Halloween in Granada

10/31/2010

Today for Halloween I went out as a Zombie and/or Heath Ledger. Either way, people were plenty creeped out. Fee and I went to get the others and we all went to a club. We saw some interesting costumes and at about 6a we left and I got a Schwarma.

Monachil

10/30/2010

Today I got up at 7a to go hiking in Monachil with Elise and Andreas. After we arrived we began following a route that Andreas found online. We found a huge valley with a bridge and a strange brick structure with the goofy graffiti commonly found Granada. After climbing around in the hills for a few hours we headed back through an orchard and into town in time to catch the bus back to Grandada.

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Jaén

10/15/2010

Today I woke up at 5p… I spent some time at the computer lab at the Huerta de las Angeles building and later went out to Sacromonte to check out El Camborio. On the way I ran into Thomas who showed me a little bar/cave where they were having live flamenco performances. I really enjoyed the music, the performance in general was pretty vibrant.

10/16/2010

Today I woke up late again and relaxed until around 9p then went to Thomas’ party which was actually pretty intense… at one point the police even showed up and kicked everyone out.

10/21/2010

Today we finally got internet in our apartment! I went with Paige to Hipercor and got lost on the way back. I ended up a bit out out in the middle of nowhere, but was able to get directions to the Albycin area and made my way back to my neighborhood, Realejo. Looking back it's actually pretty crazy how far out I walked, would have been a nightmare for someone who doesn't speak Spanish.

10/24/2010

Today Paige and I went to Jaen and walked around looking at many sites, including the Jaen Cathedral - a Spanish Renaissance cathedral constructed over 230 years and completed in 1802.

At 6p we returned for the potluck Fee and I were hosting at the piso. We ate burritos, Spanish Tortillas, Gazpacho, etc. Later we went with Fee’s friend Anna to some tapas bars and an ice cream parlor.

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The Search for las Cuevas

10/10/2010

Paige and I went to look for the caves (las cuevas), but instead found a nice park and some peacocks. We went into the Alhambra Hotel pretending to be guests and got some nice pics of the city from some upper story windows. We plan to make another attempt at the caves tomorrow.

10/11/2010

Today Paige and I went to look for the caves again and found ourselves looking at them from across a valley… on top of that we had to walk back in the rain. This time we made crepes, Spanish Tortillas and made plans to finally find the caves tomorrow.

10/12/2010

Today we finally found the caves! We took a right where we previously took a left and followed a path with plaques of poetry in Spanish. The path soon turned into a trail which we followed until we stumbled upon the first cave. This cave had something cooking out front but all I could see was the smoke. We didn’t want to go up closer and disturb the cave dwellers who were having a chat out front so we continued along the path and found another, smaller cave. Next we climbed a hill where we found another cave with a mattress in it, it was only big enough for the mattress really, but someone must have just been too desperate to care.

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Hola Granada!

09/26/2010

Today I got up at 6:30a for a 7:20a bus which I missed due to the extremely slow metro in the morning… I ended up paying for a cab with some others that missed the bus which still cost me 45 euros. This wonderful strike of luck was followed up with a 40 euro fee from good ol’ RyanAir for them to print out my ticket. Finally I was headed for Madrid where I caught the metro to the bus station in order to get to Granada. In Granada I walked three miles for my hostel in the middle of the night.

09/27/2010

Today I got up early and went to take my placement exam. I ended up scoring lower than I hoped because of the super fast accent and general shortening of the pronunciation of words in Spain. After the ridiculously stressful exam I went to a bar for some tapas.

09/28/2010

Today I went on a tour of Granada with a guide name Saul. We went to many places including viewpoints of the Alhambra and a Moorish garden. After the tour I took advantage of a siesta and went looking for a room. I talked to my friend Thomas from Germany who told me about a place which ultimately ended up being my new home. After finding a piso I went with my friend y companero de piso Kirara on the tapas tour.

09/29/2010

Upon moving in to our piso we found out from our other roommate Fee that not everything was as it seemed. Utilities may cost more than the limit of $60 which means we will have to pay the extra amount. We have to buy the gas for heating water and we don’t have internet. Also, I have to find a replacement when I leave due to the year-long contract breach fee of 250… otherwise the place is pretty nice and cozy. After moving in we had some spaghetti for dinner and I worked on my book project.

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Au Revoir Paris

09/25/2010

Today I moved back to Caulaincourt and went on the tour of Paris. After the tour I went to the Sacre de Couer then returned to the hostel where I ran into Garrett. Lee showed up shortly after with her friend Kelly and we all went for Crepes. I had a flaming crepe which tasted like lighter fluid due to the excessive amount of alcohol it had on it. After that we went back to the Sacre de Couer and watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle.

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Louvre

09/22/2010

Today I went to a new place to stay with my friend Lee who found it on a site called AirBnB.com.
Tyler and I went to the Toulleries instead of the tour because it turned out to be at 1p not 2p. At 7:45p Lee and I finally got going for the meeting at the Newman’s which was supposed to be ending at 8p, but it was a 5 minute walk so I figured it would be best to at least show up. We ended up staying there and talking for probably a good hour, so I’m glad we went. I learned that the Louvre is free friday nights so on Friday I plan to go. When we got back to the place the owners (Phillip and Eric) had set me up a blow up mattress in the closet - plenty comfortable and at 10 euro/night it's a steal compared to the 25/night at the hostel!

09/23/2010

Today I went to the sandwich place and had a very unique and tasty “grilled cheese sandwich” with a drink and flan for dessert. Later, I went with Lee to the marche (market) for some very French handmade fromage (cheese), a super fluffy baguette and a bottle of wine.

09/24/2010

Today I woke up late and got a slow start only to finally leave for the Louvre at around 5p. The Louvre is free on friday nights for people younger than 25 so it was a pretty awesome deal.

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Bonjour Paris!

09/19/2010

This morning I arrived in Paris and met up with my friend John Brooks who lives there. We went to the Lord’s Table meeting and everyone spoke French which was confusing but cool. Afterward, we went for lunch at a really good Vietnamese restaurant and then John and his wife Elaine helped me on my way to my hostel. After stopping to withdraw cash from a machine that only existed on my GPS I located a different cash machine and then walked 2 miles to finally settle into Caulaincourt Hostel in Montmartre.

09/20/2010

Today I woke up and had breakfast at 9a then went back to sleep until 2p. After waking I went down and worked on an itinerary for Paris and met some new Aussie friends. At 7p we all took the metro to the Eiffel Tower and had a picnic. At the metro I kept noticing strange advertisements with young teens photoshopped to look super old and creepy... very odd.

09/21/2010

Today I went down for breakfast then at around 5p I met up with a couple other Americans (Tyler and Garret) and went to the Arch de Triomphe where we looked for car accidents. Down beneath the eternal flame commemorating the dead from the world wars was once extinguished by a couple Aussies trying to cook a hot dog over it. After visiting the arch we went back and ate some interesting snacks out in front of the hostel.

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Greenwich

09/18/2010

Today we all went to Greenwich (pronounced "Gren-itch") and saw the Royal Observatory where we stood on the world-famous Greenwich meridian line. Then we went back and all had dinner at Pizza Express after which I ran off to catch my bus for Paris!

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Bath

09/16/2010

Today Annie and I went to Bath where we saw the Roman Baths and I drank bath water. The Roman Baths seemed a bit more like a museum than the real thing, but I was still pretty impressed with the site and it’s scale. After the baths I ran over to the Royal Crescent and back to catch the bus.

09/17/2010

Today Annie and I went to the Globe Theater where I got “Picadilly Whip” Ice Cream and waited outside until we could get free tickets to see “Bedlam”.

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More London

09/12/2010

Today I walked to the National Portrait Gallery where they had photo, oil, marble, etc. portraits featuring many different types of subjects. Then I walked over to the British Museum and finally to Tate Modern.

09/13/2010

Today we went on the typical path of pilgrimage through London. We went to Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s and to the Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the Great where a few movies have been filmed for the dramatic environment. The Church had a wooden cieling unlike most that we had seen which have stone ceilings. On the way to Southwark Cathedral we stopped at a wall with obituaries of people who died saving others.

09/14/2010

This morning we went to St. Paul’s again, this time to go inside for a “super tour” (no pictures allowed). During the tour we heard a lot about the history and culture of the cathedral and the architect, Sir Christopher Wren. In the end I went up to the whispering gallery where one can be heard whispering from the other side of the dome.

09/15/2010

Today we went to the Sir John Soane Museum where we saw use of a lot of “light, space, and invention.” Soane is one of my favorite architects because of his dynamic use of light and his overall boldness and ecentricity. A lot of his architecture is playful with hidden displays and themes reminiscent of the Temple of Doom. Since Soane passed a bill to preserve the museum it has been left how he had it – with a few mysteries to be solved by visitors.

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Museum of London

09/11/2010

Today Ross and I went to the Museum of London, the Barbican Art Gallery, the Ten Bells pub, and ended up in Brick Lane - a place where a bunch of Indian restaurants bid for your business with discounts and other deals. We ended up getting two pints and a four course meal each for 10 pounds! After dinner we crossed the Millennium Bridge and went down to the river bank looking for souvenirs.

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Temple Church

09/10/2010

Today my group presented on St. Paul’s Cathedral and we went to the Temple Church. On the way we saw a bicyclist and his bike pinned fully under a bus. At the church we saw many interesting sculptures of goofy and tortured looking faces. The church itself is Gothic influence with rib-vaulting and was built for the Knights Templar in the late-12th-century.

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Oxford

09/09/2010

Today we went to Oxford where Morgan, a student and our guide, showed us around. We went to the world's first university museum, the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology followed by the Sheldonian where students at Oxford begin and end their three years of nonstop study.

Next we checked out Christ Church, home of the famous Harry Potter dining hall and the Tom Quadrangle.

Edited in the movie to look a lot bigger...

After we finished our tour of the college I went to Starbucks and took a nap on their couch. When that wasn't enough I finally decided to just get a coffee on which they spelled my name T-R-E-B-Y-S. I guess they don't have a lot of people named Travis in Europe.

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Spark of… something

09/07/2010

Today the tubes were down because of the strikes so we all had the day off for working on our stuff. I went to hang out with Bruce and we walked around London. We revisited many places I had already been such as Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, and the London Eye. We also went to The Churchill War Rooms and The Walkabout – an Australian pub where I had a Kangaroo burger.

09/08/2010

Today we went to Tate Modern and Tate Britain via boat. I liked the “States of Flux” and “Energy and Process” exibits at Tate Modern and I enjoyed the “Coral Reef” exibit at Tate Britain. The “Coral Reef” exhibit was especially strange with disorienting passages and a musty odor…

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