Life is Either a Daring Adventure, or Nothing.

The trip is drawing to a close. After three days and two nights in Paris, we are on the EuroStar headed back to London for one final night in Europe. It’s hard to think that I started this journey six shorts weeks ago. As sad as I am to be leaving, I’m so excited to get back to the states to start my next adventure there.

            Paris was….Paris. The first day was rough, as always. I’ve just learned to come prepared for a beating the first day in every city. I knew I was in for an adventure when I slept in and missed my bus to Madrid. I was supposed to meet Nicole in a taxi at 6:00 am to catch our 6:30 bus leaving Oviedo. Of course, I’ve had too much luck this trip and I was waiting for my disaster to happen. I slept in and woke up at 6:50. Once I got my bearings, I called my professor who was still in Oviedo and had him look up buses since I didn’t have Internet at my house. He told me that the next one left at 7:30. So I had about 20 minutes to finish packing, say goodbye to my host mom, catch a taxi to the bus station, buy a ticket, and board. Thanks to my newfound abilities to communicate in Spanish and a rush of adrenaline, I made it. I had contacted Nicole and Andrea to let them know I would be there as soon as I could and then I settled in for the 5 and a half hour bus ride. Unfortunately, I had paid for the nice bus to leave at 6:30, complete with movies, food, and a trip directly to the airport. Instead, I had to buy another ticket for the ghetto bus with nothing but elevator music and a trip to the bus station. So then I had to find a cab, get myself to the airport, get through security and find the girls. To tell you the truth, I loved it. I loved being independent and finding my way through Madrid by myself, speaking only Spanish.

            Once we landed in Paris, we bought Metro tickets and tried to decipher the map in French. We saw what looked like the general area of our hotel and made our way there. Of course, Paris is absolutely gigantic and we were nowhere near where we thought we were. We headed out of the station, three bags each, and started walking the streets. We were looking for a taxi, or anyone who spoke English, but neither were anywhere in sight. After about 2 hours of straight walking, checking maps, and feeling ridiculous, we found someone who tried to help us, with broken English. It was soooo clear that we were out of place. The funny thing about being in a country where you don’t understand the language, yet speak two languages, is you automatically speak any language you know. I kept speaking Spanish to people, desperately trying to communicate. I’m an idiot though because of course, they speak Spanish about as well as I speak French. It was a nightmare. After walking for another hour, we finally hailed a taxi and somehow managed to let the driver know where our hotel was.

            After 14 hours of travel, we got settled in and had a nice long night of sleep. We woke up the next day ready to explore the city. The weather however, wasn’t on our side. We got POURED on all day. We saw l’Arc de Triomphe, Tour Eiffel, Champs Elysees, and the Louvre through the rain. We were absolutely soaked, but it was all part of the experience. We took an early night and relaxed in our hotel room with pizza and moves (we needed a little America). The next day we were prepared to go hard, and did we ever.

            We hit just about every place on the tourist trail: Moulin Rouge, Sacre-Couer Notre Dame, Lovers Bridge (Pont des Arts), Luxembourg Gardens, and the Eiffel Tower, this time with blue skies and sunshine. We also met up with a friend for dinner at this local place that legitly has you sit in a dungeon lit by candlelight. We met Gabriel (the friend) in London when we were there five weeks ago, and he’s studying in Paris. So we’ve kept in contact with him the whole time we were in Spain and it was great seeing him again. It made me realize how crazy life is. You never know who you will meet and how they could impact your life. He was definitely a blessing, helping us with all of our questions, and being our translator when needed. He took us to the Eiffel Tower that night and we got to see it one last time, lit up and shining over Paris. We took a tour to the top and looked out at the lights of Paris.

            We went and got crepes today as one last memory of our trip and made our way to train station. Paris was the perfect way to end the trip. Even though I can say about five words in French and we got rained on, lost, and walked til we thought our feet would fall off, I couldn’t be happier. It made me realize a lot of things.

            1: Spanish has become like home to me. I love the familiarity the language gives me when I hear it, and I love having the ability to communicate in Spanish when I need to. We definitely take for granted the fact that the whole world speaks English (más o menos)

            2: I’m capable of travelling on my own, doing things my way, and figuring out how to get by. I can use the undergrounds, find places to stay, hail taxis, and communicate-ish.

            3: Amazing long-lasting friendships can be formed no matter where you go. From Eduardo, from Nikki Cafe, who kept me company, helped me practice Spanish, and kept me fed and full of coffee everyday, to my host mom who was patient as I struggled to understand her and sat through my broken Spanish until I could start having full conversations with her, to Gabriel, who we met in London and spent time with in Paris, as he showed us his favorite spots. I met so many people that were so willing to open up and help. I’m especially thankful to Andrea and Nicole, who will forever be the girls who were there with me to take on Europe for the first time.

            4: Leaving home makes you realize how much else is out there. I have seen a lot, experienced more, lived with a different family, made new friends, and divulged in other cultures. It gave me a hunger to see the world, that I don’t think will ever be quite satisfied. I’m ready for the unknown, the confusion, the frustration, and the absolute thrill of being a nomad for a bit.

            5: Leaving home also makes you realize how good you have it. I have the most amazing family that supports me, encourages my dreams, and taught me to never stop exploring. They are incredible and I can’t wait to take them here to see what I’ve seen. I also appreciate the familiarity that home brings, and the comfort of being home.

            I did it. I took on Europe by myself for the first time. There will be many, many times to come with new places, new faces, and new memories. It’s time to start the next chapter of my life.

Las Chicas Americanas en España

He hecho muchas amigas nuevas aquí en Oviedo. Hemos tenido muchas recuerdos inolvidables. Hemos compartido esta experiencia increíble juntas. Espero que podamos seguir siendo amigas cuando volvamos a los Estados Unidos. ¡Le amo todos!

Vive Tus Sueños y Nunca Pares de Explorar

    Después de cinco semanas, no puedo creer que mi experiencia en España haya terminado. Estoy pensando en mis expectativas, y no podría estar más contenta con mi tiempo aquí. España era todo lo que quería y más. El número uno de mi "Bucket List" está marcado, he estado en España. Ademas, he estado en Barcelona, Madrid, Ribadesella, Covadonga, Luanco, León, Astorga, Gijón y por supuesto, Oviedo. Las excursiones me dieron la oportunidad de ver muchos sitios alrededor de Oviedo. Oviedo es absolutamente bonito. Tiene mucho carácter e historia. Los edificios y las calles son muy bellas y viejas.
     Durante mi tiempo aquí, he hecho muchos recuerdos, amigos, y he tenido experiencias inolvidables. He conocido a gente maravillosa. Ellos fueron muy amables y pacientes. Me ayudaron con el idioma y hablaron conmigo.
     Fui muy afortunada con la familia de acogida que yo tuve. Mi mamá de acogida era muy guapa, amable, y simpatica. Sin embargo, ella hablaba muy rápidamente y generalmente,  yo no podía entenderla, pero ha hecho aprender rápido y ahora puedo entender a casi todos. Estoy emocionada por regresar a los Estados Unidos y hablo español con la gente allá. Espero que ellos puedan entender mi acento Asturiano.
    Me encanta España. Ha sido una experiencia increíble. Estoy lista para mi próxima aventura.

No One Remembers Nights They Got Plenty of Sleep.

Wow, what can I say about Barcelona? There are just some things that can’t be summed up in words, and I feel my weekend in Barcelona is one of those times. There were amazing memories, spontaneous adventures, and a touch of disaster. We knew it was going to be an interesting weekend when we got to the airport at 6:00 a.m. and Andrea realized she had booked the wrong flight. Heather, Nicole and I were set to fly out at 8:00 a.m. and Andrea’s flight didn’t leave until about 9:00 that night. So she spent a nice 14 hours sitting in the airport. We left her there, promising to meet her at our hostel later that night and loaded the plane.  We felt like true European travelers with nothing but our passports and backpacks. When we got to Barcelona, we caught a cab to our “hotel” (or so we thought). The thing about booking online, in Spanish, is you never know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. So we told the cab driver the address and he dropped us off on a little street next to a pizza shop and a flower shop. We looked at each other, paid the cab driver, and stepped into the street. There was NO WAY this was our hotel. So we walked to the irongate door and buzzed for someone to let us in. We started making our way up an antique, narrow staircase. It looked exactly like our five floor walk-up apartments. We never saw a sign for a hotel, but the address said second floor, so we knocked. An adorable Australian lady opened the door and asked if we were staying in the hostel. Turns out, our “hotel” was a teeny tiny hostel occupying one floor of the apartment building. It was absolutely beautiful. We had a room all to ourselves and the hostel had an open living and dining room, a kitchen, and a patio.

After we got somewhat settled in and bought some groceries for the weekend, we headed to the beach. We’ve gotten realllllly good at figuring out the underground systems in Europe, so we bought a metro ticket to take us to the coast. The beach was absolutely amazing. It was packed, full of surfers, locals, tourists, and a whole lot of topless-ness. We spent the afternoon watching the surfers and taking in some Spanish sun. A bunch of our friends studying in Oviedo were also in Barcelona, so we met up with them at a local hangout that night. After hanging out for a bit and chatting with the locals, we headed back to the coast for the ritzy night clubs. They are extremely difficult to get into, but because we had so many American girls, they let us all in for free. Spanish night life is absolutely crazy. We got to the nightclub and it was nuts. Inside, it was really dark and the music was bumping. We were all enjoying ourselves, dancing in the way only Americans can. Our boys were watching out for us like all the professors had advised them to do. Spaniards can be very upfront so our boys were supposed to step in and be the “boyfriend” if they needed to. Well, us girls kept getting pursued so our boys stepped in. When you have drunk Spaniards and testosterone-loaded boys, something is bound to happen. There was a mini brawl but luckily, only one of our boys got hurt. He had a black eye and some cuts on his face, but other than that, we got out unscathed. We spent the night walking along the beach and calming down before catching a cab home. What’s Spanish nightlife without a little excitement and a bar fight?

We spent Saturday as tourists. We took a double decker tour bus all over Barcelona and saw the Sagrada Familia, the FCBarcelona Stadium, and more. Barcelona is absolutely beautiful. We went to local markets and headed back to the beach. That night, we were going to go out again, but after the night we had before, the boys just wanted to relax so we had them come over and hang out on our patio for a bit. Andrea had booked the wrong flight home as well so she had to catch a cab at 4:00 a.m. We relaxed, walked around, got tapas, and talked on the patio before sending her back to the airport. After she got her cab, we all caught one to the beach for a swim in the ocean under the moon. We swam and hung out on the beach before watching the sunrise. It was PERFECT.

…our other group of friends however wasn’t so lucky. They were supposed to hang out with all of us on Saturday night, but earlier that day, their apartment had been broken into and all their passports, wallets, and money were stolen. They spent their vacation at the police office.

After a weekend full of no sleep, hospital visits, pickpockets, robbers, and wrong flights, all we wanted to do Sunday was sleep on the beach. So we did. We hung out and swam before meeting up with everyone at the airport. 3 days, 2 nights, and too many American adventurers for Barcelona to handle.

La Sagrada Familia

La Sagrada Familia fue construida por Gaudí en el siglo XX. Gaudí se murió en 1926 y la basílica no fue terminada. Solamente un cuarto del edifico fue hecho, más o menos. Ahora mismo se sigue  construyendo todos los días. En 2010, la Basílica estaba a medio hacer. La Sagrada Familia era el proyecto de la vida de Gaudí. La Sagrada Familia es problamente la basílica más famosa en todo el mundo.

Mi Fin de Semana en Barcelona

En el fin de semana libre, fui a Barcelona con muchos estudiantes de la Universidad de Utah. Heather, Andrea, Nicole y yo nos quedamos en la Bohemia Barcelona, un hostal muy cerca de Las Ramblas. El hostal era muy bonito con mucho carácter. Cuando estuvimos empezando nuestra viaje, tuvimos un problema pequeño, Andrea ha reservado un vuelo diferente. Nosotros salimos a las ocho por la mañana, y ella salió a las ocho por la noche. Durante el primer día, Heather, Nicole y yo pasamos la mayoría de nuestro tiempo en la playa porque hacía mucho sol. Después, nosotros regresamos al hostal para prepararnos para la fiesta de la noche. La vida nocturna en España es increíble. Esa noche, nos reunimos con amigos en una discoteca cerca de la playa. Era muy exclusiva, como éramos muchas chicas en nuestro grupo, entramos gratis. Hubo problemas y una pelea en la discoteca. Pero, por suerte, solamente uno de nuestros amigos estuvo lastimado. Al día siguiente, nosotros visitamos y vimos muchos sitios turísticos y tuvimos una noche muy relajada con los amigos. Durante la noche, nadamos en la playa debajo de la luna y miramos el amanecer. El domingo era nuestro ultimo día y nosotros nos relajamos en la playa antes del vuelo a Oviedo.

Covadonga, Mi Lugar Favorito en España

No puedo creer que llevo en Oviedo más de dos semanas. Estamos en nuestra tercera semana. Oviedo es tan bonito pero, durante nuestras excursiones, hemos visto muchos otros lugares. Por ejemplo, he visitado Luanco, León, Astorga, Ribadesella, Los Picos de Europa, y Covadonga. A pesar de que no está en Oviedo, de todos, Covadonga es mi favorito. Covadonga tiene una cueva con la virgen de Covadonga. Ella es la Patrona de Asturias y es una de las siete Patronas de Las Comunidades Autónomas de España. A mi, me encanta el campo, y Covadonga es absolutamente bonita. Está rodeado de arboles y exuberante vegetación. La Basílica está ubicada sobre la montaña.