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.

France Trip

Hellooooooo

I went to Bayonne and Biarritz, France this weekend with two friends from Arkansas! It was nice to get out of Pamplona for a few days. It was very inexpensive to get there, only 13 euros. I did not realize how far the basque country extends over the French border. The two official languages in Bayonne and Biarritz are French and Basque. We spent one day and night in Bayonne, it is a very pretty town with a river that runs through it. There is also a Notre Dame look-alike cathedral in the older part. Bayonne also has great shopping, the Galeries Lafayette is just as dangerous as the one in Paris haha. I got to eat a delicious nutella crepe and french fries(not together ha).

We took a bus to Biarritz this morning and got to walk around and then go to the beach. It was so beautiful! I am posting some cool pictures...

I am offically back in love with France. I got to use a little of my French, which was rusty obviously but now I get to practice with my new roommate, Kevin. He is from Paris. He won't let me take a picture of him to put on this blog, but he looks like Chris Martin from Coldplay. He cleans alot so I think I can live with his strange french rap music.

Pamplona is going great. Clothing is very different here. Most spanish women wear dresses, tights with flats or boots and a scarf. I am trying reallll hard not to look like a tourist, but it is honestly tiring sometimes! Next weekend is our halloween party. My costume idea has changed ha I think I want to be a firewoman, we will see.

Also, thank you to everyone who has sent me a care package! I have american candy running out my ears, what a feeling! :)

Tomorrow I am going to the beach at Bilbao, Spain with my intl student friends unless the time change messes my schedule up.

I bought my ticket home this week. I will arrive in memphis december 19th and be home until january 4th. I can't wait!!

Un beso! Until the next time I have something interesting to report,

Shelby

Pamplona Pictures

This is the Bull Stadium. It is the 3rd largest in the world, but is only used once a year for San Fermin.
This is my favorite Plaza! Plaza del castillo... we meet several nights a week on the bench to the right in the picture :)

This is the plaza de viana, about 10 minutes walk from my apartment.
Countdown to San Fermin!
Pamplona City Hall
Hemingway's Cafe
I think this is the Navarra State Building but I am not completely sure :)

These girls are international students from the US, Portugal and Germany. I am going to Leon, France with Crista, the girl on the far left November 8-9. We are also going to London November 20-23.

Just call me Denice...

They say daughters become their mothers when they grow up. I didn't think it happened at 20. Nobody here can pronounce Shelby, I have actually been told my name is strange by a couple of people. So to make things easier I officially have an alter ego, Denice the international student. The girl in the top picture is Anica, from Germany

The picture of a bottle is my new boyfriend, Delinut. It is chocolate and hazelnut cream mixed together and it has taken over my life.

Classes are going well, I really like my communism class and my faith class as well. I hate my literature class, but I hate literature in every language I think haha. I like my roommates, I am including a picture of Natalia.

I am including a picture of my room, it is looking more homey now!

The international students are planning a Halloween costume party! It might be at my apartment, but we might have to find a bigger place(there are about 100 intl students at my university). I am going to look for my costume this week. We are also planning to have a thanksgiving celebration! I suggested everybody dressing up as either a pilgrim or an indian haha. We'll see if people are into that or not.
I love you all!

bienvenidos

Hey everyone! I am in my new apartment here in pamplona with 2 friends from the international student group. I made my schedule this afternoon and I am starting class tomorrow. I am trying to get a group to go to San Sebastian this weekend. This town is one hour away from Pamplona by bus and is right on the beach, it is beautiful(except for the beached whales aka large naked old men on the beach).
My new apartment has internet and I am so excited so now I will be able to update my blog and show you pictures.
I do not like the food here at all so far, but since I am now cooking for myself I will be able to make american food when I get sick of spanish food(only fish and bread, just like jesus...).
The university is taking all the international students to Leon, France on the 11th of october. We will go by bus and I think we are spending saturday and sunday there. I have never been there, so I'm excited about going.