Bittersweet.

This past weekend we went to Córdoba and Granada with our ISA program, which turned out to be one of the most fun trips we've taken. Once again I was blown away by the cities of Spain, and I'm not sure why it keeps surprising me that everything here is absolutely amazing. Maybe I'll get used to it...someday ;)

We left Sevilla early Friday morning, just in time to escape the first rain they've gotten in about 6 months. We took a bus to Córdoba where we stopped to visit la mesquita--which is an absolutely huge mosque/cathedral in the center of the city. I feel like my jaw was on the floor the entire time as we walked through. Every single thing in there was made with so much care and detail, not to mention it was an architectural mixture of so many different types of people. The coolest part about la mesquita was that it has over 800 columns holding it up, all made out of different materials and with slightly different designs.

La mesquita was huge and (get ready for the overused word again) BEAUTIFUL and I loved every second of it. We toured some more chapels of the city after la mesquita, and it started to rain for the first time in SEVEN months. Even though we all ended up looking like wet dogs, the tour was so fun and so worth the ruined hairdo because the city was...ummmm...(insert synonym for beautiful here). There were flowers everywhere--in the alleys, on the sides of apartments, everywhere. I'm not a flower person, but all those colors and sights sure do put you in a good mood. After the tour, we had some free time so we went and had some of the best sangria we've had yet..and some calamari. Yum.

After we were finished, we hopped on the bus and headed to Granada. We went out at night with the entire group and walked up to the Albaycin quarter, which gives you the best view of Granada. The whole city is made up of mountains and hills so the walk was a little strenuous, but the view was so worth it. My camera didn't do so well, so this is the best picture I could get.

After that, we went to "Los Tarantos," a small but charming little place for a flamenco show. Ann and I had just gone to an AMAZING show the Tuesday before, so even though the dancers at Los Tarantos were great, they didn't quite compare to a professional show. It was still very cool to see them in a more intimate setting. And it is just plain crazy how fast those people can move their feet. Here I go sounding like a giant nerd again, but it is so cool to see now that Ann and I know a lot about flamenco from our class. We felt like experts! I didn't get a picture of the actual dancers (I was too busy watching) but here is a picture of the sweet little venue.



Friday night, thanks to the recommendation of a friend, we went and ate at Kebab King, a tiny little restaurant that has some of the best food I've tasted since I've been here. We went back to the hotel and hung out with our crazy amigas, and, if it wasn't for the kebabs, I think I'd have flat abs from all the laughing we did.

Saturday morning was our visit to the Alhambra, an old castle of the Arabs. Thankfully for you all, my headset was broken during the tour so I couldn't hear the guide, nor can I bore you with a million facts you don't care to know. But the buildings and the gardens and the fountains were all gorgeous. And I loved every single minute of the tour.

After that, we had free time all day, so we made another visit to Kebab King (I think the people there knew us by name by the end of the weekend) and then spent the afternoon shopping. I got some great black and white flamenco portraits and I can't wait to get them home and decorate with them! I also found a couple of souvenirs for my family--finally starting to buy things for someone besides me!! We managed to find a tiny little grocery store and 1 euro bottles of wine, so we ended up going back for a second bottle later on. It was pretty terrible, but I think I'd drink just about anything for one euro. We went out Saturday night to celebrate St. Paddy's day (Just learned that it's correct to spell that with a 'd' by the way). First, we went to an Irish pub but it was pretty dead so we decided to find a discoteca. Lucky for us, we stumbled upon some Spaniards in the street and asked them where the disco was. They were going too so we walked together and discovered the longest line I've ever seen...we were feeling very discouraged until our new Spanish amigos went to the front of the line to talk to the bouncer and, just like in the movies, the bouncer lifted the velvet rope and nodded us through, no cover charge, no waiting. It was amazing.

The club was unlike any I've seen before. It was an old theatre that had been converted into a disco so there were three floors of bars and dancing, but it was so wide open that you could see everyone. People were shoulder to shoulder, music was crazy, and the atmosphere was out of this world. We ended up back at the hotel at 6am, we were in bed at 6:30, and had to wake up at 9 for breakfast. I'm sure you can figure out that Sunday was NO FUN AT ALL. We all felt like hell, so we skipped the tour, sat at the hotel, and waited for the bus to take us home. Sunday evening was spent on my bed watching movies and it didn't bother me one bit.

I thought things couldn't get much better until I woke up Monday morning and got an email from Ryan telling me my sister's water had broken. I was on eggshells all day; I think I checked my email about 1,000 times. Finally, while I was in class, Ryan called me on Skype and I got to meet Luke Ryan Bos about ten minutes after he was born. He was 6lbs, 10oz, and 20 inches of perfection. He has the sweetest face and the most precious dimple on his chin. It's hard to explain just how I felt yesterday, so ecstatic that everything had gone so smoothly (even though my nephew made his debut a month early) and so heartbroken that I couldn't be there to give him a kiss or congratulate my sister and brother in law. It was the most bittersweet day of my life.

I have Skyped with them a few times already and have fallen deeper in love with Luke's sweet face. He is such a peanut! I am proud to say that Lexi Lou is the best big sister, and so happy that my sister is doing well. So even though I can't say it in person, Congratulations Audra, Ryan, and Lexi. Luke Ryan is the luckiest baby in the world to have you for a family! I love you!!

Not much more to say, except auntie has to go shopping and buy her new nephew some clothes!!

Here is the full album from my trip this week:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2823280341719.2121158.1250280194&type=1&l=c8bafde239

And here is the link to Ann's pictures so I'm actually in some of them!!
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2822141313244.2121130.1250280227&type=1&l=efffdf9db2..

Until next time,
Nat

Great Scot!

This past weekend was one of the best we've had yet. We finally got to see some familiar faces and experience yet another amazing country!

We left our house right after class on Wednesday night to get to the train station. We took the fast train to Madrid which takes about two and half hours and then headed straight to the airport. We got to the airport at about 12:30 in the morning. Unfortunately, our flight didn't take off until 6am. Since it was too late to check in and get through security, we were forced to sit on the floor of the airport all night. We froze our you-know-whats off and that turned out to be one of the longest nights of my life.

We arrived in Scotland late Thursday morning to meet aunt Georgia and Tyler at the hotel. I can't even describe how good it felt to see family again! We were exhausted from the night before, but couldn't pass up the chance to drink a margarita (ahhhhhhhh!) and have some American food..even though we were in Scotland ;) And let me tell you, that margarita was heavenly! We did a little shopping in the afternoon and then aunt Georgia and I went to hang out at yet another American bar for the night....It was great to catch up with what's been going on back home...and also great to down just a few more margaritas!! Our waitress was from New Zealand and of course aunt Georgia made friends with her and ended up extending her an invitation to her house when she comes to America. Always something interesting with my auntie!!

We spent the next day on the city sightseeing buses. We went to Edinburgh castle which was just plain awesome. We got some great views of the city from the castle and were nearly knocked down by the insane wind. That would explain my hair in the next picture!

My favorite part of the castle visit was seeing the old prisoners' barracks from the war. I am starting to become a huge nerd on these tours, but it's so cool seeing how people lived hundreds of years ago.

Okay, yeah. I'm definitely a nerd...

We spent the afternoon Friday at a great little place called Deacon Brodie's Tavern, where I was reunited with white zinfandel! I had forgotten how much I like cheap wine after drinking only sangria for the past month and a half!! Ann and I drank a few.....bottles, which made for an early night Friday, but it was SO worth it!

Saturday involved some more touristy stuff, some more delicious food, and, my favorite part, a ghost tour of the underground city. Excuse my inability to remember details, but basically a lot of years ago the Scottish people built this huge bridge to connect the rich and poor ends of the city. Inside of the bridge and underground they built huge rooms that ended up being the home to thousands of refugees from a fire that destroyed the city. The caves had barely any oxygen and obviously no plumbing or anything, so the life expentancy of all the people living there was 3 to 9 months. It was absolutely crazy to think that people ever lived there. It was pitch black, cold, and miserable. Such a sad story.

Woah, I just sounded like an even bigger nerd.

Anyway, our tour guide was great and the dark, scary caves were my favorite part of the trip.

Saturday night I got to skype with most of my Lipski family because they were all together for my fabulous grandma's 90th birthday party. I was so excited to see everyone and the second I saw them I couldn't help but burst into tears. Even though it was great to see all of their faces, it made me more homesick than I could have imagined. Definitely a bittersweet moment but I was so glad that I got to see my beautiful grammy on her 90th birthday!!

We left for the airport at 4am on Sunday. Our first plane was delayed for an hour. We flew from Scotland to France where we had a 6 hour layover, and let me tell you, the French are rude. And boring. There was nothing to do in that airport except study for midterms! Yuck. We finally made it to Madrid, but had to wait another couple of hours to catch the train back to Sevilla. We made it home at 12:30 in the morning, and after 21 hours of traveling, our beds never looked so good. What a buzzkill to end the vacation!!

Overall though, it was such a great weekend. We were spoiled with lots of treats and fun stuff from aunt Georgia (and by treats I mean 15 pounds of chocolate....NO. That is NOT an exaggeration). And we just had a blast. The people there were so nice, too, which was a welcome change compared to Europeans. While we were shopping, I was looking at a purse and told aunt Georgia "At least this purse doesn't make my butt look big" when the security guard smiled and told me "Your butt looks great in that purse!" I was so close to buying it just for that reason!!

As for this week, it's back to the grind. We have midterms, which means I'll actually have to start thinking about school again. Bummer. And then, it's another trip this weekend. I guess life ain't all bad ;)

On a different note, I'd like to wish a very happy birthday (tomorrow) to the best dad a girl could ask for. Love you dad!!

Scotland pictures:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2790916012631.2120356.1250280194&type=1&l=aef4cc3a22

And here is the link to Ann's pictures, too:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2791059176210.2120364.1250280227&type=3&l=53f20db93b

Have a great week. And for anyone who's counting down, I'll be home exactly two months from today =]

-Nat

Outrageous.

So I am happy to report that I can finally call myself a world traveler! This weekend we went to Milan, Italy with our friends Brittani and Ashley. We had such an amazing time and had so many adventures...I think it's probably best if I just give you the play-by-play...

We left Friday morning on an early flight with only two plans: 1) our hotel- we found a deal online so we booked it without really knowing where it was in reference to the airport or the city. 2) to leave Milan on a 6:25 flight Sunday morning. For anyone who knows me, you should know that this type of trip is absolutely NOT me. I plan EVERYTHING. So I was a little nervous, but excited to finally be in a different country. When we landed, we bought bus tickets into the city and hopped on. When we got into the center of Milan, our first decision was to finally try some authentic Italian pizza (true priorities!) We sat down at a restaurant and enjoyed some deeeeelicious pizza. We were unpleasantly surprised when we got the bill to see that we had paid 5 euro a piece for CocaCola and a surprise 12 euro "service fee". We were a little irritated when our waiter asked us to tip him even after he made a service fee, but we were kind of clueless as to what we were supposed to do so we tipped him anyway. Downfalls of being a tourist, I guess.

Afterward we made it our mission to find our hotel and check in. That was much easier said than done. We wanted to use google maps but wifi is virtually nonexistent in Milan. We tried two different McDonald's and still couldn't pick up a signal. We couldn't justify paying to use an internet cafe (clearly the Italians are still stuck in the 90s with that one) so we went to a little tourist stand to buy a map and ended up getting help from a very kind Italian who spoke great English. It turns out our hotel was quite a hike from the middle of the city (no wonder it was so cheap!) so we had to buy a Milanopass, which gave us unlimited use of the subways and buses for the weekend. I should probably point out that using a subway and a public bus system for the first time in your life in a foreign country is NOT the easiest way to learn. So eventually, after much walking, trying to understand Italian, and reading our map we FINALLY made it to the hotel.

So I guess it would be fair to say that day one was not all we had hoped. We felt a little discouraged about the whole situation so instead of going all the way back into the city, we decided to have "dinner" by going to a local grocery store, buying whatever sounded good, and sitting at a park bench to eat. It actually ended up being kind of fun (and cheaper than the 5 dollar Cokes at the first restaurant). And let's be honest, you just can't go wrong with Cheese and Crackers for dinner.

Saturday we got up early for a full day of exploring. We ate a delicious breakfast at the hotel and then headed out to catch the bus. Lucky for us, there was a giant flea market on our way and we ended up walking through about a million tents of everything you can imagine for incredibly low prices. And let me tell you, this flea market was like a grown woman's Chuck E Cheese. Purses, shoes, sunglasses. The good stuff. I ended up with some scarves and sunglasses and a giant grin on my face. Day two had already become a success and that was only about 8:30am.

Thanks to Ashley (and Ann) navigating, we quickly became experts at using the metro and used it to travel all around Milan, looking at castles, churches, and cathedrals. I still cannot get over how beautiful everything in Europe really is. It was like every time we walked into a new place my jaw just hit the floor. My favorite was the Cathedral--it was gigantic; tall ceilings, amazing stained glass windows....Breathtaking. I tried to take pictures of the inside but they just didn't do it justice. The ones of the outside were okay though =]

After a long afternoon of sightseeing, we decided to grab some lunch (pizza again) and do some shopping. We couldn't afford a vast majority of the stores we went into, but it was nice to see what all the "fashion capital" fuss was about. We got a few things at the poor people stores and headed back to the hotel.

When we got hungry at night, we decided to have one last Italian pizza (you could say that we were a little obsessed). But, as it turns out, Italians don't quite have the same schedule as Spaniards, so when we went out at 9:30 for dinner there weren't a whole lot of places open. We hopped on the bus and stopped at the first sign that said Pizzeria. It turned out to be a Chinese restaurant that had pizza on the menu, too. I'm not sure if I can call it 'authentic' Italian pizzza that we ate, but whatever it was it was pretty darn good. Not to mention Brittani and Ashley got a chance to practice their Chinese with the waitress. Brittani said she was a little rusty, so while trying to order she was switching from Chinese to Spanish to English...which was just plain funny because the waitress only spoke Chinese and Italian. So even though our order of WonTons got lost in translation, it ended up being a pretty fun dinner.  

After a short and sweet weekend, I have concluded these things about Milan:

The people aren't as fashion-forward as everyone claims them to be.

When you don't speak Italian, everything is an adventure.

When the advertisement for the hotel says it's only 15 minutes away from the airport, you should check and make sure it's the airport that you're flying into.

Sometimes not having a plan is the best plan of all.

And most importantly:

Milan is dangerous on the pocketbook. And on the waistline.

Here are my pictures:



http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2754983474340.2119468.1250280194&type=1&l=f50bf25319

 

Heading to Scotland on Wednesday to keep this whole traveling thing going.

Life is good =]

 

-Nat