"The Whirlwind Tour"

My crazy wild six day tour of Italy.... Two planes, three trains, four cities, who knows how many languages (I know I spoke at least 3), and countless beautiful churches, vistas, and foods! Wow, Where to begin? I guess I'll just have to go chronologically and tell it from the start.

I was really nervous in the beginning because I had never been on such a long trip with so many tickets, destinations, and payments to make- all done completely alone. But I soon realized my fears were unfounded, and ended up having the time of my life!

< The Roman Forum >

The flight into Rome was actually a really great moment, we buzzed the city at low altitude and I got to see the coliseum AND Vatican city from the air in the warm morning sun, Fantastic! I also saw the Roman ruins and the aqueducts just hanging out in the fields outside of Rome. They just leave 2000 year-old stuff laying around there! Italian logic baffles me- more on that later.  By the time I arrived by bus at the Termini station and then walked the few blocks to my hostel it was early afternoon, and a lovely day. I began my touring by walking down to the center of ancient Rome: Palatino Hill, which is the central hill of the seven hills of Rome, the supposed place where Romulus and Remus were nursed by the she-wolf and the whole Roman Empire began. It is surrounded by the Roman Forum, The Coliseum, Circus Maximus, and houses the Flavian palace (built mainly by the emperor Domitian) and the temple of the Vestal Virgins (the only powerful women in ancient Rome). I took a guided tour of the Coliseum, and the Forum grounds so that i would maybe actually learn something! I found out that the coliseum and in fact all the Roman ruins were once covered in marble from every corner of the empire, but the Vatican stripped it to build their newer churches. It was sort of a retribution for the killing of christians that went on back in the first century, however they lied about where the killings happened- no christians were ever executed in the coliseum- it was too small for the population of the time. All the Christian public executions were done in the Circus Maximus, which was much larger. I also learned about the many many elevators and trap doors through which the lions and other exotic beasts came into the coliseum, to fight each other and the gladiators. The Gladiators were a mix of slaves from foreign lands, prisoners of war, and idiot volunteers. They fought 5 battles a year- man vs man, woman vs woman, man vs. beast, and team vs team. The men could fight to the death, or to a certain number of touches, the women never fought to the death. They were paid for each battle they won, and after winning 5 battles (if they were still alive) they could buy their freedom from the games. But they were like the celebrities of the Roman times, very popular with the women and rich in glory from the men. The Roman populous would come to the games not only to see the bloodshed and the public executions, but also to see animals they had never seen before that had been brought from the far off lands of the empire. It was a pretty big deal. As for the Roman Forum, It used to be the most grad palace in the whole world, in fact, the word for palace in every language comes from the name "palatine hill". Pretty impressive. It was where the emperors and before them, the senators lived in the highest style possible. The main temples and markets where located here, as well as the seat of the emperor's government. Incredible. I felt like I could see the very foundations of modern society as i walked in those ruins, like I had never seen anything with so much history or so much influence.

The Coliseum <<< Ruins of Domitian's Palace >>> Vestal Virgins' gardens

After all the ruins, I headed into the modern Roman center and saw the Pantheon- housing Raphael's tomb. I really liked the inscription on it, put there by the pope it said "Ille hic est Raffael, timuit quo sospite vinci, rerum magna parens et moriente mori." Meaning: "Here lies that famous Raphael by whom Nature feared to be conquered while he lived, and when he was dying, feared herself to die." I also visited the Fontana Di Trevi that night, which was so so so beautiful. It's the biggest baroque fountain in europe and is covered in gods and sea monsters. 

The next day, Friday, was all about Vatican City! I teamed up with a Pair of Canadian girls from my room in the hostel and we all went to the Vatican Museums for starters: Rooms and rooms full of art from across the globe, all cultures and civilizations, and the Sistine Chapel (which I unfortunately would have been arrested by the Swiss guard for taking pictures of). The coolest parts were (obviously) the Sistine Chapel and (less obviously) the egyptian relics held there. The Sistine Chapel is just magnificent, you just want to lie down on the floor and puzzle through it for hours. I could figure out most of the biblical stories depicted, but wished I had a guide or a book to tell me exactly what Michelangelo was painting. The Egyptian stuff was just cool- really well preserved and more of it than I had ever seen before (no wonder Egypt's mad about people nicking their stuff!). We then Proceeded to St. Peter's Square and Basilica where the sky decided to open up on us and I subsequently had to buy a cheap-o umbrella. The Basilica was beautiful, the biggest I've ever seen- appropriately so I suppose. It really gave one the understanding that this was the seat of the greatest power in europe for over a century. Pretty impressive. we climed the dome, for which the weather kindly cleared up, and had a nice view of Rome. We then walked down the way to the Castel Sant. Angelo to take a few quick pictures and bus it back to the hostel area. 

Vatican Square <<< Crying Sphinx, Vatican Museums >>>> From St. Peter's Basilica

That evening I took a train to Florence and arrived in the dark and the cold. I was shuttled from my original hostel to another one by the stressed out owner who told me he was having heating problems in the one I had booked in. Unfortunately he seemed to also be having heating problems in the other one, because I spent a freezing night chatting with my chinese roommate who was very nice, and tried to give me hot water to drink so i wouldn't get sick. :) The next morning in Florence I got up early with intention to make my very short time there really count. My first act was to hike out to the Piazza Michelangelo for the lovely view it offers of the city. 

< view of Florence, not well spliced together, but not bad >

I then spent the rest of my day winding my way around the city, saw the David at the Academia galleries, he was magnificent. None of his copies or photos compare. There is so much emotion in his face and body. Michelangelo knew what he was doing. I also enjoyed seeing Il Duomo, which is the third largest cathedral in the world (next to St. Peter's in Rome, and St. Pauls in London- I have been to the three biggest churches in the world!) I saw all the main Piazzas, including the Piazza di la Singora with all its impressive sculpture. I enjoyed wandering the markets, admiring the leather works and buying Christmas presents. My favorite sight here was the "old bridge" a bridge over the river covered in little shops and things, it's just precious. See the pictures and judge for yourself. 

David <<< Il Duomo Santa Maria della Fiore >>> Old Bridge in the afternoon

That night I then took a train to Venice, again arriving in the dark, but had a much easier time getting to my Hostel and was pleasantly surprised to find it in a fascinating old building, and very warm and comfy. I even got to skype my mom and dad that night on the free internet, AND they give free dinner every night. It was AMAZING. I wanted to stay in this hostel forever!

Anyway, the next day I spent about 8 hours just wandering the streets of venice with a map and my camera. I went to St. Marc's square, saw all the canals and gondolas, the dark and mysterious buildings and the glorious sweeping bridges. It's absolutely beatiful in such a very unique way. I think that there is truly nowhere on earth like it. The colors are all muted being washed by rain and wind off the sea- but the canal is this beautiful blue color in the water itself, and the gondolas are all decorated in reds and oranges that stand in sharp contrast to the waves. The buildings all have dark stains that i suspect must be mold or some sort of result of the constant wet air waring on the wood and stone. The architecture is so interesting, all full of arches topped with heads of lions, lamenting faces, or sea monsters. I love that the symbol of Venice is a winged lion- what a charming idea: to give the king of beasts wings. I was especially enamored of the maskwork in venice (so many masks! in street vendors, artisan's shops, just everywhere!). They were all so whimsical and beautiful. Someday I HAVE to come back during carnivale when the festivities are and everyone actually wears the masks! needless to say, I had to get one of my own, and here as well was a great Christmas shopping venue. I spent my second morning in venice visiting a few interiors of churches that sounded like they had some interesting art, however all i really wanted to do was be outside, soaking up the unique atmosphere of the city.

Masks <<< Canals >>> Gondolas

I made it to Milan later that night in the rain and the dark and so really had no desire to go out looking for the few tourist sites there are in Milan. Tuesday was my flight home to Madrid. All in all I thought the trip was a big success. I learned that many many stereotypes about Italians have a hard basis in reality (like thier prefferential treatment of young pretty women, and extreem afinity for vespa scooters. hahaha ) I also learned that I look VERY Italian, and have and Italian name, because people would constantly come up to me gabbling away in Italian and I would have to explain that I don't speak the language, and when I told them my name they just took it like anyone in the US would if I said my name was Samantha or Katie. A guard in the Vatican even questioned me about my heritage and informed me that, I quote, "your face is Italian". I ended up speaking more Spanish than Italian though, when I discovered that the Italians often speak it better than english and I felt smarter, pretending to be a european citizen. I really loved this trip, and it proved to me that I can actually achieve anything I put my mind too: I've traveled europe by myself, what can't I do!? Haha, what I mean I guess is just that it was a big confidence booster. 

Now, I just have one more week of school (finals included). This weekend is my 21st Birthday which should be fun! and my parents come in only about 10 days! Then i get to stay in Hotels!!! and let someone else plan the payments, the meals, the itinerary!!!! Sounds like heaven. I can't wait.

Much love, and until next time,
A

Graphic Design Challenge

I have to do the company logotype design for a company of my invention for a design class project.

I made up a movie production company called "Wide-Eyed Wonder Productions", name taken from a song by The Choir that I have always loved. Tell me what you think of the stuff- It was sorta thrown together last minute, but I like the concepts...

the company Header

a company promotion asking for resumes and screenplay submissions.

Stuff I'm Gonna Do When I Get Home

I'm feeling a little homesick right now so, in order to kick that feeling and remember that home is always waiting for me when I get back, I'm going to make a list of things I want to do when I get back home again in Indiana- with explanations where needed. Hopefully after getting that outa my system I'll be able to fully enjoy my last few weeks here.

1. Sleep in my own bed. (there's nothing like a heated waterbed.)

2. Pet my cat. (I am progressively moving towards being a pet kleptomaniac, I want to grab every dog on the street and take it home with me)

3. Take a bubble bath. (They only believe in showers in Spanish households)

4. Eat at a restaurant with free refills of coke and unlimited chips or bread. This step should be repeated many times. (Europeans don´t believe in any of that freeness nonsense.)

5. Walk into a liquor store- just because I can. (21!!!!)

6. Go out for midnight and after food with my best Uni friends. (Europeans don’t sell food after 11pm- just alcohol)

7. Go to the movies (I haven’t here; guess it’s just been too much of a hassle.)

8. Go shopping with girlfriends [and mom]. (I will have no money, but American malls will seem like a wonder to me. And I miss the holiday ritual of materialism.)

That’s all I can think of for right now, doesn’t sound like too much to ask for, does it?

:) Let me know if there are any volunteers to help me fulfill this list! (Mom, Dad, I know you already are signed up.)


Love!
-A

Brugge!

Alright- I'm getting worse and worse about posting on here in a timely fashion. It's been a week since my trip to Brugge, but the thing is I've been super busy and still am! So, for whoever is still reading this thing, I beg your forgiveness.

Belgium was exactly as I imagined it. When I got off the plane the airport smelled like chocolate (due  to all the fancy chocolate shops inside the terminals) and I thought that that was very appropriate. I took the train from the Brussels airport for an hour and a half to get to Brugge. It is a pretty ride- the Belgium countryside reminds me very much of Indiana, except with little medieval churches in all the villages and the houses are roofed in tile not shingles. It had the nicest fall colors of anywhere I've been yet, even though fall was almost over.

When I arrived in Brugge I was immediately enchanted with the place. walking from the train station I just couldn't stop smiling. The little winding streets, medieval flemish buildings, and small town feel was just such an enjoyable change to the big cities that I have been traveling too. The Hostel I stayed at was y first stop and I liked the place right away. It had a very big common room with a couch, piano, free internet, and big tables. The people running it were the friendliest that I had met at a hostel so far! I spent the early afternoon wandering around the town, without really paying attention to where I was going, just enjoying the place and exploring. I sampled a flemish stew for lunch, at a cafe where I think the waiter thought I was french, as he kept speaking it to me. I just smiled and nodded and said "merci" a lot.

If you've never seen the movie "In Brugge" you won't know what I'm talking about here for a bit, but I took a free tour offered by the Hostel based on the movie, and showing us places featured in it. For instance the route of the chase scene in the end, the play park where one character sits while the other spies on him from a nearby gazeebo, and the hotel where the characters were staying. Our guide's name was Kai, and he was originally from New York, it was super fun on the tour with him because he was crazy and funny like all my theatre friends from home. It made me feel warm and fuzzy, hahaha!

Brugge had just been decorated for Christmas time and all the old houses and shops around the squares were hung with lights making the whole place look like a gingerbread town. There were little stalls all over the squares selling gifts and winter clothes, waffles, and hot drinks. I really liked the big ice-rink that was set up in the main square beneath the bell tower. It had a bunch of lights and offered hours of entertainment watching the skaters. I very much enjoyed sipping my tomato soup, bought from one of the vendors and watching them go round and round on the slipery surface. The weather was really fairly mild for november in northern europe, around 40 degrees, so the ice as very wet and everyone had a fall or two in the puddles.

I had so much fun hanging out with the people from the hostel and their friends. I truly met the nicest people I have met yet while on this trip. I loved the laid back air of the place and how I felt so at home there. I definitely want to go back some day and spend more time just enjoying the fairy tale calm of the city.

Well, in four days I embark on my longest journey of the trip: six days in Italy! I really hope I can get through it all ok, without getting too lost or spending too much money! But I'll let you know. After that It's my birthday, finals week, and then my parents come for christmas!!! So exciting. It's all winding down, I can't believe i'm moving in on my fourth month here. Wow. Well, until next time,

Much love to all-
A

iMundo

      I created this poster for a product we came up with in conversation class when we had to sell something in Spanish. It may look like and ipod, but it is sooo much more: tv, radio, does your homework, dictionary, GPS, your best friend, all your music, and the capability to take over the world. coming to a store near you courtesy of Pineapple!

Poster Translation:

"All your world in the palm of your hand!"

"iWorld. from pineapple."

"May cause cancer. Do not eat it with rice. There is danger of addiction. Do not give it to elders of 60 years of age. A doctors prescription is needed. WARNIG! If not used correctly it may destroy the world. Thank you for reading the fine print."

Haha thought maybe someone would get a kick outa that. :)

-A

Paris in the Fall

Hello to those of you faithful friends who are still bothering to check up on me on this site! I'm sorry I haven't posted about my trip to Paris last weekend yet, I'm usually more punctual about these things, right? Oh well, Life is crazy. you can't blame me. I've got my classes here demanding my time, preparations for my trips and my return to the US to think about, work for Butler for my honors thesis proposal and grant project proposal, but enough of my sobbing- let's get to the good stuff:

Paris. I had a three day weekend last weekend because of a festival in Madrid and decided to make good use of it by flying off to Paris, France. I arrived in Bauvais Airport an hour away from the city on Friday at noon (darn Ryanair takes you far far away from your destination) and had to take a bus into the city. I then promptly grabbed my little rolling luggage and plunged into the Paris metro headed to the Monmarte area and my Hostel. It was easy to find, and quite a nice little place, but pretty much after dropping my bag and grabing a room key, I turned right around and headed back out on the streets. My first stop was Sacre Ceur, a lovely church up on a hill, fairly close to my hostel. As with all European cities, Paris is winding and rather difficult to navagate,after getting lost half a dozen times however I did make it to the place just as the sun was beggining to go down (which happened around 6:30). The Church was one of the prettiest I've seen yet in Europe, being that it is neither blatantly gothic in style nor romanic, but uses elements of both. I think it was a little more modern. Haha, you can tell I didn't exactly focus on studying the history of Paris, I just sorta went out and experienced it. From there I metro-ed down to the Place Du Concorde which was the site of the behedings of the French revolution, and is midway between the Louvre and the Arc De Triomphe on Paris's main drag. It was 7pm, but quite dark and not many people where around. I'm not gonna lie, being alone there and all, it sorta creeped me out as I walked up to the Louvre. Once there however I was re-enveloped in the swarm of tourists there and was able to enjoy my visit to the world's most famous art museum. It really is a wonder how big that place is... and that they've invented somethings so you can take flash photographs of the Mona Lisa (thousands a day I'm sure) and it apparently won't hurt her. I sorta felt a little like the art in that plae had become a bit comercialized, Like it wasn't about seeing the Mona Lisa because it is a masterpiece- but about seeing it to say you had... oh well. I walked back up the eerily empty paris streets at 9pm and got to the Champs-Elysées before deciding I was tired and needed dinner. I went back up to a cafe near my hostel and tried out a little of my phrase-book French on the waiter there. He seemed amused...

Saturday was a big day around the city center. I visited Centre Pompidou modern art museum, which had some fascinating artwork. The building also had a fantastic panoramic view of Paris from the top floor. It was a little rainy in some areas across the city and as I was leaving a rainbow appeared near Sacre Ceur. It was very cool. I then bought a Crepe with sugar and butter and munched it while walking down towards Notre Dame. I'm not sure how, but I managed to catch it on a free entrance time and so got to just wander around the church, which was surprisingly dark for a gothic cathedral. It had a definite sense of history around it. From there I went to the Eiffel Tower, which is huge. It's made out of this sorta brown metal that I didn't expect. I guess I always thought it would be shinier. Haha, but it was really cold and rainy there, and as I wasn't feeling well I decided to pass on waiting in the long lines all alone, and just not go up the tower. I'm sure I'll be back someday and do it then. I proceeded on to the Musee D'Orday, which is a museum that focuses on impressionism. It's a good thing I did too, because they were closing in about two hours after I got there. I really enjoyed seeing all the Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Renoir and others. I was proud of myself for being able to identify many of the painters before looking at the name plaques. I also really enjoyed seeing an exhibit on Art Nuvo that they had going on. However, as I was still feeling a little under the weather so I just decided to call it an early night. I ate at another cafe in Monmarte area and had some amazing ravioli in a cream sauce, baguette slices with french mustard, and a lovely glass of white wine (no judgement, Mom/Dad!) and I felt somewhat better when going to sleep at an embarrassingly early time.

Sunday was the best day as I was feeling much better. I caught the train out to Chateau Versailles. It was absolutely beautiful. The eighteenth century in France was just about the best time ever to be an aristocrat I think. If not for my opinions on social equality and general justice I would really have wished to live in the court of Louis XIV (he's the one nicknamed the sun king, who did most of the renovations and improvements to versailles and had a prosperous reign). The Palace is amazing with the paintings on the ceilings, everything gilt and embroidered, and cystal hanging off of anything that doesn't move. The Gardens are also fantastic, the fall colors there are brighter and more prominent than in Spain where things are still a little green! The grand canal and the palace grounds seem to go on forever. I love the open spaces there. After touring the Chateau with an audio guide, and wandering the grounds for most of the day I went back to the main area of Paris and visited the Arc de Triomphe (commissioned by Napoleon) that has a great view of the city and a lot of history. I took a whole lot of pictures and really enjoyed watching the sun go down over the skyline and seeing them raise the French Flag under the Arc for a ceremony that was about to go on. It seemed like a very patriotic moment. I ambled down the Champs-Elysées as my last goodbye to downtown Paris before heading back to my trusty hostel-side cafe in search of some good creme brulee, which I found readily available. I ended up having a really nice conversation with a French Lady at a nearby table who spoke very good Spanish and was very encouraging about my travels and art stuff. Truly, it was really very fun to get to meet people on this trip- everything from fellow hoosier Fighting Irish fans outside Sacre Ceur, to Australian surfers hanging out at the hostel. I had both short and long conversations with people from all over the united states, europe, and the world really. So far I find that the most common travelers I've met are Californians, Australians, and Brazilians (I'm surprised by that last one!).

Anyway, my first alone trip was really a great success. I discovered that I can go to a country where I don't speak the language all by myself and survive! Take the metro, order the food, walk the streets, and talk to the people all without getting hurt, robbed, or too very lost! It's a very empowering moment. I'm proud of myself- which is something that doesn't happen often. :)

My next trip is Bruges in Belgium next weekend. I hope it goes as well and even better!!!

I'll keep you faithful readers posted! (lol, posted...)

Much love to all,
A

Drawings From My Class

I just thought it might be kinda fun to put up on here the latest of my artworks from my drawing class here.

The first is the quintessential still life that every drawing student has done and hates- with charcoal and chalk, practicing shading.

The second is the most fun- an assignment to take and animal and change it somehow. My idea: Koala-zilla a cute and cuddly smasher of cities. (charcoal and red pastel)

Finally, a landscape drawing in one of my favorite mediums- chalk pastel.

I'll be bringing these back to the USA with me, if all goes as planned- so if anyone wants to call dibs on them for their walls at home, be my guest!

Love!

A

Mulled Wine, Cold Nights, and Art Nuvo- Must Be Praha!

Prague, Czech Republic. 
City of a hundred spires. Stretching across the Vltava River. Home to such great artists as Alphonse Mucha and Franz Kafka. A mix of old and new buildings, ideas, and cultures. Prague has a different feeling to it than anywhere else I've been in europe. It has a distinct feeling of its eastern-european influences, what with the fur hats on sale in the gift shops and the scent of hot mulled wine floating down the street. It was the seat for the Holy Roman Emperors, one of which was Charles V who is quite famous for his improvements to the city and his relations with europe at large. It is definitely the most romantic city that I have been to so far! It even topped the Spaniards with its number of PDAs per square hundred meters. I heard many many languages being spoken, though english seemed to be the accepted form of universal communication (thank goodness!) I also heard a lot of Spanish, Italian, French and German being spoken around me. It was a fantastic feeling of international exchange and cultural mixture.


We arrived in Prague on friday afternoon and found that our hostel was advantageously located just around a few small corners from the old town square or "Saroměstske náměstí"- we decided that all Czech words are long and full of weird accents and stuff, thank you is "Děkuji" pronounced DYEH-koo-yih, pretty complicated, eh? But apparently I have a good accent because when I said it to the cabdriver he asked me if I spoke Czech, to which I had to blush and say no, not at all.- My roommate Katie and I checked into the Hostel and then went exploring in the old town. We discovered the Tynska church which was right on our doorstep and walked around the square to see the famous astronomical clock (which is completely unreadable to any normal human, but luckily has three or four regular clocks within eyeshot), and the Church of Saint Nicholas ("Kostel de Sv. Mikulás") which was beautifully decorated in baroque fashion. We also walked down the King's Walk (no longer as impressive as it sounds) to the Charles bridge, which is a famous landmark notable for its lines of statues as it crosses the Vltava. We poked our noses into the Jewish Neighborhood, or "Josefov" which was closing shop for the night and would be closed for the sabbath the next day,  it had this lovely old feeling about it like you could feel the history there, I really wish we could have seen more. Friday night we decided to try one of the many cafes that offered a patio that was pretty open-air but filled with tall space heaters and blankets on the back of all the chairs. The Czech people are apparently obsessed with Pizzerias there were a million of them, only topped by the number of places offering take away of mulled wine and hot chocolate. But we had a very nice Italian dinner and went to bed at 11ish so as to get up early the next day. 

These are the Astronomical clock, St. Nicholas', and Tynska respectively.

 

Saturday we got up and out on time, but misplaced the starting point for our free tour and so ended up wandering, but that was good anyway. We had some really great pancakes that were like crepe-thin pastries with dollops of maple syrup the texture of caramel on it, SOOO good. We got to see the St. Wenceslas's square in front of the national museum, and also the Municipal house with interior design by Alphonse Mucha, one of my favorite artists. We then walked all the way across the old town, crossed the river and went up the hill to the Prague Castle, the seat of the Czech government and the ancient governing center of the Holy Roman Empire. There, we got audio guides and passes to the various sights and therefore saw the beautiful St. Vitus's Cathedral (which was naturally refrigerated- remind me never to go there in winter!), Parts of the former royal palace and states rooms- one of which was the cite of a defenestration where one political party threw another's representatives out a window, the St. George's basilica which was the older of the churches and the cite of the burial of many Bohemian Kings and their relatives, and also the Golden walk which is a tiny row of houses that was once home to Franz Kafka for a year. 

St. Vitus's and one of its interior windows by Mucha!

We then walked all the way back across the city at my insistence to see the Mucha Museum. It was totally worth it! I loved learning more about the history of his work and how he became famous. I think that his works are just the most beautiful things. Art Nuvo is really just so amazingly detailed and lovely. I spent a few hours there, and then Katie, Me, and a Brazilian woman named Maria Fernanda who we met in our hostel room all went out for dinner together. They ordered the famous Czech beer, and I had a mulled wine just for the experience of it! It was very strong with cloves, but the cinnamon and lemon they added to the red wine were really good. I could see really enjoying it if I ever had to live up there in the cold. I also had a really great Czech desert which was called Medovník, or honey cake- I usually don't like cake so the fact that I devoured this means that it was really really good. I mean this stuff was amazing! I've got to find a recipe. Anyway, we had a very early flight in the morning (the only cheap thing we could find unfortunately) and so we turned down the pretty czech boys trying to convince us to go on the a pub crawl they were advertising and called it a night.

All in all, I really loved Prague. The weather was brisk and fall like with trees changing colors and everything. It was a big city but felt very small and beautiful. I loved the art and the architecture and had a lot of fun exploring and trying new things! It was a great trip and I'm really glad we went to the trouble of planning it! If you want to see all the pictures they are finally uploaded on Facebook after much struggle with the idiotic server.

I love you all, and please let me know how you are by responding to the post below this one!

A

Katie and I at the top of the Astronomical Clock Tower, looking out on Tynska!

How About a Check In?

Hello Friends and Family!

I'm off to Prague bright and early tomorrow morning, but I just thought I'd post something before I go.
I haven't heard much from a lot of people since leaving, only a few of you have turned up on skype and whatnot.
So, If you read this, time to do something about it!
I'd really love it if you leave me a little paragraph or so about how you are and what you are up to, in the comments for this post. That way I can feel like I know a little something about what's going on in the outside world! - don't forget to leave your name at the end if you don't have a profile to identify yourself! So please please please let me know how you are, doesn't matter if you think I I'm talking to you or not- Just do it! Please!

Love to everyone! I'll post about prague in a few days!

A

Everything's Clearer at Six-Thousand Feet

On my trip to the Sierra Madrid with the school I saw a lovely pair of rounded, green mountains with huge open spaces and rocky bluffs toping the peaks. Yesterday I found a train that would take me back to the little hiking outpost so that I could see if I could get to the top of those same mountains.

I was able to find a path up to the top of the breathtaking mountains! It was  a long and steep climb, but totally worth it! I made it all the way to the summit of the taller of the two mountains, and ate my lunch there. I was feeling tired and sitting in a sheltered rock outcropping away from the brisk wind, so I just curled up against my backpack and closed my eyes for a little while! Most EPIC NAP ever! Opening your eyes to see green mountains and clear sky is just about the coolest thing ever.

I really enjoyed being out there by myself, with some time to think and relax. Hiking helps me to stop feeling pressured and just deal with whatever is going on from a more removed, rational place. Somehow the combination of the exercise, the outdoors, and the general quiet is the perfect catharsis for me.

It was a pretty awesome day! More photos are on Facebook!

Love,

A

Writing- Some things from here in Spain

Sunflowers

Thousands of dead sunflowers line the road on which I travel. They all bow their heads in the same direction as if, in the same moment, on the same day, they all turned their faces into the sun, said goodbye, and gave up their hold on this earth. And yet though their souls, if they ever had any, seem to have departed, their tall dried bodies still fill the fields. Brown dried out sentinels still all facing the same direction. As though they were waiting for something to appear but simply got old and tired when, after so long, nothing came. They look like their hopes have all been dashed; as though they have realized that sunflowers cannot have dreams, cannot see miracles, and the realization crushed their very hearts.

Once, they stood straight and beautiful, hearts full to the brim of summers and sunshine. They spent their days watching the sun cross the sky and believing that happiness would never end… But now it is autumn and the human beings are falling in love, the season to find someone to keep you warm for the winter. But for the flowers… they have found their hopes misplaced. Discovering that the sun moves farther and farther away, that the rains stop coming and the ground dries up. And no matter how much they wish to keep their stalks green and petals in the sun, one by one they must give up; turn brown, brittle, and dry. Their faces bowed to the ground, their leaves hanging stiffly by their sides.

And yet, somehow, they still stand. Inevitably, one day they must lie down, mustn’t they? Their dead roots cannot hold against the winds forever… Though all their hopes have fled, though they are shells and crumpled corpses of what their glory was before, though the eternal summer they awaited will never ever come, somehow they still stand. I watch them as I go by, and I wonder… I wonder against all my reason and all my knowledge. I wonder if their patience is in fact in vein. A part of me wants to believe that their broken hollowed out bodies will stand tall and green, whole again, and that their supreme faith will be rewarded… someday. Part of me wants to believe.

Madrugada

Cuando camines en la sombra
Te quedes sin ni siquiera una vela
Pasas por el silencio
Hacia… no sabes que
Pie adelante pie
Pasando con el ritmo del corazón
Tan despacio la sangre
Enfriándose dentro de las venas
Buscas el sol
Paso a paso
Cuando ves las montañas
Y se parecen a tu hogar
Parecen como tu casa
Pero están tan lejos
Pie adelante pie
Y respires como el aire está saliendo
Esta ciudad ya vacía
Y las hojas del verano
Pasan tu camino
Susurrando con voces secos
Contándote de los días que han ido
Paso a paso
Pie adelante pie
Buscando el sol
No puedes parar
No puedes regresar
Cuando sientes que el mundo es tan redondo
Y gira debajo de tu cuerpo
Casi te calles
Pie adelante pie
La música no siempre será triste
Claro, el noche sí es oscuro
Dura a través del milenio
Pero esperanza viene con la madrugada
Solo tienes que seguir-
Lo más duro de la vida
Paso a paso
Pie adelante pie
Esperando el sol

The Wheels On The Bus... Yeah...

So, the class trip to Huesca area in the north of Spain was cool. We spent over five hours on the bus every day, so that was... great. But the north of Spain is absolutely beautiful. I would love to live up there someday.
The first place we visited was the medieval castle Loarre that was part of the Christian north's defense of their border with the muslim territories in the south. It was the base camp of the King of Aragon's conquest of the surrounding muslim cities so that he could create the larger more powerful Kingdom of Aragon from which came Katharine of Aragon who married Henry VIII. Pretty cool stuff. The castle itself is perched just on the edge of one of the outlying ranges of the Pyrenees and overlooks hundreds of miles of Spanish countryside. Seriously, I don't think I've ever been able to see so far in my life! I absolutely loved it there. I wanted to stay forever. The weather was beautiful too, briskly autumn with breeze and sun, but not too cold! Here's a picture:

We stayed the night in a town called Jaca, about 2 hours from Loarre and 30km from the border with France. It was pretty, but sorta far from everything. The next day we saw two Romanesque cathedrals, one in the smallest town in Spain to have a cathedral, called Roda de Isabenda. This town only has 30 families inhabiting it, that has to be only about 200 people in total. The cathedral had an open crypt- like it was just there, no stairway or basement or anything. That was pretty unique. We had two hours journey on the bus both ways- to Roda and then out to Huesca.  The next church, which was the cathedral of Huesca, was an interesting mix of Romaneque base and a gothic arched top, because the original roof was wood and had been destroyed by fire. This cathedral had a weird little chapel devoted to two child saints who were martyred, it was wierd because they really hadn't done anything to get sainted besides having been killed by having thier throats slit (there was a lovely painting of that, but aparently their relics had performed miracles and so they became famous and the patrons of lots of places in Spain.... Don't ask me...

In general, I really liked getting to be in the North. It's just so beautiful, I want to live there someday. But being on the bus for soooooo long was just really not so fun. I realized that you can't work on a bus, no matter how hard you try, you just fall asleep. Oh well, they celebrate Columbus Day here so I had off school and did all my work today.

If you want full picture album check my facebook, they are very pretty landscapes mostly. Well, next up is Prague!!! I can't wait. My life is getting interesting here, contact me for details. :)

Otherwise, everyone take care and I'll talk to you later!

Much love to all,
A

The New (and maybe final) Itinerary!

Hello all!

Last night I booked the last of my trips that I am officially planning to take! It's gonna start rolling here this weekend with about 2 trips a month and not stop until I get home. I thought I'd post up my schedule so that you all can keep track of me, and pray for safety on my trips if you feel so compelled. (I will be doing the last three alone, as of now. And I am very excited, yet very scared about that- It should be the experience of a lifetime.) So, here it goes:

This weekend (Oct. 9-11)
I will be in the nothern Spain Roman city of Huesca.
I will be going with my Spanish 418 Culture and Civilization class, and we should be staying in a hotel (*gasp* such swank!).

October  23-25
My roommate Katie and I are going to Prague!
We'll be staying right smack in the middle of the old town area, and trying not to spend too many Kroner...

November 6-9
I will be spending in the lovely Paris!
I've never been to france, and I am so excited for the Louvre and the Eiffel tower and all the beautiful autumn ambiance. (the picture is of Notre Dame in the fall).

November 19-21 

(this is the maybe/ unbooked one)

IF it's as cheap as they say it is I may go to Granada with my friends this weekend.

November 27-29

I will be in Belgium visiting the medieval city Bruges.

This is sort of a whim trip, I want to see some of Belgium and this seems to be the best place (or so say the books, movies, and other media i've seen).

December 4-8

This will be my biggest and most exciting adventure: an Italian tour flying me into Rome, taking the train to Florence, Venice, maybe Verona, and Milan flying back from there.

I am über excited for this!!! It will be amazing, and difficult and awesome. I'm getting a eurorail Italy pass for it! Here's the map:

From there, My parents and brother arrive December 19th I think to spend Christmas on a tour of southern Spain with me! It should be fun!

If anyone has gone to these places, or has any advice- feel free to let me know! (Anyone should be able to comment now- just leave me your name so I know who to thank!)

Love to Everyone,

A

¡La Bella Barcelona!

Woooo!

I'm back from my first ever solo self-planned trip, and it was a big success!!! I was in Barcelona from Friday mid morning until noon today (Sunday). It was my first time flying completely alone, first time staying in a youth hostel, and first time being in Barcelona- I think I pulled it off pretty well. I learned a lot about dos and don'ts of traveling: what is cheap an what is not, which type of maps and transportation to use, and what types of attractions I prefer.

Barcelona is a beautiful city full of art and culture. The streets are lined by architecture in a wild conglomeration of Gothic, art nuvo, and modernist styles. There are so many more bright colors there than in Madrid. However, the subways seemed to be much more dirty and dark, and I think there was more air pollution because of the haze, but all in all it was really beautiful.

So, I flew to Barcelona on Friday, and met up with a few other girls from St. Louis U. to check in at our hostel. We then immediately headed for the beach! My first time on theMediterranean coast was great! The weather was perfect, the water was cool, and the surf was really strong. We sunned ourselves, swam out to one of the wave break points, and played in the waves. Then we walked down to olympic pier and took a look at the boats and fun architecture. My friend Yanan and I ended the day by going to the Picasso museum and the church of Santa Maria Del Mar where we were surprised to find a black tie wedding in process. We sat in for a while and I told Yanan (who is Chinese) about western wedding traditions. It was really fun. On our way back to the hostel we got caught up in a big parade of fire-breathing dragons and Samba drum corps jamming along the Rambla, it was pretty amazing.

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famous beach sculpture---------The Iglesia Santa Maria Del Mar

Saturday Yanan and I got up nice and early and began by exploring the Boqueria, the largest open air market in europe. It was full of fantastically fresh fruits, butcheries with every animal part possible, and seafood stands where lots of things were still attempting to crawl away. We then walked up the Rambla to the Paissage de Gracia where many of the famous architect Antoni Gaudi's works sit enthroned. We saw his Casa Batlló and Casa Míla (or La Pedera), going inside the latter to observe the ingenious attic and wacky rooftop. We then hiked out to Gaudí's cathedral La Sagrada Familia, wich I found eclectic, strange and cool. Next was the famous Parc Güell that Gaudí Designed to be an artists' colony and general haven of crazy art people, however only two buildings were ever completed on the grounds. The park is home to many grotto-like walkways, cool mosaic designs on everything, and the longest park bench in the world (a winding horseshoe shaped monstrosity). I then rounded out the Gaudí marathon with his Palau Güell, downtown on the Rambla, but this was sort of a dud as it was mostly under renovation and I could only go into the basement.

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The still-living at la Boqueria--- Me at the Casa Batlló de Gaudí

Most of my late afternoon and evening were spent wandering the galleries of the Palau Nacional de Arte Catalan, which houses a HUGE collection of Roman art along with Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and modern sections. I was especially fascinated by the modern sculptures and paintings(mostly from the 1800s to 1900s) that focused on women. It was intriguing to me to see how each artist interpreted the female figure and to imagine who the woman was and what she meant to the person sculpting or painting her. I spent about 4 hours here, so I really think I got my 5.5oE worth out of that.

I then met up with a few other girls to eat dinner and then to go thee the Font Magic, a huge fountain that does light and music shows all weekend long. It was really beautiful, and me and the girls had fun experimenting with taking pictures of it. (Jamie also had a nikon DSL camera so we compared notes on shutter speed and other dorky things.) We had a lot of fun posing as silhouettes against the background of the fountain. As we went back into the center of town the Mercé festival was still in full swing, and we saw many street performers and free concerts in progress. Why don't we have cool stuff like that in the U.S. of A.?

Me at the Font Mágic!

Here's the quote from Wikipedia about Mercé (I'm too lazy to write it out):

La Mercè is the "most important festival" of Barcelona(Catalonia, Spain). It has been an official city holiday since 1871, when the local government first organized a program of special activities to observe the Roman Catholic feast day of Our Lady of Mercy. (In Catalan, La Mare de Déu de la Mercè -- The Merciful Mother of God; in Spanish, La Virgen de la Merced -- The Virgin of Mercy.) Although the actual date of the holiday is September 24th, the festivities begin a few days before.

Finally, on Sunday, I had a little extra time (since I didn't have to catch the bus to the airport until noon) so I went walking through the Barrí Gótic (Gothic area). I saw the main cathedral of Barcelona: Catedral de Santa Creu, which happened to have ducks in its courtyard, for some reason. It also had a little chapel dedicated to Santa Lucia, who happens to be the patron saint for the day I was born... Made a mental note to google her. I also took pictures of the Palau de Musica Catalan, a famous concert hall with great fun architecture. As a whirlwind way to end my trip I did a fast as I could search through Parc Montjuic, looking for the 1992 Olympic stadium. I found it just in time to snatch a picture or two and hurry back by metro to the Hostel to check out.

All in all, I got to see everything I wanted to and more. I spent money, but not inordinate amounts. And I count myself successful as a whole. I made a list of the top 10 things i learned in Barcelona while waiting for the plane to Madrid, here they are:

1. Hostels are places with more amenities than camping, but many many less than a dorm room.
2. Speaking your language in a place where you feel intelligent, articulate, and well-understood is a very big luxury.
3. During 120lb girl vs. Mediterranean sea- The Mediterranean always wins.
4. When you trip, stop and see why it was that you fell so that you don't do it 2 more times and skin your knees like a 5-year-old!
5. Ignoring your tired feet and keeping on going is always the right decision (when traveling)
6. Where (>) means better than, cleaner, nicer, and generally greater: Madrid Metro > Barcelona Metro
7. Fish sellers look at you funny if you take pictures of their still-wriggling wares.
8. My level of irritability is directly proportional to how hungry I am (more than any other factor)
9. Apparently, if you get married in a UNESCO world heritage site church, random tourists can sit in on your black-tie wedding. (I did.)
10. If you wait long enough people will always get out of your photo frame! :)

Well, That's All I have for now. Longest post yet I think. Check out the rest of the pictures on Facebook (when it decides to work and let me upload them)!

I Love and miss you all! I wish you all could have been there with me!

<3

A

Art and Fun

Hello!

If you read my earlier posts you probably know that I'm in a few art classes while here in Spain: one on drawing one on design. I've been doing some work that I'm actually sort of proud of, so I thought I might just post it up on here and let you guys see it!

In my drawing class we have weekly asignments on top of the projects we are working on in class (which are charcol and very messy), but for these we get to do them with a lot more freedom of medium and subject. Last weeks was to make a "comic" or graphic story, using different viewpoints in each frame. I did mine about a daydream I've often had when walking home at night in the winter, through a certain plaza at Butler. It's fantastical and sweet, and I'm rather enamored with it. It's two pages, and in Spainish, so here's a vocab key:

El Ensueño = the Daydream
*suspiro*= *sigh* (I coundn't find an ontomopia for this in Spanish)

Biblioteca = Library

¿MH?= small sound of suprise (hopefully translated)

Fin= the end

So here are the two pages, you may need to view them bigger to be able to read it...

1 and... 2

I hope you think the story makes sense!

I also have just had an asignment for Design that entailed designing a logo for yourself that defined who wou are and what you stood for. I decided to make mine an upside-down heart (which is an idea i've had before) because to me it symbolizes unselfish love, or "agape", which is something I try to live my life with. I also put olive branches, because I believe in nonviolence and cooperation (as well as for it's biblical association with God's hope and promises). And at the bottom an 'A', for obvious reasons, and because it begins the words that I want the logo to symbolize. Here's a Jpeg of the logo:

I can't get the color to be quite right, it should be a dark purple, but whatever, you get the idea.

Well, there you have it! I'm going to Barcelona tomorrow, so watch for a post about that Sunday or monday!!!

I love you all, Take care!

A