We arrived at the airport with plenty of time – time to
convince Ryanair that my bag met cabin baggage requirements. Ryanair is an
extremely cheap airline that goes all around Europe and I am thankful to have
found it. Most of my flights have only cost me around 20-30 euro, so you can
see how I’ve been able to travel so much. That being said, they have fees for
EVERYTHING! So you can also see how they stay in business. You’re allowed one
carry-on free of charge as long as it meets size and weight requirements. I
made sure to measure mine beforehand. But, when I saw the blue cages and people
frantically trying to stuff their suitcases in to show the employee on duty, I
got a little nervous. It took me a good ten minutes to finally cram my bag in
the cage, only because my wheels stuck out and had to be maneuvered a certain
way. I guess I took too long because even though my bag fit perfectly in the
cage the Pisa Ryanair employee told me no, I had to check my bag. Oh hellz no.
This meant I’d have to pay 50 euro to check it which meant I’d more than likely
have to do the same for my next three flights. Oh hellz no. Pissed and nervous,
I go to the checked bag area and fit my bag in to their blue cage and asked why
there was an issue. They told me my bag was fine and sent me back to check in.
Oh lord. Thankfully another worker was there and let me bring my bag through.
(And to save trouble of telling about all my nervous, dreading-airport-check-in
experiences, I’ll just say I never had to pay and check my bag. Yay!)
Around midnight we reached Barcelona and took a bus then
a taxi (complete with a crazy driver) to our hostel in the city. It was located
in a square of several trendy clubs and restaurants that all seemed to be
barely starting their nights. The hostel was nice, but sharing a huge room with
ten or so people can be a little weird. It’s especially awkward being the only
girls, waking up to dudes lounging and walking around in their boxer briefs.
Most of the hostels offer pretty long walking tours of
the city, which gives you a good idea of what there is to see and do. Our guide
in Barcelona was an American who had been living there for a year or so. The
city was crawling with Americans, maybe because of its appeal of being such a
party city. He was hung over (or still drunk?) but gave us an entertaining time
nonetheless. One thing I found odd was the piles of trash on every street of
the city. I learned it was because the garbage companies were on strike. That
day also happened to be a huge planned protest, as we stumbled upon it walking
to the city’s center. There were mobs of people surrounding police-guarded
department stores. Others were preparing signs, lining up to march, throwing
bags of garbage at the police, and there were a few scattered trash cans on
fire. It was quite the experience! And you know I had my camera out. It led one
of the protesters to comment on our not belonging there and advise us to leave
the area within the hour. Advice taken!
We headed to a food market, just off La Rambla, where we
had delicious fresh fruit for lunch and some sangria. It was wonderful being in
an area where it was warm enough to wear shorts! Our next adventure took us to
the beach and I was excited to see another beautiful ocean. The water was
freezing, unfortunately, but we were able to lay out in our swimsuits and soak up
a few rays. On our way back we stopped through a few parks, one which had a
gorgeous palace looking building. I feel like we saw a lot of the city in our
short time there, but I still don’t understand all the hype. Maybe it’s the
night life that attracts so many Americans, and since we didn’t go out, that
would explain my missing the magnificence. In beauty, I definitely thought
Florence had Barcelona beat.
The next day we left for our next city in Spain. Since
Ryanair didn’t offer a flight straight to Granada, we took a flight from
Barcelona to Malaga and then a bus from Malaga to Granada. I’ve come to
absolutely love flying, but traveling by bus is great too. You certainly see
much more of the country and having time to gaze at gorgeous scenery makes up
for the extra travel time. We arrived in Granada pretty late and were so
exhausted. We checked into the White Nest Hostel (which was the cutest and
nicest of the whole trip. We had a whole room to ourselves!), then immediately set
out for some food! Wandering the streets of the small, historic town, we were
having trouble finding our desired eatery. Then we heard somber Spanish music
coming up the street from what sounded like a marching band. And that it was!
The band marched up the street and people began following them, including us.
They weaved through other streets before finishing their tunes, and it just so
happens that the ending point was right in front of our bar! So pretty much the
marching band was our unofficial guide.
One thing I definitely loved about Spain was the food. I didn’t
really know what to expect since all I am used to is Mexican food, but there
was such a variety with lots of seafood. Most of our meals out consisted of
ordering sangria and getting free tapas, then moving on to the next bar and
doing the same. Tapas are basically small plates of appetizers. Some of the
best ones I had were fried eggplant strips covered in honey, goat cheese with fruity,
spicy syrup on top, and hamburgers – which is literally ham on a bun in Spain.
For dessert – churros. So many churros. I could eat those with every meal, and
I almost did! They are commonly served with a hot, rich chocolate sauce in
which to dip them. Yum!
The next morning we didn’t wake up in time for the first
walking tour, so we did a little wandering around and shopping. There were lots
of cute shops in alley ways and musicians playing on the streets. The music was
either acoustic, classical, or a weird reggae sound that reminded me of Austin.
Granada also reminded me of Siena but I liked it much better, probably because
we had gorgeous, warm weather. We ate lunch in the park and made our way back for
the next walking tour. I really love how easily I feel I fit in with others
walking down the streets of the places I travel to. It’s not too much different
from the states. Even when an old man out of nowhere flung his arms out and
yelled “BOO!” at me as he passed by, it didn’t seem too odd. I just reacted
with a “What the hell?”, laughed, and thought stranger things have happened in
Austin!
The walking tour took us through winding, up and downhill
streets, where we saw the fantastic street art graffiti the city is famous for,
as well as beautiful gardens full of orange trees. I had been curious of their
taste because I heard they were pretty bitter and used only for making jams, so
I picked and tried one. Yep, so bitter! I couldn’t finish it. Before leaving
for Seville, we tried to get in and see the Alhambra, a famous royalty palace
located at the top of a huge hill. Unfortunately tickets were all sold out, but
we did get to wander the grounds and gardens for a bit.
We took a bus from Granada to Seville and admired the
beautiful scenery along the way. It reminded me a bit like west Texas except
with olive trees everywhere, and larger hills and mountains. We reached the
Seville bus station and had to take the main road to the center of town where
our hostel was located. Everyone was dressed to the nines like they had all
left or were on their way to Sunday church service. I began to wonder if the
people of Seville always dressed in that way until we reached a massive amount
of people waiting for a parade. We couldn’t go anywhere, so we stayed to watch
as the processions unfolded. It was the same music and bands that we had seen
in Granada, with the addition of groups of men in different colored robes and
pointed hats – kind of like the KKK; there were ones in white too. But
obviously these holy week processions had been a tradition long before the KKK
adopted the uniform. Who knows if Seville or Spain even knows what that outfit
typically means in the U.S.?
Even though it was annoying trying to get though the
crowd, I loved being a part of that cultural experience. They just don’t
celebrate Easter or the Holy Week that way in the U.S. – with the whole city
out celebrating a religious event (I feel like there’d be complaints back home).
Seville is supposedly known to be the most beautiful city in Spain, and aside
from the rain, it definitely was gorgeous. Our tour guide the next day said it
hardly rains in Seville, so lucky us we come on the one day it does! The
walking tour we took was around three hours and hit all the major sites of the
city, one of the most beautiful being Plaza de Espana.
We took a bus to Madrid on April 2nd and
arrived late at night. Madrid was our last stop in Spain and it reminded me of
any other big city, with a glorious, glorious shopping scene. There were also
so many gardens to explore and a great food market where I had the best frozen
yogurt ever. Our one full day in Madrid was spent mostly in the botanical
gardens, running around and taking pictures. We ended the night by going to the
best churros place on earth. I think that’s all you can order there; as soon as
we walked in he asked how many and chocolate or no chocolate. Within minutes of
being seated there’s a heaping pile of fried goodness in front of you!
After Spain we parted ways at the airport. Liz went back
to Florence before setting out for Croatia, and Lizzie and I headed for Paris,
France, where we met our friend Ryan. I was a bit nervous because I didn’t know
anything about French culture or the language. They definitely were a unique
bunch. Everyone was so well dressed and looked as if they stepped from the
pages of a fashion editorial spread. They seemed to keep to themselves mostly,
so I felt more than ever like a tourist. Our first hostel, called Friends
(haha), was a bit on the sketchy side – physical description and location.
There seemed to be trash gathered just on our corner and dudes trying to sell
you knock-off items. One guy crossing the street in front of us turned swiftly
because he thought we were trying to mug him or something… Welcome to the
neighborhood! But it was a place to sleep and had easy access to the subway so
I couldn’t complain too much.
Our first full day in Paris was my 21st
birthday and I can say with a serious face that it was magical! Really, it
could not have been any more perfect. We took a train out to Versailles and
spent the first six hours of the day exploring Chateau Versailles, the
extravagant home of Marie Antoinette and King Louis XIV. I mean, what girl
wouldn’t want to wander around a palace on her birthday?! The rooms were
amazing and so intricately decorated; one hall (Hall of Mirrors) was complete with mirrors all along as well as
chandeliers in a perfect row. There were several other small palaces on the
grounds that had been built for family members, guests, and there was a
still-working farm that had been for Marie. Someone said she used to have her
sheep dyed pink and perfumed, which I’m not sure is true, but it doesn’t seem
uncharacteristic of her! I petted a donkey as well, which was definitely a
highlight of my day.
A few times we got lost in the misty, cold gardens, which
I didn’t mind at all. It was lovely frolicking and just taking off running for
yards and yards! I definitely got my free admission’s worth. Haha (Lots of
places in Paris, like Versailles, offer a discount or free admission just by
showing your student visa! I also got in free to the Louvre this way.) After
our storming Versailles (get it?), we returned to Paris to rest a bit. For
dinner we ate at a nice French restaurant in the neighborhood and, as a
birthday gift, my friends so generously paid for my meal. I had two courses, French
wine, and wished on a flaming crème brulee! We finished around eleven and headed
off to see the Eiffel Tower at night.
I had heard that it sparkles, but was a bit skeptical
because, I mean, that’s not a typical description for a building. But sure
enough, as we were walking with our backs to the tower, we heard gasps all
around and turned to see the Eiffel Tower sparkling (its lights were quickly
flashing in a random matter). It had just turned midnight and was a fantastic
way to end my birthday!
Our next day we had to switch hostels so we dragged our
suitcases down to St. Christopher’s Inn. It was much nicer and we ran into a
lot of kids from our program that were on a tour around western Europe. We also
met an Australian guy who was on vacation before he began his career. Somehow
we began discussing soccer and rugby and which was the more preferred sport. He
said, “Soccer is a gentleman’s game played by thugs. Rugby is a thug’s game
played by gentlemen.”
Before our check-in time we went to the Louvre museum and
spent around four hours there – we saw almost everything! Including famous
works such as the Mona Lisa, which seems to have a constant crowd of people around
taking photos. I honestly think Leonardo da Vinci has much better works. The museum
was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever been in, especially the sculptures
section that was bright white and composed of several stories with a courtyard
in the middle. There were also people camped out around who were doing their own
sketches or paintings of the artwork.
Some of the other places we visited were Notre Dame Cathedral;
which is right up there with the Duomo on most beautiful cathedrals and
churches. We also strolled through Luxembourg gardens (which seemed to be a
popular spot for cute couples) and made our way to see the original site of the
Bastille jail. Had to get my French Revolution fix!
By the end of the night, we were celebrating the success
and overall enjoyment of our spring break travels with dinner at a cute French restaurant.
It was gorgeous out, sitting right along the streets, sipping our hot wine… I
think I actually mentioned how perfect the setting was when suddenly Lizzie
screamed in my direction, “What the heck is that?!” I turned to the left and
saw a man wearing an Easter bunny mask, pressed up against the glass, twitching
his head side to side in a maniac-like manner. This made me jump then start
laughing hysterically as he ran around behind Lizzie. She was petrified, not moving
a muscle and uttering, “Is it gone?! Is it gone?!” The bunny man ran down the
street with another man carrying a toy gun chasing after him. It was then that I
remembered, "Easter’s tomorrow!" Haha
Spring break’s travel adventures got me even more excited
about doing my own travels at the end of the program. One subway, taxi, bus,
flight, bus, train, and walk later, I was happy to be seated back in my Florence
apartment. But just for a few days, until I embarked on my next cross-Europe
journey!
Here are more pictures from my time in Barcelona, Granada, Seville, Madrid, and France!
Here are more pictures from my time in Barcelona, Granada, Seville, Madrid, and France!
