Firenze Sotto la Pioggia

When Spring Break started in Bologna (after Lago di Como and my family left) it literally turned into Carlisle and rained for 5 days. Needless to say, my original plan (well third or fourth original plan) was to go to Lecce with two girls on the program but due to money, rain, and lack of days I choose to stay in Bologna. I met up with some friends and spent some time unwinding and de-stressing. I caught up on much needed sleep and various applications and whatnot and then decided to go to Florence to do all the touristy stuff. I choose the right day. For a week, all the city museums were free entry. I think I paid a total of 8 euro for three museums because I had to buy a reservation or whatever. I got to go to the Accademia, the Museo de Palazzo Vecchio, and the Uffizi. Besides my massive dislike of crowds, the day was pretty cool. All by myself, I was able to see everything in a few hours. I saw the Birth of Venus as well as David (where the wait to get in was at least an hour) and many other incredible works. I even snuck a picture :P 

Win :)

Freezing Time

Lago di Como. The place is a fairytale, a mythical place, a fantasy. Seriously it can't exist. I'm not going to do my usual play by play but rather try to help you experience what I did. Yeah Andrej and I rented a car, drove to Lago di Como (which is by Switzerland), walked along the lake, and climbed a mountain before heading back to Bologna but that literally explains the day. What I want to remember and convey is the feeling of absolute bliss while being next to the lake just sitting and soaking it in and then being on top of the mountain looking down on that same area from a whole new perspective.

By the lake... it was soo chilly. Three layers wasn't enough. But in the sun, you were just balanced enough to feel completely at ease, completely comfortable. That combined with the breeze and the sound of the water lapping up against the concrete of the city was enough to make you want to just not move for hours. I seriously could have napped. It is an interesting contrast though, the peaceful qualities of the lake with a view that was indescribable. A lake, with cities/towns on the shore, with mountains behind them, and even higher the Alps snow capped. It was literally like being in Lord of the Rings or something. Those kind of places don't exist. Or do they? Then, when you remove yourself from the direct coastline of the lake (coastline? shoreline? lakeline? I don't know...) it is a cute little town with people going about their daily routines as if that fantastic view didn't exist. It's like living at a resort. On a much bigger scale, combined with a Mediterranean feel, it sort of reminded me of Camp in the Adirondacks, but at the same time so completely 180 degrees opposite. Okay, imagine this. Mediterranean style houses and people on a very big lake (so the water is fresh water and more affected by slight changes in the weather) surrounded by cliffs that are surrounded by the Alps. What? Yeah imagine that.

On top of the mountain... after much steep climbing, some sneak views, and taking off those layers that were so necessary by the water, we stopped at a point supposedly 20 minutes from the Refuge we were climbing to. That is where the first awe inspiring view occurred (currently my profile picture). We both needed some energy (aka water and food as we hadn't eaten in a while) so we had some water and both grabbed an apple (prepared we were!). Then we took a nice little nap, on a mountain, looking down on that same little town we had been a few hours earlier, but whenever we opened our eyes, we were looking down on the entire valley, lake, and surrounding area. It looked almost like a painting. If you want a slight feeling of looking down on the world like a bird listen to this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA376MhE2PI) while you continue reading. It kind of does the job especially since the next part is at the Refuge looking down and trying to explain the feeling that created.

From the Refuge at the top... Imagine looking down on everything you know to be moving and bursting with life and seeing it come to a complete stop. Literally, no movement, not even a breath. Everything is silent, frozen in a moment, a moment that you don't want to end. Then look around. It looks like a painting except more beautiful. Like a picture except even more vivid. Look down the steep path you just climbed for two hours. Look down at the church on the hill that was another recommended hike (less advanced and shorter) and see that it is now smaller than your picky finger when your arm is completely outstretched from your body. Then look a little to the right and see boats trying to cross the lake, seemingly frozen. You can see where the lake splits into two different sections and you can even see the end of the far section (some reference of the lake: https://maps.google.it/maps?hl=it we were in Menaggio). Oh but wait. That's just looking down. Look out and see the Alps more clearly, a passage to a hidden village behind one of the mountains, and villages hit up the cliffs around the lake. How did someone build a house so high up? Turn around. See the Refuge, a small hut for hikers to rest at. The little water fountain out of a rock. The small balcony to just soak in the view. See that you aren't even at the highest point. That behind you raise up cliffs more steep and jagged than the ones you already ascended. One day. Now that is just what you see. Listen. Silence. The slight breeze. Maybe a bird, but even the birds aren't so present this high up. Take a deep breath. Inhale the purest air you have ever experienced. Fill your lungs. Feel how it soothes your entire body. All your tiredness completely disappears. Feel the sun start to set behind you, although you know you have at least two hours before the town below says goodnight to the sun. Close your eyes and just think, "This must be what God felt like when He was creating the Universe" Except He saw the whole world, not just a lake in the mountains. Can you imagine? I am sorry I didn't do justice to the incredible creation that He made in explaining it to you. Guess you just have to go climb that mountain and see for yourself.

FAMILYYYYYYYY

My dad, mom, and sister all came to Italy for a week. It was unreal (ok I feel like I say this a lot but seriously, everything feels so surreal!). They spent the first three days in Bologna, went to Florence for two days, spent a night in Bologna, then we all went to Venice for two days, and spent the last day in Bologna. I guess I will do this day by day!

Saturday- They arrived around 3, but were super delayed because their bags were put on a later flight (I know because I surprised them at the airport with flowers). We grabbed a taxi and took it straight to their hotel that was approximately 150 meters from my apartment... good planning dad :) After getting them settled in and realizing that it was already almost 5pm, we headed out to tour some of Bologna. We hit the huge street market, I gave them a tour of the big sites like Piazza Maggiore, Neptune, and the two towers. For dinner we went to Spacca Napoli the awesome pizza place. My family loved it. We also got gelato, as my mom insisted we get it everyday they are in Italy because they can't get it at home. Then we all headed to bed for some much needed sleep.

Sunday- BEST DAY EVER. We got up and went to Palm Sunday service in San Petronio, the main massive church on Piazza Maggiore, and even though it was in Italian, it was so powerful and the Priest did one of the most passionate readings I have ever heard of the Easter story. Truly an incredible experience. From there, we bought flowers and wine and headed to my Italian family's house for an early lunch. As usual, Paula made an incredible meal. We talked about a lot of things and it went a lot better than I thought it would. I mean my family speaks no Italian and Paula is the only one who really speaks English fluently. Stefano did a good job of communicating with my parents anyway. I wish Vittoria and Enrico had been less shy though. My sister and I tried to convince them to talk in English but I think they were afraid that they would mess up or something. Oh well. I will keep working with them :) From there we headed to the Bologna-Palermo soccer game. (Stefano and Enrico went too) My parents really enjoyed the game, as did Sarah and I (boyfriend?!) even though Bologna lost. It was a lot of fun. From there we took the 2 km hike up San Luca (the church on the hill) and of course Sarah and I won :P Not that we were actually racing. That took about two hours but was so worth it. After that, we went to the train station to look at ticket prices and to the outdoor book market. My mom even got some Italian books for her preschoolers :) Then we went to dinner at Belfiore (literally next to my apartment) and I made them try Tagliatelle al Ragu (aka thick noodles and meat sauce); a specialty of Bologna. And of course we then got gelato.

Monday- Monday was an interesting day because we spent so much time wandering around seeing if Museums were open (which I forgot all close on Mondays... oops) but at least we had Osteria del Orsa for lunch, amazing gelato, and Mariposa for dinner which was amazing. Other than that we kind of just hung out all day and explored the city. For some reason I cannot remember anything else concerning Monday... guess if I do I will just add it.

Tuesday/Wednesday- My family was in Florence so I just went to classes and had a pasta making lesson through Dickinson. That was the most worthwhile trip I think we have been on. We learned how to make tagliatelle and even made our own tortellini! It was so fun and very delicious.

Thursday- We got up early and headed off to Venice! After arriving in Venice we found our hotel where Andrej's dad, his dad's wife, and two kids were waiting for us. My parents were so excited to see them and I was thrilled to meet them as well. After dropping our stuff off we decided to get some pizza at a local place. It was really good. After eating we then decided to head to St. Marks Square to walk along the water where we stopped and got gelato (yes we literally got it everyday, mom was thrilled, and so were the rest of us). After sitting around by the water for a while talking and eating gelato we walked back towards the main square and said our goodbyes as our friends had to head back to Croatia. After some more wandering and such we decided to get dinner at a local place where I had this amazing smoked salmon and pasta dish and my mom got cuddlefish ink pasta... weird and black but really tasty. Then we hit the hay for some much needed rest.

Friday- We got up nice and early and went to the beginning of the Boat Bus route so that we could ride the length of the Grand Canal while listening to Rick Steve's audio tour. It was really cool to hear because he told us about all these buildings along the canal and he is sort of funny as well. After getting off at St. Mark's Square we entered the Doge's Palace and toured the entire thing. From the dungeons and Bridge of Sighs (named supposed because the prisoners all sighed at their last look at light and the water) to the apartments and courtyard. Their was the gold covered stairways and the armory. It was a pretty neat place and I would know as I got to spend an extra hour and a half walking around it looking for my lost mother who was actually at the hotel... awkward. Anyway after much searching, waiting, and involving people in foreign countries.... I found her and then my dad and Sarah who had found Andrej's mom and husband! After meeting up with them we headed back to St. Mark's Square to do the Basilica and the balcony above it. After that Sarah and I went to pick up/meet up with Andrej! Then we went back to the hotel to drop off his stuff and we all congregated on the roof of the hotel (our new hotel because we switched hotels). Then it was time for them to head to Bologna where we were going to meet up the next day. From there Mom, Dad, Sarah, and I headed to Alex, the Gondolier we had talked to all day and my mom finally got her Gondola ride through Venice. It was unbelievable. Quiet. Beautiful. Magical. And Alex knew so much about the city and really did fantastic job. Then we got dinner, which again was yummy, and passed out.

Saturday- Dad and I headed over to another church that was off the beaten track and Mom and Sarah went shopping. The Church was so incredibly cool. There were some of the most intricate and life like statues I have ever seen. And their were these two tombs that were for two famous artists... what their names were I forget but they are famous! After that, guided by Rick Steve's Audio Guide, we grabbed a train back to Bologna where we got lunch at Osteria Del' Orsa and met up with Andrej, his mom, and her husband. From there we wandered more of Bologna, stopped in a church, got some gelato and hung out in my apartment talking and catching up. Then we got dinner at Nicolas' and said our goodbyes. My parents, Sarah, and I headed to their apartment to pack up everything because they had to leave at 4 am the next morning. Andrej's parents were leaving around 10. I got up to say goodbye to my parents at 4 and then passed out until Andrej called me around 12 to bring his stuff up to my apartment as he was staying with me the next couple of days.

Overall, the week was amazing. Sometimes stressful because I wanted to share everything with them but couldn't but on the whole it was perfect anyway.

Oh, and both sets of families that visited us brought us these amazing gifts from Croatia. My parents were so heart warmed and hope to come back and visit them in Croatia. Oh and today Andrej left to visit America... and in a week he will be with my family in New Jersey. After 18 years we all choose the same month to be in opposite places. Unreal.

I guess that is it for the family visit. It was so nice to see them and I had so much fun. Love you guys. <3

Day Trips

Okay so I have taken a few day trips with both Dickinson and friends in general.

1. Parma and the surrounding area- Dickinson took us on an excursion to Parma and some surrounding towns. We first stopped in Langhirano at a castle on this huge hill. The castle itself was pretty cool but was mostly empty. The view on the other hand was unreal. We decided that it would be a great castle to have if you didn't want to be invaded or attacked. It is a defensive castle (sorry history major moment). In the same town but a little further towards Parma was the Prosciutto Museum. The museum itself was really small and looked sort of temporary although it wasn't. At the end of the museum tour we got to try fresh Parma Prosciutto. That stuff was delicious.

Then we headed to Parma where we wandered the city for a little and then met up at the main church which was one of the cooler churches I have visited. There were these incredible paintings along the upper walls that depicted different biblical scenes. My favorite one was definitely the one of Peter walking on the stormy water towards Jesus. I have always felt sooo connected to Peter. Like there is something in him that reminds me of something in myself. If that is a good thing I don't know but at least I can learn from what Jesus taught him specifically. :) From there we headed to an adjacent building, I think it was the baptistry, which had some really cool designs on the inside. It is amazing how many mythical creatures can be found in religious works. I have decided that all of those mythical creatures existed at one point :) yes dragons, griffins, unicorns, etc. REAL. Then Dickinson treated us to a delicious dinner and we went to sleep.

The next morning we went to this theater in Parma that was built completely out of wood and was literally built to impress a princess that the prince in Parma wanted to marry. Man, I want someone to build a theater and put on a show just to impress ME. Just kidding, I mean I would appreciate the gesture, but that's a little much. Anyway, the theater was soooo cool and standing on the slanted stage looking out made me miss theater sooo much. I seriously would have burst into song if no one had been in the room. After that we headed to Fontanellato to another castle. The castle itself was kind of lackluster but the inside had a game room and some cool medieval weapons. I really liked the artwork inside as well. (Unfortunately no pictures were allowed :( ) There was this one room that was absolutely gorgeous. It was painted by a famous artist right when he was starting out and the room was really well preserved because there was only one door in and that was sealed until recently (for protection reasons by the family). The ceiling was this scene from Mythology about how a hunter accidentally saw Artemis (Goddess of the Hunt) bathing. She caught him and turned him into a stag as his hunting party was coming. In the end his favorite dog was the one that killed him. Sad. But a truly beautiful piece of art. After getting some food and gelato in Fontanellato we headed to Roncole where Verdi's house was. Unfortunately, due to time we were only able to see the house from the outside. From there we went to the Verdi Museum in Busseto. Each room had paintings and music from Verdi's operas. Rigoletto, Othello, Aida, etc. There was also one room that had parts of his operas playing. Seeing some of the original Aida was one of the best parts of the museum. Then we headed back to Bologna!

2. Parco del Conero by Sirolo which is by Ancona (aka the beach)-

There is this beautiful, hidden beach about 3.5 hours south of Bologna so Cassi, Taylor, Ed, Markus (Ed's German friend) and I headed there! It was cheap and really fun. It wasn't a super hot day and the sun was playing peek-a-boo with us but overall I really enjoyed it. The water was freezing though... but I went in anyway, as did the boys. Oh! and we skipped a lot of rocks... and tried to skip massive ones as well. And we took naps! Wooo! Funny story, on the train home, Lindsay and her friends got on and out of all the cars in the two story train... they found ours... weird.

3. Florence to visit Rachel-

So, Thursday afternoon, three midterms complete, go to Florence? OK! Just kidding Rachel and I planned me visiting a long time ago. Anyway, I took a train to Florence while Rachel was in class and once I got there I wandered around the Duomo, by the Medici Fortress thing, past the University of Florence, by the Botanical Gardens, and back to find Rachel once her class was over. From there we headed to her adorable apartment over the Pontevecchio Bridge, made chicken parm for dinner (after getting delicious gelato... or as Rachel called it "ice cream", twice), and hung out with her roomies until we all got ready to go to the Old Stove, their tiny little Irish Pub where they know the bartenders really well. Laughter and good times were had by all. We didn't pay for a single drink and stayed three hours after the bar had closed just joking around, taking pictures, eating spicy kabab, cleaning up (well the employees did... well I mopped at least!), and just hanging out having a good ole time... then we realized it was 5 am and I had to get up at 7.40 to catch a train back to Bologna so I could go to my class trip to Casa Artusi and Dozza. Needless to say, 2.5 hours is not a lot... and that's what I am running on here... haha

4. CasArtusi and Dozza-

Dickinson took us on a day trip to the Cultural Center "CasArtusi" which is a place in Forlimpopoli that basically educates people about Pellegrino Artusi the "Father of Gastronomy" aka he took recipes from all over Italy, from every region, tried them all then published multiple volumes of a recipe book. The center had the original copies of those volumes and some of Artusi's furniture. Upstairs there is a Civil Library and a Cooking School! They have 20 fully equipped kitchens for people to watch and learn. As Artusi would say, "The best teacher is experience." I definitely agree with that!

Then we ate. And man did we eat. There was soup, then bread, then a mushroom souffle thingy, then ravioli del'Emilia Romagna (similar to gnocchi with cheese) , then veal, and finally chocolate cake and coffee. Oh and of course two different wines and water. I don't think I will be eating again for a week.

After eating for forever, we headed to Dozza, the town with the Enoteca of Emilia Romagna. We got a tour of the wines then people bought wine and we headed back to Bologna. I'm not really sure we did much on this trip but it was fun! And I really enjoyed getting to spend some time with people I usually don't see.

La Citta

This post is going to be a little random but I wanted to share some of my thoughts on Bologna as I have grown to know the city.

1. Bologna is a city. There isn't really any grass, or trees, or nature of any sort unless you cross the Viale (the big road that circles the city center). Being the nature loving girl that I am, I often feel more melancholy even on beautiful days. So how do I correct this disconnect between country girl and the city? I run around the city looking for green things and I attempt to find parks... haha that was an utter fail. I apparently took the wrong buses (Although I SWEAR i followed the online directions exactly) and ended up in a pseudo Chinatown outside Bologna... but I found a little park... kind of. Oh well next time hopefully I find the actual park I was looking for.

2. Bologna is not the cleanest of cities and there are a ton of dogs. Which means doggy poopies all over the place. You have to watch where you walk... and the air is kind of thick with cigarette smoke and city-like smells. However, early morning or later in the evening it clears up considerably. And there are hidden treasures all over the city. So, don't get me wrong, it isn't all yucky, there are a lot of beautiful things too.

3. Being a city, Bologna has a ton of homeless people. I walk by at least four a day, the same four people. Some days I just can't take it. They have signs that say "Ho fame" among other things that means "I am hungry". I try not to give money to them because you never know what they will do with it (alcohol, drugs, etc.) instead of using it for food. There are also a ton of street musicians. I can't walk by without giving them whatever change is in my pocket because they are just so talented! Many play accordion (which gives the most beautiful echo to the Portici (the covered walkways) throughout the city and makes Italy feel more fantastical) but some play guitar or violin or trumpet. There are even some guys who play those multi-instruments. Anyway, like I was saying about the homeless that have signs asking for food or money, on Monday I couldn't handle it. There are two main guys I always see. One on Via dell'independenza and one that is literally outside of my apartment. The one on independenza has a pokemon backpack and he is in the same spot everyday. He sleeps there on the step. Having him in my mind and walking by the man outside my apartment literally everyday, I must have been in some strange emotional state that I went to the store, bought bread, salami, cheese, water, clementine/orange things, apples, and granola bars and headed home to make them food. I made each guy 2 sandwiches, gave them a large water, an apple, 3 oranges, and a granola bar. I put the food in bags and walked around finding them to give them food. And when I was walking I past another homeless woman with a puppy. SO, I went back to my apartment and made another food package and took it to her. These people were so incredibly grateful. The look in their eyes and the way they said thank you you are so kind made me want to cry. I prayed so hard for them as I walked around.

Quick side story about what occurred when I handed the food out. I went to go buy the food (I had wanted to do this for a while and finally realized that 10 euro could feed several people dinner and I eat too much so I should get off my butt and do it) and when I was walking back the man outside my apartment was there. He looked up and smiled saying "Ciao bella". He is so sweet. I wanted to cry. So I ran upstairs, made the food and went back down but he was gone. Strange. And sad! So I prayed a quick little prayer for God to help me find the man and I walked down a side street towards where the other man sits when I looked down another side street to see the man. He had a beer bottle in his hand. My heart sank but I walked towards him anyway. We made eye contact, he offered his usual salutation, and I offered him the food. What really made me sad though was that I thought I saw a needle in his hand. Now I could be wrong. It was a momentary glance, but either way it made me sad. So I turned and walked away after he repeatedly said thank you and headed towards the other man. (Who was slightly further away) When I walked up to him he had his head down and I said excuse me and offered him the same food package. His face lit up so much and he smiled. He also said thank you so much you are very kind. As I headed back to my apartment (after doubling around to watch the man open the first sandwich and take a few bites- I only made sure he ate because I wanted to see if what I was doing was okay) I saw the homeless woman with the puppy so I made another package of food. BUT when I walked by where the man outside my apartment usually sits and he was back there eating :) I was thrilled. But wait it gets better. After making the food for the woman, I walked back the way I had gone when I found the guy with alcohol and the glass bottle was lying on the ground half full. He left it, ah! I don't know why that makes me happy but it did. Anyway, I found the woman and puppy and asked if she was hungry (she didn't have a sign) when she said yes I gave her the food and she also thanked me. The puppy looked so excited. I almost went and bought dog food so they wouldn't have to share!

I was in such a strange place after that hour and a half. I just kept walking around the city killing time before I had to go sing at this Memorial for a Professor who had been shot a few years ago (he had taught at Dickinson). I was so emotionally filled. If that makes sense. Like my heart was broken for those people and I wanted to cry for their struggles. I realized how much I really have when 10 euro can feed three people and still leave food left over.

4. to be continued... reliving the homeless people thing just made me loose my complaining streak...

ciao ragazzi

Mussels in Brussels. Christmas Music EVERYWHERE. Waffles within 10 minutes of being in a new city. Ah the woes of a traveler.

I love Belgium. In case you haven't gotten that yet from Facebook or talking to me or from pictures or whatever. I love it. 2 things: 1. I want to start a Dickinson Program in Leuven. It is so Dickinson and perfect for International Studies Majors or History Majors or any other social science major/international something major. Also, you don't need a language requirement, it is close to Brussels, and it is in Northern Europe. 2. Belgium is so beautiful, every city is unique, the people rock, and it is soooo my speed. I shall explain that better later I promise.

Okay, a whirlwind of things is about to hit you, please prepare yourself accordingly.

DAY 1: Thursday, after two very very veryyyy long classes (as I was super excited about leaving for Belgium) Jessy, Stephen, Lindsay, and I grabbed a taxi, got on a plane, and flew to Brussels. The flight there wasn't too exciting as flying is starting to become extremely normal for me. (I know I know, #studyabroadproblems) After landing, and catching a bus from the Charleroi airport to Brussels Central Station, I got in contact with Andrej (our gracious host for the weekend) and after some confusing phone calls, back tracking in the station, and a little bit of waiting we finally found him (ok HE found US, details details). It was interesting because I had no idea what to expect. I hadn't seen Andrej in 17 years... and I barely remembered him at all. I only have proof that we knew each other from word of mouth from my parents and him, and some old photos of a little me and a little him sharing a seat eating cake (obviously proving we were friends). We all hopped in his car and he drove us back to his apartment in Leuven, which is super nice with a beautiful view of a church. I was thinking (when he explained the sleeping accommodations) that we were going to be on top of each other and freezing and what not but nope he had plenty of room for all of us. Being that it was Jessy's 21st birthday I had asked Andrej ahead of time to buy her a chocolate cake (AH i forgot to pay him! Guess I am giving him money when he visits in April...oops) which he did a great job of choosing. Then after looking at the cake, and being that we hadn't eaten in a very long time, he took us to this restaurant in the center of town called Quasimodo. Yeah THE Quasimodo. Anyway, the food was great, he helped us choose which beers we should have as our first in Belgium (because us girls were much less savvy than the boys) and I think I got, hmm... I can't remember... but I promise it was delicious. Wow, I honestly can't believe I can't remember! I guess when I do remember I will add it later. Oh well. Then after that we walked back towards the center and found a bar (a less crowded one) and sat down to have another beer. Oh! And we meet up with Wouter!

It was so exciting to see him again. Especially being that us meeting in the first place was completely random and being in the same random place again... okay hold on. I should explain. Ok, I am American, I am studying in Bologna Italy (not a huge tourist town), he is Dutch, studying in Leuven Belgium (also not a big tourist place) and he was in Bologna for three days visiting a friend studying there and now I was in Leuven visiting a childhood friend who is actually from Croatia... wrap your brain around that one! OH and to top it off, my Croatian friend, Andrej, I haven't seen in 17 years and we met in Connecticut when I was like 3 years old AND we just happen to have an opportunity to meet up while I am in Europe... small world. Okay, now that I have been sidetracked a lot... after the beers in the pub/bar/whatever it was we called it a night and decided to save the cake for the next day.

DAY 2: Friday, we got up around 9:30 so that Andrej could drive us to the train station before he went to work so we could spend the day in Brussels. After taking a train for 5 euro into Brussels Lindsay, Jessy, Stephen, and I explored all the tourist stuff, but not before we got WAFFLES. Literally 10 minutes of being in Brussels we got Haggen Daas (wow butchered that name) waffles with this crystallized sugar all over it. BEST.THING.EVER. No joke. Anyway, we saw all the fancy, beautiful buildings and churches Brussels had to offer, saw the little peeing boy statue (where we bought another, less yummy but still amazing waffle), found a secret getaway garden, took the metro (yet another city metro accounted for!), explored the EU headquarters, took many pictures of cool looking birds, and then decided it was food/beer time! We went to Delirium Cafe (the world renowned alcohol place in Belgium with over 2000 beers) and each got a beer. Then we went to Leone's to get food where I got water and pasta with mussels and shrimp (it's so funny because all the English translations say "shrimps" it makes me chuckle every time :) ). It was delicious! Then we wandered to this indoor mall and bought lots of delicious truffles and chocolates (don't worry mom and dad I bought you some). THEN we headed back towards Delirium to grab another beer before catching a train to go back to Leuven where Andrej picked us up (outside of an American style carnival, bumper cars and all). We headed back to his apartment where some of his friends from Croatia were so we could all hang out. Wouter joined us again, shenanigans ensued, we ate chocolate cake for Jessy's Birthday, went to the Seven Oaks to dance, and returned to Andrej's where everyone else passed out while Andrej and I talked until 7 am. Successful night? I think so.

DAY 3: We woke up around noon so that Andrej could drive us to Bruge to do some casual sight seeing and when they say that Bruge is listed as one of the most romantic hidden places in Europe, you should believe them. It is just such a surreal place. We wandered around the Bshflirslda (yeah still couldn't tell you what the place is called), walked around the main square and clock tower, got yet another waffle and some fries with mayo (SO GOOD), and took a boat tour. The place was adorable. Then from Bruge, Andrej took us to the coast of the North Sea where it was already getting dark and the pier was in the distance. Thank goodness is was low tide because otherwise we would have been restricted to the sand dunes! Oh my gosh, Andrej was like a little kid when he saw the ocean. We legitimately ran to the water, which was freezing, just so we could smell and touch it. I have a video ;)

Okay, time out. Time to explain something. After not seeing Andrej for 17 years and then being reunited was incredible in itself, but literally after an hour of being in the same room I remembered our interactions. The way he teases me and the way I automatically give him lip back. It's hilarious. I love it though. It's so natural and we get along really well. I cannot wait until I see him in Bologna and Croatia and eventually America. AH too much excitement. I seriously felt so comfortable with him, like he was a brother (which I guess I could say he was/is?). It was a sad moment when I left, but we shall get to that later.

Okay back to Saturday. After the coast we headed back to Leuven where we got food and went back to the apartment as we were all so tired and Jessy and Lindsay had to catch a 7:45 am flight the next morning. BUT being the crazy kids we are, Andrej, Stephen, and I stayed up, watched Moulin Rouge, watched some Youtube videos and by the time his internet freaked out it was time to get up and get the girls to the bus station anyway (around 4:30 am). However, after waiting for the 5:10 bus for about 50 minutes we had to call a cab for the girls. Fail. But they made it back safe, the three of us that were left went back and passed out until 2 pm... Oops. I mean we did stay up until 7 again...

DAY 4: Sunday, we got up at 2 pm, walked around Leuven, grabbed sandwiches, sat in a park and ate them while watching scouts play games, two little kids piggy back ride and put a basket over their heads, and headed back to the apartment to change into soccer clothes. We grabbed his soccer ball, and headed to the local soccer fields, all like 11 of them. We had trouble finding space there were so many people there. A. because we brought the best weather since November with us and B. because Belgians understand the awesome that is soccer! So we played around for 2 hours (Andrej isn't too bad :P and Stephen has a lot of potential). Then we walked around the university for a while eventually ending up back at the apartment where we showered and changed before heading to Gent for the night. Gent is one of those places that you walk around, take pictures, and think... "no one is going to believe this exists or that I am here, its so unreal". I loved it. It is like Venice but in Belgium. We got this chicken stew that Andrej loves, which is basically chicken noodle soup on steroids. Delicious! After that we went back to the apartment and due to our late nights all weekend we of course couldn't sleep. So, we each had a beer, played some cards, and finally around 5 passed out.

Day 5: Monday, Andrej had work at 9:30 so he left, I got up around 10 and met up with Wouter for coffee since I didn't get to see him too much the past few days, said goodbye, met up with Stephen again, walked to Andrej's work, got lost, couldn't contact him because he had no money on his phone AND I had no money on mine (fail), then got lunch in his work and got a tour of the place. Oh my gosh, Andrej's job/PhD is so cool. He works in reliability which basically means he breaks stuff and figures out how to fix it. While he took us around it was so cool to see him get so excited about it and explain everything. Although I may not have understood it all, I got the idea. And he was like a little kid in a candy shop! He totally loves what he does :)

Then Stephen and I walked back to Andrej's apartment. packed and cleaned up and met him outside where he drove us to the airport. We said some sad goodbyes but we will be reunited again soon! Oh my goodness I love Belgium. Everything about it. The people. The places. The culture. I am sure I could come to love the language (Dutch/Flemish) as well. I want to go back. I NEED to go back. Who knows? :)

He was so out there that they named a style after him! -Gaudi (Barcelona)

Casually popped over to Barcelona for a weekend. NBD. (for those of you less savvy with the youngin talk these days that stands for no big deal) So, Jessy, Stephen, and I took about an hour and ten minute flight to Girona airport then a bus to Barcelona. After arriving on Friday afternoon we found our hostel, which I thought was fairly nice (not that I have ever stayed in one before so my standards were fairly low). After dropping our stuff off we went out to explore. We ended up wandering Las Ramblas (the main street in Barcelona) from the Gothic district to the port. In all I think we walked up and down that street like 6 times. Anyway, we got dinner at this place called L'Olive which was really great after sitting around watching skateboarders for a while (there were a lot of them in the city, as well as roller bladers) and went to Margarita Blue a bar that was said to be pretty good. After that we called it a night because we knew Saturday was going to be a LONG day, which you will see.

9 am. Get up. Head out to find the Gothic Corner and look at some really interesting churches. Then we headed towards this Beautiful park where there were a ton of orange trees and wild parrots. It was awesome! Then we walked towards the Spanish version of the Arch di Triumph. It was made out of brick which I found really interesting. Then we headed back towards the Gaudi area of the city (with all of his houses). From there we started to mosey on over towards La Sagrada Familia (the family place as I called it before I could pronounce it) and stopped to get Paella at this place where we could see La Sagrada Familia in the distance. Very picturesque. After eating our fill (I was a champ and ate it ALL) we finally got to the church and went inside. It was the most interesting church I have ever seen. Very artsy and very different. I don't know how one would focus on the service with so many cool things to look at! After spending a decent amount of time in the church we waited outside for a while, while I tried to contact Phylecia (the girl I know in Barcelona). To kill time I took pictures of a pick up soccer game that was right below the church. SO AWESOME. I really wanted to play :(

Next, we headed over to Parc Guell. Another Gaudi creation. The park had amazing views and was really gorgeous. I think it was my favorite part of the city. We also FINALLY met up with Phylecia. From there we headed back towards the hostel, got tapas and sangria and watched the Barcelona game in a bar. They won. Mainly because the team is stacked. Then we headed to the beach to go clubbing. The clubs there are soooo cool. I could have gotten used to it :P

Anyway, I have more to write but I also have class now.... ugh.