Spring Break

Barcelona

Torre de Belem in Lisbon

Lisbon Bus Tour in the rain (Stephanie from PA and Crista from AR/Germany)

Crista, me, Stephanie and Kaitlin in Lisbon

Inside barrack at sachsenhausen

sachsenhausen concentration camp

Berlin Church

Berlin Wall with Crista

Dam Square Amsterdam

Madame Taussauds Wax Museum Amsterdam with Madalena. That'd be Heidi Klum on the left and Tyra on the right.

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I would first like to thank all who worried, prayed or called family members, friends and the Spanish Embassy after I left my phone in a gas station bathroom like a goober. I am Jimbo Webb's child and that is the only excuse I can come up with.

I am so pooped from two weeks of traveling but I had a blast. The first stop was Amsterdam. We got to see Anne Frank's house, the Gentleman's Canal, Dam Square and approximately three billion bikes. Dutch is the silliest language ever and the metro was always free(by that I mean the gates were always open and we were never asked for a ticket).

Stop number two was Berlin. We took a free tour of the city on the second day. We got to see the Holocaust memorial, Checkpoint Charlie and the American Sector, the Brandenburg Gate, Hitler's bunker, Humboldt University and a beautiful Protestant church that I don't remember the name of(picture above). On Easter we went to the concentration camp. It was a weird day to go but I am so glad we went. Walking through the camp I just felt a weight that you can't explain until you go there. I didn't know until the tour how many homosexuals and gypsies were also victims of the Holocaust. I learned a lot in Berlin and I was so excited to discover that Germans know what real food is! I bought a ridiculous amount of chocolate. I am trying to pace myself but am failing miserably.

Stop number three was Lisbon. We had an amazing tour guide in my Portuguese friend from last semester, Madalena. She had class during the day but was able to tell us cool neighborhoods to check out. We took a bus tour one day and hung out at the river. The Torre of Belem was beauuuutiful. Portugal is my favorite place so far and I don't really know why.

The last stop was Barcelona. I got to see Emily and apologize for being such a loser. On Friday we met her to eat Pinchos(Spanish appetizers) and later when out. The night life in Barcelona is really fun. On the other days we took a few bus tours, got rained on and saw lots of Gaudi's work.
I got home Sunday after taking a cab, a subway, two trains, a bus and another cab to get home. I am so tired but had the most epic spring break ever attempted. I have no plans for May but I am saving money so I can be in Greece for my 21st birthday in June.

Happy birthday this week to Zach and Mariana, two of my favorite people in the world!

How are YOU?

Paris 2009
I got home last night from a weekend in Paris with Rebecca. I got there on Thursday night and met Bec and the group at her hotel which is right on the River Seine, about 2 blocks from the Eiffel Tower. Friday morning we went to the Sacre Coeur Basicilia, my favorite place in the world. That afternoon we did some shopping in the Saint Lazare arrondisement and went back to the hotel to get ready. We ate in the Red Light District and Bec and I went to the eleven o'clock show of the Moulin Rouge. I loved alot of the costumes. Each scene had a different theme. My favorites were the snake pool and the tiny pony scenes. The Moulin Rouge is a little over the top, music, a little magic, champagne and glamour.
The next day was Saturday and we left early to go to the Palace of Versailles. I learned lots of information that I either don't remember or wasn't paying attention to last time. King Louis built the enormous gardens for his wife Marie Antoinette, who was three flavors of crazy. We ate lunch on the grounds and then took the train back to Paris. Later Saturday Rebecca and I shopped at the Galleries Lafayette and met the group that night under the Eiffel Tower. The UTM kids took a boat ride on the River Seine, which they really enjoyed.
It is so strange to me how different a city looks after the first time you see it. Cliche or not Paris does have a je ne sais quoi that I haven't felt in any other city I have visited. I hate that I let myself get French.
I was so glad to spend time with Rebecca. This Webb cousin European vacation was a success.
As for Pamplona, the weather has been so wonderful lately. My classes this semester are: Women, Education and Workplace(my favorite, I like learning the differences in the Spanish view of women compared to the one at home), Spanish through texts, Surrealism in theatre and literature and Spanish contemporary novels. This year is flying by. I can't believe I have been here 6 months.
I love my roommate from Argentina, Itziar. She is so sweet, fun and helpful. She has just bought a laptop so we might be getting internet in the apartment. To be honest not having it is not as bad as I thought. I kind of like to be disconnected until I decide not to be. I am definitely more productive at home without it! This week I have 2 days off of class and then in 3 weeks we have Spring Break. The plan is Amsterdam, Berlin, Lisboa and Barcelona.

hahahaha

Sun Grins!! Piazalle Michelangelo in Florence

I had to take this picture.

Brussels Palace

Gran Place in Brussels

Hey there race fans...

Mrs. Judy and Ennie are here visiting me and we have had a great trip so far. I met them in Madrid and we flew to Brussels. We checked into our hotel and crashed. The girls caught up on some sleep and we spent the day walking around the Gran Place and visiting museums. We got to see the Mannekin Pis, which is the strangest tourist attraction on the planet. Yes, I did eat a Belgian waffle. With bananas and strawberries and chocolate. YUM

We flew to Pisa the next day and saw the leaning tower. We climbed the 400 steps to the top!

The next day we went to Florence and saw the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral. We also climbed to the top of this. Probably more than 400 steps in two flavors, windy or tiny and straight up.

We wanted to take a bike tour in Tuscany but it doesn't run in the winter. We spent the following day seeing more of Florence. We saw Michelangelo's David statue, it was really amazing in person.

Sunday we flew back to Barcelona and got to eat lunch with Emily White, from Milan who is studying abroad there for the semester. We walked down to the beach so the girls could see it.

Since then we have been in Pamplona. Today we went to the Biarritz, France beach and were literally almost blown away. I have got to start checking the weather before I leave the house. 90+ winds in France today. Oops.

I start classes next Monday. Also, I'm going to see Rebecca in Paris next month. Webb cousins in France!

I hope everyone is having a great February.

Barcelona, Girona, Bergamo, Venice, Milan weekend

Il Duomo at night

Milan's Center

Alps in Bergamo

On the bridge at the Gran Canal

Gran Canal

Il Duomo in Milan

Crista and I had an adventure filled weekend in Italy. We took the night bus from Pamplona and got to Barcelona at 10:30. People in Barcelona speak Catalàn, which is the weirdest mix of French and Spanish. Don't they know this is not Burger King, you have to choose one or the other! We walked around and then hung at the beach until our bus left at 3:30 am for the airport. We got to Milan friday morning and saw most of the touristy things by the afternoon. We crashed at 5 pm since we had both been up for 31 hours.

Saturday morning we took a train at 6 AM to Venice. We spent all day there, it was cloudy but great temperature! We Christmas shopped, took pictures and ate gelati. I wanted to stick my feet into the Adriatic Sea and accidentally slipped on the stairs and got water and sea weed all over myself ha. The video is great so check it out! Saturday night we took the late train back to Milan and crashed.

Sunday we caught up on some much needed sleep then tried to go see Da Vinci's Last Supper painting but the tickets were sold out for the next two months. Then we went to the park and found a great Christmas market. We got to see a cool light show and then saw Il Duomo lit up. It is the most impressive church I have ever seen.

Our hostel was not bad except somebody jacked all my toiletries. Monday we got up at 4:30, flew from Bergamo and got to see the Alps as the sun came up. I got to see two oceans and two mountain chains in one weekend. Are you jealous? :)

I am working on a 10 page art project due next week, so yes I am actually doing some school work(SHOCKER, I know). I made a bodacious(jimbo word?) packing list to come home, CAN'T WAIT!

Londontown...

Big Ben and House of Parliament

Shakespeare's Globe Theater!

I ALWAYS find the silver painted man in every city haha

London Bridge on the Thames River

Westminister Abbey

More London Bridge

Hello everyone!

I had a great trip to London this weekend. We stayed Thursday through Sunday. Crista's friends from her college cooked an early Thanksgiving supper on Friday night, it was so great. I am going to make Thanksgiving pancakes on Thursday as I wouldn't dare search for ingredients to make dressing here.

My favorite thing was the Tower of London. I took the tour inside and got to see the Royal Family jewels. Our tour guide told us the story of the two princes who disappeared and were presumed murdered. There was an exhibit about their disappearance and we got to hear speculation about what really happened, although we will never know... dum dum dum!

Saturday we saw Buckingham Palace, which was honestly disappointing after seeing the Spanish Palace in Madrid. Lizzie was inside but she didn't come say hi. We went to the Tate modern art museum. Although I generally hate slash don't get modern art, I got to see Picasso, Monet and Andy Warhol pieces that were cool.

I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but London Bridge might actually be falling down. They are doing some construction so my picture is pretty ugly. It's still amazing in person! Saturday night we went to the National Theatre to see War Horse, which was apparently in high demand, they brought it back after it ended last year. We got up at 7 AM on Saturday to sit outside for 2 hours to get tickets. I really enjoyed it, the special effects were incredible!

A couple of random things... I did eat fish n chips, which I really liked. The tube is 4 pounds for one ride, that is about 6 USD, how nuts! Also, London women are so fashionable, Harrods department store changed my life. No, I did not see Amy Winehouse, but that is probably why I am still alive.

This is probably going to sound crazy but I was kind of disappointed that I didn't get to hear more of the British accent. It is kind of dying like the New York accent and is being replaced with a broken English one.

Even though it was cold, got dark at 4 pm and was super expensive, I loved London. I really hope to go back, so those who want to visit I want to be your tour guide!

MADRID

Me and Crista

Lake at Retiro Park!

Feeding the ducks

This is a picture of the Royal Palace, the museum inside was my favorite thing we saw all weekend.

The Queen's Opera House

I was so impressed with Madrid. It is much more lively than Pamplona and the weather was perfect. We arrived on Friday afternoon at 12 and got back home at 12 on Sunday night, so it was a full weekend. Some other things we saw were the Plaza Mayor which is in the center of the city where they used to hang people upside down during the Spanish Inquisition(I won't explain everything our tour guide told us, but twas not pretty.)

Saturday we went to the Palace and took a tour of the museum inside. The Palace is the biggest in Western Europe and has over 2000 rooms! The titles of the rooms are like "breakfast room", "lunch room", "room to celebrate the event of getting dressed" ha it is ridiculous. In the afternoon we went to Retiro Park. It is enormous and has a lake in the center. There were mobs of people there on Saturday just enjoying the great weather and some rented rowing boats, one of which definately ran into a statue right in front of me haha. I opted to buy caramel popcorn and feed the obese ducks :) I also met some sweet dogs in the park. Its kind of amazing that here when dogs go for a walk their owners don't make them stay on a leash. The dogs just walk in a straight line and then will sit at the door of a store if needed, etc. I have a feeling Pacino would never have that kind of self control..

Sunday morning we went to the greatest flea market I have ever seen. It was in chinatown and shut down about 10 blocks of streets. I didn't buy much except for a book or two and a pair of 5€ shoes. In the afternoon some of us went to the famous Prado art museum. I got to see two of the French baroque painters I am studying about in my art history class, they are incredible in person. There was also a separate Rembrandt exhibit that started this weekend, I was the only one who went to that. His work is mostly historical and religious and he is said to be the most personal artist of his time.

Besides this trip I don't have much to report. Three days until London, I can't wait. Also, I come home December 19th, so 31 days. I am having fun here but I don't think home has ever sounded so good. Pacino better be at the airport...

Halloween and Leon!

Holaaaa

Just wanted to update you guys on what has been happening the last couple weeks.

On the 31st we had a Halloween party for the international students, which was hosted by yours truly ha. It was very fun, alot of the other students got into it and dressed up even though they do not celebrate Halloween in their countries. I was a firewoman(the DJ is my friend and yes, I did ask him to play George Straight "the fireman" and he refused, oh well) and I gave out halloween candy to everyone!

This last weekend we went to Leon, Spain(not France, like some idiot told me when I signed up) with our university. There is a gorgeous cathedral there and that is about all. Most things were closed since it was the weekend but the one thing that was not closed on Sunday was the hotel spa-I got a massage :) That and the fact that I got 12 hours of sleep in our hotel Saturday night basically made the trip a total score. On the bus ride back my polish friend asked to listen to country music, "You know, the country music that says 'I'm a cowboy from Tennessee, I live on a farm, I have a horse, I have a cow and horse.' " His Borat English accent made it completely golden. His favorite song was Joe Diffie "prop me up beside the jukebox if I die."

This weekend I am going to Madrid Friday through Sunday. I am excited because I hear that Madrid is very fast paced and has cool museums. Any suggestions on what I should see/do while I am there?

The next weekend is the London trip which I am also excited about. It will be weird to speak english to people all day ha. Dad has already bet me that I can't make the palace guards laugh... we'll see!

My roommate's boyfriend from Poland got here last night. She told him I from the United States so the first thing he did when we met was scream "United States?? MCDONALDS, HAMBURGER, COCA-COLA!!!!"-Ah right, nice to meet you too.

I am making a pumpkin cake for my roommmates right now and it is done so I have to go! Let me know what is going on with you. Love you all.