Berlin

So, I really thought we weren't going to make it to Berlin. On Tuesday night, we went as far as canceling our hostel. But somehow, on Wednesday, everything changed. Finally planes were flying again. It seemed as if everything was back to normal. Still, I was afraid. CEA sent us an e-mail saying that if we traveled it was on us. If we got trapped and couldn't get back and missed our finals, we would get a 0 and fail. Lindsay and Ilana had a really early flight on Thursday, so Lindsay and I decided that if they made it safely, we would go.

I woke up Thursday morning to a phone call from Lindsay. They were in Berlin. Our plans were on! We flew EasyJet for my first time, but it was a fine flight. We took a train from the airport and met Lanz and Re at the hostel. They were pretty exhausted from a long day of touring, so we just go dinner at an Italian place nearby, caught up and went to bed.

Friday morning we got up early. We had decided to do a tour of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. It was five hours long and very intense and painful. It was my first experience of the kind. I have been to Holocaust museums before and seen a lot of movies and pictures, but nothing can prepare you for actually being at a camp...walking the same ground..breathing the same air. Still, I am very glad I went. I was pleased to see a lot of foreigners of all different religions and races on the tour too. Our tour guide, Ben, was great and he gave us a lot of helpful recommendations for the rest of the trip.

After the tour, we went to the East Side Gallery, which is the largest preserved part of the Berlin Wall. It is covered in bright, colorful graffiti and we had a lot of fun looking at all the different art and taking some successful (and some unsuccessful, cough Lindsay cough) jumping pictures in front of it! We had some good Vietnamese for dinner and then set off to find a bar called KPTN, recommended to us by Sherry's friend who studied in Berlin last semester. It took us a long time to find, but we enjoyed walking up and down a fun street full of bars and restaurants.

The next day we got up early again and explored a few different neighborhoods. We walked around a market for awhile, went to a park, and had a good lunch. At night we went to a wine place, where you pay a two euro cover and they hand you a wine glass. You are allowed to drink as much wine as you want and you can also order some small dishes of food off the menu. At the end of the meal, you are supposed to leave what you think is the right amount of money for all that you consumed. Cool concept, but it was our downfall. Unlimited wine=not as delightful as it sounds. We had a bit of crazy night and we ended up getting zero sleep. Lindsay and I had a 7 am flight back to Barcelona, which I thought we would miss, but luckily we made it!

Thus began my final few days in Barcelona, which were unfortunately spent studying for finals. However, I just finished and celebrated by going to the beach! Of course, the weather is finally beautiful here. Tonight I am going out with my roommates for a final dinner and crepes and then going out one last time. I am flying home tomorrow at 10:45 a.m. I cannot believe my semester is over. I am actually quite sad. I am going to miss a lot of the things I took for granted here. Once I am home, I will post my obligatory reflection post. Thanks everyone for reading!

Ken and Susie in Barcelona, volcanoes and more!

Oy. I am sitting here in my apartment in Barcelona with my roommate Lindsay and all I can think about is that I should be on the beach in Nice right now! Unfortunately, my travel plans, along with so many others, were screwed up this weekend because of the volcano in Iceland. So far Spain is still safe and fine, but no one knows what is going to happen or when the volcano will stop erupting. I really hate this feeling of uncertainty, the feeling of being trapped.I know it could be worse. I am so grateful I am safe in Barcelona. I feel terrible for all the people stranded, all the people alone. Still, I am praying my plans to go to Berlin on Thursday don't get messed up, but it isn't looking too good. As long as I can get home to the U.S. okay I'll be fine...

Anyways, I will write about my last week here, which was really great. It started on Thursday when I met Ken and Susie for dinner. They had spent a few days in Madrid (and loved it!) before coming to Barcelona, where they stayed for the next six days. It was lovely seeing them. They are really like a second mom and dad to me and I feel all warm inside whenever I'm with them. On Friday, I went to the Dali Museum and to the city of Girona with CEA. The Dali Museum was unlike any museum I have ever been to! Let's just say that the entire top of the building was covered in giant eggs sculptures! It was so bizarre, but totally cool and worth it. That night, I met up with Sabrina and Denisse and we went to the big L'Ovella Negra and had a great time.

On Saturday, I met back up with Ken and Susie. It was Susie's birthday! I was so touched to be included in the celebrations. Of course, I had to show them the Boqueria, where we began our day before renting bikes. It was the nicest day here since I've been in Barcelona and so refreshing to be outside. We then went to the Cituadella Park, where I listened to music and took a peaceful nap. For dinner, we did it up big at the Majestic Hotel for Susie's birthday. It was the fanciest dinner I have ever been to!

It was another gorgeous day on Sunday, so we decided to spend it at Sitges. It was probably only about 70 degrees, but that didn't stop hundreds of people from sunbathing in their bathing suits (or topless) on the beaches. I was pretty surprised, because while it was incredibly nice, I didn't think it was beach weather. I think everyone was just so thrilled that it was sunny and warm after such a long and rainy winter. We had a great paella lunch and then headed back to Barcelona where we ate some cake on the roof of the hotel for Susie's birthday. What a great backdrop! After that, we did some exploring. It's funny that although I feel I walk and see so much here, I guess I usually walk the same few paths. With Ken and Susie, we walked in different directions and on all these new streets that I've never been on. This city is so big. I swear you could find something new every single day. We ended up going inside and up top of La Perdera, another one of Gaudi's fabulous works. They never cease to amaze me.

On Monday night, Lindsay and I went to the opera. It was both of our first experiences at the opera. Her dad had gotten her two tickets for her birthday and she chose me to go with her! I was very flattered. Thank you! It was a German opera and was four hours long. We had incredible box seats. The opera was divided into three acts. The first act we just watched and listened to in German, before Lindsay discovered during the first intermission that there were little screens in front of us that provided us with the English subtitles! Oh how the subtitles helped. It was quite long, but I ended up really, really enjoying it. I loved the message of two wrongs don't make a right. Otherwise, a bad cycle will just continue on forever. I hope this will not be my last experience at the opera.

Tuesday I met up with Ken and Susie for one last dinner. I was sad to see them go, but so happy and honored that they came. Wednesday, Sabrina and I went to the Champagneria which was a ton of fun, and full of Spanish people. A very authentic experience! On Thursday, I got coffee with Melissa and dinner with Barrie. I was supposed to leave early Friday for Nice, but seeing as how that didn't happen, Lindsay and I had an enjoyable day that consisted of going to a Labyrinth Park and exploring gardens that reminded me a lot of the Alcazar Gardens in Seville that I loved. Who woulda known? No one ever talks about this park. It is a hidden gem. Haha. I did get a little lost in the labyrinth though. We then went to the movies to see Up in the Air, which I very much liked. Today, I met Barrie for brunch at Milk and had some blueberry pancakes. I didn't realize how much I missed pancakes. Tomorrow will be a lazy day full of work and rest and possibly the Cituadella park.

Please everyone pray that this volcano mess passes and that everyone's plans can continue on!

Holland with Denice

I had an amazing time visiting Denice in Holland. It is so special to see and old friend and I am so happy that I was able to see her twice while I was abroad. I've now seen her four times in the three years since she's moved--not too shabby.

I arrived at the Amsterdam-Schipol airport on Sunday night at around 8:30 and Denice was there waiting for me. We drove back to her house and I got to briefly catch up with her sister and her parents. It was so nice to see them. I was pretty close with them when they lived in the U.S. and I really did miss them too!

Monday morning we woke up and had a nice Easter breakfast with the whole family. Oh how I missed my sprinkle bread! Denice and I played a little pool and some other Dutch game at her house before driving the hour to her boyfriend, Bryan's house. Bryan was incredibly nice and friendly and his English was very impressive. I found his house beautiful. It was full of bright and colorful artwork and furniture and in the back of his house was really pretty water. The three of us drove to beach near his house (only about 10 minutes away) and had a drink. We talked about our futures, Obama, America and just our lives in general. Then we went to a big dinner with around 20 of Bryan's friends. Everyone was really nice and welcoming and I had a great time.

Tuesday was a warm and sunny day, perfect for our planned shopping outing in Haarlem. Haarlem is full of cute shops, boutiques, cafes and restaurants. We had a full day of shopping and I found some really great stuff! In one of the stores I bought a flowery summer dress and while I was trying it on I played around and started matching it with all different things. I put a white shirt and my leather jacket over it to make it look like a skirt and the salesgirl loved it so much, she said she was going to make that her next window display! That night we went back to house and watched a little of the Barcelona game with her family. I had a great conversation with Denice's sister Desiree and her father about what life was like for them in America. Desiree talked about some of the hardships she went through coming to the U.S. as a sophomore in high school, speaking little English, at a time where most people already had their established groups of friends. My experience here is obviously different, but I still felt that I could understand and relate to what it's like coming to a foreign country without any friends from home, not speaking the language. I really have new respect for Denice's whole family for making it in America.

I miss Denice already and am trying to get her and Bryan to come to New York this summer. It is about time that Denice comes back to the U.S. again for a visit!

Seville and Barcelona with the family

I had a very fun week with my family, even thought it was a little hard at times. I couldn't help thinking that I wanted to go back home with them to the U.S. when they left. However, I know that it is not my time yet. I still have a few more exciting weeks to live out here.

Last Friday, I met my family at the airport and we flew all together to Seville, Spain. Seville felt very different from Barcelona. All the streets were lined with bright yellow and blue and orange houses and that combined with the sunny weather made it a very festive and joyous place. Our hotel was a bit odd, but very cool. We had to walk for about five minutes through all sorts of gardens and underground rooms to get to our rooms. It was a big maze and I never quite learned how to navigate it myself. After we settled down for a bit, my mom made the family do one of those very touristy bus tours. I am actually glad we did it, because we got to see certain parts of the city that we never made it back to. After the bus tour, we split up and my mom and I went to the Alcazar Gardens. I absolutely loved it there. It was incredibly gorgeous, full of beautiful flowers and and ponds and fountains. I had a very peaceful moment on my own there, taking in the beauty.

On Saturday, we got up early and took a van to Cordoba, Spain. We got to see the Great Mosque, which was huge. We were supposed to be on a tour, but the tour was in English and Spanish and we got bored having to sit through the Spanish part so we ended up just exploring on our own. We had a great lunch on the rooftop of a restaurant with great views of the city. Back in Seville, we stopped in Plaza D'Espana for awhile to look around. A lot of it is under construction.

Sunday was the beginning of Santa Semana and we got trapped in the procession. We saw hundreds of people in all white wearing these huge, long pointy white hats that covered their entire faces. It was very creepy. We went back to the Alcazar Gardens as a family and read for awhile. At night, we went to the Arab baths. These baths are an ancient tradition. You rotate between a warm bath, a hot bath and a cold bath. There is also a salt bath, a jacuzzi and a steam room. You are not supposed to talk. It was very relaxing. On Monday, we shopped for a bit and then I found a yogurt place called Yogurtlandia. So good! Oh how I miss Yogiberry!

On Tuesday morning we flew back to Barcelona. I took my family to the Boqueria and to El Born. It felt good to be able to show them around and they loved matching up some of the places they went with the pictures of mine that they've seen.

Wednesday was my favorite day of the trip. We went inside Gaudi's Casa Batllo on Passeig de Gracia, something I had been wanting to do since I got here. I highly recommend this to everyone. It is quite a sight to see. We also went to the Ciutadella Park, which I have officially decided is my favorite place in Barcelona. Thursday we rented bikes and rode along the water, which is always enjoyable and then we went to the movies.

Friday was the last day so I took the family to see La Sagrada Familia. After buying some beautiful art there, we went to Montjuic and sat and listened to live guitar outside of the MNAC building. I had wanted them to see the fountain show too, but since Daylight Savings Time just occurred, it was too light out for the colors to show. We had a lovely last dinner and then they got up early Saturday morning to go home.

Overall, I had a great time and I really got to bond with my brothers. I think back to our last European trip to Italy and France and I can see how much we've all grown and changed. My brothers and I fought a lot on that trip, but on this trip we got along so well. We had some really deep talks and it made me so happy because I really feel like we are friends now.

Today I am off to Holland to visit Denice until Wednesday. On Thursday, Ken and Susie are arriving in Barcelona and I will spend the weekend with them. The following Friday, I am meeting Jamie in Nice for the weekend and the Thursday after that, I am going to Berlin with Re, Lanz and Lindsay. I am coming home April 30, which is in just under four weeks. That is hard to believe. While I know I will definitely be ready, I am really pushing myself to try and enjoy my last few weeks here. I still have a lot of fun stuff coming up and I know I am so lucky to be able to experience these adventures.