Not the Last Goodbye

So many study abroad blogs' last post is about saying goodbye to the host country and all the people. But the way I see it, this isn't goodbye. I know I will see the people I met again, and I know I'll return to Ireland and to the rest of Europe.

UCD, Dublin, and Ireland...It truly has been a great semester. Given my career path, there aren't many other opportunities I would have to meet people from all over the world and travel around Europe like I did. While I love Chicago, I'm going to miss Dublin, the Irish countryside, real Guinness, and the Irish people. Ireland is such a warm and welcoming place and I can't believe I'm leaving. I got so used to life in Ireland!

To all my friends from studying abroad...I am so lucky and fortunate to have met you all. Thank you for helping me become maybe a little less of an ignorant American and a more cultured global citizen. We've had a lot of good times that I know I won't forget, and I hope to see you all again some time. If you're ever in the US, and in Chicago specifically, I hope you'll send me a message. To my roommates, you were the best, and I hope we see each other again soon! And to my American friends from Ireland, I hope we stay in touch and can meet up soon!

To the rest of Europe and the people I met during my traveling...It's been real. Although I'm not a history buff, Europe has been an amazing place. From the sites in Rome/Pisa, to sunny Spain, and to jolly England, I've had the best time of my life. And to all the people, you have been amazing!

Well, I'm just finishing up my packing, and soon I'll be heading to the airport to go home...a bittersweet moment. It seems like I should be going back to Dublin instead. It's crazy to think that exactly 4 months ago, I left for Dublin, basically on a whim. I knew I wanted to study abroad, but I didn't know where, and I basically just randomly chose Ireland...and what a gratifying experience it has been!

To Ireland, Europe, and all my friends here, thank you, and Slainte!

London (Part 2) - Bringing in the New Year...United Kingdom style

For some reason, the title of this post reminded me of this...

Mental tangents aside, New Years was quite a fun time in London. During the day I was at home relaxing, keeping up with my correspondence, and other things. Then at night, I headed into the city center to meet up with my friends from the band. We played some games at their hotel for a bit, then went out on the town. After going to 2 bars that were closing at 11 (why?), we finally went into the real city center, across Millennium Bridge from St. Paul's to a bar called Founder's Arms, where we brought in the New Year. We also met some English people and became the best of chums.

At New Years, I realized again by talking with our new friends, and by people-watching, that people are the same all over the world. There are good and bad people everywhere, but we all seem to go through the same day to day problems and have the similar experiences of daily life. Of course there are extreme exceptions to this but I'm writing in generalizations. It makes me wonder why there's so much disagreement and fighting in the modern world. When it really boils down to it, we're all the same, you know?

Okay philosophical exploration over. As I'm leaving for home tomorrow...wait.......what? Wow, I'm leaving for Chicago tomorrow. Well I'd better get packing! Don't worry, my sappy goodbye post is coming up soon!

Oxford

So after two days wandering around London, on my third day of England adventures, I decided to take a bus out to Oxford. There I met with one of my school advisers from back home, who's the head of my program and has a position at Green Templeton College of University of Oxford. He and his wife were very gracious hosts who welcomed me into their home, then took me out for lunch. We also walked around the town and campus.

Radcliffe Observatory...if I remember correctly, this is where Halley's Comet was first seen?

Oxford was definitely not what I was expecting. I didn't know exactly how the colleges fit into the university, and that they are spread out all around the town as small mini-campuses. I can't say I still understand the system; it's a bit weird for me. With the differences between UK and US education, their system seemed messed up. They go to secondary school until they are 19, and when they come to university, they start right up into their specialty...no general education requirements, because they do that in high school.

Overall, Oxford was an interesting place. We saw some of the colleges and the town. What was most significant for me was being taken to the former home of Dr. William Osler, who is considered the father of modern medicine. As I hope to become a physician some day, it was very special to be there.

After wandering around Oxford for a bit, I decided to come back to London. Oxford certainly was an interesting place, but I didn't feel like I fit in there. There seemed to be a sort of elitist attitude there, but it's well deserved, as it's Oxford. There's a lot of talk about students from my program going to Oxford for a gap year, but I don't think I could do that. First, I don't think I would get in, and second, I just wouldn't fit in at Oxford. This isn't to say I didn't enjoy my time there, though. It was still a cool place with a tremendous history of famous people (Robert Hooke, John Locke, William Penn, Bill Clinton, and Rowan Atkinson, among others).

London (Part 1)

Now, after all that traveling, just when I think I'm close to coming home, I still have about a week left...but I'm in London! So what have I done here so far...

On Friday when I arrived I just relaxed. After a week of living out of a backpack in Spain, I felt I needed a day to recharge and rest. I met my relatives and spent time with them. We went out for dinner that night for their grandfather's birthday which was a good time.

On Saturday I started my tourist activities. I took the Tube into the city center to the Tower of London. Based on my prior research, the only thing in the tower I would have wanted to see was the Crown Jewels, and I didn't think it was worth the 20 pounds for me to just see them, so I was okay with just looking at the fortress from the outside.

From the Tube station

With Tower Bridge on the left

From across the river

I then crossed the Tower Bridge to get to Queen's Walk, along the river. I walked until I decided to cross London Bridge.

 
Then I went to St. Paul's Cathedral, and from there crossed Millennium Bridge (where a scene from Harry Potter 7 part 1 was filmed) to get back to Queen's Walk.

St. Paul's Cathedral...it seemed somewhat similar to the cathedral in Pisa

 Millennium Bridge with St. Paul's in the background

I then walked back along the river, crossed Tower Bridge again, and took the Tube back. Overall, a slow, but steady start to my London tourism.

For Saturday, I was planning on meeting my friends who were here with my high school's band (they're playing in the London New Years Parade). Unfortunately, with little access to Wifi, coordination was difficult, so we weren't able to meet up. I then decided to go around by myself, so I went and saw...

Buckingham Palace...wasn't as grand as I thought it would be,

Westminster Abbey...the line was waaaay to long to wait for to go inside,

 Big Ben...reminded me of the 3D puzzles I had as a kid,

 

and the London Eye...I was also not going to pay the money to go up...didn't seem worth it to me.

After this sight seeing, I headed over to Cadogan Hall, which is a concert hall where my high school's band was having a performance that night. The box office wasn't open yet, so I decided to just wander around, and I happened across one of the more posh areas of London. Along the one street I walked, there were tons of stores for every big name designer you could think of...Armani, Gucci, Prada, Versace, and Louis Vuitton (or is it Looooz Vetoooon?).

There were more of course, but I was also preoccupied with the cars I saw there too - 2 Lamborghini's, 1 Ferrari, and 2 Rolls Royce's. I mean seriously...WHAT? Anyway, I finally did get my ticket, which was free (win for being a student!), then returned home for a quick dinner. I then came back to Cadogan Hall, and saw my band perform. I saw some old friends and it was a great time. All in all, a good few days so far in London.

Barcelona (Part 2)

All my photos from Spain and London will be uploaded shortly so check the Pictures Tab above for more pictures - there are lots more than what I have on the blog! Now, back to Barcelona...

My flight back to London was out of Barcelona at 6 in the morning, so the night before, I took El Ave from Madrid to Barcelona. That night, after checking into the same hostel as before, I left for La Sagrada Familia. I didn't see it the first time, and it didn't seem right to leave Barcelona without seeing it. Honestly though, I don't see what's so spectacular about it. I think it's my lack of architectural knowledge that doesn't allow me to appreciate it. I mean, it looked cool I guess...for about 10 seconds. Then I just got bored (sorry to anyone who's offended by this).

After that, I walked back to the hostel, but had a quick meal along the way at a restaurant. I had a 3 cheese pizza, which had very little sauce, so it gave me a headache after a while, and grilled asparagus with goat's cheese. It was pretty delicious. I also snapped some photos on the way back to the hostel...

I then returned to the hostel to relax for a bit. I met some more people, from the US, Australia, and Singapore. I then had some of the paella the hostel staff made that night, then played some ping pong with a few guys. Of course, with an early flight I called it an early night too. Unfortunately, I only got a few hours of sleep before going to the airport, getting on the plane, and passing out for the flight.

After about a week in Spain, I have to say I very much so enjoyed my time there. The weather could have been a little bit more cooperative, but it was still a great time. The culture and feel is so different from the rest of Europe, and they have a rich history that I found surprisingly interesting. I know I need to work on my Spanish speaking a bit, as I know I need to go back some time. I definitely want to go to Sevilla again, as that was by far my favorite place, and I need to go up north too.

Next up...London!

Madrid

I arrived in Madrid, and on my way to the hostel from the train station, I noticed that Madrid was like a collage of a number of cities I have been to. There were aspects of Dublin, Rome, and New York in the city center. Unlike the rest of Europe, the buildings seemed to be a little bit taller, which was a welcome surprise, coming from Chicago. There were also a lot of people going about their days, and a lot of wide streets with open spaces/plazas.

Upon arriving, I checked in, and went back to the train station to get my ticket to Barcelona (I would have bought it when I arrived, but the line was way too long). On the way back, I stopped at a restaurant for lunch, where I had sliced potatoes topped with two fried eggs and spinach. I then returned to the hostel to relax, watch some tv, and make dinner. That night I also met a student from Mexico who was studying in Murcia, Spain. I had some communication difficulties with him, because he only spoke Spanish. At the same time, I was excited to practice my speaking. Of course, I was still pretty bad, but he was able to understand my point.

The next day I went on a free walking tour with my new Mexican friend. They had them in English and Spanish, but there weren't enough people for the Spanish one, so my friend came with me on the English one. Every now and then, I had to explain what the guide, Sebastien, was saying. I can't say I did a very good job, but I guess it was sufficient. This tour was also surprisingly good and enjoyable. Sebastien was very interactive and knew his stuff. The main highlights seemed to be bureaucracy, inbreeding, the Moors, and religious wars/persecution.

The oldest restaurant in Europe, or the world...can't remember but still, pretty old

Catedral de la Almudena

A map showing the current city, and the old city walls

Palacio Real de Madrid

After the tour ended at Plaza Mayor, my friend and I got some tapas for lunch; I had a tortilla española (Spanish omelet) stuffed in a tomato. There was also a man and woman on a balcony singing some Christmas songs which was really nice.

We then went back to the hostel to relax for a bit. We planned to go out around the city to see the markets and lights, as it was Christmas Eve, but it started to downpour, so we decided to just go the nearby Chinese grocery to get dinner and relax at the hostel with everyone else there, watching tv and eating. That night I met an older man from Brazil who was traveling around. He was very nice to talk to, and we spent much of the evening talking about studying abroad, traveling, what the world is coming to, those damn youngsters with their facebooks and twitters, and other such things. It was actually kind of fun. There were also some other people at the hostel who I think were friends of the hostel staff. They had some kind of party at the hostel, but I didn't really feel like joining, as it seemed more private, so I just went to sleep.

On la Navidad, I slept in, then went to El Parque del Retiro to wander around. It was a very nice park, with nice trails, a lake, statues, and a really cool Palacio de Cristal.

El Palacio de Cristal

After the park, I went to Chueca, which is an area very near my hostel. There I had a slice of pizza, then came back to the hostel to relax. I couldn't really do much, as the city was dead on Christmas Eve night and Christmas Day morning/afternoon. I talked to my Brazilian friend for a bit more, then decided to walk around the city at night to see the lights and markets. It was very nice, as more people were out (mainly the younger crowd), and the lights/decorations were up. I even passed a theater where they current musical was El Rey León (The Lion King), which I thought was pretty funny. Overall, I walked to Palacio Real de Madrid, Gran Via, Plaza Mayor, Puerta de Alcalá, Plaza de Cibeles, Puerta del Sol, and Chueca.

Palacio Cibeles

 Puerta de Alcalá

Gran Via

Palacio Real de Madrid

 Plaza Mayor

Puerta del Sol

Chueca

Now, before coming back to the hostel, I stopped at a restaurant for dinner. I had a Spanish omelet in a baguette, with churros dipped in chocolate...it was...this...

Need I say anything?

After walking around, I returned to the hostel and relaxed and talked with my Brazilian friend for a while. The next day I checked out of the hostel and got on El Ave to Barcelona, during which I watched The Internship...in Spanish of course. 

Overall, Madrid was good. I was kind of bogged down by the rain, and the city was pretty silent on Christmas Eve/Day. But, I got to practice my Spanish a lot, and got to explore around Madrid.

Next up, Barcelona Part 2!

Sevilla

Next stop in Spain: Sevilla

First, the trip to Sevilla was surprisingly enjoyable. I took the high speed train El Ave, and it was great! The seats were nice, there were movies playing, and it was similar to flying. The train hit 300 kilometers per hour, which was pretty cool, although you don't really feel it. For the trip, I had my iPod, but instead of listening to music, I decided to watch Wreck it Ralph and Jack the Giant Slayer...in Spanish. It was a little odd, but with my remedial understanding of the language, I made sense out of the movies and actually enjoyed them. I eventually arrived at Santa Justa station and walked to the hostel to check in and get some much needed sleep. The hostel's location was amazing. It was off of a pretty touristy street, but it was lined on both sides with orange trees, and was very near the cathedral.

Anyway, the next morning, I went on another free walking tour. This one was really great. The tour guide Felipo was Italian, and was very funny. We went to the cathedral, archive of the indies, the canal, the gold tower, Maria Luisa Park, and Plaza de Espana. It was a really great tour, and I surprisingly enjoyed learning about the history of Sevilla, especially with it's importance with sailors and the Moors in Spain. I particularly enjoyed Plaza de Espana, which was a filming location for Star Wars II. Like the Trinity College Dublin Long Room, I seem to run into Star Wars film locations.

The Cathedral

Just one of the hundreds (maybe thousands) of orange trees in Sevilla

¿Dónde está la biblioteca?

Maria Luisa Park

Plaza de España

After the tour, I went to a restaurant called Come y Calla (Eat and Shut up) with some of the people who were on the tour. I had some delicious eggplant based tapas there, then headed back to the hostel.

After returning to the hostel, I went back to the train station to reserve my Ave ticket, and this time didn't run into any strikes, so it all went smoothly. After that, I went to the world's only flamenco museum, which was awesome, as I'm crazy about music. The museum featured the dance styles of flamenco, the music, famous dancers, and the dresses and suits worn by the dancers. After that, I had some sangria at the museum. Last, there was a live show, where they had a guitarist, singer, and two dancers, one of which was the leading instructor at the school of flamenco associated with the museum. It was a great show. The dance seemed to me to be a mix of Indian film dancing, Native American tribal dance, tap dancing, and clogging. And of course, the music....oh the music, was SPECTACULAR!!!! My big regret of Sevilla was that I passed on buying some flamenco CD's. They were pretty expensive, so I cheaped out of buying one or two, which in retrospect was a terrible decision.

Anyway after that I had some dinner at a restaurant across the street from the hostel, then called it a night. The next day I took the train to Madrid. Overall, my impression of Sevilla was that it was amazing. I could definitely see myself living there, especially because it was 60 degrees Fahrenheit in late December. I loved the overall feel of the city, and it was just a great time overall. I wish I had planned my time to have more than just one day there. I guess that just gives me more incentive to go back though!

Next up, Madrid!