The first “real” week of classes went by pretty fast. Although my Islamic Culture class is SO boring, which is really disappointing. I heard good things about this topic and it’s a full class so I’m sure other people expected good things too. Plus, it’s my last class on Tue/Thurs when I have class back-to-back-to-back. By the time I got there I was already having trouble focusing, so all through class it was awful! But other than that one I like all of the other classes. Thursday after classes (and the beginning of the weekend!) I checked the mail before I left the school and there was a large envelope in the C’s and D’s box. It was for me! Paula and Laura had each written me a long letter and sent it in the same envelope. Laura is so random, you can tell she just wrote down stuff as she was thinking about it in stream of consciousness. I was literally laughing out loud as I read there letters, my señora though I was going crazy.
Yesterday Whitney (my roommate), Sara (another girl from the program), and I planned a trip for this coming weekend. We are going to Nerja, which is a very Southern Coastal city in Spain, about a 2 hour bus ride. The weather has been very nice lately and we are all ready to check out some beaches! We’ll leave Friday morning and at least stay till Saturday evening. Depending on how much we like it we might even stay an extra day. We wanted to go to Barcelona but prices right now are too expensive so that will have to wait a while. Nerja is suppose to be beautiful with an awesome waterfall and caves to explore, so we’ll see what all we can find.
Last night Whitney, Cassandra, Kristin, and I went to another discoteca! We went to a different one this time called Mae West. It is in the mall that is only a few blocks from our apartments, so there was a lot less walking this time. This was very important because we didn’t want to bother with a coat check this time (it turned into a huge hassle at Granada 10) so we went without coats and it was a little chilly. It was pretty crowded and had a lot less space to dance in, but it also had a lot less creepers than the one before. So they each have their ups and downs. We made it longer this weekend by about 20 minutes, getting home close to 5am! We are getting closer to that ultimate goal of staying at a club until it closes at 7am!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Valentine´s!
For Valentine´s Day my friends and I decided to go to the discoteca, since, for some reason or another, we had not yet been. First, we went out to a bar for one round of tapas aroun 1am. These tapas were very good, mini cheese sticks and french fries with ketchup and mayo (sounds weird, but surprisingly really good!). One thing I love about tapas bars is that you never seem to get the same appetizer twice and you never know which one you will get this time. After the bar we headed to the discoteca Granada 10 ("Granada diez") at abou 2:30am. It´s considered lame if you get to a disco before 2am and they stay open until the sun comes up (literally, 7am). Thankfully Granada 10 had a coat check, because it was a pretty chilly night and I would never have seen my coat again if I had put it down in the midst of the mass of people inside. I was with a group of about 8 girls and we had so much fun dancing! Although there are a few creepers at the disco, but that´s why your friends are there to rescue you when necessary. We stayed dancing for a few hours and left a little after 4am; so many people were just arriving when we were getting our coats! Some day we want to stay until it closes at 7am, but we have all semester to build up to that! Sunday I went to church again, this time the pastor (a different speaker than last time) was easier to understand. It´s very nice that the service doesn´t start until 12pm so I was able to get enough sleep after going out the night before. Although I did take a siesta after church as well! Yesterday was the first day of "real" classes (taking notes and such). We watched a movie on prehistoric cultures and art in my Art History class. Sometimes I have to remind myself to pay attention because it is very easy to zone out in class, especially since it is in another language. This is not good because I should be focussing! During my composition class my program director came in and asked to speak with me outside. I didn´t really know what was going on, but when I got out there she gave me a boquet of roses! David had sent me them for Valentine´s Day, what a great surprise! Then of course I got a little grief from the professor when I walked back into class with roses, but oh well. After class I asked my roommate to carry them home for me since I usually go straight to the pool for swimming and really didn´t want to have to stuff them in a locker. Swimming went well, a very good workout. I am slowly building up endurance for a 50 meter pool, when I get back to swimming in a 25 yard pool it is going to seem so easy! Today I had my grammar class and History of Spain, both of which are good so far and have very interesting professors (which is good when one of them is at 8:30am). My Islamic Culture class was actually canceled so I had a nice break before I had to go to my program meeting.
Friday, February 13, 2009
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So we had our first week of classes, though I don't think you can really call it the first week since it was only two days! Plus, like at Austin College, the first class is pretty much a syllabus day, overviewing the class and learning people's names. So after next week I will have a better idea of what to expect from these classes. Good news though, I have at least one friend in each class. Most of the students in my classes are Americans in other programs, although I do have a Canadian guy in my Composition class and two Sweedish girls and two girls from Norway in my History of Spain class. All the classes are taught in Spanish, I don't think the professors even know English themselves, but I understood most everything pretty well.
Last night my roommate and I joined a gym, for the days that I don't get to swim. It is actually on our street, so it takes a whole 45 seconds to walk there. It is only 28 Euro a month to use all the free weights, weight machines, and cardio machines. Plus, they have showers in the locker room, which is an addes bonus when you can only shower once a day for about 5 minutes at home! We went there to work out this morning. It is suppose to open at nine in the morning, but we forgot this is Spain and it didn't actually open until about 9:10. The machines are a little older than what I am use to, but they still have the ones I am use to so I was able to do my usual weight routine.
Last night my roommate and I joined a gym, for the days that I don't get to swim. It is actually on our street, so it takes a whole 45 seconds to walk there. It is only 28 Euro a month to use all the free weights, weight machines, and cardio machines. Plus, they have showers in the locker room, which is an addes bonus when you can only shower once a day for about 5 minutes at home! We went there to work out this morning. It is suppose to open at nine in the morning, but we forgot this is Spain and it didn't actually open until about 9:10. The machines are a little older than what I am use to, but they still have the ones I am use to so I was able to do my usual weight routine.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
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Swim Practice & Schedule
The week before I left for Madrid & Spain I went to the University of Granada Campus and found the swim coach in the Sports Office. I told him that I swam at my college in Texas and was wondering if there was a team I could practice with while I am in Granada. He said that I was more than welcome to come and practice with his club team when I returned from my travels. Yesterday was the first day that I swam with them; it was five guys and me. It has been a month since I last swam, at the Austin College invite, so I knew it would be slightly difficult for me. I forgot to take into consideration that only the US swims in yards and this pool was a 50 Meter pool! By the end of three months I am going to have crazy good endurance! The work out was about 2 hours long, which is about what I am use to, and pretty difficult, but still good. I am very excited to be working out again every day! Today there were TONS more people at practice, over 30, and the majority of them are girls. Apparently there are two sessions on Mon/Wed/Fri and the mid-day one that I went to not a lot of people go to.
I also got my class schedule finalized today, the day before classes start! I tried really hard to take the Spanish route and just think "no pasa nada" (no worries). But I am really happy with how it turned out; at first I was going to have class from 5pm-8pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays! I do not function well that late in the afternoon! Here is my updated schedule, hopefully it won't change:
Mon/Wed:
11:30am-1:pm Spanish Art (ancient to renassaince)
1:00pm-2:30pm Composition
Tue/Thur:
8:30am-10:00am Spanish Grammar
10:00am-11:30am History of Spain (modern age)
11:30am-1:00pm Islamic Culture in Spain
Yep, I don't have any classes on Fridays! And I will be able to make swim practice every day. They practice M/W/F at 3pm and T/Th at 3:45pm for about two hours. Tomorrow is the first day of school, hopefully it goes well!
I also got my class schedule finalized today, the day before classes start! I tried really hard to take the Spanish route and just think "no pasa nada" (no worries). But I am really happy with how it turned out; at first I was going to have class from 5pm-8pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays! I do not function well that late in the afternoon! Here is my updated schedule, hopefully it won't change:
Mon/Wed:
11:30am-1:pm Spanish Art (ancient to renassaince)
1:00pm-2:30pm Composition
Tue/Thur:
8:30am-10:00am Spanish Grammar
10:00am-11:30am History of Spain (modern age)
11:30am-1:00pm Islamic Culture in Spain
Yep, I don't have any classes on Fridays! And I will be able to make swim practice every day. They practice M/W/F at 3pm and T/Th at 3:45pm for about two hours. Tomorrow is the first day of school, hopefully it goes well!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Granada Feb 8 (Sun)
YAAAYYY!!! I found a church!!!! And it’s a Baptist church (Iglesia Evangelica Bautista), and it’s only two blocks from our house! It was in our informational booklet Veronica had given us and I had stumbled across it a few weeks ago on my way home from running in the park. Whitney and Cassandra even came with me this morning. I knew the service started at 12pm, but we got there at about 11:40am and were ushered into the adult Bible Study. Next time we know to try the one for “jovenes” at 11am.
Before the service started, Tosha, Brittney, and Jessica (other girls from our program) showed up. The church is like an international church, with people from all over the world speaking different languages, though the services are in Spanish. I absolutely loved the worship! There was a live band and I recognized some of the songs, although they were in Spanish. The sermon was harder to follow, although I knew we were in the books of Haggai, Nehemiah, and Matthew at times, but I believe that will get easier to understand in time. The service ended right before 2pm, just in time for lunch! Before leaving I met Andrew, an American from the Chicago area, who is in charge of the youth/young people of the church. He told us about the young people Bible study and the youth group that meets Saturday evenings. I definitely plan on coming back to this church and checking it out on Saturdays too.
Before the service started, Tosha, Brittney, and Jessica (other girls from our program) showed up. The church is like an international church, with people from all over the world speaking different languages, though the services are in Spanish. I absolutely loved the worship! There was a live band and I recognized some of the songs, although they were in Spanish. The sermon was harder to follow, although I knew we were in the books of Haggai, Nehemiah, and Matthew at times, but I believe that will get easier to understand in time. The service ended right before 2pm, just in time for lunch! Before leaving I met Andrew, an American from the Chicago area, who is in charge of the youth/young people of the church. He told us about the young people Bible study and the youth group that meets Saturday evenings. I definitely plan on coming back to this church and checking it out on Saturdays too.
Rome Feb 7 (Sat)
Good grief, do I have an interesting story now. First, I wake up at 3:55am because I hear people banging around. I’m pretty disoriented at this point because it is ungodly early, so my first thought is “holy crap! We’re being robbed!” When I realized that was not happening I got out of bed and got ready and we left the hostel at 4:30am. Armondo told us the Metro starts running at that time, but it was gated up and closed! Two girls standing by told us it wouldn’t open until 5:30am! They suggested that we just take a taxi to the airport, saying it would only be 40 Euro. So we walked to St. Peter’s Basilica, because there is a large taxi stop in front of it, but there were no taxis to be found! The one time we actually need one, there are none in Rome! So, we are sitting in a large phone booth in front of the Vatican, waiting for any taxi to show up, but none do. We decide we will wait there until 5:30am and then walk back to the metro station and go with the original metro & train plan if one doesn’t show up by then. At about 5:20am we realize, “hey, it’s not that late back in the states,” so we all call home. Mom answered and thought our situation was pretty hilarious. She told me about the Stars/Rangers game that she just finished watching, we had won 10-2! Oh, I miss my hockey. At least next season I have a jersey to wear to the games (I got it for Christmas)! As soon as we hang up with our parents to start the journey back to the metro, guess what shows up? A taxi.
Oh my God we got to the airport in record time, only about 19 minutes. We actually saved time and money, the taxi ended up being cheaper per person than the metro/train would have been. Apparently, this early in Italy, red lights and speed limits don’t apply to taxi drivers. We blew through at least three red lights and flew past 70 kilometers per hour signs, reaching top speeds of 120! We still had two hours until boarding time so we just hung out at the gate. We were going to fly Alitalia to Milan and then change flights to an AirEuropa flight to Madrid, our layover was no more than an hour and a half long.
Our flight from Rome to Milan left 30 minutes late because of maintenance issues. During the flight the three girls were put together and the boy was across the aisle by himself. I took a power nap and ate some chocolate chip cookies that they gave us. When we landed we got off the plane quickly because we only had an hour until our next flight took off. Unfortunately, we exited the plane onto the tarmac and had to ride in a very crowded shuttle bus to the terminals; this took a lot of time. Then we had to figure out how to check in for the next flight, and there were no AirEuropa signs to be found. Apparently we had to check in Alitalia again because this flight was partnering with them. By the time we received our boarding passes we had ten minutes until boarding started, and we still had to find the gate, find bathrooms, and find food. It all worked out though! We found the gate, toilets, I got a Panini, and we boarded the plane in less than ten minutes. However, “boarding” consisted of riding another very full shuttle bus miles out to the plane and getting on it from the tarmac. Maybe in Madrid we will actually get off at a real terminal. This plane taxied forever and we finally took off at 12:20pm (the flight was scheduled for 11:55am). The take of from Rome was the best though. As we took off we flew a little over sea and I could see the coast of Italy for a good while. It was actually nice weather for a change so the view was gorgeous. The worst thing though was landing in Milan and seeing people from our flight meeting up with family/friends/loved ones and there was no one to meet us. This made me a little bit homesick for people.
So the plan was to arrive in Madrid and go to the bus station and get the last bus to Granada. Then we would find lockers to put our stuff in and go explore more of Madrid for a while. However, rarely anything ever goes according to plan. First, we took the metro from the Madrid airport to the wrong bus station and had to get back on the metro to get to the correct one. Our plane had landed in Madrid around 2pm and by this time it was already after 3pm. When we got to the correct bus station we inquired about the buses to Granada. There was only one left today and it was leaving in an hour! Guess we would not be hanging out in Madrid like we thought. Instead, we found food in the bus station and hung out there until the bus departed. The bus left Madrid at 4:30pm and we arrived in Granada at 9:30pm, and that was with a half hour stop at a gas station on the way. At the bus station the girls shared a taxi home, since Whitney and I live together and Cassandra’s home is close by. After dropping our stuff off at home we went to JuanMi’s (the bartender that rents a room from Cassandra’s host mom) bar, Obelisco, for one round of tinto de verano and tapas to celebrate our return home.
Oh my God we got to the airport in record time, only about 19 minutes. We actually saved time and money, the taxi ended up being cheaper per person than the metro/train would have been. Apparently, this early in Italy, red lights and speed limits don’t apply to taxi drivers. We blew through at least three red lights and flew past 70 kilometers per hour signs, reaching top speeds of 120! We still had two hours until boarding time so we just hung out at the gate. We were going to fly Alitalia to Milan and then change flights to an AirEuropa flight to Madrid, our layover was no more than an hour and a half long.
Our flight from Rome to Milan left 30 minutes late because of maintenance issues. During the flight the three girls were put together and the boy was across the aisle by himself. I took a power nap and ate some chocolate chip cookies that they gave us. When we landed we got off the plane quickly because we only had an hour until our next flight took off. Unfortunately, we exited the plane onto the tarmac and had to ride in a very crowded shuttle bus to the terminals; this took a lot of time. Then we had to figure out how to check in for the next flight, and there were no AirEuropa signs to be found. Apparently we had to check in Alitalia again because this flight was partnering with them. By the time we received our boarding passes we had ten minutes until boarding started, and we still had to find the gate, find bathrooms, and find food. It all worked out though! We found the gate, toilets, I got a Panini, and we boarded the plane in less than ten minutes. However, “boarding” consisted of riding another very full shuttle bus miles out to the plane and getting on it from the tarmac. Maybe in Madrid we will actually get off at a real terminal. This plane taxied forever and we finally took off at 12:20pm (the flight was scheduled for 11:55am). The take of from Rome was the best though. As we took off we flew a little over sea and I could see the coast of Italy for a good while. It was actually nice weather for a change so the view was gorgeous. The worst thing though was landing in Milan and seeing people from our flight meeting up with family/friends/loved ones and there was no one to meet us. This made me a little bit homesick for people.
So the plan was to arrive in Madrid and go to the bus station and get the last bus to Granada. Then we would find lockers to put our stuff in and go explore more of Madrid for a while. However, rarely anything ever goes according to plan. First, we took the metro from the Madrid airport to the wrong bus station and had to get back on the metro to get to the correct one. Our plane had landed in Madrid around 2pm and by this time it was already after 3pm. When we got to the correct bus station we inquired about the buses to Granada. There was only one left today and it was leaving in an hour! Guess we would not be hanging out in Madrid like we thought. Instead, we found food in the bus station and hung out there until the bus departed. The bus left Madrid at 4:30pm and we arrived in Granada at 9:30pm, and that was with a half hour stop at a gas station on the way. At the bus station the girls shared a taxi home, since Whitney and I live together and Cassandra’s home is close by. After dropping our stuff off at home we went to JuanMi’s (the bartender that rents a room from Cassandra’s host mom) bar, Obelisco, for one round of tinto de verano and tapas to celebrate our return home.
Rome Feb. 6 (Fri)
I’ve completely run out of clean clothes, so I am wearing one of the shirts I bought yesterday. Last night two Canadian girls checked into our room and, not going to lie, they, or their stuff, smells. We slept with the window open and it got better. Oh, and Mitch vaulted into bed and broke the top bunk he had been sleeping on, ha ha ha! It was pretty hilarious, so he had to move to the bunk underneath mine. When we woke up this morning mystery man, whom we nicknamed “Sucio” (dirty) for obvious reasons, was back sleeping in an open bunk. He had shown up yesterday morning and no one had heard him come in during the night and we never saw him during the day. Armondo, one of the guys working at the hostel, told us that he is a guy nicknamed Nazi by the fellow workers that was let go from the hostel because he hit on girls too much. Great! Good to know this person was sleeping in the same room as us for two nights!
We got bread and fruit again for breakfast. Mom, I don’t know what I am going to do when I get home and don’t have fresh bread every day! Then we walked to the Vatican City area and were bombarded by people offering tours. The best way to shut someone up is to tell them you’ve already seen it or you’ve already bought it. We walked past the Vatican and St. Peter’s to a bridge over the River Tiber and got an awesome view of the Castel Sant’ Angelo. Then we walked back by the Vatican down Via Ottaviano to the Metro Station (this was the Metro closest to the hostel that we finally found). We took the metro from there to the Spagna station, which was right next to the Spanish Steps, enormous! While the girls and I were just sitting on the steps a large group of Italian boys, about age 15 or so, came up around us and took a group picture, so we were definitely in their pictures! We could tell they did this on purpose because the few girls in their group got up and left while the boys got closer to us; the girls were just laughing at them. We took lots of pictures on the different levels of the steps.
After the Spanish Steps we walked down Via Condotti, which runs into Via del Corso, where Armondo told us shopping would be. Apparently Via Condotti was where the expensive stores were. We passed Dior, Gucci, Armani, Prada, Fendi, Hermes, and Valentino. When we got to Via del Corso we found a few stores that we could actually afford to walk into. As we continued walking we passed through Plazzo Colonna and saw a large obelisk with intricate engravings wrapped all the way up around it; I remember studying this at some point but couldn’t remember its name. We kept walking and found the Pantheon; Cassandra wanted to take a picture with some shady looking men dressed in Roman attire but decided not too when they wanted to charge her for it. We went inside, because it is free, and it was just as I expected, very round, coffered ceiling and a whole in the middle. Unfortunately, it was raining (big surprise, right?) so in the very center of the Pantheon was a large puddle from the whole in the roof. Inside was the tomb of the first king of Italy and the tomb of Raphael!
After the Pantheon we had lunch at a nearby restaurant: bruscetta, pizza with spicy sausage, and coke. Then, of course, we found a gelato place, but this one had chocolate covered cones with nuts! From Via del Corso we took a side street, Via delle Muratte, to get to the Fontana di Trevi. It was a huge gorgeous fountain where you’re suppose to throw a coin in over your shoulder and make a wish. After making our wish and tossing in our coins we located Via del Tritone to walk to the Fontana del Tritone. This fountain was not as exciting as the last one, but still pretty. The metro was right next to the fountain, so we took that to the Ottaviano stop near our hostel. On the metro there was a boy playing the accordion and he had a little boy with him, probably his little brother. He was so cute, but he almost fell over when the metro turned! I gave them a Euro before we got off the train. There are so many homeless people in Rome, it’s sad, and so unlike Granada where I haven’t seen any.
For dinner we finally ate out at a restaurant at the correct time! We went back to the Pizzaria Restaurant we went to the first night in Rome at about 8:30pm, after stopping to buy fruit for breakfast tomorrow, and there were tons of people there! I wanted to be adventurous and order something that was not pizza, so I ordered something that I though was pasta and had the word “scampi” in it. I though it would be a pretty safe bet. Um, when it came out is was not pasta. It actually looked like a Rice-a-Roni meal with a little mini lobster. It was still really good, even though it wasn’t what I expected. We got our last gelato in Rome after dinner at the place by the Vatican we went to yesterday. This place was my favorite gelato place we’ve been to because it’s the cheapest and they had whipped cream! I got a cone with chocolate, caramel, and cherry flavors, yum! I’ve definitely loved the food in Rome, even if I haven’t like the dirty city itself too much.
Tomorrow we are planning on leaving the hostel really early (between 4:30-4:45am). We have to walk a few blocks to the nearest metro station, then take the metro to the Termini Station and find the train that will take us directly to the airport. The first train runs at 5:52am and we are going to try to make that one. The flight isn’t until about 9am, but it is better to be earlier, especially since we’re in a different country.
We got bread and fruit again for breakfast. Mom, I don’t know what I am going to do when I get home and don’t have fresh bread every day! Then we walked to the Vatican City area and were bombarded by people offering tours. The best way to shut someone up is to tell them you’ve already seen it or you’ve already bought it. We walked past the Vatican and St. Peter’s to a bridge over the River Tiber and got an awesome view of the Castel Sant’ Angelo. Then we walked back by the Vatican down Via Ottaviano to the Metro Station (this was the Metro closest to the hostel that we finally found). We took the metro from there to the Spagna station, which was right next to the Spanish Steps, enormous! While the girls and I were just sitting on the steps a large group of Italian boys, about age 15 or so, came up around us and took a group picture, so we were definitely in their pictures! We could tell they did this on purpose because the few girls in their group got up and left while the boys got closer to us; the girls were just laughing at them. We took lots of pictures on the different levels of the steps.
After the Spanish Steps we walked down Via Condotti, which runs into Via del Corso, where Armondo told us shopping would be. Apparently Via Condotti was where the expensive stores were. We passed Dior, Gucci, Armani, Prada, Fendi, Hermes, and Valentino. When we got to Via del Corso we found a few stores that we could actually afford to walk into. As we continued walking we passed through Plazzo Colonna and saw a large obelisk with intricate engravings wrapped all the way up around it; I remember studying this at some point but couldn’t remember its name. We kept walking and found the Pantheon; Cassandra wanted to take a picture with some shady looking men dressed in Roman attire but decided not too when they wanted to charge her for it. We went inside, because it is free, and it was just as I expected, very round, coffered ceiling and a whole in the middle. Unfortunately, it was raining (big surprise, right?) so in the very center of the Pantheon was a large puddle from the whole in the roof. Inside was the tomb of the first king of Italy and the tomb of Raphael!
After the Pantheon we had lunch at a nearby restaurant: bruscetta, pizza with spicy sausage, and coke. Then, of course, we found a gelato place, but this one had chocolate covered cones with nuts! From Via del Corso we took a side street, Via delle Muratte, to get to the Fontana di Trevi. It was a huge gorgeous fountain where you’re suppose to throw a coin in over your shoulder and make a wish. After making our wish and tossing in our coins we located Via del Tritone to walk to the Fontana del Tritone. This fountain was not as exciting as the last one, but still pretty. The metro was right next to the fountain, so we took that to the Ottaviano stop near our hostel. On the metro there was a boy playing the accordion and he had a little boy with him, probably his little brother. He was so cute, but he almost fell over when the metro turned! I gave them a Euro before we got off the train. There are so many homeless people in Rome, it’s sad, and so unlike Granada where I haven’t seen any.
For dinner we finally ate out at a restaurant at the correct time! We went back to the Pizzaria Restaurant we went to the first night in Rome at about 8:30pm, after stopping to buy fruit for breakfast tomorrow, and there were tons of people there! I wanted to be adventurous and order something that was not pizza, so I ordered something that I though was pasta and had the word “scampi” in it. I though it would be a pretty safe bet. Um, when it came out is was not pasta. It actually looked like a Rice-a-Roni meal with a little mini lobster. It was still really good, even though it wasn’t what I expected. We got our last gelato in Rome after dinner at the place by the Vatican we went to yesterday. This place was my favorite gelato place we’ve been to because it’s the cheapest and they had whipped cream! I got a cone with chocolate, caramel, and cherry flavors, yum! I’ve definitely loved the food in Rome, even if I haven’t like the dirty city itself too much.
Tomorrow we are planning on leaving the hostel really early (between 4:30-4:45am). We have to walk a few blocks to the nearest metro station, then take the metro to the Termini Station and find the train that will take us directly to the airport. The first train runs at 5:52am and we are going to try to make that one. The flight isn’t until about 9am, but it is better to be earlier, especially since we’re in a different country.
Rome Feb. 5 (Thu)
I slept a little better last night than the night before because there was a lot less snoring this time. After leaving the hostel we bought fruit and bread again, a very very cheap breakfast, and walked to find the Metro. We didn’t find the one that was suppose to be closest to our hoste, but found one around the Vatican. It took us a little while to figure out which line to take and then we had to switch lines once we got to the Termini Station. We walked out of this station and once we hit the fresh air BAM! There was the Colosseum. We actually hit a wall of people who had exited the Metro and immediately stopped to take pictures. Our tour group ended up being bigger than I would have liked, but it was still really cool to tour the Colosseum and learn so much more about it than I’ve ever known. It was built in only 8 years, finished in 80AD, and is technically named the Flavian Ampetheater. The lowest level was reserved for nobility, the second for wealthy people, the third for common men, and the highest level for common women. There were never any tickets, but apparently people could tell by their dress the correct section to sit in. Entertainment and food at the Colosseum use to be free too. We were able to walk up to the second level of the Colosseum; it was a really cool view looking down into the basement/holding area. There was also an awesome view of the Arch of Constantine from up there. The only bad thing about the day was that it was raining while we were inside the Colosseum, which has no roof! I am so sick of rain! It rained the first week and a half in Granada, the entire weekend in Madrid (with some snow mixed in), and off and on in Rome. When is there going to be sun in Europe? After our official tour ended we walked around the second level of the Colosseum (that was as high as you were allowed to go) and then exited to join our next tour, the Palentine Hill.
This was where the Roman emperors built their homes and lived. The tour guide told us it was over a mile in perimeter and use to be entirely enclosed, with various indoor courtyards to let in sunlight and fresh air. The indoor courtyards were made of marble with fountains which helped reflect light into the palace. Near the end of the tour we went to a balcony that overlooked the Roman Forum. The Via Sacra going through the Roman Forum was the most important road during the Roman Empire. All business transactions took place here and soldiers would march through there to show off their spoils after war. From the balcony I could see the gigantic Basilica of Constantine, as well as the area reserved for the ancient cult of the Vestle Virgins. These girls were chosen at age seven to serve the god of purity for 30 years. Only one woman ever finished her service though, because life expectancy was only in the 30s during the Roman Empire.
At that time we were all pretty grumpy because we were so hungry, it was already after 3pm and all we had eaten so far was fruit and bread. We walked up a hill close to the Colosseum, above the area where prostitutes use to hang out after Colosseum events, and walked back down it because there was no food up there. We found a pizza place at about 4pm on a side street. There was no one else in there! We always go to restaurants at the wrong time. Tuesday night we went to dinner too early and lunch too late today. I had a coke and the best lasagna of my life! The noodles tasted like they had been made fresh this morning. After we ate we were all much happier and walked to Via Nazionale to do some shopping. At the end of the street was a Metro station and we took that back to the hostel.
This was where the Roman emperors built their homes and lived. The tour guide told us it was over a mile in perimeter and use to be entirely enclosed, with various indoor courtyards to let in sunlight and fresh air. The indoor courtyards were made of marble with fountains which helped reflect light into the palace. Near the end of the tour we went to a balcony that overlooked the Roman Forum. The Via Sacra going through the Roman Forum was the most important road during the Roman Empire. All business transactions took place here and soldiers would march through there to show off their spoils after war. From the balcony I could see the gigantic Basilica of Constantine, as well as the area reserved for the ancient cult of the Vestle Virgins. These girls were chosen at age seven to serve the god of purity for 30 years. Only one woman ever finished her service though, because life expectancy was only in the 30s during the Roman Empire.
At that time we were all pretty grumpy because we were so hungry, it was already after 3pm and all we had eaten so far was fruit and bread. We walked up a hill close to the Colosseum, above the area where prostitutes use to hang out after Colosseum events, and walked back down it because there was no food up there. We found a pizza place at about 4pm on a side street. There was no one else in there! We always go to restaurants at the wrong time. Tuesday night we went to dinner too early and lunch too late today. I had a coke and the best lasagna of my life! The noodles tasted like they had been made fresh this morning. After we ate we were all much happier and walked to Via Nazionale to do some shopping. At the end of the street was a Metro station and we took that back to the hostel.
Rome Feb. 4 (Wed)
Oh my God I slept horribly. First, I had to sleep with my ipod because people were being so loud. Then I was woken up and kept awake at 2am by what sounded like a water buffalo snoring. Mitch swears the awful noise was from the New Zealand girl in the bunk below him. Hopefully that is true because she and her sister left today. I think next time we take a trip though I should bring my sleeping pills. I’m glad I showered last night, though, the bathrooms got crazy full this morning.
We left the hostel in the morning after locking everything up; I ate an apple and we stopped by a pastelería to get some bread for breakfast. Then we walked to the Vatican Museums, which is actually really ugly on the outside because it is enclosed in a giant ugly wall. We went through security and walked upstairs to buy tickets, only 8 Euro with our International Student ID to get into all the Vatican Museums. I was pretty surprised with security inside; I figured there would be multiple guards in every room. However, I could have walked right up and touched Raphael’s “School of Athens” without any guard in the room! Maybe too many of them were guarding the Pope.
Getting through all the rooms was like a giant maze. We went though the Raphael rooms first, seeing “School of Athens” (AH!!!), “Liberation of St. Peter,” “The Cardinal Virtues,” and others. We had to walk though all kinds of modern art (not my favorite) to finally get to the Sistine Chapel, although we did pass Rodin’s “The Thinker” on the way. The Sistine Chapel is larger than I expected. I walked in and immediately turned around to look at the altar wall and Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment,” which is my favorite painting of his. It is ginormous, taking up the entire wall (big in itself) from floor to ceiling. It was so cool, and I felt pretty cultured having studied these paintings before. I was able to explain things to my friends that knew nothing about art. And, of course, the most famous “Creation” in the very center of the ceiling, with God reaching out his hand to Adam was amazing. Near the exit we bought postcards and were able to mail them right there; the Vatican has its own post office!
After we left the Vatican I bought a blue Italia scarf; now I just need an España one! We kept walking around the Vatican wall and got to the plaza of St. Peter’s Basilica. The view was large and gorgeous, although it would have been better with out construction going on with the obelisk and the front of St. Peter’s. Entrance was free and the inside was so much more than I ever expected; I should just stop expecting things! Inside on the right, encased in glass, stood Michelangelo’s “Pieta,” my favorite piece of art ever! I was a little sad that I couldn’t get very close, you could only see the front and it would’ve been cool to see the back of the sculpture.
Then we headed back toward the hostel. Italy looks a lot better in the daylight. I think the problem was that we arrived after dark last night and it was rainy. We stopped at a supermarket and bought pasta, sauce, bread, and wine to cook in the hostel for a late dinner. For lunch we had eaten at a Kabob place; I had some fried potatoes and a large spinach filled loaf of bread. After lunch we found a gelato place (cheaper than the one last night!) that I think we will be returning to often! We cooked dinner and hung out with some really nice Australian girls at the hostel. After dinner we went out again for gelato (yes, multiple times each day). We ate while we walked again to St. Peter’s and saw it all lit up at night, gorgeous!
We left the hostel in the morning after locking everything up; I ate an apple and we stopped by a pastelería to get some bread for breakfast. Then we walked to the Vatican Museums, which is actually really ugly on the outside because it is enclosed in a giant ugly wall. We went through security and walked upstairs to buy tickets, only 8 Euro with our International Student ID to get into all the Vatican Museums. I was pretty surprised with security inside; I figured there would be multiple guards in every room. However, I could have walked right up and touched Raphael’s “School of Athens” without any guard in the room! Maybe too many of them were guarding the Pope.
Getting through all the rooms was like a giant maze. We went though the Raphael rooms first, seeing “School of Athens” (AH!!!), “Liberation of St. Peter,” “The Cardinal Virtues,” and others. We had to walk though all kinds of modern art (not my favorite) to finally get to the Sistine Chapel, although we did pass Rodin’s “The Thinker” on the way. The Sistine Chapel is larger than I expected. I walked in and immediately turned around to look at the altar wall and Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment,” which is my favorite painting of his. It is ginormous, taking up the entire wall (big in itself) from floor to ceiling. It was so cool, and I felt pretty cultured having studied these paintings before. I was able to explain things to my friends that knew nothing about art. And, of course, the most famous “Creation” in the very center of the ceiling, with God reaching out his hand to Adam was amazing. Near the exit we bought postcards and were able to mail them right there; the Vatican has its own post office!
After we left the Vatican I bought a blue Italia scarf; now I just need an España one! We kept walking around the Vatican wall and got to the plaza of St. Peter’s Basilica. The view was large and gorgeous, although it would have been better with out construction going on with the obelisk and the front of St. Peter’s. Entrance was free and the inside was so much more than I ever expected; I should just stop expecting things! Inside on the right, encased in glass, stood Michelangelo’s “Pieta,” my favorite piece of art ever! I was a little sad that I couldn’t get very close, you could only see the front and it would’ve been cool to see the back of the sculpture.
Then we headed back toward the hostel. Italy looks a lot better in the daylight. I think the problem was that we arrived after dark last night and it was rainy. We stopped at a supermarket and bought pasta, sauce, bread, and wine to cook in the hostel for a late dinner. For lunch we had eaten at a Kabob place; I had some fried potatoes and a large spinach filled loaf of bread. After lunch we found a gelato place (cheaper than the one last night!) that I think we will be returning to often! We cooked dinner and hung out with some really nice Australian girls at the hostel. After dinner we went out again for gelato (yes, multiple times each day). We ate while we walked again to St. Peter’s and saw it all lit up at night, gorgeous!
Madrid & Rome Feb. 3 (Tuesday)
We check out of the hostel this morning and bought four large loaves of bread for breakfast. Then we went to the Metro and took four different lines to get to the Madrid airport; I have become a master at Metro navigation! I can’t believe how far underground some go; at one point we took four large flights of escalators down! On the first line we started talking with a man from Texas. Apparently, his father-in-law is the Vice President of Austin College! Oh my goodness, small world! Security at the airports in Europe is definitely less strict than the DFW Airport; my razor made it through and they never asked to see my boarding pass or passport until we got to the gate.
After landing in Rome we went to find customs to go through. Customs in Rome apparently only consist of a sign that says “Customs” over an automatic exit door. Absolutely no one talked to us as we exited. Customs?!? Ha! However, we were immediately bombarded with pushy taxi drivers trying to coerce us into going with them. We got train and bus directions from a tourist info person, but a different person told us there was a bus that could take us directly from the airport to the hostel for cheaper. Well, it was a crazy ride. The bus only sat 7 and there were 9 of us (me, my three friends, and five ladies from Mexico going to some hotel), so we squished. Pretty much the only English the bus driver spoke was “Obama” and “four.” He though he could speak Spanish too, but the five Mexican women with us seemed to have a difficult time understanding him too.
The hostel in Madrid seemed like a nice hotel compared to the one we are in here in Rome, although it’s still not that bad. We’re in a mixed 8 room of bunk beds and one of the other guests is a 50-something year old man! How does that happen? At least there are bathrooms with showers and a kitchen we can use, provided we find food. After checking into the hostel we went out in search of food. A lot of places were closed, but we found a Pizzaria Restaurant with pretty reasonable prices (what looked like about 4 Euro for a large slice). Well, apparently that was for an entire 14” pizza! We each ordered one and were like “holy crap!” when the waiter brought them out. But we ended up eating it all because it was very thin crust. It was only 6 Euro each for all that pizza and a bottle of carbonated water, which isn’t too bad itself. Then we continued walking and located gelato, delicious! At an Alementacion (equivalent to a US mini-mart) I got a huge bottle of water and an apple for breakfast for under 1 Euro. We will go to the Vatican tomorrow and it’s only about a 15 minute walk from the hostel.
After landing in Rome we went to find customs to go through. Customs in Rome apparently only consist of a sign that says “Customs” over an automatic exit door. Absolutely no one talked to us as we exited. Customs?!? Ha! However, we were immediately bombarded with pushy taxi drivers trying to coerce us into going with them. We got train and bus directions from a tourist info person, but a different person told us there was a bus that could take us directly from the airport to the hostel for cheaper. Well, it was a crazy ride. The bus only sat 7 and there were 9 of us (me, my three friends, and five ladies from Mexico going to some hotel), so we squished. Pretty much the only English the bus driver spoke was “Obama” and “four.” He though he could speak Spanish too, but the five Mexican women with us seemed to have a difficult time understanding him too.
The hostel in Madrid seemed like a nice hotel compared to the one we are in here in Rome, although it’s still not that bad. We’re in a mixed 8 room of bunk beds and one of the other guests is a 50-something year old man! How does that happen? At least there are bathrooms with showers and a kitchen we can use, provided we find food. After checking into the hostel we went out in search of food. A lot of places were closed, but we found a Pizzaria Restaurant with pretty reasonable prices (what looked like about 4 Euro for a large slice). Well, apparently that was for an entire 14” pizza! We each ordered one and were like “holy crap!” when the waiter brought them out. But we ended up eating it all because it was very thin crust. It was only 6 Euro each for all that pizza and a bottle of carbonated water, which isn’t too bad itself. Then we continued walking and located gelato, delicious! At an Alementacion (equivalent to a US mini-mart) I got a huge bottle of water and an apple for breakfast for under 1 Euro. We will go to the Vatican tomorrow and it’s only about a 15 minute walk from the hostel.
Madrid Feb. 2 (Mon)
After leaving the palace, we got our stuff from the luggage storage room in the hotel and went in search of our hostel for the night, since we would not be returning to Granada with the group. It was within walking distance from the hotel and we found the specific street after asking a woman walking by. The hostel is actually really nice. We are all four in a private room together, bedding and a towel were provided, the bathrooms are down the hall, and best of all, there are two computers with internet to use! So of course I checked facebook, ha ha!
At 9pm we (Whitney, Cassandra, and I) met Sara, Kristin, and Justine (other girls in our program staying in the same hostel) to go to Gula Gula Restaurant, which was dinner and a drag show. We all sat at a large round table together and set out for the buffet. The waiter at first didn’t think Cassandra and Whitney were old enough to drink. This was pretty amusing, but made Cassandra, who is 20, upset because the drinking age in Spain is only 18! Eventually he believed them, though he never checked anyone’s ID. The actually show was only one drag queen named Dolly, and she made her entrance singing and wearing higher heels than I even own. She was very lively and funny, even though she spoke incredibly fast and we didn’t understand most of the specifics of what she was saying, although we got the general idea of the jokes. It was a very fun experience and I’m glad I went.
At 9pm we (Whitney, Cassandra, and I) met Sara, Kristin, and Justine (other girls in our program staying in the same hostel) to go to Gula Gula Restaurant, which was dinner and a drag show. We all sat at a large round table together and set out for the buffet. The waiter at first didn’t think Cassandra and Whitney were old enough to drink. This was pretty amusing, but made Cassandra, who is 20, upset because the drinking age in Spain is only 18! Eventually he believed them, though he never checked anyone’s ID. The actually show was only one drag queen named Dolly, and she made her entrance singing and wearing higher heels than I even own. She was very lively and funny, even though she spoke incredibly fast and we didn’t understand most of the specifics of what she was saying, although we got the general idea of the jokes. It was a very fun experience and I’m glad I went.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Madrid
Saturday, Jan 31:
It was a little chilly and rainy this morning as we waited infront of the Biblioteca Publica for our bus to Madrid. I slept a little on the way, but not as much as I would have liked. Some of the landscapes were gorgeous though, rows & rows of olive trees. We left Granada at 8:30am and checked into Hotel Moderno in the middle of Puerta del Sol in Madrid at 2pm. Whitney, Cassandra, & I have a triple. At 2:30pm we met in the lobby and Veronica gave everyone a map of the city and 10 Euro for dinner. Then we all walked to the Museo del Prado, we entered as a group but were then allowed to do our own thing after going through security. I saw so many paintings I´ve studied in Art History classes. Here´s a few big ones:
Velazquez, "Las Meninas"
Goya, "The Third of May, 1808"
El Greco, "The Holy Trinity" & "Knight with his hand on his Chest"
Raphael, "The Cardinal"
Caravaggio, "David Victorius over Goliath"
Titian, "Bacchanal of the Adrians"
Fra Angelico, "the Annunciation"
Van Der Weyden, "Descent from the Cross"
Bosh, " The Garden of Earthly Delights"
They didn´t allow photography of the paintings, so I bought a few postcards to scrapbook with later. After we left the museum we walked a little through the Parque de Buen Retiro, which is huge. There was a large pond where people were playing music and rowing boats.
Sunday, Feb. 1:
Breakfast at the hotel was the best breakfast I´ve had so far in Spain: orange juice, cafe con leche, crossiants, chocolate donuts, and cheese. We met as a group at 10;30am to leave for El Escorial (a monastary), but Veronica told us the excursion had to be cancelled. It was icing-snowing in Madrid and the road to get there was closed. So she gave us our 20 Euro for lunch and dinner and said we were free to do whatever until we met for the theater at 6:30pm.
We had seen in the lobby a flier for the Body World exhibit, which none of us had seen, so we set out walking in the snow and slush. We walked about thirty minutes to the address of the brochure and saw only single for a Titanic exhibit, none of Body World! When we asked the ticket guy about it he said that exhibit had been gone for 3 months! Ah! Us girls decided to go to the Reina Sofia Art Museum and see Picasso´s "Guernica" instead. It was HUGE, and amazing. And, the Reina Sofia was FREE because it was Sunday!
After a seista we went to Teatro Munoz Seca to watch a comedia. It was pretty funny and I understood the general plot although I wish I could have understood more of the dialogue and details.
Since it was Superbowl Sunday we set out in search of a place showing the game. We found success in an Irish bar named OReilly´s. It was pretty amusing since there were a lot of Americans and Spanairds, but it didn´t seem like a lot of people really understood the game. The game didn´t begin until 12:30am and we stayed until it ended at 4:30am! It was unfortunate we didn´t get to see any of the good funny commericals though, because it was a different broadcast network.
Monday, Feb. 2:
This morning was difficult to wake up, obviously. We went to the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) in the heart of Madrid. The tour was very cool, everyone was given an earpiece attached to an audioset. The tour guide wore a microphone and when she spoke normally the sound was fed into everyonés earpiece. My favorite part of the tour was that, until the very end, she was convinced that we could not understand her (the tour was in spanihs). She kept saying in the microphone "Creo que no me entiendes" (I think you don´t understand me), and we were like, "yes we freaking can!" The palace itself was gorgeous both inside and out.
After leaving the palace we got our stuff from the hotel and most of the people from the program returned to Granada. Me and three friends went and checked into our hostel and took a seista.
It was a little chilly and rainy this morning as we waited infront of the Biblioteca Publica for our bus to Madrid. I slept a little on the way, but not as much as I would have liked. Some of the landscapes were gorgeous though, rows & rows of olive trees. We left Granada at 8:30am and checked into Hotel Moderno in the middle of Puerta del Sol in Madrid at 2pm. Whitney, Cassandra, & I have a triple. At 2:30pm we met in the lobby and Veronica gave everyone a map of the city and 10 Euro for dinner. Then we all walked to the Museo del Prado, we entered as a group but were then allowed to do our own thing after going through security. I saw so many paintings I´ve studied in Art History classes. Here´s a few big ones:
Velazquez, "Las Meninas"
Goya, "The Third of May, 1808"
El Greco, "The Holy Trinity" & "Knight with his hand on his Chest"
Raphael, "The Cardinal"
Caravaggio, "David Victorius over Goliath"
Titian, "Bacchanal of the Adrians"
Fra Angelico, "the Annunciation"
Van Der Weyden, "Descent from the Cross"
Bosh, " The Garden of Earthly Delights"
They didn´t allow photography of the paintings, so I bought a few postcards to scrapbook with later. After we left the museum we walked a little through the Parque de Buen Retiro, which is huge. There was a large pond where people were playing music and rowing boats.
Sunday, Feb. 1:
Breakfast at the hotel was the best breakfast I´ve had so far in Spain: orange juice, cafe con leche, crossiants, chocolate donuts, and cheese. We met as a group at 10;30am to leave for El Escorial (a monastary), but Veronica told us the excursion had to be cancelled. It was icing-snowing in Madrid and the road to get there was closed. So she gave us our 20 Euro for lunch and dinner and said we were free to do whatever until we met for the theater at 6:30pm.
We had seen in the lobby a flier for the Body World exhibit, which none of us had seen, so we set out walking in the snow and slush. We walked about thirty minutes to the address of the brochure and saw only single for a Titanic exhibit, none of Body World! When we asked the ticket guy about it he said that exhibit had been gone for 3 months! Ah! Us girls decided to go to the Reina Sofia Art Museum and see Picasso´s "Guernica" instead. It was HUGE, and amazing. And, the Reina Sofia was FREE because it was Sunday!
After a seista we went to Teatro Munoz Seca to watch a comedia. It was pretty funny and I understood the general plot although I wish I could have understood more of the dialogue and details.
Since it was Superbowl Sunday we set out in search of a place showing the game. We found success in an Irish bar named OReilly´s. It was pretty amusing since there were a lot of Americans and Spanairds, but it didn´t seem like a lot of people really understood the game. The game didn´t begin until 12:30am and we stayed until it ended at 4:30am! It was unfortunate we didn´t get to see any of the good funny commericals though, because it was a different broadcast network.
Monday, Feb. 2:
This morning was difficult to wake up, obviously. We went to the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) in the heart of Madrid. The tour was very cool, everyone was given an earpiece attached to an audioset. The tour guide wore a microphone and when she spoke normally the sound was fed into everyonés earpiece. My favorite part of the tour was that, until the very end, she was convinced that we could not understand her (the tour was in spanihs). She kept saying in the microphone "Creo que no me entiendes" (I think you don´t understand me), and we were like, "yes we freaking can!" The palace itself was gorgeous both inside and out.
After leaving the palace we got our stuff from the hotel and most of the people from the program returned to Granada. Me and three friends went and checked into our hostel and took a seista.
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