I don’t want to gain weight, but…
Here a a few pcitures of the great sweet treats that I’ve been DEVOURING here in France! (I found the usb cord for my camera so now I’ll be posting TONS of pictures)
Above is a picture of a party called Grille aux Pommes, it’s smiliar to apple strudel but it tastes 100 times better.
Tarte aux framboises (raspberry tarte) YUM!
-Both of the pictures above are pastry’s from one of the best (and oldest) pastry shops in Rouen, Paul
Location: Rouen, France
`It has been a long time`
While Japan appears to be a technologically superior country–and as far as robots and gadgets go, it is–wi fi is a rare find. So rare that I haven`t found it yet. That being the case, I have to use the family computer to surf the web and such for the most part. I try to keep that to a minimum, however.
So that explains my absence.
What I want to talk about is food. I want to talk preface this by saying so many people mention that Japan has small portions, not enough food and that they`ve lost a noticeable amoutn of weight. Perhaps they never went to Nagoya, because I do not share those sentiments in the least. Take a look at my last meal at the traditional inn
From top to bottom, left to right.
Crab stuff with shell, roast beef salad, eggplant with a sort of a bitter sauce, curry rice, tofu with peanut sauce, tempura and sashimi. The lidded item is tea. Unfortunately I was too stunned/jet lagged to ask for the names of each dish. This is also less traditional looking than the other dinners. Soup came mid-way through.
Oh, don`t forget dessert!
Mochi, orange slices and apple cake.
Finishing these meals was a chore in part because I was so jetlagged I left my stomach in America, and I just think this is too much food for one person. But apparently this is Japanese hospitality because my host family does the same exact thing. I am hoping it gets to a point where they are done treating me as a guest and showering me with food. It must be as hard to cook all of it as it is to eat it.
Another strange thing is none of this food is especially hot. Sort of just room temperature. That`s another thing that I didn`t expect.
So I don`t see any dramatic weight change in the future, needless to say.
Location: Yobitsugi, Minami-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken, Japan
That saying above (translated: It’s culture!) has pretty much been our group’s mantra the entire time we’ve been here. Even though Mexico is right below the U.S., there are so many differences. It’s been really interesting to learn and adjust to them, so prepare for a long entry!
Transportation. Let’s just say that all Mexican drivers are city drivers at their worst. It’s pretty much lanes/ turn signals optional, with no visible speed limits. My Mexican mother is a pretty safe driver, but some taxi rides have been terrifying. The public buses are really convenient and cheap, but there are no schedules, so you just have to hope a bus with your route on it passes soon. Believe it or not, I miiight just miss the Blue Loop a little. They tend to not come to complete stops when it’s time to get off, so you just have to hop and hope for the best. We’ve been successful so far and pretty much have the routine down!
Food. It is GOOD. I have tried so many new foods– REAL (delicious, amazing) Mexican foods (far from Taco Bell style). The mealtimes are fairly different, though, and it took a little while to adjust. Breakfast (desayuno) is pretty much the same, with the sole exception being that, in place of my typical granola bar, my mom here feeds me to the point of immobility. But that goes for every meal; Imy stomach has expanded significantly since my arrival. The next meal isn’t until around 3 or so, and it’s “comida”–the main meal. It’s pretty much to Mexicans what dinner is to us; my father and brother come home from work, my sister’s home from school, and we all eat my mom’s delicious cooking together. The last meal is sort-of-dinner, or “cena,” and with my family it consistently consists of sandwiches or quesadillas and maybe some fruit or sweet bread. Cena is usually around 9 or 10, and it’s the time of “platicando,” or chatting.
Other things about food that I love here: every kind of “pan dulce,” or sweet bread/ pastries, has its own name. There are also tons of delicious fresh fruits, and a home-made hot salsa or peppers are placed out with almost every meal. They also adore salt here, but normal pepper cannot be found. Oh- and, as my father said, [translated] “Coca-Cola is the drink of the gods.” They LOVE it here, and, when it comes straight out of a cold glass bottle, who are we to disagree?
Interacting with people. It’s been hard to switch between Ud. and tu forms of addressing people (the first being formal and the other informal). When you meet people, it’s with a handshake and kiss on the cheek. I will not, however, miss “propinos,” which are essentially call-outs to (mostly) women and very common here; since we’re noticeably from the US, our group has received a fair share of these. Bartering and negotiating is also the norm here; from markets, where it’s expected, even to taxi cabs, it’s an art I haven’t yet mastered.
Other little things. Many people keep dogs on their roofs to keep watch for robbers. The public computer keyboards are set up completely different–it took me like 10 minutes to figure out how to access the “@” sign. Public bathrooms here can be a nuisance; there is a 50% chance that you will either have to pay a few pesos or there won’t be available toiler paper (or both). Museums and historic sites can sometimes have as much security as airports, but to enter and see what they have to offer is almost always worth it.
And the weather! It can get very cool in the mornings/ evenings (especially after rain), but it is pretty toasty most of the time. I’ve been loving it! However, almost all locals wear jeans and/or sweaters; we’ve even seen people running in sweatshirts, which seems crazy to me. We definitely stick out as foreigners in our shorts and t-shirts. I keep adding, but lastly, I love how close my family is here. When they’re not at work or school they’re essentially together. Whether we sit and chat for hours at mealtimes, play games (like dominoes below), or watch television, it’s just the norm to spend time together. All members of my host family- mom, dad, sister, and brother- are so witty, funny, and wonderful. I’m going to miss them so much when I leave next week!
All in all, there are lots of things I’m looking forward to when I head back home, but there are so many things I’m going to miss about here. I feel like I’m finally just getting really used to it all, and it’s about time to go…
Location: Puebla, Mexico
So this past weekend, we traveled as a group to the State/City of Oaxaca (that’s Oh-Hah-Kuh to help you guys out). Let me just say: it was incredible.
We visited archaeological sites, like Monte Alban and Mitla, where the Zapotec tribes thrived way back in the day. I may just be a total nerd, but to walk through places where entire civilizations once reigned was just an amazing experience. Seeing the amazing buildings they constructed, the carvings, and just the views was lovely
.
El Arbol del Tule was another of our stops. It is a tree that is over 2000 years old, which is breathtaking to try to imagine. Its trunk is gnarled, and you can find images of all kinds across the 119-foot diameter (which is wider even than the sequoias).
We also visited a whole bunch of little “f�bricas,” or factories, but they were NOTHING like what the word “factory” conjures. They were mostly family-run businesses, where traditions of how to craft the particular good have been past down generation after generation. We visited f�bricas for Alebrijes, small and intricate wooden animal sculptures that are crafted by hand only using three tools; Barro Negro, black clay that has a very particular process; Tajetes, the carpets and textile crafts dyed and loomed naturally; and Mezcal, which is a cousin to tequila but distilled very differently (and pungently).
Downtown Oaxaca, Zocalo, was filled with market (where I bought WAY too much), vendors, restaurants, and mariachis. Nearby was Centro Cultural Santo Domingo, a convent-turned-museum, which was beautiful inside and out. The streets themselves were just filled with colors!
The comida, or food, of Oaxaca is very distinct, as well. It’s known for things like a distinct flavor of mole (not very appetizing) and chocolate (no complaints here)! Oh, and of course, it’s famous for chapulines aka crickets. And, yes, I did indeed try one. Gross, I know, but, honestly, the mole tasted a lot worse to me. I told myself when I signed up for this program that I’d try new things. I may not have known that one of those things would be a cricket, per say, but where else in the world would I have the opportunity again? I don’t think I’ll be tasting any more, but I’m glad I at least tried.
Now we are back and in Puebla, already beginning our first full week of classes. It’s good to be “home,” but Oaxaca was certainly a place I’ll remember for the rest of my time here and the rest of my life!
Location: Oaxaca, Mexico
Ciao! My name is Brianna Paterniani and I am studying in Florence, Italy for the summer. After just finishing my sophomore year as a Neuropsychology major, and Biology minor, at University Park, I quickly became nervous about my trip this summer. Now, I am currently sitting in my apartment on Via Ricasoli in Florence getting nervous about starting my classes tomorrow. As I sit here and realize that this is only the fourth day of my stay in Italy, it has not hit me that I’ll be here for six whole weeks. During these six weeks, I hope to gain greater cultural understanding, learn Italian a little better, become more outgoing, travel, make new friends, and get more credits to my undergraduate degree. One of the biggest parts of this trip will be new experiences.
It may not seem like much but I’ll give you a recap of my first few days here in Florence. It started off a little rough but then quickly turned into the most amazing few days of my life. On Tuesday, two of my roommates and I left for Italy. The flight from Philadelphia to London was surprisingly good taking into account my dislike for flying. The only thing that was terrible was that I literally only slept for about 15 minutes. In London Heathrow, we were meeting another one of our roommates and we had an airport switch. When we got to the airport our other roommate was nowhere to be found and one of the girls luggage never got on the plane from Philadelphia. So while we looked for our roommate, and solved the luggage problem, we were stressing about getting to the bus station in time for our shuttle to the other airport. Once we got to London Gatwick airport, we had a very long layover and ran into a lot of trouble with luggage limits because this plane was smaller. We arrived in Florence around 11 pm and got into a very sketchy taxi who dropped us off at our hotel. When we went to open the door to the hotel it was locked. Since none of us had phones, we had to walk a few blocks to another hotel (remember we have all of our luggage) and ask for help. We found a man who was nice enough to call the emergency number listed. We didn’t get settled in to our hotel until around 3 am. In the morning we left as early as we could, eager to see our new apartment!
When we walked into our apartment it all seemed worth it. At the time I had been somewhat bitter about the trip and this bitterness quickly disappeared. Our apartment is fantastic
After settling into our apartment, we all went out to eat with some other students that we met earlier that day. If you ever make it to Florence, I highly suggest you go to Il Gatto e Il Vulpe. It is all you can eat, all you can drink for only 15 euros! 
Since Thursday, I have had Gelato at least once a day! Things to notice at Florence 1) sometimes cafes and restaurants charge you for sitting down and/or have a service fee 2) apparently you aren’t supposed to tip anyone 3) men are usually way to friendly and the best thing for you to do is not even acknowledge their existence 4) Italians are very aware of electicity and wasting things 5) Theyre absolutely crazy drivers and 6) they NEVER wear shorts! Even in 90 degree weather like today, it was hard for me to even find them in capris! I’m sure I’ll have many more of these tips to post throughout this trip!
On friday morning we had a very long and extensive orientation about Florence and the program. On Saturday we picked up our schedules and books. Palazzo Rucellai is absolutely gorgeous. Apparently students have never been able to use the front entrance until this year. We are the first group of students allowed to enter through the front door.
Throughout the days we have been wandering the streets trying to figure out the layout of Florence but I don’t think I’ll ever truly understand it!
The Duomo:
Ponte Vecchio:
I’ll update soon about classes and travel plans with hopefully more pictures! I’m sure this week is going to be extremely busy though.
Location: Via Ricasoli, Florence, Italy
At the beginning of Spring Break, IES:Milano offers all students a 3-day all-expenses included (except for lunch) Cuisine and Culture Field Trip that features visits to the small Italian cities of Cremona, Parma, Mantova, and Castell’Arquato. Given the chance to eat great food, drink good wine, and experience authentic Italy for free, I was more than eager to sign up.
Cremona
The first destination on our trip was a tiny town located about 2.5 hours southeast of Milan called Cremona. Upon reaching the city by bus, we first visited it’s famous opera house. Considered one of the four most important opera houses in all of Italy, we were given an exclusive tour of the facilities, even though there was a performance scheduled for the next day. Although this theater pales in comparison to La Scala in Milan in both size and grandeur, it’s quaint atmosphere and intricate decoration make it a worthy tourist destination when visiting Cremona.
After leaving the opera house, we walked to the city center and visited the the Duomo and Baptistery. Although I certainly wouldn’t make a special trip to Cremona to visit these sites, if you happen to be in the city, they are worth stopping by
Our next stop was to a shop owned and operated by a violin maker, a skill and craft from which Cremona derives it’s worldwide fame. A small town in Northern Italy, Cremona is known throughout the music world as the heart of violin making and the prime destination for those who wish to purchase the best and most expensive of these intricately made musical instruments. We sat and listened for an hour as the violin maker explained the history of his craft, including the painstaking process required for the construction of each individual violin. Throughout this lecture we learned that each violin takes 2-3 months for its complete construction and costs anywhere from 5,000 – 25,000 euros. (Fun Fact: A violin made by revered violin maker Antonio Stradivari typically goes for 3-5 million euros at auction!).
After leaving this shop, we were given a more extensive tour of the city center, including a stop at a famous candy and sweet shop. In addition to it’s fame as the home of violin making, Cremona is also well known for it’s delicious nugget. After purchasing a giant chocolate from this shop (which I must say was amazing) and eating lunch, we headed to Parma.
Parma
Since Parma was the town in which we would be based in for the next two days, we checked into our hotel immediately upon arriving. After about an hour of free time, IES had arranged for us to receive a tour of the city before dinner. On this tour, we again visited the Duomo and Baptistery of this larger, but still small, Italian town. Although my desire to visit old churches has significantly waned over the course of the semester, I was still very impressed by the Duomo in Parma. In particular, the dome painted by Correggio was a breathtaking example of Italian art. This work was equally as impressive as any I have seen across Europe, although it was absolutely ridiculous that in addition to having to pay to visit the church, an additional fee was required to actually activate the lights necessary to see the dome!
After our tour was completed, we walked over to the restaurant in which IES had arranged for us to eat dinner, the Trattoria Corrieri. This 2.5 hour, 5-course meal was probably the best dinner I have ever had as we were treated to an appetizer of fried dough and assorted deli meats, a first course of pumpkin ravioli, a second course of rizzoto and polenta, a third course of chicken with gravy, and dessert featuring tiramisu.
Location: Cremona, Italy
Ciao Tutti,
I again apologize, but I am posting this a week after I wrote it. I wrote this blog entry on my iPad on my way back from the French Riviera and just remembered I never posted it.
—————————————————-
I’d like to start off with a big congratulations to all those involved with THON 2011. I can’t believe we raised $9.56 million – completely skipping the $8 million dollar mark! While I was disappointed I was not able to be there when the final tally was raised, I can assure you that all the Penn Staters’ from IES Rome were celebrating! Apparently, this must be an annual occurance because my Italian roommate, Silvio, knew what THON was and how to make a diamond with his fingers. Like they say, Penn State travels well!
On a more general note, I am definitely settling into life in Rome, Italy (or Europe in general). After spending last weekend in Florence, I had a relatively easy week of classes. It is nice to have a four day week while studying abroad because the week flies by and it is the weekend before you know it.
On Monday, my roommates and I went to our friends’ apartment for dinner. We all had a great time and played a few games of Scopa afterwards, an Italian card game (very similar to Spades or Hearts). Our team won in blowout fashion – 23-3.
On Tuesday, for the second week in a row, I went to Tratteria Night. It is a dinner sponsored by IES at a local restaurant. It’s open to 15 students a week. The students pay €10 each and IES covers the rest of the cost. The food is phenomenal! It is a seven course meal – bruscetta, grilled vegetables, pizzettes (fried dough with pizza sauce and parmigian cheese on top), potato soup, spaghetti with tomato sauce, penne with pesto sauce, and tirimasu. They also provide a at least eight liters of wine for the table and all the water you want. Not a bad deal for €10! At the end of the night you walk away full and with a few new friends. I sat next to an ISC (Italian student) and we spoke in Italian for the duration of dinner. I was very pleased with myself. Even though I only speak Italian in my apartment, it was great to speak to someone new.
This weekend, I booked a last minute trip to the French Riviera with Euroadventures. We left on Thursday night out of Florence (I had to take a train from Florence to Rome) and had a great time. It was about a five hour bus ride to our hostel in Nice.
On Friday, our tour group took a train to Monaco – the richest country of the world and the home of the world famous Monte Carlo Casino. We were able to see a Ferari dealership. I’m not much of a car guy, but it was really cool. After the car dealership, we went to the harbor and took pictures of multi-million dollar yachts. Then, we climbed up a cliff about 500 feet high for great views. We saw the Price of Monaco’s palace and went into Jaque Cousteau’s aquarium. Then, we descended the cliff and tried our luck in Monte Carlo. It cost €10 to get in, but it was well worth it. I can now say that the first casino I ever gambled in was the Monte Carlo. I also won €10.07, so I covered my cover charge and still walked out up .07 cents. I can also say that I won in the Monte Carlo. Not a bad day! Monaco is, by far, the most beautiful place I have ever been. I hope that I will be able to afford to come back one day!
On
Saturday, we went to Cannes – home of the famous film festival. It was another beautiful city, but it is hard to imagine how crazy it is during the film festival! We walked to the harbor and saw more yachts. They were so beautiful! Saturday night was the huge Carnivale parade in Nice. This was a great experience! The floats were amazing, but they were easily overshadowed by the atmosphere of the crowd. Kids (and some adults) were dressed up in costumes that we would wear for Haloween. The crazier thing, though, were the silly string and confetti wars. No one was safe, but no one was innocent. I was attacked by parade goers from 2 years old to 80 years old. By the end of the night, I was covered in a mix of confetti and silly string from head to toe! In my opinion, Mardi Gras simply cannot compete with Carnivale.
On Sunday, we explored Nice. It truly is a beautiful city. I can’t even imagine what it is like in the middle of the summer! On the way back to Florence, we stopped in a Mideval town built into the side of a cliff called Enz.
I am so happy with my decision to travel to the French Riviera. It wasn’t originally on my bucket list of places to go, but I will remember this weekend for the rest of my life. It was beautiful and a great experience. The views were absolutely breathtaking! The food was great – I had 3 crepes, 2 croissants , and 2 pastries. It all tasted amazing! I truly had a great experience this weekend and met a lot of great people.
Arrividerci,
Mike
Location: Nice, France
To say that Brussels was a better trip would be an understatement. I can’t describe in words how much I love the city of Brussels. This time, our coach ride there was during the day (it left at 8am); it was not the most pleasant bus ride but it wasn’t horrible either. When we left the station, we heard two little British boys sitting behind us talking to their parents in the seats behind them. At first, I couldn’t help but think how cute they were with their little British accent! However, as the ride went on my frustration grew. The entire ride they were kicking my seat, screaming at each other, and whining about one thing or another. I was most frustrated at the parents because they were both asleep with their face masks on. Oh well, nothing I could do about it!
When we finally got there, I was nervous to see all the signs in French again. I had such a hard time in Paris because no one was willing to talk to me in English and I didn’t want to have to be lost all weekend again! Since there were six of us going, we decided to pay for a triple hotel room and sneak 6 people in. it was genius because we ended up only having to pay 25 euros each for the 2 nights we were there! I forgot to print off the name and address of the hotel, so I had one of the girls traveling by eurostar text me the address. Still, we didn’t know how to get to there, so we went up to the information desk. When the man asked me where I was looking to go, I didn’t even know what the street name was as opposed to the hotel name so he just asked to see my phone. He was so nice; he showed us on a map exactly what we had to do to get there. We had to go into the other line with “his friend” to get our tickets for the metro and when it was our turn, the information guy that helped us took over and got the tickets we needed and asked for the money. He was so nice and helpful I wanted to cry and kiss him (but I didn’t)! The metro itself was actually pretty nice (especially after Paris).
Even though the information man told us to get to the hotel by tram after the metro, we were really confused as to how the tram system worked. We must have looked really confused because someone came up to us and asked us where we were trying to go; all I had to do was show her the text and she said it was within walking distance and then directed us in the right way. I was happily surprised by how nice everyone was! The area that we were walking through reminded me of home in Chelsea (London); it was super high end stores and really fancy shops.
When we walked into the hotel, we didn’t want to make it obvious that we were sneaking people in so as three of the people staying in the room were checking in, the other three took the elevator to a random floor to wait for the room number. We’re so sneaky! The hotel itself was gorgeous; I couldn’t believe we were staying there for so cheap. Since it was already 6pm by the time we were checked in and settled down, we went out for dinner and to a bar near the hotel. Apparently you’re allowed to smoke in bars in Brussels because it was really smoky in there.
Saturday, we headed out with the first destination being the Grand Place. It was only a 20-30 minute walk from our hotel so I suggested that we walk everywhere while in Brussels. As I always say, it’s the best way to explore. To my pleasant surprise, everyone agreed! On our way there, we walked past 2 antique markets and a ton of chocolate places. Apparently, Godiva Chocolates originated in Brussels! As we approached the Grand Place, I could see parts of the buildings from the side road. Once we entered the square, I was speechless. This was the most strikingly gorgeous and breathtaking square I’ve ever seen in my life. The architecture style was Gothic (not sure which era); which is my favorite style. I think that seeing different architecture is one of my favorite things about traveling to different places.
We all stood there kind of speechless for a while before taking a ton of pictures. Since Belgium is obviously known for their waffles, everyone wanted to find a non-touristy place to go for breakfast. We walked a short way from the square and found a little place to eat. I was also told that you had to try the coffee (and beer and fries and chocolate) while in Belgium, so I ordered a coffee for breakfast. Everyone else ordered waffles with toppings and chocolate. My coffee was absolutely delicious and everyone else’s waffles looked so good – and they apparently were!
We walked through one of the markets and then we went into a chocolate store called Chocopolis. It was really expensive chocolate but it looked so delicious. Since I don’t eat dairy, I asked the workers if they had any “dairy free” truffles (when I was in Stratford-Upon-Avon, there was a Belgian truffle place that had a whole list of dairy free truffles!) but this time, the workers looked at me as though I had 7 heads. I walked away thinking that there was no way I’d be having any chocolate this weekend. Bummer. We left there and set out to find the Chocolate Museum. When we got there, I went up to one of the people working and asked them if there was any chocolate that didn’t have dairy in it. They told me that any of the dark chocolates they make are all dairy free (there are 3 different kinds of dark chocolate). They had little bowls all around the museum of the 5 different kinds of chocolate, so I got to sample all of the dark chocolates, yay! The chocolate was extremely delicious. The museum itself was really cool inside because there were chocolate statues, art, and information all over. About 10 minutes after we went inside, we got to watch a demonstration of how the Professional Chocolatier makes the chocolate.
Luckily for me, he was making dark chocolate so when he finished, I got to taste fresh made chocolate. It was unlike anything I’ve ever had before! After the demonstration, we walked through the rest of the museum and then left to go adventure more. I didn’t realize this, but there’s a Royal Palace in Brussels; so we headed in the direction of that. There was a really pretty “garden” across from the palace so we walked through first and then made our way to the road to cross the street to the palace. The road was so incredibly wide! I don’t know how people drive on it without lines; it’s totally beyond me. Before we crossed, we noticed the lions that were “protecting” the gardens and the palace; they looked so scared!
I’ve never seen lions that had that kind of face so it was funny. We didn’t spend too much time there; it really wasn’t all that impressive. We ended up finding a cathedral as we were walking around, so we went into it to see what it looked like. It was really pretty inside; we left shortly after going and walked back to the place where we wanted to try the “frites” right across from where they had breakfast. The thing that’s good about the fries here is that they aren’t gross and sopping in grease, they’re actually potatoes lightly browned (in grease LOL). One of the girls was dead set on seeing the Manneken Pis, so we figured out where it was and arrived there quickly. It was so much smaller than I had imagined!
Seriously, there were chocolate replicas that were bigger. There were at least 6 chocolate stores around the statue so we went into all of them to look at their presentations of truffles and check out the prices.
Everywhere we went, I asked if they had “dairy free” truffles and at each place I was looked at like I was an alien. I found that most dark chocolate bars were dairy free, so I bought them instead. As we were leaving the last store, it really started to rain. I was one of the only people with an umbrella, so we headed back to walk to the hotel and rest before dinner. We left for dinner around 8pm and walked back to the Grand Place; we found a restaurant there that seemed pretty cute. One thing about Europe that I’m finding – waiters usually take pride in their jobs, they don’t always take your order unless you tell them you’re ready to order, and they don’t ever give you the check until you ask for it. I was so amused for the whole of the dinner because they had a food elevator and a phone to ring the kitchen upstairs, place the orders, and then the food would be delivered via the food elevator! I couldn’t help but watch it – I was mesmerized.
Apparently there’s a bar in Brussels that serves over 2500 beers and has 3 floors. Everyone wanted to see what it was all about, but I didn’t stay for very long. It was really late and I was exhausted! I headed back with one other girl and I thought I knew exactly where I was going. We got a bit off course and I started to get nervous because it was late and dark and we weren’t on a main road. Luckily, I quickly saw outdoor elevators that we were standing near earlier in the day so I knew that all we had to do was get on the elevator and go up and we’d be on the street right by our hotel.
Sunday, we had to be checked out by noon. Luckily, we were able to leave our bags at the hotel, which was really nice and unexpected. We headed back towards the Manneken Pis because there were chocolate stores everyone wanted to go into. On our way there, we decided to stop at a chocolate store called Leonidas as we were passing it. I went in and approached the women at the counter in a different way; I asked them if there were any truffles that were free of milk and cream. They looked at me and asked if it was an allergy and I said that “I don’t know if it’s the same word here, but I’m vegan”. The younger girl looked at me and said “oh, yes! Vegan!”! She pulled out a huge binder and looked through everything for me and showed me what I had to choose from that was dairy free. Apparently, I approached the question wrong in the past. I was so happy that I was actually able to get chocolate truffle-like treats!!
Since it was Sunday, most of the shops (other than souvenir shops) were closed. We spent the remainder of the day walking around the deserted fashion district and traveling on the metro to get to places that were further away. Apparently, when there was the “World Fair”, every country had to have a specific site that was theirs; Brussels built an “Atom” was considered the site for Belgium. I think it’s supposed to represent the different countries connecting together in Europe. You can walk to the top and through the connecting bars, but no one wanted to do it.
After that, we went to the area that is the headquarters of the EU. It was so windy and cold but we walked for a while to find the buildings. As it turns out, you can take tours of the buildings during the week but since it was a Sunday, the buildings were all closed. We got to see a part of the Berlin wall and all of the EU flags.
We headed back to the area of our hotel and went into some final chocolate stores.
When we got to the coach station, there was hardly anyone in there. I double checked that our bus was coming at 10:30 (it was about 9:45 at this point); it’s a good thing we looked because the coach was coming at 9:45. The bad thing about taking coaches everywhere is that they leave at whatever time you’re ticket says whether you’re on the coach or not; they don’t announce boarding or check in either. When we got out to where the coaches were waiting, we saw that a coach to London was already sitting there. Apparently, you have to check in at the Eurolines office; we didn’t know that so literally at the last few minutes, we checked in and ran to the bus 2 minutes before it left the station. Talk about lucky! When I woke up from my attempt to sleep, I was really confused because we weren’t at the train station; we were driving into the waiting lot of a ton of ferries! They were huge and I was scared at first because I thought you just drive on and then sit in the coach. Well, apparently that’s not how it happens because when we parked, everyone got off. We followed and went inside; holy crow it was like a cruise ship! There were 7 floors total and 2 of them were filled with shops, a restaurant, a caf� and bar, toilets everywhere, and an outside deck.
It was so incredibly nice! I wasn’t expecting it at all. The ferry ride probably lasted a total of 2 hours and 30 minutes and it was a relatively smooth ride. We were back in London around 5:30am and it was so lovely to hear Camille’s voice (we named the voice that speaks over the loudspeaker on the buses). Even though I love to travel and adventure, I am so glad that I’m living in London. It is such an amazing city and I hope there comes a day when I can actually live and work here.
Location: Louise, Brussels, Belgium
When I left for Italy, one of my more minor concerns about spending a semester abroad in Europe was possibly missing out on a great American holiday, the Super Bowl. Each year, every red-blooded American tunes in to watch the ultimate in event in American sports. Whether your favorite team is involved or not, it is almost sacrilegious as an American to not watch this great spectacle. I was particularly concerned because my hometown Steelers were headed to playoffs and a possible trip in Dallas in February. However, for anyone studying abroad in Milan, have no fear as several places in the city showed the game (If you are staying in Rome, there is an entire Steelers Bar!)
Fiori Oscuri and Bar Magenta both hosted large Super Bowl parties so that Americans in Milan could still experience the game. My roommates, friends, and I went to Fiori Oscuri, a sports bar owned and operated by an American from Texas who has lived in Italy for 18 years, and watched the game with fellow college students studying in Milan, as well as ex-pats living in the city. With perhaps the most cliche American menu ever, (4 options: Cheeseburger, 2 Hot Dogs, Chicken Strips, or Chicken Quesadilla, each served with fries) it was like watching the game in America. The only downside was that we were not able watch any of the famous Super Bowl commercials, since the broadcast we got included analysis of the game during each commercial break.
Even though I was disappointed in the result, I had a great time watching the game. Its really true when they say that Steelers fans are everywhere as a good portion of the bar was filled with Pittsburgh fans from back in the States. I even met 3 Americans from Pittsburgh who now live in Milan. One woman actually participated in the exact same IES study abroad program 9 years ago and has lived in Milan for the past 2 years. Small world.
Here is picture of one of my good friends in the program and I showing off our Steelers Pride:
Gotta give a shout out to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Great game. Classy guy and classy organization. As far the Steelers are concerned, the “Stairway to Seven” continues.
Location: Fiori Oscuri, 4, Milano, Italy
I hate to admit it, but the last week or so I was very touristy. As much as I enjoy taking pictures of everything, I hate being looked at as a tourist since I am actually living in the city. But when IES (the study abroad company I am studying with) offered a two day bus tour of the city for €20, I couldn’t pass it up. So for Saturday and Sunday of last week I spent the days riding around town in a double-decker tourist bus. There were three different bus routes which went to different parts of the city, and every major monument, house, or museum had a bus stop right in front of it. So I was free to get off of the bus and walk around.
THE TOURIST BUS
On Saturday (January 22) I decided to take the bus to Montjuic, the mountain to the west of Barcelona. This mountain offered fantastic panorama views of the whole city of Barcelona and the port. It was a fantastic day of sightseeing. The only problem was that it was a little bit cold, and sitting on the exposed upper deck of the bus I encountered a lot of wind. Montjuic is also home to the Olympic Stadium that housed the opening and closing ceremonies in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. This Olympic Park was absolutely breathtaking. It was so massive, so open, and so majestic. It was truly something special.
After spending a lot of time walking around the Olympic Park, I took the bus to the gondola that would take me up to Montjuic Castle. Just when I thought the mountain couldn’t get any 
more beautiful, there is a castle at the top! The views from the gondola were spectacular. And the castle was very cool. To be fair, I would say it was more of a fort than a castle. It overlooked the Mediterranean on one side and the city on the other. From this spot, I saw one of the most amazing sunsets in my life.
On Sunday I took the bus tour to the northern part of the city which was a little bit less exciting, but still impressive. I didn’t take nearly as many pictures because most of the stops on this route were museums. I found a lot of places I will like to go to later in the semester, but they are very close to metro stations so I didn’t want to waste my last day of unlimited bus tourism.
So I set off to find the third bus route which would take me along the beaches. I get to the place where the bus stop is supposed to be, but I can’t find it anywhere. So I decided to walk along the bus route because the bus would have to pass me at some point, or I would find another one of the bus stops. After about an hour of walking I looked at the map again only to realize that the beach route is only open in the summer months. 
I just laughed and kept walking. I figured I had already walked for over an hour, so I might as well just keep walking. Armed with my camera and an eye for the extraordinary, I made my way through the neighborhoods and along the beaches taking picture after picture of anything that looked interesting. It was dark by the time I made my way to Port Forum, which is a giant open area that opens up to the Mediterranean Sea and provides interesting landscape architecture for the local skateboarders. I spent some good time watching the skateboarders and enjoying the view of the sea before I headed home on the metro. It was almost a 45 minute ride back. That was when I realized just how far I had walked. It was actually a lot of fun spending time with myself, sightseeing and adventuring on my own.
Monday and Tuesday I had classes. The classes that I am taking are: Intermediate Spanish 2, Sustainability in the Spanish Context, Contemporary Spanish Film, Human Development in Spain, and Sport and Society in Spain. Classes here are surprisingly difficult. The courseload isn’t too much different than what I get at Penn State, in fact maybe it is a little bit less. The problem is that some of the teachers are not 100% fluent in English so it is hard to understand what they are trying to say and to have the teachers understand you. Also two of the classes have teachers that think it is a good idea for the students to teach the class. I think this is a very difficult way for the students to learn the correct material. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to make due.
VALENCIA, TORTOSA, AND TORRES WINERY
Early on Wednesday morning, I boarded a bus to go to Valencia for 2 nights and 3 days on the IES orientation field trip. Our first destination was the river town of Tortosa. It is located on the Ebre River and was home to Roman, Muslim, and Jewish peoples throughout its history. There is a large castle at the top, but once again, it is more like a fort than a castle. From the top of the castle is a fantastic view of the river, the city, and the mountains in the background. Also from the top of the castle you can see a view of the Cathedral, which is a large building but was never finished. A lot of people on the trip were complaining about the walk to the top and the cold, rainy weather, but in my opinion the view of the mountains and the architecture of the Cathedral were worth every minute. I wish tourists were allowed to go into the cathedral though.
After that we made our way to Valencia. The city of Valencia was very interesting. The architecture was different than Barcelona and there were so many parks. There used to be a river than ran through Valencia, but after a few major floods, they re-routed the river and turned the whole old riverbed into a very long park. It was really something to see. With all the bridges, I felt like I was back home in Pittsburgh, only instead of crossing over rivers, I was crossing over soccer (football) fields, baseball fields, flowery gardens, and beautiful park areas.
That night, the hotel gave us a buffet dinner with many types of food including paella, a Valencia staple. I’m not a fan of seafood, which is usually the main part of paella, so I was excited to see that the paella at this buffet consisted of chicken. After the buffet dinner, we explored Valencia’s nightlife and even got to try “Agua de Valencia” which is a cocktail consisting of vodka, gin, cava (champagne) and orange juice. It was really good but the bad weather scared the locals from venturing out at night so the nightlife was not as “hoppin'” as all the guidebooks say it is.
The next morning we got on a bus and toured the city by bus for about an hour, which I was thankful for because it was raining. After the bus tour, we did a walking tour of the city in the rain. It was miserable, but I didn’t care that much
because I was anxious to see one of the most mysterious artifacts in all of history (or at least to Indiana Jones). The Cathedral of Valencia is home to the supposed Holy Grail. Of course, nobody is sure what cup was actually used at the Last Supper, but I would like to believe this is the chalice. It makes my adventure story better. Although unlike the final trap in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the chalice is actually adorned in gold and jewels.
After the walking tour, we had a few hours to explore Valencia on our own. I made my way to the local market, which is HUGE. Valencia is known for its oranges, so I figured I had to try a fresh Valencia orange. I paid €0.25 for a gigantic orange which might have been the juiciest orange I have ever had, and subsequently the best orange I have ever had. I was feeling adventurous so I tried a local treat called “horchata de chufa”. It is a milk-like drink made of crushed tigernuts, water, and sugar. It was a little bit thicker and much sweeter than normal milk, but it was still very refreshing. Then a group of friends and I sat down in a chocolate shop and ordered “churros con chocolate”. Wow. Talk about a delicious treat. It is basically a bowl of melted chocolate and plate of churros to dip into the chocolate. And the hot chocolate here is very different from the hot chocolate in the states. Here, they melt chocolate, add a little bit of milk, and mix. Trust me, it is so much better than the watered down garbage they sell back home. I don’t know if I can go back to the old ways…
Then we headed to La Ciudad de Artes y Ciencias or “The City of Arts and Sciences” which is an entertainment complex in Valencia that includes an opera house, an IMAX theater, a science museum, and an outdoor art gallery. The architecture here is unlik
e anything I’ve ever seen. It almost looks like it came from another planet. It was beautiful, weird, and cool. One of the buildings in the complex is called “L’Oceonografic” which is the largest aquarium in Europe. We were lucky enough to visit the aquarium and even see a dolphin show. My favorite part of the aquarium was a tunnel that was underneath a shark tank. The sharks were so close to me that I could make out every feature of their magnificently graceful bodies.
The next morning the group (there were 6 full buses of students) made our way to the Torres Winery where we were only allowed to sample one wine. I know I’m not speaking only for myself when I say that pretty much everybody felt ripped off. Then they took us on a tram and gave us a multi-media tour of the grounds where we learned how wine was made, barreled, and aged.
From the winery we stopped at a restaurant on the way back to Barcelona to enjoy a feast. I got to partake in a special activity done in Spain that involves eating a unique onion that has been cooked and charred in a fire pit. After peeling off the outer charred layers of the onion (remember from Shrek that onions have layers) the remaining inside layers of the onion is unscathed and is then smothered in a sauce and lowered into the mouth. The onion is almost stick-like, it’s not like a conventional orb shaped onion. Along with the onion ritual, we were able to drink wine out of a burrón, an interesting glass vessel. It is almost like a tea pot. You hold the burrón in the air and pull it away from your face, making a stream of wine from the spout of the burrón into your mouth. As if that wasn’t enough, the waiters brought us huge plates of meats and vegetables, and then glasses of champagnes. We ate like kings, but the meal was incredible sloppy. I know that whole meal must be hard to picture, so I’ll let Anthony Bourdain from the Travel Channel explain it a little better in this video (the meal starts at around the 3 minute mark):
BACK IN BARCELONA
After an exhausting but fun 3 days traveling around Spain, I decided to take the day and spend it exploring the city with friends. We decided to go to the Chocolate Museum. Yes, there is a museum solely dedicated to chocolate. When we purchased entrance tickets, we were thrilled to find out that the ticket is actually a bar of chocolate. So while learning about the history of chocolate and seeing some truly incredible chocolate sculptures, we could enjoy the savory 73% cocoa treat.
After the museum we ventured through the side streets of the city, visited small shops such as a venetian mask store, and even haggled with the foreigners who run the souvenir stores. It was a fun day topped off by a visit to a candy store. MMMM!
That night we went to a discotheque in Barcelona called Catwalk. We didn’t get into the club until 2:30 so I knew it was going to be a late night before I even got inside. It was very crowded inside, with a lot of flashing lights, fog, bubbles, and loud music. Luckily the metro runs all night on Saturdays so it was able to take me back to my homestay when I finally left the club at 5:30. I wanted to leave much earlier, but I didn’t want to head home alone, so I thought it would be best to just suck it up and dance to the techno/R&B mashup that the DJ was spinning.
THE FOOD
I was very nervous about the food situation before I landed in Barcelona, but in all honesty everything so far has been just fine. I’ve been exploring new foods, most of which are decent. I ran into a problem tonight when my house mother brought out a seafood paella for dinner, complete with shrimp, mussels, and clams. I managed to get down the shrimp and hide the shellfish, but it was a close call. The meat here is excellent and so is the bread. Nearly every day for lunch I buy a “bocadillo”, or sandwich, from a local restaurant. I do run into some problems when ordering food at restaurants and some things get lost in translation, but for the most part all the food has been really good.
THE LANGUAGE
As I said before, I knew a little bit of Spanish before coming here which has really been helpful. I find myself progressing slowly but surely in my grammar and vocabulary but still have some trouble orally forming sentences. I can understand the language fairly well in conversation, but in Barcelona there is the troublesome Catalan language that often gets in the way. There are actually four official languages in Spain, but Catalan and Castilian (Castilian is the type Spanish we learn in schools in the US)are the dominant two. Catalan is more closely related to the French language than it is to the Spanish language, so if locals speak to me in Catalan, I just look back at them dumbfounded. The locals are very proud of their Catalan and there is a push in local government to increase the use of Catalan in stores and throughout the city. Most of the children in Barcelona are actually taught in schools in the Catalan language. I find it to be a major distraction when trying to learn Castilian Spanish. While the language is a nuisance, the Catalan history is fascinating and I will be posting more about the history of Barcelona and the surrounding area in future posts as I find out more about it for myself.
Maybe in the long run things aren’t so bad without all the comforts and routines of the life I was accustomed to back in the States. Ranch and Dr. Pepper, two of my dietary staples, have seamlessly taken a backseat to vinaigrette and water. I have traded Chicken fingers and French fries for paella and bruschetta. I am experiencing something new every day and enjoying every second of my time in Europe.
But at the same time, some things are just too good to live without…
Hasta Luego,
~Sean
Location: Valencia, Spain / Tortosa, Spain / Barcelona, Spain