Valpo Voyager

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Kevin's view along the Camino (notice the other pilgrims ahead on the road) while entering one of the pueblos along the way.

Que Aproveches

Since coming to Spain, I’ve learned all kinds of common conversational phrases that we just don’t have the proper words for in English. Yes, if you put them into Google translator, you’ll get some kind of ballpark answer that gives you an idea of what the phrase means. For example, if you take the title of this post and copy it into the translator, you’ll get the response: “you take advantage of.” Que aproveches is one of my favorite Spanish phrases, and considering the fact that I only have 17 days left in this amazing country, it’s a very appropriate thing to be saying during my final stretch here. That being said, Google’s response to que aproveches does not do the phrase any justice whatsoever. It’s something you say to someone else before they enjoy one of the finer things in life: an excellent meal, a night on the town, a vacation, a bottle of champagne, or (in my case) the last few days of the adventure of a lifetime. To me, que aproveches means “I hope you get the most out of it – that you enjoy every last fraction of a second to the very fullest and that you savor it for all its worth.”

The Catedral de Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia.

Nobody takes this phrase to heart quite like my good friend, fellow Valpo student, and traveling companion, Kevin Miller. Back in February, we read an article in class about a tradition that dates back to the middle ages: a cross-country pilgrimage known as the Camino de Santiago. Beginning as a religious journey towards the destination of what was once considered “the edge of the world” (the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela on the westernmost coast of Spain – where the apostle James is buried), the Camino has been traveled over the centuries by millions of “pilgrims” from all over the world. After learning about this tradition in class, Kevin mentioned that he’d really like to try it. Last week, that’s exactly what he did. Kevin wrote a little bit about his experiences for us to read, and gave me some photos from his journey to post here…

Each shelter that Kevin ate at or slept at put a stamp in his "pilgrimage passport".

“It’s dubbed El Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James), but in reality, it’s a network of many different routes that all converge at the destination point of the pilgrimage, the Cathedral of Santiago. I spent seven days biking on the Camino Frances, which begins in St. Jean Pied de Port, a small French city only a few kilometers north of the Spanish-French border. I began my journey in Pamplona, which is about 100 kilometers from St. Jean Pied de Port, and finished at the Cathedral.

A gorgeous sunset along the Camino.

Most pilgrims do the Camino by foot, normally walking from about 8am until sometime in the mid afternoon, where they then find a shelter where you can shower, get some dinner, relax, and recharge for the next day. But some, like me, decide to do it by bike (and even some, although I didn’t see on my trip, by horse!). Naturally, the Camino Frances is a nearly perfect east to west route. Therefore, each day the sun served as my guide: creeping up my back, illuminating my helmet, and then sneaking down my front side before sending its last few rays over the distant horizon.

Kevin's view along the Camino (notice the other pilgrims ahead on the road) while entering one of the many pueblos along the way.

The Camino attracts people from all of the world, all doing it for some particular reason, whether for religious or spiritual motives or solely for the adventure. During my journey, I spent time talking with pilgrims and Spanish locals, either in the shelters in the evenings or during the day when I felt like substituting my biking legs for walking legs. I met an economist from Denmark, a Venezuelan software engineer, a construction worker from San Sebastian (northern Spain), a mother and son from Alabama, a Belgian architect, a truck driver from A Coruña (northwest Spain), a Canadian medical technician… the list goes on and on. It was quite a beautiful experience, and if any of you reading this have the opportunity to do it, I’d recommend it. You certainly won’t regret it.”

The view of the Camino from the top of one of the hills that Kevin climbed up - looking back to the east.

Kevin’s unique journey across the country of Spain is just one of those things that resonates so appropriately with the concept of aprovechando. Taking advantage of every opportunity, every adventure, and savoring those moments to the fullest are such important aspects of studying abroad, and are things that can only be learned through taking a leap of faith into those types of journeys. It’s a way of thinking that I’m blessed to be taking back home with me. I know without a doubt that all students who have been abroad can easily say the same after experiencing their own individual leaps of faith, savoring the details of such journeys with a new found sense of what it means to take advantage of the moments we’re given.

Blue Skies and Ocean Eyes

April 24, 2013 / Lauren Zomparelli / 0 Comments

One of the most beautiful countries that I have ever been to (and yes I know I have said this before) has been Greece. Not only did I get a view of the city, Athens, but also was able to see one of the Greek Islands, Aegina. On day one, I did a four and a half hour walking tour that brought me to all of the main points and ruins in Athens. Not only did I see these beautiful places, but also heard a lot of history about each place.

There were so many interesting aspects to Greece that were very unique and that I never noticed anywhere else. One being, how there are so many stray animals all around the city. Not stray animals as in only cats wandering around like we have at home, but dogs as well. This bewildered me. Everywhere I looked were random, full grown dogs wandering around the streets or sleeping on the sidewalks. It was very sad at first, since at home, the only dogs you see are either pets or in a shelter. What was even more interesting was how nice and friendly all of the dogs were. They would casually walk up to you and wag their tail if you pet them. As the weekend wore on, I noticed that locals in town would put out food and water for the dogs to have. None of them looked to be starving in the least, but very well fed. I was almost floored when I saw dogs and cats hanging out in the Parthenon at the top of the Acropolis.

Something else, that is very random but definitely worth mentioning, is how amazingly sweet the strawberries were. They were sold at a lot of the little stands in the squares and markets. Now that may not seem too unusual, but they sold them by the kilo, which is 2.2lbs. Between myself and a friend of mine I traveled around Greece with, and within the three full days we were there, we ate more than 3lbs of strawberries.

It surprised me after visiting places like Paris, how much the Greeks loved Americans and loved that we were there visiting their country. Everywhere we went and spoke, someone would ask us where we were from. Once they heard “Chicago”, they would tell us how much they loved America and Chicago. More times than not, they would also tell me how beautiful my “ocean eyes” were, since no pure Greeks had blue eyes. Many restaurant workers on the streets would warn us to keep a close hold on our bags for those non-Greeks living in Athens, because, of course, no Greeks would steal from you. The restaurant workers would always give you a good deal to come and eat in their restaurant. On our first full day in Athens, we ate at a restaurant that offered us free wine as well as a free shot after dinner. The waiters were very nice and welcoming, helping us decide what to order and what was good, which, of course, was everything.

Something that I did expect, though, were the cheap prices that we found. Since Greece’s economy is not the best, prices for food or souvenirs, compared to other places, were very inexpensive. We found souvlaki for only €2, and t-shirts were as low as €5. It was great! Though, we might have went a little overboard since everything was so cheap. However, I would rather spend my money and help out the caring people of Greece than some of the other places that I visited where they hated Americans.

On Saturday, we decided to go to Aegina, one of the Greek Islands for the day. It was so excited as we got on a huge cruise ship to take the hour journey through the Mediterranean. The ship had a nice seating area and food. Once we were on the island we rented 4-wheelers. We each decided to get our own and for the entire day, both of the 4-wheelers were only €55, something unheard of back home. He allowed us to have them for the day, and we could take them anywhere. Gaining up to 40mph, we flew down the streets and rode all along the coast. It was the most beautiful sights with bright, clear blue water all the way.

Though, things couldn’t go smooth sailing all the way. After our fifth stop, we found that we could no longer kick start the ATV, the clutch kept getting stuck. As though this may seem like a huge inconvenience, which, in a way it was, it was a blessing in disguise too. We were able to meet so many new people since, anytime we wanted to stop and explore, we had to ask someone to kick start my bike for me. We met a university professor who invited us to stay with him for the summer so he could teach us Greek and who was obsessed with our blue eyes. We also met construction workers who told us not to stop the bikes again, seeing as by the end of the day it took them quite a while to even get them working again. Each person was always more than happy to help us in any way they could and give us any helpful hints about the island that would make our stay more enjoyable. Riding up through the mountains and overlooking the coast and beaches was breathtaking. If I could go somewhere next week and I didn’t have to worry about cost (since flights to Greece are a bit pricey) I would definitely hop on a plane to Greece, probably Santorini, another island that is known to be the most beautiful.

Though the people were nice, they might have been a bit too nice at times. It was clear to me the difference in the culture in Greek and the culture in America. In America, you usually don’t go up to someone randomly while they are walking down the street and start talking to them and ask them out. Well, at least not in my experience. However, I do have experience with that happening to me in Greece. Walking down a main street one night, a guy, probably around my age, came up to me and starting walking and talking to me. I assumed that he was a restaurant worker and was trying to get us to go into his restaurant to eat, but I soon realized this wasn’t the case as he asked me to go out for drinks with him. I was very thrown off by this and really didn’t know how to respond. He told me how he loved America and stared hard into my eyes. I’m really not used to that kind of attention and, since I did not know his intentions, I told him I couldn’t, but thanked him for the offer. He looked at me with a blank expression, not seeming to have understood that I was saying no, so we turned and continued walking.

This was not my only experience with very forward Greek men. On our last night, we were sitting in the square talking, when a middle aged man who was sitting next to us asked us where we were from. We told him Chicago and then had a nice conversation with him about where our ancestors were from and how the economy in Greece got so bad. It was very interested and we appreciated finally having a normal conversation with someone who didn’t end up creeping us out. We thought too soon. After about a half n hour, the man asked us to go get drinks with him and his friend. We respectfully declined saying we had an early flight the next morning. He told us we should just go out with him and he could drive us to the airport in the morning, but we said no. He then proceeded to look at me and tell me that I had “the body for sin and the mind for challenge”. Though I think that’s supposed to be a compliment, I took that as my cue to head back to the hostel and go to bed. He insisted on giving me his business card because “now that I have met you I don’t want to lose you”. The whole encounter was very weird in my American perspective. The man was probably my parents age. Walking home, we counted how many guys looked us up and down and I realized that wearing a dress in Athens was not a good life decision.

Though the men might be more forward than we’re used to, it might just be a part of their culture and what they think is appropriate, so I’m not holding it against them. They were always respectful and nice, which is still better than some of the creepy people back home. Even though some of the guys did creep us out a bit, we never felt like we weren’t safe or too uncomfortable. I absolutely loved my stay in Greece and wish it didn’t go by as fast as it did. If anyone is thinking of a beautiful get-a-way vacation, I highly recommend going to Greece, you can’t go wrong.

Big Ben and Parliament

London’s Calling

April 19, 2013 / Emily Hardesty / 0 Comments

Big Ben and Parliament

I have always dreamed of visiting London; seeing Big Ben has always been towards the top of my bucket list. Last weekend, I finally got to make that dream a reality. Of course I wanted to see as much as possible in the three days that I was there, so I arrived with a long list of sights to see. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize how big London is, and I didn’t get to cross everything off my list during this trip. As soon as we walked outside of the train station, I instantly knew that I was in London. Everywhere I turned, I could see red double-decker buses and telephone booths, and as I listened in on conversations on the street, I could clearly hear British accents. I can’t describe how nice it was to finally be surrounded by English for a change!

When we arrived, the weather was a bit rainy, so we didn’t get to see many sights at first. Instead, we spent our time mostly indoors on Saturday, first at the world’s largest Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum. I had been to one before in Wisconsin Dells, but this one was undoubtedly the best of its kind. I personally love everything bizarre, so I had to go inside once I heard it was the world’s largest Ripley’s museum. They had all sorts of strange items, including a prehistoric shark’s set of teeth, an iron maiden, and shrunken heads. It may not have been worth the 22 pounds that we paid (even with a student discount), but it was a nice was to pass the time out of the rain.

Bre and I in front of Buckingham Palace

The highlight of my weekend was without a doubt seeing The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre. I am a huge fan of the story; I have read the original book and many other fanfiction novels about the Phantom, and I have seen the both original and most recent film countless times. I adore the soundtrack and can sing you any song you choose by heart and play it for you on the piano (not necessarily at the same time!). During the show, I couldn’t help but mouth the words along with the actors. I was completely blown away by the quality of the singers’ voices and the special effects. When the chandelier went up at the very beginning and the organ started wailing the main tune, I had a mini heart attack and had the widest grin on my face. I believe that the Phantom of the Opera is a very important part of London’s broadway history, and I am so happy that I had the chance to see my favorite musical on stage in the best place in the world to see it performed.

After two days of rain, the sky finally opened up on Sunday and made way for a unbelievably beautiful day. My friend and I spent the entire day walking around London sight seeing. Our first stop was Abbey Road, made famous by the Beatles’ album of the same name. There were many tourists there literally stopping traffic just to snap a photo like the Beatles, and of course I became one of them. We then headed toward the River Thames, where we passed Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminister Abbey, and a lot of other really cool buildings. I was really surprised by how many great tourist spots were all clustered together in the same area. It did make for an easy sight seeing tour, though! After that, we saw the Globe Theatre, Millenium Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the London Bridge, just to name a few.

I was completely amazed at how much there is to see in London, and I’m sad I couldn’t see it all in three days. Now that I know how great London really is, I am itching to go back and take a closer look at all this city has to offer.

Millenium Bridge and St. Paul's Cathedral

London Bridge

The Iron Lady

April 18, 2013 / Abby / 0 Comments

Yesterday, my housemates and I were fortunate enough to get the chance to go to Margaret Thatcher’s Funeral Procession in London. We were there to witness history being made. We got up at the crack of dawn to get to London at a good time so we could get front row spots along the procession route from Westminster Abbey to St. Paul’s Cathedral. I’m sure some of you are thinking “Weren’t you guys afraid of going to something so controversial right after the bombings in Boston?” We sat down as a group and decided that it would be safe enough and it was something we really wanted to do. However, just to be safe, we didn’t choose a hugely popular place to stand in case something would happen. We chose a spot along Fleet Street across from the Courts of Justice and it proved to be a very successful location for us to stand. Some of our group were interviewed by the Guardian Newspaper, the biggest newspaper in London (equal to the New York Times) and also by another public newspaper. There was a camera set up right across from us on the street and a picture of us and the casket being pulled by the carriage ended up on Yahoo! news UK and USA versions. How awesome is that? And there was a picture of us on the Guardian Newspaper’s website that went a long with one of the Iron Lady articles. We got our 15 minutes of fame from that spot we picked.

The procession itself, though. That was the best part. It was so incredible to witness such a historical event. The passing of an era, the funeral of one of the most influential Prime Ministers that England has ever had. Depending on what Brit you talk to, her influence could be the best thing or the worst thing. She was very influential, but she also divided a great nation with her decisions in while in office. Yesterday, we saw many people protesting the funeral and there were signs that said things along the lines of “Rest in Shame” and “The Iron Lady, Rest in Rust” however, we also saw signs from the polar opposite viewpoint like the one that said ” But We Loved Her” It was so interesting to see all this division in the nation again because of her death. It gave me a little insight as to what the nation was like when she was still in office. She was undoubtedly a great lady, yet one of the most hated in all of English history.

However much she was hated, she was also loved by a great many, and she received a great farewell from the people of England. People cheered and clapped and roared when she went by as a sign of respect. The procession started at Westminster Abbey with her casket in a hearse car driving down Whitehall Street toward Trafalgar Square. The hearse was surrounded by the British Army, Royal Air Force, Palace Guards, and the Navy, as well as the Metropolitan Police force. It was a huge procession. The Royal Air Force lined the streets of the procession all the way from Westminster Abbey to St. Paul’s Cathedral with their heads bowed in a sign of respect. There were also many different bands playing along the procession. From Trafalgar Square the hearse drove along the Strand and on the Strand, her casket got transferred from the hearse to a horse drawn carriage. After that it came down Fleet Street where we were, and on the St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was a grand procession and very impressive. It was an incredible experience and one I would witness again in a heartbeat.

One of the many patios within the Real Alcazar. See the fishies in the reflection pool?

A Whole New World

April 17, 2013 / Emily DeVries / 0 Comments

One of the many patios within the Real Alcázar, which was once a Moorish fort/palace. See the fishies in the reflection pool?

Okay, before I get started here, I’m going to warn you. I’m about to sound like a travel agent who’s sugarcoating everything in order to close a deal. I promise you, none of this is an exaggeration. Southern Spain is a world entirely of its own, and for lack of a better description, it’s magical. The air is filled with the smell of orange blossoms and the sounds of street musicians playing flamenco guitar, the sun shines in a bright blue sky until 8 pm. Wrought-iron balconies spill flowers out into winding narrow streets, ornate ceramic tiles adorn every door frame, and the clock slows down to match the laid-back, fun-loving lifestyle of the south. Words and pictures don’t do it justice, it’s just something you have to feel… but it exists and it’s definitely magical.

Ceramic tile work outside the Plaza de España. This kind of detail is part of almost every building in the city.

Seville is a city steeped in a rich and diverse history. Thus, its culture has developed over the centuries into a beautiful mix of flavors that is entirely unique to the south of Spain. Conquered by first the Romans, then the Moors, and then the Jewish and the Catholics, the city shows evidence on every corner of how it has aged and evolved over time. Take, for example, the Roman wall that surrounds the city center. After the Romans left, parts of the wall were incorporated into different structures, serving as a supporting wall of the Real Alcázar (one of my favorite places in Seville, a Moorish palace that is filled with acres of incredible gardens and patios), or even being built into houses. There are a number of houses that were built right onto the wall throughout the Moorish and Catholic reigns that still are inhabited today, covered in the intricate tile work common to the Moors and the close influence of Morocco and North Africa. And yet, they bear the family crests from the 1500s-era Catholic families that lived there centuries ago. This type of culture-blending is evident everywhere you look in Seville, and has since become a trademark of the city’s flavor.

The breathtaking view of the city from the top of La Giralda, a 34-story tower attached the the Catedral de Sevilla.

The architecture isn’t the only thing about Seville that serves as a distinctive symbol, though. What brings the real magic to this city isn’t the buildings, but the people and their customs. The home of Flamenco, Sevillianos take their music, dancing, food, drink, and parties very seriously, and everything else kind of happens by its own time. Siestas are an even bigger deal here than in Zaragoza, and nobody’s ever in a rush (unless they’re talking. Understanding the Andaluz accent at the speed with which they talk was next to impossible!) I got hooked on the beauty and tradition of Flamenco while I was there, thanks to a few factors: trying on a traditional gown (I felt like a human Barbie doll!), watching a Flamenco dancing show over a pitcher of sangría, and perhaps most importantly, the buzz in the air regarding the upcoming Fería de Abril.

Alright. Obviously not my picture, since I missed the Fería. But this is what it looks like and is the reason why I was so enchanted.

The Fería started this past Tuesday, and is essentially a week-long dancing, eating, drinking, and socializing

extravaganza. At the edge of the city, they set up 1000+ massive tents, called “casetas”. Each caseta is an exclusive access facility, and you can only get in if you know a member (one of the group of people who are paying for the caseta to function at the Fería). Thus, it’s not unheard of for someone to be on the waiting list to be a caseta member for 30+ years. In each caseta are a bunch of tables, a dance floor, and a bar. Each day at the Fería, women dress in traditional Flamenco attire, and men will wear suits and ties. Dancing is a big part of the event, and the “Sevillana” style of dress, music, and dance dates back to the 1700s. We didn’t get to see the Fería in action, because we left Seville on Monday morning, but we did get to go to the fairgrounds and saw a caseta, thanks to a friend who has been living in Seville for six years.

My friend Margaux (from Marseille, France) and I at the Torre de Oro, enjoying the sunshine!

One of the things I love most about Spain is the way that the Spanish have done such a great job preserving and celebrating their roots. Nothing gets washed away by history… the past is beautifully blended into the present in all aspects of life: culture, architecture, food, lifestyle. Seville is such an explicit and colorful example of that phenomenon, and I’m never going to forget the unending beauty of it all, and the way it swept me away to the point of being unable to convey it in words. I think this is my longest entry to date, and I’m still frustrated that my pictures and descriptions don’t do it justice. Guess that means that you all just have to find an excuse to go there and see for yourself…

Rest in Peace or Shame?

April 17, 2013 / Lauren Zomparelli / 0 Comments

The answer would lye with who you are asking. If you ask an American, most would probably say peace of course. However, if you ask about two thirds of the British population, they would probably say shame, much like the man below with his sign.

On Wednesday April 17, there was a procession in London for Margaret Thatcher’s funeral that started at Westminster Abbey and ended at St. Paul’s Cathedral. When she died last week, there was an uproar in the UK. What I never realized as a US citizen, was how divided the country became when Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister. I have learned in my history class here how little people thought of her and how they believed she was the worst thing for this country. There are many reasons the British feel this way, one having to do with the high unemployment rate when she was in power. When she died, there was riots and demonstrations in London that went hand in hand with cheers and celebrations. I actually received an email sent from the government about how US Citizens should be weary going into London from April 13-17 because of all of the demonstrations that were going to be held. There was also a lot of talk about possible bombs going off, which, once the bombing in Boston happened on Tuesday, did not make me feel anymore confident about making the journey to London Wednesday morning.

Though we did make the journey and I am really glad that I went. Although, as soon as we got off the tube at Temple we were greeted by about eight police officers, one who asked us what we were doing and where we were going. They knew the controversy and were taking all of the necessary precautions. All throughout London, there were police heavily armed, especially in the train stations, tube stations and huge public squares like Covent Garden and Piccadilly Circus. Luckily, we did not see any bombs going off or riots.

It was so interesting seeing so many people lining the streets, waiting for the procession. There were press everywhere, on balconies and roofs taking pictures and interviewing people in the streets. Zach, Jess and Nola were even interviewed by different newspapers and our group as a whole are in a picture in The Guardian’s news online (the link is below).

What I would have to say was the craziest part of all was what happened as the casket went by on the street. We were standing along the second half of the procession, so the casket was being pulled by a horse drawn carriage versus in a car like it was from Westminster to Trafalgar Square. As she passed by, everyone in the crowd starting cheering and clapping. Some, not where we were but earlier on, turned their backs on the casket.

Being able to witness this piece of history was incredible. It is something that will definitely go down in history and something I will be able to tell my children about one day. So rest in peace, or maybe shame, Margaret Thatcher.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/apr/17/margaret-thatcher-funeral-streets-procession

Barcelona Forever

April 11, 2013 / Lauren Zomparelli / 0 Comments

I’m not sure why, but for some reason this entry has been very difficult for me to write. I think I’ve started writing about three or four times, and actually wrote a complete entry before I hit delete and decided to completely start over. I think it’s because I’m trying to write about an experience that was so meaningful and exciting to me that I want to get it just right, and so far, nothing has been up to par. Regardless, I want to write about it so at some point I guess I just have to be satisfied with what I have.

While traveling during two week break, one of the places that I had the greatest experience was in Barcelona. One of the main reasons for this was due to the hostel that I stayed at. Up to this point, I never really had the opportunity to meet people in the hostels that I have stayed at. At Hostel One Paralelo in Barcelona, however, this was not the case. Actually, the way the hostel was created made it quite impossible to not meet people.

When you walked into the hostel, you were met with an elevator and a sign on it that read that the doors on this side of the elevator were not in use because the staff wanted you to have to walk past reception so they could introduce themselves. Soon after Rachel and I read this sign and walked around to the other doors, Gonsolo, the man working at the reception desk that day, hopped out of his chair, arm extended and introduced himself as well as invited us to cook dinner with him tonight. Which is another point I haven’t mentioned. Every night, the person working reception would cook dinner, for free, for everyone staying at the hostel.

We graciously accepted Gonsolo’s invitation and joined him in the kitchen to help him cook that evenings meal. At first it was only us cooking, but within five minutes we were joined by Patrick who was from California and Alex who was from Australia. Tor, who was from Norway, stood by and watched us as we cooked. We began by making the salad, chopping the lettuce, tomatoes, onions, apples and cucumbers. To put the amount of food that we were cutting into perspective, we were making enough for about 30-40 people.

After the salads were finally chopped and ready to go, Gonsolo asked Rachel, Alex and I to make a homemade vinaigrette salad dressing. We hesitantly agreed, exchanging nervous and confused looks. We really had no idea how to make dressing by hand. After standing around awkwardly looking at each other for a few minutes, Gonsolo took out oil, white vinegar, salt, pepper and oregano out of the cabinet and set it in front of us. “Well, here goes nothing”, and we started making a mixture. It took us about ten minutes to make the first bowl of salad dressing, taste testing it ever now and then but always coming to the same conclusion, it tasted like oil.

Rushing to get dinner on the table, Alex dumps the entire bowl of salad dressing on just one of the salads, the smaller bowl. Of course this meant that we had to rush and make another bowl for the other huge salad in the pan. Hurriedly, we made another bowl, without tasting it at all, and poured it onto the salad. The entire process of making the salad dressing was hilarious. Every so often Patrick would come over with a piece of lettuce and try some and so would Frenchie, another friend we made that night. After dinner we poured out a third of a cup of the oil that was at the bottom of the first bowl. Cooking dinner was the beginning of forming some great new friendships.

While eating our risotto, that was really more like a sticky brick that just sat in your stomach, we talked about how life is in the different countries we were from. What working was like in Australia compared to Brazil, America and the UK. It was crazy how much I learned about the different cultures and societies. I met people from Portugal, Brazil, Italy, Australia, Norway, America, Ireland, and England. For the rest of the night, we all talked and played card games, such as Egyptian Ratscrew, War and Spoons.

The next night, Vallencio, the owner of the hostel, made couscous for dinner. Unfortunately, he was more prepared than Gonsolo and started cooking dinner early so we were not back in time to help him cook. However, the dinner was delicious. Once again, everyone joined together at dinner and we talked more about schooling and the cost of college tuition. After dinner, Corey from California, brought out his guitar and played songs as we all sang along. It was funny because the first few songs, only a select few people knew, but as soon as he started playing “Wonderwall” by Oasis, everyone in the room started singing. There were about 12-15 of us there, representing 7 different countries and I don’t even know how many languages, but we all knew every word to that song. Valle, sitting over at his desk smiled and sang along as well. It was such a crazy experience. After “Wonderwall”, Corey passed the guitar to Nilton who shocked us all playing “Snow” by The Red Hot Chili Peppers perfectly. If you don’t know what song I’m talking about, take a minute to look it up on YouTube and imagine our jaw dropping reaction when we heard him play this song. It was amazing, to say the least.

I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to have met people from so many different places and cultures and to be able to talk and learn from them. I did not want to leave Barcelona Wednesday morning to say the least. The entire train ride to Madrid, I just felt a sadness rush threw my body. For a while I couldn’t figure out why it bothered me so much and finally, I think I figured it out. While traveling, I spent the entire time, basically, with the same people. Of course some people visited different cities and left for a few days and maybe we met up later, but mainly, I was with the same people the entire time, for 18 days straight. It’s quite a long time to be with people 24/7 if you really think about it. Meeting new people and being able to talk about something new, like life in Brazil or Australia, and making these connections with someone besides the eight people I have been traveling with, I think, is what I really didn’t want to leave. Then, there is also the added idea that, realistically, I probably won’t have the opportunity to ever see them again. There is a small chance, of course, in meeting up in London or maybe years and years down the road if I go visit their country or they mine, but, that’s really just a small percentage. Luckily, Nilton happened to be going to Madrid as well and staying in our same hostel, so we did have the opportunity to spend a couple more days talking to him, but whether or not we will see him again after that is unknown.

All of the conversations and interactions both nights are almost too amazing to actually be able to put into words and have it correctly represent how I feel. I do feel lucky enough to walk away and still have some great friends that I can message on Facebook and continue to talk to. As recently as yesterday I messaged Alex asking him if Australia has ever fought in a war before, because we never learned about Australia’s history in school. To my surprise, they have fought in quite a few wars. I look forward to continue to talk to Alex and Nilton about their travels and trips and continue to fill them in on mine. I hope one day to be able to visit both of their countries and be able to learn more now that I have a greater knowledge and interest for them. To anyone who is going to be studying abroad, I highly encourage you to get to know people from different cultures and countries because it is such a rewarding experience and you can learn more than you ever thought.

The Island City

April 10, 2013 / Abby / 0 Comments

While we were traveling on Easter Break, I visited 9 cities, in 4 countries, in a matter of 18 days. Looking back, I realize how crazy that is and how lucky I am. I realize that when I travel, it just seems like the normal thing to do, oh you know, just going to Rome this weekend, no big deal, but then looking back at it, I realize how surreal it was. Did I really just go to Rome? What is my life right now? I don’t think I know what a normal life is anymore! I look back on all my travels and I just smile. That’s all I can do. I smile the biggest when I think of Venice. I fell in love with Venice the moment I stepped onto the island. Everything about the island is beautiful to me. I think I may have taken a picture of every side canal on the island. Every corner you turn, there is another beautiful view, another canal that is picture perfect. I was so in love. We got to the island around 9:30 in the morning and it was a little chilly. We walked around and around, since there is always something new to see, and we took everything in. Waiting for the sun to decide to come out for our gondola ride.

The gondola ride is definitely a highlight in my book of life. It was everything I had dreamed of. It was a beautiful time to do it, we waited until the sun decided to pop out to say “hi!” and we hopped on a boat. The gondolas themselves are impressive, they are all painted black in remembrance to all those who died in a plague that swept through Venice a long long time ago. Ever since then, they have all been black. The insides, though, are all different, and they are all extravagant. I sat in the couple seat with Lauren at the end on the boat, in front of our gondola driver.
The best part though, of course, was the actual ride. It was absolutely incredible. So beautiful. The Grand Canal in and of itself is so beautiful, but then we veered off the Grand Canal and took the side canals and pretty alley canals that you would never find on your own. Our driver maneuvered us through some pretty tight canals and it was amazing. They were so pretty and it was so quiet and peaceful. Our driver informed us that now; Venice is made up of 120 smaller islands, connected by 420 bridges. 420! That is a lot of bridges. Pretty much every block of houses that is surrounded by canals is its own island. And every canal has its own street name. How cool is that? We sailed past the Palace, and the biggest fish market in Venice as well as the flower market. I was a beautiful ride. The funniest part was there were so many tourists taking pictures of our gondola because, you know, it’s a gondola and it’s awesome, so when we saw someone taking a picture of our boat, we would smile, or make a face and wave for their picture. It became a game while we were on the Grand Canal and there were people everywhere taking pictures. It was hysterical. We were on the ride for 45 minutes and I did not want to get off the boat when we were done. It was the best day of my life up to that point and I was in heaven. Venice is breathtaking and I cannot wait to go back someday!

Hiking Mont Serrat

April 9, 2013 / Abby / 0 Comments

On my 18 amazing days traveling through Southern Europe, there is one day in particular that stands out above the rest. While we were in Barcelona, Caiti and I took an hour’s train ride outside of Barcelona to the beautiful countryside. At the end of the train ride we came to our destination. Mont Serrat. Mont Serrat is a mountain and our mission was to climb this mountain. It. Was. Huge. And we were up for the challenge, because a certain boy (the only boy, by the way) in our group who had already climbed Mont Serrat when he went to Barcelona implied that he didn’t think we could do it. So we were going to climb to the very tippy top just to show him we could. We got up at 6 am and left our hostel by 7 am so we could have as much time there as possible. We had to take the underground Metro to find the train station to leave from, first. We got there around 9:30 am and our train took us right to the foot of the mountain. It was a little intimidating, I will admit, but I knew we could do it. So we set off to the mountain and realized we couldn’t find the path up, so we had to backtrack to the train station to ask direction to the walking path. Just so you know, to get to the walking path, we had to walk alone the Spanish highway and then sprint across it and then climb behind someone’s house to find the beginning of it. It took us an hour and a half to reach the top of it, and it was an intense hour and a half. It was certainly a hike. But it was definitely worth it. The view from the top is indescribable. The best I can do is that it was breathtakingly beautiful. It was the perfect day, clear blue skies, 65 degrees and the sun was shining glory to God. It was amazing. The higher we got, the more amazing it became. My eyes couldn’t take it all in fast enough. When we got to the Monastery which is the destination of the hike, we had a small picnic with the food we brought along and we sat and looked out at what all God had created. I was so at peace with the world in those moments. It was stunning. We sat and looked out at the world for almost an hour straight, sometimes talking, sometimes just staring at everything, trying to imprint it into our brains forever. It was a perfect day!

After lunch we hiked some of the nature trails that were at the top of the mountain. It was so incredibly beautiful. We hiked and hiked and hiked and before we knew it, 7 hours had passed and we had to go back to Barcelona. It was such a wonderful day and I advise anyone who goes to Barcelona to hike Mont Serrat, you won’t regret it!

Palm Sunday with Pope Francis

April 9, 2013 / Lauren Zomparelli / 0 Comments

Palm Sunday was the last day that I spent in Rome, and where is a better place to spend it than in Vatican City in St. Peter’s Square. At 8:30am I made my way through the crowds of people and into the square. Though it was all in Italian, it wasn’t impossible to follow the mass along, though I do feel like it was slightly different from a regular mass.

Palms were being handed out as you walked into the square and there were screens showing the priest and choir up in the front. By the time communion was being handed out, the entire square was filled with people and there was security making sure more people could not enter. People pushed and shoved their way to receive communion, and once the priest ran out, some cried and pleaded him for a blessing. It was a very unreal experience. I was lucky enough to receive one of the last communions from a priest.

After mass was over, around noon, the new pope, Pope Francis, came out in his “pope mobile”, which is actually a jeep, and came out into the crowd after blessing everyone in the crowd. People were throwing their infant children at him to bless them. He patted children on the head as he passed by. I stood about 20 feet away from where he was. Everyone was going crazy, pushing and shoving as he passed by the section where we were standing. It was such an exciting experience! I can now officially check seeing the pope off my bucket list!

As we were leaving, we could see that the entire street was filled with people who were not allowed into the square. There had to be somewhere between 10,000-15,000 people in the square and on the street that day. It was crazy but I feel so incredibly lucky to have been able to actually be in the square that day. A fun, random fact we found out the day before was that Pope Francis was having lunch with the old Pope. I will forever be curious about what two popes talk about during lunch together.

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