Casi el fin :(

The past few weeks have flown by and I can't believe I can count the number of showers I will take in Granada on one hand!

I'm done with classes (except for a picnic in my conversations class), tests and presentations (which I think went well!) and we have our goodbye dinner tonight with my entire program. As excited as I am to see friends and family at home, I'm so sad to leave Granada and end this incredible experience.

When I haven't been in class or doing work during the past few weeks, I've been spending time with my friends and senora, trying to do as much as possible in the little time I have left!

A few weeks ago Dana, Carly, and I went to a tapas bar we'd never been to where we talked to the owner, Marisol, the whole time. She loved us and invited us back to cook tortilla espanola with her! So a few days later we went back to the bar and made tortilla espanola from scratch! We skinned and cut potatoes (not my strong point), cooked them in a huge pan, mixed them with eggs, added a little salt and onion, and then cooked it until it was time to flip. Marisol let us do everything and was so excited to have us in her kitchen. We took notes throughout the whole process so now I have a wonderful tortilla recipe that I can't wait to make!

My senora goes to dance classes a few nights a week and a few weeks ago she invited me to go with her-- I was so excited! I was expecting something similar to my 5 year old ballet class- a big room, well-lit room with a mirror and an instructor, so when we arrived at the class, I was shocked-- it was at a bar that had a neon "Merengue" sign on the outside, and when we climbed down the stairs we entered a small, dark, smoky bar that was actually cool and trendy! I couldn't believe that she had been going there the entire semester. A few minutes after we got there, this spanish guy starts gathering everyone up in front of him and starts teaching us salsa steps-- it was easy to follow and catch on. He took breaks every few songs where couples would just dance to whatever type of music they put on- salsa, merangue, or bachacha (don't know how to spell that) - so after Maria danced with her novio, he danced with me and taught me how to mark my steps and spin the right way and everything...he's actually a great dancer and it was so fun learning from him. Since that first day, I've gone back a lot and brought my friends each time, who also love it. It was also a really great bonding experience for me and Maria because she enjoyed meeting my friends and I got to see a piece of her life outside of the apartment.

Last friday my friends and I made a last minute decision to go to Motril, a city about an hour away, to see a bullfight!! Considering I get grossed out by the fake blood on Grey's Anatomy, I didn't think I was going to enjoy the killing but really wanted to experience it anyway. Turns out, I loved it! There were 3 toreros (one from Granada!) who took turns fighting different bulls-- they each got two. There's a whole process of fighting where they first have the bull run around the ring a little, then they have to put 4 banderas (stick things) in the bull, and finally kill it with a sphere-like weapon. It's really cool! Each time the bulls get bigger and bigger (and angrier) and after the torero kills the bull, the judges decide how well he did. He can win an ear, 2 ears, or the best- 2 ears and a tail! Once the judges make a decision, they actually cut these body parts off of the bull and hand them to the torero, who proceeds to walk around the ring while we applaud and throws the animal parts to people in the audience! This little boy near me dressed in a torero outfit caught a tail-- he was so excited to get it but then so confused once he looked at it and realized he did not really know what to do with it. It was really cute. I'm so happy I went to a bullfight-- it was definitely a cultural experience I will not forget!

Ok-- time for my picnic! This might be my last post, so thank you for reading and keeping in touch all semester. I've loved all of the emails and updates from home-- it definitely kept me from being homesick. I can't wait to see all of you soon!

con amor,
lisa

Spring break 2: Backpacking through Eastern Europe!

Hola!

So apparently the professors at my school have collectively decided to save all of the homework/presentations/tests for the last 3 weeks of school :( so my friends and I have been trying to stay on top of our work while still enjoying the short time we have left in Granada.

During Semana Santa, my second spring break, I traveled to 6 cities in Eastern Europe with a group of anywhere from 12-18 people. It was amazing!! I'll give you some of the highlights....

Itinerary: Prague, Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest
Who I traveled with: friends from Granada, friends studying in Barcelona (and some of their roommates), 2 friends studying in Florence, and one in London
Weather: Incredible! Sunny and 60s-70s every day!
Favorite city: Salzburg-- our hotel was right next to the Alps and I woke up to a beautiful view of the snow-covered mountains; the city was quaint and picturesque with cute narrow streets; the castle was incredible with beautiful views of the city; the girls spent the afternoon relaxing and enjoying the beatiful weahter
Favorite memories: I woke up at 5:45 am, hiked up to the Prague castle, and saw Obama give his second speech about foreign policy on foreign soil in Prague! It was awesome to be there!

Salzburg is the home of The Sound of Music, so our group of 14 walked in a single file line in height order throughout the city in honor of the Von Trapp children.

In Budapest, we went to a Turkish Bath for our last day of the trip. It was a huge site with 3 different outdoor pools and 10-20 different indoor pools, all of varying temperatures. They also had saunas with different scents and temperatures. It was a great way to spend the last day of our trip.
Favorite meal: Our first night in Vienna, we went to a Viennese restaurant recommended to us by our hotel. They had no menus in English so we had the waitor tell us a few of his favorite dishes and we each chose one, not really having any idea what we ordered. The food turned out to be wonderful- I had cream soup with Chicken in a barbeque-type sauce with dumplings. We loved trying the local food everywhere we traveled and were constantly surpirsed with how great every restaurant was.
Experience I'll never forget: Visiting Dachau, the first concentration camp. There aren't really words to describe how I felt when I was there. As much as I've read/heard/learned about the holocaust, I still wasn't prepared for what I saw at Dachau.

Overall, I loved seeing places I'd never thought I'd see, spending time with friends from Granada and U of I, and learning about many different cultures and important events in European history. I'm so lucky I was able to take this trip!

Time for class.....hope you're all doing well!

Jon Visits!

Hola!

I clearly haven't posted in a few weeks so I'll update you on my travels and adventures! The semester is flying by-- I can't believe I have less than a month left!

Jon visited 3 weeks ago for his spring break and we had a wonderful time together. I loved showing him around Granada, taking him to my favorite tapas bars, and introducing him to my friends. Maria cooked us a feast for lunch on Friday including Paella, seafood salad, shrimp, and a cool exotic fruit from Granada.

We spent the first weekend exploring Barcelona where we also saw our friends from Illinois who are studying there (Josh, Ben, & David) and Marc & Josh (from Florence). We loved walking down the busy Calle Bib Ramblas and seeing the unfinished Sagrada Familia church by Gaudi. On Sunday night, Marc and Josh flew back to Granada with us and I took them to my favorite tapas bar where we met up with a few of my/their friends. It was so fun hosting them in Granada after being in Florence with them a month earlier. On Monday we went to the Alhambra, I showed them my apartment and introduced them to Maria (Marc loved talking to her in Spanish!), and we went out for tapas with a big group that night.

Jon and I spent the next few days relaxing, enjoying Granada, and eating lots of Spanish food. He even came to one of my classes! On Wednesday night, we left for Roma...

Rome was amazing! Even though I went during my first spring break, I had a great time seeing parts of the city I hadn't been to and spending time with Jon. We loved the Bourgaisie museum and gardens, the Colusseum, Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums, Trevi fountain, Roman forum, etc! We ate lots of gelato and spent time with Max and Becky (Max was also visiting)-- it was so fun to see them!

We spent the last night of our vacation going out for tapas in Granada-- a great (but sad!) way to end his visit. I'm so lucky Jon was able to come-- it was one of the hilights of the semester.

I'll write later about the past 11 days in Eastern Europe! Time to catch up on a little homework....

Hope you all are doing well!

Relaxing in Granada

Hola!

I had a great weekend enjoying the beautiful weather with my friends. On Friday, a group of us went with our program directors to Cordoba, a 2 1/2 hour bus ride away. It was the capital of spain at one point and has a beautiful mosque from that era. It also had a jewish quarter with a synogogue and jewish museum that were cool to see as well. I enjoyed the trip and learning about all of the history there- a lot of it I already knew from my Culture of Islam class- so even though there´s barely any work, my classes are worthwhile!

On Saturday morning, I went to the flea market with my senora which was really cool and overwhelming! There were so many booths of endless clothes, shoes, and random things. She bought a shirt (kind of ugly but I told her I liked it) and I bought a dress for 3 euro! We met up with her friend there who happens to me the senora of two of my friends on the program and went for tapas with her on our way home. It was nice to spend time with her outside of our apartment and I enjoyed seeing a part of Granada I´d never been to before.

Later that day, I met up with two of my friends who are studying in Barcelona (Benji and Dana) who were visitng for the weekend. Carly, Dana, Brett, and I had a great time showing them our favorite places in Granada and exploring new ones as well. We went to a beautiful park, walked along the river, hung out in plazas, went out for tapas (we found a great Chinese food tapas bar with great lo mein noodles), and went to a Discoteca we had never been to. We all enjoyed catching up and spending a relaxing weekend together.

This week I´ve been spending time outside, doing homework, and getting ready for Jon to come on Thursday! I can´t wait to see him and show him Granada. We´re also traveling to Barcelona and Rome where we´ll do lots of sightseeing and spend time with our friends that are abroad.

I hope everyone is doing well!

Mom visits!

Hi!
One class left until the weekend! I got through my first 2 tests of the semester and I think they went well-- It's finally gorgeous weather in Granada and all of us are so excited to be able to spend time outside.

Unfortunately, when my mom was in Granada last week it was rainy and cold all week but we still had an amazing time! I met her at the Madrid airport on Sunday and we flew back to Granada together, checked into our hotel, and then walked to my apartment. Maria was waiting for us with a huge lunch, even though she told me she would have my mom over for lunch on Monday. She was excited to meet my mom and I spent the entire lunch translating questions and answers back and forth between them. They were able to communicate a little because my mom speaks a little Spanish and Maria a little English so that was fun to watch. She cooked tortilla espanola, my favorite, and a lot of other food- it was delicious! Later, my mom and I walked up the Albacin to the San Nicholas viewpoint and saw a beautiful view of the city at sunset.

On Monday it was raining when we woke up, but we still walked around the city and bought some souvenirs in the silk market. We went to my apartment for lunch with Maria and this time she cooked us Paella, the other traditional Spanish meal. The food was great and we had another long conversation about politics (Spanish people love Obama), her family, life in Spain, and other topics. I learned so much about her throughout those two days because my mom asked questions that I never even thought to ask her! The lunches with Maria were two of my favorite parts of my Mom's visit.

My mom came to art class with me because we had a field trip to the San Jeronimo Monestary and even though my teacher spoke in Spanish the entire time, my mom understood a lot of it! We heard female monks singing and saw them walking around inside as well. After class, we went for tapas with two of my friends at one of our favorite tapas places. I loved introducing my mom to my favorite tradition in Granada!

On Tuesday we relaxed and walked around the city. We found great lunch and dinner places that I never knew existed. We went to Cafe Futbol for cafe con leche and dessert after dinner and tried a typical sweet of Granada. It was great!

We woke up early on Wednesday and hiked up to the Alhambra. Even though it was my second time there, I still loved it and enjoyed learning more about its history. That night we went out for tapas with a bunch of my friends at one of my favorite tapas bars, La Riviera, and had a great time!

After class on Thursday, we flew to Madrid to begin our Madrid/Toledo leg of the trip. We were so happy with our hotel room and had a great location-- in walking distance of everything!

Friday was a huge touristy day for us-- We started with the Prado Museum and walked around according to Rick Steve's guide which was so helpful. We then went to the Thyseen Museum, the Puerta del Sol, Palaccio Real, and Plaza Mayor. We were so impresed with Palaccio Real-- it reminded us a lot of Versailles because of how cool it was to see where the royalty lived. For dinner we found a fish place close to our hotel with a waitor who spoke perfect English and was so nice to us.

On Saturday we took a 30 min train to Toledo where we spent the day touring the historic city. We saw the Santa Cruz Museum, The Cathedral, two synogagues/museums, the outside of El Greco's home (under rennovation), and Santo Tome, which has El Greco's most famous painting. We were so impressed by the Cathedral and enjoyed learning about El Greco while in his hometown. After relaxing in the Plaza de Zocodover, we walked back to the train station and returned to Madrid. We walked around the city and ate dinner before going to bed.

We started off our last day in Madrid by going to El Rastro, the biggest flea market in Eurpe! It was so overwhelming and fun! Next we went to the Reina Sofia Museum and really enjoyed seeing art by Picasso, Dali, Miro and other famous paintors. After the Museum we got corn and sweet potatoes for lunch from a street vender that were delicious! We then walked through the huge park, people-watching and enjoying the warm weather. We ended the week with a great walk around the city, dinner, and then returned to the hotel to pack for our flights.

I am so lucky that my mom visited-- I had an incredible time with her and it was a week I'll remember forever!

Italia!

Hi all! I'm so sorry I have not updated in so long! I had a wonderful week traveling Italy and then spent 8 amazing days with my mom in Granada, Madrid, & Toledo! She left this morning and I miss her already!

I have a few tests this week that I should probably study for so I'll write about Italy and save the week with my mom for after my test....

My trip started two thursdays ago-- I flew into Milan and stayed with my friend Elissa for the night and then toured the city with her and her friends the next day. We had a great time! I loved seeing the Duomo, the castle, and a great art museum. We had a great dinner at an all-you-can-eat Italian buffet and were so full! That night I met up with 8 of my friends and slept in a hostel (we were their first travelers-- kind of sketchy!) before our early departure to Venice.

On Saturday we took a 7am train to Venice and spent the entire day there. The city was celebrating Carnivale-- there were so many tourists and people dressed in crazy costumes. We loved it! We went to the huge church, had a great lunch by the river, tried gelato for the first time (amazing!), and then went to the Peggy Guggenheim museum. At night we danced on the streets with all of the other people celebrating Carnivale-- it was so fun!

We arrived in Florence on Sunday morning and walked around the leather market where they were selling jackets, gloves, ties, scarves and lots of souveniers. Josh Keller and Marc Kovarsky, two of my friends from Illinois (Josh from high school too!) that are studying in Florence, met up with us and showed us around the city. I stayed with them for 3 nights and had a great time-- they were wonderful hosts. We had 3 great dinners-- my favorite was at Agua el 2 where we got delicious strawberry wine! I loved climbing to the top of the Duomo and seeing the city, seeing Michaelangelo's David in person (incredible!), and walking across the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge multiple times a day. I also got to spend time with my friend Stephanie and it was great to see her and catch up. Florence is a beautiful city and I can see why my friends love studying there.

We took our final train to Rome on Wednesday and I arrived to see my friend Becky waiting for me at the train station! I was so happy to see her and I loved spending time with her while I was in Rome. After checking into our hostel, I met up with Becky and Dre (my roommate from freshman year- also studying in Rome- wonderful to see her!) and they walked around with us to the spanish steps and the Trevi Fountain. The Trevi Fountain is breathtaking-- especially at sunset. That night I had a great dinner with Becky at a cute restaurant near her apartment.

My friends and I declared Thursday "Vatican Day" and spent the day there. I loved walking around the huge basilica and climbing to the top of the copula to see the entire city. It was beautiful! We had a great lunch in the plaza and then walked to Plaza Navoa and the Pantheon. I loved the Pantheon-- it is incredible! I enjoyed listening to Rick Steve's (free podcasts that we downloaded about different sights in Rome) explanation of the history behind it. I had a great dinner that night celebrating my friend Lauren's birthday (she was visiting from London!) and catching up with her.

On Friday we started off the day at the Colosseum-- my favorite site in Rome. I cannot believe that Romans used to watch prisoners being killed as a sport! It was incredible to be there and imagine the spectacle. In the afternoon I went to the Jewish Ghetto with my two jewish friends I traveled with and we got a tour of the synogague which was really interesting. We then ate great Kosher fast food before meeting up with the rest of our friends. We went to Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum which were both really interesting. We returned to our hostel before heading back out to the Spanish Steps barcrawl-- a great way to end my 9 days in Italy! I flew back to Madrid on Saturday and met my mom at the airport the next day.....

Time to go study for my test in Culture of Islam...

Hope you are all doing well! I will update and post pictures from the week with my mom soon!

I love Granada!

Hola!

I spent a wonderful weekend in Granada, enjoying the best weather yet!

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I hung out with friends, took walks around the city, went shopping, and spent as much time as possible in the sun. I went out for tapas and to a few bars at night. I also spent time with Maria during lunch and helped her with her English homework. I'm very intrigued by her English workbooks-- some of the phrases it teaches are so awkward! Helping her makes me realize how confusing English is and I really give her credit for trying to learn it.

On Sunday, I ran by the river with two friends and when we reached the end of our path, we decided to cross over the highway to the mountains and hiked our way back. It was beautiful and so much fun figuring out how to get home! Then we had our senoras pack us lunches and we ate outside at a plaza where a lot of other people were eating. After lunch we went up to one of the most famous viewpoints in Granada (called San Nicholas) where we read our books and enjoyed the sun. There were tons of students hanging out there and some guys were performing circus-type acts so we all crowded around to watch them. It was a lot of fun! Three of our friends happened to be at the same place, so when the sun was about to set we walked with them to another viewpoint and had a beautiful view of the sunset. On our way home, we stopped at our favorite tapas bar (the boys had never been there but they loved it) and had two tapas before returning home for dinner. It was a great day!

During my first few days in Granada, our program director took us on a tour of the city and showed us important places we would need to know during our time here. One of the places he took us was a wine/oil shop really close to our school. He introduced us to the owner, Francisco, who was so friendly and told us that if we ever wanted to come back for a wine/oil tasting, he would be happy to host us. So, last night 6 of my friends and I went to Francisco's store and spent 2 1/2 hours there as he served us more food than any of us have ever eaten in one sitting (for only 10 euro per person)! We sampled 4 types of olive oils (my favorite was the one from Granada), 3 types of wine, bread, olive, tomato, and liver pastes, 3 types of cheese, ham, sausage, sardines in lemon olive oil (I actually liked them). It was delicious! We were all so full and couldn't imagine eating more when he brought out 2 plates of dessert that we had to try. There were chocolate and caramel covered almonds, both white and milk chocolate with almonds, a pastry with chocolate in the middle and sugar drizzled on top, and two other pastries. It was a really cool experience to learn about the different specialties of Granada and Spain that we couldn't have gotten from any restaurant. I will definitely go back and visit Francisco and hopefully spend another night learning about Spanish cuisine at his store.

On Thursday night I'm leaving for a 10 day trip to Italy-- Milan, Venice, Florence, and Rome-- I'm so excited! I'm staying with two of my friends (Josh & Marc) in Florence and am excited to see Becky, Lauren, and Dre while I'm in Rome (and celebrate Lauren's 21st with her!). When I get back, my mom is meeting me in Madrid and flying back to Granada with me. It will be wonderful to see her and spend time with her in Granada and then we'll go to Madrid and Toledo the following weekend. I can't wait!

I hope you are all doing well & I love hearing from you :)