Mama Mia!

6AM flights, last minute hotel issues, pizza pasta & gelato on repeat and a beautiful scenic view…yep, it felt great to be back on the traveling grind. After two consecutive weeks in Sevilla and a program planned trip to Morocco, I forgot what it felt like to manage a trip by myself. Venice had no problem fixing this issue.

BW had mentioned he was going to Venice, Italy with CR and NB and asked if I wanted to join them, since I had nothing planned for this weekend (shocking, I know). Being the enthusiastic trotter that I am, I agreed and bought my plane tickets a few hours later. Flash forward to take off, we were all excited to visit the beautiful city situated atop water. After landing, we took a bus to Venice, as it’s an island separated from mainland Italy.  It was my first time traveling on a “water highway”…totally cool.

After BW ever so cleverly maneuvered us through the narrow streets of Venice, the four of us arrived to the Ghetto. And no this is not your typical Chicago/NYC Ghetto…Ghetto is another name Venetians use for neighbors. Ours happened to be located in the Jewish Quarter (I totally felt at home; you would too if you’re from Buffalo Grove, lol).  Once inside our hotel, we were told that there was an error with the booking and that we’d have to pay extra for the room we had originally booked.  All of our pleading and arguing fell to deaf ears and we were forced to pay the extra amount to spend the weekend at the hotel.

You live and you learn, right? Lesson learned: take care of the hotel/hostel situation yourself…and if someone else offers to do it, triple and quadruple check their work. Sometimes even the best can trip and make a mistake.

The two days spent in Venice were absolutely gorgeous. Perfect weather and picturesque landscape easily helped me forget about the hotel fiasco.  With BW as our personal Rick Steves, we were able to visit St. Mark’s Square, St. Mark’s Basilica, multiple museums and various Venetian neighborhoods while eating the most authentic Italian cuisine ever. I’m pretty sure I’ve gained 5 pounds from all the carb consumption.

I’ll for sure need to revisit Italy to explore Rome, Florence, Sicily and Naples. Hopefully I’ll return sometime next year, as my time abroad is winding down and I’ve got other countries to visit before I head back to the states.

Up next on this Globe Trotter’s agenda: London to be reunited with some of my favorite Kelleys and a special teacher who’s made a huge impact in my life.





NO NI NÁ

Successful weekend in Córdoba y Cádiz? No ni ná.

Making friends with some Spaniards and learning phrases in Spanish that would never be taught in the classroom? No ni ná.

Conquering a six mile hike in sloshy/muddy terrain? No ni ná.

Slacking on my blog posts? No ni ná.

If you hadn’t figured it out by now, No ni ná is the superlative of “yes of course” or “this is the truth,” one of the few colloquial phrases I learned on a two hour bus ride with some Spanish intercambios.

Again, I apologize for the length of this blog, it’s been a while since I’ve last posted, but I’ve had a fun-filled, PACKED weekend to share with you all.  So, this past Friday, I had a field trip for my European Corporate Organizations class which prevented me from traveling outside of Spain (I usually leave Thursday nights for excursions).  Nonetheless, I embraced the weekend in Spain, surprising learning much more than I had expected.

This field trip was to Cáfe AB’s manufacturing warehouse.  A little background: Cáfe AB is Spain’s premiere coffee producer, virtually monopolizing Sevilla’s Cáfe market.  Served in almost 100% of the local bars, cafes and restaurants, Cáfe AB prides itself in its coffee blends, mixing together Arab and Turkish flavors (among others) into one packet, creating a unique taste.  We had the chance to see this production, learn about the company’s coffee bean regional sources, play the role of coffee bean farmers (weeding out the bad beans from the good ones) and of course, sip on some quality coffee. NOM NOM NOM.

On Saturday, CIEE took our program on a day trip to Córdoba. Once again, I was able to relive my religious history during our tour through the Mezquita (Mosque).  Originally a sacred haven for 30,000 Muslims (centuries ago), the Mosque has now been “renovated” into a church. When our tour guide was asked if Muslims still came to pray he responded, “No porque hay personas enterradas en la iglesia. Los Musulmanes no rezan en un cemetario” (No, because there are people buried in the church. Muslims never pray in a cemetery).  Walking through the corridors – observing names etched into pillars (in Arabic), examining beautiful Roman inspired archways, attempting to make out the calligraphy on the walls – I wished I was alive during Muslim rule to experience prayers in the Mezquita.



We also visited a church, a Jewish neighborhood and an old synagogue. I especially loved the little Jewish town and was suddenly reminded of the days of Bar/Bat-Mitzvah, Yom Kippur and Hanukah I encountered in junior high and high school. Great memories J

Sunday, I stepped out of my element and went on a six mile hike through the jungles of Cádiz, bordering Málaga.  For those of you who know me, I’m not one to lace on my hiking shoes, strap on a fairly sized backpack with a raincoat, lunch and LOTS of water.  But, somehow, my inner Jane came alive and I trekked through a week’s worth of muddy terrain, in the rain, to the top of a mountain, into the small pueblo (town) of “El Bosque.” I definitely felt a great sense of accomplishment once I reached the top, and vowed to take advantage of another Senderismo (hiking) opportunity.

Unfortunately, I’ll have to stop here for now. Studying for midterms has been physically and mentally taxing.  I think we’re all looking forward to Thursday post-exams, when we can fully celebrate the Irish culture…St. Patty’s Day!

Until then.