Portugal and Semana Santa 15.04.11-25.04.11

Hotel Room Terrace

The Friday after I got back from Croatia/London, I left again for Faro, Portugal. Initially I had bought the tickets with only my friend, Ali, but then being too busy with Croatia organizing, I asked her to figure out the details of our weekend getaway. What ended up happening was awesome: Ali found a killer resort to stay at (and super cheap, too) in the small beach town, Albufeira, of the famous Portuguese Algarve, plus we were joined by our friends, Valentina from Sweden, Lisa from Finland, and again Elias from Austria.
  The night we arrived in Portugal, we got to our hotel and decided that we needed to eat--ASAP--so we went to the hotel restaurant. There we were first introduced to what I would call the incredible hospitality and service of Portugal because the staff were wonderful. For example, when they accidentally poured a bit of wine into Lisa's water glass, they brought her back a full new glass wine and treated us all to dessert. After dinner, we decided to stay in the hotel and play cards.

Lisa, Me, and Valentina

My New Dog!

And Cat!

  The next day, we woke up for our complimentary hotel breakfast and then went to the beach (a 10min walk away). Overall the weather was great, but down at the waterfront it was a bit too windy so we decided to return to the pool. From there, we passed a good chunk of the early afternoon laying about in the sun (and unintentionally, burning). Later that afternoon we decided to walk around the hotel where we met a few animals friends that I, personally, had wanted to keep. It's too bad that our cheap Ryanair flights restrict the number of items we can bring...Finally, during the night we left to the 'downtown' of Albufeira. That night was the first Madrid vs. Barcelona game, and even if you don't follow soccer you MUST have heard of these two teams and the rivalry head. That said, we agreed to eat at a restaurant where we could also watch it. Somehow, in the middle of Southern Portugal, we ended up in a Dutch Restaurant, watching our home city in Dutch. We didn't mind the peculiarity of the situation, and hey, they tied! Following dinner, the five of us went to the nightlife district of the city, "The Strip." Well, it sure isn't Las Vegas, but it was fun nonetheless.

The Gang on the Strip

Me on the Beach

UPM, Our University Haha

Interesting Rock Way

The Girls

The Atlantic Coast of Albufeira

  The next day, the girls (i.e., no Elias) decided to go to the Old Town of Albufeira, to look around. Although it was pretty tourist-y, it was still beautiful. The Old Town has a really beautiful beach area, which we seemed to entertain ourselves with fully. That night I had had a stomach ache (perhaps one to many of the Portuguese sardines), and decided to head to bed early. We left the next day in the afternoon, stopping in the city of Faro for a look around. Overall it was better we had stayed in Albufeira cause I think it was much more interesting.

Flag of Portugal in Faro

  When I arrived back to Madrid Monday, I entered a lonely apartment, as all my roommates had left for their homes once the break started. ThatWednesday was the second Madrid vs. Barca game, so I decided to invite some friends over to watch. Some 20 people showed up, mostly friends of my friend Laura (from Italy), so it ended up being really fun. We had had the window open, and you could just feel the energy coming from the whole city at this moment because every exciting play was met by noise and cheers from the streets. Even better, Madrid, the underdog, won the cup! So after the game finished, we all left to storm the Plaza de Cibeles in typical Madrileño fashion. I stayed in the Plaza amongst the crowds, shouting chants left and right, until 4AM, barely missing the arrival of the team coming from Valencia at 5:30AM. Next time, I'll wait!
  The next day I began to study, a process which consumed most of my following days of Semana Santa.  However, that night, Laura invited me over for a dinner. Collecting the ingredients I had around (it was a holy holiday so the stores were closed), I made a quiche to bring. After dinner, we were all hanging out and had wanted to go out, but it was raining so we stayed in. Somehow we stayed up until 8 in the morning listening to music. Closing the blinds (to avoid the light from the fully risen sun), we all passed out on Laura's livingroom sofas.
 For the most part, the remainder of the week passed rather non-eventfully (is that a word?). I did a lot of studying, although still nowhere enough, watched a lot of movies, and did a lot of experimenting in the kitchen! One day I even went for a run, which was nothing less than pathetic. At least it was something. One thing was nice was that I ended the break fully refreshed, and ready to take on the busy two months to come! Let's do it!

London Calling 13.04.11

Entrance to the Underground

So on our way out of Croatia, Nicole and I had a common layover in a little old city they call London Town. Having always wanted to visit England's capital, it was perfect that we would have a full night and half day in between flights. Landing in London-Stansted from Pula, Nicole and I hopped on the express train into the heart of the city, ready for an exciting end to our already perfect trip.
When we arrived to Liverpool Station, we were startled by the contrast of the bustling underground system against our recent experience in laid-back Croatia. It was almost too much, especially with the busy worker crowd, the mass mobs walking in a flow of traffic (on the wrong side, the left!). London was also exceptionally chaotic with the marathon occuring that weekend and gathering excitement for the royal wedding this month. I breathed a sigh of relief after we were checked into our hostel, safe.

Because I Wouldn't Have Been in London WIthout this Picture

That night, we decided to grab some dinner at an Indian restuarant. It was Nicole's first time, and unlike "British" food, the Indian food in England is exceptional. The food was amazing, exactly the spicy something I had been missing in Madrid. We then went to Picadilly Circus, the UK equivalent of NYC's Time Square. Then we passed through the bustling nightlife of the Soho district. Finally we went to the Thames River waterfront to see the London Eye ferris wheel and a glimpse of Big Ben at night. We got to bed somewhat early, before midnight, in order to prepare for a busy next day.

Inside the Tube (Plus Random Guy!)

That morning we awoke early and had the free hostel breakfast before leaving for a free city tour. At first, I was questioning whether I could tolerate the tour--at 2.5hrs, it seemed unbearable to listen to the twangy British accent of our screeching tour guide. However, she soon redeemed herself with the wonderful stories she told along the way. On the monarchy-themed tour we saw Buckingham and the other royal palaces, several important government buildings, the prime minister's house, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the Parliament. After returning from the tour, Nicole and I went to see the so-called "London Bridge" but ran out of time to see the more impressive Tower Bridge. We left for the airports content in just how much of monster London we crammed in to such short time. Afterall, we had only ended up there by chance! I guess I say this every time with each new place, but again, I would love to return!

London Eye by Night

Buckingham Palace

A Queens Guard (You Can't Approach Them Anymore)

Big Ben and Double Decker

Me and Big Ben

In the airport, Nicole and I said goodbye. We had had a great weekend together, and knew that we would be seeing each other quite soon (she's coming in May!). I'm glad I've found a good travel buddy! Oh, to travel, such bliss...

Croatia Adventure 08.04.11-14.04.11

By eight o'clock Thursday night I was on a plane leaving Madrid, to meet my friend Nicole in the Düsseldorf airport. We found each other within a matter of minutes, because we soon realized we weren't in the main Düsseldorf airport, but actually quite far from the city in a smaller one. Intending to spend the night in the terminal (as we met around 11 and would be leaving around 6AM), we realized it would be slightly less interesting here. However, Nicole and I had so much to talk about--about our lives this semester--that no "entertainment" was necessary. I think we slept less than two hours.

The Guesthouse Living Area and Ktichen

The next morning we were on our connecting flight to Zadar, Croatia. We landed around 9AM, and were in the city itself around 10:30. We immediately went to check into our hostel, the Kolega Guesthouse. It was located in the historic peninsula of the city, a minute walk from the waters edge. We were greeted by the guesthouse owner, Marin and shown around where we'd stay. The accommodation was immaculate, very comfortable. However, Nicole and I didn't want to waste our precious daytime relaxing indoors. We organized our things and left to explore the city.

City Plaza with Cafés and Bell Tower

View from the Waterway Walk

Zadar was a great first impression of Croatia. It's a smaller city, and easily walkable. In the historic district, we got a strolled along the outskirts of the peninsula along the Adriatic Sea. The weather was perfect mid-70s, and everything seemed wonderful and tranquil. The town was littered with cafes after cafes, in which the citizens sat leisurely taking their cafes or beers all afternoon. We eventually fell victims to one of the many gelato shops and ordered ginormous sundaes, ruining our appetite for lunch but at around 3 dollars (after conversion from Croatian Kuna), not our budget.

Nicole and I by the Adriatic

     As the sun began to set, we began to head to the peninsula point to see the sunset, after noting a quote from Alfred Hitchcock that it was the "Best Sunset in the World". We also went to see the sea organ, created by the tide and some unique holes in the cement pathway.

Video of Sea Organ 

Zadar Croatia

Entrance to our Hostel

The following morning, we woke up early and caught a bus from the main bus station for our next location, the city of Split. After we arrived in the city,we located our hostel. Again it was great--this time it had a beautiful botanical courtyard and the Croatian woman in charge, Elda, was super friendly. She spoke with me and Nicole for a good half an hour, elaborating about Croatia and all the things it has to offer. We learned more about visiting the over 1200 Croatian islands and the inland national parks that boast to have some the most beautiful waterfalls in the world. Knowing that we could not possibly see everything, I regretted only having 4.5 days in this beautiful country.

Lunch!

Nicole and I left that afternoon with a few recommendations for Split, including a good pizza place to grab a lunch. One may question, the lunch choice, but actually Croats are quite the pizza connisseurs, and along the Dalmatia Coast eat a cuisine with heavy Italian influence. Nicole and I ended up pigging out on the freshly oven-baked pizzas, we couldn't resist. With all the good food we encountered, this regular the rest of the trip! 

Roman Ruins Walkway

View of Split from Hillside

Split Waterfront

The rest of the day was again spent exploring the city center. In the heart of Split, the city still contains the ruins of an ancient Roman palace, now forming a small rectangular wall around the city. Along the waterfront, the boats were docked as the Croats again spent the days enjoying the cafés and sunshine. We also climbed the main hill overlooking the city, and were able to get a good aerial view. That night we walked to the southern beach shore and hung out in a swank cocktail lounge overlooking the say to pass the day!  
     After a wonderful time in Split, Nicole and I continued our adventure to the capital city, Zagreb via the high-speed Split-Zagreb train. Luckily we took the high-speed train, because the journey still took well over five hours. However, I didn't mind too much, because I finally got to sleep--there was nothing else I could do, so I didn't feel guilty about it. I realize I've been neglecting the amount of sleep I need, but I guess that's nothing new. Even now, as I write this, I only slept 5 hours last night, and it's already past midnight and I'll wake up around eight. Although it feels great, sleep is frankly a waste of my time. 

Once in Zagreb, we checked into our third hostel, slightly out of the city center in a residential area. Again, we were quite lucky because we could walk to the downtown. However in Zagreb they have a tram transport system, and it's almost "free" because they never check tickets. That afternoon we strolled around the city. We approached a local Zagrebian for a restaurant recommendation, and were pleasantly surprised with the meal we received. Unlike Split and Zadar, Zagreb doesn't have the Mediterranean feel because it is on the East inland end of the country. Therefore, like many Eastern European cities, there isn't anything too extraordinary about the cuisine--it's a meat and potatoes sort of place. However, the meal we had was still great and such a bargain! For 30 Kuna, or under 6 Dollars, we had a four course meal: chicken soup, sauerkraut and bean salad, potatoes with fried cheese, and   San Jelacic Square marmalade crepes. Overall, awesome again! 

   The rest of the day and evening was spent meandering through the cities. We saw a bit of the historic Uptown, and even St. Stephen's Cathedral. Being as though it was a Sunday night, we decided to peep in on the mass. However, the twangy organ, candles, and gothic architecture created a rather creepy ambiance, and we quickly skirted away. 
    The next morning we saw the rest of the Zagrebian sights--the Croatian History Museum,  Ban Jelacic Square, impressive buildings, and the botanical gardens. Overall Zagreb was quite pleasant, and completely unique to any other city. One could feel the influence of the Austro-Hungarian rule, the toil of recent wars and conflicts, and the pride and patriotism of Croatian Independency. As we left the city, Nicole and I stopped by an open air market and purchased some marble walnut bread made from the hands of the working class people of Zagreb. A token to remember the city by.                                                           

St. Stpehen's Cathedral (Under Construction)

Botanical Gardens

  

St. Mark's Church

Fresh Walnut Marble Bread

After leaving Zagreb, we reached our final destination, the Northern coastal town of Pula. We again had a wonderful place to stay, and Art Hostel with a quirky, fun style and lovable owners. Pula is exceptionally unique because it contains countless Roman Ruins throughout the city, including a full-sized amplitheater! Apparently, back in the days of gladiators the Romans would pump in the nearby seawater into this amplitheater and have full-scale naval battles. Talk about ambitious!
As custom, we again spent our time exploring the city. Had we had more time, we could have also rented bikes from our hostel to take a tour along the coastline, which could have been great. By then, it was already decided that we have to return someday to Croatia anyways, so we added biking to that list.
The next day was a sad one, as we realized our stay in Croatia would be ending. We celebrated by enjoying a nice fish lunch, and later left for the airport.

Fresh Market

Me in a Roman Temple

View of Pula and Ampitheater

One of the Pula Watchtowers

Looking Into the Amplitheater

    My thoughts about Croatia, on the whole? First of all, with the beach and natural surroundings, it's a paradise. The food their is indulgent, but also very pure to the source. The older generation are simple and hardened by the turmoil the country saw in the 20th Century. The younger generation don't seem to enjoy the simple pace of life, and somewhat take for granted their country. While it was effective to see a lot in a little time, I wouldn't recommend hopping about rapidly through Croatia. It's countering the peaceful lifestyle. While these are all observations, I think at large they are true.

Flag of Croatia

Preview of Summer (29.03.11-07.04.11)

I'm amazed by how fast the weeks go here. Within the past week, I've started to feel a sort of 'urgency'. I feel a rush to plan every single weekend I have left here, so that way I can assure I see and do everything I want to. Resulting from this feeling, I bought tickets for another trip! On April 15, I'm heading to Faro, Portugal for the wekeend with my American friend, Ali. We chose Faro because it is located in the south of the country by the beach, so we hope to soak up a little bit of sun. The following week is the Spanish equivalent of spring break,"Semana Santa", so I have a week off of school. This week I will stay in Madrid, and I plan on doing some serious studying in my free time. I also have promised myself, as a result of this aforementioned 'urgency', that I need to try a new café, visit a new neighborhood, or walk through a new park of Madrid every day during the break.
I forgot to mention something semi-amazing that happened to me the week before last. I saw not one, but two students here in Spain that I recognized as alumni from IIT in Chicago. The first time, I was standing on Gran Via waiting for a friend, when a girl I new looked familiar passed by. We made eye contact, and I saw on her face that she was thinking the same thing. A few minutes later she returned and asked me, "Perdona, ¿de dónde eres?" After I told her I was from the states, she instantly brought up Chicago and IIT. Although I had never talked to her at IIT, at a small school, we had seen each other around on campus. The second time this happened to me was even more coinicidental. When I was in San Sebastian, walking along the beach, I saw from a distance a guy that I thought had been a student at IIT. I wasn't sure because again I had never actually talked to him. Then as he passed (this time, no eye contact), I saw he was wearing a Chicago t-shirt. So it must have been! At times like this, the world is small. Too small! Even somest 5,000miles away, in a city of 3million or a smaller city in the north of a country of 46million, I find people I know.
This past week it also began to feel like summer, as the temperature increased abruptly by around 15 degrees Faharenheit. So now everyday it is at least 72 degrees, and it makes being outside absolutely fabulous. On Saturday, me and my friends planned a picnic in the main park, El Retiro. We each brought a snack and shared the food (I made a mozarella, tomato, oregano, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar salad...an imitation of a Caprese with out the basil). It was so nice, just passing 3 hours lazily on the grass in the park. Of course I forgot my camera, but we have planned to continue these picnics so next time I will have pictures!
That Saturday was also the birthday party of my friend Laura from Italy. That night, the other Laura, Ali, and I made her a chocolate cake to bring to the party. Laura had also made herself an authentic tiramisu, which was fantastic. The party turned out to be really fun, but as Spanish custom, I didn't leave until a little after 4AM, which meant after travel time I wasn't sleeping until 5AM. This proved to be a problem when I had to wake up at 9:45AM for my 3 hour dance rehearsal the next morning. By some miracle I survived, but just barely. I think this is my biggest problem, I try to do much. A lot of people like to sleep in and enjoy there weekends; I tend to jam-pack them and as a result, enter Monday more tired than before the weekend began. Yet even as I admit this problem, you know that I will continue to stress myself out, attempt to much. So is Sydney Williams.
Yesterday I donated blood at my faculty. Due to my habit of testing too low for iron and frequent fainting, I was a little extra-nervous at this attempt in a different country and language.However, it was a success! I wasn't anemic and I didn't faint, either! Mostly I think this was due to the fact that the nurses literally forced me to drink a juice before and after my donation, where in the states this is more of a suggestion or upon request. This tactic really helps to inclease your blood sugar and blood pressure after donation, so I think I'm going to take note for my next donation stateside.
Finally, I still haven't boughten my ticket to go home! Hopefully I will do that this afternoon, but I'm running out of time, because I LEAVE FOR CROATIA TONIGHT!!!!!! I'm really excited, but again, I've too much to do, and too little time. Also, I need to transfer my money again from dollars to euros, however this time it's not so much in favor. In February the exchange rate was 1.36 dollars per Euro, now it's 1.42. As my transfer is a larger chunk of change, I will unforutunately lose money this time. Hopefully after the transfer the Euro skyrockets so when I transfer back I make a profit! Guess we'll see. So now I head to class, and then to scramble all the last minute things I need to do before my 8:00PM flight. I'm so excited to visit this country, to see Nicole, and to have what I know will be an unforgettable adventure!