Bilbao y San Sebastian

     Its been a while since my last post, but it has been a crazy two weeks. Between concussions, busses breaking down, and bar crawls...I have done a lot.

In front of the Guggenheim

Shutter Island in the background

Last weekend we had an IES group trip to Bilbao which is in Northern Spain in the region País Vasco. It is considered "Eastern Ireland" because of its green landscape and rainfall. Rainfall is right - it rained the ENTIRE time we were there, which is unfortunate because San Sebastian probably would have been the most beautiful place I have ever seen if it was sunny out. Getting there was a four hour bus ride through the nothingness of mid-northern spain. I spotted the occasional cow or tree during the moments I was awake. When we got there we settled into our hotel and were then forced to go on a walking tour which would have been a lot better if we all weren't so tired from the trip. We walked along the river (ria, not rio because it leads into the ocean), and saw the Guggenheim museum, the town center, and a bunch of churches. Our tour guide was kind of awkward, only stopping to show us "important banks", yet not going into detail about the sites that were actually interesting. After our tour we went back to the hotel for a nap, got ready, and went out having no idea where we were going or what we were about to do. We (Kayla, Nayha, An, Jared, Alex, Michael, Eric, David, and I) walked around forever trying to find an authentic cafe, but ended up going to an Asian-Italian fusion restaurant that was actually really nice. I ordered spaghetti bolognese that tasted just as good after Kayla spilled her entire glass of white wine in it (luckily there was more where that came from). By the end of dinner we were all ready to go out to and dance, which we did at a club called French Kiss. We had gin and tonics and chased around the waiters who were carrying around trays of tiny cupcakes that were the size/shape of a Reese's peanut butter cup, except tasted like rainbows and smiles (anyone...anyone?)

Dreary day in San Sebastian 

Right before getting kicked out of our table 

       Needless to say none of us were thrilled to wake up at 8 am for our trip to San Sebastian. Of course, it was raining and disgusting out, so we were all soaked and miserable throughout the 4 hour walking tour. Finally, they let us free and we all darted for the nearest cafes. On the ride back to Bilbao there was not one person awake. That night we went out for Japanese food and then went to a bar right near the hotel. The next day everyone was extremely eager to go home (I think the weather was bringing everyone down in a BAD way), but first we went to the Guggenheim and walked around looking at all the modern art. On the way home everyone was itching to be back in the comfort of Madrid when the gd windshield whipper flew off and we had to pull over and sit for 45 minutes while the drivers tried fixing the problem. Everyone was getting so worked up we started discussing who would be our human sacrifice if we could exchange them for a working bus. Clearly, it was getting a little out of control and I could see no better solution than to buy a Twix at the gas station. When we finally got back to Madrid I went to our favorite tapas joint with Kayla, An and Nayha and had the most delicious mushroom croquetta in existence.
     The rain followed us from Bilbao to Madrid. Last week was pretty miserable weather-wise, and health-wise as well considering a headbutted a kitchen cabinet and almost passed out, seeing stars and having an excruciating head ache for 3 days. By request of Ángel, the go-to man for any problems we may have, I went to the doctor who demanded I get a CT and there I was...in Spain...getting my first CAT scan ever. After traveling across the city in the pouring rain only to argue with the CT tech about taking my cartilage earring out (which I didn't), I was never happier to come home to Carmen's comida.

Panorama of San Sebastian coast

Real Madrid Stadium

      Last weekend we went on a pub crawl with an Cambodian-English man named Mitra who, after learning my dad was from England, gave me a free tequila sunrise. We had a great time, but after going to three of the four pubs on the crawl, the PSU gang (me, Kayla, Alex, Tara and Sari) ditched the glamorous martini bar and darted full speed to McDonald's (obviously it was only the Penn Staters who felt the undying need to drunk eat). We arrived there with 5 minutes left to spare and caused a complete scene. Kayla pretty much assaulted the cashier, flailing her arms around and demanding the exact Big Mac sitting back under the heating lamps. It ended up being a great night.
   The next night we laid low and went to a tropical lounge called Bora Bora. The inside was all island themed, as were the drinks, and we sat around drinking piña coladas and banana smoothies all night. The next day we went on a tour of the Real Madrid stadium - Santiago Bernabeu. I really enjoyed seeing all the trophies and walking along the pitch, sitting in the players' bench. This week has been uneventful so far besides the AWESOME Indian restaurant we went to last night. Naturally, I had chicken tikka masala which was absolutely amazing, with nan and basmati rice. It was extremely delicious. This weekend I am going to PARIS with Kayla, Nayha, and Carly. We're staying with my little, Michelle, who has her own apartment there for studying abroad, and have lots and lots of fun plans. Me souhaiter bonne chance, au revoir!

Nuevas Clases y Portugal!

This past week we had our first week of real classes... ehh. Luckily, we never have classes on Fridays, however we have grammar class every Monday-Thursday at 10:30 am (earlier than any of my PSU classes in the past 3 years?!). Its a struggle catching the bus every morning, but Kayla and I have managed to do it without being (too) late to our classes. In total, I have five classes: grammar, Contemporary Spanish Novel, 20th Century Spanish Painters (all about Miró, Picasso, and Dalí), a film class on all of Almodóvar's movies, and Contemporary Spanish Film. I switched out of an economics class because I had no idea why I would ever be put in such a class considering I've never taken economics in my life and I don't plan on starting that here. All the professors are nice, though, and the classes don't seem too bad. Also this past week, Kayla and I FINALLY went to Plaza Mayor and sat in the sunset drinking a glass of wine, not quite believing that it was real life. We also walked around the Palacio Real and La Catedral de Maria Sofia. The cathedral was closed, but we were able to walk around inside the crypt which was littered with graves and altars and other creepy Catholic things. 


This past weekend we went to LISBON!!! It was SO BEAUTIFUL. We left right from class Thursday afternoon and went straight to the airport to catch our flight. When we got there we figured we'd fine because Portuguese is so similar to Spanish, right? WRONG. It is nothing like Spanish and it is horrible. The only way we could communicate was with people who spoke English. The city was extremely beautiful..very quaint and antique-looking..not as metropolitan as Madrid. Its right on the coast, and further south than Madrid, making it much warmer. It was in the 60s all weekend!

Thursday night we got our bearings and met an English guy who was starting a 'pub crawl' business and took us around Barrio Alto (the main pub district of Lisbon). He took us to a great place for dinner but everyone ended up paying more than they should have for dinner so some people, naturally, freaked out because they are cheap skates (I'm sorry, but you shouldn't order a 28€ paella if you can't pay more than 29€). We then walked up and down the tiny cobblestone streets from bar to bar, then returned to our hostel. The hostel was clean and safe, but the beds were outrageously uncomfortable; I have about 5 bruises on my ribs/arms/hips. 

National Palace of Pena

Friday morning, Kayla, Margaret, Kaitlin, and I decided to get up at 9 to be out and about by 10 to see the city. What we didn't realize was that none of our founds had automatically switched to the different time zone (-1 hour) and we ended up out by 9am. They didn't tell me we were already at breakfast because they thought I would be mad! We walked down to the coast and enjoyed the sunny morning, then attempted to navigate our way (by map) to the city center to catch a tour bus. It didn't work out so well and we were about to head back to the hostel until suddenly a double-decker open top bus appeared in front of our eyes and we hopped on. We ended up seeing pretty much the entire city, getting off at certain spots to see the sites. After the tour we went to a cafe to try Pastel de Nata, the dessert that Portugal is known for. it was probably the best thing I've ever eaten. The night life was, conveniently, right outside our door. In Barrio Alto, where our hostel was, people stand in the streets and drink, talk, and listen to music till the wee hours of the morning. It was so much fun walking up the streets stopping in every bar to get 1€ cups of beer and taking them to go. The next day we all took a trip to Sintra by train (~45 mins) and saw the most beautiful castle I have ever seen in my life, the National Palace of Pena. We also walked around the Castle of the Moors which looked a lot like the Great Wall. After walking that my feet literally felt like they were going to fall off. Unfortunately, when we got back to the hotel I had a stomach bug and had to stay in for the rest of the night :( . The next morning we checked out and had a small lunch in the warm, sunny Rossio Square. We managed to complete our first European trip unscathed! 
Now we are about to go to a bar to watch the superbowl! I don't really care who wins, but it will be fun to hang out with all the other Americans and speak English for a while :)

Next weekend --> Bilbao!