Here I am sitting in my computer room in.. Atco, NJ and even though I'm obviously really sad that it is all over, I am surprised by how happy I am to finally be home! Anyways, my last week and a half in Madrid was probably the craziest time in my life - no other word to describe it than EPIC, so here it goes starting with last Wednesday:
Wednesday - Last Cien Montaditos :( then El Turkito (Hookah bar) with everyone.
Thursday - Pregame at Owe's apartment then last night at JOY... we walked home as the sun was coming up at 7 a.m.
Friday - El Turkito, then Botellion in Parque Oweste next to Temple of Debod (got caught in the POURING rain! haha)
Saturday - Studied in a cafe with Kira and Mia, Owe's apartment for dinner (the boys cooked us a really good Indian dinner!), then pregamed, El Turkito (we really started to like this bar) - Hookah and 5 liter beer dispensers lol, attempted Samsara but Eli almost fought some Spanish girls, and finally went to a bar/club called Fontana de Oro until it closed at 6:30 a.m.
Sunday - Last El Rastro, finished up buying my souveniors, and then went to the last Real Madrid game of the season with all the people from my apartment. Real Madrid lost to Mallorca 3-1, but it was still a really fun game!
Monday and Tuesday - I actually attempted to study for my finals, even though I ended up going to a bar Monday with all the people I live with, going on a serious shopping spree and out to dinner with Paige on Tuesday... so studying didn't go so well!
Wednesday - Took my last finals and drank some beers afterwards in the cafeteria with everyone in celebration of finishing school. My program, ISA, had a goodbye dinner, then we went to Finnegan's to watch the final match (similar to the Super Bowl) for soccer in Europe between Barcelona and Manchester United (Barcelona won 2-0 and all the bars in Spain were going crazy). Next we headed to Pacha but we stopped in some random bar for more drinks. Then we finally went into the club and stayed til closing at 6 a.m.
Thursday - Went to school to get our final grades (2 A's and 2 B's - sweet) and a goodbye pinic with our professors at Nebrija. Afterwards I went to Retiro Park for the last time to take a nap and tan in the 80 degree Madrid sunshine. Then I had my final meeting with ISA, and came back to get ready for the night. We decided to do something less crazy since we were going to have to say our goodbyes :( so we went to El Tigre for drinks and tapas with all the girls, and the boys from my apartment. We then headed to a sangria bar, for my last reaaal Spanish sangria! I went home, slept for 2 hours, and woke up to take a shuttle to the airport at 5:30 a.m. I arrived at the airport to find out I had to pay $100 to get my suitcases home because they were so much overweight haha and then I met with Paige and Christie to say bye to them :( We hung out for a while together until I headed towards my gate to finally leave Madrid after 4 months... so sad. The flight went smoothly, and everything was on schedule (unlike my flight on the way to Europe).
Friday - I arrived home at around 4 p.m. and was greeted at the airport by my mom and sister with flowers and balloons! :) It was sooo good to see them! Afterwards, my family and Chris went out to dinner, which was really nice!
Even though I am sad that my time in Spain is over, I am really happy to be home and it is so good to see everyone! I feel like I am the luckiest girl in the world for having this opportunity, and I would absolutely do it all over again if I had the chance. The time I spent living in Madrid and traveling all over Europe feels like one big blur - honestly like the blink of an eye. My experience was like a dream, and I met so many awesome people along the way... I love my Madrid family <3 :)
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Paris, France
Day 1 - Kira and I took the shuttle to the airport that said it would take 2 hours to get there. Left at 3:15 a.m. to arrive in the airport at 5:15 for our 7 a.m. flight. It actually only took 30 minutes to get there, when Kira realized she forgot her passport. We had to call the shuttle to take us back to our apartment, and then back to the airport arriving at 5:30 with plenty of time to still make our flight. Arrived in Paris and got to our hostel at about 11 - the hostel was pretty nice, and a really good location. We decided to start wondering through the city, had coffee in a cute cafe, and then went to take a free tour at 1. We went ALL over the city on this tour - starting at Fountaine St. Michel, through the Latin Quarter, crossed the Seine River over Pont Neuf, Notre Dame, Louvre, Jardin du Tuileries, Assemblee National, Ile de la Cite, Les Invalides, Place de la Concorde, walked down Champs-Elysees (largest avenue in the world), to the Arc de Triomphe, Musee d'Orsay, Palais Royal, Grand and Petit Palais, Eiffel Tower, and Napoleon's Tomb and more in the course of about 3 and half hours! Then it started raining, so we decided to go to the Andy Warhol exhibit which was really cool. By the time we finished there, the weather had cleared up so we went back to the Arc de Triomphe to go up to the top - amazing view of the city with the Eiffel Tower in clear sight. We got some street food for dinner, and then met up with Archie (a friend of Mia's friend who has been living in Paris for over a year). He met us at his favorite bar, The 5th Bar, with the rest of his friends where we played beer pong (first time I've played in Europe!) and hung out for a while. Then we headed to another bar, The Wall Bar, and got free shots and more drinks. Finally Kira and I were exhausted and ready to go home, when Archie's friends asked us to go to one more bar with them because it was closer to our hostel. So we went. There ther ordered 2 rounds of shots which we did not want, and then proceeded to order a massive fishbowl of Sex on the Beach. They told us they were going outside for a cigarette, when 15 minutes passed, and we quickly realized they weren't coming back. The waittress then comes to the table and says we have to pay the bill... 115 euros!!!! Which is equivalent to about.. $150 or more! I tell Kira to go outside while I try to think of a plan to take care of it, when the waittress returns with the manager and says I have to pay the bill. I told her I had 10 euros and no credit card, so it was impossible, when she translated for her french-speaking manager, "If you don't pay the bill, we have to call the police and you'll go to jail." Immediately I started crying hysterically. They escorted me outside to try to find Kira.. couldn't find her.. now crying harder asked if I could go to the bathroom.. escorted there.. and finally Kira comes in. We argue for a little while and realize we weren't leaving til we paid, so THANK GOD Kira had a credit card. Believe me, if you think the story sounds bad, it's actually worse then it seems. So we finally took a cab home at 4:30 a.m. and had been up for 26 hours at this point. Eventful day 1 in Paris!
Day 2 - Woke up at 9 for breakfast, and since it was raining, we decided it was a good day for museums. First we started at the Louvre - spent about 2 hours in there mainly to go see 3 things: Aphrodite (Venus de Milo), the Winged Victory Samothrace, and the MONA LISA!!! Of course on the way out, we saw the inverted pyramid, but Fun Fact: If you looked at every piece of art in the Louvre for 35 seconds, without ANY breaks, you would there for 64 days! Anyways, then we headed to Musee d'Orsay (a lot smaller) and just walked around looking at Monet and VanGough's most famous works. By the time we left the museums, the weather cleared up, so we met up with Archie and one of his other friends, Johnny, to take a tour of Montmartre, an area that sits in a hill. We saw Moulin Rouge, Place du Tertre where nearly 300 artists have permission to exhibit their work (biggest permanent art collection in Paris), and finally Sacré Coeur, a beautiful white basilica that gives a panoramic view of the city. Then we sat outside, having a beer, talking about what happened the night before - Archie said that the boys got in a fight outside and the bouncer wouldn't let them back in, but reassured us that it would be taken care of. He took us to do some more sightseeing - Parliment, Hotel de Ville, and watched the sunset at the Louvre. We separated ways so Kira and I could go to the Eiffel Tower at night. We got there and I was stunned it was so incredible. We took pictures for a while, and walked to the ticket booth to find out the 3rd floor was closed because the latest time you could go up was at 10. (We just decided to go back the next day). We went back to the hostel, got ready, and met back up with Archie at a bar. When we got there, and saw his friends weren't there, we realized that we probably weren't going to get the money back. So, we just enjoyed the rest of the night and called it early, and went home about 2 a.m.
Day 3 - Woke up, showered, and went to see the Eiffel Tower during the day, took pictures, and headed to the Seine River for a boatride - it was aboslutely gorgeous! After the boat tour, we went back to the Notre Dame to go inside - and the stained glass windows were amazing. Right our front was a Bread Festival so we got sandwiches with awesome homemade baguettes. Then we met up with Archie and the guys from the first night in the Jardin du Luxembourg, and drank gin and tonics in the beautiful park... and actually got the 115 euros back!!!! (So now the story is funny.. before, not so much.) Afterwards we sat at an outdoor cafe, and got crepes with nutella - YUM! Lastly we went back to the Eiffel Tower to save the best for last - going up to the top :) We waited in line and reached the top at about 7:30 when it was still light out. 45 minutes later, it was a torrential downpour, but it was surprisingly REALLY cool. It cleared up again in less than 20 minutes, just in enough time to perfectly watch the sunset. It was truly indescribable. All I could think about was how Paris was my last trip, and I only have less than 2 weeks left in Europe, when I realized I don't know if life will ever get any better than it is right now. At 10 p.m. when we were halfway down the tower (Took the escalator up and walked down) the entire Eiffel Tower was flashing all of its lights (20,000 lightbults) sooo awesome! We went back to the hostel, got our stuff, and took the last train to the airport. Got there at like 1 a.m. and slept on the freezing cold floor for 4 hours until 5 a.m. check-in for our 7 a.m. flight! Got home, slept for an hour, and had to go to class at 1. Now here I sit in my bathing suit, tanning at Retiro Park in the 80 degree weather :) Oh how I love Madrid!
...10 days left :(
And p.s. HAPPY BIRTHDAY COURTNEY DALCANTON - I LOVE YOU <3
Day 2 - Woke up at 9 for breakfast, and since it was raining, we decided it was a good day for museums. First we started at the Louvre - spent about 2 hours in there mainly to go see 3 things: Aphrodite (Venus de Milo), the Winged Victory Samothrace, and the MONA LISA!!! Of course on the way out, we saw the inverted pyramid, but Fun Fact: If you looked at every piece of art in the Louvre for 35 seconds, without ANY breaks, you would there for 64 days! Anyways, then we headed to Musee d'Orsay (a lot smaller) and just walked around looking at Monet and VanGough's most famous works. By the time we left the museums, the weather cleared up, so we met up with Archie and one of his other friends, Johnny, to take a tour of Montmartre, an area that sits in a hill. We saw Moulin Rouge, Place du Tertre where nearly 300 artists have permission to exhibit their work (biggest permanent art collection in Paris), and finally Sacré Coeur, a beautiful white basilica that gives a panoramic view of the city. Then we sat outside, having a beer, talking about what happened the night before - Archie said that the boys got in a fight outside and the bouncer wouldn't let them back in, but reassured us that it would be taken care of. He took us to do some more sightseeing - Parliment, Hotel de Ville, and watched the sunset at the Louvre. We separated ways so Kira and I could go to the Eiffel Tower at night. We got there and I was stunned it was so incredible. We took pictures for a while, and walked to the ticket booth to find out the 3rd floor was closed because the latest time you could go up was at 10. (We just decided to go back the next day). We went back to the hostel, got ready, and met back up with Archie at a bar. When we got there, and saw his friends weren't there, we realized that we probably weren't going to get the money back. So, we just enjoyed the rest of the night and called it early, and went home about 2 a.m.
Day 3 - Woke up, showered, and went to see the Eiffel Tower during the day, took pictures, and headed to the Seine River for a boatride - it was aboslutely gorgeous! After the boat tour, we went back to the Notre Dame to go inside - and the stained glass windows were amazing. Right our front was a Bread Festival so we got sandwiches with awesome homemade baguettes. Then we met up with Archie and the guys from the first night in the Jardin du Luxembourg, and drank gin and tonics in the beautiful park... and actually got the 115 euros back!!!! (So now the story is funny.. before, not so much.) Afterwards we sat at an outdoor cafe, and got crepes with nutella - YUM! Lastly we went back to the Eiffel Tower to save the best for last - going up to the top :) We waited in line and reached the top at about 7:30 when it was still light out. 45 minutes later, it was a torrential downpour, but it was surprisingly REALLY cool. It cleared up again in less than 20 minutes, just in enough time to perfectly watch the sunset. It was truly indescribable. All I could think about was how Paris was my last trip, and I only have less than 2 weeks left in Europe, when I realized I don't know if life will ever get any better than it is right now. At 10 p.m. when we were halfway down the tower (Took the escalator up and walked down) the entire Eiffel Tower was flashing all of its lights (20,000 lightbults) sooo awesome! We went back to the hostel, got our stuff, and took the last train to the airport. Got there at like 1 a.m. and slept on the freezing cold floor for 4 hours until 5 a.m. check-in for our 7 a.m. flight! Got home, slept for an hour, and had to go to class at 1. Now here I sit in my bathing suit, tanning at Retiro Park in the 80 degree weather :) Oh how I love Madrid!
...10 days left :(
And p.s. HAPPY BIRTHDAY COURTNEY DALCANTON - I LOVE YOU <3
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Barcelona
Well before getting to Barcelona, ISA did a day trip to Segovia - where we saw a pretty church, a gothic cathedral, a castle, the acqueduct, and the palacio real/its gardens - and it was really pretty! Other than that, I spent the week actually doing school work, and went out a night or two. So now BARCA :) Sunday Paige and I anticipated meeting at the train station to take the high speed RENFE to Barcelona (it was cheaper to take the train and fly back) BUT Paige never showed, so I got on the train alone. She calls me at 9:30, and tells me she overslept but was going to get on the train at 10:30. Which means I was only alone in Barcelona for two hours so not so bad. Before Paige arrived, I just got settled in at our hostel (keep in mind that we are in a 6 person room - 3 sets of bunkbeds) and then took a walk down Passeig de Gracia - the most famous street in Barcelona - kind of like Rodeo Drive. Paige got there around 1:30, so we got lunch and headed to La Pedrara , or Casa Mila, one of Gaudi's most famous apartments, and it was incredible - the architecture was truly unreal. Gaudi was mainly inspired by nature, so he didn't like to have an sharp edges or angles, and everything looks so curvey! Then we took a walk down Passeig de Gracia towards La Rambla, another very famous street. Afterwards we went back to the hostel, showered, got ready, and went to dinner. As we walked in the restaurant, Paige realized she was in a lot of pain all of a sudden and we needed to find a hospital immediately. Since our hostel didn't know where ONE was, we got in a taxi and asked for the one closest to where we were. We got to the emergency room, and found that NO ONE spoke English. We saw the doctor, who also could not speak English, and he was knitting while we told him she was in pain - CRAZY. So he sends us to another hospital, and we get there, and IT'S PACKED! So we call Paige's study abroad program who tells us to go to another hospital. We get there, a man speaks English, we check Paige into the ER and wait... for 6 HOURS! Yeahhh 6 hours to get a little prescription to make her feel better. Then we pick up the medicine at the pharmacy, and head back to the hostel at 3 a.m. to find someone SLEEPING in MY bed! HAHAA Paige and I couldn't stop laughing, and luckily there was another open bed in the room. Next day went a lot smoother. Started at La Sagrada Familia - Gaudi's church that has been under construction since 1882 and is expected to continue until at least 2026, but a portion of the inside is scheduled to open for mass by 2010 - and it was stunning. The detail was incredible, and everything resembled something from nature (the columns looked like flower stems, and the ceiling looked like it had flowers all over it) and we even climbed up the towers to the top, where the view was incredible! Afterwards we went to an all-you-can-eat sushi bar, it was good, but not as good as the states so I'm looking forward to eating that when I get home. Went back to the hostel, napped, showered, got ready for a fun night! First we went to La Vinoteca - a wine bar - and drank blush Catalan wine and ate Spanish cheese - SO good! Then we headed to some random Irish pub, and it turned out to be such a great night. (Happy 21st Birthday Chris! ;) haha) The next day we started off at Parc Guell - Gaudi's park with so many fun things to look at. It's like a giant playground, and soo pretty! Then we met up with Clara, (who we were staying with the next 2 nights) a friend of mine that I met in Madrid who lives in a small beach town right outside the city called Castelldefels. She took us out to lunch on La Rambla, and then back to her house to drop our stuff. She then took us to another small town on the beach called Sitges, and it was sooo gorgeous. We sat and drank a cup of coffee overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, a pretty church, and a small port of sailboats. When we went back to her house, her family made us a huge traditional Catalan meal that was amazzzziiing! Her parents and two brothers were so nice, and it was great staying in their beautiful home on the beach, rather than our hostel lol. That night Clara took Paige and I to Port Olympic, which is an area right next to the major Port in Barcelona right on the beach. There were a ton of really fun bars and nightclubs next to the water, and we just went to one after another, it was a blast! The next day Clara took us into the city for a little tour where we saw City Hall, Parliment, Arc di Triumf, Plaza Mayor, a pretty park by her university, and then we stopped and had Italian food for lunch along the way. Afterwards, we went back to her town where we spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach, but it was too cold to go swimming =( Atleast I put my feet in though! That night we just had dinner with her family, showered, watched the Barcelona match for the Spanish cup, and finally Paige and I watched Vicky Cristina Barcelona, haha =) before we went to bed. We had to wake up early for our flight that departed for Madrid at 9 a.m. We got to the airport at around 7:45, got in line to check-in and Paige tried using her license for ID. They told her that she HAD to have her passport, even though we were only traveling within the same country. Her only option was to go to the police station to report it lost/stolen. With about 10 minutes until boarding, I went to the gate to wait for Paige to check-in, when she called me to tell me that somehow her reservation for the flight was canceled, and she had no flight back to Madrid. Since I had a class to get back to, I got on the plane and Paige had to go to the train station to buy a train ticket back to Madrid. Unfortunately, Paige had really bad luck with traveling and getting sick, but overall I am pretty sure that we both had a really great time in Barcelonaaa!
Only 2 more weeks left in Europe :( but Saturday I leave for my last trip to PARISSSSSSSSS with Kira!!!!! =D
Only 2 more weeks left in Europe :( but Saturday I leave for my last trip to PARISSSSSSSSS with Kira!!!!! =D
Monday, May 4, 2009
Roma, Italia
Day 1- Arrived in Rome at 12. Went to our hotel (4 of us stayed in a 2 person room, and we found out when we got there that they had cameras outside the rooms) then we headed out to start...roaming :) Started at Trevi Fountain, that was absolutely stunning. Immediately we stopped at Blue Ice (famous gelato place) and it was delicious! Continued on to Tempio Adriano, and made our way to the Pantheon, the oldest standing domed structure in Rome. The height to the ceiling and the diameter of the interior circle are the same. It is a monument in which illustrious dead are buried, and the best preserved of all Roman buildings, perhaps the best preserved building of its age in the world. From there, we met up with my friend Mario from high school who is living and going to college in Rome. He took us around the city to places such as Piazza Navona, the square where Caesar died, a couple areas where college kids hang out at night, where Mussolini (Mariachi haha) gave his last speech, Piazza Colonna, and Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II. The final tourist attraction of the day was Trinita dei Monti (the Spanish steps); they were lined with bright purply-pink flowers that were absolutely gorgeous. We had attempted to see the Villa Medici (house of Medici- greatest art patron of all time) but it was closed, so we only saw it through the closed gates. Then we went back to the hotel, showered, got ready, and went to dinner. The only 3 things I ate the entire time in Rome were pasta, pizza, and gelato :) which was fine by me! Then we met up with Mario again who took us to LaVazza, it was the grand opening of the bar and one of his friend’s birthday celebration – it was so much fun!
Day 2- Almost got caught in our hotel with the four of us when the owner brought breakfast to the room as we were leaving. Shannon and I (not supposed to be staying at the hotel..) jumped in the elevator as he was asking what our room number was and Mia was SO confused as to why I was being rude (I was trying to pretend like I didn't know her haha). Anyway we had an appointment at the Vatican museum at 9 a.m. so we headed for Vatican City (holiest city in the world 20 minutes from the center of Rome). We went through the museum, going through Roman art period, Rafael rooms (famous School of Athens painting), and ending in the Sistine Chapel (Michelangelo’s Creation painting was phenomenal). Afterwards we went to Saint Peter's Basilica - by far the most gorgeous church I have ever/will ever see in my life. There are so many famous works that sit in the church, including the statue of Mary holding Jesus after he was crucified, it left me speechless. Then, we decided to wait in line for 2 hours to go to the top of the Basilica (which we thought was only in the inside of the highest dome in the church) to find out when we got to the top that we could keep going 500+ steps to the tippy top! The view was INSANE! You could see for milesss, and the girls who have already gone to Paris said it was better than the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower. That night we met up with Mario and his friend Ahmed to a seesha place for hookah, and continued to meet up with the rest of his friends at a bar called On the Rocks. It was a lot of fun, and a very eventful night that didn't end til about 5:30 a.m. (our day started at 7 a.m. lol) so we were REALLY tired.
Day 3- We wanted to sleep in, but we were forced to switch hotel rooms (we were upgraded to a nicer room for the first 2 nights for free) so we had to be out by 10 a.m. which sucked. But we got our new room, not as nice as the first one, and napped for a while - 4 girls in 1 double bed LOL. Mia and I went out wondering for the day, while Eli and Shannon did some shopping. Mia and I started at the Ara Pacis- Alter of Peace made by Augustus (which was closed due to a European holiday) but we could still see it through the clear glass of the museum. We kept walking and saw Mausoleo Augusta, Piazza dei Tribunali, Castel Sant’ Angelo, San Carlo Quattro Fontane, and stopped at a cute outdoor restaurant for pizza. We all returned to the hotel, got ready, and met Mario for dinner at his favorite Italian place in Rome. The food was out of this world!!!! Afterwards we pregamed on the bus for the biggest outdoor concert of the year in Rome, probably over 200,000 people, and it was outrageous. People in trees, drinks flying, and of course we got separated from each other. I was with Ahmed, and the other girls were with Mario, so thank GOD Ahmed and Mario have each other’s numbers to meet back up! After the concert, Mia and I were exhausted from lack of sleep, so we decided to go back and Eli and Shannon went out with Mario and his friends. They come back drunk, no keys, and almost got us caught for the 2nd time when the hotel owner walked Eli to our room and Shannon was standing there (Shannon and I were not supposed to be staying at the hotel..) and he asked her if she knew Shannon. Eli started cracking up and said no, but obviously the man was skeptical haha.
Day 4 – Started at the Roman Forum – located between the Palatine hill and the Capitoline hill of the city. It is the central area around which the ancient Roman civilization developed, and where the oldest and most important structures of the ancient city are located. We saw the Arch of Septimus Severus, a bunch of temple ruins including the Temple of Romulus and Temple of Apollo, the Arch of Titus, and the house of Augustus. Leaving the Roman Forum, we also saw the Arch of Constantine. Then we walked to the Colosseum, the largest elliptical amphitheatre in the Roman Empire seating over 50,000 people used for gladiatorial contests starting in 80 AD. It was one of my favorite things to see in Rome! All of a sudden it started pouring out of nowhere, and since we were wearing sun dresses, we just sat in the Colosseum for it to pass. It cleared, and not even a half hour later it was sunny again. We just walked around the city, got gelato again, and then met up with Mario to go to his apartment. His roommate John and him, helped us make homemade gnocchi from scratch - potatoes and flour. After they cooked, they decided they didn't come out good, so they made us eggplant parm and spaghetti instead - amaaazing! Then we left, took the LAST bus to the airport at 12:30 a.m., got to the airport at 1, slept on the floor like hobos til 4 a.m., and our flight took off at 6:30. Funny part was that Mia’s carry-on was 3 kilos overweight (6 pounds) so her and I went and put on tons of random clothes and coats from her bag. HAHA! Weighed in again, 0.4 kilos under =) nice!
Overall Rome was incredible - my favorite city so far, besides Madrid, of course. Anddd the best part is... we never got caught at our hotel!
HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY ROBIN :) I love and miss you so much <3
Day 2- Almost got caught in our hotel with the four of us when the owner brought breakfast to the room as we were leaving. Shannon and I (not supposed to be staying at the hotel..) jumped in the elevator as he was asking what our room number was and Mia was SO confused as to why I was being rude (I was trying to pretend like I didn't know her haha). Anyway we had an appointment at the Vatican museum at 9 a.m. so we headed for Vatican City (holiest city in the world 20 minutes from the center of Rome). We went through the museum, going through Roman art period, Rafael rooms (famous School of Athens painting), and ending in the Sistine Chapel (Michelangelo’s Creation painting was phenomenal). Afterwards we went to Saint Peter's Basilica - by far the most gorgeous church I have ever/will ever see in my life. There are so many famous works that sit in the church, including the statue of Mary holding Jesus after he was crucified, it left me speechless. Then, we decided to wait in line for 2 hours to go to the top of the Basilica (which we thought was only in the inside of the highest dome in the church) to find out when we got to the top that we could keep going 500+ steps to the tippy top! The view was INSANE! You could see for milesss, and the girls who have already gone to Paris said it was better than the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower. That night we met up with Mario and his friend Ahmed to a seesha place for hookah, and continued to meet up with the rest of his friends at a bar called On the Rocks. It was a lot of fun, and a very eventful night that didn't end til about 5:30 a.m. (our day started at 7 a.m. lol) so we were REALLY tired.
Day 3- We wanted to sleep in, but we were forced to switch hotel rooms (we were upgraded to a nicer room for the first 2 nights for free) so we had to be out by 10 a.m. which sucked. But we got our new room, not as nice as the first one, and napped for a while - 4 girls in 1 double bed LOL. Mia and I went out wondering for the day, while Eli and Shannon did some shopping. Mia and I started at the Ara Pacis- Alter of Peace made by Augustus (which was closed due to a European holiday) but we could still see it through the clear glass of the museum. We kept walking and saw Mausoleo Augusta, Piazza dei Tribunali, Castel Sant’ Angelo, San Carlo Quattro Fontane, and stopped at a cute outdoor restaurant for pizza. We all returned to the hotel, got ready, and met Mario for dinner at his favorite Italian place in Rome. The food was out of this world!!!! Afterwards we pregamed on the bus for the biggest outdoor concert of the year in Rome, probably over 200,000 people, and it was outrageous. People in trees, drinks flying, and of course we got separated from each other. I was with Ahmed, and the other girls were with Mario, so thank GOD Ahmed and Mario have each other’s numbers to meet back up! After the concert, Mia and I were exhausted from lack of sleep, so we decided to go back and Eli and Shannon went out with Mario and his friends. They come back drunk, no keys, and almost got us caught for the 2nd time when the hotel owner walked Eli to our room and Shannon was standing there (Shannon and I were not supposed to be staying at the hotel..) and he asked her if she knew Shannon. Eli started cracking up and said no, but obviously the man was skeptical haha.
Day 4 – Started at the Roman Forum – located between the Palatine hill and the Capitoline hill of the city. It is the central area around which the ancient Roman civilization developed, and where the oldest and most important structures of the ancient city are located. We saw the Arch of Septimus Severus, a bunch of temple ruins including the Temple of Romulus and Temple of Apollo, the Arch of Titus, and the house of Augustus. Leaving the Roman Forum, we also saw the Arch of Constantine. Then we walked to the Colosseum, the largest elliptical amphitheatre in the Roman Empire seating over 50,000 people used for gladiatorial contests starting in 80 AD. It was one of my favorite things to see in Rome! All of a sudden it started pouring out of nowhere, and since we were wearing sun dresses, we just sat in the Colosseum for it to pass. It cleared, and not even a half hour later it was sunny again. We just walked around the city, got gelato again, and then met up with Mario to go to his apartment. His roommate John and him, helped us make homemade gnocchi from scratch - potatoes and flour. After they cooked, they decided they didn't come out good, so they made us eggplant parm and spaghetti instead - amaaazing! Then we left, took the LAST bus to the airport at 12:30 a.m., got to the airport at 1, slept on the floor like hobos til 4 a.m., and our flight took off at 6:30. Funny part was that Mia’s carry-on was 3 kilos overweight (6 pounds) so her and I went and put on tons of random clothes and coats from her bag. HAHA! Weighed in again, 0.4 kilos under =) nice!
Overall Rome was incredible - my favorite city so far, besides Madrid, of course. Anddd the best part is... we never got caught at our hotel!
HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY ROBIN :) I love and miss you so much <3
Monday, April 27, 2009
Avila and Salamanca
Well Thursday night before we left for Salamanca, it was an eventful night as usual. Lissy’s birthday dinner was fun with all the girls, and then the party continued at Joy. Mia was holding my phone for me, when she we realized when we were leaving the club, that she didn’t have it anymore… just my luck. I never thought I would relate to Lady Gaga’s Just Dance “Where are my keys? I lost my phone!” so well. Anyways, the next morning Kira’s alarm didn’t go off, and I didn’t have a phone to set an alarm. We woke up at 10 a.m. when we were supposed to be leaving from Moncloa Metro station at 10 with our group- fantastic! Long story short: Kira woke to her phone ringing from some guy we know, and lost in language translation, she THOUGHT he said he found my phone. Even though we were already running late, we waited to meet this guy for my phone, got there, he didn’t have it, jumped in the taxi to Moncloa, and arrived 40 minutes late to an angry bus of ISA students =)
On our way to Salamanca, we stopped in a small town called Avila. There we spent about four hours in Avila Castle "Muralla" = "The city wall," Catedral de Avila, and had some free time for lunch. We arrived in Salamanca at around 5 p.m. to our 4* hotel that was soo cute! We walked around the city, went to the grocery store to buy snacks and wine, went back to the hotel, got ready, drank lots of wine, went out to eat pizza (extremely entertaining hahaha) and headed out to a few bars and clubs. After having about 2 and half hours of sleep the night before, we were tired and finally went back to the hotel. Next day we woke up, ate breakfast, toured Plaza Mayor, Las Catedrals (Vieja y Nueva), Casa de las Conchas (House of Conchshells), and then had free time. The girls and I decided to go shopping, of course. Afterwards we went back to the hotel, and I took a bubble bath for the first time I’ve been in Spain (it even had jets- YAY). It was the best 2 hours ever =) Then we got ready, went out to dinner with everyone and got Chinese food, and then our eventful night began. In all, we went to about 3 bars, met a 17-year-old onnn something lol, 1 chupiteria, and ended at a really fun club! The next morning, we ate breakfast and toured University of Salamanca, the oldest university of Spain, and now a museum. It was founded in 1218, and has been acknowledged as 1 of the 4 greatest universities in the world (2nd to Oxford). We then went to the Modern House “Espacios Verdes,” filled with stained glass and beautiful statues/decorations inspired by Gaudi. The tour ended in a really cute garden, “Jardin de la Merced,” that overlooked the city. Afterwards, we ate lunch in a little pub, and I had Sopa de Castellana (famous soup in Salamanca) it was reaaaally good. Finally we headed back to Madrid, and arrived home at about 6 p.m.
Today and tomorrow are devoted to catching up on sleep, and getting everything ready for ROME Wednesday morning!!!! =D
On our way to Salamanca, we stopped in a small town called Avila. There we spent about four hours in Avila Castle "Muralla" = "The city wall," Catedral de Avila, and had some free time for lunch. We arrived in Salamanca at around 5 p.m. to our 4* hotel that was soo cute! We walked around the city, went to the grocery store to buy snacks and wine, went back to the hotel, got ready, drank lots of wine, went out to eat pizza (extremely entertaining hahaha) and headed out to a few bars and clubs. After having about 2 and half hours of sleep the night before, we were tired and finally went back to the hotel. Next day we woke up, ate breakfast, toured Plaza Mayor, Las Catedrals (Vieja y Nueva), Casa de las Conchas (House of Conchshells), and then had free time. The girls and I decided to go shopping, of course. Afterwards we went back to the hotel, and I took a bubble bath for the first time I’ve been in Spain (it even had jets- YAY). It was the best 2 hours ever =) Then we got ready, went out to dinner with everyone and got Chinese food, and then our eventful night began. In all, we went to about 3 bars, met a 17-year-old onnn something lol, 1 chupiteria, and ended at a really fun club! The next morning, we ate breakfast and toured University of Salamanca, the oldest university of Spain, and now a museum. It was founded in 1218, and has been acknowledged as 1 of the 4 greatest universities in the world (2nd to Oxford). We then went to the Modern House “Espacios Verdes,” filled with stained glass and beautiful statues/decorations inspired by Gaudi. The tour ended in a really cute garden, “Jardin de la Merced,” that overlooked the city. Afterwards, we ate lunch in a little pub, and I had Sopa de Castellana (famous soup in Salamanca) it was reaaaally good. Finally we headed back to Madrid, and arrived home at about 6 p.m.
Today and tomorrow are devoted to catching up on sleep, and getting everything ready for ROME Wednesday morning!!!! =D
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Mas Madrid/El Escorial
Soo back in Madrid, we got a new roommate (another girl finally) her name is Maddie, and she's from California! One afternoon, the weather was amazing, so Mia, Kira, and I went to Serrano, which is like Rodeo Drive in California. Obviously, we window shopped :) at stores like Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Jimmy Choo, Chanel, Gucci, and more places like that. Wednesday night we all went out for Mexican food - yummy. Thursday, we had people over to pregame at our piso and then went to Las Huertas (area with tons of bars filled with college students). It was fun until the end of the night when I realized I lost my keys (one to my apt complex, one to my front door, and one to the door of my room). Found out the next morning there was no spare to my bedroom, so I waited all day (with no glasses/contacts to see) until 6:30 at night when someone finally came to change my locks. I was supposed to cost me 80 euros, but it was more like 45 euros later...I was in my room! That night people just came over for drinks, a relaxing night to end my stressful day. Saturday, we went with ISA to El Escorial, a small city in Spain. We toured the Monasterio de San Lorenzo, where all the Kings, Queens, and Royal families are buried, which spans 9 acres and walking in the corridors alone would cover about 11 miles. Then we went outside the city up on top of a mountain where Franco (dictator of Spain for 40 years) was buried in the largest tomb stone in the world known as Valle de los Caidos or "Valley of the Fallen." He was not allowed to be buried in the monastery with the rest of the Kings and Queens, so he had a massive monument built with tallest memorial cross in the world, a 500 foot construction of stone marking its place. That night, back in Madrid, we went to Owe and Tanner's to pregame in La Latina, and then headed for El Kapital. Our bad luck continued when we waited for an hour, and the guy who was supposed to get us in for free, never showed and we didn't want to pay the 20 euro entrance fee, so we just went home. Overall, it was a really funny night and we still had a great time! Sunday we went to Las Ventas - Plaza de Toros - to see a bull fight. By far the most gruesome/cruel/brutal thing I have ever witnessed. They kill 6 bulls one after another in each 'bull fight' and it was absolutely horrifying so we only stayed for the first 3. The only reason I'm glad I went is for taking part in the traditional Spanish culture that has gone on for centuries... but honestly, it was awful and I will definitely not ever go again. Monday, after school of course, we all went to El Tigre for Oscar's brother, David's, last night visiting Madrid. Tuesday we went to the REAL MADRID soccer game at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu (largest stadium in Europe). Attendence was about 75,000 people, and it was said to have been the best game of the season. People's exact words were "you could go to 100 Real Madrid games, and never see such an amazing game!" They played Getafe, who just beat Barcelona 1-0, and we won 3-2! Madrid was down 2-1 with like not even 5 minutes left in the game, and tied it up to go into overtime when we scored to win the game! The stadium went wild - it was absolutely insane - and definitely one of the best things I have done since I've been here. Wednesday... Cien lol and then Thursday... Happy Birthday Lissy! Mexican dinner with the girls then Joy, which is ALWAYS a good time! Tomorrow we leave early for Salamanca for the weekend, getting back late Sunday night. Then early Wednesday morning Mia, Eli, Shannon, and I leave for ROMEEE!!!
I realized today that I have exactly 5 weeks left in Europe, and I don't want to leave :(
I realized today that I have exactly 5 weeks left in Europe, and I don't want to leave :(
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Jiggy Jiggy MOROCCO
Aside from literally spending about 65 hours on the bus over the course of the week, and getting ABSOLUTELY AWFUL food poisoning the first 24 hours I spent in Morocco, the trip overall was the most incredible experience of my life.
April 4 th Departure from Madrid at 9 p.m.
April 5 th Along the way we picked up other ISA students from Salamanca, Santander, Granada, and Malaga. Trip by bus to Algeciras – crossed the Strait of Gibraltar by ferry - Cross the border in Ceuta. Arrival in Fes, Morocco around 8 p.m. - Dinner and accommodation in Menzeh Zalagh 5* Hotel.
I slept a majority of the first part of the trip. When I woke up, we watched the movies Gran Torino and Bolt! Then we stopped for lunch somewhere in Morocco. The view on the bus was amazing – I never knew Africa was so GREEN! The landscape was just rolling green hills for miles, as we drove through the Atlas Mountains. The hotel was gorgeous – there is really no other way to describe it other than really Moroccan looking, our rooms were nice- pretty balcony looking over the city, and the food was good (we were warned not to eat anything uncooked because their water is not safe to drink). I followed the rules, and of course I would be the one to wake up with food poisoning the next day! The directors said that I could be in trouble the rest of the trip if I got so sick off eating COOKED food from a 5* hotel, and only drank bottled water. GREAT how reassuring!
April 6 th Breakfast at the hotel- all day visit to the Fes Medina. Dinner and accommodation in Menzeh Zalagh Hotel. Folklore Spectacle at 8 p.m.
After breakfast, we got on the bus. First stop was the King’s Palace. Since there were Moroccan flags everywhere, we were told that meant that the King was actually there! Then we saw the Jewish quarter, and continued to the Medina, the largest Medina (outdoor market) in the world. 1,200 tiny streets of different kinds of stores with NO street signs. It was insane! We saw the food market part, Dyer’s Row (where they dye scarf-like things and make them to wear when they die), Traditional Moroccan decorations/pottery/jewellery, Chairs Row (where they make the thrones Arabs use for their weddings), House of Rugs (had Arabic tea and saw tons of authentic Moroccan rugs), House of Fabrics (factory and store filled with different fabrics used for scarves, or more traditionally, turbans), the Tannery (a.k.a. Death Factory where they skin animals for to make leather products such as coats or handbags- smelled HORRIBLE but nice view looking over the rest of the city), and soo much more! Then we had lunch inside the medina at a traditional Moroccan restaurant that was absolutely beautiful. I couldn’t eat lunch because I was so sick, and at some points I thought I was going to have to go back to the hotel, but I was a trooper and stuck it out because I didn’t want to miss out! =) After lunch we headed to a pottery factory and took a tour to see how traditional Moroccan ceramics are made from start to finish. It is amazing how much work is put in just a single bowl or plate. Lastly, they took us to a panoramic view of the city of Fes, which was unbelievable to see all the streets that we had walked earlier that day. That night, we ate dinner (I ate bread, of course) and then we went to a traditional folklore show – there was music, dancers, and many different performers. It was really fun!
April 7 th Breakfast in the hotel -trip by bus to Erfoud- On the way: lunch included at the Ziz oasis area. From Erfoud we will go in jeeps 4x4 to Merzouga, town in the Big Dune Desert. Arrival in the Sahara desert at dusk. Dinner and accommodation in “haimas” (tents) in the desert.
The bus trip was brutal, but the scenery was amazing. We also watched the movies 300 and Kung Fu Panda so at least that helped to make the trip feel a little less painful. Thankfully I was feeling a little better. The Ziz Oasis was really beautiful – overlooking a pretty landscape of all trees and waterways - Still not wanting to eat much to upset my stomach, at lunch I only ate bread! Got to Erford not too much longer after late lunch, got off the bus and into the COOLEST JEEPS EVER! We off-roaded into the desert in the jeeps, and our driver had traditional Moroccan music on, which was exciting. Got to the desert in the dark, and the Haimas were AWESOME!!! We were all so excited, we dropped our stuff in the tents and immediately started exploring the mounds and mounds of sand dunes in the desert (of course didn’t go far, since we would’ve gotten lost). The stars were amazing! A little while after, we ate a late dinner with some awesome tea, and got ready for bed since the following day was going to be really long.
April 8 th Wake up early in the morning to see the sunrise in the desert - Breakfast in the main tent- Ride camels through the desert and visit to a typical town- Free time to enjoy the wonderful scenery of the Desert – Lunch, dinner and accommodation in the tents.
Wake up call at 5:30 a.m., Marni saw light so she started yelling, “It’s not supposed to be light out, we missed it!!!!” so everyone scrambled to get their cameras and we started running in the sand (which is up hills and really hard!) Finally, one of the Moroccan tour guides caught up with us and reassured us that we had not missed it lol. So we walked for another 20 minutes to the top of one the dunes, and awaited the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen in my entire life. It was so stunning, people were crying, and of course we just sat there in the freezing cold (yes, the desert is REALLY cold at night/early morning) and took in the amazing atmosphere as the sun rose and changed the sand different colors – from yellow, to reddish-pink, to orange – there are no words to describe how beautiful is really was, it felt like it was close enough to reach out and touch it. Then we went back to the tents, ate breakfast and got ready. The camels arrived at 9 a.m. – two people to a camel, I rode with Eli on HIMALI (Best camel ever!) and Mia and Kira, who were both scared to death, rode on the camel in front of us. HAHA then we wondered through the desert by camel and arrived at the largest sand dune in the Sahara, and then WE CLIMBED IT! It was insane, really hot, and extremely difficult, but the view from the top made it well worth it. From there, we walked (I skipped) down the huge dune, and continued by camel to a typical town outside of the desert. When we arrived, I thought it was abandoned; it looked like NO ONE was around. Sadly mistaken, a lot of people live there. The houses are made out of clay, and were in poor condition. We handed out candy to the children who were going absolutely crazy for it. I wondered why they weren’t in school when we arrived to a slightly nicer area, and got to see a school. The schools were just a room- 1 per age group. You have to pay for school in Africa, so not everyone can attend. We got to talk and take pictures with the teachers and the students – it seriously opened my eyes a lot. Afterwards, we went to another, but smaller house of rugs and saw handmade rugs and more jewellery. Went back to the tents, had lunch, and explored more of the desert, played Frisbee with the local children, and by nightfall we watched a gorgeous sunset while we were all dancing in the desert sand to the beat of the locals bongos, it was really fun! We also got Henna, which was pretty cool =) We then had dinner, and they threw a party in the main tent with a local band that played traditional Moroccan music, we all danced until we were exhausted, and finally got ready and went to bed.
April 9 th Breakfast in the main tent -Trip in 4x4 to Erfoud where you will take a bus to go to Meknes- you will stop on the way to eat (picnic included). Arrival to Meknes at night and accommodation in the Rif Hotel 4*.
The next morning, I decided I wanted to watch the sunrise again. Since no one else wanted to wake up at 5:30 again, I did it alone. It was really peaceful, and the rest of the desert was completely dead silent- I probably could’ve heard a pin drop. I went back to the tents, and everyone was waking up for breakfast, then we packed and got back into the jeeps to head back to Erfoud for the bus. The jeeps were just as fun as the first time – off-roading in the desert is quite the experience! Got back on the bus, unfortunately, for another looong bus ride to Meknes. Luckily this time I was so tired, I pretty much slept the whole time. We made a stop at a park that was full of monkies; they were everywhere, and we got so close- it was awesome. Got to Meknes at like 5 p.m., and went searching through the city for a while. When it started getting dark, we watched an old man get punched in the face, and that’s when we decided it was time to go back to the hotel. At the hotel, we had dinner with the ISA students who are studying in Meknes for the semester. Of the 16 total students there, one of the girls was from TCNJ – how crazy!!!!!! Her name was Jessica, and she’s a junior at school, and I had never met her in before. After dinner, they took us to a bar where I had my first Hookah experience, haha and it was pretty fun. Once we finished the Hookah, we went a club, had some drinks and danced with the entire group. Didn’t go to bed until like 3 a.m., and had to wake up at 6 the next morning. Just like living in Madrid, I pretty much didn’t get any sleep the entire trip.
April 10 th Breakfast in the hotel -Trip by bus from Meknes to Ceuta - Crossing by ferry to Algeciras - Trip by bus to Madrid- Arrival by 7 a.m. (the following day).
Ate more bread for breakfast lol (what I basically ate everyday). Packed my suitcase, and back on the bus we went! Watched the movies Vicky Cristina Barcelona, some stupid movie about a man who lives for 14,000 years that I didn’t even know the title of, and Snatch. Crossed the Straight of Gibraltar by ferry (I saw Gibralter Rock), and slept the rest of the way back to Madrid. Along the way, we dropped off the other students studying in other parts of Spain, and arrived in Madrid at 4 a.m. Since we weren’t supposed to get back until 7, the metro doesn’t open until 6 a.m., and we didn’t want to pay for a taxi, we WALKED home with all of our luggage in the cold – great way to end the trip! Nonetheless Fes, the Sahara Desert, and Meknes in Morocco were the most different and unbelievable places I have ever been. It was definitely the trip of a lifetime, and something I will never ever forget!
April 4 th Departure from Madrid at 9 p.m.
April 5 th Along the way we picked up other ISA students from Salamanca, Santander, Granada, and Malaga. Trip by bus to Algeciras – crossed the Strait of Gibraltar by ferry - Cross the border in Ceuta. Arrival in Fes, Morocco around 8 p.m. - Dinner and accommodation in Menzeh Zalagh 5* Hotel.
I slept a majority of the first part of the trip. When I woke up, we watched the movies Gran Torino and Bolt! Then we stopped for lunch somewhere in Morocco. The view on the bus was amazing – I never knew Africa was so GREEN! The landscape was just rolling green hills for miles, as we drove through the Atlas Mountains. The hotel was gorgeous – there is really no other way to describe it other than really Moroccan looking, our rooms were nice- pretty balcony looking over the city, and the food was good (we were warned not to eat anything uncooked because their water is not safe to drink). I followed the rules, and of course I would be the one to wake up with food poisoning the next day! The directors said that I could be in trouble the rest of the trip if I got so sick off eating COOKED food from a 5* hotel, and only drank bottled water. GREAT how reassuring!
April 6 th Breakfast at the hotel- all day visit to the Fes Medina. Dinner and accommodation in Menzeh Zalagh Hotel. Folklore Spectacle at 8 p.m.
After breakfast, we got on the bus. First stop was the King’s Palace. Since there were Moroccan flags everywhere, we were told that meant that the King was actually there! Then we saw the Jewish quarter, and continued to the Medina, the largest Medina (outdoor market) in the world. 1,200 tiny streets of different kinds of stores with NO street signs. It was insane! We saw the food market part, Dyer’s Row (where they dye scarf-like things and make them to wear when they die), Traditional Moroccan decorations/pottery/jewellery, Chairs Row (where they make the thrones Arabs use for their weddings), House of Rugs (had Arabic tea and saw tons of authentic Moroccan rugs), House of Fabrics (factory and store filled with different fabrics used for scarves, or more traditionally, turbans), the Tannery (a.k.a. Death Factory where they skin animals for to make leather products such as coats or handbags- smelled HORRIBLE but nice view looking over the rest of the city), and soo much more! Then we had lunch inside the medina at a traditional Moroccan restaurant that was absolutely beautiful. I couldn’t eat lunch because I was so sick, and at some points I thought I was going to have to go back to the hotel, but I was a trooper and stuck it out because I didn’t want to miss out! =) After lunch we headed to a pottery factory and took a tour to see how traditional Moroccan ceramics are made from start to finish. It is amazing how much work is put in just a single bowl or plate. Lastly, they took us to a panoramic view of the city of Fes, which was unbelievable to see all the streets that we had walked earlier that day. That night, we ate dinner (I ate bread, of course) and then we went to a traditional folklore show – there was music, dancers, and many different performers. It was really fun!
April 7 th Breakfast in the hotel -trip by bus to Erfoud- On the way: lunch included at the Ziz oasis area. From Erfoud we will go in jeeps 4x4 to Merzouga, town in the Big Dune Desert. Arrival in the Sahara desert at dusk. Dinner and accommodation in “haimas” (tents) in the desert.
The bus trip was brutal, but the scenery was amazing. We also watched the movies 300 and Kung Fu Panda so at least that helped to make the trip feel a little less painful. Thankfully I was feeling a little better. The Ziz Oasis was really beautiful – overlooking a pretty landscape of all trees and waterways - Still not wanting to eat much to upset my stomach, at lunch I only ate bread! Got to Erford not too much longer after late lunch, got off the bus and into the COOLEST JEEPS EVER! We off-roaded into the desert in the jeeps, and our driver had traditional Moroccan music on, which was exciting. Got to the desert in the dark, and the Haimas were AWESOME!!! We were all so excited, we dropped our stuff in the tents and immediately started exploring the mounds and mounds of sand dunes in the desert (of course didn’t go far, since we would’ve gotten lost). The stars were amazing! A little while after, we ate a late dinner with some awesome tea, and got ready for bed since the following day was going to be really long.
April 8 th Wake up early in the morning to see the sunrise in the desert - Breakfast in the main tent- Ride camels through the desert and visit to a typical town- Free time to enjoy the wonderful scenery of the Desert – Lunch, dinner and accommodation in the tents.
Wake up call at 5:30 a.m., Marni saw light so she started yelling, “It’s not supposed to be light out, we missed it!!!!” so everyone scrambled to get their cameras and we started running in the sand (which is up hills and really hard!) Finally, one of the Moroccan tour guides caught up with us and reassured us that we had not missed it lol. So we walked for another 20 minutes to the top of one the dunes, and awaited the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen in my entire life. It was so stunning, people were crying, and of course we just sat there in the freezing cold (yes, the desert is REALLY cold at night/early morning) and took in the amazing atmosphere as the sun rose and changed the sand different colors – from yellow, to reddish-pink, to orange – there are no words to describe how beautiful is really was, it felt like it was close enough to reach out and touch it. Then we went back to the tents, ate breakfast and got ready. The camels arrived at 9 a.m. – two people to a camel, I rode with Eli on HIMALI (Best camel ever!) and Mia and Kira, who were both scared to death, rode on the camel in front of us. HAHA then we wondered through the desert by camel and arrived at the largest sand dune in the Sahara, and then WE CLIMBED IT! It was insane, really hot, and extremely difficult, but the view from the top made it well worth it. From there, we walked (I skipped) down the huge dune, and continued by camel to a typical town outside of the desert. When we arrived, I thought it was abandoned; it looked like NO ONE was around. Sadly mistaken, a lot of people live there. The houses are made out of clay, and were in poor condition. We handed out candy to the children who were going absolutely crazy for it. I wondered why they weren’t in school when we arrived to a slightly nicer area, and got to see a school. The schools were just a room- 1 per age group. You have to pay for school in Africa, so not everyone can attend. We got to talk and take pictures with the teachers and the students – it seriously opened my eyes a lot. Afterwards, we went to another, but smaller house of rugs and saw handmade rugs and more jewellery. Went back to the tents, had lunch, and explored more of the desert, played Frisbee with the local children, and by nightfall we watched a gorgeous sunset while we were all dancing in the desert sand to the beat of the locals bongos, it was really fun! We also got Henna, which was pretty cool =) We then had dinner, and they threw a party in the main tent with a local band that played traditional Moroccan music, we all danced until we were exhausted, and finally got ready and went to bed.
April 9 th Breakfast in the main tent -Trip in 4x4 to Erfoud where you will take a bus to go to Meknes- you will stop on the way to eat (picnic included). Arrival to Meknes at night and accommodation in the Rif Hotel 4*.
The next morning, I decided I wanted to watch the sunrise again. Since no one else wanted to wake up at 5:30 again, I did it alone. It was really peaceful, and the rest of the desert was completely dead silent- I probably could’ve heard a pin drop. I went back to the tents, and everyone was waking up for breakfast, then we packed and got back into the jeeps to head back to Erfoud for the bus. The jeeps were just as fun as the first time – off-roading in the desert is quite the experience! Got back on the bus, unfortunately, for another looong bus ride to Meknes. Luckily this time I was so tired, I pretty much slept the whole time. We made a stop at a park that was full of monkies; they were everywhere, and we got so close- it was awesome. Got to Meknes at like 5 p.m., and went searching through the city for a while. When it started getting dark, we watched an old man get punched in the face, and that’s when we decided it was time to go back to the hotel. At the hotel, we had dinner with the ISA students who are studying in Meknes for the semester. Of the 16 total students there, one of the girls was from TCNJ – how crazy!!!!!! Her name was Jessica, and she’s a junior at school, and I had never met her in before. After dinner, they took us to a bar where I had my first Hookah experience, haha and it was pretty fun. Once we finished the Hookah, we went a club, had some drinks and danced with the entire group. Didn’t go to bed until like 3 a.m., and had to wake up at 6 the next morning. Just like living in Madrid, I pretty much didn’t get any sleep the entire trip.
April 10 th Breakfast in the hotel -Trip by bus from Meknes to Ceuta - Crossing by ferry to Algeciras - Trip by bus to Madrid- Arrival by 7 a.m. (the following day).
Ate more bread for breakfast lol (what I basically ate everyday). Packed my suitcase, and back on the bus we went! Watched the movies Vicky Cristina Barcelona, some stupid movie about a man who lives for 14,000 years that I didn’t even know the title of, and Snatch. Crossed the Straight of Gibraltar by ferry (I saw Gibralter Rock), and slept the rest of the way back to Madrid. Along the way, we dropped off the other students studying in other parts of Spain, and arrived in Madrid at 4 a.m. Since we weren’t supposed to get back until 7, the metro doesn’t open until 6 a.m., and we didn’t want to pay for a taxi, we WALKED home with all of our luggage in the cold – great way to end the trip! Nonetheless Fes, the Sahara Desert, and Meknes in Morocco were the most different and unbelievable places I have ever been. It was definitely the trip of a lifetime, and something I will never ever forget!
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