Barcelona!!

Last weekend I took my last weekend trip of the semester to Barcelona, Spain! I traveled with my friends Alyssa from the Marquette program and also a girl, Alexis, who we met while studying here in Spain. Alexis is from Puebla, Mexico and is so sweet! Traveling with Alexis was a lot of fun since we were forced to speak in Spanish a lot of the time! While she knows quite a bit of English, it was easier to converse in Spanish. We did spend a good bit of the weekend correcting each others mistakes in their second language! It was a lot of fun!

While speaking in Spanish was one highlight of the trip, I also enjoyed the city so much! Barcelona is an amazing place, though it is very touristy. We left late on Friday night (10:30pm) and took and over night, 8 hour bus to Barcelona. Since I unfortunately have a hard time falling asleep in cars/buses/planes it made for a long night and next day. We got to Barcelona around 6:30am and didn't quite know what to do, since in Spain nothing opens before 9am. We sat around in the bus station until the sun came up, found a map and then walked over to our hostel. We spent most of our first day wandering through Las Ramblas, a really long street full of vendors and stores. We went to Barcelona's famous market called "Mercat de Boqueria". I tried marzipan for the first time, and I'm not much of a fan. After that we continued down Las Ramblas towards port, stopping to see a monument to Christopher Columbus and the plaza on the way. We got to port and started walking down the bridge/board walk thing. Ever since I got there I had been keeping my eyes open just in case I spotted my roommate and friend from MU, Sarah. I knew she was going to be there but didn't expect to run into each other since Barcelona is a huge city. However, as we were walking across the bridge, we walked right past each other. After freaking out a little bit about running into each other, and catching up quickly we went our separate ways! Even though we only caught up for ten minutes, it was so nice to see Sarah, since I hadn't seen here since the end of last semester. Alexis, Alyssa and I continued on our way by visiting the cathedral, the beach and grabbing dinner. We went to bed super early since we were all worn out from a day of walking around after getting little sleep. 

Sunday, day two, we got up and headed over to La Sagrada Familia, a basilica built and designed by Gaudí. Though it was expensive to enter, 13 euro, we decided we couldn't not go inside. I am so glad we did! The inside of this basilica was like nothing I had ever seen before! It was absolutely breathtaking. We got to take and elevator up to the top of the Cathedral also. The views were spectacular. It's hard to believe that construction on the Basilica began in 1882 and isn't scheduled to be completed until 2026! It's truly a piece of artwork! After that we wandered back towards historic Barcelona, coming across a beautiful park along the way. After eating our bocadillos (sandwiches) we just had to stop off at the chocolate museum! After that we hit up the Picasso Museum and then the Gothic Quarters. We decided that we wanted to make our way out to see the 1992 summer Olympic Stadium, so that's what we did. It was cool to be standing in the place where such a world wide event had happened. 

Since we were taking yet another night bus home, we had some time to waste before we had to go to the bus station. We wandered down a street near our hotel, and it ended up being the street with two more buildings designed by Gaudi on it. It also was the street where all the ritzy stores like Chanel were located. After dinner, we grabbed our things, walked to the bus station and headed home. We arrived back in Madrid at 5:45am. I had it lucky though since the metro stop where the bus station was, was the metro closest to my piso. All I had to do was walk home and crash while the other girls had to wait for the metro and travel home. 

Overall, it was a great last weekend trip of my semester here in Spain! I'm getting really excited to show my Dad around Spain in a week, and for Christmas (all the decorations are now up in Madrid)! I come home three weeks from tomorrow, and I'm not sure if I'm ready yet. I love Madrid. However, during these next three weeks I have at least one paper and one test (on top of daily homework) in every single one of my classes so I can't wait for that part to be over! I'll see you all so soon!

Port in Barcelona!

 La Sagrada Familia

 Inside La Sagrada Familia

More architecture by Gaudi

Living the life of a Spaniard!!

Hey all!

Lately life has been pretty ordinary! I have fallen into a schedule here in Spain and not much changes day to day. I go to class in the morning, eat lunch at the Facultad after class, come home and do homework, eat dinner and go to bed. I'm reaching the point in the semester (which I reach no matter where I am) where I just want the semester to be over with! That might have to do with the midterms I just took and the papers and tests I see looming off in the distance. While I'm not sure that I am quite ready to leave Spain yet (good thing I still have about a month left) I know that in a month I am going to be very excited to be coming home!!

While everyday is basically the same around here, I have gotten to do a few new and exciting things over the last few weeks. A few weeks ago, Allie and I decided that we wanted to take advantage of one of our Wednesday's off and go to Toledo, Spain. Toledo is about an hour and half way from Madrid, however, we took the AVE (the high speed train) and were there in just about a half hour. We spent the day wandering around the city and taking in the atmosphere. Even though Toledo is really close to Madrid it had a completely different feel. In fact, it was different than any other city in Spain that I have been to. The city is very old fashion and still has mostly all the same old buildings it had when it was first built. Some of the highlights of our day in Toledo were; seeing the Cathedral (Gothic style), seeing the Museo del Greco (full of his famous artwork and things from his life), and seeing the Iglesia de Santo Tome which holds one of Greco's most well known and famous pieces of artwork, "El Entierro Del Senor de Orgaz." Seeing this painting was probably my favorite part of the trip!

This week two of my friends and I decided that we wanted to try and see a Real Madrid futbol game. Without buying our tickets before hand, Gabrielle, Mary Rose and I took the metro to the Stadium and walked around to try and find tickets. Of course the ticket booth was all the way on the other side of the stadium, but eventually we found it, purchased our tickets and found our seats! The stadium is huge and the futbol fans get so into it! I would compare it how I would imagine being at a football game in the USA would be like (seeing as I haven't been to one I don't actually know). The futbol fans might even be more intense. Real Madrid ended up creaming the other team, scoring three points in the first 12 minutes of the game! It was such a great experience, and even though I don't really like soccer or even know how it is played, I'm glad I went!

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, as all of you know! The Marquette group got to eat dinner at a restaurant called Botin. It is the oldest, most famous restaurant in Madrid known to be a popular dining choice of Ernest Hemingway. The restaurant tried their hardest to make us a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and while it wasn't horrible it just wasn't the same. There wasn't any stuffing, which is my favorite part of the meal. It was great to be with all my friends to celebrate the holiday but I couldn't help but miss my family. However, getting to Skype them all while they were at my Grandparent's house was a decent substitute.

Of course, I can't forget what Thanksgiving is all about, giving thanks. I just want to say that I am incredibly thankful for the experience I am having here abroad in Spain and that I even get to be here! It is an experience of a lifetime and I never forget how lucky I am to be here! I'm also thankful for my family. Without them I wouldn't be who I am! Can't forget my amazing friends who I can't wait to see and catch up with! Also, all the friends I have made while in Spain. It is because of them that I am having such a great time! I love you all!

I'm off to explore Barcelona this weekend! I'm so excited to explore yet another Spanish city. However, I'm not quite sure I'm ready for the 8 hour overnight bus there and home. I'll let you know how that goes next week!! :D

Because it is getting so close, I have to add my countdowns:

My dad comes to Spain in 11 days!
I come home in 27 days!

See you all so soon!! :D

Marquette takes on Córdoba and Sevilla!!

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to travel with the whole Marquette group down to
Córdoba and Sevilla, Spain. This was our last full group, organized activity and it was so nice to get to spend the weekend with everyone I have grown so close to over the last three months.

We left Madrid at 7am on Saturday, well at least we were supposed to, but the MU group is kind of scattered and we got a later start than planned. After a 5 hour bus ride we got to Córdoba. Córdoba is the location of a famous Mesquita that was built starting around 600 and has changed so much since that time. During the reconquest the Catholics took over the Mesquita and built a Cathedral in the center of it. It was one of the most interesting buildings I have ever seen. The architecture and the contrast between the mosque and the cathedral were amazing! One of our professors was on this trip with us and he is a never ending supply of knowledge about the things we were seeing. While it is nice to have a personal guide who knows a lot, (in fact random bystanders often jumped into our tour to listen to my professor), it can get a little boring and dull. After some free time and a tour through a cute "barrior" (area of town) we got back on the bus for a two hour drive to Sevilla.

We got to Sevilla, found our hotel and got some more free time for dinner (always nice)!! My friend Carolyn had made plans for us to meet up with her high school friend that was studying in Sevilla. She took us to a really delicious, cheap restaurant the only the locals know about for dinner. It was so packed and the food was amazing!! After dinner we got to go see a real flamenco show! Flamenco originated in Andalusia (the region of Spain that Sevilla is in). The show was two hours long and consisted of four female and two male dancers. Everyone of them were amazing! I personally liked the male dancers better because they do fancier foot work than the women and it's incredible to watch.

The next day we began early with a tour of the Alcazar, or the royal palace. The weather was amazing that day so it was great to wander around the gardens of the palace and spend some quality time with my friends! Abrantes, my professor, talked at us again about all the architecture of the building and the significance of the different areas of the palace. We moved on then as a group to the Plaza de Espana. This Plaza was like nothing I had seen before. There was a lake/pond in the middle of it and a gorgeous building surrounding it.

One of the major things to see in Sevilla is the Cathedral. This cathedral is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. It also is believed to be the burial site of Christopher Columbus. The inside was breathtaking and full of great Gothic details. We got to climb to the top of the tower to view the city from above! Sevilla is one of my favorite, if not my favorite, place I have been in Spain so far. The atmosphere was so different than Madrid, it was smaller and was full of character. I would love to go back there some day!!

The trip ended with a six hour bus ride back home to Madrid. I had a great time visiting these cities and spending time with my friends!!

How's life in general? Life is good! I still love being in Madrid and all the amazing experience I get to have! I am enjoying my classes a lot, but I'm not looking forward to mid-terms this coming week! All the friends I have made while here makes it that much better! We have such a good time together!

As it get's closer to Thanksgiving, I am sad that I wont get to spend it with my family, but I know that I will see everyone soon! Also, only 23ish days until my dad comes to Spain!! I'm so excited to get to show someone around the city that I have grown to love and have been calling home!

That's all for now! ¡Hasta Luego!

 Inside the Mesquita de Córdoba

 Friends in the Gardens of the Alcazar

 Gothic Style alter in the Cathedral of Sevilla

MU group!! 

One Backpack, Three Cities, Five Days!!!

When I first got to Spain, I looked at the calender and saw that I had two larger breaks. At first I jumped at the thought of flying to Rome, Paris or other popular European cities. As I thought more about how I wanted to spend my time in Spain, and why I was here, I decided that a trip though a few different Spanish cities would be the best way to spend my larger break (even though I still plan on making it to Paris and I already made it to Rome). 

So that being decided, my friends, Carolyn, Alyssa and I set off on an experience of a lifetime. We packed up all we needed for five days into one backpack each, grabbed our cameras and traveled to Granada, Malaga and Valencia, Spain. With only one book about Spain, a place to stay in each location and our adventurous sides we were ready to take on Spain. 

Our first stop was Granada which is south of Madrid in the mountains. After class on Friday we booked it to the bus station and made it just in time for our six hour bus ride to Granada. We got to Granada later than we thought we would, so after finding our hostel we went straight to bed in order to get ready for the next day. On Saturday, we woke up bright and early (though it was still dark and freezing outside) in order to make our way to La Alhambra. For those of you that don't know La Alhambra is a Moorish Palace and fortress build during the 14th century. We spent most of the morning wandering around the Gardens and the Generalife part of La Alhambra. The views of the city, the flowers and the architecture were breathtaking. We grabbed a quick grocery store lunch and then headed out to see more sites. 

One interesting thing about Granada is that it was the last city to be taken by the Catholic Monarchs in the Reconquista. There are monuments to Isabel I and Ferdinand II all over the city. As we were walking around we came across the Cathedral and the Royal Chapel of Granada. We decided to go into the Royal Chapel, thinking that it was just going to be like any of the other churches we came across. However, once we were actually inside the Chapel we discovered that it was the burial site of the Catholic Monarchs and actually held their tombs. I am not really a history person, but I could not believe that I was actually looking at the crypts of the Catholic Monarchs who had such an important impact in not on the history of Spain but in the discovery of America. I will admit to liking history more now than I ever have before since I have actually been able to see the pieces of history. After being amazed by the Chapel we went through the Cathedral and were amazed again by all the Gothic style architecture and the history associated with it. That night we went back to La Alhambra to walk though the Palaces. The detail in this Moorish building is unbelievable. 

Our second day in Granada was slower and more relaxing, not after getting incredibly confused because of Daylight savings time. We spent most of the day wandering and taking in the city as we waited for our bus to Malaga. After an hour and half on the bus and a short walk, we made it to our hostel in Malaga. We went out for tapas and got to experience the night life in Malaga. The atmosphere was amazing and so much different than Madrid. On Monday we had the majority of the day to explore the city. We spent it by looking though a Museum dedicated to Picasso's early years (he was born in Malaga), wandering down towards the Mediterranean ocean (I got to stand in it!) and exploring the grounds by the castle, fortress and Cathedral. The weather was absolutely amazing, and it felt more like summer and not like Halloween. 

That night we had to catch a late night, 55 minute flight from Malaga to Valencia. We landed in Valencia, found our hostel, got settled and went straight to bed.  On Tuesday morning, we got up early and wandered though the old part of Valencia.We had to stop to get some Horchata, a Spanish milky drink originally from Valencia. The Cathedral is one of the major parts of Valencia, so of course we had to go in there. It included many very interesting pieces of history including a few original Goya paintings, a famous version of the Last Supper and the Holy Grail. After touring the Cathedral we decided to make our way towards the beach. We were determined to get real, homemade, fresh paella which also originated in Valencia. On our walk we took a pit stop of at the "La Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias", the museum grounds. The buildings themselves are pieces of artwork. 

The last night of our trip we had a fabulous dinner of fresh, delicious Paella Valenciana, arroz negro (black rice), wine and fresh Spanish olives. All as we sat at a restaurant on the beach of the Mediterranean watching the sun set. It was a perfect ending to a great trip!

 

I personally can not pick a favorite out of those three cities. They were all so very different, unique and special in their own ways! Overall, it was a great experience to have to manage my own travel though three different cities and to get to see more of Spain outside of Madrid! 

 Beautiful Gardens of La Alhambra

 In front of La Alhambra

 On the beach in Malaga! 

 View of Malaga

 Valencia's amazing architecture 

YUMMM!!! PAELLA!!! 

A weekend with St. Ignatius

During my first few days here in Madrid, I had to make a decision about whether or not I wanted to go on a "Mission Trip" with SLU Madrid (the four year campus St. Louis University has here in Madrid). We weren't given much information about the weekend other than we would be going to the north of Spain to learn about St. Ignatius of Loyola. I decided to sign up along with the majority of the Marquette group. Everyone signed up because at that point in time no one liked the idea of being in Madrid alone. As we got closer to the trip and were given more information about it, it turned out that what they described as a "Mission Trip" was actually a Religious retreat. 

Some of the Marquette group didn't quite know how to handle the idea of a Religious retreat, but I decided to take the weekend to get away from the busyness of the city and reflect on my time here in Spain, St. Ignatius, the Jesuit ideas and life in general. For those of you who don't know, St. Ignatius was the founder of the Society of Jesus, aka the Jesuits. Marquette is a Jesuit school and follows the beliefs and teachings of St. Ignatius. 

We started the retreat off with an early morning, 5 hour bus ride up into Basque Country. Basque Country is a name for the part of northern Spain we were in. We were actually in a little town called Azpeitia, Pais Vasco. This is the town where the Castle of Loyola is, which is where St. Ignatius grew up. Basque Country is so gorgeous!! It felt like a completely different world than Madrid. Madrid is very desert like, while Basque Country is amid the mountains and full of green grass and beautiful views!! 

When we got to Loyola we got all settled into a retreat house right next to the Castle of Loyola. We shared this retreat house with nuns, who were mostly in silence. This made for an interesting atmosphere. After lunch and a little time to explore the area, we got to go inside the Castle of Loyola, where St. Ignatius was born, grew up and returned to after he was injured in the Battle of Pamplona. This is also where he was converted from a life on non-belief to becoming a follower of Jesus. I found the tour of the house really interesting. To actually be standing inside the room that he was born in was really powerful. That night, after dinner, the whole group (SLU and MU) got together to bond. Up until that time it had been a little awkward trying to mix the two groups, but that soon changed. I really like all the SLU students who were on the retreat. I'm glad I met them and hope to see them again before we all leave Spain!! 

On Saturday, we had breakfast and then walked over to the tiny town of Azpeitia. We got to see the hospital that Ignatius worked at, and the chapel that he lived in while working. This chapel was also where he started preaching his new found beliefs. On our walk back towards Loyola we stopped off at a beautiful church. The church was actually where Ignatius was baptized. After mass in one of the side chapels of the church, we headed back for lunch. That night, we got to go inside of the Basilica of Loyola. This basilica was one of the most beautiful basilicas I have ever seen. When we entered the basilica it was completely dark, but was soon lit up in rhythm with music!! As a special treat, the priest who was explaining the basilica to us, allowed us to climb through the back of the basilica to go up into the dome!! It was so amazing to look down on the church from the dome! 

The next day after celebrating mass inside of the Chapel of the Conversion, which is the room that Ignatius spend all his time in after his surgery and also where he was converted to being a follower of Jesus, we set off on a 2 and half hour bus ride to Xavier. Once there, we got to tour the Castle of St. Xavier, another Jesuit saint. The castle was gorgeous from the outside, but the inside had all been redone into a museum, which was kind of disappointing. We then headed home to Madrid on another 5 hour (though it seemed like more) bus ride. 

I had a great weekend learning about St. Ignatius, spending a little time reflecting on life away from the city, and meeting new friends!! It's awesome to be able to say that I have now been the the place that the beliefs Marquette follows started from!! Though I returned home with a worse cold than I left with, I'm now getting prepared for a five day trip to Granada, Malaga and Valencia, which are all cities in the south of Spain!! 

In front of the Basilica of Loyola! 

Beautiful Basque Country! 

My fellow Elementary Education and Spanish girls! 

New friends and Beautiful views! 

Castle of St. Xavier

Home Sweet Madrid!

I'm sorry for my lack of posts in the last two weeks! I have been enjoying myself so much here in Madrid that I forget to post. Over the last two weeks I have been busy getting into the rhythm of classes and homework. Classes are structured differently here and I am finding that my professors are not very straight forward with instructions.This might just be due to the language barrier though.

Also during these last two weeks I started tutoring English. Once a week, Allie and I take the metro about 40 minutes away to tutor two children in English for an hour. The little girl that I work with is absolutely adorable. When she speaks in English she speaks with a British accent. This is because they attend an English school, where all their teachers are from England. This can cause problems and difficulties sometimes, because the way that I might pronounce something is completely different than the way they have heard it before, and they get really confused. I really enjoy tutoring English since it is great practice for my future. I love watching her make the transitions between the languages and seeing her really enjoy learning and speaking English. Just from working with one kid for one hour a week reassures me that I am studying and pursuing the right path! It also helps that I get paid! :D

Last weekend was very calm! I unfortunately was sick with a cold, so I spent most of the weekend reading and relaxing. On Sunday, Carolyn and I decided that we needed to explore a part of Madrid that we hadn't seen yet. While wandering around old Madrid, we ended up finding the "Mercado de San Miguel". The market is very touristy, but it did have some great dried pineapple (one of my favorites)! We also went to Retiro, since there is always something new and exciting to see there! While in search of the Crystal Palace (which we never found) we wandered into two beautiful gardens, saw some peacocks and enjoyed the weather while it was still warm.

It is now officially fall in Madrid and I love it!! According to my Senora, this year has been really strange weather wise in Madrid. She said that it should have been raining for the last month. But instead we have only had one day of drizzle, not even rain, in the last two months that I have been here. However, it looks like that is going to change this week. I feel as though I am getting spoiled with the weather here, I mean I did get an extra month and a half of summer! It is going to be a huge shock to get back to Chicago in December.

Con mucho amor,
Elizabeth :D

What I actually came here for...school

Semana numero seis: The start of classes.

Now that orientation is over, I actually get to start my semester classes! Last week was the first week of classes. I am taking four classes during the semester. They are; advanced Spanish grammar, theology, Spanish phonetics, and a Spanish literature course. All my classes are going well so far. It is hard to switch into school mode though since I am in such a beautiful place and I still have so much to see and experience while I am here. 

My grammar class seems like it is just going to be a review of things I already know so it shouldn't be too difficult. Theology is actually really interesting and might end up being my favorite class this semester. The class is an Old Testament overview and I'm actually learning a lot! The class atmosphere is interesting. While there are 6 or 7 other American universities that take classes with us, the theology class is only offered to Marquette students. We're the only catholic school here that has a theo requirement. Because of this there are a grand total of three students (including myself) in this class. Since there are only three of us we are forced to participate, pay attention and be prepared for class since if you don't it's pretty obvious. My phonetics class should be really interesting and helpful. It will help me with my pronunciation and boost the confidence I have in my Spanish  speaking ability! Spanish Literature is just like other Spanish lit classes I have taken, but we are reading things I have never heard of so I'm excited to explore further into the readings. 

The way that classes are organized here is really different from what I am used to. I have classes every day except for Wednesday and only for 3 hours each day. Classes aren't like in the US where they are Monday, Wednesday, Friday but instead they are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, Friday. I'm finding that I have a lot more free time here than I did when I am at Marquette. I'm sure once classes pick up I will have a lot of homework to do during my free time. 

That Friday, I went with Carolyn out to where she lives. She is working as a nanny in Pozuelo, which is about 30 minutes by bus out of the city. I went with her to volunteer at a club for girls. That Friday was the first get together for the club so they were having a party to start off the year. Carolyn and I went with one of her friends and got to run one of the activities. It was so fun to be around the kids and use my Spanish. I hope I get to go back and help out with the club again! 

On Sunday, I got up early in order to meet up with the rest of the group for Chocolate con churros. This is a delicious Spanish snack mainly eaten for breakfast. The restaurant is open 24/7 though so you can eat it whenever! It's basically plain churros dipped in hot chocolate syrup. It's so rich and delicious! After that we went as a group to the Rastro. The Rastro is a huge flee market that takes place every Sunday in Madrid! It was so crowded but if you really searched there were some great deals! I plan on going back when it gets chillier out so there is less of a crowd. 

As for life in general, I am doing great! I am absolutely in love with Madrid and Europe in general! Everything I experience is new and amazing and I can't get over the fact that this is real life! I love my home stay and my Senora! She is a sweetheart and cares so much for all three of us (Allegra, Allie and me). The weather here is still pretty nice. It's only chilling in the mornings and gets up to 80 degrees during the day! I have made some amazing friends in the last six weeks and I'm so glad I get to experience all of this with them! 

Oh and by the way. Sorry for any previous grammatical errors you may have seen in my blog. I went back and looked through my previous posts the other day and realized I really need to edit what I am typing! :D I'll work on that! :D 

That's all for now! Love and miss you all!!! :D

Chocolate con Churros! :D 

Is this real life? Or the Lizzie McGuire Movie?

My weekend in Rome was a dream come true! Never in my lifetime did I think I would get to fly off to Italy for the weekend! I am incredibly grateful for all the opportunities I am getting while I am here in Madrid! Rome was just one of the places that I hope to visit while here and I don't know if anywhere else can top it! 

On our first full day in Rome we got up fairly early to head out to Old Rome. We decided that we wanted to walk everywhere all weekend so that we could see more of the city! This was a great idea until we realized that the map we had was not very good or detailed and none of us knew more than two words in Italian. After a while though we figured out that most Italians will understand Spanish if you speak that, but they will answer in Italian which we couldn't understand. Also, I found it interesting that it seemed like there are a lot more Italians who speak English compared to the amount of Spaniards that speak English.

Once we found our way to the Coliseum we got to go inside and look around. It was so unreal to be inside the Coliseum. It's something you learn about all the time, but to actually see it in person is unbelievable. After walking through the Coliseum in awe we headed over to see the Forum and Palatine Hill. Both of these places were just as amazing as the others! This area includes old ruins of royal palaces. When you walk though it you are actually walking through where the palace would be if it was still standing! It's really strange to think about! That night I got my first taste of real Italian Gelato and it was amazing! 

On day two we decided to head over to Vatican City! Again, it was hard to believe that I was walking through St. Peters square and standing in an area with such rich history! Alyssa and I went through the Vatican Museum together! It is full of so many old sculptures and pieces of art. One of my most amazing parts of the museum are the ceilings. Every ceiling was different and so detailed. Once you walk though the museum you end up in the Sistine Chapel. Walking into the Sistine Chapel was another time that I couldn't believe that I was actually there! It still seems unreal that I was standing in the Sistine Chapel seeing the paintings of Michelangelo in person. The whole chapel was absolutely breathtaking and indescribable. After going through the museum and the Sistine Chapel we got to go inside of Saint Peters Basilica. St. Peters is a huge church, in fact it is the biggest catholic church in the world! My camera decided to die right when we got into the Basilica which was unfortunate, but looking back I am kind of glad it did die. Because it died I got to actually take in the beauty of the church rather than being preoccupied with taking pictures! 

After going on the tour and eating lunch, we met up with some of our other friends and together we explored more of Rome! We walked past a beautiful castle, over the "Angel Bridge" and though the most gorgeous plaza! We found a place to eat dinner, not before almost starting an Italian war though. For anyone who plans on going to Rome in the future here is a tip: don't joke around about fresh food with Italians, they will get really protective over their restaurants and take it really seriously. The restaurant we had dinner at was right across the street from a gelato place so of course we had to have more! 

On our last day in Rome we still needed to hit up a few of the larger, famous monuments. We began by walking towards the Pantheon. On our way there we stopped to take a look at the Spanish Steps. I honestly wasn't as impressed with the Spanish Steps as I thought I was going to be! However, the view of Rome from the top of the steps was absolutely unbelievable. One of our last stops was the Trevi Fountain. Yes, I did through a coin into the fountain, so I will be returning to Rome someday! After that the guys ran off to a concert and Alyssa, Carolyn and I celebrated our last night in Rome with amazing pasta, wine and tiramisu! We headed back to the Trevi fountain to see it at night! It was just as gorgeous then as it was during the day! 

The whole time we were there the weather was absolutely amazing! It felt like it was the middle of the summer and not the end of September! I could not have asked for better weather! Also, the group I traveled with was amazing! We had so much fun together! I'm so proud that we managed to figure everything out by ourselves! 

Sunday was another long travel day. Our flight was at 9 am so we had to head to the airport super early. Over all it was a fantastic weekend! Again, I can not express how grateful I am for this experience and all the rest of them I am going to have this semester! 

Coliseum!! 

View of Coliseum and Palatine hill! 

St. Peters Basilica, Vatican City

At the top of the Spanish Steps! 

Real Italian gnocchi!! :D 

21 in Roma!!!

Where to even start with my birthday! How about with the wonderful birthday dinner my Senora made me!! Since I was leaving for Rome on the afternoon of my birthday she decided that we would celebrate the night before. Victoria (my senora) was so excited to celebrate my birthday. She made what I wanted for dinner, which included Tortilla Espanola, delicious veggies and (of course) chocolate ice cream! They sang to me and I got a candle in my ice cream! It was great to have a birthday dinner with my Spanish family, since when I first decided to come to Spain I was sad that I wouldn't get to celebrate with my family and friends at home. This was almost as good!! 

My actual birthday was kind of dull at first. I had two finals to take in the morning and then I had to go straight to the airport in order to fly off to Rome!! It was a long day of travel. Carolyn, Alyssa and I got to the airport super early (because none of us like to be late) so we waited around for two hours before our flight took off. Of course our flight was delayed a little also. It was a day full of waiting. Once we landed in Rome we had to wait even longer for the shuttle to the center of Rome. Once we got to the center of Rome we had to find somewhere to stay. Yes, I did go to Rome without knowing where I was going to be staying. I don't recommend that to anyone. While it worked out fine for us, it's always better to know where you are going to be staying. By this point, I was feeling a little bummed because it was my 21st birthday and all I did was travel all day. Three of the guys I was traveling with noticed and they bought me a birthday bottle of wine that we all shared to celebrate my birthday and the fact that we were in Rome! It was really sweet! 

I traveled with a fairly large group (8 people), which makes it difficult to make decisions that everyone is okay with. We noticed this right away, when we were searching for somewhere to eat, since by the time we figured out where we were staying and everything it was already around 11:30 pm. We were all starving so we went to the first restaurant we found and agreed on. I had some delicious lasagna, free birthday hot chocolate (one of my friends told the waiter it was my birthday) and a birthday toast with my friends!!! 

After dinner, all of us were exhausted and (at least all the girls) wanted to go to bed. But, according to my friends I was not allowed to go to bed since it was my 21st birthday. It was a good, chill night with a few of the guys in the group. So while I didn't have the typical American 21st birthday experience, I ended up having a great day and night!  I mean I was in Rome!!! 

Birthday dinner at my home stay!! 

Carolyn and I on our way to Rome!!!

First dinner/birthday dinner in Rome with the group! 

I wish I could move my feet that fast...

Week four brought on nothing all that new. It was the last week of my orientation class though so that was exciting! However, that also meant three tests, two papers and a presentation (all in Spanish) to prepare for. I thought I was only here to have fun, I didn't know I would have to study!! Don't worry I'm just kidding! I'm learning a lot and loving it!

While the week was pretty normal, the weekend was exciting! On Friday the 23rd the Marquette group went to see Flamenco dance. It is an amazing form of dance. The dancers are so passionate and intense about it. According to one of my friends (who is a dancer), Flamenco is like tap but on steroids. One of the dancers was male and he honestly didn't stop moving for a good 10 minutes. It was so impressive.Unfortunately, I brought my camera but forgot the battery in its charger so I didn't get any pictures of flamenco. That night also included my first experience with the 6am metro! While it is nice to not have to pay for a taxi home or wait for one of the creepy night buses, it is sort of hard to stay awake until 6am.

We also went to Reina Sofia that weekend. Reina Sofia is one of the larger and more popular museums in Madrid. It holds work by Dali, Picasso and many more. The highlight of this museum was being able to see Picasso's "Guernica" in person. I have seen pictures of it so many times before, but to stand literally 10 feet away from it was amazing. I'm not even that big of an art fanatic and I was speechless looking at it.

Overall, it was a good weekend! The more time I spend in Madrid the more I love it!

Excursión a Segovia!

Saturday the 17th was the first time that I got to travel outside of Madrid. We didn't go very far, only an hour away to Segovia, Spain. After a very pretty and short bus ride, we arrived in Segovia. The first thing I saw when I got off the bus was the acueducto. The aqueduct is huge! According to my professor (who literally knows everything there is to know about anything) the aqueduct was built without using any sort of cement to keep it together. It is about 2,500 feet long and was used for 2 thousand years! It amazes me that a huge structure of rocks held together only by gravity and pressure is still standing!

For most of the day, we got a tour around the historic parts of Segovia! My professor, Abrantes, talked so much about architecture and the history of all the different buildings. As interesting as all the information was, it was hard to pay attention because I was trying to take in all the beauty of the city! Even though I needed to pay attention because a lot of what he was talking about is going to be on my final!

We got to see the Catedral de Segovia. It was absolutely gorgeous. The cathedral was Spain's last Gothic building and was built during the renaissance. When I first walked into the cathedral, I honestly could not believe how pretty it was. Everything was so detailed and amazing! I have never seen anything like it! There was so much history behind the cathedral also! After walking around the cathedral for a while, we got to have a much appreciated lunch break!

The best part of the day was saved for last, the castle! The castle we went into is simply called the Segovia Castle. It once housed Isabel and Fernando, who are both really important people in the history of Spain. Walking through the castle was kind of unreal! It's strange to think that the castle is older than the United States. Once we got a tour of the castle, we got to climb up to the tower! This was possibly my favorite part of the day! To get to the tower, you had to climb up this minuscule winding staircase for a little while. The staircase was only big enough for one way traffic, which became a problem because it was the only way up or down from the tower. I was talking to some of my friends about how hard it would have been to get down from the tower in a hurry. There is no way anyone could get down the staircase very fast since it is so steep and very windy! Though the climb up was a little difficult, it was so worth it when I got to the top! The view of Segovia and the surrounding areas was breathtaking. You could see the cathedral off in the distance in one direction and the rolling hills and mountains in the other direction. It's almost indescribable how beautiful it was!

After a long day of walking and touring Segovia, we headed back to Madrid for the rest of the weekend!

 Acueducto 

 Catedral de Segovia

Castle! Castle! Castle! 

 View from the tower! AMAZING! 

Week Tres!

I'm so sorry that I haven't been able to keep up with this lately!! As I predicted, my wonderful life in Madrid got in the way! I will try to be more timely now!

Week number 3 didn't bring to many new and exciting things. However, since I had just moved into my home stay, getting to class on Monday morning was quite the adventure! Allie and I said we were going to leave at around 8:10am to get to class by 9am. We figured that would have been enough time. Well, 8:10 turned into 8:25. Let's just say we were a little late. Getting to class here is so much different than when I am at Marquette. At Marquette it takes 10 minutes tops to walk anywhere on campus. Here, I have to take the metro for around 10 to 15 minutes and then there is a 15 minute walk on top of that! While at first it seemed annoying, I actually am starting to like it! I enjoy having to actually wake up and function in the morning unlike at Marquette where I roll out of bed and go to class. 

We didn't have any class on Wednesday, but instead had our academic meetings. I already knew what classes I have to take so my appointment was easy! At Universidad Complutense, where I am studying, you have the chance to test out all the classes you want for the first two weeks of the semester. Unfortunately since I have such a strict timeline to keep to I won't get to do that. Wednesday night the whole Marquette group, including our director, went out to one of the most popular clubs in Madrid. No, we didn't just randomly decide to go clubbing with Profe. Instead, we were there for an APUNE welcome party. APUNE stands for "Asociación de Programas Universitarios NorteAmericanos en España." So basically it was all the students from all the American programs in Spain together to celebrate the start of the semester. It was a pretty good night! I met a lot of people from different universities who are studying here this semester. It was interesting to compare programs, because no one program is similar to another. 

Thursday and Friday were normal with just classes and homework. Just another week in Spain! Time is flying by and I am having so much fun! I love it! 

Moving day!

Sunday was moving day! Allie and I got up and finished getting our stuff packed! It took quite some effort to get all of our stuff into one taxi (cars are smaller here) but we made it all fit. Somehow my stuff seems to have multiplied during the first 12 days that I have been in Madrid. We took the taxi to our home stay and started to get settled in.

My room is really cute! It is the perfect size for the next three and half months! The house isn't far from the university, only 5 metro stops (about 20 minutes) away. The apartment is so pretty. It is in a really old building with an old fashion elevator (which is tiny). She has so many beautiful art pieces around the house and lot of pictures of her family.

I didn't take long to unpack all of my things. Physically I am unpacked and settled in, but I am still not used to being in my home stay. It is weird to not be with the rest of the group all the time. I'm a little lonely and bored sometimes but I am still getting used to the change. It is really nice to have my friend Allie in the same house as me!! I don't think I would be okay if I didn't have a friend with me! So while it was nice to finally get settled into my permanent home for the next four months, it was a hard change and made me miss home. Once I get more used to my surroundings and having to actually make plans with my friends (rather than walking down the hall) it will be so much better!

My Senora is really nice!! She wants us to feel comfortable and at home in her house so she makes sure we are okay all the time. It is nice to know that she is looking out for us and wants us to be happy and comfortable. Victoria (my senora) is a little difficult to understand, but with time I will get more used to her accent, pace and voice. There is another girl (Allegra) in our same home stay also. She has been here for two weeks already and is very settled in. She is from California and here with a different program so we only really see each other when we're back at the house. She is really nice, and it is nice to have her here because she knows how the house works already so we can ask her questions (in English) if we don't know what to say it in Spanish.

So far I have only had one meal at my home stay, but it was one of the better things I have eaten while here! It was nice to have fresh food rather than dorm food. I'm still getting used to the eating times especially now since we don't have every meal provided to us by the dorm. We have to get our own lunch after classes everyday (around 2) and then we don't eat dinner until 9:30 or later.

Okay, that is all for now!! I promise to keep on top of this!

Miss you all so very much! Con mucho amor!! :D

3 day weekend!!

During my three day weekend, I decided to explore a part of Madrid that I hadn't seen  yet! Ali, Alyssa, Carolyn and I went out to lunch first because since it was a holiday in Spain and the Colegio was not providing us with food. Which is really inconvenient but we managed.

After lunch the girls and I went to Parque del Retiro to spend the day outside. This park is the biggest park in Madrid and it is absolutely beautiful. While walking through the park I was in awe of everything! The atmosphere of the park is so European! It is a haven in the big city. Right now it is my favorite place in Madrid. Through out the park there are a whole bunch of different historical buildings and artifacts, along with gardens and fountains. In the park there is a small lake where you are able to rent boats to float on the water for an hour. We didn't do that on Friday but plan on going back very soon! After walking around (and taking a ton of pictures) we found a spot to sit down and do our homework. This was so peaceful! I will be doing this a lot of times during the semester. 

On Saturday, we went shopping, of course! There are so many shops in Madrid! It is hard to not go shopping!! There weren't many people out on Saturday because it was the day after a festival. Most people in Spain leave when there are long weekends. We stayed in that night in order to pack for MOVING DAY!!!

Classes and Siestas!

 Sorry I haven't updated in while everyone! I have been busy with the first week of classes.

Orientation classes started last week! I'm taking three classes during orientation. They are History and Politics of Spain, History of Art in Spain, and a Grammar review class. The classes are interesting enough. I still find it hard to take notes and pay attention to 4 hours of Spanish lectures. All of the professors really know what they are talking about and they try very hard to make their lectures interesting. Focusing on what they are staying and trying to write down all the important information takes a lot of concentration. Classes start at 9am and end at 1:30pm.

Last week I was still living in the Colegio Mayor. After classes we would walk or take a bus back to the dorm for lunch! That was really all I did during the days last week! Classes, homework and siestas :D

Monday night we went on a bus tour all around Madrid! It was really interesting to see all the things that we hadn't seen already! However, being exhausted from classes and homework I fell asleep during some of the tour.

On Thursday after classes, me and a few other members of the Marquette group went down to Plaza Mayor because there were local artists painting and selling their art there. No, I didn't buy anything, but all of the painting were so gorgeous! We walked around for quite some times, looking at different small stores. Most of them are touristy stores but there were still a lot of interesting things. That night, we decided to embrace the fact that we didn't have class the next day and went out at night. While most Spaniards stay out until 6am because of the metros, I couldn't make it that long! I was able to stay out until 4:30am before I was completely tired. I'm building up my tolerance for the night life here in Madrid!

Los Toros!

On Sunday, the Marquette group went to "El Museo de Jamon" to have lunch because the Colegio Mayor doesn't feed us on Sundays or Holidays. This place is a chain restaurant that has hundreds of different types of Ham. They eat so much ham here in Spain! The Museo de Jamon was on Gran Via, which is one of the more populated streets and areas of the city because it is close to Plaza de España.

After lunch we walked as a group over to the statue of Don Quixote and ¨El templo de Debod¨. These two landmarks iconic in Madrid. The statue is humongous and has a reflecting pond in front of it. The temple was given to Spain by the Egypt in 1968 to thank Spain for their aid. After taking A TON of group photos, we split up and went our separate ways. Carolyn, Allie and I walked down Gran Via towards Callao which is similar to Boys Town in Chicago. There are tons and tons of amazing stores there so went shopping for a few hours! The stores here are amazing! Everyone dresses so classy and put together. A lot of the women walk around in heels all day. I don´t think I could ever do that!

That night, we went to see a bull fight at the ¨Plaza de Toros.¨ Another professor what there and he was explaining everything about bull fights to us. They have such a rich history to them. Before there was a ¨stadium¨ for bull fights they used to happen in the main squares of towns. Everything would shut down and people would come watch them. They became popular because people like to see man put against the strength  of a huge animal. There are three parts to each bull fight. At first the men try to find out what makes the bull angry and where it retreats to when it needs a brake. Then men on horse come out and they hurt the bull in the strongest part of its back so that the Matador has a better chance to win the fight. After that only the bull and the matador are in the circle and they fight to the end.

The Matador has a contract that says that he has to kill the bull. The man that we were with said that if they didn't they might have to pay a fine or go to jail. It was so intense! I'm not saying that I liked the fact that the bulls were being killed, but it was really interesting and fascinating to learn about and watch.


The bulls are so huge and they go so close to the matadors. At one point a bull completely flipped the matador in the air! It was so scary to watch! I thought he would have gotten hurt but he didn't at all. At another point one of the bulls completely pushed over one of the horses. They have so much strength and force!

So, while this was a really interesting cultural and learning experience I don´t think I will ever be returning to see another bull fight.

Statue of Don Quixote! 

The girls (missing 4) in front of the Toro statue! 

Toro and Matador! 

Palacio Real y Más

Saturday was a big day! As a group we went on a walking tour of Old Madrid with one of our professors. The professor that was with us knew everything and anything you could possibly want to know about the history of Madrid. He didn't stop talking about things for two hours straight. The first thing that we saw was the Teatro Real which is a really fancy theater that cost a lot to get into. We walked over to the Palacio Real which is the official residence of the royals. However, the royals don't actually live there. The Palacio Real is mostly used for ceremonies and other things. It is absolutely beautiful and huge! I hope to go inside of it sometime this semester because it is full of historical artifacts. Next to the Palacio is the Catedral de la Alumdena. This cathedral was build over the time period of XIX and XX. It was consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1993. It is so beautiful that every time I see it I'm still amazed by it!

This area is a really big tourist area and there are a lot of different strange attractions. There are people in suits that hide their heads. This way the look like the are headless but can still walk. There are also people playing music. Sometimes they would play American music and it would seem so out of place because we were in such a beautiful place and there was an American oldies rock song being sung in the background.

We walked through a ton of the old streets and learned about what period of time they were build and how we could tell just by looking at it. I honestly walked around in a daze because I couldn't believe how gorgeous the buildings are. They are pieces of art!

One of the last places that we went during the walking tour was though Plaza Mayor. This is a huge square that has buildings on every side and is in the middle of the city. In the middle of the plaza is a statue of Felipe III on a horse. There are a lot of horse statues here!

Caroyln and I went back to the same church for Sunday mass. This time there was singing however it was a lot more formal that what I am used to. This mass was longer because it was Sunday mass so it was harder to pay attention since the priest talks so fast. I did catch on to some of the things there were saying though, which I think is really good for 2 times at mass!

That night we all went out for Sangria for one of our group member's birthday. It was so much fun, even thought the Spaniards still look at us really weirdly! The group is like a huge family already and we get along so well!

In front of Palacio Real!

The Marquette group in Plaza Mayor!

Beautiful buildings!