Vamos a La Playa

So now I have just returned from Barcelona, Spain, my last trip of the entire semester (tear!).  But boy, did I save the best for last!

My boyfriend and I arrived in Barcelona Thursday night, and we promptly noticed one thing: the signs were not in Spanish! What the heck!  They were actually in Catalan, a language from this Catalonia region of Spain, which mixes Spanish with a heavy French influence.  Therefore, it was really odd that we couldn’t read any of the signs.  Thankfully, the locals understood Spanish, so we were able to get on just fine.  

This sign demonstrates Barca's multilingual culture: you'll see welcome messages in Spanish, English, Catalan and French.  

At least at our hostel, speaking Spanish was unnecessary, since the workers were friendly and spoke flawless English.  One employee ensured us that even though it was nearly 11 pm, it wasn’t too late for dinner, so we walked about a mile away to an authentic Spanish place.  I talked a little with the waiter in Spanish, particularly asking him what was in a certain dish.  He answered so quickly that I could not understand him, but I didn’t want to seem stupid, so I just thanked him for the explanation and ordered the next dish I saw: paella marinara.  Paella is a traditional Spanish dish normally packed with rice and seafood, but I ordered the marinara kind, so it should just be rice and marinara sauce...right? WRONG.  OH SO WRONG.  Marinara, apparently, means seafood.  So I got the whole enchilada (figure of speech, not actually an enchilada): shrimp and mussels and all.  But the good news is I actually ate it!  It was pretty good, too, although I don’t know when I’ll order it again :)  This anecdote was just another example of how study abroad has made me more open to trying new things!

Not exactly what I had in mind, but I'll roll with it.

Friday, our first real day in Spain, was a doozie!  We woke up quite early and grabbed a fast breakfast, which for me will always be cafe y croissant con chocolate.  We then headed to La Sagrada Familia, a beautiful basilica the work of Antoni Gaudi.  What makes this cathedral so cool, besides its Art Nouveau architecture, is the fact it’s not done yet!  Construction began in 1882 and is expected to continue until the mid 21^st century.  The parts that were done, though, floored me.  The outside of the cathedral consists of three different facades, two of which are complete. The detailed and naturalistic Nativity Facade depicts Jesus’ birth; the harsh and bony Passion Facade shows scenes of Jesus’ death.  Yet the inside of the church is absolutely the most spectacular.  The architecture and light was something I had never seen before.  But don’t take my word for it!  Art critic Rainer Zerbst once said "it is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art.”  Not too shabby praise, eh?

Too cute to drink.  Just kidding, I downed it in ten seconds.

Outside La Sagrada Familia.

The Passion Facade was my favorite.  This scene in particular shows Pilate's worry and uncertainty as he condemns Jesus to death.

In the words of Gaudi, "The amount of light should be just right-- not too much, not too little-- since having too much or too little light can both cause blindness."

HOLY COW!

We then walked uphill to Park Guell, another Guadi work, which was constructed from 1900-1914.  The park was intended to be another city within Barcelona built only for the elite, where they could live free of smoke and city congestion.  Yet when that idea failed, they made the enclosed area a park.  Lucky us!  The park seemed to go on forever; it was filled with winding paths that led to gorgeous views of the city.  Interestingly enough, it also contained the world’s largest continuous bench, which was totally made of mosaics.

99% sure this was the coolest park I will ever see.

Cheesin'

Later, we headed back to the main part of the city and walked down La Rambla, the large, touristy street.  When we turned a corner we found the Boqueria Market—what a gem!  We got fresh fruit smoothies (I had coconut and raspberry), chicken empanadas and a bowl of fresh tropical fruit.  Fueled by our purchases, we explored a little more, including stopping by Plaza Real, checking out the outside of the Cathedral, seeing the Botanical Gardens and walking through Barcelona’s own Arc de Triumpf.  

I can eat it all, no?

Palm tree loving!

Before we knew it, we headed back to the hostel to clean up a bit before our night out on the town.  It began at the Plaza Espana, where we watched a Magic Fountain show, quite similar to what you can see at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.  We then headed to what now is a mall (it used to be an old bullfighting arena) to grab a Catalan dinner.  Guys, this was SO exciting, because after I had some small talk with the waitress (in Spanish, of course), she even asked me if I wanted a Spanish or an English menu!  It was such a compliment :) Alas, I took the English menu, and subsequently I enjoyed a CHICKEN dish.  Now that's what I'm talking about.  We concluded the night by heading back to Plaza Real and seeing a Flamenco show in an intimate Spanish club.  The dancing was so cool and passionate; I just loved it!  We ended the night by strolling up and down the plazas and grabbing some churros con nutella, which were of course sensational but gone way too soon.

Saturday we also wanted an equally jam-packed day, so once again we rose and indulged in cafe y un croissant con chocolate.  We then headed back towards the Plaza Espana area of town, about 20 minutes south of our hostel.  There we walked to the Olympic Stadium, which was built when Barcelona hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics.  While we were in the area, we checked out the Montjuic Castle, which offered beautiful views of the city.  I enjoyed the castle because it was unlike others we had seen before; it was much more open and simple.  It’s very Barcelona to be against the grain like that, and I like that :)

Inside the Olympic Park... I wanted to run on that track SO badly!

The view from the Montjuic Castle.

We then headed to the boardwalk and strolled along the beach.  We even got to soak in some sun rays on some random beach chairs until a man came up and demanded 6 Euro from us.  It was just SO relaxing...I felt like I was on a vacation!  On the way back to our hostel, we stopped in the Botanical Gardens one more time, where we came across people rowing in a beautiful manmade lake.  So of course we did it too, and I enjoyed a beautiful 30-minute boat ride, a la Little Mermaid in the “Kiss the Girl” scene.  

The beach! Oh, how we've missed you!

Rowing like a champion today

The grateful passenger:)

When it ended, we walked back home through a beautiful organic market, but we unfortunately we could not stop to shop because we had to prep for tonight’s activity: a trip to Camp Nou (Europe’s largest football stadium, which seats nearly 100,000) to watch Barcelona Football Club take on Levante.  I’m not a football fan per se, but calling my boyfriend one would be an understatement.  He was PSYCHED.  We’re talking kid before Christmas, teen before getting a license psyched.  Still, I did have the time of my life.  We had amazing seats (originally 134 Euro a pop!) and only paid 120E total for them.  My boyfriend helped explain all the rules to me, and we even bought a scarf to get truly into the spirit.  It was so fun to how into it the crowd got.  Getting home after the game was kind of an epic, considering Barcelona’s metro system is nowhere near as efficient as London’s Tube.  However, we did eventually make it back to the city, so we stopped for tapas and a drink before calling it a night.

At the market.  I wasn't sure if this man was going to pickpocket me or not, so I did not take the abrazo, but it's a super sweet gesture.

Awwww yeah it's futból time!

The next morning we departed early and headed out to the airport.  By 2 pm we were back in London, and although I was happy to touch down, I was so sad about leaving Barca.  I do not regret one thing we did there— I felt we were extremely efficient and saw a TON.  However, I do feel like there are things I still wanted to do.  I cannot wait to return again someday.  This was certainly my favorite trip and I recommend it wholeheartedly.  The city always felt safe (after all, people stay awake until 5 am here!) and everything seemed cheap compared to London.  On top of that, it is a walkable city—and who doesn’t like to stroll around in the gorgeous sunshine? Sigh.  Just what a spectacular, spectacular way to end my international travels here in Europe.   I will miss you Barca, but be ready because I’ll be back. 

Cheers,
C

PS...Let me also wholeheartedly recommend the Barcelona Central Garden Hostel if you ever go.  It was located in a central part of the city (right by Plaza Catalunya) and was extremely nice, including fans and TVs in the bedrooms and recently renovated bathroom facilities.  Coming from a wannabe hostel expert, this place was the Bomb Diggity.  

Up in the Air: The Ryan Air Experience

In many of my entries, I quickly gloss over my travel details, yet those are probably some of the most important parts of my trip.  Thus, I thought it’d be fun to dedicate an entry to Europe’s cheapest and most notorious airline: Ryan Air. 

Look at those beauties.

Ryan Air prides itself on having absolutely the lowest fees, and it really does.  However, there are a ton of catches, and if you let anything slip through the cracks, you pay BIG.  (For example, you need to print your boarding passes at home—if you don’t, it’ll be about £40.)  With passes in hand, you must trek to London Stansted; out of London's five airports, Ryan Air only flies out of this one.  A drive to Stansted takes anywhere between 60-90 minutes, so it’s necessary to pay for a bus ticket.  I’ve learned my lesson the hard way (if you forget, read my Dublin entry!), so I always leave London around 4 hours before my flight is supposed to take off.  That way, I can arrive at Stansted with plenty of time to wait in Ryan Air’s large queue to get checked in.  (You print your boarding passes online, but you still need to get your passport and pass confirmed at the airport).  

Security at Stansted normally doesn’t take too long, so after clearing the line you kind of just hang out in the main terminal, eyes glued to the Departures TV Screen as you wait for your gate to be announced.  Since Ryan Air doesn’t connect its planes directly to the gate , it doesn't assign gate numbers until about 20 minutes before your flight is supposed to take off LOL.  So crowds of passengers huddle around the screen, and as soon as the number flashes, it is a mad dash to the gate, survival of the fittest style.  There are no assigned seats on the plane (unless you want to pay £10 more, so no way, jose!), so the queue is of massive importance.  I cannot stress this enough, people.  It doesn’t matter that for 5 minutes your calves are on fire, or you are sweating through your coat, you NEED to get to the queue before that bloke across the hall from you. 

Priority boarders with assigned seats on the left; study abroad students on the right.

Once you reach the queue, you have just enough time to shove all your things into one bag before the Ryan Air attendant checks off your ticket.  Ryan Air has a strict one bag carry-on policy, and that includes purses, camera bags, laptop bags, etc.  If you are bold enough to try to bring two bags on board you will be slammed with a £50 fine, and I’ve seen it happen before, folks!  It ain’t pretty.  This has been kind of inconvenient, mainly because I cannot pack as much as I like, considering I need space to shove my camera bag in my backpack. However, I’ve always made it work. 

If it's bigger than this, you're paying.

At the time of departure printed on your ticket, you are normally beginning to board the plane.  Only the first few rows are blocked off for the knobs foolish enough to pay for an assigned seat, so you can easily grab a spot in the fourth or fifth row.  The seats are hard leather and do not recline, but hey, you get what you pay for!  The plane is painted in Ryan Air’s colors: a navy blue and a gaudy yellow.  This combo makes it kind of difficult to sleep on the plane, but thankfully European flights are rather quick anyways.  Throughout the duration of the flight, Ryan Air attendants will try to sell you everything on God’s green earth, from scratchcards to smokeless cigarettes to bus tickets to food and drink.  I’ve only caved and bought one thing from them EVER, and that was chocolate.  Sue me.

View from the fifth row!   

Don't those hot coffees and teas look good? :)

Ryan Air likes to pride itself on being Europe’s most on-time airline, and it does this by descending way too quickly (I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure its descent procedure has got to violate something).  You normally take off late, make up a little time in the air and make up the remainder of it on an extremely sharp, nearly 45 degree descent back to earth.  This jolts your system and pumps you with adrenaline before taking on a new country haha.  Shortly after you land, Ryan Air will celebrate its punctuality by playing a very loud horn blast throughout the plane.  So, if by some crazy miracle you did sleep through the entire ride, you are definitely up and ready to go now.

So that’s Ryan Air haha.  Perhaps after my description you can understand why its study abroad students who mainly mainly keep this airline in business.  Bottom line, you just cannot beat some of its fares.  And if you’re not an idiot, you can escape its extra fees and come out on top, successfully having stuck it to the man.  In the end, I hope never to fly this airline EVER again, but it will always hold a dear spot in my heart.  Ryan Air, I owe it to you for getting me to Dublin, Rome and Barcelona.  It was a bumpy ride, but in the end we made it, so thanks.

I would have paid £30 for this view alone, so the flight is just icing on the cake. 

Cheers,
C

In Celebration and Remembrance

This week was full of fun for the Wild Flat...we had two birthdays!  Keep in mind we haven’t had one since yours truly back in early February, so we were ecstatic to crank out our party hats again and celebrate some big 21’s.  Unfortunately, I was still drowning in a number of term papers (do I sound like a broken record yet?), so I was unable to go out to celebrate.  But believe me, I was totally present for all the birthday meals!

The first celebration was on Monday, two days after our Gigantic Refined Pre-Cruise Dinner Party, so no one was thrilled to cook.  Problem solved!  We went to Wahaca, the Mexican Street food cart on the South Bank, and bought 12 burritos from them LOL.  Back at the apartment we had margaritas and guacamole ready—a delectable Mexican feast!  What makes this so hilarious is that the birthday girl is not Mexican one bit...she’s from Des Moines, Iowa.  As she so eloquently stated, “This is the most Mexican day of my life!”  And look, it was also the most fun!  Coincidence...I think not:)  In the end, mucho divertido was had by all.  Birthday #1= success.

Our flat, all prepped for a fabulous Mexican dinner.

Birthday girl is second row, second to the right.  Happy 21st!!

So cupcakes don't really go with the Mexican theme, but they're a birthday must. 

The second birthday belonged to my direct roommate, so I was VERY excited!  On her birthday morning, I woke her with some breakfast in bed, and then we gathered the troops for an entire flat brunch.  We ate at the Table Café, a cute and trendy place off of Blackfriars, not far from our home.  The weather finally felt like spring!  It made walking through town in sundresses feel like such a treat.  Breakfast was amazing too.  I had the most satisfying blueberry and cream waffle (and no shame, I ate all the cream) and mimosas.  It was fun to get out of the flat early on a Sunday, and I think the birthday girl really enjoyed her special day :) (Also, Mom, she opened your birthday present and loves the bracelet.  Great call!  Birthday #2= ALSO a success.

At birthday brunch!  Birthday girl is second to the right.

Other side of the table.

And the other side of the table haha.  There's just too many of us!

IN MY STOMACH OH SO FAST.

Yet unfortunately, this week wasn’t all fun.  On April 8, news broke of Margaret Thatcher’s death.   Thatcher (1925-2013), who served as Conservative Prime Minister between 1979 and 1990, was not only the first female PM in Britain’s history but also an extremely controversial political figure.  Brits either love and credit her for squelching Communism or detest her for her treatment of labor unions.  Me?  Personally, I work for a Conservative office, so I am inclined to like her policies and administration.  However, it wasn’t until after Thatcher’s death that my MP showed me clips of her speeches and told me stories of her life that really inspired me.  An event that really struck me was the 1984 Brighton bombing.   The Irish Free State attempted to assassinate Thatcher and her cabinet during a Conservative conference while they slept in their hotel late at night.  Thatcher, who barely missed the bombing, dusted herself off and gave an incredibly confident speech the next day, during which she said: “All attempts to destroy democracy by terrorism will fail.” I truly respected this attitude, especially in light of what has been happening in Boston.  

Inspired by this, I took advantage of an opportunity presented to me as a Parliamentary passholder; I was able to see Thatcher’s coffin and pay my respects to her before her funeral.  The body lay in state underneath Westminster Hall, in the Chapel of St. Mary Undercroft, so after work one day I stopped by, said a few prayers, and thanked Thatcher for her work here.  Who knows, without her administration women may not be granted the opportunities they are today in government...including me and this job.  So I thanked her for playing a part in shaping a governmental system that has made my semester here unforgettable, and I prayed that she rests in peace.

Thatcher's coffin, in the Chapel of St. Mary Undercroft.  

Overall, I had a great week in London; I was able to celebrate some close friends and remember a woman whose work greatly impacted mine today.  Watch out for my next entry, as I will recount details from my most recent trip to Barcelona!!

Cheers,

C

Scholars and Sailors

Ahoy, mateys!  After a fun weekend traveling in Rome, I was excited to be home in London and host my fellow ND students for affectionately-titled "Booze Cruise."  Now this cruise is not organized by Notre Dame, as made crystal clear by the school’s emails to our parents haha.  However it is a long-standing tradition, since London kids have been hosting their classmates for a semester-end cruise for the past 10 years.  Our program took this responsibility very seriously!  Within the first few weeks of our arrival here in London, we were already deciding dates, boats, organizers, etc.  We wanted to do a spectacular job showing off our city and making the cruise an amazing night for all of ND’s study abroad students.

My fellow classmates from Toledo, Dublin, Rome and Bologna started flocking to London as early as Thursday afternoon—and believe me, flocking is the perfect verb to describe their mass migration!  It was so fun to see random classmates at our local market, in the hallways of Conway, and on city streets.  A lot of my roommates took their friends around to do classic London things, such as take pictures in telephone booths (come on, we’ve all been there).  I would have loved to explore the city with them, but I had a ton of midterms due the following week, so I couldn't. However, I did take some time out of my schedule to give two tours of Parliament on Friday.  Since Parliament was on recess, the chambers were not in session, and I could walk my friends through the debating chambers.  I’m proud to say they really enjoyed the tours, and I did, too.  Every time I walk through Parliament I learn something new, and since my days there are winding down, I’m trying to soak it in as much as I can.

Girlies in Westminster Hall.

Tour guiding like a champion today.

After my fun on Friday, I spent the remainder of my time preceding the cruise cranking out more papers.   When it was finally dinnertime on Saturday, I could barely contain my excitement!  My flat of 12 prepped decided to host a gigantic refined Pre-Cruise Dinner Party, inviting 25 of our friends over for a tasty chicken and pesto dish.  (Props to my 2 roommates who made like 40 chicken breasts that night).  We had so much fun getting all dolled up and welcoming people into our home.  Before we knew it, it was time to take a couple hundred pictures and head out for one of the semester’s most anticipated events!

This beautiful girl traveled from Rome to go cruising!

Roommates all dressed up and feasting.  Quite ideal.

75% of the Wild Flat residents in one picture...I'd consider that pretty successful!

Roommates, soulmates.

Around 7pm, 220 ND kids (over 10% of the junior class) boarded the boat at Festival Pier, conveniently located off of the South Bank.  My goodness it was a beautiful boat—2 floors of indoor/outdoor dance floors and open bars.  The weather was gorgeous, so we were able to relax on the dock and take in London from an entirely new perspective.  I did not take any pictures from the boat because I love my camera way too much to subject it to a night on a boat with two hundred college kids.  Thankfully, there were a couple photographers on board, who although were quite aggressive caught a few special moments. 

Ready to cruise! 

Notre Dame taking on the Thames.

Popping out amidst a few bros.

 London friends, in front of the Jubilee Bridge we take to class daily.

Credit to this intelligent chica for the clever blog title I used.

Getting into the nautical British theme.

My favorite.  Getting our groove thing on!

The night went very smoothly.  We danced the night away, especially when "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" came on!  That Whitney Houston hit is definitely the London program favorite.  At stroke of midnight we docked back at Festival Pier.  The cruise, of course, has a primary purpose of reuniting the ND kids for a great time.  But more than that, it sparked in me a sense of pride for my city and my program.  I could not be more blessed to be studying in London, the most beautiful city in the world.  On top of that, it was so cool to celebrate the night with new and old friends.  I'm so happy to call the night a success and report that we did good old London proud.  

Cheers,

C