Blair is: Supporting Falling Towers and Staring at David (Assisi, Pisa, and Florence)

Assisi, Florence, & Pisa
November 16 – 18




Assisi was quite idyllic, overlooking open Tuscany and fields from a hill. In Assisi is a basilica, a beautifully painted basilica holding the remnants of Saint Francis (San Francisco, which explains why it was sister city to San Francisco!) I loved the night sky painted on the ceiling, and the view was incredible.

Soon we were in a town called Firenze to see the David. I was very confused, because I thought he was in Florence. Half the group got lost (including me) and we were soon found. It wasn´t until we passed Ghiberti´s Doors to Paradise that I realized Firenze was Florence!

We arrived at the galleria and entered. After walking around the “Rape of the Sabines” to see it from every angle, I stepped through the door and gasped – he was a hallway away and still huge! I stalled, looking at Michaelangelo´s unfinished works, which seemed as though they were trying to break free of the marble. Finally, I stood before the most perfect figure I have ever seen. His face, intent on the unseen challenger, and his posture to his perfect anatomy – he was beautiful, and I never wanted to leave.

I explored the rest of the museum, before going back to the David for a while. I soon left with Madeline and Vanessa, wandering the streets and picking up a strawberry whipped and pena cotta ice cream. Yum! We soon met up with the rest of the group and headed onwards to dinner. I sat with Avani, Ashley, Rachel, Ryan, Lindsey, Laura and Jasmine, enjoying a meal of salad, pesto pasta, turkey, and wine. Lots of wine. We all sat at our table long after everyone else left, just chatting and enjoying each other´s company. We took a cab back to the hotel, since the bus had stopped running.

The next day, we went on our walking tour of Florence. I was a tad upset because 3 minutes into the tour my camera decided to die, even though I had just charged the battery the night before. But actually, not worrying about having to take pictures gave me the freedom to just look at everything, really examine everything I saw with my own eyes instead of through the viewfinder of my camera. I enjoyed seeing Brunelleschi´s dome and the tower where the two church officials were pushed out of, beginning the reformation.

Blair is: Crusing through the Med on the Aegean Pearl

September 19 – 21, 2008
Cruise Aboard the Aegean Pearl



We were up early the next day following the magnificent sunset at Cape Sounion to take our cruise through the Mediterranean. We passed many a grand ship before arriving at the Aegean Pearl, a decent sized vessel in my opinion but by no means a Carnival Cruiseliner. Upon seeing it, I immediately thought, “it doesn’t look any bigger than the Mauritania!” as I clasped a hand around my Titanic charm necklace, and had someone snap a picture of me “paying my respects” to the boat, as my dad insisted I “respect the boat” prior to leaving Madrid. (Do no horse around. Do not play near the railings. Do not fall over said railings. Respect the boat, Blair!)

Our room was TINY, like half the size of an AU dorm room but with four people sleeping in it! I was paired with Sarah Block, Jasmine, and Kathryn. Our luggage could barely fit in the room! I put on my bathing suit and cover up before realizing we had to do a lifeboat drill (again, thank you Titanic!). I put on my orange life preserver and headed up to the dining room with Sarah. There we encountered a Canadian business man at our table who was here “on business.” We chatted with him and told him about our program. We asked, how much business are you actually doing here? Without missing a beat, he replied, the same amount of school work you are doing! After the drill, I laid outside on the deck with Ashlee and Rachel, reading and relaxing, watching the shore slowly drift away and the wind pick up. After a buffet lunch, I got lost on the boat, read in a nice corner, ran into Ryan some hours later and we began to play cars. We learned this really bizarre game from an elderly Englishman that I totally forget now, it was so complicated.

We landed at the dawn of twilight in Mykonos, a tiny little island famous for its white buildings and villages and windmills. I swear, it looked like a Disney town resort! Madeline, Vanessa and I spent a while sitting by the bay before meandering further inwards. We found the cutest little outside restaurant where flowering trees hung over the patio roof in a pinky-purple shade, illuminated by the dancing flicker of candlelight. We continued to lose ourselves in the narrow white streets and budding overhangs. Before long, it was time to head back to the boat, and we said goodbye to the picturesque little island, illuminated by the moon, soft candles, and Christmas lights. After catching the ferry back to the ship, I ate dinner with Sam, Ashlee, Lauren Renner and Kathryn, enjoying my meal and especially the dessert. Knowing that we had an early morning again tomorrow, I went to sleep early – early being around midnight, as I had wanted to read some of my book and that one of my roommates refused to turn off the light.

The next day, we received our wake-up call at 6 AM. Breakfast began at 6:30, and we were scheduled to disembark no later than 7:30 AM to the island of Kusadasi in Turkey. This disembarkment was completely different from that of Mykonos. We walked down a plank as the sun gently rose in the eastern sky, the music of Turkey washing over us as we saw Turkish dancers. Behind them, I could see the Turkish flag, a darker red than the morning sky. We went through Turkish customs before exiting the ort, meeting our bus driver and tour guide shortly. We first went to the House of the Virgin Mary, where she supposedly lived out her last days on Earth. Her house was converted into a church, and several Popes have visited there. I was fine until I walked through the house, when upon seeing the constructed altar and the bowed heads of the faithful I began to tear up. It was like an overwhelming wave of emotion. This place was considered Holy. I wondered what my grandmother would say if she could be here; for her I took a sip of Holy water from Mary’s fountain and left a prayer there as well. But I couldn’t help but be offended by the laughs and complaints of some of the Jewish kids, especially the snide remarks of one. I couldn’t help but say and think, is it impossible for you to respect another religion? Can you not honor a place for its historical significance even though it doesn’t fit into your particular religious beliefs? I want to visit Israel someday, simply to hear and see what it is about. I am not Catholic, so this place doesn’t resonate as deeply with me as it does with others. But could they not at least leave a moment to those who truly did want to be here? This is history, or possible history. Last time I checked, we were all from American, the land of religious freedom and tolerance. It upset me to see people writing this place off, knowing how much it means to so many.

We continued on to Ephesus, an ancient city. It was constructed at total of 3 or 4 times. We visited the third site, which was abandoned due to plague and famine, I believe. But it was glorious, constructed under the influence of the Roman style. We could see the remains of the sewer system and the statues of heroes past. It was astounding to think about what the city once was only because of the remnants. What it must have been like in its glory! Statues, sewer system, constructs in honor of Nike, Hadrian and other important people. However, the most well preserved and most demanding view was that of the Celsius Library. What now is a façade resembling the front of the Temple of the Lost Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was once the 2nd largest library of the ancient world, nest to Alexandria. The destruction of these 2 great libraries meant losing all but 2 works of the ancient world – Homer’s Odyssey and Illiad. We then walked towards the stadium of Ephesus, a marvelous and humungous structure that could hold 250,000 people! It was so cool. We walked then along a road lined with empty pedestals. Madeline, Ashlee and I felt it our duty to take a picture as Roman goddesses. Jess, Sarah, and Kaitlan noticed helmets sitting on a bench on the hill behind the pedestal. Cool, they say, and start heading up the hill. Ten seconds later they turn screaming down the hill, followed by an army of Ancient Romans! It was all set up for a play … in English! What?!?! Turkish people playing English-speaking Romans? We watched for a while before realizing it was time to head back. On the way back, my bag got stuck in the X-ray machine, and none of the security guards would help me get it. So I climbed into the X-Ray machine and probably have permanent brain damage. I know my spelling has not been the same since!

We ate lunch on the ship (again, so many good desserts! Half my lunch was dessert!) before I decided I need a nap. Living in such close and rotating quarters, I had caught the disease I had coined my freshman year: “first you cough, then you die.” I was awoken at 4 in anticipation of our departure to Patmos. So, we boarded the boat to the tiny rocky island to see more ancient things in Greece. First stop – the Cave of Revelations, where God spoke to John about the apocalypse. Primarily, I was surprised at the building and stairs I had to walk through to get to the cave. I lit a candle out of respect and saw a Bible placed in a high location of honor as well as the hole God’s voice made in the wall when he spoke to John. The hole was much smaller than I thought it would be. But then again, I didn’t expect golden alter panels either. It was a very enigmatic place.

We then headed up to the monastery at the top of the island, which had a fabulous view of the sunset and the bay in addition to beautiful gothic art inside. All golden tin the room of prayer were images of Jesus, Mary, and splendor, from the floor to the intricately adorned ceiling. I left the building with Mari Carmen, Jasmine, Lauren, and Tracy, walking through the village for a good 20 minutes before realizing….we were lost! MariCarmen calls Rafa, and the conversation goes like this:

MC: Estamos perdidas!
R: Pregunta la gente.
MC: No hay gente, Rafa!

Because it was true, there was no one around. So we just followed the road we were on until we finally saw something that looked familiar on the other side of this hill. There we found Rafa and the rest of the group, hopping into taxis back down the rollercoaster of a hill to the bottom, where we were promptly escorted to the boat. Ashlee and I had a fabulous dinner which included mandarin orange salad, lobster bisque, steak, and red velvet cake. Yum! After dinner, I joined the others upstairs for a karaoke party. It was fun – Paul and Ryan sang, we all danced, and it turned into a sing off between us and a group of Australians. I went to bed (comparatively) early, and was now fully experiencing the effects of the cruise cold.

The next day we were up early and docked at Crete. It was cold and rainy, and on the island there was initially not a sight to behold – the buildings were gray, and I felt like I was in North Philadelphia, not some mythical island. We saw the old palace of Knossos, where the ancient Myceneans lived. However, due to the cold, rain, and bad health many of us were in, it was not an extremely pleasant experience, especially when Ephesus was so much better preserved. I did enjoy seeing the throne room, perfectly preserved and exhibiting paintings that we had been shown in art history. The main reconstruction was neat too – however, it also seemed a tad Disney unreal. Everything seemed unreal! Then we went to the museum before being allowed fee time, where I bought myself a beautiful Greek key bracelet that the man made into an anklet for me, a replacement for the ankle bracelet that was lost somewhere in Granada.

We soon left, boarding the Aegean Pearl once more, and I took a nap, exhausted. However, during my rest, Ryan entered the “Mr. Aegean Pearl” pageant and WON! I would have LOVED to see that – I think I would have been so amused.

We soon arrived to Santorini, the island I had been waiting to see. I could see the white buildings steeply ascending the high altitudes of the islands, which were much steeper than I had envisioned. The island jutted upward at like a 70 degree angle! We explored the lower part of the island for a bit, and then Mari Carmen broke the news – we were taking a boat out to the Caldera to see the volcano AND go swimming in the Aegean Sea! Ahhhh we were stoked! The boat trip in and of itself was so much fun, hair blowing everywhere, our group crowded at the bow, headed for the caldera. Shortly, we landed, and went trucking up the hill to see the caldera – a pit of black rock. It was pretty neat to be on a volcano! Shortly after, we returned to the ship, and Mari Carmen asked: who’s going in? a lot of the others were hesitant, but I was like, ME ME ME! I didn’t care how cold I might be in the future, because honestly, how many times do you have the chance to swim in the Aegean Sea?

I was one of the first ones in. It was brisk, at first, but soon I felt fine, like a slightly lukewarm bath. Below, it was dark. Finally about 15-18 of us were in the water, swimming and splashing. But the sun started to dip and Mari Carmen was like, vaminos chicos, it’s time to ride the donkeys!

Yes. We rode donkeys. There are only 2 ways of getting up the hill – cable car and donkey. All of us except for Tony (who thought it smelled bad), Mari Carmen, Rafa and Paul rode them. I waited my turn, breathing through my mouth, and then was put on a donkey. I was petrified! My donkey stopped off the first incline and the guy running the operation led Madeline’s donkey to mine, tied them together, tied us both to a bar and went back to the group to finish loading the others. Madeline and I were confused. He came back up the incline with a little white donkey, told me to get off, and to hop on this sprightly thing. So I did, he hit it, and the donkey went charging up the hill! Following the zig zag back and forth and back and forth he was the little donkey who could, passing all the other donkeys. I looked up from petting his main ad waved at my classmates as I rode by, seeing another beautiful sunset, reflected off the water and striking to look down upon. I was bouncing up and down, up and down, going ever higher as the sun slipped below the waves.

I rounded the last ramp and saw donkey heads. Never have I ever seen so many donkeys in my life! Someone offered me his hand to help me off, and, smiling, I petted the donkey one last time (I called him Trucker). Only a few arrived at the top ahead of me, but there was a roadblock of donkeys! Avani was a few paces in front of me, and was like, “get me outta here!” as she tried bushing a donkey and scooched around it. I waited for someone to clear a path, watching my step. I walked around with Madeline, finding a donkey charm for her bracelet and earrings for my relatives before heading back to the meeting space. We tried to find the famous blue domed buildings without success. We took a skycar to the bottom of the hill, seeing the island all lit up high above the lights of the cruise ships.

The next day, we said good bye to the Aegean Pearl at the bright and sunny hour of 7:30 AM and were greeted by Danae! We saw the excavation site of Mycenae, where the golden heads of lions over the gate were missing. Once the domain of Agamemnon, all that remain are graves and walls. We explored the top (what a view! Green rolling mountains in all directions!) and the museums before heading on to our next destination: the tomb of Agamemnon (I think). Its high ceiling was certainly impressive. We had lunch at a local restaurant (wonderful lamb and French fries) and Sarah Block accidentally broke a glass, to which the entire establishment replied “Opah!” The owner came out and starting smashing dishes with a smile, to which we responded with cries of OPAH! It was thrilling.

Next was a Greek theater, used for healing purposes and having an occupancy of 25,000. It is a great example of acoustics. From inside the center ring, your voice could be heard anywhere in the stadium without a microphone! The funny thing is, none of the other tourists seemed to realize this until our tourguide yelled at everyone to please be quiet for an experiment. She spoke, ripped a piece of paper, dropped a coin, and clapped in the circle and outside of the circle. Paul was the first brave soul to decide to sing, singing Ray Charles’ “Georgia on my Mind.” Pauline and Carenn sang “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” two Frenchmen sang, and several vets sang “God Bless America,” something I’m sure my grandfather would do. Deciding I would regret it either way later, I decided to sing, choosing the first verse of “Goodbye Until Tomorrow” from the play The Last Five Years. I only cracked once, and afterwards everyone was like, you have a beautiful voice! I said thank you, and I appreciated it (but I couldn’t help but thinking you should hear my sister – she’s sang in Carnegie Hall!) and I was proud of myself for mustering up the courage to sing, brief as it was in retrospect. We then headed back to Athens, in preparation for Istanbul. Outside of the Hotel Stanley, Danae wished us the best of luck in everything and a good trip. She was fabulous, and will remain an intricate part of the memories of Greece due to her spiritedness.

Blair is: falling into the Valle de los Caidos

The Valley of the Fallen and El Escorial

October 16, 2008



In the distance I could see a small cross, gradually getting larger and larger. As the bus climbed the hill and stopped in front of the large stairs, I could not believe that actually size of the structure. So domineering and gray, with a picture of an agonizing pieta above the door, this was a place of pain, or a place to be respected. That was just the outside.

Upon entering the structure, I was surprised by the darkness and plainness of the interior. Arches after arches down a plain corridor, I was torn between walking slowly to let the prickling sensation overcome me and walking fast to escape the feeling. I lingered, meandering deeper in Franco’s domain, where religious art loomed over the observer. Continuing onward, I found myself in the center of the Basilica, facing a tomb that was not Francisco. Around me, at each corner, stood figures twelve to fifteen feet tall, dark, commanding, powerful. They reminded me of the Ringwraiths from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Slowly I circled around the central structure, where a Christ in agony hung from the cross. At the back was the tomb of Franco: plain, simple, and surprisingly adorned with fresh flowers. I wandered in and out of the candlelit chapels, and became even more creeped out upon reading that la Valle de los Caidos was constructed using the bodies of the dissidents as part of the foundation. The entire place held an aura of imposition, and I couldn’t believe people would actually go here to pray. It was so … isolating that wandering the monument by myself gave me goose bumps. Yet ironically, I was not pleased to leave, feeling that I was missing something here. I slowly made my way back through the corridor, past two statue guards I hadn’t noticed earlier that reminded me of Harry Potter’s Dementors. I passed through the doors and into daylight, still slightly overwhelming on such a cloudy day. With one last glance at the view, where I felt I could see everything for fifty miles, we headed back to the bus and onward towards el Escorial.

On the bus, my friend Sasha (who was visiting me) and I could not get over the Valle de los Caidos and how surreal a place it was. We prepared ourselves for something just as nerve tingling at el Escorial.

I was surprised. Through a pleasant color-changing row of trees emerged the palace of el Escorial. True, it was no Palacio Real, but it wasn’t as polarizing as the Valley of the Fallen. Actually, it reminded me of any colonial house tour I’ve taken back in the US – only 200 years older and much bigger.

The only thing that may have been considered creepy were the tombs of the monarchs in the basement. Having already seen Columbus’ tomb in Sevilla, this did not unnerve me. I actually thought it was cool to see the legendary Charles V! The cool marble was appropriate for the room, and seemed to reiterate the fact that no warm blood pumps through these remains to keep them alive. The room was so ornate and beautiful compared to the rest of the palace, save the library. It was kind of sad that the dead are given greater luxuries than the living.

How do these represent the role of dictators? Both placed heavy emphasis on religion and used austerity to intimidate the populace. Both appeared to use religion and might as a means of legitimizing their rule. And yet, I believe the modern horrors to be a million more powerful and impacting than those of hundreds of years ago.

After el Escorial, we headed to the restaurant MariCarmen picked out for a preemptive celebration of Paul’s jazz gig. I sat with Sasha, and we had fun catching up and chatting over our paella, steak, and dessert (yum!). We soon headed out to the Jazz Bar, where Paul played phenomenally. I chatted with my friend Tom for a while, and enjoyed a drink and the music with Sasha. As it grew towards the time when the metro closed, Sasha, Alex, Tony and I headed towards the metro. I was sad to see Sasha go, but was glad there could be such an uplifting end to the day.

Blair is: on a Roman Holiday

Rome

November 16, 2008



Wow, what a couple of days! I cannot believe that I have been in rome, eating pizza, geloati, and pasta for the past 3 days. It seems too short. It’s so warm here! The funny thing about rome is that, oh, look, it’s just the forum! Oh, look, it’s the Trevi Fountain, powered by 2000 year old acqueducts! You can walk up a street and see fountains and buildings in the classic style, and it is just gorgeous. The drivers there are a tad crazy though, because along with this the streets are extremely narrow, explaining the plethora of smart cars and vespas. Even with smaller vehicles, it’s impossible to walk down the cobblestoned streets (that destroyed my new boats) without fear of being run over or accosted. By salespeople at tourist attractions and in restaurants.

We are now on our way to see the David after a brief stop in Assisi, and the countryside is as or evern more beautiful than the city. Mountains, greenery, olivetrees, mist, it’s unlike anything ive ever seen. I could imagine this as Hicksville PA or maybe Kentucky, but otherwise I ‘ve never seeen anything like this.

The first night it rained, so we postpomned our city walk until the next day. We had a fabuous dinner, complete with bread, arribiata pasta for me, and tiramisu icecream. I also had strawberry gelati before dinner though. After dinner, I went out with Sarah Flak, her friends in rome, and some other girls form the program. Ashley wanted to try absinthe, as did Paul. We ran into Kathryn on the street who decided to tag along. That night in the bar, we ran into Alex and her friends in Rome! Small world, it was like all of AU was in this one bar. They told us that Kathryn vomited and they kicked her out, but of course she refused to go home like an immature bitch and she proceeded to drink absinthe!!! I had a bellini and enjoyed seeing some of Alex’s friends and hanging out with Ashlee. I went home rather early because I was exhausted.

The next day, we went to the Vatican. Again, I didn’t appreciate how some people were putting it dwon becaseu it did not pertain to their religion. It’s not my religion either, but I can admire the art and architecture! For instance, Madeline has a charm bracelet and found the cutest charm of the pieta, which I thought would be fitting as a work of art. She said, I don’t’ do religion. I don’t want it. It’s michaelangelo for christ’s sake!

The whole city was beautiful. It was refreshing to have a tour guide who told jokes, as this one did when he asked if we had our passports. The Sistine chapel was simply overwhelming. I was not expecting the ceiling to be so high up and for the altar art of the final judgement to be so huge! Standing there, I could only think that this was painted 500 years ago and we can still enjoy it today. 500 years ago! I just wanted to lay on the ground and continue to stare at it. I did take a few pictures illegally, because you cannot take pictures not for fear of preserving the art, but because Japanese and American businessmen hold the copywright! How crazy !

The basilica, the largest cathedral in the world, was incredible. Absolutely gorgeous. I , of course, was immediately drawn to the pieta, which was exactly ho I imagined it would be. I definitely just crash landed into Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons! I only wish we had a tad more time there.

Ashlee, Rachel, Vanessa, Madelin and I had lunch at a little bistro by the Vatican where you could get pizza, a drink, and gelato for only 10 euro. So, we did that, and I got a glass of wine with margherita pizza and straticella ice dcream. So good!

We met up at 530 in the Piazza del Popolo for our walking tour. The only issue I had with the waling tour was that our professors did not lead the way, and we would get lost. I mean, a 2 hour tour took actually 3, and when we’re all hungry and wearing uncomfortable shoes for going out it was not pretty. We saw the Spanish steps, the fountain of Triton, the Trevi Fountain (where stupid sellers were all over the place and tricked me into buying a flower. I was pissed because I didn’t want it, but no, I was stupid). We saw the pantheon,, and then crossed the river to our final restaurant location. We had the BEST dinner ever! I had croquets, garlic bread, lots and lots of wine, shrimmpl white pizza. Sooo good! After dinenr, I wandered with Kaitlin, Ryan, and Jess (again, Kathryn followed us) and we walked around. We got gelato again (cherry and raspberry this time) and as we’re sitting on the steps, Jess gets a call from Zach Green! We go to meet up with him in the same plaza wehre I was last night. While there, who do I run into but Alex Grabowski! Oh my god, I was so happy to see someone outside of the program that I’m friends with! So I go into a bar with him and meet his friends, and then we go outside to go to another bar and I see Zach talking to Sarah Block and Jess. So I just go up behind him and give him a hug. He’s like, who is this OH MY GOD! I can’t believe you’re here!

It was great.

We then all went to Scholars, another bar in the area, and we all hung out for a while until about 2 am, when we go back to the hotel. Still, it was the best night ever, and made me unable to wait until next semester.

So the next day, yesterday, we we explored Ancient RFome. First stop, the early Christian Catacombs. These were creepier than the Parisian catacombs because the aisles were so narrow and completely made of rock, and you can just imagine being shoved into one of the holes in the wall, bricked in, and forgotten. I was sorta happy to get outtta there.

We then went to the Colisseum. Again, people were there HARASSING the tourists to buy stuff. We went inside, and because we are American students and not European, it cost over 400 euros for all 25 students to enter! How ridiculous! But it was so cool to be there and dimagine what it must have been like once upon a time.

Nnext stop – the Roman Forum, badly preserved because the popes would have people ransack it for its marble. It was actually sad that this is all that remains of the ancient civilization. Our tour guide was rather bland today, but we overheard another tour guide who was fabulous – reminded me of Mr. Cherepko.

Sarah Flak, Rachel and I got pizza at a local place before getting gelato (banana and peach). I went shopping with Rachel, and then headed back to the hotel. I got dressed for dinner, and we had a dinner of pesto pasta, salad, and chicken. After dinner, I again hung out with sarah flak, her friends, Pauline, and tony. We sat on the Spanish steps, and enjoyed conversation with a few Spaniards from Cadiz (complete coincidence!)

We are now on our way to the Galleria. Assisi this afternoon was beautiful, completely idyllic European city.

Til later!

Blair is in Paris [Land of Good Food, Good Wine, The Sun King, Napoleon, More Stairs than A StepaRobics Class Could Hope for, & the Time of Your Life}

November 5, 2008

So, how did YOU celebrate Halloween 2008?

I went to the Parisian Catacombs, meandering the burial site of where 6 million people’s remains are arranged in walls and rows of columns and other designs. It was creepy! Every 20 feet there was another inscription in French, which sometimes I could understand but others had no idea. We had run into Madeline’s friend Harris in Madrid last weekend, and met up with Harris in Paris. We are staying at the Peace and Love Hostel on the top floor in Jaures, close to Montemarte, which is incidentally where he lives. So we went to the Catacombs, waited in line for an hour before descending the 83 steps to the bottom. Through the dark and twisty caverns we went, Harris sometimes leaning due to the height of the ceiling, seeing some of the construction marks and memorials constructed. Finally, we reached the entrance to “the empire of death” and I saw the first skulls and bones. It was so surreal! And unnerving. After a while, it was downright creepy to think about what kind of lives these people lived and how their lives played out. Once upon a time, they had faces and names and were animated – now they are anonymous, detached, limb from limb, head from ribcage and pelvis to form patterns in walls under Paris. It was a 1.7 kilometer underground labyrinth that took us over an hour to make our way through.

We soon walked back up the 83 stairs to the surface, emerging like a vampire would after a long nights sleep. At this point, we said goodbye to Harris (he was meeting up with his friend) and we headed towards lunch. (I got a croissant sandwich with salad). After that, we hopped on the metro. Harris suggested getting off the metro 2 stops past the one recommended for the Eiffel Tower so we did – catching our first glimpse as we crossed the river. My reaction? OH MY GOD IT”S HUGE! We got off and began to walk, finding ourselves at this lookout over the Eiffel Tower. I just could not believe it, that I was standing in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. IN PARIS. Not Disneyworld. Not Las Vegas. PARIS. THE REAL DEAL. And it just grew as we walked towards it until it was completely overwhelming, obscuring all. I could see the dark steel of the structure, the way the mechanisms worked and the sheer industrial nature of it hidden inside ornate curls and blocks. I could see why the Victorians hated it, but that didn’t stop me from appreciating it. I was so overwhelmed that I was actually here, standing in front of THE Eiffel Tower, that I literally jumped up in down with joy after a few moments of awed wonder and silence.

Although it was foggy, we decided to pay the 12 euros and go all the way to the top. While Harris had suggested walking to the first level, we took the tram – good for me because I am so scared of heights I would have turned back around! But we could see for miles, the arc di triomphe, Notre Dame, Sacre Couer – all visible as we walked around the level. And then the moment of truth – the ascent. I was so scared, and being in a glass elevator as it happened? NOT helpful. Then we entered the cloud, and could see nothing. We emerged on an enclosed observation deck, and then went up the stairs to see if visibility was better, and near the end of our visit it started to look better as the city lighted up. Suddenly, we saw lights reflecting on the clouds as the elevator descended – we were INSIDE the tower as it lit up! Oh man, it was sooooo cool! We spent a bit longer up on the lower level at the tower to now look at the city lit up before deciding to leave. We crossed the Seine, checked our watches, and realized we had a measly 20 minutes to wait until the tower lit up again. So we split a crepe and sat on the stairs of the lookout point waiting for it to alight. And it soon did, and was SOOOO beautiful! Like really, the white lights danced and contrasted with the blue of the tower and the black night sky, the tower light spinning – so surreal. After this, we decided to head to the Arc du Triomphe, and probably the WORST intersection I have ever seen, with 13 streets converging in the circle. We went underground to get to the arc, realized there was a museum, and went up the 295 stairs into the Arc. We went on top of the arch, saw the Eiffel tower light up again (!) and then decided to take a stroll down the Champs de Elysses. After a while, we ducked into a cheap(er) Franco Italian restaurante where we had fantastic red wine and penne pasta. After dinner, we headed back to our hostel, which is right above a bar of the same name. [A side note about our hostel: when we checked in, we encountered a toga party. Exhausted, we climbed the 128 stairs to the top level where our room was and went to sleep immediately.] This night, there was a Halloween party in full swing, with people writing on each other in marker and wearing trash bags. We were exhausted, and the following day was All Saint´s Day, so I checked what was going to be open online [slipping and falling down said ridiculously narrow and windy steps in the hostel so that I created lovely bruises on my elbows and back - yet my computer remained unharmed!!] and we created our game plan. We were going to Versailles.

We left the hostel at 8:45 AM to go to Versailles. We arrived at 10:15 AM amid the fog and rain. Still, the gold sparkled and we were excited to be there. We paid for the all-day pass, and saw the Hall of Mirrors, the bedchambers of the King and Queen and the apartments of the Princes and Princesses. We were in the palace for 4 hours! It was gorgeous and spectacular, but there was a modern art exhibit by Jeff Koonz in the rooms. I´m sorry, but statues of balloon figures as well as Michael Jackson and ¨Bubbles¨ do not belong in Versailles.

We then meandered the gardens, finding a food stand for lunch (Panini, yumm!!) As it started to lighten up a bit, we headed towards the Petit Trianon and the Domain of Marie Antoinette. Her little village was so cute in the autumn light! (It was also uber refreshing to see leaves changing color and not just on the ground). I was thrilled, it was almost like autumn in the US. The outsides of her village structures were quaint, with thatched roofs and stuff, but the insides were completely MARBLE. Reality check! Afterwards, we went to the Grand Trianon, which had become the quarters of Napoleon and his wife after the revolution. It was easy to see how the monarchs needed the escape outside of Versailles. Madeline became fascinated with Louis the XIV, because "he is the state!" and the Sun-King, but really, did he conquer half of Europe? I think not. Napoleon may have been short, but the guy had game. And style.

We left for the Latin Quarter, and had a fabulous Menú del día type dinner (I had salad, coq au vin, and crème brule with a lovely blush wine) before heading back to the hostel around 11.

So we´re sitting in the bar, using the internet when we are approached by a couple of slightly [we believed] inebriated Australians. They´re like, what are you doing on the computer? Party with us! We´re like, we´re un poco tired cuz we got up uber early. They were wearing trash bags like the night before. James and Joe (their names) ask us what we did, we told them, and then they showed us pictures of their adventures with a pumpkin called Pierre Francois. It was actually hilarious. They introduced us to some of their other friends, including two Canadians named Ian and Mitchell, and then we soon went to sleep, for the next day we were getting up at 7:30 AM:

SO: the big day: the Louvre, Musee de Rodin, and the Musee D´Orsay. The first Sunday of every month, the museums were free, so Madeline and I were determined to make the most of it – especially since most of the museums are closed on Mondays. We left the hostel by 8, and the guy working was like, why so early? So we told him our plan, he wished us good luck, and we were at the Louvre waiting in line by the little pyramid downstairs at 8:30 AM. We were let in at 9 and made a beeline towards the Mona Lisa. There was no one there! And it was beautiful. I couldn´t believe I was actually standing there in front of it! We wandered the Louvre for 4 hours before heading out, seeing other DaVincis, the Winged Victory, Venus di Milo, crown jewels of Louis XV and other works. The building itself was a piece of art, with its elaborate ceilings. However, it was HUGE and you could easily spend 2 weeks inside!



Next stop: lunch. I had ham on a baguette with wonderful raspberry chocolate cake and an Orangina. We soon found the Musee Rodin and saw the Thinker and the Kiss. Incredible! It took us an hour to see the whole museum, and actually had a line to get in as we were leaving. So we then headed to the Musee d´Orsay, which is a modernist museum set inside an old train station. We waited 45 minutes in line, but then got inside and just SAT for a while. After two straight days of walking, we were exhausted. We managed to see the Mask Exhibit on display (Medusa masks were so cool!) as well as some other masterpieces, including Monet´s waterlillies, Van Gogh´s self portrait, paintings and sculptures of Degas and some art of Toulouse Latrec, Manet, Seaurot, etc. We were in the museum until we were kicked out at 6.

Basically, we were at museums from the time they opened till we were kicked out. And we both never wanted to walk again.

We went back to the Latin district for a French dinner, again doing a set-menu type deal. Madeline and I split another jar of Blush wine (not as good as the previous night) and I had the BEST calamari rings as an appetizer (ughhh so buttery with the best French Onion dressing to dip in!), Steak in a wine and mushroom sauce, and sugar crepes for dessert. Yum! After a while, we headed back to the hostel.

We were greeted by our new-found-friends who in turn introduced us to more people, Australians named Cameron, Phil and Karin. It was Karin´s birthday. Tonight´s theme was cross dress. Madeline participated, but I didn’t! After calling my dad to wish him a happy birthday, we went back downstairs, danced a bit, drank a bit, and went to sleep around 2 as the bar began to shut down.

I had to get up at 5:30 to register for classes. I went downstairs and there were STILL people hanging out by the bar. The others left, I was registering and chatting with Jesper, the guy who we had returned our key to earlier. He was from Denmark, and living in France. At 6:30, after 4/5 success in registering, I chatted a little more with Jesper and then headed up to catch a few more hours of sleep before heading out on our next day of adventure.

We slept in the next day, and decided to go to several of the famous cemeteries, the Pantheon, and Notre Dame. It was a beautiful day, and the others in the hostel were going on a 4 hour (which became a 5 hour) walking tour of the areas we had already explored. We saw the tombs of Chopin, Georges Seurot, Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison. We then tried to see the tomb of the Marquis de Lafayette, but it was closed, much to our disappointment. So we headed toward the Pantheon, stopping at a street vendor for lunch on the way. I had THE BEST Panini, bologn-something with cheese and it was incredible. We soon were at the Pantheon, a beautiful building reminiscent of DC. There, we saw the largest/longest pendulum in the world, as well as the tombs of Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, Rosseau, and Voltaire. Sooo cool!

We made our way to Notre Dame, just missing the tower tour times. We walked around the inside, and it was incredible. The stained glass was just magnificent, more so because the sun was just beginning to set and the patterns could be seen on the walls. The candles illuminated the inside. It was fabulous! We sat outside the cathedral for a while, staring at it, and listened to some troubadours sing songs from the movie Once and a beautiful rendition of Wonderwall. We then meandered, I got a chocolate and banana crepe, and we headed to Montmartre to see the Sacre Coeur and Moulin Rouge.

The Sacre Coeur, we climbed a lot of steps to see, and it was beautiful. The view from it was beautiful too! Soon there after, we headed to that classy place the Moulin Rouge to see it lit up in all of its glory. We passed the famous Le Chat Noir, and it was in Montmartre that Madeline bought the Maginot Line (aka cannons she can line up) to bring back for a friend.



So we headed back to our hostel, ran into Cameron and Phil who informed us of tonight´s theme (pj party) and we had a nice Italian dinner with white wine. Cameron and Phil invited us for Kebab, but we wanted to celebrate our final dinner in style. We did party with them later, we were the only girls in the bar and it wasn’t as crazy as previous nights. Cameron got us fire shots, where you swish the alcohol in your mouth and the bartender (Julien) lights it on fire, Absinthe, where it is lit on fire, caught in a glass, and you snort the fumes through your nose before taking the shot with coffee beans that you chew, and then fire shots that are already on fire and you take with a straw. We all hung out (with everyone) and then went for kebab and met more people. We were up all night, and then went to finish packing at 3:30. Two of the guys, Carter and his friend whose name I never caught, carried our bags for us, really sweet. Everyone wished us farewell with hugs and words, and at 4 we got in our cab for the airport. There, we ran into Ashlee from school. We swapped stories, but as soon as I was on that plane I slept all the way to Madrid.

Weekend = so much fun, and one that I will never forget.

Blair is: Thinking, Well Done America!

Before I update this blog, I must say = good week America.

First,

the Phillies won the World Series. THE PHILLIES. One-Thousand Losses Phillies, hailing from Philadelphia, which hasn't seen ANY championship since the early 80s. My sister went to the Parade and I've seen pictures and it looked INSANE. REd and White in the streets, and I was so surprised and happy to hear about it! yay!

Second:

Halloween. My favorite holiday of the year. No comment, you know what I will say [see previous entries].

Third:

Barack Hussein Obama is the 44th President of the US. I can come home to history and change, and am so happy bout that. I found out and started to cry, I was so happy. Wish I could have been there to celebrate; I'll make up for it in January at the inauguration.

IN the meantime, I remain here:

Blair is in Barcelona

October 20, 2008

This past weekend, we went to Barcelona, and it was absolutely beautiful. After a 10 hour bus ride, we finally arrived around 7:30 PM, eating dinner at 8:15 PM. We were about a 25 minute journey outside of the city. So after dinner, I went out with Madeline, Vanessa, and Paul to go explore the city. We waited half an hour for the bus, got on the bus (where the clock was ½ an hour ahead), waited 20 minutes on the bus, got to the train station, waited 10 minutes for the train, and took a 15 minute RENFE train into Barcelona.

We left at 9:40 – we arrived at 11:15.

We meandered down las Ramblas, looking at all the closed shops as well as the bars. We finally decided to sit down for a drink at an outside bar. We got 1.5 liters of Sangria made with Cava, and enjoyed a nice night sitting outside. We took a cab back to the hotel, and instead of being the 25 euros it should have been, it was a 40 euro cab ride.

So it goes.

The next day, Saturday, was much better.

We were up early for our panoramic bus tour, visiting first the 1992 Olympic stadium, followed by a scenic overlook of the city, la Sagrada Familia cathedral (designed by Gaudi and began construction in the late 1800s while still unfinished today) and finally, Gaudi’s Park Guell. We drove by art by Roy Lichenstein! The Sacred Family was so neat, and the concept is neat too. One side, the side created by Gaudi himself, displays the birth of Jesus and is completely curved and beautiful. The other side, created after his death, was all jagged, and portrayed the crucifixion. The final side has yet to be created. I wanted to go inside so badly, but we continued on to Park Guell, which was so unique with its mosaics everywhere.

We had lunch at a local restaurant, and I had a green salad along with grilled garlic monkfish. Afterwards, Madeline, Vanessa and I forewent the opportunity to go souvenir shopping in favor of discovering two of Gaudi’s more famous buildings, Casa Batillo and la Pedrera. Oh my god, they were so beautiful! Casa Batillo, aka the bone house, is supposed to invoke the sensation of being inside a fish or 20,000 leagues under the sea, and the walls undulated and looked like scales, with stained glass everywhere to carry light throughout the house. The balconies are reminiscent of bones, as are the upper levels, which give the sensation of walking through a whale’s skeleton. On the roof, there are figures that seem to be like a dragon’s back, and so many mosaics and beautiful views. After that, we headed to la Pedrera, an old apartment building that was renovated and reopened to the public in 1996. We headed up to the roof first, famous and featured in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which looks like faces are coming out of the chimneys. It was absolutely beautiful, and the best decision ever.



We ran back to the bus, barely catching it outside of the Hard Rock Café at 7:30, and arrived back at the hotel around 8:30. We had dinner around 9, and then I got ready to go out with Lauren and Alex to a club that others had gone out to the night before. Around 11, we called a cab, and Alex, Lauren, Ashlee, Laura, Jasmine, Avani and I left to go explore nighttime Barcelona. Lauren and I were approached by a couple guys and we chatted with them and had a drink before heading to the club. In the line at the club, we talked to a guy who ended up being Maltese! I got lost and meandered through the club, finally finding Ashlee, and we got a drink.

I don’t remember anything after that.

I woke up in Ashlee’s room still drunk. I evidently had 2 more drinks, and made Ashlee fall with me, and feel terrible about it. I certainly felt terrible the next day at the Dali exhibit as I experienced my first hangover of my life. I really enjoyed the artwork I did see. I slept most of the day, unfortunately.

I was embarrassed beyond belief. Like, words cannot describe my emotions on Sunday.

Yesterday, we spent another 11 hours on the bus ride home. I was still suffering the consequences of Saturday night. I read a bit, listened to music, and watched the 10th Kingdom.

All in all, though, Barcelona was beautiful, and our time spent there was way way way too short. I really hope to go back there someday on my own time to explore all of the museums we drove past and maybe to go to the beach! So far, if there is any place I’ve been to that is on my list to go back to, it’s Barcelona. The blend of modernism with old, ornate architecture was absolutely unique and complimentary, unlike any other place I’ve been to or any other place I will probably visit.

Blair is Exploring: Palacio Real and Real Madrid

October 5, 2008

Exploring Madrid



I spent the weekend exploring the city, visiting the Palacio Real on Friday with Madeline, Vanessa, and Rachel. It was absolutely spectacular! We spent about half an hour goofing around taking pictures in the courtyard before heading inside. Unfortunately, there were no English guides so we just walked around the 10 or so rooms out of 2000 open to the public. And they were amazing! The palace was constructed in the 1700s, and Napolean’s brother once lived there, to the emporer’s envy. It is the 3rd most magnificent palace in Europe. My favorite room was the throne room, which had such a decorated ceiling that it looked like statues and paintings were conversing casually, an effect completed by the use of gold to separate foreground and background. However, I also really liked the overwhelming rococo room where plants seemed to take over in porcelain form as well as the porcelain room of Chinese figures. We explored the Armory (so cool! Guns! Armor! Those people used to be really small … I think I would barely fit into a suit and these were built for grown men) and the Pharmacy (a rather more cheery version of Snape’s dungeon) before eating lunch and checking out the gift shop. There, my friend Madeline found the COOLEST book about “hidden” Madrid, all the attractions that are really interesting but aren’t in many touristy guide books. So, on Friday I learned that the plethora of statues around the city were originally commissioned to be on top of the palace, but that the queen mother had a nightmare and refused for them to be placed there. Ergo, they are scattered throughout Madrid and the country, and you can still see where each statue was supposed to go on the roof. We saw the greatest statue ever of some king, because it was designed by 3 artists and balanced by Galileo, since the position that it was wanted to be in was not conventional and could easily fall over due to weight issues. It is considered to be one of the greatest statues ever. I also saw where artist Diego Velasquez may or may not be buried, as the church/cemetery where he was buried was destroyed 200 years after his death and his body was somehow lost in the process. However, they located the ruin of the church and put up a monument in his honor. We saw ruins of the Wall surrounding Madrid during the Moorish occupation, within which hid a statue of the Virgin Mary, whose location was also lost until it was remembered as a king began to tear down the walls of the city. We saw said statue as well, and it was sad that it had to be behind bars to prevent vandals and thieves from accessing it. Oh, I also found out that the bar I was thrown out of on La Noche En Blanco was Ernest Hemingway’s favorite pub! Irony, huh?

On Saturday, we met to tour this convent where the 1700 year old blood of a saint is still kept, and apparently reliquifies every 27 of July. It was kept in a room along with the bones of saints in boxes. [Look, it’s a Saint in a Box! Step one, stick the saint in the box…..step three, give her the box!] The guide was in Spanish, and we saw quite a few interesting art pieces in addition to the famous remnants and the church itself. Afterwards, we headed towards the Plaza Mayor to see the pulpit and the stairs of the Inquisition (which we had actually seen before but not realized the historical significance of) as well as the statue that ate birds. The statue that ate birds is actually a statue of a man riding a horse, and the horse’s mouth used to be open. It was not until a vandal sliced open the belly and had hundreds of bird bones fly in his face that it was realized birds would fly into the open mouth of the horse, become trapped inside, and die. The mouth was subsequently wielded shut. Oh, and the Plaza Mayor? Location of the Inquision. We then headed over to have tapas in the Plaza de Santa Ana followed by churros at the Famous San Gines, which was fabulous.

Sunday, we got up early to go to el Rastro. I had been before with Alex, but the others’ hadn’t. It isn’t as overwhelming as the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, however the sheer volume of people makes it quite a powerful experience. After the others went back to their homestays for la comida, I met Alex at the local bar for a coke and some tapas of calamares fritas. She got hit on by the bartender that neither of us could understand (and who wasn’t very cute) and now cannot go back to our local pub. Que pena!

All in all, weekend=success, and we cannot wait to take the magic book out for another spin in Madrid!

October 9, 2008

Wedding Crashing

We had tapas for dinner with MariCarmen (soooo much food!) and met the business kids from another program. However, after the tapas/dinner, we were forced to crash a wedding. Like, seriously, the brother of the groom just started handing out glasses to us as we were leaving and gave us champagne. I was like, what is going on here?!?!

We went out for more drinks thereafter. And 2 days later, I saw the recently married couple on the street as I walked with Laura, Lindsey, and Jasmine from the Prado to school.
It’s a small world after all?


Written some time ago but never posted due to my laziness....

Blair is: Thinking of October

Ten Things I Do Miss about October in the US



10. Bonfires and Hayrides.
9. Apple picking.
8. Pumpkin Carving.
7. Halloween Movies aka 13 nights of halloween(a. Hocus Pocus. b. Double Double Toil and Trouble. c. Sleepy Hollow. d. Nightmare Before Christmas. e. Casper)
6. Apple Cider. Pumpkin Coffee.
5. The smell of smoke in the air.
4. Candy Corn.
3. Halloween Music. Which I DO have with me...
2. Haunted Houses.
1. The changing of the leaves.

The Trade? I do get Dia de los Muertos....



Until next year!

Blair is: Liking Madrid

One quick entry and then I'm off to bed...

TOP 10 THINGS ABOUT MADRID
[AKA strange things that I love and adore ... all realizations of the past week]


10. The Metro. Even though I hate the metro because I feel like I am in it all the time, I must say, it is rather convenient. A metro stop is never too too far away, and you [usually] never hafta wait more than 7 minutes for a train. While it does close at 130 am and I have a rather lengthy commute to school, you must open the doors yourself, which is quite amusing to me as a lazy American.

9. You can dig to build a metro or parking garage and find ruins of civilization. Case in point: the metro in Athens took FOREVER to build because of all the ruins under the city, and near the Palacio Real they were building a parking complex and found the foundation of the church where Diego Velazquez was buried ... although his body remained MIA. More on this in a later blog entry...

8. Madrid has random monuments with secret meanings. Like the monument to Velasquez commemorates where he was buried, but not where his body may be. It was lost in the test of time when some monarch decided there were too many churches and demanded some be torn down! Velazquez was lost. Also, around the city are a lot of ugly statues - that is because they were not meant to be seen close up, but rather were to be placed on top of the Palacio Real. The Queen Mother of the time had nightmares of dying in an earthquake and being crushed, ergo these statues are all around the country!

7. Tapas and Sangria and Tinto Verano and Churros and Chocolate. Nuff Said.

6. Aladdin pants. Everywhere you go you can see men and women wearing them! They must be really comfortable, because like I said, so many people wear them I feel like I should start singing Arabian Nights and looking for the Cave of Wonders.

5. Vespas, scooters, motos and smartcars prevail. Epic Win.

4. Wedding crashing. We were out for tapas on Tuesday night, and on the way out half of our program totally crashed a wedding! They gave us champagne, we talked with many of them, a couple girls stole cake ... it was so fun! The best part? Seeing that same, newlywed couple on the street only 2 days later!

3. It's a "walking city." Seriously, I was able to walk halfway across town and from the bottom almost to the top in relatively short periods of time. Quite remarkable, actually. Bring your walking shoes!

2. Coca Cola and Fanta taste fantastic. Maybe it's the lack of artificial corn syrup and the use of real sugar, but the taste is phenomenal and the bottles are so cool I feel like a 1950s throwback kid.

1. Architecture. Seriously? Fountains? Arches? Beautiful awe inspiring Baroque and Gothic architecture alongside modern skyscraper like buildings? Gotta love it. SO much more interesting than the US, and so much older! Dress it up for festivals, and you've got yourself one crazy party.


To summarize: Madrid = Wicked Awesome & Epic. Your Should Go.

Blair is: in Athens

September 17-19, 2008



I anxiously peered over Tracy´s shoulder on an airline I´d never heard of (Olympic Air) to see a land I had often read about but neer visited: Greece, the Birthplace of Democracy. And the first glimpse did not disappoint - the islands abruptly jutting out of the sapphire sea, drasticly sharp in contrast to the flat tan plains of Spain. The sea was so blue it was hard to tell where it ended and the sky began! It looked like pointilism - the sea - with its lines of waves undulating towards the shore. After a three hour flight, we landed in Athens, one hour ahead of Madrid. It was so weird to see Greek everywhere! It was familiar, because I could recognize the letters thanks to Greek Life and AEPhi, but the words and their meanings were completely foreign. We boarded our bus to the hotel, taking the scenic route around the outside of Athens ... a city no as beautiful as I had thought it would be. We could see in the distance the 2004 Olympic staduim (Where Michael Phelps had swam!!!) as we sat in traffic - terrible, since half of Greece´s population (6 million people) reside within Athens! At last, e arrived at the Hotel Stanley, our finaldestination. I was assigned to room with Sam Hacker and Vanessa in a room with an itsy bitsy balcony overseeing nothing, but rom the roof there was the most stunning view of the Acropolics, illuminated by golden light at night! After dinner, I returned with Alex, Sam and Rachel to read by the pool and marvel at our view of the Acropolis.

The next day, we were intrduced to Danae, our sixty something year old but fiesty Greek tourguide. In our little tourbus (little meaning that almost all28 of us had our own bench of 2 seats to lay across), we drove around athens, seeing Hadrian´s Arch, the Original Olympic Stadium of 1896, and the Parthenon.

The Parthenon was quite an experience. Unlike the pictures of an empty Acropolis, it was packed with pushy tourists and cruise groups! And our group was easily the youngest people there by 30 year aside from a few kids. And they kept pushing their way to the top, trying to push the entire group of us out of their way! (i guess they just assume that´s ok because they, in theory, have less time to see it than a group of 20 year olds). At one pint, our tour guide shouted, ËXCUSE ME! WE ARE ALLLLLL WAITING!! She was fierce - she even made a 10 year old boy cry! However, once we got onto the acropolis, it was wonderful - the Parthenon, absolutely larger than life. I couldn´t believe I was standing in front of a building more than 3000 years old, a place of myths and ancient civilizations! I hope to someday see the roof, which is in the British Museum, because the British steal everything, haha. I meandered, seeing the other temple of Athena and Athena´s legendary Olive Tree that was planted during her battle with Poseidon for the honor of having the city named after her. (Athena promised protection and bounty, Poseidon protection and water, The women of Athens voted for Athena, the men for Poseidon, but there was 1 more woman then men, so it was named for Athena. And then the women lost the right to vote). Our time there was too short.

We headed to the Plaka, a center of stores in Athens, before heading to Cape Sounion. There really is nothing there, said MariCarmen, JUST BEAUTY.

And Beauty there was.

We arrived shortly before sunset to take pictures and admire the Temple of Poseidon (which Lord Byron grafittied!). Litte by lttle, the sun began to dip, and as if painted by watercolor, the sky turned pastel shdes of red, yellow, and orange, with a tint of purple higher in the sky. The way the light played with the water to create a mirror image of teh sunset in the sky and sea was breathtaking; how the shadows contrasted with the undulating green hills; how the temple was enlightened in the color of gold due to the sun was simply and inexplicably spectacular. It ties for the best sunset ever with the Grand Canyon, however, because they are so different it is hard to pick one over the other. In AZ, it was an explosion of hot colors amplified by the complimentary sand and layers o time. Here, the softer colors were intensified by the water´s reflection, playing hide and go seek with the shdows created by the rocks and ruins of the old temple to Poseidon. Twilight crept upon us with indecent haste, and all I wanted to do was stay there forever. But twilight signifies impending night, and the arrival of days to follow and more sites to explore. But now I have a permanent screensaver in my mind that I can reflect upon and enjoy for the rest of my life.

Again: Backtrack, La Noche En Blanco

La Noche en Blanco


14 septiembre 2008

So, la noche en blanco: basically a celebration of the city held across Europe. Everything is open until at least 2 or 3 in the morning – museums, restaurants, pubs – and everything is free. Places that are usually off-limits to the public are open, the streets are flooded with people (aka no cars) and everywhere there are free concerts and music, buildings decorated, and artwork on display.

I met my new friends Madeline, Vanessa and Katherine at the Colon stop – late, as usual. Vanessa, Madeline and I were really excited to experience the cultural stuff, but Katherine only wanted to drink. Whatever.

So we first walked around, looking at the decorations on the buildings and the oversized, just put into the Honey I Blew Up The Kid Machine Sized Rubber Duckies in the fountains. We made our way to the Archeological Museo, cutting the line and looking at men in poofy 16th century esque collared shirts. We looked around at the artifacts on the ground floor and listened to the delicate and light notes of an ongoing orchestral concert on the level above. After that, we headed downtown, joining the throngs of people marching down the street. At one circle, there was a long line of people … waiting to walk through the arch in the middle of it, usually inaccessible due to traffic and the urge not to be hit by a car! But here, this night, we could pass through the arch without the fear of being fatally wounded. It was one of the traditional entrances to the city back in the day. It was so cool to walk through it, lights flashing, people everywhere, and it was built a long time ago too, in the 1700s! Stuff in the US built in the 1700s is like comparing lego log cabins to the most delicately refined and ornate structures ever.

We began to wander around, looking for a tapas bar, and we could not find a place we could agree uon in the area, so we meandered over to the metro stop by el Parque del Retiro and headed toward Sol/Sevilla, where we knew there would be restaurants by the plaza del Santa Ana. We arrived amidst the splendor of drunkenness, and settled into a german pub for tapas. [Today, I found out this pub was a favorite place / habitual hang out of Ernest Hemingway!] all was pleasant until the bill came. We split 2 orders of chips and olives (which I do not like) for the table, 2 girls got a coke each, I had 2 glasses of Sangria, and the remaining party had 4 sangrias. Yet this last party refused to put in more than 5 euro for the bill! I ended up putting in 15, one of the other girls 10, and as soon as the money was on the table we were unceremoniously kicked out of the German Pub! (To be fair, it was 2:15 AM and closing time). By this point, I was ready to find Alex and go home. This was convenient, as two of the girls were ready to go home as well, yet the last person promptly called another person on the program and stormed off into the night.

The remaining three of us headed to the metro. It was 3 AM and I was off the find Alex, while Madeline and Vanessa headed home. The metro was packed, and at my stop I was immediately shoved out of the doors – as were Vanessa and Madeline, the former of which fell through the gap between the car and the platform! The shock on her face … it was one more thing to add to the list of amusing things that occurred that night, which we had previously formulated together while waiting for the metro.

At Sol, I set off to find Alex and Sam, eventually making my way to Dubliner’s, the bar we had found on the first night we went out. It was the last place they had mentioned before the line went dead. Walking alone, on such a crazy night at 3 AM, I realized: I was crazy. I was crazy, but desperate, as Alex and I shared a key. When I finally saw Dubliners, it was like salvation – I ran through the alley of chairs and tables and people drinking beer to get there … but I couldn’t find them! I waited outside and finally they called me –we met- and we hung out, drinking, having a good time, recounteing the tales of our respective nights thus far. Sam thought her senora had a heart attack (it turned out to be her brother) and Alex convinced her to stay out. They were talking to some Spaniards, Mario (the Romanian Bartender who served us mexican drinks in an irish bar our first night out in Madrid, Spain) and some others. At closing time, we were all kicked out, and set off in search for churros that would never be found. Instead, we hung out in the Plaza Mayor, waiting for the trains to start back up at 6 am. We got home at 7. I woke up at 2. had la comida with Alex, Ana (our host sister), Sofia (our senora), and Jose, a friend of Ana’s.

After la comida, I met Madeline at el Parque del Retiro. How beautiful! With its giant lake and many sidewalks, we chatted and strolled in the gorgeously comfortable weather, taking in the transvestites sitting on benches dressed up like clowns smoking, people in boats on the water, and middle aged women doing tai chi. We ran into Jess Warren, who told us about her noche en blanco.

All in all, la noche en blanco = success.

Toledo

13 Septiembre 2008

We went to Toledo, the center of Spain for hundreds of years and the center of Arab Power during the occupation.

I mostly slept on the hour and a half ride, but fortunately woke up as we approached the city. Before me was the city, sprawled out over the hill in shades of pepper and cinnamon, surrounded by a high, fortress like wall. As we passed through the gate, we entered the village, and I was immediately aware of all the swords and armory for sale in the windows. It initially appeared to me as another tourist trap destination; however, people continue to live and work there as they would in any other city. I suppose it was shocking to see buildings so old (at least 5 – 600 years) that were actually inhabited and operated as places of business. I mean, I’ve been to Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Plymouth plantation, where the buildings are reconstructed or restorations of the actual thing, but the people there are actors, creating the fantasy of a time 300 years past. In Toledo, the fantastical element of pretend prevailed due to the architecture; however, the people there were modern.

Our first destination was the cathedral of Toledo. Austere and gray, it did not seem overwhelmingly spectacular from the outside. The inside, however, was alive with golden arches, golden austere, colored frescos and organ pipes. We were immediately led to the central “room” where bishops and cardinals sat on elaborately carved seats – some literally “above” pictures of the sins of the world. Around the exterior of the square were pictures portraying the Catholic reconquest of Spain – possible due to the fact that it was constructed between the 13th and 16th centuries. All this was explained to us by Patri Espinosa, the art history teacher, who emphasized the gothic style in which the cathedral was constructed. It was on the way to the Sacrista that I realized how inaccessible religion, and more specifically, God, appears to be in this Cathedral during this time. All of the paintings, frescos, and sculptures are either high up or behind golden bars, away from the common people, accessible to only those with privileges. This was striking walking past these beautiful paintings and sculptures near the Sacrista, where part of the ceiling had been blown out during the rococo period to create a new piece of art. Everything was so far away, even the ceiling compared to the rest of the domes, and it was impossible not to be surrounded by a sense of mortality – emphasized by the fact that we stood over a cardinal’s tomb. Across from this open part of the ceiling, elaborately painted with scenes of heaven from which light cascaded inwards, were white and gold angels emerging from the oversized column, enhanced by the glowing sun. The angels held rays of golden sunlight (symbolic of the Holy Spirit) and your eyes slowly rise to reveal more angels and Mary. It was gorgeous, especially once you reflected about how someone had to envision and plan it. All flowed back to the light source, emphasizing the heavens. And we stood, out of reach, below, only to marvel at the spectacular beauty and grandeur above.

In the Sacrista, paintings of El Greco and others adorned the walls. His dark syle, along with the latter slenderization of human features contrasted greatly with the bright and colorful seiling, portraying Mary at one end, looking over the goodness and bliss of heaen on the ceiling towards the blue sky and gray buildings – the human world, Toledo. The paintings were all interesting like el Greco’s portrait of Jesus (where I proudly picked out Mary and Mary) bu I found it slightly ironic contrasted with the softly hot colored ceiling. Even the gargoyles under the windows on the high up ceilings were not statues, but painted.

We continued on towards el etreno del senor de orgaz where we saw a very famous el Greco, featuring a dying don and angels carrying his soul up to heaven.

Our final destination, however, was a Muslim Synagogue (funny, I know – but until the Catholic reconquest, Jews, Muslims, and Christians all resided in peace. Toledo has not only one but 2 synagogues – the oldest in Spain, as most were destroyed by the Inquisition). It has a Muslim/Arabic-like architecture mixed in with Jewish references. To see the intricate carvings and ceramic tiles along with Arabic and Hebrew script was amazing. Could this type of extreme religious cooperation exist today? It works within the confines of the US, but what about tolerance on a larger scale, over a long period of time?

Too young in the US, too old in Europe.

So, Ive been very very busy. Granada was TERRIFIC, on Wednesday we not only went to the Mediterranean Sea at Almunecar, but that night me, Kathryn, Tony, and Ashlee (all from my program) bought bottles of wine for 2 euros a piece and drank them in the local park before heading out to a local bar, la dolce vita, and a club called Granada Diez (except Kathryn, who went home). It was AWESOME! An on Thursday, we went to a Turkish bath, where we sipped Turkish tea in pools of varying temperatures waiting to receive massages. I got credit for this? :D We also toured the Albacin [old Arabic district], Alhambra [Arab fortress and palace from the 11th century as well as the partly constructed palace for Holy Roman Emporer Charles V] and the Cathedral that Ferdinand and Isabel ordered to be constructed after the reclamation of Granada in 1492 [yeah, we saw their coffins]. We all got to know each other better in Granada, everyone is really nice and I generally like everyone. The guys on our trip created their own joke about themselves: a gay guy, a blind guy, and a jewish boyscout walk into a bar ...


We left Granada on Saturday, and Alex and I, by complete chance, live together with Sofia Paniagua and her daughter Ana in Marques de Vadillo/Urgell metro stops. I actually went running by the football (US soccer) field of Atletico Madrid and over the bridge close to Puerta de Toledo yesterday, in the SW part of the city. Tomorrow we are going to Toledo this week. Next week we go to Greece, cruise, Turkey, etc, for about 10 days. My schedule is as follows:

sept 13 - toledo
sept 17 - 18 athens
sept 18 - 21 cruise
sept 22 - 25 istanbul
sept 26 -depart for athens
sept 27 depart for madrid

oct 17 - 19 barcelona
fall break - oct 31 - nov 3, may go to paris or london, no se, our coordinator is going to talk to our professors about this, try to get us more time off....

nov 13 - 15 rome
nov 16 - 18 florence

dec 5 - farewell dinner for students


so, basically, i had trial - classes this week, and don't start til october! yay! .it's immersion learning!

I spend most of my money on snacks, coffee, and wine .... coffee being the most expensive of the 3, up to 4 times more expensive then wine! (1 euro for a glass of tinto verano at a tapas bar the other day, compared to 4 for a medium coffee yesterday morning at starbucks. i know, i know, but alex and i were DYING! we have about an hour commute to school every day, and have luckily found a place to get coffee for only 1.20 euros, or a buck eighty in dollars). alex and i did have la comida in la plaza mayor on sunday, after spending the early afternoon at el rastro. it was absolutely overwhelming! like eastern market times a billion!!
!

So, I've decided that I am too young to do anything useful (aka go out socialize and drink) in the US but that I am too effing old here. Why do I say that? They have these things called abonos, where you can travel as many times on the metro that you want for a set price. You can get 10 trips for 7 euros, but a youth abono is unlimited trips for 20 euro, which is good. you must be under 21 to qualify for one. but, oh wait, i have to be under 21 until april 30, 2009. CAN YOU EFFING BELIEVE IT? oh, the best ist the cost .... a regular "adult" abono is 45 euro. RUEIJAKDFJA DKAJFKJDERUOA;SDJKLFJ now i have to do stupid math and see if it's effing worth it. god damn, i am pissed.

ive just been very stressed. i don't speak spanish much, so when i do have to speak spanish, i feel like an idiot because i do not know what to say or how to say it. when i was arguing with this woman about the abono, she did not understand what i was saying, so i wrote it down. the minute i wrote it down she understood my question, but wouldn't tell me what the cutoff date was, only that i was "no joven." i found the date online. well, there are 2 dates online - april 30 and june 1, depending on the source.

i went out last night and had lots of fun. and i did not buy even one drink! .... our appearance screamed american so we got drinks for free. it's like promoters come up to you, say, "want a free drink?", take you to the bar, get you your drink, and then 5 minutes later you leave. our first drink? in an irish pub, serving mexican alcohol (aka Corona and Tequila), with a romanian bartender, playing american music in spain. some of the places are really old though. One bar, which was pointed out to us in a tour on tuesday, has been established since the 1500s!

oh man, i want peanut butter! and pumpkin - flavored things! i am trying spanish food though. they really like bread here, and there are a lot of vespas, smart cars, and people on the metro. oh, and a lot of pda tambien.

hasta luego!

No Picture, because I have no Internet

OH. MY. GOD.

FINALLY, after 5 days of no internet access, I am online! This is not to say that I am not enjoying Spain, but unlike the US where internet access is ubiquitous, it is virtually non accessible here. Still do not have access here - i'm borrowing a computer. We all got SO excited to go to Grenada, where the possibility of internet loomed before us, but upon our arrival we discovered that it is, in fact, still not here. It is so weird to not have checked email or been on facebook or gchatted with friends for more than 4 days.

In the meantime, I have been occupying myself by exploring Madrid, meeting people on our trip, eating, sleeping, and traveling. Saturday, Jess and I were roommates, and we were able to siesta for about 3 hours before walking up the “broadway of Madrid.” We were led through Old Madrid by MariCarmen, our program coordinator, who showed us the bustling streets of shops along with the Plaza de Espana and the Plaza Mayor. We went for dinner in Old Madrid at a nice restaurant called Café Francisca, where we had Sangria, bread, salad, eggplant with sesame seed and raisins, followed by the main dish, grilled cod in a garlic sauce. For dessert, we had lemon sorbet in champagne.

A group of us headed back to the hotel, past the Royal Palace and gardens. Muy bellisima!

The next day, Sunday, Jess and I got up really early for a run. We found ourselves at the Garden Templar, overlooking the city. We saw people walking their dogs and others running as well, while more were out for a morning stroll. The park was so pretty, with the sights as well as the architecture of the area and las fuentas in the middle of it all.

After breakfast, we wandered around some more before meeting Elena, another instructor from AU abroad, at the Hotel Florida Norte, where we were staying. We took the metro to the bus station before boarding a 5 hour bus to Grenada. I slept for most of the first half, but watched the in-transit movie, Dumb and Dumber in Spanish during the second half.

They eat a lot of bread here.

We are staying in Dorms in Grenada, where the rooms are quite spacious. More to come about my experience here later!

So this picture is how I feel about Tomorrow.....

TAKE OFF TOMORROW!!!!!

SOOOOO EXCITED! YIPPEEEEE! I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT!

VOY A MADRID!!!

Rockin' the Suburbs

T-minus one week to go, and I'm really starting to rethink this abroad thing. Well, not really. But packing and unpacking and laundry and being home definitely pale in comparison to the fun I COULD be having with friends at Welcome Week. I guess I'm just nervous, and packing really emphasizes my absolute WORST trait - indecision. Do I take this shoe or that? This shirt or that? Wait, none of my jeans fit .... eek! I just want to get over there already so that I can stop thinking about all the fun that's going on in the district and in other areas of the country. On the bright side, I do get to see my family, and some friends I haven't seen in about six months! Oh man, only six more days! Time to start packing!