June 25-29 Valencia, Spain

So, things did not exactly work out as I had planned.  My time in Spain after the study abroad program was going to be used for traveling the different regions.  However, I got pretty sick and decided to just head to the beaches of Valencia and take it easy...


Sickness!

The night before I was leaving for Valencia from Madrid, I was planning to meet Adria and Bridget for  chocolate con churros.  It was going to be our last time being together until August.  However, after we had dinner and I went back to my room and took a short nap, I woke up and realized that I was feeling very sick.  I called the girls and told them that I didn't think I would make it for chocolate and churros--and I knew it would be best to rest since I had to wake up at 4:30am to get around and to the airport.  Besides, Bridget said that Adria was also feeling sick...those poor girls had been through a lot during their trip! [Adria broke her toe and now had an awful cough that Bridget called the plague, Bridget had just lost her bag with all her valuables in it...they missed their initial flight because of their luggage issues]



I took a cab by 5am and I went to my locker at the airport to deposit my dirty clothes that I would not be needing to take with me to Valencia.  I was glad I had arrived early enough, because I think it was the longest check-in line I have ever waited in.  There were only 2 employees handling a line of probably 100 people.  Most of us had already done the self-check in, so all they had to do was look at our bag and send it off--but still, it felt a little crazy.


I felt like crap and the couple behind me kept asking me questions and I was like "I don't know" "I have no idea"  "who knows" but they persisted.  I think they wanted to find out if I held the answer to at least one of their questions.


[Valencia]
I booked  a dorm room to stay in while I was in Valencia.  The room was nice and only a year old with a private bathroom.  I think it is run by a separate company than the University of Valencia.  During the times when no students are in the rooms, they rent them out like hotel rooms through hostelworld.com.


I took the metro/tram (2.90 Euros) from the airport to the University and then checked into my room.  I slept practically the rest of the day and night.  I did wake up for a few hours to walk down the street and eat some Valencian Paella.


On Saturday morning, I headed to the beach.  Valencia has miles of beautiful, soft sand to enjoy.  After 10 minutes of laying out, I could hear race cars start up!  I saw signs on my way to the beach about the Formula 1 track, but I didn't realize there was a race that day!  From where I was, I could even see cars round the corners on the jumbotron screen.  I ended up walking a bit further down the beach so it wasn't so loud, though...  For lunch I had another version of Valencian Paella and then for dinner, I ate a kebap.  Adria and Bridget were right, better kebaps do exist.


On Sunday, I felt much better from relaxing all day Saturday.  I walked around the city center of Valencia.  I went to all the major historic buildings and took lots of pictures.  I had lunch at a tapas bar.  I also bought a new shirt because I was running out of clean clothes.  By the end of the day, though, I started feeling pretty sick again and my cough came back worse than it was.



On Monday, I went back to the beach for some more down time.  I discovered an awesome pastry shop that had all their treats at really low prices.  I still felt sick, so I bought some pastries and then took them back to my room where I watched a movie.

Right now, its Tuesday, and I will board my flight to Madrid in 40 mins. (I'm already in the terminal).  I cant tell if I am getting better or worse because I'll go for awhile feeling fine and then Ill start coughing/sneezing again... the poor people who sit near me on the plane!

June 20-24 Madrid, Spain

After Barcelona, I flew to Madrid, the capital of Spain. I was lucky enough to have the company of Katrina, who I met during my study abroad program in Barcelona. The first night we stayed in the Westin Palace Hotel--Katrina's sister-in-law got us a huge discount (the same chain as W hotels, Sheraton, Meridien...) After that, we stayed in a family-run hostal (not to be confused with a hostel that is bunk style). Aliste hostal was occupied the third floor of a building in the city center of Madrid. We got a double room with a private bathroom--it was more like a hotel than a hostel, but very basic--although it did manage to squeeze a bidet in the bathroom somehow.

[Museums]:
We bought a combined ticket to visit three museums in Madrid at a slight discount. I was only able to take photos in the Reina Sofia because the other two did not allow photography.

Reina Sofia Museum
I'm glad we started out at the Reina Sofia because there was no line when we got there and the museum had just opened. It was nice to get a head-start on the crowd. The Reina Sofia had paintings, sculptures, contraptions, and photography. I can not appreciate art that "I could do myself if I wanted to," so I thought some of the art in this museum was not worth the admission price. For example, there were stacks of used tires and a pile of crumpled up paper. ---seriously?

There were some very interesting paintings. I also like the contraptions that were motorized. One contraption had a lawnmower engine and it drew art. Another hung from the ceiling and randomly started shaking and making noise.


El Prado Museum
The next day, we went to the Prado Museum. I'm so glad we bought the combined ticket because we were able to pass the long line of people who were waiting to buy a ticket. The Prado is HUGE! There are all kinds of paintings there that I have seen only in books from school or in a movie... Unfortunately, no pictures allowed, although I got one from my phone of an in-house artist painting his own rendition of a painting while it was on display.

While I recognized many of the famous paintings by Goya, Velazquez, El Greco, Rembrandt, Caravaggio, some of my favorite displays in the museum visit were the marble sculptures, including a horse head sculpture dating back to 515 BC!. Our visit to the Prado lasted about 4 or 5 hours! There is so much to see! I learned a lot from my visit and I saw so many works of art that I was able to tell who painted some of them (from the style) by the end of my visit. El Greco is the easiest for me to distinguish.

Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
Spain bought this collection from a German Baron who married a Miss Spain 1961. It was one of the world's finest private art collections. I enjoyed it perhaps more than the Prado or the Reina Sofia because of the types of art that was displayed. This museum had art that I would like to hang in my house!



[City Touristic Bus] (open-top bus):
Katrina and I took the two routes of the Touristic Bus around the city. You get headsets to listen to a recorded tourguide while sitting in the open-top double-decker bus. The tour was nice to get a sense of the basic layout of the city and also of the location of the major sites.

[Rowing a boat in Retiro Park]
The tourist bus is hop-on, hop-off, which means you can get off at any of the stops to explore at your own leisure then go back to the stop and resume the tour on another bus. We got off the bus at Retiro park to rent a row boat in the park. It was around 5€ for 45 mins.

[Royal Palace in Madrid]
We found air conditioning inside the Royal Palace after walking across town in the 92˚ heat. Walking into the royal palace is like walking into history. I was amazed by the degree of historic preservation of the rooms. I wish I could have taken photos to show everyone all the gold leaf details in the ceilings and especially the throne room. Each room had a distinct design. One section was the pharmacy, where there was a stockpile of medicines and spices. Shelves on the walls were filled with ceramic crocks that once held the different ingredients. Back in the day, they even had a chemist there to make the concoctions!

There was also an armory where knights' armor was displayed, along with guns and knives.

The Royal Family no longer lives at the Royal Palace, partly because it is so old.


[ABC Time] Adria, Bridget, Corey ---Representing IU in Madrid!
Adria and Bridget saw that I was in Madrid after they had already decided to go as well, so we facebooked each other and decided that we would hang out. Strangely, as Katrina and I were walking back from the Palace, we crossed paths with Adria and Bridget in the street!!! Poor Bridget was coming back from the store to buy some things she needed because her bag was lost during her flight. As far as I know, it is still missing--with all her souvenirs in it.

Dinner with IU girls in Madrid!
We ate dinner later that night at el Museo de Jamon (Musuem of Ham) with one of Adria's long time friends from Texas who is currently living in Madrid.

Egyptian Temple -2200 years old/ Crystal Palace in Retiro Park. / Kebap.
Adria, Bridget and I spent the next day together exploring some more of Madrid. We first visited the 2200 year old temple that was given to Spain from Egypt. Apparently, the temple would have been flooded from a dam that Egypt planned to build, so they sent it to Spain on a boat.  We could only see the outside because the inside was closing for the siesta.

We took the metro to Retiro park to see the Crystal Palace because it was another scorcher out there. The park is much larger than what I thought it was...it took us a long time walking through the park to find the Crystal Palace. Unfortunately, the crystal palace was empty at the time. I think the Reina Sofia museum occasionally holds temporary exhibits in the crystal palace. There were 2 black swans outside the crystal palace and several turtles and carp swimming in the adjacent pond. In a different pond, there were hundreds of goldfish swimming around. We noticed that several goldfish were swarming a duck while it was cleaning itself on that pond. It looked like they were trying to eat it or something, but the duck didn't seem to mind, so maybe they were eating the stuff that the duck picked off itself???

Discovering the Turkish Döner Kebap. "rotating roast"
The girls introduced me to a new food called the Kebap. Its a wrap filled with meat that has been roasted on a skewer. When you order, they shave the cooked meat from the skewer as it is still rotating around the cooker, then they place it in a wrap with yogurt and lettuce, tomato, etc. It is so good! Two thumbs up.

June 20 - Last days in Barcelona

June 20, 2010

Finals are over for my international law classes!  I hope I did okay  At least they are pass/fail!

[Lunch on Friday]

Ina and I took the metro to las Ramblas after we finished our last final for lunch.  We walked around the shops for a little while and she bought a dress.  While we were looking for a place to eat, some guy on the street handed Ina a flyer for his restaurant.  She said it looked like a good place---I looked at the flyer and it was a Peruvian restaurant!  I havenÆt had Peruvian food since I studied abroad in Lima two years ago!  I ordered ceviche and lomo saltado.  We both ordered Pisco Sours! Yummmmàmy favorite drink.

[The Magic Fountain of Montjuic]

I walked from las Ramblas to Placa Espanya later Friday evening to see the Magic Fountain. In the plaza on the way to the fountain, there was a Harley Davidson motorcycle convention, ôHarley Daysö!  Yes, Spain has Harley riders, too!  There were hundreds of bikes in the plaza both Friday and Saturday.  Harley even had a test drive event for freeùpeople could take a Harley of their choice for a spin!

The fountain IS magic.  It changes shape and color and synchronized with music.  It shoots water higher than any other fountain IÆve seen.  It really looked like it shot up several stories into the air.  If you compare the size of the people standing in front of it in my photos, you can have a better idea of how large it is.

Click HERE to view video of the magic fountain.

[The Catalonian National Museum of Art]

The art museum has a variety of art pieces, including sculptures, paintings, parts of old buildings (columns and wall-coverings), and photos (more recent).  The majority of all the art pieces featured in the museum are faith-based.  I need to do some research about all the art that depicted figures making a hand gesture where they are holding up two fingers and curving the thumb inward.  I donÆt know what that symbolized, but it must have some significance, judging from all the art featuring that hand gesture.

Particularly interesting was a piece that had four painted scenes that showed different ways that people could be tortured to death.  In one scene, a man was being sawed in half from the head down.  In another, a man was being cut all over to slowly bleed to death.

I liked the marble sculptures the most. Two of my favorites were of a girl leaning over with long hair and another marble statue that was mixed with a bronze statueùthe mixture of the two media creates an interesting contrast.

[The Poble Espanol  (The Spanish Village)]

With my discounted combined ticket to the museum, I was able to visit Poble Espanol for only a few euros more than my museum ticket.  The walk from the museum was 5mins.  The Spanish Village is a fake town that was created to mimic the architecture seen throughout Spain.  There are many souvenir shops in the buildings and several places to eat.  It reminded me of walking through the side streets of Tarragona.  I thought it was pretty cool because even though I knew it was fake, the buildings were real and it felt like it was part of a small town!

[Origen 99.9%]

Dan and I ate at Origen 99.9% for a second time during our last night as roommates in Barcelona. The restaurant is close to our apartment and it was unique for its claim that 99.9% of the food it served originated in Catalonia. The beef, pork, chicken, vegetables, and cheese were all raised in Catalonia.

June 14 - Aquarium / Maritime Museum / Royal Palace

[Palau Reial]
After our mandatory group photo as a class on Monday, I wanted to walk through the gates of the Royal Palace, which is across the street from the University of Barcelona. Dan and Fernanda walked with me through the front part of the property. The city dedicated the land to the King a while back.... There's a big house (palace?) haha and a few fountains and a whole lot of greenery.


[Maritime Museum]
A few classmates wanted to go to the maritime museum and convinced the rest of us to go because there were supposed to be pirates?? there. With the € 2.50 admission fee, I was curious about what we were going to see. It turns out there were just a bunch of model-size ships, some compasses, and a huge replica of the Maria Cristina ship. We made it fun.


[Aquarium]
The aquarium was a short walk away, so we decided that since our museum craving was not fully satisfied, we would go. The aquarium, in our opinion, was way overpriced at € 17.50 for adults.

"A series of 35 tanks, 11,000 animals and 450 different species, an underwater tunnel 80 metres long, six million litres of water and an immense Oceanarium, the only one in Europe, turn this centre into a unique, reference leisure show that has already been visited by more than 14 million people." - Barcelona Aquarium Website.

I thought it was interesting to see all the fish, but I was expecting something a little more spectacular from the 1.6million gallon tank. Walking through the glass tunnel that goes under the tank, it seemed like a lot of the fish are of the same species. Some sharks and stingrays swim around the tunnel as well, but I still wasn't that impressed.

Some of the smaller, wall mounted tanks were great--I wished that they would have been larger! My favorite tanks are the ones with the really ugly/strange fish and also the tanks with the colorful fish.

Click here to see video from my trip to the Barcelona Aquarium.

June 10 - Tarragona, Sitges, International Chamber of Commerce

Okay, I decided to catch up with my posts, so Ill fill you in on what I've done since Park Guell and the Sagrada Familia.

Dan, Cara, and I went out to have drinks with the Colorado girls from school on Friday night but we didn't stay out too late because we had plans to go to Tarragona, Spain on Saturday morning. We went back to the place called Guru near Las Ramblas, walked around a little more, then called it a night.

[Tarragona]
Saturday morning, we took the renfe train to tarragona from sants estacio metro station. The round trip ticket was just under €12. It took us about an hour and fifteen minutes to get to Tarragona by train. The train was packed, so we had to hang out in the aisle for most of the trip.

Once we got to Tarragona, we walked out of the train station and started looking at a city map that was posted on a street corner. A friendly old man asked us (speaking spanish) where we wanted to go and he pointed us in the right direction. We didn't even have to ask him for help. Once we started walking up the street, he had already met another group of tourists and had them holding his little dog while he took their group picture in front of the sea. He sure knows how to make friends!

We bought a day pass for the various museums of Roman ruins. We went to the stadium, the Roman circus (not a circus like we know it), and the Roman wall. It doesn't matter which way we went, I felt like I was walking up hill the entire time. I absolutely loved Tarragona, though. It had the small town feel that I like--no traffic, very few tourists...wonderful.

If I went back, I might try out the beach there. We didn't eat anything while we were there other than ice cream. We bought our first ice cream once we got there and then went to a different spot on the walk back to the train station for another scoop! If I were tempted to eat anything there, some of the restaurants on the Ramblas strip looked good.

[Sitges]
Thanks to a planned strike among government workers, our classes were canceled a week ahead of time for Tuesday. Since I was worn down by all the walking (the pedometer built into my phone said I walked 30 miles during the 3 days prior), I decided to go with a group of students from school to a town called Sitges. I had one plan: to lay out on the beach all day once we got there.

I was a little lost this time while looking for the train station because I was going to get on at passeig de gracias station instead of Sants, like I had done for Tarragona. I asked about 5 people for directions--each person pointed me in a different direction. I concluded that either there was a conspiracy against me or that no one knew what they were talking about. I finally made it to the right place and bought my ticket after walking back and forth a few times between city blocks (OH! and since the strike was going on, I had to fight my way through the middle of a parade march twice!!-- a whole bunch of people were blowing whistles and holding up signs) The train ticket was under €7, round trip. The train ride was about 35-40 mins.

The beaches at Sitges apparently stretch for quite a ways, but our lazy butts plopped down at the first beach area we came to. It was nice because the sunbathers had more room to lay out, it was quieter, and I actually think the water might have been warmer than in Barcelona.

Katrina, Collette, and I ate lunch beside the beach. Katrina and I split a pitcher of sangria and I ate a sandwich made of fried calamari rings. Yummmy. For dessert, I went across the street for some italian style gelato (more ice cream).

The sun was so warm but it wasn't too hot--it was another perfect day! I'm so happy with how we spent our day off from school.


[International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)- Spain]

Today after class, Dan and I signed up to meet with the Director of Communication (Jordi) of the Spanish International Chamber of Commerce.

Jordi talked to us and answered our questions for nearly 2 hours. There were around 10 of us students. The ICC is really interesting because it not only provides a source of arbitration for international business, but it also creates rules and standards which are followed internationally. The ICC works with the World Trade Organization, the United Nations, and other intergovernmental bodies.

Jordi really sparked my interest in arbitration. I'll have to look more into that....:P

Antonio Gaudí - Parque Güell / Sagrada Familia

I finally went to see Antonio Gaudí's most famous creations in Barcelona: Park Güell and the Sagrada Familia ("Expiatory Church of the Holy Family").

The Sagrada Familia church is a huge tourist attraction. It had over 2.6 million visitors in 2004. Since my apartment is a block away from it, Dan and I joke that we will probably be in hundreds of tourists' photos because we have to walk by while they are taking pictures. We would never make it to the subway if we waited for everyone to take their pictures before passing!


I cannot stress how huge the Sagrada Familia is. Barcelona does not have many skyscrapers, so when you look at the city from the surrounding mountains, you can really appreciate how ginormous it is!


The details are breathtaking and the interior columns dwarf the heavy duty construction equipment being used inside the temple. I took the elevator to the top of one of the towers then took the stairs all the way back down. Along the way down the snail-like stairways (which have no inside railing so it feels made me feel a little woozy), there are several photo opportunities where you can stand on little stone patios and snap some shots of the views while you are still high above the city.


I liked the front side (old side) of the Sagrada Familia the best. It is the most intricate part of the whole building. It looks really dirty but I guess the grime gives it some more character.

Park Guell:To get to Park Guell, we had to walk 20 minutes uphill from the metro station. Apparently, there is another way you can get there if you take a bus that is easier and drops you off on the side with outdoor escalators, but of course, I was "blessed" to be able to take in the whole experience while hiking up a mountain in long pants on a beautiful, sunny 80 degree day. :)
Like the Sagrada Familia, Park Guell is also a popular area for tourists. Although it was difficult to get past all the people to get some pictures of the key attractions, I found the site to be quite interesting and enjoyable once we got past the entrance to the park. There were several musicians playing various instruments for tips who were quite good! (There are musicians spread throughout the subway tunnels who play for tips as well who are also pretty good).



At the top of the mountain, there is a platform with a cross on it where you can stand and see the entire city of Barcelona. I took the city picture (showing the Sagrada Familia) in this blog post from that mountain.

Jun 1 (Tues) - Parliament of Catalonia

After class today, I went home to eat lunch but I realized I needed groceries so I ran across the street to the store. They had just put out fresh seafood, so I decided to buy some to prepare lunch! I bought langostinos (prawns) and musculos (mussels). My total grocery bill was around 5.60 euros or so. (not a whole lot for the quality and quantity!)

I steamed the prawns and mussels together and added a little salt because I could not find any "Old Bay" seasoning :). After 5 mins, they were completely done! They were so delicious--its amazing how such as simple meal can be so good!


My roommates and I signed up for a free tour of the Parliament of Catalonia through our study abroad program (Catalonia is an autonomous community within Spain-Barcelona is located within this "community"). We dressed up and took the metro across town. The Parliament is located somewhat inside a zoo area, strangely enough--but it is beautifully surrounded by lush greenery and statues. As you first walk through the gates, there is a monument consisting of a waterfall and vertical fountains. When you get inside Parliament, the design creates a feeling of extreme opulence. Details of the enormous doors, the wood work of the ceiling, and the marble walls and columns are all signs that the people who built that place were very powerful and wealthy. We sat in a meeting room as a group and had a short lesson on the power struggle between Catalonia and "Spain". While Catalonia is within the borders of Spain and is under its laws, for the most part, Catalonia fights to retain its culture and certain separation from the rest of Spain.

Our group then moved to the room which used to be the monarch's throne room. The room had several gigantic crystal chandeliers and was clad in marble and engraved wood. I sat in the chair where the agricultural counselor for Catalonia sits during Parliament procedure. The seat has a phone that can be used to call several people, including the president of catalonia, and it has buttons used for voting as well.

After we finished our tour of Parliament, we took another metro to Las Ramblas district in search of food. We first stumbled upon a candy store called "Happy Pills" where you can buy a pill bottle or first aid kit and fill it with as much candy as you can fit into it. Then, we found a place that served tapas (small snack-sized food items). I ordered a skewer of monkfish and prawns, a dish of avocado and cheese in a sauce, and tomato toast. For dessert, we all had chorros with chocolate. Chorros are similar to elephant ears in taste, and you dip them in a thick, creamy, chocolate drink. Delicious!

May 28 - Fri at The W

After class, Dan and I went to L' Illa mall to have lunch in the food court. We must have ended up in the middle of a convention for the deaf because the tables around us were all filled with people using sign language. We both ordered the "menu," which is the restaurants choice of specials for a lower price. The "menu" price at restaurants usually includes two dishes, a drink, and dessert. I ate a cheese salad and fish with orange foam for dessert.

We took a nap once we got home and then headed out to meet Fernanda, a classmate in the Study Abroad program, at Diagonal Metro station before we stopped by Dave and Gerrell's to go out for drinks. Fernanda doesn't have a phone so we planned on meeting her at the intersection of two streets near the metro. We waited almost an hour and Fernanda was nowhere to be seen! I got really worried because it was around 10pm and she was by herself. I called Dave to check to see if she got back on facebook. After an hour of waiting, we decided that we would go to Dave and Gerrells apt to check my facebook messages. Fernanda says she waited too but didn't see us so she went back home. We think there was confusion because the metro has 6 or so exits to street level that span a few blocks and the street corner we were going to meet at was not clearly marked.

Then we left the apt and went to Las Ramblas, a district of Barcelona for drinks. We ended up at a little spot called Guru (I think that is the name). The lighting was cool and they had 3 djs. I met two French girls who were on holiday and talked with them for a while. Apparently, Barcelona is to Europe as Florida is to the US. Everyone comes here for vacation at one point or another.

[Eclipse Club at the W Hotel.]

After the four of us shared a couple bottles of wine and beers, we headed out to attempt access into the W Hotel's club, Eclipse. Its free cover, but the drinks are pricey. Apparently, it is supposed to be difficult to get in to the W's club--when we got there we had to wait in a long line. While we were waiting, I talked with three middle-aged women who were behind us. We had a complete conversation in Spanglish. The people in front of us gave up and left so the line got shorter, then the middle-aged women left too. As soon as we got up to the front, the lady let us in! (I did not keep track of time, so who knows how long we were in line...) The lady accompanied us on the elevator to the 26th floor--where the club was located. The doors opened, and instantly we were surrounded with strange ambient lighting, tribal-like dance music and a view of the city that was unbeatable. There was a guy standing on the bar, playing a big drum along with the club music and taking shots of tequila. The entire feel of Eclipse was unlike any place I had been before. There was an exciting, carefree, "I've got plenty of money to spend and I'm going to use it to have fun" feel to it. (although I spent NOTHING to go)

We shared a taxi home at the end of the night because the metro stops running at 2am on Friday nights.

May 27 (Thurs) - 1st week Barcelona

[Paella mixta - mixed seafood with rice]



Whew. What a week!

Tuesday, Dan and I woke up and were at the beach in the morning before we had to go to class. The Barceloneta beach was way less crowded than it was on Sunday and on Monday (there was a holiday on monday). Once again, there are always topless women in sight, as toplessness is openly accepted on Spain's beaches. My classmates even say that there were nude men walking around in on the beach that was not the customary "nude beach." It is so weird to us, but no one else seems to notice there are people without their clothes on!

There are people walking around on the beach constantly trying to make a buck (Euro). There is a pack of Asian women who ask ("massa-he, massa-hey, massage!?") several times an hour if we want a 5Euro massage on the beach; theres some guys who sell snacks; theres guys who sell beer---and we were approached several times to buy some marijuana! The beer guy said "cerveza, beer...(then he whispered when he was beside us) hashish?" I couldn't help but laugh. No, gracias.

We were out there in the sun for 3 hrs and although it was warm, it was windy enough that we could not feel the usual burning sensation that accompanies overexposure. We really did not think we were getting any sun even though there was not a cloud in the sky. I couldn't tell that I was turning red. Three days later, my back is barely red anymore--and luckily, I don't think I'll peel!

Orientation for school was in the evening. We had a short introductory session about the rules etc and then we had a little get together on one of the school's patios afterward. They served tapas (small bite-sized foods) and drinks (soda, water and beer--and maybe wine?). Yesterday, I saw the school dining area serves wine for lunch. Incredibly, the vending machine outside the cafeteria serves not only soda and water, but also BEER! The drinking age is 18, but I don't think it is really much of a problem here for younger people to get it on their own.

I have bought a local Spain prepaid phone plan from the "Macy's" of Barcelona, called El Corte Ingles. Many people here do know quite a bit of English, but still, I try to continue practicing my Spanish as much as I get a chance to. It has been 2 years since I last used my Spanish skills, but slowly I am getting back into it again. :)

Our 2 classes run from 9:30-12:50 Mon-Fri. I really like my first class in European Union law because we are learning the basic framework of the EU and its laws. I've never learned, until now, the details of EU law. I also like EU law class because the professor is Spanish and is knowledgeable from practicing law throughout the European Union. My International Contracts class is so-so...it seems like we are doing excessive reading and not covering that much during the class. Still, I am interested in learning about at least the basic points of the law behind doing international business.

Tonight, the school program reserved a tapas bar so the students could meet each other a little and get a taste of Spanish wine and tapas(the snacks). I was suprised that we have so many international students in our law program. We have law students from Italy, Germany, Canada, and Mexico as well as the United States. I am interested to learn more from them about the differences in their law programs from those in the United States.

After the meet and greet, Dan and I walked through las Ramblas district with some of our classmates. We stopped at an Italian ice cream place and I bought a scoop of banana and a scoop of chocolate ice cream. The chocolate tasted amazing, it was like eating an ice cream chocolate bar...

Some people I talked to before coming to Spain said that the people here don't like tourists--but who likes any visitors who come to your town to party and be obnoxious?! The interactions I've had with the locals so far have been good. The younger and older people are very nice and try to help if I ask. I enjoy going to the small shops around my neighborhood and looking around and asking the shop owners random questions... This whole trip is a learning experience.

Finally, I think I should get to my reading for tomorrow's classes so I can be prepared. I'm excited for the weekend because I plan on actually getting my camera out again to take some more pictures! I haven't been carrying it because I dont want to take it with me on the Metro with the chance of getting it stolen on the way to class. Yesterday, Dan and I witnessed a pickpocket trying to snatch someones wallet, but he ended up dropping it on the ground on the subway. I am definitely keeping my valuables out of my back pockets and only carrying a small amount unless necessary. I do still feel safe, though. And I don't think the pickpockets hurt people usually...people say the "good" pickpockets do it so you don't realize until 5 mins later that your wallet is missing.

Good night!

Sun 30- Arrival in Barcelona

[above is what it looks like walking out of the front door of my building]


Today, I woke up and ate breakfast at the hotel and then caught a cab with Mom and Tom to the Amsterdam Centraal train station. We took the next train to Schippol airport where I boarded my flight to Barcelona, Spain. Mom and Tom took a train to another part of Belgium.

My flight was 2hrs from The Netherlands to Barcelona. Once I got here, Dan and Jennifer were waiting for me after baggage claim. I ran into a slight issue with withdrawing the whole amount of euros from the ATM that I needed for the remainder of my apartment rent, but I will have that problem taken care of by tomorrow.

Dan, Jennifer, and I took a taxi to where our apartment is located and when the driver asked if it was the right place, we shrugged our shoulders and got out.... It did look familiar from the street-level view on google maps that we had seen earlier. The leasing agent met us soon after and we got the keys. Most of the little shops on our block were closed down for Sunday and we learned that they will remain so for tomorrow because it is a holiday on Monday.

Two other guys from IU met us at our apartment and we decided to get something to eat. We stopped by a church called the Sagrada Familia on our walk. The Sagrada Familia is a famous tourist attraction and it is only one block from our apartment. The church has been under construction for over 100 years and its architect was Antoni Gaudí. It is amazingly detailed and unbelievably gigantic. I only took a picture of one side, the other side is older and even more interesting...new pictures in the days to come!

After passing numerous closed shops, we ended up going to the beach for dinner. It was a nice, sunny day and there were hundreds of people on the beach. It was nice to have our first dinner together in Barcelona.

On our way back to the apartment, we stopped by a little grocery and bought some water and food for the morning. I'm going to wait until the larger retailer opens back up to stock up on supplies.

Tomorrow, I will try to get a local cell number and then actually spend some time on the beach since school is closed until Tuesday for the holiday :). The forecast for tomorrow is 77° and sunny! Perfect.

Sat 22 - Rosendaal, Netherlands and Antwerp, Belgium

Today, we took a day trip by train to Antwerp, Belgium and stopped on our way there to visit Tom's coworker, Ed , who lives in Rosendaal, The Netherlands.

We had a nice lunch with Ed's family on his back patio. Rosendaal is a "village" of about 50,000 people and Ed lives on the outside of the city, so country fields greet his backyard. It was a beautiful day, about 73 degrees and sunny. Ed's wife drove to Belgium (5mi from their house) in the morning to shop at a bakery for bread that she said was better than The Netherlands'. We started off our meal with a delicious fruit dessert plate (it was a bunch of fruit artistically placed on a pastry crust---it looked like it was out of a magazine). Then we had wine and sandwiches. We used the Belgian rolls for the bun and then Ed said that here in The Netherlands, it was customary to only put one item on each roll (a piece of ham OR cheese) and not stack them like we are used to in the US. Other options included a crab salad and a raw meat spread that was actually really really good because it was seasoned well. We ended the meal with cinnamon rolls.

We hopped on the next train to Antwerp, Belgium and I was a little upset because I learned from Ed that you only get your passport stamped one time once you enter the European union.

We made it to the huge train station in Antwerp, Belgium and then walked to the old part of the city to see buildings built in the 1500's. I stopped at H&M to shop (where people were trying on clothes in the aisles!), then we ate lunch (I ate steak tar tar on toast for lunch) and had beers (mom had tea). We saw a carriage pulled by actual Belgian Horses.

Once we got back to Amsterdam, we noticed a weird plastic thing that turned out to be a urinal that was completely open to the public. (See pic on facebook). Guys just walked up, whipped it out, and went on their merry way! They're so open about that stuff.
So many sites to describe, but I've got to go to bed now because I'm flying out for Barcelona in the morning!

Fri 21 - Amsterdam

Today we waited around the hotel room until Tom was finished with his work and then went to the botanical garden called Hortus Botanicus. It has existed since 1638 and holds some of the worlds rarest specimens. Included in the collection is an evergreen which is so rare that only 60 trees are known to exist in the wild in only a single valley somewhere. Other interesting sights were the butterfly house and giant rhubarb plants. As Grandpa would say, that must be a "pithy" plant--so I don't know if it is edible or not. They also had a 3-climate greenhouse (dessert, rainforest, and temperate?). The 3-climate greenhouse was interesting because it had a catwalk where you could look from above if you wished.

Then we walked around a little more before finding a place to eat lunch. We stopped by a market to buy Tom's coworker a plant for his garden for when we go to visit him tomorrow in Roosendaal for lunch. We found an Argentinian restaurant and Tom told the waitress (like he tells EVERYBODY) that I speak Spanish (which I will not be practicing until I have to next week)... I just pretend I don't know what he's talking about.

Then we came back to the hotel and then went out on a "candlelight canal cruise." The boat ride was an hour long and we saw and heard about much of the history of Amsterdam. Did you know that amsterdam was once only built around the amstel river, which really no longer exists in its natural state? Also, the Amsterdam airport is located 5meters below sea level...they have to constantly pump the water out of the city to maintain the dry land. People also live on houseboats which line the canals. Interestingly, some of the houseboats are really nice on the inside--you can see inside at night because many do not have curtains. Over 100,000 people travel through centraal station everyday in their commute. And there is an underwater tunnel for vehicular traffic that goes underwater! There is even a floating Chinese restaurant that can seat 700 people!

Such a learning experience!

Thurs 20th - Amsterdam

We started out the day with a mission - to 1. visit Madame Tussauds' wax museum and 2. visit Anne Frank's house.

The whole day we used the hotel's freebie map which does not label most of the streets, so we just guessed which way to walk most of the time.

We love wax museums--and Madame Tussauds was great! The first figures were depictions of historical figures of The Netherlands (I didn't recognize any of them). The rest of the figures were famous people and celebrities from around the world. The great thing about Madame Tussauds is that you are allowed to get right up next to the figures so you can get in pictures with them. Most other wax museums we've been to prohibit crossing behind a rope so you have to admire them from a distance. I've uploaded several pictures to facebook, but I took way too many pictures in there!

We then searched for the Anne Frank House, the secret annex where Anne Frank and her family lived in hiding during the war. We had to wait in a short line to get in, but once we were in, there are postings from her journal written on the walls and there are several short film clips describing the history of the place and people. I read Anne Frank's Diary a long time for school and my mental image of the place was much different. I always imagined the bookcase being on the first floor and then the hiding place being on the second. Actually, the bookcase which hides the stairway to the upper floor is on the second (or third?) floor of the building. Once we were in the area where the family hid, I read that all the furniture was removed and that Anne's father requested that it forever be left empty.

The blacked-out windows created an eerie atmosphere and I can't even imagine what it would be like to be locked up there and not even be able to leave the room, run water, or flush the toilet during the whole day while there were workers present in the warehouse below.

I learned a lot more about the Franks' history from the short time we were there.

-----

After that, Mom and I walked around looking for little shops in the 9 streets area. We found an excellent ice-cream place next to the houseboat museum. Then we started looking for the china town area for lunch. Completely on accident (the map we had did not have it marked) I think we passed through the edge of the red light district (whoops..:). We did make it to the china town area and ate some delicious thai food.

Our final destination was the botanical gardens, but we never reached it before our feet gave up on us. We were gone from the hotel about 7hrs, spending most of the time walking. We found a whole canal lined with houseboats (and these things are like actual houses that someone decided to put on boats). I saw one houseboat with a garden onboard. In the distance, we saw a ship that looked like one from Pirates of the Carribean, but it turned out to be an actual battleship from back in the day. (it was huge! picture on fb).

We made it back to the hotel and we are pooped. Gotta rest up for tomorrow!

Wed. 19th, Rotterdam

Today, Mom and I woke up and decided to take the Waterbus to Rotterdam. First we stopped by the hotel bakery and grabbed a brownie and a pastry for breakfast. When we got to the dock, the waterbus was about to leave in a minute, so we just got on real fast after buying a ticket from the dock attendant. (I think it was 2 euros). After the waterbus pulled away from the dock we learned that the boat we were on only went to the other side of the canal and back. WHOOPS! So once we returned, we made sure we got on the right boat in about 15mins.

The trip to Rotterdam was about an hour on the waterbus, which made about 5 or 6 stops along the way at different towns. It was interesting to see the enormous barges loaded with coal, steel, or gravel. Its amazing ships that big are able to 1)float and 2) be safely transported through the canals past each other. Oh, and everyone but us took had their bikes along on the boat with them because everyone rides a bike everywhere and the waterbus is like a ferry for bikes. After 2 full days of watching and avoiding being ran over by bicycles I still find it amusing to watch all the people with their bikes. We saw several men in suits and nicely dressed women riding their bikes through Rotterdam.

Once we arrived at Rotterdam, I wanted to exchange my USD to euros so we looked for a bank. Once we got the bank, the employee told me that I can not exchange money in banks. I thought she was kidding but I guess she wasn't because she told me to take the metro to the "centraal" station where there was one booth for exchanging money.

We took the correct Metro train by luck after playing charades with a women who did not know english. After exhanging money, Mom and I walked around the center of the city and found a nice stretch of restaurants with outdoor seating. It was nice and sunny, so we sat down at a place called "coconuts." We both ordered club sandwiches, which had the most flavor of any club sandwich I've ever had...mmmm. And they were huge.

On the way back to the dock, we accidentally took the wrong metro and ended up on the opposite side of the canal than where we needed to be. We just had to catch another to get back to the stop that we missed, but it took us a little while to figure out which one to take.

Once we were back in Dordrecht, Mom and I had sorbet at the restaurant while we waited for Tom to get off of work. Tom's coworker then drove us all to Amsterdam, where we will stay for the remainder of the trip. We just had dinner at the hotel's restaurant and are now ready for bed.

I'm excited to start sight-seeing in Amsterdam tomorrow morning!

Tues, May 18 - Dordrecht, The Netherlands

We left Detroit around 6pm on Monday and about 7hrs later, arrived in Amsterdam, The Netherlands around 8:30am (local time). I noticed there were a lot of tall people on the plane. The guy who sat beside me was nearly 7ft tall (it seemed!) His legs were so long that he had to squeeze his knees into each side of the seat in front of him. I couldnt even put my tray table down because his leg was right under the hinge! Thankfully, I'm short so I don't really need all the room in front of me, plus I had an aisle seat.

We then took a train to Dordrecht where we checked into our hotel. The hotel was created in an old water treatment facility. There are beautiful gardens surrounding the hotel and the vegetables are served in the restaurant.

Today, Mom and I walked around for a few hours to look at the city center of Dordrecht. It seems that most people here travel by bicycle and we even saw one lady who was pedaling a bike with 5 kids on board (she had some type of contraption up front). I also saw a fishing store that sold fishing poles that were two stories tall. While on the street, I smelled chocolate coming from a store, so we went in and bought a small piece of milk chocolate with hazelnuts. They make the chocolate right there in the store and they use a chocolate fountain wheel-thingy to mix it.

In a restaurant's bathroom, I had my first experience with a self-cleaning toilet. After you flush, the toilet seat spins completely around as an electric squeegee thing washes it as it turns. I also found that many of the faucet handles are different than what I am used to so it takes me a few seconds to figure out how to turn them on...

The Dutch language sounds like complete jibberish to me. Most of the signs are written in Dutch, but some of the words resemble some similar English words. (automatic toilet= toilet automatisch). The government building is on a road called "steegoversloot."