Finalized Travel Schedule

January 24th: Escorial, Spain

January 25th: Toledo, Spain

January 31st-February 1st: Cordoba, Spain

February 6th-8th: Lisboa, Portugal

February 14th: Segovia, Spain

February 20th-February 22nd: Barcelona, Spain

February 26th-March 1st: Amsterdam

March 6th-8th: Milan, Italy

March 19th-March 22nd: London, England

March 27th-March 29th: Galicia, Spain

**April 3rd- April 13th: Semana Santa (Saint Week)**

Friday April 3 to Tuesday April 7th: Paris

Tuesday, April 7th to Thursday, April 9th: Florence, Pisa, Tuscany 

Thursday April 9th to Monday April 13th: Rome

 

April 16th-April 19th: Palma Mallorca, Spain 

 April 23rd- April 26th: Casablanca and Rabat, Morocco (North Africa)

 April 27th-May 14^th: Madrid and surrounding towns (Aranjuez, Spain on May 9th and Avila, Spain on May 11th)

 May 15^th-May 17^th: Granada, Spain

**May 19^th-26^th: Eastern Europe!**

May 19th: Layover in Brussels, seeing about the town for the day

May 19^th-21^st: Budapest, Hungary

May 21^st-24^th: Vienna, Austria and Bratislava, Slovakia

May 24^th-May 26^th: Prague, Czech Republic

 

May 27^th: Back to Washington, DC!!! 

Morocco: Adventures through North Africa

Morocco is really hard to compare to any place I've ever been. It's a Muslim and African country, so although I tried to make comparisons with the other Muslim country I'd been to (Dubai in the UAE), it was too distinct to really make any concrete ties between the nations. The country is en route to developing itself (ie building escalators in some of its nicest train stations), and yet has a ton of pollution both in the air and generally on the ground, like near the ocean. Also, the stray cats trying to jump into your lap when eating don't help feed a "clean" signal throughout the city. 

I stayed in Casablanca but traveled to Rabat for the day on Saturday where we spent a lot of time in the Souk (open marketplace) which was unreal...there were moments when I stood in shops of fine leather and moments where fish blood pooled around my feet from butchers chopping near me and guts flying all around. All around, the Dirham is extremely cheap, so I got some great gifts and an exquisite leather bag for less than 10 euro. Taxis nearly kill you and 100 pedestrians every moment, but you live through them and its their job to drive agressively. I wouldn't say it was one of my favorite trips, but it opened my eyes a lot to experience the distinct culture of Morocco. 

This is a mom playing with her baby boy at a fountain in the center of Rabat (the capitol).

Inside the souks, I got my leather bag right near here...this was a big rug district of the market.

Our last night in Morocco we ate at this gourmet Casablancan restaurant...it was great (and still cheap)! 1 dirham=8.5 dollars or 1 dirham=11.6 euro.

Inside the same restaurant. The tilework all throughout the country can take your breath away.

Inside the Casbah...I'm still not entirely sure what a Casbah is, but it's an area that houses over 3,000 people even today and is guarded by a castle like wall right near the ocean. 

On the edge of the Casbah near the ocean! 

All the Casbah's walls have the blue edge around them, and have beautiful ornate doors, along with potted flowers bordering the walkways. 

Some typical Moorish doors....

Near the entrance to the market. They sell everything from lemons to turtles to doorknobs. 

This is the second biggest mosque in the world. I took this picture from inside the archway of one of the bordering walls...as you can see, made in the typical Arab inspired architecture. 

A friend, Susanna, and I on the beach part near the Mosque...quite the hangout in Casablanca. 

Near one of the fountains. I hate to be repetitive but check out this tile work!!!! Amazing!!!! 

Border of the Mosque, loved these arcs tremendously....it's cool to see these arcs in Spain and realize the ancient Muslim influence that dates back from this same time. 

View of the Mosque from a little afar, it's located right on the beach as you can see! 

Driving through Palma Mallorca in a Fiat Panda

To describe Palma Mallorca is impossible. All I have to say is make it there at least once in your life because it's the most beautiful place I've ever seen. They also have phenomenal sweets (ensaimada's are their specialty), the beach and the mountains, and sweet natives that were left largely untouched by the Franco generation. I would suggest renting a car like we did- even if it doesn't have a reverse and you have to push it half the way like ours! 

This is a (I think) gothic church in Palma re-done by Gaudí in the 1900s. The outer facade is surrounded by tons of fountains, swans, sculptures, and the ocean. This is where the Royal family of Spain was on Easter, and also this is the island where they summer. 

We made our adventure to this private beach where some of the caves are (in the land part to the right of the picture....we had to surround the water to walk on the rocks around to the cuevas). 

Climbed to the top of this little guy....Palma Mallorca's best kept secret. 

This is hail on the ground! The entire ground was completely covered with hail, which was hitting our little "engine that could" fiat for a solid 30 minutes. Jarrad drove about 10 kilometers per hour on the 90 degree turning roads atop the mountain. Pretty scary, but incredible to experience that kind of storm. 

Jarrad was constantly stopping the car to take pictures! Hard to view in this picture but the roads were super windy...
To the left of me in this picture is a small castle-like light house, to which I climbed to the top on a rickety old ladder. It was "preciosa" to see the buenavista from the top while we stopped the car on a mountain road. 
At this overlook, there was nothing you could see but miles and miles of the Mediterranean. 

This is in Soller, one of about a dozen beach/mountain towns we happened upon while driving down the coast of the island. No instructions, we just drove and found everything hassle free!

This is the Fiat Panda (A european brand of car. Fiat might just stand for "Fix It Again Tony" because the car was so low quality that the reverse didn't work. Jarrad was the one of the three of us who knew how to drive a stick, so me and my friend here Allison had to push it down the mountain, out of parking spaces, in the middle of windy Spanish island roads, etc. 

My friend Jarrad and I after being in the FREEZING cold Mediterranean...so amazing. Also just to the left of this photo would be a huge purple jellyfish, like the kind you see on National Geographic probably for killing people, was swimming right next to us. 

Me diving into the Mediterranean. A nice British couple fishing befriended us since we were all freezing in the water, and so they volunteered to photograph us! 

Just a few feet off our hotel is this beach. Which was an amazing hotel for about 12 US dollars/10 euro per night, way cheaper than any hostal I've stayed in yet and so much nicer! 

My friend Allison and I, our first day on the beach in Magaluf, right near Palmanova.

Roma: Ciao Bella!

Being in Rome on Easter weekend was a little overwhelming in terms of all the long lines and tourists, but so special. I saw everything from the Pope's 14 Stations of the Cross to the ancient Colosseum, and ate everything from pizza to pasta to gelato in sight! Ah! The Italian people are generally very welcoming, the police very corrupt (constantly checking my friend and I out...gross), the buses are free (illegally everyone gets on without paying but its completely socially accepted), and the streets and sites ancient. 

Below this is me inside the Colosseum. The forum was used between 70 AD to mid 500s AD, and the bottom platform that used to exist was made out of wood--this is where the gladiators fought, rare animals were displayed, fights occurred, etc. People watched from the seats that used to exist, and had permanent seats...sort of like season tickets to games in the States! 

Inside St. Giovanni, the Cathedral I went to for Easter Sunday. 

Me at the Vatican in my Easter dress on Easter Sunday! Though it felt so holy to be there on Easter, I really missed my family and my annual Easter basket! 

This is where the Pope spoke, right in front of the Colossuem. Impossible to photo it in the dark, but the cross is in the middle, and there were 14 candles lighting it. Each time a station was completed (the mass was in five languages so it took awhile but the experience of it was nothing short of incredible), a candle would blow out. The Pope was underneath the red tent speaking. I was with friends, but we were surrounded by monks and nuns and priests of every language and country. 

What was funny/scary, was the rumble Amanda and I kept feeling underneath our feet while watching the Pope. Since the earthquake had just hit outside of Rome only days before, we thought it might be the aftershocks! Thankfully, a Priest saw our fear and told us it was only the metro beneath us that created the rumble. 

This is Amanda and I at Trevi fountain. We are about to throw in our coins, because apparently if you throw money in- it is certain that you will get married! Let's hope!

The most beautiful fountain I'd ever seen. Trevi Fountain in the middle of the day with literally thousands of people surrounding it every which way. 

Piazza Popolo from atop the stairs...a nice place to rest and relax and only a short walk to the Spanish Steps and past another Medici house overlooking it. 
Part of Piazza Popolo from the ground view. 

On the way to the Sistene Chapel, inside the Vatican museum, this is the "Hall of Maps" where the ENTIRE ceiling is covered with maps. Interesting both for how detailed it is, and also to see how the world was viewed back then because obviously the maps looked different then! 

Me outside of the Vatican museum at one of the more recent structures, a modern globe. 
This is inside the Vatican. It's called St. Peter's Basilica because the tomb of Peter is beneath this altar piece in the center of the Cathedral. 

This is the Pieta, or in Spanish "Piedad"...meaning a sculpture of Christ with the Madonna. This is Michealangelo's Pieta, and literally took my breath away. Mary is represented actually younger than Christ, symbolically representing her untainted virginity and innocence as she holds the body of Christ. Supposedly this statue used to be outside of the glass, but a crazy person hammered away at the sculpture years ago and many fingers were lost from the statute. Apparently the Vatican had to make a public plea for the fingers of the statue to be returned from tourists who had taken them. 

Outside St. Peter's Basilica. I was there on the Friday before Easter, and even though I got there before it opened there was still a line! The newest construction of the Vatican was done by Bernini, who made the Vatican and the circle like plaza in the middle in the shape of a more open cross, representing the church's welcome of people to the center. 

My sorority sister, Amanda, and I took a four hour walk the first night we got there. It was actually probably my favorite part! We happened to just find everything without a map, only a hunch of direction! We passed the Colosseum at night with the full moon, and hung out around some Italians that enjoy drinking near it at night, haha. 

This is the ancient "Bridge" right near the Colosseum, I think called Ponte Alexander? I'm not quite sure. To piece together the whole area, the Colosseum was behind me, the bridge to my left when watching the 14 stations of the cross delivered by the Pope on the Friday night before Easter. 
Vittorio Emmanuel. This is the Roman version of the tomb of the unknown soldier, and a large museum exists there as well. My friend Amanda and I had a late night gelato here just watching all the cars around the main traffic circle right in front of this and taking in the full moon over the amazing monument! 
This is the Cathedral atop the Spanish Steps. Amanda and I walked into the Cathedral about 11 pm, and happened upon nuns praying in the dark on the floor of the center of the church. It was a truly holy experience to be in the dark of this Cathedral on the Thursday before Easter (the day Christ died) in the presence of the nuns. 

My friend Susanna and I took the four hour long slow train from Florence to Rome. Though it was quite sketchy, and some old Italian ladies yelled at me for having my feet on the seat, and a little hot (we had to have the windows open as you can see!) to see the Italian countryside was precious. Through the mountains and the coast, and the flowers and the olive groves, I fell in love with Italy!

Florence:

Michaelangelo's "David" statue is easily the most famous statue in the world. It is extremely impressive to see, and the most realistic statue I've ever laid eyes on. Everything from the veins in David's hands to his chest are humanistic and real...it's almost as if you can see him breathe when staring at it for long. Amazing. 

Me making fun with one of the statue's in the Medici Villa's gardens in Florence. The gardens are acres and acres of statues, fountains, ponds, trees, and little secret passage ways. The Medici family was the most prevalent family in Italy for hundreds of years (imagine the Kennedys, except for a loooooong time, and they sponsored most of the art from the Renaissance onwards on top of their political power. Pretty impressive). Thus, it was incredible to see one of their houses located in Firenze! 

Again, in the gardens of the Medici family walking down one of the huge paths leading to a main circle of fountains. 

These are some of the more recent dresses of the Medici family....the dresses went back to the 1700s until today, and it was so fun to see the transition in fashion from then to now. There was a whole collection of men and women's clothing. 

To make money, people on the street (out of a thick form of chalk) basically "paint" with chalh extremely famous paintings, ie- Caravaggio, Michaelangelo, etc...usually they are religious, such as this one- and were especially prevalent right around Easter.

This is my friend Susan and I on the lookout Piazza over the city. The huge round building in the background is the top of the Duomo. 

Typical outlook over the city. I had to climb a million steep steps to get here, and a million more to find the Basilica located near this view! But, it was of course worth it. 

These locks were all over the bridges of Paris and in Florence as well. I think it is a symbol of lovers, who "chain their love" so to speak to the fence. All the little locks have sayings on them, names, and dates. I really liked discovering them all over the cities. 

Many people refer to this as the jewelry bridge, because tons of jewelry are sold all along it. It's definitely a landmark in Florence though the name of it escapes me now! Also, it was really exciting to see rowers on this water. I miss crew so much! 

This is a view of the Duomo at night. Though Florence (known as "Firenze" in Italian) was already a huge power in the 1600s, this church was built to "show off" Florentine power...which is why the exterior is so impressive. 

Florence has a well-deserved reputation for being one of the most beautiful places in the world. I ate gelato about 3 times per day, saw the very famous statue of David by Michaelangelo, and enjoyed the views of the city from atop the hills near the river. Though my hostel was right in the Piazza di Republica, which is in the middle of town right near the Duomo (the Italian word for Cathedral), I did get bed bugs from it?!!! We had this completely crazy man named Nino who ran the hostel- a true Italian character- and though it was safe it wasn't exactly clean. That was quite the adventure.