how is it already time to go home??

Okay, so I finally have reliable wifi and an American outlet to plug into! I’m currently sitting on the plane from Amsterdam to Atlanta. It’s almost a 10-hour flight and a little bit miserable to sit for this long. But Delta has some good movies to pick from and I napped from Barcelona to Amsterdam (a little over 2 hours) and for the first part of this flight until lunch was served. Right now I’m watching the movie “Max” and it’s already made me cry a few times. It hits a little too close to home, but it’s really good so far. The Malnois ”actor”in the movie is just dead gorgeous. I’ve also watched “The Dead Poet’s Society”, "When Harry Met Sally", and “Home”; so definitely getting my mix of genres.

Yesterday was our last day in Barcelona and it was the prettiest day we had yet. It felt perfect in the sun. Then once the sun went down it was just a little bit freezing. We started off the day by some people doing a polar plunge into the Mediterranean. I thought they were going earlier, so unfortunately I had already showered and didn’t have my bathing suit on. None the less, it was a beautiful day to be at the beach. After that we went back up through La Rambla where there were a lot of little artisan tents set up. Since it was the weekend, they set up more than normal. I stopped and bought a few people presents on the way to the metro. We then all met up for a nice last group lunch. After that we explored up to  Parc Guell which is where a lot of the famous work by Gaudi is. It was pretty cool to see all the mosaic work and also the view from the top that overlooks Barcelona all the way out to the sea. After that we made the trek back home and I started the game of tetris with all my belongings packing into two suitcases. Good news, I did it. And stayed under the weight limit. I also may have almost missed the bus this morning, but we aren’t going to talk about that…

I also realized that I didn't write about Sevilla AT ALL. Probably because I was having too much fun down in Andalucia. It's in the same provincial area that Ubeda is; however, unfortunately, still about 2 1/2 hours away. I'll write about that later... maybe during our 7 hour layover in Atlanta (yes, 7 hours). 

This trip was tons of fun and it was a way different experience than living with a host family in one town as a student. Those days will always be treasured to me; but it was great to see so much more of the country and how different the regions are. I can’t wait for more trips and to see so much more. Not just of Spain, but also of the world. It’s so refreshing to be reminded how beautiful God’s creation is, and what has been made of it. To be reminded how the world is so big, and you are so small. Your problems melt away for a little bit while you are completely immersed and focused on something new. Wanderlust is very real, people. 

Blogging from a cell phone sucks

Well, for those who don't know, I haven't been blogging because I'm a dumb dumb and forgot to bring the thing that can change my adapter from two prongs to three, thus unable to charge my computer. I can't remember where I blogged from last, but I know it was before we got in Barcelona. We left Sevilla nice and early in the morning, just in time to catch a nice snow flurry while getting on the bus at 5am. We went to the little airport there and caught a not so little plane and jetted off to Barcelona. Also, they left my suitcase in Sevilla. So that was fun. I've literally been wearing the same clothes from 5am yesterday, to sleep in (another story to come), and all day today. Gross, but that's the travel life I suppose. Good news is it just arrived here so I can be clean again! Here's my story: I fell asleep without knowing I fell asleep (ya know, that kind of tired) and was reading but also had a coffee and half a chocolate bar carefully balanced on the bed. Needless to say, I woke up about 6 and was wondering why my sleeve and side were wet... The coffee had spilled all on the sheets, the pillow, and my sweatshirt... Luckily that's all. And because I fell asleep on top of the sheets, it was only the top layer that got stained. I feel so bad for housekeeping but also a little embarrassed about it. But shit happens and now I have a story I can laugh at.

I don't think I wrote about the last day in Sevilla and I almost don't remember anymore what we did 😳 ... But I did take some time away from the group (I felt fairly safe in that city) and ended up walking over FOURTEEN MILES exploring the city. Bless my poor feet.

*edit: I didn't write about Sevilla at all; to come ASAP!

Yesterday in Barcelona we wandered down to the Mediterranean and stuck our feet in, even though the water was fucking freezing. I also got my sand! For whoever doesn't know, I take sand from every beach I'm at! Kind of a weird souvenir and I don't remember why I started doing it, but it's a "thing" now. We also went to the Christopher Columbus memorial. It's incredible, and the more I learn about him, the more I want to know (thanks Profe!). I just love the thousands of years of history Spain offers and how it's still embraced today. There is just something about this country that makes it absolutely amazing and inspiring. It's a different pace of life and an appreciation for the more simpler things. (Plus good food and shopping and physical activity... To name a few)

We ate at a nice little seafood restaurant right off the beach and I had the most delicious codfish (they're known for that here). After the adventure a la playa we took the metro (big city plus) to Sagrada Familia. Ab.so.lute.ly. stunning. And they're STILL building it, after all these years; pretty incredible. After that we stopped by a few shops (and Starbucks, where the coffee incident began; all because I just wanted to hold something warm...) and came back to the hotel.

Today we went to la Plaza Catalunya and walked down through la Rambla, which surprise, put us back at the Christopher Columbus memorial at the Port of Barcelona. We ate lunch at a cute little tapas place that was right at the port so we have a beautiful view of the sparkling blue water while we ate. I had French fries with fried egg y jamón on top of it. It was one of my favorites last time I was here and I was so glad to find it on the menu somewhere! Oh, and we can't forget the pitchers of sangría we enjoyed.

We also went to the Barcelona History Museum (I don't think that's what it was called, but that's what I'm calling it) and well, if you know me and history or science museums... I loved it. There aren't words that can't make me even begin to fathom the years and years and years of cultural events that led to the city as it is today. The coolest part of the museum?! It's mostly underground IN the Roman Ruins of Barcino that Barcelona was built (literally) on top of! It was SO FREAKING COOL. So much was still intact to this day, which shows just how wonderful the artisans who built the city were. There were some pretty stunning artifacts that were recovered that we got to see. It just blows my mind to thing about that time and the work that went into everything and then how the town expanded to now over at least 2 million inhabitants. I think I will have a new reading topic when I get home, haha!

After all that exploring we went through some shops where I (proudly) didn't buy anything; even though I want all the clothes and shoes Spain has to offer. We came back to the hotel (now) and will head out to dinner for drinks and tapas in a few hours!

We have one more day in Barcelona and then leave at 3 something in the morning to catch a flight to Amsterdam to connect to Atlanta then to Wilmington (talk about a lot of planes in a day aka lots of sleeping time 😊 ).

**edit again: still can't fucking figure out how to upload photos even though I'm on my phone 😠 .... So I will have to add them in later. No me gusta.

Segovia dia dos

Today was a pretty good day, other than the fact that Segovia is SO COLD. Today we took a tour of Alcazar aka the castle Disney's castle in Disneyland is modeled after. I was kinda bummed that the tower (which you can normally climb) was under construction, so we were unable to climb to the top and see the view. But otherwise, it was just amazing to be in the castle. So much of it is the original tapestry, furniture, wall carvings and decor, etc. We also got to see a little space where they were excavating some Roman ruins underneath. History is just so cool. To think that I stood in Queen Isabel's bedroom with the same bed she slept on.. and see the thrones that Kind Ferdinand and the Queen sat on. It's just unreal that history and those artifacts have been preserved for so long.

After the castle, we had some time to stop in a few shops - where I bought a scarf (among other things); and thank goodness I did, because later in the day we got caught in freezing rain/sleet. Then we met for lunch at a restaurant called Jose Maria where we got a taste of real local Segoviano flair. This included cochinillo which was delicious; and came with a fantastic ceremony. For desert we had the city specialty, Ponche Segoviano; just another delicious item to add to my long list of favorite comidas espanolas.

After lunch came the rain; cold, cold rain. So, of course, we had to go dodging shop to shop to stay warm and dry-ish. It was fun but my wallet might not have thought so. But I promise everything purchased was needed or a present for my favorite people. The real dilemma is... how the hell do I fit this stuff in my already overflowing suitcase? I did bring one of those duffel bags that zips up real tiny and then you can expand it when you need it. (Thanks, Debs!) The rest of our day kinda got botched, since we were supposed to have a walking tour up and around the Roman Aqueduct andddd because we were all wet and freezing we opted not to. So we get a little down time in the hotel room right now before we head downstairs to the bar and have some drinks and tapas!

time flies, but nothing changes

Today we had quite the day traveling from Toledo back to Madrid, from one train station to another, and then catching the train to Segovia. We had a slight "layover" in Madrid at the second station before our train came - about an hour. So I got in touch with mi hermano and he came to visit me at the station! It was so good to see a little piece of my Spanish home and spend time with him! It's been 4 1/2 years since I studied abroad, but all the sibling love was still there. It would've been cool to see mis padres, but they're all the way back in Ubeda and I think it'd probably be frowned upon if I took a little (quite a distance) detour from our scheduled route.

When we got to Segovia, we checked into the hotel, bundled up in our warmer clothes, and went exploring through town just to take in some sights. We walked around with no agenda and found some pretty awesome views. We also stumbled across the castle that inspired Walt Disney to build his castle at Disneyland. We'll actually tour it tomorrow. But the view from it is jaw dropping. There's beautiful green fields and also snow-capped mountains off in the background. And we were there at just the right time of the day that the sun was reflecting off everything just beautifully.

I promise there will be pictures soon! Hopefully, I can get the app on my phone and upload them from there. Well, it's after midnight here and we've got a busy day planned for tomorrow. Buenas Noches!

Toledo rhymes with potato

So the wifi here has been pretty unreliable and I'm writing this with one bar; hoping it will last till I hit the "publish" button. The flight here was alright - I didn't sleep as much as I wanted to, and when I finally decided that it was because my medicines were off (still on American time) and took them, I only had about 2 hours to sleep with an 8-10 hour pill that helps me sleep. So you can imagine the zombie I was while we got off the plane, hiked to customs and got our passports stamped, and went and found our luggage. Then we had about an hour/hour and a half to explore in Madrid before we had to get on the train to Toledo. We walked up and down a few streets and my former professor (who is leading this trip) makes a wonderful tour guide and is so knowledgeable about the history and cultures of each city. I passed out on the train to Toledo, which was only about a 30 minute drive. Once we made it to the hotel, we checked in and then had about 3 hours before meeting to walk around the city. You best bet I got a solid siesta in. Then we climbed mountains (literally) to get into the actual town part of Toledo. Goodness, it is gorgeous here. It makes me kind of sad we skipped coming here on my last trip for an extra day in Madrid. It just an ancient city that has beautiful architecture all around and was once the capitol of Spain and is basically built as a city in a fortress. The military academy is also here. It's a really cool building, too, although we haven't been that close.

Today we walked around a little this morning, just wandering and taking it in, and then we met the rest of our group at the Cathedral aka el gordo. Words literally can't describe the intricate details and quality of this ancient worship ground. I still can't believe it was all made by hand. It was pretty cool to be inside one of the most important churches in all of Spain. I suppose I will have to somehow upload pictures later; since I only brought my phone to take pictures on. Well, also my GoPro camera, but I still don't know how to use it. Probably should figure that out.

We are here until tomorrow morning, when we leave to go to Segovia. It is currently snowing in Segovia. I may be purchasing a winter coat here in the future, since we were all cold today and it is about 20 degrees warmer here. Oy vey.

I've gotten to eat some of my favorite foods, as well as try some new ones. Probably a good thing we have to walk so much! Anyways, it's officially siesta time, so I'm going to try and take advantage of what's left of it before we head out again. Basic summary: I still love Spain; I wish it was more summery and warm; and I like food, drinks, and sleep. Hasta luego!

see ya later, America!

We are currently sitting in the Atlanta airport killing an excruciating long amount of time before our flight to Madrid. I'm so ready to be there. Yesterday I was questioning if I even wanted to go and now I can't wait to be there. I've even been in contact with my host brother from my first trip today, and we are trying to figure out a way to meet up. It would be really cool to see him!

We got our itineraries and it looks like we'll be busy, but have plenty of time to explore. It's nice that everything has already been pre-booked for us by a travel agent for this trip. We don't have to worry about buying train tickets and making it on time and what not; because she's already done that! Everyone in our group seems to be friendly and I think we'll all have fun adventuring together.

I'm sure the plan ride will be a wonderful nap for me, and then when we arrive it will be 8:15 on Friday morning in Spain and we'll have a day of travel and leisure ahead of us.  I realized I need this trip for so many reasons right now. I can't wait to see even more of this beautiful country and acknowledge that the world is so much bigger than me or my problems; and that our Creator is amazing. Amazing for so many reasons. For the different countries and cultures, for providing me with this opportunity, for giving me a glimpse of sunshine in a world of darkness.

The Days Are Dwindling

It's hard to believe that a week from now I'll be embarking to the great land of España for a much needed 10 day get away. In typical Sarah fashion, I have about 3 items packed: my passport, my wallet with Euros, and my outlet conversion set. At least I have the important stuff, right? Kinda? I've been meaning to look up the weather, although I would imagine it is very similar to what we are experiencing here, since the latitude is about the same. I am starting to get anxious about little things. First, I'm going with a group of 20 strangers. Granted, on the last trip I didn't know anyone and we became super tight knit. Somehow I think this will be just a little bit different. But it's a great challenge for someone who experiences social anxiety to not only be in a new country, but to have to open up to a group of people you don't know. However, I know we'll be seeing so many fascinating sights and I'll be so immersed in taking in the culture again that I probably won't even notice!

I know this is weird, but sometimes I get homesick for Úbeda and Spain. The simpler life. The welcoming kindness of the people, and their patience with my broken Spanish. And of course the drinks and food. I know that this trip will be different, as we'll be traveling a lot and I won't have the consistency of my family to go home to. Oh, what I'd do to climb those stairs and walk in that door again. I'm hoping that Daniel will be able to meet up with us somewhere. I'd love to see Luis and Dori, but we will be decently far away from home, and obviously work and taking care of the house has to be done. (Remember, don't be barefoot in the house!)

I still have A LOT of things to get in order within the next week, but I know I could go there with just the clothes on my back and still be happy.

Mi Familia Española (2011 - it's been FIVE years, holy smokes) 

I'm Baaaacccckkkk

Guess what!? The blog has been reactivated. I'm going to Spain again! I'm super excited and can't wait to explore different parts of the country! Once again, I spontaneously decided that yes, I should join in on a group trip that was taking place with one of my favorite UNCW professors. This trip we will be visiting Toledo, Segovia, Sevilla, and Barcelona! Of all those places, I've just been to one and we weren't there for long. Here's the part that kinda sucks: I have to wait 6 months to go on this trip. I know it'll fly by, but right now it seems like so long. I've been planning to possibly go to Spain this coming summer anyways, just because I miss it so much! However, in my head I had this big ole Eurotrip planned - 2 things wrong with that: I have no money, and I would be a single female traveling alone in countries where I don't speak their language. So when I saw this opportunity I knew I couldn't pass it up. I know my Spanish is way rusty - it hasn't been used much since the last time I was in Spain, but hopefully with some good Spanish wine in my system, it'll come right back. My intentions are to also blog about this trip, too, so those of you following along can keep up with our adventures. I'm just so, so, so, so, so excited right now! (Just don't tell my bank account yet)


And here is a map of Spain for those of you who have no idea where these places are.

The Last Post.

Alright, here it is. The conclusion to all my travels. This is a sad blog. Here's what I can recall about my trip home: I woke up, packed my belongings, checked out of the hotel, caught the bus, caught the tube, and then I was at the airport. I got all checked in and everything and in the terminal by 11:00 or so. Of course there was "free public wifi" but I couldn't connect to it. So once again I was stranded chillin in the airport with no electronics. I went and got some food and a drink in an attempt to spend my last pounds. I exchanged my pounds and euros but ironically the exchange rate had gotten better, even within the last week, so I didn't get an even exchange compared to what I traded it in for. But I guess that's economics and just the way the world works. After that, I had killed enough time to go find my gate and sit there for awhile. Finally it was time to board and I was on my way towards the Western World!
Nine hours later we landed in Atlanta. The flight was fine. As the man who sat next to me put it "I've traveled alot for business and I've never seen anyone sleep the whole flight and still wake up for every food distribution." ... What can I say? I've got my priorities in line. When we got to Atlanta there were really bad storms so we had to sit on the runway waiting for a gate to pull into. We sat for quiteeeee a while. Long enough that I thought I was going to miss my connecting flight to Wilmington. Finally we pull into a gate, then I have to hike ten miles to go through passport control, reclaim my baggage, go through customs, recheck my baggage and go through security and catch a train to the next terminal. Then I kick it up a gear and literally sprint 38 gates down the terminal... only to find out that my flight to Wilmington was also delayed and would be boarding in about 2 minutes. I guess if I had moseyed on down I would have missed my flight but the sprinting may have been a bit unneccessary.
I wait at the gate for about 30 seconds and boarding begins. In my head I'm just like "yay, this is it, almost home!" We get on the plane and pull out onto the runway. Then we sit. For about an hour. The pilot tells us there's 15-20 planes in front of us (some sitting for over 2 hours) and we're just waiting in line. Apparently the storms were only to the south, so the pilot decides to go over to the runway that takes off north and within about 20 minutes, we're up in the air. That plane was the coldest plane I've ever been on in my life. Like I was wearing closed shoes, jeans and a North Face jacket and was still shivering. Possibly would have been hypothermic if the flight had been any longer. No worries though, I still slept. We get to Wilmington and Mom is there waiting. We got back to my apartment and went to bed (because 13 1/2 hours of being on a plane is a lot).
Now that I'm home it's weird. I keep thinking about what would I be doing at this time if I was still in Spain. What is my Spanish family doing right now? What is the weather like today in Ubeda? I miss it. I was unpacking my clothes and some of them still smelled like my Spanish casa. I had a little wave of homesickness. But then I think back to where I was before this trip. Not even sure if I wanted to go. I wouldn't even know where to begin to explain it all. Some of it's just inexplicable. The people I've interacted with, the friendships I have made, the places that I have seen, those experiences can never be replaced. And sure, with time the memories will fade, but I know that taking advantage of this opportunity and living in another country for a month has completely opened new doors for me for the rest of my life. And it's things like that, that can never be taken away. I know that one day I'll return to Spain. I love it too much not to. And the experience will be completely different. I can't wait.
But now that I'm home I guess I should finish up drinking this sweet tea and take my crazy dog to the lake in this 100 degree humidity. Nothing like being back in good ol' NC.

Home Sweet Home

I MADE IT HOME!!!

The best smell in the world was the warm, salty Wilmington air getting off the plane. The story of my travels will come tomorrow for one last entry. My day may have been a little bit hellish. But right now, it's about 5am London time and I've almost been awake for 24 hours. Awesome, time for sleep.

Carolina, keep calling me hooooomeeeee

I'm finishing packing up right now and then I'll be on my way to the airport! So excited to be home tonight and sleep in MY bed! I listened to this song this morning. Only made me more excited to be home. I leave here at 13:05 London time and get into Atlanta at 5:35pm American time. Then I get to Wilmington at 8:55pm! YAY! I can't wait to have my phone on again! Ha, so materialistic. And I get to see my doggies soon! I'm getting so excited to be home! I can't believe this day is finally here!

The Championships at Wimbledon!

What a day today was! I woke up at 5:45 this morning and got ready then went on my way to the Championships at Wimbledon to get in queue to get a grounds ticket. And guess what? I GOT IN! I spent all day at Wimbledon. Such an experience. It was AWESOME. I’ve watched Wimbledon on TV pretty much every year since I can remember (thanks, dad!) and it was completely surreal to be there inside the park, with big names such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadel, and Serena Williams. Although I didn’t have centre or 1,2,3 court tickets to see the high ranked matches, you can sit out on the lawn and watch them on the big screen. I was in disbelief watching the match and hearing it happen from inside the stadium at the same time.

We were able to find seats (on the front row) on court 18 for John Isner (USA) vs Nicolas Almagro (Spain). It was like a homeland match (my real country vs my second home country). It was really cool seeing someone who represents my country (and my state- he’s from Greensboro, NC) out there playing in a tournament with players from all around the world. Unfortunately, he lost, but the match was fantastic. It was very competitive, and the tensions were tight. On one serve he hit 141mph… freakin amazing. He also had 28 aces. You may remember him from the 11 hour game that was played last year. This one only lasted like 5 or 6, I think. Minus the 2 short rain delays, the weather managed to stay really nice all day. I might even be a little sunburned on my cheeks. I even had the full Wimbledon experience and tried strawberries and cream. Quite delicious.

Now, I’ve got to pack all my belonging in my suitcase so I can be ready to go to the airport when I wake up in the morning. I’m a little concerned about how taking the bus and the tube will be with all of my luggage, but I’m sure it’ll be fine. Even though I’ve had an extremely awesome time in Europe, I can’t wait to be back home with all my friends and family and pets.

The Hyde Park Experience

This morning I woke up feeling pretty good about being able to get Wimbledon tickets (they didn’t go on sale until 9am this morning for tomorrow). At 9:01, by the time my request was processed there were NO tickets left. How the hell do you sell out of something that fast?! Blew my mind. So that was a fail. I took my time getting ready and eventually moseyed out to the bus station to be on my way. I was walking to tour the Royal Mews and I literally walked right into a changing of the guard ceremony. As in, I was walking down the sidewalk and a police made me stop. So I got to see the changing of the guards in front of the Guard Museum. It was pretty cool. I wanted to video it or at least take pictures, but my battery on my camera didn’t charge for some reason when I had it plugged in. I think when I turn off the overhead light, all the plugs shut off too.

After that quick detour, I made it to the Royal Mews. I toured around, it wasn’t as cool (big) as I thought it was going to be, but I still enjoyed it. They had a few royal horses on display and I just wanted to ride them. I need a horse. Could’ve bought one with all the money I’ve spent on this trip. Ha! Anyways, they had all the coaches on display and one of the Queen’s Rolls-Royce. After that went and met up with Kate and we ate lunch then headed to go to Hyde Park.

Let me tell you something about concerts in Hyde Park. It’s a fucking free-for-all. All tickets are general admission and it’s literally a game of how many people can fit into this space. Completely insane, but so much fun! The concert was really very good though. There were 3 bands I’ve never heard of before, but they were bearable. Then Zac Brown Band was amazing. And so was Kings of Leon. All in all, today was wonderful!

Now, I’ve gotta get to bed so I can wake up at 5:45 (yes, I know) so I can meet Kate and we can wait in queue to try and get into Wimbledon in the morning. Hopefully most people have better things to do with their Thursday mornings than wait to watch tennis matches. Ahhh, I’m so excited, I hope it works out!

Things are lookin up!

Today I liked London a whole lot better than I have been. I got up this morning, ate my breakfast and then went and met Kate early so I could join her class to walk around/ get a free tour and whatnot. We went to St. Paul’s Cathedral, which was just cleaned up into “pristine condition” (according to Kate’s professor) for its 300^th anniversary. Apparently that 300^th anniversary happened to be today. And you know who happened to be there “celebrating”? The Queen. THE FREAKIN QUEEN OF ENGLAND. We literally just stumbled upon the Queen. We saw a big crowd and Kate’s professor told us that normally when crowds like that gather a member of the royal family is close by, so a guy in her class asked an officer who informed us that the Queen was inside and would be out shortly. So we waited the longest 10 minutes of our lives. She was so precious in her little blue outfit and hat and white gloves, greeting the little school children waving British flags. You can tell the Englanders love their queen. Everybody cheered for her as she walked out of the church and got into her car.

After that we continued our walk to other sites like the wharfs, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, London Bridge (is falling down, falling down - I know I’ve been singing it ALL day), and the Tower Bridge. Pretty cool stuff. We ate some fish and chips for lunch at a little restaurant by the Tower Bridge. It was good, but tasted like any other fish fry I’ve ever had. Sorry London, you lose this one. Then we had ice cream with Cornish cream. Not really sure what that is but it was real good. After lunch we headed to the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons of England. It was super cool. It had all these specimens and anatomical things. Kate and I both enjoyed it and then laughed about how we’re just nerds for loving that museum. (Literally, it was one of those.) Then we went back to Kate’s to have a little bit of time to relax and get ready and eat dinner before it was time to head over to the Apollo Victoria Theatre to see Wicked!

We made it to Wicked on time, after walking in a complete circle after getting off the underground. Lesson learned: always look left AND right. Wicked was so good, as always! I was a little bit concerned before if they’d have British accents or not while they were performing. They did. After Wicked, we took the tube back to Kate’s stop where I switched lines and began my journey home. I made it through sketchville alright and to the bus station, then power-walked from the bus stop back to the hotel. Watch out Londoners, I’m getting comfortable with your means of transportation! The tube is actually very easy, just like any other city metro or subway. It’s the buses that are hard to figure out. Then combine the two and it’s a lethal combination.

Tomorrow, I might try to do a thing or two in the morning before meeting up with Kate at 1:30. I really just want to sleep in, since I haven’t since Ubeda, but I can sleep when I get to America. I wanted to go to the horse parade at Buckingham Palace but I think I’m going to stay in the hotel and be online and try to get Wimbledon tickets for Thursday morning (yes, they only go on sale the day before). That’d be a really cool, once in a lifetime event to see a famous tournament, if I could make that work! Then tomorrow afternoon we’re going to wander around the Hyde Park area and then see Kings of Leon and Zac Brown Band (and 2 bands I’ve never heard of before) perform in Hyde Park. I’m excited. ZBB is seriously one of my all time favorites, and last summer they put on an amazing concert. I’m hoping for a repeat.

I’m glad I’m enjoying London now. I thought I was going to be miserable for the whole week, since that’s how it started out, but really, things are fine. I stress myself out too much and I’m too paranoid. Yeah, sure, I’m in a giant city by myself, but there’s plenty to do and I can do whatever the hell I want to, on my time! I have no one else to please! This is a dream vacation for some people! Other than the occasional loneliness, I’ve been okay with so much “me time”. I only have 2 more days to explore this wonderful city, so I’ve got to take advantage of it while I’m here!

London Day 2

Today went very smoothly compared to yesterday. I woke up, ate my little English breakfast then set out on the bus, then the tube, and made it back to Westminster with no problem. I wandered around there for a couple hours. Literally wandered and hoped that I would stumble upon something cool. I semi caught the changing of the guards. There were SO many people there, you have to arrive super early to see the actual changing and they didn’t have the parade today, so that was sad. I walked around St. James’ Park for awhile (great people watching), found St. James’ Palace (too bad you can’t go in), found Green Park (boring, but pretty) that lead right up to Buckingham Palace so I decided to walk along the front gate of the palace. Then I kept walking around the side where I found a museum/tour thing of the royal stables! I didn’t have time to do it so I think I’m going to go back for that. I love horses. Such a dork, I know.

Then it was time to go and meet Kate after her class. Things went without a hitch and we found each other perfectly. Then we ate lunch, waited for her roommate to get home and went to Portobello Market, which is a street market in Notting Hill. It was fun to walk around and I wanted to buy things but didn’t want to have to carry them for the rest of the day. My bank account thanks my laziness. After the market, we hopped on the tube and went to King’s Cross which is where platform 9 ¾ is from Harry Potter! I could hardly contain my excitement. Until we got there and walked from the underground station to the overground station and they were doing construction (as they are everywhere to prepare for the Olympics next year) on the platform. It was closed. ARE YOU FREAKIN KIDDING ME?! So I asked a guy who worked there and no worries, they moved it outside the building. Not the same, but it will have to do.

Then we went back to near Kate’s and ate at a little pub because it was raining and we didn’t want to stray too far in the rain. After dinner we headed back over to Westminster to ride the London Eye. It was pretty cool. I had my doubts about being locked in a glass capsule hundreds of feet above a river with a tide. We get in our little (actually, quite big) tank and in with us come a family from Pakistan, a trio of middle-aged Asians that each has an injured body part, and a normal American couple. The family from Pakistan asked us to take a picture with their daughter. Who knew we were celebrities? It was pretty bizarre. Especially since you’re literally stuck with these people for 30 minutes. I’ve never seen so many pictures taken in my life…let’s just say, stereotypes were fulfilled.

After the eye, we went our separate ways. I was nervous about having to get home in the dark because the walk between the tube and the bus station is pretty sketchy. But I did it. A bike came riding up behind me and I think if I had had means of a weapon, the poor man would’ve been dead. Let’s just say, I was a tad bit jumpy. Oh well, all’s well that ends well. Tomorrow I’m going with Kate’s class on a tour of some things, so that should be fun. I have to get up real early to make sure I’m there in enough time that she’s not late for class. Then we’re going to a museum and later that night we’re seeing Wicked! Should be another great day barring Jack the Ripper doesn’t get at me in the night while I’m trying to get home. (Good thoughts, I know, but that’s all that goes through my head while I’m walking.)

First Day in London

Today happened. Not really sure where to start. I woke up and got ready and all that jazz. I went down for breakfast thinking I would just grab some fruit and maybe some cereal. Wrong! They cooked me a full English breakfast with toast, eggs, ham, sausage, hashbrown, and get this: baked beans. Weird, right? Then I set out to a giant fiasco that almost caused me a panic attack. I went to find the closest bus station. Not too bad, it’s relatively close. I wait forever (maybe 20 minutes) for the bus to come. I get on and attempt to pay and the driver tells me I can only pay with exact change. Good thing all I got out the ATM was 20s. So I walk back to the hotel and ask the guy working for change. He gives me a 5 and tells me to buy a bus pass with it, don’t worry about the change. It kind of weirds me out a little bit when a stranger just gives me money. I’m not comprehending the instructions that he’s giving me about getting a pass so he sends one of the guys working here with me to this little convenience store near the stop. Turns out you can only buy legit passes there, not day passes. So I bought a week pass figuring I’ll probably get my money’s worth out of it. Then I sit at the bus stop for another 20 minutes before the next bus comes around.

I get to the bus station (mostly because it’s the last stop on the route) and wander around until I find something that says it might be going towards Richmond Underground Station. Finally I find a little bus hut that has a line that goes right to the station. I got on that bus when it came around and literally probably held my breath the whole way that it was the correct bus. Eventually we got there and I found Kate. An hour after I was supposed to. I hate being late. Hate it. Then we hopped back on the tube (after I purchased a week pass for that as well) and went to Westminster.

We walked around and briefly saw the big things. Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, London Eye, Buckingham Palace, St. James Park, etc etc. Ate lunch at Pret A Manger. Delicious. Then we went back to Kate’s flat to figure out our itinerary for the rest of the week. I’d say we’re pretty set with solid plans. If I can just figure out the buses and the tube, we’ll be golden. And if it would just be a little warmer and not rain so sporadically throughout the day, that’d be nice too. Well for some reason I’m exhausted, probably all the stressing out I’ve done all day about getting places. It’s been a learning experience and definitely a day that just tested my character and confirmed my faith. Tomorrow it’s back to Westminster to explore some more and hopefully catch the changing of the guards and then when Kate’s done with class I’m meeting her to go to Chinatown and Soho. Then back to Westminster at night to ride the London Eye. Should be a good day!

I made it!

Oh my goodness, what a day. What a freakin day. I didn't have internet all day and I was bored so I blogged into a word document which will be copied and pasted below...no worries. Then I got here and the internet kept going out. So here's my day:

18 June 2011

13:02

Right now I’m sitting in Madrid-Barajas airport, just chillin. We wanted to make sure we got here early in case something went wrong. Well, I got here around 11:30 for a 3:25 flight. (Amanda’s is at 2) It didn’t take long at all to check my baggage and get through security (even in Spanish) and now I’ve just been boppin around the terminal tryin to figure out where I need to be. Amanda was in a different terminal so even though we’re on the same airline, we’re going to different countries, so we got separated. It’s scary to travel by yourself. Lots of prayers have been sent up today. I guess it’s kind of odd that it’s so intimidating for me to travel by myself, because I do it in the States all the time with no problem. I suppose it’s just the unfamiliarity of the situation. I have to figure out what puerta my flight leaves from. On the printed ticket it just says “AB” so I'm at terminal one, which has A and B gates, then they put it on the monitor. I’m so early that my flight hasn’t been posted to the monitor yet. Hopefully, it will be soon. There’s no internet in the airport and I can’t text. You’d be surprised how boring it is to kill hours without electronics. Thankfully, I remembered to charge my ipod last night. So I’m just listening to some music and people watching. As long as I can find my gate, I’ll be a-okay.

This morning I woke up and we walked down to the plaza after breakfast so I could buy another smaller suitcase. I’m so glad I did. My suitcase weighed in at 24 kilos. 24 kilos happens to be the max weigh before you go over. I keep getting real lucky with my baggage weight. I get to take the small one and my bookbag on the plane with me. I will probably go find something to eat then go find the gate and sit around there. Once I’m on the plane, half of the hardship is over. England shouldn’t be too bad. I get into London Gatwick and there’s supposed to be a train called the Gatwick Express that takes me to London Victoria, where I should be able to grab a taxi to take me to my hostel. Before I do all that, I have to switch mu Euros over to pounds. I only have about 60 Euros left. Even less after I go buy some food. Good thing I have some American money to exchange. Except, the exchange rate there is even worse than with the Euro. I didn’t think that was possible. Well, it’s now after 1pm so I’m going to go attempt to navigate myself into the right place. Oyyyyy, here I go! Buen viaje para mi!

14:11

I found my gate! Once they posted it up on the monitor, it wasn’t hard to find at all! Now I’m just chillin at the gate. They’ll probably start boarding around 2:45 or so. I’ve now gotten a new high score on brickbreaker twice. Playing games is all my phone is good for right now. I ate a bocadilla and some jamon flavored chips for lunch. Oh boy, am I gonna miss Spanish food! Soon I get to enjoy fish and chips, hope it’s as good. My clothes will probably appreciate the fact that I’m not eating Spanish food anymore, they’re probably tired of being stretched. I can’t believe today is really my last day in Spain. Forget last day, I’m into my last 2 hours. The last 4 weeks went by so incredibly quickly. I feel like just yesterday I was wandering off the plane in Madrid thinking “what the hell have I gotten myself into?” and wondering if I was going to be completely miserable for the next month. I wasn’t. A week from today I’ll be back in America. I have such mixed emotions. I think by next Saturday I’ll be ready to be home. I didn’t get homesick in Spain because I had my American friends, my Spanish friends and family, I had an actual home, I lived in a town and had a normal daily routine. I think being a tourist in London is going to make me feel more like I’m traveling. I just got to take it for what it is and try to enjoy every minute.

15:34

My flight has been delayed 40 minutes and I’m still bored out of my mind. I am spending some quality time in the Madrid-Barajas airport. It gave me more time to spend my Euros though! I bought a candy bar and some bifrutas which is leche y zumo (milk and juice). I love that the chocolate bars here all have hazelnut. It’s like we use peanuts/peanut butter in the USA. But hazelnut is way tastier. What’s weird about this airport is that nobody gets off the plane at the gate. Like the people get off wherever arrivals are, then the plane comes to the gate. So bizarre, but I guess it works. I also realized that when I get to London, I’ll actually have gained an hour back into my day. That’s nice. Except everything I own is set to either Spain time or American time. Actually, I think everything is in Spain time. Sorry, America. The plane just pulled up to the jet way but it doesn’t seem like anything is happening. I guess I’m going to go hover near the boarding gate anyways. Better safe than sorry.

19:41 (Spain time)

18:41 (Britain time)

I made it! I’m sitting on the Gatwick Express, which is a train that goes directly from Gatwick airport to London Victoria, which is the main metro (excuse me, tube) stop in London. From there I begin my terrifying taxi adventures. My flight wasn’t bad at all. Of course, I’m a little upset at myself for falling asleep before takeoff. I wanted to see Madrid while we flew away. The seat that I was in was in front of the emergency exit row and didn’t recline. There’s a nice knot in my neck now. It’s real gloomy here in London. The sun is shining but there are still a ton of dark clouds hovering. I don’t get it. I miss the Spanish sol. The exchange rate here is 1 pound for a little over $1.60. I pulled out 200 pounds from the ATM and it probably froze my bank account in America for taking out so much in American dollars. Everything went really smoothly when I arrived though. After walking 10 miles to get to customs, I filled out a little card, waited in line, handed it to the guy and had a nice conversation, and went on my way. He was asking what I was doing in Madrid and when I told him studying he turns to the guy next to him (who is struggling to communicate with a Spanish speaker) and asks if he needed help. We all just laughed. The people here are nice too, I guess. The biggest shock for me is hearing English everywhere. It’s really weird. That and when I go to communicate with somebody, I’ve got my brain trained now to think in Spanish. So now I have to translate my thoughts from Spanish to English. Weirdest thing ever. Well, my battery is dying on my computer so I guess I’ll just stare at the window and take in London. Going real fast and backwards, of course. Brilliant.

22:09 (British time)

Of course things were going WAY too smoothly. At the London Victoria station, I got off the train and went up to the taxi line up thing and got in a taxi. I give the guy the hotel’s address and he looks at a map and starts driving. Turns out he didn’t really have a clue where he was going. We had to pull over a couple times to look at the map again (with a magnifying glass) and he even had to run into a place and ask where my hotel was once we were in the right district thing. When he pulled over I could’ve sworn that I was about to be murdered or sold into slavery or something. He picked a nice quiet alleyway to check his stupid map. Finally he found it and dropped me off. The price was like 60 pounds but I bargained down to 40 (I was expecting to pay around 35). Then I get in my hotel, which is really more of a bed and breakfast, and go to check in and my credit card won’t read on the machine. They tell me they don’t want to waste my time (waste my time?) and they’ll give me the key and we’ll try again tomorrow. Uhhh, okay? I bring all my stuff up THE STEPS to my room and it’s about half the size of my dorm room freshman year. Literally, with my suitcases on the floor, there is no floor. I share a bathroom with the other people on the floor but at least I have my own room. The bathroom also doesn’t have a lock…interesting.

I get all set up and finally figure out which converter plug goes with Great Britain and decide to blog because well, everyone is waiting to see if I made it here and of course the internet cuts out. I’m eating the rest of my jamon chips and the other half of my candy bar for dinner. It’s dark out and there’s nothing immediately next to the hotel I’m in, so I’m not really game for venturing, even if it is for food. I will probably buy some dry foods tomorrow and just keep them here for instances like this. Also, there is a kitchen downstairs that I’ll be investigating in the morning. Well, I suppose this post is long enough and I should stop rambling. In the morning I’m attempting to figure out public transportation and meet Kate. And by figure out transportation, the hardest part will be to get to a station from my hotel, the rest will be okay. I’m gaining confidence in my navigational skills. I reckon I’ll go enjoy some good ol uncensored British television and chill in my bed. Hopefully no one’s in the shower when I wake up in the morning. That’d throw off my whole day. I have a good feeling about tomorrow. Gotta embrace my last week abroad!

Spain today, England tomorrow

So last night we went out for one last hoorah after dinner. It was pretty fun. Then today we went to the Reina Sofia Museum, which has artists work such as Dali, Picasso, and Miro. I liked this one a little more than the Prado. We saw the Guernica, which is a pretty important painting in Spanish history. After we went out for lunch and then went shopping again. Tonight for dinner we ate at the world's oldest restaurant (according the Guinness Book). It was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. And also very expensive. We all ordered different types of meat and passed them around. Veal, suckling pig, cornish hen, lamb, and filet mignon... ahh delicious. We had 6 different bottles of wine with our dinner. Pre-food wine, one for tapas, 2 for the main dish, and 2 for dessert. It was such a fun last time to be together and enjoy the wonderfulness of Spain with the family of friends I've been traveling with for the last month. I can't believe it's over. As of midnight (2 1/2 hours ago) we're officially free of anything school related.

My flight to London is at 3pm tomorrow. Let's hope everything goes smoothly. I'm still really nervous about having to nagivate airports by myself. Not just navigating airports, but getting to and from them. Oh boy, this is going to be interesting. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. I can do this! In London I have to take a train and then a taxi. Getting in a taxi by myself is one of my biggest fears. Think about it: they can take you anywhere they want and no one would know. Uhhh, yeah. So if no one hears from me within the next 24 hours, someone call the London police. Tomorrow I'm going to call Kate when I get there and meet up with her after I've found my hostal. I'm so sad to leave Spain, but I am excited to see familiar faces and see another country.

The feeling that I have now is about the same as I had the night before leaving to come to Spain. It's that anxious, but excited uncertainty. I'm learning to like it...kind of. I'm supposed to have some free wifi in my hostel in Londres so there should be an update tomorrow. But it's late here and I've gotta get up early to pack (what's procrastination?) and get on the move. Wish me luck!

Madrid

So last night we went out to see some monumentous things and eat some food. I take back what I said about hating cities. I just mostly dislike them. There are parts of Madrid where it's a lot more laid back and doesn't feel like you're in a big city with a lot of people and traffic. This morning we went to Museo Nacional del Prado. There's a ton of really, really fantastic art there. A lot of Valazquez, Goya, Bosch, Titan, Rubens, those guys. Got to see the real Las Meninas, which is pretty cool. We were there for about 3 hours and you could probably spend days in this museum, it's so freakin huge. There was some art that reminded me a lot of the kind of art that my grandfather painted. It was really cool to see very similar paintings in a world renowned museum. Then we went and got bocadillas and sat on a patio. Now we're just chillin/siestaing until about 5 when we're going to go shopping. I have to buy a new suitcase (it's cheaper to pay for 2 then to pay for the overage rate which is by the kilo) and some new clothes and possibly some presents for people!

Tomorrow we decided just to stay in Madrid for another day instead of traveling to Toledo or Segovia since everyone has to travel alot on Saturday. It's hard to believe that I'm descending in on my last 24 hours in Spain. I'm sad, but the more I think about it, the more I know it's a "until next time" not a "goodbye". I love this country and I'm definitely coming back when I can financially. On Saturday I take off for London to go see Kate. We've got tickets to see the play Wicked and a dinner cruise on the River Thames and are going to get tickets to see Zac Brown Band and Kings of Leon in Hyde Park. Hopefully I'll get to do some other things like see Big Ben, the London Eye, etc, etc.

Last stop in Spain

This morning in Sevilla, we went to these gardens and walked around for a few hours. There was a maze to play in (whether or not you were supposed to actually play in it, that's up in the air) and peacocks to chase around and try and catch the babies. So clearly, we were kept amused. After we went to find somewhere to eat, headed back to the hotel, and then got on the Ave to Madrid. We took an 8 hour bus ride in 2 hours. The thing flies! And to no one's surprise, I took a nice little nap on the train. I miss my siesta time. And now we're in Madrid, which is our last stop before going our seperate ways. I still can't believe Saturday is my last day in Spain. Then a week from then I'll be home.

When we got in Madrid we had to take the Metro, but only one line. Still, with ALL of our heavy, heavy luggage we had to lug it (yes, I just had a lightbulb moment why it's called luggage!) up and down 3 flights of steep stairs. It was a struggle. Then once we got up on the street level, we walked (ran people over with our suitcases) a few blocks and finally found our hotel, where we had to man-handle the suitcases once more. The great news about the hotel is that there's free wifi! My professor didn't think that there was going to be, but to our surprise, there was. The bad news is, occasionally my computer decides to break. There's something loose between the screen and the other part and sometimes the screen doesn't turn on. So hopefully I'll be able to update and post pictures and talk to people, but if not, I guess I'll be going to bed at a decent hour.

We have about an hour and a half until we go out to explore Madrid so I may get another little nap in. Madrid is WAY different than any city we've been too. It's basically New York City in Spain. Complete with Starbucks, McDonald's, Burger King and KFC (none of which I've seen since being in Spain). I don't really like it as much. I prefer little ol' Ubeda. Cities just make me kind of nervous and sure, they're fun to visit but you won't ever find me living in a big city. I'm going to take advantage of our downtime and siesta! Luego!