Dare you to say that five times fast. Go for it, and please record yourself because I'd love a good laugh. Seriously though, this is no tongue twister, it's the name of a rather hated-by-travelers volcano in Iceland that has decided to start erupting after years of dormancy. Results? Flights cancelled, stranded travelers and a slight bit of chaos. Please keep stranded people in your prayers, volcanic ash in the air has not been Europe's friend in the past and it isn't helping now. On a personal note I would really enjoy not being stranded myself this weekend. Is it possible to swim from England to Spain?

Today is my first official day of my twenties. Oh goodness, twenty?! While I would like to say I’m celebrating in style, in reality, I’ve spent all day in my pajamas and watched more How I Met Your Mother. Weather hasn’t permitted the planned beach trip of the day sadly but it’s okay, I’ll be going to London in exactly three days to really celebrate. Also, while my heart may love Spain, my body isn’t as enthusiastic. I’m sick, again. But even with bad weather and no energy, I did manage to officially turn twenty classily. At 23:30, my roommate and I walked to a park nearby, sat ourselves in a gazebo, and enjoyed the night for a bit. When midnight came around, Melissa unwrapped our ‘cake’ which was really a couple of PB&J’s and I stuck a singing candle in to make a birthday wish. I love my roommate. While maybe not the most expensive or posh birthday party ever, it was most definitely memorable and fun—one of those quirky moments that seems to define my life.

Sometimes I have a hard time believing that I get to do such incredible things for class credit. Take the last couple of days for example. Friday, our class got to go to an authentic Spanish wine tasting. While there we got to learn about olive oil, the history of wine, and traditional tapas that accompany each drink; all of this while trying some of the most incredible wine and food I’ve ever had. My taste buds were about ready to die of contentment by the end, no joke. Not that I’m becoming an alcoholic or anything, but wine is pretty fantastic. Pair that with food cooked to complement each one, oh goodness. From chorizo to cheese to chocolate, it was all Spain and all fabulous. It’s odd that I won’t be able to have wine when I get back after it being so available here. Just to check to see if the saying were true, I checked in the supermarket the other day to see if wine really is cheaper than water, it is. Oh Spaniards…

Yesterday we all went to Ronda, a city on a hill and surrounded by mountains that’s located a bit south of Madrid. Of all the cities we’ve been to so far, this was by far my favorite. It was just so darn pretty! Nature always wins out on my list of favorites, and this one had 360 degrees of rolling hills and greenery. When we got some free time after viewing the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain, Jamie, Eric and I hiked down the mountain a bit to explore in the wildflowers. It’s nice being in nature again after spending so much time in cities. We found a rock overlooking a waterfall and just hung out for about an hour, it was a boca-d moment. Call me crazy, but there are just some moments that require sandwiches. Haha, wow that sounds weird. Seriously though, everywhere I’ve travelled I always have a boca-d with me and end up eating in the coolest of places including but not limited to: a mountain I climbed to the top of, a castle overlooking the Mediterranean, and a on the ramparts of a centuries old Islamic fortress. Pretty cool eh?

Update since earlier this morning: I decided that, even though I look and feel like Jen-the-red-nosed-Spaniard, there was no way I was spending my birthday stuck in a bedroom. So to the streets we went! Headed out and spent some time on the Granadan hillside for awhile then all of us went to get some chocolate cake in Plaza Bib-Rambla. The best part though, was what came after. On the way home, Melissa and I hit up the book fair that’s laid out all over the city and spent over an hour meandering our way to the piso(apartment). Last week when I visited it on its first day, it was overwhelming just how many stalls there were in the streets and the variety of topics offered. I started walking along from booth to booth, reveling in the sheer amount of literature for a good twenty minutes or so too caught up in it all to think about why I was getting so darn excited. Taking a good look at a shelf full of “Mil y Una Noches,” “La Caraterra,” y “Crepusculo” it finally dawned on me that I could read it without even noticing that my brain had changed languages. YESSSSSSSS! After that it was a free for all at the book fair picking up every book that came within arm’s reach and being absurdly content at the fact that I could read from its pages. So many books and so little time! I found a stall with poetry from Granadan authors and instantly fell in love with one, “A mi el silencio no me calle” (Silence Does not Quiet Me). The language was enrapturing in its simplicity and had so many themes pertinent in my own life, not to mention the fact it’s in Spanish makes it prettier by tenfold. Exhibit A:

Levantate y crece
Abre las puertas y ventanas
Riega tus semillas
No importa como las plantaras

Como crees que se recogen milagros?

Levantate y crece
Te espero un largo camino

Rough translation (that bastardizes the language):

Pick yourself up and grow
Open doors and windows
Sow your seeds
It doesn't matter how you plant them

How do you think they harvest miracles?

Pick yourself up and grow
A long road awaits you

That's just one of many in this wonderful book. However, due to miserable fate, it wasn’t possible to buy it at the time because a) no cash at hand and b) there really isn’t room in my suitcase. Tonight, however, I thanked my lucky stars that I did not end up at that beach because while walking home I found myself back at the stall with Melissa, helping her to pick out books for her family, and just couldn’t resist. Hey, you only turn twenty once right? Splurge a little. Those salespeople, quite the persuasive type. Like lions sensing their kill, they could probably tell pretty early on that I’m a sucker for the written word, especially poetry. Though I have NO space in my suitcase (honestly, I don’t even have a suitcase, just a backpack) I’m coming home with not one but TWO books of poetry. Beautiful, inspiring, flowing, Spanish poetry that I shall read from the south of Spain, through the Swiss Alps, and on the streets of Paris. Books that will travel with me through eight countries and have well-loved pages by June 9th. I'm drooling already. If you ever would like a reading of said books, just hit me up. As you might be able to tell, I’m more than happy to share with you the wonder that is Spanish poetry.

Thank you all for the birthday cards and wishes!!! My day indeed was wonderful and they are all very appreciated :]

This, my friends, is the magic phrase if ever you go to Italy. Not only will it bring you happiness, joy, and all things wonderful, it also holds the secret cure for cancer. Okay, maybe not. But it can get you a cup of gelato wherever you go and that’s almost as good right?

A couple of Fridays ago Melissa, Megan and I set out for Rome, taking all of Spring break to train our way through most of the high points of Italy. Think of every Giddy (touristy) thing you can do in Italy: we did it. Visit the Coliseum and Roman ruins? Check. See world famous pieces of art like the Sistine Chapel and statue of David? Check. Throw a coin into the Trevi fountain? Done. Picture holding up the Tower of Pisa? Heck yes. Not to mention I SAW THE POPE. The most powerful man in the Catholic Church, funky hat and all, was standing and waving not ten feet away from me. Boy does he look old, ten bucks says he’ll kick the bucket in the next five years. Out of curiosity I went to a Holy Week mass in the Vatican to experience Catholicism at its most powerful and fundamental. It was incredible the sheer amount of people that were there and the passion that they showed. When Benedict himself came down the main aisle to the altar the entire church was up on its feet instantly, climbing on chairs and pulling out cameras like crazy to just get a shot of him while he amicably waved and smiled at everyone. It’s funny though. St. Paul’s Basilica, while the most prestigious church in the world and certainly the richest, was certainly the most beautiful church I’ve seen but had little sentiment for me spiritually. There I was, with over a thousand people singing a hymn, and all I could think of was how far away God felt in the place. The whole mass was missing that personal relationship with God that I so cherish and that is central to my faith. There were so many barriers put between the people and heaven-- liturgy, Latin, papacy, hierarchy—that it felt to me like the Church was getting in the way of God. Maybe it’s just because I’m protestant and don’t understand it as well, I was surprised by the impressions the whole experience gave me.

After Rome we did a whirlwind day that included running to the Leaning Tower to take a picture then book it out of the city to catch another train, visiting Florence for a few more hours, then ending up in Venice. Florence was a bit of a fail, we went in only knowing that David was somewhere in the city but had no map to find him. After discovering the museum, we waited in line for two hours only to find out that pictures were prohibited. As I was a little annoyed that I had waited so long and would have nothing to show for it I took it, as a pirate would say, with the view that rules are “more like guidelines” and took illegal pictures of David in all of his naked glory with my camera hidden in my purse. Totally worked too, except that all of my photos are at an awkward angle. Better than none at all though in my opinion.

Taking the train from city to city was basically my favorite part of the trip, just seeing the gorgeous countryside of rolling hills and the Mediterranean. From Florence to Venice I was sitting with an Italian couple and their daughter while Megan and Meli sat with their grandma and aunt. About halfway through the trip I could tell the girl, about ten years old, was getting super antsy and wanting to run around so I started playing tic-tac-toe with her to give her something to do. Have I mentioned I don’t speak Italian? Somehow we found a way to communicate through games and had fun the whole way to Venice laughing, drawing, and learning each other’s languages. About half way through the mom stepped in and we had a trilingual conversation with me speaking Spanish, the girl speaking Italian, and mom English. They kept on telling me to try spaghetti in cuttlefish ink once I got to Venice. Yes, about that. I think my life is fine without it, thanks though. Smile and nod does wonders when used appropriately. (It probably would have tasted better than the eel I had yesterday without realizing it though) Good people can be found everywhere; it only takes a bit of creativity and openness to connect sometimes. After the train ride Megan and Meli kept telling me that I should be a teacher after seeing how I interacted with Maryistella (the girl)….we shall see. It’s a growing possibility no matter how much I don’t want to admit it.

Venice was the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen because it’s right on the OCEAN. Didn’t ride a gondola but I did buy a pretty sweet mask and lost myself in the labyrinth of the island. Worst deja vu I've ever experienced in my life walking around there. Verona was next on our list for the sole purpose of seeing Juliet’s house. As a devout literature nerd, there’s no way I could pass up the opportunity to pay homage to one of Shakespeare’s greatest works and happily found my way to “fair Verona, where we lay our scene.” The house itself was the most touristy place I’ve ever seen though I did manage to get a picture of myself on her balcony. Juliet’s balcony!!! Where Romeo saw her in the morning light and in awe exclaimed “But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.” Sigh. Oh Shakespeare, how I love thee. The best part of the place was a tunnel where lovers of all walks of life that visit the monument write their names on the wall for good luck. It is the house of the most famous pair of lovers in all literature after all. I’m no romantic but it was sweet seeing all of the notes in so many languages and the sheer amount of paper that was stuck to that wall. Unable to miss the opportunity, I bummed a pen off a pair of French tourists and wrote my name on the wall too. If you ever go to Verona, look for my name! It’s on the same note that says “Maria+Richard 4ever” and is toward the far wall.


Overall, Italy was fantastic. I ate gelato EVERYDAY which was delicious and wonderful. For the first time in my life, I can honestly say I don’t want ice cream….for awhile. I'm still craving pizza though. There's nothing quite like having a slice with ham, olive, artichoke, corn(don't ask, just accept that it was good), olive oil, and cheese for lunch, top that for uberly Mediterranean. The whole country is gorgeous and has so much history you could go crazy just walking around and getting lost in how much art and culture are in its cities.

I hope you all enjoyed your spring breaks as well!

Ciao bellas.