Pasta, Pizza, Tiramisu, Gelato......I don't think I'm in Missouri anymore......

So this blog is going to probably be a long one. So much has happened since the last post that I may split it up into two sections for your sake. Let’s see, first off right after Barcelona was Italy. I stopped off in Milan for a short time, because I was told by a local back in France not to worry about it since its mostly fashion and there are much more beautiful places to see. So I headed to Venezia(Venice)! What an awesome place! I can definitely see why its such a romantic city. Plus all those rumors about it smelling really bad and the water being really nasty….not even close to being true! Also on my way there, I met a couple from Dallas on the train, which was pretty awesome to talk to people from home. In Venice, there are so many small museums and churches that I stopped off and saw. One of my favorite ones was a music museum that actually had lots of old stringed instruments from the 1600s and even a harp guitar! Those are extremely expensive and yet so amazing! I had some legit gelato here as well as some amazing Italian pizza. Definitely different from American pizza, but quite good! On a side note, the entire time I was walking through Venice, I felt that I had already been here before……all thanks to Assassin’s Creed II. Next I went to Firenze! This town was extremely beautiful. I headed first to the Piazzo Michelangelo, which is an amazing plaza on a hill overlooking all of Florence! I also had THE BEST gelato I have ever had (and most likely ever will have) here and a place called Vivolvi. Ask me for directions if you ever go to Florence, because I will forever remember how to get here and make sure I go back at least once more in my life! There are so many different art galleries and museums here, and for every single one you are guaranteed waiting at least a half hour, sometimes more, to get into. I went to one of the galleries that had the original statue of David. It is so incredible to see it in real life, with a height of at least 25 to 30 feet. You aren’t supposed to take pictures inside, but I managed to take a few really good shots while security wasn’t looking. Also, one of the key things in Florence and mostly all of Italy, its really expensive and adds up quick! So from this point, I headed to Roma(Rome) to see all the sights there. The most important thing I wanted to see there was the Colosseum. I’ve always wanted to see it ever since I was a kid, which is kind of random, but I finally got to see it!!!! It is still so amazing. Just think what it was like back when it first opened. I believe it said there was over 200 days of celebration when it was first opened, where they had at least a couple fights/battles there every single night for over 200 days! Its so incredible that something that is almost 2,000 years old and been in the midst of rebellions and all out wars is still standing. One of the few for sure, I can definitely understand why it is one of the 7 Wonders of the World. From here I headed to the Palentine and Roman Forum, which consist of ancient Roman ruins and artifacts. It still amazes me how they were able to build so much amazing architecture back then with such limited technology. Next I went to Trevi Fountain, which is definitely one of the most impressive fountains I’ve ever seen, and the Pantheon of Rome.  Then I left Italy (technically) and entered into the Vatican. There is so much security just to even get in, its crazy! I was able to actually go up to the top of the capula (the very top of St. Peter’s Basilica) and could see for what seemed like miles and miles! I actually watched a mass from the dome of the Basilica, which was a pretty cool experience as well. Now after being here, as well as Sagrada Familia and Notre Dame, I’m pretty sure no other churches could ever compare. I actually went back to all of these places at night (except the Vatican) and they looked even more impressive! Maybe lights just makes things look cooler…..who knows. Also, random insert, the food in all of Italy was amazing! The pasta, the pizza, the cannolis, the tiramisu....all are like none other and is definitely worth the trip here! There is also a part of Rome that I visited that Hollywood has used many times in any movie set in Rome. The ironic thing is that its actually a block away from the US Embassy. There is a large strip where all you pass by are cafes that are outside. If they are not all one after another, then it is at least every other building. Apparently this spot was very famous in many of the American movies done in the 50s through the 70s. At the end is a nice park where you can just spend hours walking through and stopping off at more galleries inside of it. This is going to be where I stop this 2 parter for now and I will tell about some of the craziness that happened while in Greece very soon!

The rain in Spain does fall mainly on the plain…..except….

Spain. What a time there! I took the night train from Paris to Madrid, where I met up with people I actually knew! I spent the day with Adriana Gonzales, who I have known since middle school and haven’t seen since the summer after high school, and her boyfriend Aaron Turkle. We spent the day exploring different museums like the Sofia and the El Prado. They introduced me to Boccodillos, which are small sandwiches with either ham(jambon), cheese, or calamari. The Spaniards surprisingly really like calamari. We went to Madrid’s Mercado, which was an amazing market with everything that you could want. These markets are amazing to see and give you a real sense of the culture. There are some of the weirdest and yet coolest things here too! That night ended up being quite crazy with Adriana, Aaron, and Alice(Adriana’s roommate who came later in the day) missing their bus and a bit of a problem with the police in the Atocha station, but it all ended up good in the end and we all got to hang out more. The next day, I was back to exploring by myself, and got to see all of the other sights that I had yet to see. There were so many, that I barely made it to all of them, plus rain in the latter part of the day made me slow down just a bit. The following day, I went to Sevilla, and I didn’t see a single barber there! It was a beautiful town, with the gardens of Real Alcarez and the Cathedral. It was actually quite a larger town than I thought it would be. While here, I found one of the coolest things! Cheetos that were soccer balls! I do wish they had those in the US, but since most of the US doesn’t follow soccer like the Europeans, I guess its understandable. In Sevilla, I made some new friends with many people from all over Canada, and actually ended up on the same night train to Portugal with one of them. It is always nice to be able to travel with other people you have already met or know. Getting off the train, I actually thought that Portugal was just the same exact as Spain, until I went to the top of Castelo San Juan. Lisbon has a giant bridge that looks like an exact replica of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and has gorgeous views out towards the Atlantic Ocean. After exploring the town, I went down to the docks and sat down by the water, fell asleep for a bit and then realized what a bad idea that was. I had no sunscreen on and being a ginger, this most likely won’t turn into a tan sadly. Just more red. I actually was sitting at the train station waiting for my night train to go back to Madrid, and this guy started talking to me in Portuguese, which I had no clue what he was saying. He kept on talking to me and I finally was able to understand what he was saying. From what I could gather, he was saying how English people don’t ever learn the language of the country they are visiting, but if he were visiting another place, he would be expected to speak or understand English. That is very true, and I do wish that I knew at least another language fluently and not just bits of other languages. He then talked to me about what was going on in Libya, but I wasn’t exactly sure what he was saying with that, so I just nodded. The following day, I ended up at my friend Adriana’s town of Tomelloso. It’s a smaller Spanish town, but has quite a few people in it. I got to try some more crazy Spanish food, and also found out how much Spaniards like mayo with everything! The next day, Adriana, Aaron, and I went to Barcelona. It was all our first time there, so we wanted to explore basically everything. We went to Sagrada Familia, a beautiful cathedral that is done inside, but won’t be finished on the outside until around 2020. It was started back around the 1890s I do believe, completely designed by the famous Spanish artist Gaudi. Although it was a bit costly, it was definitely worth seeing. Most of the other things in Barcelona were free such as the Gothic Quarter (although you have to pay to go inside some places, but they look the same inside as out), La Rambla, Princesa St, and the Olympic Village. The beach at the Olympic Village was pretty amazing and full of people. I can just imagine during the summer how overpacked it must be with all the tourist! We actually lucked out too, because that weekend was the first Sunday of the month, and most museums are free on the first Sunday of the month, so we got to go to the Picasso Museum, which actually shows the progression of him from some of his first paintings to some of his last paintings, which is what most people know him by, with the crazy faces and displaced parts. We all left Barcelona on Sunday night, with Adriana and Aaron going back to teach, and me going on to Italy. I was really glad I got to see them. It honestly was nice getting to be around people that you know, especially after being on my own for a month. The only bad thing was, I lost my voice because I wasn’t used to talking so much, but it is slowly returning thanks to meds. Now, if only I could have a teleporter……I guess that’s a little harder to get than meds.