Sevilla, Sevilla Sevilllllla!

Sevilla 2.1.2011 – 4.17.2011

While studying abroad, I traveled a lot and I saw many things I had never imagined seeing before… thanks to cheap traveling in Europe and generous aid from the Gilman Scholarship Association. However, one thing I failed to mention enough was my hometown of Sevilla. Sevilla is a city of life, a city where orange fruits flourish the streets at its every corner, a city where a cloudy day is still sunny, but more, it’s a city where the Spanish culture is still prevalent. When arriving, I instantly loved this city, and when I was leaving my love for this city grew more and more. This city had given me friends that I will cherish for a lifetime, it has given me a language in which I love to speak, and it has truly given me a new take on life. It goes to say that studying abroad in Sevilla was the best time of my life. It was a conglomeration of not only the green, yellow, and red marbles in the bag, but it added to my collection the off- colors that I would have never seen before;  colors like Sundance, Christine, Aquamarine, and Paradiso. It gave me the perspective in between and broadened the spectrum.

While in Sevilla, I let my camera go free from my hands. I did so because I never wanted to feel like a tourist in my own city, and so I basically left most of my pictures for the last few days I was there. I think that helped a lot in making it feel more like a home. Every time I returned from and stepped foot in Sevilla, I always felt the welcoming feeling from the people around me like we shared the same home, and indeed, it became my second home.

Now I didn’t take many pictures to show the best images of Sevilla, but the best way I can describe the city is by comparing it to the central core of a blooming sunflower. Let’s take Spain to be the sunflower and when one looks at such a flower, they are often distracted by the colors and shapes of the petals that are formed around it. The petals are bright, colorful, and bigger. The central core, in which produces the nectar and pollen, is usually overlooked. That’s natural and very easy to understand because we all do it. To me, the petals of the flowers symbolize some of the other big cities of Spain, and so they change dramatically depending on what variables it accounters. For example, if you water a sunflower with red water, what was supposed to be your yellow flower will now be orange. The influence is exact and distinguished. I saw these changes in the other cities of Spain like Barcelona, Madrid, & Malaga. Here, tourism and a mix of foreigners changed what the city once stood for. Now back to the flower, the central core will stay the same, and it will continue to do its purpose, and that’s what I saw of Sevilla. Just like you imagine, I saw the bull fights, I saw and heard the flamenco along the streets and squares of Spain, and I saw a culture that was just happy to be where they were. They enjoyed the simplicity of life, they were the core, important, overlooked, but happy to have the position they contained. They were in the center of Andalucia, the paradise of it all. Sevilla will keep holding strong with its belief and culture, and I can’t wait to go back and pick it up right from where I left it.

Ferria de Abril

So what all did I really do in Sevilla??? Well, the Spring semester only had 4 days of school a week. That gave me a lot of room to travel, but on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I had class from 9 am – 8 pm with a 3 hour break to eat and siesta in between so I was pretty busy those days. I had three Spanish classes every morning and two business classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and they were all awesome. Now, every student trying to learn a language should know you can’t just take 5 Spanish classes for 3 months and think you’ll be fluent. You need to practice, practice, practice. So I took what I’d learn and go out with some of my friends to plazas and meet random Spaniards to converse with them for hours. I think I knew I started getting a hold of the language when my jokes actually crossed the language barrier because it’s already hard enough for people to understand my jokes in English… so you could just imagine the Spaniards staring at me like a deer in the headlights the first couple months. But overall, that was one of my favorite pass times in Sevilla. I will always remember Plaza de San Salvador, where I basically did my Spanish hunting. J

Plaza de San Salvador

Without a doubt though, my favorite thing to do was my 1 hour per week with my guitar teacher Francisco. My friends who studied in Sevilla in the past both took lessons from him, and they passed his info onto me. Those 1 hour lessons in which I was in his room were some of the best hours in Sevilla. Not only did I learn how speak and understand a true Sevillano, but I learned a new language… Flamenco. As a drummer, I have always found the rhythms and styles of Flamenco to be very interesting, but Francisco expanded my taste and my ability to play it. We never used sheet music, he would just play something to me, and I would try to play it back. By the end of the lesson, we would capture about 3 minutes of him on video so I could go home and learn it second by second. I began learning bulerias… and my music world changed from there. I remember by the 4^th lesson when I’d play with him, and we’d just smile. It was another language, it was another feeling. I don’t want to say I ‘practiced,’ but I ‘played’ my guitar just about every day I could. Traveling on weekends would lead to withdrawals and countless hours of playing my guitar after I returned on Mondays. Even cooler to know, Flamenco was born in Sevilla, more so it was born in Triana. It just so happened that his lessons were at his home in Triana, so I was learning flamenco where it originated. It kind of gave a different meaning when taking lessons there. Francisco was my guitar teacher, but I have to credit him to more. He is kind of my innocent eye- opener. I say so because I vividly remember our last lesson and him asking…

“Y que vas a hacer ahora ?(And what are you going to do now?)  Vas a devolver? (Are you going to return?)”

 I told him. “Claro que voy a regresar, pero no creo que puedo vivir aquí porque tengo un trabajo, una escuela, y una otra vida en Estados Unidos. Me gustaría vivir aquí, pero no sé… (Of course I’m going to return, but I don’t think I can live here because I have work, school, and another life in the US. I would like to live here, but I don’t know…).”

He then told me: “Si, pero si te gústalo, porque no? Esto es Sevilla, esto es Andalucía, donde el sol ilumina y las personas aquí son felices. También, el flamenco está aquí. Esto es el paraíso. (Ya, but if you like it, why not? This is Sevilla, this Andalucía, where the sun shines and people are happy. Also, the flamenco is here. This is the paradise)”

All I said after that was “Si… si.. si”

I really didn’t know what to say. I was speechless. I didn’t get what just happened there, but within a few within a few sentences he made me realize how much I was going to miss this place. I said bye to his wife and his two little girls, and walked out of his apartment with emotions of an 8^th grade cheerleader. I’ve always known I wanted to work abroad, but he made me think about what marketing emphasize over and over… “location, location, location.”

Anyhow, here are a few vids I made showing the stuff I learned over the semester and what not.

    Bulerias

 Alegrias

Other than the guitar, I would play soccer on Mondays with students from ISA (International Studies Abroad), the program I was studying with. Every Sunday and Monday I looked forward to playing indoor football. Like any team grows, we grew to know each other more and more as we played together. After those two hours, some of us would then play basketball at the outdoor courts or some people would go to a tapas bar or something. The setup was sweet though. In Triana, they had outdoor soccer and basketball courts on a concrete slab, with the covered grand indoor court. Often times, we would play basketball with the Spaniards and what not.

I must say though, my program was amazing thanks to ISA. I literally had the best directors you could possibly imagine. Each and every one of them was the nicest and sweetest person I could imagine. If it wasn’t for them, the experience wouldn’t be as real and as fun. They were always trying to teach us about the culture of Spain and they were always trying to make our struggles as fluid as possible. These are people that I KNOW I will see in the future. The people that were in my program were amazing too. It was kind of like high school because everyone knew everyone, and you basically saw everyone every day. Just about everyone had a lot of energy, was open- minded, and was ready to see the world. I definitely got lucky to study abroad with the people that were there.

Other cool stuff to do in Sevilla was the simple things in life. Stuff like going to plazas (especially plaza de España) just pass time by relaxing and talking outside. Everybody is ALWAYS outside in Sevilla. The kids always have a soccer ball they are playing with, just as you imagine from the movies. I would either go to the plazas, or go to the River. When the weather would allow, you could see 1000’s of people our age just sitting by the river. There were always people canoeing/ kayaking along the river. People were lying down on the grass, tanning, talking, playing guitar, and just enjoying life. The older cities back then were constructed around the rivers because the rivers gave them water and thus life. Until this day, the river in Sevilla prospers life and happiness as it did centuries ago. In retrospect, it seems too unreal, but it was true. All of it.

Then there are cafes, tapas bars, restaurants, and more at your every corner. Other than siesta, people are always out, and not much time should have been wasted inside. There was always something to do, and people to see.

Carboneria was a free flamenco place I’d go to often to check out flamenco. I can’t remember a single dull moment there. Like I said before, flamenco originated in and around Sevilla, so there were plenty of places that held flamenco shows.

Carboneria

Sevilla was a very different life for me. I will be honest though, it took some getting used to. I remember thinking everyone there was over joyous and lazy for the first month and a half. After a few months though, I realized something else; these people were truly happy. The Sevillans had it down… live life happily and just don't worry too much, no matter what the conditions are. Now, a lot of people in the US live like that too, but for me to realize it, I really had to go to Spain where 90% of the people thought and lived like that. They were just happy to walk outside and be in paradise. Their happiness flowed from within each person and caused a vibrant city. Each and every person that goes there can feel it. Sevilla has set the standard of living, and I’m now going to compare and contrast the city to every other city I go, and who knows… Sevilla may be waiting for me as a home sooner than I know.

I’m getting to the end, but I want start ending this blog with a last few words. In Sevilla, there was always something to do. There was either a soccer game to see, people to hang out with, sports to play, squares or parks to go to, tourist stuff to visit like the Cathedral or Alcanar, and quite simply put- a life to live. With all the energy, there was still siesta time in the middle of the day to just chill out for a while. I remember when I returned for a day after my backpacking trip, I couldn’t believe I was leaving such a beautiful place. Art and music were at every corner, and so were the smiles of everyone around you. I never thought real life could seem so unreal.

Bar Phoenix during Champion's League Quarters

Parque de Maria Luisa

La Alcazar

La Catedral (one of the biggest in the world)

So it’s been over a month since I left, and I still think about this city multiple times a day. It’s not only me though, but it’s all my friends that studied abroad as well. We all still talk about it, we all still miss it, and we all want to go back. If anyone reading this has something they want to say about their study abroad experience, leave a comment below. I want people who are thinking about studying abroad to know what we think months after doing so.

From the first day I arrived in Sevilla, to the day I returned from backpacking after 3 weeks, Sevilla had always remained a home to me. I walked in and out of those streets and I feel like I knew them like the back of my hand. The day I return waits.

Sevilla, para mí, me espera,

Y Sevilla, por ti, espero

The Beginning & the End

I started my blog right before my Istanbul trip, and so I left a few cities out of my blog. I don’t remember them that well in depth, but if I don’t have much of a description, hopefully you’ll just enjoy the pictures. So briefly, here’s a bit about them:

London January 26-28^th

I started off my trip in London. I had a connecting flight so I figured from Dallas -> London, London -> Madrid. So it didn’t cost me anything additional to go here since I just left 3 days earlier than my school program started. This was my first time on the other side of the world, and I was traveling by myself. I didn’t have a cell phone, nor a gps… I didn’t realize how different traveling would be because of that too. If anyone is interested, the best hostel I stayed at was Royal Bayswater Hostel. It was pretty cheap and not terrible. Anyhow, in London I was lucky enough to meet someone who showed me around London. One individual invited me to hang out with her friends. That was unbelievably awesome because those were my first few days in Europe and I was traveling by myself. It was just a different world to me.
A few additional words about London- I will be honest, at first I wasn't very excited about going to London. I really didn't know what it was all about, and I hadn't done much reading on it either. It turned out be 180 degrees different than what I thought. I can see myself living/ working in London easily now.

Oh ya… try Indian food in London... it’s delicious.

In London I saw/ did the following:

Went to Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum

Buckingham Palace

Piccadilly Circus

Trafalgar Square & Art Museum

Visited Shoghi Effendi’s grave

Westminster Palace

London Bridge

Learned how a metro system (the tube) works

Madrid & Toledo January 28^th – February 1^st

Madrid,

I spent 2 days in Madrid with my school. This was the first time I met the directors and other students from ISA that I would be studying with. They had an awesome salsa bar in Madrid with a huge dance floor; I wish I remembered the name. Anyhow, we went there the first night after getting some fantastic dinner.

In Madrid, I visited the Church, as well as the castle…. Cool stuff.

But to be honest, of all the Spanish cities, Madrid was my least favorite. Though, at the time I loved it because it was so different from any other city I had seen.

Toledo.

Toledo is a smaller city but beauuuuutiful. It’s really old and has awesome mosque. The mosque links the Abrahamic religions… I thought that was cool. Anyhow, they basically had this awesome bridge, and awesome scenery everywhere. I wish I wrote down the history of this city but I remember it being important and impressive. Toledo is one of your more authentic Spanish cities.

Ronda February 12

Ronda is a town between Malaga and Sevilla. It was very pretty. Here are some pictures of Ronda. Ronda is a very old city. It has Spain's most traditional bull fighting arena.

Bryan???

And a few last words...

So, before I leave all that’s said about Sevilla and formally end my blog about my studies abroad… I want to talk a little about what I did and how it affected me.

To start off, I planned on studying abroad for two years before I actually went. I researched dozens of programs, I took in everyone’s advice, worked myself senseless over the summers and school years to earn money, and finally earned the Benjamin’s X 10’s to make it all happen. In turn, this was without a doubt the best time of my life. I can’t even begin to mention how much I look at things differently now. It was eye- opening, and it was heart- touching. It definitely made my values & beliefs a little bit more clear.

To make a long story short before I thought I would love become the CEO of a company. Now, I can’t help but to think ‘why’? Why would I want such an imbalance of personal life? Before, I didn’t know any better. I was born and raised in the US and had been raised with the innocent intentions that we ‘live to work.’ But I never thought much of the other side and how people 'work to live.' Now, I’m not saying that I will pick any random job just to live anywhere… no, I have too much I like in this world and there are too many industries that interest me. I'm also not saying I'm going to be lazy and just an average worker; but what I am saying is that I have empathy on those who work the small jobs and just get by in paradise, because they enjoy over half the day in places they love. For me, that took a good 4 months to really understand, but it just came down to the basics of Marketing… location, location, location. The biggest change is that before I was willing to allow the destiny of my location predetermined by my job. Quite simply, I want the reverse now... I just want location to pick my job. I want to wake up in a place that I love and know I’m a guest of the city, but not a stranger. I want to live in places I would have never dreamed of. Thankfully, engineers are needed everywhere and so the opportunities are endless. That way, I will never stop learning and my backyard will always be a playground to explore. 

That way, the recess is never-ending.

ITALIA!!!

Italy 5.8.2011 – 5.16.2011

I want to start off saying that by the end of Israel, I really wasn’t excited for going to Italy. Israel was so much fun and different, that I was just ready to stay there another week and maybe take a 1-2 day trip to Jordan or Egypt and see some wild stuff. The thought of Rome and Italy just didn’t excite me… but I was proven wrong with a slap in the face from the Tuscany, one of my favorite trips yet. The things I saw, smelled, heard, tasted, and felt were intangible. By the end of Italy, I was only longing to come back to the states for my family & friends, but I could have been there happy for as long as I could imagine.

Sunday, 5.8.2011

Robbie and I arrived in Rome at 2:30 am… so it’s really Monday by this point. We heard there were a lot of hostels near Termini Station, and so we hostel- shopped and by 3:00 am. … Zzzzz Zzzz Zzzz

Monday 5.9.2011    Rome Day 1

First thing in the morning, Robbie & I took our clothes to a laundry mat and met up with Eli, who was going to travel with us all throughout Italy. I tell you one thing… it’s REALLY hard to travel with a group without cell phones. We finally found each other.

Nevertheless, we did what any tourist should do their first day in Rome… go straight for the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. We ended up going on a tour, which I recommend every single person to do. When you go on any huge and historical museums like so, everything will just start blending together if you don’t know their significance of what you see.

I must say, the Vatican Museum is a MUST SEE in Rome. No doubt. Room after room, Roman drawings, sculptures, paintings and so on or displayed. It was different artwork from any other museum had seen that year.

That all lead to the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel is the huge room in which the famous sculpture Michael Angelo painted the story of the bible. How he did it, we still don’t know, but he did it all upside down or something. I say that because it was all painted on a curved roof. Pretty incredible. As you learn about Michael Angelo, his history, and his humor, you’ll find quite a few of his drawings a bit humorous. We couldn’t take pics in this room, but here’s a googled image down below.

After that, we made our way to St. Peter’s Basilica Church. The interior of the Church is odd when looking up because it was designed with a perception from down below that made the Church look smaller than it really is. It’s kind of an odd idea because you would assume someone would want a church to look as enormous as possible. From inside, we climbed to the top and got a nice panorama view of Rome… Incredible.

In the mean time, we ate pasta & pizza. It is like they say, cheap and delicious. By the end of Italy, I know I gained weight from it.

We went hostel hunting and make it out to Yellow Hostel. It was recommended to me from a friend and held up to its expectations… it was that cool, energetic, young, backpacker’s hostel. I recommend it too.

Tuesday 5.10.2011           Rome Day 2

We were woken up by the staff and told to move out because apparently we didn’t book two nights in a row. So then we just headed on over and went hostel hunting again. Then, we spent the next hour and a half trying to figure out info on how much it was to rent a car with full coverage for insurance. Full coverage was vital, because… well, I’ve only driven stick by myself once and Robbie has only driven stick- shift for thirty minutes… and we were about to drive along the Amalfi Coast. The Amalfi Coast is a drive along the cliffs of Italy, bumper to bumper, with blind 270 degree turns all over the place. Insurance was huge.

So if you want to rent a car in Italy, beware, because some companies literally charge double the price. TravelCar was our best and cheapest option. We then reserved a car for the next day.

After that, we made our way to see what every tourist should do in Rome, and that’s the Coliseum. We bought a joined tour here for the Coliseum and the Forum. As you’d imagine, the Coliseum was SICK. It was huge, and you could just imagine the arena with gladiators, royalty & your common townsmen… all screaming and cheering.

The Forum was crazy too because of how much history it had. Our tour guide was excellent, so I really learned a lot about the history of it all. The Forum has Roman ruins and as you stare at them, it just made you think in perspective how small you really are. It’s weird to think how those ruins have been there for millenniums.

Later, we headed for the Jewish Ghetto to check that out. It’s not really a ghetto at all, but it was really cool. Of the whole ‘touristy’ Rome, this section was sweet because it was probably the least touristy. We dined and satisfied our stomach with delicious pasta.

By night I was exhausted. All this traveling and sight- seeing really makes you worn out by 10:00 pm.

Wednesday 5.11.2011                    Driving Day 1: Rome -> Amalfi Coast

We woke up pretty early and headed to the car rental place to get our car. What would take a maximum of 25 minutes in the states took us nearly an hour and a half in Italy. Its small things like that that make you really miss and appreciate home.

Anyhow, by 11:00 am, off we were. We headed down for the South Coast…. Towards Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast.

Along the way, Robbie and & I thought it would be a good idea if we actually practiced how to drive uphill from a dead stop, seeing how the roads of the Amalfi Coast are on the edges of hilly cliffs. In the mean time, we ran into a random Italian village on a cliff. It was our first encounter of a non- English speaking town. They were so unbelievably nice, and we just spent a good hour in their town, getting  food and trying to converse. It was our first snapshot of the real side of Italy.

 I didn’t see Pompeii and this is something I really regret, but I was just a bit ‘monumented’ out. Instead, Robbie and I dropped off Eli and drove through the Amalfi Coast to find a place to stay. It took us nearly an hour, but we ended up finding this awesome Bungalo in Sorrento called Nube d’ Argento. We had an amazing view, and so I just sat, chilaxed, enjoyed nature and the sunset, and wrote my journal. It was nice to finally get a break.

Later that night, Eli and I went into town to eat. We saw some live music, met new people, and basically enjoyed the culture of the small town of Sorrento.

Thursday 5.12.2011         Driving Day 2: Amalfi Coast to Tuscany

We left our bungalow early and had a LOT to drive that day. We drove even further south into the coast until we hit the city Amalfi. By this point we took a random route through the mountains to head back to Rome.y  The drive along the Amalfi Coast was amazing. The water had the separation of turquoise & blue that everyone loves. Also, when you drove, it was breathtaking when you turned a corner and all you saw where cliffs, small villages, and a beautiful sea. I definitely recommend this drive... just be careful.

 With all the windy roads and villages in the middle of nowhere, this is where a lot of the fun started happening.

Along the way to Tuscany, we stopped at the ancient and perishing town of  Civita di Bagnoregio. This is when we started hitting the cliff- top villages. This old town still has people living in it today, but is slowly falling apart as the city and terrace sort of decays.

By the time we made it to Tuscany, I really couldn’t believe my senses. I’ve said it once, and I’ve said it twice, but this place was really incredible. What Eli, Robbie, and I did was we found the smallest roads possible on our Italy map, and just drove through them. We drove through the hills of what I imagine a symbolic heaven to look like. I want to say that as soon as we drove into Tuscany, immediately, it was prettier. No joke… within an instant.

For those of you who want a picture of how amazing Tuscany was… it is as follows. I have never been to a place where literally all 5 senses were captured so heavily. If at any moment one sense was absent, the other four compensated. It was as if I closed my eyes, I could smell the clean smell of flowers more, I could hear the wind and the birds speaking in harmony, I could feel the perfect mixture of the sun’s heat and the wind at a blow, and I could taste either nature’s scent or I could taste the fine Italian pasta at any given destination. It was truly incredible. Now, it goes without to say, you didn’t want to blink because you didn’t want to miss a view so grand. A view where the wind blows the fine grass to create waves of shade, a view where the abundance of green, orange, purple, red, and yellow flowers are at your every degree of eye movement, where the mountains in the back create the morning blue color at any time of the day, and where windy roads in, around, and out of mountains always had you on your feet and curious for more. Tuscany was shear fantasy. Nothing can capture the beauty of the immaculate heart of Tuscany.

Here, we tried to find a place to stay and after village hunting, we finally made it to the town of Pitigliano. We got hooked up with a sick Bed & Breakfast. The room was so Italian I couldn’t believe it. We just walked around the village that night just to take in the simplicity of these people’s lives. Everybody new everyone, and as so it seemed, everyone was happy. No one really spoke English so the ‘Spatalian’ came into play there. By that, I mean not quite knowing which words you could say in Spanish, but not Italian… so you just changed random words and sounds, hoping they’d understand. You also had to sing it too J

Friday 5.13.2011                Driving Day 3: Tuscany

As we were in Pitigliano, away from the tourists… we were just hungry for more of these villages. So that day, as we drove, we sort of went village hunting to find that perfect* Italian village where NO ONE spoke a word of English nor Spanish, and the community was still vibrant. So the search began.

Somehow, we were in Pitigliamo when a huge antique car show or something was taken place. We saw old Model T’s, Royal’s Royces, and more. Robbie head to back up in a hill from a dead stop with a Royal’s Royce 1 foot parked in front of him and the whole town looking. It was his 3^rd day driving stick… talk about pressure.

We end up going to Sorano for some coffee. We liked what we saw a lot. The town seemed deserted at first, but we finally found the town center. The town of Sorano was awesome, but we still saw English writings… and passed a bar called “American Bar” with two shotguns pointing upwards as an upside down V… that wasn’t happening for us.

As I was buying my postcard, I saw another postcard with an amazing picture of a hot springs. We asked someone where the place was on the map, and we made our way there. The good thing about renting a car with your friends is you can go anywhere you’d like at any instant. And so this town was called Cascata di Saturnia… and we had lunch there and then made our way to this hot spring. The water wasn’t too hot either, just warm… which felt much better on a sunny day. But if you ever go here, make sure you ask the people in town how you get to the free hot springs. If you take a different route you can be charged 20 Euros.

After relaxing in the water and the pseudo waterfall, we continues driving. Mountain after mountain & cliff after cliff, we finally found it. We found the Italian town we were looking for. I don’t even think the name was on the map, but it was called Roccalbegna.  Here, they only spoke Italian and nothing else (check). When we first drove into town, the whole community was just outside enjoying life (check). There were little kids riding their bikes and playing with each other (check). There were people in their 20’s and 30’s (check). They had a beautiful view off the side of their cliff (check). They had an indoor sized soccer court and grass tennis courts that people were playing (check). There were huge hills in which an outdoor life was simply possible (check). This was it. This was the town we were looking for!!! So we bought Gelatono and just stood to the side and just watched them. It seemed like a bunch older people back at recess. Why in the world wouldn’t you want to live a life of Recess when you’re older???? Quite unbelievable. I remember thinking when I saw this how this day was my favorite day yet in Europe. I was 100% at ease and I got to see the coolest city yet. I may have found a second home.

I don't have a picture of this place because someone stole my phone, but then again, I don't think I'll forget it.

On the way to Florence, we stopped in Sienna to see the main square and the Church. Of the 40 minutes there, I just wish I had more time. We were also bombarded just with amazing scenery. We were away from tourists all day, and we really dove into the Italian culture. No doubt, the best day traveling yet.

We arrived in Florence at about 11:00 pm. Up until 2:00 am we were looking for hostel after hostel after hostel. I never thought about how hard it would be to try to find a hostel in a big city with a car. With all the one- way streets, bus/ taxi only streets, and not a clue where you are… it took a while. Also, advice… don’t show up on a Friday night in such a tourist city with 3 people and expect 20 hostels to have room for 3. its just not likely. Anyhow, we ended up sleeping big that night. We cut a deal with one of the guys at a real nice hotel for 30 Euros per person. This hotel was deluxe… definitely a clutch deal outside of town. 

Saturday 5. 14. 2011        Florence (Firenze)

Woke up to an AMAZING breakfast. Eggs, bacon, fruits, yogurt, grapefruit juice, muffins… they had it all. I felt like the most hi- class traveler ever.

Anyhow, so it ends up taking like 2 hours to return the car. Like our Canadian tour guide living in Italy told us… “Everything in Italy is a Process… You can’t get anything done straight to the point.”

We then took advantage of an internet point for the next 1.5 hours to figure out the rest of our travels. By mid afternoon, it was time to cramp as much of Florence as I could. We headed off to the Cathedral, Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, constructed in the 13^th century. This Cathedral was one of the cooler looking Cathedrals. It is plastered in green, pink, white, brown marbled colors along with the Gothic architecture. It was basically an innocent looking Cathedral. It looked stunning really. I believe it’s the 4^th largest Cathedral (1 behind Sevilla’s). 

Anyhow, we walked up to the top of the Duomo and got to see Florence from the height of the Cathedral. Like Sevilla, and like Rome, the Cathedrals are the highest point of the whole city so nothing is built higher. But unlike the other cities who tempt to challenge the cities with false feet of attaining the maximum limit, Florence’s Cathedral was “The Structure” of the city and nothing in view could challenge its height. At a distance you would see a flat city with red roof tops, and a giant Cathedral. That was the image of Florence. And so from the top of the cathedral, we got a 360 view of the whole city. I would stay up there all day if I could.

We headed back down after some time to see the inside of the church. The inside of the church was pretty amazing too. The ceiling had a clear picture of what heaven and hell is pictured like in paintings. It was pretty cut clear… no questions asked of what they imagined it to be.

Later, we made our way to the Piazza di Michelangelo, where you can view a panorama of Florence. On the way, we enjoyed some live music, and spent hours just enjoying Florence. I got to see Jersey Shore… though I’m not sure that’s something to be proud of. Plaza after plaza & performer after performer… Florence was filled with locals and tourists that were just energetic and happy to be there. How cool no? I wish Houston could be like that.

Anyhow, we finally made it to Piazza di Michelangelo where we relaxed and saw the sun set on the steps. It was a bit outside of town, and here we met people from all over the world. This place was very tranquil, and a must- see destination for the sunset. Hours passed by, we spoke Spanish to the Spanish and English to about every single other person… It was coming close to my time to leave Europe. I got a little emotional. This scenery was too pretty to leave. I knew I was about to miss a whole different type of world I was used to.

On our way back, we grabbed Italian pizza, and got ready to go out. We changed in the bus station and took our bags with us to a club. It goes without to say, we weren’t allowed in with our bags. We ended up leaving them at a local pizzeria for free… incredible huh? That gave us time to chat with young people and see the night life there. Interestingly, Italian clubs weren’t my thing.

So, when we left, we had 2 hours to burn before our 5:00 am bus to Cinque Terre. We ended up chatting with study abroad students in Florence… literally the most diverse group ever. And since they were so diverse, their common language was Italian, even though they all spoke English. Crazy no? Some of those students spoke four languages!!!

By 5:00 am, we made it to the train station and headed for Cinque Terre and our 10 km hike. 

Sunday 5.15.2011             Cinque Terre

My last full day in Europe. So by 11:00 am, we got our bags stored and head for the Cinque Terre to experience one of the most beautiful hikes in Europe.

We started north (from the Village of Monterosso) and head south. It’s easier that way because you get rid of the hard inclined routes in the beginning. I won’t lie, by this time, I was feeling a bit sick because of my lack of sleep. The hike really helped, but it was also cold, then hot, then cold, then hot, and so on… I thought it was going to pour down raining too, but it eventually cleared up.

But anyhow, we started hiking and we were immediately filled with beauty at every step. We walked along the cliffs to see this beautiful dark blue water. Seriously, the Mediterranean Sea really surprises me. I’ve seen it along Portugal, Morocco, Spain, Turkey, Israel, and now Italy… and every time it looks different. Now, it was this dark blue color. The Cinque Terre is basically a hike of 5 old villages along the Northwest coast of Italy, and it is green, blue, white, and beautiful. 

By our 2^nd town of Vernazza, we just relaxed for a bit. We ate lunch, and took a nap along the beach. Within hours, we were ready to go again… Off to more and more. I knew this was the last bit of extraordinary scenery I was going to s wateree in Europe. I’m glad my last few memories were of the Cinque Terre because it would be hard to top this. From what I hear, it basically looks like Hawaii. To some up Cinque Terre... I basically came to Italy for the Cinque Terre. To me, Italy wouldn't be the same had I not done this trail. It was kind of a mix of the Amalfi Coast & Tuscany. If I only had more time I would have dived into the water after the hike. Make sure you do this hike if you go to Italy. You will not be disappointed.

 On the train back to the first station, I realized how I had to say a quick goodbye to Eli & Robbie. Robbie & I had seen A LOTTT that year together. We traveled all over the world together. I grew really close to Eli too. I really admired his perception on things. He was a very open- minded person and the dude was just fun. I had a quick goodbye, but I know I’ll see these guys in the future. They were with me when my world changed. This was our last picture together on the trail.

 

By night, I had to take a bus to Milan, and from Milan to Bergamo. Travel advice… just take a flight out of Pisa with Ryan Air if you’re going to leave out of Cinque Terre. The Milan airport for Ryan Airport is actually in Bergamo and is a huge hassle.

This is when stuff got interesting though. When I arrived in Milan at 12:30 am, I had to wait in the train station until 5:00 am to take a bus to Bergamo. I decided to try to get some wifi because my friend who lived in Milan was going to try to meet up with me. I had no phone, and Wifi was my only way of contacting him. I really didn’t want to stay alone in the Milan train station because of how sketchy it was. Anyhow, long story short, I was looking for wifi about 5 minutes outside of the station when this young kid snatched my phone out of his hands and ran!!!! I grabbed my bag and ran after him. I ran after him through a tunnel, cut the corner, through my bags in a dark spot and headed for him. Right turn after left after right, he lost me… Then I had to figure out where I was, and more importantly… where my bag was ASAP. I went to three different groups of police just to figure out where in the world we were because I knew I could locate it if they told me. By the third group of police, they finally gave me a map. Within 10 minutes, I found it, thank God, untouched. I literally ran from 1:00 am- 2:30 am in the center of Milan.  But thank God only my phone was stolen. I lost a lot of pictures of the Tuscany, of the Amalfi Coast, and most importantly, my videos of my guitar lessons from my guitar teacher… but like Tupac said Life Goes On.

Monday 5.16.2011           Italy -> Sevilla

I slept in a bus and plane and made my way back for my 2^nd home… Sevilla!

Though I lost my phone, Italy was an adventure. It was a great place to end off my travels. I hadn’t even spent much time in Florence, and I didn’t see Venice. But I for sure did see Italy. I saw it like no one else.