking Tarragona, the mountains, and the sea. Very typical coastal Spain.

We headed back to Barcelona in the late afternoon, so I had plenty of time to recover for class on Monday. Or not.

cava y vino [penedes & tarragona, spain]

My Mom and I got up early to go to the local market across the street. They had some cheap clothes and lots of food - not entirely unlike other outdoor markets I've seen in Spain. After that we got in the car and headed towards our first wine tour. We had a little trouble finding it, but we got there - the Cordoniu Penedes.

Now when I think winery, I think quiant little stone building with some vines and barrels... well, that's not how they do wine in Spain. First of all, I should clarify that Cordoniu produces cava, not wine. Cava is exactly the same as champagne, a sparkling wine, but you cannot technically call champagne "champagne" unless it is made in the Champagne provence of France. As you can see, they're serious about their wine.

The tour started in a fairly large movie theater that gave us a big-screen version of the history and future of the Cordoniu winery (17 generations in the making). We then moved to the on-sight museum, designed by the architect Puig i Cadafalch (a contemporary of Gaudi), and then down to the endless caves of cava, that continued down for several stories. This place is huge. They have an actual shrine to the grape vine. They have multiple satellite wineries throughout the world. During the harvest season, they actually work 24 hours every day to get all of the grapes. It's insane.

A little shell-shocked we moved on to our next wine tour, at the smaller (though still considerably large) Torres winery. This one was a little more what I imagined - a small winding road led up to rolling hills of pruned knots of grape vines and wheat swaying in the breeze. Once again, we watched a full-screen movie. The next part of the tour was rather interesting - a narration of a year in the life of a grape vine to stimulate all 5 senses. It began with the smell of grape vines burning and ended in the scents of freshly smashed grapes. After that we continued to more caves and stainless steel vats of wine. You could have gotten drunk just walking through the place. It was lovely.

Our last leg of the journey brought us to Tarragona. After getting lost several thousand times, we found our way to our hotel. When we got in we were pleasantly surprised - our room had a bedroom and separate living room with two balconies and an enormous bathroom. Maybe for some this would have been just another hotel room, but considering we usually travel on a tight(fisted) budget, it was quite a treat. The views were amazing - one out to the port and new city and the other over the beautiful Mediterranean and Roman ruins. I don't know why there aren't more people living in Tarragona.

That night we went to an amazing gourmet dinner with some very friendly staff. We were truly living in the lap of luxury.

road trip espana [vilafranca, spain]

My parents got in at about 4pm. It was very good to see them although I got the immediate sensation that I wished I would be going home with them. We got our very nice rental car and headed to our first destination - the small city of Vilafranca, set into the wine region of Penedes south of Barcelona. By the time we found our way it was late, so we went to a very nice dinner and then headed back to the hotel to get some rest.

laugh it off [barcelona, spain]

After a good night of laughing with Sam until I felt like I was going to break in half, I had a good sleep and woke up on the right side of the bed, finally. I walked to class and breathed in the city. I remembered that I love Barcelona.

When we first got here, IES gave us a bunch of welcome papers, one of which featured a graph of the "emotional roller coaster" of a study abroad experience. We all laughed, commenting on our current positions on the rollercoaster. But after a few weeks we realized that we really are on that roller coaster. It's a constant up and down, from elation to depression and everything in between.

Or maybe that's just me... what can I say, I'm passionate.

food for thought [barcelona, spain]

My film teacher always talks to us about how Spanish people like to talk about struggle, about pain, about death - they want to breath it in and feel it as deeply as they can. To us it seems depressing, but he says that in facing death, they find a new freedom in life. He says that's why real Flamenco is so powerful to watch - because it comes from the poorest parts of the south of Spain where they face real struggle. It's like blues. When your life is that difficult every single day, when you can reach out and touch death and feel it in your hands, then you are free. And you can dance and sing with a passion that others could never understand.

very tired [barcelona, spain]

The trip wore me out. The guy from the store reminded me of how difficult it is to find that rare breed of the male race that I'm willing to invest time in. I just wanted to lay in bed with the window open and forget about life for a while. So I did just that.

something's missing [granada, spain]

I got up [too] early to get to the Alhambra on time. They have very strict rules on getting there on time, and you're only allowed in the palace for 30 minutes. I had a rough night sleep because I was feeling kind of sick, so I wasn't in the best mood getting there.

I walked to the palace. It was a lot better inside than the stark box-shaped exterior. It was beautiful. So beautiful, but I couldn't feel the beauty the way I usually do - in that way that I'm able to absorb it and feel it all through my body, in a way I hope you can read in my words. It just wasn't there, and I don't know why. It was so beautiful. But for the first time I felt like just another tourist - snapping photos and moving on, without even looking back over my shoulder. I knew it, I knew I wasn't really all there, but I couldn't change it and I didn't know why. I still don't know why. It's such a shame. It was so beautiful.

I moved on to the Generalife, and I skipped the Alcazaba altogether. It makes me angry at myself to think about. How could I not go? I can't explain it to myself, but I do remember how I felt, and I just didn't feel myself there. It was so strange.

I ended up going back into town and walking through the shops again. I bought some spices. In one store I started talking to some guy who only spoke Spanish. I agreed to meet up with him later (in public, of course) because I had nothing better to do. In the mean time, I went back to the hostel and decided to do some reading up on the rooftop terrace. I was surprised to find a bunch of people up there. They were all listening to music and chatting about their travels and drinking beers. I was so jealous. I wanted Sam to be there. I pictured us up there, soaking in the hot sun and hanging out with all these fun and interesting people. They weren't like the fake and ignorant Americans I'm surrounded by all day in Barcelona - they were real, genuine, interesting. But I just sat there reading, half-listening to their conversations, and looking ahead patiently to the day when I can join them.

I met up with the guy from the shop, hoping for some equally interesting conversation. Instead, I found yet another annoying guy who mistakes my silence for some kind of coy flirtation, who fills the silence with comments intended to impress me and oh-so-original compliments about my beautiful eyes/hair/whatever. It seems like I find this guy more and more these days, or maybe I just notice it more now. The way they try to sound intelligent for the sake of trying to sound intelligent and the way they never really listen to me. The way they only chuckle when I attempt to say something of substance and reply "you're so beautiful." Please. First of all, I'm not that freaking beautiful - you're just happy because you're unattractive and uninteresting and you seem to think that I think otherwise and can't see through your stupid comments. I can. Leave me alone.

Needless to say, I was purely irritated by the time I got on the train home. But in the train were some very nice Spanish woman who did have genuine things to say and we chatted until I fell asleep in my little traincar bunkbed. That part was good.

tea, spices, and baths [granada, spain]

I woke up early from a great night's sleep in the world's cleanest, nicest, and most comfortable hostel - the Oasis Backpacker's Hostel in Granada. Yes, I'm endorsing it. I had some of the free breakfast they provided (toast and jelly, waffles, and coffee) and headed out the door to explore. I started out towards the cathedral and university. I took my time. Then I walked up to the Albayzin (old Arabic) neighborhood and the well-known Mirador de San Nicolas and got my first look at the Alhambra. It was a definite "wow" moment seeing the snow-capped Sierra Nevadas set back behind the palace. I found a small public garden that belonged to a mosque nearby and sat in the sun, enjoying my view for a bit.

I strolled over to the Sacromonte neighborhood known for the white-washed houses covering the hillside. I stopped at a local restaurant that was family-run and had quite a view of the Alhambra. The food was a lot heavier than in Barcelona, which I would attribute to the strong Arabic influence and that in poorer places they try to make food as filling as possible. Filling it was, and good, and I enjoyed the sun and relaxation.

I walked back down throught the heavily-graffitied streets and into some of the Arabic-influenced shops. They had hukkahs, tea, spices, lamps - a hippie paradise. (There are a lot of hippies in Granada.) The shopkeepers were incredibly friendly. I had at least 5 full-length conversations by the time I got down the hill. I think it may have had to do with the fact that they were all of some kind of Middle Eastern decent and all thought that I was Middle Eastern, but never-the-less, I got to practice my Spanish and also got some good discounts! Sometimes it's nice being a girl...

After that I headed to the Arabic bath house I booked online before I left. It was decorated as I would imagine a Arabic bath house to be decorated. There were arches and repeating tiles and a cave-like ceiling in one of the rooms. They served tea, which was the most delicious tea I've ever tasted. It was very sweet at first but then ended with a sharp mint that you could feel in your nose. I had about 5 cups. There was a cold room and a hot room. I spent most of the time in the hot room, but the cold room was really the best part. Getting into the water was difficult to do, but after I was all the way in I just felt refreshed, simply put. The hot water was soothing, but the cold was like a breath of fresh air. I also got a 15-minute massage, in a word: fantastic. When I stepped back out on to the street, it was like my second day in Granada. I felt new.

I walked around the streets a little longer and then headed back to the hostel for a much-needed nap. I woke up for the hostel's 3.50 Euro all-you-can-eat dinner at 9pm. They served mushroom soup, cucumber salad, and paella. I ate all I could, and had some nice conversations with strangers. Being around all the people made me feel lonely all of a sudden, but I brushed it off, had some dessert, and went back to my room to read before bed.

all alone [barcelona, spain]

I went through the motions all day, stressing about getting to the airport on time. Even having left my last class half an hour early (at 6:30pm) I was still nervous about getting there. But luckily, there were no lines to buy my ticket or check-in, which made me very happy and unable to complain when I found out the flight was delayed 3 hours. I had a pretty relaxing time in the airport and the plane left earlier than they had thought. They even gave everyone a discount on their next SpanAir flight, but unfortunately that will be my last!

The flight was good and we got to Granada around midnight. As I got onto the bus into the city, I really realized that I was completely alone - there was nobody to help figure out how to get to the hostel, there was nobody to meet up with, I didn't have any obligations about where to go or what to do, and not one person in the whole city knew who I was. But I didn't feel vunerable - I felt stronger than I ever have before.

castle on a cloud [morella, spain]

When we got up and got on to the bus Sunday morning we were all a little travelled out, but the bus ride promised a good 2-hour nap before our stop in Morella. Nobody knew what Morella was or where it was, and nobody was really looking forward to it. We hoped it was near the beach.

By the time we got off the main road and wound through the frightening mountain roads in our enormous bus, we all agreed this town better be pretty freaking good. It didn't look too hopeful, as the towns only got smaller and smaller, until we rounded one bend and saw a taller mountain topped with spiraling walls and a castle and all reluctantly agreed that it looked pretty cool. After much coaxing of the large bus, the driver managed to get us up to the city. The tour groups gathered up, and I wondered away. In perfect form, I might add.

I went into the little shops that lined the streets - all filled with goods from local farmers and artisans. There was honey, cheeses, knitted wool, carved wood, more. And all local. It was exactly what I have always been looking for. I fell in love with nearly everything I touched, and had to stop myself from buying it all.

I eventually made my way up to the top of the town which was in fact a series of walls that spiraled up to a castle. It was quite a walk up there and it got really windy, but I could only smile. It felt like at any moment you could just lift up and fly out into the empty mountains that stretched out for miles in every direction.

By the time I got back down to the waiting bus, I was floating.

redemption [valencia, spain]

After spending much of the morning in a painful state of recovery from the night before, I managed to drag myself out of the hotel room and down to the beach. It was about 76 degrees out, bright sun, breeze... you really can't argue about the weather there.

Valencia was in the midst of their Las Fallas celebrations that are centered around their intentionally noisy mascletas, or fireworks, which sound more like a WWII airstrike than a family-fun festival for the kids. What makes it worse is that they're set off randomly throughout the streets in such a way that you instinctively feel the urge to huddle under the nearest solid object in the fetal position.

At the beach I met up with friends and after a couple hours of wholesome beach fun - sunbathing, volleyball, soccer, a quick dip in the Mediterranean - we noticed hundreds of people surrounding a roped-off section of the beach and figured out that we had front row seats to the biggest mascleta show of all. We were wondering why everyone had gathered so early as it was only a little after 5pm and in the U.S. we tend to have fireworks after dark, but the show started at 6 in full daylight and was surprisingly wonderful.

It was extremely loud, but not like the single bursts of our fireworks shows - it was continuously loud... like a rapid-fire machine gun of sorts. The fireworks were less about the color of the flames, but the smoke they left behind, which resembled little white, yellow, and brown popcorn kernels floating against the bright blue sky. Then there were some that sparkled and some that just made the loudest possible bang; there were others that sent out bursts of confetti into the air, and one that exploded and left two flags, one of Valencia and one of Spain, attached to little parachutes to float slowly down into the ocean. It was so different and exciting it was like seeing fireworks for the first time again, and we all felt like little kids smiling and laughing to ourselves at each explosion. Between the sun, the sand, and the show, Valencia had redeemed itself.

peculiar city [valencia, spain]

The bus brought us around the old city and then to the new science and technology district. The old city has some really beautiful architecture that goes together very nicely, but then as you drive out of it there are poorly built apartment high-rises and whole blocks that are empty and overgrown with weeds. They have tried to imitate American culture there (fact, not opinion) and have big shopping malls stuck down in the middle of more strange empty fields, some with shanty towns in them. Then there's the river, which is now dry because Mediterranean Spain has completely exploited all of its natural local water supplies, and it's been turned into a park with modern sculpture. The beach is meant to imitate Southern California - miles of sand and palm trees and intentionally "SoCal" architecture - but then one block away there's rows and rows of what looks like housing projects that are absolutely falling apart. The science and technology area consists of a handful of monumentally large space-age buildings, not at all in context to the surrouding utilitarian apartment highrises... Don't get me wrong, there's some beautiful things to see, but the city is just so strange. It has no continuity, no binding factor. I really wasn't too impressed.

After walking around the area (pretty if taken as separate pieces), we headed as quickly as possible to the beach to catch some sun. The weather was in the low 70's and we were rather hopeful. Unfortunately it was hotter in the city center than on the windy beach, where the extremely fine and soft-to-walk-on sand was blasted into our faces at quite a speed. We gave up after a couple hours and took the 45-minute bus ride back into the center of the city.

I stopped by the hotel room and then decided to see some things on my own. I walked by a few buildings that I saw on postcards, though I couldn't tell you now what they were. They were nice. The only one that particularly sticks out in my mind was the bull ring. It was big and nice. Not much more than that. I got a churro, which tasted much like one would expect deep-fried dough to taste. I did really like their popular Valencian summer drink Orxata, or Horchata, which is made from soaking tigernuts in water with sugar. It's really sweet and very refreshing. I highly recommend it.

I returned to the hotel for a nap and some hotel dinner. We got ready and sat upstairs on my roommates' top-floor porch discussing politics and drinking wine. It got a little heated at times. We covered the war in Iraq, the Clinton scandal, Native American mascots, Obama and Hilary Clinton, and much more. The wine kept everyone in relatively good spirits. After that we headed out for some bars, where the Agua de Valencia (orange juice, cava [champagne], and vodka) truly did me in. On that note, I'll skip ahead to Saturday afternoon...

the voyage [valencia, spain]

Don't worry about the week, it was boring. Thursday I had to skip my last class to get on the poorly scheduled IES bus to Valencia. I was relieved to have so many friends on the trip, unlike in San Sebastian, and was also looking forward to a trip without planes.

The bus ride was long but relatively entertaining. The guy sitting across from us had to pee really bad and opted for a bottle - fantastic. We watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith - one of my favorites. We stopped at a crappy rest stop that brought me fond memories of the Jersey Turnpike. By the time the bus driver got lost in Valencia, stopped for directions, and we arrived at the hotel, it was pretty late so we all just went straight to bed.

jeff and bethany [barcelona, spain]

I didn't have much time to recover before Jeff and Bethany arrived in Barcelona, so I was a little worn out by the time they got here. It was a hard week for classes too. During the week we met up for a few breakfasts and dinners. We ate good meals and had good conversations. I took them to my favorite restaurant Mamacitas and we had a wonderful meal followed by an unexpectedly delicious desert: sliced oranges flambeed in white wine with a brulee on top and chocolate sauce. It was really delicious - just light and unexpected and fresh. One of the best desserts I've ever had, truly.

Friday we took a day trip to the town of Girona, about an hour and a half by train, and happened upon a really cool garden with ruins and a city wall that remained about a third of the way around the city. We walked the entire thing. Again, an unexpected find that was thoroughly enjoyed. After that we went home and cooked a Fish Feast of tuna and salmon that they had bought from the Boqueria Market that morning. We somehow managed to cook the whole meal perfectly and ate until we couldn't eat anymore. It was a really good meal, and homemade at that!

Saturday we went to the port and Barceloneta. It was a nice, relaxing day. At night we headed to Montjuic for the light show at the Magic Fountain. The fountains were built in 1929, which is really quite impressive considering they're still pretty, well, impressive. They play classical music and change the lights and the water - we all really liked it, maybe even better than fireworks we decided.

The visit flew by being so busy, but I was so glad to have them and my only regret is that I couldn't have been a better host! Seeing them made me a little homesick, but I'll be home all too soon I'm sure.

the old and the new [gernika & bilbao, spain]

After checking out and driving for a while, we stopped in Gernika (also spelled Guernica), which is the small and insignificant town that Franco bombed with Hitler's weapons during the Spanish Civil War, you know, just for the heck of it. It's an incredible tragedy and it was fascinating to see just how small and insignificant the town really was. All of the buildings are new because only about 3 buildings were left standing in the entire town after the bombing. I think it was important to know the story first and to have seen Picasso's Guernica to truly appreciate being there. There's really not much to see besides the town hall and their beloved oak tree, but this is what makes it so amazing - because its destruction was just so incredibly senseless and horrible.

Back in the bus we headed to Bilbao with a few scenic overlooks on the way, including the mouth of a river near the city of Mundaka, also known as surfer's paradise. At one time, you could ride a wave for up to 200 feet, but these waves have recently "disappeared." It was a straight drop from the mountain road to the ocean - quite dramatic and a little scary to be driving on in a coach bus. Beautiful though, especially under the descending Basque clouds - thick, gray, and back to normal.

Bilbao showed us the real Basque weather with drizzles and clouds - I would compare it to Holland... or Penn State. First we were dropped off for lunch and wondering in the old city. Once again, carnaval had brought out all the locals and the bars were packed with people drinking wine and eating pintxos. There were vendors outside selling antiques and all kinds of books and collectors' items. Small groups of men with big brass instruments were scattered around playing local music loudly and with much accompaniment from the crowd. I was smiling ear to ear.

After some cool finds in the vendors, I stopped at one of the packed bars for pintxos. I picked out three that looked good and squeezed into a space at the bar to eat. I cannot even begin to explain how delicious they were - I don't even know what they tasted like or why they were so good or even what they were, but it was the most flavorful, exciting food I have ever had. I went back and got two more and ordered a glass of wine. The bartender gave me some white wine that he explained was made in the area and very popular. The wine was refreshing and crisp, not too sweet, and a perfect partner to the pintxos. Squeezed in a crowd of damp locals with the upbeat music reverberating in the little square, I had the best meal of my life.

About to explode with joy for my love of the Basque country, we headed over to the Guggenheim Museum and continued to explode. It is easily the most intriguing building I have ever seen. It is so beautiful and modern and just interesting to look at. I escaped from the tour group and walked through the galleries, though I didn't have very much time before we had to leave for the airport.

It was painful to leave knowing that it would be a very long time before I return, if ever. The rocky coasts, the crashing waves, the blue water, the green grass, the sheep lining the hills, the old, the new - It hurts to think about, like thinking of a lost love. The Basque country will always be deep in my heart.

better off alone [hondarribia & san sebastian, spain]

In the morning we took a bus up to Monte Igueldo, a mountain next to the beach. It was extremely windy and cold but had some amazing views up the coast. Being up there looking over it all made you feel as though you ruled the land... spectacular.

Back on the bus I slept heavily until we arrived in our next destination: a coastal village called Hondarribia. It was very resort-y, aka clean, bright, and generally wealthy. However, off-season there are very few tourists so we were able to mix with the locals a bit. Being carnaval, there were a lot of people outside of cafes and in the streets. There were the old men in their berets (or "txapelas" in Basque - also the name of one of my favorite restaurants in Barcelona that serves Basque food). There were children playing. There were songbirds singing. And I'm not exaggerating - I could have filmed a movie.

I took off on my own to the beach and walked around for some pretty views. Nothing too amazing, but very pretty and clean. Remarkably clean, actually. I started to get hungry as I headed back to the town so I ducked in to one of the many bars serving pintxos, their version of tapas, and ordered calamari and patatas bravas. It was the best calamari I have ever, will ever have in my life. Enormous, thick strips cooked absolutely to perfection with crispy, fresh breading - I was in heaven. I ate every last crumb and smiled with satisfaction...

Back in San Sebastian I was forced again to play tag-along because I really wanted to go into the old city for carnaval. Unfortunately, we ended up at an Irish pub because it was "where the locals go." (I'm sorry, isn't it an Irish pub??) I had a few tequila shots to numb my irritation and enjoyed the few locals who stopped by in costume. (The picture shown above is from my brief encounter with carnaval the night before.)

blue water, green grass [getaria & san sebastian, spain]

I signed up to go on the IES trip to San Sebastian before I really knew anyone. I figured I would have at least one friend on the trip. I was wrong. Luckily, the beauty of the Basque country (or Vasco) made up for my lack of companions, and my only complaint was having to be stuck with anyone at all - I would have much rather done the entire thing alone. I met a handfull of nice people, but the rest just plain sucked.

Now, about the actual place... As soon as we flew in over the bright green rolling hills and bright orange rooftops I knew I was in love - yes, again. I forgot what green looks like, Barcelona being so dry, and I forgot how pretty it is. It was like driving into North Carolina in late spring - just so noticeably green. This is of course due to the large amounts of rain that fall in the Basque region, but we had what was considered an extremely lucky weekend and enjoyed the sun and a few fluffly white clouds.

The first place we stopped coming out of the adorable Bilbao airport was the small fishing village of Getaria. One of the first things you notice about the Basque is their strange language known as Euskara. Even linguists are stumped on its origins because it is so unique and unrelated to other languages in the world. Lots of X's... Anyway, Getaria was phenominal. It was small and colorful and had some unbelievable views of the ocean. Not to mention the mountains just rise right off of the beach. Like I said, blue water, green grass. I couldn't get enough of the town, but we were back on to the bus all too quickly to get to San Sebastian.

I suppose San Sebastian would be considered a city, but it seems more like a historically-enriched resort town to me. The beach is enormous, and in the shape of a shell that's split in half at high tide and one complete beach at low tide. It's famous among surfers for its incredible waves, though they weren't much when we were there. That's my one complaint (if one could complain) about the Mediterranean - no waves. We went down to the end of the wall that surrounds the cove to where it meets the rocky coast and watched the waves crash and explode into the air.

After that we did a short tour of the old city (standard old town), went back to the hotel for a nap, and then went out for some dinner. I had to tag along with some girls I didn't know, which was all going great until I realized I had encountered another group of 'I-really-just-want-a-hamburger' girls. The Basque region is renowned world-wide for its phenominal food and we got hamburgers. "I'm lactose intolerant." "I don't like seafood." "I think they only serve fish there." It took everything in my body not to begin pounding every one of them. After that I really wanted to stay in the city for the carnaval activities going on all around us but of course they wanted to go back to the hotel because it was raining. I just thought that made it better... I really missed Sam.

recap... [barcelona, spain]

I know, it's been a while. I'll start where I left off. The weekend started with meeting up with my friend Olly, the Aussi from London. I'll keep it brief for my own sake: I don't remember the order of things but here's what we did...

On Friday we went to Sagrada Familia (time two for me). It was just as beautiful as ever. Saturday we saw the first festival of the Castellers, or human towers, and Gegants, or giants. It was one of the coolest things I've seen since I've been here. Nobody does festivals like the Spanish, I must say. The towers consisted of a mass of large men as the base, smaller men next, then women, and then children - with a very tiny child at the top. They're amazingly fast at it and it's really fascinating to see. Building a human tower takes talent. We also climbed to the top of Montjuic (quite a hike) to see the Castell de Montjuic. It had amazing views of the city and was practically isolated, even on a Saturday. Relaxing, despite the hike.

Sunday we walked down to the port and the beach. The beach is by no means beautiful, though I've heard if you walk for a while they get prettier and prettier (not to mention nuder and nuder). There were some cool modern sculptures in the area. I'll be back for a tan, I'm sure. That night we bought some tickets to the FCB game on the streets from two guys. They were family passes so we got to sit level with the field behind one of the nets. Since that area is all family tickets, everyone there was really hardcore fans and they were getting into the game and being really loud and crazy - I felt at home! Definitely a great way to experience a game.

Add in a few dinners and cafes, and that was pretty much the weekend!

ready for the weekend [barcelona, spain]

I had a minor anxiety attack in Spanish class. Really, an hour and 45 minutes every single day is too much. Especially when I'm in a class that's way too advanced for me. I just had this uncontrollable urge to leave. It was pretty bad, but I get that way from time to time. Then I tried to go to the gym which continued to stress me out, so I just went home, skipped my Environment class, and returned for Spanish film a little more relaxed. Sometimes I just need to take a break and regroup.

By the time I got home it was pretty late, but I was feeling a lot better. I decided not to go out and get some rest to be ready for my Australian guest for the weekend. I'll finally do some more sight-seeing in Barcelona!

to sum up the past 3 days [barcelona, spain]

While I work to recover the weekend in Paris from my memory, I'm just going to sum up the past three days in this one because they were a little boring. Monday we got back from Paris just in time for me to haul my backpack to my film viewing at the IES center. It was a rather interesting film - Spain has very different taste from the U.S. - but at least it kept my attention. I finally made my way home after some confusion trying to get a new metro pass and nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

Tuesday I don't even remember too clearly, even though it was yesterday. I went to Spanish, which sucked just as much as it always does. I pushed the gym back a few hours in my schedule to go get some lunch at my favorite tapas place, Txapela, where I got 3 dinner tapas and 2 desert with tea and a bottle of water for just 10 Euro. (I know that doesn't sound cheap, but it is for Plaza Catalunya.) Then I went to one more class, decided against the one after that and went to the gym. I picked up some random stuff at Corte Ingles, which cost way too much for some lotion and toothpaste, did my grocery shopping, and came home. At night I discussed my post-finals travels with Jen, her brother, and her boyfriend on a conference call on Skype. I think we might be headed to Greece. Yay!

Today, Wednesday, was just like always. I went to Spanish (guess what - it sucked), the gym, art history, salsa class, and came home. Salsa was a lot of fun. We had a "substitute" salsa teacher who was a very attractive Dominican man who all the girls were infatuated with. Every time he asked "does anyone need help?" suddenly nobody seemed to remember the steps. It was a really good time. Lots of laughing.

So that sums it up, mostly just a week of catching up with life. Though I can't seem to ever catch up, but I suppose that's the excitement of being here. I'll keep updating Paris. I send my love to the States!

can't get enough [paris, france]

We got up around 10am and set out for our next exciting journey to the Catacombs, a little nervous. We stopped to have the worst breakfast ever, which stuck in our stomachs for quite a while. At the Catacombs we were a little nervous as the steps went down and down and down. It was kind of a creepy small tunnel underground. I wouldn't suggest it if you're extremely claustrophobic, but it wasn't as bad as I would have expected being a few hundred feet underground with 5 or 6 million dead people would be. It was really cool and we were really glad we ended up going.

After that we decided to go to Pompidou, the modern art museum that's constructed with all the "insides" showing (ie. pipes, et cetera). It just so happened that we were there on the first Sunday of the month, which is the day of free entrance to museums in a lot of Europe. There was a huge line which we cut a bit and got in pretty quickly. It was hard to find our way around with so many people but what we discovered was a really amazing view of the city. Probably the best we got the whole trip. You could see Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and Montmartre, along with a bunch of other landmarks, all from the same balcony. The sun was just starting to set and it was really beautiful, in a romantic kind of way. We were jealous of all the couples. We went inside the one gallery they left open for the masses, which had hundreds of modern paintings, many of which were very very famous. I wish I could go back well-rested, with less people, and by myself so I could really enjoy all of it, but at that point we weren't really in the museum spirit.

We left, got some Paris t-shirts (for some reason you just want a million souvenirs from the place) and did a little bit of really cheap shopping. It was about the same prices as here, but for much better fashion. It made me realize that Barcelona is a bit of a "poser" city. They want to be as chic as places like Paris and London, but they just aren't. Barcelona - stop trying so hard.

Next we went to the Eiffel Tower to get on a boat tour. We of course pit-stopped to get some more pictures of the tower. Right when we got there it started the sparkling light show. It was magical, really. We sat on a bench and enjoyed the moment, and then strolled down to the river. The tour was so nice, but we were too stupid to go out of the covered part until the very end to get pictures. The view of Notre Dame was absolutely awesome and all the places along the river looked like they were created for marriage proposals. Once again, we envied all the couples.

After our tour, still on our Parisian high, we went to a restaurant near the Eiffel Tower and had a long and delicious meal. We toasted to us, to Paris, and to our parents for making it all possible. By the time we were done we forgot the metro closes early in Paris and had to sprint there, where we made the first train but not the second. We had to get out of the subway and take a taxi. But we did get one last look at the Arc de Triomphe.

Ahh, Paris.

tres bon [paris, france]

We got plenty of sleep and woke up at 9am to get out and see everything we could manage. First we walked up to Montmartre. We stopped at a boulangerie and got some good breakfast and then had coffee before walking up the steps to the top. It was cold but there were perfectly blue skies, so we got really lucky on weather.

At the top we saw the Sacre Coeur basilica, which was a very pretty clear white against the blue sky. It wasn't too impressive inside, other than being notably spacious. The view, however, was quite impressive. You could see the whole city, again the Eiffel Tower, and it was just like this little haven way up above all the buildings.

We walked into the rest of the neighborhood on Montmartre, where we discovered the very famous little square of artists not far from the Sacre Coeur. There were tons of painters all set up in stands right next to each other. The paintings were selling for quite a bit of money, actually, for an outdoor market. Maybe I'll move there to work... It was a really beautiful little neighborhood. We got some more crepes and walked to find what we thought was the Moulin Rouge. It turned out to be the wrong moulin but that's alright. It was pretty anyway.

We walked back down to our hostel and did some super-cheap shopping along the way. After re-charging our cameras we took the train to the Eiffel Tower. Once again we freaked out when we saw it. I felt like a child - it really makes you just want to skip or fly a kite or something. Difficult to explain except that it's the Eiffel Tower. So, needless to say, we took about a million pictures from every possible angle and then finally pulled ourselves away to see the Arc de Triomphe.

We walked for quite a while to get to the Arc, which was a tad anti-climatic at that point. From there we walked down Champs-Elysees. It would have been better if we had lots of money because it's mostly just your basic international designers. Really all I was thinking about was the song Oh, Champs-Elysees we learned in high school. We turned off of the road at some point and ended up at some museums, a palace, and a really beautiful bridge. We took more pictures and then decided it was time for dinner. We wondered to some random restaurant where we ironically ran into some friends from IES, who invited us to go out with them at night. We accepted and then had a really delicious meal before heading home to nap and get ready.

We eventually got to our friends' hostel after some somewhat frightning harassment from the locals. (By the way, the men are way worse in Paris than they are here.) At their worlds-nicer hostel we had some wine and then headed out for the bars. I'm not exactly sure where we went but there were a lot of bars and clubs in the area. We hung out for a little and then Jen and I got tired and decided to head back home. The taxi wasn't nearly as expensive as it would have been here, and the driver commented on the terrible area our hostel was located. Yes, we know.

paris 101 [paris, france]

We got up at 4:45 to leave by 5:15 to get to the airport for our flight. We had an interesting time with the check-in lady who felt the need to put our backpacks in plastic bags and then remind us that our bags "would be in plastic bags when we claimed them." Yes, thank you. I would hope so.

Our flight was fun because we're both a little afraid of flying, so we were both a little nervous. But it landed safely and slowly (unlike RyanAir which apparently "drops out of the sky"). In Paris we had quite a time figuring out the trains/metro because they all run out of the same station and it's a very complicated system.

We finally got to our hostel, Friend's Hostel, which was in fact in a "dodgy" area like the online review suggested. The entrance looked more like a strip club than a hostel, but you can't really complain for 18 Euro a night. Upon opening the door to our room we were immediately faced with the 4 beds - 2 bunk beds that squeezed perfectly in between the walls. It smelled kind of bad, but we were relieved to see Dior bags on the other beds, which we believed meant that we had female roommates. Later we found out that they were two Swedish guys who were in Paris for fashion week. Interesting, but at least I wasn't worried about them stealing my Target jeans.

We left and decided the Louvre was a good place to start the trip. It was enourmous and rather exhausting to get around but there was no line and not too many people there. Some people get week passes to see the whole thing, and I can understand why. There are so many famous paintings and statues in that building they can't even mark all of them as numbers on those little tour headphones, so people were just strolling past some of the most famous paintings in the world. It was incredible. The Mona Lisa was anti-climatic, as you've probably already heard, but at least I can say I've seen it. Plus there were so few people we could stand as close and for as long as we wanted to. My personal favorite was the Winged Victory of Samothrace. It's always been one of my favorite statues but it was really worth seeing in person. It's unreal. I mean, what you see is this figure draped in a sheer and flowing dress... something that just registers that way in your head, but then if you think about it - it's made out of stone. Stone. And you see a delicate, sheer fabric. Unreal.

After about 4 or 5 hours of some serious art history, we ventured out to the courtyard with the big glass pyramids. Good to see in person, hard to photograph. We walked a little bit and caught our first glimpse of the distant Eiffel Tower and nearly peed our pants. For some reason it was just so exciting to see. To me, usually when I see a place I've seen in a million photographs it's just kind of like "yep, that's really what it looks like," but this was completely different. It was like spotting a celebrity at a restaurant. It was just kind of there, hangin out on the Parisian skyline. Oh yeah, hey Eiffel Tower, what's up with you today? So cool. Go to Paris.

Next we walked along the Seine River and realized that Paris is the most beautiful city in the world. Everything looks like it was made to photograph. It is so beautiful it hurts to look at. You just can't stop. We walked to Notre Dame. Again, perfect. Not the most elaborate cathedral I've been in but it was very... gothic. Beautiful in a very simple way. All gray inside, no gold-leaf or big marble statues, but monumental. We had our first crepe nearby (with Nutella - truly changed my life) and then wondered until we found a good restaurant in what we now believe was probably the Latin Quarter (we were a little lost). We found a small restaurant/bar and experienced yet another wonder of France - the croque monsieur. It's basically ham in between two pieces of toast with cheese melted on top. There's variations of course; mine had an egg and Jen's had tomato. We were in heaven. It was the perfect way to end a perfect day in such a perfect city.

bangs [barcelona, spain]

Today I decided to skip the gym and get some bangs cut because... well, why not? They ended up a little shorter than I wanted, but I only spoke Spanish and hair grows right? It was a good change. I felt like I was starting a whole new life! Okay, maybe a new day? Anyway, it was a freeing experience. I really felt like I was free, and away from home. Good deal for a 5 Euro set of bangs.

The night consisted of packing for Paris - not too bad either!

montjuic con salsa [barcelona, spain]

Though I was exhausted from lack of sleep, today was a huge improvement on yesterday. Though Spanish class was rough as always, of course being treated like the "special kid" in class never helps, my art history class was cancelled, which meant only one class for the day. Not too shabby.

Because we're leaving for Paris Friday morning, I'll be missing my Mediterranean Environment Study trip to the Botanical Gardens, so I decided to go after class to do the "study quiz" on my own. Upon arriving at Montjuic, where the gardens are, I spent a lot of time taking in the sights while searching for the gardens, mostly because I was pretty lost. There was no one there. A couple locals, some school children, a German couple, and a bunch of construction workers on the entire mountain. It was wonderful. So nice not to be surrounded by people, or Americans at that.

I saw a horse barn (definitely not on the map), the Olympic Stadium, a couple parks... and finally after a couple hours of making my way up the massive mountain, I found the Botanical Gardens. They looked a little barren at first glance, but after looking a little closer I realized how beautiful it was. I was the only one there for almost the entire time in these huge gardens overlooking the city. It was peaceful, perfect for photography. It's up there in my favorites with Sagrada Familia. A little different, but it's up there.

I stayed until they closed the garden and then I walked the long walk back down to the metro station. I had this intense rush of thoughts as I went down the mountain... like how living is made up of the 5 senses (taste, touch, see, hear, smell) and of culture (food, music, art, language) and we're living in this world full of nature and the manmade, and travel includes all of these things and the more you travel, the more lives you have lived. I thought about how sometimes I feel like places just flow right through me like I'm made of air, like I'm becoming part of that place, and sometimes places swell up inside of me until I feel like I'm filled up to the top with that place and can walk away still holding it inside. Then there are some times when I forget where I am and routine takes over and it doesn't matter if I'm in Barcelona or Virginia or Pennsylvania or China, because I'm only brushing my teeth, only eating breakfast, only walking. Those are the times when we stop travelling. But you can start again any time you want to just by looking up at the trees, even if you walk past them every day. You can always travel, no matter where you are. It's not about going to a new place, it's about seeing something new.

I took the metro home and changed for my first salsa class. It was so much fun; I am so, so glad I decided to take it. The most entertaining part was this blonde girl who was acting extraordinarily blasé about the class because she had taken dance classes before (given away by the fact that she, for some reason, decided that after the class in the middle of the dance studio was a good time to practice some double pirouettes...??), and she was doing all of the steps right but she looked so ridiculous. When people refer to looking "white" when you dance, this is what they're talking about. She was over-exaggerating everything, erratically jolting her hips and shoulders in perfect time with the music, but with no kind of natural movement or fluidity. She really thought she looked great too. It was really quite, quite funny. Jen and I had a good laugh over that one.

Today was a really good day. And do you know what I realized? I don't care how many Mean Girls I encounter - nobody can ruin all of this.

claws are out [barcelona, spain]

Man, there was a lot of cold air in Barcelona today, and I'm not talking about the weather. I just had a series of unpleasant interactions with a series of unpleasant girls. I won't bore you with the details, but seriously, it lasted the entire day - I felt like I was living in the movie Mean Girls. Bed is really the only answer to this one.

j'aime paris [barcelona, spain]

Day started out like normal - up early to finish my homework in the cafe. I had a great sense of calm this morning, like I was finally getting into some kind of routine. Spanish class went a lot better. I just sort of started talking a lot more, and you just really have to get over what other people are thinking or how many mistakes you're making. I think that's really the key.

Jen and I realized that this weekend is one of the only ones that we could go away for about a month, so we just got tickets to Paris on a bit of a whim. I'm so excited. I can't wait to just practice my French and hear French. I love it. There's a very big part of me that wishes I had stuck with French. I think I would be seriously good by now. But, there's many years to do that.

It's a good weekend to go too because three of my roommates are having guests and it's going to be crazy here. So, yeah, just me and Jen - we wanted more people to come but nobody was quite up for it on such short notice. We'll have a great time though, and this way it won't be too complicated trying to make a bunch of people happy. We're leaving early Friday morning and getting back Monday afternoon just in time for my last class... it's going to be a very long weekend!! But, hey, we're in Europe.

On a bit of a sidenote, I had this feeling today that traveling just feels so right to me. I have never been able to just stay in one place for too long... I get bored with people, places, jobs, et cetera very quickly and I love this feeling of being so far away and being surrounded with so much I don't know and have never seen. I feel so comfortable being uncomfortable - if that makes sense. For some people, I think this experience will be a one-time thing that they look back on from time-to-time, but for me it feels like a natural next step in a journey that will continue for a very long time. I don't have a sense of "getting it out of my system," it's more like, "okay, what next?"

not much [barcelona, spain]

I was going to some sight-seeing today but I really just need some time to recover from this massive shock of travelling. It's a lot to take in all at once really. I watched a movie (Practical Magic - if you ever see a copy, burn it) and then pretty much posted photos and chatted online all day. I still have to do my homework, so that's the rest of my night. Sorry not to be more exciting!

Honestly, I'm a tad homesick. I could go for a hug really. Times like this I wish I had a Senora like my friends in homestays. Maybe I'll just hire a little Spanish woman to walk around with me and give me a hug when taxi drivers screw me over or when people are rude or when my roommates blow me off... that would be nice. Alright, homework time.

P.S. I finally posted some pictures on my Flickr account! Just click on the link under "Artwork and Photos" in the left toolbar.

a night of surprises [barcelona, spain]

Got up late (again) and went with Jen to search out some lunch. Nothing was really open so I ended up going to the grocery store and getting a random assortment of food. I got a baguette (here only like 60 cents) still warm from the oven, so delicious, and I ate the entire thing shamelessly because it was just that good: close your eyes and smile good. Mmm.

At 7pm I met up with Jen and Kate to go to dinner. We were going to go to the amazing place downstairs, Mamasitas, but it wasn't open until 9pm (yes, Barcelona, we know) so we just decided to go to Las Ramblas where everything's touristy and we knew would be open. We went to the first place we saw because we didn't have time to be super-picky. If I remembered the name I would tell you. We each ordered one plate and ate the bread they give you at the beginning of the meal (they charge you for it here even though they bring it to the table - if you don't want it you just let it sit there). The food was absolutely awful. Not just bad for Spain, because I've only had amazing food here so far, but bad for the U.S. Anywhere. It was horrible. The bread was like little dinner rolls you buy at Costco or get at Denny's, the tomatos on my friend's caprese salad were green, and the chicken I got was just coated in pepper and burned. We should have sent it back to the kitchen. It was 15 Euro per person... Ahhh!!! I asked to talk to the manager and told him it was the worst meal we'd ever had. That made me feel a little better. Just don't eat on Las Ramblas.

After that we went to our final destination for the night: a ballet called Trencanous at the Teatre Condal. The tickets were reasonable. Unfortunately we couldn't read the description of it online because it was in Catalan, so what we didn't realize was that it was a "reinterpretation" of the Nutcracker, the only other professional ballet I've seen. Ironic, I suppose. It was good - what I'd expect for the money - and I definitely want to see another ballet. I don't think Barcelona's known for their ballet but maybe at a bigger theatre here or in Madrid one weekend.

On the way home we were leaving the metro and some guy who looked more Latin-American than Spanish groped my friend Jen while we were walking. I heard her give out a little scream behind me and I thought he just ran into her, because had I known what happened I would have sent my pointy-toed Steve Madden right into his crotch. Jerk.

After I got home I was in my pajamas ready to go to bed when my roommate said she was going to a bar down the road, Pippermint, and another girl I knew was there with her boyfriend, who I really wanted to meet. I decided to just go, Saturday night after all, and we had a pretty good time with the 2-liter Sangrias. We got back reasonably early though, around 2am, and got a good night's sleep.

Like I said, a night of surprises.

tourist go home [barcelona, spain]

Got up pretty late and met up with Jen for lunch and the gym. We went to a tapas place in Plaza Catalunya we've been to before that we really like. They're all under 2 Euro and are pretty small so we usually each get three and then share. We've made it our goal to try the whole menu. Its a good, cheap meal - healthy, not too filling, et cetera.

Then we walked to the gym. I was a little too full to work out quite yet so I did some weights on my arms and went on the eliptical machine. By the way, I didn't bother looking at the conversion chart for weights (kilos to pounds) and ended up curling 7 kilos, which is 15 pounds, and shoulder pressing 8 kilos. My arms are killing me, but it just shows - mind over matter!

At 6:30 we had a spin class, which was absolutely brutal. I sweat more than I ever have in my entire life. I've been converted - spin is the way to go. Then we went down to the steam room - also amazing. You're soaking wet when you leave, and I suggest lotion because otherwise all of your moisture just permanently exits your pores when you go outside. Thus completed our 3-hour spa day.

After getting home, showering, and having some dinner (and washing all of my roommates' dishes) I was just getting ready for a quick nap when my friends informed me that we were leaving at 10:30 to go out. 10:30 on a Friday night is unheard of here - we're talking 8:30 in the U.S. Very tired, I went out with them to L'Ovella Negra and then with some Spanish guys they know to some random bar where we were clearly the only Americans. I practiced a lot of Spanish, and also learned that the word for "straw," when pronounced with an accent on the wrong syllable, should not be something you ask for in a bar. So from now on I'll just be drinking directly from the glass.

After that we went to a club but by then I just wanted to go home. The doorman was being a total jerk to us, making rude comments about us being American, once again. We were literally just standing outside the bar, not being loud or anything. I don't understand how such a majority of people here can be that anti-American and blatantly discriminatory. It's not even about the government - they know that most of us (young people) don't support it - it is really just about us being American. Who made this okay?

long week [barcelona, spain]

Got up early to study for my Spanish quiz at the cafe I always go to down the road. Had a nice coffee and delicious pastry while I studied - good motivation. Went to class, the quiz ended up being nothing I studied really and was very hard, so I'm not sure how that went. In between classes I got some lunch and went to the computer lab. Then two more classes, didn't get home until 7:30pm... exhausted!

Had some dinner, did laundry, got ready and then my friend Jen came over to decide where we were going to go out. We ended up sitting on the couch, drinking wine, and watching YouTube videos and playing on Facebook. Then we got tired around 1:30am and decided to just call it a night. Oh well, good night's sleep! And no classes on Fridays!!!

dia normal dos [barcelona, spain]

Spanish class was extremely hard, as it appears it will be for the entire semester. I went to my first spin class ever in between my classes. It was definitely the toughest workout I´ve ever had - lots of sweat ensued. I headed back to IES for my art history class.

It was a pretty good lecture - all stuff I´m really interested in, but the people in that class are so painfully stupid. She put up one new slide about every 10 minutes, with maybe 3-4 brief bullet points and these two girls were like "my hand really hurts from writing so much, can you post these online?" To which she obviously replied "if I post them online you won´t come to class". Honestly, I had maybe 2 pages of notes from an hour and a half lecture. At Penn State a 50-minute lecture will get you like 10 pages, and trust me, they aren´t hard classes. Seriously - have you been to college? It´s called "taking notes"... just ... ahhh.

After that I got my books with Jen (no copyright laws = 40 Euro for 4 "readers" - One good point about Spain). Then I went home, threw together a random dinner, and spent about 6 hours on the computer updating my pictures, looking up travel destinations, and doing a little bit of homework. I never feel like I get anything done though. I need a couple weeks to get it together here. So much for traveling every weekend!

most normal day yet [barcelona, spain]

Today was pretty much an average day. I woke up and went to the computer lab at the IES center and printed off my homework (of course about 10 minutes before class) and then walked to the other building for my Spanish class. We did some really advanced vocabulary-type stuff. I can't really explain it too well. It's not like learning a new verb-tense or something, it's more like the specific stuff that you don't really learn in other Spanish classes. Like, how it's better to use one specific verb for one specific rhetorical situation. I don't think I'm cut out for it quite yet as far as my knowledge of Spanish, but my thing is always that I can understand it I just can't remember it.

After that I went and got my horrendously expensive gym membership which I don't really want to discuss any further. On a positive note, I have some serious motivation to go to the gym. I showered there and then went back to IES for my Mediterranean Environment class. There's not much to say about that except that it's an enormous joke. And that I love it. Then I went to my Contemporary Spanish Film class. It's the first one with a teacher who can speak English well and who is really interesting and animated. Plus he's really attractive, in a George Clooney sort of way. He's just one of those really cool, fun professors who are really into the subject matter and into teaching. It'll certainly be an interesting semester! (And I'll keep updating the Sevilla trip during the week.)

first day of classes [barcelona, spain]

Hey everyone, it's 12:45am and I still have Spanish homework, so I'll fill in the rest of my trip tomorrow. For now I just don't want to get behind because it's harder to remember the longer I wait.

This morning I got up to go to the computer lab and finish my homework due at 12:15 in true Jessica fashion. However, I forgot to account for the 30-minute travel time to get to the center of the city and ended up not doing it. Luckily my teacher could not care less and told me to bring it tomorrow. Ha, still haven't done it but I'm getting to it.

After class I had a break and got lunch with my roommate Katherine and then tried to do some shopping (I wanted to buy boots but decided I didn't need them - yay for me!) Then I went to my International Events in Barcelona: An Artistic Approach class, which is about events like the World Fair and Olympics and how they relate to the growth and change of the city as its related to art. It's an interesting class for me, though I can see how other people would get bored. My teacher is this adorable Sicilian woman, who I somehow feel love for by some distant bond of the "homeland." She's actually the first "real" Italian person I've ever really met. I love her accent, it's adorable.

After that I kind of had this film viewing thing for my film class, but I wasn't sure if we had to go... so I didn't. But another girl I know didn't either so I think it's okay. It didn't really specify where it was and everything. I have the first day of the class itself tomorrow so we'll see if I'm screwed or not. Instead I went with my friends Jen and Kate and got our "readers" ordered, so at least I did something productive. Of course, Jen and I did a little shopping after, but we were good. Relatively.

When I got home we went to dinner for my roommate Katherine's birthday and had a serious gourmet, 3-course meal at a restaurant next door - white tablecloths and all - for only about 20 Euro each, including wine and coffee. Good find for sure. The food was very good and they had this dessert that was absolutely unbelievable. All of my visitors will be experiencing it.

Alright, seriously, homework time. I'll get the rest of my weekend up tomorrow and hopefully also get my photos on my Flickr account. Adios!

ready to go home [sevilla, spain]

Got up in the morning (tough, once again) and packed to leave the hotel. After breakfast we all loaded up into the bus for - you guessed it - another tour. It was really boring on the bus but not as bad as when they made us get on and off of it three times during the morning.

First we stopped by a church that was conducting mass and it was very inappropriate that we were there. I don't even remember what it looked like. It was freezing cold outside, I do remember that. Our next stop was a leisurely walk through a park that would have been beautiful in warmer weather and at a later point in the day. I'm sad I wasn't able to fully appreciate it. Lastly we went to Plaza de Espana. It had warmed up a little by then and I was a little more awake, so that was a better experience than the rest. It's basically a big building with little "shrines" to all the cities in Spain along the base of it. It was a really nice building and for some reason reminded me a lot of Vienna - just based on size mostly. Its "grandeur" was a little unexpected in the middle of Sevilla.

We finally got back to the bus and headed to the airport at about 2pm for our 3:30pm flight. We had another stop-over in Mallorca, which was three hours long. Just what we wanted. On a positive note, I got to have some good conversations with girls I hadn't really gotten to know during the trip, so that was nice. We finally got on our second plane, in which I had a minor panic attack for no reason in particular, and then arrived in Barcelona around 10pm. Long day for travel, I'd say. But it was the first time Barcelona really felt like home.

que bonita [cadiz, spain]

Woke up hurting a bit and then headed out on another endless bus trip. Once in Cadiz, we stopped briefly at a little beach that was so perfectly photographable it was painful - just so authentic and quaint and real, for once. After a few minutes we had to get back on to the bus because, Lord knows, we were in desperate need of another tour. As soon as we got off the bus and into tour groups, I knew I just couldn´t stand there the whole time listening to Spanglish and wasting another beautiful day, so I walked away quickly and found my way to another beach. This one was a lot bigger, but still very pretty and there weren´t too many people, and almost no tourists. I found a spot and laid in the sand, soaking up the sun and listening to the waves crashing. It was sublime.

After about and hour and a half my friends called to say that the horrible tour was over and they were going to get food. I met up with them at a restaurant overlooking the ocean and had a delicious plate of paella, though I was a little suspicious of some of the creatures on my plate. This took quite a lot of time (Southern Spain is even slower than in Barcelona) so we pretty much headed back to the bus after eating. It was a long walk and we wondered through some side-streets, so by the time we got back to the buses it was time to go. Another 2 hours on the bus...

That night we had dinner at the hotel (not fantastic, but free always tastes just fine to me) and then decided to get tickets for a more professional flamenco show. We got to the flamenco place a little after it had started and got our complimentary drinks (vino tinto for me!). Flamenco is composed of three basic parts: the guitar player, the singer, and the dancer. They use a lot of clapping and stomping to make these really complex rythms that are hard to imagine they´re coming from hands and feet. The show was phenominal and really worth every penny - in fact I would have paid more. Sure, it´s a little cliche to go to a flamenco show in Sevilla, but do it anyway.

After that we headed out to some various bars and eventually ended up at a salsa bar. Luckily I had had enough wine and tequila to be comfortable dancing, though I can´t even begin to imagine what I looked like. The people there were very kind though, and tried to help me out, no matter how hopeless the cause. We danced the night away and got home around 4am.

la mezquita [cordoba, spain]

After a pretty decent hotel breakfast, we took an excessively long bus trip to Cordoba. (However, the extra sleep was much appreciated, no matter how uncomfortable.) We went on a tour of the main attraction of Cordoba: a mosque that was turned into a cathedral. It was actually really interesting because the architecture and building materials were very Muslim, but then there were paintings and statues of icons all over the walls and parts were built and created in a very traditional Catholic cathedral style. Strange, but there seemed to be something very significant and symbolic about it all...

I ended up leaving the tour early because it was beautiful outside in the courtyard. There are orange trees everywhere in Southern Spain - they should tape a Tropicana commercial there. The weather was really nice, about 70 degrees, although other than the middle of the day in direct sunlight, it's pretty cold there. I like Barcelona a lot better because even though it doesn't get quite as warm during the day, it's more mild throughout. The South has more extremes, if that makes sense.

Later I joined up with my friends who actually stayed on the tour, who said it wasn't worth staying, and we went down the side streets led by a very friendly Spanish woman who directed us to some good restaurants. The people there were so much nicer than some of the (excuse me) assholes in Barcelona. We went to a tiny restaurant and I asked the waiter what he suggested (I do that a lot here - you get the best food). I got a kind of gazpacho-type "salsa" that is very Cordoban called Salmorejo. It was delicious but I couldn't tell if I was supposed to put it on bread or eat it with a spoon... it was a bit awkward. I also got patatas bravas as a side, which is more or less flat french fries with a sauce on them. They're good but you can feel them in your stomach for about 16 hours. It was a heavy meal.

After that we went to their big Plaza to have a coffee and sit in the sun. It was really warm and a pretty place to sit and relax. After that we walked back to the bus and took another long journey home to the hotel. There wasn't really time for much of a nap before dinner. We ended up going to a local flamenco bar. It was a good show to get a feel for the local people. The woman was a tad manly, but the place was packed and the locals were all clapping and singing along and dancing. It was a really good way to experience the city. We hung around for a while after the show (had a few too many beers) and then went back to the hotel.

class trip [sevilla, spain]

Had to get to the airport by 6:45 for our flight. It all went pretty well - there was a 30 minute layover in Mallorca and then we finally got into Sevilla at about 1pm. We got settled in with our randomly selected roommates (mine was really nice) and then went to find some lunch in town. The streets were really beautiful - very quaint and what you would picture a Spanish town to look like. We ended up at a very local place where the waiter had a very amazing mullet (they're all the rage in Spain) and not too many teeth. We got a combo plate for 5 Euro that had a fried egg, some really good chicken, a ham croquet, a fish stick, a hair or two, and some fries. I love the way these people eat. Awesome. Minus the hairs.

After that we all walked to the Cathedral which was a lot better than the Cathedral of Barcelona. A lot bigger with a pretty bell tower that had a really good view of the city. Couldn't tell you too much more about it - cathedrals tend to run together a bit after a while. Then I got separated from my friends so I walked around by myself for quite a while, which I sometimes prefer and I needed a little time to myself after all that traveling and tour-group action.

Later on we had dinner at the hotel (not too bad for free food) and then got ready to go out. We went to a bar on this road called Betis along the river where a bunch of the other people in our program were going. It was really crowded and they had 1 Euro tequila shots which I took advantage of for a bit, but then it got a little too crowded and we got tired so we headed back to the hotel around 2am.

lazy day at camp todd [barcelona, spain]

I got up for class and hauled myself over to the IES center. Class was decent. I'm tired of working with this one obnoxious girl who thinks she's smarter than me because she's taken Spanish for like 6 years and she looks like a boy. I want to hit her. Anyway, after class I failed to get my books for Monday, which I'll regret because I'll be gone all weekend. Oh well.

I got home and decided I needed to do some exercise, and since I still haven't joined the gym I just decided to run outside. Apparently they don't do that here. Everyone was staring at me, but it helped me to keep going. I got in a good 20 minutes which is pretty good for my big flabby out-of-shape butt. I got home, showered, and took a 4-hour or more nap. I woke up, actually cooked for myself (a ton of cauliflower), and did some laundry. Now I just have to pack for Sevilla - we leave tomorrow at 6:15am for the airport. Gotta get some sleep!

chupitos [barcelona, spain]

It was necessary to go out on a Tuesday night because Wednesday was out of the question (early plane ride Thursday morning) and the rest of the weekend we'll be in Sevilla. We decided to go somewhere local (though it took us way too long to get there), so we decided on the Shot Bar called Chupitos. We weren't planning on drinking heavily, but then when you go to a shot bar, you should probably expect that. Especially when they're only 1.80 Euro! The first one was a flaming shot with Bailey's, vodka, and who knows what else. It was good but really super strong. After that we had a weaker one and then we got some 1/2 liter mixed drinks that were only 6 Euro - talk about a good deal! We didn't leave until about 3am, and stopped at this strange little deli place and got omlets. Mmm. Luckily I was able to get up for class.

sagrada familia y más [barcelona, spain]

Got up early to finish my Spanish homework, which involved walking around Las Ramblas at 9am. Fun. My Spanish class went a lot better today - I felt more comfortable and even answered some questions! I also realized that the people in my class aren't as good as I thought. We had to do a group thing and the girl who was next to me was recording our group work and she kept kind of rolling her eyes if I didn't know an easy word, but then later I had to read to the class what she wrote and I kept having to correct it as I went because she was mixing up "usted" and "tu" and the teacher could tell she wrote it wrong and that I knew the difference and told the girl she needed to fix it. I could tell she felt that one. Ha.

So here's a story: I was in the elevator and there were two young British guys in there talking... it went a little something like this: "My flatmate wants me to get him a job here." "Really? Isn't he American? They won't hire him." "Yeah but I think he could do it." "A Yankee? Really?" At that point I just kind of laughed and they looked at me so I kind of said, "Umm... I'm American..." So they were embarassed and apologized and tried to explain that they didn't mean it "like that" because the guy would have to talk to clients, who wouldn't want to hear an American accent - you know, I understand where it comes from, but honestly. Would you ever hear an American in an elevator in public say "I don't think they'll hire that Mexican, he has an accent." No. Hell no. Why do people think it's okay to trash-talk Americans? I mean, I know why they do it, but why is everyone so okay with it? News to my international friends: It's not okay!! Especially when you have American friends. Discussions, fine, but generalizations, no thank you. If you want us to leave our stereotypes at home, then please do the same.

Whew, sorry. Okay, next I went to La Sagrada Familia, an enormous basilica designed by Gaudi that is so intricate it has been in-process, being built, for over 120 years and will continue for somewhere between 30 and 50 years until it is finally finished. Gaudi died in 1926 and he is burried in the building itself. From an artist's perspective, it is almost impossible to comprehend: to be burried in your own work of art which has continued towards completion years after your death and through multiple generations... Wow. It was easily the best single "place" I have ever been. I didn't think I would like going into an unfinished building, but to see this beautiful architecture rising from creation right in front of you, to be able to see it again in 50 years finished and say "I saw them build that" - that is an experience. Artists: Come to Barcelona, even if it's just to see this.

I don't know if everyone has that reaction - of course, I love Gaudi. He draws so much inspiration from nature and works in this Neo-Gothic style that combines elements of predictable geometry with the irregularity of nature. Ahh. I could go on, but you really have to see it to understand. So good!

After that I went to meet my friends for the IES walking tour of Barcelona, which me and my friend Jen promptly separated from when we saw a good sale. We have four months to see Barcelona; rebaixes end in a couple weeks. We also got some good tapas while we were out. It's so so so so nice to finally have someone who I can really experience the city with. Mom was right - I just had to be patient!

class one [barcelona, spain]

Today was my first day of Spanish class during Orientation... actually last Thursday was my first day of Spanish class during Orientation, today is the first day I went. I was pretty nervous because I have somehow managed, via my courses at Penn State and my online test, to be placed in the highest level of Spanish. However, my talents do not quite reflect that. I have also chosen to take the "intensive" class which is kind of scary, but honestly, if I don't leave here knowing Spanish... what am I doing??

Class was definitely fast-paced and everyone else could bang out some serious Spanish. I know I'm not as good as some of them, but I'm not terrible either and I could hold my own if I didn't get so nervous all the time. I just completely choke and can't get out any words, Spanish or otherwise, and look like a complete idiot. I think it's some subconscious thing coming back to me from the days in Madame Berry's class where even the slightest slip-up or mispronunciation bought you a good 5-minute humiliation session in front of the entire class. So I think I'll be explaining that to her and hopefully she'll take pity.

After that was over I changed one of my classes from Women in Mediterranean Literature to Mediterranean Environment because you can only go on one of the Spring Break trips if you're in that class and I really kind of want to go on it. I wanted to make my own plans for Spring Break but everyone is all over the place about it and this seems like a really unique experience. I also could have taken a Mediterranean Oceanography class which I was really interested in, but it was full. I'm sad about that but hopefully this will be a good change in my arts-related schedule anyway. And if I go through with it, I'll be spending Spring Break in the Canary Islands!

Anyway, we had a homework assignment to find a bunch of places in the city and I tried to do that, but I just couldn't find my way around. Instead I decided to do some of my own walking around and went to the outdoor market off Las Ramblas called La Boqueria Market, which I've been to before and is a really cool thing to do. They have tons and tons of fresh food and I love to grab something to eat there because it's all fresh, homemade, and cheap. Then I went to try to find Puerto Olimpico and got lost but ended up at the Old Port downtown, which is also a good place to see. For some reason I just can't figure out this city. It's really confusing and you never want to sit down and read a map for fear of being pick-pocketed. The more I get lost though the better I know my way around, so I think in a couple weeks I'll be good to go!