Well while I am here... Florence

Ok. Sorry for how long you have been waiting for this...I will try below to recount the rest of my journey through Italy starting in Florence and Ending in Milan.

Firenze (Florence) is beautiful.
Sure the train ride there was a bit stressful (we missed our train because I thought we should grab lunch) and yea once we got there we couldnt figure out where we were supposed to grab a bus to get to our hostel...but once we got to the place it was FANTASTIC! The owner met us at the door with wide open arms and a pink sports jacket. He was this uber nice uber italian old man who owned the house/hostel and ran it with the help of two (or three) other women and two dogs. After bustling us into the place and showing us where we would sleep he brought us each a glass of wine and we signed all the paperwork and paid the fees. The hostel was really cute! All white and airy with little querky touches.

Maria and I decided to walk down to the main part of the city then after moving in and we just wandered about and saw some really cool buildings. One there was no line for, and the next day when we walked by there was a line out the door and around the building. That night we also went out for dinner and had a pretty good meal...not our best, but we needed a good meal out.

After the meal we ended up racing back to the hostel because I was supposed to have an interview for a position as an intern working for LAS 101. Of course when I got to the hostel I couldn't get the wireless internet working, and then the computer provided couldn't work with the microphone and headphones I had brought, so in the end I missed my interview and had to write my answers to all the questions and email them to the interviewer. BUT I got that all worked out in the end and well I didn't get the position it was still worth a shot.

The next day Maria and I headed back into town ready to discover the rest of it. We began the day at the Museum that housed the original David sculpture. Yes, you know the one. Sadly I could not get a pic considering there were only about five other people in there with us. We had decided the night before to get to the building that housed him when it opened and we only ended up standing in line for about twenty minutes before they let us in. It was pretty neat that we got in so well, some girls the night before had purchased tickets to get into the building early, we just walked in and then walked back to see him...we didnt pay a thing. That I may say is a really good feeling. After that we wandere down to the center of town to see the buildings there including the Duomo...this building is beautiful. It is all Marble on the outside and then just really open on the inside with a beautiful fresco in the main dome. We also climbed the 500 odd steps to get to the dome and then up to the roof above it. The view was SPACTACULAR and it is how I fell in love with the city. Just looking at how its set up and then also just how beautiful the landscape surrounding the city was, made me decided that I would love to live in this city. Of course my love grew as we clambored down from the dome and went back out into the city. For lunch we decided to check out the central market and outdoor market that the city had. Here we found EVERYTHING from Italian leather jackets and bags to Fish heads and Bread and Cheese and Wine and all of the above. We bought dinner for later (A HUGE loaf of bread that lasted till Venice, some Parmesan Cheese, a bottle of Rose, and some creamy garlic mushrooms) For lunch we ate at a little stall in the back of the market and had pruchetta paninis. Everything was delicious and it was all just so CHEAP too. After wandering around the rest of the day taking pictures with random sculptures or gelato or just neat buildings we decided to wander down to the water front for the sunset. Boy was it beautiful, not orange and crazy like it is supposed to be, but still pretty gorgeous. Just chilling by the water too was so nice. We walked down the river over to this really cool central bridge that has stores on either side of it. Most of these were closed by the time we got there, but there were some street musicians playing and they were quite good. Finally after wandering to the other side of the river and then back up into town we headed back to the hostel.

While we had been out searching the city some friends had arrived and by the time we got back to the hostel they were back from their excursions around the city as well. We ate dinner and had some dessert (the owner provided dessert and wine every night) and then just sat around and talked for a while. The other people staying at the hostel with us were all some really nice people and it was just nice to chill. It was decided as well that the next day instead of going back into Florence we would instead head to San Giminiano with Lauren and her friends and then that night make our way to Venice.

The next morning after packing up our stuff Lauren Maria and I headed out. Of course everything went wrong beginning with the fact that our bus that we were going to take to the train station showed up about a half hour late. We would have walked, but Lauren had some way strained her foot (we found out when we got back to campus that she had a stress fracture) and so the bus it was. When we boarded it we tried to pay the bus driver for three tickets, but he just took the money for one and let us all on board. We thought that he was just being friendly, but about halfway through the ride these two 'officials' got on and asked us for our tickets...and of course two of us didn't have them. SO we tried to explain what had happened and then tried to explain that we didn't know better BUT in the end Maria and I ended up paying €45 fines. Yea...we were dumb. Later we looked back at this and wondered if it was a scam...because I don't remember them checking anyone elses tickets, and also they just were a bit too insistent. We also wondered what would have happened if we had refused or said that we didn't have the money and they could have fined us the €80 for 'late' fees but then we probably could have just not bothered paying those and got by. BUT we were all a bit freaked when it happened and we didn't want to end up in Italian jail or anything so we (literally) emptied our wallets and went the rest of the way.

This little incident had spooked us pretty well and had also put a damper on our impromptu trip to San Gimimiano. BUt we did end up finally getting there and having a good time. The town is located on a hill in Tuscany and it is really touristy, but so worth a visit. The highlight of our trip there was lunch, where we ate at this little Taverna down a back alley that surved Bruchetta. It was really good and the people there were really nice. We ended up grabbing Gelato on our way back towards where the bus would pick us up to take us back to the train station where we could either grab another train, or take a bus. We opted for the bus, because then we got to see more of the tuscan landscape and also it was cheaper.

Once back in Firenze we all went back to the hostel and Maria and I grabbed our bags and headed back to the train station to catch a train to Venice.

This is where we should have recognized that the rest of the trip was not going to be as we thought.

Our train to Venice wasn't until around 9 that night and so we grabbed some HUGE slices of pizza and hunkered down in the station to wait out the time. Finally the train arrived (late) and we hopped aboard. It was packed. There were no seats and people were lined up in the aisle with luggage. We basically sat where we hopped aboard. With our feet sitting on the steps we climbed in on and our bags tucked away next to me. We were surrounded by business men and women who were all trying to get to different places around Europe. This was all post Volcano when flights were just beginning to get cancelled. The lady sitting next to me told us that they were originally supposed to fly from Moscow where they started to Munich...but after their flight was cancelled they had to fly to Rome and then take this train that we were on up to Munich. They had been traveling all day. You could see it in their eyes that they were tired. Plus there was no way anyone could get even a good sleep sitting in the aisle of a train where half of the compartments in our car were filled with French school children. Finally after what seemed forever we got to Venice, only to find ourselfs on the mainland...not on the islands. SO we had to then hop a bus (leaving around 2) to get to the bus station located on one of the Venitian islands, and then grab a water bus to where our hostel was. It was by the time we went to bed that night 4am. BUT we had survived. The next morning dawned nice and sunny and we headed into the city, a little too happy to be there.

Venice is one really beautiful city...once you get into the back areas. I can tell you right now it has become a bit to touristy for me. Not that I wouldn't go back...

That frst day we spent wandering around the island of San Marco taking pictures of everything and just also spending money on gifts for people. It was a really nice day and Venice is so worth seeing. But that night everything went downhill quickly. That was when Maria got the email from Ryanair saying that her flight was cancelled, and that she had the option of rebooking, or asking for a refund. She decided on the refund, because at that point we still had hope to get a train to Paris, or to Frankfort or Hamburg or somewhere. We spent the rest of the night talking to parents and people trying to find a way out.

The next day we regretted our purchases of the day before and wandered around again in search for a Vodaphone store and a travel agency. We found both, Vodaphone was helpful, the travel agency gave us very bad news...we couldnt get to the coast. We couldn't get to Paris. We couldn't get to Hamburg. So we left and went back to the hostel to see what we could find...because it also seemed that she wasn't taking us so seriously...us being younger and all that. We went back to the hostel deciding to look into it all ourselves and what we found was trains available...but no way to book em. Also the websites were crashing slowly. We were not the only people in the hostel looking for alternative routes to Paris, or to Germany either. I think half of the residents were this way. We decided to go to the train station the next day and see what we could get.

Next day...trip to train station: results...nothing. There was no way to get us out of Italy basically. BUT we did get a call from Tim telling us that there was a flight scheduled to leave in about five days from Milan that had not been cancelled yet and also was still CHEAPish. We raced back to the hostel and spent the rest of the day booking that and then going back out to San Marco to try to see something else. But we had basically lost all motivation. We did see a good quartet play Vivaldi's Four Seasons and that was actually really nice. By now we had booked another night in the hostel beacause we were not going to be leaving quite yet...but we had the flight...and we had a plan.

The next day we headed back to the train station, this time though to purchase tickets to Verona, and then from Verona to Milan. We had decided to leave Venice...two extra nights was enough for us, and it was EXPENSIVE so we were going to head to Verona, see why Billy Shakes set one of his most famous works there. Again we wandered around Venice for the rest of the day knowing that in two days time we would hopefully be back in the UK. We also on this day went to Murano (where they make the beautiful glass) and Ledo (THE BEACH). Because of course that was going to be our last night in Venice...

Our morning the next day was nice and we headed (for the third time) to the train station to catch the train to Verona. It was a pretty uneventful train ride and we were pretty happy to be on it, Venice had become too much and we just wanted to get somewhere where it might be a bit cheaper. We were staying at a one star hotel instead of a hostel, which actually turned into a pretty good deal because we had our own room and there really wasn't anyone else on our floor so we had our own bathroom as well. The first day we kinda just lazed around and did nothing, going to the place next door for food.

Our second day in Verona we went and hit the sites. First of all we saw the castle and the really old bridge...then we walked into the city taking in the beautiful buildings and cobbled streets. We went to Juliete's house...where we saw the Dear Juliet Wall (not as cool as in the move i dont think) and then the balcony and her statue as well. The thing with the statue is that if you rub her breasts you get good luck...lets just say that there were too many young italian children on a school trip to get to the statue so we decided to skip that and head back into the city. After wandering some more we found a little cafe where we had THE BEST meal we had had so far. It was really good and italian and CHEAP! and all in all what we needed. We also had real fruit (something we hadn't really had...since we were kinda living off of bread and cheese) and then for dinner that night our usual bread and cheese.

The store where we bought the bread and cheese from also sold Lego's and I was really tempted to get something, just because it was really random that they had all this wine and bread and cheese and all that...and then a whole row of shelves stacked with lego kits.

Well that was our second and last day in Verona. The next day we headed straight to the train station catching the first train that left after we got there to Milan, and then hopping on the first bus we could to the airport. Our flight was leaving. We were headed home!!!!!

Like I had said our flight went out, and we had checked our backpacks and so carried plastic grocery bags onto the plane with what we wanted for carryon purposes. Yea we used grocery bags...but hey it worked and we were only allowed one carryon so we had to put our purses in something. On the flight we were both really excited and once we landed we headed to Kings Cross where we had a hotel waiting (THANK YOU DAD). It felt really good to be back in England. All the trains to York had gone for the night, so we caught the first one the next day and finally made it back. We were met with SUN and WARMTH and FLOWERS and little GOSLINGS and just a beautiful place.

That concludes my spring break.
Sorry if I left anything out...I might have shortened some things that I would have expanded on if i had the time...but im hungry and want to go eat dinner. So until next time.
Ciao

Sorry for the wait.

Hey guys...you may have to wait a little longer for the next post from me. My computer broke. Currently I am using Paige's...

Basically something is wrong with my screen so I am going to be taking it to the shop soon and then we shall see from there. Yea its freshman year all over again!!! lol.

Anyway I'm heading back to London this weekend so you will hear about what happened with my computer next week sometime i think.

Cheers!

Ellen

whoever said that cygnets are ugly...was wrong.

These are the cutest little baby swans I have really ever seen...enjoy. (if you cant figure it out click on swans)

Lets finish up Europe.

In my final installment of Easter break (and when I say of easter break I mean about easter break) we will be talking about the many goods (and bads) if Italy.

Starting in Rome.

Good. No customs.

Bad. Train to city center was15 euro...probably should have used the Eurail pass.

Good. Hostel...really nice people, free breakfast and dinner (if you signed up for the dinner), free internet (well you got a half hour free a day)

Bad. Neighborhood around hostel (basically it smelled funny...otherwise it was a pretty good neighborhood)

Good. Roman ruins...were everywhere, I mean this is a city where you are just ambling down a street and then Oh look! A dig site.

Bad. Ellen does not speak any Italian.

Ok enough with the goods and bads, Rome was pretty nice. It is not a city I will most likely ever live in, what with it being quite large, and well not quite that clean and I dunno it just didn't really feel right to me. BUT I have to admit that I did enjoy myself. In Rome I met up with a few friends from York, them being Maria, Katherine, and Lauren. Lauren ended up meeting with some of her friends as well...so our group at the hostel seemed to grow until it even encompassed a few guys we had met.

What we saw:

Well in Rome the two main attractions are the Colosseum, and then The Vatican (which technically is not in Rome). Of course these two sites are both quite large and on different sides of the city itself, so we decided to split them into two days. On our first day in Rome we really didn't see anything huge. There was a Basilica close to our hostel that we went to and then Lauren and I wandered up to a nice square thingy that was quite interesting as well...but that was it. Maria wasn't getting in till late and we really didn't want to see any big sites without her. Of course we had a lovely time just catching up. That night we ate the pasta dinner that the hostel provided every night. Let me just say that homemade Italian pasta sauce is very good...well at least this lady's was. It was spicy and just plain delish.

The next day we decided to see the Colosseum and Palatine Hill...aka all those lovely Roman Ruins. I love anything that has crumbled and fallen into disarray...makes me wonder why I didn't decide to go into archeology (oh wait...there is that thing called science involved that I am not quite that good at) but anyway. Up to the point that I got off the subway at the Colosseum stop Rome hadn't really felt that much like Rome. I always thought of it differently...but I mean when you walk out of the subway station you basically go... "hello...thats the Colosseum" because there it is. That thing that everyone always talks about in regards to Rome...where movies have decided to film, just because of how cool the building is...where people have died and survived all because of how well they fought...that place is right in front of you. And boy is it a sight. If Erica Dahl and Lauren Wallem are reading this at all, we got the color wrong when we did that one project where we had to reconstruct the Colosseum...its not really a red anymore...and I don't think it really was that red to begin with...

At the Colosseum there were tons of groups, groups of little kids and medium kids and older kids and students of varying ages. There were also a ton of tour guides just hanging out outside of the building trying to get people to join their tour group. Thats what we did...for 10 euro (less then that stupid ticket from the airport to the city) we got into both the Colosseum and Palatine Hill...and tours for both of those areas. Of course at first we didn't think this was that legit. but the guide herself was a professional. It was a good tour as well. If you visit the Colosseum you have to do a guide of some sort because inside there is no real explanation for anything, so if you want info you either buy the audio-guide (rent actually) or you hook up with a tour.

Now what I basically can say about the Colosseum is that it is a pretty impressive building, honestly a bit smaller then I expected, but I also didn't get to go upstairs at all and you really cant go all the way around the building. A few interesting facts I did learn were that most of the marble from the Colosseum front, and inside is now located in the Vatican, and any other church around Rome...because the church decided to "recycle" it all, and then another is that when the Roman's built it, they actually made it Earthquake proof...the only reason its now missing a good chunk of the outer wall is because in the "Dark Ages" when the Colosseum was abandoned the people took the metal out of the columns and walls and used it for weapons and all that...so now it's not as earthquake proof as it once was. This de-proofing of the building is also why there are holes all around the Colosseum in the walls and all that, because thats how they took the metal out (and I think recently possibly put some back in). Something else, there are four tiers of seats in the Colosseum, the first was for the rich men of Rome, second common men, third slaves and servants, and fourth and highest was for the women. Now the fact that the women were on top is not because of the fact that they were women (well it kinda was) and that they were "lower" then slaves, no it was because everyone wanted to separate the men and the women since games could last all day...people would eat and drink...and drink...and drink...while watching. So the designers decided it was probably best to separate the men drinking from the women. Smart I think.

After that tour we walked over to the Palatine Hill entrance to grab our next tour. Palatine hill is where the rest of the Roman (main) ruins are located, and it is also the hill where the emperors of Rome built their homes/palaces. It was also where in myth Romulus and Remus were found and raised. Hence it is the Hill that Rome began on. It is another place where a guide of some sort is necessary because again nothing is labeled and you really don't know where you are standing unless someone tells you or you did some research. What's left on the hill is the remnants of the Palace of Domecian (I think I have that right). There are some remnants of what was Caesar Augustus's living quarters (his was just a normal house, not a palace) as well and also a place where they think the two babies were brought up, but the main focus is the palace and small museum. Again there is not really that much left, but what is there is pretty cool. The view out over the city is quite nice, esp the view out over the Roman Forum which is nestled at the bottom of the hill right at the front of the palace (nice location for a governmental building I thought). Something else that is quite oddly at the top of Palatine Hill, is one of the houses of Mussolini (now used as basically a storage unit for marble statues found in the area). I guess he wanted to live where the previous rulers lived, so Palatine Hill.

As I stated as well, the Roman Forum is located at the bottom of the hill and it (I think) is more amazing then the rest, what with the white columns and ruins everywhere you can actually see how there was a town there once, the streets are still lined in stone...covered in grass...and the fronts of a few buildings still stand. Columns protrude from random areas showing where other buildings once stood and overlooking it all are some of the most beautiful buildings left in Rome.

The rest of that day was left wandering around Rome and then later meeting up with our friend Judith who was studying in Rome at the time.

Next day we went to the Vatican. Our tour guide from Palatine Hill had told us that she was doing a tour of the Vatican the next day, so we had decided to go with her, and so the next morning the three of us, plus a guy from the hostel...hopped the subway up to the Vatican for a 9:30 tour. No you do not need your passports to get across any boarders...anyone can enter...but security is quite crazy (although not as crazy as Parliament in London). There was so much within the Vatican that its very difficult to actually write about it. Let's just say that it is one of those places (just like the Louvre) that you could spend days wandering around in. For me the highlight of the whole trip was of course the Sistine Chapel, famous for its ceiling frescoes. It is also a place where you are not allowed to take pictures, not because it will ruin the frescoes or because the Vatican says no, but because the recent restoration was paid for by a Japanese company and they do not want people taking pictures, so that they can sell their postcards, and books, and posters etc. That is the reason why I have a few pictures. If the Vatican was the ones who owned it, or if it would ruin the ceilings...then I would not have taken the pictures. It was pretty remarkable though. I have never seen a place like it before.

After the Vatican (lets just say that it was about a 4-5 hour tour) we were quite hungry...so after asking around a bit someone told us that the best Roman pizza was close by at a place called Alice's. And they were right. For one thing, you paid by the 100mg...so everything was quite cheap. Another thing, instead of having tables and a sit down feeling, they had mats that you could put down on their steps and sit on. They also had a wide variety of pizzas, my favorite being just the classic prosciutto and cheese, but the potato and cheese and some cream sauce one was quite good as well.

After the Vatican we also visited Trevi Fountain where we found a place to relax and just breathed for a bit.

That night six of us, Lauren, Maria, and I...and then Jeremie, Jordan and John (yea all J's) who were the guys we met at the hostel went out for a view of the city at night. It was one of the best nights I have ever had, and Rome is a city that is (almost) as good at night as it is during the day...for one thing the place empties out pretty well, most of the sites are not populated by people everywhere and so you can actually just walk...and not have to worry. I also ended up running into two guys from Illinois (my school) who were studying in England and who I had met on the University of Illinois London Weekend trip.

The next morning Maria and I got up and got ready to head to Florence (Firenze)... Lauren and her friends would be heading our direction a day later. We went to the station and booked train tickets...and then ended up going back to the hostel to drop our backpacks off because we really didn't want to sit around the train station for two hours. Of course when we went back we hadn't eaten lunch or anything so I was all...lets grab some sandwiches for the road...and in the process of doing that...we missed our train. Yep... so...after scurrying around trying to find out where we were supposed to go to get a new ticket...we finally got onto the next train...faster, nicer, more expensive sadly...and took the train to Firenze (arriving ironically at about the same time as our previous train)

HELP!

So I know this isn't the next instalment of ellens european adventure, but I decided to write something about what is going on here in York. Well its (supposed to be) spring, which means that there are baby water fowl everywhere along with the signs saying "Don't desturb nesting birds". I have to admit though that it is pretty cool to walk to class and see a nesting swan. Currently I am biding my time to start the reading that I have to do for tomorrow. Since I only have my english class (Modern Irish Poetry) once a week for two hours I feel that I should really actually prepare for that class. My other class (Historical Perspectives) is a class that the reading technically doesn't have to be done until thursday, when I have my discussion, but there are questions involved so I kinda am tempted to start it as well now.

Well this week starts classes and its looking like my schedule shouldnt be that bad. I have three hours of class on mondays one hour on tuesdays none on wednesdays and then one hour on thursdays.

Upcoming trips that are still in the planning stages include Ireland (specifically Dublin) with some friends, and then there is another trip to London that is also in the works currently (yes Paige the one with you!). I also am trying to plan a trip to Germany to see a few friends as well. So, so far thats whats coming up. Erasmus is all planned out so I have to start putting their dates in my date book as well. This semester is going to be a good one. I hope.

Well since I still need to finish A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and read a bunch of poems from Yeats I will bid you all ado and promise that my next post will be on Italy and the insanity that followed.

Well, I am back...

Yes, I have finally made it back to York after one of the craziest trips of my life. You of course have already heard of my time in Spain, but you have not heard of the other places I have been...and there is a lot to tell. So lets just jump in.

Amsterdam.

Well I guess it really doesn't begin in Amsterdam, but in England, because I had to meet Maria in London, so I packed up, grabbed a bus to the train station and got on a train heading to London. There I found her at the British Museum. After wandering around there for a while we headed to the Spitifield Market, next to the Liverpool St Station where we needed to catch our train to the FERRY(!) we were going to take across the channel. The Market was really neat and is destined to be visited again.

But back to the good stuff...after waiting a good long time we boarded a nice little (bumpy) train to the ferry. After about a half an hour train we were at the ferry. Now I don't think I have seen two adults act so much like little kids as Maria and I were acting. ( I mean I know some adults who are basically big kids...but we were sooo excited!) It was soo cool!!! I mean it felt and looked like a HUGE cruise boat, but it was just a ferry. Our room was sooo nice! There was a full bathroom and enough room in the whole thing for both of us comfortably to move around, and it was nicely lighted and decorated and the beds were SOOO COMFORTABLE!!!! If I could have I would have taken that duvet with me. But I did not have any room.

We had decided to travel at night, hence saving us a day, and the pain of trying to find a hostel in London, or book another night in Amsterdam. So, Maria and I enjoyed our stay on the boat and went to bed. Of course we forgot about the fact that when you go to Europe...you lose another hour, so even though we set our alarms for 6:00...we really didn't wake up until the captain called over the loudspeaker that it was 7:00 and that we would be landing shortly. Ooops.

To get to Amsterdam we had to take a train via Rotterdam. Once in Amsterdam we had to figure out where we lived. Of course I forgot to look up where our Hostel was, and so did Maria, so after much searching on maps and on the internet at the information center we asked someone. Of course it ended up that I had picked a hostel outside of the true center of Amsterdam and so we had a half hour tram ride. On the plus side...free breakfast and internet. Another odd plus was we got towels two of the three nights we were there. Also our roommates were all some really nice people.

Now Amsterdam itself is a very interesting city known for the things that are legal there and not everywhere (for the most part) else. If you do not know what these things are...well ok.

We of course went there not for those things, but for the history and the buildings. Amsterdam as a city is a very interesting place. Full of canals and trams and dams and kerks and bikes. LOTS and LOTS of Bikes. To get around we decided to purchase hop on hop off canal boat tour passes. These lasted for two days and were really nice, but sadly we didn't really use them to their full potential. We went to the Rijksmuseum on one day...and after going through it went to get lunch at a nice outdoor cafe. After sitting down...it rained on us...then the rain got a little stronger, and all of a sudden it wasn't rain anymore...but hail...which grew in size until it was the size of a raspberry. We of course could go nowhere...so we stayed put. Me sheltering my camera, purse, and in a way Maria while Katherine hid under her umbrella. We were told later that that is the usual weather pattern...sun, rain, hail, sun, hail, rain...etc etc...crazy.

The next day we were in Amsterdam it was just Maria and I, Katherine had moved on to meet her family in London. We were set to meet up with a friend from York though Maartin. In the morning we decided to use our boat bus tickets for one more final lap around the canals and then set out to meet Maartin at the Dam (center of town). Once he caught up with us we all went to lunch and had a pleasant conversation about something Maria had eaten (ended up possibly being horse.....still not quite sure) and just life in general. Afterward we got coffee and headed back toward the Dam. Once there we decided to take a tour of the Royal Palace...which Maartin told us had not been open to the public in a while and which was one of the coolest places I have ever been. I recommend looking at my pictures of that place. My favorite room was the main entry hall...because on the floor were three maps...one was of Europe and Asia and Africa...one was of the stars, and the third was the "new world" meaning north and south america. That night was our last night in Amsterdam. The next morning I woke up really early and hopped the 600 tram back into the city to catch the train out to the airport to fly to Madrid where my parents were arriving the next day.

This should catch everything up to the post before this. I will write more later about my trip from Spain to the beautiful country of Italy.

Yes I know its skipping a few places...but now is better then never.

MADRID!!!!

Hello from Spain. It is currently my last day here...with my parents. I am hoping to come back at some point because it is better then it ever could be here. I have spent this past week with my parents...well since the 3rd, I got into Madrid on the 2nd after visiting the great city of Amsterdam. But this is not going to be about Amsterdam...this is going to be about spain...and the fun with my parents...also this comes not just from me, but from them as well...well my mom since she is sitting next to me, and my brother who just walked away from us so maybe not so much from him.

We are currently sitting in the lobby of a hotel located supposedly close to the Madrid airport...but we passed the airport on our way here, so I am not so sure its the closest...oh well it works since tomorrow I am flying to Rome at a really bad time (7:40...meaning i have to get up at 5:00 AM) and my parents have to fly home back to good ol´ Chicago as well.

BUT here is what we have been up to.

As I stated already I got into Spain a day before them, and because my dad is such a nice person, checked into a nice hotel only a short walk away from basically the center of Madrid. Since I hadn´t really eaten anything at all since that morning in the airport in amsterdam my first goal, after taking a REAL shower (more about the shower situation in Amsterdam later), I decided to get some food. Now the dilemma was...should I brave the city with my really poor spanish, or should I just order room service and laze about. I decided to go for a walk and see what I could find. SOO an Ice Cream sandwhich in Parque de Buen Retiro worked for lunch. After sitting under a tree for a few (ten) minutes watching some guys playing football (european football...not american) and a really cute little girl blow bubbles into her unlucky brothers face, I went back down the hill in search of el Museo del Sofia Reina (if my spelling/naming of places is wrong...deal with it...i am in a hotel lobby, not at my desk with the paraphanalia from the trip around me) in the hopes to waste some more daylight. Now this musem was a little confusing...because once you walked into the square in the middle, only one door from it actually let me back out, or should i say back in, to the museum...but once i figured it out I actaully saw some good art. There were of course a good amount of modern art, since the museum is a modern art museum, but I saw some Dali originals and that made me really excited...my camera had died though, so i didnt have any way to take pictures of them. THere was also a really good short silent film that I watched that made me laugh and that I am going to try to search for (probably with no luck) once I am back in York.

Dinner (sadly) consisted of a cheeseburgar and small fries from Mc Donalds...I know I am dissapointed in myself as well. The rest of the night I ended up watching american movies and tvshows dubbed in spanish...if you thought it was hard to follow the Gilmore Girls banter in English...its ten times worse in Spanish...but as good.

The next morning I was awaken by the sound of my room telephone and the voice I heard was MY DAD!!!! They had arrived. Now...when I had arrived I had tried to switch my room to a double...meaning TWO BEDS...but the place was completely full so that was not possible...so my room (which was about the size...maybe smaller...then my room back in York...which is basically the size of my brothers room back home) had to soon fit four people (mom, me, dad, mike) plus about five persons worth of luggage (no one travels light) in it. Lets just say I went to breakfast. My dad fell asleep right away (check out wasnt till noon and it was only 8) my mom tried...but soon joined me at breakfast...my brother just didnt bother...until later when we were actually going to try to see something. SOO after some napping...and some reading...and some repacking...we all checked out of my tiny room and hopped a cab to our REAL hotel. Which was a basically luxury hotel complete with huge ceilings and a perfect view of a more historical Madrid. My brother and I got one room and my parents took another. Lets just say that my brother and I got the better end of the straw with the good view. My parents looked out on a wall. Umm...the rest of the day was taken up by unpacking and then heading out into the city. We decided that our first conquest should be the Palacio del Reyes where we stood in line for about a half an hour and got rained on for about the last ten minutes. BUT it was worth it. The palace was really really nice. It was filled with rich rooms and huge chandeliers...some of which would not fit in a normal size room. There was gold, and silver, and brocade, and fine jewels, and jade, and a good amount of ceramic work...some of which was on the walls and ceilings.

After the palace though we decided we needed food and drink and so found an ok restaurant by our hotel.

Quick side note...my brother doesnt really experiment with food...meaning that anything that was not cheese, ham, bread, or a burger, was out of the question. So hunting for dinner was very difficult for most of the trip...that is until we got to Seville. More on that later

In Madrid we also hit the Museo del Prado (BIIG ART MUSEUM:::which ended up being free) and the Catedral (which we actually kinda of went to for about five minutes on Easter sunday). We walked by the Opera a good amount and even went to the Plaza del Sol and Plaza Mayor on a few occasions...Mayor was one of our frequent stops for food...and Chocolate con Churros. This dish...was basically hot chocolate (and when I say hot chocolate I do not mean the drink...but what happens when you melt a candy bar in a pot...and add a little bit of milk) and churros...which if you have never tasted before are basically fried dough. Of course it was not just one churro per person, no when you ordered they took into consideration that there were four people...and so gave you about ten peoples worth of churros. It was delicious.

Other things that happened with my parents were that I did not have to pay for much, meaning DAY TRIPS!!!!
First one, Toledo.
Toledo is a little town about a half hour train ride from Madrid located in a very hilly area. It is an oooold town that really hasnt changed much in the time it has been around. Of course the main attraction (the Alcazar) was closed, but we still did see the Catedral there and also a Monestary and a lot of really interesting small alleys. Something that was in excess was paintings by El Greco. If you do not know who he is...ask my brother, I think he now has become the expert.
Second day trip was Segovia.
This town is again very small and very old. The main attractions are the Roman Aquaduct...which has been standing for about 2000 years...without mortar...the Catedral, which is HUGE! and another Alcazar...which looked like a true Castle...picture fairy tale castle with not so many towers and brown. Of course this castle had been burned down...at some point but the replica in its place did have original work in it and still had original ceilings and walls in a good amount of the area...so it was realllllly worth it. We also climbed up its tower...all 152 steps of it and saw the whole valley and the mountains beyond and the storks and the hawks and it was just magnificent. My camera again died at the wrong moment.

After these road trips and Madrid my parents and I said goodbye to the wonderful center of Spain and headed South. Here it was increadably WARM!!!! All of us got to Seville and the first thing on entering our hotel (that is after going up and down through tunnels and courtyards to get to our rooms) was all of us changed into shorts. Yes I wore shorts for FOUR DAYS!!! IN APRIL!!! Lets just say it felt good to shed the jeans and get some sun.

Our hotel was a very interesting place. It was located in the Old Jewesh Corner of the city, where all of the old cool stuff is, and was made up of four different buildings, all of which were crawling in flowers and vines and tunnels (the easiest way to get between the buildings) and stairs and it was just perfect. I got pictures of some of the areas, so look for those(also look for my brothers tour of the tunnels...lets just say its pretty good). Our building had something to do with Music, and we did hear music from the building behind ours. We had a two rooms again, my brother and I in one, and my parents in another. There was a nice littler veranda between the two which we soon took over (I kinda felt bad for the other guests we shared it with...we used it more then them for sure). In Seville we took our nice time seeing the sites doing a bus tour the day we got in, and then a walking tour and the Alcazar the next day. I am ALWAYS doing walking tours from now on. Having a live guide is so much better then listening through headphones. In Seville we also vistited the Catedral, one of the three largest in Europe and the Plaza del Torros (bull ring). No we did not see an actual bull fight...but there was one the night before we left. Of course the Real Madrid Barcelona game was top priority for us. (YEAY BARCELONA!!!) Most of our trip in Seville was centered around really good food (lucky us the restaurant across the street was top notch) and relaxation, giving us time to visit with each other, play some cards, and get a slight sunburn.

Well that basically wraps up our nice little trip. As we sit here my mom is already starting to get emotional about leaving tomorrow. I am just dreading getting up so early to get to Rome...but hey its better then flying in at 9 PM. I am also about to hit a slightly thinner budget...yep...no more splurges on room service buckets of ice, and well places with roomservice. Time to go back to Hostels and cheap food.

Thats it for now,
Signing off from Madrid again, its the WHOLE GUIRL FAMILY, not just Ellen.
The main part of this group will be back in Rockford Monday night, of course I will be continuing my eurpoean excursion and will try to actually get something up about Amsterdam at some point...oh and my London trip as well as my mom has just reminded me.

Cheers.