ITALY!!!!

During my Easter break, I was fortunate enough to be able to visit Italy for ten days! I flew into Pisa with five of my friends from our group. After a two hour plane ride we found our way to a lovely bed and breakfast where I encountered my first European house cat! We were waiting for the owners to come let us in (we forgot to tell them our flight would put us a little later than check in time but they luckily lived 5 minutes away) when I saw this cute cat sitting in the front lawn. It was the first cat that looked tame enough to pet and I was so happy to be petting that I didn’t notice for the longest time that it only had three legs! One of my friends pointed this fact out to me and we all noticed it was a new wound because the cat (which I lovingly named Lady Guido) didn’t quite know how to walk without it yet. When we were let into our bed and breakfast, we all noticed a cat figurine on the mantle that had its leg broken off too! So funny! The owner was very sweet and she recommended a local restaurant for dinner. I had the best calzone of my life there and we all greatly enjoyed our first real Italian meal at this quaint restaurant. From our table we could see the cooks putting the pizzas into a brick oven! Very authentic! After a short night of sleep (that night was the European time change so we lost an hour) we awoke, packed up, said ciao to Lady Guido and headed to the leaning tower to take the stereotypical tourist picture holding up the tower! After our fun photo-shoot, we hopped on a train to Florence and in just 45 minutes time arrived to this beautiful city!

While in Florence, we stayed at a very nice hostel that gave us free breakfast and dinner every day! That evening we walked around the wonderful markets near our hostel and looked at the abundance of leather goods and “cashmere” scarves. The next morning we took a free walking tour with our hostel and was the amazing Duomo cathedral and other historic buildings and piazzas. On the third day I spent most of my time in line and in the Uffizi museum of Renaissance art! It was amazing to see Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” and “Primavera” in person! That afternoon the girls and I stopped for a chocolate covered waffle…one of the best things I have ever tasted!

We decided to take a day trip to the coastal towns of Chique Terre and hike along the paths overlooking the Mediterranean. There are five towns you can hike in between, or train, and we hiked the first three and trained the last. The weather was so beautiful and sunny, it only got cloudy as we were leaving! It was indescribably beautiful, so I’ll just put up lots of pictures for you!

We took a 4 and a half hour train to Rome for the last leg of our trip. The first evening we were there we just walked all around and saw the Pantheon (it was under reconstruction), visited the Trevi fountain and walked by the Coliseum. The next day, Good Friday, we had a tour of the Vatican! All the museums were so impressive and I absolutely loved the Sistine Chapel (although it was smaller than I thought it would be). Our tour guide thought we were not going to be able to get into St. Peter’s Cathedral because they were setting up for mass, but we were one of the last groups they let in! The cathedral was probably the most impressive one I have ever been in (and I’ve been in a lot in Europe)! The center altarpiece with its spiraled columns traditional of the baroque era was very spectacular and I saw so many nuns and bishops walking around getting ready for mass! That night, we went to the Coliseum because the Pope was doing some Good Friday procession and speech. I couldn’t technically see him because of all the thousands of people there, but we were in the same general place at the same time! Epic! Saturday we toured the Forum, Palatine Hill and the Coliseum. The weather was spectacularly sunny (although the entire time we were in Italy it was a little chilly because we were in the north) and I was just so awe stuck at seeing all of this historical Roman ruins! The Coliseum was of course very impressive and it made me want to watch Gladiator! Easter Sunday was the only day of the trip that it rained and by this time I had caught the cold that our group was passing around, so I caught up on sleep, visited one of the churches near our hotel and just relaxed and ate some of my last Italian food. Monday morning my friend and I checked out of the hotel, caught the bus to the airport and were back in Sevilla by that afternoon. When we got off the plane the weather was about 70 degrees and sunny! And it has pretty much been that way ever since! Italy was amazing! I saw some amazing historical monuments, ate gelato almost every day and got to travel with great people! Overall a very successful trip! Ciao!

Lady Guido!

Me holding up the leaning tower of Pisa!

The girls in Pisa!

My friend Robby's street in Pisa!

Replica David!

Street artist in Florence chalking the Girl With a Pearl Earring

Duomo in Florence

First glimpses of Chique Terre

Med. Coast!

Rocky Italian Coast!

Trail along Chique Terre

What a perfect day in Italy!

Me loving Chique Terre!

Crossing a bridge on the hike between the 5 Italian coastal cities of Chique Terre!

Chique Terre! Beautiful!

Italian coast!

Cute, colorful houses of Chique Terre!

View of Florence with the Duomo in the background!

Trevi fountain in Rome!

Pantheon under reconstruction...boo

Me with a Florence background!

Vatican Museum!

Chairs set up for Easter Mass at the Vatican!

St. Peter's Cathedral! HUGE!

Center Altar in St. Peter's...

St. Peter's Square...Vatican!

River in Rome!

The Angel on a tower pointing towards a clue in the Angels and Demons movie...haha

"Saw" the pope here on Good Friday!

Me at the Coliseum! Epic!

Palatine Hill... ancient Roman ruins!

The Forum

More Forum

Roman Theater

Coliseum!

Gladiator!

Cadiz and Málaga Weekend!

Last weekend, my awesome German roommate, Juliane and I along with some of her friends from school rented a car and decided to explore Andalucia! Driving in Spain is ridiculously scary because no one really obey’s traffic laws and everyone loves to speed! However, Juliane was a very safe driver and we made it all weekend with no accidents! Saturday morning we embarked upon a 2 hour car ride to Cadiz. Although it was overcast when we arrived, it was so nice to see Cadiz during the daylight hours as opposed to my last trip to Cadiz during our failed attempt at Carnival! The temperature was nice, not hot, but nice, so we walked along the coast for quite a while, enjoying the lovely Atlantic. We had lunch in a nice patio and I enjoyed paella and my favorite, croquetas! After lunch we went to some small museums of local artists and toured the Cathedral. We ended our day trip in Cadiz by sticking our feet into the freezing cold Atlantic (some crazy girls were actually swimming in it…the water was way to frigid for me) then we decided to stop by Jerez on the way back to Sevilla. Jerez is famous for their Sherry, but by the time we got there, everything was closing, so we walked around the center and enjoyed the quaint town for a bit, then headed home.

Sunday we started out early again this time to Malaga. The drive was about 3 hours, but it was through beautiful rolling hills that turned into the Sierra Nevada Mountains because Malaga is on the way to Granada. When we got to Malaga it was raining, so we headed straight for the Picasso Museum (he was born here in Malaga). We spent nearly two hours looking at his amazing works before our stomach’s got the best of us and we went in search of lunch. We ate at this quirky little coffee bar and I had a wonderful ham and cheese crepe! After lunch, we walked across the Plaza to Picasso’s house and toured the few rooms that were open…so awesome! It was a bit too cold and rainy to go to the coast, so instead, with the remaining time we had, we visited the Alcazaba, and explored its many towers, fountains and beautiful patios! We had the option of walking 25 minutes up hill to see more castles, but it was getting late and we were all pretty tired, so reluctantly we dismounted the lovely tower walls of the Muslim fortress and headed back to Sevilla (after we stopped for some pastries and coffee)!

I miss cars, so this trip was great! It’s so nice to be able to just hop into a vehicle and go when you want. I’m so glad that I have such an awesome roommate who isn’t afraid to navigate Spain’s crazy roadways! We tried listening to the radio on the way back…but the reception was bad going through the mountains…but all in all a great weekend! I will definitely be returning to Malaga when the sun is shining and its hot out, and since I’ve already done all of the touristy things, I can head straight for the beach!

The Girls in the park in Cadiz

Cat Juliane wouldn't let me pet in the park in Cadiz...

Crazy Dr. Seus tree in Cadiz

Ocean view in Cadiz

Cadiz Coast!

More Cadiz Coast

Enjoy the Atlantic Ocean breeze in Cadiz

Gabriel, Juliane and Courtney in Cadiz by some fortress

Me on the beach in Cadiz

Founder of a Sherry company in Jerez

Picasso's house in Málaga!

View of Málaga from the Alcazaba

Juliane and I in a tower in the Alcazaba in Málaga!

Granada!

Friday morning I had to wake up at 5:20am to be at the train station by 6:40am. It was a very early morning, but well worth it because after a nice nap on a three hour train ride, our group was in the beautiful Spanish city of Granada. It was a bit chilly when we arrived because the city is surrounded by the Sierra Nevada mountain range and in the distance, behind the beautiful Alhambra palace, you could see the snow capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada’s where people flock to ski. We started our day in Granada at a lovely little café for a wonderful breakfast of café con leche and some bread with the famous Iberian ham and delicious queso on it! Then we checked in the fabulous Hotel Carmon that had a balcony view of Corte Ingles a popular Spanish chain store (but we luckily could see the mountains as well). The rest of the afternoon we spent touring the quaint city, which, besides of my beloved Sevilla has been my favorite Spanish city. We wound through the old Muslim Barrios and enjoyed the sunny plazas and monuments of the city. The rest of the day we had free time, so we all ate our sandwiches in a sunny plaza and then toured the burial place of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand and walked in one of the most beautiful cathedrals I have ever witnessed in my life! It was enormous and had beautiful stained glass like the Cathedral in Sevilla, but the interior was filled with much more light, and the colors were more pastel and white, so everything looked so pure and bright. The center of the Cathedral had a beautifully painted blue dome with pinkish colored stars, emulating the Muslim style. That evening, we went up one of the hills for an amazing view of the Alhambra. I took a taxi up with my friend Stephanie because she hurt her foot, and we got there right before the sun set so we saw the Alhambra and the Sierra Nevada’s with the beautiful contrast of a pink and purple sky! Then, when it got dark, the Alhambra is well lit up and so beautiful to view! For dinner that evening we went to a nice restaurant and I had wonderful chicken with garlic and lemon sauce. Then we all went out for pastries at this “Willy-Wonka” type bakery and enjoyed some amazing desserts! Tired from the early start to the day, we called it an early night so we would be well rested for the Alhambra.

The Alhambra was breathtakingly beautiful situated on a hilltop surrounded by the picturesque white houses from the time of Muslim rule as well as the lovely mountains! We had a tour through the four palaces (there were seven but the French came a blew some up…ugg) and saw some beautiful courtyards and gardens as well as the lovely pools and fountains that are so Moorish in style. Also, the intricate details of the walls and ceilings as well as the very ornate and colorful tile work made me feel like I had stepped into another time! We saw the famous Court of Lions, but the landmark fountain with the twelve lions “guarding” the courtyard was under reconstruction, so I saw no lions. One of the best parts of our visit was going to the summer palace of the Alhambra called General Life. It is garden after garden of lovely shrubs and flowers and fountains. There was even a wedding taking place there during our tour and we saw the bride getting her picture taken in the gardens! The entire trip was amazing and I enjoyed visiting the wonderful Alhambra that I just read about in Washington Irving’s book: Tales of the Alhambra! He was the one who made the Alhambra so famous among tourists because of his book and now it is the most visited monument in Spain! Unfortunately we only had one night and two full days there, and caught the train back at 9pm, arriving back in Sevilla very late! Still, an amazing trip with wonderful pictures and memories to take back with me!

Cathedral in Granada!

Beautiful Ceilings in the Cathedral!

Bell Tower in Granada

View of the Alhambra Palace from a hilltop in Granada!

Stephanie, Claudia and I looking at the beautiful palace at night!

Oldest Part of the Alhambra

Me on top of the oldest tower in the Alhambra!

Old Muslim Neighborhood (view from the Alhambra)

Alhambra Palace

Wedding at the General Life!!!

Beautiful Muslim pools in the Alhambra

Fountain in the General Life garden!

At the Washington Irving Statue in the Alhambra!

Barcelona! Crazy Place!

Gaudi, Gaudi, Gaudi! Definitely my favorite part of Barcelona was the unique and crazy Gaudi architecture! We visited Sagrada Familia (his famous unfinished Cathedral), park Guell, another park of his where he built this huge fountain monument thing, and two of his famous houses! Friday, our first full day in Barcelona, the sun was shinning and it was a beautiful warm day! We started off this lovely day by walking down Las Ramblas (a crazy street full of performers and vendors) and finding the Market…so lively and colorful. Next we headed straight for Park Guell. The interestingly out of place gingerbread type houses at the entrance made me feel like I was entering a land of Dr. Seuss or Alice in Wonderland! Then you go further into the park where all the people are and can sit on the long curvy mosaic bench and look out over all of Barcelona! I could have spent all weekend just in that park! Saturday we toured La Sagrada Familia! The nature inspired interior was amazing, even unfinished! The stained glass was absolutely stunning and the geometric religious figures that decorated the exterior were so interestingly new! Later that day, I went to the Picasso Museum where his earlier work (before cubism) is kept. It was so interesting to read about Picasso before he became famous for his cubism. When he was young and just starting to study, a lot of his works were of landscapes and he used pastels and blurred lines. How much he evolved! Saturday evening we walked along the beaches (which were not there prior to the Barcelona Olympics I found out…the sand was imported from Egypt to make miles and miles of coast for the tourist that came for the games) and although it was too cold to swim, the scenery was lovely! We ended our day at another park where Gaudi built this amazing fountain…more like a waterfall with mythical statues and creatures of gold decorating it! Despite the somewhat rainy weather and cold, Barcelona was a very interesting city…very big with such diverse people and language (I couldn’t even begin to understand Catalan) that it was hard to take it all in…but I still love my city of Sevilla the most! Something about it is comforting and charming. Maybe its because my phone was pick pocketed in Barcelona or that everyone spoke English to us even if we started a conversation in Spanish…but I’m glad I got to experience the crazy-ness that is Barcelona!

Market off Las Ramblas!

Park Guell!

Me posing on Gaudi's bench in Park Guell!

Flat designed by Gaudi!

"Magic Fountain" -the lights and music and water change and create an awesome show!

Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia

Standing at La Sagrada Familia

Beautiful Stained Glass in La Sagrada Familia

Sand artists at the beach! Playing with Egyptian sand!

Part of the Olympic Village when it was in Barc. in 2004

Chilling with an elephant in a park in Barc.

In front of Gaudi's amazing fountain!