7/13/2008

I didn’t have all that much Sangria last night and it was still difficult to get out of bed this morning J!

Today I hung out with my friend from school and some of her friends who are currently studying in the same program here in Oviedo. In talking to them about their classes thus far, they all say they are happy with the program and the way that they are being taught. Each one of them truly feels as though they are learning a lot!

7/12/2008

Today I spent more time at one of the internet cafes in town trying to get in contact with my friend from school. Finally I got directions to the student housing and made my way over there. This is the same student housing that I will be staying at during my term in August.

After spending a couple hours using the internet at the housing, we all went out to have some “Sangria” and then to the bars. Sangria is a sweet red wine that is served in a glass pitcher. Within the pitcher along with the Sangria are thin slices of oranges and lemons. It’s a good drink, but one that you would not want to have a lot of…..! A lot of sangria equals an adventurous night and an awful next morning!

Typical of Spain, we started our night at around 12am at one of the local Sangria bars. From there we made our way to different bars around downtown Oviedo. As the night went on, I started to notice that partying in Spain doesn’t really start until around 2am. We all eventually decided to call it a night around 4am!

7/11/2008

My first full day in Oviedo consisted of me mulling around my flat trying to entertain myself and also wandering around town trying to find a lavadoria and an internet café. Luckily I found both! Funny thing is that when you ask the Spaniards where an internet café is they look at you as though you have just cursed! They obviously do not call them internet cafes here in Espana!

Reme, the homestay coordinator from the University of Oviedo came to pick me up for some afternoon coffee. She is a very nice woman in her 50’s I believe. However, she does not speak english! We went out for some coffee and a short tour of the city. I was surprised with how well I did communicating with her. After being in Germany for the past three months, I really have not forgotten all that much Spanish. It’s just difficult to put a grammatically correct sentence together!

The landlord of the apartment/flat that I am staying is a very nice woman. Her mother, an 80 year old motor mouth, comes over every day around lunch time to clean. Me calling her motor mouth stems from her speaking to me as though I was born and raised in Spain. She talks a mile a minute! I am grateful that she comes over to clean my room
and make my bed everyday.

I have a friend from Oregon State that is studying in Oviedo during July. So I spent much of my day trying to get in touch with her. It was problematic due to not having a phone! And after a few uses of the pay phones, you start to become broke….those things eat your money up like its nothing!

7/10/2008

Wooden benches don’t have to much give in them! Both Scott and I woke up around 7am. He headed out to catch the early train back to Barcelona so he could continue with his traveling before he returned home. I went inside the station and found a nice comfy seat in which I sat in for the next few hours until my train was to arrive.

I specifically remember talking to a ticket agent the night before when we were stranded at the Zaragoza train station about whether or not I would need a reservation for the train to Oviedo. He told me I would not need one; that my euro rail pass is sufficient. Well when it came time to board the train the conductor asked for my ticket and I showed him my pass. He immediately started raising his voice and telling me in Spanish to go get a reservation. At this point I was beside myself and so pissed off that I could not gather any Spanish words together to reply to him. So I went ahead and raised my voice in my mother tongue haha! He was not too pleased!! After some pointless arguing the conductor stepped onto the train and shut the door in my face. At that very moment the thought about spending another night on wooden bench began to cross my mind.

Luckily I stayed calm and found a bus that departed at 1:15pm from Zaragoza. What ensued was an 8 hour bus ride to Oviedo. I’m happy to say that I survived the eight hours and am now here in Oviedo! The only beneficial thing about the bus ride was that I got to see a lot more of the country than I would have if I had taken the train. Where the scenery started to get really impressive was when we entered the state of Asturias or the Pyrenees Mountains. The tall mountains, trees, and lakes remind me somewhat of the Sierras. If anybody ever has the chance to visit the Pyrenees Mountains, do it, they are beautiful!

7/9/2008

After spending the night in Barcelona, we woke up early to catch a train to Pamplona. What we thought was going to be a rather quick journey to Pamplona ended up being a strenuous/tiring one. Our train from Barcelona departed around 9am and was to arrive in Zaragoza around 10:30am. Well it took us until 2:30pm to arrive in Zaragoza! Arriving this late meant that we missed our connection to Pamplona. While in Zaragoza we were told that we needed to take the train that departed two and a half hours later. So we waited around and boarded the train. What we were told and also thought was to going take us to Pamplona ended up being a train ride for people coming from Pamplona heading back to Barcelona. The train basically took us out to the middle of nowhere so the people heading back to Barcelona could switch trains and board one that would take them the rest of the way to Barcelona. When the train stopped to make its connection in the loneliest city within Spain, I asked the conductor if we needed to change. He replied to me that we were on the correct train. We watched the majority of the people get off and board the other train. As our train departed I asked the conductor once again where the train was headed. He replied, “Zaragoza!” I could not believe it!!! In all, we spent around 10 hours on the trains today, making it only halfway to our destination! On top of spending all that time on a train, the conductor of the train that we boarded in Zaragoza told me that we are on the correct train if we would like to go to Pamplona!!! This guy was full of it all afternoon! Our day was doomed from the moment we set foot on that first train in Barcelona!

Upon arriving back in Zaragoza, we got something to eat and then scouted for a place to sleep within the train station. Eventually at 12:00am we got kicked out and had to move outside. There we found wooden benches that looked more comfy than anything else around. I am sad to say that this is my second time sleeping at a train station during my stay here in Europe. I hope it was my last!

7/8/2008

Yet another travel day! Spent on a train from Nice to Barcelona! I had been warned by a few friends that the rail system within Spain is not the best….well I should have believed them! Our last connection at Port Bou (I think at the border of Spain and France) we boarded our final train. This train was neither the best looking train nor the fastest looking train! The seats were simply plastic covered in fabric…made for an excellent seatJ! We happened to be on this train for about 3 hours…!

At this point in the journey it was finally starting to set in that I am actually in Spain! It is refreshing to be here, knowing that I can finally start furthering my speaking ability without feeling some sort of awkwardness!

7/7/2008

Beginning our first and only day in Nice, we set out to walk around and see the city at about 11:00am. We walked down toward the beach and then along the boardwalk for awhile. After the awhile the boardwalk became quite boring so we planted ourselves on the beach. An important note is that the beaches in Nice are all pebble beaches! We were probably some of the only ones on the beach that day just lying on the pebbles without any towels or beach mat! One of the cool things about the beach in Nice is that the commercial jets line up for final right over the beach, so they are only a few hundred feet above you!

During the evening we went out with Jared to get some quality French cuisine at the local McDonalds and to see more of Nice at night. To get a better view of the city we hiked up to a lookout point. This gave us an amazing view of the entire city and also the Mediterranean. We could see clearly all the way down to Canne! While we were up there along with a few other people and it was nearing closing time, the guard came walking up the stairs with his moped helmet on blowing his whistle and yelling at all of us to get out as if there was a life threatening fire coming up the mountain. It was pretty funny to see…..French Rent-a-Cop! Then as we walked down the mountain, we could here the rent-a-cop blowing his whistle constantly as he reprimanded each and every person who was still on the mountain at this point.

7/6/2008

Being another travel day, we awoke to pack our bags and head to the Genova train station. Once again we were pressed for time, but eventually made it on the correct train!

We arrived in Nice, France around 6:00pm. The weather/temperature was much the same as it was in Genova, rather cool and dry! We checked into our hostel, which was about a block away from the train station. Surprisingly in a nice part of Nice! The other roommates consisted of two young people from Chile, a girl from Australia who currently works in London as a comp. programmer, and a guy who recently graduated from Northeastern University.

After unpacking our things and getting a bite to eat at one of the local fast food restaurants with Jared, the guy from Northeastern, we headed out to catch the train to Monaco! In talking to Wesley about the boats in Monaco, he mentioned that they have some of the nicest boats in the world. By my standards he is right! The boats that we saw in Monaco make you wonder how people can afford something so extravagant.

But we toured the harbor and saw some amazing yachts/boats and then we made our way up the hill to the Monte Carlo Casino. Within the most recent James Bond, Casino Royal, they filmed the majority of the casino shots at the Monte Carlo. After wandering around outside and looking at all of the Ferraris, Bentleys, Maseratis, Rolls Royce’s, and Aston Martins, we went inside the hotel/casino. Due to the admission cost of ten euro each to get into the European gambling room we just walked around the foyer. Walking back down the hill to the main city you are offered some amazing views of the Mediterranean Sea. Monaco is truly a beautiful place!

7/5/2008

It’s Saturday, however it does not feel like Saturday! I keep thinking that I should be studying or doing something productive rather than walk around an Italian city on the Mediterranean coast! Our hostel is situated up in the hills behind Genova…the good thing is that I can look out my window right now and see the city of Genova along with the whole Mediterranean Sea! There are only four of us staying in our 8 person room. I have only met one of the other guys that are staying in our room. He hails from Tazmania, Australia! Very nice guy, older, I think retired. He said he used to be a CPA down in Tazmania. The other guy, whom I have not met yet, is from South Africa and has been here for a couple weeks now trying to become a ship captain. From what the Australian guy told me he has been working as a deck hand trying to meet the right people in order to become a captain or something of that nature.

Today we woke up around 8:30am to make it down stairs in time for some complementary breakfast. They served a bread roll, juice, and jam. Not the best hostel breakfast that I have had. After breakfast we headed out for the day. We took the short us ride up to the Funicular. The 15 minute funicular ride took us down to the medieval part of the city. The medieval city has some neat things to see, but the most intriguing of them all are how the buildings are so close together. You can really only fit one small car down them at a time. We then took a short amount of time to see the Harbor. Some pretty nice and also very expensive yachts we getting ready to head out for the day!

After the Harbor we made it out to a beach that had a bit of an older crowd! I have since learned that you don’t want to go to the beach where the older crowd is!

Upon coming home from the beach we sat in our room to gather some energy so we could go out later. As we sat in our room, in walks the South African. He immediately introduced himself to Scott and me. His name is Wesley (sorry no last name, has slipped my mind)! But for the next 30 minutes or so he went on to tell us what he’s doing in Genova and plans to do with the rest of his life. To make it brief, he attained his college degree in South Africa. Upon graduating he worked as an agent representing some of his buddies who are well known surfers within South Africa. He then got the idea that he wanted to make some money while traveling all over the world and quit doing the agent thing to be a deck hand. He travels all over the world to be a deck hand at harbors that have some of the nicest yachts known to man! He’s only 25 right now and said he hopes to become captain of a yacht in about three years time. He said he makes some good money doing it….about 120 euro for 8 hours work being a deck hand. When converting that to the South African currency, that’s a lot of money!

One of the more interesting things that he talked to us about was his viewpoint of Paul Allen. To keep it PG -13, I will leave it out as to what he thinks of him! But he has worked on a harbor in France and has seen one of Allen’s four yachts. The story behind this particular yacht is that Allen went a whole year without ever using it……! He just paid millions in docking and maintenance costs. The guy apparently knows how to waste a lot of money!

Later that evening Scott and I went out to grab a bite to eat with Wesley. We went to a rather nice seafood restaurant in the middle of Genova. Scott and I were both apprehensive about the place due to the fact that we were both trying to stick to a budget and did not want to pay 10 euro for dinner. But we stuck it out and had a pretty good meal! And a FOUR euro beer as well!!!!

7/4/2008

Happy Fourth! My Independence Day was spent on a train ride from the extremely warm city of Rome to the cool coastal city of Genova. Overall I think we spent about 8-9 hours on the train when it should have taken around five hours.

We got to the Rome Termini station in plenty of time to catch our 10:30am train. However the one thing that we did not know about the Italian train system is that they frequently change platforms on you. So we sat there until about 10:28am noticing that our train had not shown up yet. Scott went down to ask someone at the other end of the platform if our train platform had been switched…it had been switched to the platform right across from ours. We both scooped up our backpacks and luggage, turned around only to see the train departing! Everything turned out to be fine. We caught a later train at about 11:30am. Only this train was a regional train (not as nice and a lot slower) that was about to break down. About five hours into our journey to Genova the train did indeed break down and we were told we would have to switch trains. I immediately asked the older couple across from me on the train, in Spanish, what we were supposed to do and how long it would take for the next train to come pick us up. One of the beneficial things about being able to speak Spanish pretty well is that I have been able to communicate with many Italians. Even though we’re not in Spain yet I figure I should try to communicate somehow….good thing is that pretty much all Italians understand what I am asking them or saying to them!

7/3/2008

Today we woke around 8:30am to make it out to the Coliseum in time to get tickets without waiting in the line too long! We went to the ruins or more commonly known as the Palantine to get our tickets for the day. At the Palantine they give you a ticket for both access to the Palantine and the Coliseum. Bad thing was that Scott was in line ahead of me and told the ticket agent that he American…..no student discount after that!!! So we both paid 11 euro each. To see both the Palantine and the Coliseum for that price is a pretty good deal!

While first walking around the Palantine, I found myself trying to picture the Romans going about there daily routine or getting ready to go see a gladiator fight at the nearby coliseum. One thing about the Palantine is that it is a very large piece of land. The ruins stretch for almost ½ mile in all directions. I was astonished to see the marble pillars still standing. One other observation that I had was that even though the Romans seemed quite barbaric, they were very precise architects. By looking at some of the ruins you can see just how precise each brick was placed or how each archway is in perfect line with the one across from it.

The coliseum was another amazing sight! If you have ever seen the movie “Gladiator,” you can’t help but try and picture Marcus Aurelias fending off three other gladiators, all the while having thousands of screaming Romans either waving their white flags in mercy or giving the thumbs down if they were feeling like they needed to see somebody killed. Underneath the ground of the coliseum are a bunch of pathways, almost looked like a maze. It was an eerie feeling knowing that many prisoners were led through these pathways under the ground of the coliseum only minutes later to be slaughtered in front of thousands of people. I will mention that the most annoying thing about being a visitor to the coliseum is that you have to deal with many illegal swindlers….I can’t tell you how many times I had to say no.

7/2/2008

Sleeping in a bit to catch up on some sleep, we finally left the hostel around 10am. We set out to see the Vatican for the majority of the day.

With temperatures reaching into the high 90’s and the humidity becoming almost unbearable we spent some time within the Basillica. The Basillica took over 150 years to complete….once you see the inside it becomes very apparent why! The inside is absolutely amazing! We also saw the tombs of the past popes. To no surprise, once arriving at John Paul’s tomb, there were quite a few people kneeling down and praying.

After seeing the Vatican we headed down to eat some lunch at one of the many local pizzerias. My first real Italian pizza was the Napoli! The Napoli is basically a margarita pizza with a few anchovies on it! My first bite did not disappoint….it was very good!

The rest of the day we spent walking around Rome just looking at whatever we passed by. At one moment in time, we were looking for a certain plaza and had found ourselves seeking some directions. I stopped and made my best attempt at speaking Italian and asking a man how to get to the plaza. Next thing I know a girl walks up from behind me and asked if she could help. Turns out this girl was studying in Rome for the past four months and definitely knew her way around the city! While following her to our destination we talked and found out that she was from Connecticut. She is currently a senior at UMASS Amherst. Once we arrived at the plaza we had been looking for she invited us both to come out for the night with her and some friends. With nothing yet to do, we accepted the invitation!

We met up with her and her friends at the Coliseum around 9:30pm (still very hot and humid). What I thought was just going to be a sit in one place and “chat” kind of hangout, turned out to be a night tour of Rome. We went to the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and finally the Vatican…..couldn’t have asked for a better night tour!

One funny thing that happened while we were at the Trevi Fountain was that there were two dozen illegal swindlers trying to sell you there little toys. Well I became so fed up with it that I thought I might as well have some fun with telling them off. So one of the “jibrones” (trying to keep it PG-13) came up to me and tried to get me to play with one of the toys he was selling. I then proceeded to play the starring game with him! The funny thing about it was that he asked me about thirteen times within a 30 second span if I would like to try one!

7/1/2008

On this first day of July, we woke up and caught an early train to Roma, Italy! Upon arriving in Roma or Rome, we were met with a very hot and humid atmosphere. It was not as pleasant of a temperature as we had in Interlaken! Our hostel is nice, but the management chooses to turn the A/C on at night so they can save themselves some money…don’t blame them! Included in our cheap price of 22 euros per night is a complementary breakfast and dinner. The breakfast is simple, just rolls, jam, and cereal. The dinner gets a little better with some rigatoni noodles and some pretty good tomato pasta sauce.

6/30/2008

During our second full day within Interlaken we took part in an extreme sport apply called “canyoning!” Canyoning consists of repelling into a canyon and making your way down it via cliff jumping, slides, and a little more repelling. It is an extremely fun way to move around within a canyon….let alone a canyon within the Swiss Alps! During two of our many jumps that we made into the pools of the canyon we were told by our guides that we had to do flips! Both my front flip and back flip ended up being a back flop and a belly flop due to under rotation…..good thing I had a wetsuit and lifejacket on! But overall the adventure was fun! Within our group were some recent graduates from the Air Force Academy who were getting some traveling in before flight school and also a SIGMA CHI from Northeastern Kentucky University.

6/29/08

Our first full day of Interlaken fun! I could not sleep all that well the first night at the Funny Farm due to overbearing noise from the beer tent behind our building. Not sleeping well spurred me to arise at about 7:00am to a warm Interlaken town. Scott and I went down to the local grocery store named “COOP” to gather up some breakfast! My choice for the morning was a pasta salad, tuna sandwich, and some bananas! After eating some breakfast with the girls from Florence that we met (one studies at Shenandoa Univ., another at ASU, and the other at Univ. Portland) we looked into renting a couple mopeds for the day to do some sight seeing around the Swiss Alps! We figured the mopeds would be our best bet for covering the most amount of ground in the shortest amount of time. Throughout our four hour trip on the mopeds we visited a couple towns, one called Grendalwald and the other called Lauterbrunnen. Both of these towns are very scenic!

Later that night we both watched the final of the Euro Cup 2008. The final was between Germany and Spain! Throughout a hard fought battle, Spain ended up being the victor! Not to my surprise, I wasn’t too pleased with the outcome. Having been living in Germany for the past three months it is no wonder I was not happy with Spain winning.

Sorry for the slight delay…..:)

It is now Wednesday July 2, 2008….been awhile since I have updated this blog/journal!!!

Currently I sit in Roma, Italy in my hostel room where it is currently 32 degrees Celsius….IN THE ROOM!!!! Warmer in here than it is outside! The A/C in our room doesn’t seem to help at all….I know this because I am sitting right under it and do not feel a thing…..and yes it is turned on!

Upon the completion of my international business degree at the Berufsakadamie in Bad Mergentheim, Germany this past week (June 27, 2008) Scott and I have taken off, moved out of our apartment in BM and have begun our short journey through southern Europe together.

Leaving BM, we boarded a train bound for Interlaken, Switzerland! Interlaken is called this due to it being geographically situated between two very large lakes. One of the lakes is the deepest in the world, one of our tour guides (a man who has very dirty jokes) told us that it goes below sea level! After sitting on the train for about 8 hour’s en-route to Interlaken we finally arrived. Lugging all of my bags around with me, included within this luggage is a 50 pound backpackL, we walked the 15 minutes to the hostel we were staying at for the three nights. The hostels name is “Funny Farm!” The layout of the area is situated in a rather weird way…the check-in is located at the Funny Farm hotel. You can just picture walking up to this rather nice looking hotel and thinking to yourself “how could I have booked this good of a hostel…OH YEA!” Once you check-in you are given the awful news that the hostel where you will be kept is about a few hundred feet behind the hotel….great! I may be making this out to sound like it was an absolute dump…..it was not! The hostel was actually very nice even though it was located within an old barn type building. Written above the main door to our hostel was “be kind to others, don’t waste beer!” It’s an underlying theme to the Funny Farm hostel I think.