Barcelona

My Barcelona trek started with an overnight bus ride.  Unfortunately, there is not a low-cost airline flying from Alicante to Barcelona; thus, my options were the bus or the train.  I’ve had a lot of experience with buses lately and the times just worked a little better so the bus it was.  I was specifically looking forward to this weekend adventure because I was meeting my middle and high-school friend, Donna, who spent this semester studying in France and Switzerland.  Luckily, my bus took me straight into the center of the city very close to the Arc de Triomf where I was able to spot Donna.  It was so good to see her!  We had so much to catch up on after both being abroad for a semester. She was also traveling with a couple of friends she made from her program so we had a good tour group. 

As I only had two days in the city, we started with the important sites right away.  The first was Gaudí’s unfinished legacy, La Sagrada Familia.  It was breathtaking.  We could have spent hours just looking at the outside because of all the small details in the sculptures that adorned the façade of the church.  It was interesting to see a cathedral so modern in style.  My travels throughout Europe have taken me to a few churches, and there has not been one that has been quite as unique as this.  After, we went to the next famous Gaudí attraction Park Güell.  The walk was a little further than expected from the metro stop but well worth it.  What was cool about the park was that everything was art: the benches were mosaic, the stairs decorated with statues, even the paths were thought of.  We had a picnic lunch of some fruit we bought at a small frutería. 

After a long day of walking and touring the lively streets of Barcelona, we decided to take it easy and watch a Flamenco show in a square that was close to Las Ramblas which is the center of action in Barcelona with many stores and restaurants.  The show was excellent with a very moving vocalist that sang with so much emotion in her voice.  We went for paella afterwards: I couldn't let Donna and her friends come to Spain and not get the whole experience, right?

The next morning, we started early (after a little pit stop for churros and chocolate).  We toured the ‘gothic’ area around my hostel.  We next decided to take the metro to the water front where there were vendors right on the marina.  The weather was perfect for outdoor shopping!  Then, we went to the Picasso museum that houses most of his life’s work.  We specifically saved this activity for the afternoon because admission is free after three.  Well, as I have learned in Madrid, free entrance means long lines, but definitely worth it to save the money and still be able to see paintings you’ve seen referenced your entire life. Turns out, there was some really good shopping in that area, too.  Also, it put me over in the area where I needed to be to catch my bus back to Murcia.  It was certainly a whirlwind tour of one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever been to, but long enough to make a lasting impression: I can definitely say it’s one of my favorites. 

Pictures, pictures: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1718157999397.2079194.1401660433

Baile

A cool Bando de la huerta dance, and muchos pictures here:  http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1701966754626.2078216.1401660433

Fiestas de primavera

I was welcomed back to Spain with two weeks of celebration. “Semana santa”, or Holy Week, is cause for a bit of commotion in Murcia. On Good Friday, as I was walking home from the bus station, I was trapped on a street corner by a procession. There were people dressed in long purple gowns that reached their feet and tall pointy hats with an attached face mask that honestly struck fear in my heart. While this type of attire has an entirely different cultural connotation in the US, it was interesting to watch the small parade pass. There were men carrying a large station of Jesus carrying His own cross. There were more costumed people beating drums, others playing a horn so long they were pushed on the ground by attached wheels (that sounded akin to a vuvuzela), and others that were carrying crosses of their own.

Saturday was spent by my roommates and I preparing Easter dinner. I cooked my mom’s onion potato recipe. My roommate, Anna, and I went to the Easter Vigil mass that night. It was close to three hours long, but it was cool to see the baptisms and candle ceremonies in a Spanish style. After the mass was done, special Easter bread was served with the best hot chocolate I have ever had in my entire life. The next day we hosted nearly a dozen friends for dinner. The potatoes were demolished. I am also happy to say that the Easter bunny reached me all the way in Spain!

Tuesday brought Murcia’s biggest celebration: Bando de huerta. On this day, locals dress in matching white outfits with a colored vest and sash. I was lucky enough to have someone that let me borrow one! The parade on the day of Banda is mayhem. People throw food from trucks as they drive down the main road. My roommates and I caught enough for dinner!! I caught some bread, salchicha (sausage), a bag of lemons, some boiled eggs, and broccoli—not bad for a beginner. You just have to take care not to get hit by something like a beer can.

The parties continued with “Entierra de la sardina” which celebrates the return of meat on Fridays. There is another parade where children’s toys are thrown. (Now every niño in Murcia has a whistle…great.) People with torches dance around people dressed as fish: a little bizarre. There are also dancers with elaborate dresses and bands playing catchy tunes. All in all, the week was full of Spanish mayhem, but I must say they sure know how to party!

Good Friday processions

Easter dinner

Bando de la huerta outfits

Catching dinner

Italia

I must apologize for completely neglecting my blog. A combination of traveling without guaranteed internet access and computer troubles has postponed my most important post yet. I am referring of course to my spring break adventures in the beautiful country of Italy.

The adventures began with a delayed flight out of Alicante to Milan with my friend Sarah from California who is studying here in Murcia with me. We were flying on the budget airline Ryanair that is notorious for mishaps. We flew into an airport in Bergamo which is actually a 45 bus ride into the center of Milan, but everything went fairly smoothly. Upon arrival, Sarah begged a member of the Civil Guard for a stamp in our passports which were originally denied because we were only traveling between two Schengen countries, but when he saw our American passports, he asked his friend in customs to stamp them for us. (Victory!!) We had a few hours to kill in Milan before we met a few of Sarah’s friends in the train station to head on our way to Verona; so, Sarah and I took the metro to the center of town to tour the Duomo. We actually had the opportunity to climb to the top and see the city from the roof: it was expansive. After all the climbing (with luggage still in tow), we were ready for some real Italian food. We also had out first encounter with “coffee” which in Italy is synonymous with espresso: it took some getting used to.

We took a late train into Verona and checked into our hotel that we found on the awesome website www.hostelbookers.com. The way the site works is by promotion so you could end up in a really nice hotel for the same price as staying in a plain hostel. This happened to be our case! There was a free continental breakfast, and the hotel gave us bikes to ride around the town the next day. We couldn’t have asked for more! Riding a bike amongst crazy Italian drivers was a little nerve-wracking, but we managed just fine. We rode to the famous Verona sights such as Juliet’s house, Tore dei Lamberti, and the fresh fruit market. We also walked up the side of a hill to a sanctuary from where you could see the Alps. For dinner, Sarah had arranged for us to meet one of her parents' business partners who took us to the best pizza restaurant in Verona with his wife and two daughters. They enjoyed practicing their English, and we enjoyed the pizza and testing some red wine.

Early the next morning, we were off to Venice where we enjoyed the day exploring canals and doing touristy things in general. Fortunately, we were five total; so, it was affordable for us to take a gondola ride! We got some amazing pictures. Of course, it’s almost difficult to take a bad picture in Venice. Every square inch looks like a page from a travel book. I guess that explains the sky-high prices! We didn’t stay long (which is okay because I’m not sure I could afford staying there for a week). By evening, we were on our way to Florence.

Florence was probably my favorite city in Italy that we visited. We saw so many masterpieces and beautiful architecture around every corner. Here, we also tried Couch Surfing for the first time. The website www.couchsurfing.com hooks up people that are traveling with those that have a couch to spare. Well, we got a little more than a couch: try a real Tuscan dinner with homemade Ragu and each our own bed! Our host could not have been more hospitable, and the apartment where we stayed was a short walk from the tram that took us to the center of town. Before I left Spain, I bought a short tour book on Florence. It was pretty helpful in getting us to the sights, but it took a little effort sometimes because it was in Spanish of course. We spent two full days in Florence. There, I must say, I ate the best food of the whole trip. We went to a famous Panini shop where we had to wait on line for a good half an hour, but it was so worth it! After all the fun, we were on our way to Rome.

A word about our accommodations in Rome: I guess we couldn’t always be as lucky as we were in Verona. This “hostel” was actually a campground and our beds were in small cabins. Hey, at least the bathrooms were clean! It was a little ways from the center of Rome, but we took the bus without incident. We were pretty tired from so much traveling; so, we decided to take it a little bit easier on ourselves and take the double-decker tour bus. It turned out to be a great way to see the city! Rome is not as compact as the cities we had previously visited. We started at St. Peter’s Basilica and continued to the Vittonano, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum , and got out to tour the Coliseum. It was pretty warm—so we decided on an afternoon snack of gelato. In Rome, I fell in love with the gelato flavor nocciola (hazelnut). [I may have had it again the next day ;)] The hostel was next to a grocery store which was perfect for saving a little cash and making a picnic dinner to take back to the camp. The next morning we were off to the Vatican. It was so enormous! There is so much to see between all the museums and chapels…even the hallways are gorgeous. Unfortunately, one of the girls and I got separated from the rest of the group in the Sistine Chapel. It was last I saw of them because they were on to Naples and then Switzerland, but it worked out fine. We eventually found our way to our respective destinations: I was headed to another hotel because my flight left the next day from Ciampino, another Ryanair destination. My hotel accommodation was in a shared room with four single beds. I shared it with a girl from England and two from China. The girl from England had actually arrived before her friends; so, we spent the next day continuing to explore Rome. We did a little window shopping and ended up at a market where we bought a delicious lunch of bread, strawberries, and grapes: perfect for a picnic on the Tiber. After lunch I started my journey back to Murcia: a bus to Ciampino, a flight to Madrid, a night on the airport floor, a metro ride to bus station, a bus ride to Murcia, and a long walk back to my apartment after a long week of traveling. I was exhausted, but Italy was definitely worth every penny and minute!

Beautiful pictures here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1692453796808.2075968.1401660433

Amante del mar

So, I realize I haven’t updated my blog very recently.  That may be because I have been outside enjoying the absolutely gorgeous weather here in Southern Spain.  It has been completely sunny and warm for about two straight weeks now.  I have been taking full advantage of the circumstances and exploring the beaches of Murcia.  This past weekend, I went with a friend to La Manga.  La Manga translates into English as “The Sleeve”; it’s a group of very narrow barrier islands that meet the Mediterranean on one side and the Mar Menor (similar to a bay) on the other.  (It kind of reminds me of the Outer Banks.)  We started the day on the seaside where we were too chicken to go all the way into the water as it was frigid.  Then, after eating our picnic lunch, we picked up our towels and walked across the island to the Mar Menor where we saw people sailing and kite-surfing in the breeze.  Before catching the bus back, we got some ice cream at one of the few businesses that were open.  We were definitely there before tourist season.  The weekend before my La Manga adventure, I went to another beach: Mazarrón.  I went with my roommates and about a dozen other people.  It was lucky that we all fit on the bus! We packed a backpack full of bocadillos with salchichón (which is similar to a salami sandwich) and lots of oranges.  This time I actually worked up the courage to go swimming in the Mediterranean which still hasn’t warmed up to my North Carolina standards.  The water here is so clear, though.  You can see your toes!  I think this is because the water is pretty calm and very shallow.  Anyways, I am headed to Italy this week for the start of Spring Break: I’ll keep you posted!

See Mazarrón pictures here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=1401660433&aid=2073003

See La Manga pictures here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=1401660433&aid=2073527

Locura

Las Fallas

This Saturday, I had the opportunity to travel to Valencia for one of Span's most famous festivals.  I had read about it in my tour book which had offered a warning somewhere along the lines of; “If you have never been to Valencia before, you will think this festival is complete chaos.”  What was in store for us when we arrived was nothing short of chaos.  The streets of Valencia, a gorgeous port city, were packed with thousands of people.  The main attractions, the actual “fallas”, were sprinkled throughout the city which led to an Easter egg hunt of sorts trying to find them on unfamiliar roads.  The fallas were huge sculptures that varied in size from one to six stories tall.  They are characterized by bright colors, a distinct whimsical design, and decorated with cartoonish characters called nimots.  In essence, it’s a competition with each block trying to outdo the next so the bigger the better.  The fallas are often telling a story or making a political statement, but unfortunately all of the signs were written in the dialect of Valenciano which is much more different from Castellano (traditional Spanish) than I ever could have imagined. 

Throughout the day, innocent victims are assaulted by children throwing fireworks at their feet, but the real craziness started in the early afternoon when “mascletas” began to sound throughout the streets.  Starting at the largest falla in the center of the city, loud fireworks were set off at each falla.  These fireworks were not the pretty, colorful ones but ones that were made with the intention of temporarily deafening anyone within a 100 meter radius.  After a day of finding fallas on every street corner, the real insanity began.  At dusk, we watched the fire parade where each region of Spain is represented by one chosen lady and her court dressed in old-fashioned attire.  After the ladies followed by marching bands pass, there are more fireworks.  Basically, men and boys run through the streets spewing sparks into the crowd from fireworks that they hold in their hands.  There is little to no discretion as to where the sparks are sprayed. 

By the end of the parade, the streets were dark enough to start the most important part of the festival: la crema.  Around midnight, the fallas are lit on fire.  The fires are staggered because the firefighters have to be present to spray surrounding buildings with water and flame retardant.  The cremas were breathtaking.  I was able to see a few, but due to large crowds I couldn’t get too close to a big one.  So, in order to see one burn up close, my friend Sarah and I decided to wait for a smaller one.  We were in the first row, and it was a little close for comfort.  The heat that the fire throws is enough to push the entire crowd back.  We also got damp from the fire hose because flames were dangerously close to the building we were standing near.  The funniest part about the whole festival was that nobody seemed to think that it was dangerous or out of control.  It fit perfectly with the oft repeated Spanish mantra: “No pasa nada.”
Pictures here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=1401660433&aid=2071460
And here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=1401660433&aid=2071466