Cheapest Hotel? Prison.

This morning I had the lovely chance to wake up at noon!! I got a full 12 hours of sleep :) The most sleep I’ve gotten this entire trip has been about 5-6 hours, so this was a major benefit!! My feet were starting to hurt, and I was a little sick. But this massive amount of sleep made me feel incredibly better this morning. We have gone to just about every famous sight here in Rome and we’ve seen all of the buildings that we had planned! I also got all of the shopping done that I wanted, and picked up a few gifts! I don’t feel guilty for sleeping in and missing a half-day in Rome, it was needed and I feel SO much better. Shea’s cooking class was this morning, and mine wasn’t until 3. It was really nice getting to sleep in, wake up slowly, sit around and listen to music, then start getting ready at a slow pace. I liked not being rushed for time! But I’m sure this probably won’t happen much… I left around 2:45 to meet with my group to go to a family-run farm in Tarquinia!
After the 30-minute drive through hills and valleys, we arrived at one of the biggest farms in Tarquinia! It began about 200 years ago, and is still going today. There were vineyards and fields everywhere! The tour lady said each word like it was supposed to be, “vine… yards,” instead of the way it sounds- vin-yerds. Haha do you get what I mean? It was funny. We walked into a beautiful villa and a huge covered patio full of tables with cooking supplies on them. The patio overlooked a valley and there was a great view of a really cool swimming pool! After taking some picture, we washed our hands, and went two to a table. The instructor at the front spoke no English so there was a translator next to her. She demonstrated how to make ravioli, linguini, tortellini, fettuccini, and many more! We then went to our tables and started making fettuccini. I put corn-flour (not sure what it was, but it was coarse and less refined) in the shape of a circle with a hole in the middle. Then, I put one egg in the middle and the flour acted as a wall so it wouldn’t run everywhere (one egg per person eating the pasta is the rule we learned). Then, I slowly mixed the flour into the egg in a circular motion with a fork. After it was evenly dispersed, I kneaded it with my hand until it was pretty firm. It was bright yellow and looked like a handful of play dough! Next, I rolled it with a huge roller into a big circle. I rolled it up like a hotdog, without pressing it down, and then cut it into sections as wide as my fingernail is across. Then, when I finished cutting, I unrolled the sections and it made fettuccini strands! After that, we went on a walking tour of the farm. We picked sage, rosemary, and lavender; it smelt so good! I brought some back to the cabin on the ship to make it smell nice. We walked for quite a while and saw plum trees, grapes, blackberries, olives, watermelons, flowers, and many more things you’d find in a garden! Everything that this place grows does not receive any chemicals or pesticides, so it was safe to try a bite here and there! The olives off of the tree didn’t taste good at all but the grapes and blackberries did! They have a little store by the entrance that sells marmalade, jams, cookies, crackers, olive oil, olives, carrots, mushrooms, wine, rum and so much more! It was so fresh and smelt wonderful so I bought some jam and hazelnut cookies to take back! Actually, I’ll probably eat it before this trip ends… It is so tempting! We walked by some pigs (saw a cute baby one!) on the way up the hill to the villa. The reason we had picked lavender before was to smell it when we walked by the pigs. Yucky smelling, but so cute! Then, it was time to swim and hang out! We played Uno and then jumped into the pool. It was one of those pools where the edge drops off and there is no ledge! I want a pool like that one day, I always have. The view was beautiful! It was almost sunset and we were sitting in an awesome, refreshing pool in the high heat, drinking wine and about to eat a big, healthy dinner.  Once we got out and stared some more into the gorgeous countryside of Italy, we headed back to the top to make dessert! There was an elderly man who showed us how he makes tiramisu. I’m guessing it was his family’s farm. First, you take egg whites and make them all foamy in a blender, and then you add sugar, the egg yolks, and some mascarpone. Then, you get the biscuits and dip them in coffee, and line the bottom of the pan. Pour a layer of the mixture, another layer of coffee-dipped biscuits, and so on until you reach the top! Lastly, sprinkle cocoa on top and put it in the refrigerator for 2 hours, yum. We then sat down on the patio for dinner time! They brought us wine, sparkling water, and regular water. In Europe, they seem to be obsessed with sparkling water. You have to specifically order “water, no gas,” then they understand haha. To begin, we had a big bowl of chicken liver, on top of a candle, surrounded by pieces of bread. I tried it just so I knew what it tasted like, and I can say that I will never eat that again. We had pieces of bite-sized bread, with tomato slices and prosciutto on top! The prosciutto was amazing, very full of flavor, salty and fresh. Next, we were served the fettuccini we made, but they added tomato sauce and chicken. You could tell by the noodle hardness and shapes that they definitely served us what we cut and made... haha but it still tasted great! Most people ate it all and thought that it was the main dish. I knew not to get full from it because Shea came back and told me that there was so much food! After that, we had chicken (from their farm) and a really good mixed salad with the olive oil that they make. The salad leaves were the best I’ve ever tasted and were dark green/perfect. I was definitely full by this time! Lastly, we had incredible tiramisu. We were each served a very generous piece, and I ate all of mine! You could easily tell the difference from this kind we ate compared to all the other kinds I’ve had in America, Spain, and restaurants in Italy. We had a great time just talking, meeting each other (the meeting never ends!) and just looking around at the amazing view! After dinner and hanging out, we headed back to Civitavecchia. On they way back Luisiana (tour lady) said, “Look to the right at the cheapest hotel in Rome.” It was the prison, haha. When we got back, I got on the ship and we had that emergency drill thing and now we are sailing to Naples! We will be there in the morning.
Today was such a great change of pace. It was so different than anything I’ve done so far. Being in the busy city in Barcelona and Rome has been a blast, but it can get pretty exhausting. Dealing with mopeds, buses, cars, honking, people everywhere, and crossing streets can be very stressful and it’s hard to find time to take a break. That’s what this day did; it gave me a much needed quite, relaxing break. It was in the middle of the nowhere, no pickpocketers, no tourists and vendors, no cop whistles and car horns, just nature and a small group. I didn’t have to wash my hands constantly, and my feet stayed dirt-free. I can’t tell you how thankful I am that I did this today. I didn’t have to wear a money belt, didn’t have to lock my backpack, and I didn’t have to pay attention to my surroundings :) It was so refreshing!!! It was such a great experience seeing the busy city of Rome, and then venturing into the countryside of Tarquinia, Italy. Naples in the morning!

Pasta, and more pasta!

7/1
This morning we woke up at about 6:30 am and went to the lobby for a great breakfast! They had little packets of nutella-like stuff that I put on my bagel! (Haha, bagel… hi Jared) We checked out, put our luggage on the coach bus, and headed to the Vatican! The line at the Vatican was really, really long, but the good thing about big tour groups is that we get to cut everyone!
I wish I could use the perfect words to describe everything we saw today in the Vatican City. It was incredible and nothing like anything on this earth! We saw the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, and everything else in the little city, except for the Pope himself! In the Sistine Chapel, Michaelangelo's original paintings were everywhere, including The Last Supper. It was so amazing and unbelievable. In this particular part of the Vatican, there was no talking, no pictures, and a dress attire. We saw the window that the Pope pops out of every Wednesday and the place where he sits. In one part (there were so many I can't remember which it was), there were letters made of gold surrounding the huge, massive ceiling. Each letter was taller than 6 feet!! I wish I could describe more so you could understand the detail and incredible artwork, but it's so hard to do. After the amazing adventure in the Vatican, we went shopping and sightseeing around Rome! We had about 5 hours. There were some girls on the trip with us that are from Baylor. They are really sweet and we all stuck together today! Yes, we got gelato. Then we all met back at the Vatican and took the coach bus back to Civitavecchia! When we got back, Shea and I ate our free dinner, which was more pasta. Now we are sitting in the room, blogging, charging cameras and laptops, and watching a movie! Time to sleep!! Tomorrow I have a cooking class on a farm! I can’t wait!

Penguins.. in Rome?

6/30
We (usually meaning me and Shea haha) woke up pretty early, picked up our passports on the lower deck, and boarded a coach bus. We had a 2-day tour thing (this post is day 1) that was awesome! We drove about 90 minutes to Rome (train was way faster) on the bus while our guide went around chatting with everyone. Her name was Daniela and she was so funny! Her accent was pretty heavy but she was very animated and hyper, which helped us wake up at 8am. She said it was really sunny outside and that she hoped we were wearing “sunshine lotion”.

When we got to Rome, we had a guided tour of the Coliseum, the greatest Roman amphitheatre and place for gladiator fights! We saw it from the outside the day before, but I was even more excited that we actually got to go in and wander around. This thing was huge, I mean massive. The pictures make it seem smaller, but what can I do! The Coliseum held 80,000 people and today, only 40% is missing. Interesting fact that I remember: ‘arena’ in Italian means ‘sand on top’. It was called this because the sand would soak up the blood from the gladiator battles and animal fights.

The tour guide for the Coliseum was another hilarious Italian woman, friends with Dani. Her name was Paula. She definitely sounded like she’d been smoking every day of her life. When we were all hot and tired, she said, “Imagine those people in front of you are penguins! Brrr! Aren’t you cold now?!” Haha she was great, and luckily the next day she toured us in the Vatican! After the Coliseum, we went the Roman Forum, the marketplace of ancient Rome, as well as the business district. It is so hard to put into words what I saw and experienced. It’s all fresh in my head and the pictures will help me remember it forever! So will this blog, I’m so glad I decided to make one!

Next, we had some free time (=shopping) and ate lunch in Piazza Navona. We ate at another small café. I got a small margarita pizza and a wonderful Greek salad! The shopping here in Rome is significantly better than Barcelona! After all of this touring, walking around, and shopping/more eating, we went to the hotel to check in. The rooms were huge and the bathrooms were too! This was definitely a nice change from the ship cabins. Shea and I had a cute little balcony that overlooked the part of Rome where we stayed. It was much nicer, cleaner, and quieter than the busy areas. We had about 2 hours to get ready for dinner/a walking night tour of Rome. The restaurant where we had dinner was just like a postcard! It was in a big courtyard, surrounded by tall walls, covered in vines and flowers! There were also lanterns everywhere on the brick walls with fire torches; very memorable. The dinner was delicioso, as always. We had some kind of pasta with some more pasta. Then, when we thought dinner was over, they brought out this beige square with bread crumbs on top. No one knew what it was and we were thinking it might be dessert! It ended up beaing baked potates mixed with ham and mozzorella. It was incredible, and I want some right now! Then for dessert we had Neapolitan gelato with yellow cake, and a cookie in the shape of a heart stuck in the middle. There was a band that walked around with an accordion, guitar, and a few singers. It was such a great night! After dinner, we went to the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps. These were both very beautiful structures.

Then we went to the Trevi Fountain. I can’t even describe how massive and beautiful it was. In the movie When In Rome, they used the fountain where we were!  That gives you an idea of how beautiful and famous it is. We stood in front of it (along with hundreds of other people) and just stared. Then we walked down towards the water and threw a coin over our right shoulder. Apparently that is what you do and then you make a wish! But I can’t tell you my wish or it might not come true :) After that, we walked some more and got more gelato of course! Then we went back to the comfy, big hotel for about 5 hours of sleep!
That’s basically the day in a nutshell! In the morning… the Vatican!!

"Barbie!"

Even thought I'm posting this today, it all happened on 6/29! I've been so busy that I am 3 days behind on blogging! Tonight I have a little free time, thankfully, so I'll try to catch up!

I just want to say that I miss Barcelona SO much. It was amazing and I hope to go back to Spain one day!

Rome, Italy, Day 1:

Today Shea and I went with a totally different group out in Rome! We are trying not to stay with the same exact people every time, but still remain close friends with the ones we make! It’s an awesome experience, not really comparable to college. We woke up in Civitavecchia, and there wasn’t much to see. This is probably because it’s where all of the cruise ships port and it’s 45 minutes away from Rome! We walked about 10 minutes to the train station, and it was packed! There was graffiti everywhere (not as pretty or as skilled as Barcelona’s graffiti…). We went in a little convenient store to buy the train ticket and we saw a HUGE jar of Nutella. Picture the little jar, but about 1 foot tall, proportional to the little jar! So cool. Trying to get a two-way ticket to Rome and back for the same day was nearly impossible because the cashier didn’t speak an ounce of English, and we knew no Italian. It was much easier in Spain because I can communicate a lot easier and get by. Italian is very different, and I can’t imagine how hard it will be in other countries when they do not use the alphabet like ours!

After getting our tickets, we walked down to the restroom. There was a long line and a guy letting people in one at a time, asking for money! Then someone told us that here in Italy, there are custodians who clean the bathroom every time one person uses it and they expect a tip! We didn’t go :)
It was a massive panic (to say the least) getting onto the train. It would make loud noises as if it was about to leave, and we were still trying to decide if it was going to the right place! There were people running everywhere, and we had a huge group. I had to keep an eye on my group so I wouldn’t get separated, hold onto my purse, watch out for creeps who say weird things, and hop on and off about 10 times getting hit by the door trying to stick together. Once we decided it was the right one and all piled on, forcing the doors open, we started to head to Rome! It was a beautiful view (through the nasty train windows) of the hills and valleys of Italy! To the other side was water, which was very blue! 45 minutes later, we arrived in Rome and walked with our friends to the hostel where they were staying at for the night. It was a funny place because it was called the “Pop Inn”... haha poppin’… Anyways. From the outside it looked a little strange and creepy, but inside it was beautifully painted, colorful, and decorated! We rode a little elevator lift where you open and close the doors yourself. Only 3 could fit snuggly at a time, but it was fun!

When they checked in, we asked for a recommendation of a place to eat. The receptionist gave us directions to a place about 2 blocks away, tucked into the side of a little street! It was called Trattoria dell Omo. She said that if we see a restaurant with ‘trattoria’ written on it, go inside. It basically means family-owned and fresh, daily baked meals! When we went in, a little old couple (both under 5’5’’) was shuffling around with huge plates full of green beans, sausages, meats, rice stuffed tomatoes, and so many other delicious looking things! Their son sat us down and took our orders because he spoke a little English. Shea and I each got this amazing ravioli. Picture the little ravioli squares, but ones the size of your plate! It took a while to come out, but that is because it was definitely home made! Oh and the bread was to die for. Hot and fresh. Molto bueno! Another strange thing that is very hard to get used to is ordering water. You have to order a bottle, which is usually about 2 Euros, and then save it to last the whole meal! It will definitely be a change going back to America and getting water served as you sit down to eat, unlimited supply. I do miss that! And meals in Italy, and in Spain too, are considered more of a social event, more so than in America. You can sit for 30 minutes before anyone walks up to you, and it’s not offensive because it’s their way of life. Every time we eat, it takes a good 30 minutes after we are completely finished to get the bill. Also, everyone gets an espresso shot after they eat, especially old men!
After our first meal in Italy, we walked through the busy streets all the way to the Coliseum. It was everything I imagined, and more. When you are up close and in person, it just makes you admire the determination. The group we were with decided to go in and tour it, but Shea and I had a tour the next day, so we waited so the surprise wasn’t ruined. :)

We walked down the main street by the Coliseum. There were stands everywhere selling fruit, shirts, souvenirs, hats, sunglasses, and whatever else you can think of. One man walked by and yelled, “Barbie!” to me and Shea. We were laughing pretty hard because these people come up with the funniest things to say to us. There were 4 guys on a bike-car and they yelled, “Cheese!” as they tried to turn around and come towards us, but they almost flipped. It was pretty funny. Ten minutes later were standing next to a family and the mother asked me to take a picture of her and her family, I thought. Turns out she wanted us in the picture. Yep, I got one too, a photo of a big Italian family, with Shea and me in the middle. They seemed pretty happy to have a picture with us. Maybe we will start charging like the gladiators do when you take a picture with them!

While we were walking around, we saw a huge building with a sign on the side that said Monet Exhibit. We looked at the dates and it was the last day! We were really hot, and tired of the sun, so we were like hey let’s go check it out! I think it’s funny how we had no idea it was there or that it was so cheap to go in, we just randomly stumbled upon it! It was incredible. My favorite part was the end, where we could walk up directly to the huge Lilly Pad painting and many more just as beautiful. I’m usually not interested in art museums, but I definitely wanted to see Monet’s! Now I’ve been to the Picasso one, and the Monet exhibit! I’m starting to like it more and more, plus it’s in a different country so it makes it a little more exciting!

After that, we went and got more gelato, of course. I can honestly say I’ve gotten gelato every day so far… and it is much better than in Spain. The place we went to was very small and colorful. The guy who gave us our gelato said, “Bye, see you tomorrow!” It was funny because we thought maybe he didn’t know what he was saying, because people don’t usually say that. Maybe he thought it just meant “see you later” or something. Coincidentally, the next day, we went back! He was right, he saw us “tomorrow”. Haha. After that, we went back to the girls’ hostel and napped, checked Internet stuff, and got ready to go to dinner. Yes, it’s one meal on to the next! We kept walking past the main street, and went off on a little side one. They are usually less expensive, and less touristy when you go off the busy streets. It was precious! I ordered a pizza called Pizza Baba (Baba was the name of the restaurant). It had fresh mozzarella, yummy tomato sauce, pear slices all over it, and roasted walnuts. Best pizza invention ever. I would never think to put that on a pizza but I decided to try it and I loved it! We had fun at dinner, just a big group of us talking and relaxing, and then they walked Shea and me to the train station because we had to get up early the next day!

At the station we asked a family where to find the train because it was overwhelming and chaotic. There were about 10 trains in a row, and no English anywhere. The family we picked to ask knew no English, but they looked totally American and were wearing clothes like us! Then we asked another man who spoke better English, which helped! Right as we started to try to find the other train, which was really far away, we saw some of our classmates! I think every time we get into a situation where we may get lost or miss something, God grants our wishes and it always works out safely! We all RAN to the train because the last one was in 20 minutes and the next one was at 5am the next morning… Rode train home and slept, got back to ship, packed for the next day’s overnight stay!!

"Pet Hates!"

6/26-27
This morning there was a currency exchange on the ship for Euros, which was very convenient versus finding a bank and getting a fee! Plus, I was beginning to run out, and I still need Euros for a few more countries!
We got off the ship and just started walking. We didn’t know where we were going, what we were doing, or what we wanted to do. That is what made the day so incredible! We stayed on the mainstream streets that were full of people and shops, because we didn’t want to end up in a sketchy area and get lost. We had no map, no directions, and no suggestions! On our adventure, we saw many cafes but we like to wait it out and find the perfect one. I think some tourist’s mistakes are when they see the first café when hungry, then stop. We kept waiting and waiting to see what else there was, and then we found the perfect one. We sat outside on a patio (most restaurants and cafes have them) and watched the world walk by! In Spain, they do not rush you, and they don’t bring your check out when you are finished. Most people sit after they eat and then you have to ask for the check, it’s just another part of their life that is so different than in America. I got a bocadilla that was a fresh baguette with mozzarella, basil, y tomatoes (margarita bocadilla). The water comes in bottles and is usually more expensive than a coke!
Strange happenings- I’m thinking in Spanish sometimes! And when I talk to Semester at Sea people, I’m wanting to speak in Spanish but I have to consciously think to speak in English! That’s how immersed you get, it can happen in 3 days, but I love it.
After that, we walked some more (I’m guessing about 10 miles in one day, no joke). We ended up on Passeige de Gracia! The biggest/busiest street with shops and things everywhere! It can be compared to Rodeo Drive, but better. We stood in front of Gaudi’s buildings and took pictures, like all the tourists do. We stand out so much here... even if we wear their clothes and try to blend in, it’s impossible I’m pretty sure. Plus, even if you think you are starting to fit in, the locals will make it very obvious that they notice you… Anyways, there was a GIANT Burberry store, with a massive entrance. There was Valentino, Dolce and Gabanna, Chanel, and many more designer stores! Even though these can be found in big cities in America, what made these so amazing was the architecture; huge concrete buildings with very gothic designs and carvings. Wait until you see the pictures, it still blows my mind.
After walking from 11am-6pm, we stopped for gelato to rest our feet! It was delicious and it is every time. But…. when I finished, I noticed a “Nestle” label on the ice cream sign… I just ate gelato that I thought was so amazing and straight from locals, and it wasn’t…. It was still refreshing though! Haha.
We went to Las Ramblas when we were found our way back towards the ship. I bought a turquoise necklace charm. It was 15 Euro and I got it down to 7! Not much difference, but it was pretty cool to experience bargaining again (practice for Africa and Egypt!) Then, the best thing happened. We found a little stand by the beach that sold gofers. Gofers! You are probably wandering what a gofer is. Well, it’s close to Heaven. You watch them make a fresh waffle to perfection. Then they pull out Nutella and drizzle it all over! I’m sure it’s well over 500 calories, which makes it SO DELICIOUS! We were laughing about the name because it sounds like a gopher, the little animal. In Nova Scotia, there was something similar, but they were called beaver tails! Beaver tails and gofers are delicious. Haha that sounds funny.
After the days activities, we all went back to the ship to get ready to go out for our last night in Barcelona! First, we took a train (my first time!) and went to a huge water fountain light show. It was full of people and had a dance stage with lights everywhere! It was basically a huge night festival, just bustling with people. We asked some family (they looked American) to take a group picture of us. When I asked where they were from, they said Houston! Ends up, the daughter is best friends with Kelsey Devine, my little in high school band! I also saw Lauren Gilmore, from Highland Park. We went to camp together for about 7 years, and we saw each other on the street! You never know who you’ll see! Along with the stage with music and lights, there was a huge foam pit with hundreds of people dancing and having a good time. We were in nice clothes to go out so we didn’t hop in. If you ever go to Barcelona, you have to go to this water fountain light show. Nothing like I’ve ever seen.
We went to Chupitos again and then to a huge warehouse club called Razzmatazz at about 3am. It is so weird here, if you go to the club at 1am or 2, it will be empty! Unlike Sutton, this place played American music. I actually liked it better when they didn’t play familiar music because it made it feel more like a foreign country! It was so fun! We all met up with Sergio and friends after we got inside, we were careful about staying with a group and in a public place… but it is fun when you meet locals and become friends. I am trying to get to know their way of life, trying to expand my knowledge of the world and different cultures. You can learn so much in a few days. But, you can never be too careful. I never know what could happen next, so we all keep our group together and don’t separate or go anywhere alone. All the warnings my parents have given me become surreal when you are in the situation to decide if you should all go hang out somewhere, or if you should stay in the club with a ton of Semester at Sea students (smartest option). My parents are spot on, because you hear things that happen first-hand here, and we will do anything to prevent that! The ship announced that one person was already sent home for conduct reasons…
At about 6am, when the clubs closed, we all went back to the ship, just in time for breakfast/sunrise! We sat on the deck and watched the sunrise over Barcelona, our last day there. It was beautiful, yet again! I slept for about 3 hours, and then we all went to the beach. We decided to do the beach on the last day because we got all of our shopping done, and we only had about 6 hours. It was so crowded on the beach but that’s what made it fun! You can’t drive up to the beach, like in many places in America. It goes from the beach, to café’s on the sand, to huge sidewalks full of shops etc. The main roads are about a mile away. The water was so cold, but refreshing, and clear blue, and the sand was a little harsh on the feet! Another thing, unlike most of the beaches I’ve seen, there were little to no waves! There were Asian women walking around offering massages for 5 Euros, Africans walking around offering to braid hair, paint henna tattoos, and sold bracelets, Indian men selling sarongs, and Spanish men selling coconut pieces, beer, water, and home-made tapas. An interesting mix to watch! It was very diverse and entertaining to watch everyone sell their products. Shea and I bought a sarong. It’s blue, brown, and orange tie-dye, very pretty and authentic! Two nights ago we met a guy from New York who was quite a character, to say the least. He was a theatre major and was hilarious to talk to, and full of stories! Shea and I want to submit his name to have his own TV show, I don’t know how to describe his wit, but I took a few videos of him telling stories haha. And apparently, he is allergic to birds? Well, while we were on the beach, he was randomly next to us! Out of thousands of people! And what is even funnier is that he was getting a Tweedy Bird henna tattoo on his arm!! That’s how strange this kid is, so funny. Allergic to birds with a bird tattoo…
When people ask what we are doing here in Barcelona, it takes about 30 minutes to talk about it and answer all the questions people come up with! Every time I describe the trip to people and all the details, it sounds like a dream, and it is. I’m thinking- wow this sounds amazing and it’s happening to me right now, in this moment!! How awesome! It’s so surreal now that we have been in Spain, and we will be in Italy in the morning. Wow.
As we were heading back to the ship, for our last hour in Spain, we stopped for REAL gelato. It was very modern! It made me think of Berripop, but with gelato. I got saccriatello y dolce de leche mixed! SO DELICIOUS. I can’t wait for gelato in Italy!!
When we got on the ship, we ate another meal, because it’s free! Haha I feel like I should eat every time they provide food, because I’m hungry a lot from walking all day and being busy! In Spain, dinner starts at 10pm, and so that’s what we have been getting used to. On the ship, dinner is at 6. Sitting in my room at 10, I was wondering why I was so hungry. Then I remember that I’ve been adapting to their schedule and eating dinner at 10-1030 every night! In Italy, everything is going to change again, but I can’t wait!

"Sorry Picasso... Rest in Peace!"

After about 2 hours of sleep, Shea, Trevor and I went out to Barcelona with no plans and just did whatever we felt! Trevor is our neighbor and is from University of Colorado at Boulder. He’s really cool and helped us out today when we were trying to find the Picasso Museum, some statues, and lots of other things! It was fun with just us three, and not a huge group that draws attention and is hard to keep up with! At night, you have to go with a group. It can get pretty creepy in some places.
First, we walked down Las Ramblas, and I bought a really pretty sterling sliver ring with Spanish designs. I hope to get a ring or some jewelry in every country!
Las Ramblas is a long, famous street, lined with big trees, with many vendors who sell anything you can think of, and it is notorious for pickpockets! Luckily, we haven’t experienced this yet and if we stay careful, it wont ever happen!

While we were wondering around, taking it slow and looking at everything, we walked down a small alley, out of curiosity. When we went around the corner, there were shops and restaurants everywhere! I bet it’s easy to find and everyone knows about it, but it was just really fun to know that we found it randomly! There were endless turns with a ton of shops and boutiques ranging from cheap dollar stores (euro-stores) to high fasion stores and everything in between! There were tall buildings with beautiful designs, balconies, and lots of plants hanging over the edges! We found a cute café that was empty, but had great music and a cute waiter in the front. We went in and the he made our bocadillos con pollo y queso right in front of us, was the best thing ever and no one else on SAS knows about it :) Well I’ll just pretend that no one knows about it and that it was our secret little find.

We walked around a few more streets, took pictures, shopped, and then saw a man in a park making huge bubbles about the size of a bicycle! (Weird comparison, I know, but it’s all I can think of!) Then we saw a big building that has a really cool roof, full of colored tiles and people were going in and out of it so we decided to check it out! When we walked in, it was a huge indoor market! The one everyone has been talking about and has been saying to go to! Yet again, we found another cool place, on accident. :) It was full of people, colors, spices, meats, and pastas. We walked around, took pictures,, and bought these orange smoothies that were made straight from the orange! It was basically a big glass of fresh frozen orange juice with sugar. YUM. It went well with the weather because it was 80 and sunny! Just perfect.

After that, we went to the Picasso Museum, which is full of many originals! It was only 6 Euros and there was so much to see! It was definitely cool to see. When we left, I stopped at a boutique and bought 2 pair of linen pants, hopefully to wear in Egypt and Morocco when it will be 110degrees and I have to cover my legs! Plus, they are cute to wear anyways, and this ship is so cold I’ll probably be wearing them to class daily because I only brought one pair of jeans!

P.S. There is a lot of graffiti here in Barcelona. But, the only difference from Houston is that here, it’s beautiful and creative, and in Houston, it’s trashy.

We went to dinner at a very cute café that we found just walking around Las Ramblas! You have to get off the main street to find less expensive and quieter cafes. It was called El Café de Ferran. When you walk by, it looks like a little pastry shop with a few tables. We walked in and the guy pointed to the stairs, where the dinner tables were. We went up, and it was very pretty! The ceiling was old and gothic looking, with gold plates. The tables were on a balcony that overlooked the street below. We had the seafood paella (again!) and it was even better than the first one! It was delicious and cheap.
After that we all hung out in a restaurant, full of wonderful tapas. No one really felt like going anywhere loud and crazy because we were all so tired from the day!

Nothin' like Sutton

Let me start off with saying that I question if last night was a dream, or if we were in a movie, because it was the best time of my life and I will never forget it. Ever.
“I look like a gnome.” -Shea. Don’t ask, I just have to put that in here to remember this great moment haha.
We started today off with a city tour with a small group. Our tour guide was an older man from England. His accent was so fun to listen to!  On the tour, we went up a huge hill, Passeig Maritim, (which was very steep) and passed the Olympic Stadium. Lady GaGa will be performing there sometime this week and so will Black Eyed Peas! The view from the top of this mountain was BEAUTIFUL. You could see the Montserrat, Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, and you could see for miles in every direction. As we left, we went down Passeig de Gracia, where we viewed numerous examples of Antoni Gaudi-inspired architecture. The streets were so busy and there were many shops and restaurants, it was so fun! On every street there are elaborate stone buildings and intricate iron balconies. It is endless. I can’t wait to share the beautiful pictures! We went to the Placa de Catalunya, the city’s main square, and the Columbus Monument, which is located at the sight where Columbus returned to Spain after his first voyage to the Americas. It was HUGE and people are always around it, even at 5am. Next, we went to Gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia, one of the most visited sites in Spain. It was so crowded but definitely worth it! Gaudi designed this awe-inspiring building in 1882, and should be finished by 2026!! After that, we went to Barri Gotica (the city’s old gothic quarter). It was full of courtyards, plazas and cobblestone streets! There was a winery where we tasted delicious Sangria and many types of chocolates and snacks. There was a shop where you can watch a man hand-make a guitar, and then buy it… but he was closed while we were there. Maybe I’ll go back! Then went to the Cathedral of Barcelona, a 600-year old Gothic cathedral in the middle of Barri Gotica. It was incredible inside. I can’t wait to show pictures of that too! Before we went in, I took some pictures of a street man playing the fiddle. I didn’t realize that when you take their picture, they expect a tip, and if you don’t, the get mad. I found this out AFTER I took his pick, got a mean look, and walked away. I had no idea! Next time I took pictures/videos of musicians, I tried to hide the camera, because I had no change. To get into the Cathedral, you have to wear a knee-length skirt, and cover your back and shoulders. Thankfully, I chose to wear a skirt (they didn’t tell us what not to wear) but I had on a tank top. Since the World Cup is involving Spain, and we are in Spain to watch the game, everyone bought the soccer jerseys. One of the girls let me borrow it to cover my shoulders so I could get in! It didn’t match well with my cute black and white skirt, haha. And I got some funny looks too. Once we went into the Cathedral, it was basically silent. It looked like everything was made of gold and the stained glass windows were amazing. Again, I can’t wait to share those pictures; it explains the beauty.

After the city orientation, we met up with several girls and wondered around looking for a place to eat dinner (everyone eats dinner around 10!) While walking by the harbor full of beautiful sailboats, we saw these men from Jamaica selling designer purses, like things you would find on Harwin. He would lay out a bed sheet with strings on the corners. He would set up all of their products, and when he was done, he would pick up the strings and it would make a giant backpack, and he was on to the next street! At one point, a kid lit a firecracker next to us and it popped so loudly next to us! We all jumped/screamed! I found it humorous that this little kid wanted to pick on us American girls, and I’m glad we could provide him some entertainment, and a story to tell his friends.
After walking around for an hour, we found a hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Restaurant Nieve. It was very small, but nice. First, we looked at a menu and we had NO idea what it said. It’s the weirdest feeling not knowing what anything is. I thought maybe we’d be able to recognize some things, or that there would be pictures. After being really confused for about 20 minutes, we realized it was a French menu! So we picked up another, and it was in Spanish, we were still confused. Then, finally, the waiter brought English ones haha, we didn’t feel very smart! We ordered the mixed paella, containing the best seafood ever, and a delicious sauce on the rice. After dinner, we started trying to figure out how to get to a club. On the way, we had gelato. I got dulce de leche in a big cone :) I easily could have gotten seconds and I KNOW that I’ll be getting it everyday! I look forward to Italy because supposedly it is even better, which is hard to imagine!

After dinner and some delicious gelato, we were going to take a train to Chupitos (bar) but then we decided a taxi would be faster and we could all split the price. I sat in the front so I could speak with the driver in bits and pieces of Spanish. He was very surprised that I new it! This was about 10:30, and when we got to Chupitos, it was about 5 girls that I was with, and several guys. It was really fun just chatting and meeting them, and trying to communicate through a language barrier! Shea and I met this one guy, Enrique, who helped us out so much! He told us phrases, good drinks to order, places/beaches to go on certain nights, and he was just a really fun guy to hang out with. He taught us how to do the 2 cheek kisses and when we go to Italy, we do 3 cheek kisses, thanks Enrique! He also said tomorrow he’d cook us the best paella we will ever try! We have his number so we will see what happens. A rush of Semester at Sea friends came in shortly after, along with many other people, and it got pretty crazy! The rumor was to go to Opium, a really cool club, so everyone started heading that way around midnight. Luckily, Enrique informed us that it wouldn’t be the best time to go there tonight and that we should go to another place that no tourists know of called Sutton. We took a taxi straight there and Enrique followed us on his Honda mo-ped! When we arrived, there were bouncers in suits at the door. It was very modern and stunning! We asked to take a picture with the bouncers because they looked nice in the outfits with earpieces and sunglasses. They said no at first because they aren’t allowed, but then when the main bouncer walked away, one jumped in a picture with us, he was funny. I’m pretty sure that this club was very expensive and nice, but I don’t know the cover price because Enrique paid for us!  Let me just say, Sutton was the BEST choice I’ve made so far.
Tip if you go to Chupitos: Best drink ever = “Harry Potter”. It lit on fire, and sparkled with cinnamon, and came with a caramelized orange. My mouth is watering.

When we walked in, the music was blaring, people were everywhere, dressed very nicely, and there were dancers on a stage. All of the guys would walk up to me and Shea and try to ask us questions about where we are from and they all wanted to dance. Haha an experience I will never forget! Everyone would guess where we are from and they never guessed America! That’s how local this place was, they don’t see American girls in there. They guessed Sweeden, Norway, Finland, and a few other places, but not America. It was very entertaining.

One of the coolest things about last night (and will continue this entire summer) is communicating with people even when you do not speak the same language. It is definitely possible to understand someone when they use nonverbal communication and facial expressions. It’s hard to explain, but it is one of the best experiences ever. I LOVE not being able to speak their language very well, and I love that they do not know much English. It makes it so fun and just amazing how you can still communicate and make friends!This was by far the craziest place I have ever been. This is like nothing in America, and nothing like college. We don’t have clubs with blaring music and only for dancing. I didn’t want to leave that scene! In the restroom (there was a security guard letting people in one at a time…) Shea and I were asking every girl for gum or a brush. I guess in Lubbock everyone asks everyone, and we all speak English. After about 10 minutes of no one answering us, we started laughing at what we were doing. Here we are in Spain asking questions to girls who don’t know any English, what were we thinking! Haha we still are laughing about it, even though it might not seem that funny to anyone else!I think I’m partially deaf from last night. My ears have never hurt this bad! I’m wearing earplugs next time and I really don’t care what it looks like, it hurts.

Coincidentally, we met these really handsome guys from Istanbul, visiting here! We hung out with them for a while and got to know them a little better. They are going back to Istanbul the same time we are, and when we get there, we are all meeting up! What are the odds! We aren’t even close to Turkey and we already have plans to hang out with people we met in Spain! It just blows my mind how things work out so strangely.One guy, in particular, was an incredible dancer/very charming! I’ve never seen anyone dance as well as these boys could. Sergio was from the Canary Islands, and is visiting his cousin who just bought a really nice flat down the street. He taught me how to dance certain ways, like tango, and a few other steps I already forgot! We took plenty of pictures so you’ll be able to see them when I get Internet or find time to upload them! When we left Sutton, Sergio and Shea’s friend from Turkey (Torro?) walked us to the cab with some other SAS folks to make sure we got there safely and helped us tell the driver how to get to the ship.

On the cab ride home, we thought the streetlights were super bright, but then we noticed, it was SUNRISE. We laughed some more. When we got to the room (6am), we sat on the bed, accidentally fell asleep, and woke up at 9. Our plan was to shower, eat, drink coffee, then back to the city! Yep didn’t happen. We slept for 3 hours and missed the bus for a tour :( So today we have about 6 more hours of free time! (Which I’m totally down for). We are headed out to get some breakfast and have another great day in Barcelona!!