Quan a Budapest, Cracòvia i Roma... Part 1

Ok. So, these past two weekends have been CRAZY! Two weekends ago: Budapest, Krakow, and Auschwitz-Birkenau.  This past weekend: Rome and the Vatican.  In case you haven't noticed with my blog... the first half was chill--hence, the lack of entries; the second half, however, is a bit loco and will be full of travels!  Sorry (in advance) for blowing up everyone's Facebook and Twitter accounts :)

BUDAPEST/KRAKOW 

(Mar 1-5)

So, I'll begin with two weekends ago.  The breakdown:

• Thursday: Fly in and spend the day in Budapest.
• Friday: Wake up and bus it to Krakow.
• Saturday: Wake up and bus it to Auschwitz-Birkenau.
• Sunday: Wake up, leave Krakow, bus it back to Budapest.
• Monday: Fly back to Barcelona.

This weekend was a blur! There was not a single moment of relaxation or calmness... but, who wants that? So, Thursday morning, I get up before the sun. (For those of you that know me, haha, this never happens!)  My mom had woke up 5:30a to make me my food and fix me a cup of coffee.  How I love her so much! Well, I wake up, drink the café, grab the bags, and metro it to the bus stop to meet my friends: Sam, Katt, Peter, and Aaron.

We arrive at the airport and do the norm.  I'm pretty sure we could do this whole "check-in" thing in our sleep, and at that time of the morning that may be a fair statement.  We board the plane and wooooosh! PS: flying to Budapest was the most beautiful flight yet! Flying over the Swiss Alps is a view that has yet to be matched!  

We land.  We go straight to our hostel (Thank God for Sam! Queen of Navigation!)  We check-in, get keys, unload, and head straight out! We only have ONE full day in Budapest to see as much as we can! So what do we do first? Eat, duh. Goulash! Um, if you go to Budapest, there is this restaurant called Frici Papa that serves the best goulash in all of Budapest! Go. Eat. Love. 

Afterwards... we walk and walk and walk and then walk some more.  The sad truth is... I do not know the majority of the names of anything we saw.  We didn't really have much time to learn what we were looking at, haha! So, I had to do what any normal person would do when they don't know something... Google and Wikipedia.

So, after eating, we took off. 

This city was full of artwork! Both large and small.  There was a lot of art... and statues that a person could interact with...

Of course, we stumbled upon one of the main basilicas in Budapest: Saint Stephen's Basilica. (Szent István-bazilika)

Since we already knew what we were doing that night (in fact, we knew before we had even arrived to Budapest), we had all heard of and wanted to see the famous Széchenyi Chain Bridge (Lánchíd)...  So, with our map, Sam guided us to it! Once on the bridge, the views were spectacular.  In one instant, we saw some of the most famous sites of Budapest: Buda Castle, Matthias Church, and Parliament.

Chain Bridge

Matthias Church

Parliament

Buda Castle

We walked across Danube, the river that separated Buda from Pest, and then returned to the hostel.  We took about a 35 minutes nap (Spain has spoiled us with siestas!), got up and headed out to... Szechenyi Turkish Baths!!! 
 

We spent three hours in jacuzzi-temperature waters and I got a massage!  Best. Idea. Ever!  After the most relaxing time OF MY LIFE, we headed to hostel to get a few hours of sleep because it was another early rise.


The next morning, we wake up early and take the metro across town to the bus stations to board our bus to take us to Krakow, Poland.  Oh, did I mention? It was a 6 to 7-hour bus ride... In case you were wondering, I slept.  Since the bus took us through the Czech Republic and Slovakia, am I allowed to add those to the countries I have been to?


So, just like Budapest, we only have one full day to see it all!  Again, we arrive at the bus station and head to our hostel!  Kraków is a very underestimated town... The monuments are not famous, it is not a huge place, but it is has a certain charm and enchanting feeling.  It's quaintness made it all the better.  For the past few months, we have visited some of the most famous (and GRAND) cities in all of Europe, so it was nice to be in a town that had its own whimsicality. 

There was not much to Friday, but walking and exploring the hidden beauty of this town, which included the Jewish Quarters.

Saturday: Auschwitz-Birkenau.  Honestly, I don't have anything to say about this.  I will do another blog dedicated to this day... Thinking about this experience still breaks my heart.  No one person is affected the same way; but, all are affected.

Sunday and Monday were strictly travel days.  On Sunday morning, we bussed our way back to Budapest.  That night was rather interesting... we decided not to book a hostel.  We thought: We have to be at the airport at 4a, why waste the money? Luckily, Katt had a friend studying abroad there.  He let us crash at his flat.  That whole hour and a half of sleep made all the difference.  Like I said, we were at the airport at 4a. So early. Too early. We landed at 9:30a, I thought about going to class, but decided it wasn't worth it.  I went home and slept until my 3p class.  Went to it, came back home, and slept until the next day.

ROMA...tomorrow.

VIVA LA VIDA...a Carnaval!

I know, I just blogged.  But, I thought that Carnaval deserved its own for two reason: 1) COME ON, it's Carnaval; and 2) that last one was a tad bit long.


So, for those of you that don't know, Carnaval is a festival that is celebrated all over the world! (The biggest is in Brazil: Rio de Janeiro.) It typically occurs the weekend before Ash Wednesday... Lent.  And, just like Mardi Gras in the States, Tuesday is the biggest, grandest, and most festive of the days.  So what day did I go, you ask? Tuesday, of course!


Here is my night:


First, we waited to the board the buses.  By we, I mean the 800ish people in Plaza Catalunya. So, after about 30 minutes of waiting, we got on the bus.  A man (from Australia, go figure), who was in charge, told us some things to expect and be careful of.  Pickpockets. Drunk people. Prostitutes.  Stupid people.


After 45 minutes, we arrived in Sitges.  It is a little beach town south of Barcelona.  Before departing on our own, the director told us... "At 3a, the buses will be here.  If you are fortunate enough to be here, you will have a ride back to Barcelona. HOWEVER, if you are not... *pause for dramatic effect* you are no longer our responsibility, and good luck finding a ride home."  Then we were free...


Trust me, finding where you needed to go was not hard.  Simply, follow the confetti.  It was kind of like the Yellow Brick Road of Carnaval. 


After about 15 minutes of walking, we found the road that runs parallel with the beach, which is the street that parade was located.

.EL DESFILE.

How to describe the parade.  No sé. Well, it pretty much ranged... from... well, everything.  I saw the ninga turtles.  To people dressed up as angels and devils.  To people dressed up as burgers, fries, and workers from 50s burger joint. Lady Gaga wannabes.  Flamenco dressers.  Cross dressers. There were incredible bands parading.  A few drumlines that would make you dance even if you tried to resist!  You name it. It was in this parade.

.LA PLAYA.

Well, the beach was a pretty typical beach.  There was an incredibly beautiful church located on the oceanfront: L'església de Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla.  However, after the parade, a majority of the people went there to relax and sit by the ocean.  And, well, some other things... OH, I did witness someone using the restroom on the beach-É-take it for you want.  

.DESPUÉS.

After staying on the beach for a bit, we decided to wander the streets.  Thousands upon thousands upon thousands of people bombarded the roads.  If you weren't aggressive, you weren't going to stand a chance in moving.  Literally.  You would stand in the same spot surrounded by people.  My friends and I grabbed hands, making a chain of about 12 people, and pushed. Pushed hard! 15 minutes later, we made it. One block down. BUT, we had lost about 6 people.  Every single place was packed past the maximum limit. Though, I'm not sure if Spain has limits? (The fire marshal would not be happy.)  Bars. Clubs. Restaurants. Fast food places.  There was not a single place to stand, walk, or sit.  Finally, my friends and I just decided to walk around the city for the remainder of our time. 

Well, it was 2:35a... time to find our way back to the bus.  Not easy.  At all.  The roads are just like here in Barcelona.  They go up, down, left, right, diagonal-that-way, diagonal-this-way.  But, hey, we found it. With about 10 minutes to spare.  And on the way to the bus, I got really hungry. And, to my luck, I found this little stand that was normally a restaurant, but not for Carnaval! They pushed up this table and blocked the entrance... You ordered from the table and out came your food... to go, haha!  I ordered a crêpe: ham and cheese.  Heaven in my mouth. 

Carnaval has left me... I don't know the words.  I feel, as if, I have, truly, seen everything.  There is not much, I think, that will surprise me.  Carnaval was full of extremely friendly people.  Everyone was willing to help. Share. Push through the crowd with you.  It was a big celebration in which everyone was there to have fun! And, I did.  This was a once in lifetime experience!  And, I am so glad I could enjoy it!  Would I do it again? I'm not sure. Maybe. Probably. Ok, I would :)

"Oh London, thou art the flower of all cities..."

So, it has been far too long since I have last blogged.  And, friends and family, both, told me I needed to. I gave in to the pressure.

It has been a month! since I last talked with you all... what has happened.  For one, I have been exploring Barcelona more and more each day.  Discovering the tapas bars.  The best café con leche. The best pastry shops.  The barrios.  I am trying to absorb as much as I can before departing (which, in fact, my time here is limited now!).  Since our last talk, I took a day-trip to Girona and Figueres.  Girona is a medieval city, much like Toledo.  It was extremely beautiful, and rich in culture and art!  Figueres--well, I didn't really go to the town only a museum: Teatro-Museo Dalí.  Dalí. Dalí. Dalí.  I have no words to describe/express his artwork... different, bizarre, abstract, modern: you love it, or you hate it.  I know it doesn't seem like much, but, for me, discovering the city and the culture I have submerged myself in is the most important thing to me.  HOWEVER, this blog will be dedicated to my first, personal, excursion!

.London.

English, again.

Ability to communicate effectively and clearly.

Where to begin.  How about the week before... Well, I was sick.  Really sick.  I had to go to the doctor and everything.  Somehow, I had contracted a very nasty stomach virus; I didn't eat food for about three days.  So, London almost didn't happen, but I sucked it up.  My dear friend, Leah, and I boarded our plane and headed off!  When we landed... it was snowing!!!  For those that me, you know how excited this made me!  I could have happily turned the plane around and went back (just kidding).  

Anyway, we got off, got our luggage, bought a bus ticket that would take us into London and bring us back once it was time to leave.  The sad thing is we hesitated and, together, tried to determine how we were going to ask for the tickets... then, it dawned on us.  We are in London, they speak English.  So, the bus ride was about an 1.5 hours to our bus stop.  We finally made it our hostel after walking past it... twice.  I got in my room, crawled to the top of TRIPLE bunk, and went straight to sleep.  The first night there, I knew that London was going to full of helpful and amazing people.  How did I know that, you ask?  Because of the streets!  The streets saved my life numerous times!

They told me which way to look! They knew I was American.  AND, they knew they drove on the wrong side :)

We woke up.  And were off to explore this new and foreign destination!  Well, of course, after breakfast at this amazing little shop. I had two poached eggs, wheat toasts, and bacon (just so you know, bacon in London is not bacon, it's ham). Leah's best friend is studying in London, so we met up with her and she showed us around! First off, we went to the wonderful area of Camden.  Camden is very eclectic.  There is (literally) something for everyone, all ages.  There were little convenient stores, clothing stores, restaurants, everything imaginable.  There are museums.  The Camden Market.  Bazaar-esque areas and flea-market areas.    

A road in Camden.

After the Borough of Camden, we just walked around for about an hour.  During that hour, I found a building that, to me, embodied London. 

After walking around the area a little bit more, we boarded the "Tube" (that's their subway/metro/transportation).  When we got off, we seemed to be in the middle of nowhere.  However, Leah's friends knew where they were going.  So, we walked through this beautiful park, sat on a bench, and ate our lunch. Afterwards, we walked through the park and came out near this bridge (and to my ignorance I thought it was the Millennium Bridge, because that and the Tower Bridge are the only two I know).  As we crossed the bridge, there it was... the most amazing view.  The London Eye on my left. Parliament and Big Ben in the distance. The "skyline" behind me.  Right after this picture (the next one) my camera died. 

Well, not much else happened on Friday.  We went to a Pizza/Pasta place for dinner... Oh, did I mention, it was Princess Diana's favorite restaurant :)

Because, I was still sick, I went to bed fairly early because Saturday was going to be a LONG day!  AND, another friend of mine, Micah, had finally arrived!

Saturday morning. Early. Really early.  Well, we decided to go to the same little shop for breakfast because it was close and cheap.  Mica and two of her friends (my new friends), Jillian and Amanda, found a free walking tour.  They had me at free.  It could have been anything.  What I heard was: "Blah, blah, blah, free, blah, blah, blah."  In that tour, we saw everything that the average tourist needed and wanted to see; however, we did not get access into places for free.  And, everywhere was ridiculously expensive to enter.  The Westminster Abbey was (?) 14pounds, which is about $25.  To go inside. A church.  Should that not be free?  So, I got to see the outside, which was gorgeous.  And, since I was able to see the outside, you can see it too!

The Westminster Abbey

Also, directly across the street from the Westminster Abbey was yet another iconic feature of London: Big Ben.

To me, this represents London.  Big Ben and one of the famous telephone booths!

Well, after seeing both of these, what is there left! Of course, Buckingham Palace! So, off we walked. (Actually, this was before Big Ben and the Westminster, so just pretend with me.)  

I was not super impressed with this palace because I have seen some incredible palaces and will see some soon (Palacio Real de Madrid and Château de Versailles).  I did learn something about the palace though... It was never intended to be the Royal Palace; it was simply someone's house.  Sadly, I was more impressed with the main entrance to Buckingham Palace. 

This is the main entrance... an entrance.  It amazes that the main entrance into the palace is almost as big as the palace itself.  It was really interesting because this entrance had foot soldiers and soldiers on horses.  Oh, and on the other side, is the famous London Eye.  

 

At the end of the walking tour, our awesome tour guide took us to a pub that has been serving grub since the 1800s.  It was here that I tried "fish and chips."  They were just as good as everyone said they would be.  But, the green stuff on the plate were smashed peas (I think), they were not that good.  

So, I have pretty much done this entire day backwards in my blog... oops.  BEFORE, the walking tour Mica, Jillian, Amanda, and I, oh, and this guy named Paul, went to Harrod's.  Paul was one of the people staying in our hostel!  He was only 19 and was traveling around alone, so we invited him to join us.  Harrod's was just as glamorous, larger-than-life, and expensive as it appears in the movies!  Harrod's had everything, but where did we go... The food area.  They had a room for it all.  Fruits and vegetables here.  Meats and fish there.  Breads, pastries, and cupcakes there.  BUT, the best room there: chocolate.  The chocolate area gave samples!  So, being myself, I walked around the room a few times just going to different people each time. 

After this super busy day of walking and touring, my night was just beginning.  Saturday night: WICKED!  That night had finally arrived.  Actually, I bought my ticket to this musical before I had purchased my airline tickets, before I reserved my hostel, before anything.  I was determined to go. At 6:40p, I got on the tube (I had learned how to navigate through London already.), rode it for about 30 minutes, got off and was a little disoriented because it was a different exit, walked around the corner, and found the theatre.  At 7:30p, the show started.

At about 10:00p, the curtain closed.  It was worth every bit of my time and money.  It was more than I ever expected: wow!  Afterwards, I went to the stage door.  Waited for about 15 minutes.  Finally, one-by-one they started to exit the building.  By the end of the night, I had all their autographs and had met and talked with the entire company.  Yes, I was that person.

After the show, I turned in for the night.

Sunday was a very, very short day because we had to be at the airport by 2p.  We walked around a little bit more.  To a few more places we had no yet been too.  Leah and I walked into St. Paul's Cathedral.  It was breathtaking.  There were signs posted everywhere not to take photos because there was a service taking place... Naturally, I... well, I took a few.

Second row from top, first candle on the right is the candle I lit.

My last stop.  Finally, my Harry Potter dream came true.  I saw the Millennium Bridge, haha!

After seeing this and the London Bridge (in the distance), Leah and I made our way to the Tube and headed back to the hostel to get our bags.  We were off to the airport.  Barcelona bound... :)

The days I have left are becoming fewer and fewer, which makes me terribly sad; however, there is so much planned and expected in these last few weeks.

This coming weekend: Budapest and Auschwitz!
Next weekend: Rome! (I cannot wait to see some familiar Evangel faces!)
Semana Santa: Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris!

Of course, I will be delving more into the city of Barcelona.  I still haven't quite discovered the "heart" of Barcelona.  But, I still have time.

Cariños,
Jay

Però l'home no crea ... descobreix.

I have been in Barcelona now for over a week! And, I have been in Spain for two weeks!

Last blog, I ended with my class placement.  Classes started a week ago, and after going to the class for a few days, I decided that the testing was rather accurate.  Intermediate III is where I need to be; it is a good review of the things I have forgotten, and it will definitely educate me on a lot of new material.

I have definitely gotten into a, somewhat, routine, which is nice.  Every morning, I wake up, go into the kitchen for breakfast, drink a cup of café and eat a muffin.  Every morning.  Breakfast is, perhaps, the best time I have to practice my Spanish.  Because I have class earlier in the morning, I get up before my roommate and eat alone.  Señora (ma'am, which is what I call her) always sits with me and talks to me (in Spanish)--about everything! It's nice.  Then, I get my bocadillos from the refrigerator, take the elevator to the ground floor, run to the end of the block, and board the metro.  Right now, I, still, only have my one Spanish language course that meets for 2.5 hours every morning. After class, I either go home to take my siesta or a couple of friends and myself go to the beach, which is about a 10 minute walk from school.  

Anyway, enough about school.  Last Wednesday, the program offered us a "Gothic" tour of the neighborhood known as Barrio Gótic.  Because I was at a friend's apartment, I didn't feel the need to use a metro pass and rush back to my apartment to get my camera, so there are not yet any pictures of this neighborhood... but, hey, I'm here for three months!  The neighborhood was incredible! This part of the city is very mysterious and historical!  Literally, so much history is in this neighborhood! It dates back to the 11th century.  At that time, it was referred to as the Jewish quarter, but, because of persecution, they were tortured and killed off.  Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia (this is Catalan, not Spanish) is the main cathedral of Barcelona that was built in the 13th century and took 300 years to build.  It is a marvelous structure!  Again, sorry about not having pictures.  I will one of these days... but, that is why there is Google.  During this tour, I learned about two of the most eminent Saints in Barcelona: Sant Jordi (Saint George) and Santa Eulàlia.  Both have amazing stories behind them; however, the legend behind Santa Eulàlia is a very heart wrenching one.

After this tour, the rest of my week was fairly relaxing.  This past weekend, though, was full of discovering more of the city! In fact, I finally got to visit two of the places I was most excited to see: Parc Güell and La Sagrada Familia.  These two masterpieces of art show the brilliancy of Antoni Gaudí.  With Gaudí, you love his work or you hate it; normally, there is no in-between.  Me: I love it.  So, Saturday, I spent the day in Parc Güell with some friends; and, Sunday, I spent the day at La Sagrada Familia with a friend.  One day is not enough to experience everything that these two places offer! There is so much to look, so much to take in, so much to experience that one trip just won't suffice.  In all of his work, a person is able to see the immense influence that the environment and nature had on his pieces.

First, let me talk about the park... so, I chose four pictures that I thought best represented this diverse park as a whole.  The first is the famous mosaic dragon, which is the first thing you see upon entering the park. (Dragons are major symbols of Barcelona because of the legend of Saint George.)  Next, is a walkway etched out of the ground. And, the last two are the same picture, more or less.  It is the priceless view that this park offers, after trekking up the mountain.

El Dragón

The number of people around this dragon, leaning on it, trying to get a picture with it, did not allow a full shot of it.  Even if I had one, you wouldn't be able to see the whole thing.  Tourists...

That day consisted of complete relaxation.  Michael and I did some eye-shopping at Burberry, then went to the park where we met about six of our friends.  We sat around, walked the mighty hill, ate some bocadillos, and talked. 

The next day: I slept in. Finally, I met up with my friend Taylor so I could go and exchange a jacket I had bought... to my surprise, everything--and, I mean, everything--is closed on Sundays.  Afterwards, we decided not to waste the day, but go to La Sagrada Familia.  Originally, we were just going to walk around the grounds and snap some pictures.  There wasn't much debate on whether or not we should go in; so, we paid the 16 euros to enter and ride the lift, walked through the turnstile, and were amazed (again) at Gaudí's work.  This unfinished-130-year-old edifice was breathtaking! In fact, every time you see it, the same overwhelming occurs.  There is so much to look at, so much to see, it is extremely difficult to see the same thing twice.  Once your eyes hit this building, they hurt from the constant wandering.  And, this is just the outside! The same thing happens once you are inside.

I was so thankful when I saw this diagram outside of the church.  There was only one that explained this particular side of the church.  Oh, and, it was conveniently in English! It explained this...

Look at the diagram above :)

Eternal Christmas Tree

La fugida a Egipte (Left); Mort dels sants innocents (Right)

Above the entrance!

Both of these were as soon as you walked in! Walk in, on the right, stained glass! Walk a little farther and, boom, on the right, the main cathedral!

The ceiling!

The main altar piece (left) was absolutely breathtaking--as most of the cathedral! As you can see, there were two organs and a chandelier that hung from the middle.  Within the middle of the chandelier was Jesus on the cross; Jesus, of course, has the Gaudí "touch."

Chandelier: Jesus on the Cross

After about an hour of exploring this massive cathedral with Taylor, it was our turn to ride the lift.  The lift took us up to the top of one of the spirals, and provided some of the most spectacular views of Barcelona!  Views in every direction.  We were able to see the many mountains surrounding Barcelona, the ocean, and every barrio in the city. 

One of my favorite views from the Spiral.

After we were done with these views--it was a while--we had the choice of taking the elevator back to the ground or the hundreds (literally) of stairs down the spiral.  Taylor and I said: "When in Barcelona..."  So, we took the stairs down the spiral... naturally, because it was a spiral, the stairs had to spiral.  Taking these stairs (below) was, perhaps, the scariest thing I've ever done.  There were no rails! Walking down this entire tower, a person had the sense of "if I lean over and look down, I will die."  Me, being me, looked down numerous times! Every time caused me to quiver just slightly. 

As Taylor and I left (to go to Starbucks), I stopped in the middle of the street and took one last picture of the entire church.  Still just as stunning as it was before we entered...

The church is still, obviously, under construction; but, it is said to be completed by the 100th-year anniversary of the death of Gaudí in 2026!

Well, I didn't really want this post to be as long as the previous one, but it is...  I am going to take the advice of dear friend, Lindsay, to help all of those who read this.  More often, but shorter blogs.  Anyway, I have more I can write, but I need to study for my first exam!

It's amazing how fast time moves! I have already been in Spain for three weeks... OH! Lastly, I have officially planned my first excursion: London!

Cariños,
Jay