Author: Gabi Neuman

Location: Granada, Spain

If you read my last two blog posts you might remember me discussing the more “negative” aspects of studying abroad.  However, after this past weekend I’ve realized how good I actually have it here in Granada.  In a week my parents come for Semana Santa or Holy Week here in Spain. I’m still learning all sorts of things from this culture and the people.  I spent last weekend in Barcelona which was a nice escape from the 4 weeks of continuous rain we’ve had here in Granada (this much rain is a rarity but extremely helpful since southern Spain is currently experiencing a drought).

To give you a little background information on the city of Granada compared to Barcelona, Granada is home to about 235,000 people whereas the population of Barcelona is close to 4.6 million.  Just a tad bit bigger if you ask me.  While in Barcelona we visited La Sagrada Familia, a largely famous cathedral which Gaudi began in the 1800s and is still being constructed today.  The estimated year of completion is 2026 (supposedly), and it’s one of the most stunning pieces of architecture I’ve ever seen—the photos don’t do it justice.  Another of Gaudi’s famous works is Park Güell which we also were also lucky enough to visit.  If you’ve ever seen some of Gaudi’s architecture it has a very modern look, especially considering it was created by a man who was born in the 1800s (as you can see in the pictures).  We also were able to travel to Montserrat, a suburb of Barcelona where a monastery is built into the side of a mountain and can only be traveled to by cable car or mountain train.  All in all the views and architecture of the city are incredible.

Even though the city of Barcelona is absolutely breathtaking, the weather was perfect, there was great food (we even got a taste of American), and I enjoyed myself in every sense of the word, I know now that I wouldn’t trade living in Granada for any other city.  Because Barcelona is so big we took between 10 to 15 taxis, walked about an hour and a half back to our hostel on the outskirts of the city, took a very confusing metro/train ride to Montserrat, spent a decent sum of money on food because as a popular tourist city prices are automatically increased, and were spoken English to about everywhere we went (also due to the tourist aspect of the city).  You could also spend a whole semester in Barcelona and still not see everything.  These aren’t necessarily negative aspects about Barcelona, but it is very different from Granada.

Not to say that Granada is better than Barcelona by any means because it’s not, but I know that Granada is the perfect fit for me.  I can walk to class in 10 minutes or walk anywhere in the city in under 30 minutes without having to use taxis, I don’t have to spend an astronomical amount on food, clothes, or much of anything for that matter, Granada still has a very rich history and many places to discover, and the locals generally speak Spanish to me.  Not everything is perfect in Granada, but it’s pretty great and maybe it just took me leaving the city for a few days to realize that.

Author: Gabi Neuman

Location: Granada, Spain

Before I left on my study abroad adventure, I attended a few meetings last semester to prepare students who are studying abroad this semester.  I was told quite a few times about the culture shock cycle, which if you haven’t heard about, is a theory that describes the four stages of culture adjustment that a person faces when going abroad.

There are different takes on the theory and different terms for each version of it, but in general you have the honeymoon stage, culture shock, adjustment, and then adaptation.  To briefly describe the stages in my own interpretation, honeymoon is just what it sounds like.  You basically are in awe at all these new things, people, places, and all of the cool stuff around you. You can’t imagine how any of these things could be considered anything less than amazing.

A few weeks or months into your time abroad is when the downward slope takes place, moving you towards culture shock or frustration.  In this stage, things that were once new and cool aren’t new anymore and you start to see the differences between what you’re used to at home and how the people act here. You start to get frustrated with those differences.  However, it doesn’t just end there with this sense of frustration.  Gradually you start to adjust to this different and new way of life, potentially being annoyed with certain things, but also seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and the positive aspects of the culture around you.  This moves, then, into the final stage of cultural adjustment which is adaptation.  Essentially in this stage you have become part of the culture you are living in and may even consider it your own.

You might be wondering why I would describe the culture adjustment cycle.  At first when this cycle and these stages were being explained in those meetings I attended, I thought a lot of it was over exaggerated and that nothing in Spain could be bad because I would be traveling all the time, doing things I can’t do in the U.S., meeting new people, and all of that great stuff.  However, now I know that this whole culture shock/adjustment thing is real.  I am not saying that I’m hating anything over here by any means or that I’m not enjoying my time, because I truly am.  All I’m saying is that sometimes you just miss home and things that you don’t think you’ll miss before you go abroad are the things you miss the most.  So to share with you some of the things I personally miss:

• Being able to go into the kitchen to grab a snack
• Having less than 7-8 hours between lunch and dinner because midday hunger is a real thing
• Eating not so extremely late at night and then going to bed an hour or two after eating (hardcore metabolism adjustment had to take place)
• Living close/having access to a gym that isn’t packed with equipment and has a normal locker room
• Real dessert instead of fruit for dessert (which is the cause for the hoard of chocolate in my closet)
• Watching TV that isn’t just Spanish news
• Going to bed early and not feeling like a “grandma” for it because your host mom and host grandma are still up
• My own bed
• Central heating (I knew about this before I left, but who thought it would be a good idea to let the inside of houses be colder than the outside all winter??)
• Being able to communicate fluently and not think about what you’re going to say 5 minutes before you say it
• Not having to ask everyone to repeat themselves 3 times which causes them to give up and come back to you in English
• Wearing sweatpants/leggings outside and not standing out as an American
• The internet working on a regular basis
• Being able to watch networks like Amazon Prime or any other form of American TV
• Free water & bathrooms

Honestly the list could go on simply with little, everyday things that I take for granted at home in the U.S. and don’t have access to here.  But again, in the big scheme of things these are just minor details of what it’s like living abroad and the fact that there will be good days and bad, there will be things from home you miss more than others, and at the opposite end of the spectrum there will be things you wish you could take back home with you when your time here is done.  I know this list might sound like a long file of complaints, but I really just wanted to put life into perspective a little bit.  Studying abroad for me so far has been amazing with lots of high points, but there are also a few lows here and there.  As a personal take away, I would say that studying abroad has not only opened my eyes to the beauty of different cultures around the world, but it has also shown me those things I take for granted and how much I appreciate my own country and where I come from.

Author: Gabrielle Neuman

Location: Granada, Spain

I keep seeing these posts on social media about how January 2018 seems to be never ending.  I’ve been pretty disconnected from what’s going on in the world to make people think that January has been such a long month, but I have to agree.  I’m sure, however, that my reasons for this month seeming to last forever are very different.  January started out with arriving in Granada, Spain, meeting new friends and a new host family, learning more about the Spanish culture and the city of Granada, taking grammar classes, and finally taking two Spanish level exams.  Yet it didn’t end there.  Right after we took our official placement exams to see what track we would be placed into for the courses we are taking this semester, we left for Morocco.  I don’t mean that we had a day to think about the class choices.  No, we got our test scores and left 45 minutes later to embark on a trip to Africa for 4 days.  I didn’t really know what to expect, but from hearing past students’ stories about their trip to Morocco, I had no doubt I would enjoy myself.

In Morocco we met our American guide, Nate, who knows Arabic and has lived in Morocco for about 5 years.  Nate is a pretty awesome dude who knows some pretty awesome people.  For two nights we stayed with host families in traditional Moroccan houses in Rabat.  Traditional Moroccan homes have holes in the floor as toilets which are combined with the shower since running water is precious commodity in the country.  The home I stayed in luckily had a “normal” toilet (not a hole in the floor).  The beds were essentially cushions or benches surrounding each room, but they worked.  Meals in a Moroccan home also consist of everyone eating with their hands out of a large dish in the middle of the table (now that was an experience).  Apparently this happens in Spain too, but it’s not as typical as the Moroccan meals.  The most interesting part of the trip for me, however, was the Hammam.  Hammams are the public Moroccan bathhouses, where one can get their dead skin scrubbed off by a Moroccan woman.  The locals we talked with raved about the Hammam, telling us that when you leave it, you’ll feel the cleanest you’ve ever felt in your life.  Let’s just say it was a first and a last time thing for me, but definitely something you have to do once in your lifetime.

We only spent 4 days in Morocco, but I could continue on and on about it.  Every day, with the exception of the last day we were there, we met and talked with local students and families.  We talked with college students about politics, education, and Moroccan life, walked around Rabat with some of those same students, shared a meal with a farmer and his family in their home, and learned so much about the Moroccan people and their culture.  Before going to Morocco, I never really thought about the people we would meet, their outlook on life, or how similar people across the globe actually are.  After spending 4 days with them, I can confidently say that generally speaking they are no different than many of us.  They have dreams for their country to become a great nation and believe that there is hope for their people, even if their situations currently are not as positive as our own.  I never knew you could learn so much about a people and their culture in just 4 days.

After returning from Morocco on Saturday night, a group of 4 other students and I left for Italy early the next morning to get a small trip in before classes started on February 1^st.  We visited Rome, Florence, and Venice in 3 days.  Needless to say, I’m exhausted but so excited for what the rest of this semester has to bring.  January may have seemed to be the longest month in history, but for me it was a good one.

Author: Gabrielle Neuman

Location: Granada, Spain

If my calculations are correct, I’ve been in Granada, Spain, for about 6 full days now.  You would think that nearly 6 days isn’t enough time to get to know a new place or learn anything about the culture you’re living in.  I beg to differ.  First, I’ve experienced traveling on my own for the first time and how to deal with transportation mishaps.  While it wasn’t too fun at the time, looking back on it now I definitely learned more from things not working out rather than I would have had it been smooth sailing the whole way.  People always say that you learn from your mistakes, which is hard to fully believe when you hear it, yet now that I’ve taken part in that experience, I can vouch for its validity first hand.  About 28 hours after I started my adventure in the U.S. I finally made it to Granada.  Then the facts that I hadn’t eaten for nearly 12 hours and had slept for a cumulative of 4 hours during that 28 hour trip hit me hard.  Plus then there was the lovely aspect of jetlag to deal with.  Long story short, sleep is a beautiful thing and so is the city of Granada.

On Monday I was able to wander my new city for about 5 hours, taking in the different sights and beginning to familiarize myself with the main roads, yet most definitely not understanding where I was at that time.  A major point of success was being able to make my way back to the hotel I was staying at.  Tuesday began the first “real day” when we met all of the other students we were going to be spending the rest of the semester with—people I had only seen on Facebook (if you ever want strangers to become quick friends, send them to a foreign country together—it works wonders).  Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect.  I hadn’t previously known these people yet they were the ones I would be spending a lot of time with over the next 5 months.  I can confidently say after one week that I’m so fortunate to have these 13 other students around me and that I already know that some of them will be lifelong friends, as cliché as that sounds.

Tuesday was also the day that we met our program director and our host families.  One of the first things our program director, Veronica, told us was that she wanted us to get lost.  It was my third full day in this country and I had successfully done this…twice.  Soon after making it to my host family’s home (my host mom and family are both great by the way), I left to make photocopies for the next day of meetings and quickly achieved the “goal” of getting lost.  All is well, obviously, but it wasn’t as enjoyable getting lost alone on small side streets as Veronica had made it sound.

Over the next few days our group experienced the city center of Granada through a tour with our awesome guide and teacher, Jose, along with a walk through Albaycín which has amazing views of the famous Alhambra (seen in the pictures).

There is so much more that could be said about this adventure after only one week, and the pictures don’t do justice to any of the views of this beautiful city.  I have so much to look forward to these next 5 months, even more to learn about the people, city, and culture, and as much as I hate to admit it, I have an endless amount of mistakes to make and learn from.

Well no I’m not leaving yet, I still have about a week left here in Spain but as I’m writing this post, I am beginning to feel a little sentimental thinking back on the past four and half months I’ve lived here. That’s right. I LIVED here; my life has been completely changed. I’ve experienced a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’ll never be the same.

While I have done a bit of traveling and most of my blog posts have been about that because I wanted you to see the incredible opportunities you have when you study abroad, particularly in Europe (I can’t vouch for any other area). For this post I’d like to highlight a few of the common everyday things I experienced while living in Granada that I will miss.

• My half hour walk to school every day….several times a day.
• Tapas.
  • Because um, they’re free. How can you not miss them

Why is this not a thing in the states? Seriously.

• The Alhambra

Beautiful Arab palace in my Spanish city. <3

• Churros con chocolate
  • Nuff said.

Yes, I’ll take three.

• Euromania
  • Card night every Wednesday with the Squad.

This happens literally every Wednesday. We’re regulars haha

• Cobblestone streets
  • Killer for the feet and long walks.

This is also the seal of Spain

• Walking everywhere
  • I have calves of steel now.
• Erasmus trips
  • Some of my best and favorite memories.

Erasmus Granada- Best Life Experience.
Literally is a best life experience. <3

• Tiny streets
  • Hi, yes, I’d like to not be hit with a moving vehicle, thank you.

Oh look! More cobblestone streets.

• Bread
  • Where’s the tortillas?..
• Siesta
• Dogs everywhere and walking without leashes.
  • Like why isn’t my dog so civilized?
• The food
  • No it isn’t the same as home (I’m Mexican, can you guess what I eat on an everyday basis?…jealous?)
  • Nevertheless, I will miss some certain foods like tortilla de patata, and eggplant everything!
    • I still carried a bottle of hot sauce everywhere though.
• Seeing graffiti everywhere. It’s beautiful especially since it has meaning.

Here there is no Granados, only Granadinos.

These are only a few of the things that I will miss. I’m sure there is more but I feel like I won’t notice them until I am back in the states and I’ll be walking to class and I’ll miss having to dodge pigeons or saying hi to someone I know as they walk by. The closer it gets to the day I have to leave the more it hits me that I have made Granada my home and I’m really sad to leave it behind. The next time I come here, I possibly won’t be a student anymore and I most definitely won’t see the same people everyday like I used to. Coming here has really made me think about “change”, with all of the traveling I’ve done and hopefully will do, I have become accustomed to change. I know that sounds weird, but it’s true. I have lived in a completely different culture the past almost 5 months and during that time I have traveled to other countries and experienced doubly different cultures. It’s difficult to fathom that I will miss having to adjust every few weeks because of this cultural change.

In short, I have learned that there is much to learn and I’m not done learning. Granada, Spain has introduced me to the travel bug and I’ll forever be infected, gladly. Today in one of my classes, a classmate presented on a muslim traveler, Ibn Battuta, who said a famous quote, “Traveling leaves you speechless then turns you into a storyteller.” This is 100% true. I’m glad I made the choice to study abroad and I’m even happier with the location I chose. It was the right choice for me even though I had people tell me otherwise. I made so many new friends and gained a  new perspective on everything basically. It’s like I see the world with a new set of glasses and I hesitate to think how my life would have turned out if I hadn’t taken this opportunity. I’m sad to leave Granada and my new found friends, but I am glad to be heading back home soon. Granada, I’ll miss you but I will be back soon!

It has come to my attention that not many really truly understand what it is to study abroad. Most think that it’s just a time to party and go out every weekend, traveling across Europe, and escaping the pressures of the taxing American norms. Well, while most of that may be true.. study abroad is so much more.

#Guadalajara en Sevilla, Spain!! Of course I had to take a picture.

Study abroad is:

• Finding your own way. Literally. You travel on your own and have to rely on yourself to find the hotel, meeting point, communicate with the locals.
• Getting lost and having no GPS because your phone died or there’s no wi-fi.
• Living with a host family
  • I know not many programs/students do this, but if you are offered the option..take it!! =) It’s the best way to get integrated into the culture. You experience more of the everyday lifestyle of a citizen of that country.
• Missing the last bus of the day heading back to your city….and it’s a 3 hour walk back to your hostel.
• Sharing a room with 12 other people because a hostel is cheaper than a hotel and you’re broke af. So bring out the padlocks and chains.
• Getting pickpocketed on public transport.
• Getting food poisoning in a foreign country and spending the day in the hospital
• Missing the ferry back to Spain because you were in the hospital
• Making the best of friends
• Seeing your friends get engaged.
• Trying new foods because you’re a cultured individual now…except the new thing you tried tastes like crap and you find out it’s blood sausage.
• Your host mom overfeeding you
  • Hello, StudyAbroad 15
• Trying to not be so “American” and blend in
• Falling asleep in class. Oh wait, that happens at home too.
• Meeting new people
  • #ERASMUS <3
  • Some of the best kinds of people I met and some of the best trips I have taken were through Erasmus and I strongly encourage it.
  • Step out of your American bubble and hang out with internationals not just locals too!
• Having the time of your life
• Finding yourself

I know the last two bullets are somewhat cliche but it is true. When you’re on your own not knowing anyone in a foreign country, your best friend, at least for the first couple of days is yourself. You get to learn who you really are because you are depending on you to get you through the day. Studying abroad is having everyday events happen abroad where you can’t deal with them in the same way. You get hungry at one a.m. you can’t just head out to the nearest McDonald’s and order drive-thru. You can’t drive to Wal-Mart or the pharmacy if you get sick at night and need Tylenol. You lose your debit card you can’t just walk to your bank and order a new one. Living abroad is having to change your lifestyle to fit in because you are not going to be living the “American” way anymore.

One of my Spanish friends and a few of my other friends from my program!

Some just don’t realize that there are bad days too. Everyone tells stories about how they got lost in Germany or they saw the Louvre, they walked the Great Wall of China, they took an African safari, but no one wants to tell you that they spent the night crying because they were so overwhelmed by all the changes. That they were having a rough time adjusting. They felt out of place, like they didn’t fit in. When they write their blog they only write about the good times, their travels because they want you to believe everything is all rainbows and sunshine. Well it isn’t.

When I was in Rome, I lost my wallet. Now it wasn’t smart of me to carry everything that I did in that wallet, but we were in a hurry to catch our flight to Rome from Barcelona and there was no time to think clearly. When it happened I was so frustrated that I could not find what I was looking for, I couldn’t understand a lick of Italian and I became careless. When I finally figured out that I didn’t have my wallet I lost total sense of …well everything. I couldn’t even sit down and cry because I had no idea what to do. I lost everything and there was nothing I could do about it. We raced to the police station to report my wallet but of course with my luck, it was closed. -_- Thank God for friends like mine because they helped keep me cheerful even though I was feeling down in the dumps.

These two beauties were my saving grace in Rome. Love them!

Some of you might be reading this and thinking to yourself, “But you’re in freaking Europe, what is there to be sad about? At least you get to travel.” Yes, I know that. What I am trying to convey through this post is that, yea, I am having a great time. I had the opportunity to travel and I took it. Who wouldn’t? But every incredible and amazing opportunity has its risks and downfalls. You have to be prepared for those days that aren’t going to be so great. The days you will cry at night. The days you will find yourself feeling alone. The days where you will miss your family and home the most. The days where you realize that taking this chance wasn’t so you could enjoy yourself abroad but so that you could truly realize and appreciate what you have at home.

Crazy friends

My beautiful family

Hello!!! So a couple weeks ago, the weekend after I got back from Rome, my friend, Lauren, and I took a little excursion to Scotland because why not.

Seems like a good enough reason right? Well I was so excited to go I could not stop talking about it. It has always been a dream of mine just like coming to Spain and traveling to Italy and Portugal. This trip has been a lot about accomplishing my goals and realizing my dreams.

Scotland has these thingies too!!

My Scotland experience can be summed up in one word: hitchhiking. The UK is quite expensive compared to both Spain and the USA. So naturally I decided to save a few pounds and walk everywhere. However, since I have been living in Spain the past few months where they use the metric system, my perception of distance has been a little off. So I have no idea if something is far or not. Now, I measure everything by time. “It takes 30 min to powerwalk to school; It’s 20 min to the BK plaza; It’s an hour to the bus station, but if you take the bus it’s half an hour.” So a few of the cities I visited in Scotland are Edinburgh (pronounced e-din-bruh apparently), Inverness, Culloden, and Dores. Originally the plan was Inverness and Edinburgh but it worked out that we got to visit two other cities….unintentionally.

Lauren and I flew into Edinburgh and had an interesting experience trying to find where to exchange our euros to the british pound to pay for our hostel. The following morning we explored Edinburgh a bit, did a little sightseeing before we headed to the bus station to catch our bus that would take us to Inverness. (#Outlander!- currently a series I am reading written by Diana Gabaldon, also now a TV show, and it takes place in Scotland) Our bus ride was three hours long of beautiful scenery as we went from the Lowlands to the Highlands. Unfortunately I fell asleep for most of the ride so I wasn’t able to capture the beauty or see most of it.

First off, I absolutely LOVE Inverness! It’s a small little town but it is so cute! It’s located right by the River Ness and it’s quite a historical city. I mean it’s been there for at least 300 years. It’s the perfect little small town! The Scottish people are so friendly like our Southerners, except the Scots have weird accents. Don’t get me wrong, I love it! but I can’t understand it =( I kid you not.

Mini history lesson because there’s no way you can appreciate my experience if you don’t know anything about it.

So on April 16, 1754, the gallant Highlanders who fought for Prince Charlie and Scotland fought on Culloden Moor and sadly, that day was the last of the Highlanders and their ways. It was the bloodiest of all the Jacobite battles and the last fought on British soil. It lasted a little less than an hour. ***Jacobites were the supporters of King James VII (of Scotland) and II (of England) and his heirs. He ruled from 1685-89 but because he was Roman Catholic he was exiled and replaced by his daughter Mary and her husband, the Dutch Prince, William of Orange.*** There were three main Jacobite risings: 1689 “Bonnie Dundee” which ended rather quickly, “The Fifteen” (Mar’s Rebellion 1715-16), and lastly, (with which the Battle of Culloden pertains to) “Forty-five” (1745-46) when Charles Edward Stuart “Bonnie Prince Charlie” led the Scots against the Hanoverian dynasty.

Whew! Now isn’t learning fun?! The important part here is, I’m a history nerd, especially when it comes to warfare and the like because I have huge respect for those who fight and are willing to give their lives for what they believe in. Their reasons don’t always have to be religious.

Well back to the story, Lauren and I hiked all the way there…I think Lauren said it was around 6 miles?.. Took us about 2 hours, including the fact that we were slightly a little bit lost but we made it. It was beautiful and an awesome experience.

Next on our list is our hike to Loch Ness! For all you future travelers!!….TAKE A TAXI OR THE BUS, YOUR FEET WILL THANK YOU. Trust me. 9 miles in cold, windy, rainy weather and you’re hungry and trying not to get hit by a bus or a car…the experience will change you. On the bright side, we made it to Loch Ness!!! OMG. Nessie was sleeping though :/ Here’s the funny part about our hike to Loch Ness, I bet it will make you laugh. Are you ready for this?.. Once we made it to Dores (the tiny tiny city at the tip of Loch Ness) we asked when the next bus to Inverness was. The bartender told us, “Oh honey, you just missed it.”

Excuse me.

I just walked 3 freaking hours to see Loch Ness. I have been walking all day (Culloden Moor), I’m tired, I’m hungry, I’m cold, I’m not having it today and you tell me that I am stuck here and I have to walk back 3 hours to Inverness. I don’t think so. We’re calling a taxi! And so, we got a taxi (the ride was only about 20 min tops -_- and it took us three hours walking) but we made it back to Inverness tired and ready to go to bed. I’d say it was all in a good day’s work!

The next day we boarded our bus to head back to Edinburgh. This time I actually took some pictures of the ride back but they’re not that great as I’m not a photographer and quite frankly I was anxious to get back to my book (Dragonfly in Amber- Diana Gabaldon #2).

I feel like Edinburgh has a totally different feel than Inverness. It’s more bustling and lively but a little less like home. Our last day in Edinburgh was an interesting one. We got to pet an owl, see lots of bagpipe players, and the world’s most pierced woman. (Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture).

Overall, I fell in love with Scotland and want to go back sometime in the future! It was one of my favorite trips I have taken since being abroad.  Scotland is so rich and full of culture I totally recommend you to go there for a visit, you will love it! I promise.

Bacpacking through Scotland got us like…

Well you’re probably wondering “what in the world does that title mean?” I’m glad you asked. Semana Santa literally translates to Holy Week, otherwise known as my spring break, but no seriously, it is a thing here in Spain. Whether you’re Catholic, Christian, Muslim, etc. you may or may not know its significance. In the Catholic religion Semana Santa starts the Saturday before Palm Sunday and ends on Resurrection Sunday otherwise known as Easter. In Granada, where I am currently studying, there are least two or three parades or marches, if you will, that happen everyday during this week. They all consist of a float, a band, and others carrying crosses and/or reciting prayers. Whether you’re Catholic or not, you will certainly appreciate its beauty. Each float has a meaning behind it that also connects to the day it’s on. In Granada the most important days of Semana Santa are Jueves y Viernes Santo (Thursday and Friday). Now unfortunately, or not, I spent most of my semana santa elsewhere.

I spent the first half in Barcelona. (If you don’t know I had already visited Barcelona once before and I loved it. Of course I had to visit again.) My time in Barcelona was very “chill”. We weren’t rushing around trying to see everything. While I was there I finally got to see and tour Camp Nou (the official and home stadium of FC Barcelona). Now while in Barcelona we usually take the metro to get to places faster. If you know me at all, you know that I can’t find my way around the city. I am so afraid of getting lost that I won’t even go out. So, instead of taking the metro I chose to walk there instead. Trying to understand the directions and the map my friends showed me I was like ….hmmm okay…I’m gonna walk there. In the end I’m glad I walked because I got to see a part of Barcelona I hadn’t seen before, due to the fact that we took the metro everywhere. Camp Nou was absolutely fantastic.

Can you guess who my favorite player is?

We went to the zoo and found Kevin! and a variety of other strange birds. We also went to Parc Guell which was designed by Antoni Gaudi (famous Catalan architect). It was a rainy/cloudy day so we didn’t get to enjoy it as much.

Kevin.

Now onto the part you’ve all been waiting for!! ROME!

#NoMakeup #NoFilter #NoMoney

Now Rome is beautiful don’t get me wrong, but I feel like after being there for five days, I’ve had enough of the Holy City. My only purpose for going to Rome was to see the Colosseum, which I did! ON THE FIRST DAY! I have a fetish for Greek and Roman history so the fact that I got to stand on ground where so much history happened was…simply breathtaking. It was hard to wrap my mind around it. There are so many facts that I want to tell you, but this isn’t a history lesson jaja, so I’ll try and stick to the bare basics.

The Colosseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheater was named the Colosseum after a huge statue next to it called the Colosseo, was built in 72 A.D. by Emperor Vespasian of the Flavian dynasty and it took 8 years to build. In 80 A.D. Vespasian’s son, Titus, opened the Colosseum with 100 days of games (gladiator fights, wild animals hunts, etc.) After four centuries of active use, the arena fell into neglect and parts of it were torn down and used for building material. It’s crazy to think that this arena could seat 70.000 people in an orderly fashion in under 30 minutes! It’s true, the tour guide said so.

After the Colosseum we saw the Roman Forum and some of the gardens AND THE TREVI FOUNTAIN. https://www.instagram.com/p/BDRWWWwBW4C/?taken-by=estyluvscookies
(For your viewing pleasure =) my friends and I as we make our wishes at the Trevi Fountain.) Most of it is in ruins, of course, these buildings are ancient. It was still beautiful. Most of what Rome is today is built over the old city. The temple of Julius Cesar where he was supposedly stabbed and died is an excellent example of how you can see that modern-day Rome is built on top of ancient Rome. I am sorry my pictures are low quality for this here. It was nighttime when we saw this. Also fun fact: it is today a cat sanctuary! Strangely exciting.

At the Roman Forum.

The Cat Sanctuary

The Pantheon

Steps where Julius Cesar was supposedly stabbed and died.

Roman Ruins.

Speaking of cats, my friends and I went to a cat café! We did a lot of walking that day. First we went to see the catacombs (rather unfortunately there were no bones or skulls adorning the walls, however, there were magnificent frescoes and whatnot). Catacombs, whether or not it is full of skeletons, are creepy and cold. Freezing cold.

Oh! I must not forget one of the more beautiful parts of my visit to Italy. The Vatican. It is a plethora of riches let me tell you. The marble that was used to adorn the walls of the Colosseum?.. It’s in the Vatican. The Egyptian granite that was quarried and placed in the Roman Forum?.. The Vatican. Basically anything worth anything is in the Vatican.. However, it is beautiful. I’m not much of art person so I won’t say much about it except say that there are some serious magnificent pieces of artwork displayed there. Frescoes, paintings, sculptures, tapestries, statues, the works not to mention the Sistine Chapel. It is said that it is the second largest church/chapel in the world! The thing is HUGE. Can’t believe what the largest looks like.

And to end this post on a good note…the food. O. M. G. Like, I cant even imagine ever eating pizza, pasta, and gelato ever again. Italy has ruined me. Yes, I totally just went all white-girl right there. #NoShame. But no for real…the food was literally like my favorite part of being in Rome.

Gelato a day keeps the doctor away.

Fettucine Alfredo. YUM!

And for the record, no I did not see the Pope so don’t ask.