Juli Sara Barcelona

Wow. What an amazing trip!

Sara and I arrived in Barcelona Wednesday evening. We were supposed to meet Elizabeth at the metro but it turns out that she went ahead and met up with Louisa early. We eventually found them both and there were hugs all around for about... Hmmm... 10 minutes straight.

We couldn't have asked for a better way to end the adventure of a lifetime. The lack of blogs and stories from Barcelona was purely because we were going non-stop, sight-seeing, catching up, walking, laughing, and enjoying every moment. The four of us had such a wonderful time together and it was great for sara, elizabeth and I to have a "local host" to show us around the city in a different light.

We visited la segrada familia (a famous Gaudi church still under construction), rode the chair lift up Montjuic with amazing views, went to the beach, walked all over the city, went to a disco, and even got tickets to a popular music festival one of the nights. Barcelona is a beautiful city that really has it all. It is so clean, with great transportation, beautiful parks, lots of live music and of course- beaches!

It is so sad that our trip has come to an end. I said to sara yesterday, "I'm sad our advnetures are almost over". But she assured me, "no they aren't, just this one."

We boarded our flight to Geneva and then to Washington DC. Can't wait to see you all soon.

Until next time...

Passing Through the French Riviera

In our travel plans we never really put much weight on the part involving the south of France. We knew we had to get from Venice to Barcelona and figured it might be worth it to stop along the way.

We booked a hostel in Nice, in the heart of the French Riviera. It was an old monastary that was converted into a youth hostel, equipped with dorms up to 12 beds full (the kind we were in), a bar, restaurant, computers, laundry, and gardens. It was located on the very top of a hill, overlooking the old town.

But perhaps more interesting than the place itself was the journey it took to get there. We left Venice Sunday evening by train and stopped in Milan, italy. Our train arrived a bit later than expected so we had to literally sprint (huge back packs and all) from our train to the next. Lucky, we made it, huffing and puffing!

The train then had another stop in Ventimiglia, a town on the italian/french border. It is supposed to be a beautiful place, but seeing as it was 1am at this point, we wouldn't know. What we did know was that we had 3 hours to kill in this very minimalistic station. We walked in and there were french and italian men sprawled out everywhere, on make-shift beds, snoring loudly. We just looked at each other, shrugged, and claimed our corner. It was very cold so we layered up and attempted to make our own "beds" if nothing else to protect us from the freezing concrete floor. We sat in between our bags, guards up, as it was too cold, uncomfortable, and sketchy to even consider sleep. We began to joke about the situation and it eased our nerves a bit.

Then an older woman, traveling alone rounded our corner and decided to "bunk up" with us. Next, 2 coules saw our crew and joined. Then one more solo traveler. We joked about our "wolf pack" that we created and were very proud of our safe crew.

After 3 very long hours we hopped on the train. It arrived in Nice at 5:30am. We took the tram to the stop closest to the hostel and proceded to call the number the provided so that we could be picked up. But no one was answering at that hour.

So we decided to walk...

Remember when I said the hostel was located on the very top of a hill?! It was a 45-60 degree hill!

Well we made it! Had to take some breaks, and had sore hamstrings afterwards, but we made it. Unfortunately reception didn't open until 8am. We waited a while but then noticed that they were setting up breakfast, so we sat inside, snuck some food, and passed the time. We eventually checked in and were so exhausted, so we headed to the beach.

After 4 hours we awoke from a very serious slumber, on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. We were finally relaxed, rested, and functioning and it hit us. We are in the French Riviera! The beaches are stunning. The "sand" is made up of rocks... Not the most comfortable, but doesn't stick to you either. The Mediterranean was as blue as blue could be and there was good looking people lounging and playing everywhere.

We walked around Nice and got to know the town the rest of the day. Hung out at the hostel that night and made some new friends, including one in particular, Max.

Max, our new Argentinian friend, invited us to go to Monaco/monte carlo with him the next day. We accepted and left Nice the next morning. Its only a 30 minute train ride but you'd think you were on some far off island. Because Monaco is a state run on royal money, not the french government's, it is very unique. The place reeks of wealth, with ferraris and yachts everywhere!

We saw the famous Monte Carlo casino (above), ate amazing seafood, and took well deserved naps on the beach after walking several miles. They were cleaning up from the Grand Prix last week so we saw all the bleachers and course signs. It was a truly awesome place to visit for the day, but staying there would burn a hole right through your pocket! It was so fortunate that we were able to just hop on over there for a day. The three of us had a blast!!

The train we planned to take to Barcelona was sold out so we had to catch an earlier one (leaving Nice at 5:56am). We dragged ourselves out of bed at 4am and caught the train to reluctantly leave france. We now know next time that maybe 2 days isn't quite long enough in such a stunningly beautiful region.

But its off to Barcelona now to reunite with more friends! We will be staying with louisa (juli's friend from high school) and meeting Koo (sara's friend from college) when we get there. It'll be the perfect way to end such an amazing trip.

The Real Venice

We rode the train from Florence to Venice on Saturday evening. You get your first real taste of the city as the railway approaches, and travels over nothing but water. The train station has garage doors and openings for boats and trains, but nothing else. As the sun was setting, sara, myself, and a british couple we sat with on the train sat in awe of such a beautiful scene to arrive to.

Venice looks like a painting. As you probably know, there are no streets, but only canal waterways that wind through the labrynth of a city. Motorbikes are replaced with kayaks, cars with boats, and buses with ferries. There are beautiful gondolas with handsome men in striped shirts offering to shuttle you around, just like in the movies. Love is in the air in Venice as it seems to be a popular anniversary or honeymoon spot. It truly is a fairy tale city.

We walked all of Sunday through the city and saw the famous sights and soaked it all in. It was hard to believe that this was the REAL venice! We were fortunate enoiugh to be there on the day that there was an international regatta rowing competition being held. We stood for hours on a bridge, watching the boats go by and cheering along with the rowers and spectators. It was neat to be a part of, but it sure brought in the crowds. Venice was very crowded! Luckily, there are plenty of side streets and alleys that are equally beautiful as the main walkways that we could slip into to avoid all the tour groups.

We unfortunately only had 24 hours in Venice because we had to catch a night train to Nice, france. But it was a perfect taste of such a uniquely beautiful city.

Firenze

Florence was an absoluetly wonderful city. Its a very artsy place, with locals and students armed with sketch books everywhere you turn. The museums are filled with some of the worlds most famous artwork and you can buy that of the locals on every corner. Its a small city, all reachable by foot. And whether its the size or the nature of its residents, its truly a quaint, comfortable town. We were only there for 3 short days (one of which we spent in tuscany as mentioned) but we felt as if we had known it for years.
The streets are small, but have lots of unadvertised hidden gems tucked away. We saw Dantes house (of dantes inferno fame), amazing statues, basillicas, fountains, and piazzas. Its and easy town to wander and get "lost" without ever really losing your way. The small Florentine restaurants and shops (including the best gellato in Italy!) were definitely highlights.

It was a short trip through the region but we said that its such a comfortable, livable place. Definitely one that we'll have to return to one day.

The sites, smells, and flavors of Tuscany

One Friday we decided to ride the trains out of the city of Florence to a few surrounding towns. First stop- Pisa.

Apparently there is some famous tower or something in this small Italian town known as Pisa. We decided to check it out. It is a bit of a walk from the train station but as you round the final corner it almost jumps out at you. When we did, Sara pulls at a map and turns to me and said, "I think we went the wrong way, there's nothing to see here". Our sarcasm is most effective on each other.

We obviously took the famous "holding up the tower" photos. It was quite entertaining to view everyone else posing in the most rediculous fashions as well. I think we took more photos of random people than we did of each other. But not to disappoint, we held up the leaning building for a while and went on our way.

We took another train out to a small town in the Tuscan countryside called Siena. The train ride was beautiful as we passed through such little gems on the way. We rode through Chianti, famous for the wine, and Castellana, for its castels. All the way were rolling green hills with bright splashes of wild flowers.

Siena is an adorable town, located on a cliff with amazing views. There are churches, shops, and lots of nooks and crannies of the city to explore. We sat down for an unbelievable meal including local tuscan wine and Sienese pecornio cheese. It was heaven with each bite! On our way back down the hill, there was a local artist who was using chalk to draw a mural on the sidewalk. It was so impressive we had to take pictures.

It was a long and exhausting day, but was really wonderful to see some of the smaller towns of Italy. During the train ride home we caught a beautiful Tuscan Sunset over the vineyards, and I now fully understand why this region is so famous.

The Perfect Man

Sara and I have noticed a lot about the different cultures as we have traveled. In egypt, the people loved to say "welcome", joke around, and Barack Obama. They also seemed to have a very distinct body type, carrying their weight in a similar manner. In Greece, everyone was fit and in shape. Even the grandfathers at the beach had naturally lean and muscular bodies. And the Italians? Handsome. The exquisite suits, beautiful hair, and the men at every age... Handsome. And upon arriving our first day in Florence we saw the original Italian Stallion... David.



The statue of David does not disappoint. It is truly massive and located in a room all by himself, positioned underneath a dramatic domed ceiling. The marble is pure white and the detail is absolutely amazing. Michelangelo included veins, muscular details and 3-dimensional shadowing all to create the extremely realistic sculpture. You were not allowed to take pictures of the sculpture but my cell phone camera accidentally caught the shot shown above. ;) its a bit blurry but its proof that we were there, with who they refer to as "the perfect man".

When in Rome...

We arrived in Rome Monday afternoon and checked into our hostel, Hotel Alessandro. Its a great place to stay, lots of young backpackers swarming about. There's a bar, big dorms, free breakfast and pizza, and plenty to do. The staff was full of 20-somethings from germany, bangladesh, brazil, japan, you name it. Its so interesting to hear stories and experiences from all over the world.


We signed up for 2 walking tours that were offered by the hostel. The first one, on Tuesday, was of vatican city. Our tour guide, Robert, was Irish but had been living in Italy for 11 years. He was fairly soft spoken and moved with great caution, but his brain was full of endless knowledge. We visited several churches along the way and then reached the infamous Vatican city walls. The courtyard is massive, lined with pillars and fountains. On top of each column, was a statued saint, totaling 140. It is exactly how it appears on television or in the newspaper, and is one of the most powerful squares in the world.



We entered St Peters Basilica grottoes first, which held the tombs of the popes. They were extremely lavish, with full marble portraits, gold, granite, the works. They were all very fancy except for that of the late John Paul II, who had a very simple white stone slab. Although his tomb was the simplest, the crowds of people praying, crying, and kneeling made it the most moving.

From there we went upstairs and entered the church. It is the biggest church in the world, and they make sure everyone knows that. On the floor lie markers indictating the measurements of the world's most famous churches and how they would fit inside St Peters. It seems a bit arrogant, but I suppose it is one of the reasons why millions travel from all over the world to see the famous structure.


The basillica was extremely powerful. The shear beauty and architecture is impressive on its own. However, being there, experiencing so much history, and so much surrounding emotion is truly inexplainable.


We stopped for pizza and gellato afterwards and sat in somewhat of an awe inspired silence. We talked about how amazing it is to feel and think about so much, yet feel so numb at the same time. Visiting all these amazing wonders of the world has been somewhat an out of body experience. We are careful to appreciate every moment and soak it all in, one day at a time.

From there we went to the Vatican museum and the Sistene Chapel. You are not allowed to take pictures inside but I managed to sneak a few seen below. No words can describe the chapel and its brilliant frescos that cover every inch. Some of the worlds most famous artwork is in that one room, and it takes a while to scan it all. You are requested to be silent and we just stood, heads back, staring and slowly spinning, taking it all in.


The second tour we did as the "ancient tour" which took place on wednesday. It included the Colloseum, Forum, Pantheon, and much more. It was so interesting to see how modern Rome is built on top of ancient Rome. The roads cover what once used to be amazing shops and markets, made entirely of marble. Excovations are around every corner and even the store Bennetton is held up by ancient columns. Its amazing to imagine how in the first century, the Romans were so advanced compared to most civilations. Because the United States is such a young country, it is a difficult concept to grasp.



Wednesday night we followed the "when in Rome" mantra and went to the opera with our new friend, tyler. Madama butterfly was showing and we were lucky enough to get tickets. The woman at the ticket booth assured us that they were horrible seats, but we told her it didn't matter as long as we could hear and experience it. We brought binocculars (thanks joan!) But to our surprise were very pleased with our seats. I suppose the Italian Opera has quite a high stndard, and we were just very happy to be there. The performance was amazing, a tragic love story with unbelievable music and singing. The entire show was in Italian- with no translation- but through music and body language, it was easy for us to follow along. We truly enjoyed the performance and again, are so lucky to have these experiences.



Rome is full of amazing history around every corner. And to no ones surprise, the food and wine is amazing (although a bit overpriced) as well. Its a very busy city, with so many people and so much to do. We could easily have spent more time there but said goodbye Thursday morning so we could catch an early train and are on our way to Florence.