Barca, Barca, Barca!

     This weekend, we all went to Barcelona, Spain. We left early Friday morning at 7:30 am and arrived to spain around 9:30. After getting to the city from the airport, we checked into our hostel. This was my first time staying in a hostel. I was shocked when I walked in to the Equity Gothic Hostel. It was very clean and comfortable. We had 8 beds to a room, so it was like a big party with all of my friends. After getting settled, we walked to La Rambla which is a long strip of shops and restaurants. There were open air markets and little stands selling handmade jewelry and fresh flowers. From La Rambla, we walked all the way to La Sagrada Familia, the Basilica designed by Gaudi. This Basilica was never been finished, so it is still being built. When you walk up to La Sagrada Familia, it looks almost fake. The design is very unique, and your eyes get lost in the all of the detail. After Sagrada Familia, we went back to La Rambla to see this open air market, Saint Joseph's, that we walked past earlier. It was like nothing I have ever seen before. There was a stand for everything: fruit, meat, cheese, chocolate, spices, prepared food, bread, wine, etc... We spent an hour just walking around this market.
     Friday night, my brother, my friend Katie and I went out for tapas. We found this gorgeous tapas bar that was down a little side street. When you walk in, they give you a plate, and you walk up to the tapas bar and choose what you want. Each tapas has a toothpick in it which is how they charge you. The toothpicks add up when you want to try everything. After dinner, we met up with my friend Fiona. She is studying abroad in Barcelona with a home stay family. Fiona wanted to take us to Gracia, the neighborhood she is staying in, that has a lot of local bars and clubs. We rode the metro to get there from Plaza Catalunya. The metro trains in Spain are not like the redline in Chicago. They have cushioned seats like airplane seats and are extremely clean. When we arrived to Gracia, we met up with Fiona's RA, Marta. All of the clubs have "la lista." You have to be on "la lista" to get in. Marta knew some people at the club, so she was able to get us all in to Otto Zoots. Going into the club was a cultural experience alone. Everyone is dancing and singing and meeting new people.
     Saturday morning, we woke up walked around the Gothic district. I found my first Starbucks of my time studying abroad (Rome doesn't have or need Starbucks). Then, we went in the Saint Joseph's market for lunch. At about 2:00pm, I met up with Fiona. She took me to a little hole in the wall tea shop. We had chai tea from Africa and sat in this shop for two hours, drinking tea and chatting like true Spaniards. Then we went shopping at Zara. Zara is originally from Spain, so the selection and prices are fabulous.
     After shopping, we headed back to Gracia. Fiona took me up to her family's apartment to see how she lives. The apartment was quaint and very European. Walking around Gracia, we got stuck in the Carnivale parade. I have never seen anything like it. Carnivale in Barcelona was very different from Carnivale in Venice. It is more of a family experience in Barcelona. The parade consisted of people from the age of 2 to 80, dancing and signing and all dressed up. It was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced. Gracia is not a tourist neighborhood, so I really felt like I was immersed in Spain's culture.
     I left Fiona and back to Plaza Catalunya to meet up with my friends for dinner. We had tapas again. Around 11, we met up with Fiona again at a bar called the Black Sheep. It is an underground bar that is not very well known. A mime lets you in the door only after you and your entire group are completely silent. At Black Sheep, we had our very first Sangria. We sat there for hours, talking to the locals and drinking in the culture. It was so enjoyable. I loved every second of my weekend in Barcelona.

Baci,

Nikki

   
   

Carnival in Venezia

This weekend, my brother and I took our first trip while at the Rome Center to Venice. We left on Friday and got there late Friday night. We stayed in a pensione called Allogi Agli Artisti, where we had to share a bathroom with all of the other travelers on the floor. I definitely felt like a student backpacking through Europe. Because this weekend was Carnival, everyone was dressed up in costumes and wearing handmade masks. There were concerts and festivals in Piazza San Marco all weekend long. We ate lunch and dinner in two places where only locals went, and no one spoke English. It rained the entire weekend, and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. My brother and I had so much fun, made so many memories and shared so many laughs. And of course, the rain did not stop me from buying shoes or having my first gelato of the trip! It was a weekend that I will remember forever.

Baci,

Nikki

Mass of the Holy Spirit

    Tonight, John Felice Rome Center hosted a mass for the students. The mass was held at San Ignacio church right next to the Pantheon near Piazza Novona. Following the mass was a dinner at a local restaurant.
     My friends and I got all dressed up and ready for church. On the way to the mass, we got lost. It took us over an hour to get to the church, but we finally made it. When we walked in, we were all shocked. This was not a little catholic church down a side street. San Ignacio is enormous. I could not believe I was attending mass there with only a few other students. It is one of the most beautiful churches I have ever been to. Tom was asked by Father Al to read during the mass, and many of the faculty members and students sang and played instruments.
     After mass, we went to dinner at an osteria. Here, I had the best meal yet since I have been here. The first course was a stuff tomato with ricotta cheese, drizzled in balsamic and pesto. Then, we were served their famous ravioli, stuffed with pear and carrot. I recommend everyone come to Rome just to try this dish. Finally, we had pork tenderloin and fresh vegetables. The whole meal was outstanding, and it was a great way to reflect on how lucky we all are to be studying abroad in such a wonderful place.

Baci,
Nikki

Torna a Sorrento

This weekend, we had our orientation trip to Sorrento. We left early Friday morning at 7:00am. We drove straight to Ercoleum, a town that was destroyed from the eruption of Mount Vesuvio, which buried most of the town. We walked around the excavated part of Ercoleum and saw the ruins of what had been a surprisingly civilized town. From there, we left and went to a wine tasting, right outside of Napoli. The vineyard was at the base of Mount Vesuvio. At the vineyard, we were served a three-course lunch in the same room with the barrels of wine and tasted four different wines. After lunch were went to our hotel, the Hotel Flora, which was a beautiful hotel in the heart of the small town of Sorrento. Saturday morning, we woke up and left for a buffalo mozzarella farm. At this farm, we were able to take a tour of the stable where the buffalo were housed. This farm was very different from anything I had in mind, especially knowing farms in the United States. Mozart plays for the buffalo in the mornings to relax them and there is a large brush that rotates in the stable to give them back massages. After the tour, we were able to taste the fresh mozzarella cheese, which needless to say, was an experience after justing seeing and smelling posthe stable. We left the farm and went to Paestum, which was an Greek colony with Greek ruins. We walked around the museum and among the three surviving temples. From there, we went to a restaurant and ate traditional Neapolitan pizza. Today was our last day in Sorrento. We checked out of the hotel and headed to the palace of Charles III of Bourdon. While taking our tour, we learned that Charles the III wanted a palace that was more beautiful than any other palace in the world, including Versailles. So, it goes without saying that it was one of the most beautiful places I've seen. The last place we visited was Montecassino. This was by far my favorite site. Montecassino is a monastery on top of a mountain north of Napoli. It was bombed during World War II in an effort to relieve Italians from the fascist party. Saint Benedictine built a church which mainly survived the bombing. The inside of the church was absolutely breathtaking. We also visited Saint Benedictine's cellar, which is where he slept. The whole experience was fantastic. We were able to see so much history, along with meeting new people and forming relationships that will last forever.

Baci,
Nikki

Among the Ruins

     This weekend, we went to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum on Saturday, and a walled city called Viterbo on Sunday. The Colosseum and Forum are breathtaking. I couldn't help but get goosebumps walking around places that existed in ancient Rome.
     Today, we went to the walled city of Viterbo. It was beautiful. I took so many pictures, but they do not capture half of the beauty that lies within the walls of the city. Every street, alley way and apartment home looked as if it was out of a movie. For lunch, we ate at Ora Domus La Quercia, which was a former covent of the Sanctuary of Saint Maria della Quercia. It was a quiet Sunday, spent outside of noisy Rome, in one of the most picturesque places I have ever been to. I wish I could bring all of you to see the true beauty of Viterbo, but until then here are some pictures.

Baci,
Nikki

A Night to Remember

     Tonight was the perfect night. My brother and I were tired from a long day of meetings, so we decided to skip going out and just go to dinner ourselves. We took the bus to Piazza Cavour and from there, we walked to the Vatican. When I was in Rome four years ago, my family and I visited the Vatican. I remember the crowds of people and long lines of tourists waiting to see everything. Tonight, there were about fifteen locals. My brother and I were in awe. Without thousands of people standing around, I could appreciate the beauty and importance of what I was staring at.

     After that, we decided to go eat dinner. We had no idea where to go, so we just walked. After about fifteen minutes, we found a little underground restaurant with some of the best pasta I have ever tasted in my life. It was the perfect way to end a long day.

Baci,
Nikki

Getting Lost

After a very long day of travel, I am finally in Rome. As soon as we landed, a bus picked us up from Fuimicino aiport and took us to the John Felice Rome Center. From there, my brother, friends and I decided to go exploring. After dinner, we took the 913 bus at about 8:30pm to the heart of Rome. The city was all lit up and everybody was out visiting. The culture in Rome is very different from that of the states. We wandered into a little cafe that was about to close, however, the owner, Antonio, stayed open an extra hour to let us drink wine and experience the city. Leaving Antonio's, we got lost. Instead of worrying about it, we embraced the opportunity to learn about the city and find new places. We stumbled upon a gelateria called Giottorio, which had some of the best looking gelato in Rome. Walking back, we tried to use the little bit of italian that we knowto speak to the locals and get directions. Amused and willing to help, a little old man who was driving one of the busses pointed us in the right direction. So here I am. Laying in my bed at 12:00 in the morning in Rome. And I could not have asked for a better first night to start our journey.
Baci,
Nikki