Chapter 31: ROMAN LUV

Hello from Madrid, AGAIN! Phewww. Let me tell the tale of my fairy-tale weekend in ROMA!

Last Thursday, December 02, 2010.
Mackenzie, Maggy, Sarah, and I left at 2 p.m., skipped class (!), and quickly checked in. There were a ton of Alcalá students there too. It was fun. Fortunately, Jozzy, KB, Lauren, and Shelbe left early. Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, our flight was delayed one hour. And of course, we had major turbulence on the way there. I learned something of value tho: there's nothing to worry during turbulence unless you start to hear the luggage above shuffling around. :) We finally arrived in one of Rome's airports, Fiumicino. From there, Mack, Sarah, and I took the fast/expensive train right to Termini Train station.

Just our luck, it was raining when we got there. We narrowly escaped from all the creeps there late at night and checked into the Hostel Alessandro Palace just 5 minutes from the station, thank GOD. Since we were so hungry, we trotted down around the corner to Taverna Pretoriana and got some free bruschetta, bread, and water. In addition, we shared a plate of grilled veggies and pasta with sauce/mushrooms. Our waiter was super cute too. He was mesmerized by our non-existent Italian skills. It was 11 p.m., but we got 10% off b/c we were staying at Alessandro. That night, with full tummies, we slept like babies: Sarah in her room with cute boys, Mack and I in a female quad with two cute Asian girls.

The next morning, we met downstairs at 8:15 for a breakfast of coco crispies and bread. Yum? We booked it to the Vatican (!) for our 9 a.m. tix. We skipped the lines, rented some audio-guides, and started our own tour! We saw art from Publius (don't ask), Rafael, and of course, Michelangelo. The Egyptian collection was impressive too. And of course, the Sistine Chapel was magnificent. I'd wanted to go there since I was a little girl. So you wouldn't be surprised if I told you I teared up a bit when I first stepped in? Thought not.

Next, we skipped on over next door to St. Peter's Basilica. We were supposed to meet Maggy, but Rome's a huge city, didn't you know? We just missed her. Anywho, Mack, Sarah, and I went in, narrowly escaping with our lives from the mass invasion of pigeons, and admired the art, architecture, the pope tombs, and cute security guards.

After all that walking, we decided to get a treat: our first gelato! I got nutella. Best decision ever. Best introduction to Roman gelato. We then did some serious souvenir shopping. Once we had exhausted that mission, we set off the beaten path for some lunch. Tortellini in broth, rigatoni in cream sauce and sausage, and spinach (espinaca). We were in awe of the yummy food. To walk off the calories, we strolled along the river in the sunshine, bought some authentic Roman masks, took a cheesy carousel ride. We kept walking and walking til we arrived at Piazza del Popolo. It was beautiful, minus all the weirdos trying to sell us roses. We people watched for a while, then climbed a few stairs to look over the city, just in time for the sunset. Perfect timing!! I'm so glad we got there when we did. Postcard-worthy pix, for sure.

Since it was getting dark, we jumped back down, caught the metro over to Piazza della Repubblica. There we saw the lights. We were only a few minutes from our hostel there, so we went back and prepped before meeting the Butler group at the Fontana di Trevi. It was just amazing. I loved it. Minus all the weirdos trying to take our pix. Crazy people in this city. I've never said "NO" so much. There we met Shelbe, Jozzy, KB, Lauren, and Maggy for dinner. We wandered around until we found a place that met our needs. You can imagine that's kinda tough with 8 people--Americans, of all people. Mackenzie and I shared two plates of gnocchi in red sauce and pesto pasta, with an eggplant side dish. The white wine and the charming waiter also made for a good time.

Of course it started raining again after dinner. We decided to tough it out anyways. We walked around the Pantheon, since we were in the neighborhood. Amazing. Yet, smaller in person. :)
Then a bunch of us decided to get more gelato at this cheap, but tasty place. I got coconut and blackberry & cream. Such a good way to end the day. We started to make our way back to the train station, but there was commotion at the Trevi fountain. Apparently, a loco man climbed all the way to the top of the fountain, on top of the head of the main statue. There were rumors he may jump or just spray-paint. We stayed until the firemen (bomberos) coaxed him down. We didn't stick around to see what happened afterwards. We took the train from Barberini, toward Anagnina, off at Termini again. And once more, we had to be quiet with our roommates, whom we didn't meet until the next morning.

In the A.M. we met Brittany Anderson (who coincidentally knows half the Alcalá students) and a cute Russian girl, our roommates. They're nicer looking in the daylight. We invited Brittany, who was traveling alone, to come meet us for dinner again at the Trevi fountain that night. She also invited the Russian girl...awk. She doesn't speak a lick of English. Oh well. I poured hot milk on my cereal. Thanks non-existent Italian skills, again. We left for Termini to buy tickets to Florence for the next day, and catch the next CitySightSeeing Tour Bus at 9:30. Meanwhile, we passed a very pregnant girl smoking outside. I thought that was curious. When in Rome, huh?

We started at the Colosseo and Arco di Costantino. It was amazing! My eyes welled up. Oh wow, I couldn't believe how big it was. Much more massive than I had expected. The weather was really cooperative too! The sun came out just as we reached the center. It made for some awesome pictures. Inside, we met Emily from Texas A&M. She was traveling alone, sow we invited her to tour with us through the Palatino and Foro Romano, and then to join us for dinner that night. It was going to be a party!

Just as it was about to rain, we left Emily, and Sarah, Mack, and I hopped on the hop-on-hop-off bus, the wrong bus (of course), off to Isola Tiberina. It was a cute little island. Kind of anti-climactic. :)
We stumbled upon Ristorante S. Anna, just near the Area Sacra ruins, where Caesar was killed. This restaurant was our favorite. Super cute and the waiters loved us. Not to mention the food was spectacular. The freshest noodles of my life! We had linguine with lemon sauce, spaghetti with mushrooms, fresh sauteed spinach, and for dessert, warm almond & apple tart , and pine-nut cream cake. The tart was stellar.

Again, to work off our carb load, we walked around the ruins, towards Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II, a gorgeous white art museum. Just the stair entrance is breath-taking. Thankfully, we caught the next bus right there to tour the entire rest of the city. We literally went all around the city in one day! It was just absolutely freezing on the second level of the double-decker bus. Boy oh boy. Our feet were wet too. I swear, they froze cuz I tripped off of the bus at Termini. Ouch. The 5-minute walk to the hostel was so painful. And the worst part was that I needed to hurry--full bladder, you know me. Once back at Alessandro, we rested in our warm beds with warm, dry socks. Once again, we needed to prep for our dinner plans. We were going to meet Shelbe and KB at the Trevi again, with perhaps Emily, Brittany, and the Russian girl. Oh, and did I mention I invited my roomie from AXO Alison Baldea for dinner? She's studying in Rome for the semester, lucky gal. So naturally, we were expecting an entire posse waiting for us at the Trevi at 8:30.

Fortunately and unfortunately, only Shelbe, KB, and Alison found us. This way it was less awk and we could focus on Alison's adventures. She advised us to head towards the Pantheon again. Just off the main Piazza Novona, we found a small cute restaurant with several waiters who were quite fond of Mack. Twas hilarious. She just can't escape! This was my favorite meal of the weekend, esp cuz all the girls were together! I had spaghetti with olive oil, garlic, and spicy pepper. Imma remember this so I can make it for myself next semester! The others shared our first Italian pizza with spicy pepperoni. Alison advised us to get the Diavlo penne. It's like the devil cuz it's so rich and sinful. :) I also realized a small mozz/tomato salad goes a long way. I miss my ruffage in España.

After dinner, we strolled through the beautifully-lit Piazza Novona market until Giolitti, the best gelato in the city. Congratulations! You did it! Gotta love Elf! But no really, it is, says Alison. It's cheap, you get three diff flavors and fresh whip cream on top! Tell me about it...I got crema, pistaccio, and canela (cream, pistachio, and cinnamon). Oh. So. Good. Oh. So. Bad. For. Me. KB and Shelbe peaced out for bed. The rest of us (Mack, Mags, Sarah, Alison, and I) went for a drink in the piazza to people watch. I had my first spritz and loved it. I even convinced the others to try it with me. Alison had an Irish coffee which was the smarter choice since it was super chilly. Again, on the way home, my bladder was going crazy. Typical. I ended the night warm in my bed, dreaming of gelato.

The next day, Sunday, Diciembre 5. Mack, Sarah, and I caught the 9:45 TrenItalia to Firenze (FLORENCE!). It was a speedy train, so we got there at 2 hours and 60 euros later. Not bad at all. Once there, we discovered the David museum was closed due to a strike. Europe really likes their huelgas. Poor people. Poor us! So since we didn't know what else to do with ourselves, we walked the whole day! In and out of shops, cathedrals, piazzas, cafes, and the like. We had a small panini for lunch, more like a rest for our stomachs and wallets. Then some awesome gelato off the plaza where we saw the fake David. Not as great as the original, but it'll do (pig). Get the reference I just did there?

If you're ever in Rome and you want legit gelato (try saying that 10X fast), def try the pistaccio. It's by far the best. We walked along the river with our gelato, and ran into a jewelry stand run by the nicest man. And commence one of Claire's blondest moments: he was selling metal twisty necklaces with names on them. I saw that there were only names like Marta, Natalia, Georgia, and Federica. I thought that was weird. Who would want those names. Sarah: "No Claire. They're Italian names. Gawwd." Little did I know that he makes you your own necklace with your own name on it in under 2 minutes. Of course I didn't read the sign. That would have been too smart. I got lip from Mack and Sarah the rest of the trip about that little incident. Hmmph. I'm used to it. I've got tough skin. :)

In the main piazza, with the most beautiful cathedral I've ever seen, we admired the xmas tree, the flor de lies, boar statues and puppets, and morano glass jewelry. We stumbled upon many markets, but the best one was almost all Italian leather. That's where I found the best Firenze wallet for me. My first real long, legit, Italian leather wallet. Yes, Mack. I said "first". It's magenta. It'll go with my new coat. Stay tuned until December so ya'll can see me in it. To rest our feet, we had an early dinner at a privately owned little trattoria. We were the only customers. The girls had spicy spaghetti with red sauce. I had my first (!) eggplant parmesan. We shared a cheese/pear/honey platter and a prosciutto salad. For dessert, we had warm apple pie with mascarpone, tarta bella nonna (like the pine-nut cream cake), and homemade tiramisu. And to chase? Cappuccinos for all!

We crawled back to the train station, practically on all fours, carrying our souvenirs. We had a 4 hour train ride back home to look forward. Why not? It cost so much less to take the long train. The three of us chilled in our Harry-Potter-esque cubby on the train, chatting, show-and-telling our buys, blogging, and laughing a ton! The time flew. Once back at the hostel, we spoke a bit with Brittany. I later met our new roomie, Elena, also from Spain, studying Italian for a week. I spoke Spanish for 30 minutes! More than I had in a long time. She was impressed with my skills. So I slept soundly and with a big ego. Perfect slumber.

Monday was an interesting day, to say the least. We woke up at 7:45 to eat and find Sarah's missing New Balance shoes. Somehow they had gone missing the day before. Sadly, we had to come back later in the day to check. We metro'd to the Spagna steps and walk down the magnificent mile that is Via Condotti. Of course, we bought nada cuz poor college girls can't afford to even step into Gucci, Marco Polo, Armani, or Versace. Dios Mio. Once again, it started to rain. And since we couldn't seek shelter here, we walked towards Novona again. We stopped in Julia Robert's favorite pisctaccio bakery for a quick try of a pistaccio biscotti. Then off to Giolitti's again for round-2 of gelato. I got a small this time. I couldn't take it.

Maggy was MIA.  We decided to call up Alison. I wanted to see her one last time. She had just gotten out of class. We took her to Ristorante S. Annas to show her our love for their fresh noodles. I loved it just as much. I got the pesto pasta. What? It's my favorite condiment! It was a fun girl time. We talked the whole way through our meals. And I'm pretty sure the entire restaurant heard our conversations. We americans are pretty loud when we get excited! It was really hard to say goodbye to Alison. But I know I'll see her again soon. Mack, Sarah, and I trekked back to Termini via metro. We mastered the system in 3 days. Sadly, they still didn't find her shoes. I feel so bad. They were new and expensive too. Poor girl. But we got free wi-fi after hassling the receptionists.

We left for the fast train back to the airport at 4. We got there nice and early. However, we found out at 6:15, just as check-in was about to open, that our flight to Madrid had been CANCELLED! Can you believe it! Not even delayed a bit, or even a day. CANCELLED! Mass chaos ensued. 4 different languages were being thrown at this poor EasyJet fella. It was definitely a clusterf**k of people, or so said Sarah. She coined that term this weekend. I think it fits well. Did I mention I stepped in gum? It was like Rome really didn't want me to leave. I was literally stuck to the airport floor!

We found Maggy and some other Alcalá students stranded there too: Amber Cabrera, Karon Oros, and Jean Rettig. We basically stayed at the airport, with the cranky employees, until 8, when they took us to the nearest hotel for the night. I wasn't about to pay 200-800 euros for another flight! I repeat: college kid. So after all the running around, we found a room, paid 16.50 for wifi so we could amend our flights (for WEDNESDAY, 2 days later), dined at their huge dinner buffet (so many veggies!), contacted our families and professors (we'd be missing classes the next day, oh well), and called it a night. That is after found cockroaches in our rooms and complained a bit more. We slept like babies, although the thought of cockroaches haunted our dreams.

The next day, Tuesday, we just chilled in the lobby of the hotel for the most part, with our luggage, trying to get EasyJet to book another free room for the next night. We even had to send two girls all the way back to the airport to get their attention. At breakfast, we snuck lunch. Thankfully. I only had 15 euros in cash on me! To pass the time, Maggy taught me Euchre. Fun game!

Finally, we received news we had a new hotel to stay at. We shuttled back to the airport only to catch another shuttle to the Rome Airport (Fiumicino) Marriot Courtyard Hotel. It felt like home! All the xmas decorations helped too. Thankfully, Amber got out on Tuesday. Karen and Jean roomed together, I was with Maggy, Mack roomed with Sarah. It worked out perfectly. We hard-core chilled all day. We needed some quiet time, for sure. At dinner, we had beef and potatoes, and of course pasta. A simple dinner. Just what we needed. Then we were fast to sleep, since thankfully, Maggy didn't let me nap during the day.

On Wednesday, we awoke early for a spectacular breakfast. We caught the first shuttle we could back to the airport at 8:20 to catch our 10:10 flight to Madrid. We were all crossing our fingers we'd actually make it out! Everything went smoothly, except for the cranky stewardess who wouldn't let Maggy carry on her bag. Such a luggage fiasco! Typical. Also, our gate changed. We had to walk so much more. I had to squeeze my sweater in Maggy's bag and my purse in Karen's bag and a loaf of bread in my own in order to actually get on the plane. EasyJet scares me. Never flying with them again.

Luckily, we got caught in the air traffic above Madrid after a 2 hour long flight. Really, lucky. We circled for 30 more minutes. Once on the ground, we taxi'd for another 30 minutes. Once at the gate, our stairs were missing. So we waited another 30 minutes to actually exit the plane, take a shuttle to the terminal across the tarmac. JOY JOY! We were all so fed up! I peace'd out and took the first bus home. I couldn't stand to be traveling anymore.

I'm so happy to be home now! Thank goodness I'm safe and stress-free. Of course I'm sad it was my last trip, but I'm also looking forward to dominating finals and finally coming back to the states.

This is Clara, signing off. Over and out. Paz and love.

Chapter 30: Andalucia

Ok, so here goes another 2 hours of my life, devoted to entertaining you and telling you the many stories that occured this past weekend in Andalucia.
This was another Butler school excursion. Yes, that means all 17 of us, plus Professor Willema and her husband, Esteban, and our two Alcalá professors, Carlos and Antonio. As you can imagine, we had a TON o´ fun!

On Thursday, I woke up at 5:45am (whoever thought I might actually get sleep this semester is crazy) to be at the Alcalá train station at 7:30 to catch the 9:00 Ave speed train to Sevilla. It took 2 hrs, but it felt like only 20 minutes. Probably because the majority of the time was spent laughing at Claire and her boyfriend jeans and because she walked on her professor in the teeny bathroom on the train. Silly Willem forgot to lock her door. :) Don´t you just love it when all of 17 peers are laughing at your clumsy expense?! Needless to say, I blushed more than once that short ride.

We arrived in Sevilla around 11:30, caught a short bus to the hotel, checked into the Hotel Don Paco, rested for about 30 seconds, then bajar´d (went downstairs) to get the grand tour of the city. I only wished it had been sunnier. I imagine Seville is about the pretties city in the sunshine. We winded through so many little cobblestone streets until, kapow, all of a sudden, we were in the center. The Cathedral of Seville is magnificent, inside and out, let me tell you. Even the grand stench of horse maneur is magnificent. And believe me, there is no escaping it!

The adults were kind enough to let us explore on our own before our tour of the Cathedral. Since Kyle had already been there once before (no surprise there), he took us to Plaza de España. Wow. It was magical!! I´ve never seen so many colorful tiled patterns in my life. It was so arabic. I loved how all of the major Spanish cities were displayed around the plaza. We decided to eat in the Cordoba nook. Take a peek on FB so you know what I mean! I heard the Plaza was originally going to be a library. I can definitely see it. However, I´m happy it´s more of a park now. Wow.

Since time flies here, we had to rush back in time for the Cathedral tour. Can´t lie, but it looks a lot like any other cathedral. But the best part is the 34 steep ramps up to the top of it´s towers that look over the marvelous city. I had no idea Sevilla was so big! And of course, the sun peeped out for just a momentito when we ascended. I can´t think of a city I´ve been to this semester that I haven´t seen the birds-eye view of. So thankful, really. Unfortunately, I had my Civilization class final paper on my mind the entire afternoon, so I peace´d out back to the hotel (after spending an entire hour lost in the streets) with Katie, Danielle, and Jozzy, to get some work done. I was surprisingly productive! I owe it to my Christmas iPod playlist. It´s amazing how Xmas motivates me sometimes. I really should start listening to it 24/7, 365. JK

That night, we had a great beautiful buffet Thanksgiving dinner together in the hotel. It was no turkey, but the fish and rice pudding was good enough for me. I was happy to not stuff myself like I know I would have done back in the states. We had some really good laughs, thankfully, so we wouldn´t linger on the fact we weren´t with our families. It was a tough night for most of us I think. Carlos sat with us girls during dinner. That was for sure fun. We have fun making him say certain American phrases in his thick Spanish accent. <<C is for cookie.>> Now just imagine how silly that sounds coming from your professor. Uhuh, thouht so. I decided to write a bit more, then call it a night, lullabyed to sleep by Josh Groban´s Nöel. Yummmm.

The next morning, we arose early, back on the bus, 2 hours to Granada. I slept most of the way, but I can guess the view out the window is just about the same as anywhere in Spain. Flat and dry. No biggie. Granada welcomed us with welcome arms and rain clouds. We checked into our hotel with the bus-terminal bathrooms. Quality. Again, we had about no time to rest before our tour of the city. I´ve come to enjoy eating my bocadillos on the run, literally. We had the cutest tourguide. He was super funny. He took us to, guess what, a birds-eye view of the city, overlooking the Alhambra, and everything. Once again, the size of the city astounded me. It started spitting while we were up there. Just our luck. We then slid and slipped down to civilization again to tour a capilla (chaple) and the, guess what, cathedral. Honestly, they´re all blending together. Although I do disntinctly remember a very graphic alter scene and a very pointless crypt visit here. We were all rather cranky by then. Finally, freedom!

Kyle, Billy, Jozzy, Mack, and I went to one of the famous Hookah teterias (tea cafe) off the beaten path. I got an aphrodisiac smoothie (nuts, raisins, yogurt, and 44 spices), Mack got the Casa Blanca smoothie (yogurt and carrot juice), Billy got 1001 Night tea, Jozzy got Morrocan tea (the best by far), and Kyle got the Turkish tea (pretty blandish). We all shared a lemon hookah. We felt pretty authentic, let me tell ya. I love the culture here. So laid back and relaxed. The new Spain-Claire could def get used to this. After shopping our way down back to the hotel--I just love all the arabic knick-knacks--we watched Elf all cuddled together before dinner. It was superb! I´m really starting to feel like we´re a family. Well, it´s about time!!

Dinner, surprise surprise, was a carb fest. Pasta, potatoes, and profiteroles, (and very gross, dry pollo). I couldn´t even clean my plates. I know! Hard to believe right? :) We finished Elf after dinner and then had a Facebook stalking and gossiping party with the help of some cheap Spanish wine. It´s how we roll here. Once again, I called it an early night. I need my beauty sleep, you all know that.

Another early morning. ALHAMBRA! By now, it was really raining. My poor new boots. They were soaked 5 minutes into the tour! Naturally, I was miserable the rest of the day. Damp feet are really a damper on your day. I´m sure I would have enjoyed it much more if it weren´t soggy and if I wasn´t soggy too. UGH. But don´t get me wrong, it was amazing. I loved all the tiles and architecture. I learned of the three themes: geometric shapes, plants and flower, and calligraphy. You see it everywhere, so it´s hard to forget. Sadly, the moved the 13 leones (lions) to a new exhibit and we didn´t get to see them in their original spot, but they were just as awesome. Once we got our fill of Alhambra, we bussed down back to the city to warm up and dry off during lunch before trekking off to Cordoba.

Shocker! It was raining there too! We hustled into our beautiful hotel, literally right outside the mezquita. Because of the weather, most of us just stayed in for the next four hours, chilling, doing homework, and blow-drying our boots. Our room smelled like wet dog and feet! A glamorous life we live! Our special treat of the day was a dinner and flamenco show at 9 pm. We just skipped down to the restaurant, singing <<Singing in the Rain>> all the way! Dinner was made of all tapas, most of which were fish (I did try them, but prefered the bread). We were all surprised how full we were after such a small meal of snackies. I didn´t finish my chocolate tart, to Kyle´s delight! We politely wiped our mouths and went to take silly pix before the show started. We were the only ones in the audience. It was funner that way. And yes, that´s a word now! It´s hard to describe flamenco. It´s sensual, but violent at the same time. I quite enjoyed it. However, you´d never catch me up there, shakin´ it like those talented girls. Hehe.

I was so tired after the long day, I went to bed right away. Some of us decided to go out, with the flamenco people even! I was awoken a few times during the night by their fun ruckuss. Jealous! Later that morning, we awoke to a yummy breakfast and a verrrry long detailed tour of the mezquita and the quiet town of Cordoba. Don't get me wrong, I had fun, but a lot of the details were unnecessary, as I'm sure you could have guessed by my attitude. LOL When the poor tourguide with the rockin' mustache was done, we split to shop and chomp. Great shopping. As for chomping, I nommed on my stolen sandwich from the hotel breakfast earlier that morn. The sun came out for us, so Maggy and I decided to stroll and sunbathe before our bus back to the train station.

Once back on the Ave, Mack and I worked diligently on our film presentation for the next day. Don't you just love procrastinating?! Don't worry, we finished with plenty of time, and we rocked the presentation the next day!

So this was my blurrr of a weekend. Rome THIS weekend! Don't get me wrong, I'm PSYCHED, but I am def ready to be done traveling and being a responsible adult. :)

This is Clara, signing off. Over and out. Paz and love.

Chapter 29: Family Visit!

HOLLLA!

Sorry I've been MIA lately. You could never believe how busy I've been!

So last week, my family came to visit me here in España! It was so great to share this with them.

My grandparents arrived early on Wednesday, November 17th. I woke early to take a 1.5 hour taxi ride to Barajas airport, in the pouring rain, in the thickest traffic. My bladder was never so happy to see dry ground, finally at Terminal 4. Thankfully, they had only been waiting 20 minutes. Phewww! One of the most stressful moments of my life, truth.

We taxi'd back to Alcalá and I got them settled into Hotel Cisneros before leaving for my class excursion to Museo Naval de Madrid at 10:30 am. Trust me, it's not worth mentioning more than that.

I returned in time to take them to dinner in Alcalá. Now, remember that I haven't had to feed myself for 3 months here. I know VERY LITTLE about the food here, nonetheless ordering it in Spanish. My lack of skillz showed itself when I accidentally ordered an 18 Euro platter of Iberico ham for my grandpa. OOPS! But the feast was fabulous anyways. We toured around Alcalá from there to work off the calories we had just eaten. I showed them the Santos Niños Cathedral and the Puerta de Alcalá before heading back to the Hotel to play cards and chill. We all called it a night pretty early so I could continue on my final essay for my civ class and so they could get over their jet-lag.

The next day, I attended classes just like any other day, but then I was treated to yet another great Spanish meal at Índalo, a popular restaurant among the native Spaniards here. I then wrapped up the rest of the Alcalá tour on the other side of the city, and then left once again to give my grandparents some rest and to give myself some time for homework.

That Friday, my parents and bro flew in. Sadly, they would have arrived early if their plane to Spain hadn't been run into on the tarmac. No worries, though. They weren't inside the plane when it happened, but they had to take a later flight, on Delta (yuck), that arrived in Madrid 3 hours later. I met them at the hotel at 11 to start our day. Poor Glen hadn't slept for the past two days. Little did he know he was going to have yet another long day.

We first went to La Farolas for churros and chocolate. I thought it would be a great first experience for the fam. I think Glen would have enjoyed it more if he hadn't been falling asleep at the table. He left us to nap while I took my parents around for a mini tour of Alcalá. We then took a quick train to Sol for a dinner and a night-time visit. After wandering for about an hour, we settled at Cañas y Tapas, a very cute restaurant, right off of Sol. I had my first broken egg (huevos rotos) platter. So yummy. From there, Glen and I jetted off to meet Katie, Muriel, Jordan, and Sarah for the 9:30 pm showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Of course with our luck, it was sold out. Since we were already down there, we decided to wait for the 12:30 showing, the next available time. Wow, I wasn't even jet-lagged and I was exhausted by then. I had a double-shot of espresso and a cafe con leche beforehand, and I was still yawning through the opening credits. Poor Glen. I can't imagine how tired he was. But he was determined to stay awake. Thankfully it was engaging and scary enough, it kept us awake the entire 2.5 hours!

Katie, Glen, and I took a taxi from Sol to Avenida de Americas in hopes of catching the bus to Alcala. Sadly, we just missed it by 2 minutes and we weren't about to wait 58 more minutes at 3 am in the morning in the freezing rain for the next one. We taxi'd it up again. I was warm in my bed at 4:30.

The next day, I woke at 9 with my dad to get our car from the dealer down the street. As luck would have it, Europcar gave us, the group of 9 foreigners, a bright yellow, HUGE van. If you can, which I'm sure you can't, try to imagine driving this thing down the strange and hectic streets of Alcalá, not to mention Madrid! Yes, it was that bad.

We drove down, me in the front seat, hanging on for dear life, no offense to my dad's stick skillz, to Park Retiro in Madrid. It turned into a beautiful day. We strolled slowly through, even to the Crystal Palace and an art museum, and the estanque, and more. It was a great start for their trip. A great introduction to Madird for them. To rest our feet and gain some energy, we stopped at a cute little restaurant right off the park for some Cocido Madrlieño. Yummy Spanish treat for all of us.

Since our time was up, we drove back to Cisneros to nap a little and meet Nadja and Rose, our relatives from Germany who decided to join us in Spain, just a skip, jump, and a hop over. I loved just sitting in the lobby for about an hour, talking about our relatives and ancestry lines, etc. It was so great. From there, we headed back to the plaza for yet another mini tour of Alcalá for our German family and then out to dinner at a mediterranean restaurant with Mackenzie. It focused on all rice dishes. We had the three best paellas ever: chicken and veggies, mariscos (sea food), and black (squid ink and calamari). YUMM. The young'ns then left early to meet with Katie and Kyle to go out on the town. We bar hopped until the wee hours of the morn. Superbly fun, trust me.

The next day, Sunday, all 8 of us woke up at 8 am to go to Toledo in our big yellow submarine. There we visited the surrounding wall, the Cathedral de Toledo, Santo Tomé, y Greco & Orgaz art. Sadly it rained a little. We took that opportunity to grab some tapas: patatas bravas, meat mousse, and cappuccinos. We left to drive back to Madrid for dinner, but sadly we were too tired. We just ended up strolling up and down Gran Via for a look at the sparkling city at night.

On Monday, we did the typical tourist day in Madrid. We parked near the Prado, and walked to the Palacio Real, via the Sol, Plaza Mayor, and Mercado San Miguel, which I knew Mom would love. I enjoyed having the second chance to see the Palace. It's still my favorite. Practically just next to the Palace, we dined at La Mollete for lunch. I had the best warm goat cheese, carmelized onions, and honey platter ever. Mom and Dad had bunny stew, not for me thanks. Grandma had the traditional lentil dish.

Nadja, Glen, and I decided to split from the rest of the family to shop and explore. Then we wandered around while the parents/grandparents wandered through Reina Sofia Museum. Sadly my memory is failing me at the moment and I can't remember where we went to dinner that night. Mom, Dad, or Grandma/Grandpa, if you remember, please let me know ASAP.

For Tuesday, we moseyed down to the barrio just west of the Retiro. Its such a great neighborhood. We walked around Calle de Lope de Vega, Cervantes, y Jesus. Soooo sadly, we had to say goodbye to Nadja and Rose from there. To erase our sorrows, now the 6 of us, we went to La Dolores for Tapas. I was now on my own, without Nadja, speaking Spanish and ordering Spanish food. GAH! But no worries. We lived through it. But just barely. :)

As a spur-of-the-moment moment, we hopped on a train at Atocha to Aranjuez, the last stop on a 45-minute train ride. Thankfully the sun came out just in time! I loved being back there. Such beautiful grounds. Mom and Grandpa went inside the palacio, while Glen, Dad, Grandma and I strolled through the town. It was so much more than I expected. The day was ending quickly, so we took the next train home to Alcalá where we chose Stromboli, near Hotel Bedel. It was so great to eat some non-Spanish food! I had a fresh salad and pesto pasta. YUM! It was here that we all learned the universal sign language signal for "crust". Thanks Dad.

The next day, we slept in a little, thankfully. Grandma proposed we explore the Salamanca barrio, the Archaeological Museum, and the shopping district on Calle Serrano. It was like Champs d'Elysees and Michigan Ave. I felt like just staring in the windows was too expensive of a habit. Then, at the Latina metro stop, we stopped to eat at the cutest little tapas restaurant among all the many restaurants in the tapas district. I loved it. I want to go back so badly. After our tummy's were full, we somehow we ended up at the Mercado San Miguel again for some frozen yogurt. Then Glen and I split for some shopping! The parents went off to the famous Prado. After stepping quickly into the Reina Sofia, Glen and I met up with the rest for dinner at Bocaíto just off of Gran Via. Such a great and interesting meal.  A great ending to our visit.

I soooo enjoyed having my family visit me here. The week went way too fast. Well, it's only 2 more weeks til I'm home to see them again. PHEW!

This is Clara, signing off. Over and out. Paz and love.

Chapter 28: PRAGUE! A fairy tale...

Ahoy!! Believe it or not, this how you say "hello" in the Czech Republic, a land-locked country. :)

So I've just returned from Prague, as you you've already guessed. It was my favorite trip so far! I know, I'm surprised too! Esp cuz I fell very much in love with Paris last week. Prague is so much different though. It's going to be hard to describe it.

I know it seems strange that all my posts are so positive. I have so few complaints from this semester, so far. Knock on wood nothing really bad has happened, nothing seriously wrong. Speaking of wrong, my right contact came in the mail finally! I can see with both eyes now. I no longer have to cover my right eye to read street signs or maps! I was quite the sight before. Even though I was 50% blind during Prague, I could still tell it was an amazing city. Shall we start then?

Almost right after class on Thursday, Maggy, Jordan, and I set out for the ALSA bus to the airport. We were caught in traffic for a while, but I was surprisingly calm. I really think I'm learning to take it easy here. That'll be one quality I'll want to keep when I return home in December, for sure. We made it Barajas airport with plenty of time. Phew!

We had a 45 minute lay over in Frankfurt, then back on the plane to Prague, only about 4 hours of flying. Not too bad. The three of us had no idea how to get to our hostel once at the airport, but we managed to grab the right shuttle. It was around 12, so naturally, we were dead tired from all the traveling. We arrived at St. Christophers @ The Mosaic House and crashed! We stayed in a 26-bed female dorm for the next three nights. It was def an adventure. Of course, I'm used to sleeping with 20+ other girls in the same room in AXO, but here it was diff. So many people coming in and out, either unpacking, packing, dressing to go out, undressing to sleep, showering, hair drying, chatting, etc. It was pretty noisy. Thankfully I had ear plugs and a curtain. I was super comfy in my cave, with the biggest fluffiest pillow ever! But of course being who I am, I didn't sleep very well anyways. I was afraid I wouldn't hear my alarm, or it would fall between the bed and the wall, or I'd lose it altogether. Neurotic, right? But I can function on little sleep, you all know that.

We took it easy in the morning. The free tour offered by the hostel didn't begin until 10:30, so we paid 150 Kç (crowns) to eat an all-you-can-eat breakfast of eggs, yogurt, and the best, hearty, dark, fibrous, nutty bread in all your life. We also snuck sandwiches (each day) on that heavenly bread for lunch. Then we set out with 20 others to tour the city for the first time. It was about 70 degrees and sunny out. I couldn't believe it! I didn't have to wear my Northface until 7pm!

Our guide walked pretty fast, just my speed. I like to see everything, you know. We started in Old Town Square. Remo, our Australian tour guide, pointed out everything on the way, along with some history, jokes, etc. He was great. He pointed out the Tyn Church and the Astronomical Clock (the most disappointing tourist attraction in the world, he says) in the Square. Meanwhile, there was a market with numerous medieval booths filled with authentic Czech food, sweets, and other goods. I loved it. One thing I will forever remember about Prague: the smells. It always smells good, wherever you go! Just perfect for a food snob like me. Hmmmm I miss it already.

We walked through Wenceslas Square and saw the beautiful National Museum from afar. There was a great shopping district there too, which we needed to remember for later on. We then made our way to the Powder Tower and Municipal House. This is the only remaining part of the wall that used to surround the city. Years ago, ammunition and firearms and gunpowder were stored here, hence its clever name. Although its Gothic art, Remo made sure to point out the era's humor. Hidden on the tower are some promiscuous scenes that made us laugh. Be sure check it out when you go.

Just beyond the Tower, we saw a cubist house. This art style is unique to only Prague. It's crazy. Everything is cubist, inside and out. I loved it. Then before we knew it, we were already in the Jewish Quarter, welcomed by the famous Kafka statue and the magnificent Spanish Synagogue. We ended our tour just outside the Quarter, on the river, with a beautiful view of the Prague Castle.

From there, we said "adieu" to Remo and "ahoy" to Michael, our next tour guide who took us up to the Prague Castle, across the river. There we saw (whether it was we went inside, around, or just saw it from a distance) the Castle, obv, Sternberg Palace, Strahov Monastery, Old Castle Stairs, Wallenstein Palace, and St. Nicholas, etc. Beautiful at sunset! Everything was so different, I couldn't look away. There was always new to stare at. If only I had had hours more...

We met some cute American boys from Denver on the tram down. We made plans to meet th Czech em at the Bar Crawl Tour later that night. Then we literally hopped off the tram to grab some authentic grub  at U Glaubicû. Tasty potato & mushroom soup, potato & bread dumplings, quiche (more like shepherd's pie), and more. So good. For dessert, we stopped at a street cart for some Trdelník. These are tasty cinnamon rolls cooked on a spit over a fire. Check it out!

We headed back to the hostel to prep for the Bar Crawl, my first ever. Sadly, when we met up with the tour guide, it seemed kind of lame and the boys we were to meet there came with some other girls= a lost cause. So just the three of decided to rough it on our own. We stopped some local young girls for some advice. They directes us to Popo Cafe Petl for some tasty drinks and a good, dancing time. It was fun to get a taste of the Czech nightlife. But after a day of walking for 8 hours straight, we were pooped! We made it back to the hostel and hit the hay as quietly as we could.


The next day, we woke up semi-late again (at least late for me), but we didn't really have anywhere to go in particular. We basically hit all the main sites the day before. We meandered around our neighborhood instead, seeing the Dancing House (which was modeled after Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire), 

the Charles Square, and two churches. The first one we still think we broke into. The lights were off and the door was closed, but unlocked, in our defense. Oh well, it was well worth our bad behavior. The second church was surely a diamond in the rough: a beautiful gold-infested church. Both were so ornate, it blew our minds.

From the nearby Karlovo námesti metro station, we tried to find the Prague Market in Palmovka, but our mission failed. We retreated back to the metro to try and find the Lennon Wall. On the way, we found the famous Charles Bridge and some gardens. So colorful and serene, calming clearly. Everyone knows it's almost impossible to find the Lennon Wall, but we were quite lucky. I loved it! The others were expecting something bigger, flashier, but I thought it was great. Out of the way, off the beaten path, and a true work of art, one still in the process. People still come to paint on it. It has years, decades even, of graffiti devoted to Lennon himself.

Then we finally hiked over the Charles Bridge. There was so much going on. Art, caricatures, jewelry, musical performances, and more. A lot of energy. Clearly a tourist trap, but for obvious reasons.

Maggy and Jordan wanted to get a snack, so we headed back to Old Town Square, mostly because that's the only place we knew how to get to and where to go from. We found some pastries, a mini profiterole and a latte for me. From there, we went shopping. The exchange rate is great and everything is cheaper in Prague. Another plus!

Exhausted from shopping, we sought out a place for dinner. We stopped at a quiet, authentic Prague restaurant, with candlelight and live jazz music for awesome bread, beef goulash, roasted chicken, and more. We kinda got ripped off since we ordered off the tourist menu, but can't say we didn't see that coming. It was a "tourist" menu after all. :)

For dessert, we stopped at Cream & Dream for some mousse cups. We had some huge laughs there. For example, I wanted a pic in front, and then all of a sudden, I was swarmed by a huge group of foreign men who wanted to take the pic with me. It was very interesting to say the least. Ask me for the longer version later. :o

We decided to end the day with an authentic (can you tell that's the word of the day?) Prague beer in an authentic Prague bar. It was super fun. Of course I don't really care for beer that much, but it was great to experience it and the atmosphere that came with it.

Back at the hostel, we packed to leave the next day, with tails between our legs. We were so sad to even think about leaving. The next morning, we decided to quickly explore the rest of the Jewish Quarter by wandering in and out of the various synagogues: The Maisel Synagogue, the Spanish Synagogue, The Pinkas Synagogue, The Old Jewish Cemetery, The Old-New Synagogue, and more. Inside the Pinkas, there were thousands of names of Jewish Prague dead from the Holocaust years. There was also a collection of children's drawings from that era. It was heart wrenching. Even more, there was the Cemetery, where there were 12 layers of Jewish dead crowded into one block of land, totaling at 100,000 graves. It was the most crowded cemetery I've ever seen. I was gulping back tears the whole time.

To end on a good night, we did some more souvenir shopping before heading back to the airport. Since we'd already mastered the public transportation, we made it to the airport in less than an hour. We had time to spare still. We took off, in very thick fog mind you, to Dusseldorf. There we had 2 hours to lay over at the gate. Literally lay over. Then back off to Madrid. I had the cutest 8 year-old boy sitting next to me on the plane. He was traveling by himself and seemed scared to death. Fortunately he fell asleep, unfortunately on me! It was cute, but I couldn't do quite much. For simply being nice to him, the stewardess gave us a bottle of champagne and three German chocolate bars. Hooray for the good samaritans!


I decided to tell you what Prague was all about: marionettes, Bohemian glass/crystal, "Matryoshka" are Russian wooden dolls with smaller dolls stacked within the bigger ones, goulash, Absinthe and cannabis, furry hats, Krtek and friends (view below, with Jezeg), beer. There you go. I'm sure I'm missing some, but now you have to go to find out yourself. Better yet, bring me with. I'll be your guide!

Madrid seemed to be repelling us from returning. There was a magnetic pull on us, pulling us back to Prague. But sadly we needed to come back for classes today. Not worth it, let me tell you.

I'm super sick of school here. My classes are way harder than I expected, harder than Butler even. And I don't care enough nor do I have enough time to work harder than usual. It's exhausting. It makes me want to cry. But I tell myself, after 1 more presentation, approx. 8 more essays, 1 extra credit test, 3 mandatory class excursions, and 4 final exams, I'll be done!  Not that I'm counting down the time until I go home, but just until school is done. I'm not interested. I want my Psychology classes!

Well, now since this blog has officially taken me 1.5 hours to complete, I'm off to start on my real homework. Don't you just love how I prioritize. Clearly Prague comes first. Clearly updating you all comes first. Clearly telling you how much I miss you comes first. Don't worry I'm still getting great grades. I'm just not the normal, studious Claire you all know and love. Don't worry, she'll be back next semester for the 18 credits she has to take in order to graduate a semester early!!! Ask me about that later. I'll give you the scoop. Alls I can say is that I'm taking 3 psych classes (neuroscience, cognitive, and stats), 1 spanish (slavery in america), 3 honors (Harry Potter, Hands-on spirituality, and thesis prep), and 1 independent study (psychology research lab). I may die. Hence my lackadaisical self at this moment in time.

Okay, I'm really going now. There may not be a post for a while. Nothing too interesting is happening for a while...NOT! No, just not interesting enough to blog about. Homework only, really. The family comes next week! It's so soon! Imma have a 7-person posse follow me around for a week. Should be a little intimidating, but super fun. I'll keep you posted of course.

Please feel free to email me whenever you can. I like to feel included in American life back home. Tell me what's going on in your lives! I like to know my fans are still alive and well.

This is Clara signing off. Over and out. Paz and love.

Chapter 27: PARIS!

My new love= Paris! Oh gosh, if you all haven't gone, go NOW!
I am in love with the city for lovers! 'Tis true. I'll do my best to keep this as short as possible.

Unfortunately, we had a bit of a snafu last Thursday. We found out our flight had been cancelled due to the  airline strikes in Paris...scary! We quickly amended the flights to late Friday night until late Monday night. We lost a half a day, but vale la pena!

We had an hour delay, which didn't help my uneasy stomach with all the frightening news we've heard about Paris lately, but we finally got there super late on Friday night. We seemed to just run into every difficulty that night. Maggy and Katie took off to stay with their couch-surfing family. Mack and I were left  to wait at the bus station for an hour with some Spanish friends we made. We finally all decided to share a cab to Montmarte. From there, we had more problems finding our St. Christopher's Inn on Rue de Crimèe. Some sketch French boys approached us and helped us out, to my horror. But all was well. We meandered a while until we found the huge, neon-lit hostel. It's huge. I don't know how we didn't see it from the plane!

We quickly checked in, admired the awesome Halloween decorations and the party scene, then hit the hay like lightning. We had to be super quiet with the other 4 girls. It was a fun set up. I got to climb up to the top bunk, with my own light, curtain, and flattest pillow on the face of the earth! I was so tired. Fortunately, our roomie below me had her alarm go off every 5 minutes from 4:45 'til 6:00 a.m. I loved her, clearly. I'm not bitter.

Not too much later that morning, we woke at 8 to meet Maggy and Katie at Notre Dame at 9:30. I learned to love the metro system in Paris. We arrived a little late, but couldn't find the others. To pass the time and stay dry from the torrential downpour, Mack and I scurried inside. Marvelous! I couldn't believe I was actually in the famous Notre Dame. Once done with the quick tour, we headed back outside to reunite with the two other girls. They had gotten a bit wet and lost. Despite our bad luck, the sun came out just as we left for the River Seine down the street.

Walking a long the sun-lit river was like a dream, truly magnificent. The four of us walked all along the Seine for a while. We eventually made it past the Conciergerie, past the Hôtel de Ville and the Tour St. Jacques. Eventually, we ended up at the Musée du Louvre. It was even better than in the DiVinci Code! Oh, how I wish I could have stayed and seen everything. We saw so much, including Venus de Milo, a.k.a. Aphrodite. However, Mona Lisa was enough for moi. Smaller than I expected, but totally worth it. She was great. And yes, we're on such great terms, I refer to her, evidently, as "her", "she", "Mona", and more. We wanted to see more of the city so we didn't stay long.

We stopped for lunch at Le Terminus for our first French meal. Mackenzie and I split an omellette and a croquet with a fried egg. Everything is so fresh. Even the salad and the free water! On our way through Jardin des Tuileries, we admired the flora and fauna, all the way up to the Place de la Concorde, up to the Madeleine District. We went inside the La Madeleine church for a quick tour, then back out down Avenue des Champs Elysées! What a fabulous street. It reminded me a lot of Michign Avenue. Only, Mich Ave doesn't have the Arc de Triomphe at the end!! Just fabulous. I swear I was living a dream the entire weekend. It was there we took the famous Blue II picture. Maggy, Katie, Me, and Mack. All our moods were running a little moody, as you can probably tell. It was a long day.

Sadly, we didn't subir (climb) the Arc just then. We wanted to make it to the Eiffel in time for the sunset. We metro'd it over to the Parisian landmark. And there continued the dream.We got there just as the sun set. Our celebration was a French crepe from a cute street vendor. We wandered underneath taking so many pictures. We decided to subir! Almost 2 hours in line and numerous molestations by the creepy souvenir sales guys, we were at the TOP OF THE EIFFEL TOWER! It was super chilly and windy though. Can't believe we didn't foresee that. :) The city lights were breath-taking. Please stalk my Facebook pix when you get the chance.

One we, unfortunately, bajar'd (climb down). Katie and Maggy separated from us. Mack and I took off through Cham de Mars towards École Militaire. It was completely dark by then so we got to see the tower completely lit up from afar. It even sparkles every hour!

From there, the two of us metro'd back to Montmarte, back to St. Christopher's. We were going to party, but we were way too tired. We hit the hay again pronto.

Mackenzie and I arose at 8:30 to get to the Pantheon at 9:30. We arrived at the train station, and just above, there was the cutest, and I mean cutest, market there. I was feeling adventurous, so I tried speaking French to a guy at the stall. I pointed to a food that I didn't recognize and asked for one. It was Kaki, quite possibly the sweetest fruit ever. I can't describe it. It's like a cross between a tomato (texture-wise), but then perhaps like papaya for taste? I'm really hoping they exist back in the states. Maggy got a bunch of grapes. They were so perfume-y and yummy. Mmm, French grapes.

The Pantheon was unreal. I've never seen anything like it. It's bigger on the inside than it seems on the outside. It was a quick tour though. Right across from the steps is the Eiffel Tower. Postcard perfect. We walked through the Jardin du Luzembourg, past Palaís du Luxembourg, back to Madeleine district. I wanted to see Fauchon Paris, the best market on earth (but closed) and Maison du Chocolat, the best chocolate shop on earth (but closed). It was really sad. But we settle for a cute sandwich and an ECLAIRE! My first one ever! I couldn't believe I'd never had one before, but I thought it was pretty legit that I had my first in Paris. The IRONY!

And back to the N.D. to meet the girls again. From there we walked along the other side of the Seine, back up to the Eiffel. This time we walked past the Musée d'Orsay, past the Assemblée Nationale Palais-Bourtbon, past Grand Palais. Then there we were, at the Eiffel in the daylight. In order to get a better view, we climbed the steps of Palais de Chaillot. There we took perspective pix. I kissed the Eiffel while others hugged it and did more creative stuff.

After all that, we decided to trek over to the Arc again for the sunset view from the top. 276 stairs to the top and 276 stairs back down. In between, we saw the Eiffel sparkle again, we saw Champs Elysées all lit up, we saw Notre Dame, the Seine, and more, of course.

Quickly after the Arc, we booked it over to Sacre Coeur, the church on the hill. This church is unlike any I've ever seen. Oh, I how I wish I could have taken pix. Funny how you are prohibited from taking pix at the places you really want to. It's a long hike up the hill, among some very scary/aggressive street vendors, but so beautiful. I really liked it at night. I'd say that'd be the best time to go, although I'm a bit biased, aren't I? The neighborhood is charming too. Great shops and cafes with a great view of the city and church--best of both worlds.

Since it was getting late, we decided to call it a night. Maggy and Katie had dinner plans with their family they were staying with. Mackenzie and I somehow made it back to our neighborhood to a tiny pizza cafe. There were slim pickins for food. But the pizza was phenomenal actually. And we met the older, Frencher version of Jude Law. He spoke with us throughout the meal and told us so many cool things about France.

Once back in our room, we packed to leave the next day, Monday. It was a holiday for Spain, so no worries to worry. We were going to meet up with Katie and Maggy and show off our hostel, but it was too late, too far, and we were all too exhausted. I fell right to sleep just as my head hit the pillow.

Of course I couldn't sleep more than 7 hours. Once mine were up, I woke and searched the web for a bit until Mack woke up. At 10:30, after a free breakfast of bread and cereal with warm milk, we headed up towards Moulin Rouge!! What a silly neighborhood. Definitely not for innocent eyes. Super fun and colorful though.

Then, a quick metro to Cimetère du Père Lachaise to see Jim Morrison's grave. I've promised myself to listen to more Door's music now. You're welcome Dad!

We rushed back to the Hostel to pick up our bags, snarf down a French baguette with dijon mustard (irony again), back to the strain station, back to the airport. We had a snafu again, surprise surprise. We didn't know where to pay our tickets, so we kinda...maybe...snuck through. Then once, off the train, we couldn't exit the station to get into the airport terminal. So Mackenzie was going to sneak through to get some help, but it miraculously opened. We made such a ruckus hurrying to get through, laughing like crazy. It was one of the funniest moments of the trip. Guess you had to be there.

We were all on time, much to my delight. I'm starting to notice I'm very uptight when it comes to traveling...or...mostly everything. But I'm so much more relaxed here, I swear! I'm dreading going back to the states and having to be 100% stressed/responsible/adult 24/7.

Now, I'm back until Thursday afternoon. Then I leave for Prague! Praga en Español, if you'd like.
It's the third piece of my "p" trips: Portugal, Paris, Prague. Sadness!
This semester is flying...but I do miss home a bit now. So much, I've asked my mom to promise me she'll freeze her famous pumpkin soup. Can't wait.
It was hard being away from home during Halloween. I missed dressing up. Although I liked sleeping in Paris that night too.

I'm trying to pump out a few papers this week to catch up, but I'm not sure that'll happen. Luck is needed.
It's so hard to concentrate.

Well, I'm off to bed. It's officially taken me 3 hours to write this! Enjoy!

This is Clara, signing off. Over and out. Paz and love.

Chapter 26: Lisbon, Portugal

Hiii everyone!!
I just got home from one of the best weekend's of my life! Please, let me share my tale. I'll have you at the edge of your seat!

It all started at 2:45 a.m. on Friday morning. I woke up to meet Sarah, Katie, Maggy, Danielle, and Mackenzie at the cabs at 4 a.m. We took a 20-minute ride for 36 euros to Barajas airport. We got there very early, so we waited to board until 6:40 a.m. Better early than stressed.

The EasyJet flight was supposed to be only 55 minutes, but little did we know that there would be oodles and oodles of fog covering the Lisbon airport. It is right next to the Atlantic, after all. We were just about to land, but we pulled up really fast at, what seemed like, the last minute. We re-routed to FARO, Portugal! It had the potential of being really sad, but Faro was beautiful from the plane--beaches, marshes, golf courses, mansions, etc. A part of me wanted to "disembark" and explore, but we only left some 40 minutes later for Lisbon. We learned the pilot wasn't just lucky landing the first time. :)

Once in the air again, we circled around Lisbon (Lisboa) for a bit, then landed and unloaded onto the tarmac. After finding our ways to the aerobuses, we rode (painfully) past Coliseu dos Recreos and Pingo Doce, up to the Rossio, a beautiful central plaza. Luckily, our Rossio Hostel, was only 2 minutes away. I was in love with this hostel--our awesomely, cute Portuguese hostel.

After checking in, we meandered like lost, but optimistic puppies around the Rossio, past the Estacão do Rossio with the fanciest Starbucks ever. We finally decided to trek it up soooo many stairs up to Castelo de São Jorge. There we had 100's of great city views and picture opportunities.

Then, off to Largo de Graça, another high city view. Because we all wanted different things, we split the group into two. Mackenzie, Maggy, and Danielle went to the famous Oceanario, while Katie, Sarah, and I went shopping. Honestly, I've been to a lot of aquariums in my time, so I chose the different route. We went for the typical Portuguese souvenir: a cloth store with awesome "Cock of Barcelos" (the country symbol) patterns. I loved it! I wish I could have bought out the shop.

We also adventured from Praça da Figueira to Praça D. Pedro IV near our hostel, past Teatro Nacional D. Maria II, and then up to the Elevator de Sta. Justa. There, in the street, we saw a musical group perform. So good, we even bought a CD to share. Then up to R. deo Carmo, up to Ruinas do Convento do Carmo (where we chatted up some Belgian friends), then up to Rua do Ouro, the main stretch to the harbor of Rio Tejo. We arrived at Praça de Comércio & Ministério da Justiça. We shot some superb pictures during the sunset on the steps of seagulls struggling to pull one of the thousands of catfish pushed to shore by the tide.

There we could see the parade of trolleys that Lisbon is famous for. Cute little yellow things. We were extremely tired by then, so we strolled back down the Ouro, stopped into the MUDE Museum to see old fashion styles & scooters/vespas, etc., then crashed at the hostel. The three of us shared great girly embarrassing stories while we fiesta'd. When the other 3 returned, we did some serious grocery shopping just around the corned. Maggy and I shared a bottle of red wine, some frozen veggies, a squash stir-fry, a chicken salad, and a baguette. The others made pasta w/red sauce and cheese. Cooking in the hostel and eating all together (and for cheap) was my highlight of my day!

That night at the hostel, we made friends with Catarina, the receptionist, and also some Danish boys in the next room over. We even had them come downstairs to sing Karaoke in the living room until 1 am! It really was a blast.

The next morning, we set off at 10 to Sintra, a small town 30 minutes away from Lisbon. There, it's really mansions and castles everywhere you look! We took a very hairy bus-ride up to Parque y Palacio de la Pena. This was such a colorful palace with Moorish influences. This would have been my castle if I'd been alive, I just know it. I loved everything about it. The design was unlike anything I've ever seen.

A few of us were getting tired and cranky (I wasn't, of course--I realize I have endless energy and require little to no sleep here in Europe), so we quickly hiked to the Moorish castle down the street. I loved our weather this day because atop this castle, we could see for miles across the Portugal countryside and shore! Totally worth the 12 euros!! Although, some may not agree. I was in heaven. It was really what I'd pictured Europe to be like.

From there, we risked our lives once again riding the bus back to civilization. We stopped for some famous Sintra travesseiros, a buttery/sugary fruity-paste-filled pastry. Light and yummy. Since we'd already used up our bus tix, we hiked down, to the dismay of most, to the train station. I liked seeing more and more. I was getting really frustrated with how much we were missing because some of us hadn't worn the right shoes and we had to walk slow. I'm more uptight and impatient than I thought.

I was disappointed we didn't make it back in time to see the famous Portugal landmark, Torre de Belem on the shore. I was really looking forward to it, but the European Claire goes with the flow, and she is no longer upset by little upsets. We did some more grocery shopping for dinner, did some serious mid-term studying at the hostel, chilled for a bit, skyped with the fam, showed Glen off to the girls, cooked dinner, then fell asleep while gossiping. I was so happy, in this beautiful city with my beautiful girl friends.
We really had the ideal Portuguese adventure: tiles, fabrics, artwork, ceramics, tarta de nata, roasted hazelnuts from the smokey street vendors, and obviously more.

This morning, at 4:30, we woke up, ate quickly, broke Claire's glass contact (subtle, I know), and caught taxis back to the airport to catch our 7:30 flight where we met up with the other 6 Butler students traveling in Lisbon. Billy, Jamie, Muriel, Allison, Katie, Jordan had just as much fun as we did in Lisbon, even with a 3 hour delay on their flight there! They're true troopers.

Now, I'm in the process of unpacking, uploading pix, and preparing for studying the rest of the day. We have a busy week of tests. I'm really not looking forward to it. I really hope I can keep my cool. Paris is getting me through. I'll be there on Thursday night! It's my medicine. Trust me, you'll know all about it this time next week.

Happy Halloween to everyone home. I'm ooober homesick for Fall in the states. Please send me pix of changing leaves and Halloween festivities, please please please. All my love is with you.

This is Clara, signing off. Over and out. Paz and love.

It's hard to write everything. That means, you, whoever reads this, has to come over here and experience it for yourself! Lisbon should be on everybody's bucket list. I'll go back with you!

Chapter 25: Barcelona

Phewww, I'm back from my favorite city on Earth!! BARCELONA! Let's start from the beginning, shall we?

On Saturday, at 08:20, we (Kyle, Mack, and her mom, Jackie) departed from Barajas airport and flew to Girona, a town 60 min from Barcelona. We took a bus to Estación del Norte, very near the Arc de Triomf. Such a great introduction to the city. From there, we metro'd it to Passeig de Gracia, where our hostel was (BCN1--Equity Point Centric Barcelona)! Right on the main strip! We were practically next to Casa Batlló, Casa Amatller, y Casa Lleó Marer! I couldn't believe it! We quickly checked into our neat little room (8 beds and one bathroom). We would meet our roommates later.

We strolled down P. de Gracia, through Plaza Catalunya, into the gótic barrio (gothic neighborhood), and saw Catedral on Av. Portal de l'Angel. Once in the Palau de la Generalitat, we saw protestors/rioters (nacionalistas) striking. We continued down Pg. Colom, past the artsy structure "Cap de Barcelona", onto Pg. Isabel II, past Pla del Palau, past Estació de França and we finally found my Cafe Cal Pep. I so badly wanted to see it again, since it's the first thing I remember about my trip to Barcelona, freshman year of high school. It was sadly too busy and we were running on a tight schedule. We ate in the yard, just across, Placa de Olles.  I had yummy scrambled eggs with Catalán sausage and peppers, their famous Barcelona bread w/tomato juice, patatas bravas. The others had mozzarella with sun-dried tomatoes. So yummy. We quickly snarfed it down and I flagged my first taxi back the the hostel.

There, we met Sonya, our private tour guide for the next 4 hours. We began at Casa Batlló, down to Casa Milá (La Pedrera), meanwhile learning about the details. Even the sidewalks are designed by Gaudi! We took our private van to Park Güell for a view of the city and more Gaudi masterpieces. We saw his Casa-Museu (the model home for the park), the school, the privately-owned Gaudi house upon the hill, the horizon, the buildings and structures built right from the rock, etc. There's too much to say here. Just ask me when I return and I'll go on for days. I plan to dream of it often.

On to the Sagrada Familia (Sag Fam). I learned that it began in 1882 and is supposed to be completed in 2030. The pope is coming to consecrate it this November. 7 years ago, I thought they were just re-touching. Little did I know, it wasn't even close to being done yet! The others got quite the laugh out of that. I also learned that Gaudi wasn't even the original architect. He took over after the first guy gave up, 1.5 years later. Gaudi turned the plans upside down, thankfully. His plans require the most expensive stone in the world from Ireland. We walked around the entire church, admiring all facades and more. I love the fruits at the top. I tried to imagine the final design: 18 spires! Can you imagine? There doesn't seem to be enough room. I also learned Gaudi is buried in the cript down below. A scary part: we saw several Romanian pick-pockets crawling around. My knuckles were blue from clasping my purse so tightly.

From the Sag Fam, we drove to Montjuïc, a park on the olympic mountain. The olympics were held there in 1992. We saw the Olympic Staium, Palau Sant Jordi, and Olymic Ring Esplanade and Torre de Calatava. We even drove past the Fundació Joan Miró.

We visited the Castell de Montjuïc, where we saw awesome views of the city and the Mediterranean Sea. We also drove past Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (Palau Nacional de Montjuïc) and Font Magica de Montjuïc (the magic fountains that were broken...sad). On our way down, we drove past the theater district: Teatre Grec is supposed to be amazing. I needed more time in Barca, clearly!

Sonya dropped us off at Casa Milá, where we said our goodbyes to her and our driver, Manuel. We hopped inside for a free art exhibit of modern art. I loved it and I loved being in that beautiful building. Afterwards, we siesta'd for an hour and then walked down P. de G for Costa Gallega, a great restaurant for dinner. We all had paella. I had lobster paella. OMG, what an adventure! I've never had to work so much for my food. I've never had so much fun with my food. Gross and tasty at the same time. Mack and I ended with a chocolate volcano to top it off!

Mack and I then dropped Jackie and Kyle off at the hostel, and we explored on our own! We toured through Plaza Catalunya again and then Las Ramblas at night! There were so many people out! After a few minutes of confusion, we decided to cab it up to the harbor, Port Olympic for all the night clubs, bars, and hookah tents. There we stayed, people watching for a few hours. We got caught in a torrential, Mediterranean downpour, which was fun. Then we booked it to the cab again to hit the hay at 02:30!

I was the only one who woke up at 07:30. The plan was to catch the bust to Figueres to see the Dalí Museum, but I got overruled. I was a bit bitter, but it passed. After I cooled down, ate some simple free breakfast in the hostel alone, and napped until 09:30, we left, slow and easy, to tour Casa Batlló down the street. It was raining a little. Kinda depressing. But I was in Barcelona, so I was still euphoric! In Batlló I "oo'd" and "ah'd" at his art work: marine themes, tiles, curvy doors, walls, & ceilings, the arches in the attic, the colorful roof and rooftop view, the bone-like pillars and balconies, the private courtyard, etc. Everything was so natural and abstract. So much to look at. I think he's my favorite artist, for reals.

After I left (reluctantly), we walked down the Ramblas for some silly souvenir shopping. Thankfully, that didn't last too long. I wanted to do something! I have way to much energy, or so I've noticed. Kyle says I need a shock collar.

We took a taxi to the Picasso museum, in the dark, wet, winding, old alleys. Of course, we got lost, but finally discovered the mile-long line to get in. We decided to visit the small Pre-Columbian museum across the way first. No one else seemed to be interested, but I found it very educational. On to lunch at Lonja de Tapas. I had a yummy, olive oil plate (eggplant, tomatoes, and artichokes), a dish with grilled veggies (asparagus, mushrooms, carrots, etc.), and sticky toffee pudding w/yogurt ice cream to share. The others had croquettes, fried mushrooms & garlic sauce, goat cheese salad, fried meatballs, spanish tortilla, and finally, Catalan creme brulee.

I did some shopping, looking for a bigger, leather purse. No such luck. Mack and I literally stumbled upon Sta. Maria del Mar, a church near the Picasso museum. Jackie was waiting in line, meanwhile. Oddly enough, the line went fast! It was free too! We saw Picasso's interpretation of Las Meninas, his transitions from social realism -> blue period -> cubism and more! I actually enjoyed his ceramic collection. I had no idea he dappled in that field, but I was pleasantly surprised by the ceramic bowls, urns, etc.

Sadly, Mack wasn't feeling too good. She and her mom left to rest at the hostel. Kyle and I explored on our own. It was great though. We found some stuff I knew we wouldn't have gotten to otherwise. We walked through Parc de la Ciutadella and saw: Arxiu Fotográfic, Museu de Ciències Naturals, the outside of the Barcelona Zoo, the Arc de Triomf, Pg. Lluís Companys, etc.

Walking towards to the shore, we stopped in the Estació de França--gorgeous. Down on Pg. Colom, we saw the famous statue, Mirador de Colom, las "Golondrinas", and the Rambla de Mar. Out on the Port Vell, we saw shopped in the mall, practically in the water. Then we treated ourselves to Catalán creme gelato and leather bracelets. We walked down Las Ramblas towards the hostel. It's so energetic and magnificent at dusk.

Thank goodness, Mack was feeling a little better by then. She had enough strength to go out for dinner at La Tramoia, Bar and Brasserie, on Rambla Catalunya. I had an amazing warm goat cheese salad, and a baked red pepper. It was kinda expensive and had terrible service. Not really worth the 40 minute wait. But the atmosphere was cute!

Back at the hostel, I met our Asian roommates! They were so great. They're all from Canada, but visiting "Asian Chocolate" (no really, that's what he calls himself), who works in Belgium. We shared some great traveling stories and swapped recommendations for different European cities.

Mack wasn't feeling good at all that night. She was feverish and her throat hurt her. She was pretty restless. And since I was above her on the bunk bed, I didn't sleep well either. But I've learned even without a lot of sleep, I'm always the more energetic and excited one. Annoyingly so, I'm told. :)

Monday morning, we took it easy again. Jackie was super nice to treat me to a real breakfast of ham/cheese bagel, an apple pastry, and an Americano. We chatted for an hour while the other two rested some more. We didn't want either one more crabby than they already were...jk!

Jackie stayed back with Mack while Kyle and I set out again, to tour the Sag Fam. At 10, the line was super long already. I wasn't too worried though, since lines were kinda becoming my thing now. It gave me more time to stare at the awesome building for long periods of time. I noticed a lot more than I would have if the line flew by. 10 euros later, once inside, we took tons of pix and listened to the music of the construction. It's really a part of the church. I never thought of it that way before. The daylight through the stained glass windows really calmed me down. The Sag Fam is truly one of my favorite places on this planet. I convinced Kyle to wait with me for an hour to take the lift. Once up there, we saw the most spectacular view of the city, the sea, and the exterior church up close. I love all the details and being so close to it. We waved at the construction workers and took pix all the way down. On the ground again, my legs were shaky, but so worth it!

I did some shopping in the gift store (I wanted a Gaudi calendar for 2011 so I wouldn't forget), we met up with Mack and her mom, toured through the museum underneath the church, saw the crypt where Gaudi's buried, admired both facades from different perspectives, and then left for some grub. We ate across the street at Casa de Jamón. It reminded me of a Potbelly's actually. I had the tastiest Spanish tortilla/cheese sandwich and patatas bravas. I realized the Spanish really like their starches. There isn't really a lot of color on their food here. But it makes the salads I have, few and far between, even better.

After our tummies were happy again, we did some Barcelona fútbol shopping. I bought a super FCBarcelona aluminum water bottle. They're all the rage! We took a cab back to the hostel, did some window shopping, then took a cab with all our stuff, back to the bus station. There we took another 60-minute bus back to Girona where we sat and ate gummies, waiting to board our 20:15 flight.

It was a super long and tiring weekend, but VALE LA PENA! I didn't wanna leave my favortist city! It hurts today. I miss it so much. Can you be homesick for a home that isn't yours?

Today is a holiday. The Semana Cervantina is still alive and well. I plan to visit the markets later today for a snack and souvenir shopping...just little doo-dads, that's all. But now, I have some tarea (homework) to do. So much! Wish me luck.

Hope you enjoyed this novel of a post. Just know, it's all for you! Well, sorta.
I miss you, whoever you are. It's hard being over here sometimes. Sometimes, it seems too far when I know you all need me. I'll be home soon. Sooner than I want, but soon. Hold tight.

This is Clara, signing off. Over and out. Paz and love.