Nantes

So this is late but more for myself, a sort of list of what we did in Nantes with Melanie.

House of Jules-Verne, I elieve he wrote 1000 Leagues under the sea
1966 Titan Crane, yellow
Tour Bretagne
Les Machines de L'ile and the 36 foot tall elephant
Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Port, aka L'eglise Saint-Louis, the first one we saw, beautiful!
Quai de la Fosse
Ile Feydeau, used to be an island b/c rivers used to stream through Nantes but have since been covered and made into roads. This 'island' had very sketchy foundation and you could tell just by looking at the houses whose floors no longer lined up straight.
Passage Pommeraye
Place Royale, fountain, Amorino ice cream, Melanie is stubborn and made it her treat.
l'elglise Saint Nicolas
Old Feltre Market, beautiful indoor shopping area where we did some window browsing
Theatre Graslin, evidently a good hangout spot
Cours Cambronne, the fancy neighborhood that's public although they will occasionally hush you, tsk on them.
New Palais de Justice
Rue de Carmes Apothecaries House, old style 15th century timber frame, also crooked foundation
Cours de 50- Otages, alle de tannerus- blue tree people display!
Cathedrall Saint Pierre Saint Paul, beautiful, where Melanie's parents got married
Entree du chateau des ducs the Bretagne, Palace of the dukes of Brittany, castle!
LU tower, famous Nantes cookie manufacturer
Cours Saint Pierre Stairs, monument to the soldiers (Nantes has some strong WWII history)
Watching the TV show Pascal, saving France one family at a time
The online trivia game her family played, hilariously fun to watch the tensions rise as they tried to beat the clock. Her brother Ben and sister Mathilde got especially into it!
Drinking Kerisac, a cidre of Bretagne. I bought a bolee, a small cup used for drinking said cider but now no longer have the Kerisac.
The delicious meals and awesome conversation and aperitif, especially when taken outdoors in their beautiful garden.

Melanie and her father took me on an out of Nantes excursion
We went to Guerande and explored the walled in older city. Had delicious galletes and crepes for lunch.
We checked out the Marais Salante, or salt fields/marshes; Guerande is famous for harvesting salt. It was kind of freaking awesome.
We then drove to Le Croisic with it's beautiful harbor and sail boats
Le Pouliguen where we walked around the beach and boardwalk, ate niniche (a candy)
La Baule, drove along the boardwalk, I love the sea!
Pornichet


I know I'm not doing it justice but I don't want to forget what we did and I just found the paper that had it all written down.
I had a BLAST with Melanie and her family!

Day four: a tour through the mountains

We slept in that day and didn't hit the road until about 11:30. We just drove all over the three valleys : Valle del Roncal, Valle Salazar and Acuzkua. We made it all the way to Orbaizeta, into the Spanish province of Aragon, where we got out to walk about what remained of an old arms factory. Curious location for an arms factory, all isolated in the mountains. Favorite part was this itty bitty puppy standing in a huge doorway, almost like a small guard to a huge room! We tried to continue on up the mountainside but a very thick fog and narrow streets sent us back down. We made our way back to Urzainki for another patio lunch.

Urzainki is where I felt as though summer has now arrived, and that only peace could acompany it. It made me feel so alive and full of desire to be outdoors and active, no wonder everyone there seems to be!

Wrapping up, we checked out the town bellow as Eneko said hi to more friends, then we hit the road again, driving by Izaba again to Cueva del Ibon, a cave alongside the road, that we just got out of the car and barely checked out, no deep cave explorations, thank you. Then on to Zuriza, a place where he tends to camp a lot, in an open valley with a river, wide grass expanse, wooded mountains and snow topped peaks in the distance. So beautiful I felt immediately like calling up Dad and having him plan a camping/canoing trip.

Then another long and beautiful drive in which I stared out the window, entranced by the intense beauty outside. We stopped at Foz de Arbayun, a canyon valley with a river flowing through. It was breathtaking and a reminder that I must visit the Grand Canyon soon. then back to Beasain we went, driving through the valleys, desert, and valleys again.

Back in Beasain, I saw the city all a flutter. Beasain's holiday of its Saint was to be next week but the fair was already set up. The best part was that all the people were just out and about. I LOVE HOW YOU JUST ALWAYS FIND PEOPLE WALKING OUTSIDE. I feel like here, back at home, people only go outdoors for exercise or because they're shopping. Not so much strolling in KC-understandable I guess b/c of how spread out the city is.

Eneko's parents greeted us and we had a delicious meal and great conversation. I love his family! I'd forgotten how nice a family dinner could be.

I just had the best time with Eneko, his family and the country side! It was terribly sad to leave, but Eneko said he'll join me for when I return to Spain to do the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, whenver that may be (I'm thinking within the next five years). So I'll have to come back to retrieve him for that! The fact that Melanie's visit was immediately after my departure from Eneko also made leaving him a little less sad.

(And the visit to Melanie to be added soon!)

Day 3 continued

From Pamplona we drove to Olite, changing scenery all together as we went from lush open green fields to the desert. I think, though, that I was more fascinated by the wind mills(go clean energy!) that filled the horizon. 19 on one hilltop with 30 on a hill just after that one! Tree hugger Jillian was quite pleased.

In Olite we toured the caslte. This town was completely different. A warmer colored stone to match the heat. In addition to heat my allergies suffered as huge chunks of pollen floated everywhere. Nonetheless, the tour of the castle was great. The Royal Palace of Olite was built in 1402-24, Commissioned by Carlos III King of Navarre in 15th Century, restored in 1937-67. It was neat that they kept on a bit not restored so that you could see the original structure. From the many towers you get a great view of the town, all tightly built together with narrow streets, red tiled roofs, flat dry lands all around and mountains with windmills off in the distance.

Leaving Olite, we went to Ujue, a small town atop a mountainside, recommended to visit by Eneko's dad so that I could see a typical build of a village: tightly condensed towns plopped on the top of the hill. Very neat, especially looking at it from afar and looking from it out at the terrain, so different from the mountains where we began our day's journey.

From Ujue to Javier, a town made up of a a few hotels, a church/castle to San Javier and the monk's residence. Definitely a quiet place where one could find peaceful meditation. We walked around a bit, enjoying a bar of ice cream to fight off the heat before we left for Leyre to just take a peek around: I didn't feel like stopping for an hour to take the guided tour. Stepping in to inquire about the tour I got a good peek inside and got to hear monks chanting, that was good enough for me ;)

Then we left for our final destination of the day, Urzainki, Eneko's paradise. In Valle del Roncal lie 7 villages, one of which is Urzainki where Eneko's family has a home, a beautiful home in the most gorgeous spot! We left the desert and were swept into the curvy roads of the mountain valley. Always following the river, we drove first into a small town to pick up food. Upon arriving in urzainki, eneko was greeted by people who hadn't seen him in nine months. Happy reunions! I swear, EVERY friend he ran into asked where the hamburgers went and why he wasn't fat. Finally someone who could attest to the truth that not all Americans are fat! (Ironic though considering here I was an American abroad who totally gained weight while out of my 'fat' country).

After dropping our things off, Eneko took me for a drive past Izaba, another small town, up through a valley opening where the goats who make the famous Queso Roncal graze towards the mountains he so very much loves. We basically drove to the top, again, into France, where Eneko shouted 'baclava" to Melanie who arrived in Nantes, France that day! With snow still on the top of the mountains we had a lovely white above-green below view. I hope my photos came out well because the sight was just in credible. And to think he's hiked/skied/biked all over that area! I absolutely love how active everyone there is. Makes me oh so eager to return home and get in shape ;)

Returning, we made dinner and dined out on his patio, watching the sun fade away and basking int he beauty of the mountains. We met up with his friends at a bar they frequent regularly. Now, my Spanish is good, but when the four guy friends started getting excited and speed talking, throwing in Basque names and places I got a bit lost. Luckily the girl friends kept me engaged in convo and all was fun.

Definitely my favorite place visited while there! I can see why it is his paradise

Day 3: From mountain to desert to mountain

Sorry I'm so late!

So, on May 16th, we left Beasain for Pamplona. Instead of taking the highway, Eneko took us along a curvy path throug the mountains near Beasain. I got to see beautiful green valleys full of tall and thick trees with the occasional grass opening that flowed beautifully down the mountainside. We drove past Eneko's father's home town, Ataun. The road was splendid. I'd forgotten how much I missed trees. It felt like summer driving along a tree covered road with the sun peeking down and shinning the way.

Pamplona was the first stop, it's Eneko's likely city of choice to live in, and I can see why, it is lovely. We walked along the ancient walls that once guarded the city against attack. We walked along a huge open part towards the citadel. We made our way to the old part of the city, best known for the running of the bulls. Here Eneko explained to me the tradition of the festival of San Fermin, taking me along the Encierro del recorrido de los torros, telling me what it's like to see millions cramming in to catch seconds worth of a glimpse at the runners and bulls as they fly by. Found out the festivities begin on my birthday with a rocket launch at noon in the central plaza, actual running not til July 7th. We toured even more of the walls and old city before stopping in a bar for pintxos. The US really needs pintxos.

(crap, I've got to go, Rachel's leaving for Nicaragua and I need to say adios... lol I'll finish my recap soon, I promise!)

Day 2: journeying along the coast

Eneko and I pretty much had a full day, we left Beasain around 9 and didn't get back until 8:30 pm! We took the high way all the way to St. Jean de luz (or San Juan de la luz in Spanish) in the French Basque Country; yes, I started off in France! It is a beautiful port city, so amazingly picturesue. White buildings around 3 or four stories, red trim, lovely! We walked through the center before getting caught in the rain and finding shelter in a cafe. Seeing signs in French took me back to Paris but it was even cooler because there was the mix of Euskera as well. We took a walk along the boardwalk along the Cantabric sea, oh goodness that is beautiful town! Then off in the car just a ways up to get out to walk along the docks towards a castle like sttructure before realizing our path didn't connect to it. We were also greeted by a bit more rain, but that was the last time for the day. We managed to scare away the rain the rest of the day by always keeping an umbrella on us.

Then we went to Hendaye, another coastal town on the French side. Beautiful again, I absolutely love the house styles. Such a warm and happy feeling to the place!

Hondarribia was our first stop in Spain. From here on it was all sun. Were we parked the car and went for a good walk all over. We passed a school where tons of people were gathered around a reccess style soccer match that had all animated. We took a walk along the boardwalk again to the city center... I've seen more of the sea these five months than any other point in my life I think! We even passed by a nursery school playing music in Euskera, oh the linguist in me was on such a language high! We toured the center a bit, lovely atmosphere, Euskera signs everywhere. I think here the houses were even prettier, four to five stories with white walls and red, blue or green trim. Evne better was when they had flowers on their balconies or Ikurrinas (the flag of Euskal Herria). The old part of the city was of course stone streets and houses, remains of outer walls even! The center square offered a breathtaking view out over the city on towards the sea.

What I love about the old parts of the cities is the feel. You have this old environment with newer shops and bars but these new businesses within the older structure don't take away from the ambiance. And then above it all are residences, I couldn't even imagine living in such a place! It'd be like a dream at first!

From there we went to San Sebastian where we walked a ton! We started off near the old part of the city but did a beach tour first, walking along two of the three beaches, each offering a completely different sight. Walking along the path was awesome: there were people jogging, walking, huge waves crashing upon the walls, the taste of salt in the air, the infinite sea before you and the beautiful city behind. We turned the mountain bend to reach Playa de la Concha which gave view to eight story apartments, some of the most expensive in all of the Basque Country, maybe even Spain (?).

I don't think a single child was in school that day because I think we passed by every single elementary classroom out on a fieldtrip that day! I don't blame them, it was a beautiful day. We then proceeded to explore the old part of the city. There we had pintxos. This is the best place for pintxos, Eneko was so excited to bring me to this part! The bars were lined with sooo many options, poor indecisive me didn't know what to do! I somehow managed to choose two and they were delicious and so was the one I had at the second bar. American bars need pintxos for sure!

We then went back to the beach to walk along toward s the Peines del Viento, the combs of the wind, three sculptures that look like combs sticking out of te rocks. The ocean waves were intnese near it and it was actually a piece of art I could understand. Then we went on the funicular, a sort of lift that took us to the tallest hill from which we saw the most spectacular view of the city! It was worth it for sure!

Back in the car we drove to several more fishing beach happily beautiful towns like Orio and Zarautz. Then on to Getaria, a smaller fishing town, where we parked by the docks and wandered all around. My favorite part was the plaza. Here there were people of all ages gathered together, talking, playing and having a blast. There I saw my first fronton, a sort of wall set up for playing this game where you throw a ball at the wall and hit it back as it bounces back to you. Usually done with a bat of some sort, these guys were playing bare handed! From here we went to Zumaia and ended up with a trip from the coast to Azpeitia and the Santuario de Loyola; huge, grey stone, old and impressive.

by this point the two of us were spent! No wonder, it had been 12 hours of driving, walking, exploring and excitement! We came back to a delicious dinner by Eneko's mom, Asun, complete with great conversation again... pretty sure I crashed as soon as I hit the bed!

Lots of catching up to do: Basque Country Day 1

Ok so while I was there I actually journaled each night b/c there was just so much that we did. You can just enjoy the photos (all are on facebook) but the entries are pretty much going to be novels b/c I wanted to remember ALL of it:

I had a night layover at London Stansted where I slept maybe 30 minutes but met a couple ready to do the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, a five week trek that I WILL do in the future. Eneko even said he'll join me for it!

I was greeted at the airport by Eneko and a big hug and all was just great! Immediately we set off in his car and drove through beautiful, windy mountains to Bermeo, a typical Basque port town. Towns of boats were at the docks, salt in the air, Euskera (obviously) written everywhere, it was awesome! There I had my first pintxos (pronounced pinchos), similar to tapas. I enjoyed tortilla española, Eneko´s kind treat, pretty much like everything while I was there! We were going to take a coastal route to Guernika but the road was out. No matter, the road we took was still beautiful!

In Guernika we saw the árbol, famous tree that represents freedom and rights of the Basques and we explored a nearby park. Then we went back to Bilbao where we parked and walked ALL over the city! Oh I love walking, especially when exploring a new city! We had beautiful weather and enjoyed walking along the river, the Gran Vía, checking out the Guggenheim Museum from outside; I loved the two story floral dog. We walked to the old part of the city; those tended to be my favorite parts of cities.

We stopped at Oñati, where Eneko studied for a year and then we went into the mountains to check out the Santuario de Arantzazu, a beautiful church and monastery built into the side of the mountain in 1702. NO idea how they did it but it is beautiful, definitely a place where you can reflect and have spiritual experiences for sure!

Then we drove to Eneko´s city of Beasain, passing by his father on his bike along the way. They have a lovely home with the most perfect view of the city and the mountain that overlooks the city! I actually wound up with my own flat above theirs. His family is so nice and were so welcoming!!! We had a delicious dinner of chorrizo, bread, salad, fuit and to tell the truth, fruit addict that I am, I think I enjoyed the salad the most... I desperately need to detox from this experience abroad and can´t wait to eat salad every day!!! I love produce and should´ve just spent the money and bought salad ingredients this semester, would´ve saved me some trouble int he long run. We sat around the table for a long while, just talking, mostly about places to go and so forth.

Eneko and I had the fortune of catching Mélanie and Kevin on skype: one european and one american on each end! It was so fun... I learned about Eneko and Mélanie´s ¨baklava¨joke. I had a freaking awesome first day!

Way behind!

I journaled while away in Euskal Herria and in Nantes, France so I'll update later

Fast summary:

I HAD A FREAKING BLAST VISITING ENEKO AND MÉLANIE AND THEIR FAMILIES AND THEIR CITIES AND REGIONS!

Tomorrow I'm headed for Belfast, Northern Ireland with my roommate and we'll explore it and then the Giants Causeway, my main reason for going north. Then it's back here to Galway on Weds. I'll update then.

Extra benefit of this last visit is that it'll keep me occupied during this last week in which all of my friends made here have already returned to the States, sans Irene. I'm ready to come home but at least I've got something to keep me from going crazy! I'm excited for the causeway, wish us good weather!

I leave today!

Yesterday I went out to the Quays with some friends. There was great live trad music...didn't do my last Tuesday at Monroe's but by no means did the Quays let me down. I wish I had gone there more, eh, no regrets, right?

Anyways, today I've taken care of errands and am currently packing to leave on a bus to catch a plane to London to overnight til tomorrow and take a flight to Bilbao Spain! Not sure what all Eneko has planned but I'm so excited!

Have a lovely week all, I know I intend to!

Done with school!

Didn't study enough, don't care. I think I did fine on my two exams today. I had to say goodbye to another person last night, bleh.

About to head out, not sure who with or where, but I'm currently working on that. I'm just glad to be done with all academics this semester!

You'd think I'd learn

but no, I don't

tonight is going to be a long night of studying for my exams tomorrow.
Saddest part, I don't know who all is even left in Galway to celebrate once I finish, but I'm for sure going to try to find someone b/c I'll be in need of some fun after econ stuffing my brain all night. And I realized, tomorrow will be my last chance at a Monroe's Tuesday session, so... that'll be my motivation to study, the fun that can be had once done!

Gah, can't wait for Thursday!

Goodbyes stink

So I keep going out and having a blast, but it stinks b/c they're good bye events. Makes me realize how fun some of the people I've met over here are and how I should've gone out more. I mean, the clubs aren't the best, b/c of poor music choice and creepy men, but being out with those bunch of new friends has been great.

Friday was a really fun going away party. Mayhaps on account of it not being their actual last night. Went to the Skeff with Chelsea, Caitlyn and Meg to Pat's going away party. The girls left but I stayed at the party, hanging out with the three lovely Scranton ladies Mandy introduced me to Carolyn, Deirdre and Clare; three girls who I should've hung out with a lot more and who I hope to road trip out east with Mandy to visit some day. Had a blast dancing and even found a beer I fancy, well, sort of. Does a Bulmer's w/ black currant still count as a beer, or is it contaminated? Basically I enjoyed the "snakebite" and the craic at the skeff. I joined them back at Corrib Village, yes another hopping the fence experience, and enjoyed the festivities over there.

Saturday started off sad, I had to wake early and walk in the rain to say bye to Caitlyn... my first friend made here. Although the day got nicer weather wise, it was sort of sad. I went to the market and center with Chelsea and had a great time with her, but studying that day was half-assed and when I went back out with the Scranton/Corrib Village group there was just this cloud hanging over all of it. the, "this is the last time I'm going to see you" cloud. Well, last time until I arrange that road trip.

Basically, I'm slowly being left behind here, which kind of sucks. Ok, I sound really whinny. Let me correct that: I'm bummed to being left behind, but I have some excitement in my life coming up that will def cancel out any sadness: ENEKO AND MELANIE! Although studying for these finals isn't going so well (what's wrong with me) I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL WEDS/THURS b/c that's when I go to Spain and get to see Eneko again! Then right after him, I'll see Melanie! The soon "hellos" make the recent "good byes" (or better, "ta ta for nows") easier to handle.

And now to studying econ... hopefully I haven't forgotten everything b/c my notes for that class are odd...

I miss the sun

It's one of those "man the weather sure is affecting my mood" sort of weeks.
Studying is one of those slowly but surely ordeals right now.
I've figured out a trip to Northern Ireland. Go to Belfast for two days with roomie, one of those days go on a tour to Giants Causeway (real intent behind this whole trip) and Carrik-a-rede roap bridge and Derry. Planning on doing this the Monday after Saturday that I return from France. This will give me two days to pack and say goodbye to Galway before heading to Dublin.

Galway, I'd be much less sad to leave thee come Wednesday if you would brighten up a bit. Gah, living on the fourth floor you just hear the roar of the wind and see the whiteout sky. I want to see some blue and sun por favor.

Interesting side note: not once in Ireland have I heard thunder or seen lightning. It makes me wonder why. I'd have choice seats being this high up for a good light show if we were to ever get lightning. However, today I did get a lovely view of a rainbow, barely discernible through the whiteout, but I saw it! : )

If when I return home it's raining, which it had better not, it should at least be a good thunder and lightning summer storm.

Since I've been back in Ireland...

... I really haven't been up to much.

When I first got back I had to write two ten-page papers in three days, so that first weekend back was loads of fun. I did manage to get my paper for Cooperation and Conflict in the Management of Natural Resources done. I wrote about Wolf Management in Alaska; quite an interesting study. It was my paper for Social Stratification and Inequality that was more difficult. Originally I was going to write a critical analysis on a book about the caste system which was recommended to me by my professor and that I read before leaving for Spain. Problem: when I returned home I couldn't find any critical reception on this book. Last minute I changed the topic to looking at how social class influences the rate of eating disorders among women. I didn't finish it by Monday, the original due date, but when I found out it'd be ok to turn it in late I took my time (whoops) and turned it in on Friday. Monday night I studied for an exam the next day, yeah, like I said it was a crazy first few days, but it wound up ok b/c i think I did well on that Developmental Geography exam. Celebrated at Monroe's afterwards with some lovely traditional dancing. I even got Irene and her friend Betti to come and Betti and I wound up dancing that night!

The rest of that week was mostly spent on writing that damn paper on eating disorders and social class. Findings being inconclusive: some people say that social class did have a direct link, meaning it is more likely that higher social classes will exhibit eating disorders than lower classes, but others say race has more to deal with it and then others say other factors... kind of a weak argument but an interesting study.

Last week was sort of dull and sad. Last week I did a whole lot of NOTHING. Quite boring. I've managed to watch tons of NCIS online though; I love that show. I did catch some good weather and went on three walks to Salthill, a walk along the bay about a nine mile loop from my apartment there and back. Loved it!

I had several farewell events last week. On Tuesday I said goodbye to a bunch of girls at Monroe's, Wednesday I said goodbye to Chelsea C, Thursday I said goodbye to my friend Meghan, Friday was my last hangout night with Mandy in Ireland. I'm so glad Mandy goes to Truman b/c I would have been MUCH more upset had that been the last time for good. We had so much fun that night, I wish I had gone out with them all a lot more this semester but it was great craic all the same. Haha, I wound up sleeping over at her apartment, as did the other girls (well one was her roommate) but I'm the only one not from that residence complex and so we had to hop the fence in order to get in; really glad I did that sober b/c most of them didn't. Saturday I went with one of Mandy's good friends to the Farmer's Market and it was such a lovely day we spent about four hours just chillin in the sun down by the Spanish Arch along the bay. I even got a bit of sun on my cheeks :)

Last night, Tuesday, I went out with my friends Caitlyn, Chelsea C and Meg and had a great time and might wind up going out with them again today. Since I have my last two exams on Tuesday though I need to start studying: Globalization of Democracy and Environmental and Natural Resource Economics. Ugh, I've been a month now with no real studies and it's hard to get back into the swing of things, especially with me in this "I'm bored and sort of ready to go" mood.

Thanks goodness I'm headed to Spain and France soon. Not that I don't love Ireland, but I need something to do, I can't be this bored with nothing on my plate.

Plans for the day are to actually study, plan a trip to Northern Ireland for right after I return from France on the 23rd and read some of the book I checked out from the library, La casa de los espiritus by Isabel Allende (love her). But, studying wont start for at least another hour. That's right, I'm going to watch yet another episode of NCIS haha

Last stop in Spain was Madrid

Madrid was also kind of cold (I was missing the warmth of Sevilla and Cordoba) but not rainy.

In Madrid, we were hosted by one of Anna's friends from the first time she visited Spain when in high school: Maria. Maria met us at the metro and took us to her apartment. It was sort of awkward at first, but once we went out exploring Madrid a bit it was just grand. I really appreciated talking with Maria because she openly corrected my Spanish, something I really need. Oh how a semester without Spanish can bring ruin to my grammar and an increase in my Anglicisms.

We first went out to the modern art museum Maria Sofia. Ok, so I don't get modern art for anything, I mean anything, but I really wanted to see Picasso's Guernica. That's right, I went there solely for that exhibit. I don't get cubism or surrealism or any of it, but I do see how the distortions of cubism worked for Guernica. If anything we had fun trying to understand/figure out some of the art, or even just making up meanings behind it all. Later we met up with two of her friends and walked along the main drag, Gran Via, and towards the center of the city Plaza Sol and found point zero, the point from which all other places/cities are measured. In the States we use a state line, there, it's at point zero in the middle of the country.

The next day Anna and I went exploring on our own. With a couple of suggestions, a map and metro pass, we saw the Palace (HUGE!), walked to Plaza Mayor where we saw loads of street performers, including a fat spiderman and Native American, walked to our last lunch of tortilla espanola, and metroed it to Parque de Retiro.

Parque de Retiro was by far my favorite place. Not only because nearby we found another place selling chocolate like what we had in Barcelona (honestly, like drinking a melted bar of chocolate) but because of the whimsical statues that lined the first 'avenue' we walked along. Like the picture above, all of these statues were just fun and lighthearted, although not all were in color. The landscaping of the park was also beautiful and the part was huge. Had clouds not loomed in on us, I could've spent the rest of the day there. As it was we went for the metro station, but not before I bought The Cat in the Hat in Spanish for 1.50 from a vendor (yeah I was excited!). Anna and Maria joined me for the metro to the airport and the long wait to get my boarding pass. After waiting two hours to board, oh Ryanair, and a two/three hour flight, I arrived safely in Dublin. I found good convo with the guy who I sat next to on the plane. I guess I enjoyed speakingin Spanish so much that my brain turned off the English b/c when we landed and the steward started speaking with his Irish accent I freaked out for a second because I could not figure out what he was saying. But then the English kicked back on and I was ok again; sad to leave Spain but good. Took a 1-4 am bus back to Galway, walked home and crashed by 5.

Spain rocked my face off.

Granada (finally)

Sorry for how late I've been... two weeks, so sorry!

Anyways, Anna and I went to Granada for two days. Our hostel was sort of odd, more like a hotel, so no real friends made there. However, we did meet up with one of Anna's friends the second night we were there. But, back to the first day...

... we got there mid-afternoon and immediately looked for food (did I mention I gained weight in Spain, haha). There I had the BEST tortilla española, sooo good. Then we tried to find a laundry place for Anna. We got another lesson about the Spanish siesta and almost got caught in the clutches of a small store vendor's never ending conversation, but Anna maneuvered us out of there within 10 minutes, but not before hearing the same advice at least 20 times. Yes, the lady was 'worse' than Pepo in that sense (I love my Pepo and he at least doesn't repeat the same info in a single convo). Once free we went exploring and wound up heading up to the Alhambra to see if we could get in that day, we couldn't, but at least we got one DRY and SUNNY walk up there. We then explored the Albaicin, a labyrinth of a white-washed part of the old city. Anna found a tea shop where she ordered some rose tea and generously shared a cup with me; for not liking tea much I did enjoy that. Later while Anna siesad (yeah, I made an English past tense verb out of a Spanish word) I went exploring a bit and mailed off a postcard or two.

Next morning we woke before the sun (I haven't done that in a while) to get to the Alhambra to wait in line early. Joining at least a hundred other people a half hour before the tickets even went on sale, we waited as the sun rose. I got to see the sky as the sun rose behind the walls, and then see it quickly replaced by unending rain and cold. That's right, the visit I was terribly excited for was dampened, literally, by a cold and rainy day. Sans internet/weather channel, we were caught unawares and got soaked. We went in and all and the Nasrid Palaces, the Alcazaba and the little of the gardens that we did see was beautiful, but it wasn't as lovely as a visit as I was hoping for. We spent only 2 hrs there, thanks Anna for staying even that long. I LOVED the architecture and the views but it was admittedly difficult to fully enjoy it while I was trying hard to stop shivering long enough to take a photo.

Returned quickly to hostel to dry off, sleep (sieta from 11-3) to wake to see a slightly sunny sky (screw you bad weather). That night we went out with Anna's friend. First stop, ironically enough, was an Irish pub. We stopped at a couple of others and finished off the night with delicious ice cream. Despite the rain and cold I did have fun in Granada, although I may have to return some sunny day to get a real feel for the Alhambra, or at least for more sangria and free tapas.

Ciao Sevilla and onto Cordoba

Since we only did one day in Cordoba we took an early bus out of Sevilla. After a long bus ride full of on and off napping and gazing off at the Spanish country side (there are these short trees, almost overgrown bushes, that stripe the country side and it bothered me so much not to know what type it was!) we arrived in Cordoba. The tourist offices at each bus station (minus Madrid) were so helpful in giving us maps and figuring out how to get to our hostel. This hostel in Cordoba, Senses and Colours Añil was so lovely it made up for the crappy one in Sevilla. The computer has placed Anna and I in separate rooms and the lady working the desk noticed and worked it so that we were together. In fact, we found up getting our own room, with our own bathroom! That's right, Anna and I each got our own bed, not bunk bed, with a shower and bathroom to ourselves. It was lovely!

The hostel was also very close to a bakery, dangerous to my waistline, tsks on you Spain, and not a far walk at all from the Mezquita.

Oh the Mezquita, I think I rose out of my body with excitement when we went there! Brief explanation: huge Mosque, after Catholic reconquest, the oh so loving Christians with a "take that!" mentality plopped a church right in the middle of the mosque. Me and my desires to go to the Middle East, fascination with other cultures, goal to learn Arabic and so on simply basked in the beauty of being in that inmense Mosque. The collision of religions was insane though. There were altars to different saints all around the perimeter of the mosque and the huge church in the center, yet Arabic style architecture, designs and writing all over the place as well. I thank Anna sincerely for letting me linger there as long as we did.

From there we roamed around the Judería, the old Jewish district, right next to the mosque. (Ok, so although I much prefer to learn about Latin America, as compared to Spain, I absolutely love the mix of cultures found in Southern Spain due to huge Jewish, Moorish and, of course, Catholic people). The Juderia just had that "quintessential" Andalusian feel to it. Best part was when we came upon the Sinagoga, although we couldn't get in that day, about three doors up and on the other side of the narrow street we ventured into this bar. Anna's mom told her that we had to try fino, a wine specialized in Southern Spain. We went into this bar, asked if they had any fino. The bartender looked at us a little confusedly and said yes. After informing us that the only difference between a small and large glass was 5 cents, we each ordered a large copa de fino (only 95 cents!). To our complete bemusement, he turned around to the huge barrel behind the bar and poured our drinks from the tap; fino must be their specialty, everyone in the bar had it! We found a seat and enjoyed our delicious 95 cent finos at 3 or 4 pm in the afternoon.

After hostel time, siesta and dinner, we made our way to a flamenco show. A family owned operation: brothers on the guitar and 'drum' (more of a box-like thing used for percussion purposes... that drummer was oh so beautiful), father singing, others accompanying with vocals and palmas (clapping). The female dancer was out sick and so they had a male dancer perform; he was phenomenal. Although we missed a potential fan dance, we by no means felt deprived. It was an amazing show, I still don't know how they all coordinate so well, still can't quite hear the beats they each play at. with a pitcher of sangria and a Cheshire-cat-like grin on my face as I watched a most beautiful performance, we finished Cordoba in the best way

(by the way, all photos are from either right outside or within the Mezquita)

Easter Sunday in Sevilla

Woke in good company with the plan to go to the Cathedral with Anna and Brittney for mass. It didn't 'start' until 10, so we aimed for being there around 9, expecting it to be sort of like at home where mass fills up on Easter, especially it being the Cathedral in sevilla. Well, we needn't have been so worried. Mass didn't really start until 11. It was as though the priests were pregaming from 10-11. It was a lovely way to see the inside of the Cathedral without being charged as well as a good cultural experience: a pre-Vatican II like mass in Spanish. It made me really grateful for both mass at Redemptorist and the Newman Center (both very post Vatican II). No lie, this has been the most out of tune with my religious life I've ever been, not too fond of it, I'm hoping that that, along with many other aspects of my more structured US life will return when I go home... however I intend to start working on that (and those other parts that are off-balance) sooner, as in now.

After mass, we went to the cafe right under their apartment for lunch: empanaditas and a pastry for yummy dessert. I can't really recall the rest of the day, but I think we all just hung out for quite a while. Anna and I were unable to cancel our Sunday night hostel reservation. [Explanation: we'd made at least this one reservation beforehand. After finding our new friends, we thought about cancelling it. Website said that for Semana Santa they required a 7 day notice... so, we didn't think we could... once we got their though, and found it to be a shitty one (internet down, laundry out, cold water, found out we could've canceled it in only 24 hrs notice; worst hostel yet]. Well, we went ahead and took our siesta at the hostel before returning to our friends' for dinner. Wow, Marie made a delicious spinach, cream, garbanzo and potato dish and Hannah a veggie curry and rice dish, yum! We stood there til it got to being around 10 and then we went ahead and made our way back to the hostel. We stopped for our first (delicious) Spanish ice cream in the center.

Anna liked to do inventory regularly, just so that we could look at what was going on, and really appreciate it. I think that night was my favorite inventory. It went something along the lines of "Inventory: we are sitting on a park bench in Plaza Nueva in Sevilla, we are eating delicious ice cream on a beautiful Easter night (really, we need hazelnut flavored ice cream in the States!), we went to mass at the Cathedral on Easter, we had a delicious dinner, we saw everything we wanted to see in this city, we didn't have to sleep on a park bench once and we made five new friends!" Talk about being grateful!

Let's recap Sevilla, a week or so later

Flew into Sevilla from Barcelona on Friday April 10 without any concrete idea of where we were staying. We were hoping to be able to stay at the apartment of a friend of a friend. Problem: the friend of my friend was in the states and hadn't gotten in touch with her flatmates. Well, we had their address and their phone number. We arrived at their apartment around 11 pm. As if we weren't tired enough, we had no luck there. It was so disheartening because we were exhausted, the potential resting spot insight and within knocking distance, their lights on and all, yet no answer.

Out of desperation I called a girl I had met on the bus from the Sevilla airport to city center. On this bus I'd shared Anna's and my 'we don't know where we'll sleep tonight' story and this kind soul, Brittney, gave us her number and said that if we got into a real bind that she might be able to help us out. We wound up in a bind. When I called her I could tell she was pressed, they already had another guest staying and her flatmates were out and we'd only just met (!) but she said yes, God bless her. Anna and I got a taxi over to her apartment and I don't think I stopped saying thank you from the moment Brittney opened the door until she left us to sleep on their living room couch and floor.

Next morning I was the first one up, and as I started preparing to make some oatmeal that I'd brought, two of the flatmates woke: Hannah and Jen. I greeted them with a "Hi, I'm Jillian, the girl Brittney met on the bus and let crash on your floor." Brittney had written them a letter explaining it all for when they got in that night. They were awesome and just found the entire situation highly amusing, no awkwardness at all, immediate new friends formed.

With only 2 days in Sevilla, Anna and I wanted to explore and asked them for their advice. Not only did we get advice, but Hannah took us out, showed us around, and worked as the best guide and new friend we could have ever asked for! Hannah took us to the center through neat backways, giving us a fun feel for Sevilla. It was a beautiful sunny day as we strolled through the beautiful streets, and as though she knew how badly I had to see the Giralda tower of which the Plaza's is a small imitation (yetnot half as impressive now that I've seen the real one). She took us to a lovely local eating place where we got cheap and delicious tapas that we would have never found alone. I had tortilla española (a potato and egg torte/omelet... delicious, I'm making it for you all when I come back) and a spinach,garbanzo and cod tapa. yes, they were that good that I remember them. Goodness I did so much eating in Spain. I think it is maybe a good idea I didn't study there, instead of coming back 5 or so pounds heavier, I would have come back 20 or so after 5 months there! Oh, and I would have come back a lush b/c I'm a fan of sangria and the wines, which are delicious and cheap there... so maybe Ireland was a better choice for my liver and waistline, haha.

So, with Hannah we saw the Cathedral, along with the Giralda, from outside of course, we didn't go indoors or up the tower, not paying to see the inside of a church, sorry. Some part of me just believe that the house of God should be open access, but that's just me. Anyways, we went to the Alcazar, a palace originally inhabited by the Moors, subsequent rulers have added their own touches. So, as classic Andalusian architecture shows, you get both the Islamic and Christian touches, a mudejar style. Basically I was obsessed. This was one of those places that I went to and it made me a little less upset about not visiting Morocco and made me really want to learn Arabic even more. The style is so ornate, yet not overly so, so light, open, I loved the gardens. It was basically a lovely afternoon!

So we explored the center quite a bit and had to come back for a siesta, or at least a descanso (rest). However, it wasn't long. Anna and I left later with the other flatmates, Marie, Jen, Nora and Brittney to go watch some of the procesiones (processions) for Semana Santa (Holy Week, which is done biggest and baddest, the good 'bad', in Sevilla). That there was amazing too. We went by the Cathedrals and stood on the fences to watch as the Pasos, or different altars, were paraded through the city. I still am amazed at how men can lift such huge and extremely heavy statues of gold or silver, with candles and flowers all over. People do a lot for religion. Semana Santa is a big deal in Sevilla. I heard that if it rains, people cry because they spend all year planning it and if it rains they can't do it because these pasos are really really old and delicate and can't be risked in such a way. But there were no worries, it was a beautiful day and it was highly impressive.

For dinner that night, Anna and I made our new friends dinner, gallo pinto Costa Rican style. Later, Brittney, Anna and I went out to catch a flamenco show, one of the few free ones. It was packed in that bar but it was lovely. There was one guitarist, one man singing and a female dancer. I can't quite comprehend flamenco. I can't hear the beat like they do, but they all know when to tap their feet or clap their hands and the dancer knows how to move to what. It is so fascinating and I'd love to learn, ahh! Oh, and on the way back, we stopped for chocolate and churros. Biggest bag of churros ever. Although I'm not a big fan of the fried dough, I thoroughly enjoyed sipping my chocolate and enjoying Anna and Brittney's company at 1 in the morning on a lovely pedestrian street in Sevilla.

Last Day in Barcelona

I feel as though I have, well I will have after today, done everything that I needed to do.
I have met tons of lovely people, stayed in two hostels, eaten tapas, paella (got ripped off but will tell that story when I get more time) drank sangría, visited Parc Guell, la Sagrada Familia, Montjuic, the beach, saw the Cathedral, saw Picasso's museum. Funny story about that. So we walked towards the Picasso Museum, but, used it as a reference point as to when to turn in order to reach Museu Xocolata (the chocolate museum!). Yeah, I happened to see that on my map, thought to myself that that sounds an awful lot like how the Aztecs (or is it mayans...) spelt Chocolate. Anna googled it, found out it was indeed a chocolate museum, and we decided that that Museum was the one worth paying an entrance fee. Our ticket upon entry, a bar of 73% dark chocolate, delicious! As we exited, I had to buy a big bar of it as well as have a small cup of chocolate. I will have to forget it because hot chocolate will never be the same. It was so thick and beautiful, almost as if they had simply melted the stick of 73% and managed to keep it in liquid form. I was a happy camper.

Today we have a bit of time to roam and see whatever we feel as though we have missed before heading to Sevilla. Barcelona has definitely been a win, I am a fan, but I am so terribly excited to go to Andalucía as well.

Wish us happy, lucky, and safe travels!
¡Besos!