I love Florence, Italy. Period. End of story.
Okay so Florence is really amazing. I am now travelling with Morgen and Sara - both from Iowa! (YAY for Midwestern girls!!) We have already had so much fun! We took the train Thursday morning from Rome to Florence and checked into a wonderful hostel. The only downside is the lack of kitchen.... So we have been making it work with sandwiches and veggies from the local market. The first thing we did was go to the Market when we got to Florence. Florence is know for its leather (purses!) and for its pashmina scarves (beautiful). So needless to say, I bought some amazing gifts :) and a few things for myself. I bought a beautiful leather bound journal for when I am finished with my Target journal! (Wow, I miss Target! a lot!)
Florence not only has good shopping but is beautiful! Breath-taking actually. We climed Piazzale Michelangelo in the afternoon on Friday for a gorgeous view of Firenze. It was stunning and we all fell in love with the city. We also saw the Ponte Vecchio, which is the bridge with houses attached to it over the river that runs through Firenze. In addition we walked through the Uffizi Gallery, Palazzo Vecchio, and the Church of Santa Croce. All the buildings are beautiful and the streets are so quaint. It is definitely a romantic city. I like the fact that it was not HUGE like Rome, although there are quite a few tourists. Some of the most stunning buildings was the Duomo, the Cathedral of S. Maria del Fiore and Giottos Bell Tower along with the Baptistery of San Giovanni. They were very different from what I have seen because they were made of multiple colors of marable with designs and statues surrounding them.
Then of course, we saw David. David was magnificent. The most stunning piece of art I have ever seen. Absolutely breath-taking. Standing 15 feet tall, completely sculpted from snow white marble. Michelangelo was a genius. To sculpt something so perfect. He looked so lifelike. Flawless. I have never seen anything that wonderful and grand. Indescribeable. After David, we spent the day in the park, relaxing, reading, listening to msuic and just enjoying Florence. We also went to taste some of the finest gelado in Firenze. Yummmmy. Later, we picked up a few more things at the market for dinner tonight. Tomorrow we go to the Cinque Terre and are thankful that the place we are staying has a kitchen!! Pasta and tortilla and pizza :D
I am having a wonderful time and of course am so thankful for these opportunities. It is so surreal to be here. To have these opportunities. The Lord is so good. I wouldnt change a thing right now. Contentment. I did however change the end of my spring break plans. I was going to stay until the 18th but decided I would like to come home early to Alicante and be able to relax, go to the beach, catch up on things, and hang out with my friends and especially my host family! I am going to miss them so much when I leave in May. A part of me is excited to go back to the States - for my sweatshirt, Chipotle, sushi, corn on the cob and mirad of other things like Target. But Spain (and Europe) has had such an impact on me. I will never be the same. My daily meal times will never be the same also. I dont think I can go back to eating dinner at 6pm... 9pm is better! Haha. I am excited to see my friends and family. And am sooo stoked for Summer Project!!
Anyways i better get going because I only have 50 seconds left on my computer time.
Love you all!!
Un beso
Sarah
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
When in Rome...
Buongiorno from Roma!
First thing I want to say about Roma - craziest drivers in Europe yet! Madre mia! My mom was afraid for her life while my dad and I were just along for the ride! haha. I will say that Roma is not my favorite place I have been so far. Maybe it is because it is about Easter time and the amount of tourists here is incredible. And the lines! We waited for 2 hours in line to see the Sistine Chapel. Then when inside, there is like a planned route that you have to take. It is so crowded and there is so much to see. By the time we got to Michelagelos work, we were too exhausted to truly enjoy it. Honestly, I was not too impressed with the Vatican. Yes, it is the Vatican - world famous. And yes, it is truly beautiful and ornate. However, I felt empty when visiting it. I dont know why. Maybe I felt like the emphasis was too much on man and on the Pope rather than on Jesus Christ and the Lord. Im not sure... But either way I am so lucky and was so excited to see St. Peters Basilica and the Vatican Museum where Michelangelo painted the ceiling :)
Other high points of Roma... definitely the Colosseum! To see where the gladiators faught for their lives! Barbaric - yes but amazing none the less! Then we toured around the Roman Forum and Palatine. The fact that it is so old and historic is the most interesting part. We also were able to see the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, Castle of St. Angelo and the Pantheon. There is so much to see in Rome! Not only are there a ton of historic sites and ruins but every building looks so important!
When in Rome... try the food! We ate so well on this trip. Most importantly, the GELATO! We ate some each day we were here. But today was the best - Nutella and Hazelnut gelato. Yummmmy :) It hit the spot! The day we went to the Vatican we ate at a wonderful little hole-in-the-wall place that was delicious. The people were so nice and even gave us some free bruschetta and wine. Best service in all of Roma.
Although I am excited to get out of Rome and go to Florence with Sara and Morgen from my study abroad program, my parents are leaving as well. I am so blessed to have parents to come all the way to Europe to visit me. (Like they wouldnt have wanted to anyways - I mean, its EUROPE!) I just want to reiterate how blessed I am to have wonderful parents - and wonderful family and friends for that matter. I miss you all!
Un beso,
Sarah
PS pictures will come as soon as I find a computer with the proper capabilities!
First thing I want to say about Roma - craziest drivers in Europe yet! Madre mia! My mom was afraid for her life while my dad and I were just along for the ride! haha. I will say that Roma is not my favorite place I have been so far. Maybe it is because it is about Easter time and the amount of tourists here is incredible. And the lines! We waited for 2 hours in line to see the Sistine Chapel. Then when inside, there is like a planned route that you have to take. It is so crowded and there is so much to see. By the time we got to Michelagelos work, we were too exhausted to truly enjoy it. Honestly, I was not too impressed with the Vatican. Yes, it is the Vatican - world famous. And yes, it is truly beautiful and ornate. However, I felt empty when visiting it. I dont know why. Maybe I felt like the emphasis was too much on man and on the Pope rather than on Jesus Christ and the Lord. Im not sure... But either way I am so lucky and was so excited to see St. Peters Basilica and the Vatican Museum where Michelangelo painted the ceiling :)
Other high points of Roma... definitely the Colosseum! To see where the gladiators faught for their lives! Barbaric - yes but amazing none the less! Then we toured around the Roman Forum and Palatine. The fact that it is so old and historic is the most interesting part. We also were able to see the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, Castle of St. Angelo and the Pantheon. There is so much to see in Rome! Not only are there a ton of historic sites and ruins but every building looks so important!
When in Rome... try the food! We ate so well on this trip. Most importantly, the GELATO! We ate some each day we were here. But today was the best - Nutella and Hazelnut gelato. Yummmmy :) It hit the spot! The day we went to the Vatican we ate at a wonderful little hole-in-the-wall place that was delicious. The people were so nice and even gave us some free bruschetta and wine. Best service in all of Roma.
Although I am excited to get out of Rome and go to Florence with Sara and Morgen from my study abroad program, my parents are leaving as well. I am so blessed to have parents to come all the way to Europe to visit me. (Like they wouldnt have wanted to anyways - I mean, its EUROPE!) I just want to reiterate how blessed I am to have wonderful parents - and wonderful family and friends for that matter. I miss you all!
Un beso,
Sarah
PS pictures will come as soon as I find a computer with the proper capabilities!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
¿Dónde está el baño?
¡Barcelona, Barcelona, Barcelona!
I absolutely LOVE Barcelona. It is my favorite Spanish city yet. I can´t even describe why I love it so much. I think it is because of the feel it has. Barcelona is a city with a mix of everything. It has the Mediterranean Sea; it is a bigger city; and is just amazing! You will shortly see its beauty after I post my pictures, but right now this computer is not allowing me too. ¡Qué pena! But don´t worry, the next computer I get to I will upload all 163 Barcelona pics for your enjoyment! For now, you will have to rely on my descriptive writing ability. Haha.
My parents and I first arrived in Barcelona on the train, which was a wonderful experience, Thursday afternoon. The first surprise was our ¨hotel¨ or should I say upscale hostel?? Seeing my parents reaction to the three tiny beds, tiny bathroom and shower, and everything else that comes with a hostel was quite amusing. Hotel Fina, however, is in a prime location about 4 doors down from Las Ramblas, the main stretch of Barcelona. Las Ramblas is a happening place at any time of the day, especially Easter weekend! There are gypsies about and crazy creatures dressed up on the sides of the streets trying to earn a few euros or two. Vendors line the streets selling everything from flowers to postcards to chickens, bunnies, and even pigeons. Yes, that´s right, you could be the owner of your very own pigeon - crazy, right? I even got my picture taken with one of these creatures which will soon become my new facebook profile picture! After walking around Thursday afternoon we were ready to take the bus tour on Friday and Saturday. This bus tour was the official bus tour of Barcelona and was a double-decker which made it all the better!
Day 1 of the bus tour: First stop, of course, was the Sagrada Familia. The Sagrada Familia was designed by Antoni Gaudi, a famous artist and architect of Spain. Its construction began in 1882 and is not done yet. But it is magnificent! The choir section alone has room for 1200 singers. The most magnificent and breathtaking part of the church, besides its enormous spires, is definitely the architecture on the outside depicting the death of Christ on one side and His birth on the other. I have never seen anything like it. Gaudi has fantastic taste and a style that is unmatched by anything or anyone. His style is not traditional at all. Throughout the bus tour we were able to see other museums and architectural structures by Gaudi all throughout Barcelona and they were amazing and unique. After the Sagrada Familia, we went to Parc Gruell also designed by Gaudi. This huge park was once an unsuccessful housing development for the rich which was eventually turned into a public park. Gaudi´s architectural design and taste is reflected throughout.
My parents and I also enjoyed eating breakfast at La Boqueria, a fresh market with meats, lentils, vegetables, fruits, pasteries, tapas bars... practically anything you want in a market, La Boqueria has. It is muy muy grande! And delicious! One fruit vendor sold fresh fruit smoothies! Yummmmmmm. Speaking of food, my parents and I were able to try some amazing food and drinks here including Cava, which is sort of like champagne but is unique to Barcelona. Twice we went to this same tapas bar outside of this large Cathedral that we went to a Catholic mass for Easter at. I think tapas are my favorite over paella. I love my jámon cerrano!
Day 2 of our bus tour we went to something called Poble Espanyol, which is like a outdoors museum on steroids! It was amazing. We spent all day there walking the streets and going into craft and artisan stores. Everything was structured after real places in all over the autonomous regions of Spain. There was also a few indoors museums, one of which held a few Picasso works. My mom ended up buying a few gifts for people back in the states there. Very unique!
Since I am running out of minutes at the computer place, I need to sum this up! Overall, Barcelona stole my heart - just like Spain, in general, has. I don´t know how I am going to depart from Spain. My host mother Feli tells me that I am the most Spanish student they have hosted at their home. She tells me I am Spanish and that this is definitely home for me. Feli is so adamant on that that she is searching for a cute Spanish boy for me to marry! Good luck Feli!! I would be all for that ;) although I think my dad might not be. haha.
Anyways next time I post, I will be in Roma, Italia! I hope everyone is enjoying their Easter where they are at in this world. The Lord is so good! His resurrection gives us all the possibility of a life with Him! How amazing that the God of the universe would give His only Son to save all of us sinners. Wow! What love. I pray that we can all know a love like that!
Well that´s all for now.
Hasta luego, un beso,
Sarah
I absolutely LOVE Barcelona. It is my favorite Spanish city yet. I can´t even describe why I love it so much. I think it is because of the feel it has. Barcelona is a city with a mix of everything. It has the Mediterranean Sea; it is a bigger city; and is just amazing! You will shortly see its beauty after I post my pictures, but right now this computer is not allowing me too. ¡Qué pena! But don´t worry, the next computer I get to I will upload all 163 Barcelona pics for your enjoyment! For now, you will have to rely on my descriptive writing ability. Haha.
My parents and I first arrived in Barcelona on the train, which was a wonderful experience, Thursday afternoon. The first surprise was our ¨hotel¨ or should I say upscale hostel?? Seeing my parents reaction to the three tiny beds, tiny bathroom and shower, and everything else that comes with a hostel was quite amusing. Hotel Fina, however, is in a prime location about 4 doors down from Las Ramblas, the main stretch of Barcelona. Las Ramblas is a happening place at any time of the day, especially Easter weekend! There are gypsies about and crazy creatures dressed up on the sides of the streets trying to earn a few euros or two. Vendors line the streets selling everything from flowers to postcards to chickens, bunnies, and even pigeons. Yes, that´s right, you could be the owner of your very own pigeon - crazy, right? I even got my picture taken with one of these creatures which will soon become my new facebook profile picture! After walking around Thursday afternoon we were ready to take the bus tour on Friday and Saturday. This bus tour was the official bus tour of Barcelona and was a double-decker which made it all the better!
Day 1 of the bus tour: First stop, of course, was the Sagrada Familia. The Sagrada Familia was designed by Antoni Gaudi, a famous artist and architect of Spain. Its construction began in 1882 and is not done yet. But it is magnificent! The choir section alone has room for 1200 singers. The most magnificent and breathtaking part of the church, besides its enormous spires, is definitely the architecture on the outside depicting the death of Christ on one side and His birth on the other. I have never seen anything like it. Gaudi has fantastic taste and a style that is unmatched by anything or anyone. His style is not traditional at all. Throughout the bus tour we were able to see other museums and architectural structures by Gaudi all throughout Barcelona and they were amazing and unique. After the Sagrada Familia, we went to Parc Gruell also designed by Gaudi. This huge park was once an unsuccessful housing development for the rich which was eventually turned into a public park. Gaudi´s architectural design and taste is reflected throughout.
My parents and I also enjoyed eating breakfast at La Boqueria, a fresh market with meats, lentils, vegetables, fruits, pasteries, tapas bars... practically anything you want in a market, La Boqueria has. It is muy muy grande! And delicious! One fruit vendor sold fresh fruit smoothies! Yummmmmmm. Speaking of food, my parents and I were able to try some amazing food and drinks here including Cava, which is sort of like champagne but is unique to Barcelona. Twice we went to this same tapas bar outside of this large Cathedral that we went to a Catholic mass for Easter at. I think tapas are my favorite over paella. I love my jámon cerrano!
Day 2 of our bus tour we went to something called Poble Espanyol, which is like a outdoors museum on steroids! It was amazing. We spent all day there walking the streets and going into craft and artisan stores. Everything was structured after real places in all over the autonomous regions of Spain. There was also a few indoors museums, one of which held a few Picasso works. My mom ended up buying a few gifts for people back in the states there. Very unique!
Since I am running out of minutes at the computer place, I need to sum this up! Overall, Barcelona stole my heart - just like Spain, in general, has. I don´t know how I am going to depart from Spain. My host mother Feli tells me that I am the most Spanish student they have hosted at their home. She tells me I am Spanish and that this is definitely home for me. Feli is so adamant on that that she is searching for a cute Spanish boy for me to marry! Good luck Feli!! I would be all for that ;) although I think my dad might not be. haha.
Anyways next time I post, I will be in Roma, Italia! I hope everyone is enjoying their Easter where they are at in this world. The Lord is so good! His resurrection gives us all the possibility of a life with Him! How amazing that the God of the universe would give His only Son to save all of us sinners. Wow! What love. I pray that we can all know a love like that!
Well that´s all for now.
Hasta luego, un beso,
Sarah
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