The one where I go to Barcelona and Córdoba!

Well, I have officially been in Spain for over two months, and have less than two months left! Time is seriously going by so fast, and I know the rest of the semester will go by even faster because I have so much planned! The boy comes in one week, and I could not be more excited. We've already been apart for a month since I came home for Valentine's day, but I am sure this week before he arrives will be the slowest week of my life. Clayton will be here from March 22-28 and then on the 28th I leave for Dublin to be reunited with my best friends, Alex, Amy and Erica (I'm so glad Alex is spending spring break 2014 in Europe)! Then a week after that on April 3 my parents venture to Spain for 10 days! I'm so excited to be able to show them and Clayton around so they can see what my life is like here (: Mackenzie and I are still trying to plan an Italian excursion during Semana Santa, and then the program goes to Lagos, Portugal April 25-27th. Needless to say, the remaining portion of the time will be packed with amazing experiences!

Speaking of amazing experiences, I have spent the last two weekends in Spain and traveling to Barcelona and Córdoba. Barcelona honestly reminded me of Chicago or another big American city. The food and shopping there was awesome and most people spoke English. I know I would love to study abroad there but my Spanish would not improve nearly as much as it has in Granada. I also think living in Granada really immerses you into the Spanish culture while living in Barcelona would be similar to living in any other city in the US. On Friday, we walked by La Sagrada Familia and I wish the line wasn't so terribly long and entrance was free so we could have went inside. I was willing to wait and pay but was the only one, so we continued on our way to Park Güell. I remember learning about these famous sites in Spanish class in high school and it was so surreal to actually be seeing them in person. The architecture in the park by Gaudí is unlike anything I've ever seen and some things look like real life gingerbread houses. We were also able to walk in the same spot where the finale of a season of America's Next Top Model took place, we were able to recognize it! 

Like I said before, the food in Barca was amazing and Friday night we ate at an awesome Italian place for dinner. On Saturday, we went to a brunch place called Travel & Cake and had the best brunch I've probably ever eaten. I wish I could have tried everything on the menu. The weather was really nice that day and we went to the beach for a while and walked around that area and went out at night to a club on the beach. On Sunday, we had to leave for the airport around 2 so decided to just have a relaxing morning and go back to the same place for brunch again because it was so good. I'm disappointed that I was not able to see nearly all that I wanted to in Barcelona and I really hope I have time to return back there, I feel like I missed so much!

Today, 03/14 a lot of the program took a trip to Córdoba which is a city about 2 hours west of Granada. It was nice to be able to see another part of the south of Spain but not have to travel too far! Sometimes I feel like I live on planes and buses. We saw the Mezquita Caterdal of Córdoba which is one of the most famous religious monuments in Europe. It was a lot bigger than I expected and absolutely gorgeous on the inside! We also walked through some ancient Arab baths which they have in Granada. I've heard only wonderful things about the baths and I want to try them out one day soon! We also walked through the jewish quarters and through beautiful patios and gardens and had a little free time after lunch to shop around. It was a good day overall, but if you're planning on traveling to Córdoba you really only need 1 day there to see everything. I definitely like Granada a lot better. 

I have also started volunteering at an elementary school near my apartment teaching English every Tuesday and Thursday morning. My volunteer experiences thus far have made me so excited for my future career as a Spanish teacher and I love working with these children. They are so amused by the fact that I am from the United States and bombard me with questions my first days there. It's a wonderful opportunity to be able to share my English skills with other people but also improve my Spanish. 

I can't wait for Clayton to get here next Saturday! I'm sure I'll have a lot to say about his week here, but until then, here are some pictures of Barcelona and Córdoba:

Patio in Córdoba

Me and Mackenzie (:

Selfie in La Mezquita Catedral

Córdoba

Gardens

La Mezquita Catedral

Such intricate detail

La Sagrada Familia en Barcelona

La Sagrada Familia

Park Güell

Where ANTM took place

Park Güell

Best chicken sandwich ever from Travel & Cake

A view of Barca!

The one where I surprise the boy and go to Paris!

As the days go by in Granada, I have realized that it is very difficult to keep up with my blog! For some reason I never have time to post a new entry, I'll have to work on that.

Anyway, after I traveled to London, what seems like forever ago, I flew home to Chicago on tuesday (Feb 11) to surprise the boy, Clayton, for Valentines day and our one year anniversary. It took a lot of planning to pull it off without giving anything away, and I had to enlist the help of his roommate. I arrived in Chicago around noon and my mom picked me up and we were shortly on our way to Champaign! Seeing the boy for the first time was unreal, I was shaking and tears came to my eyes, I couldn't believe I actually pulled it off and we were together. Thankfully, he was very surprised and had a similar reaction. 41 days is too long to go without seeing each other but the days apart have taught me to appreciate everyday that we have together and the distance has made our relationship stronger. In 21 days from today, the boy will be coming to Granada for spring break and I couldn't be more excited to show him around!

I stayed in Champaign from tuesday night-friday morning and it was wonderful being able to see everyone again. I couldn't have been happier when my roommates answered the door and attacked me with hugs and tears of happiness; it felt like I never left. It was great to be able to have American food again, I made sure to go to all of my favorite places and have an iced coffee everyday, that was the first thing I got when I stepped foot onto American soil, classic me! On Friday, Clayton and I drove up to Chicago to spend the night at my house so he could drive me to O'Hare on Saturday. Friday was both Valentine's day and our 1 year anniversary so we went out to dinner at Weber Grill near Oak Brook. I highly recommend the restaurant, it is a tad expensive but the atmosphere was great and the food was awesome (best chicken I have ever eaten) ! It was nice just to be able to spend all day together instead of celebrating via facetime. I was very sad to leave on Saturday as it felt just as I had settled back into my old routine, I had to go back to Spain. I'm sure it was quite the spectacle as I cried in the middle of O'Hare airport saying goodbye to the boy, but I'll spare you the sob story and move on to my trip to Paris.

I returned back to Granada after a long 10 days and on thursday (Feb 20) left for Paris! Sam, Danielle, Erica, Monika and I took a 5 hour bus (probably the nicest bus I will ever be on) from Granada to Madrid to meet Hannah who is studying in Bilbao. However, traveling through the night really sucks so I don't recommend doing that. We got to Madrid airport around 1:30am and our flight left at 6:30am. Sleeping was practically impossible and finding 5 hours to kill in the airport was rough. Once we got to Paris though, the sleep deprivation was definitely worth it. On Friday, we went up to the top floor of the Eiffel Tower and the view was incredible. In my opinion, the tower at night when it is all lit up is much nicer to see than during the day! We also saw the arc de triumphe and walked around the main shopping area.

Saturday was our biggest day in Paris, and my favorite. We grabbed McDonald's for breakfast (the McGriddles in Paris are seriously the best) and started the day at the Louvre. I wish we had more time in Paris because I could have spent all day at the Louvre, there was so much to see! Of course The Mona Lisa was at the top of our list. After the Louvre, we went to Pont des Artes or the love lock bridge and we all bought a locks to add to it. One side of my lock was dedicated to the boy of course, and the other side to my parents for giving me this wonderful opportunity. Later, we walked to Notre Dame and then to do a little shopping. I have wanted a long champ bag ever since I got here and see 1 in 3 girls with them and what better place to buy one than in Paris where they originated! I can't wait to use it when it gets a little warmer out (: We ate a linner (lunch/dinner) at a really good burger place and then went out at night.

Sunday we walked through some flea markets and had one last good meal before we began our many hours of traveling back to Granada. In my opinion, the food in Paris is just okay and the only two things that really stood out were the nutella and banana crepes and the macaroons! I liked the crepes better than the Macaroons so if you're going to Paris definitely try them! Our flight from Paris landed in Madrid at around 8:00pm and our bus didn't leave until 1:30am which was rough and it was a miracle I made it to all of my classes, especially my 9:00am,  after getting to my apartment in Granada at 7:00am. Even though the traveling was long and exhausting, Paris was amazing and I am so glad I was able to see it, I really wish we had more time there. I am also glad that I was able to spend this weekend in Granada relaxing because sometimes I feel like a traveling nomad constantly on buses and planes. Next weekend,  I will be going to Barcelona and I can't wait to explore the city! Here are some pictures from my adventure back to the states and to Paris:

Valentines dinner at the Weber Grill

Me and the boy <3

Selfie at the Eiffel Tower!

Seriously so pretty at night

Arc de Triumphe

Me and Mona

The Louvre was gorgeous inside and out

Classic photo

The whole thing

For Clayton <3

For my parents <3

Me with the lock!

Throwing the keys in the water for good luck

Selfie at Notre Dame with a Macaroon. I wish I had a picture with the crepes

The one where I go to London!

I wrote this entry on the plane from London to Chicago, sorry it took me so long to post!
I have officially been in Spain for a little over a month and looking back, it has flown by !! We have a week off of classes called "Semana Blanca" so everyone in the program took this opportunity to travel around Europe. My friends and I decided it would be the perfect time to go to London!! I have always wanted to go there but never thought I would actually get there. We left for London on Friday February 7, and took a 7am bus from Granada to Malaga and a flight from Malaga to London Gatwick. The flight was a little under three hours and of course I downloaded The Parent Trap on my iPad to watch during the flight to prepare me for London! We arrived in London at around 2:00pm and let me tell you , London is much different than Granada. The pace of life is much faster in London; spaniards take their time doing everything, they are never in a rush, while everything in London is hustle and bustle. When we landed in London we had to take a train and the underground to our hostel. It was quite overwhelming to be in Grand Victoria train station, almost like a scene from a movie with everyone rushing around me as I struggled to lug my suitcase up the many stairs. 
We stayed at a hostel, Astor Quest, that was pretty close to the main touristy areas. Our room was pretty small with 3 bunk beds and one small bathroom. There were only 5 of us, but 6 beds, so Friday and Saturday night we were joined by an Italian guy named David who could hardly speak any English and spent most of his time out of the room; luckily Sunday and Monday night it was just the 5 of us . The hostel had a free continental breakfast and kitchen so we were able to cook pasta one night for dinner. 
I under estimated how much money I was actually going to spend there. Everything in London is so expensive because the conversion from dollar or euro to pound favors the pound heavily. Granada spoils me as it is so cheap compared to London. But instead of worrying how much money I was spending, I decided to live by the motto YOLO: you're only in London once. It was very refreshing to have food that is similar to the food from the United States! I ate very well during the whole trip including a meal at chipotle with Casey because we missed it so much ! In my opinion , the chipotle there Is different than in the United States. The hot salsa is much spicier and the cheese and rice are different as well. 
After we got settled in on Friday, we went out for dinner and drinks with some British girls who had studied abroad at the University of Illinois last year. It was nice for them to be able to take us around to good spots. The bar we went to made me feel so old because 18 year olds could get in, we felt like we were the oldest ones there later on in the night.
On Saturday we started our day by watching the changing of the guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately, it was cold and rainy that day which made the experience a little unpleasant so if you are traveling to London, I would only recommend it if the weather is good . We got there at around 10:30 to get a good spot close to the gate. I wish we had more time to go back to the palace because it was almost impossible to get a good picture of it with all of the people there for the ceremony. After we watched the ceremony, which took about an hour, we proceeded on our self-guided walking tour through the city. We walked by Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square and through the main streets of London. I also regret not going in Westminster Abbey, if I had more time there and an unlimited budget I would have loved to see where Prince William and Kate were married.Saturday night we went to a pub to have a drink and a relaxing night close to our hotel. 
On Sunday we went to the natural history museum which was awesome. It was very interactive and had things for people of all ages. My favorite exhibit was that about natural disasters. The exhibit had a simulation room of what the major earthquake in Japan that happened a few years ago felt like . After that, we went to the science museum which was also so cool and offered a lot of things to do for kids. We had lunch at a cute cafe and then proceeded to go to Abbey road ! To my surprise, the road is heavily traveled by cars so it took some excellent timing to be able to take a picture like the picture of the Beatles. That night we made pasta for dinner in the kitchen and hung around the hostel because we didn't want to spend anymore money and were extremely exhausted.
Monday, our last full day, was my favorite of the whole trip! We decided to splurge and pay to get in the Tower of London and it was a great decision, I really recommend that. Being able to see all of the history there was incredible ! The Crown Jewels were my favorite part, I have never seen diamonds sparkle like that. We were also able to see king Henry VIII 's armor and where Ann Boleyn was beheaded. After the tower we walked by the London bridge and throughout London . After Casey and I had our chipotle, we went to a cafe so Mackenzie and Julia could get fish and chips and a meat pie. If I ever return to London, I will definitely go back to that cafe because everything looked absolutely delicious all for a really fair price. Monday night we stayed at the hostel again because we had to pack our stuff for an early check out in the morning.
Since we have a whole week off of classes most people in the program are spent the whole week traveling through Europe. While my friends continued their travels to Paris and Amsterdam, I caught a flight back to Chicago to surprise the boy for our anniversary and Valentines day. My next entry will be about my time back in the States, but for now, here are some pictures from London!

Changing of the guard ceremony

Buckingham Palace!

Big Ben

The Red Lion- London

Westminster Abbey

Trafalgar Square

M&M World

Classic telephone booth shot

Abbey Road!

Selfie at the tower of London

London Bridge

The White Tower

St. Paul's Cathedral

The one where we break the elevator, ride a camel and experience Morocco.

I will warn everyone now that I haven't blogged in a while so this post will be a bit lengthy because there is a lot to say about my trip to Morocco!
To begin, this past weekend, a bunch of people from the Granada program took a trip to Morocco, and needless to say it was an unforgettable experience. The trip was not what I expected at all. I thought we would be traveling around main touristy areas doing touristy things but I felt like we were thrown into the very middle of the country and it was quite a shock. I guess I didn't realize that Morocco is still a developing country and the living conditions there are abysmal. Little children would constantly come up to us trying to get us to buy whatever they had and some even felt our back pockets for wallets. Many areas that we saw were also littered with garbage which took away from the many amazing views. However, I am very thankful for the experience because I left with a deeper appreciation for all of the things I am blessed to have in America, even just the little things, like clean drinking water.
We left on friday afternoon from Granada and took a bus to Sevilla to pick up some other passengers of the voyage. We then bussed from Sevilla to the port in Tarifa, Spain to take a ferry to Tanger, Morocco. I am not a big fan of traveling by boat because I got pretty nauseous, but at least now I know a cruise wouldn't be a good vacation for me. We finally arrived at Hotel La Paloma after around 10 hours of traveling and ate dinner: bread, couscous, soup, and baked chicken. I was extremely careful all trip to not eat anything that could make me sick so I wouldn't have to make any emergency trips to the bathroom.
On Saturday we ate a continental breakfast at the hotel (many delicious pastries) and went to the city of Chefchaouen. Most things in that city are blue and white because the blue color supposedly repels the mosquitos and flies in the spring and summer. A tour guide dressed in traditional Moroccan attire took us throughout the city and we saw a lot of cool things (pictures to follow). However, it was sad to see the poverty in the area and how it affects the citizens there. After the tour we ate lunch which consisted of chicken again, french fries, bread, and a salad which I didn't eat because of the fear of getting sick. After lunch we had free time where we were able to walk around the markets to shop and bargain! If I was rich, I would have bought so much stuff, all of it was so cool! It was important to bargain though because many merchants would set their prices ridiculously high but could easily be talked down to an affordable price. I ended up buying a scarf, a pillow case and to bracelets for really cheap! A bunch of girls got Henna tattoos as well.
Saturday night we ate dinner at the hotel again and there was a show of traditional Moroccan dancers which was awesome! Dinner was lamb meatballs, which I didn't like, rice and salad, but the dessert, Chocolate Mousse made up for the meal. After dinner the program had a Sangria party on the top floor of the hotel. Apparently when the sign in the elevators in Morocco say that only 6 people can fit in the elevator, it really means ONLY 6. We may or may not have exceeded the limit causing the elevator to fall two floors with us in it and eventually get stuck. By far the scariest moment of the trip but all ended well as we had to climb out of the elevator; the employees were not pleased. The night ended well as my roomie Danielle turned 21 at midnight!
On Sunday we checked out of the hotel at 8am and made our way too the beachy area of Morocco which was better than the area we were in on Saturday.The bus ride could not be complete without watching a guy on the corner drop his pants in the middle of the street to flash the whole bus his man parts... yikes.  The weather on Sunday was so nice and sunny (much different than in Illinois right now haha suckers), perfect for a camel ride! Riding a camel was so scary because it was really bouncy and getting on and off was tricky, but overall a fun experience. We also walked through a cave that was supposedly one of Hercules' hiding spots. After lunch (chicken AGAIN, french fries and salad) we walked around the beach town a little and made our trip back to Granada arriving spritely at 3:30am... needless to say class at 9am this morning was a struggle.
Even though Morocco was not what I expected it to be like, I am still grateful that I was able to go. It was an unforgettable experiences that has given me a new outlook on my life in America and opened my eyes to the cultures around the world. And now I can say I have been to Africa! Sorry about the lengthy post (:
As usual, here are some pictures from my trip:

The market place where we went shopping/bargaining

The traditional Moroccan dancers at dinner

My henna tattoo, don't worry Mom it comes off in two weeks (:

Alpha Phi's love camel rides!

Me and Danielle on a camel! So scary

I wrote mine and Clayton's initials on the wall in Morocco

A cool blue fountain

View from the Atlantic ocean from inside Hercules' cave

So much blue!

The beach in Assila.