Sunday, May 29, 2011

Me despido de Europa.

Right now I am on the plane heading to Brussels, where I will jump on another plane that will take me home to the United States. Last night we stayed out partying all night until morning when I had to go to the airport. It was so fun. The stereotype that Latvians are crazy partiers has definitely been confirmed for me. I had a great last night in Europe.

I honestly cannot believe I’m leaving today. This feels like a dream, like maybe I’m just going back to my normal life in Spain instead of a different life in the United States. It’s like I just keep walking in and out of new lives, everywhere becoming a different person. I know that my semester abroad has changed me, but hopefully in a good way. I’ve learned independence and responsibility, which was especially drilled in all those times I was stuck in a bad situation in an airport or train station and just really wished my dad could be there to help me. He wasn’t though, and I got through it just fine, just like I will with every other hard situation in my life. I also have learned how to step out of my comfort zone and be a little reckless at times. The best way to live life is to experience it, no matter the consequences. I’m not going to live forever, so I better make this life good. I’ve learned how to open my eyes to the world, seeing how many different types of people exist. The number of languages and cultures and ethnicities in this small world is so astounding. I’ve gained a passion for culture. I’ve learned the importance of friends. This I did already know, but it was hammered in even more this semester. Without my friends, I would have had a completely different experience and probably would’ve hated my trip. Without the friends I made in Latvia, I would’ve been stuck inside, not seeing nearly as much as I did. The people you’re with can really make or break your trip. And if you find good ones, they’ll stay by your side through thick and thin. I have also learned to keep dreaming, because almost nothing is impossible. I never would have thought I’d end up spending half a year in Europe, away from all my family and friends and everything I knew before I even turned twenty.

I have made so many memories this semester that I will treasure forever. I will always remember my weekend trips with my friends to Barcelona, Portugal, and London. My spring break in Switzerland, Venice, Rome, Sevilla, Ronda, Granada, and Madrid. Wandering around strange cities without a map, trying to figure out metro systems, discovering amazing things. I’ll remember my heart to hearts with Kelly, barging into her room or her barging into mine in the middle of a crisis. I’ll remember school. While it wasn’t my favorite part of Spain, I didn’t hate it either. Nights out in Valladolid, doing the photoshoot with some of my best friends, painful trip-planning meetings in Lula Café. I will miss the school excursions to Segovia, Valladolid, Salamanca, Las Médulas, and Santander, not paying attention while the professors lectured about history. I’ll miss Dioni. She was honestly the best host mom I could ever have asked for. Of course I hated her food, but that’s such a minor complication next to the type of host mom I could’ve had. I consider myself so lucky to have known her. She really made me feel at home and taken care of in Spain. I met some amazing friends in Latvia, saw where my family comes from, had a crazy Latvian drunk night out. I’ll never forget how hard it’s been to say so many goodbyes. Saying goodbye to my friends from Wisconsin for the summer, to my international friends who I may never see again, to Dioni and Kelly, who have been there for me from start to finish, to amazing professors, to Latvian friends, to Spain and Latvia. Now I’m saying the final goodbye to Europe. The last five months have been the best of my life, but I’m only beginning traveling and exploring the world. There is no way I’m ending that here. I will be back to Europe soon, no doubt, to make many more memories and see what else it has to show me. But for now, I’m heading home to good old Minnesota. I will see you all soon!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Letonia; El resto de la semana.

Tuesday, Ruta's sister Sanita took me to the open air museum, where we saw what all the old style houses used to look like back in the day. Very pioneer. We just walked around and looked at all the different types of buildings there were. It was set in a really pretty forest and close to a lake. We spent roughly two hours there before heading out to get some lunch at another Lido restaurant. I tried traditional Latvian meatballs, sausage, and potatoes. Everything tasted delicious, of course. Afterwards, we walked to a park and then met up with Ruta. When Ruta came, we went to the mall and looked around for a dress for her graduation. It's really weird to see huge stores and malls here because, in exception to Corte Ingles, they are nonexistent in Spain and everywhere else I've visited in Europe as well. Later, they took me to see a war memorial and then we went to their parents' house for cake and ice cream. Then Ruta dropped me off at the apartment and I called it a night.



Wednesday was a much busier day. Sanita and I started the day by seeing Riga's biggest market while Ruta was taking an exam. We picked up some strawberries and cherries to eat during the day. Then we shopped around for a bit and I got an amber ring. When Ruta was finished with her exam, she and Lauris picked us up at the apartment to head out to go to another town an hour away from Riga called Bauska. There we saw a big and impressive castle. We climbed to the top to see a beautiful view. Afterwards, we grabbed some lunch. Lauris ate an insane amount of food, like always, and I couldn't even finish mine. It was really good though. I love Latvian food. After lunch, we drove just a bit farther to another castle in Rundāle. This is supposedly one of Latvia's most famous castles. It was of a newer style and had a beautiful garden. We spent a while there, exploring the castle and gardens before heading back to Riga. When they dropped me off at the apartment, I met up with Janis right away to spend the evening with him. He first took me to a small shop to get some bread and then we went to a really nice park and fed the ducks. That was a lot of fun. Then we walked around the lake at the park and just talked for a while. It was a really nice and relaxing evening. He took me back home later and the day was over.




Thursday was a bit boring than the other days. Everyone had things to do so I was by myself for the beginning of the day. I explored Riga again, shopped for a little bit, but soon ran out of things to do so I went back to the apartment. Janis picked me up at 6 pm and took me to Brigita's house to socialize with her and some other people I didn't know. Lauris, Krista, and Janis were there, though. So I still had friends who could translate for me. Brigita also has an adorable beagle who was really fun to play with. We ate dinner at her house and she made sure I was well-fed and after about two hours, Janis and I left. We went back to the center of Riga and got some coffee and walked along the river and talked for another hour before he took me home for the night.


Today (Friday) I went to see the Botanical gardens with Sanita and Krista. That was really pretty and reminded me a lot of my cabin but we had some rainy weather which was not so good. After the gardens, we walked to Brigita's house to have some lunch. We were there for about an hour before she sent us to go to a museum. So Krista and I saw the museum. It was kind of boring, but that's okay. Then she walked me back to the apartment around 4 pm to finish packing my things and clean up the apartment. Later we will go out so I can see what a real Latvian party is like and then I will have to be at the airport around 4:30 am to begin my journey home.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Letonia; Día Tres.

Today, I woke up and made myself some breakfast and got ready for the day. Lauris and Ruta had to work until 5 so I was on my own until then. I spent the morning exploring Old Town Riga, taking photos and checking out some little markets. Old Town is really small, so it didn't take me long to figure out my way around. Later, around 4:45, Lauris and Ruta came to the apartment to pick me up. Then we went to their apartment to grab their bikes and Lauris and I went biking to a really pretty park that reminded me a lot of Itaska, where I used to go every summer as a kid. Being there and biking around brought back a lot of memories. After that, we went back to the apartment and picked up Ruta before driving a little way out of the city to see a bit of the sea. Later, we got some yummy pizza for dinner and then they took me back to the apartment for the night. I am really loving Latvia a lot. First I didn't want to leave Spain, and now I know I'm not going to want to leave Latvia.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

¡Letonia!



Okay, I have so much catching up to do on here so here we go.
We'll start with Thursday. As it was our last full day in Spain, some friends and I got churros and chocolate before heading to school to check our grades and talk with our professors. My grades ended up being a lot better than I had expected so I was really happy. They will transfer well to Eau Claire.

Friday was graduation day. We all dressed up and took a million photos and got our diplomas. After getting our diplomas, we had a little party to celebrate graduating but more for saying goodbyes. We all took another million photos and once it was time to go, we all said our goodbyes. It was so hard to say goodbye to everyone I spent the last five months with and some I might never see again. When we left to go home, I finished packing all my stuff and soon had to leave for the airport. Saying goodbye to Kelly and Dioni was the hardest. I can't believe this semester is already over. It seems so unreal. I went to the airport, checked my luggage, and left to begin my journey to Latvia. The flight was about two and a half hours. When I arrived in Charleroi, I had to check into my hotel for the night. However, it was about 11:30 pm and when I looked at my confirmation letter, it said that check-in after 11 was impossible. I tried calling them but they wouldn't answer, tried getting a taxi but they just told me to go away. I did not know what to do. I thought I would have to spend the night in the airport. Suddenly, a woman came up to me and said something in French that I didn't understand. When I said I didn't speak French, another woman came up and started speaking to me in English, asking what was wrong. I told her my story and her friend tried calling the hotel. Of course, like before, they didn't answer, but she tried again and they did answer. She talked to them in French and then the English-speaking woman told me the hotel people would wait for me outside of Door 2. So I went to door 2 and a big black van came up with a paper that said "Hotel South" in the front. It looked really sketchy, but I didn't really have anything else I could do. A guy came out, saw that I was still upset, and said "Hi, I'm Kevin. I'll be taking care of you okay?" So he took me to the hotel, set up a time to take me back to the airport in the morning, arranged a wake-up call for me, and then asked me if I was hungry and wanted anything to eat. I really hadn't eaten much that day so I said yes. He then showed me to my room and then showed up five minutes later with a tray containing two sandwiches with the crusts cut off, a bowl of grapes, a melon with the skin cut off, a bottle of milk, and a bottle of water. I asked him if I needed to pay for it and he said "No, of course not. It's the least I can do." I was shocked at how nice he was.

I woke up three hours later at 4:30 am and got ready for my early flight to Riga, Latvia. I went to the airport, got on the plane, and arrived in Riga two hours later. I was picked up by Lauris (family member), Ruta (Lauris' girlfriend), and Krista (another family member and also the only one of them I'd ever met before). Lauris and Ruta are both 25 and Krista is 12. They took me to the apartment I'm staying in and then we got brunch, where I met Janis (close family friend). After brunch, Lauris, Ruta, Krista and I decided to drive to Sigulda, where you can see the beautiful countryside. So we went to Sigulda, but not before picking up some Latvian beer. We saw a beautiful view of Sigulda and then Krista suggested we try out a ropes course that was in Sigulda. It started out pretty easy. There was a lot of ziplining which was fun. But then it got a lot more difficult. I definitely got to work my biceps a lot. It was very physically straining, but really fun nonetheless. We were joking that right when I came to Latvia, really tired from only having three hours of sleep, they took me right away to work out and go to "Latvian boot camp." I did really have a good time, though. It took us about three hours to do that and then we went to see a castle for a bit, which also had a great view of Sigulda. After that, we saw some caves and made a few more stops before getting dinner. We went to a great restaurant where I decided I love Latvian food. It is especially good after having to eat Spanish food so much. Once we drove back to Riga, we were all really tired from the rope climbing and such so they took me back to the apartment to rest and get ready for another day of exploring Riga.

Today (Sunday) was my namesday! It was really exciting that I actually got to be in Latvia for it. I woke up, very sore from the day before, got ready, and then headed out with Lauris and Ruta. Both of them are really awesome. Lauris is always super funny and Ruta is so good at showing me around. They're both really nice. We started out the day with a ferry ride along the river. After that, we walked to the freedom monument, which was right next to a park where we got ice cream for my namesday. After that, we went to a hotel where from the 26th floor, we could see a beautiful view of Riga. Next, we took a tram to Lido, a big restaurant where we could pick and choose whatever we wanted to eat. We ate there, had some beer, and then headed back to the apartment. About ten minutes after arriving there, Janis came to pick me up and take me to Jūrmala, which is on the seaside. He and I drove there, he showed me the fancy houses, and then we walked along the beach. He is a really interesting person to talk to. He's super nice as well. After seeing the sea, we walked along the main street and then sat down for a drink and talked. Then, we didn't really know what to do so he introduced me to his dog. His dog, named Chico, is crazy. He was jumping all over the place and barking but he was a really nice dog. He took me back to the apartment around 10 pm. It was a really great namesday. I am loving Latvia a lot. I actually like it a lot more than I thought I would. I'm so glad I decided to extend my trip and come here.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

La semana final del semestre.

So it's finally here: the last week of Spain. Finals week. I've been here for five months now but it feels like two weeks. I honestly cannot believe I'm leaving so soon. There's a big part of me that isn't ready and doesn't want to leave but there's another part of me that has been slowly adjusting to the idea of going home for the last couple of weeks. I'm really excited to do all my favorite things, eat my favorite foods, and see my favorite people once I get back. First, though, I have to get through finals (which are slowly killing me) and enjoy my last European adventure in Latvia! The thing about school in Spain is that the classes are super easy, but the tests are super hard. There is no multiple choice on the tests and the grades are a lot rougher. A 10 (A) is supposed to be professor-level, so it's basically impossible to get. So I've been studying nonstop for the last week. I'm over halfway done with the exams now and so ready to be done with them.
Now I am getting super excited about Latvia and getting ready to go! Kim is no longer going with me so it'll just be me but that's alright because I'll have my family in Riga. So I'll be there meeting people and seeing where my family comes from for a week and then it's back to the states!
Right now is the epitome of mixed emotions.
Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, this life.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Santander.

Yesterday, we went on our final excursion to Santander. It was so nice there - sun, sand, sea - what's not to love? We met at 8 am for a three and a half hour bus ride. I slept most of the way, but when I was awake I was able to see some incredible views. Before we got to Santander, we stopped in a tiny town called Santillana. We were only there for about an hour but were able to hang out, eat some lunch, and shop a bit. One of our professors told us to try a couple desserts called Sobao and Quesada because Santillana was known for them. We got some to share between six of us, but it was pretty unremarkable. Neither of them tasted bad but they weren't anything special. Soon, we got back on the bus and drove for another hour to Santander. Upon arriving, we were given a choice between just going to the beach and going to see a historical castle. I've seen enough castles and cathedrals here to last me a lifetime and I wasn't really up for anymore history, so my friend Andrea and I stayed and hung out on the beach for the day. We spent a lot of time sitting and enjoying the view and talking, then walked around for a bit and got some ice cream. When we got back to the beach, the sun finally came out, but soon it was time to go. It was a very nice and relaxing day. Santander was a really nice city. I loved being able to go to the beach and just have an excursion that wasn't jam packed with activites and sight-seeing. We got back on the bus around 6 pm and arrived in Valladolid around 9. It was a great way to end the excursions.

This week is my last week of classes. I have one final in Geography tomorrow (Monday) and then the rest next week on Tuesday and Wednesday. It's so crazy how little time I have! Just one more week of classes, two days of finals, graduation, and I'm off to Latvia! While I'm really not liking the idea of having to leave Spain, I am finally getting more ready to go back home. My mind is adjusting to the fact that the semester is ending and soon I'll wake up from this amazing dream. The end is in sight and I'm now getting excited to do things like eat my favorite foods, drive, see my family, and enjoy the summer. Everything is coming so fast, but first, Here I come Latvia! One more last shabang.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Día Dieciséis: Valladolid.

The final day of spring break arrived so quickly. We woke up, all feeling a bit woozy, sick, and tired. One of the tapas we ate the night before must have been bad. We headed out anyway, getting some breakfast at a café I go to fairly often. We were slow-moving on Saturday due to not feeling 100%. After breakfast, I showed my parents Campo Grande, the huge park we have in the middle of the city. Unfortunately, most of the paths were closed off, but we were able to see some peacocks freaking out. One peacock had all his feathers out and appeared to be trying to threaten the other peacocks for some reason. They were all freaking out and making weird noises – it was very interesting to see. After that, we walked around a bit before we headed toward my school so I could show it to them. Later, we went to a grocery store so my mom and I could get some sandwiches for lunch and some crackers for my dad – he couldn’t eat much from being sick. After that, I was pretty much out of ideas for things to see in Valladolid. It’s really not that exciting of a city, so we went to the internet café I like and tried to skype with Lucas, but soon realized he had a band festival that morning and wouldn’t be there. My parents decided to head for the train station around 5:30 pm, so we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. It was hard seeing them go after not being here very long at all, but I will see them sooner than it seems. I feel like time is just slipping through my fingers. I wish it would slow down a little; this trip is going by way too fast and I feel like I don’t have much time to just enjoy where I am and smell the roses. Well, after we parted, I headed back to my apartment, but soon realized I had forgotten my keys in my room. Dioni also had told me the day before that she wouldn’t be at home on Saturday so I couldn’t even buzz in. So, I pretty much had no way of getting in the apartment. Great. When I got there, I waited a few minutes before someone opened the building door to leave, so I was able to get in the building, but still couldn’t get in the apartment. I stood around for a bit, trying to think of a plan, until a couple ladies noticed me standing by my door. I asked them if they knew Dioni, and thankfully, Dioni knows everyone. They said they were friends of hers and let me into the apartment. Crisis averted. So I spent the rest of the night home alone, editing photos and writing blogs, readjusting to normal life again.

Día Quince: Madrid y Valladolid.

Friday, we got up, ready for another train ride to the final city of our trip: Valladolid. Before catching the train, though, we walked to Plaza Mayor to take photos and got some breakfast on the way. Later, we hopped on a train headed to Valladolid, which only lasted an hour, so it was very quick and easy. Upon arriving in Valla, we walked to the hotel as I pointed out some of my favorite landmarks and shopping places. The hotel was not far – about a ten minute walk and very close to Plaza Mayor – and super nice. After settling into the hotel, I showed my parents my favorite internet café so they could check on their emails and such, and then a park close to that. Soon, we were due to be at my apartment so that they could meet my host mom. It went pretty much exactly as I had expected – my host mom talked and talked and I hardly had room to translate between her sentences and she was so incredibly excited to meet them. She had made a delicious cake (one of the few things I like that she makes) for them along with some coffee and wine. I was surprised when she pulled out the wine, as I have never seen her drink before. There was much conversation, mostly on her part, and it was very pleasant and fun. After socializing, I showed my room to my parents and packed up a bag of things I don’t need for them to take home for me. Soon, we left, hung out for a bit, and then went out for tapas and drinks. We found a place close to our hotel and had some tapas that were actually really good and very reasonable. It was a very satisfying dinner. Afterwards, we had wanted to walk around a bit, but it had started raining, so we headed back to the hotel for the night.

Día Catorce: Madrid.

Our trip started coming to a close on Thursday, when we took a train to Madrid. The train ride was about four hours long so it was very nice once we got there and could get off the train. When we arrived in Madrid, my parents knew exactly what to do, as they had already been in Madrid and I hadn’t. We took the metro to Sol, the area where our hotel was, and walked about five minutes to our hotel. After settling in at the hotel, I was very excited to get out and go shopping – there was tons of shopping right around where we were! We walked around the streets for a while heading toward the Prado Museum (the huge famous art museum). Everyone knows that the Prado is the thing to see in Madrid, so obviously we had to see it, especially with my mom the art history fanatic. Knowing our time in Madrid was very limited and we couldn’t see absolutely everything in the museum, my dad and I mapped out a plan, making sure we went to all the rooms with paintings we wanted to see. The plan made it go much quicker so we’d still have time for other things later. My mom knew a lot of the artwork and she loved seeing the Goya pieces. I was excited to see some famous paintings I’ve learned about this semester in my Spanish Art class, and my dad also had a few he seemed excited to see. Upon leaving the museum, my mom and I were ready for some more shopping, so my dad went back to the hotel to rest while she and I shopped for a bit. We left again to seek out some dinner around Plaza Mayor around 9 pm. My dad, obsessed with Rick Steves, had seen an episode about eating pig’s ears in Madrid, so we had to find that place first. I hadn’t seen him so excited the whole trip. On the way there, we passed a ham museum, which he was almost even more enthusiastic about. We arrived at the pig’s ears place and my mom and I decided to pass – we give my dog pig’s ears as treats; there’s just something weird about eating the same food as your dog. My dad enjoyed them, though. Afterwards, my mom and I decided we wanted a non-Spanish dinner (like I had warned them, they found Spanish food to be a little bit less than appetizing; my dad liked it better than my mom though). We went to a fast food sandwich place called Pan’s, ordered a couple sandwiches and ate them in Plaza Sol. The sandwiches were decent. After that, my dad wanted to get some tapas and drinks, so we did that before calling it a night and heading back to the hotel.

Día Trece: Granada.

We got up on Wednesday and had breakfast right away. Finding the breakfast area was super weird. We had to go outside and through a random sliding door – very hard to find. The breakfast was great, though. We had pastries and fruit and warm buns and coffee. Upon finishing our food, we left to explore Granada before we had to be at the Alhambra at 3:30 pm. We headed over to a part of Granada called Albaicin, a Moorish district where we could supposedly find street vendors and gypsies, but we didn’t really find what we were looking for. After wandering the streets of Granada, we headed back near our hotel, where we found some lunch and then soon left for the Alhambra. For those who aren’t familiar with the Alhambra (pronounced [all-ahm-brah]), it is a very important monument of Spain. It is a huge palace that goes way back in history, well-used in Moorish culture. When we got there, it was pouring again. To say the least, I was not very happy about the rain. But we made the most of it, walking through the Alhambra grounds and heading toward the palace where we needed to be at 4:30 pm. We stayed under cover as much as we could until we got into the indoor palace. We saw a few rooms in the palace and, much to our surprise, once we got back outside, the sun was shining and the skies were blue. The sun felt so good and again, I was so happy to have the wonderful weather. We got through the palace, and then went up a few towers to see some truly incredible views. After that, we went through the “Generalife” [hen-er-all-eef-ay] gardens, which were beautiful, like the rest of the Alhambra. When we finished this, we were exhausted, so we headed back to the hotel to rest just a little before getting dinner. My parents finally tried paella for dinner and, just like I had warned them, they didn’t like it very much. Of course, trying paella was obviously necessary no matter what, but it really is not that good.

Día Doce: Conducir y Granada.

Tuesday, we left Ronda to head to our last city in Andalucía: Granada. We drove along the Mediterranean Sea for a long time and stopped in a city called Nerja on the coast. The weather was sunny and beautiful and so warm. I loved it! We stopped at a restaurant for what was supposed to be a quick lunch but actually turned out to be quite long. My mom and I just split a small sandwich and then had ice cream and my dad just had a salad. Once my mom and I finished eating, we hurried down to the beach to get as much time there as possible. Unfortunately, when we got there, we found many topless women, bottomless kids, and just plain weird people. A little girl took off her bottoms and peed in the sand and at that point it was too much, so we went back up to find my dad. So our Mediterranean beach experience wasn’t the best, but it was still nice being in a beach town. Later, we left to get back on the road for Granada, and didn’t reach the city much long after. When we got there, we drove around the confusing roads for a while, then returned the car (thankfully) and found our hotel. We stayed in a suite! The suite was the size of an apartment, with a bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom and balcony. Super nice, but very loud at night. The walls and windows facing the street were not very noise-cancelling, so everything that went on outside was clearly audible. That usually didn’t bother me, though, as I’m always pretty tired after a long day of traveling. Well once we had found our hotel and settled in, we left to explore the streets and find something to eat. We found a place where I had some delicious garlic grilled chicken and my parents had garlic shrimp. Yum! Then, after exploring some more, we called it a night.

Día Once: Conducir y Ronda.

Monday, we left pretty early to hit the road. We got a rental car, which I was pretty nervous about, knowing how crazy the drivers are here. We headed east, driving for a while before hitting a town called Arcos de la Frontera. It was a cute town, but very hilly and with very narrow roads. We walked around, taking some photos and exploring before deciding there wasn’t much to see, so we got back in the car. The next place we drove through was the natural park of Grazalema. It was gorgeous. Everything was so green and lush. There were mountains and hills and windy roads. We stopped at an overlook to have some lunch. This was such a beautiful park. After a while, the park began to get much drier, as most of Spain is, so it wasn’t as pretty anymore. The northern border of Spain is very green and is supposed to be really beautiful. I would love to go there if I had more time here, because the rest of Spain is not very pretty. Anyway, after making it through the park, we reached a small town named Zahara, but the roads were even narrower and steeper, so we didn’t spend much time there. Then, once we left Zahara, we were on the main stretch to our final destination for the day: Ronda. When we reached Ronda, we found a lovely little town with lots of shopping and places to eat. Once we had parked and walked a little further, we found a beautiful view off of a bridge. We were staring at gorgeous mountains and valleys and waterways. It was such a pretty sight. Later, we found our hotel in the older part of town – a sort of modernized B&B. It was so cute – the employees were charming and our room was super nice. We soon went back out to see more of the town, take photos, and do some shopping. There were tons of fun shops and I found a dress in addition to some gifts. After shopping, we got dinner at a pizzeria, but while we were eating, it started pouring cats and dogs. So once we were finished, we had to book it back to the hotel through the cold rain. I decided I really like Ronda. It’s small and cute and beautiful at the same time.