Almost Finished

Yes, it is 4:55am, and I am writing a new entry.

I apologize for not posting the summary of the final two days from my trip yet, I assure you there will be new entries posted later today or tomorrow. My body is still readjusting to life in the States and is having difficulty with my new sleeping and eating schedules. I never expected to feel so exhausted two full days after returning.

Currently, my primary cause of exhaustion is this paper I am writing for my religion class. It is due, via e-mail, at 17:00 (5pm) today; however, since my first day at work begins in a few hours, I need to finish and send it by 7:45. I know you feel no sympathy for me because I procrastinated to the very last minute, but, honestly, were you expecting me to write this paper while A. I was traveling in Barcelona, Paris, and Rome and B. while I was delivering you beautiful prose daily for free on this blog? This blog, I believe, exemplifies my ability to write (well) and demonstrates my knowledge of the importance of monasticism in the historical view of Western European Christian history, does it not?!

That's it! I am done with this paper. I will send Professor Lombardo a link to the blog, which will in turn change his life, thus securing my A in the course...

Back in the USA!

Greetings to all of the loyal readers!

I am happy to report that I have made it back safely to the United States of America. My group and I encountered a few minor hiccups on our final days, but it was nothing that we could not handle. Since I have been awake for over 22 hours straight, I will not be writing a full entry this evening.

Please check back tomorrow for the riveting conclusion of the trip and, also, the future plans for my blog!

25.06.08

Where did I leave off? Last night consisted of meeting new people from all over the world. Our new roommates are from Canada, and they are traveling across Europe while their currency is doing well. After talking with Katie (the UD alum in my room), I discovered that she lived in the exact same UD house her senior year... THE 107 Evanston. Honestly, I still cannot believe it. I also met Germans, a student from Boston College, and a group of university-bound Spaniards. Ryan and I played a card game with the Spaniards for at least an hour. The object of the game was to get four of a kind, and I believe its name was "Muro" or "Murro." It was a great way to utilize my Spanish, which greatly improved after living in Spain.

This morning, our group returned to the Vatican to see Pope Benedict give his weekly address/blessing. I would estimate between 9,000 to 12,000 people were there to see him. At 10:30, he drove around the entire crowd in his car. I came about 35 feet away from him. He also was wearing this cool red cowboy hat. The pope spoke in about 6 different languages thorough out the ceremony. It was about one hour in length and concluded with a blessing and him leading an Our Father. Afterwards, Benny and I met up in the Papal apartments to discuss my canonization. He said that he may need to pull some strings with the cardinals, but I am on my way to become "St. Bubba" very soon.

Next, we walked to the beautiful Pantheon. This architectural marvel was truly breath-taking, and it made me think of how intelligent the Romans were to construct this masterpiece. This was awesome!

I grabbed some pizza for lunch, and we traveled to the famous gelato store, Giolitti's. My gelato cone, banana and chocolate, far surpassed the gelato I tried earlier in the trip. This place offered a higher quality gelato made with the actual ingredients instead of artificial flavoring. I still think gelato is overrated, but my favorite gelato is definitely from Giolitti's.

Walking through the city, the group made several stops at various stores and junk shops. It was, again, very warm today. Now, I need to pack up my bags for our flight tomorrow afternoon. Bryan, Ryan, and I are flying back to Madrid for one final night, and then catching our flight back to the States on Friday morning. I assume that we will have internet in Madrid, but, if not, this may be the final entry from Europe!

24.06.08

Last night, the group hung out in the Yellow bar adjacent to the Yellow Hostel. We all talked about our travels, before walking down the street to a corner pizza place. The group told high school football stories as we enjoyed our pizzas. Of course, my stories were the only ones that had not been fabricated.

Today was dedicated to the Vatican. Our goal was to see the Vatican, in its entirety, and then return on Wednesday morning to see the Pope. Bryan, Ryan, John, Joe, and I metro'ed to the Vatican and met our tour group. We opted to pay a little extra for a guided tour which enabled us to bypass the massive entry line and receive additional information about the Vatican's treasures. Our guide, Alex, was full of information and kept it fun at all times.

The Vatican was extremely impressive, in terms of size and content. Like the Louvre, the Vatican Museums were more of a madhouse than a museum. One could spend years in there! After about 1.5 hours in the museums, we made it to the Sistine Chapel. Pretty awesome stuff. I still cannot comprehend the genius of Michelangelo (this was his first painting). There were probably 300-500 people crowded in the chapel all looking straight up at the world's most famous fresco. The next stop was St. Peter's Basilica that can simply be described as massive. Saw Michelangelo's Pieta. Saw the tomb of John Paul II. Saw the dome. Everything about the Vatican was, surprisingly, more awesome than expected.

After the Vatican, the group strolled around the hot city of Rome. Yesterday was certainly hotter, but it was in the upper 80s today. For lunch, we stopped at a small restaurant, and my meal included bread, salad, spaghetti, and a macedona (fruit) salad. It was good but nothing fantastic. The walk back to the Yellow was particularly grueling due to our full stomachs, tired legs, and scorching heat.

Tomorrow morning we are seeing the Pope speak, following will be my private one-on-one session with him, and then we are seeing the Pantheon. It will be a good day.

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Please review Bryan's newest photo albums entitled "Paris" and "Rome." The pictures are found here: http://picasaweb.google.com/rollo.bryan

Roma

Bryan, Ryan, and I made it to Rome safely! Here's what transpired yesterday:

For the most part, the transportation to Rome went smooth. We took the metro to the bus station and left early. I had an interesting discussion with a student from Poland the entire bus ride. We arrived at the airport early and waited for a few hours for the plane. I ordered another delicious panini while waiting. Our flight left 30 minutes later than expected; however, we arrived about the same time we were scheduled to arrive. Once in Rome, we purchased a bus ticket to the center of town (Termini). We walked about 5 minutes to our hostel, the Yellow.

While the Yellow does not have the same charm as the Oops, it is still a pretty nice place. This exemplifies more of a true hostel feeling. We are sharing a 7 person room without air-conditioning, so needless to say, the room was really hot. When we arrived in our room (about 24:00), our 5 roommates were sleeping; however, I noticed something very odd. One of the girls was wearing shirt that read...wait for it..."Dayton Tennis." I thought I was seeing things, but she was actually wearing a Dayton Tennis shirt. What are the odds, I thought. I did not have much time to think about it because I feel asleep instantly.

23.06.08

The first words out of my mouth this morning were, "Hey, do you go to Dayton?" to the girl wearing the Dayton Tennis shirt. It turns out that Katie is a recently graduated UD alum, and her brother (Steve) is a manager at ArtStreet Cafe with me! I could not believe it! We got a good laugh out of it. She is really friendly and has been telling us about her travels. You think that is wild? Keep reading, please.

We grabbed a small breakfast outside of the Yellow before our Roman journey. While sitting on the patio, sipping a cappuccino, and nibbing a croissant, a figure exiting our hostel caught my attention. I squinted my eyes for a closer look because it looked vaguely familiar to John Thunander, one of my friends from UD who lived on my floor last year. I thought, no way that is him. He turned around, and it, unfortunately, was someone else. NOT. It was really John! I ran up behind him, and he almost had a heart attack. We could not believe it! John started to yell in joy and gave me a hug. He just finished his UD Study Abroad session in Augsburg, Germany and was traveling for a week. He was accompanied with our Dayton friend, Joe Bauers, who is traveling before he begins his UD Study Abroad session in London and Dublin. Honestly, what are they odds that we find three Dayton people in less than 24 hours in Rome, Italy!?

Anyways, John and Joe were planning on seeing the same things we were, so they joined us for the day. Today was hot. It was easily in upwards of the high 80s, if not low 90s. Today was easily the hottest day of the trip.

We started our day, which was centered around ancient Rome, with the Roman Coliseum. It was taller and bigger than I anticipated it to be. The group decided to pay a little extra for a guided tour in order to bypass the 1 hour queue and to receive information about the Coliseum. The inside was really incredible. It would have been pretty cool to see 60,000 Romans in this place. I learned a lot about the Coliseum that I did not know. I knew that some pretty brutal things happened in this arena, but, by the end of the tour, I was a little disheartened to learn that over 1,000,000 people and hundreds of thousands of animals were killed here. Aside from engineering aspect, I was not that pumped up to go to a place that served as a symbol of death and brutality for public entertainment. Do not get me wrong, it was awesome to see and I would do it again, but I am not a fan of what the Coliseum represented in ancient times.

Afterwards, we had a guided tour of the surrounding ruins of the Roman Forum. It was fun to explore all of the ruins. I know we missed a lot of information about each of the landmarks in the Forum; however, one could easily spend a day exploring this entire area.

For lunch, we stopped at an outdoor cafe which turned out to be really tasty and a good value. We shared a liter of the house wine, and I ordered a margarita pizza (light tomato sauce and mozzarella). It was huge and delicious. The pizza was very thin and crispy. The style reminded me of what one would receive from San Francisco Oven.

My UD companions and I explored more of Rome. The city is not as big as I thought it was going to be, and it can be easily navigated by foot. There are tourists everywhere. You cannot escape them! We walked to the Trevi Fountain (Don't worry, Carmen, I threw a .01E coin in the fountain, ensuring my return to Rome in the future) and the Spanish Steps. We purchased gelato outside the Trevi Fountain. I tried their tiramisu flavor. I enjoy gelato a lot; however, I think it unfortunately suffers from over-hype. People rant about the greatness of Rome's gelato, but it was not that life-changing.

Now, we are all ready to rest and relax at our hostel. All of us our covered in sweat from the grueling heat. There is a small bar/cafe attached to our hostel (where I am blogging from actually), so it is likely that we will hang out here this evening. We are going to the Vatican on Wednesday because the Pope gives a public appearance on Wednesday mornings. That should be really exciting. Tomorrow will likely consist of visiting Rome's other famous sites, including the Pantheon. There are only a few days left on my European journey, so I need to make the most of them!

22.06.08

I hope you enjoy the accounts from my previous two days in Paris. It has been a lot of fun! I feel the city of Paris is alive with a youthful spirit.

Today, after packing up, we went to the Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise. This is a huge cemetery where various important people are buried, including Oscar Wilde and, most notably, Jim Morrison. Jim Morrison's grave was a little disappointing, but it was still cool to see. It was probably the coolest graveyard I have ever experienced.

For now, we have been resting and recovering from our past two days in Paris. We leave in a few hours to Rome. We need to get on the metro in 30 minutes to the bus station. I hope our transportation is as smooth as it was getting here! I am unsure if we have internet connection in Rome, but, as always, I will find a way to post new blog entries!

21.06.08

Bryan and Ryan were encouraging me all on Friday to go to Disneyland. I knew it would be really fun to spend a day at Disneyland Paris, but since we had such limited time in the city, it just was not plausible. If we had one more day in Paris, it would have been possible. Actually, there is another park close to Paris that I would enjoy traveling to (Parc Asterix), but, once again, there is simply not enough time. They enjoyed watching me constantly weigh the possibilities of going to the park.

After breakfast, we traveled to Notre Dame. We met up with our friends Steph, Tyler, and Josh in front of the cathedral. The inside of the cathedral was really impressive, especially the stained glass windows. Like the Louvre, this place was saturated with tourists. The flying buttresses on the outside of the cathedral were really cool looking. After touring the inside, we waited 40 minutes to travel to the top of the bell towers. The wait was not too difficult because there was a man with a Quasimodo mask who was running around scaring people. It was all in good fun, and everyone in line got a huge kick out of this guy. The walk to the bell towers was up a spiral staircase, and, at the top, there was a great view of the city of Paris. This level offered a great view of all of Notre Dame’s famous chimeras (not gargoyles). The purpose of a chimera is to ward evil spirits away from the church, and the purpose of a gargoyle is to act as a drainage system (the word “gurgle” is derived from gargoyle). I also went into the bell tower. I mean, Notre Dame was cool and all, but Sagrada Familia in Barcelona is still my favorite, and it is not even finished!

For lunch, I purchased an incredible ciabatta bread panini from a street vendor. As you all know, ArtStreet Café makes the best paninis in the world, but this one rivaled ArtStreet’s deliciousness. For dessert, I had a crepe filled with honey. It was one of the best meals I had abroad.

Today was hot! There were no clouds in the sky at all. I would estimate the temperature to be in the low-to-mid 80s. We retreated to the pathways near the Seine River to escape the heat. While near the river, we took a boat cruise of the city. This hour cruise was relaxing and offered a different view of the city. I enjoyed going under the cities many bridges. After the cruise, we continued to stroll around the beautiful city. There are many huge parks in Paris, and, since it was a Saturday, they were all full of people relaxing, picnicking, or playing soccer. We relaxed in the shade for a while until a security guard kicked us off of it.

For dinner, we went to a supermarket for a picnic on the lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower. Per the advice of Paris-expert, Jordan Barth, I bought a block of French cheese, a baguette, and a bottle of red wine. We all found a shady area under the Eiffel Tower and enjoyed our meals. I met a group of engineers (mostly from the states, but a few from Europe), and we talked for a while. Since today was the summer solstice, there was a huge music festival in the city of Paris and all over France. People celebrate by playing music and going to concerts.

Around 9pm, we made our way to the Eiffel Tower. There are two levels to the tower that each require a separate ticket. The first level (about 240 feet) can be reached by stairs. Our group hustled up the stairs to the first level. I ran. The second level (about 1,100 feet) can only be reached from the first level by elevator. Upon arriving to the first level, I instantly got in line to ensure that I would get to the very top before it closed. After waiting in the short line, I entered the glass elevator and started to get nervous. From the ground, the tower did not look that tall, but it was really high once you were on the elevator! I got over my small case of vertigo and walked out of the elevator to the very top of the tower. By the time I got up there, it was dark and the entire city was illuminated. No picture or word can describe the nighttime view from the top of the tower. Simply awesome. I spent close to an hour at the top, observing the view from all of the angles. I cannot remember the context, but an American teenager overheard one of my conversations (perhaps I told someone that I was from Ohio) and sarcastically uttered, “the Eiffel Tower at King’s Island is better than this.” I was pumped that King’s Island got some love at the top of the tower, but the view from the top of the real Eiffel Tower is much better than the one at King’s Island (even though you can see roller coasters from King’s Islands view). I met a bunch of people at the top of the tower, also. I spotted some large fireworks in the horizon, which I believe were Disney’s; however, within 30 minutes, there were fireworks in all directions. I assume they were used to celebrate the solstice. My entire Eiffel Tower experience was brilliant.

After the tower, we walked to the concert going on directly behind the tower. There were thousands of people there. Although we only were at the concert for the last band, it was awesome. I did not recognize any songs, but the last band was great and the crowd was going wild. We then walked to the other side of the tower, upon the completion of the concert, because there was a rave on the Eiffel Tower lawn. This was mostly composed of the locals, but it was fun for a few minutes.

The metros were supposed to run late tonight, since it was the music festival, but there was mass confusion as to which metros were open or closed. Ryan and I had to jump some turnstiles, but we, eventually, made it back to Oops! Today was another fantastic day in Paris!

20.06.08

After waking upon and enjoying our free breakfast (croissant, granola, coffee, juice, milk), Bryan, Ryan, Bun, and I were ready for a day in Paris! Bun informed us about a Paris bike tour the previous night, so we decided to go with her. Upon exiting the metro, we arrived at the meeting point for Fat Tire (not affiliated with the beer) bike tours, which was under the Eiffel Tower. Bryan was apprehensive, especially after his bike disaster in Malaga, but I convinced him to do it. The tour was all in English, and it was led by a recently graduated student from Texas A&M. I talked to him and learned about his summer gig as a bike guide in Paris. He asked me if I was in the FIJI fraternity at Dayton. I informed him that UD does not have a FIJI chapter, but I told him I knew a few FIJIs at Case Western Reserve. He then asked me, “Oh, so you must know Matt Patton.” I said, “Yeah that dude is a punk.”

The bike tour was fun. We were in a group of 20 people, and we saw a good deal of the city over 4 hours. We basically rode for 15-20 minutes, stop at a monument and learn its history for approximately 8 minutes, and traveled to the next place. We saw an external view of almost every notable location in Paris. We stopped for a lunch break at an outdoor café in a park near the Louvre. I ordered a ham and cheese crepe. Despite being overpriced, it was delicious!

The weather was on-and-off sunshine all day. For about 30 minutes, it would be sunny and warm, and then it would be cloudy and chilly for 30 minutes. Thankfully, it never rained.

After the bike tour, Ryan, Bryan, and I strolled around the massive city of Paris. We walked down Avenue des Champs Elysees which features Paris’s best shopping. We stopped at many stores including Adidas, Nike, and Virgin. Everything was really cool and very fun to look around, but, obviously, the prices were beyond expensive. After walking to the Arc de Triomphe, we walked back down Avenue des Champs. I stopped at a McCafe on the way, just to say I went to one. Note: this was not a McDonalds, it was a McCafe. It was actually pretty cool.

The Louvre had free admission for students under 26 years old on this night, after 18:00. We were all over this fantastic discount! One word to describe the Musee du Louvre: madhouse. This place was more like a zoo than a museum. People were crawling from all corners of this place, screaming, running around, and aimlessly taking pictures of everything they see. I felt like I was in a funhouse because of the huge paintings, staircases, and winding rooms. I am unsure if the Louvre is always like this or if it was because of the free admission, regardless, it was crazy. (Note- I guess I contributed to the tomfoolery when I, ingeniously, posed as one of the desperate boaters in Raft of the Medusa. Bryan took a picture of it, so it was worth it.) I felt that the Louvre was not even a true museum. One could not truly appreciate any of the works there because there are so many people. You could rarely stop and absorb the painting.

Aside from all of the people, the Louvre was really cool. This place is incredibly huge. We aimlessly walked around for about 1.25 hours (only stopping at the major works), and we saw less than 25% of the entire place. I saw the big three (Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, and Mona Lisa). One again, huge crowds were around these three. The Egyptian artifacts were very comprehensive and interesting, especially the collection of mummy tombs. There were less people in the Egyptian section, so that was refreshing. Overall, it was a fun experience.

For dinner, we went to a small café. It was nothing special. I ordered a small ham sandwich on French Bread. Bryan, craving some American cooking, ordered a steak and fries. After dinner, we bought some wine and walked over to the lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower. There was a massive celebration happening here. The youth of Paris were everywhere! I asked someone what was going on, and she said that everyone finished final exams today and is celebrating the beginning of summer. Imagine a 20 acre park full of youth celebrating the completion of school, in front of the Eiffel Tower none-the-less! Given our limited French, we found some locals who spoke English and talked to them.

Seeing the Eiffel Tower at night was really impressive. We decided to travel to the top at night to get a night-view of Paris. After buying our tickets, the employee informed us that the top just closed and would be closed for the remainder of the evening. He refunded our tickets, and we opted to return tomorrow evening. It was a little frustrating at the time, but it was not too bad because the rest of the day had gone so well.

On the metro ride home, I met a guy from Morocco who I spoke to for about 15 minutes. We were talking politics, America, Paris, and society. He was a really cool dude. One of the recurring themes of this trip has been my joy in meeting new people. I hope to write an entire entry about all of the interesting people that I met with in Europe. It just brings me so much joy and happiness to meet a complete stranger from another country or from the States. On this trip, I have met people from all over the US (Boston, San Francisco, Houston, University of Kentucky, Clemson, West Virginia, Washington D.C., Utah, etc.) and the world (Canada, England, Morocco, France, Spain, Germany, Finland, Singapore, Scotland, Ireland, New Zealand, etc)! It is such an exciting and full-filling feeling!!!

Anyways, we got home, and I passed out (literally). I was so exhausted from our jam-packed day in Paris that I feel asleep with all of my clothes on, even my shoes.

Baila El Chiki Chiki

I know I am in Paris, but I wanted to ensure to include this in the blog. This song was all of the rage in Spain, and everyone in the UD trip loved it. What do you think?



The Paris blog will be uploaded within the next two hours!

Paris Update: Round 1

Flawless Transportation
From our apartment in Barcelona, Bryan and I walked down the Ramblas one final time and picked up Ryan from his apartment. We hopped on the metro, which took us to the bus station. We purchased a bus ticket to the airport, got on the bus within 5 minutes, drove an hour to the airport, got on our flight, arrived early to Paris, hopped on a bus to the city, arrived at the city early, jumped on the metro, and 25 minutes later, arrived at our hostel! I still cannot comprehend how flawless our transportation worked. I kept referring this day as our “Hell Day” because I had a feeling that at least one thing would go wrong, but nothing did! We even befriended a local Paris youth on the metro who gave us advice on which metro line to take and informed us about a huge festival occurring on Saturday night.

OOPS!
When Ryan and I booked our hostels in February, we decided that the hostel entitled “Oops” would be the most convenient, affordable, and safe. We had been joking to everyone on our trip about how we would soon be staying at a hostel entitled, “Oops.” To our surprise, I would only be saying “oops” if we had NOT booked three nights here. This place is great! This place feels brand new. It is very clean and very trendy. According to Oops literature, it has been rated one of the top 10 hostels in the world. We walk in and there is a neon front desk, American music blaring from a sound system, and a gang of English-speaking youths in the background. I thought we accidentally entered a nightclub!

Our room has four beds and a view of the Eiffel Tower, which looks awesome at night. Our fourth roommate is from Singapore, and her name is Bauntwa (sp?). I call her “Bun” for short. She is in Paris for the weekend, she is a very organized traveler, and she is very friendly. Upon settling into our room, we instantly fell asleep, exhausted from a full day of traveling.

Expect a detailed account from 20.06.08 (yesterday) soon. Right now, I need to turn off the computer and prepare myself for another exciting day in Paris.

Au revoir!

Barcelona Recap

Bonjour!

Here are some additional key points from Barcelona:

• The city market was a lot of fun. It reminded me a lot of the West Side Market in downtown Cleveland. There were all types of animals, fruits, vegetables, cheeses, etc. Pretty much any kind of food you can imagine could be found there. I bought two of the incredible fresh fruit juices there (papaya/coconut and mango/papaya/strawberry), and both flavors were incredible. Plus, they were only 1E each!

• There were numerous pita stores in Barcelona, and they were all delicious. I think I purchased three falafel pitas while I was in the city.

• Living on the Ramblas had its ups and downs. It was awesome to see the non-stop hustle and bustle, the street-performers (Jack Skellington was my favorite), and the animal stores. However, the Ramblas became a little seedy at night because prostitutes begin to prowl the streets.

• My final exams went fine, I guess. We basically pulled all-nighters our last two nights in Barcelona in order to study. Everyone was burnt out of classes and thankful just to be finished.

• I ordered some helado (ice cream) on a whim, and it turned out to be a worthwhile investment. Dave said, "Bubba, you have been eating croissants and eggs all week, I think you can afford to buy some ice cream!" I ordered tiramisu and mango flavors.

• BUFFET! Perhaps the eating highlight of Barcelona was an all you can eat buffet for 8.5E. The group was skeptical upon arrival, but I did my research on this place and it turned out to be a worthwhile experience. There was a huge salad bar, pizza, pasta, bread, soups, coffee, fruit, ice cream, deserts, and it came with a drink of choice. This was a great way to try new local Spanish foods. I ate the most.

• Other site-seeing I did in Barcelona included the Barcelona Cathedral (second time), another cathedral (St. Mary's of the Sea, maybe?), the Chocolate Museum (disappointing), and the City History Museum (cool because you went underground to see remains of the old Roman city of Barce).

• I enjoyed Barcelona due to its uniqueness. There was no one unifying characteristic of the city. It is easily the most "European" city in Spain. Some areas, like the Gothic Quarter, are composed with small, winding streets with great shops, while other areas are full of taxis and huge tour buses. The one thing Barcelona did not lack was trees. Almost every street had lines of trees on both sides of the road. That was really nice.

Although I am probably forgetting to write some great stories from Barcelona, the bottom line is that Barcelona was a wonderful city that was unlike any of the other cities in Spain. Everyone in our group throughly enjoyed it and wished to spend more time there.

In Paris

Travel went incredibly smooth, and our hostel is awesome!

Expect a detailed entry in the morning.

PS- I am looking at the Eiffel Tower right now.

Last Post from Spain

Hey everyone!

I just finished my second exam, and I am done with classes*!  I cannot blog for long because we need to eat lunch and hustle to the airport for the flight to Paris!

*Technically I am not finished with Religion because I need to write a 5 page paper which is due 9 days from today.

The past few days in Barcelona have been great!  Given the limited amount of time our group had in the city, I explored all that I could and did everything I wanted.  The only exception was that I did not make it to any amusement parks here in Spain.  Port Adventura was way too far away, and Tibado (sp?) had such erratic operating hours that it was not possible for me to go with classes.

I am saying ADIOS to Barcelona, Spain and BONJOUR to Paris, France!

PS- Please check Bryan´s online photo album (link can be located a few entries below) for updated pictures!

Too Little Time!

Sorry for the ghost-post yesterday. I am really strapped for time between studying for classes, final sight-seeing, and ensuring my post-travel plans are good. This morning, I went back to the Cathedral, I experienced a local city market (bought a 1E papaya and coconut juice), and saw the city museum which has a ton of Roman ruins. I wish I could tell you more, but I need to go to class!

El Fin de Malaga & BARCELONA

Okay, here is the long awaited conclusion to the blog:

13.06.08
Tonight was our last night in Malaga with Carmen. She picked us up at the school, and we drove down to the beach for dinner. The water was extremely calm, and the temperature was perfect. We stopped at one of the local restaurants that has a grill right on the ocean for all of the fish it serves. Carmen did all of the ordering, and it was quite the treat! We had salad, calamaries, swordfish, shells, sardines, little fish (cannot remember name), potatoes, and ice cream for dessert. I think we ate more, but I cannot remember everything. The waiter just kept bringing out more and more food!

Afterwards, we drove back towards the school and stopped at a nearby bar. We had a few drinks and then danced with Carmen. It was pretty fun. After an hour or two, Carmen decided to leave, and we said our goodbyes. It was really sad, but we ended our time in Malaga with a bang!

14.06.08
This morning/ the night before blended into one because I stayed awake until the bus ride. The bus did not leave until 5:00. I was not fully awake for the first few hours of the bus ride. I drifted in and out sleep the entire journey. The bus ride was grueling; however, it was nice to see the countryside of Spain. Every once and a while, you would see a random castle or ancient wall on a mountain. People lived primarily in the areas surrounded by the city, unlike the sprawl of America.

The bus made multiple pit stops on the journey. When I sensed we were getting close to Barcelona, I began to look for the amusement park, Port Adventure, because it is located about 70 km south of Barcelona. At our final pit stop, I looked north in the horizon, and, amidst a forest of trees, I saw a large tower in the distance. Instantly, I turned to Steph, and said, "there´s Port Adventura right there." She claimed not to see anything, but I could tell that the tower I saw was their drop ride, "Condor.¨ I kept my eyes vigilant to the area where I saw this object in the far distance. As soon as I started to give up hope, I saw the tower again, and I knew that it was Port Adventura! Finally, after about 15 minutes of anticipation, we finally got a great view of the park. I was describing it to all of the people sitting around me, and everyone thought it was hilarious. After witnessing how far this park actually was from Barcelona, I realized that a trip here would not be practical. The thrill of spotting the park about 25km away was just as satisfying, however.

Finally, around 19:00, we made it into the city of Barcelona. After an hour or two of housing/logistical confusion, we made it to our apartment which is located directly on La Rambla. I cannot imagine a better way to get acquainted with Barcelona than walking down the shoulder-to-shoulder Ramblas on a Saturday night. There were all types of street performers, human statues, tourists, and shops surrounding us. It was thrilling! Our apartment (see map from previous entry for approximate location) has a great view of the Ramblas action below. Our apartment(s) is unique. There are 5 people living in mine, and 4 living in the apartment directly adjacent to us, so it is essentially one large apartment. The rooms are not bad, but they lack in a few areas such as the bathroom and the beds. Also, there is only one key for each apartment, which translated into some minor issues on Sunday.

Later that night, Tyler and I strolled up and down the Ramblas for an hour or so, in order to get a better feel for the city. Other group members traveled to a discoteca entitled ¨Razzzmatazz.¨ The accounts from the club (that can be remembered) were all really positive, but I needed to be alive and ready to go for a full day of sight-seeing!

15.06.08
Since today was the only true ¨free day¨in Barcelona, I needed to see as many sights as I could! This week has classes, two final exams, and travel, so I prioritized the things that I really wanted to experience in Barcelona. Here is a detailed account of my day:

1000- Wake up and bring my friends to life.

1100- Breakfast. I had a cafe con leche and a tortilla espanol. This tortilla was nowhere as good as Carmen´s, but I feel very few, if any, tortillas will be better than hers.

1200- Walking into the Gothic Quarter, we (by chance) witnessed a weekly celebration of Cataloña in which groups of people stand on top of each other. The official term was ¨castling,¨ and it was really fun to watch. The towers continue to increase the amount of people, until the final tower (7 people high with about 3 people on each level).

1300- Went into the Cathedral and explored for a few minutes. There was actually a mass going on while we looked around. The facade was under restoration, but the interior was breath-talking. The ceilings were really high, and I think it was in the Baroque style.

1430- We walked down through the city to Casa Mila, Gaudi´s second most famous work. After waiting about 30 minutes in line, we walk into his building which is often described as a melting ice-cream castle. The most impressive aspect of the building is the roof featuring modernism at its finest. The walls and walkways are all curved. Tiny twisted pillars ascend into the sky. I said it was like a living in a Dr. Seuss book! Perhaps, Dr. Seuss was inspired by Gaudi? There was also an attic, which served as a museum of Gaudi, and an apartment he designed. This was very unique and fun!

1600- After walking a few blocks east, we ate at Dino Pan. It was essentially a little sub-shop, but it had a dinosaur for a logo, so, of course, I needed to eat there. I ordered a chicken sub and a ice cream pastry.

1630- Arrived at Sagrada Familia, the most iconic and famous destination in Barcelona. Essentially, Gaudi started this cathedral in 1888, and it is still not finished today! Everything is being built as cathedrals were in the old days, with local artisans and donations only. It is estimated that it will take at least another 50 years to finish this massive cathedral. Gaudi insisted that it should be built this way. All of Gaudi´s work was inspired by nature, and, in the actual church, the columns and ceilings are supposed to emulate that of a forest. Seeing everything as a live construction site was pretty cool. We waited about 30 minutes to take an elevator to the top of one of the towers. This place was ridiculous. After looking at the view, we had to walk down a hazardous spiral staircase. The entire experience was really exciting. Currently, only 8 towers are finished. I believe there will be a total of 17 when finished (please do not quote me on 17, but I think there will be 12 for the apostles, 4 for the gospels, and 1 for Jesus). The tallest tower is going to be around 500 feet tall! If the Sagrada Familia is completed in my lifetime, I definitely be there for its opening.

1800- I took the metro up north to Parc Guell. This is a park dotted with Gaudi architecture and his very famous ¨dragon¨ which looks more like a lizard to me. This building also has his famous curved benches with great views of the city. I walked through most of the 30 acre park, and it was really relaxing. Besides the dragon/bench area, it was mostly locals just enjoying the park on a Sunday afternoon. I can confirm that the support structure in the park does look like the Ewok Village from Star Wars, as Sr. Gaone taught me in class.

1930- Metro down to Ramblas. I strolled up and down the Ramblas for about an hour. It was not as exciting as Saturday night, but it was still fun.

2030- Returned to the apartment.

2031- Fell asleep.

16.06.08
I woke up early and walked to the school to check it out. Surprisingly, the school is really nice with ultra-modern classrooms and furniture. The computer lab is full of about 30 brand-new Apple computers. The name of the school is the Barcelona School of Business. I would not have minded taking all of my classes here! After studying and completing my morning class, I have been slaving for hours on this essay. I hope you have enjoyed it.

These next few days are going to be quite stressful. Today, I need to ensure all of my post-Spain travel plans are secure. Tomorrow, I need to study for my religion test, but I may do some sight-seeing in the morning. Wednesday, I will be studying for my economics test. And, on Thursday, after taking the economics test, I will be traveling to airport to fly to Paris! Unfortunately, this will translate in less blog posts. Ideally, I will get one up tomorrow and Wednesday. After that, I do not know what type of internet connection will be in Paris or Rome. Please do not worry, loyal readers, I assure you, my keen skills and world-wide appeal will surely enable me to successfully handle whatever type of unforeseen circumstances the future holds.

Adieu!

En Barcelona

Hey everyone,

I apologize for the lack of updates, but there has been no internet access the past few days. I finally found a connection in our Barcelona school. There are so many interesting things that I need to blog about; however, time is the one thing that I do not have now. This next week is going to be very busy!

Hopefully, I will be able to post an entry about the grand finale of Malaga and the beginnings of the wonderful Barcelona tonight (around 2pm EST) or tomorrow morning (around 6am EST).

Talk to you soon!

El Dia Ultimo en Malaga

Today is the final day in Malaga. We leave for Barcelona at 4:00 by bus. Bryan, Dave, and I are sad to leave Carmen because she really has been an awesome host mom. She bought each of us a book in Spanish, based on our personalities and interests. Tonight, we are going out to dinner with Carmen on the beach. I am looking forward to it. I am (jokingly) trying to convince her to come dancing with us later, but she has not said yes... yet.

Our digs in Barcelona have an awesome location. I am living with Bryan, Dave, Tyler, and Josh, and our apartment is located on la Rambla. Additionally, it literally a stones throw from Gaudi's Palau Guell. While this is not Gaudi's most famous work, it will still be really cool to be so close.

Here is the Google Maps view of our apartment. Click the image for a larger view.


Below is a view of the entire city. Our apartment is represented by the green "A" just south of the Barcelona text. Click the image for a larger view.


I am really really excited to experience Barcelona. I am unsure what kind of internet connection I will be able to find there, but I will do my best to keep you updated for the most exciting portion of mis viajes!

11.06.08

Hey,

I am currently blogging from a shaded terrace overlooking the mountainous suburbs of Malaga. I think it is used for special events by the school, but currently, I am the only one down here and it is very serene. Below me is actual school building and above me is the pool/cafe area. I normally eat lunch and read for classes here. It has quite the view! Anyways, here is an general update on Spain life:

Tests
The midterms are over. I guess that is the good news. It took me 4.5 hours to complete the 17-page economics test. The average completion time was about 3.5 hours for this behemoth. I am not sure if I did as well as I originally planned, but I think I did fairly well on both. Thank goodness those are over. Oh, wait, our finals are one week from today! The negative aspect of studying abroad is having to take classes in such a consolidated time period.

Weather Update
The weather has been excellent. It is around 84F in the sun and 70F in the shade. Unlike my native state of Ohio, there is no humidity here, making every day pleasant and comfortable! Reports of flooding in Ohio and Indiana made the news over here.

Food Update
Carmen has still not prepared a meal that I have not enjoyed! Generally, all meals start with bread and some type of vegetable or salad, then the main course with a vegetable (normally potatoes), and then a coffee and fruit for dessert. One of the most unique meals over the past few days was a sunny-side up egg over a plate of rice and vegetables. I loved it!

For lunch, I normally travel to the local superSol for a deli sandwich (chicken and cheese), chips, yogurt, and water. As reported earlier, the value is unprecedented (under 4 Euro) and it keeps me full until dinner.

Carmen
Bryan, Dave, and I are so lucky to have Carmen as a host mom. She is great. Last night, she told me that if I ever return to Spain that I am welcome to stay with her again! It will be sad to leave Carmen for Barcelona this weekend.

Stratego Update
Last night, I obliterated Bryan in a match. I tried to move all of my pieces to completely surround his flag, but then I started to feel bad, so I just captured his flag to end the game. Bryan was super salty afterwards and told me he was not going to play me again. Dave and I then played mini-games of Stratego (only 8 pieces instead of 40), hoping that we would not spend as much time as a normal game would; however, we played a total of 10 mini-games, which probably consumed more time than one normal game would. It was still fun.
Travel Updates
My time in Malaga is rapidly coming to an end. My group is leaving for Barcelona on Saturday morning (4:00). I am not anticipating the 12 hour bus ride! We will have Saturday evening and Sunday to explore Barcelona before having our final classes on Monday-Thursday. There is so much to see and do in Barcelona and so little time. Time management, as always, is the key here.

Now, it is possible for me to visit one, or two, amusement parks while in Barcelona. One park, Port Adventura, is located an hour south, and it has a solid collection of coasters, shows, and attractions. Since it was formally operated by Universal Studios, the park is very clean, well landscaped, and features great theming. The other park, Tibidabo, is just a short train ride from Barcelona, in the mountains overlooking the city. Tibidabo only has two small roller coasters, but it has a collection of novel and old rides that cannot be found anywhere else. I recognize that you really do not care which park I go to, but if you have been reading my blog for this long, you understand my obsession.

On Thursday after completing my exam, Bryan, Ryan, and I will be traveling to Paris via airplane. I need to ensure all of our transportation logistics are in order before departing. I am really excited for the final leg of this adventure: Barcelona, Paris, and Rome! Travel, travel, travel, and before you know in, in just over two weeks, I will be back home!

Hasta pronto.

Midterm Madness

Hey everyone!

I apologize for the lack of entries the past few days, but, as today's entry suggests, things have been really stressful with midterms being today and tomorrow. I will briefly summarize the main points of this weekend:

• Studying is the name of the game here. My economics midterm is in 2 hours, and my religion midterm is tomorrow evening at 19:00. I feel fairly confident in my economics midterm, but I am slightly concerned about my religion midterm tomorrow because most of my studying has focused on economics, not religion. Overall, I think everything will go well. Two A's!

• Carmen, being the great host mom she is, noticed that I was stressing about the midterms, and so she purchased an array of sweet pastries for last night's late-night study session. There was an apple, chocolate, honey, and roll pastry, and they were all really tasty! Carmen told us that we should not be worried or nervous about the tests, instead, we should be happy. She said that she always wants us to be happy. She is great!

• While putting some clothes away in my closet, I discovered an old board game called "Stratego." Instead of studying, I convinced Bryan to play a round of this unknown game, and we became addicted! This game is a combination of chess and Risk, involving a great deal of strategy and intelligence. Dave, Bryan, and I have been playing non-stop since I made this great discovery. We have been keeping track of our wins and losses. Bryan and Dave currently stand at 3-2 each, and I am at 2-4, but I am plotting my revenge for tonight.

• Unfortunately, my internet connection is still not strong enough for me to upload pictures. However, Brian and Dave have had success in uploading theirs. While I cannot account for all of their pictures, they should give you a good feel of the trip so far. You can view them here:
  
• http://picasaweb.google.com/rollo.bryan
  
• http://picasaweb.google.com/Kaufman.David1

Okay, I really need to study now! Wish me luck!

05.06.08

Today was full of adventures. Since we did not have classes today, I decided this would be the best day to explore Malaga by bicycle. Bryan and I walked down to the bike rental shop, which was owned and operated by a man from California. I rented a street cruiser, and Bryan rented a mountain bike.

We first rode along the beach to the east for about 30 minutes, riding by all of the different shops and restaurants. It was very exciting and enjoyable to ride by all of the different places and people. Bryan was riding a lot faster than I was, but I was trying to observe all of the sights, sounds, and smells. We then turned around and rode west towards downtown. We stopped at a superSol and bought some food to eat later.

As we entered downtown Malaga, I stopped at a city map to see where exactly we were. There was an optional field trip for one of our classes that we both decided to attend which started at 13:00 downtown. After figuring out where we needed to go, I turned around to Bryan, who just discovered his bike had a flat tire! Disaster!

We walked our bikes to the center of the city, ate our lunches on a bench downtown, and met our group for the fieldtrip. We would worry about the flat tire after the trip. We toured Malaga’s alcazaba (fortress) which is situated on top of one of the city’s many mountains. The hike to the top of the hill was extremely strenuous. At the top was the fort, which offered excellent views of the city. The group walked along the fortress walls. Upon completion, we had to walk back down the hill to see the second portion of the fortress, which consisted of the palace and gardens. Essentially, this alcazaba was like a poor-man’s Alhambra (see Granada blog entry). It was not as large, ornate, or restored as El Alhambra, but, on the bright side, it did not have El Alhambra’s massive crowds. I enjoyed exploring the palace, but I wish I had more time to explore all of it and see of the rooms. Our group basically sprinted through the entire thing, so I did not have a lot of time there.

Upon completion of the field trip, Bryan and I needed to handle his deflated tire. We asked many people where a bicycle store or a gas station was, and we received many different answers. Finally, someone drew us a map of where to go. We arrived at a bike shop, which was similar to a motorcycle repair garage. They tried filling the tire up with air, but we discovered the entire tire was broken, not just out of air. One mechanic kindly walked us to a different shop down the road which specialized in bicycle repair. After 15 minutes of waiting, the repairman came out and told us that he did not have the appropriate part for this bicycle since it was an American bike.

Finally, we decided to return to the rental shop which was about 3 miles away. Bryan tried to get on a bus with his broken bike, but the driver furiously denied him. At this point, we had no other option but to the walk the flattened tire bike back to the shop.

Upon arrival at the bike shop, the owner was apathetic to our situation. After some discussion, he offered us a second day for free, but Bryan wanted a refund. The owner insisted that he does not give refunds under any circumstances, but he eventually gave us a partial refund, so it was not all bad. With the refunded money, Bryan and I bought a box of ice cream bars from superSol, and ate them all walking home. I only had 2, but Bryan ate 4. He was upset about his flat tire, so he needed some ice cream to appease his frustration.

We were both exhausted from the entire day. It was also the hottest day of the trip (low 80s). We took showers, ate dinner early, and relaxed for the remainder of the evening. Due to logistical problems, we decided the Sevilla trip will be on Saturday, and Cordoba sometime at the end of next week.

04.06.08

Hola!

Today is a day like most of the others here in Malaga, consisting of class and lounging around the pool. I purchased lunch from the local grocery store (superSol), and it was a great value! I purchased bread from the bakery and gave it to the deli, which loaded it up with chicken and cheese. The sandwich was less than 2 Euro. I also purchased potato chips, flan, and a drink. The entire meal was less than 5 Euro! It was a really delicious meal.

Alright, I need to attend economics class. Hasta manana!

03.6.08

Finally, I have caught up on all of my blog entries! I apologize for the inconsistent updates the past few days; however, my classwork has increased significantly. I have an economics midterm on Monday, and a religion midterm on Thursday, I think. This translates into less time blogging and more time studying.

My plans for this weekend are still TBD. I was thinking about renting a bike on Thursday and exploring downtown Malaga. On Friday, I may be planning a trip to Cordoba and for Saturday, Sevilla. Unfortunately, there is some type of transportation strike currently happening in Spain. I am unclear about all of the details, but it has resulted in a lot of confusion and cancellation of public transportation. Sunday is reserved for studying only.

Since the internet has a pretty solid connection ahora mismo (right now), I will attempt to upload some pictures to the blog!

02.6.08

This morning I finally unpacked all of my clothes and organized my books. I feel really comfortable here, and I now feel truly settled. After my economics class, I spent some time sending e-mails, writing this blog, and researching potential weekend trips in Spain. I did manage to find some time to research and plan some trips upon my return to the States (Waldameer, Holiday World, Indiana Beach, and possibly Universal Studios Florida).

After my three hour evening class (19:00-22:00), Bryan, Dave, and I walked home. Carmen prepared a type of Spanish soup-chili. Although it was foreign to all of us, we all tried it and greatly enjoyed it.

01.6.08

Today activities consisted of relaxing and recovering from the Granada trip. We spent over an hour lounging around the beach, until a series of ominous rain clouds blotted the sun out of the sky. Most of the stores and restaurants were closed today, but I did collect all of the necessary information about the bike rental.

For lunch, I grabbed a chicken sandwich and a custard-filled doughnut from a local convenience store. They were both tasty. Afterwards, I relaxed near the school’s pool before going home. I took a long-needed siesta and, for dinner, feasted on one of Spain’s most popular dishes, paella. I had some paella in Madrid, but it was not as good as Carmen’s. Everyone has their own variation of paella, but it typically includes chicken, sausage, shrimp, mussels, vegetables, and rice. Carmen’s paella featured rice, red peppers, peas, sausage, and beef.

31.5.08: Granada

Due to the early wake-up call, most people, including myself, slept on the 1.5 hour bus ride from Malaga to Granada. Upon awaking from my little slumber, I discovered that I was sleeping on the shoulder of the Spanish guide sitting to my right. It was really awkward at the time, but now it makes me laugh. Thankfully, there was no drool on his shoulder.

The first destination of the Granada trip was El Alhambra. El Alhambra is one of the premier tourist destination in all of Europe and the number one tourist spot in Spain. It attracts approximately 10,000 visitors daily (over 3 million per year). El Alhambra, or “red fortress” in Arabic, was the last stronghold of the Muslims in Spain. Within its walls, there is a fortress, an Arabic palace, a Christian palace, and magnificent gardens. For more information and the history of El Alhambra, please click here.

The Fortress: Winding staircases, cobblestone paths, and dingy dungeons are found in the fortress, or alcazaba. From the top of the multiple towers, one could experience a breath-taking view of the entire city of Granada. I shuffled my steps throughout the alcazaba to appreciate the smoothed stone walkways. One must exercise caution here because it would be very easy to bump your head or roll your ankle.

Palacios Nazaries: This is a beautiful Arabic palace. The architecture and overall style was similar to what I saw in Morocco; however, this palace was in great condition and much more ornate. Everything about this palace was awesome: the rooms, gardens, fountains, courtyards, ceilings, and floors. I was disappointed because one of the most famous features of the palace, a fountain composed of 12 lions representing the 12 tribes of Israel, was under restoration. Apparently, it will take over 2 years to complete the restoration. I saw one of the lions in a museum there, but it was not the same as seeing it in the courtyard.

Gardens: Upon exiting the Palacio, one enters a lush garden full of the most beautiful flowers and trees you can imagine. Roses of all colors, trees bearing tropical fruit, and ponds full of exotic fish surrounded me in this garden. I went from rose to rose and smelled all of them. Red roses, pink roses, cream roses, yellow roses, and violet roses, I smelled them all. The yellow was my favorite. I did not take a little sniff; instead, I took a deep breath, letting their aroma fill my entire lungs. You can say that I literally stopped and smelled the roses. I was impressed until I actually entered the real garden which was a labyrinth of more flowers, trees, and ponds, surrounded by huge hedges. This garden offered a great view of alcazaba. In the garden, there is the sultan’s summer palace, which was only a few rooms, but it was really cool.

After the tour of El Alhambra, we walked through a shaded walkway to the actual city of Granada. The city itself reminded me of a mini-Madrid without all of the hustle and bustle. I really enjoyed the limited time I spent in Granada. The city felt alive with character, it was very clean, and it felt very “European.” For lunch, I ate at a local tapas bar, and I ordered croquetas (a breaded and deep-fried ball of ham and potatoes). For desert, I bought a 1 Euro ice cream cone. The ice cream store was really fun because it was crowded, and it had an art-deco feel to it. Their orange ice cream was delicious.

I also visited the Cathedral and Royal Chapel of Granada. The Cathedral was really large, much larger than I expected. This is only one of two Renaissance style cathedrals in Spain. The inside was very bright from the natural light. The key word here is huge! Connected to the Cathedral is the Royal Chapel, where Ferdinand and Isabella are buried. You don’t know who Ferdinand and Isabella are? You should because they funded Christopher Columbus’s voyage to America. This chapel featured beautiful ivory-carved tombs of the former King and Queen of Spain. There were other miscellaneous objects in here such as the crown of Isabella, a sword of Ferdinand, and a golden box from Christopher Columbus.

Overall, Granada was a very fun trip, and I really enjoyed exploring the city. I recommend it if you ever visit Spain!