I arrived back in Madrid this afternoon after a great time in Barcelona. I really enjoyed wandering the city and taking in all of the culture and architecture. The famous architect, Antonio Gaudi is from Barcelona so the city is filled with his work. He has a very unique and gothic style that I love. The Sagrada Familia, a church that he began building in 1883 is still under construction to this day and isn’t likely to be completed until 2026- the centennial of Gaudi’s death. The outside is amazing, but the inside is even more breathtaking. I could have stayed there for hours.
Gaudi’s Casa Mila
I really could have stayed an extra couple of days in Barcelona. There was just so much to see. My last night I met up with my friend Kevin who is currently doing research in Barcelona under the Fulbright Program (thanks to Deepa for connecting us!) for paella. Paella is one of my absolute favorite dishes here so I was so excited when he said he had a great restaurant in mind. We shared a large skillet for less than 8 euro and it did not disappoint. I can’t say I’ve gone hungry at all while here in Europe. I feel like I may be having some baguette, cheese and chocolate withdrawals once I return home.
Speaking of returning home, I have an early flight out of Madrid tomorrow morning. I’m feeling so thankful for this experience in Europe over the past few weeks. It’s really been a trip of a lifetime. Thank you to those who have supported me at home and those who I’ve met along the way. It’s late now, but I look forward to doing a whole re-cap post of my trip once I return home. See/talk to you soon!
I’m back making updates from my iPhone as I’ve left my laptop in Madrid with Jay while in Barcelona for the next couple of days.
It’s been a few days since I’ve updated…sorry for that. You have probably noticed a trend by now that I’m not so on-top of my posts when I’m in the company of Alyssa and Jay. This weekend in Madrid was our last together since ill be heading back home on Thursday. We had planned on spending the weekend in Amsterdam, but decided it’d be nice to have Jay show us around his new home. What a great decision that was since Madrid was in the 60’s and sunny while Amdam was cold and rainy. We spent our days shopping, eating tapas and taking siestas in the park. The Spaniards live a very relaxed life. There seems to be no sign of stress or urgency. They take their lunch/siesta everyday from 2-6 pm. They will go home from work to eat and nap then will return back to work until about 8. Then they’ll eat dinner around 10. If they go out to the clubs on the weekends, they’ll likely stay out until 6 am. It all sounds so unreal, and I really didn’t fully believe it until I saw it for myself. It is such a different way of life and pace from the U.S. Everyone seems so happy and full of life all the time- even the dogs walk with a skip in their step!
I’m now on my own in Barcelona for a couple of days. The hostel I am staying at has a really fun and busy atmosphere. I look forward to exploring the city tomorrow. Will update you soon!
Today started a bit late as Alke and I decided to take our time and sleep in. We headed to Strasbourg, France for part of the day. Since Freiburg is in the very Southwest of Germany, it’s right next to the France border and the Switzerland border. Being a Phoenix girl where I must drive at least 4 hours to leave AZ, it was quite fascinating to find myself in a completely new country, culture and language after a 1 hour train ride.
The New Strasbourg Train Station
Strasbourg Cathedral
I head to Madrid tomorrow where I am meeting up with Jay and Alyssa again. It’ll be our last weekend together before I head back home. I’m pretty excited for the shopping and tapas! What a great combination.
Today was a really good relaxing day in Freiburg. Alke and I ran errands to the market and walked around town with coffees in hand. The weather was beautiful and sunny…it really couldn’t have been any better.
Tonight we had a small dinner party with Alke’s roommates and friends. I finally got to do some baking and felt right at home. When Alke was staying with us in 2001-2002 we bought her a baking book for Christmas. She brought it back with her, but didn’t have the correct measuring cups to follow the recipes. I guess she could have converted them all to the metric measurements, but what fun is there in that? So when I came to visit I brought her all of the American measuring cups one could need. Today we finally made use of that baking book and made some delicious carrot cake. The rest of the menu consisted of lamb with rosemary, potatoes, sweet carrots and anti pasta. The food was great and the company was even better!
I arrived in Freiburg last night after a 5+ hour train ride from Brussels. It was pretty painless with just 1 stop in Koln. The moment I arrived I knew that Freiburg is my kind of place. It’s a cute college town with a very medieval feel. All of the shops are unique and “cutesy”.
Today Alke and I headed to Basel, Switzerland for half of the day. Basel is just across the border and is only a 1 hour train ride from Freiburg. It seems that I arrived in good time since today was Fasnacht, Basel’s version of Carnival. Why they celebrate one week later I’m not sure. It was fun experiencing and comparing it to the Carnival in Venice though. The costumes were fun and a little bit creepy too. They have this huge parade with many floats and bands. The people on the floats throw out things such as flowers, oranges, bananas and candy. They also cover you in confetti, which I’ve still managed to find pieces of in my hair as I type.
I’m leaving Brussels in a few hours to see my friend Alke in Freiburg, Germany. Alke’s dad and my dad are longtime friend’s from their Army days in Singapore. We see each other every 5-8 years, and she actually lived with us for a year in AZ when she did a foreign exchange-type program in the States. It’s always great to see her, especially since we aren’t able to meet up often. She’ll be taking me around her college town in Freiburg and we’ll also be heading to parts of Switzerland. I’m really excited since she knows the area well and has a whole itinerary planned for the next few days.
It’s a bit sad leaving Brussels after having been here for so many days. I feel like I’ve lived a little of Alyssa’s life, and I must say that I kind of love it. Her friends here are a lot of fun and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know them. On several occasions Alyssa has tried convincing me to stay…she’s even threatened to hide my passport and said she’d buy us a bunk bed from Ikea to share. It’s all so tempting. In all honesty though, this trip thus far has really opened my eyes to the possibilities of my future. I really could see myself living in Europe or going to grad school here. I’ve realized that I am at this crossroad in my life and the options are limitless- it’s a pretty great feeling and I just feel really fortunate to be able to recognize what’s out there in the world. I know that I could be happy in a lot of places, but it really is refreshing to meet people my age and hear about the wonderful and unique paths they are taking in life. I really just want to see the world so whatever path leads me in that direction, I’m a happy girl.
