We made it back!

Two weeks in the books! Though I can't say I understand what my host mom is saying about the laundry procedures any better. 

For my first weekend in Spain, I spent my days catching up on sleep and exploring the city. On Saturday, I went with some friends to Toledo, Spain, which is about an hour south of Madrid. The beautiful ancient city is perched on a hill that provided a lovely backdrop for some pictures at sunset.

We wandered the streets, admiring the architecture and talking to locals. We ran into one man who happened to work in jewelry workshop, which he took us to and showed us some jewelry that was specific to Toledo. Naturally, I bought myself a little souvenir.

Pressing strings of gold into the plate with small tools

¡Que guapa!

My next trip on the docket was the beautiful Noruega. Norway was just incredible. Even though it was my first trip this semester, I honestly don't know how any other trip could possibly top the beautiful landscapes I saw.

We began the trip somewhat oddly though with a connecting flight to the London - Gatwick Airport first where we had to go through security and customs all over again. The airport was a maze that demanded you walk through what appeared to be Mall of America to get to your gate. Not to mention that every worker we encountered asked where we were going then proceeded to tell us that we needed to hurry if we didn't want to miss our flight as they were closing the gates. Sorry - what?! And no, this sudden information did not speed up their pace for us.

So we sprinted down this yellow brick road of overpriced perfume sections until we found our gate... which was entirely empty. We were earlier than everyone else. Looking back on it now, I wonder if the employees at Gatwick airport simply chose to tell a group of young Americans they were going to miss their flights as part of some late night amusement.

Best restroom sign I've ever seen

Street in Bergen

Shortest street in Norway 

We began our first day in Norway with a cruise through the fjords of Bergen in the morning. As we searched for the dock, we looked for coffee shops as we were all in need of caffeine. When we found the fjord cruise company, they told us where the boat would dock to pick up passengers. One of the guys asked a worker where we could get some coffee in the meantime and he paused for a long time to think before pointing out a 7-Eleven (Norwegians love their 7-Eleven's - there was one of every corner). We thanked him and went on our way to buy some crappy coffee. Of course on our walk back to the boat we passed a massive Starbucks one block from the 7-Eleven. Once on the actual boat, we realized that they sold coffee there! Not only that, but the worker we talked to about coffee worked that very station! Are you kidding me?

Struggles of Megan wearing 4 pairs of socks

Struggles pt. 2

The fjord cruise was probably my favorite part of the trip. Even though we battled strong winds and potential hypothermia on the deck of the boat, every second was worth it. The views looked almost in Black & White as the white snow was crisp and the water black as night. With my toes nearly falling off, there were moments when my phone died strictly because of how cold it was. That evening we took a tram up Mount Fløyen to look out over the city, which was also truly incredible. We had an oh-shit-moment when we realized Michael's backpack with our keys to the apartment was gone, but luckily the people of Norway are kind and we were able to retrieve it easily. 

Unfortunately, none of my videos are uploading on this. These pictures cannot do the fjords justice as they just went on and on. The shaky photos I took in the wind will have to suffice. 

Panorama from Mount Fløyen

First thing we did at the top of a mountain? Fell down it

Fish market at the harbor

Home cooked dinner on Friday night

Something that I've decided to do this semester is to try a local beer in every city/country that I go to. I wanted to experience the variety of one item wherever I go and what better item than beer? My first one in Norway was Hansa followed by a Frydenlund Bayer which I have to say was my favorite of the two. Stay tuned for more on my opinions of hop counts and all that. 

Bergen's local brew

Letting out some steam

On Saturday, we took a seven hour train ride from Bergen to Oslo, Norway. It's not nearly as bad as it sounds as it was easily the most beautiful traveling I've ever done. The countryside was absolutely stunning and made you want to cozy on up in one of those little homes on the mountainside. 

Casual train ride views

Seven hours of this wasn't enough

Once in Oslo, we had a bit of a challenge receiving the keys to our Airbnb. Unlike the last one where we were able to punch in a code and get the keys out of a lockbox, this Airbnb required that we meet with some friends of the owner on a street corner for the exchange. With no phone and a dropping temperature, this provided quite the challenge. While waiting for these men, Christian's debit was also sucked into an ATM with the words "card captured" so it wasn't the best start to this "big city" life. Once we found the men, they were fairly vocal about their expectation and anger that we were not 7 American girls. After one of the weirdest encounters I've ever had, we finally got the keys. I was very grateful to be traveling with guys at this moment. 

On Sunday morning, a few of us got up early to head down to a local coffee shop to start planning our day. We went to a Viking museum and the Nobel Peace Center, which were both extremely interesting. The exhibits at the Nobel Peace Center were artistically presented and provided sobering accounts from war veterans. 

Tasty cafe in Oslo

Nobel Peace Center

Nobel Peace Center

Ornate viking burial ship

A real viking!!

Frydenlund Bayer - locally brewed beer in Oslo

The entire trip Megan and I were pining for some milkshakes (turns out that frappuccinos from Starbucks cannot fill that void). For our last meal in Norway we found a pub that had some! So we got some good ole Oreo milkshakes to end the Norwegian trip with a bang. 

Alas, milkshakes! How we looked on the outside-

-versus how we felt on the inside

Megan's first froosh. Survey says: "not bad."

On our way out of the country, we encountered some interesting blips at the airport in Oslo. A security worker told me that I needed to throw out some toiletries as each person is allowed one small plastic bag. When Megan said that was odd, he responded by flipping her the bird as we walked away. Thanks, man. We also landed 25 minutes early in Madrid and were driven via shuttle to the airport where we walked straight to the metro. At no point during the day did we show our passport or go through customs. We must look very trustworthy, even though we carry too many toiletries. 

And that's a wrap for my first trip experience! Thank you, Norway, for being the best possible place to go to kick off this semester. This weekend I head to Ireland with some ladies to experience the motherland once again. 

Spoiler alert: my Local Brews List may contain lots and lots of Guinness.

My First Week in Spain

The first week has already passed and I cannot believe it. The days were filled with excitement, challenges, and lots of sangria.

We have had some interesting first experiences with the different language and culture. As soon as we got on the plane, the hostess said to me "Hola, buenas días." to which I suavely replied "Oh hiiiii." Yes, bravo, Elaine. Off to a good start. Later, when talking to us, the hostess insisted on speaking to me in Spanish only while speaking to Megan in English, which both flattered and intimidated me. (Perhaps I look like I fit in?!) As we navigated through the airport and on the taxi, I felt like a pro with my "no's" and "sí's" flying until we reached our destination on a tiled street that the car could not go on. The cabbie asked us questions about the location to which I had no response other than "No sé" which I said 3x in a row.

Our apartment door

My room with MK

MK's side of the room

First of all, my host family is BOMB. Let me break down examples of their bomb-ness. On our first day Juan, the host father, walked us around the neighborhood and bought us all our first beers and tapas to kick start the semester. He also took us out for churros con chocolate after our second dinner to continue this celebration. Ana, the host mom, (who I believe may be heaven sent) took us on the metro to our orientations to show us how to get to school. We all had different times so she did this THREE TIMES. Angel, right? Ana and Juan shower us in affection and tease us as though we have known each other for years. Needless to say, they have made this place feel like home.

Churros con chocolate with Juan!

<3

Corrupting MK by making her eat Kinder

View from our balcony of Calle Arenal

With one week under our belts, I feel that I am getting to know my way around a bit. I can now ride the metro to and from school alone without gripping my backpack tight for fear of pick-pocketers. Classes seem promising to keep me well entertained with some field trips to the east coast of Spain and the Canary Islands. My Spanish classes are a bit daunting as they are filled with lots of fluent students from other countries, but I am hoping to become one of those students in time. For now, I like to wander the streets between classes to see what's around me. And what I have found is that I am in the best location for my time here. There is no shortage of things to do or places to go in Sol!

Killing time between classes with a slice of heaven

Juan making us paella

I am quickly realizing how difficult it is to be without a phone most of the time. We're always searching for wifi like the desperate Americans we are. The first night going out crumbled to pieces as we found what appeared to be the wrong bar as it was empty. From there, we had no way to contact others to find them without phone service and so we wandered from street to street whilst being harassed by club promoters yelling in our face "BUT FREE MOJITOS, CHICA!" No thank you, sir.

Today we went to Mercado de San Miguel and strolled around Madrid to explore the city a bit. This market might be my favorite part of Madrid so far. The stations varied from seafood to drinks to cheese to pasta to gelato. Naturally we spent a couple hours wandering here. 

Mercado de San Miguel

Mercado de San Miguel

Lovely Lauren with some lovely food

Being touristy

Tomorrow I head to Toledo, Spain for a day trip with some friends to take in more fabulous sites. Until next time, hasta luego! 

Away we go

It is my final night at home before I begin my journey and I find myself nostalgic already. I cruise slower through my neighborhood, pet my dog a little bit longer, and hug my mom a bit tighter as I try to soak in these last moments. I'm aware that what lies before me could be some of the best months of my life, but I am trying to hold on to what is here so that I can look forward to it when I must return.

Months of excitement have turned to anxiety at the last second as I realize what I'm about to do. What if I miss a plane/train? What if lose my passport? What if I get lost myself looking for said passport? These are things I have never encountered before, let alone as an independent traveler. I'm comforted by the thought of the wonderful people accompanying me in this adventure. While I am nervous for these potential situations, the anticipation for new experiences with incredible people outweighs any anxiety.

I am confident that upon arrival I will feel at ease with my new host family and ready to take on the world. I look forward to the splendor of Europe that awaits as I sit here typing and looking at my large poster of Paris in my room (yes, from IKEA). It's hard to contain the excitement I have for when I take in these sites with my own eyes.

So wish me well as I take off tomorrow afternoon. With luck (and a bit of Zzzquil) I'll be able to sleep through the trip to wake up for our 7 am arrival as fresh as a daisy!

Here's to hoping all my Spanish skills don't vacate me when I need them most. ¡Hasta luego!