Tag Archives: travel

Bariloche: the Swiss Argentina and so much more!

Class Field Trip!

This trip was probably the closest I have ever gotten to having an out of this world Magic School Bus trip. I had an amazing time traveling to Bariloche on our field trip. Bariloche was so beautiful: mountains, lakes, trees changing colors, while roses crept up the side of our cabin. We stayed right on the edge of the lake, Nahuel Huapi, the namesake of the national park that surrounds Bariloche.

Bariloche´s location in relation to Buenos Aires

The cabins where we stayed by Lake Nahuel Huapi

The town of Bariloche was so quaint: wooden edifices with cobblestone streets that wound around the lake. We had free time to wander through the small town filled with chocolate shops. I enjoyed taking in the crisp, fresh air, as well as the changing colors of fall that have only just started to arrive in Buenos Aires.

We were able to take a few hikes while we were there, and I am afraid to say that my legs have completely forgotten what hills feel like in the flat pampean landscape of Buenos Aires. Indeed, that will be a rude awakening when I return to State College. Neverthless, it was great to spend sometime in the National Park and learn more about the ecology of Patagonia. There is not a huge amount of biodiversity, but a lot of species found there are completely unique to that area. So I saw a lot of interesting trees and plants that our guide, an ecologist, pointed out to us.

These types of trees only grow in Patagonia.

Learning first-hand

I am so glad I was able to take this trip with my class. Of course the touristy spots of Bariloche were spectacular, but with my class, we saw other parts of Bariloche outside of its tourism that I would never have seen on my own. For example, one day we went to a Mapuche community, an indigenous population of Argentina, and they prepared us a typical Mapuche meal. They prepared curanto. To prepare the meal they create a fire over rocks outside, and once the rocks are heated, they remove the firewood. They then lay fabric down over the hot rocks and put all of the food- chicken, beef, lamb, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and apples- and cover the food with leaves from trees typical of the region. After folding the fabric over top of the leaves, they shovel earth on top of the mound to seal it off and allow everything to cook.

As they prepared our meal, we listened to a lawyer´s lecture about indigenous rights in Argentina and heard community members´perspectives on securing these rights. The community we visited is one of the few that have obtained the right to their traditional territory, although the government has created laws to allow this reclamation to happen for all native communities. Once the food was ready, they called us outside for the process of disinterring our meal. Steam rose from the earth, and we could smell the distinct combination of earth, the leaves, and our food.

Cuarnto; a typical mapuche meal prepared on hot rocks beneath the earth.

The food was amazing, and the experience entirely unique. With everything I have learned through my anthropology class about Patagonia in mind, I was able to interact and share a first hand experience with this Mapuche community.

With my class, we also had the opportunity to see art that is prohibited from being shown in the museum. Why? Because the art was painted by a Nazi-refugee, Toon Maes, in Bariloche. The town was actually a refuge for many Nazi leaders, where they lived quietly and solitarily until they died. Once the artist’s past was discovered, human rights activists protested for his art to be taken out of exhibitions. So when we went to see the art, the paintings were just leaned up against a wall. Normally they are kept in an office, hidden from the public. Our teachers spoke to us in English about the paintings instead of Spanish, because the person who maintains the collection was once a student of the Nazi artist. She really cared for him, so they didn’t want to disrespect her by denouncing these paintings as art created by a Nazi.

Art by Toon Maes, a Nazi leader who found refuge in Bariloche, Argentina

We also visited a school in El Barrio Alto of Bariloche, a poorer neighborhood outside of the touristy center of the town. Our bus drove through dirt roads, with precarious homes on either side of the road. We arrived at the school, filled with happy children and surrounded my colorful murals on every walls. We brought with us musical instruments to donate to their school band and posters of pictures of our homes in the US. My group had a picture of mac and cheese on our poster, and the kids excitedly asked, “What’s that, what’s that?” They loved asking us questions about football and wanted to know what our school´s mascots were. The town´s newspaper was actually there and wrote an article about how we donated instruments to the school.

http://www.elcordillerano.com.ar/index.php/actualidad/item/26001-universitarios-estadounidenses-donaron-instrumentos-musicales-a-la-escuela-cailen

These excursions were very special and made my experience in this beautiful town all the more incredible. So, I was disappointed to leave this peaceful place but was happy to come home to my homestay family. They waited for me to arrive before they sat down to eat and were so excited to hear all about my trip.

29 Days of Spring Break across Europe

3 weeks. 1 backpack. 9 cities. Possibly the most liberating thing I have ever done. Amongst the 4 of us (on the PSU program), we organized the entire trip with every sight and travel all on our own. We were together for the 1^st week of cities and then I followed a roommate (Aviva) to Barcelona to join her family and then left to fly to another roommate (Joelle) in Italy.

In this post, I want to give my overall to-the-point blunt impressions and experiences in each city. I use a scale of 1-5

1: When do I go back?!

5: Don’t recommend ever coming.

And details are to come in my next blogs about specific places and events that stood out. With that:

SPRING BREAK 2015

Innsbruck, Austria (1 day): 3. perfect amount of time, most scenic city in the Alps as mountains soar into the sky around the entire town. We took the Nordkettenbahn (gondola) to the top of the Alps for the breathtaking views and in one day were on the next train to our next destination. Visiting once is enough for Innsbruck as it is a relatively small and expensive city, but the views are unparalleled.

View from the top of the Alps in Innsbruck

View from the city center of Innsbruck.

Salzburg, Austria (2 days): 4. home of Mozart and “The Sound of Music”. We spent Palm Sunday in a cathedral that played Mozart, visited the old and cute shopping street Getreidegasse and the Hohensalzburg Fortress overlooking the city. Most of the movies’ filming locations were scattered outside of the town and “Sound of Music” bike tours were highly reviewed/advertised to take to them. However since we came during the tail-end of winter, the tours hadn’t started yet. Otherwise, Salzburg was just another small European town; one day would’ve been plenty.

The hills are alive….

Vienna, Austria (3 days): 1. gorgeous, ready to visit again! Visiting around Easter, the city was peppered with Easter markets full of treats and trinkets. The streets were lined with regal and grandiose architecture – including the opera (where Jo and I scored the 3 euro standing tickets to see Swan Lake at the Vienna State Opera – talk about once in a life time experience). Favorite museums were the MOMA (modern art museum – saw some Andy Warhol) and the Albertina (gorgeous exhibit from the private stock rooms of Musee d’Orsay – Degas, Cezanne and Seurat). Schoenbrunn Palace tried to compete with Versailles, and although it had gorgeous gardens the visitor very quickly can tell who really won.

Vienna!

Viennese Easter Markets – bring on the painted eggs!

Andy Warhol in the MOMA!

Also, this was our 2^nd stay at a Wombat’s Hostel and their hostels are excellent! True social hostel experience packed with Viennese info/recommendation packets lying across the lobby around the lounging travelers.

Prague, Czech Republic (4 days): 1. go go go, would definitely visit again. Plus, AFFORDABLE; from the beer (0.50 euros/ bottle) to the food. Reminded me a lot of Eastern Europe. Visited the creepy bone church – Sedlec Ossuary – decorated with between 40,000 – 70,000 bones. Very fun, friendly, and quirky city. “New Europe Free Walking Tour” is a must. Awesome tour guide, Chris, who entertained us with history and stories of Prague for three hours through the windy and freezing day. The tour guides merely ask for tips at the end and to “pay only what you think the tour was worth”. This way you are ensured to have a great tour as the guides work for their penny. We learned the history of the city and some helpful hints for our stay.

Prague and it’s bridges

Sedlec Ossuary – shield of bones

Barcelona, Spain (4 days): 1. Can I say LOVE? Barcelona was one stop on our Spring Break that I didn’t have to plan or research as I joined the Doery family, so I was completely surprised by the Catalonian capital. It actually felt like this was the REAL vacation (maybe that’s why planning trips is so hard…). Barcelona is the relaxed, fun-loving vibe that just literally envelops the entire city. (I saw people just rollerblading through the tiny alleys of Barcelona with a pizza) I’ve never seen such a vibrant life-filled beach city. The city is peppered with art and architecture by Barcelona’s beloved Antoni Gaudi – the mosaicked Park Guell – the cathedral the Sagrada Familia still being built. The markets, the tapas, the warmth – GO BARCELONA.

Park Guell

Sagrada Familia – natural light flowing in

Rome, Italy (3 days): 3. hot and full of tourists (even in the off-season at the beginning of March). Rome holds the Vatican City, the Pantheon, and the Colosseum but the rest of the city didn’t impress. The people aren’t nice, the public transport is awful, the city is not walk-able, and I can’t stand large crowds of people. All in all, not a fan.

Collosseum

interior of Colloseum

Florence, Italy (2 days): 2. A smaller walk-able Rome with better transportation and less tourists. Took a fun bike tour and loved the leather-store lined streets. Home to the Duomo and Michelangelo’s David. Took a half-day trip to Pisa for pictures. Cute little homey city.

463 steps later – Top of the Duomo!

view of Florence

Michelangelo’s David

Florence

Cinque Terre, Italy (2 days): 2. Post-card colored pastel houses perched on the rugged coast of the Italian Riviera. The 5 water-side towns were a lot smaller than I expected, merely just a street you can see in an hour. You could also tell some of the houses needed a paint face-lift. However, we stayed at 5 Terre Backpackers Hostel, which was by far the best hostel we’ve ever stayed in. The owner, Francesco, formally introduces himself and welcomes guests upon arrival and is available for any help you need during your stay. From daily home-cooked family style meals to evenings playing Jenga on the back porch overlooking the Italian Mountains, it was like staying at a distant relative.

Cinque Terre

Of course, I could say more about each city, but my blog doesn’t do my trip justice. I was liberated, driven, and learning. Seeing a new place every day was just remarkable and doing it all on my own was ridiculous fun. Through visiting every destination, I found my favorite cities to be Vienna, Prague, and Barcelona. I’m so glad to have seen every destination and it sure makes a story I can look back on proudly.

My Kind of Town

Descanso

Last week I had a break after completing our midterms. It felt like a spring break because in my mind I’m in the mode of spring. But in Buenos Aires in May, the winds are picking up leaves, rains have come, and autumn is bringing colder air. On Facebook, I see tulips blooming at Penn State and my friends finishing up their finals, while I just completed midterms! I still do not know when my local university course’s final exam will be; they say sometime in the first half of July.

Nevertheless, I cannot believe I am already halfway through my semester abroad! I am so happy I choose to come to South America, although adjusting to the opposite of seasons still confuses me and I will return to the US in late summer. Studying in Buenos Aires, I have been able to really get to know one city, one culture. I feel that even after being in this city for five months, there will be things I still wish to see. Every week, there is something new that I plan to visit or do: whether it be another fair of artisans, a bar popular with the locals, or a tango show.

Because it is impossible to exhaust the long list of things to do in BA, I love staying here every weekend and am excited to return when I do travel elsewhere in the country. So when my mom decided to visit me over my break, I had a huge list of things to show her in this city. For the week we were here, we went all over the city. No one in her hotel spoke English, and most restaurants don’t speak English. Some offer menus in English with funny translations. For example, once I saw a menu that translated jamón (ham) as jam. For me, I know Spanish speakers pronounce the letter j like the letter h in English, so jam sounds like ham. But to an English speaker, like my mom, jam is something very different from ham. So in this context, I was able to show my mom the fruits of all my years studying Spanish.

My mom and I at a restaurant.

Traveling around the city, my mom experienced the adventure of the colectivo, the bus here in BA. We successfully hailed buses from unmarked bus stops and arrived safely at our destinations. We went to a lot of museums: the MALBA, Bellas Artes, Museo Bicentenario, Museo Etnológico, and Evita. Many museums do not have English translations, and I was able to translate the descriptions and add what I had learned from my history class about particular periods in Argentine history.

Visit to Juan B. Ambrosetti Museo Etnológico

A work by Eugenio Cuttica, an Argentine artist in Museo Bellas Artes.

We had a wonderful time. My mom saw my home stay and my favorite tea shop, and we ate Argentine food, like a fugazzeta (a thick crust pizza with cheese and onions), and drank Malbec wine. My host family here also went out to dinner with my mom, my house mate, my house mate’s family, and myself. Although the language barrier sometimes seemed overwhelming, it was very special to share a delicious meal together and enjoy everyone’s company.

I loved sharing this wonderful city with my mother. The more time I spend here, the more grateful I am that I made the decision to study here in this city, in South America. I always thought I would study abroad in Spain, but as advisers talked to me about choosing a place, the more I became disenchanted with going there. Through this experience, I really wanted to become familiar with a particular culture and immerse myself in Spanish. Buenos Aires has been the perfect place to accomplish both of these goals. I still want to go to Spain in the future but am so happy that I chose to study abroad in Argentina.

Exploring new cities

This weekend, I am going to Bariloche with one of my classes. It is an anthropology course about Patagonia. So we have learned about the first conquerors and explorers’ perspectives of Patagonia, Argentine explorers and scientists’ ideas about the region, along with current perceptions of Patagonia, indigenous peoples and their cultures. Through this trip, we get to travel there and see what we have learned firsthand. In Bariloche, we will see the touristy parts like Nahuel Huapi National Park, as well as the more subtle political and social issues within the city. For example, we will travel to a poorer neighborhood of the city and visit a school in this neighborhood.

At the end of the month, I am traveling to the northwest of Argentina to Salta. I am excited for this trip because this region, unlike the rest of Argentina, was once ruled by the Incans and still retains these Incan cultural influences. But even on this trip, I will continue to practice my Spanish and have the opportunity to get to know another part of Argentine culture.

Location: Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina

G’wan Donegal!

To preface this post, I’d like to first explain the title of my post. In Ireland, especially at sporting matches, it is common to hear the crowds yell “G’wan!” (AKA, “Go on!”) followed by the team or county they’re supporting. I heard a lot of this when my friend Mary and I went to a Connacht Rugby match on March 1st – we joined in the crowds yelling “G’wan Connacht!” as if we’d lived in Galway all our lives. Even after the match, the phrase stuck with us, so if we were happy about something, we’d yell “G’wan Connacht!” Alternatively, we started using the phrase as an affirmative or an expression of praise, as well. For instance, one of our conversations might ensue as follows:

Mary: Do I get a medium order of fish and chips or a large order?

Maddison: Go with a large. You’re in Ireland, so why not?

Mary: You’re right, I’ll order a large.

Maddison: G’wan Connacht!

(I’m fairly certain this exact conversation has taken place between us multiple times.)

G’wan Connacht!

So, to continue with my post… as you can tell from the title, we have changed our “G’wan Connacht!” phrase (which we still use sometimes) to “G’wan Donegal!” Why? Well, this may be a bit of a long story, so prepare yourselves.

There are several different accents within Ireland, as many of us study abroad students have realized. The subtle (and not-so-subtle) differences appear as you meet new people from all over the country. Many people we’ve met at school and in town hail from County Donegal, on the north west border of Ireland. Donegal borders Northern Ireland but is still part of the Republic of Ireland, making it a unique county. It is the second largest county within the Republic and also boasts one of the most interesting accents. It wasn’t difficult for any of us to fall in love with the unique sound of the accent – speaking with an individual from Donegal could turn the most loquacious conversationalist into the best listener.

Because of our interactions with individuals from Donegal, my friends and I had a little running joke about Donegal because we liked the accent so much. When I visited a sporting goods store to buy a Galway GAA jersey, I had to try on the Donegal one just for fun!

It suits me better than it should, right?

Well, all of this fascination boils down to one obvious conclusion: we needed to go to Donegal. My friends Mary, Nicky, Amara, and I took an early morning bus from Galway to Sligo, and then spent a bit of time exploring Sligo before we caught the bus from Sligo up to Donegal. The views on the trip were incredible – the mountains in Sligo are unlike any I’ve ever seen before.

Gorgeous, huh?

Once we arrived in Donegal Town, I fell completely in love with the place. The quaint town centre, called “The Diamond” is filled with shops, tea houses, pubs, restaurants, and chippers. As soon as we got off the bus and oriented ourselves, we decided to stop in a tea house, called Blueberry Tea Room. We filled our stomachs with the most amazing lunch dishes and plenty of tea before heading out into town to do some exploring.

Within the town centre itself, we visited Donegal Castle, which was an amazing experience due to our ability to explore, learn, and interact with the castle and grounds.

Donegal Castle!

The beauty of the exterior was only heightened when, at night, the Castle was lit up by a green spotlight against the darkening sky. But some of my favorite parts of the castle were inside – the intricate fireplaces, the gorgeous wooden dining tables, and the stone stairs, rooms, and passageways were mysterious and fascinating. The O’Donnell’s, who owned Donegal Castle, sure were lucky to be surrounded by such beauty! I had a lot of fun exploring – there seemed to be surprises everywhere we turned!

Me with deer antlers just behind my head

Oh deer!

We also stopped in Saint Patrick’s Church, where we all admired the beauty of the building and said a prayer. After that, we stopped in a small sweater shop, where we befriended the elderly man who owned it. Mary bought a beautiful light blue sweater, Amara bought a gorgeous teal sweater, and Nicky bought a lovely green infinity scarf. Since I already bought a sweater at the Blarney Woolen Mills, I didn’t allow myself to splurge, but I’m glad my friends all found things they liked! Little did we know that their decision to buy warm clothing would definitely pay off the next day.

Saint Patrick’s Church

We partook in the pubs, the chippers, and even did a bit of shopping in the town before heading back to our lovely B&B, called Ardlenagh View, which was only a five minute drive from town. Our hosts, the Mulherns, were so welcoming and kind – traits we noticed in many people we met in Donegal. Their B&B was absolutely stunning, as it was surrounded by beautiful mountains, valleys, and the breathtaking Donegal shoreline.

After a good night’s rest, the four of us awoke to a scrumptious Irish breakfast with plenty of tea to keep us awake for the day. As we packed up our things and got ready to check out, we noticed the sheep that filled the field just beyond the balcony of the B&B. I jumped at my chance to ask if we could go see the sheep – a prospect which our hosts, Tony and Eileen, found immensely entertaining. They gladly granted us permission to see them, and soon enough, both Eileen and Tony were watching us out the window, happy to see how much fun we were having. I even got the chance to make one of my dreams come true, as I called some sheep. If anyone is in need of a shepherd, you know where to find me.

After we said goodbye to our sheep friends and our wonderful hosts, we headed back into town on a pleasant Mother’s Day. In America, Mother’s Day falls in May, but in Ireland, it is celebrated in March. Luckily for us, the Donegal Bay Waterbus was sailing on Mother’s Day, and we were just in time for the 11:00 AM sailing. Because it was a chilly day, the four of us were the only ones on the top deck of the boat in the open air – everyone else opted to stay warm in the inside of the boat. Needless to say, as soon as we established ourselves at the top of the boat, we threw extra layers on and bundled for the remainder of our sail. Nicky and I even indulged in a pint of Guinness to warm up a bit while we all took pictures of the ridiculously incredible views. Donegal is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in all my life – the beaches, the mountains, the water, the ruins and castles, the people, the culture – it all paints a picture of what life should be like and how it should be lived.

Sail away, sail away, sail away…

As we were sailing, I noticed shapes bobbing up and down in the water – upon closer look, I realized some seals had come to say hello! I yelled to the other girls to look at the seals, and to my surprise, Mary wowed us all with her seal call. The rest of us just stuck to waving to our new friends! We saw more seals on the beaches we passed – they seemed curious, so we waved to them as well!

Our seal friends!

We enjoyed sailing and singing some Irish songs that were played through speakers to the four of us chilly passengers up top! We even did some dancing on the boat, which I’m sure the captain found amusing. It was a great boat ride and we all really enjoyed ourselves!

Dun na nGall! (AKA, Donegal)

Afterwards, we visited the ruins of the Donegal Friary, where we admired the old architecture and walked around the cemetery. To my surprise, I found headstones marked with the surnames Martin and Gallagher, which are two of my family surnames! I was overwhelmed with excitement – I knew from what my great aunt told me that the Martins and Gallaghers from our family were from Donegal, and it looks like she was right! I couldn’t wait to email Aunt Esther to let her know about my discovery. Up until that moment, I had felt a particular draw to Donegal, but seeing the prevalence of my family surnames in the cemetery there made me feel an even deeper connection.

Sitting among the beautiful ruins.

After our visit to the friary, we were ready to refresh with some lunch and tea. We stopped in a quaint cafe, chatted with some locals, and then took a taxi to the nearest beach, called Murvagh Beach. It was a cold day, but the sights were still incredible. Walking along the shore brought me such peace. Hearing the seashells crash against each other as the waves carried them in and out was captivating. I couldn’t have been happier with our decision to explore such a pretty place.

The heavens opened up and shone down on Donegal.

As we all walked along at our own pace, we lost track of time – it wasn’t too long before we were all separated and enjoying our solitude. Breaking away from the business of daily life to experience natural beauty is one of the most therapeutic experiences… which isn’t a difficult thing to do in Ireland. I walked along the shore and collected interesting seashells, but eventually I met up with Mary and Nicky who had climbed to the top of a cliff which marked the end of the sandy beach and the beginning of the rolling hills just beyond it. Needless to say, I climbed right up there to meet them!

The view from the top!

Nicky went to find Amara, so Mary and I sat on the cliff and had some deep life discussions. It felt as if we were on top of the world – in every direction, we saw beauty, and we did our best not to take a second of it for granted. Naturally, we took pictures of us sitting on the edge of the cliff with beautiful Donegal in the background.

Me sitting on the cliff edge with the beach in the background

Taking it all in.

We didn’t want to leave Murvagh Beach by any means, but we knew we had to get back into town and eat dinner before catching our bus back to Galway. Before we left the beach, however, all four of us stood on the cliff and took a few group photos to remember our amazing trip to one of our favorite Irish counties!

Me and my friends posing with Donegal in the background

Never forget Donegal!

G’WAN DONEGAL!

Location: Donegal Town, County Donegal, Ireland

The Cliffs of Moher

One of the most famous landmarks in Ireland, as many will know, would be The Cliffs of Moher located in Counties Clare and Galway. I was fortunate enough to be able to visit them with my friend Mary when two of her friends from home, Claire and Erin, came to visit over their spring break.

The four girls standing with the cliffs in the background.

Mary, Claire, Erin, and me at the Cliffs of Moher!

Our tour started off with several stops as we made our way through Galway down into Clare. We visited Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara, The Burren, Corcomroe Abbey, Ballyalban Ring Fort, and Poulnabrone. Each one is pictured below!

Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara

Corcomroe Abbey

Ballyalban Ring Fort

Poulnabrone Burial Tomb

We stopped for lunch in Doolin, County Clare, and then continued on towards the cliffs. It was a chilly day, and when we arrived, a wind and rain storm overtook the entire area. We all piled from the bus into the tourism center, taking time to learn about the cliffs while the storm passed. Within about fifteen minutes the storm had passed and the sun came out – in Ireland, weather patterns hit and subside frequently… we could have rain, sun, snow, hail, wind, etc. within the span of an hour. Mary, Erin, Claire, and I all bravely ventured out of the tourist center and were greeted by some incredible views.

After visiting the Cliffs of Moher, we stopped at the “Mini Cliffs” which were also incredibly beautiful. We had fun jumping from rock to rock to get nearer to the water.

Mary trying not to get blown away by the wind at the Mini Cliffs!

On the way home, our bus driver, Gary, made some of the passengers sing to us. Why? Well, Gary instituted a rule at the beginning of our trip: if you were late back to the bus at any point during the journey, you’d have to sing and/or dance on the bus back home to Galway. Mary and I were going to ask if he’d take volunteers, but we thought better of it! (And no, we were never late back to the bus, if you were wondering!)

By the time we were back in Galway, Gary told us that he would show us how he could make a dog dance. I was fortunate enough to capture it on video – every time I re-watch it, I laugh hysterically. See if you can keep a straight face!

I hope you enjoyed it! As you can hear from my laughter in the video, I certainly did!

Until my next post,

Maddison

Location: Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland

What are men compared to rocks and mountains?

View of Mendoza from Terrraza Jardín del Mirador

View of Mendoza from Terraza Jardín del Mirador

There were holidays this week, so we had a four day weekend to have an awesome trip in Argentina. So, my friends and I took a bus to Mendoza for the long weekend. Mendoza is about 15 hours west of Buenos Aires along the Chilean border- I know 15 hours by bus sounds horrible. I bought my bus ticket expecting I would never buy one again after 30 hours of busing. But the buses in Argentina are not like Greyhounds in the US.

I have taken Greyhound home to Philadelphia from State College. We had to stop in Harrisburg and the trip ended up being about six hours in a gross Greyhound bus. But here for long trips, you can purchase a “cama” seat on a bus, which is basically a really wide seat that reclines and has a foot rest to elevate your feet. They give you champagne, a not so great dinner, and a decent breakfast, so what’s there to complain about? An overnight bus trip to the opposite end of Argentina is actually a pretty comfortable trip.

The only tricky part about buses here is that they don’t post the platform from where the bus will depart until about ten minutes before departure or not at all. So I was a little worried when I arrived at the Retiro bus station and didn’t know where my bus would be. But as I have mentioned in my last blog, patience is always required with transportation in Argentina or anywhere in the world.

Once we arrived, we explored the city. It is more of a small town compared to Buenos Aires, and we appreciated the quiet streets and clean, fresh air. The accent in Mendoza is also more familiar than in Buenos Aires. The “sh” sound of the “ll” and “y” of Buenos Aires was not as common and closer to the castellano that I have learned in school. My friends and I rented the second floor of a house from a family in Mendoza. The family was very nice and accommodating and we loved the cozy atmosphere within the house.

One of the coolest things about Mendoza is that it actually has a semi-arid climate, practically desert. Yet Mendoza is famous for its wine production, and the province is lush with verdure. All throughout the city, there are irrigation ducts and rivers of water flowing from the mountains to provide water for the province. So not only do these mountains dominate the landscape, but they provide the sustenance for Mendoza’s people and its economy.

After exploring the streets and plazas for a while, we went to a museum exhibiting regional art that was awesome. It was amazing to see artistic depictions of landscapes that were clearly from the Mendoza province. So many paintings included the Andes looming over the landscapes of vineyards and gardens.

On Sunday, I went horseback riding outside of Mendoza, close to Luján. I have never ridden a horse before, so I was a little frightened by the experience. I was especially scared when I found out we would be scaling a few smaller mountains on horseback to get a better view of the Andes. But I trusted my horse and had a spectacular view of the landscapes in Mendoza.

My final excursion in Mendoza was a bike tour through wine country in the province. We rented bikes from a family owned business, Mr. Hugo’s, and got a map of the different wineries around Maipú. Sounds like a bad idea to have wine tastings and then bike to the next winery, but it was great! We also stopped at an olive farm, where we tried artisan olive oils, tapenade, jams, chocolates, and liquors. Through the entire bike tour, the street was lined with shady trees and surrounded by acres and acres of grape fields. In Mendoza, they grow Malbec grapes to make Malbec wine, which I tried on the wine tastings. The day was fantastic, and we rushed back to the bus station to catch our bus back home to BA.

Ready for the wine tour?

Today, we arrived after our long journey, and I never thought I’d be so happy to see Retiro Bus Station. I came home to my home stay, and my host dad was excited to hear about all of our adventures in Mendoza, where he used to live. Mendoza was such a beautiful place and I had an awesome weekend there beneath the Andean mountains. Like Jane Austen wrote, “what are men compared to rocks and mountains?” After my trip to Mendoza, I wonder what are men compared to rocks and mountains AND wine?

Location: Mendoza, Argentina

Snowshoes, Cycling, and Spring Break!

Snowshoeing the Black Forest

Finally made it to the Black Forest yesterday! With our weekly weekend trips, I’ve realized how little time we’ve actually spent on the outskirts of Freiburg! Every weekend there’s something to do, some place to go. And after almost 3 months of being in Freiburg, it was TIME to venture to the Black Forest. One of our friends from our German language course invited us to come snowshoeing there. “Bring waterproof shoes” were our instructions but since most of us hadn’t packed hiking shoes to Europe, we made do with what we had. So equipped with a pair of sneakers, 2 extra pairs of socks, and optimistic minds, we strapped into our snowshoes.

Our group chose the longer 10 km (6.2 mile) route and for 4 hours we went hiking. Because of the uphill path and constant movement, we didn’t get very cold at all! Three fourths of way in, we came across a small lodge where we stopped for warm drinks and some food. The last fourth of the path was flat land and quite easy and quick! Our socks were soaked but we were warm and had made it!

We definitely have plans to go back to the Black Forest during the spring and go on one of the many hiking paths.

TIP: Our student public transport passes are valid not only for the trams in Freiburg but also for the regional trains that take us up to an hour outside of Freiburg (into the Black Forest). If you study abroad, get the student discounted transport passes and take the free rides places!

Buying a Bike!!!

My bike!

I bought a bike! This is Pegasus and I am so excited to finally have a bike in Europe. Biking is much more common here than in the States so I wanted to take advantage of a prime opportunity to bike away! Since I only need him for a couple of months I bought the cheapest (working) one for 90 euros and have been told I could expect to make most of the money back when I sell the bike. There is someone always looking or selling a bike in Freiburg. Can’t wait to ride him!!

Spring Break 2015?!

Lastly, here comes Spring Break right around the corner!! 3 weeks. 1 backpack. 7 countries. We will be traveling for 3 weeks around Europe and I am completely stoked! The itinerary is

Innsbruck
Salzberg
Vienna
Prague
Barcelona
Rome
Florence
Cinque Terre
Milan

After hours and hours of booking and itinerary planning, I can’t wait for the 3 weeks and to see even more of Europe. I keep realizing how I’m basically living on a cloud. I know how fortunate I am to have the chance to travel and I am taking in every place and sight I see to learn as much as I possibly can. Can’t wait to share some stories once I return!

Since I will be traveling, I may have less computer access but info about the trip will be out within the month – so stay tuned!!!!! Until then, AUF WIEDERSEHEN!

Location: Black Forest, Feldberg

Whilst in edgy England

12 hours of sleep – 3 nights. That’s what happens when you are a study abroad student. Well, at least, similar stories happen pretty often. There are two parts to the name “study abroad (travel travel fun travel fun fun) student (finals come and you have a slam load of papers)”. AKA, I’ve learned if you’re not doing some homework, errands, or traveling; you’re planning and booking your next week’s trip. Having booked our most recent London tickets I seem to have just believed the papers would somehow find a way to get done. Welp – they did…as I brought along one to London on my laptop. Allocating my time with sightseeing and walking during the day and then dedicating at least 4 hours a night to my paper, I had some sleepless nights showing up to my hostel room at 2 AM with laptop in tow.

But after turning that paper in on Friday, it was time to go to a club. Actually a club ranked the #2 and #1 best club in the entire world for four years. We made our way to Fabric, home to drum and bass DJ’s. We travelled between the three rooms to experience the stellar DJ’s playing and upon entering one room felt the feet shake beneath our feet – literally! The club has a vibrating dance floor attached to, “450 bass transducers which emit bass frequencies,” according to their website. The music was incredible and you could tell that people came here solely for the music.

The employees all wore shirts that said “Is your phone safe?” because apparently there is a high issue with phone thieves in all of London’s clubs. I always am very protective of my belongings (concealing a money belt and a purse in front of my body with my hand glued on the zipper), but it was interesting to see the clubs acknowledgement of the issue. We had so much fun and returned to the hostel by 2:30, slept for an hour, and were up at 3:30 AM to grab our train to the airport and fly home.

I’m now writing this blog on the bus ride home from the Basel, Switzerland airport – in my state of giggle exhaustion and subtle crankiness. But with our great price deals on our flights, you can’t always choose what time you want the plane to fly. A bus, train, plane, bus, tram later and we are home in Freiburg by 1 PM.

Whilst in England – the meat of our trip

“England isn’t known for their food” – true, but I was surprised to find a HUGE ethnic food variety and organic healthy options! We ate at

Wagamama – a Japanese restaurant and noodle bar I have always heard about
Pret a Manger – a favorite that I’ve had in NYC; a homemade natural food place similar to Panera Bread Co., but better
fish and chips stand
Brick Lane eatery – known as the street of Indian restaurants
Borough Market (where we bought English tea!!!)

And it was all delicious, one of my favorite cities for food selection – I really miss having so many diverse and endless food options!

Wagamama Dinner!

The hostel we found via TripAdvisor was recently built and very hip – HIGHLY recommend it. The Wombat’s in London had gorgeous interior design, like a hotel, brand new facilities, helpful staff, secure private lockers in our rooms, and great lounge area to meet people. Writing my paper in the lobby for several nights, I really got to use the facilities and ultimately is my favorite hostel thus far.

Wombat’s London – hostel lobby

In all – Loved London: full of edgy, urban-hip and posh-dressed individuals; yummy food; and a great first exposure to Great Britain.

Location: London, England

En Route to Seoul!

It’s been a long time coming, but I am FINALLY on my way to Seoul, South Korea! My past few months have consisted of me sitting at home pathetically missing Penn State, religiously keeping up with all the adventures on this geoblog, and enduring a constant stream of “North or South?” jokes by anyone who finds out I’m studying in Korea.

Unfortunately, traveling to the other side of the world isn’t exactly the easiest. Currently I’m on a four hour layover in Detroit – proudly wearing my THON hat – and then I head to Seattle for the night. Tomorrow morning starts my official eleven hour flight to Korea! (Thank God for Netflix, amiright?!)

I’m definitely a firm believer in journaling and blogging, so I intend on taking you all on this four month journey with me, if you let me. Like I said, this trip has been a long time coming. I’m not talking about the past two months at home by myself. I’m not even talking about since last summer when I got accepted to study at Yonsei University. I’m talking about since 2011 when I first became interested in the Korean culture. I used to stay up all night and just dream about visiting Seoul… and now I can’t believe that in just a day I’ll be living there! High School Paige is so jealous right now. It’s surreal and scary and crazy and ridiculous. If I’m being honest, I was starting to have cold feet this past week. Big time. But here I am in Detroit, so I might as well fly all the way!

I still haven’t figured out if the next few months will pass quickly or not, but I have decided that I don’t want to waste a single day. I only have four months. I want to make the most of every second.

I have two major goals, and I am determined to complete them:

1 – Have an entire conversation in Korean. I will never stop being amazed by people who are multilingual, and I hope to join them one day. I have been studying the language since my freshman year, taking four semesters. Although my 선생님들 (professors) have been angels sent directly from heaven, I still struggle with the language. It’s a really fun language, and I love learning it, but I get very shy when I speak it. I’m not capable of having a conversation in all Korean just yet, so when that day finally comes, I will let you all know. There will probably be lots of caps lock and exclamation marks in that blog post.

2 – Educate the rest of the world on how cool South Korea is. When I tell people I’m interested in Korea, I normally get a lot of Kim Jong Un jokes. (I mean, a lot). Which is all good and fun(ish), but then I realize that people genuinely don’t know a lot about Korea. I had someone ask me if I was going to have running water where I going! Seoul is comparable to New York City. It’s truly the city that never sleeps. Of course I could never blame people for not knowing much about Seoul or South Korea… I mean, thinking about it, there are so many countries in this world that I know nothing about. Up until a few years ago, I knew nothing about Korea as well. I just got a fortune cookie the other day that read “Every wise man started out by asking many questions.” So fear not friends, I will take you on this journey with me and by the end of it all, you’ll all want to travel to Korea for yourself!

Next blog post will come at you from the other side of the world! And I’ll be sure to incorporate a seoul pun title so painful it’ll have you all rolling your eyes. Until then, 안녕 (Annyeong)! 🙂

페이지 / Paige

Location: Seoul, South Korea

Exploring Castles in Carlow and Kilkenny

The latter part of my weekend at my friend Sally’s house in Wicklow consisted of trips to County Carlow and County Kilkenny, where much of our time was consumed by exploring castles. The really great part about Ireland is that it doesn’t take too long to venture anywhere… it took ten minutes to drive from Sally’s house in Baltinglass, Wickow to Duckett’s Grove in Carlow.

After our adventurous day in Glendalough and Avoca on Saturday, we spent Sunday driving to a place called Duckett’s Grove in Carlow. Sally and her friends had told us stories the night before about how the grove was supposedly haunted, and it was easy to see why when we arrived.

A castle in the distance, clouded by fog.

My first sight of Duckett’s Grove was definitely creepy but beautiful!

Aside from the uncommonly thick fog, exploring the castle ruins of Duckett’s Grove was incredible. Much of our walk around was creepy, but I loved it. Sally told us that the grove was a common spot for people to spend time, especially in the summer. She and her friends would meet up there to play sports, play board games and cards, pack picnic lunches, and generally just spend time together. I can’t think of a more beautiful and interesting place to casually meet up with friends or family!

A part of the castle with towers framed by fog

A tower with arrowloops – the sky really was that color!

The castle looked fairly abandoned on the inside, but that was only because the interior had to be preserved and protected from people entering it, especially late at night or early in the morning. Sally said it was common for people to explore the castle when it was dark in order to find ghosts or get a good scare. It sounded like a fun time to me!

Three of my friends and I standing outside a gate of the castle.

Nicky, Kelly, Mary, and I hoping to meet a ghost!

After we finished our escapade at Duckett’s Grove, Sally drove us to Kilkenny for an afternoon at Kilkenny Castle. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take photos inside of the castle, but I did get a few of the gorgeous exterior.

Kilkenny Castle through the trees.

The interior was just as beautiful. We visited a large portrait gallery in a hall that reminded me of Pemberly (Mr. Darcy’s home) from Pride & Prejudice. There was also a tapestry room which captured all of our imaginations… we admired the incredible craft work that went into creating a masterpiece like a wall-length tapestry. The dining room was so intricate that I thought it would be a perfect film location for Downton Abbey – every single table setting was perfectly in place. One of my favorite places was the library, though. There were huge cupboards filled with old books, various writing desks near gargantuan windows, and cozy seating areas beneath paintings and portraits. The Butler family, who lived in Kilkenny Castle, certainly didn’t want for comfort!

Outside, the grounds were filled with statues, a fountain, stone steps, and walkways. Kelly and I even made a friend who decided to pose for a photo with us.

Kelly and I standing on either side of a statue.

He insisted on the pose… don’t blame us!

Also, as a side note, if any of you are fans of Hozier (born in Wicklow – one of Ireland’s own!) he recorded a live version of his song “In A Week” at Kilkenny Castle. Here is a link to the video if you’re interested in watching it. I highly recommend it… Hozier is one of my favorite musicians.

When we returned to Sally’s house, we were exhausted but immensely satisfied. We had explored so much in only three days – my weekend visiting Wicklow, Carlow, and Kilkenny will be a time of my life I will never forget!

Until next time,