Say Cheese! (Happy Friday!)

Yeah I know it's Saturday. Wifi in Munich sucks.

I love taking pictures. Not a shock to most people, right? Being abroad is giving me the perfect excuse to whip out my camera for every and any little thing. However, sometimes the picture doesn't turn out the way you wanted. For today's Friday post, here are some candid/funny pictures that hadn't made the final cut... until now:

On the coolest moving walkway at O'Hare in Chicago

Irish Pub for lunch

No shame.

Gotta love reflective aves B)

Selfie with the inner duomo wall in Florence

Hardcore cheesing

Look! I'm the only one at the Louvre

Mirror pics in Versailles

Bamboo in Barcelona!

Silly face in the Sagrada Familia

Hope these gave you a good laugh! Have a great day! :)

Spring Break Part 2: Barcelona

I decided to go to Barcelona for the second part of my spring break so I could practice my fluent Spanish. Hah, that's a total joke. I took Spanish once in the second grade and remember singing a song about chocolate with my classmates in the talent show... Ask me about it, I love to tell that story. Anyway, it's not like Spanish would help, in Barcelona, the language is Catalan. I actually ended up speaking to more people in French in this city.
Barcelona was so fun and a perfect way to end my spring break. Although the weather could have been a bit nicer, there were girls from my program, beautiful sights, and the beach. What is spring break without a beach? Here's my breakdown of each day.

Landing in Barcelona!

Thursday:
Our plane got in late, so we went straight to our hostel and went to bed. First time rocking the top bunk and I'm proud to say I did not fall off. The craziest part about Thursday was that earlier that day I had been in Paris and now I was in Spain!

Friday:
A whole group of girls from my Arcadia program in Rome were staying in the same hostel in Barcelona. We got an early start and wandered around our neighborhood. Our hostel was in a really great location. Just a few minutes away was the Arc de Triomf so we snapped a few pictures and strolled through a nearby park. On the way back, we did a little shopping but quickly realized most of the stores were wholesale only. Why anyone would want to by fifteen pairs of jean overalls is beyond me, but anyway...

1 week, 2 Triumphant Arches...

After dealing with a little mishap checking into the hostel as a group, we split up with plans to meet for tapas in the evening. One girl, Katie, and I made plans to go to the Picasso museum. On the way there and back we saw the Palau de la Música Catalana and the Santa Maria del Mar. Both were archeologically beautiful but it was interesting because they were packed next to their neighboring buildings down small alleyways. Whereas the monuments and important buildings in Rome and Paris are spacious and out in the open, in Barcelona this felt like a hidden surprise.

Palace of Catalan Music

Saint Mary by the Sea

The Picasso museum was very interesting and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. The museum consisted of his early works when he lived in Barcelona. Towards the end were more paintings in the style one might think of as "Picasso." The sheer amount of works, especially considering it was his earlier stuff, was mind blowing. I would love to do nothing but paint all day.

A Picasso Original

Katie and I went back to the park we had strolled through earlier that morning with our other friends. Although it was raining, we wanted to explore. The Parc de la Ciutadella was quite interesting. There was a mix of a lot of different things which I'm not sure the significance of. My favorite thing was probably the giant mammoth statue next to the jungle style plants. Again- interesting.

So much rain!

Pretty!

I felt like I was in the rain forest.

Cool big fountain thing

Never pass up a "Singing in the Rain" moment

Mammoth...?

The tapas we had that night were delicious, but the "potatas bravas" had to be my favorite. It's no surprise as well that the sangria is the best in Spain. That night, our group hit up the Barcelona night life. It did not disappoint.

Saturday:
Saturday we did the Spanish start and woke up at 1pm. It was nice for once to just be able to sleep and not have to worry about rushing around. Katie and I decided to do a Hop-On, Hop-Off bus tour. At first, I felt so incredibly ashamed. This is the epitome of tacky tourist attractions. I'm sure the locals hate seeing this big, bumbling bus meander through their neighborhood all day while people hang off the side holding up their iPads to snap pictures of every little thing. Have I mentioned I can't stand people who take actual pictures with their iPads? If you are one of these people, I regret to inform you that we can no longer be friends.
However, considering all the places we were able to see, plus a helpful recording that gave information along the way, and my embarrassing lack of knowledge about Barcelona, I warmed up to the bus. Highlights included the Sagrada Familia (more on that later), Park Güell, Monestir de Pedralbes (a peaceful monastery with a beautiful view), Palau Reial-Pavellons Güell (the palace and gardens of the Spanish royal family), the Barcelona football stadium (on a game day!), the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (or the MNAC- we just went for the view), the Anella Olímpica (sight of the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona), and some cool places along the coast. 

The Sagrada Familia, still under construction!

Cool mosaic

View from the top of Park Güell

Peaceful monastery

The Spanish Royal Family's Palace

NBD going into my palace, guys...

Go Barca!

Beautiful view from the top of the MNAC building

Olympic Park

The Olympics were held here during the year of my birth!

Looking out onto the field

Christopher Columbus Monument

Pretty sunset on the coast

Saturday night, we had some great tapas again and I experienced Barcelona nightlife part two. I've got some great anecdotes, but in order to keep this post (somewhat) short, I'll save them for a face-to-face telling. They're better that way.

Sunday:
Finally, the weather was absolutely incredible (on the last day, of course). Katie and I met up with my roommate Marree and together we went back to the Sagrada Familia to go inside. This church had been the one monument I knew to go to before I arrived in Barcelona and I'm so glad I was able to see it. The artist and architect, Antoni Gaudí, began construction on this building in 1883 and it has been under construction since. The inside was just as incredible as the outside as Gaudí took the Gothic style to the extreme. 

Stunning.

Incredible.

So cool.

Finished vs. Unfinished.

After the church, we went to the Magic Fountain at the bottom the the MNAC building, which Katie and I had seen the day before. The fountain wasn't "magical" or even on for that matter, but the weather was so beautiful that it didn't matter. With little time left, the three of us found a famous chocolate shop and got some churros and hot chocolate. Best decision all weekend.

In front of the "Magic Fountain"

So yummy!

With that, we headed back to Rome. After my third and final Ryanair travel experience (I'm a lucky duck, they were all successful), we were back in the eternal city. Our whole group of girls talked about how comforting it was to see Italian again and sang a parody song called "Sweet Home Garbatella." It had been a long day. 

If anything was going to try to come close to topping last year's spring break, Paris and Barcelona were the places to go. I'm so lucky and thankful for all the opportunities I've had while abroad and the places I've been able to experience.

Spring Break Part 1: Paris, je t'aime.

Paris!!! I literally cannot think of anything more creative to express my excitement other than three exclamation points after the city name. Paris was just so incredible. I could talk about it for hours on end but when I try to string the words together, I'm speechless. I loved Paris. Going into studying abroad, this was the #1 place I wanted to travel to, and I'm so happy I was able to go.

Day 1:
My two friends and I all took a very early flight together. We had to leave our apartments at 3am and eventually arrived in Paris around 10am. My friend's friend (who she was staying with) picked us up and took us to a cafe for some French pastries. (Croissants! So yummy!) After my friends were settled, the girl who lived in Paris gave me directions to my hostel. I navigated the metro system, dropped my stuff off, and went to meet up with my own friend.

Rome at the left; Paris on the right

Side note: Funny thing about the metro in Paris. When I say I "navigated" the metro system, I'm not joking. The Paris metro was intense. There are 14 lines and that's not even counting the RER trains they have too. I mean, after a few times you get the hang of it and it's not that bad. However, at first glance, especially coming from the 2 line Rome metro,  it's a little intimidating.

My friend, Scott, and his friend, Kelsey, were able to meet me at my hostel and off we went! My first day in Paris! The first thing we did was get food, which I was completely okay with. We got the most delicious crepes and enjoyed them in front of the Notre Dame. In a day that had started out so crazy it was nice to take a beat and be able to catch up with people you know. Behind the Notre Dame is the Love Locks Bridge, so we checked that out as well.

The next thing my tour guides took me to was the Saint Chapelle. I would have never known to come here so I'm so glad they showed me. The Saint Chapelle is this small little chapel with the most incredible stained glass windows. We went with perfect weather too as the sun shone directly through the windows giving the room an ethereal glow. My pictures don't do the sight justice.

Saint Chapelle

Beautiful.

The next thing we saw was the Arc di Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées. I made sure to ask about Laduree, the famous macaroon shop (Thanks for the tip Kristin!). We got some treats and parted ways before meeting up for dinner later.

Oh hey, I've met you before! (in front of the Arc di Triomphe)

That night was a lot of fun. From our French waiters asking us to move tables to ridiculous giggle fits on the metro, I was so happy I was able to spend my first day in Paris with someone I knew. Again, it really is such a pleasure to be reminded of home in a foreign place.

Day 2:
The next two days, my friend from Rome, Erin, and I, did some major sight-seeing. Both days started with the Eiffel Tower, from two different vantage points. I was literally obsessed with the Eiffel Tower. Over the course of about 4 days in Paris, 2 of which I clearly saw the Eiffel Tower, I took 79 pictures of it. Obsessed, and not even ashamed. This day's view was right at ground level of the tower, like the picture at the top of the page.

Erin & I in front of the Tour Eiffel

Erin and I went from the Eiffel Tower to the Champs-Élysées. We went inside the Louis Vuitton building, got Starbucks, saw the Arc di Triomphe, and went to Laduree (again). After that, we went to the Basilica de Sacré Cœur, relaxed in the grassy hill, explored the Montmartre area, and stumbled upon the Moulin Rouge. That night we met up with our friends from Rome to celebrate my roommate's birthday.

The Louis Vuitton building

Laduree

Munching on a macaroon

The Basilica with my crepe

Pretty artwork in Montmartre

Moulin Rouge

Some fun tidbits from Day 2:

• I was so excited to see a Starbucks. Finally I was somewhere you can take your coffee to go. However, Erin and I ended up sitting in the Starbucks the entire time. We also ended up talking with two guys from Milan of all places. Score 1 for Italy.
• When Erin and I climbed to the top of the hill to see the Basilica, there was an amazing street performer doing these incredible tricks with a soccer ball. He was spinning it all over the place while we climbed the light pole and was able to hold himself up and kick the ball at the same time. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen.
• Throughout our time sightseeing through Paris, Erin and I took the metro quite a few times. While I was able to pick up my French again pretty quickly, Erin doesn't know a lick of the language. Rather than be those stereotypical American girls in Paris, we decided to speak to each other in Italian on the metro. We figured, if people aren't going to understand us anyway, Italian sounds cooler than English.

Day 3:
I agreed to meet up with Erin a bit later in the day so I had the morning to myself. First things first: the most incredible view of the Eiffel Tower. I don't think I have the words to describe how incredibly blown away I was by this magnificent sight. This is even before seeing it at night (coming soon...)

Incroyable

From there, I just wandered on to where I would be meeting Erin. First I found myself a street away from the Champs-Élysées, on a very ritzy fashion street including incredible window displays from Coco Chanel. I continued walking and came across the Place de la Concorde which had beautiful fountains and an Egyptian obelisk.

Classy and Fabulous

The Egyptian obelisk

Beautiful fountain

It was close to the time I needed to meet Erin. We found each other, grabbed a quick lunch (crepes of course), and headed to the Louvre. The museum is absolutely massive, but Erin and I knew the key things we wanted to see. We took some cute pictures outside, then saw some Greek, Egyptian, and Roman (represent!) artifacts, the Venus de Milo, and the Mona Lisa. Side note: It was almost as interesting to see the people pushing to get a picture of the Mona Lisa than just enjoying the sight of this famous painting. Almost. After the museum, we went to the Tuileries garden. Although the weather was sub-par, it was nice to sit and relax for a second.

This is only a portion of the museum

The Venus

Me & my girl Mona

Sperry's in France

As we tried to meet up with our friends from last night, we found a great falafal shop, saw the Love Locks Bridge (where I was unsuccessful in finding my friend's lock... sorry!), did a little souvenir shopping, went inside the Notre Dame, and I had the best crepe of my life. If heaven has a taste, it would be that of a banana and Nutella crepe. So. Good.

Found this at the Love Locks Bridge!

"God help the outcasts..."

Notre Dame

ALL THAT IS RIGHT IN THE WORLD

Unfortunately, Erin and I couldn't meet up with our other friends, so we went to see the Eiffel Tower at night by ourselves. I took Erin to the spot I had been at that morning. I was speechless. First you're struck by the beauty of this momentous structure lighting up the night sky. Then, on the hour for five minutes, all of my girly fantasies came true. The Eiffel Tower sparkles. The crowd gave a collective gasp and I was in awe. A little French girl next to me tapped her mother's shoulder and summed up what I was thinking. "C'est très joli!" Sure, translated to English that only means, "It's very pretty!" but a little French girl said it so it's 100 times better. I was entranced. Nothing could top that so after a few more longing glances, Erin and I parted ways with plans to meet up early the next morning.


Day 4:
Erin and I dedicated our last day in Paris to go to Versailles. We arrived early, knowing we'd have to get back in the early afternoon to get ready for our flight to Barcelona that night. Our timing worked out perfectly. We wandered through dozens of intricate and ornate rooms in the palace, notably the Hall of Mirrors and Marie Antoinette's bedroom. Afterwards, we wandered around the massive grounds on a path to the King and Marie Antoinette's summer homes. Though they had nothing on the palace, the Grand Trianon and the Petit Trianon were still incredibly lavish and beautiful as well. I've always been quite interested with Marie Antoinette so it was very fascinating to walk where she had walked and see how she lived. It's mind-blowing to think just how luxurious everything was considering France was living in a time of poverty. Versailles was a spectacular place and I would love to go back again (hopefully when the weather is a bit nicer).

The outside gates of the palace

The Hall of Mirrors

Marie Antoinette's bedroom

The "backyard" of the palace

Acting like a princess in the Petit Trianon

The Grand Trianon

After returning from Versailles, Erin and I got our bags and headed to the airport. Onto Barcelona for part two of spring break!

Some more tidbits about Paris:

• After downloading a French/English dictionary app, I was surprised by how much of my French came back. I guess three years with Madame Lukowski wasn't a waste after all! Several Parisians told me my French was pretty good! Success :)
• As proud as I was of my French, I was just as proud (if not more so) of my Italian. Erin and I had very simple, random, yet fun conversations together. When you're not around people who know the language you're speaking, you feel a lot more confident. It was a good learning experience!
• Over the course of four days, I had Starbucks three times (again, Italy just doesn't do the "coffee to-go" thing) and crepes four times. No shame.

It might have been "Au revoir" to Paris, but by definition of the word, it means, "until we meet again." Paris, I can promise you, we will meet again.