Okay, so this is definitely my favorite European city so far… we had a blast!!! I went with some of the girls from my program who know people studying in Barcelona this semester- we got a pseudo local taste of the place which was wonderful!
Barcelona is located in Catalonia (on the Mediterranean) where they speak catalán (a mix between French and Castilian Spanish). It’s the same deal as the el país vasco where they speak eurskara (where I live in Spain). Gaudí had a huge influence on the architecture, and the buildings show it… check out my pictures on facebook to see exactly what I mean. We stayed at Centric Point hostel near Plaça Catalunya and Las Ramblas (the famous street!) and Passeig de Gràcia. The place was nice (for a hostel), cheap, and in a perfect location! Plaça Catalunya is in the heart of Barcelona.
WHERE WE WENT…
DAY 1
We arrived late Thursday night and went to bed almost as soon as we got there. The next day we ate breakfast at our hostel (I love it when b’fast is included!), got a map, and headed out. We ventured down Las Ramblas first. Las Ramblas is the most famous street in the city. There are all kinds of crazy street vendors and performers and shops. They sell pigeons (why you would want one is beyond me…), rabbits, touristy stuff, etc. along the street. The place is crazy but wonderful! The street leads to Plaça Portal de la Pau, where the Christopher Columbus monument is located. We stopped and hung out by the Mediterranean, which is a gorgeous blue right now! We visited the Gothic Quarter and Catedral de Barcelona, which was started in the 13th century and finished in the 15th century. The church was under construction when we were there. We saw the outside, and it’s gorgeous. The Gothic Quarter is very “old Europe” with narrow streets and tall buildings. The rest of the day was spent wandering aimlessly around Barcelona (Barceloneta, The Eixample, etc. ) and hitting up every market we saw. I love European markets- you can find all kinds of stuff in them and really get a sense of the local culture. On Friday night, we ate a Citric, a really great restaurant that serves all kinds of stuff. We met up with some of the girls’ friends and went to several really neat places along Las Ramblas, etc. The only bad part of the night was the rain, and we got drenched. My jeans were not dry by the next day.
DAY 2
After breakfast, we were on a mission to find “The Bagel Shop”. Yes, that’s the real name of the place and it exists off Las Ramblas in Barcelona. We found the Bagel Shop only to hear some terrible news- they didn’t have any bagels, but if we came back in an hour or so, they would. We headed back to the Mercat St. Joseph for some fresh fruit! We bought some fruit salad and headed back to Plaça Portal de la Pau to enjoy our fruit and the incredible weather. After we finished our fruit, we headed back to the Bagel Shop and purchased our bagels. We took them to Parc Güell, a beautiful park designed by Gaudí. The place resembles something out of a Dr. Suess book. It’s crazy fun! We ate our wonderful bagels and 3 or 4 hours just hanging out at this place- like I said, the weather was perfect! We met up with another one of the girls’ friends and he took us to Olympic Stadium, where we got in for free- some sort of children’s festival was going on there.
We also went to Montjuïc (the main sight for the ’92 Olympic games) at Plaça d’Espanya to watch the light show- the fountains light up to music and it’s really cool! I sound like a little kid, but it was awesome! I was freezing though because I was in shorts- my jeans were still wet from the night before and I only brought one pair. That night, we went to the beaches at Vila Olímpica and met up with some more college kids on a quest to find the 3rd World Series game. We found the game at an Irish Pub and had a blast watching the Red Sox win again- and former Ole Miss player Seth Smith get a hit for the Rockies.
DAY 3
We missed the free breakfast, so we hit up Dunkin Donuts for a taste of the states. We took our time on Sunday. Many shopes are closed, even in touristy Barcelona so we strolled through the city and it was wonderful. We visited the Sagrada Família, Gaudí’s masterpiece. We headed to Vila Olímpica, well actually we meant to go to the Olympic Village, but ended up at Vila Olímpica, a mistake but not a bad one. The beaches are gorgeous and I found plenty of sea glass- something I can’t find on my beloved Emerald Coast beaches. We ate tapas/real food at a local place, and it was good and very cheap. We headed to the Barcelona soccer stadium, hoping to catch that night’s game. Turns out, we bought tickets for the “B” team game. Oh well, we had fun anyway. I finally found churros- I love them. They’re wonderful, and I’ll tell that to anyone- despite what my friends might say. haha. We ate dinner at a Pita Inn, and the food was excellent. I really like pitas- they take me back to my time spent in the San Juan mountains, eating hobo packs. Yum!!! We headed back to the hostel, and I went to sleep while everyone else headed back to the Irish Pub to watch the Sox win it all!
OVERALL-
I love Barcelona, a lot. I’ll go back in a heartbeat, so if any of you decide to plan a trip their, let me know because I want to go with you! We had a blast and I got back just in time for class on Monday morning. The weather was great- a nice change from the rainy grossness of the Basque country. Anyway, I’m headed to Cinqueterra, Italy, this weekend and I’m stoked. Next weekend, I’ll be in Pamplona and maybe Burgos? Who knows. Anyway, I love all of you! Robbie- congrats on that TD pass and the MA High School Heismann nomination- I’m proud of you, little brother!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
a wonderful weekend exploring the Basque country...
BTW- IT'S COLD NOW... and that does not make me smile... haha. but for real, it's really cold here!
URDAIBAI y GERNIKA y SAN JUAN DE GAZTELUGATXE
So on Friday, CIDE took us to the places listed above, and we had a wonderful day. The weather was gorgeous which was perfect for our hike down to the peninsula of Gaztelugatxe.
Urdaibai is a biosphere located in the Basque Country of Spain. The area of land encompasses 22 pueblos and 45,000 inhabitants. The most famous town located in the biosphere is Gernika. Gernika is the historic capital of the Basque Country. The tree of Gernika represents the freedom of the Basque Country and anti-Franco sentiments. We watched a video (in English!) that explained the history and part of the video was definitely from the perspective of an acorn. On April 26, 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, the town of Gernika was bombed. Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica” depicts this tragic day in Spanish history. I had the opportunity to see the original painting while in Madrid at the Reina Sofia. I enjoyed learning the history behind Picasso’s historic work. Also in Gernika, we had the opportunity to visit the Museo de la Paz- Gernikako Bakearen Museoa- translation: the Peace Museum at Gernika. The museum was incredible! Everything was in Spanish, and for once, I felt like I understood most of what I read, a huge improvement from recent weeks. Words inspiring change for peace from Gandhi to Mother Theresa and Martin Luther King, Jr. to the Dalai Lama adorned the walls. After our trip to Gernika, we headed to a restaurant for a traditional Basque lunch: potato and carne soup, cod (tasted like a salt lick and definitely still had the scales on it), and a wonderful chocolate dessert. Daddy- I know you’re shocked, but yes, I tried the fish. Actually, I’ve tried everything here. I’m all about experiencing the culture to the fullest, which sometimes means eating stuff I wouldn’t touch in the states. Anyway, after lunch we boarded the bus for the short ride to Gaztelugatxe. On the peninsula of Gaztelugatxe sits the church of San Juan. The walk is not easy but definitely worth every step. The church is 74 meters in altitude and there are approximately 231 steps from the top to the bottom. The origins of the church can be traced back to the 10th century and it has been of great importance to the local fisherman. The church is beautiful and offers incredible views on all sides. The walk up to the church slightly resembles the Great Wall of China, only shorter. I loved the opportunity to get some real exercise. My body craves time away from the city, and I finally got it! The walk down was fun, and much to my surprise, I’m still in decent shape. Stations of the Cross line the walk from the bottom of the steps to the church. Like I said, the place was gorgeous! The weather was perfect- a nice breeze and plenty of sunshine. The walk up was definitely tougher- it reminded me oh so slightly of the hike up to the Top of the World. It was definitely not that hard but it was definitely steep. Anyway, we enjoyed a wonderful day on our last CIDE excursion.
VITORIA- the capital of the Basque country
On Saturday, I headed to Vitoria with some of the girls. We left Bilbao around 1:30 and arrived in Vitoria in the middle of siesta- yup, everything was closed. We walked around, saw a church, found the old town, the Basque government buildings, and a bunch of other stuff. Sadly, it was all closed. We sat in a park for a little bit, enjoying the sunshine and the ducks. We walked around for a little bit more and headed back to the bus station. On the way to the bus station, we found a Chinese store and I bought a pair of black flats for 10 Euros. They’re pretty cute, but they’re not quiet broken in yet. We headed back to Bilbao and met up with another friend at Casco Viejo, only to find out that on a Saturday night, everything closes at 9pm. We were left to find food elsewhere, so we headed to Zubiarte, the mall near Deusto, and grabbed a pizza. It was a nice way to end a good afternoon exploring the Basque country.
ART in the USA- celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Guggenheim Museum
On Sunday morning, I met up with the same group of girls and we ventured over to the Guggenheim Museum. The museum celebrated its 10th anniversary this weekend, and lucky for us, part of the festivities included free admission on Saturday and Sunday. We walked around for almost an hour. The current exhibit is a wide variety of art from the US, from the Revolutionary War to today. We saw works by Edward Hopper, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, and Thomas Cole, just to name a few. I definitely enjoyed getting to see a bit of home in Europe. We also toured the Basque artist exhibit which was interesting to say the least. Let’s just say that I’m still learning how to appreciate modern art- haha.
Overall, it was a good weekend. My week went pretty smoothly. I feel like I got a lot done. The next two weeks are about to be crazy busy, as I’m traveling both weekends and I have a final in my grammar class and a debate in my conversation class and our Europe in the World professor was not happy with how little we all knew in class on Thursday. Anyway, this coming weekend I’ll be in Barcelona! I’ll be sure to write how that goes next Monday. I’m excited to say the least. I really enjoy the group of girls I’m going with, and the following week, Amanda and I are taking on the world again with a trip to Cinqueterre, Italy. I love all of you… girls, I miss y’all like crazy and hope that I can come see y’all in the spring! Mama and Daddy and Robbie- like I continue to say, I wish y’all could be here with me. Friends in Oxford- oh man, spring is going to be a blast! I only wish that all of you were going to be there when I get back. Anyway, have a great week!
URDAIBAI y GERNIKA y SAN JUAN DE GAZTELUGATXE
So on Friday, CIDE took us to the places listed above, and we had a wonderful day. The weather was gorgeous which was perfect for our hike down to the peninsula of Gaztelugatxe.
Urdaibai is a biosphere located in the Basque Country of Spain. The area of land encompasses 22 pueblos and 45,000 inhabitants. The most famous town located in the biosphere is Gernika. Gernika is the historic capital of the Basque Country. The tree of Gernika represents the freedom of the Basque Country and anti-Franco sentiments. We watched a video (in English!) that explained the history and part of the video was definitely from the perspective of an acorn. On April 26, 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, the town of Gernika was bombed. Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica” depicts this tragic day in Spanish history. I had the opportunity to see the original painting while in Madrid at the Reina Sofia. I enjoyed learning the history behind Picasso’s historic work. Also in Gernika, we had the opportunity to visit the Museo de la Paz- Gernikako Bakearen Museoa- translation: the Peace Museum at Gernika. The museum was incredible! Everything was in Spanish, and for once, I felt like I understood most of what I read, a huge improvement from recent weeks. Words inspiring change for peace from Gandhi to Mother Theresa and Martin Luther King, Jr. to the Dalai Lama adorned the walls. After our trip to Gernika, we headed to a restaurant for a traditional Basque lunch: potato and carne soup, cod (tasted like a salt lick and definitely still had the scales on it), and a wonderful chocolate dessert. Daddy- I know you’re shocked, but yes, I tried the fish. Actually, I’ve tried everything here. I’m all about experiencing the culture to the fullest, which sometimes means eating stuff I wouldn’t touch in the states. Anyway, after lunch we boarded the bus for the short ride to Gaztelugatxe. On the peninsula of Gaztelugatxe sits the church of San Juan. The walk is not easy but definitely worth every step. The church is 74 meters in altitude and there are approximately 231 steps from the top to the bottom. The origins of the church can be traced back to the 10th century and it has been of great importance to the local fisherman. The church is beautiful and offers incredible views on all sides. The walk up to the church slightly resembles the Great Wall of China, only shorter. I loved the opportunity to get some real exercise. My body craves time away from the city, and I finally got it! The walk down was fun, and much to my surprise, I’m still in decent shape. Stations of the Cross line the walk from the bottom of the steps to the church. Like I said, the place was gorgeous! The weather was perfect- a nice breeze and plenty of sunshine. The walk up was definitely tougher- it reminded me oh so slightly of the hike up to the Top of the World. It was definitely not that hard but it was definitely steep. Anyway, we enjoyed a wonderful day on our last CIDE excursion.
VITORIA- the capital of the Basque country
On Saturday, I headed to Vitoria with some of the girls. We left Bilbao around 1:30 and arrived in Vitoria in the middle of siesta- yup, everything was closed. We walked around, saw a church, found the old town, the Basque government buildings, and a bunch of other stuff. Sadly, it was all closed. We sat in a park for a little bit, enjoying the sunshine and the ducks. We walked around for a little bit more and headed back to the bus station. On the way to the bus station, we found a Chinese store and I bought a pair of black flats for 10 Euros. They’re pretty cute, but they’re not quiet broken in yet. We headed back to Bilbao and met up with another friend at Casco Viejo, only to find out that on a Saturday night, everything closes at 9pm. We were left to find food elsewhere, so we headed to Zubiarte, the mall near Deusto, and grabbed a pizza. It was a nice way to end a good afternoon exploring the Basque country.
ART in the USA- celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Guggenheim Museum
On Sunday morning, I met up with the same group of girls and we ventured over to the Guggenheim Museum. The museum celebrated its 10th anniversary this weekend, and lucky for us, part of the festivities included free admission on Saturday and Sunday. We walked around for almost an hour. The current exhibit is a wide variety of art from the US, from the Revolutionary War to today. We saw works by Edward Hopper, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, and Thomas Cole, just to name a few. I definitely enjoyed getting to see a bit of home in Europe. We also toured the Basque artist exhibit which was interesting to say the least. Let’s just say that I’m still learning how to appreciate modern art- haha.
Overall, it was a good weekend. My week went pretty smoothly. I feel like I got a lot done. The next two weeks are about to be crazy busy, as I’m traveling both weekends and I have a final in my grammar class and a debate in my conversation class and our Europe in the World professor was not happy with how little we all knew in class on Thursday. Anyway, this coming weekend I’ll be in Barcelona! I’ll be sure to write how that goes next Monday. I’m excited to say the least. I really enjoy the group of girls I’m going with, and the following week, Amanda and I are taking on the world again with a trip to Cinqueterre, Italy. I love all of you… girls, I miss y’all like crazy and hope that I can come see y’all in the spring! Mama and Daddy and Robbie- like I continue to say, I wish y’all could be here with me. Friends in Oxford- oh man, spring is going to be a blast! I only wish that all of you were going to be there when I get back. Anyway, have a great week!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
I AM TALL... watch this video. please.
http://olemiss.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=611985224624
I'll post for real tomorrow, but please, everyone, my girls especially, watch this video. This is why I've worked at Sky Ranch, this is why I love that place, this is why I came back, this is why it will forever be one of the best jobs I've ever had, this is why I too am tall...
oh man, I love sky ranch... i miss you ladies of the palace!
I'll post for real tomorrow, but please, everyone, my girls especially, watch this video. This is why I've worked at Sky Ranch, this is why I love that place, this is why I came back, this is why it will forever be one of the best jobs I've ever had, this is why I too am tall...
oh man, I love sky ranch... i miss you ladies of the palace!
Monday, October 15, 2007
spanish independence day in the spanish basque country... not your typical 4th of july celebration
Another fabulousy rainy week in Bilbao and a restful weekend…
Okay, so this week was crazy hectic too… that’s pretty much become the story of my life. I finally found some medicine for the junk I had in my pecho (yo tengo “crap” en mi pecho). One of the girls gave me some Nyquil from the States and it worked wonders. I slept through the night and woke up feeling refreshed! What a nice feeling! I had another test in my Spanish 300 class and a presentation on the European Parliament for Europe in the World (my all time favorite class!). I think both went well, but we shall see when the grades come back. I spent a lot of time at the dorms this week- studying for my test and just hanging out. The guards don’t really like me- I have a hard time leaving by curfew, but I’m learning… haha.
SPANISH INDEPENDCE DAY IN EL PAIS VASCO… yeah, they want their own.
Okay, so on Tuesday, there was a bombing in Bilbao. ETA is the terrorist group here, and basically, they want the Basque country to be its own independent country. The six year cease fire ended the week before I got here in September. Recently, there’ve been riots in San Sebastian and Pamplona. Really, it sounds crazy but it’s not anything we worry about. Well, we walked into school on Thursday morning, and there was graffiti everywhere (on the walls, etc)! What did it say you might be wondering? I have no idea as it was all written in the Basque language of Euskara. Friday was Spain’s 4th of July (a national holiday). The Basque country refuses to celebrate, as they want their own independence day. We received an email from the US Embassy in Madrid encouraging us to be careful and pay extra attention when in public places. ETA doesn’t want any extra casualties, but as one of the guys said, even unintentionally killing Americans is like bonus points. We’re targets and we felt it this week, hence why we really stayed in on Friday. I have yet to feel really unsafe here. The Spanish are not allowed to carry guns- which is comforting- at least I have some chance to save myself. Anyway, Friday was a wonderful day of sleeping in and hanging out with Kristin and Boo in the dorm. Bilbao was pretty empty on Friday anyway.
ASHTON SEBASTIAN VISITS SAN SEBASTIAN- for those of you who remember Chandler’s ridiculousness from 8th grade…
On Saturday, Kristin and Boo and I went to San Sebastian for Boo’s Basque Culture class project. We got up and caught the 11am bus (it’s about 1hr and 15min away). We sat in the back and listened to our iPods, which was wonderful. We arrived and began meandering around the city. The day was beautiful- the weather was warm and the sky was clear. We visited the Cathedral of the Good Pastor, walked around the old town, climbed to the top of the statue of San Sebastian (above the city), and played in the sand on the beach. We ate hamburgers at an outdoor café and got some really tasty helado for dessert. We met up with the Richmond guys (who are in Boo’s group for this project) and took lots of pictures. We had a blast, said goodbye to the boys, and headed back to Bilbao on the 6:30pm bus. On Saturday night, we went to a fiesta! We got off the bus and saw what looked like a state fair, but as we walked along we found several concerts, people dressed in traditional Basque attire, and a whole lot of random junk. It was definitely a cultural experience…
Here’s what’s going on this week- the usual Monday of 2 hours of class and a nice hour long run before I use the internet at the school in the afternoon, Tuesday- Amanda and I are hitting up the other half off postre shop (um, best thing ever!) after a long day of classes, Wednesday- my day in the lab with Kristin and Boo, half off postres, and studying for the culture quiz on Thursday, Thursday- culture quiz! and the day that I spend a bajillion hours at school- from 10am-5:30pm, Friday- our last CIDE sponsored excursion to the Biosphere- I have no idea what this is… and money for books is due- ugh. Saturday, wine country tour! Also on my agenda for this week, finish my Koch fellowship application, make my schedule for Spring 2008 in oxford, and plan when to meet up with Kate, book my flight to Sevilla, and figure out what’s going on with Paris. I hope everyone has a wonderful week- I love you all!
Okay, so this week was crazy hectic too… that’s pretty much become the story of my life. I finally found some medicine for the junk I had in my pecho (yo tengo “crap” en mi pecho). One of the girls gave me some Nyquil from the States and it worked wonders. I slept through the night and woke up feeling refreshed! What a nice feeling! I had another test in my Spanish 300 class and a presentation on the European Parliament for Europe in the World (my all time favorite class!). I think both went well, but we shall see when the grades come back. I spent a lot of time at the dorms this week- studying for my test and just hanging out. The guards don’t really like me- I have a hard time leaving by curfew, but I’m learning… haha.
SPANISH INDEPENDCE DAY IN EL PAIS VASCO… yeah, they want their own.
Okay, so on Tuesday, there was a bombing in Bilbao. ETA is the terrorist group here, and basically, they want the Basque country to be its own independent country. The six year cease fire ended the week before I got here in September. Recently, there’ve been riots in San Sebastian and Pamplona. Really, it sounds crazy but it’s not anything we worry about. Well, we walked into school on Thursday morning, and there was graffiti everywhere (on the walls, etc)! What did it say you might be wondering? I have no idea as it was all written in the Basque language of Euskara. Friday was Spain’s 4th of July (a national holiday). The Basque country refuses to celebrate, as they want their own independence day. We received an email from the US Embassy in Madrid encouraging us to be careful and pay extra attention when in public places. ETA doesn’t want any extra casualties, but as one of the guys said, even unintentionally killing Americans is like bonus points. We’re targets and we felt it this week, hence why we really stayed in on Friday. I have yet to feel really unsafe here. The Spanish are not allowed to carry guns- which is comforting- at least I have some chance to save myself. Anyway, Friday was a wonderful day of sleeping in and hanging out with Kristin and Boo in the dorm. Bilbao was pretty empty on Friday anyway.
ASHTON SEBASTIAN VISITS SAN SEBASTIAN- for those of you who remember Chandler’s ridiculousness from 8th grade…
On Saturday, Kristin and Boo and I went to San Sebastian for Boo’s Basque Culture class project. We got up and caught the 11am bus (it’s about 1hr and 15min away). We sat in the back and listened to our iPods, which was wonderful. We arrived and began meandering around the city. The day was beautiful- the weather was warm and the sky was clear. We visited the Cathedral of the Good Pastor, walked around the old town, climbed to the top of the statue of San Sebastian (above the city), and played in the sand on the beach. We ate hamburgers at an outdoor café and got some really tasty helado for dessert. We met up with the Richmond guys (who are in Boo’s group for this project) and took lots of pictures. We had a blast, said goodbye to the boys, and headed back to Bilbao on the 6:30pm bus. On Saturday night, we went to a fiesta! We got off the bus and saw what looked like a state fair, but as we walked along we found several concerts, people dressed in traditional Basque attire, and a whole lot of random junk. It was definitely a cultural experience…
Here’s what’s going on this week- the usual Monday of 2 hours of class and a nice hour long run before I use the internet at the school in the afternoon, Tuesday- Amanda and I are hitting up the other half off postre shop (um, best thing ever!) after a long day of classes, Wednesday- my day in the lab with Kristin and Boo, half off postres, and studying for the culture quiz on Thursday, Thursday- culture quiz! and the day that I spend a bajillion hours at school- from 10am-5:30pm, Friday- our last CIDE sponsored excursion to the Biosphere- I have no idea what this is… and money for books is due- ugh. Saturday, wine country tour! Also on my agenda for this week, finish my Koch fellowship application, make my schedule for Spring 2008 in oxford, and plan when to meet up with Kate, book my flight to Sevilla, and figure out what’s going on with Paris. I hope everyone has a wonderful week- I love you all!
Monday, October 8, 2007
el pais vasco en francia y mas
So, this past week was pretty crazy. It rained- a lot. Spain likes rain, well at least the Basque country does. Speaking of which, I stinkin’ love the Basque country. It’s not touristy at all. They speak two languages- Castilian Spanish and Euskara (Basque). But yeah, this week was nuts. I had a ton of reading and spent most of the week frustrated- the speaking lab computer program doesn’t understand a word I say which means that it takes me twice as long to get stuff done in there, and I couldn’t articulate a thought to save my life in my language class. But it ended, and on Friday, CIDE took us to the French Basque country and the cities of St. Jean de Luz and Biarritz in France and Loyola, Spain. St. Jean de Luz and Biarritz are both on the Atlantic coast and are beautiful little towns by the sea. We visited la Plaza Louis XIV, la Maison Louis XIV, la iglesia de San Juan Bautista, el paseo de la Grande Plage, el Hotel du Palais (a palace turned into a hotel), el iglesia ortodoxa ruso (Russian Orthodox church), la roca de la virgen (so gorgeous- the rock of the virgen Mary by the sea- check facebook for pictures!!!), el Mercado culderto de la Rue des Halles, la Plaza Clemenceau, la calle Edouard VII, la Basílica de Loyola, and La Casa Torre. The Basílica de Loyola is the church of San Ignacio. It’s gorgeous- once again, check facebook for pictures. Mama, Daddy, and Robbie- I wish yall were here to experience all of this with me! Mama and Daddy- yall would’ve loved the basilica. The history behind it all, the in laid marble, the resemblance of every basilica to the architecture of Church of the Ascension, it’s all incredible. We had a good time, and the French Basque country is very similar to the Spanish Basque country, only they aren’t an autonomous body within France and they’re desire to secede is almost non existent compared to the Spanish. Everything was written in Euskara and French. Tapas, pintxos, basque cream cake (it’s gross- I promise), and the flag were everywhere. We had paella (a rice and meat dish- it’s yummy!), chicken, pan (mucho pan!), and flan (so gross- it tasted like eggs, and yes, I know it’s made from eggs) for lunch. Our bus broke down in Spain, just outside of the French border, and we had to wait an hour for another one. All I have to say is that one hour is nothing compared to the thirteen I spent in Amarillo this summer- my girls know exactly what I’m talking about- how about that motel and breakfast with Texas shaped waffles? haha. I love yall! We got back, and I hung out at the dorm for a little bit with Boo and Kristin. I got yelled at by the guard because I left 2 hours late- oops. On Saturday, we celebrated Amanda’s 21st birthday. We had a blast and dressed up- Dan and Steve looked very dapper in their button downs with a tie (Dan) and sweater vest (Steve). I enjoyed the opportunity to wear Grove attire on a different continent. haha. We went to a discothèque and had a blast. We’ve decided that, as Americans, it’s our job to show the Spaniards how to have fun. And for real, we do it… The Lord has blessed CIDE and me with some crazy fun kids and I’m having a blast. If I can ask yall to pray for one thing, I’m fighting a chest cold- my voice is pretty much gone and I have more phlegm in my lungs than I know what to do with (Mama- I know, I know, I should just suck it up and go to the doctor). Anyway, I love yall and hope you have a wonderful week! Check facebook for pictures of the French Basque country. I love all of the comments on my pictures and the messages!
viva Switzerland, baby!
So, I apologize for not updating this recently. My computer no longer recognizes the AC power adapter at my house, so I am left to charge and use my computer at school. Does this aggravate me? Heck yes, but I’m learning to deal with it. Europeans are not as technologically advanced as the world may think… haha. Okay, so here’s the recap from the last two weeks, including Switzerland and the CIDE trip to the French Basque country.
BEAR and WIG GO to GENEVA, SWITZERLAND…
My friend Amanda and I went to Geneva, Switzerland, for the weekend.
WHY GENEVA?
I found crazy cheap airline tickets from Madrid, and neither of us had ever been. So we were headed to the city of world peace without any expectations, knowledge of the city or the customs, or a place to stay (nosotros somos muy inteligentes! ha).
BILBAO to MADRID- the first leg of our trip
Our adventure started out on Thursday night- we had to catch the 1:30am bus from Bilbao to Madrid and the metro stops running at 11pm Sun- Thurs. We’re college students living in Europe, and thus, entirely too cheap to pay for a cab. Amanda lives up the hill from the dorm so I met her at the Sarriko metro stop at 9:50 (I completely overestimated my commute time) and we headed to San Mames- home of the Bilbao bus station. We arrived with 3.5 hours of excess time, so we walked around for about half an hour in the dark and encountered some of Bilbao’s finest citizens. At midnight, we joined the line to purchase our tickets (correct- we did not purchase our bus tickets before hand), and at approximately 1am, we boarded the bus. We got on first because Amanda gets car sick and prefers to sit at the front. Well, little did we know, but each seat is assigned. We ended up sitting in a woman’s seat, and apparently, we looked like morons because she kept repeating ocho, ocho, and then eight, eight. I responded with yo entiendo (I understand), but she kept on saying it. Anyway, the bus was freezing so we didn’t sleep much. We arrived in Madrid at 6:15am and began the second leg of our trip- getting from the bus station to the airport. Lucky for me, Amanda is an excellent map reader and we successfully navigated the metro to the airport for only 2 euros- go us! We chilled in the airport for 6 hours- we downed two cups of café con leche (one of the most incredible drinks the Spanish make- half super strong coffee with milk and sugar), watched a couple make out intensely for about thirty minutes, ate some postre, and walked into every duty free shop in the entire airport (or so it seemed). Finally, we boarded the plane to land of peace.
STEP 1- FIGURE OUT HOW to GET OUT of the AIRPORT…
Fortunately, we both slept on the plane, but the flight was short (less than 2 hours). We landed and quickly learned that Geneva is a francophone city and French is the official language. Unlike in Spain, the public transportation maps are written without keys, in gibberish, and are overall, completely useless. We spent a solid hour trying to figure out how to work the Swiss train system. We finally guesstimated enough to figure it out, and after a bocadillo (that my host mom packed us), we headed into town with one objective- find a place to sleep for the night. Geneva is a small city, so we left the train station and began wandering. As luck would have it, we found the tourism office (after we were sidetracked by the world’s second largest fountain! and a clock…) and they gave us a map and a list of hotels and one hostel. I found a Geneva at Hand book, which proved to be an essential for our trip. After examining several hotels (read- checking prices), we headed to the hostel and it was full. We kept walking down the street and came across another hostel- an International Youth Hostel. They had space! For about 20 euros, we got a bed, a locker, bedding, access to the bathrooms, and BREAKFAST! Talk about a score! We put our backpacks in our lockers and went out to explore the city! We saw a lot of stuff, but really, we saved our true exploration for day 2. We ate fondue- cheese and champagne with fresh French bread. It was incredibly rich- we didn’t even come close to finishing the pots, definitely a good choice for the first night. After dinner, we hit up a convenience store for some chocolate and began the walk back to the hostel. On our way back, we met some two dudes in town for some convention at the United Nations. They took our picture by the Mont Blanc Bridge and entertained us for a few minutes. We made it back to the hostel by 11pm, and slept soundly until our French roomies barged in and decided to bang around the room for a while.
DAY 2- HOW to SEE ALL of GENEVA in ONE DAY…
We woke up at 8am, got ready, and headed downstairs to a breakfast of OJ, coffee (con leche!), Swiss hot chocolate (so, so good!), yogurt, cereal, and fresh bread with jam (I’m still craving this stuff). We decided that the two things that both of us really wanted to see were the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, the Flower Clock, and the United Nations. The day was beautiful, so we took pictures by Lake Geneva and meandered our way across the river. We found the Mont Blanc park and Flower Clock (made of 6500 flowers!). We visited Old Town. We saw St. Pierre’s Cathedral. We met a gypsy woman, and for the only time during our trip, had the opportunity to speak Spanish with her. We found two open air markets and ate our way through both of them- fresh organic cheese, meats, and cake. We saw the Grand Theatre Opera House, the National Monument, the University of Geneva, La Poya (a statue), the Jardin Anglais (where I got to walk barefooted on the beach!), the Palais Wilson (for President Wilson- 14 points- the pathway to the UN), the Palais de Nations, and the world’s second largest fountain- up close. We bought Swiss army knives, ate croissants con jamón for lunch, walked around the commercial district (where I talked to a woman in French), and then headed over to the UN and Red Cross Museum. On our way to the UN, we saw the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. We toured the Red Cross Museum for less than $5 and it was worth it- we learned a lot. I’ll have to write more later about what I learned. It was definitely cool. The UN is right across the street, so we headed there and saw the broken chair. The broken chair is the international symbol for mutilated victims (primarily of mines), and the mere sight of it is powerful. Someone placed a child’s chair next to the actual chair to show the size difference, and for real, wow! So, so cool! We ventured over to the Palace of Nations- where the UN meets to discuss things (but I’m not really sure what exactly). After a day of walking all across the city, we went to a pizzeria for dinner and it was incredible. We sat for over three hours, resting our legs, feasting on a huge calzone and wonderful dessert of hielado y chocolate, and just enjoying each other’s company. Amanda’s a wonderful person to travel with and I’m excited about our future excursions. We finally left the place, and headed to the Mont Blanc bridge where we sat and talked some more. Rain came so we headed back to the hostel and sat in the lobby for another hour.
HEADING BACK to the LAND of the VIEJO…
We made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare, and both got stopped at security for our knives (which we were told that we could carry on) only to learn that we’d gone to the wrong gate and had to go through security again (where we got stopped again). We bought our last bit of Swiss chocolate and boarded our flight to Madrid. We arrived in Madrid with enough time to make the 3pm bus back to Bilbao- or so we thought. We waited in the Passport Control line for over an hour. We made it back to the bus station and waited in line for an eternity. We got our assignment- the 4:30pm bus. We grabbed a bocadillo and a Kaz (yum, yum, yummy orange soda) and found our terminal. We got a two story bus and had the front window seat- as in, we sat above the driver and it was incredible. We made it back to Bilbao before the metro closed, and I arrived home at about 10:30pm- after spending over 12 hours on public transportation. It was an incredible trip, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to see the city that has been the leader in world peace. I would recommend Geneva to anyone… it’s gorgeous, the people are wonderful, and the food is incredible.
BEAR and WIG GO to GENEVA, SWITZERLAND…
My friend Amanda and I went to Geneva, Switzerland, for the weekend.
WHY GENEVA?
I found crazy cheap airline tickets from Madrid, and neither of us had ever been. So we were headed to the city of world peace without any expectations, knowledge of the city or the customs, or a place to stay (nosotros somos muy inteligentes! ha).
BILBAO to MADRID- the first leg of our trip
Our adventure started out on Thursday night- we had to catch the 1:30am bus from Bilbao to Madrid and the metro stops running at 11pm Sun- Thurs. We’re college students living in Europe, and thus, entirely too cheap to pay for a cab. Amanda lives up the hill from the dorm so I met her at the Sarriko metro stop at 9:50 (I completely overestimated my commute time) and we headed to San Mames- home of the Bilbao bus station. We arrived with 3.5 hours of excess time, so we walked around for about half an hour in the dark and encountered some of Bilbao’s finest citizens. At midnight, we joined the line to purchase our tickets (correct- we did not purchase our bus tickets before hand), and at approximately 1am, we boarded the bus. We got on first because Amanda gets car sick and prefers to sit at the front. Well, little did we know, but each seat is assigned. We ended up sitting in a woman’s seat, and apparently, we looked like morons because she kept repeating ocho, ocho, and then eight, eight. I responded with yo entiendo (I understand), but she kept on saying it. Anyway, the bus was freezing so we didn’t sleep much. We arrived in Madrid at 6:15am and began the second leg of our trip- getting from the bus station to the airport. Lucky for me, Amanda is an excellent map reader and we successfully navigated the metro to the airport for only 2 euros- go us! We chilled in the airport for 6 hours- we downed two cups of café con leche (one of the most incredible drinks the Spanish make- half super strong coffee with milk and sugar), watched a couple make out intensely for about thirty minutes, ate some postre, and walked into every duty free shop in the entire airport (or so it seemed). Finally, we boarded the plane to land of peace.
STEP 1- FIGURE OUT HOW to GET OUT of the AIRPORT…
Fortunately, we both slept on the plane, but the flight was short (less than 2 hours). We landed and quickly learned that Geneva is a francophone city and French is the official language. Unlike in Spain, the public transportation maps are written without keys, in gibberish, and are overall, completely useless. We spent a solid hour trying to figure out how to work the Swiss train system. We finally guesstimated enough to figure it out, and after a bocadillo (that my host mom packed us), we headed into town with one objective- find a place to sleep for the night. Geneva is a small city, so we left the train station and began wandering. As luck would have it, we found the tourism office (after we were sidetracked by the world’s second largest fountain! and a clock…) and they gave us a map and a list of hotels and one hostel. I found a Geneva at Hand book, which proved to be an essential for our trip. After examining several hotels (read- checking prices), we headed to the hostel and it was full. We kept walking down the street and came across another hostel- an International Youth Hostel. They had space! For about 20 euros, we got a bed, a locker, bedding, access to the bathrooms, and BREAKFAST! Talk about a score! We put our backpacks in our lockers and went out to explore the city! We saw a lot of stuff, but really, we saved our true exploration for day 2. We ate fondue- cheese and champagne with fresh French bread. It was incredibly rich- we didn’t even come close to finishing the pots, definitely a good choice for the first night. After dinner, we hit up a convenience store for some chocolate and began the walk back to the hostel. On our way back, we met some two dudes in town for some convention at the United Nations. They took our picture by the Mont Blanc Bridge and entertained us for a few minutes. We made it back to the hostel by 11pm, and slept soundly until our French roomies barged in and decided to bang around the room for a while.
DAY 2- HOW to SEE ALL of GENEVA in ONE DAY…
We woke up at 8am, got ready, and headed downstairs to a breakfast of OJ, coffee (con leche!), Swiss hot chocolate (so, so good!), yogurt, cereal, and fresh bread with jam (I’m still craving this stuff). We decided that the two things that both of us really wanted to see were the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, the Flower Clock, and the United Nations. The day was beautiful, so we took pictures by Lake Geneva and meandered our way across the river. We found the Mont Blanc park and Flower Clock (made of 6500 flowers!). We visited Old Town. We saw St. Pierre’s Cathedral. We met a gypsy woman, and for the only time during our trip, had the opportunity to speak Spanish with her. We found two open air markets and ate our way through both of them- fresh organic cheese, meats, and cake. We saw the Grand Theatre Opera House, the National Monument, the University of Geneva, La Poya (a statue), the Jardin Anglais (where I got to walk barefooted on the beach!), the Palais Wilson (for President Wilson- 14 points- the pathway to the UN), the Palais de Nations, and the world’s second largest fountain- up close. We bought Swiss army knives, ate croissants con jamón for lunch, walked around the commercial district (where I talked to a woman in French), and then headed over to the UN and Red Cross Museum. On our way to the UN, we saw the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. We toured the Red Cross Museum for less than $5 and it was worth it- we learned a lot. I’ll have to write more later about what I learned. It was definitely cool. The UN is right across the street, so we headed there and saw the broken chair. The broken chair is the international symbol for mutilated victims (primarily of mines), and the mere sight of it is powerful. Someone placed a child’s chair next to the actual chair to show the size difference, and for real, wow! So, so cool! We ventured over to the Palace of Nations- where the UN meets to discuss things (but I’m not really sure what exactly). After a day of walking all across the city, we went to a pizzeria for dinner and it was incredible. We sat for over three hours, resting our legs, feasting on a huge calzone and wonderful dessert of hielado y chocolate, and just enjoying each other’s company. Amanda’s a wonderful person to travel with and I’m excited about our future excursions. We finally left the place, and headed to the Mont Blanc bridge where we sat and talked some more. Rain came so we headed back to the hostel and sat in the lobby for another hour.
HEADING BACK to the LAND of the VIEJO…
We made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare, and both got stopped at security for our knives (which we were told that we could carry on) only to learn that we’d gone to the wrong gate and had to go through security again (where we got stopped again). We bought our last bit of Swiss chocolate and boarded our flight to Madrid. We arrived in Madrid with enough time to make the 3pm bus back to Bilbao- or so we thought. We waited in the Passport Control line for over an hour. We made it back to the bus station and waited in line for an eternity. We got our assignment- the 4:30pm bus. We grabbed a bocadillo and a Kaz (yum, yum, yummy orange soda) and found our terminal. We got a two story bus and had the front window seat- as in, we sat above the driver and it was incredible. We made it back to Bilbao before the metro closed, and I arrived home at about 10:30pm- after spending over 12 hours on public transportation. It was an incredible trip, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to see the city that has been the leader in world peace. I would recommend Geneva to anyone… it’s gorgeous, the people are wonderful, and the food is incredible.
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