tag:blogs.bucknell.edu,2008:/studyabroad//22 2008-05-14T03:28:29Z New study abroad bloggers will soon begin chronicling their spring 2008 academic adventures across the globe -- from exotic Egypt and Europe to Down Under. Part of the global village, they're just a few of the more than 40 percent of Bucknell students who spend a portion of their undergraduate careers abroad. Join them as they travel the globe: Evan Unger '09, Management, explores Spain. Sarah Bunk '09, Civil Engineering, is in Australia. Mallory Coup '09, Anthropology and Religion, will be in Egypt. David Reiter '09, Accounting, visits Ireland. Kelly Frazier '09, Classics and Religion, chronicles Greece. Margaret Graham '09, Creative Writing and Art History, journeys to Italy. Lily Beauvilliers '09, Physics, French and Comparative Humanities, discovers France. Kelsey Cahill '09, Management, studies in Denmark. Jessica Vooris '09, English, continues her study abroad experience in England. Movable Type 3.33 tag:blogs.bucknell.edu,2008:/studyabroad//22.702 2008-05-10T18:01:14Z 2008-05-14T03:28:29Z

So today is officially my last day a Roma... my last day in Rome. Which means that this semester is over and summer vacation has begun. And that I am actually leaving Europe tomorrow to return to the (good ol')...

Margaret Graham last day in Rome. Which means that this semester is over and summer vacation has begun. And that I am actually leaving Europe tomorrow to return to the (good ol') US of A. What a strange and wonderful/disconcerting concept. But, as they say, tempus fugit. ]]> make a plaster cast sculpture. Then I got to see the storeroom, shown here, where he keeps a menagerie of his past creations. Awesome.

I took a 14-hour train ride to Vienna (with my fellow Bucknellian Sarah Schoenhut) and then, quite daringly, stayed in an apartment with a group of students who I'd met through my membership with www.couchsurfing.com (if you plan to travel on a budget and you like to meet new and interesting people, I highly suggest you look it up)... and it was probably the best trip of my entire semester. Not only was the city amazing, but our "host" Nikkola and her five flat mates made us feel totally welcome, cooking us meals and taking us out to university parties (which, to our amazement, actually took place in the building where they have classes... got to love those carefree Europeans). Meeting and talking to them about the vast differences between our cultures, our upbringings, and our views on the state of the world was fascinating.

I saw some of my most favorite works of art in person (I'll admit I cried a little each time from sheer joy) and fell absolutely head over heels in love with a few new artists [such as Kupka (whose work is seen below) and the incomparable Oskar Kokoschka].

I carved my initials in a block of marble with the same kinds of tools Bernini used to make his masterpieces.

I stood in the Coliseum with my parents and hummed the theme from the movie Gladiator. Then I took them around the city, translated for them, and showed them the sites, navigating the streets like a true Roman, without a map, without a doubt but with a smile.

I picked flowers in the Forum. I dipped my toes in the Mediterranean. I watched the sun set from the top of the Spanish Steps. I drank local wine from a vat and saw the vineyards where the grapes that made it were grown. I met people and I saw things that have changed me forever. I lived in Rome for five months and regardless of the fact that it may not have been perfect, I wouldn't have traded a minute of it. Not for the world.

]]> tag:blogs.bucknell.edu,2008:/studyabroad//22.694 2008-05-05T17:46:20Z 2008-05-05T18:25:57Z

Even though I have been in Copenhagen for nearly four months and feel very much at home here, I'm getting to learn the city all over again now that the weather is gorgeous. Everywhere I go people are sprawled out...

Kelsey Cahill Even though I have been in Copenhagen for nearly four months and feel very much at home here, I'm getting to learn the city all over again now that the weather is gorgeous. Everywhere I go people are sprawled out sunbathing in parks, most of which I had never even realized existed. The sun rises around 5 a.m. (or so I hear, you can be quite sure I have yet to experience this firsthand), and it's light until at least 9 p.m. Instead of hurrying around or avoiding the wind and rain of the outdoors, we now walk around all the streets with shops, sit outside cafes, and barbecue.

Most of the past few weeks have pretty much been a blur of work (lots of it, unfortunately) and play. With classes ending this week and finals next, I have had a lot of work and have regrettably had to sit inside writing papers and working on projects while the sun glares through my window. However, I've still found time to get out and do lots of things. One of my best friends from Bucknell came to visit last weekend and we had an awesome time. As much as I definitely love my friends and my time here, it's always nice to get a little taste of home. We went to the Carlsberg Brewery and Christiana, both of which I had done before but are definitely still worth revisiting. We also walked all around the city visiting things like the Little Mermaid or the Royal Family's palace, all of which I did my first day in Copenhagen but appreciated very little at the time due to my severe jetlag. On Sunday we took a day trip to Malmo, Sweden, about a 30-minute beautiful train ride away. We hadn't done much research about Malmo before we went, which I somewhat regret, as we realized once we arrived that we really had no idea what to do there. We ended up just getting lunch and walking around for a few hours which was still really nice, and pretty fun to be able to just jump on a train and go to another country for the afternoon.

In Malmo

Me and Kathleen

View from the train Soccer has also picked up a lot and we've had at least one game a week, often two, in addition to practices. The games are pretty competitive but the social part of the team is also huge; we had a team party last weekend and have beers in the locker room after every game. (I would typically prefer a Gatorade or water, but I guess it's part of embracing the culture!) One difference I found particularly interesting between sports at home and soccer here is the outlook on the individual versus the team. In my experience in the U.S., the most valuable player is generally rewarded for playing so well; in my club in Denmark, the player who is chosen to have played best that game has to do the team's laundry and bring beer for the next game. Our coach explained that the point of this is to emphasize that the player who excelled couldn't have done so without the rest of the team, so this is their way of thanking them. I suppose it makes some sense but all of us Americans were still pretty thrown off. Joining a soccer team is definitely one aspect of my semester abroad that I am really glad I took advantage of and by this point I really know some of the Danish players and coaches pretty well. I really appreciate that, as I haven't really gotten to know many other Danes, which may be something I'll look back on and regret to some extent. However, I am having an amazing time with my American friends and know that I've met people I'll keep in touch with back home, so I can't really complain too much! We have all recently discovered the grill at our kollegium and have taken complete advantage of it; the past few days have pretty much consisted of us sitting out on the deck (or more accurately huge, ugly, steel overhang on our floor of the dorm) soaking up the sun and grilling pretty much any food we can find in our fridges. If we're lucky, we'll get some homework done out there too, although I have yet to really experience that part.

The next two weeks should be extremely busy with finals and trying to enjoy the rest of what Copenhagen has to offer, so if I don't write before then I'll definitely close things up once I'm back home!]]> tag:blogs.bucknell.edu,2008:/studyabroad//22.693 2008-05-05T12:32:43Z 2008-05-05T13:45:07Z

This is a story I wrote in my Writing From the Self course. Since it is a true account of something that happened to me this past February in Bath, I thought it would be something to post here in...

Jessica Vooris This is a story I wrote in my Writing From the Self course. Since it is a true account of something that happened to me this past February in Bath, I thought it would be something to post here in the blog. Everyone on the streets of Bath this cold February night walks hurriedly, heads ducked into coats, hands shoved into pockets. On a chilly night like this no-one wants to be hanging around. With only an hour between class and a meeting I don't have time to walk home to have dinner and then catch the bus up to campus, so I head down North Parade Street, then past the Abbey to go to Sainsbury's for some food. The square by the Abbey, which is filled with people and pigeons during the day, is now deserted. The Abbey is beautiful lit up, and I stop a moment to look at its splendor, tall tower and arching supports, gleaming stained glass windows, bright against the dark night sky. Unfortunately my nose is feeling slightly numb, so I don't stay long. I hurry past the Roman Baths, and the Pump Room, and then down the street towards Sainsbury's. Here my journey is slowed a little when I get stuck behind a couple holding hands who are walking at an unhurried pace. Just as I am about to step off the sidewalk to walk around them, from across the street a woman, with long brown hair, and a German Shepherd stumbles towards us. "Could you spare me 23 p," she asks, holding out her hand. With a slight hunching of their shoulders, the couple ignores her, continuing their conversation as if they haven't heard anything. She turns to me, "23 p, please, I just need 23 p." Always one to feel guilty about ignoring a person I find it even harder to ignore such a specific request. I dig into my pockets, even though I know the money is probably going to alcohol. I have seen this woman before, once in the middle of the afternoon in Bath Abbey Square, lying down drunk accompanied by a man, a wine bottle, and the German Shepherd. Tonight it was the dog that I recognized first. I sift through the coins in my hand using the pale orange street light to see. I have a 2 p, a 1 p, a 50 p but no 20 p. "Anything you can spare," she says, as I pick up the angled 50 p. "Here, you go," I say. "Cheers, love." She heads up the street, and I continue down to Sainsbury's, pondering the fact that I have just effectively thrown some money away. I then try to put it out of my mind as I enter the brightly lit store jam-packed with people. I mull over my dinner options in the "ready to go" section and finally choose a spicy chicken pasta for ₤1.80. Then wait in line listening to a bland woman's voice declare "till number two please," "till number four please," "till number one please" until, at last, it is my turn to go to "till number 5 please" before heading back out into the dark evening. I walk back up the street towards the Abbey. The woman is now sitting on the stoop of Boots, the German Shepherd lying beside her, a glass bottle wrapped in brown paper behind her. "Can you spare me some change," she asks. I slow my pace and remind her, "I've already given you money." "Oh yeah, I'm sorry, it's been a long night," she says slowly. When I was studying in Granada, Spain last semester I went to a talk by a volunteer organization called Solidarios. One of the many programs they ran was one where they would spend time visiting the homeless, bringing them hot chocolate and coffee, and more importantly, company. They said that one of the hardest aspects of being homeless is not lack of money or food, it is lack of human contact. Sometimes the homeless in Granada will go days without really speaking to someone. Thinking of this I stop, and then, not knowing what else to say, and curious about the fact that her request was so specific I ask, "Why 23p?" "For spirits," she replies. Alcohol, just what I thought. Then I feel awkward for having asked. I should have just walked by, I think to myself. Her dog sniffs at my hand holding the pasta. "Not for you dear," I say, "This is my dinner." "She's already eaten," the woman tells me, "This lady always gets her dinner first. Even if I don't eat, she gets fed." I feel guilty holding food, but don't know what to do. Give her the food, and then go back for more? But I don't really have the time to do that, or the extra money to spend. I stroke the dog's tawny brown and black head, "What's her name?" "Pepsi." "She's beautiful." I give her a pat; then not sure what else to say, get ready to go, "Well, have a good night." "That's a bit of condescending thing to say, isn't it?" she slurs, angry. I stop; look at the ground embarrassed, "I'm sorry." She leans back to look me in the eye, "Jus' say see you later." "Okay," I say, awkwardly, "See you later." Then walk off feeling like a complete idiot. Am I any better than the couple who pretended not to see her? What do I know about life on the streets? What kind of offering is fifty pence, and a "Good night?" And yet, sometimes a kind word is appreciated. A couple weeks ago, in Bath, I was one my way home with a housemate when we were asked by two men for money to buy alcohol. We just smiled, shook our heads and offered a cordial good evening. "Thank you ladies," they said, "At least you gave a kind word, that is more than many people do." Tonight I was only trying to be nice, it wasn't necessary for her to get angry with me and it's not my fault if she spends the money she gets from begging on alcohol instead of using it for food. But even these thoughts don't make me feel less uncomfortable about my blundering attempts at kindness. And later that evening as I eat my macaroni, it sticks in my throat. tag:blogs.bucknell.edu,2008:/studyabroad//22.692 2008-05-04T13:54:01Z 2008-05-05T13:40:53Z

The Greek Orthodox Easter is very different from the Western Catholic Easter celebrations. There are some similarities, like the selling of chocolate-shaped bunnies and the dying of hard boiled eggs, but when you break it down there are far more...

Kelly Frazier The Greek Orthodox Easter is very different from the Western Catholic Easter celebrations. There are some similarities, like the selling of chocolate-shaped bunnies and the dying of hard boiled eggs, but when you break it down there are far more differences.

]]> tag:blogs.bucknell.edu,2008:/studyabroad//22.691 2008-05-02T22:49:30Z 2008-05-05T13:34:56Z

This week was my crazy week. I had papers and creative writing portfolios due. Now I have a calm week before finals and then the semester is over. How did the semester go by so fast? What do you mean...

Jessica Vooris This week was my crazy week. I had papers and creative writing portfolios due. Now I have a calm week before finals and then the semester is over. How did the semester go by so fast? What do you mean I only have two weeks left? It has come as a bit of a shock, but I'm not freaking out the way I was at the end of last semester when I was preparing to leave Spain, because while I'll be very sad to say goodbye to my housemates, :( at least I'm not leaving England. I'll be here (or in Europe) until Aug. 11. Today I slept in till very late, something I haven't done in ages. I was out late last night at Mandalyn's with friends from the bath Uni lgbt group. Yesterday was the last meeting of the semester, and since everyone will be revising next week, and then having exams the week after, I probably won't see many of them again, except for the few that will still be in Bath over the summer. Their year ends May 31, and I won't be back here till June 6. I had a good time last night, just hanging out in the back of Mandalyn's talking and laughing. I'm going to miss everyone so much. Being part of the lgbt group at Bath Uni was such a rewarding experience. The meetings were well organized and usually quite educational. Each week there was usually a presentation on something, lgbt history for example, or campaigning, or transexuality. It was particularly interesting to learn about British lgbt culture and to share our American experiences. England is much more progressive than the states in regards to lgbt stuff. They have civil partnerships here, you aren't barred from being in the military, and, in general, society is a lot more relaxed about people of different sexualities. Of course it must be said that my experience back in the states has been shaped by the fact that I grew up in a very rural area, and the fact that Bucknell's lgbt community is quite small. Being lgbt in a large city in the U.S. is often a different story. As it is being in Bath. Obviously it is a city, which makes a difference, and it has two big universities, and there is also Bristol near by, which has a few gay clubs. Bath Uni has 11,000 students, so their lgbt population is quite big. The meetings are well attended, and with places like Mandalyn's it's easy to meet other lgbt folks. That doesn't mean it has been easy for all of my friends to come out, and some have experienced homophobic incidences on the Bath Uni campus, including being pushed around and being called names. And there isn't as much understanding in rural areas of England, or among the older generations, but on the whole, things are better here, certainly in a legal way anyway, and on a national level. There are places in the U.S. which are great in terms of lgbt rights, like Massachusetts and Vermont and areas where it is great to be gay, like NYC and other cities. But then you have places like Florida where you can't even be a foster parent, and they are trying to ban any type of legal contract that gives you the rights you get under a marriage agreement ... or Texas where it's only in the last five years that they got rid of the law that made homosexuality illegal and that's because the Supreme Court got involved. As a nation, we have a way to go. Sorry -- I didn't mean to get so political, but I just find it frustrating that America, which is such a great nation in some ways, and is founded on the idea of freedom, is so behind the rest of the western world when it comes to lgbt rights. Anyway, along with being rewarding on an activist/political/educational level, I also enjoyed the lgbt Bath Uni group because of all the friends I made. It was great to take the bus up to the Uni every week to see them, and then go down to Mandalyn's afterwards. It's been fun. And we don't always talk lgbt stuff. We talk about our families, music, TV, whether we would like to be twins, if we could change our names what would we change them to ... anything really. Yesterday, one of the things we talked the most about was the difference in university systems. My friend found the varieties of schools in the U.S. to be astounding. The fact that there are colleges that only have 600 students and then there are some that have 50,000 was shocking to him. Of course, the U.S. is so much bigger than England, something which we all know on an informatinal level, but the actual comprehension of the size of the states can be hard. I, myself, sometimes forget how big America is, and how much it can differ from state to state. We also tried to explain the differences between public and private, and of course we talked about the cost. The government has only just introduced fees here, and students complain about the cost, because it is a change from it being free, but the amount they are paying is nothing compared to what we are used to paying in the states. They have to maybe pay $6,000 a year and it is often subsidized. And yet, many people still struggle with the cost. The amounts we pay is incomprehensible to them. I guess part of it is that in America people know they are going to be paying tons for school, so they save up. Or go into debt. Or hopefully get a scholarship. Or chose a school based on how much you can pay, or how much they offer you to go there. Also, sports are big in colleges in the U.S., and they are not here. University is for academics. You can play sports, but it isn't valued like in the states. So, back to today. Like I said before, I got up really late, and then decided to do something useful with my day. All this semester I have wanted to get up to see the place where my granparents lived the year I was six and my family and I lived in Manchester. I tried to find it a couple of weeks ago, but while I found some neat places, including Lansdowne Crescent, which has sheep grazing on it, I didn't find the road I was looking for. Today I found it! And I recognized the street and the park, it was almost just like my memories, except everything seems smaller now. The playground is what I remember the most about visiting them and the set of bars that we played on is still there and they have added a set of swings. I used to have so much fun playing there. I sat down on a bench to write in my journal, and the children who were playing on the swings, still in their school uniforms, having just gotten out of school, called out to me. First they asked what I was writing, and then they asked if I would draw a picture of them. So I did, and the littlest one, who was playing on the bars, came over to watch. "She's drawing your head really fat, Tabby," she yelled to the other girl. So then Tabby and Tom P. came over to look at the picture I was drawing. Bea, who was five, then asked if she could draw something, and decided to draw me. Her picture is quite amusing. She asked if she should draw me in a dress. "Well, I don't usually wear dresses," I said. "Oh, are you a tomboy then?" she said. "Yeah." I replied. Although I've never heard the word tomboy applied to anyone older than 12 or 13, it still does fit I suppose. :) She was cute. I talked to Tabby, who is seven, for a while. She read over my shoulder and noticed that I wrote "mom" instead of "mum" and she thought that was funny. And her eyes got really big and round when I told her about the differences in American and British spellings of "color" and "colour" and "realize" and "realise." "What about the word nose?" she asked. "That's still spelled with an s," I said. When I told her that cars are driven on the other side of the road in America, and the driver is on the other side of the car, she asked me if it was hard for me to drive here, since everything was mixed up. So I tried to explain that I don't know how to drive stick shift, "manual" as they call it here, so I can't drive the cars here. "Oh, you mean the thing in the middle with the letters on it?" she asked, not sure what a stick shift is. And she giggled when I said that we say "pants" instead of trousers. Actually, that reminds me of a funny story about the whole pants/trousers confusion. My housemates were talking about packing, and how difficult it is going to be to get everything back to the states. They were discussing the benefits of rolling versus folding clothes. "But what about pants?" my roommate asked, "Do you roll or fold them?" "Why do either?" I said, "I normally just shove them in where-ever they fit. You don't really take the time to fold them do you?" "Um, Jessica, we're talking in American," they said. "What?" "We're talking about the things you call trousers. Not underwear." "Oh!" Haha. I totally thought we were talking about underwear. Oh English. Well, I shall leave this here, I should get to bed. I have GayWest tomorrow morning, and then I have a camping party tomorrow night which I'm excited about. Hopefully the rain will hold off. P.S Sarah, I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one with the Meriland/Mary-Land problem! And it also annoys the hell out of me that the moment I open my mouth I'm marked as an American. It sometimes doesn't even take more than one word, and then they are asking where I'm from. Of course this can come in handy sometimes. Last weeken,d my favorite American author Jodi Picoult was here in Bath signing books. (It was sooooo amazing to meet her!!!) As soon as I opened my mouth, she surprisingly asked, "Oh, where are you from?" And I knew she meant where in the States. "Maryland" I said, the way I would normally. And then of course came the questions of why I was here, so I explained how we (my housemate who is a huge fan came along with me) were studying abroad, etc. So this was one time I was glad to have a recognizable accent. In this instance I was happy to be an American meeting another fellow American. She seemed really excited to meet us, which was cool. :) For anyone how hasn't read any of Jodi Picoult's books, you are really missing out, she is awesome! Try The Pact, or My Sister's Keeper. They'll blow you away. Good luck with the rest of finals!! tag:blogs.bucknell.edu,2008:/studyabroad//22.685 2008-04-29T23:30:38Z 2008-04-30T18:34:45Z

I absolutely cannot believe that I leave Rome in less than two weeks! But I can't say I wasn't warned... I mean, everyone I've ever know who went abroad told me (more than once), that it was going to a)...

Margaret Graham I absolutely cannot believe that I leave Rome in less than two weeks! But I can't say I wasn't warned... I mean, everyone I've ever know who went abroad told me (more than once), that it was going to a) be the best time of my life, and, b) it was going to feel like only the blink of an eye. Personally, I think that was a bit of an understatement. Either way, knowing that it's all slipping away from me, day by day, I'm certainly beginning to appreciate all the wonderful things I've seen and done thus far.

Honestly, it may look like something straight out of Jane Austen ... or perhaps Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream ... but it was so much more than that. So, as I heave a monumental sigh to think that already so much time has passed between now and then, between now and the beginning of this semester, between now and when I first decided to come to Rome, I remember...

"GATHER ye rosebuds while ye may, Old time is still a-flying : And this same flower that smiles to-day To-morrow will be dying." - Robert Herrick]]> tag:blogs.bucknell.edu,2008:/studyabroad//22.684 2008-04-29T17:17:45Z 2008-04-30T15:33:03Z

No worries, mate, I'm still alive and well down here. The past few weeks have been what should be my busiest weeks of the semester in terms of school work. Midterms (yes, I know you all are finishing up), projects,...

Sarah Bunk No worries, mate, I'm still alive and well down here. The past few weeks have been what should be my busiest weeks of the semester in terms of school work. Midterms (yes, I know you all are finishing up), projects, presentations, assignments...why is it that professors feel the need to make everything due at the same time? Also, before this weekend, it rained for about two weeks straight. Cold and rainy? Wait, am I in London or Sydney? But seriously, folks, I didn't realize how cold it would get here! Tonight (aka right now) it is going to be in the 40s. Fahrenheit. I'm really appreciating all the warm clothes that everyone teased me about for bringing. It is a little depressing that the weather is only going to get worse while I'm here. OK, time to talk about all the fun things that have happened! Library

Library door. These are the faces of a bunch of important guys in Australian history. They are all labeled, but you can't see it in the picture.

Glad to see that the native people are represented as well.

In the foyer of the library.

The floor is this map which shows the western coast of Australia. The western coast of Australia was actually charted/explored about 150 years before the east coast. Most west coast investigation was done by the Dutch.

Inside the Mitchell Library wing. This picture doesn't do it justice. This past Friday was Anzac Day (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps). It's kind of like Memorial Day and there were ceremonies at various monuments around the city. In the morning, I went to the Powerhouse Museum to see an exhibit on Princess Diana. I'm not sure if it's going to be traveling to the U.S., but if it does, I recommend it. I explored the rest of the museum and headed out into the city to see if I could find any Anzac fun. Other than people in uniform everywhere (particularly the bars), nothing seemed to be going on. I visited a few of the memorials, had a picnic lunch in the botanic gardens, and caught the 5 p.m. services in Martin Place (location of one of the memorials).

Memorial in Martin Place On Saturday some friends and I got together for dinner and went to a rugby game. We had a bit of a struggle getting to the stadium, but everything worked out. The game was between the Waratahs from New South Wales and the Sharks, a South African team. We had great seats, the Waratahs won, and it was an all-around good time. The stadium was very nice and the crowd was much less rowdy than I expected. We had an old man sitting next to us that kept yelling ridiculously funny things about the other team. He kept the entire section laughing. Rugby was an interesting game. It was a rugby union game (there are three different leagues of rugby in Australia - all with different rules) so the whistle wasn't blown when people were tackled and the players were able to get more physical and fight more. It kept the game moving and made it more interesting to watch. Interestingly, there was no announcer at the game, so there was very little to help me understand what was going on. We ended up walking the 3.5 miles back to the University, though it didn't seem very far at all. I guess that's what happens when you walk everywhere.

Bucknellians (Lindsay Alexander and I) love the Waratahs! As I said before, Saturday and Sunday were the first warm and sunny days after two weeks of depressing weather. Wanting to take advantage of possibly the last beach day of the season, Brittany and I headed for coast. We took the ferry across the harbour to Manly. We crossed the isthmus from the harbour-side to the ocean-side, arriving at Manly Beach. Although it was a nice day, the wind off the ocean was strong and it was a little too chilly to spend much time sitting on the beach.

Sunrise from my window.

Looking back at the city from the ferry. This is right around where we would go sailing. We would always have to be on a lookout for the ferries. So here mom, this is almost as good as taking pictures when I'm out sailing.

Manly Beach

Manly Beach We were soon heading up the coast to a smaller beach and then through some trails to the top of the cliffs at the ocean's edge. At the top of the cliffs you could look up the coast and identify a handful of other beaches and coves. Brittany and I enjoyed our lunches at one of these cliffs and I almost had to grab her by the ankles to prevent her from jumping over the edge after her camera, which came dangerously close to being lost. Fortunately, the four of us (me, Brittany, my camera, and her camera) were soon on our way up the peninsula towards the North Head.

Me standing on the cliff where we ate lunch.

The view down the coast from where we ate lunch.

Fun flowers growing along the trail.

Wetland area on top of the cliff? Weird. We heard a lot of frogs.

I checked under all the cars, but alas, didn't find any furry friends. The view from North Head was breathtaking and provided a good view of where I had walked during my adventures at South Head back in March. Brittany and I kept commenting, "We live here!" when looking out at the view of the ocean, harbour, city, and suburbs.

That peninsula is the South Head. The point on the right of the peninsula (there's a light house and building there) is where I took a lot of my pictures from. I walked left along the cliffs to the white light house (Macquarie Lighthouse) that is in the middle of the picture.

On our way back to the ferry, we walked through some residential areas and found our way to a little local beach. It was great to see families out enjoying the evening and people sitting around playing guitars - it was straight out of a movie. The adventure lasted longer than either of us had anticipated and I was nervous that I wouldn't make it back to John's before dinner. Unlike Bucknell, food is not available all the time, and on Sunday dinner is only served from 6:30-7:30. We were the first ones off the ferry to the city and I literally ran down the street to catch a bus heading home, yelling back to Brittany that I'd talk to her the next day. Because I know you all care, I did make it back in time to grab some food.

Sunset on the harbour side of Manly. Monday was pretty typical: class, class, formal dinner - you know, the usual. Before dinner I was walking around King Street (the main street of Newtown, a neighbourhood near campus), and within half an hour I ran into five people that I knew! I love how even in a city of 4 million I can still randomly see people I know. Even when I'm in downtown Sydney, I sometimes see people that I know. While visiting a coffee shop in a random neighborhood near where I took my sailing lessons, we were served by a guy who was in one of my roommate's classes. Today was Becca's birthday, so a bunch of us got together to celebrate. We started by having a mini picnic of Tim Tams, homemade no-bake cookies, and sparkling cranberry juice in the botanic gardens. We were there during the sunset and had a wonderful view of the opera house, the bridge, and the harbour. We then headed to one of our regular spots, The Flying Fajita Sistas, a Mexican restaurant in Glebe. We met up with another friend and enjoyed chips, guacamole, salsa, and tacos (it was $3 taco night!). After several rounds of chips, we moved a few doors down to San Churro Chocolateria. Because we clearly needed more food, we stuffed ourselves with churros, chocolate sauce, chocolate milkshakes, and chocolate-covered strawberries. More people joined the group while we were there, and after a few hours, we rolled ourselves home.

I must say, that I really do love Sydney. I've always been the girl who hated cities and who would want to live in the country, but I've become surprisingly fond of city life, and I definitely think I could live here. I love having the ability to walk everywhere and to able to use transportation for anywhere far. There is so much to see and to do here, and it's all in my backyard. The harbor is beautiful, and quite a bit of its coastline is undeveloped parkland. One doesn't have to go far from the city centre to find National Parks - many of which have stops on the train lines. Hum...what are some things have I observed since I've been here...? Well, when I'm alone (in classes or out around the city), I try to keep my mouth shut as much as possible. I know that as soon as I say anything, everyone will know that I'm an American. They can probably already tell by the way I'm dressed, but oh well, I like to pretend that I blend in. There have been multiple occasions where someone who I just met (as in I have said nothing, just my name, or answered yes or no questions) asks me where I'm from and when I say "The U.S." they reply, in an incredibly annoying tone, "Yeah, I know. What part?" Ahhh! This annoys me beyond belief. I could be Canadian, you know! And then when you reply "Maryland" they almost all look at you blankly before asking "Is that close to New York?" Sometimes if I pronounce it "Mary Land" instead of "Mairlind" I'll get a positive response...but not usually. I know (blogger) Jessica Vooris mentioned this issue in one of her previous posts. Jess, I feel your pain! I've also experienced this feel-good conversation: Girl: So where are you from? Me: The U.S. Girl: I couldn't tell by your accent. (Not at all sarcastically) Me: Really? (Getting excited that maybe I was doing a better job of blending in) Girl: No, I was being sarcastic, your accent is really strong. Me: Oh... (feeling dumb) I FINALLY had someone ask me if I was American or Canadian on Monday. It only took three months. I've also found that most non-native English speaking people are not able to pick up on my accent, so it takes an actual conversation for them to find out I'm American. This is always fun. When people do find out that I'm American, they always ask me about the election. I don't know, but I don't typically ask someone who I just met who they are going to vote for. I just saw that (blogger) Evan Unger made a comment about people being "rude" when walking down the street, and thought I'd add my two cents. I have found that it is more correct to walk on the left hand side of the sidewalk, but that people frequently don't observe this "rule." Also, I haven't noticed this downtown, but on campus, where there are a lot of narrow sidewalks, people make no effort to get out of the way of people coming from the opposite direction. Many sidewalks are only two people wide. One would think that if two people were walking together side by side, and another person was walking towards them, that one of the two people would move behind the other so that everyone could pass on the sidewalk. Here, if you are the one walking towards them, you have to step off the sidewalk into the street or get friendly with the spiders in the bushes while passing them - people walking together generally make no effort to make room for anyone else on the sidewalk. I've noticed this time and time again (multiple times a day) and so have some of the other Americans here. I keep saying that one time I'm going to hold my ground and see what happens, but I keep chickening out. Perhaps I'll make a comment or two updating you all (once again) on the outrageous prices here. Bottle of soda, 600 mL (about 20 oz), $3 . Greeting cards, $5-$8. Normal-sized candy bar from a vending machine, $2. One day I'll take a camera into a store so we can all enjoy the ridiculous prices. Nothing is free here. The dining establishments on campus and other random restaurants charge you for ketchup (tomato sauce)...40 cents a packet. You're going to eat in a restaurant instead of getting take away? Extra charge. You're going to pay with a credit card? Extra charge. I didn't realize that there is also an extra charge at home for using credit cards but that the businesses absorb the cost instead of passing it directly to the customer. The exchange rate is getting worse again - I've gotten in the habit of checking out the rates every time I pass a bank. This post has gotten a little depressing, and I'm sorry for that. I would like to talk about the light, fluffy, happy things all the time, but then I would be leaving out a lot of the important frustrations of living in another country. I hope it doesn't sound like I'm whining too much, I just want to talk about observations, even the not-so-glamorous ones, that I've made while in Australia. Some random pictures:

Covered walkway of the General Post Office.

General Post Office.

The Strand Arcade...classy shopping mall.

The Governor Phillip Fountain. Just for fun, a sign by the fountain reads: "The Governor Phillip Fountain is the only large neo-classical fountain in Sydney and was the most expensive public sculpture produced in Australia in the 19th century."

Boats I've gone sailing on.

Looking back down the dock. CYCA stands for Cruising Yacht Club of Australia...where I took my lessons.

The Conservatorium of Music (aka The Con), the former stables of the first Government House (mentioned in my previous entry). ]]> tag:blogs.bucknell.edu,2008:/studyabroad//22.681 2008-04-28T20:54:05Z 2008-04-29T13:25:05Z

I've been living in Europe now for more than 16 weeks, which to me is mind-boggling. I feel that after 16 weeks I have gotten a good glimpse into the European lifestyle. Look's take a look of what I love,...

Evan Unger I've been living in Europe now for more than 16 weeks, which to me is mind-boggling. I feel that after 16 weeks I have gotten a good glimpse into the European lifestyle. Look's take a look of what I love, hate, and flat out find interesting here in Spain. All of these are my personal observations from what I have experienced in Europe and I may be stereotyping or even offending a few people or an entire nation. I apologize but when I leave Europe these are the impressions that I will take with me, even if they are incorrect. Ice Coffee

Mosque in Cordoba

Cool ceiling

Gardens

Group Shot

Fancy pool

Trina and Farzeen

The beach

Sailboat

Churros!

Winnie the Pooh

]]> tag:blogs.bucknell.edu,2008:/studyabroad//22.677 2008-04-24T00:42:32Z 2008-04-24T15:42:25Z

The task of documenting my 25-day Spring Break trip is pretty terrifying. My journey started exactly one month ago, so remembering the details that made the trip so great might be tough. On top of that, I've written about 4,000...

David Reiter The task of documenting my 25-day Spring Break trip is pretty terrifying. My journey started exactly one month ago, so remembering the details that made the trip so great might be tough. On top of that, I've written about 4,000 words in papers in the past few days. No time to rest though, because if I wait much longer the memories will be lost forever. Plus, answering the question, "How was your trip?" a million times gets pretty old... How do you answer such a general question? I usually just go with "good." Due to popular demand, here's a more thorough description for your reading pleasure. Ready. Go. Prague: The Land of Kronbars, Sausages, and Canadian Tourists March 23 - 27 For the first leg of my trip, I was traveling with my buddies Jon (of Boston) and Brian (of San Francisco). Due to the fact that we are borderline insane, our flight from Cork Airport was departing at around 6:20 a.m., so our taxi arrived to pick us up around 4. After waiting in the taxi for about a half hour for Brian to pack, we finally could start our epic trip on no sleep. Oh, just a side note - never buy food in an airport. Jon bought a little breakfast of eggs and juice and it cost him about 15 euro. Besides that little financial setback, our first of seven flights on the trip went pretty smoothly. We arrived in Prague and navigated our way to the correct subway stop. As we exited the station, we took a ride on the biggest escalator I have ever seen in my life. Seriously, it was massive. And it was fast too. Really fast. Upon reaching the surface, we were greeted with a lovely snowstorm. After sloggin' through the snow for a little while we eventually found our hostel.

We opened the huge wooden doors of the old-looking building, and found ourselves in a dark stone hallway. It was spooky, and we couldn't find a light switch. Eventually we found some stairs and opened the door to Ace Hostel. A little living room area, a few rooms, a few bathrooms ... seemed pretty basic, which was just fine and dandy for three students on a budget. Ace Hostel, however, exceeded our expectations. This trip has taught me that traveling is more about who you meet than what you see. I met some really cool and interesting people on this trip, especially in Ace Hostel. There was Shea, an 18-year-old kid who was spending a year in Coventry, England, volunteering to help out physically disabled young people. His job was essentially to go out with the kids and make sure they have a good time. Shea is from northern Canada... like, 30 hours north of Calgary or something. He was really funny and intelligent; I couldn't believe he was only 18. My friends joked that I had a bit of a man-crush on him, which is probably true. Then there was Liam, a 26-year-old guy who is in the process of a four-and-a-half month backpacking trip. Liam was really funny too... and also Canadian. Bonnie was a 34-year-old hippy who was really interesting to talk to. She acted young, looked young, and was traveling like a young person... but she's 34. It was kind of strange but kind of cool (she was also a Canadian... weird). We also met a few Irish girls, and a few groups of American girls who were also on their Spring Break. Then there was a group of guys (I think they were from Switzerland but I'm not sure) who only spoke French. I don't know any French, yet was somehow friends with them by the end of the trip. At night, the group at the hostel all went out together. One night we went to the backroom of a little pub where an amazing blues band was playing... the guitarist once opened for B.B. King. Another night we went out to a five-story club, with a different genre of music playing on each floor. Meeting people in hostels when you are traveling is much different than other circumstances. There is just an immediate bond that only smelly people living out of a backpack can have. We made friends with people aged 18 through 34, who spoke different languages, and were from different countries. I'm even Facebook friends with a few of them (you know it's serious when its 'facebook official'). Liam is actually going to crash in my apartment when he visits Cork at the end of May. Anyway, back to the actual city. Prague is amazing. Literally every building in the city is beautiful and interesting-looking. Our hostel was in the section of the city known as "Old Town." In Old Town, there was a square that was bustling with people and noise. Tents were set up selling food everywhere, street performers were amusing crowds, and bizarre Czech performances were presented on a stage. I personally spent 220 crowns (the Czech currency, which for some reason my friends and I started calling "kronbars" because we misheard the pronunciation of the word. The word "kronbar" just stuck for some reason). 220 crowns equals about 8 or 9 euro which isn't too big of a deal, but handing over a bill with the number "200" on it is very disturbing. We also bought kielbasa sausages. They only cost 50 kronbars, so we had a sausage once or twice a day. You know what they say -- a sausage a day keeps the doctor away.

Speaking of food, I almost forgot to tell you about the sushi buffet we found. Yes, a sushi buffet. I had sushi with my BFF Justin for the first time back in December before I left, and I loved it. I know what you're thinking -- "sushi in the middle of Europe, that makes no sense". We gave it some serious thought and realized that eating mysterious raw fish was a great idea. The restaurant was on the top floor of a HUGE mall. We paid about 300 kronbars to get in, and sat down at a table. There was a conveyer belt that ran through the restaurant with little plates of food on it, and you just grabbed whatever you want. It was very exciting, and very competitive. If you saw something tasty you better have grabbed it before someone else did. There was a lot of tension at the table as the eating frenzy began. The top row was Chinese and Japanese food, and the bottom row was sushi. Brian and I ate way too much. I couldn't even stand up straight and Brian actually fell asleep at the table. It was remarkable. Memories like that will be cherished forever.

One day, we did one of those city bus tours, which is always a good thing to do in a new city. We saw all the sites and the city continued to amaze me. So much culture, amazing architecture, and interesting side streets -- Prague is da bomb diggity. We figured we should do something educational, since we were having such a great time. About an hour outside of Prague is Terezin Concentration Camp, and we decided we wanted to check it out. The bus station was right near our hostel, but we weren't sure of its exact location, so we just decided to take the subway to the bus station. And that was a fatal mistake. Everyone kind of just wanders on and off the trains in Prague, and we rarely noticed anyone buying tickets. We figured we could just buy them down there if someone asked... they were very cheap so we didn't think it was a big deal. On this particular day we were stopped by ticket checkers. I punched one in the face and dropkicked the other one in the stomach, and I ran out of there. Eventually the cops caught me and I spent the next four days in a Czech prison. Okay that's a lie, even though I did briefly consider running for it. The ticket checkers didn't speak much English so we couldn't sweet talk our way out of the situation. They handed us a ticket -- by ticket a mean a fine, not like a train ticket. Our ten second train ride that should have cost 20 kronbars ended up costing us 700 kronbars (so I handed over my thousand Crown bill... ouch). That's like 30 euro! We were depressed, but at least we learned a valuable life lesson. Hooray! I will keep that little ticket notice in my wallet for the rest of my life. The day continued to pose challenges for us. We got to the bus station, but what bus should we get on? I don't know. We finally found an employee that spoke English and she pointed us in the right direction. "Terezin?" we asked the bus driver. He nodded. "How much?" we asked. He didn't respond. He just looked at us like we were aliens of some sort. We eventually gave up on communicating with him and just handed him some money and sat down. We weren't even sure we were going to the right place, but hey, how lost can you get in the Czech Republic, right? We saw the concentration camp and got off. It was actually a very moving experience ... kind of put our 700 kronbar fine in perspective. Getting into the facility was our first challenge, since we didn't have enough cash left and they didn't take credit cards. Eventually we found a stand that gave us kronbars for euros, so we made the exchange and got in. As we walked up to the facility, we noticed a huge field of graves, most of them unmarked. Terezin seemed like a terrible place to be, but get this -- it was actually one of the nicer camps. Inspectors were sent to this camp because it wasn't as bad as the others. Disturbing stuff.

I could go on about Prague for at least another few pages, but this post is already going to be a monster, so I'll move on. As we boarded our 11:30 p.m. flight, we left the snow and awesomeness of Prague behind for the warmth and awesomeness of Greece. Prague was Prague-tastic. Maybe even Prague-tacular.

Traditional Czech Goulash. So good. Greece Lightening Oh Sandy! March 28th - April 2nd We landed in Athens at about 2:30 a.m. or so. We didn't have a hostel reservation for that night and we figured public transportation would not be running yet, so we attempted to sleep next to the baggage claim. It was not pleasant. While Brian passed out immediately, Jon and I sat there, ridiculously tired and pretty uncomfortable. At about 4:30 we woke a disgruntled Brian up and jumped on a bus. Then we wandered through Athens trying to find our hostel. We finally arrived at Athens Backpackers, where we had about six hours or so before we could check in. We went to sleep on the couches in the lobby, and I imagine we looked like homeless people. We essentially were homeless people if you think about it. Anyway, Athens Backpackers was a lot different from the hostel in Prague -- it was a very trendy, modern looking, loud place. It was run by Australians, and they were all very friendly, but the place didn't have the homey intimate atmosphere that we enjoyed in Prague. A few days later, we switched to another hostel ... it was more like a hotel, actually. We opened the door, and to our shock and horror, there was one small bed and one big bed for the three of us. Jon and I slept in the same bed, and we swore to never speak of the disturbing experience again. Another disturbing part of the hotel was the bathroom - you couldn't flush toilet paper down the toilet. There was a sign that said we had to throw it in the garbage... gross. Our first afternoon in Athens was discouraging. We wandered around aimlessly and all we could find were apartment buildings and slums. Is this all Athens had to offer? We were wrong, of course. The next morning we went on a walking tour -- we saw the original Olympic stadium, the changing of the guard at Parliament (or some government building), and walked through some squares and markets. There were ancient ruins throughout the entire city -- it's interesting to see modern buildings and amenities mixed in with ancient ruins. Another thing - Athens is also full of people selling junk on the streets -- fake sunglasses, purses, etc. One of our favorite pastimes was sitting on a bench as the street salesmen frantically ran away from the cops. Cruel, but funny.

Me outside the first Olympic stadium We went to several museums in Athens, which were pretty interesting ... for a while. Eventually it was just statue after statue, artifact after artifact. Jon loves that stuff so we spent a lot of time there, but it was a bit boring after a while. I prefer wandering around aimlessly, finding good views and scenery, watching street performers, and interacting with the people and things first-hand as opposed to looking at sculptors and museums. Traveling with people requires compromise sometimes. But hey, it was good to see the museums anyway. One of my favorite parts of the trip was our afternoon on the Acropolis. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day, so we figured it was a good time to see the Acropolis. It was stunning. I can't even fathom how people built those massive temples and structures thousands of years ago. Sitting in the ancient theater, I tried to imagine how many people sat in the exact location I was sitting throughout history, and it was a pretty cool feeling. When we made it up to the top, the Parthenon was what first caught my attention, of course. That thing has been standing for thousands of years, it's amazing. Then I looked around and took in the view of the city... it was pretty glorious. Next, we found a patch of grass and hung out in silence for a little while, kind of just taking the whole scene in. It was therapeutic in a way.

Brian and I in the ampitheater on the Acropolis

Water fountain with the power of Zeus

Jon, Brian, and me

One day, we took a subway to the ocean and decided we were going to visit one of the Greek Islands. After wandering around the peer for a while, we finally found out where to buy tickets. The boat was basically a plane on water, it was really fast. An hour later we arrived on the island of Puros. It's not one of the major tourist spots, which was a good thing. Everyone there travels by moped, so we went to a shop to rent them for the day. The guy asked to see our driver's licenses, so I showed him mine. In order to rent a moped, you needed to be a licensed driver for a year or more. This passed summer, I got a new license because my old one was expiring... so the license said it was issued in the less than a year ago. The moped rental guy refused to believe me when I explained I have been a licensed driver for four and a half years, and there was no way I was riding on the back of one of my friend's mopeds, so we walked. And walked. And walked. Eventually we found a little beach and had it all to ourselves. It was like nothing I've ever seen - the water looked a bit like the Caribbean, but the rest of the scenery had a European feel. We laid around, took a swim in the freezing water, and before we knew it, it was time to catch our boat back to the mainland.

Me getting some sweet air in Puros Greece wasn't all fun and games. One day, Brian and I picked up a sack of delicious strawberries from a street vendor. While we munched on the fruit, we wandered towards the Temple of Zeus to meet up with Jon. As we crossed the street, the crosswalk light turned red. There was a line of mopeds waiting for us to get out of the way, so I started a half jog. As I started my jog, Brian yelled in a ridiculously high pitched voice "dave. Dave! DAVE!" A speeding car flew by my face, and came within inches of ending my life. Then I ate the rest of the strawberries. Man, those strawberries were awesome.

Just like sausages were our food of choice in Prague, gyros were our food of choice in Greece. We would get at least a few of those bad boys per day, they were delicious. By the way, restaurant owners in Greece are extremely aggressive. They are out in front of their stores begging you to come in. I think it's a terrible business tactic -- if I'm outside a restaurant looking over the menu, I may or may not decide to come in. If some guy is coming out and bothering me, I'm going to walk away regardless. Oh well. I almost forgot about one of the coolest parts of my time in Greece. It was about 6 p.m. and we were returning from a day of activities when a roommate in our hostel shared some top-secret information. He had noticed that there seemed to be police everywhere during the day, so he asked one of them what was going on. He was informed that at around 7 p.m., the Olympic torch would be passed and ran through Athens. We jumped out of our room and walked over to the main street, where a small crowd was gathering. The flame always starts in Athens because it was home to the first Olympics. Seeing this moment was quite a thrill. The media weren't even told about the event, so it was pure luck. I didn't get any great pictures because a van parked right in my way, but here's my best one.

Prague had basically marked the end of our nightlife experience on the trip. In Greece we went out just one night, and the streets were packed. I mean PACKED. You couldn't even move, and that was before we even went into any pub. It was pretty terrible. Additionally, when traveling, you need to make a choice -- wake up early and enjoy your day, seeing all that you can -- or going out until late and sleeping half the day away. The choice was pretty clear to me. We probably spent one or two more days than necessary in Athens, so by the morning of April 2, we were excited to go to Rome. Jon lost his boarding pass at the airport, but he got another one and luckily we had another smooth flight. Rome Sopresso! SOPRESSO! April 2 - 5 For the rest of the trip, we spent less time in more cities, rather than a lot of time in a few cities. I liked the "spend more time in less cities" approach better... you get a true feel of the city that way, but oh well. We landed in Rome and took a long train ride to the city center. We found our hostel and were immediately ready to check the city out. We wandered around Rome, and there really was so much to see.... Yet I'm struggling to think of the specifics. Hmmm. We saw a few squares with cool street performers, found a bunch of really nice views, and some historic ruins. Rome was similar to Athens in some ways -- ancient ruins everywhere, lots of time in museums looking a statues, and tons of tourists and people everywhere. But Rome has pizza. And gelato. Mmmmm. The pizza was overrated. I've definitely had better pizza back in Jersey. But the gelato was magical.

We met up with some of our friends that we would be traveling through Italy and Spain with in the Colleseum. After hugs and pleasantries were exchanged, we wandered through the ancient stadium. I'm a big fan of Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe... and unfortunately that movie is about the extent of my knowledge of ancient Rome. It was cool to picture what the place was like back in the day, that in that very spot men like Russell Crowe and scary animals were savagely killing each other for the entertainment of Emperors, like Joaquin Phoenix.

You can't go to Rome without seeing the Vatican, right? The first thing we did in the Vatican was touring St. Peter's Cathedral. This place was ridiculous. The paintings and gold and statues and everything else in there were stunning, but I really didn't get it. Italy is full of these cathedrals, St. Peter's being the most extravagant. What does all of this have to do with religion? Why were they spending millions of dollars on decorating these places instead of feeding starving people, for example. It all seems pretty silly, but it was still pretty awesome to see. We also went to the cupola, which is on top of the cathedral. We had a view of all of Rome from up there, which was nice.

Other Rome highlights: the Trevi Fountain, The Forum, The Spanish Steps, St. Peter's Square, etc.

Our time in Rome was up, so we went to the train station to head to Florence. Our train was at 5 o'clock, and we were there nice and early. Then on the big board in the train station, next to our train number, we saw the word "SOPRESSO". WHAT'S THAT MEAN?! We finally found out that our train was cancelled. So we waited around for a few hours for the next one, and low and behold, we were sopresso'd once again. At this point we were starting to worry. We jumped on another train and had to connect to Florence at a different station, but at least we could get there. So we boarded, and right before it left we realized that we forgot to validate our tickets. There was no way I was going to get fined again, so I sprinted like a lunatic to where tickets are validated, and jumped back on the train with no time to spare. It was intense. But we figured out where to switch trains and made it to Florence. The gods were against us but we took the sopresso and threw it back in their faces. Florence I'm out of catch-phrases April 5 - 7 There are so many Americans in Florence. I could hear American voices all around me, it was strange. Brian had a friend studying abroad there, and she was kind enough to show us all of the sites. It's a really nice city -- scenic, but smaller than Rome, which I liked. We saw the Duomo, which is a cathedral with an exterior that cannot be described in words. We also climbed a ton of steps to Michelangelo's Square, where we had an amazing view of the city and heard street performers play music. Finding live music on the streets was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Anyway, Florence is famous for its silk and leather. We went to a huge outdoor market selling all kinds of things. I bought a leather wallet (my current wallet is a Velcro one, I figure I need a big boy wallet for my internship this summer), a leather belt, and six silk ties. It was all cheap and I like ties. Don't judge me. I also bought presents for the sisters and mom, but don't tell them because I want it to be a surprise. Dad, you can share one of my ties. We wanted to see Michelangelo's David and some other museums in Florence, but it was a Monday, which meant they were all closed. That was kind of disappointing, but what can you do. After dinner that night, I met up with my friend Nicole, a Bucknellian studying in Florence. It was good to see a familiar face... I haven't seen anyone I know from America since December. We caught up and realized that Bucknell is still going on without us... weird thought. The next day I hung out with Nicole and fellow Bucknellians Sabrina and Lauren. It was good to see some friends, and they showed me things that most tourists wouldn't think of seeing. Another group of girls that I'm friends with in Cork were visiting Florence for one of the days we were there, so I gave them a call. It was while I was meeting up with the Bucknell girls outside the Duomo, and coincidentally that was exactly where the Cork girls were. I was being asked to hang out with three different groups of people at once, but I had to be loyal to the Bucknellians this time. I guess I'm a popular guy. The next morning, we took a train to Milan. We weren't sopresso'd this time, woohoo. Then we switched to catch a train to Bergamo, where our Ryan Air flight was taking off from. (Prepare yourself for a rant... here it comes)... I don't understand why people complain about Ryan Air so much. So they have bad customer service, and so they charge you ridiculous amounts of money to check a bag in, and so they are constantly advertising dumb products throughout the whole flight. So what, that instead of a food tray they just have a sticker on the back of the seat with emergency procedures. So what, the airports are an hour away from the city they say they are in. At those prices, I'm surprised and ecstatic that I don't have to flap my arms to help get the plane off the ground.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pause. Take a break, reader. Have a stretch, go to the restroom, grab a snack, etc. This is long. Davey's Superfun Random Travel Tip - Never take taxis unless you have no other options. Taxis rip tourists off. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Granada April 8 - 10 Granada. Hmmph. I liked it a lot. Umm. Now I'm going to take a dinner break, my brain is starting to burn out. BRB. Alright, where were we? Granada is also a great little city. Our hostel was down a little cobblestone alley, and it was really nice. All of the hostels in Spain were really nice for that matter. The roof of this place gave us a view of the whole city. One night, the cook in the hostel made paella and we ate it up on the roof while enjoying glasses of sangria as the sun set. It was magical.

We spent one day in Granada at the Alhambra. The Alhambra is ... well, I don't know what it is exactly. Wikipedia: The Alhambra (Arabic: الحمراء = Al-Ħamrā; literally "the red fortress") is a palace and fortress complex of the Moorish monarchs of Granada in southern Spain (known as Al-Andalus when the fortress was constructed), occupying a hilly terrace on the southeastern border of the city of Granada. Once the residence of the Muslim kings of Granada and their court, the Alhambra is now one of Spain's major tourist attractions exhibiting the country's most famous Islamic architecture, together with Christian 16th century and later interventions in buildings and gardens that marked its image as it can be seen today. Within the Alhambra, the Palace of Charles V was erected by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1527. My favorite part of the Alhambra was the walls in the palace. They had really intricate designs.

One night in Granada, our hostel offered transportation to hot springs about an hour outside the city. The stars were really clear out there, and we sat in the hot water and just chatted. It was necessary relaxation and a good bonding experience for me and my friends. Besides the Alhambra, the hot springs, and walking around, we didn't do much in Granada. Some of us were sick, some of us were hurt, and some of us were tired. Due to the fact that I am a flawless physical specimen, I still felt fine, but a little rest didn't hurt. My friend and fellow TKE is studying abroad in Granada, but I didn't even get a chance to meet up with him. Oh well. On the evening of April 10, we got on a bus and took a long bus ride to Madrid.

Madrid April 10 - 13 I can't write in paragraph form anymore... too tired. Madrid had nice parks - we rented row boats and hung out on the lake one warm afternoon. Busy town squares with tons of street performers. Prado Museum - huge collection of artwork. Sofia Museum - four huge rooms of Picasso's work, including the world famous "Guernica". Also had works by other famous artists, like Dali. Probably my favorite museum of the trip.

Barcelona May 13 - 15 I really liked Spain, but for some reason I can't think of much to say about my time there. Hmm... We flew from Madrid to Barcelona -- that was the cheapest and fastest way. I learned that it's the most popular flight route in the world. Anyway, the first thing we did in Barcelona was visit "La Sagrada Familia." The cathedral was designed by Gaudi, and construction was started in 1882. It is still incomplete to this day. Needless to say, a cathedral that has been in progress for so long is quite a beautiful site. At this point, we had once again reunited with our friends from Cork (the girls we met up with for five minutes back in Florence).

Parc Guell - Also designed by Gaudi. We liked this park so much that we visited it twice. It is an amazing area that is elevated high above the ground (outdoor escalators helped us get up there). There was plenty of performers and musicians mixed with locals mixed with tourists, all up there to enjoy the view and take in the scenery. One of the areas up there was the location of the filming of a scene in "America's Next Top Model" which made the girls happy, and a few of the buildings there looked like gingerbread houses which made me happy.

We visited another park in Barcelona, the name of which escapes me at the moment. It was an old fort, and to get there we took a sky-ride to the top. Another really nice view. One of my favorite parts of Barcelona was a huge market. There was a ton of meat and fish, candy, fruit and fruit drinks, and a whole bunch of other great stuff. It was amazing -- we spent several hours there.

Jon and I were finished with our time in Barcelona, but unfortunately our flight was departing at 6:20 a.m. from an airport that was an hour away from the city. So we called for a taxi to pick us up around 2:30 a.m. The taxi driver, who only spoke Spanish, told the receptionist in our hostel that the bus station would be closed. The receptionist and I both agreed that he might be trying convince us to take a taxi all the way to the airport, which would be ridiculously expensive. When we got outside to the taxi, the driver was talking to me in Spanish, and I tried to remember my high school Spanish class. I just said "autobus estacion" to the taxi driver, which means "bus station" (I think). So he took us there, and sure enough the station was closed. I knew there had to be some way to get tickets for the bus, so I went to the driver and asked "donde billetes por favor?" ... which translated means "where tickets please?" He pointed to an office nearby, and we got the tickets. We arrived in London bright and early that morning, thanks to my brilliant Spanish vocabulary.

London April 15 - 17 I think London might be my second favorite city of the trip (after Prague). I was not expecting to love London so much, but there was so much to do and see in our few days there. Our hostel was located in a great location -- we were a short walk from the London Bridge, the London Eye, and Big Ben. We bought the 35 pound ticket for the London Eye (a giant ferris wheel) and Madame Tussou's Wax Museum. Imagine that... The equivalent of $70 for a ferris wheel ride and a museum. Anyway, the Eye gave us a great view of the city, so that was cool. I also really liked the wax museum -- it was a lot of fun. It's pretty disturbing how realistic those wax celebrities look. Britney Spears' chest actually moved up and down as if she was briefing. It was bizarre.

Morgan and I

"Aw jeez" (second Travolta reference of the post... weird)

Leo!! <3

Captain Picard and I

Fresh Prince