I AMsterdam, are you?

Tuesday, July 11. I just boarded the high-speed train from Amsterdam to Frankfurt. Had a surprisingly tranquil time here in A'dam, especially compared to my days in Pamplona/Zarautz.

On Saturday afternoon, Peter and Esmee (pronounced EZ-mey) met me at Centraal Station when I arrived around 3:00 p.m. They are some of the best hosts I've ever stayed with! Their clean and straight-from-Ikea 1-bedroom apartment is in the center of the city in an area called Leidsepslein (always made me think of Led Zeppelin). Even though it's only about 25 meters from loads of shops and restaurants along the canal, their side street is very peaceful. Here's a view from their balcony toward the hustle of the neighborhood:



Esmee and Peter showed me the cozy bed they'd made for me and left to go grocery shopping.
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Alright, yet again I've let several days go by without finishing a post. I want to go into so much more detail and let you relive my journey, but my thumbs get awfully bored typing away on this little phone. so here's another quick overview:

-out to dinner with Esmee and 4 of her sorority sisters for one of their birthdays
-got offered to join some handsome Dutch guys ;) on their boat in the canals, but had other plans
-birthday party at the birthday girl's new apartment that's right in the city center and overlooks 2 intersecting canals
-to me, Dutch sounds like British English played backwards! everyone spoke English really well and always included me in their convos. so nice!
-sun didn't go down until 11:30
-out to a club called "Bubbels" to dance to Dutch house music
-Esmee and I met with Peter and his friends to get a late-night döner kebap and then home
-saw the beginning of the sunrise around 4:00 a.m.!
-Sunday: brunch with Esmee and her sister, Imke
-explored a bit (Red Light district, the "9 streets")
-I had no idea that Amsterdam (A'dam) was built on pillars and is mostly below sea level. Thank you to my friend Jake for educating me. here's a view of a canal:


-A'dam is bursting at the seams
with bicycles. I heard that there are more bikes there than Dutch people.
-lots of solo city walking in the afternoon, then Esmee made us a delicious veggie stir fry for dinner and we watched the Tour de France
-Monday: Van Gogh museum. saw "Sunflowers" and a model of his famous room:


-canal tour with lots of other tourists.


-tried to get lost in the city, but basically ended up walking in circles
-out for Italian food with Esmee and Peter for my last night there
-bought myself a piece of cake for dessert from The Bulldog (Virginia told me to take advantage of my time in A'dam, so I followed her advice) ;)


-Tuesday: caught the 7 a.m. train out of town to head to München (Munich)
-great advice that I got from a poster in A'dam on how to have a fantastic day (which I think I follow very well): "smile, slow down, dress up, keep it beautiful, join in, you are the party, discover. yesterday is history, today is a gift, tomorrow is a mystery."

~peace, love, and adventure~

Ubicación:Amsterdam, Netherlands

"Nobody ever lives their life all the way up except bull-fighters" (I beg to differ)

Since I'll have internet off and on over the next weeks, I'm going to do lots of entries all together and upload them in just one post once I find wi-fi. So it will be more like short journal entries all lumped together. Here goes my biggest adventure yet: backpacking alone through Europe for 3 weeks!

I just boarded the train at Barcelona Sants headed to Pamplona. I guess 2nd class was all booked, so they put me in "preferente," first class for the same price! They gave me a magazine that lists all the events for the week and also a red "pañuelo," the handkerchief everyone wears around their necks along with all-white attire.



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I'm now on the train from Paris to Brussels, where I'll get a connection to Amsterdam. The past two days have been inolvidables, increíbles, mejor que nunca había soñado. Unforgettable, incredible, better than I could ever dream.

I arrived in Pamplona and easily found my way to San Sebastián by bus. Getting from San Seb to my campsite, though, definitely tested my navigational skills. I took a city bus in San Seb, wandered the streets in the rain looking for a bus to Zarautz, never found the bus, went to the wrong train station, then finally got a train to Zarautz and a pick-up by the Stoke van to go to the camp. vaya! what a trip.

The camp was by Stoke Travel, a group of rowdy, well-traveled, San Fermín in-the-know Australians who run campsites and host trips around Europe at various festivals. The camp reminded me of the Harry Potter quidditch world cup: well over 100 tents all squeezed together with excited travelers buzzing about and celebrating non-stop. For €50 a day, you get a spot in a tent, sleeping bag, mattress, breakfast, transport to and from Pamplona (about 1 hour away), plus unlimited beer and sangría. Within a five minute jaunt down the mountainside, there's a wide and clean beach that faces north into the Mar Cantábrico. I AM IN LOVE WITH NORTHERN SPAIN AND ITS LUSH COUNTRYSIDE.



Here is the view from the edge of the campsite out over the sea. The small town of Zarautz is just outside of the frame to the left.

I stayed at the camp on Wednesday night so I could rest up for going in to Pamplona the next morning. I didn't do much resting. My night was filled with barbecue, sangría, meeting and laughing with lots of ozzies (Australians), and only 3.5 hours of sleep before I woke up at 4:30 a.m. to head to Pamplona. They made us one-eyed monsters (fried egg inside a piece of bread with the center cut out), one of my favorites!

Here's my outfit I wore into town. Everyone has to wear all white with a red handkerchief around their neck.


It was really chilly when we arrived in Pamplona at 6:30. I went with my tent-mate Billy (an Australian girl who's also traveling solo) and a young Australian couple (Nathan and Kiana) to watch the encierro from inside the bull-fighting arena. The encierro is the actual running part, when they bring the bulls who will be killed that afternoon to the bull-fighting ring and the daring locals and tourists run ahead of them. My group and I sat in the 3rd row and had a really good view. There were 2 giant screens in the arena so we could watch the whole run, which only lasts a few minutes.

Nathan ran and us girls watched from the stands. Since this was the first day, the atmosphere was especially hectic and full of ready-to-explode energy.



This is my wineskin. Fits well over 1 bottle of wine, only 3 euro for a bottle of Spanish wine from any cafe in Pamps.

I'm nearing Amsterdam, so I need to shorten up my
descriptions so I can finish this post before I have more adventures in a new city!

After the encierro:
-chocolate con churros for breakfast
-bought a wineskin and filled with with wine
-wandered Pamps for a bit then bus back to the camp at 11 a.m.
-beach exploring/failed attempt at cliff-jumping with new friends from Australia, Canada, and U.S.
-swimming and beach-lazing with Texan twins Josh and Jake. (If you've read The Sun Also Rises you'll know how cool it is that I spent San Fermín with someone named Jake.)
-sangria-drinking and card games
back at camp
-headstands and baguette/chorizo sandwiches on the hillside overlooking the sea during sunset
-bus to Pamps at 10 p.m.
-street-wandering and partying until about 4:00 a.m. then cold/uncomfortable sleep in the depths of underground bus station
-7:30 wakeup and run to the arena to watch the encierro that started at 8:00
-more choc and churros for breakfast
-souvenir shopping for my Hemingway and Pamplona-obsessed father (you're going to LOVE your souvenir, Dad!)
-bus to camp at 11:00 a.m.
-immediately to beach with giant bottle of water and sunscreen
-headstands on the beach
-homemade sandwiches again for lunch
-pack backpack, read book and recover in the shade, chat with new friends who I will never forget (and hope to visit and travel with again someday!)
-pry myself away from my
new favorite place in the world (camp) for the train station
-train to Hendaia, town just on the other side of the Spanish/French border
-night train to Paris. much-needed night of replenishing sleep in my comfy sleeper car
-transfer from Paris-Austerlitz to Paris-Nord at 7:30 a.m. to catch my train to Brussels, where I got on another train for Amsterdam

Just like this quickly-written post, my time in N. Spain blurred by before I wanted it to end. I could spend weeks at that camp and at that beach. I'm dead serious when I say I want to live in that area--I'll make it happen!

Now, my time in Amsterdam begins. My lovely friend Sarah, with whom I studied in Murcia 2 years ago, has introduced me to her friend Esmee, an Amsterdam native. I'll be staying with Esmee and her boyfriend in their apartment for the next 2 nights. We should be meeting at the central station as soon as I arrive in about 10 minutes. Blogging from an iPhone is time-consuming and somewhat creativity-constricting, but I'm glad I got to share my experiences. hasta luego!

~peace, love, and adventure~

Adios, Barcelona. It's been real.

My last week in Barcelona has been just as much of a whirlwind as the rest of the month has been. I've met more people, seen more places, and stretched my hours to fit as much as possible into my final days in the concrete jungle. Here's a photo summary of the week:

On the last day of English classes with EduRed, we had a end-of-course celebration. This is me and Chelsea with our younger students. It was terribly hot in my little classroom, and I swear that every person in the room wanted to get their own copy of each pose with their own camera. After nearly half an hour of a sticky, stuffy photoshoot, though, we had a delicious potluck feast.

For the potluck, I brought peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. No one here eats peanut butter, much less this delectable creation that we Americans enjoy very often. The jar of peanut butter cost me about seven dollars, and I had to buy strawberry jelly because I couldn't find grape. Everyone loved it! Other food brought for the potluck included anchovy-stuffed olives, sliced meats and cheeses, Spanish omelet, croissants, and a few desserts.

On my first free day without having to teach or go to Italian class, I went on a tour of Campe Nou, the soccer stadium for F.C. Barcelona, with a group of interns. I don't follow soccer regularly, but this visit still got me so pumped. I could feel the excitement of all the years of games that have taken place here. As I walked through the locker rooms, press box, and onto the field, I could tell how much passion and raw energy are poured into this place. It made me want to go to any sort of professional sports game: baseball, football, basketball, anything! So, Dad, if you're reading this, let's go soon!

We got a picture taken with a replica of the Champions League trophy that F.C. Barcelona just won last month. From left is Herman, Zach, TJ, and Jordan, all interns with my program who work in other places in Barcelona.

After the visit to Campe Nou, those of us who were only doing a month-long internship met with our director for a farewell lunch. This is me, our director Rich, and Jamie in front of the Greek restaurant he took us to. Afterward we had a meeting to reflect on our internships. It was very helpful! He gave us specific questions to reflect on and helped us look at our experiences from a new perspective so we can talk about what we've learned and how we've grown while working in Barcelona. If you ever want to do an internship or study in Barcelona either for a summer, semester, or year I highly recommend Barcelona SAE (study abroad experience). I've studied abroad with several different programs and also gone solo, and this is by far the most well-organized program with the most perks. Here is their website if you're interested: Barcelona SAE. Look for a video testimonial by me on their website in the near future!

The next day I went with Jamie to Palau Guell, a palace in the middle of the city that was designed for the Guell family by Antoni Gaudi. It just opened back up in May of this year after being closed for over a decade to completely renovate the entire place, so everything inside was pristine and good-as-new.

On Saturday night, I got to experience "Montjuic de Nit," an art, music, and cultural festival in Barcelona. This photo is of MNAC, the national museum of Catalan art. Several of the city's museums waive the entrance fee and stay open until 4:00 a.m. for this once-a-year festival. Each museum has a schedule of live performances, movies, etc. throughout the night. The ones that I saw were a Bob Marley cover band (who sang in broken English and Catalan); the Doors documentary narrated by Johnny Depp called "When You're Strange"; DJs playing house music and techno in the moat of Montjuic's castle; and a live flamenco show in Montjuic Castle's courtyard.

This is just before watching the flamenco show in the castle. I was with RJ, Sunil, Herman, and also Nauzli who's not in the picture. We each ordered two beers because the line was way too long to just get one.

I spent Sunday on the beach at Barceloneta with the same group (really fun and genuine people!) and then did some souvenir shopping for friends and family on Monday.

On Monday night, we all went to a hookah bar called La Concha, named after a movie that starred Andalusian Sara Montiel. This entire bar is covered in photos and movie posters of this Elizabeth Taylor look-alike. She's gorgeous! I really want to see some of her movies, which seem to have mostly come out during the 1930s and 1940s. This photo is all of us with the bartender, who calls himself "DJ Volkswagen."

Today, my last full day in Barcelona, I went to the Salvador Dalí museum in Figueres, which is a two-hour train ride from Barcelona. I took this photo through a huge magnifying glass near the ceiling of the living room. The couch is the lips, the fireplace is the nose, the artwork the eyes, and the hair is the archway to enter the room. Dalí is buried at this museum, which used to be an old theater. He had his first art exposition there, was baptized just around the corner, and he grew up in Figueres. I loved seeing all of his outrageous art; he's one of my favorite artists and visiting this museum has been on my to-do list for years.

In the morning I leave for my 3-week trip to visit old friends throughout Europe. Train itinerary: Pamplona, San Sebastian, Amsterdam, Munich, Budapest, Venice, Florence, probably a random coastal town in France, and then back to Barcelona to fly home on July 27th. From here on out, I'll be posting to my blog with my iPhone, so the posts will definitely be shorter with fewer and lower-quality photos. I'll do my best to keep up with it and let everyone know how it's going! Much love to all of you <3