We Went To Venice!

Venice, Venezia
(the land of dirty canals...just kidding, kind of)

On December 20th I arrived safely to Venice!!!
Then I realized that Miles and I had no way to contact each other
AND
that he was snowed in in Frankfurt, Germany
(I sort of freaked out, for the entire night)

Luckily, we were very blessed and Miles was able to catch a direct flight to Venice that night!
And luckily, despite not speaking with each other, I found him at the right airport, even though it was an hour late!!! So then everything was better and we got to see all of these AWESOME things.


It was rainy and cold most of the time but the bridges and narrow streets were still beautiful!


Rialto Bridge






We did have some good food, but ate TONS of Kebabs (yum yum yum and sooooo cheap)


San Marco's Square/Basilica! So detailed and beautiful however, like most things on this trip, it was under renovation

I did enjoy Venice very much but if you are looking for beautiful canals, I would recommend Brugge or Amsterdam first! They are a wee bit prettier and Amsterdam, at least, is more lively.
Or maybe, don't go in the winter?

Rome to come!

Its Been A Long, Long Time...

I guess I fell off the wagon...Since arriving back home I haven't been able to bring myself to blog!!! Perhaps it goes along with the serious motivation issues! The good news is that I'm back!
At last entry, I was still in Belgium concluding my trip and now, obviously, I am stateside, living in Brevard trying to discover my direction!

For now, here are some photos of our going away reception in Sevilla
(you know the horrible night we all had to say goodbye)


Some of my absolute favorite girls in the world!


Photo of the Trinity--soon to be reunited in April!


Hannah and I


My fellow Appalachian, Becky and I



These were the Christmas decorations around Sevilla, so very whimsical! Brittany and I spent the rest of the night dropping Hannah off at the bus station, maybe crying a little bit, and wandering around in the rain! We may have ended up at a Burger King?

Oh well, more to come!

Travels

Wow, what has happened in the weeks that I have neglected posting???
I finished UPO, packed all of my stuff up (excluding all that I had to leave behind for lack of space), flew to Venice, flew to Rome, flew to Cologne, and somehow made it safe and sound in Antwerp.

Now is the countdown until home, James Taylor comes to mind now.

After Blizzard complications in Germany/Brussels and a freak out on my part, Miles made it to Venice to meet me. Since then, our time has been packed with seeing the sights. You know, Rialto Bridge, St. Mark's, St. Peter's, the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain...and all in the rain. Cologne was a nice break because the only thing to see was the Cathedral, and gosh was it beautiful!

Yesterday, we arrived at the Antwerp Central station relieved to know that almost all of the travel woes are behind us. We are here doing nothing until the 4th and that sounds pretty great!

Tons of pictures to come!
for the time being, here are some pictures of my last trip to Belgium forever ago, soooo funny!


Eating waffles in the Grand Place Brussels and a Market in Brugge

Countdown

My first though every morning is, "how much longer?"
5 days and two exams stand in my way now
5 of the slowest days EVER and 1 frightening exam
(maybe it's only 4 1/2 days now...)

The point is, I can't wait!

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Here are some snapshots that I took around Sevilla, while I was out and about in the rain last week!
(at least the rain was replaced by 70 degree weather and sun; I'm kind of dreading the bitter cold back home)

The top three photos are of the Cathedral of Sevilla, The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See
According to Wikipedia, it is the 3rd largest church in the world and the largest Gothic style church
The interior is unlike any other cathedral that I have been in; it is very segmented and has a lot of open space.
Plus, Christopher Columbus is buried here!

The other building is a typical government building, in a nicer part of the city. The orange trees are my favorite! They are ALL over the city and the oranges have just become orange. They are so beautiful.

A new development, is the appearance of the beauty in my kitchen!
I stumbled in one morning to make my coffee and this is what I discovered



Being in Spain, this isn't an unfamiliar sight however, I was hoping not to find it at home! Encarna just keeps chipping away at this leg and serving it to me, ugh! The ham is quite good and famous around the world (it can only be cured in Andalusia and is made from special pigs) but I can't eat it anymore. The presence of the whole leg and the smell makes me feel physically ill (I know I should like knowing where my food comes from, but I am a baby and I don't). Speaking of food, I think that Spain has turned me into a vegetarian. I could go the rest of my life without eating anymore pig and I am sick of eating mystery meat. Veggies here I come.

More to come as I count down, pace the floors, and procrastinate until I study.
All I can think is Venice, Venice, Venice

Caganer

While watching the news, I keep seeing images such as this one, associated with Christmas time. Nothing like someone pooping to spread holiday cheer?


Image from UltraGross

These figurines are called caganers and they are typical of Christmas time in Catalonia (you know, the region where Barcelona is). Apparently, they are placed somewhere in the nativity scene for many different reasons, such as uniting people, because 'everyone poops'. Bizarre, I know (I suggest checking it out on wikipedia). They come in all different forms: famous people, cartoons, athletes, there is even an Obama pooper. In fact, this year Barcelona is home to the biggest caganer ever, a huge pooping man wearing a Santa hat.


Image expatica

This tradition is considered very important in Catalonia; there was even public outcry when Barcelona didn't include it in the nativity scene one year (they were trying to discourage public defecation). Needless to say, the caganer is here to stay!

Hope this gets you into the Christmas spirit
(and don't forget to do an image search)

Churro Friday

I have a dedicated group of friends that wake up every Friday morning to go eat churros
Churros [choo-r-ohz]: a long, slender, deep-fried pastry resembling a cruller
aka the Spanish doughnut

photo credit: Courtney Hurt

I however, up until Friday, have turned down the offer to wake up early, commute across the city, and indulge in this sinful snack. It's simple, I love sleeping and hate running.

Despite my previous negativity on the subject, I am so very glad that I hauled myself out into the cold morning for these babies. Talk about delicious, hot, crunchy, fried goodness (and yes those are cups of thick, rich dipping chocolate). The churros were only made better with the best cup of café con leche that I have had in Spain, oh yeah and my friends too...

As a side note, churros are typically reserved for 6-8 am. This is the time that people usually begin heading home after a night out in Sevilla and stopping at a churro stand is only natural. Perhaps comparable to a cook-out run? They are also really important during the celebration of Faria (but that's another story).

In other words, be jealous!

In Spain...

People park their cars wherever they want to. In front of each other, on the sidewalks, even in the little parks along the street. In Boone, you get a ticket ANYTIME, ANYWHERE!



This weekend, I accomplished little; no schoolwork or site-seeing. The rain didn't stop and I found myself in a lot of cafes doing a lot of chatting (with great people). So no complaints here.
We attempted to explore Triana, which is traditionally the gypsy/flamenco area of the city. It is supposed to be very alternative and eccentric (I'll get back to you on it). We also attempted to go ice skating, but the rain spoiled those plans as well!

Today is dedicated to homework, I will be in Starbucks all day because it is Constitution Day and nothing else is open!

14 days left!!!