“Take only memories, leave only footprints."

A few of my favorite travel sayings...

"A ship in harbor is safe, but that's not why ships were built"

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” – Mark Jenkins 

"I have worn the dust of many foreign streets, but to brush it off would surely be a crime.
I have the memories of many foreign adventures, but to forget them, would surely be a sin.
So, breath in the dust, and keep the memories in."

“Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by.” – Robert Frost 

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain 

“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” – Cesare Pavese

“Not all those who wander are lost.” 

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can
see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the
people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started
is not the same as never leaving.”

"Life is not measures by the number of breathes we take, but by the moments and places that take our breath away"

“Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.” - Dr. Seuss

“You won't realize the distance you've walked until you take a look around and realize how far you've been."

"Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today." - James Dean 

“People come, people go – they’ll drift in and out of your life, almost like characters in a favorite book. When you finally close the cover, the characters have told their story and you start up again with another book, complete with new characters and adventures. Then you find yourself focusing on the new ones, not the ones from the past.” - Nicholas Sparks

“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” – Maya Angelou

“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” – Mark Twain

“The great difference between voyages rests not with the ships, but with the people you meet on them.” – Amelia E. Barr

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” — Pat Conroy

   

“The cool thing about being famous is traveling. I have always wanted to travel across seas, like to Canada and stuff.” – Britney Spears

Stereotypical Americans

In the midst of writing a 10 page final, for my Marketing in the EU class, I had to use the toilet. Walking to the bathroom, I glanced over to the living room where my Spanish host family was sitting. They were all watching the news and it just so happened there was a featured story on the U.S. I couldn't believe what I was seeing! The story was about a very tan mother, from New Jersey, who was taking her little children tanning. I could be wrong but I think they could've found something a little more important going on in the USA's current events. Legit ANY other news story would have been less ridiculous than this. Why does the media want to hate America?

Ever country I've visited in Europe has presented me with the same view of the United States. Everyone thinks we're big, fat, McDonald's eating idiots and it's all the media's fault! Of course people will think we're stupid if all they hear about our current events are about the kids on the Jersey Shore, guns, obese people and war. To them, you're either a hick or live in a metropolitan city and live like those on the Upper East Side in Gossip Girl. It's unfortunate but it's true. People I've met along the way of my travels have given me their negative perspective on Americans and I constantly find myself sticking up for my country. It's exhausting and unfair. I'm not saying there aren't some people in the U.S. that don't fit the bill, but I don't want to be treated based on my stereotype. Not only have I had to deal with the outside judgement of strangers, but I also had to deal with the judgements within my own University.

I am currently enrolled in the University of Alicante's International Business Program and am taking classes in English. Therefore, the students in my classes are from all over the world. In each class of mine there are students from at least 13 different countries and all between the ages of 19 and 45. Since there is a small selection of classes, the same people are in the majority of the ones I take. In the beginning, it was hard to have a full conversation with anyone. No one wanted to really give me the time of day because I was American. Not that I care what people think of me, but I was determined to get them to crack. I tried to sit in different areas of the class each day so that I could better interact with my classmates on a more personal level. I convinced myself that the cold expressions were just ignorance and I was right because almost every one of them have warmed up to me and we've all become very close especially because we share a common ground in a foreign place. They have all told me that my American friends and I have changed their perspective on the U.S. and they couldn't have been more wrong. Except, they still think we're loud and obnoxious but now at least they tell us to our faces and we make jokes about it.

The first couple months, each country had their own row in the classroom (unofficially) and didn't interact with each other much. Now, we all sit together and hang out outside of class too.  I can't tell you how lucky I feel to have friends in over 20 different counties. It's pretty impossible to explain how my perspective on the world has changed and how it's changed for the good.

In a class of mine, Cross-Cultural Business Behavior, there was an exercise one day where the students from each country grouped together and wrote down what they imaged people stereotype about them and also what they think of other countries as well. Hesitant at first, everyone eventually spit out the truth and it turned out to be really fun and brought us all together. The other countries' stereotypes of the U.S. included: McDonalds, fat people, cowboys, guns and Obama. It's pretty pathetic but expected when the only knowledge Europeans gain of us is from the horrible media.

Just a snapshot of my friends.

Germany, Canada, USA, Holland & Slovenia.

China, Germany, USA & Japan

My friends and I are changing this negative mind set, one person at a time.

Now that I've finished my long-as-hell paper, I'm off to tapas with my friends from Holland, Canada, Finland, Ireland, Germany and Japan. So crazy!

Finally, I can relax!

I know you're probably thinking, "how could this girl possibly relax any more than she already is?" Well, it's possible. I have traveled to four different cities in the past four weekends and I'm exhausted.

I came home from Barcelona on Monday and was welcomed with a relaxing family day. I went with Maria and Andrea to Olga's basketball game then after went food shopping to pick out food I wanted for the week. The basketball game was hilarious. This poor team, of eight year old girls, was up against monstrous 12 and 13 year olds who were already going through puberty. They didn't stand a chance! We managed to be up by a few points before half-time but it wasn't too long before the small glimpse of hope seemed to die very quickly. The game finished with a score of 14 to 8, them.  I can't decide if my favorite part was watching Olga get angry and scream at her teammates or hearing the parents laugh and joke as they watched the girls run back and forth without any plays. It reminded me how fun it was to play recreational basketball. Not!

Everyone must think that I'm here for all fun and games because that's all I talk about. Well, that's not exactly the case. My schedule consists of four classes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays. Yes, I know, it's a very easy schedule BUT the days are long. Sometimes. With only one week left of classes, there is a list of presentations and papers due very soon. For example, for Retail Marketing, I have a 45 page paper and a 20 minute presentation due in two weeks on the retail chain, H&M. On top of the countless projects, I am still freaking out about a summer internship. I don't have one! It's so difficult to stay on top of things, back in the U.S., when I'm here, because it makes the application process nearly impossible. To try and solve this problem, I'll be staying home tomorrow, during the huelga and applying all day.

The huelga is a strike that will occur across Spain. We don't have classes tomorrow because none of the buses or trams will be running, there will be picketing everywhere and basically... Spain is shutting down. This is the first nationwide strike since the end of Franco's dictatorship in 1975. Hopefully it won't be too dangerous or violent as it's just a resistance against the new labor laws that were recently passed by Parliament. This official strike will be ran by Spain's main labor union, CNT and it should be an interesting experience even though I'm going to try and stay out of it.

These signs are everywhere!

Park Guell in Barcelona, Spain.

Buildings by the famous Spanish (Catalan) architect in Park Guell. What makes his work more than just beautiful is the fact that he introduced modern architecture. Most of his famous buildings were built in the early 1900's and he died (in 1926) getting hit by a tram as he was sketching one of his new buildings. 

Olga is #7 on the blue team

They had to stop the game multiple times because Olga's laces kept getting undone. Madre mia!

This adorable little boy ate pipas (sunflower seeds) like it was his job! Takes me a minute just to eat one.

Dublin for St. Paddy's Day!

It had been over a month since my last post, and a lot has happened. I will just talk about my recent travels. The past few weeks have been nothing but madness. It's a tough life I live, let me tell you.

 I never spoke about my program's trip to Granada for the last weekend in February. It was such a relaxing weekend with all my friends from Alicante and it was easy because everything was planned out for us; We didn't have to pay for anything, except lunch and souvenirs. Our program, CC-CS, had us stay at this beautiful four-star hotel, Hotel Abby, and we were given a huge breakfast buffet everyday as well as a 3 course dinner every night. My favorite highlights included seeing the Alhambra, going to a flamenco show and going to the Arabic baths. I could talk all day long about how amazing the baths were and I definitely recommend going. It was such a beautiful and old city with a lot of Arabic influence as Granada was the last place in Spain to kick the Moore's out. GO TO SEVILLA!

Flamenco dancer

La Alhambra

The Arabic Baths

Arabic restaurant where you could sit on pillows and eat dinner

The weekend after, I went to Seville with my friend Kelsey. We had three whole days to see the city so we had plenty of time to just stroll through and do as we pleased. I have to comment on our hostel experience. The hostel was probably the nicest hostel in Spain, called Oasis Backpacker's Palace. They offered free walking tours, a decent breakfast, beautiful lounges, free computer use, WIFI as well as a rooftop deck with a pool. The only thing that could have made it more enjoyable, but not as funny, would have been if Kelsey and I didn't share a room with 6 other random people... Probably won't be doing that again. It was also a nice change of pace because we decided to save money and cook for ourselves one night, in the hostel. For $16 euros, in total, we ate like kings for dinner, had snacks for the rest of the trip and made four bocadillos (big baguette sandwiches) to take with us on the plane ride back.

Mike (Canadian friend from Alicante) and I at the mushrooms. At the top you can see the entire city.

Christopher Columbus' tomb.

Rowin' a boat in Plaza de Espana

Plaza de Espana. My favorite building in Spain, hands down. Legit. No joke.

Reppin' Alicante

I recently returned from my weekend trip to Dublin (seven hours ago to be exact) and let me just say that it was my favorite trip so far. I'm already researching flights to Ireland for a free weekend that I have left here. It was a such a relieving change of scenery to go to a different country since I've been traveling just around Spain. They speak English (not that you can understand anyway) and there is more of a familiar metropolitan feel to the city.


Before I left, everyone was telling me how disappointing St. Paddy's Day (how the Irish spell it) in Ireland is and it's so much bigger in the states. I HAVE TO DISAGREE! Yes, it used to be a holy day for prayer in the country, until it was taken over by tourists but the majority of the Irish have joined in for the fun and for the weeks leading up to the holiday, the city is painted green with spirit. Literally. Every building is lit up green, every bridge, every sign, and even the beer was green! Although it was cloudy and rained the majority of the time, it was still a beautiful city. The contrast of all the lush green grasses with the buildings and gray sky was amazing. Not only did I learn a lot about Ireland's history and their war struggles but I didn't realize how much culture they had. It's not just an empty space on the map...


One of our activities in Dublin consisted of a four hour walking tour where we were able to see all the famous sights. We saw Trinity College and the Book of Wells, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Guinness Factory (I learned how to pour a perfect pint!), Dublin's Castle (it's actually not a castle. I was upset...) and St. Stephen's Green Park. Our first night we did our own touring of the city and ate in the famous Temple Bar area. We went to The Old Storehouse but little did we know that we would wind up eating incredibly tasty food while enjoying a live band in the pub. Yes, the food was bland but once you added a pinch of salt, it was delicious.

On Saturday, every single bar and restaurant was packed with people. The streets were filled with song and dance as well as friendly people who just wanted to drink and mingle. The parade was actually great. It rained for a portion of it so I decided to hide under an awning where I met this little old woman who was born and raised in Dublin. She was so sweet and made the experience even better by giving me some inside scoops on the city.

I think It's possible to go to Ireland just to visit the bars. I can talk about the culture of their pubs for days. There is no other atmosphere like it anywhere in the world. Friday night the girls and I went on a pub crawl where we went with a big group and received drink deals. In a six hour time span, we went to five different bars and clubs. Saturday night, a.k.a. St Paddy's Day, we were able to bar hop to about seven different places within the night. In the older bars, there are usually a few floors from which you can see over balconies and watch the live band play. I thought it would be so boring listening to cover songs all night but It turned out I enjoyed pub sing-a-longs and Irish dancing more than any DJ I've ever seen. The people are extremely friendly, there isn't a need for "dress to impress" outfits (due to the cobblestone streets and the weather), there was never one type of crowd in any one place and there seemed to be enough locals mixed in with the tourists. If you want a real Irish experience, we just so happened to come across the oldest bar in Dublin, The Brazen Head. The crowd was all locals, pints in hand, with typical musicians playing flutes, violins and guitars.

Sarah and I returned back to our hostel (The Generator Hostel was amazing) around 3:30am, grabbed our stuff and called a cab to the airport. Nicest cab driver ever. It's Ireland, so obviously. Once inside the airport, it was nothing I've ever seen before. It was a sea of green as hundreds of people were sprawled out on floors, tables, plants and bathroom floors. Since all the flights out of Dublin, on Sunday, were all before 8am, everyone decided to screw it and not waste a hotel room. I even walked into the bathroom and there were two girls sleeping on the sink counter. Pretty much describes St. Paddy's Day for you.

Beef stew with mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, carrots and cabbage. And salt.

The Guinness Factory

Temple Bar area is where the majority of party goers gather

The least dense place in the airport. Can you imagine?

Almazara de Aceite

Crackin' almonds

The other day I was so lucky to be given a private tour of an almazara de aceite. After trekking up mountains and tiny pueblos for an hour, we finally arrived at this beautiful mediterranean villa in the middle of nowhere. The "olive gardens" were owned by a single family and they are known to make one of the best olive oils in the world. The son took us for a 3 hour tour of all the different olive trees and showed us the land that he so proudly cultivated. Getting out of the city for a few hours (6 to be exact...) was literally a breath of fresh air. In the mountains there was no pollution or noise and I felt like I could run a marathon because the air was so crisp and pure. The second we boarded the bus back, I was immediately craving that air.

After a tour of the beautiful mountains, plantations, 1500 year old olive trees and after picking and cracking fresh almonds it was finally time to eat. Inside the villa, the family had prepared us a tasting of 6 different oils. One was from the olives cultivated on the first day, one was on the last, one went wrong (but it was still delicious) and the others were different types of trees. I felt like it was wine tasting all over again. We smelled and drank each type to see the difference. In the states, we have absolutely no idea what good olive oil is. There were different shades, smells, some had a tad of spice some were fruity it was so great to learn but now when I come home, I'm going to be extremely spoiled. To accompany the oils the family served us baskets and baskets and baskets of fresh homemade bread, jamon iberico (the highest quality of cured ham), apples, potatoes, and cheese. We had so much fun that we all just about cried when it was time to leave.

One of my favorite parts of the tour was when I fell behind (because I was busy cracking my fresh almonds!) and the Father, who owns the land, was telling me all the secrets to a great oil as well as a lot of history. Some things I learned:

1. Spain produces 45% of the world's olive oil. The world has a misconception that Italy is the producer of the best oil and because it's so hard to change that perception, Spain exports the oil they made to Italy so Italy can put their stamp on it. Italy actually only produces about 6% of the world's supply of oil. THE OIL YOU ARE EATING IS PROBABLY FROM SPAIN, NOT ITALY.
2. If you look on the nutritional facts on oil bottles, a very good quality oil has 0.1 acidity.
3. Oil is best kept room temperature in darkness (try and buy a bottle with a dark tint to it).
4. Most olives are cultivated from October to December.

Olive Tree!

Almond tree in the mountains

Trying to get almonds off the tree

The machine that cleans the olives

The family's brand of oil only sold in private gourmet stores

My favorite. I could smell it all day.

 

Four Chicas in Paris

Things I will never forget about my trip to Paris:

• Hotel Richard: 50 euros for 3 nights. Great location for a great price but could've done without the blood on the sheets we rented. Also should have asked them to put a seat on the toilet. The woman at the front desk didn't speak English or Spanish so the only thing we ever understood when she yelled at us was that we were "young shit heads." 
• The Louvre
• The Catacombs 
•  Notre Dame: The sign next to the souvenir candles said to give offerings if you wanted to. Sarah took it seriously and thought she was so lucky to bring home some free candles. 
• Eiffel Tower: On our way, things didn't go as planned. Tickets didn't work, trains didn't come and we got lost. Finally the metro got to the correct stop at exactly midnight. We thought we missed it for sure but when we got off the train, you could see the lights reflecting in the building across from the station. We were so determined we ran as fast as we could, heels and all, just for one glance. I'm still not sure how but we actually made it. As soon as we came up from the ground we could see it sparkling and it was literally the most beautiful thing I've ever seen that I couldn't help but start to cry.
• The climb: Sarah made us climb to the top. For only 4 euros and no wait (vs. a 3 hr wait) we took the stairs up the tower. Everyone in front of us was wearing sneakers and Under Armor so naturally, we looked like idiots. My ass still hurts. So worth it though.
• The people: not as nasty as I thought...
• The food: Snails and Croque Madames were my favorite. It's impossible to read anything off the menu so we just picked things at random, hoped for the best and surprisingly, it never failed.
• La Duree: most amazing macaroons in the world. best 50 euros ever spent!
• Arc de Triomphe: the only way to get that perfect picture is to stand in the middle of the road with the cars coming.

OBVIOUSLY a bird craps on me in the middle of taking a pic in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Hotel Richard

Thug life

You can't even imagine our reactions when we pulled up in the cab to this...

The Louvre

Notre Dame

Catacombs

La Duree!

Arc de Triomphe