Home Sweet Rome

 I'm back in Rome! Rome, Georgia that is... It may not be Italy (or Spain), but it's home. And home is always a good place to travel to. Trust me, I really miss being in Europe, but it is nice to see my family and friends, as well as do things that I wasn't able to do abroad (like speaking English for example). And now before I bring my blog to a close, I would like to share with you a few last pictures from my trip.

Colosseum in Rome

Let the Games Begin

 Let the games begin! No, I am not making a reference to the Hunger Games, I'm talking about the London 2012 Olympics! I have spent that last few days in London watching the city prepare for the big event that starts this Friday. Unfortunately, I leave tomorrow and will just have to settle for watching the games on tv, but it was still fun to see where the events will be taking place. Just earlier today I took a tour of Olympic Park and saw the main stadium, as well as the aquatic center and the athlete's training ground.
  In addition to everything Olympic related, I also did a few of those typical touristy things like going for a ride on the London Eye and snapping some picture of Big Ben. I even tried fish and chips while I was here, despite the fact that I hate fish. All in all London was great, and I would really love to come back when I have a little more time. Four days just wasn't enough to fit in all things I would like to do, you know the things like hunting down Prince William and reuniting the Spice Girls...

The Olympic Rings

Where In the World

 Definitely ready to relax in my hotel room after a long day of travel. Yup that's right, I said hotel room. You didn't think just because I was leaving Spain, it meant I was headed back to the States. Well if you did you thought wrong. There is still one last stop on my journey, and I bet you are wondering where in the world I am now. Well, you will have to wait until my next blog post to find out, because for now I am going to write about my last day in Spain. But I will leave you with a little hint...

She Has Not Abandoned Me

 Once upon a time (the 13th century) in a far away kingdom (Spain) there lived a King (Alfonso X). And one day the King's son, Sancho, attacked his father in hopes to win over the throne. However, his plans failed due to the loyalty of one particular city. Any guesses to what city it might have been? Well, Seville of course! After, the battle with his son, King Alfonso rewarded the town's loyalty with a gift, NO8DO. To this day the random group of symbols acts as the motto of Seville, and can be found everywhere you turn within the city. So what exactly does NO8DO mean? It translates to "no me ha dejado", "She has not abandoned me".
 I can't believe (more like refuse to believe) today is my last day in Spain. My time here has been absolutely amazing, and I am in love with Seville. I admit i'm probably a little biased after spending eight weeks here, but it is definitely my favorite city in all of Spain. The town is so beautiful and full of history and life. I am going to miss it so much when I leave tomorrow. But instead of dwelling on the fact that I have yet to finish packing or that the hours I have left here are dwindling down, I am going to go enjoy my time with friends and experience the city for one last day. Hasta luego Espana. You will never abandon me.

She has not abandoned me

Sevillian Bucket List

  This past week has been pretty relaxed here in Spain. Therefore, since I don't have much to write about I am going to give you a list of things you should do in case you ever decide to visit Seville (which you definitely should do).

- Learn to flamenco (literally translated flamingo) or at least go see a Flamenco show. In June I took a flamenco class (technically it was Sevillana folk dance, but it is very similar) and let's just say learning the dance of the flamingos isn't as easy as it looks. Especially if you are me and have a major case of clumsiness.

Flamenco Show at Casa de la Memoria

Always a Good Idea

"Paris is always a good idea" -Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina

  Paris is always a good idea right? How could someone not agree? Well this past week my friend Anna and I travelled to the city and to be honest at first it didn't seem to be the greatest idea ever. The trip was a little spontaneous and we both knew it was going to be an adventure. But we didn't realize how much of an adventure it would actually be. Our plane arrived at around 12:30, and we decided it would be best to take a taxi to our hotel. Well that is until the driver warned us it would cost 200 euros!! He advised us to take the bus instead. After the hour long ride, we again decided to find a taxi to take us straight to our hotel. But this driver also said it would be best to take a bus, and that once we got off the hotel would be in walking distance. However, it wasnt. We walked around for a little (in the rain) and asked which way the hotel was, but nobody seemed to really know. Instead they all just pointed in the same general direction. Eventually though we ran into two young girls, who could not have been older than twelve, that were nice enough to try and show us where the hotel was.

Todos Con La Roja

  This summer soccer fans all over Europe are gathering together to support their countries in the Euro 2012 tournament, and Spain is no exception. Their first game against Italy ended in a 1-1 draw, but unfortunately I missed it because I was on my way back from Portugal. However, I was determined not to miss out on the next one!
  Last Thursday, my friends and I headed over to Plaza de Ecarnacion to watch Spain versus Ireland. At the plaza, the city set up a huge screen on the Metropol Parasol which is the world´s largest wooden structure. But despite the structure claiming to be so big, it was so crowded we had to wait in line to go up.
  Once we reached the top we were surrounded by red everywhere (people went all out for this game!). There were Spanish flags waving in the air, faces painted red, and Spanish jerseys everywhere you turned. I even wore a jersey myself. (Earlier in the week I went on a hunt for a Xabi Alonso jersey but couldn't find one for the life of me. So I settled for an A. Iniesta jersey. Not that I was really settling when the name on the jersey belongs to the guy who scored the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup)

The End of the World

  I must admit Portugal was never at the top of my list of places I really wanted to travel to, but after this weekend I believe everyone should put it at the top of theirs. It is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever seen. Our first day there we traveled to the Island of Tavira, and my friends and I got into trouble with the locals because we kept speaking in Spanish. Without thinking we would say "Gracias!" But they would just laugh and kindly remind us to speak in Portuguese. Unfortunately, we didn't really know any Portuguese, though we did manage to learn how to say "obrigado" meaning "thank you".

  Saturday afternoon was spent at the beach in Lagos and exploring the grottoes. (If you ever happen to find yourself in Lagos, make sure to take the boat tour. It is well worth the ten euros.) In addition to the beautiful water and caves, the group went to Cabo de Sao Vicente in Sagres. There we watched the sunset while sitting on some cliffs. However, these cliffs weren't just any ordinary cliffs. Until the 1400's the site was the last of the known world, and no one had ever sailed beyond it. Ancient Romans even called the place holy, believing that it was where the sun sank into the ocean, marking the end of the world. 

One of the many beautiful sites during the boat tour

Lessons From Katja

  A few years ago my family hosted a young girl named Katja. She was only fourteen when she first came to visit us from Latvia and barely spoke a word of English. I remember there were times when we would try to talk with her, and she would just keep saying yes. The conversations usually went something like this "Katja, what would you like to eat?" "Yes." "Katja, do you understand?" "Yes." "Do you want a sandwich or pasta?" "Yes." At the time it was very frustrating, because it was hard to communicate. But now as I look back I find it comical.

Marcar un Gol

  This past week has been interesting to say the least. Friday I moved into the apartment that I will be living in for the next seven weeks, but before settling down I had to get there. Unlike most people who took taxi's, me and mi amiga Claire decided to brave the streets and walk to our casas. Both of our homes were supposed to only be about a mile away from the hotel, but it felt as if it was further. Pulling my luggage on these cobblestone roads was tough, and I must admit I have no arm muscle so I got tired pretty quick. Eventually though we both found the streets our homes are on, but the journey wasn't over yet.

  I knew my senora's apartment was on the third floor so I looked for an elevator, but couldn't find one. I did see a ton of steps though so I figured the only way must be to drag my suitcase up the flight of stairs. Once I reached the door to the apartment my senora was waiting for me, and the first thing she says is why did you not use the elevator. Can you imagine the look on my face when she pointed to it? I would have never guessed it was an elevator though. There is a door in front of it, and I just assumed it was a door to somebody's apartment. Oh well, at least I got my work out in.

Lost in Seville

  Hola Sevilla! So far I am surviving here in Spain. And i must look like I know what I am doing, because twice people have asked me for directions. I guess my enough to get by Spanish skills are working for me.

Yesterday I took time to explore around and by that I mean I got lost. Really lost. The street signs here are very different then they are back home and can sometimes be hard to find. Therefore, I would walk in what I thought was the right direction and somehow end up close to where I wanted to be. I eventually managed to find the Plaza de España and the Cathedral and Giralda. Although when I was at the Cathedral and Giralda I didn't realize what it was and had to look it up in my guidebook later.

  After aimlessly wandering around, I decided it was time to take advantage of the Spanish siesta. Siestas are a set aside time of rest during the day, and they are wonderful. Basically the city shuts down for a few hours including small stores and businesses. And as a college student I think naps are one of the best things ever; therefore, I may just suggest that Americans start embracing these siestas.

As for today, I will probably go exploring, I mean get myself lost again...

My family before we took over San Marco

Buongiorno

  Buongiorno! For the last few days in Italy my family has been staying in Positano off of the Amalfi Coast. It is absolutely beautiful here. The town is on the side of a mountain looking over the water. The only downside is getting around, because there are steps everywhere! No need to go for a run while staying here; you can get your workout in just by walking from the hotel room to the beach.

  But before braving the numerous stairs of Positano my family took a short pip stop in San Marco la Catola. My great grandmother was raised in San Marco, and upon arrival my family went on a mission to find her old house. At first we thought we knew exactly what we were looking for, but we soon found that we didn't have a clue as to what road it was even on. So when we saw some people walking the streets we stopped and asked if they could help us, but I am pretty sure they were just as confused as we were. Especially since San Marco is a small town in the middle of nowhere, and the people there were probably just trying to figure out why all these Americans were suddenly showing up. Despite all the confusion amongst my family and the people of San Marco, we managed to find the house. And as we were snapping a few pictures a couple of brave citizens decided to ask what my family was doing here;  it turns out they are friends with our relatives that still live in San Marco. One older lady even attempted to have a conversation with me, but unfortunately I only know about five words in Italian so I couldn't really figure out what she was saying to me. However, it was still cool to talk to her, and when the words were similar to Spanish I could kind of understand what she was telling me.

Rainy Days

  It has been raining here in Rome for the past couple of days, but that hasn't stopped my family from seeing everything the city has to offer. Yesterday we took an official tour around Vatican City. Unfortunately there were no Pope sightings, but we did see his famous window. Today we continued on with a tour of Rome which included the Colosseum, an ancient civilization museum, and a couple churches. My favorite church we visited was the Church of Santa Maria Del Popolo, which is supposedly built on haunted ground. This might explain why there are skulls and cross bones throughout the building. Once we were done touring we did a little shopping around town, and at one store my dad bought me a cookbook written in Italian. So now I can learn how to cook and speak Italian at the same time. Which I am sure will go very well...

There are springs all over Rome with fresh mountain water

When in Rome

  We are finally in Italy! We arrived at our hotel in Rome early yesterday morning and just walked around the city for a while. Then we took a taxi over to the market at Campo de Fiori. The taxi ride was insane! I thought traffic in Atlanta was bad, but it does not even compare to driving here. They drive so fast and don't slow down for anyone. The streets are also very narrow, and if you roll down the window you can easily touch the car next to you.
  After, the market we took a break at the hotel and headed out for dinner. They served us tons of appetizers including mozzarella cheese, salami, cantaloupe, and bread. For the main course I ordered fettuccine al gorgonzala which was delicious, and for dessert they brought cheesecake with berries and biscotti. Once we were finished we stopped by the Trevi Fountain and headed back to the hotel for the night.

Preparing for an Adventure

  Only about ten more days until I arrive in Spain, and I am so excited! This summer I will be studying in Sevilla, España. I know, I know, who wants to waste a whole summer studying, but I can't really complain if studying all summer means traveling Spain. But before I fly off to the land of paella, bull fights, and flamenco dancing, I am leaving for Italy with la mia famiglia to celebrate my grandmother's eightieth birthday. Again I am so excited! This summer is going to be nothing less than amazing!