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!

Barcelona (Part 1)

Welcome to sunny Spain!...sort of...

When I arrived in Barcelona, I was expecting sunny skies and warm temperatures. Instead I was greeted with a brisk morning and overcast conditions. After arriving at the airport, I took a bus to one of the main squares, Plaza Catalunya. From there I walked to my hostel, which by the way, was AMAZING! The staff were incredibly nice, friendly, and helpful, so if you're ever in Barcelona, stay at 360 Barcelona hostel!

Anyway, after arriving, I met one of the girls staying in my room who was from Rhode Island, and we went out for lunch to an Italian restaurant. We then came back and relaxed for a bit at the hostel, and met more Americans from Wesleyan University who were studying all over the UK. For dinner that night, the hostel staff made paella. Normally it has seafood so I wouldn't eat it, but they made one with chicken and sausage, and another vegetarian one. What was cool was that they let me help make it...

After eating the paella, my friend and I went out to a club called Jamboree in Plaza Real, which is right off Las Ramblas (one of the main streets in Barcelona). Here we discovered a strange thing about Spanish clubbing. They don't start until after midnight. We left the hostel a little after midnight, and were at the club just before 1 am. When we got in, there were maybe 5 other people there. Just when we were getting ready to leave around 2, a huge crowd came in, and the night really woke up. The club played mainly R&B and hip-hop music, which I definitely preferred over electronic club music. At about 3 am, we left for the hostel. We found out that in Spain, people go until 6 in the morning, after which the "after-hours" spots open. Is it just me, or isn't that completely ridiculous? How can people possibly have the energy for that?! Definitely not my scene.

Anyways, the next morning I went on a free walking tour of the Gothic quarter of Barcelona. Our tour guide, Juan Carlos, was actually an American of Catalunyan descent, and he was a very knowledgeable and funny tour guide. We walked around the city and saw some of the main sights and learned a bit about Barcelona and Catalunya's history and culture.

Interesting thing we learned, the Catalans are very into poop...seriously. Apparently asking someone how their bowel movement was is a sign of courtesy. Anyway, we stopped at this shop where they sold figurines of famous people taking a shit. It was quite a sight to see. They had the entire FC Barcelona team, Michael Jackson, the Queen, Barack Obama, and others...

Yes, that is a turd under his butt

Barack Obama and the Queen...there was another one of Obama where the base said "Yes We Can"

Another interesting thing I learned pertained to Star Wars. Barcelona is famous for being the site of many architectural works of Gaudi. One of the buildings he designed had chimneys shaped in the form of masks. These chimneys were seen by none other than George Lucas, who then used the overall design to make the shape of the stormtrooper mask for the Star Wars films. Check it out here:

 
After the tour, we stopped at a bar/restaurant where I had some patatas bravas tapas, then returned to the hostel. After relaxing for a little, I took the metro to the main train station to buy a train ticket for my journey to Sevilla the next day. However when I got to the station, the ticket booth workers were on strike, so no ticket that day. I came back to the hostel then, very worried, but the girl I met earlier made it better when she had extra pasta from the dinner she made. After dinner I played ping pong at the hostel with some of the Wesleyan students, then called it an early night, as I needed to get to the train station early in the morning to try again to get a train to Sevilla.

I woke up pretty early the next day, and took the metro again to Sants station and was extremely lucky because I got the very last ticket on El Ave (the high speed train) to Sevilla. After waiting at the station for a few hours, I got on the train and was on my way to Sevilla!

Leaving Dublin

It's been a little over a week since my last post, and A LOT has happened in that time. More posts will be coming in the next few days.

Before saying goodbye to Dublin, I decided to go for one last trip into the city center. I started at O'Connell street and the Spire, then walked south. Visited the "temple" one last time, then crossed the River Liffey and stopped at a hardware store to pick up a plug adapter. After that I found my way to Grafton Street, and ended up at St. Stephen's Green. After a short walk around the park, I came back to Grafton Street, then took the bus back to UCD. I was hoping to go later at night so I could get pictures with the Christmas lights on, but I couldn't so these will have to do...

O'Connell Street and the Spire

 St. Stephen's Green

Stop looking at me swan!

Grafton Street - if only the lights were on...

So, leaving Dublin...it was a strange moment. Most of the people I met in my time abroad were leaving for their home countries last Friday or Saturday. I, on the other hand, left on the Wednesday before that. I finished my Sociology and Irish finals Tuesday afternoon, then came back to the apartment to start packing. Unfortunately I didn't really make much progress. After a bit of fake packing, I met up with some friends at the student bar for my "last pint of Guinness"...there were actually two pints! It was grand; good craic with good friends.

Friends from the Irish class

Football buds - European football that is (the real football)

The next day I did some real packing and took care of the logistics of leaving UCD, Dublin, and Ireland. My Irish roommate and her friend were at the apartment when I was getting ready to leave, and they gave me an I Love Ireland shot glass...how thoughtful! It was a weird thing to say goodbye to my roommates. It didn't seem like I was leaving for good, and yet, in a few hours I would be on a plane. After lots of hugs and shaking hands, I made my way to the Dublin Airport, where I boarded a flight for London.

Funny thing about the flight, it was through CityJet, but run by Air France. The plane was a small jet, and there were maybe 15 to 20 people total on the plane, including the flight attendants and pilots. The wind was crazy, and the small plane was thrown around for the entire flight. Coming into London, I was afraid we'd be pushed right off the runway! But I landed safely, and then took the Underground to get to my relative's house...

I thought my actual leaving Ireland would be this big, momentous event, but since I was the only one, and I wasn't even going home, it didn't live up to my expectations. Still though, when I really think about it, I can't believe this semester is over. I got so used to my life in Ireland, it will be weird coming back to Chicago.

Spain posts coming soon!

Where Are You From? - Reflections on UCD, Dublin, and Ireland

Wow...the end of the semester is here. I'm leaving Ireland in a few hours, and it still hasn't hit me. What a crazy, wonderful journey this has been! Through its ups and downs, this has been one hell of a semester. With coming to a completely new place, meeting new people from all over the world, and traveling a bit, it has truly been a once in a lifetime experience. From traveling and meeting new people at UCD, the primary theme/question of the semester has been, "Where are you from?" Speaking of the people I met...

To all my friends I made while here in Dublin, I'm going to miss you all so much! I'll never forget all the great memories we had. To everyone back home, I can't wait to come back and hopefully bring some of Ireland with me! It really does not feel real right now. I think I'll do a full leaving post once I actually leave for Chicago, but still, with leaving Ireland, it's like it's all ending right here and right now. Although I'm anxious to get home, I know that the second I step out of the plane I'm going to wish I was still in Ireland!

It's the Final Countdown!

Considering I am studying abroad in EUROPE, and I'll have FINALs over my last few days, this seemed appropriate...

I had the oral part of my Irish language final on Tuesday. It went pretty well, although when I walked in, I was greeted in Irish and I accidentally said "Hello" (don't worry I corrected myself). I was surprised that the entire session was conducted in Irish, so even the instructions were in Irish. But overall, it went well; I had to have an introductory conversation with one of the lecturers, talk about the weather, tell the time off some clocks, and read a short passage in Irish.

Tomorrow I have my History final...not sure if I'm entirely prepared for it. We were told to basically choose a topic from two groups of topics to really focus on. Then we have to write two essays in two hours on topics we'll see tomorrow. I can't say I'm a fan of this style of final exam. I definitely should have put in more time studying, but I found myself having a serious lack of interest and motivation, despite the fact that my grades here will count back home. I did well on the midterm essay, so hopefully that will count for something, and hopefully I can pull something off tomorrow.

Then I have Sociology and the written portion of Irish language on Tuesday. Need to start studying for those tomorrow.

What's really crazy to me is that Tuesday will be my last full day in Ireland. It seems to be so soon, but also so far away. It's made me realize I have very little time to see everyone here for the last time, hang out in Dublin for the last time, and of course, have my last pint of Guinness.

Well, it's time to finish up studying and get ready for my first final tomorrow. See you on the other side!

Impressions about Italy

So...after all that, we come to the final Italy post...

Overall, Italy was great. It was very different from Ireland, and Roma was strikingly different from Dublin. Roma has a considerably older feel to it, naturally. The city is relatively large, and it is full of people. Speaking of the people, I did notice one thing in particular about the Italian people. In general, they are very well dressed, and they just look good. Overall, a very attractive people, and it came to no surprise that almost every shop on the street was for clothing. Another thing about the people that I noticed was the diversity. Just like Dublin, Roma and Pisa were very diverse in terms of their population. There were people from all over the world living and working in Italy, people of all races and colors. It was quite extraordinary to see. Until I had seen it here in Europe, I had not considered that people immigrated here. Growing up and in school it always seemed that everyone immigrated to the US, although in retrospect it's a little naive.

A routine problem I ran into was the language barrier. Just like Russell Peter's experiences, I think the Italians may have thought I was Italian, so they spoke Italian to me. Thankfully, most of them were very understanding and switched to English for me. But it was still very scary to have people approach me and speak in a language I simply could not understand.

I didn't quite have the same experience as Russell Peters with the hand signals, but the point is the same. It was really scary for me traveling alone in Italy, particularly in Pisa. I realized it is so much better to travel in groups with people, for the company, but also for security. Speaking of which, I thankfully did not have any encounters with pickpockets or gypsies.

The last overall thing I noticed about Italy and Roma is that in some respects, it is not so different from the rest of the world. It's an international place, with the usual problems of crime and homelessness. There are plenty of weird characters, and there's a lot of activity going on.

While my overall experience in Italy was a good one, I must admit my last one was not so. At the airport, I ran into to some problems. There was some glitch in air traffic control in London, so our flight was delayed by about 5 hours. We were boarded on the plane and waiting for the go signal, when the flight attendants were serving food and drinks to keep people comfortable and happy. Then, of course, the old people on the plain started yelling at the flight attendants about their complaints and  eventually, someone called the police. They ordered Ryanair to disembark us back to the terminal, where we waited for all of about 10 minutes before being told to get back on the plane. It was really quite stupid.

Now, I know this makes the experience seem dampened, but it really was a great trip. I had fun going around Italy, and I even met some cool people from Canada, Italy, and Amsterdam in the hostel. I also met a girl from Wisconsin who is studying in Limerick on the plane back to Dublin. With meeting new people, seeing sights, and spending time with friends, I had a fantastic time in Italy!

Roma

Day 3 in Italy...time to explore Roma itself!

I have a friend from back home studying at Loyola University Chicago's Rome campus. When he came to visit me in Dublin he brought two of his friends as well, so when I came to Roma, I at least knew some people. I met with one of the girls at one of the metro stops, and she took me to Piazza del Popolo.

From the piazza we went to the Spanish Steps. It seems necessary for me to point out that a lot of these sites have no particular significance for me, but I felt that they were places that I should see while I'm here in Europe.

We then got onto one of the main streets, Via del Corso. We stopped at a cafe where I got a Nutella croissant...it was delicious!!!!! We then made our way to Trevi Fountain. This was definitely my favorite site. It was a lot more massive than I thought it was from pictures. The statues were so intricate, I was amazed with the amount of detail and work that would have gone into creating the fountain. While I was there I tossed a coin over my shoulder and made a wish...typical tourist stuff.

After Trevi fountain, we went back to Via del Corso and eventually came upon the Roman Forum. I was quite surprised to see how much ground it covered. It looked very cool to me, and I realized that what I like about Roma isn't its history, but just how it looks and feels.

After passing through the forum we arrived at the Colosseum. The place was packed with tourists and peddlers trying to sell us useless crap. It was still a cool place, though, considering it's size and how much happened there.

As we were leaving the Colosseum we were approached by a protest parade. It was some kind of worker's union protest.

We then wandered around the city center some more, and eventually came back to Piazza Navona, where the Christmas market and carnival were in full swing. It was very cool to see everything going on there. It was quite a popping place.

We were done pretty early, so we went to a pizzeria where I got some potato pizza, which was surprisingly good. My friend then took me up to Loyola's campus, where I met up with the rest of my friends. They were working on final papers and studying for their finals for a bit so I just hung out there. We then watched some kind of theater performance by the students. It was a bunch of small comedy sketches. They were pretty good, but some of it was in Italian, and there were some inside jokes, but it was great. After that, my friends and I went to a place called Foodoo for dinner. It was a really cool place. We ordered a drink, then for 3 euros you get basically unlimited finger food, so we had bread with bruschetta, cheese pizza, broccoli quiche, and delicious pesto pasta with feta cheese.

After dinner we went back into the city center, to a gelato place called Fridgidarium. I had their signature gelato, which was delicious, but after a while it was too sweet for me. We then walked through Piazza Navona with our gelato, it was a great time.

After such a long day, I had to get back to the hostel to pack for my flight the next day (more on that in the next and final Italy post).

Next up...final impressions of Italy overall.