Morocco: The Land of Henna and Camels

When I decided to study abroad in Spain I only had one place I was absolutely dying to visit…Morocco! It seems a little bizarre to some, but for me, I  knew living in Spain would be one of the few times in my life that Morocco would only be a few hours away. So in the last weekend in February, my friend Erica and I hopped on a plane and flew down to Marrakech, Morocco. 

I went with the program Bus2Alps and I’m so glad I did. They made the trip run so much easier than if I had just gone on my own. They arranged all our transportation, hostel bookings, and extra-activities. I arrived in Marrakech on Thursday night. We were greeted at the hostel with a traditional Moroccan meal, which included salad, rice, vegetable cous-cous, eggplant, massive amounts of bread, and spiced chicken. Everything was so delicious. The spices used on all the food was the best part. Erica and I literally had to force ourselves to stop eating..it was that good!

Friday we were up early. We had a 3-hour guided walking tour of the city. We first stopped at the Ben Youssef Medersa, an Islamic school attached to a mosque, where we saw some incredibly beautiful art and architecture.

After we walked around the Marrakech museum. Next, we enjoyed the Moroccan national drink: mint tea! After tea, we went and toured a local Pharmacy. Unlike pharmacies in the states where you can usually only buy medicine, the ones in Morocco not only sell remedies for ailments, but they sell all types of spices, soaps, and lotions. **A fun fact I learned while I was here: Cumin is the Moroccan form of Imodium!** After a long morning filled with touristy activities, that afternoon we headed about 30 minutes to the mountains where a group of us went canyoning! Canyoning is similar to rock climbing, but instead of climbing up rocks, you repel down them. It was much colder than I expected, but a lot of fun!

Saturday morning the group headed to a local Berber household. The Berber people are the indigenous tribes of Marrakech. At the Berber house, we watched how mint tea is prepared and enjoyed some homemade Moroccan bread and honey. While at the house, one of the daughters was doing henna tattoos. Even though I had gotten one a day before, I of course had to get another!

After checking out the Berber house, the group then headed to ride camels!! This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Riding a camel has been on my bucket list forever and I’m so happy I can now cross it off! After camel riding, Erica and I decided to explore the Souks of Marrakech. We wandered aimlessly, stopping here and there, looking for nothing in particular. As we walked around, we happened to stumble upon this store with massive amounts of jewelry and I instantly gravitated towards it. Little did I know that this was the same store Sarah Jessica Parker filmed a scene for Sex and the City 2. The owner of the store was so incredibly nice and his son loved to tell Erica and I about all the stars who had been in his father's store. 45 minutes later, I had a handful of things I wanted to buy, but I ended up purchasing a ring for myself and three small Hamsa charms (one for each sister & me). As we were leaving, the store owner called Erica and I back. He reached into a bowl and gave us both a massive Hamsa hand. He told us to keep it with us at all times because it would bring us good luck and protect us from evil. I keep it with me at all times and like to think I have something or someone keeping me safe all the time. After our long day, we headed to dinner where we ate Moroccan BBQ in the center of the town.

All in all, my trip to Morocco was an absolute success! By far one of the coolest trips I’ve been on and one I recommend to anyone who has the opportunity to visit. This country is often overlooked by students studying abroad because it’s not the typical weekend trip, but I hope this post helps people realize this trip is a definite must!

Ciao!

Celebrating Fat Tuesday Right!

Just like in the states where Mardi Gras is an excuse to drink excessively, carnival is yet another excuse to drink excessive amounts of sangria and dress up ridiculously. In Spain, Fat Tuesday marks the beginning of carnival season. Sitges, only about 40 minutes south of Barcelona, is the mecca for the gay community and also the carnival capital. Every year this small town becomes filled with scantily clad tourists and locals from all over ready to dance the night away. Filling the streets, dressed in crazy outfits, Sitges carnival is a once in a lifetime experience and one I can proudly say I participated in. 

Shannon and I ready to celebrate carnival

My roommates and I bussed down to Sitges around 8pm that Tuesday night and we returned Wednesday morning around 4 am! It was such a fun experience, one I'll never forget! If you ever wind up in Spain during carnival season, you must head on over to Sitges and check out carnival! 

It's been WAY to long.

Ah I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've last posted on here. To say that I've been busy is an understatement. Traveling every weekend is definitely keeping me busy. As well as having visitors! Two weeks ago Hannah made it out to Barcelona for her spring break and then that following week Chloe, her best friend Megan, and Alison, one of my best friends from UGA, all came out for their spring breaks! Having visitors was much more stressful than I imagined, but worth it. I loved having all of them visit though! I got to show them around Barcelona, seeing some touristy things and hitting up some local spots. I'm so lucky my sisters we're able to make a trip out to Spain...even if we did bump heads a little bit. We're sisters, so I guess that can only be expected! I just got back from St. Patrick's day weekend in Dublin, so I'm exhausted tired, but don't worry. I'm planning to blog a lot today...posting about all my past trips and the two weeks with all my visitors!

 

Be on the lookout today and tomorrow!

Ciao.

Practicing my Italiano in Milano!

Hola! or should I say Bonjourno?

REUNITED in Milan

For those of you who don't speak much Italian (i.e. me before this weekend)...that means hello! I spent this past weekend in Milan, Italy visiting one of my really good and only friends abroad -- Dorothy James! I've not been homesick at all, but it was still so nice to see a familiar face! Dot and I have been close since freshman year and it was so refreshing to be with someone who knows me as well as she does.

I arrived in Milan late Thursday night. After meeting up with Dorothy, we grabbed some authentic Italian pizza from this adorable pizzeria. I decided that since I was in Italy for the weekend I would indulge in all types of "authentic" Italian food. Therefore, after pizza we grabbed some gelato for dessert. Both were delicious!

Duomo di Milano

Friday I slept in, while Dorothy was off practicing Italian in class. Once class was over, Dorothy and I grabbed a bite to eat. We sat at a café and just caught up on life. It was a little surreal seeing each other in another country, but still things felt like we had never been apart. After lunch, we walked around Milan. We explored the shopping around the Duomo di Milano. After window shopping we headed back to her apartment to meet up with her roommates. This weekend Dorothy's apartment had quite a few visitors. Her roommate, Mary Frances, had two girls staying with her. Her other roommate, Ally, also had her friend, Jenna, visiting from Rome. Needless to say, the apartment was crowded, but that just made the weekend even more fun. There was never a dull moment! Friday night Dorothy, Ally, Jenna and I grabbed yet another typical Italian dinner...pizza. I don't know how people who study in Italy do it. The pizza was amazing, but after two days of cheesy, breaded goodness, I was definitely starting to crave a salad and vegetables. That night all the roommates and all of their guests headed to the club, Alcatraz. It was massive! So many people in one huge area. What was fun was that it wasn't all Americans like it is in Barcelona. There was a definite mix between the two, which is so different than what I'm used to.

Best calzone. EVER.

Saturday, Dorothy, myself, Ally (Dorothy's roommate) and Jenna (Ally's friend visiting from Rome) all headed over to grab lunch. We went to this place called Panzerotti Luini. This hole in the wall specialize in calzones. From the outside this place didn't look all that special, but the extremely long line outside the door, curving into the street said otherwise. The line moved much faster than expected. We each got a calzone, even though we were very tempted to buy two. I got a ricotta and spinach calzone and inhaled the thing. It was absolutely amazing. Writing about it now is making my mouth water! Thank god I'm not studying in Milan because those calzone's would definitely be my go-to hangover food. If you're ever in Milan you must visit this place! It's right around the corner from the Duomo. After lunch, the four of us climbed the Duomo. We took this time as our "exercise" of the weekend. Once at the top, we were able to see all of Milan. It was beautiful. After taking in the view, we headed down and toured inside the Duomo.

Getting artsy on top of the Duomo

Best part of the weekend: After the Duomo, Dorothy and I met up with our good friend, Angie, who is studying in Verona! She took the train in the morning to hang out with us all day! It was so good to see her. Once reunited, the three of us headed to a little café to grab some coffee..and of course some gelato. We literally just sat there and caught up on each other's lives. It was so good to see both of them. That night, none of us were really in the clubbing mood, so we kept it very mellow. We got dinner and drinks. Then after drinking a little wine in the apartment we all headed to a local bar. It was a great way to end a great weekend.

**CHECK THIS OUT!***

While abroad, one of the classes I'm taking is called Journalism 2.0. I'm learning about various forms of social media, blogging, and this new form of journalism and media. One of our assignments is to blog throughout the semester, but we have to use wordpress. My blog grade is based on the amount of hits my wordpress blog receives. My other blog is the exact same thing as this one, except every other post is about something I learned in my journalism class. Help me out by clicking the link and following it to my other blog. That will increase the hits I receive and give me a better grade! :)

http://alexarome.wordpress.com/

Thank you!

xo, AJ

Madrid for the Weekend

Hola!

I spent this past weekend exploring Madrid with a few friends! I had an amazing time. Madrid is so different than Barcelona and definitely not what I expected, but it was a good different. To me, Madrid seemed like an area for a much older demographic, while Barcelona seems to be for a much younger scene. Don't get me wrong, there are students who study in Madrid and absolutely love it. I've heard great things about the nightlife, I just could never imagine living there. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Barcelona was by far the best place for me to study!

We left for Madrid on the train early Friday morning so we could have the entire day to explore. Once in Madrid we we're absolutely starving, so we headed to a local restaurant called la Gloria de Montera. With all sorts of tapas, this restaurant is a fusion of local and international flavors. It's a very popular eatery for both locals and tourists because it offers good food for a cheap price. After lunch, we set out to explore Madrid. We walked up and down Gran Via (the main street in Madrid) looking for anything that would spark our interest. We walked around, popping in and out of clothing stores, but sooner or later we were absolutely exhausted. We had no energy to go out, so we grabbed a quick dinner and then called it a night.

Amanda and I at San Ginés

Saturday we decided would be our extremely touristy day. In the morning we took a three hour bus/walking tour around the city. Exploring every nook and cranny the city had to offer. I was able to take a ton of great pictures of the beautiful city. After the tour, my friends and I set out to find some churros con chocolate. My mom and sister visited Madrid last summer and found this great place called Chocolatería San Ginés. They told me I had to go there if I ever visited Madrid and who am I to disappoint them? We found the restaurant packed away in the back of an alley. Open 24 hours, this place didn't disappoint. The churros were freshly cooked to perfection. The "hot chocolate" wasn't exactly the type of hot chocolate you drink, rather the type to dip your churros in. Though you can drink the chocolate, San Ginés' version of hot chocolate was thick and creamy and possibly some of the yummiest chocolate I've ever tasted! If you are ever in Madrid you must visit this place!

After our mid-day snack, we had two more places to cross of our list. First, I had to stop by the Pedro Garcia shoe store. A Spanish shoe designer, Pedro Garcia is based in Madrid. His shoes are beautiful and I had to take a peak. After I fell in love with possibly every shoe in the store, we headed to the Museo Nacional del Prado. This massive museum is host to pieces by some of the greatest like Fra Anegelico, Velázquez, El Greco, Rubens, Rafael, and Bosch. After walking around the museum for a few hours we headed home to relax until we headed out that night. Our night started off at a bar called El Tigre. We got sangria and tapas here then after headed out to the club Kapital. This club has 7 floors each with a different theme and genre of music! 

After we checked out of the hotel on Sunday, we headed over to the very popular El Rastro Market. Held every sunday, this flea market offers everything! From all sorts of clothing and accessories, to paintings and drawings, to even old, rare, and collectible books. Another must see if you're ever in Madrid on a Sunday. This was the perfect way to end a great weekend.

Now, I'm off to make a Valentine's Day dinner with my roommates. Cheers to being single! 

Ciao!

Adventures through the Borne District and Gothic Quarters

Hola!

Yikes I didn't realize it's been almost two weeks since I last blogged...Sorry! Life in Barcelona is keeping me extremely busy, but don't worry I can easily catch you up in one long post.

Since Interlaken, I've not traveled out of Barcelona. Instead my friends and I have tried to become "locals" and explore various areas in Barcelona. One area I've become absolutely obsessed with is the Borne District. It's very euro-trendy and chic. There are boutiques on every corner. All of which carry so many things I'd love to own, yet none of which I can even afford. What's fun about wandering around the Borne District is that there are great local eateries that all have really yummy food. There's one place (that I recommend to anyone visiting Barcelona) called Pim Pam's Burgers. Amazing food and they even have a veggie burger! Next door to this burger joint is Pim Pam's Plats, which has a ton of pasta and vegetable salads, empanadas, and so much more! I'm hooked on this place and plan to take everyone who visits me here! (i.e. Alison, Chloe, Kermit, Hannah, Mom and Dad -- you're all going to love it!)

Tortilla* con verduras.
*New word. Tortilla in Español means omelet!

Another area I've explored recently is the Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarters). I went with Shannon and her best friend visiting from Florence (side note: I met her in Interlaken. We canyon jumped together. Bonded for life). We started our adventure with brunch at Milk. This restaurant is a big hit among study abroad students because they offer an American style brunch on the weekends, but it's also popular among locals because the food itself is actually good. I got a vegetable omelet...and it was amazing! I can't wait to go back.

After brunch we wandered around. We had addresses for places we wanted to visit, but that didn't really help us. The streets are pretty confusing and everyone knows how great my sense of direction is. We stumbled across Parc de la Ciutadella. It's a beautiful, massive park that is at the end of a path that leads to the Arc de Triomf.

I went back to Barri Gotic with one of my roommates the next day. She's on a quest to find combat boots and of course I offered to come with. I can never turn up an opportunity to shop (thanks for that mom.) We checked out the candy store, Papabubble, which makes caramel, sweet candys where they make the candy right in front of you. These intricate treats are so cute, so I of course I bought a baby-sized case to have as a souvenir!

After Annie and continued to wander around the Gothic area. I've been in search of this famous espadrille store my mom told me about and somehow or another we randomly stumbled upon it! It's called La Manual Alparagatera and is family run. It's the type of place you would never know existed unless you knew about these specialty shoes. The store hand makes each espadrille and offers every style and color known to man! I bought a pair  of red and white flat espadrilles that tie up the leg and I also splurged and bought a pair of brown suede, high-heeled wedges! I can't wait for it to get warm so I can show of these beautiful finds!

Espadrilles galore!

Some exciting news! One of the excursion my study abroad program offers us is an opportunity to go to a FC Barcelona futból match! We went to the game last Saturday. It was against San Sebastian. Not a really exciting game, but our seats we're right on the goal line. We we're so close we could literally see every facial expression the players made. One of the coolest parts of the game was watching Messi score the second goal. The excitement in the crowd and the passion from all the fans was incredible to watch. Even though it was an uneventful game, it was still a really cool experience!

Vamos Barca!

This week hasn't been to exciting. I did venture (all by myself!) after class to a local café in the Borne District called Bubo. I got my everyday dopio espresso and treated myself to a macaroon! It was so yummy and I can't wait to go back! This weekend three of my roommates and I are off to explore Madrid! We're going with our study abroad program. I'm so excited to visit and explore this place! My mom and sister went last summer and told me how much they loved it...so I can't wait to see it!

Okay I'm off to eat dinner with my roommate!

Ciao!