Sorry... and Easter Week!!

Hello people who still read my blog!!

Sorry for basically neglecting this, but I promise, it is not by choice. My laptop currently does not work so I am trying to just live without it for the next 30 days until I am home in the greatest country ever. aka the United States, obviously. So I have to use the school computers, but I can´t put pictures up. But in case you want to still hear about my travels, I will update, and if you want to see pictures, you can always go on Facebook to see what pictures I am tagged in by other people.

Last week I went to Zurich, Switzerland, Salzburg, Austria, and Munich, Germany with my roommate slash sorority sister Lindsay. It was so much fun!!

We flew to Zurich early Friday morning and came home late Thursday night, even later because our plane was delayed. But on the walk to the bus stop at 6am was the only time I have ever been scared in Granada. We walk around all the time late and night and the place is filled with people. At 6am in Chicago, people would be on their way to school or work or at the local Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks. Here, everyone is Spain is just getting home or going to sleep. Legit, the only people we saw were those coming home from being out or people at the bus stop like us. But the scariest part of our trip, thank God, was walking from our house to the bus stop by the Cathedral.

In Zurich we went to the zoo and walked around the city. It was so clean and everyone spoke English!! And people were worried about us...haha. The zoo was really cool but I feel like Brookfield is bigger. We got to see lions and tigers and bears (oh my) and lots of other cool animals. We stayed at a Holiday Inn and got British TV!!

We took a train to Salzburg, Austria made famous by The Sound of Music. Going to Salzburg and doing the Sound of Music Tour was one of the reasons I wanted to study abroad in Europe and it was one of the top 2 places (that and Ireland) that I absolutely needed to see in Europe. The city of Salzburg was also clean and fairly easy to navigate with a map we got at the train station, if you could call it a station. Our hotel was nice and our room was huge. Unfortunately, we just got German TV, but we did get to see NCIS and Glee and Grey´s Anatomy.

The Tour was on Monday and it was one of the best days ever. We got on this bus with Maria and the children painted on it and our guide´s name was Kristin. She showed us a bunch of locations where they filmed the movie!! We saw the back of the house where the kids and Maria fell in the lake, the front of the house where she rang the doorbell, the street she drove down in the bus singing I Have Confidence, the Abbey where they shot the outside locations, the scenic mountains from the start of the movie, the gazebo where they sang Sixteen Going on Seventeen, the bridge they ran across for Do Re Mi, the church Maria and the Captain get married in during the movie, and Mirabell Gardens, where they sang Do Re Mi, which is apparently the most translated song in the world. It was so much fun and I can´t wait to show you all pictures. We also learned so much about the filming and production of the movie, the actors, and the real story of the von Trapps.

We left Salzburg and took an early 2 hour train to Munich, Germany. From there we took another train to Meisbach, also in Germany, where Lindsay´s family own a beer brewery. A guy named Robert gave us a private tour and took us around and showed us how their beer is made. It was really interesting and at the end we got free Tshirts and Lindsay got glasses for her family.

Then we went back to Munich, but there wasn´t much to do, and we went to sleep pretty early. The next morning we woke up super early and went back to the train station. We got on a train for Fussen, Germany with a tour group. We got to see 2 castles, Neuschwanstein and another one that starts with an H that I don´t know how to spell or pronounce. Neuschwanstein was Disney´s inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty castle!! It was so pretty and we even got to go inside the castle. The outside was much prettier, which was good because no pictures were allowed inside. We were wearing dresses and boots, because what else would you wear to go see a castle, and the walk back was over rocks and steps and a shaky bridge through trees and over a river. But we made it back okay and took the train back to Munich.

We told the people at the train station that we needed to be back in Zurich at 7:30am the next morning to catch a flight at 10. We didn´t care how long it took or how many times we would have to transfer since we had Eurail passes. We got on a train back to Salzburg and then took an overnight train to Zurich, arriving at 7:20am. The overnight train was definitely an experience!! We shared a tiny room with a family of 4. The beds were stacked 3 high on each side and we dumped our suitcases in the tiny space between the beds. It was really nice though and we got breakfast in the morning.

We flew from Zurich to Barcelona, and then we had about 8 hours until our flight to Granada. We decided to go explore the city of Barcelona!! It was super pretty and the first thing we did was get Starbucks. Then we walked down this famous shopping street called La Rambla and made it to the beach called Barceloneta. It was so pretty!! Then we walked back, walked around the Plaça Catalunya, and then got on our plane back to Granada.

All in all, it was an amazing vacation and I had so much fun!! Plus it was so great being just me and Lindsay because we got to prove how responsible we really are. We gained a lot of confidence and it really shows how much I have grown these past 4 months. There is no way I could have done this last year; normally family vacations require me doing absolutely nothing but showing up and looking pretty. :) But as fun as Europe is, I can´t wait to come home to the beautiful United States of America where everything is perfect and I know people and people speak English and walk at a normal pace and people aren´t super late for everything and the streets are crowded at 6am and teachers give you rubrics for projects and water is free and everything is clean. I miss you all so much and I can´t wait to be home!!

Happy Easter!! See you in 30 days!! <3

Speak Now

When I first flew to Spain, I flew into Madrid. Okay well actually I flew into Frankfurt, Germany, and then flew to Madrid, but basically I had seen the airport and bus station of Madrid and I had zero interest in ever returning except when I would fly back home. But then something changed… Taylor Swift’s world tour went to Madrid. And naturally, we got tickets!!

At midnight Thursday night, March 17^th, I left my apartment with Lindsay and Sarah for the bus station. We met up with Sarah’s two sorority sisters, Rachel and Stacy, at the bus station and we left at 1:30am Friday morning, March 18^th, for Madrid. We basically slept throughout the bus ride and got to Madrid at 6:30am.

We got to our hostel and got our rooms, then we had breakfast and then went back to bed for like 4 hours. At 3pm we went to the free walking tour of Madrid in the Plaza Mayor. We all wore jackets but that was a mistake because it was soooo hot out!! We met the other people on our tour group because there weren’t that many. I had done the same tour company in Ireland, but this one was much smaller, but just as interesting! We had people from Canada, Illinois, the Ukraine, France, and other States in our group, and our tour guide was from London. We learned a lot about the history of Spain which was very helpful in my History of Spain class.

plaza mayor

this is the oldest restaurant in spain. the king has been here.

me in front of the palace!!

us with the biggest palace, by rooms, in europe

the bear is the symbol of madrid

where cervantes lived- the guy who wrote don quixote

On the tour we also got to see some important famous building in Madrid. We saw a palace, the Parliament building, places where old famous writers lived (like the guy who wrote Don Quixote- it’s a famous Spanish book), lots of statues of old Spanish kings, the oldest restaurant in Spain, and a Starbucks.

We ended our tour at the Prado Museum, which we got in free to. We saw lots of art, and one of the paintings we learned about in my literature class. We didn’t stay long at the 5^th most visited museum in the world, then we went to the Corte Ingles, bought Tinto de Verano, and went home and changed. We met up at the Plaza Mayor again at 10pm for the pub crawl with the same tour group. We met a lot more people from Canada, Arizona, France, Spain, and other States. It was so interesting to meet people from all over the world!! We went to 4 bars and a club, and one of the bars was a salsa bar! We didn’t stay long at the club because we were tired and we had a big day tomorrow!!

roommates!! sarah, lindsay, me

all 5 of us! (my eyes arent closed, i just squint when i smile)

me and rachel

On March 19^th, my grandpa’s birthday, I had a fabulous day!! We did get to sleep in until 11, then showered and got ready for the day. I wore my strapless dress. We got Sbarro Pizza for lunch and ate it sitting in the Plaza Mayor. It was super hot and sunny and we tanned while eating our food. Then we went shopping and I bought my cousin his Real Madrid soccer jersey. Then we split up for awhile- Rachel and Stacy went to the Reina Sophia Museum and Sarah, Lindsay, and I went to Starbucks. They wrote my name on my tall fresa (strawberry) frappachino: Cristy. That is now my Spanish name!! We sat under these umbrellas and palm trees and drank our Starbucks.

We all met up at 5 at the hostel and got ready for Taylor!! We walked to the Metro and took it to the concert venue. It was a huge green building with big white stars on the sides. I was sooo excited, obviously. There was a huge long line outside and we talked to the young married couple in front of us. They were from Dallas and they are traveling the world for 6 months. They were so interesting to talk to, plus super nice and friendly! Then we met the girl behind us in line, Cameron, who is a Tri Delta from the US but she is living in Europe now. We invited her to hang out with us at the concert!! She was so nice!! We took a picture of the 6 of us doing our sorority symbols.

At the concert, since we had general admission, we got to stand right in front of the stage!! Which is weird because the people who actually paid more for legit seats were behind us. The arena was pretty much empty at first, and there weren’t even that many people there during the opening act. The band that opened consisted of 2 guys and a girl, and the girl could have passed as Miley Cyrus in like 20 years. They spoke in Spanish but sang in English. They were actually really good! Finally the arena started to fill up more. And then, finally, at like 9:30pm, it was time for Taylor!!

Sparks Fly was the first song that came on. Taylor wore a sparkly gold dress and sang while her band played the music. She flipped her hair a lot during the song. There was a humongous screen behind her that showed close ups of her singing. She did absolutely amazing, and at the end of the first song we all were clapping and screaming so long that Taylor almost started crying!! It was so awesome to see that look on her face that she was so surprised how much we loved her. There were a lot of Americans there but also lots of Europeans, some who only spoke Spanish. I guess it must be so weird to travel the world and see how many people there are who don’t even speak your language but who love your music. Taylor was so sweet and she said how much she loved Madrid.

Then she played Mine, and then she talked to us in between songs. She said “Yo no hablo español muy bueno, pero me encanta Madrid!” which means “I don’t speak Spanish very good but I love Madrid!” Then she talked about how she normally sings about love and heartbreak, and how those are themes that everyone all over the world can relate to. She said that no matter what language we speak, we are all the same. Then she sang Story of Us and Better Than Revenge, and then her band did a guitar solo and she went in the back to change. She came out in a blue dress with her hair in a ponytail. She sang Speak Now, and at the end of the song, she walked through the crowd to the back of the section we were standing in. Stacy got to touch Taylor’s hand!! I was literally 1 foot away from her. It was so awesome!!

speak now

fearless

you belong with me

She then sat up high on this platform and sang and played the guitar all by herself. She did Fearless, Fifteen, and You Belong With Me from her 2^nd album Fearless, which was the first album of hers released in Spain. She said she wanted to see the people in the back, and she faced a different way during each of the songs so everyone could see her. She told us to sing along during You Belong With Me, and we all sang with her. Then she went back to the front of the stage and changed again. She came out in this long white dress with a big skirt and sang Enchanted with a fog machine on. During the song, she ripped off part of the skirt so she had on a white dress.

enchanted

love the sparkly guitar

Then she sang Dear John and Long Live, where she introduced her band to us, and then Back to December. Then she changed again into a white sparkly dress and sang her encore, Love Story. When she was done, confetti and streamers rained down from the ceiling. Then a red curtain went up and Taylor was gone. It was seriously the best concert I have ever been to!! Taylor seemed to really really love Madrid!! She promised to return someday. She seemed so down to earth and really honored that all these people love her! After the concert we took the Metra home and went to sleep, still taking in how awesome the concert was!!

its a love story baby just say yes

Sunday March 20^th was my grandma’s birthday!! After an amazing day yesterday, I was sad that it was our last day in Madrid, but today was really fun too!! Plus I was still excited from the concert!! We woke up early and got ready. I french braided my hair and it looked fantastic. :) We took the Metra again to the Real Madrid soccer stadium. It actually has a name, like you don’t say the White Sox stadium, you say Comisky Park (or now you can say US Cellular Field, but that sounds lame) or like the Cubs play at Wrigley Field. The soccer field was called like Bernabeu or something.

We took pictures outside, and then we did this tour. Despite my zero interest level in soccer, my short attention span for museums, and my lack of ability to comprehend Spanish, it was actually kinda cool and I had a lot of fun! The stadium was huge, but it kinda reminded me of like a normal sports field. (Btdubs, they call soccer football here, which is beyond confusing…) We went up to the top and took pictures at the panorama view, and then we went into the museum part. These Spanish people love their soccer!!

So in this museum there were tons of old soccer jerseys and trophies (we actually could touch the trophies!! Well I don’t know if we were supposed to…) and I’m not totally sure what a lot of the stuff was. Then- get this- we got to go on the field!! And we got to sit in the benches where the players sit and go in the visitor’s dressing room!! We got to go in the press room too and we took some pictures there pretending to give a press conference. Then you end in this huge 3 level Adidas store where you can view your photoshopped photos with a famous soccer player of your choice. I chose Ronaldo because he is the only soccer player I have ever heard of, besides David Beckham, the one who married Victoria Beckham, the Spice Girl. Did you know they’re both British?

trophy room. lots of mirrors, lots of trophies. love it!

We took 2 Metra trains back to Plaza del Sol, near our hostel, and we decided to get lunch. We opted for McDonald’s- very cultural, but actually I’ve only had McDonald’s twice since I have been in Europe- and ate in the Plaza Mayor again. We sat in the sun because it was even hotter than the days before! We tanned after lunch by laying on the ground in the plaza, and I even fell asleep for a few minutes…

Around 4ish we went back to our hostel, caught a taxi, got to the bus station, and took the 5pm bus back to Granada. I listened to Taylor Swift music on my iPod the whole way home, obviously, and we got home at like 10ish.

I was honestly surprised with how much I loved Madrid!! I thought I would love Taylor but hate the city, but I actually had a really fun weekend! I’m so thankful to Taylor Swift for coming to Madrid so I could see her, but also for giving me such a positive view of the capital of Spain. I had an unforgettable weekend and I loved spending it with Lindsay, Sarah, Rachel, Stacy, and Taylor Swift!! <3

PS This was my first weekend of being 20!!!

Cordoba and Sevilla

So sorry I have totally been slacking on this... but on the weekend of March 11-12, my program took me and half of the other students with my program to Cordoba and Sevilla.

Cordoba was first, and it was like a 4 hour bus ride. No offense to Cordoba, but it has been my least favorite city in Europe so far. Don't get me wrong, the bridge was cool and the mosque/cathedral was really pretty, but there is not much to do in this city.

We got a walking tour of the city that took place in the rain, unfortunately. My favorite part was the street with all the flowers. We saw the university, which I'm pretty sure is the oldest university in Spain. Then we got a tour of the mosque/cathedral. I'm not totally sure how it can be both, maybe it used to be a mosque and now it's a cathedral? I really need to start listening more when the guides talk...but I was too busy trying to take pictures. That was not as easy as it sounds, the building was super dark.

After our lunch at like 4, we sat in a cafe and had coffee, and I hate coffee. But then finally it was time to get on the bus again and drive another 2 hours to Sevilla. I had been to Sevilla technically twice before, when I flew out of Sevilla to go to Rome and then back from Rome to Sevilla. It was gorgeous then and it still was a really beautiful city, but when we got there it was kinda rainy. We headed straight for the hotel.

The hotel was incredible. Lindsay and I shared a room. I could not wait to see what our room would look like!! First of all, there was a shower! Like a real hotel shower! Then there were 2 huge beds and a TV! And, wait for it, a closet! With full length mirrors for doors! It was so exciting! Now if this was a normal vacation, I would be like wait really? Why am I staying here? But considering the circumstances, I was so thrilled with the room. The real surprise came when I turned on the TV and NCIS was on!! Hello, could life get any better?

NCIS on TV!!

our room

Actually it could have. We went downstairs for a free dinner at the hotel buffet. It was Friday, I couldn't eat meat, so I tried spaghetti, salad, french fries, bread, and yogurt. Not gonna lie, the only things I liked were the bread and the yogurt. But whatever, we went back upstairs, watched Jersey Shore and Glee online, and then went to sleep.

The next day in Sevilla was bright and sunny. We did a bus tour of the city first, then we went to the Plaza. (It is apparently where they filmed one of the Star Wars movies.) It was a huge building with a big outdoor courtyard. There was a river and bridges and a fountain. We took lots of pictures and walked all around.

fountain

me on the bridge

Then it was back on the bus and we went to a garden, where we took more pictures.

photoshoot

with the palm trees

Then we saw the Palace. I guess royalty comes to visit sometimes... which makes sense, the place was gorgeous! We got to walk up into the palace and see the fountain and all the palm trees. Then we walked into this building that looked like a mini-Alhambra.

palace

mini-alhambra :)

We went to the cathedral after, where we learned that the 3 biggest cathedrals in the world are 1) The Vatican, been there 2) Sevilla, was there and 3) Granada, live there. I was so excited! We walked into the cathedral for free with our program and it led into a courtyard with more palm trees. Then we went inside and saw where some royal people can get married. Then in the back of the cathedral is a big stone box and inside is Christopher Columbus's bones. We didn't stay in the cathedral very long, and then Lindsay and left and headed for another very historic, very important monument in Sevilla that was one of the highlights of the trip. Yes, I am talking about Starbucks.

cathedral

they had just gotten married and were dancing outside the cathedral!!

I had a vanilla frapp and it tasted just like the ones in the US. It was so amazing because I missed Starbucks sooo much. I don't have it that much in Illinois, but just seeing it made me feel more at home. Plus we got to sit outside with our drinks in the sun. Then we went shopping! I bought a red shirt at H&M. Then we got back on the bus for a 3 hour ride home!!

It started raining on the way home, but that's okay, because we got to see a full double rainbow. I have never seen one of those before, and it was so beautiful. :)