Italia! And Barca Lately

Hi everyone!  I'm sorry I haven't been a very loyal blogger lately!  I got back from Italy on Sunday and have had a busy week!

Italy was amazing and so beautiful!!!  We left Saturday at 6 am for the airport and made it to Rome smoothly.  Our hostel was about 5 minutes from the train station, so we walked there and checked in - Mabri, the guy who checked us in, was so helpful!  He basically planned our whole time in Rome for us.  After putting our bags down, we went for our first Italian meal, and the waiter spoke no English!  He basically told us that we didn't need to order, he would just bring us a few dishes of their best pastas.  We had no idea what to expect, but it was so delicious!  Afterward, we explored around Rome and saw some of the famous piazzas.  We called it an early night because we were all tired from walking all day and traveling.

The next day was our busiest day in Rome.  We stood in line for about 2 hours early in the morning to get tickets to the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum.  It was absolutely incredible!  This was one of my favorite days in Rome.  I had gotten a Rome guide book at the Rome airport, so I just followed the tour in the guidebook and wandered through the forum and read about everything.  Afterward, we were starving so we went to a restaurant pretty close to the Colosseum, and I had the best bruschetta of my life!!!  It was so good.  We took it easy the rest of the day - we rested in our hostel for a while, and then went to the Trevi Fountain; it was even more beautiful than I remembered.  It was surreal being there!  After that, we met up with some other Tech people at the Spanish steps who were in Rome on a different program.  We all sat on the steps and then walked around Rome to see all of the sites at night - it was so beautiful.  

Day three was our Vatican day!  Lucy and I got up early to head to the Vatican, and we ended up being talked into joining a tour of the museums and the Sistine chapel.  It ended up being worth every penny though!  Our guide was great, and he was British so he was easy to understand.  I absolutely loved the Vatican.  I think I was too young to truly appreciate it the first time I was in Rome.  I was just awe struck throughout the whole thing, especially in the Sistine chapel.  We went to St. Peter's Basilica after that, which (again) was so amazing.  I know I say that about everything, but this Basilica was truly breathtaking.  Lucy and I just wandered around inside for a good hour or so.  After that, we picked up some caprese sandwiches to go and walked to the Pantheon.  The Pantheon wasn't as beautiful as some of the other sites (but it was hard to compare after coming from St. Peters), but it was still amazing to see.  After that, we met back up with the rest of the group and got dinner at a famous pizzeria.  I got a margherita pizza with onions, very yummy!  That night, a few of us went back to the Trevi Fountain again just to sit for a few hours and eat gelato.  This was one of my favorite nights!  It was so pretty and relaxing.  After that, we went back to the hostel since we had an early train to catch in the morning.

The next day, we woke up early to go to the train station and catch our train to Florence!  It went smoothly, and we got to Florence around 10 am.  That first day, we mostly just explored/walked around and shopped.  I was amazed how much I remembered from when I was there last time!  I even recognized restaurants and shops!  That night, we got food to go from a small restaurant and brought it to the center of town to eat by the Duomo.  I had penne with pesto - SO GOOD!  It was the freshest, best pesto I've ever had!  Then we walked down to the river and sat by the Ponte Vecchio on a ledge that overlooked the whole river and ate gelato.  We sat there for a good two hours just looking at the view, it was so beautiful!  The river in Florence was much prettier than in Rome.  Afterward, we went back to the hostel to go to bed.

The next day was our day trip day - four of us went to Pisa and Siena.  Pisa was our first stop, and we took the train again with no problems!  It was just a short walk from the train station to the main area of Pisa where the leaning tower and the Duomo and Basilica are.  It was so cool to see the leaning tower again!  It truly is amazing and crazy looking.  And the whole area is so pretty, the grass is bright green and it was a beautiful day when we went.  We spent about two hours looking around, and then went for a pizza lunch.  After that, we went back to the train station to catch our train to Siena.  I absolutely looooved Siena.  I enjoyed every second I was there - it was so much quieter and serene than everywhere else we had been in Italy at that point.  The main square was so pretty, and the bell tower was amazing.  First, we went to a restaurant in the main square for coffee and snacks, and we sat their for an hour or two.  Then we got up to walk around all of the shops in the square and check out the bell tower.  We found out that it cost 8 euro to go inside, so no one wanted to pay to do that. :( Instead, we spread out a blanket in the square and just enjoyed the scenery some more, and I was perfectly fine with that - I could have spent days just sitting in the square!  Around 7 o'clock, we started walking back to the train station and looking for a restaurant along the way.  We ended up at a B&B, and the food was really good!  I got bruschetta, what's new!  Then we went to the train station and got there a bit early, so we went to the supermarket to buy snacks and drinks.  We hopped on the train and munched and talked, and it was such a nice train ride!  We got back to Florence around midnight and went to bed after our long day.

The next day, our whole group took a day trip to Cinque Terra, but Hannah and I wanted a day to be on our own and enjoy Florence!  We slept in and then went for a croissant breakfast, and then we headed back to the markets to meander and take our time!  We bought some souvenir type things, and then went shopping at some of the bigger stores like H&M and Zara.  We even went in a few of the designer stores to try some clothes on!  It was a lot of fun.  We were exhausted from all of our shopping, so we decided to go back to the restaurant where I had the delicious pesto and eat inside the restaurant since we took it to go last time.  We both got the pesto again, and it was just as good the second time!  We had some delicious bread and olio too! :)  After lunch, we went back to the hostel to clean up and put down all of our things and rest.  Later that evening, we decided to walk around a different area of Florence and try a restaurant that someone at the hostel recommended.  This was literally my favorite bruschetta!!!  Even better than the one in Rome!  Usually the bruschetta just had tomato and garlic and spices (and sometimes mozzarella), but this one was different - it had tomato, red onion (!), cucumber, mozzarella, and all kinds of fresh herbs.  Hannah got a cheesy pasta that was also fantastic.  After dinner, we went to a street that was supposed to be fun for night life, and went to a club for a little bit.  We didn't stay out long since it was just the two of us, but we had a lot of fun!  Then we went home to go to bed and get ready for our last day in Florence.

On our last day in Florence, Lucy and I went back to the main square to climb the bell tower.  The view was amazing - you could see all of Florence from above.  I got some good pictures!  After that, we walked over the the river and actually crossed the Ponte Vecchio to explore the other side.  We wandered and ate snacks, and then we walked around the outside of the Piti Palace.  That night, we got kebabs (we had to compare to the kebabs in Barca! and they weren't nearly as good!) and went to the Piazza Michaelangelo to watch the sunset.  It was a great last day in Florence.

On Saturday, we started our whirlwind trip to Venice!  We got on a train and arrived around 10 in the morning.  Our hostel was literally about a 5 minute walk from the train station which was super nice.  After we checked in, we went to a cafeteria style restaurant that the woman from our hostel recommended.  It was so good!!  I had a penne pasta with a salad and bread roll.  After lunch, we spent the day wandering the streets of Venice and shopping.  It was beautiful weather, and such a pleasant and relaxing day.  Venice was just as gorgeous as I remembered!  That night, we went back to the hostel to clean up, then went for a nice dinner since it would be our last Italian meal :(  I had roasted chicken and potatoes, very tastey!  After dinner, we got some gelato and headed back to the hostel to go to sleep and pack.

 It felt good to get back to Onix on Sunday!  Italy was amazing, but it was nice to get back to my laptop and my room.  Since I got home, I've been doing school work and my regular Barca activities.  Thursday night was a holiday in Spain called Noche de Sant Joan, so our Thursday evening and Friday classes were canceled!  On Thursday night, everyone went to the beach to celebrate the holiday.  There were sooo many people and fireworks everywhere!  It is a tradition to go in the water at midnight, so everyone went swimming in the dark - it was so much fun!  After the beach party, we came back to Onix and had quesadillas :)

My friend Jessica came to visit Barcelona from Paris on Saturday!  We've been so busy...I will write another blog post later about our trip to Ibiza this past weekend!  We got back around 1 am last night, so I am a little worn out.  But I promise not to take so long for my next post :)  On Sunday, it's off to Vienna and Prague!

As always, love and miss you all!!! xoxoxo

P.S. I'll add pictures later - I have to run to class now!

Lots of Updates! :)

Hola!

I've been trying to sit down and write a blog but this is the first chance I've gotten since Amsterdam!  They've kept us really busy with school this week.

Where to start with Amsterdam...it was INCREDIBLE!  We were in a huge rush on Friday when we left because our flight left Barcelona at 3 and we didn't get out of class until 1:30!  But we pretty much ran to the airport, and our flight turned out to be late so we had plenty of time.  We got to Amsterdam around 7:30ish and took a tram and a train to get to our HILTON!  The hostels in Amsterdam were so expensive that it was cheaper to get a hotel room and split it between all of us (7 of us went).  We crowded into one tiny room, but it was still SO nice!  The shower was huge and there were down comforters that were soooo comfy!  It was quite an adventure to get by with the hotel room since only 2 people were supposed to be in the room! :)  I checked in with just one of the guys, and the rest of us had to go in and out in shifts the whole time!  It was really funny, and quite a tight squeeze!  But it was a ton of fun just being in a nice room - Onix is not quite a 4 star hotel!

All of us in our tiny room! 

After we got the hotel, we set our bags down and showered and then went to hunt for some good food - we were starving after a long travel day.  We wandered a bit past our hotel, and we loved every minute of the walk.  It stayed sunny till about 10:30 in Amsterdam!  It was so beautiful - quaint town homes, shops, and cafes everywhere.  It was almost like a cross between Venice and somewhere in the northeast, like Maine.  The whole city is built around canals, which are so gorgeous.  Anyway, we found a fun area after about 15 minutes of walking, and we sat down outside at a pub.  We had no idea what to expect with the food, but oh my goodness, what a pleasant surprise...I had one of the best cheeseburgers of my life!!!!  And it came with a huge pile of fresh fries and salad!  I hadn't been that full since I left home, I was so happy!  And it was so nice and relaxing outside.  Amsterdam is probably the most laid back place I've ever been to!  People just sit around and talk and relax - it was a nice change from the bustling cafes/bars in Barca.  

A pretty house on our walk!

This is what it looks like all over Amsterdam - so beautiful!

After dinner, we walked a little further into the city and found a crowded, cool area with lots of people out and about.  There were tons of bars and "coffee" shops...we went into one of the shops and they asked for our ID's, so we figured something a little strange was going on - when we got menus, it was literally all full of different kinds of marijuana, they didn't even have drinks on the menu!!!  We were all shocked, and it was so strange!  But don't worry, I didn't have any!  Just a hot chocolate for me :)  But it was such a cool experience, I will definitely never forget it.  After the coffee shop, we walked a little more around the city and then went back to the hotel to go to sleep.

We woke up early on Saturday because we wanted to pack in as much as possible!  First on the agenda was breakfast - we just walked into a random cafe and I had a chocolate croissant and latte, what's new :)  But oh my gosh, I have never tasted a croissant so good in my life!!!  It was better than Barcelona, and the latte was amazing!  There was chocolate sprinkled on top in the shape of a feather, so pretty!

Delicious croissant and latte!

After breakfast, we went exploring and just walked around for a while.  We got to the center of the city, and we decided to go on a canal cruise.  It was so fun!  It was beautiful, and we got to see most of the city from the water, which was awesome.  After the canal cruise, we wandered into a random pub nearby and had yet another fabulous meal - i got a sandwich with mozzarella, pesto, and pine nuts, and a Heineken of course!  After lunch, we went to the Heineken museum.  We had a blast!!!  The first part was mostly learning about how the beer was made and seeing the different processes, and the second half was so fun - there were all these tasting stations and there were actual bars/clubs/lounges in the museum!  We had a blast and hung out in the lounges for a while.  Our next stop was the Van Gogh musem.  It was incredible!  There were 3 floor of paintings, and it was surreal to see everything.  I loved it.  After that, we went back to the hotel to shower and headed out for the night!  We went to a Tex Mex restaurant in the same district as the coffee house from Friday, and it was soooo good!  It felt so good to get my Mexican food fix :)  We had fajitas and nachos!  After dinner, we tried to find a fun club, but we were not impressed after being spoiled by Barca discotecas! :) We called it an early night again and went back to our lovely Hilton and went to sleep for the night.

Hannah and me on our canal cruise!

Daddy, none of these looked as good as your baguettes ;)

Pretty boats on the canal

There was a mini "I AMsterdam" sign outside the Hilton

We woke up early on Sunday again and checked out of the hotel.  It was a rainy day outside, but it was actually really nice!  It was cool and refreshing, and we were all fine since we brought raincoats.  We tried another random cafe for breakfast, and this was truly fantastic food.  We all split a large baker's basket that came with all different kinds of bread - Daddy you would have loved it!!!  But nothing was as good as your bread ;)  There all different spreads on the table too - jams, chocolate, white chocolate, butters.  I also ordered french toast...no words to describe it!  It was so delicious.  They don't serve syrup with anything, but it didn't need it at all.  We left with full bellies to look for a taxi to go to the Anne Frank museum.  Unfortunately, we didnt realize there would be a long line, and we didn't end up having time to go because of our flight.  Instead, we went back to our favorite pub from Friday night, and I got a Strongbow and some potato & leek soup - again, it was to die for!  I was seriously in heaven with all the food!!!  I loved absolutely everything I ate!  After one last meal, we had to head to the airport.  None of us were ready to come back to Barca because we were loving Amsterdam so much!!  Our flight home was smooth, but my guard was down a bit (as far as pickpocketing) from Amsterdam, and I actually was almost pickpocketed in the metro station on the way home.  Thankfully, I felt the guy's hand in my bag and turned around and caught him before he took anything.  It was so scary though!  I had to stop and collect myself afterwards before getting on the next train!  It definitely felt good to get "home" to Onix.

Best french toast ever!

Hannah and me in the Amsterdam rain on Sunday morning

Potato and leek soup - AMAZING!

Hannah and me again!  Having one last meal before heading home.

I've been really busy with school again this week.  Architecture is a ton of work, and our teacher is a bit difficult.  But almost everyone on the program is in the architecture classes, so we band together.  I think they're piling on the work and being harder on us because we have a week off next week.

This may be my last blog post before my Italy trip next week!  I won't have my computer there, so I will write a giant post when I get home!  :)  I'm leaving on Saturday and coming home the next Sunday.  I am soooo excited!!!  We're going to Rome, Florence, and Venice.  This time, we're roughing it in hostels!  I can't wait.

I hope everyone is doing well!  I miss you guys lots!!!  Can't wait to update everyone after Italy!

Adios Barca, bonjourno Roma!!!! :)

All my love! xoxo

End of Week 3!

Hola!  Hope everyone's week was good! :)  Mine has been good so far!  It has been rainy and a bit chilly here in Barcelona, but it's kind of a nice change not to be dripping with sweat after trekking to school!

I'm going to Amsterdam tomorrow!!!  I am so excited!  This is the first time I've left Barcelona since I got here - we're all kind of sad to be missing a Barcelona weekend because there's lots going on around the city as usual!  So we tried to take advantage of some things during the week.  On Monday night after school, a group of us went to the gothic district to walk around.  I love the gothic district because there are tons of cute shops and cafes, and it is absolutely beautiful.  It's a big system of alleys and tall, amazing, old buildings.  We went into a club a little later and it was so much fun!  They played American 60's/70's music like Grease and Abba, we all loved it!  Tuesday evening I had a lot of work to do, but my friend made a big pasta dinner with chorizo and peppers that was delicious!  Then last night we went for kebabs and went to another famous club in an area of the city that we had never been before.  The club was amazing as usual!  Now I'm sitting in the cafe at school eating patatas bravas (YUM) and waiting for my Spanish class to start in a few hours.  It's a nice relaxing day :)

Our flight leaves for Amsterdam tomorrow at 3 - it should be an adventure!  We're all crowding into a hotel room (there are 7 of us going) because hostels are so expensive in Amsterdam.  And we get back to Barcelona around 9 on Sunday.  I will write all about it when I get back!

Love you all!  Have a good weekend!  :)