Post-trip summary of my travels in Europe

It’s been an amazing journey those 4 and half months abroad that I had to live every minute of it with not enough time to update my blog.  Now that I’m back home I’ll recap as much as I can.  First off, I can’t exactly say that my life has changed drastically but I have definitely gained life lessons and learned a lot about myself, that I am able to adapt and live independently in a whole other country- it’s not exactly a third-world country but it’s a new culture. It’s an experience that my friend Carola put into words, something like, “every college student shouldn’t miss out on the opportunity if they can study abroad…it’s once-in-a-lifetime.” Another friend even took out her first loan so she can study in England over summer during the 2012 Olympics, which demonstrates the extent people go just to go experience it. It’s true though, when will you ever get your youth back and have enough time to be immersed in another country?

Rabat beaches

           

            My last blog was before my departure for Morocco.  I took an excursion through DiscoverCordoba which is based in Sevilla that consisted of Americans and a few foreigners. We slept overnight in Sevilla while waiting for the bus to pick us up.  Then leaving Spain from Tarifa, we caught a ferry to Tangiers, Morocco. The excursion brought us to Rabat, Fez, and the Sahara desert. 5 days total. You could tell from the shanty towns of rundown buildings, barred houses, trash, and unswept streets that it was a third world country.  Many times the bus would stop for us to use the restrooms.  I can remember waiting in line to use the women’s room only to see that it’s a squatter without toilet paper and soap, and the cleaning lady waited outside for a tip.  But Morocco is a beautiful country with its varied landscapes.  From the coast of Tangiers to the forests of monkeys to the beaches of Fez and the sand dunes and oases of the Sahara Desert, Morocco was a sight to see.

            What puzzles me even now is the culture.  I understand I took a touristy excursion which can be to blame for I never really got a vibe of the culture.  I had heard that Morocco is the last Muslim country, meaning that it’s the most liberal.  Women may decide on their own not to wear a headdress, and yet many still do.  The Moroccan tour guides I met were very friendly and could speak multiple languages, among them Arabic, French, Spanish, English, Japanese.  Everyday I stuffed myself from the buffets of food, and I even got to try camel meat without knowing.  I was most excited to ride through the Sahara desert on camels but my favorite part was going through the markets in the Medina and browsing through all the neat serendipitous trinkets and such.  I learned first-hand that bartering is tiring but I wished we had more time to shop . The life lesson I learned from this trip is to travel with people you would really love to spend time with. 

Camel meat

Buddies from my Cordoba program

Monkeys on the way to the Sahara!!

Tannery from a leather shop in the medina, Fez.

Riding on Camels 

 

Oasis

   

            After Morocco, there was one weekend where I traveled to Salamanca to meet up with my childhood friend Carola, who had been studying in Paris.  I was really nervous before going, nervous about traveling alone at night and if it was worth the money.  When you’re studying abroad especially in Europe, you are more wary of your money and budgeting.  I was just about to bail on the idea when I told myself, the heck with being irresolute and craven, I just need to get on that bus and do it.  Turns out that weekend would be one I will remember for the rest of my life.  It was worth it.  I met up with Carola that night and her friend who walked me back to my albergue.  It was fun just kicking back and eating tapas in Salamanca- “Hakuna matata” from the Lion King! But when I think of Salamanca, I think of the night we went salsa dancing.  When we first entered the club there was a girl singing on stage and the ambience felt like a jazzy sorta scene.  A couple minutes later the stage transformed along with the music and everyone got on their feet to dance.  I was amazed by the way Carola danced around with so many partners agile as if effortless and she looked like the best dancer in the crowd.  It’s crazy after all those years in a Catholic school in Maryland we spent together that we would end up meeting up about 10 years later on the other side of the world in a small town in Spain.  

Best of friends in Salamanca, Spain

The last trip before the end of the program in Cordoba I traveled to Lisboa, Portugal, with Katie and Trinh.  It was all a fracaso thinking back on it but we can all agree that it was perfect, the way a vacation should be.  We did what we wanted to do with the best people on Earth!  We walked around Lisboa in cloudy weather and were surprised to see few people in sight in the streets and closed stores.  We wondered why and it was probably the worst time to go there on a Sunday when la vida en la calle are dead and everyone is inside spending family time.  The next day we decided to go to Sintra heeding the advice from our fellow classmates who had already gone.  We didn’t know that the tickets we had bought was roundtrip so we actually bought it twice and ran out of money in the end after hiking up the hill to the castle.  We just laughed it off.  I love how seemingly trivial little moments can mean a lot.

Fairy-tale town of Sintra

Baixa, Lisboa, Portugal

         

 

Finally after the program, I traveled for 2 weeks with my brother to Bologna, Crete, Berlin, Amsterdam, and back to Grenada.  The highlights: in Bologna we experienced earthquakes and a failed attempt at couchsurfing; saw the most gorgeous beach I've ever been to, Elafonissi Beach on Crete; visited Nina and Aaron and met up with Trinh and Carola in Berlin; ate enormous pancakes and struefal waffles in Amsterdam; and went barhopping in Granada- my favorite Spanish city-with Emma and friends. It was the perfect amount of time and money and all I can say is that I’m glad to have had the opportunity to travel with my brother, although of course we had our sibling moments! 

The best sight in Bologna basically

Crete, Greece

Until the next opportunity to travel, I'll keep peddling through life and try to keep the world on my shoulders!

       

Thanks Mom and Dad for the chance to study abroad and an experience of a lifetime!

beginning of Semana Santa

Today was the first night of Semana, Santa.  There were crowds of people waiting to view the procession tonight at the Mezquita.  A figure of Christ and the Virgen Mary passed on what are called "pasos"-platforms holding the statue and candels- followed by people covered in black clothing.  The procession took about 10 minutes to pass you, someone was chanting, and other than that it was silent and solemn.  It was interesting but not something that I would be excited to see all week in Cordoba, which will happen all of next week in the major cities in Andalucia.

I feel like time is passing by so fast...finally! It's Easter break, Semana Santa over here but have so much to do.  I'm excited and stressed at the same time.  Tomorrow I leave for 5 days in Morocco, where I'll be visiting Rabat and Fez and traveling through the Sahara desert on camels.  Tomorrow morning I have to buy my bus ticket and other things for the trip.  Right now I'm trying figure out what to bring, classes in Berkeley for Telebears, what to do after the Morocco trip if I should travel more, other trips, summer, etcetera...so until next time when I have pics to share!

Here's the sample itinerary for Morocco:

 Morocco & Sahara Desert, March 31st – April 4th 2012

Itinerary: Remember Morocco is 2 hours behind Spain and all times are listed in local time. 
The following itinerary is only an approximation and may be subject to change.  

Day 1 - Saturday, March 31st 
04:30 AM - Meet at the Consulado de Portugal near the bus stop in front of the Jardines del Prado de San Sebastián (close to the Universidade de Sevilla)05:00 AM - Bus departs from Sevilla to Tarifa
09:00 AM - Ferry leaves from Tarifa to Tangiers
08:15 AM *Change to Moroccan time: 2 hours behind Spain* - Arrive in Tangiers

08:30 AM - Exchange Euros for Dirham and use the ATM’s (we recommend from 40€ to 100€)
09:00 AM - Depart Tangiers for Rabat
1:00 PM - Arrive in Rabat & have Lunch, Rabat tour after lunch
4:00 PM - Depart for Fez
8:00 PM - Arrive in Fez, check in and dinner at the Hotel

Day 2 - Sunday, April 1st 
07:00 AM - Breakfast at hotel in Fez

08:00 AM - Check out and depart for Merzouga

12:30 PM - Stop for lunch at desert Kasbah in Midelt

6:00 PM - Arrive at Xaluca, cross the rocky desert in 4x4 Jeeps

7:30 PM - Camel excursion through the sand dunes to our Desert Oasis
8:30 PM - Dinner at Desert Oasis

10:00 PM - Party in the Sahara Desert!!

Day 3 - Monday, April 2nd 
05:30 AM - Wake up for the Desert Sunrise (Optional)

07:00 AM - Tea at Oasis before Departing on Camels to Hotel
9:30 AM - Breakfast at Desert Hotel + check in

11:00 AM - Optional Walking Tour of a town in the Desert
1:00 PM - Lunch at Desert Hotel & Free Time in the Dunes
5:45 PM - Desert Sunset
8:30 PM - Dinner at Desert Hotel

Day 4 - Tuesday, April 3rd 
08:00 AM to 09:00 AM - Breakfast at Desert Hotel & Check Out
09:00 AM - Depart in 4x4 jeeps to the Xaluca Hotel
2:30 PM - Lunch in Midelt
7:00 PM - Arrive in Fez, Check In to Rooms
8:30 PM - Dinner at the Hotel in Fez
10:00 PM - Farewell Party  in the Hotel Lounge Bar
 
Day 5 - Wednesday, April 4th  
07:00 AM to 08:00 AM - Breakfast at hotel & Check Out
08:30 AM - Leave Hotel for Fez/Medina tour
09:00 AM - Fez/Medina tour begins
12:00 PM - Lunch in Fez
2:00 PM - Leave Fez for Tangiers

9:00 PM - Ferry leaves Tangiers for Tarifa
12:00 AM *Now back in Spanish time: 2 hours ahead of Morocco* - Arrive in Tarifa, Spain

2:30 AM/3:00 AM - Arrival in Sevilla (depending on ferry schedule and traffic)

Granada!

Grenada, a gorgeous city to visit, teeming with history and life!  It was the last Muslim city to be conquered by the Catholic king Ferdinand and Isabella.  Now it's one of the cities known for it's university and diversity.


This weekend was great although it was a bit last minute.  I've been undecided about so many trips and traveling in general because I'm afraid of spending too much.  I'll explain what happened..

Last weekend while a group of us were in Sevilla, we decided that we would go to Granada for sure.  It didn't happen because at the last minute, Thursday night, everyone flaked.  I was torn between going solo or staying in Cordoba with the rest of the Americans.  I had told my host mom that I was going to Grenada, but  on the day of, Friday after class I told her that I wouldn't be going anymore because I didn't want to travel alone and I wasn't sure what I'd do all of Saturday by myself.  Then I went to a mini picnic with some friends and afterwards realized that I didn't want to stay in Cordoba.  It was the perfect weekend to Granada in terms of exams- it was a free weekend, why waste it?  When I got home, I chatted with my intercambio online and she brought up a good point: Why wait for the rest, when you're not sure that they'll ever go?  It would be my first adventure going solo.  At that point I had 30 minutes to pack, run over to the bus station, buy a ticket, and catch the bus.

I made it on time.  On the bus I felt a sigh of relief that I had made the right decision.  The bus arrived in Granada around 7pm so it was already nighttime, but when I got off the bus I could feel the vibrance of the city.  It was even beautiful at night and had a different feel from Cordoba.  It was full of life and a lot more energy.  I met up with my friend, Ana, who I had met in Carnaval and who I stayed with in Granada.  I met some of her classmates as we ate at a tapa bar called La Riviera.  I couldn't believe that with every drink (~2euros) it came with free tapas, which were the best I've had so far.  My favorite tapas were the kebabs of lamb and fried octopus.  They gave us so much that we couldn't even finish the food.  Besides the tapas, I loved that Granada had quality ice cream shops...and of course I had to make the most of it while I was there.

                                                 One of the oldest Hammum Baths

                                                   Emma

                                                         Great views of the city from Albaicin

                                                    La Puerta Elvira

The next day I set off to explore the city with Emma, an Italian who was studying at the University of Granada and whom I had met the night before.  Unlike Cordoba, Granada is so diverse and usually an apartment is occupied by students from all over the world.  She took me to El Albaicin, a great vista point to see the city and Alhambra, San Nicholas, Elvira, and a restaurant where I tried "el menu del dia"-which is a set course of the day including 2 plates, a drink, and dessert- for the first time for 9 euros.  One platter was already enough to fill me but I finished it because the food was so delicious.  I had paella, calamari, pineapple juice, and coffee.  Emma and I ate with Carissa, who was former EAP student in Cordoba last semester.  After lunch and splitting up with Emma, Carissa and I walked to Sacromonte- an area full of caves or gypsy homes.  And during the night, I also met up with Justin and his friend to chat and walk through the city.

                                            Real drinking fountains...fresh from the sierras!

                                                      I should've been crowned

                                             1st course: paella with pineapple juice

                                                Carissa

                                              2nd plate: Calamari and fries!

                                                     A discoteca in Sacromonte

                                              A cave with gypsies ask for your money

                                                    Alhambra at night

                                                  Cristoffer Columbus with king Ferdinand


I didn't end up going to the discoteca because I didn't want to walk home alone late at night especially since the parties don't really start until 2am and Ana a bit far.  Anyways I enjoyed Ana's company at the end of the day.  She must be one my favorite people that I have met in Spain.  She's a great host, optimistic, and independent.  And Granada is one of my favorite cities!  It seems like there is always something to do, a city you can't tired of.  The best part of the weekend was being able to practice my Spanish :D