Finally Legal!

Oh and I guess I should mention one more thing... I turned 21 on Monday! Despite the fact that I the legal drinking age in Europe is 18, my American friends still went all out and we celebrated as if we were back in Athens. They even made me a sign with 21 funny things to do throughout the night. (Dad don't be mad but yes it is in the shape of a parachute).

So here's to all my American friends here in Spain who gave me an unforgettable 21st birthday, even though they didn't have to.

Oh and of course here's to my mother who has been waiting for this day since I first stepped onto UGA's campus. Congrats Mom, you no longer have any underage children.

Peanut Butter and Chipotle Fever

Well, I have now officially been to two European countries. This past weekend I left my new homeland of Spain and took a weekend trip to London, England with three other girls. When we landed, each of us experienced a bit of reverse culture shock from being back in a english-speaking country. I have reached the point in Spain where I actually feel comfortable only understanding a third of what people are saying around me. It was such an awkward and unexplainable sensation to be surrounded by my own native language. For the first time in three weeks I didn’t have to plan out every conversation in my head before I went to talk to someone. After a couple hours of english, we wanted spanish back. We actually ended up speaking more spanish to each other in London than we do in Valencia. I guess the saying, “you want what you can’t have," stands true here as well. 

We arrived in London late, around 12:00 am, so we headed straight for our hostel, which was conveniently located just around the corner from Victoria Station. This was my first hostel experience and let me just say, it was quite a surreal one. Due to our lack of travel sense, the four of us were put in three different rooms because we didn’t know to book the hostel all together. I, of course, was by myself, in a 6-person, mixed-gender room. When I entered the doorway, all I saw were 5 sleeping bodies, all of different ethnicities and ages. A couple of people woke up and gave me very agitated looks that would universally scream, “I hate you,” in any language. Without even changing into my pajamas I climbed onto the top of the rickety bunk-bed I was assigned to and tried my best to fall asleep. 

Tori and Alexa shared a room with three other very nice italian boys in their mid-20’s. All was well for them until one of the boys, who was about 300+ pounds, might I add, proceeded to snore and vehemently pass gas all night long. Let’s just say none of us got that much sleep our first night in London.

The morning came too soon and I proceeded to take my entire bag to the tiny bathroom so that I would not have to bother anyone with my coming and going while getting ready for the day. Despite the awkward first impression from the night before, the hostel turned out to be very quant and comfortable. We got free breakfast, which is always a plus when traveling on a budget. And they had PEANUT BUTTER, a personal necessity that I have had to live without in Spain for the past three weeks. So let’s just say it was a great start to the morning. 

After breakfast the first thing we did was go get an unlimited tube pass for the day. This allowed us to go all over the city in a much easier and faster fashion than had we of walked. Since it was Courtney, Tori, and my first time to London, we, of course, did as much of the touristy stuff as possible. 

Here are some of the big things we hit along throughout the day:

Big Ben. This was the first thing I saw when I walked up the steps from the tube station and I literally freaked. Just the sight of the enormous and elaborate building that screams "London" made me realize that I was actually there, among the Brits, (whose accents I can never get enough of).

Westminster Abbey. We didn’t actually go inside, but it was a nice sight to see from the street. 

The Queen is in!!

Buckingham Palace. We waited outside for almost an hour to see the changing of the guards, and then realized that we had the days mixed up and the ceremony was not happening until tomorrow, so I pretty much know every detail of that palace just from staring at it for an hour. 

And for lunch... drum roll please.... CHIPOTLE!! Back in the United States all four of us are Chipotle fiends. Much like the peanut butter, since we have been deprived of it for a month, we went a little crazy when we saw the restaurant sign. My burrito bowl never tasted so good.

The afternoon was filled with one of my favorite activities of the weekend. We went to the Tower of London and was guided around by a very entertaining and funny British man, decked out in the old “beef-eater” uniform. Don’t ask me why they are called that because he didn’t even know. Our guide told us about all of the executions that occurred within the tower throughout England’s history. After the tour we were able to do some exploring for ourselves. We ventured on to see the Crown Jewels that are locked up within the walls of the tower. I have never seen such large diamonds, rubies, and sapphires in my life. It almost hurt my eyes to look at them straight on.

Our last stop of the day got me super giddy. Being a prominent Harry Potter fan, and also since the HP Studio Tour was all booked up, this next event was very high up on my list. Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station— the place where Harry leaves his miserable life as a muggle and transitions into the magical wizarding world. I’m a geek, I know, but having read all the books twice and having seen all the movies an unhealthy amount of times, I had to go. And of course the whole way there I was quoting every movie line possible until my friends gave me enough annoying looks to stop. 

That night we were planning on going out on the town but coming from Spain, our time table for night life was still a bit off. By the time we took the tube back to Lester Square, a.k.a. the Time Square of London, it was already midnight and the bars were only open for one or two more hours, which was not worth the 10 pound cover fee. Back in Spain we don’t even start the night until 12 or 1am. Who would have thought we would have converted to the Spanish lifestyle so fast. 

To bed we went so we could get an early start to our Saturday. 

The next morning we went to check out the prices for matinee theater shows. This was one thing I really wanted to do. I’ve had an itch for broadway ever since I can remember. Maybe it’s my lifelong dream of preforming under the bright lights, despite my major lack of a singing voice or coordination. Anyways, we used our poor college student status to our advantage and bought really cheap student tickets for Jersey Boys! I was beyond excited. 

To waste time before the show we went to the British Museum. I had no idea this place was so massive and intricate. There were so many artifacts and so much history in one building It was almost overwhelming. We were there an hour and half and only got through ancient Rome, Persia, and Egypt. There was still 5 continents left that we had to leave behind. Once again, the history geek inside of me came out. I could have stayed there for hours. 

However, it was musical time! Our seats were amazing. Almost near the front, I could see the makeup on the actors faces. I was in a total state of ecstasy throughout the whole show. Jersey Boys is the story of the band, The Four Seasons, and as the musical went on, I realized I knew the words to every song; I had just never known it was The Four Seasons who sang them. Having grown up in a house with Cliff Roberts, songs of the 60’s have been engrained in my head since I was a little girl. As my first grade teacher said, I was the only student she ever knew who sang songs about pink Cadillacs and black mustaches on the playground. Thanks to my dad, I think I enjoyed the show more than anyone. Now for the past 4 days, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons has been on constant repeat on my computer. 

That night, having splurged on fish and chips for lunch, (so much fried deliciousness), we ate a power bar for dinner... reality of a traveling collage student. 

Then we hit the clubs at the correct time and had an absolute blast. We got to dance to english music for the first time in a while. I did try to request our favorite spanish song, El Tiburon, but I was unfortunately declined by the DJ. 

The next day was rough. We got home from the club at 3:30am and had to leave for the train station at 4:00am to catch a bus to the airport. Let’s just say I fell straight to sleep right when I sat down in that airplane chair. 

So in a nutshell, London was a success. Unfortunately the cold weather did get me slightly sick but I leave for Morocco tomorrow and I am not going to let a runny nose get in the way of having an unforgettable time. In the end, I am my mothers daughter and refuse to admit I’m really sick until I have to be hospitalized. 

Other fun random London photos:

Mary Kate and Ashley take London

Viva Valencia!

Valencia has officially been my home for a little over a week now and I have come to adore this city. It is much more authentic than Madrid with colorful buildings scaling narrow cobblestone streets. The city is very lively with people moving at their own leisurely pace through the large plazas and along sidewalks draped with sale-filled shops. It has taken all of my will-power not to buy the heaps of adorable clothing that taunt me from the store windows. I just keep my mind focused on all of the amazing weekend trips I have planned, which is where I know my money will be much better spent. 

View from our balcony

My dorm is in the historic district of town around of series of twisted back alleys that I am still continuously trying to navigate. My roommate, Tori, and I lucked out with the largest room out of everyone else in the program. We each have a twin bed, desk, and armoire and share a nicely sized bathroom. My favorite part of our room, though, is our balcony that looks over a quant little ally way, to which at night is full of locals walking from tapas bar to tapas bar.

The Penthouse

The dorm, called Colegio Mayor Rector Peset, is home to us 15 American kids and then about 200 spanish students. The ages range from 18-22 but most are freshman still in their teens, which is something that my single friends have not come to appreciate. I feel like a freshman again and I love it. It's almost like I'm back on the tenth floor of Russell Hall, except I have my own bathroom and a bedroom that is something a little larger than my mom’s closet. One thing we have learned, though, is the walls are very thin here so the gossip is kept to a minimum, which I greatly enjoy. The boys above us, however, have no problem blaring their spanish dance music until the wee hours of the morning. But honestly, by the end of each night I am so exhausted nothing can keep me awake once my head hits the pillow. Overall the local students are all very nice and love helping us with our spanish, especially when it comes to teaching us all of the dirty slang words. Since we are on a different class schedule as them, meal times are the main conversation times. We all sit in the same cafeteria together and chat about evening plans and whatever else my limited spanish vocabulary can produce. We have been out with the spanish students twice, and both times I have gone home “early” (a.k.a. before 6 am). 

Out with the spanish kids from el Rector Peset

American ladies take spanish night life!

The food in the dorms is pretty good. Just like almost all of the food in Spain, I can tell that it is all made fresh everyday, something very different from much of what I eat in America. The meals are simpler. There is usually soup or cheese for the first course, and meat or fish for the second. EVERY plate comes with french fries, which I have learned to stay away from. While walking through the plazas, the aromas of paella and pastries make me crave authentic spanish cuisine, but I’m doing my best to save my food budget for weekend trips to other parts of Spain and Europe... well despite some gelato splurges every once in a while. Although I prefer the eating schedule of Spain, I have not completely adapted to it. Instead of having 3 average meals a day, Spaniards eat 5 meals a day of all different sizes. In the morning they eat something small, like a crescent, and then around 11:00 they eat a small sandwich called a “bocadillo”. Lunch is their biggest meal of the day comprised of multiple courses. At around 5:00 or 6:00, they eat another small meal and then finish their night off with tapas and drinks between 9:00 and 11:00. Most of us are still eating about three meals a day so by the time lunch or dinner rolls around, I am famished. Today we went to a local super market and bought some snacks to serve as our intermediate meals so that, maybe, we won’t keep engorging ourselves at every almuerzo y cena.   

I have completed my first week of classes. All I can say so far is I don’t think they are going to be any walk in the park. I am taking four classes: spanish film, culture of civilizations of Spain, spanish literature, and spanish business. Homework is not overwhelming so far but time management is going to play a key role for the weekends when I travel. I could get used to this Monday through Thursday thing though. UGA should really consider converting to the three-day weekend schedule... it makes us students less...umm stressed? 

Tower of Micalet and Plaza de los Torros

Ironic photo moment at the Plaza de Virgen

 On Wednesday we had a scavenger hunt to get to know the city better. In teams of three we had to run the city around and take pictures in certain monuments or plazas. Of course we had no idea where any of these locations were and without the use of our handy-dandy smart phones, we had to find them the old fashion way... asking for directions. Perfect time to practice our spanish right? Wrong. And we come to embarrassing moment for Katy attempting to use her spanish number two. On my teams hunt for the Plaza de la Virgen (a.k.a Plaza of the Virgin), I stopped an asked two police officers on horseback for directions. For some reason, however, I could not seem to pronounce the word “virgen” correctly and it came out sounding like I have a speech impediment. I eventually had to just show them the name on a piece of paper, which made them simultaneously burst into laugher due to the mere context of the word virgin. They told us the directions and with my head held low, we went on our way. Of course it does not end there. While we zigzagged our way around the city for three hours we happened to run into them three more times, each reunion filled with finger-points and laughter. There goes my respect for the Spanish Police Department.

Exhausted teammates at the last location of the hunt.

On Thursday we climbed up the Tower of Micalet, which sits atop the beautiful Valencia Cathedral. The view was 100 percent worth the breathless hike up to the top. We could see all of Valencia for miles and miles. It made me realize how big the city actually is and how little of it I have seen yet.

 

On Saturday, we went to Valencia’s aquarium, The Oceanográfic, which just so happens to be the largest aquarium in Europe. I didn’t think anything could compare to the vastness of Atlanta’s aquarium, but this place was magnificent. There were massive walruses and wales, as well as, the strangest tropical fish I have ever seen. My favorite part, and what has turned out to be one my top experiences here, was the dolphin show. It was absolutely incredible! Those animals are geniuses! They were doing synchronized dances and flips in the air. With solely hand motions and whistle chimes from the trainers, the dolphins put on a better show than I think any human could. Just so you know Mom and Dad, I’m thinking about changing my major to dolphin training....

So far Valencia has treated me well. I have begun to set into a weekly routine, which I like. I try to run every afternoon in el Jardín de Turía, which is a giant park that stretches 6 miles long in the middle of the city. It used to be part of the Turía River but was converted into a park in 1986. The park is always full of people running, biking, or walking their dogs (which of course makes me miss my own pup, Scout). The sides are lined with soccer fields that are alive with little-league soccer games in the evenings. There are playgrounds, skate parks, fountains, and picnic tables. It is just an over all peaceful place to spend time. 

The big nights to go out in Valencia are Thursday and Saturday. Since we aren’t overloaded with schoolwork, yet, many of the other night we have just gone out to the many local bars that serve 1 Euro sangria and beer. I’ve come to love the culture of Spain— happy, easygoing, and vibrant. Although my appearance doesn’t fit in well, I think my personality does, which has made the adjustment to my new life here much easier. 

Easy night at our favorite tapas bar, Montididos. 

We have already started planning some weekend trips! Next weekend I will be heading to London! Then the weekend after that... drum roll please... Morocco!... Talk about standing out from a crowd. (Don’t worry Dad I’ll be safe I promise!)

I’ll check in again soon with even more fun stories to tell! 

Chow. 

Protests, Parties, and Paradise

January 11, 2014

Three days in and I have already formed some unforgettable memories here in Spain. We are now all loaded up on a bus for a four hour drive from Madrid to Valencia. The past few days in Madrid have been incredible but I am very excited to get settled in my dorm room and begin classes at la Universidad de Valencia. 

To recap on the past couple days:

On Wednesday morning we took a walking tour of Madrid. Our tour guide was a young women who lived in the city. She took us through all the plazas and historical districts and told us all about Madrid’s history and traditions, all in spanish of course.

All of us on the tour in front of a statue of Don Quixote de la Mancha and his right-hand man, Sancho Panza. 

The plaza del sol is the main plaza in the city. There is a clock at the top of the administration building at when that clock strikes 12:00 on New Years, everyone in the plaza eats grapes together. It is also the location of Kilometer 0, which is the central point of the country and people use this as the base for giving directions or distances between cities.

Plaza del sol

The plaza mayor is located in the historic district of Madrid and it is also the most expensive place in the city. The apartments that surround the plaza cost millions to live in and we definitely did not eat in the restaurants. The plaza used to be used for royal ceremonies, as well as, the main place for beheading people during the spanish inquisition. 

Plaza mayor 

Glass was put up on the side of this bridge because it used to be a popular place for people to commit suicide. 

This is the Palace Real, which is where the king and queen of Spain used to live. It is now just used for royal presentations and shows. 

Palace Real

Precious old man outside the palace.

After the tour we went and ate one of the most delicious things I have ever put in my mouth, churros con chocolate. Apparently this is a very popular late night snack for spaniards after a night on the town. It’s still a mystery to me how they all can eat all of these amazing pastries everyday and still be so thin. Everything in moderation I suppose.

In the afternoon, we went to the Museo..., a total 180 degree change from the art we saw the day before. This was abstract art and some of it was just a little too abstract for me. There was one room filled solely with wooden posts. They were not carved in any exquisite way, just pieces of wood in a white room. How that is art I’m not sure but I bet the artist made a lot of money off those left over 2x4’s. I did get to see the original Picasso piece, Guernica, which he painted during the Spanish Civil War. I fell in love with this painting when I studied it last semester so it was a really special experience being able to see it in person.

That night I went to my first fútbol game, Real Madrid vs. At. Osasuna! The atmosphere was amazing. I felt like I was back at Sanford Stadium surrounded by crazy Dawg fans. Despite the fact that Osasuna is not a very good team, the fans acted like it was a tide up Georgia vs. Florida game in overtime. The entire game they were up jumping and chanting songs that I could not understand. It’s safe to say spanish people really love their soccer. 

The craziest part is what happened when the game was over. After we left the stadium, a protest broke out on the street. It was the spanish anarchists dressed in all black and swastika arm bands. They were chanting and holding up signs labeled CNT, while an army of police stood in front of them with riot shields and clubs. I couldn’t help but stop and try and take a picture. This is the kind of stuff I see on the news not in real life! After watching for a second, I passed through rather quickly scared a bomb was going to go off or something. I couldn’t help but think about the videos I’ve seen of the civil rights riots in America that all escalated quickly into sporadic violence.

Yesterday we left the grand city of Madrid and drove an hour out into the country to the small town of Segovia. The terrain outside Madrid looked similar to a temperate desert, dry and rocky soil scattered with green shrubbery. The view reminded me of parts of Colorado or Utah with snowcapped mountains in the distance, clustered with homes in the arid valley. One thing I have come to appreciate about Spaniards is the modesty in their homes and lifestyle. Unlike Americans who spend all of their money on enormous houses, Spaniards focus their spending on simple pleasures, such as, eloquent and fresh food and wine. 

Ruled by the Romans in the 1st century, Segovia is known for it’s colossal aqueduct that the empire built right through the middle of the city. I was blown away by its enormity. The most fascinating fact about the aqueduct is that the structure was built without any cement or binding substance to keep the structure in tact. After 20 centuries of stability, it’s safe to say that is some impressive engineering.

The Catedral de Sevogia and the Alcázar de Segovia (Segovia Castle) are also two famous structures that we explored. The architecture of these buildings is incredible. What blew me away the most was the intricate detail of the ceilings. In each room they were different, all vibrant with color and elaborate design.

La Catedral de Segovia 

 

Ceilings in the Segovia Palace

Inside the Segovia Palace

We left Segovia in the afternoon and headed back to Madrid to get ready for our first real night out on the town. The spanish do not joke around when it comes to night life and they also enjoy staying out until the wee hours of the morning. Five of us went out with some people that Alexa, Courtney, and Tori met in a bar a couple days before. They were french and polish, studying at the Universidad de Madrid. We went entered into their flat on the other side of town and were met with a barrage of nine different nationalities and languages all in one room. Tori called it the International House of Partying. There were people from England, Finland, Poland, Germany, France, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, and of course the United States. The ironic part was despite all of the different countries, the universal language among everyone was spanish. Spanglish encompassed my night because most of the Europeans wanted to work on their english, while we wanted to practice our spanish.

From the flat we took the metro to a discoteca, which is basically like a spanish dance club. Of course we didn’t leave the apartment until 1:30 am, and then I didn’t get back to the hotel until 5:00 am. Europeans go hard. They were making fun of us Americans when we were going home because they were on their way to yet another bar. Our first night out was a success to say the least. Now I am excited to get to Valencia and see what adventures await me there.