First Post of the New Year

OK so I realized that some people are reading this *Mary* so I will make a more concerted effort this semester to keep you updated!

After closing the first week of the new semester I have had little time to do much of anything, I am a campus ambassador here at SLU and I helped lead some of the orientation groups and also got to go to Toledo and Segovia for the second time for free! The school also gave me a 20 euro credit for lunch so this weekend was great needless to say. This next weekend I am excited to go to Salamanca, which is the only place I have yet to go in the immediate area around Madrid. Geneva is scheduled at the end of the month and I have to believe this will be the most adventurous experience yet. Apparently there is some kind of art convention in the city the weekend we will be there so every hostel and hotel is booked. So...this could mean we're sleeping in the airport if we sleep at all while we're there. We have been able to work on some other trips including the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa and Lisbon. Pictures are soon to come!

Having Fun in Third-World Countries

Just got back from Morocco and I think it's safe to say I will not be going back anytime soon. First of all it is not cheap at all. They just suffer from crazy inflation but it was fun to barter in the markets (Uncle Mike if you're reading this I got you a pretty neat Christmas present here, I excited to see what you think). The market they had in Marrakech had snake tamers, monkeys and pretty much everything else you would expect to find in Africa. On our day trip to the east Sahara we got to ride camels and visit old villages. But little on the trip went according to plan. But I'm back alive and did not get robbed, and now it's off to Brussels! Pics to come soon!

Becoming Cultured

Soccer and Bullfights

I think October has been the month to experience Spain. We have been on one trip to Alicante. And we have also explored what Madrid has to offer. The Retiro Park is like the Central Park of Madrid, a place that's a buzz on the weekends. Aside from that we have started to experience true Spanish culture:Bullfights and Real Madrid soccer. Bullfights are...interesting. It's a longer process than you would think and they kill about 6 bulls. Tickets were 2 euros so that's three bulls a euro (a pretty decent deal!). Last night we all went to a REAL soccer game. Real Madrid v AC Milan. Soccer in Europe trumps any sport in America it was unbelievable. Now we are taking it easy before November comes along, our big travel month. Morocco, Brussels and Rome in successive weeks. This is why I came to Europe!

Since it's been a while....

Sorry for the delay in the posts, it's been busy with classes and all the first week activities. The first weekend was great. We went on two day trips with the school, one to Segovia and the other to Toledo. Segovia still has original standing Roman Aqueducts, a couple of those pictures are up and I'm still trying to see if I can post whole albums on this blog but I'm not having a lot of luck doing so. Toledo is basically the kind of city you want to go to in Europe it's on a little river contains old architecture. I hope to get those pics on soon because that has been one of my favorites so far. This weekend I'm going to El Escorial and Valle de los Caidos with school. I love our group of friends because all we talk about is setting up trips...and then we never actually set them up. Next weekend we may or may not go to Valencia and then again the weekend after that we may or may not rent a smart car and go to Munich. One thing that is already on the books is the trip to Brussels with my Econ class. Ben and I get to go meet with lobbyist and European Union representative at the headquarters of the EU. This is (in my opinion) the most exciting thing I'll do this semester. And it only cost a cool $870 (you can't fully appreciate how much the dollar blows until you have to convert it from euros). I hope all is well in the states!

Segovia