BARCABARCABARCA.

I'm sure everyone has those places they have always dreamed about going, the places they constantly talk about and say "one day..." For me, that place was Barcelona. It was the original place I wanted to study abroad, unfortunately Loyola does not have a program there, and the place I have always wanted to go on vacation. Lucky for me, Loyola sponsored (paid) for a weekend trip for our whole group there :) And Barcelona fell not one bit short of my sky-high expectations.

Barca Beaches

We left early Saturday morning on the AVE high-speed train that got us to Barcelona in under 3 hours, a distance that would take 6 hours by car and 9 by bus, NO THANKS. As soon as we stepped off the train by our hotel, it was beautiful! It was so warm and sunny and beachy. There were palm trees everywhere and you could smell the salt of the Mediterranean in the air. The buildings were pretty similar to those in Madrid in Valencia - big, white, stucco and antique looking. Immediately though, you could tell Barcelona was much more modern and hip than Madrid, a more classical Spanish city. Barcelona is very much geared to our younger generations, with lots of trendy shops and restaurants and a beach shore lined with clubs and bars.

We spent the rest of Saturday just relaxing in our hotel (yay 4 stars, thanks Loyola) and walking around shopping, of course. After a nice big Italian dinner of PIZZA, we met up with the other Loyola kids that were visiting Barcelona and headed towards the beach/bars. Unfortunately, on the way down there, Rosie experienced something we had all been so carefully avoiding in our travels to each european city- pick-pocketing. Somewhere along the metro, Rosie fell victim to this and was out 150 euro cash and all of her credit/debit cards all weekend. However, being the such great friends we are, we lent her some cash and headed to the ICE BAR! It was so cool - everything is made out of ice there and they give you special coats and gloves to wear to keep you warm. We were only allowed to stay in for 45 mins because of the low temperature but it was so much fun! Then we went to another bar/club place and just hung out the rest of the night.

I survived IceBarcelona!

The next day, Maria Jose has a jam-packed day planned for us, starting at the ungodly hour of 830 am! We spent the day touring Parc Guell and Sagrada Familia  - two works of the well-known architect Gaudi. his style is VERY unique and can only be found in the structures of Barcelona and a couple of other Spanish cities. It is hard to explain his style, so here are some pictures to help (his architecture was the theme for Hansel and Grettle):

Me at Sagrada Familia!

Gina and I at Parc Guell by the Hansel and Grettle Houses

Parc Guell benches

We ended the day at the beach where we walked around for a while and eventually made our way to the Hard Rock Cafe where we had our first AMERICAN meal since being in spain. My potato skins and macaroni and cheese were PHENOMENAL! I couldnt have been happier. Then we headed back to the hotel to rest up for Halloween night!

Being the adventurous group we are, we decided to be futbol (soccer) players for Halloween. However not just any players, Real Madrid players, Barcelonas biggest rival. So, it was an interesting night to say the least, with a combination of people that loved our costumes and others that, given the chance, would have probably ripped the jerseys from our backs. Oh well, we had a blast and there was a ton of Loyola people there so it was a lot of fun!

The next day was a little less exciting. We went to the Picasso museum which was cool but excessively long of course and then went to Santa Maria Iglesia which was really pretty. It was nice to be able to walk around the Gothic Quarter, but we were all really tired and ready to head home at this point. We had a quick lunch and headed back to the hotel to grab our bags. Unfortunately, the night before some of our fellow group members from Alcala had a few alcohol issues in the hotel and the hotel and Maria Jose were both furious. Whoops. Anyways, we made our way to the train station and headed back to Madrid after a very exciting Halloween weekend in Barcelona.

It is hard to believe that we are now over halfway through and have almost only 6 weeks left in Spain!!!! Holy cow. This weekend we are going to a Real Madrid v. Atletico Madrid soccer game (!!!!!!!) and then next weekend ALLIE is visiting me here in Alcala :) I am SO excited for her to be here, my little piece of home. Then after that, some of us go to Portugal for Thanksgiving and then we have one more Loyola trip then FINALS. I cant believe it! Time is really flying! Ok well thats all for now, talk to you all soon! Love and miss you all at home and only 45 left TJP, love you!

ROMA!

Wow! It has been OVER month since my last post, whoops! Things have just been so hectic here lately between classes, midterms (even in Spain...), sickness and all of our traveling, I have barely had time to breathe, let alone write in my blog. Now that we are back in Alcala for a few weeks and I am cured (mostly) of my cough and cold, I finally have a chance to write!

We returned from Oktoberfest on Sunday and, thankfully, had off the following Monday which was great to recoup. We were all exhausted from such a whirlwind of a weekend. However, that next Saturday snuck up on us quicker than any of us expected and before we knew it we were on the plane to Rome! Unfortunately, the plane ride was horrifying, the worst I have EVER experienced. We departed Madrid as a mini-hurricane was approaching so we took-off during some thunderstorms which produced some THRILLING turbulence. While Gina, Maggie and Kelly-Ann were saying Hail Mary's in the row in front of us, me, Rosie and Ali were clutching eachothers' hands, white-knuckled, on the verge of tears as our plane was nose diving and shaking as if we were in a blender. Finally, we began to land and suddenly out of our windows we could see the lights of Rome and it was beautiful! We were all so excited to FINALLY be there, it was all of our first time's to Italy/Rome.

Teddy, Ali and I a little nervous on the plain ride over

On our cab ride to our quaint Italian hostel, next to us suddenly appeared a building that looked awfully similar to the Colosseum. However, Kelly-Ann, Ali and I were convinced it couldnt ACTUALLY be THE Colosseum. So with hesitation, we asked our cab driver what building it was and with a snort and laugh he said "Well, that would be the Colosseum..." Needless to say, we refrained from asking what any other buildings were for the rest of the cab ride.

That night we got there and met up with some friends from LOYOLA :) It was great to see everyone again and relax in Rome. The next day, we embarked on our sight seeing adventures! We managed to navigate the Roman metro system with ease all weekend - it is amazing how much simpler and easier to navigate the European metro's are than those of NYC or any other large American city. Our first stop was the Colosseum where we met some of the girls studying in Rome! It was surreal to actually be AT the Colosseum. For me, it was one of those things you see in movies and pictures of other people, but can never imagine yourself there. While we were there, I couldnt believe I was actually there and I dont think it was until we were back in Spain and I was looking at pictures that the reality of being at the Colosseum hit me. It was awesome to be able to go to such an ancient structure, something that our young country does not have to offer. From there, we went to the Spanish Steps which we also very pretty! Afterwards, we headed towards the Trevi Fountain and stopped for lunch on the way.

Before we left, we had been warned that in Rome they try to rip off tourists at restaurants, so we tried to be very precocious, however it didnt work out very well. To make a long story short, we ended up getting ripped of big time, spending 40 euro EACH on a meal that should have been less than 20 a person... It kind of put a damper on the mood for the rest of the day, but once we got to the Trevi Fountain, everyone seemed to forget about the meal from hell. Similar to the Colosseum was so surreal and breath taking. Its crazy to be able to say that I have now been there, something I never thought I would be able to say. It amazes me that so long ago, when these structures were built, the artists were so talents to construct them so beautifully. We all made our wishes at the fountain too :)

Tired from a long day, we went back to the hostel to nap and relax for a little while, then headed out to dinner which was FABULOUS. I got Cannelloni stuffed with Ricotta and Spinach, it was so yummy I did not want it to end. Then, trying to be very European, the 5 of us got some wine and headed to the Spanish Steps to drink and hang out and just chat. It was so relaxing and there was a man there singing and playing guitar. I literally felt like I was in a movie or dream, it was so great. After, we went to the Trevi Fountain to see it lit up at night and it was even more breathtaking than during the day. We were all pretty tired, so that night was mellow and we headed back to the hostel to get a good nights sleep for another day of sightseeing.

Trevi Fountain at Night!

We woke up the next day and headed straight to probably the most important thing in Rome: Vatican City. After waiting in line for an hour or so, we finally were inside with our tour group. The whole tour probably took around 3 hours, and we saw most of the Vatican. The whole time I felt like I was dragging my jaw along the floor at everything I saw. It was all so beautiful and old and just perfect. The tour concluded in the Sistine Chapel, something that words will never do justice to. It was an honor to be able to walk through the surprisingly small and narrow chapel. The walls and ceilings were covered with the story of creation. I must say Michelangelo did quite an amazing job on this. We then proceeded to St. Peter's Basilica, which was also beautiful.   Everything at the Vatican was so intricate and made with the utmost care and to perfection. The colors are brilliant and the designs are so complex. After we finished there, we got lunch near the Vatican - Gina and I got a Lobster risotto that was DEEEEEEEEEELICIOUS. Exhausted, we headed back to the hostel for naptime ETC. That night, we met up with Erica and Ariana near their homestay to have a girls night and just hang out. We all really got to bond that night and it was a blast to just be in everyone's company.

Kelly-Ann and I waiting outside the Vatican (in the rain...)

Sistine Chapel - Illegal picture, whoops!

On Tuesday, our last day, we met up with them again and did a little shopping and had some yummy pizza and gelato. It was a nice relaxing last day. Until we got to the airport that is. Our flight, originally scheduled for 10 pm, was delayed until 1 am by the time we got there and then shortly after checking in, it was delayed AGAIN until 3 am. Of course, we had classes the next day, none of which we went to after getting back to Acala circa 7 am. And obviously after spending 8 hours in the airport, I did not only bring back many souvenirs to Spain but a severe cold that I am JUST getting over now, almost a month later. Fortunately, the flight back went MUCH smoother than our flight over. It was very sad to leave Rome however we were there for just the right amount of time and had a blast. It was an amazing trip.