London Town

Okay, it has taken me a while to post about London.  Sorry!  I had a great weekend.  The weather was unusually pleasant for London so we went at a great time exploring the city without being too chilly.  On Friday we arrived at our hostel bright and early and decided to make our way to the first spot of the weekend...Chipotle.

London has the only Chipotle in all of Europe.  Needless to say, it was the first place on my list of things to see.  Since London isn't exactly known for having wonderful food, I didn't feel too bad about eating there.  After, I went back to the hostel and was able to meet up with Kelly!  I was so grateful to have a familiar face waiting for me at the hostel, and we caught up over a drink in the hostel bar.  That night, Kelly, Liz, Anna, and I went on a Grim Reaper tour!  It was a walk around the East side of London, where the Jack the Ripper crimes took place.  Our tour guide, Giles, was very entertaining and exceedingly detailed about the gruesome tidbits.

In front of the haunted Tower of London where Anne Boleyn spent her last days.  

Tower Bridge with Kelly!

That night, I went back to Kelly's apartment and met her friends from her study abroad program.  We went to a club called Fabric and danced the night awayyyyyy.

The next morning I went straight to a bike tour to meet up with Anna and Liz.  We saw so much of London including Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, The Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, St. James's Park, The Albert Memorial, and Trafalgar Square.  We were actually in London during a very bustling weekend.  On Saturday, London was host to the largest protest in England in ten years!  Over half a million people came to the demonstration that weekend.  As a result, no cars were in the streets so it was very easy to navigate on our bikes and we were also able to witness a lot of craziness.

Protest in Trafalgar Square

St. James's Park

Westminster Abbey

Big Ben

After the tour, we went for a walk along the Thames River.  We saw Tate Modern, Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Shakespeare's Globe Theater, and some interesting street performances.  It took us three hours to navigate home on the buses after that.  At night, we met some interesting British friends at our hostel and had a wonderful time.

Sunday was museum day.  We went to the British Museum, The National Portrait Gallery, and The National Gallery.  The British Museum had the Rosetta Stone and some cool Egyptian artifacts, but my favorite was The National Portrait Gallery.  I especially enjoyed a room that had photographs of ex-patriots of Britain who lived in New York.  There was also a weird sculpture that contained the artist's own blood...very different.  The National Gallery was very cool as well because it has a lot of Da Vinci paintings that we have learned about in Art History.

After museum day, I met up with Kelly at her apartment and she made me a wonderful home cooked meal!  Then I went back to my hostel to get ready for our trip home the next morning, which started at 5 AM!  One unfortunate thing about London was the tube.  One ride in one direction on the tube cost 4 pounds!  Not only that, but the tube is under serious construction because the city is preparing for the olympics.  Our tube station was shut down all weekend, so we got to ride on the awesome double decker buses most of the time.

I definitely would travel back to London because there is so much to see there.  England feels very familiar and American after having lived in a Spanish speaking country for almost three months.  Still, when I arrived back in Madrid on Monday afternoon I was very happy to be home.

London Bound!

In 3 short hours, I will be "waking up" to leave for my flight to London!  I am so excited to see my friend Kelly who is living there this semester!  Anna, Liz, and I are planning to do another bike tour on Saturday, and a Grim Reaper tour as well!  We are trying to cover it all in a short time!

More importantly, happy birthday to my beautiful sister Abby who I miss so much!  Abby and Carolyn are going to Florida for a week to visit Grandma and Ralph and I plan on skyping with the whole crew next week!

The birthday princess!  I miss my sisters!

Such stuff as dreams are made on

This weekend I traveled with my Shakespeare class to Stratford-upon-Avon.  Stratford-upon-Avon is home to the Royal Shakespeare Theater, where the Royal Shakespeare Company has its headquarters and where William Shakespeare was born and died.  This was my first time in England where I actually left the airport.  I left bright and early Friday morning and had a layover in Amsterdam after an uncomfortable flight next to a man who didn't understand the meaning of personal space.  He was such an arm rest hog.  I finally arrived in Birmingham International airport and navigated my way to Stratford-upon-Avon via train.  And I was sure to mind the gap the entire way.

Once in Stratford, I checked into my cute bed and breakfast.  I arrived later than most people, so I didn't have time to join the group for dinner.  I walked around the town for a little bit and made my way over to the Royal Shakespeare Theater for a performance of Antony and Cleopatra where I met the rest of my classmates.  I was so impressed with the performance!  Except the actor who played Antony looked exactly like my old boss at Buffalo Brewing Company which was weird.  The play lasted nearly four hours, so we all needed to go back to the bed and breakfast to get some rest for the next day.

Swan Theater before the performance of Antony and Cleopatra.

The Royal Shakespeare Theater on River Avon.

The next morning, I had a traditional English breakfast which consisted of beans, eggs, bacon, tomatoes, and sausage.  Then we left to see a production of The Tempest which was designed for children.  Naturally, it was my favorite performance of the weekend.  There were so many cute kids there with their families that were all dressed up for the show!  The actors were really funny and they used puppets for some of the characters for a really cool interpretation of the play.

The Swan Theatre before the Tempest.

After the play, we went the Holy Church of Trinity to see Shakespeare's grave.  We also saw Shakespeare's birthplace, Hall's Croft, and the site of the house that he died in (called New Place).  It was torn down over 200 years ago but there is an archaeological dig where you can still see the original foundation and a beautiful garden.

Inside the church

Shake's grave

Outside Hall's Croft with Martina.

Playing in the garden!  The weather was unusually sunny.

We also had some free time to get lunch and do some shopping.  I had a burger and some cider with my friends Martina and Colin at an English pub.  It was the best burger I have had in a long time.  I also had some fish and chips for dinner.  It wasn't as good as Fitz's, but still yummy.

That night, we saw one more performance in the Royal Shakespeare Theater.  The performance of King Lear was very elaborate.  During the scenes where there was a storm, it was actually raining on stage.  My favorite part of the performance came at the end of the play, when a huge light came down from the ceiling for a very elaborate spotlight on the main characters (who were all dead) and lots of flashing lights.  All of the characters who were in King Lear were in Antony and Cleopatra, too.  I can't imagine how difficult it would be to memorize all of those lines and play such different roles!

My favorite part of the weekend came after the performance, when we bumped into the cast of The Tempest at a pub that was down the street from a bed and breakfast!  We chatted with them for over an hour and got to hear about all of the behind the scenes stuff.

So typical, but still, it had to be done.

Choosing our wands at a magic shop!  

Me and Martina enjoying our Irish dinner!

I basically spent all of Sunday making my way back to Madrid.  I had a layover in Paris this time and two other girls from my class were on my flight.  I am so excited to return to England next weekend with Liz and Anna to explore London!  I'm also really excited to see my friend Kelly from dance.  She is studying there this semester and is excited to show us some cool things.  I am thankful that I am going to England two weekends, because one weekend was definitely not long enough for me.

I'm halfway through the semester and...

I have had such an exciting week!  Steph and Morgan arrived on Sunday, and I was able to meet up with on Monday before my class.  I went to their hostel, and we walked to Retiro Park, Sol, went into the Royal  Palace, saw the cathedral, and walked around Sol--all before lunch!  It was so great to catch up with Steph!  Even though we can chat over Facebook and Skype, it was so relieving to talk to her in person.  They had lots more fun enjoying the sights, sounds, and nightlife of Madrid while I was going to class and tutoring, but on Wednesday I met up with Steph, Morgan, and Kenzie for lunch at Cien Montaditos because they have euro sandwiches on Wednesdays.

On Monday night, Liz and her mom came over for another delicious dinner with Gabby and Roberto.  We had another fancy meal in the dining room and Anna and I ate almost all of the olives, my new favorite thing.  Wednesday night, Anna, Liz and her mom, and I went to a jazz concert at this really cool jazz bar called Cafe Central.  After the concert, I saw Steph and Morgan again very quickly before I had to leave to catch the last metro home.  I wish I could have spent more time with them, but I am so thankful that they were able to come out this week!  I can't believe how many visitors I have had these past three weeks.  I never want it to end.

Today is St. Patrick's Day and I have not seen one second of Irish dancing!  In fact, I won't be able to celebrate tonight because I have to leave for the airport at 7:30 tomorrow morning and I still have some studying to do...oops.  This is my first St. Patrick's Day since I was six years old where I have not been dancing or teaching!  But I'm not complaining, I'm in Spain and today at lunch time SLU was handing out Guinness and shamrock cookies.  That's the spirit!

Erin go Braugh!

Lena's visit

I just said bye to Lena.  I won't see her again until the end of May, but we had a wonderful time in Madrid this weekend and I am so lucky that so many people have visited me.  It was nice to have time with Lena and Anna--I felt like I was just hanging out at SLU again!

On Friday morning, Anna and I met Lena at her hostel, which was conveniently located between the Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor, and Sol.  We walked around the neighborhood, then went to SLU's campus to meet some other friends for sangria and tortilla de espanola.  Then we took Lena back to our apartment and she rested up because she did not get any sleep the night before.  For dinner, we enjoyed some tapas at El Tigre.  I definitely will be going back there.  Their tapas sizes are huge and there was a really fun, young crowd there.  After some drinks and snacks, we took Lena out for a fun night in Madrid!

On Saturday, I enjoyed a really fun afternoon with the family that I have been tutoring in English.  The grandparents even came over, and we all enjoyed a traditional Spanish meal.  They are very wealthy and they have a nanny/cook that makes all of their meals.  We had some jamon serrano, cheese, and pastries before lunch, then some salad, chicken with curry and rice, and a delicious fruit salad and fancy coffee.  We had a lot of laughs and it was a great chance for me to learn about them.  They are all from Cadiz, where I visited last weekend.  They have a lot of questions for me about life in the United States because they will be moving there for the summer.  The grandparents were very impressed with the amount of traveling that I have done since I have been in Spain.  Their grandfather has never been on an airplane, so I have already seen a lot more of Europe than they have.  I am so glad that I met this family!  They are so welcoming to me and are very caring people.  They even invited me to spend the Easter holiday with them!

After lunch with the family, I met up with Lena and Anna at the Prado and we spent about an hour and a half showing Lena some of what we have learned in Art History.  Every time I visit the Prado, I see something new.  I hope to visit the Reina Sofia and the Thyssen soon, too.  Anna and I have been craving Mexican food basically since we've arrived in Madrid, so we took Lena to this Mexican restaurant that my parents and I found.  We had mango daiquiris, nachos, quesadillas, and tacos.  I will definitely go back there next time I need my Mexican food fix.  Madrilenos do not understand Mexican food though!  At one point during the meal, we looked at the table next to us and saw a woman using a fork and a knife to eat her nachos--c'mon people.  After dinner, we wandered through Sol and saw some really entertaining street performers.  We ran into a group of three guys playing American music and they were actually really good!  We wound up watching them for 2 hours before it was time for bed.  It was some of the best people watching.

Today, we went to Retiro park and basically shopped all day!  My feet are so sore from being on them all day.  Now I need to study so that I can spend tomorrow with more visitors to Madrid.  Steph, one of my very best friends from high school, and Morgan, fellow Chicagoan, arrived this afternoon and I cannot way to see them tomorrow!  They will be here until Thursday, when they are leaving to visit Valencia for Las Fallas so I hope I can get a lot of time in with them this week.

Carnival Madness!

While Mardi Gras was in full swing in Saint Louis, the people of Cadiz, Spain were celebrating the third largest party in the world!  Cadiz is normally a quiet city, but for one week each year, it opens up the streets to a huge celebration.  All I can say is that is was crowded and I saw some of the most bizarre/funny costumes of my life.  In some cases, huge groups dressed as the same thing.  There was a huge group of Where's Waldos and a huge group of cows.  It was really entertaining.  There were also lights and really intricate decorations everywhere.  The town of Cadiz knows how to throw a party!

We traveled with a group called European Vibe and stayed in a 4 star resort!  It was a nice break from the "cozy" hostels that we have been staying in.  We didn't actually stay in Cadiz, but about 45 minutes away in a resort town called Sancti Petri right on the beach.  Liz, Anna, Faith, Caleigh, and I stayed in an apartment together with two bedrooms and a kitchen.  We made grilled cheeses and peas for every meal.  Yummmm...I think I totaled 6 grilled cheeses last weekend.  Trust me, I can eat a lot of bread and a lot of cheese.

On Friday night, we went to a disco nearby that European Vibe rented out for the group.  I think there were like 250 of us.  Then we had time to relax on Saturday.  It was like a real vacation because we didn't have to schedule in a lot of sight seeing.  Saturday night was the big event--Cadiz carnival!  Everyone dressed crazy in their masks and had a lot of fun.  Sunday, we had free time in the morning to enjoy the beach before we spent the rest of the day traveling home.

The perfect jumping pic!  (Photo cred. Anna Boston)

Soon I will have a lot of visitors to Madrid!  On Friday, one of my SLU roommates and fellow Chipotle aficionado is visiting--Lena!  I can hardly contain my excitement.  Not to be overshadowed by Steph and Morgan who are coming on Sunday!  What a great chance for me to perfect my tour guide skills.  Also, on Friday I am having lunch with the family I tutor.  In Spain, lunch is the big meal, and they have been waiting for a day where they can invite me over to spend more time with the family.  The kids don't have school and I'm not going anywhere, so it is the perfect opportunity.  I am working for the weekend over here.

The Griswold's Come to Spain

I just had a great week with my parents!  Dan and Rita joined me in Madrid for 7 days.  I kept them as busy as possible, and they were adventurous tourists.  They even learned a few Spanish phrases!

On Friday night we met up with some fellow Elmhurstians for dinner after our long adventure to find their apartment.  It was very tasty and a lot of fun.  The next day, they were very tired and slept until 11!  That is probably the latest that I have ever seen my dad sleep in.  We spent the day walking around their neighborhood, La Latina, and eating Spanish food.  We also went to the Royal Palace.  There are 2,800 rooms in the Royal Palace but only 28 are open for viewing.  I think we were all blown away by the amount of wealth in that place.

On Sunday, we travelled to Toledo!  We took the high speed train which got us there in 33 minutes.  Toledo is well known for its famous El Greco painting and it's enormous cathedral.  We saw both, tried some tapas and mazapan, and took a scenic bus tour.  Toledo is well known for it's swords and knives, and my dad got some sort of new knife/gadget/wire cutter thing.  He was like a little kid on Christmas.  And my mom got a snazzy sangria pitcher.  My mom has all of the pictures, so I will post some once she gets them to me.

On Monday, I showed them my campus, which really isn't even a campus.  It is very small and there are 5 buildings total.  They wanted to snap some pics while we were there.  Then I went to class while they had some sangria (of course).

I am very proud of their ability to figure out the public transportation on Tuesday!  I had class all day, so I told them to go to El Escorial.  They rode the bus out to the monastery and toured the building.  El Escorial is definitely a must see if you come to Madrid, so I'm glad that they were brave enough to do that!  When they got back on Tuesday night, we had a delicious dinner at my apartment with Gabby and Roberto.  They were able to experience the gourmet cooking that I get to have every night over here.  Gabby made empanadas and my mom told me that I must learn how to make them before I come back from Spain.

On Wednesday, their last day, we went to Mercado de San Miguel for some tapas, then to the Prado, then to Retiro Park.  It was the perfect day, except I sat in bird poop.  For dinner, we went to La Botin--the oldest restaurant in the world and Hemingway's favorite.  After our hearty meal, we went to a Mexican restaurant where my parents had made a friend the night before.  It was the perfect ending to their visit!  I was so sad to see them leave this morning, and so thankful that they came to see me.  If only my sisters were here, it would make my semester complete!