Italy- Cinque Terre and Florence

We are now on our way to Italy. After our flight we took a train to get to Cinque Terre and sat with people from Jeruselum and Italy. It is crazy how everyone communicates through English though… Very cool to see. Italian is very close to Spanish, so I was able to understand a little more than when we were in France.
More traveling bad luck came when we got to our stop in Rigommiore, Cinque Terre and we were unable to get off the train due to tricky door handles. We sat at the door and pulled and pulled until the train started moving and we had missed our stop. So, we had to get off at the next one, wait an hour, and go 8 minutes in the other direction to our stop. That day was full of traveling…14 hours in taxi, bus, plane and 3 trains.

Our hostal was a hike to get to. Cinque is very hilly and has tons of stairs. After checking in we walked around to see the town, which is very small and quaint…so much so that we were unable to find anything to eat at 8:00 pm (Jorge and Marta would have died knowing that they had to eat dinner before 7:30). We had to eat out, which we didn’t necessarily want to do, but we were starving! We ordered a pizza and plate of pasta to share and got gelato for dessert. We ran into some friends of Andy’s from cork, which was very unexpected!
On Thursday we woke up and went on a hike along the coast that went to the next city. It was called Via del Ammore. It took about 25 minutes. The thing to do is put up a lock along the way if you are a couple, but we didn’t have one at the time.

After that hike we continued on another route to the next city, but this one went up into the mountains. It was much harder with millions of stairs and vertical incline! There were some amazing views, but the path was very scary because it was super narrow and there were now guard rails. I am very clumsy when it comes to walking and happened to trip a few times..there were definitely some close calls. The trails were also not very well marked and we ended up getting lost super high in the mountains because we missed a sign along the way for the right path. We backtracked and went all the way back down the mountain to the city of Cornigilia. It was almost more difficult to go down.

We took a train to Monterosso, the first city out of the 5 that make up cinque terre. This city was absolutely gorgeous with a beach covering the whole coast and it seemed like a lot more was going on then in Riogammiore. We attempted to walk around to find a place to stay for the next night and eventually found ourselves in a market talking to a lady who had a place with kitchen, couch and a view open for the night we needed! We were so excited we finally got lucky! That night we had pizza and pasta on these huge rocks on the water while watching the sunset. Then we got a strawberry and nutella crepe to share for dessert.
Friday we got up early to go to our new place in Monterosso. When we got there the lady told us that our room was no longer available because we came to late…. Andy and I think there was actually no room to begin with. She called one of her friends to set us up for the night so we ended up following this lady who spoke no English across the city. We ended up in the basement of a building in a closet/ storage room we think. The hallway to our “room” had this scary looking doll and clown stuffed animal and was super dirty.

Then, our room was just big enough to fit a bunk bed and in the back was the toilet/sink/shower combo. We talked our way down a little on the price, but it still cost more than it should have.

After that we felt as though we deserved something for all we’d been through so we splurged for a daquiri and margarita on the beach. We spent the rest of the day lounging in the sun on the beach. Later that night we went to Vernazza (the only city out of the 5 that we had not yet seen) and had dinner there…this really good small square pizza we had been eyeing all trip. Then we did the Via del amorre hike/walk again and this time brought a lock with us. We found this hidden place where you had to climb some stairs and put it behind a barbed wire fence. We tried to catch the sunset but it was too cloudy. Then we ended back up in Riogammiore and wish we would have just kept our first hostel because we almost missed the last train from rio to monterroso. Crazy crazy crazy.

Saturday we got up early because we did not want to be in that “room” for longer than we needed to be. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait long for a train to our next destination…Florence. Our hotel was out of the city center because everything was booked due to easter. We left our bags off at the train station so that we could walk around the city for the day. We spent most of the day looking for Gusta pizza, which was suggested to us by a few people, but once we got there it was closed. However, we got to see a lot of the city during out search. We were starving so we found a different place that looked good to eat. Andy got pizza and I got pasta! (Italy duh!) Then we passed by this place with homemade gelato…they even had canteloupe flavor!! (my favorite fruit) I ended up getting nutella and tiramasu and andy got nutella and caramel. In order to get to our hotel we were told to take this specific bus. We found it but accidently got on the direct route, so it did not stop where we needed it to. The bus driver was very nice to us and helped us find another bus to our place. After 2 hours we finally made it to Ibis hotel by this big mall called I Gigli. We compared it to Bloomington outside of Minneapolis with the mall of America. That night we checked out the mall for a little bit and then watched some Jersey Shore (the only thing in English on TV)

ps- sorry for my crazy writing... we only have internet in select places so I am writing super fast!
PICTURES TO COME LATER!

European Adventures Begin-Ireland and London

When I got to the airport in Dublin the Wolfe’s were right there and I was very excited to see them! They rented a car while visiting Andy so we drove back to the hotel. Dublin is a very fun city and the hotel we stayed at was absolutely gorgeous! It had big sparkly chandelleirs, really comfortable down comforters on the beds and slippers! I got in around 7:30, so after dropping my stuff off we set out into the town to find a place to eat. We ate at a little Irish pub. It was really cool to interact with the Irish people. The waiter had a super high voice and a great accent. Him and the other Irish people I encountered throughout the weekend are extremely nice and friendly. After dinner we walked around town for a little while and went to a pub “poob” to get a couple beers.

The next day we woke up at 9:30 for breakfast and coffee at the hotel. Big breakfast and big coffee! ☺ After eating, we walked through a park and then went to an old church across the river to see some crypts. We touched a 800 year old mummies hand for good luck! We also saw some old tombs and coffins, which were all underneath the church! Creepy!! Our tour guide was definitely a character. I don’t even know how to describe him but he made the tour very fun. We spent the rest of the day walking around Dublin, enjoying the people, the sights and the weather! Big event of the day: Andy got a tattoo! He got a 4 leaf clover on his behind mostly to show off how lucky he is haha but he is also Irish and has been studying for the past semester in Ireland so it will be a great symbol to have forever. That night we got to go out for Sushi! We went back early because we all had to leave for the airport at 2:30 am. It was a great weekend and start to my adventures. It was wonderful seeing and spending time with Dan and Carol, Andy’s parents, especially since my parents were unable to come visit me! The weekend was perfect and Dublin is a gorgeous city!

We got to London in the morning around 9:30 and met Charlie (a friend from school who is studying there). The area where they live is one of the nicest in London. The cars on the streets consisted of Porsche, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini etc. Andy and I walked around all day and then went to the oldest pub in London with Charlie and some people from his study abroad group. We didn’t get much sleep that night because Andy and I slept on the two couches in the main room and people had to stay up late to study and wake up early to study. We felt bad and did not want to be in the way because they had finals the next day, so we got up early and went to Hyde Park. We sat by the lake, had a picnic, soaked up some sun and people watched. It was very nice out and there were people everywhere. Later that day, we rented bikes, rode through the park and got some starbucks!!

We also went to the London Tower and the London Bridge. The London marathon was going on during the day so there were a lot of people in the city for that.
That night we also saw Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the Tower Bridge. We walked around this boardwalk where a lot of stuff was going on. We were waiting for it to get dark out to go on “The Eye”, which is a big Ferris Wheel. After some Subway for dinner we waited in line for The Eye and had perfect timing! We saw the whole city lit up and it was absolutely gorgeous. I had no idea how huge London was!! Andy got some great pictures that we will have to put up soon.

The next day we were able to sleep in a little later. We rented bikes again because we figured it was a good way to get around and see everything. We went to see Buckingham Palace, but unfortunately we missed the changing of the guards. There was a lot of construction and stuff going on due to some wedding that is coming up. ;) haha everything in the city is focused around the wedding, it is crazy! There is merchandise everywhere with Kate and William’s faces and the date of the wedding. I am hoping to watch the event on TV to see what they were making and setting up while we were there.
That night we went to….WICKED!! I felt bad because it was Andy’s 4th time seeing the show hah. We got the last tickets of the night and they were in restricted view, but it ended up being perfect! The show was absolutely amazing. It was so fun to actually see it, since I already knew all the music. Rachel Tucker played the role of Elpheba and she had the most beautiful voice. After the show we met Charlie and his group at a bar. There was karaoke going on when we got there and one of our friends sang “Sweet Child of Mine”. He gave a great performance! After the karaoke was over we stayed there for some mingling and dancing. We had to go back at about 1 in order to get ready to catch our bus to the airport at 2:30. Little did we know the bus didn’t run at night and we ended up having to take a Taxi. The taxi dropped us off at another bus that would take us to the airport. It was a very long night because our flight wasn’t until 6 am. Once Andy and I hit the plane seats we instantly fell asleep, however we both woke up over an hour later and hadn’t even left the ground. Two rows in front of us a girl was getting taken off the plane with paramedics, but we were clueless as to what had happened.
When we got to Paris all we wanted to do was shower and take a nap, but we were not allowed into our room until 4 pm due to cleaning. We walked up to Notre Dame and walked through it and then went over to the Louvre, which apparently is closed every Tuesday. After that we headed to the Eiffel Tower. We thought about going up it, but the lines were extremely long so we decided to get lunch instead. We ate at a café in view of the tower. We asked the person at our hostel where a good place to get crepes was and he directed us to this cute little hidden place. I got a crepe with dark, milk and white chocolate and Andy got banana and chocolate. We were wiped out and went back to sleep around 10. Luckily the two other girls who were sharing our room were going to bed then as well. France was very fun, but it was so hard not knowing any French, I felt helpless because a lot of the people we ran into did not speak English.
Early morning once again….we got up at 4:00 am to take the bus to another bus, but of course the bus never came and we had to hail a cab. The cab took us to our other bus in time and we took that bus to the airport. I think I have seen more sunrises than sunsets on this trip so far…

Hasta Luego Segovia

Well, I am writing from the bus out of Segovia and on my way to the airport. I cannot believe I am done here in Spain, that I am a senior and that it has been about 4 months!! The time flew by and it has been really hard getting ready to leave these past few days. However, I will catch you up from when I last posted!

It has been an absolutely beaufitul last week in Spain with weather in the mid 70s and the sun shining ☺
On Thursday night we went to zircus for our last time and danced to all our faves from spain! During the day I went shopping and enjoyed the weather. On Friday I taught for the last time . The kids were super fun and we took a picture with them!

During the rest of the day I had to do lots of homework, but took a break to get tapas and sangria with katee and erinn!
Saturday was amazing!! We drove about an hour out to a river called Duratón. There is a very old church in ruins on top of these cliffs and we walked out to it. The river is very far below where you walk because you are on top of the cliff. We tried forever to get down to the water and were soo close to making it! It was really fun climbing all around.

We had a picnic on the side of the cliff and enjoyed the sun and the weather with our bocadillos. I was really excited because marta made me a peanut butter sandwhich! After the river we drove a little further to a place with caves. You had to enter into a building, walk down a bunch of stairs and then go through a door to get to the cave! It was really cool and interesting and brought me back to my elementary school days learning about stalgtights and stalagmites.! The cutest little girl was on our tour and would ask questions at every stop we made.
I cannot believe how much we have seen and done around Segovia, which is such a small town that many people have never even heard of. I hope I can find some hidden wonders on my travels ☺
When we got back that night we had to go and get our last churros at the stand (all the lasts ☹ ) fresh from the fryer thingy!!

Saturday night the whole group went to the duct and we had an award ceremony! I received “best dressed” (probably because I packed and bought the most clothes out of everyone haha) and my other prize was most likely to be sleeping with a stuffed animal. (everyone happened to meet Sammie (my dog) and Sandy (my hippo pillow pet) on our excursions. But I am not bringing them to Europe with me, which is a very big step…we will see how it goes.
After the duct we went to La Luna and we all got mojitos and enjoyed each others company. After that we went to All the People to dance on our last Saturday night!

Sunday was another very eventful day. Marta, the boys and I took a bus tour around Segovia. It was super fun and I saw things that I didn’t even know Segovia had….like this beaufitul walking path I failed to discover. Marta said she will take me there when I come back. After the bus tour the whole family, along with Anna and Carmiña went to a pueblo named Pedraza. Marta and Jorge told me it’s the most beaufitul pueblo of Segovia. It has one door to enter and exit through. Everything in the pueblo is made from stones and is all very old and gorgeous. It also is up on a cliff/hill and has views that look out over everything. The restaurants in Pedraza are only open on Saturdays and Sundays and you have to make reservations and tell them what you are eating in advance. Marta and Jorge really wanted me to have cuchinillo (suckling pig- the famous dish of Segovia) before I left, so we went there specifically for that! I also had sheep. I liked the cuchinillo a lot, but not particularly the sheep. After the main course we got 3 different deserts to share, ponche segoviana (which is the famous segovian dessert) it was amazing. Then we had flan and strawberry cheesecake. It was very fun to spend the day with all of them!

On Monday we had our going away dinner with all the mothers, teachers and students. The dinner started at 7:30 and all of the mothers were freaking out because it was way to early to eat a dinner! We were just excited we would get home in time to watch El Barco.

When I got home from the dinner Jorge and Marta had some presents sitting out for me. I got a Spanish cook book!!! So now I can hopefully recreate some of these dishes I keep raving about in order to share. I also got a purple bracelet with a charm that is representative o Segovia.
The rest of the week was very stressful with tests, papers, packing and saying goodbye. My last full day was very emotional, I think for a number of reasons (stress, grades, tests, saying bye….) The littlest things would set me off and my eyes would start to water (thanks mom for this fun trait haha☺ ) On my last night, mis padres made me a big dinner with a bunch of my favorites that we ate in the dining room! (big deal!) we had two salads from bon apetit, tuna and red peppers, noodle soup and for dessert……a carton of strawberry cheescake ben and jerrys!! They have gotten to know me very well haha. Later that night the group (who was left) went out with each other one last time to say goodbye. We played night games in the Plaza Mayor and it was a lot of fun!
Today (Thursday) I woke up early to go for a run in order to enjoy the environment and the beautiful city one last time. I packed all day and had to catch the bus at about 2. Dani made me lunch early and we sat and chatted for a while. Marta came home with the kids right as I was leaving. Didi and Coque both latched on to a leg and wouldn’t let me go!! Then, as I was walking away to the bus stop, Dani, didi and coque popped their heads out on the balcony to scream goodbye a million times down the street. It was so so sweet. Marta walked me to the bus, which was very nice since I am now traveling with more than I had planned. She and dani sent me with sooo much food. Dani made me a picnic with some bocadillos and marta bought me tortilla that you pop in the oven, tuna, cheese, sausage, ham and colacao (hot chocolate) to share with people! She wants me to show them that I can now “cook” or make things haha.

My day of traveling has been very stressful. I found some Spanish women who were going to the bus stop so I basically just followed them the whole way and they really helped me. I got two pairs of sunglasses stolen along the way, but I need a new pair anyways. Those people are so sneaky.
I also had no idea what I was doing in the airport and everything was taking forever! But now I am sitting safely on the plane and when I get off the Wolfe’s will be there to greet me!! Although I was very sad to leave Segovia and my family, I am so extremely excited for the adventures ahead of me.

Las Últimas Semanas en Segovia

Last weekend on Saturday we visited El Escorial, which is a palace very close to Segovia. In the building we saw the tombs of almost all of the kings and their wives since Charles I. We had our bocadillas and lunch that day in a park and on the way our driver got very stuck. We had to go down a huge hill backwards for about 10 minutes and on the way he managed to hit something. When we finally made it safely out of the bus we had a fiesta for Brian’s (our director) daughter, Carolina. She turned 5 and we got to hit a piñata and eat cake with her! ☺
That night my family was gone so I went and ate at Bon Apetit with Anna and Erinn. It was crazy in town because people were in Segovia from all over due to the Marathon the following day. We waited super long and ended up just getting our food to go….wishing we would’ve thought of that earlier. By the time we got out with our food it was pouring rain and we had to run for cover and we ended up eating outside under a covered area haha. It was definitely an experience.

It was Coque’s 5th birthday on Wednesday the 29th! I got to go out with the family for his birthday lunch …he picked burger king! I had no idea what to get him, I ended up finding these little things they are always playing with (Bokukon and Lyoko) I don’t know if those are popular in the US. When I got home there was a package waiting for me from mom and dad! ☺ SOO EXCITED! The goldfish and chocolate are hitting the spot and now all I want is some apple juice to go with my fishies. I also got some easter candy which was very exciting, since I am not going to be home to find my basket ☹ I gave the boys peeps and they got a kick out of them. Didi brought one into his class for show and tell.

On Thursday we had a very busy day! After class from 9-2 we had a pizza party for the group. It was gorgeous out so we ate outside in a patio and caught some rays. I cannot wait for American Pizza, who would’ve thought it could be that different? At about 4 we went on an excursion in Segovia to two different churches. They were on a hill a little away from the city center and we could see it all from on top of a hill. It was absolutely gorgeous! There was an area that was covered and to the outside there were open arches and on the other side a small pool. Then in the background was the castle. It was so beautiful…I am going to have it in my backyard when im older ☺ castle included! Later that night there was a fiesta at HOOK with the students from our university. It was super fun because we got to go straight to the discoteca and dance! On the bar they had tons of different kinds of candy sitting out…nummm! What a great idea right?
On Friday I taught in the morning and we were trying to explain the difference between our sports. They could not understand the difference between soccer, football or rugby and it was tough to explain with only a piece of chalk and limited vocabulary. After teaching a few of us girls went up on this hill that had a great view of the aqueduct and the city. We caught some rays and hung out for a while. After lunch and some homework in the sun, I helped out with what turned out to basically be a dance recital! It included Flamenco and ballet and some other fun numbers! We got involved because Bridget’s host mom was the one who put it on. I actually ended up helping with the little ballerinas to keep them entertained before dancing, but then we got to see some of the numbers later during the show. It was really fun to see the different styles and the similarties! There were a few productions to beauty and the beast and Mary Poppins and they were very similar to what you would see in the US at a dance recital.
On Saturday we went to “La Granja”, which is a palace and garden that is 10 minutes from Segovia. The Granja was a lot more modern than all of the other Castles and Palaces we have been to because it was during the reign of the Bourbon’s, starting with Philip V. It was made to be modeled after the Palace of Versailles and was used as the Kings summer home. The gardens and the fountains are very well known, however they were not on while we were visitng. Inside the palace every room has a different looking huge chandaleir. They were all so intricate and gorgeous. The Granja also has a museum and inside we watched some people blow glass, which I had never seen before!

Our group had the option to either stay or go back and I chose to say with a small group. We wandered through the gardens and woods and found a lake with a really cool cave. I later learned that the lake was how they made the fountains work when there was no electricity. The lake is situated much higher than the land where the fountains are and there is an underground system that carries the water and makes it shoot up from the difference in the heights. After our adventures Brian took our small group out for ice cream as a prize for sticking around! ☺

Later that night Jorge picked me up from the house and we drove to the family’s pueblo home! There are “pueblos” are the small town outside the city. There are a lot and each has its own church and little neighborhood. When I got there it was dinner time, so we ate and then sat in the TV room and watched Beethoven with a fire in the fireplace! The next day we had a big lunch for Coque’s birthday with the family. Carmiña and Anna came along with Carmen, Pepe and their son Pelayo (Carmen is Jorge’s sister). Then Jorge’s aunt and cousin came as well because they live in the pueblo. We had a great big lunch along with some champagne and later, coffee in the cutest little cups. The rest of the day we spent resting on the couch by the fire siesta-ing. I lost my second phone somewhere in the pueblo..booo. I am guessing its in the couch or under my bed.

It is Monday the 4th and I officially have a week and a half left of classes…it went by so fast I cannot even believe it. I have lots of homework (essays, presentations and tests) that I just want to be over, so I can enjoy my last week here doing all the “lasts”. This week is supposed to be absolutely gorgeous outside so I am thinking it is going to be very hard to get things done!
I will try to get another update up after this crazy week!
Adios amigos,
Morgan