Paris is a great many things, but overrated is not one of them.

I just have one thing to say: Paris is not overrated. That city is gorgeous, eclectic, classic, bohemian, and so much more all at the same time. No wonder people fall in love there. The first day there, Paige and I walked around the city getting our bearings about us and gazing in awe at the Eiffel Tower. We went to Notre Dame, and then crossed the river to walk around and explore. Surprise, surprise guess what we found- the bookstore, Shakespeare & Company. In the movie Julie & Julia, Julia Childs goes to a bookstore when she first moves to Paris, looking for a French cookbook in English….yep she goes to Shakespeare & Company. It’s such a quaint little store, run by some friendly Brits. Housing everything from antique books, to rare first additions, to the latest from the New York Times best sellers list, this place has it all, but lacks nothing in charm.
The next day, we met up with a bunch of friends from TCU to go on a biking tour of Paris. One of the girls on the trip had a friend who worked in Paris for a summer giving bike tours for Fat Tire Tours….so we decided we should check it out. I was a little nervous considering I don’t know how long it’s been since I rode a bike, but turns out it was fun and stress-free. In four hours we went to about ten different tourist sites, stopping of course in front of the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, Les Invalides, and having lunch at a café in the Louvre gardens. I was so skeptical of this bike tour at first, but afterwards I remember thinking what a great way to see Paris. It was wonderful. Way to go Fat Tire Bike Tours for winning over a very cynical me. I’m sorry I called you “Flat Tire Tours” the whole time.
That night we went to dinner at a fondue restaurant on the south end of the city. It was pretty cool- good for a big group. They served our drinks in baby bottles of all things. Never know what you’re gonna get with Paris, that’s for sure. Hmm other highlights of the trip include, The Orsay Museum (lots of impressionist paintings, a lot of Van Gogh’s, interesting exhibits, much more accessible than the Louvre time wise), the Sacré Coeur, the Moulin Rouge (however, the street it’s on is scandalous; don’t ever walk around there alone or at night…that is unless you want a scandal…or to be robbed), and Galleries Lafayette (best department store in the world; went there alone cause wasn’t as high on everyone else’s priority list as it was on mine, but ended up spending three glorious hours wondering around that place). *Note to Lauren Penn & Kathy: I know you both would have come with me if ya’ll had been there.
The last night we were there we went to a restaurant called Les Infants Perdus, meaning “the lost children.” It was literally some of the best food I think I have ever had in my life. Charlotte, Marcie, Paige, and I all got something different and shared around. We tried lamb, salmon cooked on a wok with shredded vegetables (ended up being my favorite), and steak. Our waiter was wonderful. He was a musician. Very bohemian. I was smitten. The interior of the restaurant was quaint, simple, but lovely. At the same time though, it was a hole-in-the-wall kind of place. So yea, I would probably label this restaurant “Discovery of the Year” due to its indescribable, yet subtle charm.
Oh yea, one last thing, the stereotype that French people are rude is very untrue. I know how to say about five things in French (my name is Karaline, check please, I speak English, etc.) and people were nicer to me there than in Spain a lot of the time. (I’m not knockin’ Spain here at all) People would come up to us when we were looking at a map and ask if we needed directions, people were very conversational, and anyone that we stopped and asked a question too was more than happy to help. I am mystified as to where the “French people are rude” thing comes from.

A pinch of this and a pinch of that

Madrid is like New York with an antiqued spin on it with a little Chicago thrown in. I guess the antiqued feel is a given since it became the capital of Spain under the Bourbon dynasty. That's not to say that it lacks any modernity in the least, but is has more of an old Hollywood feel to it. People are bustling down the streets, but not in the "time-is-money" sense, more in a normal steady rush of moving from one place to the next. Gran Via would be Madrid's equivalent to a 5th Avenue with all it's lights, billboards, and tall buildings, but there is something about it that keeps it from being as overwhelming as NYC. I can't decide if I liked Barcelona or Madrid better to be honest though. There's just so much I loved about both cities, and they are so very different. Barcelona is feels like a cross between Paris and San Francisco-tradition meets eclectic. Some California cool in the big city mix, with of course the beauty of the Mediterranean coast. Madrid is so very cosmopolitan and doubles as the country's capital as well as the commercial capital. With Palacio Real (the Royal Palace), the museum district, and Retiro Park, Madrid is highly manicured and preserved. It was definitely easier to understand people in Madrid because the majority speak Spanish. It's hit and miss in Barcelona. Many people speak Catalan and Spanish, but sometimes you will end up asking someone a question who only speaks Catalan. Barcelona has a very international feel to it come to think of it, while Madrid has a very Spanish feel to it. Both cities are wonderful to visit-extremely interesting and both offering loads to do and a good time. Well I feel like I have just written a comparison/recipe of/for Madrid and Barcelona, so throw in a pinch of salt and voila.

Semana Santa

It's Semana Santa in Sevilla. Say that five times fast. Semana Santa, or Holy Week, is the week long celebration before Easter. There are processions thought the streets with life-size sculptures of the Virgin Mary, Jesus, and a number of scenes from the passion. Everything is embellished with gold, flowers, and candles. The streets are packed with thousands of people....if you like personal space, probably better to find a window with a good view. The processions involve men and women of the various hermandades and other groups carrying these sculptures on platforms through the city, followed by other religious iconography and decorations, many of which are from the 15th century. Sevillanos spend weeks preparing special clothing, food, and decorations for Semana Santa. In my culture class we studied how a large part of the economy of Seville relies on preparations for this special week alone. When you see it, you believe it. Guille, my Senora, loves to make torijas for Semana Santa. They are a postre (desert) typical of and specifically for Semana Santa. They are a special bread dipped in wine, olive oil, sugar, and sometimes milk, then fried. To me, they taste a lot like French toast. All of the cafes advertise, "Hay torijas" to get people to come in. This is just a small taste (literally) of the rich tradition which comprises Semana Santa. The cultural identity of Sevillanos is also very evident during this special week. There are things you can see, that catch your eye when distinguishing cultures. The way people dress, foods that they eat, the way they talk, mannerisms, etc. Then there are things you can sense. One of the things that you can sense about the culture of Seville during Semana Santa is the pride of the people. Not that you can't see this everyday, but you need only to turn on the TV or step out on the street and you can tell how proud the people are of their hard work and traditions that have made Semana Santa what it is. It is ever-evolving, but still ever the same.

I love to rave

So I went to my first rave in Barcelona. (This post is a month late, but better late than never, right?) It was a concert featuring Steve Aoki, this amazing DJ who I had never heard of before, but who I absolutely love now. He remixes a lot of popular songs. The atmosphere was crazy, but so energetic that you cannot help but feed off of it. Everyone was jumping up and down (of course...it was a rave) but yea I have never experienced that much noise and concentrated chaos in my entire life. The concert didn't start until 2am because that is just a normal time for people to go out in Barcelona...actually all of Spain. At first I was reluctant because I need a lot of sleep. I was like no way am I going out at 2 in the morning. I can stay out until two in the morning, but not go out at two in the morning. Anyways, of course I got talked into it by the ever-cliche line "How many times will you get to go to a rave in Barcelona?" In retrospect I am so glad I went because it was a once-in-a-life-time experience. I definitely loved it but can't see myself attending raves regularly. The next night we went to a Barcelona soccer game. When we saw them, they were number 1 in the world which I thought was pretty awesome, even though I'm not a die-hard soccer fan at all. Apparently Real-Madrid is number 1 this week, but anyways....yet another thing I'm so glad I did. Spanish people are serious about their soccer that's for sure. It was Barce vs. Malaga. It wasn't supposed to be a good game, but oh man, it was. The crowd was great, the fans crazy for their team, and the atmosphere once again, contagious. I came out of that game feeling like a die-hard Barcelona fan and like I had always been one. Once again, Barcelona, I love you.

¡Vive Barcelona!

I spent this weekend in Barcelona. What an awesome city. Paige and I left on Wednesday night and met up with some other friends from TCU when they got there on Thursday morning. We stayed in a hostel (my first hostel experience! Yay) called Sant Jordi, which was fun but definitely interesting. I know I'm a college kid and I'm supposed to be staying in hostels when I travel, but I'm not sold yet. Reason #1 why hostels don't agree with me: The first night Paige and I walked into our room (6 beds) and found out we were staying with four other guys. They were nice enough. Anyways, we decided to go out for a bit and when we came back I climbed the bunk bed ladder to get in my bed and some Australian guy rolls over (in my bed) and asks me what I’m doing. Yea, well, naturally I screamed, fell off the ladder, woke up everyone else in the room, it was great. He scared me so bad! Come the find out that he slept in that bed the night before and asked if it was open again and the lady he asked at the desk never put it in the computer. Needless to say that was interesting. Ironically, the next morning he asked Paige and I to go to breakfast with him in a café around the corner. He ended up being really nice and told us he was traveling the world for six months.

Thursday was my first full day in Barcelona. Paige and I met up with the rest of the TCU crew and went on a walking tour of Las Ramblas, which is basically the main street in Barcelona. It’s really pretty with lots of little shops, street vendors, and some major chain stores like H&M and Zara. Oh and of course Corte Ingles. Friday was Gaudi day. We decided to cram as many Gaudi works into one day as was possible. That ended up being three. We went to Casa Mila, an apartment building from the early 1900s. One of the apartments is set up like it would have been when it first opened. There was lots of antique furniture and stuff. Very cool. The most awesome part about Casa Mila though, is the roof. The roof is like a stone playground…Guadi style. It’s basically a photographers dream. You can see for miles across the city, including the Sagrada Familia in the distance. After Casa Mila we stopped for lunch at a restaurant called La Bodaguetta. (I think that’s spelled right, but who knows.) I got a really good pasta, and fish for the main course. So, I really like fish, but I haven’t been ordering it here at all because when I looked up different fish dishes on the Internet before I went, all of the photos have the cooked fish with the eyes still in tact. Well, I can’t eat something that’s looking at me….I just can’t do it. I don’t know if it’s cause I feel bad for the fish or if I just can’t get past the limp eyeball. I may never know. So anyways, every restaurant I have been to in Spain thus far has brought out the fish cooked like regular fish- fried or grilled or something, and I am always like dang I should have ordered the fish. So this time, guess what I did. I ordered the fish. Guess what- eyeballs and all. It came out with the skin on, bones in tact, staring at me. I almost cried. Thankfully, one of my friends peeled the skin off and showed me how to eat it, so all was not lost. I had a few bites.
The next place on the agenda was the Sagrada Familia. About half of all the pictures that I took in Barcelona are of the Sagrada Familia. It is the most amazing building I have ever seen in my life. It’s almost surreal standing in front of it. It’s mesmerizing. I can’t even really describe what it feels like to be there. Just look at the pictures. Pictures, however, don’t do it justice. Before going, I was curious, but not really that excited because there are a lot of cathedrals in Europe and one after another gets a little old. But oh how wrong I was. If you only see one Cathedral in your entire life go to the Sagrada Familia. And if you see two, make the other one the Mesquita in Cordoba. Shwell….I need to go watch some Burn Notice before I get some shuteye. Will write more about Barcelona later. (Look forward to my tellings of my first rave haha)

Just Around....

Change is a good thing

Now that I've settled in, things are going much more smoothly. Not that I don't love the excitement of doing something different everyday, but going to classes, coming home for lunch, etc. make me feel like I live here...not like I'm just a tourist, which is exactly how I feel walking around in my windbreaker with a camera around my neck. School has not been too challenging. My phonetics course has been fun...my teacher, Amaya is around 26 years old we think, and she always has games like bingo and guess the entonacion (interrogative, declarative, or exclamative) of a given sentence. It's cool. The other night I went to a bar with some friends. Guess who was the bartender? Yes, Amaya. It was fun. A bunch of us have her for one class or another so we sat and talked to her for awhile. I had to laugh. The unexpected always seems to happen here.

I've been getting closer to Guille through this past week. I've been trying to go out to the living room and talk to Guille instead of being on my computer too much. I really enjoy talking to her. She loves to discuss critical issues in society....always interesting. The other day we talked about the Chinese education system and poverty in Romania and Bulgaria. She brought up an interesting point. She pointed out that Cuba, being one of the most impoverished countries in the world is always in the news and always the country focused on, yet the people in Romania and Bulgaria are just as poor as those in Cuba and almost never get attention or aid. I don't know much about these places, but she seems to really have a heart for the people there.

Tonight is Carnival in Cadiz. I'm so excitedddd. It's a big festival and everyone dresses up in random costumes. My roommate, Paige is being a bumblebee. Guille had two costumes she said she would lend us. The other one is a pirate. It's really big though, so after lunch I might go out and look for a costume store and put something together. We've been watching Carnival on the news here. It's a lot of singing and dancing that goes on all through the night. A lot of TCU kids, including me and Paige are going on a bus through a tour company called Discover Sevilla. It should be great. Will post pics later.

This week was a little tough just because a few stressful things came up back at TCU that I had to deal with. Even though it was hard not having my family and closest friends around me, I'm finding out that I can deal with stuff like this on my own....in a different country. I was encouraged by that. I mean I know a lot of kids study abroad, and it doesn't sound like that big of a deal, but it's hard to leave your language, your friends, your family, everything you know (I'm particularly missing the Starbucks drive through). I'm just really encouraged by how I've adapted in the past week, because the first couple of weeks were challenging.

Anyways....I need to go costume shoppppping! That's all for now folks.