It's been an extremely busy few weeks over here in Spain! I visited Prague two weeks ago, and am finally getting the chance to catch up on blogging before I head home in a few days! Prague was like something out of a Fairytale, with its castles, quaint little streets, beautiful bridges, and unique charm. The city itself is the only Central European city I've visited, and it was definitely very different from all of the Western European cities. Prague is the perfect size, completely walkable by foot and small enough to see most of it in a weekend. If you ever find yourself in Prague I would highly recommend staying at the Charles Bridge Hostel. This was our first hostel experience and it was fantastic. The people who worked there were so kind, guests got lots of great discounts and free water bottles and coffee at any time, it was clean and cozy, and in an excellent location. Here are a few pictures from my highlights of the trip including Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, Prague Beer Museum, the John Lennon Wall, and the fact that breakfast is indeed a thing in Prague.
The first blog post I ever wrote was about the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris last January. The first time I visited Paris, the city I love the most was attacked during the Boston Marathon Bombings. This past weekend, I was in Paris again when a group of terrorists carried out six separate attacks across the city, taking 129 innocent, beautiful lives and injuring 350 more.
I don’t usually have difficulty articulating my thoughts into words. Writing has always come easy for me. Right now that’s not the case. It has never been so difficult for me to put something into words, but I feel that it’s extremely important to try. To be honest, I don’t really know where to begin with this one. I sat at my computer for an hour just staring at a blank document. I spent another hour writing and deleting. In some ways, there are no words for the horrific acts that transpired this past weekend in Paris. In other ways, there aren’t enough words in the world. The journalist in me wants to give you a look into what it was like in Paris this weekend, but this weekend isn’t about me. Where I was and what I was doing doesn’t matter, because I am fortunate enough to have returned to Spain physically unharmed. In certain ways this weekend has changed me.. Please bear with me as I use this post to try to make sense of what happened. If you have any bit of light to share, please do, the world needs as much as it can get right now. I’m usually pretty good at focusing on the uplifting reactions that come about as a result of tragedy, but since I’ve returned from Paris I have felt myself losing a little faith in humanity. I don’t know if I’ll ever be the same after this weekend, because for the first time, I was forced to see the world in a light that I don’t want to believe. I’m still trying to come to terms with the propensity, magnitude, and pure evil of Friday night’s attacks. I truly cannot understand how any group of people can be filled with so much hatred that they dedicate their lives to taking those of innocent people. And all in the name of what? I’ve talked with others, I’ve prayed, I’ve cried, and I’ve lay awake at night trying to make sense of it, trying to figure things out – because this type of world is not the world I want to live in. I’ve questioned my ability to take on a career in which I will be forced to face awful events on a daily basis, and I’ve realized the only way I’m going to be able to do that is to find the strength to focus on the good. So here it is. One of my friends said something along the lines of, “I’m not concerned for my personal safety anymore, I’m just having a really hard time thinking about all the awful things going on in the world, all the people that are suffering, and that there’s nothing I can really do about it.” I agreed completely, because in the past few days I’ve honestly felt like the world was falling apart. Between Paris, Beruit, the Syrian refugee crisis, escalating racial tensions across the U.S. and a multitude of other problems, I was finding it hard to see past any of it. And although most of us personally cannot make political decisions or fight terrorism directly, there is still so much we can do. We can keep on living. It’s so easy to become scared in light of events like the ones that took place on Friday night. I take pride in the fact that the city I call home is known to be extremely resilient. They say that Paris is the city of lights and love. It sure seemed that way, even after everything that happened. From what I witnessed I can tell you with certainty that Paris is defiant and resilient.. The morning following the attacks, many Parisians took to the streets, going about life as they normally would. I’m sure they were scared. I was scared when I ventured out Sunday, but to me, resilience is the ability to not allow fear to affect the way you live your life. If we turn away from the freedoms we are so blessed to have, we let the terrorists win. They want to instill fear into our everyday lives. Don’t let them. Keep on living We can be accepting and we can be kind. Why are we so afraid of differences? Enough already. Between racial tensions causing chaos on campuses across the United States, to backlash against Muslims, to people whom claim that the media only cares about the Paris attacks because it affected whites. Enough. By doing this we are just causing more problems. We should all (myself included) work harder to become blind to color, race, defining characteristics, and to a social stigma that has divided the world. We can stop associating the Muslim religion with terrorism. Not all Muslims are terrorists. Most Muslims are not terrorists. And the terrorists whom claim to be Muslims are so twisted and absorbed in their extremist views that I refuse to even recognize them as associated with any religion. No legitimate religion calls for the killing of innocent people. It breaks my heart to read news stories about arrogant people lashing out at Muslims across the world. The Muslim religion itself actually directly forbids the killing of innocent people. Check out this inspiring video of a Muslim man in Paris after Friday’s attacks. We can stop helping ISIS instill fear. Stop sharing these ridiculous Facebook articles with titles like, “ISIS releases list of cities on attack list.” First of all, you have no idea where these articles are coming from. Second of all, don’t even read them. Third, if you’re going to read them, don’t share them. All it does is cause others to become fearful which is what ISIS wants in the first place. We can fight to find the good in the world. Though I admitted that I have had times of darkness these past few days, I have tried to seek out the good. And after coming out of a moment of darkness, I realized how much good there really is. I’ve seen a lot of Facebook statuses lately saying things like “what a terrible world we live in,” but the good far outweighs the evil, and the world we live in is not a terrible place. Yes, terrible things happen, but for many of us we live in an absolutely beautiful world where we are free to go to restaurants, to bars, to sporting events, and concerts. Most of us are able to live our lives freely, and usually without fear. It is a shame that some people hate our freedoms so much they feel the need to attack them, but we can’t let that keep us from living. People from across the world have come together to support one another, and to support Paris, and that in itself is beautiful. So is this video. I cannot even begin to thank everyone who has reached out to me over these past few days. Your kind sentiments have been more of a comfort I could ever express in words. To my parents, you were my saving graces this weekend. To my amazing study abroad friends, thank you from the bottom of my heart, I wouldn’t want to be on this amazing, crazy, and at times scary journey with anyone else. My deepest condolences go out to the city of Paris, and to all those who’s loved ones were taken far too soon. My heart breaks for you, but good and kindness will always prevail. All my love, Alex The food in Italy was just too amazing to not dedicate an entire post to it. So as I sit here in my room in Sevilla, counting the minutes until lunchtime (2:30-3ish in Spain), I figured why not make myself even more hungry? Here ya go. Pizza I had pizza twice during my four days in Italy, one was good, this one was one of, if not the, best pizza I've ever eaten. If you're ever in Florence do yourself a favor and go to Gusta Pizza. It will change your life. It's owned by four guys, their pictures are on the wall, and two of them were actually there when we were (good sign in any Italian restaurant). It's cheap, it's amazing, everyone working there was great, no frills, fresh ingredients, and most importantly, delicious. This is authentic Italian pizza at it's finest. Pasta I'm not the least bit ashamed to say that when I wasn't eating pizza in Italy, I was eating pasta. Or some other carb. Because for four days straight all I ate was carbs. And gelato. My friends and I were lucky enough to have a ton of amazing pasta dishes everywhere we went. I think one of the most important keys to having an authentic meal in Italy is to get away from the touristy places and to ask the locals. On our first night in Rome we stopped for some champagne near the Trevi and asked our waiter where we should go for good food. He told us anywhere in Trastevere, which is this little neighborhood filled with tons of restaurants. It reminded me of the North End in Boston which is one of my all time favorite places. We ended up going to this area for dinner for both of our nights in Rome. My first pasta dish in Italy was from from Gino51, a cozy little restaurant with a great atmosphere and wonderful servers. Pictured above is spaghetti in marinara with bacon (which in Europe is what Americans would consider ham), and fresh parmesan. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente, which is the way all pasta should be. I think this one was my favorite. Sadly I don't remember the name of the restaurant, we stumbled upon it after realizing we needed reservations for the restaurant we were planning on going to. It was a tiny little no frills place but the food was fantastic. In addition to all of our amazing pasta dishes my friends and I also shared a great caprese salad, a couple bottles of wine, and dessert. One of my favorite parts of my trip to Italy were the long dinners spent with amazing company. Above was my penne in an amazing red sauce with eggplant and mozzarella melted into the sauce. This one was special. Gorgonzola cheese gnocchi. I got a great Florence restaurant recommendation from a friend and I'm so glad we went. The restaurant was The Golden View Open Bar which is right on the Arno River. Definitely a nicer restaurant but we decided to treat ourselves. Our table was right next to the window and the waiter was fantastic. We also realized you can be classy on a budget studying abroad by ordering on the cheap. This restaurant had a 3,000 euro bottle of wine and most of the food was really pricy. We picked the cheapest bottle, split an app, and only ordered pasta dishes which aren't super expensive. The whole meal ended up being around 24 euros each, which really isn't a lot at all for such a beautiful restaurant! Holy Cannoli (and other delicious things) I miss you. I would pay 100 euro to eat another one of these. The cookie was an Italian butter cookie (if anyone from Wakefield is reading this think the colorful Italian cookies from Farmland) filled with chocolate and covered in powdered sugar and more chocolate. Gelato Holy yuuuum. The gelato I'm so happily holding above was my favorite but all the gelato was amazing. This one is from Giolitti in Rome which is known to be one of the best. The place was absolutely packed and you had to buy a ticket before hand for your gelato and then fight through the crowds to order it. 200% worth it, the whip cream on top was also unreal. Last but not least, the world champion of gelatos. But really. Gelateria Dondoli in San Gimignano won the Milan food expo for best gelato. I got mint and cream and the mint had pieces of real mint leaves in it! The owner was the one scooping our gelato and pictures of him with top chefs from around the world covered the walls.
Barcelona, where do I even begin? This was one of the coolest cities I've ever seen in my life, and hands down my favorite place in Spain (behind Sevilla of course). It is so modern but so old all at the same time, and there was always so much going on. There are so many different parts of Barcelona from the beach, to las Ramblas, to el Born, and the Gothic Quarter, and each had their own feel and unique personality. The streets are lined with amazing restaurants, lots of stores, and some of the coolest architecture in the world (thanks Guadi). I think I could ramble on about Barcelona for hours, but I'll try to keep this relatively short (mostly because I'm leaving for Italy tomorrow and haven't started packing). La Sagrada FamiliaMy favorite part of Barcelona and my favorite site I've seen abroad (possibly ever). Antonio Gaudi came up with the design and construction began in 1882 and is expected to be finished by 2026. Thats 144 years. It's highest towers haven't even been constructed yet, so I truly can't even imagine how incredible it will look when it's done. I've probably visited almost 25 churches and cathedrals throughout Europe, and though they're all beautiful, La Sagrada Familia is on a completely different level. Travel tip: buy tickets ahead of time online, if you don't you could wait in line for hours. La Boqueria MarketThe Boquria was the first touristy sight we visited in Barcelona and is located in the middle of Las Ramblas (a long street filled with lots of people, stores, and restaurants that leads to the port). Essentially its a huge market filled with all different types of food, and may be best recognized by any Instagram followers by pictures of smoothies. I made sure to get one and it was just as good as I imagined it would be. Definitely worth a visit, go for breakfast like we did and kill two birds with one stone. Parc GuellGuell is another influential Barcelonian architect, known for his mosaic designs throughout Parc Guell. Parc Guell is like something from another world that almost seems childlike and animated with its strangely shaped buildings and bright colors. Buy tickets ahead of time online to avoid the lines. Other Places to VisitBarcelona is huge, but somehow we saw a huge amount in two full days. Here are some of my other favorite spots. ArumeWhile researching for Barcelona I ended up stumbling upon a restaurant recommendation that turned into one of the best dining experiences I've had in Spain. Arume is this little restaurant tucked away in Barcelona, but is extremely popular with the locals. The wait for a table is extremely long, and we luckily made a reservation, but I would wait hours to eat here again! The atmosphere is intimate and my friend and I were seated in a cool little loft. Our waiter was so friendly and brought us each a second free glass of wine! Everything we ate was gourmet-like and ridiculously tasty. It's also decently inexpensive. My friend and I each got a glass of wine (and a second for free), split an appetizer and dessert, and each got a main dish and only paid 24 euros each! If you're heading to Barca anytime soon be sure to go here! NightlifeNightlife in most of Europe is big, but Barca takes it to a whole other level. You go out late, you stay out late (5 am), the clubs and discos are huge, and some are really classy. This picture was taken at a club in a hotel 26 floors above the beach in Barcelona.
Ok, so I guess this post wasn't actually that short, but Barcelona was too cool not to go into detail. Headed off to Rome, Florence, and Tuscany this weekend and feeling so extremely fortunate for all of these experiences! Cheers to travel and to the weekend! Picture a little town situated at the bottom of beautiful mountains. Its hilly, narrow streets are filled with tiny shops bustling with people, and everywhere you look is bursting with Arabian design and influence. This is Granada in a nutshell. I spent last weekend in Granada and absolutely loved it. Granada (translates to Pomegranate) is entirely different than Sevilla, yet still filled with so much history and culture. Here are some highlights from the trip! Flamenco ShowI thought I knew Flamenco before this, but I was wrong. API took our entire group to a Flamenco show high up on one of the mountains surrounding Granada, and it was nothing short of amazing. We entered this tiny, cavelike room, where chairs lined the outskirts. As you can see from the photos, we were inches away from the action. The flamenco group consisted of about 7 dancers and the live band. Flamenco itself is raw and powerful, but this group made it evident that they were having a blast, which made the audience enjoy it even more. I actually got pulled out of my seat to dance with one of the dancers for part of the show. Though I can't dance Flamenco I still had so much fun and it's certainly one of my favorite memories from the trip thus far. Tour of La AlhambraWithout a doubt this was the most amazing part of my weekend in Granada. La Alhambra is a huge complex of castles surround by the Generalife gardens. As the most visited tourist attraction in all of Spain, it encounters 7,000 visitors each day. After visiting I can certainly understand why. Granada itself was originally inhabited by Muslims until the Christians conquered the city and forced them out. The Alhambra was almost entirely constructed under Muslim rule, which is evident by the design of the fortresses and gardens. It is situated high on a hill overlooking the rest of Granada, and every room was filled with exquisite detail. Arab BathsThese.Were.So.Cool. Some friends and I booked appointments for the Arabian Baths in Granada, having no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We got ourselves into a trip to a stunning, beautifully historic spa for only 25 Euro. Upon arrival we were whisked into a beautiful changing area (with heated floors!!) and then into the rooms with all of the different baths. The package we choose included a 15 minute massage (unreal), and an hour and a half in the baths. There were 4 in total ranging from freezing cold to hot-tub-like warmth. There was also an incredible steam room that made USC's sauna seem peasant-like. If you're ever in Granada I would highly recommend checking these out! It was such a fun, relaxing, and different experience! Hamaam al Andalus Arab Baths TapasHistory Lesson: Tapas originated in Granada where they used to use a plate with a small amount of food to cover drinks. Tapa…Top. Now, tapas are a huge part of Spanish culture and friends often go out to one or a few tapas bars and share a few of these small plates. Because tapas originated in Granada, they are still free with every drink you order (not the case in the rest of Spain). To take advantage of this some friends and I went for a few drinks at a restaurant called La Bella y La Bestia (Beauty and the Beast), which is place known for its huge portions of tapas that get better with every round. Note: tapas are typically not this big! Usually they are very small plates with small amounts of food. Mirador de San NicolasOn our last day in Granada we decided to take the treck up a mountain for the best view of Alhambra that Granada has to offer. We spent a while climbing up to the Mirador de San Nicolas (lookout of St. Nick) and it was so unbelievably worth it. On our way back we got a little lost, and ended up on absolutely gorgeous side streets proving yet again that getting lost in Spain is usually a good thing. Here are some pictures from the view!
This weekend’s travels brought me to Ronda, Spain: a little town built into the side of a cliff, home to Spain’s first bullfighting ring, and the stunning Puente Nuevo. Ronda is typical of many old Spanish cities, filled with small streets and white buildings. What makes it standout: however, are its amazing bridges, breathtaking views, and the fact that it is basically built into the side of a cliff. My friends and I spent the day hiking down to a few viewpoints of the Puente Nuevo (translates to “The New Bridge,” which is ironic since it was constructed in the 1700s), exploring the town, and getting some tapas for lunch. It was the perfect day trip from Seville as the bus ride only cost 24 Euro round trip and lasted about 2 hours. We almost missed the bus there (made it there a minute before it left) because we were at the wrong bus stop, and also missed our planned bus home, but even with our bus mishaps it was a great day. This was a long weekend for us in Spain as today (Monday) is Hispanic Day and we have classes off. It’s also my last full weekend in Seville for a while, as next week begins a long lineup of travels almost every weekend! Here’s where I am headed!
Aside from all my travels I only have two remaining weekends left in Seville! The trip has been flying by but I can’t wait to see what the next two months hold. Continued prayers to the flood victims in Columbia . . . and hugs for back home. Keep on eating all things pumpkin for me. . . and maybe a Chipotle burrito bowl, too. The hike down in the rain was worth it for this view. Go Gamecocks!
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AuthorUSC student studying abroad at the Universidad de Seville and traveling throughout Europe. ArchivesCategories |