Jaén

One of my goals while I am here in Spain is to visit all eight provinces of Andalusia.  So far I have hit: Seville, Málaga, Córdoba, Cádiz, Granada, and now, Jaén.  I traveled with a group of friends to Jaen during Semana Santa (“holy week”) to camp in the Sierra Cazorla, a set of mountains in the northeast of Andalusia.  There were fourteen of us traveling with a program called Outdoor Andalusia which is run by my friend Christian.  Outdoor Andalusia plans weekend trips for study abroad students who want to see the natural beauty of southern Spain through outdoor activities like hiking.  Our trip to Jaen included, canyoning, hiking, zip-lining, rappelling, and a night of camping.  Needless to say, I was very excited to be spending time outside doing some things that I love.

We left rainy Seville early Saturday morning for the sunny campgrounds of Cazorla.  The weather forecast looked promising in Jaen and we were happy to be escaping the rain!  After a two hour bus ride, we were at the campgrounds ready to set up the tents and hungry for some lunch.  The boys on the trip had picked up some meat and bread for bocadillos (“sandwiches”) to keep us full until dinnertime.  The sandwiches were HUGE!

We spent the afternoon canyoning down the Guadalquivir, the river that starts in Jaen and runs through Seville.  Canyoning is something I had never tried before but it was a blast.  We were with two professionals who guided us down the river by way of waterfalls and cliff jumps.  It was a lot of fun but not something I would do without a guide.

After canyoning we were very tired and headed back to the campgrounds to have some dinner.  It was Celeste’s birthday at midnight, so we surprised her with a cake and s’mores!

We woke up early Sunday morning to meet with the same tour guides for a hike through the mountains.  It was a beautiful day and I was so happy to be spending time outside of the city in the mountains.  We hiked up to a peak where we zip-lined across a canyon.

Later on, we hiked down to another peak to rappel.  The rappel was incredible because the views were fantastic.

Fresh water from the start of the Guadalquivir River!

We spent the rest of the afternoon hiking down the mountain back to the center of Cazorla.  By the end of the day we were all exhausted and excited to sleep during the car ride.  Jaen is an enjoyable part of Andalusia with a lot of natural beauty.  I am so lucky to have visited it.

Madrid

Almudena Cathedral, Madrid

Madrid has been a must on my list to places to visit since I’ve been here.  I mean, how can I live in Spain for 5 months and not visit the capital?  My two friends, Maddy and Leah, traveled with me to Madrid back in March and we had a blast.

We left Thursday afternoon after classes for the bus ride to Madrid so that we could have all of Friday to tour the city.  I downloaded a few episodes of my favorite show, Pretty Little Liars, to keep me busy during the ride.  I drew the short straw and sat in a different aisle from Maddy and Leah, which I thought was going to make the trip a lot longer but as it turns out, sitting away from them actually gave me an opportunity to practice my Spanish.  The man who sat next to me was very friendly and kind to me.  Together we ended up holding a conversation for the entire trip (6 hours!!) and I was able to understand all of it!  We talked about everything from his two kids who are my age to what I study back at Providence.  I was amazed with myself that I could understand the accent from someone I was not familiar with.  Although I had planned on sleeping and relaxing during the trip, it was really nice to spend time practicing my Spanish with a native.

El Prado, Madrid

When we arrived in Madrid, we checked into our hostel and found a restaurant close by to eat dinner.  It was already late and we didn’t want to be tired in the morning so we decided to get to sleep early.  On Friday morning, we had breakfast and then walked to the Prado, one of the most famous museums in Madrid.  The museum was free for students (woohoo!) and we only had to pay a small amount for an audio tour.  We spent almost all afternoon inside the museum, following a guide that highlighted the most famous works.  We saw some incredible Renaissance artwork including Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez, La Maja Desnuda by Francisco de Goya, and The Three Graces by Peter Paul Rubens.  I have learned about a lot of artwork between my classes back at Providence and the art history class I am taking here in Seville and it was absolutely incredible to see so many familiar “obras” (works) at the Prado.

After finishing up at the museum, we went to a smoothie shop to meet up with one of Maddy’s friends from high school, Dona, who is studying in Madrid.  Dona spent the fall semester studying in Seville with CIEE so we enjoyed sharing our stories with her and hearing about her experiences as well.  We couldn’t believe that it was dark when we left the restaurant.  The days just fly by here in Spain!  We decided to buy tickets for the Madrid bus tour because most of the other tourist attractions were closed for the day and we thought it would be a great way to see the city at night.  Needless to say, the sights were beautiful.  There’s something about city lights that leaves a person speechless.

Friday night Dona took us to Kapital, a seven-floor discoteca filled with music and strobe lights.  It was nothing like I have ever seen before, and we had a great time together.  Unfortunately, staying out late made our Saturday morning a little slow, but we were determined to fit everything in.

Some entertainment outside of Reina Sofia

The second most famous art museum in Madrid is the Reina Sofia, filled with modern art including famous artists like Picasso and Miró.  We limited our time in the museum because our to-do list was still pretty long and were only able to see the featured exhibition and Picasso’s Guernica.  However, the exhibition was very moving and the artist was able to relay his messages with great power in all of his pieces.

After the museum, we stopped for lunch at a small restaurant called “El Brillante”, famous for their “Bocadillo de Calamares” (Calamari Sandwich).  I definitely would recommend the special to anyone who likes seafood, and I think Leah would agree with me.  It was delicious!

Since Madrid is the capital of Spain, “el palacio royal” (The Royal Palace) is one of the city’s most visited sites.  If the façade and front plaza are not impressive enough, the inside is sure to please all.  The decoration is mainly rococo in style, a more graceful-but still intricate-form of Baroque art.  Many of the walls are marked with royal monograms and hold famous portraits of past royalty painted by Velazquez and Goya.  

The ceilings were the most impressive of all because each room sported a different mural, most of them filled with angels and saints.  Out of all the sites we visited in Madrid, the Royal Palace was definitely my favorite.

After the palace tour, we met up again with Dona to spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing in Parque del Retiro.  The weather was unbeatable which made for a great afternoon to soak up some sun and escape from the city craziness.

Our bus left early Sunday afternoon which gave us just enough time to pack our bags and visit Plaza Nueva, the last site on our list, where we ate churros con chocolate for breakfast.  All in all, I would say we had a successful weekend, filled with some very impressionable site-seeing and a lot of laughs between the three of us.  I am definitely glad to have visited Madrid and very lucky to have traveled with some great girls.

Dublin for Saint Patty's Day!

I had the privilege of spending Saint Patrick’s Day in Dublin with Lea and Emily, my two roommates from first semester.  They are both studying in Ireland and I can’t think of a better weekend I could have visited them.  Lea was my tour-guide for the weekend since she is studying in Dublin and Emily and her boyfriend came down from Limerick on Saturday for the celebrations.  I stayed with Lea in her apartment downtown which was a great location because we were close to everything.

When I arrived in Dublin on Thursday afternoon, Lea was still in class.  We agreed to meet up at a coffee shop close to her campus when she finished.  I took a bus from the airport to Trinity College, where Lea is studying this semester.  Within five minutes of getting off the bus in the center of Dublin, I ran into three girls from Providence College.  PC’s spring break fell during Saint Patty’s Day and many students were visiting friends in Ireland for the week.  I knew I was going to run into friends from PC, but I didn’t think it would be so soon into the weekend.

When Lea and I met up we went to one of her favorite restaurants to have lunch.  I was excited to see a menu including food resembling more of an American diet than a Mediterranean diet.  I never thought I could miss something as simple as grilled chicken and melted cheddar on wheat bread.  MMM, good.

After eating, Lea walked me through her campus.  Trinity College is one of the oldest universities in Ireland.  The campus is beautiful and just a short walk from her apartment, conveniently located in the center of Dublin and right next to Grafton Street, one of the most famous streets in Dublin.  We bought our outfits for Saturday (t-shirts, buttons, tattoos, and mardi-gras beads) and then headed back to Lea’s apartment to catch up with each other before heading out for the night.

Lea took me to Temple Bar, a very traditional Irish bar with live music every night where I had my first Guinness of the weekend!  We only stayed long enough to finish our beers and hear a few songs before we left to meet up with some other PC students who are studying in Dublin for the semester.  On our way to meet up with my friend Susan, we ran into two other girls from PC who were also visiting Dublin for the holiday.  We all headed to the bar together, where we stayed for about an hour before leaving for ** where we met up with other PC students.  I couldn’t believe how many of us there were.  Our group had grown to about fifteen by the end of the night.  Surrounded by so many familiar faces, I kept forgetting I was in Dublin because it felt more like I was back at school.  We were having so much fun that we didn’t want to leave, but knew we were going to see each other again on Friday. 

Lea had class early Friday morning so I ventured out into the city alone.  It was raining again, but that didn’t stop me from exploring the city.  I visited Saint Stephen’s Park, and was surprised to see how many other people were out exercising despite the weather conditions.  Lea says it rains almost every day in Dublin, so I guess the Irish are used to it.  Nonetheless, the park was beautiful, filled with colorful flowers and the greenest grass I have ever seen.

After visiting the park, I met up with Lea at Trinity to see the Book of Kells.  I didn’t know much about the Book of Kells before coming to Dublin, but I learned a lot from Lea.  For example, I didn’t know that the Book of Kells is actually a collection of four books, each including a different gospel.  It was mind-blowing to see books over a thousand years old that are filled with stories that are still read in church today.

After heading back to Lea’s dorm to freshen up a little bit, we set out to tour what brings most Americans to Dublin: the Guinness Store House!  It was no surprise that we had to wait in line once we got there, considering it was Saint Patrick’s Day weekend.  We both agreed that it was well worth the wait and the line was moving surprisingly fast anyways.  Once we were inside, I was shocked to learn the museum housed seven floors.  Who knew there was so much to learn about beer?!

Each floor was dressed in green specifically for Saint Patrick’s Day, “The Friendliest Day of the Year” according to Guinness.  We were taught how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness, a craft not everyone can pull off.

My Guinness Diploma!

The last floor of the store house is a bar that overlooks the city where we ran into even more Providence students, including those who are studying in Seville with me.

PC Students at the Guinness Factory!

That night we visited Erin, another friend from PC, at her campus outside of the city and spent time with her and a group of PC boys who lived down the hall from Lea and I last semester.  We met up with even more PC students when we went back downtown and spent the night catching up with each other.

Saturday morning Emily, Ben (her boyfriend who was visiting for the week), and her friends from her study-abroad program met up with us at Lea’s apartment for breakfast.  All of us were dressed from head to toe in green, ready to take on the day.  We left for the parade and were not surprised to find the streets filled with people.  When the parade started, we seemed to squeeze our way through just close enough to see the floats.  I was surprised to see that the parade was not filled with step dancers and bagpipe players and instead, people were dressed in very unique costumes that didn’t match any sort of theme.

Erin and Lea during the Parade

Lea, Emily and me at the Parade! (Photo stolen from Lea!)

We met up with Brendan, a friend from PC, who took us to a pub where the rest of his group of PC friends was headed.  When we got to the bar, I was astonished to see how many of my classmates were there.  It seemed as if every direction I looked I saw a different friend.   I knew there was going to be a lot of PC students in Ireland for the holiday, but I never imagined there would be enough to fill an entire bar.  The afternoon was filled with hugs and smiles as we all caught up with each other, exchanging stories about our semesters away from each other.  The atmosphere was far too familiar, and I kept thinking I was back in Providence.

As the day progressed, we all started to break off, exploring different parts of the city, and by the night we were back down to a group of about fifteen.  Owen, a friend from PC, was very proud to take us to a smaller bar where his sister was performing traditional Irish music.  She had an amazing voice and played the fiddle incredibly.  We all spent the rest of the night dancing and I can’t think of a better way I could have ended my weekend in Dublin.

Granada

It is mind blowing how fast the time passes here.  At the beginning of the semester I remember seeing our trip to Granada on our schedule and thinking how far it was into the semester.  And now, our last scheduled trip has come and gone.  It was bittersweet spending the weekend with my program in Granada because it was the last time we knew we would all be together.  I still can’t believe how much we have grown as a group and how close we have become in such a short time.  I am truly blessed to have such a great group of students who have made my study abroad experience more than memorable.

Granada is a beautiful city, seated between two mountains and overlooking the Sierra Nevada (no, not the mountains in the U.S.).  Besides the breathtaking mountain range, Granada is famous for its old Moorish palace, called the Alhambra.  The two days we spent in Granada we jam-packed with tours of the Alhambra and other parts of the city.  Regretfully, I can’t say I remember much of what we were learned on the tours.  I was too busy taking pictures and catching up with everyone in my program to be paying enough attention to the tour guides.  Oops!  I can say, however, that the architecture inside the Alhambra is unbelievably intricate and detailed.  I have never seen anything like it. 

During our tour we visited the “monjas” (nuns) of Granada who have sworn to never leave their convent.  In Andalusia, the monjas are famous for their baked goods.  They sell their muffins and pastries to the public at many of their convents even though they can’t show their faces to the public.  We visited a convent in Granada and Anna, one of the girls in my program, volunteered to order a sweet for all of us.  She rang the bell and recited the phrase to ask for magdalenas (a sweet lemon-flavored muffin): ''Ave María purísima''.

The tomb of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand II is located in Granada and we had the opportunity to visit it.  Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside but I can say that the Church was incredible.  Everything was gold-plated and exceedingly spectacular.  It was very exciting to see the tomb of two of the most famous rulers of Spain.

We spent the majority of our free time eating and drinking together as a group.  There’s one thing I love more than food and that’s food I don’t have to pay for.  In Granada, a free tapa is given with every drink.  Soda, Coffee, Beer, Tinto, whatever you want to have, will come with a free tapa at every restaurant.  It is amazing.  We must have tried out four of five different restaurants in total and they all served amazing food.  I can’t decide what was better, the food or the company.

Traveling with CIEE definitely has its perks.  We were put up in a very nice hotel right next to Alhambra.  It was much more comfortable than the hostels my friends and I have been using to save money.  We were treated to breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets at the hotel.  I was very excited when I found out there was a salad bar and even more excited when I found the Ranch dressing!  In Spain, all of the salads are flavored with olive oil and salt.  I don’t mind this and know it is healthier for me, but I miss the variety of options I have in the U.S.  I felt like I had found gold when I found the Ranch dressing at the hotel.  Unaware of when I would be able to have salad with Ranch again, I ate it as my main dish at both lunches and dinners.

Granada has a strong population of college students and, as a result, a vibrant night scene.  After relaxing a little after dinner, I went with two of my friends, Maddy and Becca, to meet up with some girls from Becca’s sorority who are studying in Granada.  They took us to one of their favorite restaurants (to have tapas, of course) and then to a discoteca that was built into a mountain!  It was really cool.  It was designed like a cave and the second floor overlooked the Alhambra, which is beautiful at night.