I guess I can explain for the late posts, as my computer crashed (finals week, for those of you who need a good pick-me-up or …something to feel better about) so I have been writing the old fashion way: paper and pencil. Transferring Journals…

Arrival in Rome: Well, for starters, thankfully there was no real language barrier, as many people in the airport spoke good English. We (my two friends and I) took a two-hour bus ride to our hostel because– as I have stressed in previous posts– we are “poor college students”.  However, I must admit, I enjoy using public transportation because I feel that it is a bit more difficult, rather than taking a taxi straight to your destination. (I avoid taking the easy way out, because I know it will come back to haunt me in the end.) Besides, if you take a taxi they will most likely take note of your foreignness and charge you twice as much. And I can confidently admit that my sense of direction and navigation skills have improved significantly while traveling abroad and choosing public transportation. If there is one thing I will be able to take back from this experience, it will be this—take note, upcoming abroad-ers! 

The bus ride was four euro and packed to the brim, with people from all over the world. When we finally reached our destination (Termini Station) it was pouring. Umbrellaless, cold and tired, we decided that maps were out of the question and decided to ask the nearest–and most approachable–person to direct us.  Unfortunately, we walked too far and had to find a nearby coffee shop to sit in and re-group. Although it hadn’t stopped raining, we ventured back into the storm to our hostel, and when we finally arrived, we realized that this hostel was not what we had expected—FILTHY, rancid and old (old like the rest of Rome). 

When we paid for the hostel, I gave the front desk 50 euro. Directly after, we went to grab dinner. I gave the cashier 20 euro, and as she glanced at the euro, she made a funny face.  She looked back at me, looked back at the euro, and then threw it on the counter, claiming that it was fake. I couldn’t believe it, or her, until the manager came out and compared my 20 euro to a real one inside the cash register.  I had NEVER been warned about counterfeit money or the possibility of it being an issue. After shown the comparison, it was blatantly obvious that the 20 I had handed over was fake. Thankfully it was clear that I was from the States, and as a tourist it was obvious that I had no idea about this unfortunate trade, so they were very understanding. There was really nothing I could do, because I had no proof that the hostel had given me this 20 euro, other than my own memory, and knowing that the hostel had given me 20 in change for the room deposit. I made sure to alert the front desk at the hostel, that one of their employees had given me counterfeit money, but as soon as I mentioned counterfeit money they began to speak in Arabic. Shady….Fortunately we were tired enough to go straight to bed, allowing for a good night’s rest the night before our only full day in Rome. 

Rome: The one day that we had to spend in Rome was….enough. We went to the Catacombs first, where the Christians secretly buried their dead. I expected the tour to be more eye-opening than it was. However, the history behind the Catacombs was still extremely intriguing. You could even see tombs of once- Christian babies, families, and social norms, ranging from the rich to the poor (the poor had smaller sections dedicated to them, whereas the rich had larger sections reserved). There were’t as many artifacts as I had expected. The one girl behind me even questioned as to why the skeletons were not visible, and our tour guide (who was a bit difficult to follow), explained that they had been reburied inside the Catacombs. We also visited the Vatican and Colosseum, which were both amazing, as expected, although I didn’t get the chance to go inside either of the sites. I know that the next time I come to Rome this is something I WILL be doing. We also went to the Trevi Fountain and made a wish—I know, solo tourist-esque.

Corfu, Greece:  After a 14-hour FERRY ride to a small town in Greece, and a two hour ferry transfer to the island of Corfu, we had finally reached our destination. The ferry was not what I had expected, as the original ad for the trip was falsely advertised, stating that we would be traveling via ‘cruise’ ship. As you can imagine, the ferry was nothing like a cruise ship.

We booked our trip through Bus2Alps, so everything was planned beforehand. This made the break a bit more relaxing, but also frustrating. There were 300 other travelers, so we spent a lot of time waiting…waiting for ferry tickets, waiting to board busses, etc. We stayed in The Pink Palace which is a resort, and a nice change from the hostels and stiff beds that we have been resorting too. The food was magnificent (constantly shoving my face with gyros), and the weather was in the 70s– I even came back with a little sun tan. However, the amount of time we spent traveling just to spend about 3 days in Greece, was not worth the wait–especially not the torturous 14-hour ferry ride.  The island was beautiful, but next time I would like to go to Santorini…or at least fly to the island rather than travel via ferry. Like the Spanish say, “No vale la pena”…..it was not worth the pain.

BACKPACKING:

My friends and I decided after the program that we would travel from Dublin –> London –> Paris. 

Dublin: 1st day: Upon arrival we decided to go to a pub (which was a must, after all of this traveling)–everyone was extremely nice and the area was flawless. One pub lead to the next, as the town of Dublin is fairly small and full of Irish pubs. When we finally had enough, we went back to our hostel, only to find an old man in our room, talking to himself and mumbling gibberish under his breath. We were a bit worried, as he had enough belongings with him to stay in the room for the next four months. It was almost as if he got kicked out of his house…but we will never know. This is the one bizarre thing about hostels—in most, you share your room and bathroom with the public.

We crawled into our beds, trying to avoid the ruckus he was making, and struggled to fall asleep. When we finally did, all four of my friends and I overslept, scrambling to our feet in the morning, rushing to a station to catch a bus that would take us to Galway. We traveled to a few small towns via bus, including Galway which was beautiful, but the main destination was the Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs of Moher were breathtaking and scenic, but also a bit frightening.  There was even a dedication stone to those who had fallen or passed away there, as it is extremely easy to fall off the cliff if you cross the fence (which is allowed). It was extremely interesting to recognize where scenes of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince were once filmed, as well as The Princess Bride. If you ever visit, this is a must-see!

London: Right now we are on our way to Paris as I wait for our train (which, by the way, is situated where another scene during the taping of Harry Potter took place) I’m extremely tired–which is to be expected, since we’ve been touring more than we have been sleeping. We went to the Birmingham Palace to watch the march of the guards which was incredible. You could even see the balcony where Princess Kate and Prince William shared their first kiss (for those of you who are as obsessed with the Royals as I am). We continued on to the mall strip which consists of a bunch of government buildings, lined with british flags. We were also able to see the volleyball court where the Olympic Games were held last year–which was also amazing.  Places worth mentioning AND visiting if ever in London: London eye, Tower bridge, Millennium bridge, Shakespeare Globe Theatre, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, The Shard and St. Paul’s Church (where Charles and Diana married). 

Paris: For those of you who have seen the movie Taken, you can probably relate to my on-edge reaction, as a man who approached us in a street of Paris claiming, “Girls…..uh, errhm, be…be careful around here. It’s a ….. it’s a very.. a very scary area.” Well, after hearing this, I couldn’t help but be paranoid the entire time, ESPECIALLY knowing that I had to travel from Paris to Barcelona alone. 

However, I knew I couldn’t be worrying about this when there was so much to see and do. We went to the Louvre museum, home of the 

Mona Lisa. It was crowded and overheated, but of course imperative we visit. We also went to see Notre Dame de Paris–which, after watching the Hunchback of Notre Dame as a kid, was pretty neat. Although, I have to admit, it was nowhere near as breathtaking as Gaudi’s work in Barcelona (ex. Sagrada Familia and Casa Batll�). We also visited the Arc de Triomphe, which–being the ‘original’ Arc– was more amazing than the one in Barcelona…and, I might ad, probably the only thing that awed me more. We visited the Eiffel Tower, OF COURSE, once during the day and also at nighttime. We went to the top of the Eiffel at night, to overlook the city of Paris. It was absolutely breathtaking, and I would spent another 11.50 euro to do it again. We had some crepes, which were to DIE for, as well as macarons at the world renowned Laudree…a must.

After two days of touring, it was time to go back to Barcelona. My friends planned another trip to Munich, but the idea of roughing it in tents for two more days seemed unbearable. Now that it is all said and done, I do wish I went to Munich and ruffed the stay.  I had to travel home to Barcelona, from Paris, myself. It was a bad decision, in a questionable and dangerous area of Paris that we stayed in, especially after watching the movie Taken. The looks I received, the comments and early-morning ‘hollering’ from scary-looking men was enough to make me turn right around and buy an outrageously expensive train or plane ticket last minute just to go to Munich with the girls. However, I just wanted to do this for myself, to know that I could do it and to know that I was capable-as ridiculous as that sounds.  Eventually, I made it to the airport (which was an hour away from where we were staying) after getting lost a few times on the metro and after three transfers. 

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After boarding the plane, I decided that Paris was overrated. The locals were rude, the city was a bit dirty, and….I even got the “eye roll” at one point by an employee in a shop. Excuse me?! Anyway, it was beautiful and the Eiffel Tower was magical, but if I had to do it over again, I’m not sure that I would. 

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I don’t know if it’s right to say that traveling back to Barcelona was the highlight of my trip, but it’s weird because I almost had a homesick feeling, longing for the city that has stolen my heart. I haven’t once–YET- felt homesick abroad, in Barcelona, so when I realized after Paris that all I wanted to do was go back to Barcelona, I knew that the city has become apart of me.

Location: Barcelona, Spain