Elizabeth Did Europe!

That's right. I'm home. I did it.

I thought my blog needed a "the end" to it, and a "thanks for reading."
I've been home for about a month now and it all seems a bit like a dream. It has been so wonderful to see friends and family, although I never know quite how to respond to "HOW WAS SPAIN?!!"

It was the time of my life.

But I know that my adventures will never come to an end. I now have even bigger hopes and dreams, and my overseas experience has given me all the more confidence to accomplish them. I miss Barcelona already but know that I will return.


Things have certainly been eventful back in the land-locked state. There have been graduations, weddings, new jobs, get-togethers, new apartment. It's been wonderful.

Elaine graduated!



Family barbecue...


Reunited with friends...


Weddings... (yay Christine!)



But as far as I will travel, I will always remember
There's no place like home.

Ciao from Rome!

I love Italy. I arrived in Rome Friday, and since then have seen major monuments, Roman ruins, the ancient city of Pompeii, the beach, the Vatican, and much much more. But before diving in to gelato and pizza, first let me backtrack to my last week in Barcelona.

My goodbye to Barcelona was certainly tearful, but the last week was absolutely perfect. I know I say this all the time, but time really does fly. Before I knew it, everything started to become my LAST this and my LAST that. I took my favorite strolls down streets and sat in sunny plazas. I went to a huge and crazy market, that sold everything from underwear to fishing reels to used books. Saturday was the last hoorah at the club. Sunday we made brunch, which would be more accurately described as a feast--pancakes, fruit salad, pastries, cheese, Spanish tortilla, eggs, we had it all.



I sat in my favorite cafe, went to all my favorite places, and did all my favorite things and spent as much time as possible with all my favorite people. It was magical. Somewhere between there I finished finals too. On the last day, we picked up some groceries and walked to the beach for a picnic and some sunshine. Between munching on my favorite Spanish junk food (I miss you Principe cookies!), and chatting with amigas, and saying "no gracias" to the massage ladies and tatoo offers, I soaked up a bit too much sun. In the words of my host dad "Elizabeth! You look like a shrimp!" After the beach I had my last coffee date (like I said everything was turning into "last;" so dramatic) with my dear friend Missy. I then sat in Placa Nova, my favorite plaza, thinking back on the semester and how wonderful the ride has been. I could go on and be all philosophical and share my deep feelings about study abroad and my experience, but I will save it for another time and keep it light (and spare you the boredom).

That night my host parents surprised Kari and I by taking us out to dinner. They were such wonderful hosts and I will miss our little apartment together. I'll never forget Isabel's singing while she cooks, the chocolate pudding they always gave us after dinner, all the conversations lost in translation, how annoying the doorbell was, how tiny the shower was, how great the food was, and much much more.


With a sun-burned, tear-streaked face, I headed to the airport to go to Rome.



Rome has been wonderful. Tomorrow is my last day in the city before my red-eye flight Friday morning to the states. I love the city's richness in history and culture (and food) but am quickly learning getting around takes some patience. Take this for example: My overweight bag and I arrived to find out that the buses were not running that day. Jessica and I had to find our own way home from the train station, which involved going up 5,892,427 stairs. After walking around for over an hour hauling four months worth of possessions, some nice Italian men helped us up the stairs. Huffing and puffing and nearly collapsing by the time he reached the top, he exclaimed "I need some oxygen!"...he lit a cigarette. We were so exhausted we could only find the situation comical.


The next day was much more relaxing than the arrival. We trained to the beach, at the town Sperlonga. As a Kansan, I have a great appreciation for the beach, and the town and beach were beautiful. I made sure to put on sunscreen this time.


Sunday I went around on my own and saw the sights--Vatican, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Colleseum. I went to Mass at St. Peter's which was unbelievable. I was especially moved by seeing all the pope's tombs: from Saint Peter to John Paul II. Tomorrow I'll be seeing Pope Benedict in person at his morning blessing.


Yesterday I did I side trip to Pompeii, the ancient city that was buried in ash after Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. The city was discovered and excavated later, and today you can walk around and explore the ruins of the town. It was fascinating. One thing that was interesting/creepy was the body casts--excavators discovered that the holes in the ash was where people had been, and so they poured plaster in the holes to make casts of Vesuvius's victims. If you are brave, click here. Pompeii made me think about how from 2,000 years ago, people are still very much the same. There were places to buy food to go, welcome mats at homes, places of worship, baths, work out facilities, stepping stones, and street names.

Today I did some more sightseeing and walking around. Two days until home. Looking forward to sharing more of my stories with you in person!

Mountains, Dragons, and Magic Fountains

I probably say this every week, but this past week has been the best week ever in Barcelona. In between final papers and exams, I have climbed a mountain, experienced Catalonia's biggest holiday, seen magic at a fountain, soaked up the sunshine, lived it up with friends, and loved Barcelona more than ever.


MONTSERRAT

Last Saturday I went on an excursion with IES to Montserrat Mountain. Montserrat, which literally means "saw-tooth mountain" is about an hour outside Barcelona. This national park is not only gorgeous with unique rock formations and expansive views of Catalonia, but a place sacred to Catalonia and Christians. The mountain holds a Benedictine Monastery as well as the miraculous Black Madonna statue. Although our tour guide said the story of Mary's apparition at Montserrat is legend, I believe in miracles. The story is that Mary appeared to small children in a cave, and in bright light, a statue appeared. Montserrat is also sacred to Catalonia history; during times of repression of Catalan, Montserrat was the only place where it was allowed to continue being spoken, and the monks in the monastery there preserved the language.



SANT JORDI'S DAY

Sant Jordi's Day (or Saint George in English) is the biggest holiday in Catalonia, probably even bigger than Christmas. Lucky me, I got to experience it first hand. The day is a celebration of love, literature, and Catalonia. As I mentioned in some of my previous entries, Barcelona is in the Catalonia region, where there is great nationalism and the sense that Catalonia is it's own unique entity, apart from Spain. Sant Jordi is the patron saint of Catalonia. Legend has it that Sant Jordi slayed a dragon to save a princess, and where the dragon's blood was, roses bloomed. His feast day, April 23, is also the same day Shakespeare and Cervantes died. Now the holiday is like Valentines' Day, but the Spain version and wayyyy cooler! It's tradition that men give women a rose and women buy their sweetheart a book. Books and roses lined the streets of Barcelona and the streets were PACKED. You couldn't get anywhere in a hurry, with people crowding the streets gaggling at thousands of books and rose everything. There was live music, authors signing books, and happy faces everywhere. I spent the day walking around blissfully in the sunshine, stopping in parks and plazas. More photos here.


MAGIC FOUNTAIN SHOW

It's certainly called "magic fountain" for a reason! Built for the Exposition of 1929, Plaza Espanya is at the base of Montjuic Mountain, and it's one of my favorite parts of the city. The grand fountains are turned on every Friday and Saturday night, timed with music, and lights once the sun goes down. I took lots of pictures and some video, which you can see here. I loved it so much I'm going again tonight!


It's hard to believe this is my last week in Barcelona, and I have lots of mixed emotions right now. I feel like I finally have my place, made my group of friends, know the city and become a part of it, and had a truly authentic experience. I'm so blessed to have this opportunity, and in my time remaining, I'm going to soak it up as much as I can.

Pat and I's Eurorail Adventure

The past two-and-a-half weeks have been nothing short of amazing. Pat flew into Barcelona a few days before my Spring Break, and then we hopped from train to train along the French and Italian Riviera, Switzerland, and ended in Paris. We had our Hollywood moment when I surprised him at the station, seeing each other after three months. His first night in Barcelona we went to a symphony at the Palau de la Musica. The building itself was as phenomenal as the music. I showed him my cafe and my favorite sites, and we enjoyed walking around town and talking face-to-face (a big change from the constant "can you hear me??" over the Internet). I was so happy to show him around the city I've been living in and talking about so much, as well as have a travel buddy. Our trip is chalked-full of sites and cities, sounds and smells, delicious food, goofy times and songs, and beautiful everything.

Here's one goofy memory for you: on Pat's second day in Barcelona, we were going to meet up for coffee before I went to class. Plans got a bit snagged, however, due to Pat being stuck in the medieval elevator at his hotel. Apparently he had been in there for a while, and the hotel lady was shouting encouraging messages at him from above. Unfortunately for Pat, he doesn't speak Spanish and I had to leave for class. After an hour or so, an elevator technician showed up and bailed him out.
I think enough time has passed that this story is now hilarious.




City #1: MONTPELLIER, FRANCE
Filled with sunshine, flowers, and narrow cobblestone streets, Montpellier was a pleasant first stop. We took the cheesy tourist train around the old town, and spent time walking around pretty parks and plazas. We had our first of many crepes, which were of course unbelievable. For dinner we went to a tucked-away pizzeria.
Looking through my trip photos, it seems that about half of them involve food. We did a lot of eating on this trip...I'm still drooling.




City #2: NICE, FRANCE.
Nice is called Nice for a reason. It is n-i-c-e. The four-mile long pedestrian walkway along the beach gave us a lovely afternoon stroll to the city center. In the city, we let our Rick Steves' guidebook show us the way. Rick soon became our hero. His travel books are phenomenal, giving self-guided walking tours and great personal recommendations, hand-drawn maps, and humor to boot.
My favorite part of Nice was our hike to Castle Hill. At the top, a waterfall awaited, and we had a panoramic view of the city and Mediterranean at sunset. Dinner that night was one of my favorites of the whole trip, and one of the cheapest too. Mouth-watering pasta carbonara and ravioli, and fried goats cheese for starters. Afterward we had gelato from a place that had the most flavors I have ever seen--from tomato basil, to unusual fruits, to avocado.




Cities #3 and #4: SANTA MARGHERITA LIGURE AND PORTOFINO, ITALY
With the Newman trip two years ago, Pat and I have seen quite a bit of Italy but were anxious to return. The riviera had beauty unmatched by any other place I have seen. Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino are neighboring port towns, each full of color and charm that stood out next to the blue blue sea. We took a boat from Santa Margherita to Portofino, where we relaxed at the port and ate some yummy pastries (like I said, it's all about the food). With tummies full of yummy, we boated back to Santa Margherita and went to Palm Sunday Mass. The palms they handed out were intricately weaved, and I happy to be there despite the mass being in Italian.




Cities #5-#9: CINQUE TERRE, ITALY
Cinque Terre literally means "five lands." The national park consists of five villages that you hike between, and it was absolutely unbelievable. We walked through mountains, along cliffs the overlooked the piercing blue sea, and through towns with picturesque charm and color. The path between the first two towns, the "Lover's Trail" was paved and followed the sea, with great cliff views. The last stretch was much more challenging and took two hour and some serious hiking. Our reward at the end was the beach. After sinking our toes in, we took a boat back. Dinner that night was equally unbelievable. I had mussel soup and smoked salmon pasta, and Pat had seafood alfredo and a fish that still had it's head on. It was SO GOOD. Although I could never choose, if I HAD to, Cinque Terre would be my favorite place of the whole trip. Absolutely gorgeous.




City #10: LUGANO, SWITZERLAND
In Lugano, we spent more time on the waterside, this time a lake--Lake Lugano. We were pretty worn out from our travels and our big hike in Cinque Terre, so we took it easy. We leisurely explored the town, admiring Swiss watch stores, taking photos of all the pretty flowers, watching old men play on the life-sized chess board, and walking around the lake. We rented a petal boat and went out on the lake, which was so fun! We seem to enjoy activities designed for 10 year-olds.




City #11: LUZERN, SWITZERLAND
We spent two nights in Luzern, which was a nice change of pace from the getting up and going at 7am every morning routine. Surrounded by the backdrop of the snow-capped alps and situated on Lake Lucerne, it was another beautiful and interesting destination. Luzern is unique-looking from other cities though, with pointed rooves and spires on churches and buildings with strange facades. My favorite part was hanging out by the lake, by Chapel Bridge and the 12th Century water tower. Another famous landmark is the weeping lion monument--a giant lion chiseled into a mountain in honor of the Swiss who died in the French Revolution.
Food wise (gotta mention the food), we enjoyed coffees and pastries and Hug Bakery, and pretzels and Swiss-style mac 'n' cheese and a brewery on the waterfront.




Cities #12 and #13: GENEVA AND LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND
Our last stop through Switzerland was at Lake Geneva. Geneva is considered French Switzerland and is home to Europe's highest fountain and famous floral clock. The clock was almost removed, however, because tourists continuously backed into traffic trying to get pictures of it. It was Good Friday that day, and we found out after our arrival that Geneva is considered "Protestant Rome," so we were not able to go to Good Friday service and most of what there was to see there was about the Protestant Reformation. After walking around town, we made an impromptu decision to train over to another town on the lake, Lausanne. There, we did Rick Steves' guided tour and had FONDUE. Need I say more?




City #14: PARIS, FRANCE
Besides because it being a great destination for couples, Paris is called the "city of love" because you literally fall in love with the city. We spent three joyful days there before taking an overnight train back to Barcelona. At the Orsay, we saw works by Picasso and Monet. We sauntered up the Champs Elysees toward the impressive Arc de Triumph. We followed the footsteps of bohemians at Montaner and stared in awe at the massive, white basilica Sacre Ceour. We walked through history in the Latin Quarter. We took in the view of the Seine River from bridges. We CLIMBED (that would be not taking the elevator) the Eiffel Tower, with a night-view of Paris. We were unimpressed by the Mona Lisa. We were speechless at the room of stained glass of Sant Chapelle chapel. We laughed. We sang. We loved it.
And in between everything we squeezed in pastry picnics, gelato, and crepe stands. One crepe maker even let ME have a try at making one! On Easter Sunday, we went to Notre Dame for Mass. It was PACKED but we managed to squeeze in, using the base of a lector pulpit for a seat. The music was Gregorian, fitting of the old beautiful church and the chilling organ that accompanied.

Not being home for Easter certainly made me think of family and home, and even though I love it here, I promise I miss you all and think of you every day. I left a candle burning for the family at the church in Luzern on Holy Thursday.

Hard to believe, but I have just two weeks left in Barcelona. Unfortunately they will be filled with paper writing and exam-cramming. I'll be coming into Wichita on May 7 after visiting Rome, and plan on coming back to TU for graduation. I'm so excited for this summer--I'll be living in Kansas City, working part time for a public relations company, and the other part of the time waitressing and having fun in Sarah Dulek and I's future apartment. Life is good!

Wiener for the Weekend

After returning from Ireland, I blinked my eyes and was already on a plane again. This time to Vienna to visit Whitney and Nikki. Getting there was an adventure in itself. While in line to board the plane, they announced that the flight was not just delayed, but CANCELED because they discovered that the wing on the plane was BROKEN. Needless to say, I was thankful they discovered this prior to takeoff. They put us on a flight that left five hours later and stopped through Frankfurt, so arriving to Vienna, I was the latest I have ever been to a date--7 hours! I was greeted by two smiling faces, a bar of chocolate, and a beer, so despite a long journey, I couldn't be happier.

Whitney and Nikki were so kind to show me around town and feed me yummy food. My eyes were popping out of my head at how interesting and beautiful everything was. Vienna is different from places I have seen before, and as former center of the Hapsburg empire, there were palaces and all things of high culture galore. I saw works by Klimt, an Austrian artist most known for The Kiss, at the Belvedere Palace. The Kiss was all over everything, from watches, to underwear, to umbrellas, but seeing it in real life was so much better!

Palace #2 I saw was the Schonbrunn. Mere college students, we did not pay to go inside, but instead explored the gardens, which involved some fence-climbing to see parts they for some reason did not want the public to go into. And look what we would have missed!

After some leisurely shopping and pretzel-bread sandwich eating we went to the Staatsopera opera house to see Arabella. Beautiful German voices sung us Arabella's story of love triangles and how hard it is to have five men in love with you at once. We were in the standing room section (oh yeah 3 euros)--our legs nearly fell off but the show certainly made up for it. There were subtitles on little screens in English so we were able to follow the plot along.

Saturday was so sunny and beautiful--a perfect day to go to the Naschmarkt! In the mile-long piles of junk you could find many treasures, from watches and jewelry, to Austrian clothing, to books, to any random item you could name. I found a skirt that I love (you know me and skirts). There was also a food section, where all the smells and colors and people gave you sensory overload.

We also went to Palace #3, the Hofburg. This palace was HUGE, and one of the many former homes of the Hapsburg family (they had to have a different palace for every season). We toured the inside as well, where you could see the imperial apartments of Empress Elisabeth.

Palace #4 is were Whitney and Nikki go to school. We all are studying with the IES program, but I am jealous to say that their school is in a PALACE. My three floors of an office complex just can't hold a candle!

Sunday was a rainy day, so we enjoyed the day in relaxing before I had to go back to Barcelona. We watched the office, chatted, and made some traditional Austrian food for dinner, such as wienerschnitzel. In the morning, Whitney and I went to Mass at Stephansdom, the main Vienna cathedral, which they later discovered was built with stones from Roman ruins. It, of couse, was big and beautiful, complete with stain glass and a big organ.

I'm back already in Barcelona (scary how quickly time is flying) and am anxiously awaiting Spring Break. Pat is coming TOMORROW and I am beyond excited. We are doing a big train trip through France, the Italian Riviera, and Switzerland. Here's our itinerary:

Friday April 3: Barcelona to Montpellier, France
Saturday April 4: Montpellier to Nice, with stops in Monaco and Monte Carlo
Sunday April 5: Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy
Monday April 6: Cinque Terre, Italy
Tuesday April 7: Lugano, Switzerland
Wednesday April 8: Train through the Alps to Luzern, Switzerland
Thursday April 9: Luzern
Friday April 10: Geneva, Switzerland
April 11-13: Paris
April 13: Night train back to Barcelona!

After Spring Break, things can only go quicker, as there are just two weeks of class and finals. Then it's off to Italy for a week and home. I am loving it here so much--I'm trying to soak it all up because it is going so fast. I apologize in advance if I never come back! :)

A Magical Weekend in Ireland

I may not have seen any leprechauns, but this weekend was absolutely magical. Thursday night I met Blake (my Chi O big sis who is studying in Scotland) and Nikki (past and future roommate who is studying in Vienna) in Dublin. After long flight delays due to French air controllers on strike, we made it to our hostel at 2am. The time did not stop us from venturing around town and searching for our first Irish pint, however. We went to Temple Bar, THE bar of Dublin if you will, and had our first Guinness. We certainly loved the black magic brew, and to experience Irish culture properly, made sure to drink our weight in it throughout the trip.

On Saturday we were Super Tourists and hit up all the big sites in Dublin. Christchurch Cathedral, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Jameson Distillery, Guinness Storehouse, Dublin Castle. The city is pretty compact so besides getting turned around with the map, we manged to walk around everywhere easily.

St. Patrick's Cathedral had a beautiful green park.
We didn't see any rainbows, but at the Jameson Distillery we found gold - We learned all about how the famous Irish whiskey is made and drank some too!

At Guinness, we learned about the science behind the beer, and the tour ended with a pint at the Gravity Bar overlooking Dublin.

Saturday we took a day trip to the Wicklow Mountains and the town of Glendalough. Our bus tour took us south along the coast and through the Irish countryside, where we saw babbling brooks, sheep in meadows, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, and valleys. It was spectacular.

In Glendalough, which means "Glen of the Two Lakes," there are two glacial lakes nestled in breathtaking mountains which turn purple in the summer from the heather flowers. There are also ruins of churchs, a tower which may have housed Rapunzel, and a cemetary filled with Celtic crosses. The beauty of nature was overwhelming.


For our last night in town, we took the DART train to Howth, a small fishing town about 30 minutes out from Dublin, for dinner. Imagine this: You are sitting in a pub on the coast of Ireland. In this small fisherman's town, you are the only tourist. You sit in a pub with a plate full of the most delicious fish you ever ever had, fried and served with "chips." Guinness in hand, you sit and watch Ireland win the National Rugby Champtionship game. You feel as if you too are Irish, as the people in the bar decked out in Ireland apparal cheer on the team. It was beyond wonderful, and as with absolutely everything I did that weekend, I said "surely this is the pinnacle of the trip, and maybe even my life!"

Sunday we spent the last few tearful hours in Ireland walking around St. Stephen's Green and doing a last bit of shopping. I didn't want to leave! St. Stephen's Green is certainly called a "green" for a reason, and the park had numerous fountains and statues of famous Irishmen. Nikki and Blake had earlier flights then me, so I went off to the National Gallery Museum and saw some Irish art, as well as works by Peter Brueghel, El Greco, and "Lady Writing a Letter" by Vermeer.

On my walk back, I heard music playing in the distance, which I of course followed. There was a live band and what seemed to be all of Dublin was celebrating in the street to welcome home their Rugby champions. A green flag was put in my hand, which I enthusiastically waved along with the crowd and cheered as the Rugby team drove by.

I hope to go back to Ireland some day soon, and I know the luck of the Irish will draw me back.

This Must Be Paradise: Tarragona

Saturday I took a day trip to Tarragona, an hour train ride south of Barcelona, with my friend Missy. This weekend has been total beauty overload. Missy and I were joking that our cameras might explode because they can't handle capturing all the prettiness. Likewise, my eyes can hardly believe themselves and process all the things I have seen.

In the warm sun, we were giddy to explore the ancient town. Tarragona is an ancient Roman city, and many ruins remain today, including an amphitheater, aqueduct, Cathedral, and walls.

(ruins of the amphitheater)

We walked, and walked, and walked without a care in the world, and had a 2-and-a-half hour lunch at a charming restaurant. After three courses complete with wine, we could barley move. A parade of some sort went through the town all day, and I supposed it was related to Lent.

The day was capped off when we reached the beach. We walked along streets above and right next too the beach, but figuring out how to find a bridge, go across trains tracks, and actually get to the water proved difficult. We got there in time for sunset and waded in the Mediterranean with our rolled up jeans a big sigh of utter contentment.