KS2 to Greycliff 3rd floor to 90 611 to MADRID!!!

A little bit less than a month ago, I had to pleasure of hosting my best friend Sarah Jennings in Madrid for the weekend!!! She stayed in my homestay with me (Isabel has an extra bedroom) which means she got to meet the famous Isabel, which I was sooo glad about!

The universe was somehow rooting for us because the only weekend I had free was the weekend she was able to travel. Praise the lord for that because abroad would not have been complete without seeing her in Europe!! :)

When Sarah got here, we explored Retiro a little bit and just walked around, catching up on 6 months of happenings. (Which ended up being a huge bummer because we got there when all the good stuff closed.) Then we got dressed up and went out to a nice dinner courtesy of my parents (thanks Mom & Dad) where the waiter thought we were dating, which I mean we kind of are so it's fine.

The next day we went back to Retiro so I could show her my favorite place in all of Madrid (la Rosaleda) and then we headed out to the city to do some sightseeing!  We saw el Palacio Real and happened upon a big parade in the city for the feast day of Madrid's patron saint. (literally most random parade ever.) It had a bunch of cute little dancers and women dressed in traditional attire.
Then we went to Cien Montaditos for lunch where we got bocadillos and OREO SANDWICH ON CHOCOLATE BREAD aka the best dessert ever. Since our friendship started with dessert, it was only fitting that we continued the tradition.

 

the parade!

La Rosaleda

After lunch and a failed attempt to get tickets from scalpers for the Real Madrid game (LOL who did we even think we were????) we just went back to the house and hung out for a while, which was wonderful and a good break from a super busy weekend!  Then for dinner, we met up with friends at a Mexican place (lol Sarah came to Spain and we ate Mexican food) and stayed out for a while just hanging out! There was a singer there who was passing around this huge sombrero and Sarah ended up with it...so naturally, pics were taken.

The next day, we woke up and got chocolate con churros, (wouldn't be a trip to Madrid without some good ol churros) went to El Rastro, (the flea market) and walked around that area for the morning.  We went to El Mercado de San Miguel for lunch where we ate croquetas and had a copa of sangria and it was just wonderful!  We headed back to the house so Sarah could say goodbye to Isabel and then it was time to head off to the airport!  Goodbyes were said on the metro (not super ceremonial but whatevs) and the countdown was started til January when we get back to Boston and are ROOMIES! :)

This is What Dreams are Made Of - Roma!

For best effect, press play and read post:

So over a month ago (jeez I am horrible at keeping up with this...) my family packed our bags in Madrid and headed off to the land of pizza and pasta! (literally doe.... I didn't eat anything besides pizza pasta and gelato the entire weekend. If you think I'm kidding, I'm not. Thank you world for containing a place with so many carbs. Much appreciated.)

We had a super packed couple days, so here's the brief summaries of my Roman Holiday!

DAY 1
I took an evening flight out of Madrid on Wednesday to meet up with my family who had Tuesday morning. (I had class until 6pm on Wednesday.) On Wednesday, they went to the Papal audience and got this close to the Pope.... SOOOO glad I had class and had to miss it!
Special shout-out to the cab driver who took me from the airport to the hotel yelling Italian words at me the whole ride! love ya :*

DAY 2
We woke up and headed over to the Vatican.  Today, we took a tour through the Vatican Museum (props to Mom for buying our tickets beforehand and helping us save 3 hours of waiting in line.) where we saw the Sistine Chapel (may or may not have taken a secret pic of the ceiling...always gonna be a mystery I guess) and St. Peter's Basilica.  After, we took a Scavi tour, which is a tour of the ruins beneath the Vatican.  My mom booked this in July because they only let a certain number of people go down each day and I am so glad she did because it was one of the coolest things I have ever seen.  You get to see the believed bones of St. Peter and we just happened to have a British monk in our tour group who asked to say a prayer at the end of the tour, so it was super special and unique.

St. Peter's Square

In the evening, we walked through the city to hit the main tourist spots, like Trevi Fountain (I got to be Lizzie McGuire), Spanish steps (I got to be Audrey Hepburn), the Pantheon (I got to be Robert Langdon), and Fountain of the 4 Rivers. (again Robert Langdon.)  Yes, I took the classic touristy Trevi Fountain wish pic, and yes I did make a wish on love and promise to return to Rome.

I look like Lizzie, right?!?!

Vatican at sunset

DAY 3
Ancient Rome day!  We had a tour through all the ancient Roman ruins which was super cool and then we also had a tour through the Colosseum.  After a lunch looking over the ruins, we decided to find a few chapels off the beaten path which ended up being really cool.  One of the cathedrals also had ruins beneath them like the Vatican, so we went down and saw those as well.  After that we ventured across the Tiber River and took a bus to a view point so we could see the entire city of Rome.  Although it was nighttime and dark, it was still pretty cool to see! (although waiting for the bus for 45 minutes was definitely not the highlight of my trip... your public transportation system was a bit lacking, Rome!!)

DAY 4
Today we slept in a little and then headed out to Castel Santangelo, which I was SO PUMPED for because it was in Angels and Demons. (super dorky but I mean I'm not sorry bout it...) We had an audio guide for that walked ourselves around the fortress built by the emperor Hadrian. (look Mom, I learned things!!) When you get to the top, it's super windy but has one of the best views of Rome. (hence the hair blowing in the wind pic.) We finished the day by going to the Pantheon to see inside of it (which also appeared in Angels and Demons so I knew that I would be seeing Raphael's tomb which originally was not placed in the Pantheon.) We finished the day by going to the Trevi fountain during the day.

DAY 5
My last RyanAir flight with no assigned seats so people go nuts to get on the plane first HOORAY ECONOMY FLYING!!! Goodbye RyanAir, you won't be missed!!

My proudest snap chat moment

No description of meals included here because each one was a variation of pasta/pizza and a glass of white wine. Italy, you just get me.

Could not have asked for a better week with better food and better people!! Nothing beats spending a weekend in Rome with your family! (sorry Kev...)

Baby apples are the best apples

This little guy deserved its own post.
So cute. SO FREAKING CUTE.
Thank you Isabel for packing it in my lunch.

La Huelga - Quema las calles!

A few weeks ago, we received an email from the BC program director telling us classes had been cancelled because of a teacher huelga, or strike. (Technically not all classes were cancelled - teachers could decide whether or not to show up...of course none of my classes were cancelled)

In Madrid, there are three different schools BC students are able to attend: Carlos III (mine), Complutense, and Comillas.  The strike at Complu was much, much different than at Carlos.  People were setting things on fire, students were locking themselves in buildings overnight...the passionate Spanish people were definitely sending a strong message. (as opposed to Carlos where
nothing extra special happened and a lot of people still showed up for class.)

When my parents were here and we were on our bike tour (See: Swastek Family takes over Madrid) we were able to ride in the streets because many of them were closed for the strikes.  This is a clip of a strike about the Spanish health care system:

Not the best quality or anything and I have no idea what they're chanting, but you get the idea.

Very interesting to (kind of) be a part of.  We received a message from our program director with the list of all the scheduled strikes encouraging us to stay away.  We weren't in danger or anything, but it would be better for us to be safe than sorry.  I've gotten so comfortable here in Madrid, so it was definitely a wake-up call reminding me I'm still in a completely foreign country.

Swastek Family takes over Madrid

FAMILY FAMILY FAMILY FAMILY!!!!!!!

Two weekends ago, my mom, dad, and little brother (sorry Kev you were with us in spirit?) packed up and make the trek over the Atlantic to come visit me in Madrid! (and also fit in a quick lil weekend trip to Rome too...not a bad deal if I do say so myself.)

The theme of the week was how many touristy things can we do in 4 days? (We did quite a lot, I'm happy to say.) When they first got here, my host mom Isabel invited them to dinner so we ate a feast and my Madrid familia got to meet my Michigan family. 

 

 

 

 

My two favorite women

After, my family went back to their hotel and went to bed for the night. (It was 5pm. LOL time changes)

The next day, we met up and went on a bike tour of Madrid which ended up being awesome.  I've done a lot of touristy things so far on my own (TOURIST TUESDAYS HOLLA!) but when I go to the touristy places, sometimes I don't know the significance of things or I don't really know what I'm looking at.  So this was a great way to actually learn about the things I've seen.  We hit every big site: Templo de Debod and Parque Oeste, el Palacio Real, Plaza Mayor, Mercado de San Miguel, Chueca, Retiro, Prado (just the outside), Puerta de Alcala, Plaza de Cibeles, Gran Via, Banco de Espana...the fam was really able to see it all in 4 hours, which was perfect. Strongly recommend it to anyone with parents visiting!  After, we met up with Isabel and some of my friends and then all went out to lunch together. (at a buffet place recommended by Isabel who actually goes nuts when it comes to buffets.  Like I'm pretty sure she got like 5 plates of food.)

The next day (Monday) I was on campus from 9am to 715 pm (hooray 4 class Mondays!) and so they went on a day trip to Toledo. After, we all met up for dinner and were able to relax!

Tuesday was a bit of a disaster day. We were supposed to go to the Teleferico (a gondola that goes over the city and ends in Casa de Campo, the largest park in Madrid) but it turns out in October it's only open on the weekends.  Then we went to Casa de Campo by metro, but when we got there, there wasn't too much to do. So, I decided that to make up for that, I'd introduce the family to Chocolateria San Gines, and thus, chocolate and churros bumped up the day to a success. Then they headed off to the airport to go to Rome. (I'd be meeting them Wednesday night.)

It was such a great few days showing the family around my home and being able to show them everything that I've only been able to talk about over the phone. My favorite people in one of my favorite cities!

El Palacio Real - not impressive at all

Family in Retiro!

Lunch with Isa

 And the best part was that the next day I'd be meeting up with them in the land of pizza and pasta!!!!!

(To be continued.......)

Boston College does Andalucía

So I've fallen into the trap of almost every study abroad student who decided to keep a blog of the semester and promised themselves that they'd write a post or two weekly…..and then weeks go by with nothing. So sorry, world! I know how much my posts have been missed. (Do you want a tissue to stop crying?)

A few weeks ago the 40 BC in Madrid kids packed up our bags and boarded the bus for a 5 hour trip to  Córdoba in the Spanish region Andalucía. (aka the South of Spain aka warm and sunny weather all weekend aka adding on to my extra few months of summer that I've gotten in Spain can I get a hell yeah?) Unfortunately, while the trip was sure to be buckets of fun, we all went because of the art history class we're taking together with our program director, Ana……which meant not only was it buckets of fun, but it was buckets of note taking as well…..goody.

We spent half the day in Córdoba looking at mosques, cathedrals, architecture, blah blah blah. I'll spare you the gory details because truth be told, I don't really know the gory details… but here's some nice pictures for you to look at while I distract you from the fact that I know no information…

View of the city

La Quibla in the Mezquita de Córdoba

outsidethe city

PALM TREES!!!

Then we hopped back on the bus and drove the 3 hours to Granada, another city in Andalucía where we'd be staying for 2 nights. Highlight of the bus, you ask? Well, I have to give a big shout out to Matt Consalvo for suggesting a sing-off between the front and back of the bus. (reminiscent of the pitch perfect riff-off.) 

Note to self: never underestimate the competitiveness of 40 Boston College students competing (for literally no prize. THERE WAS NO PRIZE PEOPLE) in a small space. Yikes.

Interestingly enough, Granada has a lot of Arab influences (The muslims ruled there for quite some time way back when and their Palace, La Alhambra which was a big part of our trip, is still there now), therefore it was hummus, kous kous, and falafel for everyone! They also had a ton of restaurants where you order a drink and get a plate of free tapas with it! We spent the few days exploring La Alhambra and Generalife, the garden right now to La Alhambra that was created by the muslims to give the sultan a "summer home." It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my life. So many flowers, fountains, and beautiful views. 

Saturday night, all the BC kids headed out to Arab baths. BC had rented out the place for us that night (so mom & dad that's where your tuition money is going to!) and we were given the option of getting a massage while we were there.  It's a little hard to explain, but basically it's a large room with 7 different temperature "baths." They were more like mini-pools and over-sized hot tubs but the purpose was to change between the temperatures. The point was also to be silent and relax, but with our group, that was def not going to happen. I ended up getting a massage and lemme tell ya, I was a pretty happy girl after that. I felt so incredibly relaxed and was absolutely loving life.  That night was the holiday la Noche en Blanco (White Night), a fiesta started in Paris in 2002 where all the shops stay open until very early morning and there are concerts and parties, etc. We got to see the concerts and be a part of the celebration, which was super super cool.

Sunday afternoon, we hopped back on the bus, everyone with their Moroccan-inspired souvenirs (friends - be on the lookout I bought quite a few Christmas presents while I was there wink wink) and drove the 5 hours back to Madrid. The highlight of this bus ride? We watched the Alfred Hitchcock movie North by Northwest which definitely helped pass the time.

In Generalife. Super impressed with the Iphone camerca

View of La Alhambra

The ceiling in the palace of the sultan

La Noche en Blanco concert!

View of La Alhambra

BC Colors :)

BC fail

Soy la Reina

el Palacio Real  (lookin super tall)

For my "Tourist Tuesdays," as I decided to call them, I ventured to el Palacio Real, or the Royal Palace, in Madrid.  Now the building is simply used for tours or diplomatic gatherings, but way back when, (I wasn't paying attention during the tour the specific date seemed to have just slipped my mind!) the royal family lived in the Palace! (Roayal Family--> el Palacio Real --> Royal Palce.....Thus, El Palacio Real. Props to Madrid on their creativity, am I right!?!?) So I bought my ticket, waited in line, and then was able to enter the palace! No pictures are allowed inside the tour, so naturally I was super inconspicuous about taking secret pictures I followed that rule.  Everything was so elaborate and beautiful, I could not believe that people lived there at some point! Made my dorm room look like absolute crap. I took my time, looked through the rooms, and concluded that my version of fancy has been wrong for years.

secret picture

beautiful ceiling!

At the end of my visit, I was getting a little hungry (I'd be lying if I said this wasn't typical) so I decided to venture the few blocks over to el Mercado de San Miguel, a market that has a ton of little mini restaurant-booths selling every type of Spanish food you could ever want! Naturally, I went for a huge bowl of chicken paella with a glass of red wine (ONLY 5 EURO SUCH A GOOD DEAL...I wasn't excited or anything.) It wouldn't have been right to leave the house without buying some sort of pastry, so naturally I got two at the market to continue my 4 month pastry tour of Madrid!

All in all, another successful Tuesday Emily day!