Reflections

Fast forward a couple weeks and here I am starting to pack everything up to leave in two days :( I can't believe it's really time to go. I've learned so much and have had too many adventures to count over the past five months. And even though I'm so sad to leave, I know I'll be back here. Madrid really does feel like home now. With that, I'm off to enjoy my final 48 hours! Thanks so much to everyone who's been cheering me on throughout this aventura of a semester. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Here are some pics from the fun Madrid things I've been doing the past couple of weeks. See you all on Thursday!

 

Row boating in Retiro

¡Hala Madrid!

Huevos rotos omg

The final discoteca night

Drinks at the Penthouse Bar

Madrid, hasta pronto...

Barcelona and Sevilla

Over the first two weekends in May, I visited Barcelona and Sevilla with friends. In Barcelona, we visited the Sagrada Familia and other Gaudí landmarks, walked through La Boquería market, and spent a day at the beach. I traveled with Sam and Gillian, and we met up with one of Gillian's friends from home there. It was a really fun weekend and such a cool city to walk through!

The crew at Park Guell 

 

View from the top of Park Guell

Beach day!

The next weekend, Sam and I took the high-speed Ave train from Madrid to Sevilla. One of my best Ramah friends, Josh, has been studying in Sevilla all semester so he showed us around and hung out all weekend. So fun to have a weekend reunion with him in Spain! Sevilla is so charming and pretty, and waaay smaller than Madrid. It definitely has a different feel but I liked it a lot. Over the weekend we saw the main landmarks: the Alcázar, which is sort of like a smaller Alhambra, and the Catedral de Sevilla, one of the largest cathedrals in the world. We also walked around Plaza España and by the river. We had a really fun weekend even though it was HOT out - like low 90s every day. Woah. Oh and the last day there we saw a bullfight! It was cool to go and partake in such a Spanishy tradition but the actual bullfight was gross.

With Josh on top of the Torre de Oro

Toro vs. matador

Catching up

Sorry!! I have seriously been slacking on this blog. But I have been very happily busy the past month and a half :) April was filled with school and lots of traveling, including weekends in Amsterdam, Galicia, Bilbao, and San Sebastian. Here are some quick recaps:

Amsterdam was a lot of fun. Highlights included the beautiful canals and biker-friendly streets, the Van Gogh museum and Anne Frank house, legal marijuana, and a free boat ride with a friendly Dutch man and his friends.

With our new Dutch friends on their boat!

The following weekend, my program took an overnight train to Galicia, a region on the northwest coast of Spain. It was great to all be together for a weekend and Galicia is beautiful. We hiked part of the Camino de Santiago, which is a Catholic pilgrimage trail that starts in the south of France and ends in Santiago de Compostela, the city where we stayed in Galicia. We also spent a day in a little fisherman's town on the coast of the Atlantic and had fresh and delicious seafood.

The Atlantic coast of Galicia

Pulpo, anyone?

Playing in the gardens

After Galicia, mom and dad came to visit! We had the best time. We spent 3 days in Madrid, then flew north to visit Bilbao and San Sebastian. They are awesome travel buddies. We loved the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao and had fun going pintxo hopping in San Sebastian for dinner. I'm not sure if I've ever seen my dad happier than when we found a pintxos (similar to tapas) bar in San Sebastian that specialized in anchovies. Here are some pics from our week:

Dinner in Madrid

Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid

Me and a big dog made of grass

So April was a crazy month. The last week in April I had a couple final exams and finished up with classes. Then the first two weekends in May I traveled to Barcelona and Sevilla and will post about those trips soon! Thanks for reading and sorry this is so late!

Last Stop: Vienna!

Friday morning Gillian and I found our way to the Prague train station and hopped on a 4 hour train to Vienna. I loved taking the train between the two cities - in between my shlufs it was so nice to look out the window and see snowy mountains and quaint little European towns. We got to Wien in the afternoon and checked into our hostel, which had a really cool and friendly vibe and was conveniently located right next to the Naschmarkt, Vienna's big outdoor market that seemed to me like a less overwhelming and more food-focused version of the Rastro in Madrid. Once we put our stuff down, we picked up a city map from the front desk and went out to walk around the city center. I could not get over how beautiful the city was! On every street there was another gorgeous building. We walked by the University of Vienna, where my cousin Josh works. I was so bummed that he and Hagit happened to be in Israel for Pesach during my stay in Vienna! It would have been so nice to be with them there. He did send me a lot of great recommendations though which we used throughout our visit. For dinner, we got a recommendation from our hostel for a nearby Italian restaurant. It was a really cute hole in the wall place and me and Gillian shared a romantic candle-lit dinner of yummy wine and pasta. When we asked for the check, our waiter insisted that the three of us first take a shot of grappa together. Didn't have to ask us twice...and it was on the house! Score.

Date night

Important German words

The next day we took the metro to go see the Schonbrunn palace, which was beautiful. As Josh described it, "a mini-Versailles." We spent some time walking around and then came back to walk around and get lunch in the Naschmarkt. Loved walking through it, seeing and tasting everything. After lunch we went to see the Albertina museum. It was an interesting collection with everything from Rubens and Rembrandt to Monet, Chagall, and Picasso. Then we went back to the hostel to rest and change for our night at the Musikverein! Before leaving for spring break, we bought tickets to see the Vienna Symphony perform at this beautiful music hall, and I'm so glad we decided to. We dressed up and walked over and found our seats, which were up behind the orchestra and next to the organ. Not the best view, but we could see most of the orchestra from behind. The hall was so gorgeous and the acoustics were amazing. The program included 3 Verdi overtures, 2 Puccini overtures, William Tell, and a Respighi piece. They sounded incredible and it was such a cool experience. All I could think about was how much I wished Grandma Marilyn could've been sitting there with me. I know she would have whispered a loud "Bravo!" before the applause started and that she could have told me the names of each piece after only a few notes were played. I missed her especially that night and know that she would have been excited to hear about it, and also so proud of Paul for soloing with the HPHS orchestra in Costa Rica that same week!

Musikverein

The next day was Easter Sunday, so not much was open in Vienna. It was also really cold and snowing! So we decided to go to the Jewish museum. It has two buildings, one of which has more of a historical focus and the other one more about modern Jewish life and the Holocaust. It's been really interesting to see these Jewish areas in all three cities I visited this week. For lunch we had Wiener schnitzel! Pretty good, but doesn't come close to my cousin Bela's schnitzel. After lunch we went to see the Freud museum, which is actually a tour of his old apartment. Very cool. The rest of the afternoon we walked around the city but then got too cold and went back to hang out at the hostel. Took it easy that night and went to the airport the next morning to go back to Madrid!

I'd say our Semana Santa travels were extremely successful. I loved all three cities and had such a great time exploring each one. I think I have officially caught the travel bug. Buuut I must say that after 10 days of Eurotripping I was seriously missing Madrid and so excited to come back! Upon my return Ana cooked me a welcome back dinner and I told her everything about my trip. Well, that concludes my spring break recap! Now back to being a Madrileña.

Czeching out Prague

Our travels went smoothly and we arrived Tuesday night to Prague. A little disorienting being in a country where we don't speak a word of the language and are unfamiliar with the currency, but that's all part of the aventura! Our first night we stayed with Gillian's camp friend who's studying there. One thing we noticed right away was the climate change...Prague was freezing and snowy! The next morning we took the metro into Old Town to check into our hostel. This was my first hostel experience so I was a little nervous, but it ended up working out really well. It was located a few minutes walking from the center of old town, and we shared a room with two older girls traveling together (one from Northbrook!) and a boy studying abroad in Rome and traveling by himself. After checking in, we walked to old town square to meet up with my friend Sara who is studying here for the semester. Side note: having friends in so many European countries is the best! She took us to one of her favorite lunch spots, then we went up to the top of the astronomical clock tower in old town square where we got some awesome views of the city. Afterwards, we walked by a "sex machine museum" and thought it would be a good idea to go in. Ummm I'll keep the summary to a minimum cause Papa Bill might be reading this but basically it was terrifying and we all left semi-traumatized. Soo to lift our spirits we walked around the Easter market that was set up in old town square! For our afternoon snack in the market we got trdelniks, a typical Czech pastry. Yum. In the afternoon we went to the Kafka museum, then back to the hostel to rest a little. For dinner we went with some Prague abroad friends to a really good vegetarian restaurant and then out to some bars.

View of the Easter market from the clock tower

The next day, Gillian and I walked to the Charles Bridge and over into New Town. There we went to see the John Lennon wall, which people have created graffiti art on since the 1980s. Then we came back into old town for lunch and went to see the Jewish quarter. We went into a synagogue that was built in the 13th century which was really cool. I don't have so much knowledge about Jewish history in central Europe, but it always amazes me how Jewish life has existed in so many parts of the world. I happened to overlap in Prague that night with one of my closest Ramah friends, Ilana, who's studying abroad in Jerusalem, so I met up with her for dinner which was so much fun.

Music on the Charles Bridge

Making my mark on the Lennon wall!

Despite the cold, Prague was a really cool city to visit. I think my one complaint would be the smoking indoors. I didn't realize how much I appreciated Madrid's ban on indoor smoking until I noticed it in Prague...after every dinner and bar my clothes and hair were soo smoky! Yuck. After dinner with Ilana, Gillian and I came back to the hostel to pack up for our morning train ride to Vienna. Wien here we come!

Paris

We had 10 days off last week for Semana Santa, so I packed my cool traveler's backpack (thanks Debbie!) and set out with my friend Gillian to explore a few new cities. First stop on our Eurotour? Paris! I think it would've been pretty hard to top the few days in Paris I had with my dad last year, but this Paris weekend was also really great. We arrived late Friday night at CDG airport and, after a few not so friendly encounters with French airport employees and a lot of confusion, finally made it via the RER train to our hotel. We only stayed there the first night because the other three we stayed with our WashU friends Jonny and Taylor, who are studying in Paris for the semester. Our first full day was Saturday, and Jonny met us at our hotel to give us our own personal walking tour of the city. First things first though, stopped at a cafe for chocolate croissants and coffee. Even though the coffee in Paris is like 3 drips into a cup made for babies. But the croissant was excellent. Then we took the metro into more of the city center and went to see Notre Dame, and then took a long walk along the Senne toward the Louvre. We got really lucky with the weather while we were in Paris - Saturday was beautiful and surprisingly warm, and it didn't rain once the whole 4 days we were there. For lunch, I met up with Lisa who is also studying abroad here. It was so nice to see her and compare our abroad experiences! After lunch we decided to take advantage of the beautiful day so we bought a bottle of wine and sat in the grass right outside the Eiffel tower. So French! We hung out there for a while then met back up with Jonny and Gillian and the four of us went to dinner. Perfect first day.

Reunited with Lisa! See the Eiffel in the background?

On Sunday Gillian and I woke up early and got on a train to go see Versailles. On our walk there from the train station, we accidentally ran into this huge outdoor market filled with fruit, meats, cheeses, and flowers. It seemed like mostly locals were there, bustling about and grocery shopping and tasting the different offerings. So we walked around there for a while before walking the rest of the way to Versailles. Using our student visas and line-budging savvy (oops) we barely had to wait to get into the palace and got in for free! Inside Versailles, sometimes I felt like I was in Grandma Shirley's house because everything was so fancy and beautiful and also I wasn't allowed to touch anything. That lady had good taste!

For lunch Jonny took us to Marais, the Jewish quarter, for falafel! It was so fun to walk around there and see people and shops getting ready for Pesach. Later in the day Gillian and I went to Sacre Cour, which was so beautiful and had great views overlooking the city. For dinner, we went out with Jonny, Taylor, and some other WashU friends who are in Paris.  On Monday morning, Gillian and I went to the Louvre and l'Orangerie. We saw some great paintings in the Louvre, but I really just found it so crowded and overwhelming and wasn't so upset when we decided to leave. Orangerie, on the other hand, I loved. They had Monet's water lilies on exhibit, and we sat in that room just looking at them for so long. After our museum morning we met up with Taylor and had a delicious afternoon snack at Angelina. Then we walked along Champs Elysees up to the Arc de Triomphe.

Sacre Cour

Me and Gillian outside the Louvre

Monday night was the first night of Pesach, and I was lucky enough to get to go to a seder in Paris! Backstory: Gabby, a girl in Gillian's sorority at WashU who graduated last year lives in Paris with her family, and she invited us over when she heard we'd be in town for Pesach. Also, her mom writes for the New York Times (casual) and wrote this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/20/dining/solving-the-passover-puzzle-in-paris.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0 right before we came! They live in a gorgeous apartment in Montmarte, and the family was so warm and welcoming to me and Gillian even though I had never met Gabby before. Seder guests included: Gabby and her parents, their American cousins, her mom's French research assistant, and Gabby's French boyfriend. Her dad led the seder with a Haggadah written in Hebrew, French, and English. We went around the table taking turns reading from it in three languages which was so cool. Dinner was delicious and overall it was an incredible experience!

The Seder table!

Tuesday came up fast and we packed up our things at Jonny and Taylor's to get ready for our next stop on our trip. We were both sad to leave Paris but had such a wonderful weekend there with great friends. Next stop - Prague!

St. Patrick's Day!

Last weekend, I was fortunate enough to experience the jolly green blur that is St Patrick's Day in Dublin. After traveling to Ireland two years ago with one of my WashU classes and falling in love with the place, people, and culture, I couldn't wait to go back. We arrived in the land of the leprechaun on Friday morning with plenty of time to go out and explore. After checking into our hotel, Adi, Elena, Shelly, and I took the shuttle into the city center and went straight to Trinity college. The campus was just as beautiful as I remember it, with old stone buildings bordering lush grassy areas. We went in to see the Book of Kells, a manuscript containing the four gospels of the New Testament that was created around the year 800. Even though I'd seen and learned about it in my class two years ago, I still couldn't help but marvel at the lavish decoration and intricate calligraphy.

Throughout the weekend, we used our mornings to walk around the city and see the sights, including St. Patrick's Cathedral and Dublin Castle. Later in the afternoons, we'd venture into the lively Temple Bar area to check out the pubs and mingle in the streets. It seriously seemed like everyone and their mother was in Dublin this weekend. I ran into people from so many different parts of my life, it was honestly a little disorienting! A ton of WashU friends were there, either visiting from other study abroad countries or from St. Louis for spring break. I also had several HPHS reunions with random people I haven't seen in years. This made for an extremely touristy nightlife experience (it truly felt at times like there were more Americans in Dublin than Irish people) but it was great to see friends and hear about other abroad experiences.

Beautiful Dublin Castle

So happy to run into Brooke!

Monday was a holiday in Madrid, which meant we were able to stay in Dublin on Sunday which was officially St. Patty's day. Despite the early morning snowstorm (??) people filled the main city streets to watch the parade, which was complete with music, dancers, floats, and crazy green displays. It was so much fun to watch. Afterward, we continued our weekend pattern of wandering in and out of bars, running into friends on the streets, and enjoying the Irish cheer. A highlight of the weekend, though, was in one of the less touristy bars in the Temple Bar area on Saturday afternoon. A group of my friends found our way inside to warm up and refill, and there happened to be a live musician just starting up his set. He was amazing - just a guy and a guitar, but he played for hours and sang the best singalong songs (Country Road, Hey Jude, Wonderwall)...so we stayed through the afternoon singing loudly and dancing along in the crowded but comfortable pub.

Ringing in St Patty's with the locals

So the weekend was a lot of fun, but needless to say I was exhausted and ready to get back to Madrid come Monday morning. Now it's Thursday and I'm leaving tomorrow for my spring break travels! I can't believe it's already Semana Santa...can someone please get the time to slow down? Paris, Prague, Vienna...here I come!