Please read Day of Dilemmas, prior to this post.
Ana recommended a Tuscany Bike tour her sister had done a few years ago while she was in Italy, so we decided to go for it. Plus, I had been training in my boot camp for all the walking and cycling. I mean I could do 13 miles over 4-6 hours. So, I thought.....
We woke up Saturday morning and enjoyed our free continental breakfast. I had a yogurt and a croissant with ham and cheese. Then we walked to the bike tour agency. Ana lead the way with her map. Florence is beautiful. The city is full of older, colorful buildings. I also noticed a ton of designer shops: Gucci, Armani, Ferrari Store, Bvlgari, Louis Vitton, Tiffany's, Dior, Salvatorre Ferragamo, Prada, Dolce & Gabana, etc. We walked around for about 40 minutes when I realized that we were suppose to be at the place in 10 minutes. So of course, we started running. We asked people for directions, but they kept leading us in opposite directions. We finally got accurate directions and found the place. We were late, but thankfully they hadn't left. I was exhausted. Oh well, it was like a warm up for the bike ride. Our professor and faculty advisor were already there as well. They joined us on the bike tour, however only our professor rode a bike. Our faculty advisor rode in a van and cheered us along the way. First, they took everyone in a van to a castle. The Tuscan countryside is gorgegous. I saw so many vineyards and olive trees. It was very hilly. Cristina and I sat in the front seat of the van so we wouldn't get car sick. It was the best seat in the van. The one hour ride was really nice.
Once at the castle, they gave us a tour and explained thier winery to us. We climbed to the top tower and took photos. The view was magnificent. Then we had a wine tasting and olive oil tasting. After the wine tasting, I went to the bathroom before our bike ride began. So bathrooms have been quite interesting in Spain. In Spain, I rarely saw any soap and the bathrooms are mostly unisex. In Italy, they were also unisex, but I did find soap. There was also a button on the floor to turn on the sink. It's really neat! Plus, I think it helps to prevent germs from spreading. Well anywho, after I took care of my business, I tried to open the door to the stall and I couldn't. I kept twisting the know and pressing on the door. I finally starting banging my shoulder into the door and pulling on the knob harder. Finally, a girl opened the door from the other side. Thank goodness.
At the beginning of the bike ride, I was feeling rather nervous because I haven't been on a bike in a while. I decided to go for it anyways. The first part of the bike tour was pretty much downhill all the way. It made for an easy bike ride with a relaxing breeze. However, I was scared of going too fast and falling, so I gripped the brakes and handlebars really hard all the way down. My hands were hurting pretty and I was way behind the group. Thankfully, my professor stayed back with me. After about an hour, we arrived at our lunch spot. We had salad, pasta, wine and dessert. I didn't like the wine so I drank alot of water. After that we went on a 20 minute flat bike ride to a large hill. Some people got tired but I felt good and kept a good pace. I was proud of myself, since I had fallen behind earlier. I even motivated Cristina when she got tired. Once we got to the bottom of the hill, we put the bikes on a trailer and got in the van to go up the hill. Some people tried it, but didn't make it up. We had to pick them up along the way. Others jumped off their bikes and walked them up the hill. The last leg of the bike tour was up and down little hills back to the castle. It was fun. The views were amazing. Everything was so green. The vineyards were breathtaking. There was lush vegetation everywhere. At the very end, we went down a hill with tall, green pine trees surrounding us. It was marvelous.
After the bike tour, we rode the van back and walked to our hotel. I went to buy a toothbrush, for some reason I forgot so many things for this trip. I forgot my iphone, my toothbrush, my hairbrush, and hair product. It's very frustrating. Oh well, the only thing I really need is the toothbrush so I bought one.
We walked around that night to find a restaurant to have dinner at. We were looking for one that didn't charge a cover charge, since we had to pay 10 euros the night before. We found a place and ate dinner. I had a salad, it was good! Then we went back to the hotel. Ana opened her bottle of wine so that we could have a glass at the plaza in front of our hotel. I didn't have a glass, since it was red. I think the majority of wine in Spain and Italy has been red. There a very few places that I've found with white wine. I don't care for red wine.
Afterwards, Cristina and I went to Hard Rock Cafe. It was basically the only bar we found with good music, but no dancing :( Cristina had a loco berry Rita, very tasty. I had a mojito. It was delicious. We met a guy and girl from Texas, so we talked to them for a while. We also met Roberto the bartender. He was a real character. He made the best drinks and had all the "flare" while making them. I bet Hard Rock Cafe makes their bartenders go through some intensive training prior to working the bar. It reminded me of TGIFriday's, especially all the pins on their ID badges. It was an enjoyable night.
Sorry no pics, I have to get them from Cristina.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Day of Dilemmas
I'm not sure what is worse, a thirty minute delayed flight causing you to arrive in a foreign country where you don't know the language and only have 40 minutes to find a bus to take you to a train station or being delayed two hours at a train station to travel 30 minutes to your final destination. Either way both were bad and both happened to me on July 15th.
So lets start from the beginning, Friday was the findal day of school. Our professor Iara decided to take us on a field trip for our last class session. She said we would only be walking a little however a little to her meant a 25 minute walk for me. Once we finally made it to the San Ginnes Chocolate Factory, I was relieved. Although, I wasn't too excited about the churros and chocolate. One, I don't like chocolate and second I'm not very fond of churros. But, Iara insisted I tried one. The first bite wasn't very tasty, but an onlooker told me to put powdered sugar on it. So I did. Then I realized their "churros" are our funnel cakes. It was delicious. I ended up eating like 5 little churros with lots of powdered sugar. The only thing missing was the strawberry topppping. I also tried the chocolate, it was like dipping chocolate. It's just not my cup of tea. After the churros we went back to school to have our final session with Fernando. He gave us a personal questionnaire to fill out and then discuss. It was like a "get to know you" piece. It was alright. Finally our school was over and we took th emetro to the airport.
The visa check in marked the beginning of our troubles. I checked in first, then Cristina went to check in, but there was a problem. She had accidently printed Monica's boarding pass.
*Pause for explanation*
Ryanair is the "low fares" company. However, they get you by charging for everything. I'm honestly surprised they don't charge to use the restroom.
*Back to the story*
So if you don't print your own boarding pass, they charge 40 euros to print it for you. What a joke, "low fares"? Your 20 euro flight just tripled. They aren't so "low fare" anymore. Well Cristina had accidently printed Monicas, so they wanted her to pay the 40 euros. We weren't going down without a fight. We ran around the airport looking for someone, an information desk, the bank, anyone to print her boarding pass from her usb. She even went to the computer/ printer station. But wouldn't you know it the printer was broken. I wonder if Ryanair had something to do with that. After trying relentlessly for an hour, we gave in and split the 40 euros four ways, so Cristina could get a boarding pass.
*End of 1st dilemma, start mini-dilemma #2*
Monica and I decided to go through security while Anna and Cristina went to get the boarding pass. When I got to the other side of security, I noticed that the screen said our flight was boarding. I started to panic. I waited for Monica to get through security then we ran to our gate. By this time our flight now said last call on the screen. Wehen we arrived to the gate no one was there and the monitor just kept flasing last call. I was completely stressed out, the the monitor just went blank. The people standing around us, said it had to be a mistake. Uggh, Ryanair just knows how to upset me. About an hour later, our plane arrived and we departed 30 minutes late. Boo!
*So comes dilemma #3*
We arrived in Italy late and we had to run to find the bus/ shuttle to take us to the train station. It was quite confusing. We didn't know where to go and we didn't speak the language. Then we found two buses, hopped on one and hoped it was the right one. At this point, we had about 40 minutes til our train departed.
*Enter dilemma #4*
The bus ride was a slow one with many stops through town. We arrived to a super busy train station ten minutes prior to our departure. We were frantic and the screen didn't show our destination. No one seemed to be able to help us, then someone told us it was gate 10. We were running through the train station. When we got there, Ana noticed our train #, was set to depart from gate 8. So we ran over there and hopped on the train. Yeah, we made it!! Great, so we think.
*Now, dilemma #5*
I'll start with the positive, the lady next to me spoke English and informed me that we were on the right train to Florence. (happy dance, because we made it, miraculously) The train was headed to Rome but stopped in Florence, the screen just doesn't show the stops. Now the bad part, for some reason, the train just sat there for 2 hours. It was delayed 2 hours, I'm not sure why. I still haven't figured it out. The gossip I sort of heard and could understand was that protestors were standing on the tracks. Either way, we finally arrived in Florence at about 1015pm. The one good thng about the day was that our hotel was three blocks from the train station, so we walked and saved $ on a taxi. We dropped off our luggage and went to have a late dinner next to our hotel. It was a little nice, modern cafe. We really liked it. The pizza was delicious, like ours just more flavorful. Everything was going wonderfully until we got the check.
*Dilemma #6*
In Italy, some places charge a "cover charge" to eat at their establishment. It was 10 euros for the 4 of us. Ugghh, Spain charges you for bread and butter that they place in front of you without asking you if you want it. Now, Italy was charging us a cover charge just to be there. I think they just try to get oer on us tourists. I mean what are we suppose to do, say no, refuse to pay it. We can't, we are in a foreign country. We just paid our tab and left. It did teach us to always ask if they charged a cover charge prior to eating at any restaurants.
Well that was my trip to Italy, the weekend got ten times better. I will tell you about it in my next blogs.
So lets start from the beginning, Friday was the findal day of school. Our professor Iara decided to take us on a field trip for our last class session. She said we would only be walking a little however a little to her meant a 25 minute walk for me. Once we finally made it to the San Ginnes Chocolate Factory, I was relieved. Although, I wasn't too excited about the churros and chocolate. One, I don't like chocolate and second I'm not very fond of churros. But, Iara insisted I tried one. The first bite wasn't very tasty, but an onlooker told me to put powdered sugar on it. So I did. Then I realized their "churros" are our funnel cakes. It was delicious. I ended up eating like 5 little churros with lots of powdered sugar. The only thing missing was the strawberry topppping. I also tried the chocolate, it was like dipping chocolate. It's just not my cup of tea. After the churros we went back to school to have our final session with Fernando. He gave us a personal questionnaire to fill out and then discuss. It was like a "get to know you" piece. It was alright. Finally our school was over and we took th emetro to the airport.
The visa check in marked the beginning of our troubles. I checked in first, then Cristina went to check in, but there was a problem. She had accidently printed Monica's boarding pass.
*Pause for explanation*
Ryanair is the "low fares" company. However, they get you by charging for everything. I'm honestly surprised they don't charge to use the restroom.
*Back to the story*
So if you don't print your own boarding pass, they charge 40 euros to print it for you. What a joke, "low fares"? Your 20 euro flight just tripled. They aren't so "low fare" anymore. Well Cristina had accidently printed Monicas, so they wanted her to pay the 40 euros. We weren't going down without a fight. We ran around the airport looking for someone, an information desk, the bank, anyone to print her boarding pass from her usb. She even went to the computer/ printer station. But wouldn't you know it the printer was broken. I wonder if Ryanair had something to do with that. After trying relentlessly for an hour, we gave in and split the 40 euros four ways, so Cristina could get a boarding pass.
*End of 1st dilemma, start mini-dilemma #2*
Monica and I decided to go through security while Anna and Cristina went to get the boarding pass. When I got to the other side of security, I noticed that the screen said our flight was boarding. I started to panic. I waited for Monica to get through security then we ran to our gate. By this time our flight now said last call on the screen. Wehen we arrived to the gate no one was there and the monitor just kept flasing last call. I was completely stressed out, the the monitor just went blank. The people standing around us, said it had to be a mistake. Uggh, Ryanair just knows how to upset me. About an hour later, our plane arrived and we departed 30 minutes late. Boo!
*So comes dilemma #3*
We arrived in Italy late and we had to run to find the bus/ shuttle to take us to the train station. It was quite confusing. We didn't know where to go and we didn't speak the language. Then we found two buses, hopped on one and hoped it was the right one. At this point, we had about 40 minutes til our train departed.
*Enter dilemma #4*
The bus ride was a slow one with many stops through town. We arrived to a super busy train station ten minutes prior to our departure. We were frantic and the screen didn't show our destination. No one seemed to be able to help us, then someone told us it was gate 10. We were running through the train station. When we got there, Ana noticed our train #, was set to depart from gate 8. So we ran over there and hopped on the train. Yeah, we made it!! Great, so we think.
*Now, dilemma #5*
I'll start with the positive, the lady next to me spoke English and informed me that we were on the right train to Florence. (happy dance, because we made it, miraculously) The train was headed to Rome but stopped in Florence, the screen just doesn't show the stops. Now the bad part, for some reason, the train just sat there for 2 hours. It was delayed 2 hours, I'm not sure why. I still haven't figured it out. The gossip I sort of heard and could understand was that protestors were standing on the tracks. Either way, we finally arrived in Florence at about 1015pm. The one good thng about the day was that our hotel was three blocks from the train station, so we walked and saved $ on a taxi. We dropped off our luggage and went to have a late dinner next to our hotel. It was a little nice, modern cafe. We really liked it. The pizza was delicious, like ours just more flavorful. Everything was going wonderfully until we got the check.
*Dilemma #6*
In Italy, some places charge a "cover charge" to eat at their establishment. It was 10 euros for the 4 of us. Ugghh, Spain charges you for bread and butter that they place in front of you without asking you if you want it. Now, Italy was charging us a cover charge just to be there. I think they just try to get oer on us tourists. I mean what are we suppose to do, say no, refuse to pay it. We can't, we are in a foreign country. We just paid our tab and left. It did teach us to always ask if they charged a cover charge prior to eating at any restaurants.
Well that was my trip to Italy, the weekend got ten times better. I will tell you about it in my next blogs.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Alcala de Henares
Today, I woke up and decided to straighten my hair so that it would look nice in my pictures. However, I obviously didn't buy the right electric converter/ adapter for Europe. I mean I suppose it works to charge my laptop and my camera battery. It just won't heat up my hair straightener. It is so annoying. It wouldn't be such a big deal, but I'm already not getting a chance to blow dry my hair. So, my hair is super frizzy and half wavy. Both of which are frustrating.
Either way, I went to class today, with wavy hair and my cute little dress my pictures. Today was sort of our last class. We went over some grammar, but mainly discussed the education system here in Spain. It is rather different, because they have different requirements for education. Everything also has a different name. One big difference is that school is required until 16 here. Something else I found interesting is that they have a vocational program for students who aren't on level or have no interest in school. After 16 they attend the bachelerrato (I can't remember how to spell it). It is optional and it prepares them for the university. In the university, they can either receive a 3 year degree (forgot the name for it) or a 5 year degree (licensiatura). There is also a doctorate degree after that. Oh ya, something big, the university only costs 600 euros per year. Also, if you qualify to get it for free, then you pay nothing. That's pretty cheap.
After that discussion, we talked about Spain's education budget crisis. The other professor brought in an article from the newspaper about the crisis. It was all very familiar to what is going on back home. We discussed what programs were being cut and how many teachers were losing their jobs. It's all very sad. They are have similar problems to us. At the end of class, we got certificates for completing the course. We took pictures with our professors.
After school, we were off to Alcala de Henares. It was less than an hour away. I talked to Cristina the whole way there. She was awesome enough to let me listen to her ipod too. Thanks, Cristina! Once we arrived, we ate lunch. It was fabulous. Nine euros bought me paella, calamari, salad, bread, sprite and cherries. The paella was the best I've had so far. The cherries were very fresh and sweet. I really enjoyed it. Then we went sightseeing. We saw an old church, the university, and a cathedral. Our tour guide, Iara (also our professor) told us about legends from Alcala. She told us how there was the fountain in the university that "boyfriends" would prove their "loyalty" to their girlfriends by sticking their hand in the lion's mouth. If the boyfriend didn't get bitten then she knew he was telling the truth. It was a cute story. She also told us that there was a "pope" statue somewhere on/ in the building with a pig's face. If you found it, it would bring you good luck (3000 euros). Unfortunately, I couldn't find it :( She actually says it has never been found. The city itself was very old and beautiful. I liked it.
We came home for dinner. I had penne pasta with tomato sauce, pork chop, tomatoes, and watermelon. Then I did my homework. I still have to pack for Italy tomorrow. I have my last class in the morning, then off to the airport. I hope my flight is on time, since we have to catch a train to Florence about 2 hours after we land. I'm looking forward to Italy, especially the food. I probably won't blog until Monday night, when we return from Italy. My trip is over in 5 days. It has definitely gone by fast. I will need some time to process it all when I get back home. I'm glad I have my blog and my Spanish diary from my class.
Oh ya, I forgot to mention, I took a picture of the dirty floor in the restaurant, because here it is a sign of "good restaurant." So if you walk into a very dirty restaurant, then the food is great. I hate to say it, but it was delicious.
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Either way, I went to class today, with wavy hair and my cute little dress my pictures. Today was sort of our last class. We went over some grammar, but mainly discussed the education system here in Spain. It is rather different, because they have different requirements for education. Everything also has a different name. One big difference is that school is required until 16 here. Something else I found interesting is that they have a vocational program for students who aren't on level or have no interest in school. After 16 they attend the bachelerrato (I can't remember how to spell it). It is optional and it prepares them for the university. In the university, they can either receive a 3 year degree (forgot the name for it) or a 5 year degree (licensiatura). There is also a doctorate degree after that. Oh ya, something big, the university only costs 600 euros per year. Also, if you qualify to get it for free, then you pay nothing. That's pretty cheap.
After that discussion, we talked about Spain's education budget crisis. The other professor brought in an article from the newspaper about the crisis. It was all very familiar to what is going on back home. We discussed what programs were being cut and how many teachers were losing their jobs. It's all very sad. They are have similar problems to us. At the end of class, we got certificates for completing the course. We took pictures with our professors.
After school, we were off to Alcala de Henares. It was less than an hour away. I talked to Cristina the whole way there. She was awesome enough to let me listen to her ipod too. Thanks, Cristina! Once we arrived, we ate lunch. It was fabulous. Nine euros bought me paella, calamari, salad, bread, sprite and cherries. The paella was the best I've had so far. The cherries were very fresh and sweet. I really enjoyed it. Then we went sightseeing. We saw an old church, the university, and a cathedral. Our tour guide, Iara (also our professor) told us about legends from Alcala. She told us how there was the fountain in the university that "boyfriends" would prove their "loyalty" to their girlfriends by sticking their hand in the lion's mouth. If the boyfriend didn't get bitten then she knew he was telling the truth. It was a cute story. She also told us that there was a "pope" statue somewhere on/ in the building with a pig's face. If you found it, it would bring you good luck (3000 euros). Unfortunately, I couldn't find it :( She actually says it has never been found. The city itself was very old and beautiful. I liked it.
We came home for dinner. I had penne pasta with tomato sauce, pork chop, tomatoes, and watermelon. Then I did my homework. I still have to pack for Italy tomorrow. I have my last class in the morning, then off to the airport. I hope my flight is on time, since we have to catch a train to Florence about 2 hours after we land. I'm looking forward to Italy, especially the food. I probably won't blog until Monday night, when we return from Italy. My trip is over in 5 days. It has definitely gone by fast. I will need some time to process it all when I get back home. I'm glad I have my blog and my Spanish diary from my class.
Oh ya, I forgot to mention, I took a picture of the dirty floor in the restaurant, because here it is a sign of "good restaurant." So if you walk into a very dirty restaurant, then the food is great. I hate to say it, but it was delicious.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Wednesday
We learned more about accents today, it's still pretty difficult. We also discussed the education system in Spain. It is rather different then the US. Although, both sytems have some similar qualities. Hopefully, I've gained enough information to write my 8-10 page report on both systems.
After class we went to TGIFriday's. It was good and it reminded us of home. Plus, they gave free refills. However, it was rather expensive. Then I came home ALONE! I rode the metro all by myself and made it back to my house safely. Yeah!! I'm starting to feel more comfortable in Madrid and I think I'm getting better at understanding the metro system. (right when I'm about to leave of course)
At 7pm, we went to see a flamenco show called, "Carmen!" It was fabulous. It's probably one of the top three things I've done in Europe. I absolutely loved it. It was so beautiful and artistic! It reminded me of the ballet mixed with tap dancing and sprinkled with some Spanish flavor. The ladies danced so well and they moved their arms and hands in an amazing way, like models. The men were also good dancers. I definitely recommend it to anyone who has an opportunity to see it.
Well that's all, ttyl :)
After class we went to TGIFriday's. It was good and it reminded us of home. Plus, they gave free refills. However, it was rather expensive. Then I came home ALONE! I rode the metro all by myself and made it back to my house safely. Yeah!! I'm starting to feel more comfortable in Madrid and I think I'm getting better at understanding the metro system. (right when I'm about to leave of course)
At 7pm, we went to see a flamenco show called, "Carmen!" It was fabulous. It's probably one of the top three things I've done in Europe. I absolutely loved it. It was so beautiful and artistic! It reminded me of the ballet mixed with tap dancing and sprinkled with some Spanish flavor. The ladies danced so well and they moved their arms and hands in an amazing way, like models. The men were also good dancers. I definitely recommend it to anyone who has an opportunity to see it.
Well that's all, ttyl :)
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Toledo
Today, I misprounced "ciudad" in class. Then the teacher corrected me, which is fine, since she always does that. However, as she was correcting me, so were other people in class. I finally had to say, "I can't hear the teacher." Ciudad is pronounced with a "c" then a "u". I believe I was saying "c" then a "we." Totally off, but I'm getting better. We discussed childhood obesity and physical education in school with our other professor.
After class, we went on a trip to Toledo. It is about an hour away from Madrid. It was beautiful. The town was on hills with a river running through it. It was so nice. The first thing we did was have lunch at Adolfo's. I had there 3 course meal. It came with a salad, fish and dessert. It was very tasty, although the dessert was too sweet and rich for me. We also visited a cathedral and a synanogue. The cathedral was amazing. I only got to take one photo before I realized that wasn't allowed. The ceilings were very tall. The arches had peaks. The walls were covered with painted glass, angels, and saints. We walked into rooms filled with old priests' and deacons' outfits. There was gold on the walls and beautiful paintings on the ceilings. It was truly amazing. It made me feel at peace. It was different than the muesums because I felt a greater appreciation for this art. It also made me feel closer to my faith. The synanogue was also very peaceful and pretty. There was also lots to look at there.
After that we came back to Madrid and took the metro home in time for dinner. Tonight we had omelets and spaghetti. I only had the spaghetti. I'm going to write my diary entry for class, then go to bed.
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After class, we went on a trip to Toledo. It is about an hour away from Madrid. It was beautiful. The town was on hills with a river running through it. It was so nice. The first thing we did was have lunch at Adolfo's. I had there 3 course meal. It came with a salad, fish and dessert. It was very tasty, although the dessert was too sweet and rich for me. We also visited a cathedral and a synanogue. The cathedral was amazing. I only got to take one photo before I realized that wasn't allowed. The ceilings were very tall. The arches had peaks. The walls were covered with painted glass, angels, and saints. We walked into rooms filled with old priests' and deacons' outfits. There was gold on the walls and beautiful paintings on the ceilings. It was truly amazing. It made me feel at peace. It was different than the muesums because I felt a greater appreciation for this art. It also made me feel closer to my faith. The synanogue was also very peaceful and pretty. There was also lots to look at there.
After that we came back to Madrid and took the metro home in time for dinner. Tonight we had omelets and spaghetti. I only had the spaghetti. I'm going to write my diary entry for class, then go to bed.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Monday, the 11th
If I get lost in the Metro, then I must be in Madrid. Of course, we got on the wrong train on the way to school this morning. I thought we were doing really good and ran up the stairs and down the stairs to catch the Metro, however, it was the wrong one. Sorry Monica! We only rode it for one stop in the wrong direction. We finally made it to class 10 minutes late. School has been fun. Today we discussed religion in education. Then we practiced using accents.
After class, Monica and I went shopping. I bought some shoes and scarves for my nieces. Then we had lunch, Paella, it was good. The rice was a little hard, but I'm glad I had it at least once. It's one of their famous dishes here. After lunch, we came home to rest. Then we met our crew at Museo de Centre de Arte. I saw some Picasso's and Dali's. They were very nice!!!
Soon, it was dinner time and we rushed home, just in time for some more paella. It was good.
Here are some pics from today and yesterday :)
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After class, Monica and I went shopping. I bought some shoes and scarves for my nieces. Then we had lunch, Paella, it was good. The rice was a little hard, but I'm glad I had it at least once. It's one of their famous dishes here. After lunch, we came home to rest. Then we met our crew at Museo de Centre de Arte. I saw some Picasso's and Dali's. They were very nice!!!
Soon, it was dinner time and we rushed home, just in time for some more paella. It was good.
Here are some pics from today and yesterday :)
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Porto
So this weekend, we went to Porto, Portugal. It was so beautiful; I absolutely loved it.
Friday, we went to class and Adam (one of my classmates) basically, took over the class. We did go over some topics at first, but then Adam told us about his experiences with his family here in Madrid. He says that they aren't very nice to him and that they have so many rules. It was like a complete vent session for him. I felt bad for him since I sort of felt the same way at the beginning of my stay here. However, after the school moved me from my family, I felt much better. Plus, the new house is so much better, even though are light switches don't work and the food isn't great.
After class, we went to the airport to catch our flight to Porto. We got there by taking the metro. It was actually descent, however, we had to pay one euro to take the metro direct route to the airport. Once we got there, we checked in with Ryanair. They made us check our carry on bag's dimensions and they weighed it. After that we went through security and then ate lunch. I enjoyed a salad and a mimosa! Then we went to the gate, we were the first people in line. The plane was on time. We boarded after we checked our carryon again. After everyone had boarded, they told us that the flight was going to be delayed for an hour. We sat on the plane for 1 hour and 45 minutes before leaving for Porto. My friends and I were rather upset that we had to wait so long. The flight to Porto was short, so I was happy about that. When we arrived, the people there were very nice and they spoke English. They had a help desk, where they informed us how to ride the metro to our hotel. It was so easy, one train. They also gave us a map of the city. Once we checked in at the hotel, we asked the front desk to suggest a restaurant. We ate at an authentic Portugese restaurant. I had the fish, spinach, seafood soup, potatoes, and strawberries. The food was good. Afterwards, we went back to the hotel. I slept well there, since it was air conditioned and quiet. The next day we bought a ticket for the tour bus and river cruise. Unfortunately, the weather was a real pain. It had been sprinkling when we landed and Saturday morning it was cold and rainy. The rain makes for bad pictures and bad hair. So I didn't get great pictures. :( We took the tour bus to the ocean. We got off in the rain and of course, it started raining harder. We still put our feet in the ocean and took some pics. Cristina almost lost her sandals when the waves came in. Ana accidently slipped on the sidewalk and scraped her knee. After we got all cold and wet we went to the bus stop and waited for our tour bus. Afterwards we decided to go the boat tour. There we bought an unmbrella. Shortly after we paid 5 euros for an umbrella (each) it stopped raining. The boat tour was very nice. It showed us the entire port. I really liked it. It was such a beautiful sight. It really made me miss Jay. I wish he could have been in Porto with me. Porto is such a romantic city. I told Jay we should fly to Portugal, rent a car, and visit each port town. I think driving through the country would be so beautiful.
After the boat tour, we got on a cable car. Yeah, I can't believe I did all this stuff. It was so scary, but I did it. The cable cars were super high in the air. Monica had her eyes closed the entire time. She is deathly afriad of heights. After that we shopped and ate lunch at a Pizza Hut. It was your typical Pizza Hut. I had stuffed tortellini. Then we took the tour bus back to our hotel to rest for an hour and shower. Then we went to cross this very tall famous bridge by foot. Again, Monica was terrified but she did it. I was also pretty scared but I was able to take pics. We walked up to this tall park/ church place. It was beautiful. I wished Jay could have been there, so I could have given him the biggest kiss ever. It was very beautiful and the sun was beginning to set. We went back to the hotel to eat dinner and go to sleep.
Sunday, we slept in and then had breakfast. Then to the airport to catch our flight and back to Madrid. I have classes the whole week and two excursions planned. We are also thinking about going to see a Flamenco show. On Friday, we will be off to Florence, Yeah!!
I'm half way through my stay in Europe. I miss home but I am trying to enjoy myself here. I miss everyone so much and I look forward to getting back home to see everyone.
I'm having difficulty upload the photos, so I will try again later, Sorry
Friday, we went to class and Adam (one of my classmates) basically, took over the class. We did go over some topics at first, but then Adam told us about his experiences with his family here in Madrid. He says that they aren't very nice to him and that they have so many rules. It was like a complete vent session for him. I felt bad for him since I sort of felt the same way at the beginning of my stay here. However, after the school moved me from my family, I felt much better. Plus, the new house is so much better, even though are light switches don't work and the food isn't great.
After class, we went to the airport to catch our flight to Porto. We got there by taking the metro. It was actually descent, however, we had to pay one euro to take the metro direct route to the airport. Once we got there, we checked in with Ryanair. They made us check our carry on bag's dimensions and they weighed it. After that we went through security and then ate lunch. I enjoyed a salad and a mimosa! Then we went to the gate, we were the first people in line. The plane was on time. We boarded after we checked our carryon again. After everyone had boarded, they told us that the flight was going to be delayed for an hour. We sat on the plane for 1 hour and 45 minutes before leaving for Porto. My friends and I were rather upset that we had to wait so long. The flight to Porto was short, so I was happy about that. When we arrived, the people there were very nice and they spoke English. They had a help desk, where they informed us how to ride the metro to our hotel. It was so easy, one train. They also gave us a map of the city. Once we checked in at the hotel, we asked the front desk to suggest a restaurant. We ate at an authentic Portugese restaurant. I had the fish, spinach, seafood soup, potatoes, and strawberries. The food was good. Afterwards, we went back to the hotel. I slept well there, since it was air conditioned and quiet. The next day we bought a ticket for the tour bus and river cruise. Unfortunately, the weather was a real pain. It had been sprinkling when we landed and Saturday morning it was cold and rainy. The rain makes for bad pictures and bad hair. So I didn't get great pictures. :( We took the tour bus to the ocean. We got off in the rain and of course, it started raining harder. We still put our feet in the ocean and took some pics. Cristina almost lost her sandals when the waves came in. Ana accidently slipped on the sidewalk and scraped her knee. After we got all cold and wet we went to the bus stop and waited for our tour bus. Afterwards we decided to go the boat tour. There we bought an unmbrella. Shortly after we paid 5 euros for an umbrella (each) it stopped raining. The boat tour was very nice. It showed us the entire port. I really liked it. It was such a beautiful sight. It really made me miss Jay. I wish he could have been in Porto with me. Porto is such a romantic city. I told Jay we should fly to Portugal, rent a car, and visit each port town. I think driving through the country would be so beautiful.
After the boat tour, we got on a cable car. Yeah, I can't believe I did all this stuff. It was so scary, but I did it. The cable cars were super high in the air. Monica had her eyes closed the entire time. She is deathly afriad of heights. After that we shopped and ate lunch at a Pizza Hut. It was your typical Pizza Hut. I had stuffed tortellini. Then we took the tour bus back to our hotel to rest for an hour and shower. Then we went to cross this very tall famous bridge by foot. Again, Monica was terrified but she did it. I was also pretty scared but I was able to take pics. We walked up to this tall park/ church place. It was beautiful. I wished Jay could have been there, so I could have given him the biggest kiss ever. It was very beautiful and the sun was beginning to set. We went back to the hotel to eat dinner and go to sleep.
Sunday, we slept in and then had breakfast. Then to the airport to catch our flight and back to Madrid. I have classes the whole week and two excursions planned. We are also thinking about going to see a Flamenco show. On Friday, we will be off to Florence, Yeah!!
I'm half way through my stay in Europe. I miss home but I am trying to enjoy myself here. I miss everyone so much and I look forward to getting back home to see everyone.
I'm having difficulty upload the photos, so I will try again later, Sorry
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