DUBLIN

Dublin, Ireland

Reflection at Trinity College

Balloon Animals

Dublin, Ireland

Street performer and his dance crew

Dublin, Ireland

Guiness Factory

Guiness Factory

Guiness Factory

Guiness Factory

Wicklow, Ireland (SO WINDY!)

Wicklow, Ireland

Glendalough, Ireland

Glendalough, Ireland

Glendalough, Ireland

Glendalough, Ireland

Glendalough, Ireland

Glendalough, Ireland

Avoca Handweaving

Avoca, Ireland

Rainbow

Doors

I am in love with Ireland. I went to Dublin this weekend with two of my friends and stayed with one of our other friends at her dorm (she goes to Syracuse but in Dublin she goes to UCD and has a dorm there). It was such a shock to hear people speaking English (or at least some sort of English) and although the weather was FREEZING, the country was incredible. We took a late flight on Thursday and landed in Dublin around 12:30am and although our cab driver was really talkative and nice, he totally scammed us and drove around, lost. Needless to say that our cab ride was 45 euros. Not a great way to start the trip. But, when we finally got to see our friend that we hadn't seen since MAY we had forgotten about our crazy expensive cab fare. We ended up sleeping on her floor because she didn't have much room. Talk about roughing it. But hey, having a free place to stay was great. In the morning, we got groceries, made eggs and then walked around the city center. It was beautiful! I loved the architecture, live music everywhere and the nice people. When we were walking down the street a balloon animal maker man gave us free balloon animals! I can't remember the last time I got something literally free. After visiting Trinity College and walking around all day with our Dublin native, we went to the Guiness Factory. We saw how Guiness beer is made and got a free pint on the top floor of the factory that had a great view of the city. The beer was really heavy but it was a great experience. After, we headed home to make dinner and get ready for a fun night of pub crawling. The live music that we heard at the pubs was one of the highlights of my trip. It seemed like there was someone playing on every street corner and in every pub. Since I've been in Madrid I've been musically deprived so it was great to hear live stuff.

Saturday we woke up bright and early at 9am and ran to catch a tour bus that took us to the countryside. We were the youngest people on the tour by far because 9am is an unknown time to most college students but the tour showed us a totally different side of Ireland. The nature and history was beautiful. We saw different towns and villages, a handweaving factory (random, i know), rivers, and a really old graveyard/monestary. We were so proud of ourselves for getting up and experiencing Ireland. After, we shopped (of course) we went home and got ready for another fun night on the town.

We wished we had more time in beautiful Ireland but sadly, we flew home this afternoon. The airport was actually the nicest airport I've ever been in. It was more like a mall than an airport. And although the airport itself was great, the airline was another story. Our bags had to fit in the overhead compartment and one of my friends bags was slightly larger. They made told her 5 minutes before the plane was boarding, that she had to pay 35 euros to check the bag and that she had no other option. The staff was extremely rude so we thought quickly and put on a bunch of the clothes that were making the bag too large. My friend ended up stuffing some under her jacket making a mock-pregnant stomach in order to get on the plane without 35 euros. Our scheme worked and although I was wearing a tank top, long sleeved shirt, sweat shirt, leather jacket, and 2 scarves, it was worth it.

Pawprints

Graffiti

So happy to be reunited

Love on the lake

Theta Reunion

It's tough to be a tour guide. I never realized how stressful it is to plan every activity for seven girls who have never been to Madrid before. But even though it was stressful, it was great. I have never been so happy to see familiar faces. The crew landed on Friday and we walked around Madrid, showed them what a European city REALLY is (London is definitely more Americanized than Madrid). It felt so weird to 1. speak a foreign language with my friends from school there 2. know my way around the city enough to help other people find things. Having the girls visit made it real that I actually live here, that my spanish has improved SO much since I've been here and that I've really adapted to Spanish culture.

After walking around the center of Madrid, we headed over to Retiro to row boats (I just can't get enough of them!). Later that night we met up for some tapas at El Tigre and then danced the night away. The nightlife in London ends so early (pubs close by 11 or 12) so they couldn't believe that the discos don't even fill up until 3am!

Saturday, the girls went to the royal palace and then we all met up to do some shopping- finding outfits for a wild night at the 7-story club (Kapital). Naturally, I didn't get home until 7am and woke up at 12 to meet up with everyone. I NEED a good night's sleep. Some of the girls left today to go back to London but three of them are here until Wednesday. We're leaving for Dublin on Thursday so this week is going to be jam-packed!

Having the girls here is amazing but makes me even more excited for next semester. They really are my best friends and my family at school and not having them here with me this semester has been crazy. It makes me appreciate them even more.

Cata de Vino

Wine tasting

Goya

Posters in Goya

On Thursday night, I went to a cata de vino or wine tasting. I felt: 1. classy, 2. old, 3. cultured. The class was about 2.5 hours long and we learned everything from how to properly judge a wine (look at the clarity, swirl and smell it, and then taste it) and what the best kinds of wine in Spain are. We tried 8 different kinds, 3 white and 5 red and had an instructor guiding us through each. What a great job- owning a wine tasting/workshop studio. One of the strange things about this cata de vino was that, since it was organized by the school, some of my teachers were there. Never in my life have I had a drink with my professor...let alone drinking 8 glasses of wine!! Needless to say it was a great experience. AND if you happen to be in Spain and are looking for a great white I recommend: Nora 2007 from the DO Rias Baixas (made with 100% Albarino grapes!). For a red, I would go with: Predicador 2007, obviously the most expensive, from DO Rioja (made with 100% Tempranillo grapes!)

This weekend a lot my friends families are visiting Madrid because of the long weekend, so its been a little lonely here but Im making the most of it. Today, I went for a walk in an area called Goya. I was in search of a kebab for lunch but of course there was no kebab store to be found :( Monday is Nuestra Senora de Pilar, a holiday here and we dont have school. Yay 4 day weekend! There is a military parade on Monday that I want to check out, but other than that Im just prepaing myself for the huge Theta reunion next weekend! A bunch of girls are coming in to Madrid from London for the weekend, and I cannot wait. I need some familiar faces.

Beauty on the Sidewalk

Today, when I was walking to school I saw this rose and petals on the ground in front of an apartment building. It wasn't there yesterday and who knows the story behind it being there (I'd like to think it was something romantic), but its the simple things that you find that can make your day. After I saw it, I had to run back and grab my camera to make sure I captured it before people started to all walk over it. So glad that I caught it in time because when I came back from class the petals were all of the street and on the sidewalk...

No travels this weekend BUT tonight I'm taking a wine tasting class/workshop. I'm excited to finally learn about what I've been drinking. Aside from that, my goal for the weekend is to get off at Metro stops that I have not explored yet and walk around with my camera. I feel like I have a good grasp on the city but there are some areas that I have yet to visit so this is my chance. That AND rest. I still haven't caught up on sleep from my trip to Barcelona (these 9am classes are killing me..). Looking forward to a relaxed but exciting weekend here in beautiful, and surprisingly still sunny and warm, Madrid.

Barcelona

Cara and I with street art we found

Boqueria

Boqueria

Boqueria

Birds in Plaza Catalyuna

Stained glass at the Sagrada Familia

Construction at the Sagrada Familia

Budget

Airshow

Montjuic

On Montjuic

The girls in the castle in Montjuic

My only photo from Parc Guell- the ceiling.

After the bus ride, plane ride, getting lost in the airport and metro ride I am officially home from Barcelona. The city was amazing, beautiful architecture and gorgeous weather. We stayed in a hostel near Passeg de Gracias which, compared to my last experience was a palace. Although I didn't splurge for a top sheet (2 euros!) until the second night, the free breakfast made up for it. Everyday we stocked up on the free apples and crackers/little cakes for later and ate our weight in toasted bread and Smacks/Corn Flakes mixed.

Thursday- Let me explain something about RyanAir: when they say they are a budget airline, they mean it. The entire plane was neon yellow and plastic, resembling more of a toy than the aircraft I would be trusting my life with. During our 10pm flight, the lights were not turned off once and the flight was spent with the crew trying to sell perfume and Smoke-Less cigarettes to the passengers. But hey, you get what you pay for. We landed in Girona, a town outside of Barcelona and took a bus to Barcelona. After checking into our hostel, we decided to explore the area we were in. We walked about 5 minutes and saw a woman sitting by herself on a street corner crying/talking to herself. After seeing us, she stood up and started walking towards us...and we started walking quickly. It was after that that she yelled "CORREN CHICAS, CORREN" or "RUN GIRLS, RUN". I have never in my life ran from a human being and I hope I never have to do it again. We made it safely to the hostel and decided to go to sleep, hoping that the next day would not include insane drunk women.

Friday- Our first stop, after getting a little lost, was the Picasso Museum in the Gothic Quarter. The paintings were incredible- my favorite was "Woman in a Mantilla", and I loved seeing the different styles he worked in. The museum also had a few photographs of Picasso in the last few years of his life which was incredible to see. After, we found our way to the Boqueria, the largest outdoor market in Spain. They had a little bit of EVERYTHING, and made the Mercado San Miguel look mini. After lunch, we walked around the Gothic Quarter and I made the purchase of my dream boots, which will always remind me of Barcelona.

Saturday- Waking up after five hours of sleep was not easy, but we made our way to the Sagrada Familia, a church constructed by Gaudi. The outside of the church was beautiful, and we waited in line to get inside. Nine euros and thirty minutes later, we made it inside only to find that it was under construction. The entire interior was covered with drapes and plaster which made it hard to enjoy the beauty of the church. The stained glass window was my favorite part of the church, even though Im not sure it was worth nine euros. To offset the staggering cost of the entrance fee for the Sagrada Familia, we did lunch on a budget: stolen bread from the free breakfast, free sauces from McDonalds, and turkey and cheese that we bought from a supermercado. Surprisingly, the sandwiches were great and cost a mere 1.30 per person. We then ventured to the beach to see the Red Bull World Championship Air Racing competition. The competition featured helicopters and planes doing flips, twists and completing a sort of obstacle course. Somehow, in a festival full of people, with a loud speaker right near our ears and planes/helicopters flying right over our heads, we all managed to fall asleep. Don't ask me how, but it was a feat.

Sunday- Another five hours of sleep, and we were all walking zombies. After seeing one of the Olympic stadiums and torch from the Barcelona Olympics, we took a tram (that showed great views of Barcelona!) up to Montjuic, a castle on top of a huge hill in Barcelona and explored. With only about an hour and a half until we had to get to the bus station, we ventured to Parc Guell, also designed by Gaudi. I wish we had more time there AND that my camera had not died because it was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. The park is full of structures made mosaic-style out of tile. EVERYTHING is tiled, from the benches to the columns. Of course there was a great violinist playing classical music which made the experience that much better. The next time I go to Barcelona (and there will be a next time), Parc Guell is on top of my to-do list.