tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30422074230461692682024-02-08T03:50:08.075+01:00shake it upAbbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-17059430305240396562009-06-02T12:07:00.014+02:002009-06-02T22:09:54.560+02:00There and back again, a traveler's tale<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> 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style="font-size:130%;">2 June 2009</span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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<br /></p><div style="text-align: center; margin-left: auto; visibility: visible; margin-right: auto; width: 450px;"> <object width="435" height="270"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.profileplaylist.net/mc/mp3player_new.swf"> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="never"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> <param name="flashvars" value="config=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indimusic.us%2Fext%2Fpc%2Fconfig_blue.xml&mywidth=435&myheight=270&playlist_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indimusic.us%2Floadplaylist.php%3Fplaylist%3D64620272%26t%3D1243944392&wid=os"> <embed style="width: 435px; visibility: visible; height: 270px;" allowscriptaccess="never" src="http://www.profileplaylist.net/mc/mp3player_new.swf" flashvars="config=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indimusic.us%2Fext%2Fpc%2Fconfig_blue.xml&mywidth=435&myheight=270&playlist_url=http://www.indimusic.us/loadplaylist.php?playlist=64620272&t=1243944392&wid=os" name="mp3player" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="435" border="0" height="270"></embed> </object>
<br /><a href="http://www.profileplaylist.net/"><img src="http://www.profileplaylist.net/mc/images/create_blue.jpg" alt="Get a playlist!" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.mysocialgroup.com/standalone/64620272" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.profileplaylist.net/mc/images/launch_blue.jpg" alt="Standalone player" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.mysocialgroup.com/download/64620272"><img src="http://www.profileplaylist.net/mc/images/get_blue.jpg" alt="Get Ringtones" border="0" /></a> </div>
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<br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Here be some music having to do with my conflicting feelings about going home. 1st half is the sadness to go, the second half is my excitement to arrive.
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<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">We had our final dinner on t<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v4673/92/96/1948751/n1948751_49784900_349494.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 195px;" src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v4673/92/96/1948751/n1948751_49784900_349494.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>he 22<sup>nd</sup> at this place called the Trobador.<span style=""> </span>It was delicious!<span style=""> </span>The layout of the restaurant was not convenient for our type of gathering though, which really sucked.<span style=""> </span>We didn’t have our own room this time, so it was really hard to hear the speeches and awards that were being given out.<span style=""> </span>B*Town was there, but he didn’t bring his gorgeous wife.<span style=""> </span>Oh well.<span style=""> </span>Elena came over and talked to us twice—once to tell us that 2 people’s bags had been stolen and the other time to tell us she was leaving and to study hard, but not too hard!<span style=""> </span>They people who stole the bags had been wandering around our group and they stuck out like sore thumbs.<span style=""> </span>We all knew they had no reason to be standing in the middle of our group looking around, and I’m surprised they didn’t realize the same.<span style=""> </span>Well, anyways…finals were fine.<span style=""> </span>I definitely gave them my all!<span style=""> </span>Marianne’s last class was challenging, but great nonetheless.<span style=""> </span>I turned in my final paper yesterday morning, and I am finally free!<span style=""> </span>SCHOOL’S OUT FOR SUMMER!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v4673/92/96/1948751/n1948751_49785030_3061348.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 341px; height: 255px;" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v4673/92/96/1948751/n1948751_49785030_3061348.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Tuesday night was Allie’s last.<span style=""> </span>We all went to Oveja Negra and had a drink before the final goodbye.<span style=""> </span>She cried and told me I had a heart of stone, haha!<span style=""> </span>True, unfortunately.<span style=""> </span>I transferred all of my money back to the US.<span style=""> </span>The Caixa had been remodeled since I was last there, so I was a bit confused when I walked it.<span style=""> </span>The guy asked me if I was going to watch the game and I asked if they were going to show it at Plaza Catalunya.<span style=""> </span>He had no idea, but said sometimes they put the jumbo up!<span style=""> </span>I had my last Boqueria experience.<span style=""> </span>They had a lot of Barca flags up and there were lots of people doing the Barca cheers in the market.<span style=""> </span>Since we were wearing our jerseys for the game, lots of people were yelling to us and cheering on the streets!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">The Barca-Man U game was aweeesome!<span style=""> </span>Instead of showing it at Plaza Catalunya (which apparently they did later), they had it playing on a jumbo down at Mare Magnum—the big mall down by the port.<span style=""> </span>It was ridiculously crowded there!<span style=""> </span>On the bridge over, we heard that Messi scored a goal and the people on the bridge went nuts!<span style=""> </span>When we got</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs092.snc1/4673_862796846060_1948751_49845910_5468585_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 346px; height: 260px;" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs092.snc1/4673_862796846060_1948751_49845910_5468585_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"> over there, there was nowhere we could stand to watch, so we tried going into the mall.<span style=""> </span>No dice, but it was funny to see people running around the mall drinking and smoking.<span style=""> </span>We found a good place to stand on the ot</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">her side and camped there for the night.<span style=""> </span>Insane crowd and game.<span style=""> </span>Ronaldo is a little bitch.<span style=""> </span>He’s so cocky and arrogant, yugh!<span style=""> </span>Long story short, WE WON!<span style=""> </span>Barca has now won the Copa, the Liga, and is the new Campion! <span style=""> </span>Insanity ensued in Plaza Catalunya.<span style=""> </span>The people who had restaurants or plants along the rambla had to chain things together so no one took stuff or trashed it.<span style=""> </span>There was a lot of dynamite, fire, drunken cheering, and people climbing light posts.<span style=""> </span>After hanging out for a while, Amy and I decided to head home, but the way was blocked.<span style=""> </span>So we had to go aaaaaall the way around the Plaza, which was practically impossible due to</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"> the amount of people.<span style=""> </span>I stepped on a piece of glass that got stuck in my foot (no biggie, just a small piece).<span style=""> </span>Here are some Barca sayings or cheers:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">“¡VISCA BARÇA!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">“Ese portugues…hijodeputa es” – in reference to Ronaldo</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">“<span style="" lang="ES">OH LE LE!<span style=""> </span>OH LA LA! <span style=""> </span>Ser del Barca es, el millor que hi ha!”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">“Copa, Liga, CAMPION!” – to the chorus from We Will Rock You</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Thursday afternoon, we got all the way to the bus stop before realizing the Tibibus doesn’t run on weekdays.<span style=""> </span>Instead, we went to Parc Guell.<span style=""> </span>A lot of it was blocked off due to storm maintenance, so that wasn’t cool.<span style=""> </span>When we got back into the city, we went to 4 Gats for some yummy crema catalana.<span style=""> </span>I got my ear pierced (it was only 9 euros, haha), bought a don Quijote painting on the Rambla, got some other little doodads, and then went to SIX—a store the US desperately needs.<span style=""> </span>No joke, I wanted to buy half of the store.<span style=""> </span>Their stuff is so cute!<span style=""> </span>On the way home, we ran into a <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs092.snc1/4673_862796831090_1948751_49845907_6117201_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 363px; height: 272px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs092.snc1/4673_862796831090_1948751_49845907_6117201_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>mob in Plaza Catalunya.<span style=""> </span>Everyone was wearing Barca stuff and carrying flags, so we assumed the team was going to come by!<span style=""> </span>We ended up waiting 2 hours for them to show up, but it was totally worth it!<span style=""> </span>They showed up on their Barca bus and were dancing and waving flags on the upper deck.<span style=""> </span>They were totally wasted—it was hilarious!<span style=""> </span>Behind them was an Estrella party bus that was playing music and stuff. It was SO cool to see them all up close!<span style=""> </span>When we got home, we told amy what she had miss and then went with her to Aribau to watch them again.<span style=""> </span>Perfect timing!<span style=""> </span>This time we saw the other side of the bus and different people!<span style=""> </span>Score!<span style=""> </span>So awesome!<span style=""> </span>Later that night we met up with Jimmy and his adorable Italian roommate at Oveja Negra.<span style=""> </span>We taught him to say “keep your pimp hand strong” and then told him to go say it to the group sitting next to us.<span style=""> </span>Unfortunately, they were Kiwis and didn’t know what that meant anyways.<span style=""> </span>So, they settled on ripping up his cardboard Barca hand and then tried to steal him, haha!<span style=""> </span>Funny night.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">On Friday we rented bikes and rode them all over the city.<span style=""> </span>Let me tell you…Barca is not a bike friendly city.<span style=""> </span>People kept getting mad at us and I was super annoyed.<span style=""> </span>We eventually made it all over the city and saw everything we wanted to revisit in a day!<span style=""> </span>My allergies were HORRIBLE though.<span style=""> </span>When I got home, everyone in the piso thought I had been crying really hard because my eyes were all bloodshot and watery and I was sniffling a lot.<span style=""> </span>Nope!<span style=""> </span>Just allergies, yaaaaay?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <div style="border-style: none none solid; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">We finally made it to Tibidabo on Saturday.<span style=""> </span>Our bus driver was so chipper and he was playing oldies music all the way up.<span style=""> </span>Tibidabo was so fun!<span style=""> </span>We got to see the big church and then went on a bunch of rides!<span style=""> </span>We went on the rollercoaster twice, a swinging ship twice in one go, the hurakan (which is 2 rows of seats that spin, all attached to arms that go in a circle), the bumper cars, and this insane ride whose name I don’t even remember.<span style=""> </span>This last one was terrifyingly awesome!<span style=""> </span>It raised 4 people on seats up incredibly high and then dropped them.<span style=""> </span>If you were sitting on my side, the seats tilt so you’re facing straight down on the way down.<span style=""> </span>It was so fun!<span style=""> </span>I have a video of it which I will put up later since I realize that description didn’t make much sense.<span style=""> </span>It was a very fun day, but I got sunburned even more on my left side.<span style=""> </span>Oh well!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Sunday we had planned on going to Sitges, but since none of us had finished our papers, we decided to call it a work day.<span style=""> </span>That night, we went to the magic fountain show in Plaza Espanya which is one of my favorite things in the city.<span style=""> </span>Of course, they did part of the show set to My Heart Will Go On from Titanic.<span style=""> </span>I had already been upset during the day since it finally hit me that this was one of my last days in Barca, and writing my sad story only augmented those feelings.<span style=""> </span>So having to watch that, I felt like I wanted to cry the rest of the night.<span style=""> </span>Boooo!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Monday I was better.<span style=""> </span>I sent my paper in and packed most of the day.<span style=""> </span>We made a hodge podge dinner last night of things we had lying around.<span style=""> </span>It was fun!<span style=""> </span>We watched some Undeclared.<span style=""> </span>Very funny show by the way.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Here I am on Tuesday.<span style=""> </span>I made my arrangement for my taxi tomorrow already.<span style=""> </span>The woman on the phone was so nice.<span style=""> </span>After giving her all my info, she was like “okay, don’t worry.<span style=""> </span>When the driver gets there at 5:30, he’ll buzz your apartment, okay?”<span style=""> </span>What a nice lady!<span style=""> </span>Not sure what I’m doing today. <span style=""> </span>I was planning on going to bed at like 8pm so I could get up at 3am, take a shower and finish packing and such, but I don’t know if I’ll be ready to sleep in 8 hours.<span style=""> </span><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" 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4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> Today I ran and got some squishy candy and then went to the beach!<span style=""> </span>It was SO hot today!<span style=""> </span>We went later in the afternoon so we wouldn’t have a heat stroke.<span style=""> </span>On the way back, we did some shopping along the rambla and got some gelato at our favorite place.<span style=""> </span>And guess what they were playing?!<span style=""> </span>MGMT!<span style=""> </span>Sweet!<span style=""> </span>We also saw (on 2 separate occasions) an old man riding his bike though Barcelona butt naked!<span style=""> </span>Hilarious, but why?<span style=""> </span>Lovely last day!<span style=""> </span>I’ll be back up in 5-ish hours to start my day from Hell.<span style=""> </span>Ugh, I cant wait to just be home and done with all of this traveling!!</p><div style="border-style: none none solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color windowtext; border-width: medium medium 1.5pt; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">Anyways.<span style=""> </span>This year has been amazing.<span style=""> </span>Thank you to my parents for their love and support—I couldn’t have done this without you!<span style=""> </span>While I know I didn’t do a lot of things on my “To Do in Europe” list, I am not upset because I did things I didn’t even imagine I would do!<span style=""> </span>This year has been a whirlwind of ups and downs, and I wouldn’t redo any of it!<span style=""> </span>I am sincerely grateful to have been able to come here for a year.<span style=""> </span>I have evolved as a person, and am better for the experience.<span style=""> </span>While I know it will be incredibly hard to say goodbye to my little home in Barcelona, I will get to look forward to seeing my wonderful family and my puppies!<span style=""> </span>Given all of this, I know I shouldn’t cry because it’s over…I should be happy that it happened.<span style=""> </span>Europe isn’t going anywhere.<span style=""> </span>I’ve got my whole life to come back to it, and I’m sure I will one day.<span style=""> </span>So everyone, thanks for the memories, thanks for the laughter, thanks for the tears, thanks ever after.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">Until I’m in the 720</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">Much love,</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">Abby
<br /></p> </div> <p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div> </div>
<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyNDEzNzQ*MzQwNTQmcHQ9MTI*MTM3NDQ2MTc*NSZwPTM5MDEmZD1mbGFzaHRveXMmZz*xJnQ9Jm89MGM4ODEyMWI1MTE3NDBmYjhmYjIxYmQxZjQxOTc3NzE=.gif" width="0" border="0" height="0" /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.freeflashtoys.com/?myspace-countdown-clocks"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" id="myMovieName" width="300" height="180"><param name="flashvars" value="maturity=1244056500000:16777215:16777215:16777215:source.pyzam.com/app_res/mdp_cd/300x180/9/a/ahamericanflag72.jpg:Abby039s032invasion032of032the032America032land"><param name="movie" value="http://stuff.freeflashtoys.com/swf/cd_custom.swf"><param name="quality" value="high"><embed src="http://stuff.freeflashtoys.com/swf/cd_custom.swf?maturity=1244056500000:16777215:16777215:16777215:source.pyzam.com/app_res/mdp_cd/300x180/9/a/ahamericanflag72.jpg:Abby039s032invasion032of032the032America032land" quality="high" wmode="transparent" name="myMovieName" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" width="300" align="" height="180"></embed></object>
<br /></a></p>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-35248602454943422312009-06-01T22:25:00.004+02:002009-06-01T22:38:34.667+02:00La corrida de toros<span style="font-size:130%;">1 June 2009<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs092.snc1/4673_861439566060_1948751_49784787_8056770_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 186px; height: 278px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs092.snc1/4673_861439566060_1948751_49784787_8056770_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />So back to this bullfight I went to. I’m going to tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly and then I want to know what you think of it!<br /><br />So in Spain, a bullfight is called a “corrida de toros” (running of the bulls). During one show, 3 matadores get to challenge 2 different bulls for a total of 6 bulls at each show.<br /><br />So the first thing that happens when the bull comes out is some toreros distract him so they run at their capes. They do this to see how ferocious and courageous the bull is. After running the bull for around for a bit and doing some fancy moves with the cape, they have the option to save the bull. If the white panu<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs092.snc1/4673_861439556080_1948751_49784786_6135861_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 337px; height: 230px;" src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs092.snc1/4673_861439556080_1948751_49784786_6135861_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>elos are waved in the air, the bull is spared! If not, we move on to the second phase.<br /><br />2 picadores come into the ring on blindfolded horses. They each have a lance which they will use to poke and wound the bull with (right between the shoulder blades). The horses have protection on one side of them, thankfully. Based on the way the bull charges the horse, they can tell which side it favors and would that side more. This is the first time we see blood. Now when it charges the capes, it has the tendency to trip over itself and fall over. One of the bulls in ou<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v4673/92/96/1948751/n1948751_49784783_4555307.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 294px;" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v4673/92/96/1948751/n1948751_49784783_4555307.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>r show face planted it, got his horns stuck, did a full on head stand before falling over. Not cool.<br /><br />In stage 3, the banderillos come out. There are usually about 3 of them, and each have two flags (more accurately, they’re razor sharp barbed sticks) which they stab as close as possible to where the picador made the first wound. More blood loss, weaker neck and shoulder muscles, and the bulls try to shake them off since they’re so uncomfortable. Between this stage and the final stage, one of the bulls that we saw ran back to the place he had come out from and stared at it. After realizing no one was going to help him, he ran over to some people who were standing right outside of the ring and stared at them…it was so heartbreaking.<br /><br />Last step—the matador. The matador does some fancy passes with his little red cape, and shows how close he will get to the bull that has now lost a ton of blood and is very weak. They use a red cape so you can’t see how much blood is on it, not because the color angers the bulls—they’re actually colorblind. Towards the end of his part, he holds the cape down low and shakes it. The bull looks down, and if the matador does his job properly, he will stab the bull between the shoulder blades and through th<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v4673/92/96/1948751/n1948751_49784778_1504451.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 327px; height: 378px;" src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v4673/92/96/1948751/n1948751_49784778_1504451.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>e aorta or heart. However, stupid matador in pink did it horribly wrong BOTH times! The very first bull we see was completely tortured and suffered a horrible, horrible death thanks to that man. He stabbed him completely wrong and he just stood there. Usually if you stab them correctly, they walk for about 30 seconds and then just fall over. But this one wandered and then stood there, his whole body convulsing, with blood spewing from its mouth. It was quite possibly the most horrible thing I had ever seen. I don’t think the matador and his people even knew what to do because they all stood there and stared at each other! Not only did all of the black bulls look like Ripley, but they were so sweet. The bulls are not mean by nature, they’re actually very peaceful animals. When he wasn’t having a cape shaken in front of him, he just stood there and looked around. They only go for the capes because is a foreign, wiggling object. The matador in white was by far the best. He was very professional, unlike the pink man who seemed to be just dicking around out there. Pinky man even had the nerve to put his elbow on his dying second bull’s head to show how brave he was! No! You’re doing it wrong! They’re not supposed to be coughing up blood, you ass! The matador in red was okay except for the fact that on both of his bulls, his first kill attempt was a major fail. He would stab him, but then the sword would fall out and he would have to do it again. He had the last bull of the night, and let me tell you, that thing would not die. He was a feisty one. I thought this one should have been spared, instead of the brown cow. The last bull would not let that horse go. They had to pull its tail and try to drag him away from it after about 5 minutes. Poor horse. But <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v4673/92/96/1948751/n1948751_49784797_4093606.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 379px; height: 266px;" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v4673/92/96/1948751/n1948751_49784797_4093606.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>yeah, he wouldn’t die, so they gave him a death jab in the back of the next and he dropped to the floor like a towel. On the way out, we followed the smear of blood and saw where they were taking the bulls. Two words: meat hooks. Yugh. All of them were skinned and hanging there except for the newcomer who was currently being attached to hooks and being raised up. Poor little guy. His head fell and splashed in the basin of blood below it =(<br /><br />All in all, I thought it was interesting, but I don’t think I would go to another one by choice. I was rooting for the bull and the horses the entire time, haha!<br /><br />Other facts to ponder about bullfighting:<br />+Spanish people yell “olé” when the bull charges the cape<br />+If it weren’t for bullfighting, this breed of bull would have gone extinct years ago<br />+While they’re living, they’re treated like kings. They get the best food and the best lady cows.<br />+They give the meat away, usually to the poor<br />/A bull fighter who does well can receive a prize of one ear, two ears, or the tail, which is the best prize<br />-Sometimes the horses that the picadors ride on are all doped up so they don’t even hear the bull near them<br />-Even if the bull falls down within 20 seconds they are still stabbed repeatedly until paralyzed and then has his spinal cord cut. Even so, it may still be conscious as its getting its ears or tail cut off, and being dragged out of the ring by its horns<br />-Bulls are often weakened and disoriented before a fight by means of drugs or other cruel methods<br />-Sometimes they shave down the bull’s horns, making them incredibly sensitive or they yank their balls to make them mad<br /><br />I’m anti-bullfighting. What are your thoughts?<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />MORE PHOTOS</span><br /><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Espana/Corrida%20de%20Toros/">Corrida de toros</a><br /><br />i decided not to put videos up for three reasons:<br />1. they're upsetting<br />2. i already packed away my external hard drive<br />3. i'm lazy =)<br /><br />if you want to see them, just ask and i'll show them to you when i get back!Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-71060125410682700352009-05-17T14:56:00.010+02:002009-06-02T14:00:53.585+02:00Hey, Czech out my blog!<div style="text-align: center; margin-left: auto; visibility: visible; margin-right: auto; width: 450px;"> <object width="435" height="270"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.profileplaylist.net/mc/mp3player_new.swf"> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="never"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> <param name="flashvars" value="config=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indimusic.us%2Fext%2Fpc%2Fconfig_purple_noautostart_shuffle.xml&mywidth=435&myheight=270&playlist_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indimusic.us%2Floadplaylist.php%3Fplaylist%3D63434270%26t%3D1243944032&wid=os"> <embed style="width: 435px; visibility: visible; height: 270px;" allowscriptaccess="never" src="http://www.profileplaylist.net/mc/mp3player_new.swf" flashvars="config=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indimusic.us%2Fext%2Fpc%2Fconfig_purple_noautostart_shuffle.xml&mywidth=435&myheight=270&playlist_url=http://www.indimusic.us/loadplaylist.php?playlist=63434270&t=1243944032&wid=os" name="mp3player" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="435" border="0" height="270"></embed> </object>
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<br /><div style="text-align: center;">here are some songs you probably dont know, but will probably enjoy!
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<br />17 May 2009</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">9 months and one day.<span style=""> </span>Time flies so fast when you’re being swept away into a fabulous adventure.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">So I’ve been having MAYJAH problems with my allergies lately.<span style=""> </span>I’ve tried multiple Spanish allergy medicines and used the ones I had left over from the US, but none of them seem to work for me!<span style=""> </span>It got so bad at one point that I was suffocating when I ate or drank anything because I couldn’t breathe and do either of those things at the same time.<span style=""> </span>Ugh.<span style=""> </span>I went to the first creative writing workshop with Marianne on the 5<sup>th</sup> which was really cool.<span style=""> </span>Not many people showed up since people are “writing papers” and “studying,” but I almost liked it better that way—it was a more intimate setting!<span style=""> </span>We did a lot of writing exercises in which she prompted us to think about things I’ve never really thought about.<span style=""> </span>It was very interesting.<span style=""> </span>I realized that there are a lot of little things I’ll miss when I leave Barca.<span style=""> </span>Oh well, I guess it will just be an incentive to come back in the future!<span style=""> </span>We also saw Amy’s phone guy again while we were on break.<span style=""> </span>He was sitting in a grass patch behind a tree in the garden area behind the school.<span style=""> </span>It was so random and weird.<span style=""> </span>Apparently I said “OMG!<span style=""> </span><i style="">That</i> guy again!?” really loudly when we weren’t that far away.<span style=""> </span>Ahh the joys of being half deaf…</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Basilio was being incredibly silly in class on Wednesday.<span style=""> </span>We were talking about symbols and how the image of a woman with “pelo suelto” or hair that’s not pulled back was an instrument of the devil.<span style=""> </span>Women depicted with their hair pulled back were more pure.<span style=""> </span>Then Basilio was talking about the girls in the patio who hold their books in their arms and lean against the walls.<span style=""> </span>Then when the wind blows they move their head around so their hair moves in the breeze and the guys notice them.<span style=""> </span>Not only did he tell us this, but he reenacted it!<span style=""> </span>He went to the center of the room, looked like a sad nerd holding onto his invisible books and then waved his head in the non-existent classroom breeze, hahaha!<span style=""> </span>What a funny old man.<span style=""> </span>I wiki’d him…he’s 79.<span style=""> </span>When we were talking about el Camino de Santiago, he showed us a picture of the house that’s been in his family for over 700 years.<span style=""> </span><i style="">That’s older than our country!!</i><span style=""> </span>Good lord.<span style=""> </span>He was telling us how they would give food to the people on the pilgrimage and how he would enter his house by climbing the tree and jumping through his window instead of using the front door.<span style=""> </span>One day an old man was eating at their house and Basilio and his cousin or brother were trying to figure out whether or not he was God.<span style=""> </span>Oh Basilio.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">BERLIN & PRAGUE!<span style=""> </span>Such a great last trip!<span style=""> </span>It was so weird going to the airport knowing this was probably the last time I would ever take this exact route to the airport in my life.<span style=""> </span>I always think about things like that.<span style=""> </span>Will this be my last time taking the renfe from Passeig de Gracia?<span style=""> </span>Will it be my last time walking on the walkway over the street?<span style=""> </span>I don’t know why do that…it always ends up making me feel sad.<span style=""> </span>The flight was really unorganized.<span style=""> </span>The seats weren’t assigned but they were still trying to board by groups.<span style=""> </span>I don’t know.<span style=""> </span>It was just very chaotic.<span style=""> </span>When we got in, we had to take a train into the city but had to switch a couple of times.<span style=""> </span>Then when we got to one of the main stations, we were supposed to take the U2 to the hostel, but the metro closed since it was so late!<span style=""> </span>So instead, we hung out at the station and got crepes!<span style=""> </span>We ended up just taking a taxi over, which was fine because it was only 7 euros total.<span style=""> </span>We were totally hoping we wouldn’t have a fourth roommate, but we did!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">In the morning, some maids came into our room and starting ranting in German and Turkish.<span style=""> </span>Apparently nobody’s supposed to be staying in that room.<span style=""> </span>Well that explains a lot of things, like the lack of mirrors, the lack of a ladder to the top bunk, and the two huge bins of towels and sheets!<span style=""> </span>There were also no mirrors in the bathroom but there was a sink whose water did not run into the basin but onto itself.<span style=""> </span>Our roommate from Vienna turned out to be really nice!<span style=""> </span>Apparentl<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v4489/92/96/1948751/n1948751_49480987_635649.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 282px; height: 212px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v4489/92/96/1948751/n1948751_49480987_635649.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>y he studied abroad at SIU for something involving filmmaking.<span style=""> </span>We met downstairs for breakfast with everyone and then headed out to get to our bike tour!<span style=""> </span>Our guide’s name was Francis and he was a kiwi!<span style=""> </span>The bikes were so awesome!<span style=""> </span>They were those old fashion looking bikes with the bigger handlebars and big seats.<span style=""> </span>They each had a squeak toys (for the dogs and small children) and a bell to alert the locals we were coming!<span style=""> </span>So we biked around and hit all the major points like the Rathous, Museum Island, the wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the area above Hitler’s bunker, an outpost by no-man’s land, a bunch of really old churches, the Reichstag (their parliament building), the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Brandenburg Gate, and much more!<span style=""> </span>We stopped at a beer garden half way through and I got a beer and some mountain sausages, haha!<span style=""> </span>They were delicious.<span style=""> </span>I must say, my favorite thing about the tour was probably the fact that we were riding bikes.<span style=""> </span>Those bikes were so comfy and fun!<span style=""> </span>I cant wait to ride my bike around town when I get home!<span style=""> </span>After the tour, we waited around forever for the other group to get back.<span style=""> </span>Apparently they went to <i style="">another</i> beer garden.<span style=""> </span>Damn them.<span style=""> </span>So in the mean time, Amy, Carolyn, and I wandered around, found some souvenirs, and then ran into a street band!<span style=""> </span>We met up with the girls again.<span style=""> </span>The others still weren’t there.<span style=""> </span>They got there about 30 minutes after that and we all started making our way to the Brandenburg Gate since we didn’t go through it on the tour!<span style=""> </span>Once we got there we all split off.<span style=""> </span>3 went back to the hostel to change clothes for the pub crawl, 3 went to go get ice cream and then go back to the hostel, and Amy, Carolyn, and I stayed in the city center and revisited things from the tour that we wanted to check out.<span style=""> </span>It’s so much easier in small groups!<span style=""> </span>Making decisions in a group of 9 is so diffic<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs054.snc1/4489_854781893090_1948751_49480997_1899443_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 281px; height: 210px;" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs054.snc1/4489_854781893090_1948751_49480997_1899443_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>ult because everyone always wants to do something different!<span style=""> </span>So we went to the gate and then the Reichstag before heading over to the meeting point for the pub crawl.<span style=""> </span>We decided it would be better to get there early, eat over there, and be there so we could get the free t-shirts for being the first ones there, haha!<span style=""> </span>We just ended up getting food from a vendor in front of a restaurant.<span style=""> </span>The man was so adorable!<span style=""> </span>He didn’t speak English very well, but he was so friendly!<span style=""> </span>He accidentally flung some mustard on me, felt horrible and gave me free fries, haah!<span style=""> </span>Then he kept offering to make us more food!<span style=""> </span>Such a cute little man!<span style=""> </span>We got our free t-shirts and then had a free beer while we waited for other people.<span style=""> </span>We met Juan Diego who has never booked a hostel although he has been traveling Europe for a while now, lots of Canadians, and some Aussie’s.<span style=""> </span>The others showed up at the last minute and then we headed off to the first pub.<span style=""> </span>The table the others were sitting at was full, so we went to a different one and played Asshole again.<span style=""> </span>We met some cool Hawaiians who we hung out with for most of the night.<span style=""> </span>Lots of shots and lots of beers were had and good times were had by most.<span style=""> </span>I hadn’t intended on going to the club since I didn’t want to get sick again, but I ended up going anyways and Amy, Carolyn, and I were the last ones to leave of our group.<span style=""> </span>I think this was the most I’ve drank in a while.<span style=""> </span>So we came home, Amy fell asleep within 5 minutes, but Carolyn and I stayed up and chatted in the hall since my allergies were bothering me.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">I was up at 7:44 and ready to go.<span style=""> </span>I think I only slept for like 4 hours, but I was glad to just get up since I was having breathing problems.<span style=""> </span>We were checked out of the hostel and on our way at 9:00.<span style=""> </span>Nobody in the other group and told us of any plans to meet in the morning, and since we didn’t want to wake them up at 3:30 am or at 7:45 am, we decided to let them sleep while we figured out the transportation situation.<span style=""> </span>The guy at the front desk told us that the bus takes the same amount of time but only costs half of the price of the train, so we figured we would go scope that out for everyone.<span style=""> </span>Turns out it wouldn’t work since the busses were too late, so we headed back.<span style=""> </span>We went to the train station t<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs054.snc1/4489_854782037800_1948751_49481018_1481747_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 247px;" src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs054.snc1/4489_854782037800_1948751_49481018_1481747_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>o figure out those tickets and were just about to call the others when they called us!<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>They said they were going to take a later train since they wanted to go to the Holocost museum before they left.<span style=""> </span>Okay!<span style=""> </span>Since we had some time to kill before our train, we went back and walked through the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.<span style=""> </span>It was really cool.<span style=""> </span>As make your way towards the center, the blocks get progressively higher, making you feel like you’re in a big maze!<span style=""> </span>The ground was also hilly.<span style=""> </span>We went down to the museum which really good.<span style=""> </span>In one room they were listing names and telling how they died.<span style=""> </span>After hearing the one about the 4 year old girl, I left.<span style=""> </span>How could anyone be that sick!?<span style=""> </span>The next room wasn’t much better.<span style=""> </span>There were phone booth things along the wall where you could choose a place and they would tell you about it.<span style=""> </span>I heard way more than I had hoped on the last one, so I left that room too.<span style=""> </span>It’s so weird to think that this didn’t happen that long ago.<span style=""> </span>They should have known better—you don’t treat people like that!<span style=""> </span>Come on!<span style=""> </span>I mean, I could see this maybe happening in medieval times, but about 50 years ago?!<span style=""> </span>That’s sick, disgusting, and unacceptable.<span style=""> </span>On the way back to the train station, we ran into the other group.<span style=""> </span>Their roomie from Norway was still hanging out with them, haah!<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>The train was awesome and reminded simultaneously of Harry Potter and Eurotrip!<span style=""> </span>So pimp—unlike the businessman who joined our compartment and ruined our party.<span style=""> </span>However, while I thought he was bad, the guy that came after him was even worse.<span style=""> </span>No, I will not give you money to buy a train ticket!!<span style=""> </span>Really?<span style=""> </span><i style="">Really?</i><span style=""> </span>Wow.<span style=""> </span>Having lived in Barcelona for a year, I immediately grabbed my purse and kept it close.<span style=""> </span>Then he proceeded to take off his jacket, tie it around his waist, and make himself comfy.<span style=""> </span>I totally thought he was settling in.<span style=""> </span>Thank God he wasn’t!<span style=""> </span>So we made our way to the hostel which was very <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs054.snc1/4489_854796204410_1948751_49481525_6745370_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 222px; height: 294px;" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs054.snc1/4489_854796204410_1948751_49481525_6745370_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>nice!<span style=""> </span>It was basically a shared apartment with other people!<span style=""> </span>We all showered (thank God) and then wandered around by the hostel.<span style=""> </span>It was so warm and the air smelled like lilacs!<span style=""> </span>Mmm.<span style=""> </span>We went by the modern building that looks like 2 people dancing and then walked along the river.<span style=""> </span>We held out for a bit on dinner to see if the others would let us know they got in, but since they didn’t, we went to a little bar-restaurant for dinner.<span style=""> </span>We had some goulash which was actually very good!<span style=""> </span>The best by far was the apple strudel—so delicious!!<span style=""> </span>There was a thunder and lightning storm outside when we left, but it wasn’t really raining.<span style=""> </span>I cant wait for thunderstorms back in the US!!<span style=""> </span>When we got back, we texted them saying we were going to do the morning walking tour, but we didn’t get a response.<span style=""> </span>I didn’t sleep again.<span style=""> </span>Like, at all.<span style=""> </span>Damn allergies.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">So we were up early for our walking tour which was led by a Czech girl named Jenna (pronounced Yenna).<span style=""> </span>We were discussing tour guides the night before and she totally went against everything we had said.<span style=""> </span>We had said that they’re usually boys with cool accents who are very funny.<span style=""> </span>Jenna was a girl, with very strange intonation, and she was only funny because she was politically incorrect, haha!<span style=""> </span>She said something about the people from Singapore walking slow because they have such small legs, haha!<span style=""> </span>So we saw all the main parts of Prague like the Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, Old Town, New Town, Lesser Town, Josefov (the old jewish ghetto), and much more!<span style=""> </span>We stopped at a really cool bagel shop for some lunch half way through. After the tour was over, we retraced the tour and spent more time in the really cool places.<span style=""> </span>We had a small lunch at this cool restaurant that had their tables and chairs out front on one big glider!<span style=""> </span>It was so relaxing!<span style=""> </span>After that, we went back along the river and dec<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs014.snc1/4489_854796389040_1948751_49481551_6957982_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 316px; height: 237px;" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs014.snc1/4489_854796389040_1948751_49481551_6957982_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>ided to rent paddle boats!<span style=""> </span>It was so cheap!<span style=""> </span>We got to spend an hour on the Vltava River on our paddle boat that had lounge-beach chairs instead of the normal plastic seats!<span style=""> </span>While we were out there these two women paddled up to us and were like “do you want a Red Bull?”<span style=""> </span>I said suuuuuure because I wanted one but I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to pay. So they gave us 3, told us to have a good day, and paddled away.<span style=""> </span>Then we saw their Red Bull cooler and it all made sense!<span style=""> </span>There were a lot of people out on the river that day.<span style=""> </span>When our hour was up, we hung out on the little island for a while before headed back to the hotel so Carolyn could shower.<span style=""> </span>We went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner but realized none of us had money and we couldn’t pay with a card.<span style=""> </span>The dine and dash episode of That 70’s Show immediately came to mind.<span style=""> </span>Carolyn saved the day and took money out while we waited in the restaurant.<span style=""> </span>It was so weird seeing prices in the hundreds.<span style=""> </span>For example, my meal was 130 czech koruna which is about 5,20 euros.<span style=""> </span>Money went fast, haha!<span style=""> </span>We had intended to go to a bar and hang out, but everything was closing since it was Sunday, so we got some juice and candy at the market, went home, and played MASH!<span style=""> </span>Yes.<span style=""> </span>We are 9 years old.<span style=""> </span>It was so fun!<span style=""> </span>However, I was the only one who didn’t get a happy ending either of the times we did it.<span style=""> </span>Whatever.<span style=""> </span>You guys are out to get me, haha!!<span style=""> </span>I slept better this time around—yay!
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<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">On our last morning, we grabbed some breakfast and then hung out at the park before heading to the airport.<span style=""> </span>Time to go home to Barca!<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>All in all, the last trip =<span style=""> </span>GREAT SUCCESS (think Borat).<span style=""> </span>It’s so weird to think that the next time I’m at El Prat I will be beginning my journey home home.<span style=""> </span>Insane.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">This past Wednesday was Cardona’s last day.<span style=""> </span>He’s having prostate surgery (“which is something you ladies will never have to worry about!”) so he wont be able to make it to class, the dinner, or the final.<span style=""> </span>Boo =’(<span style=""> </span>He gave us a little speech at the end which was very sad.<span style=""> </span>He was saying how to us he’s just this chubby old guy who tells us things we probably don’t care about, but to him, his writing and his students are his life.<span style=""> </span>He’s so adorable!<span style=""> </span>I’m going to miss that man and his big barriga!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Allie was over the other day when it started down pouring huge, chubby raindrops!<span style=""> </span>I threw a bucket outside to see how much I could collect, got impatient, and Allie and I threw it over my balcony, haha!<span style=""> </span>I wonder if anyone got hit.<span style=""> </span>Haha!<span style=""> </span>Silly.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">On Friday we took our last excursion as a group.<span style=""> </span>Bittersweet.<span style=""> </span>We first went to Pals, a li<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Espana/Costa%20Brava/IMG_9133.jpg?t=1242587644"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 306px; height: 229px;" src="http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Espana/Costa%20Brava/IMG_9133.jpg?t=1242587644" alt="" border="0" /></a>ttle medieval town by the sea!<span style=""> </span>We got brief tour in which she explained how the town used to protect its people and valuables when it was raided by pirates!<span style=""> </span>There were slits in the walls so they could shoot arrows and bigger holes that were created later on ones firearms came to be.<span style=""> </span>It was the most adorable picturesque town ever!<span style=""> </span>I really like visiting the little pueblos.<span style=""> </span>It’s more the image of Spain I had before coming over.<span style=""> </span>Next stop was a beach on the Costa Brava!<span style=""> </span>Pilar has a summer house there because she’s cool as hell and loves the sun!<span style=""> </span>We had a delicious lunch outside by the beach and then Amy, Carolyn, Jillian, Nick, Jimmy and I took one of the paths along the coast and walked to the other beach.<span style=""> </span>So beautiful! It was like paradise!<span style=""> </span>On the way back, we stopped at the park and the boys pushed us on this cool tire swing + rope contraption.<span style=""> </span>So fun!!<span style=""> </span>I walked along the beach on the way back.<span style=""> </span>The sand was so soft and cool where the waves had hit it.<span style=""> </span>Oh Spain, you are so lovely.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Going to a bull fight tonight!<span style=""> </span>I mean, how could I live in Spain without seeing one?!<span style=""> </span>We’ll see how well I keep my dinner down.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:130%;">MORE PHOTOS</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Berlin/">Berlin</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Prague/">Prague</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Espana/Pals/">Pals</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Espana/Costa%20Brava/">Costa Brava</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Edit: Just got back from the bullfight. It was horrifying. Details later.
<br /><span style=""> </span></p> Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-63510381438365375712009-05-03T20:14:00.007+02:002009-05-17T14:59:50.183+02:00It's the final countdown!<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyNDEzNzQ*MzQwNTQmcHQ9MTI*MTM3NDQ2MTc*NSZwPTM5MDEmZD1mbGFzaHRveXMmZz*xJnQ9Jm89MGM4ODEyMWI1MTE3NDBmYjhmYjIxYmQxZjQxOTc3NzE=.gif" width="0" border="0" height="0" /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.freeflashtoys.com/?myspace-countdown-clocks"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" id="myMovieName" width="300" height="180"><param name="flashvars" value="maturity=1244056500000:16777215:16777215:16777215:source.pyzam.com/app_res/mdp_cd/300x180/9/a/ahamericanflag72.jpg:Abby039s032invasion032of032the032America032land"><param name="movie" value="http://stuff.freeflashtoys.com/swf/cd_custom.swf"><param name="quality" value="high"><embed src="http://stuff.freeflashtoys.com/swf/cd_custom.swf?maturity=1244056500000:16777215:16777215:16777215:source.pyzam.com/app_res/mdp_cd/300x180/9/a/ahamericanflag72.jpg:Abby039s032invasion032of032the032America032land" quality="high" wmode="transparent" name="myMovieName" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" width="300" align="" height="180"></embed></object>
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<br /></div> </div>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-42652092250715347312009-04-30T22:02:00.010+02:002009-05-03T20:19:08.654+02:00Sláinte!<div style="text-align: center; margin-left: auto; visibility: visible; margin-right: auto; width: 450px;"> <object width="435" height="270"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.profileplaylist.net/mc/mp3player_new.swf"> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="never"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> <param name="flashvars" value="config=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indimusic.us%2Fext%2Fpc%2Fconfig_green_noautostart_shuffle.xml&mywidth=435&myheight=270&playlist_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indimusic.us%2Floadplaylist.php%3Fplaylist%3D62933220%26t%3D1241374723&wid=os"> <embed style="width: 435px; visibility: visible; height: 270px;" allowscriptaccess="never" src="http://www.profileplaylist.net/mc/mp3player_new.swf" flashvars="config=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indimusic.us%2Fext%2Fpc%2Fconfig_green_noautostart_shuffle.xml&mywidth=435&myheight=270&playlist_url=http://www.indimusic.us/loadplaylist.php?playlist=62933220&t=1241374723&wid=os" name="mp3player" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="435" border="0" height="270"></embed> </object>
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<br />22 April 2009 <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">So tonight I went to the Barca v. Sevilla game with Allie, Kate, and Ashley!<span style=""> </span>They’re so fun!<span style=""> </span>We all hung out at Rosa’s before, made pizzas, and drank champagne!<span style=""> </span>We also took another bottle with us for the 7 minute walk over to the stadium, haha!<span style=""> </span>We definitely should have brought the third, but how would we have known?!<span style=""> </span>Our seats were way up there, but it was awesome!<span style=""> </span>Despite the fact that we killed Sevilla 4-0, it was still more intense than the last one I went to, which I love.<span style=""> </span>It’s still crazy to be inside of that stadium—there are just so many people there!!<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">30 April 2009
<br /><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">The 23<sup>rd</sup> of April is Catalunya’s Día de Sant Jordi (their version of Valentine’s Day).<span style=""> </span>On this holiday, there are street vendors selling roses and books on every corner.<span style=""> </span>Traditionally, guys give girls roses, and girls give guys books!<span style=""> </span>What a sexist tradition!<span style=""> </span>An<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_848289249400_1948751_49233291_5035023_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 362px; height: 271px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_848289249400_1948751_49233291_5035023_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>yways, since our classes were cancelled, we decided to make it a beach day!<span style=""> </span>I’m so glad we decided not to walk there because it was absolutely ridiculous.<span style=""> </span>I have never seen so many people on the streets of Barcelona.<span style=""> </span>Based on the crowd by Placa Catalunya, it would have taken us hours to get to the beach.<span style=""> </span>Unfortunately, Amy and I (but more Amy) had to deal with the creepy old man.<span style=""> </span>He sat next to me at the bus stop, taking up way more room than he should have so he could be close to me.<span style=""> </span>I think he got the hint when I kept moving over that I didn’t want him near me and he got up.<span style=""> </span>But then Amy was an open target and he did the same thing to her.<span style=""> </span>Yugh!<span style=""> </span>Then we get on the bus and Amy is sitting behind us.<span style=""> </span>Mid-trip, I hear Amy talking to someone and I realize that even though the entire back row of seats was open, someone had decided to sit right next to her.<span style=""> </span>When we got off Amy told us that it was the same old man from the stop and he had been caressing her leg the entire time!<span style=""> </span>And then he had the nerve to ask if it was bothering her?!<span style=""> </span>What the hell do you think?!<span style=""> </span>Geeze, what a freaking creep!<span style=""> </span>The beach was good though!<span style=""> </span>I was stupid and only put sun screen where I was already burned, so I got really burned.<span style=""> </span>So now I’m all striped and blotchy.<span style=""> </span>Oh well! Such is life!<span style=""> </span>We grabbed some shawarma on the way home and watched an episode of Freaks and Geeks before packing and getting ready to fly!<span style=""> </span>Our hostel was super nice and we had a 4-person room all to ourselves!<span style=""> </span>Unfortunately, my allergies were in a rage and I couldn’t fall asleep til 7am.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Back up at 10am, we got our 2 pieces of free toast for breakfast and headed out to find our free walking tour.<span style=""> </span>We were in Ali’s group, and he told us that if we could guess where he was from, we would get a musical surprise at break.<span style=""> </span>Facts received:<span style=""> </span>he’s lived in Dublin for 4 years.<span style=""> </span>Us 3 assumed he was from America because his accent was very subtle.<span style=""> </span>Our hypothesis was supported when he said “feet” but broken when he said “kilometers.”<span style=""> </span>Hmph.<span style=""> </span>We started out by Dublin Castle, which doesn’t look like a castle at all.<span style=""> </span>There is only 1 part of it that looks like a traditional castle.<span style=""> </span>Out back was the coach house, which <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_848281874180_1948751_49232941_7518442_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 234px;" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_848281874180_1948751_49232941_7518442_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>was where Queen Elizabeth used to keep her horses when she visited.<span style=""> </span>Apparently they strategically built the wall so that it blocked out the slums.<span style=""> </span>It worked and she never saw them!<span style=""> </span>The grassy area in front of it is now used as a helipad, haha!<span style=""> </span>Next was Christ Church Cathedral, which is the oldest building in Dublin!<span style=""> </span>The crypts below it, which outdate the church itself, house a stuffed dead rat and a mouse which were found in the organ after many long years of being stuck in there, haha!<span style=""> </span>I thought that was pretty bizarre.<span style=""> </span>Apparently the rat ran in there, got stuck, and the cat who was chasing it ran in after it and also got stuck, haha!<span style=""> </span>Before entering the Temple Bar, an area of bars and drunk people, we saw the hotel that U2 owns and a guitar under a road sign which is dedicated to Rory Gallagher.<span style=""> </span>They had to put it up really high because the drunk people leaving Temple Bar would always steal it, haha!<span style=""> </span>We took a break in Temple Bar and Ali told us he was German and Irish.<span style=""> </span>I thought it would be something cooler.<span style=""> </span>Oh well, we still got our musical surprise.<span style=""> </span>He was quite a good tin flute player!<span style=""> </span>There was a layout of what an old Viking house used to look like and Ali chose this one guy to go stand in it because he “looked like a Viking.”<span style=""> </span>Then he asked if any of us girls were Scandinavian.<span style=""> </span>Nobody, at least not legit from Scandanavia.<span style=""> </span>He said I looked Scandinavian (correct), so I acquired a Viking husband and moved in with him, haha!<span style=""> </span>Heading out of Temple Bar, we crossed over the Ha'penny Bridge which usually has roses woven through it around Valentine’s Day!<span style=""> </span>They used to tax people a ha’penny to cross it back in the day.<span style=""> </span>If they reinstated the charge now, they would make millions every day!<span style=""> </span>As we walked down the Liffey’s boardwalk, Ali told us all the stupid things Dublin likes to do with its money.<span style=""> </span>According to him, Dublin is like the city that’s won the lottery multiple times but blown it on something ridiculous.<span style=""> </span>One of them was a millennium clock at the bottom of the Liffey.<span style=""> </span>On the O’Connell Bridge, there was a place where you could pay money and press a button.<span style=""> </span>The clock would light up at the bottom of the river, and a picture would be taken of it for you.<span style=""> </span>Problem was, the river is incredibly dirty so it just looked like a creepy glowing river, or the clock didn’t work due to water getting into it.<span style=""> </span>Silly.<span style=""> </span>Once the clock was removed, there was a hole in the bridge where the money taker used to be, and someone put in a plaque dedicated to Friar Pat Noise who supposedly “died under suspicious circumstances when his carriage plunged into the Liffey.”<span style=""> </span>No such person existed.<span style=""> </span>The government was outraged, but left it when people started putting candles and flowers next to it. <span style=""> </span>They also built a bit spire which they call the Stiffey by the Liffey or the Stiletto in the Ghetto, hahaha!<span style=""> </span>Next on the tour was Trinity College which was so pretty!<span style=""> </span>And here I was thinking the UB was cool!<span style=""> </span>Since Ireland went back and forth between Catholic and Protest, it was written in the school’s constitution that it was legal to shoot Catholics on Wednesday with a crossbow from the upper left window.<span style=""> </span>There is also a big monument in the middle of their quad, and it is said that if an undergraduate walks under it before a test, they will fail and many other bad things would happen.<span style=""> </span>Also, if a student showed up to a test on horseback with their sword, the school is legally obligated to serve them a meal and a pint of Guinness at their test.<span style=""> </span>Apparently one kid did it a few years ago and he got the meal and everything!<span style=""> </span>Later, he was <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_848281954020_1948751_49232954_6383747_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 207px; height: 275px;" src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_848281954020_1948751_49232954_6383747_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>called in and suspended/expelled because they said in one of the requirements was that you were dressed nice, and his shoes were dirty.<span style=""> </span>Bahahahaha!!!<span style=""> </span>So silly!<span style=""> </span>We walked around to the library where the original manuscript of Book of Kells resides, and ended out tour by the park.<span style=""> </span>It had been raining on and off all day, but it was really strange rain.<span style=""> </span>It was more of an awkward mist and I wasn’t sure whether I should be using my umbrella or not, haha!<span style=""> </span>Since we were starving, we went to the first restaurant we could find, which was Fridays.<span style=""> </span>American, I know right!<span style=""> </span>Can you blame us for getting excited about America!?<span style=""> </span>It was really crappy though because it was SUPER overpriced!<span style=""> </span>At least we got free refills which we totally took advantage of.<span style=""> </span>Off we go to the Guinness Storehouse!!<span style=""> </span>So cool!<span style=""> </span>Such an interactive tour!<span style=""> </span>We got to stick our hands in a big kid play pit of barley, taste test some Guinness, watch old ads, and then go up to the Gravity Bar for a free pint of Guinness!<span style=""> </span>Dad was right—it is so much better at the Storehouse!<span style=""> </span>It was so cool to be in a city I know Dad has been to.<span style=""> </span>I kept wondering if he had seen all this stuff and wishing the parents could be there with me!<span style=""> </span>We were there until it closed and then headed back to the main part of the city for some souvenir shopping.<span style=""> </span>I got a claddagh ring, some post cards, and some stickers for the guitar!<span style=""> </span>We found a place for dinner and it turns out our cute little waiter was from Malaga!<span style=""> </span>Why do we always meet cool Spanish people not in Barcelona?!<span style=""> </span>Lame!<span style=""> </span>So we chatting with him in Spanish—he was so adorable calling us “mi amor” or “guapa,” haha!<span style=""> </span>We searched for a pub with live music that night, but all the cool ones were 21 or 23 and older (Amy is only 20) or there were no younger people in there!<span style=""> </span>How lame!<span style=""> </span>So we went home and decided we would go out in Belfast!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Saturday we got up early to get breakfast and head over to the Old Jameson Distillery!<span style=""> </span>Another great tour!<span style=""> </span>They had models of all of the equipment and pictures of what it used to look like.<span style=""> </span>In one of the models, there is a stuffed cat that actually lived in the storehouse 70 years ago to chase all the mice!<span style=""> </span>Creepy, yet funny!<span style=""> </span>Some people got to volunteer to whiskey taste at the end, but I didn’t.<span style=""> </span>I had originally planned on volunteering so I could get the certificate at the end, but there were older people there who clearly knew whiskey better than I did, so I let them go.<span style=""> </span>Oh well!<span style=""> </span>We still got a complimentary whiskey + mixer at the end.<span style=""> </span>Let me just tell you, that was some delicious whiskey!<span style=""> </span>Afterwards, we hit up a pub, got some lunch, and headed for the train!<span style=""> </span>We got into Belfast and found our hostel incredibly easily.<span style=""> </span>We certainly had an interesting roommate.<span style=""> </span>Praying to Mecca!<span style=""> </span>Getting calls at 4:00 am and answering them in the room!<span style=""> </span>Always in the room when we went to bed and always still sleeping when we left!<span style=""> </span>Sheesh!<span style=""> </span>I guess it’s a good thing you only go back to the hostel to sleep or shower!<span style=""> </span>Anyways, when we got in, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_848282058810_1948751_49232971_2615116_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 372px; height: 279px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_848282058810_1948751_49232971_2615116_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>we took showers and then we wandered down over by Queens University, which was really pretty!!<span style=""> </span>We walked around town for a bit before deciding on the perfect pub!<span style=""> </span>We settled down at a table (which was hard to find), started playing cards, and then were approached by the most ridiculous group of Irish boys.<span style=""> </span>Definitely did NOT go to Queens University.<span style=""> </span>One silly drunk one wanted to play Asshole with us (which is the card game we were playing).<span style=""> </span>He was convinced he was going to win, but he turned out to be the asshole every single time.<span style=""> </span>Dropping cards, not organizing them, etc.—this kid was a mess!<span style=""> </span>Then Nigel came over.<span style=""> </span>What a bizarre kid.<span style=""> </span>Gary and Joe came along with them.<span style=""> </span>Ooooh boy.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>I could not understand a single word Gary was saying.<span style=""> </span>Like, for real.<span style=""> </span>I had to ask “what!?” about 15 times before I would get one word right.<span style=""> </span>One time he was asking if we were best friends and I thought he was talking about France.<span style=""> </span>Then he started babbling about how he wants to visit America and I had NO idea what he was saying.<span style=""> </span>I told him to rephrase or say it slower, but he would just yell it louder.<span style=""> </span>You are no help, man!<span style=""> </span>He then proceeded to tell me that he would pay for me to come to Ireland from America.<span style=""> </span>Umm, if you think I would want to come see you, you are terribly mistaken.<span style=""> </span>Do you not understand that by watching the rugby game and talking to Amy I’m trying to tell you that I DON’T WANT TO TALK TO YOU?!<span style=""> </span>Good lord, kid! <span style=""> </span>For the soul purpose of not being a bitch, I tried to make conversation by asking if he’s been to Berlin and Prague.<span style=""> </span>No?<span style=""> </span>Great.<span style=""> </span>There goes that!<span style=""> </span>But no!<span style=""> </span>He wants to know when I’m going !<span style=""> </span>“I’ll be there,” he says.<span style=""> </span>Umm, no.<span style=""> </span>You will not.<span style=""> </span>Umm, let’s see—he also liked the way I said “soccer”…??<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>They kept trying to convince us to go to a party with them that night or go out with them tomorrow.<span style=""> </span>We all tried to wiggle out of it, but they insisted on getting one of our numbers.<span style=""> </span>So I gave mine since I would never answer his call anyways a) due to the fact that it’s Gary and b) because I cant understand him anyways.<span style=""> </span>To make sure I wasn’t lying, he called my phone to make sure it worked.<span style=""> </span>Wow.<span style=""> </span>I don’t know whether to feel bad for him or creeped out.<span style=""> </span>I’ll go for a combo pack.<span style=""> </span>So we left and went to bed!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">The next day we went into the hostel travel office and asked which tour we should do if we’re only here for a day.<span style=""> </span>He said <i style="">definitely</i> the Giants Causeway tour!<span style=""> </span>I’m glad he said that, since that’s the one I wanted to do!<span style=""> </span>We grabbed some traditional Irish breakfast in the hostel before catching our bus.<span style=""> </span>It took over an hour to get there and my allergies were driving me crazy!<span style=""> </span>I was glad when we got there!<span style=""> </span>It was so cool!<span style=""> </span>Jagged cliffs, green rolling hills, sheep, waves!<span style=""> </span>We had fun walking around and taking silly pictures.<span style=""> </span>It was so windy there!<span style=""> </span>After about 2 hours, we had made a loop and were back by the gift shops!<span style=""> </span>The ride home was hilarious mainly due to the fact that we were sitting on <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_848282238450_1948751_49233001_6149101_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 332px; height: 249px;" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_848282238450_1948751_49233001_6149101_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>the back of the bus again!<span style=""> </span>Back of the bus + winding roads + bumpy countryside roads = rollercoaster ride!!<span style=""> </span>We were dying of laughter back there.<span style=""> </span>We realized we had the best seats in the house when we saw that others could properly read a book in theirs, bahaha!<span style=""> </span>Loved it!<span style=""> </span>We all fell asleep once we got onto the main roads.<span style=""> </span>I cant believe I slept sitting up!<span style=""> </span>I guess the lack of sleep had really caught up.<span style=""> </span>If I weren’t afraid of choking on my gum, I probably would have slept even better, haha!<span style=""> </span>We got off the bus by City Hall which is right next to their big ferris wheel.<span style=""> </span>It’s basically the same thing as the London Eye.<span style=""> </span>We were going to go on it but it was closed either because it was Sunday or it was too windy.<span style=""> </span>So we walked around town to get some souvenirs and then ran into a mini parade.<span style=""> </span>It was just a small marching band, but we kept running into them everywhere we went!<span style=""> </span>Town sure is small!<span style=""> </span>The cymbals player made me laugh, making big circles with his arms after clapping them together.<span style=""> </span>Oh, the theatrics of it all! We decided to go check out the murals but realized they were in the ghettos.<span style=""> </span>So we saw one street of them before heading back to the main road!<span style=""> </span>We came all the way back to the hostel, Carolyn took a shower, and then we headed back to yesterday’s pub.<span style=""> </span>We got there early enough this time to have dinner at a proper table.<span style=""> </span>There was a really nice couple sitting next to us who made meal suggestions and talked to us about Barcelona and stuff.<span style=""> </span>They were so cute!<span style=""> </span>We all got bangers and mash, partly because it sounded good, and partly because of Arrested Development.<span style="">
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<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i style="">Tobias Fünke as Mrs. Featherbottom: "O-kay, who'd like a banger in the mouth?"…confusion… "Right, I forgot, here in the States, you call it a <span style="">sausage</span> in the mouth."</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i style="">Michael: "We just call it a sausage."</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i style="">
<br /></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">So yeah, we had to do it.<span style=""> </span>It was DELICIUOS!<span style=""> </span>Mashed potatoes, sausages, broccoli, gravy, all in a bready bowl!<span style=""> </span>Our waiter was super cool too!<span style=""> </span>I think he’s seen more of the States than I have, haha!<span style=""> </span>There was a comment card we could write on an Amy wrote that “Paul is cute to boot” on it, haha!<span style=""> </span>We weren’t sure if he saw it or not.<span style=""> </span>We got a bunch of pints and hung out playing cards for the night.<span style=""> </span>We turned in “early” because we had to leave for the airport at 4:15 am.<span style=""> </span>Side note:<span style=""> </span>cabs in Ireland are fancy!<span style=""> </span>The rest is pretty uneventful.<span style=""> </span>Allergies were an absolute nightmare on the plane and then horrible all the rest of the way home.<span style=""> </span>I stayed home from class because I had a brief period of being able to breathe through my nose which I used to sleep.<span style=""> </span>So glad I didn’t go because Tania didn’t even show!<span style=""> </span>She just left them a horrible movie to watch—which they didn’t.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Tuesday night was eventful!<span style=""> </span>It started out great!<span style=""> </span>We went to the Irish pub for the big Chelsea-Barca game, had beer, redeemed free things, and did tequila shots!<span style=""> </span>So fun!<span style=""> </span>There were so<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_849289395100_1948751_49267176_1345563_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 234px;" src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_849289395100_1948751_49267176_1345563_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> many insane fútbol hooligans in there it was like being in some crazy sports movie, haha!<span style=""> </span>It was a tie game and everyone cleared out fast.<span style=""> </span>The girls in Allie’s program wanted to go to this place where drinks are at least 7 euros each…because the fruit is fresh?<span style=""> </span>Whatevs!<span style=""> </span>Me, Allie, and Kate are cheap and decided to hit up the “sexybeer” guys on the Rambla.<span style=""> </span>We bartered and got 12 beers for about 7 euros, haha!<span style=""> </span>We took them down and drank some on the lions at the bottom of the Cristobal Colón statue and then headed on down the port.<span style=""> </span>There was a conveniently placed boat with its drawbridge partially down, so we decided to commandeer it.<span style=""> </span>I hung from the bridge to pull it down and Allie boosted Kate up on to it.<span style=""> </span>A couple Spaniards walked past during this, all of who found it incredibly funny.<span style=""> </span>Kate found the right rope and lowered the drawbridge for us so we could all board the ship!<span style=""> </span>A genius success!!<span style=""> </span>We put it all back together about 5 minutes later when we got off and then continued on our way.<span style=""> </span>We got down to the beach and sat by the water when these 2 boys showed up.<span style=""> </span>Ummm, what?<span style=""> </span>This was the beginning of the end, because about 10-15 minutes later they were running away with Kate’s purse.<span style=""> </span>Allie and I chased after them, but I got wacked in the face, allie lost a shoe, and then she got wacked in the stomach and they got away!<span style=""> </span>Those little bitches, they were such cowards.<span style=""> </span>ROB THE DRUNK GIRL!<span style=""> </span>Why didn’t I think of that?!<span style=""> </span>There were a bunch of Spaniards just standing around.<span style=""> </span>I asked if they saw 2 guys running with a purse, and they were like “yeah…they went that way.”<span style=""> </span>So Allie and I set off again.<span style=""> </span>Got back to the beach, asked more people.<span style=""> </span>They all felt bad for us.<span style=""> </span>I told two british guys to kick them in the balls if they see them because I was contemplating doing just that right before they robbed us!<span style=""> </span>However, not wanting to start something that hadn’t been started, I decided against it.<span style=""> </span>Then we realized we had no idea of finding Kate since she didn’t have a phone now.<span style=""> </span>So we ran back and yelled for her until we finally found her.<span style=""> </span>2 police men came out of a building so we talked to them for a bit.<span style=""> </span>They said there was nothing that could be done since it happened too long ago, but to go to the police station and report it.<span style=""> </span>Thanks a lot guys.<span style=""> </span>No, they were nice, it’s just annoying that 15 minutes is “too long ago.”<span style=""> </span>So we all went home.<span style=""> </span>Poor Kate.<span style=""> </span>She said all she really had in there was 15 euros and a debit card, so that’s good.<span style=""> </span>Still, it’s no fun being robbed, especially like that!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">So yeah…eventful times in Barca!<span style=""> </span>I’m so glad I get to stay in town this weekend.<span style=""> </span>I need to do lots of school work and catch up on daily chores that I’ve had to put off!!<span style=""> </span>X-Men comes out tomorrow, YAY!!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">MORE PHOTOS</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Ireland/Dublin/">Dublin</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Ireland/Belfast/">Belfast</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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<br />Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-17789704872094225702009-04-20T22:22:00.003+02:002009-04-21T18:31:19.768+02:00Wait...are there really kangaroos in Austria?<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CAbby%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> 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mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:.5in .5in .5in .5in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {p</style>20 April 2009<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">The day we left for Vienna was quite an interesting day in Barca.<span style=""> </span>First of all, on our way to class, it started hailing like crazy!<span style=""> </span>I was so glad I had my umbrella with me!<span style=""> </span>Even so, I was still hit a few times by the chunks of ice moving at rocket speed through the sky.<span style=""> </span>It was insane!<span style=""> </span>All of the Spaniards were taking pictures on their phones and staying out of the hail’s way!<span style=""> </span>We talked to Pilar and Aaron about the “granizo” and she said that it is incredibly rare in Barcelona but that it would be perfectly sunny again in about a half hour.<span style=""> </span>She was right!<span style=""> </span>Pilar was very excited to hear that we were going to Vienna and told us that “it’s very warm in Europe right now.”<span style=""> </span>Umm, don’t we live in Europe right now?<span style=""> </span>Apparently not!<span style=""> </span>According to most Europeans, Europe starts north of the Pyrenees Mountains…aka, Spain is part of northern Africa!<span style=""> </span>How very different.<span style=""> </span>I got a package from Alissa and Lora for my birthday which was so exciting!<span style=""> </span>They are too nice!!<span style=""> </span>I cant wait to see them when I get back!<span style=""> </span>So anyways, we flew to Vienna later that night and had some troubles finding which train would take us to the city center since nothing was really in English—just German!<span style=""> </span>There was a lot of waiting and retracing of train routes involved.<span style=""> </span>We finally got to our hostel which was actually quite clean!<span style=""> </span>We were all starving at that point and decided to go look for some food.<span style=""> </span>It was really weird though because most places were closed and it was only like midnight!<span style=""> </span>There were some bars that looked more like strip clubs (mainly due to the neon lights in the windows) and one place with cops out in front and a guy that sounded like he was trying to explain himself.<span style=""> </span>Yeah, no.<span style=""> </span>We walked into one bar, but everyone just stared at us when we entered, so we left right away, haha!<span style=""> </span>I think they were mainly locals who go there to share their “I hate my life” stories.<span style=""> </span>Pass on that one too!<span style=""> </span>We ended up finding a little pizza, kebap, schnitzel shack and got some pizza!<span style=""> </span>We had a powwow on the concrete patio area about 20 feet away and ate our pizza!<span style=""> </span>There was a mischievous mouse lurking around, so I threw some tuna at him to keep him from joining our little circle.<span style=""> </span>Then just as we were about to leave, the guy from the shack came over and gave us 2 huge chocolate bars!!<span style=""> </span>Why?<span style=""> </span>Just because!<span style=""> </span>Cool guy.<span style=""> </span>Once back in the hostel I wasn’t able to fall asleep til about 7am due to allergies and the fact that I was sleeping right next to a window and it was really bright.<span style=""> </span>Lame.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">We got up around 10 the next day and started out by walking through the museum quarters which was very cool!<span style=""> </span>We ran into the imperial palace and walked through the gardens for a bit.<span style=""> </span>After getting some food, we set out in search of Stephansdom, a mainly gothic church in the center of the city.<span style=""> </span>We got to walk down the huge, open roads with all sorts of shops and pretty buildings along the way.<span style=""> </span>Everything is so green and open in Vienna.<span style=""> </span>The air is fresh and clean and it reminded me a lot of home home.<span style=""> </span>We went in the church, which is probably my second favorite church in Europe.<span style=""> </span>It was so pretty!<span style=""> </span>Despite the fact that it had high vaulted ceilings, it still felt homey and warm.<span style=""> </span>Outside of the church, there was a marchi<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_844337289160_1948751_49083455_4247337_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 334px; height: 250px;" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_844337289160_1948751_49083455_4247337_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>ng band playing Shakira, Daft Punk, and the “You’re Unbelievable” song, haha!<span style=""> </span>I watched the spray paint artist for a while as I listened to the band.<span style=""> </span>Those guys are so creative—I wish I could do stuff like that!<span style=""> </span>I considered buying this one of a snowy mountain scene at night but I figured it would be really hard to transport and then someone snatched it up in about 3 minutes.<span style=""> </span>We walked past Mozart’s house on our way to <span class="description">Stadtpark</span> where we made some feathery friends.<span style=""> </span>I love seeing ducks.<span style=""> </span>We don’t have ducks in Barca, so I always get excited when I see them, haha!<span style=""> </span>They got really close to us and looked us right in the eyes.<span style=""> </span>They must have been hungry.<span style=""> </span>The park was gorgeous!<span style=""> </span>So many tulips and so much greenery!!<span style=""> </span>We got a sausage from a street vender on the way out, but since I had eaten a bunch of gummy bears on our walk, I couldn’t finish it all.<span style=""> </span>It was too bad because it was really good too—the sausage had cheese in it and then he squirted some ketchup into a croissant and stuck it in there.<span style=""> </span>Talk about spoiling your lunch!<span style=""> </span>We hopped on a tram and then walked the rest of the way to the meeting point for our little train tour.<span style=""> </span>After finally finding the right place, the Austrian man in charge of it didn’t really speak any English and had to ask for the help of some bilinguals.<span style=""> </span>The audio on the tour was in German and then in English, so the when the Austrians laughed at something on it, we laughed awkwardly just to fit in.<span style=""> </span>When it came on in English, we caused a scene because we were laughing so hard.<span style=""> </span>The audio was seriously ridiculous.<span style=""> </span>It told us to fasten our seatbelts and then told us it hoped we had brought our life vests and parachutes as well.<span style=""> </span>Umm,<span style=""> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_844337339060_1948751_49083463_5666780_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 356px; height: 267px;" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_844337339060_1948751_49083463_5666780_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>what?!<span style=""> </span>Crazy Austrians!<span style=""> </span>We got to listen to some sweet Austrian music while the guy wasn’t talking which was also hilarious.<span style=""> </span>The tour was actually really fun!<span style=""> </span>We drove though the Beethoven forest in order to get to the highest point in Vienna where we got to take some sweet pics.<span style=""> </span>We drove through the vineyards and the little wine towns before the tour ended.<span style=""> </span>We headed back up to the wine town afterwards so we could try some typical Viennese wine!<span style=""> </span>The two guys who worked at the winery we went to were super nice and helped us pick a good one--Grüner Veltliner!<span style=""> </span>I must say, for a dry one it was pretty delicious!<span style=""> </span>We headed back down and got some dinner at this lounge/restaurant place which was nice.<span style=""> </span>On the way out, we ran into a huge group of guys with signs and one in a dress with a guitar.<span style=""> </span>It was his bachelor party and he told us that he was going to sing to us and we were going to throw money into his guitar case.<span style=""> </span>It was SO FUNNY!<span style=""> </span>I got some video of it at the end, so I’ll put that down at the bottom for shits and giggles, but mainly giggles.<span style=""> </span>We eventually found an Australian bar to go to!<span style=""> </span>All the others were too fancy or night clubs…lame!<span style=""> </span>Cant a girl just get a beer?!<span style=""> </span>Well, we were finally content.<span style=""> </span>After a beer, we headed home where I accidentally showered in the boys shower, haha!<span style=""> </span>Good thing they weren’t communal and it was like 2 in the morning!
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Saturday we were out by 10 since we wanted to go to the Naschmarkt with Flea Market before country hopping for the day!<span style=""> </span>I got this really cute antique looking ring for 5 euros.<span style=""> </span>I tried to bring the price down more since it’s missing a stone, but she was stubborn and rambling in German or something.<span style=""> </span>We caught the train to Bratislava around one (Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia) and then spent most of the day there.<span style=""> </span>I listened to Pink Floyd all the way there and saw a pheasant walking around on the train tracks, haha!<span style=""> </span>For the record, Bratislava is nothing like how it is in the movie Eurotrip!!<span style=""> </span>It’s actually very pretty ther<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_844340472780_1948751_49083635_5304238_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 337px; height: 252px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_844340472780_1948751_49083635_5304238_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>e—a lot like Vienna!<span style=""> </span>We took the bus to the center of the city and got dropped off by the Bratislava Castle.<span style=""> </span>So we hiked up the hill to get to the castle which was really cool except for the fact that it was covered completely in scaffolding.<span style=""> </span>I guess it’s a good thing that I have such a good imagination!<span style=""> </span>We got a beautiful view of St. Martin's cathedral from the top and could see the river and the new bridge leading to the modern part of the city.<span style=""> </span>It was such a great view!<span style=""> </span>Once down the hill, we took the main road through the town in search of some food!<span style=""> </span>We ended up at a restaurant by the main square where I tried some broccoli quiche…which was delicious!<span style=""> </span>Stuffed, but still with an empty dessert stomach, we got some really cheap but delicious gelato and walked around something resembling the rambla.<span style=""> </span>We went to the main square and took pictures with the statues and then headed out in search of the blue church!<span style=""> </span>Such a cool looking church!<span style=""> </span>And since mass was going on, we got to peek in and check out the inside!<span style=""> </span>Gorgeous!<span style=""> </span>Love that church!<span style=""> </span>Since it was getting late, we headed back to the train station where I got yelled at twice in Slovakian.<span style=""> </span>However, before that, we got woofed at by the crazy man.<span style=""> </span>It was SO FUNNY!<span style=""> </span>I cant even describe it.<span style=""> </span>But the first time I got yelled at was totally uncalled for.<span style=""> </span>I tried to open one of those Coke fridges to get a drink out and the guy yelled at me and said I had to ask inside the stand.<span style=""> </span>So I asked for something that was in the fridge and he said he didn’t have it.<span style=""> </span>Ummm, yes y<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_844340667390_1948751_49083673_1440487_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 221px;" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_844340667390_1948751_49083673_1440487_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>ou do…its right there.<span style=""> </span>He got pissy and I settled on a fanta which he basically threw at me.<span style=""> </span>It was warm =/.<span style=""> </span>Then not even 5 minutes later, I got yelled at again by the bathroom lady.<span style=""> </span>The girls in front of me were getting yelled at when I went up so I decided to be very cautious.<span style=""> </span>It was 0,40 to use the bathroom, so I walked up to the window, but she didn’t even look at me.<span style=""> </span>So I put the coins in the slot in the door and then she went off.<span style=""> </span>Holy shit, she was scary!<span style=""> </span>She threw a special coin at me which allowed me to go in.<span style=""> </span>I think that woman just hated life though.<span style=""> </span>One woman just walked in with her friend who was also getting yelled at and the bathroom woman got out of her office-room threw the bathroom door open and started ripping her a new one.<span style=""> </span>Holy crap.<span style=""> </span>The bathroom saga gets better when the goth/emo girl came by.<span style=""> </span>Her hair was down and her bangs all curtain-like, emo, and jagged.<span style=""> </span>BUT!<span style=""> </span>She had hair sprayed one layer of her hair to stand straight up making it look like she had one of those circular saws coming out of her head.<span style=""> </span>Megan had to seriously walk away so the girl didn’t see her laughing.<span style=""> </span>Yeah.<span style=""> </span>She was on our train too.<span style=""> </span>I snuck a picture of her hair sticking up around the chair, haha!<span style=""> </span>There were 2 older, clearly inebriated, men staring down this poor girl who was traveling by herself.<span style=""> </span>They kept telling her she was very pretty and would literally stare at her with gaping mouths.<span style=""> </span>They reeked of smoke and alcohol and kept hitting each other.<span style=""> </span>It was incredibly bizarre.<span style=""> </span>I was keeping an eye on them in the reflection of my window to make sure they didn’t try anything with us or that other poor girl.<span style=""> </span>I think they got kicked off the train though because when they left they talked to one of the train guys outside.<span style=""> </span>Phew!<span style=""> </span>We got some souvenirs once back in the main area and then headed back to the Australian bar.<span style=""> </span>We decided to do a 3 liter beer tower and got a sampler platter of appetizers which were delicious!<span style=""> </span>We had a lot of fun watching the Barca game and listening to incredibly random 90’s music!<span style=""> </span>We met 2 people from Canada who were studying in Munich.<span style=""> </span>They said they have a friend who is an engineer at U of I who is currently studying her friend in Barcelona…I wonder who it was!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">On our last day, we were all checked out by 10 and headed back to the museum quarters again in hopes of finding the city hall building.<span style=""> </span>There was a huge marathon going on that day in<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_844337468800_1948751_49083488_7574451_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 331px; height: 248px;" src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_844337468800_1948751_49083488_7574451_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> all of the main roads which was really cool to see!<span style=""> </span>The weather, the breeze, the smell of spring, the sounds of the planes buzzing by, the music in the large public areas, people sitting in the park…it all reminded me of home!<span style=""> </span>I’m seriously getting so excited!<span style=""> </span>We saw the Parliament building and then found City Hall (Rathous) which was GORGEOUS!<span style=""> </span>There was some sort of festival going on that involved beer, traditional garb, music, and singing.<span style=""> </span>It was so cool!!<span style=""> </span>It reminded me of Laurie and Tim’s Oktoberfest party, haha!<span style=""> </span>After exploring all of the little wooden stands and what they had to offer, we went to Schloss Schönbrunn, which is basically the Versailles of Vienna.<span style=""> </span>On the metro ride over, we witnessed a drug deal.<span style=""> </span>I mean come one!<span style=""> </span>Who did they think they were fooling?!<span style=""> </span>Their attempts at being inconspicuous = major fail.<span style=""> </span>The palace was so beautiful!<span style=""> </span>We walked through the gardens in the back and everything.<span style=""> </span>It would have been nice to spend more time there, but time was short and we had to head back to catch our train to the airport!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Dublin and Belfast this weekend—WOO!!</p>
<br />MORE PHOTOS
<br /><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Vienna/">Vienna</a>
<br /><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Bratislava/">Bratislava</a>
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<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz5nqy54ebSSsWrWt-t5WvLlLl0oiHGCfedb9dmvcInOwOtyJuR1pPbnVUDjeKWUbm7WNd4msh9FsE97FwCuw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-15739830156522317342009-04-15T19:16:00.009+02:002009-04-15T22:16:46.543+02:00Semana Santa--Holy Week
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div.Section1 {page:Section1</style>15 April 2009<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Happy almost 8 month anniversary to me!<span style=""> </span>Wow.<span style=""> </span>1.5 months left.<span style=""> </span>SO MUCH TO DO!!!!!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Spring break part II in southern Spain was cool.<span style=""> </span>We were down there during Semana Santa or Holy Week.<span style=""> </span>After resting on the 7<sup>th</sup>, we were back at the airport at 5:45 am on the 8<sup>th</sup>.<span style=""> </span>I’m seriously so sick of El Prat.<span style=""> </span>I mean, it’s a great airport, but I’m there almost every 4 days!!<span style=""> </span>Flying has lost its magic and it is now just a chore.<span style=""> </span>Oh well.<span style=""> </span>Gotta go through the bad to get to the good!<span style=""> </span>We took the a bus to the airport this time instead of the renfe which was<span style=""> </span>nice because we picked it up right by our piso and didn’t have transfer.<span style=""> </span>Gra<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_811888322150_1948751_48984240_1134134_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 319px;" src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_811888322150_1948751_48984240_1134134_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>nted it took longer to get there, but that’s okay.<span style=""> </span>Our flight attendants were on our bus too, haha!<span style=""> </span>So once we got into Sevilla we had to take a bus into the city center where we wandered for a while since it was so pretty!<span style=""> </span>We stopped at Starbucks where we had a drink (I had a frappucino or however you spell it).<span style=""> </span>I still don’t really enjoy the taste of coffee, but I keep drinking it to see if the caffeine will ever affect me.<span style=""> </span>So far, that’s a no!<span style=""> </span>We saw the cathedral which was right across from Sbucks.<span style=""> </span>After much walking around, we decided we better go to our hostel/hotel.<span style=""> </span>We went to the bus station, but the lady at the ALSA window was a complete bitch.<span style=""> </span>We eventually found a helpful bus driver and took a 45 minute bus ride out of the city to our 4 star hotel.<span style=""> </span>AHAHA!<span style=""> </span>How ridiculous.<span style=""> </span>It was so gorgeous, our room had a loft, there was a pool, a hair cutting place on the main floor, and so much more.<span style=""> </span>After throwing our stuff down, we got some lunch at the Mexican restaurant which was conveniently located across the street and headed back to the city!<span style=""> </span>We went into about 9238 souvenir shops and then meandered by the cathedral.<span style=""> </span>There were a bunch of horse drawn carriages over there and when one called us to take a ride, I asked how much it was and he said “for you, it’s free.”<span style=""> </span>BAHAHA!<span style=""> </span>So we laughed and walked away.<span style=""> </span>I wonder what would have happened if I had really taken him up on his offer.<span style=""> </span>The Semana Santa parades started in the afternoon.<span style=""> </span>There were people of all ages involved.<span style=""> </span>There were cute little babies all dressed up, teens, adults, and the strong Spaniards who had to lift the heavy floats and walk with them on the back of their necks.<span style=""> </span>Some of them were standing by us and their necks were all bruised and cut open…poor guys.<span style=""> </span>Not going to lie, it was quite cultish.<span style=""> </span>There were tall hats that reminded me of the KKK, all sorts of religious paraphernalia, lots of candles, etc.<span style=""> </span>Ridiculous.<span style=""> </span>I felt so underdressed.<span style=""> </span>All of the Spaniards were dressed all preppy and fancy and here I am in my flip flops, jeans, and zip up hoodie.<span style=""> </span>Yeaaaaaah, sorry about that.<span style=""> </span>Side note, apart from being a pretty city, I think Sevilla houses some of the most attractive Spaniards.<span style=""> </span>Like, whoa.<span style=""> </span>We were back to the hotel at about 12am where we slept in since we would be sleeping on the streets the next night!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">The next morning, we checked out and took our bags to the Santa Justa train station so we wouldn’t have to carry them around with us for about 24 hours.<span style=""> </span>Once back in the main part of the city, we headed over to Plaza de España which is SO beautiful!<span style=""> </span>Apparently it was used for some of the more recent Star Wars movies?<span style=""> </span>We took a bunch of photos before heading across the street to the big park!<span style=""> </span>We rented a bicycle built for 4 and took it for a spin around the park.<span style=""> </span>It kind of reminded me of the Flintstones car, haha!<span style=""> </span>We got slushies along the way since it was so hot out!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_811626212420_1948751_48983951_150519_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 344px; height: 258px;" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_811626212420_1948751_48983951_150519_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span>We watched some more of the Semana Santa processions before going to our flamenco show which was amazing!<span style=""> </span>My videos from it are kind of wobbly since I was trying to make it look like I wasn’t taking a video, so I’ll put a youtube video at the bottom for anyone who doesn’t know what Flamenco is.<span style=""> </span>SO COOL!<span style=""> </span>Loved it so much!<span style=""> </span>After the show, we went back to the cathedral to wait for more floats!<span style=""> </span>It had really gotten cold at that point since it was about midnight and I was in a t-shirt and a scarf (and pants obviously).<span style=""> </span>Dumb, I know.<span style=""> </span>We went to SBucks again but this time I went for my traditional hot chocolate!<span style=""> </span>Yay!<span style=""> </span>We watched the floats go by til about 3:30 am with the rest of the Spaniards who must have changed into warmer clothes while we were at the Flamenco show.<span style=""> </span>Damn them for being tricky!<span style=""> </span>This time, the bands weren’t playing and everyone was in total silence.<span style=""> </span>It was actually quite cool.<span style=""> </span>It’s amazing how many people were there to see all the floats.<span style=""> </span>Southern Spain definitely has more hardcore Catholics!<span style=""> </span>We took a cab to the train station so Kelly could buy her ticket and so we could be warm and sleep in an enclosed area.<span style=""> </span>Wrong.<span style=""> </span>The station guards wouldn’t open the doors until 5:30 because they didn’t want anyone sleeping in there.<span style=""> </span>There were so many people waiting, it was ridiculous!<span style=""> </span>Some boys came up and asked where we were from and when we said the US, they just looked at each other and walked away.<span style=""> </span>Umm, what?!<span style=""> </span>No words?<span style=""> </span>Really?<span style=""> </span>Not even an “oh?”<span style=""> </span>Wow.<span style=""> </span>Anyways, they let us in at 5:30 and once on our 7:00am train, I slept most of the way on the table.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">The ride into Granada was so pretty!<span style=""> </span>I know there are mountains and stuff in Barca, but these were different!<span style=""> </span>Aside from the farmland covered smaller mountains, there was the Sierra Nevada!<span style=""> </span>So cool!<span style=""> </span>Not so cool was how cold it was when we got off the train.<span style=""> </span>Isn’t Granada supposed to have like 8<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_811993695980_1948751_48984357_1114488_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 364px; height: 273px;" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_811993695980_1948751_48984357_1114488_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>0 degree weather?!<span style=""> </span>Damn!<span style=""> </span>It sucked that I had mainly packed tank tops and flip flops for this trip =/.<span style=""> </span>We found our hostel and then walked around by the Cathedral, went in some shops, and got a croissant at a local bakery.<span style=""> </span>After walking around town, we attempted to do the real tapas experience.<span style=""> </span>Fail.<span style=""> </span>The service was terrible at the first place we went to.<span style=""> </span>We ditched out and went to a cute café on the main road for lunch instead.<span style=""> </span>After walking around on some of the back roads, we headed back in for a nap.<span style=""> </span>Another failure since we ended up sleeping for about 5 hours.<span style=""> </span>Oops!<span style=""> </span>So we dragged ourselves out of our hotel for dinner.<span style=""> </span>We ended up finding a chino restaurant a few blocks down on Gran Via and ate there.<span style=""> </span>They were playing Pearl Harbor dubbed in Spanish on their TV and we were totally transfixed.<span style=""> </span>After some fried noodles and veggies, we got some squishy candy and muffins for the morning and ran back to the hotel and turned the movie back on!<span style=""> </span>I had totally forgotten about that movie.<span style=""> </span>After the war started, I ditched out and went to bed.<span style=""> </span>Traveling is exhausting!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">I got up at 5:00 am the next day and got ready only to find out that everyone else was still sleeping when we were supposed to leave.<span style=""> </span>I don’t even know why I was surprised—that always happens!<span style=""> </span>So I laid around until 6:30am when we left to go the Alhambra for real!<span style=""> </span>I had talked to Allie the day before and she said they left at 6 and still had trouble getting tickets.<span style=""> </span>Ludicrous!<span style=""> </span>While in the line, we found Karen, a girl from our program who was traveling solo, and adopted her for the day.<span style=""> </span>It was SO cold!<span style=""> </span>I couldn’t even walk properly because my toes and legs were frozen!<span style=""> </span>Luckily there was a cute dog that looked part German Shepherd there to distract me a bit.<span style=""> </span>I got some hot chocolate as well, which helped for about 7 minutes.<span style=""> </span>We ended up just missing the morning session tickets and got the 2:30pm ones.<span style=""> </span>Since it was only about 8:00am, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_811993596180_1948751_48984356_4026576_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 348px; height: 261px;" src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_811993596180_1948751_48984356_4026576_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>we headed back down the mountain.<span style=""> </span>Seeing as I was so incredibly desperate for warmth, we stopped at Blanco where I got a 6 euros pair of flats and some cute socks.<span style=""> </span>Thank god!!<span style=""> </span>They’re really cute flats, but they would soon become the death of me.<span style=""> </span>We went to a café, did a little shopping, headed back up to the Alhambra to get some lunch, and then finally were able to enter the Alhambra!<span style=""> </span>The Alhambra is part fortress (the Alcazaba), part palace, part garden (the Generalife) and part government city (the Medina).<span style=""> </span>It overlooks the city of Granada and is often considered on par with the 7 wonders of the world!<span style=""> </span>The Alhambra was a palace, a citadel, fortress, and the home of the Nasrid sultans, high government officials, servants of the court and elite soldiers (from 13<sup>th</sup>- 14th century).<span style=""> </span>We are actually talking about the Muslim occupation of Spain in art history class right now, so we were able to identify many of the defining architectural characteristics.<span style=""> </span>It was seriously amazing.<span style=""> </span>Everything was so detailed and beautiful.<span style=""> </span>So many different types of flowers, lots of running water, and lots of bright mosaics!<span style=""> </span>After a long afternoon of taking photos and walking all over the mountain, my feet were screaming.<span style=""> </span>These flats were definitely not designed for hiking up and down uneven stone paths!<span style=""> </span>We took the bus down, said goodbye to Karen, and then waited in the cold rain to see if the floats were still going to come down Gran Via.<span style=""> </span>Didn’t look like it.<span style=""> </span>We met up with Lindsay who is studying abroad in Granada.<span style=""> </span>We went back to our hotel for a while and decided we would meet back up in 1.5 hours for a real tapas experience!<span style=""> </span>Yay!<span style=""> </span>We all fell asleep and had a hard time waking up again.<span style=""> </span>I’m so glad we did though!<span style=""> </span>This tapas place was so cool!<span style=""> </span>They have this drink called Tinto Verano which is red wine with lemon Fanta in it—SO GOOD!<span style=""> </span>So those were 2 euros and with every drink you order, you get free tapas.<span style=""> </span>So we did two rounds, spent 4 euros each and were stuffed!<span style=""> </span>We definitely slept well that night!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">¡Feliz Pascua!<span style=""> </span>For Easter we walked up by where Lindsay lived so we could meet up with her after she got out of mass!<span style=""> </span>We got some lunch at a café and they gave both Kelly and I the wrong sandwich.<span style=""> </span>Lame!<span style=""> </span>Why would I want pork AND jamón serrano on a sandwich?<span style=""> </span>Jamón serrano is disgusting…anyways we went to this big park that has something to do with Federico Garcia Lorca (woo), and laid on some grass since it was actually sunny out!<span style=""> </span>After about 15 minutes of the glorious sun, we met up with Lindsay at a park by her house.<span style=""> </span>Kelly and I played on the swing set and then went to join them on the bench.<span style=""> </span>We met up with Kelley, another girl in our house who is studying in Granada, and they led the way up the Albaicín to the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_811798347460_1948751_48984107_5936647_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 368px; height: 276px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs029.snc1/3183_811798347460_1948751_48984107_5936647_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> Mirador de San Nicolás.<span style=""> </span>Whew!<span style=""> </span>That was a hike!<span style=""> </span>It was definitely rewarding though!<span style=""> </span>We had a perfect postcard view of the Alhambra with the Sierra Nevada in the background!<span style=""> </span>So beautiful!<span style=""> </span>The actual Mirador was cool too.<span style=""> </span>This is the area where all of the extreme hippies hang out and sell<span style=""> </span>their hand crafted goods! <span style=""> </span>There were lots of dogs and bare footed Spaniards playing music.<span style=""> </span>There were a lot of labs, one black lab puppy, and one german puppy!<span style=""> </span>I was in heaven!<span style=""> </span>The walk down the mountain was quite possibly worse than the way up since my feet were practically paralyzed by this point.<span style=""> </span>Carolyn (who had bought the same shoes) and I were walking like little old people!<span style=""> </span>We were all hunched over and swinging our arms like crazy just to get some momentum.<span style=""> </span>Everyone laughed at our expense, haha!<span style=""> </span>We were all freezing and decided to stop for some churros and chocolate.<span style=""> </span>Our waiter was a total douche bag.<span style=""> </span>I only had a sprite since I didn’t want to deal with Captain Sassypants.<span style=""> </span>We said goodbye to the Granada girls shortly after and ran some errands around town!<span style=""> </span>Later that night, we went and got 3 rounds of drinks and tapas at the same place as the day before.<span style=""> </span>The guy who worked there was so adorable.<span style=""> </span>He spoke to us in English since he was trying to learn and we spoke to him in Spanish.<span style=""> </span>What a dude!<span style=""> </span>We got on our bus at 11:30 pm and arrived in Barcelona around 10:45 am.<span style=""> </span>I survived!<span style=""> </span>I thought it was going to be torture, but it actually wasn’t so bad, partly because it meant I didn’t have to use my feet.<span style=""> </span>Being on the bus for that long made me realize that the flight home to America won’t be so bad!<span style=""> </span>It’s been so nice to be back home in Barca, and it’s crazy to think that I’ll be in the air again in less than 24 hours!<span style=""> </span>Vienna and Bratislava this time!</p>
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<br />MORE FOTOS!
<br /><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Espana/Seville/">Sevilla</a>
<br /><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Espana/Granada/">Granada</a>
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<br />If you're not sure what Flamenco is, click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPhCIKFkfg4">HERE</a> to watch this youtube (click about 1/4 of the way in)
<br />Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-21732148739641947822009-04-07T18:06:00.007+02:002009-04-07T22:14:08.986+02:00The Beautiful Disaster7 April 2009<br /><br />Greece. Dogs, food, gorgeous Santorini, friendly people. Definitely one of my favorite countries.<br /><br />So to start our trip, we almost missed our renfe train at Pg. de Gracia. We literally got there just in time, it was insane! Megan brought homemade snacks for us on the renfe, so we had a little picnic on the train, haha! There were a lot of people with accordions on the train for some reason. So we got to the airport on time and headed over to the Vueling terminal which is in a separate building form the rest of it. I seriously love Terminal C…San Miguel and KitKats are a great way to prepare for a night flight! When we got to the gate, they were already boarding and we re-realized that Spaniards do not understand the concept of a line. They just like to make a big blob and run at the goal at the same time. There was this crazy Greek woman boarding the plane and yelling at the ticket taker. She was so hilarious…she kept trying to rip her passport out of their hands and was going off about how she hated Spain, ahaha! Then when she was about to board the plane, the flight attendants jokingly told her this plane was actually going to Madrid instead of Athens and she totally flipped shit! Our flight was quite rowdy. There were people screaming during takeoff, people clapping after we were safely in the air or on the ground, people congregating and walking around the isles, someone walking around taking photos, and one sneaky farter. Amy got the privilege of sitting next to the insane Greek woman...crazy town was totally drunk!<br /><br />Once in Athens, we had to catch a bus to the city center where we met Charlene. She’s from Michigan but currently studying in Bilbao and was also heading to Piraeus to catch a ferry to one of the islands. So we get to the port around 4:30 am and see all these HUGE ferries! No joke, they were like cruise ships!! So crazy! This woman came up to us and said that there were no ferries that day due to the strike. We didn’t know what to think since Carolyn’s had been canceled due to the strike, but she received and e-mail saying her ferry was being rearranged, but we hadn't. We decided to wait around and see what was up since there were people cleaning the ship and it was on. Since we had some time to kill, we decided to look for food. We obviously checked out the McDonald’<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2700/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48868665_2973706.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 378px; height: 283px;" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2700/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48868665_2973706.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>s first, but they were closed even though all the lights were on and there was someone in there? Bizarre. So we wandered near the port and finally found a little place that was open! The guy was sooo nice! He asked where we were from and where we were going. Then he told us that if we didn’t have exactly what it cost, that was fine, haha! We all ordered some spanakopita which is a pastry thing with cheese and spinach in it. It totally hit the spot. We went back to the port to eat them to wait til the office opened at 6 to see what was really going on. While by the port, we encountered Scooter, Jezebel, and their motley crew! They are all dogs. No joke, Greece has the most stray dogs I have ever seen in my entire life. They wander in packs and when one barks out, you can hear them responding from far away just like in 101 Dalmatians! So when Scooter barked, a group of about 5 more showed up. Scooter was like our guard dog/pimp because he sat in front of his group of American harem and chased down all the cars that went by. I was legit worried he was going to get run over almost every time. Damn dog. When the office opened, the woman said our tickets were canceled even though our cards had been charged. She said she had never heard of the company we booked through, so I was freaking out thinking it was all a scam and that they just took our money. She told us of an internet café down by the port so we could get some phone numbers to call the company, but when we got there, the computers were all down and the place was filled with smelly homeless people…sick. So we wandered town asking if people knew of another one, and they said no. So we decided to go into a random hotel and ask if we could use their internet if we paid them. Initially they said come back in an hour, but as we were leaving, they told us we could just use it anyways and told us where to find it. They were also incredibly friendly! We asked how to say hello in Greek and they said it was something like “yasu,” but then he said not to say that to an older guy because it’s a flirty way to say hello, haha! He was a goofy little man! Such a funny hotel--half way up a staircase was a mini door that led to a laundry room. We found the internet and while they were trying to figure out how to get their e-mail to work, I called the Jude to see if I had gotten credit back for the canceled ferry. I think I confused her because I gave her my usual very brief “hey.” when she answered and she was all “who is this!?” When I told her it was me, I think it rocked her world a bit, haha! She very kindly investigated for me and we found out that it was still charged, boo. Sorry for making that such a brief call mom—calls to the US are money suckers! Another guy came and helped<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2700/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48868681_1098258.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 355px; height: 266px;" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2700/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48868681_1098258.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> us with the internet and we eventually got the number for the place even though they don’t open til 9:00am. So we asked if we could get a room in their hotel and they let 6 of us cram in a room for a total of 70 euros. So we all took a nap, called and got the tickets sorted out, got gyros for lunch and then wandered down by the port. We ended up hanging out down there for a couple of hours before heading back. We got some beers at the internet café from the night before—much better during the daylight—and then headed back to meet Carolyn at the hotel and to get the ferry tickets that the woman personally delivered. She was a nice lady. We went and got some dinner, I had musaka or something like that, and then headed off to our ferry at around midnight! We grabbed some water from the guy who sold us the Spanakopita from earlier in the day and he gave us a discount, haha! He also let me push the button on the wall that made the awning go up, haha! We were on a different ferry than Charlene, so we said goodbye and headed on our way. That ship was so pimp! There was a cinema in there, restaurants, lounges, etc. We sat in the front of the boat in a café/lounge area where we could look out the windows. As promised, I found safety instructions and the lifeboats, haha! I watched Twilight to kill some time, but had to have it plugged in the whole time because my iPod is stupid and died on a full battery the second I started the movie. Sheesh. After that, I just laid on the floor and tried to sleep, haha!<br /><br />We got into the port of Santorini at about 5:30 am and found the hostel bus. Just to make things more complicated, our tire blew out on the way up the zig-zag mountain. Another van came from the hostel, our driver got in, AND THEY LEFT US! Some Chileans wanted to get the part started, jumped into the front seat, and turned the radio up all the way so we had some music to listen to as the sun rose over the Aegean Sea. A new van, possibly more rickety than the first, came and we finally got to our hostel which is about 20 feet from Perissa Beach which has black sand! Our room wasn’t ready, so me, Ames, and C-Mase had to split into 2 rooms for a bit. The hostel was like a mini resort! It had little kitchens, mini patios colored in blue and white, a swimming pool, and this really cool thing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2700/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48869302_6205505.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 403px; height: 302px;" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2700/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48869302_6205505.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> where if you requested a movie, they would play it and you could get it in all of the rooms! We all took showers and then headed out to find the bakery where I had the most delicious banana-chocolate croissant and strawberry juice! While wandering around by the hostel in search of the hostel, we met Punky Brewster, a little black dog (only later did we realize he was just a boy dog that peed like a girl and we had to change his name to Pepito). He followed us back to the beach where Ames and I walked in the Aegean! We found a cute little bar right on the beach and stopped for a beer. They had just opened a few days ago, and were still short on some supplies, haha! They gave us some free olives and told us we could use their beach lounge chairs whenever we wanted. They were so nice! Everyone kept coming up and talking to us and asking us how we liked Greece so far. It was really weird, we kept hearing the same Pink Floyd remake CD throughout Greece. It was a girl singing and it was super mellow. The originals are definitely better, but it was interesting to hear nonetheless! So at about 9:00 am, we headed back to the hostel to arrange our tour for the next day and decided to rent ATV’s for the current day so we could ride around and see the whole island! It was only about 7,50 each, so why not!? So this little Greek woman picked up to take us to the rental place where her husband showed us how to work them all. They were so cute and excited, haha! We rode all over Santorini that day—it was amazing. First stop was the Red Beach which was really cool looking. Then we went to the way southern tip of the island to check out the old lighthouse, Faros. The coast was so pretty! Granted it was a little scary riding so close to the cliff ledge, but the view was amazing. After the lighthouse, we tried to find a way up the big mountain to see the church, but we couldn’t figure it out! Instead, we stopped for a bathroom break on our way to Fira, the main town. We stopped for lunch in Fira and the waiter was in love with Sam, haha! It was so funny! When she walked it and said she was cold, he immediately offered up some free ouzo. The foo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2700/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48869351_5159178.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 374px; height: 280px;" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2700/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48869351_5159178.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>d was fabulous, I got something that was similar to a kebab, called souvlaki, which was delicious. Greece seriously has the best food—filled with cheese, meat, and potatoes! When we were paying he brought us all a free shot of ouzo and grenadine which was absolutely disgusting since I can’t stand the taste of black licorice. He gave Sam some free calendars on the way out and then gave us passes to bars and clubs, it was so hilarious! We shopped for some souvenirs, got some gelato, and then continued on our way to Oia at the northern tip of the island for “the world’s best sunset.” When we got there, mine and Carolyn’s ATV was extremely low on gas and we couldn’t find a gas station and were beginning to freak out a bit since we were in the middle of nowhere in the Santorini countryside. We decided to take the ATV’s down the path instead of walking down the 400 steps or however many. The town was so cute! Totally picturesque! We wandered around for a bit since were early, took a very very short nap by the sea and then looked for a better view. Unfortunately right as the pink/purple magic was about to happen, the sun dropped behind a wall of clouds. It’s okay though! We still got to see half of it! Panicking about gas, Carolyn and I bolted out of there in search of a station since we didn’t think it could hold out for the hour it takes to get back to the other side of the island. We finally found one, but it was closed. So I drove as fast as I could until we finally found one in Fira. Thank God! That thing had been blinking on empty for quite some time! They pumped our gas for us and we met up with the others and set off into the night! It was actually kind of scary driving when it was that dark! We did get to see some pretty sweet stars, but it was freezing a<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2700/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48869330_5930707.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 388px;" src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2700/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48869330_5930707.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>nd there were so many curves in the roads and it was hard to see. When we got back, we got our new room which was huge and actually had a loft with 2 more beds on it! We went for dinner at the Bar by the Sea where we found Pepito again! Apparently he hangs out there a lot, and Dmitri told us that he was only 3 months old. So precious! So he sat with us and we had a sex on the beach and gyros! Dmitri gave us all a free drink before we left which was quite yummy! When we returned, I had my first night’s sleep in many nights…it was awesome.<br /><br />By 9:30 am, we were on our way again for our tour! The hostel dropped us off in Fira where we bought some breakfast at a supermarket and then headed down the winding path down the mountain. We soon realized that this was the path the donkeys took, and tried very hard not to slip and fall on the poo-filled stairs! Our tour boat was like a pirate ship! Our first destination was the volcano! We were able to walk around it and found the spot where the sulfur smelling steam was rising from the rocks! Let me tell you though, the walk up the volcano was barbaric! The sun beating down on you, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2700/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48869340_1902074.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 324px; height: 243px;" src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2700/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48869340_1902074.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>no shade, hot black rocks…it was torturous. After exploring, we headed back to the boat so we could go to the hot springs on the next island over! I had imagined that hot springs meant docking, walking through the island a bit until we reached the hot springs where there would be bathrooms to change in. Wrong. They dropped anchor like over 100+ feet away from the hot springs and were like “jump now if you want to go to the hot springs!” So me, Ames, C-Mas, and Kel swam over. The water was so cold where they had dropped the anchor! So we swam as fast as we could and were so relieved and surprised to feel the water get gradually warmer as we got closer to the little inlet! It got pretty shallow and the bottom was covered with squishy, yellow seaweed. I usually don’t mind seaweed, but this stuff was particularly slimy! The water was so nice and warm over there and we met a Canadian and some Virginians from our boat. There were two guys who lived near the 2 girls from Virginia, but they had also happened to live in the Chicago suburbs a couple of years ago—it’s such a small world! We heard a horn blow, and decided to head back to the boat so they didn’t leave without us! I hated the swim back. Going back into the freezing cold area was not easy! Once we docked back at Santorini, we changed into real clothes and did a little more shopping! Amy and Carolyn bought me a really cute bag for my birthday and I bought a cool headband! The man with the donkeys kept following us since we kept dilly dallying, haha! We finally made it over to the donkeys and I was the first one up! I hopped on and with a yell, we were off. Good God, I felt so bad for this donkey. Within the first 5 minutes I wanted to get off of him and walk up. That poor guy, carting people up a mountain all day! Sometimes he would slow down almost to a stop and I kept worrying that he would just turn around and go back, but I think he was just waiting for the rest. I got ran into some bushes and into Megan’s ass’s ass…it was funny. They walked so close to the edge, it was such a crazy experience! I was gl<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2700/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48869341_6451694.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 380px; height: 285px;" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2700/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48869341_6451694.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>ad when we reached the top for their sake, haha! We did a little more shopping and I got a really cute bracelet! We went up to this restaurant that looked out on the sea, sat down, opened the menu and then decided to leave. Too pricey! I guess it was all for the view! Oh well, we found a different restaurant in the same area we had lunch the day before. We all wished we still had our ATV’s. The people said you could have them for 3 days for the price of 1, which didn’t make sense to me and when I was about to say yes to that offer, someone had already said no. Stupid. During lunch, I realized that I was horribly burned. Crap. I always manage to do that! So I was all hot n’ cold for the rest of the trip…oh the joys of sunburn! While looking for bus stops, we stopped at a supermarket to get snacks for the boat ride the next day. The buses in Santorini are coach buses, which was kind of funny. I had seen them all over the city and wondered how there were so many tour buses already. Amy, Carolyn and I went to the bakery to get some snacks for the night and took a nap while watching The Wrestler. After an hour or so we got back up to go to dinner. The other 3 were somewhere unknown even though they said they would meet us there after they dropped stuff off. We had a table for 6 and when we told Dmitri we didn’t know where they were, he freaked out minorly because he thought we said “don’t know WHAT they are” and assumed we were talking about ghosts or monsters, haha! Silly guy. We played Circle of Death but with dice after the others showed up which was sooo fun! We changed the dumb ones to include dancing and sentence constructions..it was ridiculous! Pepito was there again and since I wanted so desperately to bring him home with me, I kept him on my lap for a while. That night we just passed out.<br /><br />7 am ferry in the rain…great. We took the rickety van down the mountain again and I was legit worried we were going to die. The roads were wet, there were no windshield wipers, he was going fast, and we were in the dark. That driver sure knows how to make tourists nervous! This ship was different from the first and they actually checked our tickets…boo!! This means that I was sitting a table similar to those in McDonald’s for 8 hours. Perfect. I had a bad headache and couldn’t sleep for the life of me. When we got into Piraeus, we found out that the metro stop to our hostel was inaccessible, so we had to do a metro+bus combo to get to our hostel. When we booked our hostel, we had originally booked in two groups in two different 4-person mixed dorms, but when we got there, they put us in our own 6-person dorm in the basement next to the non-functioning bar. We asked the guy at the front desk for a good restaurant and he pointed us in the right direction. Good advice. We went to Flocafé afterward and hung out for a bit. I went to use the bathroom and totally panicked since I thought I was locked in. I was seriously contemplating either yelling, waiting for someone to discover me, or trying to shimmy under the low door. Turns out I’m just half retarded and had to flip the lock to a certain position and then press a button! Sheesh! Since we were all dead tired, we came home, took showers, and went to bed!<br /><br />The next day we went on a walking tour of Athens with Walter, a southern gentleman from South Carolina. He’s been living in Athens for 2 years after his wife said she would marry him if he promised they would live there. He looked kind of like Ugly<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2700/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48868621_4265493.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 429px; height: 321px;" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2700/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48868621_4265493.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> Betty’s boyfriend Henry, haha! He said something about our hostels being in a shady area and related it to Amsterdam’s Red Light District! WHAT?! Great. Now that red light outside the door to our room makes sense, haha! Walter took us all around town. We got to see some of the oldest churches in the city, the old library, Roman quarters, the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora which holds the best preserved ancient Greek temple, Syntagma Square where we got to see the Parliament building and the guards, Panathianiko Stadium where the first modern day Olympics were held in 1896, and much more! During the tour, a snail was kicked, a thread makers protest was seen, and umbrellas were turned inside out! After the tour, Walter took us to his favorite restaurant where we ate some really good lamb. After some gelato, we did some shopping and I bought 2 scarves. The guy at the scarf place was so nice. He asked where I was from and when I said Chicago, he starting going on about how I must like the cold, haha! I told him that it just snowed there and he was so shocked! Such a funny old man. When I was on my way out, he told me to keep my purse in front of my when walking in crowds and told me to be safe and have a nice day! What a nice guy. We hung out at the Palmie to kill some time and Sam and Megan drank a half a glass of ouzo each—gross! I had a sangria with apples in it which was really tasty! Sam really wanted some Spanakopita after that, so we set out in search of her perfect snack! We found it after about ½ hour’s wandering and then headed back to the hostel where we played Asshole, Bullshit, and Egyptian Rat Screw until we had to go. There was this legit crazy man on the bus 1 row up and across the aisle from me. I was so terrified. Carolyn and I thought he had ODC coupled with other mental problems. I was so glad when we got to the airport and I got to get out of there!! The flight was delayed, but I was lucky enough to have a row all to myself. I tried to sleep over 2 seats and half succeeded. There was a lightning storm in Barca when we were arriving which was so cool to see! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen lightning and was so excited to see it forking across the sky! Amy and I took the airport bus home and got home about an hour before everyone else. I stayed up for about an hour before taking a 3 hour nap. Now it’s time to repack and get ready for Seville and Granada in about 12 hours!!<br /><br />MORE PHOTOS<br /><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Greece/Athens/">Athens</a><br /><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Greece/Santorini/">Santorini</a>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-76589852589915401072009-03-28T14:45:00.014+01:002009-03-28T17:32:42.834+01:00Let's light things on FALLA!<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> 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margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} span.description {mso-style-name:description; mso-style-unhide:no;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1</style><span style="font-size:130%;">7 March 2009
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<br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Unofficial in Barca!<span style=""> </span>I think this year was the earliest I have started drinking on Unofficial<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2520/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48268507_6841783.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 193px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2520/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48268507_6841783.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>.<span style=""> </span>Last years totally sucked, so this was a breath of fresh air!<span style=""> </span>Tedd invited us all over to his piso but told us he’s closing the doors at 10.<span style=""> </span>If you’re not there by 10, then you’re not serious about Unofficial!<span style=""> </span>So doors opened at 7am and closed at 10am.<span style=""> </span>We got there around 9:45ish and brought a big bottle of cava with us.<span style=""> </span>That was gone in about a half hour, so we did a beer and snack run so no one went hungry!<span style=""> </span>The boys moved Tedd's dining room table out on to their patio that is probably bigger than our entire piso so we could play games, yay!<span style=""> </span>Ames and I came back with snacks and 3 Estrella tall boys each!<span style=""> </span>Yeaaah, I’m a light weight now.<span style=""> </span>We had to go to a "mandatory" museum <span style="">visit w</span><span style="">ith Basilio to the Picass</span><span style="">o museum and </span>aside from the fact that I was tired and drunk and already not wanting to be there, I had already been there and knew it wasn’t that great, and I couldn’t hear a word B-Town was saying since he was talking so quietly!<span style=""> </span>Oh well.<span style=""> </span>I just went home and slept for a long time afterwards!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:130%;">18 March 2009</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; 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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">For St. Patrick’s Day, we had green pancakes for lunch and then Kelly made corned beef stew and cabbage for dinner which was delicious!<span style=""> </span>Guinness was also involved…of course.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Saturday me, ames, allie, kate, their friend Tyler from home, Ashley, and their friend Tracy went out for a night on the town!<span style=""> </span>When ames and I went to meet them at the Rambla, we got bombarded by all of the Estrella guys and the people selling those stupid light up glasses and flowers.<span style=""> </span>They literally swarmed at us! Apparently one offered me a free Estrella, but I didn’t hear him…I totally would have taken it!<span style=""> </span>I’ve decided that when they come to ask me if I want a “sexy beer” I’m going to ask if its free and then totally shut them down when they say no, haha!<span style=""> </span>So anyways, we all assemble and head over to Oveja.<span style=""> </span>The WA girls chugged the rest of their Estrellas and set them on the side of the road with about 6 other cans.<span style=""> </span>Then we go to go into Oveja and the guy says something about cans.<span style=""> </span>I wasn’t up there and just assumed he told us to get in line because it was too crowded or something.<span style=""> </span>So we stood there for a minute before he came over and I heard him say this time that they had to go throw their cans away.<span style=""> </span>So we went back over there, decided that was bullshit since there was a whole pile there! Such injustice! So we just went to Grouchos instead.<span style=""> </span>It was packed!<span style=""> </span>This guy kept jumping in our pictures and kissing people, and then he came over and kept asking why all of us “beautiful girls” were sitting alone.<span style=""> </span>We all tried to tell him that it was a girls night out but he just kept telling us to use him and his buddy “however you want.”<span style=""> </span>Whoa buddy.<span style=""> </span>Why don’t you just go sit back down?<span style=""> </span>Victor gave us some free shots and then we got some more after Ashley kissed him like 4 times, haha!<span style=""> </span>So about 11 shots later, we decided to head over to Plataforma.<span style=""> </span>Kate and Tyler were sooooo drunk, it was hilarious!<span style=""> </span>We had another beer before going in.<span style=""> </span>Let me just say, they played the best music ever!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style=""> </span>Unfortunately the guys were extreme creepers and very grabby.<span style=""> </span>It’s okay though, I dealt with them.<span style=""> </span>I shoved this one guy, semi violently, 5 times and he still did not get the picture.<span style=""> </span>Good lord.<span style=""> </span>We shut down both places that night.<span style=""> </span>We were there when Grouchos closed and there when Plataforma closed.<span style=""> </span>Got home at 7am and then slept for about 5 hours!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Today we were supposed to have 2 midterms, but when we got to the school, the metal bars were down.<span style=""> </span>Hmm.<span style=""> </span>So we went around front to see if those doors were open and then saw the mob of students and 10’s of police cars out front.<span style=""> </span>Sweet!<span style=""> </span>We found some of our classmates and discussed how it probably wasn’t a good idea for a large group of American students to be standing around in a soon to be riot, haha!<span style=""> </span>So we waited til after 10 and then decided class was off.<span style=""> </span>Yay!<span style=""> </span>Ursula, one of our directors, ran into us and said that these tend not to be peaceful riots and that the first thing she saw this morning when she came to work was blood on the corner of the road.<span style=""> </span>We fou<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs037.snc1/2606_796429841070_1948751_48596802_7488215_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 304px; height: 229px;" src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs037.snc1/2606_796429841070_1948751_48596802_7488215_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>nd out that the students at the university bar had been throwing the metal café chairs at the police men earlier in the day.<span style=""> </span>Apparently this whole thing started because the police were trying to kick out the students who were camping out in the UB using their police stick things.<span style=""> </span>That would have been interesting to see.<span style=""> </span>I remember a few months ago trying to get to the library but having to walk through their living room, sleeping areas and their makeshift kitchen.<span style=""> </span>Elena told us that members of the Prado had to keep coming here because their kitchen<span style=""> </span>was situated right under some of the Prado’s paintings that they had loaned out and that the kitchen fumes and stuff were wrecking the paintings. <span style=""> </span>And since the UB cant rent out the main area for expositions now, they’ve been losing a lot of money.<span style=""> </span>Good lord.<span style=""> </span>So we hung around before Basilio’s class and saw mobs of students marching in from all areas yelling into megaphones, carrying signs, and stopping traffic!<span style=""> </span>Some people who work for the media actually paid off a tourist bus to drive up to the riots so they could film and get good pictures from the top part!<span style=""> </span>Mark, who is obviously extremely accident prone, walked right into the mob and will probably be on the Catalan news since he was standing and yelling right behind the main sign.<span style=""> </span>Sheesh.<span style=""> </span>We just got a call from Pilar saying classes are off for the rest of the day—YAY!!<span style=""> </span>I love 2 day weeks!!!!!!!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><object id="SVP1091179IE" width="320" height="277"><param name="movie" value="http://www.tv3.cat/svp2/svp2.swf"><param name="scale" value="noscale"><param name="align" value="tl"><param name="swliveconnect" value="true"><param name="menu" value="true"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="FlashVars" value="VIDEO_ID=1091179&FD=1091179&WIDTH=320&HEIGHT=240&USE_LINK_TOCONTEXT=true"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.tv3.cat/svp2/svp2.swf" id="SVP1091179" scale="noscale" name="SVP1091179" salign="tl" swliveconnect="true" menu="true" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="VIDEO_ID=1091179&FD=1091179&WIDTH=320&HEIGHT=240&USE_LINK_TOCONTEXT=true" width="320" height="277"></embed></object></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:130%;">26 March 2009</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">So I am FINALLY done with midterms.<span style=""> </span>Boy, was that drawn out longer than necessary.<span style=""> </span>I suppose they went alright.<span style=""> </span>With the increasingly more beautiful weather, it has become incredibly hard to get to work.<span style=""> </span>Such is life!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Las Fallas!<span style=""> </span>Soooo fun!<span style=""> </span>We went for the last night of the festival which is the nit de foc, or night of fire!<span style=""> </span>The bus took about 5 hours to get to Valencia, but to be fair, we did take a half hour break!<span style=""> </span>We <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs037.snc1/2606_796081768610_1948751_48579194_4496573_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 224px; height: 297px;" src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs037.snc1/2606_796081768610_1948751_48579194_4496573_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>got to take the special highway that goes down the coast of Spain.<span style=""> </span>It was so gorgeous!<span style=""> </span>Pilar says you have to pay a lot to be able to drive on it…how nice of our program!<span style=""> </span>So me, Ames, and Carolyn hung out all day which was soo fun!<span style=""> </span>The fallas are so pretty and creative it made me sad to think that they burned them!<span style=""> </span>But before we start, I feel a little background is necessary!<span style=""> </span>The festival goes back to an old tradition of the city's carpenters, who before the Festivity of their patron Saint Joseph, burned in front of their workshops, on the streets and public squares, their useless things and other wooden utensils they used to hold the candles that gave them light during the winter season.<span style=""> </span>Nowadays this tradition continues and they make giant papier mâché figures called <i>ninots.<span style=""> </span></i>Each day of Las Fallas (lasts for a week) begins at 8am with <span style="">a </span>wake-up call. Brass bands march down every road playing lively music along with people throwing large firecrackers in the street as they go.<span style=""> </span>Then every day at 2pm is the <i>Mascletà</i>, a HUGE fireworks/firecrackers display.<span style=""> </span>It was going on right as we arrived and i literally thought the city was being bombed.<span style=""> </span>120 kilos of gunpowder translates into a lot of noise!<span style=""> </span>And I would hardly call them firecrackers either.<span style=""> </span>They were TNT sticks that were about a half a foot long.<span style=""> </span>Pilar advised us before we got off the bus to keep our mouths open whenever these went off because a lot of people’s eardrums perforate.<span style=""> </span>Ummm, being already partially deaf, I would rather keep what little hearing I have left intact!<span style=""> </span>So we went to the Plaça de l'Ajuntament where the main <i>Mascletà</i><span style=""> was taking place only to be faced with thousands of people marching out of it.<span style=""> </span>Holy crap.<span style=""> </span>I have never seen so many people i</span><span style="">n my life.<span style=""> </span>It kind of reminded me of the crowded little streets of Sitges during Car</span><span style="">naval except for the fact that these were huge avenues!<span style=""> </span>And yes, I know what you’re thinking (</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs037.snc1/2606_796081628890_1948751_48579169_7458045_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 218px;" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs037.snc1/2606_796081628890_1948751_48579169_7458045_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="">if </span><span style="">you weren’t, you will soon), Valencian DOES look a lot like Catalan!<span style=""> </span>But don’t say that to someone from Val</span><span style="">encia…they are not part of Catalunya and would take great offense!<span style=""> </span>So we got to the huge plaza and saw the main Falla.<span style=""> </span>How it goes is that they burn the little Fallas at 10:00ish, the big ones around the city at 12:00 and the main one in the plaza at 1:00.<span style=""> </span>I’m glad Carolyn was with us.<span style=""> </span>She had already</span><span style=""> been to Valencia twice and was able to give us a little tour!<span style=""> </span>First we headed over to the huge cathedral that had the virgin behind it.<span style=""> </span>During las Fallas, they cover her in a dress of flowers, which was really cool looking!<span style=""> </span>Since Valencia is known for its paella, we had to get some!<span style=""> </span>We got detained for about 10 min</span><span style="">utes near a huge display of TNT explosions.<span style=""> </span>Yes.<span style=""> </span>I definitely see how keeping your mouth open helps.<span style=""> </span>It felt like I was at a concert!<span style=""> </span>I could </span><span style="">feel the explosions all through my body!<span style=""> </span>It was really cool though, because at the end, they had a string of them hung up and at the end of those it sent off some fireworks!!<span style=""> </span>We hung around for a bit afterwards and watched their clean-up process.<span style=""> </span>They had to walk around pushing a big table or something in front of them to set off any that hadn’t exploded while also using it as a shield.<span style=""> </span>Ridic</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs037.snc1/2606_796081733680_1948751_48579188_3762834_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 283px; height: 212px;" src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs037.snc1/2606_796081733680_1948751_48579188_3762834_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="">ulous!<span style=""> </span>We decided agains</span><span style="">t going down that street just in case and found a cute little restaurant called la diabla where we got some delicious valencian paella!<span style=""> </span>There was definitely chicken in it…not sure what</span><span style=""> the other meat was.<span style=""> </span>I just hope it wasn’t rabbit </span><span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="">=(</span></span><span style="">.<span style=""> </span>We saw a little girl walking down the street with her parents throwing big firecr</span><span style="">ackers on the ground while her parents just watched.<span style=""> </span>Then she threw one at a tree…and her parents just clapped!<span style=""> </span>Wow Spain</span><span style="">.<span style=""> </span>You are a country of pyro’s!<span style=""> </span>After lunch we wandered back ou</span><span style="">t by one of the castle posts that was supposedly used as a prison before?<span style=""> </span>There was a really cool drum line playing in front of it so we stayed for a listen.<span style=""> </span>These guys in front o</span><span style="">f me turned around and turned their camera at me, so I just waved?<span style=""> </span>Then one of them came up and danced with me, bahahaha!<span style=""> </span>Silly Spaniards!<span style=""> </span>Then when I tried to film the drummers they waved at my camera…tha</span><span style="">nk</span><span style="">s guys.<span style=""> </span>We decided to move on and went for a walk down the “rio” which is actually a big grassy stretch wher</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs037.snc1/2606_796081663820_1948751_48579176_919756_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 199px;" src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs037.snc1/2606_796081663820_1948751_48579176_919756_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="">e the </span><span class="description">old river Turia used to flow!<span style=""> </span>We saw some funny trees, stopped to watch some tightrope walkers (who stopped right when we sat down to watch them), had a photoshoot, peeled an orange, etc.<span style=""> </span>At the </span><span class="description">end of the rio is the </span>City of Arts and Science! <span style=""> </span>All of the buildings are very modern and there is <span class="description">a Science Museum, a Planetarium, an IMAX cinema, an Aquarium and a soon to be Arts Museum</span>!<span style=""> </span>We got some popcicles and hung out while watching the Valencian youth drive around on a car/bike slightly resembling the Flintstone car!<span style=""> </span>They were funny!<span style=""> </span>After resting our feet and contemplating life, we decided to head back since it was getting dark!<span style=""> </span>We came up the modern bridge instead of the one we came down earlier and were pleasantly surprised to run into a fire parade!<span style=""> </span>It was like the fire run in Barca except that civilians weren’t allowed to join in =/.<span style=""> </span>There were devils running around with fire, scary jester things, and carts spewing fire and shooting out fireworks!<span style=""> </span>At the end of the parade, there was a fire dragon and lots of fireworks!!<span style=""> </span>We decided to go to the little falla in the main plaza which was a good idea but also bad.<span style=""> </span>We got there about a half hour from when it was supposed to be and were pretty close, but then they didn’t do it til an hour after they had promised, so we had to stand there for over an hour and a half, sheesh!<span style=""> </span>There were a lots of people pushing to get closer and all I could think was “really!?<span style=""> </span>WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!”<span style=""> </span>Sheesh, people!<span style=""> </span>There was this poor little French boy who couldn’t see anything since he was a shorty amongst adults.<span style=""> </span>His brothers asked if I would let them through and I just told them I don’t think there’s space but he could try!<span style=""> </span>Fail.<span style=""> </span>I think I actually elbowed him in the head at one point.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>Rough night for that kid.<span style=""> </span>His brothers didn’t even hold him up so he could see everyone!<span style=""> </span>I considered doing it, but didn’t want to come off as a creeper/child thief!<span style=""> </span>So there were fireworks and then it got set off!<span style=""> </span>Very cool!<span style=""> </span>Afterwards, we r<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs037.snc1/2606_796081823500_1948751_48579203_7217600_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 223px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs037.snc1/2606_796081823500_1948751_48579203_7217600_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>an to get some Pans—we got the Fallas menu which included a free bandana—and then headed over to our favorite falla to watch it go!<span style=""> </span>Poor Cristobal Colón!<span style=""> </span>Do not go gentle into that good night!!!!<span style=""> </span>She roared.<span style=""> </span>Fireworks, flames 7 stories high, intense heat…it was insane!<span style=""> </span>This French or Italian guy came up to us and kept asking if we were going to watch the big falla burn.<span style=""> </span>Yes.<span style=""> </span>Then he kept waving and saying “come on!”<span style=""> </span>Clearly inebriated.<span style=""> </span>His friend came over to apologize/laugh at him.<span style=""> </span>It was really funny because the drunk one kept trying to convince us it was 5 to 1:00 even though we all showed him it was only 12:30.<span style=""> </span>Gotta love meeting randos!<span style=""> </span>So on our way over, we crossed paths with some guys from earlier who were throwing huge sticks of dynamite down little roads and then running away.<span style=""> </span>I’m seriously surprised no one was hurt—there were lots of people around!<span style=""> </span>I was very glad when they turned off of our street!<span style=""> </span>We tried to stay kind of far back from the big falla since everyone in Valencia would be there for that one and we only had an hour to make our way back to the autocar.<span style=""> </span>Despite being far back, it was still awesome!<span style=""> </span>Awesome fireworks, flame reaching above the apartments, people cheering—it was amazing!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="description"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="description" style="font-size:130%;">28 March 2009</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs037.snc1/2606_796429856040_1948751_48596805_5808655_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 214px;" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs037.snc1/2606_796429856040_1948751_48596805_5808655_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span class="description"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="description"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="description">The other night the stri</span><span class="description">king students led a parade of thousands down Diputació (my street).<span style=""> </span>I knew something was going on because I</span><span class="description"> could hear helicopters and sirens, but when I heard someone yelling on a loud phone, I knew they had to be close!<span style=""> </span>Sure enough, I opened my windows to my patio an here come thousands of cheering Catalans with signs and stuff!<span style=""> </span>I got flicked off for not being down there, but I would never join them!<span style=""> </span>I have no sympathy for them at all!<span style=""> </span>They had their chance to vote and change things, but they chose to sleep instead!<span style=""> </span>Some people, however, were holding anti violence signs, which mad</span><span class="description">e more sense. <span style=""> </span>I decided to play “War” by Edwin Starr loudly in my room while watching…those dumb students!<span style=""> </span>They’re just bored and want to seem importan</span><span class="description">t!<span style=""> </span>The Mosso’s followed along in their vans in case anything got out of hand</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs037.snc1/2606_796430859030_1948751_48596891_1851108_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 210px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs037.snc1/2606_796430859030_1948751_48596891_1851108_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span class="description">.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /><span class="description"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="description"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="description">I got my birthday package in the mail yesterday and it was AWESOME!!!!!!!!<span style=""> </span>Allie, Amy, Liz</span><span class="description"> and I made those carmel apple pancakes for lunch, made the funfetti cake, and then watched Twilight!<span style=""> </span>It</span><span class="description"> was a fun day!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /><span class="description"><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="description"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="description">So we got everything booked for Athens and Santorini, and I’m SO excited!!!<span style=""> </span>We still haven’t figured out what we’re doing for the rest of Spring Break, but I’m sure it will be fabulous!<span style=""> </span>Today its </span><span class="description">kind of dreary, but maybe that will be motivation to work…..or perfect sleeping conditions!!
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<br /><span class="description"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 51);"><span class="description">MORE PHOTOS</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Around%20Barcelona/Universidad%20de%20Barcelona/">Crazy UB business</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Espana/Valencia%20y%20Las%20Fallas/">Valencia & Las Fallas</a>
<br /><span class="description"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="description"><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Around%20Barcelona/41%20Muntaner/">Birthday Stuff</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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<br /></span></p> <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzzDypdCKkOx0SIlj9Yvo9csD_cmI2jw6PvmQ_KevxRrVhLJodsHpvrv-hhy5GPV2-inZhPAZUW8a2XTdqaHQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzYhZ381Gxx4cDTdmZe4_4Q6B8BKoTvXthi-Hi5iGwuKq8QsoXBXuFUaHzICf3NhrllLt0APlurmX7dQQivAw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-3135062319888745622009-03-07T18:27:00.016+01:002009-03-07T20:28:51.081+01:00Up Yer Kilt!3 March 2009<br /><br />3 months left, WHOAAAA!<br /><br />So Scotland—LOVED IT! Ames and I had to fly into Gatwick where we had a 4 hour layover until our flight to Edinburgh. We took a bus from the Edinburgh airport to the main part of the city and were immediately excited by the way the bus driver said “Edinburgh.” Love it! When I got off the bus I noticed that Edinburgh has a smell to it. It’s not a bad smell, I just couldn’t pinpoint it at all. So we ate some McD’s (we ended up eating there a lot since we were on a budget) and then went to find out hostel shuttle bus. The directions were retarded and told us to go across the North Bridge to get to Waterloo Place, which is where our bus was supposed to pick us up. So we go across the bridge and walk down a bit, but the street name changes and there are a bunch of rowdy, emo scots waiting for their emo concert on the sidewalk. We walked back and forth a couple of times before asking a woman where it was. She was super nice and told us how to get there. Turns out that go across the bridge means pass it and continue walking. Oh well! It’s a good thing the hostel had a shuttle, because that place was in the middle of nowhere! However, we did get to see a pretty Scottish loch! We check in, get keys to our room and linens and head to our room. We get in there and we first notice that there is stuff in Amy’s bed and after throwing my stuff down, we went to go open our lockers. My key didn’t work, and Amy’s was full. Something also hit me in my face and then Amy told me I had a spider on my face, AHHHHHHHH! There was also a rude drunk guy sleeping in there that we were not so keen on. So I grabbed my backpack and we went back down to the front desk. They gave us a new room which was much better, but since I had left my linens i<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs027.snc1/2574_786881356310_1948751_48208966_999592_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 429px; height: 322px;" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs027.snc1/2574_786881356310_1948751_48208966_999592_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>n the other room and didn’t want to be annoying, I just slept in my hostel liner (thanks for that one). On our first day, we grabbed some breakfast and then headed over for the free 3 hour walking tour of Edinburgh! So interesting! So we started off at a government building which looks like it’s only 5 floors but is actually 11! Since it was built on a hill, you can see all 11 floors on the other side. Then we walked across the way to the mercat cross, where anything from executions to public announcements would go down. To this day, they still announce the new monarch 3 days after the decision is made. Although, everyone knows who the monarch is the day it is decided, they still stick to old tradition and announce it 3 days later because that was how long the fastest horse could bring the news to Edinburgh. They also used to punish people by nailing their ear to the wooden door. From here, the criminals had two options: stay there for the day while getting stuff thrown at you and most likely peed on by drunken Scots, or rip your ear off the nail but forever wear the mark of a coward and therefore be unemployable. Yikes! Next was St. Giles’ Cathedral. The cathedral used to have its own kirkyard (graveyard) but since they wanted to build on that land, they tried to relocate most of the bodies. One body that for sure remains is that of John Knox, one of the Protestant Reformation leaders! He wanted his body to stay within a certain distance of the church, so he is now buried under parking spot number 23. The only thing which denotes his presence is a little gold square above the number 23. Weird. Further down along the Royal Mile (the Edinburgh Castle is at one end, and Holyrood Palace at the other), we saw a 16th century building where they recreate life from that time. We didn’t get to go in, but it sounded cool! On a half broken down building, we were able to see old fashioned burglar alarms! They called them trip steps because they were twice as tall as a normal step. This way, a burglar who comes in during the night would not be able to see it, he would trip, and the commotion he caused would wake the family up! I guess there’s still a trip step in the writing museum, and even though they’ve put caution signs all over the place and painted the step white, people still trip on it all the time! On the way up to Edinburgh Castle, we saw a guy dressed as William Wallace. I wanted to stop and take a picture with him, but there were too many people crowded around him. Oh well! Edinburgh Castle is really cool! Situated atop the plug of an extinct volcano, it also acts as the backdrop of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The castle had been taken over a few times by the English, but the Scots, who were outnumbered, were able to get it back! They used to burn witches in front of the castle as well. There were 3 ways to know whether someone was a with—they had a birthmark, a third nipple, or red hair. The last one really doesn’t make sense since Scotland has the highest percentage of gingers! Silly Scots! After torturing you (by salting, popping off your fingernails, etc) they would tie your hands to the bottom of your legs and throw them in a loch, river, etc. If you sunk, well then good for you for not being a witch—God will welcome you with open arms for being a good person. If you floated, it was because the Devil was holding you up! After that, if you still didn’t confess to being a witch, you were burned alive at the stake. What’s worse is t<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2574/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48208943_7345285.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 436px; height: 327px;" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2574/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48208943_7345285.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>hat they made the families of the alleged witches buy the wood on which they would be burned! Talk about trying to save a buck! As we kept walking, we were shown the castle which inspired the 4 houses of Hogwarts! We were told the story of Burke and Hare, murderers who sold the bodies of their victims to the Edinburgh Medical College since times were rough and practice bodies earned you a lot of money. They robbed graves and killed about 17 people before they were caught. Apparently, they brought in a well known prostitute that someone had actually seen alive and well the night before. Way to go boys! We stopped for 5£ burger and beer (Belhaven) before moving on. At 1:00 pm every day, they fire off a canon, but since we were inside, we weren’t able to hear it =( We saw the slab of stone (the covenanter’s memorial) on which many people were hung. Near this memorial stand 2 pubs that existed back in the day when all these hangings happened—The Last Drop and Maggie Dickson’s Pub. The Last Drop was where the doomed received their last drop of alcohol before their last drop at the gallows. The other pub was named after Maggie herself, a married woman who left town and had an affair with an innkeeper’s son who impregnated her. Maggie came back to Edinburgh and told no one she was pregnant. After seven months of hiding what was really going on, Maggie gave birth and the child died. Someone found the dead baby and traced it back to Maggie (honestly, who loses that much weight overnight!?). Maggie had violated a law that said you had to tell at least one person that you were pregnant. She didn’t get in trouble for cheating on her husband, just for the fact that she concealed her pregnancy from everyone. For this, she was sentenced to death by hanging. The whole town showed up as usual and she was hung, pronounced dead, and taken away. The man driving the kart with her body heard some weird thumps in the back, stopped to check and see what was going on, and found a very confused and disoriented Maggie Dickson! The man panicked and brought her back to be hung again. Everyone cheered for what was to become a double feature! However, a young lawyer stopped them before they could act and told everyone they couldn’t hang her. It was double jeopardy! They couldn’t hang her twice for the same offense! Not only did she get to live, but she was no longer married to her husband (“til death do we part”) and was able to marry the innkeeper’s son! After opening her pub, she mocked anyone headed for the gallows saying “oh what are you so worried about!? Look at me! I’m doing just fine!!” What a cool lady! In order to get to the Greyfriars Kirkyard, we had to walk down Candlemaker Row…a very haunted street! The walls along the street are made of stones and held together by mortar. However, since they were too cheap to use sand, they used the ashes of the “witches.” Creepy!! While there are a lot of people buried at Greyfriars, there are waaay fewer gravestones than people. What they used to do was bury someone at 6 feet down, then 4 feet, and then 2 feet (kind of in a stack). Since Scotland is a very rainy country, families often saw their relatives face to face at the kirkyard. Yikes. Since grave robbing was such a huge issue, lots of graves were enclosed by mortsafes, or iron bars that surrounded your coffin so nobody could snatch your body (like Burke & Hare) or your possessions, because after death, it was believed that your body didn’t belong to you anymore! Weird! The actual ceremony of a wake began in Scotland (or somewhere in the UK). Many graves that were dug up back in the day actually had scratch marks all over the insides of them—they were burying people alive left and right. So in order to avoid this, someone would take the “graveyard shift” and stay with the body for a couple of days to make sure they didn’t wake up! Yuugh, those poor people. Being buried alive has to be one of my worst fears! We also got to see the prison many of the Covenanters were held in during their trials. They were outdoor prisons in the kirkyard and they nearly froze to death in the cold, windy and wet winters. To make matters worse, the infamous George MacKenzie was in charge of them. The inhumanity and relentlessness of his persecution of the Covenanters gained him the nickname of "Bloody Mackenzie,” as he was responsible for the deaths of about 18,000 covenanters. What an ass. Bloody Mackenzie’s tomb is also in Greyfriars Kirkyard, about 20 feet away from the outdoor prison. Before it was locked up, someone broke in to seek shelter, and from then on, it was linked with all sorts of paranormal activities. In 2006 alone, more than 500 attacks were reported in or around the tomb. Visitors reported being cut, bruised, bitten, scratched and most commonly blacking out. Some people complained later of bruises, scratches and gouge-marks on their bodies. According to Wiki, “An exorcist, Colin Grant, tagged along by journalist Claire Gardener,was brought in to perform an exorcism ceremony, but soon claimed that the forces were too overpowering, and feared that they could kill him. A few weeks later, he died of a heart attack.” Umm, keep me away! I’m afraid of ghosts in general, so why would I want to go near the restless spirit of a killer! I couldn’t help but sing the Ghostbusters<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs027.snc1/2574_786881286450_1948751_48208953_4703805_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 412px; height: 309px;" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs027.snc1/2574_786881286450_1948751_48208953_4703805_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> theme song loudly in my head as I walked past. We later found the gravestones of John Gray and James Brown (nooo, not the singer!). John Gray was a police man who worked nights along with his very threatening dog Bobby, a Skye Terrier, hahha! After 2 years of being biffles, John died of TB and was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard. Bobby, who lived on for 14 more years, spent the rest of his life sitting on John’s grave only leaving to get food or sleep somewhere warmer during the winter. When Bobby died, he wasn’t allowed to be buried next to John Gray because he was a dog and it was consecrated ground (don’t know how Mackenzie’s body is there then). Instead, he was buried just outside of the gates, not far from John’s grave. What a sweet dog! He is even said to be the inspiration for Lassie! Continuing our journey, we ran into The Elephant House, where JK Rowling sat and wrote the Harry Potter books! The view out the back window gave her lots of inspiration! We passed Deacon Brodie’s Tavern at the end of the tour. Deacon Brodie was a pillar of society by day and a burglar by night and is said to have influenced the story of the S<span style="font-style: italic;">trange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde</span>. We ended our tour down by the Princes Street Gardens (which used to be a loch) where our guide told us about the Stone of Destiny which is inside Edinburgh Castle. According to legend, as long as the stone was in Scotland, the Scots would be in power. When the English took over, they took the stone to Westminster Abbey and placed it under the ruling monarch’s chair. In 1950, a group of Scottish student broke in and tried to take the stone back to Edinburgh. After hours of slowly pulling it along on their jackets and accidentally breaking the stone, they got it into the back of their car. However, since it was soon realized the stone was missing the Scottish-English border was closed down so they could find the stone smugglers. The students buried it in Kent near a gypsy camp. They went back to Scotland and told a stonemason they had it but that it had broken in two. When he found out where they had buried it, they quickly went to recover it. The gypsies helped them out because they hated the English government as well. They eventually got it back and repaired, but since they didn’t want to get in trouble for stealing it, they had to keep it on the DL. So instead, they moved the stone around a lot between bars and houses. Students would stand by it and make speeches at bars and stuff, haha! After a while, they left it at a church in Scotland. The man who found it, fearing he would be accused of stealing it, called authorities and it was <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2574/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48208962_6589574.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 432px; height: 324px;" src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2574/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48208962_6589574.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>returned back to Westminster. Talk about a lot of effort for nothing! It was eventually returned to Scotland in 1996 after 700 years of being in English hands! To kill some time before meeting up with Amy’s teacher (who is teaching in Edinburgh for the year), we walked around the castle and went to Starbucks. Yes I had a latte because I’m trying to be a real person…kind of. When we were walking past St. Giles’ we were able to witness a Scottish wedding, complete with bagpipers, kilts, and gingers! We met up with Brigham and his daughter by the Walter Scott Memorial. However, as we were about to leave, a (hopefully) drunk Scot crossed over the rope, climbed up the monument and proceeded to get naked. Like, butt naked! It was hilaaaaarious! We walked around with them for a while and looked for a place to eat dinner later that night. They walked us down to Holyrood and showed us the old University. We met up with his wife for dinner at an Italian restaurant, which was so delicious! They are the most adorable little family ever! I can definitely see why Amy likes them all so much! After dinner, we parted ways so they could head home and Amy and I could go on our Ghost Tour. Unfortunately, since the last shuttle to our hostel is at 11, we had to leave early. We still got to hear about people committing suicide off the North Bridge and saw the suicide hotline number all over it…creepy. While were were there, we were able to see some of the disturbed graves of Old Calton Cemetary. There is another jail up there where they also hanged many people. We walked up Calton Hill, which is the legendary entrance to the Faerie World which was full of deadly mythical creatures. At the top is “Edinburgh’s Disgrace”—a partially constructed monument made to look like the Parthenon. We had to bail out then and headed back to get some shut eye.<br /><br />Saturday morning we got up early, and after some breakfast, we caught a bus to Rossyln Chapel (yes, the one from the DaVinci Code). There are 2 famous pillars inside. One made by the master mason in charge of the stonework of the chapel and the other by his apprentice. The Apprentice Pillar clearly outshines that of his masters, which really peeved him since he had gone all the way to Rome to find inspiration for what he thought would be his second pillar. In a jealous rage, the master hit his apprentice in the head with a mallet and killed him. Th<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs027.snc1/2574_786881451120_1948751_48208980_1451756_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 363px; height: 484px;" src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs027.snc1/2574_786881451120_1948751_48208980_1451756_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>eir faces and that of the apprentice’s mom can be seen carved in the chapel. This chapel had the most carvings I have ever seen in my life! There are faces of the green men amongst the carved greenery with vines coming out of their mouths (which was supposed to symbolize birth and fertility). There were also carvings of corn and other plants indigenous to the Americas. This suggests that the Vikings had been to the Americas prior to Columbus considering the chapel was finished before 1492. There are also mysterious carvings on 213 protruding cubes that resemble the geometric patterns in the study of cymatics. By matching these up, one man composed a song using those notes in hopes that something would open up and reveal the Holy Grail. There is a crypt beneath the chapel which has been sealed off, creating many rumors that it contained (variously) the mummified head of Jesus Christ, the Holy Grail, the treasure of the Templars, or the original crown jewels of Scotland. At one point, the Holy Grail was also thought to be contained within the Apprentice Pillar. One man actually came in with an axe, intending to break the pillar open. Since then, they have x-rayed all of the pillars and found nothing inside them. There are symbols of the Templars all over the church. One of the stone slabs depicted the 7 virtues on one side and the 7 sins on the other. On the ceiling, there is a stone that looks kind of like an arrow. It points directly down into the middle of the church, possibly signifying where the Holy Grail is located. The man who worked there said that while standing under it, some people respond and feel something. I tried, but no dice. Back to Edinburgh we went because we had to get to London!<br /><br />We had to take a train from Gatwick to King’s Cross. Man, I love trains. The lady told us trains started at 2:55 am and came every half hour, so we would be able to take the train back for our very early flight! Out hostel was in an old courthouse, so it was basically a maze. Full of half stairs going up, dead ends, and color coded floors! We were in a 12 person dorm and let me tell you, it reeked in there! It smelled like sleep, sweat (it was hot in there), and feet (there were shoes in the window). Ew. So we took showers quickly in a room with no ventilation, and headed out to meet up with the other girls. Since the tube is ungodly slow, we tried to find a bus. After about 15 minutes of not being able to find the bus, we eventually got it. Once we got there we met up with the girls, went to Cinnabon for dinner and then went to a pub! It was so weird—the pubs there close so early! It was 11pm when they called last call and literally within 15 minutes they were forcing people out. Kel and Megan were still finishing a drink, but the rest of us got thrown outside to the cold. The other guy working the door told us to come back in so we could stay warm. That other guy was a douche! Do you really think I’m going to buy another drink as you’re closing down? No! I just wanted to stay warm and wait with my friends! Thank goodness for that other man. So then we made plans for the next day and went our <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v645/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48209471_6392017.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 398px; height: 298px;" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v645/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48209471_6392017.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>separate ways. Our smelly room was smelly and hot. I did not enjoy sleeping in there!<br /><br />The next day, the woman at the front desk printed off directions for us on how to take a bus, and then proceeded to explain it for about 15 minutes. When we left we looked at the sheet and it said “take this bus one stop to King’s Cross and then take the tube.” Silly lady. So we took the tube, haha! I was so glad that I got to see the real changing of the guards! It was full of bagpipes, men in tall fuzzy hats, a band, and an ugly dog! The band played music from the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack—it was AWESOME! We met up with the others after the ceremony and went to get lunch at a cute little bar over by Trafalgar Square. I got homemade cottage pie? I don’t know, it had meat, mashed potatoes, and gravy all over it! After lunch, the other 3 went to the wax museum and Ames and I went to Wesminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the London Eye. We then walked down the river, saw the Globe remake, some kids doing dangerous bike stunts, a huge book sale. By the time we got to the Tower of London, it was too late to go in and it was about 15£ to get in. Rain check on that one! We met up with the rest at the Tower and headed over Tower Bridge in search of a Starbucks. We looked at the weird concert form the bridge again, saw some little dogs and decided to go down. We went to go pet the dogs and when a little boy asked to hold them, the guys said “no.” Booo, I wanted to play with them! So I sat on the concrete wall on the rivers edge and just took things in. I don’t know what the guys with the dogs were thinking, but they put both of the dogs on the ledge too. Thank god they were on leashes! I was still worried though considering they were both on phones and not really paying attention. The smaller and less furry of the two walked up to me and climbed on my lap. The poor little thing was all cold and shivering! Once they were off their phones, I was worried I was going to be yelled at, but its not like I grabbed them—it just climbed up! But they were nice. Asked where us 3 were from. Turns out the dogs were Chihuahuas and based on their accents I assumed the 2 guys were from some eastern <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v645/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48209525_7356076.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 324px; height: 432px;" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v645/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48209525_7356076.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>European country. They were nice! They soon headed off and I decided to look for my favorite little pub from last time (the one with the Cider Reserve). I found it easily and we went in for a pint. The girl was not in a good mood that day. Poor girl. It was still nice though. Since it was getting late, we were just going to go home, but then we all went to King’s Cross (by our hostel) and tried to find Platform 9 ¾ . Just as we thought we would never find it, I saw it!!! Platform 9 ¾ in a little alcove! In addition to the sign, there was a trolley cart in the wall! No way! We took a bunch of pictures. Ames and I were trying to figure out if there was a way to put one person it and then have another person running them through. So I self-timered my camera and tried to climb into it so I would be in a surfing position. But just as I was about to stand up in it, a worker came out and I jumped down and just tried to act causal, but failed. We left quickly after. Ames and I decided not to sleep in our stinky room that night. We packed our bags and hung out in the Courthouse TV Room. We watched some movies (part of The Craft and part of Fried Green Tomatoes) and watched Russel Brand’s show (Russell Brand's Ponderland ) which is, by the way, ridiculous! So we left around 3:30 am to catch the train only to find out that the next train doesn’t come til 5:12 am. Umm, what?! Either that woman lied or we just have really bad luck. Amy and I freaked out for a while and even considered taking a very expensive taxi to Gatwick. We figured we’d rather pay for a taxi than miss our flight and have to buy a new one without the previous one being refunded. Luckily, our inaction payed off, as a 4:50 am train showed up. We got there, got through security (which was horrible by the way since they made me put all my liquids into another different bag), and got to the gate just in time. The woman ripping tickets was such a power hungry whore! She told everyone they could only have 1 bag with them, made people stuff their purses into their already bursting bags only to rip them out of their hands and tell them they cant bring it on and that it will be checked. A group of Spanish ladies gave her some mouth and messed around with her for a bit which reaaally pissed her off. It was hilarious! Once back in Barca, Amy and I took the shuttle which got us home about 45 minutes faster…aka, 45 more minutes of sleep before Tania’s class!<br /><br />MORE PICTURES<br /><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Edinburgh/">Edinburgh</a><br /><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/England/London%20II/">London</a><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz5Y-VE9zr-05hgshulOErPAwVk38Jx4xtNr-ylPrW9jNqwLYGMXRTeP00CdXe3Rk8j9S37YCOQxEvRU49H8A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-41703618700732888162009-02-24T17:12:00.004+01:002009-02-24T17:25:40.100+01:00Oh February, where have you gone?<span style="font-size:130%;">19 February 2009</span><br /><br />So I got to touch a document from the 13th century the other day in our Don Quijote class. Ummm, WHAT?! Why do you trust me to touch such an ancient document! Needless to say, I was terrified I was going to destroy it. It was amazing!<br /><br />I got my return flight confirmed yesterday and I wanted to cry. It’s not that I don’t want to go home, its just that I’m really going to miss Europe. And I know that I still have 3 whole months here, but it’s just weighing down on me, you know? I think the thing that bothered me most was that it said I have to be at El Prat before 7am. Oh good god, I might as well pull an all nighter then! The reason I wanted a later flight was so that I didn’t have to stay up for about a day and a half straight with the time change and everything. Oh well. At least Kelly has to be there at the same time, so we can call for cabs and head out together! Ahhhh, so bittersweet!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">20 January 2009</span><br /><br />While Amy and I were at the Boq at my usual banana stand, there was an old man who was like, “no, I want these two, not that one,” in reference to the tomatoes the woman was bagging for him. He said you’ve got to look at them and smell them before choosing. The woman asked if I wanted anything else besides my bananas, and I did my usual, “ya está,” and the old man was all “ooh, are you from here?” Haha! That’s a funny joke. I told him I was only studying here and then he asked where I was from. Chicago. “Ahhhhh, OBAMA!” and then he proceeded to make motions like a judge using his gavel. Oh man, haha. He said he still wants to go to New York, and I said, “yeah, me too!” And then he said I was still young and had my whole life in front of me, where as was 70 or so years old and didn’t have much time left. He was so cute! When we said goodbye to our new friends, he said “bonjourno” or however you spell it to Amy, rethought and said, “oh wait, no….auf vidasein” (or however you spell that one)! Everyone just assumes she’s German!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v644/54/46/1953050/n1953050_48058475_8867.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 396px; height: 297px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v644/54/46/1953050/n1953050_48058475_8867.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />It’s carnaval weekend. Party with Carolyn’s crew tonight and then Sitges tomorrow night/morning!<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />21 January 2009</span><br /><br />Barbacool was alright. The place was cool since it was a like a Euro hangout down by the beach, but the people were older and none of them talked to us. On the bright side, there was a man dressed as a chicken, another as a Scotsman who kept waggling his fuzzy orange eyebrow at people, and some people dressed as African Americans…complete with face paint. Not sure how I feel about that one!<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />23 January 2009</span><br /><br />So Carnaval was interesting. Saturday day I was taking it easy, watching some How I Met Your Mother and relaxing. We went to the parade later which was cool, for a while. We got to see some bright costumes and some good music! The best set by far was from my town, Eixample Isquerra! They had about 70 people doing the Thriller dance down the street for the entire parade—it was genius! So once we got to Sitges, we wandered around and the place was PACKED! We eventually made our way down to the beach, which I had never seen at night! They had a huge stage and blow up beer bottle on the beach and everyone was dancing out there. We decided to hang out by the little shack so we could have a drink and see everyone’s costumes. Let me tell you, the Spaniards know how to bring it! Even though i<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2403/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48076446_5558.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 371px; height: 278px;" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2403/92/96/1948751/n1948751_48076446_5558.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>t was probably about 20 degrees warmer than how it would be at home on Halloween, everyone had costumes that kept them warm. I saw a herd of sheep (including a black sheep), a parade of penguins, lots of chickens and vampires, tons of pirates and Native Americans, lots of Amy Winehouses (including one we talked to and kept touching Amy’s boobs), a group of about 5 mops, and my favorite, the male synchronized swimming team in sparkley girl swimsuits and their girlfriends dressed up as football/soccer players with fro’s. So great! They had stolen a grocery kart and put all their supplies in there. They even had scubs oxygen tank filled with beer. How creative!! After getting our table wiped off by one of the mop men, we decided to walk around more and see more costumes. We got to a really crowded intersection where I decided maybe we should take one of the less crowded ones even though it went out of the way a bit. Thank God we did! I saw these 2 people dressed up as paramedics and I wondered if they had a fake person to be working on. Wrong. They were real, and they were helping Mark, one of the guys from our program. I stopped in the middle of the road and was like, “oh my god, is that mark!?” Amy looked over and said, “it’s a ninja…ITS MARK!!!!!” We tried to find the people he was with earlier in the night, but no go--they didnt have their phones on them. In the state that he was in, we all decided he needed to come back to Barca. However, since his keys were in the apartment he was staying at in Sitges, he had to stay at our place. All I could think about was if he died, it would be my fault for not taking all necessary precautions. I even considered calling Aaron or Pilar. I talked to Berta and Mita and Berta told me I should take him to the hospital. But then after more discussion, we decided it would be okay. We got him all situated on the little red couch and Ames wrote him a note explaining where he was and stuff, which actually helped the next morning, haha! I couldn’t help but worrying before falling asleep though. My mind tends to run wild with worry at night, and this was big. If he died, it was my fault. I was scared to come out of my room Sunday morning, thinking I would find a dead Mark by the fridge. All was well though! There was life! We pieced together some of the night. Apparently it was some wizards and druids who brought the paramedics to him, hah!<br /><br />On a lighter note, Edinburgh and London this weekend, YAAAAAAAAAY! So hopefully the next blog will be way better than these last 2 (sorry about that).<br /><br />More Pictures<br /><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Adventures%20in%20Barca/Carnaval/">Carnaval</a>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-75435375798204119172009-02-15T19:04:00.005+01:002009-02-24T17:28:11.304+01:00Singles Awareness Day<span style="font-size:130%;">15 February 2009</span>
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<br />Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! And Happy 28th Anniversary Mom and Dad! You guys are 2 of my favorite people on this planet and I cant wait to give you both a big hug upon my return!
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<br />Here’s some silly Valentine’s –ish music for you people…..
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<br />To catch up on my first week of classes…Wednesdays are barbaric! Cardona’s class is fine, Basilio’s is way too long, and Latin American Lit is just torture. Oh well. At least that’s my only bad day! I got my cartilage pierced on the 10th. That thing hurts! It’s still sore even though its feeling a lot better today. That doesn’t really make sense though because yesterday while doing my hair, I accidentally punched my ear right in the cartilage. Ooops. I screamed for about 7 seconds straight and then put a bag of frozen peas on it, haha! For Valentine’s Day we intended to go to a Mexican restaurant for dinner, but they had no place left all night and we went to an Indian restaurant instead. It was actually pretty good! Afterwards, we went to Oveja Negra for some delicious sangria. Yummm!
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<br />Tomorrow marks my ½ year point in Barca. How ridiculous. I seriously cant believe I survived this long. Before I left I was so worried that I would be crying myself to sleep every night due to homesickness, but I have surprised even myself! Even though I love and miss the fam, being away from them just makes me appreciate them more! I also got some very frightening e-mails recently saying: a) I have to decide what day I want to fly home home on before March comes around—yikes! and b) I have to sign up for my oral proficiency exam which I must pass in order to become a Spanish teacher. HORRIFIED! They’re all “oh do it soon after you get back because that’s the most fluent you’ll be in your life!” Umm, I sure hope not! As much as I love Barca, its definitely not the place to go to learn Spanish! Oh well…I’ll just have a shot or two before calling the testers, hahah! …half kidding.Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-27959729438458701842009-02-06T19:17:00.026+01:002009-02-07T14:10:34.259+01:00Just Like Romeo and Juliet<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> 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</xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} span.fn {mso-style-name:fn; mso-style-unhide:no;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:S</style><span style="font-size:130%;">5 January 2009
<br />
<br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Lots to catch up on.<span style=""> </span>First of<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-a.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v2327/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47820728_4114.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://photos-a.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v2327/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47820728_4114.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> all—the Barca v. Deportivo football game!<span style=""> </span>So fun!<span style=""> </span>After spending the entire day (when I should have been studying) looking for a jersey and buying tickets, we headed out to the game armed with Estrella tall boys!<span style=""> </span>I don’t know if drinking in public is actually legal here anymore, but we did it anyways.<span style=""> </span>We ended up having to run all the way around the stadium since our ticket window was on the opposite side of the one we started out at.<span style=""> </span>Oh well! We got there just in time and our seats were fabulous!<span style=""> </span>I thought we were going to be sitting farther back, based on what the guy at the botiga said, but we were suuuuuper close!<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>We won 5-0!<span style=""> </span>Fun game!<span style=""> </span>The place was completely packed, it was insane!<span style=""> </span>On the way out, some guys wanted to get a picture with me and Amy.<span style=""> </span>Again, they have apparently never seen a blonde person before.<span style=""> </span>Silly.<span style=""> </span>But yeah, fun night!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Finals were good.<span style=""> </span>It felt nice to be done with all my papers and tests and just be able to relax for a few days before heading off to Italy.<span style=""> </span>Poor Amy and Kelly were up all night working on their papers on the morning we left.<span style=""> </span>I think they sent them in about 20 minutes before we left!<span style=""> </span>Talk about crunch time!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2327/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47797977_7472.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 353px; height: 470px;" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2327/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47797977_7472.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Pisa was so pretty!<span style=""> </span>The leaning tower is so funny looking!<span style=""> </span>I mean, what must the builders have been thinking when they noticed it was leaning?<span style=""> </span>I wonder if the guy who built it got fired or something for building it in a bad location.<span style=""> </span>We took tons of pictures by it, including the classic “let me hold up the tower” picture.<span style=""> </span>Amy and I also decided that we would take Bluth chicken pictures at each city in front of something famous.<span style=""> </span>It was 15 euros to go up the tower, which we thought was pretty lame, so we didn’t do it, haha!<span style=""> </span>Instead, we went to a cute Italian restaurant and got some delicious pizza!<span style=""> </span>After eating, we purchased some new shades and hung out at a park for a while!<span style=""> </span>It was such a beautiful day out—it was nice to just relax in the sun.<span style=""> </span>We almost got arrested on the way to Florence by the Italian polizia.<span style=""> </span>Apparently you’re supposed to activate your train ticket before you get on the train…oops!<span style=""> </span>Megan and Kelly tried to reason with her that she could destroy our tickets so we couldn’t use them again.<span style=""> </span>But she didn’t understand English and threatened to call the cops on us if we got off at the next station.<span style=""> </span>She told us that it was a 40 euro fine each, which is obviously ridiculous for a 5 euro ticket.<span style=""> </span>Then she started badmouthing us and Americans to the people in the next area of seats.<span style=""> </span>Umm, we understand you, we’re not stupid.<span style=""> </span>She said in America, an immigrant would go to jail for something like this.<span style=""> </span>Um no.<span style=""> </span>First of all, our system makes sense, and second, you w</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">ould get a warning, not a threat!<span style=""> </span>What a bitch.<span style=""> </span>We ended up paying a total fine of 40 euros, so it was only 8 each.<span style=""> </span>Not bad…makes for a good story!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Florence.<span style=""> </span>Oooooooh Florence!<span style=""> </span>So many stories from Florence.<span style=""> </span>After spending about 20 minutes searching for our new hostel (which was changed on us 14 hours beforehand—is that even legal!?), Tommy came outside and waved us down.<span style=""> </span>Tommy.<span style=""> </span>Oh boy.<span style=""> </span>So we go up there and it looks like an apartment he’s just happened to turn into a hostel.<span style=""> </span>There are only 3 dorm rooms in there, and we had the biggest one all to ourselves.<span style=""> </span>When we asked for towels, Tommy said, “ooooh yeah.<span style=""> </span>We don’t really have towels.”<span style=""> </span>Excuse me?<span style=""> </span>“Yeah, people tend to steal them.”<span style=""> </span>We’re not going to steal your freaking towels!<span style=""> </span>Turns out he DID have towels, except we were convinced there were poo stains on 2 of them.<span style=""> </span>They probably weren’t, but we figured it made for a better story.<span style=""> </span>With this hostel, we were supposed to get breakfast and dinner for free, so Tommy sent us over to their brother hostel for dinner every night.<span style=""> </span>It wasn’t far away.<span style=""> </span>We buzzed, could hear voices all the way on the bottom floor, and were greeted enthusiastically by an Australian boy.<span style=""> </span>Oh hello.<span style=""> </span>Then we met Franco.<span style=""> </span>Oh boy, what a character!<span style=""> </span>“Ooooh hello, sexy girls!”<span style=""> </span>Oh Franco.<span style=""> </span>We had to wait for round 2 of dinner since there were so many people out there.<span style=""> </span>So we sat in one of the rooms and Franco poured us some Australian beer since it was apparently Aussie Day.<span style=""> </span>What’s Aussie Day?<span style=""> </span>No one knew…not even the Aussies.<span style=""> </span>Amy mentioned that she was tired and Franco’s response was, “sexy boy keep you up all night?!”<span style=""> </span>Oh god, what a crazy man.<span style=""> </span>When it came to be our time, some people hung back to hang out with us.<span style=""> </span>Turns out 2 of the boys there were from Illinois.<span style=""> </span>And from Chicago.<span style=""> </span>And fr<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2327/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47798005_2116.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 358px; height: 268px;" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2327/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47798005_2116.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>om U of I…and lived 3 houses down from us.<span style=""> </span>WHAT?!<span style=""> </span>What a ridiculously small world.<span style=""> </span>They were Theta Chi’s and just were with one of the girls in our house a few days earlier.<span style=""> </span>Crazy.<span style=""> </span>After eating, everyone from the hostel went to a bar together and we got the 3 beers for 9 euros and 5 shots for 5 euros special.<span style=""> Good times!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="">
<br /></span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">On day 1, we started off by checking out Ponte Vecchio, the only bridge in Florence to survive World War II.<span style=""> </span>It was really neat looking, especially from outside of the bridge, since there are little stores built into it!<span style=""> </span>We got a great view of the city from Piazzale Michelangelo after we hiked up a mountain (okay, it was just a big hill) to get to the top.<span style=""> </span>After making the journey back down we checked out some plazas and churches and stuff.<span style=""> </span>Palazzo Vecchio was cool.<span style=""> </span>They have a replica of David out there, but it was covered up when we went…sad.<span style=""> </span>There were a bunch of other really cool statues out that we could look at though, so it wasn’t a complete loss.<span style=""> </span>After some lunch, we went to check out Santa Maria del Fiore or the Duomo di Firenze, which is the symbol of the city. <span style=""> </span>We got to go inside for free.<span style=""> </span>It was enormous but very cold feeling. <span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>By then, it had started to downpour so we ran out quickly and went into a coffee shop to get some coffee and hot chocolate.<span style=""> </span>So delicious!<span style=""> </span>We hit up some 1 euro stores (like our dollar stores), tried on goofy hats, bought some candy, and I bought some water color paints.<span style=""> </span>There was a cool outdoor market going on, so we walked through it and made some sweet purchases.<span style=""> </span>Amy and I both accidently dropped some gummy bears and they drown face down in the puddles of the Florentine roads.<span style=""> </span>Oops.<span style=""> </span>That night for dinner, Franco said “ooOOOOOoo” when we buzzed and then we ate with everybody first round.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>We met lots of Aussies, some British folk, some Spaniards, a Brazilian, and many more.<span style=""> </span>Everyone was so fun!<span style=""> </span>We played spoons and circle of death with everyone afterwards while waiting to go out. <span style=""> </span>So much fun!<span style=""> </span>I love hanging out with a bunch of international people!<span style=""> We went out again with everyone and got t</span><span style="">o know everyone better--so fun!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Next day we got up early to go check out San Lorenzo which contains a lot of stuff by Michelangelo and is totally Renaissance neo-classic.<span style=""> </span>We were just sitting in there taking it in and this little old Italian woman walked up and asked if we were tired.<span style=""> </span>She then asked us if we spoke French or Italian, when we said we spoke English, she said, “oh I have bad English, you want free tour?”<span style=""> </span>Sure!<span style=""> </span>She gave us a great tour in English-italian which worked perfectly.<span style=""> </span>She would randomly talk about America, or ask us about English words.<span style=""> </span>When she found out we spoke Spanish, she was all “oh, how wonderful!”<span style=""> </span>She was the most adorable o<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2327/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47798014_5392.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 356px; height: 487px;" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2327/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47798014_5392.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>ld woman ever!<span style=""> </span>She kept saying “capito?” and it was always a yes, haha!<span style=""> </span>We all wanted to give her a little something for giving us such a nice tour or at least a hug, but she buggered out of there fast after saying goodbye and to enjoy Florence.<span style=""> </span>Adorable!<span style=""> </span>We made our way over to the <span class="fn">Accademia Gallery</span> so we could see David.<span style=""> </span>Okay, so the Mona Lisa is very unimpressive when you see her.<span style=""> </span>I mean, if you had a lot of time to yourself to get up close to the painting, I’m sure it would be cool, but it’s just really small and its very crowded.<span style=""> </span>I was thinking of that going into the museum and almost screamed when I saw him.<span style=""> </span>He was HUGE!<span style=""> </span>Here I was thinking he would be life size, but no!<span style=""> </span>Much bigger!<span style=""> </span>So awesome.<span style=""> </span>I’m retarded and didn’t realize that he was David from David and Goliath.<span style=""> </span>Either way, he’s just chillin there all relaxed and stuff.<span style=""> </span>Coolest sculpture I’ve ever seen.<span style=""> </span>So detailed!<span style=""> </span>My favorite part was his right hand because you could see all the tendons and veins and stuff.<span style=""> </span>SO COOL!<span style=""> </span>After staring at him for at least a half hour, we ran over to the Galleria degli Uffizi to make sure we were there before it closed.<span style=""> </span>Success.<span style=""> </span>We had to put our stuff through security scanners, as usual, but the guy asked me where I was from.<span style=""> </span>I told him Chicago and he proceeded to tell me he was either going to come live with me in Chicago or I should come live with him?<span style=""> </span>I don’t know.<span style=""> </span>Italians are crazy, but I still love them!<span style=""> </span>There were a bunch of Italian military dudes in there, like a BUNCH!<span style=""> </span>They kept staring and winking at us.<span style=""> </span>It was funny.<span style=""> </span>We wandered a bit before going to the hostel for our last dinner with Franco and Co.<span style=""> </span>We got distracted on the way and played on the carousel you know, because we’re like 5.<span style=""> </span>Oh well.<span style=""> </span>So we were late and had to wait for round 2 again at the hostel.<span style=""> </span>While waiting, Franco gave us wine and pulled out some chocolate from a drawer for us to eat.<span style=""> </span>Then he told us how he was frustrated with some Canadians who wouldn’t eat dinner because they ate too much chocolate before.<span style=""> </span>Crazy man.<span style=""> </span>Dinner was kind of boring since everyone was playing games while we were left to eat with the 2 new Australians who were boring in comparison.<span style=""> </span>We all went out again, but it wasn’t the same.<span style=""> </span>We went to a dance club that night with everyone, but as amy said “there was just no….penetration.”<span style=""> </span>Of groups she meant.<span style=""> </span>Sofia fell off a table, which was funny.<span style=""> </span>But besides that, the boys hung out with themselves.<span style=""> </span>Oh well!<span style=""> </span>Peace out Florence!<span style=""> </span>The next morning while we were getting ready, Franco came over to say goodbye and give us his Facebook info.<span style=""> </span>What a baller.<span style=""> </span>We all got a kiss on the hand and then he joked to Megan that “there’s no hot water megan, what are you doing!?”<span style=""> </span>She was confused.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">The train to Bologna was nice and relaxing.<span style=""> </span>Being in Europe has definitely given me a newfound love for trains.<span style=""> </span>Sin duda, it’s my preferred method of transportation!<span style=""> </span>When we got off the train in Bologna, we asked how to get to our hostel and she said it was 3km away and that we could definitely walk there.<span style=""> </span>Okay, let’s go then because the bus to the hostel only comes every 2 hours.<span style=""> </span>That should have indicated something, but we were oblivious.<span style=""> </span>So we start walking and realize something is up when we had to walk on an overpass.<span style=""> </span>Then even more so when we entere<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-h.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v2327/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47799807_8608.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 335px; height: 251px;" src="http://photos-h.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v2327/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47799807_8608.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>d the ghettos.<span style=""> </span>So we stopped in a bar to ask a woman who speaks zero English how to get there and she looked it up and then gave us new directions. <span style=""> </span>Attempt 2 was a fail.<span style=""> </span>We ended up getting a taxi.<span style=""> </span>When we got in and showed him where we were going he says “aaaah, camping, yes.”<span style=""> </span>Errr, what?<span style=""> </span>“Yes, camping.”<span style=""> </span>No, we’re going to a hostel.<span style=""> </span>“No, this is camping.”<span style=""> </span>WHAAAT?!<span style=""> </span>There was no way we would have ever been able to get there.<span style=""> </span>We would have had to walk about 10 more minutes down the main road and then taken this zig zaggy country road for about another 7 minutes until we got to camping!<span style=""> </span>It wasn’t really camping though.<span style=""> </span>We stayed in a lovely little bungalow.<span style=""> </span>After waiting for an hour and a half for the next bus, we went to the main part of the city and saw everything in about 25 minutes!<span style=""> </span>We checked out the <span style="">Torre degli Asinelli and the Torre d</span><span style="">ei Garisenda which are the symbols of the city.<span style=""> </span>You can go up into one of them, but latter is clo</span><span style="">sed since it has a major leaning problem, haha!<span style=""> </span>We walked through Piazz</span><span style="">a Maggiore and raided a tourist info store where Megan put on the</span><span style="">se <i style="">ridiculous</i> black glasses that made her eyes 3 times as big.<span style=""> </span>The people there obviously hated us because we were playing with the donated glasses, haha!<span style=""> </span>Oh well.<span style=""> </span>We took pictures in front of the Fontana di Nettuno, another one of Bologna’s symbols.<span style=""> </span></span>Basilica of San Petronio looked really funny.<span style=""> </span>I don’t know.<span style=""> </span>Just weird lookin.<span style=""> </span>We wandered, went in some stores, and got some gelato before heading back to our little bungalow.<span style=""> </span>That night we goofed around, made coneheads with our hair, and played.<span style=""> </span>It was fun!<span style=""> </span>Next day we took the bus into the city so we could catch our train to Verona!!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Verona is definitely one of my favorite cities in Europe.<span style=""> </span>When you picture Europe or Italy in your head, I assure you that Verona is what you see.<span style=""> </span>It was the most adorable city with such a small town feel.<span style=""> </span>Our B&B Casa di Barbara was so baller!<span style=""> </span>Coolest thing ever! <span style=""> </span>After getting settled, Kathleen (Megan’s friend) showed us how to get to one of the main plazas where we got some dinner.<span style=""> </span>Verona has<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2327/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47800331_8597.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 436px; height: 327px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2327/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47800331_8597.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> what looks like a mini version of the Coliseum.<span style=""> </span>It was built in 1st Century AD by the Romans, and although it’s crumbling on the outside, it’s the world's third-largest amphitheatre to survive from antiquity.<span style=""> </span>I can’t imagine how cool shows must be in there!<span style=""> </span>That night, Kathleen took us to a bar called Campús where we saw Jess Miller.<span style=""> </span>Yeah.<span style=""> </span>We also saw Ted and got to meet his girlfriend.<span style=""> </span>That bar was exactly like being at home or Brothers or something.<span style=""> </span>It was kind of overwhelming.<span style=""> </span>We don’t have anything like that in Barca.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">On our full day, we went to the tourism office to get the Verona Card for 10 euros but let us into like 15 different places for free.<span style=""> </span>Definitely a good decision to get that!<span style=""> </span>First on our list was Juliet’s tomb.<span style=""> </span>Amy and I were super creepy and crawled into it for some pictures.<span style=""> </span>Haha, so typical.<span style=""> </span>After hanging out there for a while, we went to go play in the Arena.<span style=""> </span>We had battles and did chicken dances and then walked around the entire theatre.<span style=""> </span>Very pretty.<span style=""> </span>We met up with 2 of Megan’s sorority sisters and their Italian friend Matteo for lunch and then they took us to Castelvecchio, a 14<sup>th</sup> century castle on the banks of the river Aldige.<span style=""> </span>Again, since we act like 5 year olds, we played on the castle and climbed the walls and stuff, haha!<span style=""> </span>They also took us to Casa di Giulietta, which is supposedly the location of the famous balcony love scene from Shakespeare's <i>Romeo and Juliet</i><span style="">.<span style=""> </span>In reality, it has no connection to the play. <span style=""> </span>A</span>lthough the house is old, the balcony was added in 1936 and declared to be "Juliet's ho<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2327/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47800059_6758.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 394px; height: 295px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2327/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47800059_6758.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>use" to attract tourists.<span style=""> </span>Oh well!<span style=""> </span>You trapped me!<span style=""> </span>We took a picture with the Juilet statue out front.<span style=""> </span>Apparently you’re supposed to grab her right boob if you want good luck with love, but we didn’t feel like groping her.<span style=""> </span>We made our way down to Piazza delle Erbe where we found more outdoor markets.<span style=""> </span>Feeling ambitious, we climbed Lamberti Tower, Verona’s tallest tower and 238 steps to the top.<span style=""> </span>We got a great view and hung out up there until the huge bell chimed, scared the shit out of us, and made us go deaf.<span style=""> </span>We peaced out to Megan’s friends until dinner and headed over towards the Verona Cathedral, or the Duomo.<span style=""> </span>I think that is my favorite church.<span style=""> </span>Like, ever.<span style=""> </span>It was so big, yet the colors and materials that they used to make it made it feel really warm and homey.<span style=""> </span>LOVED IT!<span style=""> </span>Last thing on our list was the Roman Amphiteatre.<span style=""> </span>It was really neat.<span style=""> </span>We climbed up to the top of the ruins and watched the sun set over beautiful Verona.<span style=""> </span>It was perfect.<span style=""> </span>That night we bought bread and wine over to Kathleen’s.<span style=""> </span>She made us some really good pasta and we had dinner like a family at a real table with chairs.<span style=""> </span>It was really fun!<span style=""> </span>We were like a little family!<span style=""> </span>That night we went back to Piazza delle Erbe and had some really delicious wine at an outdoor café. <span style=""> </span>That place was hoppin.<span style=""> </span>I feel like that was the first time us Barca girls freaked out about going home.<span style=""> </span>Who would want to leave this?<span style=""> </span>Where else can you sit outside drinking wine in public in an old, beautiful plaza?<span style=""> </span>Oh goodness.<span style=""> </span>I love Europe.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Train to Venice went smoothly.<span style=""> </span>The train went over the water to get to the island, which was very cool considering I assumed we had to take a ferry over or something.<span style=""> </span>It was so cool to be surrounded by water and seeing the city in the distance!<span style=""> </span>We got to take a water taxi to get closer to our hotel.<span style=""> </span>So cool!<span style=""> </span>The guy had to throw the rope around each stop to pull the boat closer to the docking spot.<span style=""> </span>It was so fun!!<span style=""> </span>We also got to see a lot of Venice and people on their gondolas and boats going about their business!<span style=""> </span>We even saw the polizia boat and the garbage boat, haha!<span style=""> </span>Since we got in late the first night, we walked around a bit by our hotel and then got dinner at a place where students were playing violins and other stringed instruments out front for fun.<span style=""> </span>Interesting waiters…more crazy Italy inhabitants.<span style=""> </span>I say that because the guy was really from<span style=""> </span>Jordan.<span style=""> </span>He said he labeled tables as families and we were his family 5.<span style=""> </span>He then told us that in Jordan, its legal for men to marry 4 wives at a time.<span style="">..interesting considering there were 4 of us and one of him, hmmm. Sneaky, sneaky. </span>"Lucky for the guys, but not the girls!" They liked us very much.<span style=""> </span>Crazy Italian inhabitants.<span style=""> </span>We went back to the hotel that night and watched 2 hours of Dancing with the Stars, Italian version.<span style=""> </span>So much drama on that show!<span style=""> </span>It was insane!<span style=""> </span>Loved it though!<span style=""> </span>They do this cool thing where there is a vote d<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-e.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v2327/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47800564_2473.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 416px; height: 312px;" src="http://photos-e.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v2327/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47800564_2473.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>uring the show, and the bottom 4 couples have to improve a dance on the spot after receiving a genre about 10 seconds earlier.<span style=""> </span>Half way through that dance, the pro dancer leaves and the famous person has to continue making it up by themselves.<span style=""> </span>It was HILARIOUS!<span style=""> </span>Quality Italian entertainment.<span style=""> </span>We speculated as to which of the partners were screwing each other.<span style=""> </span>It was fun.<span style=""> </span>We saw their pictures on the newsstands the next morning.<span style=""> </span>Love it!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">The next day, it snowed like mad.<span style=""> </span>They were really pretty huge flakes!<span style=""> </span>It was really pretty!!<span style=""> </span>First, and almost only, on the list was <span class="fn">Basilica di San Marco</span>.<span style=""> </span>We were originally worried about the pigeon situation, but there weren’t that many there, thank goodness.<span style=""> </span>Those Italian pigeons are like kamikaze pilots!<span style=""> </span>We couldn’t go in the church til 2:00, so we got some lunch and went to check out the Ponte di Rialto and all the shops nearby.<span style=""> </span>We found some really cool mask stores and got their card so kel and megan could go back and get masks later.<span style=""> </span>They were gorgeous masks, and all custom made in that store.<span style=""> </span>We ran into some Pinocchio figurines which creeped me out a bit.<span style=""> </span>Italy has Pinocchio stuff everywhere.<span style=""> </span>It’s funny.<span style=""> </span>St. Mark’s was cool.<span style=""> </span>So much gold in there!<span style=""> </span>We saw someone propose to his girlfriend on the Rialto on the way home.<span style=""> </span>It was adorable!<span style=""> </span>After taking a rest and warming up in the hotel for a while, we got some dinner and went out for a drink at an American bar.<span style=""> </span>Around midnight, the bartender asked us if we lived by St. Mark’s and when we said no, he said “oh good, because its high tide soon…I didn’t want you to get stranded.”<span style=""> </span>Holy shit!<span style=""> </span>Awesome!<span style=""> </span>We made Megan and Kelly finish their drinks fast so we could go by St. Mark’s.<span style=""> </span>We always seem to do things we’re told not to do.<span style=""> </span>Oh well!<span style=""> </span>Already, the water was almost up to the top stair that leads out of the canal and they had the bridge tables set up so you didn’t have to walk in water/be stranded where ever you’re going.<span style=""> </span>It was so cool!<span style=""> </span>When we got to St. Mark’s it had already begun to flood and was flooding quickly!<span style=""> </span>We ran down the strip that wasn’t flooded to get closer to the church and take some pictures.<span style=""> </span>When we realized that the path we took was almost gone, we high tailed it out of there and walked around the raised perimeter to the wharf.<span style=""> </span>That’s when it really started picking up.<span style=""> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-b.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v2327/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47800609_7504.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 369px; height: 280px;" src="http://photos-b.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v2327/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47800609_7504.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>We were walking by the gondolas and the waves were crashing in and banging the boats all around.<span style=""> </span>We ran around over there for a while dancing by the water and watching the whole place flood and then walked out onto the table-bridges for a bit.<span style=""> </span>We decided we better start heading home and took one last look at the flooded Saint Mark’s.<span style=""> </span>We actually needed to use the table-bridges on the way home since about half of our route was flooded.<span style=""> </span>Once we got closer to home, it wasn’t flooded….until we got to the door of our hotel.<span style=""> </span>Really!?<span style=""> </span>COME ON!<span style=""> </span>We tried to James Bond it between doorways but we realized it was hopeless since there was about 10 feet of no doorways.<span style=""> </span>So we took off our boots and socks, rolled up our pants, and ran through the icy water to our door.<span style=""> </span>Once inside, we realized the water smelled like sulfur, and then, logically, went outside to dance in it and take pictures.<span style=""> </span>We’re so smart!<span style=""> </span>Amy ran in and fell in the doorway, hahahah!<span style=""> </span>We had to take a communal foot bath to get rid of the stench and then we all went to bed with the sounds of Italian MTV in the background.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="fn">Day 2 it wasn’t snowing, but it was still raining.<span style=""> </span>Oh well, you cant win everywhere y</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-b.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v2327/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47800553_8414.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 261px;" src="http://photos-b.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v2327/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47800553_8414.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span class="fn">ou go!<span style=""> </span>We went back to the Rialto and the shops again.<span style=""> </span>Megan and Kelly got really cool masks too.<span style=""> </span>We basically did a lot of shopping and wandering on day 2.<span style=""> </span>We got a pizza for lunch/dinner and took it home with us.<span style=""> </span>That night we went to see a Vivaldi concert which was so good!<span style=""> </span>The cello player was very animated…it’s a good thing he was exceptionally good or it would have just been unnecessary.<span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /><span class="fn"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="fn">On the day we left, we had to take the water taxi to the bus to take us to the airport</span><span class="fn">.<span style=""> </span>It was nicer out that day so I got some better pictures, yay!<span style=""> </span>All in all, it was a great trip and I drank a lot of coffee in Italy.<span style=""> </span>It’s no wonder they have no Starbucks there—they </span><span class="fn">take pride in their coffee!!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /><span class="fn"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="fn"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="fn"><span style="font-size:130%;">6 February 2009</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /><span class="fn"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="fn"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="fn">Oh, I missed that cousin of mine!<span style=""> </span>Amy and I went out with her, Kate, and Kate’s new roommate for drinks at an Irish bar down the Rambla.<span style=""> </span>We had an Irish Car Bomb as soon as we got there (I think that’s a shot of Bailey’s dropped into a Guiness?)…it was actually really good!<span style=""> </span>Then I had a Hoegardden or something which was also very good.<span style=""> </span>It was nice to hang out with those ladies—they’re so funny!!<span style=""> </span>However, I understand why they say not to go down the Rambla at night.<span style=""> </span>Some guy tried to grab my ass on the way home, but I was lucky walking just right so I hit his hand away (thankfully) by accident.<span style=""> </span>Even though I was completely speechless at the nerve of that man, I did give him the most ferocious death stare I have ever given anyone in my life.<span style=""> </span>About a minute later, a guy stopped next to me and slurped at me?<span style=""> </span>Um what?<span style=""> </span>I don’t know what that’s all about but its freaking creepy!<span style=""> </span>I walked in the middle of the group after that.<span style=""> </span>That was the first time I’ve been assaulted <i style="">in Spain.</i><span style=""> </span>Oh well.<span style=""> </span>Life goes on.<span style=""> </span>Tonight Carolyn's parents took us out to dinner and we're going to head over to a bar over by Sant Jordi tonight. Oh, how i missed that area!!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /><span class="fn"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="fn">MORE PHOTOS:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Adventures%20in%20Barca/Barca%20Games/"><span class="fn">Barca Game</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Italy/Pisa/"><span class="fn">Pisa</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Italy/Florence/"><span class="fn">Florence</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Italy/Bologna/"><span class="fn">Bologna</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Italy/Verona/"><span class="fn">Verona</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="fn"><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Italy/Venice/">Venice</a>
<br /></span></p>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-87091499472440161762009-01-22T22:04:00.005+01:002009-02-15T19:09:44.649+01:00I'm as free as a bird now!<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">22 January 2009</span></span>
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:180%;">I’M FREE! </span>BARACK IS PRESIDENT! MUFFINS! BASILIO IN A CAR! PUPPIES! SUNSHINE! NEW HEADPHONES! YAY EVERYTHING!!! ITALY SOON, STAY TUNED!!!!!</span>
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<br />here are some classics for you!
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<br />Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-60067314644537976322009-01-11T18:08:00.012+01:002009-01-11T21:34:20.585+01:00I CAME, I SAW, I CONQUERED!<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> 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mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size:130%;">2 January 2009</span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Had a BLT at the bagel shop.<span style=""> </span>It was tasty.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;">11 January 2009</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Aaaaaah Rome.<span style=""> </span>Here we go!!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Sunday night/Monday morning the girls and I watched Roman Holiday in preparation for our trip.<span style=""> </span>I had seen parts of the movie in the past, but I wasn’t really paying attention, so it was new to me!<span style=""> </span>Umm, what the hell is with the ending?<span style=""> </span>That’s not how it’s supposed to go!!!<span style=""> </span>I know, it was what would realistically happen in this situation, but come on!<span style=""> </span>Gregory Peck walking alllll the way out of the room was not necessary to show, it just made me think the end would be happy and she would come running out.<span style=""> </span>Booooooo!<span style=""> </span>Great movie though, haha!<span style=""> </span>So I got up about 3 hours later even though I only slept for about 1 since I was thinking about the Single Ladies dance (as usual).<span style=""> </span>So we went out and got a cab to take us to the bus station since our bus was at 5:15 and the metro doesn’t open til 5:00.<span style=""> </span>Our driver was so adorable.<span style=""> </span>Firstly, he totally looked like Max, our sub from Cine class a while back.<span style=""> </span>But he was asking us where we were going and then he was asking if we liked pizza and stuff.<span style=""> </span>He started telling us that its easier to take a train to the airport, and then we realized he was talking about El Prat, not Girona.<span style=""> </span>When we told him we were flying out of Girona, he says “¡MADRE MÍA!”<span style=""> </span>I agree.<span style=""> </span>It’s quite far.<span style=""> </span>Oh well.<span style=""> </span>Bus was fine, we got to our gate and I thought we were boarding in a half hour, but it turns out we had an HOUR and a half.<span style=""> </span>Boo.<span style=""> </span>So we giggled slap happily in our seats til we boarded.<span style=""> </span>After landing, we had to take a half hour bus ride into the city and then we found out hostel.<span style=""> </span>SO GHETTO!<span style=""> </span>All the toilets had something wrong with them.<span style=""> </span>Some just legitimately didn’t work, one was constantly running but would flush randomly, and the other didn’t have a seat cover.<span style=""> </span>We used the last 2 of the 3.<span style=""> </span>2 of the 3 lights in our room were out, and the cleaning ladies hadn’t changed our sheets yet.<span style=""> </span>Once that was remedied, we took a 2 hour nap or so since we didn’t want to go out and be crabby/unimpressed.<span style=""> </span>Once we got up, we wandered and realized that everything is SUPER close to each other.<span style=""> </span>You can totally see everything in Rome without getting on a bus or train.<span style=""> </span>First we got some pizza since we hadn’t eaten since the night before and then we set out.<span style=""> </span>We found a church (Basílica de Santa María la Mayor?) and then kept going.<span style=""> </span>We set out in search of the Piazza della Republica, went too far, and <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1950/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47342589_1474.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1950/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47342589_1474.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>then realized that we had already gone through it AND taken pictures of it.<span style=""> </span>That’s how close things are.<span style=""> </span>They look farther on a map, you walk semi far, and you’ve already passed it!<span style=""> </span>We meandered down Via Nazionale and stopped at The Vittoriano Monument in Piazza Venezia.<span style=""> </span>It’s so pretty!<span style=""> </span>As we continued, we came across some ruins!<span style=""> </span>We thought it was part of the forum and decided to walk down Via del Fori Imperiali.<span style=""> </span>Oh heeeeeey Colosseum!<span style=""> </span>It was at the end of the road!<span style=""> </span>How one stumbles upon the Colosseum is beyond me, but we did!<span style=""> </span>We took a bunch of pictures by the Colossuem before going to meet up with Amy’s friend.<span style=""> </span>We wanted to try out this restaurant called Del Luigi’s that one of Amy’s friends had suggested, so we went to where we thought it was and found out we were waaaay off.<span style=""> </span>We went into a hotel to ask for help and the guy was sooooo nice!<span style=""> </span>He asked us a bunch of questions about it, looked things up online, called them, made reservations for us, sold us bus tickets, and told us how to get there!<span style=""> </span>What a nice Italian man!<span style=""> </span>When we got there, we practically had the place to ourselves, so no need for the reservation anyways.<span style=""> </span>We all got penne a la vodka because we heard it was good.<span style=""> </span>We also got some brushetta and tiramisu.<span style=""> </span>I enjoyed it, but that’s apparently not what penne a la vodka usually tastes like?<span style=""> </span>Oh well!<span style=""> </span>We slept well that night!!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Tuesday we got up for big day numero uno!<span style=""> </span>On the way to the Colosseum, Kelly realized she had left her camera in the hostel, so when she ran back to go get it, Amy and I searched for San Clemente, which is a little cathedral with an excavated older church below and a pagan temple below that.<span style=""> </span>It’s supposedly one of the only places where you can hear the river that runs under the city.<span style=""> </span>We found it, but when we went inside, they were having mass so we couldn’t go down.<span style=""> </span>Oh well…next time!<span style=""> </span>We wandered over to the Colosseum where Amy and I decided to take pictures with the people dressed up as gladiators.<span style=""> </span>It was so funny—after taking a normal one, they said we were t<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1950/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47342601_4847.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 354px;" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1950/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47342601_4847.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>aking a silly one and the gladiator next to Amy says “do you love me” do her and she started laughing.<span style=""> </span>So in the picture, she’s smiling as we’re killing her!<span style=""> </span>We decided that he would be Amy’s lover for the trip since he was obvi in love with her, haha!<span style=""> </span>We sat around some more til Kelly got there and we were able to go on our Colosseum tour!<span style=""> </span>Our tour guide was a little old man named Aldo.<span style=""> </span>We walked around the outside and he told us that the Colosseum only took 8 years to construct (starting in 72 AD!!), mainly due to the fact that thousands of slaves were working on it.<span style=""> </span>In 1349, there was a huge earthquake that caused the outer part of the south side to collapse, which is why it doesn’t look complete.<span style=""> </span>There is a ring of white stone circling the south side which shows how far the exterior wall used to extend.<span style=""> </span>The majority of the fallen stone was used to build other places around the city, including the “Spanish Steps,” so it all didn’t go to waste.<span style=""> </span>The marble façade that had been ripped off over the years is also on a lot of the churches and such.<span style=""> </span>There are also a lot of holes in the brick walls because they wanted to get the bronze out and use it elsewhere.<span style=""> </span>After being abandoned for years, it was taken over by prostitutes and drug dealer-ish people.<span style=""> </span>Apparently a lot of guys stumbled into the wrong part and got all battered up which is why they had to carve signs up to let people know which area was used for what!<span style=""> </span>After years of the being exposed to FIAT (fix it again Tony) motos, the exterior walls have been blackened.<span style=""> </span>They’ve started cleaning sections off slowly, but the difference is drastic!<span style=""> </span>When it was in full function in the past, there were events about 15 times a year and they would last about 8 days.<span style=""> </span>The tickets were distributed to everyone in the city for a different day and were free!<span style=""> </span>Seats were arranged by class and you can still see the roman numerals over the arches denoting where your seats were (unless you were one of the head honchos, then you came through an unmarked arch).<span style=""> </span>Roman sailors were in charge of working the velarium which was a retractable awning.<span style=""> </span>There were big posts sticking up out of the Colosseum with big canvases attached to them which helped keep spectators in the shade in the summer and out of the rain on other days!<span style=""> </span>The hole in the middle allowed the sun to shine in on the arena so everyone could see it!<span style=""> </span>The Colosseum could hold over 50,000 people in it, so all of Rome was able to see part of the games every time.<span style=""> </span>Aldo gave us some very barf-worthy descriptions of the violent stuff that happened inside.<span style=""> </span>I believe he said something like “…tigers with their teeth in the necks and flanks of the warriors, whipping them violently from side to side, tearing their flesh, blood spilling everywhere, while the gladiator screamed in pain, being ripped to pieces like a ragdoll.”<span style=""> </span>Okay Aldo, we get it…it was horrific.<span style=""> </span>Inside, the sand covered stage is no longer present, so the hypogeum is completely visible.<span style=""> </span>The hypogeum consisted of a two-level subterranean network of tunnels and cages beneath the arena where<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1950/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47342603_5482.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 382px; height: 286px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1950/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47342603_5482.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> gladiators and animals were held before contests began.<span style=""> </span>There are about 80 elevators (by means of pulleys) which provided instant access to the arena for caged animals and scenery pieces that were contained underneath.<span style=""> </span>It also apparently has tunnels connecting it to exterior stables and the gladiators’ barracks.<span style=""> </span>Someone said that they had, on multiple occasions, flooded the area and staged famous sea battles?<span style=""> </span>That’s just ridiculous.<span style=""> </span>They must have really had nothing better to do back then.<span style=""> </span>The gladiators were all slaves who were trained how to fight.<span style=""> </span>If they won 8 or so fights, they would be granted their freedom.<span style=""> </span>Aldo said they would no longer resemble themselves, but at least they had their freedom.<span style=""> </span>It’s so crazy to think that I stood in the place where all of that happened and that it wasn’t considered highly inappropriate at the time…it was all in good fun.<span style=""> </span>That creeps me out.<span style=""> </span>I cant even begin to imagine how scary it must have been to be in there and have 50,000 people screaming at you as you are being ripped apart by starved animals.<span style=""> </span>Yeesh!<span style=""> </span>I just want to watch <i style="">Gladiator</i> now.<span style=""> </span>We were able to wander after the tour until 3:00 when we started the next leg of our tour.<span style=""> </span>We went up the incredibly steep stairs to the next level to get a better view.<span style=""> </span>Man, if I lived in that time, I could totally see myself falling on the stairs and being trampled to death by the plebians! <span style=""> </span>We left the Colosseum, grabbed some huge donuts and Pringles and sat around til it was time to meet our next guide.<span style=""> </span>Amy’s man saw her and gave her a winky-kiss face.<span style=""> </span>It was great.<span style=""> </span>We met David at 3:00 and turns out he’s a Kiwi!<span style=""> </span>At the same time, the 6<sup>th </sup>or so person to tell us about the pub crawl came over, told us about it, and David was like, “I’m going on the pub crawl!<span style=""> </span>You want to go now don't you?”<span style=""> </span>We all laughed.<span style=""> </span>What a ridic accent!<span style=""> </span>We ran into some people who were all, “All you from Illinois?”<span style=""> </span>Yes.<span style=""> </span>“Are you studying at the UB?”<span style=""> </span>Yes… <span style=""> </span>“Do you go to U of I?”<span style=""> </span>Yes!<span style=""> </span>What?!<span style=""> </span>They were from Knox, the school that shares an office with us.<span style=""> </span>Small world.<span style=""> </span>On a side note, we were sitting around with Amy’s friend at her bed & breakfast and Kate Ruttenburg walked in…WHAT?!<span style=""> </span>Okay, back to the story.<span style=""> </span>We go to Palatine Hill and we get the whole “Why is <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1950/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47342627_3407.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 356px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1950/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47342627_3407.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>this hill more famous than all the other hills in Rome?<span style=""> </span>Well, we’ll have to CLIMB THE BLOODY THING before I tell you!!”<span style=""> </span>AHAHAHAHAH!<span style=""> </span>Kelly and I had a hard time taking anything he said seriously since we just kept thinking of Flight of the Conchords!<span style=""> </span>It was especially hard when he said “frisk-oh’s” instead of “frescos.”<span style=""> </span>So Palatine Hill is supposedly the location of the cave, Lupercal, where Romulus and Remus were found by the she-wolf.<span style=""> </span>According to David, that’s where we get the statue of the two infants “sucking on the hoo-ha’s” of the she-wolf.<span style=""> </span>They grew up, decided to start their own cities, Remus on one, Romulus on Palatine Hill, they got into a fight and Romulus killed his brother.<span style=""> </span>Rome, Romulus…yeah?<span style=""> </span>What is left on the hill is the ruins of several large villas that belonged to wealthy Roman families.<span style=""> </span>There is grand sports arena where they would “get drunk and watch sports like it were sports center,” a temple dedicated to Apollo, and lots of ruins of huge houses.<span style=""> </span>The end of the tour led us to a great view of the Roman Forum.<span style=""> </span>David told the group to get drinks with him, but looked at us.<span style=""> </span>If it weren’t for his wacky teeth, he would have been cute!<span style=""> </span>But we wanted to go through it again, so we nixed that idea.<span style=""> </span>Around 4:20 they told us it was closing and that we had to leave, so we didn’t get to walk through the forum =(<span style=""> </span>SADNESS!<span style=""> </span>At least we got a little description earlier.<span style=""> </span>The Roman Forum is the ruins of the most powerful seat of government in the world.<span style=""> </span>We got to see the Temple of Caesar, where Caesar was killed and the people were addressed, and lots of other temples, basilicas, and arches.<span style=""> </span>It was so mind boggling to think that we were walking all over and around history.<span style=""> </span>It still weirds me out that the stuff we always read about took place in a place where I was standing.<span style=""> </span>We got some gelato later (rule was 2 gelato’s a day).<span style=""> </span>I didn’t believe that there were cats all over Rome until I mistook a cat sleeping on the seat of a moto for one of those goofy, furry hats!<span style=""> </span>I legit said, “someone take that furry hat!” walked up to it, and then realized it was a cat.<span style=""> </span>Oops!<span style=""> </span>We went to the Trevi Fountain later that night.<span style=""> </span>I had no idea it was that big!<span style=""> </span>Holy crap!<span style=""> </span>It was sooo gorgeous!<span style=""> </span>We went over to Piazza di Spagna and hung out at the over crowded Spanish Steps for a while.<span style=""> </span>It was ridic crowded there so we left and got some dinner.<span style=""> </span>We get to this place and the waiter was so excited.<span style=""> </span>He kept saying things like “so beautiful,” “how perfect,” and “are all girls from Chicago so beautiful?!”<span style=""> </span>I felt like every time we told someone we were from Chicago, they got all excited!<span style=""> </span>Like earlier at the Colosseum when we were waiting for Kelly a random guy talked to us.<span style=""> </span>Asked if we spoke English.<span style=""> </span>Yes.<span style=""> </span>But then he continued to ask if we spoke French, Italian, or Russian.<span style=""> </span>No.<span style=""> </span>When we told him we were from Chicago he said “Ah!<span style=""> </span>Tough guys!”<span style=""> </span>Riiiiight.<span style=""> </span>But this waiter was EXACTLY like the Italian guy from Europtrip (Fred Armisen).<span style=""> </span>Great day.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Wednesday we got up super early to try to meet up for Dave’s Vatican tour that started at 9:30.<span style=""> </span>We get over there and just as we’re looking for him, this frazzled guy runs up and asks if we want to go on an English speaking tour.<span style=""> </span>We waved our flyer at him and he said he was from the same company and that the tour was leaving RIGHT THIS MINUTE!<span style=""> </span>Afraid we’d miss the Pope, we assumed it was Dave’s tour and followed him.<span style=""> </span>Wrong.<span style=""> </span>It wasn’t Aldo either even though he told us it would be Aldo while we <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1950/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47342643_9123.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 338px; height: 253px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1950/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47342643_9123.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>were walking there.<span style=""> </span>Instead we got asshole Luigi.<span style=""> </span>He was rushing us along and we asked if we were going to see the Pope (since that’s what we were promised) and he says “maybe.”<span style=""> </span>Ummm, that better be a yes or I’ll rip your freaking little head off!<span style=""> </span>The Sistine Chapel was closing from 10:30 til 12:00 so he gave us an unnecessarily long speech, showed us a bunch of unnecessary stuff on the way, and by the time we got there, we had about 5 minutes.<span style=""> </span>The girls from Knox were in our group as well as the most adorable Australian family I have ever seen.<span style=""> </span>Since it was nearing Pope time, we asked Luigi if we were going to see him and he said, you can go by yourselves if you want to.<span style=""> </span>Umm, we did not pay you for 5 minutes of the Sistine Chapel!<span style=""> </span>We paid for a full 3 hour tour, which would include seeing the Pope!<span style=""> </span>So us 3 and the girls from Knox started getting mad at him (we got some nervous stares), because he said if we leave now, we cant get back in.<span style=""> </span>What a little piece of shit!<span style=""> </span>So we demanded our money back, he got mad, there was a lot of “I’ll leave them and take you” and then “oh I tried to find you” which was all very annoying, but we ended up getting the shortest tour ever.<span style=""> </span>We practically sprinted through the entire building.<span style=""> </span>While running we passed paintings by Bosch and Dalí and lots of other famous people, but we couldn’t stop and look because Luigi gave us a pissy face when we weren’t right behind him.<span style=""> </span>So we ran through those rooms in about 15 minutes, we ran outside, he got us passes and pointed to where the Pope would<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1950/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47343207_619.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 289px;" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1950/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47343207_619.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> be.<span style=""> </span>While I realize we never would have been able to see the Pope or get those passes without him, I really hated that man!<span style=""> </span>Trying to put it in the past, we went to see the Pope!<span style=""> </span>He’s such an adorable little man!<span style=""> </span>He blessed all of us and our family and friends in about 6 different languages.<span style=""> </span>So cool!<span style=""> </span>We saw lots of brides and nuns in the plaza…it was cool.<span style=""> </span>In an attempt to put the morning’s fiasco behind us, we got some pizza and went on with our day.<span style=""> </span>It was raining on and off, so we decided to take a bus back to the main area.<span style=""> </span>We went back to The Vittoriano Monument to take some pics since we could walk up it this time.<span style=""> </span>We found a better, closer vantage point of the Roman Forum so we spent a lot of time there.<span style=""> </span>Afterwards, we went in search of the Mouth of Truth (from Roman Holiday).<span style=""> </span>It took a while to find, lots of walking through the cold rain, but we found it!<span style=""> </span>We took some pics and headed back towards the Colosseum.<span style=""> </span>We passed Circus Maximus, which used to be a huge ancient stadium, on the way.<span style=""> </span>It held at least 270,000 spectators, even more if people were standing and was mainly used for chariot racing.<span style=""> </span>Amy’s umbrella kept breaking off at the handle and she got so frustrated that she threw the ENTIRE thing away.<span style=""> </span>Not sure what she was thinking considering it would rain the rest of the day and the entire next day (which she knew).<span style=""> </span>Oh well!<span style=""> </span>That night we went to an Irish Pub, listened to some good music and had good chats!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Thursday we decided to hit all of the things we had missed.<span style=""> </span>First up was the Pantheon, a temple to all of the gods!<span style=""> </span>Since it was raining that day, we got to see the rain coming in through the hole in t<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1950/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47343215_2652.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 247px; height: 330px;" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1950/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47343215_2652.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>he top of it.<span style=""> </span>It was so cool to see rain falling inside of a building, yet not being able to hear it hit the ground.<span style=""> </span>Much to my surprise, the Pantheon contains Raphael’s Grave!<span style=""> </span>Crazy!<span style=""> </span>Next was Piazza Navona which used to be an ancient stadium where they would have theatrical shows and horse races.<span style=""> </span>There is a very cool fountain by Bernini in the middle of it now.<span style=""> </span>The market that was held there for some time was moved to Camp di’ Fiori, which was next on our list.<span style=""> </span>When we got there, there was only the remains of the day’s market and they were in clean-up mode by that point.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>After getting some lunch and trying to get warm (fail since they left the door open), we went to Castel Sant'Angelo across the Tiber River.<span style=""> </span>I guess it was used as a prison til 1870?<span style=""> </span>It was very different.<span style=""> </span>I don’t think I’ve ever seen a circular castle before!<span style=""> </span>Since our feet were frozen solid (holes in our boots and shoes made them pools of icy water), we decided to go to a café to get some hot chocolate.<span style=""> </span>The waiter managed to convince us to get some tiramisu as well, both of which were absolutely delicious!<span style=""> </span>Then was Piazza del Popolo, which was pretty!<span style=""> </span>We went to Giolitti’s, as suggested by Amy’s friend and apparently the late Pope John Paul II.<span style=""> </span>It was tasty!<span style=""> </span>When we went out to dinner that night, we had a waiter who looked like an older, Italian Baldwin brother, hahah!<span style=""> </span>It was so bizarre, it wasn’t even that late and when we ordered he’d be like “we’re out” or “we’re not making that anymore.”<span style=""> </span>Bizarre, but the food was good when we eventually got it!<span style=""> </span>Another night at the Irish Pub was called for as well. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">On our last day, we wanted to hit up our favorites on last time.<span style=""> </span>We started our day at Piazza di Spagna, which was much less crowded during the daytime.<span style=""> </span>We got to see the painters out and spent more time on the “Spanish Steps.”<span style=""> </span>Next w<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1950/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47343257_4507.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 214px;" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1950/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47343257_4507.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>as Trevi!<span style=""> </span>We all made wishes before sitting down to eat some gelato by the fountain.<span style=""> </span>Amy and I saw our buddy from the Colosseum (the one who asked if we spoke Russian).<span style=""> </span>He had his portfolio stuff with him again, so we figured he was painting.<span style=""> </span>What a cool wanderer.<span style=""> </span>We went back by the Roman Forum again before heading to the Colosseum.<span style=""> </span>Crazy story!<span style=""> </span>So we’re sitting down and this older gladiator comes up and says to Amy “I like your legs.”<span style=""> </span>We were all like “huh!?” but then remembered that that’s just how Europe rolls.<span style=""> </span>Then he took his sword and poke through Kelly’s coat and says “I like your boobs.”<span style=""> </span>Ummm, what?!<span style=""> </span>Then he looks at me and says “I like your ass” and then hits my hip!<span style=""> </span>WHAAAAAAAAAT?!<span style=""> </span>Then he made out with Kelly’s hand, kissed Amy’s cheek, and made me kiss his face before he kissed mine.<span style=""> </span>I hope to god he was drunk or drugged.<span style=""> </span>He sure thought he was cool.<span style=""> </span>Then we ran away to find Amy’s gladiator boyfriend.<span style=""> </span>Check.<span style=""> </span>We took pictures with him and his buddies again.<span style=""> </span>He asked Amy if she loved him agai<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1950/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47343497_7418.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 179px;" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1950/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47343497_7418.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>n and then chatted with us.<span style=""> </span>He said his name was David also and that he had a girlfriend back in the day from Chicago.<span style=""> </span>Strange.<span style=""> </span>He asked Amy out for coffee, she hesitated, and then he went back to work.<span style=""> </span>Oh well!<span style=""> </span>We sat around and just took it all in.<span style=""> </span>There was a guy kind of dressed like a pirate who was making bubbles with sticks and ropes tied in between them.<span style=""> </span>I was totally mesmerized.<span style=""> </span>I mean, who doesn’t like bubbles?!<span style=""> </span>I felt bad for the horses that were pulling all the carriages…they all looked so sad =(<span style=""> </span>Since it was getting late, we got some lunch, a cannoli, and headed on our sad way home.<span style=""> </span>Flight was fine.<span style=""> </span>Busses were fine.<span style=""> All in all, Rome has been one of my favorites--it's definitely contained some of the more surreal moments of my life. </span>Barca was cold.<span style=""> </span>Apparently it snowed while we were gone and all the people ran to Corte since the world was coming to an end. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style=""></span>We rewatched Roman Holiday Saturday night, but this time we were able to recognize almost everything—so cool! <span style=""> </span>That movie still upsets me though!<span style=""> </span>There are ridiculous sales going on in Barca (and I guess everywhere else too), so I got some clothes and accessories!<span style=""> </span>Go me!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">I don’t want classes to start back up tomorrow.<span style=""> </span>I don’t want to take finals.<span style=""> </span>Why cant it just be semester break so I can go back to Italy?!<span style=""> </span>Oh well.<span style=""> </span>All in good time!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">If anyone reads this, I'm sorry it was so long and unorganized.
<br /></p> <span style="font-size:130%;">More Pictures</span>
<br /><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Italy/Rome/">Rome</a>
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<br />Here's a bit of Kiwi David!
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<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz_JkBGDos5iIcKau4kGtl-wQKFgVYpMoK5ww99H7t6kctHTzyACFfyfxFqRny7rJOo5hjuiksdMJj_MVOlQQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-18511031664468058242009-01-01T19:17:00.008+01:002009-01-01T20:28:30.113+01:00Happy 2009!<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> 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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size:130%;">1 January 2009
<br />
<br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center; font-family: lucida grande;"><span style="font-size:180%;">LETS ALL PARTY LIKE ITS </span><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CAbby%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CAbby%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx"><link rel="colorSchemeMapping" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CAbby%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> 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font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">So on Jessie’s last night, we hit up the Chino restaurant, taking her trip full circle.<span style=""> </span>Gotta love that place!<span style=""> </span>Not only is it cheap, but there are Muse lyrics written in one of the bathroom stalls!<span style=""> </span>Unfortunately, no presents at the end but that’s probably because we were some of the last people there and they just wanted to go home!<span style=""> </span>We decided to take Jess to the Fountain of Canaletes (I might have made that name up), but legend has it that if you drink from it, it is a sure thing that you will return to Barca at some point in your life!<span style=""> </span>We also told her she had to buy an Estrella off one of the street vendors.<span style=""> </span>We decided she needed to go the shot bar (let’s call it Espit), but on our way, we ran into a group of young Italians who just walked up, took a picture with us, and then started walking away.<span style=""> </span>There were a lot of awk moments where they followed us and we ran but then we stopped and they were going the other way.<span style=""> </span>Yada yada yada, they asked if we wanted to hang out, so we let Jessie decide.<span style=""> </span>She said “ohhhhhhh, why not?”<span style=""> </span>So we followed them because they said the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v645/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47133062_4140.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 288px;" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v645/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47133062_4140.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>y might be going to the absinthe bar.<span style=""> </span>But once on the Rambla, they were like, “where are we going?”<span style=""> </span>Umm, what?<span style=""> </span>I thought we were following you!!<span style=""> </span>Whatevs, so we took them to a real shot bar (cheaper shots with more alcohol content, let’s call it Grouchos).<span style=""> </span>We went in and they lingered outside, probably since they were too young to even be drinking in Europe, bahahaha!<span style=""> </span>No, but then they came in and left like a half hour later.<span style=""> </span>So then we were looking at the shot list and didn’t know what to do next, so we asked the guys next to us what they suggested.<span style=""> </span>He was like, “you’re speaking Spanish but I don’t understand it.”<span style=""> </span>Bummer?<span style=""> </span>WRONG!<span style=""> </span>He and his friends were <i style="">also</i> Italian and he just didn’t speak Spanish.<span style=""> </span>One of the guys who looked a tad like Emile Hirsch spoke Spanish so i spoke it to him, haha!<span style=""> </span>They ended up joining us and out of the 10 or so shots I had that night, I only paid for 3!<span style=""> </span>Nice!<span style=""> </span>Shots kept appearing, so why not stick around?!<span style=""> </span>We had a particularly nasty one involving both vodka and tequila…YIKES!<span style=""> </span>They were fun though.<span style=""> </span>We had nice chats about Michael Jordan and how they liked the Celtics.<span style=""> </span>Pschhh, whatever!<span style=""> </span>Since Allie has these new rockin bangs that Jessie cut for her, I would ruffle them and say, “guaaaapa!”<span style=""> </span>The Italian who was totally in love with her thought that you are always supposed to ruffle the person’s hair when you say it to someone so he did it to all of us, ahahahah!<span style=""> </span>Silly Italians and their non-comprehension!<span style=""> </span>Some random dude asked me at the bar where I was from and I said Chicago and he went, “CHICAAAAGO!<span style=""> </span>University of Illinois!!!!”<span style=""> </span>At that point I was like, “whaaaaa?!”<span style=""> </span>He said he wanted to go to U of I and when I asked him which one, he said he didn’t know yet and that it depended on what he studied.<span style=""> </span>I of coursed vouched for Urbana-Champaign.<span style=""> </span>I guess people like Chicago because I got lots of high fives just for being for there?<span style=""> </span>We headed back<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v645/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47132649_7123.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 364px; height: 273px;" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v645/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47132649_7123.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> to the leaf’s hotel room where we ended up talking about how cool our family is for about an hour.<span style=""> </span>Before we knew it Jessie was like, “HOLY CRAP ITS 4:15!!!!!”<span style=""> </span>So I said goodbye and peaced out.<span style=""> </span>Poor little Jessie had a very rough plane ride home.<span style=""> </span>Poor girl.<span style=""> </span>She’s just so tiny!! </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">As for New Years Eve, we were all rather conflicted.<span style=""> </span>We’re all used to going to a friends house and then just crashing there for the night.<span style=""> </span>What were we supposed to do here?<span style=""> </span>Spaniards don’t even go out til after midnight!<span style=""> </span>What was going to happen tonight?<span style=""> </span>So we had a Mexican feast, got ready, made some lovely drinks, and then had some chips, salsa, & cheese.<span style=""> </span>Once we were ready to go out, we grabbed our fake champagne glasses filled with grapes and headed out in the general direction of Grouchos.<span style=""> </span>Once we got on Carrer Pelai, we realized something was going on because there were people pouring onto the street from every possible p lace and heading towards Plaza Catalunya.<span style=""> </span>There were police guarding all the entrances to the Plaza for some reason.<span style=""> </span>I don’t know, it didn’t really make sense to me.<span style=""> </span>So we got in and then were confused because there wasn’t even a countdown going on there.<span style=""> </span>There was one clock at the top of a building, but most people couldn’t see it and no one actually counted.<span style=""> </span>Oh well!<span style=""> </span>We ate our grapes and that’s when people started coming up to us saying, “Happy New Year,” in English and then proceeding to kiss our faces.<span style=""> </span>Okaaaay.<span style=""> </span>Right.<span style=""> </span>Moving on!<span style=""> </span>We ran into Karen, her BFFL, and these two random germans they had just met.<span style=""> </span>We were going to go with them, but we lost them in the crowd.<span style=""> </span>So we went to Grauchos instead.<span style=""> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v645/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47132658_789.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v645/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47132658_789.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>No one bought us drinks that night (probably because their price had been raised by a euro for the night).<span style=""> </span>We sat next to various groups of boys who all just wanted to take pictures with us.<span style=""> </span>Whatevs.<span style=""> </span>There was this guy later in the night who had been eying Amy and then he came over and was like, “she’s real pretty!”<span style=""> </span>So I of course went on being all, “omg, I KNOW!<span style=""> </span>Isn’t she pretty!?”<span style=""> </span>Amy looked all nervous/confused as we discussed her.<span style=""> </span>Ahahaha!<span style=""> </span>They love Amy!!<span style=""> </span>I tried to make friends with the bartenders so we could get stuff for cheaper.<span style=""> </span>One wore a funny hat, another’s name was Ali and he came over from one of the middle eastern countries, and the dude in the suit wore a schnazzy jacket’s name is Victor.<span style=""> </span>I swear to God, there is a Victor at every bar I frequently go to.<span style=""> </span>What’s the deal with that!?<span style=""> </span>We got home around 3:00 and Allie got sicksters.<span style=""> </span>I knew Mexican food would make for interesting…yeaaah.<span style=""> </span>But that’s now New Years went!<span style=""> </span>Yay Barca!! </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">I hope you all had a lovely, safe, & happy New Years!!<span style=""> </span>Bring it on 2009!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Resolutions that I will never follow through on:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style=""> </span>Stop swearing</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style=""> </span>Be more generous and giving</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style=""> </span>Being less of a Negative Nancy when life slams doors in my face</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size:130%;">MORE PICTURES!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Adventures%20in%20Barca/New%20Years%20Eve/">New Years Eve</a>
<br /></p>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-34426322402837102812008-12-25T02:27:00.014+01:002008-12-26T00:35:19.933+01:00Bon Nadal<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> 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mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">25</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">December</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">2008</span>
<br />
<br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">¡</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">BON</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">NADAL</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">!</span><span style=""> </span>Oh boy am I pooped.<span style=""> </span>Let’s start from the beginning!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Saturday morning I had to wake up at 3:30 am after only sleeping for about an hour to take a shower and head to the metro station.<span style=""> </span>I left the apartment at about 4:40 armed with my backpack and an apple!<span style=""> </span>It was so funny to see people still wandering around drunk while others were on their way to work.<span style=""> </span>This one guy had brought one of the Bicing bikes down into the Liceu stop (typical Liceu), started yelling about it proudly, and was seeking applause.<span style=""> </span>It was hilarious!<span style=""> </span>As the train was pulling away, he reached over and started ringing the bike bell like crazy!<span style=""> </span>Ahahaa, oh Spain!<span style=""> </span>So I got to the Renfe station and there was 7 minutes til the train to the aeropuerto, so I waited to see if the girls would get there.<span style=""> </span>No go.<span style=""> </span>So I missed the first train since I assumed they would be there soon and that we would still be fine taking the next one.<span style=""> </span>I called them about 8 times.<span style=""> </span>No answer.<span style=""> </span>That’s when I started worrying.<span style=""> </span>Assuming they had not woken up, I called Holly who also didn’t answer.<span style=""> </span>So I started weighing my options—wait and possibly not be able to board due to late check-in, or just go by myself (possibly on the whole trip).<span style=""> </span>So I got on the Renfe and just as I got on I got a phone call from Allie’s phone.<span style=""> </span>I didn’t even say “hi,” it was more of a, “HURRYANDGETONTHETRAIN—I JUST GOT ON!<span style=""> </span>PLATFORM 9, PLATFORM 9!!!!!!!11”<span style=""> </span>And all I got was a, “huh?<span style=""> </span>I didn’t really catch any of that.”<span style=""> </span>It was Holly.<span style=""> </span>Hhaha!<span style=""> </span>I guess they didn’t wake up to their alarms nor the phone calls (late/rough night), so I told them to just take a taxi.<span style=""> </span>No problems from there on.<span style=""> </span>It was weird to be at my gate when it was still pitch black.<span style=""> </span>I felt like such a real person—going somewhere super early in the morning, haha!<span style=""> </span>The sun rose as we were taking off and it was gorgeous!<span style=""> </span>Jess wasn’t feeling too hot and we all wondered whether she would throw up all of the sudden.<span style=""> </span>Poor girl.<span style=""> </span>We got in fine and got some food at the Amsterdam airport which was so freaking cool!<span style=""> </span>It was so modern and art<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1866/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47018319_7368.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 333px; height: 249px;" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1866/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47018319_7368.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>sy!<span style=""> </span>It was all decorated for Christmas and there was even a Christmas DJ in the middle.<span style=""> </span>We got some twisty fries and a drink at the BK Lounge and hung out for a bit til Jess felt a little better.<span style=""> </span>We had some serious troubles figuring out the ticket machines, but succeeded after about 15 minutes.<span style=""> </span>Off we go!<span style=""> </span>Amsterdam is ADORABLE!!<span style=""> </span>I seriously love it!<span style=""> </span>Having no map and no idea how to pronounce anything, we wandered south?<span style=""> </span>We apparently passed some prosti’s while walking (since we were near the Red Light District), but I didn’t notice since I was on the phone.<span style=""> </span>It took us so long to find our hostel.<span style=""> </span>Since Amsterdam nor Brussels have metros (or they’re really small), you pretty much had to walk everywhere or use the tram.<span style=""> </span>So we took the tram but still had some difficulties.<span style=""> </span>Once we found it, Jess and Allie decided to take a nap and I met up with Amy and Kel who were staying with Amy’s cousin’s boyfriend (since her cousin was in the US at the time).<span style=""> </span>They showed me around, which was a HUGE help!<span style=""> </span>We went to the Van Gogh museum which was super cool.<span style=""> </span>Afterwards, we all met up again and went ov<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1866/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47018352_7506.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 380px; height: 286px;" src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1866/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47018352_7506.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>er to Mark’s apartment which looks right out over a canal.<span style=""> </span>It was such an awesome apartment.<span style=""> </span>I guess it pays off to be an ER doctor and a…I don’t know what Amy’s cousin does.<span style=""> </span>So we had a beer and then he said he had made a reservation for dinner for him, us, and some of his friends nearby.<span style=""> </span>And by nearby, he definitely meant the restaurant 5 feet away next door.<span style=""> </span>Haha!<span style=""> </span>I had some stir fry which was soooo delicious!<span style=""> </span>Mark got us wine and he ended up paying for us.<span style=""> </span>I felt so bad since there were 8 of us total.<span style=""> </span>We said we felt bad, but his friend says he does it all the time and not to worry.<span style=""> </span>Still felt bad.<span style=""> </span>Afterwards we went to a café and ate some muffins with gummy dolphins on top.<span style=""> </span>Yummy!<span style=""> </span>Then they took us to the RLD.<span style=""> </span>Let me just say, I’m so happy they took us and that we didn’t just go 4 girls all alone.<span style=""> </span>That place was sooo weird I just cant get over it!<span style=""> </span>It just doesn’t seem right.<span style=""> </span>Some of them looked my age or younger!!<span style=""> </span>I was totally shocked.<span style=""> </span>Definitely scarier than I had anticipated!<span style=""> </span>So glad we weren’t alone!<span style=""> </span>We wandered around for a bit before ending up at a club/bar to look for a tall, blonde Dutchman for Amy, haha!<span style=""> </span>Since it was Jessie’s birthday that day, Mark kept (jokingly) asking if we should get her a stripper, haha!<span style=""> </span>What a funny guy!<span style=""> </span>They bought us drinks, which I again felt bad about.<span style=""> </span>We went back to Mark’s for a beer while talking about American v. Dutch traditions, myths, food, etc.<span style=""> </span>Mark is too nice.<span style=""> </span>He definitely went out of his way to help us experience the city.<span style=""> </span>What a crazy, drug experimenting doctor, haha!<span style=""> </span>When we finally got home, our heads hit the pillow and w<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1866/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47018364_1693.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 219px;" src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1866/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47018364_1693.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>e were OUT!<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Sunday we started out by going to the Anne Frank House/Museum, which was beyond cool!<span style=""> </span>We got to walk up part of the knee-breaker stairs, go through the bookcase, sneaky-snake door, and see where they all hid out.<span style=""> </span>They had original things still in there, including her diary!<span style=""> </span>They still don’t know to this day who turned them in.<span style=""> </span>How horrible.<span style=""> </span>It was probably somebody who was with them just trying to save their own ass.<span style=""> </span>So scary =(.<span style=""> </span>We walked around town, did some little shopping, went back to The Dolphins, and then went to the Boom Chicago show, which was alright.<span style=""> </span>We decided that they couldn’t do any ridic fabulous jokes since the dutchies wouldn’t understand them.<span style=""> </span>Oh well—still funny stuff!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Monday morning we got up early to catch the train to Brussels! <span style=""> </span>Once again, we had a horrible time trying to find our hostel.<span style=""> </span>This time we wandered COMPLETELY into the ghettos and were a bit unnerved.<span style=""> </span>We got out of there quickly and went back to where we started.<span style=""> </span>I went up to a taxi an asked how much it w<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1866/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47018480_5549.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 248px; height: 332px;" src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1866/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47018480_5549.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>ould be to take us to our hotel/hostel, and the guy said, “oh, its only about a 10 minutes walk right down this street!”<span style=""> </span>Fabulous!<span style=""> </span>How nice of him not to just rip us off—I would have!<span style=""> </span>After lounging a bit in our lovely hotel, we went out to get some dinner and hang out at the Grand Place.<span style=""> </span>I got some hot wine at the little Christmas market and Allie and Jessie got some hot chocolate!<span style=""> </span>I didn’t really realize <i style="">ho</i><i style="">w</i> hot my wine was and reacted in quite insanely.<span style=""> </span>Allie and I laughed about it for a while since she witnessed it, ahahahha!<span style=""> </span>They were having a lights show in the Grand Place (which I attached part of).<span style=""> </span>It was so pretty!<span style=""> </span>Their big nativity scene had live sheep as well.<span style=""> </span>They were so fluffy and cute!<span style=""> </span>While waiting for our hotel’s shuttle back to the hotel, we got a “Smartees McFlurry.”<span style=""> </span>The word “Smartees” didn’t even register to me since they looked like Spree.<span style=""> </span>I was very iffy about our choice to get this particular McFlurry since what appeared to be Spree seemed like a weird choice of candy.<span style=""> </span>When we got it, Allie asked “what is a Smartee?<span style=""> </span>Like, what’s it made out of?”<span style=""> </span>Jessie and I both described Spree since that’s what they looked like in the picture, but Allie interrupted to ask, “but what’s INSIDE!?”<span style=""> </span>Turns out they were M&M’s!<span style=""> </span>Oh, you crazy Belgians with your “Smartees” which look like Spree in your ads, but are truly M&M’s!<span style=""> </span>Then some drunk guy wandered up and put his arms around Allie and Jessie and was pulling them forward towards me so we could all 4 do some awkward hug?<span style=""> </span>But I grabbed my purse and backed away.<span style=""> </span>He kept moving.<span style=""> </span>And then I almost walked into oncoming traffic to get away from him.<span style=""> </span>The other 2 followed me into the street and he wandered away.<span style=""> </span>What’s with the drunks in Europe…so odd.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Tuesday we g<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1866/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47018511_5390.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 276px;" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1866/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47018511_5390.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>ot up and went down to get our complimentary breakfast.<span style=""> </span>Usually we get cornflakes and a roll or something as free breakfast at hostels, but this was a legit breakfast!<span style=""> </span>There were eggs, bacon, toast, yogurt, cereal, juice, fruit, etc.<span style=""> </span>Sooo insane!<span style=""> </span>That started our day nicely!<span style=""> </span>We hopped on one of the Brussels tour busses, where we ran into a recently graduated U of I sorority girl (who I totally recognized), ahha!<span style=""> </span>Turns out she was on her way to Israel to see her sister!<span style=""> </span>Seriously, what are the chances of that?!<span style=""> </span>Oh life!<span style=""> </span>We got to see the Atomium, walk through the Japanese Gardens while singing and dancing to Christmas music, and then played in the Jubelpark!<span style=""> </span>We took some great action shots there, hha!<span style=""> </span>After the tour, we got Belgian waffles & hot chocolate (for our Belgian dips), souvenirs, and street fries before searching for the Manneken Pis.<span style=""> </span>We got a chocolate version of him on the way, which was a nice clue that we were getting close!<span style=""> </span>We found him and he was rather smaller than I had expected.<span style=""> </span>Nonetheless, he was dressed in a Santa costume, and we took some pictures to make it look like he was peeing into our mouths since we’re classy like that, haha!<span style=""> </span>It was soon time to start heading back so we could catch the shuttle to the train station, which would take us to the airport.<span style=""> </span>Successfully home and tuckered out!<span style=""> </span>We only thought it appropriate to watch 2 episo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-a.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v1866/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47024048_6027.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 324px; height: 244px;" src="http://photos-a.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v1866/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47024048_6027.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>des of Arrested Development when we got back since we had been quoting it all weekend.<span style=""> </span>Perfect!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">On Christmas Eve we went out to get cookie making supplies, started making the dough and realized we didn’t have powdered sugar to make frosting!<span style=""> </span>So we went back out and made an event out of it!<span style=""> </span>I got a picture with Jack Skelington (dressed as Sandy Claws of course).<span style=""> </span>He was fun.<span style=""> </span>He’s totally my boyfriend. We got the stuff but got distracted by wonderful music on the way up.<span style=""> </span>There was an awesome Spanish band playing music up by Hard Rock and we ended up buying their CD’s from Mr. Miyagi as a Christmas present to ourselves, haha!<span style=""> </span>Cookies were a success!<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Christmas morning Allie and I got up at 10:45 to make blueberry muffins and start making the stuffing!<span style=""> </span>Cleaning out the chi<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-b.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v1866/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47024057_8596.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 245px; height: 185px;" src="http://photos-b.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v1866/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47024057_8596.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>cken was kind of fun.<span style=""> </span>I didn’t realize how wiggly they are!<span style=""> </span>We made them dance and then pretended they were a newborn from the Lion King while singing the Circle of Life.<span style=""> </span>We’re awesome.<span style=""> </span>Jessie came out to help us after that.<span style=""> </span>We stuffed him up, Jessie sewed him, we oiled him up with our hands, threw on some seasoning, and threw him in!<span style=""> </span>In the mean time, I took a shower, we had our little Christmas (complete with presents, Sunny D, cookies, M&M’s, Christmas music, and some cake thing Allie made)!!<span style=""> </span>It was nice.<span style=""> </span>Right after, we had to start working on the mashed potatoes which were harder to do than I expected.<span style=""> </span>But considering I thought the whole meal would be one large failure on my part, I was quite proud of the final product!<span style=""> </span>It was sooo yummy!<span style=""> </span>The stuffing was my favorite!<span style=""> </span>Allie managed to make some gravy, so we had that too!<span style=""> </span>It was such a d<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v1866/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47024067_1565.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 308px; height: 232px;" src="http://photos-d.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v1866/92/96/1948751/n1948751_47024067_1565.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>elicious dinner!<span style=""> </span>I don’t know how all women don’t hate Thanksgiving and Christmas!<span style=""> </span>You cook all these huge meals that take hours to make and people eat them in less than 20 minutes.<span style=""> </span>I mean, its very rewarding, but still.<span style=""> </span>Clean up blows too, but we did it in small increments throughout so that helped.<span style=""> </span>Allie and Jessie opened some presents with their fam while I cleaned up in the kitchen, then I opened with the fam via Skype.<span style=""> </span>So strange!<span style=""> </span>I don’t think it ever actually dawned on me last year that I wouldn’t be there this year for Christmas.<span style=""> </span>It<span style=""> </span>was so strange not to be home, but it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting.<span style=""> </span>Sure, its different, but it was filled with exciting “firsts” for me this year!<span style=""> </span>It’s just too bad I missed the white Christmas, ahha!<span style=""> </span>I’d rather have Barcelona than a white Christmas though, haha!<span style=""> </span><i style="">A Christmas Story</i> tonight with Allie and Jessie tonight, yay!!! </p>
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<br />MORE PICTURES
<br /><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Around%20Barcelona/41%20Muntaner/">Muntaner</a>
<br /><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Around%20Barcelona/Barcelona/">Barcelona</a>
<br /><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Amsterdam/">Amsterdam</a>
<br /><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Brussels/">Brussels</a>
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<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dww6avtAfK7yY52Ur45F9N2Je9Jw1wS9P-tTfhd7V_U9-mRlpVEaC82dCYLNAlEpuqv_qEjmfhizF8_wKiP6g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-27875237661055609452008-12-16T12:44:00.011+01:002008-12-31T12:18:08.891+01:00No Te Creo<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> 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{mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size:130%;">15 December 2008</span>
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<br /><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; color: rgb(153, 51, 153); text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;">HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">So let’s see…I cant remember anything specific before leaving for Madrid to report on, so we’ll just pretend there was nothing!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">I had to skip class (shame on me?) on Thursday in order to get to the bus to the airport on time.<span style=""> </span>The bus ride went fast and Carolyn and I talked about home and how we are confused about our minor homesickness even though we absolutely love being in Barca.<span style=""> </span>It’s so strange.<span style=""> </span>Once we got to the airport, we had about an hour before our plane was supposed to board, so we got some lunch and hung out.<span style=""> </span>However, our plane was late getting in, so it ended up being more like a 2 hour wait, at least 45 minutes of which we were standing in line.<span style=""> </span>Oh well.<span style=""> </span>We got in with no problems and headed off to find the metro station that’s in the airport.<span style=""> </span>There were these Romanian? guy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7hRy-4fknbQLzs50priQg0yjolUE2Na1lg2tajn_heQJJ3gps2Rkb9OPqtzU0R2dVi3pPwBZ81UKM5XzXZD-7tJcUElMSisAm5FAAZ71Av32TrbhSkYyG5fBrBX5C4T3U2OFDOl5Lzo/s1600-h/IMG_4529.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7hRy-4fknbQLzs50priQg0yjolUE2Na1lg2tajn_heQJJ3gps2Rkb9OPqtzU0R2dVi3pPwBZ81UKM5XzXZD-7tJcUElMSisAm5FAAZ71Av32TrbhSkYyG5fBrBX5C4T3U2OFDOl5Lzo/s320/IMG_4529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280404055590429026" border="0" /></a>s in front of us who kept turning around and looking at us.<span style=""> </span>Umm, really?<span style=""> </span>If you’re going to talk about us, at least be more secretive!!<span style=""> </span>Goodness!<span style=""> </span>180 degree turns are quite obvious if you ask me!<span style=""> </span>We got to our hostel, dropped off our stuff and went wandering.<span style=""> </span>We ended up in the Plaza de Santa Ana where we found a Lorca statue and of course took some pictures with our poet laureate!<span style=""> </span>Since we hadn’t eaten in about 7 hours, fuimos de cañas…aka we got some beer and tapas!<span style=""> </span>And you know what?<span style=""> </span>I love Madrid for the simplest reason—they all speak real Spanish and like speaking it with non-natives!!!<span style=""> </span>No joke, when the waiter found out we spoke Spanish, he was all, “how cool,” and then kept coming back to our table unnecessarily just so he could say silly things to us in Spanish and see our reaction.<span style=""> </span>Since Kelly and Amy still wouldn’t be in for a few hours, we headed back to the hostel to relax.<span style=""> </span>I took a nice nap and Carolyn didn’t?<span style=""> </span>I’m not sure what she did.<span style=""> </span>But when we got there, we went back to the plaza where we ran into some drunk Spaniards.<span style=""> </span>The guy came up to us and was like “are you going out?!?!!?!?”<span style=""> </span>We said we were going out to dinner and he said, “noooooo.”<span style=""> </span>Then he proceeded to ask what music we like and since no one responded for some reason, I said rock music to which he responded, “no te creo!!!”<span style=""> </span>He then asked me to name one band and I gave him about 7 before he stopped me on Pink Floyd when he started singing and acting like a bird?<span style=""> </span>I don’t know.<span style=""> </span>He was quite an individual.<span style=""> </span>He asked if we were English, we said no.<span style=""> </span>Then he asked if Kelly was Italian and talked to Amy in English.<span style=""> </span>When we told him she spoke Spanish, he said, “its okay, he speaks English!<span style=""> </span>He’s in a band!”<span style=""> </span>Okay, I don’t really care about you and your sketchy friend, but thanks for the biographical info!<span style=""> </span>Before finally leaving us, he gave us all jolly kisses on the cheek.<span style=""> </span>Oh Spain, I never know what to expect from you!<span style=""> </span>We went and got dinner with Kelly and Ames and then headed back home for a night of non sleep!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">So on Friday morning I woke up and went to go put my contacts on, but as it turns out, my face wash had leaked, gotten into my contact case, created a bubble bath in the right contact tray, and dried out my contact.<span style=""> </span>In a desperate attempt to resuscitate my beloved right contact, I put water on it and it ripped in half.<span style=""> </span>I screamed a lot and freaked out in my mind.<span style=""> </span>So I wandered around the hostel with one contact in, thinking that the last time this happened I was at the Flogging Molly concert and unable to see prop<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihn-RwCZgc79Fa9FWzJv8r7yhF9PctR1CjMWZePV05Md1wyVmZKBKb2uoglLJcpH61O1ZGNb4_2WQzd3upA5cQHbE07bXzrOkqyIv6PgaZyQ6iPUoIsu7tg81BMRVJwfmN4ezEQ1K-EJY/s1600-h/IMG_4543.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihn-RwCZgc79Fa9FWzJv8r7yhF9PctR1CjMWZePV05Md1wyVmZKBKb2uoglLJcpH61O1ZGNb4_2WQzd3upA5cQHbE07bXzrOkqyIv6PgaZyQ6iPUoIsu7tg81BMRVJwfmN4ezEQ1K-EJY/s320/IMG_4543.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280403326146779906" border="0" /></a>erly.<span style=""> </span>Poo.<span style=""> </span>Then to make things in Spain more interesting, we got an e-mail from UIUC study abroad saying that the Basque extremist group ETA (who bombed the trains in Madrid a few years back), might launch a retaliatory attack due to the arrests in France and Spain on Monday of six of its members, including its suspected leader ….great.<span style=""> </span>Oh well though.<span style=""> </span>Its not like I’m going to just sit around in the hostel!!<span style=""> </span>Thank God that Carolyn has practically the same prescription and was smart enough to bring her glasses.<span style=""> </span>Armed with Carolyn’s glasses, I was ready to conquer the Escorial!!<span style=""> </span>We took a metro to the Renfe station and then took about an hour long train to El Escorial!<span style=""> </span>Let me just say…Basilio was right!!<span style=""> </span>That place IS impresionante!<span style=""> </span>It’s Philip XII’s symbol of power since it was made so huge.<span style=""> </span>It represented masculinity, war, and death.<span style=""> </span>There are the tombs of the past kings in one area (which we didn’t get to go into, but looked amazing), and then tombs of other members of the royal family.<span style=""> </span>In its lifetime, El Escorial has functioned as a monastery for nuns, a holding area for soldiers, a cemetery for the Spanish kings starting in 1500 to the present king who will be buried there, a private university, and a huge library.<span style=""> </span>They built an artificial lake by it because the king could only eat fish for some reason?<span style=""> </span>There’s a statue of Saint Lawrence on the fro<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5D3G7gJEvVHzH1wmcABBZ9tdo4Znr7W2nL532Ik4jyvqGbTHgjdpIT54HnmsBi7lmi9J1szKke5-T4pLRncTxa37PlLtKoA9wDI5m_LSTzYrXYNBNc9QH8_Zoz5ZCvT_8FrVbPAz4aA/s1600-h/IMG_4586.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5D3G7gJEvVHzH1wmcABBZ9tdo4Znr7W2nL532Ik4jyvqGbTHgjdpIT54HnmsBi7lmi9J1szKke5-T4pLRncTxa37PlLtKoA9wDI5m_LSTzYrXYNBNc9QH8_Zoz5ZCvT_8FrVbPAz4aA/s320/IMG_4586.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280402588977637874" border="0" /></a>nt and lots of gridirons on the outside of the building because that’s now Saint Lawrence died (he was burned / “grilled” to death).<span style=""> </span>It has the 3<sup>rd</sup> biggest dome in the world and was very expensive to construct.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>We were so tired when we got home that all we wanted to do was sleep, but since we are warriors, we raged on.<span style=""> </span>After going back to the hostel for a bit, we wandered over to Plaza Mayor where they were having a HUGE Christmas market!<span style=""> </span>They had these enormous light up snowflakes suspended over the plaza and lights hanging off the balconies.<span style=""> </span>There were bands playing Christmas music and people singing together.<span style=""> </span>It was so cool!<span style=""> </span>So we walked through all the stands and looked at all the stores in the plaza.<span style=""> </span>It was awesome!<span style=""> </span>For dinner we ended up getting churros and chocolate.<span style=""> </span>Very interesting since I’ve never had it before.<span style=""> </span>We’re so healthy!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://elanacoretaurbano.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/250px-saturno_devorando_a_sus_hijos.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 308px;" src="http://elanacoretaurbano.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/250px-saturno_devorando_a_sus_hijos.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">After another night of non sleep we got up early so we could squeeze the rest of Madrid into one day!<span style=""> </span>First we headed over to the Plaza del Sol, where we got to see the famous statue of a bear climbing the madroño tree, which is the symbol of Madrid!<span style=""> </span>After taking some pictures and getting offered a free tour (3 hours long, yeah right!), we went to check out the Palacio Real.<span style=""> </span>It was big.<span style=""> </span>It was kind of hard to get the complete experience since there were blue metal fences up in front of it from a concert that must have been there the night before.<span style=""> </span>Either way, we found ways to amuse ourselves by taking silly pictures by the row of kings and such.<span style=""> </span>We are so American.<span style=""> </span>In attempt to appear more sophisticated, we hit up the museums of Madrid!<span style=""> </span>First up was the Thyssen-Bornem<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://centros3.pntic.mec.es/cp.cisneros/ve_meninas.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 272px; height: 310px;" src="http://centros3.pntic.mec.es/cp.cisneros/ve_meninas.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>isza Museum of Art which contains a large art collection including masterpieces by Monet, Goya, Degas, Renoir, Van Gogh, Picasso, Mondrian, Bacon and Lichtenstein!<span style=""> </span>It was so weird to see famous paintings in the flesh.<span style=""> </span>So weird.<span style=""> </span>We were all secretly starving by that point and decided to get some lunch!<span style=""> </span>On the way, we spotted a building that had figures of the characters of Las Meninas on the balconies.<span style=""> </span>How creative!<span style=""> </span>Then we went to the Prado which was even MORE mind-blowing.<span style=""> </span>It was so incredibly amazing to see all the famous paintings of Velazquez, Goya, El Greco, and Caravaggio since we learned all about them in Basilio’s class.<span style=""> </span>We all screamed when we saw Las Meninas, which the lady said is a norm reaction for people when they see it for the first time.<span style=""> </span>Gaah!<span style=""> </span>I still cant believe I saw the real ones!<span style=""> </span>THE REAL ONES!!<span style=""> </span>Good God!<span style=""> </span>They’re all so much cooler in real life.<span style=""> </span>Gotta love historia del arte!<span style=""> </span>Speaking of, Basilio said today that childbirth is horrifying and that he would prefer it if women laid eggs and that kids just broke out of them all happy.<span style=""> </span>Such a silly old man!<span style=""> </span>He said some other shockers today and then just chuckled like a little kid afterwards.<span style=""> </span>He is quite the character, that one is!<span style=""> </span>But yeah, before going to the last museum on our list, we went to the Retiro, which is Spain’s equivalent of Central Park.<span style=""> </span>Even though it w<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://laconcurrencia.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/picasso_guernica.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 389px; height: 171px;" src="http://laconcurrencia.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/picasso_guernica.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>as raining at that point, it was still cool!<span style=""> </span>It turns out that the Reina Sofía National Museum and Art Center was free when we went, yay!<span style=""> </span>And guess what was inside??<span style=""> </span>GUERNICA!!<span style=""> </span>So huge!!<span style=""> </span>It was so cool!<span style=""> </span>Picasso was so bomb!<span style=""> </span>They also had a lot of stuff by Dalí and Miró and had a room dedicated to the Generation of 27, which is a whole other story….dont get me going on them!<span style=""> </span>We ended up having another unhealthyy dinner at Starbucks where I had a hot chocolate and a piece of cheesecake, hah!<span style=""> </span>Oh gosh.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Sunday morning I got up at 5:07 to get ready to go home.<span style=""> </span>I was nodding off the entire way, but since I cant sleep sitting up, it was more like cruel and unusual punishment.<span style=""> </span>So to keep me occupied, I started to read our next book for cinema class which is about a prostitute named Patty Diphusa.<span style=""> </span>Such a class act!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size:130%;">16 December 2008</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;">CHRISTMAS DECORATED ROOM PICS ARE HERE!!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVEUHhFourdFdKntsflYuPbbuJMzAOSo-Tygq2shWCBj85h1pM8CzSKW112WYQi-iJ2smfsvNlSToz-1Qx0rbL9A-azMv7rA03OcNgONxk3fzqOY3OpU5fvQDb7j2tzw44RyedOqRx38/s1600-h/Muntaner+%2816%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVEUHhFourdFdKntsflYuPbbuJMzAOSo-Tygq2shWCBj85h1pM8CzSKW112WYQi-iJ2smfsvNlSToz-1Qx0rbL9A-azMv7rA03OcNgONxk3fzqOY3OpU5fvQDb7j2tzw44RyedOqRx38/s200/Muntaner+%2816%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280405370975072306" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<br /></p>PHOTOS
<br /><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Espana/Madrid/">Madrid</a>
<br /><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Around%20Barcelona/41%20Muntaner/">Decorated Apartment!!</a>
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<br /><div style="text-align: center; margin-left: auto; visibility:visible; margin-right: auto; width:450px;"><embed style="width:435px; visibility:visible; height:270px;" allowScriptAccess="never" src="http://www.profileplaylist.net/mc/mp3player-othersite.swf?config=http://www.profileplaylist.net/mc/config/config_red_noautostart_shuffle.xml&mywidth=435&myheight=270&playlist_url=http://www.profileplaylist.net/loadplaylist.php?playlist=55230816" menu="false" quality="high" width="435" height="270" name="mp3player" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" border="0"/><BR><a href=http://www.profileplaylist.net><img src=http://www.profileplaylist.net/mc/images/create_red.jpg border=0></a><a href=http://www.profileplaylist.net/standalone/55230816 target=_blank><img src=http://www.profileplaylist.net/mc/images/launch_red.jpg border=0></a><a href=http://www.profileplaylist.net/download/55230816><img src=http://www.profileplaylist.net/mc/images/get_red.jpg border=0></a> </div>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-29512681345171035242008-12-08T13:47:00.013+01:002008-12-09T22:05:11.148+01:00oh my edward!
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mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size:130%;">8 December 2008
<br />
<br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">HAPPY IMMACULATE CONCEPTION DAY!!!<span style=""> </span>Yeah, not sure if that’s what its really called, but I’m going to run with it!<span style=""> </span>Let’s see, let’s see.<span style=""> </span>I haven’t done too much since I was trying to catch up on books this weekend.<span style=""> </span>I got through one 246 paged book and 380 of a 460-ish book.<span style=""> </span>Yugh.<span style=""> </span>Juan Marsé must hate me!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWEtiI7icjaexypM0v8mosk26OdKot0foTCN4qjKc9kw4gpbPlPRRM2Lld-SiTTcZRF4lKGdYwisFQXLiSQ83QZbXD0p5157HfLhTqD6yJYh551lNHkeuUnLbslgkzJ2fclOl1JNkikM/s1600-h/IMG_4371.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWEtiI7icjaexypM0v8mosk26OdKot0foTCN4qjKc9kw4gpbPlPRRM2Lld-SiTTcZRF4lKGdYwisFQXLiSQ83QZbXD0p5157HfLhTqD6yJYh551lNHkeuUnLbslgkzJ2fclOl1JNkikM/s320/IMG_4371.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277896649071028802" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Thursday after class I went in search of the Obama Shitter.<span style=""> </span>In Catalyna they have this character in the Nativity Scene of a little kid who’s taking a shit in some hidden area of the scene.<span style=""> </span>Since it’s such a silly thing, they started making famous shitters.<span style=""> </span>I found the little Obama stinker, but he was super expensive and I decided to just take a picture of him, haha!<span style=""> </span>On the way to the Christmas market, I saw the really sad looking beggar who is always on Carrer Pelai smoking a cigarette with his buddy and SMILING!<span style=""> </span>Go you amigo!<span style=""> </span>Then while walking around the Gothic Area, this dude who was all upset looking came up to me and was like “do you speak eeenlish?!”<span style=""> </span>So I said yeah and he went on this whole spiel how he was robbed and needed a phone to call his family.<span style=""> </span>I knew he was lying <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTtauCYNZw6UlvY6t2vnY5nMhm6mNDRIuLJTfXqecwJTnbiVRdTsHPTgI5TJytcMHnJm2EQ-rXnpGsNXIeyv6zEg65lXMCraLfLjoYP21SbnfZSkih4MctWPkijbSELtUQnx7oCs7paA/s1600-h/IMG_4373.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTtauCYNZw6UlvY6t2vnY5nMhm6mNDRIuLJTfXqecwJTnbiVRdTsHPTgI5TJytcMHnJm2EQ-rXnpGsNXIeyv6zEg65lXMCraLfLjoYP21SbnfZSkih4MctWPkijbSELtUQnx7oCs7paA/s320/IMG_4373.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277895769949318706" border="0" /></a>and told him to ask the people in the stores to lend them their phone.<span style=""> </span>He said they didn’t have phones.<span style=""> </span>Lies.<span style=""> </span>So I told him to check other ones.<span style=""> </span>He said he had.<span style=""> </span>More lies.<span style=""> </span>Then he asked for 50 cents, like that would solve all of his problems.<span style=""> </span>I said “No, sorry.<span style=""> </span>I’ve got nothing,” to which he replied, “I KNEW YOU WERE A LIAR!!”<span style=""> </span>Bahahahaha!!<span style=""> </span>What a turd muncher!<span style=""> </span>And here he was thinking he was all clever and stuff.<span style=""> </span>I also decided to not get my cartilage pierced here since its like 40 euros here and only about 18 dollars back in the US.<span style=""> </span>A while later we went to this place called Quinze Nits (15 nights) for dinner.<span style=""> </span>It’s a place where gourmet chefs in training work, so it was really nice food for cheap!<span style=""> </span>So good!<span style=""> </span>We went to the shot bar afterwards, but I was bored and went home after a half hour or so.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Friday I got up at 7:00 since we were going to Girona and the Dalí museum that day.<span style=""> </span>Girona <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqu7iSIZVbwKySsIlAkZEQ2QEKQGrtwV-rs0xFyp3KRBsDwqZHxmrcMbCDx1zS-hVv0gf8-m9SBHWHfvgjibNqxm1nCshVEk8ggq6SxA4fbuSUaey1QSSQyj8O8ATE21uoFXlKBA2bAY/s1600-h/IMG_4440.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 159px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqu7iSIZVbwKySsIlAkZEQ2QEKQGrtwV-rs0xFyp3KRBsDwqZHxmrcMbCDx1zS-hVv0gf8-m9SBHWHfvgjibNqxm1nCshVEk8ggq6SxA4fbuSUaey1QSSQyj8O8ATE21uoFXlKBA2bAY/s200/IMG_4440.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277895159169585170" border="0" /></a>was pretty boring.<span style=""> </span>There was a pretty river and some cool areas, but it wasn’t particularly gasp-worthy.<span style=""> </span>The one thing that made me giggle was a sign that said something about “if you keep pissing on the stairs, I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch.”<span style=""> </span>Since there were a lot of stairs, I didn’t know what they were referring to until we went up these spiral stairs that smelled like people had obviously pissed on them.<span style=""> </span>So glad I put my hand on that railing!<span style=""> </span>Sweeet!<span style=""> </span>We had a little spare time before catching the bus so we walked around the Christmas market they had set up in town.<span style=""> </span>We kept seeing these weird log decorations so we asked Pilar about them.<span style=""> </span>Apparently they’re called “Tió de Nadal” or <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHjmtk7oKM_7Kw0MNaPphl6YBRQe-7EE-_b_Xuhap7iyrMXxA6WoQh6F-OKKqdS_BCKxX-5plePuxYvNdKRVyY11Yd1yRqOQ_7JEQRLsjJnfWbXVj0wC79vMJPJKSvslecgOyHF1FLoU/s1600-h/IMG_4445.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHjmtk7oKM_7Kw0MNaPphl6YBRQe-7EE-_b_Xuhap7iyrMXxA6WoQh6F-OKKqdS_BCKxX-5plePuxYvNdKRVyY11Yd1yRqOQ_7JEQRLsjJnfWbXVj0wC79vMJPJKSvslecgOyHF1FLoU/s200/IMG_4445.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277894537692616306" border="0" /></a>“Caga tió” and what they happens is, little kids feed the log little snacks every day leading up to Christmas Eve and on Christmas Eve night, they hit it with a stick, and it poops out presents!<span style=""> </span>I don’t know, but it seems there is a minor obsession with poopin in Catalunya!<span style=""> </span>Afterwards, we drove over to Figueras where we got some paella.<span style=""> </span>They also gave us some muscatel, which is basically really sweet wine.<span style=""> </span>But here’s the catch!<span style=""> </span>You cant drink it out of a wine glass!<span style=""> </span>They give you this jar with a spout on it and you have to pour it into your mouth without your mouth touching it—so fun!<span style=""> </span>Then we went over to the Dalí theatre-museum.<span style=""> </span>Ummmm, SO amazing!<span style=""> </span>If anyone is in Barca and is remotely interested in Dalí, you MUST go there!<span style=""> </span>So Dalí made the theatre-museum while he was still alive out of an old theatre that had been destroyed in the Spanish Civil War so the building itself is one of his works of art.<span style=""> </span>And even though he had a pl<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GLykh4LmbyxO2q4oGdWlBBMy7ZvmWV4lYTs7jI2Q6018oOe2rMme-B9MRmYvSfBQVauXRCf9D8v7oDHfFikgclJlhaw3H67fPStwo2O17a19nmGhJBudKTS0sKt_1HtVijiYdSL99Uw/s1600-h/IMG_4475.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 218px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GLykh4LmbyxO2q4oGdWlBBMy7ZvmWV4lYTs7jI2Q6018oOe2rMme-B9MRmYvSfBQVauXRCf9D8v7oDHfFikgclJlhaw3H67fPStwo2O17a19nmGhJBudKTS0sKt_1HtVijiYdSL99Uw/s320/IMG_4475.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277893841578283170" border="0" /></a>ot ready for when he died next to his dear Gala, he decided later (after she died) to be buried in the museum either so he could be buried under the stars or something cute like that (the top of that room is a glass ball).<span style=""> </span>If you look through the windows to the left, the glass ball is reflected so it looks like there are two of them when really there’s nothing over the outside cloister.<span style=""> </span>We got to see a lot of his cool works, like the Abraham Lincoln/naked Gala one.<span style=""> </span>From far away, it looks like a pixilated painting of Lincoln, but when you get close, it’s a painting of his naked wife—so insane!<span style=""> </span>A lot of his paintings have cool optical illusions like that.<span style=""> </span>One has what looks like a bunch of Venus de Milo’s on it, but if you look at it from farther away, it’s a man, a bull, and a Dalí as a child in the corner.<span style=""> </span>We also, of course, saw the Venus with drawers coming out of her.<span style=""> </span>There’s this one of a face, I think Goya’s face, but he had originally started out by putting an octopus on the canvas and letting it get its ink everywhere.<span style=""> </span>After looking at the aftermath, he thought he saw a face in it and finished it off.<span style=""> </span>In one of the rooms, Dalí constructed the Mae West/apartment painting.<span style=""> </span>They had these stairs at the front of it with a bubble widow that showed you exactly how it all looks from a proper distance—so cool!<span style=""> </span>If you look behind the red wall (her he<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2GE-5AcbugbAreDokLWRD9o3buHAgqRx-MZW6FsdmmYxTGkT1mtqfa5LK_USuoTIyny7qHuMr5jnOdc22ga1xLW-LFR_TbyO2H6RVtxdOa-roNh6OPDCBUDetnPN1KVg0MdAXjEe7dgg/s1600-h/IMG_4495.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2GE-5AcbugbAreDokLWRD9o3buHAgqRx-MZW6FsdmmYxTGkT1mtqfa5LK_USuoTIyny7qHuMr5jnOdc22ga1xLW-LFR_TbyO2H6RVtxdOa-roNh6OPDCBUDetnPN1KVg0MdAXjEe7dgg/s320/IMG_4495.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277893048068960386" border="0" /></a>ad) you get to see what’s going on in her mind…basically there was a bed and lots of shiny things, haha!<span style=""> </span>There was one room that made it seem like you were inside of a treasure chest, and the inner cloister was pretty cool too.<span style=""> </span>If you go from the theatre angle, it would be where the spectators would sit.<span style=""> </span>But also, it could be like an aquarium.<span style=""> </span>If you look up, there’s a little ship up in the air that looks like its being hoisted out of the water since there are water drops coming off of it.<span style=""> </span>Also, the windows from the multiple floors of the museum face into the cloister. <span style=""> </span>Each window has a golden person in it (or an Oscar statue) which makes it seem like you are the fish in the tank and that they are the ones watching you!<span style=""> </span>Dalí also has a replica of his car that he had in the US in the middle of it.<span style=""> </span>If you pressed a button, it rained on the inside of the car and the umbrella on the top of this ship closed up, which is kind of the reverse of what should happen.<span style=""> </span>He also reconstructed people using all natural objects like bones and logs, and recreated the metro stop entrances from Paris.<span style=""> </span>But yeah, I would totally go back there since it was such an amazing tour!!<span style=""> </span>He truly was a genius, and a non-druggy I might add.<span style=""> </span>Apparently he was his own drug.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">After discussing Twilight throughout the day with some of the girls, about 7 of us ran off the bus to go catch the 8:30 showing of the movie.<span style=""> </span>I was wearing my awesome Twilight shirt and everyone <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhotC1jprZvALZeqdge6fXp5q5dnayc5-JtTXSnHcFb8_Nup81dk84ofLT0taIqLDgZLV62ice6HvfHpEnshVXVC-YqQIWuiEcj7yeMn1PEdWq_lP5_Lt3Hs9td7am9GQ48gfUAicFsL40/s1600-h/IMG_4367.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhotC1jprZvALZeqdge6fXp5q5dnayc5-JtTXSnHcFb8_Nup81dk84ofLT0taIqLDgZLV62ice6HvfHpEnshVXVC-YqQIWuiEcj7yeMn1PEdWq_lP5_Lt3Hs9td7am9GQ48gfUAicFsL40/s320/IMG_4367.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277891523389232770" border="0" /></a>was obvi jealous, haha!<span style=""> </span>Analysis.<span style=""> </span>The first half was interesting.<span style=""> </span>Not really how imagined Edward would act, but whatever.<span style=""> </span>They missed some big things, shorted a lot of great parts, and rushed the start of their little romance.<span style=""> </span>It was all of the sudden like “OMIGOD, I LUUUUV YOU!”<span style=""> </span>Yes, I know you had to shorten the book, but you could have made the movie longer than 2 hours…silly.<span style=""> </span>So yeah, first ½ was interesting.<span style=""> </span>Some really horrible bits of acting mixed in there (i.e. “AS IF YOU COULD OUTRUN ME!” *constipated face*).<span style=""> </span>Whatever.<span style=""> </span>The second ½ was so awesome it thankfully made me forget the shortcomings/goofiness of the first ½ .<span style=""> </span>Umm, the baseball scene was so rockin!<span style=""> </span>I mean, how could it not considering there was a Muse song on in the background?!<span style=""> </span>The prom part was also super cute, but that could have been due to the Iron and Wine song that was playing.<span style=""> </span>I guess the music had a lot to do with those.<span style=""> </span>But yeah.<span style=""> </span>I saw it again on Saturday night since Amy and Kel wanted to see it.<span style=""> </span>Hey, I’m not complaining!<span style=""> </span>I’ll probably see it again next week, haha!<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size:130%;">9 December 2008</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">25 pages to go in <i style="">Últimas tardes con Teresa</i>, wooooo!<span style=""> </span>Also, Carrer Pelai beggar got a haircut.<span style=""> </span>Lookin’ fab, homie!</p> <span style="font-size:130%;">PHOTOS</span>
<br /><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Around%20Barcelona/Thanksgiving/">Thanksgiving</a>
<br /><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Around%20Barcelona/Barcelona/">Around BCN</a>
<br /><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Espana/Girona%20and%20Figueras/">Girona & Figueres</a>
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<br />I know I havent put up pictures of my room all decorated yet, but those will hopefully be with the next one. I'm feeling rather lazy. BUT! here is a special holiday treat for you all. If Ryan & Jordan see this, please dont kill me! I just thought it was cute =D
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<br /><div style="background-color: rgb(233, 233, 233); width: 425px;"><object id="A926892" quality="high" data="http://aka.zero.jibjab.com/client/zero/ClientZero_EmbedViewer.swf?external_make_id=jvYLLK6nZyBQx7YY&service=sendables.jibjab.com&partnerID=ElfYourself" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="319"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="movie" value="http://aka.zero.jibjab.com/client/zero/ClientZero_EmbedViewer.swf?external_make_id=jvYLLK6nZyBQx7YY&service=sendables.jibjab.com&partnerID=ElfYourself"><param name="scaleMode" value="showAll"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="allowNetworking" value="all"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="FlashVars" value="external_make_id=jvYLLK6nZyBQx7YY&service=sendables.jibjab.com&partnerID=ElfYourself"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></object><div style="text-align: center; width: 435px; margin-top: 6px;">Send your own <a href="http://www.elfyourself.com/">ElfYourself</a> <a href="http://sendables.jibjab.com/sendables">eCards</a></div></div><img style="visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyMjg3NDAxOTY2MjYmcHQ9MTIyODc*MDIyNzg3OSZwPTQxODgxMyZkPTIwMjY3MyZnPTImdD*mbz1hYTVkOGUzYzU5NWQ*NzdiYWNhZDJhMTgxMzg2NWE1ZA==.gif" width="0" border="0" height="0" />Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-15290476864723106332008-12-02T17:44:00.002+01:002008-12-02T17:53:08.967+01:00Advent calendars!!!<span style="font-size:130%;">2 December 2008</span>
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<br />IT’S DECEMBER, OOOOOMG! 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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:11;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">After class, we went and got our hair dyed/cut.<span style=""> </span>I got lowlights put in and then a trim.<span style=""> </span>The way they do highlights is sooo weird.<span style=""> </span>The put it in with a comb, but don’t use foils. Instead they just put cotton balls at the hairline of each division of</span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:11;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"> hair.<span style=""> </span>Once they had put all the color in, I looked like I had lice hives in my head.<span style=""> </span>So weird.<span style=""> </span>And I now see why you don’t leave tips, because literally 3 different people worked on my hair.<span style=""> </span>It was so different.</span><span style=""><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span> </span></span>On the way there, we got to see the Rambla and Corte Ingles all lit up—it was sooo pretty! Everyone dressed up and the hotel was gorgeous! It was so nice to have the whole gang back together again and see all of our professors and their spouses lookin all schnazzy. Pilar looked like a movie star. I just hope I look like her when I’m her age, haha! So despues de disfrutar un poquito, we all sat down for dinner to start. First th<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0fD0ZvGuoTvyN-J5pj6D-euoCdgl9nJO8i3dahsCFw7iL7JEPVRrH0yrb4WKVYETRvAqReSGL-aUTY6prfSIWoiK7E3ZoFN4LLlrT0mqXHi3yMEhdkAa5hCybHQFTzpNWvvIva5f9XoM/s1600-h/IMG_4338.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0fD0ZvGuoTvyN-J5pj6D-euoCdgl9nJO8i3dahsCFw7iL7JEPVRrH0yrb4WKVYETRvAqReSGL-aUTY6prfSIWoiK7E3ZoFN4LLlrT0mqXHi3yMEhdkAa5hCybHQFTzpNWvvIva5f9XoM/s320/IMG_4338.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275236471802344674" border="0" /></a>ey brought us out this veggie platter with some cool sauce and potatoes in it…that was yummy. Then they brought out the main stuff. Kind of crazy seeing like 10 waiters carrying out turkeys with huge knives stuck in them. So we had to cut them up ourselves, which was kind of funny. The turkey was good despite the fact that it wasn’t very hot. I don’t blame them though—they had to cook at least 20 turkeys. The mashed potatoes were pretty gooey. I believe they were pureed. Yuuugh. The gravy was like water, the corn was cold, and the stuffing was….stringy? However, the wine was bountiful, as was the champagne and good company. I discussed it with a few and we decided we would have much rather had an exquisite Spanish meal than a goofy traditional American meal which probably only made us more homesick. But we all probably had a bottle of wine each. When people were leaving, we flagged Professor Cardona over and made him retell his joke about the Spanish guy going to hell. The joke isn’t actually that funny, but his sound effects sure are! And then he gave us the rest of his wine. Afterwards, a group of us decided to go to La Oveja Negra and Kel and I split a pitcher of sangria. Fun night! I wrote Amy a sweet note when I came home too. I’m so classy.
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<br />Friday & Saturday I spend the majority of my day putting up Christmas decorations, yaaaay! So much fun! My room looks, smells, and feels like Christmas (pictures in next blog). I don’t even know why it makes me happy since I wont be home this year. I got really homesick when I was putting up my little Christmas tree all by myself…damn that Trans-Siberian Orchestra and their version of Silent Night!!! It was fine though, I talked to mom and felt better afterwards. Saturday night was the Flogging Molly concert. It turns out that Derek and his friend Mario were going too, so they told me and Kel to go over to their apartment to pregame. Being idiots, Kel and I decided it would be a great idea to get into that Irish character and finished a whole bottle of Bacardi rum. Yeah. We would. Needless to say, Kelly never made it to the concert and I just had the most ridiculous night ever. First I was convinced that I had lost my ticket. When people asked me to check my pockets, I told them it wasn’t in there (it totally was). So Kel gave me hers before she went home and I gave her my keys for some reason, since that totally seemed like a brilliant idea. The concert was super cool except for the fact that I had lost a contact somewhere in the night and couldn’t see out of my right eye. I wanted to take a video when they started to sing “If I Ever Leave This World Alive,” but my batter was in my room charging. D’oh!! At the end of the concert, some of the Flogging Molly band members came down by us and I high fived one of them and he told me I was awesome. That was probably only because I was a drunk, dancing American wearing a tiara and an Irish concert in Spain, but whatever. When I got back home to the piso, I obviously didn’t have keys, but lucked out since there was a pizza guy making a delivery to my building. So I just sneaky snaked in behind him. When I got to my door, I rang the doorbell, but no one answered. After making sure I was at the right door, I sat outside of it for a half hour and called Kelly and Lee nonstop for a half hour. After pondering how terrible it would be sleep on the cold hard floor, I found a Q-tip in my purse, ripped off the fuzz and used it to flip the peep hole slot open from the outside. Hooray! Then I just proceeded to yell Kelly’s name and ring the doorbell until she came and got me. What a ridiculous night!
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<br />I’ve been feeling very overwhelmed lately. I think it’s a combo of our teachers giving us ridiculous amounts of homework, the dread of the holidays, and the dread of the end of the semester. I’ll just have to take it one day at a time.
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<br />Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving!
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<br />xoxoxo, Abby
<br />Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-29863906443662107632008-11-26T20:14:00.013+01:002008-12-10T01:43:57.054+01:00Feliz Dia de dar Gracias!<div style="text-align: center;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!</span></span>
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<br /><div style="text-align: left;">Ahh, where do I begin. Tonight the program is giving us an "American Thanksgiving dinner" at some fancy schmancy hotel. I also heard that they give us a ridiculous amount of wine. Should be interesting given that our teachers will be dining with us. I heard that one year Tony (one of my teachers from ILP who said he looked more like a "brian") got ridiculously drunk and went out with all of the students. AHAHAHA! Ooooh Tony, you would. Hopefully we can get Basilio and Gabriel talking about the olden days--they are both way too cool for the UB.
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<br /><div style="text-align: center; margin-left: auto; visibility:visible; margin-right: auto; width:450px;"><embed style="width:435px; visibility:visible; height:270px;" allowScriptAccess="never" src="http://www.myplaylist.org/mc/mp3player-othersite.swf?config=http://www.myplaylist.org/mc/config/config_black_noautostart.xml&mywidth=435&myheight=270&playlist_url=http://www.myplaylist.org/loadplaylist.php?playlist=53717527" menu="false" quality="high" width="435" height="270" name="mp3player" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" border="0"/><BR><a href=http://www.myplaylist.org><img src=http://www.myplaylist.org/mc/images/create_black.jpg border=0></a><a href=http://www.myplaylist.org/standalone/53717527 target=_blank><img src=http://www.myplaylist.org/mc/images/launch_black.jpg border=0></a><a href=http://www.myplaylist.org/download/53717527><img src=http://www.myplaylist.org/mc/images/get_black.jpg border=0></a> </div>
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<br />To everyone at home, I miss you all and wish I could be home for the day to be with you all! INFINITE thank you's to my parents for helping me realize my dream of traveling the world. Thank you to my entire support group at home and new friends in Spain who patiently deal with my mood swings. I would literally be lost without all of you! Mom & Dad, you guys are the best parents a girl could ever ask for. I'm so lucky my soul was dropped off where it was! Ryan & Jordan, I miss you waaaay more than you will ever know! Even though this Christmas season will probably be really hard for me, it's nice to know that I'll have my fabulous cousins Allie and Jessie with me and that I'll be home with you all in all the years to come!
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<br />So Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'm thankful for all of you!
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mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapedefaults ext="edit" spidmax="1026"> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapelayout ext="edit"> <o:idmap ext="edit" data="1"> </o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--> <p style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;">¡SALUD!</span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1PFAaEFQj-osjELAfiWyNJ8cOJl9OrzNhAU8LofE7YTCwo4uJMeWzhI6jH0coxBZqTxJbAYgrbSDnPQFJHRQN4AJTbAa34LrhyJPeoEzByD-Yr6sWmrKwQcMWTkCvVb-JzdPVKbIPes/s1600-h/Happy+Thanksgiving.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 357px; height: 325px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1PFAaEFQj-osjELAfiWyNJ8cOJl9OrzNhAU8LofE7YTCwo4uJMeWzhI6jH0coxBZqTxJbAYgrbSDnPQFJHRQN4AJTbAa34LrhyJPeoEzByD-Yr6sWmrKwQcMWTkCvVb-JzdPVKbIPes/s320/Happy+Thanksgiving.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273066453332358930" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">(yeah, i totally drew that)</p><p style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">=)
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<br /></div></div>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-51747792548023047932008-11-24T20:26:00.011+01:002008-11-24T21:39:48.583+01:00COME ON BABY LIGHT MY FIRE!!<span style="font-size:130%;">24 Nov 2008</span><br /><br />Oh Paris, you are pretty. After 9 hours of traveling, we finally made it to our hostel/hotel. We ran into Nicole at the Nord bus/train station, and since she was also going to Paris, we took her under our wing. Amy and Kel got to sit behind these adorable Spanish boys. Apparently they got thrown in jail for forever and got all chopped up and stuff, haha! All I had was an annoying screaming boy who kicked my seat the entire time while his mom slept the entire time. I wanted to slap her and tell her to be a better mom, but of course I didn’t. I would say that would have been highly frowned upon since I don’t know what I’m talking about anyways.<br /><br />Friday, after sleeping in the comfiest beds ever, we met up with Amy’s friends visiting from Rome and headed over to the Père Lachaise Cemetery. It had started to rain pretty hard by then, so the atmosphere was perfect for a graveyard stroll. This guy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg96niqKcS-Xpjww29Pkx0z_JxQIuPH8D-3rMYxdKeViaKYTueLNCHAEhV8fqN1uEML6jtJETdk7vPzbTtmmX8Esrc01CKw7II14buJxmuSMzXTsLL0YonUUK8ZUxNO8a0WTfDHEgpJHw/s1600-h/IMG_3850.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg96niqKcS-Xpjww29Pkx0z_JxQIuPH8D-3rMYxdKeViaKYTueLNCHAEhV8fqN1uEML6jtJETdk7vPzbTtmmX8Esrc01CKw7II14buJxmuSMzXTsLL0YonUUK8ZUxNO8a0WTfDHEgpJHw/s320/IMG_3850.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272325078269063746" border="0" /></a> with crazy curly, long hair asked if we were going to Jim Morrison’s grave and he pointed us in the right direction. Yay! So we get over there and couldn’t find it since we’re all really dumb and stuff. Then we hear, “JIM MORRISON!? OVER HERE! COME ON BABY LIGHT MY FIRE!!” All of this is in a goofy French accent and coming from the crazy man who gave us directions earlier. So he showed us and told us about how his first headstone was stolen, as was the statue of his head that they put up later, so now all that remains is the basics. First offense on his grave is a 1,000 euro fine, second offence and you’re off to the cárcel. Then Rafael, that was his name, showed us all around the cemetery while continuing his ridiculous explanations in broken English. He told us that unless you were famous, you could only be buried ther for 100 years. After that, “BARBECUE!!” We saw the grave of Miguel Ángel Asturias, a Nobel Prize winner from Guatemala, which was apparently very controversial since only people who died in Paris were supposed to be buried there. He took us over to Victor Noir’s grave whose statue’s color is messed up since so many people rub it for luck. Rafael says he appears partly sexually aroused because he got an erection or something a day or two after he died. So his statue has basically become a symbol of fertility. People kiss his lips, rub his bulge, throw flowers or baby shoes in his hat, etc. There was more, but I don’t remember it all because I was having a hard time not laughing at him. We saw Gertrude Stein’s grave. If you look on the back you find out that Alice Toklas is buried next to her, but they couldn’t put that on the front since their relationship was totally taboo. Kelly and Amy risked a 200 euro fine and kissed Oscar Wilde’s grave which is covered in kisses! We also saw Sarah Bernhardt, Frédéric Chopin, Marcel Marceau (who had rocks on his grave since he’s Jewish), and Édith Piaf’<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLF-r8_1eqqob2uP-CwZQD3vzZqa7PeX5Q8q972RQUecjNBvO3csXR2mhDVXxZKMY2eP6lETNH1kKVC4HVnlcQS_Q6lMMADoUcVj7TwY6paPa-8N2TX0nt1LRYZgfPEmVR-kmvXOBlwk/s1600-h/IMG_3982.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLF-r8_1eqqob2uP-CwZQD3vzZqa7PeX5Q8q972RQUecjNBvO3csXR2mhDVXxZKMY2eP6lETNH1kKVC4HVnlcQS_Q6lMMADoUcVj7TwY6paPa-8N2TX0nt1LRYZgfPEmVR-kmvXOBlwk/s320/IMG_3982.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272324289288799042" border="0" /></a>s graves, along with the graves of the Louvre’s first director and the creator of the Statue of Liberty. Sweet deal! Afterwards, we briefly went to the Eiffel Tower and then headed to the Arc de Triumphe and got some lunch. Later we headed over to Sacré Cœur where a guy was singing Bob Marley out in front. We went in the church for a bit…it was so pretty! Since the Louvre is free to people under the age of 26 on Friday nights, we went over there and found some of our favorite paintings. After breezing past the Mona Lisa, I wondered why they would put such a small painting on such a huge empty wall by itself?! Don’t they realize they’re only making it look smaller and less impressive? Oh well! I finally talked to Ally after having been unable to call her earlier in the day and she met us at the Louvre and took us to dinner by the Bastille! It was so nice to see her again!! I was really sick the whole day, but it was still fabulous.<br /><br />Saturday we got up and headed over to Versailles! That place never ceases to amaze me! We went on an audio tour and I got to see different parts than last time, which <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-G-tLlNIOj0AfA0bQEbb3PQr26sghD1WMTtR0XJ25Vyqp3cP5Uzv0tSTBfHJPIQQtK7mT4eDhAnqtTS32B5a1DNBoXEf8WSwXkKy6EyieDyeoE9mPrGBcaELslT7hln3bOT036U-NfU/s1600-h/IMG_4174.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-G-tLlNIOj0AfA0bQEbb3PQr26sghD1WMTtR0XJ25Vyqp3cP5Uzv0tSTBfHJPIQQtK7mT4eDhAnqtTS32B5a1DNBoXEf8WSwXkKy6EyieDyeoE9mPrGBcaELslT7hln3bOT036U-NfU/s320/IMG_4174.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272321601121131778" border="0" /></a>was cool. Uncool, however, were the modern art pieces in each room. Really Versailles, are you that desperate?! It’s kind of messed up when 5 feet to the left of a gorgeous chandelier is a blow up lobster hanging from the ceiling. Or Michael Jackson holding a monkey in a case in the middle of the room where the king received people. Really? Wow. It was FREEEZING outside when we went exploring the back yard, so we went to Starbucks afterwards and I got a hot chocolate and a muffin. So nice and warm! After taking the train back, we got some lunch at this adorable café across from the Notre Dame and then wandered over there afterwards. Amy and I tried to recreate one of the statues and ended up getting lots of weird stares. Oh well! We went inside and within 10 minutes, they started mass. It was insane! Singing, music, incents (which I probably just spelled wrong), and crazy organs. Insane! Catholic churches certainly are scary! From this sacred place we headed over to the land of debauchery—the Moulin Rouge! After taking pictures for about a half hour, we went back to the Eiffel Tower to watch the lights show. It was gorgeous! We decided to<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDVXy2pbbt365HPE3oOl2t-gj1Qn70vLC1xpHHllyFUglsrsMiZEzqR9On1ZJCHIIf7LcVJIhzA3ME2892iQVOmI4HAxlqy-HERXr7_hlh4vLNNhJF2pouXDCi9K_MqRXtWsnZOTiijc/s1600-h/n1953050_46570008_6737.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDVXy2pbbt365HPE3oOl2t-gj1Qn70vLC1xpHHllyFUglsrsMiZEzqR9On1ZJCHIIf7LcVJIhzA3ME2892iQVOmI4HAxlqy-HERXr7_hlh4vLNNhJF2pouXDCi9K_MqRXtWsnZOTiijc/s320/n1953050_46570008_6737.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272320833917032434" border="0" /></a> go up to the top since Kel had never been. We had to wait around on the second floor for about a half hour, and it was FREEEEEEZING! However, we were standing next to the most adorable French family, so I didn’t mind as much! We got to the top, took some pics, and then headed back to our Voltaire stop! Pretty much throughout the entire trip, Kel and I were talking with New Zealand accents and referencing Flight of the Conchords songs so we took a picture with the Auckland flag but then had to stop once we realized someone up there was actually from New Zealand—oops! We went to this little restaurant around midnight and I had some hot chocolate and French onion soup…so yummy! Amy got a little tipsy off of her wine and was saying ridiculous things and giggling like a little girl. I couldn’t help but feel that everyone was just watching us since they had nothing better to do, haha! At least we put on a good show!<br /><br />The next morning we had to get up super early to catch our bus to the airport. About half way through, it started snowing lightly, but by the time we got to the airport the flakes were big and fluffy! It fluctuated between heavy and snow the whole time we were at the airport, so our flight got delayed a bit. We got to watch 3 little Spanish boys and their dad playing on the metro in their Barca football clothes—they were so cute! And then we got home and got comfy!<br />So today Basilio told us that when they were expanding Barcelona, the designer knew nothing about trees and planted one specific kind on every block that give people with allergies a VERY hard time. MYSTERY SOLVED!<br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><br />MORE <a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Paris/">PARIS</a> PICTURES!!!!!</span><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx2ni1WffCwBJDGMW_MmMjalisXIm1KGBr1hekf-xzHOIbEnYlDe73N_k9JVzN4AdS2VQxRS8sbgsj8ksAW' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyjv0PVGrLAH3rF2TJcMpxZi-GiPMxuyruCV0KhK7MRU3ZjlqM7s8TopEwXdPlJDCNenRCRKJZJ8aXQXWq4mA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-28570739703329895102008-11-19T21:31:00.007+01:002008-11-20T01:35:20.377+01:00"You can't be so casual about this! This isn't Europe, okay? There are rules here! "<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >
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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">15 Nov 2008</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >I have so freaking much to do this weekend, uuugh!! <span style=""> </span>Yesterday we went to Montserrat—pretty cool.<span style=""> </span>I had this plan that I would read the book I’m supposed to be reading</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" > for cinema class on the bus ride, but I couldn’t read on bus!<span style=""> </span>It was really loud on the bus, so I put on my iPod, but I could still hear everyone talking over it, so I pretty m</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >uch just had 2 distracting noises.<span style=""> </span>I had to reread it all when I came home =/<span style=""> </span>It was really cold up by Montserrat!<span style=""> </span>It only got worse when we got up in the mountain, but that was to be expected.<span style=""> </span>Pilar kept saying something about when we g</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >ot to Montserrat we would be doing something involving a “cremallera” and we all thought it was a dessert place!<span style=""> </span>Very wrong.<span style=""> </span>She said it was a <span style="font-style: italic;">zipper</span> up the mountain</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNyoDzT3c3EU3mMpX8FB0qzoXBgt25T8mq9YCEwL4wrwb7nzDudo14nYlIQPvvsCX82HrmJRkrPZQOwrhpBX0kkiV5gPlcfRB7g42D8CyjlVQL8vL9G3nEmwsfcfY3y1qHnqcKlZLJDZE/s1600-h/IMG_3719.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNyoDzT3c3EU3mMpX8FB0qzoXBgt25T8mq9YCEwL4wrwb7nzDudo14nYlIQPvvsCX82HrmJRkrPZQOwrhpBX0kkiV5gPlcfRB7g42D8CyjlVQL8vL9G3nEmwsfcfY3y1qHnqcKlZLJDZE/s320/IMG_3719.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270473438353187458" border="0" /></a><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >, and then I thought we were going zip lining!!<span style=""> </span>Also very wrong.<span style=""> </span>So we take the TRAIN up the mountain and they let us do </span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >whatever we wanted.<span style=""> </span>Some of us decided to head up to the monastery because they had a stature of the virgin from the year 800 adentro!<span style=""> </span>So we waiting in line to see it--apparently it used to be very controversial since she is black?<span style=""> </span>Anyways, we went to go to caves but got distracted by the cutest kitten who was crying on the side of the path because she was so cold!<span style=""> </span>So she came over to us crying and we played with her for about a half hour and decided to </span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >call her Pumpkin. <span style=""> </span>Since we had blown so much time playing with the poor little kitten, we didn’t have much time left and decided to go back.<span style=""> </span>We put Pumpkin down in hopes that she would go home to her mommy (assuming she has one), but she followed us, crying the entire time!<span style=""> </span>We felt soo bad for her and basically wanted to keep her!<span style=""> </span>After following us half way back to town for about 20 minutes, her wee little legs got to tired and she just sat there crying.<span style=""> </span>It was so hard to just walk away from that poor little, cold, crying kitten.<span style=""> </span>It would be like finding a baby on the side of the road and just leaving it there in the middle of winter!!<span style=""> </span>So we got some lunch and then got back on the bus and headed</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeracmVP8xhuucVVhzxEih8DiZh6H2i6rDln1puLcdtrR63d5DREieAr9kVUm-PeZpCBk2AJa9fSVne61W36_TlKx-S5o5tMCvcUL5JmQS8EvrKaH7b8tWnVNXmawB-eqk_P2YlDrI8OU/s1600-h/IMG_3757.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeracmVP8xhuucVVhzxEih8DiZh6H2i6rDln1puLcdtrR63d5DREieAr9kVUm-PeZpCBk2AJa9fSVne61W36_TlKx-S5o5tMCvcUL5JmQS8EvrKaH7b8tWnVNXmawB-eqk_P2YlDrI8OU/s320/IMG_3757.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270472455649673298" border="0" /></a></span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" > over to the Codorníu for a tour!<span style=""> </span>We got to see how they make the champaigne (“cava” en espanol porque you can only call it Champaigne if it is from the Champaigne region of France), where they keep</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" > and for how long and at what angles, and then we got a quick tour on this cool train thing (I wanna be the d</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >river of that think when I grow up), and then we got to taste some of their new champaigne—SO GOOD!!<span style=""> </span>And then we went home.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >So here I am with TONS of homework and I’m doing it on a very strict schedule.<span style=""> </span>Shame on Elena for assigning us a bunch of hard articles that wont help me at all for the test.<span style=""> </span>Boo on her.<span style=""> </span>Soy un esclavo al trabajo =(<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">19 Nov 2008</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <div style="border-style: none none solid; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;color:-moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color windowtext;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >YESSSSS, I AM FREEE!<span style=""> </span>History final wasn’t bad at all, literature final was a bit harder than I expected, and there was utter chaos during our cine midterm.<span style=""> </span>So we get our papers and we start working on our exams and everything, and then we hear these sirens.<span style=""> </span>I just assumed they were ambulance or police sirens since that’s all you hear in BCN, but no, it was the fire alarm.<span style=""> </span>So we had to pack up all of our stuff and go outside.<span style=""> </span>We ended up staying out there for about 15-20 minutes before Alberto found us a new room to do our midterm in.<span style=""> There are also big strikes going on at the school for some reason. There was a group of about 50 students blocking the main road and holding signs so there was a ridiculous amount of honking going on. </span>So we go in and I’m working on my midterm, yada yada yada.<span style=""> </span>Let me just tell you, there were 2 questions on the exam, 2 parts to question 1, and about 6 things to discuss in part 1 of question 1.<span style=""> </span>Sooooo, I’m about 2/3 of the way done with part 1 of question 1 when Alfonso’s all like “you have 25 minutes left.”<span style=""> </span>WHAAAAAAAAA?!<span style=""> </span>Aye dios mio, are you shittin me!<span style=""> </span>So I basically scribbled some nonsense answers for the rest of the test.<span style=""> </span>Hopefully it sounded philosophical enough for Alejandro!<span style=""> </span>I went shopping after class and got a cool fleece-ish coat tonight, cooooool.<span style=""> </span>Tomorrow I leave for Paris!<span style=""> </span>So yeah…get excited.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;">MORE PICTURES!!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Espana/Montserrat%20and%20Codorniu/">Montserrat & Codorniu</a> trip</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;">there are also a few more pictures up from Mom & Dad's visit--see link in last entry!
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"></p></div> Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-35794311925454936342008-11-12T00:55:00.016+01:002008-11-12T19:37:23.163+01:00Dan & Jude's Excellent Adventure<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;">11 Nov 2008</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >So the week of the p</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4NAfkuFcPbNnmaCQzcY_NZe3S5AXCIN4TDpqz42kSkThUhS4hy9qPmkyRreRjJ7cQgNcWFZ5qVIwh5NcwOzEh1yEn9PvGLom-0XXQeFU-qEfObi1oGFK2J-TRPDHdNwcOXWiVdK_Ho4/s1600-h/IMG_3487.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4NAfkuFcPbNnmaCQzcY_NZe3S5AXCIN4TDpqz42kSkThUhS4hy9qPmkyRreRjJ7cQgNcWFZ5qVIwh5NcwOzEh1yEn9PvGLom-0XXQeFU-qEfObi1oGFK2J-TRPDHdNwcOXWiVdK_Ho4/s320/IMG_3487.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267841298658243058" border="0" /></a><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >arents has come and gone, and thank God the weather was nice!<span style=""> </span>We pretty much saw and did everyt</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >hi</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >ng I had hoped, yay!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >The firs t morning was a bit of a fiasco on my part.<span style=""> </span>I went to go pick up the parents at the airport (imaging the airport greetings </span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >from Love Actually), and ended up getting there an hour a</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >fter they arrived due to the fact that I missed t</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >he earlier train since the green line was moving so slowly!<span style=""> </span>Oh well, I’m just glad they got to Barca safely (despite their terrible flight).<span style=""> </span>So we took a cab to their [first] hotel, brought their stuff in, and I sho</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >wed them around the apartment and the University of Barcelona.<span style=""> </span>They got to see the mob of cats and the gardens in the university, which was nice.<span style=""> </span>Then I gave them the “grocery store demo.”<span style=""> </span>I think they understand now why I eat so terribly here.<span style=""> </span>They literally have none of the basic ingredients needed for making American</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" > food.<span style=""> </span>Needless to say, they bought me a TON of groceries at Corte Ingles and Jespac!<span style=""> </span>My section of the pantry is now overflowing with food!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >After making the parents a French toast breakfast on Friday, we walked down the Rambla and down to the port.<span style=""> </span>We passed the Placa Reial, which I hadn’t seen yet, so I was excited about that.<span style=""> </span>I got to show them the crazy street performers and the little pet stores on the street.<span style=""> </span>I still can’t believe they sell chickens on the Rambla, haha!<span style=""> </span>We took a break down by the port after checking out Cri</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAc34ISOJxGYTVROzGbHLxGA4RgOcGIZLhYrs9xrjmfhMVNGu6t32b3y-G8P5kHkvi6C2shUR9j8ysUWv5C4YfycYcljyVlVNcooYOm4-uCMWk4mBJry6wE0rFzV-jDDU5ZA6rtSor8tc/s1600-h/IMG_3512.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAc34ISOJxGYTVROzGbHLxGA4RgOcGIZLhYrs9xrjmfhMVNGu6t32b3y-G8P5kHkvi6C2shUR9j8ysUWv5C4YfycYcljyVlVNcooYOm4-uCMWk4mBJry6wE0rFzV-jDDU5ZA6rtSor8tc/s320/IMG_3512.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267839509360656018" border="0" /></a><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >stobal Colon’s statue.<span style=""> </span>Once our feet stopped throbbing, we he</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >aded over to the Parc de la Ciutadella to see the Catalunyan Parliament and some cool fountain which was, unfortunately, under cons</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >truction.<span style=""> </span>While we were walking, I heard something rustling in the bushes on our left and when I went to check it out, I found this huge turtle crawling along the fence!<span style=""> </span>I have no idea how he got up there (unless he’s a cliff climber), and I have no idea how he’ll get down safely.<span style=""> </span>I was worried about him, bu</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >t we decided to call it a day and say maybe it was laying e</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >ggs.<span style=""> </span>So who knows…<span style=""> </span>We left through the top entrance in hopes of finding the Arc de Triumf, I got confused, and then felt really stupid when we found it in the totally obvious spot.<span style=""> </span>It was really pretty though!<span style=""> </span>I like the way its colored more than t</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >he one in France, but I like how you can go up to the top of the one in France.<span style=""> </span>Oh well.<span style=""> </span>They got their first metro experience as we headed back</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" > to</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" > move them out of their hotel in the ghetto and terrifying Raval.<span style=""> </span>Note to anyone who ever wants to come to Barcelona, STAY OUT OF THE RAVAL/BARRIO XINO!<span style=""> </span>Sorry Mom and Dad for that one!<span style=""> </span>We got them a room in the Hotel Inglaterra, which is in a better area and closer to my piso.<span style=""> </span>Smooth sailing from there on!<span style=""> </span>That night, Allie took us to the Oveja Negra since none us had ever been.<span style=""> </span>So adorable!<span style=""> </span>My first thought upon entering was “OMG, this place smells a bit like Kams!!!”<span style=""> </span>Kams is the really disgusting smelling bar at U of I that we all have grown to love.<span style=""> </span>So we ordered 3 pitchers of sangria to split amongst the 6 of us.<span style=""> </span>Amy and I won by drinking ours the fastest—go us!<span style=""> </span>After all 3 pitchers were drained, Dad wandered away (supposedly to go to the bathroom) and came back with a 4<sup>th</sup> pitcher.<span style=""> </span>After fin</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >ishing that one, we all headed back home.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >After making them a</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" > </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXQhLqI5HaXTh6Ywo5tvOQcAvH_0NFsK8-Hv0krf75cFbjUmO8bqH7ym7tZj4gk2aPe04gmzQuZVCmzzsMSPaAlLCH8430oxDTDLyM-KRGVZRkdnVZbmMPVPHDx8yLp2uUEufFvv9Lo0/s1600-h/IMG_3558.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 189px; height: 252px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXQhLqI5HaXTh6Ywo5tvOQcAvH_0NFsK8-Hv0krf75cFbjUmO8bqH7ym7tZj4gk2aPe04gmzQuZVCmzzsMSPaAlLCH8430oxDTDLyM-KRGVZRkdnVZbmMPVPHDx8yLp2uUEufFvv9Lo0/s320/IMG_3558.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267838179700637794" border="0" /></a><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >scrambled egg breakfast, we hit up the Block of Discord.<span style=""> </span>It’s really not as crazy as it sounds.<span style=""> </span>We got to see</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" > Casa Batlló (by Gaudí) which tells the tale of how St. Jordi defeated the dragon.<span style=""> </span>The roof of the building is</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" > supposed to look like the dragon’s back and the balconies like the skulls of its victims.<span style=""> </span>Gnarly!<span style=""> </span>Then we walked up a few more blocks so they could see the Pedrera. <span style=""> </span>Much to our disappointment, the line was incredibly long so we decided to just continue.<span style=""> </span>While walking back up the Rambla Catalunya we found a Muy Mucho (one of my favorite stores) and saw</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" > that they were selling Christmas trees and decorations!!!!!<span style=""> </span>OMG, loved it!<span style=""> </span>We browsed and then headed home.<span style=""> </span>Mom and I went to Sants for some unsuccessf</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >ul shopping (unsuccessful since the stores wer</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >e closed for siesta), but we found fortune back near the hotel and piso.<span style=""> </span>I ended up getting a pair of new jeans and some sweet black boots!<span style=""> </span>Later that night we went over to Placa Espanya to see the Palau Nacional an</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >d the magic fountain show.<span style=""> </span>Good stuff, good stuff.<span style=""> </span>All we needed was some gelato to polish off the night…check.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_nyhhK7_iNQabd7q89ZzC8bReLdFrN5IRzRrciolck-EyJwY_gPPmf0xMKmOV03pEIhyphenhyphenu1MHDR6fyjAeArDiQKe9-f4fmzSpL0-3BloX2wD8oIxYfY_Z4-VUNqnmX5uE6R8XyczBn3E/s1600-h/IMG_3610.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_nyhhK7_iNQabd7q89ZzC8bReLdFrN5IRzRrciolck-EyJwY_gPPmf0xMKmOV03pEIhyphenhyphenu1MHDR6fyjAeArDiQKe9-f4fmzSpL0-3BloX2wD8oIxYfY_Z4-VUNqnmX5uE6R8XyczBn3E/s320/IMG_3610.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267837647059271954" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >After Sunday morning’s egg sandwiches (I know, I’m quite the little chef…not), we t</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >ook the bus to Parc Guell.<span style=""> </span>We wandered around and stole some Estrella beer glasses.<span style=""> </span>You know, just the usual day in the park!<span style=""> </span>Afterwards, we took the metro to the Sagrada Familia where we met up with Allie!<span style=""> </span>Allie and Amy helped me pick out some lovely scarves so I can look more Euro.<span style=""> </span>I don’t know</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" > if I’ll ever get it down right, crap!<span style=""> </span>They’re adorable though and I cant wait to wear them all around Europe!!<span style=""> </span>Afterwards, Allie took us back to her area and WE GOT TO MEET ROSA!<span style=""> </span>She is seriously so adorable!<span style=""> </span>I’m so glad Allie has such a nice host momma!<span style=""> </span>Then she took us over to the football (soccer) stadium, which was enormous!<span style=""> </span>I’ll definitely have to try to catch a game before I leave!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >Monday was pretty chill since I had class from 10:00-2:30.<span style=""> </span>The parents had a lovely and productive morning and when I met </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2kmUc2Vz-fX-AuMLhDGPnYkrRy_rg5ZI8NJC9z6EaMHj6BRjInb1VP9fir7ux8ndpmKDtBhLsiMetjxtgxdTwtWWtWn03vAv7zIX8qckm6SLWD5JXvwErMyY9MInUSVC9DT3Xv36O2I/s1600-h/IMG_3638.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2kmUc2Vz-fX-AuMLhDGPnYkrRy_rg5ZI8NJC9z6EaMHj6BRjInb1VP9fir7ux8ndpmKDtBhLsiMetjxtgxdTwtWWtWn03vAv7zIX8qckm6SLWD5JXvwErMyY9MInUSVC9DT3Xv36O2I/s320/IMG_3638.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267836825891522530" border="0" /></a><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >up with them, they had bought me a space heater and a huge, warm, and soft blanket!<span style=""> </span>I’M SO SET NOW!<span style=""> </span>Uuuuuh, I love it!<span style=""> </span>No more winter hats in the piso, woo!<span style=""> </span>We went back to Muy Mucho and got a Christmas tree, lights, and some decorations—I seriously cant wait to put them up!!<span style=""> </span>That night, the parents, my roomies, Allie and I all went to Hard Rock for a hearty (meat-filled) meal!<span style=""> </span>When sufficiently stuffed, we headed over to the shot bar!<span style=""> </span>Yay parents for doing 3 shots each!<span style=""> </span>Mom did a Boy Scout (roasting a</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" > marshmallo</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >w, dunking it in the shot, eat it, take shot) and</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" > Dad did a Gloria for grams, haha!<span style=""> </span>Then they both did a Finding Nemo (which involved fishing an M&M out of some whipped cream at the top of a shot and then taking the shot), and then our final one was an Indecent Proposal.<span style=""> </span>We headed out soon after since it was so hot in there…probably because they’re always lighting the bar on fire, haha!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >Tuesday (the last full day =( ), I got out of class at 1:00, we got some final groceries </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Ry6JwlJhj5XvmUy_SIzrykkj7HYaFUaRHrr57wR4o8cMS0_AhGF3HbDcfwfEUzbDHgzjzY3lO2hP-IUL0hG3lVWPRSa4TCyEFvWwWRM44ECvMf7t-c_p01A37ru_Zoyf0IsqgIappNU/s1600-h/IMG_3643.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Ry6JwlJhj5XvmUy_SIzrykkj7HYaFUaRHrr57wR4o8cMS0_AhGF3HbDcfwfEUzbDHgzjzY3lO2hP-IUL0hG3lVWPRSa4TCyEFvWwWRM44ECvMf7t-c_p01A37ru_Zoyf0IsqgIappNU/s320/IMG_3643.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267836108812898994" border="0" /></a><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >and then headed over to Scobie’s Irish Pub!<span style=""> </span>Yummy!<span style=""> </span>We hung out there until Allie got out of class and then we all wandered the Gothic Area.<span style=""> </span>After leading them around in circles (again, sorry about that), we went into the Barcelona Cathedral, which I had never really seen before.<span style=""> </span>Very cool, even if there were goofy looking geese in the middle cloister =/.<span style=""> </span>Then we headed home since it was getting dark.<span style=""> </span>A little later, Mom, Dad, and I went to Hard Rock again.<span style=""> </span>We all got burgers, and then we all got dese</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >rt.<span style=""> </span>By the time we left I was about to enter a Food Coma, which goes beyond the level of Food Baby.<span style=""> </span>We laid around at the hotel and then I decided I better head back so they could pack and get a good night’s sleep.<span style=""> </span>Not gonna lie, I didn’t want to leave.<span style=""> </span>But since I knew</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" > I had to do it at some point, I figured I better not delay the inevitable.<span style=""> </span>So we headed home, boooo.<span style=""> </span>Mom cried again which made me sad.<span style=""> </span>It upsets me to see her crying and knowing that I am partially the cause of it.<span style=""> </span>Sorry boo, but please don’t be sad!<span style=""> </span>Get a web cam and we can see each other much more often!<span style=""> </span>Dad’s hugs are so reassuring.<span style=""> </span>I know I’ll be okay in the next 7 months here.<span style=""> </span>Now that they know I’m safe, and I know that they know, I think it should be a bit easier.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >In retrospect, my last words probably should not have been “See you in June!!” but I’m socially awkward and always choose the worst things to say at the most opportune moments.<span style=""> </span>So sorry about that too.<span style=""> </span>After locking my door and literally running up the stairs (not sure why I did that), I went out on my balcony and watched them walk out of my view hand in hand.<span style=""> </span>They’re so adorable!<span style=""> </span>It’s nice to think that the next time I see them I’ll be back on the home turf and 21!!<span style=""> </span>I still have 3 big holidays, 1 new year and 1 birthday til then, but time will fly for me since I have so many exciting trips to look forward to!<span style=""> </span>So until June Mom and Dad, I’m just going to keep on walkin the world!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;">12 Nov 2008</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >So I called the parents today at 5:35 am to wish them a safe trip home.<span style=""> </span>Hopefully this flight is more enjoyable than the first one!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >Classes were alright.<span style=""> </span>I have one midterm next Monday, one Tuesday, and two on Wednesday.<span style=""> </span>In addition, I have to present on part II of this book we’re <i style="">supposed </i>to be reading in Cine, I have to do the take home part of the test, and read and summarize 5 difficult articles for Tuesday’s midterm.<span style=""> </span>Booo!<span style=""> </span>In other words, I wont be leaving the piso for a while.<span style=""> </span>Friday we’re going on an excursion to Montserrat with the group and then going in some caves?<span style=""> </span>Should be interesting.<span style=""> </span>I’m glad it’s only a day trip though—that way I can get more stuff done this weekend!<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >In other news, Allie is such a doll.<span style=""> </span>She came over in between classes and brought us both hot chocolate from Starbucks in their red Christmas cups (THEY CAME) and cookies.<span style=""> </span>She said she knew I was probably having a crappy day since the parents left and it was cold and rainy today.<span style=""> </span>She’s such an awesome cousin—I’m so glad she’s here with me!!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">PICTURES!! I'll be putting more up as they come in or whenever Jude sends me her pictures (hint hint)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/AbbyAbroad/Adventures%20in%20Barca/PARENTS%20ABROAD/">Barcelona</a><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:12;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxBUauD0aB8oqgmLJYQLJ8Wnvi5IU6Ubfubm0-cmWOGdWpgO0DyPJmK43Am4ArfqhTEXGRCEBaZc6B1j2efEA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />Please watch the adorable dancing granny on the right!!<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwN2RS5kc3B1z6S30kmwurTIiCw3uSLauxhk0PJ0dgBeIkEQN6ItAVXssOkw7A_m85mBnZcPo_3AR36eaADAw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />He was just a good singer...you go Espanya!!Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042207423046169268.post-50159203732933805192008-11-05T05:47:00.004+01:002008-11-05T06:57:21.140+01:0044<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsbtCqA36N_INtfDiDSg2EsxT7KxbtFFo9kZTFW_GGvRuc2_2JmwoxSWOjH5qeh-VD2rrytct0u2vEyx6fCtaKkHEqNTuOs2uCH1Gv8Fx-TBgaqEuGBSfwH5p5ZJryBLN1v2JEHniqP4/s1600-h/presidentobama__oPt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsbtCqA36N_INtfDiDSg2EsxT7KxbtFFo9kZTFW_GGvRuc2_2JmwoxSWOjH5qeh-VD2rrytct0u2vEyx6fCtaKkHEqNTuOs2uCH1Gv8Fx-TBgaqEuGBSfwH5p5ZJryBLN1v2JEHniqP4/s320/presidentobama__oPt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265030872060919234" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;">If I could apparate...I would definitely apparte to Grant Park right now.<br /><br />I'm proud of you America!!!</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">ps, Barcelona loves Barack too! Check out what this guy did on beach earlier in the week (look for this when you're landing in BCN, mom & dad!!)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Ffm7IVaVenE4Q0jethOM4QXjTR7kNe5DtDSgVH8RyshA_nWM-9W2bM7wpLEOqh7xOVX28zc9v7TqT8MdTLT_pXHtRQRJ3TNNPU7Kc59ds3ADUiUmiMxuUpRE0YuzOfEtKzoK25nhpJ8/s1600-h/art.obama.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Ffm7IVaVenE4Q0jethOM4QXjTR7kNe5DtDSgVH8RyshA_nWM-9W2bM7wpLEOqh7xOVX28zc9v7TqT8MdTLT_pXHtRQRJ3TNNPU7Kc59ds3ADUiUmiMxuUpRE0YuzOfEtKzoK25nhpJ8/s320/art.obama.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265032572424778882" border="0" /></a><br />pps, that was quite possibly one of the most beautiful, eloquent acceptance speeches ever<br /></div></div>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803761609497018778noreply@blogger.com0