Live Every Day

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Normally, I would be sitting at home watching football with my dad, staring at the snow outside, and anxiously awaiting dinner on this day. However, for the second year in a row, I have been fortunate enough to spend Thanksgiving overseas. It was exactly this time last year when I boarded a plane for Dharamsala, India, and I hope everyone on that flight this year has an amazing time! I can´t wait to hear about all your adventures!

With that said, I´ve quickly come to realize it has now been over a month since I have updated my blog... not good. I could try to blame it on me getting caught up in the Spanish lifestyle once again, but in all honesty, I have just been procrasting. Next week, I plan on filling you all in with details about our adventures, but I quickly wanted to let you know what we have been up to.

When I last wrote, we had just gotten back from San Sebastian, Spain, our first weekend trip after being in Madrid for two weeks. We have now been here for almost two months and over the past few weeks have had the opportunity to travel to Granada, El Escorial, and Sevilla in Spain, and just this past weekend to Lisbon, Portugal. In between, my mom and sister came to visit me for an absolutely amazing week- I brought them Spanish culture, and they brought a wonderful and refreshing taste of home after two months of being away. Their visit was just one week before Diwali (India´s new year a.ka. Festival of Lights). As this was the first year I have ever been away from home on this special holiday, it was so great to have them come here and experience such a unique blending of cultures. This upcoming weekend, we are off to Brussels (brrr!!!), followed by Barcelona the week after that, and then hopefully an amazing month of December exploring Spain and Madrid more.

And then of course, there´s school... The past couple of weeks have been relatively busy with school with midterms (also futher encouraging my procrastination when it came to blogging), and in just three weeks it will be finals again. I have truly been enjoying my Spanish art class above all. I can officially say I have presented about ´Las Meninas´in the Prado museum and explained the details behind Spanish art to my family in Madrid and roommate and close friend in Sevilla. My other classes have also allowed me to learn more about Madrid and Spain, but above that, truly understand the life of an international student meeting people from all over the world. It will be interesting to return to DU and be a ´regular student´again, observing international students and their struggles/successes having just been in their position. It´s situations like this that I am so fortunate to have as they have certainly changed my outlook on life.

It´s so hard to believe that after almost three months, my time here is quickly coming to an end with only four weeks left. However, with Halloween, Diwali, and now Thanksgiving passing, and Christmas decorations going up, I have certainly been thinking a lot about home- hence, me finally updating my blog! :o) After Brussels, I truly plan on updating my blog with more details about all of our adventures. However, I hope this quick entry finds you all happy and well!

Besos,

Monica

“First we fight, then we party!” – A weekend in San Sebastian

2007-10-18T10:18:00.000-06:00

El País Vasco- enough said. This past weekend, myself along with about 10 other friends had the opportunity to travel to San Sebastian. Without exaggerating whatsoever, it was quite the weekend…

We arrived in San Sebastian early Friday on October 12^th, el día de España, a national holiday. After waiting around for the bus for an hour (they don’t run as frequently on holidays), we finally made it to the center of the city, Alameda del Boulevard. We then proceeded to wander about the square from La Playa de la Concha all the way to the river in search of our hostel. After about an hour we finally found our home for the weekend, dropped off our bags and started our day. Well so we thought… Holidays also mean most stores aren’t open. With that said we spent the morning café hopping – drinking coffee and conversing in true Spanish fashion. After an afternoon of siesta we again met up with our friends for lunch. I told you I was getting used to the Spanish ways! But this is where the story gets good…

We’re sitting in the café and around 5:00 pm, we start to get kicked out and are wondering what is going on...it’s too late for siesta for them to close. As we walk out on to the street, we look to the left to see an entire brigade of police in full uniform, including large guns and gas masks. After starting to get nervous, we then look to the left to see protestors- true Basque country protestors, waving the Basque flag, holding up Antifascist signs, yelling for a free, independent Basque country on this National Holiday in Spain. The only thing that goes through our mind is MOVE and FAST. We start walking/running towards the police along with others, caught in a furry of not knowing what is going on or even what to do! We end up finding a spot (and by that I mean a nook in the wall) to get away from the danger. For about twenty minutes, we’re standing in this nook watching police shoot large rubber balls (my friend Aubrey was hit by one reflecting off a dumpster-oww) and protestors throwing large rocks in return. We finally decide it is safe enough to move, and walk down the street, turn the corner only to see more protestors, dumpsters turned over, and crowds of people everywhere. We finally duck into a café, where we proceed to stay for the next hour or so. The action continues, and we have front row seats as the situation continues to intensify. After about an hour and a half, we decide it’s safe to go outside and wander a bit more. We can’t go back to our hostel yet as the entire center square including the town hall is roped off. This is insane. We finally watch as the police untie the ropes and the drama, about three hours later, has come to an end with streets littered, over-turned dumpsters on fire in ever corner, and life slowly easing back to the norm once again…

Welcome to San Sebastian, right? What a day…

We head back to my friend’s hostel, and just sit. We are all so overwhelmed, a little shook up, and very excited! Everyone’s calling home, and we continue to tell the story over and over again, and it simply feels surreal. Every Spanish class I’ve ever had has talked about the Basque’s passionate desire for independence and we were in the middle of it. We then decide going out that night isn’t the best idea. Of course, again in true Spanish style, we start talking to a guy that works at the hostel, and he asks, “Why aren’t you going out?” We explain everything, and he say’s, “What? It’s okay. Two or three times a month, we fight, and then we party!” What country is this? We spend the night out and about in the city meeting various people and d iscovering the main discoteca on La Concha Beach called “La Rotunda.” After getting home at 6 am again (so this isn’t just a Madrid thing?), we head to bed to wake up to beautiful Saturday.

After Friday’s adventure, the remainder of the weekend was much more low key and relaxing. We took advantage of this weekend but truly using it as a vacation instead of running up and down the city sight-seeing. Saturday including shopping, enjoying amazing food, walking

along the boardwalk, and again, heading out at night- including meeting many people, stopping in a place pronounced (not sure how you spell it), Etche Kalde, filled only with locals speaking all in Basque, finding another amazing discoteca, this one on Playa de la Zurriola, called ZM, and finally heading home late again. We woke up early Sunday to a short day filled with nothing but the beach… San Sebastian is known for its surfing, and I can guarantee you, we saw plenty of it. On my list of things to do before I die is learn how to surf in Malaga- this weekend truly inspired me. We boarded our bus Sunday evening and made it back to Madrid late, exhausted after an unforgettable day and two beautiful days of hanging out near the beach. I would go back to San Sebastian, and if you get the chance, I would definitely recommend going- it’s gorgeous! The culture is so distinct from the rest of Spain, and the city has so much energy to offer. Just maybe avoid going on national holidays… Or go on a national holiday and have the experience of a lifetime- just be safe. :o)

Everything in Madrid continues to go well. School has started to pick up, so I am no longer feeling like a lazy bum :o) (as soon as I was starting to embrace it of course… go figure). Senora and I have also started to bond much more. We had a full conversation about ETA and Spanish politics in general following our trip to San Sebastian, and it was amazing to hear her perspective. With the elections coming up in March 2008, everyone has been remembering the last elections and the train bombings of March 11, 2004 in the Atocha station in Madrid. It has been very interesting to watch the news and hear the different perspectives from the socialist party (currently in power) and el Partido Popular. This along with reading the newspaper everyday, “Viente Minutos” a.k.a the free newspaper on the way to school every morning, has truly helped me feel more connected to the city and the country as a whole.

Despite the more serious political conversations, life continues to be very comical. Jess and I had a five-minute long conversation about soup with our senora. We were trying to figure out what the soup was made of, and tell her we liked asparagus so she knew for the future. It took us another ten minutes or so to figure out the soup was made from asparagus (or esparrogos in Spanish… you’d think we’d be able to figure that one out just by hearing it right? Apparently not…), which she told us the night before. And for future reference, turns out there are white as well as green “esparrogos,” not making this conversation easier… It was quite the dinner.

We also have three girls from Germany staying with us for the week. They are traveling throughout Madrid with their University. Needless to say, it’s been a very full house. They have been a little quiet but nice to get to know. Tonight, I think they are going to join us and experience the nightlife of Madrid so it will be nice to talk to them some more.

Es todo para ahora! Vamos a Granada esta fin de semana y estoy segura que será muchos cuentos para la semana proxíma! (That’s all for now! We are going to Granada this weekend, and I am sure there will be many stories for next week!)

Besitos,

Monica

Estamos Madrileños ahora.

2007-10-14T18:19:00.000-06:00

It’s been about two weeks in Madrid and life has finally begun to settle down. Along with that I have quickly begun to fall in love with the Spanish lifestyle. The people are so friendly, there is always something to do, and life here is so much more relaxed. In an effort to catch up on everything, I'll go through the basics first : life at home, classes, and school, and then of course all the exciting adventures we have had to far.

Our senora continues to be amazing. Over the past week I have been able to get to know her and her family better, as well as practice my Spanish (have I mentioned she doesn't speak any English?) and learn about Spanish culture. She has lived in Madrid most of her life and therefore has great advice on everything for us including discos to find at night, holidays, and Madrid's most popular sights. She, like many other Spanish women of her generation, is always making sure we are eating enough (come mas, come mas!), sleeping enough including post-lunch siesta, and taking full advantage of our time here. She never asks for our help in cleaning or other house chores, and while I understand this is part of the culture, I almost feel bad having her, what in my mind seems like a lot, work so much for us. I'm quickly learning that this is what she is used to and for her it isn't necessarily more work, just part of her lifestyle. I'm taking a class entitled "Women's Roles in Spain," and it has been very interesting see our lectures in the classroom reflected in my senora and other Spanish women.

Speaking of classes... It's only been two weeks, and I'm very quickly beginning to feel lazy. Between my very relaxed class schedule and no homework, I'm realizing I'm going to need to find something to do with all my free time. I've been embracing it for now and getting to learn the city, yet this has been something very different to get used to. I'm taking four classes here: International Marketing, International Communications, Women's Roles in Spain, and Arte en el Museo del Prado (Art in the Prado Museum). I only have one and a half hour of class on Monday and Tuesday, a six hour break in between two classes on Wednesday, and four hours of class on Thursday. Friday's are off except for some in which we visit the Prado Museum for my art class. As you can see, with no homework yet, time has not been an issue... :o) Instead, we've been eating, sleeping, and spending money- welcome to Madrid, haha.

My overall impressions of the city thus far have been great, and I can't wait to see how the next two and a half months will continue. Until my next update, I'll share with you some of the more notable experiences (although there have been plenty!) from the two weeks...

Chocolate con Churros: The Nightlife

Madridleños have a thriving passion for life, and they say this is reflected in the renowned nightlife of the city, supposed to be one of the best in Europe- it took about, oh less than a week, for us to quickly learn why. This past weekend, after seeing Madrid at night Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, we are quickly getting to know the discotecas and the places to be including Dubliner's, O'Connell's Street, Palacio Gaviria, Joy Enslava, and Kapital just to name a few. For those of you that have studied in Madrid, I'm sure these names bring back great memories. Nightlife in Madrid truly doesn't being until around midnight with tapas and sangria, moving to a disco around 2 or 3 in the morning when the crowds hit. Both Friday and Saturday night this weekend, we proceeded to take the metro home (at 6 in the morning!) along with crowds of others, and could easily have stayed out later... no wonder siesta exists. I was talking to my senora this week and she says she only needs about three hours of sleep a night, and she's probably around sixty years old. When I told her I left Sol at 6, getting home at 7 am, she said (translated from Spanish), "Oh my, we used to get home around 5 or 6 am, but I guess times are changing." :o) Feel free to make your own impressions, but I think I may have found my city.

One of the renowned traditions after a long night out in a discoteca is going to a Chocolateria for chocolate and churros- it really is as amazing as it sounds, especially at 4 or 5 in the morning.

Daytrip to Toledo

About an hour an half south of Madrid is Toledo, the former capital of the Holy Roman, Visigoth, and Muslim empires. Today, Toledo still has many cathedrals, synagogues, and mosques reminiscent of the time when all three religions dominated. The city's many hills wind around the monuments in small, alley-like streets filled with restaurants and shops boasting Toledo's renowned swords and marzipan (actually mazapan, a tradition begun in Toledo in 1212).

Once inside the walls of the city, we had the opportunity to tour a convent, see San Juan de los Reyes (la sinagoga) in the city's Jewish quarters, la Mezquita, and of course see "El entierro del Señor de Orgaz," the most infamous painting of El Greco. After a day of touring the city and taking in the stunning sites, we ended our day with wandering the streets and sampling the marzipan.

Corrida de toros: The Bullfight

Bullfighting season in Spain lasts from March through October. Our arrival in Madrid marked one of the last few weekends of the year the events would take place. With that said, this past Sunday we attended a Corrida de toros (bullfight) with a "It's now or never" mind sight. As it's such an important part of the culture of Spain, we walked into the event open minded, however it is never a experience I will have again. If you ever attend a bull fight, I highly suggest thoroughly reading about them before hand in order to appreciate and focus on the traditions and aethetics of the sport rather than the blatant grotesqueness.

The "Plaza del Toros" is located in Las Ventas, Madrid. After coming up from the Metro, the sheer size of the stadium is overwhelming. Built in 1931, the stadium sits 25,000 people, and the day we went, it was full. Each bull fight involves three toreros (bullfighters) and six bulls, two bulls per torero. The toreros are judged based on the aesthetics, the time until death, and the assistance required. When they say it is a fight until death- they aren't kidding. Having arrived a little late, we did not enter the stadium until the second bull. However seeing one was enough for me to handle. After watching the bull being stabbed in the neck for the first of many times my heart immediately lurched, and I knew this was not going to be a pleasant experience. At one point during the fight, the bull managed to gain control and literally threw the torero into the air by his horns. My heart again sank as I watched a man being thrown without knowing what the ultimate outcome would be... Needless to say after fulling watching one bull, I had had enough. Throughout the remainder of our time there, I had to force myself to think of the cultural experience paying more attention to the attire of the torero, his movements, and the intricate process involved in this historic sport. Knowing this was a once in a lifetime experience, I do not regret going, yet this is never something I would like to repeat. Those are only my opinions though, I understand the significance this has in the culture, and feel free to make your own judgments.

Sightseeing in the city: Templo de Debod and Palacio Real

Living within a large European city automatically equates to culture overload. With that being said the first week has been filled with getting to know the different Plazas, discovering the importance of large, random buildings, and simply taking it all in. More to come soon on these two sites as they are very impressive with their history and grandeur…

Finalmente en Madrid

2007-09-30T14:35:00.000-06:00

After 27 days, I've finally arrived in Madrid. Only two days later, and I am already so excited for the next three months of our lives. My flight took off from Rome yesterday, however I was fortunate enough to have another student in our program on the same flight. He was also backpacking (except for six weeks!) and it made me feel much more comfortable about transitioning from one experience to the next. We arrived at Madrid Barajas and met with our program coordinator. Ten minutes in the country, and I quickly realized I am going to be speaking Spanish for three months. This, of course was the point of studying here, but after visiting countries where they spoke German, Hungarian, and Croatian, it was very interesting speaking with locals in their language.

After leaving the airport, I was the first to be dropped off at my host family. I was nervous. As we slowly walked towards the apartment, I forced my self to clear to my mind and anticipate an great experience no matter what. Within the first few minutes of meeting my Senora, I knew I was going to be happy here. She is so friendly and so kind, and she speaks Spanish possibly faster than most people I have ever heard- this I am going to need to get used to.

I spent the afternoon moving in to our room, eating lunch (our senora is a fantastic cook and she eats healthy!), and getting adjusted after being overwhelmed. We live on the tenth floor of a high rise. The apartment has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. Our senora lives alone, however her son and daughter (and her family and children) are also in Madrid. Jess and I share our bedroom and have our own bathroom. The apartment is clean and spacious, very close to the Metro and nearby markets. There are also four other students from our program in the same building, and I can't wait to get to know them. It's only been two days and I am very happy with our home.

After getting settled, Jessica Goldband, my roommate and close friend arrived. We were very happy to see each other, and are already having a blast exploring the city and becoming acquainted with our new surroundings. Our first Madrid experience including navigating the metro for our first ISA meeting. As part of ISA's Fall 1 Program at Antonio de Nebrija University, there are thirty students (although ten of us are from DU!!) and we are all just beginning to get to know each other. Antonio de Nebrija, our university, is a school of Spanish studies designed for students from outside of Spain. I am very excited to see where the other students in our classes will be from, and get to know other parts of Europe and the world even more, while learning about Madrid. More on school later this week though...

After our meeting, ISA gave us a brief tour of the city in which we saw El Plaza Mayor, el Palacio Real, El Plaza de la Villa, and other popular sites near Sol, the main city center. After exploring, our Saturday night continued with hanging out and getting to know one another in the city before returning home for an amazing night of sleep.

Today is Sunday in Madrid, and Jess and I quickly learned NOTHING is open on Sundays... welcome to the Spanish lifestyle. We went to Plaza de la Castilla this afternoon, however, and checked out the street markets, purchasing a few things we'll need over the upcoming months. Our senora told us that Sunday is a big days for markets such as these, including a bigger one in Sol, and I am excited to get to see them all. The remainder of our day consisted of getting adjusted and preparing for a big week. Classes start on Tuesday!! It's very weird realizing that I am going to school again... although probably a good thing. Tomorrow morning we meet early to take our placement tests, and from there the adventure officially begins...

Off to bed for an early morning, but you should all know I finally tried the Spanish Tortilla, and it was amazing! Thanks for all the food tips from everyone! :o) Much more to come soon!

EuroTrip 2007

2007-09-29T17:48:00.000-06:00

Leaving home...

Our EuroTrip began at 4 am in the morning on Sunday, September 2nd after a night of packing. After leaving DIA around sunrise, Jason and I easily made it to Chicago to meet Matt and truly begin our trip. Our flight for DC took off only to turn around after 10 minutes due to mechanical errors... how convenient. A few hours later and some re-booking, we made it to Washington Dulles and Frankfurt. After an exhausting day of traveling, we finally arrived in Frankfurt to lost luggage. Typical Monica travel luck, however what would this trip have been without it?

Frankfurt, Germany

September 2 - 5

After reaching Frankfurt, our unfortunate travel luck quickly left us. As Frankfurt is a relatively small city, the transition from home to four months in Europe was much easier. We stayed in a small, serviced apartment and quickly settled with our bare amounts of luggage.

Our first night in Frankfurt consisted of lots of walking around the town and orienting ourselves. We ate dinner at a delicious Italian restaurant (ironically enough, particularly since it was recommended to us by a local), L'Angolo di Oro, and spent time in the main city center. After a couple of days of visiting fountains, the Frankfurt tower, and the Opera house, my favorite part of Frankfurt was sitting in the streets of the main city center, people watching at the wine festival and becoming quickly accustomed to the laid back lifestyle of Europe. The city also gave us time to figure out more plans for our upcoming destinations, learn how to navigate metros, and prepare for hostels. Overall, Frankfurt was a great transition city, however it is very glitzy and new. I would love to return to Germany one day and visit Munich or Berlin.

Vienna, Austria

September 5 - 8

Wein! After an early morning Aer Berlin flight to Vienna, we reached the city and wandered the streets until we reached The Wombats hostel. After about two hours of being in the city, the rain began and did not stop, until our last night in the city. Despite the cold and dreary weather, we made the most of it and were able to truly experience the Viennese lifestyle.

The day we arrived consisted of exploring the city and getting our bearings. We wandered through the city hall and spent the afternoon hanging out in a warm cafe drinking coffee for hours. After a late dinner, the tiring and cold day ended with an early night. The following day continued to be rainy and so we spent the afternoon in and out of monuments and museums. We visited a beautiful cathedral only to discover that Pope Benedict XVI was to be in town the following day (more to come on this...)! The remainder of day was spent at the Haus de Musik, a great museum on music explaining the history of the city, home of Beethoven, Mozart, Strauss, and many others. We also spent the afternoon in the Museum Quartier visiting the Modern Art museum (very interesting experience) and the Traum/Trauma exhibit. After an exhausting afternoon of running up and down the city, we went to an early dinner and an evening of relaxing at the hostel. I was later able to meet up with my friend Anoop, and his friend Salman (both also traveling prior to their study abroad programs) and discover the nightlife of Vienna. This first night out in the city truly made Vienna come alive despite the fact that it was still pouring rain. :o)

The late night out led to an early morning the next day, however one that I will never forget. Pope Benedict XVI was in Vienna for a couple of days, and we had the opportunity to see him in an early morning open-air mass. Standing in the pouring rain surrounded by thousands of others, all drenched from head to toe, proved to be a very humbling experience. It quickly reminded me of seeing the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala last winter surrounded by thousands of monks chanting, yet this time it was the Pope and Catholics from all over the world. I can honestly say I will never forget these experiences when, despite all the problems that seem to exist in the world, everything seems to stop to focus on one individual and his vast influence on our world.

This amazing start to the day continued with a tour of the UN building in Vienna (one of four locations in the world), a visit to the Danube tower and lunch at the revolving cafe overlooking the city, and spending the evening in downtown Vienna wandering the shops. After a late dinner, we wandered into Bermuda Triangle - Vienna's main spot for bars, clubs, and students, particularly on a Friday night. I once again met up with Anoop and Salman as we wandered from one place to the next, only to finally arrive at "Flex." If you ever go to Vienna, I would definitely recommend finding this place. Not at all what you would expect, but an amazing experience to be had.

Budapest, Hungary

September 8 - 11

A few amazing but tiring days in Vienna led us to Budapest the next day. After checking out of Wombats, we headed to the train station and boarded our train to Budapest. Arriving in the city, where the sun was shining once again, certainly put everyone into a good mood. Matt quickly joked he was "moving to Budapest indefinitely," and after being there for a few days, you can't blame him. We checked into our hostel, the Budapest Bubble (great place to stay, I would definitely recommend it), and wandered a cute street full of restaurant's before stopping at Leroy's Cafe. A fantastic meal later, and after staring out onto the Danube looking into Pest, we headed back to the hostel to get ready. Matt and I decided to experience the Budapest "All Night Crash," a pub crawl around the city, meaning really a bunch of traveler's from different hostels wanting to go out. Definitely a night I will never forget... how often do you party with a Hungarian and his friend from Barcelona, a few Australians, a group of Irish guys, a couple from London, and a few girls from London traveling? Quite the experience...

The following morning consisted of much needed sleeping in. Despite the late start to the day, we were still able to get a day's worth of adventure in with seeing the Parliament and St. John's Basilica, along with a view from the tower overlooking the city. After switching to the Aboriginal Hostel in the afternoon, we wandered around the Castle district in Pest and spent the evening taking in the beautiful sights and sounds. After dinner in the city, we ran into our friends from the Budapest Bubble from the night before and spent time hanging out in the city with them. Another great night in Budapest that I will not forget involved sitting in the back of bar with a group of young Irish guys discussing everything from international politics to be the best places to go during my visit to Dublin. This is why I love traveling.

Our final full day in Budapest again proved to be amazing. After another late morning, we quickly made our way to the thermal baths in the city park. The afternoon of lounging was so relaxing, and we had the opportunity to once again run into our Irish friends from the night before and Anoop and Salman. We ended our great trip to Budapest with a dinner cruise on the Danube River and a great night's rest.

Croatia

September 11 - 15

Our relaxing evening quickly led us to an early morning ride to the airport to depart for Split, Croatia. Flying over the Adriatic to land in to Split was once again an awakening experience. The water was crystal clear with islands up and down the coast, and I knew (secretly wanting to be a beach bum) these next few days would be great. After landing in Split, we quickly took care of a few traveling arrangements before boarding a bus for four hours to reach our stop for the next two nights, Dubrovnik. After getting settled into our guest house, we spent the evening wandering the Old Town (inside the Dubrovnik walls) and taking in Croatia.

The next morning we awoke to an amazing view outside of our guest house window of the beautiful hillside against the Adriatic. It was going to be a fantastic day. As this was our only full day in Dubrovnik we took advantage of it by spending the day at the old town. We stopped for lunch at "Fresh," a great recommendation, followed by a relaxing walk around the city and staring out upon the beautiful sea for a while. A little bit of shopping and more wandering led us into the afternoon where we decided to partake in the main attraction of the city and walk the walls of the former Dubrovnik fortress. The view from above was absolutely stunning and enabled us to take in everything this city has experienced including its recent violent history. After the walk, we took a nice short break to grab gelato while watching the sunset over the sea. All this before an amazing seafood dinner and spending the evening in a Jazz cafe. This lifestyle I could have gotten used to...

We awoke the next morning to continue our Croatian adventures out at sea by taking a ferry from Dubrovnik to Rijeka, a port city in the north of the country. The ferry left at 10 am on Thursday, September 13th arriving in Rijeka early Friday morning. Needless to say Matt, Jason, and I all took advantage of this time to catch up on a few things as well as stare out into the sea and reflect upon everything we have been so fortunate to experience. After spending a few days in Rijeka, we would all travel to London together before parting ways. This experience allowed us to come together one last time and appreciate our adventures together.

Rijeka continued to be a great experience, however similar to Frankfurt, the town is relatively small. We spent our first day there by exploring the city. While Matt and Jason visited the castle district, I spent the morning wandering the city and visiting the monuments. Like many places in Croatia with its vast history, one can still see where the old Rijeka originally sat versus the new cosmopolitan city of today. This morning of getting lost amongst the history and taking in the culture allowed me to realize how much there is I would still like to learn about the world. After a thoughtful morning, we spent the afternoon checking into our hostel and getting settled, followed by a relaxing afternoon at the (rocky) beach, including a swim in the (very cold) Adriatic. After a couple of hours of sheer bliss, we headed back to the hostel to get ready for a dinner in the city and a night of hanging out downtown.

We took advantage of the next day by leaving Rijeka and traveling to the small, nearby town of Opatija. As a beautiful, resort town in Croatia, one can only imagine how beautiful it is. After again spending the day walking around and exploring, we headed back to pack our bags and get to the airport. Regardless of the short trip to Opatija, this will definitely be somewhere I will be returning one day along with many other locations in Croatia.

Our trip to the Rijeka airport (in which we felt as if we were driving into a nature observatory), was very exciting for all of us. We were off to London where Jason, the first of our group of three, would officially begin his study abroad program.

London, England

September 15 - 20

I've always had a strong desire to move to London and after spending five days there, I am certain one day I will. We arrived late Saturday night (Sept 15th) to a bustling city and checked into Jason's tiny dorm room, quickly nick-named "The Purple Palace" due to his shocking bright and surprising purple walls. :o) After roaming the city at night for a while, we picked up a late dinner and headed back to Wigram Residence Hall. Matt was only to be in London for two days, meaning the next two days were filled with site-seeing and running up and down the city. As Jason is studying at the University of Westminster, his dorm is fortunately only ten minutes walk from all of London's most popular sites. We spent the first day seeing Westminster Abby, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, amongst many other Parliaments. After wandering down the Thames for a while, we discovered that the weekend (as one of the last of the summer), was the weekend of the Thames River Festival. We spent our time wandering around the festivities checking out the performers (of which I posted video- this group of guys was amazing!) and street vendors.

Although filled with tourists, it was amazing to be there and a part of this vibrant city. We finished our night by having fish and chips for dinner, and heading back to the festival to watch fireworks over the Thames.

Monday again proved to be adventurous. Jason awoke early to attend orientation and get accustomed to his home for the remainder of the year while Matt and I wandered off to the London Eye and Madame Tussuad's Wax Museum. Need less to say, we splurged a little bit on the attractions, but it was worth the fun and stories.

Our pricy two days in London slowly came to an end. We were able to meet up with another friend from DU, Bart, also living in the same residence hall as Jason, and catch up before all heading out to dinner at an Indian restaurant- delicious! Our last evening together with all three of us came to an end as we all fell asleep watching "EuroTrip." It had been an amazing two and half weeks together, and I knew this was just the beginning.

After saying bye to Matt the following morning, Jason and I headed out to watch the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. It was an amazing experience, however I wish I understood the significance of the ceremony more. I, however, was shocked, along with many others when the guards started playing "I Love You Baby." A very amusing experience, and it's good to know the guards love their queen...

After changing of the guards, we headed off to Chinatown to wander around and take in all the sights and smells. We then met up with Bart again to take care of some errands the two needed to do, followed by an evening of shopping at the market, making dinner, and hanging out at Wigram getting to know the other's in the building from all over London and Europe.

The next morning I woke up to "pilgrimage" to the Shree Swaminarayan Hindu Temple in the suburbs of London. I say "pilgrimage" as the temple is in the suburbs of the city and it took me a an older couple from South London about 45 minutes of walking in what seemed to be a circle until we finally found it. However, this temple in the largest Hindu temple outside of Asia, built entirely of limestone and marble and is absolutely stunning. After trekking to the temple, I went back to Westminster and met with Jason. Together we met up with my friend Amit for lunch. Amit is currently working on his Master's in London, and it was great to see him after a year and hear about his experiences.

Our eventful day continued as Jason and I wandered amongst the many floors of Harrod's followed by a stop at the Camden Town markets. Transitioning from the store of "everything for everybody everywhere" to streets lined with local markets, with a very punk/alternative atmosphere was extremely interesting and an amazing experience.

After a great day of seeing all of London, I woke the next morning to say bye to Jason to board a flight to Ireland. This truly ended our three weeks together, and I was now on my own to travel Europe...

Dublin, Ireland

September 20 -23

Sitting in the Heathrow airport waiting to board my AerLingus flight was an very eye-opening experience. As I sat surrounded by Irish accents in London, it slowly started to dawn on me that everyone was quickly becoming settled in their respective cities while I was continuing to the live the life of a traveler. I was very much looking forward to my upcoming weeks, however, I think this is the point where I officially began to get antsy.

All these thoughts of course disappeared as I reached Dublin. I easily met up with my friend Jess studying at UCD in Dublin and settled into her suite, shortly followed by dinner and hanging out at the campus pub- welcome to Ireland. We then headed back to Jess' place to relax and getting ready, followed by an amazing night out in, as I quickly learned "Publin" or "Clublin," including visits to Temple Bar and Grafton Street.

The next morning, after Jess returned from class, we headed out to tour the Dublin Castle in the city followed by a tour of the Guinness Storehouse at St. James Gate. This amazing day of getting to know the city and experience the culture quickly continued with a quick dinner and an evening of rugby. That Friday, Ireland was to play France in the Rugby World Cup. Despite the loss, being on campus amongst the fierce Rugby fever by far, an amazing time!

The energy filled evening was followed by a day trip out of the city to Kilkenny, Ireland (about two-three hours south of Dublin). As a history-filled medieval town, Kilkenny proved to be an amazing day trip an we had lunch at the famous Kyttler's Inn, saw St. Catherine's Cathedral, were given a guided tour of the city, and wandered through the famous castle of Kilkenny, owned by the Butler family. This trip truly completed my Ireland experience by enabling me to see the beautiful Ireland country side along with of course, an Irish castle.

This amazing day was of course, followed by another night out in the city of Dublin. After wandering from place to place and meeting many of Jess' new friends and others, we finally went to bed at 3:30 am only to wake up the next morning at 7:30 am to head to the airport.

Rome, Italy

September 23 -29

After a very fun weekend in Dublin, I finally arrived in Rome in the early evening after a full day of traveling - I was exhausted. I met Ariel and and settled into her place, happy to leave my bags in one location for a full week. After settling, she happily showed me the area around her apartment in Trastevere including the Piazza de Santa Maria and the cobblestone side streets of Italy. I knew this was going to be an amazing week. We sat down to a full dinner at a great restaurant including the most amazing tiramisu, then roamed the street markets near the river.

After a great night of sleep, Ariel and I took Rome by storm the next day including a morning of shopping near Via del Corso, the Italian way, and site seeing. We were able to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, stare into the amazing work of the Pantheon, throw coins into la Fontana di Trevi, wander by Parliament, and people watch at the Spanish Steps.

After an exhausting day of shopping and site-seeing, we headed off to the market then back to the apartment for an relaxing evening of hanging out with Ariel's roommates and a late night gelato run (for the record, that was our second time having gelato in one day - welcome to Italy). The next day proved to be very relaxing, giving me a chance to catch up on everything from the past 25 days or so, while Ariel went to class. We spent the afternoon exploring the Colosseum and looking into Rome's 2,000 plus year history. After seeing the Pantheon and all the sites the previous day, it was so amazing to look upon these monuments and see the intricate work that went into them. Our slow day continued with hanging out at the apartment again, followed by a midnight surprise to Emilia, one of Ariel's roommates, for her birthday.

I woke up early the next morning and quickly headed out to spend the day at Vatican City. I arrived just in time to see the Pope leaving in the Pope-mobile after the weekly Wednesday audience. That's the second time I've seen the Pope in one month! As Rachael called it, apparently I'm "Pope-chasing."

After the commotion of seeing Pope Benedict, I then headed over to the long line in front of St. Peter's Basilica, holding the tomb St. Peter, the first Pope. After finally entering, I was overwhelmed and stunned by the architecture and beauty including Michelangelo's famous statue, The Pieta. This morning of amazement melted into an equal stunning afternoon as I visited the Vatican Museums including the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, Rapheal, Michaelangelo, and even Dali. The visit ended with the beautiful Sistine Chapel as well as a walk down the renowned stairs of the Vatican Museum designed by Giuseppe Momo.

The spiritual day at the Vatican came to an end as I returned to Ariel's and an apartment full of celebration for Emilia's birthday. We surprised her with dinner then proceeded to get ready and head out for a night in Campo di Fiori. After a late night of birthday celebrations, we took advantage of the following day by relaxing and again catching up on everything. After living in her apartment for a month without the internet, Ariel and her roommates finally got connected to wireless this day. Seeing the reaction in the others and myself was so interesting, and I was able to see how truly dependent we are on something such as the internet today. Later that evening, we met my friend Julie for dinner and gelato again in Campo. Julie's also studying in Rome, and it was great to hear her experiences thus far, although definitely made me more antsy for Madrid. After a fun night with Julie, I ended the night watching Audrey Hepburn's "Roman Holiday," curled up on the coach on a rainy night in Roma with Jesse (Ariel's roommate).

The next day Ariel and I took a beautiful day trip out of Rome in to Tivoli and visited the Villa D'este. The area was beautiful as it contained ancient fountains, ruins, and gardens (the photo to the right). After an amazing lunch in Tivoli, we wandered the markets before returning home. Our week together came to a close as made a fantastic dinner together and watched "Under the Tuscan Sun."

Madrid, Spain

September 29 - December 23

I awoke early the next morning to bags fully packed for the final time, and more butterflies in my stomach than I imagined. It felt as if I was in Denver again at four o'clock in the morning preparing to fly to Frankfurt all over again. The past twenty-seven days have been amazing, and I knew the adventure was just beginning...

And the whirlwind continues...

2007-09-29T17:42:00.000-06:00

It's September 29th, and we have officially arrived in Madrid. As I sit in my home for the next three months, I reflect back upon the past four weeks and they have been absolutely unforgettable. And while I have admittedly been slacking in posting on my blog, it's so difficult to sit and try and think of some way to encompass everything we have experienced. In my defense, when one is only in a city traveling for a few days, it is very difficult to find motivation to post on a blog, understandably so. In an effort to catch up on writing, I'll go through and post the best of each city, as well as my experiences thus far in Madrid. Please leave comments- it's always great to hear other's people thoughts and experiences- and even more so to hear from you all!

It's three and a half hours before leaving for the airport, and I'm not packed... typical.

2007-09-02T00:31:00.000-06:00

Well the title pretty much says it all. I'm hoping one day I will kick this habit of not sleeping the night before I travel... but clearly not today. As we get ready to board a plane for three and a half months (wow...), I figured I should post our travel plans as internet access will not be guaranteed...

Sept 2 - 5: Frankfurt, Germany
Sept 5 - 8: Vienna, Austria
Sept 8: Bratislava, Slovakia???
Sept 8 - 11: Budapest, Hungary
Sept 11 - 15: Croatia - Split, Dubrovnik, Rijeka
Sept 15 - 20: London, England
Sept 20 - 23: Dublin, Ireland
Sept 23 - 29: Rome, Italy
Sept 29: Arrive in Madrid, Spain!

This is certainly going to be an adventure of a lifetime.

The countdown has begun

2007-08-29T00:47:00.000-06:00

Less than one week until the Europe Extravaganza begins...!