2008, And What A Year Its Been

December 31st

2008.  I was so fortunate to have an absolutely amazing year.  I started the year in London and will finish it in Granada!

I got up at 11:00 sleeping close to 10 and a half hours.  I spent all day working on my essays for Historia Politica Social Contemporanea.  One about the Monroe Doctrine and the other about the Texas Movement for Independence.

I spent 6 hours updating this blog.  I hope to have pictures up soon, but at least the days are all there.

I could have spent New Years in whatever city or country in Europe.  I chose to spend it here in Granada as its my home for the year.  I'll be celebrating "Noche Vieja," New Years with my roommates.  We landed tickets to Granada's top club and will ring in the New Year in style.

Tomorrow I begin my second 10 trip to Prague, Vienna, and Budapest.  It should be a fantastic trip.  I'll be traveling with my friend Jonathan Garvey.  I'll update the blog when I get back!

48 Hours in Granada Before the Next Adventure

December 30th

The countdown begins for the next trip and I had a ton of tasks to do in the two days that I was back in Granada.

I got up at 12:00pm and immediately started to getting stuff I needed to finish, done.  Washing clothes, booking hostels for Prague, confirming bus and flight times, and beginning my two essays due the day I go back to school on January 12th.

Antonio came home around 1:30 pm and made a great pasta lunch.  I tried taking a nap but instead decided to continue on with the work.  

I spent almost all day on my computer, loading up photos, working on homework and sending more couch surfing requests.

More semi-Italian food with a frozen pizza for dinner.  Antonio and I played a game of chess before I sent some emails to my family and went to bed.

The Joys of Travel

December 29th

I was able to get a full 8 hours of sleep. Waking up around 10:00am I took a shower and had a "hunter-gather" breakfast of fruit, walnuts, and yogurt.

Ettore woke up around 10:50 and quickly pounded up two cups of coffee.  We loaded up the car and headed toward the train station.  We had to pay extra for 1st class tickets as all of the coach tickets had been sold out.  The train arrived and we said goodbye and thank you to Ettore for an incredibly hospitable stay as the conductor blew the whistle and we climbed aboard.

Our train ride turned out to be the best part of the day as we had a series of delays and disappointments on our ride back home to Granada.

From the train station in Milan, we took an hour bus ride to Malpensa airport.  Although we arrived early at the airport, we were unable to carry on our bags.  We had to check them in somewhat defeating the purpose of traveling with only backpacks in the first place.  We boarded the plane only to sit on the tarmac for an hour.  I did read up on the new conflict between Israel and Hamas by reading "El País" Spain newspaper.  Interesting to get the European and Spanish perspective on the conflict.

Arriving in Madrid around 8:00pm we had to wait another 45 minutes for our baggage.  By the time we took the hour metro ride to the bus station it was almost 10:00pm.  With our open return tickets, we could only get the 1:30am bus back to Granada as the 11:30pm was full.  We decided to try and get on that bus by talking to the driver, but in the mean time decided to try the train station.  Two metro lines later, we were at the train station only to find that all of the trains to Granada were over.  Back at the bus station we sat in the cafe until 11:15 where we went down to talk to the bus driver.  Fortunately, we were able to get on the bus although we weren't home free until we passed the half way point as they were stops where people could have gotten on and we would have had to have waited for the 1:30am bus.  We got back into Granada around 5:00am and I was back home in my room around 6:00am.  I skyped my parents to let them know I was OK and then fell immediately asleep.

Venice Déjà Vu

December 28th

Our last full day in Italy was a little deja vu.

We got up at 11:00am having slept in.  After a small breakfast, I took a shower, checked my email and before I knew it, it was time for lunch.  Today our plan was to go back to Venice, but at a more relaxed pace.  I had gotten a good feel of the city the day before, but still wanted to see some the museums.  

Lunch with Ettore and his family was fantastic.  His mom had made homemade tortelliniswhich were really incredible.  I ate them very quickly with some shredded cheese over the top.  We kind of ate and ran as we left the house for the train station as soon as we had finished eating.  We quickly caught the train and were back on our way to Venice.

At this point in our travels we were more or less pros of the Italian train system and we stepped out into Venice knowing where we were.  It was probably, weather wise, Venice at is worse.  Dark, grey and freezing with a windchill factor that made it even colder.  We had forgotten the map, but more or less remembered where things were.  We wanted to see the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and the Galleria Accademica.  We began walking in the direction of Piazza San Marco.  Unlike yesterday when there had been hundreds of tourists, the alley and canals were practically deserted.  It was a cool experience to walk with almost a sense of silence as the city rested on a cold Sunday.

We were actually quite lost, especially when we found ourselves back in Piazza San Marco.  We found a tourist office and got a very helpful answer from a lady who spoke French, English, and Italian fluently as she had helped us and 2 other groups of tourists from Italy and France.  She showed us were we could walk or where where we could take a 50 cent Gondola ride.  We found the "traghetto" gondola crossing point rather quickly and paid 50 cents to cross the Grand Canal.  The gondola wasn't fancy and the trip was literally 20 meters, but I was very happy to say that I had ridden in a gondola.

We bought our tickets for the Peggy Guggenheim collection. Modern art is always hit or miss for me, but there were some great works by Picasso, Chagall, and Dalí.  I was almost more intrigued by the view from the windows, and the gallery itself, right on the Grand Canal.

For the sake of pure image, I can say that I sat on the couch in the Peggy Guggenheim collection pondering a Jackson Pollack while gondola's drifted lazily by on the opposite side of the window pane.  As it turned out, Guggenheim was one of Pollack's first dealers.  Before leaving, Blake and I went out on the balcony over looking the Grand Canal.  

We continued our museum tours with a visit to the Galleria Accademica.  I received a significant student discount because "I was an art student studying film." Poli Sci didn't cut it.  The Galleria focused on Venetian Art through the centuries.  Very nice.  I especially liked the painting of the last supper that the Inquisition had found offensive because there were "drawfs and drunkards." Another one of Venice itself, with gondolas, semi-pirate dress, and roman ruins summed up the feelings that I had for the city.  After the gallery, we weren't sure of any set plan.  It was dark and everything was closed.  I wanted one more gelato before leaving Italy so we walked back to Piazza San Marco.  

Crossing Ponte di Rialto and taking some very narrow alleys we made it back to the train station.  We bought our tickets and walked in the opposite direction of the train station along brightly lit streets.  Saying goodbye to Venice, we boarded the late, Sunday night train.

Ettore was waiting for us when we arrived at the station.  We had dinner back at his home with his parents.  I told them about my encounter with Claudia Cardinale and how she had signed her autograph on my chess at the Gene Autry Museum Gala for Sergio Leone.

That night, we went to a nice jazz bar to watch some of Ettore's friends from the music university do a 2 hour long jam session. We stayed until 1:30am and came back home to go to sleep.  Our train back to Milan was at 11:35am so we had time to sleep in.

I Left My Heart in Venice

December 27th

Out of all of the cities that I have seen so far in Europe, I may have to go as far and say that Venice is the one that I have found to be the most beautiful.  It lived up to my expectations and I was already wanting to go back before I had even left.

I got up early at 7:15 to take a quick shower.  After a fast breakfast, Ettore drove us to the train station where our scheduled train for 9:30am ended up coming almost 45 minutes late.  Ettore was running around trying to figure out what we should to.  He told us that when we arrived in Venice, we would have to talk to the conductor to get our money back.

The train ride into Venice was incredible as the land seemed to end and we were suddenly on an artificial jetty cutting across the sea on a track heading for the lagoon city.  

Pulling into the Venice Train Station, we quickly looked for the conductor to get our ticket refunded.  We found one employee and he told us to go talk to the information office.  Expecting a fight, we were surprised how quickly the process went with Blake (he had paid for both tickets on his credit car) only having to fill out a form.  He will receive a check at his US address of 11 euros.  It will cost most more to send the check than what the actual check is worth.

Stepping outside onto large steps, it was love at first sight.  The Grand Canal was right in front of me and along its banks were ancient buildings, neoclassical design with columns and sculptures.  Gondolas and their navigators in the classic striped shirts glided over the water.  I knew I would want to come back before I had even seen the city.  Having familiarized myself a little with the Lonely Planet guidebook, I thought it would be cool to take a "vaporetto" a literal "water bus."  We bought our tickets and climbed aboard with the mass of other tourists.  Initially in the center, we were able to move to the railing for a better view.  Taking the vaporetto all the way to Piazza San Marco gave us a good idea of just how grand the Grand Canal was.   The Grand Canal is the main boulevard in Venice.  Its important to note that there are absolutely no cars within the lagoon city.  Everything is in walking distance or by navigating the canals in Gondola, personal boat, vaporetto, or water taxi.

I stood stunned and smiling as I tried to soak it all in, snapping as many pictures as I could.  The buildings, many of them Renaissance palaces, were gorgeous.  With each bend in the canal, we were given even more sumptuous sights.  One gondolier in his black and white striped shirt yelled "Welcome to Venice" in Italian as our vaporetto passed.  I joked to Blake that it was like a theme park.

We took the vaporetto all the way tot he last stop at Piazza San Marco.  Stepping into the square, I was once again blown away as I passed the two amazing columns of Venice's Patron Saints, the winged lion and St. Theodore.  Entering the square, I saw the opulent Basilica di San Marco, Torre dell 'Orologio and the Campanile.

The only thing that outnumbered the hundreds of tourists were the even more numerous number of pigeons who were so tame I could have easily caught five with my jacket.  Blake and I walked around the square, stopping to check the prices on the menus of the two famous 18th century, cafes on opposite ends of the square.  I sure hope the 15 euro cup of coffee is good and has a taste of history too.

We entered the Basilica and I was very impressed at the intricate detail of the ceiling.  All mosaic.  On top of the Basilica outside were copies of 4 bronze horses, the originals in the museum inside. The horses were brought to Venice when Constantinople was sacked in 1204, moved to Paris in 1797 and returned to Venice in the 1800's.

Leaving the Basilica, we took a small loop, staying more or less in the area of Piazza San Marco.  I kept falling more and more in love with this city.  The alley ways would turn into bridges which would open up to docks along canals.  There were more tourists than I had ever seen.  Unfortunately, Gondola rides through the canals were 80 euros.  A price much more than my limited budget.  Venice is a city to spend money.  

We looped back to the square to hear the bell of the Torre dell 'Orolgio strike noon.  Sarah from the UC program and her boyfriend had called us earlier and we met up with them in the square.  After debating what to do, we decided to have no set plans and just wander the city at our own pace.  Venice is like an outdoor museum.  We took a long walk through the city, taking a ton of pictures.  For lunch, I stopped in a bread store and bought a freshly baked, doughy baguette.  Venice is probably the most photogenic, romantic city I had ever seen.  We crossed "Ponte di Rialto" the main 16th century bridge and headed toward the train station.  I knew the infamous, Old Jewish Ghetto was in the area and after doubling back a few times, we passed through the "Sotoportego del Ghetto."  It was actually quite beautiful, with small streets and high buildings.  The Chabad of Venice had a large menorah in the square.  I guess Venice still has a substantial Jewish population.  We found the old synagogue and also the tribute to the Jews who had been deported to the Nazi concentration camps in the 1940's.

After leaving the ghetto, we returned to Piazza San Marco.  We decided to pay the hefty price of 8 euros to climb the Campanile, bell tower.  Like the other towers we had climbed here in Italy, this one also provided for incredible views but on an even higher level as it was cool to see how Venice was really built on a series of islands.  it was bone-chilling cold up in the bell tower as it was cold to begin with but the added windchill knocked down the temperature even more.  I was glad my jacket was warm and that I had a hood.

We said goodbye to Sarah and her boyfriend and Blake and I decided to stop in a cafe (not the 15 euro one) to sit for a second and decide what to do.  We wanted to catch a train back around 7:30 or 8:00pm.  We decided to walk down the opposite side of the pier.  The sun was setting and casting a pink glow on the clouds.  The street lights had pink glass and the whole scene, the whole moment, was like a painting.  We climbed up over seven bridges, passing a carnival, until we got to a good point to turn around.

We ended up taking a long, indirect route to the train station, having to stop and ask and old Venetian man for directions.  He gave them to us in Italian.  After getting a little bit more lost, we came to the train station from the opposite side, walking through the bus stop and seeing the huge parking structures where people park their cars and walk in.  We saw that there was a train leaving now when we arrived. After quickly buying our tickets we sprinted thought the train station and arrived at the platform as the train was pulling away.  We forfeited the four euro ticket and had to buy another one for the next train 30 minutes later.  

The added delay was actually quite nice as we sat on the large steps looking at the sparkling lights on the Grand Canal and the beautiful buildings.  We talked about how incredible it was, this experience of studying abroad.  I was so thankful to have been given so many opportunities, to be  able to visit this amazing city and use the lessons that I learned abroad to make me a better, more  well rounded and cultured individual.

The train ride back was long.  We pulled in Vicenza around 8:30pm to see Ettore waiting for us.  Without skipping a beat, we drove straight to Ettore's favorite bar.  In the bar, we saw how popular Ettore is.  He knew everyone.  It is illegal to smoke in Italian bars, so everyone goes outside.  This would be fine in the summer but as I went outside in the snow to talk with Ettore as he lit a cigarette, I was freezing.  We went back to Ettore's for another huge meal and spent the rest of the night until 3:00am hanging out with his friends, playing chess, and trying to pick up a little bit of Italian.

Vicenza and the "Real Italian Experience"

December 26th

We woke up at 9:00am, packed everything up, returned our keys, and said thanks to the owner of the hostel.  We left the hostel around 10:00am walking toward the train station.  The problem was that today was a national holiday and that everything was once again closed.  We desperately needed to find an internet cafe so we could send an email to Ettore, Blake's Italian roommate who we would be staying with in Vicenza, as he still did not know what time we were arriving.  We couldn't find one and decided to hope for the best and figure something out when we arrived to Vicenza (we had Ettore's Spanish number but not his Italian one).

The train ride to Vicenza was nice as we passed snow covered fields.  We were sitting at a table next to an older man reading a history magazine and a girl from Mexico.  Blake and I broke out our picnic and began to converse in Spanish (we had tried to be speaking in Spanish for most of the trip as to not lose our level while being away from Spain).  Blake forgot the word for "peel" as he tried to describe what he was doing to the tangerine.  He asked the Mexican girl how to say it and started an hour and a half conversation in Spanish.  We arrived in Vicenza at 1:30pm and exited the train, hoping to have luck running into Ettore.

There was a ton of snow on the ground as we left the station and found an open internet cafe.  We sent Ettore a message and then decided to go back to the train station.  Thankfully, Ettore called us and we able to meet up with him about 15 minutes later.

Our Italian host and his father picked us up from the train station in their car.  They loaded our bags into the trunk and drove us through the city to their apartment building.  Ettore is a character.  Small, slim, 5' 5" he looks like an American Apparel model.  He speaks perfect Spanish with an Italian accent.  In typical Italian fashion, he is not afraid to argue as we would see later when we had mishaps with the train going to Venice.  He likes to smoke and drum.  His black beard and black rimmed glasses fit him very well.

What I was hoping for came true,  as we entered the large, wood floor piso with high book shelves, Ettore's family had a huge Italian meal waiting for us.  Amazing, homemade pasta, succulent ham, and fresh fruit.  The 10 euro bottle of wine that we brought for his family was quite good. Our conversation over lunch was a mix between Spanish, Italian and English, as Ettore spoke to us in Spanish although his family didn't speak any Spanish they could understand most of what we were saying.  His father is a doctor who speaks a fair amount of English.  In regards to Italian, I could understand it when they spoke very slowly.  It was fun to be able to understand a little having never studied it.  

After lunch, Ettore showed us our beds in his room.  While it was still light out, Ettore wanted to show us Vicenza.  We piled into the car, brushing the snow from the windshield.  We drove through the city and then up to a look out point.  The roads and walls were covered in snow.  There was a palace with little gnomes lining the walls.  It was very pretty and very cold outside.  We kept walking down the rode until we came to what looked like an old southern mansion.   As it turned out, this was an architectural style of houses designed by an architect from Vicenza.  The style, with the small dome and four pillars, had been transported to the United States and specifically the styles of houses of Southern plantation owners. We kept driving and came to a National Park where we walked in a field of snow.  We didn't stay out very long as it was very cold.

Back in Ettore's room we made our beds and played drums.  I played the djimbe.  

The next few hours were fun as went up and down the elevator stopping at the pisos of Ettore's old friends.  We hung out with his girlfriend and friends using a combination of limited English and Spanish.  Ettore's mother made us pizza and we quickly ate it as an appetizer.  Ettore made a ton of pasta with fresh pesto.  Excellent.  We went downstairs around 2:00am to sleep.  Tomorrow we would be getting up early to have plenty of time in Venice.

Christmas in Florence

December 25th

Today was a very low key and lazy Christmas day.

We got up at 12:00am after catching up on some sleep from the frantic past couple of days.  After a light breakfast, we got ready for the day.

Our original plan was to visit the world famous Uffizi museum but the hostel lady told us it was closed.  We were disappointed as we had really wanted to see it.  Instead, we continued with our second plan of having a picnic.  We loaded up my book bag with food and crossed the river, climbing up the hill toward the Piazza Michelangelo.  The Piazza had an incredible view overlooking the city.  We kept climbing the hill and made our way to a second, even better lookout.  With one of Europe's most beautiful cities as our backdrop we had a great Christmas day picnic.  There was a monastery farther up the hill and we climbed up to explore it.

By the time we had left the hill, the sky was growing dark.  Looking at the map, we found the fountain of wild boar.  Like the Trevi fountain in Rome, we threw in coins to insure a return visit to Florence.  

Back at the hostel we hung out and went to bed relatively early around 11:00pm.

Of Cathedrals and Palaces and Christmas Eve in Florence

December 24th

We were out the door by 9:00am ready to make the most of the day.  The Duomo opened at 10:00am so we decided to head first to the Galleria dell 'Accademia to see Michelangelo's "David," the world's most famous sculpture.  

After a few rooms with sculptures, we came to a large open room where David was commanding the open hall.  5.16 meters tall and 19 tons of marble, David was an impressive sight.  I admired the detail a different angles that could be viewed on the face and body.  We played with a a cool digital lighting machine designed by Standford and talked to an art teacher from California.  After looking at the the statue for a long time, we walked through a cast room of many famous sculptures and then left to visit the Duomo.

The exact opposite of its lush exterior, the interior of the Duomo was strikingly stark and bare.  Still beautiful with stained glass windows but surprisingly undecorated.  We paid the 6 euros to climb the 463 steps to the top of the dome.  Like the top of St. Peter's Bsiclia, we were given an incredible sight.  With Florence and the river spreading out below.  A beautiful city.  The large  bell tower looked small form the top and gave a good measurement of how high up we were.  We spent a while at the top and then took the narrow stairs back down.  Looking back at the Duomo, I felt it was one of the most beautiful buildings that I had ever seen.  

We knew everything would be closed tomorrow for Christmas, so we went to the supermarket with the intentions of stocking up for the entire next day.  We bought breakfast and lunch food and loaded up the mini fridge at the hostel.

After a lunch at the hostel, we headed back over Ponte Vecchio and in the direction of the Palazzo Pitti where we wanted to see the Giardino de Boboli, or Boboli Gardens.

The gardens were fantastic and beautiful with an incredible view of city.  We spent an hour and a half walking around looking a the sculptures and gardens.  My favorite part was at the end; a grotto with sculptures and hundreds of sea shells.  We then went upstairs in the palace to tour the museum of "Modern Art."  Modern Art referring to 18th century and on.

Back at the hostel we had a relaxing early evening as we listened to Stephen Colbert's Christmas album and Reggae Hanukkah.  

For dinner we decided to walk around the city not sure what restaurants would be open.  After passing a few, we stopped in a pizzeria that appeared to be good.  We had to wait a while to be seated but the pizza was excellent and we were the only non-Europeans.

That night, we stopped in the Duomo for the midnight mass service.  We didn't stay the whole time, but it was very nice to hear the voices of the choir and be in a completely new city.

Florence, Firenze

December 23rd

I got up at 9:00am after sleeping pretty well at the hostel.  We went downstairs and checked out but sored our bags and used their free computers as we had plenty of time before our train at 12:30pm.  Rather than buy the hostel breakfast for 2 euros we went back to the supermarket where we bought fruit, yogurt, and orange juice along with more sandwhich making supplies for a later lunch.

At 11:50 we said goodbye to the trendy hostel.  Maybe we came at the wrong time, but it was definitely overrated.

We found our seats on the train.  Traveling north, we passed through fog covered Tuscan countryside to Florence, Firenze in Italian.  The train was very nice and the ride very short.  Only 1 hour and a half.  

Arriving in Florence at 2:00pm and did an excellent job following the directions to our hostel.  As we walked through the city, it was easy to see that Florence was smaller than Rome, but had its own amazing ambiance, history, and style.  We passed the gigantic Duomo, the cathedral dominating the centro.  An amazing structure, the green, white and pink painted exterior is incredibly beautiful.  Unlike other churches which are quite drab on the exterior facade, the Duomo lets its beauty and architectural genius show from the very beginning.

We checked into our hostel which was right in the center of the city.  Small, quaint, and very homey we had a huge room to ourselves with lofted ceilings, desk and small balcony.  Unfortunately no Internet or breakfast but everything else was great.

The owner of the hostel drew all over a map telling us where the best spots were.  We took our bag of food and headed in the direction of the river.  Walking over the famous Ponte Vecchio, I could see how amazingly beautiful Florence was.  We came to the gardens behind the Pitti Palce and saw that they were closed.  While doubling back across the bridge, we heard our names called and turned around to see our friend Sarah from the UC program in Granada with her boyfriend.  We talked to them for a bit and then left to picnic.

We ended sitting along the wall lining the river.  The city walked by as the sun cast pink hues lighting up the water.  I gazed at the old stone bridge guarded by two white marble sculptures.  Absolutely beautiful.  

We backed through the sparkling city, stopping in Piazzo Vecchio where a beautiful "outdoor museum" was on display.  The original statue of "Perseus Slaying Medusa" cast a black shadow against the blue wall.  A violent but powerful sculpture.  We walked around the piazza stopping to admire the fountain of Neptune. 

Back at the hostel, we rested for a while and then went out for a gelato, eating it while admiring the Duomo.  A low key day compared to the one the day before, we went back to the hostel to sleep, excited to start chapter two of the Italy trip in Tuscany. 

The Eternal City

December 22nd

We got up tired and sore but nevertheless excited for the day.  We took the metro back to "Ottaviano."  The metro really isn't that good as we had seen yesterday.  Rome's only fault.

There was no line at the entrance of the Vatican Museums as we arrived just as they were opening.  We received a heavily reduced student discount, and then took the long elevator to where the museums began.  We first entered the Egyptian collection where I saw the best Egyptian artifacts I have ever seen.  Tons of amulets, sarcophaguses, mummies, and statues of the Egyptian Gods filled the rooms from floor to ceiling.  I had to remember that Rome had conquered all of the ancient world and therefore had access to all of the artifacts.  Seize and plunder.  

We then entered the room filled with Greek Sculptures.  A long hallway was filled with beautiful statues.  My favorite sculpture of the day was one that translated to "The Nile." It was a huge sculpture of a laying down old man, the river Nile. Climbing on top of him were two dozen or so sculptures of little babies symbolizing fertility.  There were also animals, a crocodile being the most salient that the babies were playing with.

Not sure if we could continue with our tour of the museum after viewing the Capella Sistina or not, we decided to risk the possibility of not being able to go back in by heading straight to the chapel before it go too crowded. 

I was flat out blown away by the huge hall way leading up to the Sistine Chapel.  Exquisitelydecorated with sculptures and frescos, I was dwarfed by its magnificence and felt insignificant in its beauty and significance.  

And then, we entered the Sistine Chapel.  With my first glace I wasn't able to appreciate the beauty, detail or incredible physical and artistic genius feat of Michelangelo's masterpiece (years of painting on his back).  I then sat down and gazed in utter awe at the spectacular ceiling and wall.  The most famous "square," or scene with Adam and God in the center, was smaller than I had expected and was just one scene among dozens.  but it was beyond my expectation in beauty as Michelangelo truly captured the life of the scene.  The hint of space, that subtle pause, between the fingers of Adam and God was so perfect.  I must have gazed and walked around the Chapel for half an hour.

I left with a feeling of believing in the spirit of human innovation and the strength of humanity.  I'm so glad to have seen that masterpiece while I'm still young.

From the Sistine Chapel we cut through the center of the city on the metro and wen tot visit the Pantheon during the day.  It was free to enter and I was impressed by the beautiful pillars and amazing hole and skylight in the center of the roof.  Inside the Pantheon were the graves of famous historical figures, including the artist Raphael.  

From the Pantheon we became a little bit lost until we found the cool statue of "Elefantino," a statue of an elephant with an ancient Egyptian obelisk built by Bernini.  There was a church across the piazza and we entered.  It was one of the few Gothic Churches in Rome and we got to see one of Michelangelo's lesser known works, "Christ carrying the cross."

It was around 1:00pm and we decided to catch the metro to the hostel where we would be staying in that night.  We would go to the hostel, check in, go get our bags form Danilo's and then tour some more.

We got off at "Termini," the main metro and train station and walked 6 blocks to our hostel, "the Yellow."  The hostel had gotten really high reviews on hostelworld.com.  Entering the Yellow I felt like I was entering the image of a stereotypical eurotrip.  "My buddy and me with our huge backpacks staying at a super scene hostel where everyone is trendier than you.  We like, touring, you know but I'm really here to get loud, drunk, and stupid."  Just like that.  Its hard to describe but that fleeting superficiality, the "scene-kid, indepedent, quasi-narcissitic spirit that has defined my generation."  The pop-alternative music, black walls, with straight from IKEA chairs sealed the deal.  

Our check-in lady was an attractive, I'm smarter than you because I've, like traveled, 25-something blond girl, whose stabs at sarcasm dripped with fake cynicism. We received our keys and checked our room; a four person with two sets of bunk beds.  Our roommates stuff was locked up but they weren't there.  The hostel had a cool them of movies and clever quotes  although a tad overly trendy.  The elevator, or "traditional Italian lift" was very small, so small that when Blake and I came back later with our bags we barely fit.

Rather than spend more money on lunch at a restaurant we went to a grocery store next door and put together our own great picnic lunch.  We ate our picnic at the Yellow bar, a full on bar and downstairs common area that was next door to the hostel.  We finished our lunch and decided to tour the Palantino and Roman Forum as our ticket was still good from the day before. 

I wished my ancient Roman history was better as we entered the gates of the outdoor museum and explored the ruins.  Amazing.  With the sun reaching its late afternoon point, outlining the rocks and trees in a slight red glow and the golden wings of insects swirling over the field, the ruins were truly magical.  We walked around and took some pictures.  I wish I could have stayed more but park was closing and we had to leave.  I'll have to return to spend a whole day walking around.

We took the metro back to Danilo's gym where we found him playing chess and the gym full with students.  We grabbed our bags and then said goodbye and thank you to our amazing host who made our stay in Rome fantastic and less expensive.

Back at the hostel we organized our stuff and took showers.  For having been advertised as the "best party hostel in Rome" it was pretty dead.  Granted a Monday night on the week of Christmas, but I'd expect the "trendiest hostel ever" to never stop with the party.  We hung out downstairs using the free wireless internet before deciding to find an inexpensive place to eat.  

We took the metro to "Repubblicca" as we hadn't yet been there.  We walked once again in the wrong direction and then decided to use our metro ticket , which also includes access to all of the buses, on one of the night buses, and just ride it until we saw a place that looked good.  Driving through the city at night I was so happy to be in Rome.  The euphoria had persisted.  I saw a sign for Piazza Navona and we got off to walk in that direction.  After passing a ton of expensive restaurants, and tired of being accosted by the waiters outside, we decoded to go back to the same pizza place we had gone to the day before.  We ordered a "custom" pizza of 4 cheeses (including gorgonzola) and the spicy diavola salmi.  It was excellent.  Our waiter was an Albanian who we ended up having a deep conversation with over politics, Rome, and travel.

We decided to hang around the hostel area, after making it back fairly easy form Termini.  We met one of our roommates n Indian guy in his late 20's living in London and traveling alone.  We went down to the bar next door and placed foosball.  We talked about US politics, and although he was a smart guy, he still (along with many people I've met here in Europe) had a misconstrued idea of the US.

We said goodnight as Blake and I were really tired and headed back to our room.  Our train for Florence would be at 12:30pm the next day, as we had bought our tickets as we left the station towards the hostel.

  

"Roma, Non Basta Una Vita!" A Lifetime's Not Long Enough!

December 21st

We woke up at 7:30 to get an early jump on the day.  I actually slept very well and wasn't feeling too tired.  Blake and i decided to catch breakfast later around the city rather than waste time trying to find something to eat.

Leaving the gym, we walked toward the metro and took it to "Ottaviano" where we walked toward St. Peter's Square.  Unfortunately the Sistine Chapel was closed so we decided to tour St. Peters Basilica instead and hit the Sistine Chapel first thing tomorrow.

Entering St. Peter's Square is an awe inspiring sight.  Hundreds of pillars form two outstretching semi-circles that hug the square.  On top of each column are huge statues of the Saints.  In the center is a large obelisk with a cross.

We went through security and stopped against getting an audio guide.  Entering St. Peter's Basilica was breathtaking.  Grandiose, spanning, with beautiful art and sculptures adorning every centimeter.  We actually went back to get the audio guides as just wandering around we were being ignorant.  I suppose much of the significance of the Basilica was lost on me for not being Catholic, but I was impressed by the amazing architecture, history, and detail.  My favorite sculpture was the "Pietá" by Michelangelo. It depicts the Virgin Mary holding the dead Jesus in her arms.  The figures looked so real and the sculpture technique so good, the stone arms and legs of Jesus seemed to have a flesh-like glow.  It is one of the few works to bear Michelangelo's signature.  The genius completed it when he was only 25.

Wandering around the giant great halls of the Basilica, we stopped in front of such famous monuments like the bronze statue of St. Peter and the 29 meter high baroque baldacín, Canopy, by Bernini.  This is the high alter and it sits on the grave of St. Peter.  only the Pope can stand under the 4 giant, marble barroque columns.  

My favorite part of the visit was climbing the 119 meter dome of Michelangelo.  After saving 2 euros by not using the short elevator, Blake and I climbed the hundreds of Vertigo and claustrophobia inducing stairs to reach the top where we were given a jaw dropping view of the city.  Spanning out below, the Eternal City certainly lived up to its name.  Everywhere I looked there was another giant monument.  Too much.  Rome was overwhelming, almost to the point of debilitation.

Before climbing all the way back down, we stopped at the second tier inside the Basilica to be given an amazing view o the entire cathedral.  There was  a mass taking place and we were able to watch the procession from the perspective o the dome.  All of the priests wore their flowing robes.  The voices of the choir rose up to fill the Basilica.  There were fantastic mosaics a long the walls and I marveled at the exquisite art and detail that was put into every aspect and part of the building.  We walked half way around  the upper tier and then decided to head to Piazza Navona for lunch.

Neither Blake nor I had had anything to eat all day.  It was almost 2pm and we were both starving.  We stopped for a half slice of pizza with chunks of tomato and mozzarella.  It was enough to hold us over as we headed in the direction of Piazza Navona where after checking out the menus in front of the plethora of cafes, we chose one on the corner with a southern view of the Piazza.  At our table on the outdoor terrace, Blake and I ordered a huge pizza, half diavola and half other toppings.  I enjoyed sitting at the table and watching Rome go by.  As we had seen walking around the city during the day, Italian drivers were crazy.  One just has to have faith and walk through the middle of the traffic.  I'm surprised there are not more accidents.

We still hadn't seen the Colosseum so we wound through the streets heading in the direction as indicated on the map.  Its important to note that Blake and I were probably lost for most of the time, and this was only the beginning. 

We ended up by Piazza Venezia and were given another jaw dropping sight of the Vittoriano, a gigantic white marble sculpture, with columns and a gigantic statue of Vittorio Emanuel II mounted on a huge horse.  The site commemorates Vittorio Emanuel and a unified Italy.  Today it is the home for the tomb of the unknown soldier.  Blake and I climbed up the stairs and were a given a nice view of Piazza Venezia.  Walking left from the side facing the front, I was given a view that I hope to never forget.  As I came down the steps, I peeked around the corner and saw the Colosseum at the end of the long cobblestone street lined by a spectacular tower, statues of emperors, and collapsed ruins.

We walked down the middle of Via di Fori Imperiali until we were right outside the Colosseum's giant walls.  A commanding structure, the Colosseum had 3 visible levels of arches and overlooked the grassy lawn where people were out front taking pictures.

We got in line to buy our tickets joined a guided tour that turned out to be pretty disappointing with a mediocre guide and obnoxious American tourists.  Despite the poor tour it didn't take anything away from the fact that I was standing in the Colosseum.  It was incredible.  The rows of stadium seating were impressive and I was actually a little surprised how "small" the actual battlefield was.  Smaller than I had envisioned.  I could see the labyrinth of pillars and bricks where the slaves working the "special effects" for the fights would have been.  The 50,000 seat amphitheatre would have been staggered into seating by social class hierarchy. with VIPS, Senators, normal people, and slaves each having separate seats, progressively higher.  I touched the lichen covered stones and shivered at the thought of how many people had died building and fighting in its blood sport contests.

Exiting the Colosseum, we walked past the Arco di Constantino built in honor of Constantine following a military victory.  We came to to the gate of the Palatine, the spot where Romulus killed his brother Remus and founded Rome in 753 B.C.E.  Unfortunately, the Palatine was closed and we would have to wait until tomorrow.  Our ticket for the Colosseum and Palatine was still good for the next day.

We kept walking to Circus Massimo, where one of the emperors had his personal racetrack.  It is now a dirt track around a grass field.  We stopped on a stone bench to check the map and plan our next visit.

We caught the metro and took it to "Barberini" and then decided to head to Campo di Firori.  In Campo di Fiori we had an excellent gelato and enjoyed watching the people in the square.  Danilo had told us about it yesterday, so I was glad to have visited it.  Looking at our tourist map that always seemed to get us more lost than fix our position, we realized that the nearest metro stop was actually the Colosseum.  We ended up making a huge, three hour loop to end up right where we had just been.

We made it back to the gym and received a text from Danilo saying that he would be coming in a bit.  We told Danilo about our day.  He was going to leave right away but instead asked if we wanted to come along in his car as he was going back over to his girl friends and offered to take us to Trastevere, a spot that had been highly recommended in the guidebook.  We got ready very quickly and hopped in the back of the small car.  

Danilo talked t his Polish girlfriend in Italian. We asked him if he understood us when we spoke in Spanish.  "80%."  He had trained martial arts all over the world, including Barcelona.  I asked him if he knew Alex Esteve, our friend who my Dad and I had stayed with Barcelona, but he did not.

We drove to a hill overlooking the city.  Stopping to take a quick picture, we got back in the car and drove to Trastevere where Danilo and his girlfriend said goodnight to us and explained how to get back taking the night tram and metro.  

On the other side of the river from the center area of Rome, Trastevere is the spot for local Romans.  Lit up with beautiful lights among the ancient buildings, piazzas, and cobblestone streets.  Blake and I wandered around before stopping at a restaurant that had a 3 course meal for 14 euros.  The dinner was excellent.

After dinner, we decided to head back to not miss the metro.  With our slightly improved sense of direction we did a walk, tram combo and made it to the Colosseum around 11:45pm.  We had thought the metro closed at 12:00am but were off by half an hour.  Too cheap to take a cab and deciding to surpass our long walk in Dublin, we elected to walk back to Danilo's gym on the other side of the city.

In what ended up being a 2 and a half hour journey, we walked from the Colosseum to the Vatican, stopping to talk to a guard who told us that "It was too far to walk and that we should just take a cab" and then continuing on to Danilo's which was off the map.  We became terribly lost and confused around the last two metro stops, which appeared extremely counter intuitive.  We eventually made it back after asking 3 kids who thought that I was going to rob them where the street was.  I took a quick shower in the gym and then went to sleep around 2:30am.  Despite getting in late we still had plans to get up at 7:30 to see the Sistine Chapel.

A 7 Hour Train Ride from Turin to Rome

December 20th

I got up at 8:30am and stepped out on the balcony to be welcomed with an amazing view of the mountains that hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics.

An aspiring chef, Brad got up and made us a huge breakfast.  After showers and repacking the bags, we left the apartment and walked over to the train station.  I was happy to have a brand new copy of Lonely Planet's Italy, a gift from one of Brad's roommates with a disposable income.  The kid had left a ton of nice clothes and the Lonely Planet book as "he was done studying abroad and would never need them again."  Hooray for "closedmindeness."  We would end up using the Lonely Planet Italy book a considerable amount as we visited the other cities.

Turin during the day was quite beautiful and not very touristy.  The train station we went to was not the main one, and we had to take the metro to the central station.  Built for the Olympics, the metro was brand new and in pristine condition.

At the station we bought our tickets for the 1:00pm train to Rome.  It would arrive at 8:00pm.  That was a  lot later than I wanted our time in Rome to begin, but staying in Turin was fun and we would still have a total of three days in the Eternal City.

We went to a grocery store and bought the essentials for a picnic that we would have on the train.  Back at the train station we said goodbye to Brad and boarded the train for Rome.

I received a text fro Danilo Capuzi, the guy who we would be staying with in Rome, asking us when we would arrive.  I had tried calling him, but his phone had been off.

The train ride lived up to my romantic vision of what a train ride in Europe should be, as Blake and I had our own "table" with 4 seats facing one another.  The 7 hour ride was actually quite in enjoyable as we had a great picnic lunch.  The Italian country side was beautiful and the tracks followed the Mediterranean sea.  I spent a long time reading up on the history of Rome and trying to plan some way to see most of the amazing sites.  

Our train pulled into Roma Termini and I gave our couch surfing host Danilo Capuzi a phone call and he gave us directions to his gym.  Rome's metro was not as nice as Turin's was quite busy.  Getting off, we walked a long the quiet street until we reached his karate gym.  I should take a second to explain "Couch Surfing."  Its a facebook-like, social networking site that allows people to offer their couch/floor for other travelers to sleep for free.  It obviously involves some risk as apart from communication through internet there is no way to actually know the person.  I had talked to Danilo the month before and although sleeping in his karate gym would appear strange to most people, he seemed like a cool guy.  This would be our first couchsurfing experience.

To be honest, it was "sketchy as hell" as we walked down the dark, sloping driveway of the semi-basement building.  We called him and he said he would be out in a few minutes.  Blake and I joked about what we were about to do and were already ready to run or fight our way out if it turned out to be bad.  

We had definitely seen to many horror movies as Danilo Capuzi turned out to be one of the nicest, most hospitable people I have ever met.  A 6'4" martial arts teacher, he is into playing chess and skydiving.  He lives in his gym as rent is expensive in Rome.  The gym itself was very big, clean, with red mats covering the floor.  On the walls were all of his bokkens, katanas, nunchucks, and other martial arts weapons. The gym was equipped with its own lockerroom, shower, bathroom, and cooking facilities.  Sitting down at his little table in his trophy decorated office, we presented him with a bottle of wine.  He doesn't drink, but he was still happy that we had brought him something.  Danilo wrote down a list of places where we should visit on our first night.  He was going to stay in and play chess and then go over to his girl friend's house where he would stay for the weekend.  He gave us the keys to his gym and told us to have fun exploring the city.

We took the metro to "Spagna"where we began our night time exploring.  We saw the famous Spanish steps.   We got a map from a hotel and meandered through the truly sublime city.  Stopping by the Trevi Fountain lit up by lights and truly magical, we threw in coins to ensure a return visit to Rome. I hadn't even seen the city yet, but I knew that I would want to come back.  We kept walking, passing the incredible Pantheon and pausing to enjoy the sights in Piazza Navona.  We had dinner in a quintessential Italian Restaurant with excellent pasta and red wine.  We then walked up the river to Piazza del Popolo.  We were too late to catch the metro so we had to take an expensive taxi back. 

Laying out my sleeping bag on gym mat, I was so excited to get up early and have a full day exploring the city.

Off to Italy With a Quick Stop in Madrid and the US Embassy

December 19th

We had taken the 12:30am bus and arrived in Madrid at 5:45am.  Walking down to the Metro, we took the first train on two lines to the stop closest to the US Embassy.  The embassy didn't open until 8:00am.  The second American embassy on the street, the Starbucks, didn't open until 7:30am which we sat on the bench outside of reading Blake's Lonely Planet "Europe on a Shoestring."

As soon the Starbucks opened (I generally refuse to support American chain establishments while abroad but this was the only cafe open on the street) we grabbed a croissant and then went to wait in front of the embassy.  We were helped right away.  I had to check my bag and leave my cellphone with the guard.  After waiting in the lobby, Blake was a given a number and we were moved into the waiting room.  We were technically on American soil, so I felt glad to have gone back to the US albeit for an hour and a half.

The bureaucracy worked very quickly and Blake had his brand new passport by 9:30am.  We decided to explore a little of Madrid as we had 4 hours before our flight. Blake hadn't seen the Parque del Buen Retiro, so we once again navigated the metro to the stop closet to the park.  In the Parque, we walked a long the perfectly manicured paths, stopping to admire "El Estanque Grande," or great lake.  I had remembered that the statue of the "Fallen Angel" was in the far end of the park and we walked over to see it.  A lot more impressive in the day time.  

Blake called his friend from the Cadiz summer program and who is studying at the UC Madrid program to see if he would want to meet us for an early lunch at our favorite quick Spanish food restaurant, "100 Monteditos."  We ate a fast lunch before saying goodbye to Blake's friend and then catching three different metro lines to arrive at the airport.

Our almost hour ride on the metro took us to the last stop of terminal T4 in the Madrid-Barajas airport.  We were able to get our oversized carryons on the plane.  We didn't have to wait much at all before our plane boarded.

Unfortunately we were grounded on the runway for almost an hour due to a mechanical malfunction.  Luckily, I was able to sleep a little on the plane and woke up before we landed in Milan.

Technically, we did not have any set itinerary for our trip to Italy.  We were scheduled to couch-surf with a guy in Rome for two nights starting on Saturday.  In Florence we had booked a hostel and in Venice we would be staying with Blake's Italian roommate, Ettore.  Tonight we would actually be going to Turin to stay with one of Blake's friends from UCSB who was just finishing up his study abroad program.  The two hour bus ride to Turin was cheaper than getting a hostel in Milan.

The city was crowded as we entered Turin at night.  We got off at Portosouza where we were met by Blake's friend Brad.  We walked back to his nice sized piso.  His roommates had all moved out to go back home to the US so Blake and I would have our own beds.

For dinner in our first night in Italy, we went to a great, hole in the wall Italian restaurant.  I was able to use my Spanish to tell the waitress what I wanted (this would be the first of many times in which I would use Spanish to communicate to people who only understood in Italian.  Italian and Spanish are definitely independent languages but there are enough similarities that one can get by).  

We took a short walk through the city, but seeing everything at night was not the same as seeing it during the day.  Tired but excited for our trip to officially begin tomorrow on our way to Rome we went to sleep dreaming of Italy.

Italy!

I'll be in Italy from December 19th to December 29th.  Milan, Turin, Pisa, Rome, Florence,Vicenza, Venice.

Happy Holidays and I'll update my blog when I return!

Murphy's Law; Kind Of

December 18th

I woke up really late, feeling refreshed and glad that I had the opportunity to sleep.

Walking around the city, I organized what I need to do before my trip to Italy tomorrow.  I had to recharge my phone, return library books, withdraw money, and send a lot of emails.

Blake called me with bad news saying that he had lost his passport and was tearing apart his room to find it.  In addition, the newspaper had printed that there would be a bus strike tomorrow which would stop our bus to Madrid.  I told Blake I would come over after lunch with Heiko at the dining hall to sort things out.

Heiko told me that Iberia, the airline will be flying on, was also threatening a strike.  On their website there wasn't anything and I'm not really worried if anything does happens as we'll be in Madrid and there will be a ton of flights to Italy.  We'll get there.

Blake and I walked over to the bus station and after talking to the employee at the information desk and be assured that there would be no strike we changed our tickets to 12:30 am.  We'll arrive in Madrid tomorrow morning and then head over to the US embassy to get another passport for Blake.  He can still travel with his photocopy and Spanish residency card, but he'll need his passport to return home and to go to any non-Schegen state.

After a long, but interesting class of Theory of the State I came back home and finished packing.  I'll head over to the bus station in a couple of hours.

Chess, Jazz, and Afternoon Dreams in a Sun-Soaked Room

December 17th

International Relations had been canceled so I had extra time in the morning to finish reading over Christian's thesis.  I found it interesting and learned a little more about immigration policy in the US.

In Historia Política Social Contemporanea we watched "Lone Star" a 1950's Clark Gable film about the Independence Movement and subsequent annexation of the Texas during the 1840's.  We have been talking about the Contemporary History of the United States in this section of the course, I find it very interesting to study my country from abroad.

I had my last Salsa class of the semester.  Once again I was the only boy, and my teacher had me dance individually with all of the girls.  I can now legitimately say that I can salsa dance.  I really enjoyed the class and have plans to continue with it next year.

Back home I made lunch and then sat in our sunny living room and played 2 games of chess with Antonio.  Antonio rediscovered chess last week and has been on a binge.  Heiko put on some jazz and made us tea and then fell asleep in the IKEA chair like a cat in the sunny spot of the window.  The temperature was a little warmer than it has been (it snowed a little bit last week in the city) and it was really nice to spend the afternoon relaxing with my roommates.  USA: 2 Spain: 0 in the chess victory count so far.

We watched a video about Japan and then talked about the Japanese work ethic, comparing it to the Spanish idea of work (duh!) in Contemporary Social Structure.

Back home we had traditional German Christmas tea and pastries that Heiko had received from back home.  They were really good and it was nice to sit and talk with all of my roommates.  They're all going  back home, but I think we'll all be back in Granada for New Years.  Antonio and I played two more games of chess.  USA: 4 Spain: 0.

I went to sleep early to recharge my batteries before my two big trips this winter break.

Pienso Que He Elegido Asignituras Con Un Nivel De Español Más Alto De Mío

December 16th

I spent the morning studying for my exam that afternoon for Public Policy.

The exam was very hard and I'm not sure how well I did.  Broad, open questions which could either mean that I put everything that I should have or did not.

Immediately following my exam, I gave my presentation for Theory of the State in which I gave my presentation and then sat and listened to the presentations of the other students.

Back home, I started writing an essay that will be due when I get back from winter break about the Monroe Doctrine and the development of the United States.

Heiko and I went to Federica's piso for dinner for an amazing Italian food dinner with lots of lasagna.  Most of the conversation during the meal was about the US as one of Federica's roommates is a law student and she had a litany of questions for me about the US legal system, foreign policy, and the American perspective of the world.

Trying to Do It All

December 15th

I talked to both of my professors after class today as I have a schedule conflict with finals and I also wanted to be clear on exactly what to study for the upcoming final exams.  I have the syllabus but I wanted to be sure that I didn't miss anything additional.

The second to last class of Salsa was fun as we learned some cool new moves.  I talked to some of the girls after class and then met up with Heiko, Anna, and Federica for lunch at the dining hall.

I stopped for a cafe and read before going to Análisis de Políticas Públicas where we did an interesting group project.

After Estructura Social Contemporanea I went over to Blake's and we "solidified" where we'll be staying for Italy.  We booked a hostel for one night in Rome and 3 nights in Florence.  We have an early bus this Friday to go to Madrid and then we'll fly to Milan.

Back home, I made dinner and studied a bit more before bed.  Antonio bought a chess board and we'll have to play.  This morning I also received a care package from Bubbie and Martin with some matzoh ball soup and latka soup.  I'll have to make it soon!

Midterm Season

December 14th

After waking up late from the night before, cleaning the house, and making a pasta lunch I spent the rest of the day continuing my study session for the midterms that I would have next week.

At 6:00pm, Christian, my friend from Austria came over to talk to me about his masters thesis.  I will be correcting it for grammar and syntax.  He goes to an English speaking university in Vienna and is writing his thesis on "Pan-American Migration Movement of the 20th Century."  I said I would read over it when I was done studying for my own midterms.

I spent the rest of the night studying and talking to my family on skype.  It will be a busy week leading up to winter break.

Studying, Mexican Food, and "La Última Fiesta Del Año!"

December 13th

I love the weekend when I can stay out late and still sleep 8 or more hours.  

Productive in the morning; I kept up my study session for Análisis de Políticas Públicas, logging in a few more hours.  

By the time I had finished reading what I needed to, everyone else in the apartment was back home or had finished waking up and I decided to start cooking.  I had all of my ingredients in the kitchen so I started by making guacamole.  I then started cooking the chicken in the frying pan with a little olive oil, adding green peppers, onions, and the fajita seasoning mix.  Heiko and Antonio asked what they could do to help and I had Heiko cut up the tomatoes while Antonio set the table.  I made the rice and and heated up the beans and taco shells.  Although "make your own tacos" is one of my favorite staples back home, it was a completely new gastronomic experience for my roommates who I showed how to "make a taco" by piling on all of the different components.  The food was good and I guess everyone liked it as there was nothing left!  Nathalie volunteered to wash the dishes, while Antonio, Heiko, and I "bomb-proofed" (aka "party-proofed") our house for our "Última Fiesta Del Año," or our "Last Party of the Year" (In the sense that we have winter break and final exams coming up and will not have another opportunity for a few months).

I went back to studying for the rest of the afternoon, stopping after a few hours to skype my Mom, Dad and Brother.

At 9:00 I went to the end of the course dinner for my Salsa class.  It was pouring rain as I walked over to the restaurant on Gran Vía.  It was nice to talk to a lot of the other students in my class, as although we are always dancing with one another we rarely engage in conversation.  Rather than go out with them to dance, I came back to my apartment to get ready for our party.

We joked that no one was coming as Heiko, Antonio, Nathalie and I sat on the couch watching the end of the biggest Spanish fútbol (soccer) game of the year.  Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona (on par with the Superbowl with level of attention, but with an unmatched level of rivalry between these two soccer teams and cities).  Over dinner, I had had some conversations about how this game signified more than just a soccer game, but a political clash of ideologies.  If FC Barcelona won, it went to show that the Independence Movement had more importance.  A win for Real Madrid would conserve Spanish Identity Hegemony.  FC Barcelona won and we joked that we should catch a flight right now to join in the celebration in Barcelona.  People had been watching the game, as everyone started coming over between 11:30 and 12:00am.  Our last party of the year was a lot of fun and we there were dozens of people from all over the world.  I had a  lot of fun hosting and went to bed around 5:00am. 

2 To 2

December 12th

Today was many days in one.

I got up late around 12:15 and spent the first few hours on the computer.  I then decided to "restart the day" by going on a run.  It was cold but not too bad once I was moving.

After lunch I went shopping for what I would need to cook Mexican food for the next day.  Back home, I read for 3 hours and studied for my midterm next week for my Public Policy class.  Interesting subject although a lot of memorization. 

At around 10:00pm I walked over to Blake's house in Plaza de Toros.  Ettori, Blake's Italian roommate and the guy who we'll be staying with in Venice, was celebrating his 23rd birthday and told me the week before when I had seen him that they would be partying from 2pm to 2am.  It turned out to be more like from 5pm to 5am as the party was in full swing when I arrived.  One of their roommates is a DJ and they had the turntables and speakers set up in the corner of the room with their film projector playing trendy clips of movies on the wall.  With the pretentious house beats providing the backdrop to the party, I enjoyed talking to the people from my program and meeting new Erasmus and Spanish students.  It was also my friend John's 21st birthday, and he and Ettori began organizing people to go to a club around 3:00am.  The club was on my way back home, so I stopped inside for an hour and a half as I had a free pass.  I went back home and slept in late.

The Weekend Begins Among Roman Ruins and Lonely Churches

December 11th

The past few weeks I'd been running by the Granada Archeological and Natural History Museum and I always meant to stop inside.  Walking along the cobble streets along the river bank, I entered the old building and museum for free with my student ID.  The beautiful two story building opened up into a cobble stone patio surrounded by columns and arches.  Lining the walls were ancient Roman ruins that had been discovered in Granada.  After a loud group of elementary school kids left, I was the only one in the museum.  I loved walking the empty corridors and looking at the historical artifacts.

I met up with one of my friends from the program for lunch.  After lunch, I still had an hour before my class.  Keeping up with my goal of visiting places that I haven't yet seen in Granada, I paid the admission to visit the ancient cathedral and monastery across the street from my college.  I guess the monastery is still used to this day, but as I went through the large wooden door to walk along the sun lit path ways, I was once again the only person.  In the center of the large complex was an orange grove.  I made a counterclockwise loop; stopping in all of the open doors, walking very slowly as I observed the old paintings and religious artifacts.  I eventually made my way to the cathedral where I stood alone in the great hall.  Whereas the main cathedral in Granada is painted all white and gold, this one was extravagantly decorated with exquisite details and once vibrant colors.

The doubled class time for Teoría del Estado was boring and a  waste of time in the sense that no one followed the short time limit that the professor had explicitly stated.  No one had a powerpoint and everyone read directly from their notes.  When it was finally my turn (I was presenting about the last chapter) I only had 5 minutes of class time left and would be late for my next class.  I ended up not finishing my presentation and will have to go again next Tuesday. 

I talked with some of the Erasmus students in my Estructura Social Contemporanea class before heading home to finish some leftovers for dinner.

I went over to my friend Jenna's house and then after a lot of people came over we went to the '50's music theme bar, El Tornado, and did the twist before going home.

What Happened to November?

December 10th

I read for Teoría del Estado before going to Relaciones Internacionales at 9:00am.  I'm not sure if the professor likes me that much as we always seem to end up arguing about something concerning the United States.  I don't feel that I'm being annoying nor ornery, but I am one of the few students who actually participates and I really dislike the dead silence that always settles over the class when she asks a question.  I'd rather participate with the potentially wrong answer than have a class vs. professor staring contest.

In Salsa, I was the only boy.  In regards to classes it was probably one of the worse as everyone was sick (I'm fighting something right now) and we didn't do anything new.

After my classes in the afternoon, I went to the office hours of the my professor for Teoría Del Estado.  I asked him what I should be specifically focusing on for the final and also what he expected to be included in our research paper.  The paper isn't due until after break, but I'll try to get it done before next week's vacation as to not have to worry about it.

With the intention of "practicing" a little before cooking for my roommates this weekend, I made some chicken with the spices from the package.  It was pretty good and I'm excited to cook for my roommates this weekend.

I spent a couple hours finishing my powerpoint presentation.  Looking over some old blog entries, I was happy that November hadn't disappeared as quickly as I thought, although December is racing by at a remarkable speed.  This year is going by so fast.

A Taste of German Christmas

December 9th

I knew this was going to be a fast week as I was starting my classes on Tuesday thanks to the national holiday the day before.

At the post office I picked up a package from my Aunt Angie and Uncle Dan.  They had sent me hard shell tacos, seasoning mix, and other ingredients for Mexican food.  I'll cook a meal this weekend.

For my past two years in college I've avoided drinking coffee as I didn't want to become addicted to caffeine.  I've always preferred sleeping more and exercising in the morning rather than trying to power through with a caffeinated beverage.  Here in Spain though, I've succumbed to the necessary evil of having a "café con leche" before my afternoon set of classes.  With my classes being in Spanish, I need to be fully awake to absorb all of the information.  There is a cafe down the street from my college and I have been stopping by there twice a week before my Tuesday and Thursday afternoon classes.  Today I was the only one at the table and was reading before my class when three Spanish students asked if they could share the table as the cafe was quite full.  We ended up having a good conversation and I liked that they had made an effort to be social.

My afternoon classes went well.  We'll have an extended lecture on Thursday for Teoría del Estado for presentations.

Back home, I hung out with Hieko and Nathalie as they were celebrating part of the advent calendar, pre-Christmas events.  We had hot wine (glüvine, not sure how to spell it) and traditional German Christmas cookies.  I did some studying before going to bed. 

Catching Up

December 8th

I think I brought the weather from Santander back with me as I woke up to the sound of rain tapping against my balcony.  I spent most of the morning and day catching up with friends and family.  Heiko and Antonio had a good time on their road trip although they enjoyed Salamanca much more than Madrid.

At 7:15 I walked over to Mamma Mia restaurant in the direction of Plaza de Toros for the surprise birthday party for one of the girls in my program.  It was nice to see a lot of people from my program and Yessie had a good time.

Of Sleepy, Gray Giants and Waterfalls

December 7th.

We got an early start on the day as we had eaten breakfast and were out of the piso by 9:00am. It was clear out and we decided to risk it and leave the umbrellas behind. We caught the bus from the bus stop in front of the apartment and took it all the way to the last stop at our destination of Virgen del Mar.  We walked along a road that wound through the country side.  We climbed to a church and graveyard where Mr. Salmón is buried.  We cut back down and walked up toward the cliffs of Virgen del Mar, where the waves crashed against the rocks and jagged spires jutted out of the water.  We explored this area for about an hour before meeting Mikey G down in the parking lot where we got in the car and drove with him to the national park of Río Asón about an hour away.

Rain pounded the windshield as we drove along twisting mountain roads in the beautiful scenery.  We were above a cloud bank and I marveled as we drove alongside the sleepy, gray giants.  When I thought it couldn't get any more beautiful, we turned the corner and I was greeted by a breathtaking sight of waterfalls and cascades that poured into the green valley below.  Mikey G told us more about the politics of the region, and the Vasque Country Nationalist movement.  He thought they were pretty stupid and could really care less if they wanted to secede.  He found it ironic how they always talked about how special their País Vasco was but always came to Cantabria as we could tell where the cars were from by their license plates.

We parked the car and headed up the dirt and gravel path toward the snow capped peaks, passing fields of green, grazing horses, and old stone walls.  We found some snow on the ground and had a mini snowball fight before turning around to drive back to Santander so that I wold have plenty of time for my flight.

After another round of excellent lentil soup, I packed my bags and said goodbye to Mama Salmón.  As she handed me a sack lunch,  she told me to visit again in the spring.

As we rode the bus to the bus station, Mike told me about his time in Prague.  I snapped a picture of a sign marking part of the trail of the Camino de Santiago (an adventure that I would like to do in the future).  At the bus station I said goodbye and thanks for a great couple of days.  I took the airport bus back to the airport where I had plenty of time to catch my plane.

The flight to Madrid was fast and I took the metro to the bus station.  The metro took almost an hour and I was happy that I had taken a taxi on Friday.  After eating my sack lunch from Mama Salmón and brushing my teeth, I got on the bus.  I managed to sleep a little on the bus.  We arrived in Granada at 2:30am.  I walked the 45 minutes back to my apartment, crawled into my bed, and fell asleep.