Una un hasta luego, no una despedida

Since my parents arrived in Spain, it has been a whirlwind of family, traveling, classes ending and more. My parents, Zeke and Liv, Mike and Pat and Grandma arrived in mid April. We spent their time here watching Hold Week processions, eating pastries, and traveling around. We visited Sevilla, Granada, Ronda, Tarifa, Gibraltar, Morocco, Jerez and a little bit of Madrid.  Sevilla showed us the religious side of Spain, Gibraltar gave us monkeys and great fish and chips, Morocco introduced us to camels and the 'oh my god' guys. It was an awesome trip. One of those that there was always something to look forward to, and always someone to laugh with. It had been 7 full months since I had seen my parents or siblings, almost a year since I had seen my Grandmother and just over a year since I had seen my aunt and uncle. We spent our wonderful two weeks together drinking great wine, eating delicious ham, and being with our loved ones.

After my parents left I had to finish up my classes at the center, because Mid May, I took a long weekend trip to Rome, Italy. I spend four days in the Eternal city, eating way to much gelato, walking from one end of Rome to the other and hanging out with some cool Canadians I met at my hostal. It was the perfect way to celebrate the end of my classes at the center, and a dream come true to finally see Italy. Big shout out to the Oregon state tax return for the airplane ticket.

The next week back I spent at my university class, and then that weekend my friend and I had planned a trip to Galicia, the most northwestern providence in Spain. It is home to the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, a famous cathedral for holding the remains of Saint James and the end destination of the Camino de Santiago (Saint James Way). We flew into A Coruña, spent the night, saw the town the next day and then took the train to Santiago. Our days were filled with holy incense, delicious seafood and many interesting people from all over the world. Galicias weather reminded me of Washington, very green, but rainy and damp most of the time. Good thing we only spent the weekend there, because by the time the weekend was up we were both missing Sevilla and the 80 degree weather.

Since Galicia, I've been studying for my exam at the university. My class, Art History of the 20th Century was incredibly interesting, also difficult, but a great experience.

After finishing my university final on Tuesday, I've spent the rest of this week packing, buying last minute things, saying goodbye and eating as much ham as possible.

Surreal doesn't even being to express how I've felt this past week. Sitting in front of the cathedral for what is the last time this trip seems sad, and exciting and not real.

Nine months ago I left Seattle for what everyone promised would be the best time of my life. Tomorrow, the nine months I thought would never end and that seemed to go on forever, finally end. Sevilla has been everything a study abroad experience could be and more. Here I learned about Spanish culture, cuisine and language. And maybe more important I've learned about being independent, mourning loved ones alone, traveling solo, and so much more that I don't even realize and don't have the words to express correctly.

These past nine months have been some of the best, and worst of my life. But looking back at everything, I wouldn't change a thing, even at my worst moments, I gained a new experience, learned something  and was challenged in ways I didn't know where possible.

I've been thinking a lot about my return to the States. After just nine months, my perspective of this time period of my life and college will be divided by this experience, as before Sevilla and after Sevilla. While I can't say how this will affect my for the rest of my life, I know that I will look back fondly at my time, and remember the friends, the cultural oddities and the experience.

I'm not sure how I thought I would feel this week. It has been a roller coaster of emotions quickly turning between excitement to sleep in my own bed, to have bacon and see my family, to the dread of never living with my señora again, not having a coffee and tostada every morning, and not being able to walk casually past the cathedral everyday. I've been trying to relish in everything, to take everything in one more time, to remember smells, sounds, tastes as best as I can. I know the memories won't do it justice, but a girl can try. I honestly didn't think I would be this emotional about leaving, I didn't think I would cry when I said goodbye to my favorite teachers, I didn't think I would be so worked up about leaving a city I was so nervous to go to, but here I am, already missing my beloved Sevilla.

I don't know when I will return, or what the circumstances will be, but I will come back to Sevilla. It won't be the same, but after all this, nothing will be.

Until next time Sevilla, I leave you with a smiling heart, fond memories and gratitude for giving a girl one hell of an experience. 

You will never leave me, un beso enorme. 

Ochenta y siete.

87.

87 cafes con leche

87 tostadas con jamón y manchego

87 days of Spanish air filled lungs

87 siestas

87 freckle face days

87 coca colas

87 days walking on cobblestone

87 days to give tourists directions

87 wine dates

87 morning Greetings from my host mother

87 more opportunities to eat Spanish fruit

87 Sevillan sunrises

87 Sevillan sunsets

87 ‘hasta luegos’ from and to everyone

87 Cruzcampos

87 complementary catcalls

87 more days in Europe

87 more days till the US

87 days left in Spain

I could give you more than 87 reasons why I don’t want to leave. I won’t – but I can.

__________________________________________

This past weekend I visited Granada for the second time. It was an obligatory trip this semester, so I had already paid for it with tuition. Not wanting to miss a chance at a weekend outside of Seville, but also in one of the most breathtaking cities in Spain, of course I went.

We did practically the same trip that I had done in the fall – the Capilla Real, the Arabic quarter and the Alhambra. It was a gorgeous weekend with 65-70 degree weather and sunshine.

Something that I hadn’t expected, or realized until there was how much things had changed since the last time I had visited.

During fall semester, my hotel roommate and I visited a churros cafe in town for some churros and chocolate. Over the super delicious meal, we got in the conversations of fear of abroad. In September, I was worried about fitting in, plans for my break and of course my grandfathers health. In that café, over the sweet churros, I cried to her about how scared I was that he would die while I was abroad.

This was one of the only moments on the Granada trip in the fall that had been ‘down’. The rest of the trip was filled with wonder, magic and delicious pastries.

And I never remembered that specific moment in that café, crying - until I walked past that café this weekend. With the site of the café, the rush of emotions and memories resurfaced. As I walked through the rest of Granada, remembering my feelings the first time I was there, I couldn’t help but laugh cry at how radically everything had changed in just five months from my last trip.

I have a multitude of events, occasions and celebrations.

Five months ago I hadn’t visited France, Germany, Austria or the Czech Republic. I hadn’t survived without my family for the first Christmas alone. I hadn’t known the feeling of catching three metros in the right direction to get to a hostel or how good it would feel to step back into the arms of my host mother.

This weekend, Granada supplied me more than the breathtaking views of the city, delicious food and wonderful company. But more importantly, it gave me an opportunity to remember, reflect and look forward. Because the next time I visit the enchanting streets of Granada, I will be surrounded with my family, bathing in the warmth of the April sun.

Back on the Grind

            I’ve been back in Seville for two weeks now. Things have gone so smooth, it’s like I’ve done this before or something (HA) I daydream about my trip during January all the time. I miss the cities, the independence and the lack of homework. I look at my pictures, and others pictures of the cities to remember the small details. I wrote in a journal during my travels now wish is serving as a guide down memory lane to relive it all in my dreams. I’m already planning my next venture to Europe. (Maybe in a couple of years though because it was not cheap!) But it was worth every penny, every tear, everything I put into it.

            We are just finishing the continuation period here at the center, so at the moment I’m only taking two classes there and another at the University of Seville. My class at the University was one of my biggest worries because it’s not a class for Americans and I didn’t think I was going to know what was going on ever. Turns out the professor has a fairly thick Andalucían accent, but every time I go into the class I understand him more and more. I’m giving it time and trying not to get too frustrated with myself during class when I don’t understand every single word. It has been a huge support to have some background on art history. This class is art history during the 20^th century, so even when I don’t know what artists we are talking about because his accent is thick and he doesn’t pronounce the names as I would, but I can usually figure it out because he’ll mention an art movement and I can guess. I’m very thankful at the moment for those past art history classes, very. But besides understanding him, I’m enjoying it. I’m also not the only American, there are about 7 other US students who are in the class, so I’m never the one who understands the least.

            I’m having a really good time readjusting to everything here, I know how it all works and I speak the language! I’ve found a couple girls in my grammar class and a few others who I have clicked with really well. I’ve been going out to coffee with them and on weekends as well. My new roommate and I are two very different people. She is very nice, but we are just two different people with very different backgrounds so we don’t hang out too often.

            Overall, I’m doing really well. I’m glad to be back, I’m happy and loving the weather when it’s sunny. I’m looking forward to the rest of the semester, seeing my family in April and enjoying the little time I have left in Europe. I've also updated my Flickr account with pictures from the trip -  so look out for those!

All my love

XOXO

Americana back in the Sevilla

            After all the hostels with smelly roommates, long bus rides, and an unreal amount of not home cooked food, I have made it back to my Seville. My layover in Barcelona went by faster than anticipated and gave me a while to think about what this trip had done for me, and what it meant to come back to Seville after it ended. Soon I was back in my room in the center of town. My host mother greeted me with a huge smile and a warm hug and I knew that I had officially done it. On December 13^th, I left her and Seville with a heavy backpack, excitement and one of the most exciting adventures ahead of me. It was not always a walk in the park; it was not always perfect sunshine and chocolate. But it was the most exciting and wonderful time I’ve ever had.

            On my trip through Central Europe, I gained more than perspective of other countries and other customs. I’ve become more of a problem solver than I ever thought possible, whether it was how to get beer caps of a beer bottle without an opener, how and when to go to a castle the cheapest way, or how to travel within the city the cheapest and most efficient manner. The daily problems that seemed to haunt me at the beginning of my trip were no long problems by the end. The anxiety of trying to find food and trying to decide what to eat started as a worry and ended as the easiest thing to decide about. When I first started, I felt sad eating alone and sitting by myself and I would actually try and avoid anywhere to sit down to eat. Which worked, until I got further into the trip and realized I needed to sit during lunch to make it through the rest of the day. And eating by myself became less and less intimidating, and in the end, it was nice to be able to just relax and take time to myself while I ate. I’ve also come to terms with the fact that it’s okay to eat yogurt for two meals a day and chocolate whenever I want. There aren’t rules about what you can and can’t eat. Sometimes the most comforting thing after a long day was sitting down and eating yogurt. Maybe a simple act, but and act that I could repeat in every city and could re center myself around. I’ve come more in tune with what my body needs and what I want. I may want to walk up the huge hill to see the view, but can I do it today with a sore back and sore feet? No, but there is always more time and there is always tomorrow. 

            Central Europe showed me more than Germanic punctuality, Czech personalities and Austrian fine living; it showed me that I can do anything. It gave me the confidence that I never had before about traveling and about being alone. It gave me a look into a world of possibilities and wonder than now lay ahead of me.

            Seville has welcomed me back with open arms. It really felt like a homecoming. Not just because I spoke the language or no longer had to make my own food, but because I know these streets and these people. The staff at the center all embraced me and asked how everything had gone, my Señora and I talked about how different it all was, and I finally feel good about being in Seville, and finishing my time abroad here in the best way possible. This semester doesn’t come with some of its own challenges though. I’m taking a class at the University of Seville in a class where I am the only foreigner. I am tutoring multiple families and trying to figure out my thesis work also. While it may be a different challenges, they are all still conquered the same, daringness, willingness and just the right amount of sass. I’m welcoming this last semester in the beautiful Spain with open arms, an open heart and the confidence to do it all.

All my love

XOXO

Müchen, the Bavarian Captial

A four hour train ride in the morning brought me from Vienna to Munich. Coming back to Germany was like hugging an old friend. I know the language enough to say hello, please, thank you and goodbye, I know the sausage and beer is good, and the metro is always on time.

I rolled in on a Sunday, when nothing in the Bavarian capital was open. I checked in quick and headed to the two big national museums for 1 euro entrance on that luckily were open on Sundays.

I had muddled though an unreal amount of religious work, but made it through to find some wonderful pieces. After some lunch I headed into the city center to walk around and see how it was all laid out. I ended up calling it a fairly early night as I was exhausted from the train in.

My second day in Munich, I took the tour with the company I had before. Hoping Prague was a fluke in the system, I was pleasantly surprised by the wonderful guide. I was lucky enough to meet a nice girl from San Fran and we ended up walking around together, grabbing lunch at one of the original brew houses in town and chatting a ton. We met up with two Aussie girls who were staying in my dorm for a night at THE Hofbrauhaus. We had a lot of beer, good food and wonderul conversation! A great night it was! 

This next paragraph is my day at Dachau. Don't read it in the morning or if you feel sad. It's best read with a beer and some chocolate nearby. Ye be warned.

I woke up early the next day for what I knew would be the most emotional, and worst day in Munich. Dachau is located an easy 25 minutes on the metro outside of Munich. I arrived and strapped in for what lay behind the iron gates. The museum that is on display gives a detailed account of the beginnings of how, why and when the camp was constructed. It then detailed the beginning months, moving into the war times, prisoner treatment, food and health, prisoner experiments, torture and death. It provided photos, survivor testimonies and the horrifying facts of the camp. Next was a barrack, set up with beds inside to show he overcrowding that occurred. Dachau was built as the example camp for the Nazis. It was intended to hold 6,000 people. In 1945, when the Americans liberated it, there were 35,000 prisoners living there. Only two barracks still stand, the rest are commemorated with stone outlines. As you walk through the now quiet and cold camp to the back, the air changes. And everything you thought had been horrible before just got worse. Beyond the bar wire fence, lies Barrack X. This was the building used for cremations and gassing. While they are not sure if the gas chambers at Dachau were used regularly, the rooms still raises the hair on your arms. You walk into into the first room, and it's a disinfecting room for clothes. The second room was where the prisoners would have been told that they were about to 'shower'. They would have been stripped and hair shaved in this room. The next room appears to have shower heads, it's really a gas chamber with hidden gas openings and fake water spouts. The next room, was used to hold the bodies until there was room in the crematorium, which was the next room you walk through. This last room was used. There is a path that follows behind this building that has three stone memorials. Two are mass graves and places where thousands of peoples ashes were dumbed. The last is where Soviet soldiers were methodically shot by SS guards. The quiet of the day didn't help the emotional overload that came with this visit. It almost made it worse. I made my way through the tour, and at the end of the tour, I left feeling weighted and emotional. You can read all you want about what happened in Central Europe during the time period, but to see it changes your perspective completely. This seemed fit for a good time to go back into the city with people as my emotional health was on the line.

I spent the rest of the day walking around the market, window shopping and tower touring. 

I went into the tower at the New Town Hall and St. Peters Church. The first had an elevator which was really nice, the second one did not, but I braved it and managed to make it to the to. I was rewarded in both towers with spectacular, clear, views of Bavaria.

The next day, I went on a tour of Neuschwanstein castle about two hours outside of Munich. It is the castle that inspired Walt Disney himself in creating the castle in Sleeping Beauty! We hopped on a train that dropped us in the town Füssen and started our tour up the hill, learning about King Ludwig of Bavaria, his life and his mysterious death. We then took a tour of the inside of the castle which was fantastically decorated by Ludwig with themes of operas, folklore and swans. The town had received a nice bit of snow, so the towering mountains sprinkled white provided the most outstanding background of this fantastic castle. This day long trip was a welcome quiet from the hustle of the city center. I loved every minute of it! I spent the rest if the evening relaxing in the lounge of the hostal.

The next day I made it to the Munich Residence which was a residence o the royal family for many years. While most of it was destroyed in WW2, they've managed to redecorated in a manner that fits in with what the style was from other castles in Germany. The rest if the afternoon I walked around in shops and the local market.

My last day in Munich was full of my last bratwursts, German accents and trying to fill my lungs with as much Bavarian air as possible. 

I had an amazing time in Munich. I loved the tradition of the south, the cuisine and the gorgeous castles and buildings. I was sad to leave not only Germany and Bavaria but my tour.

My Viennese Vacation

Vienna arrival was smooth from Prague. I caught a bus and it was an easy four hour ride. I got turned around getting off the metro trying to find my hostel, but a lovely older Austrian stopped and asked me if I needed help then pointed me the right way. I checked in, got some food, and passed out. Not a lot of sightseeing the first night but I was tired from Prague.

My second day started at the Stephensdome in the center of town with a visit to the inside if the cathedral and the catacombs. I wandered around the center for a while before grabbing some lunch and heading to the Leopold museum. It took me about 2 hours to wander through all five levels, but it was well worth the visit. I saw some Gustave Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, and the worlds largest collection of works by Egon Scheile. I also went and saw the Rathaus building and walked around to get my bearings better.

The next day I woke up a little earlier and went to Schönnbrunn palace. It was gorgeous and huge. It would have taken me ages to go through every single room. I opted for a shorter visit but still got to see a wonderful amount. After the palace I went to Charles Church and scaled the sketchiest staircase/ scaffolding to reach the very top of the churches dome and look out point. I was scared to death the entire time but it was very cool once I was up there. 

After lunch I went to an organ concert at a St Peters church in the center of town. It was a different expletive from anything else I've done, but I really enjoyed it. The inside of he church is wonderfully decorated and one that hadn't been destroyed recently, so the paintings and sculptors were well preserved. The concert was different.. Beyonce wasn't on the set list, even though I requested it. But it was still cool to hear the whole church fill up with the vibrations of the organ. 

That same evening I went to the Museum if Modern Art Ludwig Foundation Vienna, or MUMOK for a visit. I was able to see some very cool pieces by Indiana, Export, Motherwell, Rauschenberg, Ray, Bacon, Warhol, and the most exciting, Duchamp!

The next day in Vienna I spent running around again, first to the Belvedere to see some Klimt. Then to to Prater Ferris wheel for a slightly scary and cloudy view of the city. After a quick lunch I headed back into the center of the city for some souvenir pick ups and to do some window shopping and warm up a bit. I made my way towards the Rathaus and opera house for a evening view, and go stuck trying to go home because there was a university protest going on so they had shut down multiple streets and underground metro stops and wouldn't let you leave. So that made getting home a little tricky, but I managed.

My last day Vienna consisted of hiking up this hill right behind Schönnbrunn to the Gloriette. It's a magnificent little villa on the top of the hill with a great view of Vienna. I was lucky with the mostly clear day. Although the wind and freezing temperatures made the visit a short one. I spent the resting the day wandering around and just trying to soak up as much Vienna and sun as possible before we went our separate ways. 

I really enjoyed the culture and homeliness about Vienna. Unlike Prague, there was a warmth about the people and a way of life that was attractive. Overall, I ha a great stay in Vienna! I'd love to go back to Austria and do Salzburg as well. One day!

Czech Me Out In Prague!

From the start Prague was a whole new world. There's an entirely new language that isn't readable like German, the money is completely wonky, and it's an entirely different place from Spain or Germany. I realized about 20 minutes before my bus got in that while Czech is in the European Union, they are not in the Euro Zone. And all I had a wad of Euros that were going to cost me an insane amount to change them to Korunas. I found a cash machine and pulled out that I thought would be just enough to make it from the bus station through the metro to the hostels so I could look up the exchange rate and figure out how much I needed. For you information, one euro is about 25 czk, and one usd is about 20. So 400 czk is only 20usd. But to a little white girl who only knows usd, Loonies and Euros, seeing something marked 600czk is pretty intimidating. I managed to get it together and I slowly wasn't so shocked every time something was marked 600czk.

In Berlin, I had taken a free tour that really was free. And I had a really good time, and found everything to be incredibly helpful and interesting. Plus the guide wasn't bad to look at or listen to for three hours. Hoping to have similar luck in Prague, I did the same free tour with the exact same company. Unfortunately, it wasn't as interesting, and a tour through one of the most romantic, beautiful cities was more like a long, cold lecture  that didn't lend helpful insight to Prague at all. BUT I did get my footing around the city and some good pictures, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

I also went to castle hill where the Prague Castle is located. I had a great afternoon watching the guard changing, seeing the big cathedral and walking around the old town. It's a very different  part of town from where I stayed which is  a little more industrialized. So it was fun to see the difference. I also saw an exhibit of the art Nuevo artist, Alfons Mucha. He was born in what would be today the Czech Republic and Prague has adopted him as part of their tourist scheme. I'm a big fan of his work so to see some of his smaller pieces and more realistic pieces was fantastic. 

One of my last days in Prague I went and visited the Jewish quarter of Prague. There I visited multiple synagogues, a ceremonial hall and the Jewish Cemetery. This neighborhood in Prague was one of the only ones to survive Hilters destruction, and while they had some damage, for the most part the majority of the buildings remained intact. The reason Hitler let this one slide? He wanted to make a museum of the extinct race. 

In one of the synagogues which has been transformed into part of the Jewish museum, there is an exhibit of children's drawings from Terezín concentration camp. The drawings were of all kinds of themes, life before, life in the camp, and what they hoped for for the future. Over 8,000 children under the age of 15 went through Terezín, only 242 remained alive till 1945. The majority were deported to Auschwitz. It was an incredibly moving, and difficult exhibit to walk through. But well worth the experience. 

On one of my last Days in Prague I scaled one of the many spires in the city in an old belfry and got a great view of the Prague fog and some of the skyline.

Overall, Prague was a gorgeous city with very interesting history and culture. I'm so glad I got to experience a country more on the Slavic side. I'm excited for my next two cities, and I'm excited to be returning to Seville in less than ten days! This break was a major stressor for me during fall semester, and to think that I accomplished this trip and so much more traveling solo makes me very proud of myself.

My body and mind have dragged me through Europe, fed me weird food, slept in rooms with strangers and been my only traveling companion for the past month or so. I accomplished this, and I will accomplish so much more. Watch out world; this girl's feeling independent  and confident in herself. 

All my love,

XOXO