Erica's Blog

Venice and Traveling Home

2011-06-01T23:21:00.135+02:00

Ally and I were in and out of sleep for the whole train ride but still got to see amazing parts of Italy along the way.

Mountains in a fog.

We made it to the main train station in Venice but we had to take a 5 minute train ride into the actual city. When we got there we were able to see the city right as night was approaching.

Sunset.

The city was full of stair bridges like these over the canals.

We got to our private hostel room, unpacked, and set out for a dinner and some nighttime views.

Stand selling Venetian carnival masks.

Our favorite: gelato.

We settled on a restaurant close to our hostel for dinner. We were already feeling the love in the air after our lover's hike in the morning and seeing couples everywhere in the streets of Venice.

Our romantic dinner. ;)

I got bruschetta for dinner.

We weren't tired just yet so we explored a bit of the city before going back to the hostel for the night.

We ended up in an internet café so I could e-mail my mom about some money things I needed situated for the remainder of my trip. At this point we were a little slap happy. Haha.

Our first goal the next day was to take a ride on a gondola. They are ridiculously expensive but a must-do of Venice. We were approached as soon as we got close to the gondola spot on the canal and luckily we were able to bargain our way into a more reasonable price.

A gondola port.

Our gondola.

Our gondolier.

He spoke very broken English so we couldn't understand him when he was pointing out historical buildings or things to look at. We were content with just taking in the beauty of the city itself.

Someone's front door right along the canal.

All cute and couple-y like true Venice tourist should be.

After our amazing gondola ride we wanted to see the rest of the city on foot so we decided to walk all the way to Piazza San Marco on the other side of the city. Per usual we encountered a lot of interesting things along the way.

Passerbys ruining our pictures again!

Unidentifiable foodstuffs being sold at a street market.

Obviously there'd be a lot of seafood in a city of canals like Venice.

Little snails.

That's a big pizza.

After a good walk we finally made it to Piazza San Marco.

I finally noticed that Ally was taking pictures of my walk back to her.

Clock tower.

Campanile.

Ally had fun scaring the pigeons.

Can't believe I had one of these on me a few days prior. Yuck.

St. Mark's Basilica.

The lion of St. Mark.

Another gondola port.

We're so good at awkward poses.

After spending some time in Piazza San Marco we wanted to walk to the famous Guggenheim museum so we took to the confusing maze-like streets of Venice once again.

We spotted this gondolier along the way and regretted the fact that we already took our gondola ride. Hehe.

We stopped for pizza. I was so hungry that I got two huge slices and double fisted. Ha.

One of the beggars that lined the streets near Venice's attractions.

We made it to the museum and our first exploration of the Guggenheim was the outdoor garden.

Then we went inside to see the artwork.

I always love me some Dalí.

This creepy doll sculpture was interesting to say the least.

We went outside on the little patio along the canal.

Then back to the garden to rest our feet after so much walking.

We followed our way back to Piazza San Marco.

This guy's broom looked Harry Potter-esque to us.

We were tired and losing our bearings on the right route back to our hotel so we took a different method of transportation: the water taxi.

On the boat.

We had time for an early dinner before we had to go to the airport for our flight back to Madrid, and we wanted to have a great final Italian meal. We got ourselves a three-course meal.

We shared a bottle of wine.

The oil for bread dipping.

I'm not a big spaghetti fan but I felt like I should have at least one spaghetti meal while in Italy. I opted for the Venetian take on the meal with squid ink and pieces of squid. It turned my whole mouth black! Haha.

Calamari.

Tiramisu for dessert.

We got our suitcases from the hotel and went to the crowded bus station to get a ride to the airport. When the bus finally came we barely fit inside. It was a packed ride but we made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. We entertained ourselves by playing with Photo Booth on my Macbook while we waited at the terminal.

On the airplane.

When I spotted the European version of my friend, Dan, sitting behind us I had to document it. I mean, he looks just like him!

Nico met us at the airport in Madrid since he was keeping my broken suitcase at his house while I was traveling. I had to say goodbye to Ally since she had to go back to her host mom's house. It's always sad to say goodbye to such a good friend but we both knew that we'd be seeing each other again. Nico walked me to my hotel, helped me get settled, and took me out for my last Spanish meal. I got my favorites: cerveza con limon, tortilla española, patatas bravas, and croquetas. The next morning Nico helped me get my things to the airport. We ate McDonald's at the airport before we had to say goodbye. Since a reunion in the future wasn't as absolute it was a bit harder to leave such a good friend. But, before I knew it, I was on my flight to Chicago.

Watching the plane fly while we were in it.

Once I landed I took a taxi to the train station and bought my ticket back home. I had some time to kill so I bought my first legal alcoholic beverage in the United States. :)

Blue Moon.

I talked with a fellow traveler and traded stories before he was off to Oklahoma and I was waiting in the Detroit terminal. It was a long train ride with some delays but at least I knew I was going home to see the family and friends that I missed so much. After waiting for an extra hour at the train station my dad got restless.

The typical text from Dad. Haha.

Finally, after being two hours behind schedule, I made it to the train station and was headed home at 3 am. I was happy to be home but still very appreciative of the amazing experiences I was able to have while abroad!

Cinque Terre

2011-05-31T18:15:00.212+02:00

We had a nice train ride into La Spezia, which is the main station that has access to the 5 platforms of the cities in Cinque Terre. It was a little confusing once we got there, though. Ally and I didn't know how the trains ran so we got nervous when we didn't see any trains going to Corniglia, the city where our hotel was located. We saw two people in train uniforms on a smoke break so I asked for some help. One of the workers showed us the route we needed to take on the screen and it was blinking red signifying that it was leaving the platform. Before we ran to where we needed to be, the worker gave me his business card and told me to call him sometime. I blame it on my outfit once again. We just missed the train and had 20 minutes to wait until the next one. At least we were able to take our time getting there, but we didn't feel any less irritated.

Ally's feelings toward our complicated travels of the day.

The worker, Alessandro, saw us on the platform and told us that he was taking the same train we were. He sat and talked to us when he was finished collecting tickets. Alessandro invited us to his house so he could cook us a spaghetti dinner that night. The idea of an Italian cooking us an authentic Italian meal was tempting, but not worth risking anything by trusting a complete stranger. We compromised and settled upon meeting at the city's most popular bar the next night instead. It was a short ride and before we knew it, we made it to Corniglia.

The train station next to the Ligurian Sea.

The train station is the lowest point in Corniglia with a winding, uphill road leading to the main part of town. Since we didn't have a firm grasp on where our hotel was located and we had our suitcases we decided to wait for the bus. Following the trend we've experienced in Italy, the bus was very late. When we finally got dropped off at the only stop in the middle of town, we had no idea where to go. After trying to figure it out on the map without any luck I asked a local in English and Spanish if he knew where the hotel was since I had the address. He didn't speak anything but Italian but he recognized the address I showed him and before we knew it he scooped up my suitcase and was leading us up a narrow, twisting stone staircase. At first I was a little nervous that he might steal my stuff but he was older and was huffing and puffing up all the stairs. I figured I could catch him if he decided to run for it. He took us to our hotel and talked to the lady in charge for us. Then he was on his way. Such an act of kindness for which we were very grateful.

Ally lounging on our bed. Haha.

The hotel was basically a house with a few rooms branching off. Right outside our room was a dining room.

We wasted a lot of the day with our traveling mishaps so we didn't spare any time before we were exploring the little town with beautiful views.

Cute little houses.

Flowers everywhere.

I got a lemon slush made from the town-grown lemons.

We stopped at one of the few restaurants to get dinner.

Wine and olives that neither Ally or I like. We forced ourselves to eat a few since they are grown right in town but I've never been a big fan.

Pesto pasta.

Ally and I both got our own dinners but we were still hungry. On an impulse, I ordered pizza with everything: pesto, prosciutto, tomato, and culatello ham.

Most of it was tasty... haha.

Our waiter was very animated and fun so our meal was especially enjoyable. After we were finally full we walked back to the hotel as the sun was setting. There's a balcony on top of the hotel and we hung out up there to watch the town go from day to night.

A butterfly pole.

The cute, little balcony.

We got good sleep in our private room and woke up early to start our day.

The view out our window.

Lemon tree.

We got breakfast at the other restaurant in town, which happened to be right next to the one we ate at the night before.

The waiter in the background was our waiter from the night before, Gabrielle. He recognized us and gave us a wave. :)

European-style hot chocolate and a nutella biscuit for breakfast.

Then we were off to start our hike. Cinque Terre is known for it's beautiful hikes between the cities. We decided to take the intermediate hike from our city, Corniglia, to the next city, Vernazza.

Shells lodged in the cement of a house in a pretty pattern.

The start of our hike was along a vineyard.

Lemon tree.

The markings that signify that you're going the right way on the hike.

The map of the hiking trails.

A not-so-flattering picture of my behind.

Interesting things laid ahead.

A nice view of the little town we were staying in.

Even from far up you could see how clear and blue the water was.

Cactus.

With the hot sun and uneven trail, our hike proved much more difficult than we thought. Luckily we ran into some fellow hikers (from the midwest, what are the odds?) that we chatted with to help take our minds off of our exhaustion.

Happy after meeting new friends!

After a few hours we finally made it to Vernazza.

Our first stop was some gelato to hydrate us and help us cool down.

The Vernazza beach.

We bought tickets for the boat to the next city, Monterosso.

The port.

My leg got weird impressions from sitting on a rock for too long.

Boarding the boat.

A much easier and faster way to travel.

We got off the boat and headed straight for the beach.

Walking through a cave.

Monterosso.

We rented beach chairs to relax and take in the gorgeous view.

I must've gotten a second wind after our hike because I had enough energy to climb the huge rock at the edge of the beach.

I made it!

There was a warning sign at the top that said not to climb the rock. A little too late for that...

We finally got in the Ligurian Sea and the water felt amazing. We took in Ally's waterproof camera to attempt to take cool underwater pictures.

Can't open my eyes underwater.

I also can't pose. The recipe for awkward pictures. Haha.

Unidentifiable body parts.

Since we weren't having much luck on our own we asked a guy next to us to help us take some pictures. Just our luck--he spoke English.

After many failures we decided to stick to above-water pictures.

Our new friend, Andrew, was a 20-year-old from Wisconsin that was on vacation with his parents after visiting his cousin while she was studying abroad. We hung out at the beach for a bit before deciding to go to a nearby restaurant for some lunch. We met his parents and they suggested meeting up with us at their hotel after we were done eating.

Piña coladas--perfect after the beach.

....and round two of piñas.

Ally and I split the seafood rice dish. We couldn't miss out on freshly-caught seafood!

Unshelled shrimp, mini octopi, mussels, clams--our meal had a bit of everything.

The aftermath.

I became a photographer and Andrew became a model.

Accidental self-portrait I'm assuming?

I'm not as good of a model.

We met his parents back at their hotel where we drank some more and hung out and played cards. We invited Andrew to come to Corniglia with us for the evening and to meet Alessandro at the bar with us. We figured some extra protection against a potentially creepy guy couldn't hurt. He and his parents agreed so we got train tickets back to Corniglia and waited for the train in the lobby of his hotel.

The result of day drinking.

Elevator self-portraits.

The view from his hotel.

Andrew's dad bought us drinks in the hotel bar.

The bus was out of service for the night so we had to walk all the way to our hotel.

Ally and I got cleaned up for a night out.

My hair. :)

Ally was still getting ready after I was done so Andrew and I went to the balcony to watch the sun set as we waited for her.

We went to the restaurant with our favorite waiters for dinner.

Wine for the three of us.

A French quote on the chalkboard that the owner, Ricardo, wrote up on the wall.

We made fast friends with the waiters since we saw them every time we came and went from our hotel--not to mention most of our meals. Both Gabrielle and Ricardo were so much fun! They were more than happy to pose for some pictures with us.

No wonder the owner took such good care of us... apparently he was quite fond of me!

The kisses on the cheeks were their idea. The camera angle makes my kiss look a little intense. Haha.

After dinner we walked to the train station so we could go to Bar Centrale in Riomaggiore, the furthest city of Cinque Terre.

Waiting at the train station.

When we got there Alessandro was already there with some friends. We all hung out for a while and we were having a good time. Alessandro showed me the beginning of the famous hike between Riomaggiore and Manarola. It was all completely paved with safety railing along the edge--clearly Ally and I chose the wrong hike! Too bad I couldn't see much since it was so dark. At least Ally and I were planning to take the hike the next morning.

Amidst the darkness.

He clearly doesn't know how to take a picture very well. Haha.

Since we couldn't see anything we went back to Bar Centrale.

Talking like Italians.

It was almost time for the last train back to Corniglia so we said goodbye to Alessandro and his friends and headed back.

Ally, Andrew, and I at the end of the night.

The next morning was beautiful!

Outside our hotel with the sun shining.

Though, understandably, Ally and I didn't feel so great after drinking continuously all day the day before. We packed our things up got a small breakfast at our favorite restaurant.

The menu of the day.

We said our final goodbyes to Ricardo and Gabrielle and waited at the bus stop so we could begin our travels back to Riomaggiore for the Lover's Hike.

Not feeling too hot but at least I scored some new sunglasses. Andrew and I forgot that I put them in my purse for him the day before and he was long gone.

Train tracks.

You must validate your tickets in Italy if you want to avoid a fine.

Judging by my experience with the trail the night before, I assumed I could easily take my suitcase with me. I didn't factor in that this was a world-renowned hike that couples from all over the world came to do. With the throngs of people on the trail there was no way I could pull my suitcase through. I didn't even have time to consider how I was going to solve this issue. An older came up to me when he saw me struggling and told me in broken English that he rents out rooms in his apartment complex that was barely a block away. I tried to explain to him that I didn't need a room, just a place to store my suitcase for a few hours. He understood me on our way there and agreed to let me keep it there in a vacant room. Once again, I was hesitant to trust a stranger but I wasn't left with many other options. I took his business card with his information and he told me to ring the buzzer with his name when I was ready to get my stuff. Finally Ally and I could take our much-anticipated lover's hike!

Putting our heart glasses to good use.

"I love you" in Italian.

A seagull got super close to us.

After a short and easy walk we made it to Manarola. We crossed through town and stopped at a beautifully scenic spot with a breathtaking view of the town.

We tried to use self-timer and these people walked through just as the picture was taking! Haha.

We hung out at that spot for a while before we started getting hungry for lunch. We wandered back into Manarola to find somewhere to eat.

I ordered the local fish but couldn't eat it--seeing their eyes and full bodies made me too sad!

I got gorgonzola cheese ravioli instead. Yum.

After lunch we walked back through the lover's hike to return to Riomaggiore.

A Spaniard wrote "me + my hand" on the wall. Haha.

The tradition of writing initials on locks and throwing the key in the water is held especially high here. We didn't have a lock but Ally had a sharpie so we made do with what we had.

Drawing our lock.

Now our love will be eternal. ;)

I went straight back to the man's apartment complex with my suitcase and buzzed his floor. After waiting patiently with no response I started to get nervous. An older lady went into the complex and I followed behind her. I tried the door of the room my suitcase was in with no luck. I tried to ask the older lady where the man was but she spoke nothing but Italian. We were able to communicate through gestures but she wasn't able to help me. I went back outside and asked an Italian man if I could use his phone. He gave it to me and I called the number on the business card. He answered on the last ring and said he'd be right out. He let me into the room to get my suitcase back. The whole thing seemed a bit shady but at least I was getting my stuff back. I tried to offer him some money but he insisted on not taking it as long as I promised to stay in one of his apartments if I ever came back. Cinque Terre proved to be the place in Italy where all of the locals were overly helpful and nice--it was so wonderful to have such kindness during my travels! Ally and I bought our tickets to Venice, our last stop in Italy, and waited in the train station. We got tiramisu flavored milkshakes from McDonald's (only in Italy) and brought our lunch on the train.

Florence and Pisa

2011-05-29T15:34:00.224+02:00

I woke up Friday morning and headed out to the train station. I had an hour and a half until the next train to Florence so I people-watched and wrote in my journal. Since it was my last day traveling alone after 6 days completely solo, I wanted to document the impact the experience made on me. Here's an excerpt from my personal writings:

"I must say that this whole traveling alone ordeal has been quite an experience. I know it sounds so cliché but I've learned a lot about myself. I've accomplished much more than I thought I was capable. It can be lonely, especially at meal times, but it feels wonderful to be able to wake up in the morning and do whatever I feel like doing that moment. I often get lost in my thoughts from spending so much time without a companion to talk to and it's very refreshing. I've thought a lot about what I want out of life and, even though I am nowhere near an answer, I feel like being abroad leads me to some grandiose ideas that make me excited for my future. However, I know that once I'm back in the States and settled back into my regular, monotonous life that I will fall back into my 'safe' plan. But even with that knowledge lingering in the back of my mind I love how being abroad brings out my joy for life. I do miss my family and friends (and, at this moment, people in general) but knowing that I'll eventually return makes it a lot easier for me. I've met a lot of interesting international people throughout my travels but our relationship has always been very short-term. I've actually been talking out loud to myself lately which is almost embarrassing to admit but it shows how content I've become with being on my own. My favorite part of this whole experience thus far is how I'm able to completely immerse myself in living in the moment for the majority of the time. It feels great to be stress-free and have very few worries."

I go on for quite some time (I mean, I DID have a lot of time to kill) but I think this sums it up nicely. The train eventually came and I was at my hostel in no time.

A HUGE hostel room... so nice after a week of cramped quarters.

I quickly settled in--I'm practically a hostel pro by now--and was out in the streets of Florence on my way to see Michaelangelo's David.

My hostel's street.

Waiting in line for David I saw remnants of my homes: Segovia...

...and Michigan. :)

I'm also becoming quite skilled at taking illegal pictures so I can provide a glimpse or two of the original David.

I went back to the hostel to strategically shower. Usually no one is at the hostel midday so I get all the hot water to myself! I went out to the beautiful courtyard to spend my final independent night relaxed and pensive.

When I started getting hungry I took to the streets again and stumbled upon a streetmarket with lots of homemade knickknacks.

I picked up a few little things for my family back home and continued on to an upscale pizzeria.

I told the waiter to bring me something I could only get in Florence. The anchovy pizza was salty but surprisingly tasty!

I went back to the hostel to try to go to sleep early since I had an eventful day ahead of me: Ally was finally going to be accompanying me for the remainder of my Italy travels! Unfortunately I encountered some breaches of hostel etiquette. Snoring and sleep-talking can't really be helped but there was a girl that was skyping someone without headphones and talking loudly until about 4am. So rude. It ended up okay since I had a lot of energy built up out of excitement for my travel partner to be rejoining me. I started off the first part of my day with a free tour that the hostel provided.

The door beneath the flag was Europe's first library.

Duomo.

Such intricate details.

The building in front of the duomo.

Bell tower.

Dome.

A guy dressed up like Dante.

His weird little performance was rudely interrupted by an Italian woman asking for change.

When you pour water on this stone you can see a faint outline of Dante's face.

Gelato! The best part of any tour. :)

Il porcellino. Legend has it that if you rub his snout and you'll return to Florence.

Piazza Signoria. Town hall building.

Statue of Neptune.

In the town square is a completely outdoors museum of statues. So cool!

The artist snuck a self-portrait in the back of this statue's head.

Uffizi gallery.

I broke away from the tour at this point to wander around on my own. I always prefer to my own exploring to a scripted tour.

Arno river.

Locks of lovers lined the river. Couples write their initials on a lock, secure it close to the river, and throw the key into the river to symbolize ever-lasting love.

Ponte vecchio.

Inside the bridge. It used to be used as a place for merchants to trade silver and gold. Now the bridge is lined with jewelry, following the tradition.

All the water fountains I encountered in Italy looked like this. Most of them have a hole at the top so you can plug the main water flow and create your own drinking fountain.

Some of the jewelry stores.

The other side.

Pitti palace.

I saw this tent and almost passed out! Could it really be true?

Yes, tents lining the sidewalk with tons of gelato. I had the best timing in the world--I was in Florence for the gelato festival!

I found my way back to the train station where I waited for Ally. It was so nice to see a familiar face again!! I showed her to the hostel so she could drop off her stuff and we could take a quick trip to Pisa. We bought silly matching heart glasses preemptively for the famous lover's hike we were planing on taking in a few days. We needed to break them in a bit so we wore them right away. ;)

Train station platform.

Ally does the creepy face so well.

Pisa train station.

We went straight to the bus stop that would take us to the famous tower. We met a lone traveler from Canada named Mike and talked with him while we were waiting. Before we knew it we had been waiting for almost an hour. We got a little nervous since busses were coming and going yet none of them were for the route we needed. Finally the bus came around and we were running out into the field with the tower.

See the tower in the distance?

Look at that lean!

After we stood in awe of the tower for a while we started having some fun photoshoots with the tower.

Kicking over the tower.

Pretty sunset.

Taking a picture for Mike... guess where the tower was on him from my point of view. Hehe.

After all those pictures we felt like models so we struck appropriate poses. Haha.

Our time allotment in Pisa came to an end pretty quickly since there was only one more train back to Florence so we went back to the bus stop. Surprise, surprise--we waited for way too long to feel confident that we'd get to the train station in time. Apparently there's a trend in Pisa with the busses not adhering to the schedule. We went to the spot to get a taxi and encountered a long line. This was the point in time that the three of us started to panic. We were all running around like crazy trying to figure out a way to get to the train station ASAP. We had a waiter at a restaurant call a private cab company but they said it would take a while to get to our location. We split up: one in the taxi line, one by the bus stop, and one attempting to get another faster mode of transportation. We were next in line for a taxi when the bus FINALLY showed up--25 minutes late. We got on the bus and started pulling away when we saw what would have been our taxi approach the pick-up spot. With only a few minutes left until the train we had tickets for would be leaving back to Florence where our hostel and all our belongings were and a good 15 minute bus ride ahead of us, we started freaking out.

A candid picture of Ally and I on the bus. Ally's face is terror-stricken and I'm close to tears!

Mike, Ally, and I started trying to come up with an alternate plan for our night when the bus was going painfully slow and making frequent stops. It was pretty evident we wouldn't make it to the train station before the train left. We thought about sleeping on park benches or in a field with a constant watch person, staying up all night and taking the first train back, and trying to find a hostel in Pisa that would take us in without a reservation even though we already paid for our hostel back in Florence. All our ideas were definitely NOT how we wanted to spend our time in Europe. When we finally made it to the station well after the train was scheduled to leave we were so relieved that it was running behind. I started running to the platform since the train was due to leave any second--we HAD to be on that train!

Mike documented my shuffle-run. Hey, it's hard to run in flip-flops!

Imagine our surprise when we were able to board the train and still had some time to spare before it left for its destination. Talk about a relief.

On the train leaving the Pisa platform.

We chatted the whole train ride back to Florence and were happy to be back as planned. Mike wasn't allowed past the lobby in our hostel since he was staying somewhere else so we hung out there while we waited for Ally to get situated before having a late dinner.

I bought a bottle of wine for 1 euro (wine is so cheap in Italy!) and split it with Ally for the night. I got a head start in the lobby.

At the pizzeria.

Prosciutto ham pizza for me.

Our bottle of wine before dinner made for a pretty funny meal.

We parted ways after dinner and made plans to meet up with Mike the next day.

The cafeteria in our wonderful hostel.

Yum, french toast for breakfast.

More of the hostel.

An interesting painting on the walls of the hostel.

So many vespas!

Ally and me. :)

The streets of Florence.

I took Ally to see some of the highlights from my tour the day before. I was more than happy to revisit the beautiful monuments of Florence.

Duomo.

I was getting a lot of strange attention from the street vendors outside the duomo. All the guys that sell sunglasses, paintings, and keychains kept coming up to me and telling me things like, "I like you" and "I love you". At first Ally and I were laughing at how ridiculous they were being but they started coming up to me and touching my back and getting way too close for comfort. We retreated to the back of the duomo but they picked up the blankets their stuff was on and ran after us. After I started yelling at them to go away or I'd call the police they finally left. Pretty creepy.

The group of vendors after they finally left us alone.

After that a man approached me and asked to take his picture for him. Of course I agreed. Then he asked if he could take a picture with me. Um, no dude--that's weird. Ally concluded that my weather-appropriate outfit (it was in the high 90s) was not creepy guy appropriate. At least the worst of my harassment was over.

I went into the original Alviero Martini store for a bit (and sadly can't afford anything in there) and Ally caught me on my way out.

You can see the start of my Italy guy here: lots of pizza, pasta, and gelato are responsible for this look. ;)

We waited for Mike at our meeting point on the steps of the duomo.

After he was 30 minutes late we sadly decided to move on without him since we still had a lot to do.

A poster for the gelato festival. So excited!

Back to the town square.

The replica of David by Michaelangelo.

An interesting statue right next to David.

Uffizi gallery.

Ponte vecchio.

After showing Ally the three best parts of Florence (duomo, piazza signoria, and ponte vecchio) it was finally time for us to indulge in the gelato festival.

Waiting for the tents to open at the bottom of the Palazzo Pitti.

We split the card I bought the day before that comes with 7 small cups of gelato. We each had 2 cups. Yes, I had 3 by myself the day before. No shame. I sampled cannella (cinnamon), marscapone y pinoli (marscapone cheese and pine nuts--the first ever flavor of gelato), and ginger.

Making the gelato from scratch with fresh ingredients.

Choice number one of day two sampling: cookies.

My second choice was by-far my favorite out of all the flavors: hazelnut. Yum!

Inside the tents.

We stopped for some lasagna for lunch.

Interesting character outside the Uffizi gallery on our walk back.

We trekked back to the hostel to pack up our things and head for the train station. Next stop, Cinque Terre.

Train ridin'.

Milan

2011-05-26T23:59:00.133+02:00

I walked to the airport in Rome in the middle of the night. The dark, empty streets provided an eery air to my route that quickened my pace and had my heart racing until I finally made it there unscathed. Once inside the airport and at my terminal I waited outside of a bakery with a bunch of other travelers for it to open at 5am. A middle-aged man tried to strike up a conversation with me in Italian but I told him in English and Spanish that I don't speak Italian. He continued to try to talk to me in a mix of Italian, Spanish, and English and, even though I was exhausted, I responded back in my own combination of Spanish and English. I came to find out that he is an Italian philosophy professor, and we had a really interesting conversation on different life philosophies and cross-cultural identities and lifestyles. He explained to me that there is a not-so-friendly relationship between the Romans and the Milanese which I never knew about. It's interesting who you talk to and what you learn when you travel alone! We parted ways when it was time to board the flight and before I knew it I was in Milan. My hostel was a ways outside of the city so I had to navigate my way through the metro. When I finally started walking to my hostel I was pleasantly surprised--lots of greenery and fresh air!

A nice change of pace.

I unloaded my suitcase and was told that I had a few hours until I could check in (another downside of extra early flights). I was directed to a serve-yourself restaurant called Ciao and had a nice lunch there until I could check into my room.

Eggplant parmesan, mediterranean salad, fresh strawberries, and an orange soda.

My hostel room.

As soon as I was situated I walked the few blocks to the metro stop nearest my hostel. I noticed something strange about the nice, rural area--women in tight, short dresses and sky-high heels were lounging around the corners of almost every block. I made a mental note to make it back before dark because I had a feeling that the area might not be as nice as it seemed. The first thing I wanted to see in Milan was the duomo, or cathedral.

Absolutely breathtaking.

I was confronted with the most beautiful cathedral I've seen thus far in my life. The simplicity yet decadence; intricacies yet streamlined appearance--I was in absolute awe.

The square surrounding the duomo.

A man approached me in the square and started talking to me in Italian. Before I could explain that I'm not Italian he scattered something at me. The subsequent pigeon attack led me to believe it was a bunch of birdseed.

So gross.

He loved having the birds all over him.

The inside was more similar to other cathedrals I've been in but I still enjoyed it.

The floor.

I wanted to see the outside of the building up close so I bought a ticket to climb a staircase to the top.

Little birdie.

View of Milan from the top of the duomo.

More city views.

It was so beautiful; I loved it. Next I went to the world-famous La Galleria to see the ceiling and high-end shops.

A bar (almost) named after my mom.

Inside La Galleria I got tiramisu.

I wandered around the main square a while until I was tired enough to head back to the hostel. I met some roommates and we had to deal with an old, naked, snoring lady throughout the whole night. Haha. The next morning I took the metro all the way down to the outskirts of the city to see the castle.

Not really too impressive for a castle...

The castle's square.

I took a tram to the building to try to get a ticket to see DaVinci's The Last Supper but I didn't have any luck. They were all sold out. I wasn't too bummed, though, because, as I mentioned before, Renaissance art isn't something I love.

The building that houses The Last Supper.

I stopped for lunch at a little outdoor café.

The Milanese specialty--saffron rice. Yum!

I shopped my entire way back to the center of the city.

The streets are lined with vespas, stores, and shoppers.

I worked up an appetite from the hours I spent walking so I stopped for an early dinner.

I got the multicolored bracelet from a pickpocketer that I outsmarted. :) I may be a lone American traveler but I still have some street smarts!

Caprese salad.

I went back to the hostel to get ready for the rest of my evening. I bought tickets to go see a ballet at the famous Scala opera house!

Getting ready in the communal hostel bathroom.

To kill time I hung out in La Galleria and around the duomo and window shopped in the designer stores.

The perfect treat on a hot day.

Statue of Leonardo Da Vinci.

Palacio Marino.

La Galleria.

A woman had an impromptu piano recital right before I left.

The Scala opera house.

An illegal picture inside the opera house. ;)

My new Argentinean friend took this picture for me...

...but then we got yelled at. Oops!

The ballet.

My seats were horrible: my head was touching the ceiling, there was a big bar impeding my view, and I was super high up. Still, I was so happy to be doing something different (especially something that I love) so there was no room to complain.

Twinkling lights on a building outside.

My last night in Milan was wonderful. Milan was a nice part of my trip because there wasn't too much sightseeing--I was able to relax and take a more leisurely pace through the city. I went back to the hostel to pack up my things to get ready for my next location: Florence!

When in Rome...

2011-05-24T22:32:00.170+02:00

Nico took me to the airport shuttle bus and actually tagged along to help me in the airport, too. We were at the airport at 4am--way too early. He hung out with me for a little while before I had to go through security. It was hard to say goodbye but I knew I'd be seeing him again in less than two weeks so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Once I went through security I started my solo trek through a foreign country. I was actually excited to be doing some traveling alone--it would be a completely new experience for me. I was confident and ready to take on the challenge. The flight went well but as soon as I landed I realized that I didn't really know how to get to the hostel. I had the address so I summoned a taxi and crossed my fingers that it wasn't too far. Luckily it was a short ride and I was walking up to my hostel in no time.

The street of my hostel in Rome.

I had to wait a few hours until check-in time so I put my luggage in a locker and hung out for a bit. The hostel had a cool bar/restaurant on the first floor and I took advantage of the free wifi to search for some tips on exploring Rome. I also spent a substantial amount of time looking through my Italy guidebook to start planning out my time wisely. As soon as I felt a hunger pang I went out to find a pizza place. Luckily there was one right around the corner.

They fold over the piece of pizza when the put it in the oven! Fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and basil leaves. SO delicious!

After lunch I could finally check in so I lugged my suitcase up to my room and got settled.

Part of the room.

The view out the window.

I decided to do some wandering around the city's most famous parts for the rest of the afternoon. First stop, Piazza de Spagna.

Spanish steps!

Sitting on the Spanish steps.

The whole area was full of people.

At the top of the stairs.

View from the top.

After spending some time on the steps I moved along to make my way to the Fontana di Trevi.

I stopped for my first gelato along the way. I chose creme caramel for my flavor and it was seriously just like heaven.

I did a lot of walking and got lost a few times but I was able to take in a lot of the city so it was fun to just wander. It was very clear when I finally made it--it is HUGE!

Trevi Fountain!

From my view up top I watched as someone proposed! She said yes, of course, and everyone started cheering for them. :)

It was less crowded from this side so I was able to sit down, make my wish, and throw my euro over my shoulder: the tradition at the fountain.

Leaving the fountain... look at the crowds trying to go where I just came from! Insane.

Seemingly out of nowhere it started pouring! And I mean torrential downpour. I was cold and wet and lost so I stopped over in a little café to seek shelter and grab a bite to eat. I decided on Italy's next traditional food: pasta.

Penne in tomato sauce with basil leaves and parmesan cheese.

After sitting and studying the map for a while I made my way back outside in an attempt to find a metro stop. I did some shopping along the way to try to keep as dry as possible.

Piazza di Popolo.

Right outside the plaza was a metro stop. I took it all the way back to the hostel. As soon as I was in my room I dried off, changed into warm clothes, and when right to bed. It was only 9pm but I had such a long day of traveling on such little sleep that it was really my only option. I woke up at 9am feeling SO much better. I guess 12 hours of sleep will do that to you! I took a shower and got ready for the day. I signed up for a walking historical tour of Rome at my hostel and then went across the street to a little restaurant for lunch.

Veal cannoli, side salad, and red wine.

The waiter brought me out a shot of limoncello which is a lemon liqueur made in Italy. It felt really weird to do a shot by myself (especially before noon) but when in Rome do as the Romans do! ;) After lunch I went to the tour's meeting spot and started talking right away with two sisters from Canada. I love meeting other people while traveling because hearing stories of experiences in different cities and countries is always fascinating. Our tour guide, Tad, met up with us and I knew right away that I was going to love the tour: he was really funny and, with a good buzz going on from lunch, I was cracking up at everything he said. When you can make the history of the Roman empire so entertaining that I'm laughing out loud then you're obviously very talented. We sat in Circus Maximus while he gave us a quick overview of the rise of the Roman empire (both the true story and the much more exciting made up story).

Circus Maximus.

Palantine Hill.

It started to sprinkle rain but we moved on anyway. We stopped at another one of Rome's famous spots: the Mouth of Truth.

Once used in a sewage system...

We continued through the historic city with views of beautiful ruins.

Tad stopped us to tell us a little bit about an old theatre that has since been converted into an apartment building. It looks just like the colosseum--how cool would it be to live in there?!

Teatro di Marcello.

Next we made our way through the Jewish ghetto.

The synagogue.

It started pouring rain at this point so we sought refuge in the lobby of an apartment building while Tad told us some more interesting tidbits about Rome's history. It was a little awkward, though, because a family was moving in/out of an apartment so they kept making trips back and forth so we'd have to pause and wait for them. It was cool to hear them speaking Italian to each other. After a good 20 minutes the rain let up a little bit so we ventured back off through the Jewish ghetto.

Our next stop was at Torre Argentina, better known as the refugee camp for feral cats.

A three-legged cat!

The buildings in the background are built over the spot where Julius Caesar was killed.

Another cat!

Just around the corner was the Pantheon!

The domed ceiling with the open center.

When I went back out the front I saw a bunch of students with sketching pads drawing the pantheon.

An accordion player made the ambiance that much more Italian.

Lunch break: pizza with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil leaves. I got some tiramisu flavored gelato, too. :)

Victor Emmanuel monument.

The balcony where Mussolini gave his speeches.

Our penultimate stop was the Roman Forum. Basically the ruins of the downtown area of the city. All of the stories that Tad told us about parades and festivals that were over-the-top and outlandish seemed like they took place out of this world, not right where I was standing!

The ruins.

See the colosseum in the distance?

Our last stop was on a little ledge with a great view of the Colosseum.

Our tour ended and I was exhausted but I still walked myself around the Colosseum to take it all in.

I took the metro back to the hostel to drink a piña colada and hang out a bit before passing out for the night. The next day was my last day in Rome so I needed my rest if I was going to make the most of it!

I woke up the next morning and headed right back to the Colosseum so I could take a look inside.

Just some Gladiators hanging out outside... haha.

Under the stage where the animals and gladiators were held.

A broken piece of a horse statue.

My camera was acting up so I went back to the hostel to change the battery and had some lunch while I was there.

Yay for complimentary champagne! It was accompanied by a side salad and ravioli.

After I fueled up on more Italian carbs I went all the way to Vatican City: a whole new country!

The Vatican walls.

The garden inside the museum.

My illegal picture in the Sistine Chapel! Hehe. See the famous finger-touching painting by Michaelangelo? And see up my nose?

I didn't really care for all of the artwork throughout the museum and chapel just because it was so overwhelming! I can certainly appreciate it, though.

Cool astrology globe.

The staircase was my favorite part of the whole museum!

So cool.

Me outside the Vatican walls.

I walked over to St. Peter's Square where I waited in an impossibly long line to enter the basilica. At least the square was pretty to look at! Plus, the line moved quickly.

Billboards of the Pope were scattered throughout the square.

Everyone rubbing the feet of St. Peter's statue... I did it, too!

Being in the holiest place on Earth for Catholics was interesting for me. I come from two religious backgrounds--Catholicism and Judaism--which shape my own personal religious experiences. I thought a lot about the true ideology of religion and what I subscribe to while I was touring the Vatican museum and waiting in line to enter the basilica and I've come to the conclusion that religion has more to do about family than anything else.

I took the metro to the last part of the city I hadn't explored yet and stopped for some dinner. I actually ended up getting gelato before I ate! I got two flavors: creme caramel and nutella. So tasty!

Yummy pasta and cannoli... I got another cannoli to-go when I left!

I wandered around looking for the opera house but I stumbled upon something else first!

S. Maria Maggiore.

I back tracked until I finally found it.

Teatro dell'Opera.

I walked to the metro and back to the hostel in the rain. It was like clockwork: muggy all morning/early afternoon until a quick downpour in the early evening. Once I was nice and dry back at the hostel I packed up my things to prepare for my 6am flight to Milan the next morning. The preparation included setting my alarm for 3:30am... not so fun. I was a little anxious about my upcoming travels so I went down to the hostel's restaurant and got a drink and some food.

Margherita pizza and the typical Italian sparkling liqueur spritzer.

I went back up to my room and got in bed. Luckily my roommates were up so we all got to chat for a while. People who travel extensively all seem to have the same easygoing demeanor. I eventually drifted off to sleep after reflecting upon my amazing experience in Rome and looking forward to much more to come from Italy!

The Last Days in Spain

2011-05-22T01:59:00.119+02:00

Anca and I decided to spend another day in Segovia and luckily I was able to give my host mom from last summer a quick call the night before to arrange to see each other! When I first told her that it was Erica the American girl on the phone she acted nonchalant until she realized it was me. She has a professor living with her right now and at first she thought I was one of her students calling to talk to her. Haha. When she understood who was actually calling her she was so excited that I'd be able to visit. I told her I'd be there around 2pm since I was planning on getting on the bus at 12:30. Anca and I went to the bus station to meet Carlos but when he didn't show up on time I had no choice but to separate from Anca since I had already made plans with Elvira. She waited for Carlos and would take the next bus with him and I was on my way to Segovia alone. It was actually nice to spend some time alone after constantly being with someone for the past few weeks. I love my friends but I've always been the kind of person that needs a substantial amount of 'me' time to function so my bus ride recharged me. I got off at the stop by my apartment from last summer on Jose Zorrilla and it felt so natural to walk down to my front door. I buzzed Elvira's apartment and she let me in right away. The first thing I noticed inside the apartment complex was paper hanging on the walls and paint buckets everywhere--they must have been remodeling the place. It was so nice to take the stairs up to the apartment; it felt like no time had passed since the last time I was doing that. Elvira was at the top waiting for me to give me a big hug and a very warm welcome. I couldn't help but smile the whole time I was in her apartment. I met the professor that's staying with her now and chatted with her a bit while Elvira made us lunch. She made my favorite: crema de calabaza (cream of pumpkin soup). She told me that she made it for lunch the day before but as soon as she knew I was coming for lunch she knew she had to make it again for me. :) She made pork too and she gave me five fillets! I could barely finish two and she was laughing because she remembered that I could never eat all of the food she gave me. When it came time for dessert she cut up strawberries for me and put sugar on them. Carlos called her phone when he got to Segovia with Anca since I don't have my own phone and he told me that he'd pick me up in an hour. Well Elvira and I were talking about our lives and families and everything that has changed in the past year or so and I was a little late. I enjoyed my time with Elvira so much that it was hard to leave! My favorite part was seeing the framed picture of her grandsons that I gave to her displayed with all her other pictures of her family. After a nice goodbye I was on my way to see my friends again. They were hungry so we went to a restaurant. I was obviously stuffed so I just got a drink and kept them company.

Exactly how I like my sangrias.

Nico met up with us just as Anca and Carlos finished their lunch and the four of us went to see Carlos' family's ranch! I am such an animal person so I had a lot of fun seeing the horses.

The baby!

Pretty pasture.

Anca was afraid of the horses but Nico, Carlos, and I were very at ease and had fun playing with them all. :) Carlos drove us down to another area with a barn to see more of the horses.

Carlos' own horse named VanGogh since part of his ear is bitten off.

Lola: my favorite. I couldn't stop petting her because she kept nibbling on my arm.

His puppies were fun to play with, too!

Carlos saddled up his horse so we could ride for a little bit.

The poor donkey was strapped to a cart!

The dog would just go up to the donkey and start licking the inside of it's mouth... so strange. Haha.

Next we were off to yet another stable to see the only male horse. He was a big stallion that was the father of all of the baby horses.

Next, per my request, we went to the park by the alcázar that Nico originally showed me last summer. I wanted to go back so we could relax and take in the amazing view of Snow White's castle. :)

Carlos had to go home to see his family and drop off the car so Nico, Anca, and I walked to the aqueduct to get some of our favorite candies and some snacks. There were protests going on there, too! A ton of young people were gathered in the square and Nico saw his younger brother amongst the crowd. We were in touch with Rául and he said he was with two other friends from last summer--Kiko and Dudu--and they were only a short walk away! It was nice to be able to see them again.

When we were talking with them they were trying to convince Anca and I to stay in Segovia for the night and go out with them. I had no problem with staying because I would have loved to spend more time with them but Anca wasn't sold on the idea because we were wearing 'day' clothes and she wouldn't have felt comfortable going out in anything but 'night' clothes. All of the guys and I tried to convince her otherwise but the last bus back to Madrid was leaving and we had no choice but to go back. I mean, it was really a win-win situation because either I got to go out in Segovia like old times with my guy friends or I got to go out in Madrid with my girlfriends so I was happy either way! We waited to the literal last second to go to the bus station--we had to run the whole way there and we made it without any time to spare. Nico and I listened to music from his phone on the long bus ride back before going back to the apartment to get ready for our last night out in Madrid.

Apparently something hilarious happened right before this picture was taken...

Much better.

Our plans for the night kept bouncing around all over the place. Ally wanted to take me to one of Madrid's most famous nightclubs, Kapital, but the cover charge was 16 euros and no one wanted to pay that much. Nico suggested a place called Buddha because he knew it was fun and the cover was only 5 euros. Ally and Bri agreed to meet us there and it was so close to my apartment that the four of us could just walk. When we finally got there, however, it wasn't actually called Buddha--the emblem for the nightclub was just a picture of him. We called Ally to come outside to meet us since she was already in there but we were right at the door and she was claiming to be there too. That's when we realized that there must have been a mix-up. Ally told us that her and Bri had to take a taxi because the club was outside of the city so they were definitely at a different place than us. She talked to Nico on the phone for a bit to tell him where to go and then we were off! We saw Ally right where the taxi dropped us off so we knew we were finally at the right place. The cover charge ended up being 18 euros at this place--so much for going somewhere different to save money! Anca and I had a stroke of luck, though, because one of the bouncers was Romanian like her and they spoke Romanian with each other for a while before he told us to just go in. Nothing's better than not having to pay cover! The boys didn't get to take advantage and they were a little bummed to have had to empty their wallets. Oh well, money spent having a good time is always worth it!

The girls together at last!

It was really cool inside and they were playing really good techno remixes of popular songs so we started dancing right away. Bri and I were somehow swept into a VIP area with some Spaniards and I started talking to one. Being American in a foreign country is neat because everyone wants to talk to you no matter what. He bought me a glass of very expensive champagne that I promptly took to the dance floor with me. Haha, I had already told him that I was here with my friends since it was my last night and I only wanted to spend time with them!

Having a great time. :)

Blurry.

Anca and I went to the bar to buy some shots and the cute bartender ended up buying mine for me! I had a very financially lucky night--no cover charge and free drinks all night!

Haha, look at Bri!

It was one of the best nights of my entire time in Madrid. We all had an absolute blast! We definitely went out with a bang. The next day was Anca and I's last day in Madrid. Her and Carlos spent their time out in the city but I had a lot of cleaning and packing to do. I spent the first part of the day washing all of my socks and underwear so I'd have those necessities clean during my travels in Italy.

When Anca and Carlos came back to the apartment they could see all my undies drying in the window! Hehe.

Anca and Carlos came back to change and get ready for their last dinner together and Nico napped while I packed, haha. It was a very lazy day but I was still pretty productive. When I was finally done Nico and I went to McDonald's to meet up with Bri and Ally. It would be my last time seeing Bri so we had to say goodbye since her and Ally were going out for the night. I had a 6am flight so I couldn't go with them. Nico and I ate our dinner in bed and just talked for a while. The internet didn't work in the apartment so we went to Starbuck's so I could write down the address of my hostel that I'd be staying at in Rome. I had a lot of anxiety about traveling alone and the end of my time in Spain so I couldn't sleep and he stayed up with me. I barely closed my eyes before it was time to go to the airport bus shuttle stop. I knew I'd be coming back to Madrid one more time before I went home so it was a bit easier to leave. Saying goodbye to Carlos was sad, though. I had become really close with both him and Bri and I was sad to say goodbye to both of them for an indefinite amount of time. At least I had traveling through Italy to look forward to and to distract me from missing them.

21!!

2011-05-20T11:25:00.176+02:00

The night before my birthday I went to VIPS to use the internet and get myself an early birthday treat. :) I ate my pancake-y dessert with chocolate sauce while I checked e-mails and got everything in order for my meeting with a professor at La Universidad Complutense de Madrid the next afternoon (yes, on my birthday). So I officially started off my birthday at midnight as a loser sitting alone on her laptop eating sweets. Can't win them all I suppose. At least when I got back to the apartment Anca had a little birthday surprise--she had two bowls of nata (whipped cream) flavored ice cream waiting for us.

Enjoying the beginning of my long celebration.

The next morning I woke up and got ready for the day. Nico took the day off of work so he could help take me to the school since the psychology department was at a campus that required not only a metro ride but also a bus ride. It was quite a journey but we made it there with plenty of time to spare. We decided to hang out in the cafeteria to wait until it was time for my meeting and I had a little snack: a calamari bocadillo. It was basically just little fried rings of calamari between two pieces of crusty bread. Yum! We had a little bit of trouble locating the professor's office but when we finally found it Nico found a spot to wait for me in the lobby when I went in myself. No more help from Spaniards--I was on my own! The professor was really nice and patient with me; he understood that nerves combined with speaking a foreign language leads to a lot of stumbling over words and mixed up conjugations. I had to ask him to speak slowly a few times but overall I was proud of the way we were able to communicate. He looked over all of the questionnaires I had spent months preparing and gave them the go-ahead for testing university students. The meeting went well which was a huge relief. With all of my school stuff out of the way I could start enjoying my birthday! Nico and I went back to the apartment to join Anca and Carlos for lunch. Nico cooked me patatas fritas and croquetas and included a little special surprise when he served it to me. :)

How cute.

Unfortunately the afternoon didn't go as smoothly. Anca started experiencing terrible stomach pains that prevented us from being able to do anything for a while. When it was time to eat some dinner she insisted that we should still go out and she'd meet up with us a little later so Carlos, Nico, and I went to Montaditos for some drinks and bocadillos.

Carlos and I: the besties! ;)

Anca eventually joined us and we hung out for a bit and I talked with Ally about the plans for the night. Ally came over a bit later and got ready before we went out for dinner. At first it was just Ally, Nico, and I at an Indian restaurant and we were joined shortly after by Carlos and Anca. I went to collect some lost friends of Ally's from school: Kevin and Evan. On our way back from the Metro to the restaurant we ran into Bri which was perfect! We went back to the restaurant to finish eating and then we went back to my apartment to let the drinking begin. ;) Kevin and Evan shared some of their whiskey and coke which was so strong that Bri needed to follow it with a chaser. We decided to have a little photo shoot while we still looked decent since we knew it could end up being a sloppy night. Haha.

Not ready yet!

The girls. :)

Bri and I.

The roommates.

Nico and I.

Anca took me to the kitchen and gave me her little birthday gift: a Madrid shot glass. How perfect! Nico had brought over a nice bottle of rum so I used that to take my first official shot as a 21-year-old.

Anca had another surprise, too! She gave me a silly card that had little messages from my best friends back home and in Spain. It definitely put a smile on my face; I felt so loved.

The group migrated back to the living room so we could all sit down and hang out together for a little bit longer since it was still too early to go out anywhere.

Ally and I. ♥

Then, out of nowhere, everyone started singing 'Feliz Cumpleaños', the Spanish version of 'Happy Birthday' and from behind the curtain came a cake with lit candles!

I didn't know where to put my full shot glass, haha.

I couldn't help but smile!

Making my wish and blowing out the candles.

Chocolate cake with Nutella frosting, yum!!

We all tried some of the cake that Nico baked for me and it was delicious! After we finished our cake was right when all of the 'birthday' alcohol everyone shoved down my throat started to hit me.... and the interesting part of the night began. Haha.

Ignore my undies that are definitely showing in this picture... oops!

Bri, Kevin, Evan, Ally, and I.

Serious face picture.

When it was a bit after 1am we decided to leave the apartment and go to somewhere in the city. We first walked to a bar close by but with a line that went all the way down the block and wrapped around a corner we decided to take a taxi to Pacha. It was a much better choice because it was crowded but not over crowded. Bri, Ally, and I immediately went to the dance floor and started dancing! It was a blast.

Some random Spaniards that jumped in our picture. Haha.

Some tequila shots at the bar.

We reunited with Anca.

Balloons started falling from the ceiling!

We found the boys again later on.

All of a sudden Bri comes up to me and says, "Oh my goodness, Erica you're bleeding everywhere!" Not something you want to hear. We all followed her eye line and noticed that my entire foot and shoe were drenched in blood. Good thing I didn't feel anything? Oh well, I guess that's what too much alcohol will do to you. We went out into the lobby area to get me cleaned up.

Nico graciously took care of me while Anca decided to take a picture of it...

Look at the toe area of my shoe to the right of me... yuck!

Luckily Anca had a bandaid in her purse so before I knew it I was cleaned up and ready to go back to dancing.

The clean-up group.

Looking rough towards the end of the night.

I actually changed my mind when we were back inside for a little while and decided that I was tired and wanted to sit down. I saw some empty couches so I bee-lined to them and sat myself down. Carlos and Nico hurried after me to tell me that the areas with couches cost a few hundred euros to reserve! Try telling that to my drunk, tired self; I refused to go anywhere. After a few minutes Ally, Bri, Anca, Kevin, and Evan joined the three of us and the girls started dancing and having fun. A security guard came up to us and I could see the worried looks on Carlos and Nico's faces but us girls just smiled at him and kept dancing and he didn't kick us out. Needless to say we spent the rest of our night there feeling pretty cool. Haha.

Enjoying our VIP experience.

When it got to be very late, or very early, we all left to go home. Carlos, Anca, Nico, and I took a taxi to Plaza de España and planned to walk the block back to my apartment. Unfortunately for Nico (since Anca and Carlos rushed to go home and pass out) it took me a long, LONG time to walk that one block. And it was raining. I kept taking my shoes off and trying to walk but he wouldn't let me walk barefoot so he'd sit me down and put my shoes back on just so that when I stood back up I'd take them right off again. Haha! To say I was high maintenance would be an understatement. He eventually tried to carry me so I could keep my shoes off but I was just dead weight so I'd start to fall off his back. I'm sure he was very relieved when we finally made it to the apartment. That is, until I wound up sitting on the bathroom floor. I didn't get sick, thank goodness, but I wasn't feeling too hot and he sat there with me. I'm lucky I have people that care so much for me that they'll put up with me after they get me too drunk on my 21st birthday. ;)

The next morning was a little rough, as you can imagine, but after a little while I started to feel human again. When Nico got off of work (yes, he had to go to work the next morning) we met up at VIPS for some lunch. I paid for his meal to thank him for taking such good care of me and putting up with my annoyingness. Carlos and Anca met us there but then went off to do their own thing. Nico and I ended up at Starbucks so I could use the internet and rehabilitate a little more from the night before.

In Starbucks.

Hehe.

When he took the bus back to La Granja I went back to the apartment to eat some leftover birthday cake.

Just as good the second day.

Anca and I got ready for another night out in Madrid.

We took the Metro to meet up with Ally and Bri out in the city.

Metro ridin'.

When we got to the Sol metro stop a security guard came in and kick everyone off the train. Apparently they closed off part of the track which included the stop we said we'd meet the girls at. After a quick phone call we decided to meet in Sol. But, to our surprise, there was a huge protest going on there! It wasn't too crazy--just lots of posters criticizing the government and large groups of young people--but it was still very overwhelming.

So many people!

It seemed more like a giant party in the streets than a riot but it was still a neat experience to be smack dab in the middle of an event that is sure to go down in Spain's history books. When Bri and Ally finally made it we hurried over to Joy.

Waiting in line to get in.

However, as soon as we got in, I wasn't really 'feeling' it. I was kind of in a funk and just knew that I wouldn't have much fun if I stayed. I wasn't drinking much (after the previous night I didn't think my body could handle it) and everyone around me was super drunk and the guys were being creepy. Anca felt the same way as I did so we went upstairs in the club to talk about what we should do.

The view of Joy from the balcony.

We decided that we'd prefer to take the night off from partying and preserve ourselves for the next night which would be our last night going out. We'd rather go out on a good note than run ourselves down going out every night. We said goodbye to the girls and headed home. Neither of us regretted that decision after waking up this morning refreshed and ready to take on the day!

Exploring Madrid

2011-05-17T23:17:00.061+02:00

Even though I was exhausted from traveling all weekend and wanted nothing more than to take a nap, I didn't want to miss out on a beautiful day in Madrid. Carlos and Nico told Anca and I about a fair so we got ready and hopped on to the Metro to check it out. The Metro was absolutely packed and it seemed like the entire train got off at the same stop. It all made sense when we started walking to the fair's location and could only move at the pace of the throng of people we were amongst--everyone was going to the fair! I hate crowds so it was a torturous walk for me so when there was finally a bit of a break within the crowd we stopped. Lucky for us it was on a bridge with pretty views of the river.

We finally made it!

All the rides were similar to ones in the US, just with different names.

SO crowded!

Nico and I.

Anca and Carlos.

Carlos and Anca don't actually like rides so Nico and I only wanted to choose one ride to go on so they didn't have to wait around for us all afternoon. We decided on the Barco (ship) and, to our surprise, the carny guys did a little dance routine for the crowd while the ride was in motion. It was hilariously entertaining!

The guy on the right was getting super into it.

Workin' it.

I was almost disappointed when it was finally our turn and we couldn't watch them anymore.

So scared! ;)

We made our way out of the fair after Nico and I were done with our ride. We headed over to where all the food booths were and grabbed something to eat. I had a beer and fries--perfect fair food if you ask me. We hung out for a while but eventually Anca and I went back to the apartment and called it a night.

The next day Anca and I went grocery shopping. After we made ourselves a nice little lunch we had more fun activities planned with Nico and Carlos. We were going to go on the Teleférico which is like a cable car so we could see an aerial view of Madrid!

Waiting for our car.

Up in the air!

I didn't realize how nervous I'd be when I was up there until it was already too late. I'm not afraid of heights but I'm definitely afraid of falling and knowing that a small cable was the only thing keeping me alive didn't settle well. I guess you could say that I was very glad when we landed in a park on the other side and I could appreciate being on the ground once again.

The four of us relaxed while I started picking the little flowers to make into a crown.

The finished product. :)

I felt so pretty! Hehe.

Once we had enough of the park we boarded the teleférico to take us back down.

Anca and I.

Oops, messed this one up. Haha.

On our way down we spotted a big garden full of flowers so once we were off the cable car we ventured off to find it. It was definitely worth the hike over there; it was beautiful!

Later at night I actually was able to use the internet in my apartment and by some stroke of luck Jack was online! I was able to skype with my entire family which put a huge smile on my face. :)

The next morning Anca and Carlos took a day trip to Toledo but I already went there last summer so I had Nico show me some more places around Madrid.

A nice view of the Palacio Real.

See the city in the background?

A dog jumped into the fountain for a little swim!

Templo de Debod.

Don Quixote statue in la Plaza de España.

Even with the police watching Nico and I climbed up onto the statue.

Next we walked a little ways down Gran Via to the department store El Corte Inglés. Nico told me it was one of the highest buildings on Gran Via and that, if we went all the way to the top, we'd get a nice view. He was right! There was a restaurant on the top floor but we were somehow able to sneak over to the window and get a few pictures without causing any trouble.

In the department store there were a bunch of these t-shirts... I think they were supposed to say "Made in Spain". Haha!

Anca and Carlos came back and I met up with them for 1 Euro bocadillos (sandwiches) and cerveza con limon (beer with lemon fanta) at Montaditos, our favorite little bar/restaurant. Nico had to take the bus back to Segovia so he couldn't come. The three of us had a lot of fun, though!