Spanish Flair

I spent 5 absolutely glooooorious days in Spain! I got back from Rome on April 9th at 2am and had to be back at the airport by noon that same day to catch another plane... unfortunately, that meant sleeping 3 hours and catching a bus at 8:40am, landing me at the airport at 10am... I made myself comfortable with a few magazines, though, so it wasn't all that bad. I was the only person on a nice, new bus to the airport so it was much better (and cheaper-- I had a day-ticket from the previous bus ride earlier that morning!) than having had someone drive me. The buses are just that reliable.

I HAD asked around if people would be willing to take me... I asked a bunch of people whom I'd helped in the past, a LOT, and I figured them taking me to the airport would be a small favor in exchange for all the bad grades I'd spared them of... apparently not. Some people even replied (these people I didn't know) that if I'd offer to clean their apartments naked, they may have considered taking me. What a bunch of losers. The others all had one excuse after another but, they might be seeing a change in their grades between this semester and last, as this little American is gonna be gone, a LOT. What better excuse to not do your homework for you (for free!) than that?

Anyway, I flew into Malaga. The flight was awful-- full and cramped, and a young, dirty-looking family with a sleeping child sat next to me, and the mother allowed her child's foot to rest in my lap for most of her nap. The child eventually woke up and screamed/cried several times before the 3 hours of hell came to an end. It took a long time to GET OFF the plane... Viktor picked me up and we eventually made it back, on quite a few buses, to Granada, where he is a hard-working exchange student who never stays out late and always does his homework in a timely manner. I had only slept barely 3 hours the night before but we went out anyway to meet some of his new exchange student friends at an Arabic teahouse of sorts. We didn't stay long, since I was really exhausted.

Thursday Viktor had to go to his Spanish class but that was okay because I was dead to the world till pretty late in the morning... we eventually left his well-kept and well-lit apartment to check out the town. In Granada tapas bars (tapas are like appetizers, small meals-like) with each drink order you get something to eat for FREEEE and as a college student I enjoy all things free, of course. I had the best sangria of my life, yum. We wandered around, saw some cats, and then I was ready to go home. Just kidding... but the cats were adorable, especially a pair of soft orange ones snuggling together in the grass by a creek... *sigh* Some Polish people were having a house party that evening so we went, too!

Friday, Viktor also had class until about noon. In the afternoon we went up the mountain to the Red Palace, Alhambra, which is the most visited site in all of Spain! We got our tickets for the next day. We visited the cathedral in the city which we both agreed was one of the most beautiful we'd ever seen! Later that evening we watched the new episode of the Office that aired the night before, had several good laughs. We also watched Ratatouille, also a cute movie.

Saturday was our day to visit the Alhambra! It was beautiful. The weather was finally clear (the first few days it hadn't been all that warm OR sunny...pretty much Germany weather this time of year) All the gardens there were almost overwhelming. I think I could have sat down on a bench for hours and been happy just doing nothing, just being there. We wandered through the Alhambra (see pics and video) and eventually got hungry so we left. I must mention that we also saw a few cats on the Alhambra. We ended up in a few tapas bars and I realized that I shouldn't order sangria every time because after three, I start feeling a taaaad tipsy, haha... but it was great nonetheless. One tapas bar we went to has cake, too, so on one day we went and had a piece of chocolate cake and cocoa.... yum! In the evening we watched "A Bee Movie" and I liked it a lot... I thought it was a bit unrealistic in some ways, obvious ways, and also clued me in on how important bees are! I didn't know that bees were that important! God is so smart!

Sunday we took a bus back to Malaga to visit the city and make it easier and less stressful to get to the airport for my flight back to Germany the next day. Malaga pretty much made my jaw drop to the floor... I did NOT need a jacket at all and I even put on sunscreen it was so sunny and clear outside. The city on the "Costa del Sol" was one of the most beautiful and clean cities I had ever seen! The water was so incredibly blue I felt like crying about it and the sky, blue as well, was just no match. We climbed and walked a lot all day and I found myself swearing that my butt BETTER reap the benefits of all those steep climbs we did in the Alcazaba and up to the fortress/castle Gibralfaro. The Gibralfaro fortress resembled the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine in form and flair.

After climbing down the mountain, we had a picnic on the beach. It was a little cold, mostly windy, so almost as fast as I took my shoes off, I put them back on again, lol... it was a nice, clean beach. We walked back to our hostel, a quirky place but nice (VERY rude receptionist the next morning!!) and just chiiiiilllled. The next morning we visited the house where Picasso was born and saw some neat artifacts, like the dress he was baptized in. Then we visited the one-armed cathedral (google it or look at my pics to see why it's called that!) which was, in comparison to the beautiful cathedral we'd seen in Granada, a disappointment. We had a nice lunch in a nearby restaurant and eventually made our way back to the bus station to get back to the airport.

The flight home was very comfortable, there were two quiet, friendly, small-framed Spanish girls city next to me and although as usual, somebody's baby had to start screaming, the flight was ok. I read my same magazines again and improved my German :-) Back in Germany it was raining, gray, and freezing. I took the bus home and here I am, trying to get my little home back in order, homework done, laundry washed, etc. before my next trip (to Poland) on Tuesday.

Spain was FABULOUS and I get to go back in three weeks!!!

Cheers,
Caitlin

My Italian Lover

Wow. Just kidding you guys. I don't have one, I just thought it made for an interesting title.

I spent one week in Italy... I went with my friend Rike from the dorm here, and she was a great travel buddy! We spent most of the our time in Rome and took two day trips... this entry is gonna be long, but I'm only including the highlights... it was a whirlwind of a week!!!


Tuesday
-- took the bus to the airport
-- I had to get a new boarding pass at the last minute because Ryanair doesn't allow Americans to check-in online... even though I did it... so they made me pay 4 Euro and they stamped my online check-in form with a "paid" stamp and I was allowed to get on the plane... "visa issue" my white ass!!!!!
-- While waiting for the bus into the city center, Rike and I started doing aerobics in the parking lot so we would warm up a bit... the attendant exercised along with us!!
-- We arrived at the hostel laaaaate and were shown our tiiiiny quarters in a cramped 5 bunk room. Discovered there were no rentable towels and I'd need to go buy one.

Wednesday: our most eventful and touristy day the whole time we were there!
-- first plan of action was to get a towel... found one
-- saw some cats at some nearby ruins and some people doing Tai-Chi in a park
-- bought the Rome tourist card (worth it!!!) from a really rude receptionist at the train station
-- walked all day, since we didn't want to use our transport pass till Thursday
-- Spanish steps... the obelisk is under construction and there are people allll over the steps so I never got a good shot of 'em.
-- Piazza del Popolo... we climbed up to the lookout point bordering the Borghese gardens...
-- ate some PIZZA!!
-- walked along the Tiber and climbed up some walls (see pics!)
-- made our way to the Vatican City where I bought some overpriced ice cream and bargained with a black man selling counterfeit Prada bags... I got my price, but I didn't buy the bag, lol...
-- checked out the Pantheon and Raphael's tomb inside it
-- admired the Trevi fountain and threw in our coins after the tradition :-)
-- made friends with a sweet dog on the way home
-- met two American party boys studying abroad in England and we had dinner with them
-- drank some BAD chardonnay
-- slept REALLY well

Thursday
-- with our Rome pass transport cards we took the metro to the Borghese Gardens... Rike got smushed in the door!!
-- in the Borghese gardens we saw a cat being dragged on a leash... it was sooo sad. It was an orange cat and I could tell it did not want to be on the leash. the guy taking it was taking all sorts of short cuts as if he was avoiding being seen and had someplace to be. The cat's tongue was hanging out, panting, and dragging his feet... :-(
-- our reservations didn't go through properly for the museum so we had to reserve for Saturday... we found a bus and rode it to the Colosseum
-- the Colosseum was great! We ran into the two party boys from our hostel.
-- ate some BAD BAD BAD pizza
-- ate some chocolate for dessert sitting on the wall facing the Colosseum
-- ventured onto Palatine Hill... we laid in the grass for almost an hour just enjoying ourselves and the fact that we were in ROME!
-- caught a free tour in the Roman Forum with a really cute tour guide named Jason (Rike wants to have his baby, LOL)... he knew a lot and we really enjoyed it.
-- we took a bus to the old town Trevastere district and had dinner at a traditional Italian trattoria and grabbed some ice cream for dessert
-- haggled for a Rome t-shirt!!
-- almost got my camera nabbed!!! it pays to be suspicious of anyone with hands!
-- IT WAS COLD
-- fell down the stairs at a metro station on the way home, haha

Friday
-- I slept in till 10 am and Rike didn't wake me up, and was waiting for two hours on me!!
-- it was COLD
-- there was a big demonstration going on at the Vittorio Emanuele I monument
-- we climbed the stairs of the monument
-- ate pizza and ice cream near the Pantheon... the best pizza had NO cheese-- just juicy tomatoes, a bit of olive oil, and good ol' oregano!!
-- bargained for some new shades in front of the Pantheon
-- while at a store buying some water, we photographed some nasty looking fish and the guy behind the counter, who came to be known as "The Happy Fish Man" by Rike and I, requested we take his picture... he loves his job.
-- went to the Roman cat sanctuary, Torre Argentina, at Area Sacra... there are over 250 cats living in the ruins and I got to meet some of them!!
-- took the bus to St. Peter's Basilica...  it was WILD. we cut in line.
-- we made pasta at the hostel with this really yummy tomato sauce we found at a grocery store... it has chunks of cheese in it!!!
-- kinda just chilled in the hostel talking to other travelers.


Saturday
-- went and stood in line to see the "Mouth of Truth" sculpture
-- the skull "relic" of St. Valentine are housed in the church next to the Mouth of Truth
-- took the short bus (LOL) to the Borghese gardens
-- for some reason I was convinced that THE statue of David was in this museum and I walked around for half an hour trying to find it... turns out the one my guide was referring to was by Bernini... lol
-- walked all the way to our favorite pizza place... on the way we got kinda lost and ended up in the parking garage of the "Roman Sport Center" building... and ended up back in the Borghese gardens that we were trying to bypass, lol
-- we ate pizza and ice cream... the ice cream guy remembered us from the previous day and he made my ice cream even better than the last time and I tipped him for it :-) he apparently runs the place... we saw him in the back making ice cream (while smoking haha)... the ice cream guy was great, he really loves serving ice cream... it's almost like he's dancing when he scoops the stuff!!
-- went to the cat sanctuary again for the 4pm tour... it was a GREAT tour, we saw the spot where most historians believe Caesar fell, a Roman toilet seat... it was free and there were cats, so I couldn't have been happier!
-- crammed into a bus to the Termini station
-- stopped by the grocery store and bought some more pasta and sauce and ate it for dinner!
-- had some serious chat time with the other travelers in the hostel
-- went to bed early for a restless nights sleep before leaving for Pisa the next morning

Sunday
-- took the train to Pisa and met my friend Renato... I met Renato about 3 years ago while working at the Holiday Inn... I helped him translate some mathematic symbols and he was so grateful that he gave me a thank you card, which is still hanging in my room to this very day! We've been in touch mostly ever since, and he bought us a ticket to come to Pisa (we had to buy one, too, but he paid for the other) to meet him for the day. It was a grand day, we had lunch at a trattoria and laid in the grass next to the leaning tower which, although it was the only thing to see there pretty much, was beautiful. We didn't climb it because it cost almost $30!!! We met an interesting girl in the train on the way back to Rome who had learned 5 languages as a child... I wish I'd had been that lucky in that department, lol. It's a lot harder to LEARN the languages yourself, that is one thing for sure.

Note about Italian trains: cheaper than German ones, for one, and the toilets are open holes and the waste goes right onto the tracks below! That is why you aren't allowed to use the loo while the train is stopped at a station, lol...

Monday
-- took the train to Anzio, a Roman province on the coastline. We strolled the beach and I collected a few shells. We walked all the way to the next province, Nettuno, and took the train back to Rome...
-- we ate chinese food for dinner at a place around the corner
-- chatted with the Aussie girl and a chick from Wisconsin at the hostel

Tuesday
-- it was our last day... we pretty much just strolled around Rome
-- went into a few random churches
-- terrorized some pigeons
-- located the Romulus and Remus statue
-- located the famous "talking" statue of Pasquino
-- of course went back to our favorite pizza and ice cream places near the Pantheon for one last meal
-- went back to the cat sanctuary to play with the cats
-- sorta snuck into the Castel St. Angelo
-- went into the Vatican Museum and Rike ended up not going because the Vaticatholics are totally STINGY... they wouldn't let her in for the student price of 8 Euro (over $12!!!) because she's over 26... she didn't want to pay the full price of 14 Euro (over $21!). How much more money do those selfish ________s need anyway!? ok, I shouldn't judge, but seriously, visiting the Vatican has really stirred up some disrespect for the Catholic church...
-- pretty much wound my way around the place to the Sistine Chapel, just like everyone else. it took a ridiculously long time to get there. I took a picture and tried not to get caught but I got caught and told to leave. I was smart though, and spent some time looking around before taking my picture so by the time I took my picture I was ready to leave anyway!!
-- Rike and I met back at the hostel around 6, made our last pot of pasta and sauce for the week and headed to the airport...
-- took the 00:30 bus from the airport back to Koblenz and split a taxi home... it was a LONG day. I got a day ticket for the bus though and only had to paid 3 Euro more to go back to the airport the next morning instead of 13, so I saved about $15!!

That's it for Rome.....................

Caitlin