Portugal

This post is long overdue so I already know it will be a long one; I have a lot to catch you all up on!

A few weeks ago my program had a scheduled excursion to Lisbon and Sintra, Portugal. I didn't really have any expectations of this new country, I suppose because I assumed it would be very similar to Spain. However, any small preconceived notion that I did have was completely surpassed by the long weekend I spent there. Lisbon is an amazing city and actually reminds me a lot of San Francisco (although I've never been). The city has long hilly streets that stretch from the center plaza to the shore. At it's steepest points there are a hundred year old trolley cars that function as both tourist attractions and a helpful form of transportation for those that live at the top. The metro and bus systems are also very extensive and convenient; In terms of transportation, this city is definitely doing it right! 

I will take you day-by-day so as to not forget anything important of my trip: 

Day 1 was mostly spent traveling to Lisbon by bus. We were delayed nearly two hours because at one point outside of Sevilla, we came across a bit of snow on the roads. It was very interesting to see the disorganization hit as soon as we met snowy roads. There was one small plow moving from one side of the street to the next trying to clear the way, but the buses and tractor trailers were at complete stops on the side of the street. The snow was probably 3 inches of slush... I don't know what they would do in Maine this winter! Because of the snow delay, we did not have time to tour the Monasterio de la Rábida- the place where Christopher Columbus planned his voyage to the New World. Instead, we did stop for an hour or so to see replicas of the Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria. After we arrived at the hotel in Lisbon we had free time to explore and have dinner. We ended up eating at a restaurant which was located inside, but around the center, of a large bull fighting ring.

Bull fighting ring where we ate dinner.

The next day we went to the Monasterio de los Jerónimos. This monastery is considered to be one of the most prominent monuments of Manueline-style architecture. In Portugal, this style is similar to late-gothic. This long building connects a beautiful cathedral with a monastery which at one point housed more than a hundred monks. We were able to enter the cathedral and walk through the courtyard where hundreds of practicing monks passed.

Inside the monastery courtyard

Across from the monastery is the Torre de Belém. In the late 15th century, King John II developed a defense system along the river and this tower functioned as a look-out, as well as a location to store and fire cannons. The tower was also designed by the same architect that designed the monastery.

View from the top of the tower.

After these two stops, we loaded back onto the bus and drove 45 minutes north to a town built upon the side of a mountain, called Sintra. This town is very quaint but bustling with people. If you ever visit, make sure you try a Queijada, a famous pastry of Sintra. While in this town we saw the La Palacio de Pena, which is situated at the top of the mountain. This castle was something out of a movie; the king who designed and lived in this castle was rich and crazy - the combination of the two lead to a building unlike anything I've seen before. The photos I have don't do this castle justice:

View from the road leading up to the entrance. 

A series of curved look outs

The yellow and blue siding was all tile. 

A walkway behind the castle... look at that view! 

Sintra, Portugal is my favorite place that we have visited thus far. The town itself is small enough that you don't lose your way, and the higher you climb up the mountain, the larger the sights are to see. I'm not quite sure what it is, but something about Portugal inspired me to learn more about it's culture, language, and people... so next semester I will be taking a course to learn Portuguese! We'll see how that goes...


Thank you for reading! Next stop: Barcelona and Valencia, Spain!

Trip to Ronda

Yesterday a group of us went to visit Ronda, Spain- one of the most beautiful cities in Andalucia. We woke up early, got on the bus in Málaga, and drove 2.5 hours to the very top of a mountain. Of course, no mountain climb can be done in a straight line, but rather in a hand-full of twists and turns and narrow pathways. Needless to say, I wasn't able to enjoy much of the view from the bus because I was concentrating too much on not getting sick.

Once we arrived in Ronda we spent a few moments recovering and wandering to the city's center. With tour book in hand, we made it to our first destination: El Puente Nuevo. Here, the "old city" and "new city" are connected by magnificent bridge which crosses Rio Gaudalevín (deep river). The cliffs drop hundreds of feet in an abrupt fashion to the river and waterfall, where water was collected for the city when it was under Moorish occupation.

View of Puente Nuevo from the "new city"

View of the cliffs from the bridge

Another incredible view. Oh, and the backdrop isn't so bad. This is known as the Mirador de los Viajeros Románticos (View of the romantic travelers).

Once we were able to pick our jaws off of the ground, we kept exploring Ronda's Old City. The next stop is Casa de Rey Moro (the house of the Moorish King). Unfortunately, the museum was closed, but we were still able to walk around the walls of the old castle. There are a series of 300 steps that lead down to Puente Arábe and arabic baths, as well as access to Puente Viejo which was used before Puente Nuevo was completed (makes sense...)

Stairs leading to the water below the cliffs. On the left are restored stairs and remnants of the originals stairs can be seen on the right.

Puente Viejo from Puente Arábe

Standing on la muralla (the surrounding wall) of the castle

Standing in the same spot, but this is the view to my left. The residential Ronda, filled with traditional casas blancas. 

El grupo on top of the wall! 

I hope that you enjoyed this photo tour! If you ever have a chance to visit Andalucia, Spain I strongly suggest taking a trip to Ronda. The sights are unbelievable and the history is fascinating. These pictures don't do it any justice! 

Thanks for reading!

The first week!

My first week in Málaga is coming to an end and I could not be more excited, grateful, and in awe that I will be spending the next four months in this awesome city. Everything here has surpassed my expectations and I am so excited to share everything with you!

First, and most importantly, my host family:

I live in a large home with a single mother named Paqui. She has been hosting international students for over 15 years and at this point, she is very very good at it. There are five bedrooms in the house, mine and Paqui's are located on the first floor and there are three more upstairs. Right now there is another international student living here named Eline. She is originally from Holland, but for the past couple years her and her family have been living in Kenya. We get along very well and eat lunch together everyday. Fortunately for me she speaks fluent english, but unfortunately for me she she speaks fluent english. I say this is unfortunate because I am able to cheat the system and communicate with  a person in english in my home, which is often times discouraged. As the semester goes on we will try to  practice our spanish more, however in this past week it has been very relieving to speak my native language while at home.

Although there are only three of us living in this large house, it never feels empty. Paqui has four sons who come to eat lunch everyday. The youngest is 29 and they are all moved out of the house. I've also met Paqui's two sisters, one of which is the host mom for another student in my program. Paqui's brother, Antonio, lives behind the house and is always popping in and out of the kitchen. The other morning while I was enjoying my cup of coffee on the patio, Antonio and I talked about how the friendliest people on earth are found in areas with lots of sun... as a result of "la vitamina D." I can attest to this, because all of the people I have come across in El Palo thus far are extremely welcoming.

There are also three little dogs that run around the house. The youngest pup is named "Pulga" which literally means "flea." She is about the size of my foot, so I guess it's fitting.

This is the mama of Pulga- they look very much alike. 

Secondly, the city:

A majority of the host families are located in El Palo, which is about a 20 minute bus ride to El Centro, in Málaga. Our Dickinson classes will be taught at Los Cursos para Extranjeros, courses for foreigners, in El Palo. The other two classes which we are required to take are at the Universidad de Málaga. This campus takes about 40 minutes in total to reach. Below are some photos of the campus from when I took a visit yesterday:

La biblioteca de la Universidad - the general library

el jardín botánico - a botanical garden on campus with various cacti

A view from la facultad de filosofía y letras - the philosophy and literature department

I am also a very short walk to the beach in El Palo. There is a walkway that runs along the beach with tapas bars and restaurants. We have already found our favorite... it's called Swan Pedregalejo. Their patio has outdoor heaters and they have a beautiful view of the water and the mountains in the distance. Here are some photos from la playa: 

A view of El Palo

Sunset

Un naranjo - literally everywhere throughout the city. These oranges are too sour to eat (from experience..) but I found out they are used mostly for jams and marmalades. 

Will post more pictures soon!

Besos!

Before I go...

I thought I would write a brief post about my thoughts pre-departure. I will be flying out of Portland into New York, then New York to Madrid on Monday morning and I could not be more anxious to go. My bags are (almost entirely) packed and I have done everything on my check list. Unfortunately, I've become a little bit more nervous in this past week.

For those of you who don't know, I enjoy my bed and the feeling that comes from sleeping in on weekends and days off from work. There really isn't a better feeling than waking up within the  heavenly comfort and warmth of your down comforter when its snowing feet upon feet of snow outside (thanks Nemo...). This past week, however, I haven't been able to sleep in past 8:30. I blame my current lack of sleep on the horrifyingly realistic dreams that I have had about my time abroad. The most recent, for example, was a dream about realizing I had forgotten my passport, visa, and driver's license just before entering the drop-off area at JFK. In a panic I called my parents and asked them to meet me at the airport as fast as possible (I believe the best solution was by helicopter...) with the appropriate documents. Meanwhile, an older women sitting next to me on the bus continually repeated "I told you so, I told you so..." Maybe this was the subconscience of my parents reminding me to keep everything organized, or maybe this woman was simply a reminder that anything can happen. No matter what the representation, it freaked me out.

Another nerve racking topic of conversation that has been reoccurring in this past week is that I will, without question, have something stolen from my person or from my luggage. I will not be naive and believe that it won't happen; I would just rather remain positive and remind myself that I am a cautious and organized person. Whenever someone hears that I am traveling to Spain, the first story they share is one about losing one thing or another. One woman shared a story about her friend who was eating at a restaurant with her bag between her legs and wrapped around a chair. Even though she took these precautions, she claims a person managed to crawl under the table, open up her backpack, and remove her laptop and wallet. Another woman told my mom that her backpack was picked through while she was asleep on a train traveling throughout Europe. Another person told me how there are actual techniques used to remove a person's watch from their wrist, simply by loosening the band with their thumb and pointer finger. Rather than let these stories break my confidence in traveling throughout Europe, I would like to acknowledge the distinct possibility that it could happen to me, keep myself organized, and move on. If I do lose a couple euros from my wallet I can just chalk it up as an experience, because from the frequency to which I hear these stories, it is not unlikely that it will happen to me.

All of that being said, I really am excited and ready for this experience. I have always wanted to take advantage of a study abroad opportunity and now is the time! Thanks for reading and check back soon. I will try my best to post weekly!


Besos!