Barcelona, Spain: Flamenco, Paella, Sangria & Street Music

During my final trip of the Semester I traveled with my roommate Emily to Spain and Portugal. Our first stop was Barcelona, Spain. The richness of the culture, combined with the night life and beautiful architecture left me wanting more. We spent four full days in Barcelona and I truly felt like I could have stayed indefinitely.
The people were warm and helpful with directions and sight-seeing advice, the food and drinks were delicious and the night life was some of the best I had experienced within Europe.
Emily and I were lucky enough to attend a Flamenco performance accompanied by a traditional Castilian meal, which included a robust red wine from Toro, Sangria (sweetened red wine with fruit), a seafood filled paella, a large steak and a traditional dessert. The passion of the Flamenco dancers was mesmerizing to watch and was echoed within the people that we met throughout Barcelona.
Beyond the Flamenco dancers there was great music and art to be found along the streets of Barcelona. I saw some of my favorite street musicians in all of Europe in Barcelona.
There was much diversity to be found throughout the countries of Europe, yet Barcelona seemed to be a world of it's own. Perhaps it was the magic of the art and architecture, or the passion of it's people that has left Barcelona engrained in my mind. There was something comfortable and strangely familiar about Barcelona that made my visit there unforgettable.

London: Abbey Road and the West End

I made the decision that for at least one trip while studying abroad I would try to travel on my own. I chose London to be my "alone" trip and went for four days over Thanksgiving.

I found this to be one of my favorite trips thus far. I think that traveling by myself was extremely rewarding. I was able to find out that I could figure out all of the travel details (trains, buses, flights, metro, currency, etc.) on my own.

What I think was most interesting is that I learned more about what I really enjoy doing while traveling -- rather than feeling an obligation to work around other's plans. It was nice to have this time alone towards the end of my stay in Europe to reflect on why I came here in the first place, and what I hope to do before I leave.

During my stay in London I visited Abbey Road, Big Ben and some of the more touristy areas. I also saw "The Lion King" and enjoyed visiting some great pubs and restaurants. My favorite part was wandering around without an itinerary: getting lost and exploring the West End. Above are some pictures from my travels through London.

Thanksgiving in London Without Turkey

Over my school's Thanksgiving break I traveled to London.

I spent Thanksgiving day enjoying some fabulous Thai food and wandering around the city aimlessly for the better part of the day.

One of my favorite aspects of London was the great variety of international cuisine (and the beer didn't hurt either!). Going to school in Chicago I have become accustom to the idea of being able to chose from basically any food from around the world. Rome, unfortunately provides few options for upscale international cuisine. Below are a few pictures of my favorite food that I enjoyed in London.

Ancient Rome is Everywhere

When you walk through Rome you constantly discover hidden piazas, narrow streets with interesting shops and the occasional ruin that goes back thousands of years.

While my parents were in town we were able to visit the Pantheon. The Pantheon, meaning "the temple of the Gods" dates back to 125 AD and is the oldest intact domed structure in Rome. There is an opening (pictured a.bove) in the center of the dome of the Pantheon called "the great eye".

Here are a few pictures of my visits to ruins within Rome and the Pantheon.

Vatican City and St. Peter's Basilica

Vatican City is a 110 acre enclave in Rome that is actually the smallest sovereign state in the world. It is the center of the Catholic Church, where Pope Benedict XVI resides and the home of the massive St. Peter's Basilical.

Vatican City or The Holy See was created in 1929 and has about 800 residents, granting them passports and issuing postage stamps. The Vatican Museums hold an incredible art collection and the Sistine Chapel holds the amazing frescoes of Michelangelo, Botticelli and Raphel.

While my parents were in Rome I made another visit to The Vatican. It is overwhelming to attempt to take in all of the art, architecture and extreme wealth that a visit to The Vatican has to offer. Photographing all of St. Peter's Basilica could take weeks!

As a tourist visiting The Vatican, expect long lines always- but especially on Friday and Saturday afternoons. The best time to visit is early in the morning one weekdays. The Vatican museum can take the better part of an afternoon to visit. Allow a full day if you are interested in exploring St. Peter's the tombs and the Vatican Museum.

Meeting Relatives and Tasting Olive Oil in Northern Italy

One branch of my family tree on my Mom's side runs through northern Italy. I wrote about my visit to Lago di Garda earlier in this blog. While I was in Verona with my parents, they hired a driver and we made a trip to visit the Salagno Olive Oil Co. about 15 minutes outside of Verona.

While there, we got to meet some distant cousins who run the facility and make some fantastic olive oil and olive products, including some great beauty products. Francesca Salvagno, 26, gave us a very nice tour and we were joined along the way by her father, Giovani. We also met her sister and a cousin who works at the company.

It was a really neat experience to get the chance to meet distant family in the hills of Italy! I especially enjoyed watching the process of how they make their olive oil. I thought it was especially interesting that many of the people who came in to buy olive oil while we were there bought unfiltered olive oil. Francesca Salvagno told us that she herself preferred the unfiltered olive oil as well!

I don't think that I will ever taste olive oil the same way again!